Bloody Beginnings

by Laura Hysell

  “Wait a minute,” I said, catching up to him and grabbing his hand. “I don’t want to go back to the house.”

  Mark pulled my hand to his face and kissed it gently before looking at me. “I got carried away, Izzy. I never should have let things go this far, especially this close to the full moon. I… I’m sorry,” he murmured. “It won’t happen again.”

  “Wait a minute! What do you mean by that? Maybe I want it to happen again,” I said angrily. Mark looked up at me in surprise and I felt myself blush at my brazen words. Where had that come from? I hadn’t meant to say that. I swallowed, wondering what I really wanted and what I should say. “I just… I liked kissing you. It was just… too much,” I said softly.

  Mark smiled at that, running his free hand through his hair. He may have been smiling, but his face took on a serious look. “I truly did get carried away, Iz. You’ve been driving me crazy for three years and this close to the full moon my wolf decided to take the reins a little more than I usually allow him. And to think, I’ve been trying to get up the guts to ask you on a date for three years, and all I had to do was put you in mortal danger with vampires and werewolves.”

  “You didn’t put me in mortal danger, Mark. You’re not responsible for the vampires. And… wait, three years?”

  He grinned nervously, looking around the barn as though for an escape. He finally sighed, “Yeah, three years. Of course, when we first met you already had a boyfriend, and then I guess I just talked myself out of asking you, even though your brother kept pushing me to. You can be kind of intimidating.”

  I frowned at that, thinking I was probably one of the least intimidating people I knew. “That makes no sense, you know that right? I’m this tiny 27-year-old schoolteacher and you’re, well, look at you! How on earth can I be intimidating?” I said, pointing at his well-defined abs.

  He laughed, shaking his head. “You’re brilliant, sweet and completely out of my league. Besides, I’m a werewolf, Izzy. I’m not exactly safe. You should be with a nice, normal human.”

  I thought about that, remembering how intense he’d become. “How do you keep the wolf hidden from regular humans? I’ve known you for three years and never had a clue.”

  “People don’t see things they don’t want to see. Plus, I’m usually much better at this. I wouldn’t be on my own away from the pack if I wasn’t good at hiding my beast.” He ran his hand through his hair again, and I knew he was nervous talking about this. “It’s too close to the full moon,” he said simply, and I knew he wouldn't talk about his wolf any more. I watched him shut down and I figured I’d let it go and not push him about it any further.

  I still had a lot more questions I needed answered, and not all about werewolves. “So, tell me about the vampires. What’s true about the myths?”

  “A lot of it, actually,” he replied, smiling. “Vampires can’t abide sunlight, or they burn to a crisp. Holy water also burns them, but they can heal from that eventually. A stake through the heart works on newer vamps, but the best way to kill them is to cut off the head and burn the body. They are immortal and drink blood from the living to stay looking young. If a human drinks their blood, they form a weird bond with the vampire and the vampire gains control of the human’s mind, for a time anyway. We’re not sure on all the logistics around that, but it seems that vampires need to maintain the bond with their humans or it slowly fades away. That’s where I think this vaccine thing comes into play. One dose initiates the connection. The second dose solidifies it. I heard on the news they’re requiring a third injection now.”

  “I was given the vaccine,” I muttered, “and possibly a second dose, but I don’t really have any way of knowing. So, wait, does that mean this vaccine has vampire blood in it?”

  Mark nodded, “That’s exactly what we think. You said this vampire, Patricia, claimed to have switched the batch?” I nodded my head. “And you had a dream with this Patricia vamp in it?”

  I nodded again. “Well, I think it was her. I never saw her, but I have a feeling that’s who it was. I can’t really describe it as anything but that; a feeling.”

  “And what about the other dream?” he asked slowly, his yellow eyes staring directly at me.

  Oh, man, here we were again. It always came back to that dream. I felt my cheeks grow warm at the thought and I quickly looked away. “Okay, so I keep dreaming of the same man. The first dream I had with Patricia, he was in it. Then he was in the other dream, the one in the car.”

  Mark’s voice was low and deep, coming out in a raspy growl. “Did he bite you in the dream?”

  I shook my head, looking at Mark’s face out of the corner of my eye. “No, he didn’t bite me.”

  Mark nodded his head and began pacing back and forth nervously. I had a feeling I knew what he was going to ask me, and I wasn’t looking forward to it. He finally stopped pacing and stood in front of me, his hands behind his back. “Tell me about the dream.”

  Oh, I did not want to tell him about that. It was embarrassing! I shook my head, and looked down at my feet. Mark stepped in close to me and put a hand under my chin, lifting my face slowly. “It’s okay, Izzy. Please, just tell me.”

  I sighed and looked up into his very bright yellow eyes. He outwardly appeared calm, but his whole body was thrumming slightly. I wasn’t so sure that telling him would be a good idea. “Mark, maybe we should talk about this some other time.”

  “I’ve got my wolf under control, Izzy. So either you tell me, or we go inside and you tell the whole pack.”

  Damn him and his pack of wolves, I cursed. I didn’t like ultimatums. I crossed my arms angrily and took a step back. Fine, if he wanted to hear it, then I’d tell him. “He doesn’t speak in the dreams, but he is completely and utterly naked. And, oh, what a sight it is,” I added bitterly, taking grim satisfaction in seeing Mark’s face harden. Well, that’s what he gets for trying to order me around. “He is strong and muscular and wow, what a package!”

  Mark growled and his fist slammed into the wall beside me, making me jump. I looked up into his face and felt a shiver of fear. “Get on with it,” he muttered.

  “He’s hard to resist. During the last dream, I remember standing there thinking how inadequate I was compared to this god of a man, and the next thing, I’m naked and he’s beckoning me to come to him on a bed of silken sheets. And I did go to him. I was drawn to him, like a moth to a flame. He kissed me and touched me.” I stopped talking, swallowing as Mark began growling again. “He started to climb on me and that’s when I kind of panicked and came to. I turned and tried crawling away, but he was always there behind me. I realized it was a dream then, and I swear I heard your voice. Then I was falling off the bed and waking up in a house full of werewolves.”

  “You didn’t have sex with him and he didn’t bite you?” he asked in a deep, husky voice. I shook my head, and he seemed to relax slightly. “What about the woman? How many times have you dreamed of her?”

  “Just the once.”

  “Is there anything else I should know?”

  I shrugged. That was a loaded question. “Is there anything else I should know about you?”

  He chuckled and leaned away from me. “No, I think you know enough for now. Come on; let’s go back to the others.”

  I followed Mark back to the house, not at all anxious to face a room full of werewolves. There was a big black truck parked in front of the house that I hadn’t seen before, and I wondered if more werewolves were joining us. Mark sniffed the air as we drew close to the truck, but didn’t say anything. I fidgeted with my clothes, making sure the buttons on my shirt were properly buttoned, and sufficiently covering me.

  Everyone was in the large living room when we came in, with three new additions to the group. A teenage boy who couldn’t be more than 17 sat on the floor by Jed’s feet, nervously clutching at his hands. He sniffed the air when we walked in, turning yellow wolf eyes toward me. Another man sat on the floor facing Jed, his head bowed. He had long, scraggly
hair and his clothes were tattered and dirty. A large man with long black hair pulled back in a ponytail stood behind him wearing all black, with his hand resting on a gun. I could sense the tension in the room, and the focus seemed to be on the man on the floor.

  Jed seemed focused on the man on the floor, but he spoke to Dr. Humphry. “Mirabelle, would you please escort Isabella upstairs?”

  Dr. Humphry was standing at the far edge of the room and jumped when Jed said her name. Hugo was standing protectively in front of her, and she gave him a quick kiss before moving around the edge of the room to me. Mark nodded to me before moving to stand beside Jed’s chair. I backed out of the room and followed the doctor down the hallway to the stairs.

  At the top of the stairs, Mirabelle led me down a short hallway to a bedroom at the far end of the house. The bedroom was plain and clean, consisting of a queen size bed, a dresser and a small nightstand. “Are you tired?” she asked. “You can rest here.”

  The moment she said it, I realized that I was exhausted. It seemed strange, since I’d been asleep for so long, but a lot had been going on. “I am tired, but I don’t know if I can sleep.”

  “Because of the dreams?”

  I nodded, “Yes, those too. Also, what’s going on downstairs?”

  “Mark explained to you about where you are and who you’re with?”

  “You mean the fact that I’m in a house full of werewolves? Yeah, he might have mentioned that.”

  Doctor Humphry smiled kindly and glanced toward the hallway, as though she could see what was transpiring downstairs. “That man down there, on the floor, isn’t from around here. He claims he has no pack. John, the big guy in black leather, was bringing Michael here for the full moon when he stumbled upon this guy.”

  “Michael? Is that the kid?”

  “Yes, we found him last full moon. He had no idea he was a werewolf. We’re still trying to find out who turned him. It wasn’t one of our own,” she added defensively.

  “So, what are they doing with this new guy?”

  She shrugged, glancing back toward the hallway once more. “Jed won’t let a stray wolf run around his territory. I guess it depends on why this guy is here. From the sounds of it, he was waiting for John, as though he wanted to be found. I don’t like it, but I don’t get a vote.” She moved to the doorway of the bedroom, then stopped and turned back to me. “Get some sleep, but for your safety don’t leave this room unless someone gets you.” With that she left, shutting the door behind her.

  I followed her to the door and peeked out, but she was already moving down the stairs. I shut the door and turned off the light. Not having a change of clothes, I just lay down on the bed as I was and tucked the blanket around me. I closed my eyes, trying to relax my mind enough to sleep, and hopefully not dream. The first howl startled me back awake and I rushed to the window, peering out into the night and seeing nothing. I wanted to go downstairs and see if everyone was down there, but I heeded the doctor’s words and stayed in the room. Eventually I drifted off into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

  Chapter 8

  I woke up the next morning to the delicious aroma of coffee. I stretched, untangling myself from the blankets before I opened my eyes. Mark was sitting in a chair beside my bed wearing a pair of jeans and a Star Wars t-shirt, his hair looking freshly washed. He hadn’t fully shaved, leaving a mustache and goatee around his mouth that I found incredibly sexy. The last few days he’d been completely scruffy, and before that he’d always been clean-shaven. I found myself liking this new look.

  I sat up, looking around for the coffee I could smell. Mark smiled and grabbed a mug of coffee from the dresser behind him, handing it to me. I took a sip and sighed in pleasure. The coffee was delicious and sweetened with caramel-flavored creamer, just the way I liked it. I took another sip and peered over the rim of my mug at Mark. He seemed much more relaxed and his eyes were back to their usual chocolate brown.

  “You can use the shower across the hall again,” Mark said, standing up and moving to the door. “Mirabelle brought you some clothes; they’re in the dresser. Come down and eat as soon as you’re ready.”

  Mark left the room before I had a chance to respond, shutting the door behind him. I wasn’t much of a morning person until I had been sufficiently caffeinated, so I drained my coffee before getting up and rifling through the dresser. The dresser was full of clothes that all seemed my size, including several bras and underwear. I definitely owed Mirabelle for this! I grabbed a matching bra and underwear along with jeans and a simple turquoise blue V-neck shirt before crossing the hall to the bathroom.

  After I was showered and dressed, I went back to my bedroom and slipped on socks and a pair of tennis shoes before jogging down the stairs to the kitchen. I was in a fabulous mood, feeling much more like myself with underwear on! It also helped that I hadn’t had any weird dreams the night before. I passed the dining room, which was empty, and carried my empty coffee mug into the kitchen. Mark and Beth were in the kitchen talking quietly when I walked in. Beth glanced at me, frowned, and quickly scurried out of the room without a word.

  I refilled my coffee mug and opened the fridge, finding my favorite creamer inside. I fixed my coffee in silence and grabbed the plate of food Mark handed to me. At the far end of the kitchen, toward the back door, was a breakfast bar with four stools around it. I followed Mark’s lead, sitting on a stool and silently eating my eggs and bacon. Mark watched me silently until I cleaned my plate.

  “Do you want more?” he asked, grabbing my empty plate as soon as I finished.

  I shook my head and stood up, refilling my coffee mug once more. “Where is everyone else?”

  “Work mostly. It is Monday after all. The newer wolves are all in the barn with Jed. Full moon is tonight, so there’s a lot of preparation going on.”

  “It’s Monday?” I asked, so confused as to the days. “My students are supposed to be doing their Shakespearean presentations today.”

  “Well, I suppose they’ll be doing their presentation for a substitute. I missed the wrestling tournament Saturday,” Mark added glumly. “It was the first tournament of the season, and I wasn’t there for them.”

  “Well, maybe we can be back for the next tournament. We should call the school and get this straightened out.”

  “We can’t call anyone, Izzy. Hell, we can’t even go out in public! There are pictures of us all over the news. Apparently we’re being wanted for the murder of two security guards at The Pinkerton Hotel, as well as grand theft auto and an assortment of other crimes.” Mark was pacing back and forth, but finally stopped in front of me. He sighed, running fingers through his hair. “The story on the news is that we quit our jobs at the local high school, ran away together, robbed a bank, stole a car, and killed the two security guards who were trying to apprehend us as we ran away with some little old lady’s jewelry. We’re very Bonnie and Clyde.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “I may have embellished slightly, but basically that’s what they’re saying. We’re on the most-wanted list, Izzy, and that’s no joke.”

  I sat there dumbfounded. This was unreal. I’d never even had so much as a parking ticket, and now the police wanted me for murder! I stood up and carried my coffee with me into the living room, looking for a television. First thing I saw when I turned the TV on was a picture of Mark and me and a list of crimes we were wanted in connection with, including robbery, homicide, assault, and numerous others. I surfed through several channels, finding the same thing on every channel. The pictures flashing all over the news were our faculty yearbook pictures from the year before. I had shorter blonde hair curled conservatively and Mark was clean-shaven with short-cropped hair. I clicked off the TV after watching a segment of news showing what appeared to be the two of us robbing a bank.

  “We may be responsible for stealing a car or two, but the rest of the crimes are ridiculous. Only one of those security guards had been killed, and not by me,” Mark added angri
ly. “John’s checking into things for us, but it doesn’t look good.”

  “John?” I asked, “The big guy all in black leather?”

  Mark nodded, smiling slightly as he sagged down into one of the plush black leather chairs. “Yeah, that’s the one. He works for some high-tech security firm. He’s looking into that bogus security footage of us robbing that bank. He’s trying to track down the source. Hopefully if we can prove everything is made up, we can get our lives back… eventually.”

  I sat down and sipped my coffee, my thoughts drifting to my students, who must be so confused right now. I loved being a teacher, and I loved my students. I knew Mark felt the same way, especially about his wrestlers. Why was this happening to us? I felt like there was so much more going on than I knew. My friends would be confused, wondering what was going on. What about Justin? How would he find me now? “I need to find my brother,” I said, although I had no idea how I was going to do that. I turned and looked at Mark, who sat slumped in his chair. “This has to be connected to him, and this vaccine.”

  Mark nodded but he didn’t look at me. “I spoke to John about finding Justin, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up. Justin has been hiding for months.”

  I agreed but didn’t say anything. I had an idea of my own on how to find Justin, but I knew Mark wouldn’t like it. All these months Justin had been missing and presumed dead with no contact except one phone call months ago and the email to Mark. Then I discovered that the world wasn't how I'd known it. This new world was full of vampires and werewolves. So far, I’d interacted with two vampires, both of whom had invaded my dreams. The man I tried not to think about, knowing to do so could put me into another dream that might kill me. The woman, on the other hand, had claimed she was helping me as repayment of a debt to Justin. What Justin had done for this vampire wasn’t important right now. The fact was, she had known Justin and interacted with him. Maybe she knew where to find him.