Chapter Nine
The Lost Boys were relaxing in the cave after feeding. Doing their usual activities at the end of the night, or trying to. David is smoking like a chimney, his mind on Terra. She is beautiful. Her presence demanded respect. David knew he was in trouble. He was not fond of the idea of him or his brothers having mates. But these girls are different. They are not the typical, air-headed, prissy girls they see around the boardwalk. No, these four are dangerous in their own right. They radiate power and sensuality. David was going over the only interaction he had with Terra. He noticed she was focused on the other three girls, Lucy, Sam, and even Laddie. Her eyes would constantly scan the room for threats, as well as where the exits were located. She is definitely on high alert. David just knew Terra would be just as protective of their family as he is.
Dwayne had sat on the couch after losing his balance one too many times on his skateboard when his mind veered to Eli. When he first walked into the kitchen and was talking to Lucy he could smell his mate's scent and it was intoxicating. By the time the scent and the pull in his chest were too overwhelming making him want nothing more than to search for her, Eli walked into the kitchen with David's mate. Eli leaned against the counter near Dwayne while Terra sat down, facing Lucy to talk about the twins and how they've been. He kept inching closer to Eli, hoping to speak to her. Eli stayed silent most of the time, occasionally adding her own remarks here and there. Dwayne was able to get a closer look at his mate. Her red hair in traditional Viking braids, Hazel eyes with long dark eyelashes, her small frame would fit perfectly in his arms. He knew then he wanted her. So, here he was, sitting on the couch thinking about Eli.
Marko kept shaking a can of spray paint getting ready to mark the walls again, only to lose his train of thought. Kayla's scent still lingering after she tackled him in a hug. Her tear-filled eyes and happy smile were in the forefront of his mind. The time he spent with Kayla felt like forever ago when it was only a few days. Marko missed her. He didn't want to leave, afraid he might lose her. He was so close to losing her, at least with Kayla being turned he could feel connected to her. When they are fully bonded, he will know where she is, and how she is feeling at all times.
Paul smoked his second joint much slower than usual, laying on the edge of the fountain. He was kind of hoping Jade wasn't completely healed when he saw her again. Knowing she would need his help with little things made him feel needed. He knows better though. She will be healed or at least healed enough to not really need him. His clouded mind veered to the warning Terra gave Marko and himself. Something she said made his eyes go wide, "Holy shit! Did Terra say what I think she said about the twins?"
"What Paul?" Marko put down his can of spray paint when he heard Paul ramble. Paul laid back down on the edge of the fountain, "She said Mikey used to chase off any guy interested in his sisters. The twins never dated, like ever." David chuckled, " I'm surprised you can't smell it in their scents, I've smelt enough virgins to know. It means your mates are untouched, so are Eli and Terra. Your mates probably never been kissed before getting with you two." Both Marko and Paul smiled at the fact they would be the twins first and only. Then the smiles dropped when they remembered what happened over the last few days.
They continued to try to relax, unaware of what was happening in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Marko had given up on painting and was just sitting on the outcropping against the cave wall. His pigeons fly up to him every so often. He closed his eyes and pictured Kayla's face once again. It was then Marko was hit with a wave of pain so intense he fell to the side, almost falling from the outcropping. Clutching his chest, biting his lip to keep from yelling out. He vaguely heard David's voice calling out to him and Paul.
Paul didn't even bother to stop himself from yelling out in pain. Curling up into a ball, falling off the fountain and onto the floor. The pain started in their chest and radiated throughout their bodies. It was over as fast as it began. Both vampires kept still as the pain fades to nothing. David is standing over Paul, "What the hell was that?" Dwayne was floating Marko down to the ground, making sure he was okay. "I don't know, David. Just hit with a massive wave of pain….Oh, SHIT!" Marko's eyes widened, thinking the worst, "Kayla!"
Kayla literally popped into existence inside the cave along with her sisters. She knelt down in front of Marko and threw her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close breathing in her scent. Paul had sat up against the fountain with his legs outstretched, still rubbing his chest when Jade straddled his lap and hugged him. Paul crushed Jade to his chest, too happy to see she is okay before remembering her injured back. He loosened his grip enough to give her room to breathe, and not hurt her. Eli and Terra stood by one of the couches, looking around the cave.
David is getting impatient, "Explain what the hell just happened." He was standing over Paul but had his eyes on Terra. When she started talking he moved over to his wheelchair. "We woke them up, so to speak. Afterwards, the twins felt an overbearing need to be near them," Terra informed David, pointing to the couples. Everyone stayed silent waiting for further explanation. "Our ability to teleport isn't the only thing we can do. Terra and I spent some time in Tibet with monks in meditation after I had killed a guy on accident. He was a bystander in the wrong place at the wrong time. He stood in the way of my target and I shoved him into a wall. I was nowhere near him. I know I did it because I thought about it," Eli pushed the memory to the back of her mind. She lowered herself to sit on the couch.
Terra sat down on the couch next to her sister, "The target was just some low-level scum with massive connections to Cocaine dealers. The monks we spent time with saw the whole ordeal. Eli was well hidden but monks tend to be in tune with their surroundings. After the target was taken out, Eli went into shock. Not so much for killing the innocent but the how. We were confronted by the monks and they asked if they could help. They understood us and what we do, and we never questioned how they knew. It's how we learned what we could do and how to channel our abilities."
"Are you okay, babe?" Paul asked Jade. She pulled away enough to look at him, "I'm okay. Are you okay?" Paul nodded his head, "I am now, but we were in pain a moment ago." Kayla spoke up, "It may have been from us. From the connection we have." Her arms had lowered to hug Marko's waist and her head was resting on his shoulder. "Awakening so much power was painful, and we're connected now. So you guys felt our pain," Kayla yawned. She sat on her butt and leaned against Marko trying to keep her eyes open but failing. Marko hugged her tighter, unconsciously rubbing circles on her sides where his hands rested. He didn't realize how petite she was until holding her.
"How did you find us?" Marko asked the girls. David raised an eyebrow, "That's what I like to know. You four have never been here." Jade cleared her throat, "When we were in the Mojave meditating, we saw the connection and followed it. Terra and Eli followed us." She looked around the cave at the confused faces of the vampires. Jade went further into explaining, "Close your eyes." Watching Paul close his eyes. "Clear your mind." "Should be easy for Paul," Marko remarked, drawing a laugh from the other occupants in the room. Jade sighs, "Just do it." She waits a moment as the vampires clear their minds of all active thought. "Now, imagine your body as colors, reds for emotions, blues for your senses. (Again she waited a moment.) There will be one color that stands out, it will be gold or maybe silver. It should look like a string or rope wrapped around your heart with one end floating off into oblivion. Kayla and I found that string and followed it."
Marko and Paul found the other end immediately since their mates were sitting in their laps. Dwayne found the colors to be dark in tint but still there. It was the bright silver rope that caught his attention. Dwayne literally followed the rope and almost stumbled onto Eli on the couch. She didn't move from her spot. Watching him closely, making sure she knew which direction to move if he invaded her personal space without permission. However, he was moving slowly with his eyes closed and his hand reaching out in front of him. Eli grabbed his hand to stop him in his tracks. Dwayne opened his eyes and if he could turn red from embarrassment, he would have. "Well, this explains why I didn't feel uncomfortable with you in my personal space. Normally, I don't like people I don't know that close to me." Dwayne nods his head, he feels the same way.
Terra and David were still sitting in their spots. They saw the connection to each other as a silver chain but are not ready or willing to act on it. Both are the Alphas of their pack, so neither wanted to give up that position of control. They really were perfect for each other. Each stubborn to a fault and severely overprotective of their pack. Terra, even more so, since learning they are all related.
"But enough about that. We have some bad news. The organization we worked for, 'The Company' has black-listed us. We are no longer an asset to The Company, we're targets. Why they did this, I don't know. What we do know, the job the twins just did was a setup. The Company never knew about our abilities, or the higher-ups turned a blind eye. Which, in my opinion, would have been the reason they are now hunting us down like dogs. But it's not. Either way, we have decided to go after The Company. It was that or spend the rest of our lives hiding or having associates continuously come after us. And they would gladly kill anyone in their way," Terra was staring at David. Neither looked away, both trying to establish dominance.
Now it was Jade who yawned, cutting through the alphas' staring contest. "Hey, Terra. Can we iron out the details after getting some sleep?" Terra looked down at her watch. It was almost five in the morning. "Yeah. We all need some sleep," Terra rubbed her eyes. Eli stood up and stretched her arms over her head, her shirt lifting up to expose her flat stomach. Dwayne couldn't help but stare. The other three vampires smirked, hearing the thoughts running through his head. Jade yawns again and gets comfortable on Paul's lap. He looked back at Marko and saw they both were being cuddled by their mates. "Seeing that those two are already out, we'll see ourselves out. We'll be back tomorrow night to get them if they haven't come home first," Eli looked over at the twins. Terra agrees and they both leave without another word. Dwayne and David feel the irritating pain in their chest return.
Holding tighter to their mates, Paul and Marko gracefully stand up and head down one of the darkened hallways. The guys all have their own rooms inside the sunken hotel. They may sleep in the old elevator shaft turned subcave together, but sometimes they wanted their own space. Paul lays Jade down on his bed on her side facing the door, covering her with one of the many blankets he may or may not have stolen from a victim's home. The room is littered with candles, some lit, some not, band posters on the walls and ceiling, a small dresser, and his bed. Again, not wanting to push his luck, Paul took one more look at Jade before returning to the main room of the cave.
Marko's room was right next to Paul's. The layout was pretty much the same, besides the small desk, he uses to hold all his sewing stuff and pieces of fabric. A small mountain of clothes clutters the far corner. Some posters adorn his walls, as well as several pieces of graffiti. His bed and small dresser are the only other pieces of furniture. The room is currently dark since no candles are lit. Adjusting Kayla's body enough to crawl onto the bed, he places her in the center. Kayla relaxes into the mattress, letting her arms fall away from Marko. He kisses her cheek, covers her up, and leaves the room to rejoin his brothers.
Marko looks back down the hall as he enters the main cave, not really wanting to go too far from Kayla. David was sitting in his wheelchair, Dwayne and Paul were lounging on the couches not really wanting to do anything after learning what they have about their mates. David broke the silence, "It's a good thing they're here. They're changing faster than Michael. May need to feed with us tonight." He had tapped into the bond between his pack and found the twins' were surpassing Michael in hunger. He didn't want to admit it, but he is happy the twins are not like Star who still refuses to feed. All four of their mates were killers already, so becoming vampires will not be that much of a change. They all sat in tense silence going over what Terra and Eli had informed them before retreating to the subcave.
Next Night
Marko was the first to wake, followed closely by Paul. They both felt on edge, ansty, and in pain. Trying to get a grip on the feeling, they realize it's coming from their mates. David snuck up on both of them, "You feel it too." Dwayne had since woken and joined his brothers. Putting on their boots or shoes, leaving the subcave to check on the twins. David tapped into the pack bond, "Shit...They're fucking starving." They all sped to the rooms. Paul and Dwayne entered Paul's room, finding Jade still asleep soaked in sweat, and shivering.
Marko and David found Kayla in the same predicament except she had moved to the floor. At first, Marko couldn't find her until he leaned around the side of the bed. She was curled up in the fetal position, sweating, and groaning in pain. Marko grasped her shoulder to wake her, "Kayla? Why are you on the floor?" She cracks her eyes open. They were flashing back and forth between her natural eye color and yellow/red. "Floor's cold. It helped."
David had them all gather in the main cave, "Dwayne and I will bring someone back. They're too weak to hunt." Marko and Paul laid their mates down on the couches while they waited. Terra and Eli chose that moment to show up. Both looked concerned at their sisters. Eli stood at the end of the couches while Terra looked over the twins, "I take it the hunger set in?" Receiving a nod from both vampires, "How did you know?" Asked Marko. "I read that silly comic earlier today out of boredom," Terra answered. She got out of the way as David and Dwayne flew in with four victims. Three Surf Nazis and one woman. Terra recognized the woman, "Wait. Let me see her first."
Dwayne dropped the woman in front of Terra, a confused look on his face. Terra motioned for Eli to help her. Eli pinned the woman's arms behind her back on her knees, making sure she couldn't stand up to run. Terra took her multi-tool leatherman out of the back pocket, "I see The Company has sent a scout. Felicia, it seems you had the displeasure of drawing the short straw." Terra opens the leatherman to the pliers, pries Felicia's mouth open, and pulls out a false wisdom tooth, causing the girl to cry out. "Ok, she's clean now," Terra shows the overly white, hollowed-out wisdom tooth to the guys. "Every scout who works for The Company has this done before going out in the field." She cracks it open to show a small capsule of a lethal dose of poison. "It's a fail-safe if they're ever captured. Bite down to break open the capsule to kill themselves. Couldn't risk Felicia poisoning herself."
Marko helped Kayla sit up. He held her from behind, and whispered in her ear, "Baby, let your instincts take over. You need to feed if you want to feel better." She opened her eyes enough to see David clutching a Surf Nazi, pinning his arms to his sides. Eli pulled her pocket knife out, walked up to the guy, and made a small cut in the guy's throat just enough so Kayla could smell the blood. Kayla's face shifted, her fangs elongate and she was hit with a sudden burst of energy. She flashed forward and clamped her mouth on the guy's throat with a growl, draining him dry before passing out again. Marko caught her before she hit the floor.
Paul was doing the same for Jade. She had woken up when Terra pulled the tooth from Felicia's mouth. They all knew who she was and didn't like her one bit. Felicia was the kind of girl who blew or fucked her way into her position as lead scout. Jade had no problem with draining her dry, so that's what she did. Terra and Dwayne brought a struggling Felicia closer to Jade. Paul leaned in close to Jade's ear and spoke quietly, "That's it, babe. Just let go." Jade latched onto Felicia's throat so quickly Terra flinched, moving her fingers away from the victim's collarbone. "Note to self, keep fingers away from hungry vampires," Terra laughed at herself. Once Felicia was drained, Jade dropped her body and fell unconscious. Both newly turned vampires will sleep until the next night.
Marko and Paul drained the other two Surf Nazis then disposed of the bodies. They will not be leaving the cave until their mates woke the next night. They took their mates back to their respective bedrooms and laid with them until the sun rose. David and Dwayne left to feed. Eli and Terra spent that time looking around the cave, taking in all the details. Noting the different areas of the cave each vampire has designated as theirs. When the other vampires returned, Terra was twirling her favorite butterfly knife sitting in David's wheelchair. Eli had browsed the overfilled bookshelf and was skimming through a book on indigenous cultures. Dwayne sat down and just watched his mate as she read through a few pages.
David stood in front of Terra, "Comfy?" She looked up at him still twirling her knife, "Yep." David smirked and without saying another word, picked her up causing Terra to cling to him, sat down in his chair, and placed her on his lap. "That's better," David had this smug look on his face. Leaving one hand on her thigh, lighting a cigarette with the other. Terra just stared at him before rolling her eyes but made no move to get up continuing to twirl her knife. Eventually getting bored of the silence, Terra put her knife away and went to stand up only to have David's grip tighten. Terra sighed in annoyance, "You know, the last guy that got too handsy with me lost them." David just shrugged his shoulders and continued to smoke, but his hand on her thigh didn't move any further.
Leaning against David's chest, Terra was lost in thought about what to do next. She could see Eli as she moved to the couch that Dwayne wasn't on, facing him. "So, who do you think they'll send after us?" Terra wanted to get her sister's input. Eli scoffed, "Who won't they send? Especially after you." Eli put the book down to talk to Dwayne, "You finding Felicia so quickly worries me. She may have been a knee-pad-wearing bitch, but she was good at her job. She more than likely did not arrive by herself."
The sound of someone climbing into the cave distracted the group. Star and Michael had come back to the cave thinking it was empty. Four pairs of eyes looked to the couple, two were stone-faced and the other two rolled theirs. Star walked over to her bed in the back corner, she sat down and wrapped her favorite shawl around her shoulders. Michael huffed, "What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be hiding with your tail between your legs?" Terra was mere moments away from beating him unconscious...again. Eli sensed this, "You know Michael if you stood ramrod straight that stick would slide right out." Apparently, Paul and Marko heard what she said if the loud, obnoxious laughter echoing down a darkened hallway was any clue. David hid his face in the crook of Terra's neck trying to smother his laughter. Dwayne even laughed.
Michael gave a half-assed growl before launching himself at Eli. Dwayne stood in his path. But before Michael could reach Eli, he was thrown into the wall by an invisible force. David didn't notice Terra wasn't in his lap anymore during all the chaos. She stood in front of where she had Michael pinned to the wall, "I've had it with this attitude of yours. You know damn well my sisters and I are not going to hide." She could see his eyes shifting back and forth, fighting the change. "Why are you fighting the change? What's so wrong with being a vampire?"
Star yelled from her bed, "Because they're monsters." The whole cave turned toward her. Terra dropped Michael so quickly he broke his wrist trying to catch himself. Terra slowly stepped over to Star, "Oh you sad, naive, little girl. You haven't seen real monsters. Yes, they're vampires, but the real monsters are very much human." Star stood up when Terra was less than a foot away, "They kill people." Terra smirked, "My sisters and I have seen and done things that will make your nightmares seem like good dreams. Eli and I just took down an organization running a sex trafficking ring. Most of their victims were children under the age of ten. The men running this ring were truly sick and depraved." Star stepped back a little after looking Terra in the eyes and seeing how cold they were.
"Imagine walking into a room to find a man in his late forties raping Laddie," Terra heard the growls behind her and the echoes from down the hall. "If you came across that, what would you do?" Terra watched as Star opened and closed her mouth. "That hesitation has cost you any and all respect I ever would've had for you. I did come across something like that. A forty-nine-year-old man raping a seven-year-old boy." Terra grasped Star by the shoulders, her nails digging into bare skin, "I tore the guy apart and I didn't even know the kid." Bringing her mouth next to Star's ear, Terra whispered, "He was very, very much human." Terra let Star go and 'jumped' out of the cave. Star sat on her bed with tears streaming down her face.
"Shit," Eli huffs under her breath. She stands to leave, "I better go find her." Dwayne grabs her hand before she could 'jump', "Please, be safe." Eli hid her face as her cheeks turned pink. Nodding her head she 'jumped' to go find Terra. David and Dwayne went to the subcave since the sun was rising soon.
Luckily she found her at Ma's house, sitting outside waiting for the sun to rise. Eli sat down next to her as they watched the sun come up. Terra felt calmer, "As beautiful as it is, I don't think I'll miss it." Eli turned to her sister, "Why do you say that?" Exhaling a sigh, "When we were in the cave explaining how we felt connected to those guys, I felt and saw the connection to David. And judging by the fact he didn't want to let me go, he felt it too. Then arguing with Star made me realize I would have no issues with being a vampire. What about you? I saw the way Dwayne was looking at you." "I don't know. I mean, the connection is there. Just don't want to rush into anything. Let's take it one night at a time." Terra slapped her thighs before standing up, "Come on. Let's get some sleep." The girls went inside and up to the twin's room to get a few hours' sleep.