She Came From the Shadows (James and Tera: book 2)

7

"You sure this is a good idea?" Tera had asked her dad, Charles.

He shrugged. "If that's what that vampire lady says so, then I guess we've gotta try." He was sitting in a kitchen chair biting his nails. "If her information is correct, then our existence along with theirs could be at stake for discovery."

Tera and I were going to a swingers party. It would be a very unusual date, especially when it would involve a lot of switching around with partners. I was dressed normally, wearing a dark gray sweater and jeans. Tera wore a short sleeve Metallica shirt with jeans and her leather boots.

"So why would Everard ask us to do this?" I asked Charles.

He shook his head. "Everard is a very particular wolf." He said. "He's old, and with the age like we have you start thinking in very particular ways. Strategies start changing."

"He won't send you or someone else?" I asked him.

He looked at me and kind of smirked. "Looks like someone doesn't want to go."

"Can you blame me?" I asked. "I understand your age and how long it's been since you've been human, but c'mon, you have to understand how I feel about this." Walking into a party of vampires and werewolves isn't a very promising thing.

He sighed. "In all honesty I'd take you guys' place and take someone there with me if I could. However, I'm too well known around this world, while you two and just starting in this world. No one will know who you are."

Charles stood up and pulled out his wallet. "Get yourselves something to eat while you're out." He pulled out $60 in three twenties and gave it to me. He looked at us both, specifically Tera. "Wolves are very territorial, especially over their mates. If there are wolves at this party, then the partners they brought must not be their mates. Keep your cool, and don't go too overboard."

We left out and got into Charlie's truck. He didn't want me taking my Jeep since he didn't want me being tracked. If we were to be followed or his truck was to be found, he would be found with it and it wouldn't be pretty.

Tera cranked up the engine and the roar of the F-150  came to life. She pulled out of the driveway and we headed towards the edge of town. The skies were orange and the sun was setting. By the time we would get to Pinehill, it would be really close to dark.

We rode in silence for a while. We had come to the crossroads that led out of town. Hardly anyone came in or out of town except for drifters and trucks that supplied the businesses. It was empty, well, it would be empty if there wasn't a certain 1960 Chevy  sitting on the side of the road with a certain old Indian lady leaning against it.

Dancing Wildflower, our housekeeper and godmother, was wearing her casual clothes, a dirty brown jacket with a white tee shirt underneath, and some blue jeans with some moccasins on her feet. Her graying-black hair was in a ponytail and she had a feathered earring in one ear and a beaded necklace.

She didn't look happy at all, but that's always how her old face looks. I think I know what she was doing. She was waiting, and Tera understood that and pulled over behind the truck. We both got unbuckled and got out of the truck.

She straightened up her short old body and walked towards us. She stood in front of us both with a strict expression. "I should've tried my luck with killing your father years ago." She told Tera, and sighed. "Well, looks like it's not his fault this time. Everard is gonna have an earful when I get home."

"What are you doing here, Flower?" I asked.

She glared at me. "I would be asking you the same thing, but I guess I know you chose to do this. I'm here to give you something." She pulled out a small leather pouch with a string wrapped around the top. "Tie this around your belt loop."

"What is it?" I asked, taking it by the string and lifting it up to my face to observe it. "Is this a little bag of salt or something?"

"You kids and your superstitions about salt. In this case salt wouldn't provide the right protection. This is a little home remedy that I came up with to help protect against evil." She looked at it, and slowly turned to Tera for a split second before glancing back at me. There was something in her eyes, something that seemed to trouble her. "It's helped me in the past."

I tied it around my belt loop and Flower made her way back into her truck. Through her rolled down window, she said, "Be careful around those blood monsters. They'll eat you both alive if it comes down to it, or if you give them the chance. I don't know what kind of trouble you'll be getting into, but it better not take my boy from me." She cranked the old engine up and headed back towards town.

Tera and I got back into her dad's truck and we started in the direction of Pinehill. We quietly listened to music while on the way there, until those city lights came into view, and the sounds of the people filled the night air with laughing and festivity. We slowed down as we went through the town, watching people cross the street and enter the restaurants and bars.

"Where did she say the address was?" Tera asked.

"Hold on." I got a text from Victoria (Didn't question how she got my number) and I read the address to Tera. "413 Antler Street." I told her.

I looked up the address on a map on my phone and it led us into a shady neighborhood. I hadn't ever really explored this town much, and neither did my parents, so these unfamiliar and dangerous looking streets were new to me.

There were broken down houses, some with graffiti on the ruins of them. Other structures included a few apartment buildings, some with lights on inside, while other rooms seemed to have a good bit of windows broken.There was a library, but there was police tape covering the front door that was boarded up. I wonder what happened in there?

The address led us to an old building for rent. There were cars lined up one by one next to each other, and there were a lot of cars. At least 100. Some two-person cars, while there were trucks that could hold more than six or seven. I could only assume that by the loud music you could hear inside that we were at the right party.

We parked beside a yellow Honda  and got out. We locked up the car, me carrying the silver dagger just out of sight underneath the coat I was wearing. I wasn't going to take the coat off so that I could carry this thing around freely and without making a scene. It was nicely latched onto my pants.

Tera and I stood beside each other and stared at the warehouse-for-rent. It must be rented out for auctions and parties. Tonight, however, it was being rented out for a supernatural swing, and we were invited.

"You know we'll have to fit in, right?" I asked her. She nodded. "And you do know that we'll have to do a bit of flirting too, with others?"

She stiffened, and I heard a low growl. "I may have not thought of that."

I kind of laughed. "That's how these things work. Swinging is usually a switching of partners."

She turned and glared at me. "Why do you know this?" She asked in a sarcastic tone.

I gulped. "Sage is a very perverted guy, Tera." I told her.

She turned back towards the building and let out an exhale. "Fine. But I won't let anyone touch me as much or touch you-"

"Yours." I told her, putting an arm over her shoulder and pulling her closer until her head was next to my face, and I kissed her forehead. "All yours."

She looked up at me, not passionately, but seriously, to the point where her eyes were glowing. "Mine, and all yours." She muttered.

We both started walking around to the front of the building. Tonight was going to be a brand new experience that I'm sure 99.9% of humans don't EVER get to experience.