Taming the Night (Creatures of the Night Book 1) (20 page)

Al cried out as she sat up. It took her some time to realize that she was in the back seat of a sports car. Dawn was approaching and they were doing well over the speed limit.

“Good morning.”

The deep masculine voice was like a balm to her wounded soul. She reached up and wiped
away a stray tear. Her arm felt raw and there was a pinching pain in her shoulder. She took a deep breath before she reached up and pulled at the surgical thread. It took some effort to pull the string from the nearly healed skin and she began to bleed again.

“You okay? You in pain?
” Jerry asked from the front seat.

“You been driving all day and night,” she asked in way of an answer. She stripped from her tattered clothes before she turned and looked over her shoulder. The rearview confirmed her fears.
The skin had been ripped from her back along with her tattoo. “We have to find a tattoo parlor. Where are we?”

“Somewhere between
North Carolina and Nevada. Maybe Kansas.”

She reached into the front seat and pulled her satchel back. She pulled on her leather pants and bustier. She then tied her hair up with a leather strip.

“This might be a dumb question but… do you all grow your hair that long? It seems like it would be hard to keep up with all that hair and outside of the middle ages I don’t think men wearing their hair as long as the twins did has been in style… ever.”

She climbed into the front seat and hit the button
on the side of the seat so she could recline. “This is a nice car. Where did you get it?” she asked as she lifted her arm to start digging out some rocks that had gotten embedded in it. It was a bitch when open wounds got rocks in them and then flesh healed over it. It was more uncomfortable than anything else. Rocks in her blood stream made her heart beat funny for a while and seeing that it was the only organ that seemed to still work she would rather have it running properly.

“You don’t want to know,” he replied and she could tell by his tone that he was serious.

She smiled wryly. “So… You’ve been to the dark side
nest-ce pa
? Now you know a little what it is like for me all the time,” she said seeing the haunted look in his eyes.

“Now I know,” he replied. “But you avoided my question.”

“Our hair… Our hair is different now. Our hair is no longer dead cells just hanging off of our head. It is alive.”

“
What, like… Medusa?”

She smiled and tilted her head to look at him. It was so easy to be with him. He made things feel so normal when things hadn’t been normal for a very long time. She wasn’t even sure what normal was anymore. She’d departed from normal so long ago that sometimes it felt like she lived in a perpetual dream state. Feeling uncomfortable she looked forward.

“I could show you,” she said.

He looked uncertain for a moment but curious. She concentrated and her hair went from straight to tight bouncy curls. Again, instead of freaking out he smiled tenderly. “You’re hair looks nice like that.”

She shook her head and it went back to being straight. “I would have to keep thinking about it to keep it that way because my hair is naturally straight. I don’t plan on going to any fancy parties any time soon so there’s no point.”

“Well. I suppose I’ll have to look for a reason to take you to a fancy party,” he said with an easy grin.

She laughed out loud at that. “You would take me to a fancy party? Then what? Home to meet your mother?”

“I don’t know about that.”

“What? I am good enough for a party but too wild fo yo mama?”

“Na
h. My ma might be too wild for you.”

Again she felt a laugh bubble up from her soul.
She hadn’t just laughed like this for a long time and she was tempted to just give him a big ole kiss. She didn’t want him to read too much into such an intimate caress, however. Having a romp in the sheets was one thing but this, in these close confines, would mean something completely different.

“We need to get some rest and I need to find a tattoo parlor,” she said feeling the pull of fatigue. Her external looked alright but she needed more time to heal internally.

He took the exit that indicated there was a hotel and mall. They checked in and she noticed the wad of cash he pulled out to pay for the rooms. She was also keenly aware of the fact that he had gotten two rooms instead of one. When they got back to the car she reached in for the satchel and sent him a piercing look.

“You want to stash some of that cash
in the glove box so no one thinks we robbed a bank or are drug dealers?
Conasse
.”

He reached into his pocket and did as she s
aid. “What bug got up your butt?” he asked as he followed behind her. Their rooms weren’t far from the car.

“Do
not worry yourself about little ole me. I’ll be in my room until noon. No self respectin’ tattoo parlor opens before noon.”

*

He didn’t get a chance to say anything else before her door slammed in his face. He knew why she was mad. He hadn’t meant to offend her. He just hadn’t wanted to be the type of man who assumed that because they had made love once that they would from then on be sharing a room. Perhaps he hadn’t made the right choice. He shook his head and fatigue took over his mind. It might be better this way.

He entered his room and pulled the blinds closed. He cranked up the AC before he found the remote and turned on the TV. He went into the bathroom and turned the shower on to heat. He couldn’t remember when he’d showered last. A story blar
ing out on the TV caught his ear. He left the bathroom and hit the volume button.

“In today’s top stories, there has been a bizarre accident in
Fountain Inn, North Carolina. The family home of CEO Trent Myers was set ablaze in the predawn hours yesterday and it appears that the entire family was trapped inside. There looks to have been some type of chemical lab in the basement, possibly Meth, and the lab exploded, killing the four members of the family as well as a maid, a butler, and a gardner. It is unknown if CEO Myers was aware that a lab was in his basement but his son, Steven Myers, has a prior record for marijuana use. Authorities are checking into any illegal activities on the part of Steven Myers. It appears that there were so many chemicals used to make Meth stored in the basement, however, that the bodies may have been completely incinerated...”

A picture of the smiling family flashed across the screen.
His stomach flip flopped as he saw the faces that had stared up at him from the family photo he had held only yesterday. The report went on to say several other things about the dangers of the Meth labs and what one should do if they suspected a neighbor might be hiding a Meth lab in their home. Jerry had stopped listening by then.

He took a deep breath before tossing the remote on the bed and heading to the bathroom. The water was hot and he quickly stripped. He stood under the spray for a full minute and watched the pink tinted water run down the drain. He was covered in blood and filth and his hair was too long and his beard was starting to itch
and his leg wound felt like it was still on fire. He looked over at his cast for the first time and saw how gory and ugly it had gotten.

He reached for a rag and did his best to scrub it clean without actually getting it wet. He saw himself in the mirror then and fear stabbed him in the chest. He didn’t even recognize himself. What had he gotten himself in to? He was a cop and instead of reporting the scene of that crime to the authorities
, he had stolen the man’s money and his car. Not only that, but apparently Al’s secret organization had covered up what had really happened at the house. Now no one would ever know the truth. No one but him.

What kind of a life was this for a man to lead? He reached out to the countertop for the little razor they had in a
plastic bag, similar to the one they used to seal plastic silverware. He opened the bag, lathered his face with soap, and began shaving. He would have to wait on a hair cut but by the end of the day he would have clean clothes, cut hair, and a clean face. He had to take control of himself and his life again.

Chapter Eleven

Alicia opened the door and had to pause for a moment. The smile spread wide across her face as she looked out at the renewed Officer Cayman.

“Well. It looks like you found your starch
again sweetheart,” she said. She observed the straight crease in his kaki pants and the plain white t-shirt beneath his button up plaid shirt. If it weren’t for the tennis shoes he could have been all the way prep.

“I never lost it. I was just dressing out of necessity rather than choice before.
It looks like you’re on the hunt for more than wolves today,” he said as he eyed her slowly up and down. She wore her leather pants, her red bustier and silver spiked earrings. She felt herself grow warm under his scrutiny despite her earlier resolve to give him the cold shoulder.

“You are right about that sugar,” she said teasingly but he didn’t even crack a smile. Damn but he was serious all of a sudden… and it was turning her on.

“If you are ready to leave, I am.”

“
My, my. Starch in the words too? Now this is why I said you could never be anythin’ but a cop.”

She spun and headed back into the room and emerged with the satchel. She followed behind him and noticed that starch had not only returned to his pants
and speech. It had returned to his spine as well. His muscled back and torso were stiff and ramrod straight. He would do a state trooper proud. How sexy was it to see a man like that loose control?

Oh how she wanted to take all the starch out of him again, but they had already gone there once and apparently he was through. She wouldn’t review too closely the pang of regret that entered her gut and other organs, but she knew it was for the best. He should have never gotten mixed up with her in the first place, which she had tried to tell him. The ride to the nearest mall was silent and she was glad for the awkward silence. If he had returned to the playful banter of the morning, she might have jumped him before he could even hit the brakes.

The tattoo parlor they found was rundown and crusty looking, just the way she liked them. She pulled out a photo and headed into the shop. Jerry stood outside and waited at her request. She didn’t want any attention taken from her or she might not get what she wanted. She found three very tattooed men in the shop and smiled. Normally the artists wouldn’t work more than one section of the back at a time but with her long legs and big pleading eyes she finally convinced all three to go to work at once.

They were hesitant at first but when she pretended the pain was pleasure and made certain noises they worked with much more concentration and speed. When all she gave them was a few hundred dollars and a smile at the end of the session, they were not at all disappointed. The head tattoo artists insisted that she sign a waiver and wear a bandage so she did, until she got outside and ripped it off
, winking seductively over her shoulder as she did. They all watched her amazed from the shop window as she wrapped her bustier back on and zipped it without so much as an ouch.

Had Jerry not been with her
she would have had a bite to eat before leaving them, but it just didn’t feel right taking from another man while he was waiting for her outside. She wouldn’t review that too closely either. Night was almost on them and they were in the flatlands when Al’s phone rang. She picked up on the third ring.

“Who is this?
” she asked right away since she hadn’t recognized the number. Bateman should have been the only one with this number.

“Put him on the phone.”

Al looked over at Jerry who was concentrating on the road. “Who?”

“The Easter Bunny. Who do you think bitch? Put him on the phone.”

Al clicked the phone closed before turning on Jerry. “Who did you call on my phone!”

He blinked and shook his head. “The only person I called on your phone was Bateman.”

The phone began ringing again. “Then who is this bitch,” she asked as she handed him the phone.

“Hello,” he answered with a question in his voice. She saw his face take on a myriad of changes and then settle on outrage.

“Cherish. I don’t have time to play any games with you. Whatever you have
to say to me can wait until I-” Suddenly his face turned ashen and he looked towards Al with fear in his eyes. “I don’t understand. What-”

Al waited as he listened to what the woman was saying. He hung up the phone and handed it back to her. Night had already fallen and they had a full tank of gas. They were speeding along keeping just ahead of the wolves who were running alongside them in the rows and rows of corn, wheat, and tall grass.

“What the hell was that?” she asked as she saw the confusion on his face.

“My… ex-wife says we need to turn around.”

“Why the hell would we-”

“She has my mother and my uncle. She says that you should call Bateman and that he will explain to you about her family. She says to ask him about the name Imam.”

“Merde! How the hell does she know about Bateman! Did you go blabin’ to your Uncle about everything I told you?”

Jerry sent her a sharp look and she relented for a moment. He did do dumb things sometimes but even he wouldn’t have been that dumb. She flipped open her cell and hit the speed dial that connected her to Bateman.

“Al?”

“Hello sexy,
” she said in a slightly cheerful slightly sarcastic tone.

“Where the fuck are you! The twins are dead, I’ve had to release a cover up, I thought you were hauling ass back here to Vegas! You should be
here all fucking ready and we found your bike ditched in the woods. Fat lot of good GPS does us if you aren’t on the bike! You are completely off the grid and you are carrying a fucking civilian with you! You are lucky your head is still attached to your shoulders and they haven’t split your ass into a million pieces!”

Bateman was not normally one to loose his cool so she could tell that things were getting dicey.
“Well. Here’s some news for you, mon ami. The twins, they were mowed down by a horde, yes an actual horde, of wolves who were after Jerry because he is a balance. I did get my ass chewed up more than once because of it. I’m fine by the way, thanks for asking.”

Bateman sputtered as he searched for a reply.
“Who told you he was a balance?” he finally stammered out.

“The twins, before they stayed behind and gave their lives so I could get him away. The wolves have gone crazy trying to get to him and have risked exposure several times to try and get to him. They are
biting people and turning them quicker than I can kill them. They are coming from every where and they are organizing attacks, Bateman. What is a balance and what the hell is going on!”

“Look. It’s too much to tell you on the phone. You just get him back here. We can protect him better than you can out there on your own.”

“There’s something else,” Al said as she looked over at Jerry who was taking the next exit. He crossed the bridge and got the onramp headed back the way they had come.

“Look out,” she shouted as a few wolves left the
cover of the tall grass at the side of the road.

Jerry plowed through them without slowing down at
all. She grabbed a stray arm that had come in through the window and tossed it out. Jerry used the windshield wipers to clean away blood, hair, and other debris as he shifted gears and went even faster. Her heart sped up as she saw him really let loose for the first time. With his hair whipping in the wind and a gleam in his eye he looked wilder than she could have ever been. Damn that was sexy!

“Al? What the hell was that, are you all right?”

“Yes,” she said a little huskier than she meant. She cleared her throat and focused on the phone call. “Apparently Jerry’s ex-wife has kidnapped his mother and uncle.”

“
What does that have to do with-”

“She said that I should
call you and tell you her original family name. Imam.”

The phone was silent for so long that Al thought he wouldn’t continue. Finally she said his name again.
“Yes. I am here.”

She waited again as it sounded like Bateman started up his computer and shuffled through a ton of papers. “Bateman,” she prompted yet again.

“Okay. Al. Here’s what you need to know. Jerry is a balance and the wolves want him.”

“Duh. I think I figured that out all on my lonesome
, cher. What about it? Why do they want him?”

“Okay. Once every thousand years there is born
what is called a balance. Usually a balance doesn’t come of breading age until his late to mid-thirties, but there is always something in them that attracts the wolves. Like you, he was born with something in his blood.” Some papers shuffled in the background and then Bateman tapped away at the keys on his computer.

“When the balance comes of age he
releases a pheromone that calls to the wolves but…”

“But what?”

“But they would have to be near him in order to notice the smell. He is something of a magnet, like you are, but his scent is not nearly as far reaching as yours. He is a weak magnet and instead of making the wolves hungry, his scent makes them want to mate.”

“Mate? You mean with each other?
” she asked as she looked over at Jerry. He had a single minded purpose at the moment. To get back to his Mother and Uncle. He obviously wasn’t even paying attention to what she was saying on the phone.

“No. Not with each other.”

“But… but there were males too.”

“Yes. Their goal is to ensure that a female is mated to the balance.”

Al had a sudden vision of one of the grotesque monsters mating with Jerry. She had to scrub her mind of such images. If she could throw up she would have done it. “What happens if they mate?”

“If they are successful in the mating then they will produce a day walker.”

She blinked a few times as she leaned forward. “A what?”

“A wolf… that looks like a human, that talks like a human, that walks in sunlight, and who is not ruled by the need to feed. They eat and change only when they choose or need to.”

She cursed viciously and this time Jerry looked over at her with a worried gaze.

“What?
” he asked. She shook her head and put up a hand to silence him.

“So what does this have to do with Jerry’s ex?”

“The Imam are the only day walkers to ever come into existence,” he tapped at the computer again before he said more. “They are hunted, but they have also hunted the balances throughout the ages. We usually keep a good eye on them, but recently a small part of the family broke away. We believe they have changed their looks and their names and gone completely off the grid. Their numbers have gotten so small that they need this balance with a fierceness. They can not breed with their own males. They need the balance.”

It was a lot to take in and she was digesting it for a moment before sh
e spoke again. “And Jerry’s ex-”

“She’s a day walker and apparently she’s already had him. If a day walker attempts to mate with a balance before he has come of age, then their children will not survive. But once he does come of age…”

Al looked at Jerry again. No wonder he had been so weird when she’d asked him weather or not he had any kids. Apparently they had tried and failed to have children.

“I’ll call you back,” she said as she hung up the phone.

“What? What did he say? The wolves want to mate with me?”

“Tell me about your ex-wife.”

He looked at her like she was nuts. “What does that have to do with-”

“I said tell me about your ex-wife,” she said in a more commanding tone.

He licked his lips and took a deep breath as he looked forward. “In the beginning it was good. She made me believe she was in love with me… then when we got pregnant she acted as if I didn’t even exist. I thought it might have been pregnancy hormones but soon she didn’t even want to touch me. Then…”

“Then what,” she prompted more gently.

His mouth was set in a firm line but he clearly forced the answer from his lips. “Then she lost the baby in the middle of the night. She was inconsolable and insisted that we try again almost immediately. I thought it was strange but gave in. I just wanted my wife back so I did it. We got pregnant again and again it was as if I was just an after thought. When she lost that baby it was as if she were angry with me. It was as if she blamed me for it. She…”

She waited patiently for him to go on. “She became abusive. She berated me because I wouldn’t hit her back but I had my career to think about. I gave her what she wanted and she almost carried that baby to term. That was when I found out her dirty little secret.” Moisture gathered in his eyes and she could tell that he hated for her to see the weakness there.

“She was married in Pakistan.”

“
Non! She was married?” Al asked incredulously.

“It wasn’t officially documented on her passport but it was an unofficial ceremony and she had the certificate in her things. When I asked her about it she laughed in my face and said that she was married to a real man. She said that she wanted a white son and that was the only reason that she was with me. She said that I would stay with her because of our son
, and even if I didn’t, I would always be his father and therefore I would always have to be in contact with her.”