Forbidden Power

Deciphering the Code

Teddy POV

I watched her trot off grimly. My hand was still tingling from where I had touched her. Ever since I had talked to the taxi driver my emotions had been all over the place. A mixture of anger, concern, and hope. All of Layla's behaviors lined up with what the taxi driver said he saw.

"If you see something, say something. That's my motto," the driver had quipped. I had laughed with him, trying to make it look like we were talking about anything except Layla's desperate flight from her abusive husband. I had paid the man handsomely. At least a six month's salary for him. He was grateful for the money, and he was a willing talker. "I have daughters. I would want someone to protect them if I couldn't. Protect her. She's not in a good place," were his parting words before he drove away.

It was hard to act like nothing was wrong with Layla all day. She kept acting like everything was okay, but then I would see a hopelessness come over her face, and the vibrant Layla I know would become gloomy and taciturn.

I told Marco in Spanish that her husband was abusing her, and he was horrified to learn what the taxi driver had seen.

"We must protect her! Your love!" He had declared. Leave it to a Spaniard to romanticize this whole thing. Throughout the day I looked for hints from her on what she wanted and how she felt. I was certain of two things: she was resigned to her fate, and she was scared.

This indomitable woman that I've worked with since we were students working together as protégés under Doctor Hamid has succumbed to the worst kind of abuse from a person she is supposed to intimately trust. It makes me furious. I want to go find her husband and snap his neck and leave him in an alley as an unsolved case. I could do it, but is that what she would want? One thing I will swear to myself: I will never, ever hurt her, even if it means watching her get hurt by someone else. If disposing of her abusive husband would hurt her, I won't do it. But I want to. Oh, how I want to. Every time we touch, and I see those bewildered eyes, I want to kill him and take her for myself. She's mine.

I jumped when that thought hit me. Did I really just claim her? Like a werewolf? I am part werewolf, but I don't have a wolf. I have a Cesar.

Was that you who thought that? I accused him.

Not me, but I agree with you. Our connection with her is strong. Like that of a mate.

She stinks of that human man who dares to possess her, I snarled. Heightened senses aren't always a good thing. I can smell mating. That's why I moved into my own house. Who wants to know every time their parents do the deed? Um, not me. No thanks. And then my sister too? Those are visuals I don't need for my own sanity.

I know. And a little bit of blood. He hurt her, Cesar stated. I snarled, and Marco jumped.

"What was that for?" He demanded.

"I didn't like something Cesar just said," I told him.

"Oh, right. Your invisible friend. I forgot about him," Marco said with a shrug like it was normal. Sometimes I like this guy, but right now I find him annoying. I pinched my nose in irritation.

"He's not an invisible friend. He's my beast form, and he saved your life. Don't forget it," I said, exasperated.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm forever grateful. Can we go eat now? You've been standing there like a statue for a few minutes," Marco whined.

"You can go without me, you know," I snapped.

"What? No way! A snake or a scorpion or an angry spirit could get me! As long as I'm not in a safe building or amongst civilization, I'm staying right by your side," Marco declared, sidling up closer to me.

"I told you, I don't swing that way," I warned him.

"I know. Relax. I'm not into you. You're not my type. I like you as a person, though. We can be friends, right? Besides, I've seen how you react to Layla. Lucky girl. You're packing, my friend," he elbowed me playfully, but I wasn't sure whether or not to take that as a compliment or be weirded out by it.

"Don't push your luck, little wizard."

"Don't get the wrong idea, vampire," he shot back, finally forcing me to smile. I can't handle this guy. How can so much personality be packed into such a small, lean body? Sheesh.

"You see? You see? I made you smile! You like me! Somos amigos!" He declared happily. Friends? We're friends? I guess we are friends. I've never had a friend before. Colleagues, yes. Family, yes. But a willing friend? No. I mean, Mwenya has always been my closest friend, but we grew up as brothers, so I never really counted him. He didn't have much of a choice. I was always there. He was always there. But Marco...he could leave. He could run and never look back. Yet he chooses to stay. I looked down at the wizard with the wide grin and clapped my hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go eat, then, my friend," I responded huskily. His grin disappeared, and his eyes filled with tears.

"Aw. You, you call me friend, too? My first friend. Mi amigo!" Marco hugged me around the waist, and I awkwardly patted his shoulder.

"This isn't how dudes hug, man," I said, clearing my throat, and stepping back.

"This is how I hug, and you are my friend, so I will be myself," he fussed, finally stepping away and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Fine. Whatever. Just don't let Layla get the wrong idea," I sighed. He clucked his tongue and shook his head.

"You should tell her how you feel. Romance blossoms with words of amor," he encouraged me as we headed back to the tents.

"She's in a vulnerable place right now. This isn't the best time to invade her life."

"No, this is the best time to be there for her! Sweep her off her feet. Show her how a true man treats a woman! Woo her! Flirt with her! Love her gently and tenderly. Tell her her skin is soft and her hair is luscious. Adore her breasts and her hips. Yes, worship her. She needs that. She wants that. She just doesn't know what she's missing," he said, luckily in Spanish as he waved his hands around for emphasis, squeezing the air in a way that made my cheeks flush. I glanced around us. Thank goddess she wasn't around.

"Okay, okay. I get it. No need to be vulgar," I hissed, pushing his hands down.

"Vulgar? Vulgar?! You call the love between two souls destined for each other vulgar? Sir, if I could reach you, I would slap your face for such words. Humans live short lives and die having never known this kind of love, and here you have the chance for it at a young age and call it vulgar, hmph," Marco grumped, throwing back his head and walking away like he was indignant. I rolled my eyes. He's so emotional sometimes.

The food was kept in one of the vans once it was brought from the city. We opened the back and chose what we wanted, and I picked some things for Layla. I've known her long enough now to know what she likes to eat. I'm positive she didn't actually contact her husband, and I'm worried about her mental state right now. I bet she didn't even have a chance to eat breakfast this morning, which meant she'd had nothing but water all day. I should have gotten her some food sooner. I don't think about it much since I don't eat human food often.

I followed Marco to our tent, and we both sat down cross legged on the floor and started to eat. I picked at my food. It's not that I don't like human food. My whole family eats it, and my werewolf side loves meat, but the vampire in me mixed with the werewolf prefers raw meat. This food here is largely vegetarian, not to my liking.

"Are you going to eat your meal?" Marco asked. He had already cleaned his plate and was eyeing mine hungrily.

"No. It's not my thing," I told him, handing him my plate and taking his empty one.

"Yeah. What do you eat?" Marco asked with his mouth full of my dinner.

"I'm half vampire, a quarter wizard, and a quarter werewolf, so I prefer blood the most. My favorite acceptable human food is raw meat. I'll eat anything, though. I just have preferences like anyone else," I said with a dismissive shrug.

"Have you ever eaten a human?" Marco asked, suddenly moving a little away from me. I laughed. He's been sharing a tent with me, and he's just now asking if I like the taste of human?

"I've tried human blood, donated. My grandparents run a successful blood bank for vampires, which is where our family money comes from. Most vampires are loaded. We've had a lot of time to amass treasures and learn the art of buying and selling for profit. Most vampires are still surprisingly humane in their thinking and don't like to kill innocent humans. They'd rather purchase donated blood and drink that like a fine wine. Personally, I don't like the flavor. That's probably because of the werewolf and wizard parts of me. Werewolves are repulsed by human blood," I informed him. He nodded and relaxed, going back to enjoying his food.

I checked my watch. Layla had been gone a long time. Her husband didn't drive out here and kidnap her, did he? I began to worry. I should have stuck closer to her. I'm sure her husband knows where our job site is.

"I'm going to go look for Layla. The sun has set, and it's dangerous out there," I started, standing up. Just then the tent flaps opened, and Layla poked her head in.

"Sorry to worry you, Teddy! I wanted to show the inscription to Doctor Hamid. I think he cracked the code!" She exclaimed excitedly coming in and sitting on the floor with the paper inscription. I handed her the plate of food I got for her. She took it gratefully.

"Thank you! By the time I got to the food van, all the good stuff was gone," she said, happily grabbing a pita and dunking it into hummus with one hand while she popped an olive in her mouth with the other hand.

"Teddy said he knew all your favorite foods and wanted to make sure you had a good dinner," Marco bragged, not at all discreetly. I shot him a look, but he childishly stuck out his tongue.

"Really? Thank you so much, Teddy," Layla said, and before I realized what was happening, she leaned over and kissed my cheek. My face flushed, and Marco smirked at me.

"Uh, you're welcome. Any time," I blundered. Layla gave me that sad smile that I had seen so much today.

"I'll always protect you. Always," I told her, hoping she understood the weight of my words.

She nodded and turned her attention back to the inscription. "Doctor Hamid said that these kinds of things are meant to look like meaningless scribble, but when you lay them over each other, they provide the answer."

Layla took another piece of paper from her shirt pocket and laid it down. It had the inverted pyramid resting on the directional sign.

"It still looks like nothing to me," Marco said with his mouth full.

"That's because you don't understand ancient Egyptian culture. The Egyptians worshiped the rising of the sun. When you lay the inverted pyramid over the directionals and circle the one in the East, that is another house right off the square, and that is where the entrance to the pyramid is hidden. The exit will be to the West, and it is probably sealed off from the inside, meaning only to be an exit and not opening except from the inside. We need to go back to the square and check the house directly to the East of it to find the entrance," Layla said, tapping the paper and looking at me in satisfaction.

"Wow," Marco breathed.

"Yeah," I answered softly.

"That's stupid complicated," Marco complained. I sat back and raised an eyebrow at him.

"That's how the ancients kept their valuables secret from enemies. It's genius," I corrected. Layla just laughed.

"Okay, it's complicated and genius. Let's explore the house in this area as soon as the sun comes up tomorrow!" Layla declared.

"You sleep in the tent tonight in my bed. I'll sleep outside, and I'll see you both in the morning," I told her.

"Teddy, no!" She began to protest.

"Stop, Layla. There are no more available tents, and I won't let you sleep outside. I'll be fine. Marco will keep you safe in here. Don't argue with me, Layla," I threatened lightly. She smiled warmly at me, and I nodded a goodnight.

"Thank you, Teddy," she called as I stepped outside.

"It's because it's you I love most in the world," I whispered into the night, then I turned my sights toward the city and glared at the distant lights. "And I'll do anything to protect you."