Two
“. He’d run into Damien and Chelsea in the auditorium following the orientation.
Damien was too distracted by the woman he saw earlier to respond. She was almost too beautiful, flawless like an angel one might see at the top of a Christmas tree or in a painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
“Dame, you alright, bro?”
The snapping of Rob's fingers in Damien's face brought him back to reality. “Yeah, sorry Rob. I was just thinking about something.”
Rob shrugged. “Nice to know you still space out on us, D. I swear man, where do you go in these crazy trances of yours?”
Damien ignored him. There was still a lot on his mind that he was trying to sort through. Everyone around him didn’t seem to recognize him as the one they’d once slapped the label of town freak show on. However, he couldn’t help the feeling he still didn’t belong.
His friends and family loved him but deep inside, there was still a void. Almost like he was missing a crucial part of himself. The sensation made him feel alone even in a crowded room.
“Hey, mind if I get a lift home? My old man took the truck.”
“Sure, bro. Want to get a burger like old times on the way?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
Once they made it back to Damien's house, Rob asked if he wanted to go hiking over the weekend like they used to in their scout days.
Damien agreed, looking forward to getting a few photographs for his portfolio. He’d taken up photography after his accident. The trauma made him realize collecting memories was more important than going to the skate park to see how many bones he could break.
“Cool! I'll bring my old man's poles. You still remember how to pier fish?”
How could I forget? Damien thought, remembering the times he and his father went pier fishing on the weekend for the family fish fry. His mom would fry and batter the fish and lay them on platters right next to his grandma’s homemade, Cajun hushpuppies.
He could still remember the sweet smell as it mixed with Cajun spices. The whole kitchen smelled of batter and peach cobbler. The memory as both comforting and upsetting.
“D, my bad man. We can do something else if it makes you feel more comfortable.” Rob said, his voice tense as he waited for Damien to reply.
Damien chuckled. “It's fine, Rob. Yeah, I'd love to go. Saturday at the crack of dawn as usual?”
“Stop off at old Bill's for sodas, bait and jerky? Hell, yeah.” Rob held out his fist, earning him a fist bump.
Old Bill Hutchinson smoked his own jerky for his shop and smokehouse in his backyard in homemade smokers crafted from old kettle grills.
“Sounds good. See you Saturday.”
“Yep, see ya then!”
****
It was after moonrise when Jillian arrived back at Damien's house. She watched as he paced his room without a shirt on, reading a book. His perfect hips swaying side to side with each step.
When the light went off, Jill snuck into Damien’s bedroom through his window. Her heart stopped for a brief moment the instant the smell of him mingling with cologne and aftershave hit her nostrils.
Damien turned over, freezing Jill in her place when her icy green eyes were met with gorgeous amethyst pools half-drunk with sleep.
He blinked a couple of times before raising up to look her in the face. “You. It is you.”
Jill didn’t know what to do. She never expected him to actually catch her. Would he be mad at her? Think she was a creepy stalker?
Her heart beat fast in her chest, her hand brushing her dark hair away from her face. “Yes. It’s me. It’s nice to see you face to face, Damien.”
“Who are you?” Damien asked, both curious and slightly annoyed. He’d begun feeling he’d only imagined this woman until now. “How often do you come by my house?”
Jill was dumbfounded, feeling a bit bad because she hadn’t tried harder to meet him in person until this moment.
“I’ve come by almost every night since you moved here,” She replied. Her words caught in her throat as she analyzed the features of his face.
“This isn’t usually like me, I must admit. It just seemed like every time I tried to meet with you, something happened. This was the only time I knew of that we could be alone.” She could feel the heat rolling over her cheeks.
For the first time in her immortal life, Jill felt like a teenager who’d gotten caught drinking or sneaking back into the house after curfew. She had no idea what to say.
“If we’re being honest, this is creepy as hell. I wish you would have approached me before nearly giving me a heart attack. So, how about we start over. I’m Damien Pierce. What’s your name?” Damien extended his hand to shake hers.
“Jillian. Jillian Styles. It’s nice to formally meet you.” She shook his hand, trying to hide the smallest hint of the shock she was feeling.
Lucius had never not recognized her in any of his reincarnations throughout the centuries. She wanted to find out why if she could in the future.
For now, she decided to be grateful the deception had ended and she was finally able to meet Damien without having to hide.
The rest of the night was spent with the two of them talking as if they were old friends. Unknown to Damien, Jill actually did know at least a part of him for most of her life.
She was so enthralled in the stories she was being told about the different reckless things Damien did in his young life, she nearly forgot she’d been concerned about meeting him.
As the night waned, Damien began getting tired. He passed out, leaving Jill alone to focus on the blazing question in her mind. Why? Why did he not recognize me?
She rose from her spot on the floor, heading towards the window. Her hand rested on the window pane as she turned to look at Damien over her shoulder.
I don’t know what’s going on but honestly, I’m not sure I really care either. The beginnings of an emotion she didn’t think she would be able to feel again grew inside of her. Maybe it’s time to let the ghosts of the past lay to rest.
The next morning Damien woke up scanning his room. To his surprise, it didn’t really bother him to learn Jill had come to his house almost every night. Something about her made him feel like he wasn’t as alone as around normal people.
I know her. I don’t know how but…it’s like I know her from somewhere. He scratched his head, grabbing a t-shirt and heading downstairs to breakfast.
Charlie sat at the table reading the daily paper when Damien arrived. “Well good morning, you're up early. That's not like you.”
Damien finished getting his coffee. He knew he couldn’t tell his dad about the beautiful woman who snuck in through his window. He did the only thing he could. He lied.
“Couldn’t sleep anymore. Too many things running through my mind.” Damien sat down at the table, taking a sip of his coffee. He was so exhausted he had to close his eyes against the dizziness of the fatigue.
“Something wrong?” Charlie inquired.
Damien rested his head against the heels of his palms on the table, his stomach full of rocks at the growing unease inside of him. It was obvious his father wasn’t buying the lies.
“Alright. I won’t pry. Just know I’m here if you want to talk about it. Otherwise, you’re a grown man now. I’ll respect your privacy.” Charlie replied.
“Appreciate it.” A feeling of guilt ached in Damien’s chest. Once again he was deflecting his dad despite all he’d done for him. He leaned back in the chair to stare at the ceiling. “Sorry, dad. I know I’m messed up. I’m not sure how to go about fixing what’s wrong with me.”
Charlie's hand landed hard on his son's shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. You’ve been through a lot. There’s no reason to force anything. One day, you’ll come around and we can talk like we used to. Until then, I’m not going anywhere. Why don’t you go out with Chels today to get your mind off of things?”
Damien gave a short wave and nod of his chin to his father. “Okay. Have a good one.”
“You too, Dame.” Charlie grabbed his keys and jacket, closing the door.
****
Jill watched from one of the cast iron benches on the other side of the street, flustered as the one called Chelsea, walked arm in arm with him.
She couldn't hold back a proud smirk at the look of disdain on Damien's face as Chelsea bounced around him. The look in her eyes flirting as she showed him each of the window displays in hopes of getting him to focus on her.
Following the night they spent talking, Jill made the decision not to really care if Damien truly was Lucius’ reincarnation. She was going to pursue and eventually court him as her own.
The two of them went into a cafe for lunch, sitting down outside in the cool breeze of the day.
Jill waited until Chelsea left to go inside the cafe before she made her move.
Damien sat at the table reading. He read a lot from the many times Jill had watched him. She couldn't blame him. Books were a good escape from reality and had often been her own source of sanity throughout the centuries.
“Hi there.” Jill said, sitting down. She’d chosen to wear some of the most provocative clothing she could find. Eventually settling on a light blue shirt with sleeves cut so they rested on her shoulders, tight blue jeans and black boots with zippers on the side.
Damien lowered his book. “Jill. I was wondering when I was going to get to see you again. You look nice.”
“Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself.” Jill replied. She scooted her chair closer to him, putting one hand casually on his knee.
“What are you reading?” she asked, her voice smooth and seductive.
“It’s a horror novel,” Damien replied, swallowing hard as he tried to keep his mind focused. “I’ve read pretty much every title by this author. He’s one of my favorites.”
Jill chuckled at the internal struggle she could see going on inside of him. The trembling beneath her hand indicated he was interested. “Funny enough, he’s one of mine too. The creepy clown and the dead animal books are two of my favorites.”
“Really? Those are my favorites. The clown creeped the hell out of me but I got so into the story, I couldn’t put the book down until I finished it. You like to read?” Damien’s excitement flashed across his face, the tension leaving him the more he spoke.
“For a good part of my life, that’s all there was to do. I never really got into the technology crowd until getting a cellphone became essential to my day job.” Jill took out her phone, showing it to Damien. “Silly thing is still smarter than me.”
Damien turned his head away, almost embarrassed at what he was about to ask. “So, your…your number? Could I have it?”
Of course. Jill thought to herself, her heart pounding with relief.
She held out her hand. “May I borrow one of your napkins on the table and a pen? I’ll be happy to give you my number.”
Once, the pen and napkin were placed in her hand, she wrote down her number. “Feel free to call or text anytime. For you, I’ll answer even if I’m working.” She handed them back, winking.
The scent of Chelsea on the wind signaled Jill to start cutting things short. “I look forward to hearing from you.” Jill ran her fingertips down Damien’s jaw, flirting.
“Here, Dame!” Chelsea's voice rang out as she set down their drinks.
Damien tucked the napkin with Jill’s number in his back pocket, his cheeks hot from the gentle touch of her nails. He looked up to see Chelsea’s smiling wide.
“Wait. What?” Damien stood up, scanning the surrounding crowd for where Jill could have gone. He almost felt disappointed. The lingering feeling of her warm hand on his leg left him running his own along the path hers followed.
Jill stood on the opposite corner of the café, watching as Damien scanned around briefly for her only to sink back into his chair.
It hurt her to have to run from him, especially since it seemed as though he was getting comfortable the more they spoke but she didn’t want to risk meeting Chelsea.
Oh well, he has my number. He’ll call. She smirked to herself as her phone buzzed in her pocket.
“Well that was sooner than I expected.” Jill took it out of her pocket, reading the text. It was indeed Damien asking where she had gone off to in such a hurry. She responded telling him not to worry. They would be seeing each other soon enough.
****
Damien’s foot tapped in anticipation on the wood floor, his knee knocking against the bedside. He couldn’t concentrate on the textbook sitting in his lap. His eyes kept glancing at the clock. 3am.
Disappointment started to manifest until Jill dropped onto the windowsill. He hurried to open the panes to let her in.
“I was beginning to wonder if you were going to come.” Damien said, his voice betraying the fatigue he suffered from.
“Sorry for being late. One of the clients from my job had me doing some early hour surveillance. You look exhausted. I can come back tomorrow or meet somewhere if you like instead.”
Jill sat down on Damien’s bedside, picking up the textbook off of the floor. “Doing some late night studying?
Damien stretched his arms above his head, his back popping against the uncomfortable way he was sitting. “Yeah. I have a couple of exams tomorrow for my summer classes. One right after the other. I took college classes before but damn I don’t remember them being this demanding.”
A chuckle left her throat as Jill turned the bedside lamp off. “Get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow is one of my days off so we can do something in the evening if you want.”
“Jill.”
“Yes?”
“I hope this doesn’t sound weird but…have we met before? I can’t shake the feeling I know you.”
A knot formed in the base of Jill’s throat. She wanted to answer him truthfully but knew she couldn’t. It was too soon in their relationship to let him know the deeper, darker world he was getting into.
“I don’t think so but it doesn’t matter. We’ve met each other now. Have a good night, Damien. Good luck on those pesky tests.” Jill teased.
Damien rolled his eyes. “Thanks.”
After leaving, Jill stood outside of the house looking up at Damien’s window. He needed to sleep to fulfill his obligations to his school, ending their night early.
Conflicting thoughts of logic met raging emotions as she weighed the options of pursuing or letting him go. Exposing him to her world would put him in severe danger.
I don’t want this life for you but I can’t help how I’m feeling. Dear Luna, am I doing the right thing?
The following morning, Damien's head hurt. The double life he was living was starting to wear on him mentally and physically. There were so many questions buzzing in his mind he wanted to ask Jill but he didn’t want to seem rude.
She was beautiful. The kind of woman any man would give his left nut to be with. There was just something about her.
Something inhuman.
Just like him.
Despite his denial to the contrary, Damien found himself developing feelings for Jill. She felt right to be around. A comfortable presence who seemed to understand him.
He wanted to tell her what happened in his past. He wanted to share his secrets with her. Somehow he knew she wouldn’t judge him.
Their exchange at the cafe was limited to brief small talk and then she'd run once Chelsea came back. The touch of her hand on his leg hadn't left him since the café like it had been imprinted on his skin.
Night after night, even sometimes during the day, Damien found himself wanting to see her.
What’s wrong with me? I didn’t even think I could feel things like this anymore. The feeling of aggravation rose in his chest as he rubbed his face, brushing his fingers up through his hair to try and get a grip on his raging feelings.
“D, hey!” Rob snapped his fingers in front of Damien's face. “You still having those headaches?”
“Yeah, they've been pretty much a constant. I hadn't been sleeping well either,” Sarcastically, he added. “Think I’m being haunted or something.”
Damien ran his hand down his face to the back of his neck. His double life seemed more insane the longer he'd even allowed himself to think about it. Something straight out of Supernatural.
There was no way he could hope to explain it to Rob or Chelsea. Hell, he didn’t fully understand it himself.
Using Rob’s love of the creepy and paranormal seemed like a good way to distract him from probing.
“Nah, you know me, D. I'm not one to put anything past the supernatural. Remember when we were kids? We debated on becoming a cryptozoology team. Investigating the mysteries unknown to humanity.” Rob put his arm around Damien's neck, his other outstretched and moving across the sky. His voice slowing to match the pace and tone of Rod Sterling from the Twilight Zone.
Chelsea smacked Rob's arm. “Come on, Rob. You were the only one who wanted to go through with that nonsense. Damien and I wanted nothing to do with it.,” She turned her focus on Damien. “Tell us about this mystery woman you keep seeing?” Chelsea didn't have to try to hide the disgust in her voice.
“Mystery woman? Wow, D, you're seeing someone? Really?”
It was no mystery that Damien was attractive. However, he never really asked anyone out and was quick to shut down any woman who tried.
Damien sighed. He knew anything he said regarding Jill would make him look more like he needed a strait jacket.
“She's not really so much a mystery anymore. I learned her name when she sat with me while we were getting lunch Chels. It was only for about five minutes and then she disappeared when I looked away. Up until then, I'd only seen her around campus.”
There was no way he was telling either of them the truth. Rob would probably make some dumb, “princess in the castle” joke which would make Damien have to slug him to protect his own pride.
“Dame was spaced out by her when I ran into him on campus. She vanished then too. I never saw her.” Chelsea said as she filed her nails, the sharp tone of disappointment in her words.
“Damn, seems like you’ve got a stalker. Maybe a spirit from the sound of it.,” He leaned in close. “Hate to mention it bro, but do you think it could just be the old southern border overreacting? Maybe your woman-deprived imagination creating the perfect woman for your fantasies?” Rob elbowed Damien in the ribs.
“I’m pretty sure that’s the furthest from what it is. Believe it or not, I don’t honestly run to the idea of getting into a woman’s pants, you pervert. There is such a thing as dating and getting to know the other person first.” Damien wasn’t the sleeping around type. His biological mother made sure of it when he was growing up before Charlie and Sarah saved him.
“Yeah Rob, Damien’s not a man-whore. He's into girls with more class and dignity.” Chelsea commented as she flipped her blonde hair, raising her nose in the air to act more upper class.
Damien and Rob looked at each other then back at her, both confused to learn Chelsea considered herself classy or dignified.
They'd known her since she was nine. If a guy looked good, Chelsea was flirting with him, often earning jeers from her classmates. Most of the time her escapades had been attempts at making Damien jealous. It never really worked.
“Hey, what if we go bowling? It'll get your mind off of your spirit woman and give us some time to catch up since you've been gone, Dame.” Chelsea offered and leaned into Damien's chest, wrapping his arms around her.
“Yeah! Sounds fun! D, you in? I remember you used to bowl some killer games.”
Damien ignored Chelsea's antics, looking around him. His mind ventured off into thoughts of where Jill could be.
A sharp elbow to his ribs brought his attention back to the moment. “Yeah, sure. I hadn't gotten to school you in a good game of bowling in a long time, Rob.” Damien unlatched Chelsea to put Rob in a playful headlock.
The bowling alley was all decked out in its Halloween décor. A giant grim reaper with a dark, creepy voice stood sentry at the front, spooking the children and making them jump as they walked up to the sliding doors.
Their parents had to calm them down before they even entered. Some even ran into the parking lot forcing their parents to keep them from getting run over by the cars entering and leaving.
The walls had paint capable of glowing green when hit by the black-lights every hour accompanied by a Halloween dance tune.
Rubber bats hung from the ceiling and paper pumpkins decorated every table.
Chelsea jumped, squeaking when she went to get her ball and saw a rubber rat staring back at her, taking the opportunity to run into Damien's arms.
“Strike!” Damien pumped his fist in victory.
“Damn, D, I'll never figure out how you do that. It's creepy as hell. Almost like you're a pin whisperer or something.” Rob's mouth was agape in amazement. “Alright, my turn. Watch and learn, sisters.” He rolled the ball, knocking down all of the pins over save for two on opposite sides of the box.
“Oof, vampire fangs. Those are never easy to recover from.” Chelsea commented with a slight mocking chuckle. She took a sip of her soda and picked up another nacho to munch on.
Rob rolled his ball hard enough it managed to hit one of the pins, knocking it into the other earning him a spare. “Ha! Eat that, Chels. Your turn.”
Chelsea stood up to bowl. She struggled as she tried to awkwardly roll the ball down the lane, only knocking down the center pins.
In order to avoid embarrassing her, Damien choked back his own laugh while Rob burst out laughing.
“Damn, I'm still no good! Next time we go to a movie or something. I suck at this.” She stomped her foot in frustration.
The game went on with Damien scoring the highest as usual. They took a break from bowling to go sign up for the next laser tag session. Chelsea chose to sit it out, saying it was more of a guy thing.
“Your loss. Course if you shoot as well as you bowl, our team would lose anyway.” Rob laughed, earning him a smack on the arm so hard, even Damien hissed through his teeth in pain.
Damien shook his head at his friends, enjoying his hamburger, fries and soda. They really hadn't changed much in the time he'd been gone. Rob was still his goofy, nerdy self and Chelsea still paraded around like a prima donna.
Not much had changed in Big Timber at all since he'd been gone.
Jill leaned against the bar, watching the three of them as they ate. Her nights together with Damien were doing well to help her form a bond of friendship with him but she still yearned for more.
However, it was becoming obvious that balancing the late hours with his school schedule were wearing Damien down.
Jill didn’t know what to do in order to help. He’d texted her before they arrived, asking her if she wanted to go bowling. She’d refused because of the light of the full moon.
In order to address her needs as a lycan, she had to answer Luna’s call. The late nights were affecting her as well since she worked during the day.
“Hey gorgeous, how about I buy you a beer?” Here we go again. Another stubborn male thinking I’m remotely interested in entertaining him. A quick glare at him sent him running, his tail between his legs back to his friends.
“That him?” The bartender, Alexander Kain asked while cleaning the cups and organizing bottles. He was a fellow lycan and one of Jill's oldest friends from the past.
“Yes. I'm sorry I was late Kain, how long has he been here?”
“I just got on shift. They were here when I arrived so it had to have been two hours at least. You sure about him? He looks more like a vampire.” Kain replied, obviously suspicious.
“It's him. If I was honest though, I don’t really care. I’ve come to love Damien as he is. You got my texts in regards to the late schedule I’ve been keeping lately,” Jill replied, her voice indicating her fatigue. “It’s really starting to wear on me. I’m having to meet the needs of the man I like while trying to keep the lycan in me satisfied. I know it’s starting to hurt him too. He’s having to handle summer classes and our late night talks. I want to be more than a friend but I don’t want to push him too early.”
“I can only imagine how frustrating this experience has been for you, Jillian. Usually we have to fight them off of us. Give it time. He'll come around. Maybe try courting him? It isn’t any different for humans as it is for us.”
Kain always seemed to know what advice to give at the right moment. Though she chose to remain a lone wolf, Jill liked having him around and valued him and his pack as close friends.
When Damien and Rob left for laser tag, Kain sent his adopted son in to fill for the last slot on the team. Clint worked at the same bowling alley as his father. It was his off day so he went in to keep an eye on them.
“Thanks, Kain. I have given thought to courting him but let’s face it, he’s from a different world.” Jill replied, her voice downtrodden, her gaze directed at the floor.
“Don’t stress out over it too much, old friend. Let things take their course. I’m sure it will work out for the two of you,” Kain’s tone made Jill think he might have been let down. “Are the vampires aware of him, yet?”
“Not to my knowledge but you know Demetrius as well as I do. He doesn't stay blind for long. He even has humans working for him to get into his good graces enough to be turned. I've been informed there are some of them serving as bleeders for the vampires now. Makes me sick to think about.”
Demetrius Stone, the current vampire lord of Big Timber’s ruling family, continued his crusade against the remaining lycans even after their arrival in the new world. His constant killing forced them to either become permanently human or hide in order to survive.
“Thank you for being my eyes when I can't be around, Kain.”
“I'm still in your debt for getting as many of us out as you could after we were cornered. You know humans Jillian, they're afraid of their own mortality. They will do anything to stall death and aging as long as they can.”
“It wasn't a problem, Kain. It was the least I could do to thank Pentacost for giving a mangy stray like me a home. We look out for our own since there are so few of us left.” Jill replied, smiling.
She looked over to see Damien and Rob heading back to Chelsea to pack up and leave.
“It looks like they're done and leaving. I have somewhere I have to go so I'll be on my way. The vampires may have been dormant for a while but they are still hunting us so keep your senses strong.”
“We will. Good luck, Jillian. May Luna always shine on your back and hear your song of praise.”
“You as well, old friend. Tenebris watch over you and yours.”
****
After the bowling alley, Jill took her spot in the tree overlooking Damien's bedroom. He'd gone through his routine of taking his shower, pacing his room with his nose deep in what appeared to Jill to be a textbook.
Damien always looked so adorable to her as he read. The expressions on his face changed depending on what he was reading. Sometimes he would actually talk to the book as though the characters or words could respond.
Well, now’s as good a time as any. I hope he still wants to see me. Jill dropped onto the ledge, making Damien jump at her sudden appearance.
He opened the windows to let her in. “Christ, you about gave me another heart attack. A little forewarning would have been nice.”
“Sorry. It looked like you were studying again so I didn’t know whether or not you would want to see me.” Jill dusted her jacket off, sitting on the bench in front of the window sill.
Damien set the textbook down on the bedside table. “Nah, just brushing up on some medical terms. I start my internship this semester. Wanted to make sure I knew what I was talking about when I met the physician in charge of signing the hours sheet. I didn’t think you would come by. I know it’s late.”
A soft smile fell across his chiseled jaw as he averted his eyes to the floor. “I’m glad you did though.”
A few moments of silence passed between the two of them as Jill tried to come up with some ways of making small talk. She was thankful Damien broke the silence.
“I was wondering,” Jill couldn’t help but chuckle at how cute Damien looked as he struggled to find the words. “If you aren’t too busy, that is. I know you like books. Would you like to head to the book store sometime? I can’t go this weekend since Rob and I are going to be heading out on a fishing trip…”
Jill softly placed her fingers on his lips. “I would love to. I wouldn’t be able to do it this weekend either. A client of mine has me pulling a late night shift both nights. See you Monday for lunch? We can discuss our bookstore date then, how about that?”
“Sounds like a plan.” Damien replied, relieved Jill helped him since he was almost tripping over his own words.
Neither one of them noticed how fast the time flew by. They talked about things like favorite foods they liked to eat, what they did and didn’t like about Halloween and what their favorite music was.
“Wait, why don’t you like the werewolf costumes? Some of them are pathetic, I admit but some are pretty good.” Damien inquired, his curiosity peaked at the frustrated look on Jill’s face.
“I don’t think they’re accurate. I mean, what would a human know about…those anyway?” Jill smacked her head with her fist, realizing what she said, regretting it the minute it left her mouth.
Damien tilted his head to the side, wondering what she could have meant. He glanced at the clock, sighing. Tomorrow was the day he was heading out with Rob he needed to get to sleep.
Jill rose up from her seat, turning for the window to prepare to leave. “I should go. I’m glad we were able to talk even for a short time.”
Damien got up from his seat on the bed, his hand reaching out to grab Jill’s wrist. “Wait.”
The surprised look in Jill’s eyes at the sudden action reminded Damien he’d acted without even realizing it.
“Jill, why don’t you stay? At least until I pass out.”
Her heart raced in her chest as she analyzed Damien’s face. She couldn’t believe he was asking her to stay with him.
Damien withdrew his hand, feeling suddenly embarrassed and upset with himself at what he’d just done. “Sorry. Too frontal?”
“Not at all. I’ll stay until you fall asleep but then I have to be going, okay.” A flirting smirk snaked its way across her mouth.
Damien’s heart leapt in his chest, his eyes widening with joy at Jill’s acceptance. “Really? That’s great.”
Jill took her jacket off. “Would it be alright if I hung this on the closet door? It’s warm in here.”
A quick nod gave her permission. She took her boots off while Damien made a place for her on the bed.
“I know it’s not really what you would prefer but I thought it would be better than the wood floor.”
Without pulling back the comforter, Jill sat down on the bed, positioning herself against the headboard. “It’s alright, Damien. I’m not staying the night. Just until you fall asleep.”
“Right.” Damien pulled back the comforter, laying on his side to face Jill. He was determined to talk to her about something he'd been curious about before she left. “Jill, what do you do for work? I know you’ve mentioned your clients and stake outs but what is it you actually do?”
“Let’s just say I’m the one that’s called in when someone wants to know someone else’s dirty little secrets. I’m a private investigator.”
“That sounds pretty cool. Bet you tend to make a lot of enemies.”
Jill began involuntarily playing with Damien’s hair. “Not really. I’m usually in and out after delivering the files to the DA’s office. I do a lot of work for your dad’s precinct.”
A slight grin fell across her face at the look of realization on Damien’s face.
“Damn. Small world.” Damien replied, exhausted. Jill smiled as he closed his eyes. It wasn’t long until he was asleep.
Jill slid off of the bed, moving slowly to avoid waking him. She put her boots on and grabbed her jacket. It is indeed a small world. At least for now. It’s about to get much bigger and darker than you could imagine.
****
Damien woke up the next morning to find he was alone. A thought occurred to him making him instantly agitated. He smacked his forehead, realizing he had forgotten to ask Jill why they could only see each other at night.
The alarm Damien set for himself went off, reading 6am. It was the day he and Rob were supposed to go to the pier and he was running behind.
One of the gym bags he used for his workouts was already packed with his camera, notebook, extra film and a battery. He grabbed it, ran out of the door, and down the stairs.
“Morning, D! I was fixing to come toss the mattress over to get your lazy ass outta the bed!” Damien thumped the back of Rob’s head in a playful manner, making him flinch.
“Sun's not up yet, I hadn't broken the rules. Now come on, we're taking my truck so we can pack up the poles and coolers.”
Damien loaded one of the coolers with sodas, bottles of water and a few beers. He didn't usually drink too much but he knew Rob could almost out drink a sailor in a drinking contest.
Rob jumped into the passenger's side and they headed out to Old Bill's smokehouse. By the time they arrived, the old man had already opened up the main part of the store.
“Well, hey guys! Haven't seen you in ages. How you been, Damien? I heard bout your mom. Sad to lose such an amazing woman. She will be missed.” William Hutchinson or “Old Bill” as he was known to the town, rung up the packages of jerky, bait and sodas Rob and Damien put in front of him as he spoke.
“I've been okay, Bill. Took some time to get to a level of comfortable coping. I think I'm finally starting to get a sense of control. Going back to school to finish my bio-chem degree.”
“That's great! You were always studyin' somethin'. Never saw you without a book in front of your face. Glad your old man instilled in ya that brains are better than brawn.” Old Bill let out a raspy, bellowing laugh at his own joke.
Rob took the bag and grabbed Damien by the arm. “I'd love to let you two ladies chatter the day away but I've got fish to catch and hiking to do.”
Damien waved to Bill and headed out to the site they chose to spend the day. It had been their favorite spot since they were younger kids. Their dads would sit around and drink while their moms had coffee and talked.
Damien always loved to be outside. The freedom and openness of the woods relieved him of the stresses he was constantly under.
He was so captivated with nature around him, he didn't notice the large wolf in the trees. He about jumped out of his skin when he saw it. His fight or flight instincts kicking in until he looked deep into its eyes.
The fear inside of him melted away the longer their eyes met. The icy green orbs held a sense of familiarity.
It’s fur was black as night. Not wiry at all like a normal wolf. It had a blue sheen like a raven’s feathers when hit with the splotches of sunlight peeking through the leaves.
What surprised him the most was it didn’t really seem to want to hurt him, only staring as though it were observing him.
“Well, doesn't seem like you want to eat me so, mind if I take a picture?” He had no idea why he was talking to the wolf as though it could understand him but it was so beautiful he wanted to try to catch a picture of it.
Slowly it walked down the steep ledge, stopping short in front of him. Soft whimpers escaped its throat as it sat down as if it were posing.
What is the deal with this thing? It's huge. I've never seen a wolf this big. Damien thought to himself, lining up his camera to take a photo when Rob called to him. He’d only turned away for a few seconds but when he turned back around the wolf vanished.
“Damn. It was so gorgeous too.” The sudden appearance of Rob's arm around his neck brought about a slight jump. He had to stop himself from swinging. “Shit Rob! What the hell? I could have knocked your teeth out.”
“Sorry dude. What're you doin’ anyway?”
“Well I had a good photo opportunity of something I probably won't ever get to see again until you came along, you moron.” Damien shoved him off, mad as hell at missing possibly the greatest photo of his career.
Rob chuckled. “Was it bigfoot?”
Damien rolled his eyes. Always with the cryptos. “No, it was a wolf. One of the largest I've ever seen with the most beautiful fur. It would have been perfect for my portfolio.” He punched Rob's arm making him wince in pain.
“Sorry, man. Sounds like a tall tale to me but hey let's go fishing. Maybe the heat from the hike got to your head. Geesh, first it's women, now it's large wolves. Maybe you should drop the photography thing and go for being an author with all these daydreams you've been having.”
Damien sighed in frustration. He knew what he saw wasn't a hallucination or a delusional fever dream. There was something striking about the wolf. It was almost like he knew it. Like he'd seen it before.
The catch they hauled in hadn't been bad for warmer weather. A few catfish, some sand bass and even a black bass the right size for cooking were put into the ice filled cooler to keep them fresh..
“Man, that was fun. We need to do this again. How about we give them to Bill? He does some killer smoked fish.”
“Yeah.” Damien was still upset about losing the photo of a lifetime and being told he was once again crazy enough to dream something up like large wolves. A sharp howl through the waning light of day reminded him that thankfully, this time he wasn't dreaming.