by Gena D. Lutz
“I would think that a man who just got laid out with one punch would have the sense of mind to shut up. Or did he beat you stupid?” I commented, turning to face David.
His mouth puckered up and he sucked in a long breath. With fists clenched, he looked over my head at Nathan. Hate swam deep in his eyes.
“This isn’t over, punk.” David muttered.
Nathan wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back up against him possessively. I would like to believe that I didn’t enjoy his outward display of male dominance, but my weakened knees proved otherwise.
I made an impatient gesture at David and said. “I’ve had enough of this. Go wait in the car.”
The direct order shut him up instantly, and without a second glance he turned and walked out of the restaurant.
Nathan twirled me around so that I ended up face to face with him. Swallowing, I looked up, my eyes landing on the curve of his mouth.
“What was that all about, Rox?” His voice was husky, full of lust with an underlying tone of irritation.
Even though he was understandably upset, that didn’t stop his fingertips from slipping into the waistband of my jeans. As reprimands went, this was a pretty delicious one.
“I…uh, well...” I pulled away from him and sat back down. “It’s hard to explain.”
Nathan gave me a subtle nod showing me more patience than I deserved. “What are the chances that guy is just an asshole brother?” He asked, filling in the silence.
I shook my head. “He isn’t my brother. He is more like...” How do I explain? “my child in a way.”
Nathan stiffened, and not in a good way. It didn’t take him long to figure out what I had done.
“You sired that jerk?” He asked. Closing his eyes, he shook his head and covered his face. “What would possess you do such a thing?” His words slipped between his fingers.
Out of nowhere, the room exploded with sound. Nathan sprung over the table in an instant, taking me to the floor with him. He was using his body as a shield to protect me. My elbow stung as it whacked the unforgiving floor and my face scrunched up as it was pushed up against his chest. Even though I was most likely in grave danger, I couldn’t help but notice how delicious Nathan smelled. His animalistic pheromones set something off in me. I wiggled a little bit, trying for a more comfortable position and in the process my lower stomach ran into a pleasant surprise. Nathan’s large size pressed up against me, making my mind wander for a brief second. I pushed away the tantalizing thought of him and instead, focused on the immediate danger.
“What’s going on, Nathan?” My question came out muffled and I pushed against him hard to drive home the point that I wanted to be let up.
“It’s your baby boy, David. He is robbing the place.”
I smacked his chest. “That was an asshole thing to say.” I pushed harder against him but he wouldn’t budge. “Let me up! I can handle him.”
“He has a gun, Rox. I’m not about to put you in harm’s way.”
His commanding tone pissed my wolf right off, and she growled low at her mate.
“The longer you keep me pinned here the better the chances he will hurt someone.” I gave one more final push, using my inherent vampire strength, and flipped him over. I was now on top of him. “David is a man eater, Nathan. And the only thing standing between him and a blood bath is me.”
“Seems the more you explain the worst things get.” Nathan said, getting to his feet in a kneeling position. “Let’s get this over with. I don’t want anyone getting hurt either.”
I didn’t know for sure how much time had passed since the sound of gunfire had rang out, but it couldn’t have been too long. David was waving the gun at the portly cashier frantically trying to work the register. The poor guy was petrified. His fingers poked at the keys, but he couldn’t manage to calm himself down long enough to open it. Now that I was finally free to take over the situation, I moved forward, but before I could take a step to intervene; a platinum haired blonde, with faint blue lips, walked up behind my target.
The young woman wore a light yellow dress. The wispy material hovered over her pale skin like several tiny butterfly wings engulfing her. She glided unnervingly toward David. I had to double check to make sure that her tiny feet were actually touching the floor. I stood stock still with my eyes transfixed on her. The ethereal beauty’s lips were moving and a barely audible sound filled the air. All the while, she kept her green eyes fixed on her target. Her thick lashes curved up and glittered like rainbow prisms in the light that filtered in through the restaurant windows. All other sounds and the room’s inhabitants froze. The only beings aware of their surroundings were me, Nathan, David, and this new supernatural creature. Something inside of me warned that this thing, person...whatever she was, was not to be trifled with.
"Hey man. Why'd you stop?" David questioned the waiter. The guy's finger hovered over one of the register keys and he stared blankly in front of him. "What the fuck's the matter with you?"
"He can't hear you, dark wolf." The mysterious woman whispered over David's shoulder.
His head whipped around so fast, making it obvious that her voice had startled him. He immediately fired two shots at her. They flew through empty air. One lodged in the wall behind her, and the other, in the shoulder of a customer standing next to the jute box. The force of the stray bullet knocked the cowboy off his feet and he fell to the ground.
"David!" I yelled, running over to him. "Drop the gun now!"
His eyes pierced mine and with a scowl he did as he was told.
"Where did she go?" Nathan asked from behind me.
He walked over to the weapon, reached down, and picked it up. With a few quick movements he had the safety on and the revolver tucked behind his back.
I looked around the room. Everyone was still frozen in place. I could smell dampness in the air. It was faint, but it was there. Then a soft voice echoed throughout the space.
"Which one of you beasts is in charge here?" she asked.
From the look of things and the waves of power she delivered through me with her hypnotic voice alone, my guess was that she was in fact the one in charge here. I swallowed my cowardliness and answered her question, my words finding sound even though she scared the shit out of me.
"Umm," I took a breath, "No one." I said carefully.
"How is that possible?" Her voice floated by me but I remained still. My wolf, for once, followed my lead. She understood the possible threat this creature posed to us.
"The dark wolf obeys you, yes? So you must be his leader." She accused.
"I sired him, that's why he listens. No other reason." I said.
The space in front of me shifted in several different colors and the pale woman appeared within it, a few feet away.
Nathan drew me back next to him and growled. "What are you doing so far from home, Nymph? Won't your mother be worried?"
She pulled her intense stare from me and focused it on Nathan instead. She scowled and crossed her arms like a petulant child. The change in demeanor made her come across years younger, not to mention also less threatening.
"I'm on a secret mission. Nobody has knowledge of it, not even my parents, Wolf. So mind your own business."
The atmosphere in the room changed as the front door swung open and a group of truckers piled in the restaurant. I looked past David at the motionless man behind the counter and panic began to set in my gut. The Nymph let out an ear splitting shriek and vanished.
The room suddenly came back to life. Nathan grabbed David by the back of his shirt and with a nod toward the front door, dragged him outside.
I needed to think of a way to fix this and fast. I couldn’t just leave here after David’s failed attempt at robbing the place. And there was no ignoring the man lying in a pool of blood across the room with a large gaping hole in his shoulder.
“Are you in need of assistance?” The Nymph’s cool voice brushed past my ear. Somehow her presence calmed me do
wn. I looked around the room. It was full of confused faces trying to shake off the enchantment.
“I’m open to suggestions.” I answered honestly.
I could honestly say, without a fraction of doubt, that this was a situation I had no clue how to handle. I missed my human problems. These werewolf hindrances really sucked.
The Nymph appeared before me. She sparked into corporeal form with a clever smile spread across her face. Her light blonde hair was swept back in a long ponytail and she was fully dressed in human clothes. Her lips were no longer blue and her eyelashes had lost their sparkly coat of glitter. She looked almost human. If it wasn’t for my enhanced sight, I would be easily fooled into believing that she was. Nonetheless, it was impossible for her to hide the mist of pure magic, which glowed around her, from another supernatural being.
“I will heal the wounded man.” She said, without hesitation. “You go deal with the cashier. There’s no need to worry about the rest of the humans. They never had a chance to see the gun.”
She strode past me but, I reached out and stopped her. “Umm,”
“My name is Ariel.” She said, answering an unasked question.
“Sorry. Ariel…how exactly am I supposed to deal with that guy?”
She let out a huff and waved her hand. The room once again stilled. Her magic was impressive.
“You are Roxanne Delaney of the Prime Pack, yes?”
I had no clue what that had to do with anything, but I answered her. “Yes I am.”
Ariel tugged her arm loose from my grip and looked up at me. From her height of about five foot two, she seemed harmless, almost childlike.
“Then you should have retained some of your Sires abilities. And considering that your Sire is a female Prime and the Canon, you should also be well stocked with a pretty large assortment of powers.”
I looked down at her with what I’m sure was a dumbfounded expression. There was something to be said about being clueless, well besides it making me look ignorant. If I had some hidden or unused abilities, I was all for discovering them. I just had to figure out how.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have the time for you to practice your gifts at the moment. Holding this room in stasis is draining my own powers fast, so you’re going to have to learn by doing this time. Try and roll his mind. Persuasion is one of Ember’s gifts and most likely one of yours as well.”
After a moment, I gave her a curt nod. “I am willing to try anything.”
The Nymph smiled. “Okay then, let’s do this. Ready?”
I nodded. “Ready.”
She waved her hand with a flourish, smiling at me with a wink. It seemed as though it was time for me to test my gifts, and I was actually pretty curious to find out what I was capable of. With a quick pace, I made my way over to the cashier behind the counter. He was staring blankly with both his hands gripping the sides of his face.
“I’m losing my mind.” He said, backing up until he hit the wall. He looked as if he was about to bolt or cry at any second. I couldn’t tell which. “What’s happening to me? Where’d that guy go? You saw him too, right?” The questions came out in rapid succession, pelting me with his confusion.
I smiled at him, a reassuring smile. It was now or never. Funny, now that I was aware of the possibility of having additional power, I could feel a slight tingle of it well up inside of me. It was almost the same feeling I had right before a shift. I focused on it and the cashier at the same time. I could hear the confused mumblings of the restaurant’s customers behind me, but ignored them. When I felt that I had my target’s complete attention, I began my first attempt at persuasion. I visualized pushing the tiny tingle I sensed in my gut, out of me. I focused it on the cashier and ensnared him with my gaze.
“What is your full name?” was my first question. He dropped his hands to his sides and began to speak, answering immediately.
“Benjamin Parker Brown.”
I refrained from giggling with excitement; my first try at persuasion had been a success. I gave it another shot.
“Okay good. You’re doing great, Benjamin. Now listen to me very carefully.” I began to coax a little more. “The man you saw earlier, he wasn’t alone, He had a child with him, and that child fired off his toy pop gun. The noise scared your customers and it’s now your job to calm them all down.”
“I should calm the customers down.” He repeated while nodding at me.
“That sounds like a great idea.” I agreed.
Without saying another word, Benjamin walked around the counter and began to stop at each table, one by one, reassuring the customers that the entire fiasco had been nothing but a big misunderstanding. The magic had worked. Somehow, I was able to successfully use the power of persuasion. Using it had been a piece of cake, too easy actually. That fact made me wonder if I had been exercising it, without knowledge, this whole time. I turned, this time facing the room with more confidence in myself, and headed toward the back of the building where Ariel was tending to the human’s wounded shoulder.
The glowing lights that flashed from the jute box cast a red haze over the back of Ariel’s head. She was hunched over the fallen man, her hands covering his shoulder as I approached. Her face was pale and deep lines etched her face and creased her brow. She looked like hell. I noticed that even the powerful aura, which constantly surrounded her, was going dim; seemingly, only seconds from extinguishing out altogether. I had an aching suspicion that I was watching the nymph slowly fade out, perhaps even die. Ariel finally released the man’s arm, and as she did, her body toppled over onto its side. I dove for her. My arms wrapped around her just in time, stopping her head from knocking against the floor. I lifted her dead weight into my arms and quickly carried her out of the backdoor, which was conveniently located right behind us, before anyone could notice us.
Nathan and David were arguing in front of what I assumed was his car. My jaw dropped at the sight of the 2013 Camaro ZL1 white convertible, which was parked next to my tiny rental car. I had always loved Camaros, but now was not the time to drool over the cars supercharged engine or its crazy amount of horsepower. I had a very unconscious Nymph in my arms. That was my main concern at the moment. I gave the car one last lustful look before yelling at Nathan to open the door. Nathan sprang forward as soon as he saw us and immediately took Ariel from my arms.
“What happened?” He asked, laying her in the backseat.
I tossed the keys to my Prius over to David, “Follow us.”
He swiped the keys out of the air and jumped in the rental.
“She drained herself healing the guy David shot.” I explained. “We need to get her somewhere safe, and fast.”
Nathan put his hand on the small of my back, sending tingles up my spine. He guided me into the passenger seat of his car.
“I know the perfect place.” He assured me.
***
Nathan’s idea of the perfect spot was a small, moderately clean motel. As I fumbled to set Ariel down on one of the two twin beds in our room, Nathan was getting David settled in the room next to us. David was in a hurry to get away from us, stating that, “The blonde bitch made him nervous”. Ariel wasn’t the only blonde he should have been worried about. I couldn’t let what he did at the restaurant go without some sort of punishment. It sucked that I was the one placed in the unfortunate position to have to figure out just what that would be. Maybe I should let Nathan put him down, like the sick animal he had turned into; it was the smart thing to do after all. Man eaters couldn’t be rehabilitated. That’s what Nathan had told me anyway. The sire bond between us was a real pain in the ass.
“You look beat.” Nathan said, closing the door. His voice carried a hint of worry and his eyes did a quick inventory over my body.
It was nice to be fawned over, to have someone care as much as he did. I almost melted when he paused by the foot of the bed and reached over to take my hand.
“Come over here and relax. You’re about to fall down.” He said gentl
y.
I let him lead me over to a round table and two high backed chairs that the motel staff had set up to resemble a tiny dining area.
“She doesn’t seem to be getting any better.” I said, pouring my tired body into the vinyl chair. “There has to be something we can do.” I glanced over my shoulder at Ariel. A murky brown colored hue surrounded her. It took the place of the once colorful and brilliant one.
On the other side of the small room I could hear the occasional drip from a leaky faucet. The liquid serenade gave me an idea.
“Are all female Nymphs water Nymphs?” I asked.
He gave me a confused look and answered. “Not all of them. But she is.” He glanced over at Ariel. “You can tell by their white hair and blue lips. Why?”
I flinched when a sickly cough escaped from between Ariel’s lips. The sound worried me so I jumped up and swiftly made my way into the bathroom. Thank God, I thought when I saw that there was a bathtub. I knelt in front of it and twisted both knobs. The flow of water struggled to start at first, but then a thick stream began to fill up the tub. After I was satisfied with that, I headed out into the main room, grabbed up Ariel, and carried her back into the bathroom. Nathan followed behind me quietly watching my every move, but not interfering. I gently lowered the nymph into the water. As soon as her pale skin touched the water, she took a deep breath and released it as her body sank into the tub. Her eyes flew open, startling me, and a tiny smile crept across her face as she fully submerged. The entire scene was kind of creepy to watch. My arms tingled with goosebumps and I rubbed them as I stood. The water nymph seemed pretty content under the water; she was safe. When Ariel winked at me I jumped like a fraidy-cat, turned around, and quickly left. There isn’t anything more for me to do anyway, I thought, for the sole purpose of reassuring myself. That was definitely the reason why I was getting out of there, not because I was freaked out or a big wimp or anything.