Into Death's Arms

by Mary Milligan

  Normal guy decided he wanted to try and slide his hand up my shirt. I pinched down hard on the pressure point in his hand. “Not happening,” I ground out as I glared at him. He glared back at me for a minute then went to find somebody a little more cooperative or drunk, whichever. Laurna had switched partners too. This guy wasn’t so normal but he moved away kind of quick. I noticed the giant Bouncer giving him the stink eye. Go, scary Bouncer guy, at least I didn’t have to do it. Laurna moved on quick, she was real resilient that way. Course when you look like glam Barbie it’s easy to get over rejection.

  We had been there about an hour when my phone rang. It was my dad’s number it wasn’t midnight yet so I was surprised by the call. “Mace,” I answered.

  “Home, now,” he ordered, then hung up. Crap, that wasn’t good. He was always abrupt, but usually I got some kind of explanation. No explanation was bad, real bad.

  I went to Laurna who was dancing with some kid; all the rings in his face made me want to laugh not because I have a problem with facial peircings some guys were seriously hot but because this guy couldn’t be one hundred and forty pounds soaking wet and at least a pound of that was stuck in his face. He might have been over twenty-one as he was not sporting the minor bracelet like I was but he looked like he was maybe fourteen slim in a prepubescent kind of way. He was glaring at the world in general. He did have nice eyes blue lined with black eyeliner. Thick black eyelashes women paid for. But that look ruined the effect you know one of those people who wants to think he’s tougher than everybody else. I wondered what he’d do if he knew that at that moment in time a very large, very hungry looking Vampire was watching him very closely. I leaned in to whisper to her. “Hey babe.” She paused looking quizzical. She didn’t mind me interrupting, good because what I was going say next was going piss her off. “We gotta go. Somethin’s got my dad all wound.” I shrugged that was about all I could do ask I didn’t know what had him wound.

  She shook her head no, her big blue eyes begging me to let her stay. Crap, again! Usually she listened when I said something was up, not tonight. “Laurna,” I whined plaintively. I knew my dad wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t dangerous but how do you explain that to a girl who doesn’t know about the monsters, answer was you didn’t.

  She turned and glared at me. “No, it’s my birthday. For once your dad’s issues are gonna come second.” She stomped her foot. If only she knew just why my dad had the issues, he had. She thought it was all about my mom’s death and an unreasonable fear of losing me too. Thing is she wasn’t too far off the mark but it wasn’t all that unreasonable. The monsters had gotten to mom in our home. They could get to us just about anywhere and I wasn’t ready to fight them off, not just yet anyway.

  The pierced guy smiled in triumph at me. Little did he know she was going to be moving on to someone else before long. I was angry and contemplated wiping that smirk off his face, with my fist. I couldn’t take on the monsters yet but I sure as hell could kick this scrawny bastard’s ass. Laurna gave me a warning look. She knows my temperament, well. I smiled at her, it wasn’t really a smile more of a warning that my temper was fraying rapidly.

  She blew a raspberry at me. I rolled my eyes and threw up both my hands in surrender. “I’ll call him back.” I went to corner and dialed home. It was loud and hard to hear good thing my hearing was a little better than the norm.

  “Why are you calling? Are you on your way?” He sounded scared. Shit, he was never scared, paranoid yes, but there is a difference. When you hunt and kill monsters for a living scared wasn’t something you did often. It meant he was really worried about me.

  I took a deep breath, “No, Laurna wants to stay. It’s her birth….”

  “Do you want to die tonight,” he interrupted me. His voice very harsh, the hair on the back of my neck stood up, like he’d just kicked some preternatural warning system into gear. Um no, I thought. Questions like that are always easy.

  “Tell me what this is about. If you’re going to call and prophesize death you have to give me some info…” he didn’t have to answer after all.

  A voice like rough silk came over the loud speakers. It was Dayton Tameron owner and proprietor, he owned Tamcorp, which really owned like half of the known world. I shuddered the man scared me something fierce, course, I could see through his human suit and it wasn’t pretty. He was one frighteningly powerful Vampire.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, Club Deception is very happy to have you here on this momentous occasion.” I don’t know how he did it but the words ‘to have you’ sounded vaguely sexual. The crowd went silent as the large screens usually used for laser shows, pictures, or close-ups of the bands on stage lit up with channel 12 news.

  Holy shit, I know my mouth dropped open and I was not the only one. There was a palatable sense of panic in the air. Someone in the crowd actually screamed, smart girl, I wanted to scream but the sound somehow got stuck in my throat.

  The woman on screen, Jessica Hawthorn, a local reporter stood next to Governor Dean and Dayton Tameron.

  Usually Tameron was gorgeous; he stood at about 6’4 and weighed about 230 lbs.

  His black hair splayed across his shoulders and down his back like a waterfall of midnight silk or maybe like someone had dumped oil over his head. Midnight silk made me think things I wasn’t wanting to think of while thinking of Vampires.

  His amber eyes reminded me of honey the kind they bottle up and sell with very little factory time.

  His skin was a perfect white I often wondered if he wore makeup or used his power to make his skin appear so flawless.

  His clothing always bespoke money. Silk shirts, ass-hugging tailor made pants; even his shoes were usually Gucci.

  Today he was dressed to please, a dark blue silk shirt buttoned up to leave only a nice view of his throat. A black dress jacket that matched his black dress pants and yet he still managed to look relaxed as if he’d just finished lounging on the couch or just gotten out of bed and thrown something on. That black hair spilled across his shoulders just a shade or two darker than that of his jacket. I had always wondered what that hair would feel like. I wasn’t brave enough to find out.

  Tameron, while Vampires all had first names they tended to go by their family names, smiled at her knowingly but he wasn’t wearing his human suit today. I looked around checking to make sure I wasn’t the only one who saw him. Sometimes I saw through their human suits on mistake, I was still learning control. The Vampire nodded to something she had said a moment before off-screen. “So Mr. Tameron, you are a Vampire?” The reporter had the good sense to back away from him a little. Her blond hair blew wildly in the wind blocking the view of her eyes from the camera. I wondered if she was as scared as I was the first time I’d seen one.

  Governor Dean was dressed conservatively in a dark grey suit it went well with his dark hair. His brown eyes lit upon Tameron like he was an angel and not the exact opposite.

  Dayton Tameron looked up at her from under his sable lashes and smiled shyly. Like he was feeling slightly embarrassed. That look had a very sultry quality to it. “Yes, Ms. Hawthorn. But don’t worry my dear I assure you, we are quite harmless.” His voice was warm making the women in the crowd gasp slightly. Oh, my God he just admitted it. I felt a little sick. We don’t talk about our little hidden world, we just don’t! It’s the only thing the Shadow-born and the Ao agree on.

  He smiled again. This smile was less sultry, hungrier. He looked quite harmless; except for those fangs protruded ever so slightly from beneath his lush lips. The fact that the irises of his eyes were as yellow as a glow stick. The way his skin clung to the bone and glowed with a soft white light giving him a gaunt starved look, oh yeah, and he had those claws for fingernails.

  Harmless… riiiight… The scary thing about Vampires is the legends are true. They are sexy as hell. It makes them better hunters. It is so much easier to hunt, when your food begs you to take it.

  A woman near me shuddered and it didn’t fee
l like a fear shudder, she was smiling and leaning toward the screen. Wow, he must be powerful to effect her like this over the air.

  “Do…” the reporter’s voice shook slightly her green eyes focused on his claws, perceptive lady, “You have brought doctors with you to prove this? You have to admit it does sound a little crazy.” She gave a sharp little ill at ease laugh. A little crazy, I wondered to myself, he sounded like a complete nut ball with a good costumer.

  Tameron nodded again, putting his hand gently on Hawthorn’s arm, the reporter started to relax ever so slightly. It was an obvious use of power. He was using his mind control powers on her, right there on national TV but to most it would just look like he was trying to comfort her.

  I pushed my way through the crowd to Laurna who was staring open mouthed. “It’s a hoax, right,” she murmured to me, not taking her eyes off the screen. I shook my head in a violent negative. “It’s fake…” she turned toward me nodding her head as if to say ‘yes, of course it has to be.’ I shook my head no again. She was trembling, good girl, I was proud she knew to be scared. On screen, a doctor, the kind with a MD, came forward to explain the Vampiric condition. You know, they drink blood; they aren’t human, etc, to the public. Only, he left out the part where the blood-sucking bastards left the corpse of the poor human they had been feeding from behind in a dumpster, oh yeah, and that they are demons!

  He stood there with his grey hair, nondescript grey eyes and calmly stated, “They are simply a different species than we are.”

  My ass, I managed not to yell at the screen but I did mutter it under my breath.

  “As a different species, they do drink blood; however, they do not have to feed from humans. Most drink the blood of livestock or blood donors,” liar I shouted mentally. Mr. Tameron smiled benevolently. Women in the crowd, including Laurna, leaned toward the screen as if he were a giant magnet and they all had metal in their foreheads.

  I wanted to yell, I wanted to scream, I wanted to throw something, but most of all I wanted to get my best friend out of the nightclub belonging to Dayton Tameron. Shit, I started to pull Lauren to the door. She let me she was too numbed out to fight me, thank God!

  “Why haven’t you made your presence known before,” the reporter was now looking at Tameron like she was wondering what he looked like naked. Lots of women were. I even paused a moment to give the matter some thought, before I caught myself and nearly ralphed. Naked Vampire not going there, it was his power, it had to be. He was horribly strong! Terrifyingly strong, I whimpered to myself. It was one thing to effect all the humans but to effect all the humans and me, that was amazing; and too chilling to contemplate.

  He smiled that sickeningly benevolent smile again. “We were concerned about human reaction.” You think, “In the past we have been hunted nearly to extinction by the human race.” He looked downcast as if he were a survivor of the holocaust or something, not a blood-sucking fiend, who was just getting what he richly deserved. Yeah right, I thought as if people are going to buy that. Only I looked around, and they were. Oh, CRAP, I thought again. Laurna was trembling, thank God some people have the good sense to be afraid of the monsters, but as I looked up at her I realized her eyes were tearing up. Hell no, she was not getting all teary eyed for the bastard Vampire.

  I pulled again, trying to get us moving through the crowd. They weren’t parting so good. Their eyes were all locked on the screen, the masses were practically panting. I fought not to look at the screen. I didn’t want to fall under Tameron’s power, again.

  We were getting close to the door when Bouncer boy who’d been so eager to get Laurna’s digits stepped in front of us and he wasn’t wearing his human suit anymore, either. I jumped nearly a foot. He smiled at me like he was my best friend. I felt his power crawl over my skin making me hot, he wanted me to like him, bad. I hated to tell him, I wasn’t that kind of girl.

  Then he turned those glowys on Laurna, “Stay with me,” he said real soft, sexual. He licked his lips like he was anticipating tasting her. She smiled back at him like he was the sun itself and nodded. She stepped toward him, he reached out toward her as if he couldn’t wait the couple of seconds it would take her to get to him to touch her.

  “Um nope,” I said rather loudly, when I got scared, I tended to get loud, and let go of her hand just long enough to remove the leather glove I’d been wearing. Immediately her eyes cleared and refocused on the Vampires fangs. She looked unsure how could she be unsure? He was a Vampire, end of story. I dropped the glove into my pocket and continued toward the door Laurna in tow. She fought me, “Come on,” I whispered, knowing my voice would help her fight whatever power he was using on her. At least, that was the way it was supposed to work. Only she kept fighting me.

  The Vamp looked at her his dark eyebrows scrunched together like he was thinking hard and then those lime green eyes landed on my hand and his eyes widened. Oh, shit, oh shit, oh shit, I thought. “Ao,” He hissed roughly.

  To my credit, I grinned, it was a smile filled with malevolence. “It’s pronounced A-awe, blood sucker.” We were almost to the door. He looked to the other guy at the door and another giant Vamp/Bouncer stepped out making it impossible to pass. What do they feed these guys? Oh yeah, blood. For men on a liquid diet they certainly were fit.

  I was thinking about the merits of shooting up the place with so many witness’ when I heard Governor Dean on TV announce. “We want to be sure that everyone understands the Vampires are a different species and not undead monsters. Crimes committed against the Vampire race will be dealt with just as they are when they are perpetrated against humans. Likewise, the police will deal with any crime committed by a Vampire. Vigilantism i.e. Vampire hunting is a crime,” he stated flatly. “Most of the Vampires in this city already have human identification and have been living amongst us for years,” My jaw dropped. I think it actually hit the dirty floor. He didn’t just say that, did he? The Vamp standing in front of me must have seen my confusion because he nodded and smiled like it was his birthday. Did I say Crap yet?

  Chapter 2

  The Vamps hustled us upstairs, which was okay with me. I didn’t dare shoot them in front of all their new buddies. The whole while I thought why, oh why, didn’t I listen to my dad and bring more clips? Oh, while I was wishing, could I turn 21 right away! I’d inherit my powers and kick some demon butt. Yeah, fuck. I was pretty screwed; my major hope was that Laurna would survive Bouncer-Vamps attentions, “Not an Ao yet then,” Bouncer-Vamp asked me his tone was snide. He was smiling like he knew exactly what I was thinking and I wasn’t sure he wasn’t, after all, mind reading was a Vampiric power.

  I shook my head, there was no point in denying it and lying to them might get Laurna hurt. “Let the human go,” I said looking to Laurna. Bouncer-Vamp held her arm more like they were taking a stroll, than being escorted to the security office. She looked terrified, confused, and boy did she glare at me when I called her the human. Well at least she wasn’t looking at him like he was her personal sex god anymore, which made me feel better, a lot better.

  Terrified, confused, and just a little angry, “What the hell is going on Mace?” I shook my head wildly at her. I didn’t want her telling Bouncer-Vamp my name.

  To my surprise, Bouncer-Vamp looked very carefully at her and nodded. He laid his other hand gently on Laurna’s shoulder. “You can go, sweet one, but I am still going to call you.” His voice had dropped all the menace he used on me and he looked at her with pure longing. The kind of longing that made my stomach do several quick nervous flips. He was going to go after her later. If I didn’t kill him, he was going to hunt my best friend. My hands shook I wanted to go for my gun but I couldn’t shoot them all before they took me down.

  Laurna gave him that you are the sun on a clear day look again that made my stomach lurch. “Okay,” she said as she leaned her body against him. His eyes rolled up into his head like his was experiencing exquisite erotic torment. For a minute, she shook him off. “What about m
y friend,” she asked so softly I almost didn’t hear her. Damn it, go now, I thought at her, while you can! He reached behind me and plucked my gun from behind my back. Damn, I thought I’d hid that better. I pressed my teeth together and parted my lips in an oh damn I’m in trouble now smile.

  “She must be detained for questioning. You understand don’t you,” he gave her a level gaze. I swear he didn’t draw in a breath while he waited for her to answer.

  She nodded like a Mikeble head, “Yes, of course.” She gave me a dirty look. “What the hell were you thinking,” she hissed at me. She wasn’t scared just pissed. Good, at least she got out of there without getting all touchy feely with Bouncer-Vamp. I shrugged, I couldn’t explain and I wasn’t sure she’d believe me anyway not with Obi Wan making free with the mind control. “Should I call your dad,” she asked biting her bottom lip. Bouncer-Vamp growled low in his throat; his eyes riveted to her mouth.

  Damn it just shut up and go; I thought, but shook my head no. He’d be here soon enough. GPS baby, most of the time it pissed me off, today I loved it. A real live AoD was on his way, I couldn’t wait to see how these boys coped with that. I wasn’t an Angel of Death yet, but dad was. Yay, dad I wasn’t sure I’d survive until he got there but hey vengeance would be sweet. She made a mad face at me and smiled again at Bouncer-Vamp like he’d done her a favor. I guess he had, he let her go. He watched her go his eyes blazing like he was lit with some internal fire.