Standing Before Monsters (Vorans and Vampires)

by Donald Wigboldy

  It took more shadow videos to reveal that the hunters had changed shape, though not how. While frustrating, the last building before the one where they had parked revealed the profiles to a greater degree. Again he copied the file to his drive.

  “Kind of a strange group,” the detective mentioned as they waited for the file to load. “You have, I think, someone of Indian ethnicity with an Asian, maybe Japanese, and... Arabic?”

  “Well, Pakistan borders India and China, but I think you may be right that she could be Japanese,” Nick mused before taking the drive out of the USB slot. “Of course, creatures of the night can be any race. Vampires and werewolves transmit the disease to humans in general. If they’re in a different country when a full moon comes, it’s even more likely that a werewolf might leave a victim.”

  “It isn’t hard to look up the next full moon,” Fred stated thinking of ways a sane person would approach being a werewolf.

  “Not every werewolf knows that they have been infected. With air travel so easy, a survivor could fly anywhere. They heal quickly even before their first full moon, but then there are those who want to spread their kind. Not every werewolf or vampire finds their condition a bad thing.”

  Shaking his head, the detective replied, “How can they not? They lose control and become wild animals. Why would anyone want to pass that on to someone else?”

  “Companionship, some are pack animals like the wolves; then there are just those who want to share the misery, among other things,” Nick shrugged as he switched the video to an arbitrary time to avoid the building security from reviewing what they had seen.

  The last camera had the vehicle, a gray Honda CR-V, but the angle made it impossible to catch the license plate. Nick looked at the detective and asked, “You think this will be enough to see if a traffic camera might have caught the plate?”

  “I can try. There aren’t quite as many traffic cameras in the city, but I can take a look for you,” the man assured him as they left the final building shaking hands to part. The shadows of the buildings around them already engulfed the streets and reminded them of how much time they had spent looking through video footage. They had accomplished all that they could with the available cameras. Once into traffic, no other building would be likely to catch the plate from the side.

  “Thanks, Fred,” Nick added to the man he had known for about ten years. “Stay safe.”

  “Stay young,” the detective quipped noting that the voran hadn’t changed a bit since he had saved him so long ago.

  Chapter 10- Shared Rooms

  Lena stood in the elevator with Geni as it rose towards Nick’s apartment. She had become curious enough to ask to join her friend again as a reason to go to Nick’s after Geni had told her that Nicola was now staying with him. He had always made sure to hide Nicola’s day time sleeping habits from the girl. As one of the few humans the voran saw on a regular basis, it seemed to be getting harder to hide the unusual creatures he had in his life.

  “Charlotte was wearing Nick’s shirt and shorts when I first came in the other day. I would have worried that he was cheating on Nicola, but she was there too. The girl can sleep through just about anything though. I’ve never seen anyone sleep through the day so easily,” Geni mused aloud as they rode the elevator.

  Worry over what her friend was thinking of the strange situation led the dark haired girl to join her once more. Nick had told her that she could come anytime, but classes were coming close to ending for the semester and Lena had a lot to do almost every day just to try and have a chance at good grades. The first part of the semester had put her behind, but being kidnapped bought her some leeway with the professors. Eventually, the strange circumstances which had kept her from regular studies would only go so far. She had to finish everything at the same time as any other student for this semester to count and it had been a full load before the craziness had started.

  Her worry over her own situation nearly made her miss a chance to smooth over at least one of the blonde cleaning girl’s observations. “Nicola owns and works in a nightclub, right? Her hours must be completely flipped from a normal job. No wonder she crashes during the day.”

  Green eyes flicked to the dark haired girl before Geni shrugged and tossed her head to the side as she looked to the ceiling. “I forgot about that and she looks as young as us, but she must be older than she looks. You start getting older and all nighters make you pay more, I guess.”

  “Let’s hope we can be a lot older before that happens or I’ll never have enough time to catch up on school before the end of the semester,” Lena said hoping to draw her friend away from the supernatural creatures and their abnormal behaviors.

  “You know Logan is sleeping with a girl, so much for my chance at that god of a man. I can’t believe Nick is letting them both stay there. I thought they were staying with him originally to help find you. It’s been almost two months and they’re still here.”

  “You’re just tired of having to clean up after them. Just cleaning up after Nick was probably a lot easier,” Lena chuckled trying to deflect again.

  “Actually I don’t have to dust in the guest room anymore. Logan is supposed to be cleaning up after himself in there,” Geni stated looking a bit confused. “With Charlotte and now Nicola using his bed, I wonder where Nick sleeps?”

  “There’s always the couch,” Lena said with a shrug and noted the final light for his floor before a ping sounded. “He seems like a guy that doesn’t care where he sleeps.”

  “Or who he sleeps with?” Geni asked looking a bit devilish. She had been spouting the theory that he was sleeping with both Nicola and Charlotte. After Sunday and the werewolf’s strange behavior, Lena worried over what was making her friend act so odd. If Nick was in love with her, it hadn’t seemed like it before then.

  Shrugging, Lena played off her friend’s question saying, “This isn’t a soap opera. Nick doesn’t seem like one of those guys.”

  “He is kind of old fashioned, but he’s kind of sweet too,” Geni replied pulling her keys from her pocket and looking a little wistful thinking about Nick. The girl seemed to crush on almost every guy Lena knew.

  “Morning,” Geni greeted Nick who sat with Nicola on the couch. Charlotte was dressed in a man’s shirt and shorts like Geni had mentioned she wore the other day; standing in the kitchen apparently making coffee. The normally well put together brunette looked a bit tired and worn. Lena thought she might be sick.

  Nicola on the other hand, despite the morning sun casting light upon the entry wall, looked wide awake and even energetic. It was a state Lena had never seen for the vampire during the day and wondered why she was able to resist the sun’s usual hold on her. She was wearing tight spandex boxer brief shorts that were nearly underwear size small and a workout bra. Working out wasn’t something the vampire needed to do as far the new voran, Lena, knew.

  The vampire waved with a big smile from where she sat looking at Nick’s computer. “Good morning, you two,” she said energetically.

  The greeting kind of surprised Geni as well, but she tried not to show it. “The usual, Nick?”

  Nicola looked ready to joke at the ill advised wording of her half question. For his part, Nick answered quickly as if to avoid any awkward answers from the vampire, “Sure, Geni, if you could work on my bedroom and bath first it would be appreciated. Nicola will probably start to crash sooner or later after working last night.”

  “I don’t know. I feel pretty great this morning,” Nicola replied looking as good as she said. “There must be something to spending special time with Nicky that is making me feel more awake today.”

  Exchanging eyes between the two college girls, Geni assured Nick that it was alright with her and moved to the bedroom trying to figure out what was going on in the apartment today. As soon as the blonde haired cleaner was out of earshot, Lena said quietly, “She’s starting to ask questions about you and the people staying here, Nick.”

  “What kinds of qu
estions?” he asked sounding very casual despite being one of those advocating keeping humans from the knowledge of vampires and werewolves.

  “Why Nicola sleeps during the day and how sound she sleeps? How come Charlotte and Logan are still here, if they were just supposed to help you find me? Are you sleeping with both Nicola and Charlotte?”

  “Half of that,” Nicola answered for the last with a grin. “Though if Charlotte isn’t better after the full moon, Nick might have to man up and make a woman out of our dear Charlotte too.”

  Wincing at her words and trying to ignore the second half especially, Nick managed to reply, “Just tell her Nicola works all night, so she sleeps during the day and Charlotte and Logan need a place to stay because they lost their lease while helping me with you and haven’t found a new place yet.”

  Lena moved to join Charlotte looking into her friend’s eyes with concern as she acknowledged her mentor’s words. Worried about the werewolf who had stood up to defend her along with her brother when the pack was ready to rid themselves of a human who wouldn’t turn into a wolf or vampire, the girl asked, “Are you alright, Charlotte? And what does Nicola mean Nick might have to sleep with you if you don’t get better?”

  It was the werewolf’s turn to wince at the blunt questions directed by her friend. Charlotte looked on her as the little sister she had never had. Logan was a great big brother, but a little sister was another dream the taller brunette had always had. Her look softened as she remembered that part.

  Moving to look down the hall to check on Geni’s position in the apartment in spite of her amazing hearing and ability to smell her scent, Charlotte waited a moment to answer. “Apparently you get to miss out on something new about being a werewolf. When a female changes packs or there is a need for a mate, she goes into heat with the most appropriate male, the leader.”

  “In heat?” Lena asked making a face that told the woman that the idea of a human being in heat and out of control was anathema to her thinking. “How long is this going to last... and wait, if you’re in heat, does that mean you’ve chosen a pack leader as a mate? You aren’t in a pack right now.”

  Rolling her eyes at her situation, Charlotte couldn’t even look her friend in the eyes as she answered, “It doesn’t have to be a big pack or anything more than one male apparently. Katie went into heat for Logan when he wasn’t even there at the same time I did.”

  She still couldn’t bring herself to tell the younger girl her dilemma. Nicola had stood up to walk over for the girl talk, basically inviting herself though her hearing could pick up even on their hushed voices. Taking it on herself to answer the question that Charlotte wouldn’t, the vampire managed to say with minimal frustration in her voice, “She’s bonded to my Nicky.”

  Head dropping downcast, the werewolf nodded.

  Lena delivered the most obvious of statements as she said, “But he isn’t a werewolf.”

  “Apparently, they can latch onto anyone supernatural,” Nicola replied before becoming curious at her words. “I wonder. If she had been interested in a vampire, would she have been able to bond with one of those?”

  Charlotte looked up in embarrassment, but she was frowning at the vampire in annoyance. “No, need to rub it in, Nicola. We’ve been fighting the last resort and you know it.”

  Returning the frown, the blond responded a bit angrily, “We came to an agreement and I don’t want you to suffer, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t be frustrated or angry that you chose someone I’m in love with...”

  Her words came out surprising the vampire with the frankness and her attention darted to Nick still sitting on the couch appearing interested in something on the computer. Lena stepped back as the two women caught in the love triangle looked ready to fight at least verbally. Having already inadvertently started this fight, the young voran moved towards Nick at his gesture to escape.

  Both women caught the gesture bringing frowns in turn, but Nicola’s eyes betrayed that she was still shaken by her vow of love. It was the first time she had said the words aloud in front of so many and she knew her heart meant them. She had been with several men who she believed were loves of her life, but this was the strongest feeling of actual love the vampire had known even from her time as a human. It frightened her to admit it.

  Charlotte’s eyes caught that look as Nicola turned back to her. Both of them knew that the werewolf hadn’t intentionally bonded to Nick. Her heart was infatuated with him, whether it was true love or just a crush, the woman hadn’t worked it out yet. She fought calling it love, because Charlotte didn’t want to push between her friends. Her initial boast of hubris in the heat of the moment aside, the dark haired girl realized she was at fault even if it was her body betraying them all.

  “So what is this about a last resort?” Lena asked even though she had a feeling she knew.

  “Eric stated that the only way to end the state Charlotte and Kate are in is to basically... mate with them. That’s fine for Logan and Kate, since they’ve been in love for a long time. With us... it’s complicated.”

  “Would that even work since you aren’t a werewolf?” Lena stated more than asked as she realized that had to have been considered already. Letting Nick and Charlotte be with each other would hurt Nicola, unless the vampire was more understanding than she was, the younger girl thought.

  Seeing a trio of shrugs, she knew that was the added problem. If they dared do it and Charlotte’s condition didn’t change, everyone would be risking hurt needlessly.

  Being in school for acting and the arts, not biology or nursing, the voran didn’t know why she asked, “If you don’t bond with her all the way, what happens to Charlotte?”

  Nick stated with a sigh, “Eric thinks it will end after a full moon or two, but he doesn’t really know. He bonded with Vanessa and possibly other werewolves in his life and never waited to see how it would affect a woman fighting the bond. If he’s right, then in a few days it will be over and she can move on with her life until the next time.

  “Meanwhile, if I don’t touch her for too long, which is mitigated by wearing clothes that have my scent on them, she has become itchy, gotten hives and an intense fever... so far.”

  “And touching her makes it all go away?” Lena asked in surprise looking over at the two women still talking quietly to each other in the kitchen.

  “My touch and Nicola’s has a soothing reaction on her skin also for some reason.”

  “Triple bonded?” Lena queried rhetorically.

  Her eyes noted some information on cat myths on the computer screen and decided to leave the tricky questions of their odd love life alone. “Studying cat myths?”

  Flicking to another screen, Nick played the two segment of the trio looking like human and feline hybrids as well as the second revealing the sides of their human faces. “I’m trying to understand what these three are. They’ve crossed our hunting parties taking out some of the rogues, but only running from or driving Marek’s vampires away.”

  “Well, that’s a good thing isn’t it? They’re killing the strays that kill humans and leave yours alone. You’re both doing the same thing,” the dark haired girl replied pushing her hair back from her face as she looked at the screen.

  “If it stays that way, sure; but we don’t know their motivations or whether they’ll decide to attack our friends also. I am hoping to find them and verify what they’re actually here to do,” the man replied as his eyes flicked to see the two women in the kitchen getting along again. It was bad enough having the werewolf and vampire differences between them, but adding this strange love triangle type thing was enough to unnerve anyone, he thought.

  “I could go with to help you, if you need me,” volunteered the girl trying to help.

  Smiling gently, like a father at a young daughter, he shook his head, “You have enough to do right now. How are you doing with catching up in your classes?”

  Moving to bring her bag to the couch from where it rested beside the front door, Len
a opened up the bag laden with three heavy books. It wasn’t every class, just the ones requiring immediate attention. “I’m getting there, but there are times I wonder if I will ever finish. My art class assignments are at the dorm. This is just what was easily carried.”

  “No, work for your laptop?”

  “I can do it later. We won’t be here all day and I can do what I need at my dorm,” she assured him. Hearing a little noise from his room as Geni worked to change the sheets, the girl asked quietly, “What about her?”

  Shrugging in turn, Nick replied, “Geni might be curious, but as long as we can keep her clear of their secrets with just enough truth to tide her over, everything will be fine.”

  She opened her first book and replied, “She’s not stupid, you know. If you keep bringing everything here, eventually she’s going to stumble across the truth.”

  With a sigh, Nick replied, “It’s why I never brought vampires to my home before and why I don’t keep the same helpers for long either. The only long term relationships I’ve been able to keep are the ones with Marek’s coven and Vivian.”

  “Something to look forward to?” Lena asked glancing from the book to his face.

  “Not for a long time, I hope for you. That’s why you need to just enjoy your time in college and don’t join the menagerie before you really need to,” he chuckled sounding slightly sad instead of amused.

  Lena had a feeling that Nick was trying to coddle her. He wanted her to live her life until she could no longer blend in with those she knew. It was a sobering thought and one he probably didn’t want to say out loud for fear of depressing her.

  After Lena and Geni had left, whatever had kept Nicola going was beginning to wear off and she was ready for bed. As a man, Nick looked at the pristinely set bed and thought what a waste of good work. The girl had changed the sheets and made the bed. Unfortunately, that meant to help Charlotte he would need to lay in it at some point. Clothing helped the werewolf sleep, but she had said the sheets with him on them helped even more.