I'll Be Damned (Anna Wolfe Series) (38 page)

I’m not biting this time. My body aches and I can feel the bruises beginning to form. I smile through the pain. “I think my body had about all it can take today,” I say, dropping my butt on the grass.

Valen walks over and sits down next to me. “Why didn’t you tell me to go easier on you?” he asks, looking alarmed.

I flick my wrist at his statement. “Why would I? Any Netherworlder won't go easy on me, so I don’t want you to either. I need to be well prepared in case I find myself in a tough situation.”

He reaches for my arm, lightly grabbing it, before twisting it, and inspecting every angle. “Jesus, Anna. You should have never let me hit you that hard. This is exactly why we can’t…” he trails off.

I know what he wants to say and I want to hear it again. “Exactly why we can’t what, Valen?”

“You know.” His eyes burn into mine. I can’t tell if he is annoyed with himself or me, but I’m not pursuing it. I’ve had enough fighting for one night.

“When do you think Roman will be back?” My curiosity is piqued, not to mention my growing restlessness. I need to pick his brain.

“He should be back shortly. He usually doesn’t stay in the Netherworld after dark.”

The last part of his sentence catches my attention for some reason. “Why?”

“The Netherworld is different than here. It has its own way of surviving. At night, delinquency prevails.”

“Is it worse than our normal crimes on Earth?” I ask, even though I don’t know what normal necessarily means anymore.

“Much worse. The crime in the Netherworld makes Earth’s look like a tea party. Creatures are out for all kinds of different reasons. Some can’t be in the sunlight, others need to feed… while some just like to create devastation and fear,” he says.

“Really?" The Netherworld sounds like a deranged thought from the manuscript of
Nightmare on Elm Street
, not a place that actually exists. My imagination runs wild, attempting to envision a place I've never been, which is always counter-productive. Images of horrible creatures float across my mind - enormous black monsters with ten-foot wingspans, giant blobs with long teeth, and human-like beasts with elongated limbs and faces. All of them could have walked right out of a comic book. There’s no way they’re real.

“Are there really monsters with huge wings living there?” I ask, hoping he can help me differentiate a vision from my overactive imagination.

“Yes, in fact, there are. They’re called Popobawa. It’s Swahili for ‘bat-wing.’ They're pretty scary-looking creatures.”

“What do they do? Eat people?” I ask, scared at what he might say.

“Not exactly," he pauses to collect his thoughts. "The Popobawa come out at night in search of souls. They take their unwillingly victims by killing them. In the Netherworld, they reveal their true forms, hence, the bat-like figure you saw. They are shape shifters on this plane and can take the appearance of almost anything. I believe the Grim Reaper is the name they go by here,” Valen says, turning to me with a smile.

“Was that the monster we saw here that night?” I ask, pointing to the very spot it stood by the line of magnolia trees.

“No, trust me, if you saw a Popobawa, you wouldn’t be here,” he smiles cautiously.

“What we saw was a scouring demon. They’re like the flying ants of the Netherworld. They’re always searching for land, food or people. Usually, they obey instructions to come here,” he adds.

Micah must have sent the bat beast then. “Why didn’t it hurt me?”

“Micah wanted it to scare you.” He furrows his eyebrow, indicating a question is soon to follow. “Did you see a Popobawa in a vision?” he asks with some anxiety.

“I just saw it now… in a vision,” I respond, bewildered. “I mean, I was just thinking about the Netherworld, trying to figure out what the place would look like, and a few images flashed in my mind. I thought it was just the byproduct of my overactive imagination,” I scowl.

“It sounds more like a vision. Did you see other creatures?”

I nod. “One looked like a giant, yellow blob of goo with razor-sharp teeth. It left a trail of slime like a snail would. It was gross,” I say distastefully.

“That’s called a Kleck. It's sickening, but not as dangerous as it looks. The worst it can do is bite you and that would only happen if you fell on top of it.”

“Why do they come out at night if they don't do anything?”

“They melt in the sunlight. I imagine they’re out at night to
cope with their cabin fever. They tend to stay in the Netherworld because of that. It would be too arduous for them to come here.”

“I guess that makes sense,” I say pondering the idea. I wouldn’t want to travel somewhere just to turn around as soon as I got there. In a way, I almost feel bad for the Klecks’ confinement.

“Any others?” Valen inquires.

Shivers creep under my skin like an army of ants. “There were human-like things, I think. Except their limbs and faces were long and drawn out. They were walking, but their gait was sluggish and jerky like a newborn baby animal. They were the scariest ones, really.”

“Ah, so you saw what vampires truly look like?”

“Yes, but they’re so ugly,” I reply in disbelief.

Valen laughs. “I told you they're nothing like the movies.”

I snort. Figures in real life they’d be hideous. “What about you?” I ask him quizzically.

“What about me?”

“You’re a gorgeous supernatural being,” I say, quickly covering my mouth with my hand. I can’t believe I just said that. My cheeks burn and I drop my gaze onto my feet.

Valen clears his throat. “Thank you,” he says shyly. “I pretty much looked this way when I turned. Since werewolves age much slower than humans, I guess you can say I was born with it,” he smiles.

I giggle uneasily. I can be such a babbling idiot sometimes. There's nothing I could say without making things more awkward, so I continue to stare at my shoes.

“Are you hungry?” he asks, standing up.

He reaches his hand towards me and I slide mine into his, feeling the fuzzy electric charge. What is it with supernatural men and me lately? Am I going to buzz every time I touch another magical being? He eases me up, keeping in mind my black-and-blue limbs. I follow him back to the house, deciding which cuisine I'm in the mood for.

“I say we go out to eat. Get out of the house for a little bit,” he says, winking at me.

I hate it when a man winks, it usually means they’re up to no good. “Sounds good to me," I say, plastering a huge grin on my face. "Have any place in mind?”

“I do actually,” he says, twirling around to face me. “How about we go visit Kristy at Alligator Soul? I hear they have great food.”

My smile widens. “Yes!” I respond excitedly. Failing to realize how long I've been cooped up, we scoot through the back door, and I’m suddenly overwhelmed by claustrophobia. I haven’t left the house in weeks, let alone socialized with anyone outside of my immediate supernatural group.

“Let me shower quickly. I can be ready in a half,” I say.

Valen raises his eyebrow with doubt, but keeps his mouth shut. I zip up the stairs, determined to prove him wrong. I turn the nozzle on the shower to a scorching setting, knowing my muscles need the heat. I jump in and began to wash off the sweat and grime of the day. Parts of my body have already responded to the intense training by turning various shades of purple. Within ten minutes, I'm showered and my face is fully painted. I commend myself for my lightning fast hygiene and start plugging away at my hair. I speed dry it halfway, eventually giving up and running the straight iron through it. My glossy black hair ends just above my lower back and its sharp angles frame my face. I slide on tight black jeans, black knee-high boots and a skintight red, strapless corset. I add the finishing touches and glance at myself, happy to look borderline sexy tonight. It must be the color red; there’s something sensual about it. I quickly inspect my arms, making sure there aren't too many visible bruises. The battered woman look isn't too flattering. I only find a few, before running downstairs. Valen’s waiting at the bottom of the staircase, watching me scurry down. I stop at the last step, catching my breath. He sure cleans up nicely. His black skinny jeans sit at the perfect position on his waist, and his small t-shirt hugs his muscles closely, making me shift uneasily. His jet-black hair is styled in his flawlessly messy way, making him even more attractive.

“You didn’t think I could get ready that quickly, did you?” I tease, passing him on my way to the door.

“I… uh… no I didn’t. You look incredible,” he announces, avoiding my eyes.

“Thank you,” I reply sweetly. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”

Valen slides past me, opening the door. I turn to walk through it, smacking my face into the brawny chest of Roman. Why do I always end up running into him… literally?

“Anna, you have such a delicate way about you,” he jokes, placing his hands on my shoulders.

I laugh, embarrassed at my clumsiness. “Ha-ha,” is my witty response.

“You certainly look ravishing,” he says, pushing away slightly so he can eye me up and down. A sneaky grin yanks the corners of his mouth. “So, where are you two going? On a date?”

There it is—Roman’s way of making a situation even more uncomfortable. I'm not sure if he likes getting the rise out of Valen or me.

“Actually, we’re going to get out of the house and visit Kristy at Alligator Soul,” I beam.

“Fantastic! I’m famished and I’ve always wanted to eat there,” he responds, inviting himself.

“Great,” Valen says, slipping past us.

“What’s his problem?” Roman questions innocently.

I shake my head, knowing how much he loves to push Valen's buttons. Roman turns, following Valen to his car. I lock up, sighing at the impending night of disaster looming ahead. As much as I want to pick Roman’s brain, I was stoked Valen and I would be doing something normal... alone. I drag myself to Valen’s car, feeling deflated, and volunteer to sit in the poor excuse for a backseat. It should be considered a storage space, seeing how I barely fit. I close my eyes, inhaling the masculine smell of leather. I listen to Roman rattling off his adventures down under. He met with Vlad, a high-ranking vampire whose support he attempted to gain. I’m surprised vampires can talk or comprehend speech after seeing what they look like.

He continues prattling the different creatures’ names, but loses me after two minutes. I close my eyes, focusing on Janie. Please let me have a vision. Nothing happens. I use every ounce of magic on her, but I keep hitting a wall. There’s something preventing me from reaching her, like an enchanted barricade. Roman's right, Micah might have created a blocking spell. Blips of colors sneak by, but nothing substantial enough to calm my nerves. I squeeze my eyes tighter, to no avail. It won’t budge. Damn it! I pop my eyes open in frustration. My awareness floats back to Roman, who's still discussing his visit. During a pause, I jump in without thoughtfulness.

“Roman, I have a question,” I state shyly.

He turns his head to face me. “Sure, what is it?”

“Today when Valen and I were training in martial arts, I was able to replicate his movements perfectly," I respond, excitedly grabbing the back of his headrest and pulling myself closer. "Not only that, I plowed through multiple disciplines without any instruction from him. It was like my mind already had it stored in there, and all I had to do was hit the
Play
button,” I finish with skepticism in every word.

He rubs his chin, contemplating the news. “That does sound amazing,” Roman answers.

“It was. You should have seen her. Every move was perfect and with very little hesitation. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought she practiced for centuries,” Valen adds.