by H. T. Night
“It’s Tommy,” I said.
“Tommy,” she answered quickly. “Are you okay?”
“I’m at a bar and I’m pretty drunk.”
“Do you still have our stuff?” Yari squealed.
“That would be correct. Do me a favor. Don’t tell anyone. Please transition into your hawk form and come get me. I’ll make it worth your while,” I promised.
“So, you’re all the way the hell out in San Bernardino,” she whispered. That told me she was in a room with the others.
“Can you come get me? Drive the truck and all?”
“Which bar are you at?”
“The Dirty Pie Hole,” I said.
“I can’t believe I know where the place is.” Yari laughed. “I’ll be there in about forty-five minutes to an hour.”
I went back in and tried to order another double shot from another bartender, but my original bartender intervened and told her I was cut off for the night.
This dude was starting to piss off my drunk ass. Again, I had to remind myself that he was doing this for my own good. But I hated for anybody to decide what was good for me or not.
There was a pinball table at the end of the bar beckoning to me with its flashing lights. I hated playing pinball because I was never any good at it. It was probably because I was too jumpy. I had the bartender give me five dollars in quarters. He didn’t seem pleased about that. All cashiers everywhere hate giving you a lot of change. At the end of the day, a bartender was a cashier who served alcoholic drinks.
I took my pocket full of quarters and headed over to the game. There were a couple of ladies sitting at a table a couple feet away from the pinball table. One was a blond and the other was a brunette. A regular Betty and Veronica. They were about my biological age. Mid-to-late twenties.
It was incredibly difficult to look suave while playing pinball. Especially, when you suck at it. I went through about three dollars in quarters when one of the ladies said, “This might not be your game.”
I looked at the ladies and was certain the blond had been the one who had made the comment. “Fortunately, there are other games that I’m pretty good at.”
They both smiled at me. They were equally pretty in their own way. Neither one could hold a candle to Maya... or Lena, for that matter. Yari would eat up these two girls in a second. They were both dressed in low-cut blouses and skirts with nylons. They must have come from work. I had to admit, this type of outfit drove me nuts. Classy and seductive, a nice mix.
“You ladies mind if I join you? I’m waiting for a friend and I will be out of your hair in less than an hour.”’
“Less than an hour,” the brunette said. “You better get over here quick.”
“Wait! Before you sit,” the blond said, “are you single?”
“Yes,” I replied quickly in my still-drunken state.
“No girlfriends. No wives. No fiancées running around?” the brunette asked.
“Nope,” I said.
“Boyfriends?” the brunette questioned with one dark brow raised in a question.
“Just me, all alone in this great big world.”
“That seems so sad to me,” the blond said. “You all alone.”
“Let’s start this interrogation with some names,” I joked.
“I’m Jenna,” the blond said.
“My name is Tommy.” I reached out my hand and shook the blond’s hand. Her hand was tiny and soft.
“My name is Erica,” the brunette said. Then she leaned in and kissed me on the cheek tenderly and sat back down.
“Very nice,” I said. I wasn’t sure what these two girls were up to. But their flirting techniques were solid. I looked at Jenna and I caught an odd glance from Erica. These girls were up to something.
I decided to find out more information about them.
“So, what do you ladies do for a living?” I asked, referring to their line of work.
“We’re in sales,” Erica said, rather quickly.
Now, my drunken ass was intrigued. Something was off here. I definitely felt a strong sexual vibe coming from both of them, but I sensed there was something else going on. Nonetheless, I was a man and this type of danger was just what the doctor ordered.
“So, what are your plans for the rest of the evening?” I asked them both. I was tired of standing, so I grabbed a chair and brought it to the side of the table and sat down.
Suddenly, Erica looked at me and wouldn’t stop staring into my eyes. Then I felt it. She was trying to get in my head. She was a fucking vampire. They both were. I should have known. I shook her thoughts out of my head with ease and held my mental ground.
The two women looked at me as if they fully expected me to be in some type of trance. Was this their game? Picking up guys and bringing them home for God knows what? But I was sure whatever happened, it ended with these two feeding on some sap’s neck until he was a dried-up husk and dead.
“So, Tommy…” Erica smiled suggestively. “Would you like to leave with us before your friend gets here and we can see where the night takes the three of us?”
Under normal circumstances, this would have been the greatest night of my life. You know, if we were three humans and the two of them weren’t psychopathic leeches.
I smiled at Erica and said, “No can do, my little vampire beauties. Both of you are so lovely.” I stood up from my chair with more than a little regret. “And seriously, any dude who shares the night the two of you have planned probably would find most of the night amazing. It’s the last part where you’d suck out all of my hemoglobin and kill me that I’m not cool with.”
“So, Tommy,” Jenna said. “Are you one of us or one of them?”
“That depends on what you are referring to when you say, ‘one of them.’”
“Carni?” they both said, practically spitting out the word.
“Does it matter?” I asked. “Just know that if the two of you had tried to attack me…” I looked around the bar and there was the bartender and some homeless man asleep at the bar. “This would have happened.” I stepped back and quickly turned into my werewolf form. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t have done this if I hadn’t been drunk, but these girls needed a little scare.
I stared at them both in my Carni form and the two of them jumped back into the wall. I quickly transitioned back to my human form. When I did, I gave them both a wink and walked out of the bar and waited for Yari to fly down in her raven form. She should be here any moment.
The two female vampires exited the bar, scampered away from me quickly and jumped into a Dodge Caravan. I wasn’t sure if I’d stirred some type of pot tonight, but one thing was for sure. I had my own vampire crew if things were to ever get out of hand.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Yari sneaked up behind me and almost scared me to death. I jumped.
“Ugh! Don’t ever do that again,” I said. “I have had enough female vampire problems for one night.”
She held out her hand and grinned. “Oh, this should be interesting. Give me your keys and you can tell me all about it as we drive back.”
“Drive back where?” I questioned.
“To our new hideout in Victorville.”
“No detours before we head on out?” I asked.
“Oh, you mean your promise to make it worth my while if I came and helped you?” she asked with a smile, but then, her face took on a more serious look. “Tommy, you are a sexy man. But, it is time for the two of us to move past these one-night stands. Neither one of us wants a relationship. Plus, Cyrus is interesting and I don’t want to complicate things by messing around with two guys in the same crew.”
“So, you have already messed around with Cyrus. He has been here for like ten minutes.” I wasn’t jealous, I was just horny after the night’s festivities. “We’re good, Yari,” I said. “Like you said, we were just hanging out.”
I had Yari make a quick stop by my house, so I could grab some clothes of my own. I made sure I brought Josiah’s lea
ther jacket with me. Then Yari drove my drunken ass to our new home. I hadn’t been at the bar for long. Josiah hadn’t even picked out his room yet. We both decided to take bedrooms upstairs that were next to each other. At the end of the day, Josiah knew there was one person he could trust with his life completely and that was yours truly.
Josiah and I spent most of the next three weeks working out at night and sleeping and watching movies during the day. We were re-cementing our bond. I spent most of my time with Josiah. We were close again. Extremely close. Things were the way they were supposed to be.
Josiah decided to have a big party at the house for his 21st birthday. Yari invited a lot of people, but Josiah and I were sure we would only know a quarter of the people who were coming to the party.
Josiah and I were enjoying a nice quiet game of Scrabble in the main living room. Josiah had been winning for most of the game, but I made a late comeback and was able to play my ‘x’ on the last turn. Josiah and were sitting across from each other at the coffee table in the main living room.
After I won, I started teasing Josiah. I didn’t mean to get so far under his skin, but apparently, I had with my talking smack about the game.
“Easy, Wolfie,” Josiah said. “Don’t make me go all white eagle on your canine ass.”
Did Josiah just say that?
“Is that a threat?” I was shocked that he would verbally take it that far.
“No threat here,” Josiah said. “As a matter of fact, I say we take it to the carpet.”
“Oh, Jo, you want none of me. Remember, you’re a striker, and if we wrestle on the carpet, it’s over. I will take you to task.”
We moved the furniture out of the way. We were making a lot of noise now and a lot of the household members had come in to see what was going on.
Yari yelled down at us. I yelled back up to her as I pushed the last piece of furniture out of our way.
“Are you two fighting, for real?” Yari yelled.
“Not for real. We’re just having some fun,” I yelled back to her. At least, I hoped so.
The last time Josiah and I had locked horns had been in the ring. We avoided it, knowing it was a sensitive subject. Now, we were going to measure up one another again. I took off my shirt and was only wearing jeans and my socks.
“We’re not doing this nude, are we?” Josiah joked.
I joked back.
We exchanged a couple of barbs while Hector came down from upstairs.
“Tommy and Josiah are just flexing their muscles at each other,” Yari said.
Josiah circled me and then looked up the stairwell and now, the whole house was watching. Hector, Wyatt and Cyrus had joined Yari on the stairwell. “I guess we have an audience.”
“I don’t need an audience,” I said. “As I recall, the last time we did this, you saw stars.”
“Damn, those are fighting words. Don’t forget, I was still human when we fought that night. And remember, you were most definitely a Carni, so you had a slight advantage.”
“Doesn’t erase the fact that I beat you in front of the world on Pay-Per-View, does it?”
“It needs an asterisk.” Josiah seemed pissed.
We continued to talk shit to one another and this wasn’t looking good. Josiah was getting angrier and angrier and frankly, he was saying some screwed-up shit. I decided I needed some rules here in our little exhibition.
I told Josiah there was to be no vampire crap and no hitting above the face.
He nodded.
“Please don’t break anything!” Yari yelled.
We circled one another and locked arms. Holy shit, the kid was twice as strong as the last time we’d tangled. Josiah picked me up and carried me around the room. He threw me to the ground and then he whispered in my ear, “This isn’t a fair fight, Tom. You need to be a werewolf to even have a chance. I’m controlling you like an infant. Come on, Tommy, Mr. Superstar Wrestler, get out of my hold.”
He was mocking me. “Fuck you, Josiah.” I tried to get out of Josiah’s grip, but no go. It was like being locked in a vice.
Then Josiah told me he was going to kick my ass.
Screw this kid.
He let go of me and I rolled up to my feet. Then he attacked me with a barrage of punches. It felt like I was being punched by multiple people. He hit me everywhere. He pounded me as if I was a nobody. I hunched over my body, trying to get some air in my lungs. Then Josiah did something I couldn’t believe. He hit me with the strongest uppercut I had ever had the misfortune of experiencing. I fell straight backward.
I was completely dazed. I heard Yari yelling at Josiah.
Josiah came over to me and slapped my face a couple of times. “Tommy, you okay?”
I simply said, “You hit my face.”
“I know. Now, we’re even.” Then Josiah left the house.
That little shit!
I composed myself and went up to my room and lay on my bed. My emotions were high and tears were pushing their way out of my eyes. It wasn’t because I was hurt physically. I had an iron jaw, but I had to admit Josiah’s punch had made me dizzy for a moment. Yes, it had hurt like a motherfucker, but the physical pain was completely gone. I had tears in my eyes because Josiah had been pushed to that point by my silly actions. He was a kid and I loved him dearly, but he had to work out his own demons concerning me before he could move forward. I had created those demons and I took my punishment.
I lay in my bed for an hour or so when I heard a knock on my door. “Who is it?” I hollered out. If it was Josiah, I was not in the mood to talk to him yet. He would have to wait.
“It’s Wyatt.”
“And Hector,” a second voice added.
What did they want? Were they going to kick me out now? Was I now looked upon as spoiled goods, now that Josiah had unloaded on my face and body? “How can I help you guys?” I yelled through the door.
“Can we talk to you?” Wyatt asked.
Here it comes.
“Sure, come in.”
They opened the door and entered my room. I had three chairs in the room. One was at a desk and two others were on opposite sides of a small table containing a chess game that Josiah and I had been playing for a couple of days. Weeks ago, we’d sat down for a friendly game of chess before all this crap had happened between us. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
“Grab a seat.” I turned my body and sat at the foot of my bed. I wiped my eyes free of tears and my brow, too. I probably looked like a puffy mess, but I was beyond caring at the moment.
They both grabbed the chairs that were arranged around the chess game.
“You mind?” Wyatt asked, motioning to bring the chairs in a position where he and Hector would be facing me.
“Go ahead, man.” I was good at conflict, so these boys better get to the point.
“I wanted to tell you that you’re not alone here.” Wyatt smiled at me. “Hector and I have been pretty impressed with your fighting skills and your loyalty to Josiah. Well, except for the situation with Lena.”
“You can’t disregard that.” I straightened my posture. Josiah had done a number on me and most of my body hurt, regardless of supernatural healing. “That is why I’m going to have a sore jaw and ribs for the next month.”
“Shit happens, Tommy. You’re still here. You haven’t left. Hopefully, after today, he was able to get out his frustration and anger.”
I looked at these two seasoned vampires. “Is that it? You just wanted to say we are cool?”
“That’s pretty much why we came in here,” Wyatt said with a smile.
“I don’t want you to leave, Tommy.” Hector looked at me with desperation in his eyes.
“Why?” I asked.
“We need you,” Wyatt answered. “All of us need you. Josiah needs you.”
“Okay.” I looked at both these guys as men and not as vampires. They were straight-up guys. The kind of people I usually gravitated toward, all of my life. “We’re good.”
Hector and Wyatt both nodded, stood and began walking toward the door.
“Hey!” I called out. They both turned around. “Thank you.”
“No problem,” Wyatt said.
Chapter Thirty
At some point, it had become daytime, and I had been sleeping on and off.
Yari wanted me to go to the store for her and I was in no mood to do so. So, she thought it would be funny to blow a dog whistle at me while standing outside of my bedroom door. I was the only one of us who could go out during the day without exploding into a great fiery ball when the sun’s rays touched me. So, I was pretty much her only choice, unless she waited until the sun set. I just covered my ears with my pillow and ignored her.
After a while, she gave up until I later heard knocking on my door.
I yelled, “Yari, go away! Seriously, I’m tired of you fucking with me!”
“It’s Josiah,” said the voice behind the door.
Josiah! I needed to compose myself before answering the door. When I opened the door, I decided to make him feel bad right off the bat. “You’re not going to punch me again, are you?”
“Of course not.” Josiah smiled. He seemed to be at peace with himself. No tension whatsoever. “Sorry about the chin.”
“No worries, Josiah. I deserved it.” And I had.
“You didn’t deserve it. I had already forgiven you.”
“Obviously, you hadn’t.” I laughed. “Your eyes went red and you wanted to kill me.”
“My eyes didn’t go red.”
“I saw it in your eyes, Jo. You forget I’ve trained you since you were fifteen. I know when you get that look in your eye. That’s when all bets are off and you’re just going to pound someone’s ass. But instead of it being someone else’s ass, it was my face.”
We laughed like old times. I was feeling better, so I decided to give Josiah his birthday present. I gave him the leather jacket I had bought for him. I draped the jacket over his shoulders like I was a leader of a greaser gang and he was my new recruit.
Josiah made a few wisecracks about Grease, but he seemed to enjoy the jacket. It sure as hell fit the new Gothic look he was sporting.