Chapter 11 - Whyte

"Everything will be OK," Mickson tells me.

It's a cold day in hell when your boyfriend has to comfort you because you're scared. I was the dominant one in our relationship. I was the one who should be protecting Mickson. We were stuck in Eden. Micko kidnapped the baby Prince of the vampires and we'd been forced into hiding because of it. According to MIcko he doesn't remember. He was under some spell. Who knows. We are out of town in a small cottage on the outskirts of Eden. It's surrounded by miles and miles of the most beautiful woods but I know just beyond that shit got serious. The city wasn't far from the gardens surrounding it.

"I'm fine," I tell him, "I'm a Ferris."

Asa laughs, "Ferris men don't get scared?"

I stare at her from across the table.

Back in the day the name Ferris was respected and feared in the coven. Blood is everything for the coven. It means just as much as it did for the werewolves when they hunted their game or the vampires when they drained their victims. For the witches the bloodline was everything. You couldn't be turned into a witchdoctor. Either it was in your blood or it wasn't. The witch has always been in my blood. We called ourselves doctors so that the locals didn't get too scared to come to us but we were pure witch.

"No. We don't."

My name is Whyte Ferris. I am descended from the Ferris family of witchdoctors. All strong. All handsome. All men.

The Ferris men were always the strongest members of the Moreen Island. Orion, Jonathan, Michael and Brandon.

Brandon Ferris had once led the coven.

Brandon Ferris had once tamed Genesis.

Brandon Ferris was dead and gone but his picture was the largest in the Ferris Mansion back home on Moreen Island. Every day my cousin Michael would tell me how powerful Brandon was. Why couldn't I be more like Brandon. Why couldn't I be as great?

"Whyte are you there?"

I'm at a table with the the other witchdoctors. It's Angelina who is talking to me.

"Leave him be. You know my baby loves to daydream," Mickson says.

My boyfriend leans over and kisses me on the cheek. He's big on public displays of affection. I love Mickson. I always had. We'd grown into magic together. We shared secrets that bonded us closer. We weren't like other boys in highschool growing up. We were different. We were special. The problem is that some of us were more special than others.

"Pay attention," Mason tells me.

"What?" I ask.

"Genesis and the vampires are in town. They are sneaking around trying to get information. Supposedly the wolves have returned. There is a big celebration. Supposedly the baby was found."

We'd heard that Armando had sent the wolves to find track down Promise. The fact that they've found the baby is interesting to say the least. I wondered if this cleared Micko of taking the baby. I doubted it though.

"What about Innocent?" Micko asks.

"We don't know that information," Mason replies, "Genesis is finding it out. He'll be back shortly."

"Will he bring us some more clothing?" Asa lifts her eyebrows.

Mason nods, "I asked him to bring us some clothing and supplies. He insists he'll only find red clothing."

Asa claps excited out of no where. I can't help but smile as well. Genesis is very particular about the fact that we should wear all red. This was a mark of our coven of witches. It was pride that we desperately needed.

"You believe anything he says don't you?" Micko asks, "He could be working with Nero to sell us out for all you know. We can't just trust Genesis doesn't have his own motivations again."

"I never said we could baby. Damn. Can we go one night not arguing about Genesis? I know we can't trust him. That's why I had Angelica cook us something up."

We all listen to Mason.

Like I said before some of us were more special than others.

Some of us like Mason Wright. Angelica Atwood is the leader of the coven only when Mason wants her to be. The Atwoods just do work that no one else wants to do. They've played that role in the coven for generation. Seat fillers. The real power in the coven were the Wrights. Mason Wright to be exact. He makes the decisions without having to carry the title. The Wright family was a strong bloodline. Proud and slightly more competitive than the other families. He started a family with Micko Boss who is sitting next to him silently not speaking a word. Luckily for me the son they shared Innocent hasn't really shown any magic. If only Innocent was the only Wright I had to contend with however. His niece Asa Wright sits next to him as well. She has been studying under her uncle personally. Soon she will be just as him.

The other families are attempting to leave the Ferris family in the dirt.

I can hear my Uncle Marley Sr. telling me now that I need to be stronger. I needed to take charge of the coven and let everyone know I'm Brandon's successor.

"Drink this," Angelica says giving each of us a glass.

"What is it?" Asa Wright asks.

"Blood."

"I'm not drinking that shit," I state.

The others look at me. All of a sudden I like them to know that I have a voice. Why the fuck were we drinking blood?

"Don't be difficult," Mason says, "It's a spell. Angelica created it using blood magic."

"What's it supposed to do?" I ask.

"Just fucking drink it man," Mason says, "Stop being a diva."

I stare at the cup. I stare back at Mason. I stare at the cup. I push the cup away from me. I respected Mason but for too many years I had been in his shadow. I had always been the younger, almost as muscular, almost as strong, almost as powerful as Mason. I was tired of living in his shadow.

The tension is so thick you can cut it. When a young male lion grows up it usually challenges the leader of the pride for domination. There was going to be a time when I had to challenge Mason.

"It's a spell to protect all of us. Against the likes of him..."

We all turn.

"Hey guys."

The boy is Justice. He's been tied up to a chair by his father. His father and Genesis had gone into the city. I'm not sure why. I think I know why they tied Justice up though. The look in his eyes is ravenous.

"Can't we release him?" Asa asks, "He's so cute."

I roll my eyes. It's annoying really. These vampires probably thought we were jokes. There was a war going on and Asa was too busy calling our enemies "cute". Mickson puts a hand on my arm at that moment. He comforts me. That's what I love about Mickson. He always knows what I'm feeling before I even say it. We have that kind of connection. We always have.

"I wouldn't recommend that," Justice says, "My father wants to protect you from me."

"We don't need protection from your kind. Witchdoctors are powerful," I point out.

Asa shakes her head, "That's what my father used to say. I remember."

"And your father's dead now," Mason says.

Mason holds no punches. i think he is attempting to strengthen Asa but it feels a little much honestly. Asa was born to a Wright and an Atwood witch. It's in fact Mason's brother Rio Wright who was her father. Asa's parents died when she was very young. He was a strong witch but all the strong witches were dead now. We were left with just Mason. It was annoying how these vampires just assumed they were the scariest monsters in Eden. Genesis hadn't felt that way. Genesis had pride.

"The last time I saw was alone with one of you humans I almost killed him," Justice, the vampire explains, "I don't want to make that mistake again. Please keep me tied up until my father returns with Genesis."

"He has a point," Mason says, "This blood will make it so that the vampires don't want to kill you. So Whyte, you can be a smart ass if you want and not take it. Fuck if I care. I have other things I need to worried about."

Mason drinks. The others quickly follow his lead. I'm the last one. I look at the mixture. I feel like shit. I just want some respect around here. I was a grown man. No one consulted me about shit in the coven. I just wanted some respect and I didn't want to be baby fed my vitamins like a child.

I push it away.

"Nah, I'm good."

Mickson begins pleading with me, "Baby c`mon just take it. We are surrounded by vampires."

"I'm not scared of them," I state.

"You should be," Micko states, "Do you know how many witches we've lost over the years? Catalina Bah, Victor Atwood, Rio Wright and countless others. We are dying."

"And Genesis is the only one who is trying to do something about it. The humans are killing us. He wants to find us a safe home in Eden."

"Genesis?" Micko asks, "Genesis killed witches who crossed him. You have no idea. You don't know shit about your history. He killed a member of your family by the name of Orion Ferris."

Mickson nods, "Micko is right about Genesis."

Of course they would be ganging up on me. The Boss brothers give me this worried look like I'm some fragile piece of glass that is going to break at any moment. None of them would be forcing Mason or Genesis or even Micko to take this. They'd respect their decision not to. They'd know that they could take care of themselves. Everyone underestimates Whyte though.

I can hear my cousin Brandon's dead voice in my ear pleading for me not to let the other families run over me and push me around.

"I'm good," I respond.

"Suit yourself," Mason says, "Asa, release the vampire?"

"What?" I ask.

"You want to be the big man. You want to be tough. Show us. Maybe you'll do the same trick you always do and change into a lion again. Isn't that the only magic you know?" Mason says.

"Mason..." Micko tries to stop his husband.

"Am I lying? Armando slapped him across the room like a toy."

There is silence. They agree. I still remember the moment it happened. It was the single most embarrassing moment of my life. Genesis was watching. The royal family of Vampires was watching. My entire coven was watching. With one hand, the vampire had disengaged my transformation. He compared it to swatting a fly.

Embarrassing shit.

"Release him. See if I give a damn."

Just at that moment Asa walks over to the vampire. Justice keeps telling me not to release him. Asa does what he says. Sure enough Justice is looking right at me at that moment. He doesn't even seem to care the others are in the room. He gets up slowly.

"That vein in your neck," Justice says.

Mickson jumps to his feet, "Stay back."

"Mickson get out of the way," Micko tells his brother.

I realize that Micko is concerned about his little brother. I get he's taking his husband's side. They think it's about pride. Maybe it is, but for my entire life I had been beaten over the head with Ferris pride. I had no choice.

"Move Mickson," I tell my boyfriend.

"No, baby you have nothing to prove."

He was wrong. I look over at Mason who is folding his arms at the table. Angelica is shaking her head as if she's disappointed in me. I had everything to prove.

I hate how Mickson is trying to protect me. I hated how I was looking weak. Now I was going to prove to them once and for all.

"I'm not scared of it."

Justice takes one step towards me. His eyes go black. Fangs protrude from his mouth and pink lips.

I won't let it happen as easily this time. I could feel the spirits of all the Ferris men in the room with me. I close my eyes. Blood magic would require blood. But I had to do something drastic. A cut on the arm won't do it this time. I take a knife from the table and stab myself in the abdomen as hard as I can.

The pain sears through me!

"Whyte what the fuck are you doing?" Mickson asks me.

Mason is laughing. Angelica is yelling for me to stop.

Justice is taking another step towards me. Drool is coming from his lips.

I take the knife and start to cut deeper tearing at the flesh in my abdomen.

So much pain!

I can feel the men of the Ferris family of Moreen Coven witchdoctors gather. Orion looks the most like me. He is standing behind Mason. It's as though he is annoyed with the disrespect they are showing. Michael was Orion's father. He's pressed up against a nearby chair. I see Jonathan. He's an old witchdoctor who died a century ago. He's here with me too.

It didn't matter if the other families weren't with me.

I wasn't alone.

Then there was Brandon. I can see him. I can feel him put a hand on my back.

I whisper, "I sacrifice this to all the Ferris men."

All of a sudden Justice begins to growl in pain. He falls back a little bit and throws up blood all over the cottage floor. Mason stands up when he sees this.

They wanted to see magic. I was going to show them magic.

Just at that moment I cut deeper into me. My own blood sacrifice hurts like shit. It is so numbing that I want to faint but it's working. Justice is reeling in pain. He falls to the ground and throws up again. More blood leaves his body through his mouth.

"What are you doing to him?" Mason asks, "Stop it."

"He wanted to drain my blood. Well I'm going to drain his," I state.

I twist. More blood. It's everywhere. It's fucking glorious. The Ferris family was back and we were doing something that was almost the level of magic Genesis was known for. This was perfect.

"STOP IT!" Mason says.

Just at that moment Justice stops moving completely. He just lays completely still. I pull the knife out of my stomach. I've made my point. Almost immediately the ghosts of my ancestors disappear and my stomach heals almost immediately. They have thanked me for their sacrifice by healing my wounds and showing my enemies exactly what it meant to fuck with a Ferris.

That's when something else happens. Justice is beginning to transform. His skin is almost...blackening and expanding.

"What's happening here?" someone says.

The door opens. Nero and Genesis have come back.

"Whyte did blood magic against Justice," Asa snitches almost immediately.

Genesis stares down at the vampire, "Interesting..."

Nero looks at me like I have seven heads.

"You did what?"

Mickson runs over to Justice in order to see if he's OK. That's just the type of person Micko is. He's helpful. I want to pull him back. I even run over to start doing that but then I see Justice toss Micko across the room hard as fuck. Micko slams into the ground. I notice Justice is changing. He's changing into something else.

"What's happening to him?" I ask.

"What happens to every vampire who has lost too much blood. He's changing into a Thirst," Nero explains, "Mindless creatures who are only concerned with drinking blood. Animals. The true nature of the vampire."

"Holy fuck," I state, "I didn't mean to. I didn't..."

Nero doesn't accept my apology, "I have to head into town."

"It's too dangerous," Genesis said, "You saw what's out there."

"I don't have a choice. I can't fucking lose my son. Once you turn into a Thirst you don't turn back."

Nero throws his son over his shoulder and starts leaving. The look on his face says it all. I've fucked up. I really fucked up. I was so concerned with trying to show my coven I was strong that I had forgotten that Justice was actually a good person.

That's when I look over at Mickson. He's laying there. His head is bleeding.

"Mickson. Fuck. I'm sorry. Let me help you?"

"Don't you think you've done enough?" Micko asks me.

I notice the look on Micko's face at that moment. He's pissed. The others are pissed as well. Angelica and Asa are standing there crossing their arms.

"Just because we can do magic doesn't mean we should overdo it," Angelica states.

"You're reckless," Mason tells me.

The three of them are ganging up on me. It's clear as day. I don't even give a fuck about what they are saying right now. I just grab Mickson and take him to the room we are sharing in the back of the cottage. I lay him down at that moment.

His head is still bleeding but I manage to stop the bleeding using some old magic that I learned from Angelica back in the day. The bleeding stops relatively fast.

I stand there over Mickson and just stare. He looks back at me.

There is silence for a few moments. Mickson always knew what I was thinking. He was my best friend before he was my lover. He knew right now I was disappointed in myself. I could tell that he knew.

"You're so cute when you're upset," he tells me, "My superhero. Those sharp exotic eyes. That strong cheekbone."

The way Mickson looks at me it's like he sees this perfect man. I wasn't. Sure I was attractive. Sure I could probably get a lot of attention. That was until Mason came around and sucked all the energy from the room. We'd all felt it at one time or another. The lure that Mason had. How attractive he was. I hated everything about it. Sure I was attractive but I wanted people to know that I was twice the man as Mason was.

"Not good enough," I state.

He probably knows I'm talking about Mason. I don't tell people how I feel. Not the complaining type. I wanted to show them, instead. Showing them went a little too far this time.

"Justice will be OK," he tells me, "Nero is a king. I'm sure he'll find blood in town and they both will be fine."

Mickson is telling me what I need to hear. He's telling me what I want to hear. I sit next to him.

"He's not supposed to be in town," I state.

I feel so stupid. Nero was wanted just like we were. He wasn't the king anymore. Armando was and Armando wanted Nero dead.

"They'll figure it out. We just have to stay together. Stay strong. You know. Listen to Mason. Drink the blood."

"Mickson. You don't get it. Baby I need you to be on my side with this. It's not about the blood...it's about more than that. I feel like I'm not reaching my potential. You get that don't you?"

Mickson looks confused. He might know what I'm thinking but sometimes he doesn't seem to understand it.

"You don't have to reach your potential. Mason is here to protect us."

You've got to be kidding me.

"Let's not talk about it. Just get some rest. I'll keep watch over you."

"Actually you wouldn't mind if Micko kept look out instead while I slept?" Mickson asks me, "Just because you know...these vampires are creeping me out, for real."

It hurts more when Mickson says that then me stabbing myself for the sacrifice to the Ferris family. Mickson rolls over in bed. He doesn't get it. He never has. Mickson is so content with being a weaker member of the coven. He listened when Micko had Mason tell the whole coven to limit the amount of magic we can use. They figure magic only brings death. And then they point to Asa. Poor Asa. She has no parents. See. Don't use magic. It's the same bullshit. As long as Asa was around we knew not to go overboard. Micko knew to let Mason make the decisions. Decisions that kept us weak.

"Sure," I state.

I walk out.

My pride hurts. My own boyfriend doesn't think I'm strong enough to protect him.

I walk down the steps. It seems like the other witches are headed to sleep. At least that's what I thought until I get downstairs and see Mason and Micko. They are in the backyard of the cottage. They are screaming so loud that I am sure if a vampire was near we would all be discovered.

"I saw how you looked at him!" Micko is screaming.

"What the FUCK are you talking about? I'm so fucking tired of this jealous shit!"

It goes on from there. Pointless screaming.

"They are at it again," Asa states.

She's spying on them listening from the doorway. She has the backdoor opened just a little bit. When I walk into the dining room I can see her sitting there perched over.

"Stay out of people's business," I tell her.

"You can't tell me what to do. You're not the boss of me," Asa states, "My parents are dead. Remember? Besides you want to know what they are talking about anyway. I'm sure."

"I don't care."

"Oh you care. It's Genesis."

It's not a surprise. Asa is still a young girl though and really immature. Micko, Mason and Angelica treid their best to raise her but none were really her mother. They already had their hands full with Innocent.

"Where's Genesis?" I ask.

"I don't know. Who ever knows what Genesis is up to? He just up and left."

No one stops Genesis from leaving. No one tells Genesis what to do or where to go .

Micko was insecure as fuck when it came to Genesis. I honestly thought it was an obsession. His son was some lemon. He was stuck in a catatonic state. You would think Micko would be freaking out about that more. But no. He was worried about whether or not Mason was fucking Genesis. It is ridiculous. It was childish.

I shouldn't have been surprised when Asa takes off running seconds before Micko and Mason storm in the house both looking pissed about one thing or the other.

"I left this door closed," Micko states staring at me as though I owe him an explanation.

I turn around and shrug. I could snitch on Asa but honestly Micko should know better than to think I gave a fuck about his relationship with Mason. These people were so petty. The entire coven made me sick. There was a war going on and they were talking about relationship issues? Really? It's pathetic really. It's no wonder the vampires and the werewolves had teamed up. It's no wonder we were in hiding.

All the strong witchdoctors were dead. Only the weak were left.

"Micko wants you upstairs," I state.

Micko gives me a really stink look. You would think he would be more humble especially since he was the one who got us in this situation in the first fucking place. He's changing though. His obsession with Genesis and his husband is becoming clear and it's causing him to make stupid fucking decisions.

"You need to drink that blood," Mason states, "Now."

"Fine. If I do this you need to control your husband. We are in danger. We don't have time for this petty shit," I tell him.

Just like that I take the blood and I drink it. I slam it on the table and look over at Mason. He crosses his arms.

Mason leans up against the wall. For the first time ever I see some vulnerability with Mason.

"He's not completely...wrong," Mason states.

"You've been fucking Genesis?" I ask.

"Keep your voice down," Mason whispers harshly, "No. No I haven't fucked Genesis. But truth is I want to. I love Micko. I love my family. It's just that Genesis has a hold on me."

I'm shocked Mason feels this way. I'm even more shocked that he is admitting it to me. When I was younger we would talk about stuff like this but as I got older I stopped looking at him as a mentor and started looking at him as competition. I lean up against the sink. We used to have these man to man talks a lot.

"Genesis has that sex appeal man," I state.

"And Micko is letting himself go. He has love handles and shit. He doesn't exercise. He's getting gray early from stressing all the fucking time. Genesis looks younger than you do Whyte."

"He refuses to age," I state, "That's a powerful witchdoctor for you. Defy the rules of nature in anyway possible. If the mold of the world doesn't work for you, have your ancestors reshape the clay."

"Hell yeah. I bet he's good as fuck with his hands."

Mason puts his hands in his pants right in front of me. He is grabbing his dick. He exhales. Long strokes. Over and over. He is breathing heavy. He closes his eyes. I know who he is imagining. Genesis. It's really funny seeing just how hard he gets when he thinks of Genesis. It's actually hilarious that he can't help himself but to give his dick a couple of tugs at this moment thinking about him.

I don't know what comes over me. My dick hardens. I grab my dick too. I'm not going to lie. Thinking about Genesis gives me a hard dick. I yank it through my pants. it stains slightly. Precum. i'm thinking about his tight ass. I'm thinking about the way he looks at you like he would suck the skin off your dick. Micko would hate this.

"Brandon knew how it felt," I state, "The Ferris men celebrated his relationship with Genesis. They felt like he had conquered some wild mythical beast. A man that can tame Genesis is respected."

"I was jealous of Brandon for sure," Mason admits, "I can see how your family gets that idea. I know straight men who wanted to prove that they could tame him. It never worked though. Brandon was the only one who ever came close."

"And you."

"Me? Nah."

"Genesis wants you man," I state, "You can fuck him if you want. No. Better yet. You can make him fall in love with you. If he isn't already. I mean you're Mason. If you can't do it..."

"True..."

Mason thinks about it for a while. He grabs his dick and gives it a hard pull.

"So what you going to do man?" I ask him.

Hell maybe if he did just get it over with and dump Micko for Genesis we could all move on with our fucking lives instead of Micko being that crazy jealous madman getting us in even more trouble.

"Me? I'm going to take my horny ass upstairs, apologize to my husband and fuck the shit out of him. With his love handles and all. I'm in love with Micko. I don't care if he lets himself go or not," Mason states, "I'll never go down that path with Genesis again."

I'm shocked to be honest. Mason takes a deep sigh.

"Um...ok..." I state confused.

"Head to bed. Make sure you lock the door when you are done. The vampires have a key..."

"What about Genesis?"

"Genesis can take care of himself."

With that Mason goes up the steps.

I head over to lock the door and then just as I am about to close it I come to the realization that I'm tired of hiding. I'm tired of being afraid.

Genesis wasn't scared.

I leave out the door and walk into the land of vampires.

~

The city of vampires almost seems like New Orleans. These old buildings have a culture to them. I'm not sure exactly what they are. They seem to have some Roman influences and maybe a bit of French as well. There seems to be a party that has been going on or maybe it was multiple parties. The vampires don't seem to be too wild with their partying. They are the classy rich kind of drunks. The kind of drunks that have on expensive jewelry and want to show off. The kind of drunks that have their personal assistants helping them up as they stumble.

In the distance is the huge palace that dominates the city. The streets seem endless from where I stand stretching all around to different places. I don't see cars either. For some reason carriages seem to be the preferred travel around here.

I realize I'm not going to get very far into the city on foot.

I dive into a local bar called "Heavy Flow".

It's packed with people. As I walk in I'm scared people will notice me but sure enough no one seems to be having an urge to drain me. It must be the magic elixir that Angelica made.

There is a vampire man dancing on a bar. He has fangs and fake bat wings. I didn't even realize I was in a gay club until I see his shorts with his booty cheeks hanging out. I have to admit that these vampires are sexy. I'm talking about I get immediate wood when I see the go go dancers.

The music is the same music from the outside world but it has been overlaid with strange sounds that I have never heard before. It's kind of haunting.

"New here?" a voice says.

I'm standing at the bar when I see a guy walk up to me.

He's fucking beautiful to say the least. He's a Spanish boy. He's slim and has on jeans with an old fashioned vest that I swear must have belonged to a pirate. As though he doesn't know what year he is in he has put a top hat on it. Even though he seems really confused. He has a pretty face. Too pretty.

"Yeah."

"I got you a drink...if that's OK with you."

"Actually I'm not single."

"I don't see a ring."

He had a point. Mickson had been pressuring me to really get married forever. I loved Mickson. I really did. It was just the heaviness of marriage wasn't what I wanted. I wanted something more. I wanted greatness. Mickson was a Boss. The Boss family were humble as fuck. Maybe that is why they were so attractive. Never too low on the totem pole but never really wanting to be on top. At the same time they were so satisfied with being...average.

So I hesitated to marry Mickson.

"Not interested, none-the-less," I tell him.

He's attractive. It's a damn shame.

"Dammit...well have a nice night..."

He starts walking away. Just as he does he bumps into me a little too close. I watch as he takes a long hard sniff. He stands there for a moment. He leans into me.

"What is it?"

"You have a strange...smell to you. It's so faint. So faint...but I smell it," the sexy vampire tells me, leaning in even more, "What is that?"

"I've been around humans..."

"That's a lie."

"What?"

"We aren't allowed to leave Eden. Armando has a blockade. You're lying," he states at that moment, "I know what that smell is. That smell is dinner."

I can feel him grab my neck.

"Let him go," a familiar voice orders, "Take a few steps back. Go ask the waiter for a piece of paper and a pen. Head to the nearest exit. Go to the east side of town. You'll see a bridge. The bridge of bats. Write a letter to the ones you love the most. Take your time. Not too long. Not more than 15 minutes. Take off your shoes and jump off of that bridge."

I turn. It's Genesis.

The boy he was talking to walks over to the bar, "May I have a pen and piece of paper?"

Before he leaves the bar I turn and notice Genesis is next to me. He has that look on his face.

"You can still control minds?" I ask.

Genesis used to have the power a long time ago but he sacrificed it.

Or so we thought...

"Don't tell your boyfriend," he states, "It's not nearly what it used to be. I promise you. I can still control very very weak minds. The wolves resist me. The vampires seem a slightly easier."

He was amazing. I can't stop staring at him. He seems so calm and collected. He doesn't scream at me or warn me how dangerous it is to be out here. He doesn't tell me I'm being stupid.

"What are you doing out here?"

"The same thing you are," he tells me, "I'm doing whatever the fuck I want. Would you like to do whatever the fuck you want with me?"

He offers me his hand. Mickson would kill me if he knew I was holding his hand but at the same time I look in his eyes and I see that carefree nature in Genesis. He doesn't give a fuck about Mickson. He wouldn't understand me telling him that I had a boyfriend. He would make fun of it. So I do the only thing that makes sense.

I take his hand.

We walk out into the streets.

"Such a beautiful monster," Genesis randomly says holding my hand and turning towards me as we walk down the streets.

No one looks at us sideways.

"Which one. All these fucking monsters are beautiful."

"You think these are monsters. No. I wasn't talking about them. I was talking about you. You and I are the only monsters here. The rest of these things are nothing but little children waiting to look under their beds."

Genesis smiles at me. We both have some similar features. His features are very strong. Mine are as well. My nose is pointed like a European. My jawline is chiseled out. Genesis has all of those same features. I have a slim long neck. I have a more masculine look but Genesis isn't quite feminine. I'm not sure how to describe him. He isn't drop dead gorgeous but he isn't ugly by any means. There is a confidence in him that makes him so sexy. He's like a male Grace Jones. We don't look alike really but for the first time I realize that we might compliment each other.

"Is it a good thing to be a monster?" I ask Genesis.

"Of course. The others don't see you. I see you though. I see that anger building up in you. I used to be like you. Proud. Being proud is a temporary emotion though. You have to learn to replace your pride with ferociousness. That is when you become the monster."

"I was reckless today."

"You were FIERCE today. You have a rare gift. Not all witchdoctors can summon more than one spirit at a time."

"You saw them? The others didn't notice."

"They are blind. They're blind and they are weak. All the strong witch doctors are dead."

"They say you killed them?"

"A few. It was a mistake, but they were strong like you, You were amazing. I saw you in a different light."

"I almost killed a man. Don't you think it's evil."

"Is a lion evil for killing a gazelle?"

"I'm not a lion."

He laughs, "Mickson has been a very bad boyfriend. If he saw what I saw he would notice your teeth. He would notice your mane. He would notice that you are dying to roar."

Just at that moment Genesis grabs my dick. He grabs it in the middle of the street through my pants. He gives it a hard squeeze. I get hard immediately. It's something about him that is making me want to nut almost immediately as he grabs it. He pulls at it. He puts his hands down my pants. People walk by. Some of them turn to see what Genesis is doing. Others laugh. Genesis doesn't care. He pulls my dick out.

In the middle of the street I stand there exposed. He jerks me off. Over and over. People all around us.

I don't care either.

I lean forward. I start kissing Genesis. My tongue goes down his throat. For this moment I'm the most powerful man in the world.

Genesis kisses are so strong. His tongue is so long. He lashes violently like a snake attempting to poison me with each kiss. My dick hardens. It gets harder and harder. I press my heart up against Genesis and realize that I was falling in love.

Or maybe I had been realizing that all along I'd been in love with him.

I moan as I'm nutting. Deep, dark moans.

"No. Don't moan. Moaning is for pussies. Roar...my lion."

His. I notice at that moment that there is nothing else in the world I would rather be than his. He believed in me. It was more than Mickson could ever do. He looked at me as a man. No he looked at me as a motherfucking LION.

I roar halfway down the streets as streams of cum flash all over. People have literally stopped to share. Some are shocked. Some are amused. Some are disgusted. I could care less. I could care less if they noticed I wasn't one of them. I was the most powerful monster on this street.

"Fuck. What the fuck was that?" I ask shaking my dick and giving Genesis a final kiss.

The final kiss isn't like the first. It's more passionate. It's my fault. I want to sweep him off his feet. Micko was worried for so long about Mason falling back in love with Genesis. That wasn't the case. Mickson should have been worried because right now I've forgotten Mickson's kisses and all I remember is Genesis.

"It was the beginning."

"Of what?"

"Of your story Whyte. You've been in the background too long. It's time you rise out of Mason's shadow."

Fuck. HE knew. He knew how I felt about being Mason's understudy. He saw me just like Mickson did. No. Better than Mickson.

"What do I do?"

"You be my lion and I'll give you whatever you desire."

"I want to be you."

That's the only thing I can say. No one was scared of Genesis. No one fucked with him. I wanted to be just like him in everyway. He was the shit and I wanted to be like that.

"You should want to be better than me."

"What if...what if I also wanted to be with you? Can I have you?"

He snickers slightly not like he's making fun of me but that he's teasing me. He is good at teasing. Hes' the best.

"Only if you're better than me."

We are off in a strange alley away from the other roads. I notice that there is a field. Right next to the field there are the Divine 9. They are just sitting there in a field dressed in all white. It is the most beautiful thing in the world as their white linen drapes over their head.

Vivienne walks up to speak for her sisters, "Genesis. My sisters are ready to serve."

"Serve?" I ask, "Why are they here? What are we doing here?"

"You have a gift. Vivienne's sisters are here to help make it stronger. Luckily I was able to free them from captivity after the wolves brought them with Innocent."

He was able to free the Divine 9 but he left Innocent in there? Genesis really must not have cared much about Innocent any longer.

"How?"

Vivienne's sisters made her stronger. Angelica had explained it to me, but I wasn't a part of their coven. I didn't have the connection they had.

Genesis explains, "Listen we don't have much time. We need you to do a spell."

"Why?"

"The wolves have returned with Promise. Because of this they have been given a sanctuary in the garden of Eden. Like an idiot Armando is going to allow other packs to enter the city. Do you know what is going to happen then?"

"They are going to live in the woods."

"No. They are going to take over Eden."

My mouth drops.

Fuck.

The wolves seemed like idiots. They seemed messy and a little dumb. They were none of those things though. No. They were very competent.

All I can say is "Oh shit."

The wolves wanted to kill Genesis. More than anything. More than Armando. This wasn't a good thing.

"Completely. They'll have the numbers and that dickless Walid will be king. Is that what you want?"

I wasn't even thinking about that. Genesis is so fucking smart.

"We should tell the others."

"No. They'll be distracted if we waste too much time. Innocent was brought back as well. Armando has him. He'll use him against them. You know how weak they are."

Fuck. He was right. They were so weak.

"Should we get him back?"

"I don't need Innocent anymore. I thought he had the power I needed but I was wrong. He's useless in his state. I need you," he says, "You have the gift to communicate with multiple spirits to attack the vampires and steal their throne."

Genesis was going to give me the throne. He was going to give me the throne. I sit there and I think for a moment. I would be a king.

"King?"

"King Whyte. With me at your side. Married..."

I would rule Eden with Genesis as my lover. My family would be so fucking proud.

Genesis needed me to do this for the coven. No one has ever really said that to me. Not even Mickson. For the first time I was being pulled into a plan. For the first time I felt important.

"Not enough. I'm not strong enough. I couldn't sacrifice enough."

That's when I notice why the sisters were here.

The 8 other sisters pull their heads back.

Vivienne hands me a knife, "Don't worry. I will inherit their gifts and their sacrifice will not be in vain."

My knife shakes when I hold the knife. Holy shit.

"You want me to slit their necks open?" I ask Genesis.

"That's how a sacrifice works. That's how you get strong. You kill."

"Are you controlling them? Are they willingly giving their livesl?" I ask hesitating.

"Does it matter either way? The end result is the same."

I shiver.

I don't shake though. I was going to be King Whyte. Genesis wanted his throne and I was going to give it to him.

I had to.

No shaking. You're a big boy Whyte. You're strong. Like the old witches who had died. Do what you have to do.

I walk over to each of the sisters and do what I have to do.

When I'm done I'm covered in their blood but I don't care. Genesis was right. I had to make sacrifices if I wanted to be stronger. If I wanted to be a strong witchdoctor. The Divine 9 were not a part of the Moreen Coven. They were not blood. I didn't feel guilty killing them. Clearly Genesis knew the difference as well.

Blood was everything.

And I feel stronger already.

"Now what?"

"The wolves have their army. We will need ours," Genesis states.

"We don't have an army. All the strong witch doctors on Moreen Island are dead."

"So bring them back."

Was I that powerful? Was the sacrifice enough?

I had to prove it.

"How will you keep them in line?"

"I'll have help. Exodus."

I had heard of the name but Exodus Bah was legend. All I knew was he was sacrificed a long time ago.

"Which witches should I call?"

Genesis stares at the palace. It's almost as though he can see the throne. It's almost as though he can see it for the taking.

"All of them."

To read the next chapter in advance go to www.crushedcrown.com