blood was flowing freely through his body. This feeling of fluidity was one he was hoping to keep for at least a few days.
“Why don’t we go play some golf instead?” Hartwell suggested.
Cal’s bravado sort of thrust him into boxing, but he was just as happy to swing a club at a small, white ball for a few hours.
“I’m in! Why don’t we take Daniel and Drew along for the round?”
“Excellent idea! I’ll go get Daniel and you fetch your nephew and we’ll meet at the garage in five minutes,” Hartwell replied.
The two men had come to grips with so many layers of hatred and animosity between them. First you had the natural barrier of the hunter-vampire relationship and all of its complexities. The Hartwell-Cal fight was always the featured fight in any battle, and usually was the deciding matchup because Hartwell’s survival or death was the focal point of any confrontation. Another layer of disgust developed when it was revealed that Hartwell was Daniel’s father in a previous life. This came as quite a shock to Cal, who was Daniel’s estranged father in this life. Cal was only separated from his son because Hartwell and company buried him on the bottom of the ocean for 15 years. So you could imagine Cal’s fury once he was back on dry land and was informed of the news.
Daniel was happy to tag along with his two dads and glided through the hallway until he reached his wife Nicole. They embraced as their lips met, Daniel initiating the playback of their first kiss sending indoor fireworks above the couple’s head. Daniel’s first cousin Andrew walked by and said, “Are you playing back that first kiss again? Don’t you think it’s getting old already?”
Andrew was the unfortunate bystander of Daniel and Nicole’s first kiss, as he was the third wheel that eventually fell off. For years he felt as if that was his kiss – that was, until he met Carla and everything seemed to fall into place. Except for the one time that he backslid into Nicole after Daniel broke up with her – he had just found out he was a vampire – and she looked to Drew for comfort. There were questions about the origin of Maxwell, at least as far as the baby daddy was concerned. Daniel beat his cousin to the punch again as he was Max’s dad. The blow of not being a father was short-lived for Drew, as Carla gave birth to Kayla minutes after Maxwell was born. It’s complicated, so you would probably be better served starting from the beginning of the story if you haven’t done so already!
Agent Blake Wallace resided on both sides of his interpretation of the law in recent years, but his love for Daniel’s mother in this life, Belinda, was unquestioned. Blake was also married to Sharon 20 years earlier and she had Nicole after he left and they were divorced. Sharon was a protector of Hartwell until she fell in love with Cal and was transformed into a hunter when Hartwell was turned back into a vampire following his 100th death and subsequent return to mortality. Cal’s twin sister Emily married the only true outsider of the group, Aaron, and the massive hunter became a real asset to his clan.
Although the reentry into daily life seemed to be going smoothly for the members of the House of Hartwell, the same could not be said for the witches Vinson. All of the vampires, hunters and protectors had special powers, including the ability to transition through a myriad of facades in the vampirical, animal, bird, fish and mammalian kingdom, which was quite an asset to both distract and attack opponents during battles. But the three Vinson witches had little to fall back on other than their bag of tricks and spells, which had grown stale over the years.
“What do you want to do?” Linda Vinson asked her mother as they watched neophyte Claire sleep through that first night in the Beach Haven Hotel.
Brenda Vinson had seen her share of rodeos and knew when it was time stop running.
“Well, we could run back to Pennsylvania and live in a state that sounds a lot like Transylvania, or we could stay in Beach Haven and start anew together as a family?”
Linda had been on the run from Lowery for years and simply wanted someone else to set a solid course for her future.
“This town seems nice enough. Beaches, cool shops, vampires, protectors and hunters living together under the same roof.”
And at that moment there were both sideswiped by a force they hadn’t felt in some time.
“And, wow! Did you just feel that surge of paranormal kinetic energy?”
Brenda smiled as she was finally in the middle of things after years of hiding and inaction, “Yeah, we’re staying.”
It seemed that everyone with special abilities wound up sleeping under Hartwell’s roof, but Brenda had other ideas.
“As much as I love those guys and I have a real history with them, I think it’s important that we stay neutral on this one. You remember what happened last time you decided to get involved,” she said to her daughter, reminding her once again that she had defied her wishes and shacked up with a Lowery the vampire who was quite charming at first blush.
Linda wanted to save her energy for battles she could potentially win, so she threw up the white napkin and handed her mother a fork so they could attack a large hunk of New York Cheesecake they ordered from room service.
“Oh my god,” Brenda exclaimed at first taste. “They don’t make cake this creamy and delicious in Pennsylvania.
Linda was in a cheesecake-induced coma but still had enough brain waves for one last bite of sarcasm, “Or Transylvania for that matter.”
“Yeah, I’ve been to Transylvania and it rains so much that all you want to do is either dig remains up in a graveyard or sit around wearing sweatpants.”
The two women kept eating and smiled at each other, content in the knowledge that they were back together again after all these years. They looked over at Claire and thought there was much to teach their young charge in their new home, Cheesecake Haven.
THREE
Thaddeus and Garrison had been on somewhat of a roll of late, as they had rediscovered much of the swagger they had lost in recent years. Being the elder statesman of the tribe had its advantages especially when conflicts arose, but the years started to drag on the duo until they were shown the error of their conservative ways.
“Why do you think we got so tight all of those years?” Gary asked as they sat down at their regular table at Beach Haven Bagel.
“I don’t know?” Thad replied. “Maybe it was the influx of all of those kids? Maybe we were just getting older?”
“But now it appears that father time has stopped knocking on our door,” Gary stated as their dates walked through the front door and giggled as they approached.
Thad smirked as he looked at Gary, “Kick-ass rock and roll,” as he extended his index finger and pinky and stuck out his tongue before pumping fist with his partner in crime.
“Rock on,” Gary replied as the gentlemen stood up and greeted their ladies, who were more than a century their junior in real years but only about 10 years younger in actual appearance.
Most of the House of Hartwell was out and about on this beautiful day. Brandon finally convinced his wife Valerie to join him, Carla and Belinda – his second mother – to get their feet done at Beach Haven Nails. Valerie sat down in the high-back, cushioned chair and was instantly transformed. Her feet were in a tub of warm whirlpool water and the beauty technician had placed a warm cloth over her eyes.
“I can’t believe that I fought this for so long,” she said as the last of her tension trickled out of her body and into the bubbly water.
All four of the luxuriators had towels over their eyes, but that didn’t slow the flow of conversation.
“Honey, you just didn’t know what you were missing,” Belinda said.
“It’s like an out of body experience,” Carla stated.
“Sort of like when we’re going through our changes during battle,” Brandon said naturally and then peaked out from the corner of his towel to see if anyone was listening.
His Asian nail technician was standing right next to him and replied in her
best ‘hood’ voice, “Girl, I know what you mean. My period can be a bitch, too.”
The women peaked out from behind their towels and then everyone started laughing at Brandon’s expense. Although he had become one of the most feared competitors on the field of battle, he was just one of the girls when they all went out together. He credited Belinda and Carla for helping him get in touch with his feminine side, a process that did not include his birth mother, Julie Justice, who never encouraged him in any capacity. His father, Gregory Justice, had been living off the fumes of his high school football exploits before he took a place in the bottom of the ocean with his wife, as Brandon was finally able to focus after his abusive parents were removed from the picture.
Meanwhile, back at the house, there was a small contingent of people that were busy reorganizing the floor plan.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate that Samuel and Ariel have a room together,” Maggie stated.
Maxwell was standing with his grandfather, Agent Blake Wallace, and his wife Kayla and said to her, “We didn’t live together until after the transformation.
“But he has already transformed,” Aaron the oversized hunter interjected.
“It’s those old-school values,” Kayla hinted at disagreeing with her elder at first and then thought better of it, “But what’s the rush? They have their whole lives ahead of them.”
“Is it hot in here,” Maggie asked amidst one of her first hot flashes.
“Do you want me to open the door?” Blake asked and then proceeded to the door after being prompted with a nod. “Maybe a nice ocean breeze will cool you down.”
Blake slowly opened the door and started to give his opinion on the living situation, “Who knows, maybe they won’t be as connected as we think?"
Everyone but Blake had an eyeful of the visual of Samuel and Ariel kissing just outside of the door and they were two feet off the ground.
Blake could see the smiles and pride of the other people in the room swelling, so he took a look for himself and then said, “One room it is.”
Sharon, Emily and Nicole were in town at the Beach Haven Food Market, because it took at least three people to shop for that many hungry mouths. In fact, it probably took at least that many people to fill the voracious appetites of the hunters alone. Two large SUVs were necessary to shop for the week, although the food barely lasted two or three days at most. It was a good thing that Hartwell had amassed an unlimited supply of funds, because the drain of capital was quite intense.
“I never thought we would all be getting along, let alone living in the same house,” Emily stated as they walked down the walls of glass doors of the frozen foods section.
Sharon had switched sides from vampire-protectors to hunters because of her love for Emily’s twin brother, Calvin Brewster. The one obvious drawback of such a move was the estrangement from her daughter Nicole, who understood the move and was prepared to live with it. After all, Nicole had thrown caution to the wind and made a play for the love of her life – who just happened to be the vampire she protected – Daniel.
Sharon smiled as she opened one of the doors and collected and then tossed five pizza boxes into her cart.
“It took a while to get adjusted to not wanting to punch you in the face all of the time.”
Emily laughed, “Ditto. The thought of you and my brother together sort of made me nauseous for a while.”
Nicole chimed in, “Yeah, me too.”
She then realized that she might be hurting Emily’s feelings “Not that he isn’t a quality piece of man meat.”
Sharon and Emily looked at Nicole in shock and Nicole said, “Too far?”
They both nodded and Sharon said, “Yeah, just a little bit.”
Nicole was embarrassed, “You know what I meant,” as the women playfully chased her down the aisle with their carts.
Hartwell and Cal were schooling Daniel and Drew at the Beach Haven Golf Course over 36 holes, or two rounds, of stimulating competition. Much of the majesty and precision of the game was lost on the younger generation, who preferred their games faster and decidedly more virtual and violent.
“Why is it that this game is a lot more exciting when we play it on video?” Drew asked his cousin Daniel.
Daniel rolled his eyes, “Because we don’t have to wait like 20 minutes between each shot and before each hole.”
“Would you two stop bellyaching and start playing for god’s sake!” Cal implored his nephew and his son.
“Yes boys,” Hartwell added. “This game is all about concentration and keeping your focus steady throughout the round.”
Daniel ignored the comment from Hartwell and yelled, “Snack bar!” as he and Andrew ran over to the snack bar and then came back as quickly as they left, “Can we have some money?” Daniel asked.
Cal interjected, “I got this one,” as he pulled a $50 bill from his pocket and handed it to Daniel. “I’d ask you to get us a couple of beers but you two look too young to pull that off.”
The boys had a look of being challenged when they zipped back toward the 10th hole snack bar. Hartwell walked over to the ball washer and removed a grass-stained ball from his pocket. He lifted the arm of the manual washer and then slipped the ball in place before pushing it up and down to clean.
Cal followed him and laughed, “You know they’ll be coming back with four beers. Should we let them drink?”
Hartwell removed his ball from the washer and then wiped it off with his own handkerchief, avoiding the dirty towel that was hanging for everyone else to use.
“I say if you’re old enough to get married, have kids, and kill enemies, then you’re old enough to grab a brew.”
Cal took a ball out of his pocket and then slipped it in the cleaner, wiping the slate clean of small talk in order to get to the heart of the matter.
“So, how long has that thing in the trees been following us?”
Hartwell laughed, “Since about the second or third hole. I thought we deserved a day off from fighting the good fight so I didn’t mention it.”
“The same thing that I was thinking,” Cal replied. “Do you have any enemies from your past I should know about that might be attacking us all next?”
Hartwell scanned his memory as he took the washed ball out of Cal’s hand before he dried it on the used towel. He dried the Titleist ball and then handed it back to Cal, “No, not that I know of. Lowery was the last big one that I can remember.”
“I find it best in these situations to immediately confront a problem,” Cal stated.
“You wouldn’t do it any other way as a hunter, Calvin. But we do not want to alarm the boys.”
But the boys had already caught on and were in the middle of a similar discussion, “Why is that thing following us in the trees?” Daniel asked after he suppressed the snack bar attendant’s desire to ask for identification to purchase the beer.
Drew always liked the action and was less prone to ask questions before attacking, “Who cares? Let’s kill it.”
“Don’t you think my dads’ have been through enough lately? They could use a few days off before we go at it again,” Daniel replied.
“And then we can kill it?” Drew asked and then anxiously waited for a reply like an obedient canine.
Daniel gave in, “Okay, then we can kill it.” He was parched and needed a little boost so he asked the guy behind the counter, “Can I also have two energy drinks and can you put some of your own blood in two of the beers?”
The 33 year-old man found a knife and then pricked his index finger, sending a few drops of blood trickling into the full beer cup.
“At this rate it will take longer than this golf game,” Drew said as he looked in disgust at his cousin.
Daniel lost patience enough to bite into the man’s neck and then stream blood into both cups before setting him down on a chair and fusing the neck wound to avoid suspicion.
??
?There, that’s better.”
“Much better,” Drew concurred.
FOUR
Cal and Hartwell headed to meet Thaddeus and Garrison after their golf marathon, as Daniel and Andrew left the second round early and went to the Beach Haven Arcade.
“Can you please pick up some Chinese food for dinner?” Maggie texted Hartwell, even though he didn’t need a phone to receive the message. She could have just contacted him internally but she was loving her new iPhone too much to circumvent the process.
Hartwell turned his car around across a double yellow line, which prompted a police officer to turn his siren on in preparation of writing the senior vampire a ticket for an illegal turn.
“Cop,” was all that Cal said.
Hartwell barely batted an eye as he reached into the brain of the police officer and quelled his desire to act upon his pursuit impulse. Police Officer Muldune turned off the siren and then went back to listening to the police scanner. All thoughts of a traffic violation were erased and it was as if the event never occurred.
Cal tuned to Hartwell, “I never realized how much easier life would be if we just stopped fighting.”
Hartwell smiled, “I can’t remember a time when we weren’t fighting.”
The duo was a few minutes away from Beach Haven Chinese Restaurant and a rendezvous with a familiar face once they got there. Brenda Vinson knew everyone and everyone knew Brenda Vincent. The elder witch of the Vinson family had spread her personal magic over the better part of the past few centuries, although her daughter had been around less than a century and her granddaughter on this earth for only 18 years.
“I had kids late,” Brenda would often joke in her jovial, inviting style.
She was about to walk into the Chinese restaurant and get dinner for her family, but she was stopped in the alley-way between the restaurant and the back parking lot by a familiar person.
“Long time, Brenda,” the deep, heavy-breathing voice boomed as the man’s thick forearm surrounded her neck like a coiling cobra snake.
She joked, “Your scent smells familiar but I can’t place the voice,” knowing that the man would become a complete beast if confronted.
He removed his arm and she smiled and cooed with all of the charm of a Southern Belle, “Gabriel Billingsley! Where have you been hiding?”
They hugged and he replied, “Just close enough to see but far enough not to be seen.”
She broke the hug and said, “How do you do it? With your size and rage it must be difficult to remain contained.”
“Not with you as a friend,” he replied.
“What can I do for you?” she asked.
“I need you to keep Hartwell and his clowns entertained in order to give me some room,” he said bluntly.
This wasn’t the first time that he had asked her for such protection, so she took it in stride, “For how long?”
He didn’t like to be questioned and his short fuse was being tested, “For