Interview with a Hybrid

Renald Davis told me his life story while measured his weight, height, and temperature, also his blood pressure. Even when I was taking swab samples of his mouth and nose. I was so engrossed in his storytelling that I stopped in my track a couple of times.

“I am a hybrid. My mom is a vampire and my dad is a werewolf,” he started, “Hybrids are kind of… an abomination to both beings. They have been at war since the very beginning.”

I stopped writing. Instead, I gave him my full attention.

“I was hidden for the first half a century. Lived in a small cottage in Norwegia to avoid both clans. We were happy. Just the three of us. My mother was even pregnant with my sister.”

When the curiosity hit me, I found it hard to resist questioning him about the basics of vampires and werewolves. He explained to me patiently that full-born vampires stop aging at the age of eighteen or nineteen. While vampires that were once humans stop aging at whatever age they were bitten. While their aging stop, it doesn’t mean that they can live forever. They just have a much longer life span. And if they hibernate, they can prolong their life for millennia.

Werewolves also have a longer life span than humans. But not as long as the vampires and they do age.

Because Renald was a hybrid, he stopped aging at a much later age than any vampires usually do. He stopped aging at the age of twenty-four.

I wrote everything down in my journal. Once I was done, I nodded at Renald to continue his story.

“But both clans found us.” I saw his face looked sullen. The pain was painted on the creases of his face that I had not the heart to urge him to continue.

“It must be hard for you,” I said, “We don’t have to continue if you don’t want to.”

He shook his head lightly. “No, I’m fine. It’s been so long ago.”

Renald took a deep breath. “They found us and the next thing I knew… I was running through the woods drenched in blood. They had killed both of my parents and were on a chase for me. Both vampires and werewolves. They chased me into the woods.”

I stayed silent. My hands refused to move to note this all down.

“They caught me. So, I tried to put up a fight. I was an Alpha and I was bigger than the rest of the werewolves. But they were one pack while I was alone. Plus, the vampires were helping them.”

“Do you think your half-vampire blood is the reason why your wolf is bigger than the rest?” I asked.

Renald tilted his head to the side. “Maybe.”

Then he continued, “They cornered me. And though I could fight them off for a little while, I was outnumbered.”

He took a deep breath, “And so, they managed to hold me down. A dozen of them held me to the ground while the others tore my skin open with their claws and teeth. Werewolves can die just like humans do despite having tougher skin and faster healing mechanisms.”

I could not help to write down the ‘fast healing mechanism.’ That would be my main focus in the study.

“Vampires, on the other hand… Only one way to kill them. Their limbs need to be severed off along with the head. And then the heart is taken out from the chest.”

I fought the urge to gape as I wrote down the facts. It sounded horrifying.

“So… they were clawing and biting you to severe your limbs off?” I asked carefully.

Renald suddenly grabbed his shirt again and took it off in one smooth movement before I could prevent him again. I thought he was being cheeky but it turned out that he was planning to show me the marks on his body. I didn’t even realize the scars when I saw him naked before.

There were huge jagged scars on his shoulder and arms. The lines appeared again on one side of his neck. And there were fading claw marks on his chest where the heart would be.

“Pretty much,” he said.

I didn’t think much when I stepped nearing his body and touching the scar on his chest. I felt it with my fingertips. They felt smooth as the skin had healed but the color entirely contrasted from his tanned body.

“I’m sorry…,” I said.

Suddenly, he grabbed my hand and pressed it against his chest. I gasped at the sudden movement. When I tried to pull away, he would not let me. Our eyes locked and I could see his eyes glazed a little. Underneath my fingers, I could feel his heart thrumming. I took mental notes on how his heartbeat sounded like.

*Regular. Rhythmical. The pace is quite fast, but perhaps it is ordinary for a hybrid.*

But then my mind was more preoccupied with how blazing his skin was. It felt like he was burning my skin just from his touch. It could be a sign of higher metabolism than humans. I made a mental note again. Even his breathing that billowed to my face felt hot.

“Th– then how did Xander find you?” I asked, trying to keep my mind away from being in a daze because we were so near.

“He stopped the vampires and werewolves right at the moment. I think my mother made a bargain with him. That is why he helped me out,” Renald said, “He covered the whole forest with darkness and made my attackers paralyzed. I was lying in the cold snow with blood gushing out from everywhere. And there I saw him telling everyone that I am part of his family now. And also part of the four princes that were prophesied.”

“He sent my attackers home right then and took me to this mansion where he treated me.”

I guessed Alexander did have a heart after all. He helped a poor boy in a dire situation and raised the boy as his own.

“I see…” I was about to pull away again because I needed to note all the new information. But Renald kept holding my hand to his chest.

“Ari…,” he called me, almost purring under his breath. I saw that his eyes had changed into something else. As if he was a predator that had just caught his prey. I blinked when I saw him licked his lips. “I can’t hold back any longer. You said you would reward me if I did good, right? Haven’t I been good?”

“Uh… yes…,” I felt I was in danger… but in a bad way.

“Let me drink your blood,” he continued. Then he sniffed the air a couple of times. “You smell so good. And I just want to bask you with my smell too.”

*Huh?*

I was dumbfounded. What did that even mean anyway? Basking me with his smell? Is it like those animals who claim their territorials with smell? If I recall correctly, wolves claim territories with…

“Are you saying you are going to pee on me?” I asked in a horrified face. “And then drink my blood?”

“What?” Renald furrowed his brows. Then he pulled me closer by the waist. My body was stuck between his legs dangling from the table. In order to avoid crashing to his face, I grabbed his shoulders for support.

“You know… wolves claim places as their territories by peeing on them.”

“Oh,” Leonard flashed a look of understanding. “No. I’m not going to pee on you,” he said.

Then the boy dared to grin, “Unless you want me to.”

“No!”

“Just let me drink your blood then,” he pleaded again. “I won’t go overboard. I just want to taste you.”

I recalled the day he bit me once on the neck. It hurt like hell. I could still even feel the pain throbbing the next day. And yet…

“I– if I let you do that, will you describe to me how does it feel like?” I asked.

“You want me to describe what drinking blood feels like?” he asked, looking perplexed. I guessed that all the Lady women he had met never asked him such a thing.

“Yes. I’d like to know how you feel about it for study purposes. Just describe them as detailed as possible. Like is there a tingling on your fangs, and how does the blood taste like. Also, I’d like to draw your blood again after you drink my blood for comparison.”

I took out a recorder from one of the drawers and pressed the record button.

It did not take long for Renald to brighten up and accepted my request. “Deal!”

“Shall we start?” he asked. His fingers were already taking one of the straps of my tank top down one shoulder, exposing my neck completely bare. He leaned in and sniffed my skin.

“You smell like vanilla and fresh air.” He sniffed again. “And you smell like Michael. Subtly like Father too.”

I could not help to blush at his words.

He opened his mouth and licked my neck. I was not prepared for the cold sensation of his tongue, so I gasped.

“Your skin feels so smooth. It tastes like milk.”

*Like milk? What?*

He gave a small kiss on my neck. I was about to protest when suddenly, I felt the fangs protruding out and grazing my skin. The cool and sharp sensation sent chills through my spine. He tightened his grip on my waist so I could not escape.

Right then, I just realized that I had dug my own grave when I asked him to describe things as much detail as possible.

“I smell arousal, Ari,” he said, “Your aroused scent is making me crazy.”