Chapter 8: Time to Go Back

Giovani awoke to the sound of howler monkeys in the trees above their makeshift hut. He hardly ever slept; it wasn't necessary for his body anymore. He was a highly efficient blood metabolizing machine. Yet, since they had determined to make the inner recesses of the Amazonian Rainforest their home, he had found himself sleeping more and more out of sheer boredom.

Zabrina, on the other hand, always seemed to find something to keep herself occupied. He could hear her now puttering outside, likely building something or putting a more appealing spin on something they already had. In his entire existence as an undead, he had only found one other being whom he could truly bond with the way that he had with his "sister" Zabrina. Technically, they were not related at all, which is why she was also his lover, but Vampires created from the same host referred to each other as siblings. Zabrina had also come from Holland, his most trusted ally for years, until she decided to get back together with her former lover, Carter, someone Giovani never trusted. Holland had chosen the dark-haired scoundrel, and Giovani had set out on his own. It hadn't taken him long to find the beautiful Zabrina. With her long honey-colored locks, sultry smile, and casual tone, he had been intoxicated by her almost immediately. Now that he needed someone more than ever before, he was glad she was the one willing to run to the ends of the Earth with him.

He stretched his sinewy arms above his head, scratched at his scraggly goateed-face, and ran his fingers through the blond mop on the top of his head. She must have heard him stirring, as she stuck her pretty face into the opening that served as a door, pushing the twisted, draping vines apart, and with a chipper smile on her face, called, "You finally awake, love?"

Giovani yawned and stretched his arms in front of himself, giving her a smile as she made her way in and sat on the woven reed mats that lined the bottom of the hut, also her handy work. "I can't believe I slept so long," he muttered, his many years in Italy evident in his pronunciations. Shaking his head, he attempted to wake himself up.

"I know," she concurred. "It seems the longer we stay out here, the more you are sleeping." She had a hint of an Eastern European accent, which came through more as she spent less time around other Americans. It was evident in her voice now.

Giovani took this opportunity to pose a common thought. "Let's go back," he said, leaning over and taking her hands in his, doing his best to meet her gaze with the intensity of his.

She was no stranger to this technique. She pulled her hands and her eyes away. "No, Giovani. We can't. Not yet. It's too soon. You know everyone is still looking for you. It's more serious this time. It's not just two rebel Vampire Hunters trying to find you. It's all of LIGHTS and a band of renegades led by a very angry, very determined, very pissed off cowboy. It's not worth it.”

Of course, he had heard all of these arguments before and knew she was probably correct; yet, Giovani enjoyed the thrill of the hunt--even when he was the prey. He had been dodging Laura and her sister Laney for about a decade, letting them get close and then sprinting away, all the time wreaking havoc, leaving a band of malicious young Vampires in his wake. Things had become more serious when he had attempted to take out Cadence Findley, the Vampire Hunters' new star pupil, and his cause wasn't helped when he led the slaughter of Cowboy Sam's niece and her family a few weeks before that. Now, he had all sorts of Vampire Hunters and Guardians angry and in pursuit. Zabrina was right. Chances were, as soon as he surfaced, they would be on to him. He was much safer deep within the rainforest where the only people he may run into were either lost backpackers, who would make a quick snack, or native people who would instinctively leave him the hell alone. Nevertheless, the game of cat and mouse was one of his favorites and he was growing more and more restless each day.

Finally, after a lengthy pause, he asked, "How much longer do you think we need to stay hidden?"

She groaned, reflecting on the other hundreds of times she had answered that question. She felt like the parent on vacation with the gaggle of kids in the backseat asking "Are we there yet?" She stared at him again, fully aware that his eyes could lock her in quickly without warning, before finally responding. "Giovani, darling. We must give them time to move on. We are immortals. Let's bear in mind, the more time we spend out here, the more likely we are to have time together out there once this all blows over. Those people, those Hunters, are not going to live forever," she continued, gesturing emphatically. "We've been here less than four months. We should spend years here, decades even. Let them forget; let them find someone else to focus their energy on. Then, when we come out, we will be able to start anew without constantly worrying about who is on our tracks."

Giovani was shaking his head, feeling frustration starting to turn to anger, something that could happen rather quickly with him. "But Zabrina, I like that feeling--it excites me; it gets my adrenaline going. Let's go back. Let's face them--let's take them out!"

"No!" she insisted, her own fiery spirit igniting. "I'm not going to lose you to some fossil of a Vampire Hunter who is going to die in six months anyway. And Cadence..." she started, "she could crush us..."

He was angry now. "Bullshit," he implored. "Crush us? She's nothing but an overrated, two-bit whore who earned her reputation by screwing that smug bastard McReynolds. She couldn't even..."

"She took out Barbarosa! She took out Sobi..." Zabrina reminded him, arms flailing now.

"Those ancient bags of dust? Zabrina, we are young and powerful..."

She looked at him in disbelief. "They were two of the most dominant Vampires to ever walk the Earth, Giovani, and you know it... you know it..."

"They were washed up, past their prime..." he argued, the smirk on his face showing his disagreement.

She hesitated only for a moment, knowing her words were formulated in anger and that she was baiting him. Nevertheless, her loose tongue got the best of her. "Fine then. Let's say they were. What about Holland then, hmm? How did she get her?"

Giovani's rage seemed to radiate from his steel gray eyes. He froze, his stare penetrating so deeply into her face for a moment it seemed he might lunge for her. "Don't," he growled, the warning stern and meaningful.

Zabrina knew she had crossed a line. Part of her wanted to continue the argument, make him defend his insistence that Cadence Findley was not dangerous, yet the Hunter had somehow managed to take out the one Giovani worshipped above all others. She met his penetrating glare for only a moment before dropping her eyes in submission, realizing that she had made her point without continuing the argument. She was right, and he knew it, though he would never admit it. After a very lengthy, awkward silence, in a calm and even voice she said, "All I'm saying is I think it is far too dangerous to go back now. And I want to be with you--I don't care about anyone else. We have everything we need here. Plenty of animals to feed on. I know it's not the same, but it works. Let's not ruin it by playing Russian roulette with the world." He wasn't looking at her anymore, his eyes focused on his hands, folded in his lap. She knew he was attempting to calm himself. She slowly reached over and placed her hand on his thigh. "Giovani, I love you. I don't want to see anything happen to you. Please, just stay with me for a little longer, won't you?"

Giovani didn't respond. She slid her hand higher up his leg, and then her other hand was caressing him as well. Even when he felt her lips against his neck, he did not acknowledge her. Finally, his anger turned to passion and he pulled her closer, meeting her quivering lips with a ferocious kiss that instantly took her breath away. Ultimately, it was his decision, and he would resurface when he chose to, whether Zabrina approved or not, with or without her.