Anthony pulled out an ancient-looking book. The cover was old, cracked brown leather and the pages were so thin they were almost transparent. "This is one of the earliest written records of our legends. Like the Inca people, our ancestors didn't develop a written language until many hundreds of years after their inception." He put on a pair of white gloves before taking up the explanation again. "When a Supay goes through their sixty year puberty, he or she is required to read our entire history. The three of us spent years memorizing texts, travelling to other Supay settlements, and learning from other Unseen species. This book always intrigued me. It's been in our family for years. As soon as Danyelus told me what was going on with David, I thought we’d need it."
"Hold up," I interrupted. "You guys are family? I thought you were so special because you're the last two male pureblood unrelated Supay. And what about the women? I know they're rare, but what about pureblood female Supay?"
“All three of our mothers are still alive, but we aren't related by blood," Elias said. "And Michael has a pureblood sister. She lives with her husbands and children, who are not purebloods. They live in Virginia. We each have several brothers, but none of them are pure. Our fathers were killed in a war between the Supay and the Aljans—they’re sort of like demons.”
“We were toddlers when they died,” said Anthony. “As far as anyone has been able to find, there are no more pure men. There are several pure women across the world, ranging from one baby to very, very old. Supay women are so sheltered and protected, whether pure blood or not, that more female purebloods have survived. No Supay would dream of harming a female, they don’t go to war, they do not fight. Extra care is taken so that there are no accidents. But with us being the only two men, even if we made a dozen children each, they'd only have each other to marry to keep the line alive, and then their children wouldn't be able to marry as they'd be related. So the Supay have bidden a sad farewell to our bloodline.”
“We’re a race of hybrids,” continued Elias. “And for the most part, we're okay with that. Mainly, the regret is losing the special abilities. That’s why the Junta would be so eager to figure out what's special about you and to find a way to duplicate David's heritage."
"All this makes me want to take up smoking again," I said, only mostly kidding. My chest tightened with a nicotine craving, and the desire to take a long, slow drag off of a cigarette filled my mind. The relaxation as I exhaled… The cancer and constant coughing! Snap out of it.
“How long has it been since you smoked, Riley?” asked Elias. “It has to have been before we met.”
“I quit the second I found out I was pregnant,” I said, still fighting a bit of a craving. “David was a happy surprise to us, or I would’ve quit when we started trying to get pregnant.”
"Let's get on track." Anthony chastised me. "If you want to make the journey to the underworld, then we'll have to sneak into the manor for a few more books. This one will get us started, but we need to find as much information as possible about the early days of our people."
"Can't we just go to Peru?" I asked. "I studied the Inca people a bit in college, and there are still a lot of people there that follow the old religions and worship the old gods. We could travel straight to the source."
Elias nodded his head. "That's mostly the plan, but we want to start with as much information as possible. Plus, the Inca descendants think the race of the Supay is a race of demons. They don't realize who and what we are. Their ancestors so quickly ran our ancestors into hiding that their legends made us into demons."
Anthony read over the book. "It's written in Quechua. Quechua was the language of the Inca, and many in Peru still speak it today. We’re taught to speak it during our studies as teens, but it's been a while and is a little difficult to translate." He looked up at us, embarrassed. "I'm rusty."
I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and started to look up history on the Inca people. It dinged and played a little song as it booted up. I couldn't remember when I'd checked it last, so there was no telling when it turned off. I'd only brought it out of habit. There wasn't anyone for me to contact, except work.
I guess I've effectively quit that job.
A gust of air hit me, and my phone disappeared from my hand and smashed on the floor. My brain tried to process what happened. I knew I didn't drop it. Did a rogue gust of wind knock it out of my hand? If it was blown out of my hand, why didn't I see it fall? In an instant it was gone and shattered.
"Sorry, Riley."
I looked up at Elias questioningly.
"I didn't realize you still had your phone. We can’t have any devices with us that use GPS. If you want to look something up online you'll need to use the computer in the living room, but I caution you not to log on to any social media or email accounts so your location isn't pinpointed."
He knocked it out of my hand so fast I didn’t even see it happening. Will I ever get used to their abilities?
"It's been off, Eli. I actually don't think it’s been on since the last day I worked." I counted the days in my head. "I guess that would've been four days ago." The phone was totally ruined, but no pictures were on it, and the other data could be retrieved from the cloud later. Elias cleaned up the phone pieces and walked with me to the living room to get on the computer while Anthony poured over the book.
Chapter Seven
We spent several hours reading websites about the Inca people and their descendants in modern Peru. Since the Inca didn’t have a written language, they’d used a series of knotted strings to relay messages. That’s part of the reason so little was known about the origins of the Inca and the Supay. Written Inca information today was legend passed down orally from one generation to the next.
Villages existed that kept to the ancient Inca traditions. They only spoke the Inca language of Quechua, and they strictly adhered to the old ways of worshiping the gods. They ate the food their ancestors ate and shunned modern vehicles in favor of a traditional llama.
Elias already knew most of the information about the Inca history and traditions. He left me to learn what I could while he went in the kitchen to start mapping out our route with Anthony. As teens, they’d both traveled to Peru under the guise of tourists. It was a Supay right of passage to travel to their homeland and learn about the culture from the natives.
My eyes drooped after several hours of reading, so I wandered into the kitchen. Anthony was gone and Elias was making a grilled cheese sandwich. I sat at the table and propped my head in my hands.
“Where's Anthony?” I asked.
“He went to buy supplies for the journey. We’ll have to drive for a while,” he replied.
“And how exactly are you going to have enough blood the whole way?” I asked, uncomfortable with the idea of the two of them sipping from random people along the way.
“Actually, Riley, I wanted to talk to you about that,” he replied and placed a gooey grilled cheese sandwich and a big glass of milk in front of me. “Anthony and I don't need an excessive amount of blood to remain healthy. We’ll feel a bit hungry, but as long as we get a small bit every day, we'll be fine.” He sat beside me. “Eat.” I stuck my tongue out at him before complying. “We only drank a fourth of a bag of blood each this morning and could’ve done a little less. We’re hoping that between the bags we have left, and a little donation from you, we'll be able to make the journey to Peru before we would need a more significant amount of blood.”
“Donate. You want to tap my vein? Bag a little blood?” I teased.
His cheeks blushed bright red.
“Elias, it occurred to me. In the myths, a vampire’s blood volume depends on how much blood they drink. Sort of like the blood they drink is what fills their veins. But you just blushed. Obviously you have actual blood of your own pumping through your veins.”
“We Supay function much the same as humans. We have our own blood supply, and the blood we drink is our food. If we were allowed in the sciences, we could pinpoint exactly wh
at it is about blood that sustains us. We’re hoping the new Junta lead will begin changing the minds of the elders of the Unseen. No Unseen creature is allowed in the sciences; it’s not only the Supay. Anyway, if we're grievously injured, we do need more blood. I think that has something to do with the magic in our bodies. Blood is food for us, most of the time. If we don’t eat, we get weak, like a human would. We can eat some food and drink water and gain some nutrients but not enough to sustain us without any blood.”
“Okay. I understand. Do we have any way to contact Anthony?” I asked.
“He has a burner phone, yes. I can call him. What do you need to tell him?”
“Dial him and let me talk to him, please,” I replied. Elias pulled out a cheap flip phone. He dialed a number before handing me the phone. I put the phone on speaker as it rang.
“Elias?” Anthony’s deep voice rang through the phone line. “What’s wrong, man?”
Elias whispered to me, “He knows I wouldn’t call unless it was important.”
I nodded. “Anthony, it’s me. I need you to pick up a few things for me for the trip.” I pulled a piece of paper out of my pocket.
“Of course, Riley. Anything you need. Let me grab a pen.” I heard him rustling. “Go ahead.”
“Okay, first, do we have any clue how long we'll be gone?” I asked.
Elias answered first. “It’ll take us six to eight days to get to Peru. We have no idea how long we'll search while we're there. Then, if we're alive and successful, we won’t have to hide anymore and can charter a plane to Tennessee before heading to New Zealand to confront the Junta.”
“Okay then, I need to plan on at least a month.” I said. “Anthony, please pick me up a box of tampons and pads. If that makes you uncomfortable, you can let me run in a store somewhere on the way to the Mexican border.”
“I'm not uncomfortable.” Anthony’s laughter echoed out of the phone. “It would take much more to make me uncomfortable. Anything else?”
“Oh, yes, lots more,” I replied. “Grab a big bottle of vitamin B-12, a bottle of iron, and a bottle of folic acid. Also, Vitamin B-6 and Vitamin E. If you can find a multivitamin that has all of those in it, get two bottles. I’ll take extra to be safe. Grab some dried prunes and raisins, some eggs—we can hard boil them—some spinach, ranch dressing, and a big variety of nuts. We’ll need to be able to stop and eat at places that serve things like steak and shellfish.” I paused, consulting my list. “Oh! And several cases of bottled water. I’ll need to stay hydrated.”
Elias stopped me there. “Riley, why do you need these supplements?”
I replied triumphantly, “I did some research after you left me alone at the computer. I’m not comfortable with you two using random people to feed on. If you have to drink from a human, it'll be me for as long as possible.”
I turned my attention to the phone. “Anthony, go by a medical supply store and see if you can get your hands on some supplies to draw blood from my arm. You’ll need to go ahead and use those blood bags before you begin to drink from me or they’re going to go bad. In the days you’re drinking from the bags you can start storing up some blood from me.” The phone was silent. “Anthony? Are you there?” I asked, a little worried.
“I’m here, my Coya. I’m speechless. You’ve shown incredible strength over the past several days. You’re offering yourself up to keep us healthy so that we don’t have to take blood from an unsuspecting stranger. I’m sorry I snapped at you earlier. You impress me.” My eyes filled with tears as he continued. “You’re beautiful. I was undecided how far I was willing to go with this search, but now I’m sure. You are my Coya, and I will follow you until the end, be it our deaths or our long lives. Go gather your things and rest now, I’ll get these items. Goodbye.”
I closed the phone with trembling hands. “What did he call me?”
“Coya means Queen in Quechua. He called you his queen.”
I was shocked. Why would he give me such a pet name? I followed Elias up the stairs.
“Why would he call me his queen? We met only a few days ago! And sure, the sex was great—fucking phenomenal—but it was only sex.” I grabbed Eli’s arm so he’d turn and look at me.
“I thought we’d been pretty clear, Riley. You must know I care about you—we’ve been friends for years. Anthony has watched over you for the same amount of time. He’s grown to care deeply for you. When we say we care about you, it means we think you’re an incredible, smart, strong woman. And that doesn’t even begin to describe how beautiful you are.”
I stepped away from Elias in shock. I could get behind strong. No one went through what I had without believing they were a little tough. I drew the line at beautiful.
In the early days of my relationship with Michael, I was shocked at his attraction to me. When we started dating, I was a size eighteen—too chunky to have much faith in myself. Eventually, I gave in to his persistent chasing and went on a date with him. I’d done some internet research and discovered an entire world out there of men who are only attracted to big women. I figured Michael was one of those men and grew comfortable with his admiration of my body, even though I never understood it.
My face had always been pretty but only pretty. Beautiful, I wasn't. I was okay with my level of prettiness, I knew my playing field. One oddball man falling in love with me I could believe. But Elias and Anthony too? Nah.
“Elias, why are you fucking with me like this? You two couldn’t feel that way about me.” Sure, I’d lost some weight and toned up a little, but my body was still pretty crazy looking. Being kick-ass and being beautiful were not always the same thing, and I was definitely kick-ass.
Elias grabbed my cheeks and pulled me into a kiss. The kiss, oh, the kiss. The kiss was show stopping; the kind they wrote movies about.
At first, his lips pressed hard against mine. Then he pulled back a little to breathe. I opened my mouth to suck in air, and he used that opportunity to caress the inside of my mouth. His lips massaged, making slow, passionate love to mine. His mouth stoked a fire in my belly that made my knees weak. I sagged against Elias's body while my brain turned the consistency of pureed baby food. All I could see or hear or feel was the caress of Eli’s lips.
Then he brought his tongue into play. He teased me by running the tip of it along my swollen lips. I opened them, craving more. He tasted me with his tongue, licking the inside of my mouth like I was his favorite flavor of lollipop. Blood flavored? I giggled into his mouth.
Elias looked at me in amusement. “Did I tickle your tonsils or something?” he asked. “I was going for sexy, not funny.”
“I wondered if they make blood flavored popsicles for vampires.” I said, my expression dead serious. Elias burst out laughing and turned away.
“No, really! I mean, surely some Supay entrepreneur has figured out how to make blood flavored candy!” I teased Elias, following him into the bedroom we’d shared the night before.
Once I entered the room, Elias turned to me and scooped me into his arms. I went flying through the air, squealing before bouncing on the bed and scrambling to the top, laughing. “You think it’s that easy to get me into bed, Elias Tipton?”
He stalked toward the bed like a predator. A chill ran up my spine as I saw the raw power in his eyes. He could kill me and drain my body of blood. He could snap my neck and leave me anywhere. He reached the end of the bed and the look on his face became more lustful, less predatory. My spine tingled again, this time in anticipation.
I got to my knees and crawled to the edge of the bed, then looked up at him and smiled. “I guess it is that easy.” Slut! My fingers trailed the collar of his Black Sabbath t-shirt. Eh. Who cares at this point? “May I please take this off?” I asked, sweet as syrup.
His eyes bored into mine as he lifted his arms for me to draw his shirt over his head. Once his chest was bare he took my hands and lifted them above my head. Once he’d removed my shirt, he stared at my bare breasts. I shifted, picturing the toll breas
tfeeding two children took on my once pert breasts. They didn’t exactly sag, but they were definitely not the breasts of my youth. I swallowed my insecurities and focused on the planes of his torso instead.
I flattened my hand on his chest, giving a slight massage so I could feel the power in the muscles there. Before, when life was good and I felt frisky, I’d signal Michael by rubbing his chest with a firm hand.
Tears sprang to my eyes as I guilt overwhelmed me. Michael was truly, officially dead, and I hadn’t even waited three days after receiving the news before jumping into bed with another man. Two other men. Two.
I used my hands on his chest to push Elias away. “I can’t. Michael popped into my head, and I feel like the worst person in the world for sleeping with someone else. I only just found out he was dead.” I snatched my shirt up and jerked it on. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to tease.”
“You didn’t tease me. I can handle being turned on. You’re grieving, and there is no right or wrong way to do that. One thing I can promise you is that Michael wouldn't be upset at the thought of you being comforted, even if it’s through sex—especially if Anthony or I were the ones doing the comforting.”
My butt bounced off the bed as I sat back. “Why especially you or Anthony? Wouldn’t Michael view that as more of a betrayal?”
“In the Supay culture, it’s quite common for more than one man to share the love of a single woman. As long as I can remember, it's been a regular way of life. I’m sure it began with the rarity of Supay women, since we're forbidden from falling in love with humans. It gives us a way to have a long term relationship with a woman.”
Elias sat beside me on the bed and drew me onto his lap. “We’ve been talking about marrying the same woman for over sixty years. That was always our plan. Once we were grown we were going to set out to meet and woo the Supay women of the world, until we found our mate. But then, Michael found you and disappeared. We spent the years afterward sort of, well, whoring around with human women.”
Hers From The Start: A Collection of First In Series Reverse Harem Page 49