Facets of Feyrie Box Set, page 22
part #1 of Facets of Feyrie Series
Watching Katie shuffle slowly back and forth between the kitchen and tables, I find it hard not to feel sorry for her. Because I don’t experience this often, I’m not quite sure what to do with it.
And when I do, it gets me into trouble.
It’s doubtful she knows what her boyfriend is. Just as it’s doubtful, she’s a consensual victim. She doesn’t have that dramatic flair that most aware donors have. Plus, she seems to be in auto mode, not the dreamy ‘I’m secretly banging a vampire’ mode.
I can see the leech’s point, to some degree. A body has to eat, yeah, but there are many more deserving meals out there, but I don’t know the whole story. Maybe I’m wrong, and this Katie likes the death and allure and whatever else vampires spout out to persuade humans to become a juice box.
“Mama, can I have some milk?” The little voice changes my entire train of thought.
The towheaded little boy, no more than three or four, toddles out from behind the counter and tugs very gently on his mother’s pant leg. Big brown eyes look up at her imploringly.
For the first time since I got here, Katie smiles. The dismal cloud clinging to her briefly lifts. She looks happy, her love for her son clear in her eyes. A child changes everything.
The way she’s looking at her son, there’s no way she would endanger him by hanging out with someone who can, and probably will turn him into a midnight snack. Katie runs her hand through the little boy’s hair and kneels to kiss him on the cheek.
My mind makes up itself.
“Waitress!” comes the call, and the light dims a little in Katie’s eyes as she drags herself to her feet.
I step out of my comfort zone and hesitantly call to the child, “Hey there, want to have ice cream with me while your mom goes and helps that ugly fella?”
The little boy turns to me and ducks his head in shyness, giggling at my description of the fat man waving his check from a booth next to the front door. Katie turns and fixes me with a look only a mother can pull off. A heavy look that speaks of potential wrath if her child comes to harm.
My mother Nisha used a look like that many years ago. I like this human, Katie.
“I would sooner die myself than let something happen to him, Katie,” I vow to the woman solemnly, meaning every word. Something in my face must convince her because after a moment she nods and goes over to help another customer. I stand and help the little guy into the booth across from me.
I’m not sure what to speak to a child about so I start with something simple. “So, what’s your name?” He smiles shyly at my question. His brown eyes are full of curiosity and laughter. An innocence that makes my heart tighten a little.
“Isaac.” Shy, he tucks his chin to his chest, his dimples peeking out of his cheeks. Holy crap, this kid is cute.
“Nice to meet you, Isaac. I’m Iza.” I hold out my hand for him to shake—Aleah showed me that this is normal human behavior—careful to keep my claws from scratching him. He shakes it with another giggle, a giggle that tightens my heart even more.
“Do you like magic tricks?” He nods his head enthusiastically. Smiling, I let a little of my Magiks slip out and make the silverware dance. Goofing off is something I can do. He laughs merrily, clapping his chubby little hands.
As the hours pass, Isaac tells me stories only kids can tell, while we eat ice cream. Before I know it, darkness has fallen. It’s been one of the best afternoons I’ve ever had, sharing it with this lovely child. Simple, endearing, and he wants nothing from me but attention. I didn’t know humans could be this way. Not that I really paid attention before. Most of the ones I’ve associated with weren’t upstanding citizens.
Apparently, my soft spot for children trumps species.
I rub my stomach dramatically, purely for Isaac’s benefit.
“What do you say we sweet talk your mom into getting us some dinner, and then I’ll walk you guys home?” Through our various conversations, I learned that they don’t have a car. But ‘Mommy does have a scary boyfriend’ who looks at Isaac ‘mean.’
Something I’ll remedy, soon.
Without much convincing, Katie brings us some dinner, roast beef and mashed potatoes. Katie encourages us to eat quickly. Someone keeps texting her, making her rush (cell phones are amazing, usually). Must be the leech. It’s just starting to get chilly, but Katie thought to bring little Isaac a coat and hat. Even in the state Katie’s in, she cares deeply for her child. I watch her bundle him up and tickle him a little. It makes me feel a wee stab of envy.
This is something I’ll never have. Annoyed with myself, I keep it from going any further. I refuse to let that ridiculously depressing thought keep me from enjoying this moment in time.
“He doesn’t trust many people,” Katie says to me. “I owe you so much for keeping him entertained all day. He’s rather taken to you.” I smile at her compliment, making sure my glamour is tightly woven around me. The smile itself is genuine, although maybe a bit lippy.
“He’s something special, Katie. I promised him I’d walk you guys home so I could make sure no monsters attack. I vowed that my sword is at his disposal,” I say, waving the butter knife around and inciting another batch of giggles from Isaac.
Gathering her things, Katie says, “It’s not that far from here. We used to stop and get a movie on the way home on Friday but—“ she stops talking and frowns, shaking her head in confusion.
I force my smile to stay in place. I know exactly why they stopped getting movies on Friday. Someone is always demanding their dinner from her. Or demanding her to be dinner, depends on how you look at it.
“We can stop tonight and get a movie,” I quickly tell her. “I heard about this one with a big green ogre. Isaac was telling me all about it.” I wait for Katie to put on her coat, and follow them out into the cool night.
The bond between a mother and a child is a special bond. Irreplaceable. It’s something I’m going make sure Katie keeps.
Chapter Forty-Three
I love movies. And Isaac’s excitement to get to the movie store temporarily overpowers the leech’s pull on Katie. We linger in the store until he picks out a couple of movies and a toy dinosaur that poops out candy eggs.
I play with it as much as he does.
Discreetly, I pay for everything. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out money is tight for them. As we walk, Katie is less gloomy than before. I know that between Isaac and the Magiks that I’m brushing her aura with, the pull is dimmer. Katie opens up and starts sharing a little about her life while I nod occasionally and keep my silence. Eventually, she gets to her boyfriend.
“I don’t know why I stay in a relationship with him. If that’s what you even call it. Every morning I make up my mind to end it with him, but after five minutes with him, I completely forget about it. It’s strange...” she shakes her head as her words trail off. “He’s never hit me or anything. He doesn’t even say mean things. It’s so confusing that I can’t seem to let him go.”
“Some men seem to have an allure about them. I’m looking forward to meeting him,” I reassure her. I’m not lying. I am looking forward to meeting the shit. The more time I spend with these two, the more I want to kill the bastard. The more I also want to kick my ass.
Selfish of me. So fucking selfish to rarely care what happens to the defenseless. But I know why I always hesitate; whenever I’ve helped in the past, it backfired. Horribly.
“Are you sure you want to come in and watch the movie?” Katie asks me, picking Isaac up.
“Absolutely, how can I not want to watch a big green ogre?” I tease her.
With Isaac between us, we sit down with popcorn to watch the movie. A movie I decide I love after the first ten minutes. I laugh, I cry, I yell angrily at the short man. When it ends, Isaac’s sound asleep with his little blonde head on my shoulder. It takes some finagling, but I manage to move it to his mother’s.
Right on time, there’s a cool draft as the door opens and closes. Turning to look over my shoulder, I see a man is standing there waiting in the shadows. No, not a man, the guest I’m waiting for.
Katie tenses when he makes himself known to her. She snatches Isaac up carefully and practically runs towards his bedroom. I sit there and stare at the asshole. I can see his weak pheromones trying to weave around me. He is a few decades old, this one. But his mojo won’t work on me even if he’s the strongest of his kind.
“Who are you?” he demands.
“Friend of the family. Who are you?” I counter calmly. I don’t want to scare the shit out of Katie any more than necessary. I don’t want to scare little Isaac.
”I’m Katie’s partner,” he answers, looking at me intently. My dad taught me well as a kid; my glamour will hold against this asshole, so to him, I look human.
Katie comes back into the room, looking nervously at the floor. I eat some more popcorn and watch everything unfold.
“Uhm, Iza this is uh… uh… “ she says, frowning at herself. She doesn’t know his name. I noticed its lack of usage earlier, but I didn’t realize it went that deep.
“Phillip,” he supplies. “Shouldn’t your friend be leaving, Katie?” I watch the push behind it. Watch it overcome the already weakened woman.
“It’s not polite to play with your food,” I verbally jab at him as I stand and move in between Katie and Phillip.
“Whatever does that mean?” he asks, playing coy. I roll my eyes at his exaggerated, fake ass accent and watch the tendrils of my Magiks repel the weak ones of soon-to-be-dead Phillip’s.
“She’s an innocent,” I hiss. Now his attention is fully on me.
“I’m sure she is, but what has that to do with anything?”
“You’re done using her like a milkshake. Go find some rapist to suck on.” He laughs.
“What are you babbling about?” He steps closer. His will slides against mine and is obliterated by my Magiks. His eyes widen as does his mouth, showing his two little, pointy teeth.
Two, isn’t that cute? I smile, letting the glamour on my face drop just a little. I have thirty-two pointy teeth. He takes a step back.
“Shifter?” Nervous now, he takes a step back. This time I laugh.
“No, sorry. Disappointed?” I step closer to Katie. “Go in there with Isaac and lay down. Don’t come out no matter what you hear.” I look over my shoulder just long enough to see Katie nod. She no longer has that look of a zombie on her face. “You’re single as of now, K?” Katie nods again and gives my arm a small squeeze before beating feet into Isaacs’s room at the end of her small trailer.
“You know there are other people out there who are much more deserving of your attention than a single mom of such a cute kid,” I say quietly, walking slowly towards him. As I walk, the shadows in the room deepen; Magiks making their presence known. In surprise, Phillip looks around him, searching for a way out. There won’t be one.
He won’t get one foot out the door.
“If I thought for one-second you would make that choice; I’d let you go. But I have this… let’s say ‘feeling’ that this isn’t the first time you’ve played the single mom snack game.” Stopping right in front of him, I sniff his coat. He smells of death, many of them.
“My family will have your head! They will know if you try to injure me.” I ignore his ramblings. If they have the same dietary habits, then they will meet the same fate. I’m not squeamish about killing creatures like him. I’m a monster too, after all—a monster who likes killing ones like him.
“So, for the sake of any future snacks, we’re going to put you on a diet.”
A fiend’s head pops through his chest, gripping the husk that was his heart in its mouth. You don’t need to destroy the heart to kill a vampire. My dear companion is going for effect. Already, Phillip is consumed by their ravenous maws.
With indifference, I watch until he is completely gone. My buddies have to eat, too.
I pick up the wallet and watch off the ground. Digging through the wallet, I find a stash of cash and a couple of credit cards. I sit those and the fancy watch on the counter. Then I write a note on a paper towel with one of Isaac’s markers: ‘You deserve these, you’re a good mother. Start believing in yourself.’
I wash my hands, turn off the TV, and put away the bowl of popcorn. I look around the room once more before heading out the door, locking it behind me. Katie and Isaac will be alright now, and hopefully, she’s learned a valuable lesson. She isn’t the only one who learned something tonight, though. I did too. Not all humans are what I thought they were.
Chapter Forty-Four
The low thrum of bass is partially what pulls me to this place. This place full of sweaty bodies meshed into a large, gyrating mass on the dance floor. A nightclub, they’re called. I don’t see much difference between them and a bar. Except maybe the music. I do like the music. I’m still in the process of figuring out which types are my favorite. Songs with good rhythm and bass tend to catch my attention the most. The words are important too. Music should tell a story, not repeat the same phrase over and over.
This time, I like the stuff they are playing in the club. I sit down at a table, tucked away in the corner, and survey the room. That Magiks ‘thing’ I can’t control pulled me here the hardest. So here I am. It’s happened steadily since the day I left the cottage for good.
I lean back in the chair and watch the people on the dance floor struggle for some euphoria they’re probably not going to reach. Doesn’t stop them from trying. The trying must be the fun part. Looks fun.
Pulling my gaze away, I process the information my senses are giving me. So many different types of creatures here. A surprising variety considering this is the human world. It’s the first time I’ve found so many purebloods in one place since I came to this earth realm. Question is, which one—or ones, am I here for?
Specifically, I start sorting out the Light Fey because it won’t be them. This is a Feyrie only party or Dark Fey as some call us, they have all kinds of weird names for the different species of either side.
Tonight will just be part of my newer routine: same stuff, every time. The Magiks thing latches onto them and gives me everything I need to know. Are they loyal? Etc, etc. If so, their mark will switch on, I write down the address, and off they go.
Well, if they choose to go. That’s up to them. The jury is out on whether I still actually believe in any of this fate shit. But the impulse to do it is not something I’ve resisted, with any success, so far. Hence, me being in this overcrowded, hot nightclub.
Occasionally, I find latent marks on the half-breeds or half-half-half breeds. I had no idea there was so much interbreeding. Then again, I can’t work a microwave either. Something that fellow at the gas station learned too.
I break a lot of things by accident.
Absently, I tighten my glamour. Magiks are like a muscle, and mine are terribly out of shape, so I've been practicing. I’m not helpless, but I don’t like leaving the power in control, nor do I want to get spotted because of my inattention. I want to observe not be observed.
My eyes are drawn to a kid. Kid, because he’s not old enough to be anything more than that. Tops sixteen and that’s if he has armpit hair. That’s my dark mark, right there. I gotta be a little closer to him to determine everything I need to know minus finding out about the pit hair.
Tilting my head to the side, I watch two half-breed vampires cage him against the wall. Well, that isn’t very nice. I sling my backpack over my shoulder and stand. As I move closer, I’m able to sort their voices out of the others around them. They want him to steal my backpack, ha. Good luck with that.
“So, uh, why don’t you guys try to take it from me yourself?” I dramatically whisper to them. I look at the boy, not actually caring about the leeches. My Magiks make instant contact with him, and I see his vivid blue eyes widen.
Oh, my.
His clothes are worn and dirty, hanging on his almost skeletal frame. He looks near starved to death. Which I’m about to remedy. Can’t let a kid go hungry, it’s not in my nature.
Without trying too hard, I reach over and break the neck of the leech on the right and grab the one on the left, dragging him out the door. The body of the other one is already gone. My fiends are doing their specialty work.
I know the boy, Michael, will follow me. The door opens into an alley, and I turn, going deeper into it. Idiot boy behind me has been starving himself because he’s afraid of morons like the one I’m dragging along. I shove the leech up against the wall, holding him with a forearm to his throat and look at Michael.
“What the fuck are you doing, Michael? Letting this asshat thump you around because you’re afraid?” I let the anger seep into my words. I don’t understand what he’s thinking. Michael is a dragnor. A pureblood from my world. They eat things like this vampire impersonator. These guys are the diluted next of kin.
Michael’s face turns red.
“Nu-uh, you look at me.” He does. “You’re a badass, motherfucker. You. You will not be afraid. You’re too strong to be afraid. Do you understand me?” After a few seconds or so, he nods. “Good, now eat this piece of crap so I can go get a milkshake.”
His eyes widen in surprise.
“You think I don’t know what you are?” I ask. “If you hurry, I’ll buy you a milkshake too.” He laughs, and it lifts some of my worry for him. He’s timid, and in this world, any world, timid can be a death sentence. But he will learn better.
The guy I’m holding squirms—I forgot about him. So, I stand a little to the side and wave Michael in. For a second, those pretty, blue eyes hold mine, and then the changes start. I smile as his face splits into row after row of teeth. I let go of the leech and turn on my cell to work on the next level of Candy Crush. Stupid game is hard. When the sounds of him eating stop, I look back at him; he’s a mess. I dig around for the wet wipes in my bag and quickly start cleaning off the bits and pieces of the leech from Michael’s face. I have a feeling he’s self-conscious about his eating habits too.
