Bitten (Book 1 - Book 4)

“Mina sent these with me,” Moralis said.

He handed her what looked like a gift bag.

“She didn’t think you would be fitting into any of the appropriate clothing for a trip to Hell.” "Almost true, but something more comfortable will be appreciated.”

"We'll see you after the meeting,” Moralis said.

“Nice to meet you,” Char said with a nod.

She watched them get into Moralis’s car and drive off.

When she stepped back into the house, she found Bonnie waiting just inside the door.

“I'm coming with you,” Bonnie said.

“I guess you heard.”

“I did. No one else did.”

“Your company will be most appreciated.”

Natalia trotted upstairs with the bag. Inside, she found a black outfit. She unwrapped Victoria, setting her in the crib, then tried on the outfit. It was larger and had more stretch to it than her other outfits. She was pleased to see that it had all the knife sheaths sown into the proper places. Now, she had to decide whether to wear it beneath her clothing or put them in a bag and change later.

Her eyes moved to Victoria. She was going to need a sitter for the time she was in Hell.

She changed back, then carefully rolled up the outfit and packed it into Victoria's bag.

“Let's up the odds,” she said in a quiet voice while she opened the drawer with the flask of tea. She swallowed two sips before putting it back, and wrapping Victoria back onto her body. “Bonnie?”

She trotted downstairs. Bonnie was nowhere in sight. The tayra was now sitting on a chair with another beetle.

“The sun might come out,” Uri said when she joined him

"How long are we going to let the tayra run around?”

She took a long drink of tea to clear her breath of the other tea.

"At least until this afternoon. I already called Ingus and left a message.”

“Good. Mag will thank you when it's gone.”

“I also called the cement company to come pour our garage floor.”

She eyed him.

“I don't have to do anything. No strenuous activity. Besides, the faster we get it poured the better. It will need to sit for twenty-one days before we can put a car on it.”

“That long?”

“That's what it takes to cure cement properly.”

Mag rushed out with a squeal.

“It got into the kitchen,” she said.

“Mag,” Natalia said. “Do you realize you have bigger fangs than it does? Do you realize you are bigger than it is?"

Mag threw up her hands and headed toward the other house.

“Didn't help,” Uri said.

"So where's Zena?"

"Other house, probably.”

Bonnie stepped out.

“No one is going to stay in the house until the tayra is gone.”

“Is it still finding beetles?” Uri said.

“Yes,” Bonnie said.

“It was eating one when I last came through,” Natalia said.

“It has to stay a little longer. We'll fend for ourselves today. Can you have the laneway to the garage cleared? I'm having the cement poured for the floor of the garage.”

“Will do,” Bonnie said.

She headed toward the guest house.

“What do you want for breakfast?” Natalia said.

“Tayra,” Uri said with a straight face.

Natalia broke up laughing.

“I'll go see what we have. If we're lucky, Mag fixed us something before she abandoned us.”

She stopped short once she was in the house. On the counter, crunching another beetle, was the tayra.

“You keep finding those. Will we ever run out?”

The tayra’s nose sniffed at her.

“I'm not a beetle.”

Natalia edged around it. Unfortunately, she found there was no breakfast.

“I guess toast and a couple of eggs are it,” she said.

She began to pull out what she needed. The tayra remained where it was, seeming to be interested in watching her.

"You stay right there,” she said.

She had the bread in the toaster and was frying eggs when she felt something touch her. The tayra had moved over by her and had touched her arm with its nose.

“No. No, eggs for you. You have to eat beetle.”

The tayra sat up, sniffing toward the pan.

Natalia waved a hand toward it, but it didn’t move. She was able to get a better look at it and noted that there was some brown along the muzzle. Its eyes weren't so beady in the daylight. It was definitely larger than two squirrels.

“Larger than a big cat with a tail twice as long.”

Its nose quivered at the pan.

“No eggs,” she said again.

In one swift move, she picked it up and set it on the floor. She served the eggs onto the plates, buttered the toast, and headed back to the patio with both plates.

“I forgot forks. Hold on,” she said, going back into the house.

The tayra was back on the counter licking the pan.

Natalia felt like a mother reprimanding a child. She picked the tayra up and put it back on the floor, then put the pan in the dishwasher. Since, she didn't know enough about the animal she washed her hands before grabbing two forks.

“Here you go,” she said.

Uri was munching his the toast.

"Are tayra's vicious?” she said, knowing she should have asked before she picked the thing up. “No,” Uri said. “Why?”

“It was in the kitchen and wanted the eggs. It was licking the pan when I went back in. I removed it from the counter.”

“I remember they like eggs,” he said

He took a bite of egg.

"I didn’t know you could cook.”

“I would often feed my meals to the dogs and then in the middle of the night cook my own meal to make sure I wasn't getting fed birth control pills by my mother.”

“Dogs?”

“My dad had hunting dogs. I don't know if he still does. He doesn’t hunt.”

“I bet he got rid of them if he’s living with Brianna. Otherwise, they'd end up eaten.”

“Uri,” she said.

“I'm not kidding,” he said.

“Ick.”

"Stringy if you don't cook them right.”

She smacked him on the arm

"Eat your breakfast.”

They had finished and were relaxing in the sun when Bonnie arrived.

"Cement truck is here. I have the doors open for them.”

“Thanks, Bonnie,” Uri said.

He rose, going into the house.

“Bonnie?” Natalia said before she could leave.

ess

“I'll need someone to sit for Victoria tonight.”

“Already arranged that,” Bonnie said. “Zena will come with. She doesn't know the full story, but only that you will need to meet without the baby.”

“Thanks.”

“Who cooked?”

“I did.”

“I'll clean up,” Bonnie said, collecting the dishes.

After sitting on the patio alone for an hour, she decided to check on things. She used the bathroom, then went out the front door. A cement truck was in the laneway. She walked down to it. Uri was there chatting with one of the men. She could tell this was a Viperian crew.

"Almost done,” Uri said when she joined him.

The floor of the garage looked shiny and wet. She could see the floor drains were back in place. “We have to keep the doors open as much as possible to assist with the drying,” he said.

“You have a good sandy soil here. It'll set up nice and fast,” the man said.

Natalia noted there were no introductions.

“I'm heading back inside to prep for tonight's meeting,” she said.

He nodded.

Natalia took inventory of the bag Mag was using for Victoria. She added a few diapers. She slid in her bundle of knives, knowing Uri would be able to tell if she was wearing them. The dress she wanted to wear wouldn't hide the black clothes very well, so she left it in Victoria's bag, knowing she would have to change.

She trotted down the stairs with the bag. Uri wasn't back out on the patio, so she went that way to the guest house.

“Morning, ladies. Bonnie, can you put this in the limo?”

“I have a breast pump. We should have one feeding available just in case,” Kate said.

"Okay. That sounds like a good idea,” she said. “That way I won't feel rushed in the meeting and will be able to concentrate.

She was really thinking about the evening's foray into Hell. Knowing that there was a feeding for Victoria if things took too long, would put her mind at ease.

Natalia laughed while they worked with the pump.

"What's so funny,” Kate said.

“This thing is gentler than Victoria. For such a little girl, she power sucks.”

"Good feeder,” Kate said.

With all the preparation for the evening completed, Natalia wandered back over to the patio. Uri was there, sitting back in a lounge chair.

"Garage all done?”

"Yes. The floor looks beautiful. We'll wait a week or so before we resume tunneling so we don't disrupt the floor with the vibration of machinery outside.”

“Good idea. Make sure you don't run into any pipes.”

“Already had that marked out. Nothing is in our way.”

“Let's hope so.”

"You already for tonight?”

“Yes. I'm anxious to know what the Council thinks and what we should do.”

"Yeah."

He seemed tired.

The sun had poked out a few times, but it was cloudy again.

“Maybe we should go in. It looks like rain.”

He rose and she followed him in, but she guided him upstairs.

“Take a nap,” she said. “I'll call you for lunch.”

The day proceeded with unusual quiet since Mag and Zena refused to come into the house while the tayra was still there.

At six, they had a light dinner that Bonnie delivered, then Natalia got ready to leave. The Council meeting was at seven pm.

"Zena is guard on the way there and back,” she said to Uri.

“Sounds good.”

“You stay out of trouble.”

He smiled.

“I'll head to my office and pretend to do something.”

He kissed and held her tight. She almost felt like he knew something was up.

She left through the front door. Zena and Bonnie were waiting.

“We're leaving the garage doors up?” she said.

“We have cameras watching. Speeds up the drying. Mag knows to go shut them if it rains,” Bonnie said.

There were no check points to Viperia. The limo pulled into the parking lot for the Council. Others were arriving as well.

“I'll do a general introduction of Victoria to the Council then bring her out to you,” Natalia said to Zena.

Zena nodded. She settled in an outer room to wait.

Once Natalia was in the meeting room, she knew to remain silent. No one spoke while everyone of the Council arrived. While she waited, she removed her knives and the outfit from the bag. It was exactly seven when all the members were present and the meeting began.

“Greetings,” Kareen said. “Please announce yourselves.”

“Mirren, Council Head.”

“Ingus.”

“Rubert"

Jada Lee”

“Friesa”

“Pearl”

"Tia"

“Nattie.”

"Kareen. Meeting mediator. First order of business tonight is the introduction of Victoria to the Viperian Council.”

Everyone gathered around. Natalia noted that everyone touched her, even if they had seen or touched her before. Victoria flared her nostrils and fidgeted.

“Victoria is confirmed offspring of Nattie and Uri,” Kareen said. “Everyone is aware of the issues that have come about; the harassment that has been aimed at them.”

Everyone nodded.

“I almost feel as if the Council has to lay claim to some of the blame. I put out a mandate on the essences of diversity. It appears to have been misconstrued,” Kareen said.

“I thought it was well written,” Natalia said.

Her phone now received Viperian news updates.

“It appears to have woken old wounds.”

"Morning coffees with business cronies think there should be a defining definition on what makes one a Viperian,” Rubert said.

“If one thinks about it,” Kareen said, “it would take a minimum of sixteen years to determine whether one is Viperian if you include the mark as one of the traits.”

“Nattie is not Viperian,” Rubert said. “What doesn't she have that we all do?”

"We know she was born Undent,” Mirren said. “The definition should include having one parent that is Viperian.”

"And how do we define that parent?” Rubert said.

“That is what the Council has to decide,” Kareen said. “I wish to move to the second order of business before we make that decision.”

There were five seconds of silence.

“There is growing evidence of a gang taking over Hell. We haven't been much of a presence there since the Church fell and the kite factory was demolished. We might not need Hell any more. With the programs we've implemented and the acceptance of the henna tattoos, it's now possible for a Viperian to walk as a Viperian within A'ppollo.”

There was general nodding

“I notified Moralis to take a look. He's chosen Nattie and Char to accompany him. This is nothing more than a reconnaissance mission.”

“I have issue that Nattie is only a week out from giving birth herself,” Mirren said. “She is not Viperian and doesn't heal as quickly as a Viperian.”

“Noted,” Kareen said. "However, she has the experience of having been there. She also has knives and knows how to use them.”

“Did we even ask her?" Mirren said.

“Moralis did ask me, and I believe I'm capable of such a mission,” Natalia said, hoping that was true. She had to admit to herself that she was healing fast and she suspected the pure tea to be part of the reason.

“Then I have no objection,” Mirren said.

“With that said, I want to release her to do her mission.”

"And Victoria?" Tia said.

“I have Zena in an outer room who will babysit,” Natalia said. “I told her that I would introduce Victoria to the Council and then bring her back out so we can meet in earnest.”

“Very good,” Kareen said. “Go to it. Come back through here, and go out that door. Morals is waiting.”

Natalia left her knives and clothes on a chair, but picked up the bag for Victoria. She stepped out. “Here, Zena. Hopefully, she is quiet.”

Zena took Victoria, who hardly fussed.

"With luck, she'll sleep through the whole meeting,” Zena said.

Natalia smiled and returned to the Council room. No one spoke while she picked up her things and passed through to the other door.

Moralis and Char were waiting. He gestured toward a room, indicating she was to change. She was quick to do so and was out in minutes.

In silence, they went out the back of the building. Bonnie was waiting.

"She's coming with,” Natalia said.

Moralis nodded his approval. There was no disagreement from Char, who led them to a car. It wasn't a car Natalia was familiar with and decided it was to aid in them being incognito. It wasn't even marked with the Viperian V.

"We'll go in through the other gate of Hell. The one we created just for us. It tends to be deserted, but no one has been there of late to verify this,” Morals said.

The rest of the trip was in silence.

Usually, the approach to Hell, no matter which side, was quiet with the area being desolate. This time the streets were packed with cars. There were lots of people walking around.

“Looks like a festival is going on,” Char said.

“In Hell?" Moralis said with disbelief.

He parked the car some distance away. They walked in, but were not alone. No one seemed to notice or care that they were dressed all in black. People were dressed in costumes, normal clothing, or hardly anything at all.

“Almost like the festival of sex,” Char said.

“A new door,” Moralis said.

The block wall that Natalia remembered having scaled during one visit to Hell, had a hole through it. It looked as if someone had rammed something through since the edges were ragged. There were still broken blocks strewed around. People were streaming through as if it were a main entrance.

Moralis led the way, going through the hole, but he swerved away from the mainstream of people. She knew he was heading toward the tunnel door that led to the warehouse. However, when they neared the building, he stopped short.

The building he was aiming for now looked like a storefront. While there wasn't a crowd, there were people going in and out. The merchandise being flaunted was all drug related.

“Rather brazen,” she said.

"Someone thinks they own Hell,” Moralis said.

With that way blocked, Morals led them direct to the warehouse. At least this area was still vacant. There were too many rat traps and signs warning of vermin that were probably keeping people at bay. Moralis unlocked the door and ushered them in.

The warehouse was much different from the last time Natalia had been there. Before, it had been full of kegs of tea. Now it was virtually empty.

“You sold all that tea?” she said.

"Yes. We drink way too much of it.”

She could see they were aiming for the middle of the warehouse. Soon, one lone keg came into view. It was tapped and looked like the same one she had seen last time.

"We can't take the whole thing,” he said.

He pulled out deflated containers from beneath his clothing.

“Three gallons are all we're taking.”

It didn't take long to fill the containers.

“This stuff smells strong,” Char said.

"Addictive and deadly if you're Viperian,” Moralis said. “Nattie is the only one so far who has been able to handle it."

Natalia thought it smelled stronger than before.

“It looks thicker,” she said. “Has it fermented more?”

“It shouldn't be fermenting. Maybe it needs some water added back. These kegs do soak up fluids. This has been here a little too long.”

They jumped to what sounded like gunfire.

“Fireworks,” Bonnie said.

Moralis capped the last container.

Without a word, they left the building, locking it up behind them. There was still no one around this part of Hell. Around them was an eerie silence, but not far off was loud music from two or three different sources, and the sounds of people singing and laughing.