“He can live for now.” I still thirst for his blood. He has Victoria to thank for his sorry life.
Two vampires passed like a blur of light heading in the direction of the girl and Fred.
“Vampires. Let’s go.” Running I broke through the trees, my sneakers skidding on the pavement.
Dashing around the corner, I followed the heavy breathing. The girl’s purple ponytails swayed behind her as she leaped over a car and kept on running. Two vampires were scaling the walls closing in on her. One vampire headed up the building and disappeared over the roof. She would soon be boxed in a corner.
“I’ll take this vampire. You take the one on the roof.” Pointing to the red-bricked building, I rushed ahead closing in on the vampire.
“On it,” said Dylan. He jumped up the stairs on the other building next to the red building and climbed on the rooftop.
Turning the bend, I skid to a stop. The girl’s eyes turned the same shade of purple as her hair. I crept around the side to watch her get slain. We need to know what we’re up against. The vampire leapt in the air, and she decapitated his head when she sliced his head off his shoulders with the green trashcan top. His head rolled under the car, and his body slumped to the ground. Tossing the top on the ground she ran down the street.
I waited a few minutes before I followed her. She was fast. She wasn’t a vampire so what was she? She looked like a human but she had powers. I’ve never seen anything like her before. It’s best that I kill her and move on. I’m intrigued but I have enough on my plate.
She slid to a stop when Fred grabbed her by the shoulders. He stared at her until he pushed her out of the way when the other vampire jumped on him. He threw Fred up against the red car. Before Fred wedged himself out of the dented car, he was on him again. His fangs grew down and his eyes were red.
Fred grabbed the rear-view mirror of the car and bashed it over the vampire’s head. Fred was bleeding. I’m guessing this was the first time he’s ever fought anything in his life.
Looking at the roof I saw Dylan battling another vampire. Wow, if we’re going to take over Earth, we need to get rid of the vampires. Once they are gone, we will rule over the humans. Heading for the steps, I spotted Ted. Ted grabbed the vampire by the throat and held him while Dylan ripped his head off.
Jumping off the stairs I turned my attention to Fred. The vampire had Fred in a head gripped between his arms. At any moment Fred’s head would be ripped from his body. The girl screamed and fell to her knees as her spinal bone grew and broke through her skin. Her flesh fell from her bones and was replaced by brownish-green scaly skin and a large tail.
She shape-shifted into a dragon. Lifting its head, it breathed fire on the vampire. Once the vampire’s body turned to ashes, the dragon jumped over the car and took flight. What are dragons doing on Earth? She wasn’t a dragon by birth, but she can shape-shift into one. Valcrum would not give that power to anyone so who gave her that power?
“Wait! Don’t leave,” said Fred. He scrambled to his feet and took off down the street bellowing after her.
Jumping up the lower stairs, I climbed until I was on the rooftop. I ran down the rooftop as fast as I could. The edge was up ahead, and I increased my speed jumping as high as I could. I landed hard on the next building’s roof. The dragon’s long wings were taking the beast far, but I still had her in my sights.
Hopping to the next building rooftop, I kept running. She was almost out of sight and I was running out of buildings. Dang. I miss flying. Looking down she spotted Fred and flew faster disappearing behind two tall skyscraper buildings. Coming to the edge I skidded to a stop, wavering at the edge.
“Careful. The creature is gone,” said Dylan. He pulled me away from the edge and looked out into the night.
“What is that thing doing here on Earth? That creature doesn’t belong on Earth,” said Ted. He scratched his head and pulled a cigarette out his pocket.
“We need to find it. Let’s go.” Ted and Dylan looked like I asked them to suck a raccoon butt. My men may think this beast has nothing to do with us, but it does.
Jumping down I directed Ted to go to the right and Dylan and I ran toward the left around the brown building. Creeping to the side stairwell I paused, listening. There was no sign of her anywhere.
Frowning, I headed down the street to see if Ted had any luck. Crossing the empty street, Fred’s shouting was faint. Rushing to the building I turned the corner and found Fred.
“Ted I’ll kill you.” Fred was blocking the girl’s body from Ted.
“I’m killing her and if you want to die with her so be it,” said Ted. He wrapped his hands around Fred’s neck.
She pulled Ted off Fred and threw him twenty feet in the air. He landed on an old car and caved in the car’s ceiling.
She grabbed Fred’s hand, preparing to take off running.
“Don’t make me hurt you. Fred can tell you; I mean business.” I stood there daring them to make a break and run.
“I’m escorting the girl home. I’ll catch up with you guys later,” said Fred. He pushed the girl behind his back.
“I want to speak to her. Move out of my way.” Moving my hands up and down, I channeled my energy, allowing the poison to flow through me. A silver ball of energy formed in the air. I blasted Fred with it. He flew into the brick wall down the street and slithered to the ground.
She turned around and looked at Fred. When she faced him, her eyes turned as purple as her hair. Her skin turned darker but she did not fall to her knees.
“You can turn into a dragon and die or you can listen and I might let you live. What is your name?” I needed her to know that I meant business and that she too would fall in line like my men. She could bow at my feet and live or die nameless on the secluded street.
“None of your damn business,” she said. She ran toward Fred. She stopped scooped him up and ran away.
She didn’t change into a dragon again. She had super strength, agility, and speed as she jumped up on a car with Fred cradled in her arms and leaped on the rooftop of the building.
“Are we going after her?” asked Dylan.
“Nope. Fred will come back and he’ll lead us to her.” I can’t get my mind off what I saw. These creatures might have more power than me. Valcrum thinks he’s won sending me here but I’m going to make him pay.
“Let’s find a bar in this dive. This depressed city must have a great place to drink.” Victoria set me up. It seems like these days nobody has any loyalty.
Love, I didn’t set you up. I have a life too, while you’re down there chilling. I’m subject to Valcrum’s laws, so I haven’t had time to find out everything about Atlanta.
Victoria save your lies for someone that wants to hear them. I’m growing tired of your betrayal.
The streets appeared empty. I didn’t trust that there weren’t creatures lurking in the shadows. That’s where I would be, watching and waiting to prey on the next sucker who I caught not paying attention. Death always lurks on the other side of distraction.
Brittani’s Bar and Grill sounded nice. The sign could say ‘alcohol at the dog shack’ and I would still walk inside. My nerves were bad and I needed the edge taken off with a stiff shot of tequila. Valcrum’s laws about your body being a temple didn’t apply.
“Boys it’s our lucky day. Like always guys, we dine out.” I couldn’t have the city knowing about us.
“I’m starving Trevor. Can you lighten up a bit and at least allow us the occasional bathroom snack,” asked Dylan?
“Didn’t you learn anything tonight? Atlanta is crawling with vampires and creatures. We can’t afford for the humans to know we are here to.”
“I get it, but we need new bodies. We can kill the vampires and the creatures. We are more powerful than them,” said Ted. He cracked his knuckles and popped his neck.
“True, but we still take our food to go. We maintain a low profile until I find out what’s really going on in this city.” I’m wondering if t
he humans know about these creatures. Someone must know about the creatures and the vampires. Humans are concerned when other humans die. They are so concerned with other people. Silly humans.
My skin itched and I felt like a billion leeches were sucking my energy. It was time to kill again and shapeshift into the next body and keep it moving. I stayed inside the decrepit young body because this is how Kyra knows me, but that will change one day soon.
Most of the buildings in this part of the city were boarded up. The street was littered with used syringes and half-cracked alcohol bottles. The air smelled like urine. I guess this was the part of town where all hope was lost. You can learn a lot when someone has nothing to lose. Those types of people made the best flunkies. Easy prey.
The bar looked older than me. If the top of the bar weren’t brick it probably wouldn’t be still standing. The lower half was made of hunter green siding with gold letter. The tan wooden door was crooked and hung halfway off the hinges. Four of the six glass window panels on the door were shattered. This place was nice in the past but now it looked like a dive.
Time hadn’t been nice to this bar. Walking through the door I strolled deep into the establishment toward the bar. I loved to have a front-row seat. I’m sure this place would provide entertainment, joy, and comfort. If I’m lucky maybe a few people will die tonight. That’s not asking too much.
Stale cigarette smoke made my eyes burn. Sinking down in the lopsided wooden chair I observed everyone here. Most of the girls seemed to be between seventeen and twenty-one, but they looked fourteen with tons of makeup painted on their faced and wads of tissues stuffed in their bras. How are they even getting away with being in a place like this? One girl stood out. The girl with the rainbow-colored hair sitting at the bar tossing tequila shots back like water.
Her rainbow-colored hair flowed smoothly down her back. Jet-black short mini skirt with fishnet stockings hugging curvy calves had all the men’s attentions. There was something about her that seemed volatile. We picked a perfect night to come here. These men will fight over her, or she will be a good girl and I will kill her tonight.
Waving the stressed-out blond waitress over to me. “Bring a shot of tequila to the girl at the bar. Make sure you use the good stuff.” Folding a twenty-dollar bill in her hand I watched her rush off. When she brought the shot of tequila to her, a frown curved her brow until the waitress pointed to me. The girl tossed the shot back and jump up. Her chair scraped across the floor and she headed toward me.
“Look mister. I don’t know who you think I am but I don’t screw guys that look like they are old enough to be my father.”
“That’s good to know.” She’s sassy and I like it. The chip on her shoulder must be the size of Mount Everest.
“Why did you buy me a drink? Did you think you knew me?”
“You look like you could use one. I’ve had a rough day and I know what that feels like. I’m Trevor by the way.” I held out my hand to her and waited until she decided to shake it.
“Celeste Love.”
“What brings you here all alone in a place like this?” I looked around and her eyes followed mine as I scanned the bar.
“Who said I was alone and even if I am, I won’t be leaving alone.” She stood up and I grabbed her right wrist.
“A woman who knows what she wants always gets my respect.”
“I’m not trying to earn your respect.”
Three hours passed and twenty-one drinks later, Celeste is still wary. She was a tough cookie and I could not seem to get under her wall. There must be something that she wants, I just need to get her drunk enough to tell me.
“I thought you were a vampire. I can’t stand that they are among us and there’s nothing we can do about it but that changed.”
“How is that changing?” I sipped my soda. This girl knew something. “What’s going to change?”
“Soon all of these vampires will be dead.”
“I don’t see how that would happen.”
“That’s just it. The plan is brilliant because neither do vampires and when they figure it out, they will be dead.”
I took a sip and feigned boredom. She knew more than what I thought she knew.
“The virus will take them all out of here.”
“You get me this virus and I will give you whatever you want.” This is great. These humans always want to mess with stuff that they shouldn’t. They made a virus and the virus will still kill them.
“You can’t give me what I want.” She leaned back in her chair and her lips thinned to a straight line. She looked like she was super angry.
“I’m capable of many things.”
“I want the people to pay for what they did to me.” She cut her eyes from mine down to the knife on the table then back at me.
“You have a deal.” Interesting. This girl spoke about murder like ordering a cheeseburger. I’m beginning to like her more and more. If she proved to be useful, she could be on my team. I didn’t sense any hesitation in her feelings.
“Well, I’ll give you a gift, a sign in good faith. You see that red-haired guy with the blue baseball cap on?” She pointed over to the bar, where a boy was eating chicken wings with a girl.
“Yes. What about him?” The boy had a few muscles, but he wasn’t remarkable. His red hair made him stand out because the color was so hideous. The way he pinned over the girl showed desperation. She wasn’t interested in him, but I guess he refuses to see that.
“He’s special but not as special as me. Watch what I do to him by the end of the night.”
Three hours later, the girl had left and Celeste was flirting non-stop. The boy wasn’t into Celeste but when the girl returned and saw him with Celeste, he doted on her. The girl left in a haste and now Celeste is running circles around him. Poor guy, he never stood a chance. She stood up suddenly and pulled him behind her as she strolled out of the door.
“Good. I’m bored, Let’s see what she can do,” said Dylan. He stood and waved the men on as he headed out the door.
The streets were empty but I heard Celeste’s laughter. She wasn’t normally a loud girl, but she was being loud now. I don’t know how I know but she’s not a loud female. I rounded the corner but I didn’t see them.
Rushing down the street, I saw Celeste’s blue bracelet, and I turned. There she was pushing him up against the wall. Her hand was in the pit of his stomach as she nibbled on his neck, and then she lifted her head and smiled at me. She stepped away from him and her hands turned into steel spears and sliced open his stomach.
He grabbed her by the throat and threw her against the wall, but she used her steel hands to cut through the brick. Sparks flew as she slid down the wall. She wiped his blood off her steel hands and tasted it.
Glancing at us, he ran down the street leaving a trail of blood behind him.
“Celeste finish him.” I ran after him. Snapping my fingers, I signaled my men to flank all the sides.
“Gladly.” She took off behind him. She disappeared down a path in the back of the building. I stopped and followed the trail of blood that coated the dirt.
I came to a stone retaining wall and leaped over it perching myself on the ledge. Celeste stood there empty-handed.
“He’s already dead. I spiked his drink at the bar with the vampire virus.” She hopped over the ledge. Her hands transformed from steel spikes to human fingers.
“What is this place?” I squashed my excitement. She had just led me to the Academy of Eastwick. Kyra is closer to me than I thought. This place doesn’t seem scary. The angels were weaker than these creatures. Interesting.
“This is the Academy of Eastwick and that was Leonardo, a vampire.”
“Why did you choose to kill him?”
“The angels suck. I hate them all. Why are they chosen to protect people, but they didn’t protect me? Look at me.”
“You let him get away. How can I trust you when you didn’t complete the task you gave yourself?”
&nbs
p; “You’ll see he’ll be dead in a month. In the meantime, I can get my hands on a vial of the vampire virus, to give you as a sign of my loyalty to you.”
“What will one sample do? Can you make the virus?”
“Nope, but I know who can. If you want large quantities of the vampire virus you need Claire Sands.”
An outside light came on. The light bounced off the wall and shined near us. Ducking I signaled for my men to follow me as I ran back into the path in the back.
“I’ll be in touch,” said Celeste.
She turned right and ran down the path. I stood watching for a second before running down the path in the opposite direction.
Chapter Twelve
Cade
The bar was empty. The people here looked sloppy drunk. Ashley wasn’t here and neither was Leonardo. It was not like him to not respond to me. The smoky air made my eyes burn. My allergies have my skin itching, but I strolled up to the bar. Frank was busy pouring tequila shots and sliding the round shot glasses down the bar. Leonardo wasn’t here and neither was Ashley. Frank glanced at me then turned to wipe the cracked peanuts off the bar. Priceless. He was as clean as a pig.
“Has Ashley been here tonight?” I elbowed my way in between the baldheaded man nursing a beer and a man whose beard was so long it was plaited into a single braid.
“She was here earlier, but you don’t care about her. You really want to know where he is.”
Frank was always a jerk and tonight I wasn’t in the mood for him.
“Ashley got an old man or something. I never see her wearing a ring,” said the bearded man.
“Marcus it doesn’t matter if she wore a ring or not. You sleep with any female wearing a skirt.”
“Don’t you cheat on your wife so don’t judge me,” said Marcus.
“Both of you shut up,” said Frank. He tossed the dingy white rag over his shoulders and approached me.
“Ashley left out of here alone, because I stopped serving her when I got the heads up that she vomited in the bathroom.”
He wasn’t telling me something. This isn’t the first or the last time Ashley will vomit. She has an eating disorder, so alcohol won’t be the only thing she is vomiting. “Tell me the rest.”
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