It was no secret that the child of a vampire would always have the ability to locate their maker and vice versa, but Vanic had cut the link centuries ago. Now, he was supposed to 'take care' of the problem presently a thorn in the Council's thick hide. If he failed, it would mean the end of his life and of all those in Tepes family as well.
“I'm sorry I've dragged everyone into this mess.” He rubbed his hand across his face both weary and worrisome. “If I'd kept track of Loupgarin, if I'd kept tabs on him in Europe, maybe I could have prevented all this. I could have gone after the rogue myself, drawn him out. Now he's dangerous, maybe in pain. Only the Gods know what the Council allowed to happen while he was in their care.”
“You're talking about impossibilities and maybes, you had no way of knowing Loupgarin lost himself to the Valerian. Either he is very sensitive to the unique properties of the herb, or someone has been poisoning him with it over the years. I hardly think your actions have been the only ones affecting him all these years later. He surely would have recovered rather quickly from a onetime exposure.” Taking a deep breath, I gave him a calculating look. “Someone else has a grudge against your old master, and maybe against you as well. I wouldn't be surprised to find Council entanglements.”
He thought for a few moments. “I've tried to be fair in my long life, but I've made a few enemies. Not everyone sees humanity with my vision. Some see only prey and if a death should occur, so be it, as long as the body can be disposed of quietly.”
Sitting back, I pondered what he had said. “Do you know of anyone here in America who'd like to see you and the rest of us wiped out?”
“No, we've kept a pretty low profile until we were asked to take over the Chicago governing area.” He stopped and thought for several minutes. “Now, I'm putting everyone in jeopardy to destroy what should have died long ago. If I can't take care of the situation, the Council will take care of us.” He frowned, his forehead wrinkled. “There has to be more going on here. How in the hell did we end up in this position?”
“I'll start a quiet probe, talk to some of the other families in the area, find out if other rogues have been found. If we find a direction to search, I can track him. Recent unexplained deaths will be my starting place. Raymond was held captive for months, no way can he be responsible. Loupgarin's insane, but what he's doing isn't all the work of a madman. He's waited for the Council to call you out.”
“You don't have to risk yourself, this is my problem. I can track Loupgarin.” He narrowed his eyes, but I had to argue with him.
“The Council has taken the matter out of your hands by holding our entire family responsible for for Loupgarin's insanity, putting us all at risk. I have little doubt they'll follow through with their threat.” I gazed over at my maker, my father, the entirety of my family. I'd give myself to protect any one of them. “Besides, you have more to worry about than your old master. The Council will monitor your every move. They're waiting for a mistake, a weakness. Raymond and I can help you. We're all you've got.”
He grimaced. “I know you're right, but I don't like it. Loupgarin will hope to catch me unaware. We'll all need to be more careful.”
“Raymond is newly turned. His tie to Loupgarin is strong, maybe he's our secret weapon. Loupgarin may not realize he was left undead. Raymond said his throat was ripped out and he left for dead. He might be able to help close in on a location.”
Vanic frowned. “I hate to drag him into this mess but his ability to drive the bastard from his hideaway may be useful. There won't be a way to lock him out of this battle, it's his fight too.” He acknowledged, nodding. “Vengeance is a sin we're all capable of.”
Vanic's need to keep his family safe was understandable, but it still left us with the Council's warning. We needed to use our wits to survive, to locate and dispose of Loupgarin, and outlive Council justice.
Chapter Fifteen
Raymond's control grew better with each passing day. As he waited for another hunt, I explained the hard truths of his existence. I didn't want to spook him all over again. It was a delicate conversation, and his eyes became guarded with the mere mention of his turning. It frightened him, brought rage into his young body that was hard for him to deny him. His life had been taken randomly, that he had been turned either on purpose or on accident was of little consequence. He was still a vampire and could never return to the family he'd lost.
Later that evening, I took Raymond out for a hunt and broached the subject Vanic and I had discussed. “I'm going to have to ask you to revisit the night of your turning.” Already fear lurked in his brown eyes. “Vanic and I are going to go after the vampire responsible, but we're going to need a little help. Do you think you can do that?”
The boy before me stiffened, determination replaced fear. “I can try. He needs to die. What he did wasn't fair.” His voice was raw with emotion and loss, something I understood only too well.
“Here's an easy lesson in any life, kid, life is rarely fair. Good people get hurt or taken, it's how life happens. But, you're right, he does need to die. We'll make sure he pays.”
“I want to be there.” The toe of his Chucks scraped the ground. He lifted his eyes to mine, I read the truth there. Our hunt started on a sour note, and now neither of us were inclined to feed.
“I don't know if that's a good idea, but I'll tell you what. I'll talk it over with Vanic, see what he thinks. Okay?” The boy I'd found was becoming stronger with every passing day, and I realized he might be right. He might need to be there, or he might be forever checking over his shoulder, or worse, looking for revenge. “I'll talk to Vanic, see what I can do.” And I meant it.
“Yeah, all right.” His eyes still worried me, hooded with that wild look he could get. “Let's hunt.”
Crap, the kid was right and we both knew it. His life had been taken, and he had the right to confront his murderer.
We rounded a corner to find the thing we desired. Our prey this night came in the form of wannabe gangbangers. Not all bad guys are bad, and not all good guys are good. But these small timers were trouble, murderers in the making, following the orders of their leader. The murder of a rival gang's head would spark the war they were looking for, bloodshed in retribution for one of their own. An excuse. It was a bid for more territory, fresh customers, new recruits. We circled around the two, coming along side of them. Funny how flies always wander into the spider's web when the spider needs a meal. These boys were little more than bothersome insects.
“Hello, boys. Out kinda late tonight?” They glanced from Raymond to me, sizing us up. They thought I would be the problem, but my beast was always under control. It was Raymond they needed to worry about. His was the beast that wanted to come out to play, and it played hard.
“Back off, white boy, this ain't no stick in my pocket.” The first one lifted his shirt tail and showed me the hilt of a short knife. He made a kissing sound, and spit on the ground.
“Damn boy, you're really white, what's the matter with you, you got some disease or somethin’?” The one without the knife turned to Raymond.
He grinned as his eyes found mine. “Yeah, I got a disease, you want some of it?”
“Back off, freak.” The one with the knife put his hand on its hilt.
“Now, boys, we're not looking for trouble.” Holding up my hands, I yielded my gaze on the knife.
“That's right, bitch, step off!” The other strode forward to help his friend now that he thought we were afraid of the knife, the true measure of a coward.
Raymond glanced at me with a tight smile. “What do you say, brother, do we leave these boys alone?” He laughed but it sounded a little like a growl, his beast was free. These two, who thought they were the masters of their domain, were about to learn a hard lesson, about what it was to feel like prey and who were the real predators of the night.
“Gee, I don't think so, do you?” Playing back into Raymond's game, I watched the two, waiting for them to make their move. My beast groane
d, it had been caged too long, it wanted to play as well. The Magistrate's threats and games had it smacking its lips. My sunglasses slid down, and I looked over the top of them, giving them a glimpse of hell. You'll never get away, my eyes said, but my beast wanted them to try, a little bit anyway.
The one without the knife gulped, turned away, hands loose at his sides. “Hey, we don't even know you, we don't want no trouble. Just back off and we'll leave you alone.” His gaze was uneasy, but his friend had other plans, and he dug out his knife, showing it to us.
“See this, bitches? You come closer, you're dead.” He jabbed into the air in front of us, but he didn't grasp the real problem. We didn't have to worry about being dead, we already were. He was the one who should be frightened, hell, he really should've been running.
Then my beast finally roared.
The one with the knife lunged at Raymond and with the speed of a striking snake, bu he thrust back, pinning the gang banger by the throat.
“Who's the bitch now, boys?” Raymond said, his voice icy, loosening his grip. The game now was cat and mouse. His fangs came out to the bulging eyes of his prey, large with fear. The banger turned to run, but not fast enough, Raymond stood before him, fangs glistening in the moonlight.
“What the fuck are you, bitch?” the banger whispered as he retreated, being forced into the alley. His back scraped against the rough concrete of the shadowed building he'd hoped to take refuge in.
“I'm the monster who visits your nightmares, the one that makes you cry like a baby in the night.” Raymond leapt on top of the banger even as he tried to scream. His fangs sank deep into the flesh of the banger's throat.
The other made a lunge at me, but I grabbed him by his shirt collar, letting my beast reign free, my own fangs slipping out, and finding a home in his flesh as I roughly twisted his head aside. Pulling deeply, his body sagged against me, and I gave in to my desire, drinking fully to appease my beast. I forced myself away, jerking back, breaking free. Slow and steady gulps of exhaust fumed air inflated my lungs and the banger slid to the ground. Raymond's eyes glowed red, but he followed my lead.
The two lay at our feet and he looked at me. “Do we finish them?” He was breathing fast and hard with a cruel lift of his lips and he licked them. His beast wanted to kill them. Hell, my beast wanted to kill them, then roll in their blood.
“Pull it back in, kid. If we give into the beasts, we're no better than them.” I kicked out at the gangbangers as they cowered in the dirt.
Sinking down on my haunches, I sniffed the air, the coppery scent still pulled at me and I grabbed the boy closest to me and found his eyes. “If I see you here again, if I hear you've hurt anyone, if I even smell you, I'll finish what I started. Do you understand?” He nodded his head, knife long gone. “If your boss wants to know why you failed, just tell him the monsters chased you away.” I smirked, tossing him aside.
Raymond did the same with the other, but he put a little more threat in his words, and the boy promised through tears to not come back. Yeah, the kid could be freaky scary. A perfect ending to the night or so I thought.
My beast still called, but I shook my head, pushed it down, forcing it to be sated for the time, and we continued through the night. The kid was coming around, starting to trust, and I was glad to see it. Finally, we came upon a scene that brought hunting back into the equation. Not often did I run into the local mobster's extended family, yet as I peered into the darkness, Franc Crifaseno's boys stood in front of me. My eyes blinked unbelievingly.
The Crifaseno family wasn't known for coming into Tepes territory. Strange things happened to those members who wandered onto our side of the river. We approached the men as they stood in the shadows. The shaded darkness was supposed to be a double threat, or so they thought, but we could clearly see their third skulking behind them in the alley. Their backup should things turn bad probably. It made me want to laugh. I chuckled and rolled my shoulders, fools.
Nervously, they glanced around, as uncomfortable being in our presence as we were in theirs. Guns won't kill a vampire, unless it's a direct shot to the brain. Then, you better hope death came for the vampire, because if they healed, the vampire was coming for you. The old wives tale about silver bullets being able to stop a vampire were rubbish. Silver had no lingering effect, other than really pissing us off.
“Boys,” I said with a little fang showing, “is there something we can help you with?” My night was getting better and better. First, the Magistrate, then the kids playing at being gangsters, and now the Crifaseno boys. The fun never ends. Woo-fucking-hoo. They looked from one to the other as they danced around, trying to surround us, and at the same time, trying not to be threatening, but you can't have it both ways.
“We have a message,” the blond one said, pulling on the collar of his shirt, his skin was a ruddy red and healthy, though his body was starting to bloat with excesses.
“Mr. Crifaseno wants to see you,” the dark one with the pock marked complexion said, twisting his head around, adding to his friend’s message.
“Now, why would Mr. Crifaseno want to see me? I don't have anything of his. Does he have something of mine?” I asked, wondering aloud as I slouched against the side of the building. “You want to tell your friend to come out, or should I go in and get him?”
“Come on, Bobby, quit fucking around. Get out of there.” The blond one, probably the boss of the three, called to his friend. The third was a bulky man, with mean eyes and meaner thoughts, he kind of growled as he came to stand next to his friends.
“All right, boys, why don't you tell me what's going on?” I wandered around their little group, watching their jitteriness, each taking comfort in the other's presence. They probably thought there was safety in numbers. They were wrong.
“Oh, come on guys, spit it out. Why the hell are you here?”
The blond one looked around his group, clearing his throat.
“Donny, don't say anything, Mr. Crifaseno wants them to come to him.” The one with the pock marks said.
“Shut your mouth, Paulie, he ain't gonna come if I don't give him something.” Donny swung back around, pissed that he had to answer to me, his neck was redder still. “The boss has some information he thinks you'll want, but you have to come to him. He said to tell you it’s safe.”
Glancing at Raymond, then back at the boys, I considered my options. Franc Crifaseno might have something we needed or maybe it was a trap, I mean, who'd trust these apes? But on the other hand, if I sent Raymond back to Vanic, he'd be watching my back, and any trap would be ineffective, most likely.
“Kid, I want you to tell Vanic where I've gone.”
“No, I won't...” He backed away, starting to refuse, but I held up a hand, stopping him.
“I need you to do this. I have to go see if they have something for us, or if they're blowing smoke.” He shook his head and I gave him my eyes, letting him see the truth. “I'll be fine,” I said firmly and meant it.
Raymond turned and peered at the men. “If anything happens to him...” He grinned, but without mirth and found each of their eyes. “I'll know who to look for.” He left walking at a normal pace until he was out of sight, and then blurred with a burst of speed. Vanic would know where I was before I got there.
“So, boys, are we going or standing around while you guys jerk your cocks?” Snapping my fingers brought their gazes back to me. “We need to see the boss, right?”
They shuffled their feet, and looked up at me. “Yeah, we'll go, but I want your word that we're safe in the car.” Donny, the one with the ruddy neck, let his face get redder yet.
Tipping my head back, more fang peeked out, and I laughed, my blond hair billowed in the breeze, creating almost a curtain for me to hide behind, like I needed it. “You're safe, at least while we're in the car.” Laughing harder, I took off my sunglasses, pretending to wipe my pale grey eyes. “You'll be just fine, I promise,” I said looking up, giving them a little peek at the true monste
r.
We moved to their Lincoln and Paulie, whose pock marks were the highlight of his face, held the front passenger door open, but I motioned him ahead. “If it's okay, I prefer the back.” Smirking, I helped myself to the backseat with Bobby who clung on to the other door like it was an escape hatch from hell, and I chuckled all the way to 'the boss'. These 'boys' didn't know what they were getting into or how to get out of it. Tonight was going to be a good night after all.
Chapter Sixteen
The Crifaseno family compound was an ostentatious monstrosity, it couldn't even be called a home. It screamed new money and little self control. Men walked the perimeter carrying double action pump rifles, these men meant business. If it wasn't so easy to reach out and snap their fragile necks, I'd have been scared.
Donny approached me. “This way, Mr. Tepes.” He squeezed the man's shoulder nearest to us, spoke quietly, before turning back to me.
“You know, I have exceptionally good hearing, no need to whisper. I'm sure your guards will be watching for my other family members. Here's the thing though, if they're coming, these guards of yours... well, they'll never see them.” Sneering into his paling face, with the tiniest bit of fang still showing, I tipped my head, “After you, Donny.” Grudgingly, he gave me his back.
The inside of the home was as loud and gaudy as the exterior. He led me into an opulent room with long red sofas facing each other. A sumptuous white rug covered the marble floor, thick and richly plush. Centered on the far wall was a large fireplace tall enough for a man to stand inside, garish statuettes graced each corner. On the wall across from the fireplace sat a massive wall of books whose bindings had never been broken. The odor of fresh ink mixed with the other scents in the repulsive room, the ones my beast was dying to taste.
“If you'd like to take a seat, Mr. Crifaseno will be here shortly.” He backed away and out of the room, making to close the door.
Vlad Tepes, the Vigilante Vampire Page 11
