by Sharon Joss
Ambrose gazed at the men seated around the conference table, watching their faces for their reactions. His first-born, Cobb, was in a panic, his eyes as big as walnuts, while Vince’s face was unreadable. Felix and Rafe looked grim. Only his blood steward Ozzie obviously enjoyed the spectacle. No surprise there. Ambrose worried that this new complication would compromise his plan to rid himself of Ozzie.
“Anybody know the vamp?” Vince asked the group.
“That’s Alf Torkelson,” Rafe replied. “Or, it was. He was one of the old ones.”
Cobb was outraged. “That thing ripped Torkelson’s heart right out of his chest.”
Ambrose had never witnessed the death of a vampire before. Even without sound, the revulsion he’d felt as he watched the humanoid creature pull the vampire apart with his bare hands was beyond anything he’d ever imagined. He glanced over at Ozzie.
The veterinarian Ozzie was exhibiting all the classic symptoms of long-term blood steward addiction. The glassy, staring eyes, sweaty, pallid skin, and an inability to sit still were the hallmarks of the beginning of the final stage. Ozzie had always had his little obsessions, but he was very nearly out of control now. Not all blood stewards succumbed to the madness, but when they did, they were always taken care of before things got to this stage. Ozzie’s craving for Ambrose’s saliva was nearly daily now. Every time Ambrose forced himself to feed on Ozzie his revulsion grew. It was almost as if Ozzie was the master and he was the blood cow.
Even now, Ozzie was fidgeting like a man with his finger in a light socket, putting everyone else in the room on edge as well. Even Vince must see it. Yet Vince would not even consider allowing Ambrose to do what must be done. Any attempt made to put Ozzie out of his misery would bring Vince down on all of them like the wrath of god.
“Bane could ruin us, Ambrose. The papers got it wrong. He’s no were-cat, he’s a monster. You should never have brought him in.” Cobb rubbed his forehead. “That sort of thing could set the whole community against us.”
“None of the guests were harmed,” Vince said. “No one even complained. They thought it was all part of the show. We’re the scariest place on earth, remember?”
“I agree with Cobb.” Felix said. “Bane is a freak of nature. Ambrose, you can’t be serious. He’s got no control. That beast of his is powerful enough to kill a vampire with his bare hands. He could ruin the summit. He could destroy you, and in turn all of us. Everything we’ve worked for.”
“He’s my Beta now, Felix. You have nothing to say about it,” Vince said.
“You were singing a different tune when Ambrose told us he’d hired him.” Cobb pointed at Vince. “You didn’t want anything to do with him. Besides, this guy is no wolf. And since when do you tolerate such loss of control in your pack, Vince?”
“Seems to me he did his job,” Rafe said.
“He killed him! That could have been any one of us.” Cobb looked like he was about to cry.
Ambrose rubbed his temples. He’d never seen Cobb so upset. “Calm down, all of you. Mike informed me there was a contract out on him before he came to work for us. Strange indeed that the bounty hunter would be a vampire, but he did give me fair warning. Torkelson attacked him. I’m not convinced there is a problem.”
“Torkelson’s van was found in the guest parking lot,” Vince said. “Inside, there was a receipt from a gas station in Queens. He came here for Bane, all right.”
“Show it again,” Ozzie demanded. “I’ve never seen a shape shifter in action before.”
“None of us have.”
The room fell silent a third time as they watched the replay. The smoothness of Bane’s shift from one form to another was impressive.
“Stop it right there, Vince,” Ambrose instructed. “That’s where it starts, you see? Now advance it frame by frame until the transformation is complete.”
Twenty-three frames later, the uniformed figure of Mike Bane had transformed into a massive, bronzed madman. He ripped Bane’s shirt off like it was tissue paper. Overall, the body appeared to be that of a grotesquely-muscled human male. The killer was a good six or eight inches taller than Bane. Primitive tribal tattoos covered much of his chest and shoulders. The lower portion of his bare legs and forearms was covered in a delicate pattern of coffee-colored jaguar spots. The tips of his powerful fingers and toes ended in talons, which were used to hold and rend the vampire’s flesh with devastating effect. The face was heavy-boned, with a projecting brow ridge, broad nose, and thick lips. Two completely different men.
Vince turned off the monitor. Ozzie’s protests were ignored.
Felix shook his head. “Ambrose what were you thinking? Who knows how many other beasts he’s got in there with him. And what about the summit? What will the Globus think when he hears you’re responsible for Torkelson’s unsanctioned death?”
What indeed? Ambrose stilled at the thought. The Globus was the Master of the Americas. Judge, justice, and jury for the vampire families of the New World. No telling how he’d respond. Felix was right, as usual.
Cobb scowled. “You promised me my own territory, Ambrose.”
Ambrose waved Cobb’s protest away. “You’ll get your territory.” He knew he had to make a decision. Ozzie had to be dealt with. The risk that he’d follow through with his blackmail was a very real threat to Cobb gaining his own territory. The only way to get rid of Ozzie was to get rid of his protector, Vince Dazak. And the key to getting rid of Vince was Mike Bane. “But I’m inclined to agree with Vince. I don’t think this really changes anything.” He steepled his fingers as he chose his words. “Torkelson was a member of the Northwestern territory which is up for grabs at the summit. Although he had no blood tie to the Master who was killed, he would have had a legitimate claim to the territory.”
“Bane did you a favor, Cobb,” Rafe said. “You should be thanking him. Besides, he’s my bodyguard. I like the guy. I say we keep him.”
Ambrose nodded. “I agree. There is no reason to believe that Vince’s new pet is a danger to any of us. He was attacked and he defended himself. There is no indication that he would take any unprovoked action against us. The bigger issue, as I see it is how an armed bounty hunter got into the park in the first place.”
“Yeah, Vince,” Cobb sneered. “How do you explain that?”
“He pulled a small glamour or ward over the reservation hostess so she didn’t see a thing.” Vince played a sequence from a different camera angle. This view showed the front gate. “You can see here, he’s heavily armed. Watch as he walks right by Naomi at the gate. She doesn’t even see him. Neither do any of the guests around him.”
“Look at all those people,” Cobb fumed. “When word gets out--”
“Oh the crowd went wild for it. Gordon and Ozzie handed out complimentary Glamour shots to make sure no one would remember this as anything but a bit of street entertainment,” Rafe said. “Besides, what do you care? You’ve never been particularly interested in our guests’ safety before, Cobb.”
“When it interferes with our ability to make a living, I do.”
“Enough.” Ambrose shut down the discussion. “No uninvited vampire has ever been able to cross the park threshold and enter the grounds of Mythica. Gordon should have felt the vampire cross the wards. I’d like to hear what he has to say about that. Even if the security cameras couldn’t detect Torkelson’s presence. The Mage should have reported it immediately. You protested when I brought Mike in Vince, but he spotted that bounty hunter almost immediately. I believe you were speaking to him when he was hit.”
“Yeah. Somebody helped that guy get inside.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“I’ll conduct my own investigation and let you know.” Vince shut down the video.
“So he’s staying?” Cobb sounded incredulous. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Ambrose surveyed the room. Rafe wanted to keep Bane for his personal bodyguard. Vince and Cobb were on opposite sides, as usual. Fel
ix looked like he’d eaten something that disagreed with him. “What say you, Felix? What do you think of our Mr. Bane?”
“He’s shown himself to be dangerous and unpredictable. He could ruin everything we’ve built here, Ambrose. Everything you’ve built.”
“That’s what I’m saying,” agreed Cobb. “Turn Bane in for the bounty, collect the cash, and our problems are gone.”
“No.” Vince shook his head. “Bane stays; he’s my Beta. Maybe we do have a fox in our henhouse. The vampire should never have gotten in. The smoke magician has always performed in the concert hall. Why was he doing it outside, where the slightest breeze would have made it impossible?”
Cobb stiffened. “Jared is mine. Are you saying this is my fault? That my blood steward intentionally let Torkelson inside the park? He was doing a show! For all I know, that bounty hunter could have been coming after me. It’s no secret that I’m campaigning to take over his former master’s territory.”
Rafe rolled his eyes. “Don’t be so paranoid, Cobb. I doubt that Torkelson would have come after you. Not when he’d have a much better chance to stake his claim at the summit.”
“There’s no rush to decide anything right away,” Felix suggested. “Let him stay with Vince and the pack until the summit, when his contract is up.” He gazed directly into Ambrose’s eyes for emphasis. “As we agreed.”
Yes. Ambrose smiled approvingly. Felix had always been so clever. We only need him to take Vince out, out anyway. We could turn him over to the Globus at the summit. Let him deal with it. After Bane removes Vince and Ozzie is taken care of, turning Bane over to the Globus might work even better than letting him walk away. “I like that.”
And Vince had made it easy for them. With Bane as Beta, Vince wouldn’t be able to back down when he issues his challenge. This was working out better than he’d hoped. He would have to talk to Felix about moving up the timeline. No need in waiting any longer. And the sooner Bane gets rid of Vince, the sooner I will be able to get rid of Ozzie. Perhaps I could even arrange it for Bane to take the blame for Ozzie. Otherwise, turning him over for the bounty was certainly an option. A win-win either way he chose to play it.
“Where is Bane now?” asked Felix.
“I hit him with a mega dose of Ketamine. He’s sleeping it off,” Ozzie said. “He’s nothing like the lycans. I’ve never seen anything like him. As soon as I hit him with the drug, he shifted again.” Ozzie rubbed his eyebrow. “The cat seems to be the predominant form. It’s almost like Bane and the madman are spirits within the cat. If that’s the case, I don’t know what the hell he is. He doesn’t react to silver the same way the wolves do, either. There’s nothing in the medical journals that I could find. I’ll need a blood sample to narrow it down.”
“Leave him alone Ozzie. He’s pack now, not one of your lab rats,” Vince said.
“I don’t answer to you Vince,” the cryptozoologist snapped. “And Bane is no wolf. He doesn’t belong to you. Give the kitty to me, Ambrose. I want to figure out what he is, exactly. I’ll want to run some experiments.” His glassy eyes took on a dreamy look. “Don’t worry, Ambrose. I’ll give him back to Vince and the rest of the dogs when I’m finished,” he sneered.
Vince reddened, but didn’t say a word.
“I don’t care what he is. I say let’s kill him,”
“Oh shut it, Cobb. I heard you the first time.” Ambrose sighed. “Vince’s new pet Beta is here to stay. And I am confident that Vince will be able to identify our fox before the Summit begins. I expect all of you to support Vince’s investigation, including the interrogation of your blood stewards. Anyone who does not comply promptly and fully with the investigation will answer to me.”
“You’re going soft, Ambrose,” Cobb said. “If you aren’t careful, a bounty hunter might be coming after you someday. Mark my words, that shifter is going to be nothing but trouble. From now on, I’m wearing body mail for protection. I’d advise you to do the same. And I’m warning you, Vince. Keep that beast away from me, or I swear I’ll kill you both.”
Ambrose kept his expression neutral on hearing the venom in Cobb’s voice. He’s getting too impatient for his own good. There’s no excuse for that kind of disrespect. I’m going to have to talk to him again, he mused. Cobb was ambitious, but patience and tact had never been his strengths. If I didn’t know better, that almost sounded like a threat.
CHAPTER 22 : BUCKET MOUTH OF BLOOD
The smell of blood was all around him, bringing back the gut-wrenching memory of Tom’s ghastly wounds and other, deeper memories. Mike opened his eyes to find Ozzie, the park veterinarian, cutting into the skin of his left forearm with a scalpel, just as Hector Clemente had done when he’d tried to flay the cat.
“Sonofabitch!” He jerked his arm away, and delivered a solid hook with his right to Ozzie’s face. There was a satisfying crunch and blood gushed from the vet’s nose.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” From the sting of the wound on his arm, he could tell the blade used was silver. He gripped the bloody gash, applying pressure, as Ozzie wiped his face with a handful of tissues. He’d disliked the self-described ‘cryptozoologist’ on sight, but had chided himself for it. I should have trusted my instincts.
He was on a cot in the first aid station, covered in shards of bone, blood splatter, and clots of who knows what. His ribs had been taped.
The vet’s nose continued to drip, but Ozzie paid no attention. He had a strange glassy expression on his face; completely devoid of emotion. “Easy, there. No harm done,” he said, softly. He picked up the scalpel, which had dropped on the floor of the aid station. “I’ve never studied a shape-shifter before. Your reaction to silver is quite unexpected. In beast form, you seem sensitive to it, yet in this form, your reactions are nearly human. I was curious to see if you healed as fast as the wolves.” He wiped the bloodied knife clean and dropped it into the metal sink. “I find your shift reflex to be quite fascinating.”
“Keep the hell away from me.” Mike struggled to a sitting position. There was something very wrong with this guy. He seemed to exude an unhealthy miasma, like some of the long-time crack heads he’d encountered on the street.
A wave of nausea washed over him. Oh god, not again. He spotted a wastebasket and grabbed it just in time. Each convulsion brought up an astonishing amount of blood and tissue, accompanied by a searing pain his side.
The door to the cramped office opened and Striper Dave was there.
“That’s better. Get it all out,” he urged. “We’ve all been there.” A chorus of muted laughter came from behind him.
He panted over the plastic bin, waiting for the nausea and guilt and stomach cramps to pass. Damn you Tehuantl. In the hallway behind Dave, he could see Chaney, Wyatt, and the Omega, Phelan. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ozzie holding a surgical pad to his nose.
“How many dead,” he choked.
“No humans, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Killing a vampire doesn’t count,” said Wyatt. “They’re already dead.”
“Although none of us had ever actually seen one torn apart before.”
They crowded into the cramped room, and to his surprise, Mike felt nothing but fraternal intentions and relief in their pheromones. They’d been waiting for him to wake up, he realized. Their friendly presence seemed to suck Ozzie’s fevered aura right out of the room. Another wave of nausea washed over him, but he had nothing left in his stomach.
He wiped his face and hands with a towel Dave handed him. “You’ll have to tell me what happened. I don’t remember any of it.”
“None of the guests were harmed,” Dave said. “And Silas beheaded the vampire.”
“Although by the time Silas got there, you’d already crushed his skull and gutted him.” Wyatt clapped him on the shoulder. “All I can say is I’m glad you’re on our team.”
“Who was he?”
“Bounty hunter from Queens.”
“That’s enough for
now,” Ozzie interrupted. “You’re off for the rest of the night. Make sure you get enough protein.” Ozzie handed him a small packet of pain medication. Now that Dave and the others were here, the greasy look he’d noticed on Ozzie’s face was gone. Except for the red nose, where he’d hit him, he looked almost normal. “Silver retards the healing mechanisms in lycanthropes, but I need more data before I can determine precisely how it affects you. I’d like to run some tests.”
Like hell you would. “I’ll pass.” No way he would let Ozzie get anywhere near him again. When Dave offered him a ride over to the clubhouse he accepted immediately. A shower and some clothes were definitely in order. He wrapped a bloody towel around his waist, eager to escape. “Let’s go.”
They hopped into one of the park’s electric carts parked outside, and Dave drove. “Hey Mikey, that leopard man of yours could be a headliner in Atlantic City. Scared the bejeezus out of me, if you want to know the truth of it.”
“It’s called a Nagual. They’re an ancient race of shamanistic jaguar people. They protected the Olmec people from evil spirits.”
“Well your Nagual guy beat the shit out of that vampire guy. Drained him dry and ate his heart.”
Mike’s face flamed. Oh god, everybody knows now. How could he face Vince or the rest of the pack again? He glanced at Dave, glad for the darkness. Oddly enough, Dave didn’t seem too disgusted. In fact, based on the other guys’ attitude when they came into the aid station, it was almost as if they’d been worried about him.
He was still feeling a bit thick-headed. Ozzie had told him he’d given him a mild sedative, but based on how he felt, Mike knew from experience that the so-called sedative was Ketamine; a powerful animal tranquilizer. The drug always made him sick to his stomach. He was glad he’d puked up all that blood through. He wondered if drinking vampire blood would affect him. Isn’t that how vampires are made? He also wondered what else Ozzie had done to him while he’d been sedated.
