The Shadows Awaken (Guardians of the Night Book 1)

by Robyn Wideman

  …

  Dante listened to Erica, as he always did. She was an intelligent woman, but she over thought things. Even Dante, in his stone state, could tell that Erica wasn’t crazy. She was extremely intuitive. She just needed to trust her own instincts more. As for Frank, if Frank did not stir her desires, then having him over for dinner was pointless. She needed a man who fueled her desires, made her think of the future, and not dwell on the past. It appeared to Dante that Erica was well on her way to moving past the death of her Tomas. She was already starting to analyze the union she had with Tomas, and to see that while she had loved her husband, he was not a perfect husband in many ways. Once Erica accepted that, it was okay to move on, she would be fine. Women were resilient. He had watched them for centuries, dallied with many, but none ever came close to his heart, after his first heartbreak.

  What intrigued Dante most was her comments regarding him. It was interesting that she could see past his demonic features and remember that he was a man. It wasn’t the first time he had heard a woman comment on his stone form sexually, but it was the first time in a long time that he found the woman attractive. He liked strong, intelligent woman. He didn’t want to invest emotionally in a woman who would run at the first sign of adversity. He still dreamed of meeting a woman that could accept him as a protector and a lover. He had found women interested in his human form often enough. Finding one that could accept his dual role, as man and protector was difficult, if not impossible. Dante held little hope that Erica might be that type of woman. He had all but given up looking for a soul mate. He wished Erica luck with finding a soul mate. He was about to turn his thoughts away from her and focus on guarding his domain, when he allowed himself one more thought about the woman. She is going to have one hell of a headache in the morning.

  21

  ERICA

  Erica woke up feeling more than a little hungover. Her heartbeat felt like a drum in her head. She did not want to move even her eyelids. She forced herself out of bed. Erica thought back to the previous day’s date with Frank. What a disaster! Her head ached. She felt stupid. Poor Frank. She groaned, grabbed a toothbrush, and tried to get rid of the awful taste and fuzzy mouth feeling. She examined her face in the mirror. She had learned something about herself. It occurred to her that she knew what she wanted and didn’t want. First of all, she did not want to finish a bottle of wine off by herself, never, ever again. Second, she was not going to settle for anything less than a soul mate who could match her passion. She wanted a soul mate that would complete her, not subdue her spirit, or be paternal. If it took forever, so be it. Looking at other marriages, she felt grateful to have experienced the level of love and happiness she had shared with Tomas. There was no hurry. Being alone did not mean she had to be lonely.

  Poor Frank, she thought again. She would apologize, as an apology was due, but he did not stand a chance. He would never find her bed, or heart. Erica looked at her red eyes. It was time for a shower, coffee, and some Advil.

  …

  “JEFFERY, when are you going to town again?” asked Erica. Staying at home was once again starting to feel stifling. She needed another trip among the masses to remind her of the virtues of solitude. That and new shoes always made her feel better.

  “I am going to the city this afternoon. Did you need something?” asked Jeffery.

  “I want to come with you. I am getting bored again. I would like to do some shopping.”

  “Okay, I suppose that won’t be an issue. I’ll let Brad’s people know we are coming to town. I had arranged for a couple shifters to watch over the place while I was gone, but if you are coming they can shadow us in the city. That will save them a trip out here and make our trip a little more secure,” said Jeffery.

  Erica had not thought about the security aspects of Jeffery going to town, or her going with him. However, Jeffery didn’t seem too concerned and had a plan in place, so in theory she would be perfectly safe venturing into the city. “Excellent, when do you want to leave?”

  Jeffery shrugged, “We can leave whenever you are ready. I’ll call Brad and let him know the new plan.”

  “I’ll go get changed, and then we can leave,” said Erica.

  After taking a few minutes to freshen up and change, Erica headed downstairs and joined Jeffery who was waiting patiently in the car.

  As they moved closer into the city, Jeffery spoke up, “I agreed to bring you, but now we need to talk about protocols. If I am going to keep you safe in the city, you need to follow instructions.”

  Erica glanced over at Jeffery as he drove, “I’m all ears. Tell me what you want me to do.”

  “Just stay near me. Always be within eyesight of me. If you are separated from me for any more than a couple seconds, get your phone and use speed dial number one.”

  Erica reached into her purse, she checked her new phone. There were two numbers on the speed dial setting. “Whose numbers are these?” she asked.

  “The first number is mine, and the second is Brad’s. My number is set up so that if you phone me, and I don’t answer, it will automatically go to the shifters who are watching us. I don’t expect you’ll ever need to call, but it’s better to be over cautious than to end up as a disposable bag of blood for a vampire.”

  “Lovely thought,” said Erica, as she had a flashback to finding her dead husband’s body. As cold as it sounded, her husband’s body could well have been described that way. What she found was not her husband, but a used up body, drained of its life and vitality. Yes, becoming a disposable bag of blood was not a desirable outcome. “I will do exactly as you say,” said Erica.

  Jeffery, sensing that his comments about vampires had caused some discomfort, apologized. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me.”

  “No, it is okay. I’m past falling apart every time I think about Tomas’s death. You were trying to make a point. I understand.”

  Jeffery gave a small grunt in relief.

  “Just so you know, Jeff, I do plan on shopping for shoes and I will be checking out the Victoria Secrets store, so you will have to suffer through my shopping habits.”

  Jeffery glanced over at Erica, “I am sure it will be a most exciting afternoon.” His voice dripped with acidic sarcasm.

  Erica smiled to herself. She, at least, would have a good afternoon.

  22

  BRAD

  After meeting with a bear shifter who was having problems adjusting to his new placement, Brad called the office.

  “Hey Hottie,” answered April.

  Brad shook his head. April refused to answer phones in the traditional fashion. So far she’d given him over a dozen different responses when answering the phone. He’d almost cried when she answered “Helen’s whore house, Helen speaking.” If it weren’t for the fact that she was amazing at computers and had made herself completely indispensable in such a short time he would’ve complained about her attitude. Not that it would’ve helped. April was one of a kind and had no intentions of conforming to tradition office behavior. Thankfully, she was nicer to the clients than she was to him. “Thanks April. Glad you noticed."

  “Ya, no problem. My friends tell me I have bad taste in men so it probably means you’re a real dick. Why are you interrupting my tetris game.”

  “I’m on my way back into the city and I wanted to know if there is anything else on the agenda for today.”

  “Not that I have scheduled, unless you want to take a look at the new software. I have it ready. Wait, hold on. Scott Paul is on the other line. Let me see what he wants.”

  Brad waited until April came back on the line.

  “Software is going to have to wait. I’m rerouting you to the airport.”

  “The airport? What is going on?” asked Brad.

  “I’m going to hang up now. Scott is going to call you.” April hung up before Brad could say anything else.

  Seconds later the next call came through. Brad pushed a button on the steering wheel. Having a car with Bluetooth was a
lifesaver sometimes. Trying to drive in traffic with a cellphone was more dangerous than some of the missions he’d done for the government.

  “Brad. Scott here.”

  “What’s going on Scott?”

  “A shit storm. That is what is going on. A god awful cluster fuck of major proportions.”

  “Sounds wonderful. Care to elaborated?”

  “There have been over a dozen vampire attacks in the last 24 hours. I have entire families of shifters unaccounted for. I have all my Guardians on recovery missions but I need more manpower.”

  The Guardians were the equivalent of a shifter secret service, or police unit. They kept shifters and vampires in line. Brad had spent years as one of their agents, dealing with rogue vampires and shifters. When he’d had enough joined Tomas, one of the agencies computer gurus, who had a plan for private company that would serve shifters by putting them in appropriate social settings. Brad, weary of killing and violence had jumped at the opportunity. But he was still loyal to the Guardians and Scott sent them a tremendous amount of business. “What do you need from me?”

  “I need you in Seattle. I have a couple of survivors that need protection and placement. One had her husband killed by vampires and the other is a little girl, am mixed blood child whose parents were both killed. She happened to be next door at a birthday party when the attack happened. I have two guardians in Seattle but they ran into the same vampires as the little girl’s family. Both are in the hospital, I don’t think either one is going to make it.”

  “I’ll get there as soon as I can,” said Brad.

  “Thanks Brad. I knew I could count on you. I need someone who can handle themselves. These vamps mean business. There is a private jet waiting for you.”

  Brad nodded. If the vampires found out they’d missed the wife and the little girl they would come back and finish the job. He didn’t know why the vampires were attacking, but he’d do what he could to help Scott deal with it.

  “Another thing, Brad. I think someone in the Guardians hacked into our database for the locations of those shifters. Some of the shifters attacked were in our protective custody service. The computer that held the locations was completely offline. The only way to access those names was to have access to the main frame in the Guardians main computer lab. They might try hack into your databases.”

  Damn, thought Brad. It could get ugly if the Vampire Council had a spy in the Guardians. “Understood. I’ll call you when I get to Seattle.”

  “Be careful, Brad. These bastards aren’t messing around.”

  “Copy that.” Brad hung up and redialed the office.

  “What do you need Boss?” said April.

  For the first time, Brad could hear the serious voice of a professional agent. April was in full business mode. “How secure is our database?”

  “I just installed the new encryption software. Nobody will be hacking into it without a supercomputer.”

  “How long would it take them to break into it with a supercomputer?”

  April paused for a moment. “It is 256-bit encryption. Even with a supercomputer it is almost impossible to crack.”

  “Destroy any paper files we have on clients. Anything that can even hint at a clients location. The Guardians have a breach and I don’t want us to have that problem. Also call the European and UK branches, make them do the same thing. If they don’t have strong encryption get them offline until they can sort it out.”

  “Be careful boss. I know the agents that were hurt in Seattle. They weren’t rookies they were both veteran shifters. If the vamps that got ahold of them get you… Do you want backup? I can come meet you at the airport.”

  “No. You just make sure no one gets ahold of any client files.”

  “You sure Boss? No disrespect, but humans don’t do so well fighting vamps.”

  “You ever heard of the Dark Angels?”

  “Every Guardian has,” said April. She then realized what he was saying. “Really? You’re much to pretty to have been in that unit.”

  Brad smiled. “I’ll call you when I’m on my way back from Seattle.”

  “Go kick some ass, Boss. Dark Angels? Damn you get sexier every time I talk to you.”

  Brad shook his head and ended the call. Leave it to April to think a squad of elite killers was sexy.

  23

  ERICA

  “HOW MUCH SHOPPING can one person do?” asked Jeffery.

  Erica laughed. They had spent the better half of the day shopping. She had made Jeffery critique every outfit she tried on. At first, she had barely been able to get more than a grunt out of him. But, as the day went on and he realized he was getting asked no matter how he responded, he gave in and attempted to be helpful. When he wanted, Jeffery was actually rather helpful. He pointed out several things about color choices and style that she had not considered.

  “I could shop for hours more,” Erica declared, “But sadly, the mall is closing soon. I’m afraid your torture has come to an end.”

  Jeffery looked relieved. “Home then?” he asked.

  “Actually, I have one more stop I want to make. Don’t be offended, I think you are an amazing cook, but since we are in the city, I want to go to my favorite restaurant for dinner.”

  Jeffery laughed, “Thank God. I’m starving. Where do you want to go?”

  “Ming’s on 7th. They have the best chicken chow mein, sweet and sour pork, ginger chicken, and yummy egg rolls,” answered Erica.

  The drive from the mall to Ming’s was relatively short. It did not take long before they were lined up at the buffet.

  Erica watched in amazement as Jeffery devoured his meal. Plate after plate of the rich and savory Chinese food disappeared into his belly.

  Jeffery noticed her watching, “What?” he asked.

  “You must have been very hungry. You are eating an exceptional amount of food.”

  Between bites Jeffery said, “A bears got to eat. Normally, I eat human-sized meals, just more frequently. Today, with all the shopping, I had to skip a couple of those meals. Besides, you were correct. They have excellent food.”

  With amusement Erica said, “Sorry, I didn’t know you had a bear’s appetite. I am still learning about shifters.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t suffer by not eating often, but I do need to eat more. Buffet was an excellent choice.”

  Yes, Ming’s had been an excellent choice. It had been one of hers and Tomas’s favorite places to eat. Erica enjoyed the pleasant memories that filled her brain, memories of the happy times. Her marriage to Tomas had not been perfect. It had been filled with challenges, but it certainly had its share of good memories. She was glad to be here.

  Jeffery slid his plate towards the middle of the table, finally signaling an end to his impressive display of eating. “We should get going.” Jeffery pulled out his phone and started texting.

  “Letting our shadow leave?” asked Erica.

  “Yes. We are going directly home now. The shifters tailing us can stay in the city. We should be fine.”

  After paying the bill, they jumped back in the car and started back out into the country.

  Erica felt slightly bloated. Her eyes had been bigger than her stomach. She watched the city lights drift past her, as they made their escape from the city. She let her eyes slowly close, as she drifted off into a food-induced nap.

  24

  VLADIMIR

  Vladimir Ruton stared out the window of the executive board room. He was waiting for a report on the situation in America. He had expected the human girl to be dead by now. The humans that knew of the existence of vampires and their shifter brethren were a danger to his organization. For hundreds of years he and his kind had lived the easy life, living among the mortal humans, feeding whenever the mood struck them. But technology was changing everything. Humans were more of a threat to vampires than ever. Computers, social media, and advanced weaponry available, along with the expanded average life span of mortals, were making it so vampires p
ractically had to hide in the shadows to avoid being detected.

  But Vladimir had a plan, one that would put the out of control, and fast becoming dangerous, humans back in their places. It was a plan that would change the course of history forever. Vladimir had long ago foreseen the effects of rapid human development. He had imagined a world were vampires would one day be extinct, like so many other species that suffered at the hands of humans. The initial problem was convincing other vampires, that one day humans would be a threat to them. Most vampires had scoffed at the notion. Their arrogant pride would not let them see humans as anything other than slaves, pets, and convenient sources of blood.

  As humans rapidly evolved, many of Vladimir’s kin slowly started to see the light. They saw the effects of technology, how humans now had weapons that were a danger to vampires. They saw the rapid expansion of the human population in conjunction with the nuclear buildup around the world. Humans were not just a danger to vampires. They were a danger to the entire planet. As more and more vampires turned to Vladimir, and started listening to his wisdom, his vampire council was born.

  The council was a corporation, a company designed for the sole purpose of building up assets that would further the council’s long-term goals. When the humans spoke of ten families controlling the majority of the world’s worth, they almost had it correct. In actual fact about sixty percent of the world’s worth was controlled by three families. Three families of vampires who were loyal members of the vampire council!