AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Date: 3-21-17
If you couldn't see the full picture up top, it says:
"I'm secretly a vampire."
See why it's perfect for this chapter? Because Adrian said he's revealing what he is!
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Chapter 60: Unsettling Reactions
Lucas can't even correctly comprehend at this moment what Adrian just said.
"My blood heals because I'm not an Alpha. I'm not even a werewolf."
Those were Adrian's exact words. Lucas remembers them because they won't stop echoing in his head.
"You're not a werewolf?" Lucas repeats slowly with a blank expression that Adrian can't read.
"No. I just went along with it because you and Mason suggested it." Adrian says, carefully making sure that he didn't leave out Mason this time.
Lucas clenches his fists so tightly that his knuckles turn white. Lucas lowers his head and stares at the ground for a full minute to process this.
Adrian is fast, supernaturally fast. And strong. His eyes glow red and he has fangs. His blood apparently heals people. It's all unsettling to Lucas.
Lucas looks back on the time when Jerica was in her faze of obsessing over the supernatural, and she tried to teach Lucas.
Realization hits Lucas quickly, and Lucas hopes he doesn't sound as stupid as he feels when he speaks up.
"So you're a vampire." Lucas states calmly, staring right into Adrian's eyes as if he isn't unsure at all.
"You're quick to pick up on things." Adrian responds with a small smile.
"Is that a yes or a no?" Lucas asks directly, glaring at Adrian with hatred.
Lucas is like the ocean right now, switching back and forth between the pretense of a gentle tide and a tsunami.
"Yes, I am a vampire." Adrian says firmly.
Lucas needed to hear a direct answer this time because he suddenly realized that he never heard Adrian say, not even once, that he was a werewolf. Lucas couldn't believe he had fallen for it.
All of those times when he backed down from a fight because he knew Adrian would beat him because he's an Alpha. Bull crap!
All of those times Adrian talked about werewolves or gave advice. All of it was faked!
"So how do you know so much about werewolves?" Lucas finally asks Adrian.
"I made it my business to know about other supernaturals awhile after I became one." Adrian answers truthfully.
"Oh?" Is all Lucas says in reply. He's back to the pretense of a gentle tide, on the verge of becoming a gigantic tsunami.
Lucas feels like this is the last straw. Lucas' nerves have been pulled taught ever since he watched Mason fall to the ground in a bloody mess.
"And I hunt rogue supernaturals. Most rogues are vampires or werewolves, so I have to know about both species." Adrian explains quietly.
And Lucas knows that Adrian certainly knows about werewolves, since he pretended to be one. As you can tell, Lucas is still seething about that.
Lucas goes back through his memories to replay conversations with Adrian.
The time when Lucas asked where Adrian's pack was. Adrian avoided the question, saying he didn't need a pack.
Another time pops up in Lucas' head, but this talk wasn't with Adrian.
Lucas had been talking with Monique when he first found out that werewolves could sense other peoples' emotions as easily as their own.
Monique had made it sound like Adrian could do that. So she had been in on it the whole time. Lucas could suddenly recall dozens of times Monique made a comment about Adrian being a werewolf, without actually saying he's a werewolf.
"Can you hear heartbeats still? Can you sense emotions like I can? Are you faster than me because you're a vampire?" Lucas launches the questions, one after the other, at Adrian to release his anger.
"I can hear heartbeats. I can't sense emotions. And I am faster than you, but not just because I'm a vampire. Not all vampires are faster than werewolves. It depends on the two that are racing. But I have a small advantage." Adrian says with only a hint of his smirk.
Adrian must be really trying here because he's usually always smirking or saying something sarcastic.
"What's that?" Lucas asks dryly, not wanting to stick around to hear the answer.
If Adrian says something about how handsome he is, Lucas will tackle him to the ground and punch him in the face until-
"I'm not completely a vampire." Adrian announces. And with that, Adrian tells Lucas about that small, itty bitty speck of werewolf inside of him that's not enough to count him as a hybrid.
"So that makes you better than other vampires?" Lucas questions after Adrian finishes the story.
"Yes. I'm faster and stronger." Adrian says proudly, this time not attempting to hide his smirk.
Lucas ignores that and moves to another question. "Do you know any other vampires like you?"
"There's no one else like me on record." Adrian retorts, eyes serious but smile smug. The comment has double meaning that, once again, Lucas ignores.
"Do you know any regular vampires?" Lucas asks, resting his elbows on his knees, actually interested in this topic.
"Yes. But I won't disclose any information about them." Adrian narrows his blue eyes at Lucas in warning.
"Okay. Just one last thing about that... Are there any vampires besides you in this town?" Lucas asks a bit hesitantly, because Adrian was clear about not wanting to talk about other vampires. Lucas starts to wonder...
Is that a vampire thing? To keep the whereabouts of other vampires a secret? Like a big secret organization? Do werewolves do the same thing?
"No. There aren't any others in this town that I know of." Adrian responds honestly.
Lucas nods once to show that he trusts that what Adrian just said was true.
Thinking about vampires reminds Lucas about how Adrian said he fed Lucas his blood. But Lucas remembers reading somewhere online that vampire blood can heal most people, but not werewolves.
Lucas sits up straighter with this realization. "Wait, so how did your blood heal me if you're a vampire? Vampire blood can't heal werewolves."
"That's true. But since I have that super tiny bit of werewolf in me, my blood can heal werewolves too." Adrian replies.
Adrian is surprised that Lucas thought that deeply on all of this.
Lucas sits back in puzzlement, wondering when this constant swirl of confusion inside of him will go away. When will Lucas ever be truly certain of anything again?
Another thought directs Lucas' mind in a different direction. Lucas hates having to ask Adrian for anything, but this feels necessary. "Can I tell everyone else about what you are?"
"Everyone else, who?" Adrian demands to know, already on the defensive.
"Um... Lena, Jerica, Ivie, John, and Mason when he wakes up." Lucas replies, that last part being optimistic.
"You can tell them, but not John. I don't trust him yet." Adrian says with a shake of his head.
"That's weird, since it should be the other way around." Lucas replies instantly, not thinking before speaking.
Lucas remembers that Adrian threatened John into helping Ivie. John should be the one not trusting Adrian. Which is good because John doesn't trust Adrian.
Now after receiving all of this new information on Adrian, Lucas isn't sure he trusts Adrian either.
"And don't tell Ivie either. I'll tell her in my own time." Adrian says in a dangerous tone, implying bad things will happen if Lucas does tell.
"Okay." Lucas says, not understanding why Adrian would act that way. Why would he personally need to tell Ivie? Unless... does Adrian like Ivie?
Lucas leans back in his chair, tensing up at the thought of what he's about to ask next.
"Have you heard anything about Mason? I'm visiting him later but..." Lucas trails off, knowing Adrian will understand. Lucas is very worried about his twin.
"I haven't heard anything new. But once I leave here I'll be searching for something to help." Adrian responds, ringing his hands together, already trying to think of some way to help.
This might not be Adrian's fault, but he could've prevented all of this if he'd been with Lucas and Mason that night instead of trying to do his job.
So Adrian decided to help. And to reassure himself he's not going soft, Adrian tells himself that this will be a personal gain.
Adrian feels kind of guilty about all of this, so doing this will make him feel better. See, that's selfish.
Adrian smiles down at his hands, which have stopped moving. Adrian feels better now, knowing he's not going soft.
~*~
After Adrian leaves, Lucas readies himself to tell everyone what he learned. Everyone meaning Jerica and Lena.
Jerica is eager to hear everything, but Lucas refuses to speak until Lena gets there. He doesn't want to repeat everything.
Lucas spills the secret when Lena shows up, telling her and Jerica what Adrian is, choosing to leave out the part where Adrian fed him and Mason blood to save them.
That part grosses Lucas out. Plus he doesn't want Lena and Jerica to worry any more than they already are.
~*~
Lucas excuses himself after a few more questions. His mind is exhausted from the thoughts chasing each other in circles, ultimately getting nowhere every time.
All Lucas wants to do is climb into bed, but Lucas knows he can't do that. Lucas has to go visit Mason.
Lucas swore to himself that he'd visit Mason every day, ever since he left the hospital.
Lucas has kept up with that, and he'll be damned if he doesn't keep his word.
But just the thought of seeing Mason causes uncertainty. Lucas feels a rush of happiness at seeing his brother again, but at the same time, Lucas feels a deep depression creep up.
Mason looks the same every time Lucas sees him. Mason is always pale and unmoving on his white hospital bed. He looks dead.
So every day, Lucas believes he doesn't have the strength to look down at an unconscious Mason once again.
And every day, Lucas proves himself wrong. Which isn't exactly a good feeling in this situation.