by W. J. May
"After tonight, do you really think swearing is something I need to be worried about?" She couldn't hold back a bitter laugh. "I've broken so many rules, one more won't make a difference."
She felt, more than saw, the waves of concern flowing off her brother's best friend. That was nice for a change, but it wouldn't help Jared.
"Look. You need to go home. Or something." She waved him off. "I don't know. Go do whatever vampires do at night."
At his incredulous look, she frowned. "What?"
"You can't just send me packing. I'm not going anywhere?" His wings tucked in and back, falling into place so smoothly they hardly showed. She'd always wanted wings. They either showed up at puberty or they didn't. In her case they didn't. Her mother didn't have them either, but her grandfather did. Such were the genetics of a vampire – at least vampires as they were today. Only a few carried the pure genes, like Cody's family. Everyone else was a blend of dominant vampire strains. Then there was Tessa, the oddity.
"You need to go back, Tessa."
"Too bad. I'm not leaving until I know if Jared is here."
He waved his arm in the direction of the house. "What? Do you think you can just waltz through the place and call out his name? If these are vampires, they've risked a lot to take your friend. They aren't going to care about a stupid girl who gets in their way." He ran his fingers through his tight jet black curls. "Look, I know you want to find him. Let's go tell your dad. He'll know what to do."
"No. He won't, because he won't believe me." She held out her hands. "I smelled them…or something. I don't quite understand that myself, but I did it. My father's not going to understand that I know what I'm talking about. Now if it had been you, then he'd marshal an army to support your cause. Not me. Not the damaged one." She smiled, bitterly. "He's more liable to pat me on my head and tell Mom to give me something so I sleep well tonight."
"Which doesn't change the fact that you can't walk into this scenario alone. That's nuts." He fisted his hands on his hips and glared at her.
She gave him a fat smile. "Except…I'm no longer alone."
The alarmed look he gave her make her chuckle. "What's the matter, Cody? Not ready to test your mettle against a full-on adult vampire yet?"
"Oh no you don't. I'm not falling for that ego trick. I don't know who you think you've tracked down in this house, but if this is an old vampire holding, then chances are you're looking at the home of one of the Council families, and that's suicidal."
She pursed her lips. That would make sense. Also helped to explain their brazen behavior. They didn't think they'd be caught, and if they were, they weren't afraid of the consequences. Figures.
And just like that, she'd had enough. "Look. You have a great future ahead of you. Don't mess it up. Go home. Forget you saw me. You won't get into trouble if you don't know anything." She surveyed the yard in front of her. "Me? Well, we know how little my future is going to matter to anyone. Jared, however, he deserves a future. And not as a vampire's pet," she finished bitterly. With that she jumped.
"Tessa," Cody hissed into the darkness.
Tessa ignored him. She had other things to worry about. Two other things. Both black and male and mean, standing guard and now growling at her.
Shit.
Dogs.
She jumped again and landed on one of the sheds. Out of biting range. The dogs barked and howled. If they brought someone out to check on the noise and found her…well, suffice it to say that wouldn't be pretty. Flexing her nails, she grinned in satisfaction as they grew several inches longer. Gazing at them critically, she realized the red color did look like blood. Good, because right about now she was looking to shed some.
Wings blocked the moon as Cody swooped down to the dogs' level. Within seconds the dogs lay on the ground. Shit. "What did you do to them?" She jumped down beside him and stared down at the poor things in horror. "Did you kill them?"
"They're just sleeping." He glanced over at the dark house. "I couldn't take the chance they'd alert anyone."
Cody and Tessa waited to see if any lights came on. The place remained in darkness. The assholes had probably gone to feed – hopefully not on Jared. She shivered.
***
Jared jolted awake at the sound of heavy footsteps upstairs. They were back. Expecting to hear their boots on the stairs, he shrank lower against the wall. Cold settled deep inside his bones. He'd never felt anything like this. He waited, his empty stomach all but cramping in fear. No one came. He badly needed a drink and to take a leak. The other man slept on. Jared found himself wishing they'd drugged him, too. He didn't want to remember this ordeal.
Another weird sound. Dogs. Great. Even if he could escape his chains, he'd have to deal with the guard dogs. As he leaned his head back against the stone wall, hopelessness washed over him.
Another commotion sounded outside. He sat upright. Was that a voice? It almost sounded like Tessa. Impossible. His hearing was playing tricks on him.
Exhaustion sat at the edge of his mind. He wanted to sleep, to get away from this reality. Only he didn't dare. He might never wake up.
Most of his body had gone numb from sitting on the hard surface, and the rest of him ached. His jeans and T-shirt offered little protection against the cold night air. He glanced at the corpse chained to his other side and shuddered. If he lived through this, he'd have a hell of tale to tell his kids. He thought about that for a moment, then realized that if he lived through this, there's no way he'd ever tell his kids.
They'd never sleep again.
CHAPTER FOUR
Tessa hunkered down low to the ground, hidden behind the long line of poplars edging the property as Cody went in for a closer look. She'd protested being left behind until Cody pulled the Mom card on her – that he'd never be able to explain to her mom why he'd let her accompany him. She couldn't argue with that.
The longer she'd studied the house, the stronger her sense of knowing grew. Jared was somewhere on the property. She looked around and decided to check out the sheds and outbuilding while she waited for Cody to return.
She slipped inside the first outbuilding. Empty. She circled it anyway and looked for stairs, hidden doors or rooms. Then she moved on to the next building. This one appeared to be a storage unit. Boxes and containers filled every square inch, or so it appeared. She studied the level of dust and the jammed boxes. Everything appeared deserted. Forgotten. She couldn't sense anything bigger than a mouse.
Back out in the night, the dogs still slept and Cody had yet to return. What if he couldn't?
No, Cody had some serious skills – at least according to David. It would take a lot for someone to get the drop on him.
"Psst."
He just didn't have much class. Sighing humorously, Tessa watched Cody land in front of her. His graceful controlled landing made her instantly jealous.
"There's no sign of anything unusual going on."
"No, of course not. Why would there be? It's not like they're going to advertise that they've kidnapped humans." She studied the huge stone mansion. "The captives are most likely downstairs," she said slowly, eyeing the foundation, the lowest level.
"Whoa. You're not going into the house. If you're determined to take this further, we go back to our parents and let them go to the Council. The elders will determine the best course of action."
Tessa stared at him in disbelief. Everything about the night had taken on a surreal appearance. She was at the right location, where Jared was being held, with someone who could actually help her and he wanted to go for their parents? No knight riding to the rescue here.
Then he'd been raised by the old belief that vampires don't go against vampires – without just cause. She didn't think she could come up with enough evidence to prove her case.
She snagged his arm, willing him to listen. "At the least we have to find out if Jared is here."
"No. No way." He pulled away and turned, prepared to leave.
"Please."
&nb
sp; "No Tessa." He shook his head, his vampire eyes glowing with terrible heat. "That's enough. This isn't a kid's game. This is vampire business."
"And who's going to believe me? No one. I'm not like you. My word doesn't mean anything to the others. If you don't see that Jared's been taken and kept as a captive, you won't be able to convince them either."
He shook his head.
Fine. She'd go in alone. Turning away, she headed to the back of the house. "Go home then. I don't need you."
"What the…?" He raced behind her. "Tessa stop. You can't go inside there. You're not allowed."
"And they're allowed to take humans?" She snorted. "I don't think so." The moon slid out from behind the clouds, highlighting the lower level of the house. Off to the left, a set of stairs cut down below ground level to a narrow wooden door. Probably the cellar entrance. Perfect. She picked up her pace, reaching for the knob within seconds. She bolted though the unlocked door before Cody could drag her back out. Down a narrow hallway, she fled through another door that led to a wide-open space. Empty space. Damn it. Could the prisoners have been moved already?
How? There hadn't been enough time for that.
"There, are you satisfied now?"
She spun around at the sound of Cody's voice. She loved that he hadn't left her alone. "No." She walked the perimeter of the room. This place was huge. At the far end, the room curved down and around. Her nostrils flared. Her weird knowing sense kicked in. Animal. Death. Fear. Pain.
This area had been used as housing for animals during the cold winter months. Horses, most likely. Ancient farm smells permeated the air. Hay. Manure. Blood.
"What's the matter?" Cody whispered.
She looked at him. "Can't you smell it?"
"Smell what?"
"Death. Pain. And overwhelming fear."
"I can't sense any of that. What are you talking about?"
Tessa looked at him strangely. "Not even with your vampire senses?"
He turned and lifted his nose and smelled the air. After a moment, he shook his head and laughed. "You don't have a clue, do you? There's nothing here." He dropped the smile. "The fun's over. Let's go home."
Tessa turned her back on him. Moving closer to the one side, Tessa concentrated harder, not really knowing what she was doing, but knowing something was working. There. Jared. Relief washed over her. He was alive. "Jared's in there."
"What?"
But Cody was talking to empty space.
***
Tessa darted ahead of him.
He shook his head. What happened to David's kid sister? David had always been protective of her, and Cody had naturally picked up that. She was different from the rest of them. The oldest brother, Seth, didn't treat her with the same patience. And her dad, well, he didn't know what patience was. If it weren't for her mom, Tessa's life would have been much different – and not in a good way.
On the outside she looked vampire. Hell, she looked hot. He hadn't believed his eyes when he'd seen her tonight. He knew most of the gorgeous females in their area and he'd never thought of her as one of them. He'd followed her to check her out, initially.
Then he'd caught her scent. A familiar scent. When she'd turned, he'd caught a glimpse of Tessa in that wicked outfit. But she'd given him the rebuff. Confused, he'd withdrawn but still kept a close watch. When she'd disappeared out back, he'd followed. He hadn't believed his eyes when he'd seen her in the moonlight. He still hadn't been sure it was her until she'd jumped.
Jumped.
Vampires did a lot of things, like flying, floating and even racing, but everything they did, they did with grace.
Not her. Her jumps were awkward, disjointed movements, hard landings and gawky take-offs. Little Tessie had somehow morphed into one hot Tessa – until she traveled.
His curiosity and doubt turned to horror as another realization hit. She'd led a restricted life. She'd only been allowed at vampire meetings with a chaperone, and she sure as hell hadn't ever been out in any other come-hither-and-get-laid outfit.
Christ, she'd looked good. And vampire-ish. Good enough to fool everyone there. But if her family found out, well that would be the end of life as she knew it. They'd never let her take a step out of the house unchaperoned again.
***
Tessa followed her instincts to the blank wall at the deepest, mustiest section of the cellar. She'd recognized the presence of a human further ahead, in front of her. Why couldn't Cody? Frowning, she turned her attention to a more immediate problem.
There was no door.
She ran her hands over the stone wall and couldn't find a crack, a break or any type of lever or door handle. Jared was behind this wall. And she knew this as clearly as if she could see him in front of her. Somehow, when she'd needed them, her senses had intensified, sharpened. Clarified. Now if only they'd show her a way to bypass this door.
"Tessa?"
"They're on the other side of this wall." She continued to run her hands over the wall.
"Are you sure?"
She shot him a withering look. "Yes, I'm sure."
"Take it easy; I'm just asking."
Tessa backed up slightly. An old door sat off to the left, hidden slightly by a corner. "Here. Give me a hand."
Cody walked over and put his shoulder to the stiff, rusty door. "No one went in this way. This entrance hasn't been used in centuries." Panting, Cody stopped when the door shifted, now open slightly wider than required. "There." He stepped back and stared into the murky depths. Musty air wafted toward them. "That doesn't smell very fresh either."
"I know. Let's go."
He shook his head, refusing to let her pass. "No." He stepped forward instead and led the way.
Choking at the nasty air, Tessa followed silently. Cold brick or stone lined both sides. The passage was long and narrow. It seemed to follow the same curve they'd taken to the wall. It also appeared endless.
Following blindly, she smashed into Cody when he stopped unexpectedly.
"What the––?"
"Shhhh."
"What's the matter?" she hissed. He took up the entire space in front of her. She couldn't see over or around him.
"I hear something up ahead."
"Good. It'll be them. Let's hurry."
"It's a vampire."
Tessa strained her ears. Unsure of just what the strange sounds meant. "Can you move closer?"
"No. There's a door. I don't want to alert them to our presence."
"Right. But neither do I want them to kill Jared because we're too late."
"No one takes humans anymore. Stop over-dramatizing."
"Over-dramatizing?" She felt like hitting him. Who was he kidding? Jared had already been taken. Put rogue vampires and captive humans together and her first instinctive thought was blood fest. Why couldn't Cody see the danger here?
Through the thick plank door, voices drifted their way.
"Hey, this one's dead."
Tessa gasped. Cody grabbed her, slapped a hand over her mouth and murmured against her ear, "Shhh." The two stood locked together, frozen, as they listened.
"Again? What the shit?"
"Did you hit him?"
"Hell no. And neither did I bite him. I like young blood; you know that. This guy is definitely mature meat. Not my style at all."
Tessa bowed her head against Cody's chest, her shoulders slumping in relief. Mature meat – so not Jared. Cody squeezed her lightly.
"We gotta take him out and dump him. Before he starts to smell."
"Why'd he die, though? Christ, humans are so damn delicate. The potential losses are huge."
"Human blood beats that synthetic crap all to hell though."
"That's why the new method. As long as all those do-gooders don't know about it. If they find out, they'll holler about it being inhumane, a form of cruelty to animals or some such nonsense. Vampires are supposed to rule this species, not 'get along' with them."
"Right. So where do we dump him?"
"Out with the others."
Cody stiffened in front of her. And finally, Tessa felt some kind of reaction from him. There, let him stew on that bit of information. Make fun of her, would he? Not believe her, huh? Now, who wouldn't believe whom? She jabbed him lightly in the stomach to make her point. Cody grabbed her hand and glared, narrow-eyed at her.
The voices continued. "What about these two?"
"I think they're fine. We're going to need to feed and water them though."
"Right. The young man looks a little screwy though. Do you think he's okay?"
"He's fine. Just asleep."
"They're so stupid, aren't they? To them we're some kind of predator, yet here he is, throat lying exposed like that. Do they all just lie down and wait to die? No wonder they multiply like animals and go about their days blindly. Fucking beef is all they are."
"Like I said. Time's wasting. Let's get them out of here. You take the older one." A heavy grunting sound could be heard. Tessa strained her ears to hear what was going to happen next. "We'll come back for the dead one later. He won't start smelling too bad at least for an hour or two. Let's go."
Silence.
Tessa sucked in her breath. She nudged Cody. "We have to stop them. We won't know where they’ll take Jared if they leave now."
He reached around and pinched her to shut up.
"What was that?"
Shit. She'd forgotten to keep her voice down. She stared horrified into Cody's grim gaze.
"I didn't hear anything."
"Really? Thought I heard voices."
"In this mausoleum? Don't think so. There's only us here. And the dead guy. Maybe his ghost is talking to you."
"Hey, that's not funny."
But apparently it was, as Tessa and Cody were treated to the sounds of raucous laughter that faded as the men walked away. They both relaxed slightly as they waited to hear if the men would return.
Tessa knew better than to push Cody, but waiting for him to give the all clear had her pressing her nails into her palms as she fisted her hands together.
