by Night, H. T.
Tommy got up from a chair and rushed over to me “Buddy! What’s up?” He gave me a giant bear hug and lifted me off the ground. He smelled like Drakkar Noir, the punk had been sneaking my cologne. I didn’t care; I was thrilled to see him. He eventually put me down and said, “Holy crap, Josiah! You look even better than the last time I saw you. Did they feed you steroids in Romania?”
“Not quite. I just worked my ass off.” I looked at Tommy and his stomach had a little more meat on it than I remembered. I pinched his stomach, “Looks like someone won’t be able to go 175 pounds for a few months.”
Tommy patted his stomach and said, “I know, I’ve been eating real well since you left. None of these guys can eat, so I make sure I eat enough for the whole clan.”
“Clan? Is that what we’re calling this?” I asked, laughing.
“We could call it, ‘Josiah and his Merry Band of Misfits’ if you like?” Tommy joked.
“No, clan is good.” I hugged him again and looked across the room at Lena. Her eyes were glued on me, and were as wide and beautiful as I remembered. I stopped, and took her in. She walked over to me, and I grabbed her and held her tight. She smelled amazing, and I knew I was finally home. I exhaled and said, “I missed you.”
She leaned back, “I missed you, too.” She had tears in her eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Of course I am, you shit. I’m just really glad to see you.”
I leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips.
“All right, you two,” Yari said, “remember you have an audience. You are more than welcome to hit the back room and do whatever it is you kids do.”
I smiled at Yari and said, “We’ll have plenty of time for that. Right now, I want to hear about everything that’s happened since I’ve been gone.”
I looked over at Wyatt. He got up and shook my hand. “It’s good to see you, Josiah.”
“You too, you big lug!” I hugged Wyatt and he returned my sentiments by giving me the most awkward hug I have ever received in return. I think it’s probably been years since this guy had hugged someone. He needed practice.
We all made our way to the living room and found places to sit. I sat on the couch with Lena.
“All right,” I said. “So what’s been happening?”
Yari looked at me with a look only she could give. It was a strange glance and I had no idea what it meant. I locked in on her thoughts and tried to read what she was thinking, but she was way too powerful. There was no getting into her head, not even a super power like myself could get in there uninvited. As a matter of fact, everyone in this room was probably too powerful for me to read their thoughts—everyone, except for Lena. I knew there were some lines I couldn’t cross and reading her thoughts was probably one of them.
Finally, Tommy said, “Not much has been happening here. We’ve all been waiting around for you to return. It’s like all of our lives went on hold.”
Yari shot Tommy a look that implied, ‘No they hadn’t’. Something was up between the two of them. They weren’t even looking at each other.
I decided to ask specific questions. “How is a werewolf getting along with a house full of Mani? Speaking of which, where is Hector?”
“Who knows?” Yari said. “He’s been going off by himself lately and if we ask him where he’s going, he just shrugs us off.”
I looked at Wyatt. “You two are usually joined at the hip, do you know what his deal is?”
“Don’t ask me,” Wyatt said. “That guy has some serious secrets. I think it’s better if we don’t know.”
“Secrets? Like what?” I asked.
“If we knew, they wouldn’t be secrets,” Wyatt said.
“All right, fair enough.” I took a deep breath and enjoyed the room. “It’s good to be back,” I said.
“So, what about you, Josiah?” Tommy asked. “Did the blue gnome do unthinkable things to you?”
“Actually,” I said. “The blue gnome is pretty awesome. I actually don’t think he is a gnome. I’m not exactly sure what he is. He just isn’t human. His name is Goshi and he is a Mani.”
“A Mani? Really?” Yari asked. “Are you sure?”
“That’s what he told me. Why? Have you never heard of other creatures being Mani?”
“Seriously, other than humans, I didn’t know other life forms existed. I thought he was only a figment of your imagination and when you actually got there it was going to be a typical Mani.”
“Well, he definitely wasn’t a typical Mani. That little fucker trained my ass off.”
“He was the one who trained you?” Tommy asked.
“Yup. He might be tiny but he is one of the toughest guys I ever sparred with.”
“I could take him,” Tommy said.
I looked at Tommy. “Maybe, after you drop ten pounds.”
“Okay, that does it,” Tommy said. “I’m starting the Atkins diet in the morning! Josiah keeps implying I’m fat.”
“Who’s implying?” I said, jokingly.
“Oh, that does it.” Tommy got up and grabbed me playfully.”
“Sit down, Tommy!” Yari said. Then she rolled her eyes at him and he gave her a weird look back. I might not be able to read their minds. But I damn well knew there was tension between those two.
The five of us continued to catch up for the next couple of hours. I was getting real sleepy and decided to excuse myself. “Is that back room occupied?” I asked.
“Nope,” Yari answered. “We left it the way you like it, with the Phantom of the Opera poster still hanging on the ceiling. We know you like it when the Phantom watches over you while you’re sleeping.”
“Ha ha, very funny. I’m not the traditional kind of musical guy. That’s Tommy’s department.”
“I think Phantom has a great score,” Tommy said. “But it lacks in overall story. So if you want someone to look over you it should probably be Jean Valjean from Les Miserables.”
“You really are a drama queen, Tom,” I said, laughing and walking to the room.
Lena had gotten up and followed me into the bedroom. We closed the door and got in the bed and cuddled until I fell asleep. Oddly enough, she never said one word to me.
Chapter Eleven
I woke up from a deep sleep and nearly fell out of the bed. The bed that Lena was sleeping on really wasn’t big enough for two people, especially because she was a major bed hog. I scooted out from underneath the covers and made sure not to wake her. I tiptoed to the door and quietly open it. I closed the door behind me and walked out toward the living room. Yari was awake and sitting alone on the couch. She looked up at me and smiled, “Good evening, sleepy head.”
“Good evening, to you,” I said. “Is everyone else asleep?”
“Yeah, Tommy is asleep in my bed, and Wyatt is asleep in the bathtub. He is so weird.”
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I was thinking about going out and maybe doing a feeding.”
“A feeding? Seriously?”
“Yeah. Why not? Want to come?”
“That’s not really my thing.” Just the thought of relying on other people’s blood for survival made me nauseous. To actually do it was a whole different story.
“Oh yeah, I forgot. You’re able to still eat things like tuna casserole.”
“Don’t be hater. Where are you planning on going?” I asked.
“There’s a strip club I like to go to where guys are up for pretty much anything.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, they come out of the club horny as hell. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel.”
“What do you say to them?”
“I tell them if we go to their car that I’ll make their night.”
“Yeah?” I had to admit Yari’s little story was kind of turning me on. “So, do you have sex with them and then drink their blood?”
“Who said anything about having sex? I don’t even let them kiss me. I tell them to put their seat b
ack and close their eyes. Then I kiss their neck a little, and then I go in for a feeding.”
“What do they do?”
“They usually freak out at first, but I tell them it’s a huge turn on for me, and I’ll make it worth their pain.”
“Wow.”
“I can usually get two to three good feedings in on a good night.”
I couldn’t tell if I was grossed out or turned on, but I looked at Yari’s hot little body and said, “Well, it’s doing wonders for you.”
“A girl has to keep up her figure.”
“Apparently so,” I said laughing.
“So, do you want to tag along?”
“No, Yari. I’ll pass. I can still eat steak.”
“That is unfair. I can only suck the juice off, if it’s extremely rare. The Triat hates me.”
“I’m pretty sure the Triat is very fond of you.”
“You think?”
“Think about it. You played a pivotal role in all of this.”
“I would like to think I did. But these days, no one pays much attention to me.”
“What about Tommy?” I asked.
Yari started to say something, but stopped herself.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Okay, we don’t have to go feed, but let’s go for a fly.”
“As birds?”
“You can be whatever the hell you want. I can only fly as a bird. Like I said, the Triat hates me.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“Monterrey.”
“Ha ha, very funny.” Yari was referring to the hot time we had in the city by the ocean.
“I’m serious, let’s go up north. How about San Francisco?”
San Francisco? That did sound interesting. “How fast can we get there?”
“In about an hour.”
It sounded like fun to just get up and go. “Let’s do it,” I said.
“Really?” Yari was very excited.
“Sure, why not? You want to invite everyone else?”
“Let’s just you and I go, plus Tommy is grounded.”
“Grounded?” I asked. “He’s in trouble?” I asked, laughing.
“No, silly. I meant he is not able to fly.”
“That’s funny; I thought you were saying—”
“I know what you thought I was saying. Anyway, I think you and I need to have a heart to heart.”
Uh-oh. “Okay, hold on.” I went back to the bedroom to tell Lena that Yari and were going for a fly, but she was sound asleep. I decided to not wake her up.
So, Yari and I both went outside and transitioned into our bird forms. Yari became Daphne, my red hawk friend, and once again, I became the great white eagle. We flew across the sky toward northern California. It was incredible! We hit remarkable speeds as we missiled our way toward the Bay area.
I decided to show off a few times for Yari. I transitioned from vampire to eagle in midflight, and each time I became a vampire, I struck a different pose. I could tell I was amusing the gorgeous hawk. In not much time at all, we landed on Golden Gate Bridge, the heart of San Francisco. The bridge was breathtaking. In the dark we couldn’t appreciate the reddish-orange tone but in the lights, it felt like we were on a postcard. Yari and I immediately transitioned into our Mani forms. The Pacific Ocean was on one side and the bay was on the other. We decided to sit on the west side of Route 101 with our legs hanging off the side of the bridge. Cars were blazing by behind us as we stared out into the Pacific blue. The big blue. God how I missed it when I was in Romania.
“That was fun,” I said.
“You’re such a ham, Josiah. Was that the Heisman pose you did when we flew over the Grapevine?”
“You liked that, didn’t you?” I said, smirking.
“I have missed you a lot. It’s not the same when you’re not around.”
I looked over at Yari and smiled at my dear friend. “I have missed you, too.”
Yari rested her head on my shoulder and snuggled up to me. “So, how was your first night back in the sack?”
“You mean with Lena?” I asked.
“No, I meant with Tommy,” Yari said, sarcastically. “Of course, I meant Lena.”
“Nothing happened other than some heavy cuddling.”
“Nothing?” Yari gasped. “Not even a little tug for good luck?”
“Nope. No tug boat action.”
“Wow, if you were my boyfriend, we wouldn’t have come out of that room for two weeks.”
“I wouldn’t doubt that, Yari. You definitely know your way around a tug boat.”
“No, Josiah, I know my way around you. Remember, I watched you for two years.”
“Yeah, so.”
Uh oh. I was afraid of what she was about to say.
“I’ll just put it this way. I learned to please you by watching the master work on his masterpiece every night.”
“You really watched me?”
“Sometimes, I transitioned to my Mani form and play with myself right outside your window.”
Wow, she’s a handful! She knew how to push my buttons.
Yari looked down at my crotch. “I see you still desire me, too.” Yari reached down and felt my penis over my jeans. I was hard as a rock.
“Yari! Don’t!” I said.
“I know, Josiah. Even though she’s not taking care of you, you’re Lena’s man.”
“That’s right, I am,” I said, taking her hand off of me.
“You’re right. You are her man,” Yari winked at me. “I mean, now that you’re back.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Yari was quiet.
“Look Yari, I’m not sure what you’re trying to do. This is really an unusual spot to try to seduce me. Really, on the side of the Golden Gate Bridge? There are a lot of reasons why this needs to stop.”
“Oh really, Josiah? A lot of reasons? Why don’t you tell me one?”
I was confused why Yari seemed so indignant. “Well, the obvious one is Lena and I are together. But also, what about Tommy? Aren’t you two having a thing or something?”
“Why don’t you ask him? He’s your best friend! Why don’t you ask him what he’s been doing the last month since you been gone! Better yet, why don’t you ask your precious Lena what she’s been up to?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re the fucking Houdini, Josiah. Why don’t you tell me what your girlfriend and best friend have been doing while you were running around Dracula’s Castle getting trained by some blue Ewok!”
My head began to spin.
Could Yari be telling the truth? When I called, they did seem real friendly to each other on the phone. What could they possibly have done in one month’s time?
I grabbed Yari’s face. “You’d better not fucking lie to me. What are you talking about?”
“Oh, now you’re interested. We put Lena on the table and now Josiah is all ears.”
“Yari! What the fuck are you talking about?” I was now screaming.
“I saw Tommy kiss Lena.”
I nearly fell off the bridge. “What?”
“I saw Tommy not only kiss Lena, but Lena allowed it.”
“Where?”
“At the beach.”
“What the hell were they doing at the beach?”
“Josiah, they have been doing everything together since you’ve been gone. They are like BFF’s. I nearly barfed when I saw how they ignored each other last night. They went out of their way to not let on how close they have gotten.”
“And you’re sure they kissed?”
“I’m positive! I was twenty feet away from them when it happened. I was behind some rocks watching the whole thing.”
“And they were both into it?”
“Josiah, I know you don’t want to hear this, but Tommy has it bad for Lena.”
“There’s no way.”
“Why couldn’t there be a way?”
“Because Tommy my best friend and he wouldn
’t do that. There are lines he wouldn’t cross.”
“Oh, he crossed them, Josiah. He’s been crossing them ever since you left.”
I looked at Yari and I knew she at least believed what she was saying. She might have been wrong about Tommy’s intentions, but she definitely believed it. “How did this happen, Yari?”
“You have been gone for a month. A lot can happen in four weeks.”
“You’re telling me that they have gotten real close? Tommy and Lena?”
“They have gotten more than close. I know that this is hard for you to hear. But you need to know the truth. I thought about not saying anything to you and just letting you figure it out, but that wasn’t fair to you, especially because the reason why you left is to improve as a Mani, to keep us all safe. For the greater good, you sacrificed a part of your life to bring strength and understanding to who we are as a group. And she…they…”
I felt sick to my stomach. I didn’t know what to do. If this was true, then this is the maximum betrayal by Tommy could commit. “So, did you confront them?”
“Josiah, I’m over 300 years old. I’ve given the president of the United States a blow job, I’m not about to get all hung up on some werewolf. It’s his loss.”
I shook my head. “And you think they have gotten so close that Tommy might be in love with her?”
“When you have been around as long as I have, you know what the signs are when a person has fallen for someone. Last night it was eating Tommy up inside that you and Lena were so close. That you went back into the bedroom together and shut the door.”
“I can’t believe it! Tommy is like my brother. He would never do this to me.”
“Josiah, I followed you for two years. I switched my allegiance from Atticai to you. I’ve stood by your side through all of this. I have seen too much bullshit to make up something like this.”
I got up and stood on the bridge. A part of me just wanted to jump off into the water. Not to kill myself, but to just feel the sensation of falling. To have some release from this knot in my stomach.
“What about Lena? How does she feel about Tommy?”