He took the wheel this time. He looked at me with tired eyes like I was dreining all his energy like I was the fucking problem in all this. I wanted to yell and hit him like he deserved for being an asshole, but I wouldn’t get anything. He was stronger than me, he had this point clear. I was his, now my life was to be his subordinate. He was in control and I was nothing. I started to cry again, a quiet but hurtful cry. I felt so powerless.

“Jonathan, please. I don’t want to. This is not how it should have been. I’m not trying to hurt you.”

“I noticed that.”

“I did what I did because I have to control your other nature. A newborn can be reckless and stubborn. You have to understand that we are in a hurry to get home,” he said with a calm and monotonous tone. He tried to touch my shoulder. I moved again in part because of fear and in part because of anger. He sighed. “I’m trying to protect you.”

I stayed quiet. He opened his mouth but he didn’t say anything. He finally took a deep breath and he continued driving.

***

We were on the road for twenty more minutes until he parked in front of an old truck stop. The restaurant had lived in better times, the lighted signs were barely visible and the color of the walls was dull and worn. What I couldn't deny was that the smell that came from an exhaust chimney was incredibly good.

"Let's go for breakfast," he said, stopping the motor.

"I'm not hungry," I said.

He laid in his seat and closed his eyes. We stayed quiet for several minutes until he finally opened his eyes and looked at me again.

"Hungry now?"

I opened my mouth in disbelief. "Have we been waiting here for minutes to see if I'd get hungry?"

He sighed. "No, we have stayed here waiting for your cub to start to piss you off enough to make you admit that you’re hungry."

I pressed my hands against my face and took a deep breath. "You're the worst. I hate you, I really hate you." It wasn't anger or sadness in my words, only the most absolute weariness.

"Welcome to the club. I guess when we arrive home they would need a new place to fit all the new members."

I pressed my hands stronger. "Yeah, absolutely unbearable. I curse the day that I decided to follow you through the forest."

"I bit you a month before that," he said.

"I curse not having had a silver dagger to have stabbed you with."

"This is a myth, silver doesn't hurt us. The best is to cut off our heads, but with enough damage, we can die too."

I took my hands away from my face. I looked at him with a tired glance. "Good to know. I'm looking forward to trying it with you."

He smiled, not a grin not a sarcastic smile, he was holding back laughter. I crossed my fingers and put my hands over my forehead stretching the skin. "Oh my god, you're a fucking human. I thought that I had been traveling with a robot which had a stick inside of its ass."

Then he laughed, a loud laugh. I felt myself whimpering with pride in a low tone. I cleared my throat, but the feeling of pride didn't disappear.

"Do you wanna eat now?" he asked, still smiling.

I growled in agreement and finally, I took control over myself to say yes with my human voice.

We entered the restaurant. It was a long hallway with tables on the left side and a long bar on the right side. The place was empty except for the waitress with the most eighties cliche uniform and someone in the kitchen who was frying something that smelled like happiness. Romulo took the tablet near the entrance of the restaurant. The waitress took two menus from the bar and came with us.

"Hello, folks! Good to see y'all. What can I bring you to drink?" She gave each of us a menu.

"Water for both," Romulo said before I could open my mouth. He checked the menu at full speed and took my menu out of my hands to give it to the waitress. "We want bacon and eggs in great quantities," he said, smiling at the woman.

I made a low growl. The waitress opened her mouth in disbelief and then her eyes pounced on me with an astonished expression.

"I'm sorry, my little brother is dealing with some difficulties," Romula said. He looked at me and his eyes shone for a second. The growl disappeared and I felt the necessity to look down.

"No problem, I'm gonna bring your water," she said, still looking at me like I was a freak.

She left and brought the water almost immediately. Between her trembling pulse and the fact that she didn’t take his eyes off, part of the water dropped out of the glass. Romulo helped her immediately and let the woman be off, probably running away would be a more accurate description. I had terrified the poor woman.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

I looked at Romulo who had opened a travel guide like the ones that people used decades ago, the dark time before smartphones. Its corners were torn and the pages faded.

"I know how to order my food," I said when the waitress entered the kitchen, leaving us alone in the dining area.

He didn't raise his head. "You knew. Jonathan..."

"Jon," I snorted.

"Jonathan," he said remarking each syllable of my name. "You have to start accepting that your body is different now. The cub wants meat."

"I'm pretty sure I want pancakes," I said, crossing my arms.

"And I'm pretty sure I can't bear your cub in a sugar rash the rest of the trip. Giving you candy last night was a bad idea."

"I'm not a child," I panted.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and made his characteristic sigh.

"Listen to me carefully. You are not alone, this body is as much of the cub as it's of yours. He has his own personality and how you are an emotional mess right now he can take control when he wants."

"It's not true," I lied.

"Yes, it is. He took control two hours before. For this, you're so aggressive."

I looked up with a defiant look. "I really wanted to punch your face."

"The last stupid attempt, yes, but the rest not. Your eyes were bright and I don't think your way of communicating was growling before the bite."

The waitress came out of the kitchen loaded with dishes. Romulo kept the guide in his pocket before she arrived with two big plates of eggs and bacon.

I filled my mouth with a beacon in an instinctive way as soon as she put the plate on the table. It was incredibly tasty and crispy, maybe a little dry but at that moment, it was so good it practically ate itself.

"Can you bring us more?" Romula asked.

"Of course," the waitress stammered, then she left briskly.

"I have terrified her," I said with my mouth still full of food.

"Yes, you have. It's not a big deal, don't worry. But the next time she came looks down. Your eyes are like a Christmas tree."

I sighed and kept eating. Then the doorbell rang and a young blonde woman passed by me. She approached the waitress in the bar and ordered four coffees and breakfast for takeaway. She winked at me while I was still eating and I looked down to avoid that she could see my eyes. I heard her laughing while she headed to the bathroom on the other side of the restaurant.

After finally filling my belly, I leaned on the seat. Then I noticed the mess that I had caused. There were bits of bacon and eggs all around the floor and the table. My hands were greasy and the area around my mouth was too. Romulo had finished his food long before me and he was reading his trip guide again.

"I should …” I said pointing to the bath.

"You should," he cut me off before I could even finish speaking.

I got up and went to the bathroom. The waitress looked away when I was passing by her, and the old cook looked at me with a murderous glance through the serving window. I entered the bathroom with a very weird sight which had a painted dancing cowboy. I couldn’t help but think about how I had lost my manners in front of the waitress and Romulo.

I started to clean myself in the first sink next to the door. The sound of a chain draws my attention. The blonde girl of before got out from one of the bathroom stalls. I looked at her through the mirror and she gave a malicious smile. She approached the sink next to me.

"I guess I went to the wrong bathroom," she said. "Although If I can share it with such a handsome guy who cares." She winked at me. I blushed and growled. I headed to the door in panic but she grabbed my hand and pulled me towards her. We were eye to eye, hers was like a green and gray constellation. Fuck, she was gorgeous. I must have killed a kitten in another life so that someone like her paid attention to me just in the worst moment of my life.

I noticed her right hand playing over my chest, the growl became louder and more evident. I tried to stop it, but she brought her face close to my ear making everything harder.

"It will be the first time I taste a newborn of your kind." I felt an excruciating pain in my chest. I looked down. The fingers of the girl had become some kind of thick bright blue needles and they were stuck around my heart.

The door opened and Romulo attacked the girl pulling her ponytail. She let me free and I fell to the ground. She tried to slash Romulo but he grabbed her hand and punched her face, making her fall to the floor. Romulo’s right hand became a mix between his regular hand and a fang. He went straight to the girl's throat.

"I wouldn't do it," the girl said with Romulo's fang some inches away from her skin. "I don't think that you can explain a dead girl. Although you could blame the puppy. With so much howling and growling the police would buy it," she said smiling. The way that she seemed to be in charge although Romulo could kill her at any moment was terrifying.

I started whimpering uncontrollably. I looked at the wound, I was bleeding a lot and hurt like hell. I had a strong desire to lick it.

Romulo gave a blow to the girl's belly and changed his fang into a hand again. "I think a wild animal attacked you. If you yell before the wound closes, you will have to give a lot of explanations." She didn’t try to move although I was sure she could do it. He just cut her stomach but she showed no pain.

Romulo came to me and helped me get up. I used an arm to hold on to him. "Everything will be okay, try to be a quiet cub," he said.

We got out of the restroom and walked towards the door. The waitress looked at us and she covered his mouth in horror.

"What happened to him?" she said.

"I'm gonna take him to the nearest hospital. Can I take this?" he said, taking a clean dish towel without waiting for her answer. He put it over my wounds. "Keep it tight," he whispered.

"Did, did he do it to himself?" She asked. Romulo didn't say anything which seemed like a confirmation based on her expression. She ran to the door and kept it open for us.

"Thank you very much," Romulo said. The waitress stayed at the restaurant door looking while Romulo helped me to sit. Suddenly Romulo raised his head and sniffed. "There are more." He put the seat belt on me and closed the door. Then he ran to his seat, started the motor, and stepped on the gas.