by H. T. Night
“Who said I wanted to? They left me for dead.”
“But you’re not a Mani, Tommy. I am not even sure if Mani and Carni can coexist inside the will of the Triat.”
“Look, Yari,” Tommy said. “I know you have been around since George Washington. But none of us knows what any of this means. Josiah had a vision that told him to work with me. That’s all we know. This might not be about Carni vs. Mani. It might be as simple as good versus evil.”
Yari looked at both of us and it was obvious that she cared deeply for both us. “Nonetheless, we all need to get the hell out of here. It’s bad enough we have Krull after us, now we have the Carni Nation after us, too.”
“We did what we had to do,” Tommy said indignantly.
“I know, boys, you’re the good guys. I know that much for sure. Regardless, we all need to get the hell out of Dodge.”
“Great” I said. “More running. For being the supposed chosen few, we sure do a lot of running and hiding.”
“Get everybody up, Josiah,” Yari said. “We all need to transition and head to Los Angeles.”
“Why Los Angeles?” I asked.
“I’ve had a place there since the 1940s.”
“Of course you do,” I said sarcastically.
Chapter Seventeen
I got Hector and Wyatt up and then walked down the hallway to my room. Lena was still asleep in my bed. I walked into my bedroom and sat in my computer chair next to my desk. I closed my eyes and just took a moment for myself. I haven’t had too many of these moments in the last few days.
Lena laid in my bed peacefully and had no idea what Tommy and I had just been through last night. As far as I was concerned, I wanted to keep her as far away as possible from that world. I knew I couldn’t. In the end, she was in this as deep as I was. She was willing to do whatever it took to help the cause. Would I be able to protect her? Or was it both our fates to become martyrs? I didn’t know. All I knew was that I was staring at the most beautiful woman I had ever seen sleeping in my bed like a princess from a fairytale. I just wasn’t sure if this fairytale had a happy ending. All I knew was that I would die trying. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to fight for the Mani people as a whole, but I was certain I was ready to lay my life down for her.
I calmly walked over to her. “Lena, sweetie,” I whispered. “We need to leave.”
Lena opened her eyes. “I’m nobody’s sweetie,” she said with a smile.
“You know what I mean.”
She sat up and stretched. “Are you okay, Josiah?”
“Yeah, I’m okay, but some crap went down at the cabin.”
“What happened?”
“Some of Tommy’s old werewolf buddies from the other night came looking for me. Or maybe, they came looking for him? Maybe they were following a smell? We weren’t quite sure. We ended up killing or injuring all of them.”
“Are the two of you okay?”
“We’re both fine. We were able to isolate them. They didn’t have a chance.”
Lena brushed back my hair. “You’re a tough son-of-a-bitch, aren’t you?” She looked at me in a way she never had before. She had looked at me lovingly before, but this was different. She seemed to be looking at me with a different kind of energy. I could feel her sexual attraction toward me. It was the first time I had ever felt that coming from her. I just had my first erection as a Mani.
This wasn’t the time or place, so I decided to talk about what I came to her room to talk to her about. “Yari thinks we just started an all-out Carni/Mani war. She thinks all of us need to leave.”
“Where are we going to go?”
“Some place in Los Angeles. Yari apparently has a place.”
“In Los Angeles?” Lena asked, surprised.
“She’s a woman with many secrets.”
“Do you trust her?”
That was a weird question for Lena to ask. Especially, since she had been living with her the last 72 hours.
“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?”
Lena looked at me for a moment and didn’t say anything.
“Is there something I need to know? Why wouldn’t I trust her? She saved my life and Tommy’s, too.”
Lena nodded. “You’re right,” she said.
“Do you know something?” I asked.
Lena shook her head.
“We can’t afford to second guess each other right now. The six of us is all we have.”
“You’re right, Josiah.” Lena smiled.
I took her hand. “When all of this is over, you and I are going to be all right. I know it in my heart.” I leaned in and hugged her. I closed my eyes and just took her in.
After a moment, Lena asked, “Are we leaving right now?”
“It looks that way.”
“It’s daytime. We are going to have transition if we are going to Los Angeles.”
“I know. Tommy is going to drive separately. Put your things in my truck and Tommy will take them down.”
“All right, I’m going to take a shower.”
“Okay.” I got up and headed back to the kitchen. Tommy, Yari, Hector and Wyatt were all in the kitchen talking.
“Lena is taking a shower,” I said to the group.
“And you didn’t join her?” Yari said with a smirk.
“No, I didn’t.” I replied with as little sense of humor as I had ever displayed in my life. “When she’s finished, we can all leave.”
“I’ll bring the truck up later today,” Tommy said as he got up and went into the living room.
“Why later?” I asked.
“Cause I want to sleep.” Tommy said laying on the couch and closing his eyes.
“You can sleep at Yari’s place.”
“Are you really going to make a big deal about this, Josiah?”
“I just want everyone to be safe.”
“I am a big boy, Josiah. I am going to be all right.”
“Fine, Tom. Do it your way.” It must had been bugging Tommy to death that I was calling the shots. I’d let him have this one.
I packed a suitcase and put it in my truck. Tommy got the directions from Yari. Soon after, the five Mani all transitioned into our bird forms and headed to Los Angeles. We flew as a group. I flew higher than the rest to be less visible. I didn’t feel like making the morning news. A white eagle sighting might cause traffic accidents. We made our way over Orange County and I could see Angel Stadium and Disneyland.
I looked down below me and Yari and Lena were flying next to one another. Yari’s feathers were a dark red with streaks of orange—the color of fire, while Lena’s feathers looked like the rocks from Sedona, Arizona--a pretty reddish-orange color that had streaks of black in it.
As we passed over Orange County, we made our way to Los Angeles. Yari flew ahead of us and squawked loudly—her famous squawk. I looked down and saw the Los Angeles skyline. It wasn’t like New York City’s skyline, but it wasn’t too shabby.
I was extremely cautious now that we were in the big city to not to be seen from the ground. Yari circled over us and motioned with her wings for us to fly down and land by the giant Hollywood sign. The five of us glided past Griffith Park and landed right in front of the giant letters. None of us transitioned because the sun would fry us like bacon. She apparently needed to rest. She squawked and aimed her beak north.
After we rested, Yari flew up again and we followed her, making our way toward West Hollywood. Yari squawked a final time and flew down for us to follow her into a nice gated townhouse community. Yari scanned the ground to make sure no Tandra were outside. When the coast was clear, we all headed down with her and landed. Yari quickly transitioned to her Mani form and turned over the doormat in front of a white and brown home. She grabbed a key that was under the mat and opened the door quickly so she wouldn’t get burned by the sunlight. We all went in the front door and transitioned alongside her.
“It’s just three rooms,” Yari said. “So we will have to double up.”
&nbs
p; “Hector and I don’t need a room. We barely sleep,” Wyatt said. “The living room will be fine for us.”
“I can barely keep my eyes open,” I commented. “I’m going to crash in the room with the biggest bed.”
“That would be mine,” Yari said. “It’s a California king.”
“Then I’ll take the one with the second biggest bed.”
“It’s okay, Josiah. You can sleep in my room.”
Lena’s eyes shot across the room. She was apparently not okay with me sleeping in Yari’s bed.
“No, I’ll be okay. Just give me any room that has a bed.”
“The guest room in the back has a queen,” Yari answered.
“That will be fine.” I headed to the back of the townhouse. I called out, “Wake me up when Tommy gets here.”
I entered the guest room. It was a very interesting room. Apparently, Broadway musicals from the 1980s were the theme to this room. Giant posters of Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and Miss Saigon wallpapered the room. I wasn’t a show tunes kind of guy but, interestingly enough, Tommy was.
There was a lock on the door, so I decided to lock myself in. I hadn’t rested or slept in more than 36 hours, I really could use some sleep.
I looked at the clock. It was 11:00 am. Tommy should get here in a few hours. I closed my eyes and laid there for about 45 minutes and then heard a knock at my door.
“Is Tommy here?” I yelled out.
No one responded. Instead I heard another light knock.
“Sheesh,” I got up and went to the door and opened it. “Is Tommy—” It was Lena.
“Hey there,” I said. “Are you okay?”
“You want company? I’m not exactly Miss Popularity with these people.”
“Sure, come in.”
Lena entered the door and locked it behind her.
“Wow, you really don’t want to socialize with them,” I said laughing at the fact she locked the door.
“I’ve spent the last three days with those people. I need a break. Wyatt is weird and Hector is just plain creepy. And if I didn’t know any better, I’d think Yari is watching me when I sleep and imagines putting a silver stake through my heart.”
“Was it that bad?” I sat on my bed. Lena stayed standing. “Have a seat.” Lena sat at the end of my bed. I propped myself up so my back was leaning up against the head board.
“So, what happened with Tommy?” Did your little experiment go the way you wanted?” Lena laid her entire body across the end of the bed. She was so tiny that she almost didn’t have her feet hanging off the width of the queen size bed.
“It actually went really well, we really connected. To what extent I don’t know yet.”
“That’s great.” Lena seemed uncomfortable.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“This whole thing is nuts. I don’t even know what we’re running from. It’s becoming overwhelming.”
I looked straight ahead and nodded. “If I wanted to,” I said, “I could spend all day tripping out about all of this shit. But I can’t do that anymore. At some point, you have to accept that your life as you knew it is completely over. And now you need to make the most out of your new one.”
Lena reached her hand out to me.
I took her hand and held it. “You’re going to have to just let everything go, otherwise you will make yourself crazy. Everything that we have ever been taught is wrong. Our reality is what and how we are living today. We’re both 20 years old and have been given the keys to this world.”
“Have we?” Lena asked. “Have we been given the keys? Or did someone throw us in a cage and throw the keys away?”
“We have been given the truth, or at least what the truth is for us. People run around all their lives clinging on faith and hope. They never truly know if what they believe in is their true calling. They won’t know till they die. Not us. We get to live in our faith. We get to defend it.”
“I can’t believe you’re the same guy who questioned everything two months ago.”
“Well, turning into a vampire and needing those skills to save your life three times would make anyone a believer. I have to embrace all of this. It’s all I can do now. Otherwise, I’m fighting who I really am.”
Lena crawled over and laid down next to me. I put my arm around her back and she put her arm around my waist. We both let out a sigh at the exact same moment.
“I feel safe with you.” Lena tightened her grip around my waist. “I feel safer with you than anyone in my entire life.”
“Even Atticai?”
“Especially him.”
“Really?”
“I was always unsure of what he was doing. I thought I loved him, but in the end I think that was why I cared about him. The mystery.”
“I get it. You spend all your time trying to figure a person out. Before you know it, you find yourself having intense feelings and you’re never quite sure when it started happening.” In a way, I was referring to Lena. My uncertainty had led me to a place in my heart I never knew existed.
Lena adjusted her head so her face was at the same level as mine. My heart was beating very fast. This was the most intimacy we had ever shared. I looked deep into her eyes. My feelings for her were so intense. I didn’t know for sure what she truly felt about me and that was killing me inside.
“Josiah,” Lena paused.
“Yeah,” I said.
“Are you going to leave me?”
I took a deep breath. “Why would you ask that?”
“I need to know. When this is all over, do you plan on going away?”
“Lena, I will always be here for you.”
“Always?”
“Always,” I said.
“I believe you.”
“What are you afraid of?” I asked.
“You’re all I have, Josiah. I have no true friends, no more family.”
I nodded my head at her. “Lena,” I said, “we are forever bonded.”
“Is that all it is? A bond?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Are we only bonded by this experience?”
I calmly looked at her. “No, Lena. We’re not. I feel bonded with you by something way more powerful.”
“You do?”
“Yeah.”
“So do I,” she said.
We were quiet. We had an amazing way of opening up to one another and then shutting down when it reached a certain point. Fuck it! I wasn’t letting it shut down this time. “You are becoming my world.”
“What about Yari?”
“I needed Yari and she needed me.”
Lena paused. “Why did you need her?”
“I needed her because she led me to you.”
We just stared at one another with a new kind of energy. It built up slowly and just held in the air like a bubble waiting to pop.
Lena leaned in and put her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight.
“I might be falling for you, Josiah.” Lena looked up at me with tears in her eyes. I took my hand and gently wiped her eyes. I already knew I had fallen for her.
Chapter Eighteen
We had both fallen asleep and Lena’s head was still on my chest. As I slept, I could feel Lena gently touching me. She was touching my chest, my stomach, and my legs. It was like being brushed by an angel. This lasted for hours. I was going in and out of sleep each time feeling Lena’s touch. I’m not sure if she ever slept.
I looked at the clock on the dresser, it read 5:00 p.m. Tommy must have shown up by now. I didn’t want to leave the room. Lena was still gently rubbing my abdomen. I leaned up.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m great,” I said.
“Josiah,” Lena said
“Yes.”
“Why haven’t you kissed me?”
I paused. I really didn’t have an answer.
“Do you want to kiss me?” Lena asked
“Very much so,” I whispe
red.
“Okay, then.” Lena smiled.
This was it. My heart was pounding. I turned my head, and leaned into her face. In the dark she looked like a pixie with her short black hair. I very gently slipped my head closer to her mouth and softly kissed her lips. As our lips touched, I was overwhelmed by my senses. Every touch, every smell, seemed magnified. I took my right hand and placed it on the back of her head. She aggressively leaned forward, pinning me to my back. She was taking control and I was letting her do it.
She lay on top of me, kissing my face, my neck, and my lips. I could feel the fire burning from inside her. It was as if a tiger had been let out of her cage.
“Can I bite you?” she asked.
“Do whatever you want,” I whispered back.
Lena kissed the top of my forehead softly and made her way down kissing me inch by inch until reaching my neck. I was in complete ecstasy. She kissed my neck passionately. With each kiss, she tightened her lips more and more. Her kisses turned into nibbles and her nibbles turned into bites. She bit down and I let her. It was me giving myself back to her. She had trusted me and now I trusted her. The pain felt delightful. I wasn’t even sure what flowed through my veins now that I was a vampire. Whatever it was ignited her with passion. My entire body began to quiver. I was in complete submission to this woman. She had me; she had every inch of me. And I loved every second of it.
I had secretly longed for this moment for months. I never imagined that she’d be this daring, this adventurous. She stopped biting me and her mouth made its way back to my lips. My fluid was dripping from her mouth. I could feel whatever it was dripping on my chin. She then went back to kissing my mouth. I could taste my Mani blood inside her mouth. This was the hottest thing I’d ever experienced.
We continued kissing. I was very mindful to allow her to control the pace. Every now and then I would take a little bit of control and then release it back to her. Each time I had control, I held her tighter. I loved her deeper. Finally, I pulled her tightly to me. I gently flipped her over so now I was on top of her.
I kissed her chin, her cheek, her forehead. As she laid on her back, I kissed her neck and the top of her collarbone.