Chapter Fourteen
Theron
I never needed to lurk under Aila’s window to know the outcome of Ben’s and Amelia’s brief courtship. The second it went on her finger, Amelia was parading the ring under Celia Heiner’s nose while Ben called for champagne all around.
The pub was packed with locals. I could see a few of the men shuffle Ben aside to whisper jokes in his ear. I think Carson Regan put it best.
“Why rock the boat, Magoo? We have our choice of ladies every summer. The internet is a buffet loaded with sexy dames.”
Landslide’s isolation from the mainland is very evident when I listen to the dated way the local men speak.
Since we allowed them a little bit more access to the internet, they have started to lace their conversations with a few modern phrases.
But they still use some of the strange expressions the Midnight Riders brought with us from Europe.
Satan’s grandfather, Satanas perkele, is the one they use the most. It derives from a Norse curse we picked up a thousand years ago and took a liking to. I mean, why curse the devil when you can talk smack about his grandfather, am I right?
But Ben was not put off. “Bed hopping is not for me, boys. I was always going to put a ring on the first lady who was sweet enough to love me. And needless to say, I won’t be thinking of you players when winter comes around. Y’all will be eating out of cans and shivering in your single beds alone.”
I couldn’t have put it better myself. Still, I have to get something straight with Luna. We are sitting at the end of the bar and listening to the conversations around us.
“Gotta move my girl to another room. Can’t have Aila sleeping single in the double room.”
Luna smirks. “Will she, though? You’ll both be”—Luna makes air quotes with her fingers—“‘working’ during the day and fucking at night. But I don’t know how you’ll be doing that together. All the double beds are booked.”
Luna knows about Aila and me becoming intimate. Shadow judging me for it can’t be far behind. My Get Out of Jail Free card is that Aila’s not an archetypal holidaymaker anymore, not now that she has to work here. There ain’t no rule about me getting with one of the staff.
Shadow and Luna have her aunt’s old house for privacy. Shadow doesn’t sleep with the coven in the special hidden room in the basement very often, because Luna and he use the attic space whenever the inn has guests.
From behind the cutesy flower boxes and slatted window shutters the guests admire so much, the inn’s two monstrous innkeepers keep an eye on things from their dark lair.
For the first time, I feel a certain kinship with a human when I look at Ben’s proud face.
Ben has been on the hunt for a mate for a long time. It doesn’t take more than a moment to know when you have found her.
I watch Amelia moving to show her ring to Mikey Farmer’s wife Fallon.
Like Amelia, Fallon visited Landslide for a vacation after meeting Mikey online.
When they decided to get married, that took Fallon off the menu.
After decimating the island’s female population with our ravenous hunger before, we are never going to make the same mistake again.
Amelia O’Hara is off limits as a midnight snack for the Riders now.
Luna and I look at each other. Then we turn to make eye contact with the other Riders.
“The first batch of holidaymakers arrives in three days’ time.
” Luna gives a small smile without the need to hide her fangs.
She feeds on males as a necessity, and not very often.
Fluids are enough to satisfy her blood cravings, but she feels uncomfortable with the intense sexual drive that comes with sucking blood from men.
In bloodlust terms, that is the equivalent of Luna being a fussy eater. But then again, we know absolutely nothing about what it feels like to feed from a female’s viewpoint. The only feminine blood hunter we ever knew was the Red Queen, and none of us was with her for more than an hour or two.
I don’t want to give out too much information about how Aila and I like to satisfy one another. Not with her mom sitting a stone’s throw away. All I do is say gruffly and abruptly, “Fuck double beds. I don’t need any of that domesticated horseshit.”
“Good,” Rundas growls. “But let’s hope the last remaining human bachelors don’t hook up with female guests before we can get a taste of as many pretty li’l holidaymakers as we can.”
Glancing down at the guest list, Luna reassures the MC.
“Nope. We have a hiking party of six, all single ladies, here for some bonding exercise or something like that. Then we have a group of eight ornithologists—that’s birdwatchers in case you were wondering—three men and five women.
And then a family friendly group of four.
Divorced mom, two kids, and her boyfriend.
” Tapping the notepad with her pencil, Luna reminds us.
“That’s all the rooms booked up for the month of June. Monty’s ferry is going to be jam-packed.”
Using her tablet device, Luna shows us the screenshots she took from the guests’ social media pages. To be fair, I understand it when Jaecar and Artim have negative reactions.
“Shee-it, Luna.” Artim gets his objection in first. “It’s like shooting fish in a barrel.” Making eye contact with Shadow, Artim gives it to him straight. “Prez, Jaecar and me were thinkin’ ‘bout heading out to the mainland to go after some free range myōps.”
Jaecar nods. “Yep. The thrill of the hunt ain’t the same when the food is home delivered. Where’s the excitement?”
Rundas grunts. He will always stay by Shadow’s side in case any kind of shit goes down. As MC Veep, where Shadow goes, Rundas must follow.
“Sure.” Shadow has no problem with us sucking women until their eyes roll into the backs of their skulls, just so long as we don’t do it here on Landslide. “Go get some of those sweet ass summertime pussy snacks.”
“Watch out for fentanyl, GHB, and shrooms.” I know I’m being a buzzkill, but sucking blood laced with intoxicants is almost the same as being caught in the sunlight. “You will struggle to stay under the radar if you fall into a K-hole.”
If our vics have illegal substances in their bloodstream, it affects us as well.
The only mind-altering drugs we had access to when I was human were mushrooms. The shaman would give us strange fungi and herbs to inhale during the ceremony to mark our transition from boy to man.
And there were other ingredients given to us before battle to make the bloodlust rise.
“Are you coming?” Jaecar asks offhand, because we all know that I prefer to hunt alone.
“Hunter’s staying Landslide side to be with his obsession.” Shadow smirks, but it’s not said in a scornful voice. “It’s time he got to experience a prey who has the sense to run away.”
In a heartbeat, I am spitting with rage. The fragile bottle of fluids cracks as I squeeze it.
“If I choose not to hide in the shade and wait for Aila to fall asleep, that doesn’t make me any less of a hunter! She will come to me with her eyes wide open or not at all!”
“You are not permitted to share our secrets, brother,” Luna reminds me, keeping a cool head like she always does when the Riders go for one another’s throats. “Take your fill of the girl and then set her free.”
“Humans don’t make good pets,” Shadow reminds me. “They were born to fall in love and pair off.” He jerks his head towards Ben and Amelia toasting one another with goo-goo eyes and sappy smiles. “There’s a good case in point over there.”
Why does feeding on another female hold no attraction for me anymore? I could ride out with my brothers, head for the nearest city, and go hunting for delicious free-range beaver. Sucking, fucking, biting, and feeding until this gnawing hunger was satisfied.
But only Aila can invigorate my appetites again.
I am waiting for her in the kitchen. I smell her shampoo and shower gel before she enters. Luna told me last night that she asked Aila to come in early so the two of them could go over the work schedule together.
My eagerness to see my obsession again makes me forgetful. I guess women don’t like it at the best of times when they are surprised by men waiting for them in a dark room. And that’s not even taking Aila’s manipulative ex into the equation.
Giving a small squeak, she cries out.
“Jesus Christ!”
Clutching her chest, Aila tries to calm her elevated heartbeat. “Think about giving me a heads-up next time!”
I am at a loss for words. Somehow, I always forget how she has this uncanny ability to take my breath away at any given moment.
Now, she is fresh and fragrant, invigorated by her morning shower and rearing to go.
Her damp hair has been conditioned and combed through.
Aila has braided her hair on one side of her head and tied the end with a cotton-coated elastic band.
Her tank top is white and tight. Her pants are that flexible material that stretches and clings to her body in all the right places.
I must grip the edge of the countertop to stop myself from pouncing on her.
“Did you say your goodbyes to your mother?”
Aila looks at me with narrowed eyes. “Who told you I was leaving?”
That’s not what I was referring to. I switch from pouncing to reeling. “Leaving? Leaving where?”
I’m a Midnight Rider biker, an all-powerful bloodsucking predator. So then why am I blithering like I have shellshock?
Relaxing now that she knows I have no idea about her plans, Aila explains.
“That’s why I came this morning to speak to Luna. I’ve decided it’ll be best if I go back to Winnipeg. Get a head start on sorting out our possessions. Start looking for an exciting new job.”
I’m staggered. How unimpressed with me can this woman be if she’s looking around for a replacement already?
I have no skills to deal with this. “What the fuck! Am I losing my mind, or did you not just ask to stay with me about ten seconds ago?”
“It was over a day ago. Don’t exaggerate. It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. Hell, it’s a man’s prerogative, too! Things change. People change. Shit happens.”
Simmering down because I am well aware of how scary I can get when I’m angry, I manage to shrug and step back. Leaning against the wall, I fold my arms and lower my eyelids to hide my eyes.
“I didn’t have you down as a player, Aila, but it looks like you’ve been playing me like a fucking banjo since forever. Go on. Git. But please don’t go thinking you’re the only pretty waitress in my world.”
Aila reels like I struck her.
Immediately, she steps back again, distancing herself from me. I can tell from her flushed cheeks and quick breathing that Aila’s emotions are all over the place.
She begins to rationalize her actions to me. Like I care. The rejection is burning like a fire inside.
“It was my mom who agreed to work here so that she could be close to Ben. It’s my mom who wants to get married and settle down, Theron, not me.”
I pretend to nod off to sleep and then wake up. “Sorry, I dozed off there for a bit. Are you still here?”
“Why are you acting like a child?” Aila is shouting now.
“Why are you acting like such a brat?” I guess I’m bellowing, but I don’t care.
Turning her back on me to break up our argument, Aila begins playing with her phone. “We’re done, now, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Are you saying we’re done? You’re late to the party, sweetheart. I said we’re done about five minutes ago.”
She does me the courtesy of putting her phone down and making eye contact. I brace myself for her to cuss me out.
“Please look me up the next time you’re in Winnipeg, Theron. I will definitely want to see you again if I’m still there.”
And just like that, Aila manages to draw me back into her orbit. Our fight evaporates like steam on a hot summer day.
All the reasons that tempted me into singling her out come to my mind. Underneath all that cuteness and sex appeal is a brave little girl just doing her best to stay afloat in a crazy world.
Why am I even trying to deny my love for her? I’ve got my fair share of male pride, but not enough to make me stupid.
Unfolding my arms, I hold them open. It’s so wonderful to see Aila’s smile dimples come back.
She gives me a friendly hug but doesn’t let me draw her in closer. “You are the best, Theron, but I bet all the girls tell you that.”
Tilting her face up, she gives me a cute smile before stepping back and reaching for her phone. Aila is shy after her determined declaration of wanting to hook up again.
I can’t help it. I start pacing and prowling around the kitchen with my hands bunched into fists. I must think of something to make her stay a little longer.
“How about you give us another go?” Pivoting around, I show her that I’m not begging, only suggesting. “One more night as lovers?”
I know that I am fucking this up big time when I see Aila edging for the door.
“We did it one time, Theron. That doesn’t make us lovers. What are you? Amish?”
The anger rears its head once more. Cursing like a pirate, I smash my fist into one of the kitchen cabinets. The punch goes through the door—and the crockpot on the shelf and into the wall behind it.
Shit.
Breezing into the kitchen, Luna pushes past Aila but turns to stare at my tormentor over her shoulder. “Well? Are you coming or going, Aila? Coming back in would be the polite thing, don’t you agree?”
As if she was not just a witness to the biggest humiliation of my monstrous life, Luna continues.
“I hear you want to leave. Fine. No one’s stopping you, Aila. Monty Hubble will be dropping off the next batch of guests in three or four days' time, depending on the tides. You can go back with him then.”
Stroking her hand across her forehead in a dramatic gesture, Aila groans. “Ah! Of course. The ferry doesn’t operate all the time. I forgot. Damn it! So much for my quick exit.” She grins and shoots me a naughty glance. “Looks like you’re stuck with me for a few more days, Theron.”
And on that cheerful note, Aila darts out, taking her phone with her.
I give up. I don’t want any more of this. I hope it’s not too late for me to join Artim and Jaecar on their hunting trip.
I’m doing my best not to feel bitter.
Luna grabs my arm as I swagger past, whispering fast and low. “Do not ignore fate, Hunter. The girl is emotionally fragile. She’s leaving before she can get hurt. I am woman enough to understand this. The door is open. Walk through it, damn you.”