by Jennie Dah
“That’s it?” Owen asks a look flashing in his eyes. I frown and peer more closely at him.
“Yeah, that’s it,” she nods.
“Okay, so what do you know about supernaturals?” he asked his foot tapping in agitation. There’s only two ways for this to go. It’s either she believes us or she thinks we’re crazy and then break down in hysterics.
“Well everyone knows Sam and Dean. Personally I think Sam is the hotter brother,” she says a sheen of sweat appearing on her skin.
“I don’t mean the movie. I meant supernatural beings.”
“Oh. So like vampires, centaurs and witches?”
“Yeah,” Owen moves his chair closer to hers and a growl rips from my throat. He snarls at me and I relax when Celia moves over to the window to stand beside me instead.
“Well I think there’s a chance they might exist. I mean I believe in God so anything is possible.”
“Well it’s a good thing you think that because you’re on an island filled with supernatural beings,” he says in a rush looking at her closely. My stomach tightens and I wait for reaction.
“Okay,” she shrugs looking indifferent.
“What?” I ask carefully but she just shrugs and turns back to Owen.
“Okay,” he says slowly looking at her strangely before clearing his throat loudly. “So a few months ago, Stella had you transported to the island without permission but after a quick evaluation it came to our notice that you might be one of us.”
“Wait, back up a minute.” She leans against the window and rubs a hand down her face. “What do you mean I might be one of you?”
“Well you see, when you were first brought in your heart was barely beating so we taught you were just some human she’d grown attached to and wanted us to change but then you started releasing powerful surges of energy, kind of like heat waves. It’s happened a few times before we started to think you might be one of us. So with how pale you were and with your heartbeat going lower and lower we thought you’d been bitten by a vampire but you didn’t have any mark on you so that was dismissed. So after a few days we thought you might be going through a fey transformation but we dismissed that notion too after a month of no change in your condition.” He stops to take a breath and he keeps stealing looks at me.
I ignore him my attention on Celia, puzzled by her lack of reaction, I watch her closely for the first sign of hysterics but her eyes are focused outside and they appear clear enough, I’m not sure if she’s actually listening to what’s being said.
He sighs and resumes talking. “Since there’s no mark on you to indicate what you’re, we came to the conclusion that you’re a natural born supernatural.”
She let’s out a little amused laugh while shaking her head. “Trust me I’m a normal ordinary human being. There no way I was born a freaking supernatural.”
“Well you are. Every test that I carried out has come out positive,” he says walking over to us. “In fact you’re of pure blood but of what, I’m not sure.”
“Why was I out so long?” she asks and I’m starting to get worried over her lack of reaction.
“We don’t know. Normally, vampires take a few hours to complete the change, shifters take a day and a half, Fey take five days and centaurs cannot be changed because they’re natural born only, so are witches, fairies, demons and a few of the shifter race.”
“Where are we anyway? Are you not worried you’ll be discovered by humans?” She asks instead and I sigh. She’s worried about us being discovered when she should have been worried about herself? Who is this woman?
“Human can’t detect us here. There’s a protective shield surrounding the place which makes it invisible and it’s in the middle of the Pacific,” I answer not wanting her to think she’s been held captive.
“There are no lands in the pacific,” she looks at me for confirmation and I nod slowly my heart picking up speed.
“Well it’s not exactly an island,” I say carefully worry twisting my insides. “It’s more of a—”
“Is this the part where you tell me it’s a floating turtle called something like Keruvia that’s docked here so you can get some sun?” she asks sarcasm heavy in her tone.
“It’s not a floating turtle,” I answer with a wince at how close she’s to the actual answer.
“Thank God,” she breathes looking relieved.
“It’s a floating whale called Meridian,” I clarify and she throws her hands up. “And we’ll be moving to the Artic circle in a few months.”
“Okay, start from the beginning again and don’t leave anything out,” she says taking a seat close to the window. “But how big is this whale that you can build all this and still have land left over?”
“Big,” I reply evasively and she nods in understanding like even she’s not ready to hear the actual answer.
Then Owen starts explaining to her again how she got here after looking between us suspiciously for a few seconds. He starts with how Stella had been convinced that she’s one of us.
How she had sneak her to the island after she overhead the human doctors planning to cut her open and steal her organs. I straighten at that one. Someone must know who and what she is if they were planning to cut her open.
They were probably after her heart. Hopefully no on this island knows nothing about what she is. Sirens haven’t been around in a very long time so hopefully no one will be able to tell what she is.
If that’s what she is. I could be wrong. God I hope I’m wrong because if the wrong people were to know, I could lose her the way I lost my parents. I feel my heart tighten in my chest and I shake it off. I tune back in to the conversation and Owen was explaining what happened after she arrived at the island. How everyone was fascinated by her. And how about a few weeks ago she’d started showing signs of life again. I cough at that one.
“Mmmm….” She says after Owen is done talking. In all this time she has kept her eyes closed.
“Are you okay?” I ask moving away from the window. Her eyes finally pop open and lock on mine but they appear clear and blank of any emotions. Why isn’t she freaking out? Confused, I look to Robbie and surprise, surprise he is snoring softly in his chair. That guy can sleep anywhere. Even standing.
“So you’re saying you guys are like vampires and werewolves,” she states evenly.
“Yes,” Owen says carefully hovering over her.
“Okay,” is all she says.
“That’s it?” I ask surprised.
“Yeah. So what am I?” she asks looking between us. Owen seems to be somewhere else. He shrugs and I look at Robbie who’s awake now. He shrugs too and shakes his head.
No one knows? I follow their cue and shake my head too and sigh in relief. I need to keep it like that. Just the thought of someone coming after her makes a surge of primal possessiveness and protectiveness rush through me.
“You don’t know?” she asks in surprise.
The door opens again and Arthur comes in and looks down at the broken glass without batting an eyelash. He moves over to the head of the table and precedes to be an asshole. After he’s done with breaking down everything for her again, I take her by the hand and gently pull her from the room.
“That guy is an ass,” she says with finality. I laugh at the disgruntled look on her face. I startle in surprise at the sound. Laughter isn’t something I’ve had in my life for a while.
“I wonder if he knows his mouth isn’t the only thing that stinks about him. He personality is as rotten as a six weeks spoilt egg.”
I double over in a fit of laughter. The confused look on her face at my reaction makes me laugh harder. Yep. I’m definitely keeping her.
I take her hand and lead her to the dinning area where she ate three cheeseburgers, two sandwiches and she’s now devouring a basket of fries. I look at her size in surprise and she isn’t even she shy about enjoying her food in front of me like most women. She currently licking her fingers I’m worried she’ll gnaw them off. Who
the hell is she and where did she come from?
“So what’s your story?” she asks suddenly and I spew the juice I’d been sipping all over the table.
“I’m sorry,” I grab a few paper towels and try to wipe the sticky liquid away. “I was just taken aback by your question.”
“I’m sorry if I stepped out of line with my question. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“It’s fine,” I take her hand and squeeze reassuringly. “It’s just no one has asked me that in a really long while.”
“Oh.”
“Well you see, I can’t shift and it’s a widely known fact that no one talks about,” I say feeling an overwhelming urge to tell her everything. “No one talks about it because even though I can’t shift, most people are wary of me and of course my size helps too.” I push the fries around on my plate avoiding her eyes.
“I’m Nicholas Reese Danvers, the man that makes even Nulls seem useful,” I murmur bitterly at my gryphon’s betrayal.
What if she thinks I’m weak? That I can’t protect her? I’ve never told anyone that before. She makes me feel like I can tell her anything. But being out in the open like this can prove dangerous for what I’d like to tell her so when the time’s right I’ll tell her everything. I don’t want to keep anything from her.
“So what you’re saying is, you’re like me?” She hums and my eyes fly to her face and she’s looking at me like I can do anything.
“No, you’re perfect,” I say gruffly not liking that she thinks of herself as defective.
“So exactly like you then,” she whispers conspiratorially and a surprise laugh burst out of me.
She looks at me softly and murmurs, “Celia Makafui Darko.”
“What?”
“My name,” she says picking up a fry. “It’s Celia Makafui Darko and I’m proud to be a Null if it means I’ll be exactly what you are.”
I cough lightly to rid my throat of the frog that’s lodged there. Damn, my insides are a mess. How did she manage to make me feel so shaken up with only a few soft spoken words.
“You don’t know what Nulls are,” I chuckle at the look of awe staring back at me.
“I'm guessing completely useless supernaturals? I mean it’s no surprise I’m one of them, my grandpa Mawuli also told me how useless I was sometimes too but I don’t think he meant it in a bad way,” she stops talking and her head flies up with wide eyes. “I don’t mean you’re useless just that the name doesn’t really require any—”
I laugh at the disgruntled look on her face. “It’s fine I know what you mean.”
“Oh thank God,” she relaxes back into the booth and take sip of her juice.
“Are you okay though? You seem to be taking everything quite fine,” I say with a little frown.
“I’m still processing and I’ll probably need some alone time to come to terms with everything but I think I’m good,” she breathes nodding a few times a furrow appearing between her brows.
Her hands move to cup my cheek and I freeze. She’s touching me on her own. And in public too. She rubs my beard her eyes glazed over and her hand stills her eyes flying to my face in alarm and she removes it folding it in her lap. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” I murmur gruffly. “You can touch me anytime you want. If you want to.”
I melt in my seat at the soft smile to trains on me and all my years of public composure fly out the window as I lean in and press a kiss to her cheek. I pull away worried she might not like been touched in public. I look around the deserted diner and the knot in my stomach loosens a little. I still when I feel her soft lips touch my bearded cheek. I look back at her and she’s busy finishing her fries a little smile on her face. Damn, how did I get so lucky?
“Umm… quick question though,” she blurts suddenly and I tense at the scowl on her face. “The windows in the hospital section of this place, are they enchanted or something?”
“No,” I shake my head slowly and her eyes widen but she quickly schools her features and I wonder what that was about. “Why? Did something happen?”
“I’m not sure exactly,” she whispers distractedly her eyes flashing with some unknown emotion.
What happened to her?
Chapter 7
MAKAFUI
I still can’t wrap my head around everything that’s happened today. I kick the covers off and sigh but still sleep evades me. My mind won’t stop racing. I’ve tried to talk to my conscience all day but I haven’t heard a peep from her at all.
Usually she can’t stay out of my business so it’s a little unsettling to not have her in my head right now. I turn around in the bed again trying to find comfortable spot that will make me fall asleep faster. What’s more confusing is my reaction to everything that happened today or should I say my lack of reaction.
I’ve read books and watch movies on this kind of things and people are usually hysterical at first then they cry and finally accept it. Me, I’m none of those things. I don’t even feel like crying. Maybe because my life isn’t a goddamn movie.
I’m not running for the nearest exist and I don’t think Nicholas is crazy or anything. It actually explains his beauty because no human is ever that good-looking. I still feel like me though, I thought I would feel different now that I’ve joined the rank of the supernatural.
It has crossed my mind that maybe I might be in shock and everything is numb but no I’m perfectly fine. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that all my life I’ve felt different from the rest of the other children when I was growing up.
There’s something living in my head for crying out loud. I close my eyes and force myself to go to sleep but no luck. I toss and turn for a while before giving up. Kicking the covers off, I pull it to the floor with me and get comfortable.
I wonder what happened to school. Can I even go back? What about my things? What about those men from yesterday? Are they still looking for me? What if they come here? Nick could be in danger. It actually makes sense now after everything’s been explained to me.
That window really did try to kill me but if what I remember is accurate it’s this Dorian person that put a spell on it. Which begs my next question, who is trying to kill me?
This is starting to feel like an especially bad episode of a horror movie. I turn on my side with a heavy sigh. Why would anyone even want to kill me?
And then there’s this other little matter of what happened in Nick’s bedroom this morning. I can’t believe I let myself go like that but my brain had shut down at the first touch of his lips and all I wanted was more. I still wanted more.
I touch my fingers to the arch of my neck where he bit me earlier and sigh softly at the remembered feel of his mouth searing my skin. I close my eyes and slip into my comfort place in my mind. Finally sleep takes me and I embrace the darkness just like I always do.
******
I come to, to feel someone shaking hard on my shoulders desperately calling out my name.
“Celia!!”
What’s the time? I shrug off the hands gripping my shoulders and stretch with a satisfied groan. I finally open my eyes and the room is brightly lit. Hmmm. Must be a little ways past morning. Whatever, not like I have to get to class.
I look around the room and jump in surprise a little squeak leaving me and stare in alarm at the men hovering over me. Before I could think about it, I lean forward and press my lips softly to Nick’s in apology. Why? I don’t know. I just know I can’t stand to see the look of fear on his face. I look around at the rest of the faces looking at me in concern and frown.
“What’s going on?” I ask tentatively not sure what to think.
A collective sigh of relief fill the room and Nicholas pulls me into him wrapping his thick arms tightly around me. I sigh in happiness and rub my face against his chest.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he says his voice shaking.
“I was just sleeping,” I tell him and move my arms around to his back and run it so
othingly down his back. He trembles slightly and squeezes me tighter.
“No you weren’t, I’ve been trying to wake you since morning. You were barely breathing Celia,” he whispers.
What?
“Hey it’s okay, I’m right here,” I say soothingly but he still looks worried.
To take his mind off of what happened, I tell him the tale of how my grandmother had tried to get me to wake once but I pretended to be dead and how she’d freaked. Then the ass whipping I got later when I started laughing at her reaction. It takes a while but when I’m done with the story, everyone was relaxed again with amused expressions.
“Come on, I’ll make you something to eat.”
Once in the kitchen, I look out the window and I’m surprised to see that it’s already noon. I don’t mention it because I don’t want to ruin the mood again. I make a few sandwiches but it all disappears within a few seconds. I make more and I keep making more until they finally stop eating.
There are two sandwiches left and I make an additional five more for myself. I sit at the counter and devour them. Damn I’m hungry. I eat the last bite and lick my fingers clean before I look up and meet the eyes of five men staring at me strangely.
What now?
“Why are you looking at me like that?Did you still want some?” I ask taking in their identical looks of bafflement.
I look at Nick and he has the same look on his face. The one he had on his face the first time I saw him. I duck my head suddenly feeling shy. I tuck my hair behind my ear, my face growing warm.
I’ve never been so grateful for my darker skin like I am right now. How could I have forgotten myself like that? My grandmother always told me that there would be a day that I’d regret eating like a pig. If only she could see me now.
“What are you guys?” I blurt without thinking. “Sorry you don’t have to answer.”
“It’s fine,” Logan says with a little laugh. “I’m a lion shifter actually. Robbie is a tiger/warlock, Charlie a Fey warrior and Michael over there is a cheetah.”