Louis
I submerged my hand into a polystyrene container filled with wriggly fish dodging their own capture. I grabbed one, slammed it down on a slab of wood, and hit its head with a mallet, using a little more force than necessary. It died instantly. I reached for its tail and held it out to the woman in front of me. Without disgust or scruples, she took it from me and dropped it in a basket hanging from her elbow. I've seen her many times. A good-looking older lady with five kids around her ankles, varying in age. With no birth control, those who could stomach it had reverted back to the eighteenth century—the one I'd grown up in. The way I was living was like second nature; we had no electricity and you only had water if it was fetched by foot—in a pale—barely enough to wash your hands with. I lifted mine and took a big whiff. My nose wrinkled. I hated working with fish.
My many psychology degrees meant nothing in this new world. I read her mind, listening in on the fear she felt of not having enough food for the next two days. Her husband worked hundreds of miles inland and sent money their way—when he could. She dug in her pocket and dropped some coins in my hand. I sifted through the steel, nickel, and copper—all different South American currencies thrown together; the new world had its own little system. Her thoughts jumped to making it to the fields and harvesting wheat. The oldest girl was looking up at the sky, thinking the same thing. I also did and decided they wouldn't make it, which meant no bread for another day. I felt for them but stuffed the coins into my pocket, turning away to rinse my hands the best I could.
Jacklin's voice, in a perfect accent, caught my attention; it was far in the distance, and it increased as she talked with one of her friends coming closer to where I was working. We'd moved recently after staying in one place for the appropriate amount of time without arousing suspicion. No one knew we were vampires, and in the past, there were a few times we'd been found out. With all the trouble it caused—we were more like fugitives, hoping no one killed us in our sleep. Although, with my established demonic strength, crushing someone's skull was as easy as squishing a grape.
Jacklin waddled into my periphery, heavy with child—about to pop like Juliet would've said. My heart dropped when she came to mind. Would I still recognize her? A hundred years. Where was she? Still alive because I wasn't dead. Behind Jacklin, my eye caught another young man(Leo), who was also a vampire. He lifted his chin, saying hi, and turned off towards the little shop we set up. Behind the counter, a young lady worked the till; also, one of us, although not a vampire. I loved the children. Since I could read Jacklin's mind and found out about the past, I had a little more sympathy for her. And I could understand why Lyla pressed the button. How long had the two of us looked after Lyla? When she reached seventy, her body failed with a slow onset of dementia. By that time, Lyla's husband had died, knowing everything about our little pack. It was hard watching her fade away and suffer… It is why I never wanted to get involved with human women… So much had happened in the last hundred years: Loss. Friendship. Struggles. Lillian waved in my direction and gave me one of her radiant smiles. What an incredible, sanguine little woman, full of life and determination. Nothing like her mother.
Jacklin held out a little leather pouch to me. I groaned. How wonderful paying with a phone was at one point. Many of the cities got their power running again; however, because of the low coal supply, it was only for an hour a day—maybe—not even. Most of the people walking in the market couldn't even remember the old ways. It was a new era with slow progress to fix what the new generation didn't even understand. Nor was there anyone who could teach them. The scholars of those times were dead after the major cities were destroyed. Some had passed on the limited knowledge they could—those people were up north in the old Columbian area. We'd heard for the last fifty years the South Americans had begun to tame the Darian Gap, forgoing forestry or environmental issues and logging the area and killing whatever was in there. The hope was to make it to America to see what was left of Mexico and the states. Totally cut off from the rest of the world, we were isolated and safe—very south.
Another customer asked for a fish. Tired, I manifested my claws deep in the water, pierced the fish outright, and retracted my nails before handing him his meal for the night. The young man's thoughts were consumed with Lillian. If he could talk to her. She might be too busy. He didn't want to bother her.
I looked over to see if she even noticed the young man. Lillian was flirting shamelessly with an older gentleman. I scoffed. As if he ever stood a chance with me in the picture. I focused and read the old guy's mind. Yes, I was bored, and the only thing I had for entertainment was knowing every little detail about every person in the village. I swore under my breath. He was only thinking about her cleavage and trying to listen to a word she was babbling about so he didn't look like an idiot. Not a gentleman… Lillian was a little chatterbox.
Leo came around the corner with two heavy-filled buckets on a stick hanging over his shoulder. It would be better if we lived isolated. Using our abilities to hunt and carry stuff would be better for Leo and me to do the heavy lifting. I nudged my head in Leo's direction; the young man saw the gesture. I was impressed by how vigilant he was. He followed my gaze, "Help her brother and take the bucket to Lillian." He nodded eagerly, and Leo welcomed the help. With each a pale in hand, they ask Lillian where she wanted them. Lillian beamed, thanking them for the help, lifting a curtain, and ushering them in where someone local we hired was baking bread. Most people could afford to buy; others had to make every ingredient from scratch.
My hand jumped to my heart in a feeble ploy to stop the pain. I opened my mouth to yelp—no sound came out. Jacklin laughed at me, "Your little princess is relentless in keeping you in line." With me unable to speak, Jacklin usually took the gap and said everything she'd been holding back and what I would've had a retort for. When Juliet kept me quiet, I could only listen to whatever Jacklin needed to get off her chest. Juliet didn't know how much her reminders hurt me—in more ways than one… I wanted to forget. So many times—I even made Juliet write—to go on with her life—and stop fighting reality… After a hundred years, you'd think she'd get the message. No! Not my wife. What would she do if she knew where I was and how my life turned out? I shook my head. How would I stop her from killing Jacklin—outright… There were long-distance relationships, and then there was the one-way irritation Juliet was trying to keep alive. I could make her write and, in some small way, communicate; all she could do was keep me from speaking and hurting me in the process.
Michael had never come for me. No one had ever tried to find me. Who was still alive? Carl? Did I miss his death… Sam… Had he already sat down and died vigorously. Naji? Was he a hundred years old? I shook my head, unwilling to think about Sammy. "You know, I rather like the older gentleman for Lillian… It doesn't help if you interfere because you can read minds." I looked away and scratched behind my head. "Lillian has to make her own decisions." I scooped a handful of fish water and splashed Jacklin in the face. She gasped. Her hands jumped up in disgust, "How dare you!" I silently laughed. Tsk, tsk.
Jacklin had become a totally different person several times over—never able to decide who she wanted to be. Me? I knew who I was; asshole was one of my personality traits. There was only one woman who could give me grief, and it wasn't Jacklin. "How jealous you are… Juliet has always been your biggest mistake… Even now, she manages you and forces your hand." I threaten Jacklin with a mock dive into the water. She quickly took a step back, bumping into Leo. I loved the picture we painted nonetheless. A kinda family, in a way, forever thrown together twenty-four hours a day trying to make a living to get by. It did make us sick of each other relatively often.
Leo grabbed his mother's shoulders and steadied her, "Mom! Can you behave for once… I know you're pregnant, but if you're going to be unpleasant—stay in bed!" I stretch out an open hand to Leo—agreeing with him. "You can't speak, can you." I shook my head on a heavy sigh. Juliet was giving it her all. Usually, when she had so much energy, she focused on me for a good period. "How long do you think it will last this time?" he asked. I shrugged. "We have the town meeting tonight." My head jerked up, my eyes wide. "Yes, and as town official… I don't know what we're going to tell them."
Jacklin laughed sardonically, "Poor Louis… How will he keep his position if no one can rely on him." I took a step around the few slates my bucket of fish was perched on. Leo hurriedly steered his mother away from the wrath I would easily inflict on her. Juliet increased her force on my already burning heart. My back arched as the pain twisted around my spine. A grunt passed my lips despite the impossibility of sound. It meant she wanted me to write something to her, not caring whether I was able to get somewhere I didn't look like an absolute lunatic. I stumbled through the muddy streets and found a narrow, empty little courtyard of an abandoned stall. The owners had passed away and had no children to take over the family business.
With the slightest nudge to Juliet, she released me. I drew in a breath, "Absolutely no regard for my feelings." I lifted my hand in a pencil grip. The first time the guys and I had talked about what we could do with our branding rights was in France one day, sitting on the porch while enjoying a glass of wine. Wine… I missed so much from modern civilization.
Me [ What do you want ]
No reply. No nudge. No pain. Silence.
Who was she with? Where was she? What were they doing? I've gotten no reply from my nudges to Michael… He could be dead. I'd never know.
Me [ Forget About Me ]
Nothing. I chuckled. Juliet probably had a lot to say about my constant dismissing of her efforts. I had long ago stopped dragging her out of bed—around the time—
Juliet interrupted my thoughts by sending a sharp jolt into my head.
Me [ Will you ever give up ]
Two soft nudges. I'd never before asked and didn't want to, but—
Me [ Are you with Michael ]
Two soft nudges. My shoulders lifted a little, and so did my mood.
Me [ Chris ]
Again two. How in the world was she not with either. Before I could ask Marcus, Juliet tapped twice. No one.
Me [ This whole time ]
One quick tugging on my heart. A refreshing ripple of gooseflesh stimulated my skin. I still had feelings. Tears threatened to overthrow my hard heart, slowly making their way from my core.
Me [ Alone all this time ]
Two. What in the world? My breathing accelerated. Where was everyone?
Me [ Safe ]
One nudge. F— this was torture. Whenever I had some reprieve and was on the verge of forgetting about my old life, Juliet would remind me it would never be possible. "Louis!" Leo said behind me. I spun around. "Can you talk yet?"
"Yes."
"We have to go if we want to make it up the mountain."
I nodded and lifted my hand.
Me [ Gotta Go ]
One nudge. My hand fell along with my heart.
***
Juliet
Basaam stood next to me, looking over my shoulder. I glanced up and smiled. He always wanted to be right there when I spoke to Louis. The boy still had hope to see his father one day. "Is it just me, or is he irritated." I chuckled. "He's not very romantic." The next chuckle was louder. "He could've said anything… There is never a 'I miss you' or a 'I love you.' Why will he tell you to forget about him every time you reach out?"
I couldn't tell Basaam—Louis might have gone on with his life. I took a deep breath, "He's jealous… He's never asked me who I'd been with—not once… Louis…" I snorted, "Thought I was with one or all three of the other men… He's angry at himself…"
"If he only knows what you've been through… He'll feel like an idiot," Caleb snipped.
I couldn't wait. It would happen eventually. "I can't wait to see his face when he sees you."
"For that to happen, we have to find Michael," Caleb said from around the fire.
"We will!" Basaam scolded. "Why are you so negative?"
"Yes, Caleb! Where has your ever-present optimism gone?"
"Marcus always said you didn't believe in no-win scenarios…. I thought he was a fool… Couldn't believe he couldn't make a plan to save Chris… Well… I joined Marcus's club around fifty years ago." Caleb's dheka wife(Kaia) nudged him with a shoulder. The corner of his mouth lifted, and so did his arm. He drew her onto his chest and kissed her on the forehead. Basaam turned and scanned the tents around us. His wife was nowhere to be seen. The four made my stomach churn with all the love in the air. About a year ago, we had reached a city we'd never been to, and after the two sisters were taken with my two pale faces, we had to stay for a year… Well, 'liked' doesn't really apply to the dheka; when they met someone and received their purple shadow ability, there was nothing anyone could say. Although, Romero had to make an appearance and intervene in the match because the father was so blindsided by what it all meant for the dheka race... Both young men were hard up to get to the village and make the trip to the dark city or—I switched to English and asked, "Hey, have the two of you discussed with your partners all the possibilities they would need to take into consideration… Caleb, you have a lot to think about! Never leaving Mirach and giving up on Zoreah." I didn't want the young woman to understand us, although we were already fluent in the native tongue about two years in. My firstborn didn't even hear me—cuddling and whispering into Kaia's ear. "Caleb!"
"I heard you! I chose to ignore the question."
"Scared you're lover is going to bail… You'll be glad to know, Mother, I followed your advice and talked to her before courting her."
I turned to Basaam, "You did? What did she say?"
"Oh, we had sex the same night."
"You WHAT?" Caleb and I said at the same time.
I raised my voice, "How could you keep this from us?"
Basaam laughed and sat down on a cushion, "For that face alone, it was worth it… No, my little dheka warrior wants more out of life…" I smiled at the glint in his eyes. "Romero also gave Nami his blessing and had a long talk with her."
"Are you planning on fighting Naji for En-gannim?"
"I've been training with you for a hundred years," he scoffed, "I can take on my cousin slash brother slash—"
"Heaven help us, we're all going to inbreed soon."
"Not us!" Caleb smirked.
Caleb's young lover had too much breeding to tell us we were rude— speaking so she couldn't understand. I reverted back to mirachian, "Where is your woman?" I asked Basaam.
"Nami is packing up. Helping… We need to leave tomorrow."
Kaia stood, "I will go help."
"Oh, no!" Caleb pulled her down, threw his arms around her, and fell back into the sand with her on top of him. "He's just jealous… We talked about this."
"Sar…casm."
"Yes!" We all cheered at her English. The girls were trying. Oh, my little family I loved. My little simple life I'd always wanted. When I dreamt Chris and I would be walking Mirach to get away from Michael, I never thought I'd actually end up doing it. At that moment Michael could have me wrinkles and all.
"Okay, good night, you lot. An early start."
***
The giwa underneath me walked at a snail's pace. We'd been riding from dawn, and the sun was setting on the horizon. "Where is this settlement?"
"We should've seen life by now… Did we miss the stars?"
"You can't miss the stars," Caleb pointed into the sky.
I looked up to make sure. The one we were supposed to follow was unmissable and on our left where it had to be. "What is with the animosity Caleb? You've been snarky for days?" Caleb guiltily looked away. "You're pent up."
"Of course I am! I'm a hundred-year-old virgin with a hot woman at his side day in—day out… I want to go to the village," he said with a tantrum whine.
We all laughed at him.
"Join the club," I muttered. "It's worse when you've actually had sex before… You can be glad you didn't sleep with that girl in the dream… You don't know how it would've affected the outcome for the two of you," I gestured between him and the woman sitting in between his knees.
Kaia's head snapped around, "You already had a mate."
"Mom! Geeze! What a wingman you make," he stroked her arm, "Never. Not even a kiss. Or touch." Her shoulders dropped, and she leaned back into him.
"I don't know how the two of you ever did it!" I said.
"Having your lonely mother for a companion would do the trick."
"Shhh!" Nami scolded. We all pulled on our reigns and brought our mounts to a halt. Without the voices and the squelching of our giwa in the sand—I heard it. I threw my leg around and dismounted, dropping into a thick layer of soft earth. Romero's village was surrounded by deep sand, but where we were was like Zoreah. I scanned the ground, hoping nothing would come up and swallow us whole. Anything could hide in the thickness. Manifested, we were a weird, odd group of aliens, leading our beasts to a treeline to tie them down.
Caleb and I disappeared and walked toward the faint noises in the distance. My heart always bumped up a notch when we reached a place we'd never been to; there was the possibility either Chris or Michael were on the other side waiting. If it was a werewolf settlement. Bells rung. Caleb and I glanced at each other; they saw us coming. "Werewolves." The camp became a whirlwind of activity. We were far enough away from Basaam that the wolves would hopefully not spot the group and surround us.
I went into a run. Caleb did as well and took a different direction. A voice to my left sounded familiar. "Juliet." I spun, Jack! "Don't appear. They'll kill you on site." Another man hit Jack behind the head; he dropped to his knees in pain. This was going to be fun. You will all be human by tomorrow night. Let's see you fight then. I'll kill you all.
Around one of the tents, a wolf stepped out into the open. My eyes popped. Wow! Hotness incarnate. A wolf, muscled to perfection, wasn't something you often witnessed—every vein visible bulging across his shaven skin. Oh no, I might have found number five.
"Ben!" The wolf growled. "Keep your men in line."
No! Benny… Will you ever change?
"Yes, father." Uzail. Interesting. Ben grabbed Jack's arm and dragged him away. I took a step forward, recognizing another wolf. Francis was off to the side in all his glory. The boy was not a boy any longer. A man—my eyes drifted down his body—in every area.
The general took out a sword. S—. He lit it on a rock and took two steps toward me. We never tested whether the red swords worked on Caleb and me. A good a time as any. I took two steps forward; his wolfish mouth turned into a smile. So, hot. If he wasn't Ben's daddy, Louis would have a real reason to be jealous. General Smoking closed the distance and lifted the red blade. I held out my arm. Without hesitation, he slashed down. If it worked, I'd lose an arm. I closed my eyes. No pain. One eye opened on a slither. I jumped up and down. Yipee! The general swore, looked at another wolf, and bobbed his head.
The lackey disappeared, and a moment later, a human came out following him. Long hair, tall. Michael. I moved to run to him. The wolf lifted his arm and pushed his spear in underneath Michael's chin. I came to an abrupt halt. Michael smiled, "It's about f— time, woman. Where the hell have you been?"
"I will kill him… You can see we've treated him well… I'm not Ahasuerus… But I suggest you turn around and leave." Before he was even done speaking, Uzail fell to a knee. Urgh, another Brylee. Must be their leader. Human, she wasn't much to look at.
She put her hand on the hunky wolf's shoulder, "Thank You, Uzail. I will try to reason with her."
None of the wolves stood to leave. They didn't trust me. Probably received reports of how I slaughtered Otabi. How was I going to get this done? If Caleb and I walked away, they would be sure to follow.
"I know it must be hard to be so close to one of your husbands and not be able to do anything… What? You have not seen him in a hundred years…" She flicked a strand of hair from her eye, "I can not imagine how difficult this must be—Oh yes! I can! You are the reason we were sent off like what—sheep, I think they say on Earth—to another planet… We were all sent to different cities to survive, and many of us were separated from our loved ones for years… It might not have been a hundred, but still, any amount of time away from family is not something I would wish on even my enemy."
Geez, she talked a lot. Is she the villain without an end to her prefight monologue?
"Unfortunately, without teleportation, you have felt it the most… Your people are scattered in the cosmos… Do you not feel a little stupid with the way you conducted yourself."
Not anymore, Idiot.
"Do you ever wish you could go back and make better decisions… One thing Brylee taught us was that we had to divide you all up… And for the last hundred years, it's worked." She took a few steps away from her husband and pointed in a direction. "Over there is about one billion of our people in a city… It required minimal effort to overtake… You see, the dheka are not all fighters… but we wolves sure are… Accepting our fate… and location was something we had to do."
She flicked her hand into the air; a wolf brought a chair. She elegantly sat, crossing one leg over the other, "Right now we are… establishing ourselves and not out to overtake anyone… I do believe we could live quite peacefully with the dheka… That is—until we have a reason to conquer and dominate… Juliet, are you going to be that reason…? You have destroyed not one but four planets, four peaceful civilizations… Homes. Families. Killed babies… How much more do you want to take?" Her voice pitched irritatingly. "How do you sleep at night?"
Just fine, thanks. She paused and lifted another hand. The same wolf who brought her chair handed her a glass half-filled with a clear liquid. For however stupid she was, her head came up, and she smiled at the man. Another of her husbands or only a lower-ranked husband slash servant slash occasional bed buddy.
Mrs. No-name took a sip. Oh, no, Ben's mother. "You can not have Michael. It will never happen." I scoffed. Oh, it will happen. I've waited too long for make-up sex. "When you leave, we will move him again… We've kept him from you for so long… Why waste another hundred years only to see you will never win this one."
Did they know about the water stone? If we couldn't kill off this branch, the dheka might have a problem. With the general here, the army must be close by or even in the city. How would we get out of this one?
"If I tell you where Chris is… might you be persuaded to change your mind." I wanted to scream yes, only to be a step closer to reuniting with any of them. "I know you are a fighter, Juliet… But surely you can see you are outnumbered… I know there are no dheka left in this region… If I promise we will not follow you… Will you leave?" It was my best shot to get out of there. Where was Caleb? Why haven't they seen him yet?
I turned and walked away; the wolf at her side relayed the message to his Queen. "I am glad we could speak woman to woman… Remember… If I so much as catch a glimpse of any of you… The deal is broken." I made no deal b—. How did I let Michael know he shouldn't drink anything for a day? "I sent a messenger out to your little group hiding in the trees. Chris's whereabouts will be waiting on your return." Nice, we'll get both done in one night.
I glanced back before I would not be able to see the wolves anymore, hoping to catch a last glimpse of Michael. The guard had lowered his weapon, and three other wolves joined Michael in escorting him away. He looked back in my general direction.
Still manifested, I came back from my invisibility, listening intently for an ambush—really the slightest sound. Why didn't they kill Michael? If he had not communicated with me relentlessly, I would never have known he was still alive… I shook my head, my eyes on the sand. Why though? I scoffed. If she thought he'd jump ship—and so they would use him to fix the situation, she was more stupid than she sounded. If they threatened him with someone's life—I can believe it. I scanned the area. Weird. Why were they out in the middle of nowhere if the city was safer? Caleb and I had walked a good distance from the treeline. My feet picked up pace. Capturing us would be one of their ideas for sure. Basaam. Taken. Missing and held captive. I ran even faster.
My son stepped out from the shadows—a wolf at his side I didn't recognize. Phew! The two girls? Shadows appeared on the ridge, well away from danger. Good, they planned ahead. Caleb? He was not there. The movements of my two daughters-in-law grew closer. We met up with Basaam almost at the same time. The wolf dropped to his knees, "Chris is in the City of Ghal-ha."
I nodded, "Thank You." He didn't get up. "Seems we have to leave before he will... Get the animals ready."
Luckily, we only had three beasts, and they wouldn't know we had a fourth in our party. Nami vaulted quickly onto the giwa without any assistance. Basaam helped Kaia, who really was a girly girl. Not a fighter and so sweet.
We rode a good hour through the forest and another over sand dunes to be sure we were not followed or overheard. I told them what happened. "You will not give up now?" Nami asked.
My lip pulled, "No… Mind games don't work on me."
"Yes… If she opened her mouth, the dheka would've killed her… She knows manipulations won't work here. They either follow the rules or die… And the last time I checked, Romero was still ruler of this planet you've ruined," Basaam gave his opinion. "Romero should never have trusted the wolves."
"The galaxies are still colliding. Even if it happens in three thousand years, Romero had to save his people… And it wasn't me who pressed a freaking button on Earth—twice—and ruined our lives…" I took a breath, "Lyla is dead by now, so it really doesn't matter anymore."
"Juliet, how will you rescue Michael? The four of us can not take on a small militia," Kaia asked. She was worried about Caleb. I was, too.
"No, the best would be to use the stone first in the city and take our time… What is a few more days… All we have to figure out is how we get in there… The two of us stand out like a sore nail between all the dark skins of the dheka… Even if you and Nami go into the city, the wolves might not allow you entrance… We can't do surveillance… Where's Caleb? He knows to meet us. Teleporting from there to here should take him a second."
"He should've been waiting." I agreed with Kaia. "How would he get close to the city without notice?"
"I'm sure he has a plan. We have to make camp; the beasts are tired, and I'm ready for dinner."
Nami dismounted, and Basaam dropped down after her. She took his hand, "We will see about some fresh meat."
"We will start the fire," I said and held out all three beasts' reigns to Kaia. She took charge of the animals while I set up a little camp for them, shoving four stakes into the ground and surrounding it with rope. The giwa were not really very clever and happily entered their room for the night. She helped me to unsaddle the things. Their backs were long and had enough space for a seat, and a heavy saddle bag resting on their sturdy-bodied rumps was well able to carry a heavy load. One of the leather pouches contained the wood we gathered whenever we were near foliage. "We might have to wait until they come back before we light the fire; our wood is running low."
Kaia didn't answer. I looked up; she was pensive and frowning. Worried about Caleb. "The wolves wouldn't dare take him. They know how special he is to me."
"I hope you are right. They said if they saw us, they would kill us."
"I trust Caleb… I know you haven't known us very long, but he will never put himself in danger and leave you behind." I stroked her arm. "Trust."
She gave me a quick hug and helped me to unpack.