Cooper’s heart pounded and he felt the blood rush through his veins. He dashed back to his car as the wolf sped after him. The wolf was faster and tackled Cooper to the ground. Cooper screamed and clutched the tan fur and pushed the wolf’s head away from his face. The matted fur was wet with blood and Cooper screamed pushing the wolf away. He felt the fur receding and he looked up to see Tobalt blood dripping down from his mouth.
“Don’t be afraid Cooper,” Tobalt gasped his muscled naked body pushing against Cooper.
Cooper pushed Tobalt off him and shook his head. Jumping back into his car he started the ignition and pushed on the ignition. Speeding away he reached out and slammed the door shut not taking his foot off the accelerator.
Cooper’s heart and mind raced and he had never felt more scared or crazy before. He kept trying to rationalize what he saw but couldn’t. Maybe there was a wolf that attacked him and Tobalt saved him but was completely naked. That didn’t explain the blood. Maybe he was drunk, but he never drank and he certainly wasn’t drunk now. It could be that Tobalt was a werewolf, but those didn’t exist. Cooper slammed on the breaks and hopped out of the car. He sped into the house and shut the door. He peeked outside expecting and afraid to see a giant wolf jumping towards the window.
“You okay boy?” Ted asked causing Cooper to jump. “Why you look like a ghost.”
“Where is momma?” Cooper said in-between heavy breaths. He didn’t realize it but his hands started shaking.
“She’s at the store. What happened?” Ted furrowed his brow and put his hands on his hips.
“Nothing, I’m just… I’m just getting out of this town right now.” Cooper hurried up the stairs.
Ted followed Cooper up the staircase and into his room. He watched Cooper pull out his suitcase, still mostly full, and start to load his few clothes from the closet. “Don’t you want to wait to say goodbye to your mom?”
“No,” Cooper grabbed his suitcase and walked out of the room.
“Well what car are you going to take to the airport?” Ted followed Cooper.
Cooper stopped and dropped his suitcase, Ted was right; there was no way to get to the airport, not now. He waited by the steps for his mother to return home.
***
Present Day: Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
Parker Van Hault held a glass of champagne and sipped it as he eyed one of the waiters hand out hor’devores . He was wearing tight grey dress pants and an even tighter red Armani shirt. Parker spent a particular amount of time choosing his outfit like he did every day. This was a first time event though. He had never been to a fashion show like this before and he wanted to make people think he was better than just a gofer for his dad’s business. At his left was an equally stylish girl Caitlyn Flynn, her trimmed blond bob and elegant jewelry also screamed fashionista. Caitlyn was Parker’s ticket into the fashion show and he knew it. The third girl with him was Melissa Di Moressi, Caitlyn’s roommate.
“I love this free champagne shit.” Caitlyn whispered. “See anyone you want to make your pillow buddy tonight?”
“A few.” Parker smirked and eyed the waiter’s butt as he turned around.
“Don’t get too wild with the champ Caitlyn, I don’t want too…” Melissa began but was distracted, like the other two.
His eyes then turned as a new man entered the room. This was a tall pale and toned man with strawberry blond hair and Romanesque looks. This was the same man from Cooper’s dream on the airplane.
“Wow,” Melissa commented on the man. “He’s”
“Gorgeous,” Parker replied and started to edge forward.
“Oh he is so mine, don’t even think about it.” Caitlyn went up to the man and began talking leaving Parker to watch. In a few minutes Caitlyn left with the man and Parker could not believe how fast that girl worked. He turned his attention back to the waiter.
***
Present Day: Bay Tree, Virginia
“You should really tell Davie goodbye.” Eva spoke up after about twenty minutes of silence in the car. Cooper kept his gaze outside the window. “I don’t know what happened but you shouldn’t leave like this.” Her blond curls rested on her shoulders. She watched the road and tears flowed out of her eyes.
By the time Cooper was at the airport he had forgotten about his mother’s dramatics. His mind was still on the wolf and partly on trying to get back into his Los Angeles life. Cooper grabbed his bag and headed towards the gate getting in the line they were boarding for his plane.
Moving onto the Boeing he sat down next to a tall skinny man with stubble coming in short brown hair. He wore a tight leather jacket over a stripped tank top with chest hair sticking out. It was when the man slipped off the jacket that he caught Cooper’s attention. On the man’s on was a tattoo of a neon blue lamb. Cooper stood up as the stewardess walked by and she insisted he sit down.
He started to sweat and then felt the hot skin of the man next to him, it reminded Cooper of Tobalt. Cooper was determined to figure out what relationship this man had to Davie and he had however many hours to do that.
“So why are you going to Los Angeles,” Cooper started. “I always wonder why people go to the city of angels.”
The man looked at him for a moment scoffed then returned to his magazine.
“I’m Cooper, what’s your name?” Cooper offered as the plane shook and took off.
“Damian,” He replied and turned a page in his magazine. “I don’t mean to be rude but I’m not in the mood for talking right now.”
Cooper turned forward and sat in silence thinking. “Do you know anyone named Davie Jackson?”
“No,” Damian responded more annoyed now than before.
“Sorry… I know I must be bugging you it’s just you remind me of someone who used to hang out with my brother.” Cooper’s mind was racing trying to think up the perfect lie. “You see the guy had the exact same tattoo as you.”
“Did he now?” Damian closed his magazine
“Yeah exact same one, you sure you don’t know anybody named Davie or David Jackson. Been around Bay Tree for a while. I’m sure you’ve been to Bay Tree.”
“If you don’t stop this I’m going to tell the flight attendant.”
“You just also feel really warm… like my friend Tobalt.” That made Damian twitch and had Cooper blinked he would have missed it but he didn’t. “I take it you know Tobalt.”
“I’m going to ask the stewardess to change my seat.”
Cooper grabbed the man’s hand before he could push the button and whispered something into his ear, which he did not want to believe. “I know Tobalt can turn into a wolf. I’m guessing you know what happened to Davie.”
Damian lowered his hand and faced Cooper, “Davie? Oh, that kid, well lets just say he sold the wrong kind of drug to the wrong kind of girl and some vamp got mad. He’s lucky my clan was there, most people don’t get out alive”
“Some what? Whoa, whoa slow down. ” Cooper felt like it was all a game of make-believe but he wanted to fall deeper into it. He needed too.
“Davie was hanging out with that girl, you know the chubby one… Heather Lafae. Anyway, they were probably fucking but that’s not the point. He dealt her some dust.” Damian glanced at the woman to the left of him who was already fast asleep then continued.
“Dust?” Cooper’s heart started to race again. He didn’t understand a word of what Damian was saying but he had to try and pretend. “The drug dust.”
“Yeah, well turns out Davie was dealing it and I guess he pissed off the wrong vamp but cause Heather was Gregson’s girl he sent us to attack this vamp. We killed him, lost a few… but killed him. Then that one vampire girl that Gregson’s friend’s with. I don’t see why, hypnotized Davie to make him forget everything. Sucks too.”
“Why does it suck?” Cooper pressed.
“Cause Davie just wanted to find out how his dad died. Instead he forgot what only lead he had.” Damian chuckled.
Then it hit Cooper, he had never seen his father’s body. His father was murdered. “Who killed my dad?”
“Oh shit, you’re his kid too... I don’t know. Now stop spreading it around that you know what we are. You’re going to get yourself killed.”
Cooper stood up and walked to the back of the cabin. He opened the bathroom and went inside closing the door behind him. He felt claustrophobic inside and his head spun. All the information: his dad was murdered, his brother with some weird form of magical amnesia, and the fact that werewolves and now possibly vamp’s, which Cooper took to mean vampires, existed. Clutching the toilet seat he vomited into it. He slumped down onto the floor and then grabbed some paper towel to dry his mouth. The smell of vomit started to reach up his nostrils and he pushed the button to flush the toilet. He sat for about five minutes just trying to blank out his mind before there was a knock on the door.
“You alright kid?” Damian said from the other side, his voice more curious than sympathetic.
“Don’t call me kid.” Cooper opened the door and scowled. “I’m not a kid,” He glanced around the empty galley. “You fucking killed my dad.”
“No, no, you think that? Man, did you even hear what I said.” Damian replied.
Cooper pushed past the man and returned to his seat. He fell asleep and ignored Damian the rest of the flight. By the time he arrived at LAX he started to regain some composure.
Caitlyn picked him up from the airport and apologized for not being there more when he first got the news.
Stuck in traffic Caitlyn frowned as the sun set and she took off her Gucci sunglasses. “So tell me, how was home? Must’ve been nice to see your parents? Or well, parent.
“No, it wasn’t. My mom tried but I figure at twenty-four years old it is too late to start parenting.” Cooper started to roll down the window.
“Stop I’ll turn on the AC.” Caitlyn turned on the air conditioning. “Well, we all want to do a little something for you since your back. Starting with Parker, Jake, and I taking you out to eat.”
“I’m actually not hungry.” Cooper whispered still going over everything on the plane.
“You don’t have to eat,” Caitlyn then muttered, “lord knows no one else in this town does. So how’s your brother?”
“He actually probably just got out of the hospital. He was attacked by some vampires…” Cooper went on still thinking about what Damian told him.
“What?” Caitlyn looked suddenly serious and turned to look at Cooper.
“Nothing, it’s just what we call a type of gang in the south.” Cooper quickly corrected himself.
***
That night at Chateau Marmont Parker, Jake, and Cooper all came together for drinks and dinner as planned by Caitlyn. Luckily for them their friend Emily Lee worked there as a bartender. The only person that was missing was Caitlyn. Jake Addison was the homegrown football star that everyone wanted to get with. What was great was that he was also gay. The only issue with Jake was that he was a jack-ass conservative. Cooper found this out when the two went on a date his senior year of college. They knew being romantically involved wouldn’t work so they settled with being friends.
“Where the hell are Caitlyn and Melissa, bitch is probably s-ing that guy’s d.” Parker rolled his eyes and tried to pick up his glass.
“What guy?’ Cooper tried to become part of the conversation. He really could care less at this point.
“She met this gorgeous guy last night at the fashion show.” Parker explained popping the food into his mouth.
“Here are some more drinks, “ Emily placed some cosmo’s down on the table and squeezed Cooper’s shoulder before returning to the bar.
“Yeah? Too bad I couldn’t go, I was go-go dancing at the Abbey” Jake slipped in, he looked for any excuse to talk about his job.
“Meet anyone?” Parker said half-heartedly. Cooper couldn’t believe he never noticed it before but watching the two guys was like watching two pretty girls in a room together.
“A few people.” Jake gave off a coy smile. Cooper knew this to be a lot of guys. The waitress placed the bill on the table. Jake looked it over still talking. “Gotta say, I love L.A., Em’ let’s take some drinks off this bill.” Jake shouted.
Emily rushed over and hit parker’s head. “You’re going to get me fired. I can sneak drinks but I’m not supposed…”
“Don’t worry, my treat.” Parker reached out and grabbed the bill then glanced at it trying to suppress his surprise at how expensive it was.
After dinner, Cooper collapsed on his bed and fell asleep instantly. He thought a minute about why Caitlyn didn’t show up but only a minute because then he fell asleep.
***
Caitlyn woke up feeling dizzy and disoriented. She reached down into her bra where she kept her Blackberry. There were three missed calls. Sitting up she had to wait for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. Looking at her phone she had completely missed Cooper’s dinner. A light turned on and she realized that she was in some trendy industrial condo. Her eyes widened as she noticed Melissa Di Moressi slumped dead in the corner of the room. She turned as the mysterious strawberry blond man emerged from the bathroom shirtless and glistening as he dried off his hair. He smiled and with a click revealed two sharp vampire fangs.
***
Early in the morning Cooper woke just before sunrise. He grabbed his laptop and went on his computer for a bit then stared at the kitchen noticing the light was on, he didn’t leave the light on. Fear shot down Cooper’s spine and he closed his laptop gulping. Sliding out of bed he grabbed the lamp from his bedside.
Clutching the lamp he tiptoed to the kitchen. As he entered the small narrow kitchen he spotted a figure and threw his lamp. It smashed into the figure and the figure jumped back and growled. It was Tobalt. Cooper’s eye’s widened and he dashed for the front door. Tobalt beat him to it and threw him onto the bed.
Cooper clutched his sheets and gulped. Tobalt stared at him then walked over to the door and opened it. A black and gray wolf entered the room holding a dead cat in his mouth then shifted into a naked Damian. His lean body had light body hair on it and was toned and while slightly tan, much paler than Tobalt. The dead cat in his mouth dripped blood onto the hardwood floor with the sound of a drippy sink. Damian ripped out a chunk of flesh from the cat and swallowed then threw it down on the floor.
“This sucks, doesn’t even taste alive. I think it’s all this L.A. smog.” Damian smiled at Cooper. His lips twisted into a bloody smile and he took a step forward growling. “So tell me, Cooper… was finding out about your brother worth it?”
“Tobalt? What the fuck is going on here?” Cooper shouted at the man that just a few days ago made love to him out by the lagoon.
“We’re eliminating a threat.” Tobalt answered and with that Damian transformed into a wolf and lunged onto Cooper.