Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Theron
My obsession is a work of art. I can’t get the image of her sitting astride me grinding her hips and scratching her nails down my chest out of my mind. I am inclined to worship at the foot of the high pedestal I have put her on, but that won’t score me any points with Aila’s gypsy spirit.
In this moment, I can no longer deny which way my mind is leaning.
When Aila O’Hara leaves Landslide, I am tempted to go with her. And if she doesn’t want me as a companion, I am even more tempted to follow her like a shadow. Because she awakens the huntsman in me.
She keeps me guessing. Not in a manipulative sort of way; Aila’s way too sassy for those lame mind games. It’s in the way she keeps her eyes open, her mouth closed, and her arms tightly folded so that not even her body language can give her away.
That just about drives me out of my mind with the desire to know what she’s thinking. At this stage of my interactions with her, I guess I would be content for the sex to keep coming. I’ve never lain with a woman who knows what I am before.
It’s evening now. I’m riding to Luna’s house. This is where Tempest lived. A wooden sign swings from iron rings attached to a pole next to the road, the black words burnt into the timber.
Denn die Todten reiten Schnell. The dead ride fast.
It looks as if we fall in love fast, too. The way I feel about Aila, I know this strangely strong emotion has started to pull me away from the ancient blood brotherhood to which I have belonged for countless years.
Luna doesn’t bother looking up when I come in.
“Hunter, you reek. Go and shower in the yard. Only then will I be able to hold a proper conversation with you.”
“You’re so brisk sometimes, Luna. As your big bloodsucker brother, maybe I should remind you how delectable a woman’s scent can be.”
Her voice follows me outside. “I’m strictly dickly, big brother. Cat juice is not on my menu.”
Muohta follows me outside. I remember the MC’s first Samoyed dog.
It belonged to Artim. That fluffy white bjelkier followed us all the way to the Slavic lands in the south as we hunted for the red-haired tribes.
If any sentiment was possible in my cold, dead heart it would have been the affection I felt for that loyal dog.
Also, keeping the Samoyed with us made humans trust us more easily. Our ancient equivalent of the man in the van telling the kid to come and see the puppies.
Trailing water on the floor behind me, I step back into my briefs and Levi 501s and leave my torso bare to dry first.
“Aila knows we’re vampires, just thought you should know.”
If I expected a spit take reaction from Luna, it doesn’t happen.
She’s an artist who specialized in mosaic installations when she was human. With artificial lighting and working at night, Luna can go on for months creating one of her masterpieces.
She misses her previous life sometimes, only talking to her friends and clients via Zoom calls. Her old man, an ex-cop, spends most of his time overseas as a mountaineer. Her mother died when she was still young.
“And do you mind telling me what tipped her off? How did Aila make the jump from biker to vampire?”
“We were fucking. I bit her. She guessed. No, wait. She asked me if I was biting her, and I said no, I was feeding on her. The story kinda told itself after that.”
Again, there is no reaction from Luna.
“The water has dripped off you, Theron. You can put your t-shirt back on.” Water doesn’t stay on our skin for very long. It slides off real quick, like rain off stone.
Sitting on the edge of the couch in the living room, I lean over to pull on my socks.
“A heads up about Shadow’s reaction would be nice, Luna. That’s why I came by.”
Putting down her paintbrush, Luna smirks.
“You want me to make a guess at what Shadow’s reaction is going to be? Because I have no idea, Hunter.”
She comes to sit in the armchair opposite me.
“You must know that Shadow is not blind when it comes to the OG Riders finding human mates. We have discussed the… ramifications at great length.”
Getting up, Luna goes to the kitchen and fetches two bottles of fluids. Handing one to me, she goes back to sit down.
“It would be stupid for us to think that what happened to Shadow could not happen to one of the others. But what worries me about you, Hunter, is the shock this might be to your system. Things could get… messy.”
What is she talking about? Shock to my system? Am I some kind of malfunctioning machine?
“Explain.”
Another triumphant smirk from Luna.
“By all means, Hunter. First, I would like us to try a little mind exercise together. Close your eyes and use your imagination. Okay?”
“Fucks sake.” I believe I have the right to grumble about this touchy-feely human bullshit. “We’re on Landslide, Luna, not inside some goddamn yoga retreat.”
Luna waits for me to do as she said, so I have no choice but to close my eyes.
“Good.” Luna’s voice is almost crooning. “Now, as a mental exercise only, I need you to imagine Aila changing her mind about you. She’s hooked up with some rando who’s out here to have the best vacation of his life, and now the two of you as a couple are finished.”
Putting on an excellent imitation of Aila’s voice, Luna uses a husky, sexy tone.
“Oh, hey, Theron. Sorry I missed you at the bar last night. I’d like you to meet John. He’s a banker on the East Coast, specializes in futures. He’s going to take me shopping and then we’re flying to Paris. John and I have so much in common. And by the way, you and me, we’re over.”
My eyes fly open. I’m standing up off the couch, my hands bunched into fists. I’m snarling, livid with rage.
“Why would you say that? It’s never going to happen. What the fuck!”
Who am I kidding? It did happen. That’s why the cabinet door in the kitchen is smashed.
“Sit!” Luna can pack quite a shout when she needs to.
She knows how to handle an unruly bunch of vampires with blood on their brains.
“You sit right back down, Hunter! And you just proved my point. That’s your problem.
You don’t have the restraint to act human when Aila is around, never mind the other guests at the inn. ”
As accepting as I am of Luna’s criticism, it doesn’t resolve the confusion I feel.
“You said before that I was perfectly capable of handling myself in front of Aila. What changed?”
We both take a sip from our bottles before Luna says it out loud.
“It’s been so long for you, Hunter, that I think you’ve forgotten how loveable humans can be. Yes, you hunger for them, and sure, you find them tasty, but you never gave much thought to how sweet natured they were underneath all their blood and orgasms.”
Shit. I should miss the coldblooded, single-minded creature that I once was, but I don’t.
“And there is something in Aila that has triggered your hunter instinct. But you want to possess her and protect her far more than you want to suck her blood. That’s your problem.”
“Do you think there’s a chance Aila will go off with a human? How long do you think I have?”
Picking at the paint and shards of ceramic under her nails, Luna doesn’t look at me when she says it.
“She’s only human, Hunter. There will come a point within the next ten years when Aila weighs up the mind-blowing awesome sex she has with you against having a husband, a home, and maybe kids. And no matter how much she loves you, you need to remember that Aila will eventually choose the latter.”
“That doesn’t sound like a mental exercise, Luna. That sounds like one helluva fucked up prophecy.”
“Don’t shoot the messenger. I suggest you go nomad for a while. Go find Ifan. He loved Tempest with all his heart, but he gapped it after Tempest’s maternal feelings got in the way of her steadfast love for him.”
I used to smile whenever I heard that, because I could only identify with the unemotional way my brother Rider hit the road at the first sign of human weakness.
“One more question and then I have to go. If I can convince Aila to stay, I want to build for us a place in the woods. Nothing big, just a basic log cabin. Bedroom, living room, kitchen, shower. I think we’ll be okay with that.”
A long silence falls.
“You know Shadow will probably not be okay with Aila leaving Landslide, Hunter. Not now that she knows our secret. Maybe you should sort that out first.”
We stare at one another in the darkness.
“I can never sleep in the hidden room in the basement again, Luna. I’ll always be a Rider. I’m Original Seven, a Midnight Son. But Aila has lit a fire inside me. I have to stand by her until the fire burns out.”
“You’ll burn with it, Hunter. Guaranteed.”
Grinning my lopsided smile, I move to the back door to put on my boots.
“Hey, you can always use my ashes to make a nice ceramic.”
Shadow guns his motorcycle up the driveway as I straddle my bike. Pulling up beside me, he flicks the long strands of his dark blond hair back. To others, such an action might seem arrogant, but I remember Shadow making the same motion as a young boy whenever the hair got in his eyes.
We speak the language of our tribe to one another. The Fell-Sapmi people still herd reindeer and harvest cloud berries in the Arctic woods, but our families are long gone.
“I guess you already told Luna about the reason for your visit, Hunter?”
As the MC’s president, Shadow is our acknowledged leader, but only in the sense of being first among equals.
“You got that right. Where have you been, brother?”
Taking his hands off the handlebars, Shadow flexes his fingers. It’s another one of those gestures we have retained from our human life.
“Vince got a radio call from Monty. Asked me to go down to the marina with him to read the note because he needed me to make a ruling on what the reply should be. Fucked if I know, so I came back here to discuss it with Luna.”
“Who’s looking after the bar?”
Shadow gives me one of those looks. “Didn’t your obsession tell you about the deal she made with Luna?
Aila’s serving drinks at the bar tonight in exchange for free bed and board.
You should go have a drink. Artim and Jaecar are back.
She’s got a real hootenanny going in there, playing downloaded tunes through the Bluetooth speakers. ”
He leaves the statement hanging, maybe hoping that I will get a serious case of the gabs and start confessing shit to him.
Heh. I am not so easily distracted.
“What was Monty’s message about?”
Monty usually radios Vince once the passengers have been loaded and cleared.
As the official Landslide ferryman, making sure the names on the booking match the ones on the IDs is a fairly important job.
The cloak of mystery around Landslide is only possible because of the careful way we pick and choose those permitted to visit here.
As the only Landslider who lives on his boat, Vince is always on hand to answer any VHF radio calls when the Wi-Fi is down.
“Fuck it, Hunter, I’m bored of discussing all this human bullshit. You know how fatiguing it is to appear normal in the confined space of a boat cabin? Can this please wait until we all meet at the clubhouse? I’ll update everyone at church. We good?”
Turning the ignition and pushing the starter button is the only answer I give him.
“See you at the clubhouse tomorrow evening then, brother.” In this summer weather, Shadow doesn’t bother parking his bike under shelter. After giving the leather seat of his Harley one long, loving stroke with his hand, he heads inside.
Luna will have told Shadow about Aila’s revelation by the time we meet again.
I guess it’s going to be one hell of a sermon at church tomorrow.
Am I thinking about a nice way to say I’m either leaving or domesticating myself by building a house? No. I ain’t going anywhere until I know a bit more about Aila’s thought process.
Only a pussy would go chasing after a woman who didn’t love him back. And that little mind exercise Luna showed me—the one about Aila dumping me for some human—was enough to make me want to tread carefully.
When the bike wheels connect with the cracked tarmac of the road, I open up the throttle. No matter how fast I know I can move, it never fails to satisfy me when I ride my Harley.
It’s more than a feeling. The throb of the engine underneath me, the glitter of chrome in the moonlight, and the wind rushing through my hair; these are the closest we can get to galloping a horse through the prairie grass.
Can’t race through the prairie anymore anyhow. Most of the great prairies have been turned into wheat fields.
Like a bear to honey, I am drawn to the bar at the inn. Shadow was right. The place is pumping. There’s an atmosphere of excitement in the air. We are all waiting for the first batch of guests to arrive.
Ben and Amelia wave to me as I come in. They’ve got a table for four with Mikey and Fallon Farmer. Celia and Harry Heiner are chatting with Carson the mechanic and Vince Pruitt. Jerry Steele and Dan Elliot are slamming back the shots, waiting for Jaecar to finish his game of pool.
Looks like everyone has paired off.
Aila’s behind the bar in Luna’s spot. She’s leaning on the counter having a quiet conversation with Rundas.
A jealous beast roars inside me, forcing my muscles to pop and bulge. My fangs slide out, getting me ready to fix my jaws on flesh.
Twisting sideways on his stool, Rundas reads my expression and begins to back down immediately.
“Hey, brother. Wouldn’t you know, but Miss Aila here was just telling me she hadn’t gotten to know me yet. We’ve been chatting about how many skyquakes we get around these parts.”
The adrenaline prickles in my fingers and face as the urge to fight recedes.
Sitting down next to them, I try acting real friendly. The last thing I need right now is for Aila to get put off by my hair trigger reactions.
“Fuck the skyquakes. What’s this music you have playing?”
Aila looks a bit perplexed by my black mood, because she is clearly in a good one.
“It’s a jazz-rock-folk inspired peyote song ‘Witchi Tai To’ by a band called Everything Is Everything. They recorded it in the late sixties, but the song is so hippy dippy crazy, I love it.”
For some reason, none of this is cheering me up. I remember the rhythmic songs our shaman would mutter as he beat his reindeer skin drum while dancing around a campfire. The tribe would ingest fungi and chant with him. The sparks from the fire would trail brightly colored patterns in the night sky.
It is enough to remind me that Aila and me have fuck-all in common. I should let her go and live her modern life in peace.
I gotta get out of here.
“Stupid song.”
I leave the bar without saying goodnight and without looking back.