Mundahlia (The Mundahlian Era, #1) (19 page)

“Are you sure you don’t want to try it?” Jett said, holding it out to me once we were alone, “It’s not
entirely
lethal.” I’m not sure if it was the way he was offering it that made it seem better, or the fact that he was offering it to me in a less offending way than Ray. Or even his soft stare. Something about it seemed safe, like I could trust him. “I mean, you might lose a few brain cells and your IQ may go down a few points, but you wont—
die
, per say.”

“It’s tempting but,” I could smell the sweet scent still fresh in the air. It made my mouth water the slightest bit. Like spearmint, just ten times more potent. “Well, what am I supposed to do? Just put my lips on it and suck it?”

Jett laughed, pretending to be taken aback. “Excuse me?”

It took a while to realize that my word choice could easily be mistaken for something else. “Oh my god, I didn’t mean
that
, I
swear
!” I protested. “I just don’t know how to smoke. I’ve never done it before.”

“I see,” Jett sounded intrigued, as though something sparked his interest. “Well, there
is
another alternative.”

Again?
“Like what?” I asked, biting my lip after I’d spoken the last word. Wanting to suck it back in and pretend I hadn’t said a thing at all.

He took a long drag of the last bit of the joint left, and threw it under his shoe to crush it. “Come here!” he said retaining the smoke in his mouth, and motioning with his hands for me to get closer.

“What? What am I supposed to-”

He brushed a hand on the side of my face and pulled it into his. His soft and gentle lips met mine. Immediately, my body fluttered with a tingly sensation that traveled down my spine. Was this the anticipation I’d felt earlier? I didn’t know what to do, so I stayed still. Immobile like a statue. Jett’s warm, wet tongue entered my mouth to part my lips, and like a rush of air, I felt the smoke enter me, filling my cheeks and traveling down my throat. I felt muggy inside, utterly uncomfortable.

Jett pulled away, but still kept his face against mine—foreheads touching. “Now, slowly let it out,” he instructed in a voice as quiet as a whisper. I did as told, feeling the thick air escape my body in the form of a white cloud. When I inhaled regular air again, he brushed his lips against mine for another gentle kiss. I could taste the alcohol in his breath. Strong and sour. The complete opposite of his sweet, supple lips that felt like heaven. Here it was, my first
real
kiss. Bittersweet. I really wished we’d both chewed gum before, just to have made it pleasant and sweet. He pulled away—just as I leaned in for more, and stood, clearing his throat.

Oblivious to the sudden shift in positions, I stayed seated. “What was—that?” I said, too slowly than I should have. I was trying to savor every last bit of the tingling left on my lips, brushing them with my fingers to make sure they were still there and hadn’t melted off. A part of me surely hoped that the awkwardness of the kiss didn’t foreshadow the relationship I’d have with him.
Relationship? Are we even dating? Oh my god?! Do I have a boyfriend? Oh my god! Do I really have a boyfriend now?
I couldn’t keep my emotions balanced, my heart was thumping, and a swelling in the back of my throat formed.
Did my wish finally come true?

“Well, the first thing was called a
shotgun
. It’s when someone does the smoking for you, and all you have to do is inhale it from their mouth,” he stretched his back, revealing a small bit of his lower torso. My jaw nearly dropped to the floor, and my eyes almost bulged out of their sockets right then, like in the cartoons I’d seen when I was younger. Given that I’d practically already seen him full-frontal nude. He tugged the shirt back down, and half of me was filled with disappointment. “And the second one,” he continued. “Well, that was just a kiss.” He smiled taking a sip from the can. “Now, let’s get you home.”

I nodded, coming out of my trance. The bitter taste of the smoke stayed caked in the lining of my mouth.
Eww.
I wanted to spit for no reason, just to try and get it out. It only grew intenser as I inhaled. I needed it out!

“Whoa.” Jett said as I reached for the can in his hands and chugged it back. “Smoking
and
drinking on the same night? Well aren’t you a little rebel tonight.”

I didn’t know what in the hell possessed me to think that alcohol would make the taste go away when all it did was make it stronger. He gave a cunning smirk at my face of discomfort as I smacked my lips and puckered at the foul taste lingering in my mouth. “
Ugh!
” Immediately my heart sank as reality set in. I’d smoked something illegal
and
broken another law by consuming alcohol underage. My mother would kill me, then bring be back to life just to kill me again and clean up the mess from the first death, if she found out. Believe me when I say it wasn’t worth it. Drugs are bad. Drinking alcohol underage is bad. Besides it being illegal, the taste of both things is just—revolting. How in the hell do people enjoy this stuff?
Bleh!

We headed down the steps in unison and made our way through the forest that looked exactly the same as usual—eerie and equally as frightening. Jett let his tongue glide over his bottom lip. “
Hmm
,” he said intrigued.

“What?”

“Watermelon?” he referred to the taste of my lip balm.

“Yep,” I said nonchalantly.

He held a bushel of branches and leaves up so I could duck under them. “After you,” he said gentleman-like.

I smiled and said, “Why, thank you.” Feeling my cheeks blush as I passed under his arm.
Is this what it’s like to have a boyfriend? What the hell Rini?! He hasn’t even asked you yet!
It’s true. Was it just a kiss? or a
kiss
? You know, just a goodnight, see-you-later kiss—or be-my-lover-and-let-me-shower-you-with-unconditional-love-until-the-end-of-time
kiss
.
Girl, get your nose out of books! This is real life, it was just a kiss! Nothing special, it was probably just—

Gasp!
Once on the other side, I froze. Trying to distinguish what my eyes had just set on. A towering boar-like creature, hunched over a lifeless, bloodstained carcass that resembled that of a human. I almost would have missed it had I not heard the skin-curling slurping and snapping from the meat it was tearing off. It was scraping out the last of the insides with its massive human-like hands, like de-seeding a pumpkin on Halloween. Whatever it was, it wasn’t human—and it wasn’t an animal either.

I felt a strong grip come over my mouth just as I was about to let out a scream. I could only feel the burning in my throat from the shriek that was kept within. Other than that, my whole body fell numb with fright.
What was this creature? Where did it come from?
I couldn’t even feel when Jett shoved me back into the bush and crouched down beside me.

“Stay here, close your eyes, and don’t open them until I say so!” he ordered. I didn’t. Instead, I witnessed as he headed cautiously toward the monstrous creature that was caught between human and animal.

Jett

16

After I made sure
Rini was hidden, I snuck my way to the other side of the creature. Careful with each step I took. I needed to strike swiftly while its defenses were low. It was clearly a Mundahlian—like my family and I, only belonging to the boar clan.
Why is it here?
It was feasting upon the ruby chunks of flesh in its hands, and ripping more from the inside of the carcass. Human, I presumed. Female—young. Sloppy marks of blood were inked all over its snout and chest as it grunted with each wet chew. It had spilled the blood of a human and killed an innocent. This Mundahlian has violated the pact. I couldn’t risk the war starting again—the King would have no mercy, so I would have to destroy the evidence after I’d done it in. I wondered exactly how many humans had already seen it. Taken pictures, or filmed it, and are uploading it online this very moment to YouTube. It had to be stopped before someone found out.

I crouched down and scooped up a rock by my foot, flinging it at the beast and watching it bounce off of its massive head with a
thunk
. It paused.
Idiot
, I scolded myself.
What is a rock gonna do?
It turned to spot the attacker—me. A bellowing bass-filled grunt echoed. The boar wiped its face clean, missing the lengthy scarlet stained tusks protruding from its snout, and like a bull, charged at me. It’s rage-filled eyes set to kill.

I dashed to the side avoiding its grip and swept up another rock to heave.
Thunk.
A second headshot. The beast grew even more agitated, letting out a loud huff as it stomped its feet on the ground. It curled its splattered snout back and displayed a set of yellow crooked teeth. The wrinkles traveled up its face like cracks in a pavement. It lifted its head and let out another echoing set of grunts.

Crap!
I thought. It was calling for more help. There were probably more around here, hiding in the bushes, or feasting upon another human nearby.

My heartbeat picked up, thumping wildly in my ears and throughout my whole body. Like sitting in a car blasting bass from speakers. This was it. With the moon over us and blood boiling in my skin—I was shifting. I felt the burst of power and energy. As if a jolt of adrenaline had been shot into my veins. The thick fur grew through my skin first, expanding the pores until there was nothing left but fur. My muscles, inflating like a balloon, grew to abnormal sizes. It felt as if though any sudden movement would result in a cramp. Then, the eeriest part. My bones began restructuring. It sounded even more disturbing than it felt. Like the sound of twigs snapping. My face elongated into a snout. The clothes I was wearing, were now shreds on the dirt beneath me. My fingernails became long and sharp like claws. My feet were no longer human, they were now large and canine, but still upright. I’d shifted into my Mundahlian form.

The beast’s grunts faded away, and it lowered its head to face its opponent once more. Me, in my own Mundahlian form. It let out a huff, and charged at me again, shaking the very earth beneath us. I dodged its attack, grabbed a hold of its warm, furry neck, and flung it at a tree.
Snap!
it let out a shrilling sound of agony as it clenched its back in pain. I’d succeeded in doing what I had wanted to do—break its back. However, somehow it was still alive, and buried its claws into the ground, trying to crawl its way back to me. I positioned myself above the beast, but its large legs swept me under.

It climbed on top of me, holding me down—trying to impale me with its tusks. I was nicked on the side of my arm as I pushed it off of me and kicked it onto its stomach. I set my foot on the beast’s back to hold him down. Enough was enough. As I reached for its head, grabbing it by its tusks and pulling its head back, the beast’s legs flailed in the air behind me. With another might jerk upwards, a crack sounded and the beast fell limp. Silence. The life of this Mundahlian was over. With added precaution, I grabbed the largest rock I could find and heaved it atop its head. Blood splattered on my chest, as well as on the surrounding dirt. A gush of red seeped into the dirt forming an outline around the rock of where it’s head should be. It was dead all right. I watched as it shifted back to its human form. Bare and all. If Mundahlians perish in this form, they revert to the last form they were in when they shifted. Wether it be human or animal. This particular Mundahlian had been in his human form before shifting. I spotted the mark of the boar clan. A black symbol that looked like a backwards capital T infused in an ampersand. However, as I squinted my eyes and got a better look, I found that it wasn’t the only markings it bore. On its upper right shoulder, I saw the branded scar. A letter—B. Bane. This was his doing. I felt uneasy and furious. I clenched my stomach, ready to release my anger out on the tree in front of me—but then, somewhere behind me, I heard the soft whimper of a girl. Rini.

It was over, the fur seeped back into my skin and my features were those of a human again. A naked human. I walked over to the bush I had shoved Rini into and crouched beside it again. Underneath the shaking branches and leaves, a startled and very afraid girl looked to me, then away. The girl I’d let myself grow fond of. The girl I would more than likely lose now, given what she saw. The girl, who looks as if she saw a ghost—scratch that, a werewolf—scratch that again, a
Mundahlian
. The same girl that looks as though she wants to puke right this very moment.

“Did you close your eyes like I told you to?” I asked.

She shook her head. No.

“Are you scared?”

She nodded. Yes.

“Are you going to run away screaming?”

She paused for a moment, then shook her head slowly.

“Do you think that I’m going to hurt you?”

She shook her head again.

“Do you trust me?”

Rini nodded.

The scent of the blood from the carcass wafted over. I could see her cringe. “Do you feel sick?”

She nodded again.

I reached my hands into the bush to help her out. “Come on out, it’s going to be okay.” I brushed away a few twigs and leaves from her dress, but she still remained silent. “Well, say something, Rini,” I told her.

She looked as though she had a lot on her mind, which I’m sure she did. For a while longer, she stayed quiet as I guided her back to my cabin. In a trance. Processing the events one by one.

Sometime later, as we neared the edge of the forest, she finally cracked her mouth open to say, “That is the last time I smoke pot.”