Unbalanced

IV

Sitting in a small diner, with dingy walls and friendly waitresses, they waited in silence for their breakfast. Lucien was swirling the coffee in his mug gently, watching as the sugar melted into the steamy liquid. He had added at least ten packets of the stuff by now, but Nic didn’t think he was paying much attention to what he was doing. She waited until he reached for another packet before she spoke up.

“You want a little coffee with all that sugar?” she asked.

Lucien glanced down at the mug in his hands, smiled, and brought it to his lips. She smiled at the grimace he tried to hide. “You’re one to talk. How much sugar do you think is in that cola?” he gestured toward her nearly empty glass on the edge of the table, waiting to be refilled.

“I don’t drink coffee; I still need the caffeine as much as anybody else,” she shrugged.

“Here you go, sweetheart,” the waitress said as she set their plates in front of them. “Y’all let know if you need anything else.”

“Yes, ma’am,” replied Lucian with a million-dollar smile that immediately heated the girl’s cheeks.

Rolling her eyes, Nicoleta asked, “Was that necessary? The poor girl’s probably all discombobulated, now.”

“Disco-what?” he asked.

“Discombobulated. It’s a word,” she replied before he could argue and dug into her apple pie.

“Please tell me,” Lucien began, “you don’t normally have dessert and soda for breakfast.”

“Mind your business,” she told him, “and drink your sugar.”

He flashed that same million-dollar smile that flustered the waitress moments before and asked if there was anything she needed before they left town.

“Um, I could use some clean clothes, I guess,” she noted, “I was kidnapped in the middle of the night and never got to go back to my hotel room, so…”

“Really?” he asked, “that sounds terrible.”

Nic rolled her eyes, thinking that it might become a regular response to the man across the table. Then, she reminded herself that he wasn't a man at all.

After that, they fell quiet again; she finished her pie and another glass of cola. About 20 minutes later, they left their tip under Lucien's still full coffee mug and headed out of the diner. It was a short walk back to their room, and the sleek black motorcycle that waited in front of it.

“So, what exactly is the plan, now?” she asked, “we’ve surpassed your last one.”

Lucien ran his fingers through his hair, leaving it to stick up in an adorable state of disarray. “Have you decided whether or not you trust me, yet?”

“Hmm?” she asked as she fought to regain control of her thoughts, turning them away from imagining how his hair would feel threading between her own fingers, and attempted to form a reply.

Lucien raised an eyebrow at her.

“Stop doing that,” she snapped. “Why does it matter if I trust you?”

“Because you might not like the next part.” He said, tilting his head in question.

Nic crossed her arms, and remained silent, waiting for Lucien to elaborate.

“Okay,” he began. “I need to find someone.” He paused for a breath and then continued in a rush, “I think you need to meet him, too. He’s old. He’s incredibly old. He knows things about our history, the Surori Războinice, and the curse. He might know more about what happened to your parents, too. Your father was close to him.”

“I take it this ‘someone’ is another Wraith?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said and nodded his head in confirmation.

“f**k,” Nicoleta turned her back on him, raked her fingers through her hair, and took two quick steps away from Lucien. A heartbeat. Two. She spun back to face him and closed the distance she had just created. As she thought about it, she realized she did trust him. She needed to stop that, immediately. How stupid could she be? For starters, he was a wraith. A murderer. A soulless monster. Not to mention, she had spent her life hunting his kind. She made a reputation killing them. Why would any wraith want to help her? Or look at her without killing her.

Lucian waited.

On the other hand, what if he was telling the truth? What if he did know her parents? Could she walk away without being sure? Honestly, he’s had more than one opportunity to kill her, already. If he were planning to hurt her, he probably would have before now. "Fuck."

“Okay, let’s say I do trust you.” She reconsidered, “Or I’m willing to go with you, anyway. You said ‘find’ someone. You don’t know where this guy is?”

“Not exactly, no.” He explained, “I know where he was not too long ago, but I’m sure he’s moved on by now. We don’t settle in one place for long.”

Nic knew that. They had to keep moving to be able to keep feeding. People would notice if they stayed in the same neighborhood for too long. “I suppose he’s not a peaceful wraith like you, huh?”

“Why would you say that?” Lucien asked, “of course he is. The less peaceful wraiths are barely sane. If you’re lucky.”

“Then why the nomadic lifestyle? If he’s not hunting, there’s no reason to keep moving is there?”

“There are a few, actually.” Lucien remarked, and began ticking them off on his fingers. “One, people would eventually notice that we don’t age. Two, we have to use our power occasionally, and the reaction that causes in other people would most definitely draw attention. Then you end up with stories about the ‘creepy’ or ‘haunted’ house and kids daring each other to knock on your door. And three, it’s part of the curse.”

“Oh. I hadn’t thought about any of that.” She said, chagrined. She thought about it now, though. Of course they would have to keep moving to avoid detection. That must be horrible, she realized, to not have a place to call home. She thought her lifestyle was draining, bouncing from one hotel room to another, one monster to another. At least she had a place to go home to when it got rough. It may not have been a loving home, but it was home.

“Of course you didn’t,” Lucien snapped. “We’re all just baby eating monsters to you, aren't we?”

“That’s not what I said,” she argued. Though, in truth, he wasn’t far off. Maybe she had been unfair to him. Wait. What was she thinking? She still wasn’t sure he was what he claimed to be. She’d known him less than 48 hours.

“I know it isn’t,” he sighed. “Look, I know that I can’t expect you to just believe me and erase everything that you have been taught over the past 20 years, but I am telling you the truth, Lita.”

“f**k,” she sighed.

“Yea,” he chuckled, “you keep saying that.”

Looking up at him, Nic started laughing. Then, she kept laughing. It wasn’t that funny, really, but she couldn’t stop. Maybe it was stress. Maybe she was actually going insane. Whatever it was, it must have been contagious because soon Lucien was cracking up, too. By the time the laughter faded, her stomach hurt, tears were streaming down her face, and they had reached his bike.

Lucien smiled at her and handed her a sleek black helmet. She returned the smile as she took the offering. As she clicked the buckle into place under her chin, she realized she was in trouble. She was enjoying herself. If she wasn’t careful, she might start to like spending time with Lucien. If he were lying, it would hurt that much more if she made that mistake. She needed to distance herself. Immediately. Which was easier said than done while she climbed on the bike behind him and dithered over where to place her hands. She had decided just to rest them on top of her own thighs, when the bike rumbled to life and shot out into traffic before she had the chance to brace herself. Reflexively, she wrapped her arms around Lucien’s waist and pressed her face into his back. It was only a moment before the panic faded, and she could relax. However, from her current position she could feel the muscle in his shoulders flexing as he smoothly maneuvered the motorcycle through traffic. It was another few moments before she loosened her grip and lifted her head off his back. Then she realized, she had no idea where they were going. Furthermore, she would have to wait until they stopped to ask him.

~~~

They had only been on the road for an hour or so when she had to ask Lucien to stop somewhere nearby. Not used to riding motorcycles, her legs felt like jelly as she climbed down, and stretched. The wind had also had an unpleasant effect on her eyes and throat. Thankfully, Lucien had pulled into a gas station, which would allow her to take care of all her needs. Well, after an hour on the back of a powerful motorcycle with her arms wrapped around one of the most attractive men she’d ever laid eyes on, maybe not all of her needs, but most of them.

Lucien waited outside while she rushed into the restroom to relieve her bladder and splash some water on her face. One glance in the grime coated mirror encouraged her to spend a moment on her hair, as well. She grabbed a couple bottles of water and a pair of knockoff sunglasses before she headed back outside. There were two women standing on the sidewalk giggling and toying with their hair for Lucien’s benefit. She got more than a small amount of satisfaction by the pained expression on his face while they did so. She considered pretending to have forgotten something and heading back inside, but he looked like he might make a run for it.

“Hi,” she drawled, as she slid onto the bike and handed Lucien a water bottle.

The women registered her presence with a frown and sauntered into the store.

“You couldn’t have taken any longer?” He asked, his tone thick with sarcasm.

“Why? Not hungry?” she retorted.

“Ha. Ha. You’re hilarious.”

Nicoleta laughed as she pushed the sunglasses onto her face and buckled her helmet. “Hey, you never did tell me where we’re going.”

Lucien feigned innocence, “didn’t I?”

“Spit it out,” she said warily.

“How do you feel about Mardi Gras?” He asked.

“Not great, but it’s the wrong time of year for that,” she considered for a couple of heart beats, “New Orleans, huh? That might not be so bad. I like New Orleans.”

“Well, I don’t know exactly what we’ll find when we get there, but I shall endeavor to show you a good time, my lady.” He smirked up at her as he bowed over the handlebars.”

Nicoleta snorted as Lucien kicked the bike into gear and headed for the highway.