Blaze: Underground Encounters 6 Read online

  I stood up to go outside, but then stopped in front of the back door. Emotions rammed through me, forcing my raging heartbeat to slam against my ribs. “I feel — I feel so betrayed.”

  She stared at me with warmth in her eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “We’re your parents and we love you. We did what we thought was best for you.”

  “I don’t even know what to make of this. It’s insane.”

  “You have a lot to digest,” my dad added. “I’ve been there. It takes time to come to grips with it.”

  I opened the door and stepped outside. Somehow my legs functioned although my body had turned into hot liquid that could collapse with such an unsteady frame keeping it together. It would melt the snow clinging to the grass. My parents had moved to the other side of Route 495, the highway outside of Boston that served as a strange weather marker in Massachusetts; weather forecasters often referred to it in their snow predictions, noting what might fall inside or outside the 495 belt.

  Snow. Weather. Those were all normal things people spoke about—not discussions about partial human status.

  I paced through the snow while I thought. What else hadn’t they told me? Could my father transform into a monster like I saw Danton do? Could I?

  I rushed back inside, wiping my boots on the mat, so my mother wouldn’t freak out. Well, I think I could earn a pass—my mind had been in a perpetual state of freaking out since their revelation. My mom was making sandwiches in the kitchen and my dad still sat in the recliner. “Can you transform into stone, like a statue?”

  He peered up at me and shook his head. “No, I don’t have that ability, but Papa can.”

  I tried to picture my grandfather turning into a stone monster, but it seemed incongruous with reality. “He can?” I whispered with incredulity.

  “Yes. Scared the heck out of me when he first showed me, but I grew accustomed to it over time. He didn’t do it often, though. Being married to a human, he lived his life more as a human as time went on.”

  “Would I—be able to change?” An image of my body contorting to monstrous proportions flashed before me. I blinked and forced it away.

  “You haven’t yet, so I’d think not. You should talk to Papa to learn more. He can tell you far more about the family’s history than I can.”

  After we ate, my father called my grandparents to let them know the situation. He hung up the phone. “Ready to have your mind blown?” His mouth twitched with a grin.

  “It already has been,” I answered in a wry tone.

  I drove the three of us to my grandparents who lived twenty minutes inland. I put on NPR while we drove to listen to the news rather than talk the entire way. I needed a break after what I’d heard, and I was anxious as to what else in my family’s history would be revealed. Despite all this new information crowding my mind, I thought of Allana. So much had happened since she left that morning. The revelations about my life created an even deeper chasm between us. She didn’t think we were compatible now. What would she think if she found out I was only 75% human?

  She’d already made it clear she wanted nothing to do with me. It was time to let her go and move on with my life. And I had a feeling it was about to become even more fucked up.

  Chapter 13

  Ally

  I stared at Lily as we sat on her living room couch. “I don’t understand why you’re not coming.”

  We were discussing the details for the grand opening of my studio and paperwork was spread across the coffee table next to her laptop. Memories of flirting with Mike in this room on New Year’s Eve before we’d kissed flooded over me, but I forced them aside. With all that had happened, it seemed as if years had passed.

  “I can’t do it that day,” she replied, averting her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  “Why not?”

  “Um,” she hesitated. “Just change the date so I can be there.”

  “Why can’t you tell me what you’re doing?” Lily had always guarded her privacy, but I wasn’t going to let it go this time, not without a reasonable excuse. “It’s obviously not one of your monthly New Hampshire trips.”

  She paused for a long moment, her eyes flickering as they searched my face. “It is.”

  “But you don’t work there anymore,” I protested. “Why would you need to take a business trip up there?”

  “It’s not business,” she clarified. She exhaled with a sigh. “I have something to tell you because I consider you my closest friend and I don’t like keeping things from you. But, you must promise to have an open mind about it and not freak out.”

  I replied with wariness. “Okay, I promise.”

  “Nobody knows this except my mom, Nico, and a couple of other people.”

  My curiosity piqued and I leaned forward. “What is it?”

  Lily clutched her hands in her lap and wrung them. “You know when you told me about Mike and the gargoyle?”

  “Yeah,” I replied. “What does that have to do with you?” And why did she have to bring up Mike? As if I hadn’t thought about him every damn day.

  “It doesn’t, except it helps me explain my story. I’ve learned to be open to the possibility of other types of creatures like that.”

  “Like gargoyles?” I squinted at her. What the hell was she talking about?

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because there are beings out there who can transform into other forms. Who live in hiding because humans would fear them and likely hunt them down.”

  “You know this how?” I raised my eyebrows with skepticism.

  “I am one.”

  “Wow.” I jumped up and stepped away from her. “What?”

  “Please sit down and let me explain.”

  I hesitated. Should I listen to her? She sounded nuts.

  All right, since she was my friend, I’d give her a chance to explain. I sat back down, but stayed vigilant.

  “I’m human, Ally, but I’m also something else. My father was a shapeshifter.”

  “What the fuck is a shapeshifter?” I didn’t like the sound of that word and my confusion spun into fear.

  “It’s a being who can transform from one form to another.”

  I touched my forehead and closed my eyes for a moment. “And you’re saying you can do this?”

  She blinked twice. “Yes.”

  I narrowed my eyes, not entirely sure she wasn’t pulling my leg. “And what do you transform into?”

  “A mountain lion.” She answered with a sigh. Her expression softened like a weight had been lifted off her.

  She was toying with me. “Ha ha. Funny, Lily.”

  “I knew you wouldn’t believe me. At first, Nico didn’t either.”

  She gestured with wild arm movements, which was uncharacteristic of her.

  “When I finally built up the nerve to show him, it freaked him out,” Lily continued. “I don’t want that to happen with you. But, I don’t know any other way to show you it’s the truth.”

  “Are you saying you can transform into a mountain lion?” My eyebrows rose to such heights, I could feel the strain on my forehead.

  “Yes.”

  I raised both hands before me like a shield. “Well, you’re right. I think you’re fucking crazy. Why are you’re messing with me? It’s not funny.”

  “I’m not messing with you.” Her tone was dead serious.

  This was getting tiresome. I’d humor her. We’d get on with her little joke, laugh about it, and get back to planning the opening. “Okay, fine. Show me.”

  “Promise you won’t freak out.”

  “I won’t.” Because nothing is going to happen.

  But, something did happen. Lily stripped off her clothes without any self-consciousness.

  After I blinked repeatedly like I had something stuck in my eye, I asked, “Why are you taking off your clothes?”

  “So, I don’t ruin them when I change.”

  “Oh, naturally,” I snarked with an
exaggerated wave.

  While I tried to look anywhere but at her naked body, movement from my peripheral view caught my attention. Lily’s body shape was changing, elongating in some areas and thickening in others. The air around her seemed to shimmer with energy.

  What the hell was going on?

  She collapsed to all fours and tawny fur burst from her skin. Her eyes took on a feline appearance and the rest of her face followed, turning furry, as well. A tail elongated behind her and her entire body was covered in fur. Her hands and feet morphed and widened into paws with sharp, threatening claws.

  My blood froze as a creepy sensation engulfed me.

  She was no longer a woman. A mountain lion stared at me in the middle of her living room.

  I gaped at it. Then adrenaline took over. I searched for a way out. The animal blocked the exit out of the living room.

  Sprinting into the bathroom, I then slammed the door shut. My heart pounded in my ears and I fumbled locking the door, praying it was sturdy enough to resist an attack by a four-legged animal with sharp teeth and claws.

  I searched my pocket to find my phone, so I could call 9-1-1. Fuck, I must have left it on the kitchen counter.

  How would I explain how a mountain lion ended up in my living room, anyway? Let alone how it was once the body of my friend.

  “Ally, I’m me again. Let me in.” Lily knocked on the door and she spoke. In her human voice.

  What? How?

  I closed my eyes and wondered if I just imagined the whole thing.

  “Go away,” I shouted.

  “You promised you wouldn’t freak out.” Her voice caught.

  She sounded resigned, as if she expected this, but it still ripped at her.

  Lily was right. I did promise. And I’d totally freaked. “You’re not going to rip my throat out or anything?”

  “Of course not. It’s me. It’s always been me. You know I’d never hurt you.”

  I opened the door an inch, peeking out with caution. She appeared human again. “You’re naked,” I said.

  “You didn’t give me a chance to get dressed.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’m going to get dressed. Take a minute and come out. I’ll explain everything.”

  It took a couple of minutes, or maybe twenty, before I gathered enough gumption to head back out and face my friend.

  “You okay?” she said when she spotted me.

  “I think so.”

  “Sit,” she said.

  I took a few steps toward her, keeping my eyes fixed on her.

  “Stop looking at me like I’m about to pounce on you,” she said.

  I sat down in the arm chair, the farthest seat possible from her.

  “Really, Ally. As if anything has changed between us. I’m still me. I’m not going to attack you.”

  My mouth dropped. “Everything has changed between us. Because you are—a—”

  “A shifter. That’s all that’s different. I can change from human to a mountain lion. It’s not that big a deal.”

  “That’s huge, Lily. Unbelievably huge.” I shook my head. “And impossible.”

  “I know it takes a while to get used to, but please remember I’m still the woman you’ve known. I’m still your friend.” She stared at me with sad eyes imploring me to believe her.

  She was right. I promised to have an open mind, and I hadn’t been doing a good job of it so far. But, what the hell? It wasn’t possible.

  Yet, I had seen it happen right in front of me. Could she explain it?

  “Okay, I’m ready to hear this story. Spill.”

  Lily took a deep breath and exhaled. “Okay. My father died before I was born, so I don’t know much about him. From what my mom discovered he must have been a shifter. He always disappeared during the full moon, which was something I had to start doing once I hit puberty and went through the change.”

  I gave her a sidelong glance. “What change exactly?”

  “Besides the mortification of puberty, the horror of discovering you turn into an animal once a month, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”

  “Get out of here, Lily. That’s crazy. It’s fiction. It doesn’t happen in real life.”

  “Then how do you explain what just happened out here?”

  I opened my mouth to explain, but closed it when I realized I had nothing.

  My mind raced to fill in some pieces. “Let me guess, there’s a full moon on Saturday?”

  “Yes.” Lily smiled.

  “So, the guy I’d been sleeping with heard he’s part gargoyle and my best friend changes into a mountain lion.” I slapped my hands on my thighs. “There goes the plan of a normal, drama-free life.”

  She forced a smile. “It’s not that bad, Ally. I’m still me. Mike is still Mike. We are still the same people you know even if there’s a part of us you don’t understand.”

  I didn’t know how to process this now, or if I ever would, so I changed the subject to something I could grasp. “I guess this means I’m changing the date of the opening because you have to be there.”

  Somebody else would still be missing. Someone who’d help me set up a computer system that shaved off hours of paperwork. My chest tightened. I covered my heart.

  Mike should be there.

  I could call him and see if we could patch things up.

  No, it was a warning sign. It was better to end it now, before it exploded with far worse repercussions down the road.

  Mike

  We settled in my grandparents’ living room. The familiar brocade wallpaper and floral couches with lace doilies my grandmother had sewn seemed comforting, even though everything I’d known about my grandparents had just been turned upside down. My grandfather sat on his worn brown recliner while Dad, Mom, and I squeezed onto the couch.

  “Now you know who you truly are, yes?” My grandfather patted me on the back. He had a twinkle in his eye as if he’d been waiting for this moment a long time.

  “If you mean, have I heard about the gargoyle bloodline, yes,” I responded. “But actually, I’ve never been less sure of who I am in my life.”

  For a man in his seventies, I noticed how young and spry he seemed. I always chalked it up to him having good genes, but maybe there was more to it.

  “It’s time you hear the whole story,” he said.

  My grandmother brought us tea and cookies, the way she always did when anyone stopped by. This was one occasion where I had no appetite.

  “You know where I was born, but my childhood was one you wouldn’t recognize.” He leaned back in his chair. “Gargoyles tend to live apart from human society, yet watch over it. As children, we are taught by the elders and when we come into adulthood, we move out into the world, take posts where we can protect others. You see, we are different from humans, but we feel compelled to protect them as well as other beings. As the watchers and protectors on Earth, we perch and observe. From stone.”

  “Stone? You were once in stone?”

  “I am stone,” he corrected. “And human. But, I spend most of my time in this form.”

  What. The. Fuck.

  Grandfathers were supposed to take naps and shit, not chill out as statues.

  I glanced at the coffee table. My parents hadn’t touched their tea or cookies either. “I saw a man transform into a beast.”

  “Not a beast.” He raised his index finger. “A gargoyle.”

  “I’m sorry, Papa.” I shook my head. “I can’t wrap my head around this.”

  “Of course not. You were raised as a human. But, your gargoyle side has been developing, no?”

  My grandfather had a way of asking questions that ended in yes or no, and I found that one of his endearing qualities.

  After I nodded, he asked, “Has anything happened recently that would trigger this change?”

  A jumble of confused thoughts swirled through my head, fixing on the night at Vamps when I found Allana and Nike backstage. “This all started when I was at a club. Two w
omen were—um, kissing—and that’s when I saw this guy Danton.”

  My entire family seemed to have ceased breathing, all eyes fixed on me. “He did some strange gesture, like trying to erase what I had seen. When it didn’t work, he seemed surprised. He’s the one who later told me he was a gargoyle and asked about my family.”

  “Ah, yes. Some gargoyles can modify memories, so they’re muddled, but it’s only to be done under extreme circumstances. What happened that he didn’t want you to see?”

  I pictured the scene again with Allana, one that had replayed in my mind dozens of times. “I thought two women were kissing, but one bit the other on the neck.”

  “Like a vampire?”

  “Yes, but vampires aren’t real.”

  Papa smirked. “Did you think gargoyles were real a month ago?”

  “No, but…” Were vampires real?

  The muscles in my neck tightened. Allana. The blood on her neck. The woman with auburn hair. I hunched my shoulders.

  Maybe it wasn’t vampire play after all.

  A hot rage stirred my blood, simmering my veins. I bolted out of my chair.

  “What is it, Michael?”

  “She bit my girl.” No, not my girl. Allana made it clear that she didn’t want that role in my life.

  “Who did?”

  “That woman.” I heard myself not making sense, but thoughts tumbled in my brain like chunks of ice crashing in a blender. No wonder Danton wanted me to get Allana to safety.

  “Tell me about this girl,” Papa said.

  I strode to the door. “Not right now. I have to go.”

  I had to find Danton.

  Chapter 14

  Ally

  When I entered the studio early the morning of the opening, I exhaled. The last several days were a whirlwind of activity, but it was all coming together. Something that had started out as the spark of an idea was turning into a reality, bit by bit. A part of me wondered if this was all a dream. An exhilarating, wonderful, and often terrifying dream.

  I put the placard outside to remind passersby that today was the grand opening.