by Kate Wendley
“Awesome. I’m the only shifter ever who couldn’t shift.”
“I assure you I think no less of you for your struggles. I’ve had enough of my own troubles as a vampire to appreciate the situation you’re in this evening.”
Vince shivered as he tried his best to stay still through the cramps in his stomach. More blankets were thankfully pulled up over him to help keep him warm.
“Is any of the pain you feel normal?”
His teeth started clacking he was so cold, and it felt like heaven when the air suddenly warmed around him. “I’ve had bad full moon nights, but this is the worst.”
His head was a mess, but he recognized the rising tide in his stomach. He popped to his knees and dry heaved as his skin itched and his body spasmed. When he wasn’t sure if it was over or not, he gasped out, “Tell me what your troubles were.”
“My troubles?”
“As a vampire. Tell me. Distract me because this fucking hurts.”
The only sound for a time was Vince’s occasional dry heaving, but Anthony did finally start talking.
“My father found me as a human living in the countryside near Rochester, New York. I was thirty three years old by then and had grown up thinking he’d died before I was even born. I knew nothing of vampires and shifters and the supernatural world, but to find I had family after living alone for so many years… It was different back then. The large cities were far away and hard to get to, and the rural towns… I didn’t prefer the people in the town closest to me, so I was alone besides the animals on my small farm. Meeting my father for the first time, well, I made up my mind to do anything to join him. Even become vampire.”
Vince’s dry heaves were getting a little easier to bear, so he laid on his side and let Anthony settle the blankets on top of him again. His breath fogged in the cool night air when he wheezed out, “Keep going.”
It was weird to see that the air only fogged around Anthony when he spoke. Otherwise he wasn’t breathing.
He settled back in the grass next to him, though he looked out into the night instead of directly at Vince. “Father traveled back home to Atlanta on his own where he had a much smaller version of the family we have here today. I sold my farm and made my way here with his most trusted friends. Two wolves. Jonathan and Olivia. When we finally arrived it was daytime, so my father was still asleep. The current Alpha Wolf quickly made it known he barely tolerated my father’s existence, and only because he provided and managed all the finances for the family. He had no intention of allowing him to turn me vampire, or allow any other vampires into a home filled with shifters. So, the house was divided. I wasn’t prepared for that type of greeting, nor was I prepared to see the alpha challenged and killed in front of my eyes. That was my introduction to my new life.”
“Jesus.”
“Shocking. Yes. But there was order to the madness. It was the natural rite of succession for alphas back then, especially when the elder alpha felt his time had come. It was honorable to go out fighting, and it was always to the death.”
Vince shivered and pulled the blankets closer.
“Shall I make the air warmer for you?”
“You can do that?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah man. That’d be good.” His muscles spasmed and he did his best to grit his teeth and bear it. He gasped as pains racked his body, even worse than before, and his skin itched like ants were crawling all over him. To his surprise, the air got even warmer, but his shakes didn’t get any better. “Keep going.”
“Warmer?”
Anthony’s eyes were already glowing a bit. He wondered how much brighter they could get.
“Your story.”
He nodded and leaned back on his hands, looking completely comfortable in the chill night air.
“My father had never turned anyone vampire before, so it was a leap of faith on my part that it would work. Even if it didn’t, I’d already given up my old life so there was no going back. When the time came, though, I was terrified. He’d begun drinking my blood so it was too late for me to back out, but it didn’t stop me from trying. The rest of the night was a blur of pain and in and out of consciousness. It wasn’t until the next night that my real struggles began, though.”
Vince started panting way too fast for some reason. He looked up at the fat, full moon hanging heavy in the sky, and its pull was strong, but it wasn’t doing any good. He had muscle cramps, dry heaves and a killer headache, but still no cat. “More.”
Anthony sighed and a plume of foggy air appeared. “May I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“You’re friends with Kaia, correct?”
“Yeah.” He quickly amended, “Friends. Nothing more.”
Anthony flicked a look at him, then nodded once. “Her transition will take time. Turning her is just the beginning. Once she wakes as a vampire, she’ll need all the help she can get to keep calm and focused as she learns control over her new form. It’ll take an extraordinary amount of effort and willpower on her part to not feel rather insane during the process. Having friends around would help.”
“You want me to hang out with her after she turns?”
“Yes. Please.”
He laid back and closed his eyes. “Sure, no problem man. Now on with your story.” He wasn’t positive, but he thought he felt an ease of tension in the air. Anthony was definitely stressed about Kaia.
“Very well. The first night I woke as vampire, I wasn’t myself. I thought of nothing but sating my thirst, a thirst more intense than anything I’d ever known or even knew was possible to feel. And Olivia… she was the only woman in the room, and once I’d had my first taste of blood from a shifter, all my senses woke. All my desires woke to a maddening degree. It was only by a shaky force of will that I refrained from… taking her. My father immediately slammed me to the ground once I’d let the poor woman go.”
“Shit man. Did you hurt her?”
“I didn’t physically hurt her, no. The possibility had been very real, though.”
“Then what?”
“Then, all the women were told to get out of the house. We also realized the shifters were no match for my newfound strength. I was immediately feared and the stigma of being one to watch out for has never gone away, even to this day.”
“Yeah, but you’re the Master of Atlanta. Shouldn’t people fear you?”
“I wasn’t always the Master. My father was back then. But yes, I’m powerful. I’m also a person, and the less I’m treated like one, the more I blindly drift towards being… inhuman. Kaia helps keep me from that.”
“So it’s super important that Kaia gets through her transition ok. I mean, not just for her own sake.”
Anthony finally looked squarely at him and said, “Yes. I need her too.”
Vince nodded and curled into a ball as his stomach cramped again, and the night wore on with more of the same. “Tell me more. It helps keep me distracted from the fact that I’m not a real shifter.”
Anthony sighed. “We’ll continue to work on that. And I assure you, you’re a shifter. I can feel it. You’re just missing something. I can’t put my finger on what it is, though.”
He waved it away, then noticed how disturbed Anthony seemed at his own comment.
They quit talking about Vince’s problems and passed the time with Anthony telling stories about the old days, back when he was still learning how to be vampire. Vince would’ve thought he’d leave out the embarrassing parts, but the way Anthony described things, every good and bad thing that happened was just a part of life for a supernatural, and the family was prepared to deal with it all, even if they didn’t know how. They were there to try.
He wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but when he woke, he was wrapped in blankets and being carried through the forest by Anthony as if he weighed nothing.
He felt delirious again as he tried to tell him to put him down, though he wasn’t sure the words really came out or if he was just thinking it.
Anthony must have gotten the point because he set him on his feet, though he made Vince put his arm over his shoulder so he could support his weight as they walked to his gleaming car. “Nice.” A midnight blue BMW M5 sedan.
“Thank you. But if you need to vomit, will you please tell me so I can pull over?”
He tiredly slurred out, “Sure thing, man.”
Anthony helped him into the front seat, then adjusted the heaters until he was cozy and mostly dozing off again.
The next thing he knew, they were back home in Brookhaven. Anthony helped him to his apartment, but stopped at the front door, a solid wall of energy blocking them.
“What’s that? Are you doing that?”
“In a way. I’m vampire and am blocked from your home without an invitation. You’ll have to go inside and invite me in, if you so choose.”
He sobered up at that. This supernatural stuff was for real. He opened the door, stumbled inside, his limbs feeling too heavy to cooperate properly, and turned back around. “You’re invited in. Is that how I do it?”
Anthony took a cautious step forward. “Yes. It appears that was enough.” Vince’s knees buckled, and Anthony grabbed him up before he hit the floor.
“I believe it’d be best for you to lay down now.”
Vince was so weak by this point, he let Anthony carry him to his room and lay him in bed. He couldn’t even move his arms, so he just blurted out, “Too hot.”
Blankets were pulled away and he grunted as way of thanks. He closed his eyes for a minute when his thoughts got too blurry and his body was nothing but numb from pain and fatigue. Light was struggling to break through his curtains when he next stirred, and by then, Anthony was gone.
Chapter 22
Vince woke to his mother sitting on the bed beside him.
“How are you feeling, honey?”
He grunted, and when she didn’t leave, he said, “I have a fucking headache.”
“Watch your mouth.”
He grunted again, then said, “I need more sleep.”
“You should drink some water. You’ve been sleeping at least since I got home, and it’s three in the afternoon now.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Here, sit up.”
He tried, he really did, but he couldn’t move. “Mom, please. Let me sleep.”
“Come on. Sit up.”
Panic started in his gut when he realized he really couldn’t move. “I can’t. I’m too wiped out.”
She was silent, then got up and left. When he woke up again, she was putting a straw to his mouth. “Drink, honey. Get some water in you.”
He swallowed, though even that was hard work. God he hated full moon nights.
After an excruciating amount of time, she finally left him alone and he drifted back into the black.
It was after nine that night when he finally woke up on his own. He ached everywhere and felt sick to his stomach, but he had to use the bathroom. His head throbbed and he was sweating from the effort it took just to move. His muscles randomly twitched all over, but he was sick of being sick, so he stood up on shaky legs and stumbled out of his room.
His mom was in the living room watching a show with Ed, and immediately muted the volume. “Honey, how are you doing?”
He tried to speak, but even that took too much effort, so he just wandered into the bathroom and shut the door. After relieving himself, he looked in the mirror and would’ve been shocked at his gray complexion and black circles around his eyes if he hadn’t seen it a hundred times before. Still, this time seemed worse.
He sniffed the air and realized that was him that smelled bad. Ugh. He needed a shower, but more than anything he needed to go back to bed.
He opened the door and croaked, “Mom, can you−”
“Food’s ready for you at the table, honey. And some water. Maybe you should take one of these vitamins the doctor prescribed, too.”
He shambled to the kitchen and didn’t miss his mom’s reaction to his less than fresh smell. He clumsily fell into a chair and said, “Thanks. I’m going back to bed after I eat. I’ll shower later.”
“Of course, honey. Can I get you anything else?”
He waved her off and she headed back into the living room, but he looked up when he felt eyes on him. Ed was watching him like he’d never seen a screwed up half jaguar after a full moon where he couldn’t shift before.
“You sure you’re all right, Vince? I could call the doctor. He’d come by right away.”
He growled in irritation, but when Ed’s eyes sparked, he knew he’d stepped a little over the line with him. He looked down at his plate of meatballs and said, “I’m the same as always. You don’t need to call anyone. I just need more sleep. Mom, can you call work for me, though? I can’t go in for another day or two at least.”
“Sure honey. I’ll let them know.”
“Thanks.”
He ate two bites of the meatballs, took the vitamin, and drank a big glass of milk before trudging back to bed.
Chapter 23
It was two thirty the next afternoon before Vince felt even slightly human again. Jesus. Full moon was Saturday night and now it was Monday afternoon. He was still shaky, but he wasn’t sweating with the effort just to stand up, so since he couldn’t stand the smell of himself, a shower was his first priority.
The spray of the water helped wake him up, though he was still getting used to this new place. Everything in this shower was opposite of how their old place was set up, though it was a heck of lot nicer.
He turned the warm water off and toweled dry before scrounging around in the cupboards for his things. His mom got the master suite with a bathroom in her room, so he got the main bathroom that was also for guests, and he kept forgetting exactly where he’d put his stuff. Not that he had a lot… a comb, deodorant, and lotion when he remembered to use it.
He tried not to look too hard at himself in the mirror, but he couldn’t help it. There were still dark circles and bags under his eyes, though they looked better than yesterday. His sickly skin tone had slightly improved, too. Awesome.
A wave of self-disgust washed through him. He was mad and embarrassed that he couldn’t shift since he was supposed to be able to. It made it really hard to pretend that he wasn’t handicapped for real. He kept thinking that maybe he could beat this, and everyone else acted like it, too, saying things like he just hadn’t shifted yet. But it was time to face facts that he was stuck with this defective body for the rest of his life.
That was enough to make him sick to his stomach. What woman would want a relationship with someone like that? And he couldn’t even think about getting someone pregnant with his faulty genes. He wouldn’t pass this hellish existence on to his worst enemy.
He wrapped his towel around himself and carried his dirty clothes with him out of the bathroom. He didn’t see his mom or Ed anywhere, but a note was taped to his door.
‘Honey, I’m out getting groceries with Ed. If you need anything, give me a call. I plugged your phone in since it looked like it needed it. Love you, Mom.’
He smiled despite his crappy mood. She really was the best mom in the world.
Clothes were all over his floor, and he had no idea which ones were dirty or clean and didn’t care right now. He’d been spending so much time with Penny lately he hadn’t kept his room very tidy.
He threw the dirty clothes in his hands on the floor into the pile that looked messier than the others, then found his phone charging on his night stand. Penny had texted him yesterday around noon, so he sent her a text back that he was up and going down to the restaurant soon. She was probably working today, but maybe not. And maybe she wouldn’t be mad at him for being out of commission for the last two days.
He got dressed and headed downstairs, knowing he’d have to tell her the truth soon, but right now he was too exhausted to think about it. He felt too cooped up to stay at home any longer, so he took it slow down all the flights of stairs, still dizzy and tired and s
ore as hell.
**
Vince slumped into a chair in the restaurant, glad to be off his feet. He wondered if all those things he’d tried before full moon, like drinking blood, eating more, and even exercising had made this time worse.
A woman approached his table and sat down across from him.
“You’re Vince, right? I’m Suzanne. The Alpha Coyote.” She put her hand out for him and he shook it just because she offered it. She wore a short sleeve, V-neck shirt with a leather cord necklace around her neck. A dark, polished stone hung from the cord, and he got the feeling it was more than just a pretty trinket. It felt like a hint of magic was in it.
He tore his gaze from the necklace and said, “Nice to meet you Ma’am.”
She smiled as if she found that quaintly charming, which immediately tilted the scales towards not liking her very much.
Acting as if they were already friends, she said with an overly cheerful smile, “So, what are we up to today?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m getting something to eat.”
“I see. And how are you getting along here in Brookhaven?”
Sebastian was suddenly taking a seat next to Vince, his eyes locked on Suzanne. Jade, Sebastian’s girlfriend, sat next to the woman.
Sebastian grumbled, “Is Suzanne bothering you?”
She sat back in her chair with a sour expression. The sweet, condescendingly friendly tone was gone when she said, “Relax, Sebastian. I’ve always been on your side.”
He frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She smiled devilishly. “It means most of your kitchen staff have always been coyote. How do you think that occurred without my blessing? Hmm?”
He frowned harder, then slowly said, “I don’t know.”
They stared each other down, Suzanne’s cocky grin only seeming to make Sebastian all the more irritated. “Why don’t you tell me, then? Why would you let your pack work for me, especially back when Torin still hated me?”
She said, “Who am I to decide who leads a pristine life?”