Living Proof (Tyler G Book 2) (11 page)

Or
, apparently, her mother would.
Valerie was really helpful that way, doing most of the talking for her people.
Even better, she seemed happy to be doing it, rather than upset about him
prying in like he was.

Halfway there they stopped at a
very small gas station. It was in the middle of nowhere, and not all that well
trafficked it seemed. Rupert explained why that was without missing a beat.

"This is a front for us
Shifters. The lady that runs it is a Swan. Nice woman. Real sweet. Most of them
are. If you ever have to disappear, and can get to a place like this, the
people there will help you.
Anyone
really. It doesn't matter if you have
two forms or not. It's our thing, for Shifters, but it's a lot simpler to keep
things quiet if anyone can use it, believe it or not. That might come up, I
guess, with your new group?" The voice was pitched into a near whisper,
but everyone could hear him as they pulled in.

Calley, bopping around in the
front a bit, nodded.

"Yeah. Not that it comes up
as much for us anymore. Two years ago, half of us had to go into hiding if we
were seen changing. Now we just wave at the neighbors and
explain
, more
often than not. Take a fruit basket and a pamphlet over to them the next day
with a smile. The world is really getting different, fast. I personally blame
the Vampires for it, but it makes it a lot easier to stay in one place, so I
can't whine too much!"

That, it seemed, was a thing that
everyone could agree with, as they got out to stretch their legs and use the
restroom. Supernatural others or not, they all still had to do that.

It was another thing to put in
the notebook.

Calley didn't let them rest long,
suggesting that they had a schedule to keep, since there was a guy waiting for
them with the boat when they got in. Or there would be. They were over an hour
and a half out still. That was fine for Tyler. After all, while the world
didn't feel like much to him now, he also didn't have pain. That meant his legs
and back weren't sore from sitting around for hours like the others probably
had to put up with.
Hunger
was always there now however, oddly enough.

That was, now that he noticed it,
a constant gnawing at his middle. It was work to ignore it, but nothing he ate
at all made it much better. It was just always there. A bit like what a shark
probably had going on. That constant urge to munch on something.

Given that, he had to reconsider
how the poor Alede probably felt. If he had to trade wanting sex all the time
for desiring food... Well, it wasn't like he was satisfied with snack cakes, as
far as he could tell. No, he wanted something different by far.

The something in question being
raw meat, no doubt. More to the point, raw Human flesh. It was gross, thinking
about it for him. Not because it was just a sick thought, but due to the fact
that, on a deep level, one that he mainly kept buried with the force of will,
it sounded delicious. Like a
real
treat. His mouth watered at the idea,
which wasn't the kind of thing he wanted to know about himself.

On the good side, no matter how
perfect that seemed to him, he was still in control of the sensation, or at
least the actions that he took. So he had a veggie filled pastry, with a light
sauce that was tangy and took his mind off of things. On the great side, he
could eat all he wanted, and it still
tasted
really good to him. He just
didn't need to, if he'd been told correctly.

It was a really bizarre thing to
notice, but he
understood
. Lucy had told him he could now, which was why
it all came together. Before, when he was younger, she'd probably told him
not
to notice how different he was, and how to act so that no one else would guess
as to his real nature. Now he was, for the first time since he'd died all those
years ago, himself.

The ethical zombie.

"People are our friends, not
food." He muttered the words, as he took a bite of his snack, which got
everyone but Calley to turn around. A few of them were smiling curiously at him.
Because they didn't assume he was a monster, which was nice of them.

Sighing he shook his head.

"You know, it's why I can't
eat meat? Because I secretly crave Human flesh? Not in a friendly Alede way
either. So, if I ever start trying to eat someone, make sure to stop me?"
It was his plan. Even if he couldn't be killed very easily, they could shoot
him in the head. That, or lock him in a little room, alone.

Calley gave a single nod.

"Not a problem. You aren't
the only person we know with something like that going on. You should ask
Ginger about it when we get back. Anyway, we're closing in on the destination.
The boat isn't huge... Anyone get sea sick?"

Ty didn't know about himself, but
was willing to guess the answer was no. He didn't really feel sick very often
at all and never had. Rupert raised his right hand, looking a bit sheepish. No
one else did or said anything on the topic.

"Me. I have to go anyway.
Family."

Which was the word of the day.
That, or community. It was why
Tyler
was headed there, even though he'd
only met Vivian the one time. To his surprise, Rupert kept talking, looking at
him, mainly.

"Viv. She... Might try to
attack, out of anger. That happens a lot with Shifters. She hasn't been there
long, so maybe not. I'll go first, since she might not come at me as hard.
Then... I think you should go in, behind me, Mr. Gartner. If you will I mean?
The rest of us might not be that welcome. She'll have to figure that the Alede
came to kill her. I... Have you?" It was a bit blunt, but Valerie turned
to look at him, shocked.

It really seemed like a genuine
thing, too. Real, and like the thought had never even occurred to her. Which it
probably hadn't. She was, by nature, a lover, not a fighter.

"Why would we do t
hat
?
Over a tiny knock to the head? I admit, I was worked up when I set the
sentence. I shouldn't have allowed it to happen. We could have talked it out,
or allowed her to work for redemption some other way. It's why Kyle and Robert
insisted on coming. To protect me from her wrath, for letting this happen to
her. I deserve it.
Two weeks
. All alone. She'll be half mad or more.
Probably suicidal, too." Then, as if it were the right thing to do, she
started crying.

It wasn't a loud or sobbing
thing, just damp tracks, visible on the side of her face when she turned to
Rupert, to apologize. The Bear looked completely baffled. For once though, Ty
thought he had it worked out. It was even a think that he'd made notes on, in
his book.

"So, let me see here. To the
Alede being left alone, without contact like that, would be both starvation,
and a kind of torture? Sensory deprivation, at the very least?" The very
pretty blonde woman nodded. It looked like she was wearing makeup, but nothing
ran.

"Yes." She sounded
miserable. Robert reached out to touch her hand, and turned to the left,
showing that
he
was crying too.

Made miserable by the pain of the
woman that had beaten his boss into unconsciousness.

Tyler went on then, his face
still, looking at Rupert.

"Shifters don't see it that
way, do they? She was left with enough food? So it's, what, just camping for
her? Probably not even long enough to seem like a real punishment? No worse
than some kind of military survival exercise that she's done before, right?
Which is
why
she'll be scared. She'll see Kyle and Rob here and have to
think that
this
is the real punishment. After all, she went after an
Ambassador. Death probably isn't out of the picture in her mind right now."

That got a snort from the front,
from his Bat friend.

"No shit, right? I mean,
I
know that Val wouldn't set that up, but Vivian isn't a diplomat. To her she screwed
up so big that... Well, she might have offed herself already. Just to prevent a
war. I know, no one is scared of the Alede, but think about it. Val has at
least
two
Greater Demons she can call up for things like that. Maybe
more. Vampires as buddies, and she could probably get Jahn Samson to do what
she wanted, in order to make this right. It wasn't enough of a punishment.
We'll need to fix that somehow." She drove for a bit as that sank in.
Then, after a while, she glanced over at Ang for half a second. "Beat her
when we pick her up? If we shoot her in the knees first, we can pull that off
without too much trouble."

The Dragon man nodded.

"I'll do it. She doesn't
know me, and probably won't hold a grudge that way. She might, but I'm not
really worried about her coming for me later. It wouldn't be a fair
fight." He spoke calmly, as if they were going over what people wanted on
their pizza later. Which sounded good suddenly.

Valerie made a sound that was
nearly a gulp, and Ty managed a chuckle, keeping anyone else from speaking.

"
Nope
. We'll put her
in helping someone at Westfield so we can watch her for a while, but that's all.
I know, she can work with Lisa, the Mage Ambassador? That way none of you will
rough her up or anything. I'd get her in with the Vampires, but they have lots
of help already. Lisa's people seem to be pretty lazy when it comes to
community service, and won't do much for her. Can Vivian get along with her, do
you think?" He looked at her brother, who furrowed his brow, but nodded,
as if that was a fine enough idea.

"Yeah. I hadn't thought
about that. I mean, Shifters and Mages aren't enemies or anything, but we don't
normally try to put spies in their offices either. We don't need to really. We,
you know, just stand back and listen, for the most part. The only one we have
infiltrating there is Madeline. Calley's Aunt? She'll be working with you, I
think, in a few days. Not that I know the schedule there. She's really
nice." The man spoke innocently enough that it was strange when Ang turned
to glare at him for it.

Ty just smiled, since it would be
good to have more help that didn't need
constant
sex. Even if he had to
cuddle with her on the sales floor occasionally to keep her happy.

"Sounds good. I really
wasn't thinking infiltration. More running the store front so that the place
can be kept up. Light paperwork. Getting coffee. Things like that. Lisa needs
help, and it's close enough to the kind of thing that the Coalition should be
doing that I figured it would be all right. I'll get in touch with her and
check, if that sounds good to everyone?" He got a nod from the Bear
woman's brother, though he also shrugged.

"Viv has a job too. Working
for central. She does training facilities coordination. So you'll need to get
with them to make sure she won't be needed."

That took calling, but he had his
phone, and to his amazement, it worked. The thing had a really good coverage
area, it seemed. Then, they were closing on a city, so of
course
they
had cell towers. His first move was to get with Jahn Samson, since the man
should be kept in the loop if they were making up plans for his people. That
meant lending his phone to Val, so the two could talk for about ten minutes,
going over how they both hoped this event wouldn't strain relations between
them.

The guy, being cool like he was,
did agree that Vivian would be allowed to work for the Mage's if they wanted
her, as long as it wouldn't cost anything. That just meant calling Lisa, and
working the rest of it out.

She sounded annoyed when she
picked up.

"Candles and More. What do
you want?" It was a tonality thing, thankfully. It would have been hard
not to laugh if she'd spoke the words it felt like should be there.

"Hi Lisa. I have a full time
worker lined up for your store. A very nice lady, Vivian. She's a Shifter? She
won't be there to spy or anything, but you can use her for paperwork if you
want. She has some experience in that kind of thing, I think? Training
facilities coordination, but that sounds paperwork heavy to me, so I bet she
can hang that way. You'll need to pay her. Call it twenty dollars an
hour?" It was more than he made, but Lisa was in a bind, work person wise.
That meant she'd need to be willing to deal.

She still didn't miss a beat.

"Full time, and she get's
ten dollar per hour, for the first two weeks. If she sticks around after that,
and does good work,
then
she get's twenty. I didn't know you were
looking out for me. Did Eve put you up to it? I really won't pay out in sexual
favors for it, regardless of what she told you."

That got attention from everyone
else in the van.

"Yeah, she
mentioned
you were still being a bit of a prude that way, only liking women and all that.
Thankfully Calley said
she'd
do that part for you. She really wants you
to see just how much the Shifters are backing their Mage buddies. You know, in
case
they
ever need anything?"

There was silence, even as
everyone in the van, except Ang, fought to keep from laughing. Even Rupert went
this time. Probably feeling a bit of relief, since his sister was being well
taken care of, and not shot in the knees. He'd relaxed a lot anyway.

"She did? Really? That's...
I'll have to get something for her. I know I need to move past things, but I
can't yet. The thing with Warren is too fresh. Then... Everything else."

Calley, managing to fight her
face into control called out, loud enough to be heard over the phone.

"Don't worry Lisa, we've got
your back." She didn't mention that part where they lived together, he
noticed.

Which was a good plan, after a
fashion.

"So, we can have her in
later today? Or would you rather she start in the morning?"

The woman on the cell phone took
a deep breath.

"I could use the help,
whenever she's ready. Thanks Mr. Gartner. I was just about to lose it
here."

"Tyler. Or Ty. Good, so you
need what, two more people? You have one, right?"

"Todd? Yes, but he managed
to get in on an internship. With Maddy Morse, our leader? It was too good to
pass up, so I had to let him do it, but it's been hard. Nearly constant twelve
hour days, except Zack. He has a business, too now. I should have never fired
him. I was being a stupid bigot."

That sounded like a story, but he
wasn't going to ask in front of everyone. It probably involved demands for
kinky sex. The woman was cute enough for it, after all. A little old for him,
maybe, but he could see Zack liking her that way.

"Okay. I'll try to find
people, if I can. Same deal for wages? Full time, ten, then twenty when they
prove out in two weeks?"

"That seems fair. I can get
the budget for it. Really, I have it already. It's been building up for a long
time."