Vampire in Conflict

by Dale Mayer

  ***

  The Council chamber filled with the humans to the point that more chairs had to be brought in. Rhia, more concerned than ever, watched as more than three dozen people showed up for today's meeting. Serus stood alert at her side. Sian smiled genially at everyone as they walked past, but the three of them hadn't made a move to sit down.

  Talk about being overwhelmed by numbers. Councilman Smithson called to her. "Councilwoman Rhia and Serus, Sian, if you'd take your seats, please."

  As one, the three moved to sit at the massive table. All three sat together.

  "Now, Sian, if you could explain the purpose of this meeting."

  Sian took a deep breath and explained about the rumblings and news that Taz had shared. There were a few gasps of surprise from a couple of the members but as a group, there was very little surprise.

  Councilman Smithson said, "We've heard rumors. It is to be expected that some of our people are upset. Of course we don't condone vigilante justice."

  "Or hiding those guilty of selling your own people."

  The councilman frowned. "We are conducting an investigation into those claims. As we haven't had much time, I can't say how deep this goes or how many people may have been involved in that despicable act."

  "If any," snapped a different member at the table. "We only have your word that humans have been involved."

  "So of course you can produce the missing person files for the more than 1,000 victims we found hanging in the blood farm?" Rhia said smoothly.

  The man's face turned a mottled red. "There could be any number of reasons why we can't find all of those. It's ridiculous to think any human would do such a thing to one of their own."

  "Only we have proof that many have indeed done that to their own. Keep your blinders on if you wish." Rhia said in a scathing voice, "Or keep protesting so that I'm tempted to have your own family line and financials examined to see who's gone missing in your world."

  A growing anger surrounded her at the table.

  "This is at the highest level, people. I can guarantee you that at least five if not two dozen of you are involved in this hypocrisy," Rhia cried. "We didn't come her asking for your help to save us. We don't need it. But if you refuse to calm your people, we will defend ourselves."

  The rumble spiked as several members jumped to their feet in protest.

  She slammed her hand down on the table. "Are you all so young with short term memories that you've forgotten what life was like for you before? Sure you can burn us out, kill as many of us as you can. And you will never be free to live a normal life again," she said, fury building inside. "I want nothing more than to live a peaceful life." She glared at the angry faces staring back at her. "You don't have to calm your people. You don't have to look for the poison in your own midst. You can let this develop into a full-blown war. Maybe I will survive. Maybe I won't. But not one of you." And she stopped to look into everyone's eyes. "Not one of you…will."

  ***

  Jared didn't know what to do next. He'd bolted away from the group home as fast as he could. He had what little he owned in his backpack. The rest of his clothing was at his uncle's house.

  As he walked down the sidewalk on the quiet street, he had to consider that. He could really use some more clothing. His big backpack would be helpful, his camera. There were a few mementos he'd like to have of his father. There wasn't much option but to go and ask for his possessions back or sneak inside and take back what was his. He'd hoped that both his aunt and uncle would have been placed under arrest by now, but he had the feeling that wasn’t going to be the case.

  Still, his uncle worked the morning shift and shouldn't be at the house. As school wouldn't start for a long time yet, Jared wondered at the sensibility of going and retrieving his stuff. He didn't want to face his uncle again. So now might be his only option. If his uncle had been arrested, for all Jared knew the house and its contents would be confiscated by the Council and sold to go to their coffers. His uncle certainly didn't deserve any of it. Or his aunt.

  He also had his own future to think about. He doubted he had a job any longer after not being able to show up for the last couple of shifts. Although his boss was a good man, it was hard to ignore an absentee employee. And that meant the little bit of money Jared had saved wasn't going to go far. He needed clothes. As far as a place to live, maybe he could make a deal with one of his buddies’ families. Work in exchange for room and board. At least until he finished school. Something that was looking to be further away than ever.

  Shit. Determined to regain what was his after a quick assessment of his meager worldly goods, he turned in the direction of his uncle's house. It was only a couple blocks away. In the early morning light, the sleepy town looked right and cheerful as if nothing bad could ever happen here.

  He snorted. Talk about deceptive. This place was full of intrigue. And once again, he was in the middle of it.

  ***

  Ian bounded off the bed at the sound of yelling and cars racing. At the window, he watched men running all over the place. On the road, he watched a small maroon car peeling down the road. It was going way too fast to be healthy. If that driver had done something – anything to piss these assholes off – Ian would cheer the driver on.

  It turned a corner, wrapping around the hill below the hospital, and he caught a better glimpse of the vehicle and just an impression of the driver.

  Christ. That was Wendy.

  Trying to escape these assholes.

  Ian started cursing as his blood was alternately frozen with fear and heated with rage. They were after his girl. That meant she'd been here and hadn't been allowed to see him. At least, that was the best reason he wanted to contemplate for what was going on here. If she'd been taken hostage earlier and had just now escaped, he'd go crazy thinking about what they'd done to her while he'd slept.

  Stupid. That's what he was. He'd had an opportunity to escape earlier and had been worried about not having pants.

  He slapped himself up the side of his head. Idiot. He could have gotten pants from somewhere. Hell, the damn techs here wore scrub-like uniforms. He could have knocked anyone out and taken them.

  His gaze never left the car as it burnt through the pavement to escape.

  Then he saw a flier soaring in the sky. In the early morning light? A daylight flier.

  Wendy was no longer safe. A flier would track her home.

  Ian slammed his fist against the window frame and felt something give in his back…and with his paralyzed wings.

  Hope flared inside. Maybe the paralysis that doctors were talking about wasn't permanent. There was only one way to find out. He went to work testing the theory.

  Chapter 10

  Tessa waited outside on the small porch. The front door stood open behind her. The Council had sent someone to retrieve the coffee and search the rest of Councilman Adamson's house. She hadn't gone looking for anything else suspicious. Now that they knew what to look for, the lab techs could find anything else.

  She glanced at her watch. "Crap." She called behind her, "David, can you give me a lift to school?"

  "Sure. Is it time?" He walked over to the front door. "We're going to make a dash for the car."

  Tessa walked to the car. "David, throw me the keys and I'll turn on the SunGard." With the keys in hand, she walked over to the car, unlocked the doors, and switched on the UV protection so any vamp could drive. Then she slid over the middle and waited. Goran stepped out on the front porch beside the guys, hollering and waving his arms.

  She peered through the windows trying to figure out what was going on. Before she had a chance to get out and find out, they were all racing to the car, coats over their heads.

  "Change of plans," David said as he hopped into the front driver's seat and slammed the door closed. The other two scrambled inside. David turned the car on and pulled out fast, gravel spitting behind them as David drove at top speed. "Mom is in trouble."

  She gasped. "What?"
>
  "Serus contacted Dad," Cody said. "Your mother kinda lost it and basically threatened the Human Council to smarten up. If not, she said she'll make sure they don't survive the next round of this war."

  Tessa gasped. "She wouldn't have done that without a good reason."

  "Except she's not exactly been herself lately." Cody's comment had both David and Tessa turning to stare at him.

  He shrugged. "Just saying."

  "Serus said they need reinforcements. So we're all going. I don't know how many they are up against, but with Sian pregnant and Serus worn out and your mother still recovering from the heavy drugs, they are not in the best position to fight. Humans are easy, but if there are any there with the same weapons of war that those vamps in the mountain had, they are in trouble."

  Tessa brooded. She knew her mom was really struggling right now. On many levels. She could easily see her losing it if the humans on the Human Council didn't appear to believe her or seem willing to help.

  Tessa had nothing against the humans, but with the crap that Jared was going through and the stuff that anyone associated with the victims of the blood farm had been through, she wouldn't be surprised if there was trouble at every corner for the next several months.

  The people needed to see that the two councils were going to step up and make sure the perpetrators were caught and punished. The Vampire Council was working on their side of the issues, but was the Human Council?

  "School or home?" David asked.

  "Mom, always. If it turns out to be nothing, I'll still make it to school." She added, "What about Council Adamson? Is he going to help?"

  Goran spoke from the back seat. "He's gathering up some more men. There are more than three dozen humans attending that meeting. If something blows, we don’t want any of them getting free."

  "Shit," Tessa said half under her breath.

  David shot her a worried look, then hit the gas and sent the car careening around the corner. She smiled. If he had anything to do with this, they'd have been at the Council Hall already.

  Goran spoke from the back seat. "Serus says it's bad. He's about to take a step that will forever finish the treaty. He's giving them a small chance but if they attack Rhia, he says it's over and he'll take out as many as he can."

  Tessa froze. Her mind jumped from horrible option to horrible option.

  "This was supposed to be a meeting," Cody said in alarm. "What went wrong?"

  Tessa spun around to see Goran’s faraway look. "He's talking to Dad now. How far away are we, David?"

  "Five minutes. Maybe less."

  "Is there anyone else out there we can call for reinforcements?" Tessa wondered out loud. "We need to make sure the Human Council knows that they can't hurt Mom and Dad without reprisals."

  "I think Rhia actually threatened to make sure no one in the Human Council survived." Goran grinned.

  Yes, someone had said something to set her mom off in a big way. Tessa shuddered. "Anyone who sees her gentle features might make the mistake of thinking she's just another pretty face once, but never twice," she said. "She doesn't threaten. She makes promises. And she'll be damned if she's going to go out of this life without making sure she keeps that promise."

  Inside, her gut had locked down, and thoughts of school and everything else had fled her mind. Both her parents were in trouble. Enough was enough. She didn't want to hurt any humans, but if they killed anyone in her family…

  Not one person in the Council Hall would escape her wrath.

  ***

  Jared approached his old home warily. The last time he was here, he'd gotten a hell of a shock. He didn't want to meet his family. Ever again. Unless they were in prison and he was on the visitor's side. Even then, he couldn't imagine any reason to see them. The house was dark and quiet. He frowned at the vehicle in the parking spot. His uncle should have been at work. Why wasn't he?

  Or had the car broken down and he'd gotten a ride to work? He could also have been fired. That put a smile on his face. He slipped to the back door and peered inside. No sign of life anywhere. Should he go in? He really wanted to grab his stuff.

  He studied the old clapboard exterior of the house. It was in desperate need of paint. And new windows. Likely new doors. His uncle may have gotten a chunk of money for selling his brother and Jared, but Jared had no idea what he could have done with it. As long as he'd known him, there'd never been obvious cash. Maybe his uncle was hoarding his money in the bank, or knowing the old bastard, under the damn mattress he slept on.

  Still, if his uncle was home and he caught Jared inside, then what? He was entitled to get his clothes, wasn't he? Sure he was. His uncle had done him wrong. Not the other way around. As he thought about it, he could feel the stirrings of justified anger. Maybe he should step inside and actually accuse his uncle. Let all that hurt and anger find a target – the right target. He'd just have to make sure that he didn't let that anger get out of control. It would be just Jared's luck that he'd be the one to end up behind bars.

  As the drive to take his uncle’s neck in his bare hands and squeeze the life out of him became too strong to control, he realized he didn't dare confront the asshole.

  Not yet. Maybe never. If that was the case, then he wanted his shit back. He might not be able to get the revenge he was due, but he'd be damned if he left behind what was rightfully his.

  He tested the doorknob. It opened easily in his hand. His uncle never did give a damn about security. Maybe because he was already sleeping with the devil.

  In the kitchen, Jared stopped by the first counter. The coffee maker sat on the corner. He reached out a hand and touched the pot. It was off and cold to the touch.

  His uncle wasn't even up yet. How could that be?

  Then Jared relaxed. The bastard had run. It was the only explanation. Happily, Jared realized he wasn't going to see his uncle at all. His nerves slid down to a normal level and he walked quietly to his room. He pushed the door open to find it completely trashed.

  His mattress was half off the bed, the bedding in a heap on the floor. The drawers had been pulled from his dresser and dumped on the floor. The closet door was open, and it appeared that everything he'd ever stuffed into the back and forgotten about had been hauled out and tossed in the center.

  Why?

  What could he have that anyone could possibly want? He didn't have any money. Neither did he have anything worth any decent money. He was a kid. What could he possibly own of value?

  Or was this about the damn blood farm? Were the people involved afraid that he'd kept some incriminating evidence? Something that would get them in trouble?

  He hadn't.

  But he wished he did.

  He stared around at the remnants of the last decade and swore softly. Not wanting to be there any longer than necessary, he switched from shock to gathering up what he needed. His backpack, although turned inside out, was whole. He stuffed it with his clothes, quickly sorting as he went through the mess, collecting everything useable in just a few minutes.

  His heart slammed against his chest and a film of sweat formed on his skin. He couldn't get rid of the feeling that he needed to get the hell out of here and fast.

  He peered around the bedroom door and stepped into the hallway. There wasn't a sound in the house. It wasn't normal. His uncle always had the radio on, or the computer was always playing something. The silence sounded wrong.

  Felt wrong.

  He stared at his uncle's bedroom door. He should not open it.

  Yeah, he should, said his conscience.

  He really didn't want to. So what if there was something wrong with the bastard? After what he'd done, he deserved to be ill.

  But he wasn't his uncle.

  And the state he'd found his bedroom meant someone had come in here that wasn't friendly.

  Christ, his headache was getting worse the more he tried to sort this out.

  He groaned. Given that his uncle had a connection to the blood farm and given the
mess in his room and the fact that there was no sign of his uncle…

  He walked silently to his uncle's doorway and put an ear to the wood. Not a sound.

  Shit.

  He turned the knob and opened it just enough that he could look around the edge to survey the room. The curtains were closed. The room was dark and gloomy.

  And the aroma…

  His gaze zeroed in on the bed... and his uncle lying fully dressed on top of the covers. Jared's heart slammed against his ribs. He closed his eyes briefly. Please don't let this be another one. He hated his uncle but…

  He pushed the door open wider and stepped to the bedside to make sure. "Uncle?"

  No answer. He gulped hard, his gut churning, and turned his head away from the sight of his asshole uncle lying with his head twisted the wrong way.

  Oh, his uncle was dead all right. But he didn't die from natural causes.

  This was his third dead body today. And the only one to make him squeamish.

  Bile rolled through him and crawled up his throat. He spun and ran as fast as he could down the stairs, blasting out the back of the kitchen door and over to the bushes lining the property to the neighbor's side.

  And his stomach emptied.

  ***

  Serus stared at the humans who dared to piss Rhia off. Chances were good they were heading into a bloodbath that would mark another massive change in the life of the humans.

  Were they really ready for the chaos they were about to wreak? He'd gladly die at Rhia's side fighting these bastards, but what really pissed him off was that he'd asked these same men to help them. To preserve their way of life.

  He glanced over at his beloved wife and realized she was as close to losing control as he'd ever seen her. Since the last war. And she'd been a warrior like none other then.

  She had the softness and compassion to save those that were in need, but the killer in her would destroy any and all that threatened her or her family. And he'd include the pregnant Sian in that group right now as well.