One of them, YA Urban fantasy A.D. Duling (Author of The Anna Kippling Series)

by A. D. Duling

  She paused, to her dissatisfaction he had made a valid point that she could not argue with and she reluctantly returned to her spot on the counter. “Just… please do it quickly.” she wined and scrunched her eyes shut.

  A Werewolf… his words echoed in her mind, hearing that gave no room for denial anymore. The reality of what had attacked her sunk in and the fact that she only escaped from it because of a vampire, sunk in as well. A werewolf and a vampire… she thought. So much for fiction.

  As soon as the pad touched her wound, Evie screamed and arched her back. “By the way, they are very nice.” He commented to distract her as he worked quickly.

  “What?” she asked him as she writhed in pain.

  “Your breasts…” He responded, shamelessly.

  Her head shot up to his comment and she instantly regretted it. The burning pain that she brought with that sent her head lying back down on the cold granite. “And how would you know what my breasts look like-” she spoke, panting. “- I don’t recall showing them to you.” The hardness of the counter did not help her discomfort.

  She strained her eyes to peer back at him and followed his glance up to the back door above her. The door had a window that had reflected her naked upper half as she undressed for him to see. Heat rose to her cheeks and her eyes shot back to his, evoking her distasteful thoughts of him.

  “Sorry, I couldn’t help it.” He apologized with no expression, leaving her once again unsure wither he was serious or not.

  “Well, the next time you have a girl half naked in your kitchen and her breasts are flashing back at you in the window…. Try to look away.” She growled.

  His smile revealed his true sincerity, yet a hint of not regretting the peek played out as well. She realized then how handsome he was and quickly flipped her head over to conceal her blushing cheeks.

  “It’s not deep, so no stiches are required.” He told her as he tore open a gauze pad. “You’re lucky; he barley grazed you.” He added.

  “How do you know it was a boy?” she asked him.

  “The males are bigger and their hair is darker.” He spoke factually.

  “And how do you know this?” She pried.

  He didn’t answer. He bandaged and taped her up and best he could without touching his cold fingers to her warm skin and started cleaning up his mess. Evie stood up and this time walked out of view of the backdoor window and went to put her undershirt back on.

  “Wait; let me get you a t-shirt.” He stopped her and darted out to get one.

  She stood awkwardly in the stark kitchen, holding her undershirt to her chest and patiently waited for his return. The silence and solitude allowed more of the reality to sink into her mind and gave way for the unshed tears to sneak in on her. A sob escaped from her as the last of the adrenaline drained from her body and the emotions swarmed in.

  She quickly covered her mouth and tried to hold them back, but failed. The overflowing tears were already streaming down her cheeks when he appeared inside the doorway. Evie quickly look down in attempt to hide her embarrassment and cleaned up her face.

  He silently walked over and sat the shirt down on the counter in front of her. “Hey, it’s ok if you want to cry…” he sympathized. She looked up at him, surprised and he smiled at her. “I’m not that cold hearted.” He defended, faking an insulted look.

  She laughed and shakily picked up the t-shirt. With her back to him, he carefully helped her maneuverer inside of it, respectfully avoiding contact with her skin and front from. With his nearness, Evie once again caught his fragrance and again could not place the scent; even the shirt smelled like him, indicating it was his.

  He noticed her watching him as he cleaned up afterward, but continued at his task appearing oblivious; allowing her the time to figure him out. He knew the questions she would ask and dreaded how it would play out. He figured at first she would be awe struck by it and look at him like a hero, like her own superman even; but then when he told her what he really was, she would be disgusted.

  “I know what you are.” She words cut into his thoughts and he looked up at her.

  “And what would that be?” he asked her.

  “You’re a vampire.” She stated matter-of-factly.

  “And what makes you think that?” he asked, intrigued.

  “Your skin is cold, your face is pale, and you have super strength and speed, what else would you be?” she spoke the obvious.

  “Why not Superman?” he asked her, surprised by her boldness.

  An “are you serious” look came across her face. “I’ve read a few vampire books, mind you they were fiction, but it seems pretty right on.” She stated her defense.

  He mutely stared at her, unsure on how to react. Her confidence surprised him; those who usually see a werewolf in action and then a vampire normally feel intimidated, a heightened fearfulness comes over them and all sense is lost. Yet here she was boldly declaring her awareness and doing it so calmly.

  “Ok, so now what?” he asked her.

  “Well… I would like to go home. And if you are worried about me outing you, well don’t; because I won’t. You did save me from whatever that was out there and me keeping quiet; makes us even.” She reasoned with him.

  He smiled and leaned against the counter, “Just like that? Walk away and nothing more. No further explanation needed, just continue on living your life knowing vampires and werewolves live near you?”

  She nodded, “Yes, I would rather that.”

  “It’s not as simple as that…”

  “Why not..?”

  “What’s your name?” he asked her.

  She shook her head, “I’m not going to tell you that and I don’t want to know yours. Please…I just really want to go home and forget about all this.” A pleading came into her voice and he feared she was crumbling.

  He walked over to her, “Are you afraid of me?” he asked her.

  She crossed her arms, “No…” she lied bravely, reassuring his fear.

  He grinned, “You know your curiosity is going to get the best of you. Just like it did for whatever reason brought you out there tonight.” He pointed out.

  “Ok, I admit, yes there was a reason I was out there, but now that I know what’s out there, I do not want to know anymore!” She blurted.

  This girl standing before him seemed the type who could very well carry on without knowing anything more if she had really put her mind to it, but he didn’t think she would. Curiosity brought her out there tonight, her weakness he could still smell seeping from every pour of her right now, still uncured. And he was glad for it, because after staring into those deep blue pools, he knew it was not going to be so easy for him to walk away from her. Her reaction had surprised him, taking him way of guard. She fascinated him; her thought process alone he was sure would intrigue him for hours. He had not expected to find her out there in the woods tonight. He had been out hunting and spotted her flashlight from afar and went to investigate.

  When he found her behind the disruption, she could have carried on with it forever to his delight, until the Werewolf…

  She was small in stature, a vast comparison from his height. She had no voluptuous curves and a small chest as he observed earlier, not that it mattered much to him. Her hair was a dark brown; her nose was button like and her facial features were rounded. Her deep blue majestic eyes mesmerized him as she looked up at him. His hair matched hers in color, but his face was pale and his eyes were black, no longer the lustrous golden brown they had once been.

  “Blue eyes and brown hair, that’s quite an odd combination,” He commented.

  “Maybe; but no more uncommon as having oh let’s say… pure black eyes.” She responded without a skip. He grinned at her remark.

  “What?” she asked him.

  “You’re not in the least bit afraid of me?” he teased with a smile.

  “Why should I be?” She asked, relaxing.

  “Because I am a vampire…”

  “You won
’t hurt me.” She stated assuredly, ironically quoting a familiar line.

  “And what makes you think that?” he asked, amused.

  “Because I see you have obviously practiced restraint.” She stated and looked down at her bloody shirt.

  He laughed. “You’ve also been reading way too many vampire novels!” he teased her and she scowled.

  The front door slammed. “Nathan, are you here!?” came a deep male voice from the other room.

  “I’m in here Dad!” He yelled back.

  Nathan…his name is Nathan. She thought and rolled it around in her head a few times more.

  His father, a woman and boy looking a few years younger than Nathan walked in. They did not seem surprised to see her standing next to him and his father’s eyes looked to the bloody shirt and then to her. “You’re injured?” he asked her with concern.

  “It’s superficial and I’ve already patched her up.” Nathan answered for her.

  He looked over to him, “I asked her Nathan.” He chided him.

  “Please, I just want to go home now… I won’t tell anybody, I promise!” Evie threw out; brave wall falling.

  “She knows!?” His father stammered, growing more upset.

  “A werewolf did this to her, I snatched her up before it killed her.” He explained. “The rest she guessed on her own.”

  His father exhaled and stared at her for a moment, his unblinking eyes, made her uncomfortable and she looked down to her hands under his scrutiny.

  “Seth, you’re making her uncomfortable.” The woman spoke up kindly.

  Evie looked up at her and received a warm smile in follow. “What’s your name dear?” the woman asked her.

  “It’s Evangeline, but I go by Evie.” She politely answered.

  “Evangeline, what a very lovely name.” she warmly complimented and walked over to her. “Well Evie, my name is Marsha Bender, this is my husband Seth, and this is Zander, Nathan’s brother.” She introduced them.

  Bender, Nathan Bender… his full name entered her thoughts as shook the woman’s outstretched hand.

  “Marsha, this is not an everyday get together…we are in sort of a predicament here.” Her husband stressed behind her.

  Marsha grinned and rolled her eyes in humor in front of Evie and turned to her husband. “How about we all migrate to the living room and let Nathan bring us up to date before we decided if this is a predicament or not dear.” She gently suggested and Evie watched his coal black eyes move off of her face and down to his wife’s. He relaxed a little, but the frustration remained on his face. He nodded his head in agreement and his black eyes darted back to her.

  “Please join us in the living room.” he curtly invited.

  “Well…can I first call my mother so she doesn’t worry?” Evie asked him hesitantly.

  “Yes, do that; we definitely do not want your mother to worry.” Marsha turned back to her.

  “But do not tell your mother about us.” Seth threatened.

  “I wasn’t planning to.” Evie boldly snapped back, sending the man looking away. Nathan grinned. The brave wall had come back.

  Evie grabbed her jacket from off the chair and dug for her cell phone, but did not find it, when she checked the other pocket; she found it was not in there either. “I guess I lost my cell phone.” She announced, knowing she would be getting it from her mother when she finally told her.

  “That’s ok dear; you are welcome to use our land line.” The woman told her and pointed to the phone sitting on the counter across from them. She then tugged on her husband’s arm, signaling their exit.

  Evie walked over to the phone and picked it up. She looked back and watched Nathan follow after his family into the other room in respect of her privacy. As she dialed her mother’s number, she wondered if they too could hear conversations in other rooms or even in minds. It rang on the other side of the receiver pressed against her ear and she rehearsed excuses as she waited for her mother to pick up. Finally after the sixth ring her mother picked up and a “Hello?” came through, from a gruff female voice. She knew by that her mother was drunk. She was probably not even aware of how late it had become, which was now well past seven o’clock. Evie was normally home before then, unless sleeping over at Cass’s.

  “Hi mom, its Evie…I’m gonna be late getting home, hanging out with Cass.” She quickly excused.

  “I thought you told me she was going out with her parents tonight?” her mother asked, apparently not that drunk. Evie had forgotten about that, it was Wednesday. A weekly dine out habit of her friend’s family.

  “They decided on ordering take out and invited me over. We just started a movie…” she quickly came up with.

  “How are you getting home?” her mother asked, slurred.

  “Cass will drive me.”

  “Ok…but tell her to drive careful and …” Her mother’s voice cut off.

  “Mom..?” Evie spoke into the phone, not sure if she had passed out.

  “Love you.” Her mother’s suddenly came back.

  “I love you too mom...” She told her and then hung up.

  She took a couple of deep breaths and put her jacket on before she went into the living room. As she slowly walked in, she found Nathan and his family already in conversation that quickly halted as soon as she was spotted.

  “Please, come and sit down Evie.” Marsha invited her and pointed to the sitting chair across from her. Evie walked over and sat down. “Nathan has already explained what happened and it’s apparent you have figured us out. My question for you my dear is what exactly is it that you believe you know about us?” She asked her.

  “You want me to tell you what I know about vampires?” Evie asked her.

  The woman nodded.

  “Well… what I know basically comes from books; fictional books. So you can see how surprised I was to find out you guys are actually real!” she confessed, laughing.

  Marsha smiled. “I can imagine how overwhelming this is and I must tell you what has been written is partially true, but a lot has been fabricated.” She emphasized.

  Evie nodded, “I figured some of it, but I do still have some questions…” She told her.

  “We are dead and immortal. We do drink blood, can from humans, but don’t. It’s a preference, not a necessity. How we became is exactly how it has been written.” Seth interrupted; his wife gave him a dirty look. “What?” he asked her, surprised. “I thought I would cover the basics and then she can go from there.” He defended. His wife shook her head, but a smile still peaked at the corner of her mouth and Evie couldn’t help smiling as she watched the couple.

  “So what I saw out there was in fact a werewolf?” she asked them. Both nodded. “Are you enemies?” she right after.

  “Not unless he tries to attack one of us.” Zander spoke up and she looked at him.

  “How old are you really?” she asked the boy.

  “I am will be ninety-six at the end of this month.” He answered her.

  “And you guys are a real family?” she asked them.

  “We are…” Nathan answered.

  “Do you die from stakes in the heart or glimmer in the sunlight?” she asked them.

  All four vampires laughed. “We are capable of dying, not sure of the stake in the heart; never tried it-” Seth teased, “- And as for the sunlight, we only avoid it because our skin is more sensitive.”

  “Will you catch on fire from it?” she asked him.

  He grinned. “No, we do not burst into flames.” He chuckled. “Our skin is similar to that of one who suffers from albinism.” He explained.

  “Are there more of you?” she questioned.

  “Yes, but we are still a minority.” Seth answered.

  “Are there just as many werewolves?” she asked him, her questions picking up.

  His smile remained as he nodded. “There are more of them than there are of us. What you saw tonight was a member of a pack that just came into town; they’re the ones behind the attack
s.”

  “Why were you out there tonight Evie?” Marsha jumped in.

  “I was curious; a little too curious, I know now. If it wasn’t for Nathan, that thing out there would be feasting on me right now.” She looked over at him. “Why were you out there?” she asked him, curious for his answer.

  He smiled, “Getting dinner.”

  Her mouth gapped open and she blushed, “oh…yeah… duh!” and laughed at herself.

  “Are you going to tell anyone?” Zander asked her.

  She shook her head, “No, I won’t. I promise.” She assured him and looked to each one in stress of it.

  Seth nodded, “Ok then…it’s getting late and we need to get you home. Any more questions can be answered at a later time.” He announced and stood up.

  Nathan stood up immediately and walked over to the front door. “I’ll take her home dad.” He volunteered.

  Seth eyed his son and Nathan looked back at him, an unspoken communication transferred between the two, but went unnoticed to the rising Evie. Nathan opened the door for her and she turned back and gave his family a wave goodbye before she exited.

  At home, Evie found her mother passed out asleep on the living room couch. Her body sprawled out with some of her hair caught in her open mouth. Evie carefully pulled the wet strands out and grabbed the wool blanket from the recliner and covered her with it. The ride home with Nathan had been uncomfortable; the awkwardness was both physical and mental for her. Every muscle in her body ached and the scratch burning on her back made her suffering worse.

  Seth’s statement “a later time” made it clear that the Bender family was not finished with her and now officially had become a part of Evie’s life. From the corner of her eye the whole ride home, she had watched him. She figured he probably knew she was, but didn’t care. And even if she had tried to not look, she really didn’t think she would have stayed successful at not. One thing that rung true in her books was vampires were a beautiful species, even if realistically he didn’t sparkle. Evie turned off the lights; every single light had been on in the room, her mother’s bad habit. She did this in every room she went in. This habit started right after her Dad left and why it did, Evie did not know.