Chapter 11

“Your lunch is ready madam.”

Anza waved the servant away. She was in the gardens when a commotion arose from the entrance to the manor. She sent Luke to go figure out what the disturbance was yet he still hadn’t returned.

Entering the manor, she went to the dining room. It was a large room with one long table and several chairs. There was a naked woman lying on her back. Someone was already suckling her left arm.

“This just doesn’t compare.” Amelia said dejectedly as she let go of the arm she was drinking from.

The woman on the table was flushed red, clearly aroused from the vampire’s bite. She was disappointed when Amelia stopped drinking from her. Foolish human, drink them to death and they’d probably thank you. Anza chuckled to herself, she walked over to the other arm and began drinking.

“You just don’t know Anza, the man I drank from tasted like nothing you’ve ever had before. If you had one sip you’d never be satisfied with this.”

“Mmm… mmm… ah!” The woman on the table convulsed in pleasure.

“Madam!” Luke barged into the dining room.

Anza let go of the arm she was drinking from and looked over at Luke. “Madam, there is something that requires your attention.”

…

“Are you sure?” Anza asked. They were in a car driving through the Asylum.

“I don’t know but he said his whole pack didn’t stand a chance against the werewolf.” Luke said from the driver’s seat.

“What do you think it is?” Amelia asked.

“If it’s true then it’s probably an Anima.” Anza said contemplatively.

“Anima?” Amelia said.

“Are you sure?” Luke said sounding surprised.

“I won’t know till I see him. But most likely.” She then turned to Amelia. “An Anima is a werewolf who’s been chosen by one of the many spirit wolves.”

“But the pack leader said one of his own turned the boy.” Luke said sounding confused. “I thought only purebloods could contract a spirit wolf?”

“That’s what’s so strange.” Anza said with her brow furrowed in concentration.

The car pulled up to an apartment building. It was early morning so most people were still sleeping inside of their homes. Luke guided the girls up a flight of stairs and to the end of the hall. They spotted a door broken in off its hinges and stepped into the room.

A strange looking werewolf got up from its lying down position and stood over a familiar man on the floor. “Nate?” Amelia rushed over to the man on the floor side-stepping the dead werewolves.

The Anima wolf charged at Amelia but her figure blurred and she sent the Anima flying. She went over to the black man on the floor and curled his head onto her lap. “Nate.” She said softly trying to wake him up.

The Anima was about to attack again but saw there was no ill intentions towards Nate. He walked over to Amelia and spoke in the scared voice of a ten-year-old boy. “Can you help him?”

“He’s just a boy.” Luke remarked. Anza and Luke were still in the doorway observing the situation.

Amelia then turned to Anza. “Your blood’s stronger than mine. Can you please?”

Anza was surprised. She didn’t expect her friend to care so much for a human. “If that’s what you really want.”

She walked over, Amelia spread open Nate’s jaws. Anza cut her palms with a sharp nail and spilt her blood into Nate’s open mouth. Amelia held Nate’s nose closed so that he was forced to drink to clear his mouth for air.

When enough blood passed Anza licked her palms immediately shutting her wound. Nate remained un-moving on the floor for several minutes. Suddenly his eyes opened slowly as he took in his surroundings. “Nate!” Amelia and the Anima wolf both said simultaneously.

Nate smiled. “Glad your back in control Aidan.”

“I’m so sorry Nate. I- I didn’t know what I was doing, I couldn’t control- “

“It’s alright. I don’t blame you man just relax.” Nate said wrapping an arm around the werewolf that sobbed into his shoulder.

Amelia smiled down at Nate with a caring expression. “Glad to see you’re okay. Was getting worried when you didn’t show up.”

“Ah, yeah. Turns out I don’t like having my blood sucked.” Nate lied. It felt too good and he didn’t want to get addicted to such a feeling. Amelia looked at him through squinted eyes.

Nate’s eyes drooped. “You okay?” Amelia asked.

“Yeah.” Nate yawned. “Just tired.” His eyes closed.

“Is he going to be okay?” Aidan turned to Anza and asked.

“Yes, he just needs rest now.”

As Aidan and Amelia fawned over Nate, Luke and Anza began having a quiet conversation.

“What should we do with the boy? We can’t leave a powerful Anima alone.” Luke asked.

“I know. We’ll just bring him back to the manor. I doubt he’ll raise much argument to that.”

“But the others? They’ll take offense to Aidan’s nature.”

“The others will do as I say. They forget I’m a werewolf, if they can’t accept that then they can just leave.”

…

Nate woke up feeling groggy all over. He sat up in bed and reached for the jug of water on the nightstand. After gulping down mouthfuls he finally took a good look around the room. It was a large room with all the furnishings, a bed and even a T.V.

Knock. Knock.

“Come in.” Nate said.

The door opened and a pretty looking woman in a maid’s outfit walked in. She reached over and switched on the light. “Madam said you’d be up soon and that I should bring you up some food.”

Nate barely heard her. He was too shocked by a sudden revelation. The room was pitch black before the maid came in but he was able to see everything clear as day. It was only when the maid turned on the light that he realized he wasn’t ‘seeing’ with his eyes. There was an awareness now allowing him to see with his mind rather than his eyes.

“Sir?”

“Yeah?”

“You okay? You need me to call someone?”

Nate almost mistook that as if she had access to a phone. “Nah I’m fine. Thanks for the food.”

“You welcome.” She set the tray down on the nightstand right next to the pitcher of water then walked out the room.

Nate took stock of his situation. His brain felt different now. Before it took intense concentration to use his telekinetic abilities but now he could feel it and reach for it easily. Moving little things now took barely any effort. He tested this by floating the food on the tray up to his mouth. Even though it barely weighed anything it was still an impressive feat. Before he would’ve had to concentrate and strain his brain.

“It must’ve been that burst at the end.” Nate recalled the last thing that happened before passing out. How his brain seemed to explode. He thought he died right then and there but instead it must’ve been his brain going through a transformation.

Using his new sensing ability, he tried focusing it in one direction. Slowly he moved out of the door and explored his surroundings. He discovered he was in a giant mansion with thirty-four rooms. Most of the rooms were filled with vampires, mostly sleeping together with several collared women.

When he focused his sensing he could travel outside as if he were a ghost wandering around the halls. It took concentration and a steady drain of energy but it was an impressive ability he wasn’t capable of before. Downstairs in the living room he saw Aidan, Amelia, Luke, and Anza all sitting around a long dining room table.

“So you’re saying I’m an Anima?” Aidan asked Anza.

“Yes. It’s usually reserved for purebloods—people who were born a werewolf—rarely does it happen to those turned into a werewolf.”

“Yeah I don’t get that part either. How was I turned?”

“Were you bitten by a werewolf?”

“No.” Aidan shook his head. “But a werewolf did scratch me… does that count?”

“Yes.”

“I… I remember biting Nate. Does that mean he’ll turn also?” Aidan asked with a worried expression on his face.

“Not everyone turns from being bitten. We believe only those with the right blood can properly contract the werewolf gene.”

Nate watched these people as if he was there in person. Only, none of them were able to see him. He was aware of his body still in the room leaning against the bedpost, he could still feel a faint tether connecting him to that body, at the same time he was here with these people in the dining room.

He felt guilty spying on them like this but he figured the more information he knew the better position he’d be in. He didn’t trust these people. Amelia he felt an attraction towards, and Aidan was like a little brother but Anza and Luke seemed like shady people.

After listening in on their conversation for a while Nate continued exploring the manor taking note of where various things were. His eyes lit up in surprise when he found a cellphone lying on the counter. “Lets me see…”

He was currently like an incorporeal ghost roaming around the house but now he reached out and tried to grab the phone. His brain tingled as he expended more effort trying to grab a hold of the phone. Finally, the phone floated slowly off the counter and Nate brought it back up the stairs and to his room. It was slow and took a large amount of energy and concentration but finally he slid it under the door of his closed room.

“Success!” He laughed as the phone dropped onto his lap. Using his physical body, he picked it up and began going through it. Luckily there was no passcode on the phone allowing him easy access.

He surfed the internet looking for information about his situation. It was unfair how they convicted him for his family’s deaths when it was the demon that set him up. He searched for other cases of brutal murders hoping to find others that might’ve been wrongly convicted.

There were plenty of cases but each one ended with the suspect either dead—by suicide—or sentenced to death by the courts. Frustrated Nate kept searching until he came across an interesting news broadcast.

“We bring you disturbing video recording from inside the Black Watch Asylum. Viewer discretion advised.”

The video showed a man in a clearing. There were trees surrounding him but on those trees were people tied up and gagged.

“Just put them out of their misery Richard. This isn’t hunting anymore this is torture.”

The man turned towards the person in the camera. “I paid millions for this. Let me do my civic duty and put these leeches out of their misery.” He turned towards a man with his whole face peeled back showing the red muscles inside.

“Bell rings in two days. I’m only getting started.”

“What follows is twenty hours of horrific footage we cannot show, nor do we wish to.” The news anchor appeared back on the video.

“Black Watch Asylum has said one of their employees has defected and edited these videos to make it seem like this is what’s going on but professional video editors say the videos haven’t been tampered with. The public is outraged about the horrible things they’ve witnessed. Countless protests have been staged throughout the country for people who want change.”

The anchor showed scenes of millions of people marching down streets and highways holding up signs and chanting: “No more Black Watch! Shut it down!”

“Black Watch Asylum has decided to allow Department of Humane Society to investigate these allegations. On February 21st, 2017; Black Watch Asylum will open its walls and take stock of the prisoners and the conditions they’re living in. Tune in here first…”

Nate turned off the video when he sensed someone outside the door. He placed the phone under the covers and set the food down on the tray.

“Nate. You awake?” Amelia appeared in the doorway.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

Amelia walked in with a worried expression and sat down on the bed. “I just wanted to see how you were.”

“I’m good.” Nate noticed there was something she wasn’t saying. He stayed silent prompting her to speak up if she had something to say.

“I hope you don’t think I was using you for your blood…”

“It’s alright. I know vampires view humans as cattle— “ Nate said using the line that arrogant vampire said to him.

“I’m not like that!” Amelia said angrily. She grabbed Nate’s arm. “You don’t think that’s me… do you?”

Her eyes were watery. Nate was surprised. Why does she care about my opinion so much? What they had was just a one-night stand yet the look in her eye was as if I was a longtime boyfriend.

“No.”

Amelia breathed out in relief. “I like you and I think you like me too. So if you want…” Amelia moved onto the bed and straddled him.

“Are you asking me to be your boyfriend… or asking me for sex?” Nate smiled.

“Mmm, I’ll let you choose.” She kissed him.