Adaptation: book I

by Pepper Pace

  Carmella pressed her nipple into Raj’s mouth.

  He latched onto her nipple with an angry whimper and was soon feeding hungrily.

  “I need to hold him,” Ma said. “He can eat later.”

  Carmella shook her head. “He’s hungry, Ma. He needs a warm bath, and then we need to put him to sleep.” And when you go to sleep, I’m planting my butcher knife in your skull.

  Ma’s eyes glazed over. “You know, I don’t need you anymore.” She raised the rifle.

  Oh my God, this bad-shooting bitch is going to fire at me while I’m nursing a baby! “Ma, no!” Carmella screamed.

  A low growl sounded behind Ma, and the old woman swung around.

  Directly behind her in the doorway stood a wolf and a man.

  Raj released Carmella’s nipple. “Dada,” he said calmly.

  Ma recognized Bilal instantly. “But you’re dead!” she howled. “You can’t be here!”

  Bilal blinked, and two tentacles squirmed into the air from his chest.

  Ma backed away, her lips quivering. “Unless you’re the Angel of Death come to take me!” She raised the rifle with shaking hands.

  The wolf leaped, gripping her right wrist in his massive jaws and dragging her to the floor. The rifle flew for her hands and banged into a wall. The wolf released her wrist and stood on Ma’s shoulders and hips, growling and snapping at her face as drool dripped onto her shirt.

  Bilal stepped over Ma’s legs and took in everything at once. He saw a dead man lying in the hallway with his face half blown away, Carmella sitting on the floor stunned and topless, and Raj, who had worked his way out of the swaddling of his mother’s shirt and clutched at the air with pudgy fists crying “Bla Dadada!” as little tentacles reached for Bilal from his abdomen.

  Bilal collected his son in one arm and Carmella in the other. His arm held her firmly, soothing her hysteria until she reached up and touched his face, assuring herself that he was really there.

  “Bilal …”

  Raj’s tentacles intertwined with Bilal’s while his hands held his father. The two sets of tentacles moved in a strange rhythm, the son’s mimicking the intricate twirls of his father’s.

  Bilal looked into Carmella’s bewildered eyes. “I smell your blood. You’re hurt.”

  “I saw you,” Carmella whispered. “They shot you.” Carmella wrapped her arms around his strong body and hugged him. “I thought you were dead.”

  “I’m here.” As she buried her face in his neck and sobbed, Bilal turned to the old woman watching from the floor.

  Ma was going insane with terror. A wolf’s teeth were inches from her eyes, and the man’s black skin was turning red. He had to be the father of the baby. The baby had similar tentacles growing from his stomach, and they were twirling around each other like a pit of vipers! He glared at her with slanted, Asian eyes, “Mike” written on the nametag of his coveralls. “What are you?” she whimpered.

  I am a new being, Bilal thought. “There is a dead man in the front yard with his pants down. Did he rape my child’s mother?”

  Carmella hugged him tighter, shivering uncontrollably and he gently rubbed her back.

  “No,” Ma stammered. “I killed him before he did that. I-I-I sh—shot him.” Anguished tears streamed down her withered cheeks.

  Bilal gestured to the dead man behind him. “And that one? Did he rape my child’s mother?”

  “That’s my son! He killed my son!”

  A talon-tipped tentacle moved toward her. “I asked you a question. Did the man in the hallway rape my child’s mother?”

  “No!” Ma shook her head. “And it was Earl who shot her in the leg, not me! Tell him, lady!”

  Carmella turned her face to the sight of the cowering woman. “Yes, Earl shot me, but she was about to shoot me when you arrived.”

  “I wouldn’t have done it!” Ma cried. “I swear!”

  “You know, if you had killed me, Raj would have killed you.” She looked up into Bilal’s face. “Raj is amazing.”

  Ma shook her head. “His name is William, and he would never hurt me!”

  “And your name is Dumb Bitch.” Carmella picked up and put on a shirt. “Raj stung you, and you didn’t even know he did! You tried to take everything from me, Ma, but now you have nothing.” Carmella smiled at the tentacles waving and intertwining around her. “I may have a strange family, but at least I have a living one.”

  Ma appeared every bit as insane as she probably was, because when the devil-man’s tentacle moved to caress her cheek, she leaned into it and smiled.

  “Let’s go home,” Carmella said, her eyes half closed as another tentacle moved to twine lovingly against her neck and throat.

  Bilal nodded once and lifted her carefully, transferring the baby to her arms. One long tentacle swooped down for the rifle, and the other untwined from his son and touched the wolf’s neck.

  The wolf backed off the old woman and followed his pack masters out of the house.

  Bilal placed Carmella in the passenger seat of their truck, Raj’s tentacles securely around Carmella’s body.

  “I don’t know who has the keys,” she said. “And we’ll need the car seat.”

  Bilal passed her the rifle. “We won’t ever need a car seat again.” He nodded at Raj. “His tentacles will keep him safe. I’ll be back.”

  “Be careful,” Carmella said. “There are more guns in the house.”

  “I will be fine,” Bilal said.

  Raj whimpered. “Blabla! Dada!”

  Bilal blinked. “Did he just call my name?”

  Carmella nodded. “He even knew you were coming.”

  Bilal bent down and placed a kiss on his son’s curly hair. “Daddy will be back. I swear it to you.” He leaned in and placed his lips on Carmella’s. After a moment he closed the door behind him, and he and the wolf returned to the house.

  Carmella’s fingers touched her lips. She counted the seconds tensely as she reached in the back for the coat Bilal had gone “shopping” for earlier and pulled it on, wrapping her and Raj in the warmth of the oversized parka.

  Two minutes later, Bilal reappeared with the keys.

  The wolf climbed into the truck and nestled into a space in the back.

  Bilal started the truck and cranked the heat.

  “Did she say anything to you?” Carmella whispered.

  “She asked me to kill her,” Bilal said.

  “I wish she had asked me that,” Carmella said. “Did you?”

  “No,” Bilal said. “She made you and my son suffer, and now she will suffer. She will die of starvation or the cold. Is this acceptable to you?”

  Carmella nodded. “How did you get here? And where did that wolf come from?”

  Bilal drove past the truck he had abandoned a short distance from the house. “I was able to get one of the trucks from the dealership running, and the wolf—”

  “Stop,” Carmella interrupted.

  “Why?”

  “Stop the truck. We need to go back and get that truck.”

  He slowed and braked to a stop. He turned in his seat and stared at her. “Carmella, you can’t drive with a bullet in your leg. You’ll end up having an accident. We can always get another truck.”

  “We need that truck. You already got it working, and we have plenty of fuel. We have some supplies. I want that truck, and we’re not leaving without it.”

  He reached past her and pushed her seat back.

  “What are you doing?” Carmella asked.

  “You need to take off your pants,” Bilal said. “I am going to fix your leg so you can drive.”

  While Raj held on, Carmella reached down to undo her pants. When she brought her hips up, the pain intensified enough to cause her to cry out. “I’m going to need your help.”

  Bilal used a tentacle to lower her jeans to her knees, leaving her only wearing French-cut black panties.

  She tried to turn to face him, but he stopped her.

  “You don’t have to
move.” A tentacle elongated and moved to wrap itself under her thigh.

  She tensed, preparing for imminent pain.

  The tentacle, however, bypassed the hole in her thigh and moved up a few inches. She felt pressure, but considering the pain of the gunshot, it didn’t amount to much. After a minute, the pain disappeared completely.

  She sighed in relief. By the time he’d finished, both the wolf and Raj were in a deep sleep.

  His tentacle retreated and dropped a bullet into his hand. He showed it to her as she flexed the muscles in her thigh.

  She had only the memory of pain and nothing more. “Thank you.”

  He placed his hand on her thigh and stared deeply into her eyes. “I love you, Carmella. I will never allow anyone or anything to hurt you again. Do you understand? I will always come back for you.”

  She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. She felt the love he had for her in every fiber of her being. She opened her eyes and looked at him. “I love you, Bilal. And I trust you. And I know you will always protect us. You’ll always come back for us.”

  Bilal closed his eyes for a moment. “Yes.”

  The most horrible day in his life had turned out to be the most beautiful because the woman he loved now loved him in return.

  Chapter 31

  ~Home~

  Carmella pulled her truck into her driveway. It felt as if they had been gone for a million years, but they had only been gone twelve hours.

  Bilal pulled his truck in beside hers and got out, his wolf leaping out after him. He opened the passenger door, extended his tentacles, and extricated a soundly sleeping Raj from Carmella’s grasp.

  “Thanks,” Carmella whispered. “He’s a chunk.” She stretched and stared at her farmhouse. She knew it wasn’t only her home. It was their home. She smiled at her man holding their child.

  Wolf and Girl were on the porch, alert to the presence of the strange wolf, which stood below the porch steps scenting the air and wagging his tail. Hackles raised, they moved down the stairs. Carmella was about to call out for them to back down when Wolf nipped the young animal playfully on the neck. They then rolled in the frosty grass, and Girl jumped into the foray.

  Carmella smiled, laughed, and clapped her hands. She pointed happily. “That’s one of my grandbabies!” She slipped her arm around Bilal’s waist. “You befriended one of Wolf’s and Girl’s offspring.”

  He smiled. “I knew he looked familiar. Let’s go inside. It’s cold and you’re half dressed.” He put his arm around her, and she sighed in contentment.

  While Bilal built a large fire in the fireplace and stoked up the wood stove, Carmella retrieved dog food from the pantry and set out big dishes for each of the wolves. After Bilal put Raj to bed, he saw Carmella on the front porch surrounded by the three wolves and rubbing them as if they were puppies. He smiled. Those wolves were part of her family every bit as much as Raj and he were. He joined her on the porch, and though he was more than tired, he spent time with her giving love to Wolf, Girl, and Lil’ Wolf.

  Afterwards Carmella went into the kitchen to put on a large pot of water to boil. She then poked around the pantry.

  “What are you doing?” Bilal asked.

  “I’m making you something to eat.” She held up a can of beef stew and took a can opener from a drawer.

  He put his hand over hers, stopping her before she could open the can. “It’s okay. I’m more tired than hungry. Come here.”

  He opened his arms, and Carmella closed her eyes and slipped into his embrace. She sighed as Bilal stroked her long dreadlocks and hugged her tightly. She felt tears filling her eyes but was afraid to allow them to spill down her cheeks. She didn’t want to lose it now, because what if she never got it back?

  She slipped from his grasp, wiped her eyes, and sniffed back her tears. She picked up the simmering pot and poured steaming water into a large bronze washbasin. “Come here. I want to wash the blood off of you.”

  Bilal looked down at his dirty hands. His nails were caked with drying blood, dirt, and oil. He stood in front of the wood stove while Carmella examining his hands front and back. She squeezed them, released them, and wiped tears from her eyes.

  “Stand next to the wood stove,” she said. “I don’t want you to catch cold.” She knelt and untiled his boots.

  Bilal watched her knowing that she did this for him as a way to pay tribute. He wanted to lift her from the floor and hold her in his arms but knew she had to do this in order to feel better. He kicked off his boots.

  She rose and gently pulled down his coveralls, which left him nude. She helped him step out of his pants then pointed at the washbasin. “It might be a little hot.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Bilal said, stepping in.

  She dipped a small plastic pitcher into the water and poured it over him, steam rising from his skin. She wet his hair then dipped a washcloth into the water, lathering it with the soap she used for Raj. She rubbed the cloth over his body.

  Bilal remembered the first time Carmella had given him upstairs in the bathtub. His penis had grown then nearly as fast as it was growing now. He did nothing to hide it.

  Carmella’s washcloth moved lovingly over Bilal’s body. She knew he would take care of them, and she would take care of him. That was what family did. Bilal and Raj were her family, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. She was painfully aware that she had almost lost them, but she would never take what she had for granted again.

  Her hands stopped over the bullet holes in Bilal’s chest. They looked like old scars with keloid impressions on them. She placed her fingertips over them and peeked at Bilal, making sure it didn’t hurt him. He made no indication that it did. She pressed lightly, and it bulged back slightly.

  While Carmella watched in fascination, a tentacle emerged from each hole. One tentacle twined its way around her hand and her wrist. She reached out tentatively and touched the second tentacle, the flesh smooth and gray, then held and brought it to her lips where she kissed it softly. She looked at Bilal, whose lips had pulled upward into a smile.

  “You’re not afraid?” he asked.

  “No.”

  She dipped more water into the pitcher, and the tentacle around her wrist released. She rinsed him and scrubbed at the old blood on his hands and under his nails. When they were clean, she worked on his head.

  Bilal leaned forward so she could work a lather through his long, silky strands. He peeked at her through the strands, and the intensity of her expression mesmerized him. Bilal reached up and placed his fingertips on her cheek. When she met his eyes, he took the pitcher from her and finished rinsing his hair. When he stepped out of the washbasin, water streamed down his body and hair leaving a puddle on the hardwood floor.

  Carmella moved to get the towel, but he gripped her wrist. His strong arms pulled her to him firmly around her waist.

  Carmella stared into his almond-shaped eyes, losing herself in their total blackness. He was so beautiful, from his strange black eyes and changing skin to his beautiful hair and toned body. And despite how distrustful and angry she had been, he had been beautifully caring and patient.

  She slipped her arms around his neck, her body molding against him so perfectly it was as if they had been made for each other. She kissed him, her heart drumming in her chest, with the intensity of her desire for him. She needed to feel the release that came from lovemaking and not only a climax from her fingers. She wanted to feel him inside of her, to wrap her legs around him and to press her breasts into his chest.

  Bilal could both feel and hear her heart beating rapidly, and his heart sped up to match it. His lips explored her mouth, his tongue tasting her, and she sucked his lower lips into her mouth. Bilal inhaled, his penis lurching to fully erection, and then he mimicked her, drawing her full upper lip into his mouth and sucking it lightly.

  Carmella felt the tender warmth at her core flare to life. Her hands moved over him restlessly, not able to get enough of him. Her hand lingered on the swel
l of his ass, and it all became real—she was kissing him and she was caressing him.

  She wanted to make love with him.

  Bilal couldn’t equate the pleasure of kissing Carmella to anything else he had ever experienced, and not because he was aroused. She was allowing him to hold her, to feel her touch, to kiss her lips. This woman he had violated and whose life he had invaded somehow loved him. She proved it when he felt her grip his erect penis, and the pleasure coursing through his body nearly caused him to lose his balance. He gasped, his lips parted, and his eyes closed.

  Carmella moved her head back in order to watch the expression of pleasure that crossed his face. His dark brow furrowed, and his skin moved from its normal gray tan to a soft red. Her fingers continued to manipulate his hard shaft until he sucked in a sharp breath.

  He gripped her wrist to still her action. “No,” he gasped. “I want to spill myself inside of you.” He didn’t ask, and he didn’t wait. He lifted her easily into his arms and carried her upstairs to her bedroom.

  Carmella’s arms moved to wrap around his neck, and her body pulsed with wanton desire. She wanted to grip his cock again, to feel him straining over her—anything to ebb the incessant desire that had been building in her for months.

  He moved surefooted through the darkened corridor. His eyes were made to see in the dark—perhaps even created for this very purpose—so that one day he might carry a woman to her bed to make love to her for the first time in a decade. Maybe everything that had happened—the world ending, him impregnating her—was supposed to lead to this.

  Bilal set her down beside the bed. He looked at her face and felt her desire. As he watched her sweeping off clothes, kicking off shoes, and shimmying out of her pants and panties, his skin darkened from red to purple. Bilal’s breath felt strained as he took in her beauty. With one step he closed the space between them and cupped her full breasts. He brought his lips down to one nipple and indulged in what he had fantasized about for months. He drank from her breast, her sweet milk filling his belly and curbing his hunger.

  Carmella cradled his head and stroked his wet strands of hair.