The Night Watch: A Vampire Paranormal Romance (Blood Red Series Book 2)

by W. J. May

  “Caleb made me.” If Caleb was her maker, then his lifestyle should dictate hers. No. The Rogues are hunters. You’re a hunter. Not me. He took another step closer to her, still proceeding with caution like a true detective would. “You say you’re Petra’s daughter. It’s instinctual then. You can’t control genetics.”

  Kallie stiffened. “Maybe, but I still have free will. I can make choices. I can exist without killing. It’s been done before.”

  Liam looked her over, his eyes sparkling blue. “You can definitely try, you’re just about the most strong-willed woman I’ve ever met.”

  She grabbed Caleb’s leather jacket sitting on the back of a chair. “Let’s get Caleb now.”

  “You feel strong enough?”

  “Yes!” Then she realized something she hadn’t thought about before. The one thing that would surely weaken her. “What if I… get hungry again?”

  “You’re only as strong as your last victim. You feed on the elderly or a small child, you’ll be hungry in a few hours. The weak will never truly satisfy you. The strongest blood you can drink is vamp blood. That’s why the Rogues feed on your father. They want his strength. My blood is not as strong as your pureblood boyfriend, or dad, but I should be enough to hold you over until tomorrow night. Then we’ll figure out your new diet.”

  “They’re feeding on him, aren’t they?” Kallie said, imagining her poor Caleb as the Rogues feasted on him.

  “I have no idea. He drank from you, so that sort of negated his desirability in their eyes. I honestly don’t know what they are doing to him.”

  “Well, it’s time to stop talking and find out.”

  Liam crossed his arms and tilted his head to look at Kallie.

  “What now?”

  “You’re in a blood-stained paper-thin dress and flip flops. Not the ideal wardrobe for fighting crime.”

  “It’s fine. I don’t really give a crap right now.”

  Liam wiped his mouth with his fingers, and then his eyes lit up. “I got it!”

  They left Caleb’s apartment and Liam took Kallie to the police station where she waited in the car while he ran inside. A few minutes later he returned with a black fitted jumpsuit and combat boots. He even brought her a windbreaker and she laughed when she saw the white block letters on the back that said SWAT. “Not very subtle is it?”

  “It’s better than the bloody mess you’re currently wearing.”

  Kallie changed behind the bushes and pulled her hair into a ponytail using a rubber band Liam had in his car. When she emerged from the shadows, he let out a long low whistle.

  “What?” she asked, sounding irritated.

  “A hot vamp in a SWAT team outfit. Kallie, you’re my freaking fantasy come to life right now.”

  She punched him and sent him flying into the tree. She got back in his car and waited for him. “All right, detective, where to?” she asked when he got in.

  “No idea,” Liam said truthfully.

  “What?” she shrieked.

  “I don’t know where the Rogues are located. I actually planned on staking out your father the next time he submitted.”

  Kallie felt deflated. “I forgot about that. Shit, Liam… Caleb could be drained dry right now. What do we do? We can’t just leave him.” The thought of being helpless was torture. It was just like with her father. She couldn't let the Rogues win. Not again.

  “Relax. You are the key, Kallie. You can find him.”

  “Me? What can I do?”

  Liam placed a hand on her knee. “Listen to me. He’s your maker. You are forever connected to him. You can locate him, you need to calm down, clear your mind and focus on Caleb.”

  “But what if—”

  “Kallie, it’s almost midnight. Time’s moving, and we need to act, now. Calm your mind and focus. Think about all your experiences with him. You’ll find him.”

  She closed her eyes. She thought of the first time they met, and how she didn’t trust him. How he had revealed himself as a day-walker to her that day on campus. She thought about the night he took her to the Red Dragon, and the next day when he leaped over the fence and kissed her for the first time. She thought about their day at the beach, about the moment she asked him to make her a vampire. She thought about him carrying her to his bed, the way his lips felt on her body, the way she ached to feel his fangs. And the way he had ordered her to drink, and how she obeyed. The taste of his blood was on her tongue, the sweet warmth that was Caleb.

  A flash of a sign blazed across her mind. Kallie jerked in her seat, but held on. The face of a bouncer’s smile flashed like a spark in her brain. She opened her eyes and looked at Liam. “I know where he is.”

  Chapter 16

  “Go to the Red Dragon.”

  “What?”

  “It’s the bouncers. They’re the Rogues.”

  Liam took off. “How could Caleb not know?”

  “I don’t know. I think he’s been a pawn in this.”

  “I told you, Petra is behind this.” Liam glanced at Kallie and cut her off from replying. “You can’t trust her.”

  Now was not the time to argue. There were more important things to be concerned with. “How’re we going to get in?”

  “You said he’s not in the club right?”

  I didn’t see him in any of the main rooms. The place I saw was dark… cold. Almost like a dungeon.”

  “They must have a basement that is light tight. But if you saw the club, it’s there, just underneath.”

  “I definitely saw the club. But how do we get in? I’m pretty sure you, nor I, are on that list.”

  “I broke in once, I can do it again.” Liam pulled over. “Okay. From here we walk.” They got out and Liam opened up his trunk, where he unzipped a duffle bag. “Come here, Kallie. You need protection.”

  “I’m not wearing a vest if that’s what you mean. I need protection from the sun and fangs, not bullets.”

  “Stop being a wise-ass and get closer.”

  Next thing Kallie knew, Liam had buckled a utility belt to her waist. “Careful now, this stuff is just as lethal to you as it is to them. You never want to be killed by your own weapons.”

  Kallie surveyed her artillery. Instead of guns she had wooden stakes. “I have got to be dreaming,” Kallie groaned.

  “Sorry sugar, if this was a dream, I’d like to think we’d be doing something a tad more interesting than saving your Red boy toy.”

  Kallie didn’t respond. She could only imagine what Liam had in mind.

  He suited up and looked at her one more time. “You ready?”

  “Let’s do this.”

  He took her hand and led her down the hill where the car was parked. It was pitch black, and Kallie knew she had just put all her faith in a Blue. Caleb would be furious if he knew. But Caleb didn’t have a say now, did he?

  The desolate area changed to warehouses where the club was located. “If he’s underground, we can only travel one way.” Liam gestured to the sewers.

  Kallie helped him remove the cover. She was surprised by how light it felt and realized her body was almost at full strength. His blood must have sped up the transition.

  Liam jumped down and she could hear the splash as his feet touched the sewer water.

  “Is it deep?” she called down.

  “No, comes to my ankles. With your boots you won’t feel a thing. Jump down, I’ll catch you, but be sure to pull the cover back on, we can’t risk being followed.”

  Kallie did as she was instructed and landed in Liam’s arms. He smelled good, like Caleb, and Kallie jumped out of his arms, not needing to be tempted by the thought of tasting any more of his blood.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked.

  In the dark, with her vampire eyes, she was able to see him clearly. He knew she wanted his blood, and that made her even more uncomfortable. “Nothing. Let’s get Caleb.”

  Liam took her hand and guided her around the sewers.

  “You seem to know your way arou
nd,” she commented as they raced through the concrete sewers.

  “I’m a detective. This isn’t my first rodeo.”

  Kallie burst out laughing at his reference, the sound echoing throughout the chambers of the sewer.

  Liam spun around. “Are you crazy?” he hissed.

  “Sorry… it just slipped out.”

  “Don’t make a sound. And keep your eyes open. There can be Rogues down here.”

  “Or Blues… you could be leading me into a trap,” Kallie said, but immediately regretted her words when she saw the hurt look in Liam’s eyes. “I was kidding.” She shook her head and mumbled, “Sorry.”

  They walked for a mile beneath the bowels of the city before Kallie stopped in her tracks.

  “What is it?” Liam whispered, trying to read her expression.

  She closed her eyes and pressed her cheek to the stone wall. A flash of Caleb flashed in her mind. “He’s on the other side of this wall,” she said, her voice aching. She could feel his pain. “They’re hurting him, Liam. What do we do?”

  Liam began to feel his way around the damp stones. Then he jumped back. “I found a door!” he whispered. He pulled something out of his utility belt and began fumbling with the lock.

  “Hurry, Liam. He’s weak… he’s so weak.” She could practically feel Caleb’s blood singing inside her body as it begged for help. What could they possibly be doing to him?

  “Hold on…” Liam jiggled his pocketknife around in the keyhole until he heard a click. “Got it!” He pushed open the door, only to find another narrow chamber about ten feet long and a second door.

  Kallie checked the room to make sure it was empty and raced to the next door. She pressed her cheek to it. “He’s behind here. Open the door.”

  However, Liam hesitated.

  “What? He’s there. What are you waiting for?”

  Still Liam didn’t move. “Is he alone?”

  Kallie closed her eyes and focused on her maker. He flashed before her eyes, his face twisted in pain. “I…I don’t know.”

  “We can’t barge in unprepared. We’ll be dead before we take two steps inside.”

  As much as she wanted to burst through the door, she knew it wasn’t the smartest move. “So what do we do?”

  Liam searched the walls, then looked up. There was a grate. He placed a finger on his lips and pointed up. She understood at once, and climbed onto his shoulders to reach. The bars may have been heavy for a mortal, but for an immortal it was light and she was able to lift and slide it out of the way. Liam pushed her up and she climbed into the narrow passage. She’d have to crawl on her belly, and she was grateful for not being the type to be claustrophobic. This space was small, and the smell revolting. The very walls seemed to be rotting with the stench of the dead.

  She crawled out of the way and gave Liam room to jump up. He leaped up, his movements deft as he replaced the grate and ticked his head to the side, instructing her to follow. He lowered his body, resting the weight on his forearms as he dragged himself through the passage. If it was tight for Kallie, it was close to impossible for Liam, who was double her size. They maneuvered their way through the damp, dark crawl space. The stink sickening. The passage seemed to open up, and Liam moved to the side, allowing Kallie to crawl beside him. He stopped and looked at her. There were voices, she could hear them now.

  “You’ve had enough! It’s my turn to feed from the day-walker.”

  Kallie’s eyes widened in fear. She looked at Liam, her mind flooded by fear. He remained stoic, and continued to listen.

  “You’ll drain him dry. We have him alive! That’s the order.”

  Liam placed his finger once more to his lips. Kallie nodded and watched as he inched himself slowly over to the next grate, so he could see into the room. She watched as he approached, too frozen by the thought of what she might see. She didn’t have to see. Liam’s expression said it all. He looked like he might retch. How horrible could it be, that a strong vampire like Liam could buckle with fear? Kallie had always seen Liam like a soldier, and now she feared he might desert on her. He turned to her and offered his hand.

  Kallie closed her eyes and gave herself a moment to prepare. Then, bracing herself, she inched closer to Liam, and peered over the grate. She knew it would be bad, she had tried to prepare herself since the moment they took him, but nothing prepared her for what she saw.

  “Holy shit!” Her words slipped. Liam’s hand was over her mouth in a flash. He stifled the cries she no longer could contain.

  Caleb hung chained to a wall, his body appeared broken, his head hung against his chest. His shirt had been taken from him, his shorts shredded. He didn’t have on any shoes or socks. His hair was drenched in sweat, his body caked in grime from being dragged through the sewers.

  All that Kallie could have handled. It was what else they had done to him. She closed her eyes and conjured up the image of Caleb from last night. Handsome and fresh in his white linen shirt and khakis. He smelled like the beach. She could taste the sea salt on his tongue, and there were stray pieces of sand clinging to his hair. That was how she wanted to imagine him, not like this.

  Kallie forced herself to look once more. His body was covered in cuts, and hundreds of bite marks. They had used him the way a dog does a chew toy. The slash marks seeped blood and the two Rogues, the bouncers she recognized from the other night, greedily fought over lapping at the fountain of blood his body was producing.

  With Liam’s hand still over her mouth, she couldn’t cry out to him the way she wanted. If he knows I’m here, maybe it will give him strength. Oh Caleb… Caleb, Caleb… Kallie said his name over and over in her mind, trying to connect to her maker. He’s too weak. Her hope sank like a stone as she watched the creatures feast on him. She wondered if this is what they did to her father, and the thought made her sick. Caleb… stay strong… I’m here…

  Caleb’s head rolled back, his eyes were closed, and she was able to get a better look at what they had done to him. His left eye was purple and swollen shut. His bottom lip was split in two, and gushing blood. He had a terrible bite mark on his cheek that looked too deep to heal, at least not while he was being fed on. She knew his body could never regenerate as long as they constantly tortured him. What have they done to you?

  Suddenly, his right eye fluttered open. His gaze locked on Kallie. She turned to Liam, and he reluctantly removed his hand. Then the two looked back at the prisoner. Her heart leaped as Caleb clearly looked at her. She wanted to tell him everything would be okay. But she didn’t know how to express her thoughts to him. To offer some sort of comfort. But Caleb knew. He burned one clear thought into her mind. She heard her maker’s voice ring out loud and true.

  “Kallie, run!”

  ~ THE END ~

  Marked By Courage

  Coming Sept/Oct 2015

  More by W.J. May

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  Like most teenagers, Rouge is trying to figure out who she is and what she wants to be. With little knowledge about her past, she has questions but has never tried to find the answers. Everything changes when she befriends a strangely intoxicating family. Siblings Grace and Michael, appear to have secrets which seem connected to Rouge. Her hunch is confirmed when a horrible incident occurs at an outdoor party. Rouge may be the only one who can find the answer.

  An ancient journal, a Sioghra necklace and a special mark force life-altering decisions for a girl who grew up unprepared to fight for her life or others.

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  How hard do you have to shake the family tree to find the truth about the past?

  Fifteen year-old Rae Kerrigan never really knew her family's history. Her mother and father died when she was young and it is only when she accepts a scholarship to the prestigious Guilder Boarding School in England that a mysterious family secret is revealed.

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  As Rae struggles with new friends, a new school and a star-struck forbidden love, she must also face the ultimate challenge: receive a tattoo on her sixteenth birthday with specific powers that may bind her to an unspeakable darkness. It's up to Rae to undo the dark evil in her family's past and have a ray of hope for her future.

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