by Tobi Grim
There was his thumb back on his chin. She had an overwhelming urge to kiss it for some really weird reason she couldn’t put her finger on. But she didn’t. Never mix work and sex. Especially not with someone she was going to be bonded to for the rest of her foreseeable future. Fuck, the thrill and guilt of it all was getting to her.
“To be honest, it was a little hard...” she rested against the front of her car and dug in her bag for her smokes, “But I know I’m doing the right thing. And... Not just avenging Karl. I know that you’re the one. I know... I know that this, our bond, is right. And that... even though it might be hard... it’s also exciting. And I’m so glad it’s you. Despite your shitty haircut.”
Dameon laughed and shook his head. Good. She didn’t want to get all deep and emotional on such a wonderful evening. She had plenty of time to think about Karl, fuck, he popped into her mind all the damn time, but she didn’t want to dampen their night. Dameon deserved that.
“Red, Dameon, wait up!” Lupa looked to see Grey running over to them. Great.
“Hey, Grey,” Dameon half lifted his hand in a wave.
“Hey guys,” Grey stopped near them, panting slightly, “Fuck, you guys got out of their quick, I didn’t even see you.”
Lupa ground out her smoke on the ground and carefully avoided Grey’s eyes. She glanced over to Dameon hoping her wouldn’t notice, but thankfully he was busy looking at Grey.
“Hell yeah we did,” Dameon responded, “slipped out the side door, didn’t we.”
“Fuck, of course you did. Should have expected that from you, hey?” He gave Dameon a friendly punch. “Well, I just thought I’d let you guys know, I overheard that guy that’s come down from Central City saying to the Commander that he was looking forward to meeting up with you again, Little Red, and he was looking forward to meeting and interviewing Dameon too.”
“Shit.” Lupa had thought that she had managed to get out of that one, he hadn’t called since her since that first meeting. Dameon looked about as happy as she did.
“Thank for the heads up, Grey.” She mumbled, but she could feel Grey’s eyes burning into her. Fuck this. “Anyway,” she talked at Greys chest, “Dameon and I are heading off to my place so... Thanks. We’ll see you round.”
Pulling out her keys, Lupa went around to open her car door. Dameon looked to her and nodded, she could see he knew she wanted to get the fuck out of there. And they had planned to go back to hers for a drink or five.
“See ya, man, and thanks.” He slapped Grey on the shoulder and hopped into her shitty car. She breathed a sigh of relief as the engine came to life and she started back for home.
Chapter Six
“We must keep the bloodlines strong…”
Lupa groaned and opened her bleary eyes. Fuck, she felt awful. Rolling over she looked at the time. Ten o’clock. She rubbed her eyes and held her head. How much had they drunk last night? She sat up and looked over to the couch. Dameon wasn’t there he was... ah fuck. In her bed. Had she? No. They hadn’t. But still, she’d never usually let anyone sleep in her bed...
She got up and walked silently to the kitchen, the cool floor felt nice against her bare feet. On the bench three empty vodka bottles stared back at her. “That explains this fucking headache” she mumbled to herself, grabbing a drink of water and looking out the large kitchen window.
Rain again. Lupa could barely see the dirty apartment building across the road. She sipped her water absentmindedly and drifted into her thoughts. They’d had a good night, from what she could remember. Not bothering to go back to his so he could change, they just went straight to her place. She’d gotten out of the formal gear and he’d just stripped off to his pants since he lacked anything comfortable to put on. They had evidently drunk way too much, but she smiled recalling all the dumb shit they’d cackled about. It had been nice to just let loose and enjoy the night with someone she now trusted with her life.
Dameon had opened up to her a bit more about his personal life; his mother had died of an overdose, she’d had strong magickal blood but never went into The Organization because she’d had Dameon when she was only fourteen. He lived with his dad and his sick gran in Slateton, just on the outskirts of Blackwater.
“Fuck me, I feel like shit.”
Lupa startled and turned to see Dameon standing in her bedroom doorway, just in his underwear. He had a tattoo of a bird of prey spreading across his wide chest which she admired even more in the light of the day. Lupa grinned, he looked as bad as she felt. His hair was sticking out in every direction, his skin pale and washed out. She filled another glass with water and pushed it across the bench to him.
“You up for going down to HQ to do some research? Or you wanna leave it for today?”
He sculled water and put the glass down with a thunk. Combing his fingers through his hair he scanned her messy lounge room, finding his pants and pulling them on. “Yeah... but think we could go back to mine first? Can't bear to keep wearing that horrible suit. Gotta check on Gran too, Dad will be at work by now. She doesn’t like being alone for too long really.”
“Sounds good, I’ll have a quick shower and we can get going.”
Lupa hurried her shower, despite feeling like she could have sat on the bottom and daydreamed the rest of the morning away. Dressing in black jeans and tight black shirt, she was starting to feel a little nervous, she hadn’t been to Dameon’s place yet. Would he want her to come in and meet the grandmother he adored and respected, or would he want her to wait in the car?
Lupa wandered back into the kitchen just as her phone started ringing. Dameon was sitting casually on her couch and fished under a cushion to find the ringing phone, handing it over as she reached him.
“Hello?”
“Miss Greenstone, its Darwin, how are you?”
Fuck. She had foolishly thought it might be a few more days before he contacted her, she’d hoped her and Dameon would have been able to get a case so she could be ‘too busy’ to meet up with him. No such fucking luck.
“Fine thank you, sir, and yourself?”
Dameon sat up a little straighter, realising who was calling her. He watched her as she flapped her hands around mimicking a duck yabbering on.
“Yes, sir, that will be fine.... ok... see you then.” She snapped her cell shut. “Fucker! He’s got me having dinner with him tomorrow night.”
“Is it formal?” Dameon asked, a touch of concern in his voice.
“He made sure to try make it sound like a friendly catch up, but I’m positive he’s got more probing to do, he’ll try be my ‘friend’ so he can try get... I dunno, something out of me. Bastard.” She threw her phone in her bag and pulled her keys out. “Shall we get to yours then?”
He nodded, picking his jacket and tie up off the table and stuffing his feet into his shiny formal shoes. He stepped in front of her and opened the door. Right. He would be doing this for her now. Another piece of Karl slipping away from her.
⃝
Lupa stood nervously in the spotless lounge room of Dameon’s family’s townhouse while he went to go get showered and changed. They may have lived in a shitty part of town, but Dameon’s grandmother clearly wanted it to feel like a ‘real’ home. It made Lupa uncomfortable. Whilst Slasher had been a wonderful guardian, her house was never very homely. She didn’t put much importance on such things… Lupa began to wonder if she should have just waited in the car instead.
“Hello?” A voice greeted from behind her.
She turned to see a crumpled, old woman standing in the doorway. Her grey hair was so long it almost touched the floor. She wore a soft grey dress and a dark brown shawl over her hunched shoulders.
“Um, hello. I’m Little Red, I’m here with Dameon.”
“Ah, of course, his Hunter. The one he made the blade for. Why, you are a pretty little thing aren’t you? He never mentioned that.”
The old woman winked at her and slowly made her way to the flower printed arm chair. Lupa switched her w
eight from leg to leg, unsure if she should help the elderly woman or if she should let her do it in her own time. How did people treat elderly family members?
“My name is Marietta,” the old woman said, lowering herself slowly into the chair, “But you can call me Gran. Everybody does, dear, and I like it that way. Sit down would you? You’re making me nervous now. And you can’t make old people nervous, dear, they can die at the drop of a hat.”
Lupa grinned, perching on the matching couch. She watched with interest as Dameon’s gran pulled out a cigar and a box of wooden matches. Her wrinkled and bent fingers shaking slightly as she lit it.
“Hand me that ashtray, would you, dear?” she pointed to the spotless glass ashtray on the arm of the couch. Lupa passed it over then sat back down. “So,” the old woman puffed her cigar and closed one eye, “How are you finding my grandson? Is he being a gentleman?”
“He’s great. I’m lucky to have him.” Lupa replied dubiously.
Fuck, this felt like meeting the parents of a boyfriend. Well, she supposed it did, she had never had a boyfriend, let alone a meet and greet with the parents. In fact, she’d never fucked someone long enough for them to try the boyfriend act on her. She nervously played with the fraying knee on her jeans as the woman watched her.
“He is pretty great. But then I may be a little bias. He’s a lot like his mother, bless her soul, I thought he may never partner up with a Hunter. But he has! And it’s you. And I can feel your strength from here, my, what strong blood you must have. Have a smoke if you like, dear, I don’t mind.”
Lupa smiled and pulled out her squashed packet and lit a smoke, cupping her hand under the end so as not to ash on the clean floor.
“Dameon tells me your parents are both deceased,” she continued, “must be a hard thing to lose them both. Dameon struggled deeply with the loss of his mother, he was only a young boy, and to lose a mother in such a horrific way... well, dear, I’m sure you understand. He has grown into a fine young man, despite the struggle of loss deep within him. Do you remember your parents?”
“Um...” she took a drag of her smoke and avoided Marietta’s eyes, “Not really. I was only four. I have a vague memory of my mother’s black hair. And my father’s... not really. I think most of what I remember is just what I’ve made up in my mind. I once thought I remembered living in a cave, but... I don’t think that really happened. But Slasher, she practically adopted me, she’s been all the mother I have ever needed. I have no real interest in where I came from biologically, I don’t need to…”
“Ah yes, Blood Slayer’s daughter. My, she has become a fine woman. And raised a fine young woman like yourself. Tell me, dear, does having the werewolf blood in your veins hinder or help you with your chosen path?”
Lupa half smiled, some of the old people still called wolfbloods ‘werewolves’ sometimes, like from the old legends. It wasn’t until The Organization came out publicly that they spread the word that they did not, in fact, need to look like wolves or even transform at all. They called them wolfbloods because it was actually their blood that was the thing that made the difference, their foul, somehow magickal blood, which made them stronger. A lot of the old legends thought that werewolves only transformed with the full moon, but there was no evidence that the moon had any effect on the creature’s power at all. Quite the opposite actually, a witch’s power was slightly magnified by the full moon. That is where the legend originated from as far as The Organization taught; the Hunters would go out on a full moon to kill, and that’s why it was probably rumoured that the full moon made a difference to the wolfbloods, and night to bloodsuckers. But things had changed a lot since then.
“Well... it helps mostly.” Lupa replied slowly, “Mine and Dameon’s connection won’t be lost if a wolfblood transforms around us, unlike the other partners. But it can be a hindrance if I need to work with other people, a lot of Hunters don’t trust me. They think I could turn on them... it used to get to me when I was younger, but I don’t care anymore, I prefer to work alone-well just with my Protector anyway…” She snapped her mouth shut. How was this old woman making her feel like she could pour out all of her troubles to her, she was just a damn stranger after all.
“Gran, what are you doing?” Dameon came in, pulling his heavy metal shirt on as he did. “Sorry, Little Red, has she been grilling you?”
“It’s ok, your Gran is lovely,” she smiled up at him as Dameon walked passed, leaning down and kissing the wrinkled old woman’s head.
“How you feeling Gran?” he asked as he crouched next to her and took one of her withered brown hands in his.
“I’m fine, boy, stop fussing, you’ll embarrass me in front of my new friend,” she winked.
Lupa grinned, something about the old woman was just really likeable. Lupa felt as though she could become great friends with this woman, despite the fact that she never really had any friends.
“Ok, ok, well, we have to go and do some work, you’ll call me if you need, won’t you?”
“Yes, yes, child. But you, Little Red, you must promise to come around for dinner on Friday.”
Dameon looked to her with an expectant smile on his face. Lupa guessed he must be happy for her to accept. So she did with a small smile on her face. They got up to leave and she felt an urge to also kiss the old woman on the head too. Not that she would. That would just be… awkward.
“Thank you... Gran... I’ll see you again on Friday.” They left the grinning old woman and walked out to Lupa’s car. “I like her,” Lupa nodded, “she seems very kind. And very proud of you.”
“Yeah she is,” Dameon laughed, colouring slightly, “Hope she didn’t make you too uncomfortable. She don’t mess around when she starts asking someone questions.”
They climbed into her car. “No, she doesn’t. But... I didn’t mind funnily enough.”
He nodded and leaned down to tie his shoe lace as Lupa turned the car around to head towards HQ. The neighbourhood looked just as dilapidated as hers, two dirty street kids, threw a can at her car as they drove past. Yep, this was the part of Black City she knew and loved. It may have been a hard life, and the people mostly poor, dirty and depraved, but what you saw was what you got. She didn’t look forward to heading into Ebonyroads the following evening. Where the realities of life didn’t seem to touch the people…
⃝
“I dunno, Little Red,” Dameon said, leaning back on his chair as they sat in the headquarters’ library, “These reports this Hammer guy gave to the Commander about the nest seem pretty wishy washy. I wouldn’t have gone into it if this was all the information I had gotten. And if the Commander got involved... I just can’t see why she would from this. It just don’t make any sense, y’know?”
Lupa agreed. They had been looking through the files that Hammer, the drug dealing thug of Blackwater, had given to Slasher as ‘proof’ that there was a nest from the night Karl had died. The so called proof was limited. Lupa certainly wouldn’t have believed only the word of Hammer, shit, if this was all she’d been told she wouldn’t even believe there was a nest. Obviously there had been, but there didn’t seem to be much of an explanation as to how he knew there was. Hammer claimed he had overheard two of his wolfblood customers discussing it, but that seemed highly unlikely. Wolfbloods were usually careful, unless they were boasting, but there was nothing like that mentioned. And it was unlikely they would boast to someone who might not want them around, screwing with his business and shit.
“I think we may have to go talk with him,” Lupa responded, frowning at the small pile of papers in front of her, “You’re right, it doesn’t seem like enough for Slasher to go get involved in. I’ll have to ask her a bit more about it. Maybe something is missing from the file... she wouldn’t go on a raid with just this, that’s for sure. I didn’t even think about asking on the night... or after... But we probably should.”
She sighed and packed the papers back up. There wasn’t even much of file for Hammer, not even a birth c
ertificate. He’d allegedly grown up in Black City, moving to Sloe aka Blackwater when he was ten, and was now running a ‘wholesale’ business. The Organization didn’t care about who was selling or buying drugs, no one really did any more as the police were practically non-existent, but they still only alluded to it in their case files. It didn’t take much guess work to figure it out.
“Did you want to go see if she’s busy now?” Dameon asked with an eyebrow raised.
“May as well. Wouldn’t mind seeing if there’s any small cases for us to do either if you’re keen? Not with anyone else, just one we can handle. Get us in the groove of our… bond. Get us actually out there and fucking shit up, not just fighting Organization members.”
“You betcha,” he said with an excited smile.
They packed away the files and gave them to the Keeper at the desk, then headed for the elevator to go back up to ground level. The lift doors opened and another couple stepped out, the Hunter giving both of them a long look up and down before snickering as they walked off.
“Fuck you,” Lupa shot at the Hunter’s back.
“Didn’t know you were into girls too, Little Red, or have you just fucked every man in Black City already?” the girl laughed, her blonde hair swinging around her as she turned behind a bookshelf.
“Bitch,” Lupa mumbled as she punched the button to go up.
“Friend of yours?” Dameon asked, grinning down at her.
“You got the eyes of a hawk, hey?” She shoved him playfully with her shoulder.
They left the elevator and made their way down to the offices at the end of the hall. That Monday the office was much busier than when she had come to talk to Darwin. The desk lady grinned up at her with horrid red lipstick smeared across her lips and teeth, her dull brown hair was tied in a tight bun at the back of her head. Lupa guessed she had once been a very pretty girl, but life had beat her down and it had taken a toll on her. Never the less, she was usually friendly enough.