Vengeance in Blood (Book 2): Tribulations Read online

  “Now before you say anything, I couldn’t get you some because Bonnie and Clyde wouldn’t understand,” Kenneth told her, and Besseta dropped her hands, totally lost. “They think you are theirs. The entire time you were gone, they slept in your spot.” He pointed at two indentions on her pillow.

  “Aw,” Besseta sighed.

  “They wouldn’t understand,” Kenneth told her.

  Looking up at Kenneth. “Understand what?”

  Kenneth walked into the bathroom and came out carrying two pug puppies. “I got them for Tiffany so we could give them to her,” Kenneth said.

  Besseta ran over, and one of the dogs growled, stopping her. “Will they go to her?” she asked.

  “Stop it!” Kenneth snapped at the puppy, and the puppy dropped his head. “Yes, but we will have to do it the same way, but you don’t mind, do you?”

  Shaking her head, Besseta eased over. “You and this unnecessary worry,” she said, slowly reaching over to pet the puppies. They were hesitant at first but were soon chewing on her fingertips. “Your heart is kind, Kenneth. I think this is the best thing you could give her.”

  “Uh, we are giving her,” Kenneth corrected. “We are one.”

  “Always,” Besseta smiled.

  Kenneth leaned down and kissed her. “Always.”

  Besseta smiled. “I’ve always wanted to do something special for Tiffany.”

  “Well, I need you to go downstairs and sit beside her so we can introduce them,” Kenneth told her.

  Looking down at the puppies, she said, “There’s no way they attached my smell that fast.”

  “No, baby,” Kenneth said. “I smell like you, and they’ve been with me since the day you left. Even though Clyde grabbed the boy by the tail and dragged him around when he growled at your pillow.”

  “Oh, the babies were protecting Momma,” Besseta sighed.

  “Besseta, he was being bad,” Kenneth told her.

  “You leave my baby alone when he’s protecting Momma,” she snapped, and Kenneth smiled.

  “That’s why I couldn’t get you some puppies; they would be devastated.”

  She laughed and leaned down to kiss the puppies. “Oh, take your shirt off,” she said and took the puppies. “If they like your smell, I’ll make Tiffany put it on.”

  Kenneth stood frozen. “Uh, baby, I don’t know about another woman wearing my clothes. It doesn’t seem right.”

  Stunned, Besseta admitted, “My God, Kenneth, it’s a t-shirt. Now if it was a button up like I wear, I would have reservations.”

  “You’re going too far there. Like I would even look at another woman like I do you,” Kenneth said.

  Setting the puppies on the bed, she turned around. “I know, baby, but take the shirt off.”

  “This feels weird,” Kenneth said, not budging. Besseta disappeared, and Kenneth felt something gently move his body around, and then Besseta was standing in front of him holding his shirt in her hand. “What the—” Kenneth gasped, looking down at his bare chest.

  Following his gaze, Besseta licked her lips. “Let me tell you if I didn’t love Tiffany so much, she would be waiting till tomorrow for those puppies.”

  Kenneth looked up at her. “How the hell did you do that?”

  “Baby, quit talking, and bring the dogs before I throw your ass down right now,” Besseta said, and a breeze filled the room, and Kenneth was standing alone.

  “I don’t know what the fuck happened, but she wasn’t that fast before she left,” Kenneth told the puppies, who didn’t seem interested. Picking them up, Kenneth carried them downstairs.

  He found Besseta with the dogs in her lap, sitting next to a confused Tiffany, who was already wearing his shirt. Don’t say anything about the shirt, he heard Besseta say.

  “I’m not,” Kenneth said, looking over at her.

  “What?” Besseta asked.

  “I’m not,” Kenneth repeated and looked at Tiffany. “Tiffany, we just wanted to tell you how much we love you, and even though I haven’t known you as long as Besseta has, I still count you as part of our family. We wanted to get you something.”

  Taking his hands from behind his back, Kenneth held out the two pug puppies. The female sniffed and gave a growl. “That’s enough, or I’ll let Clyde drag you around the kitchen again,” Kenneth snapped.

  That’s being a little harsh; they’re just puppies, he heard from Besseta.

  “Besseta, you have to be firm while they are puppies, or they won’t listen,” Kenneth said, looking up at her.

  Shrugging, she said, “Okay, I guess.”

  Kenneth looked over at Tiffany and found her catatonically staring at the puppies. Slowly, Kenneth walked over, holding out the puppies, and the male growled. Clyde jumped up in Besseta’s lap and moved over to Tiffany, growling at the puppy. “Clyde, I’m starting with you today. You’re not helping; go to Momma,” Kenneth said in a hard tone.

  He’s just protecting Momma, he heard Besseta say and looked over, seeing Besseta pick up Clyde and love on him. “Besseta, he was interfering, and he knows better. He’s just worried the puppies are going to you.”

  Besseta buried her face in Clyde’s side. “Momma has her babies,” she said, loving on Clyde, and Bonnie jumped in Besseta’s face, letting her know she wanted some of that love. Besseta scooped Bonnie up and continued the loving.

  Turning back, Tiffany still had a look of shock frozen on her face. “Ah, Tiffany, not to ruin the moment, but you need to say something to them,” Kenneth told her.

  Besseta elbowed Tiffany, startling her. Tiffany rubbed her side, looking at the puppies. “Hey guys,” she said gently. The puppies sniffed the air, and Kenneth moved closer until he finally put the puppies in Tiffany’s lap.

  “This is your momma,” Kenneth said, petting the puppies. Timidly, Tiffany reached over and gently caressed the puppies.

  “What’re their names?” Tiffany asked.

  “Ah, I don’t know,” Kenneth said, and Tiffany looked up. “You haven’t told us.”

  “I get to name them too?” Tiffany gasped, and the waterworks started when Kenneth nodded.

  Watching the puppies crawl up her lap to Tiffany’s belly, Kenneth smiled and moved over, sitting down beside Besseta as Clyde looked over at him. “You are terrible,” Kenneth smiled, scratching Clyde’s head.

  Besseta pushed the dogs down to her lap and looked over at Tiffany caressing each dog like it was made of crystal. Kenneth leaned over, kissed Besseta’s cheek, and sat back, watching Tiffany as tears rained down on the dogs. As Besseta watched the interaction, Kenneth stared at his beloved’s face and smiled.

  I have the best man ever, he heard Besseta say, but the problem was, Kenneth was staring at Besseta, who was looking in Tiffany’s lap, and he saw that Besseta’s mouth never moved.

  Catapulting off the couch, he shouted in fear, “What the fuck?”

  Tiffany put the puppies beside her quickly and jumped up. “Who’s here? I’ll kill everyone on this continent,” she growled, looking around and then at the monitors in the kitchen when she didn’t see anything.

  Besseta looked down at the couch where Kenneth was sitting to see if one of the babies had peed on him. Not seeing anything, she looked up at Kenneth the same time Tiffany turned to him. They both saw him staring at Besseta in horror.

  “What?” she asked.

  Not knowing what was going on, he asked, “How did you do that?” Besseta looked back down at the couch for pee. “No, they didn’t pee on me,” Kenneth said.

  “Kenneth, you’re not making any sense,” Besseta said as Tiffany sat back down, playing with her puppies.

  “I heard you, Besseta,” Kenneth exclaimed.

  “Heard me what?” Besseta asked.

  “You talked while looking at the puppies.”

  Scoffing, she replied, “Kenneth, you usually hear me when I talk.”

  He leaned over. “You mouth never moved; I was watching.”

  Startled, Besseta quickly regained
her composure. “That’s impossible.”

  Kenneth spun around as Tiffany looked over at Besseta. “Oh, so I’m making this up?” he said. “I’m not crazy, so quit saying that. You aren’t driving me insane,” he said, walking into the kitchen. “I don’t care if you’re a vampire; I never have,” he cried out. “Damn it, how are you talking in more than one voice at the same time?” he shouted, walking back in the living room.

  Tiffany watched Besseta’s face pale through the one-sided conversation and jump at the last one as Kenneth walked back in. “Is he answering you?” she asked, and Besseta nodded.

  “How did you talk with more than one voice?” Kenneth asked again, and Besseta just stared at him. “Fine, I don’t want to know; I’m just your husband.”

  Besseta jumped up. “Baby, I didn’t. I swear.”

  In a panic, Kenneth spun around. “Fine,” he huffed and walked back to the kitchen, and they heard cabinets open and close. “Besseta, don’t yell at me; I’m just worried about you!” Kenneth shouted as they heard glass clinking. “You think I’m stupid? I know you’re tough and can take care of yourself, but I’m your husband. I have a right to worry about you. If I didn’t love you more than everything on this Earth, I would just let you run off kicking ass, but I want to protect you,” Kenneth shouted.

  Tiffany started getting worried. “Is he still answering you?”

  “Yes,” Besseta said.

  “How are you using more than one voice and talking to both of us at the exact same time?” Kenneth asked. “Besseta, don’t yell at me,” Kenneth said. “Yes, you are yelling. Shit, it’s hurting my ears.”

  Besseta collapsed back on the couch. “What the hell?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I want to know,” Kenneth said, walking back in carrying a bottle of vodka and a tall glass.

  “Well, I heard that part,” Tiffany said, looking back to Kenneth. “Yes, vodka does seem to help.”

  Kenneth looked over at her. “Tiffany, not now,” he said and looked at Besseta. “What is going on?” he asked and grabbed his glass. “I love you too, baby,” he said and looked up, taking a drink. “Always,” he smiled.

  Always, he heard Besseta say, but her mouth never moved.

  “Jesus!” Kenneth shouted, jumping back. “How are you talking without moving your mouth?”

  Tiffany held up her hand, and Kenneth nodded at her. “Kenneth, Besseta hasn’t said anything,” she told him, and before she could continue, he looked over at Besseta.

  “Three what?” he asked, and Besseta jumped up, sending Bonnie and Clyde to the floor. “You were thinking the number three? Yes, I can hear you. Quit yelling.”

  “I’m not yelling!” Besseta screamed, spinning around and sending Bonnie and Clyde scampering out and the puppies burrowing under Tiffany. Realizing what she did, she said, “I wasn’t before that.”

  Staring at her, Kenneth heard Besseta speaking, but her mouth wasn’t moving as she started pacing, and more of Besseta’s voice started sounding off. Setting his glass down, Kenneth covered his ears, and Besseta’s voice stayed the same volume. Rushing over, Kenneth grabbed her up in his arms.

  “Relax, I’m here,” he said, holding her tight, and the many voices turned back to one. “I have no idea how it happened, but I’m not swimming in that lake again until we figure it out.”

  Besseta laughed. “How can you read my mind?”

  “No, how can you talk in my head?” Kenneth asked. Can you hear me? Kenneth thought, and Besseta just looked at him. “Did you hear that thought?” Besseta shook her head. “Okay, sit down please. I need to think,” Kenneth told her, guiding Besseta to the couch. “Well, if you give me a minute to think about it?” Kenneth said, setting her down.

  Turning around, Kenneth snatched the bottle off the coffee table and took a long pull then set the bottle down. “Okay, I didn’t want to say anything, baby, but you’re different from when you left,” Kenneth said, turning around. “No, you look the same, but you’re different,” he answered her thought.

  Getting really freaked out, Tiffany stood up. “This is—”

  Kenneth raised his hands. “Tiffany, I love you, but not now,” Kenneth told her and whipped his head to Besseta. “I wasn’t being rude.”

  “How is Besseta different?” Tiffany asked.

  “Well, besides being able to talk in my head,” Kenneth said, lowering his hands, “for one, you are a lot—and I mean a lot—stronger.” Tiffany was about to ask something when Kenneth turned to Besseta. “Yes, I do know,” he said. “Well, when you hug me, it’s tight, but today, it’s been real hard. When you hold my hand,” Kenneth said, holding up his left hand, and they could see finger indentations across the back of his hand. “You don’t do that,” he said. “Oh, Besseta, stop that!” he snapped. “You are acting like you don’t know how strong you are, and the thing is, you do know. I’m not stupid, remember? To you, I’m fragile, and that’s how you treat me. You only get carried away sometimes.”

  Reaching up, Besseta wiped her eyes. “Baby—”

  “Oh man, that was good seeing your mouth move and hearing your voice,” he sighed, reaching for the bottle.

  “How much stronger do you think she is?” Tiffany asked as he set the bottle down.

  “When you two left, Besseta was about three times as strong as you, Tiffany. Both of you have picked me up, so I know. Now, Besseta’s easily twice that,” he said, grabbing the bottle. “No, you haven’t hurt me,” he said, looking at Besseta. “Don’t yell, Besseta.”

  “What else?” Tiffany asked.

  He put the bottle down. “Holy shit is she fast now. Tiffany, when you run, I can follow you with my eyes. I could see you. When Besseta left, I could almost follow her, but she was like a blur. Shit, now, she just appears.”

  “How much faster do you think?” Tiffany asked.

  “Tiffany, I can’t even see her, so how can I answer that?” Kenneth asked.

  “Anything else?” Tiffany asked.

  “Besseta’s lighter,” he replied and looked over at his wife. “I’m telling you you’re at least twenty pounds lighter, but you’re the same size you were when you left,” he answered Besseta. Tiffany looked over, and Besseta vanished then reappeared, standing where she had been, and sat down. “Twenty-one pounds; look who was right,” Kenneth said, grabbing the bottle.

  “Besseta, did you go weigh yourself?” Tiffany asked.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Oh, you use your mouth to her,” Kenneth mumbled then jumped up. “Okay, what happened?”

  “I don’t know,” Besseta told him.

  “Did you take someone’s ability while you were out?” Kenneth asked.

  “No,” Besseta moaned.

  Kenneth just looked at her, listening. “How does she know that?” he asked. “Well yeah, if she tried it over a dozen times and it didn’t work, it’s safe to say that would be an ability for you,” Kenneth agreed with Besseta’s thought. “Besseta, I notice everything about you,” he said, standing.

  “Oh, like what?” Kenneth laughed, repeating the question from Besseta’s mind. “Those are all new clothes. You missed a hole when you laced your left shoe. You have ink on your right index finger. You’ve been twirling your hair, so I know you’ve been worried. The curl that hangs down on the right side of your face is much tighter than normal. Need I go on?” Kenneth asked.

  “Besseta,” Kenneth sighed, “you’re my everything. I’ve memorized every crease of your face, every curve of your body. I feel really dorky saying this, but I love you so much it hurts.”

  From the couch, Besseta suddenly had her arms wrapped around Kenneth’s neck and her legs around his waist. Tiffany looked from the couch to Kenneth, wondering how Besseta cleared the twenty feet without any sign of movement.

  “Yeah, Tiffany,” Kenneth said, hugging Besseta, “she can jump really far now.”

  “This doesn’t make sense,” Tiffany said, getting up and grabbing the bottle of vodka, taking a really long pull.
When the puppies started whining, Tiffany darted over and sat back down with them.

  “I’m worried that you pulled too many abilities in your little body, Besseta,” Kenneth admitted.

  “This is too far out for that to be the case,” Tiffany said, putting the puppies in her lap.

  “Tiffany, how can you know that?” Kenneth asked.

  “The virus doesn’t wait months for change. The only area that would fall under that would be the teeth,” Tiffany told him. “But that’s only because changes are made in the upper jaw, and the teeth grow along with new muscles. Our abilities are shown right after the change.”

  “Besseta’s different,” Kenneth said.

  “Yes she is, but everything still followed the same path when she took the other abilities. The only thing different is now,” Tiffany said.

  “Tiffany, she’s three times stronger but lighter; that’s an oxymoron,” Kenneth said.

  “That falls into the now part,” Tiffany objected as Kenneth paced with Besseta still latched to his chest.

  “Now this I could get used to,” Kenneth smiled, holding Besseta. “Always,” he said and heard her thought. “Besseta, what’s Tiffany thinking?” he asked.

  “How in the hell did I do this? Are any more abilities going to show up? Why is Kenneth worried about what I’m thinking?” Besseta answered.

  “I’m not blocking my thoughts. Can you read them?” Kenneth asked, and Besseta closed her eyes and shook her head. “That’s why I wanted to know; she can read yours but not mine,” Kenneth said, looking over at Tiffany. “Okay, so you didn’t feed on a vampire—”

  “OH SHIT!” Tiffany screamed, jumping up and knocking the puppies onto the couch.

  Jumping when Tiffany screamed, Kenneth looked over and saw her standing there and panting. “Ah, any time would be good,” he said as Besseta buried her head in Kenneth’s chest, hearing Tiffany’s thought. “You bit a werewolf,” Kenneth gasped, listening to the thought repeat in Besseta’s mind. “One that old!” he cried out. “Twice and fed off him!” He looked down at Besseta. “Why?”

  “You had to be there,” Besseta said, trying to smooth over the shock, but that hit the wrong note.