The Marradith Ryder Series, Part 57

“What do you mean by ‘something else’?” Justin asked.

Marradith took a breath, trying to decide where to begin.

“When we were children, Scott and I could read each others thoughts. I think it would have been different if we were closer in age, but because I was so young he shielded a lot of things from me. He lived his own life away from our parents, and there were some things that I knew about; mostly the things you’d expect, teenage rebellion. When he got shipped off to military school at sixteen, I wasn’t surprised. In retrospect I think that he was Manifesting at that time, and didn’t know how to handle it.

“Once we were separated, it was like something was broken between us. We never read each other’s thoughts again. I assumed it was normal. Like a phase we were passing through. And as I got older I was relieved that he didn’t have access to my mind.

“Scott could move objects. He could influence people with suggestions that he placed in their minds. He’s doing other things now that he couldn’t do before. The night you brought me to the police station, he worked a glamour on me to make me think that I was speaking to a cop named Doherty. I’m guessing here, I mean, I have never had anyone do that to me before. Fiona saw through it instantly.”

“That would make sense….” Justin said. “A glamour is just a way of getting into your head and making you see something different from what’s really there. If you could read each other’s minds, there probably is still a trace there. A sort of foot in the door that no one else would have with you. There could be one benefit to that, Ryder.”

“What would that be?”

“If he‘s got a way into your head, it’s because you have the same with him.”

“There’s something else. When I saw him tonight, he made himself disappear,” Marradith paused. “I guess what I am asking is…. could a Lamia be turned into a vampire?”

“It may be possible to intensify that side of his nature. Lamia are part vampire, after all. If he were to drink a vampire’s blood…”

“Wait a minute. I thought vampires wouldn’t drink from us.”

“They won’t.” He raised an eyebrow. “But vampires can take life force through sex. And there’s nothing that would stop a Lamia from drinking from a vampire.”

 ********************

Daria found Will in the kitchen.

He sat at the island with his tie and jacket off, the first two buttons of his shirt undone. He held a drink and a cigarette in his left hand.

She sat down on a stool across from him.

“I didn’t know you smoke,” she said. “Where have you been?”

He smiled. He didn’t want to tell her how he’d busted down the pantry door to get out after the door locked behind Fiona. “Around. And I don’t smoke all the time. Just at parties. And bars.”

“Yeah?” she smiled. “Everybody’s left.”

He couldn’t help but look at her. She was stunning. The dress she wore clung like a second skin.

She took the cigarette from his hands and placed it between her lips. As she exhaled, he watched her chest dip and rise. She looked around, and then whispered. “You know, if you and Mrs. Perfect are going to be doing the do, you have to be more discreet. A pantry isn’t going to cut it.”

He laughed. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I am Sojourner,” she replied steadily. “I make it my business to know everything.”

“Yeah. You’re good. So while you’re being nosy, who is it you’re supposed to be protecting?”

“Nora’s a big girl, she can take care of herself. And I am not her only guard.” she paused. “So, about Fiona. Can I ask you why?”

“Huh. You can ask, but, really. She’s lonely. I’m lonely. So….”

“But she belongs to Rafael. That’s some dangerous ground to tread.”

He took a gulp of his drink. “Everything is dangerous. Fi tells me you’re after me for my blood.”

“That might not be entirely untrue.”

“See, it’s that kinda shit right there.”

Daria drew back.

Here it was she thought she was doing a glamour on him, but he was just drunk.

“When I was living with Bruce and Syd, that was a nightmare. And this place…sometimes it doesn’t seem much better. Only with them I knew the score. Follow instructions or be killed. So if her husband finds out and kills me, at least that’s a normal thing for a man to die for.”

Daria laughed. “Wait a minute. Are you serious?”

“Yep.”

She got up and went to stand behind him. She did not touch him. But she stood close enough that he could feel her breath on his skin.

“I know better. But just as a matter of course, I suggest that you never say that you want to die in front of my kind. We are often willing to accommodate.”

He turned his head ever so slightly. “It’s the waiting,” he said. “Knowing something worse is coming.”

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself. It’s not funny.”

“Funny?”

“Yes, funny. I’ve noticed your whole little bit. The bravado. I’m glad it worked on Syd and Bruce. But you know, Wolves are not the most discerning of creatures.”

“And you are?” he said.

“I’m going to ignore that comment.”

He shook his head.

Neither of them moved for a moment.

“You know, I wouldn’t drink from you right now even if you offered me. I hate whiskey, and I like to take my blood clean,” she said. “Yours probably tastes like a second hand distillery. So go sleep it off,” she hissed. “And don’t ever say something stupid like that to me again.”

 

©2009 Lori Titus

Green Water Lullaby, Lori’s collection of short stories, is available for pre-order:  http://www.sonar4publications.com/green.html

The Marradith Ryder Series Part 3

“Can you drive?”

Marradith was about to ask why he wanted to know, but she looked at him and saw his swollen right eye. It gave her a little satisfaction to know that he was hurting.

“Yes, I’ve got a license.”

“Good. We’re taking your Mom’s car. She said that you keep the spare in your purse.”

They got in the car, and she turned the key to the ignition. “You’ve seen my Mom, haven’t you? You met her and my Dad.”

He shrugged. “Why do you say that?”

“Because she sounds like she trusts you.”

He changed the subject. “I want you to drive like normal. Keep to the speed limit. We’re going to get on Highway 315.”

“You’re real sure that I am not going to drive us off a bridge on purpose or something?”

He laughed dryly. “You’re a smart girl. I must say though, werewolves heal much more quickly than humans. I’d hate to see you take risks with your health like that.”

Marradith gunned the engine and pulled into the street.

***

Justin waited.

Marradith had asked so many questions that he was sure she’d keep asking more. Her silence bothered him. At least when she was speaking he had some idea of what was going on in that head of hers. She seemed to avoid his glance on purpose, even though he was staring at her. “Are you at least going to tell me where we’re headed?” she finally asked.

“There’s no need to tell you that yet.”

“Fine, just don’t tell me anything. You’re supposed to protect me , but you haven’t even told me who is after me in the first place. How do you expect it’s okay for you know everything about me and I have no idea what‘s going on?”

“Slow down, you’re speeding.” He snapped. “If your parents had told you about your heritage, that would have solved half the problem.”

“Don’t go criticizing my parents, at least they love me. You’re doing the same thing they did, but I don’t know what your deal is.” She paused. “Mom said something about you coming for me early. What‘s that mean?”

“Usually, we would not take a girl like you until you’re seventeen. Your parents were thinking they had another year before they had to tell you anything.”

“A girl like me…?”

“You learned that werewolves exist today. Has anyone ever told you anything about us before?”

“Other than what I’ve seen on television? You’re kidding, right?”

He sighed. “Everyone has heard the stories. One thing that the myths did get right: werewolves, vampires and witches all come from the same root.”

Marradith kept her eyes on the dark road ahead, still refusing to look at him. Her flesh was crawling. She knew he was going to tell her things she did not want to hear.

“Witches came first. Then the vampires. Werewolves were the third in the chain, and of course the most different. The very first of the werewolves were called Luki, and they were a breed that remained in canine form. They walked upright and spoke language.

It may help to think of them as similar to the first human cavemen. Luki hunted humans purely for sport, not for food. It wasn’t until the first Luki mated with a shape shifter that Wolves were able to change from canine to human and back again by will.”

“Wait a minute. Shape shifters? Where do they come from?”

“That’s something that no one really knows, but the shape shifters are not the point.”

“I don’t see where I am in all of this.”

“Hold on, I’m getting there,” he said. “As you can imagine, there was always breeding between the species. Witches are human. Wolves and vampires; we’re more like cousins of the human species. Similar blood, but with differences on the cellular level.”

“Mutations,” Marradith whispered.

“Perhaps. Or, maybe the result of evolution. Every now and again, a human is born who has more than one bloodline.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s say, a werewolf had an affair with a human, and a child was the result. That child could be a werewolf. But there is a chance that child, while appearing completely human, could carry the genetic imprint of a werewolf. That child would become an adult, marry another human, propagating that imprint on to his human offspring.”

“The same thing could, and often does, happen with vampires. The mixture with human, DNA destroys the need for blood that vampires have. Most often the children of these unions are witches. Some are Immortals, but neither ever need to drink blood.”

Marradith nodded. She had the sinking feeling that she knew where the end of this story would lead.

“Sometimes, a human is born who carries part of the genetic code of all three bloodlines: human, werewolf, and vampire. That person is what we would call Lamia.”

“You carry, from your Father, the gene of werewolf. From your Mother, you carry the gene of vampire. You are a Lamia.”

Marradith shook her head. “Did my parents know? All this time they knew I was going to be a freak?”

Justin frowned. “Your father knew there was a werewolf forebear. I can’t say if your Mother knew about the vampirism on her side. There are many people who have that blood, and live their entire lives without knowing it. Vampires feed on blood, but they also feed off of humans for sex. The energy produced sustains them just as well as actual blood. This is why there are so many stories of romantic vampires. Some of them marry their consorts and never even come close to killing them. Something of that sort must have happened on your Mom’s side of the family.”

“Lamia,” Marradith spoke the word, trying it on for size. It didn’t feel right.

Justin stiffened, and turned around to look through the back window. “Speed up!” He yelled. “We’ve got company.”

___
© 2009 Lori Titus

Lori Titus’s The Marradith Ryder Series appears in episodes on Flashes in the Dark. Many of her short stories appear on MicroHorror.com, DemonMinds.com, and Shadeworks.org. An upcoming story will also be featured as a pod cast on SFZine.org. For more information see her at http://www.myspace.com/talesforthedark.