Dark Blood

by James M. Thompson

  TJ understood. She nodded as he rammed his penis into Adeline, making her raise her hips off the floor as she screamed in pain. Albert fastened one claw on her breast as he pumped into her and lowered his head to feed again.

  His excitement was transmitted to TJ, whose own feeding was arousing her, too. She bent her head down next to Albert’s and also fed. After a moment, while he was still moving inside Adeline, he raised his face and moved it across Adeline’s chest toward TJ. She looked up and saw him staring at her, and then she kissed him, their tongues touching and her arm went around him, pulling him toward her.

  Adeline, almost drained of her entire blood supply, fainted and went limp beneath Albert.

  TJ released Albert’s lips, took a final drink of Adeline, and then pulled her clothes off. She lay back on the floor, her nipples erect and her sex throbbing.

  Albert pulled himself out of Adeline and moved over to lie next to TJ, his hand caressing her breast as he kissed her again.

  “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice hoarse with desire.

  TJ pulled him on top of her. “I’m sure,” she said in an equally husky voice.

  When he entered her, they both howled in pleasure, her claws drawing blood from his back.

  Later, satiated, they got dressed and stood over the unconscious Adeline. Albert took the sword and handed it to TJ.

  She hesitated; then with a vicious swipe, she cut off Adeline’s head.

  Albert went to the car and brought back one of the cans of gasoline. He poured it over the body, dropped a match on it, and they walked to the car as flames began to lick at the windows of the house.

  As he started the car, he took TJ’s hand. “That was the edge we needed,” he explained. “A fresh feeding will give us the strength we need to take them all out and save Sam.”

  Forty-three

  Sam was dozing on her bed, depressed and dispirited at the way things were going. She knew Matt and the others would be looking for her, but with Carmilla dead and eaten by the alligators, she realized they would have no way of finding her.

  Tears of frustration were rolling down her cheeks when she heard a knocking at the front door. She quickly wiped her eyes and eased her door open, peering through the crack. After the gruesome Carmilla show-and-tell, Michael felt she could be trusted to stay put.

  She saw a husky, tough-looking woman enter, followed by one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen. Even from across the room, Sam could see his startlingly blue eyes as they surveyed the house and finally fixed on Morpheus.

  Michael, dressed now, stretched his hand out and smiled. “You must be this Ripper we’ve all been hearing so much about,” he said.

  After a slight hesitation, and with some wariness, the man took Michael’s hand and shook it. “I prefer my own name, Jacques Chatdenuit,” he said in a soft, mellow voice.

  Morpheus inclined his head at the woman. “Obviously, you’ve already met Sarah. My name is Michael Morpheus.”

  Chatdenuit let go of Morpheus’s hand and walked around the room, looking it over. After a moment, he walked out on the balcony, his eyebrows rising when the alligators, seeing him, glided off the far bank and swam out into the middle of the bayou, obviously expecting another feeding.

  He smiled, and his face went from being handsome to something far more evil. “Quite a place you have here. Very isolated.”

  Michael chuckled as he joined him on the balcony. He waved his hands wide, indicating the circling gators below. “And it even comes with its own garbage disposal.”

  Chatdenuit glanced below, and Michael added, “Quite handy to get rid of leftovers, if you know what I mean.”

  Chatdenuit actually laughed, while Sam, watching and listening now through her window, shuddered.

  Chatdenuit stiffened and raised his nose to the air, sniffing. He glared at Morpheus, suspicion on his face. “I sense another presence, one that is not one of us.”

  Morpheus waved a hand in dismissal. “That’s only my mate. She is in the middle of the Rite of Transformation. She is of no concern to you at the present.”

  Sam almost gagged at the mention of the word “mate.” Did Morpheus actually think she would consider being his mate, no matter what he did to her or what she became? She was sickened by the very idea.

  “OK,” Chatdenuit said, moving back into the house, “you’ve shown me your little getaway in the woods and we’ve had a nice chat.” He took a seat at the kitchen table, leaned back, and crossed his arms, looking from Sarah to Michael. “Now, why did you bring me out here?”

  Michael pulled out a chair for Sarah, and after she took a seat, he sat across the table from Chatdenuit. “To make you an offer I hope you won’t refuse.”

  Chatdenuit snorted, a smile of amusement on his face. “An offer?” he asked. “What kind of offer?”

  “First let me give you some background on the situation here, Jacques,” Michael said. “Are you aware there are quite a few of our kind living in and around New Orleans?”

  Chatdenuit shrugged. “I’ve run across a few of our race occasionally, but I’m a loner, Michael. I prefer to go my own way.” He gave a short laugh. “Besides, from what I’ve gathered from the few Vampyres I’ve met locally, they’re all namby-pamby types who don’t believe in killing Normals.” His lips curled in a snide smirk. “And that’s something I’ve grown quite fond of recently.”

  Michael returned the smile. “You are right in your assessment of the local members of our race, at least that used to be the case.” He leaned forward. “I’ve just taken over leadership of our Council and the rules are about to change. I, like you, have always felt Normals are our legitimate prey, put on earth to serve as food and enjoyment for us, the superior race.”

  Chatdenuit pursed his lips, a thoughtful gleam in his eyes. “So the rest of you are going to start feeding in earnest, as I’ve been doing?”

  Michael nodded. “Yes, and that brings up an interesting problem.”

  “What problem?” Chatdenuit asked, grinning. “There must be a million people in New Orleans. Plenty to go around, I’d say.”

  “The problem is, when Normals start dropping like flies, with their throats ripped out and drained of all their blood, sooner or later the local authorities are going to realize they’re not dealing with common serial killers and the hunt will be on for us.”

  “Yes,” Chatdenuit agreed, “that can be a problem. I’ve always solved it by moving on when the heat got too high.”

  “That’s no longer a practical solution, what with the computers and instantaneous communication between law enforcement agencies,” Michael said.

  “So what’s your solution?” Chatdenuit asked.

  “Two things,” Michael answered. “First, we feed only on the lower strata of society: prostitutes, pimps, criminals, homeless people. Persons the police don’t spend a lot of time over if they turn up missing.” He hesitated. “And we stay strictly away from tourists and regular citizens like you’ve been targeting.”

  “But they’re the most fun to track,” Chatdenuit argued.

  “They’re also the ones the police get most excited about when they disappear,” Michael shot back.

  “OK, point taken,” Chatdenuit agreed. “What’s the second thing?”

  Michael waved his hand, pointing out the window. “New Orleans is surrounded by over a million acres of swamp land that contains thousands of hungry garbage disposals like I have out my back door. My proposal is simple: We feed on the dregs of society, taking all we want. When we’re done, we make sure the bodies are never found. Either by dumping them here, or finding other places of a similar nature to use.”

  Chatdenuit laughed, glancing out the back door to the balcony. “Jesus, if we do that, your scaly friends out there are going to get mighty fat.”

  “That’s the beauty of it,” Michael said. “We get fat, the gators get fat, and the cops get zip for evidence.”

  “And what’s this offer you were speaking of?” Chatdenui
t asked, still grinning.

  “I want you to join our Council and become an active member, abiding by the rules I’ve just set out.”

  Chatdenuit frowned. “Why should I do that, Michael? I’ve already told you I’m not much of a joiner.”

  “Because if you don’t, we can’t allow you to stay here and feed in our territory,” Michael explained, his face going hard. “You’re a wild card, Jacques, and by your irresponsible actions, you’re bringing down too much attention on us.”

  “What, so you’re giving me until sundown to get out of town, like some old Western?” Chatdenuit asked, smirking.

  Michael shrugged. “That’s about the size of it.”

  “And if I don’t agree to this offer?”

  “Then we will kill you,” Michael said, smiling back at Chatdenuit without any humor in his eyes.

  Chatdenuit laughed. “What makes you think you can kill me?”

  Michael’s smile died and his eyes grew cold as ice. “We found you once, Jacques, and we can find you again. Even Vampyres have to sleep, my friend. And if you don’t agree to join us, or if you break the rules, one night you’ll go to sleep and you’ll wake up swimming with my friends down there, minus your head.”

  As Chatdenuit stared at him, Michael leaned back and smiled, spreading his arms. “But then again— why can’t we just all be friends, to paraphrase Rodney King. You’ll be giving up nothing by joining us, Jacques, and the benefits you’ll get will be many. What have you got to lose?”

  Chatdenuit pursed his lips, considering what Michael said. After a moment, he nodded. “You’re right. What have I got to lose?”

  “Great,” Michael said, reaching across the table to shake Chatdenuit’s hand. “Welcome aboard.”

  As Chatdenuit took Michael’s hand, Michael said, “Why don’t we take a little nap, and later we’ll head on out and see if we can’t round up a couple of interesting guests for a little party tonight?”

  “That sounds good,” Chatdenuit said. “I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  “So I heard,” Michael said with a laugh. He looked at Sarah. “Sarah, why don’t you show Jacques to a bedroom and I’ll go see to my guest.”

  When Michael went into Sam’s room, he found her doubled up in pain on her bed, her arms crossed around her abdomen and her knees pulled up to her chest.

  He lay on the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her. “Has the pain returned?” he asked, gently nuzzling the back of her neck with his lips.

  She nodded, unable to speak through her gritted teeth.

  “Would you like to feed again?” he asked. “It’ll help ease the pain.”

  She shook her head violently and turned to face him. “I can’t believe what I just heard,” she said through dry, cracked lips.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You sat there, calmly talking about treating people like cattle to be used as food for you and your friends.”

  Michael seemed surprised at her statement. “But, Sam, that’s exactly what the Normals are. The Vampyres are the dominant species and it is only right for us to feed upon lesser beings.”

  “Yesterday, you were so kind to me, I thought maybe you’d changed,” she said bitterly.

  He reached a hand up and stroked her cheek. “I have changed, Sam. I’ve fallen in love with you. Otherwise, why would I make you my mate?”

  She jerked her head back and turned over, putting her back to him. “I’ll never be your mate, Michael. I’d rather die first.”

  He sighed. “You’ll change your mind, Sam. You’ll be one of us shortly and things will look different to you then.”

  “Never!” she said, and closed her eyes, groaning as the pain intensified.

  Michael smiled. He knew it wouldn’t be long until she was his, forever.

  Forty-four

  While Albert drove, TJ got on the cell phone and called Shooter.

  “Hello,” Shooter said, his voice betraying his anxiety.

  “Shooter, it’s TJ.”

  “What’s going on, babe?” he asked. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes. We found Adeline Ducayne at her house and she told us where Michael Morpheus is staying.” She went on to give him the directions to Morpheus’s bayou house. “We’re on our way there now. We also found out the Ripper’s address,” she added, giving him that one, too. “Albert suggested you call the police and give them a heads-up on the Ripper. If they go there, they might find some evidence to link him to the killings.”

  “Is he there now?” Shooter asked.

  “No, we think he’s at Morpheus’s place, along with the woman named Sarah.”

  “Damn!” Shooter said, alarm in his voice. “That makes it three to two. Maybe Matt and I should come with you to help out.”

  “No, Albert thinks we can handle it. We’ll have the element of surprise, and this is the safest way for Sam.”

  “All right, but be careful, darling.”

  “I will. If you don’t hear from us within a couple of hours, call the police and give them the address.”

  “OK.”

  “And, Shooter . . .”

  “Yeah, babe?”

  “I love you.”

  “Me too, sweetheart. I love you.”

  Dusk was falling when they pulled into the dirt road leading to Morpheus’s house. Albert stopped the car well down the road so they wouldn’t hear the engine. He took the two swords from the rear seat, handed one to TJ, and got out of the car. “We’ll leave the gasoline and come back for it later.”

  “How should we handle it?” TJ asked. “Sneak in or go for broke?”

  “Let’s get a little closer to the house and I’ll try and scan the premises with my mind. With any luck, they won’t be expecting an attack and their minds will be open.”

  Crouching and moving slowly as the air around them darkened with coming night, they crept toward the house, holding their swords ready before them.

  When they were twenty yards from the house, Albert held up his hand and stopped; he was concentrating his mind on the occupants within the cabin. TJ tried, too, but she was too new to get much more than garbled thought patterns.

  After a moment, Albert turned to her and whispered. “I sense the thoughts of three Vampyres, and another, different one who must be Sam. Two of them are in the front of the house, off to the right of the door, and the other is in the rear of the house.”

  “What do you want to do?” she asked.

  He grinned and she could see him turning into his Vampyre form. “We go in like gangbusters! As soon as I hit the door, you follow me in, sword ready, and turn to the right. We’ll try and take out the first two before the third can join them.”

  TJ nodded.

  “And TJ,” he added as his face melted into a grotesque parody of a human, “show no mercy. If you hesitate, even for a second, we’re dead!”

  “Don’t worry,” she said, breathing hard as she began her Transformation. “I’ve seen what these bastards can do.”

  When she was finished changing into a Vampyre, Albert nodded and ran toward the house. He took the steps in a single bound and lowered his shoulder as he hit the wooden door, tearing it off its hinges as it shattered.

  TJ was right behind him and moved to his right just as a woman came running from a bedroom down the hall. She was screaming and Transforming, her hands held clawlike in front of her, her fangs bared and dripping red drool.

  TJ moved like lightning. Holding the sword in front of her, she took two quick steps toward the shrieking woman and ran her through, the katana entering just beneath her rib cage and exiting beneath her right shoulder blade.

  Albert, who’d stumbled as he smashed the door, glanced up in time to see another Vampyre, this one completely Transformed, leap high into the air to come down on top of him, knocking the sword from his hands.

  As Albert and Chatdenuit rolled on the floor, snapping and clawing at each other like two pit bulls in a dogfight, TJ tried to pull the sword
out of the writhing, screeching female. The sword was imbedded in her breastbone, and the Vampyre had her claws wrapped around the blade so tight her fingers were almost severed by the razor-sharp edge of the sword.

  Seconds later, Morpheus sprinted from the back bedroom, changing as he ran, his wolflike face a mask of hate and fury. Sam was right behind him, her eyes wide with terror as she ran into the living room.

  Morpheus slowed enough to take in the situation, and then he quickly moved toward where Albert and Chatdenuit were struggling on the floor. He saw the sword off to the side and bent to pick it up, his savage grin exposing two-inch-long fangs.

  Sam, just able to recognize Albert and TJ in their Vampyre forms, looked around for a weapon, anything she could use to help her friends. She saw a wooden block containing a set of knives on the kitchen counter and quickly jerked out the one with the thickest handle.

  As Morpheus stood over Albert and Chatdenuit, the sword raised above his head for a killing blow, Sam screamed and ran up to him. She plunged the butcher knife up to its hilt between his shoulder blades.

  Morpheus yelled and dropped the sword as he turned, his eyes wide at Sam’s betrayal, his claws scrabbling behind his back as he tried to pull the knife out.

  TJ finally put her right foot on the woman’s chest and pushed, pulling the sword free. In one deft movement, she swung it like a baseball bat and grimaced as blood spurted onto her face when the blade severed the head from the body.

  TJ whirled and took a step toward the straining Morpheus, the sword held high. When he saw her coming at him, death in her hands, he whirled and ran, crashing through the sliding-glass door of the balcony and diving over the rail toward the bayou below.

  Albert finally managed to get his teeth into Chatdenuit’s neck. He bit down on his windpipe and whipped his head back and forth, tearing the Vampyre’s neck out.

  When Chatdenuit rolled off Albert, his hands grabbing at his ruined neck, TJ calmly stepped over and finished the job, chopping downward with the sword like a hatchet and cutting his head off clean.

  Sam knelt by Albert, holding him and trying to stop the bleeding from the many wounds Chatdenuit’s claws and fangs had inflicted on his face and arms.