Free Dark DNA: A Paranormal Romance (Vampire and Werewolf) by Cera D.[paranormal] Colby

Chapter 1
    “There’s absolutely no way that can be true. Have you lost your mind?  Seriously?! Don’t even waste your time with it, Gabby.”
    Gabby Roberts scanned the cafeteria slowly hoping no one else was listening to their conversation. Could Beth have been any louder? There weren’t that many other students around, but still, a few heads turned at Beth’s outburst.
    “Shhhhhhh…,” Gabby hissed at Beth while giving her the stink eye simultaneously.
    A couple of sophomore lab techs a few tables over acknowledged her outburst and paused from their own lunches and conversation just long enough to obviously eavesdrop. They appeared as if they could pass for brothers. Both had short auburn hair, they were tanned, and wore resembling button-ups; one green, the other blue, with matching beige cargo shorts and well worn boat shoes.
    Gabby rolled her eyes at her friend, shook it off and turned back to Beth motioning for her to move in closer. She slid her untouched burger and fries out from in front of her and leaned in closer to her colleague.
    “Just hear me out.” Gabby said in a hushed tone. “Have you ever thought about parvo viruses in mammalian species?” She made the statement not waiting for an answer. “The way it affects the host and how it leads to death, but it can also be remedied with vaccines.”
    “Yeah, but that’s just… ,” Beth started.
    “Until they discovered B19!” Gabby interrupted her friend.
    Beth slapped her cheek in mock horror… “So what you’re saying is… ”
    “What I’m saying is, Ms. Smart Ass, I mean, Ms. Beth Bridges, is that somehow or someway, that something is searching for a compatible host. I’m not just making this all up. If the virus is in the fecal matter then how’d it get there in the first place?”
    Beth was shaking her head. She wasn’t laughing nor did she find what Gabby saying to be any type of amusement whatsoever. She sarcastically responded, “I don’t know. Someone stepped in it?”
    “Not that… I mean the origin, before it was first documented in the 70’s. Let’s say that someone was in search of a mate. Do you think it would be possible for one to catch the virus through intercourse, through saliva, or a bite maybe?”
    The two girls were really into their discussion. They didn’t notice that the rest of the lunchroom was practically empty. The only other people in the room now, the two cargo boys, obviously sophomores, got up from their table, textbooks in hand and begin to walk off too.
    “Gabby, what are you getting at?” Beth asked her exasperated friend.
    “Whatever’s hiding somewhere in the dark of a mountainside is not from here but, it’s here whether we choose to believe it or not. Just recently someone was mauled to death and the only thing left to identify was a heap of flesh, lots of blood, a bloody shoe and no tracks to follow. Not long after that a bear was drove out of its den and into the community.”
    “Okay… so, who do you propose did it… ,” Beth asked again, still not following her friends train of thought, “who run the bear out of its den?”
    “What do I think did it?” Gabby sat upright in the plastic seat. “A Lycoi Anthropos…” she said with conviction.
    Laughter instantly arose from behind the two girls. It was the two sophomores they had noticed before, still eavesdropping on the two young ladies conversation. The auburn haired guy in the green shirt barked rather loudly after his hysterics, drawing the attention of a teacher about ten feet away who was at the soda machine by the exit door trying to shove his wadded dollar bill into the slot.
    The guy with the blue shirt brushed his hair back  from his face with an open palm, trying to be as cool as could be. He said, “I see you girls are into mythology. Good luck with finding one of those in the real world,” he joked, before him and his buddy bumped fists and began walking off.
    Obviously, Mr. Blue thought he was a stud. And