The Queen’s head span in the confusion to look at her beloved new council, lying dead, having drunk the poisonous blood of a half-ling, as the beast half stood she could see its blood stained, torn clothes, covered in the bite marks that had been the kiss of death to the vampires.
Rage drove her as she attacked, her power was immense; she grabbed the short sword and drove it through his chest. What remained of Father Matthew fell to his knees, then backwards, the sword sticking upright from his chest, like a crucifix. Standing over him, the Queen roared, a sound that filled the auditorium with pure evil.
Her roar was cut short. She lurched, once, twice, as she was hit by gunfire. Another round hit her square in her back. Slowly she turned to face Jake, the sawn-off shotgun still smoking in his hand.
Around them the sounds of the other humans fighting, killing and being killed softened as they focused on each other.
‘What chance do you think you have in facing me?’
They circled one another slowly as Jake reloaded the double barrelled, sawn off shotgun and snapped the truncated barrel shut with a click.
‘Who knows? But then, the day doesn’t seem to be turning out quite like you expected. Does it?’
The Queen became incandescent with rage, her face contorted as she changed. Fangs already tainted with blood grew longer. Then she lunged, Jake twisted, both barrels blaring, hitting the Queen square in her face.
The force of the impact coming from the solid shot-shells span her head, leaving her momentarily stunned. Then as Jake broke the barrel, grabbed two more shot-shells to reload, her arm lashed out; her fist catching him a glancing blow to the side of his head, the force enough to send him spinning across the podium and onto the floor. The new shells dancing away out of reach.
He shook his head to clear his mind, tried to focus. Ten feet away the Queen touched her face, the charred skin already beginning to heal over the exposed bone. Through the pain she drew a breath.
Coming to his senses, Jake rummaged for more ammo, but his pockets were empty. He looked round in desperation, saw the shells and began to scrabble across the floor toward them. But just as his fingers touched them, he was wrenched backwards and launched across the floor again, crashing into the front row of seats. The Queen closed on him quickly, the skin still hanging from her face.
Winded and despite of the pain, Jake laughed out loud, coughing blood onto the floor. As The Queen loomed over him, her fangs revealed, her breath hot on his face, he brought the empty shotgun up hard into her stomach with all the force he could muster. She didn’t even flinch.
Jake was hurled by his hair across the arena, skidding into the row of dead vampires, his breath leaving his body in a gush. Yet still he managed to laugh, almost uncontrollably, fuelling the Queens rage further.
‘Stop it!’ She screamed insanely. ‘Stop it.’
She leapt the gap between them landed by his side and pulled his head back sharply, exposing his throat. Her teeth bit down – BANG - the shot-shell ripped into her side, smoke billowing.
Her head turned. Standing by Drameer’s lifeless body, her red eyes wet, was Kathryn. The Queen snarled as Kathryn fired again. The round impacting on the exposed side of her face, skin and bone fragments splintered into the air, she squealed in pain as the smoke cleared.
The Queen stood, her left eye now partially closed. She lifted Jake easily with one hand and with a roar threw him back across the auditorium, into the first row of vacated seats.
‘You bitch! I loved him.’
The Queen spat blood from her bleeding mouth. ‘But he could not have loved you. He was one of us. We are better, superior.’
Jake watched as Kathryn, having reloaded, approached slowly, she pulled the pump action shotgun tight into her shoulder.
‘Really, are you sure? Take a look around.’
The Queen glanced about with her one good eye. Bodies littered the floor, both vampire and human. But she could not conceal her shock at the sight of the survivors; they were all human.
‘No,’ she said in disbelief.
All around the figures slowly close in; Megan and Trent in the lead, guns were cocked, barrels snapped shut.
‘So, who’s superior now?’ asked Kathryn and then she opened fire. One round after the other found their target. As she fired, Kathryn walked slowly forward, firing deliberately. Before her the Queen folded in two, as each shot ripped into her, finally dropping her to the ground.
BAM.
Behind her Megan helped Jake to his feet. He limped towards Kathryn with Megan’s help.
BAM.
The shells smashed into the fallen vampire one after the other.
CLICK.
Even though the gun was empty, Kathryn continued to rack the pump and pull the trigger.
CLICK.
Gently, Jake rested his hand on Kathryn’s; lowered the gun and took it from her, dropping it to the floor. Her shoulders lurched as she burst into tears. Jake threw an arm around her and guided her away.
The voice, although weak when it came, still sent a river of ice through their veins.
‘Fools… do you think your ancient weapons can kill me?’
Jake pulled Kathryn behind him as the Queen slowly stood. The damage she had sustained was immense.
‘Do you not understand? I have lived for centuries. Even if you were to win here today it will never be over. I will create others and start again. You can never win.’
‘Wrong. It ends today, once and for all.’
Jake pulled the shotgun up, grabbing new shells from Kathryn as the Queen moved toward them in a blur. She jumped at them. Jake pushed both Megan and Kathryn to one side and caught the full impact.
He crashed to the floor, alongside Father Matthew, wincing at the pain, the vampire on top of him. Her face, bone clearly visible now, pushed closer. She opened her mouth, her teeth bared.
He could feel her hot breath as she hissed at him. He turned his head to the side as he pushed against her with both hands and all of his strength, trying to keep her away.
The face of Father Matthew looked back, the sword still protruding from his chest. Jake’s hand reached out for it, but it was just too far away.
‘Now die,’ she hissed.
‘Not today, bitch’ it was Megan.
Jake watched the vampire’s face change; burning pain seared into it. Standing above her, Megan staggered back as the vampire twisted round trying to reach the sword that had been driven deep into her back. A weapon covered with father Matthew’s tainted blood.
At the wound, her skin bubbled as if acid were eating it away. The Queen whirled round wildly, screaming in pain, grabbing at the sword, but it remained just out of reach.
Finally she collapsed onto the floor coughing, gasping for breath, her good eye staring at Jake with hate through the pain.
‘Looks like something your friends ate didn’t agree with you,’ he managed.
On her hands and knees, the Queen gasped her last breath, then fell forward, finally dead. Jake looked round the room. A handful of figures remained, walking amongst the dead, checking for any signs of life and making sure the vampires were finished.
Megan moved towards Jake and helped him up; he looked down at her and smiled. She moved close, her eyes locked on his. She reached up and gently kissed him on his lips. He held her tight, not ever wanting to let her go.
‘Here’s to a new beginning,’ she whispered, ‘one free of old ghosts.’
‘Free, maybe, but never forgotten.’
‘Never forgotten,’ she agreed.
They kissed again.
‘Jake, I can’t find Rodan, he’s not here.’ Trent’s deep growl brought them both back to reality. Jake looked round at the auditorium, littered with death.
‘Are you sure?’
Trent frowned.
At that precise moment, high in the New York Palace Hotel, the door to the suite on the fifteenth floor burst open as Rodan entered in a hurry. He crashed through his sui
te and didn’t see the movement behind him.
Then he stopped, slowly becoming aware that he wasn’t alone. Without turning he slid a thin bladed knife into his hand.
‘I thought we were even?’ He said.
‘Not even close,’ murmured Karick.
‘So, are you going to play with me, like you played with Kadir?’
He knew surprise was his only weapon and so he span, bringing the blade round in a short arc. His face froze. He stood facing Karick, looking into his eyes as Karick shook his head.
‘No, Rodan. Play time’s over.’
Rodan looked down at the sword that had expertly punctured the side of his chest, Karick twisted the blade and Rodan’s eyes closed for good. Then letting go of the sword, Karick turned his back and without looking round whispered the last words that Rodan would ever hear.
‘Now we’re even.’
In the United Nations Plaza, the remains of the resistance appeared, walking out into the gloom of the day. In the lead, Jake and Megan holding hands stopped and looked at the dark sky.
Heads suddenly turned as the lone figure of Karick appeared from the West. All around, guns were drawn and aimed at the Vampire as he strode towards Jake. But there was something in his approach that made Jake hold up his hand and call for the others to hold their fire. At ten yards Karick slowed, then stopped. Then he knelt, his head bowed.
All around a massive cheer erupted.
Suddenly, for just a second, a flicker of light penetrated the darkness and people gazed up in amazement.
About the Author:
Guy Pettengell was born in in Hertfordshire, England in December 1965. After leaving full time education he obtained a professional qualification in purchasing and supply management, going on to build a successful career in both the private and public sectors. But despite winning a number of high profile awards for his work in procurement, he grew increasingly aware of the one thing he wanted to do above all else – write.
One of his greatest influences during his formative years was his training in the Martial Arts. He began training when he was just 11, teaching from the age of 19 before obtaining his 5th Degree Black Belt in 1998 and still trains today.
Guy is happily married and lives with his wife, Helen, in Cambridgeshire where he spends as much of his free time as possible writing. Initially conceived as a screenplay, before being written as a novel, Dominant Species is his first published book.
Guy also loves spending time with his wife in America and you will see this influence throughout his books from the setting of Dominant Species in New York, to the hotter nights of Miami where his next novel, due in the summer of 2014, is based. Retribution is the first in a new series of books starring Jack Vincent, a man with a dark and sinister past.
Guy’s next novel, due in the summer of 2014, promises to be very different:
Retribution
(A Jack Vincent Novel)
By Guy Pettengell
When a vicious Miami gang, with no fear of the police, brutally attacks a seventeen old girl leaving her for dead, they make their first mistake. Believing their actions will have no consequences is their second. Soon they are to learn that there are things on the streets far worse than themselves and one of them happens to be the girl’s father.
His name is Jack Vincent and he has a past, a dark and secret past; one he's not proud of. It's a past that he's tried hard to forget. But after the attack, Jack looks to that same past and embraces the darkness once again.
For more information and to keep up to date on future projects go to: guypettengell.com
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