Page 33 of Vampire Visions

We made it to my father’s home later than expected. Stopping for supper had been a wonderful mistake. We’d spent two hours running our mouths after we ate. Over the last eleven hours, I’d gotten to know the guys better than I could have imagined. At Novak’s request — it was more like a demand — we’d played twenty questions, using his rules.

Now, I knew all their favorite colors and movies, embarrassing childhood stories, hobbies… you name it, we’d probably broached the topic at least once. It was information overload, but on several occasions I’d laughed until I cried. The time flew by, and I was actually kind of disappointed when we arrived at our destination.

“It feels weird to be back in Baton Rouge,” Vaughn whispered as he stared out the window at my father's guest house.

Novak huffed. “At least Nate’s not here to put me to work. That’s a welcome change.”

Jack opened the front door before I had a chance to mention how weird it was that a few of us had been in the same place but never crossed paths. My parents had more than likely worked their asses off to keep us from meeting before they wanted us to. Once I started thinking about it, I wondered exactly how careful all three of my paternal parents had been with my visits.

When I saw Cronus come barreling out of the doorway, I scrambled out of my seat and lunged across Vaughn’s lap to open the door. If I didn’t, then he would scratch the paint up trying to get to me. I’d learned that the hard way, more times than I’d care to admit. He just wanted to check on me, though. He was protective like that, and it was hard to be mad at him about it.

From the look on Jack’s face, either Cronus had been an ass or all three of my hellhounds had. I was betting on all three. Jack and Cronus had a rocky relationship. Atlas and Helios were more than happy to play along in the torment. At least Jack and Grim had slipped them through the Void instead of driving the whole way with them. That had to have helped. Some.

I was barely out of the SUV when Jack started ranting. “That motherfucker tried to chew my shoe off my foot while I was taking a nap.” He pointed at Cronus, giving my big baby a dirty look.

“Cronus. We’ve talked about this.” He ducked his head behind my legs. I shrugged my shoulders at Jack. “I don’t understand why you two still don’t like each other.”

Jack threw his hands up, exasperated. “He chewed my fucking foot, Lo! He hates me, and I’m just petty enough to return the favor.”

I rolled my eyes when I walked past him. “One of these days, Jack, I’m gonna make you guys friends again.”

“I love you, but you are delusional. I’m not gonna be friends with a dog.” He spat the last word, and Cronus growled. “You can fuck right the hell off,” he sassed to the hellhound standing behind me.

“I’m delusional?” I questioned as I pointed to myself. “You’re arguing with said dog right now.” I smirked at Jack.

He stomped off with a mumbled, “I hate you so hard,” under his breath.

The guys had made their way in quietly behind me. The trip had exhausted everyone, except the non-sleeping vampire. His exuberance was definitely pissing them off. Palmer tossed the car keys onto a side table near the door and looked at me expectantly. Right, they needed rooms.

I turned to fully face them. “The rooms are all down this hallway.” I pointed to the left. “Jack and Grim are probably in Jack’s old room, but the doors of the empty ones should be open. Take your pick. The kitchen is that way.” I pointed over my shoulder with my thumb. “I’ll give you guys a tour tomorrow.” I shooed them away with my hands. “Go. Get some sleep.”

As the guys disappeared, Novak looked at me, a question clear in his eyes. “Do you wanna go for a walk with me? I was thinking about going to my mom’s to visit for a minute.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.” I smiled sweetly at him. “Let me grab a hoodie from my bag first.” Snatching up the car keys, I handed them to Novak so I could pull my loose hair into a messy bun as we headed for the back of the SUV. After grabbing my jacket, we strolled down the drive and onto the quaint main road. My father’s guest house was in a small neighborhood in the middle of town on a busy street, but there wasn’t much traffic tonight.

Novak reached for my hand, the gesture surprising me, if only because I actually enjoyed the simple touch. Walking down the sidewalk, I soaked in the companionable silence and the sounds of the late night in Baton Rouge. There was no stress, no spiraling thoughts, no anxiety over the things I couldn’t control. It was just us, the streetlights, and the occasional car passing us by.

“Hey,” Novak said after a few minutes. “Tell me about trying to fly. Jack mentioned it the other day.”

I tried to laugh and groan at the same time. “Of course he mentioned it. He loves that story.” I smiled at him before looking up at the night sky. “I was six, seven maybe. Jack had been living with us for a year or two. Papi used to take us flying before I could even call forth my demon fully. He’d take us up to the clouds, one at a time, and we’d soar for a few minutes before he’d bring us back down to swap. Anyway, the day I finally got my wings and tail, I thought I would just be able to fly, you know?” I shook my head, smile still firmly in place.

“So, I told Jack to watch me from the ground while I climbed up the tallest tree in the yard. It was so high, and it’s still there. Every time I see it, I think about how dumb I was as a kid. I climbed up as high as I could, and I remember the tiny branch was so flimsy under my feet. I sat down to work on getting my wings and tail out, because I didn’t want them to get caught on any of the other branches while I was climbing. It took me a minute, but when I got them out, I stood and stretched my new wings as far as I could. I let go of the trunk, balancing the best I could while holding the smaller branch above me. And then, I jumped.” I laughed and shrugged my shoulders.

“It didn’t go the way I thought it was going to. I didn’t know I had to build up the new muscles to fly, but I flapped as hard as I could as I leaped. I didn’t count on hitting the other branches as I fell, though. The one I was standing on was shorter than the ones below me. When I fell, I tumbled through all the thinner branches, and my body slammed into the thicker ones. It tore through the thin membrane between the bones in my wings. Ripped them to shreds. Then, my tail got caught between a… a fork. I guess that’s the best way to describe it. It didn’t stop my fall, though. Instead, it pulled all the skin from my tail where it caught me.” I scrunched my face up at the memory. I could feel his emotions rolling through me, mostly he was stunned by what I was telling him.

“Basically, I left the skin of my tail in the tree, like a snake sheds its skin. Jack tried to catch me, but I was falling too fast. We smacked our heads together pretty hard. Jack was crying, not because he was hurt, but because I was a bloody mess. I think I was in shock, because I just laid there, staring up at the tree. Jack ran to get Papi and Dad, and they panicked. I ended up passing out at some point, and when I woke up they told me I’d really fucked up. I mean, they said it nicer than that, but that was what they meant. I’d really screwed my wings and tail up. The rest of my body healed, all the gashes and bruises and broken bones. The flimsy, new skin of my wings and tail never healed, though.” I gave him a sad smile.

“They told me I’d never be able to fly. That was when I finally decided to cry. I loved flying, and I was stubborn! And part mage, too. I told them I would fly, nothing would stop me. It took me a few years, and when I was about fourteen, I figured it out. I’d researched and studied until I found a way to make my wings catch the air without the membrane between the bones and the muscles at the base. I fixed my tail, too, but that took longer. Now, I can fly as good as any winged demon. I just lost all the ivory skin that matched my horns.”

Novak sucked in a deep breath. “Fuck,” he exhaled slowly. “The way Jack said it made me think it was a funny story, but I see why he told me to ask you.”

“Why?” I asked, intrigued by his tone.

“Because I was freaking the fuck out. You got shot in the head, and I caught you as you fell. Sloane, I sat there the whole time, covered in your blood, while everyone around me was calm and collected. I didn’t understand how they could be so nonchalant about it.”

“Oh.” It was all I could say while I let his words really sink in. “I’m sorry you were freaking out.”

He tugged me to a stop in front of a cute shotgun home. The house was a sun-bleached blue with gray shutters and white trim. Potted plants overflowed the porch and stairs. “It’s okay,” he assured me, “but now I understand, and I’m pretty excited about seeing your wings after getting a peek of your tail.”