I was happy for Talya. She deserved a strong mate and a partner who respected her. Turning into a vampire changed my perspective on quite a few things. Life for one. Why would I want to choose a woman and then have her for hundreds of years when I had plenty of time to play the field? Not that I wanted be a love ’em and leave ’em vamp, but I could take my time. Eventually I did want to find that special someone. Maybe a hundred years from now.
Cecily and her beastkind tamer magic was something to behold. I’d like to say Talya and Ivan had the perfect relationship of love and harmony, but that was pushing it. Ivan had his moments and Talya had the rolling pin when she needed it.
Cecily could walk in a room with the two of them going at it and bring instant peace. She took over the day-to-day management of the house and beastkind and vampires stepped aside. She was the mother I never had. The pictures of us from the news had died down, but we knew she could never go back to her previous life. Not that she would. She was the bonding glue that held the cats and wolves together. One touch from her did what a rolling pin couldn’t. At least if you were lucky. If not, she tore you down a peg or two with words. I’d been on the receiving end more times than I could count. She had no fear of vampires or beastkind, and we all walked lightly when she was in certain moods.
The female cats under Talya’s hand came out of their shells more each day. They trained in self-defense and had “cat” time each afternoon. Mountain lions and wolves lounging around the great room became our new normal. Meesha changed at will and was turning into a proper fur ball of terror. I’d pried her claws from my back several times because her new thing was pouncing from high up onto anything that moved. Sierra was not a good influence, so we had two little hellions. Her brother, Roland, and the older cat, Jasper, were inseparable.
I met Amy and Marcus when they came to visit the twins. Sierra needed two sets of parents along with a village or two to keep her out of trouble. The only person able to keep her in line was Cecily. She affected everyone that way, and with the children she had endless patience.
Disney World stayed open all night several times a year. Cecily took me and Treson. She went on every ride with us. Of course, we had to sit through a few that made us nauseous because they were so damned tame. Overall it was worth it, and I brought back a pair of Mickey Mouse ears for Talya.
The Moor, I refused to call him Morris because it wasn’t badass enough, told me I was the youngest vampire he’d ever seen flash. I didn’t tell him about my motivation. No one knew what that motivation was, not even Talya, though she’d understand. Hell, she’d insist on coming with me. I wasn’t waiting for the birth of her first child or, Goddess forbid, bringing her while she remained in beast form for the coming arrival.
No, this was something I needed to do myself. But after this, I was choosing a new name. Something like Lestat. The dreaded vampire Rondy was just plain corny. But it would suit my purposes this one last time.
I sat waiting in the smelly apartment after flashing into the downstairs entryway and then to my present location. I was not quite comfortable with flashing into unknown areas without a beastkind as anchor. I made it, though, and now I waited because I had all the time in the world.
The doorknob turned and three men entered. It was hard not to show my fangs when I smiled, but I controlled myself. There’d be plenty of time for that shortly.
“Who the fuck are you?” Three guns simultaneously pointed in my direction. Now you see me, now you don’t. Three arms holding guns. Three broken arms dangling with guns skittering across the filthy floor.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” one of them screamed.
I didn’t like his tone or language, so I snapped his neck. The second man tried to run. He was holding his arm and sobbing as he made it halfway to the door. I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and tossed him into the far wall. A loud blast filled the room and a mosquito bit my back. It hurt a bit more than that, but I laughed. I didn’t bother turning as more shots fired. First, I was taking care of the guy who slid down the wall leaving a trail of blood behind. The loud crack of his neck happened at the instant the prey behind me ran out of bullets.
I finally turned. “Hello, Teo. Long time no see.”
“Fuck you. Die already.” His eyes were twice their normal size.
“None of that now. I’ve changed a bit, but you should remember me as Rondy.”
I gave him time to recognize me. I saw it in his eyes when he did. Teo went for one of the other guns on the floor. I lifted him easily and tossed him onto the chair I’d vacated. I had practiced this line several times in my head while waiting for the party to start. I had Talya to thank for making me watch that stupid movie at least a hundred times.
My eyes went amber. Teo tried scrambling from the chair, but my hand went to his throat. “My name is Rondy Vincent Ortega. You killed my mother, prepare to die.”
No screams took place in the movie, so this was so much more satisfying.
The Beginning…
A note from the author:
Surprise! I’m planning a two-part series for Rondy. His character just wouldn’t die no matter how hard I tried. Both books will be out sometime next year. A very special thanks to Liz Jenkins Wilson, from the Fang Chronicles Reading Group, for naming Rondy. Perfect! This book is dedicated to Wendy Higgs for making me laugh until I cry and cry until I couldn’t see two feet in front of me when we said goodbye. Ivan’s Story was vastly improved by the wonderful insights from Michelle, Pat, Sally, Zoie, and Elaine and I can’t thank you ladies enough. An even bigger thanks to readers for making my dreams come true!
D’Elen
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Fang Chronicles: Ivan Page 20