The Jaguar Versus the Wolf
Chapter 11 - Money
Orbiting Satellites Book Two, Chapter 11 - Decisions, Decisions companion
I needed money for the first time in my one hundred and fifty plus years of existence.
Sure I had used currency in the past. The women I devoured always had some on them, usually enough to rent a motel room for the next girl, sometimes even enough for a meal or two, when the desire struck.
Trying to only eat human food, while at the same time giving up my carnal activities, presented a problem. The only way I could think to obtain money was to steal it. I didn't trust myself to snatch someone's purse without wanting more.
"Why don't you just sell some of these baskets you helped Huilen make," Roberto gasped after watching me struggle with my thirst for the too many-th day on a row.
"Sell them?" People would give us money for them? Was he sure? Huilen never tried that before. She'd only ever trade them with the local villages, over the decades, for things we couldn't easily produce ourselves – needles, string, sandals, buckles and the like.
Could I sell them? I didn't think Huilen would mind. Of course I'd ask her before I did it, but that would mean being around humans. Maybe… if I fed first, I would have enough control to do it. One more girl wouldn't make much of a difference.
A plan was forming in my head. I would go to a city, one of the larger ones, and find a young lady with money. Instead of screwing her I would just quench my thirst and then be in control enough to sell the baskets to buy human food. That combined with the money I relieved from the dead woman would mean I'd be able to buy even more food.
Yes, this is what I would do. Tonight!
No, I couldn't do this anymore. I barely started feeding but her blood tasted foul. My venom was in her system, though. I needed to keep drinking. If I didn't finish she would become Immortal and that wasn't part of my plan. Choking down as much as I could until I couldn't take it anymore, hoping it would be enough, and she wouldn't change, I snapped her neck just in case. After she fell to the ground and didn't start thrashing around in pain I knew it worked and she was really dead.
Going through the women's purse I found R$240, better than I thought.
"Hey, what's going on down there?" a voice called out from the end of the alley. I'd been louder than I thought and attracted attention. Bosta! Now I'll have two bodies to dispose of.
I let her walk toward me, pretending not to notice her as I re-searched the dead women's pockets. When she got close enough I spring up and slammed her against the wall. Judging by the woman's clothing, or lack of such, I knew she was a prostitute. A break for me. The authorities would be looking for my first victim but most likely no one would care about this one. I could just leave her crumpled up back here and it would be fine.
"Hey, hey, hey, no need to get feisty." Her attitude did a 180 seeing that her life was in danger. She'd probably been in similar situations before and thought she could talk, or do, her way out of it. Her hands started exploring my skin. It felt so good to be touched I let her continue for longer than I should have.
Trying to live up to Edward's expectations of me was not easy and I missed the company of a woman… even if it's only been for a short while since my last sexual experience.
Instead of my normal animal hide clothing I'd changed into some of the Cullen approved modern clothing to fit in better. She'd already undone all of the buttons on my shirt but it wasn't until she'd unzipped my fly without me noticing and her hands had slipped under my waistband that I snapped out of it. I needed to be stronger than this. I needed to become committed to Renesmee. She needed to be my one and only mate.
Her neck snapped with a flick of my fingers, just as easily as I'd done with the other one. I didn't even want to drink, not being able to stomach the thought of the taste of her blood. She smelled foul, which was strange. I'd had many prostitutes before and their stink never bothered me before.
I was about to hide her body, when I remembered that I had yet to search her for whatever money she had on her. But I'd have to work fast. I didn't need any more disruptions. I was only in a small back alley; anyone could come down here at any time. R$17… disappointing, but would be enough for a sandwich.
Done with her, I left the prostitute where she fell, covering her with some crumpled newspaper. But what to do with the other one?
My original plan was to leave the well dressed body here in this rough neighborhood. When the body was inevitably discovered it would be assumed that she must have gotten lost, and wondered where she didn't belong, stumbled onto something she shouldn't have seen and was killed because of it. Happened all the time. Having her be found next to a prostitute wouldn't work. It would raise more questions and there would be a bigger investigation.
It was after midnight so the night's darkness offered some concealment as I carried the body a few blocks over. Not really knowing where I was going, I wandered around for awhile, trying not to be seen.
Not finding a suitable disposal location I kept going. At one point I thought someone was following me, but it turned out to be a stray dog. Eventually I ran out of places, and town, to look. Then I spotted it. The perfect place. An old abandoned well. Judging by its dilapidated appearance it looked like it hadn't been used in decades. I couldn't even hear any water flowing beneath the ground here.
I threw the body down and didn't look back.
I'd fed, got some cash, and wasn't caught with the bodies. Tonight was looking much better. Happily I even started whistling to myself as I dashed through the forest to find Huilen and Roberto.
"You look happy," my aunt said when she saw me come into view.
Roberto smirked. "Looks like someone's back to his old hunting ways," he said while trying to be funny and attempting to punch me in the ribs over and over.
"No!" I yelled louder than I meant to.
"Calm down kid, I wasn't really gonna hurt you." Kid? Who was he calling a kid? I had a century on him. He'd been changed later in his life than I stopped growing. That didn't mean he was older than me, he just looked like he was. The fact that he was with my Aunt didn't make him my Uncle. And his Might makes Right philosophy was getting annoying.
"That's not what I meant," I growled as I tried to push him off of me. He was a Full-Vampire and appropriately stronger than me, but backed off anyway.
"You didn't do either of them?" he chuckled after hearing my recap of the evening.
"Roberto, he wants Renesmee as his mate. I think it's sweet." While my Aunt was defending me she still looked judgmental. "I don't see the harm in satiating your thirst though. Killing the second one without feeding was wasteful, Nahuel," she chided me. There was the Aunt I knew and loved.
But why did I find their blood so unappealing?
I tried again the next week. More out of curiosity than anything else. But just like before she smelt unappealing and I couldn't drink. I snapped her neck, took her money, then after hiding the body went and sat at a local restaurant and had a nice meal.
The same thing happened the following week. And the one after that. Eventually I gave up trying to feed from humans. My thirst wasn't a problem after awhile; I was amply filled up on human food. Since I knew I'd eventually be living with the Cullens for a short while, once I returned to Renesmee and she became my mate, I even tried my hand hunting some of the local wildlife. I got the same results with every type of animal I tried to drink. I didn't know what was going on, but for some reason the only thing that tasted even halfway edible to me was human food.
No. That's not true. I did know what was happening to me. Even if I hadn't consciously decided to make the decision, some part of me realized that I couldn't become Renesmee's mate if I continued as I had. She wouldn't survive if I did.
A.N. Okay i just posted chapters 10 + 11 so make sure you don't miss either. This is the last of the super short chapters for awhile. Nahuel returns to the Cullens in chapter 12 so it'll be longer.
Please review and let me know what you think of Nahuel Love to hate him? or Hate to love him?
