WHEN WOLVES HOWL
Bedlam in Bethlehem Book Two
Nicole Zoltack
Copyright 2017 by Nicole Zoltack
Cover Artist: AM Creations
ISBN-13: 978-1548142995
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
Dedication
To those who live in Bethlehem. This one’s for you.
Contents
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Other Books By Nicole Zoltack
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Author’s Note
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Chapter 1
The neck is a vulnerable place. The skin there is so fragile a slice in the right spot will drain your blood and kill you in seconds. It’s terrifying, all the more so because I know that vamps exist. I know they drink blood.
And I know they kill.
At least the rest of the police department finally is on board. They really had me second-guessing myself even though I witnessed a vamp bite and drain a woman. He killed her right in front of me! And then a vamp attacked me in my home. It had been unnerving, frightening even. Now, the lieutenant of criminal investigations bureau, Lieutenant Reynolds, is finally on board. He’s going to form a new unit to deal with the vamp threat in our city. Hopefully, things can finally get back to rights.
Although, man, am I livid that that supposed vamp hunter got away. What’s worse is that he killed all of the vamps we captured! I wanted to learn more about them and how their bodies work? What happened to Camila Moore who had been bitten by one? I so wanted an explanation for the whole host of symptoms that culminated in her death. Does that happen to everyone who is bitten? Do they have a toxin in their saliva? Thank God Doctor Dean managed to save the lieutenant. He had been bitten, but he’s fine now. We’re not sure which of the methods used cured him, but he’s fine now.
He seems to be fine.
Man, am I so skeptical and untrusting nowadays!
I’m in bed, but I can’t sleep. My eyes won’t stay closed for long because whenever they do, all I see are the dead bodies of the vamps. The skin had already been turning ash and gray, my guess from hunger… thirst. We did not feed them. They refused blood from a bag, and to let us feed them, yeah, that wasn’t gonna happen. They were not gonna drink my blood! I didn’t trust them to not drain and kill me!
But now, when dead, their skin wasn’t the only part of them to be gray. Their veins turned black, like dark scars crisscrossing beneath their skin. Maybe that’s the venom or poison in their bodies. Henrietta Goldersnatch, the medical examiner, is already working on an autopsy of their bodies. Maybe she’ll be able to tell us more about them, like if they were ever alive to begin with.
At least their bodies hadn’t turned to ash, and they stayed in human form. They can turn into a fog. It’s so creepy. I’ve been wondering for some time now if they can become a bat or another creature. What is a myth and what is real? I don’t know. I’m so confused, disgusted, angry, worried…
That vamp hunter, Blake Damon, gave me some intel, but I don’t know if I can trust him. So, he can handle vamps that are tied up and weak from thirst, almost dying from thirst. That doesn’t necessarily mean he can handle one out in the world.
And it wasn’t just their bodies that changed. Their fangs grew even longer in death, almost to their chin. I helped to move them down to the morgue, and their bodies would not move at all. They were as stiff as a board, rigid. I’m not sure if Henrietta will be able to cut through their skin to see their innards.
Their eyes… they wouldn’t close. Blood-red and as mesmerizing as they are haunting. I almost jump out of my skin every time I see their eyes. Obviously, vamps can’t come out in the daytime, right? People would see them. What if they can walk in the sunlight and not burn to a crisp?
A crisp is what I’m hoping for, honestly. They already have super strength and super speed and can turn into fog. They have enough super powers as it is. They need to have weaknesses!
Besides silver. Pure silver. Not sterling silver. Not the easy to get ahold of silver. Pure silver.
Can’t I just turn off my brain now? I really don’t need to rehash the little I know about vampires. Just a little bit of sleep would be nice.
But another hour passes, and I still haven’t slept a bit. With a groan, I drag myself out of bed and go through black belt kata. The controlled breathing and movements help to settle my mind, my muscles warming up and flexing. Soon, I feel myself relaxing. A quick shower and I melt under the sheets, and finally, at long last, sleep does come.
I swear, though, it’s only a minute later that the alarm rings. Wait a second. Today’s Sunday. I don’t have to go to the station today. What’s more, today I’m supposed to watch the Eagles game with Doctor Dean. I almost forgot.
I’m dozing when there’s a knock at the door. “Come on,” Samantha Hendricks calls. “Open up!”
What in the world is she doing here this early?
“Don’t tell me you forgot about cage fitness. Just for a half hour. Let’s go. Get some blood flowing, get rid of some of your excess energy before your big date.”
With a groan, I throw off my covers. She is way too chipper this morning.
I fling open the door. Her eyebrows arch, but before she can comment on my clothes or my hair, I say, “It’s not a big date. Not today. It’s just the game.”
“And you need to figure out dinner, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Why not do it all tonight?” She wiggles her hips suggestively.
“No way!” I shove her out the door. “I’ll be ready in ten.”
“Make it five!”
It’s not that surprising that I’m actually ready in those five minutes. I don’t tend to wear a lot of makeup, and I sure don’t need it for an exercise class. A quick brush of the hair, a quick brush of my teeth, a quick change of clot
hes, and I’m out the door.
Samantha drives us over to Brodhead Road. The class is therapeutic. I kick and punch and work out some of my anxiety. It’s easy. I picture one of the vamps for each target and hit as hard as I can. By the time class if over, I’m dripping with sweat. Some of my frustration is gone. Some of my dismay. Some of my worry. Some of my fear.
Some but not all.
“Roll your window down,” Samantha says as we climb into her car. “No offense, but you smell.”
“I don’t smell any more than you do,” I counter without shame.
“That’s up for debate.”
“Then I’m debating with you on that point.” I laugh. Laugh!
For a moment, the horribleness of the vamps’ deaths is blighted out of my mind. It’s not that I’m sorry they died. It’s more that I wanted to learn more about them and their species first. Then they could die.
I don’t think that makes me a terrible person. I mean, the vamps are—were—killers. They feed on humans. They are less than… or maybe more than… humans.
Personally, I am for the death penalty. Even though I’m not on homicide, I’ve seen too much. Humans are capable of horrible, despicable, atrocious acts against one another. Some cannot be reformed. The ones without remorse, the ones without a soul, they are the ones who should pay the ultimate price for their crimes.
And, yeah, that definitely applies to vamps. No way can they be reformed. They’re killers, pure and simple, just by the nature of their blood. Maybe even because of something in their blood.
I glance over at Samantha as she pulls in front of my house. She has no idea what’s going on, although she might suspect. I did ask her about vamps once. Wish like heck I could tell her, but I can’t. The public can’t learn about vamps. It would cause massive amounts of panic. Once we can study and understand them and have them under control, then maybe, maybe, we can spill the beans about them. But I doubt it. The government sure does like its secrets.
“Want me to come in and help you pick an outfit?” Samantha asks as she puts her old Ford into park.
“You mean which jersey to wear?”
“Seriously?”
“You know it!”
Samantha just shakes her head. “I hope you find someone who will tolerate your crazy.”
“Hey, I don’t mess around when it comes to football.”
“Yeah, yeah. Maybe you should—”
“Don’t,” I warn.
“Call me as soon as he leaves.”
“Will do.”
“Even if it’s two in the morning.”
“Sam.”
“Or after breakfast!”
“Sam!”
“You know I hate being called that.”
I grin. “Why do you think I called you Sam?”
“Get out of my car,” she says in mock-rage.
I rush out, shower and put on my Wentz jersey and my sole good pair of jeans. Then I eat a small sandwich to hold me over since I’m not sure if we’re gonna order food or not. Finally, I clean up the place some. I’m not a messy person, but I’m not a neat freak, either.
At quarter to one, there’s a knock on my door. I open it wide, already have the TV on for early Philadelphia Eagles coverage, ready for some football!
But it’s not Doctor Dean on the other side of the door.
It’s Diego Garcia. A cop I work with. A good-looking cop who knows it. A flirt. We’ve kinda grown a little closer lately, considering he was assigned to keep an eye on me after I witnessed a crime—a vamp attack/murder. And then a different vamp broke into my house and threatened me. And he kinda believed me about the vamps before anyone else. He even ordered some silver on the lieutenant’s dime behind his back and had it forged into a few bullets. If not for his realizing that I was going to use myself as bait to lure out the vamps, I might not be standing here right now. Sure, the vamps said a few times that they wouldn’t kill me. I couldn’t figure out why they would say that once, let alone multiple times, but vamps can’t be trusted. Besides, they had definitely been ready to kill me.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
I force myself to focus on his stubbly face instead of looking around to see if Doctor Dean is on his way.
I so have to get rid of Diego before he shows up. Not that I think the doctor is the jealous type. But it’s just not something I wanna deal with so early in a relationship. Not that Doctor Dean and I are in a relationship. We’re just… testing things out.
“Can’t I stop by and see how you’re doing?” he asks without a hint of his playful, flirting nature. “You were really pissed off when you jetted out of there last night.”
And just like that, I’m disgusted with myself for wanting to push him away.
I hang my head, feeling guilty and ashamed. “I’m fine. It’s not a big deal. I mean… They’re just vamps.”
“Dead vamps. And you spent the most time with them. You really don’t care that they’re dead?”
“Who knows?” I cross my arms and lean against the doorframe. “Maybe they were dead to begin with. And they were all murderers, so…”
He gives me a once-over, but I still don’t get the impression that he’s being disrespectful. “You’ve lost weight.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“You need to take care of yourself.”
“And I don’t need a nanny.” I push his chest. “Goodbye, Diego.”
He turns to leave just as Doctor Dean parks out front. Diego whips back around, eyes flashing like he’s hurt and wounded. “Seriously? You’ll date him but won’t give me a chance?”
“What can I say? I always wanted to date a doctor.”
Diego rolls his eyes and gives me a cocky grin. “I know you’re not really like that. One day. You’ll give me a chance, and you’ll never go back.”
“Right. That’s why you’ve been with so many women. Because they find you irresistible but then leave you so… Wait. I don’t think that word means what you think it means.” I shock myself by grinning at him.
“You’re the one who said irresistible, not me.” He holds up his hands like he’s all you-know-it’s-true-I’m-irresistible-and-it’s-not-my-fault as he backs away. “Tomorrow should be fun.”
I grin. “Forming the new unit.”
Amazingly, I’m almost looking forward to that more than the game!
Diego winks at me. I almost think he’s gonna blow me a kiss, but then he waves to the doctor and finally leaves.
I shake my head and roll my eyes. “Hi, Doctor Dean. A coworker. Ignore him.”
He grins, looking great as always. He’s also wearing a jersey, but I notice his has his last name—Cline—on the back. A little cheesy if you ask me, but, hey, he fills it out as nicely as any stacked wide receiver would. His gray eyes pierce through me as he settles onto my couch. I close the door behind us, lock it, and sit beside him, careful not to be too close.
His tan highlights the darkness of his hair, and my stomach does a little flip. This is just so ordinary after the chaos that has been my life that I almost don’t know what to do with myself.
Thankfully, the game is a good one. I hate the Dallas Cowboys more than any other team. I swear it’s not just because one guy I dated ended up being a complete ass and a Dallas fan. They’re terrible but somehow manage to take an early lead. Then the Eagles pulled ahead. By halftime, the score is 14-13, in favor of my birds.
“Do you always sing the fight song when they score?” Doctor Dean asks.
“Only when they score a touchdown, and yes, even if I’m watching the game by myself.”
His laugh echoes as a commercial comes on. “You’re adorable.”
“I try.” I grin, shrugging a shoulder. “Want to order some pizza and wings?”
The food is delivered halfway through the third period, and the game turns into a joke. The final? 31-13.
“That was great.” He settles back onto the couch, his hands behind his head.
&nb
sp; “The game or the company?”
“Both.” He yawns. “Sorry. Been working a lot of hours lately.”
“I know how that goes.” I start to gather the trash but force myself to stop. “So…”
“I cleared my schedule Friday night if you’re interested.”
“Where are we going?”
His teeth look so white compared to his tanned skin. It’s November. How can he be so tanned still? I lost mine back in early October. As soon as the cool weather hits, I lose my coloring.
“A surprise,” he says, smiling even wider now.
“I do like surprises, Dr. Dean,” I murmur.
He laughs, shaking his head. “You can call me just Dean.”
“All right, just Dean.”
Dean sighs and rolls his eyes good-naturedly. “I walked into that one.”
“Yeah, you really shouldn’t make it that easy for me.”
There’s a glint in his eyes, but he stands. “I have to get going.”
“Already?” I hoped to see if he wanted to sit around, maybe watch a movie. We did just eat so maybe we could’ve gone out for ice cream at The Cup on Farrington Square or something.
“Yeah. I’m volunteering at a woman’s shelter.”
“You volunteer, too? You’re a regular hero.”
When Wolves Howl: A Mayhem of Magic World Story (Bedlam in Bethlehem Book 2) Page 1
