Deviant (Blendling Trilogy #1)

Chapter Twenty-Two

We easily found the other hunters and disposed of them. Gavin took most of them out with maniac vengeance. We inspected their camp and found the list of names they had to kill. There were ten names on it and four were already crossed out. Gavin mourned, claiming to know the first family that was killed. The twins took care of the bodies and we parted ways with Gavin. He thanked us for our help and rushed off to protect his family.

We were able to recover more ammunition and cash. The hunters had camped at an abandoned warehouse, and had converted it into a nice apartment. I couldn't believe our luck, not only did we get free furniture and building supplies, we also got a bus to ferry our equipment. We gathered as much as we could into the bus and went into town to purchase the ones the girls insisted we got. The girls ported themselves to the mountain while Cam and I dealt with the bus. Thanks to mind control, we were able to divert attention away from the bus as we drove back .

By midnight, we had managed to park the bus inside our cave before going to sleep. We spent the next day arranging our supplies. We moved everything to the mountain top and gradually arranged the cave. First we mapped out a plan which included plumbing much to the twins delight. We cemented the bamboo separating the bathroom and kitchen, installed faucets and drains, even a water closet. Cameron used telekinesis for  majority of the work. The girls painted the house when I wired it, installing a solar system to power the place. We installed motion sensor devices to shoot any large thing that ventured too close to our hide out.

By the end of the second day, we had a beautiful apartment in the sky, complete with electrical gadgets to monitor the surrounding woods and the world. Our weapon cabinet was also well stocked with bewitched ammo.

***
"So what next" I asked suddenly one day.

After a week of inactivity, I was feeling a little claustrophobic. The news didn't offer much and much as I tried, I hadn't been able to dreamscape our families. The hunters had also gone quiet and I felt this was the quiet before a major storm. We spent our time in weapon training and exercising our abilities to find their limits and we were getting better. I finally broke down and told them about the dreamscape with my father but they didn't judge me. Cameron even joked that I could use it for good in combat and during training, I realized it was true. Once, Cam was injured when battling the twins and I turned his pain to pleasure. He was able to ignore it and continue fighting until the wound healed.

"I thought I was the only one tired of watching you make out" Belle said, eyeing Sherry who was currently in Cam's lap.
"I get the feeling that something big is happening" I say
"I thought of it yesterday. I even wanted to check my mails to see if mum posted any" Sherry says.
"You can't check your mail!" I cry and she gave me a 'duh' look.
"I want to do something" I say. Or someone, I think.
"Yeah. I'm getting antsy. I say we fly back to that town and make some noise, see if we rattle anything" Cam says. While his idea is lacking I wisdom, it was the best any of us came up with. So we agreed to it.

The next morning, the twins set a force field around our mountain base and we set off for the city. We drove the bus, opting to reserve as much energy as we could. When we get to town late that evening, we crash at the abandoned warehouse the hunters had converted, eating the takeout we bought on our way over. We swap the bus for a dusty sedan the next morning. Before the girls awoke, Cam cleaned it up while I went and purchased breakfast.

We drove round town and encountered no trouble. When we passed the Italian restaurant, we heard Gavin hadn't been back to work since that evening. I take this to mean he was still hiding, not that he was dead. By mid afternoon, I'm tired of searching and we head back to the warehouse. Plugging in the laptop we brought, I scanned online news for trouble and find nothing. By evening I'm restless.
"Relax" Belle teased
"Yeah" Sherry joins. "I dunno why you wish you're in danger. Enjoy this peace while it lasts"
"Maybe you should go and feed." Cam suggested "I'm sure you're not addicted to feeding on our emotions"

I nod and leave. I can feel Belle's disapproval but I don't really care. It's been a while I really fed and it was partly to blame for my restlessness. I couldn't gouge myself on their emotions for fear of stripping them of feelings so I've been picking up as little as possible from them; mostly sexual energy from Cam and Sherry. Belle had mastered masking her emotions when she discovered I fed off her and she rarely let me feed from her. I was ravenous.

I picked a crowded pizza house to hunt. It is brightly lit and pulsing with energy. I order a slice of pepperoni pizza and a coke. I release my senses and let the emotions around me rush into me. I feed my stomach and senses, flitting from person to person and drawing in their emotions. One table hosts three girls checking me out and I head there thinking about adding another meal tonight. They giggle as I approach and I wonder which of them to choose.
"Hi" I say charmingly. "Sorry to interrupt your day but I couldn't help myself. You beauties are simply magnetic"
"Oh... eh yes" one of them stuttered "I'm Kylie, this is Margo and she's Tanya" she introduces and the others wave.
"Lemme guess, you're angels" I smile brightly. They giggle "Today is my lucky day, I'm following you to heaven!"
"Don't be silly" Margo says, blushing as red as her hair "We're from Los Angeles not heaven"
"Oh please" I argue. "You must be angels, your beauty is otherworldly. Except heaven relocated there, you can't be from there"
"We're from L.A." Tanya says solemnly. "The only reason we're here in the middle of school year is because there was a bomb blast this morning. Our fathers are friends, they flew us here to safety. They say it's a terrorist attack"
"Yeah" Kylie continues. "One minute everything is quiet and the next, there are people screaming and running around."

My mind wanders as I process this information. Could it be we were checking the wrong place? L.A. hosted the state Council HQ. Maybe the hunters have gone after the elders there like they went after the ones in Sacramento. I put on my best acting skills and milk the girls for information. When I'm satisfied that they had shared all they know, I leave them, blowing each of them a kiss. I don't see out a sex partner that night, but I briefly lure a drunk into an alley and drink from him. I speed to the warehouse,all the while thinking about their words.