by H. T. Night
“Basically, yeah,” Maya answered. “That’s it.”
“Given the two choices, I’d much rather be a werewolf. But Mani are fucking crazy—no offense, Patrick,” I said.
“None taken,” Patrick responded.
Sasha continued, “What you need to understand, Tommy, is you’re right; when you become a werewolf, you have virtually no memory. You have no idea what you’re doing. You’re no better than a stray dog wandering around, looking for something to eat.”
“Well, we seem to have you under control with the cage.”
“Sometimes, it’s not that easy. That’s why Carni go off to the desert or the mountains. They can at least run free and be with their own. We control our lust for blood by putting physical distance between ourselves and the Tandra. The Mani, once they are matured, not like baby vampire Patrick here, don’t even try not to do what comes naturally. There is no way they would go into the mountains or desert to avoid biting a Tandra. The thirst is too powerful and the mindset is without regret.”
I shuddered and looked at Patrick. “That night where I ran into you, why did the Mani attack the Carni in the desert?”
“We knew they were going to be there, and the leaders of the Brotherhood were craving blood, not Tandra life blood, but the blood of a werewolf. There is no better blood than that of your enemies.”
“So, you look at Carni as an enemy?” I asked.
“I don’t,” Patrick assured me. “But I’m the exception.”
“Carni and Mani have been killing each other for hundreds of years,” Sasha said. “They are like rival street gangs that hate each other out of historic reasons, but they are ten times worse and they don’t use guns. It is fang against fang and relentless, usually to the death.”
All of this supernatural knowledge was making my head hurt. “If I do this, agree that I should choose a side, and become a werewolf,” I said, “I would want Sasha to be the one to bite me. We could control that situation.”
“I think that’s the only way it can be done,” Maya agreed.
“How are you so at peace with all this?” I asked Maya.
“Don’t mistake my calmness with peace, Tommy. This is the worst thing I have ever heard. But you have no choice. I saw everything tonight with my own eyes. I saw men turn into birds. I saw how they wanted to kill you. I am adamantly against you becoming a Mani. Again, no offense, Patrick.”
“And again, none taken,” Patrick mumbled.
I looked at the three of them. “So, I guess we wait. In ten more days, there will be another full moon.”
Chapter Twenty-One
After a few more rounds of going in circles about Mani versus Carni, we decided to call it a night.
“I’ll take you home, Maya,” I said, grabbing my keys from the counter.
“No, you’re not,” Maya said plainly. “I’m going to take care of you tonight. I need to clean that wound on your neck.” Maya walked over and looked at my bite. “Great, my dad is going to think I gave you the world’s biggest hickey.”
“Trust me, I’d rather that was the case. Then at least I could wrap my mind around it.”
“I don’t think you’d want a girlfriend who made a habit out of making your neck a snack,” Maya said, smiling at me. Wow, she was so amazing. I couldn’t believe how supportive she was.
“Hey, Tommy,” Patrick said. “If Maya is going to spend the night, you guys can have...” Patrick stopped what he was saying and thought for a moment. “I forgot, that’s the only room I can sleep in.”
“I know, Patrick. We’ll figure something out.”
“I’m kind of stuck. I can’t sleep out here, there are too many windows and we don’t have enough cardboard.”
“I guess that means you and Sasha are going to bunk together,” I said. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
Sasha gave me a look that pretty much said, ‘Don’t mess with me tonight, I’m exhausted.’
“Is it okay with you, Sasha? Want to bunk with me?” Patrick asked, as if he was asking her to the prom.
“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” she said.
I stuck up for my boy even if he was the worst fighter I had ever seen. “You can always sleep in your cage, princess. The last time I checked, I hadn’t received a rent check from you.” Apparently, this was not the time to point out the obvious to Sasha.
Sasha glared at me and said, “You know what, you never once asked me to pay rent! You asked me to clean your house and I do that. And now, you want to bring it up in front of your girlfriend, so you can look superior.”
Seriously, where was this coming from? I just stared at Sasha with a bewildered look on my face.
“I’m out of here.” Sasha jumped up and barged out of the front door. The three of us remaining in the room just looked at each other, surprised.
“Should I go after her?” Patrick asked.
“Let her go. She’s ungrateful, and the truth of the matter is she needed a splash of reality. She can’t stay here forever.”
Patrick nodded his head in a way that he assumed I was referring to him, too.
“You’re different, Patrick,” I said. “I almost killed you and I feel responsible for your welfare. I owe you a debt and I am paying it. You also sell stuff on eBay to take care of your small needs. Sasha makes trouble. Constantly.”
Patrick said, “I’m going to fix the window up in Sasha’s room, so no sunlight can get in. I hope she comes back.”
Maya looked at me and said, “I’m going to run you a bath, mister. You need to soak your body. It’s been through the wringer tonight.”
Just the idea that Maya would draw me a bath aroused me. We hadn’t done the main event yet and it didn’t take much to get me going when it came to her. She hadn’t given me the ‘it’s all clear for landing’ signal, and I cared too much for her to press it.
“I hope Sasha is going to be safe,” Maya said, walking past me to get to the bathroom. She went in and began drawing the bath for me. Something tells me the woman in Maya didn’t mind at all that Sasha left, but she wouldn’t let on that she was pleased.
“She’s a big girl,” I said. “Don’t forget, she’s the whole reason why I’m in this mess.” I turned to Patrick. “Listen, dude, seriously... I like having you here and I’m responsible that you’re still kind of jacked up.”
“Well, I’m responsible that you’ve been bitten twice by vampires. Not to mention that you had to singlehandedly fight three of them tonight. We’re not even close to being square. I owe you everything.”
“You don’t owe me shit. Get some rest.” I took off my shoes and threw them by the door.
“You think Sasha is going to be okay?” Patrick asked.
“Who knows?” I said. “At this point, if she wants to act that way, I don’t really care.”
“She’s not mad about the room, you know that, right?”
“I know,” I said. “I know she’s jealous, but the difference between her and Maya is night and day. Frankly, I prefer day a whole lot better because I can see what I’m doing. Sasha is like a box of chocolates and you never know what you’re going to get.”
I walked to the bathroom and Maya was sitting on the side of the tub, testing the warmth of the water. My grandmother used to do that for me when I was a kid. This was one very special woman. Why the hell did I get her involved in this?
“You know,” I said, “it’s a pretty big tub.”
Maya looked at me, surprised, and said, “I don’t think so.”
“Would it really be that awful?”
“No, it wouldn’t be awful. It would actually be quite nice, but under the circumstances of tonight, I don’t think that would be too appropriate.”
All right and now was the hard sell. I was only asking to share a bath with her, not pour hot wax on top of her.
“I think there isn’t any protocol for appropriateness when one gets attacked by vampires. As a matter of fact, I think all rationale is thrown out the
window.”
Maya smiled and I could see that she was thinking about it. “Okay,” she said. “If we were to do this, we need bubbles.”
“Are you serious?” I said, like a kid just was told he’s going to Disneyland.
“Don’t get weird about it or I’ll rethink it.”
“Definitely, don’t rethink it,” I said. “Hold on!” I went into my bedroom and went into my closet. I had a box full of scented candles that were given to me at Christmas as a gag gift from one of my buddies. I figured they would be perfect for a bubble bath party. I brought the box of candles into the bathroom. “I have the candles.”
Maya looked up and said, “I see that.” She had poured in some shampoo and there were lots of bubbles. I put five candles around the bathroom at different spots and lit them. “If you’d like to go to my room and get it, I have a robe you can use.”
“All right.” Maya turned off the water and left the bathroom. I took off all my clothes; she was right about my muscles hurting. Everything hurt—especially my neck. I stepped into the tub and I scooted over to the right. The hot, soapy water felt so good. I leaned back and closed my eyes. I hadn’t caught my breath since the fight and I was enjoying this little moment.
I sat back and thought about everything. I never fathomed that anything like this would ever happen to me in my life. This life wasn’t about vampires and werewolves. It was about getting an education and getting a good job. It was about having a family and living in a house with a white picket fence. Poor Maya! I couldn’t believe that she was still here. She must really love me. I sighed and opened my eyes and looked around the candlelit room. It looked pretty cool; it definitely set a mood. What kind of mood? I guess only the night knows.
I heard footsteps and then the bathroom door opened slowly. Maya walked in wearing one of my white robes. The robe was huge on her tiny frame. I smiled at Maya, and gave her a look that assured her I wasn’t going to “perv” on her as she disrobed. I leaned my head back and Maya dropped the robe off her body. She stood there completely naked. She looked absolutely gorgeous. Her body was perfect. Every curve was perfectly proportioned. Her skin was milky white and she didn’t have a drop of fat on her body. She looked like an angel in the candlelit room. A freaking hot angel who was about to share a bubble bath with me.
She walked over and stepped into the tub, and sat down.
“What’s your sensitive area?” I asked, trying to make the situation more comfortable.
“Huh?” She looked at me, confused.
“When a guy goes into a hot tub, he has to put his hands around his package because the hot water fries his manhood.”
“Oh, poor baby,” she said, as she completely dropped her entire body in the tub. “Women don’t really have a sensitive area like that. We don’t have a particular spot on our body that can rock our world in an instant like men do with their penises.”
“Very familiar with a man’s penis, are we?” I asked, jokingly.
“Actually, no. I’m a good girl. I know the present condition says the contrary but other than the boyfriend I told you about, I haven’t done much.”
“Does your dad need to know you’re staying here tonight?” I asked.
“I texted my mom and Josiah and told them I was staying over ‘cause you weren’t feeling good and you needed some TLC.”
“TLC?” I laughed. “It’s more like I need a M.A.S.H. unit.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the emergency room?”
“I don’t want to deal with the questions. Plus, that guy only dug his teeth deep into my neck; he didn’t tear off any flesh. I won’t need stitches.”
After I made the last statement, we were both quiet. Our legs were touching, but I didn’t have the nerve to cozy up to her. I was completely at full arousal, so I didn’t want to scare her with my ‘life-stick’ drilling her in the ribs.
I closed my eyes, and then it happened. She made her way over to me. She lay on top of my body and there wasn’t much I could do about hiding how excited certain regions of my body were. I adjusted my body so we were comfortable. Maya took a washcloth and began wiping my neck and then wiped my shoulder.
“You must taste good,” Maya laughed.
“Why is that?”
“You have more bites on you than a box of donuts.”
“It’s amazing! I had gone my whole life with the only time I was bitten was by the weird kid in preschool. But somehow, I manage to get chomped on three times in two months.”
“You’re running out of body parts.” Maya then put her hand in between my thighs and massaged my inner leg.
“Oh, wow,” I said.
“You know, this is the closest I have been to your package.”
“I’m highly aware of that,” I said, enjoying her teasing.
“You know, Tommy, you have been so amazing about waiting for me to be ready. No guy has ever done that.”
“I have to say, I had an advantage on other guys.”
“Oh, you did? Why is that?”
“I know we will always be together and I don’t have to rush it.”
Maya looked at me and smiled. “Do you honestly think that?” she asked.
“I know it,” I said, as certain as I’d ever been about anything in my life.
“You are so wonderful, Tommy.”
“I know.”
“Oh, you know?” Maya laughed.
“I’m pretty awesome, I know that. I just can’t believe I was able to find the one person who is actually more awesome than I am.”
“Wow, there’s a line for the ages!” she snickered.
“Maya,” I said calmly. “It’s not a line. If I were to write down the perfect person, and give details to the utmost degree, it would be you. You’re the most beautiful woman inside and out that I have ever known.” I paused and reached out my hand and held hers under the water. “What you need to know, Maya, is that I don’t do this. I don’t sit around candlelit bathrooms and whisper sweet nothings in someone’s ear. Everything is different with you. My guard is completely down. I don’t care how foolish I sound. All I know, is I want to spend every waking moment with you.”
Maya looked at me and grabbed my face and began to kiss me passionately. I kissed her back. Each time our lips touched, I felt a level of intensity I had never experienced. I felt like a volcano ready to explode.
We both stood up out of the water and were still kissing.
“Don’t slip,” I said.
“You either.”
We stepped out of the tub and our naked, wet bodies stumbled around my clothes on the floor. I pressed her up against the inside of the bathroom door and kissed her behind her neck—I kissed her shoulder and the top of her back.
“Let’s go to your bedroom,” she said.
She didn’t have to ask me twice. I cracked open the door and peeked to make sure no one was outside, and once I saw the coast was clear, I took Maya’s hand and we scurried over to my bedroom.
We collapsed on my bed after I shut the door and we were still wet from the tub, but we didn’t care. From that moment, it was all her and I had never felt so natural with a woman in my life. It wasn’t about sex. Don’t get me wrong, we made love for hours. But, it was about connecting. Our souls intertwined, our hearts meshed together. I never understood how two people could become one until this moment. Every bit of me felt completed. Everything I am from this moment on was only about her.
We eventually fell asleep in each other’s arms. I woke up and put the covers over us and wrapped my arms around her.
I whispered in her ear, “I will always take care of you. Always.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The next two weeks were all about Maya and me.
We spent every moment of every day together. She practically moved into my apartment. She was over every night and I loved it. I knew it was still very important for me to connect with her family, so we made it over there just about every other day.
And yes, Josiah, Daniel and I had a Scrabble match for the ages. In the end, I came out the victor like I knew I would. I felt at one point that the father and son were setting each other up to try to beat me. Maya told me they weren’t and I was being paranoid because I am far too competitive.
Maya’s family was everything I imagined a family would be like growing up. It meant the world to me that they took me in and made me one of their own.
***
It was the end of the month and the first full moon was going to be tonight. Maya and I anticipated some weird crap happening to me again and decided it would be best to spend the next three days at my apartment, especially the evenings.
We arrived at my apartment around three from her parents’ house, and Patrick was asleep in what was now his bedroom since Sasha had gone AWOL a couple of weeks ago. I had left the cage in the living room, because I wasn’t sure when I would need it. And when or if Sasha would ever come back.
Not only did I miss my friend, Sasha, but the apartment began to get a little messy without her diligent housekeeping. Deep down, I worried that Sasha wouldn’t come back to put the bite on me, that a Mani would get to me first, and seal me to a terrible fate. All I could do was wait.
Maya and I decided to make spaghetti together in the kitchen. We put together a huge meal with spaghetti, cheese toast, garlic toast and an antipasto salad. I loved me some Italy.
I was setting the table for three people, even though I knew Patrick wouldn’t be able to have much, but sometimes he was able to eat regular food. He never knew how his vampire belly would react. That was definitely a huge minus at the prospect of being a Mani. I was finishing up the silverware when I heard a knock at my door.
“Are you expecting someone?” Maya asked.
“No.” I walked over and peeked through the peephole. It was Sasha.
“It’s Sasha!” I said, elated.
“Well, open the door and see what she wants.”
My stomach turned. It had been nice the last two weeks and I knew Sasha was drama. There was no way I wanted to go back to that. But I truly needed her help. I had never needed anyone before this. More even than I needed Maya, Sasha was the key to my future well-being. Well, the lesser of two evils, anyway.