Curse of the Asuune

by Jr Steven Sterup

  A gun shot rang out in the room and Paul tumbled sideways. Kathrine shook herself mentally and realized that a vampire had come in the back door and shot Paul. She feared for Paul’s life at first until she realized that a gunshot wouldn’t kill him. Paul jumped to his feet. She had never seen anything more intimidating than the man she loved. Paul was going to kill the vampire and the vampire knew it. He dropped his gun and ran. Maybe he hadn’t realized who he was shooting or maybe he had been aiming for her. Whatever the story, he had seconds to live.

  Kathrine sat there for a moment trying to come to grips with what had just transpired. If that vampire had only come thirty seconds later. No she was being selfish. Paul was shot. He was Paul though, would a gunshot even hurt him? He didn’t seem hurt, but he wasn’t coming back. Kathrine stepped out of the panties that were around her ankles and grabbed the gun on her way out the back door. She needed to find Hailey, if Elyon had gotten her while she was with Paul she would never forgive herself.

  As she exited the restaurant she bumped into the hooded man again. She quickly turned and raised the gun but he was gone. She felt him this time, he had really been there, but where did he go? No one could be that fast, not even Paul. Kathrine again headed toward Hailey, the hooded man was nowhere to be seen.

  A block down Hailey stood nervously at the corner. She looked like she had been waiting a while and Kathrine felt guilty. Kathrine stuffed the gun into her purse, she didn’t need that kind of attention. Hailey noticed Kathrine and a wave of relief washed over her face. Kelly and John came running from behind Hailey and soon the four of them were together again.

  Kelly sniffed the air.

  “I don’t wanna know,” Kelly said then grabbed John’s arm before heading back toward the hotel.

  “What?” Kathrine asked confused.

  “We can smell it on you,” Hailey said walking behind Kelly.

  “What can we smell?” John asked, trying to join in.

  “Not you, you’re not Versi. You’d be lucky to smell her perfume from here,” Kelly teased.

  “Smell what?” Kathrine asked again.

  “You had sex,” Kelly laughed and John turned inquisitively.

  “No, I don’t smell a man. She almost had sex,” Hailey said snidely.

  Kathrine was embarrassed. She needed to learn to use her senses more. How could they smell that? She hadn’t been closer than ten feet. Kathrine shut her eyes for a second and breathed in deeply. She could smell the air, the car exhaust, the humans milling around. Without warning a scent assaulted her nose. John hadn’t worn deodorant. Her eyes opened just in time to see the step for the curb.

  “Hailey, hold my hand please. I want to learn to smell stuff like you guys,” Kathrine asked nicely.

  “What? No? Ask John.” Moody Hailey had returned. Luckily Kelly and John were willing to help. They stood on each side of her and locked arms. The rest of the way back to the hotel she tried to pick out scents as they went by.

  “Man, with cologne,” Kathrine said with her nose in the air.

  “You can do better,” Kelly urged.

  “He hasn’t shaved today, or not recently. No aftershave. His shampoo smells of oranges?” Kathrine said.

  “No, a woman just crossed between you and him,” Kelly laughed.

  “John, do you not have deodorant?” Kathrine asked.

  “No,” John replied reluctantly.

  “That’s the first thing I’m buying when we get back to the hotel,” Kathrine teased.

  “That’s good though. You need strong smells to really test yourself. See if you can smell things hidden underneath the smell. It’s easy to tell what a single smell is. When you get hundreds mixed together that’s where a master shines,” Kelly smirked then looked back at Hailey. “You’re way better than me aren’t you?” Kelly asked Hailey.

  “I’m just older,” Hailey said abruptly. Moody Hailey was definitely back.

  Kelly shrugged it off and again Kathrine thought she was way too nice. The woman was a perfect grandma trapped in a teenager’s body. It was infuriating how perfect she was.

  “Vampires, left!” Kathrine exclaimed.

  “Don’t worry, we don’t see any. It’s fine,” Kelly assured her. “Strong smells carry for a long ways. You will need more practice before you can judge distance. It’s like hearing. You just get used to the subtle differences.” Kelly was a great teacher. She was probably good at everything she did, Kathrine decided.

  The next few blocks Kathrine tried her best to determine distance as well as who the scents were coming from. She had a decent handle on it but Kelly said she still needed work. The most annoying part to Kathrine was how Kelly had said it. ‘You are really good for someone who just found out about being a Versi. In a few weeks you’ll probably be teaching me a thing or two.’ It was nice, too nice. The fact that there was nothing to dislike about Kelly was the very thing that Kathrine disliked. Why would Paul, or any man, choose her over Kelly? They would have to be blind and stupid to choose her when Kelly was so annoyingly perfect.

  Chapter 29

  Kathrine slammed the door to their hotel room after Hailey was inside. Had Paul never seen another woman? Was he just using her? Perhaps she as overreacting, in fact she knew she was, but now her sexual frustration was overshadowing her intellectual frustration with Paul. Paul had brought her to the brink then ran off. Sure he was shot, that was about as good as excuses come but it didn’t help Kathrine one bit. Kathrine flung the bathroom door open and the knob sunk into the wall.

  “Shit, Kathrine. You’re going to tear this room apart,” Hailey said with a touch of concern in her voice. Perhaps Moody Hailey was taking a break.

  “Paul!” was all that Kathrine could manage to say.

  “You know you can talk to me. I’m a good listener,” Hailey said. It appeared that Nice Hailey was back, at least for a while.

  Kathrine thought about Hailey’s proposition. A good listener was exactly what she needed. She didn’t need to talk to Paul or a man at all. Men were all the same, they never listened. They might listen to a few words before coming up with a plan to fix it. Men were always wanting to fix things. A woman was exactly what she needed. She didn’t want this fixed she wanted someone to listen to her.

  “Ok,” Kathrine said more calmly as she walked toward Hailey, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. Kathrine sat beside Hailey and sighed. This was going to be difficult, embarrassing and she just might get angrier at Paul but she needed to tell someone.

  Hailey fidgeted a little as Kathrine sat down. She seemed nervous now. Was she regretting that she had said she would listen? Kathrine put her hand on Hailey’s leg.

  “You don’t have to listen,” Kathrine said trying to ease Hailey’s anxiousness.

  “No, go ahead. I’m fine,” Hailey replied but Kathrine could still see her anxiety. Something was wrong with Hailey but she had said she was ready to listen so Kathrine started to explain.

  “Well…” Kathrine paused, clasped her hands together in her lap and prepared to open the flood gates of her frustration. “Paul is supposedly my ‘one’,” she said using finger quotes. She hated finger quotes but this word was really annoying to her at the moment. “but he doesn’t want to see me. Heck, he barely speaks to me and when he does I can’t stop thinking about how nice it would be to kiss him. I mean, jeez, what kind of person am I?” Kathrine wasn’t looking for a response and somehow in the back of her mind she was glad Hailey was a woman. A man would have responded. “I mean, seriously, all I can think about is having sex with him. I dream about it. He touches me and my legs nearly fall out from under me. What the hell is wrong with me?! I think I’m going insane. Plus, he is the most frustrating man I have ever met.” Kathrine paused and Hailey was silent. Kathrine almost expected a caring touch or something but Hailey seemed afraid to get too close for some reason.

  “Are you having trouble with the urges?” Kathrine asked looking at Hailey.

  “Urges?! What urges?!” Ha
iley’s nervousness went into full panic. It seemed excessive but Kathrine had nothing to compare it to.

  “The blood. I’m sure it must be hard staying in a hotel full of humans. I bet this room even smells like humans,” Kathrine replied.

  “Umm, yes. It’s very difficult. I sometimes catch myself staring. Then I have to force myself to walk by. I’m glad you are here though. If I do anything you will stop me.” Hailey wasn’t asking, she was sure that Kathrine would stop her.

  “You listened to me so I’ll watch your back,” Kathrine smiled and then put her hand on Hailey’s shoulder.

  Hailey jumped off the bed like she had been shocked.

  “What’s wrong?” Kathrine asked. “Is it that bad? I thought you were over the withdrawals.”

  “It comes and goes,” Hailey replied but somehow Kathrine knew she was lying or hiding something. Something was wrong with Hailey and it wasn’t the blood. Kathrine decided to finish with her problems before she got into Hailey’s. Perhaps, given time, Hailey might confide in her willingly.

  “Paul thinks I’m too weak to handle his life. I’m not sure if it’s an excuse or if he just thinks I’m some kind of prissy girl. One minute he’s fighting me to prove how bad I am and the next he’s…” Kathrine raised her eyebrows and motioned with her eyes at her lap several times. Hailey’s face turned red so apparently she understood the gesture or at least had a good idea. “I’m just not sure what to think and Paul isn’t going to say anything about it. He just keeps saying ‘you’re not ready’.” Kathrine was now mimicking Paul with a high whiney voice which made Hailey laugh. Then it hit Kathrine, Hailey laughed! She couldn’t remember ever hearing Hailey laugh before. Maybe Hailey was warming up to her. Kathrine decided that now that she was done it was Hailey’s turn.

  Kathrine stood up and walked over to Hailey. She placed one hand on each shoulder and looked kindly at her. “Now, your turn.”

  Hailey put her hands one on either side of Kathrine’s head and pulled her face closer to hers. Gently she placed her lips on top of Kathrine’s. At first Kathrine had a sudden urge to back away but the kiss was so gentle and caring that she couldn’t resist. Hailey’s lips were soft and warm. Kathrine soon found herself kissing Hailey back. Kathrine’s hands left Hailey’s shoulders and moved to her back where they caressed her gently. This was different than Paul. Paul had been sexual desire, need and lust. This was emotional and caring. Suddenly Hailey pulled away.

  “Shit! Shit! I’m so fucking stupid!” Hailey cursed herself as she slammed her fist into the table beside them and it shattered.

  “What? Did I do something wrong?” Kathrine was frantic. The kiss was so pleasant and welcoming. She wanted to keep kissing Hailey. What could she possibly have done wrong?

  “No! I did!” Hailey paced angrily, trying to decide what to do.

  “Believe me, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Kathrine smirked. “That was wonderful. You’re an amazing kisser.”

  “It’s a sin! Stupid! Stupid!” Hailey verbally berated herself while smacking herself in the head.

  Kathrine walked over and caught Hailey’s hand.

  “Please don’t hurt yourself. There’s nothing wrong with it.” Kathrine kissed Hailey’s hand gently.

  Hailey tore her hand out of Kathrine’s grip and threw herself on the bed.

  “Please stop! It’s wrong! I don’t want to corrupt you with my depravity!” Hailey was still yelling, though Kathrine could see the tears forming on the edge of her eyes.

  “What are you talking about?!” Kathrine yelled back. Kathrine laughed a little at Hailey’s choice of words. True, she was over two thousand years old but had anyone ever talked like that?

  “Being gay is a sin,” Hailey announced as she put her hands over her eyes.

  “Being gay isn’t a sin,” Kathrine scolded. “Where did you ever get that idea?” Honestly, for someone so old, Hailey had no idea what she was talking about.

  “The bible,” Hailey responded.

  Kathrine laughed loudly which caused Hailey to lift her hands from her eyes long enough to give Kathrine an angry look.

  “Nowhere in the bible does it say that being gay is a sin. If you’re talking about Sodom and Gomora then you are misinterpreting it or you have a copy that has had its original text modified. God punished them for anal rape.” Kathrine walked over and sat beside Hailey.

  “What?” Hailey asked after removing her hands from her eyes.

  “Back then they used to use anal rape to belittle men and women. Sodomy used to mean anal rape but over the years its meaning has been changed by humans to mean anal sex. Some self-righteous people have even used the word to describe homosexuality but they are wrong. God didn’t punish them for being gay.” Kathrine put her hand on Hailey’s leg. “God made you this way. Do you think he did it to punish you? You think he made a mistake? God doesn’t make mistakes and he isn’t mean. You are the way you are supposed to be.”

  “I thought maybe I was just wicked and maybe secretly wanted to be bad.” Hailey sounded like she was about to cry.

  Kathrine laid down beside Hailey and took her in her arms to comfort her. Hailey’s apprehensions had left. She hugged Kathrine tightly, dug her face into her shoulder and cried. After a few minutes Hailey’s crying stopped and she just laid there hugging Kathrine.

  “You know I’m straight, right?” Kathrine asked after Hailey seemed to calm down.

  “I know, you love Paul.” Hailey sounded calm and sad now.

  “Yes, that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. I just won’t be able to love you back. Not like you deserve.” Kathrine really didn’t want to hurt Hailey’s feelings. She was growing quite fond of her and even considered her a friend.

  “I understand,” Hailey said snuggling up closer to Kathrine.

  “Do you think my true love will be a woman?” Hailey asked.

  “I’d say that’s a good bet.” Kathrine hugged Hailey tighter. She cared about Hailey it wouldn’t be fair to lead her along, even though Kathrine was still relishing the memory of her kiss. It had been different than all the kisses she’d ever had. Not that she had kissed many men, in fact only five, Paul included. There was just something different about how Hailey had kissed her. It was exciting and comforting at the same time. Despite this, there was someone waiting for Hailey. Kathrine wasn’t going to mess that up for her, she just hadn’t met her true love yet.

  “So…you said I was a good kisser?” Hailey teased.

  Kathrine wasn’t sure she wanted to talk about this yet. She was a little confused about how she felt about Hailey. However, the tone of Hailey’s voice sounded wounded and in need of encouragement so Kathrine decided she should give her a truthful answer.

  “I’ve never had a kiss like that before. I’m not sure how to describe it. It felt comfortable.” Kathrine didn’t want to go into the rest. She was already confused, no need to confuse Hailey as well.

  “Comfortable? You make it sound like kissing your grandmother,” Hailey laughed. There was a sadness hiding under the laugh, perhaps disappointment.

  “No, not like a grandmother. There was excitement and attraction there as well. Believe me, it was good! I just don’t want to give you the wrong idea.” Kathrine felt she wasn’t doing a good job of explaining her feelings. She wasn’t sure she understood her feelings for Hailey. Kathrine liked men but in the back of her mind she remembered sitting in Sarah’s loft and secretly wanting to kiss some of Sarah’s girlfriends. Some of them she had wanted to do more than kiss but she was a teenager at the time. Everything was confusing when you were a teenager.

  “That’s better.” Hailey sounded less sad. There was still a sadness but it seemed to have lessened. Kathrine sat up, still holding Hailey.

  “I’m sorry, I’m really enjoying this but I heard something at that meeting and it’s driving me crazy,” Kathrine said. She was genuinely disappointed, she could have laid there with Hailey for hours. She felt something for Hailey, it wasn’t like with Paul b
ut it was more than friendship. Kathrine was very confused, the break might give her time to think.

  “What did you overhear?” Hailey asked. She sounded a little depressed still but her mood was much better now.

  “One of them, not sure which one, said something was happening at one AM. It sounded serious and I only caught part of it but I think it’s happening outside of that restaurant.” Kathrine reluctantly released Hailey and stood up to find her jacket.

  “Dang, you are getting quite powerful. I’m so much older than you and I think you hear and smell better than I do already.” Hailey complimented her without getting embarrassed or turning away. Kathrine was making progress with her. Kathrine wasn’t sure what to say, she didn’t want Hailey to react badly but she really wanted to say something nice to Hailey.

  “I hope I’m getting better. I still feel like I have a long way to go.” Kathrine picked the middle road, acknowledging what Hailey said without complimenting her back. Her friendship with Hailey was changing quickly and she didn’t want to jeopardize all the progress she had made. “Want to come with me? I’m just gonna look around. No fighting, I promise.”