Jack Wynn

I grabbed a shower in Ryan’s apartment. Allison’s personal shopper arrived while I was in the shower. I had clean clothes to change into and I felt more like myself than I had in months. Reminding myself what I was, who I was had helped a lot.

I stood with the bathroom door open applying eyeliner Allison had kindly bought me. There were several colors of nail polish in the bag too. Leave it to the girl to understand. She and Ryan chatted in the kitchen, I could hear them talking about me. I didn’t listen too hard. I didn’t really care too much. But I was distracted by a man standing in the doorway.

He was built small, and not very tall, but not short either. His clothes were dumpy looking – cargo pants and a t-shirt. It had to be Jack. I smiled at him in the mirror and he nodded. “I thought you’d be bigger from all the things everyone says about you. Even Sage has this opinion of you that’s grandoise.”

I shrugged. “Sage thinks I’m a fairytale.”

“You are. To him you never existed until he met you. Sure he was pack but vampires and venatori. We were all myths to him. Things he never saw, never knew. He beleives things he can touch and see and move with his ability. He’s got a knack for hacking. Really sad he’s wasting away doing government shit.” Jack said.

I walked out of the bathroom and Jack followed me. “I think he does more than that. I think he’s hiding it from his dad, so the fewer people know the less likely his family will think he’s going south.”

Jack laughed. “He’s already south if he’s a hacker.”

I shrugged. “He’s good at what he does. The Venatori could have used him well.”

“He doesn’t want to work for the good of things. He’ll do anything for you though.”

I sighed, “Not anymore.”

Jack laughed. “I doubt that.”

I didn’t want to get into it with Jack. “What did you want to do?”

He grinned. “Ryan says you won’t like video games. And I don’t have much else. Ryan and Allison are fixing to get food. We could go with.”

“I don’t really want to go anywhere. I’ll cook.”

Ryan grinned. “Told you he would say that.”

I asked, “Is that what you were talking about?”

“More or less.” Allison said. “Ryan didn’t think you’d go out, but Jack and I wanted to test the theory.”

Ryan laughed. “He’s a health nut. He’d rather cook it and know what’s in it than worry about what’s in it later.”

I nodded. “There’s more to it than that. I am kinda picky about what I eat, when I eat and where I eat. I’m already pushing my limits. It’s best to stay in the sanity of my mind than to let it reach critical mass and I implode the middle of the mission.”

Allison laughed. “Mission. You sound like a Venatori.”

“I am.” I said as I opened the fridge and started pulling out things to make.

“You aren’t.” She said. “You are only half. A Minorem? That’s right isn’t it?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Like Lesser Chevalier – you like that one?”

Allison giggled. “Not really. It implies I’m lesser than Ryan. I do more for Cari than he does.”

Ryan smiled. “The only difference in our connection is if I die Cari dies, and if she dies I die. It’s not lesser.”

“I’m not lesser.” I said.

“You are more than they are.” Allison said. “So much more.”

“I hate your vampire mistress sometimes. All these things she knows and sees and always so cryptic.” I said as I started making a lemon garlic chicken as that’s what I had fixings for.

Ryan laughed, “You have no idea how bad it gets sometimes. I have to translate for some of our employees sometimes. So annoying.”

We chatted. Well mostly Allison and Ryan chatted. Jack was busy playing with my phone. “Sage has done some nice upgrades to this.”

I nodded. “Do I have any texts?”

Jack nodded. “Yeah. Dev replied to your last one with ‘Fuck pretty boy. I’ll watch the boys. Dream about me.'”

“What time was that sent?” I asked.

“5:30am.” Jack looked up from the phone. “You were having a nightmare at that time.”

“How did you know that?”

“Nick’s an empath, he could feel it. That’s why Ant came back in to wake you up.”

“Nick?”

Ryan laughed, “He’s a ghoul. Human addicted to vampire blood. Cari’s weaned him, but he’s an addict so he’s addicted to her. He sticks around her apartment and in her bed pretty much.”

“She was feeding him blood?” I said a little bit too annoyed.

Allison shook her head. “No way! Well, yes she did, but she didn’t get him hooked. He’s an addict always looking to dull his empathy. Cari had to teach him how to control it and weaned him from the vampire blood. He could function on his own, but he’s addicted to her now.”

“She’s hot. I can see that.” I said.

Jack rolled his eyes. “Coming from a guy who has two men, and a woman in his bed. Like he needs another.”

Allison giggled. “He’s hot. I can see more wanting in his bed.”

I preened under the comment but continued working on our lunch/dinner, whatever it was. I didn’t really care what time it was. It would be dark eventually and eventually I would be heading to Italy by vampire.

All Scenes