Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Adventure

you are not ready...you are not ready...you are not ready...
the morning sun had not risen as his eyes opened and gazed to the empty spot where his lover should have been. He lifted his head to see him sitting there at the edge of the bed gazig up at the moon.  the flickering flames of the torches seemed to make his brown skin glow and caused him to smile. without a word he pushed himself up and on his hands and knees crawled over to him. he wrapped his arms around him as he kissed the side of his neck. "You are awake."  the other man smiled and turned slightly before placing a soft kiss upon his lips. 
"you sould be resting my Gulbahar."
"i wish i could Kavied...I am just-"
"Just what?"
"are you sure this is what you want to do, there is no turning back once we leave and i-" Kavied placed a finger to the man lips as he gazed in his eyes. The look he had given him many times before, the look he had first given him the moment they first laid eyes upon one another. "The only thing i am sure of is you and that is good enough for me." he caressed his face before kissing him

    The jerk of the train shattered his dream and made him wake with a start. Mateo cupped. His face as to shake the lingering feeling of sleep away. Leaning his head back he sighed.
"One of those nights?" the smooth voice of a man sitting across from him said.  mateo brought his gaze to find the owner of the voice. He was dressed in black dress shirt with slacks to match. The only pop of color was a garnet ring on his left hand.
"Im sorry..." mateo muttered.
The man grind a moment before he spoke again. "You seem a bit restless." he flashed a smile and Mateo saw perfect teeth. Mateo gave a small smile, "Am i that transparent?" he said looking into the emerald green eyes across from him.
"You were tossing and turning. Bad dream?"
"Something of the sort."
"Care to share?"
"Not really besides-"
"Oh come on i can be a good listener." the man interjected and then flashed a smile. Mateo sighed playfully then said, "fine." he shifted his gaze out of the window to a mixture of shadows and shapes of what would be the vegetation of the land scape leading him to what was once his home.
"Have you ever wanted to be someone else? literally be anyone other than who you were born as?" the sorrow in his voice was present and it shifted the light atmosphere. Mateo placed his gaze back on the man sitting across from him.  the man spoke breaking the silence. "Not that i can recall, but i do think at one point all humans do." mateo smirked. the fact that he wasn't human was the very thing he was speaking upon. he longed to be just human be anything other than one of the people who people mock and fear. 
"I have many times."
"Why"
"where im from...im already considered different, but to be..." he trailed off. Before the man could speak mateo glanced past him across the car to see a young asian male wearing a black muscle shirt and jeans staring intently at the man. The sheer focus  was so intense that it made him a bit uncomfortable.
"What?" the man said as he shifted in his seat turning to gaze over his left shoulder. a moment past before the man in the distance changed his view.
Umm...do you two know one another?"
"Not that i know of, after all im new to kerlic."Of all the places to be, why kerlic?" Mateos voice had a bit of humor in it. the man chuckled then smiled, "Oh i wont be here long just have to take care of something for someone and then i'll be on my way. what about you?" Mateo shrugged, "I really didnt have much going for me in Houston so i might hang around for a while until i get bored." the man smiled
********

As the train slowed and came to a stop the few people that were abroad began to rise.  After a moment to grab his bag from under his seat he glanced up to see the green eyed stranger had vanished. With a shrug Mateo gathered his sack and placed it over his right shoulder and headed for the exit. As he stalked he caught a glimpse of the young asian male still sitting in his seat with headphones blasting some type of music. As the man shifted in his seat the handle of a dagger revealed itself. Mateo smirked, at least he had the right idea coming to a place like kerlic. After all this was one of ten towns were they attempted to house struggling preternatural run aways. The forcing integration of human and preternatural folk felt like a ticking time bomb but to see people from both sides wanting to make a difference had to count for something right? 
The smell  of two A.M and the earthiness if the forest hit his nose hard as he exited the train. He glanced around the station, braely illuminated and closed.  If his memory served him well he knew the that the safe house of Middle Ground was about five miles from the trainstation.  A flash of lightling lit up the sky followed by a clap of thunder. "Looks like rain?" the familiar voice of the train passenger came from the left side of Mateo.  He turned to see the man from the train leaning against the side of the building. In a blur he was in Mateos face which caused him to stumble backwards . "what the fuck?" Mateo shouted eyes wide.  
The blow caught him off gaurd as it made contact with his jaw. Mateo spitaled to the ground. The taste of blood filled his mouth as he tried to push himself up but was met with a kick to the ribs. He hissed in agony clutching his side as the man circled him. 
"I dont know whats so special about you." another kick, this time to the back. "I mean shit, we talked for hours about your pathetic life and I cant for the life of me think why would i be hired to kill you."   he bent down and snatched Mateo to his feet by his hair and flung him into the wall knocking the air out of him. He hadn't notice that the rain had started to fall until rain drops cascade down his face. 
"She didnt hire you to kill the poor bastard you asshole, you're suppose to bring him in." A woman's voice echoed out.  A slender female with a blood red pixie cut leaped from the roof to the ground between them.  The man shrugged with a smirk he cooed "Same difference to me." the woman shook her head and turned to face Mateo who had made it to his feet again. "Mr. Lightfeather come with us." the woman said smoothly as she stalked in his direction. 
"Fuck that." Mateo spat out between grunts of pain. The woman curved her painted red lips into a smile. "Your hurt badly. Do you think you can really put up a fight against a vampire, let alone two of them?"
"Oh who gives a flying fuck about what he thinks. Just grab the fucker and be on our merry way." a third vampire said as he approched. 
"Im not going any where with you asshole leeches." mateo said. He hunched over with his arms clutching his chest. His long dark brown hair drapped over his face as he groaned.
"Stop protesting Mr. Lightfeather or I will be forced to let my friends here beat you to an inch of your life." the woman said as she began stalking to Mateo. With a sudden burst of energy mateo rushed the vampire and sent her colliding with the other vampire and as the crashed to the ground he let out a primal roar which caused his bones to crack and twist elongating. His naked body erupted in fur as he stood now a seven foot tall four hundred pound bear.
"Fucking shifter, hes a fucking-"  the third vampire was cut off as he was rushed from behind and tackled to the ground. In thus moment of confusion Mateo attacked charging at the other two vampires. The red head pounced to her feet evading leaving the green eyed vampire to Mateo who pinned him down and went for his jugular ripping it to shreds. The vampire screamed as his head was torn from his shoulders. The red haired woman pounced slaming her left shoulder into Mateo's side the crack of his ribs was heard as he was flung far from the headless vamp. 
Mateo had to get away he knew he couldnt last much longer. With a roar the cracking and snaping shifted his body to a hawk. 
The vampriess screamed "no!" but was to late as mateo took off in flight. She turned to see her on coming threat from behind.
********
Wings streched wide as he soared through the night's sky. weaking and fading fast he didnt know how long he could hold his shfit with this much damage to his body. Each breath a stabing pain, but he had to keep pushing so he flapped harder. "Middle Ground was close, just bit futher." he told himself. The lights of the building were coming into view but he felt the shift coming. He paniced as his vision became blured and went into total darkness...