Eliana and I both stared at the unmoving man. He lay in an awkward sprawled position, his legs slightly folded under him. His head lolled slightly to the side, showing his eyes closed and lips slack. A bit of drool started to run from the corner of his mouth.
“Please tell me I didn’t kill him,” Eliana said in a panicked voice.
I squatted down beside him and felt for a pulse. The wind gusted through the alley, ruffling his hair.
“He’s alive.” I lightly slapped his cheek, but he didn’t respond.
“You don’t still want to hit him, do you?” she asked.
“No. Not really.” Most of my anger had faded the moment his eyes had rolled back into his head. I wedged my hands under him and gave him a shove to roll him over to his side.
“You don’t want to jump him, do you?” I asked.
“Ugh! No. I’m feeling a little sick, honestly. That was the most disgusting thing I’ve ever done.”
“So sexual energy doesn’t taste like chicken?” I asked, smirking as I pulled out his wallet.
“Not even close. It’ll be easy to stop feeding if it always tastes like moldy cheeseburgers. Although, I’m not sure how I’ll ever again be able to start in the first place. Are you robbing him?”
I grinned at her and opened his wallet.
“No. Not robbing him. Though, I’d make a fortune. There’s at least a grand in here.”
Continuing to look through the contents, I found his pictures. Polaroid’s of girls and boys too young to be of age.
“Now, I’m going to be sick,” I said. “We need to get Trammer.”
“He’s on his way,” Oanen said. I looked up and saw him standing by the entry to the alley. He had his phone in one hand, and my cup of pie in the other.
“How much trouble are we in?” I asked, standing.
“None. You didn’t hurt him, and Eliana did what Adira wanted. Fed without killing.”
“I hope I never have to do that again,” she said with a shudder.
“Feeding, my dear, is a part of your life,” Adira said from behind me.
I yipped and spun around. Adira stood a few steps away, her grey pantsuit matching the stormy sky above.
“When did you get here?”
“Just now. Well done on your first feeding, Eliana. You’re free to spend the rest of the day as you’d like.”
“What about me?”
“Did you do as I asked?”
“He’s not bleeding, is he?”
“Then you are free to do as you’d like, as well.”
“That’s it? You’re not going to tell me what the point of this was?”
“No.”
“Seriously? Everyone else knows what they are? So what’s the big deal? Why keep what I am a secret from me?”
“We’ll talk more Monday.”
With a wave of her hand, a portal opened and Adira disappeared through it.
“Way less than helpful,” I said.
“Eliana, can you go watch for Fenris and Trammer?” Oanen asked.
She gave me a quick, sympathetic look then left me alone with Oanen and the knocked-out man.
Oanen walked toward me and handed over the cup of pie. However, he didn’t release his hold when I gripped the cup.
“Your ignorance is a gift. By not knowing what you are, you don’t have to conform. You don’t need to be what everyone thinks you should be. You decide for yourself who you want to be. So stop whining about what you don’t know and focus on what you do.”
Eliana was right. He did like to lecture.
“And what do I know?” I asked.
“That you’re not human. So stop trying to act like one.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I dropped my hand from the cup, too annoyed to take it now.
Before he could answer, I heard Fenris’ voice.
“Trammer, you might want to lay off the extra portions. The sound of your heavy breathing is going to let everyone know there’s something wrong.”
The tittering laugh that followed Fenris’ remark spiked my already simmering temper.
“Behave, Megan,” Oanen warned softly just before Fenris rounded the corner.
Only a few steps behind Fenris, Aubrey looked at me with narrowed eyes as she walked into the alley but said nothing. Instead, she focused on the man laid out on the ground nearby. Moving closer, she studied Jesse’s face.
Behind her, a red-faced Trammer joined us. His irritated gaze swept over me and Oanen as a pale and shaky Eliana entered the alley last.
“Well, that’s one less human to worry about,” Aubrey said with a laugh.
Because she was facing me, she missed Trammer’s angry glare. I didn’t care so much about his opinion, but I did care about Eliana’s. When she paled further and tears gathered in her eyes at Aubrey’s insensitive words, my anger surged.
Without consciously deciding to do so, I balled up my fist and slugged Aubrey in the face. The satisfying sound of flesh hitting flesh brought a smile to my lips as her head snapped to the side. Her growl filled the air, and her face went from human valley-girl to freakishly fur-faced monster from a bad Hollywood movie.
As she changed, Fenris stepped between us.
“Enough, Aubrey.” His growl cut hers short. Her face immediately reverted back to valley-girl.
“I don’t have time for this,” Trammer said. “Just show me the human you think did something wrong.”
“We think?” I said, turning the remnants of my temper on him. “We know. Look at his wallet, Trammer. He has kiddie porn pictures in there. And he described in detail how he would sell Eliana after he was done raping her.”
He bent down, tapped the guy’s face, then looked at his wallet like I had.
“Well, we’ll see what the Council wants to do with him after they wipe his memory.”
“What do you mean?”
He stood and crossed his arms.
“I can’t press charges against him for the photographs because he’d need to go to court. Uttira doesn’t have court. That means the two of you would be witnesses out there in the real world. And, what would you tell any law enforcement out there, anyway? My succubus friend was feeling a little munchy, and we decided to go for a pedophile?”
“Trammer,” Oanen said, sharply.
The sheriff looked at Oanen, no trace of guilt or remorse on his face.
“It’s the truth.”
“Seriously?” I said. “A man who admitted to human trafficking is going to be let loose?”
Trammer shook his head at me as if he was disappointed.
“Because the secrets of Uttira could be jeopardized if the Council chose to pursue charges? Yes. Now, get out of here. Fenris and I will get him to the Council for the memory wipe.”
I glanced at Fenris in time to catch his look of distaste before he stepped forward and helped hoist the man to his feet.
I couldn’t believe that man would just go free. Rage boiled under my skin. I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to hurt Trammer, too, as if he were the one responsible. But based on Oanen’s firm scolding, Trammer wasn’t to blame. The fault lay with Eliana and me. My actions let this happen, and I wanted to yell my frustration.
Eliana grabbed my hand and some of the emotion slipped away. Her hand shook just as badly as mine, though. Together, we watched Fenris and Trammer haul Jesse away. Aubrey shot me a look that promised retribution as she followed.
“I need to go home,” I said, my voice tight.
“I’ll take you both,” Oanen said.
I started down the alley, Eliana gripping my hand. Neither of us spoke once we reached the main thoroughfare. She took over and led me in the direction of where we’d parked. The distant car became a beacon of escape from the press of bodies.
Eliana handed the keys to Oanen and insisted I sit in front. Closing the door on the noise of the festival crowd, I buckled my seatbelt as Oanen slid in behind the wheel.
“It’s not your fault, Eliana,” Oanen said firmly once he’d pulled away from the curb. We weren’t the only ones leaving. The dark clouds that looked like impending rain were sending the humans scurrying for their vehicles, too.
I glanced back at Eliana and saw her guilt-stricken face.
“It’s not,” I agreed.
She gave me a small nod.
“The Council will make sure to manipulate that man’s mind in a way that he’ll get caught so he can pay for his past crimes,” Oanen assured us both.
“How quickly, though?” I asked.
“It’ll most likely depend on the man and what he confesses to them,” he answered.
“Not good enough. If we’d been anything other than what we are, he would have raped Eliana and had us in his trunk or something.”
Oanen turned into a more spacious neighborhood with well-cared for lawns and took the columned driveway at the end of the street. The pristine tree-lined lane led to a sprawling stone house that looked as old as the Academy.
“Do you want to come in?” Eliana asked.
I gave the house a long look and shook my head.
“I’ll see you Monday,” I said.
“Okay. I’ll pick you up at seven again.”
Eliana got out and closed her door, heading toward the front entry as Oanen turned around. I waited until he was on the road again before picking up our conversation from before Trammer’s interruption.
“What did you mean when you said I’m acting like a human? What other way is there to act?”
“You aren’t human, so neither are your emotions. Stop treating your anger like it’s normal. Adira is telling you to pay attention to it because it might be more than just a part of what you are.”
“And the part about not conforming, where you called me a whiner?”
“Right now, you can be anything you want to be. Embrace it. Because once you know, they’re going to treat you like a tiny gear in a large machine and nudge you into the right place for our world.”
“Is that what they did to you?”
His non-answer confirmed the question.
“If you were me, what would you do?”
“Not worry so much about what I am and just learn everything I can about the new world I just discovered.”
“Oh, like what?”
“The history of it. The creatures you’ll likely encounter. Their strengths and weaknesses. Why they exist.”
I had to admit, the topic of conversation piqued my interest.
“And where would a girl learn about all of that? Apparently, it’s impolite to just ask people, and I didn’t see that topic in any of the lecture notes.”
“I’ll teach you.”
The offer made me immediately suspicious.
“Why?”
“Because of Eliana. Because I understand what it’s like to come into this life and not know anything. Because…just because.”
Oanen finally left the festival crowds behind and made his way toward the outskirts of town.
“Okay. Fine. Where should we start?” I asked.
“The most important thing for you to know is that the gods are real.”
“Which ones?” I asked, humoring him.
“Zeus, Oden, Hera, Frigg, Thor, Loki, Hades. All of them. And, just like an overpaid CEO of a global corporation, they’ve each had their time in the spotlight. The waning adoration of the humans they so obsessed over brought an end to each reign. While knowledge of them faded into myth, the mementos of their reign, creatures like us that they left behind, have struggled to remain myth as well.”
I thought about what he was saying for a moment.
“Why does it matter if I was created or just popped into existence by natural evolution?”
“If something created you, don’t you want to know why?”
“Yeah. I guess so. But doesn’t that start tying into what I am? I thought my whiner self wasn’t supposed to focus on that?”
“You don’t let things go easily, do you?”
“Nope.”
He sighed.
“The ‘why’ ties into our purpose and our abilities, which is where you should focus. The gods had their own reasons for creating whatever they left behind. Most wanted to protect the humans. Some grew jealous of the humans’ quick, passionate lives and created creatures to hurt them.”
Hurting others sure seemed to be another one of my superpowers.
“Ah, crap. Does that mean I’m playing for Team Jackass?”
He snorted.
“It doesn’t have to be that black and white. Look at Eliana. Her kind is supposed to feed on humans, use them and leave them in thrall. She won’t do that. She can but won’t. Even if we have no control over what we are, we can still try to choose who we want to be.”
Instead of stopping in front of the house, he pulled into the driveway.
“Try?” I asked, opening my door.
He shut off the car and got out as well.
“Sometimes, like Eliana, it’s a fight against your nature. It’s a conscious choice every moment.” He followed me to the back door. “I’ve seen you angry. I’ve seen you attack Aubrey for very little reason.”
“Says you. She’s a bitch. I consider that a huge reason.” I opened the door and went inside, going to the fridge since I hadn’t really eaten anything at the festival.
“My point is, I’ve seen you let your anger take over, and now I’ve seen you hold back. That means you have a choice. You can resist your instincts if you want. You can try to be who you want.”
“I didn’t resist my instincts at all. It was just about how I got what I wanted. I wanted that man hurt and figured out a way that wouldn’t get me in trouble so I could still help Eliana.” I pulled out the leftover lasagna and showed it to him.
“Want some?” I asked.
“Yes, please.” He sat at the table and studied me while I got out the plates and heated two pieces.
“Why not hit him right away like you did with Aubrey?”
While I thought about it for a minute, the microwave beeped, and I gave Oanen his food before warming up some more for myself.
“Aubrey’s my age. I knew I’d get in less trouble fighting with her because we mutually antagonize each other. Maybe, I’ve just gotten smarter about targeting adults with my superpowers after my last run-in, which landed me in anger management counseling for three months.”
“Sounds less than fun,” he commented.
“Yep. It was.” But had twenty-four of those hour-long sessions really been enough to bore me out of impulsive fighting? No. I’d gone right back to it. Oanen was right. Why had I acted differently today?
“So what else should I know?”
“The Council was created out of necessity after the last of the gods disappeared. We police ourselves to prevent anything that may expose our existence to the general population.”
“Like killing humans.” I sat beside him, surprised he hadn’t consumed one of the pieces already. He’d waited for me to begin eating.
“This is really good,” he said, after his first bite. “And try not to assume anything about Uttira or its residents. We were all created for different purposes. For some, that purpose is to kill humans. We just ensure it’s done in a way that doesn’t create risk.”
I swallowed quickly while he took a bite.
“Wait a minute. You’re telling me it’s okay to kill humans in this place? Why would any human want to live here?”
“No. It’s not okay to kill here or in any other Mantirum town. Killing close to home would be a risk the Council wouldn’t ignore.”
“Mantirum. That sounds familiar.”
“Did Adira maybe mention the mark of Mantirum?”
I nodded, the conversation with her coming back to me.
“Yeah. The mark I’d receive after graduation in order to leave this place.”
He nodded, letting me know I had it right.
“That mark doesn’t just let you come and go from here. It lets you into any Mantirum location because it signifies you belong to the gods and the world of magic. However, it also signifies you understand the rules of our world and the consequences of breaking them.”
Thunder rolled outside and the first patter of raindrops hit the kitchen window.
“And will I learn those rules at the Academy?”
“No. A member of the Uttira Council will schedule a series of meetings with you once Adira believes you’re ready.”
“They could keep me here forever based on Adira’s recommendation?”
“They could, but Adira wouldn’t recommend that. Like I said, we all have our purposes. There’s no point in trying to keep you from yours.”
We finished our meal and worked together to clean up the dishes.
“I don’t like you out here on your own,” he said when we were done.
“Why?” I set the dish towel aside and met his gaze, waiting for his answer.
Instead of answering, he just looked at me. It normally took a lot to make me uncomfortable. However, his neutral, assessing expression managed to make me squirm in just under a minute.
“You know, it really annoys me when you do that,” I said.
“Do what?”
“Look at me like I’m a bug in a jar. On display for detached clinical study.”
His lips twitched slightly.
“That’s not how I’m looking at you.”
