dirty sand in a massively ungraceful moment. He reached out and grabbed my arm, and I used it to help regain my balance.
“Really?” I asked softly.
“Yeah, they tried a lot of stuff on me,” he answered, frowning. “I should have mentioned that earlier. None of it works. They would say something like ‘performing cyanide injection,’ and I would hate everything for about a day, then it would pass, and I would be okay.”
I stared at him with wide eyes, wondering how the hell that was possible. It also made me insanely curious if that was why he was compatible with me. He was naturally immune to everything, which made him a possibility, but maybe that wasn’t right. Maybe I just knew he was immune, and my body was confused.
I have to tell Adhar about him, eventually. Whether he likes it or not, I don’t know, but I’m going to have to tell him. Once we’re done with everything, I’ll call him back. Maybe.
I don’t know. Maybe it’s best I don’t tell any of the other nagas about this.
Fuck me sideways, why is this so complicated?
“Okay. Well, since you’re immune, never mind the rattlesnake literally a foot away from us. Or really any of the deadly creatures out here. I mean, sure, they’ll hurt you, but you don’t die, so whatever.” I tried to shrug it off, but I knew I had shown my surprise for a little too long.
“Are there no other supernatural species like me? Who can heal the way I do?” He almost seemed freaked out. He was an oddity in a world of weird, so I really couldn’t blame him.
“I’m immune to snakes. All of them, but scorpions can give me a real nasty hit if I’m not careful. I’m not immune to poisons, but I have some tolerance for them. I might not die. To give you an idea of the weirdness surrounding you, there are no supernatural species that consistently survives cyanide. You’ve survived fatal doses, and that’s weird. It’s one poison I know would kill me and everyone else I’ve ever met. Even humans can have a limb put back on if they get to it fast enough. I would assume most supernaturals could have it done, but the way you described yours? That’s something I’ve only seen…”
Vampires do.
He’s not a vampire, though.
“Seen?” He tried to pry.
“Vampires, since their bodies aren’t alive, need blood, and can heal through nearly anything except decapitation or burning in the sun.” I started walking again, trying to get us where I needed us to be. “Or being set on fire, but they can put themselves out or run to the shade before they die of those last two. Decapitation is the fastest, most effective way to kill them. If you rip an arm off, they can take it back, run home, hold it on and drink some blood. I don’t know the specifics, but I do know they can put limbs back on.”
“But I don’t drink blood…”
“And you can walk in the sunlight,” I said, nodding as I gestured up at the low evening sun. “So, there’s the problem. You have similarities but not enough to be the same species. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of supernaturals with abilities that cross over. Lots of us can turn into different animals, for example. I, obviously, can shift into a snake.”
“See…that I wouldn’t mind,” he said with a bitter laugh. “Instead, I just turn into the fucking monster from under some kid’s bed.”
“Yeah, and we’re going to test how much you can do, monster boy,” I said, trying for some semblance of lightness and humor to drag myself off the conflicting and intrusive thoughts bouncing around my brain. I stopped walking as we passed a small ridge, and I saw what I needed. There were tons of rocky outcroppings in the North American desert, of all sizes, which suited my purpose.
“What else should I know about supernatural…people out there.”
I noticed how he stumbled over ‘people’ and let it slide. He was adjusting fast, but there may be hang ups like that for a few years as he tried to come to terms with everything. Every human had a hard time when it was dropped on their head.
“There’s too much to just sit down and talk about,” I answered, crossing my arms and taking in the view. “Dozens of species, all with human intelligence or higher. Real monsters, beasts from legend and lore, though those are quickly disappearing or being hidden. Politics