Chapter Ten

 

 

TYSON waited for Avery to get comfortable in bed before he started. It had been a long time since he’d had to have this talk. He wasn’t sure if it would go better or worse this time than it had the last. “I’ll tell you what I can. Is that fair?”

Avery shrugged and went to get up.

“No. Please don’t leave. It’s just… I don’t talk to people like this. Not even Donovan knows my secret. It’s not safe for too many people to know. It’s caused me problems in the past.”

“Does Mrs. Peggs know?”

Tyson hesitated. “Yes.”

He hated the thought of Avery walking out the door, but even more than that, he hated the thought of making himself vulnerable.

“So, what? You said you’re not a vampire, but you said you’d talk. What are you?” Avery shook his head and laughed a little to himself. “I can’t fucking believe I’m having this conversation. My students would die laughing. Or be, like, morbidly curious.”

“I’m not a vampire. That’s the truth.”

“Are there a lot of them?” Avery looked like he didn’t want to know the answer, but he’d asked, and Tyson wasn’t going to lie.

“Yes,” Tyson said slowly. “At least compared to people like me. Vampires are pretty common.”

“What else? What else exists?” Avery stared at him; his academic eyes took everything in. Tyson started to wonder how much he’d regret telling this encyclopedia of a man things he had no business knowing. But it was stalling, and he was still trying to come up with the best way to explain how he lived.

“What’s real?” Tyson honestly didn’t know where to even start.

“You know the myths. You know the urban legends. What’s real?”

“Vampires….”

“You said that already. What else?”

“I feel like I’m getting interrogated.” It was kind of cute, though. Avery looked like he couldn’t decide if he was angry, scared, or as excited as a little kid.

“You have no idea.” Avery vibrated. “Listen. I’m still annoyed with you, and you’re not getting out of explaining things, but I have to know what you know. What’s out there? Just in case you’re wondering, my world’s getting blown right about now. I’ll probably have some sort of meltdown later, but right now I want information.”

“Werewolves… and lycans. Shifters, I suppose you’d call them.” Tyson looked at him. “The Acadians. The ones who can change whenever they want. Werewolves are dependent on the moon. They don’t get along, the werewolves and the lycans. Hollywood got that right.”

“What else?”

Tyson laughed. “That’s like me expecting you to list all the different ethnicities of humans on earth just like counting on your fingers or something. There are hundreds of species of enhanced beings out there. I can’t just list them.”

“That just seems so impossible. Wouldn’t people have seen them?”

“What makes you think they haven’t?” Tyson asked. Because they definitely had. There had been a lot of trouble mixing with the normal humans in the past. Tyson was pretty shocked that Donovan had managed to get Avery and Macy and their friend through the front door that first night.

“Just name a few more, then. Things you know about.”

“Um, witches. That one’s easy. They’re just human with some extra abilities. Sensitivities. I guess people you’d call fairies. Wood sprites? I don’t know what the word for them is in their language. There are, I don’t know, like sirens but not actual sirens? More like nymphs. They’re very attractive. They tend to get what they want very easily. They’re not harmful, though, not like an actual siren. Well, no more than anyone else. There are good and bad of every type of being. Most of them.” He wasn’t explaining things very well. He was flustered, and it was hard to even scratch the surface.

“Do you know any of them?”

“Any what?”

“The siren nymph people.”

“Oh.” Tyson laughed. “You do too. Brooke. Haven’t you noticed you feel things around her sometimes that you don’t usually feel for women?”

Avery blushed. Tyson figured he’d hit that one on the head. “Good point. Damn. Anything else?”

Tyson shrugged. “It gets hard. There are people out there with skills that have no real name. You know, not things that humans have categorized and written stories about.”

“Are you one of those people?”

“I guess. But I was born just like you or anyone else. I really am human. I’m just a scientist. That’s the best word for it.”

Avery was quiet for a long time. “A scientist. Well, that’s a bit anticlimactic.”

Tyson chuckled. “How about mad scientist? Is that better?”

“You don’t seem very mad.”

Tyson tried to make a weird face with buggy eyes and his tongue hanging out. Avery pushed out a weak chuckle. He was clearly freaking out, though. Again, Tyson didn’t blame him. He’d found out all this stuff back in a time when most people sort of took the existence of the paranormal in stride. He wouldn’t even be able to imagine finding out as a modern human who thought it was just a bunch of fiction.

Avery stammered through a few false starts, but then he spoke. “You’ve been alive a lot longer than you look, right?”

“Yes. A lot longer. You don’t probably want to know how long. It gets a little creepy. You know. Not hot. Just assume I’ve been around a while and leave it at that.”

“I don’t want to know. Right. How are you doing it?”

And this was the part Tyson tried to avoid talking about. He still wasn’t sure he really wanted to tell Avery. But he also didn’t want to lose him. And he trusted him. Mrs. Peggs was right.

“There’s this mineral, a stone more like. It’s very rare, and it can be treated and turned into…. I really don’t know how to describe this.”

“Are we talking like, philosopher’s stone stuff?”

Tyson almost chuckled when he thought of the conversation he’d had with Mrs. Peggs. She’d been right after all.

“I suppose you could call it that. But it’s not magic, just a very, very rare substance that occurs in only a few places. It’s useless unless you know what to do to it to activate the compounds. Then you can brew it, in tea? The kind you’ve probably seen Mrs. Peggs drinking a few times? Smells like licorice. Not very pleasant? That tea sustains you. Keeps you healthy. Keeps you from aging. It provides your cells with the energy they need to remain at peak performance and regenerates them to keep them young.”

Even though Tyson knew all of this, he also heard how it sounded coming out. It would be a tough pill to swallow, special immortality rocks and all that.

“Then why don’t you eat?”

“They don’t interact well. Food renders it useless. Then it’s just fairly unpleasant tea. Nothing else.”

“So you don’t have to eat when you drink it. Why?”

“I can show you my research sometime, if you want. It’s in French, but I can translate it. It has to do with telomeres, autophagy, and cell regeneration. I wish I could explain it better.”

“Try. I’m smart.”

Tyson started to feel uncomfortable. Like it had gotten way too close for comfort. The one person he’d told before wasn’t Avery, didn’t have a genius IQ floating around in their head. They’d taken the tea explanation and hadn’t asked any more questions. Of course that person still drank the tea with him every morning, so maybe she didn’t need an explanation to understand how it worked. She just knew that it did.

“Look. I figured this out back… so long ago. There weren’t words for things that I was experiencing. Nobody knew about cells, nobody knew about telomeres, and there are things people still don’t know. I’m still coming to understand it completely myself. I just know it works. That every day I take it, I stay the same age. That every day I don’t take it, or if I eat, I age normally.”

“That just… blows my mind. Like, it’s so far beyond a vampire or two. I’m just…. That’s incredible. Can I see it?”

Avery had gone beyond scared boyfriend and into the realm of curious academic. Tyson figured that was just about the best he could hope for. And he might get some of the first one when the newness wore off. As long as he was prepared. He also didn’t want to show Avery the stones. In a weird way, they were intensely private. But he’d gone that far, he might as well do the rest. He thought Mrs. Peggs might be happy for him, letting someone else in. Tyson wasn’t so sure.

“I’ll go get some. Don’t get excited. They just look like bluish rocks.”

Avery gave him a real, sweet smile. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. “They could look like concrete and I think I’d probably be excited,” he said.

Tyson smiled. He wondered if he’d just made a horrible choice.

 

 

AVERY had touched the stone, heard Tyson’s story, and… he believed him. He did. It sounded crazy and like something out of a fantasy novel, but Tyson hadn’t been lying. The stone smelled like that weird tea Mrs. Peggs had been brewing the other morning. Then Avery thought to how often in the past few days Tyson had been eating with him. He mustn’t have been drinking the tea.

“Are you… not on it right now?”

“On it?” Tyson sputtered. “You make it sound like heroin. A drug addiction.”

“It is in a way. But it seems like it has no negative side effects?”

Tyson shrugged. “Other than people getting bitchy sometimes because they’d like a damn french roll with butter? I’m obviously not talking about myself.”

“Obviously.”

Tyson grinned. “None that I know of, no. If there are side effects, they haven’t come yet. But….” Tyson looked thoughtful. “It’s not all amazing, you know. Like mentally. It gets lonely. I have Mrs. Peggs, but sometimes that’s not enough. And I really never tell people about this. You can imagine what would happen if too many found out.”

“They’d all want it.”

“And that would be unwise. Very unwise.”

Avery did understand. The repercussions could be horrendous if word got out about a mysterious immortality mineral that was real and not just part of a fantasy novel.

“You okay?” Tyson asked.

“Yeah, this is just kind of heavy. It’s a lot.” Avery gave him a rueful look. “I mean, I’m not even the one dealing with it. It has to be so stressful for you. I’m just a bit overwhelmed.”

“Do you want to take a few days?” Tyson asked. Avery saw his face sink a little, like he’d just opened himself up and he was waiting for rejection. The thing was, Avery could use a couple of days to chill. He wanted Tyson to know he could be trusted, but it was a lot to think about. His entire worldview had changed.

“I might.” He brought up his hand to Tyson’s chest. “But only because I need to sort out what I believe about just about everything I’ve ever learned, hell everything I’ve taught. And to know that you’re out there. And others like you? And all of this is real? I just need to process it.”

Tyson looked like he was in pain, but he nodded. “Take all the time you need. I know it’s a lot.”

“It’s pretty much flipped my world upside down.” Avery cringed. “All that shit I’ve been telling kids. I’m such an ass.”

“You’re not. You’re intelligent and exciting and the students love you. Besides, can you imagine how fast you’d be fired if you paraded onto campus talking about vampires and immortal scientists with special rocks?”

Avery sputtered out a laugh. “Faster than the dean could sprint to my classroom.”

“Okay. So, do I get to see you in a few days?” Tyson asked.

“Yeah. Just let me deal with this in my own time.”

He knew Tyson was hurt, even if he tried to look like everything was fine. Avery felt bad for hurting him, he did. But he needed time, like he’d said.

“I can’t ask anything more.”

 

 

AVERY biked home that night, aching to tell Macy, share it just a little bit so he didn’t feel quite so out of his depth, but at the same time he wanted to push it away and pretend Tyson had never told him all those things. He not only had spent his entire teaching career not believing all the myths and legends were true, he didn’t want to believe they were true. Who wanted to know that the things most people were terrified of were real and living right in the city, hell, socializing right down the street from his house? Who wanted to have their worldview tipped on its ass and spilled all over the remains of their professional pride? It kind of sucked. But it was fascinating too. Immensely so.

He would’ve had a hard time believing it if it hadn’t been for the men at the bar and things he’d noticed himself, like impossible sparkling drinks and people who were clearly so much more than normal. He believed it. Didn’t mean he wouldn’t want to see more proof eventually, but in his gut, he knew Tyson was telling the truth. It was tempting to turn around and go back to Tyson too. He wanted to, he did, but he was scared to delve into this new, possibly dangerous world that was hidden behind closed doors and in exclusive clubs.

Avery needed to talk to somebody. He needed Macy.

 

 

“HEY, babes, can we go grab coffee after class tonight? I’m buying.”

He’d been in his office all morning, trying to work, but it was understandably impossible. Especially when he was planning lectures he knew had mistakes and inconsistencies. It drove him nuts, and he wanted to scrap everything, but he had a job to do and students to teach—even if he was teaching them wrong information and driving himself up the wall. He had been far too relieved to see Macy when she came for one of her usual visits. It felt like he could finally breathe again with her familiar, comforting presence.

“Sure.” Macy sank down into the chair across from his desk. “Are you sure you don’t need that coffee to be bourbon on the rocks?”

Avery chuckled. “I sure wouldn’t mind if it was a bit spiked. I feel like being drunk could only help.”

“Yikes.”

Avery gave her a tired smile. He needed help. He couldn’t tell Macy everything, but she’d been there for those men in the bar. She had to know there were things going on that weren’t normal. He thought he’d start there and see how much he could say without telling Tyson’s secret and betraying his trust.

 

 

AFTER class, when the sun was setting and their campus looked like it had been bathed in a peachy glow, Avery waited outside his building for Macy. If he waited in his office, some kid would need something, and then another student would see that he was still in there, and it would just snowball into hours of him answering questions over and over. Not what he wanted. At all. So he stood in the gathering dusk, trying not to think about vampires and werewolves and whatever the hell Tyson was and the fact that they existed right under his nose.

They’re just like me. Only slightly different. They’re just people…. Right?

Somehow Avery wasn’t quite sure that was true.

He was relieved when he saw Macy walking up, weighted down with books and a heavy portfolio.

“Here. Let me take at least one of them.” Avery grabbed her bag full of work—none of them ever finished while they were actually on campus—and slung it over his shoulder on top of his own bag. Then he pushed his bike down the path to the side of campus that Macy’s house was on.

They chatted about light things, school assignments, campus politics, until they were at her apartment. Then Avery stored his bike in her place and they set out on foot for a café that wasn’t too far away. Avery wasn’t sure this conversation was right for a crowded café, but he could at least buy Macy coffee and bring it back to the privacy of her apartment, where he could talk freely.

By the time they got to the café, the place was clearing out for the night, even though they had another hour or two until closing. Avery bought them coffee and snacks and met Macy at the table they always managed to snag. It was the best one, with a view of the sidewalk and a fan right overhead. He’d decided the shop was empty enough that they’d be fine talking there, plus the fan helped drown out their conversation. Nobody was going to hear them. That was if Avery could ever manage to spit it out. Now he had Macy right in front of him, he was having a hard time phrasing his words in a way that didn’t sound like he’d completely lost his marbles and everything else as well.

“Okay, so what’s up?” she asked.

“This is so… hard to even bring up.”

“Are we going to talk about that shit last weekend? When thing one and thing two practically crashed into the bar and accosted Brooke and Dan?”

“Yeah. That. Has anything like that ever happened to Donovan?” he asked.

“Is that your way of asking me if I know what Donovan is? Because it’s pretty obvious he’s not a normal person.”

“Do you know what he is specifically?”

She shook her head. “Should I?”

It was crossing into the territory of information that wasn’t his to share, but Avery needed to say something. He needed someone else to know the things he’d just heard, or maybe have Macy bring him back down to earth and tell him that no matter what they’d seen, there was no way Tyson was immortal and Donovan was a vampire and there was a world he’d never even been aware of even though he’d spent his whole life researching it. So he told her.

Avery looked around, and other than one bored high school girl on her phone behind the register, they were the only people in there. Avery tapped his incisor and gave Macy a significant look. “But you didn’t hear it from me.”

“Wait. What?”

“Vampire,” Avery whispered. “Donovan’s a vampire.”

Macy burst into laughter, just like Tyson had when Avery suggested that he was a vampire. He had to say he was getting tired of people laughing at him, even if on the surface he definitely deserved it.

“You can’t be serious.” She stopped laughing and looked at Avery. “Tyson’s not into drugs, is he? Has he been giving you weird stuff? Are you two into that?”

“No, he’s not into drugs. He barely even drinks. You know that.”

“Well, Ave, what am I supposed to think? You can’t just start saying that people we know are… vampires.” She hissed that last bit quietly, like it was a curse word.

“What do you think those two goons were the other night, then? You think they were humans?”

It was obvious to anyone with eyes that they weren’t. She wasn’t going to be able to deny that.

“No. I mean, I don’t know what the hell they are. Are you going to say they’re vampires as well?”

Avery shook his head. “Tyson said there are a lot of things that don’t have names in regular human culture. I don’t know what they were, but they weren’t human, and you and I both know it.”

“Oh, Tyson said, did he? Is he the one who told you Donovan was a vampire too? I’m kind of worried about you, babe.”

“I’m not making this up,” Avery said.

“Are you sure you’re not just in too deep with Tyson?”

What happened to her wanting them to be together?

“Listen. You already told me you noticed Donovan wasn’t like an average guy. Why do you think that is? What’s unusual about him?”

“He’s just really magnetic,” Macy said. “And he’s handsome, but even more than that, it’s like I can’t help wanting to be around him, and he smells amazing, and sometimes, even when he’s trying to hide it, he sounds really formal. Like he’s still practicing being a modern twenty-five-year-old.” Her eyes widened. “You can’t be serious?”

“I think Tyson’s telling the truth, Mace.”

“Is he a vampire too?”

Avery shook his head. “No.”

“That sounds kind of sketchy.”

“No. He explained it to me. I’ve actually seen… some proof when it comes to him. But he never tells anyone. Not even Donovan. I’m going to keep this one to myself.”

“You really don’t look like you’re lying. How is this even possible?” Macy’s eyes got all huge. “I mean, I’ve noticed some things but….”

“You just brushed them off? Didn’t want to seem irrational?” Avery asked.

“Exactly.”

“You’re not. You saw what I saw.”

“And Donovan’s a vampire….” She shivered. “It feels weird to even say it out loud. I can’t believe this shit.”

Avery nodded. “But according to Tyson he’s super cool and laid-back. Hasn’t ever done anything to hurt anyone.”

“And Tyson is something else.”

“Yes. That much I’m a hundred percent sure of.”

“Well, if it’s true and he’s still a nice guy, then I guess I don’t really care,” Macy said. She shrugged like the last ten minutes of tense conversation hadn’t happened. She believed him then, just like that. No problem.

Avery sputtered out a laugh—and got a bit of cherry almond latte up his nose at the same time. “Only a New Orleans native would shrug when she finds out her boyfriend is a vampire.” He whispered the last part.

“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s fun. He’s hot. We see each other on weekends. I’m not looking for a boyfriend. Certainly not one who makes me look old when we’re standing next to each other. I’m not going to ask him to tell me for himself. I figure if he wants to, he will. I’m very curious and I guess shocked, but it doesn’t matter. Wait, are you still looking for a serious boyfriend?”

“I might already have one.”

They hadn’t said the words, but Avery was pretty sure that was where it was leading. Of course, the new wrench in the system might screw all that up. He needed to figure out what the hell he wanted and what he could handle.

“I know I didn’t say it, but you can’t tell anyone.”

Macy nearly choked on her coffee. “Who am I going to tell? The dean? Vaughn? I mean, I could probably tell my mama, or Auntie Violet. I think she’d believe me, though. Auntie has always believed there was more out there than we knew about. But I’m not going to. Don’t worry.”

Avery trusted her, of course. He just wished talking to her had helped him decide how he felt about all of it.