This Blood

by Basso, Alisha

  “Those mother fuckers murdered my fish!” I sank to the floor. I was lost. I cried. I cried for my friend. I cried for my fish. I cried for my trashed house and my unbelievable life.

  Lucian crossed the room, gathering me into the warmth of his strong arms.

  “Grace,” his voice a soft purr, “we’ll fix it, honey. I’ll help you. We will save Ann, and I’ll get some people in here to repair your home. It’ll be okay.”

  He was trying so hard to be sympathetic and understanding, but it was just too much. I pulled away and stood.

  I could feel my anger quickly boiling over to rage. I tensed up, something was happening! Energy seemed to be building from somewhere inside me. I wanted their blood. Whoever was responsible would pay. My fury built until I couldn’t contain it. Breaking free, it felt like white hot electricity through my veins!

  My open eyes went blind. I felt a whisper of wind flow from my head through my fingertips. It tingled along my skin as it grew.

  “Get out!” I managed to shout. I wasn’t sure what was happening.

  A low rumbling began as I opened my hands. I could feel the vibration. The knowledge that it was coming from my body exhilarated me! I felt the power that the ring held, and at that moment, I felt like pure energy. The sound grew, thundering in my ears like an internal freight train. The wind from my fingertips grew stronger until it was a fierce gale. It was as if my body were the center of a great tornado.

  The room became ice cold as my hair slapped furiously around my face. My breathing quickened. I was starting to hyperventilate. I knew Lucian was still standing next to me, I could feel his heat seeping through the cold.

  More rumbling was followed by a high-pitched whirling and the crashes of objects being picked up and tossed. It grew louder and louder and I laughed as my body released even more energy.

  I heard a man cry out in pain and I knew Lucian was hurt. That knowledge was like a jolt of reason and my mind snapped to attention. Instantly my concern for him took the place of my rage. I reined in the energy, like pulling on a rope and my mind opened. Simultaneously the wind and my body grew weak. I fisted my hands, my nails biting painfully into the sensitive flesh of my palms, and then I fell to the floor in an exhausted heap.

  Gradually, the wind continued to die and my vision returned in small degrees. I looked up to see Lucian pressed against the wall. A large cut, high on his cheek dripped blood, but otherwise, he seemed unharmed. I breathed a sigh of relief.

  His mouth was curved into a smile, and his eyes were filled with wonder. “That was incredible!” he exclaimed, taking a step towards me. “I knew you were powerful, but I never realized!” He knelt beside me, placing his hands on my arms, helping me to stand.

  I buried my head in his strong chest. I was scared to look at my house. I was afraid I had damaged it even worse than my enemies. I was out of control. I was a menace to myself and everyone around me!

  I felt Lucian shift. His hand came up and held my chin gently. “Grace? It’s okay; look.” Was that excitement in his voice? He guided my face away from the comfort of his chest. I closed my eyes. I was not ready to inventory the damage I had done.

  “Open your eyes.”

  I tentatively squinted my eyes, allowing only a small amount of light to enter my vision, but my utter shock ripped them open. My house was not destroyed - it was perfect! The couches were back to normal, my walls smooth and clean!

  I spun, my fish bowl was filled. Clean, clear water sparkled atop funky pink gravel. I smiled, excitement momentarily blinding me to the fact that Floyd was nowhere to be found. Then I frowned, he was gone, for good. It was okay, I knew he had already moved on. I was glad I hadn’t been able to rip his tiny little soul out of his new home. I had no right to do that.

  As powerful as I had become, I was not God.

  But, damn!

  “I don’t understand,” I breathed. “I heard the noise; it was deafening. How could this be?” I was puzzled beyond words.

  Lucian didn’t answer right away. He seemed to be giving me time to soak everything in. I hadn’t done an evil, terrible thing. My mind was so furious, but somehow my subconscious took over and made something go right. For the first time today, I felt confident that I could help Ann. If I were this productive in the throes of an other-worldly temper tantrum, I could just imagine what I’d be able to do for her if I were focused!

  I stepped out of his arms and walked around my house. It was amazing! Even the dust was gone. It was like my hurricane was filled with a swarm of mini maids. I was impressed, even my TV was dust free and looking new.

  I ran my hand over a smooth wall - not a scratch! The air even smelled sweet and clean. I was fairly certain that, had I wanted to, I could probably eat off the floor.

  “Can you believe it?” I gasped, “Miraculous!” I was overwhelmed.

  “You looked frightening and beautiful at the same time.” Lucian cut in, making me turn to meet his eyes. “You were all aglow. I wanted to touch you. I tried to reach out, but the air coming from you, created some sort of barrier. Things were being sucked into their places. I had to duck and dodge to keep from getting hit, and at the same time, objects were dodging you.” He put his hand to his injured cheek and came away with new blood.

  I felt bad that he was hurt, though it didn’t seem serious. “I’m sorry you were hurt,” I said lamely. “But, I did tell you to get out, so it is sort of your fault.” As apologies went, that one pretty much sucked.

  He came closer.

  “You are remarkable, Grace, and I’m not sorry about it at all. Just being able to see something so incredible is an honor. I am in awe. You are a true Madea.”

  My brows furrowed and I frowned. “Lucian, what do we do now?”

  “You seem to have more control than I originally estimated.” Ignoring my question, he walked to my couch.

  He sat, his ankle resting on his knee. He looked relaxed, which was pretty off, considering what just happened. All of a sudden, I had to question what Lucian was. Was he a normal human? I wasn’t so sure. I mean, all the regular Joes I knew would have run screaming or wet themselves at all the strange things that have happened. Lucian looked like he might only need a nap.

  I eyed him; I knew he wasn’t a vamp. The church and daylight gave that one away. So, what else was there in this world? I had to find out, but I didn’t want to sound suspicious. After all, he was pretty much my right hand. It would be pretty shitty to come right out and accuse him of being just another monster.

  “Are you positive Seth’s responsible for all of this?” I asked. “I mean, I was just guessing about him. Maybe he never even met Ann at all. It could be someone totally different, right? Don’t you think we should cover all our bases? I mean, what if it’s an entirely different group of monsters? Are vamps the only ones who know about the Madea, about me?”

  I sat at the other end of the couch. The fabric was soft, the cushions worn. It distracted me a moment. I noticed that decades of wear and stains were still visible. I knew that it would be the same. The wear and tear contained too many memories. If it had been returned to brand new, I think it would have hurt my soul. I felt a rush of satisfaction. The power came from me, my mind and my soul. As strange and random as it was, this was my proof.

  Lucian continued speaking, despite my blank stare. I shook myself, listening again.

  “No, I’m pretty sure Seth and his coven aren’t the only ones. We do need to try and discover if anyone else is involved, although I doubt it.”

  I raised my head, looking him in the eyes. “Well? Do humans know about the Madea? I sure as hell never heard about them, and I know they weren’t teaching shit like this in history class. Even as much as I screwed around in it, I think I would have remembered that.”

  “Yes, some humans know, and, there are many things that do not belong in school. The stories that have made it are disguised as fairy tales, or ghost stories. Regular people don’t believe in our world. It would be too much for t
hem.”

  There, I had him! He said “our world.” He had just inadvertently admitted he was not a regular person. I just needed to delve a little deeper. “What is ‘our world’, Lucian?” I asked, tilting my head to the side. “I need to know.”

  He smiled, shifting his position so he faced me. His leg was bent, resting on the couch, his arm stretched along the back. A small smile graced his full lips. “I thought you’d never ask.” The look he gave me said I was in for another mind boggling revelation. “There are many things that go bump in the night. Not just vampires. Our world is filled with the stuff of nightmares, and the stuff of dreams. Pretty much anything you have ever read about has existed at one time or another, even things you haven’t heard about, the Madea, for instance. And they have a superior way of blending in with everyday folk, or hiding completely in a sort of altered universe, but that’s something we’ll have to get into when we can really talk.”

  I was shocked. Then I remembered the CDs in Lucian’s car. There were some on witchcraft. “Are there witches and warlocks, Lucian?”

  His eyes grew a bit larger, and for a split second I saw fear flash in their brown depths. Perhaps my White Knight had a secret after all?

  “Yes, of course there are,” he harrumphed in his hand. “They are one of the most powerful groups of them all, aside from the Fae.” He scooted back on the couch, his posture becoming rigid. Oh, I had to play poker with this guy.

  “Well then, we need to assume that any of them could have her, correct? This is a big whopping deal! This ring has the potential to become very dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands.”

  “Yes,” Lucian said, becoming, if possible, more serious. “And that means you must fall into their hands as well.”

  Yuck! No way was I letting some freak party abduct me, uh…again. “How can I protect myself? I mean, all they pretty much have to do is take the ring. It could be as easy as knocking me out, right?” My stomach churned, it was pretty easy to put me to sleep. I’d proven that to myself on two recent occasions. I was in big trouble.

  “You can protect yourself, but you must be careful. You wouldn’t want to…say, wish for a stronger head so you won’t get hurt with a direct blow. Well then you could end up thickening your skull and killing yourself… Understand? It’s classic: be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.”

  I understood. It was why it took me so long to work out the details at Ann’s house before erasing us. I was truly afraid I would actually erase us. I was careful to leave that part out, for Lucian’s peace of mind.

  “I understand, so, now what? Do we suit up with all the anti-monster weaponry? Are you going to school me in the ways of The Force?” I was making jokes. What was wrong with me?

  He smiled. “Well yeah, sort of. I do need to tell you what myths to cleanse from your moth-eaten brain first.”

  I laughed. It felt good to exchange some banter. I hated feeling ignorant, and this made me feel like we had already won.

  “The first thing you must know is that nothing is immortal,” he said. “A being may live for centuries, but if their head departs from their shoulders, it’s over. Remember that, when a vampire starts spouting off about immortality. Crosses will buy you time with ghouls and vamps, and maybe do some damage, but it won’t kill them. Weres are allergic to silver, so you can use anything made of pure silver to defend yourself. If you run into a demon, well, you’d better pray, because that is the only thing that’s going to buy you time. They can be killed; we just don’t know how yet.”

  I couldn’t help it. “How do I kill a warlock?” I asked, watching him carefully.

  His nostrils flared a bit, but he recouped instantly. “I’m not sure; I know that water is a huge myth. I guess they die pretty much like regular people.”

  I patted his knee in mock relief. “Well, that’s good to know!”

  Lucian spent the next hour regaling me on the finer points of genocide. I took mental notes and occasionally threw out a witch or warlock question when he “mistakenly” omitted them.

  THIRTEEN

  Darkness filled the corners of my small cottage. Our discussion was long over and we were watching Resident Evil, giving the cops more time to do their thing at Ann’s.

  Lucian was lying on my couch while I rocked back and forth in my grandmother’s creaky rocking chair. The sound was soothing, even with the carnage of bloodthirsty zombies being blown up on TV. I loved the movie; Lucian seemed to like it as well.

  “I love those dogs,” I pointed at the TV, “that is, when they’re not covered in slime and trying to eat people.” The dogs, dobermans, were currently getting their asses kicked by Alice. So cool!

  “I’m not a real dog person,” Lucian said. “I prefer cats.”

  That reminded me of the sweet kitty I awoke to earlier that morning.

  “Speaking of cats, what’s your cats’ name?” I stopped rocking.

  Lucian sat up quickly. “You’ve seen Puck? He usually doesn’t like people and hides whenever he sees a stranger.”

  “Puck? That’s a cute name. Shakespeare?” I walked to the couch, sitting close to him, “A Midsummer Nights Dream?”

  He smiled “Yes, that’s exactly it. I thought it fit; he’s pretty spunky.”

  Could Puck be Lucian’s familiar? I was getting obsessed. I was sure I knew what he was, that I had him. Now I just had to figure out what to do about it. And at the present time, I was going to do nothing. He was my help tonight, and Ann’s safety came before any gripes I had about trust and honesty. Which lately, I didn’t have much room to gripe about.

  The clock on my cable box read seven pm. Lucian sprang from the cushions with way too much energy and strode into the kitchen. I followed him slowly, wondering what he was doing.

  “We need to go. Can you do something about our supplies?” he said, while reaching for my refrigerator. “Don’t you eat? This is disgraceful.” His face was contorted with shock.

  I stepped up behind him. The refrigerator was empty. Nothing, nada, zip. It was, however, very clean.

  “I eat; In fact, I had breakfast just this morning.” I smiled sweetly.

  Lucian rolled his eyes. “Well, I haven’t eaten enough. And I won’t be very effective on an empty stomach.” He grabbed my arm. “We’re leaving.”

  I let him drag me outside like a rag doll. I was too tired to argue. He opened my door and quickly got in beside me. I felt like crap and when I pulled the visor down I felt like shit. The mirror was ruthlessly cruel, because no way could I look this horrible. My reflection was literally frightening.

  My personal tornado as well as the barfing had endowed me with a bedraggled, sickly appearance. My cheeks looked hollow and my long hair was a rat’s nest. I turned to him. He still looked pretty good, considering he was blown around too. At least he got to keep his breakfast.

  “This is unacceptable,” I whined. “I can’t go anywhere looking like this. People will think you’ve taken pity on a poor, destitute hag!”

  “You look fine. Just tie your hair back.”

  He reached over and opened the glove compartment, pulling out a small blue box. Removing the lid, he revealed a pile of rubber bands. He took one and slicked his own hair back, wrapping the band around and settling it low on his neck.

  He looked at me and I blew out an appreciative breath. His features were even more striking with his hair out of the way. His sharp jaw bone was the personification of sexy, and made even better by the light dusting of golden stubble that wasn’t there this morning. He was a rugged, woodsy, sexy man. I inwardly sighed, turning my eyes from him. He didn’t need to know how he affected me.

  I grabbed a rubber band, looking at it in my hand; while my eyes moved to my shirt. I noticed the bottom had some splatters of puke on it. Oh hell no! Nope, I’m changing. I grabbed the door handle just as the car began rolling backward.

  Shit.

  I flipped the mirror up and decided to do something about it in my own way. I wanted to
be clean and groomed, nothing special, well, nothing too special. I was sitting by one of the two best looking men in the world. I wasn’t completely bonkers. I focused my mind on my desired look and in an instant, I felt revived, like I had just soaked in a refreshing tub of vanilla water.

  My hair was straight and silky. My clothes were different too. I had on a black V-neck sweater that showed a pleasing amount of cleavage, some great feeling jeans and a pair of black high-heeled boots. A thin, very feminine bracelet appeared on my left hand, accentuating the beauty of the ring. When I consulted the mirror again, my face looked one hundred percent better. My color looked healthy and my makeup was perfect.

  All of this happened in a matter of seconds, and I knew Lucian hadn’t noticed a thing. This fact was punctuated by the sudden swerving of his car the second he turned to speak to me.

  “What did you do?” His voice was an octave higher and I laughed. The look on his face was priceless, like he had just seen a ghost.

  “Well, I felt disgusting.” I rationalized, “I had barf on my shirt and I smelled bad. You want me to fix you too?” I asked.

  He looked sheepish so, I knew it was a yes. I closed my eyes. I pictured him in something casual, but sexy. The car swerved again, and I opened my eyes. Lucian was changed. He wore a pair of dark jeans and a blue button-down linen shirt. It was slightly open at his neck, offering just the glimpse of a small V of muscular, golden skin. A tailored, black leather jacket lent an air of casual sophistication. I could smell him. He smelled like clean man and something I couldn’t quite place, but I liked it.

  His hair was still back, only it was held back by the same type of leather strip Seth used to bind his hair. Oops, better not tell him that little detail. I couldn’t quite identify his shoes because it was hard to see in the dim car.

  “Well?” I asked. “How do you feel?” I smiled at him, already knowing the answer.

  “I feel great. I didn’t even notice how grungy I must have been, until I became instantly clean. I didn’t even feel the change. And whose clothes are these?”