Kindling (23 page)

“You don’t have to be here ... ” I began, but Braith cut me off.

“No, I don’t have to be here. I don’t have to do a lot of things. But I am here. And I’m here because I love you.” He stumbled a bit over that last part and, for the first time since I met him, I saw him blush. “Like a friend. I love you like a friend.”

I furrowed my brow. “Are you here because Heike told you to come? I don’t want you around me if it’s just out of duty to my father.”

”No, I’m here because you are my friend and I tend to worry about friends who get arrested for assault.” We were quite for nearly a minute, than Braith spoke. “Please stay my friend, Kitty.”

“Stop with the Kitty.” I glared at him. “I’m not a little baby cat. I’m Kit. Just plain Kit. It’s so annoying when you and Jean-Luc call me Kitty. And I wasn’t arrested. I was merely detained for a brief period,” I said.

He grinned. “I knew you’d love me again, Kitty. You can’t help yourself, I know. It’s my boyish charms, isn’t it? Perhaps my dashing good looks? My stellar appetite for knowledge?” I groaned. Then Braith did something very un-Braith: he hugged me. I was two stairs taller than him so he placed his arms around my waist and pulled me to him.

“I’m glad you’re my friend,” he said, releasing me.

“You’re a pompous ass,” I said.

“Maybe,” Braith laughed.

“And you’re going to be a social outcast having the most hated person on the island as a friend,” I said.

“Oh, don’t worry about me,” Braith said. “I’ve already beat you to that title many years ago. If I wasn’t such a Hunting god I just don’t think I could take living here. But, for you, Kitty, I’ll stick around.”

“Thanks.” I smiled sheepishly.

“And, right now, we’re going to spend a relaxing day at the beach.” He took a step away and coughed. “But first you need a shower, my dearest love, you are foul. What the fuck were you doing last night? You reek like vomit and sweat and a dirty, Portuguese jail cell.”

“Oh my god!” I started marching up the stairs. “You’re such an ass!” I yelled back.

“Just being a good friend,” Braith called. “Honesty, my love, is the best policy.” I looked back and flicked him off, which only made him laugh harder.

I was showered, shaved, and into clean clothes within 30 minutes. Braith had gone out for a bit, so I waited for him by doing some laundry - my clothes were very stinky - and then I made myself food.

Braith came and we walked outside of the town walls to the beach. On the one side of the island, you could see the mainland if the day was clear enough. But, we walked clear to the other side, past the houses and the community center and even past the wooded area. There was a separate entrance for vehicles - the entrance we took on the first day - and there was nothing to see but ocean meeting sky.

Jean-Luc was waiting for us, stretched out on the sand wearing form-fitting, swimming trunks and sun glasses. “Where are your suits?” he called when he saw us.

“I don’t have one,” I said. “They only let me bring workout clothes.”

“I don’t mind you going nude,” Jean-Luc said, then gestured to Braith. “But some people are prudes.” Braith glared at Jean-Luc, but I could tell he was amused. We sat in the sand next to Jean-Luc and watched the waves for awhile. “So, Heike told us of your escapes,” Jean-Luc grinned. I rolled my eyes. “And, Braith and I were talking. Maybe we haven’t been too clear with how things go around here? You don’t know what to do or not do?” I shrugged. “Or do you like getting arrested on the mainland?”

I grinned. “It’s the only fun I’ve had in two months.”

Jean-Luc laughed but I could tell Braith was kind of annoyed. Since when did Braith become Captain Prude? Jean-Luc didn’t pay attention to him, though, and motioned me to sit next to him on the sand. “You have questions, no?” I shrugged, then nodded. “Well, Braith and I will answer then, won’t we Braith?”

Braith shrugged. “Within reason.”

Jean-Luc rolled his eyes. “We’ll answer almost anything. Then, it’s time we took training you seriously. You need to know more than just using your muscles, no? You need to start using your brain.” Jean-Luc smiled and tapped me on the head. “But you can’t use that until we teach you.”

“So, go ahead, Kitty. We both know you have a million questions just brimming at your mind,” Braith said. He was standing and staring out at the ocean.

“What is it like turning into a wolf?” I blurted. Jean-Luc smiled and then fell over laughing.

Braith turned around slowly. “Oh my god,” he said. “That’s the question you start out with? We’re here to tell you the secrets of the Hunter’s and you ask about Lucky turning into a dog?”

“I’ve never met a werewolf before,” I defended.

Finally, Jean-Luc regained composure and straightened up. “You want to know, really?” I nodded. “No one ever asks.” He grinned and leaned in close to me. “Being a wolf is orgasmic,” he whispered.

“Jean-Luc, behave,” Braith said. “This is Heike’s kid.”

“She’s not a child.” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes and swatted at Braith’s leg. “Cut the cord, mother.”

I ignored both of them. “Does it hurt to change?”

He shrugged. “A little, but nothing bad. Painful in a good way, you know? Like my muscles are breaking free from tight clothes. And then I’m human and beast at the same time. I feel like I can do anything, like I’m some sort of beast god. My wolf body can move in ways my human form doesn’t dare, yet I have my human wits still about me. It’s beautiful, really, truly beautiful being a wolf.”

“How old were you when you became a wolf?”

“Thirteen, I think. It was terrifying. My father, he took my brother and I on a camping trip. He had seen the signs for awhile and he knew it was coming. My Mother, she wasn’t a werewolf and she didn’t want to see her youngest child have to go through it. It was better in the woods, anyway. I could feel the change coming and I was so scared. But my father, he just stroked my head and held me. The first time was awful, so painful. Thankfully, my brother and father were with me. I would have been so scared without them. After I changed, they changed as well and led me around the forest all night. It was a good experience.”

“What’s the wolf den like?”

“Well, we’re pretty similar to The Hunter’s Coven, but much more family friendly. There are many female werewolves, so we’re used to women and children around all the time. It’s very nice, very communal. There is no separation between our families and the wolves in training. But, we don’t like to be compared to The Coven. Many years ago there was a falling out between the wolves and the Hunters,” he sighed. “I’m one of just three that hunt vampyres with Coven Hunters. It’s foolish, because in order to best hunt vampyres, you need to Hunt as a team of three: Hunter, tracker, wolf. Not everyone sees it that way, though.”

Braith cleared his throat. “This isn’t why we brought her here, Lucky. Being a puppy is nice but there are things she’s got to know.”

“You’re such a prick,” Jean-Luc said. “And don’t start with the dog shit, trouduc!” He yelled. Suddenly, Jean-Luc attacked Braith right in the knees. Braith collapsed in the sand and they both began punching each other. At first, I was a little concerned, but then I heard them laughing. They reminded me of my baby brothers; apparently, boys are always boys no matter how old they are.

I scooted to the edge of the water while they finished beating each other up and dipped my feet in the waves. They plopped down on either side of me, a little out of breath.

“Okay, you want to start, Lucky?” Braith asked.

“God, all terrible conversations start out like this,” I mumbled.

“You’re so dramatic,” Braith said. “It’s not that bad.”

Jean-Luc ignored us. “So, there are lots of things you don’t know. We take it for granted, because we are so used to everything,” Jean-Luc said. “I’ve been around the Coven close to 50 years and that’s not a quarter of the length of some Hunters. There really hasn’t been a Hunter like you before, one that is so unfamiliar with the life, you understand?” I nodded. “So, Braith and I are sorry we are – how do you say it in Spanish? Los idiotas?”

I smiled. “Yeah, something like that.”

Braith sighed. “So, there are some things you’ve got to remember. One is that, while you are in training, you cannot fight off of this island,” he said. “We’re protected here, but everywhere else we are alone. Vampyres are attracted to fighting. They love the chaos. They feel tension building and they’re attracted to it like bugs to a light. And it’s more complicated with us because we’re Hunters.

“It’s weird, but we are all very attracted to each other, meaning that, for no known reason all of us - vampyres and Hunters alike - are pulled towards each other without even realizing it. We are like opposite sides of a magnet being pushed towards each other. We can’t help this attraction and usually we don’t even realize that the pull is happening. That’s one thing that is very important for you to remember, especially since you don’t have The Coloring yet. Portugal has more vampyres than any other place in the world, so you go on land and there is a good chance you are going to run into a vampyre or two. You can’t take anything for granted. If you think you’ve ended up somewhere by accident, it’s probably because you were pulled there by the force of a vampyre. Nothing is ever by chance.

“To them, we Hunters have a very distinct scent. Werewolves have an even more unique scent, but they’re a bit different. They know how to move so the wind doesn’t pick up their scent and they’re color is dark so often vampyres can’t see them at night. Most of the vampyres you will have contact with will be able to smell us at a very far distance, but they will have no idea where we are. We can sense them when they are much closer, but we can hone in on their location and get to them much quicker than they can realize where we are. It will depend on both the Hunter and the vampyre if there is a confrontation, although usually in busier areas we tend to lay low and let each other pass. Questions?”

“Uhmm...” I began. Hell yes, I had a lot of questions, but his incredibly fast overview kind of left me breathless.

Jean-Luc held up a hand to shush me. “Save questions until the end,” he said. “There are also different kinds of vampyres you may encounter. When we say “vampyre,” we are usually talking about the immortal guy that sucks blood from humans. Like from the movies? We usually call them Strigoi, but they’re called a lot of different names: moroi,
Izcacus, Vetalas. Just remember Strigoi or Strigs and you’ll be fine.
Their bites can kill. Remember that. If you are fighting them and they land a bite, you need to work hard getting them off or they’ll drain you in two minutes. A lot of them don’t kill, though, and just drink blood. Werewolves are totally cool with this, as long as both parties agree. For a wolf, we only intervene when there is intent to kill or after the vampyre has killed. Hunters have mixed feelings about blood draining and tend to intervene. You can make that decision yourself, when you’re in the field. Braith and I believe in low intervention. Why start a fight when there is no reason? Questions?”

Before I could ask, Jean-Luc continued. “Vampyres do not want more vampyres because that means less food. They are not allowed to transform humans into vampyres. The only vampyre who is allowed to transform humans is their queen.” Jean-Luc paused and glanced at Braith, who shook his head. I was lost with whatever this signal meant, but Jean-Luc continued before I could ask. “They are the most common types of vampyres out there and some have special ...” Jean-Luc paused, thinking for a moment. “I guess, magical abilities? There are a few that can take on invisibility and even less that can turn themselves into an animal. It’s been many, many years since I’ve even heard of a Strigoi turning into an animal. But even though they are the most prolific they are the least disruptive to modern society.” Jean-Luc nodded to Braith.

“The vampyre hunts ...,” Braith began but stopped. “Are you going to remember this? Or should we stop. I probably should have had you bring a notebook.”

My response was staring at him with my mouth open because, truthfully, I was freaking out. The only thing I could remember by this point was magnets attracting vampyres who could turn into animals.

“Pauvre fille,” Jean-Luc said. He patted the back of my head. “She’s had too much. Let’s go swimming.” Then he stood up, stripped off his clothes, and strolled into the water. I averted my eyes and burned from blushing. I couldn’t believe that was the first, grown man penis I had ever seen. “You two should come in. L'eau est belle.”

“Cover up, asshole,” Braith yelled and laughed and laid back in the sand. “Lucky is very confident,” he mumbled, placing his arm over his eyes to shield himself from the sun.

“So, that’s it? You’ve ended the discussion?” I asked. Braith grunted. “Can I ask questions now?”

“I don’t think so,” Braith sighed but didn’t look at me from under his arm. “I think you should wade in the water. Relax in the sand. Take a walk. Do something enjoyable before tomorrow, because tomorrow will be a new sort of hell for you.” He snorted. “At least you don’t have to be there until seven. Sleep in a little.” I sighed and kicked him. He smiled but still didn’t look at me.