Disclaimer: Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer, my OCs belong to me
This chapter is dedicated to Asherah Isa, Alphabloodwolf, WriterNMomma, Anonymous Guest, Taylor eaglebear, M-Bianca94, Fadewind and Noble
Billie
I woke all tangled up with Kekipi as usual. My leg was between his so I could feel his penis against my thigh. All it would take would be a kiss to wake him up and a slight movement of my leg and, well we'd have a pre breakfast delight and that would be wonderful, but I couldn't. Not today. If I was gonna go confront Drogo I couldn't do it while I was thinking about riding my delicious hunk of man.
I untangled myself and sat up, stretching out before I kissed his cheek.
Kekipi stirred.
"I'm going to have a shower." I whispered in his ear.
"Ok." He murmured. "I'll have one after you."
I smiled and kissed his forehead before I got up. I grabbed some clean clothes and went to the bathroom. I showered humming a little as I remembered our time in the hot tub the night before. It had been a good idea if I said so myself. We really had to do it again at some point. But the shower would have to do for now.
I left the bathroom to find Kekipi outside waiting to use it after me.
"I'll make us some breakfast." I promised and I kissed him before I went to the kitchen.
Kekipi went into the bathroom to get ready himself. By the time he came out I had our breakfast on the table. It was only toast and bacon, but I wanted to eat quickly today. I really did need an update from Drogo. I needed some indication of when I could go home. Or even talk to home, I had so much I needed to tell Mom. Seriously, I was giving it a month and if nothing happened in that time I was just going home anyway and I was taking Kekipi with me.
We finished breakfast and set out earlier than usual so that Kekipi would have time to drop me off at Honomu before getting to his garage around the normal time.
I can't tell you how good it felt to get off the island, even though I'd only spent a day there alone, I'd been going out of my mind to think of things to do. I'd never enjoyed solitude and I felt even more sorry that Kekipi had to spend all those years on his own. I'd make it up to him somehow.
When we reached Honomu I kissed Kekipi goodbye and got out of the boat. I then walked to where I'd spotted some benches before. It was a place I could sit for a while since it was still a little early to call on Drogo. It would be polite to wait until eight at least.
When it was eight I made my way to Drogo's apartment and knocked on his door. It took him a while to answer and when he did he gave me a lazy smile as the scent of weed wafted out the door.
"Billie, heeeyy." He said slowly.
"Have you been doping yourself up?" I asked, disgruntled, I needed him focused if he was gonna tell me anything.
"What? Oh no. This is just for show man." He said as he pulled me inside. "The surfer dude stereotype and all. I just burn a little to get the scent in the air."
"Really because you're looking a little red eyed." I said, frowning at him.
"Contact high." He said with a shrug. "Come on, we can go out on the back patio. I need to sit out in the fresh air anyway. You want coffee?"
"Yes. Might need the extra stimulation with all the sedatives in the air." I said, screwing my face up wondering if he really needed to do this. I guess if it helped with his cover though.
Drogo led me out to a little private court hemmed in by papaya trees and three hedges made up of bougainvillea, snowbush and night jasmine. The patio was made of red tiles in a circular pattern, but it was old enough for tufts of grass to be pushing through here and there. I sat down on one of the fake antique wrought iron chairs next to the matching table. Drogo appeared two minuets later carrying two mugs of coffee. He handed one to me and it was how I liked it, but then again Drogo found out long ago how I drunk my coffee.
"I wasn't expecting you this morning." He said as he took a sip of his coffee and when I looked at him now I could see that he looked normal, the drugged thing had all been an act to keep up his surf bum charade. "Thought you'd be in work."
"Well I haven't got a job now and I can't be seen around Hilo." I replied.
"Why?" He asked, frowning, he was my handler and he should have known about this sooner I guess.
"Turns out, Kekipi is Susie's grandson." I said, thinking this was the best place to start.
"Um…that's Sammie's twin sister right. Descendent of the Uley line?" He said, partly showing off his knowledge, partly wanting confirmation. He was a handler and he made information his business.
"Yeah." I confirmed.
"It's cool he's found what bloodline he belongs to, but what does that have to do with you losing your job?" Drogo prompted.
I gave him a look, like I would ever be fired.
"I didn't lose my job, I quit." I said firmly.
"Ok." He said. "Why?"
"Oh, I didn't tell you that Kekipi's parents own the Diner, did I?" I realised, slapping my head. "Anyway, Kekipi's parents own the Diner and I discovered that Big Jim Silva had changed his name. He was originally known as Kimo Munroe. The son of Susie and Tuck Munroe. It didn't take too much of a leap of logic to realise that Big Jim had known Kekipi's secret all along, but instead of trying to help his son and let him know that there was nothing wrong with being a wolf, or else point him in the direction of the Res, he chose to cater to his own selfish fears. How could I continue working for someone like that? Especially since I'm so entangled with Kekipi. So I quit. But rather than cause trouble between Big Jim and Elise, mostly for Elise's sake since she doesn't know anything about the supernatural, I said that I had a family emergency and had to head to the States to deal with it. Hence the reason I can't be seen around Hilo."
"When did this happen?" Drogo asked in reproachful tones.
"Sunday." I stated.
"You really should have let me know sooner." He said slightly annoyed, I guess he's supposed to be keeping tabs on me.
"Sorry, but I keep forgetting that you're my handler. I just feel like I'm on vacation, I keep forgetting I'm lying low." I said with a smile.
"Right." Drogo said, looking at me from the corner of his eyes. "So you and Kekipi done the nasty yet?"
"Yep. Many times." I said with a grin. "It's amazing what a storm can do to clear the air."
"It's unfair." Drogo joked. "Why does he get all the fun?"
"Oh shut up." I said, shaking my head. "If you're that horny you could go out there right now and get any girl you wanted. So don't give me that. Anyway, my main reason for coming here wasn't to give you a status update, I need to know what's going on back home? Have they found Zeke yet?"
"Yeah. They have. Jane sent out a double-pronged rescue team. Vampires at the front gate, wolves to the back." Drogo began, but that sounded strange to me.
"Wolves?" I asked. "Since when did Jane get wolves?"
"Since Mags and her pack decided to lend a paw." Drogo said as if it was no big deal.
"What?" I asked, feeling a little horrified, I really didn't like the thought of my niece being in deliberate danger. Ok, call me a hypocrite all you want, but I was me and Mags is a kid. Figuratively speaking. Whatever, I didn't want any of my nieces or nephews getting caught up in this crap now. I know it would be bad on the whole family if anything happened to any of them.
"Well they did a good job by all accounts. Mags was the one who actually freed Zeke and then went into his mind to rescue him from there." Drogo continued.
"Into his mind?" I asked, having a sudden sick feeling.
"Yeah. He got trapped in his mind somehow." Drogo said, doing his best to look confused about the situation.
"Somehow?" I demanded, as I felt angry all of a sudden. "There's only one person I know who could do that. Ritchie."
"What? Why would he do that?" Drogo asked with a frown.
"Because he's a creepy little bastard who would turn traitor if there was pussy involved." I said with a scowl.
"I know you have your problems with him, but I really don't think he'd turn traitor." Drogo said diplomatically.
"Oh wouldn't he." I said with a snort. "Has he been captured? Has his identity been unmasked? Is he needing to be rescued?"
"Not that I've heard." Drogo said, and that was something he was sure about.
"Isn't that weird considering he's part of my team? Zeke gets captured and placed in a mind prison. I just about escape capture thanks to being close to the ocean. Yet nothing has happened to Ritchie. Seems weird huh? How can my cover and Zeke's cover get blown and not his considering we're a team?" I growled, my anger blowing through the roof.
"I don't know. Maybe they didn't realise the connection with him. I'm not exactly privy to the intelligence gleaned by the opposition." Drogo said, trying to hold to the belief that someone we knew so well wouldn't turn coat, but I could tell by his face, he was starting to think over it now.
"I guess it doesn't matter right now. Was Zeke ok apart from the mind thing?" I asked, I didn't want to hear that he had suffered, but I had to know if he had.
"They tortured him pretty bad from what I heard. But you know they can't give me too much info. Hell they might have another security breach. Thank god your nieces spotted the one bug, cause it got through all our screenings. It was hidden down in the server room, so that's one humongo security breach." Drogo rambled on, happy to be off the tricky subject of Ritchie.
"Nieces?" I asked. "Has Lydia or Ast joined Mags' pack?" That just seemed ridiculous, those two got on her nerves.
"No. It was Seren and Zoë." Drogo replied.
"What were they doing anywhere near the control room?" I asked, because that place was difficult to find even when you knew the route.
"They'd gone there with Mal and Liza to confront Jane since she wasn't in her office." Drogo said, and I think he knew he was cruising into tricky waters again.
"Why?" I asked, wondering what the hell could have happened to make my sister break rules like that.
"Oh, um they had a grievance or something." Drogo said completely offhand, like it was nothing, but I knew him enough to know that he was getting fidgety.
"Why?" I demanded, shooting to my feet and rounding on him.
Drogo shook his head.
"I'll use my power on you, so help me." I threatened, holding my hand up.
Drogo knew as well as me that I was bluffing, but maybe it was the excuse he needed because he blurted it out immediately.
"Jane roped Addie into the first mission to rescue Zeke. It failed. Due to the bug, the League intercepted Addie and Zeke an hour before Rea was due to rendezvous with them."
"What?" I demanded. "You're only telling me about this now?"
"I was told to keep you in the dark. You're supposed to be lying low right? We couldn't risk you breaking cover and getting captured too. Your Mom spent weeks trying to track Addie cause Zeke gave himself up so Addie could escape. That's why it was only a couple of days ago that Zeke got rescued."
"Oh my god!" I gasped as I fell back onto another chair. "They had him that long? Poor Zeke."
"He's safe now." Drogo said, putting his hand on my shoulder.
"And what about Addie?" I demanded.
"He's safe too. And he's phasing now. Took out a couple of vamps on his own. League members too." Drogo said impressed.
That was impressive and I felt proud of my nephew, but I was also angry.
"Jane is…" I began and shook my head, I couldn't think of an appropriate insult.
"I think she's in the bad books of all your family right now." Drogo stated.
I sighed heavily; this was such a shitty thing for Jane to do.
"Can I go home now?" I asked.
"We're still on lockdown." Drogo replied in regretful tones, but really it was me on lockdown, not him. "Zeke has been rescued and the New York farm has been closed down, but Jane wants to assault the League HQ while they haven't got any of our people prisoner."
"I need to talk to Mom." I said, and it was the first time I really needed to since I got here.
"I can't allow it sorry. No one can know this is where you are." Drogo said firmly, more my handler than my friend than ever before.
"Then how are you getting all the info?" I asked.
"Just friends sharing gossip. I'm nobody to the League so they'll have no reason to come here. But if they know you're here…" He trailed off, he didn't need to elaborate.
"Have you got an estimation of when I can go home?" I asked without much hope of an actual answer.
"I think it'll be over in a month, but that's not a guarantee." He stated.
"Ok." I said with a sigh, at least it was something. "I need to get out for a while. Where do you go to hunt?"
"Any of the forest reserves, I try and stay clear of the wildlife refuge in Hakalau forest, but other than that they're all good. You'll have to take my scooter." He replied.
"Ok." I said as I got to my feet. "I'll be back later."
"I'll get the keys for you and show you the map."
"Thanks." I said managing a smile for my friend.
Drogo smiled back before he got to his feet. We went inside and he found a map, showing me several routes. I decided to head to the Hilo Forest Reserve and memorised the route. Drogo handed me the keys to his scooter, and I went outside. The scooter was chained to a loop in the floor so I unlocked the chain. I got on the scooter and drove out to the forest reserve. In the parking lot there was a bar where other scooters were chained up. I chained up Drogo's scooter in a free spot and decided to get my bearings.
There were a few paths and I scoped them all out, that took a few hours since I was keeping to a human pace. Eventually I found the perfect place to leave the path where I'd be hidden by trees and bushes. I wasn't sure what I might find though, turned out it was a pig. Wild pig again. I kinda wished I'd brought a tarp with me, I could have taken it home to Kekipi, had our own little luau again. Maybe next time. Instead I moved the carcass under a bush where scavengers would get it.
Then I pulled a compact mirror from the pocket of my shorts, a hunting dhampir's best friend. I checked my face, no blood in sight. I headed back toward the longer track and that's when I heard the commotion.
"Hand over the money." A male voice demanded.
"I'm running?" A female voice replied, like the male was idiotic.
"And?" The male demanded.
"Where would I store money?" The female asked, her voice dripping with the notion that the guy was dense for not thinking about this.
"Well that's a ono flask." Another male replied and I picked up my pace, I was sticking my nose into this.
"Really? It's a dollar at the dollar store. Take it." The female said in annoyed tones, like this was nothing more than a minor upset.
I came out a little up the path and there was a group of guys, and girls, some of them Polynesian, a couple of whites and even two black guys, they were sure ticking the diversity boxes. They were a gang though, you could just tell by their body language, milling about pack like around their prey.
"Hey, I hear keys." One of the girls said in that bitchy voice that meant she was about to get a guy to do her dirty work for a favour or two later.
"Hand them over." The first male voice said.
By this time I was by the group.
"Hey, what's going on here?" I demanded as I pushed my way in between them so that I could get to the girl in the middle.
"None of your business haole." The first guy, Polynesian, around six foot with really bad breath, but was definitely the leader, said glaring at me as I was suddenly between him and his prey.
"I'm making it my business." I said, glaring into his eyes, and hell I'm a tall woman so I was nearly on eyelevel with him.
"Aznuts?" He demanded and his pack cackled.
"I'm perfectly sane thank you." I said, squaring up to him.
"You know who I am?" He demanded, and his gang catcalled nonsense along the lines of me being a dumb bitch and in real trouble now.
"Some junk kolohe who think himself a moke." I said with a derisive grin as I waved my hand dismissively.
"You like beef?" The guy demanded, looking incredulous, and he grabbed my right wrist.
I let myself go a little limp, like I was cowering in the face of this big bad man.
"Please don't hurt me Mr Man." I whimpered.
"Not so tough now are you." He said with a grin and his friends laughed.
"Oh…no…" I said and I quickly jabbed out with my left hand, hitting him square in the nose, hard enough to spread it across his face but not so hard that I'd kill him.
I didn't relax though, these weren't the stereotypical movie bully gang who ran away at the first sign of adversity, they were hardened thugs and they were a pack. I may have been a goat instead of a lamb, but the wolves were gonna back their own. The leader had let go of my right hand because he'd reached for his nose. I pushed my arms out in front of me directly into his chest and that sent him sprawling back into the friends who were behind him. That would give me enough time to take out the guy to my left. A quick feint toward the guy on my right, he tried to real back while the guy on my left lunged forward, I jabbed his nose, punched him in the sternum and grabbed his hair in both hands, swinging him around to slam into the guy on my right, stopping him mid lunge he'd decided on when he realised I was going after the other guy. I jabbed him in the nose too, that was always a world of pain for anyone, but there was a more personal one for guys, I upper cut him in the groin, you had to be careful with kicks, they could throw you off balance especially in a melee.
As he folded up I was aware of one of the girls moving in. If the bitch thought I'd go easy on her, well I'm female too. I slapped her across the face and she looked shocked.
"You have to the count of two to get out of my way or I'll spread that nose over your pretty face. That goes for all you girls. Do you really want to get in on this?" I demanded, and turned and punched the guy who was coming up behind me.
The girl decided to attack my back, but it was easy to flip her onto the floor where she coughed and spluttered as I winded her. I was a blur then, taking all the members of the gang out, well not all of them, turns out their prey was well versed in martial arts, taekwondo if her stance and movement was anything to go by. That's when I realised I knew her. It was Isla but I waited until the gang was groaning on the floor before I let it sink in but I didn't say her name while in front of them and she was smart enough not to say my name either.
"Maybe you should think before you mug people next time." I said. "Do something constructive with your life, there's work if you're willing to do crud jobs until good ones come up. Aloha."
I motioned for Isla to follow me and we began jogging down the path toward the parking lot. I waited until I was sure we were out of earshot when I said, "You handled yourself well, why didn't you fight them before?"
"Aznuts? I may be a third dan black belt, but there were choke too many. I know when I'm out numbered." She said firmly, but her hands were shaking a little in a familiar way and there was a strong scent of wolf, how close had she been to fursploding on that guy.
I thought about what she said, ignoring my suspicions about her scent until later, and shrugged.
"You got a point." I said.
"You though. I was right you are a lolo buggah." Isla said with a chuckle.
"What? Why?" I asked, wondering when she'd even called me that.
"Taking on those mokes. What were you thinking?" She demanded.
"That they were harassing someone and needed to be taught a lesson." I replied firmly, it was part my personal moral code.
"But you were choke strong. You split that guy's nose." She said, impressed.
"He shouldn't have grabbed me." I said. "Come on. Let's get out of the park. How did you get here?"
"On my scooter." She replied, and I guess that's what her keys were for.
"Well you wanna talk about this?" I asked, because I knew enough about Isla now to know that if I didn't sate her curiosity sooner she'd only track me down later. Probably at an inconvenient time.
"Yeah." Isla confirmed.
"Then I got somewhere we can talk since I can't be seen in town." I replied.
"Oh yeah. Mom thinks you're abroad." Isla said, coming to the conclusion on her own.
"Yep."
We reached the parking lot and I unchained Drogo's scoter while Isla unchained her own.
"Follow me." I said with a smile.
I led her to the parking lot outside Drogo's apartment. Isla parked up beside me and we chained up the scooters.
"Where is this?" She asked.
"Honomu. My friend lives here." I informed her.
"What friend?" She persisted.
I considered for a moment, a code name wouldn't be needed.
"Drogo." I replied as I walked up to his apartment door and knocked.
He opened it and frowned when he saw Isla.
"This is Kekipi's sister Isla. I just rescued her from some muggers with my sweet martial arts." I said, trying to communicate that she wasn't in the know.
"Oh shit. You'd better come in." He said, and let us over the threshold.
His apartment now smelled of incense, which I guess was the traditional method of covering up the smell of weed. Isla sniffed lightly and Drogo noticed.
"It's a nice day. Let's go outside." He said and led us out to the patio.
The little courtyard was blazing with sunlight now the sun was around this side of the building. As I motioned for Isla to sit down and we took our seats Drogo disappeared inside and came out with a parasol. He had to mount it in a weight on the floor by the side of the table because there wasn't a hole through the middle of it.
"I'll go get us some cold drinks." He said and disappeared back inside.
"So you know taekwondo." I said.
"Yep." Isla replied. "Hula on Thursdays, taekwondo on Fridays. It's good to learn your own culture, but there's no harm in learning a little self defence either." She replied with a shrug.
"Nope." I agreed as Drogo came out of his apartment carrying a tray with three glasses and three cans of coke. He placed it in the middle of the table and sat down.
"So what happened?" He asked.
"Some keole thought it would be funny to harass me. Seriously they're nobodies." Isla replied.
"Well they sounded like they were about to get serious." I replied. "Honestly I didn't know it was you. I just knew they were pestering some girl so I stepped in. I'm glad I did now."
"What are you? Some kind of superhero?" Isla asked with a chuckle.
"You'd be surprised." Drogo said with a chuckle as he poured himself a drink.
Isla looked toward him and frowned.
"Where have I seen you before?" She asked.
"Probably around the beach. I'm always surfing." He said with a shrug before taking a casual swig of his coke.
"No. It's not that." Isla said, shaking her head, then she clicked her fingers. "You were the one that helped Billie get Kekipi's money from Gillespie."
"Yeah." Drogo said, frowning at Isla, and then he seemed to click. "You were the waitress La signorina Carlotta asked to take her to the bathroom."
Isla nodded.
"Cool." Drogo said with a nod. "So how long have you been working at the hotel?"
"Since the start of the summer." Isla said with a shrug.
"Really?" Drogo said, leaning closer to her.
"Uh huh. It's a summer job until I go back to school." She explained.
"You got into Hawaii U?" He asked.
"Err…I need the bathroom." Isla said, looking a little uncomfortable.
"I'll show you." I said, standing up.
I led her in to the bathroom then went back out to the courtyard.
"She's sixteen." I said without preamble. "She lied about her age to get in at the hotel."
"Really? She looks older." Drogo said, looking a little concerned.
"That's because she's going through a growth spurt." I said with implication.
"Does she know?" He asked, he'd got my implication earlier, but he needed my confirmation.
"Not yet." I said as I sat down. "Kekipi's reluctant to tell her in case she won't phase and then it'll turn her against him. I doubt it will, but he's had years of beating himself up and thinking of himself as a monster, it'll take a little time to convince him differently."
"I guess." Drogo said, then we both heard the flush.
"The surfing good around here?" I asked.
"Yeah. But I like to travel too." Drogo replied.
"I'd like to see you balance that board on the back of your scooter." I chuckled.
"I hitch a ride with someone with a jeep if I wanna go elsewhere." He said, just as Isla emerged from the bathroom and I realised she'd freshened up a little and reapplied her makeup. I tried not to smile about it. Kids.
"You like to surf?" Isla asked.
"Yeah." Drogo confirmed.
"That's an ono board you got in there." Isla stated.
"I've had it a while, but when you get a good board and you look after her, she'll look after you." Drogo observed.
"Maybe we could go surfing some time." Isla said with a smile as she looked up from under her eyelashes and I tried not to laugh into my drink.
"Well I don't know. I only hit the expert waves." Drogo said carefully, he really didn't know how to let her down gently.
"I'm an expert." Isla said firmly.
"I'm sure you are." Drogo said under his breath.
"I am." Isla said, glaring a little, and she'd heard that, she already had the sharp wolf ears. She was really close to the change now.
"As long as it would only be surfing that would be ok." Drogo said.
"Why couldn't it be anything else?" Isla demanded.
"Because your brother would totally kick my ass." Drogo said with a snort.
"You're big and muscley too." Isla pointed out.
"Yeah, but I wouldn't bet my chances against a Uley boy." Drogo said firmly.
"Uley?" Isla asked with a frown.
"Oh that's your Quileute name." I explained. "I don't know if Kekipi told you that your father's mother is Native American. Well the tribe name is Quileute and the bloodline is Uley. Mine is Black."
"Oh right. Are the Uley rumoured to be moke?" She asked.
"Well my family and your family are both descended from the ancient chief Taha Aki. So we're both warrior families." I replied.
"Ok." Isla said with a nod. "So what about you?" She directed at Drogo.
"Oh I'm not Quileute. I don't really know what I am. I'm an orphan. Lived all my life in kid's homes. Not a nice experience so I don't wanna talk about it." He said in a low voice, and for the most part it was true.
"That's sad." Isla said as she put her hand on Drogo's. "But you know, you don't have to worry about Kekipi, I can talk him out of anything."
"I'm sure you can." Drogo said, moving his hand out from under hers, "Maybe you should try it in a few years."
"What?" She asked, frowning.
"Well you're good kid, but right now you're so much jail bait." He said as kindly as he could.
"Nobody would have to know." She said in a seductive voice and I had to admire Drogo's resolve right now.
"Billie's sitting right there." Drogo pointed out.
"So two years?" Isla asked.
"When you're eighteen." Drogo said with a nod.
Isla sat back in her chair, folding her arms, as she looked thoughtful. Then she grinned as if she'd thought up the best argument ever.
"Did you wait until Billie was eighteen when she became your booty call?" She asked and I chuckled.
"You told her about that?" Drogo asked in shock.
"She wanted to know who you were, thought you had the hots for me when she was sizing me up for her brother. I had to tell her the truth." I said, still laughing over how outspoken Isla is, god I love this kid, she was so much like me.
"Oh." Drogo said with a slight frown. "Well yeah, we were friends with benefits, but we're the same age. So even though we were sixteen, we were both sixteen so there wasn't any law breaking going on since we were both minors."
"I wish I was older." Isla said with a sigh. "Have you ever felt you were outgrowing your friends? That you were maturing faster than them and leaving them behind?"
"Yeah." I said, sobering immediately over this unmistakable truth, I outgrew my childhood best friend in a few short years.
"I hate being sixteen." She said mournfully. "I'm no longer a girl, but I'm not a woman yet."
"Oh great. Now I'm gonna have that Britney Spears song stuck in my head all day." I groaned.
"Who?" Isla asked.
"Never mind." I said shaking my head. "Kekipi's coming to pick me up just after five, do you wanna head back on the boat with us?"
"Will there be room with my scooter?" She asked.
"I think we can make some room. And if not, I'll wait for him to drop you off and come back for me." I assured her.
"Ok." Isla replied.
"I have got a phone if you want to call him so he can bring a trailer or something." Drogo offered, and I figured the phone had to be safe or he wouldn't offer it.
"Ok." I said.
Drogo brought the phone out to me and I dialled the number for the garage. It rang several times before Kekipi answered.
"Hello, Boats'n'Pieces."
"Hi. I have a problem with the off board motor on my speed boat." I began, unable to resist pranking him a little.
"Billie? What's going on?" He asked with a chuckle.
"Sorry. I couldn't resist." I replied. "I bumped into Isla today and we were wondering if you can give her a ride back to Hilo. Only she has her scooter with her."
"I'll have to go out to the island to get the trailer, so I'll be a little later. Expect me closer to quarter to six." He said, without even needing to think about it. I loved the fact that he looked out for his little sister like that.
"We'll be on the dock." I promised. "Bye."
"Bye." He replied.
"See you later." I said, not wanting to hang up yet.
"Love you." Kekipi said, amused.
"Love you too." I shot back.
Then I hung up and Isla was watching me critically, she was still sizing me up as a girlfriend for her brother. I wonder if she'll ever stop doing it? I've never had a problem with Grace or Mal. Then again, they've been in my life as long as my siblings, would it be different if I'd grown up with Tony and Liza, where Grace and Mal were a later edition? Would I be more picky of their choice of partner then? Not really. Not if my thoughts on Seren and Rupert were anything to go by.
"Well I'm gonna get myself some lunch. You girls hungry?" Drogo asked as he took back the phone.
"Yeah." I said, and Isla agreed.
"Well hang tight and I'll grab us some burgers, unless you'd prefer something healthier." He offered.
I looked to Isla, let her make the decision.
"Burgers would be good." She said.
I agreed.
"Won't be long." Drogo said, getting to his feet and he left us.
"He seems nice." Isla said.
"He is." I confirmed.
"Not a sleaze at all." She observed, as if she'd been testing him or something.
"Were you testing him?" I asked, I couldn't stop myself.
"Well not really. He is kinda hot, but it's even better he's got principals. How does he know my age?"
"I have mentioned that my boyfriend has a sixteen year old sister to one of my oldest friends so it wasn't too much of a leap of logic to work out that you, who I introduced as Kekipi's sister, is only sixteen." I pointed out.
"Ok." She said, looking thoughtful, she probably suspected that I had told him when she went to the bathroom. She was perceptive.
"He is a good friend though. He looks out for me." I stated.
"But if you've got a friend living right here in Honomu, why did you need to stay with Kekipi?" She asked and she was thinking things over too much again, it would be so much better if she knew the whole truth.
"Because I came to meet Kekipi. Dropping in on Drogo for a quick hi is all well and good, but it was Kekipi I came to see." I said out loud while I thought, I wish you knew the full story kid. I wouldn't have to tread this minefield then. I really had to convince Kekipi to tell her soon, especially after today. If I hadn't got there she may have fursploded how close to the surface the wolf had smelled.
"You know Kekipi hasn't got a computer right?" Isla said flatly.
"He has, you just don't know." I stated, well he did have one now. Well mine.
"He hasn't even got a phone line out to his island." Isla countered.
"There's a few cafés with Wi-Fi in Hilo." I pointed out.
"I don't see my brother going to them for some reason." Isla said with a snort.
"Do you keep tabs on everything he does?" I demanded.
"No." She said, a little moodily.
"Then how do you know he never used the café?" I asked.
Isla scowled a little, she couldn't really argue with that.
"Well that still doesn't explain how you managed to kick so much ass today." She said, I guess it was something else that was bugging her and she was kinda grasping now.
"It was mixed martial arts. I've been training since I was a baby. It's kinda because my sister is really short and they thought I might be too. To make sure that I'd be able to defend myself if that was the case they taught me early. Besides, those guys were all bulk and no real strength, I could tell by their stances. I caught them off guard and since you had my back anyway." I shrugged.
"I don't know. You seemed awful strong for a woman. You're toned but you're not exactly bulging." She stated.
"Well bulging muscles are not always the best for combat." I observed.
"Yeah, but… I don't know. You're hiding something and I have no idea what it is." She just out and said, she really was perceptive. "Whatever it is you're not hiding it from Kekipi, so that's something I guess."
"What?" I asked, hoping I sounded the right amount confused.
"You know, online you can read stuff. You get it repeated a lot on anon boards. Stories about extremely hot people, a lot stronger than they look who turn out to be… other." She said, as if she didn't quite understand what she was talking about.
"Like otherkin?" I asked, being deliberately dense.
"No." Isla said with a frown. "Like other. I'm not a conspiracy nut you understand, and I usually make fun of those goofs, but… Are you other?"
"Other what?" I asked.
"Well you're ridiculously hot, so is Drogo. You are incredibly strong, I don't know about Drogo, but those muscles can't be there for nothing, and it all adds up to, well other." She reasoned it out, finishing with a shrug.
"Well if that's the criteria then you'd have to include Kekipi and yourself in that." I countered since she was closer to the truth than she thought and I really didn't want to outright lie to her if I could help it, it might be detrimental later on when she did find out the truth and I needed her to trust me so I could help her deal with it.
"What?" She asked, almost defensively, but not quite.
"Well you're both incredibly hot." I stated.
"No I'm not." She said with a snort, putting her hand up as if to hide her face, but it was a deliberate, not wanting to seem big headed, gesture.
"Don't bullshit me, I know I look hot, I also know when other girls know they look hot. Not to say your conceited or anything, but the confidence with which you carry yourself screams that you're good looking and you know it. Come on, you went to the bathroom and came back with your make up touched up and ready to launch a full frontal attack on Drogo." I said with a chuckle to convey that I had no problem with that.
"No I didn't!" She exclaimed.
"Yes you did." I said with a smile. "And I'm not going to shame you for that, I'm just stating a fact. I wasn't exactly little miss chastity when I was your age. You're really good looking, which may be part of the reason that gang targeted you. Bitchy girls leading boys by the balls, you could just tell by that one girl's tone."
"I think they're just a bunch of losers who attack anyone given the opportunity." Isla said dismissively as she leant her chin in her hand.
"Hopefully they'll think twice next time." I said firmly. "Anyway, you held up well against them. You were stronger than you look."
"It's taekwondo, it's about turning their own strength against them." Isla said with a snort.
"Whatever, you tick the boxes I do. So are you other?" I demanded.
"I don't know. I've always had an affinity for wolves." She said with a grin, and she was hinting at otherkin now, maybe I was getting her off the subject, but I guess I could give her a little history.
"Well there's a reason for that." I said.
"There is?" She asked, looking surprised that I was taking her seriously.
"Yeah. Wolf is in your blood. Quileute are wolf people. Our legends tell of the Great Spirit who swooped down and turned wolves into men. They were the first Quileute. The wolf is our brother, that's why a Quileute would never kill a wolf." I explained as simply as I could without touching on the modern stuff.
"Are there any more legends?" Isla asked eagerly.
"There's a whole history worth, but you know what, I won't tell you now. If I can convince Kekipi to come to La Push with me, I'll suggest that you can come along too. I'll get Not So Old Old Quil Ateara to hold a story circle. You ain't heard the Quileute legends until you hear them told by one of the Elders." I said with a smile.
"Not So Old Old Quil?" Isla questioned.
"The Ateara family like to name the oldest boy Quil. There's a lot of them now, too many to just use old, young and normal Quil." I said with a chuckle.
"That's weird." Isla said with a laugh.
"Well ancestral naming isn't that rare on the Res. Your grandma, Susie, was named after her great-grandmother Sue Clearwater, and her twin sister, Sammie, was named after their grandfather Sam Uley. I was named after my great-grandfather Billy."
"Did that ever get confusing?" Isla asked.
"He died long before I was born." I said with a shake of my head. "But it doesn't matter now. Look to the future and all that."
"I guess. My grandparents are gone and well I thought Dad's parents were too." She said, looking disgruntled. "Can you take me to meet them?"
"Well we're going on Sunday aren't we? I'm not gonna do anything behind Kekipi's back. Sorry." I stated, making it clear I wouldn't be swayed on this.
"That's a shame." Isla said with a sigh.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I was hoping you wouldn't say anything about what happened today. He's a protective big brother, I don't him to go looking for those guys. He can handle himself, but I don't want him getting in trouble with the five-oh. I don't think they'll go to the police and say two girls beat all of their asses, but Kekipi, well he looks like a moke, but he's not."
"I know he's not." I stated, so she'd know I was on her side. "We'll have to tell him, but I can convince him those guys have had their comeuppance. He won't go after them, I promise. I won't tell him in front of you if you don't want me to. You're free to say that I'll tell him back on the island, but I will tell him."
"Ok. I guess I shouldn't really ask you to keep things from Kekipi." She said despondently, then she gasped. "Oh god! You're not gonna say about the Drogo stuff?"
"I think I can let that slide into info only for the sacred sisterhood." I stated. "I can forget that little detail since it has nothing to do with your safety."
"Thanks." Isla said with a relieved smile.
She jumped the same time as me at the sound of the apartment door opening and closing. I was sure a human couldn't hear that from here, she was definitely on the cusp of changing. Kekipi had to tell her soon before she tipped over the edge and phased without knowing what was going to happen. It was always worse like that.
Drogo came out to the courtyard with a food bag. He shared the burgers and fries between us and he'd also got more soda, but I guess they came as part of the meal. We ate our food and Isla got Drogo onto the subject of surfing. There was no subtext or anything, just surf talk. We touched on a few other subjects too until half five came around. That's when I left Drogo's with Isla in tow. We walked to the harbour, Isla wheeling her scooter beside us.
We didn't have to wait long before Kekipi pulled up alongside the jetty with the floating trailer behind his boat. I got down into the trailer and steadied myself ready to accept the scooter. Kekipi passed it down to me and I used the bungee cords to secure it in place. Then I got into the boat and sat next to Isla in the prow while Kekipi carefully manoeuvred the boat away from the jetty with the big cumbersome trailer on the back.
"How come you're in Honomu?" He asked Isla.
"Billie will tell you when you get home." Isla said.
"Is this something I should be worried about?" Kekipi asked.
"No." I said. "But I promised to wait until we're home."
"Ok." Kekipi said, frowning a little.
"Thanks for giving me a ride." Isla said with a smile.
"Like I'd leave my little sister stranded." He said, rolling his eyes before asking, "Is there something wrong with your scooter? You want me to look at it?"
"It's ok." Isla said with a shrug.
"I don't mind." Kekipi insisted, clearly thinking that she was refusing his help.
"I mean, there's nothing wrong." Isla clarified.
"Then why didn't you ride back?" Kekipi asked with a frown.
"Billie will tell you." Isla said firmly.
"Whatever." Kekipi said rolling his eyes again, a very sibling gesture.
There was an uncomfortable silence for the rest of the journey, although they did say goodbye to each other once Isla's scooter had been unloaded. Kekipi waited until we were halfway to our island before he spoke again.
"Are you gonna tell me now?" He asked.
"How about we talk about it over dinner? I don't know about you, but I'm hungry." I said, tapping my stomach.
"I'm starting to get really worried." Kekipi said and he did look worried.
"Ok. After I talked to Drogo I needed to clear my head so I went to the forest and hunted. When I was heading back to his scooter I heard a commotion and there was a gang of kids mugging someone. I stepped in, I hate bullies, especially when they come in a pack. Anyway, turns out the one they were targeting was Isla. They were after money and when she didn't have that they were looking to steal her keys even though they didn't know what they were for. So I stepped in, beat them to the dirt, with Isla's help. The girl knows her taekwondo, and then I took her back to Drogo's so we could talk. We couldn't exactly stay in the park in case those kids wanted to stir up more trouble when they came around, and I can't be seen around Hilo so it was the only place to go."
"Why didn't Isla want me to know until we were back here?" Kekipi asked, sounding a little hurt.
"Shall we wait until we've got the trailer on the beach?" I asked since we were at the island now.
"Ok." He said.
It took fifteen minuets to get the trailer onto the beach since Kekipi had to back the boat up and I pulled the trailer onto the sand. Kekipi went to moor the boat, then between us we picked up the trailer and carried it up into the space in the tree line where it usually stayed upside down.
"So why?" He asked.
"Isla was worried in case you went to track the gang down and get in trouble for beating the crap out of them. She didn't want me to say anything at all, but I promised I'd stop you seeking vengeance since I couldn't hide it from you." I stated.
"Well I do wanna give em a good lickin' but I'm not stupid. If I go find them then they might find Isla again." Kekipi said in a low, dangerous voice, and it was good for that gang that he was thinking of the repercussions for his sister.
"Well I know you're not stupid, but you love Isla and she loves you. Of course she'd worry about you." I said as I entwined my fingers with his.
"I know." Kekipi said with a sigh. "You said Isla kicked butt too?"
"Yeah. She was awesome really. I think though, and don't get mad with me, this is just an observation, but I think if she got any angrier before I got there she may have fursploded." I said outright, I had to get onto this subject somehow.
"What? No." He said in denial.
"The wolf is close to the surface now. Seriously, we need to let her know what's happening. She's very perceptive and I really thought she was going to call me out on being a vampire today." I stated my worry.
"How?" Kekipi asked as we got up to the house and we dropped down onto the patio furniture.
"She's been scouring anon boards and there's talk of 'others' who are good looking and strong. I managed to talk her around from it by pointing out that you and her are good looking and strong too, so she's backed off for now. Really though, it will be better if we tell her, to be there to answer her questions truthfully rather than have her find out on her own." I stated.
"I don't even know where to begin." Kekipi said despondently.
"I can be there too." I stated. "Just think it over for the week, and then we'll plan how we'll do it."
Kekipi didn't look convinced, but at least it was food for thought.
"I'll go make dinner." I said, tapping his shoulder before I stepped inside the house.
I made us some simple stir-fry so it would be quick. We sat down to eat.
"All this drama with Isla, I didn't ask you what Drogo said about going home?"
"Well it won't be yet." I said. "It could be another month yet, but that's not what annoyed me. I found out that Zeke has finally been rescued, which is great, but I also found out that Jane roped my sixteen year old nephew into trying to rescue Zeke and it went balls up because HQ was being bugged. Addie is the one who ages like a human so when I say he's sixteen he really is sixteen."
"Did he volunteer?" Kekipi asked.
"I don't know. I forgot to ask and there's only so much Drogo knows anyway. I'll have to wait until I get home to find out the whole story. At least Addie's safe and Zeke is safe anyway." I said, trying not to get wound up about it.
"Yeah." Kekipi agreed. "I'll wash the dishes."
"Thanks." I said, settling back into my chair. "What do you wanna do later?"
"We could go for a run, take a blanket up to the top of the island and watch the sunset." Kekipi suggested.
"Will you bring your Ukulele?" I asked excitedly.
He looked like he was considering it a moment.
"If you really want me to, but I'm rusty." He replied.
"You play good and I like your voice." I said, leaning into his side as he washed the dishes. "I'll go get some things together."
"I'll be quick." He said.
I kissed his cheek then went to fetch a backpack. I put some food in and something to drink, just a little snack for if we needed it. Then I went up and grabbed some blankets and a few pillows, no reason not to make it as comfy as possible. I bundled them up so I could carry them under my arm. By the time I got back downstairs Kekipi had finished the dishes.
"Grab your ukulele, I'm ready for a hike." I declared.
"Ok." He said with a chuckle.
We went outside and instead of heading down like we always did, we began climbing. It was a little steep, but nothing a dhampir couldn't handle. The top of the island was flat and there was a perfect view all the way to Hawaii. When the sun set it would be right over the Big Island.
"Shall we set up here?" I asked, indicating the middle of the top.
"Good a place as any." Kekipi said with a shrug.
Together we spread out the blankets and set out the pillows. I left the food for a while and leant against some of the pillows while Kekipi sat down opposite and tuned his ukulele.
"What do you want me to play?" He asked.
"Surprise me." I said with a smile.
"Ok." He said and began to play.
It was some traditional Hawaiian song that I didn't know, but the tune was pretty and the lyrics soulful. I closed my eyes and drifted into the music, Kekipi really did have a wonderful voice. Then he played something that was more up-tempo and I had to dance to it. My hula was a little rusty but I found the steps in the music.
I heard the laugh in Kekipi's voice as he continued to sing.
"Am I really that bad?" I asked, continuing to dance.
"No. You look really onolicious." He said to the tune of the song.
"Not difficult with hula since it's all in the hips." I said as I gyrated closer to him.
"Not just the hips." He sang and pinched my butt.
I laughed as I spun away from him.
"Feeling frisky?" I asked.
"More playful." He replied with a grin.
I chuckled and kissed his forehead. Kekipi stopped playing to put his hand to my cheek and kissed my lips.
"Uh, uh." I said, pulling away. "You have to keep playing."
"I could just put the radio on. Maybe…" He trailed off and looked a little embarrassed.
"Are you asking me to dance?" I asked.
"Maybe I am." He replied.
"Then what are you waiting for. Put the radio on."
Kekipi nodded and turned on the radio. He scrolled through a few channels until he found one that was playing music. Then he stood up and looked awkward. I smiled as I shimmied up to him and put my hands on his shoulders. He put his hands on my hips and I began to sway to the music, Kekipi followed me. It wasn't exceptional dancing, but we got close and moved together so that was something at least.
We danced for a while, and then sat down to have a drink, just soda, I hadn't brought any alcohol up with us. We didn't need it to have a good time. We snuggled down on the pillows together to watch the sun set, and it really was beautiful. We lay there for a while just watching as the last of the light drained from the sky, and then it was time for a little loving. Having sex on tap was the best thing ever, well next to the fact that Kekipi was my lover. My soulmate. My forever.
Thank you for reading
Reviews are always welcome
Gemma x