Breaking The Tension

(3rd Person – Present)

Amillia, Jayven, Natalia, Khalil, Daniel, and Jackson all ended up eventually at Jackson’s penthouse that’s about 500 miles away from the place where Amillia had been living. There’s a lot of tension between Amillia and Khalil, thick tension that’s suffocating and lingers in the air at that. It’s obvious that the two of them detested each other simply on the fact of who, or what they are. Their actual characteristics aren’t even being considered.

The trip was long, too long, and they had made a few stops along the way. They hadn’t been on the road long when they made their first stop. They had to get cleaned up and needed new clothes and shoes.

Natalia is the one who went into the lobby to rent rooms for the six of them. There’s no way that anyone else could have attempted to walk in considering what they look like with blood and guts all over them as if they had just returned from a war. It would have drawn way too much attention to them all. They had been lucky about twenty-four miles outside of the small town and found a motel off the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Literally, nowhere, there’s absolutely nothing around except for a two-lane road and lots of trees.

After Natalia booked their rooms and came back she handed one set of keys to Jackson and another set to Amillia.

“I could only get two rooms, sorry,” she shrugs wondering how they are going to split room assignments.

Natalia is still a little shocked from the whole wolf’s thing from back at Amillia’s house. She still isn’t quit sure that she believes in everything, although it’s hard not too when it all happened right in front of your face. And, she has thought of Amillia’s words about Khalil’s people over and over again. He had never once turned into a wolf, yet he hurt when they hurt, or when they died, and they all listened to him when he told them to go home and inform everyone of what happened and about Cole.

Natalia has so many questions but doesn’t know where to start with asking them. She isn’t sure what to do. All she really wants to do is run away honestly. She never once asked to be in the middle of all this. She doesn’t want to be in the middle of all of this.

Khalil put his arm around her shoulder, “It’s okay, thank you Natalia for going and even booking them,” he says.

“How about me, Natalia, and I guess Khalil take one room and you three boys take the other?” Amillia asks. “I have extra clothes in my bag.” The last part she said a little more quiet than she has been.

Amillia doesn’t say, but she wants to talk to her sister. She wants her to know everything, and sadly, she doesn’t believe she’s going to be able to get Natalia alone. She may not like Khalil because of what he is, or at least because of what a part of him is, but she can’t deny that her sister seems to be attached and he’s been a great protector of Natalia in the short amount of time that they have been around each other. Amillia also wants to know what’s going on between the two of them.

They agreed to the arrangement and Amillia gave clothes to Jackson, Jayven, and Daniel and then they each went their own way.

Amillia went straight in and into the shower leaving Khalil and Natalia in the part of the room with the beds, tv, mini fridge, and one side table with a desk lamp setting on top of it. There’s one single chair and a dresser in the room as well, with a tv that sets on top of the dresser. It’s small, but quaint, it’ll work.

The moment that Natalia hears the water in the bathroom running she turns to Khalil, “What’s going on, and please tell me everything?” She asks. “I’m not going to lie, I’m scared as hell right now Khalil, none of this makes any sense.”

The truth is though, Khalil doesn’t know exactly what’s going on, not all of it anyway. He had been hoping to get a moment alone with Amillia to ask her what is actually happening. Cole had never seemed to be a bad guy before. He’s helped them a lot, he’s helped keep the packs business afloat and helped them to maintain their status in this world, or at least in the world among the shifters.

Khalil’s packs is the strongest in the western world. They are fighters, everyone of them. Cole had even sent his son, Erik, to train them just to make sure they could maintain their status as the strongest. Although back then Khalil had thought that something had been off with their trainer, and he didn’t understand why Cole sent him. He was tough and one hell of a trainer, although he has a few screws lose rolling around in head. No way that man had all been present.

Khalil sighs and runs his hands over his face and through his hair.

“I’m not sure of everything Natalia.” He says while thinking, his eyes closed.

Natalia can tell that he’s not being entirely honest. “What are you Khalil?” She asks softly, so softly in fact if he hadn’t had super hearing he wouldn’t had caught a word that she asked.

“I’m like the one’s we had to fight Natalia, sort of. I’m a hybrid actually. I’m part werewolf and part vampire.”

Natalia doesn’t say a word, she nods her head for a moment, and then she burst out laughing. She’s almost certain she’s heard him wrong and that she is going crazy. Surely she’s losing her mind.

Khalil just looks at her, giving her a little time to try to digest everything that’s happened. He’s a little concerned, she isn’t breathing while laughing and is doubled over turning red, but she won’t stop. Finally, after a couple of minutes, Natalia straightens back up and looks at Khalil. All she wants is to see the slightest hint of a joke on his face, but she doesn’t. He’s dead serious.

“How is that possible? How is any of this possible?” She asks, she’s on the verge of a complete freak out and brain melt down from this information overload. “I’ve lived with you for years, you’re my best friend. How did I not know any of this and how, why, the hell have you hidden this all from me?!”

He stood and took a step toward her, “Natalia, I’m sorry. If I had known all this shit was going to happen I would have prepared you for it. I promise you that. I hid this world from you because I thought you were a mortal and I wanted to protect you. If Amillia is right, and by some chance you are her sister, then you are by far not a mortal.”

Not a mortal? How can she not be a mortal? If she was some supernatural person then she wouldn’t have lived the life that she had. Life would have been easier wouldn’t it?

Neither of them heard the water cut off in the bathroom. Amillia stood in the doorway between the bathroom and where the beds are drying her hair with a towel and listening to their conversation.

“No, it wouldn’t have been easier Natalia. Our lives were never meant to be easy. We’ve always been destined to pain and heartache. The fates decided the best way for us to learn is to experience. Even if you had known about all of this, your life would have still sucked, just in a completely different way.” Amillia answers Natalia’s unspoken thought.

Both Natalia and Khalil look at Amillia. She’s wearing leggings and a spaghetti strap tank top. Her hair is long, very long, reaching all the way down her back, just above her butt. She’s fit, she’s thick, and she’s extremely beautiful. The similarities between Amillia and Natalia are blatantly obvious now that everyone is actually getting a good look at each other.

“How did you know what I was thinking?” Natalia asks Amillia.

Amillia smiles, “I’m psychic, you should be too, but your powers are locked away right now. If I had a guess I’d say that it’s a spell put on you to make sure that you didn’t know and can’t use your powers. Technically we’re all supposed to be dead, not just separated. Each of us had a spell put on us when we were younger so that we wouldn’t remember anything, for some reason I seem to be the only one of us that does remember crap.”

“What do you mean by ‘we’re all’, who is that?” Natalia asks.

“That would include me, you, Leyla, and Sonja. Sonja is the oldest out of us all, and then Leyla, then me, and then you. We’re the four sisters of the Black family. We also have three cousins, but two of them live in different worlds, the third, well, she’s complicated.” Amillia answers her.

Amillia isn’t wanting to say too much right now, she isn’t sure if she can fully trust Khalil yet. Honestly she’s said more than she normally would just because she wants her sister to trust her. She has to be careful what she says though, she can’t lie and revealing too much information could harm them if Khalil isn’t as loyal to Natalia as he’s pretending to be.

“You should go get cleaned up, both of you. We can’t stay here long; the first sign of daybreak and we need to keep moving. Supposedly Jackson has a place that we all can stay, and I can unlock Natalia’s powers there. We’re too close to home and too out in the open here for me to even attempt it.” Amillia states.

Khalil entered the bathroom leaving the two girls alone in the room even though it went against his better judgement. Natalia assured him that she will be okay while Amillia rolled her eyes. Like seriously, if she wanted to harm Natalia then the poor woman would have done been harmed. Amillia is stronger and faster than the hybrid and Natalia is powerless.

“So, what’s the deal between you two?” Amillia asks Natalia as Khalil goes into the bathroom. She’s fully aware that he can still hear them talking, he’ll probably still be able to hear them while cleaning up, after all, he’s a hybrid which means his senses are even more heightened than a normal werewolf or vampire.

“There is no deal,” Natalia simply stated. “We met when I started college and his family took me in. I was orphan and living in my car at the time working three jobs just to be able to afford to attend school and survive. We’ve always been close, he’s my best friend, but that’s all there is to that.”

Amillia made an O shape with her mouth. “I’m sorry Natalia, I wish we could have been reunited sooner. I hate that you had to go through everything that you did.”

They both went quiet for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. It didn’t take long before Khalil rejoined them in the bedrooms, leaving the bathroom empty for Natalia.

Once Amillia is sure that Natalia can’t hear them anymore, she turns to Khalil.

“Is she your mate?” She asks. Of course, even though it’s normally werewolf’s that have mates and mates for life, vampires can as well and just a few other mythological creatures. The Black family are not a part of that, and Natalia wouldn’t be aware if her soul is the match and the other half to another person’s. Not in a sense that would make sense to them anyway.

Khalil looked at Amillia a little stunned by her bluntness and her question.

“No,” he simply replies. He isn’t interested in small talk with the insane and delusional witch in the room with him. He refuses to believe she is the great granddaughter of the mother goddess and that she has anything to do with the prophecy concerning the battle between good and evil.

“Do you have interest in her beyond friendship?” Amillia asks.

“I don’t see how that’s your business,” Khalil snips.

Amillia takes in a deep breath and narrows her eyes at him. She’s really trying to remain calm; she can’t afford to lose her cool now, not here. There’s too much as stake, but man does this dude have a way of pissing her off.

“It’s my business because she’s my baby sister and her well being is more important than anything else. We don’t have ‘mates’ as your kind does, she wouldn’t know anything about it anyways seeing as how she’s been kept in the dark about the fantasy worlds. I don’t want to see her get hurt. If she’s not your mate, then you’re not going to string her along, or make her love you just to end up crushing her heart and soul.”

Khalil’s eyes darkened a bit, they kind of have a red tent to them which amuses Amillia. He’s more vampire than he cares to put on. Then she wonders if his pack knows about him or if he keeps his other half a secret, and speaking of packs, what’s going to happen to them now that he seems to have joined this mission. It’s not as if this is going to be something that’s going to be quick and easy.

“I would never hurt her!” He says through gritted teeth. “Unlike you, who knows what you’re planning and what’s actually going on. How do we know that we can trust you?”

“Well, you don’t,” Amillia states as if it’s an obvious fact. Which, of course, it is. “YOU won’t know YOU can trust me until I know one hundred percent that I can trust you first. That’s a promise, but as far as Natalia goes she’s safer with me in the middle of this mess than she is with you.”

“How do you know Cole and his family?”

Oh, we’re getting straight to the point, gotcha, Amillia thinks to herself. “That’s a question I should be asking you.” She states without telling him anything only adding to his irritation.

Khalil growls at her and Amillia rolls her eyes at him, back at it again. It’s the whole growling thing that gets to her. Why do these supernatural beings think that growling will scare someone such as her? Hell, she’s heard and seen worse than a simple growl because of someone being irritated.

“How about this Khalil, you answer me and then I’ll answer you. Since apparently you’re not leaving my sisters side, and only over my dead body will I leave, then we should at least be getting to know one another.” Amillia offers.

He considers her request for a moment. She does have a point and he can tell that she’s powerful and could probably take him in a fight. If they’re going to be working together then they might as well get to know one another.

Giving up, Khalil runs his hands through his hair and sighs. “Cole’s a long-time family friend. I never knew him that well, don’t know much about him at all honestly. Our families have an alliance, we help them, and they help us. His son actually helped train me and my warriors, Erik, I believe was his name. Haven’t seen him since he trained us all, I actually hadn’t seen Cole since then until he showed up in my dad’s office the night of the gala.”

Amillia closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath upon hearing his name again. She didn’t want to hear his name. She doesn’t want him involved, although she knew that had all been wishful thinking, he’s been a part of this longer than she has considering the fact that he’s older. She really shouldn’t be surprised that he’s around somewhere considering Cole is, after all, Erik is the pet son.

She takes a seat on one of the beds, facing Khalil who is standing in front of the tv that is placed on top of the dresser.

“How much do you know about me?” She asks him. Find that out first and then she’ll know how much information she should give him. After all, if he’s in good with Erik then he is most definitely an enemy.

“Your name mostly,” Khalil answers, “well, that and the fact that you’re a blood thirsty sadistic bitch who loves to torture and kill. You have the quit the reputation in the supernatural world, ya know.”

This puts a smile on her face, not because of what was said but because of the memories of her person that it brought back. While it is true that at one point that is who she had become, that’s not true as to who she is. What she was and who she is now are two totally different people.

“That’s only half correct. I’m a guardian of the worlds. My family was created by majka bozica to guard the portals to all the worlds. We lived in a place called the world of worlds. It’s an isolated realm where nothing exists but hella portals, and of course, my family and myself. Cole and his children had moved into the world when I was little and had been sent to live with my aunt, after my sisters and I were separated. This is a long story; do you really want to hear it?”

Both Khalil and Natalia answer at the same time. Amillia and Khalil hadn’t even heard Natalia come out of the bathroom making them both wonder what all she’s heard. Really though, Natalia is just relieved that they are talking like civilized human beings right now. She had actually assumed she would get out of the shower and the hotel room be completely destroyed from the two of them.

Amillia exhaled a big breathe, then began, “Okay… So, um… Well after our parents were murdered and we were all separated I was sent to live with our aunt, Gloria, and her daughter, Taylor, in their world, our world, the world of all worlds. I met Cole and his children there, they had moved there even though they weren’t supposed too, ever. Anyway, At one point Erik and I loved each other, we were best friends, he was my everything and then Cole had him sent to some family training bullshit and because of our relationship they used him to experiment on. They injected him with demon blood to see if they could change his hunter DNA and crap, it didn’t work though the way they wanted it to though and they ended up turning him into one of the most brutal hunters to ever exist. When he’s the demon he doesn’t care, if you contain any bit of magic, any supernatural drop in your blood and he’ll kill in the most gruesome ways imaginable. I’m actually surprised that he trained your pack Khalil, must have been a good day.”

After a brief pause and no one saying anything, Amillia continues.

“There’s a lot of history between our family and the Wyatt’s. Our cousin Taylor, she’s actually in a celestial, unbreakable union with Erik’s brother Joseph. They didn’t get into much shit for it, but the Wyatt’s still don’t accept her or her children as one of their own. They Wyatt’s had only been granted permission to move into our world because they could sense the Lord of Darkness on the rise, and they wanted to make sure Gloria had back up since our parents had vanished when the time came. The Wyatt’s had changed sides though and decided it better to work with the Lord of Darkness than to fight against him, and they had an ulterior motive for wanting in our world.”

Natalia is still skeptical about all of this. She’s still uncertain whether or not she believes everything that Amillia is telling her, although she doesn’t sense that Amillia is lying. Khalil is just setting there deep in thought, not looking at either of the girls as he’s in his own head.

“Just to let you know I can’t lie. I had a curse, we’ll call it, put on me at one point because I went against the fates and our destiny. The fates can be assholes and don’t like being played with or tricked, so I got punished for what I did.” Amillia informs.

Khalil is having a bit of time believing Amillia. He’s thirty-five years old and has known Cole his whole life. The way she talks about them does not sound like the people that he’s grown up knowing. Besides, what exactly did she do to go against the fates and her destiny and what kind of punishment, or curse, is she talking about?

There is complete silence in the room. Crickets outside can be heard chirping their songs with ease. Khalil stands and starts pacing the floor in the room. His mind is running a thousand miles a minute. There’s still pieces missing of the puzzle.

“I first met Erik when I was sixteen and went to the alpha training that all future alphas of the packs must attend. Erik’s the main trainer there for everyone. I’ve known Cole my whole life, he’s always been a good friend of my dad’s, although dad never once mentioned how he knew him or what the hell he really is. I had no idea they’re a family of hunters. Why would they want to help all the wolf packs if they’re hunters? It doesn’t make sense.” He says to no one in particular.

“If it helps Cole’s the great-grandchild, or third generation of the god of war and battle, Kokou,” Amillia offered.

Khalil stops pacing and looks at her as if she’s done lost her marbles. Although what she says would all make sense if she’s telling the truth about everything. This does explain why Erik is so powerful and why he never seemed intemidated being surrounded by hundreds of alphas all at the same time. Most supernatural beings would feel uncomfortable in that kind of situation unless they are concerned one of the elders, and even then they run in groups and have guards.

“If you guys were so close and everything, what happened between you?” Natalia asks.

Amillia just looks up at her for a second and Khalil snaps his head to Amillia wanting to hear her response for himself. Amillia just sets there silently for a moment before she took in a sharp breath and rolled her eyes. She really hates this curse sometimes.

“He tried to kill me, multiple times, and he’s tried to kill our son. If he had his way about it both of us would be dead right now. Jackson’s brother, Damian, is the one who saved our lives, and he’s been protecting my kids while I came to find all of my sisters.” She answers.

This conversation needs to be over. She’s already said more than she’s wanted too. Of course, she expected Natalia to eventually end up knowing everything there is to know about her considering that they’re sisters, but she doesn’t want to Khalil to know more than he should.

“Erik doesn’t know that his son is still alive, and he better not find out. If anyone goes for my child before we’re ready then I’ll kill them myself, understood?” She asks Khalil who is still looking at her trying to decide if he believes her story or not.

“I don’t even know how to contact Erik. He’s a trainer, not someone we call, he just shows up.” Khalil answers, which is the truth. The alpha training is always set at the same time of year, but the training of the pack had been scheduled by Erik himself when he just showed up one day and announced that he’s training the whole pack. Men, women, and children, everyone had been trained.

Amillia cut the conversation after that last exchange not wanting to speak anymore. She doesn’t trust what would be asked and she isn’t wanting to talk about her past and that situation anymore for the moment. It’s almost dawn anyway so they would be leaving soon, she suggested they try to get a couple of hours of sleep before they have to leave. This is going to be one long journey.