He glared at me, eyes full on Werewolf yellow, moving over us both and settling on the plate of food. He grabbed it and backed into the room. He didn’t invite us in, but he didn’t ask us to leave as he carried his prize back to the worn table in the center of the room and sat it down. He didn’t bother with silverware, diving in with both hands and stuffing his mouth until it could hold no more; sounds of pleasure coming from his throat as he consumed every morsel in record time. He looked disappointed that there wasn’t more.
We came further into the room and looked around in shock. It looked like a furious tornado had torn through it last night. The place was a wreck with discarded pop cans and pizza boxes and clothes strewn from one end of the room to the other. The bedding hung from its frame in tatters, as if thick claws had drawn through the linen in his sleep. They probably had. If he hadn’t had his first change yet, he was close.
“How are you Thomas?” I ventured carefully.
“Fine,” he growled, his voice deep and rough and a bit mean.
He was chatty too.
“Have you seen Sirris lately?” At the mention of her name, his head jerked up and his nostrils flared wildly. Startled, I took a step back.
“No. She’s been gone a week. No news. I have to find her. I can’t find her.”
I blinked and met Nicholas’ gaze past Thomas’ shoulder, as confused as mine.
Thomas wasn’t making any sense. “Why can’t you find her?”
“Because she’s in the lake with those relatives of hers. Those freaks that don’t care about her! She needs me and I’m stuck in this dammed room. I can’t leave yet. I have to…” he shouted in my face, flushing beat red, his eyes flaring with rage. And then, in the blink of an eye, he suddenly deflated and closed his eyes. “I don’t know what’s happening to her and I’m scared,” he finished on a whisper, sounding on the verge of tears.
I reached out a hand to lay it on his arm and he back-pedaled, eyes flaring all over again. “Don’t touch me! I might hurt you. Don’t you know nothing about werewolves?” I realized I might not. Talk about a bipolar freak-isode. I was dizzy trying to keep up with the mood swings.
He gave a growl and clenched his fists, and something in his face seemed to shift. “You both should probably go now…” he warned.
We went. Great, along with worrying about vampires attacking Bitterroot and helping Elise and Emerald, we had Sirris and Thomas to worry about now, too. This was shaping up to be one helluva morning. As we walked back towards Jerry’s I hoped he had better news.
#
“Well, they were definitely poisoned. It didn’t take me long to isolate the presence of a foreign chemical in the vials you brought me. They tainted almost all of them with enough poison to fell an elephant. Or drive a vampire insane. I’m not entirely sure what it is yet, but it’s dangerous. We know that already, don’t we?”
He turned to Emerald and smiled. “And you young lady. You are something special. Healthy as they come and all vampire with those special youth preserving cells that come with your breed. But that’s not all, is it? You have something else”
Elise spoke up, alarmed. “Is it dangerous?”
Jerry smiled, his eyes never leaving Emerald’s. She grinned back at him, bright green eyes catching the light. “Not to her. I imagine she is more than just a vampire, though. Not sure what. Emerald could probably tell us better, couldn’t you child?”
But Emerald only smiled. “Do you have any fresh vegetables? I’m starving,” she suddenly asked.
Jerry blinked and chuckled. “I do. They are in that refrigerator over there. Help yourself.”
He stared after her as she raided his fridge, a bemused expression on his face. I pulled him back. “Do you think it can be reversed? Can an antidote be made or something to change them back?”
Jerry’s expression darkened to one of concern. “Not sure. I haven’t had enough time to figure that out. I’d like to run a few experiments on that AB- you brought. It shows promise. There’s something about Emerald’s blood too. It has an antibody in it I’d like to look closer at if she could leave me a larger sample before she leaves? Did you talk to Kimmy while you were at the Tuttles?”
“Yes, she said she’s been helping you in the lab? Assisting you?”
He nodded, his humor returning. “Very bright, that girl. She’s been invaluable in helping me move my experiments along.”
“Well, about that. She said she was busy today, but that she’d be by this evening to help and through tomorrow too if you needed her.” Sadie paused, sharing a look with Nick. “Meanwhile, I have to make a trip into Breathless and stop by the house. I have some errands to run before mom gets back later this week. I don’t suppose Elise and Emerald could stay here with you?”
Nick looked my way. “I’ll come with you. I want to visit the Shephard’s Mountain Sporting Goods.”
Jerry nodded, “That’s fine. I’m glad Kimmy is coming. I will need help. Based on what I could find out so far, the poison is unusual because it doesn’t appear to be abating in its potency as fast as one might expect. I’m afraid if we don’t do something soon, the damage will be too great and the effect irreversible. We are running out of time. Hopefully, I’ll have some answers when you return. I want to run a few experiments with that AB-”
He turned to Elise and Emerald who had straightened away from the fridge, a bottle of dressing and a head of lettuce in her hands. “I’m sorry, ladies. I wish I had better news.”
#
It had been a long road recovering from what they had lost. It had taken time to rebuild what Will Bennett had helped destroy. Giat admired the newly built cabins, spread out to span the far edges of the forest. Close enough to be defensible should the need arise, far enough apart to afford them the privacy that Demon wolves required to raise their families.
Still, if nothing else, their dealings with the human sorcerer had taught them some valuable lessons in caution. Giat looked down from where he sat, high on a rocky outcropping atop the hill that afforded him a decent view of a large share of the forest. He watched Gareth and Dae unseen, his onetime enemy and old friend, as they returned from their watch in the early hours of the morning. They had been replaced, he knew, with others. By unanimous agreement, they kept a 24 hour guard in place, just in case.
Giat wasn’t fond of surprises. He had heard of the uprising to the southwest, in the vampire community. He didn’t know the details and he didn’t much care as long as they stayed on their side of Wyndoor.
The sun was warm on his back as he climbed down and headed for his own cabin and mate. She would be up by now and preparing food to break their fast. His young ones, both aged five, would be running around the cabin, chasing each other and driving her mad. The thought made him smile. Time to get back and rescue her. He picked up his pace.
The alarm when it came sent his heart galloping in panic. He broke into a run, cresting the hill along with the guards as they stumbled into camp and shouted warnings, wresting families from their cabins bare seconds before the attack was upon the entire community.
Females gathered their children and took to the cellars, located within the tunnels dug beneath each cabin. There they waited anxiously for their mates to arrive and give them the coast all clear signal. Because if it didn’t come soon enough, they would be forced to take their children and run themselves.
Above ground, cabins were abandoned for more defensible positions, weapons at hand and ranks drawn close to handle whatever came their way.
Unfortunately, there was no preparing for the horde of vampires that came boiling over the hills and through the ranks, attacking in a frenzy of blood lust, uncontrollable and with no reason. Within moments, the smaller force of Demon wolves was overrun and what had started out as a battle to defend their homes and families, quickly became a race to collect them and flee into the surrounding countryside to hide, taking cover wherever they might. Not all of them made it.
Leading them was a tall
Vampire, eyes bleeding red fire, heart hardened to the small bit of him that remembered another way and cringed at the devastation.
#
The village of Demon wolves were not the only citizens having trouble. Miles away on the edge of another world, another random band of rogue Vampires ran. They hungered for violence and followed the heavy blood trail laid down just for them. They tumbled through the portal in the wall of Wyndoor and into Drae Hallow, five feet and a world away.
They came through in a writhing mass of insanity, their minds all but gone and their appetites raging. They hit the trails leading to Bitterroot at a run, following the warm trail of blood, and the promise of more. They were always hungry.
#
Casey and his wife Eleanor walked along Draco Boulevard. They’d come from Zmeu’s, taking a welcome opportunity to get some necessary shopping done before they returned to their three children. Eleanor’s sister, Jade, was watching the children, aged 3, 9 and 12. They hadn’t been out alone without them in several weeks. Casey took his wife of fifteen years hand with a smile and she returned a grin. The wine they’d had with their lunch at the Lotus easing the tension of the past week’s work.
They had just passed the corner of Sigurd Road, heading for Ferdinand Road where they lived when they came to a screeching halt. Both stared in disbelief ahead at one of the many trails that led from Bane forest into the downtown area of Bitterroot. What came boiling down the streets towards them was so beyond the realm of credulity that they froze for several critical seconds. Not that it would have mattered. Casey and his wife were Magicals; she, a Were-lynx. He a D level sorcerer. But neither were prepared for the ferocity with which the band of thirsty vamps descended. By the time they turned, it was too late and the vamps were on them.
Eleanor opened her mouth to scream, calling her change as she turned. She never completed it. Casey was in the process of erecting a shield, hoping it would hold. The first vampire snatched his wife up before he could put it in place.
Coming to life, she screamed and struggled, her fingers forming sharp cat claws that drew blood as she fought. With a roar of rage, Casey leapt forward to defend her. But with no more effort than the first vamp had seized his wife, he felt cold sharp claws snatch him around the throat and drag him back towards the chattering maw of teeth.
Desperate not to succumb to the panic that was overwhelming him, he drew everything he had in him down his shoulders and into his hands, the blue flames rounding into twin balls of blue fire. With a shout of rage, he reached back, gripping the clawed fingers that gripped his shoulder. The effect was immediate. The vamp in question roared in anguish immediately, and a sliver of hope rose inside him. He would survive this, he had to. His wife and kids were counting on his ability to rise to the occasion and beat back whatever evil had descended on his peaceful town.
In the next moment that hope was smashed as the vamp dropped him, slapping at the flames. And the next in line snatched him up and held him, feet dangling a good six inches off the ground. Casey realized as he stared down into those streaming eyes that he could no longer hear the mewling cries of his wife. She’d gone silent. In the next moment, the crazed eyes grew closer and then all he could do is feel, as those quivering teeth sank deep and sideways with a horrible sucking sound. And then Casey felt nothing at all.
#
The screaming and running feet were his first unwanted clue. Mayor Seul sat with his wife, Wendy, at Smaug’s in Bitterroot, enjoying a large specialty with all the fixings and a second pint of homemade root beer.
When the first pedestrians ran past the window screaming in terror, Lucas’ heart sank into his shoes. He surged to his feet and ran towards the door and into the street. He didn’t care where everyone was going. He wanted to see where they’d come from. People on both sides of the streets milled about in confusion, having no more of an idea than he on what was going on as the sense of alarm spread. But the growing panic quickly became a boiling mass of pedestrians descending on the downtown district of Bitterroot, desperate to escape. Lucas didn’t have an unrestricted view. Too many panicked people were in the way, the hysteria mounting by the second. But he had a horrifying suspicion. He wasn’t going to wait for it to get there to find out if he was right..
“What is it, Lucas?” Wendy asked him. She remained where she was in her wheelchair, staring out through the open blinds of the full picture window as people rushed by.
Lucas stared back at his wife. He felt power sizzle along his fingers and up over his arms and shoulders, but he didn’t have just himself to worry about. Wordlessly, he stepped back inside the pizzeria and closed the door, locking it from the inside. Then he reached up and pulled the cord that held the blinds of the substantial bay window open to let in the outside world—and closed them, shutting them off and concealing them within. He turned and looked at the wide-eyed customers and the sweet, determined face of his wife.
He held a finger to his lips. To his wife, he whispered as calmly as possible. You need to shift now. We may need to run.” His eyes moved to the fifteen other customers inside. “Maybe you all should.”
And then Lucas Seul pulled out his cell and made a phone call.
#
They called the Rule 9 Guards in and dispatched them to contain the marauding vampires. Nine people went to the infirmary, several with injuries severe enough it was doubtful they would survive. It had taken the full force of twenty-five Guards to round up the eight rogue vampires, dispatching two of them and containing the other six in the county jail in cells suitable to hold Magicals and Other with enhanced abilities such as theirs.
Lucas and the residents of the pizzeria had escaped the bloodbath by sneaking out the back of the small shop.
It would be awhile before things returned to normal in Bitterroot and longer still before anyone felt safe again sleeping in their hometown.
#
On the bluff overlooking Bitterroot, as the attack eased and they apprehended the culprits, a cloaked figure stood watch, silver eyes staring in satisfaction at the aftermath. He found the entire affair satisfactory for his purposes. The entire town of Bitterroot was in an uproar. When the dust settled, they’d be demanding answers of their confused Mayor. It was perfect for his purposes. The innocent civilians of Bitterroot wouldn’t forget the terror of the unexpected attack soon.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The council members rapidly filled the room, taking their seats minus the pleasantries that accompanied their regular meetings. But then, this was far from a normal gathering of the Rule 9 Council.
Lara Bing filed in with Feather Hodges, who had one hand under her arm in support. The young woman looked about ready to topple over with nerves and grief. One victim, still languishing in critical care, was her first cousin. It was touch and go whether she would make it.
Others shared her worries. She wasn’t the only member of the council to have a friend, a relative, acquaintance or neighbor that had been affected by what had happened the day before down the main drag of Draco Blvd.
At least five still lay fighting for their lives in the infirmary. Others had been treated and released. If they’d been human, they’d already be dead. But most Magicals and Other were a tough breed and harder to kill.
Several members of the guard filed in to sit in a line on one side of the table. Their input was vital as the citizens of Bitterroot struggled to put in perspective what had happened in the valley Drae Hallow. The town’s confidence had been shaken, and they looked to Mayor Seul for answers. Lucas nodded at a grim Marcus Tannon as he took a seat on his right with four other guardsmen.
Heads turned as he cleared his throat to gain everyone’s attention.
“This isn’t a regular meeting, so we will not be adhering to a strict protocol for procedures. All of you are well aware of the attack perpetrated on our town yesterday. The unprovoked attack on several of our citizens was unpardonable.” He tipped his head in Lara’s direction. “Ms. Bing, my best wishes for a
speedy recovery for your cousin.”
She nodded, but didn’t look up to meet his eyes, her usual sunny disposition shaken.
He looked further along the table, “And to the rest of you as well. I know many of you have more than a passing interest in what went down yesterday. I’ve called this assembly together to discuss what happened and to cement a game plan for dealing with it going forward.
Nobody cracked a whisper of a smile.
“We know they arrived in the early part of the afternoon through a portal leading in from Wyndoor along the shore of Bane Lake.” As he mentioned the alternative universe, he felt the tension rise until they could have cut it with a dull knife. He rushed to head them off.
“Now. Before you point fingers and judge, it is important for you to know that the vampires that live there, until recently at least, were no less civilized than our own Vampire Nation run by Judge Fino Vas and several other Elders. They normally run a healthy blood bank where volunteers readily donate blood for a healthy compensation. They run it similar to any blood bank for the Red Cross and consume said blood in a cup.” A flicker of distaste crossed the features of several members of the council. Vampires were not popular with Magicals and Other. Most found the need for consumption of raw blood unpalatable.
He pushed on. “They have coexisted in our own world as well as Wyndoor for hundreds of years. As Fino Vas has mentioned before, the Vampire Nation has a set of strict rules concerning protocol for behavior. Rogue’s, much like our own Magical criminals, are dealt with harshly and without impunity.”
The mention of the Elder vampire’s name caused several to squirm uncomfortably. He was nobody’s favorite.
“Recently, all that has gone out the door in Wyndoor. And before you ask, no, we don’t have all the necessary answers yet, but we will. Until then, we have to make sure nothing else comes through that Portal from Wyndoor. I believe that will be our safest course.”
Rule 9 Academy Series Boxset: Books 3-5 Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy (Rule 9 Academy Box Sets (3 Book Series) 2) Page 38
