THE VROL TRILOGY

by SK Benton

  "Oh man, are you serious? I had no idea. I thought I was stuck in the friend zone back then."

  "Oh you were, sweetie. That doesn't mean I didn't have stuff swirling around in my head," she said, giggling softly.

  Their daughter was nearly passed out, sitting on a couch near the club entrance, surprisingly cuddled up between Cassandra and Minnie, who had seemed to take on caregiver roles for the little girl.

  "Love, we should take Lili to bed. Those cat people kinda give me the creeps."

  Max laughed, and decided to not tell his wife all of the things that nekos enjoyed, such as cleaning laundry with their tongues, prostitution and incest. Walking over to get the girl, he noticed that the neko sisters were actually purring, and quite loudly. He had never considered that having felid genes would enable purring, as many ancient cats, especially the large ones, didn't purr at all.

  "Heya, Cassandra. Thanks for letting Liliana hang out here with you. It's been a long day for her," Max said gratefully as he picked his daughter up.

  "Ish fines, Max Gunniesman. She ish good kitten… erm… puppeh. We friendsh nows," responded the odd, furry girl.

  "Especially now that she knows not to chase them around, right?" Jennie joked under her breath while walking away, as Max followed, carrying the little girl in his arms.

  They said little goodbyes to Max's friends, especially to the Dons, Jessica and Pandy. Entering into the newly refurbished building they encountered Michael at the entrance to the stairwell.

  "It appears that my granddaughter has depleted her resources."

  "Yup, appears so. You plan on sticking around and being a grandfather?" asked Max.

  "If you mean babysitting her, no. But if you mean assisting you in the fight for your world and assisting with her, and your education, then yes. Max, I cannot undo the past 25 years, and I have many things to take care of, but I do promise you that I will play an active role in the lives of some pretty incredible humans."

  "Well, I'm not quite human now, am I?"

  "No, my son, you are not. You are so much more. Oh, may I ask, how are your parents? Charles and Claire?"

  "Charles died a few years ago, but not before seeing me acquire my PhD. Mom's still alive, though. I'd like to go get her off Azul when we get back, with Draagh's help, of course. I have no plans on doing anything beyond a simple 3D slip without further instruction." Max looked at his beautiful wife and then down at his daughter, cradled in his arms. "Yeah, definitely not going anywhere without these two from now on."

  Michael held his arms out to Max while asking, "Max, may I carry her for you? We have a special room for her next to yours. Let me show you where it is. I believe you'll appreciate how we constructed it. You see, you can see and hear her, but she cannot see nor hear you - well, not much. It was created for your… privacy."

  "Oh my god! Why does everyone think we're going to get it on right away! It's like a voyeur freakfest!" yelped Jennie.

  "Love, I think we could use a bit of privacy," Max said, winking at her.

  "Yeah, but it's all about keeping a low profile, silly."

  The main suite wasn't only a large room. It had a salon, a kitchen, a main sleeping chamber and two other bedrooms. Liliana was gently placed in one of the side rooms by her grandfather, who then exited and looked around in the main living area.

  "Do you have any intentions of returning to this plane, Max?" asked the archangel.

  "I don't know. If there is a need, but I don't see one. I may come back to say hi every now and then, why?"

  "I was thinking… this is such a nice room, you may want to reserve it for yourself."

  "How about we leave it for family, then?" asked Jennie, as she walked over to the balcony and looked down at the crowd.

  "Looks like Gabriel likes it here," said Max.

  "Yes, he is developing a bond with the lycan female," noted Michael.

  "He's an archangel, why would he like a human?" asked Jennie.

  "I fell in love with Max's mother, so it's not totally unusual," he responded.

  "Oh come on, seriously? You fell in love with my mother? Then why did you hook her up with Charles Gunnarsson?" Max asked with an incredulous tone.

  Max, I am truly sorry, but as time goes on you will see and understand the responsibilities that have been placed up our kind," responded Michael, as he gestured towards Max.

  "Our kind? What do you mean, our kind? I'm just a lycan - and a mage. That's it."

  "No, my son. You are much, much more. There is a hierarchy to the bloodline, and I will explain it to you tomorrow, but for now let us rest. It has been a long day - for us all."

  Chapter 22 - Revelation

  Max woke up at daybreak, thanks to the morning's first light entering into his room. Opening his eyes, he looked at his wife's beautiful sleeping face, as the sun peeked through her tussled dark hair via their east-side window. He gently pulled the bedsheets away from her voluptuous body, fully exposing her nude figure, just so he could stare in amazement.

  Wow, I'm the luckiest guy in the galaxy.

  Jennie was beyond beautiful - beyond hot. She was as close to perfection as one could get without being an immortal goddess.

  She made an unconscious, pouty face and pursed her lips, stretched a bit and rolled over, pulling the sheets back over her copper skin, so Max took that as a cue to get the day started.

  Sliding out of bed, he yawned as he clumsily stumbled over to the bathroom, where he cleaned up before getting dressed. Going to the newly created kitchen, he prepared some yerba mate for Jennie, waking her up with a hot gourd full of their traditional drink.

  "Morning, gorgeous. Did you sleep well?" he asked.

  Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she looked up at her husband with what one could almost describe as a look of relief.

  "Yeah, baby. Best sleep in six months. I had a dream that I found you and you never went away again. We traveled together all over and Lili even went to college on Azul. Just don't ever do stupid shit again, ok? You're too hyper, Max."

  "I promise, hun. I'll never, ever leave again. You never know what'll happen tomorrow, but I do know this – I'm never going to pass another day for the rest of my life without giving you a kiss."

  Max leaned over and gently placed his lips against hers, their softness enveloping him and drawing him into her soul. She truly was his mate for life, and now that they were reunited they could finally have the wedding that he had so desperately wanted to give her.

  "Hey, let's get Lili up…"

  "No," she whispered, putting her finger to his lips, "not yet."

  Jennie jumped up and ran to the bathroom, where she brushed her teeth and did a quick cleanup. She then turned around and raced back to their bed, playfully tackling her husband. Pushing him onto his back, she straddled him and started to run her hands over his chest as she moved her hips back and forth, a giant smile covering her face.

  Max returned her smile, saying, "Again, love? We must've done it for over two hours last night."

  "Baby, we have six months of catching up to do."

  She let out a small giggle and reached back behind her curvaceous posterior, gently fondling him. When she was satisfied he was up to par (after about five seconds) she gave her husband a devious grin and slid down his legs, taking his pants along for the ride. She then climbed back up onto him and took a deep breath. Having him firmly in her grasp, she gently settled onto her husband, letting out a small sigh, her eyes rolling back a bit.

  "No foreplay, baby? That's unusual," he softly said.

  Jennie just smiled as she filled herself with the man of her life, then fell forward into a wet, good morning kiss.

  "Sos un boludo, pero te quiero más que nunca."

  ###

  Dons and Pandy stumbled out of their now-common room in the top floor of Seven Sins, going down the stairs to the lounge area - they weren't keeping any more secrets regarding their relationship. It was stupid and senseless, being as everyone knew anyway. Enterin
g the bar area, they saw there were practically dozens of people passed out on the couches and the floor. There was even a fellow asleep on the bar top. Dons sighed before commenting on the crowd.

  "Oh great, lots to clean up. Maybe we can find Adam and…"

  "Oh golly, Dons, we don't need to find him. Remember what Max did to our mage devices?"

  Pandy winked at her boyfriend and squinted her eyes, concentrating on her new method of communication.

  "HEY ADAM! WAKE UP! GET TO THE BAR!"

  Pandy yelled out from her mind to everyone connected via magic comm, and before she could even think another word, Adam fell from the top of the liquor cabinet where he had gone to sleep, landing on the floor with a loud crash.

  "What's happening? Who died? Demons? Underwear! Explosions? Oh… my head. Oh gawd, it hurts," whined the confused and very hung-over magic-enabled clan assistant.

  "Morning, mate! Sleep well? Gotta tell ya, that's a good spot. Used it many times back in the day," Dons said as he walked towards Adam. "We gotta start cleaning this place up. Would be a great chance to start using your new skills that Maxie taught ya."

  "Adam, you should like this one," said Pandy as she handed him a glass of water.

  "What's this, Pandy? And where's Jessica?" asked Adam.

  "Just drink it, sweetie. It has healing properties, and Jess is… out."

  Adam had figured his chances with Jessica were slim to none, with none being more likely, as she had been getting so chummy with the newly-arrived archangel. Putting that in the back of his mind, he lifted the glass to his lips and took a drink. In a matter of moments he grew a look of relief on his face, his hangover having been completely eradicated.

  "Yeah, that's what Max did for me that first morning he was here! He used magic to cure my hangy. So now get to work, mate," exclaimed Dons, as he started to make some coffee.

  ###

  Jessica watched the sun rise from an untouched tropical atoll in the South Pacific Ocean. Leaning up against Gabriel, who had slipped her there the night before, she relaxed while sipping some tea he had conjured.

  "So you say the demons won't come here because it is so far out in the ocean?" she asked.

  "I looked back on this plane's timeline and saw that their brood carriers indeed did fly over here but they did not dispatch flyers nor ground troops as the island was uninhabited. This land is as natural as the day it was created," responded the archangel, as he gently ran his fingers through Jessica's short, dark hair.

  "Thanks for bringing me here, Gabe. I've been stuck in that hellhole all my life, and never really imagined that there were places in the world like this."

  "Would you like to see more of this world, and perhaps some others?" he asked.

  "Well, I can't leave my family, but there's nothing wrong with taking a vacation every now and then. Plus, as much as I love him, Dons will die one day while I'll just… continue."

  "It is one of the gifts from the seraphim, my dear. Your enhanced bloodline avails itself of the healing of nature, enabling long life."

  "Yeah, Max showed us the nanobots. He said there were healing ones, and levitation ones, and others even more complex."

  "Jah indeed created a marvelous universe, my young friend."

  "Where is he? God, Jah, whatever you call him?"

  "We do not know. He simply left one day. He had been busy for all of eternity, so I guess even The Creator deserves a vacation," Gabriel answered in an amusing tone.

  "Gabe, Max said that in his world a lycan can make a normal human into a lycan, just as a vampire can make someone into a vampire, but that vampires are nasty and rotting - not nice, super-pale people like we have here. Can we… can I make Dons into a Lycan so he can live a long time? He's been like a brother to me, and I think he and Pandy are in love. It would suck to see him go so quickly. Can I do anything?"

  Gabriel thought for a moment, and then recalled the data he had collected when he first scanned Seven Sins.

  "No, I'm sorry. Not here. The people of this world are too different. Your genetic mutation is much too mild. That is why the vampires here are simply people with a fondness for the taste of blood. However, we could ask Father. He may have a solution. Be as it may, I believe that all of our destinies have been forever intertwined. The fate of the galaxy rests partly on the shoulders of young Max, for if he is unable to stop the aliens before they besiege his world they may acquire the ability to travel elsewhere, bringing their putrid stain to the rest of the universe."

  "Why Max? He's just a normal guy. Well, ok, I take that back - not so normal, but why him?"

  "No, my dear, he is not normal, as you say. He is the son of the Taxiarch, and that makes him…"

  ###

  "An angel? Huh? I'm an angel? How does that work? I turn into a raging wolf on the full moon! That's not very angelic now, is it?" Max cried out at the revelation given to him by his father, as they sat in the new coffee shop area of Hotel California. Jennie, Bagatelle, Draagh, Dons and Pandy were also there, as well as Liliana, who was playing with a blender and making what appeared to be smoothies.

  "Max, you have not yet completed your journey, but as you do you will find that those supposed disabilities that have vexed you will soon be under your control," replied Michael.

  "Yes my boy, I dare say it is true. It is for this reason I have slowly trained you in very specific skills," added Draagh.

  "Wow, I'm married to an angel. Well, I always thought he was one anyway, metaphorically speaking," cooed Jennie.

  "Not when we first met, love," Max laughed, remembering how she nearly killed him in Peru.

  "Max, my boy, there is a celestial order of beings. Ancient manuscripts made by man have detailed the order in a fashion much more complex than it actually is. There is Jah. That is his preferred nickname. He is The Creator, The Supreme Being. He is also known as God, Dios, Yahweh, Adonai, etc. But a name is simply a name. We are the Prīmulī, or the first ones, while below us are the rank of your father and uncle, the archangels. Your father is the Taxiarch, their leader. Basically, the only difference between the archangels and the Prīmulī is the job description. Well, except for me - I am different, as Jah created me for a specific purpose. Anyway, further down the list there are other, lower angels, the lowest being the Ishim, but those are men risen, not born of the blood," explained Draagh in the most basic manner he possibly could.

  "And what about the demons? And I don't mean the demons here - the Vrol," asked Jennie.

  "Myths of man, I dare say," added Michael, "leaders of men, with their perverse desires to manipulate the masses, invented the concept of Hell and demons in order to scare all into submission."

  "So then, there are no bad extra dimensional beings?" asked Pandy.

  "Oh, but there are, my inquisitive young friend," Draagh responded emphatically, "as well as those who would ally themselves with them. My own brother, Marnn, was an ally of Vladros, a very wicked and evil lover of death."

  "Ooo, and what happened to them?" she asked.

  "I banished my brother from the universe, which is partly how Max got sent here. Max killed Vladros in battle."

  Pandy lightly punched Max in the arm as she giggled. "Maxie, I didn't know you were such a beast!"

  "It was a sad necessity, Pandy. Jennie was there with me. We nearly died that day, so it's something we rarely celebrate," Max said in a tone that completely lacked any sort of pride in what he had done, even though he had a rather good time killing the vampire king.

  "And that, my son, is what defines you from all that which is evil. You kill out of necessity, not out of a wanton lust for violence," added Michael, who was completely unaware that Max had casually tossed Vladros into a shark filled moat.

  Liliana walked up to the group while carrying a tray of small glasses, all filled with a thick red liquid. After handing everyone a glass she stood and smiled with a look of expectation, waiting for everyone to try her breakfast concoction.

  "After Tío G taug
ht me how to use a blender I thought I would make what is called a smoothie, for proper breakfast nourishment!" The little girl looked quite proud of her achievement, crossing her arms while wearing a great smile.

  "Um, sweetie, what is in it? Is it some sort of fruit?" asked Jennie.

  "No, Mami, there is no fruit here. It is standard lycan nutrition."

  "Such as?" asked Max.

  "Well, when everyone was busy drinking coffee, I went and caught some rabbits and…"

  "Oh my… God, this is blended rabbit?" Dons asked, completely mortified.

  "Why yes… Oh my, I am so sorry, Mr. Dons. I forgot that you are not lycan. I shall prepare you a proper, normal breakfast," she replied.

  "Liliana, how do you propose to do that?" asked Max.

  "I shall cook the liquefied remains of the rabbits, of course!" the little lycan exclaimed, as she cheerfully turned to go back to the kitchen. Draagh acted quickly, getting up and going with his great-granddaughter.

  "Liliana, my dear. You care so much for those around you. Why do you not allow me to assist? You see, Mr. Dons has a very particular palate and needs to be fed only certain things. Come, little one. Let us create something marvelous in the kitchen of this new establishment," he said, while leading Liliana out of the coffee shop area. As soon as they were out of view, everyone ran over and dumped their smoothies down the bar sink, all while wearing guilty expressions.

  "I think I saw her catch some rats, too," said Jennie, "Sorry, guys, I didn't know what she was up to. She really does mean well."

  "Are you kidding, Jennie? She's adorable! And her backpack! I love it! She has a lot of talent, you know," said Pandy.

  "Thanks, Pandy, Yes, she has talent, although it's a bit on the morbid side."

  "Morbid? Only slightly," Michael added sarcastically. "While most children have a puppy or a kitten for a pet, she plays with great white sharks."