her thoughts which still alternated between disgust of her brood's behavior, and the cool calculating agenda she had planned: for the benefit of all of them. They acted like common idiots at times. Deciding this stream of consciousness would lead nowhere, the Mistress of Darkness settled in to enjoy the company and caressing warmth of the enveloping wetness. Family dynamics could be tough.
CHAPTER 4: boggy business
Ian and Donnie awoke at sunset. No alarm was needed as they were attuned to the cycles of evil Sol . Ling and Theresa’s coffins stood open and empty, and there was the usual (these days) absence of Rosa. Donnie stretched his massive body, muscles rippling, and glanced at Ian.
“I’m hungry,” Donnie stated.
“You’re always hungry,” Ian automatically answered.
This is how Donnie started most conversations when he exited his outsized cherry wood “box”. He was too damn big to fit in a standard coffin and Rosa had presented him with the personal sleeping space upon his resurrection. Donnie may be a vampire, but he acted like an entitled Little Lord Fauntleroy a lot of the time, albeit an extremely strong and bullheaded child. Ian didn’t mind (most of the time) as he thought of Donnie as his younger brother in need of guidance. He tried to shield the big ox from Rosa’s wrath when Donnie screwed up, and thought he succeeded (most of the time).
“You need to wait a few days before you feed again, Donnie,” Ian advised. “Gluttony is unbecoming.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Gotta’ watch my boyish waistline. But I've got to get outta’ the damn house. I’m being stampeded.”
“I think you mean ‘stymied,’ Ian corrected, a smile showing his gleaming white fangs. “We could go out on the moor and practice stalking prey on the rays of the moon. It should be full tonight, and I’m sick of the ladies outdoing us in that regard.”
“Yeah, too much fucking estrogen around here sometimes. Let’s do it, Blondie.”
Luna was indeed a full sphere glowing in the starry black sky, casting silvery beams of chill luminescence across Culloden Moor. The peaty swale, bathed in the rays appeared to glow with a dull yellow, belying the swampy morass beneath. Ian lifted from the steps and soared low over the heath, thrilled with the sensation of flight and the cool air against his face. Donnie followed and took a higher route paralleling Ian’s path as he darted from one current to another. He was clumsier than Ian in the ether and struggled to maintain pace. As he tired of trying to stay abreast of Ian, Donnie put on a burst of speed and swooped down to tackle his mentor.
Ian sensed Donnie’s impending collision too late and felt the impact as Donnie encircled his waist and drove him to the ground in a classic rugby tackle. Had it been anyone but Donnie, Ian would have sloughed him off easily and counter attacked with devastating accuracy. However, Ian knew Donnie only wanted to wrestle, and so they slammed into the soft ground as one.
“Ha ha, I fuckin’ gotcha,” Donnie laughed as the cold water and mud oozed from the peat and soaked them both.
“I let you, punk-boy,” replied Ian knowing this would incite Donnie to lunge and try to pin or get a lock on a joint forcing submission. Ian sprang to his feet before Donnie could grab him. Now that Donnie walked the night, his natural human strength translated to super human: he was strong even by vampire standards. Ian was faster and a better wrestler, but Donnie’s sinew was a force to be reckoned with. Donnie rose, and the two muddy, soaked males circled each other probing for a weakness to be exploited. “C’mon, punk-o-licious, what’ve you got besides that pathetic excuse for a pecker?” Ian goaded.
Donnie took no offense; it was part of the game they’d played on several occasions. “That’s right, little man, keep it up and see what happens,” and he rushed at Ian.
Ian purposely dropped to his back as Donnie reached for him,
Mary Ann Winkowski, Maureen Foley