I'm currently working on Chapter 3 of this story...I have some exciting plot twists in store for you all. I'll do my best to update the next chapter soon. I love to challenge and push myself as an author by writing from the POVs of other characters in The Night Huntress book universe.
Here's the next chapter of The New Normal! This chapter is mainly from Cat's POV.
Enjoy! I'd greatly appreciate your constructive criticism! R&R!
~Katie's POV~
Nothing exciting was happening in my house. My grandmother was in the kitchen whilst casually chatting with my mom's best friend, Denise. Bones and Uncle Ian were discussing vampire matters in the study. My mother, father, and Juan congregated in the living room playing Texas Hold 'Em. While my undead DNA gives me heightened abilities, I still have my limitation. I've been continuously working on sharpening my heightened senses. Although, eavesdropping on stronger supernatural creatures like Master vampires was damn near impossible.
My eyelids became increasingly heavy as I lightly dozed off. I was mentally and physically exhausted after rigorous hours of homework and intense training session.
~Cat's POV~
The transition to vampirism hadn't made Tate and Juan any better at card games especially Texas Hold 'Em. It's nice to know some things don't change. We'd already burned through two bottles of Jack Daniels whiskey. Our house is fully stocked with a wide array of alcohol. It's kept heavily protected by a complex security system I personally designed. It deterred my teenage daughter to gain access to our alcohol collection. Thankfully Katie wouldn't suffer from the consequences of consuming too much alcohol in her entire life thanks to her part vampire and ghoul DNA. Yet, I would do my damnedest to ensure she didn't pick up this habit at a young age.
My mother and Denise were avidly chattering on about their favorite cooking recipes. Domestic tasks such as cooking wasn't exactly my forte nor cup of tea. I basically lived on TV dinners and take-out food when I lived alone in my apartment during my short stint as a college student at Ohio State University almost fifteen years ago. Perks of being a vampire meant food was no longer what nutritionally sustained me. It made life a hella easier.
In the study room, my husband and Ian were on a conference call with Mencheres, Ian's sire and Bones' co-ruler. The Egyptian mega-Master vampire maintained contact with us to give occasional updates about the happenings in our extensive line. Most of the vampiric society believed Bones and I were still royally pissed off at Mencheres these past ten years for notifying the vampire council about Katie. The vampire council publicly "executed" my daughter for her being a potential instrument to incite a war between vampire and ghouls. Bones, Tate, and I have laid-low since then raising Katie in our dysfunctional yet dynamic family. You don't always get to choose your family. Yet no matter how frustrating they are you never stop loving them.
The riotous fun I was having with my two best friends came to an abrupt halt. An unfamiliar vibe lurking around the house made us three simultaneously freeze. This presence gave off hints of mild undead vibe. We were on high alert while silently communicating with only our eyes. Juan left the living room and casually strolled into the kitchen so not to alarm my mother. The back door in the kitchen closed shut. Tate, Juan, and I would investigate this matter first before alerting the others for back-up to neutralize the threat skulking around our house.
Tate and I anxiously awaited Juan's report. Ever since we disappeared from the supernatural community's radar, we constantly feared for our daughter's safety. The idea that some in the supernatural community weren't entirely convinced Katie was truly dead never stopped assaulting our thoughts.
My iPhone buzzed with a new text message alert. Juan's iMessage simply read: non-lethal threat. I audibly breathed a sigh of relief at this wonderful news. Tate arched an eyebrow at my reaction.
"False alarm," I began to explain. "We don't need to neutralize the intruder on our property. I'd sure as hell love to know who the fuck is loitering around this late at night. You picked the wrong house, buddy." I jumped to my feet stomping out of the living room right to the front door. Our mysterious visitor impatiently paced back and forth on our front porch. Tate followed closely behind me. Our behavior didn't garner attention from any of the other supernatural beings within the household. The past nine years have been relatively peaceful because of how overly paranoid we'd been to ensure our anonymity is protected.
As I reached the front door, I realized I had to radiate the image of a domestic wife and mother. My deep V-neck halter and denim mini-skirt screamed anything but devoted wife and mother. Also, my re-dyed red hair and gunmetal grey eyes might immediately give me away as the notorious Red Reaper. Screw it. It wasn't like anyone would believe that either Tate or I were Katie's biological parents considering we appeared to look no older than in our early 30's. It would be best to portray Katie's older siblings anyway. This would ease the intruder's nerves. It was time to find out the identity of our mysterious visitor.
"Just follow my lead, Tate," I said tersely. He nodded in acknowledgement. After working so many years together with my uncle, we'd formed unbreakable bonds of trust despite our few rough patches over the years. True friends stick with you through all of life's trials and tribulations.
I pulled out my hair out of the messy bun letting my crimson tresses cascade down to my shoulder. Yanking the door opened, I leisurely strolled out into the porch with Tate closely flanking my side. "I cannot believe you've never seen The Princess Bride! That's an essential life requirement...truly an unforgettable move that gets better each time you watch it!" I passionately commented.
Tate had no idea what I was doing but he followed along as if he knew. He merely shrugged. "If I had some time to kill, I'd sleep or hang out with some of my buddies. Also, the movie title gives off a chick romantic comedy vibe."
Our mysterious stranger was comfortably sprawled across in a white wicker chair. His eyes were closed but I wouldn't assume he was taking a light nap. It could easily be a trap to lure us closer.
"What the hell, bro! You know mom explicitly said your buddies were could not crash at our house when they were totally plastered. We aren't a place of refuge for your drunk idiot friends." Tate arched a brow silently conveying his annoyance seamlessly going along with my improvised scheme.
"This is seriously hypocritical bullshit! If the situation was vice versa she'd gladly welcome your drunk friends inside," he angrily countered. We simultaneously gauged our human intruder while feigning a sibling argument.
Element of surprise would be the best tactic. I closed to the distance between us and the stranger. Yanking our mysterious intruder by his jacket collar, this really startled the brunet teenage boy as his feet dangled few feet from the ground. His hazel eyes immediately fixed on me no doubt emanating unadulterated panic. He looked around the same age as my daughter possibly a little older give or take a couple years.
"Get your ass back to your house, buddy! We are not taking in my older brother's loser friends." I bellowed while shaking him. No doubt everyone in the house could hear what was happening on out front porch. They didn't rush out implying no one sensed any imminent danger.
"Let me go. Who the hell are you two? I've never seen either of you before!" he stammered. "Katrina never mentioned any older siblings." A smidge of a British accent bled through his overall Canadian accent.
Now that seriously baffled me. Despite my firm grip on his jacket collar, I stopped shaking the teenage boy. "There's no one by the name of Katrina in this household. You've definitely got the wrong place. Keep moving...nothing to see here."
A confused expression washed over his face. "243 Clover Drive? I'm pretty sure I got the right address." All fear drained from his hazel eyes. The stranger's body half-sagged in my strong grasp.
Before I could reply, Tate's voice rang out behind me. "How do you know this address?"
"Give me the description of this person you refer to as Katrina," I added right afterward.
The teenage boy wearily glanced between Tate and myself before thinning his lips in deep contemplation. Smart fella to think before he responded to us. You didn't want to piss us off especially right now.
"Wavy golden brown hair and stunning grey eyes," he stated directly looking at me then swung his gaze to Tate. "After a late night study session with our friends, I insisted on walking her back home. No young lady should walk home alone."
I felt the strongest urge to give the kid a gold star. Here I though chivalry was long dead in the society we currently live in. It appears not.
I was shocked to learn this revelation. The dating talk never seemed needed since she hardly showed interest in guys. The poor bastard would endure intense interrogation from Bones, Tate, and myself. Not an awkward "meet the parents" conversation. I drastically underestimated Katie. The apple doesn't fall from the tree apparently. The verdict was still out on her suitor, but I was glad she assumed another name besides her real name. Mixed emotions flashed across my friend's face. Tate's body was ramrod straight as if Mencheres or my husband telekinetically immobilized him.
"What's your name?" I inquired. His feet no longer dangled off the ground yet I maintained my steadfast grip on his shoulders. My skeptical gaze closely examined him from head to toe. Short cropped brown hair sharply contrasted his delicate oval face. Averagely handsome. Average body build. No wonder he escaped my notice. There was no wow factor about this kid.
"Hasn't anyone told you it's rude to not call before paying a visit to a young lady, mate? It's such a shame youngsters nowadays don't know what are proper manners," a voice behind us quipped with a superfluous hand gesture. Ian leaned against the front door with his hands folded across his bare chest. He wore only black silk pajama pants. Fricken vampires and their preference for wearing as little clothing as possible. His shoulder-length chestnut hair was loosely tied back in a ponytail.
Tate still remained motionless except now he glowered at the teenage boy in my firm grip. His hands were tightly balled up in a fist. Tate's indigo eyes light up bright green. If looks could kill, his gaze could slice like deadly sliver blades.
"I...my...uhm name is Oliver. Everyone calls me Ollie," the teenage boy nervously sputtered. Hazel eyes frantically flickered from Tate, Ian, and me. This will teach the kid to never show up to our house unexpectedly again.
"Why don't we all go inside and get better acquainted?" Ian indifferently suggested feigning a yawn. Always an overly dramatic flair for everything he does. Basically a one-man walking theatrical show.
"That sounds like a bloody smashing idea, Ian."
I turned my glance to my friend thinking it was he who spoke. Nope I was wrong. His silence spoke incredible volumes. Tate's lips thinned into a menacing grimace.
An immensely powerful aura unleashed around me electrocuting every nerve ending in my body. Without a doubt, I knew it was my husband not Mencheres. Bones stood a few feet behind me with his hands casually shoved into the pockets of navy blue robe. The loosely tied robe tantalizingly exposed pale, taut bare chest. The meeting with Mencheres must have ended not too long ago.
Oliver frantically wriggled in my grasp as his eyes widens upon full realization of his mistake of underestimating Katie's family. "I'll come back another day when Katrina is here. If I'm not back home soon my parents are going to kill me..." Oliver rambled while futilely attempting to escape my iron grip.
"Bullocks. You're full of shite, mate," Bones spat out. Vile repulsion dripped with each word. "You're way out of your league. My stepdaughter deserves much better than you." His power continued to unfold as it almost suffocated me. This poor bastard pissed off the wrong person. Not only was Bones a Master vampire and notorious former hitman, my husband absorbed a shitload of abilities from Mencheres including telepathy, telekinesis, and regeneration even from the point of near death. At least for now...time will tell if more pop up.
Heavy tension hung in the air like the big-ass elephant in the room. Right now, I wasn't sure if Tate or my husband would kill Oliver first. I needed to diffuse this situation quickly. Ian simply watching entire fiasco in amused rapture. He even had a bowl of popcorn plopped in his hands. Un-fucking-believable! Family seriously can be a pain in the ass.
Tate unclenched his fist and proceed towards Oliver, who squirmed more frenetically in my grip. The front door opened right at that moment. My mother chose that exact moment to walk onto the porch.
"Denise and I were having a lovely chat but ya'll were being obnoxiously loud. I came out here to see what all the racket was," my mother began before trailing off when noticing the teenage boy in my grasp. She arched an intrigued brow surveying the scene unfolding in front of her eyes. "Who do we have here?"
"I'm no one just passing through the neighborhood..." Ollie immediately blurted before Bones telekinetically silenced him. Oliver opened his mouth but no words let alone sounds came out. Only pathetic gasps of air.
"Let me save you time, Justina. This arrogant prick thinks he is worthy of dating your granddaughter," my husband said curtly.
My mother sucked in a sharp breathe. Not that she needed to breathe being a vampire. In the next instant, her brows furrowed and blue eyes angrily narrowed in the teenage boy. Her eyes bled emerald. Oh dear god. Right now I can't decide if I want to throttle then sucker punch Ian or Bones or both of them. Just when I thought things couldn't get worse.
Hell I can get Bones and Tate to calm down. Justina Crawford was an entirely different story. Once you unleash her inner enraged dragon there is no easy way of calming my mother down. Here I thought my Saturday would be a casual evening of Texas Hold 'Em with my two best buds, Juan and Tate. How horribly wrong I was. I desired some inking of normalcy in my life.
The fiasco rapidly exacerbated before my very eyes. I felt like bashing my head against a wall in a futile effort to blow off my frustration. Where the fuck was Mencheres or Vlad when I desperately needed them to defuse this ticking time bomb?
My mother ripped Oliver out of my grasp and forcefully dragged him into our house. The teenage boy kicked and resisted against my mother's death grip. Hell hath no fury than an extremely enraged Justina Crawford. To say she overly protective of Katie was a vast understatement.
My husband and best friend followed closely behind my mother in matching angry strides. Most days they could hardly stand each other, yet they learned to tolerate one another's presence over the years. There were rare moments where they didn't bicker like school children and actually agreed on something. Both of them were headstrong men who were fiercely protective of those they loved. There was one thing they could find common ground on: our Katie.
Denise hurried out of the kitchen right into the living room to see what the ruckus and commotion was. She arched an eyebrow in intrigue at my mother. She still held Oliver in her death grip which basically held him stationary in one spot. The enraged glower never left her face. Poor guy had no idea how much worse my mother was compared to Tate and Bones. My mother had to learn to wear the pants to supplement the lack of a fatherly figure in my life while raising a half-breed daughter. She would be very particular in determining who was worthy of dating her beloved granddaughter. We all wanted Katie to end up with someone who truly accepted all of her.
My mother roughly shoved Ollie onto the suede couch. Bones and Tate stood on either side of her. Despite his casual stance, my husband was anything but the image of serene calmness. He stood motionless like a chiseled yet severely pissed off Greek statue with an indecipherable facial expression. It was completely opposite with Tate. His face scrunched into livid expression and emerald gaze intensely glared at the teenage boy. Oliver entirely avoided looking at the three adults menacingly towering over him by averting his glance solely to his sandaled-feet. Tension crackled in the living room that not even Denise dared to mutter a word. Denise and I nervously watched from the foyer. I'm not sure Ollie will make it out of our house in one piece let alone alive if I don't do something to ease the heavy tension.
"There's two sides to a story. While I'm not exactly thrilled about my daughter secretly dating behind our backs, I think we need to hear what she has to say," I began in a neutral tone. No need to further frightened the young lad.
"I'll go retrieve Katie," a male voice replied behind me. I whirled around thinking it was Juan. Wrong. Ian casually leaned against the stairway railing while examining his fingernails. Somewhere between the porch and inside the house, the bowl of popcorn had magically disappeared. I'd been so distracted with defusing this ticking time bomb in the living room to notice Ian had come back inside.
Bones gave an affirmative nod at his cousin. Before I had any chance to give my input, Ian was already halfway up the stairs.
~Katie's POV~
A series of loud knocks rudely awakened me. I rolled off my comfy bed as my bones audibly creaked. I just wanted to be left alone, but it seems that wasn't going to happen. Removing my Beats headphones, I tossed them onto the bed and padded towards the door. I cast a hasty glance at my alarm clock. It was 11: 15 pm. Someone was probably checking up on me since I haven't gone downstairs in several hours.
I cracked the door slightly ajar letting a sliver of light into my dark bedroom. "I'm not hungry. It's been a long day so I was heading to bed early..." I tersely said and proceed to slam the door shut.
I began to close the door, but my attempt was utterly useless. A slender yet muscular pale arm shot out immediately through the crevice. "Your presence is requested downstairs right now. You're either coming on your free will or forcefully. Your choice, Katie." The door swung wide open. Bright light flooded my dark room. After several blinks, my eyes slowly registered my uncle was standing in the hallway.
Uncle Ian never made baseless threats. I might as well go downstairs on my free will rather than being dragged kicking and screaming. I let out a resigned sigh and walked out into the hallway slamming the door behind me.
Whatever this was about, it better be damn worth crawling out of my warm and snuggly bed! If it's for something trivial I'll be very annoyed. There better be a good reason for dragging me downstairs!
Katie has no idea what she's about to walk into...stay tuned for the next chapter of The New Normal!
I appreciate you support for my story!