Niccolo stepped through the front door and nodded in appreciation. The cavernous front room made up nearly half of the entire size of the house. Chairs, divans and even sofas were scattered in seemingly random order throughout the vast expanse.
“There is a modest kitchen through that door,” Pavlo said, pointing to a door on the far left of the room. “And there are five bedrooms down the hallway in the center, two on each side and one in the very back.”
“And the old man lived alone?” Niccolo asked dubiously.
“At the time of our encounter, he surely did, but then he had had the misfortune of surviving his entire family, including his sons.”
“Do you have a preference for any of our gathered feast?” he asked, eying the hallway before licking his lips.
“Surely you jest,” he laughed. “You are the guest of honor, the man of the hour as it were. Take your pick and I will choose my own once you are settled in for the evening.”
Niccolo moved in a blur to the first bedroom on the left. Slinging open the door, he entered and kicked it shut with the heel of his foot. It rattled the frame from the force of the impact. Two young men sat on the edge of the bed, their stance identical, each with their knees together, both feet planted firmly on the floor, and hands folded neatly in their laps.
He stepped up to the one closest to him, tilted his head to the side, exposing the pulsing artery that beat just beneath the skin and sunk his fangs deep. Bracing himself for the onslaught of the man’s life, he had swallowed several mouthfuls of blood before he realized there was no connection. It was as if the man had simply ceased to exist. Once he had his fill, he pulled away from the man’s neck and stared into his vacant eyes.
“I might as well be drinking blood from a cup,” Niccolo said with a mirthless laugh.
He searched out Pavlo with the tendrils of his mind. His friend seemed to be lost to the bloodlust feeding hungrily from a young woman in the master bedroom. Turning his attention to the other occupant in the room, he had suddenly lost all desire to feed. The whole situation just felt wrong to him.
He rose slowly, already debating plans of how to spend the rest of the evening. He wondered briefly if Pavlo would tire of the mindless beasts in time to go catch a play somewhere. The sound of his hungry slurping traveled through the walls and he doubted that to be the case. When his thoughts turned toward leaving without Pavlo, he paused. Would he be offended?
He was out the door and to the porch before he realized he truly didn’t care if leaving was offensive or not. He had to get away from the twisted reality of the house. Perhaps he could hazard one final visit to the young couple. Some normalcy might do wonders to fray his tattered nerves.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Pain seared Kanati into alertness. He felt the rope burning into his wrist where they were pinned to his back and held still, keeping his eyes closed. He barely contained his scream when he felt a blow strike him on the side of his face.
“Damn it, Horace. Is that really necessary?” He recognized the deep baritone of Rich’s voice.
“I’m trying to wake him up so we can get this party started.”
“I can assure that hitting a person in the head is not the best way to go about doing that,” Rich explained, his voice heavy with exasperation. “Especially considering it was a blow to the head that sent him into unconsciousness in the first place.”
“Well, what do you suggest I do?”
“Be patient. He’ll come around soon enough.”
“But I want a piece of her now and you said we can’t touch her until he is watching,” Horace whined.
“Fine, you want him awake?” Sean asked. “Get out of the way and let me show you how it’s done.”
Kanati concentrated on keeping his breathing even as he heard them moving around. It was all he could do not to open his eyes to see what horrible torture must surely be coming.
“Watch this,” he heard Sean say.
In the next instant, his eyes flew open and scream of agony escaped his lips. He looked down at his chest where Sean had placed a glowing ember from their campfire. He twisted and jerked, but the still burning wood had fused to his flesh. He screamed again, rolling to his stomach, trying to douse the fire by smothering it.
“Well, you wanted him awake,” Rich said with a snort. “Now you get to listen to him whine like a little bitch.”
“Speaking of bitches,” Horace sneered. “I’ve been dying to break me off a piece of that one every since I laid eyes on her.”
“Leave her alone!” Kanati shrieked. “Don’t you touch her!”
“Oh, yeah?” Horace asked turning back on him. “And what the fuck are you going to do about it?”
He kicked him in the side viciously before pulling Selu to her feet. She lolled in his arms, limp as a rag doll, eyes closed.
“You can’t tell me you slept through all that ruckus,” he said, licking the side of her cheek. “Come on. Open your eyes for me, lil’ darling.”
Still she didn’t move.
“I know how to get her attention,” Gordon said.
Kanati watched in impotent horror as he closed the gap between them. He looked at him to make sure he was watching before he took his hand and shoved it hard between her legs. Kanati and Selu screamed out at the same time. She brought her knee up hard, catching Gordon in the crotch. He doubled over and dropped to the ground, gulping in air. She tried to catch Horace with the same maneuver, but he blocked it. Her hands were still bound in front of her, but she clawed at his face with what little movement the ropes afforded her.
“God damn it!” he bellowed when her nails dug into the flesh of his jaw.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and kneed her hard in the stomach. “That ought to take a little wind out of your sails.”
“No!” she screamed, clutching her abdomen.
“No what?” he growled, straightening her up and delivering another blow with his knee.
Kanati brought his knees up under him and tried to push himself to his feet. His face skidded forward and he fell into the back of Kurt’s leg. He spun and kicked him in the ribs repeatedly.
“Please, just leave her be!” he pleaded. “She’s with child!”
This gave them all pause. A flicker of hope sparked within him as they exchanged glances.
“Not anymore,” Horace said with a laugh before kneeing her yet again.
“You son of a bitch!” Kanati raged.
“Aww, is this upsetting you, little man?” Horace puckered up and blew him a kiss. “You ain’t seen nothing yet. Sean, drag him over here. We’re gonna give him a front row seat.”
He drug Selu kicking and scratching to a large log near the edge of their campfire. He spun her to face away from him and removed the ropes from her wrist.
“Hold her for a minute,” he said, standing between it and the dancing flames.
Kurt and Gordon each grabbed an arm and spread them wide as Horace ripped off her top, exposing her breasts. He pushed her over, kicking the back of her knees until her stomach rested over the log. She looked up, her gaze locked with Kanati’s. Horace dropped to a crouch behind her, gripped her hips with both hands and promptly disappeared.
Kanati blinked, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him.
The horses, secured to a tree near the camp, reared and whinnied, spooked by something unseen.
“What the—?” Kurt’s question was cut off by an ear-piercing screech from beyond the reach of the firelight.
Selu was momentarily forgotten as they scrambled for weapons. She pulled herself over the log and rushed to Kanati. Dropping to her knees, she worked frantically at his bindings.
“Look out,” he yelled as Sean made a beeline for them, pistol pointed.
He cocked the gun and promptly vanished as well. Kanati could have sworn he saw a blur of motion sweep the hooligan away, but he couldn’t imagine anything that could move that fast.
Another scream rang out in the night.
“What the fuck is going on?” Rich bellowed.
“Retribution,” a voice whispered on the wind.
Kanati froze, the voice may have only been a whisper, but he recognized the rumbling base with the melodic edge to it. This was the thing from the woods outside of the school, the thing that stalked him and Selu that day on the outskirts of the Talwa. This was a monster and yet, the fact that he still lived after two encounters with the creature instilled a sense of solace even as Sean’s screams of agony died away. He knew in his heart that he would not be harmed; he was being protected.
“Quickly!” Rich gestured at Kurt and Gordon. “Just start shooting into—“
Before he could finish the sentence, a dark shape dropped from the sky between the two men. Two hands snaked from the shadows, grabbed both of them by the hair and then shot back into the darkness, rising into the air like a giant bird of prey. Kanati watched Kurt and Gordon flail and scream for a fraction of a second before they too were gone from sight.
As Kanati listened to the shrieks floating down to him from the clouds, another realization dawned on him. This…thing was not only protecting him physically, but mentally as well. Surely, something so powerful could easily dispatch with the whole crew at one time, but he chose instead to take them to some point where neither he nor Selu would have to bear witness to the brutality.
“There!” Selu shouted as his hands sprang free.
He flexed his hands, restoring circulation to his fingers. The creature underestimated him. He wanted blood. He wanted brutality. He wanted vengeance for all the suffering the man standing before him had caused. He wanted—no he needed to take this man’s life for the life he stole from his unborn child.
Springing forward, he didn’t even slow when Rich leveled his rifle at him. The gun went off just before he crashed into him. He felt as though fire sprang from his shoulder, but he no longer cared. Knocking the devil to the ground, he pummeled him with a fury he didn’t know he possessed. The man’s face seemed to melt away beneath his blows.
His breath left his body in a rush as he was lifted from his feet. Catching a glimpse of motion, he started to protest, but darkness claimed him with an abruptness that was terrifying.
Was he dead? Had he misjudged the creature’s intentions? Oh, God! Selu, I’ve left her to deal with this beast alone, he thought bitterly.
He swam against the darkness, trying to break the surface of his consciousness. He had to wake up, had to be at Selu’s side to face their end together.
He awoke with a start, flailing, struggling to rise.
“Kanati!” Selu’s voice broke through the fog of his mind like a sledgehammer. “It’s over. Calm down.”
“Are you hurt?” he asked, rising to inspect her.
She barely choked off a sob as she rubbed her stomach. “I’ll live, but I’m sure our child won’t.”
“What happened to me?” He struggled to make sense of those final moments.
“That coward shot you—”
“But, I’m unmarked,” he interrupted, rubbing the smooth flesh where he was sure he felt the bullet enter.
“That… thing. Was it Jumlin?” Selu asked, eyes wide.
“Jumlin is a myth, a creation story,” Kanati replied in a voice that lacked conviction.
“Even still, this creature was not human, but he shared some traits with the myth.”
“Blood,” Kanati said with a nod. “But he was clearly not born of our people as Jumlin seemed to be.”
“He had the presence of a living spirit,” she insisted.
“Jumlin was a cruel creature, this… being still has some vestiges of humanity.”
“He licked your wound,” Selu said as she dropped her gaze. “I tried to stop him, but he held me at bay as if I were no more than a troublesome insect. When he was through, you were healed.”
He pulled in a sharp breath. “Did he hurt you?”
“No, after… After your wounds were mended, he apologized for our loss and…and he apologized for depriving you of your vengeance. He said he feared your wound would be mortal if he waited much longer. Then he took the last scoundrel and fled through the trees.”
“Come, let’s get you home.”
Selu began to cry again. “Auntie, they killed her,” she managed between sobs.
“She will be honored,” he assured her, pulling her to her feet. “But we will feel that loss for an eternity.”
“What will we tell the elders?” she asked as he untied the reigns of one of the horses.
He continued to free all of them, but kept one to ride home.
“Kanati,” she pressed when he remained silent.
“We will tell them that all of the ruffians are dead and we are not and that is all they need to concern themselves with,” he said as he mounted the steed.
He extended his arm and helped her onto the spot behind him.
“What if they want details?” she asked, wrapping her arms around his waist.
“No one in our tribe would be so insensitive as to demand we relive such horrific events,” he replied as he spurred the horse into motion.
They rode as quickly as they dared in the moonless night. The sun was just breaking over the horizon as the Talwa came into view. Kanati took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his face. The little village looked unchanged, but he knew life there would never be the same.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Niccolo had just gutted Gordon when he heard the gunshot.
“Oh, no…no, no, no,” he whispered.
He rushed back to the little campsite in a blur. Kanati bled profusely from his shoulder, but he still he pummeled on the last of them. The wound rested just to the left of his neck and blood pumped from it in spurts. Even as he closed the gap between them, he could hear his heart beat falter. The bullet must’ve hit an artery. He is going to bleed out, he thought frantically.
Swooping down, he pulled Kanati up just as he lost consciousness. Niccolo quickly probed the wound. “Left sublcavian artery,” he murmured, turning the young man to examine his back. “The bullet went straight through.
Just as he laid him on the ground, Selu sprang at him.
“Get away from him you fiend!” she screamed as she clawed at him.
Grabbing both her hands in his, he held her as lightly as he could and still maintain control.
“Selu, listen to me. I don’t have time to waste here. Unless you want to lose your husband too, please allow me to treat him. I can assure you, I mean neither of you any harm.”
She nodded and he released her. Taking a few steps back, she dropped into a crouch, obviously prepared to spring if she thought he was hurting her dearly beloved. Once he was sure she would keep her place, he returned his attentions to the dying boy. He bit the tip of his tongue, diluting his blood with saliva. Plunging it deep within the gaping hole, he licked at the torn artery, pushing the mixture over the ragged tissue. He felt it closing almost immediately. Working his way outward, he didn’t pause until all signs of injury were gone.
“I’m sorry for your loss, both of them,” he said, rising from Kanati’s still form.
“What?” Selu shrieked. “But you promised.”
“No, you misunderstand,” he said, holding both hands up in defense. “Your husband will be fine. I was referring to your aunt and…the child that has gone still in your womb.”
“How did you—“
“It doesn’t matter;” he interrupted with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Just know that you have my deepest condolences. Your husband is a very special man, one destined for greatness someday.”
“Can you see the future?” Selu regarded him with wide-eyed wonder.
“No, but there is just a certain quality about him.” He smiled at her. “Surely, you’ve sensed it too.”
She nodded, lowering her gaze.
“When he awakes, please give him my apologies for robbing him of his vengeance, but if I had waited much longer, he would not have survive
d the night.” He turned to stare down at the young man’s peaceful face.
“You could leave the cur until my husband is up to the challenge,” she suggested, pointing at Rich as he struggled to pull himself to his feet.
“I’m afraid I must apologize again,” he said, offering a lopsided smile. “I have other plans for this one.”
Before she could protest further, he turned and grabbed Rich by the throat, dragging him through the trees with a whirlwind of speed. He couldn’t help but grin as the man’s arms and legs crunched against branches and trunks as they rushed by. Once he was sure he was far enough from the young couple that they couldn’t hear him, He dropped the battered gang leader to the ground at his feet.
“What…are...you?” Rich asked between gasps.
“What seems to be the problem, Richard?” Niccolo knelt beside him. “Oh, I understand now, it sounds like you may have broken a few ribs.”
“I…asked—“
“Save your breath.” He paused long enough to smile and expose his extended canines. “You won’t have it much longer.”
Rich surprised him. Rather than shouting out in terror, he merely whimpered. The strong aroma of urine wafted up to his nostrils.
Niccolo threw back his head and laughed. “So much for the tough guy façade,” he said, still smiling.
Grabbing him by the collar with both hands, he pulled him up and sank his fangs into the pulsing vein on his neck. Soon, he found himself retracing steps on the curvy road of Rich’s life. It was not an experience he wanted to endure, but he knew he must. He wanted answers. Having gleaned bits and pieces from the minds of the others, he knew someone had paid them to kill Kanati, but he had yet to figure out who that could be. It seemed to take an eternity to reach the point he sought, but finally he stumbled into the moment.
“Can we puleeze make us a run by Tally Oskee—?” Mickey pleaded as he slammed a mug of beer on the table.
“Tahlonteeskee,” Rich answered, before taking a long draw from his.
“Whuteva, can we?” he pressed.
What is this guy’s obsession with savage snatch, Rich’s thought. “Well, the doves back home seem to be going crazy for authentic artsy shit from the heathens. It might be a good chance to make a little extra coin.”
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