by Megan Hawke
Deep Ellum was Vampire Central. Really, more Thrall Central. That was where a mortal would go to meet a vampire. It was an old warehouse district just east of downtown Dallas. Most of the warehouses were converted into clubs, boutiques, and small, intimate cafés. There were even some buildings being converted into apartments. I looked at a few lofts there over before buying the house. Heidi bought in a Deep Ellum loft a week earlier.
"That's the plan," I said. "Let's go."
We had more packets in the trunk of my car. Our plan was to split up in Deep Ellum and try to find any thralls or vamps willing to talk to us. Maybe someone knew who Changed the thirteen. We really needed that name to break this open.
I waited as well. The gang of vamps killed or attacked werewolves every night for the past three days. There was no reason they shouldn't attack again that night. I waited for Longhouse's call. Maybe they'd make a mistake and give us a clue to follow.
Chapter 5
"I have to go." I pushed the coffin lid open.
"But you never fed off me."
I propped up on an elbow and looked down at the man next to me. Really, Kevin was all of twenty. Barely a man. All thrall. We spent the day pressed tightly together in that coffin, doing lots of naughty things.
"I guess I didn't." His heart rate ramped up and he licked his lips, eyes bright as they tried to get captured by mine. His dick got hard, too. Go figure. "You sure you want this?"
"Absolutely," Kevin said, reaching up to fondle my boobs. "You are so beautiful."
Kevin Mercer was one of seven thralls that seduced me in Deep Ellum. They were all twenty to twenty-three, college students, attractive, and knew how to work together to get what they wanted. I found them on the corner of Elm and Crowdus at around two in the morning. All in leather and latex, lamenting their failure to find vampire love yet again. Until I walked up asking for help.
Truth be told, I was so focused on finding someone who knew something, I didn't noticed how aroused they'd became upon my arrival. Surrounded by four men and three women, all highly aroused, touching and caressing me. I got excited. My libido took over, and we were all goners. Yeah, it can happen that fast if you're not wary.
Kevin owned a Deep Ellum loft, and that's where we ended up. It was an orgy. No other way to describe it. At sunrise Kevin and I retired to his coffin.
But now it was time to go.
I straddled his lap and guided him up into me. Sliding down his pole, I groaned wantonly, savoring every inch of him. His hands never left my boobs, and he knew what he was about, too. I started to ride him, slow and sensuously.
"Tie me up," Kevin said. "I like to be tied up."
"No."
"Please?"
"No," I said. I skinned back my lips, exposing my fangs as I glared down at him. "No topping from the bottom."
"Oooooh," he groaned, wide eyed as he climaxed inside me.
I drove my power down into him. He gasped and trembled, and climaxed again. I started riding him harder, faster. He was panting. His arousal, his pleasure was super charging my body, my libido. I was already so close, and wouldn't be denied.
"You're so handsome," I said, leaning over and kissing him. Our lips melted together, before I started sucking on his lower lip. I drove my power into him, and he climaxed again. I was on the brink of coming, so I broke the kiss and looked deeply into his eyes. "Are you ready?"
"Bite me!"
I sank my fangs into his throat. As I penetrated his hot, sweaty skin, I drove my power into him again. And I climaxed as my fangs ripped his jugular, and hot blood flooded my mouth. Kevin climaxed again, and it wasn't my doing that time. I sucked down half a pint, and then healed his wound. Finally, I licked off what little blood smeared his neck.
"You taste delicious," I whispered.
He did, too. Human blood was so much better than animal blood. Not only was it more nutritional for vampires, but it was like an energy drink. I already felt the buzz.
"You're the best I've ever had. Can I be your minion?"
One night and he wanted a commitment? He was much too needy for my tastes.
"No." I sat up, looked around, and stood. "I have to go."
"Will I see you again?"
"I'll be around."
I tried not to establish serious relationships with thralls. I lived a very dangerous life. Desiree attached herself to me, and wasn't going anywhere. There were some regular, part-time lovers, too. Kevin wouldn't be one of those since he was so needy.
After a visit to the bathroom to clean up, I got dressed and left. Kevin followed me all the way down to the main entrance, naked. He so wanted assurance I would be back. I couldn’t promise him anything.
It was 8:30 PM when I hit the streets. My phone was off, so I turned it on and checked my messages. Mostly they were from Dane, Gabe, and Sabrina. Yeah, they were pissed. I was their ride. Five were from Longhouse, and I'd just missed the last one. So I called him first.
"Good evening, Sergeant Steve," I said. "I hope you have good news, like you already found and staked the last ten vamps."
"I wish," he said. "No, we have another murder. Husband and wife."
"Werewolves?"
"Of course."
"Damn. Did it happen last night?"
"Yes, but we didn't find them until this afternoon. They were killed inside their home in Uptown."
"Uptown? I'm over in Deep Ellum," I said. "Can I check out the scene?"
"I was hoping you would." He gave me the address. "I'm on location right now."
"See you in ten," I said, and hung up.
I glanced at the phone, at all of the missed calls. I should check my voice mail, but that would just confirm everyone's anger at me. Stranding them in Deep Ellum, in the wee hours of the night, was wrong on so many levels. But I didn't have time to deal with them, or the inclination. Later was better.
I felt a pang of guilt. Just a pang, but I understood that my little family was worried about me, and once they learned what happened they would be royally pissed at me. They had every right to be mad, too.
I drove straight over. The murder scene was easy to locate. Just find all the red and blue flashing lights. The house was deep in an older neighborhood. I parked a block away and walked over to the house. I got the usual hassle before Longhouse came over and let me in.
"Wow. Smell all that blood," I said. It was like walking into a wall. Worse than the previous murder scene. I was still three steps from the open front door. "You say there are only two dead?"
I eyed the door warily. Being that bothered by the smell meant I needed to feed. My body, my instincts were demanding satisfaction. Vampires were not known for self-control. Probably why we're considered evil, with a capital E. Besides the smell, the door and front windows told me something. The door was ripped off its hinges, and lay in several pieces in the front yard. Both of the living room windows were shattered, with no glass outside.
"Yes, just two. But it is pretty gruesome in there," Longhouse said. My body tensed as I stepped up into the door, mouth watering and stomach rumbling. I should've taken more blood from Kevin. "Be careful you don't step on any evidence. It's all contained in one room."
"Oh, shit." That slipped out as I stepped through the front door. The walls, ceiling, and floor looked like they were painted with blood. Dried blood splatters stained the furniture and electronics. Some poor soul's bloody jaw lay on the floor just three steps from the entrance. "Your CSI people already checked everything out?"
The only ones in the room were detectives Ali Parker and Billy Grinstead. Ali tensed when she saw me, but kept her face passive. Billy's heart rate increased. I noticed him looking me over with more interest than last time. Guess he approved of the leather. I gave them a tight smile.
"More or less," Longhouse said. "They've given permission for our consultants to check it out as long as you don't touch anything."
"Where's Morris? It's odd to be at a murder scene without him glaring at me." I started to
sniff around. Literally. I sniffed to pick up scents. The air was too muddied with the cops that preceded me, and Billy's aftershave.
"He had to go check a different murder."
"Ah, got to love Saturday night." The carpet squished as I walked. You wouldn't think two bodies could hold that much blood. It only took me a few minutes to see what I needed.
"Are you all right?" Ali said.
"Fine."
"You don't look fine. Your hands are balled up into fists, and you look too tense."
"I'm hungry. All this blood is doing a number on me, but I'll be fine."
"You need to get her out of here now!" she barked at Longhouse.
Longhouse hesitated. His human senses weren't as keen as Ali's. Werewolves didn’t' see the world the same as vampires, but they had their ways. Their senses were almost as keen and reliable as a vampire's.
"What is this?" a deep female voice demanded from the door.
I looked over my shoulder to find a large, big-boned black woman filling the door. She looked around five foot eight, with a large steel gray afro, even though I would put her age in the mid-forties. Vampires are real good judges of age, too. Call it a gift. There was nothing small or soft about her. Big bones. Big boobs. Big hair. And she dressed very Afro-centric, in red, yellow, and green robes.
"Nobody said there would be a damn vampire here," she said, dark brown eyes boring into me.
Her left hand was rubbing a power fetish. Her aura was big, but just the white halo of a mortal. She reeked of power. I felt it prickle my skin.
"You got a problem, witch?" I sucked in a deep breath, all that blood was like a drug. Heady. My eyes locked on her neck, noticing little fat to hamper my bite to blood. She might've been big, but she wasn't fat. "I'm getting tired of people copping an attitude with me."
"Then you got bigger problems, vamp. I'll hex your fat ass into the afterlife."
"You already have a witch," I said, glancing at Billy.
"I'm not very powerful or experienced," Billy said. "Momma Zuza is the most powerful witch in Dallas. She's helped the police before."
"You are not paying me enough to work with a vampire."
"She gets paid? Why don't I get paid?" I said.
Longhouse blanched. "Dallas has a rule against paying anyone that is dead."
"How convenient," I said, eyeing him narrowly.
"If we paid you, then you'd just have to pay taxes," Billy said.
"I do pay taxes. I have a CPA and everything."
I leveled cool eyes on them, but none of the cops were impressed. Did they really think so little of me?
"Momma Zuza, we really appreciate you coming over on short notice," Longhouse said, practically kissing her big butt. He wasn't that patronizing to me. "Miss Hart has helped us with vampire crimes, and I personally vouch for her good behavior." He gave me a "behave" look. Oh, you know I liked that, right? "Right, Sable?"
"Sable Hart? The Black Heart?" Momma Zuza said. She was still scowling at me, but I detected a hint of respect. Just a hint, and it was gone. Then she gave Ali a scornful look. "In the future you make sure there are no vampires or werewolves around when I come to a scene."
"Well, Detective Parker is a respected member of the force, and…"
"I don't care. Vamps and wolves can't be trusted."
"The witch is a bitch," I muttered.
"I had five children, Black Heart. They are all dead, killed by vampires and werewolves," she said. "I have two sisters, both witches. One was bitten by a wolf, and lost her powers. She's now a wolf. The other was captured and subjugated by a vampire. She is forced to serve him as a witch now. I have no reason to love either vampires or werewolves."
"And yet you're willing to help them find the vamps killing all of the wolves," I said.
She smiled cruelly. "Of course. They pay me well. Besides, they will kill the vampires I help them find."
I'm pretty sure that was meant to be a taunt, but killing rogue vampires was near and dear to my heart. I couldn't fault her for that. Momma Zuza had good reason to want vampires killed. I'll have to speak with Dane and Gabe about her. She might be helpful to us in the future.
"You can leave, vampire," Momma Zuza said. "I have work to do."
I struck a defiant pose, locking eyes with her. Her eyes narrowed.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm working this case, too."
"Ladies," Longhouse said in his best cop voice. "We have killers to find and stop. Your petty bickering is unprofessional. Sable, please stand with Ali and Billy. Momma Zuza, if you will do your magic for us, please."
Momma Zuza started her spell as I joined the two cops, and Longhouse followed me over. Momma Zuza chanted as she paced around the room. She brandished an enchanted wand with long feathers attached to one end. Really, my first thought was that she had the most pathetic duster in town. It radiated power once she started chanting.
As she paced, Momma Zuza tossed tiny handfuls of some dust. She would toss the dust, then swat it with the feathered wand. I just thought the CSI boys would be pissed when they found their crime scene contaminated. I could see she was leaving a light dusting all over everything.
That went on for about five minutes, then she stopped near us and shouted. The sapphire hanging from her neck flashed and all the dust vanished in a flash of smoke. That smoke slowly coalesced into two human shapes. They soon had recognizable features, and color bled into them. I realized it was the murdered couple.
Suddenly, in absolute silence, ten vampires rushed into the living room. They came through the front door and two windows. The wolves didn't hesitate, and attacked. Werewolves didn't have super strength in human form. They gained all their legendary strength after they morphed into wolves or wolfmen. The vamps didn't give them time to morph.
The vampires didn't kill them fast and easy. They taunted and played with them in the most vicious, horrific manner imaginable. They tore those helpless wolves apart piece by piece, making them suffer as long as possible. To my surprise, not a single vampire even tried to feed on them. Once both were dead, the vamps savagely tore them into chunks, even tossing the pieces around in some gruesome game of catch. Then as quick as they arrived, they rushed out and vanished.
"Wow," I said.
"Awesome," Billy said. "I wish I could do that."
"I wish you could, too," Longhouse said. Then to the witch. "That was great, Momma Zuza. Did you learn anything else from this scene?"
She hesitated. I felt blood rush to her face. Heart rate spiked. "No."
I arch a brow at her. She turned and stared a challenge. She looked me straight in the eye and didn't flinch. I wanted to mesmerize her, but was afraid Longhouse would be so mad he would stop working with me. Cops got funny about subjugating people's will. Apparently that was a big no-no.
There was nothing to say I could mesmerize Momma Zuza. Like werewolves, the more powerful witches tended to be immune to my mental powers. With witches, it was more a product of superior protective spells. They were just mortals with the ability to channel power with their crystals.
"You have a problem with me, vampire?" Momma Zuza said.
I felt her power prickle my skin again, and realized she was starting a spell. There was no way I would allow her to hex me. Another witch captured me with magic, once, and that went badly for me. Never again.
Without thought, I willed myself at her. In an eye blink I was pressed against her, left hand yanking her head back and mouth open wide, ready to sink my fangs deep in her throat.
"No!" Longhouse, Ali, and Billy all cried in unison.
It was enough for me to regain my senses. "Never try to hex me, witch."
But she was still chanting, more furiously now. So I sank my fangs into her throat as Momma Zuza and the others cried out. It's a heady thing when my fangs penetrate warm flesh. My aim was true, and I avoided the jugular and sank into her carotid artery. Heart's blood rushed into my mouth, sweet and invigorating. I quickly sucked down my fill as som
eone tried to pry me off her. The last thing I did before releasing her was heal the twin wounds.
"Are you fucking crazy?" Longhouse screamed.
"She was going to hex me," I said, turning away as she dropped to her knees. "By taking her blood, I took away her ability to hex me."
"What?"
"She's right," Billy said. "Sudden blood loss strips a witch of her ability to channel power." He looked down at Momma Zuza, kneeling and gasping. "It won't last long. She'll recover pretty fast."
I listened as Ali stood between me and Zuza. Nothing I didn't already know. I've done my research on witches, what they can and can't do. Lorelei Giorgi put the fear of God in me after she handled me so easily. Precautions were taken.
Two things occupied my mind. One, I had sucked out a good pint and a half, to two pints. That was a lot to lose, so she would be safe around me for a while. Two, I had surged. That was a first for me. Heidi was trying to teach me, but until just then I had failed miserably. Yeah, I was thrilled. I wanted to go somewhere alone so I could try it again and again and again. It was like when I first got my wings, I just wanted to play with that ability.
"I will kill her!" Momma Zuza said. I locked eyes with her. Oh, that was one mad witch. Never has anyone looked upon me with such hate. "You hear me, vampire. You are dead."
"Duh. I died six months ago," I said. "It's your own fault. I told you to not hex me, but you wouldn't stop. I stopped you."
"Enough. Cease and desist, or I'll arrest both of you," Sergeant Longhouse said. He had a really commanding cop voice when he wanted to. It kinda scared me.
"You know me, Sergeant. I'm a good citizen who just wants to help," Momma Zuza said. She turned seething brown eyes on me. "I just want to remind everyone that if a vampire kills me, it's murder. If I kill a vampire, it's legal. That's all."
I smiled at her. "Well, bless your heart. But that doesn't frighten vampires. We all live under a sentence of death every day."
"Parker, Grinstead, escort Momma Zuza to her car," Longhouse said. When I moved to leave he held up his hand. "Not you."
He waited until the other three had left and were out of hearing distance. Ali could probably hear us, but not the two witches. I cringed when he turned back to me. He had never looked at me with such open hostility.
