by Londyn Lenz
“That food was the best, I’ve had soul food once and it didn’t taste like that. The seasoning was amazing.” I wasn’t playing either. Spoken was a nice club/lounge like atmosphere. But that food was the cherry on top. I’m write so soul food isn’t on my everyday menu. However, I will make it be if it came from Spoken. I even took a menu home because you can call in and place orders seven days a week.
“That’s so good Luna, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself and the food. Bella’s mom used to cook every Sunday and I made sure to be there. It’s like they have a secret ingredient that isn’t available in any store.” We shared a laugh.
“Exactly, I almost bit my finger off from licking them when I was eating the fried catfish.” I began drawing while I was talking to her. She came over and stood next to me while I was adding the finishing touches.
“You are really talented Luna. Like me and Bella can draw airbrush good but you’re really talented. Very neat and perfection.”
“Thank you.” The door opened and Duke walked in. I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.
“Hey you, what brings you in?” Faye practically glided to him. They moved together like a body wave in the sea. It was like a smooth symphony playing live in front of you watching them together. Even now they were dressed down in jeans, shirts and gym-shoes. They still wore the clothes as if they were draped in the finest.
“I came to bring you some lunch and to tell you I might be home a little late.” I acted as if I was so into my drawing as they talked.
“Oh um, ok. You have been working a lot lately and you seem disoriented as well. Everything ok?” Faye asked him and Duke’s answer didn’t fool me so I hope Faye picked it up.
“I’m fine bae just been busy.” He kissed her on the lips. “I’ll call you later on, love you.” He left out and Faye put her food up in the back.
“Are you ok?” I asked her when she came out. Her expression was all over her face.
“I don’t know what’s been up with him. He seems so spaced out like he is confused or unsure about things. It’s not like him because----” She stopped talking and looked at me.
“I am so sorry Luna, it’s so unprofessional of me to be talking to you about my problems.”
“No no it’s fine. We are girls and it’s not like customers are in here at the moment. Have you tried talking to him, see what’s up?” I had to act as if I cared that Duke was lying.
“Yea I’ll talk to him.” The bell went off again and some hottie with a body walked in. It was like Michigan was filled with so many handsome sexy men.
“Hi, I’m here to look at your building pipes.” The stranger walked to the counter where Faye was. I looked through the mirror behind her so I could see his face. His eyes were looking at her like he wanted to do all kinds of unholy things to her.
“Oh yes, let me show you were the pipes are.” Faye had the same expression on her face as he followed her to the back of the store. It was like watching two people in a trance. I put my earpiece back in my ear and turned my music back on.
**
I leaned against the wall while the Latin language chanting was taking place. The room was dark with some candles lit and a chimney fireplace lightened. Let’s get some things in the open. I knew about vampires and witches. Hell, I knew about the entire supernatural world. I’m twenty-two-years old and it was on my birthday that I found out who I really was. Twenty-two years ago a woman slept with a married man.
Instead of keeping her baby and saying to hell with him. The woman and man find a Hawaiian couple who were looking to adopt. In return of the woman silence in destroying the man’s marriage. He kept supporting her financially on the low for as long as she required. The baby had a great life despite her biological parents irresponsibility’s. Spoiled, given any and everything she wanted, made good grades and pretty much had the perfect parents.
Problem is, she had dreams at night. Nightmares for lack of better words. Starting at the age of seven, they affected her so bad that her parents put the girl in therapy. Nightmares about creatures who liked drinking blood. Whispers of a language being spoken the same way the wind whispers. It was awful seeing the creatures rip these people apart. The girl remembered blood, so much blood, screams and the whisper the language.
She had them so much until she was sixteen. Then visions started happening, to others it looked as if she was daydreaming. But it would be visions of the same creature ripping people. The screams, the language and the blood was so real as if she were watching it happen live in front of her. So, the girl did internet research on her visions and discovered vampires. Of course, she brushed it off to her love for scary movies. Time moved on and the visions stopped for years. Then on her twenty-first birthday she gets a visitor to her dorm at the University Of Hawaii.
A man in a black suit with a leather briefcase, he wants to meet her to talk. At first, she dismissed him but he tells her that he has answers about the dreams and visions she’s been having. Says that he knows a few days before her birthday that the visions have come back. That got the young woman attention so she agreed to meet him. That’s when her new life began. The things she was told about her father, him being a vampire slayer.
The history of vampires starting with the very first one, Andreas. He taught her about the curse and Robin Prud’homme obsession with him. There were siblings the young woman had, a brother who was slain by a vampire and a sister who had become one against her will. Even though the young woman had a set of parents who loved her. She still felt the need to avenge her family death, the man showed her all the abilities to kill vampires.
Every fighting technique, all the education about them. Even weaknesses that they didn’t know they had was taught to her. You see slayers don’t just kill vampires. They study them to, some are kept alive to be studied and learn their tolerance. Andreas and Duke both left a small trail of vampires back in their no humanity days. There all over, every city, state and country. It’s her job to kill every last one of them. Until the time comes when she has kids of her my own.
On their 21st birthday she gets to tell them their destiny and train them. But all of that is for later, right now her goal is to help her sister. Duke and Andreas are demons and I don’t mean because of the color of their skin. No matter the shade, if it’s a vampire then I hated it. With the exception of Faye, I was now spending my life hunting them down. They live very discreet and in the shadows. Only a slayer on their twenty-first birthday has the gift to point a vampire out.
All we have to do is come in contact with you. The problem is, we are extinct. Vampires have wiped through us leaving only me and Faye. My plan was to turn my sister back human and we become some kick ass slayers. True Buffy style. In case you didn’t put it together, I’m the young woman from my story I told you earlier. Faye was the only bit of blood family I had left. I have to save her from Duke’s eternity curse he has placed on her. I know she didn’t become a vampire willingly.
I bet he demanded her and then bit her. Hence my reasoning for being her watching this witch cast another spell. It’s always best to have a witch on a slayer side. They come in handy when dealing with any other supernatural creature. The first spell I had done was a soul swapping spell. You see I like to do damage before I go in for the destruction. Yes I loved my sister and I didn’t want her to suffer. But I wanted her to hate Duke so when I kill him she won’t stand in my way.
Fortuna, Habeo Omnia, Pecunia Omnia. The fire increased in the candles, the lights flickered and that language got louder and louder. If I wasn’t used to seeing this I would freak out right now. The chanting started over and over. It was like from my dreams and visions. I watched the eyes roll to the back like a possessed demon. Then all of a sudden the chanting stopped, lights were done flickering and the fire went completely out.
“Is it done?” I asked.
“Yes, it is, your heart is protected now. Although vampires are very creative on killing in other ways. T
he first thing they go for is the heart, so it will buy you some time. The spell wears off though so still be careful.” I watched him get up and fix himself a drink.
“You look stressed, still and about the grand-opening?” I snickered being sarcastic and he looked at me with a snide expression.
“I’m in no mood for jokes Luna. I tried all night to get to Annabella and couldn’t. Yet---” He downed his drink and poured another one. “I can’t shake her from my mind.” I snatched the bottle from his hand and poured me a shot.
“Gabe do not get sucked in. That’s what those creatures do, lure you in and make you one of them.”
“I know, that’s why I have a plan be. That spell you saw me do last night, it curses her lips.” I looked at him confused.
“Her lips, how?” Smirking he said.
“You’ll soon see if I am not able to shake her hand soon. The same way you won’t Duke to suffer, I need Andreas to as well.” He took a picture out of his wallet.
“My mother died all because she tried to give him everything. Only for him to play her for Annabella.” I walked on the side of him and looked at the picture of his mother too.
“They’ll pay, Duke, Andreas and Annabella. We will make them pay as long as we work together Gabe.”
After I left his condo I went to check on my other asset. I made sure to do so every single day. I watched her move around a house she doesn’t know. Live a life she knows nothing about, with people she doesn’t know. Drive a car she has never seen, work a job she never had and be completely confused as to what was going on. All she knew was she was alive again and once I made sure she would have an encounter with a special someone. The soul swapping spell took effect once she saw something familiar.
“Hello, welcome to Giorgio Armani. I’m Alicia, can I help you find anything?” I smiled at Alicia aka Duke’s first love, Willow.
Andreas
“Dad! Dad!” I was running through the woods. Rain made the dirt slippery and I fell a few times but I hopped right back up running. The night sky made everything dark, the only thing guiding me was the stars.
“Help me! Dad! Help me, please!”
“I’m coming son, just tell me where you are!” I could hear my boy calling out for help. He was calling my name over and over, crying and pleading for me. The sticks and rocks were snagging my bare feet but I couldn’t stop running.
“Ahh! Dad!”
The branches from the trees were smacking me in the face. My breath was rapid and my mouth was dry from sucking in all the night air. My boy called out to me louder, the more I ran the more his voice came closer. My eyes were darting around as if I had all the light in the world with me in these woods. I saw smoke and what looks like light from a fire. Running straight ahead I then heard gun shots from behind me. I know this night, all too familiar.
The gunshots continued, I kept running and I knew then that I was back in 1840. The day me, my wife and our son were running. The day everything was taken from me. Suddenly as I ran through a bunch of branches back to back until I was in front of that familiar house. Robin and her sisters home where I got cursed. The house was in flames and I saw my wife body on the ground dead. I may have been in 1840 but this is not what I remember.
“Dad!!” My boy screamed my name again and I realized it was coming from the burning house. I didn’t care, I was getting to my son. Running on the porch I opened the door and in the living room was Duke. Bound to a chair bleeding all over and his blood-filled eyes looked up at me. Some woman stood in front of him.
“No!” I couldn’t see her face but when she pulled out a wooden stake I yelled out and tried my best to get to her. But she was fast and shove the stake right in his heart.
I gasped and jumped up from my pillow breathing hard as hell. Looking around my master bedroom. I haven’t had nightmares since October 1st, 2018. The day I met Annabella and even than when I have them. They have never been like that. For one, Duke was never in them. I mean he was, but he was a young boy. The same age he was when he died, not who he is today. Yet when he first starts screaming as I run through the woods.
He sounds like a little boy. Then the house has never been on fire and I don’t know who that woman was taking a stake to his heart. This was the third time I have had the same nightmare, I needed to go for a run. I kissed Bella on her forehead while she slept and walked out the room. Getting outside it was a light sheet of snow all around. I transformed into a wolf and because my vampire senses were still on I heard noises coming up the long driveway.
Moving behind the wide bush in front of our mansion I waited to see who or what was the noise. I hope no one was crazy enough to try and break in. What luck would they have to violate a den of vampires. Instead of a fool, I see a wolf. Duke to be more precise. Before he got to the door he transformed back to normal form. I assumed he was feeding but then again Duke likes his meals in the day and out the blue. You walk through the mall with him and I guarantee he will eat at least three times.
This was something different, last time I seen him out like this was when he would stalk Faye. After he went inside, I took off running down the long driveway. It was something about running in wolf form that was exhilarating. The speed and high senses that being a vampire gave us added to the sensation. When I learned how to change at will, I used to spend so much of my time in wolf form in my earlier days. We can even demand a human in this form.
I ran all the way to the Ambassador bridge. In the winter at night made the bridge empty. I turned back into normal form and flew up to the top of it. Right where the name was, I loved sitting up here and looking at Detroit and Canada. Crazy how we had vamp speed so fast that we could gravitate in the air but couldn’t turn into bats. That shit is only in the movies. Anyway, I sat and cleared my mind. The rive was ice solid and it was so cold that you could see the wind breeze past it. I however was warm and enjoying the cold.
“So this is where you go when you wake up from your nightmares?” Bella’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. Sitting down next to me her hair was in a ponytail out of her face and she had on her long silk robe.
“You knew about my nightmares?” Interlocking our fingers together she nodded her head.
“I uh may have gotten inside your head when you were sleep.” I chuckled. How she still had her gifts from when she was human was beyond both of us but sometimes, they came in handy.
“Where you able to see who the woman was?”
“Nope, when you wake up, everything disappears. Do you think Duke is in trouble?” I wanted to tell her about him sneaking out, but I decided against it. Bella and Faye were joined at the hip and all she would do is go back and tell her. A female vampire with heighted emotions in her feelings will be terrible for us all.
“I doubt it, maybe it’s just my subconscious.” I put my arm around her pulling her closer.
“You ready for our trip?” I was referring to us going to Haiti. We were leaving the day after tomorrow.
“I am beyond ready along with nervous and a little scared.” Even though she had humor in her tone I knew she was for real.
“Remember beauty no matter what we discover, nothing can stop me from loving you.” A crease formed on the side of her face into a small smirk.
“I know, that’s what I’m afraid of.” She snuggled up under me some more and we watched the city.
**
“I thought we were taking a private jet?”
“We could have but you need to learn to be around people if you are to learn control.” I know I said I was going to let Bella handle her human intake on her own. But every now and then I would add some advice.
“It would be a hell of a plane ride if a dead body was discovered. Even though we are in first class it’s still a confined space.” The flight attendant walked passed us and Bella knew just by looking at the woman what I was about to do.
“Champagne, bottled water or soda pop?” She asked us and I worked my magic.
“Champagne for
my wife and some of you for me. Put the cart back, go to the bathroom and wait for me.” Under my control she did what I said and I got up a few minutes after. I could feel Bella’s anger about to spill over. But how she behaved would show me if she’s been out in the world being careful or reckless. I got to the bathroom and sure enough the attendant was waiting for me.
“Name?” I said to her.
“Suzanna.” I looked at her and her gorgeous complexion.
“I think I want to spice things up with you.” I grabbed to toilet covers and laid them on the sink. “Sit and don’t be afraid.” Doing what I said I held her smooth arm out revealing her arm full of veins. The smell of her blood made my eyes change and I became the beast that I was. Her expression changed into what I knew was fear.
“Shhh.” I said then I dove in her wrist. Closing my eyes I bathed in the fulfillment I was getting. Her moan was light and I heard her heart beating crazy. Once I was done I cleaned her up and returned back to my seat. Sitting down I licked my lips and picked Bella’s champange glass up.
“Satisfied. I told you I was under control.” I nodded my head at her.
“I’m impressed beauty.” The same attendant I just fed on was coming our way with her cart again. Bella smoothly put her foot out and made the poor woman fall flat on her face and knocked over her cart. Her legs crossed like velvet and she sat their looking at her menu as if she wasn’t just messy. I looked at her and arched my eyebrow.
“What, would you prefer I rip her liver out instead?” I couldn’t do anything but laugh at my beauty. We had a few hours on the flight so I put on a movie for us and we relaxed until we landed.
“This suite is beautiful, all of Haiti is gorgeous. It’s weird because where my mama grew up looks like the complete opposite.” Bella said to me as we settled in our hotel.
“Well, every place has poverty and sadness. The fact that your grandparents are still living there is what concerns me. The upside to having the supernatural abilities that we have is the life we can get. Kind of like a cheat card.”