The Vampire's Curse

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Nik pulled into his driveway and got out of the car. He opened the back door and helped Angel and Sarah out of the car; then he went to the passenger side of the card and opened the door and Erik jumped out, landing on all fours on the ground and loped over to Sarah. He butted his head against her had seeking comfort from her. He looked up at her with sad confused eyes. Sarah did not know what to do or how to help him. She just hoped that he would not be in this form forever. He killed someone to protect her and saved her life.

Nik walked towards his house and turned and looked over his shoulder and said, "Come on, everyone lets go inside where it's safe and we can talk about what happened and see if we can get Erik back to his human form." They followed him up the steps to his porch and into the front door. His living room was sparsely furnished, just a couch and a chair. There was a small television mounted on the wall across from the couch. Sarah and Angel sat down on the couch and Sarah put her arms around Angel and hugged her close. Angel was still shaking and was trying to get her breathing under control.

Nik excused himself to go to the kitchen to get some blood. He could not be in this close proximity to Angel and not have fed since that morning. This was for her safety. Erik followed him into the kitchen and watched him pour blood from a container that was in his fridge into a tall blue tumbler. He placed the cup into the microwave to warm it up. The microwave beeped and Nik took the cup out and took a long drink. He finished the cup in a few gulps. He went over to the sink and rinsed the cup out. He then turned and walked back into the living room where the girls were sitting on the couch. He walked in the room and sat in the chair next to the couch. He turned to Angel and said, "I know that you are frightened right now, and probably overwhelmed with what has happened but we really need to talk about this, because its not over yet. Erika is still out there and she isn't going to just stop, especially now that she has been exposed for what she really is."

Angel looked up at him with frightened eyes and asked, "What are we going to do, I still cant believe that vampires are real.  I have always been interested in them as a story, but to realize that they are real and are after me is so scary and unreal.  But, we have more important problem at this precise moment. What are we going to do about Erik?" Sarah just sat there with her feet pulled up on the couch in front of her holding her knees. Erik came over and nudged her with his head. She reached out and scratched him behind his ears.  She continued to scratch him this way and he started to relax, she could see the tension roll off of him as she pet him. His body began to shake slightly as he resumed his human form. He sat there with his head in her lap completely exposed and naked. Nik walked over and covered him from behind with the blanket from the back of his couch. 

"Erik, I know you just went through something very traumatic tonight, but can you tell us what the hell just happened?" Nik asked.  Erik continued to lay with his head in Sara's lap and he was still shaking.  He looked up at Nik with fear in his eyes and shook his head, "I don't know man, this has never happened before. My grandpa used to tell us stories of our tribe, but I never believed them. I thought they were just stories.  Who would believe someone that told you that certain men in our family can turn into a wolf.  That's just crazy." 

Nik leaned forward in his chair and looked at Erik, "Why dont you just tell us the stories your grandfather told you?"  Erik stood up and wrapped the blanket around himself and looked at Nik and said, "Alright, but do you have something I can put on, I am kinda naked here?"  Nik replied, "Sure, let me go grab some sweats and a t-shirt, be right back." He got up and walked into his bedroom and went through his dresser and then came back into the living room and handed Erik a pair of sweats and a black wife beater tank top.  "Thank you," Erik said and went into the bathroom to get dressed. He returned to the living room and sat down on the couch on the other side of Sarah and took her hand in his.  

Erik sat for a moment and then began to speak, "I am Native American as you already know from a Lakota tribe from South Dakota.  My family is from a small tribe. There are stories that have been told and handed down from my ancestors over time.  The story goes that once my great-great-great-great-great grandfather was attacked and bitten by a wolf. In Lakota legends wolves hold special meaning and are revered. The tribe elders and medicine man were able to treat his wounds and he lived. The stories go on to say that he was never the same after the attack, that he acted very strangely and wolf like all the time. He eventually married and had three children, a boy and two girls.  My great-great-great-great grandfather was that boy.  

When he turned 21 the woman he loved was raped and murdered in front of him by white settlers and it was during this attack on his loved one that he first shifted into a black wolf and attacked the man that had killed his love. He ripped out his throat.  The other settlers fled for their lives.  He fled into the woods only to return a few days later in his human form.  He became the protector of out tribe. He had the ability to shift at will into a wolf.  This is said to be true for every one of his male decedents.  It takes a very traumatic stressful situation to trigger the wolf gene so that you can shift and once you have shifted you have the ability to shift at will. I have heard these stories my whole life, but never believed them and my parents never prepared me for this.  My dad died last year so I have no one to talk to about this, I am the last male decedent with the wolf gene.  I dont even know if my mother knows about this or if my father ever shifted." 

Sarah sat there holding Erik's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.  She turned to him and said, "Erik, don't worry we  will get through this together.  It is a little scary and I am sure it worse for you, but you are very important to me and I am not going anywhere. You saved my life and I can never repay that." Nik looked over at Angel, she looked very pale, paler than her ivory skin normally looked. He was worried that she may be in shock from her ordeal.  "Angel, are you ok? I am really worried about your safety right now.  I think it would be best if you stayed here where I can keep you safe," the words were out of Nik's mouth before he could stop them.  This was a disaster.  He could keep her safe from Erika sure, but could he keep her safe from himself? That is the real question he asked himself.