by Flynn Eire
She went to say more but let go of Gary and turned away suddenly, studying someone. I wasn’t the only one who watched her curiously as she walked over to a table and smiled at Norris.
“Oh, you are a hellcat, aren’t you? I am sorry for whoever you lost so dear to you that was a maid or in the cleaning profession, young warrior. I meant no disrespect to that profession, but commenting on the sexism of our coven leader, as he believes the only good woman is one who cooks food for the big, strong men and washes their undies.”
Then she turned and waved one of the newer warriors over, London moving his arm impatiently when he didn’t come at first.
“I’m going to help you,” she explained to him. London gave his lover, Drake, a funny look and went to her. “You felt his grief and anger and love all at once, yes?” She waited until he nodded. “Now, it wasn’t romantic love, as he stares at the warrior next to him with that. So you learn to assume family or friends. The level of his grief can only come from family, as it’s more than grief but a bond at the loss of his own blood.
“And no one can be so angry at a minor comment like a son who lost a beloved parent. See, there was a flare of jealousy. His mother. He’s jealous of Gary that I stand here alive and well and he no longer has his mother.” Norris turned bright red at what she said, but Gary’s mom clicked her tongue. “I was not picking on you, simply teaching the young warrior here, as he has the same gift as mine.”
“That’s…” London started but trailed off when he got a look from her that clearly said to shut it. He swallowed loudly and bobbed his head. “It hasn’t been clear exactly what’s been going on.”
“I know, and it’s scary. Gifts like ours are overwhelming,” she comforted. “But you can help so, so many, so do not panic over it as I feel from you. Embrace it, because the vampires that go insane are the ones who cannot deal with what they have been given.” He nodded, moving closer to her as if unconsciously wanting her strength and knowledge. “Oh, you poor dear. Gary, I’ll be adopting this one, so you’ve got the brother you always wanted.”
“Yes, Mom,” Gary chuckled, shaking his head even as he smiled brightly at her antics. “His mother is a councilwoman though.”
“Like I give a shit,” she drawled. “A bad mother is a bad mother no matter what her rank. She didn’t do her job as a mother to this boy, and I quite like him, so I’m keeping him.”
“Okay,” London agreed, hugging her. “Thanks, Mrs. Neal.”
“Ms. Neal actually,” she corrected gently. “Gary’s father and I never mated nor married. He couldn’t handle the best accident ever and took off. It worked out well for me, because I got the greatest son all to myself. And such a polite boy can call me Marissa.” She kissed his cheek. “Or Mom. Whatever. But we will talk during my stay.” He nodded and let her go, looking like he wanted another hug.
“Who are you looking for?” Gary asked, following her moving gaze. She didn’t answer, though, walking over to Matteo and stopping in front of him.
I almost fell over when she reached up and flicked him on the forehead, and I was sure I wasn’t the only one.
“You and I will also talk. I know your gift is hard, believe me I know, but you fight it too often. You have nothing to apologize for no matter how many people call you a meddler or anything else unflattering.”
“You know I’m centuries older than you and your son’s teacher,” he drawled, rubbing his forehead.
“Yes, yes, you’re so special, but I’m a mother. That means I can mother and jump over age rankings when someone needs help or guidance.” She flinched and suddenly was in front of Gary, moving almost as fast as any warrior I’d ever seen. Speed must have been a talent of hers too.
“Mom, he’s okay,” Gary said gently as she focused on Helios.
The man had walked in with his mate, Rune, and Dimitri, sighing when he saw the reaction to his arrival. “I’m not the damn boogeyman. Wyrok are the good guys.”
“Not all of you, as it was Wyrok that decided once he would rule our coven like a damn king, raping countless females, vampire and human alike in the area, my grandmother one of them. She died protecting my mother from the same horror, as she was still a child of no more than ten. Age can quickly lead to insanity.”
Sadness filled Helios’s eyes. “I was one of the ones sent to handle him. I’m sorry for what your family and coven suffered. You’re right, not all can handle being ancient, and simply because we reach it doesn’t mean that it can’t lead to insanity. I’ve mated. I’ve stepped away from the travel and investigations and never-ending serving that can lead to that. You nor your son have anything to fear from me. That monster is long dead.”
She eased down a bit but raised an eyebrow. “Are you so sure? There have been many who claim to have seen him and with red eyes now. Some have said he is the one to have brought so many zakasacs together across the Americas, starting in New York where it would be too easy to hide. It’s why we’re being brought in first.”
“Excuse me, I have to make some calls,” Helios muttered, not hiding how what she said affected him. My mouth fell open as he bowed to her before leaving.
“All the fucking secrets and not sharing of information will be our downfall,” she grumbled before taking Gary’s hands. “Now, you are supposed to be on bed rest and eating too much, yes? Then show me what’s good here.”
“Um, first, Mom, I want to introduce you to Lynx,” he said, his tone all shy and adorable.
“Oh, the one you like? I don’t know, I already promised you to someone,” she teased, pulling him over to Tadzio and smiling at him. “He’s a nice man who has nothing but compliments for you, and he can fly, an accomplished pilot who offered to be my guard if I help other camps. I think that’s someone fitting of my precious son.”
“Tadzio’s a great guy, no doubt about that,” I said evenly, seeing the challenge in her eyes. Yes, I’d messed up, and she might know about all of it, if not at least some. “But I believe your son is man enough to choose who he finds worthy of him.” I wrapped an arm around him possessively as I extended my hand to her. “It’s a pleasure, Ms. Neal. I’m Lynx, Gary’s lover.”
“L-l-lo-over?” he sputtered, glancing up at me with big eyes.
“Yes. I think that’s what you call someone who shared your bed twice,” I answered easily, smiling at his mother who returned the gesture. “Now that I’ve proven I’ll acknowledge him publicly and proudly call him mine, will you stop trying to push my buttons?”
“You deserve it for calling him the wrong name,” she chuckled as she took my hand, pulling me closer to hug so I had to let go of Gary. She pressed her lips against my ear when I leaned over though. “Make him happy, or you will find I’m not all smiles and hugs, as I know how to kill you with just a fucking touch to the right pressure points.”
I bobbed my head as I pulled away, seeing the truth in her eyes. “He’s so your son. You two are so adorable.” I realized how condescending that was when she’d just threatened to kill me if I hurt him. “I didn’t mean—”
She let out a laugh, waving me off. “I know what you meant. I take no offense. You got him his bunny and ice cream, so I know you appreciate adorable. Let’s eat.” She looped arms with me and pulled me over to the trays. “Now, I’m a woman who likes variety and has the palate of a child, as does my son who I’ve seen eat his weight in his favorite foods. Let’s get one of everything to split, and that way we’re not wasteful as I try it all.”
“Your son is never going to be boring, is he?”
“No, Gary might have gotten a boring name, as I always adored Gary Oldman and wanted him to show up on my doorstep and profess his undying love for me.”
“If he ever saw you, I’m not sure any straight man could resist you and your obvious charms.”
“Oh, you are a player to throw out compliments like that. Gary, be careful of this one. He’s going to try and charm the pants off of you.” Gary snorted behind us. “Oh, he’s dense, is he?”
I decided to change the flow of conversation away from belittling me, or I might not survive her visit. I took two trays and handed her one. “You’re very accepting of who your son is and who he wants to be with.”
She smiled as she picked out a few muffins from the line. “I’ve known Gary’s gay since he was just a boy. He fell madly in love with one of my clients, racing home from school on the days he knew that man had an appointment to show off his good test scores and pretty drawings.”
“Oh? You started young?” I teased Gary, who was blushing deeply. “What happened?”
“He told me I reminded him a lot of his son and was such a cute little boy,” Gary admitted.
“You cried so hard that he didn’t love you or think you were so special, too young to understand what you were feeling or even wanted. You were so adorable as you hid in your room pouting when he had appointments after that.” She shot me a smile as she loaded up on eggs, bacon, sausage… Way more food than most of the warriors ate. “Gary was the cutest boy that ever walked the face of the planet, I don’t care what any other mother says. My son was cutest.”
“I don’t doubt it. I witnessed how he lit up when he saw the bunny.”
“Did you get him a good one?”
“Yeah, huge ears and super fluffy,” Gary answered for me. “It had to be expensive. It was so soft to sleep with.”
“You did not seriously sleep with a bunny while in a man’s bed, did you?” she asked him, groaning when he nodded. “Darling, you have to get some game.”
“I prefer he keep being himself and so sweet I don’t need dessert with meals,” I interjected, getting a winning smile from Gary. “Besides, we’re all allowed one childish interest or love.”
“And what’s yours?” she challenged.
“Cartoons. There weren’t cartoons when I was a child or even television, and I watch some now and again, fascinated with the drawing and how they have progressed from black and white sketches to animation so real it almost looks like people.”
“You have a soul of an artist.”
I thought that was a compliment. I mean, her tone made it seem like she meant it that way, but I couldn’t be sure. “I’m restoring a red ’64 mustang in my spare time. I do one car now and again and sell them.”
“But not for the money, though money is always nice. No, I bet you simply love for there to be more pretty and people being able to find joy in something they appreciate.”
“Yeah, that’s why I do it,” I confessed. “It’s awesome to see a middle-aged human light up with memories when they see the car they once had or their parent and it stirs something in them. It’s nice.”
“As I said, soul of an artist.” I returned her smile as she loaded up with a few pieces of coffee cake. “Does it run? I’ve never been in such a fancy car.”
“Not yet. I’m waiting on some parts, but I’m sure it will be by the next time you visit.”
“Because you will still be dating my son no matter when that is,” she surmised, nodding I’d said something good.
We sat down, and it was very obvious that Marissa Neal was someone people gravitated to, not simply the oddity of a female at the camp. People were sitting down with us that had nothing to do with Gary or the normal groups of friends, but her.
The really funny thing was how she and Gary ate while sitting next to each other. I was across the table and got a front row seat to watch the show. It really was one.
She reached over and cut off a bite from his waffles loaded with fruit and syrup, and he didn’t even register it. Then moments later he ate some of her scrambled eggs that were topped with almost every option in the cafeteria line. Next, she took a bite of his bagel and set it back down as he cut off a piece of her coffee cake.
After several more rounds of this back and forth, I burst out laughing, unable to keep it in anymore. The conversation died, waiting for me to get myself together, and I almost did as I pointed between the two of them but started laughing again.
“I think he finds it amusing how we eat each other’s food,” she guessed, and I nodded. “I suppose it is amusing to outsiders.”
“Yeah, I don’t do it with anyone here, but it’s the best way to get a little of everything,” he agreed, smiling at my enjoyment of it. “It’s been just us my whole life. It’s how we eat and get everything done. You should see us clean our apartment like a team.” He frowned, probably remembering his mother wouldn’t be able to live there anymore. “Some friends cleaned my room here to pay for the massage I gave Dimitri, and he gave them extra sword training.”
“Wise payment system. I would gather your kind heart wanting to help everyone immediately is what landed you in trouble and exhausted.” She sighed when he nodded. “You were never a procrastinator, but you need to learn the meaning of the word moderation, darling. I know this camp is probably completely screwed up, but you cannot fix it all in a day.”
“I think we’re going to take offense to that ‘screwed up,’ Ms. Neal,” Dimitri interjected.
She raised an eyebrow at him. “I am not only a massage therapist, young man. I’m also a chiropractor who learned before it was cool and was looked at like quack science, and I studied sports medicine and have scores of certifications. We may heal fast as vampires, you warriors even more so, but you also don’t take care of your bodies as you should because of it. Rehabilitation is not unnecessary because of how we heal.”
“A woman after my own heart,” Sam chuckled as he sat down at the next available seat with his mate, Bowie. “I try to tell these knuckleheads that all the time, but they wave me off or flat out ignore me.”
“You don’t have my flare and the perk of being an outsider. You are a warrior and probably just as big of a pain in the ass when it comes to your health, so I would guess they don’t hear you as they see what you do to yourself.” Bowie burst out laughing as she nailed his mate, and she smiled. “I do love being right. Fine, Gary made deals for massages, and I will cover them while he naps, as I believe he was told to do that by the doctor.”
“I planned to,” he swore, nodding quickly. “I was just fueling up here so no one had to bring me anything to clinic. I’ll head back there and get whatever extra fluids Sam wants to put in me and show you what I’ve been using.”
“I only need a table. I brought my normal selection of oils and necessities, though I would like to start with your lover. I think he and I could use a bit of time to get to know each other.”
I shrugged. “I have nothing to hide, and I would love another massage. Your son said he was rusty and not as good as you are, but I doubt that because it was wonderful. I don’t think I’d ever slept as well as I did that night even with him being upset with me.”
“Then we have a plan,” she agreed, smirking at me.
“Be nice, Mom.”
“Oh, am I ever mean, darling?” Gary snorted, and she leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Yes, says the boy who almost poisoned the only date your mother brought home.”
He frowned. “I didn’t know he had an allergy. I just wanted to make it taste like ass or give him the shits so he’d leave and leave you alone. That guy was a jerk.”
“He wasn’t good with children, as he’d not been around many, but he was a good man. Your mother can tell those kinds of things through her gift, though, yes, some can hide feelings very deep as your father did about warriors.”
“Have you ever met him?” I asked Gary without thinking, my curiousness overruling my mouth.
“He is tactless,” Marissa sighed, obviously having heard that from Gary. “No, I wouldn’t allow it the one time he contacted us after he ran like a chicken shit. He wanted to mate into a good family, and the only way she would allow that was if he basically disavowed Gary as his son and I signed something saying I’d never come after him for child support, yadda, yadda.”
“Asshole called Mom again years later after he had his first child with his mate to blame Mom for me being born a warrior, as his
real son was normal.”
Marissa set down her fork and leaned into Gary. “I didn’t know you found out about that. You were sleeping when he called.”
“You were upset. You rarely get upset and especially late at night, so I snuck out of bed and heard your end of the call.”
“You were well worth losing his stupid ass. I have not for one day ever regretted getting pregnant or having you. Not even during the never-ending delivery.”
She got caught up on deals made and scheduling the people there or having them pass along messages to others. When we all gave her funny looks about how many she was handling in a day, she simply laughed.
“I’m not a human massage therapist that needs breaks or gets tired as fast that can only do four, maybe five a day. Gary has been out of doing full days of it, but I’m not. I easily do a dozen or more half hour massages with leeway included for arrival and them getting ready. If you get your acts together and people aren’t late, I could handle all your warriors in two days. Not sure on the post-trans and pre-trans, as I don’t know how many there are.”
“You don’t mess around,” I praised, smiling at how eager she was to jump in.
She left Gary to work out other deals but then pushed him to get back to the clinic for rest when she saw he was running low on energy. I would have thought almost the same about her the way she was eating so much and taking in lots of sugar after Sam said she acted that way when needing blood.
“You were paying attention to what I was eating,” she said quietly when we were alone after breakfast, Gary going to get some sports drinks for all of us at her request. “You know I need to feed, don’t you?”
“Sam mentioned you were like Gary.”
“I told that to Sam because I hadn’t met him yet and couldn’t tell over the phone if he was a good guy or not.” She shot me a nervous look. “Ask me why I made sure my son came here for training and not the East Coast camp where we’re from?”