Blood Release (2 page)

12

I am working on it,
Charlie says to me in my head.

A storm brews overhead. It makes the wolf panic as I glare at him. He is out the door in no time.

“What are you going to do? Are you going to kill me? I’m already dead,” his twin brother says.

I don’t buy into it.

“I know all about you. About the bullying. The pranks. The crap. And the difference is: I don’t buy into it. I know what you are. I know who you are. And you don’t belong on this plane,” I growl at him.

“Neither do you, leech,” he snaps at me. That is the last straw. I bring out a blade that is known to melt the skin off any demon in the world. And I know that is what he is. Demon spawn. He thinks he can get out of this. Not a chance.

And as for the others, I don’t care for them.

“I will say this once. Leave this place. And never come back.” I am strong to my words. And when they are gone, I stare at his brother. His twin. The vile bastard thinks he has reason to attack him.

13

I rush at him and hold the blade to his throat. “Get the hell out of here. And don’t bother coming back.”

He looks at me like I am out of whack. Like I have no chance. No clue what I am talking about.

I just smirk at him. The son of a bitch has no clue what he is talking about. Who I am talking to.

“I don’t care what you are. Cut me. I will just come right back.”

“No you won’t. A certain someone owes me a favor,” I say.

“Who?”

“Satan.”

And with that, I cut him. He is gone in no time.

Thank gods for that.

I turn to Ashland.

“So there is someone I want you to meet,” I say.

Ashland arches an eyebrow at me.

The storm is gone in seconds and we both turn to the door to find Charlie coming in.

He opens his mouth.

“So I wanna talk about something,” I say to Ashland. He is confused at first but when we all talk it out, it is understood.

We are not the normal kind of people in this world. We are a couple. All three of us.

Part 2: adjustment

14

What fresh hell is this?

I look at the newfangled small device in my hand. I have turned back to human but this is a whole new thing for me. I’m still in the clothes that I was cursed in.

No shirt. Suspenders and my work shoes. Don’t judge me. This is comfortable to me.

“What is this and why does it look like I could break it with the twist of my shoe?” I ask.

“This is a cell phone. A little something people use to communicate these days,” Cosmo says to me.

I don’t know about it.

I press a few buttons and just like that an adrenaline rush comes to me.

I gasp and coo at it for a moment. Cosmo is in the corner gasping for air laughing.

Charlie is biting his lip and watching me. Helping me out. They spend the next 10 minutes showing me what I can do.

And when I learn something new, I make a small excited noise and it reduces them to laughter.

What is so blasted funny? Is it that sad that I don’t know about it? Or could it be the sounds that I am making?

15

They take me out of the house and for the first time I take in the air. I spin around in the yard and Charlies arches an eyebrow at me.

“What?” I ask.

“Nothing. Just never seen someone reference
The Sound of Music
before,” he replies.

The what?

I have much to learn. The lights. The sounds. The teenagers that are griping at each other. Talking about these nasty devices.

Calling each other names after farm equipment and using names of animals.

When did this come around? Why are people called hos? What is a pimp? Why are people bitches and dudes?

I don’t remember what kind of thing this is but so far it has me shocked. We head into a car and drive off to a small joint that brings out burgers and fries.

I remember making those by hand and hunting the animals.

They introduce me to it and without being able to help myself, I devour the whole bags of burgers and fries.

I feel like a fool when I am done because they haven’t had anything to eat yet. Their stomachs growl. And I feel guilty. But we go through the drive thru again.

16

We head out to a place called the mall. I walk inside after having been talked to by a security guard about not having a shirt on.

When the others explain that is what we are going to purchase, the man lets me off with a verbal warning.

Why do people seem to think they can stomp all over others with words?

It is so rude. I don’t like it but I keep my mouth shut.

“Hot damn. That ass,” a guy says from around me. I turn around and give him an arched eyebrow.

“What about my butt?”

He blushes and I laugh. Charlie and Cosmo join on it. Charlie takes the man aside and explains what is going on. He nods and walks off.

Thank god for them being damage control for me.

“What was that all about?” I ask.

“Most people compliment someone like that these days. He was just saying he loves how your butt looks in those pants,” Charlie says.

I blush. Oh shit.

“Where is he? I wanna apologize to him for what I said?”

Charlie shakes his finger at me. Wags it more like. “Don’t worry about it. I took care of that.”

17

A good 2 hours later, we head out of there with several bags. I didn’t know someone could shop for so much for so long.

“What do we do now?” I ask.

“Do you have any money?” Charlie asks Cosmo who nods in response.

“Yeah. I have more than enough.”

“How much?”

“Enough. Let’s leave it at that.”

“Why are you dodging the question?”

“Because if I answer it, you are going to look at me differently.”

“Bullshit.”

“Bull true.”

I don’t like it when they fight.

“Please stop. Doesn’t matter if he has money or not. Just matters that we get me back to learning what is going on around here.”

They stop. They are quiet for a moment. Silence scares me.

I don’t know why. It could be that every time arguing has ensued following soon after someone ends up getting hurt.

It just scares the hell out of me.

With that out of the way, I hope they will get to talking.

“We aren’t mad at each other. I just don’t understand why he won’t say,” Charlie says.

“Because I’m filthy fucking rich. There. I said it. Happy?”

18

We pull up to the house and I turn to them.

“Can we get away from here? Bad things happen here. And now that the curse is done. I would rather find somewhere new. Can we go to a beach house?”

“Cripes and a half, man. Do you want a tan or to burn?” Charlie asks.

“Why? Is it that bad?” I ask.

He laughs while he drives off. Cosmo turns back to me. “They are expensive and you would have to have on SPF too damn hot,” he replies.

I laugh at that. Now that is a joke. That is funny.

“What about your home?” I ask Charlie.

“My landlord would have my ass. Besides, I don’t think you wanna be in a hippie pad,” he remarks.

Okay. I don’t know what that means.

Spotting my confused expression in the rearview mirror, he adds to it with an answer. “The hippie times were all drugs and tie dye everything. The kind of art that would give you a headache and make you feel all trippy.”

Okay. Note to self: tie dye is bad.

Hippies: bad.

Other than Charlie. He is a cutie. But I feel like his balls haven’t dropped.

19

As if he could read my expression, Cosmo busts out laughing.

We head to his place and sit back on the bean bag chairs. I have come to the point of closing my eyes.

What kind of drug taking shit has he been taking?

I don’t know but it hurts my eyes.

Charlie tosses over a pair of sunglasses but I refuse to wear them. I bet they aren’t normal ones.

“Do you have any pairs?” I ask Cosmo who is falling to the ground laughing.

Just because my eyes aren’t open doesn’t mean I cannot hear him.

This is way too much for me. Talk about a headache from hell.

Oh well. I can figure it all out.

He tosses over a pair and I slip it on.

Darkness. Gods yes. I crave it. Too many bright things. I think I might become a home body.

If I do, that is fine with me.

I sit back and find myself falling asleep.

I come to and when I do, I am not in the house. What is going on?

“What is going on? Where are we?” I ask.

Cosmo speaks up.

“You were out for like days. Be lucky we don’t take you to the doctor.”

Okay then.

20

Over the process of a week or so, I get used to things. Take matters into my own hands.

It works out. And I am glad to have two men in my life that love me for me. Men that care about me. That want to be with me.

It is amazing how it works out; amazing when you find that one or more people that will care about you and spend forever with you.

When you find that person, stick to them. Hold them close.