it’s gone. Tonight when I got hurt, I felt better even faster. After a few minutes, even.” Crystal hesitated as she realized what she was saying. Her eyes grew wide and her heart began to thud hard against her ribs. Was she one of them now? Adrian had said Beth had to go because she wasn’t like them. She whimpered, “Oh my God!”
Guntar turned to Adrian and ordered, “Tell her of the legend.”
Adrian sighed and focused on her. “We have been around longer than man has recorded history. Before notions of religion and government. But creatures like the Beast are older still.”
“Wait, I thought werewolves were evil? Everybody rips on the movies that came out that make you guys seem all sparkly and friendly because you’re supposed to be demons or something.”
“Are we demons?” Guntar asked.
Crystal hesitated and glanced at Hank. She licked her lips and shook her head. “No, I guess not.”
“There are many who insist we are.” Adrian recaptured the floor. “The legend our alpha would have me tell is one story of how the first of us came to be. It’s only a story, though; nobody knows if it’s true.”
Crystal leaned forward in the chair, giving Adrian her full attention.
“A beast attacked someone, some say it was a woman he chose to breed and others say it was a man he wanted to kill. Whoever it was, they fought and somehow the norm defeated the beast. Their blood mixed and the human, being primitive, ate his conquered foe in a primitive attempt to absorb his powerful essence. Instead, that person became the first one of our kind.”
Crystal’s eyes widened. “Wait, I ate that thing’s heart!”
Beth gasped. “You did what?”
Crystal glanced at her and nodded before turning back to Adrian. “And my cuts—the Beast was covered in blood when he touched me! His, I think. He bit me again too, on my shoulder. It’s still sore but everything else feels better.”
She turned to Guntar as she heard a rumbling sound coming from him. He was chuckling deep in his chest. “You should have seen yourself when you ate his heart.”
“What? Why?”
Guntar reached up with a hand and opened his mouth. She gasped as his face shifted before her eyes, blurring and making her blink in confusion. He tapped his fingers against his tooth. His unnaturally long and pointed canine.
“Oh my God!”
“Leave him out of this,” Adrian snapped. He relaxed and shrugged. “Or don’t, it’s your decision. None of us have ever seen anything to show we are the devil’s minions or God’s creatures.”
Crystal looked around and saw the other bikers had nothing to add to Adrian’s statement. “Okay, so what does that mean? Am I like you? What happens on a full moon? Will—”
“More Hollywood bullshit,” Adrian growled.
Guntar laughed. “The lunar cycle myth is older than that.”
Beth looked just as shocked as Crystal felt. “Myth?” Crystal asked. “But—”
Adrian shook his head. “It’s brighter out at night during a full moon. Easier for hunting. Easier to spot us,” he explained. He shrugged. “There’s been some studies over the past century showing the lunar cycle and tidal forces can have an effect on the brain chemistry of unstable individuals. If one of them happens to have the blood of the hunter in them, well, they might act out.”
“It’s like steroids,” Hank offered. He jerked when everyone looked at him and had the abashed look that suggested he wished he hadn’t said anything at all.
“Pray tell,” Adrian encouraged him.
“All right, well, I knew a lot of guys who juiced. The ones who were dicks to start with became bigger dicks.”
“I thought steroids shrank your, um, you know—your junk,” Beth blurted out.
Hank fixed her with a raised eyebrow. “Speaking of myths,” he muttered. “It doesn’t shrink your junk. Might shrink your balls, but that’s a different talk. Point is, what happens if you give a crazy guy a gun or a knife? You run like hell.
Guntar turned to Adrian and ordered, “Tell her of the legend.”
Adrian sighed and focused on her. “We have been around longer than man has recorded history. Before notions of religion and government. But creatures like the Beast are older still.”
“Wait, I thought werewolves were evil? Everybody rips on the movies that came out that make you guys seem all sparkly and friendly because you’re supposed to be demons or something.”
“Are we demons?” Guntar asked.
Crystal hesitated and glanced at Hank. She licked her lips and shook her head. “No, I guess not.”
“There are many who insist we are.” Adrian recaptured the floor. “The legend our alpha would have me tell is one story of how the first of us came to be. It’s only a story, though; nobody knows if it’s true.”
Crystal leaned forward in the chair, giving Adrian her full attention.
“A beast attacked someone, some say it was a woman he chose to breed and others say it was a man he wanted to kill. Whoever it was, they fought and somehow the norm defeated the beast. Their blood mixed and the human, being primitive, ate his conquered foe in a primitive attempt to absorb his powerful essence. Instead, that person became the first one of our kind.”
Crystal’s eyes widened. “Wait, I ate that thing’s heart!”
Beth gasped. “You did what?”
Crystal glanced at her and nodded before turning back to Adrian. “And my cuts—the Beast was covered in blood when he touched me! His, I think. He bit me again too, on my shoulder. It’s still sore but everything else feels better.”
She turned to Guntar as she heard a rumbling sound coming from him. He was chuckling deep in his chest. “You should have seen yourself when you ate his heart.”
“What? Why?”
Guntar reached up with a hand and opened his mouth. She gasped as his face shifted before her eyes, blurring and making her blink in confusion. He tapped his fingers against his tooth. His unnaturally long and pointed canine.
“Oh my God!”
“Leave him out of this,” Adrian snapped. He relaxed and shrugged. “Or don’t, it’s your decision. None of us have ever seen anything to show we are the devil’s minions or God’s creatures.”
Crystal looked around and saw the other bikers had nothing to add to Adrian’s statement. “Okay, so what does that mean? Am I like you? What happens on a full moon? Will—”
“More Hollywood bullshit,” Adrian growled.
Guntar laughed. “The lunar cycle myth is older than that.”
Beth looked just as shocked as Crystal felt. “Myth?” Crystal asked. “But—”
Adrian shook his head. “It’s brighter out at night during a full moon. Easier for hunting. Easier to spot us,” he explained. He shrugged. “There’s been some studies over the past century showing the lunar cycle and tidal forces can have an effect on the brain chemistry of unstable individuals. If one of them happens to have the blood of the hunter in them, well, they might act out.”
“It’s like steroids,” Hank offered. He jerked when everyone looked at him and had the abashed look that suggested he wished he hadn’t said anything at all.
“Pray tell,” Adrian encouraged him.
“All right, well, I knew a lot of guys who juiced. The ones who were dicks to start with became bigger dicks.”
“I thought steroids shrank your, um, you know—your junk,” Beth blurted out.
Hank fixed her with a raised eyebrow. “Speaking of myths,” he muttered. “It doesn’t shrink your junk. Might shrink your balls, but that’s a different talk. Point is, what happens if you give a crazy guy a gun or a knife? You run like hell.
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