Crimson Dawn

by Ronnie Massey

  I kept my opinions to myself. Descantes didn't need his line of thinking questioned right now. A quick look at what lay on the bed and his brow came together with a deep furrow. "While I may not believe he is personally responsible for these deaths, I do believe whoever did this act on his orders."

  "You find out anything, I want to be the first to know. Do you understand?” He waited for my answer, but I wasn't ready to commit to his command. I had a C.O., and, damn it, I was already wearing the locator. He looked down at me with sparks dancing in his eyes, "I'm dead serious, Ms. Trumaine. You will not engage him without a complete contingency of Sentinels at your back. It that clear?"

  I looked past his shoulder to the carnage on the bed and quietly conceded. My cell went off in my pocket giving me the out I needed to leave the room. I moved down the hall and read the text from Irulan. They had the name of a possible informant at a club called Crimson Dawn that was clear across town. She wanted me to meet up with them as soon as I could. Gladly, anything to take me away from here.

  I mapped the club on my phone and headed for the closest stairway. I thought I'd made a clean exit when Descantes solidified in front of me. "Leaving in such a hurry? Anything you'd like to share?” He glared at my phone as if he could read the text through the darkened screen. For all I know, he could, but that didn't stop me from lying.

  "It's 3:30 in the morning Descantes and, so far, my first night in Charleston has been a bust. I got nothing from either officer that helps me in any way, and, on top of that, I just watched two women, one of them one of those officers, roasted alive.” I waved my phone in front of his face, "That was one of my partners asking if I'd had any better luck than they had. I told her no. So now I'm going to have a few drinks to try and get the sight of that room out of my head.” I ran a finger across my lips and felt a jab of hunger in my stomach. "I also need to feed before the night is out, if that's alright with you."

  The look on his face was one of disbelief, but he let me go without any further questions. Once I hit the street level, I checked my directions, memorized them, and headed out. I ran faster than the phone could keep up, so using GPS was out if I was really in a hurry, and I was definitely in a hurry. Running at top speed it only took me five minutes to reach the Crimson Dawn. To give you an idea of how fast I was moving, if I had been in a vehicle doing forty, even with no stops for red lights or stop signs, it would have taken me about fifteen minutes to get there.

  The Crimson Dawn didn't look like much from the outside, just a red door under a small, black awning in the side of a dumpy building that looked every bit abandoned. There were no neon signs advertising its existence. That’s what the red moon stitched into the awning was for.

  Most Extras clubs were like that. Although the government made us legal and forced the masses to accept us as a whole, the individual mindset was something altogether different. There are now units in traditional police stations designed specifically for catching Humans that hunted us illegally.

  The only thing out of place was the bouncer standing outside the door. The bouncer was a Deadborn built like a brick house. He was a little short for my taste, only standing around five six, but he more than made up for it in the looks department. My hyped up senses needed release after all the excitement at the hospital, and he would certainly qualify. Sex was just as good as fighting if you could find the right person. While the Deadborn wasn't quite the right person, he would do to get my blood pumping. I twisted my ring around, so the signet wouldn't show, and sauntered up to the door with my aura radiating my hunger full blast.

  CHAPTER SIX

  I heard his sharp intake of breath when my aura hit him head on. The poor guy didn't stand a chance. He had reached my side before I was halfway to the door, eyes black and teeth extended in anticipation of what my aura said I was offering. I gave him a smile that was all teeth and ran my hands over the smooth black leather that was covering my ass. "I'm new in town." I hissed the words and circled him slowly, enticing the hunter within him with a challenge. "I was told I could find some fun at the Crimson Dawn. Is that true?"

  He smiled and wrung his hands together, "Yeah it's true, hon. I'm gonna give you all the fun you can handle and save you the price of admission all at once. How's that for considerate?" I didn't need to experience the excitement in his aura to know he was aroused. I could smell the blood gathering in his groin, the temptation of a chase building in his veins.

  Vampires were hunters first. Time may have evolved us into lawyers and CEO's, but the need for the hunt remained engraved in our DNA. Since the Awakening, blood bars and blood banks have become the standard practice for ‘civilized Vampires’ to obtain the necessary blood needed for feeding. There was also a surplus of Humans lining up to be tapped, some for the money, some hoping to be chosen as a turn.

  No matter what methods they concocted to make us seem less frightening to the public, the majority of us still got our blood the old-fashioned way. Why? Because the hunt was about more than the need for food, it was erotic to us. Nothing compares to the long, lean lines of a predator on the prowl. The way a body moves when it exerts itself, sweat running down its lines. The hunt is everything. It fuels us, and right now, I was throwing gas on this Deadborn's fire.

  The Deadborn twisted down into a crouch and took a quick swipe at my legs. I easily dodged him and dropped into a crouch of my own, leaning forward onto the tips of my fingers. "Hold it, big boy. No fun until I find out your name at least."

  He launched himself at me, arms outstretched trying to pin me. At the last minute, I leaned out of the way. He whizzed right by me without laying as much as a finger on my person. Before he could redirect, I pounced and pinned him face first to the ground. He tried to buck me off, but I was stronger than he was by far despite his girth. I was just about to lean in for a quick bite on his neck when I heard footsteps near the door.

  I looked up to find Irulan and Priest standing in the doorway of the club. Irulan didn't look amused, in fact, she looked down right upset, and Priest sported a hard on and a smug expression that just oozed the words 'I told you so'.

  I looked down at the Deadborn underneath me and frowned. He was too far gone in his desire to notice we had an audience. Poor guy would be useless for the rest of the night. I can rein my emotions in and keep them in check until I have the opportunity to let go. Deadborns don't have that kind of control. He’d be a walking stiff until he found release, either through sex or through feeding, if he were lucky, both. A large part of me felt sorry for toying with him the way I did, but a small, nagging voice in the back of my mind didn't give a damn one way or another. He’s just a Deadborn, it said.

  As I pushed away from my 'would be' one-night stand, I shook my head trying to dislodge the thought. I hated that part of myself, the condescending, pompous ass that most Vampires were. I was better than that. Pushing past Priest and Irulan to get inside, I flashed to the door unable to look back at the outraged Vampire that was now yelling at me, calling me everything but a child of God.

  The interior of the club was mostly dance floor. From what I could tell, there were booths lining three walls and a bar taking up the last one. The DJ booth was quite large and fixed into a corner high over the room. An up-tempo R & B song pumped out of giant speakers aimed at the center of the room. Shifters and Weres filled the dance floor with a few other Extras sprinkled here and there.

  Since it was almost time for a full moon, it made sense that the Lycanthropes were out in full force. This was the only time Weres and Shifters dropped their mutual animosity and acted like the true blood kin that they were.

  Any other time of the month, they were barely amicable towards each other. Up until about six hundred years ago, give or take a decade or two, there was no such thing as Shifters, only Weres. Tired of having their lives controlled by the sway of the moon, one day a group of Weres banded together and sought a way to be free of the lunar cycles.

  The group made some sort of pact with a demon,
severing their ties to the moon and liberating them from forced change when the moon was full. They also gained the half form that most Humans associate with werewolves. The pact also included all of their future generations. The rest of the lycanthrope population didn't take to kindly to them making a demon pact and declared them blood traitors. The Shifters countered, calling the Weres savages, contented to live their lives as animals. If you ask me, I think it's stupid, but what do I know?

  Both Weres and Shifters feel the power of the full moon. It sends the females into heat and the men ramp up with a need to mate. The only difference is that Shifters can choose to shift or not, the Weres have no choice. To be honest most Shifters choose to shift anyway, so why all the fuss?

  A lot had happened in a short period of time, and trying to keep all the thoughts at bay were threatening to give me a headache. Swaying with the music, I dropped my shields, so I could see normally in the pulsating strobe lights, and. reached out with my aura to let the sexual rush the Lycanthropes were generating wash over me chasing off both my nagging self-loathing and the weariness that was trying to settle in.

  Intending to ask her to dance with me, I turned towards Irulan, but Priest pushed past her and hauled me onto the dance floor by an arm. Any other time, I wouldn't have allowed any degree of familiarity with Priest, but his was a body that knew how to move with the music, so I let it ride.

  We shoved our way to the center of the crowded floor, pressed tightly against each other by the sea of bodies gyrating around us and began dancing. Priest wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer, as if we could get any. "I knew I was right about you in that elevator earlier," he said as he ground his hardness against me and opened the floodgate on his desire. I inhaled sharply as it struck me.

  As we moved, I threw my arms around his neck. "Why do you have to go and mess everything up by opening your mouth, Jacob?"

  I could ignore the blood difference, I honestly could, but the fact that he was a total tool and had no control over what flew out of his mouth was the only reason I hadn't slept with him before. Deadborns were supposed to be insatiable when it came to sex and had legendary staying power. I'd always wanted to see for myself but never allowed myself to get that close to one.

  Priest was the only Deadborn I had regular contact with outside of those sired by my family, making him the obvious candidate by default. I've long since come to my senses and realized that some things just weren't worth the aggravation, and sex with Priest was one of them. I'd never admit to Priest that I once considered him a candidate. It’d go straight to his head.

  Priest moved in to run his lips down the side of my neck as he talked. "Sorry for stating the obvious, Trumaine. The way you were all over that poor sap outside I'm surprised your carpet munching buddy and I didn't come out the door to find you and him doing anything more than you were."

  I hissed and tried to pull away from him, but he held on tightly to my waist. "Don't talk about Irulan like that, Priest. Or do you want me to set her loose on you again?"

  His body stiffened, but he didn't let go. He looked around the dance floor and realized that many of the lycanthropes were in various states of undress. A mocking grin spread across his face. "Looks as if they’ve got the right idea, Trumaine.” Just like that, he was kissing me. There was nothing gentle about his assault. His fangs scored my lips, drawing blood and giving the unwanted kiss more heat than I'd care to admit. I came to my senses and pulled away from him, bumping into people as I worked my way out of the crowd.

  When I reached the bar, Irulan took in the swollen and bruised condition of my lips with a hurt look on her face. "It figures." She began fumbling in her pocketbook, obviously trying to avoid looking me in the face. "Look, Val, you and Jacob finish up what you were doing. I'm going to head back to the hotel."

  My stomach clenched at the thought of her leaving while actually believing I was into Priest, and when Priest came up behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and tried to nuzzle my neck, things only got worse. I twisted out of his hold, and shoved him away from me as fast as I could, but not fast enough. When I turned back, she was gone. "Damn it! Don’t you ever do that again, Priest!" I yelled, socking him in the stomach as I turned to scan the club for Irulan.

  Priest chuckled and pointed towards the door, "She went out that way."

  Some days it just didn't pay to get out of bed. After the day I'd had, the cuddle bunny, Mr. M., looked mighty sweet. I should have hidden out at his house and stayed in bed the entire day. I don't think he would have made any objections.

  I rushed out the door and came to a dead halt. I had no idea where they parked the car. Priest came plowing into my back, and I elbowed him in the stomach. "I told you, Priest, I'm not mood for your shit tonight. You've caused enough trouble already.” I scented the air to find Irulan's trail and ran in that direction. She was leaning up against the SUV, hands folded over her chest and eyes focused on something behind me when I found her.

  I looked back to find Priest dead on my heels swinging a set of car keys on one finger. Irulan snatched the keys, "This will be just fine thank you. I can find my way back to the hotel on my own.” She unlocked the door and shook her head at the two of us, "No need to cut your night short because of me, by all means go enjoy yourselves."

  I don't know why those words stung, but they did. It was vital for her to know the truth. I reached past her and nudged the car door closed, "You're not walking out on me like this, Irulan, you can't drive upset."

  Irulan rounded on me, her eyes clouding over becoming a darker shade with her anger. "Walk out on you? Are you serious?” She shoved me away from her, and then jerked me back to get in my face and whisper in my ear, "Keep on talking like that, Valeria. If you're not careful, someone's going to think there's something going on between us.” I paled at her words and took a step back. Her anger became more potent, and she shoved me back into Priest. "See. That’s what I thought. Why did you even follow me out here?!” She laid both hands on my chest and pushed me again but this time I didn't have anywhere to go.

  "Fuck, Val," she cried, "Do you think it’s easy for me to watch you screw anything that moves?" She threw her hands in the air and laughed. "At least any other time you don't throw it in my face.”

  Her eyes were radiating so much power by now that they were glowing like miniature twin suns. Even with my films lowered, I couldn't look directly at her, so I talked with my head facing the ground.

  "If you'd give me a chance to explain, you'd know that it's not like that between Priest and me, Irulan."

  I stomped on Priest's foot, so he'd get the hint, "Oh yeah, sure, what she said."

  I stomped his foot again, cringing at his stupidity. Like that half-assed whatever was going to help anything.

  And just as I thought, Irulan countered, "The kiss you laid on her while you two were dancing looked like something to me, Jacob."

  Priest opened his mouth, but I kicked his shin. I didn’t need anything else to fly out of his mouth and make things worse. "That was his fault, Irulan. He kissed me on purpose while we were sandwiched in the middle of a group of Lycanthropes hyped up on the full moon. I'm a Vampire for crap sake. How else was I supposed to react?"

  Irulan's anger wasn't swayed one iota. Actually, I think her eyes began to burn even brighter. "What about the lucky fellow you were practically riding when we found you out front? Explain that. No Lycanthropes to blame that one on."

  I'll be damned if she weren't right. So what if my emotions felt as though they were in a blender, sitting on top of a washer during the spin cycle? I pushed past Irulan and banged my head against the hood of the SUV. I needed to get a grip. This was no way for me to be acting, especially on a case.

  If this was how I was going to be until I finally took Tristan down, I didn't think I was going to make it. Hell, in the shape I was in, I was more likely to end up staked and baked myself.

  "You're right, Irulan,” I quietly admitted. "You're right, and I
'm sorry, there is no excuse for my behavior.” I let my films retract and slowly brought my head up to look her in the eyes, hoping she could see the sincerity of my words. "I can only blame it on this case. Yesterday my life was normal, everything was going the way it's supposed to.” I held my hands up and looked at them as if they could talk for me, "So much has happened today I just needed to let some of the emotions out."

  My eyes watered blood tears from staring directly into the blinding light of Irulan's own eyes without my films, but I refused to lower them. Irulan relented first, her emotions slowly dampening the light within until I could look at her without experiencing pain, but there was already some damage. It would be morning before my eyes had healed enough for me to lower my films again. I was light blind for the remainder of the night, meaning that unless my surroundings were completely dark, I wouldn't be able to see shit clearly. Everything had become blurry.

  Priest was, surprisingly, the one to come to my defense. In spite of his obvious unease around Irulan, he pushed past her, took my hand, and walked me to the SUV, so I could sit down. He then rounded on Irulan. "For someone that's been around Vampires as much as Trumaine says you have, you don't know much about us, do you?” He closed the door. “I could tell the moment we found her on top of that other vamp that she was running on pure emotion. Something big happened today."