by Kate Hill
“Where’s that prescription for Brianna?”
She reached in the baby bag and pulled out the piece of wrinkled white paper.
“I’ll get it filled for you,” he said.
“Look, I’ll pay you back.”
He nodded.
Once his guests had gone, Matthew pulled on a sweatshirt and sneakers, muttering to himself, “You’re a jerk, Matthew. I told you not to get involved.”
But the moment he’d agreed to live symbiotically with Gareth’s strange community, he’d become more deeply involved than he cared to admit.
* * * * *
“Very nice!” Paul shouted as Matthew’s back-fist cracked across Gareth’s cheek, staggering him. “Follow up… Jeez, Matthew!”
Paul shook his head. Matthew had backed off after striking Gareth. The hybrid took the opportunity to sweep Matthew’s feet out from under him. He landed with a crash onto his back, and Gareth sprang at him. Matthew kicked him across the room.
“I hope you won’t pause like that in a real fight,” Paul said. “Especially with the wolves. They’ll rip you to shreds.”
“Somehow I doubt Matthew has survived this long by backing off in a real fight,” Gareth said. “The only thing is, when you train, pretend it’s real.”
“I know. Adam’s been telling me that for years. I just can’t seem to follow through unless I’m mad.”
“I bet I can make you mad,” Geneva said from across the room where she leaned against a wall, caressing one of her tonfas.
“Geneva, this is serious business here,” Paul told her.
“Shut up, Paul, or I’ll rip you apart.”
“Put down those stupid billy clubs and see if you can!”
“That’s enough, you two.” Gareth held up his hand. He motioned for Matthew to follow him out of the training room. As they reached the door, Geneva and Paul began arguing in whispers that soon turned to fighting.
Gareth shook his head. “We have more important things to do than listen to those two.”
“Maybe you should try letting Geneva fight the werewolves,” Matthew suggested.
“Believe me, if she was bigger and stronger, she’d be first on our list of guards. Laurie said you helped her last night.”
“It wasn’t anything.”
“She said you had incense burning. Were you practicing magic?”
“Shoddy warlock that I am.”
“I can guide you. I’ve been practicing for centuries.”
The temptation to accept Gareth’s help lured Matthew, but still he said, “No. It’s just to pass the time. It’s really pointless.”
“Is it?” Gareth smiled. “I was there, you know.”
“Where?”
“In the quarry the night the First Father died. Oh, I was lost in the crowd. Never got very close, but I saw and heard you. You performed the chant that allowed your brother to kill the First Father.”
“There must be a scientific explanation. I’m still looking for it.”
“Perhaps you’re right. However, you won’t find it soon. Why not just accept your talent for magic as you’ve accepted your brilliance in research?”
“Because I can’t believe in both science and magic.”
“But you admit that science might one day explain magic?”
“Yes.”
“Then why not explore both? The odds are you’ll live a very long life, Matthew. There’s a good chance you’ll see your theory proven. Why not learn as much as you can?”
Excitement kindled in Matthew at the thought of sharpening his magical skills without hiding and without guilt. “That does make sense.”
“Would you like me to train you?”
“Yes.”
“Good. This will also help with your telepathy.”
“I’m deficient.”
Gareth laughed. “Who told you that?”
“Everybody. I’m not a good telepath. I can’t send messages. Before I learned how to block my thoughts, other telepaths could pick my mind with ridiculous ease. It’s extremely annoying. To this day I cannot abide anyone inside my head—sometimes even my wife.” Matthew fell silent. Why was he talking so much about Dulcie lately? The less anyone knew about her, the better off they both would be.
“She’s telepathic? A vampire?”
“I don’t want to talk about her.”
“That’s not what I sense.”
“I’m not endangering her. I scarcely know you.”
“Fair enough. If you ever do want to talk about her—”
“No. Thank you.”
Silently, they made their way through the moonlit streets to Matthew’s building.
Once in his room, they lit candles and incense, then sat on the floor.
“This might not be the best idea.” Matthew wrinkled his nose as he glanced at the stained carpet. “I tend to have little visitors.”
“The whole building is crawling,” Gareth said. “The exterminator can’t seem to do a thing.”
“This place is a shithole.”
“I’m sure, especially compared to the way you’re used to living.”
“Some of these mortals and hybrids I can understand being here, but what about you? You sound educated, and I’m guessing you’re old.”
“Long ago, before I was changed, I was a monk. I thought of myself as a peaceful man, but after witnessing so many wars, so much death, I delved into fighting. Still, no matter what I’ve done, I’ve always felt attachment to the downtrodden. I guess it’s just part of who I am. I feel it’s not just my duty to stay here and do what I can, but my destiny.”
“You believe in destiny?”
“To a point.”
“I don’t. I believe everything is a result of our decisions. There’s no great spirit guiding us. No God to damn or forgive us.”
“You believe in logic, things you can reach out and touch—or at least make sense of.”
“Adam is the one who’s always preaching about God.” Matthew sounded more bitter than he’d intended. After what happened with Sage, he’d been harboring resentment toward Adam. His brother claimed to be so deeply rooted in his Baptist origins, but Matthew wondered if Adam wasn’t becoming as hypocritical as the abusive foster father who’d raised him.
Gareth’s penetrating gaze held Matthew’s. “You and your brother don’t get along?”
“We used to,” Matthew said, more to himself than to Gareth. “We were so close once.”
“What’s it like, having a twin? How does it feel, looking into another man’s face and seeing your own image?”
“Strange at first. Adam and I were nearly thirty years old when we met. Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I remember him from before we were separated as children.”
“Your memory is a wonderful gift. Not everyone has a photographic memory. That’s why I can’t understand the problems with telepathy. Maybe it’s just too much in there.” Gareth smiled, tapping Matthew’s head. “Too many facts and ideas. Too many details.”
“There’s no such thing as too many. There’s so much to learn.”
“So many of our kind waste centuries reveling in their physical power, but not you.”
“Are you going to start teaching me or not?” Matthew asked, uncomfortable engaging in such personal conversation.
“We’ll start with meditation, then move to visualization. At first I’ll guide you, then in time you’ll be guiding me.”
“I’ve experienced visualization once.” Matthew’s stomach clenched at the memory. Years ago, Vincent had guided Matthew and Adam into a shared vision where he’d shown them the First Father. It had been an eerie experience—one that Matthew didn’t care to repeat.
“It can also be a beautiful experience,” Gareth said.
“Please don’t read my thoughts again.”
“I won’t read them without your knowledge,” Gareth agreed. “But if you want me to teach you, eventually you and I will have to practice telepathy.”
“You’r
e wasting your time. I told you, I just don’t get it.”
“I believe you will. You just have to believe it. Aren’t you willing to try?”
“Yes, I’ll try. I’m just not convinced. Also, I’m going to need to find a way to make money eventually. I can’t live on what I brought with me indefinitely, and using an ATM is impossible.”
Gareth’s smile faded. “We can work that out later.”
“Hiding my identity—”
“Won’t be necessary, but we’ll deal with that in time.”
“If you have something to tell me, Gareth, just do it. I hate being kept in the dark, so to speak.”
“Just keep training with me. Everything will work out in the end. It always does.”
“It does?”
“Matthew, one thing at a time. Right now we have to meditate.”
Matthew shook his head. He closed his eyes, but it felt like hours before he focused. His thoughts churned, and always Dulcie’s face, form and irresistible scent infiltrated them.
Chapter Twenty-One
On Saturday evening, Gareth and Matthew met in the training room so Gareth could accompany Matthew on his first guard duty.
As they walked to the lowest, darkest levels of the sewers, Gareth explained, “We post two guards per shift, sometimes three. Two works best because that way we only take two shifts a week. Shifts are generally twenty-four hours. Days are a little slower, but at night, the attacks are incessant.”
“How many wolves are there?”
“We’re guessing twenty or so, but we’re not sure if they’ve been breeding. According to Judah, most of them have been fixed.”
“What did he mean when he said he was one of them?”
“It’s a personal story, so I won’t go into detail. Let’s just say while seeking out a cure for his wife, he became the subject of an experiment in which he was altered and blended with the werewolves. I have no knowledge of science, so I can’t explain.”
Matthew didn’t comment, but thought to himself, Sounds like something Jay would do.
“Judah is very powerful. He’s interested in the werewolves.”
“I can see why. I don’t like him, but I can understand his anger toward the Network. I wish I’d known about his wife. I wish he’d come directly to me.”
“The Network has such tight control over our kind. I’ll bet the Network has used your discovery as they see fit, and you didn’t even think to question it.”
“No. I didn’t. I know the Network’s function is to protect our kind as well as humans, but they’re in need of change. Adam is young. He should be bringing them up to date. Instead, I sometimes think they’re dragging him backward. He’s had a lot to deal with, though. His career takes up so much time, and The Jury makes most of the decisions for the Network. He’s a almost figurehead. He’s also active in defending against vampiric crime…”
“Who are you trying to convince, Matthew?”
“I’m not trying to convince anyone of anything…” Matthew’s voice trailed off as his keen hearing detected howls, growls and the sound of fighting.
“We’re almost there,” Gareth said. “Paul and Vick are on duty now.”
They walked down a long corridor. Gareth pulled back a bolt on a thick metal door and turned to Matthew. “Brace yourself.”
Matthew waited, his body tense and ready, his pulse racing. The sound of fighting grew louder. The scent of the wolves and the hybrids was overpowering.
“You pull the door,” Gareth ordered.
Matthew obeyed and a hairy torso nearly leapt through. Gareth kicked the creature inside. Matthew joined him, yanking the door shut as he stepped into a small, steel-enforced room. A grate leading to a narrow tunnel was thrown open. Vick stood in front of the opening, fighting off a group of wolves, while Paul and Gareth managed to fling back the one that had tried racing out the door.
“Get the grate!” Paul shouted to Matthew, who lunged at the door as Vick leapt out of the corridor. The wolves hurled themselves against the grate. Claws slashed Matthew’s clothes and skin. Still he managed to force the grate shut. Paul threw several bolts, then dropped back, panting.
“Bastards always manage to break through. At least once a week.” Vick gasped, leaning against the wall.
Both hybrids were sweat-soaked and tired-looking.
Paul pushed himself to his feet. “I’m outta here.”
“Good luck, Matthew.” Vick glanced over his shoulder. “Judah and Frank will be down in a day to relieve you.”
Matthew glanced at the two as they left. He snarled as a hairy paw wrapped around his neck and smashed him backward into the grate. Matthew grunted and pried the fingers loose while other claws tore through his clothes. He stumbled away from the grate, his lips curled back over his fangs as he glared at the mass of hairy bodies that slowly shrank back and disappeared down the corridor.
“Let’s work on the bolts.” Gareth picked up a wrench and approached the door. “Then we can rest until they come back. Be careful, too, because Judah said he thinks he’s heard them pushing their way through the ceiling.”
Matthew glanced up at a dent in the metal. “Great.”
“Don’t worry, Matthew. After a couple of shifts, you’ll be a pro.”
“Just what I always wanted.”
“It’s not a bad time to practice your magic, either. I’ve been working on a chant to raise a barrier. Telepathy and magic don’t seem to work well with the werewolves, though. Maybe their brains are too primitive.”
Matthew thought of Vincent’s telepathic skill and said, “I don’t think a primitive brain has anything to do with it.”
* * * * *
“Okay, I got it!”
Matthew glanced beside him as a tall, thickly built hybrid leaned on the grate and helped him hold it shut while Gareth slammed the bolts into place. A spear thrust through the space between them, nearly stabbing Matthew, who leapt out of the way. Growling, he turned to Judah, who poked the spear through the grate. The wolves slunk back.
“Come on, Matthew,” Gareth said. “Our shift’s over.”
Thank goodness. Matthew blinked sweat from his eyes and shrugged his sore shoulders. “Those damn things are relentless. How many did we shoot?”
“Several, but they’ll be back.”
“I have to find a way to kill them.”
“Why?” Judah demanded. “Because they’re different from us? Typical.”
Matthew lifted an eyebrow. “Surely you don’t like them?”
“I’m one of them.”
“Not by choice.”
Judah’s mahogany gaze flew to Gareth, and he bared his teeth. “You’ve been talking, old man?”
“Calm down, Judah,” Gareth said. “I’m not in the mood. No, I didn’t reveal your secrets. They’re yours to keep.”
Judah’s hate-filled eyes glared at Matthew before he turned back to the grate. The sound of wolves drew closer. Before the beasts could appear, Matthew and Gareth hurried out the door.
“Well, I’m going to get some blood and some sleep,” Gareth said. “I advise you to do the same.”
Matthew sighed. There was no one he really cared to beg blood from, and he wondered how safe it would be to hunt. Just his luck, he’d approach a hybrid from the Network and give himself away.
“Well, looks like I’m just in time.” Mindy, wearing a purple bra, matching shorts and black boots, approached Matthew. She stroked her throat as her gaze raked him from head to foot. “I’ll give you a special deal. Twenty-five—”
“Mindy!” Gareth snapped. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. He’s a guard and you’re going to charge him for blood? You know that’s against the rules.”
Mindy’s nose wrinkled. “Yes, well, he doesn’t know that. Or at least he didn’t.”
“Part of our arrangement is some of the hybrids and humans offer us blood in return for our protection,” Gareth explained to Matthew.
“I don’t think it will be bad for e
ither of us. You look like you can really give a love bite.” Mindy reached out to place a hand on Matthew’s chest, but he caught her wrist and pushed it away.
“Love is the key word,” he said. “I’ll make other arrangements.”
“So my blood ain’t good enough for you?” Mindy snarled. “You asshole. Who do you think you are? You’ll never get a drop outta me, I’ll tell ya!”
Matthew waved his hand in annoyance as he made his way out of the sewer.
Aboveground, the sun shone brightly—too brightly for an Immaculate in need of nourishment. He squinted against the harsh rays as he made his way to his building. Partway there, Paul raced up to him. “Matthew, you gotta help me.”
“What’s the matter?” Matthew sighed. He wasn’t in the mood to help anybody— except himself to a warm shower and a few hours’ sleep.
“There was a fire last night a couple of blocks from here. Some of the hybrids are hurt bad. They’re down in the training hall. It was the best place to bring them. There are some humans there, too. Not hurt. The wounded ones were taken to hospitals, but most of the hybrids refused. Thought too many questions might arise. There are some human families who lost everything. Will you come?”
“Of course. I’ll get my supplies.”
In his apartment, Matthew picked up his bag and gave one last, longing look toward his bed before following Paul down the sewer.
* * * * *
“Matthew! We didn’t get much time off, did we?” Gareth called from where he sat in a corner of the training hall, wrapping the arm of a wounded hybrid.
Matthew guessed about thirty people, hybrids and mortal—several of them children—sat there. The scent of blood, burned flesh and fear hung thick on the air. Geneva, Jimmie and Vick helped the wounded hybrids as best they could.
“Where are the worst cases?” Matthew asked.
“There.” Geneva pointed toward the group of hybrids lying around Gareth. “I separated them.”
“Good.” Slipping on plastic gloves, Matthew stooped by a hybrid who’d been burned from head to foot. “This guy needs to be in a hospital.”