Dark Knight of the Skye

by Ray, Robin Renee

  “Fit luv, tell me?”

  “There are three dead people in the little town west of here. They want us to go.”

  “Fur fit, sae we can be their hounds, nae offence.”

  “None taken,” Tabitha replied.

  Danny and D`nae sat across the table in the landlady’s large dining room, watching Grady and several of his men go over a stack of photos that had been sent in from the scouts that found the bodies. Danny’s eyes never left Grady’s, who flashed back the same form of discontent that was coming his way. D`nae tapped her foot annoyingly, doing anything to break the uncomfortable silence. Tabitha came in the door with a tray of coffee, and all eyes that were searching the gruesome remains found their way to her. Grady’s mouth was slightly ajar, which made D`nae start laughing.

  “Quite the shocker isn’t she?” she smiled. “Just sit it here, Tabitha, then come sit by me.”

  Tabitha sat the tray down, then took the chair next to D`nae, curling in her shoulders as soon as she was in the chair. D`nae rested her hand on Tabitha’s knee, and she slowly pulled her shoulders back and looked forward. It was a little thing that she was told to do in the bedroom earlier that night. “Show them you have no fear by looking them in the eye. You rock baby, show it off!” D`nae had said, while showing her to herself in the mirror. Everyone, including Tabitha, noticed Grady taking a longer look than the rest. When the room become so silent you could hear a pin drop, even he noticed that he was pulled into her beauty without being aware of it.

  “Ye aboot doon keekin there, mon?” Danny asked, with a stern expression, causing D`nae to kick him under the table. “Ah richt!”

  “I didn’t mean to stare. You look very nice, Tabitha,” Grady remarked, then turned back to his work, ignoring Danny’s statement as if he had never spoke.

  “Thank you,” she replied in a voice that was timidly soft, lowering her eyes uncontrollably.

  D`nae was leaning forward just enough to see the look on her face, then leaned back to watch Grady, who was now glancing up every so often in a direction other than Danny’s. A smile crossed her face and for the first time she felt like there may be hope for the very compromising situation that she had found herself in. Tabitha being a beautiful woman and Grady being a very needy man, it was possible that the two would make a good couple, she thought to herself. The only problem was that Grady would have to overcome the fact that Tabitha was a being that he once considered a creature who by its very nature needed to die. The thought made her actually snicker aloud, because he was now faced with three such creatures, ones that he wasn’t fighting, but instead taking into battle as allies.

  “You think this is funny?” Grady asked, looking up.

  “As a matter of fact, I do,” D`nae responded. “Ironic, actually.”

  “Spit it out, if you have something to say.”

  “Look around ya, Grady. Isn’t all of this a bit ironic to you, too? Just a few days ago, you were killing anything that remotely resembled the three of us, yet here we all sit.”

  “My men don’t like being here anymore than I do, but we have a job to complete. If that means that we all have to work together to get it done, then so be it.”

  “Then get the fuck out of my house!” she yelled, standing so fast that her chair crashed to the floor. “You don’t want us, then we don’t want you.” Danny smiled, crossing his arms and leaning back.

  “Look,” Grady replied, sliding the enlarged photos across the tabletop. “This is what they fear.”

  “You honestly think that I’m capable of doing something like…” she paused picking up one of the photos, and held it to his face. “We’ll go after him alone. Send your men away.”

  “This is our business, not yours, D`nae.”

  “Didn’t really see you getting your ass laid on the line the last few days. Hmm, wonder if I would have these fangs in my mouth if you would have just left me the hell alone? I think you stepped into something that wasn’t any of your business from the very beginning. Alasdair is after Danny, not you Grady, and we are going to stop him. You want to join us, fine, but not your men.”

  “Me hen’s richt. Tis be oor show noo. Ah’ll be the high heid yin, frae noo on,” Danny said sitting up, placing his forearms on the table.

  Grady’s two men stood up, and put their hands on their weapons. Tabitha simply pushed her chair back, bent her head forward, then came up ripping from human form into beast with one guttural scream. The clothes that D`nae had given her now hung in bits and pieces on her massive arms and shoulders, even her ankle held the remnants of the once uncomfortable thong. Not only Grady and his men flew back several feet, but Danny all but flew into the foyer, even cursing out in his own Scottish tongue. D`nae was bent over, laughing so hard that she had to squat down to keep from falling over. Tabitha’s wolf eyes looked down at her, then her head tilted slightly to the side and she made a grunting sound as if snickering right along with her. D`nae was about to say something to her when she looked down and saw the pink thong hanging on her foot, causing her to laugh out again, falling back on her butt, laughing so hard that all she could do was point. Tabitha looked down and began to shake her foot, trying to get it off which caused her to fall over the chair behind her. Despite how hard he tried not to. Grady started laughing as well.

  Danny came back down to the ground, shaking his head then joined in with a hidden cough of a laugh, while lifting D`nae to her feet. Tabitha reached down and pulled the piece of torn material taunt, snapping it free from her foot. Her beast form rolled to its knees and her body reshaped into the delicate nude human woman. Grady turned his head as she got to her feet, showing no shame in her nudity. D`nae took her by the arm and rushed her up the staircase.

  “You can change anytime you want?”

  “Yes, of course. But I cannot control my anger. It will bring the beast, no matter my will.”

  “You sure went through that suit of clothes fast,” D`nae started laughing again. “That was great. Did you see their faces?”

  “I never meant to ruin your beautiful things, master.”

  “Would you stop calling me that? And they were yours to do with as you pleased… but why did you change?”

  “I could smell their fear. They would have reacted without much provocation.”

  “So that’s what that smell was. All metal like.”

  “The blood changes when they sweat from fear. The faster their heart beats, the more appealing they become to those of us who crave what they have,” Tabitha explained, while D`nae turned on the shower.

  “They taste different than you do?”

  “My blood is stronger, and will last longer in your body, but I have heard it said that to a vampire, the human is the sweetest. I prefer any meat, human, cattle, dog… food is food.” Then she stepped into the running water.

  “Sure glad you ended up liking me, sweetie,” D`nae hollered out, then smiled nervously. “You always get that goopy stuff all over ya like that?”

  “Yes, but I cannot answer as to why. It is part of the means of transformation.”

  “We have a lot to learn about each other, don’t we?”

  “A task I am looking most forward to,” she replied, as someone knocked on the bathroom door.

  “Who is it?” D`nae asked.

  “Yer mither, she’ll be wantin tae talk tae ye.”

  “Oh shit!” D`nae yelled and opened the door. “My mom’s here?”

  “Nae, hen, she’ll be on ye tellie,” Danny replied, smilling so big that his fangs were showing.

  “You scared the crap out of me. What phone?”

  “Yer wifie’s.”

  “My wife’s?”

  “He means the old woman’s, mas… D`nae,” Tabitha yelled from the shower.

  “Oh, okay. Thanks, babe.”

  D`nae made her way down the stairs, thinking if there was anything that she had forgotten about that her mother was going to do. Did she have plans to come by? Were they supposed to meet up tomorrow?
She couldn’t think, but was hoping it was just one of her calls to check in. She looked at the phone on the foyer table for a few minutes before picking it up, praying that her mother wouldn’t notice anything different about her. ‘What’s wrong? Did you die last night and not tell me?’ she imagined her mother saying, then just giggled and picked up the phone.

  “Mom?”

  “I had a horrible dream. Are you okay?”

  ”I’m fine, don’t be silly.”

  “D`nae, you know I don’t dream unless something’s wrong, now what the hell’s going on? And don’t lie to me,” her mother said, getting more upset by the second.

  “Please, Mom, just calm down. I’m fine really. There was a little bit of trouble, and I do have a few things to tell you, but I swear to you… I am fine, Mommy.” Then she waited for her mother’s response.

  “I love you so much,” she cried.

  “Don’t cry, please.”

  “I can’t help it. I dreamed you died, baby. You were bleeding, and Danny was there. I don’t know, it was a messed up dream that just had me worried to death, then I couldn’t get through on your cell.”

  ‘My cell,’ D`nae thought.

  “I’m coming to Austin.”

  “No, Mom, you can’t”

  “What do you mean I can’t?”

  “I don’t mean it in a bad way. I’m going on vacation and won’t be back for a few weeks. But I do want to see you, so we can talk about a few things.”

  “I’m worried about ya, babe.”

  “I know, Mom. But I can truly take care of myself. I had a great teacher.”

  “You’ll get your phone fixed?”

  “First thing.”

  “I love you so much.”

  “I love you, too, Mom, and I’ll call in every other day… uh, night, from now on. I don’t want you to worry, okay?”

  “That’s not gonna happen until I see ya with my own eyes. But you have a good time, and please, call me.”

  “I will. Love ya, Mom. Bye!”

  “Bye, my sweet angel, love you too,” she sniffled then hung up.

  D`nae dropped the receiver and slid to the floor, leaning her back on the staircase wall. She put her face in her hands and started crying. The life she had was now gone and she just truly realized it. Never again able to picnic with her family, gathering at their favorite lake, or going to a Sunday evening movie, then out for ice cream. All the little things she did during the day were gone. The dream her mother had was in fact the truth. She had died to the world of the day, and would forever live in the grips of darkness that surrounded the living, and it was tearing her heart apart. She felt a firm hand on her shoulder and knew by his scent that it was the one who would spend that time with her. She looked up into his eyes, and shook her head.

  “How am I going to do this, Danny? I love them so much.”

  “Whaur ye hert be, they be, luv. If’in they’ll be a way, we’ll find it.”

  “You mean it? I know she’ll understand, she loves me too much to push me away. I know that,” she cried wrapping her arms around his waist.

  “Aw mither’s luv they lassie‘s, luv. Ah ken she’ll shoogle wi’ excitement tae see ye,” he laughed.

  “Shoogle,” she giggled sniffling. “I may not understand half of what ya say, but thank you, babe.”

  Danny got up off of his knees and pulled D`nae to hers. “Me thin’s ye best be fur gaeing tae yer room. Tabby’s workin awful hard wi’ yer claes.” D`nae wiped her face and took off up the stairs, with Danny on her heels. They walked in to find Tabitha trying to put a pair of panties on with one leg in the waist hole, the other in a leg hole and the whole thing pulled up around her waist. She had the shirt on correctly, just inside out. She smiled and picked up the pants from the pile of clothes that D`nae had given her and started to pull them on.

  “Oh, wait sweetie. I think you have the undies on wrong, but ya did real good.”

  “They do feel a bit tight,” she said taking them back off.

  “Ah’m gaun oot, noo,” Danny said and closed the bedroom door, causing both of them to crack up.

  As D`nae was helping Tabitha get dressed, they heard two motors come to life out in front of the house and before they could get back down the stairs, the cars were driving off. The house was completely quiet, and almost all of the equipment of the A.A.D.F. was gone.

  “I told them to go,” Grady said from the dark living room of the deceased landlady. “They’re too jumpy, and you’re right, they don’t trust any of you.”

  “Fit aboot ye?” Danny asked stepping into the room.

  “I’m here, aren’t I.”

  “We don’t need them Grady, we can get Alasdair on our own,” D`nae said stepping up behind Danny.

  “I can track better than any of them and she carries his mark,” Tabitha added getting a hiss out of Danny.

  “It’s true, Danny.”

  “Ah ken!”

  “They found me because of your mark, and we can find him the same way.”

  “Or we can just follow the bodies. The last call that I got said they found two more fifteen miles down the road on an small farm. Elderly couple.”

  “Then what the hell are we waiting for?” D`nae asked stepping around Danny.

  “Pack what you’re going to need, and a few extra for her,” he said looking back at Tabitha. “She may need them.”

  D`nae looked back and smiled, knowing that Grady was saying it flirtatiously, just the way he had started out with her. After all the bags were by the front door, and Grady had the four by four in front of the house, he and Danny started loading it. It was Tabitha who noticed the grimace on Grady’s face when he reached down and picked up one of the heavy metal cases of equipment with the same arm that she had scratched. He saw her watching and quickly walked away, and loaded the case. While everyone was still in the house he grabbed his arm, tightening his lips together, the pain traveling from the tip of his shoulder down to the center of his spine.

  “The signs are not good for you. I never meant for this to happen, I merely wanted to protect her, same as you,” Tabitha said, standing a few feet behind him.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied and started to walk around her, but she grabbed his arm.

  “You can deny that we made contact that night, but you feel the pain of transformation, just as we all do.” Then she turned and walked into the house, leaving him standing alone.

  It was close to two a.m. when they drove up to a one story home on the edge of town. As they approached, the lights of the vehicle bounced off of a white piece of paper that was pinned to the door. It was a note that was left by Grady’s men before they left the scene. The local police hadn’t yet been called, and wouldn’t until they had a chance to look at the bodies. Tabitha knew that Alasdair had one place that he kept secret; a place that he had only taken her to one time, and that was when she was first brought over from his home in Canada. She had heard him speak about it to his followers that had attacked Danny and D`nae, and remembered him saying that he would place his enemy on high on the peak, so that his ashes would be the first thing he saw when he woke. She explained this to everyone in the truck, looking over at D`nae.

  “Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ve heard the story, so I know I am supposed to be hanging from some tree close by.”

  “Fit in aw’s the Saints be ye talkin aboot?”

  D`nae told him the story of Alasdair’s past, while Grady got out of the truck and retrieved the note. She talked while they watched him step back off the porch and walk around the side of the extremely nice brick home. By the time Grady came back around, she had finished the story of what his ancestors had done to create the problem at hand, and Danny was speechless. Before he could respond to the things he had just heard, Grady opened the passenger side door.

  “Note said they didn’t stay long. Seems they moved out before they had time to do any type of detailing on the scene.”

  “How’d they ev
en know the bodies where here?” D`nae asked.

  “Anonymous call into headquarters. One of Alasdair’s, no doubt.”

  “What do we need to do?”

  “Go find out what he wanted us to look for. He’s doing this for a reason.”

  “He wishes Danny to witness the death,” Tabitha said from her corner of the back seat.

  “Why? I mean I know he hates him, but why not just come after us?” D`nae asked sitting back in the seat.

  “He is in control, you see. He knows you will follow if he continues to kill. It is a way to imply that Danny is at fault for those we will find.”

  “Ah cud see his anger. If ane were tae tak ye fae me… Ah cannae believe me faither’s kin wud dae such a thin.”

  “It doesn’t give him the right to do what he’s doing, Danny,” D`nae said, pulling him back into reality.

  “Nae, yer richt. He’ll be havin nae richt tae be harmin the innocent, just tae be gettin after meself.”

  “Are you all ready to go see what happened in this house?” Grady asked, standing outside the passenger door.

  “No, but let’s just get it over with anyway,” D`nae replied and pushed Danny’s shoulder to get out, and she and Tabitha followed.