by Shae Bryant
Fawn and the others refused to move until Oak was 'returned to nature'. We needed time to get them the help they required in order to adjust to life outside. Right now, they were grieving for the little boy. We had to grant their request, and allow them to put Oak to rest.
By the time morning broke, everyone had places to stay, food to eat, and new clothes to wear. Offers of help were pouring in from the Werewolves who woke up to the news of the little boy and his family. The few Vampires left awake called Ronan or Kevin, offering monetary help or sympathies. Vince graciously donated enough to buy clothes for everyone. One thing is for certain. Non Humans take care of each other.
I called Catherine to give her the news of what had happened. She insisted on coming over, but I told her that I only wanted to sleep. I went home, took a shower until the water ran cold and collapsed on my bed in a heap of sobs. Brutus laid his head on my lap and spoke words of comfort until I fell asleep.
It had been two days since I spoke to or saw anyone that I knew. I ignored my texts and refused any phone calls. The only person I saw was my Therapist. Fortunately, she was one of us. She already knew what had happened and helped us get Psychiatrists and Counselors to speak to the women and their children.
Isaac and Catherine both came by to tell me the horrible news. One of the children had gone missing. He was in the yard one moment and the next, he was gone without a trace. Every Non Human community had been searching, but nothing had turned up.
This incident was completely hidden from the Human authorities. The transition and safety of the women and children had been taken care of by Non Humans. The children had no birth certificate, no social security number and no record that they ever existed. They were perfect targets for the Iron Oath.
With Erin Neason and Alyssa both missing, we all knew that they were behind it. The Police could search for years and find nothing. When the Iron Oath took someone, they were gone until the Iron Oath decided they would turn up again.
Catherine and I decided we would work on things at the department. Erin Neason was an official missing person. We could keep a close eye on her case and report on any information. The child? We wouldn't find any information within the department, but we could look for any found children or other pieces of information.
Two weeks passed with nothing. No trace of Erin, Alyssa or the missing boy. Every Non Human in South Florida was watching over their shoulder. The Iron Oath had come for us. Again.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Faulkner
Having a night off meant that I was going to Ronan and Kevin's where we would get together, play some board games and maybe hit a coffee shop or a great spot for dinner. For Catherine, it was a chance to explore South Florida. She was still getting used to the pulse of the metro and the busy lifestyles we all lived.
Having a quieter evening wasn't Catherine's idea of a great weekend off. I offered for her to come along to Kevin and Ronan's, but she decided to check out the club scene. Something was very tempting considering she and I both knew the owner of a rather exclusive club on South Beach.
She waited in the line marked out by velvet ropes, hoping that her little black dress, strappy heels and flawless makeup would convince the bouncer to let her in. He walked past her twice, picking some others out of the line to pay their cover charge. Then, Vincenzo Moretti walked out of the doors, preparing to make a round and greet his customers.
The moment he saw Catherine, he lifted the rope and pulled her out of line, "Catherine! You look beautiful. I suppose you aren't here on business, are you?"
She waved a hand at him, "No. I'm here to have a drink and maybe find a date."
"A Human date?" He raised his eyebrows.
"That's usually my preference."
Vince smiled, opening his arm towards Catherine to offer an escort inside. The bouncer opened the doors for them, bypassing Catherine's ID check and cover charge. She was a guest of the boss. There would be no more questions asked.
"Welcome to The Veiled Monarch." Vince opened the second set of doors, walking with Catherine into the heart of the club.
Vince ushered Catherine into a completely different Veiled Monarch than she had ever seen before. The empty tables were now crowded with patrons and their drinks. A modern bar swathed in neon lights stretched across a far wall. The exact spot where Catherine had once administered first aid to a victim was now a place for people to mob the bartender, trying to signal a drink order.
The once-empty dance floor was now full of people enjoying themselves. The DJ booth was in the center of the shiny wooden dance floor, putting the resident DJ Rino on display for everyone to see. In classic fashion, DJ Rino held his earphones to one ear while the speakers pumped loud thumping music into the entire club.
She walked with Vince to a section of booths that were disconnected from the rest of the club. Things were quieter on this side, the booths were large, comfortable and a bit more private.
"I'd like to offer you a VIP booth. Or one in the feeding lounge if you are here for that." Vince motioned to the private booth next to them.
"No. I'm not here for that." Catherine sat down in the chair he had offered her, "But I will take this booth."
"I'll have someone get your drink order shortly. Enjoy the club. If you need anything at all, do let me know." Vince walked away from Catherine, motioning for a waitress to make sure she was taken care of.
Catherine spent the evening enjoying herself immensely. She wandered to and from her private booth, finding it rather fun to avoid the curious gazes of other patrons who thought she might be someone important. At the bar and on the dance floor, Catherine managed to become the center of attention with a few women. They danced together, talked in the booth, had a few drinks and willingly gave Catherine their phone numbers.
As the night began to wind down, Catherine said goodnight to Vince. He took a moment to check her over, making sure she was able to drive. If she weren't, he would have insisted on her finding another way home. Once he was satisfied she was sober, he walked her to the door.
"Would you like an escort to your car?" He asked.
"No. Thanks, Vince." She smiled, holding her keys in her hand.
"I'm sorry you didn't find a date."
Catherine giggled, "I had a great time and I got two phone numbers."
"Will you be calling them?"
"Hell no." She shook her head, "I met them in a nightclub. They were great company for the night. Nothing more."
Vince chuckled, "Drive safely home then."
Catherine walked away from the crowded sidewalks, taking an alley shortcut towards the parking lot. Many people would be concerned about a lone woman walking through a vacant alley at night. But, Catherine was a Police Detective. She had a badge and a gun with her at all times.
It was a good thing too, because she heard footsteps echo behind her. When she stopped, the footsteps stopped. When she started to walk, the footsteps began again.
She rolled her eyes and called out behind her, "I can hear you. I have a gun."
There was an abrupt gust of wind and someone stood just an inch behind Catherine. He leaned in towards her, "A gun won't do you any good."
"A stake will." Catherine rolled her eyes, "There was a feeding lounge inside, dude. Come on."
"I don't want a feeding lounge." He replied.
"I'm a cop, you idiot."
The man stayed behind Catherine, "I know, Detective Kleyman."
Catherine felt uneasy all of a sudden. This felt almost like something that had happened before. His voice and the taunting tone he spoke in sounded so familiar. She whirled around to face the man. The moment she laid eyes on him, memories came flooding back.
Catherine's mind took her to South Carolina when she was barely in college, walking down an alley similar to this one. A Vampire confronted her in the alley that night. No, he warned her. What he said had scared her so much that she listened to every word he said and hoped that she would never see him again.
Here he was a second time. This time, Catherine wasn't near as afraid of him. She was older, more confident, and she knew how to stake a Vampire.
"You have two seconds before I turn you to ash." She threatened.
He laughed, "I don't think you understand, Detective. You are making some terrible choices in your friends. I'm here to warn you about that. Leave them alone. Stay with your own kind. It's rare I give someone a warning twice. Don't take advantage of how nice I'm being. Ignore Non Humans or you won't have a choice in the matter."
"You are way past two seconds." Catherine reached into her purse, pulling out a gun.
The man appeared behind her before Catherine could turn around. He chuckled. "When you go back into that club — because I know you will — make sure to tell my old friend Vincenzo that Faulkner has come to visit."
"Hey!" Catherine shouted. It was too late. He had gone. She put her gun down with a sigh, "Son of a...!"
She ran back towards The Veiled Monarch, weaving through the thinning crowds of people. Going in the main entrance would be a bad idea. So, Catherine ran to the alley behind and started to bang on the door. After a moment, Sophie answered it.
"Detective...?"
"Sophie!" Catherine looked relieved, "Where's Vince!?"
"He left for the night." Sophie let Catherine inside, "Are you alright?"
Catherine leaned against the wall for a moment, catching her breath, "Some Vampire just threatened me."
"Oh my God! You weren't harmed, were you?"
Catherine shook her head, "No. He told me to 'ignore' the Non Humans and said to give Vince a message."
Sophie did not have to ask Catherine anything else. The second she spoke, Sophie pulled her inside, shut and locked the doors. She started to walk briskly towards the desk and picked up the phone.
"What did he say?"
"He said to tell Vince Faulkner has come to visit."
When the name 'Faulkner' was uttered, Sophie closed her eyes. The phone in her hand dropped down onto the desk and Sophie lowered herself into her chair. Catherine watched her reaction and decided it was best to keep her previous meeting with Faulkner a secret. For now.
Less than twenty minutes later, Vince burst through the doors. "Sophie!? Sophie!?"
Sophie stood up, "We are here and everyone is fine."
He grabbed Sophie's arms, "It wasn't..."
"I think it was." She looked as if she wanted to apologize for even saying the words.
"Catherine." Vince grabbed Catherine's wrist, leading her to the door, "I want you to go home. No. I want you to wait here. I am getting someone to take you to your car. Then, I want you to go home and lock every door and window. If you feel unsafe for a moment, call me. Someone will be there to get you."
"Vince..." Catherine was confused, "What is going on?"
"A very bad person just spoke to you. But he didn't want to hurt you. If he did, you'd be dead by now."
Catherine pursed her lips, "Oh thanks. I feel a lot better now."
"Sophie, call Isaac Carillo, Kevin and Ronan. Please, make it fast. Then, call Anika and Louis. I need them here now." He barked out the orders to Sophie before turning to Catherine, "Please promise me. If you so much as think you aren't in a good place, turn around and call me."
"OK." Catherine said, "I won't. Please, tell me what's going on. Who is Faulkner?"
"A bloody turncoat." Vince sneered, "An older Vampire who works directly with the Iron Oath. He's responsible for a trail of bodies over the last few centuries. Most of them were innocent. I can't wait to turn him to ash."
"Why did he threaten me?" Catherine was genuinely curious.
"To scare you away." Vince answered, "He tries to intimidate Humans to leave us be. That allows the Iron Oath to come in."
Vince was right about that. The first time she met Faulkner, she was terrified of him. The investigation into the murder of her friend went on without her help. Catherine hid herself away until the court dates were announced. If she hadn't listened to Faulkner, she might have been able to do something about the murder case all those years ago.
She rubbed her temples with a sigh, "I think I'm just going to go home."
"Please, let someone make sure you get to your car. And remember, call me if you need to." Vince stressed to her.
"I won't. Thank you, Vince."
Catherine gripped the steering wheel as she drove towards her apartment. She didn't feel unsafe, but this entire situation bothered her. She had to ask herself if she was strong enough to do this. Strong enough to help. The last time, an innocent person died. This could not happen again. It was the reason she became a Police Officer in the first place! As afraid as she was of Faulkner, she was going to help her friends.
The apartment looked very lonely in the wee hours of the morning. A sofa with no chair or love seat next to it stood alone in the middle of the living room. The small dining table with one chair, one cup and one plate told Catherine she was here alone. No one would help her.
She shut the blinds firmly, pushing away the unease. Not long after, Catherine collapsed in her bed after taking off her shoes and sighed, "I love this bed right now." Her head flopped onto the old pillow and Catherine closed her eyes.
Moments later, she was jarred awake by a presence in her room. Faulkner stood there grinning. "I knew you'd give Vince my message. Thank you."
Catherine tried to sit up, but he held onto her shoulders. Her head was jerked to one side and a hand covered her mouth. Faulkner sank his fangs into her neck, causing a horrible pain to course through her body. He kept a hand tightly over her mouth, muffling her screams. The more he fed, the weaker she got until she finally lost consciousness, falling limp onto the bed.
He opened his mouth wide, dragging his fangs along her neck. Blood started to gush from the cut, soaking the light blue sheets. He grinned and patted Catherine on the head.
"Next time I won't stop. Sleep well, Miss Kleyman." His face was illuminated by the soft glow of a phone screen as he walked away from her room.
I woke up to my phone ringing. Brutus groaned next to me and stretched himself out. He looked at me as if I were the one ringing and waking him from his slumber. I peered at the phone, noticing it was four in the morning. The phone number was listed as "Unknown".
I rubbed my face and prepared to go back to sleep. But, a new message on my screen caught my eye. "Catherine needs help. Her house. You had better go quickly." Another unknown number. Something inside of me urged me to call Catherine. I dialed her number and it went straight to her voice mail. That was not normal.
"Get Kevin and Ronan." I told Brutus.
I had a few drinks with them earlier, and stayed in their spare room for the night. I was now double glad for the decision, because I knew something wasn't right. Kevin and Ronan both peered through the doorway just a few minutes later. Brutus had already told them what happened. They were dressed and ready to go.
When I walked up the stairs to Catherine's unit, I noticed the door was slightly ajar. Something was definitely wrong. She would never leave her door open like this. I broke into a run.
The living room was empty and eerily quiet. Even the soft hum of the fridge and the ceiling fans seemed to be hushed. "Catherine!?"
Ronan came in behind me, "She's not here?"
I ran into her bedroom, skidding to a stop. Catherine's limp form was lying on her bed. Blood pooled around her neck where a large gash was still oozing. It should have clotted a long time ago. The only way it wouldn't was if a Vampire had done this.
"Oh God! She's here! She's bleeding!" I shouted.
I didn't have to shout. Ronan and Kevin were both right behind me. Ronan had already run into the master bathroom, grabbing a towel from the rack.
"I'll call an ambulance." Ronan said, handing me the towel.
"Call a damn Vampire! Unless someone has a Vampire Doctor, we're screwed!" I held the towel tightly to Catherine's neck, trying to slow down anymore bleeding.
Kevin looked at his phone, "I mean, Jackson Memorial has one...."
"Kevin!" Ronan rolled his eyes at his husband.
"I'm dialing now!" Kevin walked out of the room to make the call.
"Hang on Catherine. Help is coming." I didn't know if she could hear me, but I said it more for my benefit than hers.
A few minutes later, I heard a rush of wind and Anika ran inside the door. She looked at the scene in front of us and shook her head. " I think he got to her."
"Who?" I demanded.
Anika picked Catherine up, getting ready to run outside. "I'm taking her to Vince's. She can get some help there."
"Anika!" I threw the bloody towel on Catherine's bed, "Who got to her?!"
"Faulkner is here."
The gust of wind left Ronan, Kevin and myself standing in Catherine's bedroom. I felt the numbness rise to my face and rush down through my spine. A feeling of nausea settled in my stomach and my palms began to sweat. Even the mention of his name made me afraid. I didn't just fear for my life. I feared for everyone around me.
"We're in trouble." Ronan said quietly.
"Yeah..." Kevin answered him, "We're all in trouble."
Kevin and Ronan both went back home. They had phone calls to make and meetings to call. Anika would not joke about something like this. If Faulkner was here, every Non Human had to be aware and alert.
Word traveled fast. Within a few minutes, I got a text from Isaac. "It can't be true."
"It is." I responded.
Isaac never answered me. No one had told him yet. I'd leave it that way for now. There was no sense in making things worse. He had enough on his plate with Erin Neason missing and now this.
Brutus hung his head out the window of my Jeep, letting his tongue flap in the air. He was so happy to drive somewhere with me. Especially if we got anywhere near the beach. He pulled his head inside and panted, giving me a big dopey dog smile.
I couldn't help but smile back. I don't know how anyone managed to get through life without an animal companion. If it wasn't for someone like Brutus, I would never make it through stressful situations. The way they see things can change the most cynical of minds.
