Wildfire Gospel (Habitat) (36 page)

He stepped back. “How do we survive this?”

I looked away from him. “Honestly, Zulu. I don’t know if we can, but I know one thing for sure, I won’t deal with you anymore until you go into yourself and heal.”

“Healing has nothing to do with this.”

“When did you pay the person to kill MeShack?”

“After I bought you all the dressing gowns and met Graham.”

“Your head wasn’t clear then.”

A wrinkle formed around his brand. “I think it was.”

“You don’t know?” I hated him, but I didn’t like what was happening inside his head either.

“Some of my memories are fuzzy.”

“That happens when pain eats away at your mind.”

He sneered at me.

Laughter came from inside the condo. It sounded like kids, lots of them.

“Who’s in there?” I asked.

“Vee, her witchlings, and Ben.”

“Why?”

“I figured the best way to solve the problem of whether you or her was going to take care of Ben was to just move you two in together.”

Not a bad solution on paper, but in reality Vee would probably kill me with a plant after a day of us living together.

“How much is the rent?” I wiped the raindrops off of my face.

He didn’t say anything, walked up to the doors, slid them open, and stepped his naked behind into the apartment.

“Did you hear me?” I called back and followed him in.

Shades of purple decorated the entire bedroom. It didn’t take a genius to know that Zulu’s convenient launching pad attached to my room and served as an easy entrance and exit for him. Vee’s triplets and Ben painted white stars on the purple wall near the door. When Ben turned around, his face brightened and mouth opened in surprise. “Lanore! Cover your eyes. You’re going to see the surprise.”

“Oh!” I rushed and put my hands over my face. “I didn’t see anything.”

“Are you sure?” Ben’s voice held more joy than I’d ever heard.

“Yes. I didn’t see anything.”

“Zulu, can you take her out? I don’t want her to see the mural yet.”

“Of course. Let me just put on some clothes.” A drawer slid open. At least it sounded like that.
He has clothes in this room too? Great.
The sound of material shifted and then he placed his hand on the center of my back, guided me forward, and whispered in my ear, “Ben loves his new room.”

“How much is the rent?”

“You couldn’t afford it.”

“You don’t know what I can afford.”

“Yes, I do and it’s not this.” A door closed. “You can put your hands down now.”

A huge hallway greeted my eyes. There must’ve been six doors, including mine. At the end of the hallway, was a massive living room with high ceilings. Large cobalt blue couches outlined the walls. A 4D TV rested on the opposite side. In the center, Vee’s teenager Patricia sat on a big box, cutting through an even bigger box with huge scissors. “Hey, Lanore.”

“Hey.”

“Mom’s going crazy with the move.”

“Oh, I bet she is.” I plastered on a fake smile and pulled Zulu back into the hallway. “We’re not together. I’m not taking any money from you or this place. You can’t buy me.”

“You’re already mine. I told you this. My lady doesn’t lay on a wet ground in the rain.”

“What are you and Dad’s problem with rain? You know what never mind. This is crazy and you’re right. I can’t afford this, but—”

“You’re the leader of MFE. You’ve spent your days dedicated to my organization and figuring out my sister’s killers. As long as you lead MFE, you’ll have the condo.”

“That’s Were-bullshit you’re making up so I will stay here.”

He shrugged. “Then how about this. Vee needs a place to stay. She shouldn’t be by herself with all of these kids. Ben needs someone who can take care of him twenty-four seven. Vee could do that while you’re gone. Angel will probably live here with you too. Everything works out. And I’m tired of making love to you in those shabby rooms at MFE.”

“You won’t be making love to me anymore.”

The space thickened with power. His blue and gold eyes transformed to solid black. His cords turned hot white as he walked up to me. I kept backing up and he continued to move forward. A door hit my back. He stopped and left a foot of space between us. He didn’t say anything. His silence scared me. It freaked me out the most, more than the black lines creeping up his skin or the claws that ripped out of his hands. It was whatever I feared that would come out of his mouth.

“What?” I asked.

“Don’t say things to me like that right now.”

“It’s the truth.”

A grumble boomed from his chest. “Don’t. I’m trying.”

“So I should make our break up easier for you?”

“What break up?” His fangs came out.

“This break up.”

“This break up?” He leaned his head to the side. “
That
is not something that I’m going to allow to happen.
That
is something that I’m going to rip out and crush.”

I crossed my arms around my chest. “You’re going to kill our break up and crush it?”

“Yes. I’m going to rip its fucking heart out and stomp on it.”

“Do I need to explain how that is illogical?”

He roared. The walls rattled. Patricia shrieked. Several doors opened. Kids and Vee peeked out to see the commotion.

“Don’t worry, witchlings,” Vee called out. “Go on. It’s just Lanore being mean to Zulu.”

“Hey!” I held my hands out. “I’m not the one in trouble here.”

“Leave him alone, before I have my plants talk to you.” She pointed at me and then shut the door.

“I’ll set your plants on fire!”

Patricia gasped. Vee ignored my comment and said nothing else through the door, but I was sure I’d hear more from her later. It was never a good idea to threaten nature around Witches. I got ready to walk around Zulu, but he stopped me by placing his hand on my chest, right where the beginning of my cleavage met. His fingers shivered against me.

“What are you doing?” I stared at his trembling hand.

“You still love me?”

“Of course, but that means nothing.” I looked into his eyes. “It’s hard for me to just stop loving someone, even though I know deep inside I should hate them. It’s really hard to not forgive the person.”

“Do you forgive me?”

“No. Not yet.”

“When?”

“In time.”

“What can I do to speed that up?”

I gave him a weak grin. “Actually feel bad for trying to kill MeShack is a good start.”

He growled. “It’s a miracle I let him live for so long. Whenever you left me, you returned with his scent all over your body, not a lot to suggest that you were making love to him, but enough to tell me that he had his hands on you and you were forced to push him away.”

“I could handle him.”

“Not enough.” He tilted his head my way. “I could see his beast. MeShack thought he had weeks before his Season ended. He only had days. What do you think he would’ve done, once it ended?”

Guilt hit me. Although I’d done nothing wrong, I hadn’t considered the other side of this situation. MeShack didn’t deserve to be killed, but he’d never been an innocent victim in the situation. If Zulu was right about cheetah coming into maturity, then I might’ve been arguing with MeShack right now instead. MeShack and Dad wouldn’t kill Zulu until the claim was removed, but they would figure out a way behind my back and get it all done. Even now, I would have to consider the fact that they were plotting to research ways to remove his claim. Once they achieved that, he’d be gone. Even worst, Zulu possessed no nifty spell like MeShack to bring him back to me. He would be gone. Dead. I couldn’t bear to think of a life without him, mad at him or not. I avoided his eyes.

“No. Don’t look away from me.” He seized my chin and returned my view to him. “Your father and MeShack would have joined together and done their best to kill me. Do you think they can beat me?”

“Together? Yes.” I shook my head, my heart pounding in my chest as he stopped shaking and moved closer to me. “But, I would have—”

“Your first mistake was thinking you could control MeShack or me.” He pressed his body against mine. Heat spread across my skin when it shouldn’t have. I was supposed to hate him, not see his side. He’d hurt MeShack and although he had several rational points, I needed to be stronger, not the fool, yet again.

He slid his hand over my breast, stopped it at my waist, and drew me to him. My body shivered and it wasn’t from fear.
How pitiful am I?
I didn’t want to move away, but I had to find the strength to do so. He licked his lips. “You know what your second mistake was?”

“No,” I whispered.

“Your second mistake was not pushing me off the balcony, earlier.” He kissed me hard, with no softness or the usual gentleness he’d given me all the times he captured my lips. He consumed me like a hungry and insane man, taking my breath away and yanking out a sad, little whimper from between my lips. When he pulled back, I didn’t want him to stop, but I was grateful he did. It was clear he had the upper hand in that moment and I needed to get away to clear my mind.

“What do you want?” Sadness lathered his words. “I’ll give you anything.”

I tried to think of the first thing that came to my mind. “Go back into yourself. That’s a start.”

He backed up. “Fine.”

I flinched like I’d been slapped. “Fine? All these days and even these past minutes, I’ve been begging you and now all of a sudden it’s fine?”

“Yes. If that’s a start, then that’s where I’ll begin.” His eyes remained black, but at least his cords dimmed back to normal. “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

I tossed him a skeptical look. “Why wait?”

“Because today I want to visit Nona. Did you ever get her address?”

“Yes. Did you hear what I figured out about Mother Earth when I was in my dad’s backyard?”

“Some of it.” He rubbed his whole face with trembling hands. “Get dressed. You can tell me on the way. I bought a new bike.”

He walked off and swayed a little, bumping into the wall. I rushed to him and grabbed his arm. His skin was cold. “Are you okay?”

His back remained to me. “No.”

“We handle this and then you go into yourself tonight. If you protest, I’ll fucking burn you.”

“I can stay—”

“No. You can’t.”

“Will you watch my beast while I’m inside of myself? I don’t have anybody else to do it.”

For some reason, it made me mad that he even needed to ask. Who else would’ve watched him? He was my … what? Man? No. I guess he did have to ask now.

I sighed. “Of course. I’ll watch your beast. You’re the one in trouble with me. I broke up with you, not the Prime. As far as I’m concerned he’s welcome to build a nest above my bed and debate philosophy with me any time.”

He growled, but it sounded different from his usual one as if he was laughing too as he walked away. “Then, I guess our next stop is Nona’s.”

Lanore

Climbing the staircase in Caged View apartments brought back so many memories. MeShack and I moved here almost four years ago, ready to start a new life together and begin college.
School.
I had no doubt in my mind that I’d failed every class this semester, but then I wasn’t sure college fit in my life anymore, especially since I could travel through to other portals.

“You miss this place?” Zulu glanced over my shoulder.

“No way. I had a lot of good memories, but in the end, they were mainly bad.” A deformed corpse dangling in my living room came to my mind. “Yeah. I don’t miss it here.”

Lots of noise came from the different levels. It rained all day. I remember the days when I was forced to stay in the building. Neighbors brought their food or radios out in the hallway as if it was a porch and conversed with people walking by, so much that a little unofficial party would ensue. Once MeShack had smoked the whole floor out and been the life of the party.

He’d also slept with our next-door neighbor by the end of the night. An Elf who stalked him the rest of the month until she finally gave up and moved out.

Today was similar to the rainy days I remembered. Hoards of Shifters, Witches, and others occupied the floor, sitting in folding chairs, passing around beers, and watching three little ones toss a football back and forth. They were cute boys—short blond mohawks, green eyes, chubby cheeks, but slim frames that gave you the impression they would grow up into huge bodies one day. Dread filled my heart when one of them looked up at me. “Hey Lanore! Did you bring Ben?”

“No.” My body stiffened. My breath caught in my throat. “He’s at home.”

All three boys pouted. The tallest one came up to me and tugged my shirt. “Will you bring him next time?”

It was hard for me to breathe or even speak as I gazed down at Nona’s boys. How could I have forgotten them? They played in the warehouse with Ben every time Nona came to meet with her Rebels. I checked Zulu’s face. He wore a hardened mask over it. I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. I couldn’t sense it in our bond.

“Lanore?” one of them said. “Will you bring Ben next time?”

I cleared my throat. “I-I’ll bring him.”

Would you even want to know me after I killed your mom?

Zulu and I rounded the corner as the boys returned to their football throwing. How easy was it to forget that every man and woman in my self-declared war had children, spouses, loved ones, and responsibilities outside of my revenge? My nerves flared on edge. My stomach twisted into knots.

Nona stood at the end of the hallway, laughing with a woman. The Were-dog wore a green running suit and as usual had coordinated it with her hair. A green mohawk sat on top of her head. She laughed some more right before the color drained her face as she spotted Zulu and me. Unlike Zulu, her face was easy to read. Fear crinkled in her eyes. Unease set on her face. She dropped the can of beer, spilling it all over the floor. The woman she’d been talking to rushed to get a towel that lay on a cooler near them and started to clean it up. Nona just froze into her position. Her gaze flickered over our shoulders. I glanced over mine and spotted the boys.

You’re worried about them aren’t you, whether we’ll kill them like you killed Cassie or do worse and kill you right in front of them? Or can you imagine a darker fate?

My anger beat in my chest and mingled with my nervousness. Had the war really come to this? To the point where we didn’t care about who our murders would effect? The urge to take Zulu to the side and talk to him hit me. I needed to know how far we were willing to go. Things were happening too fast. On the ride here, everything seemed so clear. If I hadn’t seen her kids, maybe everything would be the same.
They’ll grow up without her. They’ll know who did it too. How could they not? How would it change or destroy them?
I couldn’t just take him to the side. Nona would run, maybe. I wasn’t sure if she would leave her kids near us or not. It wouldn’t have been smart.

Zulu grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. I hadn’t even realized I’d stopped walking in the middle of the hallway. He’d been careful about touching me, since I told him he couldn’t, but this time he pulled me toward this sick fate.

How did he feel about this? Nona was his friend. They grew up together, survived together.
But she killed his sister.
I parted my lips, but nothing came out.

“Let’s do what we came to do.” Zulu tightened his grip on me.

I nodded.

Nona held her head up high and walked to him. “Zulu. Not here. Not in front of my boys.”

His eyes shifted to those dead eyes and stared blank at her. “Did you kill my sister?”

Nona’s bottom lip quivered. “P-please. M-me answer you. M-me will answer anything y-you have to say, just don’t kill me in front of them.”

My eyes watered. My breathing reached a fast pace.

“Did you walk Cassie into my condo, knowing the bomb would kill her?” His voice held a murderous edge, one that made my legs get the sensation that I was falling.

“Me wasn’t sure it would be a bomb. The blood exploiter might have been bluffing.” She glanced at her sons and then returned back to us. Tears spilled from her eyes. “Me couldn’t kill you. Mother Earth wanted it to be you, but …” she swallowed. “Me couldn’t, so it was Cassie or Lanore.”

“Go into your apartment.” He backed up to let her by. “If you run off, then I’ll just have to spend time with your sons.”

She held her stomach and bobbed her head.

“Mom! Jody keeps hitting me in the head with the ball,” one of her boys yelled behind us.

“I’m not doing it intentionally,” Jody called back.

“Yes, you are,” the boy countered. “Mom!”

Nona made like she was scratching her face and did a quick swipe of her tears. “Me be back out, young ones.”

She opened the door. The woman who’d been talking to her and wiping away the beer, kneeled on the ground. Horror painted her face. She sniffled and buried her face into her hands. I tried to push the woman’s face and Nona’s kids out of my mind, but they wouldn’t leave.

Why is this so easy for Zulu?

We entered my old apartment, now Nona’s place. I didn’t take in the new décor. All I could remember was that it smelled like someone had just baked a fresh batch of oatmeal cookies. I checked the stove and saw a huge plate of them there. Other than that, it was all a blank slate. My whole mind burst with fear. I didn’t know if I could sit through this and not do anything. What could I do?
Zulu would stop if I asked him too, I think.
But then what? Zulu and Nona played a different game of life. They had a short list of people they were loyal to, with barely one or two names on it. They started killing at young ages because they’d been forced too.

If we didn’t kill her, then she would come for us, right?

Or was I just trying to justify the murder of these boys’ mother? Because that was truly who she was. She’d stopped being Nona as soon as I saw those three little faces.

The door closed behind us.

“Give me a knife.” Zulu held my hand tight, which told me he wasn’t talking to me.

Nona walked into the kitchen, pulled out the drawer, came back to him, and handed it over like she was giving him a dollar to go buy a soda. “Will you touch my boys?”

“Have you ever seen me kill a child?”

“No.”

“Then that is your answer. Which room is yours?”

She pointed to MeShack’s old room and walked toward it without being asked. It was on the left side of the apartment and the farthest from the door. She glanced at me. Tears streamed down her face. Snot dripped out of her nose. “Make sure Zulu washes his hands and changes his bloody clothes. M-me don’t want … them to know. Burn my body. Let them think me ran off in fear.”

I swallowed. “Okay.”

“Take them to me mom’s house,” She begged. “Zulu?”

“Okay.” He closed the bedroom door. “Take off your clothes. Go to the back of the room. Put your hands on the wall above your head.”

I covered my mouth with shivering hands.

He looked at me with those same lifeless eyes. “Do you want to leave?”

“No.” The word came out as a squeak. I’d brought him here, given him the address myself. I didn’t get to just bow out, wipe my hands of her blood and kids’ tears, like I had nothing to do with it all. “I’m staying.”

Nona peeled off her clothes. She was tall and just like I figured her muscle covered her whole body. She had not one ounce of fat on her. “Make it quick, please.”

“Is that what you think you deserve?” Zulu got behind her and placed the tip of the silver knife against the center of her back. Her skin burned. Smoke rose from her singing flesh. She gritted her teeth and did her best with holding in her screams by putting part of her fist in her mouth. Still strangled noises escaped.

Zulu cut into her back, zipped the knife up along her spine, and peeled off a strip of skin. Nona swayed a little as she cried out in horror. I hadn’t ate in I don’t know how many days, but my stomach rumbled and I knew I would be vomiting soon.

“Why Cassie and not Lanore?” He threw the strip of flesh on the ground next to her feet.

It took her a minute to compose herself enough to talk, but after she wiped away the sweat around her forehead brand she mumbled, “Your family turned your back on you when you were young. Lanore made you better. Me decided to take Cassie instead.”

He slammed the knife into her right shoulder blade. Screaming, she fell to her knees.

“Get up. I’ve seen you fight. You’ve dealt with worse.” He snatched the knife out of her back. “Getting cut in the back doesn’t feel too good does it? Can you imagine how I felt when I realized you had something to do with this?”

“I only knew that Dante claimed he was going to bomb the condo if you didn’t give him the money.” She stumbled, but rose back to the position she’d been in. Blood dripped down from the wound in her back. “Mother Earth said that you were making a mistake giving them money. Me thought she was right. Me gave the money to her.”

“Where is she now?” Zulu placed the knife near the top of her buttocks and burned a line up to her shoulder. “If you lie to me, I’ll strip you of skin before I kill you. I’ll leave these strips for your sons to find.”

She pressed her forehead against the wall and groaned with pure sadness. “Me haven’t seen Mother Earth after Lanore and her battled on TV. She’s just been calling and leaving me messages. She has an apartment in Oya, but hasn’t gone back there since. Me Rebels been watching it. Only Kegan Burrows left it once, so me went to him.”

“That’s how you and Wildfire Gospel united?” I asked.

“Yes. Once me realized Zulu returned, me had to get more people.”

Without looking at me, Zulu backed up and twirled the knife around in his hand. “You have more questions for Nona?”

“Yes.” I got a hold of myself and came close to Nona. Blood scented the air around her. “What do you know about Mother Earth?”

“Same thing you know.” She stared at me as if pleading for forgiveness in her eyes.

“How did you meet her?”

“She be in MFE warehouse like the rest of us. Talk real good about unity. After a while, me think she real smart to listen to.”

“She ever shift around you?”

“No. But me smell the change on her?”

“Change?”

“Yeah, mon. When me met Zulu, me smell the change on him too. Don’t matter if supe is a Shifter or not, if they skin and bones change, it’s a smell around them.”

“What if she just changed the color of her skin?”

Wrinkles of confusion appeared on her forehead, but she answered anyway, “Me would smell it.”

“You ever work with Dante?”

“No.”

“What about your Rebels?”

“Me smell Vampire on some from time to time. Dem become real dead when me smell it.”

I couldn’t think of anything else so I stepped back. “I-I’m done.”

Zulu walked over to Nona. His knife stood an inch from her back.

“Don’t just let the government take me boys,” Nona begged. “Give dem to me Gina, the one me call me mom.”

Zulu turned his face to me. I’d been squeezing my hands and trying not to close my eyes. For some reason I had to make myself watch. I would be the death of Nona and the destruction of her boys’ hearts as much as Zulu. There would be no escape for my conscious or guilt. He raked his fingers through his hair. “Stay right there, Nona.”

“What?” I think both Nona and me said it at the same time.

Zulu didn’t answer as he stormed my way, snatched my arm, opened the door, and pulled me out right as he shut the door. “Your look.”

I stepped back with shivering my hands. “What look?”

“It’s in your eyes.”

“What’s in my eyes?” I took another step back. My body filled with jittery anxiety.

“You think I’m a monster.”

I opened my mouth and was at lost for words, but I blurted out, “You say you’re a monster all the time.”

“Everyone thinks it and that’s fine, but
you
never thought it.”

“What?”

“You never had that look in your eyes until tonight.”