Jacob woke up slowly, a satisfied smile spreading across his face as he took in the chaos of Allison's room. Clothes were torn and scattered across the floor, the sheets were tangled, and one pillow had somehow ended up near the door. Memories of the night before—wild, passionate, and thoroughly satisfying—flashed through his mind.
He turned to look at Allison, still asleep beside him, her hair spread across the pillow. He spanked her gently.
"Wake up. Let's go have breakfast with the others."
Allison murmured sleepily, burying her face in the pillow. "It's Saturday. I want to sleep more." She reached out and pulled him closer, hugging him. "Stay with me."
Jacob leaned in and kissed her. "You can sleep if you want, but I'm starving. And I need to take Lydia on a date. She was glaring at me when we got back from the movies last night."
Allison sighed dramatically. "Fine."
Jacob got out of bed, pulled the covers up to cover her, and gave her one last kiss. Then he headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.
As the hot water cascaded over him, he sighed in satisfaction. 'Allison and I used the cleaning spell before we fell asleep, but there's something about a real shower that just feels right.'
After drying off, he teleported to his own room, dressed quickly, and made his way to the large dining room but it was empty.
He checked the kitchen and found Cogman there, neatly arranging ingredients.
"Good morning, sir," Cogman greeted.
"Morning. Where is everyone?"
"Lady Melissa went with Lady Malia and Kitty to teach them how to drive," Cogman reported. "And Lady Lydia is outside in the garden."
Jacob grabbed a quick breakfast, then headed out.
---
He found Lydia sitting on a stone bench near the fountain, her phone in her hand. Soft music drifted from her earbuds. She was so focused on her screen that she didn't notice him approach.
Jacob smiled. "Good morning, beautiful."
He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her face away at the last second.
His smirk widened. He caught her chin gently but firmly and turned her face back toward him, pressing a kiss to her lips despite her resistance. Then he scooped her up, sat down on the bench, and settled her onto his lap.
"Tell me why you're angry," he said.
Lydia snorted and looked away. "You know what you did."
"Are you angry because I took Allison to watch a movie yesterday?"
"No."
Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Then tell me. I can't read your mind, you know."
Lydia huffed. "You spent the whole day and night with her yesterday. That's not fair."
Jacob's smirk softened into a genuine smile. "That's it? Then how about I spend the whole day with you today?"
Lydia's face lit up. She smiled sweetly. "And we should go watch The Vow."
Jacob blinked. "What's that about?"
"It's a romance drama," Lydia explained, her eyes sparkling. "Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum play a married couple. She gets into a terrible accident and ends up in a coma. When she wakes up, she doesn't remember him at all. So he has to win her heart all over again. It's based on a true story."
Jacob considered this for a moment. "Alright. That actually sounds interesting. I'm in."
Lydia squealed, threw her arms around him, and kissed him. "Wait for me! I need to change!" She teleported off his lap and disappeared toward her room.
---
Soon, Jacob and Lydia left Serendell and appeared in the mansion's garage in Beacon Hills.
Lydia's eyes landed on the sleek red Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster. "Let's take the new car."
Jacob grinned. "Alright."
They climbed in, and Jacob drove them away.
They spent the next few hours at an amusement park—roller coasters, games, cotton candy, and Lydia's delighted screams on the drop tower. They had lunch at a fancy little café near the park, laughing and talking like any normal couple.
As evening approached, they left the park. Lydia insisted on driving this time.
They chatted easily as she navigated the roads, but after a few minutes, Jacob noticed something. They weren't heading toward the movie theater.
"Lydia?" He looked at her. "Where are you going?"
Lydia glanced at him, then at the road, then back at him with confusion. "To the movie theater?"
Jacob pointed out the window. "You're driving out of town."
Lydia's eyes widened. She looked around, finally registering the familiar woods on either side. "Oh. I don't know why I drove here." She started to slow down. "Let's turn around."
Jacob shook his head. "No. Follow your instincts. Let's see what we find."
Lydia pouted. "Do we have to? I'm sure it's nothing good. We're going to be late for the movie."
"It's still early for the movie," Jacob said calmly.
Lydia sighed but nodded. "Fine."
She pulled the car to the side of the road, and they got out. She pointed toward the dense woods. "This way. I feel something… a dead body."
They walked deeper into the forest, the shadows lengthening around them. Soon, the sounds reached them—the wet crack of bone, the sickening crunch of something being chewed.
Lydia's eyes widened. She raised a hand, and a silent barrier enveloped them.
They crept closer.
At the edge of a clearing, they saw it.
The thing was enormous—easily ten feet tall, with dark fur covering a vaguely humanoid body. Glowing red eyes burned in a twisted face, and massive bat-like wings folded behind its back. Its teeth gleamed dark silver, as if forged from metal. It was hunched over a body, tearing into it with savage hunger.
Lydia frowned. "What is that ugly thing?"
Jacob pulled out his phone and opened the bestiary app, pointing the camera at the creature.
The app displayed several similar entries. Jacob scanned quickly and found the match.
[Name: Sasabonsam (Ghana, Akan people mythology)
Type: Shapeshifter / Supernatural Predator
Description: A vampiric shapeshifter with cannibalistic tendencies. In human form, appears as an ordinary person, always over two meters tall. When hunger takes hold, they transform into a monstrous bat-like creature with iron teeth and leathery wings.
Behavior: The Sasabonsam is a cunning hunter, driven by an insatiable craving for human blood and flesh. They often lure victims into deep forests before striking from above. The more they feed, the more powerful and feral they become.
Weaknesses: While formidable in their monster form with supernatural healing, they are not immortal. A fatal blow to the heart or decapitation will kill them.]
Jacob handed the phone to Lydia. She read it and grimaced. "Gross. Another cannibal creature."
Jacob took his phone back. "Do you want to fight it, or should I?"
Lydia's eyes gleamed. "Let me handle it."
The Sasabonsam had been watching them warily. It didn't sense any threat—they felt like ordinary humans. It was puzzled by their calmness but not scared. Hungry, yes. Greedy, definitely.
It took one last bite from the body, then tossed it aside and lunged.
Lydia opened her mouth and released a powerful sonic scream.
The sound wave hit the Sasabonsam hard, sending it flying backward faster than it had come. It slammed into a large tree with a sickening crack and slid down, its head ringing, ears bleeding.
Lydia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sorry. I don't have time to play with you."
She raised a hand. Crackling blue lightning gathered above her palm, swirling and condensing into the form of a massive eagle. With a thought, she sent it straight at the Sasabonsam.
The creature had already recovered and was launching itself at her again. It saw the lightning eagle and panicked. It beat its wings desperately, trying to flee into the sky.
The eagle was faster.
It struck the Sasabonsam mid-flight, electrocuting it and sending it crashing to the ground. The creature screamed in agony as lightning burned its skin and convulsed its muscles.
When the attack ended, Jacob and Lydia walked closer. The Sasabonsam lay motionless, smoke rising from its mouth. Its form shifted, shrinking, reforming—until a man lay before them.
He was black, in his forties, and easily over two meters tall. Burned, beaten, unconscious.
Jacob knelt and pressed his claws into the base of the man's neck. He closed his eyes, rifling through memories.
After a moment, he withdrew and stood.
Lydia tilted her head. "What did you see?"
"Lucky for us, he's alone," Jacob said. "He was just passing through town and decided to stop for a snack. That guy he was eating was his only victim here." He paused. "As for his other memories… I didn't want to see them."
His eyes glowed red. Two thin beams shot from them, piercing the Sasabonsam's heart. The body jerked once, then went still. Jacob waved a hand, and flames consumed it, leaving nothing but ash.
Lydia sighed. "Can we go now?"
"Not yet." Jacob looked toward the half-eaten corpse. "We need to call Noah. That man might have a family. It'll be painful for them to know that he died and was eaten by something, but at least they'll have closure."
Lydia nodded. "Fine. Call him."
Jacob kissed her. "Don't worry. We don't have to wait for him to drive here. I'll teleport him."
He vanished.
---
Noah was at his desk in the sheriff's station when Jacob appeared right in front of him.
Noah jolted, hand flying to his gun. "Jacob! You scared me."
Jacob held up a hand. "Sorry about that."
"What's up?"
"I need you to come with me. There's a body."
Noah's expression shifted instantly to professional focus. "Where?"
Jacob explained quickly. A minute later, they were in Noah's cruiser, driving to an empty street. Jacob placed a hand on the car and teleported the entire vehicle to the edge of the woods, near his own parked Mercedes.
Then he teleported Noah to Lydia.
"It's not dark yet," Jacob said, "so the woods are relatively safe. And you can teleport to Serendell if anything goes wrong. The body's over there."
Noah nodded grimly and walked toward the body. He took a look, then pulled out his phone to call his deputies.
Jacob walked over to Lydia, then called out to Noah, "Alright, you handle things here. We're leaving."
Noah gave a brief nod in acknowledgment. Jacob hugged Lydia and teleported them both back to the Mercedes, parked just outside the woods.
As they walked toward the car, Lydia said, "You drive. I don't want to accidentally lead us to another dead body."
Jacob laughed and put an arm around her shoulder. "Sure. And since you handled that thing so well, I'll reward you all night when we get home."
Lydia's lips curved into a smile as she winked at him. "I'm looking forward to it."
They got into the Mercedes and drove toward the movie theater.
To be continued… 😊