“Yes. I am now. That came with the package.” Landon felt an unmistakable, undeniable, attraction to Graciela. He licked his partially exposed canines.
“Hmmm, you’re going to need it tonight,” she said, monotone.
“What added power will I be getting?” he asked. He tried to ignore the emotion he was feeling—LillyAnna had no part of it.
“The gifts are from the gods. They decide who receives what and for what reason.
I am merely the conduit through which the gift is received. Are you ready?” Landon looked over at Catalina as she nodded at him. “Yes,” he said.
“Let’s begin.” Graciela raised her arms high, seeming to Landon to stretch to the sky. She spoke in a language he didn’t understand, something other than Spanish, as her people, including Catalina, danced around her and the slab. Drums beat wildly.
The night sky grew ever darker as clouds covered the stars and a storm approached. Wind blew heavy and violently. Landon thought, for a moment, he saw the dead, generations of Mexicans that had lived and died at Ascension, pour out of the surrounding buildings, their spectral green glow snaking like a river through the town.
Landon began to shake, as violently as the trees now did, but still conscious.
Lightning lit the sky as thunder crackled. But no rain.
Suddenly, as the drum beats increased, the green, ghostly snake attacked him, running through his body, winding its way in and out, repeatedly. The dead were here.
And they had come to collect his life. Landon shifted forms repeatedly on the slab, finally passing out.
Slowly regaining consciousness, Landon sensed the storm had passed, and felt Graciela lay her hand on him. She then ran both hands over his body. He opened his eyes.
Dawn had broken through the darkness.
“You have survived, I see,” she said. “I told you that you would need your immortality.”
“Did it work?” he asked, aching all over. He still struggled to recall images of LillyAnna.
“Yes. Your gift has been received.”
“What is it?”
“You now have what many of us,” she turned and looked at Catalina, then back at him, “wish we had.”
“What do you mean?”
“You have had your mortality restored.”
“What?” he said, angry, trying to sit up, but unable to do so. “How does that help me against Nicholas? What was the price? Catalina said there would be a price for the new power.”
“Well, I do not know this Nicholas, but I can tell you that death is the greatest gift of all. You will understand. As for the price, sometimes the gift and the price are the same. Your immortality was the price.”
Chapter 30
“Well, I don’t know how this helps us,” said Landon, sitting on a brick wall, facing the road out of town, back into the desert. “Taking away the most important aspect of my abilities? The one that allows me to keep going after him? I just don’t get it.”
“Obviously, it does help,” said Catalina, “or it wouldn’t have happened. She said you’d understand.”
“Let me guess—when the time is right. Whatever. You asked me before about our odds of winning. I’d say they just dropped dramatically. Do you understand what this means? He can kill me, now. I can die. What will that serve? That leaves Ryker and the rest of you to defeat him on your own. And you’re the one that brought me here, Catalina.” He jumped off the wall and headed toward the car.
“Where are you going?” Catalina called to Landon.
“To find Mexico’s greatest resource and export—tequila. This is a real, authentic Mexican town, there’s gotta be some around here somewhere.” He continued walking as he heard Catalina’s phone ring. “Take a message,” he said, walking past the gazebo. “I’m getting drunk.”
“Oh my God,” she said, in a low voice.
Landon turned back, seeing her start crying. The phone kept ringing.
“Who is it?” he asked.
“It’s Celeste’s phone.”
Landon ran over as Catalina answered it. “Hello?” He stopped in his tracks. She sat there motionless, saying nothing. Then finally handed the phone to Landon.
“It’s for you,” she said.
Landon took the call, listening for a couple of minutes and, like Catalina, saying nothing. Hearing a click on the other end, he hung up.
“Well, what did he say?” she asked.
“He wants to meet. In Louisville. A private meeting. He said that I definitely want to be there.” Staring at the ground, he handed the phone back to Catalina. “I have to go. I have to get their quickly. Looks like I’m postponing that drink. I’m going to the airport.”
“Don’t,” she said. “It’s a trap. You know Nicholas won’t be alone. He’s got something up his sleeve. Now’s not the time for you to go charging off by yourself.”
“You’re right. But I still have to go. I have to try. You said it yourself, it’s me he’s after. Why? Well, it’s time I found out. This is what I need to do. What powers I have left, the new and the old, are meant for this.
“And I have no idea what the new are. The former Consuls, Joseph and Seamus, as far as I know, were never in position to use their God-given powers. So, I don’t know what else I can do, and I don’t know how to find out. I don’t know how to activate them.
I’m sorry I blamed you for this, it’s not your fault.” He bent down and kissed Catalina’s forehead. “I gotta go, now.”
“Then you’re gonna need help.” She dialed her phone as Landon walked away.
Chapter 31
Landon pulled his black BMW into Southeast Christian Church’s parking lot, the designated rendezvous point in Louisville. Stopping near the entrance of the church, Landon jumped out and lunged at Nicholas, grabbing him by the shirt.
“What makes you think I won’t kill you right now?” asked Landon.
“Because that didn’t work the first time, did it? Plus, you succumb, like anyone else, to one of the greatest traits mankind had bestowed upon him—curiosity. You want answers. How did I survive death? Why Jamie? Why you? What’s it all about? Well, I’m not going to tell you everything. What would be the fun in that? Oh, and I have an offer for you.”
Landon released his grip and stared at Jamie, then backed up several feet.
“Oh, he’s free to go with you,” said Nicholas. “Unlike everyone else in his life, he always has a choice with me.”
“I’m not going to bother. I know who he chooses. Okay, why here? Why meet at a church?”
“You want answers, there you go.” Nicholas waved his hand toward the cross atop the church. “All your questions can be summed up in one word—God.”
“I see I’m going to mostly get riddles.” Landon crossed his arms and leaned against the car.
“Not at all. In one way or another, everything you, and anyone else at Poveglia, wants to know, goes back to Him. He’s the short answer to your questions.” Nicholas walked over to the BMW. “I see your taking good care of the car we gave you. Looks like you’ve been put through Hell, though. Let’s take a ride.”
“Where am I going?” Landon asked as everyone climbed in.
“Just get on the highway. You looked stressed.”
“Of course, I’m stressed. Of course, I look like I’ve been through Hell. You’ve ruined my life. There’s a manhunt after me. Besides, what would you know about Hell?” asked Landon.
“I didn’t ruin your life. I helped make you a god. You wouldn’t be Consul Werewolf today if it weren’t for me. The manhunt is just a bonus, just something to keep you on your toes. And trust me, Hell exists. So does God.”
“You’ve done nothing but kill and destroy. You are the Devil.” Nicholas laughed. “The Devil? Is that what they’re saying now? No, I’m not the Devil. I am the shadow that lurks within shadows. The Devil? The Devil trembles where my shadow treads. But I have seen God and Hell is all around.” Landon looked in the rearview mirror at Jamie. “I though
t this was supposed to be a private meeting.”
“He goes where I go. He hears what I hear—or say. Besides, I thought you’d like to see the man he’s becoming.”
Landon pulled the car out of the parking lot and jumped on I64, heading toward downtown Louisville. “So what is it you have to say? What do you want?”
“Not much. Just the new Consuls’ deaths—that would be you and Ryker. As soon as possible if that’s okay with you. To avoid further bloodshed. That’s my offer—you let us kill you, or kill yourself, whatever, and we’ll go peacefully tonight.” If Landon hadn’t been though everything he had with Nicholas, he would have thought his passenger was joking. But he knew Nicholas was deadly serious.
“That’s not going to happen. But I’m curious, why is it so important that I die?
What’s in it for you? What’s so special about me?”
“Don’t kid yourself,” said Jamie from the backseat. “There’s nothing special about you.”
Landon looked with surprise at his son in the mirror. These were the first words he’d heard from Jamie since that night in the kitchen. The night Landon grabbed his son by the throat.
“I know,” said Nicholas, “such attitude he has now. Who knows where he gets it.
His father maybe—or his dead mother.” A smile crept up. “Either way, he’s certainly growing up on us. Besides, his statement isn’t entirely true. You are the most powerful werewolf I’ve ever seen—apart from myself, of course. You just don’t see it.
“And now look at you. Head of the werewolves. All that power coursing through your veins. It’s a pity you don’t believe in yourself more. Imagine what you would be able to do. Perhaps, you could defeat me.” He paused, then started laughing. “I’m just kidding. No, you can’t. But, if you can’t figure out why I want you dead, other than I just don’t like you, then you’re slower than I thought. I’m doing all the mental work for you.”
“You’re a fucking lunatic,” said Landon.
“Lunatic?” Nicholas laughed. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
“Sure I do. A crazy-as-fuck werewolf.” Landon heard Nicholas laugh again.
“Not a werewolf. The werewolf.”
The car suddenly left the road, speeding and careening off the shoulder, through the grass and into the first tree it could find. Landon and Nicholas both flew through the windshield upon impact. Jamie, still in the backseat, was pressed against the dashboard.
Landon came to his senses first, shifting and getting the jump on Nicholas, who came to immediately after. The great red werewolf picked up his enemy, swinging him like a baseball bat into the wrecked tree. Swing and a hit. Swing and a hit. The smell of Irish whiskey poured out of the trunk as bottles of Jameson lay broken inside. Nicholas laughed.
Landon heard Jamie change, his transformation separating the backseat from the dashboard, restoring each to its original place. The blond werewolf burst out through the roof, landing on top of the car, howling at his father. Landon tossed Nicholas to the side, and faced his son.
Jamie lunged at Landon, the elder grabbing the sailing teen and launching him into the nearby row of trees. Jamie crashed through several branches before finally landing. He stood, shook it off, and ran back for more.
Landon grabbed him again, this time tossing his son through the already broken windshield, thereby putting Jamie back into the car. The teen climbed back out onto the roof, slowly this time, and stood there, seeming to formulate a plan of action, like he was pondering what move he could make to defeat his more experienced father.
“No, Jamie,” said Nicholas. “Back down. Now’s not the time. Remain in control of your temper and you will be in control of the rest of you.” Jamie waited a few seconds, then changed back to human form, still standing on the car’s roof.
“You and I could take him here,” Jamie said. “I know we could. We could get what we came for. We wouldn’t need to go through the trouble of the later plan.”
“The later plan is part of the fun, dear boy.”
“What’s he talking about?” asked Landon, having shifted down. “What did you come for? What later plan? Catalina was right—there is more to me being up here than just getting answers.”
“There’s always more. And she’s obviously much quicker than you are. You didn’t really think I would bring you back here, from wherever you were, just for conversation, did you? Of course, I do still want you dead, preferably tonight, but I’m not going to take any chances. I’m certainly not going to make surviving easy for you. You are not going to win this,” Nicholas said, walking over to Landon. “Let me explain why.
Let me tell you who I really am.”
Chapter 32
“Okay,” said Landon, “so who the hell are you? What do you mean the werewolf?”
“What do you think I mean? I’m the first. All others came after me. I am the Alpha and I plan on being the Omega. Yes, Landon. My blood runs in your veins. Yours, Jamie’s, your other children, even that girlfriend of yours; every werewolf that walks the earth. Yes, you are all my children.”
All three stood naked in the Spring night air, protected by the cover of trees, as cars whizzed by on the freeway.
“You sick fuck,” said Landon. “I’m gonna kill you.”
“Yes, yes, of course, you are. Wait, you did that already. How did that turn out?
You have no idea if I can even die. I, on the other hand, have proven that the Consul Werewolf can be killed, thanks to Seamus.”
You have no idea, thought Landon, recalling his newfound mortality.
“How do I know there’s a God? Because it was God who made me this way. I was the soldier who followed King Herod’s orders and carried out the Massacre, or Slaughter if you will, of the Innocents. Don’t think for a second that I wouldn’t have killed your kids, Landon. I killed countless children under two years old in my fruitless quest to find and destroy the Christ child.
“As punishment, God, seeing the animal, the monster, whatever label you want to use, I had become, turned me into one, literally. He thought there would be no coming back from something like that, but I proved stronger than He expected. His plan backfired as I used my new gift to rain more destruction on His people. And I don’t mean the Jews—I mean everyone. So He came up with a new plan.
“He created the first vampire to be my assassin. I don’t remember his name. It doesn’t matter. I killed him, though not when I thought I did. He managed to survive long enough to create the second of his kind. In a nutshell, that is how the lines of werewolf and vampire began. With me. That is why I’m not like other werewolves and you cannot kill me. And you were right before, Landon, I was the Beast of Gevaudan.” Landon stood there stunned. The first werewolf. Nicholas was the first werewolf all this time. How much had Seamus and Joseph known? Not much, he figured. He looked at Jamie, sitting on the car.
“Do you see?” he asked his son. “Do you see what you’ve gotten involved with?”
“Wait,” said Nicholas. “I’m not finished. I helped the invading barbarians hunt both lines at the fall of Rome.”
“Why? Why would you turn on your own kind? The species that began with you?”
“Because werewolves had become weak. I was worshipped by many as a god.
The rest were a mistake. They began buying into the state religion of Christianity. I hate Christians, all religions in fact, except that which worships me, of course. Though I suppose I should be thankful for them, for without them, I wouldn’t be what I am today.”
“Why hunt the vampires? I mean other than just being an asshole?”
“Now, now. Name calling isn’t going to get you anywhere. The vampires were hunted because they were inferior to us—still are. They have no place in this world or anyother.
“You’ll be happy to know, though, that some of each species escaped, eventually popping up in Venice, on Poveglia Island.”
“Is that when you joined the Senate?”
“Absolu
tely not. My joining that ridiculous club was a last resort. No, I first tried to kill two birds, or creatures, with one stone. I poisoned their Venetian food supply.”
“The plague,” said Landon.
“Yes, the plague. I thought a number of possible reactions would happen because of my action: they would starve; kill each other; the locals would kill them. So many possibilities. And it almost worked. But the Senate proved to be much more resilient than I expected. Werewolves and vampires working together—who would’ve thought their learning potential would increase?”
“There is strength in differences.”
“Don’t patronize me, you drunk. As I was saying, the plague didn’t work, so I waited, a long time mind you, coming up with a new plan: kill from the inside.”
“Like an infection,” said Landon. “That’s when you joined the Senate. All those years, Burghausen was bleeding internally, and no one knew it. Now here we are. But why now? Why Jamie?”
“Oh, I think I’ve been forthcoming enough,” said Nicholas. “I merely wanted you to know that yours and Ryker’s common enemy is not so common. I have to keep some secrets. Consider this, though, Landon, if God made me what I am, then is not all of this His fault? Did God really not know what would happen?” He then nodded at Jamie.
“Tonight,” said the teen, walking over to his father, “is when you begin to see what you’re truly up against. I am not the boy you once knew.” He stepped closer to Landon. “I’m coming—I’m coming to claim your throne and all those that you love, including your children, will fall at my feet, either willingly, or as their bodies collapse into death in front of me.” Then, Jamie stepped back, changed, and took off, heading south.
“Then let it begin,” Landon said quietly to himself.
“Now if you’ll excuse me,” continued Nicholas, “I have some business to attend to. I have numerous individuals in my company that must feed. I wonder if you know your Shakespeare. Sometimes, it’s quite fun to change the wording. A bus, a bus, my kingdom for a bus. And, by the way, Hamlet was all my idea.” Nicholas walked slowly near the wrecked BMW and suddenly kicked the car in Landon’s direction, sliding on the grass and knocking him down as the broken vehicle came to rest on top of him.
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