The Unintended

Chapter 9

The walk back to the bike felt like an eternity. Mira stared at the ground, watching the shadows of the leaves pass from overhead while she walked. Her head was still reeling from the revelations she had learned. How does one convey their thoughts about being turned into a werewolf? She dreaded what would happen later that night if she turned again. Lydia’s warning played in her head, repeatedly. “The power of the moon is good for three nights. The night before, the true full moon, and the night after,” She said.

So many thoughts raced through her mind at once and the weight of all the what if’s were crushing her. Lydia’s offer to introduce her to the rogue pack gave her a small sliver of comfort. She couldn’t wait to meet them tomorrow because she needed to learn to live with this curse. It terrified her to be the bloodthirsty, mindless animal Lydia warned her she could become. Giving her wolf could make another appearance soon. Her next move was to seek a safe place for the night. They reached the bike and Hunter handed Mira the helmet. “I guess we should go back to the house and figure out what we do from here.” he said. Mira tried to smile. It was all she could do.

A notification from Hunter’s phone got his attention, so he pulled it from his back pocket and looked at it. Mira watched the look on his face go from calm to bother, then disgusted. “Do you know this asshole?” he asked, showing her the phone. The video on the phone showed a young man walking around the house, sniffing like a dog looking for treats. It looked like the intruder hadn’t considered a silent home security system.

“No. I don’t. Is that your house?”

“Yep,” he snorted. “It seems we will have to go elsewhere to figure out a game plan. Looks like they found you a lot faster than I thought they would.”

“I’m sorry Hunter.”

“Sorry? What are you sorry for?”

“I’m sorry for dragging you into all of this.”

“You didn’t drag me into anything. It looks like we can’t go home and we only have a few hours before sunset. I know a place we can go. Tomorrow we ditch the bike and meet up with the rogue pack. Come on. It’s a bit of a drive.”

The two got on the bike and set off on a half an hour drive north to Santa Clarita. As Hollywood got further behind them, Mira felt a small sense of safety, but the gnawing in the back of her mind was growing. One thing was for sure, she loved motorcycles. It was the sense of freedom in the open air, the wind whipping through her hair and the steady momentum of the bike she loved. She wrapped her arms around Hunter and leaned into him as the bike glided through the mountains north. Soon, Hunter turned off the highway to a gravel road just as the sun set. The bike stopped at a modest ranch-style house.

The two dismounted the bike and hung their helmets on the handle bars. “We should go around to the back. If we are going to break in, we should do it in a less obvious place.” Said Hunter. They walked around to the back door, through a landscaped back yard with a small fire pit. Each of them took the steps up to the back porch to the door. Hunter broke the small window on the door, reached inside and unlocked the door, letting them in. The place was still quiet and empty. No running water or electricity, but it would have to work, it is only for the night. Besides, Mira didn’t think her wolf would care.

They explored inside, they looked around at the open layout and arched door ways. A stained wood floor stretched from the kitchen throughout the living room to the rest of the house. The house needed updates, but was cozy, just as it was. They opened the door next to the kitchen and looked down the long steps and saw faint light from the window highlighting the shadows. Walking down the stairs to the underground room, they looked around. The place was secure.

“I saw a small grocery store a few miles back.” Said Hunter. “You should stay here and get some firewood together. I will go pick up some candles and supplies for the night. What do you like?”

“Get some water, please. I’m a snack girl, anything will be fine. I think food will be the last thing on my mind.” said Mira.

“Well, actually....”

Mira thought about the hunger when the wolf came out. “Right.” she said.

Hunter winked at her and smiled, searching for a way to lighten the mood. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”

Mira had gathered the last armful of wood she found scattered around the property just as the sun had made its way down and placed it near the fire pit when Hunter returned. Mira was relieved to see him. She was feeling the subtle electric tingling running through her body. She instinctually knew her wolf was coming. Fear washed over her, and Hunter could sense it.

“I got some candles, matches, water, snacks are in that bag... and I got this.” Hunter pulled out a bottle of wine and some plastic cups from a bag. “I figured it couldn’t hurt.”

“You figured right!” said Mira, shaking off the tingle.

Hunter filled the fire pit with the wood Mira had gathered. He had a respectable fire going in no time. Mira had two glasses of wine poured and the two sat next to the fire, able to take a deep breath, relax and feel they could decompress from the day.

“So, how did you know about this house?” asked Mira.

“Well. My human identity is a real estate agent. I cater to a special clientele. Recently, a buddy of mine acquired a few properties. This is one of them. He signed the paperwork on it last night. I was supposed to speed up the closing on it, but I've been a little busy today.”

“Is your buddy a vampire too?”

“He is. The guy is a young vampire trying to make his mark on his new life early. All or most vampires have fairly significant sources of income. We have to since we, um... have an extended lifespan. Having money helps us pick up and start our new lives when the time comes.”

“Makes sense.” said Mira, not knowing what else to say. They sat in awkward silence for a moment.

“Hunter? What if, when I turn, I try to hurt you?”

“ I've thought about that. I will stay with you as long as I can. I won’t let you hurt me. If I’m being honest, I’m curious.”

“Curious? You aren’t afraid after what Lydia said?”

“Of course I’m afraid. I’m curious, not stupid.”

“What are you curious about?” asked Mira.

“I am over two-hundred years old. I've known a few Wers over the past century or so, dealing with them in business- but I have never really known one. I have never seen one up close.”

“So...you want to see if you can teach me tricks?” Mira laughed. She shivered a little from the chill in the night air.

“Are you cold? Let me go get my bike jacket from inside the house.” Hunter got up and went to the house to retrieve the jacket. He returned from the house and draped the jacket over her shoulders, sat down next to her and put his arm around her, scooting her just a little closer to the fire. The two watched the dancing flames in the pit. Both of them thought about the inevitable.

“So, Hunter. What is it like to be a vampire?” She asked him to break the silence between them.

“I dont know. I've been a vampire for so long, playing this role, I think I may have forgotten what it is like to be human.”

“What did you do... before you were turned?”

“I immigrated here when I was eight years old with my parents and older brother in 1812. I grew up in Virginia. We had a very normal childhood for the times. My parents came over here and, with what little money they had, they opened an inn. I grew up in the inn, expecting to take it over with my brother when our father passed on. I had even planned on marrying, but that didn’t work out.”

“What happened?” asked Mira.

“Well, I fell in love with Hannah, who fell in love with my older brother Henry. Naturally, I was devastated. Not only had she chosen my brother, but she had become pregnant with his child. I tried to be happy for them, but the pain was too much to take, so I left. That's when Isabelle found me. My vampire mother is her. She promised me she could take away the pain and give me life and riches beyond my wildest dreams.” chuckled Hunter.

“Then what happened?” asked Mira, interested.

“After I got what money I could get together, I left the family home in search of a new life. Along the way, I lost myself. I stopped in a small town in Missouri for a short time, took an odd job for a short time, but also took up drinking and prostitutes. I became a drunk and a womanizer, until one night, I picked up the wrong woman.”

“Who was Isabelle, and she turned you?”

“That’s the short version of the story. After a night of intense drunken passion, she promised me a life beyond my wildest dreams. She said I could do anything I wanted, that I would never feel the pain of a woman’s rejection ever again and I would live forever. All I had to do was say yes. You know there are laws against turning, there is a set of rules we have to follow, the human must agree. We cannot turn them against their will. The thing is, I was drunk and thought she was bullshitting. All I wanted was the s*x, so of course I was going to say anything to get there. The next thing I know, I spent the next twenty years of my life with her under her wing. Living, learning. Here we are. What about you? How did you end up here?”

“I’m from Victorville. I graduated from high school a couple of years ago. I never had much to keep me in town. My dad left my mom with my brother and I ten years ago to marry his girlfriend. My mom never recovered. Since then, she has done nothing with her life, other than hop from job to job and man to man. I wanted more out of life. My grades weren’t the greatest, but they weren’t bad, so I thought I'd get up out of that dusty town and try something new. My best friend, Alyssa, wanted to move to LA for a new start. Her boyfriend broke up with her and she couldn’t deal... God, Hunter, Alyssa. I have to find out what happened to her.” said Mira, tears welling in her eyes. She looked away. It was too late for her to stop Hunter from seeing them. She couldn’t help but let the tears fall, having just felt the weight of all that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours.

Hunter pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her while she cried. “Shhh. It’s gonna be okay. You will get through this, and we are going to find the mother fuckers who took you and Alyssa. We will get them, I promise.”

Mira pulled back and looked Hunter in the eyes. Locked in a cosmic stare, looking deep into each other’s eyes. It wasn’t awkward, but it was intense. Hunter raised his hand to her cheek and wiped her tears with his thumb, both of them sitting. He thought she was absolutely beautiful. Attraction set in while her eyes beamed into his. He couldn’t believe he was thinking about kissing a werewolf.

Mira's eyes locked on his, she dared not breathe. She begged him to kiss her, that was until a sharp stabbing pain hit her in her gut and she got dizzy and hot. Her face grimaced as the pain burrowed in deeper. Hunter picked up on what was happening right away. Neither had to say it. They both knew the wolf was coming.