by N. R. Larry
Setting it against the wall, I glanced around the bathroom. I was prepared to give Bao one of my ‘I don’t take any shit, speeches’, but what met my eyes froze the lecture on my tongue.
She was huddled by the bathtub with her head lowered. Her raven hair was tossed forward, hiding her face, and she was draped in several white towels. I peered down at the one wrapped around her waist because it was seeped through in thick, red blood.
My breath hitched. “B?” I was in a daze as I moved forward with one arm extended. When I reached down to touch her slender shoulder, her head snapped up. A hiss fell off her thin, red lips, and her large, dark eyes turned red right before she lunged for my neck.
Chapter Two
God damn kids!
I threw my arms out and wrapped them around Bao as her marble like body crashed into me. My jaw clenched, and then we both crashed through the wall. I managed to keep us floating in mid-air before we could drop and destroy any more of the damn house.
Of all my superpowers, flight was probably my favorite.
Narrowing my eyes, I squeezed my arms around her while she snapped at my neck. Her fangs scraped against my skin, and one of them snapped off. I grabbed the back of her neck, forced her away from me, and glared down at her.
“B?” I took in a deep breath, reminding myself to keep calm. “Have you lost your frickin’ mind?”
A growl crept out of her throat and my heart thudded against my rib cage. Frowning, I peered into her eyes. It was like my little girl wasn’t there. Her dark eyes were as vacant as deep caves. “Jesus.” I turned her around in my arms and flew back into the hallway, where I bent her over in the hopes that she would stop struggling.
She thrashed around in my arms like a rabid... well, vampire, and with each stomp, she left a new hole in my house. “Shit, shit, shit,” I muttered. Finally, I rolled my eyes and bit down on my lower lip. “Forgive me for this, baby girl.” Reaching out, I thumped her in the back of the skull and right away, she went limp in my arms.
I couldn’t tell you what I was, but flight, super strength, and invulnerability sure as shit came in handy when you were raising a bunch of supernatural children.
I picked her up and cradled her like a baby in my arms. Shaking my head, I took her to my room and laid her down on the bed. That was when I noticed where she was bleeding from. Rushing back to the bathroom, I grabbed as many towels as I could. Most of them were already soaked in Bao’s blood. I tucked as many of the clean ones as I could around her, and then sat down on the bed.
It couldn’t be what I thought it was, because Bao was a jianzhi, which meant that she was dead—well undead, but no matter how I worded it, it was impossible. A rattle from my bed side drawer snapped me away from my thoughts. I looked up to find Bao peering at me with dead, flattened eyes. With a half-smile, I forced myself to remain still. There was another rattle. My eyes narrowed because I recognized it. When I swept my gaze back to Bao, she was focused on the drawer.
That was when the thumping went crazy. “Mom!” I muttered, as if I could talk sense to the hunger inside the dagger. Like I could reason with a weapon that activated in the presence of evil supernaturals. “It’s ok—" My drawer shot open and a blur of gold flashed across my vision. I reached out to catch my hunting blade. It was heavy and burned with warmth beneath my fingers. I glanced from the knife, to Bao, and back again.
Seconds later, I snorted. “No, Mom.” I shook my head. “She’s one of my kids.” Tilting my head to the side, I slowly stood, keeping both of my arms out in front of me. “And she’s not going to hurt me, isn’t that right?”
Bao’s eyes went crimson, and a growl echoed in the room. My blade vibrated in my hand and I gritted my teeth. “Mom, keep it together,” I said, without moving my gaze from Bao’s face.
For several moments, we stared at each other. The tension in the room became something supernatural in and of itself. I could almost feel it breathing in the humid air around me. After what felt like a lifetime, Bao’s red eyes dimmed and turned their usual chocolate brown. Her bottom lip quivered, and then she buried her face in the palms of her hands.
“Oh, sweetie.” I tucked my knife into my back pocket. Luckily, it had stopped vibrating. Then, I went to her, wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close just as she began to weep.
A FEW MINUTES LATER, after I explained to Bao how to use sanitary napkins, I paced the living room while she was upstairs getting herself cleaned up. My knife was still tucked into my back pocket, not that I planned on using it, but having Mom close to me at a time like this felt right. While I paced, I scanned one of my hundreds of lore books trying to find evidence of vampires menstruating and ignored my cellphone, which was ringing off the hook.
When I didn’t find anything of use in my book, I sighed and tossed it on the couch. My gaze lingered on the kitchen area. The kids, as usual, had left it a hot mess. Planting my hands on my hips, I tapped my foot against the stained carpet and then started to leave the leaving room when something creaked on the stairs. I turned my head and there was Bao. She stopped on the middle of the steps and shrugged. Her dark hair curled just at her shoulders and her thick, heart shaped lips pulled down at one side.
I smiled at her even though a thousand panicked thoughts were racing through my skull. “Well, everything okay?”
She tucked her hair behind her ear and stared at the floor. Then, she mumbled something I couldn’t make out.
I stepped a few inches closer and placed my hand on the banister. “What’s that, sweetie?”
She huffed, and sort of peered up. “What’s happening to me?”
I opened my mouth and then closed it while she stared at me with a look that needed answers. I was trying to work past the blankness in my brain when she jerked forward and groaned. Grabbing her stomach, she pouted and said, “I feel so hungry.” There was a hiss in her voice. “It hurts.”
I nodded and reached out for her. She tucked herself under my arm and then allowed me to lead her to the couch. Just then, there was a knock on the door. I closed my eyes. Dear, Lord, not something else. The banging came again, and I sighed. Glancing down at Bao, I said, “Sit tight, we’ll get you fed and then... We’ll have a talk, okay?”
She hugged herself and nodded, staring at the floor. I bit my lip when the knock came again. Turning my head, I glared at the noise and then stomped toward it. I snatched open the door, ready to cuss out whoever was on the other side.
When I took Ryland in, I was reminded of the dead body in my trash can, and of the fact that a vampire had been sniffing around my house last night. “Oh yeah,” I opened the door wide and stepped aside. “Look, it’s not really a great time.”
He lowered his sunglasses and peered down his nose at me. “What’s going on?”
I scanned him up and down. Even though it was hot as hell, he was dressed in a thick coat, leather gloves, and a fedora pulled down over his face. In fact, almost every inch of his skin was covered to protect himself from the sun. Ryland was old enough that the sun wouldn’t kill him, but it was like smoking for humans, not a great idea if you enjoyed your health.
I sighed. “It’s Bao,” I said, lowering my voice, even though with vampire hearing, she’d be able to hear whatever I was saying if she decided to listen in. I closed the door and waved him closer. “Some weird shit is going on with her.”
He grunted and nodded toward the open blinds that covered the hall window.
“My bad,” I said, rushing to close them. “Um, come in the kitchen, and sit down.”
He followed me into the next room, his footsteps heavy behind me. I pulled out a chair and pushed the mess of cereal boxes and half empty bowls to the corner of the table. Then, I patted the seat.
“Sorry I wasn’t here this morning,” he said, eyeing the mess with a look of disdain. “More bodies are piling up, we have a problem, Mal. And we need it under control yesterday.”
Something thudded to the floor in the other room. Ryland turned to gla
nce over his shoulder. “What was that?”
Ignoring him, I darted into the living room and spotted Bao slumped on the floor in front of the couch. “Crap.” I rushed over and lifted her back onto the couch.
“What’s going on?” Ryland asked in an almost whisper from behind me.
I swept Bao’s dark hair away from her forehead and felt her cheek. “She’s clammy.” Once again, her eyes were red, and she was breathing like a woman in labor. Knowing what was happening to her, I tried not to let that thought freak me out. “B?” I asked, cupping her face. “Talk to me, what’s wrong?”
Her eyes squeezed shut. “Hun—gry.”
I glanced over at Ryland and hesitated for a moment. He’d removed his sunglasses and was squinting across the room at her. “What’s the matter? She sick?”
“I don’t know,” I muttered. “There are some blood bags in the fridge. Bottom crisper. Can you grab one for me?”
He zipped out of my vision and then reappeared at my side so fast that I gasped. Even after all my years of hunting and friendship with him, that speed wasn’t something I’d gotten used to. I was only that fast in the air. He handed me the blood bag, and I took it, popping off the click top before I handed it to her. She snatched it away from me and started guzzling it down like someone that hadn’t eaten in days. The longer she drank, the more relaxed her form became. Soon, her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped into the old couch cushions. I glanced over at Ryland, only to find that he was no longer in the room.
I focused my attention back on Bao. Placing my hand on her knee, I asked, “Are you okay?”
She slurped up the rest of my blood, crumpled the bag in her hand, and let her arm slump at her side. With a half-smile, she nodded. I sighed with relief, and then sat next to her, taking the empty blood bag and sliding it into my pocket so that I could throw it away later.
“I-I’m sorry about earlier,” she began in a shaky voice. “I don’t know what happened.”
With a smile, I cupped her hand. “Don’t worry about that. I just want you feeling better.” I sighed. “You must have been scared.”
Her mouth turned into a slight pout as she nodded. “Yeah, I don’t understand...”
When she didn’t finish, I squeezed her arm. “Listen, I need to discuss something with Ryland. Sit tight for me, okay?”
Her eyes widened and then a burst of wind made my eyelids flutter. Then, I was staring into an empty space where Bao had just been sitting. I snorted and shook my head. “Vampires,” I muttered, getting up to follow. When I entered the kitchen, Bao was in his arms giggling as if nothing had happened.
I smiled and glanced around, stunned. The kitchen was clean. Crossing my arms over my chest, I grinned. “Well, I take back what I was just thinking about vampire movement,” I said aloud.
Ryland sat Bao down on her feet and lifted a bushy eyebrow at me. I always appreciated his eyebrows. If not for them and the slight stubble he insisted on keeping, he might have been to pretty, and I hated when men were too pretty.
His lips twitched with that almost smile he always had going. Then, he turned to Bao. “How is school going?”
Bao beamed. “Great! Cheerleading tryouts are today!”
My eyes widened. “Wait, what?”
Bao turned to me, a slight frown on her face. “Mal...”
I shook my head. “No, you know my rule.”
She started to stomp her foot and I held up a finger. “Please don’t crack the kitchen floor with a preteen tantrum.” I took in a breath and motioned for her to do the same. “No sports in this house, you know that. Besides, you’re staying home today.”
“No!” She clapped her hands together, as if in prayer. “Please! I’ve been working so hard!”
I narrowed my eyes. “Bao, we need to figure out what’s going on with you. And if you’ve been working at cheerleading, you’ve been doing it behind my back. When—”
Ryland cleared his throat, reminding me that he was still in the room. “Bao,” he said with his gaze trained on me. “Why don’t you go upstairs? Give the adults some time to talk.”
She glared at me like she wanted to step to me, and I had to count inside my head and remind myself that the girl had just been through some real shit.
Ryland patted her on the back. “Go on kid, we won’t be but a minute.”
With a huff, she zipped upstairs faster than I could blink. Seconds later, her door slammed. “Try to get her to be cool,” her soft voice whispered inside my ear seconds later.
I scoffed. “Vampires aren’t the only ones with super hearing in this house!” I yelled at her through the ceiling, even though it wasn’t necessary. I could have whispered and she would have heard me.
Ryland chuckled and I turned my attention back to him. “I know we have a lot going on, but I need to handle this Bao stuff.”
His gaze flickered up to the ceiling.
I waved him off. “Bei isn’t one to listen in on conversations,” I said. “You know that.”
He sniffed. “What’s going on with her?” He took his hat off and ran his long fingers across the brim. “Why was she that hungry?”
“I don’t know.” I inched toward him and lowered my voice. “Have you ever heard anything about jiangshi menstruating?”
He went still, like stone and stayed that way for several moments. I poked him in the chest and he jerked a little. “Did you hear what I said?” I asked.
“Men-stru-ating,” he repeated, like someone trying to figure out how to arrange words in a spelling bee. I almost used the damn word in a sentence for him. “What like, a period?”
I sighed.
He tilted his head. “No. They mature a few years after they turn, but I’ve never heard of any shit like that.”
I swiped my hands down my face. “Then, I have no idea what I’m dealing with.”
“Lot of that going on.”
I placed my hands in my back pockets. “What were you saying about another body?”
He sat back down at the kitchen table. Peering up at me, he said, “It was a white boy. Young, probably sixteen? Seventeen? I went to pick him up—kid fell apart in my hands.”
Something scratched at my insides. “A white boy? In The Heights?”
“Yeah, I don’t know what he was doing here, but I doubt it got done.”
“Shit,” I muttered, crossing my legs at the ankle.
“Yes.” He cupped his hands on the table and I scanned the tattoos sprinkled across his fingers and the larger one on his left hand. It was a swirl with a line dashed through it. A symbol of power. I forced my gaze away from the art and up to his face. His eyes were narrowed dangerously. My heart drummed faster in response to it. “Whoever this is, it’s obvious they don’t know who the fuck we are.”
A part of me grew lightheaded at the way he said “we,” and I almost rolled my eyes at myself. Clearing my throat, I said, “Have you seen anything like that? I mean, a monster—” I stopped and pressed my lips together.
He stared at me. When I didn’t finish, he sighed. “It’s okay, Malcolm, I don’t take you personally anymore.”
I sat down across from him. “Have you ever seen anything that could do that?”
He shook his head. “No, this is something new. It needs to be dealt with quickly.”
“But, the marks. They were classic vampire bites.”
His eyes narrowed, and if I didn’t know any better, I would have thought he was annoyed with me. “Except for the hardening of the skin.” He drummed his fingers against the table. “In all your years, have you ever seen a wound like that?”
I stared at him as I went through all my knowledge of monsters and creatures that liked to feed on human. “No,” I finally said.
He stood up. “I’ll get some of my guys on it. I’m sure they can pick up a scent.” Snatching up his hat, he added, “But this is your domain. You need to get on this.”
I bit down my annoyance. “I don’t need you to tell me to do my j
ob.”
“I don’t want any more bodies piling up in my hood,” he said as if I hadn’t said anything.
I narrowed my eyes.
“I’ll be around later,” he said, sliding his hat back onto his head. “We can discuss this more over dinner.”
I laughed. “Nice try, but I’m not going to dinner with you.”
He crossed his arms and smirked. “And why is that? We’ve shared meals plenty of times.”
“Yeah, here, with the kids, but...”
“Ah, you’re afraid to be one on one with me.” He nodded. “I can understand that.”
I snorted and waved him off. “Plus, I can handle this myself. You just make there isn’t some weird shit going on in your pack.”
The smirk left his face. My blood pumped faster at the lines of danger sharpening his face. “None of my boys would cross me like that.”
“That you know of,” I said in a low voice.
He laughed. “Yeah, I wish a motherfucker would.” He reached into his back pocket and scribbled something down on a pad. “Take Bao to see my girl over on the east side. She’s a bit of a crazy, but she knows her shit.” He ripped the paper from the pad and slid it across the table to me. “And let the damn girl go out for cheerleading. Lincoln is the only school that lets the monsters into their schools and on their teams.”
I glanced at the paper and then back up at him, trying to keep my expression even. I wanted to argue, but I needed to figure out what was going on with Bao. Even the monster killer of Lincoln Heights needed help every now and then. With a sigh, I picked up the paper and asked, “Who is Ada Anne?”
He smoothed down his pale blue tie. “She’s mean as a snake, but if anyone can help with some unknown supernatural shit, it’s her.”
I nodded. “Fine, I’ll ask her about venom that hardens and shatters human flesh too.”
“Right, and I’ll pick you up around eight.”
I peered back up. “Ryland—”
“And, I’ll bring someone to watch the kids.” Then, my backdoor was open, and I was sitting in my kitchen, alone.
