Bitten (Book 1 - Book 4)

"What's the weather like?” Natalia said, getting out of bed before Uri.

She pulled open the curtains.

“Nice. A sunny Saturday morning. The roads should be clear.”

“You're not driving yourself this afternoon even if you do get your license,” he said.

“I'll get my license. Barb said I'll pass my driving test with no problems.”

She headed for the bathroom, but he rose and snagged her arm. He threw her back into bed. "Hey," she said.

He threw the covers back over them.

“You evil man.”

“I am the only one who can whip the covers off you,” he said, half laying on her.

He breathed deep in her hair then rubbed his cheek against hers.

“Your scent will just wash off in the shower,” she said.

She was enjoying the warmth of his body.

“You now always smell of me,” he said. “Because of Victoria. I really don't need to mark you any more.”

He kissed her lightly on the lips.

“Then why do you?"

He smiled.

“You know why. I love you.”

He whipped the covers off her and dragged her to the bathroom.

“They still haven't shown me,” Natalia said, pausing outside the bedroom door after they had dressed.

The nursery room door was still shut as well as her office door.

“Pretty soon,” he said, taking her hand and leading her down the stairs.

As soon as they sat at the dining room table, Mag served an omelet. Natalia received her usual glass of sanguine tea, except the glass was full instead of half full due to the rationing.

"Moralis was here early this morning,” Mag said in a soft voice.

"More tea?”

ess

She seemed surprised that Uri knew.

"He's scraping some up for all the pregnancies,” Uri said. “Including his own.”

Mag smiled.

“Francie decided finally?”

Uri nodded.

"Good for her. Moralis is a good one.”

“The best,” Uri said.

"We have enough that we can do a full glass in the morning and a half at night,” Mag said “Good,” Uri said.

“Moralis said we should give you a half glass as well.”

"With cookies is good,” he said.

She nodded and returned to the kitchen.

“I missed sanguine tea with cookies,” Natalia said.

“So do I."

Natalia finished her breakfast quickly.

“I'm going to head off and see if Bonnie will let me drive. We're taking my car.”

“Please drive extra careful. There can be icy spots.”

“I will. Besides, you keep telling me I drive too slow.”

"Keep driving slow.”

Natalia buzzed Bonnie, but as soon as she stepped into the garage, she saw that Bonnie was already there. She almost didn't recognize her since she was dressed in jeans, boots, and a stylish winter coat.

"I figured we were taking your car,” Bonnie said.

She opened the driver's side door and waved for her to get in.

“You don’t need me looking like a limo driver.”

Natalia smiled, taking the keys from the hook.

"Zip your coat. It's cold today. Do you have a hat and gloves?”

“There's a set in the car,” Natalia said, feeling like Bonnie was behaving like her mother.

She went through her routine and remembered to hit the garage door opener.

“These new cars warn you and brake if you're going to back into something,” Bonnie said. “You'll never hit the garage door.”

“Good to know.”

Natalia backed out of the garage, remembering to close the garage door.

“We have the garage doors on a timer, too,” Bonnie said. “It automatically closes five minutes after a car has passed.”

“I'm going to get lazy and spoiled with all these fancy gadgets.”

"We have these because the guys don't always pay attention,” Bonnie said.

Natalia laughed.

She turned onto the street. The roads were clear. She had no problems getting to the driving school.

Bonnie got out with her.

“I'll wait inside for you.”

"Okay. I'm thinking this won't take long,” Natalia said.

Inside, she saw Barb who waved her over.

“Go take the test. I'll waive the driving part. You're doing very well. Did you drive here?”

"Yes, I did.”

Natalia took her coat off and slid into testing booth. She saw that Charlotte was already there and doing her test. They exchanged waves while Natalia started the test. This test was more thorough, hitting every section in the driver's manual. There were forty-five questions. Again, she thought the test was easy. She finished and stepped out. Charlotte was already gone.

"Great job,” Barb said.

Natalia took the printout that showed she had received a perfect score.

"Go over there, and they'll give you your new ID.”

The process was quick and in a matter of minutes, Natalia was stepping out to the waiting area where Bonnie was waiting.

“All done,” she said.

“No driving test?” Bonnie said.

“Nope. They waived it. They said I was doing well.”

“You are doing well. I can't complain.”

“I never thought I'd be here,” she said when they stepped outside heading for the car. “So much has changed in two months.”

Bonnie merely nodded.

Natalia opened her own car door, and they got into the car like they were friends.

“Uri doesn't want me to drive when I go over to Lisa's.”

“I'll drive you. The one thing we should review is parking. I don't think the driving school looks at that.”

“No, they never did other than how you can parallel park.”

“It can be tricky finding the right parking. There are lots, parking garages, side streets, and the meters. Parking fines are huge. And the address you have for Lisa tells me parking will be a bitch. Central city residential areas assign parking per tenant in a flat. This means there is no parking for visitors and most times, never any parking for a tenant, despite they're allotted a spot.”

“Lovely. I wonder if Lisa has a car. I guess I'll find out.”

Natalia drove back home since it was too early to head to Lisa's. She pulled back into the garage. When she stepped into the house, Uri was coming out of his office.

"What? You failed already?” he said.

She laughed and shook her head.

“No. I passed. They waived the driving because I was doing so well.”

She pulled out her new ID for him to see.

He hugged and kissed her.

“Bonnie still driving you this afternoon?”

"Yes. She'll cover the intricacies of parking with me.”

“Finding a place to park can be difficult,” he said with a nod.

“I'll do some reading and then head out. What are you up to?"

“The usual running amok. Go do your reading,” he said, heading back to his office.

Natalia knew her office wasn't open yet, so she settled on the sofa in the living room. She set an alarm on her phone, knowing that once she started reading, she would lose track of time. She didn't want to be late heading out to Lisa's place.

However, it was Bonnie who came in and got her.

“We should probably go. We may need to go through a check point, and that will delay us.” “Okay. Let me hit the bathroom, and I'll get my coat.”

Minutes later, Natalia was backing out of the garage.

They were half way to where Lisa lived when the car warned of a check point.

"Go that way,” Bonnie said.

Natalia continued on the street. She could see the barricades that funneled traffic down to one lane. There were five police cars. Both she and Bonnie brought out their IDs.

The policeman looked at their IDs and waved them through.

“That's how they're supposed to work,” Bonnie said.

They drove past one car that was pulled over. Three police officers were pulling stuff out of the car. “Where's the driver?”

“They put him in the back of a police car. Did they install a SOS button in your car?”

Bonnie checked the radio buttons.

“Ah, here.”

There was a button on the radio that was painted white.

“Press that if you hit a check point and they want to do more than just look at your ID.”

"Why didn’t Uri tell me?”

"He probably doesn’t want to encourage you to drive alone. If you know you have a safety feature, you might get too brave. Don't ever get sassy with a police officer. And never show a knife. However, with that said, if they ask if you're armed, you tell them you have a knife and that it's for self-defense.”

“The things driving school never teaches you,” she said.

She turned onto a street that was nothing but high-rise buildings.

“Cheap housing,” Bonnie said. “For those just starting out, where they can either walk to work or catch a bus.”

The street on both sides was bumper to bumper cars.

“No parking,” Natalia said.

“Nope. Pull up here. There's the building. They're all secured entry. You'll have to buzz her by keying in her flat number and she'll hit the button that unlatches the door. Make sure no one else is around you when you do this so you don't inadvertently let anyone else in.”

“Got it.”

Natalia double parked and slid out of the car. Bonnie ran around and took her place behind the wheel, then quickly drove off since there were cars behind them. Natalia stepped up to the building. She looked at the keypad. The instructions were torn away. She entered Lisa's flat number and hit the enter button.

"Yes?"

“It's Nattie.”

“Come on in.”

There was a buzz and she opened the door. She made sure it shut completely before she headed to the elevator. Lisa's flat was on the nineteenth floor. When she got off the elevator, Lisa was standing outside her door.

“Hi,” she said, looking excited.

"Hey. Wow. You really moved up in the world,” Natalia said.

They laughed and hugged.

“Come on in. It really isn't much, but it's mine.”

The flat was two rooms if a person didn't count the bathroom. The furniture was sparse.

“A bed and a sofa. I eat at the kitchen counter,” Lisa said.

"I forgot to bring it up with me, but there's a bag of clothes from Sherri's house in my trunk. All the girls say hi.”

“Great. I can use some of that stuff.”

“Well, you ready to go to lunch? We can talk on the way.”

"Where did you park?”

“I have a driver, Bonnie. She'll come around and get us.”

They rode the elevator down. It was only a few minutes before Bonnie pulled up.

“This is one of my birthday presents,” Natalia said, opening the car door for Lisa.

She had to move the front seat forward, so Lisa could get into the back.

“And I just got my license today.”

“Wow. So cool. I ride the bus or walk.”

Natalia slid into the backseat with her. It was a tight fit.

“Lisa, this is Bonnie. She drives for me.”

"Hi, Lisa."

“Hi, Bonnie.”

“So, winter has finally hit,” Natalia said.

Lisa nodded.

“I'm hoping that bag you have for me has some of the warmer clothing I left behind. It's cold walking to work. As soon as I have a little extra cash, I'll be sewing my own clothes.”

"Where are you working?”

“Small financial company. I'm just a clerk, but it's a start. And I'm taking college classes.”

“I am too, but I'm taking them online.”

Natalia noted that Lisa kept the conversation generic, but she suspected it was because Bonnie was there.

"Where we going?” Lisa said.

“I thought we'd go to the Spotted Cat.”

“That's a nice place. Quiet tables.”

“Gives us what we need to eat and talk,” Natalia said.

Lisa nodded.

They fell silent until Bonnie pulled up to the restaurant. Natalia could see the place wasn't a Viperian restaurant.

“Thanks, Bonnie.”

“Take your time,” Bonnie said.

Inside, Natalia directed the hostess to seat them in the back.

“I'll have a Poka soda,” Lisa said while the waiter handed them menus.

“Same,” Natalia said.

The waiter left.

"Order what you want. It's my treat,” Natalia said.

“I've got money,” Lisa said.

“I got more,” Natalia said in a firm voice.

Lisa smiled.

“Thanks. I'm starved for something other than noodles.”

They looked over the menus until the drinks came.

“You ready to order? Or do you need more time?” the waiter said.

“I'm ready if you are,” Lisa said.

“Go ahead.”

Lisa ordered soup with a full sandwich and fries. Natalia ordered similar to make Lisa feel comfortable, despite she knew she wouldn't be able to eat it all. It was only after they had ordered that she realized Lisa had ordered a large meal for leftovers.

“You need to tell me what happened when you had left Sherri's,” Natalia said in a quiet voice. “What?”

Natalia realized she was speaking softly as a Viperian and Lisa wasn't fully hearing.

“Sorry. I have a habit now of talking too softly. I wanted to know what happened after you had left Sherri's.”

Lisa took a sip of her soda.

“You know, I was so relieved to be rescued. So happy to see you that day. Sherri and Anna were so nice at first. Buying me clothes. Making sure I was comfortable. Then all of a sudden Anna turned mean. Really mean. And Sherri wasn't so nice any more. Then Anna offered me drugs. She scared the hell out of me. I ran.”

She took another sip.

“I don't even know where I was. I just ran. I was so lost. Everyone looked scary with those tattoos. I swear that was what a Hollow looked like.”

“No one bit you, though?”

“No. I ended up on the stairs at the back of some building. No one was there. Then up walks Tia as if she knew exactly where I was.”

Natalia suspected they were tracking her.

“She said, “Lisa, we can't have you out at night.” And just like that I ended up here.”

“Tia is a good one,” Natalia said. “She's my sister-in-law.”

“She bought me more clothes. I had an interview at the place where I now work. And that's it.” Natalia remained silent while Lisa seemed deep in thought. Before Lisa could continue, the waiter brought their meals.

Lisa slowly spooned through her soup.

“Nattie, there was so much I know we took for granted. When I ended up at the flat, I suddenly had to think about those mundane things like grocery shopping. Fixing my meals. I didn’t even know where to go to shop. Or how to get there.”

Natalia nodded, knowing she probably still took so much for granted.

"After a couple of days cooped up in the flat, Tia signed me up for Life classes.”

“Life classes?”

“Yeah. The University has these classes every month. Apparently, it's not uncommon for students or other people suddenly out on their own not to know what to do. I mean they go over simple things. Establishing a schedule. Going shopping. How to catch a bus. How to get a bus pass because you can't give the bus driver money.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

“They taught me how to survive in the city. I'm getting a paycheck that at first I thought was huge. I thought, oh, I'm not going to have any problems.”

Lisa threw up her hands.

“Nattie it's so expensive to live in the city. My dinky little flat is more than half my salary. That doesn't include the money I need for laundry, food, and utilities. I have an electric bill, now. I have to pay for my phone. I need money for the bus. Lunch money. My head is swimming. My word, what if I had a car? Then there's insurance, payments, and gas.”

Natalia nodded, knowing how easy she had it.

“Do you need some money?”

Lisa shook her head.

"A few weeks after I was set up here, they got me in contact with my father. I thought he would be mad that I wasn't at the Church. Then I find out he is the one who arrange for my rescue. He already knew everything.”

“I heard that as well,” Nattie said.

“Well, he’s now sending me an allowance. He's paying for my college as long as I manage all my other expenses and keep working.”

“That's wonderful.”

"He said we weren't telling my mother. Have you had contact with your parents?”

“I'm going to meet and talk with my father tomorrow. This will be the first time since I was gone. Someone said he was worried about me.”

“I'm glad you're reconnecting. Family is important.”

“I know that. With Uri, I have a bigger family.”

“You're so lucky,” Lisa said.

“Yes and no. It's a complicated life.”

They finished lunch talking about the old days which weren't so old. Both of them had leftovers to be boxed.

“I really would like to do more, but I have so much homework,” Lisa said. “I need to get back.”

“I do, too. I'll take you home. Remind me of those clothes in the trunk.”

Natalia buzzed Bonnie that they were ready. By the time she had paid the bill and they stepped out, Bonnie pulled up.

“This is nice getting picked up,” Lisa said.

“I am definitely spoiled,” Natalia said. “I'm glad you're doing well. Tia wouldn't tell me anything. Maybe she wanted me to find out first hand how you were doing.”

“Thanks for lunch. I needed this. It's hard to make new friends. I got to keep the old ones.”

When they reached Lisa's building, Natalia helped her carry the bag up to her flat.

"Here, have my leftovers, too,” Natalia said, putting her box into Lisa's fridge.

“Thanks a lot, again,” Lisa said.

“Keep in touch. We need to start doing lunches. With me having access to vehicles, we're not that far away for me to come pick you up.”

"Sure. That would be great.”

They hugged, and Natalia rode the elevator down. She slid into the passenger seat up front. “Thanks, Bonnie.”

“No problem,” she said.

“Listening to Lisa makes me realize how good I have it.”

“Lisa is very lucky. She needs friends like you,” Bonnie said.

"Yeah, we can't live in this city alone. You can't make it on your own. We all need help.”

Natalia felt herself shift sideways amid the sounds of crunching metal and cracking glass. Only the thickness of her coat and the seatbelt strap kept her from slamming her head into the window of her door. The car twisted sideways with the screech of rubber, then settled rocking back and forth twice.

“What the hell?” Bonnie's voice said.