Romeo and Juliet: A Vampire and Werewolf Love Story (8 page)

I don
’
t think I had a cousin who thought they could truly take me. I was just gifted with natural strength and fighting ability. I c
ould
n
’
t really explain it and it is so not who I am at the c
o
re. But every now and then
,
I need
ed
to remind all of my cousins and friends, especially Abram
,
who
was one of
the tough
est, that I still and will always be
me.
I let Abram go. Then we both turned back to human
form
.

“Al
l
right, al
l
right, Romeo
. You’re still the familiar alpha,” Abram laughed. “
Just don
’
t mess up my costume.
”

I looked up at the sky and the moon was out in full bloom. W
erewolves loved the full moon. Most we
rewolves can only turn when that happ
ens. But for the Montague men, i
t
’
s a rite of passage to be able to control it. It
’
s not a Zen thing, but it
’
s damn close. Controlling when you turn
from man to wolf is a state of mind. The stro
nger you are upstairs in the brain
department,
t
he easier it is to control it.

You always kn
e
w when someone
wa
sn
’
t that experience
d
.
When the full moon happen
ed
, t
hey randomly turned without noticing
. It
was
comical
,
actually.
I remember when Benvolio had a hard time controlling it. Mercutio and I rode his butt every
day until he figured it out.

“So
,
what is the deal
with your cousin’s party?” Balthazar
said.

Balthazar
was the newest t K th>
had
just turned a week back. So
,
I
was no longer the newest wolf. Balthazar
was wearing a firefighter’s outfit. He looked as if he must be boiling hot in that thing.
I know he
’
d be taking the sweat
y
contraption off by the end of the night.

Mercutio began to speak. “It’s Prince Escalus and Count Paris. They think by inviting our two motley c
rews together for a party
,
s
omehow we would
all be
friends
by the end of the night.”

“That’s about as wishful as thinking gets,” Abram said.

“Also, no weapons,” Mercutio continued. “They are having
some serious security there. If you
’
r
e
caught with a weapon
, you’re booted out. O
r
,
the second a wolf turns
,
he will be kicked out.
”

“Even if we turn?” I asked. “That’s pretty bigoted just toward us. Vampires and warlocks just are. They don’t have to turn to be who they truly are.”

“Those are the Prince’s rules,” Mercutio stated. “If you have a problem, take it up with him. He has a complaint box at the far end of nowhere.”

“What else?” I asked.

“Don’t bring your rapiers,” Mercutio answered.

“
Romeo is right,” Benvolio said to Mercutio. “Those scumbags, the C
apulet
s,
don
’
t have to turn. They live as vampires
24/7.”

Mercutio laughed.
“
What do you expect me to do?
Do you guys really think I have bought into my famil
y’
s madness that werewolves and vampires can coexist?” Mercutio laughed. M
ercutio climbed one of the trees nearb
y and hung from it by his arms on one of the lower branches, “Oh, on the con
trary, I plan on using this pow-
wow as a way to confront Tybalt.”

“Confront him?” I asked.< K”wow /font>

“We confront them every time we are in public
,” I said. “W
hy do you need a party to do that?”

“Think about it
, Romeo. Our two side
s have been going at it for years, but h
ow much blood has been spilled?
None.
”

“What are you talking about
?
” I said.
“Every time there is a
scuffle
,
there is blood on both sides.”

“Oh, dear Romeo, whe
refore art thou, my dear friend,” Mercutio said. “
That is exactly my point. We only spill i
t to really give them a message. I
t is time to make a real statement!
”

“Which is what?” I asked
, k
nowing exactly what he was implying.

“Must I draw you a picture?”
Mercutio said to my cousins and
me
.
“
Boys, this is your fight. I have merely enrolled in your cause. It is time that we make a stand.” Mercutio
,
who was still hanging from the tree
,
let one of his hands go
. He
was now hanging from it like a monkey. It was actually a pretty hilarious sight
to be seen, watch
ing a grown man wearing a diaper and bib
,
flailing around like some wild animal.

Then Mercutio
took his free hand and shaped his fingers and a silver stake was now in his hand. Boy did he love his sorcery. He then took his silver stake and pretended to stab himself in the heart. As he did so
,
he did a back flip from the tree an
d landed on his feet. “It’s time
for all of us to take a stand to show
,
once and for all
,
that our immortality will forever and always be superior to those who
can
connect and bear the rays of the sun.
”

This was exactly what I wanted to avoid.

“What good will that do?” I asked. “
All that will cause is and all
-
o Kt s0"> hut war between both sides.
”

“
Are y
ou being foolish, Romeo,” Mercutio answered. “
We already have that. The only way it can stop is for one side to
dominate
the other one. As long as these bloodsuckers think they can even hold our jocks, we will continue to live in fear.
” Mercutio was giving a sermon for the ages and he was definitely stirring up some of my cousins.

“Calm down, Mercutio,” I said. “You’re getting everyone excited.”

“He has a point, Romeo
,”
Ben said. “It
’
s time for the cream to rise to the top, and there is no
better cream than a wolf’s filth
.”

“Very charming, Ben,” I said.

“Are
you getting soft, Romeo!” Abram
asked.

“You tell me
.
How did it feel having a face ful
l of mud?
” I said to Abram.
“I
’
m not being soft. I
’
m being realistic. You all think this is what we need to do so there
will be
peace. You want to kill to show our dominance, and somehow that will make peace? Are
you kidding me?
”

“Easy there
,
cou
sin,” Benvolio said. “Let’s just drink up and make our
way to the Bronx and have ourselves a bash
, compliments of the Ruling House of Verona
.
”

Then Benvolio looked to Abram and said,
“
We might have a bash
in
more ways than o
ne
.
That just remains to be seen.
Let
’
s just get to Yankee Stadium.”

“It is the house that Ruth built,” Mercutio laughed.

“Yeah, whatever that means,
” I said
. “You
all
are crazy.
”

“Oh, Romeo, what do you suggest we do
>?
Go there
and be friends with those guys?
”
Abram asked.

“There’s a time for change,” I said looking at my cousins and friends.
“
Maybe tonight
,
this is our time.”

“For change?” Benvolio asked.
“
Romeo has gotten soft. This is the same guy who beat a Capulet to a pulp a few months back.”

“That is true,” I said.
“But...
maybe I see the error of my ways.”

Merc
utio had had enough. “
I
’
m not sure what has gotten into you
, my dear friend.
I
’
m hoping a fifth of tequila ex
o
rcises that demon out
of you. I need my bad-ass wing
man back. This new Romeo is all about butterflies and roses.
”
Then
Mercutio took a swig of tequila.