Book of Love

by Abra Ebner

  “Greg, listen… Give us Emily. She is not yours to keep.” Max’s words were heartfelt, but I knew he was just buying time.

  I untwisted the lid, carefully grabbing the toothpick and shoving it in my mouth like I did after a visit to the steak house. I grinned as the poison numbed my tongue, quickly switching into the snake as my whole body dropped to the ground.

  Jane:

  I stared at Wes. Despite all that was happening, seeing him as a lion was fascinating. His hair was standing on end, his tail snaking behind him. His whiskers lifted and fell as he breathed hard, his teeth showing below his lip line. My heart raced watching him, seeing why it was possible that Max and Wes could be enemies.

  It was then that I saw something fly through the air. I focused on it, seeing it was the bottle that contained the toothpick. Wes was suddenly human again. I blushed, eyes fixed upon his beautiful, naked body. He twisted off the top, placing the toothpick in his mouth with a smug grin. The next moment his body disappeared, a black snake falling to the ground in his place.

  “Greg, you know you only want to do this to her because of me, and my love for Jane.” Max’s words broke my attention, drawing it back to the center of the room where their stances mirrored each other.

  Emily was standing like a shadow behind Greg. I saw now that I needed to separate her from Greg, so that Wes could get to her. I took a step forward. Emily’s head snapped to the side, her eyes meeting mine. There was a murderous glimmer that played at the edges of her blackened gaze, but I knew that somewhere in there, the Emily from my dream still lived.

  I took another step, and her face tightened. Her weight shifted, and she took a step toward me, and then another. She was determined to protect Greg, and as long as she thought I was coming after him, she would continue to advance toward me, and away from Greg.

  I glanced down at Wes, seeing his dark scales blended with the charred room, making him almost invisible. He advanced toward us, at the same pace Emily advanced toward me.

  My heart began to pound as I found myself within her reach. Her eyes narrowed, her face twitching with energy. I saw her weight shift back as though in slow motion, knowing she was about to attack. I looked over her shoulder, wishing Max would help me. To my dismay, I saw him and Greg now wrestling across the floor, Max’s grey wings tangled with Greg’s pitch black pair.

  Looking back at Emily, time sped back up. She lunged, toppling into me and we fell back. My back hit the ground. I heard my spine crack, but not break. She had a strength she’d never had before, and I hoped that it wasn’t too late—I hoped that she wasn’t already dead. She pinned me to the ground, and that’s when I felt her heart beat against mine and the warmth in her hand as she locked them around my wrists. It wasn’t too late.

  She growled at me, as though all conventions of speech had been stolen from her, leaving her savage. She let go of my wrist long enough to slash at my face, her nails grazing the skin on my cheek, leaving it stinging. I winced, trying to push her off me. She sat up, her legs locking me to the ground.

  Her lips formed the most vindictive smile I’d ever seen, her eyes showing that this was it—this would be my end.

  I shut my eyes, not wanting to see her face when it happened—not wanting that to be the image that would haunt me forever. I waited for the end, but when I heard the scream erupt from her throat—a scream so full of agony, and so full of death—I knew that Wes had bitten her.

  I opened my eyes as she rolled off me, clasping at her ankle as the screaming continued. I saw Wes swing in the air as she flailed, attached to her skin, his jaw clamped tight.

  “No!” Greg yelled. He threw Max off of him, sending Max flying across the room and crashing into the wall.

  Max slumped to the ground, shaking his head.

  Greg ran up to us, shoving me away from Emily. He grabbed Wes’s tail, ripping his teeth from her body. “What have you done? You imbecile!” He discarded him to the side in a coil of black scales.

  Wes looked stunned, but otherwise fine. I made my way to him, petting his head as he blinked a few times. Wes’s body tightened then and he slithered up, hissing wildly at Greg as Greg tried to bring Emily back to his side. Greg heard the hiss, looking over his shoulder with a surprising hint of fear.

  Wes slithered toward him—so fast, it was more like a leap. Greg covered his face, trying to shield himself. I was confused by his cowardice, but as Wes clamped his fangs into Greg’s arm, I heard Max’s yell.

  “Wes! No!” Max winced as he said it, reacting to the same pain that Greg now felt. He pushed himself off the ground, stumbling toward us.

  Wes released his bite on Greg’s arm, reacting to Max’s cry. Wes’s body fell to the ground, now human.

  “Wes!” Max reached us, his eyes filled with alarm, the life in them fading just as Greg’s were.

  Wes looked at me, not knowing what he’d done.

  “Wes…” Max’s voice was weak now. “You can’t… do…” His eyes fluttered closed, his breathing suddenly labored.

  I felt my skin burn with fear. “Wes, what’s happening?”

  His eyes were wide. “I—I don’t know.” His eyes darted about the room, and I saw there was an idea forming. “Quick, help me find a book about angels. There was one for me. There must be one for him. Quick!”

  I leapt to my feet, running toward the pile where Max had pulled the book about shifters moments ago. I shoved the pile over with both hands, covering my fingers with black. I searched and flipped through the books, my hands frantically grazing each cover.

  “Demons… Faerie, Dragon…” I mumbled. There was nothing. I shuffled through another stack. “Alchemy, Unicorn, Angel, Gho—Angel!” I screamed, jumping to my feet and lunging back to Wes’s side. I gave him the book, and he quickly searched the contents.

  “Mortal Enemies…” he muttered, lacing his fingers through the pages. He then listed the names. “Shifters… and…” he looked at me, his eyes grave.

  “And what?” I screeched.

  “And snakes…” Wes was frozen, and so was I.

  “Wes, what do we do?” I cried. My skin was covered in a cold sweat. Emily let out a moan, rolling on the ground.

  “Should we try to suck the poison out?” he suggested.

  I shrugged. “Yeah, but you’ve got to do it. You’re the one that can stand the poison.” My eyes looked frantically upon his, pleading him to do the right thing. Don’t let him die!

  Wes pressed his lips together, and then leaned toward Greg as he lay unconscious beside him. He reached for his arm, clamping his jaw across the wound in the same way he had when inflicting it. He sucked on the gash, blood seeping down his chin. His eyes were shut tight, his expression showing disgust.

  He stopped for a moment, spitting blood on the ground, but when he went back for more, this time I saw him swallow.

  “Wes, what are you doing?” I found that fact a little appalling, but as I saw Max begin to rouse, I no longer cared.

  I hunched at his side, stroking his head. “Max, wake up.” I placed my hand against his cold cheek, finding that in his already dead state, it was hard to know how alive he now was. “Max—”

  His hand grasped my wrist as I continued lightly slapping his face. A smile crept across his lips. “Beautiful? Can you stop that?”

  I fell back, panting wildly. “Oh, Max. You’re okay!” I looked back at Wes, alarmed by the fact that he was still sucking on Greg’s arm. “Wes!”

  Max looked to his side, seeing what I had. Max’s hand left my wrist, clamping around Wes’s neck as he yanked him off Greg. His eyes were wild, and he looked stunned, as though he’d woken from a deep trance.

  “Great,” Max muttered, eyeing his weakened brother but seemingly unconcerned, suggesting that he would unfortunately survive. In retrospect, I suppose that was a good thing.

  “Great what?” I gasped, watching Wes’s eyes whirl inside their sockets.

  Max appeared frustrated. “Not only is he high from the poison,
but now he’s addicted to angel blood.” He looked at Emily, still writhing and moaning on the ground. “We have a lot of detox to do.”

  “Detox?” Every word that came out of his mouth only shocked me further.

  It was then that Greg roused, his eyes meeting ours. He then scanned the room for Emily, seeing her thrashing about. His eyes narrowed, glaring at us with an expression that seemed weakened and deceived.

  I blinked once but missed it. Just like that, he’d disappeared.

  Max drew in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “At least it’s over.”

  I rolled my eyes. “At least for now, right?”

  Max looked at me, his eyes scanning mine but leaving me with no answer—no reassurance that my remark was just a joke, because it wasn’t. As long as Max was alive, Greg would always be there in the shadows.

  Emily:

  “What the…” I sat up, my head spinning. I moaned and lay back against the pillow, keeping my eyes shut.

  “Oh, Emily, dear!” I heard my mother squeal, making me wince. “This flu is just the worst, isn’t it?” She was talking to someone else that was in the room with us.

  “She’ll be better soon, Mrs. Taylor.” I heard Max’s voice, freezing as it entered my ears.

  “Max…” my mother went on. “That medicine you brought is really bringing her fever down. Don’t you agree, Jane?”

  Jane? Jane was here? Knowing that made me feel better.

  “Mmmm… Yes. I do agree.” Her tone sounded false, and I wondered what was up.

  “Well, are you two hungry? Would you like some sandwiches?”

  I heard Max and Jane reply in unison, adding to the phony cloud that was already floating around the room. I heard my mother leave, shutting the door behind her.

  “Emily,” my sister whispered sharply. “Emily, open your eyes.”

  I didn’t want to open my eyes. My lower lip jutted out stubbornly.

  I heard Max laugh. “She’s just trying to be difficult.”

  “No surprise there,” Jane replied, meaning for me to hear it.

  My eyes shot open. “Shut up!” I cried—wincing as my head pounded in rebellion.

  They both laughed at me, their voices low out of respect for the fact that my head was splitting open. There was a bitter taste on my tongue, and I was thirsty for something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I felt a sharp pulse, my leg throbbing near my left ankle. I sat up enough to look, seeing it was wrapped in a thick layer of gauze.

  “Flu, huh?” I gave them an accusing glare.

  Max shrugged. “I think you know enough about mind control to understand why she thinks that…” he motioned to my ankle, “…is the flu.”

  I wanted to laugh, but knew it would hurt too much. I hadn’t forgotten a single second of what had happened as it all rushed back to me. It was like I’d been locked inside a body that I could no longer control, viewing everything but having no way to stop it. I frowned, filled with a sudden feeling of guilt as I remembered the things I’d done.

  I looked at Jane with a tear in my eye. “I murdered someone, Jane. Greg made me do it.” Tears streamed down my cheek. I saw the man, a terrified look in his eye though his posture was relaxed. I saw myself stabbing him, his body sinking to the ground where his blood mixed with the sand of the beach.

  Jane brushed my tears away, kissing me on the forehead. “It’s okay, Emily. That person wasn’t you. You did not kill anyone.”

  I continued to sob, not knowing what else to do. Jane held me for a long while, Max remaining at Jane’s side. I no longer hated him, though the fear remained because of the fear I felt toward his brother, and the things he’d done to me. As far as I saw, though, I would respect Max for as long as he was in our life. He had saved me, after all.

  Jane finally released me, unsure how much time had passed. I opened my eyes, seeing Wes was now standing in the room. Tears returned as he smiled at me. He came to my side, kneeling until his lips were beside my ear.

  “I love you, Emily,” he whispered. I saw him look up at Max as though looking for affirmation. Max nodded. “There’s only one person I love, and it’s you. You are everything to me.” His words were true. They had come from a place in his mind that I knew held no memories of my sister.

  I scanned his eyes, seeing there was still another internal struggle brewing inside his head. It was a struggle that wasn’t there before, but a struggle that felt so familiar to me.

  Max cleared his throat, as though wanting to answer my question. “You both have a lot of recovery to do. Emily, you were fed my brother’s blood in those pills you kept taking. They made you feel numb because of the addictive, drug-like quality of our blood that makes us age so slowly.” Wes was watching Max as he talked, an undeniable hunger glimmering in his eyes. He viewed Max as a source of this drug he now longed for, but struggled to deny.

  “And, Wes,” he continued. “Unfortunately, in order to save me, you had to suck the venom from Greg’s arm, which naturally, included that same addictive blood that Emily had.” He addressed us both now. “You are addicted to a thing called blood lust.”

  Jane chimed in, whispering in my ear. “Sort of like vampires.” She winked, knowing I’d loved vampire books—it hardly brought me any comfort now. I hated them.

  Max glared at Jane, hardly finding it the time to make such analogies. “You’ll find you want it less and less as time passes, but for now, it’s going to be difficult to subdue your desires. I’ll have to wean you off it. I’m at least thankful that you have each other to lean on.”

  There was a knock on the door then, and my mother walked back into the room. “I brought you your favorite! Chicken noodle!” She noticed Wes. “Oh, so great to see you’ve already recovered from this horrid bug, Wes!” She smiled blindly, not even noticing the fact that my leg was purple and wrapped in at least an inch of gauze.

  I shook my head, finding this all a bit strange, but for the first time in my life, I felt like a part of something real.

  Jane:

  I shut the door behind us, hoping it wouldn’t wake my mother as she slept soundly on the couch downstairs.

  Max turned the second the door clicked shut, clutching my face in his hands and pulling me toward him. His coolness pressed against me—I shuddered. He gazed into my eyes. “I never got the chance to thank you for saving me. Funny how that happens, isn’t it?”

  His breath tickled my lips, teasing me the same way his body did, close to mine. “It is. How ironic.” I smiled, nudging his nose with my own.

  He laughed lightly, smiling as the delicate wrinkles around his eyes creased. His hands left my cheeks, falling to my sides where he curled his fingers around my hips, our lips meeting. A chilled sugary flavor filled my mouth as they intertwined.

  I wedged my hand between us, leaning back and licking my lips. “I…” my eyes fell, seeing where our hips met. His fingers were hooked in the pockets of my jeans, locking us together. “I never got the chance to tell you that…”

  I saw his eyes light up, knowing what I was about to say.

  “That… I think I love you.”

  He laughed. “You think? You mean you know?”

  I smirked, rolling my eyes. “Sure, okay. I know I love you.” I blushed. “When I saw you dying, it hit me. I felt that overwhelming feeling that you had long ago, when you spared me.” His thumbs traced my belt. I sighed, enjoying the way his skin felt—cold and protective. “I was just scared, you know, and confused.” It seemed too fast to say those words, but I felt it all the same. “I’m not one to believe in love at first sight, but… I guess I do.”

  “That’s okay, Jane. If it makes you feel better, Wes was scared by the feeling for Emily as well. You were both confused by your somewhat complicated friendship.” I saw his brows knit together when he said complicated. “But now that I’ve shown him what love is, he knows.”

  I felt a twang of love for Wes, but a different kind of love than the desperate, Earth-moving love I felt for Max.
>
  Max licked his lips, and it made me jealous to know that he got to taste the sweetness of his kiss, but I couldn’t. He smirked, his hand trailing up my back as he pulled me against him, kissing me once more. The gentlest nudge was all it took to make him fall back onto my bed, the whole while never breaking the kiss.

  My body heated up despite how cold his was. His hands under my shirt helped to cool me. I liked the feeling, and I wanted more. I reached for the button of his jeans, but he stopped me, laughing in a nervous way.

  “Wait,” he whispered into my ear, driving me mad.

  I gave him a strange look. “Wait? Usually that would be my line.”

  Pulling away, I saw his face also seemed nervous, his eyelids struggling to hide the telltale shake of emotion I was certain pulsed through him.

  “I just… I’ve never done this before and… I want to wait.” He nipped at my bottom lip as I gaped at him.

  “You’ve never done this? In one-hundred years, you’ve never done this?”

  He shrugged, kissing my cheek. “I thought I told you. I never found someone. Besides, only in the last thirty years has it even become acceptable to do that before marriage.”

  I laughed, but not in a way that would hurt his feelings. I wondered then why he was such a good kisser.

  He was the one that laughed this time. “I’ve kissed someone before. I’m not that much of a prude.”

  “Who?” I ventured.

  He gave me no answer.

  I sat up, straightening my top. “Well, then. I guess I can wait.” I chuckled uneasily. “But let me warn you,” I leaned close to his ear, regaining my confidence as my lips grazed his skin, “I’m not very good at waiting.”

  He ran a shaky hand through my hair and smiled. “We really do have this all wrong, don’t we?” He was scanning my thoughts, seeing how everything was backwards and nothing was what I’d expected.