Standing Before Monsters (Vorans and Vampires) (17 page)

It was the werewolf’s turn to wince at the blunt questions directed by her friend. Charlotte looked on her as the little sister she had never had. Logan was a great big brother, but a little sister was another dream the taller brunette had always had. Her look softened as she remembered that part.

Moving to look down the hall to check on Geni’s position in the apartment in spite of her amazing hearing and ability to smell her scent, Charlotte waited a moment to answer. “Apparently you get to miss out on something new about being a werewolf. When a female changes packs or there is a need for a mate, she goes into heat with the most appropriate male, the leader.”

“In heat?”
Lena asked making a face that told the woman that the idea of a human being in heat and out of control was anathema to her thinking. “How long is this going to last... and wait, if you’re in heat, does that mean you’ve chosen a pack leader as a mate? You aren’t in a pack right now.”

Rolling her eyes at her situation, Charlotte couldn’t even look her friend in the eyes as she answered, “It doesn’t have to be a big pack or anything more than one male apparently. Katie went into heat for Logan when he wasn’t even there at the same time I did.”

She still couldn’t bring herself to tell the younger girl her dilemma. Nicola had stood up to walk over for the girl talk, basically inviting herself though her hearing could pick up even on their hushed voices. Taking it on herself to answer the question that Charlotte wouldn’t, the vampire managed to say with minimal frustration in her voice, “She’s bonded to my Nicky.”

Head dropping downcast, the werewolf nodded.

Lena delivered the most obvious of statements as she said, “But he isn’t a werewolf.”

“Apparently, they can latch onto anyone supernatural,” Nicola replied before becoming curious at her words. “I wonder. If she had been interested in a vampire, would she have been able to bond with one of those?”

Charlotte looked up in embarrassment, but she was frowning at the vampire in annoyance. “No, need to rub it in, Nicola. We’ve been fighting the last resort and you know it.”

Returning the frown, the blond responded a bit angrily, “We came to an agreement and I don’t want you to suffer, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t be frustrated or angry that you chose someone I’m in love with...”

Her words came out surprising the vampire with the frankness and her attention darted to Nick still sitting on the couch appearing interested in something on the computer. Lena stepped back as the two women caught in the love triangle looked ready to fight at least verbally. Having already inadvertently started this fight, the young voran moved towards Nick at his gesture to escape.

Both women caught the gesture bringing frowns in turn, but Nicola’s eyes betrayed that she was still shaken by her vow of love. It was the first time she had said the words aloud in front of so many and she knew her heart meant them. She had been with several men who she believed were loves of her life, but this was the strongest feeling of actual love the vampire had known even from her time as a human. It frightened her to admit it.

Charlotte’s eyes caught that look as Nicola turned back to her. Both of them knew that the werewolf hadn’t intentionally bonded to Nick. Her heart was infatuated with him, whether it was true love or just a crush, the woman hadn’t worked it out yet. She fought calling it love, because Charlotte didn’t want to push between her friends. Her initial boast of hubris in the heat of the moment aside, the dark haired girl realized she was at fault even if it was her body betraying them all.

“So what is this about a last resort?” Lena asked even though she had a feeling she knew.

“Eric stated that the only way to end the state Charlotte and Kate are in is to basically... mate with them. That’s fine for Logan and Kate, since they’ve been in love for a long time. With us... it’s complicated.”

“Would that even work since you aren’t a werewolf?” Lena stated more than asked as she realized that had to have been considered already. Letting Nick and Charlotte be with each other would hurt Nicola, unless the vampire was more understanding than she was, the younger girl thought.

Seeing a trio of shrugs, she knew that was the added problem. If they dared do it and Charlotte’s condition didn’t change, everyone would be risking hurt needlessly.

Being in school for acting and the arts, not biology or nursing, the voran didn’t know why she asked, “If you don’t bond with her all the way, what happens to Charlotte?”

Nick stated with a sigh, “Eric thinks it will end after a full moon or two, but he doesn’t really know. He bonded with Vanessa and possibly other werewolves in his life and never waited to see how it would affect a woman fighting the bond. If he’s right, then in a few days it will be over and she can move on with her life until the next time.

“Meanwhile, if I don’t touch her for too long, which is mitigated by wearing clothes that have my scent on them, she has become itchy, gotten hives and an intense fever... so far.”

“And touching her makes it all go away?” Lena asked in surprise looking over at the two women still talking quietly to each other in the kitchen.

“My touch and Nicola’s has a soothing reaction on her skin also for some reason.”

“Triple bonded?” Lena queried rhetorically.

Her eyes noted some information on cat myths on the computer screen and decided to leave the tricky questions of their odd love life alone. “Studying cat myths?”

Flicking to another screen, Nick played the two segment of the trio looking like human and feline hybrids as well as the second revealing the sides of their human faces. “I’m trying to understand what these three are. They’ve crossed our hunting parties taking out some of the rogues, but only running from or driving Marek’s vampires away.”

“Well, that’s a good thing isn’t it? They’re killing the strays that kill humans and leave yours alone. You’re both doing the same thing,” the dark haired girl replied pushing her hair back from her face as she looked at the screen.

“If it stays that way, sure; but we don’t know their motivations or whether they’ll decide to attack our friends also. I am hoping to find them and verify what they’re actually here to do,” the man replied as his eyes flicked to see the two women in the kitchen getting along again. It was bad enough having the werewolf and vampire differences between them, but adding this strange love triangle type thing was enough to unnerve anyone, he thought.

“I could go with to help you, if you need me,” volunteered the girl trying to help.

Smiling gently, like a father at a young daughter, he shook his head, “You have enough to do right now. How are you doing with catching up in your classes?”

Moving to bring her bag to the couch from where it rested beside the front door, Lena opened up the bag laden with three heavy books. It wasn’t every class, just the ones requiring immediate attention. “I’m getting there, but there are times I wonder if I will ever finish. My art class assignments are at the dorm. This is just what was easily carried.”

“No, work for your laptop?”

“I can do it later. We won’t be here all day and I can do what I need at my dorm,” she assured him. Hearing a little noise from his room as Geni worked to change the sheets, the girl asked quietly, “What about her?”

Shrugging in turn, Nick replied, “Geni might be curious, but as long as we can keep her clear of their secrets with just enough truth to tide her over, everything will be fine.”

She opened her first book and replied, “She’s not stupid, you know. If you keep bringing everything here, eventually she’s going to stumble across the truth.”

With a sigh, Nick replied, “It’s why I never brought vampires to my home before and why I don’t keep the same helpers for long either. The only long term relationships I’ve been able to keep are the ones with Marek’s coven and Vivian.”

“Something to look forward to?”
Lena asked glancing from the book to his face.

“Not for a long time, I hope for you. That’s why you need to just enjoy your time in college and don’t join the menagerie before you really need to,” he chuckled sounding slightly sad instead of amused.

Lena had a feeling that Nick was trying to coddle her. He wanted her to live her life until she could no longer blend in with those she knew. It was a sobering thought and one he probably didn’t want to say out loud for fear of depressing her.

After Lena and Geni had left, whatever had kept Nicola going was beginning to wear off and she was ready for bed. As a man, Nick looked at the pristinely set bed and thought what a waste of good work. The girl had changed the sheets and made the bed. Unfortunately, that meant to help Charlotte he would need to lay in it at some point. Clothing helped the werewolf sleep, but she had said the sheets with him on them helped even more.

With the vampire leading him with one hand and covering a yawn with the other, they went to the bedroom. Charlotte looked wistfully at the couple wishing that it was her, but knowing that she was the one intruding in their lives. Nick felt her gaze on his back and felt sorry for the young woman. The TV was turned on with Logan and Kate there to talk with her, but Nick could feel her longing to be somewhere else.

Closing the door, Nicola pulled off her clothing preferring to sleep in the nude normally. She had toned down such behavior when Geni would be around, but knowing the girl wouldn’t return during the day she was emboldened.

“Lay with me for a little while,” she begged of him. “Charlotte needs you to be on the sheets to help sleep anyway.”

Pulling at his shirt, the vampire succeeded in getting it off of him and smiled satisfactorily. As her fingers went for his pants, he cautioned, “Just because I need to do this for Charlotte doesn’t mean that you can seduce me... again. Besides I thought you were tired.”

With a wink at him, the pretty blonde freed him of the last of his clothes before taking his hands in hers. “I told you all earlier. Our quality time seems to be giving me extra energy. Who knows if we could keep doing this all day if we tried?”

Pulling the covers back, the two came together beneath the sheets. She was beautiful and full of energy like Nicola had warned him, but eventually the vampire did have to stifle a yawn admitting, “I guess even this has its limits. What time is it?”

“Just after noon,” the man said looking over his shoulder at his alarm clock.

She pulled him close to kiss him and almost yawned. Giggling at her body’s reaction, Nicola’s eyes began to blink as if she were fighting them closing. “Well, that’s the latest I’ve made it past sunrise in a long time.”

“Well, you are almost a hundred years old. Most hundred year olds take naps during the day,” he laughed starting to roll out of bed.

Striking him playfully as her eyes opened clear of sleepiness for a moment longer, she lifted the sheets showing off her body taunting, “How many old ladies do you know that still look like this?”

Leaning over to kiss her lips, Nick shrugged thinking how her dancer’s body had barely changed since Marek had converted the young woman. “Not too many, I will admit. Now get some sleep and I’ll see you this evening.”

Once he entered the living room, Nick’s eyes took in Charlotte and the others. Even the television playing wouldn’t keep much from their ears, but he played off the last hour or so with Nicola by ignoring it as he said, “I have some errands to run this afternoon.”

Charlotte stood from her place on the couch with a little sigh. “If you’re going to be real long, can you give me a rub down before you leave? The wash cloth isn’t enough to stop the itching completely anymore.”

Leading him back down the hall to the main bathroom, the dark haired girl looked tired even after several hours of being up already. Perhaps tired wasn’t exactly correct as Charlotte closed the door behind them. Worn would have been a better word. She was only tired from her condition wearing her down and he wondered if the woman was holding in more pain and discomfort than she had made known.

Her shirt was off before he knew it and the woman surprised him by tugging his shirt off as well. “Charlotte...” he started to protest, but realized it was probably too late. His hands had already touched most of the woman and this wasn’t even the first time she had him in this situation. In many civilizations a woman’s naked breasts were no different than a man’s chest; unfortunately he had been raised in a more conservative world.

With his shirt off, Charlotte hugged herself to him tightly. Nick’s hands rubbed her back and arms asking, “Is it bad today?”

“Maybe the clothes aren’t fresh enough or didn’t absorb enough sweat and oils. All I know is that the itching is back. It isn’t as bad as the first day, but it’s very irritating. Do you notice any hives?”

Her head was turned to rest against his shoulder, but he could see the mirror behind her. The scene of the two standing half naked made him want to recoil on one level to be true to Nicola, but on the other he was simply acting like a doctor helping a patient, except that he was the medicine she needed. As he looked, Nick hated to admit that holding the beautiful brunette was also very pleasant. While he enjoyed the cool touch of Nicola and her perfect skin, Charlotte was warm and just as beautiful in her own way.

It was like comparing the sun to the moon or night to day.

“I don’t see any hives. It feels that bad?”