My teeth set on edge. Who the Hell is this guy? How the Hell did he know about the marks on the neck? We never released that info to the press.
Maybe he’s a vamp, too.
A guy enters the station as I pick up the phone. His black hair is slicked back with enough gel that he must go through seven bottles a week. Not a single hair grows on his cheeks, chin, or upper lip. The trench coat he’s wearing has me wondering if he’s hiding something.
Another cop approaches him. While they talk, I return to punching in the numbers the man left, keeping an eye on the polished guy.
Who reaches into his pocket.
And removes a phone.
“Hello?” I hear in my ear.
Seriously?
“Your trench coat makes you look like a sorry excuse for a PI,” I respond.
The strange guy laughs into the phone and disconnects the call. Without hesitating, he walks straight for me as I slowly replace my phone onto the receiver.
“No one called so I came here to offer my assistance,” he says, holding out his hand. “I’m—“
“I’m afraid we don’t exactly need your assistance,” I say, ignoring his offer of a handshake.
“I’m afraid that you’re mistaken.”
“Look…” I glance around, trying to shake this feeling of intense dislike for the man. It’s irrational. I have no reason to want him gone, but I do. And I’ve learned a long time ago to not ignore my first instincts of a person. My goon radar is going off like crazy right now. “I don’t know what you think you know, but—“
“Your ignorance will get people killed,” he says calmly as if talking about the weather or something else mundane.
“Not on my watch.”
“On your watch, do you know how many people they have killed?”
“Buddy, I think you need to—Where do you think you’re going?”
He’s blown past me, walking with purpose despite looking all around, obviously searching for something.
The vamps.
I stomp my way over to him and grip his bicep. Wow, rock hard. That surprises me. He looks a little too thin to be overtly muscular. Maybe his trench coat is making him seem smaller than he actually is.
“I think you need to leave.”
He sighs. “I’m trying to help. Allow me to introduce myself as I tried to do already, but you so rudely cut me off.”
“I… Fine. What’s your name?”
“It’s not so much my name that is important,” he says with a broad grin.
His teeth are dazzlingly white, his lips full and a pale red. His eyes are a nice, normal shade of blue. They’re an almost comforting sight after the detestable harsh redness of the vamps’ eyes I’ve stared into for so long now. Their repugnant gazes disgust me, but I have to try to pry answers out of their fangs.
Their rotting fangs.
I really do think they’re dying without blood.
“It’s my job title,” the guy says.
His whole arrogant and pompous stick really can’t be shoved farther up his ass.
“Which is?” I ask, a little skeptical and maybe a little hostile, too.
But I am proud of myself. I haven’t rolled my eyes yet.
“Vampire hunter.”
Chapter 32
Is he serious? He can’t be serious.
“For real?” I ask, disillusioned.
“For real.” He glances around and reaches to open his trench coat.
In a flash, I grip his arm and shove him into an interrogation room. I back him up against the back wall, my elbow at his throat.
“You armed?” I demand, furious and thoroughly provoked.
“Of course,” he says as if I’m stupid for asking. “Do you honestly think I would come into a building that might be housing vampires and not be prepared to protect myself and others?”
“Don’t move,” I demand aggressively. “Arms up.”
“Putting my arms up will require moving,” he says dryly.
I so want to slap the smug smirk off his face. Kinda starting to loathe this guy.
He sighs and makes a show of lifting his hands. I open his trench coat. He’s packing a strange gun, a large stick with a burnt end that almost looks like a torch, and a perfume vial.
My elbow still against his throat, I gingerly remove the vial from the pocket. “What’s this?”
“Mixed oil,” he says calmly, “with rosemary, peppermints, and cinnamon. It’s a vampire repellent. Sometimes, I’ll add clove instead of the peppermints.”
“No garlic?” I ask sarcastically.
“Garlic doesn’t make for a nice perfume when you’re planning on being around other people, but technically, yes. Garlic is an irritant to vampires as well. Mosquitoes and other bloodsucking creatures share the same irritants as vampires interestingly enjoy. I’ve discovered that they—“
“What are you?” I interrupt, skeptical. “Some kind of vamp guru?”
He grins broadly. “You could say that. Do you mind removing your elbow? It’s quite bony.”
I glare but comply. “The smell really keeps them away?”
“Have you ever burned special candles to keep bugs away? It’s the same. Ingesting garlic doesn’t help really. If a vampire has you in his or her grasp, they’re gonna suck your blood regardless of the garlic. Yeah, it’ll give them indigestion, but how many people eat things they know will bother them and pop a Tums or two? It’s like that. I’m trying to work on a lotion that will cause their hands to—“
“What’s the gun?” I ask.
“You like it?” He removes it and hands it to me.
It’s shockingly heavy and looks like a cross between a steampunk toy gun and something out of a sci-fi flick. I point it at him.
He winces. “Watch it,” he complains.
“This doesn’t handle bullets,” I comment, looking it over. There’s a trigger. Other than that, there’s nothing like a real gun as far as loading and discharging bullets and casings.
“No. It’s my own design. It fires a UV blast.”
“So the sun really does kill them?”
“No, I’m afraid not, but it does weaken them at least. It kind of… how to explain this? It almost turns them into a human. They can walk around in the sun, but they don’t have access to their super speed and super strength. They retain their fangs, but they won’t go after humans because a regular bullet might be enough to end them. I think. I’m not sure. I haven’t spent a lot of time around vampires in the daylight because I’m too busy taking them out.” He grins broadly.
“Who the Hell are you? How did you get wrapped up into vampire hunting?” I pause. “Wait, don’t tell me you’re a descendant of Van Helsing or something like that.”
“I won’t tell you that because it’s not true. My background isn’t important. My name will mean nothing to you, but it’s Blake Damon.”
I lift an eyebrow. “That’s your birth name?”
He flushes. “I was born Blake Flack. You can just imagine how grade school was for me. High school was even worse. I legally changed my name, thank you very much.”
“Don’t blame you,” I murmur. “So you mean to tell me that I’ve been trying to get answers out of the three vamps we captured—“
“You captured three? How on earth did you manage that?”
“With silver. A lot of it.”
“Ah. Silver works wonder, yes. So does gold. Fire can slow them down, just like UV, but back to the elements, the only one they can handle is iron. Well, maybe oxygen, too. I’m not sure of how much they breathe, and all of that. I know a fair amount, but not enough. You can never know enough, honestly. And—“
“And you need to stay here so I can call the lieutenant.” I step back, grab my cell out of back pocket, and call him. “Sir, you need to come here immediately. Yes, I know I ordered you to… Yes. You know I wouldn’t call if… Fine. A guy here is claiming to be a vamp hunter, and I believe him.” I disconnect. “He’ll be here in fiv
e.”
It’s actually only three minutes later, but it’s three minutes too late. While my back was turned, the damned vamp hunter left the vial on the table and escaped out the door. I raced to the cells, and my worst fears are confirmed.
He killed all three vamps, and now he’s gone. No one saw him leave. I don’t have time to look at the bodies in depth, and I have a feeling I don’t want to. Once I peek in and see they’re dead, that’s enough for me.
We’re in the middle of the search for that accursed “vamp hunter” when the lieutenant enters. His pale face changes to pink to beet red to an unnatural purple when he sees the bodies.
He bellows with rage and fury, “You let him—“
“I did learn some useful intel.” I try to smile, but I’m so pissed at myself for turning my back to him.
How in the Hell had I not heard him leave? And we had the vamps chained up for him, so they couldn’t have fought hard against him at all. Maybe they had been too weak to even bite him. None of the three moved in the past day. They were, had been, fading fast, almost becoming vamp corpses before our eyes. Then again, if he hunts vamps, he has to know how to go undetected.
“This is my fault. I own that, but, Lieutenant Reynolds, we have to form a new unit to learn more about the vamps and to keep Bethlehem safe. Please. We can’t let this go. There might be more lurking in the shadows and—“
The lieutenant holds up a hand and then nods. “Request granted. A new unit will be formed.”
Music to my ears. I’m almost shocked he agreed so readily. Some of my feelings of inadequacies and guilt fade away, given way to excitement and eagerness.
Maybe now, we can hope for some semblance of peace for the future of Bethlehem, one where vamps aren’t an issue, or at least we can protect the citizens from them. How long the vamps can be kept a secret, I’m not sure, but for now, we will do our part.
The battle is won. Round two, coming up.
Thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, won’t you please take a moment to leave a review at your favorite retailer?
Clarissa’s adventures are just beginning. Next up, When Wolves Howl!
Thanks!
~Nicole
Other Books By Nicole Zoltack
Bedlam in Bethlehem
Cops plus Supernatural Creatures
When Vamps Bite
When Wolves Howl
How to Stake a Vampire
How to Fuel your Revenge in the Summer of Magic Anthology
How to Enjoy a Fang-Free Vacation in the Wicked Magic: A Badass Collection
Once Upon a Darkened Night
Twisted Fairy Tales
Of Cinder and Madness
The Cost of Love
The Cost of Grief
The Cost of Power
Of Slumber and Discord
The Cost of Magic
Of Rose and Cruelty
The Cost of Rage
The Cost of Treachery
The Cost of Enchantment
The Cost of Forgetfulness in Anthousa, Xanthousa, Chrisamalousa, a Primed Fairy Tale
Of Bones and Ashes in Twisted: Flipped Fairy Tales
Of Gold and Deceit
The Cost of Dominance
The Cost of Intolerance
Magic Incarnate
Magic + Faith + Teens
A Question of Faith
A Matter of Doubt
A Balance of Power
A Journey of Despair
A Measure of Gloom
A Glimmer of Hope
Marion’s Misery
Crystal’s Conviction in Prime Fiction
Kingdom of Arnhem
Knights. Magic. Romance.
Woman of Honor
Knight of Glory
Champion of Valor
Heroes of Falledge
Superheroes need love too!
Black Hellebore
White Hellebore
Scarlet Magi
Beyond Boundaries
Can love cross class boundaries?
Masked Love
Starry Love
Standalones
Bloodlust
Epic fantasy with forbidden love
The Test of Time
Unpredictable time travel
Love Before Honor
Medieval knight. Regency lady. Magical Christmas.
Joy to the World
One lady. Two dukes, one an imposter
Christmas Kisses
Two gentlemen, only one Lady Anna’s mother approves of
Starving for Love
The Little Mermaid with a zombie twist
Guns and Fangs
A vampire huntress turns into that which she hates
Shattering Souls
A medical student discovers another has healed a cancer patient… with magic?
The Matchmaker’s Match
A brewer of love potions just may have met her match
Anthologies
Phoenix Romance
Phoenix Prime Collection of Romance Shorts
Phoenix Galactic
Phoenix Prime Collection of SciFi Shorts
Phoenix Fantasy
Phoenix Prime Collection of Fantasy Shorts
Under Your Spell
Every day is magical with this spellbinding collection!
Autumn’s Kiss
Fall into love with these romances
Candy Cane Kisses
A Romantic Holiday Short Story Anthology
Love & Grace
An uplifting love story for everyone
Viva Las Vegas
Finding love in Las Vegas
Shiver me Timbers
All the pirates you could want!
Love and Diamonds
Valentine’s Day Short Stories
Scare Me to Sleep
Horror Short Stories
Acknowledgments
First and always, I have to thank my husband. I’m sure it can’t be easy being married to a writer, and I am so appreciative of all the support over the years. I love you, Todd! Thank you to my wonderful children for understanding that Mommy has work she has to do, but she still does and always will love you!
To some of the best writer friends a girl could ever have. You know who you are and I can’t wait until we can retreat again!
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my wonderful street team. You keep me going, and I’m writing for you and for all of my fans. Thank you for all you do for me!
And finally, I want to acknowledge my readers. You are why I write. As long as you keep reading, I’ll keep writing. So please keep reading, all right?
About the Author
Nicole Zoltack is a USA Today bestselling author who loves to write romances. Of course. She did marry her first kiss, after all!
When she’s not writing about knights, superheroes, or witches, she enjoys spending time with her loving husband, three energetic young boys, and precious baby girl. She enjoys riding horses (pretending they’re unicorns, of course!) and going to the PA Renaissance Faire dressed in garb. She’ll also read anything she can get her hands on. Her current favorite TV shows are The Walking Dead and Stranger Things.
Everyone who signs up for her newsletter receives a free book, so sign up now!
For more information
www.NicoleZoltack.com
[email protected]
When Vamps Bite (Bedlam in Bethlehem Book 1) Page 23
