by Brandon Witt
No need to ask who she meant. “Yes, I am the same. He… he died. I am to take his place.”
“You are not evil.”
Her statement surprised me. Her tone had no question.
“How can you be sure?”
“We felt you. That is why I am here.”
“You felt me?”
She only stared at me, maybe not realizing I didn’t understand.
I tried again. “You came here to meet me?”
“Yes. Your presence was the same as the evil one, yet different. I wanted to see why.”
I glanced behind her, searching below the water. “Are the others here?”
She gave the smallest shake of her head. “No. I was curious. They were not. They believe it does not matter.”
Again she confused me. “That what doesn’t matter?”
“That you are the same, yet different, than the evil one.”
“Oh. That.” Yeah. I was the same as Omar. But different. Probably not for long. “How could you feel me?”
“We felt you through the water.”
I nearly asked her again what she meant but then remembered slipping my fingers into the pool. I hadn’t realized I’d been announcing my presence.
“How long have you been here?”
My question surprised both of us.
The mermaid stretched out her hand and reached toward me, water spilling across the marble.
Uncertainly, I offered my hand to her.
She took it and held on. She lifted her other hand out of the water and traced her fingers over my skin. The motion reminded me of seeing people deciphering Braille. “I do not know how long. My entire life.”
Her entire life. She’d been born here. “Do you remember when Omar… when the evil one came here?”
“No.” She continued to trace up and down my skin, turning my hand over and over, her fingers gliding halfway up my forearm before returning to my fingers.
I wanted to ask her more. If her parents were here. If she was young. If she’d had offspring. If the vampires had eaten them.
I couldn’t ask. I didn’t want to know.
She kept feeling my skin until I was nearly numb to the sensation.
At long last, she set my hand gingerly upon the marble, as if it might shatter against the stone.
“Are you here to renew the water? Like the evil one?”
“Can you tell a difference? Already?”
She shrugged, the human gesture erasing her tail, hidden from view. “It is uncomfortable.”
I nearly asked if she wanted me to fix the problem or if she’d like to take the chance to help herself and the rest to escape. I wouldn’t have to tell her what I meant by escape.
I didn’t.
Saul. Big brown eyes. Eyes full of fear. Full of pleading.
“Yes. I’m here to renew the water.”
“May I watch?”
I nodded, then shuffled awkwardly over to the edge of the pool and slipped my hand under the surface.
The mermaid’s fingers interlocked with mine as I felt the power begin to flow out of me. She let out an audible sigh.
After a while she looked up at me, still holding onto my hand, a curious tone in her words. “You have tears once more.”
Thirty-Three
Brett Wright
“There’s no way the Vampire Cathedral is close to this place.”
Shane looked over his shoulder at me as he handed a small wad of cash to the girl behind the counter. He bugged his eyes out. “Ya wanna say that a little louder?”
I lowered my volume, my gaze traveling to the girl as she dug into the register for change. She hadn’t seemed to notice. “Well, seriously. This is even more touristy than the last place…” For a second I forgot where I’d been. “Than Playa Carmen.”
He took the change, dropped the coins into the tip jar, and grasped the two red plastic baskets that held our sandwiches. “I wouldn’t say that. Even so, the Royals settled here a lot longer ago than when a bunch of middle-class white people discovered a cheap place to take tropical vacations.” He walked over to a table on the corner of the open-air porch and used his foot to pull out a chair. “This okay?”
“Yeah.” I set the soda we’d ordered on the table and sat down across from him. “So, the Royals are in the middle of all this?” I gestured toward the paved street that ran alongside the sandwich shop we’d chosen.
We’d been in Montezuma less than an hour and had already seen the entire town. There seemed to be two main streets that met in a T, the longer of which ended at the beach. A small boat had been unloading passengers holding suitcases above their heads as they waded to shore. The town was charming, if you were truly here to lounge on the beaches, buy some shell jewelry, and smoke some hash. I couldn’t say I was truly appreciating all it had to offer when it was the gateway into vampire land.
Shane took a huge bite of his turkey sandwich, not bothering to chew or swallow before answering. “I doubt it’s in the middle of town or anything—obviously not, since we’ve seen the whole town—but it’s supposed to be close. It’s not like I’ve taken the tour.” He glanced around, his eyes following the tourists milling about. A couple of them saw him watching and waved, including me in their gesture.
“You know them?”
He shook his head, then finally swallowed. “No. Looks like two cute college girls here for a trip. Why do you think they’re waving at a table with two huge, hot guys?”
“Oh.” My gaze flicked back toward them, then away quickly when I realized they were still staring. “Quit looking at them. They’re gonna come over.”
He turned back to me, grinning. “Are you afraid of cute girls?”
“No. I just don’t want to have to do the whole ‘I’m not interested’ dance.”
He chuckled. “Actually, I think I’d like to see that.”
Avoiding the topic, I pointed to the second hoagie waiting for him to finish his first one. “It’s rare that I meet someone who eats as much as I do.”
“Werewolf, remember. Probably have similar metabolisms as demons.” He took another bite as if to emphasize.
Surprisingly, and to my great relief, there hadn’t been any sexual tension between us. I had no doubt that, given the chance, both of us would readily fuck again, but it seemed like one of the rare occasions where there truly didn’t seem to be any expectations. Or emotions. If we made it through this, Shane seemed the type of guy who would be a lifelong friend, which would be great—if I weren’t half fish and returning to the ocean. When he’d first suggested tagging along, I was afraid he had some ulterior romantic notions, despite what he’d said. There hadn’t even been a hint that he was inclined in that direction. Which made it all that much better. Especially if we got the chance to fool around some more. I couldn’t imagine that happening, now that I was so close to what I had been after the whole time. Then again, I had been thinking about returning to land to relieve the gay itch. It would be good to know where Shane was going to be.
I realized he was giving me a strange look, like he might be able to read my mind. Time to redirect that train of thought. Weather. Nothing is safer or more boring than weather. “I can’t seem to get used to the heat. It’s like all I can do is sweat. Even before the ocean, San Diego is so mild I’ve never had to deal with it.”
Shane cocked an eyebrow. “Before the ocean?”
Shit. “Never mind.”
Leaves rustling above Shane’s head drew my attention upward. A large blue-and-black bird was perched on the branch directly over our table. It jerked its head this way and that, eyeing our food. The bird was about double the size of a blue jay but similar in features, save for two long black plumes that sprouted from the top of its head.
I motioned for Shane to look up. “If you needed proof that God approves of drag queens, check out that guy.”
Shane’s dark gaze flitted upward, and he exhaled a small sound of annoyance. Rising, he flicked his long arm up in the a
ir. The bird let out a cry, hopped off the branch, and landed on the guardrail next to the table two spots down.
“I don’t think it was too concerned.”
Shane crashed back into his chair, causing the table to shake as his elbows pounded against the surface. “Damn birds. Always flying around, shitting on stuff. Trying to swipe your food.”
I grinned at him. His Wrell-like face screwed up in irritation was both adorable and an expression I’d never seen Wrell make. “You’re a werewolf. Aren’t you supposed to like all nature and animals?”
“Who told you that?”
I shrugged. “Nobody. It makes sense. You’re part wolf. You know, part animal.”
He took the final bite of the turkey sandwich and then reached for the second one. “We’re all animals. But I don’t know if birds count as anything other than food. And only food if you’re really desperate.”
I didn’t draw attention to the fact that the turkey he’d devoured had been a bird.
He motioned over my head. “Since we’re pointing out the wildlife, did you check out that gal?”
I tilted my gaze upward and flinched back, nearly causing the plastic chair to tip over. “Holy fuck! What is that thing?”
“Dunno. An orb something-or-other. They’re all over the place in Costa Rica.”
I narrowed my eyes, trying to make the spider come into better focus against the brightness of the late afternoon sun. The damn thing was huge. Black with yellow markings. Kinda pretty, actually.
“Didn’t think demons would be afraid of spiders.”
I moved my chair back, checking to make sure the monster bug was staying put. “I’m not. Just didn’t expect the cast of Arachnophobia to be joining us for dinner.”
He gave a low laugh. “Boy, that’s an old one. Pretty fun.”
“Let me know if that thing starts heading down here.”
“Thought you weren’t scared.”
“I’m getting ready to face vampires. One creature with fangs at a time, okay?”
He grinned devilishly at me, making him even sexier than normal. “You haven’t seen my set yet.”
“True. And I hope it won’t get to that.”
“We’re talking about vampires. It’ll get to that.”
I’d been doing a pretty decent job of ignoring the fact that I was going to be encountering vampires, and not thinking about how my interactions with them, or the one, had turned out so far. At Shane’s words, however, I felt adrenaline kick in, the sharp pinch of panic blossoming in the pit of my stomach.
“So, do you not want me to tell you there’s one here already?”
I rolled my eyes. “A vampire? Yeah, right.”
“Okay, then, I won’t.” He took another bite, immediately followed by a long draft of the soda through his straw.
His teasing tone aside, I got the sense he was serious.
“Are you kidding?”
He shook his head. “It’s not a big deal. We’re by the Vampire Cathedral. We’re gonna see some vamps.”
“Not a big deal?” I glanced around, attempting to spot someone who might look like a vampire. Trying to be nonchalant, I leaned partway over the railing, as if I was checking out the beach view. I realized I was looking for the redheaded vampire who had found me in Christina and Ricky’s restaurant. That wasn’t going to be helpful, if I was only searching for one particular vampire. One that was back home in San Diego, no less.
“He’s not there right now. He rounded the corner up that way.” Shane gestured with his sandwich toward the road that headed away from the ocean.
I looked back at him. “And you didn’t say anything?”
He shrugged, unconcerned. “We’re gonna see a lot of them. And they’re Royals, so we don’t have to wait until night.”
“Still, maybe we could have followed him.”
“We probably shouldn’t jump all over the first vampire we see. Could hurt more than help. I figure we want to wait a bit, spend a day or two getting the feel of the place, seeing if we can figure out any patterns or how the vampires around here work. Try to pass ourselves off as a couple of tourists. Shouldn’t be too hard.”
I tried not to be annoyed that Shane had come up with a plan and not bothered to consult or even inform me of it. “I guess that makes sense.”
He must have picked up on my feelings. Not that I was very good at hiding them, anyway. “Sorry. I guess I was assuming. If you think differently, we can do it your way. I thought it might be good to take it slow.”
“No. No, I’m sure you’re right.” Me and my moody, quick temper. “Although the thought of hanging around here, watching for vampires, sounds horrible. I’m going to be a nervous wreck if we wait for two days. I’ll be bursting into flames every few minutes.”
“Fire, huh? You’re a fire demon. That makes sense. Matches your personality. That will help if worst comes to worst. Fire and vampires aren’t friends.”
“Yeah, I’ve found that out.” I’d forgotten he didn’t know my power. It seemed like we’d known each other a lot longer than just a day. Almost a day. Turning from him, I craned my head around, trying to get a better view of the perpendicular street.
“Plus, it might be best to wait for a different vampire. That one was already being followed. Not that you can really follow a vampire. Not without them knowing.”
“You can’t?”
“Nah. They can always tell.” He straightened his shoulders. “It’s nearly impossible to track a werewolf too, but not quite at the same level as a vampire. You’d think such nasty vermin wouldn’t have so many defensive skills.” He let out a puff of air from his nose, as if getting rid of an unpleasant smell.
“Then how was this one being followed?”
“I don’t know. But he definitely knew, although I don’t think he noticed a werewolf and a demon nearby. I’m assuming he was probably focused on the two following him and didn’t register our presence.”
I crossed my arms and rested them on the table. “I wonder who else would be following a vampire.”
“Who knows? It was just some witch and a fairy. Maybe, if they keep it up, they’ll keep distracting the vamp from us. Make it easier for us to keep from being discovered as quickly.”
I didn’t like that he didn’t say keeping us from being discovered at all. “When you say fairy, do you mean another gay guy?”
“You didn’t know there are fairies?”
“I’m new to this. I only recently learned there were demons, which should tell you something. How did you see a fairy? Aren’t they tiny?”
He laughed. “Not exactly. When this is done, we gotta get you out in the world. If you didn’t know you were a demon, there’s a whole lot more to experience. You’ve been living with your head in the sand. I’ll take you to the Square. There’s one in San Juan. Not my favorite, but it’ll do.”
“And the Square is what?”
“Never mind. You’ll like it. At least judging from how good you were last night. We’ll have a good time. You’ll see a lot more than just fairies. They’re pretty boring, anyway. I guarantee you’ll see more demons.”
I held up my hands. “Okay. You’re making my brain start to blow a fuse. I’m having a hard enough time facing the fact that I have to find the Vampire Cathedral. I can’t think about fairies and demons. Especially demons.”
He grinned. “No problem. I’ll save it for when you’re done. You’ll need the back rooms even more by then, anyway.”
I didn’t ask what the back rooms were. Instead, my gaze drifted off Shane and focused on a huge barge making its way across the horizon of the ocean. As cute as Shane was, as good as the sex had been, as close as I was to hopefully finding out the fate of the captured mers, I would trade everything to simply walk down the beach, drop the stolen cargo shorts, tank top and flip-flops I’d borrowed from Shane, and disappear once more under the waves. Return to the Chromis, to my family. Mourn Wrell. Be with Lelas and help her heal from Nalu, if she could. Never
return to land again. Screw needing to have sex. I’d been wrong. I could give it up for the simplicity the ocean offered.
Simplicity. Yeah, right. The ocean was why I was close to the Vampire Cathedral to begin with. Wrell’s and Nalu’s deaths hadn’t been simplistic. Nor had all the captured mers.
I was suddenly more tired than anything else.
“You okay?”
I refocused on Shane, his chiseled face peering at me with concern. “Yeah. Just tired. I would love to run to the ocean and swim away.”
He grimaced. “The swimming away part sounds horrible, but go for a swim if you need to. I was thinking we should probably get a place pretty soon. Then we can check out the town after dark. See if we can find anything useful. I can find a room while you take a dip if you want.”
“Thanks. I’ll be okay.” Unbidden, I stared out once more at the ocean.
Shane stood and clasped me on the shoulder, giving me a strong squeeze. “Go swim. I’ll meet ya back here in half an hour or so.” He gave me a final pat as he walked away.
As if half an hour would begin to cut it. Although, it couldn’t hurt. It might offer enough relief to give me a burst of energy. Swim. Hunt for the night, then go back to whatever room Shane found. Maybe swim again. While we’re at it, since we’d have the room, another round of intense fucking sounded perfect. Might as well get it while I could. Then wake early and swim once more.
Suddenly, Shane’s plan of checking things out for a couple of days sounded perfect. A couple of days of swimming and sex. Not so much that it would detract from figuring out how to find the Royals, but enough to take the edge off. If anything, it would help me focus more. The idea nearly made me giddy. What better way to get ready to face a bunch of vampires?
Shane’s whispered breath against my ear caused me to jump. “Actually, you wanted to see the vampire. I just noticed him as I got to the sidewalk. He’s across the street, heading toward the beach. And he’s still being followed by the witch and fairy brigade.”
