Lion, Sun, and Darkness

Prologue
The air was hot.  Flesh burning hot.  Then it became blood freezing cold.  The shadows were wispy like smoke and thick like fog, muffling sound and tricking the eyes.  Crossing the waters was dangerous, especially if you were going where you weren't invited.  It was double risky for him because one must have a certain amount of power to use the technique.  This would leave a clue behind.  He didn't like it, but it couldn't be helped.  This needed to be done and he was no coward.  The creature he had be diligently searching for lay curled up on itself before him, sleeping.  It's head was the height and width of a one-story house.  It's sinous body was covered in sleek, black scales with glinting silver tips.  Monstrous muscle rippled gently beneath its flesh as it breathed slowly and deeply.
The beast itself wasn't what he was looking for, but what it guarded.  Nestled against a belly covered in molten silver scales ws pure, silvery white pearl the size of an average man's head.  This dragon was terrifingly powerful when awake, but it was sleeping now, had been for many thousands of years.  Even if it were to wake now, it would be slow and sluggish.  He approached slowly, fighting the urge to hold his breath.  When he was finally close enough to see the tiny symbols embedded in each scale, he reached out and grabbed the pearl. 
As soon as his flesh made contact, a very large and very dark eye snapped open.  He tried to pull away with the pearl quickly, but he wasn't quick enough.  Sluggish for a dragon was suprisingly fast, and this dragon was obviously feeling the kind of fury there was no name for.  The kind of fury that generates the molten heat in an erupting volcano, the force in a tsunami, and the insanity in a beserker.  The dragon's tail slammed against the floor of solidified shadow with the force of a tendon filled with nothing but muscle.
He fell over, shaking, but he managed to hold on to the pearl and kept it close to his body.  The dragon roared and snarled, eyes glinting with deadly intentions.  He lay there, transfixed at the cuts and slabs of muscle bunching and twisting under the scale covered flesh.  It snarled and roared again.  The dragon had slept too long and was having difficulty moving the bulk of its body at its first waking.  He sighed in relief and stood.  Only to be torn through by diamond hard and glass sharp claws.
Pain tore through him as he stumbled out of reach of those swiping claws.  The top left half of his torso was hanging off, his left hand nearly touching the floor.  None of it mattered though.  He'd finally gotten it, his plans were finally coming into play.  He grinned, pearl held tightly to what was left of his chest.  As he crossed the waters again, the dragon screamed.

Chapter One- Vampires and Vodou
'I can dance all by myself, I don't need nobody else.  Twisting, twirling, shaking down. Like no one else is 'round.'
I shifted on my kitchen island stool as I scattered my fingers quickly over the keyboard of my netbook.  The soft clacking sound was drowned out by my vibrating and ringing cell.
'Empty cup and feeling drunk.  Rising high, don't need no blunt. I can dance all by myself, I can dance all by myself.'
I finished the last sentence of my Anthropology assignment and saved it.  I glared at my phone before pressing the necessary button.
"Yes, Jaeshyra?"  I asked with resignation.  I've gotten used to being swept away into her craziness.  Her voice was strained with excitement when she answered.
"Kianga, I got an invitation to Porcelain Leech and you're gonna be my plus one.  So wear your hair up or somethin' and wear some leather, but none of that trashy stuff.  Oh, you should wear that silver, viney looking choker with the amber pendant that matches your--"
"First, Jae Jae, as much as I adore you, I'm not going."  If you let Jaeshyra really get going, she'd trample you and you'd never get any say about it either.  "Second, you don't know the hassle it is to wear my hair down, let alone up.  I don't own anything that could be defined as trashy, unlike someone I know, and it's called a filigree pattern, not 'viney'."
"You are goin'."  Her voice was firm and smug.  "My vodou won't work on you, but I know one word that will."
Yes, Jae Jae was a Vodou witch from Haiti.  "Yeah?  And what's that, Jae Jae?"
'Insert dramatic Jaeshyra pause here.'  "Damek Arsenyov."
I froze in the act of closing my netbook.  The name startled me, but I wouldn't give her the satisfaction. And someone was banging on my door.
"Look, Jae Jae, I have to go."  And before I disconnected.  "And that was two words, not one."
Aaah, the sweet victory of having the last word.  I slid off my stool and walked barefoot to my shaking door.
"Who is it?" I yelled through the wood.
"Tommy." A melodious tenor replied.  "Open the fucking door."
Tommy was another friend of mine.  He was a bit psycho, as are most humans with Faerie blood in them.  Tommy pushed past me when I opened the door, and stalked straight to the living room.  After closing and relocking the door, I followed the same path.  I stood there, with my hands in my sweatpants, and watched him.
He wore black leather chucks, vest, and a choker that clutched the skin of his neck.  His black pants were torn and a bit looser around his legs.  The choker had tiny D-rings across the front, where slim silver chains were attached that led to tiny silver keys.  It was his favorite one.  He once told me that it symbolised all the secrets he had and the ones he had to keep.  The key pendants clanked softly against eachother and the naked golden skin at the very top of Tommy's chest as he paced in front of me.
His left hand was yanking at a small section of blue hair and I felt uneasy.  Tommy's hair was usually corn-rowed and braided into a mohawk style.  He almost never wore it loose like he was at the moment.  It seemed the only effort he'd put into styling his hair was a sloppy ponytail that ended at the top of his butt.  His plump, pink lips were pulled down in a frown.  Tommy was unhappy.  Nothing good came out of Tommy being unhappy.
"What is it?"  I asked.
His frantic pacing stopped.  The livingroom was eerily quiet without the constant tinkling of his key pendants.  He turned to face me abruptly, dark golden eyes narrowed.
"The moon isn't real."  he said.  His voice had the thickness reminiscent of the south, but with a musical timbre like no instrument any mortal has ever played.  I leaned against the bit of corner wall next to the opening to my mini foyer.  He would have to be handled carefully.
"How so?"
He came half a step closer, eyes narrowing even more into shining slits.  Menace and willingness to kill permeated the atmosphere around him.  But that was nothing new, he was always that way.
"What are ya, stupid?"  He hissed.  "Don't fuck with me, Ki.  I'm talking about the moon.  The moon here isn't real."  Hands grabbed their worth of hair.  "It's not the moon I remember.  That's how I know it isn't real."
I pulled irritably at the end of my own ponytail. I really needed to get it cut.  That and a nice nap naked on my cool sheets.  I twisted my hair around my hand and sighed.
"But the moon is real.  It just isn't--"
"It's just a fuckin' ball of rock in space.  It's not a fuckin' moon."  His hair was now officially out of it's ponytail.  Tommy's eyes were wide and glowing with insanity, sorrow, and longing.  "My moon was huge.  A glowing ball of ethereal and pure silver light.  It was so bright that everything took on a phospherent glow at night."  His voice was breaking.  "And the sunrises and sunsets were the most beautiful.  All of the colors in the sky at once, every one imaginable."  My heart began to hurt and I felt like crying.  Tommy was pacing again.  "Not just basic colors like here."  He stopped again, hands falling to his sides, mouth open in wonder.
"What is this place?" He asked.  Then he screamed.  "What is this place?"
Hands grabbed hair again.  His breathing was harsh and quick, and he fell on his butt to the floor crying and screaming.
"What is this place?  What is this place?  Why am I here?  I don't belong here."
I ran to him and held him, hoping he cried himself to sleep before he got violent.  I didn't want to hurt or restrain him, but sometimes it was necessary.  He usually made his way to me when he felt an episode coming on, as I was the only person he knew who was stronger than him.  Tommy may have been slim in stature, but the Faerie blood made him ten times stronger than he looked.
The shaking and crying stopped almost ten minutes in and Tommy fell asleep with a small sigh.  Tommy was a perfect example of why the Fae should always use contraceptives when dallying with humans regardless of their inability to catch human dieseases.  Since the Fae rarely come to the mortal realm anymore, the issue was mostly a matter of a human inheriting a bit of Fae blood from their ancestors.  This tiny drop of Faerie blood only makes the human a bit off or a bit weird and crazy.
They'll have very vivid dreams about a place they've never seen that they'll forget about by mid-morning, most end up having the ability to use Ebo or magic.  That little drop of Faerie blood could even manifest itself in their physical appearence.  Strange hair color or eyes, odd bone structure.  Tommy even had slightly pointed ears that he did nothing to hide.
Tommy was an extreme case.  His mother was the one with only a drop of Faerie blood, but his Father was a pure blooded Faerie even among his own kind.  Blood that potent mixing with human led to nothing but chaos.  Tommy doesn't have vivid and easily forgetable dreams.  He has memories of the Faerie realm that aren't necessarily his.  His Faerie blood glows with the deep primordial connection all Fae have with the Faerie realm.  Tommy doesn't remember Faerie, he's never been, but his blood remembers.  It yearns and aches to be there again.
So, Tommy gets confused about where and who he is.  He was raised human, even knowing of his mixed blood, solely in the mortal realm.  He was never taught how to deal with memories, thoughts, and feelings that weren't his own and took over his body without much warning.  So he reacts the only way he can, with violence and rage or sorrow and pain.  Even when he's 'normal', he's always on edge.  Walking on the precipice of a world that he can't fit into, killing people with his gang, aggressive, sarcastic.  He's the kind of person people are conditioned to hate. 
I looked at his peaceful sleeping face, watched as a bit of drool soaked into my tank top, and couldn't hate him.  I wouldn't hate him and let him suffer alone because of his inconsiderate prick of a father.  I stood with Tommy in my arms, which was awkward.  Not because of his weight, but because I had a face full of blue hair, one arm around his lower back and the other arm around his upper thighs.  The tips of his feet were almost touching the burnt orange carpeted floor and his back bowed a bit.  I shifted him in my arms to a more sensible position.  He made a soft grunting noise, but didn't wake.  I walked to the hallway on the far side of the back wall and pushed open the first door to the right.
My bedroom.  Black shaggy carpeted floor, dark orangey-tan walls, and a black ceiling.  A black polished wooden dresser and the entrance to my bathroom were against the far left wall.  My walk-in closet entrance was in the wall directly across from my bedroom door.  My bed was against the right wall, done all in black, even the canopy drapes.  Each bedside had a nightstand, the same color as the dresser, and a lamp.  I had designed my room for comfort and sleeping. That meant soft and dark.
I laid Tommy on the right side of the bed with the top cover pulled back.  I pulled off his shoes, his pants, and then his vest.  I hesitated over the choker, but decided I'd rather be safe than sorry and took that off as well, putting it in the drawer of the nightstand.  I didn't pull off his boxer briefs, not wanting to strip him completely while he was sleeping.  If he woke up in the middle of the night and took them off, that was his choice. He's done it before, but not everyone likes to sleep naked all of the time.
I pulled the comforter over him up to his chin, closed the drapes on his side and at the foot of the bed, and then continued on to my side.  I pulled my phone out of my pants pocket and laid it on my nightstand next to the base of my lamp.  I slid my pants and underwear off my hips and onto the floor.  As I stepped out of them, I pulled off my tank top and dropped that to the floor as well.  Unclipping my bra, it followed the same path to the floor as my shirt and pants. 
Grabbing my brush, I undid my ponytail and brushed my hair.  Being so silky, inherited from my Japanese father, and mostly straight with a slight curl at the ends, my hair never really tangled.  Brushing my hair was a habit I'd learned from my half brother, Kohaku.  I learned to sleep naked from my two older brothers in Africa.  I braided my impossibly long hair into one long braid that tickled the skin a few inches below my knees.  I slid under the comforter, closed the drapes, curled the end of my braid under my chin, closed my eyes, and went to sleep.
I was six years old again, visiting Kohaku in Sendai.  I was soaking in the hot water in the ofuro and Kohaku was shampooing my hair.  I gazed up into large, almond shaped amber eyes the same color as my large and more angular ones.
"Nii-chan, my broer already told me about my mama, but what about my chi-chi?"
Kohaku's face was sad, his eyes burned with anger, and his voice was stern.
"Close your eyes, I don't want shampoo getting in your eyes."
I quickly closed my eyes in obediance.  I heard him sigh.
"Otosama is gone, Ki-chan.  He's been gone a long time now."
I hummed in pleasure, focusing on the wonderful sensation of nii-chan's fingers on my scalp.
"What was chi-chi's name, Ko-chan?"
"Ryota.  Now keep your eyes closed, Kianga."
I smiled at the feeling of warm water and gentle hands in my hair.

Something woke me.  It was abrupt, but I didn't know--
'Empty cup and feelin' drunk.  Risin' high don't need no blunt. I  can--'
I let the song run its course, sighed and snuggled back into my comfy covers.  The world of dreams was just two shut eyes away.  My eyelids lowered.
'I can dance all by myself.  I don't need nobody else.  Twistin' Twirlin'--'
I resolved to ignore it.  Jaeshyra would just have to wait.
'Empty cup and feelin' drunk.  Risin' high don't--'
"Answer. Your. Fuckin'. Phone."  Tommy growled.  "Or I'll get up and smash the shit to pieces.  Then I'll find Jaeshyra and smash her fuckin' face in."
"Fine.  Fine." I growled back as I sat up and reached through the drapes to grab my phone.  The screen informed me that I had two missed calls.  I didn't have to call her back.  Jaeshyra was the persistant annoying type.  Speak of the Vodou Witch.
'I can dance--'
"What. Do. You. Want?" I answered.
She was silent for a few seconds and met her quota for the week.
"The fuck is wrong with you?" She asked.  "Whateva, don't matter.  Look, it's 10:30 and you need to start getting ready."
Jaeshyra and her craziness.  I don't like when I'm forced to trade sleep for craziness.  I growled and stretched back out on the bed.
"Ready for what, Jae Jae?"
She replied with a growl-screech. "How could you forget?  Porcelain Leech?  Damek Arsenyov?"
And then it all came back to me, all at once, leaving me with a headache.  Stupid vampires and their stereotypical clubs.
"I'm not going, Jae Jae, and neither are you.  Their kind are tricky."
She laughed.  "So are my kind, and I have the added bonus of being a dangerous and vindictive bitch.  Besides, Vampires have nothin' on you."
Oh, Jaeshyra.  Flattery is not going to work.
"If you think I'll--"
'If you feel, so empty, so used up, and stepped on.  You're not the, only one, so get up. Let's--'
"I'm gonna fuckin' murder you, you dumb shit."
I took a moment to wonder who Tommy was talking to.  Most likely one of his underlings, but it could've been anyone.
"Hell00o."  Jaeshyra said in my ear.  "If you think you'll let me what?  And was that Tommy I heard?  What's that about?"
I watched Tommy get out of the bed and pull his jeans on.
"I'll go to the club with you."  I told her.  "You'll go even if I don't.  I'd rather be there than at home worrying."
"Aww, so sweet."
"Shut up."  I growled before disconnecting the call.
Tommy pulled on his shoes and opened the nightstand to get his choker.  He'd stayed over enough times to be familiar with my bedroom habits.  After clipping it on, he put on his vest and stared at me.
"I'm gonna go kill some ass who thought it was alright for him to put Dozer in the hospital.  He can't fuckin' breath on his own."
"But he's only thirteen."
Dozer was autistic.  He never really got into anything serious.  Just trailed along after Tommy and his boys.
"I know how fuckin' young he is, Ki.  Where is Jae dragging you to?  Just so I know who to kill if you go missing."
I snorted and got out of bed, having a nice stretch and yawn.
"Porcelain Leech.  Damek Arsenyov.  Don't try to kill him yourself, call my brothers first."  I gave him a stern look.  "And that's only if I go missing, Tommy."
Tommy grinned and pulled his blue hair back into it's former ponytail.
"I'll call you when I'm through, so you don't shit yourself in worry for me."  He said with a smirk.  "And you do the same, yeah?"
And then he turned away and left.

Vampires are not and never have been human.  There are three clans.  Each clan is ruled by a Prince, and the Princes are ruled by a King.  Damek Arsenyov is that King.  Most in the community of the Knowing aren't even aware of that fact.  Some don't even know that there are three clans.  Vampires are very good at hiding their secrets, but nothing that lurks on the dark side of things can hide from me.
Two men were always seen either at Damek's side or within the same vicinity.  Vanya and Vladimir.  Vanya was tall and slim with broad shoulders and defined muscle.  His yellow blonde hair was short and spiky , his eyes were warm blue like a summer sky, and he had dusky skin with white scars.  Vanya was Prince of the Soul Stealer Clan.  Soul Stealers recieved their nourishment from the souls of their prey.  With a simple kiss on the lips, your soul would be sucked away.  Your body would live, but it would be no kind of life and it would just fade away eventually; an empty shell of your former self.  Vanya was also Jaeshyra's current suitor.  Apparently he has a thing for black skinned woman with wide hips and large breasts.  It was also a plus that Jae Jae was a witch and witches don't have souls.
Vladimir was a bit more reserved than the always smiling Vanya.  He was Prince of the Blooddrinker's Clan.  Obviously, they're the ones that drink blood.  They don't have fangs, but they do have tongue barbs like a large feline.  When a bloodrinker is in need of nourishment, the barbs will rise on their tongue.  They use the barbs to rip away the flesh in the spot they lick to get straight to the blood.  Once they are fed, the barbs lye back down and their tongues look and feel like a normal human one in passing.  If you look closer or pay more attention if you're kissing one, you would notice how slick and non-porous their tongue is.  Vladimir was average in height, big and brawny with pale skin, very short cut hair, and cocoa brown eyes.
The last Prince was Zero.  He's made an appearence once or twice, but never for long.  While the Soul Stealers are loners among their clan, the Life Drainers were obsessively nomadic.  Lifedrainers drain the very life essence out of someone through touch, most commonly through their hands.  They can control it so they don't go draining everyone they touch, but most wear gloves of some kind anyway.  A Lifedrainer's victim resembles a corn husk when their through.  Too many in one place would bring too much attention.
And yes, since Damek Arsenyov is King of all three clans, that means he must be super bad ass.  I don't know too much about him, but knowing that was enough to make me worry for Jaeshyra if she gets mixed up in something.  Standing there in front of a club built entirely out of smooth white marble, I couldn't help feeling nervous knowing what I knew.  A three level parking garage was below my feet and a small beach was ground level below my feet.  I could see it in the distance, the sand appearing silvery beneath the light of the full moon.
I didn't bother wearing leather like Jae Jae had wanted me to, I decided to wear something a bit classier.  A tight black dress that ended just below my butt with a seamlessly sewn in leather strap covered in amber colored scales, then it continued with two inches worth of loose frill.  The sleeves were short and only covered the curve of my shoulders.  The collar was high and led down to a deep V-neck where an opening was placed just below my breasts and just above my belly button.  I did indeed wear the choker Jae Jae mentioned, along with the matching ear cuffs.
The heels were long, thin, and silver including the sole.  Open toed with four criss-crossing straps over the foot spartan style continuing up to just below my knees.  Those straps were also covered in amber colored scales.  I did not wear my hair up.  I settled for big spiral curls and left it loose.  Even curled, my hair hung to just below my butt.  I grabbed my cellphone out ot the amber scale covered clutch I carried and dialed Jaeshyra's number.  I wanted to be surly and upset, but the warm night air and the infamous summer night atmosphere made it pretty much impossible.
"Ki." Jaeshyra exclaimed.  "I want you to meet Vanya properly.  He said that you don't like him and I can believe it."
I huffed, feeling a bit angry at that.  I rarely get angry, just irritated.
"Oh, I'm sorry."  I said sarcastically.  "I"m sorry I don't like some mamparra kont whose only interest in my friend is that he can't suck out her soul."
"Gèt manman ou."  She yelled back in her native Hatian Creole. "I'm a big girl and I can fuckin' take care of myself.  Just because you're alone, doesn't mean I have to be."
It was meant to be a jibe, but I've never been or felt alone.  I have my family and family is unconditional.  Even in my mother's womb, Sundiata was with me.
"Goed." I said with a sigh.  "Just tell me where you are so your charming prince and I can be properly introduced."
"You're not leaving?" She asked softly.
I shuffled from foot to foot, trying futiley to ease my aching feet..
"I didn't come all the way out here for you, Jae Jae, just to leave you here alone."
She heard the apology in my voice as I heard the smile in hers.
"Fine. Come through the side door, I let the guard know that you were coming."
I disconnected, put away my cell, and followed her directions.  I ended up in a sort of lounge room.  Everything was white marble and glass.  Two golden colored love seats sat across from eachother with a low rectangular glass table inbetween them.  There was a bar, also made entirely of glass, and a pool table that looked disgustingly out of place.  The effect was like eating some creamy vanilla ice cream out of your dainty glass bowl and finding a big black beetle.  I shivered a little at the image.  I hated insects.
"You cold?"
I turned to see Jaeshyra walking into the room from a different hallway.  Her hair was done in black, shoulder length kinky twists. She wore a soft, white dress that swayed around her thighs when she walked and white flats were on her feet instead of heels.  It may sound plain, but with her voloptuous figure, less was more.  Her lip and nose rings were missing, but I was sure she still had the one in her tongue.  Behind her was Vanya.  He simply wore black leather pants, black boots with thick silver buckles, a dark blue fishnet with long sleeves, and a black leather half jacket.  Jaeshyra grinned at me, showing all her white teeth as she sat down.  Vanya nodded to me in acknowledgement and sat next to her in the love seat.  I sat across from them.
"Not cold." I told her.  She leaned into Vanya's side with a smile.  "Why did you tell me to wear leather?"  I had assumed that meant that she was going to wear it as well at the time.  She grinned at me again.  He must make her happy.
"Leather makes you look almost alien.  The kind looking for male slaves to put under the whip."  She smirked.
I shook my head and wondered if she realized that her joke was in bad taste considering my ancestry.  I glanced at Vanya and our eyes met.  He smiled, eyes twinkling.
"So, Shyra tells me that you are from Africa."  His russian accent wasn't very thick, but it was noticible.  Most likely because he wanted it to be.  I decided to be civil and nodded.
"I was born in Namibia."
His head tilted, lips still smiling.
"You have a strange look."
"Do I?" I asked with a fake smile.  Jae didn't notice.  She was obviously eager for Vanya and I to be best friends.
"Oh," She said.  "That's because only her mother was African.  Her father was Japanese."
"It is sad."  He told me with a frown on his lips and curiosity in his blue eyes.  "She speaks of your parents in the past tense.  What happened to them?"
I was very touchy about the subject of my parents.  Mostly because I didn't really didn't know what happened myself.  I learned long ago not to ask my brothers about my parents.
"They're dead."  I hissed.  End of subject.
"Have you no family?"
I smiled a true smile this time, more like a small smirk. He had made me upset and uncomfortable and I wanted to return the favor.
"Of course.  You met Dumculu didn't you?  You had a small altercation?"
Vanya had tried to steal the soul of Ingwe, one of our rare leopard shifters.  They were already solitary, but the war between the lions and the hyenas had nearly decimated them.  My eldest brother was more than protective when it came to the Earth's children.  The story goes that Vanya got a terrible beating for his trouble.  The soul stealer Prince was all sobered up now, smile gone from his face and light from his eyes.  Jae looked worried and I began to feel bad.
"A long time ago." He said, well, somberly.  Jaeshyra glared at me and I shrugged.
"Well, he's the eldest."  I continued.  "Then comes Kohaku, the Japenese one, Amory, and Sundiata.  I also have one niece and that's all who are blood related.  There are many others I call family who do not share blood with me."  I found myself wanting to make him feel better so Jae would stop glaring.  "What about your family?"
Thank the Gods! Some sparkle in those eyes.
"My clan is my family.  I could not name them all to you, we would be here far too long."
We sat in a suprisingly comfortable silence.
"Would you like a drink?" he asked with an earnest expression.
I smiled.  "No, I don't drink.  Or smoke.  My brother called it poisoning the body.  He didn't approve of girls doing it.  He once told me that doing so was stupid and that if girls were stupid then they'd be boys, and the last thing he wanted was for the sweet sister he'd finally gotten to turn into a boy."
Vanya smiled back at me, and so Jae was smiling.
"You are the baby in your family then?"
"I--"
'Feelin' like a freak on a leash--'
I grabbed my phone and answered it.  Tommy chuckled in my ear.
"I cut open that fuck's belly and let his intestines spill out.  I didn't rupture 'em so he'd still be alive when I threw him in the black hole."
Tommy once came to me a long time ago abou this ability to create black holes.  I'd asked around and found out that the holes were actually portals to the Faerie Hell Realm.  Where the Fae live who are more sadistic, psychotic, powerful and monstrous than normal.  When I told him, he seemed pleased.  He's been throwing people in there ever since.
"What about Dozer?"
I heard him inhale.  Most likely a cigarette.  I'd rather he smoke those than weed.  He exhaled.
"Still in ICU.  Doctors won't tell us much because we aren't family."
"I'll go by tomorrow and see what I can do."
Inhale, exhale.
"I'm stayin' at your place tonight. This shit is kinda heavy."
"You don't have a key."
"I'll just--"
"And you're not breaking in."  I yanked on a curl.  "Just come get me.  I'm ready to go anyway."
"Go?"  He asked.  "I thought you had to watch Jae.  Crazy fuckin' bitch was gonna get herself killed right?"
I made eye contact with Jae, but still spoke to Tommy.  " I trust her.  This was just for a meeting anyway and I want to go home."
I heard a garage door slamming open and keys jingling.  Jaeshyra smiled at me.
"How did you fuckin' get there anyway?"
"Cab."
"I'll come get you.  Where are you gonna be?"
I sat up straighter at the promise of home, sleep, and food.
"I'll meet you on the third floor of the garage.  Love you."
"Yeah, yeah." he mumbled.
I shut my phone and put it away.  Vanya caught my attention with his as I stood.
"Thank you for giving me an honest chance."
"I'm not doing it for you."
Jaeshyra stood and hugged me.
"No, you're doing it for me.  It seems I'm a big girl now." She held me tighter.  "Are you fucking Tommy?"
I skipped back in shock.
"What?"
She took in my shocked expression with shrewd eyes, then humphed and sat back down.  Vanya was grinning.  I shook my head and left.