Britt could tell by her stance and her voice that she didn't feel threatened by these two.
The vampires were dressed in black jeans and T-shirts and looked more like Jimmy Dean wannabe's than the goth-like vampires he'd seen on the streets lately.
"Word is spreading about you, Vandermire. Traitor. Killer of your own kind. Word is you've completely turned against us. You kill us, yet you live in the house of God and act as if you're special."
Jess's expression turned to stone. “I kill those of you who are evil, whereas, you kill innocent, men, women and children."
"And you do the same thing to us. It isn't evil to fight to survive. It's called survival of the fittest. Even you must realize we are the fittest, the strongest. We deserve to survive. What right have you to judge us?"
Britt had never heard a vampire try to rationalize Jess back into the fold. Maybe he was delusional from the knock on the shoulder?
"Why do you want this woman?” Jess asked, circling the two vampires.
"She's one of us now. Surely you can sense that. You must feel the life awakening inside her just as we do."
"Except that I don't think she's going to be able to join you because she's going to be dead. Truly dead."
The taller vampire, with slicked back hair, shook his head. “Have our words had no impact on you, Hunter? Do you not see the wickedness of your ways?"
"No, but I see the wickedness of yours."
When they weren't looking, Britt got to his feet in a smooth, quiet motion.
"You can throw away your toy, it won't hurt me, vampire.” Jess said the word “vampire” as if it were dirty. That enraged the tall one who'd been trying to bring her over to his side.
"If you don't let us take her, we'll have to fight you. However, if you let her come with us, we'll leave you alone tonight. This is not an ordinary Taser. It'll immobilize you and you'll feel the same pain you've inflicted on scores of your brethren. Then, when you're screaming for mercy, we'll help you breathe your last breath."
Jess laughed. “That remains to be seen.” She whipped out a blade and tossed it from one hand to the other. The polished silver in the hilt reflected the light from the Taser.
Britt frowned. Where did that dagger come from? He still had her signature dagger in the glove compartment of his car.
"If you back away and let us take her, we'll let you live tonight.” His voice had deepened, almost like an alto on crack.
Britt reached under his arm for his companion Ruger. The spare that he kept handy for situations just like his. It wasn't much good against a vampire. Merely an irritant, but the bullets were blessed and would slow them down.
"You know, Captain Vandermire has the reputation for being the best for a reason. She's not someone you should mess with,” Britt said, hoping for an element of surprise.
The smaller vampire spun and hissed at Britt, his fangs long and dangerous looking. “So you're the pet? The one who's in love with the big bad vampire?"
"I'm Jess's friend.” Britt held up the Ruger and pointed it between the vampire's eyes. “Blessed bullets—lovely craftsmanship,” he said matter-of-factly.
"Shit, you should've hit him harder. I thought you'd knocked him out,” the vampire told the taller one.
"Why didn't you make sure he was dead after I hit him?"
"Because you hit him. I didn't think he could get up again."
"Gentlemen, don't fight.” Jess said in that sandpaper voice that scratched over a man until it made him forget what was going on.
Britt shivered, but was able to keep his focus.
"Bitch could be fun,” the tall one smiled.
"Why don't we find out just how much,” the small one said.
"You kill the human, I'll disable the hunter, and then we'll share her.” The taller man jumped off the ground and catapulted himself at Jess, while the other vampire circled Britt.
With one quick glance Britt could see that Jess had stepped into the crypt. The vampire was closing in on her. The Taser revved up again and sparks reverberated in an arc off the machine. “Put the gun down or he'll jack her with the full dose of electricity. It makes vampires sizzle in a way that isn't pretty."
Even though Britt saw Jess grin at the idiot with the Taser while beckoning him further into the crypt, he had no idea if it would harm her. Whoever wanted her out of the way must be desperate to send these two clowns. Then he noticed something else. That gave him an idea.
"Do you mean it? You'll just take Beverley and leave Jess alone?” Britt said.
"Britt! What the hell are you doing?” Jess hovered near the body.
"Jess, Ms. Kellerman's not worth getting killed over. Let them have her.” He stressed. Hoping she knew by his tone what he really meant.
"Listen to your pet human,” the vampire said.
Jess blew out an irritated breath. A little on the dramatic side, but the other two didn't catch on. “Okay. Take her,” Jess said, obviously understanding Britt's message.
"Yeah? Yeah, that's more like it, bitch. Otherwise you'd have been begging for mercy.” The vampire looked at the Taser as if it had suddenly become way more capable than he knew it to be. Their IQs were less than stellar.
With a backward glance at Beverley, Jess left the building again and stood beside Britt. She pressed her arms across her chest, and drummed her fingers on one arm. “Good eye, Britt. Shouldn't be long now,” she whispered.
"Yeah, that's what I'm talkin’ about.” One of the vampires said, as if he'd taken Jess down single-handedly. He really thought he'd scared her away.
Beverley's toes twitched again. Jess had said she'd wake up mean and hungry. “Are we just going to let them have her?” Britt whispered.
She shrugged. “They've been hired to take her in. Surely they're qualified to control her in the event she wakes up.” Jess tipped her head to one side to see what they were doing inside the crypt. “We'll wait. We can't fight them and control her too."
"An excellent plan,” he said.
She tipped her head toward him. “I'm curious. Why didn't the vampire who turned Ms. Kellerman come get her himself. That's how it's usually done."
At her statement, Britt suddenly wondered who was Jess's master. What had happened when she'd been turned?
Suddenly, a woman's screams rent the air. “Jesus. What's the hell's going on?” Britt moved closer to the crypt door, but Jess grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
"It's Beverley. She's got to go through a very painful transition when she reawakens. All of her cells have died, and her organs have atrophied. In order for the VNA to reawaken her body, it has to reinvent them. Extremely painful."
"God!"
"Or the other guy,” she said.
Next thing Britt knew the two vampires were trying to control the newest member of their group. She was writhing and screaming and lashing out at them. She grabbed one by the neck and drank. “Stop her before she takes too much!” he screamed. The other vampire dove at her and tried to pull her off.
She attacked him next while the semi-drained vampire lay on the floor trying to recuperate.
"Aren't we going to do something?” Britt found it hard to watch. Not to mention the indignity for the poor woman. She was still naked. If only they'd brought her some clothes.
"You want a piece of that action?” Jess sounded surprised. “Unless these two can't control her, I think we should just wait here until she gets her fill. Then she'll be tired and need to sleep. She won't have as much fight left in her."
"Where the hell did these dweebs come from?"
"I don't think they've been around long. They haven't learned how to use their abilities to their fullest."
Beverley threw the second vampire across the crypt. He hit the wall head first, and they heard the sickening sound of the bones in his neck cracking. He screamed. Unfortunately, both vampires were now incapacitated and Ms. Kellerman was still in a frenzy.
"Our turn,” Jess said, moving toward the door.
Beverley was still screaming, her head twisting back and forth. Nails ripped at her throat and chest as if she were trying to claw off her own flesh.
"Put her out of her misery, Britt. It doesn't get any better after the re-cellularization stops. Then the hunger begins for real."
"Holy shit. So what we just saw wasn't the real hunger?"
"Not even close.” She sprang at the taller vampire on the floor, tapped her heal twice and kicked out her leg. The extended heel spike impaled him through the heart. He didn't even have time to scream before he died.
The other guy lay crumpled and moaning in the corner. Apparently, Jess left that one for him, but he'd have to get past Beverley first before he could take the male vampire out.
Britt wasn't afraid to admit that this newly-regenerating, naked vampire scared him more than the biggest, strongest vampires he'd fought so far. Mostly because she was a woman. A vampire like Jess. But this woman should've had a life and a brilliant career. Instead she'd been brutally victimized by a monster as dark as the devil himself. And then, when things couldn't get any worse for her, when she woke hungry for blood and probably scared, he was going to kill her as viciously as she'd been killed the first time.
Yanking his specially designed stake from its holster, he hit the button and it extended. It had to be done.
Even in her state of painful regeneration, Beverley realized she was in danger. She attacked, screaming and clawing like a mad woman. He grunted, ducked sideways, and stuck out a foot. She tripped, but regained her balance and turned toward him. Her strength was growing by the minute, and she looked at him like he was breakfast.
"Couldn't you give me a hand?” he grunted at Jess while he swung the stake at Beverley, and missed.
"If I have to, I will. I think you've got this one covered by yourself."
He gasped and dove sideways to avoid fangs coming at his neck. If Ms. Kellerman hadn't gotten full control over her body yet, he'd hate to see what she'd be like when she was in control. Jess had been right about one thing, she was hungry.
He sidestepped and ducked again, this time her fangs just missing his neck. Finally, the desire to eliminate the threat versus the reality that she'd once been a woman like Jess, sank in.
"Enough of this. I'm sorry, but you have to die.” He rammed his arm out as hard as he could and staked her in the chest. He wasn't positive he'd hit his mark until her eyes widened and she let out another ear-piercing scream.
She fell to the floor, empty eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. Young vampires didn't turn to ash, and he stared at the naked, staked body of the poor woman whose life had been ripped away yet again. Had she known what had happened to her before she died? Before he'd killed her for the second time? He grabbed the sheet and covered her.
Jess leaned against the casket in the corner, watching him. “You did a good thing, Britt. She was suffering, and it wasn't going to get any better for her."
Britt clamped his teeth together and quickly staked the last vampire who'd been whimpering in the corner. That one was easy. Without a word to Jess, he left the crypt as fast as he could. He'd been inside that damned cement tomb for far too long.
Jess followed Britt out after taking a vial of blood. He didn't stay to watch the procedure. His chest heaved from exertion, and he glared at Jess to let her know how much he detested being forced to kill Ms. Kellerman. “What should we do with her body?” he asked.
"We'll leave her here for now. I'll have to talk to the Chief first. I need to know what the hell's going on at the Department before we show up with her again."
Outside in the darkness, he scanned the surrounding headstones. “Any chance there's more of these guys around?"
"It's my guess they won't have any use for her now that she's truly dead. They wanted the vampire, not the corpse."
She slammed the crypt door shut with a creaking thud.
He watched her covertly. Proud of her strength, but terrified that she too might meet the same fate as Beverley Kellerman. Her soft brown hair flipping up gently at the ends left no indication that she'd just battled with immortal enemies. She wasn't breathing heavily like he was. Exhausted from the battle they'd just fought, but too damned stubborn to show weakness, he worked at regaining his breath.
She seemed to think the vampires were only after Beverley Kellerman. She had no idea some evil bastard out there was ripping the necks out of women and making it look like she was the killer. Like she'd killed Beverley Kellerman.
He looked at her again and she smiled at him.
He squirmed inside at the poisonous thoughts that threatened his belief in Jess. He couldn't get Sampson's words out of his mind, as hard as he tried. ‘She is what she is, after all'. He wished Sampson had never spoken those words out loud. The logical cop in him just couldn't completely dispel the fact that what Sampson had said was true—no matter how hard he wanted to deny them.
[Back to Table of Contents]
CHAPTER ELEVEN
On the way back to the city, Jess bit off an expletive and pressed her fingers to her temple. She shouldn't be feeling fuzzy again, so why did she?
Britt turned a corner, and slowed the vehicle to pull out his cell phone. It hadn't rung, so she assumed he had it on vibrate.
"Brittain here.” He held the phone so tightly to his ear Jess could barely make out the muffled voice at the other end. Since her hearing was more acute than a living person's, she should be able to hear every syllable. Her chest tightened. It was happening again. She couldn't hear what was being said.
It didn't take vampiric powers to notice Britt's expression had gone from casual to serious.
"Right,” he said. “We'll be right there.” He flipped the phone shut and slid it back onto his belt. “Another woman was found vamped. Very close to where the last two were found."
"Damn it,” she rammed her hand into the dash in protest. “Unusual enough for a vampire kill his victims and leave them in a public place once, but three times? This is crazy. Especially if this victim has been turned, too. We've got to find this vampire and soon."
"I thought turning a person into a vampire was a really difficult thing to do?"
"Like I said, never underestimate vampires. And even though vampires have to drain almost all the victim's blood, leaving just the right amount so their VNA can mix into the body through saliva to begin the process, regenerating the dead cells is like any other talent, some vampires don't have to learn how to do it. It's instinctive.” She gave him her most serious look. “It takes nearly twenty-four hours for the change to complete. And when the vampire regains life, they have to go through the pain you saw earlier. You know how painful it can be if a limb goes to sleep. Imagine how it would feel if every cell in your body had died, then regenerated. The pain is more excruciating than you can imagine."
His mouth tightened. She had the feeling he wanted to ask her about her own experience. Thank God, he didn't, because she was feeling even more out of control right now. And remembering that horrible night that she'd been turned, always flipped on her feral instincts. If she'd been tougher as a cop back then, she might've been able to save herself. Her insides squirmed like she might be sick. But that was impossible. Didn't happen to vampires.
They reached the park and strode across the dewy grass. Like the night they found Beverley, a crowd had gathered and the regular forces were keeping them back. Yellow police tape in a hexagonal shape covered an even wider area than the last time.
Sampson was already on his knees beside the victim. His bald head reflected light from the spotlights that had been set up.
Jess hung back to let Britt take the lead.
"Sampson, anything to report, yet?” he asked in a serious tone.
"Not yet. Except that this case is way too similar to the last vics, I'm afraid. Highly unusual for this type of killer to display his prey like this.” He didn't say vampire in case someone in the growing crowd overheard. Or even worse—the media.
"Y
eah.” Britt ran a hand through his hair.
Jess visually searched the surrounding shrubbery ensconced in darkness. Was someone watching from the sidelines? Serial killers often did that. Maybe this vampire had more in common with serial killers than they thought. She still had the feeling she was being watched. Worse, she couldn't hone in on where it was coming from.
Britt stared at the victim. “She looks a lot like our last victim,” he noted. “Dark hair, trim figure. Well dressed. Not poor by any means. Look at those diamonds.” He leaned down and scrutinized her right hand.
"I noticed that, too. Seems this attacker has a penchant for well-to-do brunettes."
Jess remained silent, trying to figure out where that weird being-watched feeling was coming from. Maybe her bad dream not only meant she'd regained a little more humanity, but she'd lost some of her vampire special abilities! At this point, that would be a very bad thing.
The cold dead eyes of the victim stared up at the night sky. There was something familiar about this woman, but Jess couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Finally she realized Britt and Sampson were staring at her. “What?"
"You were a million miles away, Jess,” Sampson said. That apparently surprised him.
A look passed between the two men that she chose to ignore.
"Where do you want this body to be taken? Our forensic lab, or the police's?"
"Ours, of course."
"If it's like the last time, she won't be there long. I'll begin the autopsy the minute we get her there. That'll give us some samples to work with, just in case."
"How many samples do you have in the VNA bank?” Britt asked. “Is it likely you'll be able to find a match?"
Sampson shrugged. “I only have around 200 samples. Hard to say how many of those came from the vampire horde that you two destroyed, though. Was there ever a body count on that one?"
"I've got some figures in the office. I'll get someone to do a tally and come up with a count. Problem is a lot of them burned up in the Shoe Factory fire,” Jess said. “I have a blood sample from victim number two, now."
Beyond the Grave Page 8
