Chapter 14 Chapter 14
I’d been hoping he’d had a torrid love affair with a witch that had gone wrong and she’d killed him out of spite. It happens more often than anyone likes to admit. But, sadly for me, he appeared to be happily married to another werewolf with six pups. Three of them were still at home. I made a note to contact the wife and grown kids before putting the tablet on the coffee table and heading into the kitchen were the boys were.
I snickered watching them stocking the cupboard with can goods. The Spam and sardines had been regulated to the trashcan. Once the groceries were handled I sent Connor home. Tristan took the rest of the bags to his temporary room and I stretched out on the couch again to continue my research. Nothing in his past jumped out at me. He’d never fought in war. No blood feuds, divorces, or rap sheet. The only thing setting him apart from other wolves was that he was a representative for the council. I bolted upright. He was the representative for Jeramiah’s pack. That made him almost as powerful as the head alpha himself since Cyrus’s vote would be considered Jerimiah’s. Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe his wife had him killed because he left his socks on the floor instead of putting them in the hamper. It happens. That would be the best case scenario. If he had been killed because of his status, well, that’s how wars break out.
A shuffling sound from the hall caught my attention. I glanced up to see Tristan standing there looking lost. Oh dear god, was I going to have to be a den mother? I’d spent some time on college campuses but, I was usually at a frat party. I had no idea how to comfort a kid who had just left home. I sat up and motioned for him to join me on the couch. We sat there in silence for a few minutes before he ventured a question. Unsurprisingly he wanted to know how I had become a vampire. I decided to go with the condensed version.
“It’s the same old story. A long time ago, in a land far away girl meets boy. Boy charms girl. Then one day girl wakes up from a dirt nap to find herself in desperate need of a manicure and craving blood. “I shrugged before adding “She was not happy. Girl beats boy about his head and shoulders. Girl calms down and boy introduces her to the world of the undead. The end.”
He took a moment to process that information before asking the next logical questions. “Did you get your powers when you were human or after you had been turned? Which did you get first The Sword of Ares or The Ring of Aphrodite? How did you get them?”
Before starting the next round of answerers I went to the kitchen. I was waiting for my nightcap to finish it’s time in the microwave when my new puppy came in and plopped down at the table. “There’s cold drinks in the fridge.” I nodded towards the mini fridge on the counter. At the beep I took my drink out and the pup grabbed a soda.
“You got anything to mix in this?”
I chuckled. “Sure do. Do you want whiskey, tequila, or rum?” I smiled at his excited look. When he asked for whiskey I open the freezer and handed him a container marked Jameson Irish Whiskey. Keeping the giggle inside almost killed me. I was rewarded for my control when he opened the foam box and saw it was blood mixed with whiskey. He turned green and jumped back. I dove and caught the little box before it could hit the ground. That was premium stuff there. Couldn’t let it hit the ground. I wasn’t sure when I had last mopped the floors in here. I noticed some dog hair floating across the kitchen floor. Perhaps it was time to at least sweep in here.
I put the container of blood back in the freezer and opened the cabinet over the sink. “Connor’s stash. Help yourself.” He might be a little young, but, I wasn’t his mother. I grabbed my rum mixture off the counter and flopped back on the couch with Bask as my pillow again. Once he’d settle on his side of the sectional I continued the get to know you portion of the night.
“Before I was turned I was human. No powers.” I fell silent as I thought of how to explain how I got the power of two Olympic Gods. I’d been a vampire for a couple of decades. An angry mob of villagers was chasing me with torches and pitchforks. So cliché. The route I’d use to escape them led to a cemetery. Unfortunately for me, it was consecrated ground. Damn villagers chased me across it even in mist form. I found a mausoleum that had a crack big enough for me to swirl inside. Thankfully it had a stone floor so I could get back to my corporeal form. The down side the mausoleum had clearly not been opened in a while. It’s so hard to do Kung Fu moves trying to get spider webs off you while not screaming. A particularly impressive high kick knocked the lid off the stone coffin in the middle of the back chamber. Almost broke my toe. I was hopping around holding my foot trying to keep the swearing under my breath, I was only slightly successful, when a rat charged me. A blood curdling scream suddenly filled the air. Took a few seconds to realize it was coming from me. Thrown off balance by the rat I bounced around the room and hit something that opened a floor panel. The floor panel I was standing on.