Blood

by K. B. Ladnier

  One by one his team checked in.

  “I’m assuming now we just wait?” Sloan asked from the passenger seat.

  Hollis inclined his head, not taking his eyes off the vampires. “Yep,” he turned in his seat to face me. “Lucy, I need you to watch and let me know the second you see Viper.”

  I agreed and set my sights on them as well.

  We sat there for at least an hour, none of us really talking and only the occasional check in from Hollis’ men. I was starting to doubt anything would happen, when suddenly one of his team members shouted over the walkie-talkie.

  “Three are coming at me! They found us out! They’re—” a scream was heard from the man before the signal went static. Hollis tried yelling for him over and over, but only silence greeted the other end.

  Gunshots echoed through the quiet night, making my heart pump with adrenaline. Sloan cocked his gun and yelled at me to do the same. Hollis had only given me a brief explanation of how to turn off the safety and get it ready to fire, so I was a bit out of sorts. He too grabbed two of his guns from the holsters in his vest and opened his car door, leaning down to shout at us.

  “Sloan! You watch her! I have to go help them!” Sloan nodded and Hollis turned to me. “Stay in the car, Lucy,” he commanded, then slammed the door behind him and ran into the night.

  There was only one street light illuminating the dark block, so I lost sight of him fast, even with my excellent night vision.

  Sloan turned to me and grabbed my hand, bringing it up to give it a long kiss across the knuckles. “Don’t worry, Luce. He’s going to be just fine and I’ve got you covered.”

  I nodded my head quickly, my mind on red alert as the gunshots still echoed off the buildings. Shouts came in through the walkie-talkie, worrying me that Hollis had left it when there was a good chance he needed it.

  “I’ve got six on me!”

  “Shit! They’re everywhere!”

  “Sir! I can’t overpower them!”

  Each call that came through only brought my fear level higher. I’d never feared much in life, but here and now was terrifying. Sloan held onto my hand as we watched several of Hollis’ men attacking the vampires that had been manning the crates. Flashes from the guns firing were like strobe lights in the dark night.

  “Fuck. This is bad, Sloan,” I said, my voice shaking with fear.

  He squeezed my hand. “I know. I won’t leave your side, Luce.” His body trembled a bit, and when he looked at me, I saw he was bringing himself close to shifting. He was ready for a fight should it come.

  And come it did…

  The gunfight had moved around the building, the sound of shots getting a bit fainter. I was starting to hope everything was coming to an end and that our guys had gotten the upper hand.

  The thing about hope was, sometimes it’s just not enough.

  Something slammed into the back window of the car, making me scream and duck as glass shattered all over me. Sloan growled and planted himself with his back to the dash, his gun raised. But nothing was there.

  I went to lift my head, but Sloan’s hand pushed me back down.

  “Stay down, Luce.”

  My heart hammered in my chest as I lowered myself to the floorboard of the car, basically sat in fetal position.

  Then two more things hit each side of the car, shattering the back windows as they did.

  “Fuck! They’re ramming the car!” Sloan began firing randomly out each window, a roar of fury coming out as he did. I heard him let out a laugh.

  “Ha! Got one!”

  His victory was quickly squashed as hit after hit came at the car, the vampires a blur of speed. Sloan was getting knocked all around as the car bounced side to side with each hit. I could hear the hissing and cackles of the vampires as they mercilessly attacked over and over.

  “Lucy! Imma have to get out and fight them. The car is blocking my shots. Do not get up!” He roared, flinging open his door and shooting.

  My panic only escalated as I heard him fighting, and couldn’t help poking my head up to look through the window to make sure he was okay.

  Three vampires were on him as he fought. He was half shifted, so only his arms and feet were covered in fur, his claws coming out and attacking. I mentally cheered him on as he got the upper hand, dusting two by simply ramming his hand through their chests and ripping out their hearts.

  When there was only one left, I sighed in relief, knowing he’d be just fine. Then, a voice came from behind me.

  “Well, look what we have here! The girl the boss is after.”

  It was Viper.

  “Lucy!” I heard Sloan desperately cry out for me, but I was too scared to say or do anything except cower on the floor with my back to the door.

  He smiled wickedly at me through the broken window on the driver’s side. I remembered my gun and held it up, firing at Viper. He dodged each one with a speed I had never seen a vampire use, laughing as each shot missed.

  “You really think that’ll save you?” He asked. Suddenly, at least three other vampires were standing behind him. Each one hopped up on BloodLust.

  “LUCY!!” Sloan shouted more frantically before bellowing a series of wild howls. It hurt my soul hearing him like that.

  Then the vampires converged, ripping the doors from the hinges. Viper latched on to my ankle and I kicked at him furiously. It was no use though. He was much stronger than me and managed to yank me from the car roughly.

  My body slammed into the glass covered asphalt, pieces of it sticking into my hip where I landed hardest. Viper grabbed me by the throat and held me up, my back to his chest.

  I finally saw Sloan, who was wrapped up in chains of silver, each end held by four other vampires. His eyes were wild as he thrashed at the chains, trying to get to me.

  “LEAVE HER ALONE!” He roared, pulling at the chains harder. The silver was burning into his skin, leaving bloody blisters everywhere they came into direct contact.

  Blood filled my eyes as I cried, Viper tugging me backwards away from him. I struggled, but it was no use.

  “SLOAN!” I wailed in agony through Viper’s chokehold, my eyes completely blinded by my bloody tears. They were going to kill him!

  Where was Hollis?

  That’s when I heard his voice, calling for me in the distance. However, my hope was pulverized when Viper spoke next.

  “Ah! The agent has discovered we have you. Too bad for him, he won’t make it in time.” He sneered happily as he dragged me towards another vehicle waiting in an alleyway off to the left of where we were parked.

  I kept screaming for Hollis and Sloan over and over, trying to remain within Sloan’s sights. Just as Viper and his men were about to drag me into the alley, I saw Hollis running from the direction he’d left us to earlier.

  “Lucy!” He yelled, just before three vampires crashed into him from the side.

  I screamed again, but something came over my mouth and gagged me. Viper quickly shoved me into the car that was waiting. I landed across the back seat and was held down from the other side as they roped my wrists and ankles with silver chains. I’d never in my life touched silver. It burned unlike anything I’d ever felt. I whimpered into the cloth they gagged me with, all sense of hope that my men would save me was lost.

  One vampire climbed into the back seat with me and grabbed my legs to keep me from kicking out, while another got in the front passenger seat. Viper climbed into the driver’s and glanced back to smile at me.

  “Hate to do this, dear, but we’re gonna have to knock you out. Can’t have you seeing where we take you.”

  I thrashed again. My mind spinning out of control with panic for not just me, but for Hollis and Sloan. The two men I couldn’t live without.

  They were my last thought before something hard came down on my temple and knocked me out.

  I awakened to the sound of dripping water and cold concrete against my cheek. I shifted a little and heard the clang of metal as I moved.

>   It took a second to get my eyes open, since the blood from crying had crusted over and made my lids stick together.

  When I finally managed it, I saw I was lying on my side in a small nine by ten-foot cell. The entire room was concrete with only a door that had a small inset window which gave minimal lighting in the otherwise pitch-dark room.

  I strained to get up, sitting so my back was leaned against the stone wall behind me. I lifted my wrists and saw I was chained on either side to the floor, but my ankles were free.

  Both were scarred and blistered from the silver I’d been tied with. I rubbed at them absently and tried not to think about where I was or that Hollis and Sloan may very well be dead.

  Don’t think like that, Lucy! I chastised myself.

  I was about to test the strength of the chains, when footsteps sounded from outside the door. I stood and pressed myself to the wall, letting an expression of anger fall over my face.

  The light was blocked out by a figure just before the heavy metal door creaked open and slammed against the opposing wall.

  I couldn’t see the figure, having been blinded by the light now flooding in. But I did hear an unknown voice that sent chills down my spine.

  “Welcome, Lucy. I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sloan

  No. No fucking way!

  “Lucy!” I managed to get out one last time as those fuckers drove away with my girl.

  She was supposed to be safe.

  She was supposed to be protected.

  And I fucking failed her again!

  The anguish of watching Lucy being driven out of my sight, quickly gave way to a much darker emotion. It seethed into me like a poison, flowing out of every pore as my body began to respond with violent vibrations.

  I may not have saved her from being taken, but fuck the souls who helped keep me from doing what I promised her I would.

  An almighty howl, that could probably be heard two cities over, left my lips before I shifted with a speed unheard of for any werewolf.

  These assholes would be dust between my teeth by the end of the night. Every. Last. One of them.

  The vampires holding the chains that bound me, looked on with fear clouding their eyes as my wolf gnashed his teeth. Not giving a shit about how badly this would burn, I grasped the chain in my mouth that the vampire closest to me was holding and ripped it from his hold, slinging him over my shoulder like he was made of feathers.

  The remaining vampires began to pull tighter. The skin beneath my fur emitted smoke as the silver cut into me from their grip, but I was on a war path. I lunged at them, grabbing each chain with paws or teeth and yanking the vampires off their feet. Steadily the hold on me lessened enough until I was free.

  The vampires pounced, but I was ready. One by one, I clawed and bit my way through each of their chests, wrenching their hearts. I growled, snarled and fought until every last one of those fuckers was ash at my feet.

  I was about to start sniffing out the trail of the car, when I heard Hollis shout for me. I heard his boots scuffing against the sidewalk behind me just before he reached me.

  “They fucking took her, didn’t they?” He asked, his eyes filled with the same malice I was sure reflected in mine.

  I nodded slowly, trying my best to hold back my wolf. He was still high on his rage, so it was hard to say if he’d attack Hollis unknowingly.

  “Then we have to find her. We can’t do this alone, though. This whole thing was a damn set up. Again,” he paused and pulled out a gun from his vest, looking around as if hearing something. Then I heard it, too.

  People running towards us.

  I lowered my head and bared my teeth, ready to strike whoever was coming.

  “It’s my team,” Hollis said over his shoulder to me when he realized I was still in a volatile state. He shoved his gun back in its holster and turned back to me. “Shift back. They’re all dead.”

  I closed my eyes, willing myself to breathe slower. My wolf didn’t want to go, so it took some force and concentration before the shift back finally happened.

  When I opened my eyes, only 7 of his team members were visible under the street light as they slowed their pace and made it to us; some of them looking worse for wear. They were all covered in blood and ash, making me jealous that it wasn’t me exacting revenge on the vamps for setting this shit up.

  “We lost O’Malley, Gregor and Stennis, Sir. Willis needs medical attention for a broken leg and Smith had his fangs ripped out, but otherwise we’re good,” one of his guys said, sounding a little winded.

  Hollis nodded and patted his shoulder. “You all fought good, but they got what they wanted.”

  The men then noticed Lucy missing.

  “She was what this was about?” The guy asked. “Why?” He added.

  Hollis pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “That, I don’t fucking know. But this whole stakeout was to distract us. They intentionally lured us all away so they could take her and I didn’t even fucking see it. I just don’t know how they knew we’d be here.” He walked over and slammed his fists down into the hood of his busted Camaro, leaving two massive dents in it.

  “I should’ve fucking seen it!” He yelled.

  I couldn’t handle him breaking down right now. Not after all the shit that just happened. A growl rumbled from my chest right before I grabbed him by his shoulders and shoved him around to face me, poking my finger into his chest.

  “You don’t get to fucking fall apart right now!” I bellowed. “Yes! They fucking schemed this whole damn night, but sitting here and getting pissed off is not going to help us find her! So, you’re gonna man the hell up and help me start tracking!”

  My chest heaved as I shoved him away from me. His face was an emotionless mask, but I knew he heard me.

  “You’re right,” he replied, pushing himself up off the hood and going to the trunk of the car. He wrenched the collapsed in trunk open with one hand and grabbed a bag. When he opened it, I saw he had more ammo and guns tucked away. He started refilling the empty mags in his vest, motioning for the others to follow suit. I stood there with my arms crossed, already deciding I’d shift back to my wolf so my sense of smell was stronger.

  When they were all ready, he turned and faced his men. “Smith, I need you to get Willis to the hospital. You need to get back indoors anyways because sun up is in less than two hours. The rest of you will follow me and Sloan. We’re going to see how far the trail goes and get at least a general direction of where they were taking her. Odds are they haven’t left the city.”

  His men responded with a round of “Sir, yes Sir,” before he went to the one I was assuming was Smith, since blood was still steadily flowing from his mouth.

  “Keep your weapons ready. You never know if there’s more of them.” He said to him. Smith nodded, then put an arm around Willis, who was hopping on one foot to keep up as they disappeared around a corner.

  “Let’s move out!” Hollis yelled.

  As he went to check that his car still worked, I shifted back to my wolf and jumped in through the broken window, settling myself uncomfortably in his passenger seat. When the engine finally started on the third try, Hollis turned his head and faced me, letting out a loud chuckle.

  I glanced at him in what I hoped was a ‘what the fuck is your problem’ way. He shook his head and shifted the car into gear.

  “You look fucking ridiculous hunkered down in my passenger seat. Can you even fit?” He asked with amusement as he quickly spun the car into a U-turn, essentially smashing me against the door.

  I snorted at him. Werewolves definitely weren’t meant to ride passenger in sporty cars like this. My tail was smashed uncomfortable under my butt, coming out between my back legs in an awkward position, and my head was touching the roof. Thank fuck it was still dark out, otherwise phones would be ringing off the hook at the STF station about this.

  As we drove, I’d occasionally cat
ch a slight scent of Lucy in the wind and would turn my head and give a short bark in the direction for Hollis to turn. His lights flashed, so at least people driving were getting out of his way. Two other STF cars followed closely behind us, blaring their sirens as we went. We drove for over an hour and had ended up driving in zig-zag pattern that lead us in circles a few times.

  When I finally started to lose Lucy’s scent, day was breaking on the horizon and we’d found no trace of where the fuck they went with her. Not only had they set the perfect trap to get her, but they made sure following her trail would be next to impossible.

  My wolf and I were seething when Hollis finally pulled back up at the station. My heart sank in defeat when he shut off the engine and just sat there, staring at the concrete wall of the parking garage like it offended him. The other two agents had pulled up on either side and vacated their cars to go inside, leaving just Hollis and I alone.

  “We won’t find her today. They were smart,” he said through clenched teeth, his voice on edge.

  I finally shifted back into my human self, grabbing the clothes I’d left on the floor and putting them on.

  “What the hell do we do now?” I asked him. “You’ve been tracking this Viper guy for a while and hadn’t even seen him until tonight. How do we find a guy that’s practically a ghost?” I tried not to take my anger out on Hollis. I didn’t blame him for this, even though I wanted to. He was the one who dragged her into this in the first place. But I couldn’t fault him for the mistakes made. He cared about her just as much as I did. He wouldn’t have put her into this situation if he’d expected this outcome.

  “Unfortunately, we don’t have any leads as to where he’d go. My man inside may have been found out, as well. I thought about it and there’s a good chance he’s how they knew we’d be there. He’s trained in withstanding torture, though, so I don’t know how they’d get that info out of him,” he glanced at me. “But I’m not giving up. I’ll pull the whole fucking force in on this if I have to. This isn’t just about vampire crime anymore. This concerns the city with this outbreak of BloodLust hazed vampires. I’ll call in some favors with the other team. It’s not something they normally handle, but I think they’ll make an exception.”