Wildfire Gospel (Habitat) (31 page)

“Then what did you do?” I asked.

“Answer me,” he whispered. “How much do you think we could survive?”

“I don’t know. Not much if I’m kept in the dark. I hate lies and being deceived. It makes me feel like I can’t trust you.”

“Some things are hard to confess.” He returned to gazing at the floor.

“What things are hard to confess?” I took away the heat in the room. “You’re scaring me. This topic is scaring me. What’s going on?”

He rubbed his face with both of his hands, gave me one pitiful look, and left me right there, in my office, by myself.

“Zulu!”

But he never replied, and I was too scared to run after him to find out why.

MeShack

The wind whipped around moist air. If I was still a true Shifter, I could probably feel the storm approaching deep within my bones.
Do I even have bones?
For now, I needed to take my clues from nature, look to the swollen clouds that blocked out most of the stars, smell the dampness of the breeze, and listen to the rumbling in the heavens.

There may not be rain tonight, but it’ll rain all day tomorrow, maybe even a storm the rest of this week.

The news expected a hurricane to form, but nothing came yet. Meanwhile the habitat’s cage decorated the full moon in bars. Even standing deep within the alley, I could see her shine.

The moon. You sexy lady.

When I was half man, half animal, she pulled at me from high up in the sky. My skin tingled in her presence. Cheetah went mad with the urge to shift. My dick ran stiff and aching, and I longed to put it inside of anything that was wet, warm, and willing. Now nothing happened. I liked that. I loved having the power over my own body and thoughts.

I leaned back on the brick wall and exhaled turquoise smoke in beautiful, perfectly shaped circles. One by one they rose in the heated air and evaporated, leaving behind the earthy perfume of marijuana to drift lazily in the alley. I barely had an inch left of the joint as I threw it on the ground and stomped the little thing out.

All around me sounds and smells traveled throughout Oshun Boulevard. High heels click-clacked on the pavement from hoards of beautiful women sexily stomping their way to the many nightclubs on the block and painting the streets with their perfumes. Habbie police sirens blared off in the distance. Trams rode by full of plant workers ready to go home. Music glided out of clubs, from jazz to salsa, hip-hop to supe trip. Everyone partied tonight. If I had a calendar, I could figure out what god or goddess’s day it was and what club was honoring it.

A vendor around the corner yelled out, “Honey cakes for five dollars, praised by Oshun herself. You got to try them!”

Earlier, I’d bought one, but the sweet icing and moist texture of the treat only made me gag. It seemed regular food would no longer be my thing. It was a small price to pay for still being alive. Well, there was what had happened in the bathroom. Digested Spraggin did not make a pretty sight in the toilet. But then what did look pretty in a toilet bowl?

I wore chocolate brown pants that were baggy enough without out being too loose. I didn’t have a shirt on. There was no need. Flame bragged about being the hottest club in the city. Being that I still had my Shifter crescent moon brand in my forehead, I had to act like one too and dress light, even though I could take the heat. A leather hat sat on my head. I still had no hair and didn’t like the way I looked bald. I was already too light for comfort. I couldn’t just see
my love
looking completely out of sorts.

La La’s voice as she said MeShee vibrated in my head. I’d been thinking about that all day since we got off the phone and even laughing at Zulu’s growls.

Are you scared, bat boy? You should be? If I don’t kill you, La La will.

Calm covered me like a blanket. My shoulders relaxed. My head lightened and emptied out any worries. My skin prickled with restless excitement. The joint was doing its job. That was my last worry. Could Umbutu’s still get high? I had my answer.

Yes. Fuck yes, they can. I don’t think I can live without weed.

“Woo hoo!” I yelled to the sky. “Life is good, baby!”

“It sure is.” Graham’s voice came from down the alleyway. The woman’s moaning sounded next.

I checked my new watch. “It’s been an hour. What are you doing, making love? It’s an alley, you know that right?”

“Oh goddess!” she shrieked. “Oh, so infinite cock.”

Infinite? What is he doing to her?

Graham grunted several times as she screeched out some more praises on his instrument. Ten minutes later, Graham headed down my way, zipping up his leather pants. He refused to get a new jacket when we went shopping. His old coat still hung in strips and swayed all over his body. The girl wobbled down next and adjusted her skimpy dress. She’d been the store clerk in the last shop and had helped him put on the pants. Next thing I knew, she’d left the dressing room with a smile, closed the place up earlier, and followed us to Oshun Boulevard to hook up with him in the first alley Graham could find. I was shocked because she was closer to my age than his, but Graham just shrugged and took her in the alley as if he was doing her more of a favor than her helping him out.

“So you have my numbers?” Her green eyes sparkled in the moonlight as she placed her auburn hair in a ponytail. “Feel free to call any of them, work, home, my cell. Did I give you my cell?”

“Yes. I got them all. They’re in my pocket.”

“Good.” She leaned his way and gave him a big hug. “I can’t wait to see you again.”

“Me either.” He kissed her on the cheek and handed her some money. “Take a cab to your shop. You shouldn’t have to walk all the way back there by yourself. I would make sure you made it, but I have to go check on my daughter.”

“Thank you. You’re so sweet.”

Sweet? Graham is sweet?

I raised one eyebrow at him. He winked at me when she walked off.

“Are you going to call her?” I rose from the wall.

“Of course. You never take a number from a woman after you’ve had sex with her and not call her back. That’s just rude. I taught you better than that.”

“I never had a reason to call anyone back, but La La.”

“Then don’t take anyone’s number.” He stretched and rounded the corner. “Sienna was that one’s name. She was a nice girl.”

“She screamed out crazy stuff.”

“All Witches do that. They’re always screaming to their gods or goddesses during sex.”

“No. They don’t.”

“When they’re with me they do.”

“Maybe you pick the crazies.”

“Maybe you’re doing it wrong.” He checked my crotch and frowned as if it was out and covered in warts. “Yeah. You’re doing it wrong. That’s why no one’s giving you breast milk.”

I placed my hands to my chest. “Shango help me. You’re right. Oh Graham so infinite-penis-having-one. Tell me. How do I get lumpy breast milk? I have to know.”

“I could teach you, but you wouldn’t be able to keep up.” He placed dark shades over his eyes, pulled his new Santeros hat out, and placed it on top of his head. “And stop being jealous. Envy makes your skin shrivel.”

I studied my hands. “Seriously?”

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t envy other men.” He laughed.

“Good one.”

Together we headed for Flame. Graham had promised to not make us late and he’d been true to his word. We still had a good thirty minutes left to meet La La.

Once finding out that Zulu was the one who had paid to kill me, Graham decided to not smoke any drugs. However, he wasn’t a saint. I still took him to buy several rocks that now rested in his back pocket with a new pipe. He planned to partake once he made sure La La was fine and Zulu was no longer a threat.

Too bad. Zulu will always be a threat as long as he’s alive.

I wouldn’t deny his love for La La. Anyone could see it in the way he stared at her. He made no moves without her, well besides trying to kill me. He hung on her every word. He spoiled her like I couldn’t. If I didn’t want her for myself, I would have loved them together. But that wasn’t reality. I craved her, every cell, and every piece of flesh on her body.

Kill him.
Cheetah stirred.

Not yet. But one day, yes.

Flame nightclub’s huge globe appeared as we got further down the street. It was the only spot on the block with no other buildings neighboring it, and I could see why. Flames engulfed most of it. Elemental flames that didn’t put out heat and were just for show, but still I bet it shoved many property owners on edge to have their establishment so close.

A long line stood outside and ran all the way up two flights of stairs. We stopped right before the end of the line. I searched for a dark and private area near it.

“So you think he’ll find us first?” Graham’s coat strips settled down and hung like regular material would. He did his best to keep them calm. It already made other supes nervous to be around a Demon, one radiating massive amounts of power didn’t help either.

“I bet you ten dollars. Zulu already sees us. He won’t come out now, not with so many people around us.” I gestured across the street. “Let’s go over there in that park. He’ll come to us soon. And remember, you promised not to step in.”

Without further discussion, Graham and I headed over there. It didn’t even take one whole minute before I sensed him. That sandalwood fragrance soared down on the wind. My stomach growled. Cheetah got into a fighting position.

Graham found the nearest park bench and sat on the top of it. Where a person would lean their head back, he placed his butt. “This should be interesting.”

“You’ve got something to say to me?” Zulu’s voice came from behind me.

I kept my back to him. “Well, I’ll wait for you to say sorry first.”

“For what?”

“Disrespecting my life and ruining a perfectly good ball tuxedo.” I didn’t even turn around. He didn’t deserve it and he needed to understand I didn’t fear him.

“I won’t be apologizing. If you need a hug and your emotions massaged, you better get it from somewhere else.”

“I will. La La has always known how to take care of me, just right.”

The predictable roar sounded next. I turned around, not because it made me uneasy, but because I wanted to see him pissed. Those leathery wings expanded out of his body. I could barely make out his face. It was all shadows and darkness, not even the whites of his eyes showed. Everything between his eyelids was midnight black.

I flashed him my burning fangs and stepped close to him.
Come on, bat boy.
Barely two or three inches existed between us. His nostrils flared. His eyes were solid black as well as the rest of his body as he stood in his beast form. Granted, I had to admit, those eyes caught me off guard. They seemed off like something evil and wrong, not meant to be placed between eyelids.

He smells like rot.
Cheetah backed up into my core.

Him and his beast are deteriorating.

I sniffed him, under that sandalwood scent of his lay decay, just like cheetah sensed. “You still haven’t gone into yourself?”

He ignored me. “Will your adopted daddy be helping you fight me?”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t need to fight you tonight.” I tossed him a big smile that displayed my burning fangs. “La La will take care of you first, once she finds out what you did. Whatever is left, I’ll finish. But then … she never has to know. It’s up to you.”

He looked down at my chest as if analyzing my beast. I’d learned he could see cheetah when he magically grabbed my beast and yanked him out of my core during a fight.

Could he still do that now?

Cheetah yawned.
Let him try.

“What’s up to me?” Zulu returned his gaze to my face.

“I could keep your involvement in my death all a secret. La La would never have to know that you paid for Fray to kill me. I would just ask you to do one thing.”

“What?”

“Take away your claim.”

“No.” Now it was my turn to growl, but instead it came out like a loud bark. Steam left my mouth. My skin rippled along my arms. It had all made sense in my head. Why wouldn’t he want to keep his involvement in my death a secret? If La La knew, she’d be gone and he would be without her, no question. It should have been enough to take away the claim.

He’s mad.
Cheetah whimpered.
Something is wrong with our mate’s lover.

Pushing his claws out, Zulu smirked. “You need a second to compose yourself or do you just need more time to come up with a better offer? It doesn’t matter what you say. The answer will always be no.”

Why did I think I could talk sense to him? He can’t just bow out like a rational individual?

“This is stupid,” I said. “She’ll figure it out. I don’t even have to tell her. The only reason she doesn’t know now is because this Mother Earth mess is keeping her busy.”