The Wrath of Pan (The Inglewood Chronicles Book 2)

by Jeremy Croston

“That is the worst part of travel. They never leave enough time between flights. We are fortunate to have made it.”

  I was tired. “Is it okay if I go ahead and take a nap?”

  “That would be most wise. By the time we arrive in London, it will be morning and we will be pushed to get started from the moment we touch ground.”

  Great, that’s not what I wanted to hear. I closed my eyes and after a particular rough take off, was able to fall asleep.

  “Victor, please wake up.”

  The voice was soft in my ear. I lifted my hat from over my eyes and saw Liz leaning in. “Mmmm, is everything, uhhhh, alright?” I was trying not to yawn but I couldn’t keep it in.

  “I am not sure. The one flight attendant has been looking at us for pretty much the whole flight.” I craned my head to look, only to get smacked. “Don’t draw attention to yourself! I suspect she is a vampire.”

  I regretted waking up. “Then what’re we supposed to do?”

  Liz looked around. “Most of the cabin is asleep. Let us see if we can draw her in.”

  “Do you have a plan?”

  She nodded. “I am going to go to the restroom. I want you to pretend to go back to sleep. Let us see if she tries anything.”

  “I can do that.”

  She got up but before she left leaned in. “Do not fall back asleep until I say it is okay.”

  “Gotcha boss lady.” I winked at her as she left and pulled my hat back over my eyes. Since our target was a vampire, my senses would be useless. Only time would tell what’d happened.

  Someone small sat back down beside me. I figured it was Liz and lifted my hat. “That was…”

  And it wasn’t Liz. A very pretty brunette in a flight attendant suit was sitting there. She put her finger up to my lip to stop me from talking. With no weapons, there was little I could do.

  “I am not here to hurt you wolf.”

  She had the same accent Liz did, that faint British one. “If you say so…”

  “I have little time. When Lady Bathory returns, pass along this warning – there is a fox in the henhouse.”

  Before I could even ask, the attendant got up and slipped back behind the curtain. I was really confused, especially since she used Liz’s really old name, Lady Bathory. Quick history lesson, my girlfriend was Elizabeth Bathory. Yeah, she scared me sometimes.

  The warning itself was really weird. A fox in the henhouse? Nothing in my mind could makes heads or tails of it, so I spent my time looking back to see if I could catch another glimpse of my visitor.

  Another five minutes passed before Liz came back. She sat down and seemed disappointed. “I had hoped our mystery admirer would have tried something.”

  “Oh she did. I have a message to pass along to Lady Bathory.”

  Liz’s eyes flashed red for a second before returning. “She used that name?”

  “Yes, she said there is a fox in the henhouse.”

  “Victor, are you sure?” Her eyes got really wide and I shook my head yes. Sighing, “Then it is as I feared, we have a traitor.”

  I wasn’t that easily convinced. “How do you know for sure? We should find this lady and get a better explanation.”

  “No, we cannot. Only an associate of Jonathan would use such a name in reference to me. We must assume from here on out that we are being watched. To confront her may only being unnecessary danger to both her and us.”

  I looked around the cabin. All I could see and smell was humans. “Let’s act normal then. Just as we can’t do anything without endangering ourselves, neither can our enemies. Sit back and try to relax okay?”

  “I will try.”

  I pulled my hat back over my eyes and pretended to go back to sleep. Deep down though, I was scared out of my mind. I vice gripped the arm rest and started to pray for us to make it to London in one piece.

  Chapter 10

  We were at the baggage claim. I was tired, annoyed, and seriously jet lagged. To make matters worse, Liz was like a cat that had its tail stepped on. Her head was on a swivel, never looking in one direction for more than a second or two.

  “Victor, do you pick up any unusual scents?”

  This was the fourth time she’d asked since we got to the baggage claim. “Nope, all clear boss lady.” I knew snapping back would only make the situation worse.

  “Make sure you are on your guard. This is not America, this is the old country.”

  What she meant was that we were in the heart of vampire territory. Europe was home to most of the old ones as America was too technological and had little old world charm that these guys gravitated towards. But it was also ten a.m. in a very populated airport; I figured this was the safest we’d be getting.

  I spotted our bags and went to grab them. I had a duffel bag and high society had two designer luggage bags. Before we had left, I asked why she needed so much. My answer was silence and a glare; women huh?

  With our bags, we began the long trip to the front. According to the last email we got, a driver would be waiting to take us to Roderick’s home. Jonathan would meet us there and we would be briefed on the situation. Personally, I’d hope a four or five hour nap would also be in the itinerary.

  When we finally got outside, I can’t even tell you the relief I felt. Fresh air filled my nose, cleaning out the various disgusting odors that I picked up on the walk out. With a big, deep breath, I started to relax… which lasted all of five seconds. The sound of a gun’s firing mechanism snapped me into action.

  “Liz, down!” I tackled her to the ground as a bullet dug into the concrete where she had been standing seconds earlier. Panic followed as humans scattered and started screaming.

  “Let’s go! We need to get the hell out of here!” I picked her up and we grabbed our bags. As we ran, I kept waiting for a second round to fire off.

  About halfway down the arrival area, a tall vampire dressed in a fancy looking black suit caught sight of us and immediately started waving us over. Liz must’ve known him, because she ran straight over.

  “Nigel, no time to talk! We need to get out of here!”

  He quickly grabbed her bags. “Right you are Miss Swansea. Get in the car quickly; I am well aware of the attempt on your life.”

  Wasting no time, I opened the door and pushed her in. Nigel was shutting the trunk as I got in and shut the door. The engine was already on and he hauled ass out of the area.

  We waited until we’d left the airport completely before speaking. As Nigel merged on to the highway, “Miss Swansea, Master Inglewood, a pleasure to see both of you. I do wish it was under better circumstances that you were visiting London.”

  “I’m just glad to be out of there. I’ll tell you, I wasn’t expecting a sniper.” I’d gotten a good look at the bullet lodged in the ground after the shot. Whoever had fired was using silver bullets.

  “Nigel Offstetter, let me formally introduce you to Victor Inglewood. He serves as my Chief Inspector and is also very close to me.”

  We were at a stop light so he turned around an offered a hand. Shaking it, I appraised the man. He looked to be in his mid fifties, neatly trimmed mustache and closely shaved grey hair. It gave me the impression of an old army general.

  His light blue eyes were doing the same to me. Breaking the stare down, “A pleasure to meet you sir.”

  His eyes went from serious to warm just like that. “Liz always did like the young ones.”

  Slapping the back of his seat, “Nigel, how dare you say something like that!”

  I was amused at seeing her so uncomfortable. “Nigel, why don’t you tell me a little bit more about Liz’s choices in men?”

  Her eyes went from him back to me. “I would retract that question if I were you Victor Inglewood. Remember, I can offer you a lot more than Nigel can.”

  “Nigel, I take that back. Instead, why don’t you tell me how you two know each other?”

  Both of them started laughing at me. “A much better question Master Inglewood. It has been a very l
ong time, but I will see what I can do.”

  Nigel never got the chance to tell me how he met Liz. The car beside us swerved hard into our car, pushing us off the road. We ran into two more cars before we started rolling. I can’t even begin to describe to you the feeling of being in a rolling car. By the time we came to a stop, blood was coming out of my nose and ears and I began throwing up everywhere.

  The car was on its hood and I was stuck in my seatbelt. I tried to move my arm but I’m pretty sure it was broke. It’d heal, if given enough time, but I didn’t think that was in the cards.

  I looked up at Liz and Nigel to see if they were in any better shape. Nigel took the worst of it and the older vampire seemed to be out cold. Liz wasn’t and she already ripped her seat belt off.

  Looking back at me, “Vic, are you okay?”

  The panic in her voice brought me back. “I’ve been better. My arm’s broken and I’m pretty sure I have a concussion. I feel like puking again.”

  “We need to leave now. Hang on; I am coming to get you.” I couldn’t really do much, so my eyes started to close. “No, woke up! Do not fall asleep on me!”

  “Sorry beautiful, I didn’t mean to.”

  I watched with amazement as she kicked the door out. Just as she rolled out, a gunshot went off. Gruesome is the only word I can use as Nigel’s head was blown off his shoulders. The vampire was dead just like that.

  “You!” That was Liz’s voice.

  A second voice answered, “Hello Bloody Lizzy, what a pleasant surprise!” The voice was young, almost like a kid.

  “Pan you sick and twisted monster! How dare you openly attack us?!”

  His laugh sent chills down my spine. “You haven’t seen an attack yet. This is just a message to my good friend Johnny Boy. I’m sure he’ll miss poor Nigel so very much.”

  Her voice dropped, almost to a growl. “It has been a long time since I felt the need to torture before I kill. I would not mind revisiting the old ways for you.”

  “As much fun as that sounds, you’ve got a choice my dear.” His feet came into view, right outside my window. “You can either come after me, or you can save your pet.”

  The crunching sound of the metal was so loud and I threw up again. My senses were on overload and the world started spinning.

  “Pan, what have you done coward?”

  “This little device is really fun. In just a minute, this whole area will be a crater!” His feet disappeared, replaced with the sound of running.

  I felt so helpless sitting there is the car. Liz’s black heels came into view next, followed by another crunch of metal. She was ripping the door off to get to me. “Hang in there – I will get you out!”

  With the door gone, her arm came into view and tore the seatbelt right out of the way. I dropped down but her reflexes and strength stopped me from hitting my head on the roof.

  Pulling me out of the car, I saw the luggage had flown out of the trunk. In one swift motion, she grabbed as many of the bags as she could. It was doubly impressive because she had me over one shoulder.

  We couldn’t have been more than fifteen feet from the car when the device went off. A loud explosion engulfed the car and spread. The force of the initial explosion picked us up of the ground and sent us flying away. Thankfully, we landed safely away from the fire.

  “My God, are you okay?” She didn’t mean to scream, but I think the blast rung her ears pretty good. I nodded; I felt if I tried talking again, I might puke. It was pretty embarrassing being in such a state.

  She got up and helped me back up, using her strength to balance me. The locals were gathering around the car and we needed to get away quickly. As we were walking, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

  “Jonathan, it is Liz. We have no time to talk, just listen. Pan attacked us, Vic is in bad shape and Nigel is dead. We need help immediately.”

  Chapter 11

  “Roderick has not been himself Elizabeth. You need to tread carefully while you are here.” The voice was soft, with a heavy British accent.

  “This whole situation is off Jonathan.” Liz’s voice was angry. “From the release of Pan to what Victor and I discovered from that witch, events are adding up to trouble. Death’s scythe? This is getting preposterous.”

  “Nigel agreed with that assessment. In fact, it was only after he questioned Roderick about Pan’s escape that his attitude changed. He became more standoffish and irritable. And whatever you do, do not bring up Death’s Scythe, Roderick will go mad.”

  I felt Liz’s hand take mine. “Vic, I know you are awake.”

  I opened my eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt you two.”

  I looked over and saw a young man standing close by. He was maybe five-six, five-seven and thin. He was dressed really well with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail and those ice blue eyes like Liz’s. Even though they weren’t technically related, I’d believe they were siblings.

  He walked over to me. “Mr. Inglewood, are you feeling well? You were in bad shape when we found you.”

  After the car explosion, I didn’t remember much. Hell, I didn’t even know where we were. “Feels like I suffered through a night of heavy drinking. I’ll be good though, I’m tougher than I look.”

  “Victor,” Liz smiled down at me, “this is my brother Jonathan, as I am sure you guessed. We are currently in his home outside of London.”

  “The city is not a safe place right now unfortunately. With Pan and his Lost Boys causing terror and now this psychotic werewolf we have…”

  Werewolves, a problem I was used to. “What’s going on with this particular werewolf? I might be able to help in that department.”

  “The one we are dealing with has crossed a line none can return. He has begun feeding on human flesh.” The repulsion was all over John’s face.

  Once a werewolf begins eating people and goes feral, the vampire was right. There ain’t no coming back. “Damn, the only choice is to put him down.”

  Liz chimed in, “Have you ever dealt with a situation like this?”

  “About six months before you came to Full Moon, we had an older Silver go feral. He was setting traps out in the desert to catch humans who got lost. Long story short, when he was cornered it came down to me putting a bullet in his head. Bad business, bad memories…”

  “From what Roderick and I can tell, this is a Red wolf. I believe my sister said that is your pack as well?”

  I nodded, “Yeah I’m a Red. The original Red pack came from Ireland, so it makes sense yours would be too.”

  A quick history, the Reds originated in Ireland and northern Europe, the Silvers from the Mediterranean regions, and the Blacks are indigenous to the northern parts of the North America. Obviously, as the world grew, we all expanded and started integrating together.

  The siblings looked at each other before John continued. “Once you are feeling better, would you be willing to hunt this wolf down?”

  “I thought we were here to get Pan?”

  “The wolf did not appear until recently. I think, though Roderick disagrees, that the wolf is connected.” He looked over to Liz, “Given my history with Pan, I know how he operates better than anyone.”

  She reached out to him, “I believe you Jonathan. If you think the wolf is connected, chances are he is.”

  Since I was dating his sister, I wanted to make a good impression. “I’ll get your wolf. You’re important to Liz which makes you important to me. And don’t worry; I’ll be up and about in no time flat.”

  He was about to respond but I put my hand up. I heard heavy steps quickly making their way towards the door. Both of them looked at me until the door flew open. Entering my room was a fairly tall vampire, impeccably dressed, with black hair and iron grey eyes.

  Jonathan went over to greet him. “Roderick, Elizabeth and I were just about to leave and meet with you. We wanted to make sure Victor was okay before we left.”

  His eyes scanned the room and then turned to Liz. �
�The witch, is she here?”

  “It is good to see you to old friend.” Her voice was hard. I could tell she was hurt by the lack of a greeting. “And no, the witch is back in Phoenix under protection.”

  Roderick looked pissed for a moment but then calmed himself. “I am sorry for my rude greeting, especially given what you and your companion have been through.”

  “It is fine.” I could tell it wasn’t. “Why are you looking for the witch?”

  “Information! We have a rogue vampire running loose, a feral werewolf, and I am working around the clock to keep the mortals from discovering our existence!” He got that wild look back, “The witch has information I need.”

  She looked over at John who seemed just as stunned. “I am sorry Roderick, but I felt it best that she stay in America. Bringing her here would be what they wanted.”

  He took out his phone and started looking at something. “There is a flight leaving tonight and getting here tomorrow from Phoenix. Get her passage on that airplane.”

  I should’ve kept my mouth shut but I didn’t. “We probably should get her an escort first. Reno and Ruud are keeping an eye on the Southwest while we’re gone.”

  He turned to me, “We do not have time to find a babysitter. The witch can protect herself.”

  “You got me all wrong, I’m not worried about the witch, I’m worried about if she can be trusted or not.”

  “Victor is right.” Liz came over to the bed. “I will reach out to Gregory and see if he would be willing to bring her. We may even need his support with Pan.”

  “Fine, but let us get this moving along. This city has become a haven to Pan and his followers and I want answers.” With one last glance at the three of us, Roderick left in just as big of a hurry as he came in.

  Liz and John were stunned. “Is he normally like that?”

  “No, he is not. I have known him forever and that is not the Roderick I know. Jonathan, what has happened?”

  The vampire looked sad. “Much has happened. In fact you may notice that there is no more staff here. Pan has taken a great many lives in very sadistic ways.”