L'Anima Ladro by InkWeaver (story reading TXT) 📖

also increased by a few words I won’t put into writing.
“When is Romeo getting back?” With this question I wanted an answer. I didn’t expect one, but I would get one; no matter what I had to do.
My wolf instincts were screaming. Something was definitely going on here; it wasn’t a trap, of this I was sure, but something was definitely up. My vampire reflexes were freaking out. If a spider had twitched a couple of hallways over, I’d have jumped.
My senses were the worst though. I could hear everything going on throughout the whole house. I heard a telephone call up on the top floor, and a maid sweeping in the kitchen.
All of these things put together usually meant something strange was going on. I didn’t like strange things, or surprises. They were like the Bloodlust before I got it under control. I’m sure I was acting like a human who’d drunken way to many cups of coffee.
Whenever there was anything that went on that could be potentially dangerous, that I wasn’t aware of, I acted like a kid who’d eaten too much candy. It was the strongest aspects of both my natures: wolf instincts and vampire reflexes.
“I don’t know.” He replied tartly, making me jump. He offered no other words, and none were offered to him. We sat in an awkward silence.
It gave me a chance to put my heightened senses to use and scope out the room. The room itself was huge, cream colored walls with golden accents. Tall off-white columns with gold vines wrapping around them. Pale oak flooring. A large entertainment center (flat screen TV, PS3, Wii, Xbox360, etcetera), sat in the middle, an exact copy sat backed up to it, facing the other direction. On the side me and Alec sat at, there was a large sofa with reclining seats, cup holders, and armrests (I sat here). A few inviting recliners (Alec was perched on the edge of the one farthest from me). On the other side there was a loveseat and a large wraparound sofa. Over both sides, a huge chandelier hung down.
All I could think was ‘wow’. Why was a guy that had enough money for a house like this, and could spend it at leisure, hanging with street girls? How did I wind up finding a guy like this?
Then I heard the slamming door. The sound itself surprised me enough to send me a few feet in the air, I was so far on edge. But it took me only a few moments to realize that it was Romeo. I smelled the foreign, enticing smell that he always carried. I heard the footsteps that were faster than any human’s would be. It had to be Romeo.


Chapter 9

“Romeo!” I was surprised to see that I was almost happy to have him return. Then again, I’d been stuck with Alec for the past couple of minutes. Alec gave me an odd look when I spoke his employer’s name.
The look faded when Romeo himself came in. “I see you brought our guest to the sitting room.” I saw Alec wince when he said this, “Very good. I wouldn’t like her to be discomforted.” A small sigh escaped the driver’s lips when he heard the praise.
Then Romeo turned to me. “Nikki.” He said, seemingly in a better mood, “I hope Alec has been courteous.” His eyes said something different, the reddish colors portraying an array of emotions.
“Yes.” I said simply, not knowing what else to say, not with Alec in the room. But Romeo seemed to sense this; he caught Alec’s eye and shoved a thumb in the direction of the door.
Alec more than willingly obliged. I wondered what Romeo had done to him to make him so frightened. I couldn’t bring myself to care; after all, Alec was just a human.
After Alec left, Romeo came closer, and said quietly, so we wouldn’t be overheard, “You still want to know?” I noticed that his eyes seemed brighter, less human.
“I do.” Romeo took my hand, and pulled me to the door. He seemed decided.
“Then follow me.” And with that we were racing through the halls at a pace that would leave us nearly invisible to the human eye. Romeo was still holding my hand, and I was holding his. I don’t know why, but nothing about it felt weird, like it would with anybody else.
My senses had settled back down to my regular ability, so I was able to fully concentrate on my step. I was surprised to find that Romeo was just as fast as me, if not faster; I myself was much faster than any werewolf, even a vampire couldn’t keep up with me, I made a Shifter’s speed look human.
He seemed just as surprised by my speed. I wondered what he knew, or thought, about my natures. Did he already know the truth? If not, what did he think I was? Half-breeds weren’t common, the last I’d heard, there was, for every fifty Shifters (forty werewolves or vampires) there was one Half-breed. That meant no more than twenty Half-Breeds at the time. But then again, the numbers of my race changed so much it was impossible to know just how many there were at the time.
I guess that means he’s unlikely to know that much about me. I figured, as we drew to a stop in front of a large, thick looking door. I knew that no sound was getting through that door if it was as thick as it looked, not unless I screamed. But I didn’t scream; I had no need to. Besides, if Romeo could make me scream, I doubted there’d be much any human could do.
“Are you sure?” He asked, seriously. He fixed me with a hard stare, not even looking away after I nodded. I gazed back evenly. After a moment, he turned his head and opened the door; seemingly satisfied with something I did.
Releasing his grip on my hand, he gestured for me to go into the room before him. So I entered, and turned around, waiting for him to follow. As he did, he latched the door.
“It will be bad if somebody comes in while I am…explaining.” He said at my odd look. “Have you ever seen a human’s reaction to a werewolf’s change?” I knew I must have looked confused; I knew Romeo wasn’t a werewolf, but there wasn’t any other kind of shape shifter that had that kind of ability. Was there?
“I’m not a werewolf. But I do change.” He said, as if reading my mind. What am I getting into? I wondered anxiously, as Romeo’s body stilled.
His arms, which had started to tremble, hung, unmoving, beside him, his legs locked into place. His breathing stopped; even his heartbeat did. He looked like a dead man standing. And for a split second, my heart stopped beating; not that I needed it to beat to survive, I didn’t even need oxygen.
Suddenly his body went rigid, before a slight tremor passed through. A minute passed. I was still staring when my vision blurred. I tried blinking, but the fog remained, even when I rubbed my eyes I couldn’t see Romeo.
Then an awful sound reached my ears: the sound of bones cracking. I heard nothing else, the sounds of moving bones overwhelming my momentarily blinded body. It was like standing in the middle of a field of moving trains, everything was roaring by, noisy, and frightening. For the first time since my first change, I felt like puking.
Luckily, this wasn’t his first change. It took only about six seconds for everything to find its new place. Only then did my vision clear.


Chapter 10

“Romeo?” I called, slowly approaching the fallen heap. His back legs were bent at an odd angle, and a thick tail lay still at the base of his spine. His skin was pale, the color of early morning fog after a rain. His hair was now mostly shades of blue, and longer, almost wilder.
He sighed, making me forget my apprehension and rush to his side. I might not be willing to admit that I might, even slightly, like him, but I didn’t feel so cold towards him that I’d not help him when he so obviously was in pain. I put my hand on his bare back, feeling the hot skin that had almost a stony texture.
“Are you okay?” I said softly, realizing that his ears were almost like mine were when I was a wolf, thought still at the side of his head, not wanting to hurt them if they were more sensitive.
He muttered a quick, “yeah”. Then he was sitting before me. I’d barely seen the movement it was so fast. But after I saw his face, I forgot all about that.
If I had to explain his face to a human, I’d probably say that it looked almost like one of the natives off of Avatar, except not blue. It was an almost crystal color, that shone in the light. His eyes were scarlet. The very top of each canine protruded slightly beyond his lips.
If anything, his body was bulkier, more chiseled. I realized that he had no bellybutton. Then I noticed he had no clothes on. I sprung up, and backwards. His face hardened, and I realized that he must think he had scared or disgusted me.
I wouldn’t let him think that; whether I liked him or not; it would be the cruelest thing I’d ever done, by far. I wouldn’t hurt him—or anyone—in that way; not after what happened to me. My eyes scanned the room, finally settling on a large robe that lay sprawled across a bed that I just now saw.
In a split second I was holding it out to him. “You might need this, Romeo.” One of his eyebrows rose (highlighting his more prominent brow), but he slid the robe on anyway.
For a moment he watched me, studying his face, and then he burst out laughing in a voice only slightly deeper than his own. “Okay,” I was relieved to hear him say, “You weren’t disgusted by me, but that I had no clothes on? You truly are remarkable.” He started to reach out, but pulled his hand back. I knew that he thought that I would be horrified, or even frightened by this move.
I decided to prove him wrong. I grabbed his hand before he could put it back at his side. I don’t know what urged me to do so, and ignored the fact that the fingers were slightly shorter, and that the nails had grown into claws. I held on to him. He looked incredulous. I simply said, “So, when are you going to tell me what you actually are?”
He chuckled slightly. “I,” He stood as he said this, gently removing his hand from mine, “Am a gargoyle, soul thief!” My jaw somehow thought that it was supposed to drop after this comment. My brain itself was merely surprised.
I scrambled up, and, shockingly, managed to trip. That was near impossible for me, and apparently Romeo was surprised as well, because he just barely managed to catch me, a split second before I caught myself. I didn’t want to leave a dent in his floor.
“Are you okay?” He quickly released me, as if his touch would burn me, or mine him. I dared step closer.
“I’m fine, I just tripped.” The words sounded wrong, as if my tongue itself knew that I didn’t trip, or fall.