Revolution

Deacon

Todd and I drove in silence for a time. I wanted him to think over everything I had told him, give him time to process it all. I gave him a lot of information. A lot of new information. Information they needed to know to go into this with an open mind and not blinded.

It was dark outside, and hard for him to see all the damage done to the roads. I knew tomorrow would be another story altogether. Sometimes we didn’t think about the full scope of the damage, only the parts we saw on a regular basis.

“So, what are we doing? Why are we going to the gate?”

“I am running low on supplies, as are the stores. I have a man who usually delivers to me, who was willing to at least meet me at the wall. He is human, and no, he doesn’t know that I am not. I agreed to meet him at sunrise. There are soldiers on the other side. If I come at night, they will assume that I am a vampire and will kill me on sight. On our side, there are vampires guarding the gate. I had thought I would be safe driving back over with the sunup. Your little witch tells us otherwise.”

“Is this Carter’s gate? Will they just let you go through without any problems?”

“Yes, and probably not. I had planned on negotiating with Carter for passage.”

“Negotiate with what? They raided the banks. And they never seem to worry about money.”

“No, when you walk the earth for as long as we have, and I am older than him by the way, you invest, you work jobs just for something to do, or you steal. No matter your choice, you accrue quite a bit of money.”

“H… how old are you?”

I chuckled at the waver in his voice. “I’m over 400, Todd. Carter has barely passed his first century.”

I heard the faint sounds of him mouthing woah, and dude that’s old.

“Colton has seen ten centuries.” I laughed at the stunned look on his face.

It took him a few minutes to form a sentence again. “What could you negotiate with Carter over?”

I just raised an eyebrow at him. His eyes widened. Now he was freaking out.

I waved a hand at him. “Calm down. I was going to negotiate covering his tab, nothing more. Although, with you here already, he might just want that payment now. He has told me more than once how limited the feeding options are out there.”

Todd nodded and blew out a breath roughly, his cheeks puffing out. “Yeah, we already wondered if that was the case. Especially with how quickly our plans are supposed to escalate with him after this. Any human could have driven you, why else would the visions suggest me?”

Todd glanced at the clock glowing in the darkness. We had already been on the road for two hours.

“Shouldn’t we be passed the Antelope Valley by now? Have we even reached Santa Clarita yet?”

“No. You can’t see much because of how dark it is without the lights. But we have to take a lot of side streets, and different ones at that. I made a practice run through after we arranged this. About Palmdale, we will be able to stay on the freeway until we reach Mojave. With only one detour, and then back on again. We still have a few hours to go. Why don’t you try and get some sleep? You will have to drive us back tomorrow.”

“How am I supposed to drive if I don’t know the way?”

I chuckled at his rising frustration. “I will be able to guide you from the floor. Vampires have terrific memories.”

Todd nodded and leaned against the door. I put my arm to the back row of my extended cab and picked up the blanket Carrie insisted I bring. She said I would need it to hide under. The idea of hiding made me chafe, but I did not want to risk her life. I had a feeling she would be able to convince me to hide in those rotten caves again. I handed it to Todd. He bundled it up like a pillow and laid on it, against the window.

We drove in silence for the next hour. I was taking my time this time around. Anything could have changed. And I didn’t want to miss something in the dark. Besides, I had plenty of time.

“How do you kill a vampire?” His question was soft, barely there.

“A silver dagger to the heart will kill a Nightwalker. They cannot heal from that. You can also cut off their heads. If you come across a Vampire Born, the dagger will only paralyze them for a few minutes. So, you better move quickly to cut off their head.”

“Is that why Colton couldn’t move in the vision? Was the knife a silver dagger?”

I shuddered at the thought of it. Colton would have been scared, not for himself, but for Carrie, as he watched them carry her away. I didn’t like the idea of him coming that close to death either. Both of them being put in peril because of my thoughtless actions chafed.

“Yes. If Curtis had planned to kill him, he would have cut his head off too.”

Silence rained down on us again, and soon I could hear the slowing of his heartbeat and his breathing. It reminded me of my angel. I smiled when I thought of all the times she pretended to still be asleep. Even if she forgot how well we could hear, she should have remembered that I could feel her curiosity, her alertness. It was the easiest time to tell her things. I knew she would internalize everything we said, she wouldn’t jump up and start arguing with me.

Eventually, Todd and I entered the smaller cities. The ones that still had power. It was nice to have streetlights again. I could see fine in the dark, but after decades of living with electricity, you get used to it. It was comforting.

The lack of power at night, not using the heater, was another benefit to Colton sleeping on my angel’s other side. She would be warm no matter what. Of course, according to her, we warmed her up on the inside as well. I had never noticed it before.

I still didn’t feel a temperature change between Colton and myself. Nor have I noticed the difference when I have cleaned the tables and booths after they have been used. Colton and I theorized that it was linked to the magic in her blood.

Whether it was her personal magic, or because she was a witch, I had no clue.

I looked up at the glowing clock on the dash. It was nearing two. The bar would be getting ready to close. Colton would make sure my angel was safe and comforted tonight.

I was grateful that she accepted him, that she cared for him. And that he cared for her. I knew she was safe. I knew she was loved. And I knew she wouldn’t be lonely. I was sure she was still missing me. I wished I could feel her from so far away.

It was odd, but I missed both of them.

Colton and I had been together for a long time. Over these last two weeks, we’d grown closer than ever before. My angel brought us together. She was the gravity that pulled us together. And now she was the glue that kept us that way. He hadn’t planned on staying this whole time with us. Just the time for me to make this trip and the practice run. But he didn’t want to leave. We didn’t want him too either. He was part of us now. From that first time, right after Victor tried and failed to take her, he became part of us. Maybe even since the morning he suggested to double team her. The moment that door started opening, he became part of us. We were not meant to be a mated pair, but a mated unit. All this time, we had just been waiting for her to piece us together.

My eyes widened when we drew closer to a large dark shape. It was as long as the eye could see. It wasn’t high by vampire standards, but it was high enough. Straight ahead, I saw a break in the wall. One that was just large enough for a semi-truck of vampires to get through.

I reached over and hit Todd in the shoulder. “Todd. Wake up. We’re here.”

I heard him rubbing his eyes and starting to move around. I knew he was really awake when a curse word flew out of his mouth. A few of them actually.

“Is that the wall?”

“So, it would seem. Be ready, there are quite a few Nightwalkers out there.”

Three vampires stood in the road, blocking our path. I slowed down until I came to a stop and rolled my window down. Another vampire stepped up from the side.

“Where do you think you are going? And why do you have a human with you?” He practically snarled at me.

Todd’s fear spiked, even though he kept his cool on the outside. The new vamp grinned when he smelled it. Lovely.

“Get Carter for me.” That was the only way I was getting through this gate, especially without someone killing the human boy next to me.

“Why?” His eyes came back to mine warily.

I glared back at him, pushing my door open. He jumped, not expecting it. “You need to knock off the attitude and do as you are told. How old are you? Ten?”

The vamp tried to straighten his shoulders. “No, sir. I’m twenty.”

I scoffed and shook my head. “You’re a baby. An infant.” I looked over his shoulder, to where I could see more vampires moving around. One bald head stuck out more than the others, mainly because of the way the moon shined off it. “Carter! Get your sorry butt over here before I relieve you of one less child.”

I heard the sounds of deep laughter, and then the footsteps jogging closer.

“What’s wrong, Deac? You gettin’ so old you don’t have patience for the little ones anymore?”

I scowled at the insufferable child. “He hasn’t even reached puberty yet. I don’t have the time or patience to deal with someone who doesn’t know when one of his elders is talking to him.”

Carter slapped the infant on the shoulders, making him jump. “We need to work on you telling the difference in a vampire’s age, Private. Take a big whiff. The older they are, the more they stink.” Carter barked out a laugh at his own joke.

“Har, har.” I kept my face straight.

The infant sighed with relief when Carter let go of him and dismissed him.

“He wasn’t doing anything wrong you know. What are you doing out here?”

“I need supplies. For some reason, my delivery guy doesn’t want to come through the gate. Even if it would open for him.” I acted shocked and Carter laughed.

“And what makes you think I will let you through? For all I know, you won’t come back over.” He was struggling with the straight face.

I chuckled and scratched my jaw. “You really think I would have left Carrie behind if that was the case?”

He scoffed. “You would if you ticked her off. That girl would stab you in your sleep.”

“Man, don’t give her any ideas. She’s scary enough. Now. How about it? Are you going to let me through or what?”

He folded his arms across his chest and sighed. “It’s against the rules, Deac. Why can’t you get supplies within the wall?”

“Eventually, I will be able to, but I don’t have the contacts right now, nor the idea of how to do that with the roads the way they are.” I sighed, acting like I was frustrated. “What will it take, Carter? Name your price.”

He grinned, that was the opening he was looking for. “Twenty minutes, on the house, both of them. Playtime included.”

I pretended to think about it for a minute. “I don’t know, Carter. That’s a lot. Hmmm.” I looked him up and down. “What about, one of them. Todd. Ten minutes… right now.”

Carter opened his mouth, ready to argue, then froze, his eyes widening. They darted to the truck, where he could see a figure in the cab. Then he took a big sniff.

He grinned. “You brought me a treat?”

I laughed. “Well, someone has to drive me back with the sunup. You think I want to be stuck out here with all these babies until sundown? I figured he could drive me, and maybe help convince you to open that gate for me, both times.” I held a hand toward Carter. “Deal?” He didn’t even look at me, he only had eyes for Todd,

“Make it thirty.”

“Twenty, and that’s as high as I’m going.”

His hand finally met mine. “Deal.” He was already working on his pants as he made his way around to Todd’s side.

I leaned against the truck to wait, chuckling softly.

“Hey, stranger. Long time no see.” Todd laughed, acting happy to see him. At least he didn’t smell like he was scared anymore.

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you. I’m starving.” I heard a new zipper as Todd laughed.

“That’s why I’m here. Don’t tell anyone, but you are my and Gracey’s favorite vamp.”

“The feeling is mutual, pup. Now, turn around. I only have twenty minutes, and I plan on making every minute worth it.”

I heard the slightest grunt from Todd, then he turned them into more. From the scent in the air, he wasn’t just acting.

It didn’t take Carter long to get what he needed from Todd, and to build up the dopamine. As soon as he let him turn again, he had Todd sitting in the seat, and drank from his thigh while he kept building the addictive chemicals up.

At twenty minutes, I knocked on the side of the truck. Todd was outside of the truck now, on his knees. He released Carter and stood back up. Both of them were still hanging free.

“Will we see you on Sunday?” Todd asked, hopeful.

“Yes. Make this pick up take longer, and you can visit me in my tent before you take him home. Deacon will be trapped in the truck. We can have more time together.”

Todd pouted. “If you brought us back with you, we would have all the time we wanted. We have friends who could help with the others.” Todd reached a hand down, softly stroking Carter’s ego.

Carter sighed sadly, sounding like someone who had had this conversation too many times already. “And where would I keep you?”

Todd pointed at the houses not far off, with his chin. “Are any of them empty?” His hand stopped being so gentle. “You could even stay there with us, when you are off duty.” Carter growled, pushed the kid against the truck, and grabbed him in return. I decided to play nice and give them an extra minute.

I knew Carter’s growl when he finished by now. Surprisingly, the kid growled with almost the same intensity.

I opened my door. “Time to go.” I climbed in and pretended I couldn’t hear Carter lean in and whisper in his ear.

“When you come back, turn right as soon as you come through the gate. Pull up to the first tent. I’ll be waiting.” He dropped to his knees in front of Todd, apparently having difficulty saying goodbye. Todd didn’t seem to mind either. He was all in it, and it wasn’t an act.

The scent coming from both of them was making my life difficult. And it made me want to get back to Colton more than it used too. Huh. Interesting.

“See ya later, Deac!” Carter laughed as he released the shaky teenager and stepped away. He knew perfectly well that he basically got the thirty that he wanted.

I laughed and shook my head. Todd fixed his pants before climbing in and closing his door. I waited while Carter signaled for them to open the gate back up.

“Are you going to do what he said? Pull over to his tent? It won’t be paid.”

Todd grunted. “I know. We aren’t doing this for the pay though, that just helps. We need him. And if this is what it takes, then so be it. I just want this over with.”

“Why are you doing this? I know why Grace is. Carrie explained the place Grace is in, with the visions coming to her and all. But why are you?”

He shrugged, and for a moment, I didn’t think he would answer.

“I didn’t want to let her do it by herself. I had a crush on Grace for years. I thought I won the lottery when she got moved into the same foster home as me. I managed to get her into my bed a few times, but it wasn’t easy. I have her now, and I’m not letting her out of my sight. I hate the fact that I have to share her with every vampire out there, but it is a means to an end. When this is all over, I am going to hide her away somewhere. Just the two of us.”

“Well, good luck then.” I had no idea what else to say to all that. Especially since he reminded me a little of those twins I had before. One of them in particular. It took him a while to accept his change of opinion as well.

Those boys worked for me for ten years, it took nearly that long for him to figure it out. He came back to my bar, just for a drink, after a date with a girl he had liked for a long time. He was confused. They finally did the deed, but there was something off. It just wasn’t the same as it once had been. A Nightwalker that he regularly serviced came in not much later and approached. The new doctor figured, why not. He was there anyway. He had his problem figured out long before any fangs came out.

Sometimes, tastes change. I knew mine seemed to be. Well, mine were more like expanding. Growing to include things I hadn’t paid enough attention to before.

Within minutes, we were pulling up to another guard shack. This one was less than half a mile from the other side of the wall.

I rolled my window down again as a real soldier stepped up this time. “Who are you and how the hell did you get through that gate?”

“My name is Deacon. I run a bar in Los Angeles. This is one of my employees, Todd. I’m meeting a man by the name of Eric Anderson here at dawn. I am taking a truckload of supplies back with me.”

A look of absolute confusion crossed the younger man’s face. “Why would you go back? You’re free.”

“No.” I shook my head and sighed sadly. “I’m not. I could only come if I left my wife at home. Todd’s girlfriend and family are back there, too. If we don’t go back, they will pay the price.”

“How do we know you aren’t one of them vamps?”

I chuckled. “Why would I meet my contact at dawn if I were one of them?”

The soldier nodded like that made sense. “Alright. But I have to check with my CO first. Stay here.”

Todd made a whistling sound as the soldier walked away. I just nodded. Ten minutes later, a young Captain approached the car. I sniffed deeper at the new scent and rolled my eyes.

The shifters always had been better at blending in than we were. He sniffed me in return and his eyes widened. He looked around to make sure none of his men were close enough to hear.

“What in the hell are you doing here? And don’t give me some BS about supplies.”

“It’s not BS. I am here to get supplies. I brought the kid so he can drive me back during the day.”

The Captain frowned at me. “You can drive yourself back.”

“Not without alerting the Nightwalkers into what I really am. The kid’s girl is part witch. She had a vision of it not going so well if I tried that. My mate is a pure-blooded witch. The Nightwalkers know all about her, their captain is a regular in my bar. Right now, all of them think I am just old and that’s why I smell different.” It was the Captain’s turn to roll his eyes. “I know, but you know it’s not safe right now for us either. Especially if Curtis finds out that I have a mate. A fated one at that.”

The Captain’s eyes widened again, as he took a step back, rubbing his face. “She can carry your son?”

I nodded. “We think so. The magic in her blood is strong. The vision showed Curtis taking her if I got discovered. We need the supplies. Curtis is still working things out up North. The roads are shot to hell. People need to eat.” I cast a look at Todd and nodded.

“I am not just here to cover for him. My girl and I are spying from the insides. We have a plan to get close to Curtis, but we need to know who to contact with information when we have it.”

“How old are you, kid?” The Captain asked.

“17, sir.” Todd had a decent backbone on him. Not everyone could look an alpha wolf in the eye without blinking. Even when they didn’t know what he was. Their aura was not one you messed with.

“And how in the hell do you plan on getting close to the scum who is behind all this?”

Todd gave him that trademark grin that teenagers all over the world have perfected. The one that was all smug and attitude.

“By creating a ready-made harem full of teenagers who are willing to give them what they want. We are young enough that we will last longer, and we are strong enough that we have the chemicals they need.”

The Captain was shocked and had no idea how to respond. That quickly changed though. He turned a murderous gaze to me. I raised my hands in surrender.

“Don’t look at me. They started all that before I found them. I brought him along for cover. Things are different over there right now. You do what you have to in order to survive. It’s a long shot, but I can guarantee that if they find their way close enough to Curtis, they will get the information no one else can get.”

The captain paced away for a few minutes, then came back. “I have to run this up the chain of command. Pull your truck up to that building. You both can wait inside.” He pointed to a small shack of a place just down the road, on our right.

Inside, we found water bottles and an array of snacks on a table tucked off to the side, across from a couch. A soldier near the door told us to help ourselves. Todd dug in. We waited silently for a couple hours in the small, worn-out furniture that they had in there. At one point, Todd fell asleep, stretched out on the couch.

Just before sunrise, the Captain walked in. I stood up and met him. I left Todd sleeping.

“Well, what’s the verdict? Am I free to grab my supplies and run back, or am I going to be locked up?” I grinned sarcastically.

He just shook his head at me, a tired smile on his face. “You will be free to go. So long as they all see you in the sun, they will believe you are human. I wouldn’t make this a regular thing though. The President is planning an invasion soon. Any humans coming out, will have to stay out. As for the kids…” The captain closed his eyes and shook his head. He pulled a small box out of one of his many pockets. “I was told to give them this burner phone. I’ve already programmed my number in it. Teach them how to be careful with this please.”

I took the box with a resigned sigh of my own. I had really been hoping that the army refused to accept their help.

“I will. Grace, the girl, may only have a little bit of witch’s blood in her, but her power is strong. My mate’s mother was clairvoyant as well. The gift seems nearly identical so far. And my mate comes from a long line of pure bloods. In fact,” I shook my head slowly, “they trace back to the coven that cursed us.”

The Captain hissed then cursed fate. I grinned.

“At one time, I may have agreed with you, but not now. I wouldn’t trade her for the world. I didn’t even know what she was to me until I bonded with her. It’s been a long time since my people have met fate.”

“That’s how it goes, sometimes. Part of me longs for the day I finally meet mine, but the rest of me, fears it.” We both heard the unmistakable sounds of a large diesel truck pulling up. He extended a hand to me. “Good luck. Get your mate out as soon as you can. Neither of you are safe in there.”

I thanked him and then woke Todd up. I gave him the box, and he thanked the Captain.

Eric had a trailer he was willing to part with, for extra money of course. I laughed as I slid my card through the small Square card reader he had attached to his phone. The man was prepared. He knew what he was doing when he loaded up.

The Captain and I both laughed as we watched a few of the men trying to lift the hitch from Eric’s truck and move it to mine. They got it off, and then promptly dropped it in the dirt.

The Captain and I walked over and lifted it up. One of us probably could have done it on our own, one handed, but we didn’t want to stand out that bad.

I tossed my keys to Todd, then grumbled as I sat on the floor of the truck. The Captain threw the thick blanket over my head, laughing still. He wished us good luck again and we were off.

Todd slowed at the gate and waited while it was opened, probably by remote. He pulled to the right, parking outside a large tent, and mumbled that he would be back.

He was gone for over an hour.

I was getting restless, debating on going out there to check on him. But that would put Carrie at risk. It wasn’t just him being gone that worried me either. The longer he took, the later we would be getting back.

I sighed with relief when he got back in the cab and started driving.

When we were far enough away, I pulled the blanket off my head.

“How much did he take? Are you alright to drive?”

Todd chuckled and waved me off. “He didn’t drink much.” Todd shifted uncomfortably in the seat, making a face. “I may have convinced him that once a week was not enough. We’ll see on Sunday.” Todd shrugged.

Now that he was more awake, he asked about the Captain and how he knew about me. I had to explain about shifters and our history with them. Apparently, they were better at passing down knowledge than the vamps were. Which was good. It was kind of sad that the only magical species to forget about my people were the vampires themselves. The witches remembered. As did the shifters. I couldn’t help but wonder why that was.

When we returned to the city, I offered to drop him off at home. He insisted on seeing this all the way through. He parked in the alley behind the bar, leaving me enough shade to make it from the truck to the bar.