HUNTERS OF DARKNESS

Wendy did not know how long Ryan and the other predapires were gone or even if all of them were going to return. For the first time since this ordeal had begun she found herself exhausted, and lying down beside the slight vampire girl on the tiny bed she fell into a deep sleep, far deeper than any she could remember. Before drifting off she had a little inside chuckle at Vanessa and how she slept. Vampires of the movies always slept on their backs with their arms crossed over their chests, but this vampire curled up on her side with her legs drawn up and an arm under her pillow while her other arm hugged the teddy bear close to her. Wendy spooned her from behind, also with an arm under her pillow and the other lying over the vampire. The two slept peacefully under the blankets, though Vanessa contributed no body heat.

With the room blacked out but for the nightlight in the corner by the door, Wendy found herself awakening unexpectedly, blinking back to life as she had done thousands of times over the course of her life. Finding herself unusually alert, she looked to the vampire girl she was pressed close to and slowly reached up to stroke her hair. Then she realized something, and in a half awakened panic she sat up and screamed “Vanessa!”

Startled, the vampire also sat up, a breath shrieking into her as her suddenly wide eyes glanced around and finally found Wendy.

Wendy grasped her with both hands and barked, “Are you all right?”

“I was asleep,” the vampire girl whimpered.

The door burst open and Ryan turned on the light as he strode in. From the look of him he had been napping as well and demanded, “What the hell?”

Looking to him, Wendy shouted, “She wasn’t breathing!”

Slowly, Vanessa turned her eyes to her, her lips hanging open and her brow high over her eyes.

Rubbing his head, Ryan informed, “Wendy, she’s a vampire.”

Arching her brow, Vanessa added, “I haven’t needed to breathe for three hundred years.”

Wendy drew a calming breath and rubbed her eyes, and finally nodded. “Okay, yeah. I guess that makes sense.”

“I wasn’t breathing when we went to sleep,” she continued.

“Let’s not rub it in, Nessa,” Wendy grumbled.

Vanessa looked fearfully to Ryan who had his eyes locked on the red haired predapire.

He vented a breath through his mouth and shook his head. “Okay, Red, since you’re awake now we may as well get to work.”

She nodded. “Yeah. Sorry, Nessa. You just kind of freaked me out a little. Go back to sleep.”

When they got into the living room, the sun was up and it looked like mid morning outside. There was a little traffic that could be heard on the street out front and somewhere a garbage truck was at work. Ryan lounged in one of the recliners and still stared at her, shaking his head. He was barefoot and still in those tight jeans he wore, and Wendy found him many times more appealing.

Settling herself seductively on the sofa, she drew her legs to her and asked, “So what do we do now?”

“Waiting on a call from Merrill,” he replied. “The head honcho’s coming into town to meet with your vampire queen and we need to be ready when he gets here.”

“How many are coming with him?”

“Just him.”

Wendy turned her eyes away. “So how many of us are left?”

“Including you,” he replied, “we have four in this area, and we know there are hundreds of vampires to deal with.”

Her eyes slid back to him. “There used to be more of us, didn’t there?”

Slowly, he nodded. “Yep. Our numbers were much greater in centuries past. There were only about ten vampires for every one of us and we kept their numbers in check pretty easily.” He turned his eyes down, clearly remembering something that disturbed him.

“What happened,” she asked softly.

He took a moment to answer, but, staring down at the floor beside his chair, he finally did. “Vampires and predapires coexisted well for several hundred years. We were better organized than them, like a wolf pack that hunted deer. They were always solitary and didn’t have much use for each other, but at some point they started banding together and getting better organized. Wasn’t so good after that.”

Wendy nodded. “So how did you get turned?”

He glanced at her. “I had always assumed that the stories about vampires were just stories, something to tell around a fire to scare your companions in the night. Then they came to my village one night. They said they were important people and they looked like aristocrats. The village was just going to put them up for a day or two until the weather cleared. Snow and freezing rain just aren’t good to travel in.” He paused, just staring at his hands, folded in his lap. “They waited for most of us to be settled for the night, to be asleep, then they slipped from house to house, very quietly. Somebody in the village awakened and screamed and a few of us were alerted, but by that time…” His eyes drifted to the window. “I did my best to defend my family, but even the smaller ones were just too damn strong. Two of them drained me of most of my blood and left me for dead. My wife, my two children…” He shook his head.

Wendy winced.

“Another one came back a couple of hours later,” he went on. “She offered me… Well, you know how that part goes. I got turned, slept in my house with this vampire and my dead wife and little ones, and the next night it was time to finish off the village. The survivors were held in the village meeting hall for later, mostly women and children. I was supposed to… I just couldn’t.”

“I’m with you, Handsome,” she said softly.

“Yeah,” he breathed. Drawing a deep breath, he continued, “I could feel the hunger and knew what I had to do, but I wanted revenge. Thirty of them and one of me, and for some reason I thought I could take them.” He loosed another deep breath. “They left me staked out in the town square to await the sun. Apparently I was too much trouble to keep around.” He half smiled. “Good old Romanian winter. It was overcast all day with heavy clouds and stayed pretty dark, but I laid there and watched the clouds break up to the north and I knew it was coming.” His eyes shifted to her. “Then I saw that rider coming.”

“A predapire,” she guessed.

He nodded. “He got down off of his horse and asked me what I asked you, if I had fed off of the living. He seemed pretty happy when I hadn’t and he offered me my chance for revenge. He let me drink from his arm, I was racked by pain from Hell and the next thing I knew the sun came out, and it didn’t burn me. He helped me bury my wife and children, then told me to sleep until dark, and boy did I sleep.”

She smiled. “Yeah, that first sleep is the best, isn’t it?”

“It sure is,” he confirmed. “When dark came I just woke up. That traveler had a fire built and told me to get my armor on, that it was time for some payback.” His eyes narrowed. “Those night walkers didn’t know what hit them. We slaughtered every God damned one of them. Ended up eating pretty good the next day.”

“Yuck,” she snarled.

Ryan smiled. “All I wanted was their hearts, and he let me have every one I could get.”

“Because they broke yours,” she confirmed.

He nodded again.

A knock at the door drew their attention and Ryan rose from his chair.

“Tell me you ordered pizza,” she demanded as she sprang up to follow him to the door.

“Nope,” he denied. “I think it’s one of the guys.” Opening the door, he froze where he stood.

Standing on the other side was a rather sizeable fellow, about Ryan’s height but thicker built. He had a well groomed black beard that was streaked with silver. He was an attractive fellow with strong features and bushy brows over eyes that were so dark blue they seemed black. Long black hair dropped to his shoulders and was as perfectly groomed as his beard. He was wearing an expensive looking suit that was a very dark blue, a tie of teal and a white shirt. Black boots were planted firmly against the ground as he stood there staring back at Ryan without expression.

The tension Wendy felt grew with each passing second as the two stared each other down, and she gently grasped Ryan’s shoulder from behind.

The visitor’s gaze never strayed from Ryan, and slowly a smile curled his mouth as he greeted in a thick Romanian accent, “It is good to see you again, my boy.”

Ryan extended his arms and the two big men joined in a bear-like embrace, patting each other’s backs. Now they appeared to be friends who had not seen each other for a long, long time.

“How are you, bro?” Ryan asked softly.

“Doing well,” the older fellow replied. Pulling back slightly, his smile broadened as he saw Wendy and he raised his chin slightly. “This must be our new addition. I must say you chose well.”

Ryan turned to her, sliding a hand onto her shoulder as he introduced, “This is Wendy Shaw, a colleague of mine for about three years, and now our newest predapire. Wendy, meet Vlad, the old man of the group.”

Vlad reached to her and took her hand, slowly raising it to his mouth as his eyes were locked on the woman before him. “Vladimir Smith. It is truly a pleasure to meet you, enchantress. Ryan has spoken of your beauty but I see his words were not worthy of the stunning woman you are.”

Wendy knew she was blushing and covered her mouth as he gently kissed her fingers as she could not force the smile from her lips. His Romanian accent, reminiscent of the Dracula from the movies, was something that really moved her.

They retired to the living room and Ryan offered Vlad his chair and took the sofa beside Wendy, and she made it a point to sit very close to him.

“Would you like something to drink?” Wendy offered.

He glanced at Ryan and raised his brow. “Does Ryan keep anything here these days? Or perhaps you’ve been able to help him out?” He glanced about. “Looks like he could use a woman’s touch around here.”

Raising her brow, she nodded.

He folded his hands in his lap, his eyes locked on her. “So tell me about this vampire you have.”

Wendy raised her chin and was aware that her eyes widened.

“Yes,” he confirmed, “I know about her. What I’d like to know is about this connection you have forged with her. One might think it borders on friendship.”

Wendy turned her eyes down. “So what if it does? She was one of the few…” She loosed a hard breath.

“There’s more to it than that, isn’t there?” he prodded. When she would not respond, he asked, “Perhaps you’ll let me meet her.”

“I don’t want her hurt,” Wendy insisted.

Leaning his head, Vlad confirmed, “I have no such intentions at this time, nor do I want to do anything that would hurt you, and if that means we take care of your vampire for a while—”

“Her name is Vanessa,” Wendy said straightly, still not looking at him.

He glanced at Ryan. “Very well, so when I meet her, I will know what to call her. Now tell me about this meeting with Lady Roeskellov.”

She finally turned her eyes to him.

“How is she?” he asked suddenly.

With a shrug, Wendy replied, “Good, I suppose. I mean, she’s dead but she looks fabulous.”

Vlad smiled. “Looks fabulous. Very well. Did she seem receptive to your idea of joining forces with us against this Sebastian?”

“I’m assuming that’s why she wanted to meet with you,” she answered.

He nodded and looked to Ryan. “How do you think we proceed?”

Ryan drew a breath and took a few long seconds to answer, looking to Wendy before he did. “If we’re facing a vampire civil war of some kind then I think she may be right. We should pick a side.”

Vlad raised his brow. “Choose the side of the aristocrats. That goes against what you fought for in the last few wars you were involved in.”

Ryan looked back to him. “The aristocrats or anarchy among blood sucking killers. Lesser of two evils, I think.”

Turning his eyes down, Vlad considered, and considered hard. “The renegade clans will have to be wiped out,” he finally informed. “If we forge an alliance with the Roeskellov Clan then they’ll expect the same. We will have to do what we do.”

“They’ll want immunity from us,” Ryan pointed out.

With a nod, Vlad softly confirmed, “I know.” He looked to Ryan. “And news of them joining us will not be accepted well by the clans that are still loyal to them. This is a tightrope and we’ll have to walk it very carefully.”

Wendy threw herself backward, into the back of the sofa. “It sounds like she might be considering us as some hired muscle, someone…”

“Expendable,” Vlad finished for her. “We can do considerable damage, but in the end if the rest of the predapires in this area are killed then they win either way. They thin us out and get rid of their internal enemies at the same time.”

“Can’t we call in others?” she asked. “I mean, if there are others why don’t we call them in and at least get this area under control?”

“That leaves other areas open,” Ryan replied, “and it also leaves us vulnerable in large numbers.”

“Or stronger,” Vlad corrected, his eyes on Wendy. “Ryan, how many do you think we would need to stage a decisive attack against the vampires here?”

Ryan shrugged. “Hell, I don’t know. One of us is worth any ten of them… We don’t even know how many of them we’re dealing with.”

Vlad stood. “I am going to make some calls. If each region sends one volunteer then we could increase our strength here through this crisis and the other regions will not be quite so vulnerable. And if the vampires abroad wish to act against us and think most of us are here…” He raised a brow. “This could be big. Wendy, are you still in contact with Lady Roeskellov?”

“We traded numbers,” Wendy replied. “She hasn’t called me yet, but I sure expect her to.”

“What about that mansion that you said your Sebastian lives in?” he prodded.

“We’re sure he’s abandoned it,” she replied. “No telling where he is.”

Shaking his head, Vlad countered, “He would not just leave such an asset to crumble. I feel those loyal to him may still be there. Striking them now could take them off guard.”

Wendy sat back up. “You mean now as in… now? Like, right now?”

“While the sun is still up,” Vlad confirmed. “Ryan, call Leon and Merrill. We will rendezvous here and strike before sundown.”

The van was black on the outside with blacked out windows and black wheels. Inside, bench seats were against the walls in the back. Dressed in what Wendy could only guess was grey and black commando gear, Vlad rode up front with Ryan while she was in the rear with Leon and Merrill, who were loading magazines for pistols and small machine guns. The jumpsuit Wendy wore was the same black and gray camouflage, but it was more form fitting for a woman. Still, she fussed over it and pulled it away from her neck from time to time. Harnesses they all wore would accommodate a variety of weapons, including many pistols, but she noticed that Leon had two big, nickel plated revolvers on his belt, big revolvers!

She absently smoothed over the heavy material over her legs. She was trying not to feel so nervous, but this was impossible. It was not going to be like working the street as a vice cop. This was going to be a war zone against immortal creatures who did not play by any rules.

Needing a distraction, she looked to Merrill and asked, “So, do you transform into that creature thing when you’re fighting vampires too?”

He and Leon looked to her, then to each other, then back to her.

“Or is Ryan the only one?” she added.

“You haven’t changed?” Leon asked.

She shook her head.

He smiled. “You always remember your first time. It’s like makin’ love that first time. That’s when you decide who you’re going to be.”

Her eyes narrowed and she half turned her head. “Who I’m going to be?”

“You’ll choose the form,” Merrill explained. “It’s a matter of what works best for you.”

Wendy’s gaze shifted back and forth between them. “Um, I choose what I’m going to look like when I fight vampires? What’s wrong with just staying like I am?”

Merrill shrugged. “Nothing, really. I take vampires human all the time. You go into a beast form to give you that extra edge, that extra strength and ferocity that you might need, especially when facing them in numbers.”

Looking to Merrill, Leon said, “I bet she looks like a lynx or something.”

Merrill laughed and added, “Maybe a leopard.”

“I don’t like cats,” she snarled.

“Heh,” Leon laughed. “I bet you make a lovely little kitty.”

Ryan called back from the front, “We’ll send her in after the female vampires. You know, catch us a good catfight.”

All four men laughed.

Wendy rolled her eyes and grumbled, “Bastards.”

Rolling up on the mansion through the gate that was still smashed open, they encountered no sentries, nobody watching the front.

As they neared the mansion, Ryan’s eyes narrowed and he grumbled, “I don’t like this.”

They got into the mansion without incident, and here is where Wendy’s police training surfaced. She had a semi-automatic gun in her hands and directed to wherever her eyes went. Breathing was difficult and adrenaline surged through her like never before. Bringing up the rear, she watched their backs, focusing on every doorway from which an ambush could hit them.

“Hey,” Leon whispered, grasping her shoulder. “Just relax. They’re only night walkers. We got this.”

She nodded and blew a breath out through pursed lips. She finally noticed that he did not have a weapon in his hand and his revolvers were still on his hips. “Um,” she started.

“Pull’em if I need’em,” he assured.

Ryan suggested in a low voice, “Let’s split up.”

Wide eyed, Wendy stammered, “Uh… Um… No. No split up. Split up bad.”

“Relax,” Merrill urged softly. “It’s a room by room search, and if we find any night walkers they’ll probably be sleeping. It’s daytime.”

Wendy nodded again, her eyes still dancing about.

Leon nudged her, then pulled one of his big revolvers when he had her attention. “Regular bullets don’t do much to them that they can’t shrug off, but these hollow points are packed with garlic powder, and night walkers don’t like that garlic!”

She took the big pistol from him and confirmed, “I’d heard that. Let’s just hope this works.”

He smiled. “Oh, it works. You hit one in the chest with this and he’ll go right down and scatter like a busted bag of dust.”

Holstering her automatic, she looked over the big gun and asked, “So, these bullets kill them?”

“From the inside out,” Leon assured.

Wendy nodded and said, “Good to know.”

“Leon,” Ryan ordered, “take the upstairs, and stay in contact.”

The big predapire nodded, then he smiled. “I’ll save you some leftovers.”

As he strode off, Merrill offered, “I can check out the basement. That’s where they are most likely to be.”

Patting his shoulder, Vlad informed, “Then I’ll come with you.”

Wendy watched as the two other men just strode away, then she swallowed hard and looked back up at Ryan. “Okay, handsome. I’m freaking out a little.”

“We all do our first time,” he assured. “Just stay sharp, look sharp. I’ve got your back.”

She nodded.

They were careful to quietly check every room, and before they left each room they opened blinds, curtains, or tore down permanent sun screens over windows. Each room was similarly furnished with bed, night table, television… Only personal affects were missing.

After checking the last room, she followed Ryan back into the hallway, shaking her head as she mumbled, “I don’t get it. Why…”

“They knew we would come for them,” Ryan growled. “They had to.” He looked down at her as she shoved the big revolver into her belt. “At least we’ve deprived them of this nest.”

“Until they decide it’s safe enough to come back to,” she corrected. “Sebastian’s room must be upstairs. I wonder if Leon found anything.”

“My ears are burning,” Leon said as he strode up behind them.

Wendy turned and folded her arms. “You didn’t find anything either, did you?”

Pursing his lips, he shook his head.

Vlad and Merrill approached from behind Leon, and Merrill barked, “Nothing. They’ve all pulled out. It’s like they knew we were coming.”

“Perfect place for an ambush,” Ryan mumbled, “and they… Did you find any belongings?”

Merrill pulled a cell phone from his pocket and tossed it to him, replying, “Only that. It was right in the middle of a table in some kind of meeting area in the basement.”

Wendy snatched it from him, looking it over as she breathed, “It’s my old cell phone.”

All of the predapires exchanged uneasy looks.

She opened it, raising her brow as she absently said, “Oh. Voice mail.”

As she fumbled through the prompts to retrieve it, Ryan ordered, “Put it on speaker.”

Her eyes slid to him and she said, “Uh, this might be private.”

“I doubt that,” Vlad corrected. “That phone was left where we would find it.”

Ice ran up her spine and through her belly as she stared back at him, then she hesitantly pushed the speaker button and entered her password.

They waited for a few tense seconds while it was accessed.

“Wendy, my Pet,” Sebastian’s voice mocked. “I’m so glad you were able to find your lost phone. It must be agonizing not knowing who has access to all of your private information, especially the friends you have listed in here. Believe me, I found it all very enlightening. Oh, look here. It seems that you have a little friend here who has a birthday soon.”

Drawing a gasp, Wendy breathed, “Oh my God!”

“I think I’ll just invite myself to her party,” he continued. “I’ll have to be sure to have my teeth cleaned before then. I should have my brightest smile for the birthday girl. Oh, and I have such a wonderful gift for her.”

Wendy’s eyes flared and she shouted, “Son of a bitch!”

“Hope to see you there, Pet. I’m sure Becky will.”

Merrill grasped her shoulder and asked, “When is her party?”

Her eyes widening further, Wendy breathed, “Yesterday.” She spun around and sprinted down the hallway.

Becky’s house was a modest place surrounded by a chain link fence and a few sizeable trees. The yard was well groomed, the flower beds were all in bloom, the sidewalk was in good repair and formed a straight path through the front lawn to the front door. The house was painted yellow, had white shutters and was not really a place that would stand out in anyone’s mind.

Except for the police line tape, the squad cars, the utility trucks for the crime scene investigators…

Wendy abruptly stopped the van across the street and everyone in the back was thrown forward to pile up near the front.

Ryan, sitting in the passenger’s seat, held on until the van stopped, then he gave her a sour look and informed, “I think you’re done driving for a while.”

She did not seem to hear him and bailed out of the van, running toward the house only to be confronted by two uniformed police officers, one of whom raised his hand to stop her. They never got the chance to speak before she ran right through them, knocking one to the street.

The downed officer sprang back up and turned to pursue, but Leon’s big hand grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.

When the man turned to him, Leon flashed a badge and said, “Special Agent Leon Smith. She’s with us.”

Wendy burst into the house and froze. The room she had entered was the living room and it was still decorated for Becky’s party. A few flies buzzed around, attracted by the food and cake that was still on plates, and the blood that was sprayed all over the walls. It was a horrible scene.

A man in an expensive looking suit approached from the kitchen to the right, raising his chin as he asked, “Miss? Who let you in here?”

Leon and Ryan entered and Leon flashed his badge again. “I’m Special Agent Smith. This is Agent Scott. Were the bodies removed already?”

Looking perplexed, the detective nodded and replied, “This morning. Who are you people again?”

Ryan looked to Leon and said, “Morgue.”

Leon nodded.

“How many bodies were removed?” Wendy asked as she continued to scan the house.

The detective replied, “Eleven.”

She clenched her jaw and could not seem to catch her breath.

“Worst massacre that’s ever happened in this neighborhood,” the detective informed. “Considering the number of people involved we’re thinking a street gang is trying to move in.”

Glancing around her, Wendy found a picture of Becky on a side table and picked it up, staring down at it for a long moment before she offered it to the detective. “Was this girl among the dead?”

He looked it over, then shrugged. “Don’t remember, really. If you need to view the bodies they’re lined up at the morgue downtown.”

Wendy looked to her colleagues, then spun around and strode out the front door.

As with all morgues, this was a very sterile looking place. The main lab they were looking for, where the bodies were kept, had three stainless steel tables out in the middle of the room that each had a tray for instruments beside it. Three of the bodies lay on these tables, unclothed and cleaned, and in peaceful eternal slumber. One wall was almost entirely thirty inch by thirty inch doors for the pull-out cooler, and there were twenty-four of these doors. Sinks on the other side were all clean and everything was in its place.

Wendy stormed in, her eyes finding the bodies right away. One was an adult, one a teenage boy and the other a teenage girl. She did not look them over long before she turned to the coolers. She still had the picture in her hand and pulled open the first drawer. When Ryan and Merrill entered, she tossed Ryan the picture and said, “That’s the girl we’re looking for.”

Without questioning her, they started to pull open drawers at the other end.

When all of them were checked, Wendy leaned back against one in the middle, staring blankly across the room. When Ryan slowly approached her, she whispered, “She’s not here.”

Merrill raised his chin. “They took one girl with them?”

“Probably more than one,” Wendy corrected. “Her parents are here, an uncle, her grandparents… She had way more than six friends and I know more than that were going to her party.”

Rubbing his eyes, Merrill grumbled, “They’ve managed to jump a few steps ahead of us. Now they’re holding half the deck.”

Clenching her teeth, Wendy hissed, “We’ve still got our ace.”

Vanessa sat up and combed her hair back, looking to Wendy as she sat on the edge of the bed. Only the nightlight illuminated the room but both women could see perfectly in the low light.

Slowly shaking her head, the vampire breathed, “He what?”

“He has Becky and a few other kids,” Wendy reported. “I need to know where he would take them.”

Ryan folded his arms as he leaned against the door jamb, informing, “He won’t take them anywhere she knows about.”

Half turning her head, Wendy barked, “We don’t know that!”

Vanessa corrected, “He’s right. Sebastian would know that anything I know I could just tell you.”

Shaking her head, Wendy grumbled, “He must have slipped up somewhere. He must have. We just have to find out where.”

“Time for some good old fashioned police work,” Ryan observed. “The FBI is probably already on finding the missing kids. Problem is they’re probably finding clues that are left to mislead them.”

Wendy considered, her gaze dancing about as she thought, then she looked to the vampire and asked, “Can you remember the addresses of alternative hide-outs he might use?”

Nodding, Vanessa confirmed, “I think so.”

Springing up, Wendy turned to the door and said, “I’ll be right back.”

Leon met her at the door with the phone held to his chest. “There’s a guy on the line who calls himself Morpheus. Says he wants to talk to Mistress Vanessa.

Wendy took the phone from him and strode past, holding it to her ear as she greeted, “Hello? No, this is Wendy. She’s asleep! If you look outside you’ll see that the sun’s still up. Uh, huh.” She raised her brow. “Forty-one volunteers to choose from. Sounds like the makings of a party. No, bring two of them yourself about an hour after sundown. Oh, and be a doll and bring some Chinese with you.” She smiled. “Okay, awesome. See you in a few.” Arriving in the living room, she tossed the phone onto the couch and strode to the kitchen, opening a drawer. She rummaged around until she found a pen, then she took a pad of paper from the counter and turned to go back to the bedroom, and she almost ran into Ryan, who had come up on her unnoticed.

He folded his arms. “You do understand that he’s already anticipated this. He’s not going to be at any address she gives you.”

Wendy patted his cheek and smiled. “And that’s what you need to be arguing when we get in there.”

When they entered the bedroom, Ryan was doing just that, and Vanessa looked up to see them in a heated argument. She caught the pad of paper Wendy tossed to her and fumbled with the pen that flew her way, listening as she positioned the pad on her thigh to begin writing.

“It’s the only lead we have!” Wendy shouted.

Ryan growled, “So you want us to waste time checking out places we already know he’s abandoned.”

“We don’t know that he’s abandoned them, Ryan! He could be holding the kids at any one of them. Or all of them! We should at least check it out!”

Still standing in the room, Leon raised his brow as he watched them argue.

“I’m done,” Vanessa sheepishly reported, offering the pad to Wendy.

As Wendy took the pad, Ryan snatched it out of her hand and ripped off the top sheet, wadding it up and throwing it out the door. “We aren’t doing this, newbie! You’re going to stick to the plan!” He grabbed Wendy’s arm and threw her toward the door, then he motioned toward the door to Leon, who took the hint and left himself. Before leaving, Ryan looked to the vampire and pointed to her, ordering with harsh words, “Back to sleep, night walker.” Then he turned and strode out, slamming the door as he did.

Wendy picked up the wadded note and walked slowly to the living room with it, looking over the three addresses. As Ryan caught up to her, she mumbled, “Think he bought it?”

Ryan shrugged. “Here’s hoping. I don’t know how we’re supposed to hit all three places in force at the same time.”

She smiled. “Oh, I’m sure we can muster up a little help. Just leave it to me, sweetie.”

“Yeah,” he mumbled. “Okay”

Studying the paper, she asked, “Can you be a sweetheart and hand me the phone?”

He held the phone to her and asked, “Does it look like this one?”

“Yes, smartass, that one!”

Wendy un-wadded the paper and absently took the phone that Ryan gave her as she studied what the vampire girl had written. Dialing a number, she held the phone to her ear and waited for an answer, finally greeting, “Hi, it’s Wendy. I need to speak to Lady Roeskellov.” As she waited again, she turned her eyes to Ryan, then to Vlad, who had appeared beside him. Her eyes still on Vlad, she said, “Hey, Lady Roeskellov. How’s it hanging? Yeah, okay. Listen, I have a list of addresses here that Sebastian uses as alternative hide-outs. Did you want to check them out tonight? Well, he seems to be under the impression that you don’t already know about them. Vanessa. Yeah, we might have used her to mislead him into thinking we weren’t going to look into them.” She nodded. “I sure hope so. He’s holding a friend of mine, a sixteen year old girl and we…” Her brow lowered. “He killed nearly a dozen people and took her. I think he wants to use her to get to me.” Wendy huffed a breath and turned her eyes down. “I understand. You be careful, too. I’ll get these addresses to your people. Thanks.” She pushed end and gently set the phone down.

Ryan folded his arms and asked, “What’s up?”

Turning her eyes to him with a blink, she replied, “She thinks Becky is already dead or already turned and most likely the others were used for food, and if Becky’s still alive he’ll use her as bait to lure me to him and then…” Closing her eyes, she bowed her head. “Why the hell didn’t I think to look out for her?”

“Regret later,” Vlad ordered. “You’ll no doubt be hearing from him soon. You need to let us know as soon as you do.”

“What about Becky?” she snarled.

“Assume she is already dead,” was his response. “I know of your attachment to her and I understand. Believe me I understand, but you have to focus on the main objective. What we do next could save or cost hundreds of lives.”

She huffed a breath. “He would never have known about her if it hadn’t been for me.”

Ryan strode slowly to her, slipping his hand around her neck as he assured, “We’ll get her out of there if we can. I promise you, if there’s a way then we’ll get her out of there.”

Wendy nodded and whispered back, “Yeah.” Looking up to him, she asked, “If she’s been turned and hasn’t fed yet…”

Vlad answered, “Then we’ll take her in.”

“And if she has?” she added.

Ryan clenched his jaw and replied, “I’ll take care of her as quick as I can.”

She nodded again, then her eyes snapped to the closed door behind which a vampire slept. Cocking a brow up, she took Ryan’s hand and motioned to Vlad and Leon with her head and led the way to the garage. Once inside, they found Merrill tinkering with one of the guns, and he turned to them as Leon closed the door behind them.

Wendy turned to them and folded her arms, asking in a low voice, “How good is vampire hearing?”

Ryan shrugged. “Almost like a dog’s, I guess.”

With a slow nod, she questioned, “Do you think Sebastian can hear us through her even when she sleeps?”

Vlad raised his head, his eyes widening slightly as he confirmed, “I believe he could, even if she’s unaware of it.”

Grinding her teeth, Wendy growled, “That answers a few questions. After she eats, I need you boys to go on a little road trip.”

Sundown came with a prompt knock at the door and Wendy opened it expecting to fine Morpheus and his two volunteers, who were clothed in black robes with hoods over their heads. She offered them a smile and greeted, “Good to see you. She’s in her bedroom ready for a bite. By the way, did you bring that Chinese I asked for?”

Morpheus smiled and assured, “I complied with your wishes perfectly.” He looked to one of the volunteers, who reached up and slid the hood from her head.

Wendy raised her brow.

“Her name is Susie Ling,” he introduced. “Both her parents were immigrants from China, and she’s about as pure Chinese as you’ll find around here.”

Realizing she was a little slack-jawed, Wendy forced another smile and arched her brow. “Yeah, okay.”

As before, they all met in the living room and the volunteers, who were naked beneath their robes, gratefully gave themselves to the vampire girl. One of them was a young man, perhaps eighteen or nineteen, and begged for a kiss from her, and she graciously complied, and everyone left the living room to allow the two to enjoy a little make-out time.

As they left, Wendy closed the door behind them, calling back, “Ya’ll come back now, ya hear?” Combing her fingers through her long, fiery locks, Wendy shook her head as she rejoined everyone in the living room.

Leon stood across the room from the couch beside Merrill, and he was shaking his head. “That was all kinds of messed up.”

Vlad was seated in the recliner and also shaking his head. “I’ve never heard of anyone so anxious to be fed on by night walkers who weren’t being taken care of by them.”

Vanessa glanced around at the four predapires in the room. “I am grateful to them for what they do, and I realize I am a vampire and this is odd to say, but those people are creepy weird!”

Wendy sat down beside her and threw her arm around the vampire’s shoulders. “Welcome to the wild side, girlfriend! So how did you enjoy making out with that kid?”

Vampires apparently don’t blush, but everyone would swear that this one did as she looked away and barked, “Wendy!”

Laughing heartily, Leon raised a hand to his eyes, and soon Ryan and Vlad joined him in a good laugh.

Vanessa glanced about at them again, clearly embarrassed but smiling nonetheless.

“Okay, guys,” Wendy interrupted, “time to go get dinner. I kind of thought Morpheus was going to hook us up but it turns out he was on the wrong sheet of music.”

Ryan wiped his eyes, confirming, “Yeah, I heard you ask him to pick up some Chinese. What happened to that?”

“He brought Chinese,” she confirmed, “for Blondie here.”

Leon laughed again, shaking his head. “That Asian chick.” Smiling, he looked to Vanessa and laughed, “Did you have to bite her with chopsticks?”

The men in the room laughed again and Vanessa and Wendy exchanged looks.

“Okay, guys,” Wendy grumbled. “Get the hell out of here.”

Vlad stood and they made for the door, and Ryan asked, “Merrill still working in the garage?”

“Yeah,” Vlad confirmed. “We’ll get him on the way out.”

“While we’re out,” Ryan suggested, “we’ll check that lead south of town, something about an old night club that might be a nest. Wendy, watch the night walker. We’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Have fun, boys!” she called to them.

When the door closed, Wendy pulled Vanessa in close to her and informed, “I’m ordering pizza. You want me to have Morpheus bring you someone for dessert?”

The vampire giggled and shook her head. “No, I’m good, thank you. Where are they going?”

“Oh, we heard something about a night club a few miles south of town that Sebastian might be using. Sketchy details and it wasn’t much of a lead, but it might be worth checking out. Do you know anything about a nightclub he might operate?”

Vanessa shrugged. “If he had one then he never took me there.”

“He never took you dancing?” Wendy barked. “That bastard!”

The blonde vampire looked across the room, then lowered her eyes. “I was to be there when he wanted me. That is why he took me.”

“He told me you were having issues with your father when he took you,” Wendy informed.

“What girl that age isn’t?” Vanessa countered. Unconsciously, she began to twist her hair and just stared blankly toward the floor.

Wendy pulled her closer and gently asked, “What happened?”

Her mouth tightening, Vanessa shrugged again. “Just what you would expect. He came into my life one evening at a banquet, very handsome and dashing and he said all of the right things. He told me how beautiful I was and how I deserved better…” She settled her head back against Wendy’s shoulder and stared up at the ceiling, and she appeared to be near tears. “My father forbade me to see him again and I was so angry with him for that. My mother tried to be understanding, but she also told me how Sebastian was too old for me, how I would end up unhappy with him. I didn’t want to listen.”

“You were just a teenager, weren’t you?” Wendy guessed.

Vanessa nodded. “I thought I was old enough to decide for myself.” She closed her eyes and turned her face away from Wendy. “One night we had a terrible argument. He told me I was to go to my room and stay there, but I ran out instead. I ran right to Sebastian. My father followed, but I didn’t know. Wendy, I didn’t know!” She sat up on the edge of the couch and buried her face in her hands, and for the first time Wendy saw her really cry.

Sitting up, Wendy slipped her arms around the vampire girl and comforted, “Shh. It’s okay.”

“No it isn’t!” Vanessa cried, shaking her head. “It isn’t. Wendy, he killed my father! And then he took me and… He drank from me until I thought I would die. I tried to fight him off but he was so strong.” She wept for a moment. “I wanted him so until then. I wanted him. And then he killed my father and he fed from me.” Raising her head, she stared across the room with horror in her eyes. “Then he made me drink from him. He turned me while my father lay on the ground beside me.” She looked that way, but not at the predapire. “He took me back to his estate, an old castle some distance away and he locked me in a little room, just like he did you. I was all alone with the hunger for two days and I hurt so badly from it.”

“I understand,” Wendy assured softly.

Vanessa wiped a tear from her cheek and seemed to calm down a little. “When he finally came to visit me, he told me he had done all of that for me, that he would kill or die for me, that his whole world revolved around me. He said all of the right things again and he promised he would take my pain away.” She closed her eyes. “And then he brought me my little sister. She was only thirteen. He told me I had to prove myself worthy of the gift, and if I didn’t…” A breath shrieked into her. “Wendy, I killed my little sister! I drank from her until she died, even as she begged me to stop! She begged me to stop and I didn’t. I couldn’t.”

Wendy pulled the girl to her and held her as tightly as she could, and she just let her weep for a moment, slowly rocking her back and forth. Images of Becky and the horror she had to be experiencing at the hands of this monster flashed through her mind.

“He told me I would be his favorite,” Vanessa sobbed. “He told me I would be young and beautiful forever. He told me he would always love me and take care of me, but that night he just made me a slave to him. My mind and my soul belonged to him.”

“Not anymore!” Wendy insisted. “We’re going to free you of him, got it? I’m going to kill the son-of-a-bitch myself!”

Slowly, Vanessa turned her eyes to the predapire, eyes that were wide with confusion and fear. “But I’m his favorite. Without him I’m nothing.”

“That is so not true!” Wendy insisted. “Look, you don’t have to measure your worth by how much some guy likes you! You are your own person and you’re a great kid, got it?”

Vanessa stared back at her for long seconds, then an unexpected smile broke through. “I’m a great kid? I’m three hundred years older than you!”

Smiling back, Wendy pinched the girl’s cheek and said through pursed lips, “And you’re still so damn cute!” Her cell phone rang and she reached into a pocket to retrieve it, still smiling as she greeted, “Hello?” That smile was gone in a second as she raised her chin, her eyes widening as she breathed, “Sebastian.”

Vanessa drew a gasp.

Clenching her teeth, Wendy demanded, “What did you do with her?” She suddenly stood up and shouted, “God damn it, tell me what you did with her!” Looking across the room, she combed her hair back with her fingers in an angry motion, conceding in a reluctant tone, “Fine. I’ll be there in about an hour. Why? Because some of us can’t turn into bats and fly! We have to drive! Oh, whatever!” She pushed end on her phone and looked to the floor, combing her hair back again as she did.”

Slowly, Vanessa stood and gently took Wendy’s arm, warning, “You have to know that she is only bait. He’s trying to get you where he wants you, and then—”

“I know!” Wendy snapped. Drawing a deep breath, she shook her head and informed, “He’ll kill her if I don’t go.”

“He’ll kill you both if you do,” the vampire assured. “Or worse, he’ll turn her and make you watch it happen. He is playing one of his sick games with you and he’s left you no way to win. Wendy, wait for the others, or at least take me along and use me as he is using her.”

“I’m not giving you back to him, girlfriend, no way, no how. You aren’t going close to that place.”

“And what if he demands me for the life of your friend?”

“Vanessa, do you have any idea what he’ll do to you once he has you again?”

The vampire’s eyes remained fixed on Wendy’s as she softly assured, “Yes, I do. I also know what he will do to you if he gets you. Please, don’t fall for this.”

Wendy finally looked to her little blonde friend. “I can’t let this go, Nessa. I’ve got to at least try.”

Stepping slowly out of her car, Wendy looked around at her surroundings. The sun was nearly down and darkness was trying to reclaim the slightly wooded area around the large, two story house. It was miles away from the city and had to be more than a hundred years old. The yard was not well kept and the huge trees in the front were ancient and menacing, more so as the area grew darker and darker. Old wooden shutters were closed over all of the windows and as the breeze blew some dry leaves slid off of the dark gray roof. Scanning the area as she closed the car door, she took note of the old iron fence that surrounded the property. Two sections of it were down and it did not appear to have been maintained for many years. No cars were visible, but the gravel driveway circled around to the back of the menacing old house and there appeared to be relatively fresh tire tracks leading that way.

Drawing a deep breath, she started toward the front door, which was covered by a column supported roof that formed a greeting area. She had changed clothes again and was wearing a tight fitting pink sleeveless shirt and white trousers. Pink running shoes seemed like a good idea as well. Her red hair was worn in a single ponytail behind her and slowly swayed back and forth as she strode to the door.

Having turned in her side arm, she had borrowed one from Ryan’s night stand. It was a small nine millimeter automatic that was tucked away in the back of her tight fitting pants, right where it was both hidden and she could get to it quickly and easily. She did not bother to knock and when she tried the door handle the door opened right up, and in she went.

Within, the house was very clean, well furnished with fine antiques and paintings, red carpeted walkways and hardwood floors. The lighting was very old, very clean and very expensive looking. This first room was merely a sitting room, some place for guests to be both comfortable and impressed by the owner’s taste. More importantly, the brightly lit room was empty of people.

She scanned the area, seeing a doorway that led further into the house right in front of her, another off to the left and a fireplace to the right. The inside of the house was deathly quiet and smelled of incense.

Human ears would not have heard it, but predapire ears did, that suspicious, distant creak, a tattletale sound that betrayed a careful footstep beyond the wall in front of her. She remembered that humans could not determine what direction a sound came from, but she was sure it was from directly ahead of her. Raising her chin slightly, her eyes narrowed as she concentrated on this new, enhanced hearing for the first time. Now, she could hear more. Someone was in that next room and was trying not to be detected.

Folding her arms, Wendy loudly announced, “You want me to just stand here all night or what?”

A moment passed.

Finally, the door opened and a young man, perhaps in his late teens, slowly emerged from the other room. He was a handsome fellow and wore a black tee shirt and baggy black trousers. His hair was curly and cut very short, and his brown eyes were locked on her.

Setting her hands on her hips, she barked, “Well it’s about damn time! I get invited to a party and you guys decide to leave me waiting out here forever! So are we doing this or what?”

“This way,” he bade, standing on one side of the doorway.

Wendy kept her eyes on him as she approached and strode by, and she paused and hissed at him through bared teeth, and he cringed and looked away from her. She turned her attention to the large room she entered, her eyes dancing about as she studied what she saw.

The walls were painted a glossy gray, kind of a dark gray. The ceiling was white but for the thick, redwood beams that ran across it about every four feet or so. Long fluorescent lights illuminated the whole room well from between the beams and reflected off of the black tiles on the floor. Thick chains hung from the beams and a single thick pole was sunk into the floor and bolted to one of the beams overhead, right in the center of the room. A few steel chairs lined one wall, facing into the room and the other walls were adorned with a variety of whips, knives and ancient looking devices of torture. Ropes and chains also hung among them, old steel shackles, leather and steel cuffs, modern handcuffs… This was a custom made torture chamber and she felt a growing uneasiness as she stopped only a few feet in. Right across from her was another door, a heavy steel door from the look of it that was painted black. There was no doorknob or lever on this side, but there was a mirror where the window should have been, no doubt a two way.

The young man closed and locked the door behind her and strode on into the room, stopping about where the pole was before he turned to her and raised his chin. “Master Sebastian will want you right here when he arrives.”

She defiantly folded her arms.

His mouth tightening, the young man informed, “He said to tell you that if you want to see your friend alive you will do as directed.”

She rolled her eyes, and reluctantly strode toward him, stopping right in front of him with her gaze fixed on his from only a few inches away. He was a little taller than she was, but she was not the one who felt fear at this proximity.

He backed away a step and found himself unable to take his eyes from hers.

A click across the room, behind that heavy steel door, drew her attention and her eyes shifted that way. When it opened, she saw hooded forms emerge dressed in black satin robes. Eight of them strode out, three of them moving like women while the others were clearly men, and large men from the look of them. They seemed to be gliding along the floor, stepping so softly they made not a sound as they took their positions in a line in front of the steel chairs.

Wendy refused to show them how nervous she was but she felt that they could sense it. Half turning to face the hooded figures who were lined up shoulder to shoulder only ten feet away, she kept her arms folded and cocked an eyebrow up. “Well now. I feel a little under dressed. Are you guys the greeting party or something?”

The young man said, “You are asked not to speak until—”

“Shut up!” she barked, her eyes still on the hooded figure. Now she was remembering the warnings of the other predapires, and now she was thinking about the form she wanted to take when it came time to fight, how it would happen, if she could even call upon it when she needed to.

A deep, electronically distorted voice ordered from somewhere, “Back against the pole.”

Wendy turned her eyes up, glancing about as if to see where the voice was coming from, and defiantly she ordered, “Show me Becky.”

“You will obey,” the voice insisted.

Reaching behind her, Wendy retrieved the automatic pistol and held it in front of her, grasping it with the other hand and slowly pulling the slide back to chamber the first round. “You will show me Becky,” she countered, training the weapon on the young man’s face, “or I start seeing who is vampire and who isn’t.”

The young man was terrified, his wide eyes on the muzzle of the weapon, and he knew he dare not move.

The voice ordered, “Drop your weapon and comply or she will be killed before you see her.”

“That would sure be a problem,” she agreed, “wouldn’t it? When I know Becky’s all right then I’ll do whatever pole dance you want me to, and if you don’t think I’ll shoot this little creep here you’d better reconsider.”

“Comply!” the voice commanded with an angry tone.

Wendy took a step toward the young man and pressed the muzzle to his forehead, her eyes narrow as she hissed through clenched teeth, “I guess you’re not very important, are you?”

The young man whimpered and closed his eyes.

“Stop,” the voice ordered.

She glanced around again and finally said, “Okay, Sebastian. Quit screwing around and bring Becky out here.”

A moment passed.

Also wearing a black satin robe, Sebastian emerged from the open doorway with a satisfied smile on his face and his predator’s gaze locked on her. Stopping about five feet behind the young man, he informed, “He isn’t all that important to me.”

She raised her brow. “So shoot him?”

“That would be wasteful,” he replied. “I’m not surprised that you came tonight, but I am surprised that you came alone.”

With a shrug, Wendy smiled back at him and said, “I aim to please.”

“Will you put the weapon down?” he asked with a patient tone.

“I want to see Becky,” she insisted, “then we’ll talk about putting my weapon down.”

He looked over his shoulder and did not speak or gesture, but a command was given and another black robed, hooded man entered behind him, and he was holding Becky by the throat.

Forced to walk ahead of the man who held her, she had a hand tightly gripping his wrist and walked with forced steps. Her long, straight hair was surprisingly well groomed and she had a look of terror in her big brown eyes. Still wearing a pink tee shirt and blue jeans with holes apparently worn in the knees, she was barefoot and struggling to maintain her composure. This girl looked terrified, and Wendy knew it was with good reason.

Raising her chin to the girl, Wendy asked with an authoritative tone, “Have they hurt you?”

Becky shook her head, her gaze locked on Wendy’s.

“I was good to my word,” Sebastian pointed out, “and I expect you to be good to yours.”

Turning her eyes to the master vampire, Wendy countered, “As soon as I know she’s safe.”

Sebastian raised his brow. “Back against the pole, Pet, or you can watch my colleague tear her head off right in front of you.

The vampire holding the girl tightened his grip around her throat and Becky whimpered, her eyes widening as she grasped the vampire’s arm with both hands.

Wendy clenched her teeth, then she finally looked to the young man and withdrew her weapon, motioning with her head for him to withdraw, which he did with great haste. Looking to the vampire master, the contempt there was quite clear. Without warning she raised the weapon again and shot him once in the chest.

As two of the hooded vampires swept forward and disarmed the predapire, Sebastian took a step back, lurching backward as he reached for his chest. The shock on his face said everything.

Wendy smiled as she was slammed back against the pole and a third vampire strode behind her.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” she offered sweetly. “Just couldn’t help myself.” She still smiled even as her arms were forced behind her, twisted around the back of the pole and steel shackles were locked in place around one wrist. The chain was pulled all the way around her, across her belly and behind her again and her shackled left arm was pulled all the way to her right side. Her right arm was pulled to the left and shackled tightly to the chain, and it was locked in place. Wendy kept her eyes on the master vampire as the vampire behind her knelt and wound chain around her knees, locking it behind her. Her ankles were shackled together with chain that was also locked behind the pole.

Sebastian took the gun from the hooded vampire and stopped about three feet from her, and he did not look happy.

“Oh, come on,” she scoffed. “Where’s that sense of humor?”

He smiled, then he trained the gun on her belly and pulled the trigger. His smile faded as it only made an empty click.

“Darn the luck!” she said loudly. “I guess I forgot to put the rest of the bullets in it!”

Sebastian stroked her cheek and his smile returned. “Not to worry, my Pet. I have other plans for you, simply delicious plans.”

“I’ll bet you do,” she replied with a low, seductive voice. “Let the kid go and clear out all of your little friends so it can just be you and me.”

“I don’t think so,” he countered.

“Oh, come on,” she insisted. “You know you’ve wanted me like this since you first saw me. Just let the kid go—”

“Give me what I want,” he interrupted, “and perhaps I’ll free her.”

Wendy raised her brow. “Now how am I supposed to do that with my hands chained behind me?”

He closed the distance between them with two steps and took her jaw in his hand, his eyes boring into hers as he demanded, “How many in your group?”

Staring back at him, and no longer looking so confident, she insisted, “Let her go and I’ll tell you.”

“Promise?” he pressed.

“Yes,” she replied. “You promise, too.”

“My word,” he assured. His grip on her jaw tightened and he forced her chin up, drawing closer as he whispered, “First things first, Pet. Let’s see how serious you really are.”

His lips took hers with a surprisingly gentle touch at first, then a release of animalistic passion followed. His hand slid around her neck and gripped her tightly, forcing her to him as far as her bonds would allow. Though she hated him with a passion, this was an amazing kiss and she surrendered to it, then as arousal surged up within her, she returned it with all she could muster. His mouth was very strong and she tried to match that strength with her own. A whimper escaped her, then a soft moan as his other hand slid up her side. This man definitely knew what he was doing!

An eternity later he drew back and released her mouth, staring down at her for long seconds after.

Slowly, Wendy opened her eyes and appeared dazed as she stared back at him, gasping for breath.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow and asked, “See what you are missing.”

She nodded and managed, “Uh, huh.”

A smile found his mouth and he said, “Then you appear to be mine.”

“Looks like it,” she confirmed, “as soon as Becky is safe.”

Looking over his shoulder, he bade, “Becky, I suppose you are free to go.”

The girl pushed the big vampire’s hand away from her and strode to Sebastian, her eyes on him almost lovingly as he backed two steps away from Wendy. She stroked his shoulder as she strode by, then turned her eyes to Wendy as she stopped right in front of her.

Something was clearly amiss, but still Wendy urged, “Go on. It will be all right, okay?”

Becky smiled at her, a broad, wicked smile, and her lips slid away from her teeth, her fangs! “I know it will,” the girl assured. “Sebastian has seen to all of my problems. I’m his favorite now.”

Slowly, Wendy shook her head and breathed, “Oh, Becky, no.”

Reaching up to stroke the prisoner’s face, the girl confirmed, “Oh, yes. He’s taken care of all of my problems, and now I’ll live forever.”

Her furious eyes finding the vampire master, Wendy harshly informed, “He killed your family, your entire family, Becky!”

The girl hissed, “They all deserved to die and you know it! I’m glad they’re dead!”

“I know you had problems with them but you can’t mean that!”

“Oh, I do, Wendy. Now those problems are done. Now I’m free from them!”

“But not from him! Becky, please tell me you haven’t fed off of the living!”

Becky laughed under her breath and replied, “They weren’t living when I got through with them.”

Closing her eyes, Wendy turned away from her.

“I hear you had this chance,” Becky informed. “I hear you turned on Sebastian’s family.” She shook her head. “You’re even more stupid than I thought you were.”

Wendy slowly looked back to her.

“I never liked you,” the newborn vampire hissed. “You took me places and you listened and you bought me stuff and that’s the only reason I hung with you. You’re too fake to live.”

Barely holding onto her composure, Wendy slowly shook her head. “I guess the Becky I knew is really gone, then, isn’t she?”

Sebastian took the girl’s shoulders from behind, suggesting, “Perhaps you would like to have her, my dear.”

Becky smiled, her predator’s eyes locked on Wendy.

And Wendy knew what tasting her blood would do to the girl. Her eyes found Sebastian and she shook her head, pleading, “Sebastian, no. For God’s sake don’t let her do this!”

Becky grabbed Wendy’s hair and forced her head over, and in a quick lunge she sank her fangs into Wendy’s neck and drew blood from her with an angry lust.

Wendy cried out, her eyes tightly shut against the pain as she begged, “Becky, stop! You don’t know what my blood will do to you!”

The girl’s body convulsed and she backed away, reaching for her belly with both arms as she doubled over. Her eyes were locked on Wendy and shock and surprise kept them wide for a second, and finally she dropped to her knees and folded all the way over, screaming as she was racked by horrific pain.

Sebastian and the other vampires simply watched, and he smiled as Becky fell to her side and convulsed even more, and as the girl screamed through the long, agonizing moment of her death throes, Wendy could only look away and say a silent prayer for her. It seemed like an eternity, but it was over in less than a minute.

“How interesting,” the master vampire drawled. “It seems that your blood is, in fact, very poisonous to us. I suppose we’ll have to be really careful about what we do to you.”

“You monster,” Wendy hissed, not looking at him.

One of the robed vampires scooped up Becky’s body and turned toward the big steel door, disappearing into the back of the house with her.

Sebastian watched them go, then he looked back to Wendy, folding his hands behind him as he raised his brow and observed, “You seem to have killed your little friend.”

She would not look back at him, instead staring across the room as she snarled, “You killed her days ago.”

“And still you plot revenge,” he continued with a smile. “Chained and helpless you think you will bring me down. Well, Pet, I should inform you that I know about your little plan.” He half turned his head and ordered, “Take Neil and his team and kill the one she brought with her.”

Wendy’s eyes widened and her breath caught.

His gaze found her again and his smile broadened, showing her the white teeth within his mouth. “Since your little plot is at an end and you are in my possession now, I should go ahead and be truthful with you.”

Her eyes slid to him, narrow and filled with hate.

“Vanessa was not the spy as you thought she was,” he continued. “She’s too slow witted and naïve to realize what she is looking at or hearing. No, the spy is one that you would never have expected, and the very one who told me every plan you and your kind made, and I didn’t even have to call upon any special ability to find this out.” Raising his brow again, he asked, “Here, at the end of your freedom and your life, would you like to know who it was who betrayed you?”

She just stared at him with a gaze that was laced with daggers.

Sebastian stepped in close to her, grabbing her hair and turning her head as he put his mouth very close to her ear and whispered, “You are.”

She drew a gasp and felt a cold wave sweep through her.

Kissing her cheek, he laughed and shook his head. “Did you really think my hold on you would be gone when they turned you to their side? Did you really think so? I’ve known what you were going to do long before you did, and I’ve arranged special little greeting parties for Lady Roeskellov’s attack squads, each and every one you told her to send. All she will see is the death of her people, but only those you suggested she send out.”

Feeling defeated, Wendy turned her eyes down.

“Your little friend,” he continued, “the one you brought with you, is going to be torn apart and brought in here a piece at a time to be displayed while he rots! With you and him out of the way, there will only be those at that shabby little house to contend with, and believe me, Pet, I have plans for them, especially your Vlad Smith. While they negotiate with the aristocrats, we shall strike in the night, and we shall wipe them all out in one decisive stroke.” He snapped his fingers. “Just like that it will all be over.”

Wendy’s lips tightened, her jaw clenched as this sank in, and he was silent to allow her to think about it for a moment. With her eyes fixed on the floor beside her, all that was left in them was defeat, and she found herself in the grasp of a merciless enemy. In a low, helpless voice, she softly asked, “So what happens to me now?”

“Back to self preservation,” he observed. “That’s just where I figured you would go, my dear. What indeed happens to you now? What indeed?” He stroked his chin as he pondered. “Let’s see. I’m thinking… Well, we could have tremendous fun with you, tremendous fun. There are those among my associates who are fond of torturing captives, hearing their screams and laments for many days, but being an immortal we could enjoy you for years.”

Wendy closed her eyes.

“That’s the least a traitor deserves,” he went on. He took her throat and forced her eyes back to his, baring his teeth and fangs as he hissed, “Welcome to the rest of your life, bitch. I am going to watch my associates cut every stitch of clothing from you, and then they will take turns with you, and we will see how quickly your kind heals from grave injury, and we will all enjoy having you over and over and over. But not to worry, my Pet. This room is sound proof, so no matter how loud you scream, you cannot be heard beyond these walls, but inside we will be sure to be entertained by your lovely cries of agony.” He enjoyed the look of fear on her face, and more, he enjoyed the tears that welled up in her eyes. Half turning his head, he ordered, “Go outside and see if they’ve finished with her companion, and if they haven’t killed him yet, bring him in here so he can watch her suffer.”

The hooded vampire closest the door nodded a deep nod to him and turned to the door. As he reached for the door handle, the door and much of the wall around it exploded inward and slammed into him as Ryan’s truck crashed through the house. Vampires scattered and Sebastian turned and back-pedaled away, his eyes wide with surprise.

Wendy tried to merge herself with the pole she was chained to as the truck, the door, the vampire and much of the wall came right for her.

It stopped a couple of feet away and wall and door collapsed to the floor as the hooded vampire continued on across the room, slamming into the far wall. Some of the ceiling came down as well and for a second all that could be heard was the growl of the engine and debris falling to the floor.

“This side!” Merrill shouted from the driver’s side of the truck. Wendy looked that way but could not see around the cab, but she did see the muzzle flashes of machine guns and in an instant most of the hooded vampires were riddled by bullets and stumbling backward, against the wall behind them, and all of them fell.

Other vampires burst through the steel door from the back of the house, all of them armed, but the four predapires leapt out of the bed of the truck and opened fire on them as well. Leon took a quick aim and fired one of his revolvers, hitting one of the charging vampires in the chest, and that vampire stumbled and fell to his back, screaming as smoke rose from the hole in his chest.

Vlad threw his weapon into the truck, tore the shirt from him and in seconds had assumed the humanoid form of a huge black wolf. Still upright, he was about seven feet tall and howled as he charged into the middle of the dozen vampires who were trying to get themselves organized.

Leon also threw his weapons into the truck, tearing his shirt away as he assumed his huge bear-like form. Merrill followed suit, but his form was a thickly built black cat that eerily retained a human stance, one that was even bigger than Vlad’s wolf, and he charged into battle with the others.

Ryan did not change right away. He looked to Wendy, meeting her eyes, then he smiled, revealing his predator’s teeth before he looked to the fray before him and reached over his head, pulling the shirt from him as he was enveloped in gray and white fur, and Wendy finally got to see him take his full form: An enormous gray wolf! Walking upright like Vlad did, he had an enormous chest and back and a thick, furry neck. His teeth were very long, very sharp and his jaws looked broad and powerful and somewhat resembled a Rottweiler’s.

With all of the other predapires tearing into the bewildered vampires, Wendy found herself relieved and exhilarated, and she began to struggle to free herself from the thick chains to help with the fight. When someone grasped her shoulder, she shrieked and looked that way, rather surprised to see Vanessa smiling at her.

“Hold still, girlfriend,” the vampire ordered as she disappeared behind Wendy.

Hearing keys jingling, Wendy looked as far behind her as she could and barked, “What are you doing here?”

Vanessa began to work with the shackles that bound her friend and she replied, “Vlad said I could come and help.”

“Where did you get the keys?”

With a little laugh, the vampire replied, “They were hanging behind you on the pole. You’d never think to look for them there.”

Freed quickly, Wendy looked first to the battle, which had quickly turned to more of a massacre, then to the vampire girl, and she raised her brow.

Dressed in black commando gear that looked way too big for her, Vanessa looked to the truck and informed, “We have more weapons in there so you’d better grab one.” Reaching behind her, she took the small machine gun that hung on a long strap behind her and held it ready, turning her eyes back to Wendy as she said, “Let’s go get some!”

Setting her hands on her hips, Wendy raised her brow and shook her head. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Still in his half wolf form, Ryan took Wendy’s shoulder from behind and half turned her. His voice was as the beast he resembled as he ordered, “Get a weapon and watch the front. We’re taking out the whole nest.” Looking to Vanessa, he ordered, “Back the truck out and wait for us out front, and shoot any vampire that comes out.”

The vampire girl nodded to him and darted around to the driver’s side of the truck.

As Ryan turned to follow the others through the door to the back, Wendy barked, “Wait a minute! You’re letting her drive?”

He called back as he strode out of the room, “I’ve seen you drive, Shaw. Follow her out and cover her.”

As he disappeared into the back, Wendy flipped him off, then looked to the truck as it backed out of the room with a great vengeance, tearing out more of the wall as it went. She followed at a walking pace, her thoughts shifting back to changing as the others had, and she wondered how she could make it happen.

Outside, Wendy emerged from the huge hole the truck had left and saw it just skidding to a stop on the front yard. With one mighty lunge backward, the engine died and she smiled as she realized that her little vampire friend had let the clutch out with it still in gear.

Vanessa opened the door and climbed down, a very satisfied look on her pale face as she strode to Wendy and held her weapon ready. “Are you ready to kick some butt?”

“Always,” Wendy assured as she and the slight vampire girl turned back toward the house. Looking over her shoulder to the truck, she wheeled around, her hair flailing out as she strode to the passenger side door and pulled it open after two yanks. “Drove right into the house. At least this thing’s good for something,” she grumbled as she climbed in and rummaged around the back seat. Emerging seconds later, she held a big bore, pump shotgun, and she chambered the first round hard as she stood in front of the truck with the vampire.

Looking to the shotgun Wendy carried, Vanessa smiled and revealed her fangs as she joked, “Was that the biggest one you could find?”

Wendy smiled and looked to the house. “I’m hoping to see something big when this thing is over with, if you know what I mean.”

Vanessa’s brow lowered and she also looked to the house, asking, “Huh?”

“So Vlad let you come out and play, huh?”

“Yes, I may have been underfoot while they were all getting ready.”

Wendy glanced at her. “They weren’t afraid that Sebastian would know the plan through you?”

Looking away, Vanessa stammered, “Um, about that…”

Movement in the hole in the house caught Wendy’s eye and she trained her shotgun and her attention that way. “Okay, looks like it’s party time. Pick your targets carefully and remember not to shoot our guys.”

Vanessa nodded and held her weapon tightly; aiming as best she could with the few minutes of instruction she had received.

Three figures in those black robes ran out of the hole, and two of them were brandishing assault rifles. Wendy was the first to respond, cracking off two rounds from her shotgun. She knew that the blasts would probably not have much impact, but she also knew that the damage caused would at least slow them down. One of the vampires stumbled as he was hit and another, a woman, aimed her weapon and opened fire.

Vanessa tried to return fire, but her weapon would not respond as she squeezed the trigger. In a wide eyed panic, she backed away, almost to the grill guard of the truck and screamed, “Wendy!”

Firing three more rounds into the charging vampire woman and knocking her backward, Wendy reached to the submachine gun that Vanessa held and pulled the bolt back with a quick, fluid motion.

With her first round finally chambered, Vanessa leveled her weapon once again and squeezed the trigger, and as bullets belched forth she staggered back the last two feet into the pickup, slamming back-first into the truck’s grill guard as she struggled to control the weapon. Needless to say, she fired fifty rounds and hit nothing but the house, but the vampires dove for cover during her barrage.

Wendy fired her last two rounds at them, then looked to the vampire girl and asked, “Would you prefer a BB gun?”

With a broad smile, Vanessa released the magazine and let it fall, then she reached behind her for another.

The vampire woman was the first up to see the predapire out of ammunition and the vampire girl fumbling with the next magazine. Raising her weapon, she first took aim at Wendy, and this did not go unnoticed.

Wendy was not aware that she could move so fast. The forty or so feet between her and the house dissolved too quickly for her to think about and she was upon the vampire who was shooting at her so quickly that the vampire could not respond in time. Slamming the butt of the shotgun into the vampire’s face, she drove home her attack as the woman stumbled backward and finally threw the empty shotgun from her and engaged the stunned vampire hand to hand. She felt strength surge into her as her opponent fought back and something welled up from deep inside of her, though she was barely aware.

One of the other vampires took aim at Wendy from behind but had forgotten about the vampire girl, who finally had gotten her magazine into place and rushed forward, firing from the hip much more accurately this time as she drew closer.

Pounded by a barrage of machine gun fire, the vampire stumbled and finally fell.

Her weapon empty, Vanessa groped her thigh pockets for another magazine, then her eyes widened as the vampire staggered to his feet and turned his full attention on her.

His lips slid away from his teeth and fangs as he hunched over, his gaze locked on her with his brow held low.

With a frightened whimper, Vanessa backed away as he advanced, fumbling with the gun she tried to reload with shaking hands. Before she realized, the vampire was upon her and grabbed the gun out of her hands. She shrieked as he took her by the throat, staring up into his menacing eyes as she grasped his arm.

He smiled, informing, “Now you’ll see what happens to traitors.” His grip on her tightened, but he was hesitant as he heard the growl behind him. Slowly looking over his shoulder, his eyes widened slightly as they were filled with the image of white fur, of bared teeth, and angry green eyes.

Only about ten feet behind him was a huge white wolf. Her eyes were the color of emeralds and her lips were curled away from long, menacing teeth. She was a muscular beast, standing on all fours, holding her head at the same level as her shoulders with her ears flat against her head.

The vampire pushed Vanessa from him and spun around, baring his own fangs as he hissed at her and held himself ready to attack.

The wolf crouched down and growled again.

Without warning, the vampire turned and fled, and the white wolf was upon him before he made it three steps, knocking him face first to the ground. With vicious growls, she clamped her jaws around the back of his neck, wrenching her head back and forth to work her teeth in. He screamed and tried to struggle away from her.

Vanessa watched with wide eyes as the white wolf mauled the vampire with a merciless hunger. After wrenching his head off, she continued to tear at his back, eventually down to his ribcage even after he was clearly dead and no longer moving. Looking back toward the house, she saw two others lying a few feet apart, both mauled and torn open, torn apart. Her gaze shifted back to the white wolf and her breath caught as their eyes met.

The dark blood dripped from the wolf’s jaws as she slowly turned and stalked toward the girl, only to pause a few feet away and violently shake her head. She licked her chops, cleaning much of the blood from her nose and her teeth and the sides of her mouth. This time she held her head up and her ears straight up as well.

Still, the vampire was terrified. This wolf had just killed three larger vampires with relative ease, and now it was well within striking distance to do the same to her.

Shirtless, Ryan burst from the hole in the house and froze where he was, growling, “Aw, dammit!”

Also shirtless, Vlad appeared beside him. “She’s finally transformed but she has gone feral.” He called to the vampire, “Vanessa, do not move!”

Whimpering, the girl nodded, her wide eyes locked on the wolf as she did her best to remain still.

The two predapires slowly approached, and Ryan called, “Wendy. I know you’re in there. Just follow the sound of my voice. Focus on my voice.

The wolf glanced back at him, then she turned her attention back to the vampire girl. Lunging upward, she had her front paws on Vanessa’s shoulders before she could react, and before the two men could reach her in time, she began to mercilessly lick the vampire girl’s face and neck.

With tightly closed eyes, Vanessa screamed and turned her face away, still afraid to move but as the wolf licked her neck right under her ear she squealed, “Stop! That tickles!”

By the time Vlad and Ryan got to them, the girl was giggling and trying to push the wolf away from her, and they stopped a few feet away, Ryan setting his hands on his hips.

Vlad raised his brow and observed, “Feral or not, she seems to remember that one.”

“We’d better get her back to the house,” Ryan informed. His voice drew the wolf’s attention and she turned her head to look at him, then she turned from the vampire, dropping her paws from her shoulders as she did. Sniffing as she approached Ryan, she whined in short, high pitched sounds and sniffed his hand as he offered it to her, then her nose went right for his crotch.

Huffing a laugh, Vlad observed, “She seems to remember you, too.”