Chapter Five:
Stiles hasn't slept since last night. She can feel her body and mind becoming sluggish from the lack of sleep. She just lies in the bed, thinking about the choice she has to make. Stiles doesn't want to go home, but she also doesn't want to stay here. All she can think about is how she got here.
"Have you decided?" Camilla appears behind her in the doorway. Stiles' bones nearly jump out of her skin. A long beat passes between them. Camilla just stands there, waiting for an answer. "So….."
"I'll stay." Stiles blurts out. Her mind is frozen, but the choice is for the best. "I'll stay here, but under a few conditions."
"And those are?"
"I am not a slave or a puppet that you can use for your own amusement. I wish not to fed and/or become someone's personal blood bag. And I can have the same freedoms as everyone else." Stiles lays her cards on the table.
"Agreed. Happy, now?" Camilla smiles.
"No, I'm not happy." Stiles states. "There were other places I wanted to go, but now, I have to be stuck here under a family of psychopathic vampires." She can feel the rage boiling in the pit of her stomach. "So, thank you for ruining my time here in this city. I knew I should've went to Carmel instead." Stiles gives Camilla a fake smile before turning her back on her.
"Carmel is beautiful." Camilla reminisces. "My family and I love to travel around the world. After all, we've been here for centuries." Before she leaves, she says: "We're not cave monsters, Stiles. If you stay with us, you will enjoy your time here. I promise you."
Stiles is left to simmer her anger down. Camilla likes her honesty and the fact that she talks to her without fear. And despite Stiles wanting to leave and not stay, she has no choice in the matter. Camilla and her family will catch her before she can run.
(...)
Later
The Social Bar Lounge
A waitress sits four hot plates of food in front of Stiles, Liana, Drake, and Galen. Stiles and Drake are sitting together on one side of the booth while Liana and Galen sit on the other. The food looks wonderful as Stiles' stomach rumbles quietly.
She looks down on her plate to see a triple bacon cheeseburger with white cheddar cheese melting against three well seasoned burgers; all resting between two freshly made buns. Next to the burger are cajun curly fries and small container filled with ketchup. And to wash it all down, she has a nice big glass of cherry lemonade that has cherries floating around the ice.
"Will that be all?" The waitress asks nicely while hiding her lust for Galen and Drake.
"I'll take another beer." Galen replies with a seductive voice. Liana hits his thigh in response, making him slightly jump.
"Coming right up." The waitress leaves for them to each.
"What?" Galen shrugs at Liana.
"So are you two a couple?" Stiles questions without hesitation while taking a bite of one of her fries. Liana coughs as she drinks her ice cold pepsi and rushes to sit the glass down on the table next to her plate of candied spare ribs and fries. Galen's eyes widen at the question as well.
"Uhh, no, no." Liana shakes her head.
"I mean we had a fling." Galen doesn't care if anyone notice it.
"Galen shut up." Liana's eyes bulge at his answer.
Drake can't hide his laughter. The waitress comes back and everyone gets quiet. She sits the beer down in front of Galen.
"On the house." She says before turning to Drake. The waitress tries to hide biting her bottom lip while looking at Drake as if he's sex on a stick. "Is there anything I can get you?" Her voice is sultry. Stiles just rolls her eyes. "Is this your sister?" She asks about Stiles, which makes her grimace a little.
"No, I'm his probation officer." Stiles turns to the waitress with an annoyed look on her face. "Everything's fine. Thank you."
"I wasn't talking to you."
"Well, somebody has to bring some intelligence to this pathetic excuse for a conversation." Stiles comes back, making Galen chuckle.
"Shouldn't you be in school?" The waitress snaps back.
"Shouldn't you be keeping both your lips shut and working? Where is your boss anyway?" Stiles asks while gesturing from the waitress' lips to her virgina.
"I'm not interested." Drake tells the waitress. A long beat passes before the waitress walks away. She stumbles a little bit, but keeps going.
"I like her." Galen gestures to Stiles.
"You didn't have to be so mean." Drake tells Stiles.
"Then she shouldn't have ate some bitch flakes this morning and acted so rudely towards me." Stiles spits back before eating her food. Drake, Galen, and Liana begin to eat theirs as well.
(...)
NYPD Homicide
The Morgue
Camilla and Ioanna are on the crime scene as two police detectives of the NYPD 20th precinct homicide division, Detective Christina Rosa and Darius Stevens, escort them inside the morgue. The ice cold temperature doesn't face the mother or daughter as they see a mortician examining the college student that was torn to pieces by the unknown creature. Camilla and Ioanna's nose twitch at a horrid stench that they cannot figure out.
"I thought we had a deal." Darius is anxious. He whispers the conversation, so no one else hears what he's saying. "The vampires stay quiet, we keep them supplied with the blood banks, and no one gets hurt."
"I rest assure you that I have every single vampire in this city under my family's control. No one would dare step out of line."
"Something ripped that kid's chest open and ate what was inside." Rosa is suspicious.
"Vampires don't eat flesh or organs. We drink the blood humans and that is all." Ioanna reacts calmly.
"Well, if it wasn't you then who was it, because this could draw unwanted attention, especially from the hunters?" Darius is nervous about the thought.
"It could be a werewolf." Rosa suggests.
Ioanna goes over to the body, only to have the stench become stronger. Camilla goes over as well to observe the corpse.
"Werewolves don't eat organs either. They only eat the flesh." Camilla responds.
"We'll put out an order for the vampires to watch after the city. Whatever this creature is, they have a full stomach now and would probably be resting until it gets hungry again." Camilla says. "Tonight, we'll be introducing the newest member of our family to every single vampire in the city limits."
"New family member?" Rosa is confused.
"Yes, I have a new adoptive daughter." Camilla smiles. "Now, Ioanna and I must take our leave. Tonight, we'll be throwing our newest member a welcome home party."
"Yeah. Let's go." Ioanna can't wait to leave. "I hate the stench of death. It's depressing."
Camilla and Ioanna take their leave. Both of them along with the detectives wonder what new threat lies ahead of them. All they can do now is the vampires to track the threat. Until then, more lives are at risk.
(...)
The Afternoon
Cafe Wha?
Stiles and Drake are having a beer together while a live blues and hard rock band plays in front of a large crowd of people. A female bartender in her early 40s approaches Stiles and Drake with a bottle of tequila in her hands. Three shot glasses are sat in front of them as the woman smiles. Her brunette hair is curly. Her skin is made of chocolate with a gold shimmer. The woman is beautiful as her slender body and breast snugs against her black shirt and her ass squeezing in her tight apple bottom jeans. She has swag, but beneath all of that, she has a lot of wisdom.
"Let's have a toast." The woman pours tequila in the three shot glasses. "To the newest member of the family." Drake, Stiles, and the woman's glasses clash softly before they shove the alcohol down their throats. Stiles face grimace a little from the strong alcohol.
"So, uh, are you a vampire?" Stiles questions with a soft voice.
"Oh, no, baby." The woman shakes her head in the most playful way. "I'm mother earth herself, the queen of the moon….and the alpha of NYC's most powerful wolf pack." Stiles' eyes bulge at the realization.
"You're a werewolf?" Stiles is stunned.
"Yes, baby. Born and bred." The woman says.
"My family and Tammy's pack have an alliance. We believe that we shouldn't be common enemies, instead, we should stick together." Drake clears his throat.
"That's...good." Stiles shrugs. The woman now known as Tammy sniffs.
"You smell like a wolf too, but there's something else there beside that." Tammy sniffs.
"I once belonged to a pack in California. They ditched me." Stiles says.
"Aww, now why would they do that?" Tammy asks, pouring them another shot.
"Because I'm a liability. I'm not a wolf. I was useless to them." Stiles is hurt saying this.
"But you're not entirely human." Tammy points out. "They're dumb for not giving you the bite."
"I'm a…." Stiles begins to say, but is cut off by Drake.
"She's a witch." He says, which makes Stiles glance at him for a second.
"Ooh, a witch." Tammy looks at Drake. "Two witches in the same family."
"Well, we have to stick together." Stiles raises her glass and the other two does the same. They drink before making a sour face.
"Hey, Tammy!" Another bar girl approaches her. "Paul is in the back looking for you." Tammy puts her glass down in response.
"I'll see you two later." She walks away with a smile and heads through a door next to the bar.
Stiles looks over to see another guy checking her out. He's good looking and young. She doesn't know how to act as she begins to fidget and puts her head down blushing. Drake sees this going on and can't help to ask.
"Why do you do that?" Drake wonders.
"I...uh...don't know." Stiles shrugs.
"You shouldn't be fidgeting." Drake says.
"And why is that?" Stiles asks.
"Because you're beautiful." Drake's answer makes her blush.
"Me? Beautiful?" Stiles chuckles, not believing him.
"See, you lack confidence. You shouldn't be afraid to express yourself physically." Drake suddenly takes his thumb and index finger and takes Stiles' chin to lift her head to his. Their eyes meet as his hand falls to his lap. "Why can't you accept that you're gorgeous? Tell me."
"Well…" Stiles thinks. Drake's eyes are sincere. "I never really had any luck in the dating department. Most guys back where I live wouldn't even make a pass at me. While my friend, Scott, got to go to all the dances and would have girls fall for him, I was just the token friend and the doormat. And that was even my position when it came to my pack."
"So, not one of them tried to mate with you?" Drake questions.
"No. They were more interested in my friend, Lydia, or these two crazy chicks that killed so many people, or other supernatural beings. While everyone was falling in love, having sex, and riding the gravy train, I was left behind."
"That's a shame." Drake shakes his head. "They missed out. If you were my woman, I would treat you like the queen you are."
"I-I'm a queen?" Stiles stutters.
"Of course you are. You're pack is filled with a bunch of dumbasses for passing you up." Drake states. "Too blind to see what a prize you are."
Drake turns and rests his elbows against the bar. He sighs heavily. Stiles is still reeling from his words. Her heart strains, but not painfully. The strain is more good than bad. She has never heard someone say that to her as butterflies swarm in her stomach.
"Tonight, we're going to a party. You are very welcome to come. All the vampires and wolves in this city will be attending." This makes Stiles' nervous. "But none of them will harm you. You have my word." Drake looks at her nervous expression. "But we must keep your identity safe."
"Why?" Stiles asks.
"Because you're a spark." Drake says, lowering his voice. "If people knew of your power, some will try to take you as theirs. I'm doing this for your own protection, so you don't get hurt."
Stiles looks on while taking another shot of tequila. Meanwhile, in the back of the bar, Tammy is listening to the entire conversation. Her expression is troubled as she realizes what Stiles' truly is.
A/N: I KNOW THAT IT'S BEEN A WHILE. SORRY THAT THIS CHAPTER IS SO SHORT. THE NEXT ONE WILL BE LONGER.
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