by J. C. Diem
“How?” I asked. “Unless your wolf takes over again, you wouldn’t stand a chance against the others. There are too many of them for you to take on alone.” I could have helped him if it came down to a fight, but Katrina was the main one I wanted dead and neither of us had the capacity to kill her.
“They treat humans as if they’re less than animals,” he said in despair.
“Do you treat a burger with respect?” He frowned at my question. “That’s all humans are to them,” I said starkly. “They’re food and nothing else.”
“We can’t let Katrina build an army,” he said.
“I have a feeling it won’t come to that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Something bad is coming,” I said with a shrug.
“How can you possibly know that?”
“I don’t know,” I confessed. “I just do.”
“Fantastic,” he said and tossed the washcloth into the sink. “Just what we need. An unidentified threat that apparently only you’re aware of.”
I left the bathroom to find the other servants in the kitchen scrubbing the bloodstains from their clothes. They sent frequent sullen glances at our master. Katrina’s dress was soaked and clung to her skin. The white fabric was still stained, but it no longer looked like she’d been in a bloodbath.
When everyone was clean enough to satisfy her, she led us outside. She took off at a run and slowed down a couple of minutes later when we closed in on an old house. Not much of the building was left standing. It would be a deathtrap when the sun came up.
“They’re down there,” Katrina said and pointed at a cellar door. “My dream told me that there are only twelve of our brethren in this nest. At my signal, begin making noise to draw them away. Close in to surround them, but don’t kill them. Once their master is dead, I’m going to make the survivors mine.”
My necromancer crept far enough forward for me to be able to use her senses. Katrina was right. I felt twelve undead beings in the cellar. As ordered, Reece and I hid while the rest of our group began to yell. Like ants from a kicked nest, the rival vampires boiled out into the open. The master had sent nine of his lackeys out to battle the attackers, keeping three behind to guard him.
We waited for our kin to lead them away before Reece and I slipped inside the open cellar door. A rabbit warren of tunnels had been dug out beneath the house, but it was easy enough to figure out which way to go. We followed the scent of vampires to a large open area. Rugs lay on the dirt floor and a few pieces of furniture had been carried into the underground hideaway to make it more livable.
Hearing our arrival, the master spun to confront us. It wasn’t a man at all, but was instead a girl. She was small and only in her early teens, yet I sensed her age to be far greater than it seemed. She studied us intently and something about the set of her shoulders told me she knew we weren’t normal vampires. She didn’t waste time asking us questions about what we were. “Kill them,” she ordered her protectors coolly.
Reece nodded at me and moved forward to deal with the three remaining minions. I stepped around them and started towards the master. I didn’t bother to change into a wolf this time. She was trapped below the ground and there was little chance that I’d have to chase her down.
Seemingly unafraid, she stared up at me when I came to a stop in front of her. “You don’t want to kill me,” she said in a persuasive voice as her guardians threw wild punches at Reece. With his martial arts training, he easily kept them busy without sustaining any damage. He could have killed them all with little effort, but Katrina wanted them alive.
Used to being able to bamboozle lesser vampires, the teen’s eyes widened in shock when I pulled my gun and pointed it at her face. “You’re right,” I said. “I don’t particularly want to kill you, but I’m going to anyway.” Then I pulled the trigger.
She was much faster than I’d anticipated and almost dodged out of the way. The bullet scored her temple and she snarled in pain and rage. Her lackeys turned to defend her and Reece tackled all three of them to the ground.
The girl’s hand flashed towards my eyes, trying to scoop them from my face. I knocked her hand away then kicked her legs out from under her. I pinned her down with a boot on her stomach and she hissed at me like an enraged cat. I decided not to drag the fight out and emptied my clip into her face. Apart from beheading or using sunlight, this was the quickest way to kill our kind.
Her head disintegrated and her servants went mad. Shrieking and wailing in loss, they abandoned their attack on Reece and began to writhe on the ground. They were incapable of thought let alone of escape. Leaving them where they lay, we made our way back outside.
Katrina had rounded up all of the rival vampires and was systematically bending them to her will. Benjamin and Orlando held a shrieking young woman by the arms. My mother caught her by the chin and stared into her eyes. Her screams went silent after a few moments and she became docile. “Drink of my blood and bind yourself to me,” Katrina ordered.
Using her thumbnail, she slit her left wrist and held it out. The young woman swayed forward then bent her head and drank. After a few swallows, she pulled away and blinked before focusing on Katrina. “Master,” she said in a drugged sounding voice. With a smile of triumph, Katrina moved on to the next newly bereaved underling.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twenty-One
Our nest had grown to a total of twenty-eight vampires when she was done, which was only slightly larger than usual. Katrina wasn’t concerned that we would be discovered by our food source if she brought more undead into the fold. She was convinced that her dreams were true and that she would become the leader of a vast army of undead.
After witnessing her lead us straight to the rival nest, her minions were beginning to believe that she might not be as crazy as they’d thought. Their wary glances were changing to looks of awe and desperate hope. Living in perpetual fear of being discovered and dragged out into the sun to be incinerated wasn’t pleasant.
The thought of having ascendency over humans appealed to everyone. None of them seemed to realize how unfeasible it was to believe our kind could ever gain control of humanity. No matter how many vampires were created, we were utterly helpless during the day. Katrina’s dream of being our matriarch was doomed to failure, but I wasn’t about to point that out to her.
Studying her newly acquired servants, Katrina made a face at the filthy state of their hair, skin and clothing. “Let’s return to our lair so you can clean yourselves.” Still too dazed to fully understand her, they meekly fell in behind us as we sprinted back to Denver.
Dawn was only an hour away when we reached the city. The newcomers were guided to the shower on the second floor and were forced to clean themselves. They were given new clothing then found a place on the floor to call their bed.
Reece followed me to my room. He leaned against the wall as I sat down on my bed and took my ereader out. It was hard to ignore the weight of his steady stare. When everyone fell asleep a few minutes later, I put the device down and looked at him. “Everything is going to change tomorrow night.”
He was almost as surprised as I was by that pronouncement. “What do you mean? What’s going to happen?”
“I don’t know, but I can sense doom coming for us all.”
Disturbed, he didn’t try to follow me into the bathroom. I heard the door open then close then his footsteps sounded on the stairs. He was no doubt running off to call Mark and advise him of this development. Even if I’d been able to tell him more about what was coming, I wouldn’t have. The darkness that had been halted after my three personalities had come to an agreement was beginning to rise again. My necromancer was rubbing her hands together in glee at whatever was coming. I sensed that it was related to death magic, but I had no idea what it would be.
Taking a shower, I changed into my usual sleeping attire of a white singlet and tiny shorts. If any of Katrina’s underlings entered my room and attempted to engage me i
n sex, my body would reject them. Sound in that knowledge, I eventually drifted off to sleep.
A few hours later, my sleep was broken by my first dream since becoming a vampire. A hand ran from my shoulder down to my fingertips then back up again. A mouth touched mine and urged my lips open. I waited for my body to reject the advance, but my hands instead grasped short hair and I deepened the kiss.
My wolf was dreaming about Reece. It was so strong that it almost felt real as he kissed his way down my neck. My singlet rose over my head and he worked his way down until he reached my breast. Teeth nipped me and my breath caught as my desire began to build.
My shorts were slipped down to my feet then his body came to rest next to me. Pulling me on top of him so we were chest to chest, he smoothed his hand down my back to my waist. He pressed his hardness against me and I arched into him. He nibbled his way from my jaw to my lips and kissed me with a passion that quickly turned from playful to intense.
Hooking my leg over his, I rolled onto my side, pulling him with me. His body was rock hard against me and I ground my pelvis into his, silently telling him what I wanted. He inserted his knee between mine and nudged my legs apart.
I only realized it wasn’t a dream when his teeth sank into my left shoulder. Waking up completely, I shoved Reece away. He fell off the bed and hit the floor with a groan of disappointment. “Why did you stop me?” he asked. “We both know you want this as much as I do.”
My wolf wanted me to throw myself at him and finish what he’d started, but my vampire and necromancer resisted. I shouldn’t have been able to feel desire at all, but I suppressed a shudder of need. “Clearly, I don’t,” I said as coolly as I could. I checked my shoulder to see that it had already healed. “Don’t try that again,” I warned him. I wasn’t sure my wolf would let me push him away a second time.
I dressed and left the room while he fought for control. Standing on the rooftop, I stared at the distant mountain range and brooded about my future. I was trapped in an existence that I wouldn’t have wished on my worst enemy. Reece was suffering far more than I was, which would have pleased me greatly if I’d been capable of emotion. I was disturbed to discover I could still feel sexual pleasure. That hinted that I might eventually regain all of my feelings, which dismayed me. I didn’t want to go back to feeling pain again.
If my swelling sense of impending doom wasn’t just a figment of my imagination, I wouldn’t have to worry about feeling anything for much longer. Whatever dark destiny was awaiting us was coming tonight.
I waited for the sun to be low on the horizon before I returned to my room. Reece was pacing in the room next to mine. He took a few steps towards his door when he heard me enter. Changing his mind about disturbing me, he resumed pacing.
Packing my few belongings into my backpack, I decided to take it with me this time. I saw that Reece had the same idea when I stepped out into the hallway. He sent me a look that was full of tension then fell in behind me when I took the stairs down to the ground floor.
Katrina was already up and was wearing one of her favored white dresses. Again, she hadn’t allowed her underlings to descend into an orgy. Just as tense as Reece, she gave us a cursory glance before addressing the group. “The master we will be facing tonight is far more powerful than any I’ve encountered before. We will all need to join in the battle this time.”
Noting the backpacks we were carrying, she assumed they were filled with ammunition and nodded in approval. “We do not have far to travel this time, but I see no reason for us to delay.” With a click of her fingers, she summoned us to follow her.
Still confused and adjusting to their new reality, the newcomers listened to Benjamin’s quiet explanation of Katrina’s vision as we headed for the roof. Instead of sprinting at full speed when we leaped to the ground, we remained at a fast jog. Her dream led us several miles away from the city to an apparently deserted area.
Coming to a stop in a field, our master gathered us into a huddle. “We will be facing twenty-five vampires this time,” she said and pointed to herself then Reece and me. “We three will enter last. The bulk of you will engage the underlings while my daughter and her lover will hunt down the master and end his life.” I noticed she didn’t include herself in the plan of attack.
Glancing around the field, Benjamin asked the question that was on everyone’s mind. “Where is their lair? I don’t see anything out here at all.”
Katrina smiled craftily. “Their entrance is cleverly hidden, but my dream told me where to find it.” She gracefully walked over to a patch of grass that was slightly darker than the rest. On closer inspection, I realized the grass was fake. Bending, she grabbed hold of a trapdoor and swung it open. From the astounded expressions on her minions, she’d just performed a near miracle.
Delving into the ground with my innate dark magic, I couldn’t sense any vampires at all. I did however, sense something else. I couldn’t tell what it was, but I knew it was far more dangerous than a mere vampire could ever hope to be. It was the cause of the doom that was waiting for us below.
Reece looked at me and I surreptitiously shook my head in warning as the others began filing down the concrete staircase. The last to enter as ordered, I closed the trapdoor and descended into darkness that would have been impenetrable to a human.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twenty-Two
A long corridor stretched out ahead at the foot of the staircase. I estimated we were two floors down. The facility reminded me of the EERI compound in Texas. Cells lined the hall on both sides. Instead of metal bars, these rooms were separated by dense glass walls. Completely devoid of furniture or fixtures, scorch marks on the concrete floor indicated they’d been designed for one purpose; disposal.
“What is this place?” Pricilla asked in a hushed whisper. Her sense of self-preservation warned her that she was in danger.
Katrina was the only one who didn’t seem to be affected by the menace we could all feel. “The master is behind that door,” she said and pointed at a heavy metal door at the far end of the hall.
We were halfway down the corridor when a small window opened in the door and light pierced the darkness. Even in silhouette, I recognized who it was. It wasn’t a vampire at all, but was instead someone who hunted our kind for a living.
“Hello, Katrina,” Mark said, “I wish I could say it’s nice to see you again.”
I smiled at her gasp of terror as she realized she’d been led into a trap. Fear spread through our group when sprinklers descended from the ceiling. I’d only been a minion for a relatively short time, but I was ready for my servitude to end. My premonition of doom was coming true and we were all about to be eradicated.
Moments after that thought, a glass door beside me slid open and Reece sprang into action. He threw himself at me and his momentum carried us both inside the cell. Moving with the blinding speed that only vampires could achieve, Katrina dove in behind him. The door slid shut, trapping us all inside.
Liquid spurted from the sprinklers. The confused vampires made exclamations of disgust and fright when they became soaked. The metal door cracked open and Mark’s hand appeared holding a lighter. He brought a flame to life then tossed the lighter into the hall. He slammed the door shut as fire swept from one end of the death trap to the other.
Screams of terror and agony rang out. Katrina’s original four servants turned to their master, pleading for her to save them. I watched without emotion as Benjamin, Orlando, Pricilla and Candice were reduced to ash along with the new arrivals. Katrina beat her hands against the glass and shrieked in impotent rage as her small army was destroyed.
The glass walls kept the odor from us, but I imagined the smell must have been terrible. Instead of an EERI base, we were in a PIA facility that I hadn’t even known existed. I was beyond the ability to be shocked that they’d created death chambers designed to destroy our kind.
When the flames finally died, the sprinklers came on again. This time water rather th
an a flammable liquid squirted out. Vents appeared in the floor and the remains of Katrina’s fledgling army were washed away.
When the metal door opened again, Mark stepped out and he wasn’t alone. Katrina’s gaze swept past Mark, Kala and Flynn and came to rest on my father. Through our link, I felt a flash of despair and an echo of longing from her. “I’ll end you all for this,” she promised them in a vicious tone. “But before I kill you, dear husband, I’m going to make you regret joining forces with these murderers.”
Turning, she leaped at me. Not even Reece was fast enough to stop her this time. Slamming me into the glass wall, her hands went around my throat and began to squeeze.
“Stop!” a deep voice commanded and she froze. I sensed her horror as she recognized the speaker. “Let her go,” the man ordered and her hands sprang away from me.
Cringing away, she turned to face the human who strode down the hall. Kala was scowling down at the damp floor as if she was trying hard to control herself. Flynn watched the stranger warily. Mark was trying to control his distaste and was failing miserably. Whoever the man was, none of them trusted him.
My father ignored everyone in favor of watching me. He’d aged since I’d seen him last. Lines of worry were etched into his forehead. He spared a brief glance for Reece and a slightly longer one for Katrina before turning to me again. “How are you feeling, Lexi?”
“I don’t,” I replied.
He was puzzled by my emotionless answer and frowned. “You don’t what?”
“I don’t feel.” That seemed to cause him pain and his frown deepened.
“I am sure I will be able to remedy that,” the strange man said.
Moving slowly, as if hoping she wouldn’t be noticed, Katrina sidled around until she was behind me and was shielded from his view. The stranger moved to stand in front of me until we were separated by a few inches of glass. Tall and lean, he had black hair and dark brown eyes. He would have been handsome if his mouth hadn’t had such a cruel cast to it.
