by Tracy Sharp
The red light turned to green and I didn’t notice. I was trying to work out the mystery in my head. Someone behind me laid on their horn. I pushed the gas pedal. “Maybe. Or maybe they don’t.”
“Could be they’re being injected. Forced into it.”
“Or maybe it’s in the fruit they eat.”
Realization slammed into me. Candace was a new vampire. She was like a babe in the woods out there. If you could call a vampire a babe in the woods. And she’d definitely fed. The macabre image of her standing just a few feet from my window flashed in my mind.
Astrid noticed. “Exactly. The love of your life is now a vamp. She’s being targeted right now, just like the rest of them.”
“Grab my cell from my jacket pocket and try to call her.”
Astrid did. Barely contained panic clawed at my insides.
“It went straight to voice mail.” Astrid’s face looked worried.
I stepped on the gas and my car jumped ahead. We had to warn Candace before she fed on someone who was loaded to kill her. I prayed we wouldn’t be too late.
Candace
You need to go home, get locked down. Cover your windows. Dawn is coming.
Candace actually felt it coming. She’d slowed down the last twenty minutes or so of their run through the woods and meadows. Now Mika sat beside her at the edge of an enormous hill overlooking Halfmoon. They looked down at the town under an indigo sky. Her lids felt heavy and her body felt tired. She wanted to lie down there and sleep.
Without realizing it, she did just that.
Candace.
It was hard to open her eyelids. She kept them closed. Yes.
You have to get up. Come on. Stand up.
His voice was annoying, like an alarm clock shrilling in the early morning. Just five minutes. I’m resting my eyes.
Candace, you’re not a child being awoken by a parent. If you remain out here you will die.
She sighed, air snuffing out her canine nose, and heard herself give a reluctant whine before standing up on heavy, shaky legs.
I’m sorry. I’ve kept you out too long.
Don’t worry, my parents don’t give a crap. They’re dead.
Come. Now. The urgency in his voice sent a little shock through her and she followed him back across the fields of sleeping flowers and into the woods. It was time to go home.
There was a distant jingling sound. The run back to her house was difficult. She kept slowing down and walking, and at a couple of points simply stopped, unaware that she had. Mika had to prod her with his nose several times. He nudged her along with his head when she slowed down, all the while talking to her. He tried frantically to keep her awake and moving along. His voice sounded more alarmed each time he spoke, until finally he was shouting at her in her mind.
Even the shouting sounded far away, as if it were just a voice on a television that someone was watching, maybe down a long corridor. He nipped at her back. Shocked, she yelped and turned on him, anger waking her up.
Move.
They finally made it to her house and Mika followed her up the steps. Candace stood in front of her door and apparently had lain down in front of it because that’s what she was doing when he shouted at her, louder than he’d done so far.
“If you nip at me again, you’re going to lose your teeth, doggie.” Pushing herself up, she tried to wish herself back into human form but found that now she couldn’t hold on to a single thought. They floated away the second she thought them.
You are a gorgeous, strong, and courageous cop. Shift back. Now. You can’t open the door in your wolf form, Candace. Shift now!
“Okay, okay. But I’m not a cop anymore.” Candace heard her own voice say, and looked down at herself in shock. Apparently she’d changed back. He’d guided her through the shifting. She dug around for her key stuffed in her jean’s pocket but she was still nude.
Mika already had her keys dangling from his teeth. He stood on the top steps, waiting for her to take them. He must’ve had to drop them to nip at her. She’d only just met him and she was already putting him through hell.
Yes. Take your keys so that you can live to torture me another night.
“Remember that you asked for it when you start whining that I’m making you crazy.” Candace took the keys from him and turned, feeling like she was sleepwalking. She tried to fit the key into the lock and almost dropped it. She opened the door, and turned back to him. “I’d invite you in but, you know, first date and all. And I’m dead tired.”
Candace saw amusement flicker over his eyes, and then heard his voice in her head. You made a funny. Very good. Go, now. Cover your windows. I will watch over you.
She wandered into her house, forgetting to close the door, and felt herself falling. The carpet came up fast. Her face was pressed against it, and then she was asleep.
Ezra
The early morning sky had lightened from a dark purple to a muted mauve by the time I parked in front of Candy’s house. Glowing orange and fuchsia streaked the horizon. I jumped out of the car, not bothering to close the door, and ran toward the house.
The door was closed, and I was sure that it was locked as I grasped the door knob and turned it. The door opened, and I pushed it a few inches and peered into the dim room.
A deep growl came from inside, maybe a couple of feet away. At first I thought it was Candace, because last night she’d been growling and snarling at me pretty good.
But then a shape moved in the dim, murky light, coming toward the door, and the snarling grew louder.
It was a dog. No. Not a dog. It was Candy’s wolf friend. I sighed. “It’s Ezra, Fluffy.”
The wolf stopped growling and sat, watching me. I took that as an invitation to come into the room. I pushed the door open and then noticed the figure lying on the floor behind the wolf. I squinted, feeling my pulse quicken.
It was Candace. I took a few steps into the room to see her but the wolf wouldn’t move, so I had to walk around him. I squatted next to her. She was asleep. Dead to the world. She didn’t even appear to be breathing.
Was she really dead, then? Did she not even need to breathe anymore? I didn’t know if vampires actually breathed or not.
I reached out and gently brushed a lock of hair that had fallen over her eyes, and pressed my fingers carefully against her cheek. Her skin was cold.
The wolf turned his big head toward me, watching my every move.
“You’ve been guarding her.” It was a statement, but my tone sounded flat. Again, I felt a sense of relief that Fido was there to watch over her, but also my heart gave a jealous squeeze. Fido was a part of Candy’s new life. They now shared a bond. I was an outsider to her new world. I may always be an outsider to her, now. Although the next word out of my mouth tasted bitter, and I almost choked on it, I said it anyway. “Thanks.”
The wolf’s eyes narrowed, and it snuffed at me. His message was clear. I didn’t do it for you, asshole.
I looked down at her face and felt myself freeze as I noticed a smear of dried blood around her bottom lip. “Fido. I have to tell you something.”
Straightening up, I saw that Astrid had silently come into the room. She perched on the edge of a sofa arm, stroking the big wolf’s head.
I pulled a face at her. “Seriously?”
Astrid looked up at me. “What? I love canines. And I never had my own dog growing up.”
“Well, it looks like Fido, here, belongs to Candace.” I gave the wolf a withering look.
His eyes smiled back at me as Astrid slid off the sofa arm and wrapped her arms around him, snuggling his broad back.
I gave him a narrow eyed look of my own. “I’m going to find out your story one of these days. I’ll find out just what your deal is.”
And suddenly he was back to giving me the stink eye.
“Anyway, listen. Your new girlfriend is in serious danger.” I sat on the couch and leaned forward, my arms on the tops of my thighs, my hands clasping.
&n
bsp; Fido’s ears perked up and he stood, breaking Astrid’s embrace. He took a step toward me, his eyes questioning.
“Yeah. Astrid, tell him what happened earlier tonight.”
Astrid told the wolf about the vamp she’d seen at the Top Shop, and what had happened to him.
The wolf listened intently, realization dawning in his eyes. The fur on his back lifted and his black lips drew away from his teeth.
“Exactly,” I said to him. “We think the same thing. Someone is purposely killing vamps.”
Astrid, who now sat on her knees beside him, looked at his face and shrugged. “We don’t know if he is a rogue vamp or not. All I know is what I told you.”
“Wait, you can hear him?” I asked her.
“I can’t hear words, but I can feel what he’s thinking. It’s just a kind of knowing. Hard to explain.”
I grinned. “Good, because I have a few questions for you, Fido. Or do you prefer Fluffy?”
“His name is Mika. It popped into my head while I was hugging him.” Astrid ran her hand over the wolf’s broad chest.
“Well, Mika,” I said his name like I thought it was stupid. Which I kind of did. Because I didn’t like him. “When Candy wakes up, tell her what’s going on. We need to figure out how many other vamps have died, where they were feeding, and what their stories were.”
He lowered his head in acknowledgment.
“And when the dust settles and we can make sure Candy is safe, I want to know your story.”
Astrid giggled, as she looked at the wolf.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “What? What did he say?”
“He showed me an image in my mind. It was funny.”
“An image of what?” I looked from Astrid to the wolf and back again.
“I’d rather not say,” Astrid replied.
Great. Even my partner was smitten with him.
Damned dog.
Candace
She awoke slowly, her limbs still feeling like lead, and became aware of low chanting and the feeling of tingling on her face. And then she breathed in, and something, some kind of tingling dust, swirled up into her sinuses and down her throat.
Candace sat up, coughing, grasping at her throat.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be fine now. That was your last dose.” Iona leaned over her. She was kneeling beside Candace’s bed, her face serious. “That was close.”
“Too close,” Ezra said. He stood behind Iona.
The wolf jumped up onto the bed and sat looking at her, his almond eyes worried. He gave her hand a lick.
“I’m fine.” But the words came out choked. “What was that? What did you give me? Angel’s dust?”
“No. In fact, your wizard friend can handle the angel’s dust and breath, but you can’t. Not anymore. What I gave you was an antidote to the poison you took in when you last fed. A bit of hair of the dog that bit you.”
Mika gave a little growl.
“Oh, now you stop that. No offense was intended, you silly dog,” Iona admonished. She continued explaining. “I took a bit of your blood and made a powder with it. And then I spelled the hell out of it.”
Mika lay down beside Candace and rested his chin on her leg. Candace stroked his head. She found Mika’s presence soothed her soul, even if he was sometimes a pain in the ass. To Iona she said, “Explain, please.”
Iona looked down, something like regret moving over her face. “What happened to you was my fault. At least partially.”
Candace frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“About a week ago, before you came into my store running from that demon, a farmer came in asking for something to poison a colony of vampire bats that were draining his animals. Sheep, cows, even his horses. I believe he lost a dog, also.”
Mika looked up and gave a barely audible growl.
“Yes, so you’d better be careful, Poochie, although I’m sure the vampire bats would get quite a surprise if they bit you.”
“What did you give him?” Candace asked her, impatience needling her insides.
“I gave him Shaman blessed water.”
“Is that like holy water?” Ezra asked her.
“It is stronger, because it is spelled specifically for demons, dangerous ones, like rogue vampires.” Iona looked back to Candace. “You don’t know how close you came to dying.”
“Exploding is more like it,” A pink head peeked around the door, the eyes smiling.
“Astrid!” Candace breathed. “You’re alive.”
“Sort of,” Astrid came into the room. “I was killed by a powerful demon, so I came back as an imp. It’s not so bad.” She showed off her dragonfly wings, fluttering them several times. The gossamer wings turned colors under the light cast from the bedroom lamp, as if they’d been dipped in liquid pearl. “It’s actually pretty cool.”
Candace smiled. “I’m really glad to see you.”
“You should be,” Iona said. “Astrid saved your life. She came to get me.”
“Never thought I’d ever hear those words coming from you, Candy.” Astrid grinned.
“Never thought I’d say them.” Candace wrinkled her nose. “Thanks, Astrid. Sorry for being such a witch to you.”
“It’s okay. Water under the bridge. Anyway, Iona saved you from a pretty gnarly fate. I actually witnessed a vamp explode. No joke.”
Candace shivered. “What is going on in this town?”
“The farmer, and I seriously doubt that’s who he really was, gave Iona a song and dance to get the Shaman blessed water to poison vampires,” Ezra said. “Actual vampires, not just vampire bats. Although I’m sure he wouldn’t mind getting rid of those, too.”
“How does the Shaman water work?” Candace asked Iona.
Iona began gathering up her charms and powders, placing them in her deep purple velvet bag. “The farmer wanted something that wouldn’t be harmful to regular people and animals. You have to be willing to sacrifice an animal to the vampire bat. I told him to pour the Shaman water into the animal’s drinking water. When the vampire bats came to feast, they would be poisoned by the Shaman water in the animal’s blood.”
“But it isn’t animals that the Shaman water is being given to,” Astrid said. “It’s blood donors.”
Candace felt a chill walk over her spine. “I only used one donor at the vampire bar. His name is Luke.”
“The donors wouldn’t be affected by the Shaman water,” Ezra said. “They’re basically carriers. Just a clever method for a vampire hater to exterminate vampires.”
“Fruit,” Candace said. “Luke said he’d been eating a lot of pineapple lately. Bodie, the owner at the bar is a vampire, and he’d tasted a drop of Luke’s blood after wiping it from my lip. He said it was sweet and asked Luke if he’d been eating more fruit.”
Astrid nodded. “Those are top shelf donors. That bar really caters to the vampires that frequent it. They can bring in more cash than some of the seedier vampire bars in town. Or even street donors. Some vampires settle for those in a pinch, but the blood is of low quality.”
“How do you know all this?” Candy said.
“Well, Ezra and I knew some of it, but when I woke from the dead, I came back knowing some things I didn’t know before. I still have a lot to learn, but some things I just know. That vampire bar is pricier than most.”
“I didn’t pay them a cent,” Candace said.
“You got the first drink free,” Iona said. “That’s how they hook you. Really good blood is like an expensive drug. The high is better. So is the taste. You pay for those things.”
“I am so such a noob.” Candace ran her fingers over Mika’s soft fur. He moved his body closer to hers, so that he was lying against her leg.
“You’re getting a crash course,” Astrid said. “The question is, do the donors know they’re walking death for their clients?”
“That wouldn’t make much sense,” Ezra said. “Their clients are their bread and butter.”
“Even if so
meone is offering them cash to kill their clients?” Astrid said.
“But then what? They kill off all their clients and then what do they do for a living?” Ezra said.
“The good bars pay their donors well,” Iona said. “Ezra’s right. It would make no sense.”
Candace shook her head, then wished she hadn’t. The remnants of the Shaman water made her head ache terribly. It felt like a nasty hang over. “I didn’t get the feeling Luke knew he was poisoning anyone.” She sat up, her eyes widening. “Bodie. He licked that drop from my mouth.”
Astrid winced. “He might not be okay.”
“It was just a drop.” Candace heard the desperation in her voice. She didn’t want to be part of the reason Bodie was killed, if he was actually dead. She hoped he was okay. “I have to warn them.”
“Did you happen to get Luke’s cell number?” Ezra asked her. “I don’t think vampire bars are listed in the phone book. They cater to pretty exclusive clientele.”
“I have a number.” Iona’s face was uncharacteristically unreadable. Her normally warm eyes and open face was expressionless.
“You have vampire friends,” Candace said. “Of course you do.”
“I can get along with any monster, as long as they don’t mean harm.” Iona glanced down. There was something she wasn’t saying. Something she was holding back.
“But one monster is special to you,” Candace said. “Who is it?”
“Yes,” Iona said. She read off the number for Candace to tap into her phone, and then said, “A vamp who worked at the Dead End once upon a time. Maybe someday I’ll tell you about it.”
Candace let it go for now. She hit ‘send,’ and listened to the ringing until it went to voice mail, and a velvet smooth female voice instructed the caller to leave a message. She tossed the phone onto the bed, frustrated. “No answer. I have to go there and warn them.”
