by T M Linville
“I don’t know. Mom said that he was going to talk to Jack first. I guess it depends on what Jack says.”
“Even McGoo knows that they don’t have to have Shay’s blood. I can change humans in five days. And that’s over twice as fast as before. Is there any way that he could just be happy with that?” Lily asked rhetorically.
“Looks like he’s going to have to be happy with that,” Erica said.
“There’s still a chance that the Doc can synthesize my blood. He has plenty of samples. And he’s smart. If anyone can, it’s him,” Shay piped in.
Just as Erica sat down on the couch, a knock came from the front door.
“That’s my que to leave,” Erica said quickly and stood up again.
Onyx was at the door before Lily. Lily looked through the peep hole and it was Vincent.
“Shay, go to the bedroom,” Lily told her.
“No, I’m staying right here,” she said and sat on the couch.
Lily opened the door and Erica stepped out. Vincent stepped aside so she could leave. As she walked away, she gave Lily a ‘thumbs up’ when Vincent wasn’t looking.
“Hello, Vincent,” Lily said.
Vincent sucked in air through his nose and blew it out slowly. He was pissed. Really pissed.
“You do know how furious I am, don’t you?” He asked.
“I do,” Lily answered.
He walked in and took a seat on the couch at the opposite end of Shay. Lily sat in the chair at Shay’s end of the couch and Onyx stood beside Lily’s chair.
“If I weren’t afraid for both of your safety, I would banish you both from the coven for blatantly disobeying orders. I forbid you from changing Shay. I was very clear about that. But you changed her anyway. Not only did you disobey, you also contaminated the blood that could’ve saved our species. I have…”
“But…,” Lily tried to interrupt but Vince stopped her.
He held up his hand. “I’m not done. I have spoken to Dr. McGregor and he is trying to synthesize the catalyst in her blood that speeds the changing process. He also made a very valid point. Her blood may speed the process, but you can only create a new vampire once every four to five days. Your body has to replenish your natural blood supply. And over time, your healing time could even decrease.”
He sighed. “So even if we did have Shay’s blood readily available, it wouldn’t really matter. Except to the one that is changing. Jack has enough of Shay’s blood to create three vampires quickly. He will save that for any female that may want to make the transformation. But it will only keep for a short amount of time. So lucky for you, you didn’t completely leave us up shit’s creek.”
Shit’s creek? Shay wondered. Wonder where that is.
“So my job now is to make a vampire every five to six days?” Lily asked.
“You’re lucky you even have a place to live,” Vincent reminded her.
Lily wanted so much to argue with him. Shay needed to be changed to protect her. But he was so against changing her because he still thought Lily wasn’t in love. Lily didn’t think that mattered now. Eric made sure of that. But if Lily had not loved Shay as much as she did, Shay would be dead. How could she possibly make him see that Shay was the one for her?
“Now that it’s done, how are you adjusting Shay?” Vincent asked.
“I still can’t expose my claws or teeth at will.”
“It’s only been a day,” he said. “Give it at least a week. Lily isn’t much help, she was born with fangs and claws. I still remember the first time I saw them. Pearly white in a dark cave.
Vincent thought for a moment of Lily crouched on a ledge in that black cave. The torch’s light reflecting off the enamel of her fangs. Then he continued talking to Shay.
“If you need help just ask any other vampire. Except about the spikes. Only Lily and I have spikes. I rarely ever use mine anymore. Do you have any questions that I can answer?”
“Will the extreme attraction for Lily ever go away?” Shay asked.
“No. No matter what you do, you will always feel that love for her. Forever.”
He looked at Lily and she knew what was going through his head. Shay will love Lily for eternity, even if Lily decides she doesn’t love Shay anymore. Lily still had no idea how she could prove she loved Shay and only Shay, forever. She decided that only time would prove her love.
Vincent stood up to leave. Onyx walked to the door in front of him. As Lily was closing the door, Vincent stopped it with his foot.
“Oh, and tell LaShay that Jack wants to see her as soon as he can.”
“OK,” Lily told him.
Shay’s Second Lesson
Lily closed the door and turned to Shay. Onyx went back to his place by the balcony doors. Lily walked over to the couch and put her hand out to Shay. Shay took it and stood up. Lily led her to the balcony and stepped outside. The night air was cool and the sounds of the city reverberated off the buildings below them. They were faint but some sound made it up to the fifty sixth floor where they stood.
“Close your eyes,” Lily told Shay.
Lily walked behind Shay and then leaned her against the balcony railing. She wrapped her arm around her waist, moved her hair to the side and kissed the back of her neck.
“Listen,” Lily whispered in her ear.
Shay listened to the sounds from the street.
“I can hear voices. Individual voices. Car engines revving. A dog barking. The wind whistling through the buildings.”
“OK, now, look up at the sky.”
Shay gasped. “Oh my God! Look at all the stars! I’ve never seen so many stars. And the park! It’s dark but I can still see details instead of just shadows.”
“Your eyesight is more adjusted to the night time. You’ll notice that bright days will probably give you a headache, so I would always recommend sunglasses during the day. Now, take a deep breath through your nose. How many scents can you pick out?”
Shay took a deep breath. “Cinnamon. Definitely cinnamon. Basil. Soil. Trees. Onyx!”
Shay turned to see Onyx standing in the doorway to the balcony.
“Let’s sneak out to the park,” Shay said.
Onyx whimpered as if to say ‘no’.
“It’s nearly midnight,” Lily reminded her.
“I know. We can sneak out through the garage. Take 86th through the park to Lex and play some pool at Baldwin’s. No one will ever know.”
“You know how much trouble we’ll be in when Vincent finds out.”
“I know, but I’m so tired of being cooped up here. Even before the change, I haven’t been allowed to leave the building.”
Lily thought about the consequences of leaving the coven after being told that it was forbidden. Her mind raced with questions. If we go out, would Vincent send someone for us or just wait until we got back? How long would it take for him to find out we left? He will find out. What will he do to us? What if Eric is waiting for us outside? But what’s the worst that can happen?
“OK, but Onyx is coming with us,” Lily said after a pause to weigh their options.
“I’m fine with that.”
They both put on black hoodies, blue jeans and hiking shoes. They casually walked to the elevator, waved at the guard that poked his head out of the stairwell and waited for the steel doors to open. Shay looked at her new face in the reflective metal. Then she looked at Lily, touched her face and kissed her.
“Thank you,” Shay said.
“For what?” Lily asked.
“For saving me. For loving me. For turning me. For everything.”
“You are so welcome.”
They rode the elevator down to the garage level. They strolled through the garage and Lily scanned her hand at the exit. Hopefully they would be halfway across the park before anyone realized they were gone. The tall, wrought iron gate opened for them to exit and they walked out. This garage exit put them out on 85th Street. They walked up one block then entered the park. With their hoodies pulled ove
r their heads and a giant wolf walking with them, they couldn’t have looked more suspicious.
They moseyed through the park at a leisurely pace. Shay took in the new sights and sounds and Onyx growled at a couple of people that he felt got too close. Then Lily remembered that Shay had never been close to a horse. She hoped that Shay would be like her and able to get close to them without spooking them.
Will she be able to go riding with me someday, Lily wondered. Let’s find out.
“Come on,” Lily said as she grabbed Shay’s hand and took a ninety degree turn. “Come on Onyx.”
“Where are we going?” Shay asked.
“You’ll see,” Lily grinned and walked faster.
Lily sniffed the air and turned in the direction of what she was searching for. They walked for about five minutes before Shay saw what Lily was up to.
Three police officers on horseback were conversing about forty meters ahead.
“Slowly,” Lily whispered to Shay. “We don’t know how they are going to react to you. You may be like me and able to get as close as you want without a problem, but if they smell more of the vampire on you, they’ll run away.”
“Aww,” Shay pouted.
“Just let’s wait and see,” Lily told her. “Wait here, Onyx.”
Lily made eye contact with one of the officers and he slid off of his mount.
“Can I help you ladies?” He asked. “It’s awfully late to be out here alone isn’t it?”
Lily turned around and motioned toward Onyx.
“We’re not alone,” Lily told the officer.
“We’re just out for a late night walk. My friend has never seen a horse close up and we were wondering if it would be ok for her to pet it,” Lily asked the officer.
“Sure,” said the officer as he moved aside for the girls to get closer to the horse.
He was a huge horse, solid black with feathered feet and stood at least seventeen hands at the shoulder. He resembled a Friesian but was much bigger than any Friesian Lily had ever seen. When they approached, the horse was skittish. He lifted his head and backed away from them. Sometimes it took a moment, but Lily had always had a way with horses and was hoping that this horse would not be the exception.
“Easy,” Lily whispered as she held out her hand.
After a few seconds the horse lowered his head slowly and sniffed the air once again. Again he lifted his head high and took a step back. It wasn’t unusual for a horse to question its senses if it had never encountered a vampire. But this particular horse was trained to be fearless. It was in his job description. He had to deal with traffic, wolves, screaming kids wanting to pet it and countless other distractions on a daily basis.
“What’s wrong with you boy?” The officer said as he pat the side of the horse’s neck. “He’s never jumpy.”
“Let’s just go,” Shay said, not wanting to scare the horse.
“Give it a minute,” Lily smiled.
After a little prodding from the officer the horse finally stepped forward and lowered his head to Lily’s hand. She pat his nose and then rubbed the side of his neck. She wanted the horse to smell the vampire in her, so with her hand in her pocket, she slowly exposed her claws. The horses ears perked up and he pushed his nose into Lily’s chest as if to question his senses but he didn’t back away.
Lily took Shay’s hand and lifted it to the horse’s nose. He sniffed her hand and as if rejecting what he was smelling, shook his head and whinnied then snorted. But again, he didn’t back away. His head bobbed up and down a few times before he lowered his head toward Shay.
Shay stepped closer and put both of her hands on each side of his head. He pushed his nose into her chest hard enough to cause her to step back. He snorted again and bobbed his head as he pawed the ground with one foot then the other. Lily was almost sure he was confused by what he smelled and sensed. He saw humans but still sensed a hint of the vampire predator in them.
“It’s ok, boy,” Shay said quietly.
After a minute the horse finally calmed and Shay continued to pet him. She smiled at Lily as she ran her hand down the horse’s massive neck.
“He’s beautiful,” Shay said to the officer.
“Thank you,” the officer answered. “His name is Mac and he’s the best parts of a Friesian and a Percheron. He’s only six years old but is the best horse on the force. He is absolutely fearless and will run head first into anything I steer him toward.”
Shay put her forehead against Mac’s nose then backed away.
“Thank you,” she said to the officer.
The officer just nodded at the two and got back on his horse.
When they got to Baldwin’s it was just after 1 AM. Lily told Onyx that they would exit out the back so he went to the alley to wait.
Lily and Shay went to the bar and ordered a drink. Scotch on the rocks for both.
The place was empty except for a few regular drunks at the other end of the bar. Lily and Shay went to the back to play pool. The tables were empty and the balls had already been racked. Lily took a pool stick off the wall and broke. The twelve ball and the four ball went into pockets.
“Solids,” she called.
Shay got a stick and took her shot. Lily walked around the table to Shay and put her arm around her waist. She kissed her. Shay kissed back. They got hoots and hollers from the end of the bar. That only made Lily want to do it more. So she grabbed Shay with both hands and pulled her closer. They kissed long and deep. When the hollers finally stopped, the girls picked up their game of pool.
During all the commotion, they failed to notice the four men that walked in mid-kiss. The men traded looks and the biggest of the four nodded and smiled. They were looking for trouble and the two lesbians in the back looked fun to play with, and they didn’t want to play pool. The four sat at the bar, ordered drinks and waited.
Lily and Shay played another couple of games and decided that they should probably get home. This time they’d take a cab. Hopefully they could find a van at this hour to accommodate Onyx. If not, they would have to go back the way they came. When the girls left out the back door the four men followed, three through the back and one through the front. The two girls were halfway to the street when one of the men stopped them in the alley. He didn’t notice the black wolf in the shadows.
“Hey,” he said to Lily and Shay. “Wanna play?”
Lily was in defense mode instantly as the vampire’s survival instinct kick in. Shay felt Lily’s claws against her hand as soon as the man spoke. The other three men caught up quickly and one had a crowbar in his hand. Onyx silently stepped out of the shadows behind the three men. The man that went out the front door saw Onyx and turned and ran. The others laughed and joked about how big of a pussy he was. Then Onyx growled.
Lily turned around, eyes glowing red in the dim light and walked toward her would be attackers. The man with the crow bar kept coming toward Lily and Shay. The other two thought they had heard a dog growling and turned around to face Onyx’s two inch canines. His head was down and his ears were flat against his head. The hair on the back of his neck and back stood up. The alley was narrow and dark. Lined with trash cans and dumpsters so they literally had nowhere to run. The man in front didn’t see Lily’s claws until it was too late. One swipe across the chest and he went down to his knees grabbing his chest and soon his hands were covered in blood.
Shay smelled the blood immediately. She felt her gums start to move as the muscles attached to her teeth reacted involuntarily. Then she felt her eyes burn and suddenly her fisted hands hurt. She looked down to see her claws had cut through her palms. She stepped up to where Lily was standing and grabbed Lily’s hand. The smell of the blood was almost too tempting to the new vampire. Lily looked at Shay and squeezed her hand tight.
“Fight it, Shay,” she whispered.
The two men that were left standing turned to run from Onyx but Lily and Shay were waiting. The men turned back toward the huge wolf and then froze. There was n
owhere for them to go.
Lily thought about the repercussions of killing three men in an alley. Whether they deserved it or not. Lily grabbed Shay’s arm and pulled her toward her then stepped to the side.
“Let him pass,” Lily said calmly.
Shay looked down at her hands and then back to Lily.
“I know, love, but this is not the time to be testing your new weapons. If you were to drink from them, it’s forbidden and the Guardians would be at the coven in hours. Even though it would be easy to do and dispose of the body, that’s just not what kind of vampires we are. Even if the ass holes deserve it. But I’m sure they realize that they made a big mistake at this point. Don’t let him see your claws or teeth. Just let him pass. Let Onyx take care of the other two. His attack can be explained. Ours can’t.”
Shay just nodded and tried to relax.
The man that Lily had clawed had four large rips in his dirty gray tee shirt. The flesh was ripped and bleeding heavily but the gashes weren’t deep enough to kill him. He was going to need medical help, but he would live. He got to his feet still holding his chest, blood dripped off his fingers and down his arm. The girls stepped behind a dumpster. They just let Onyx chase the men out of the alley.
Lily’s claws and fangs retracted and she focused on Shay.
“Deep breaths, babe,” she said softly. “Come here.”
Lily took Shay into her arms and held her tight. She rocked her back and forth trying to calm her. Onyx came back down the alley and sat down beside the girls. He knew it may be a minute.
“Shhhh,” Lily cooed. “Deep breaths. This was not supposed to be your second lesson. I’m so sorry.”
LaShay leaned away from Lily. “For what? It was my idea. And you had no way of controlling what happened. Don’t be sorry.”
Shay leaned back into Lily’s arms and put her head on her shoulder. After a few minutes, her eyes slowly lost their burn and she felt her claws and teeth retract. She took another deep breath and stepped away from Lily.
Onyx put his head against Shay’s waist and pushed gently.
“I’m OK, big guy. Thank you,” Shay said and rubbed him behind the ears.
