SHADOWLOVE--STALKERS

by Claudy Conn

  “Forgive me,” Pentim said at once. “I did not believe her…I thought it a ruse.”

  “Did you? You should be more careful in the future. Perhaps you should give up this business of eliminating all newbies. My Lil would like you to stop…” Dracula brushed off an imaginary speck of lint from his black leather coat.

  “I am done with that. I have only one interest now.”

  “And what is that?”

  “I wish to find my daughter.”

  Dracula’s eyelashes fluttered. “Are you telling me you fathered a child with a human?”

  “Yes.”

  “And the mother—what of her?”

  “Dead.”

  “Sad for a child to grow to adult years without a mother.” Dracula seemed to think about this for a time. “When you find this child of yours, I would like to meet her.”

  “Of course, sire…”

  “I trust we now understand one another?”

  “Yes, sire.”

  On that last note, the count turned, took Lil’s small hand. and started out of the room. “It will not bode well for you if you act against my wishes.”

  “I understand totally, sire.”

  Gone! Suddenly the count and his companion were gone. Vanished. So much more than vamp speed had just occurred.

  Pentim had never seen anything quite like that before. Dracula was purported to have many powers, and vanishing in the blink of an eye must be one of them.

  Pentim was also amazed that Dracula had allowed him to live, again. He had thought for a moment that he had breathed his last…

  * * *

  Shawna waited only long enough for Chad to hang up his receiver before she demanded, “What? What about my grandparents?”

  “That was m’dad.”

  “I know—now tell me, and please don’t stall while you try and think up some story to satisfy me. Just spill—tell me what is going on.”

  “Shawna, we aren’t sure about anything. In fact, we changed all the earlier plans we had made for them, and my father decided to see to them himself. My grandmother went on to take care of business at the orphanage in Nigeria, and he made his way to your grandparents.”

  “How did he know where to find them?”

  “He just did. That isn’t important.”

  “It is to me.”

  “Do ye want to know what is going, or don’t ye, lass?”

  She waved him on. “Yes…go ahead, then what?”

  “When he got to them, your grandmother told him she thought they might have a problem.”

  “A problem—what problem?” Shawna was beginning to shake.

  “Shawna.” Chad had her shoulders in a firm but gentle grip. “It is okay—everything is under control.”

  “Just give it to me. What is under control?”

  “Your grandmother was in town just before m’dad arrived—your grandmother said she needed a few things if she was to close up her house for months on end. While she was getting into her car, she noticed someone in the shadows. She saw a vampire in the shadows of a side street. Your grandmother was sure of it, and also just as sure that it had not looked her way. Still, she thought it odd in a small town that she would find one roaming about and before the day had waned. Luckily, your grandmother’s scent does not carry Pentim’s scent…no relation there. However, m’dad and I think they are searching small towns for you.”

  “My grandparents?”

  “We also think that there is a slight chance that they could pick up your scent from them—or rather your mother’s scent. Your grandmother would carry your mother’s scent. A more refined and powerful vampire might own the skill of scenting and could perhaps pick up on that.” He stroked her cheek. “Dad felt it might be best to take your grandparents to one of our safe havens in the tropics. Vamps don’t usually frequent the tropics.”

  “Oh my God—oh my God…” Shawna felt as though she couldn’t breathe. “Do you think they will be safe there? Will your father stay with them?”

  “He is with them now and has them safely ensconced at our private villa. There is no one that can get past m’dad.”

  He said this with such pride that Shawna stopped to study him before she asked, “Why is he helping us? Doesn’t it put him and your grandmother in danger?”

  “Not from the vamps, it doesn’t.”

  “From whom then?”

  “Ah, now, Shawna, doona fetch yourself on that score.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “All you need to know is that there is none that can protect them better than my father.”

  “Yes, but—” She tried again.

  “Shawna, he will not allow anything to happen to them.”

  She was, however, in a panic. She started for the door. He took her arm in his strong hold and held her close. “Shawna—listen…they are in no danger now, I promise you. Since my mother’s death, he has, as I have, learned all there is to know about vampires. There isn’t one that can get past either one of us.”

  She stopped short. “What do you mean—since your mother’s death.”

  “Never mind that now. What you need to know, I’ve told you, lass. Your grandparents, due to your grandmother’s alertness, are safely in m’dad’s hands. He has them well guarded in our private villa that none can enter without an invitation. They’ll be no one getting neither nigh nor near them—I guarantee that.”

  She sucked in air and then jabbed him with her finger. “Just what are you—what is your father and what is your grandmother? Are any of you even human?”

  “Now that…” he answered with a quizzical look, “…is an odd question coming from you.”

  “Is it? You know what I am—but you…” She shook her head. “I don’t have a clue what you and your family are.”

  “Maybe if you are good and sit very still and allow me to ink you, I’ll tell you a bit more about my family history?”

  She wasn’t certain she liked the idea of being inked. “It is a permanent thing. I am not sure I like marking myself with something permanent.”

  “You’ll grow to love it…especially when you feel its power shield you. I know that I already love your tattoo—and where it is going.”

  She eyed him and backed away. He reached out and took her hand. “Come then, Shawna…we are wasting time.”

  * * *

  Alone once more in her cottage, Shawna went to the mirror, held up a compact mirror, shoved her long hair out of the way, and tried to have a look at the tattoo Chad had installed at the nape of her neck.

  It was small and hard to make out. There was a letter laced between the Celtic Knots and the rune design. She had asked him what it stood for—it was an odd looking L. He had smiled and said simply, “It’s all part of what you need to keep you safe when we start working on black magic.”

  “And when will that be?” she had asked.

  “As soon as you are ready.”

  “Yeah, well I’m ready right now.”

  “You think you are, but you are not.”

  “Then when?”

  “We’ll see—good night, Shawna.”

  He hadn’t even stepped inside her cottage. He had stood at the door, scanning the room behind her over her head, but he had not gone inside. He backed away as though she had the plague, and it infuriated her.

  She had no intention of allowing him to kiss her, but it peeved her that he didn’t even try. She hadn’t even a chance to show off her will power!

  And then he was gone, and she was alone. She looked out towards the woods from her kitchen window. The entity had not shown itself yesterday and not yet today. Odd that. She had expected it to return in force, ready to take her on, and she—she wanted to get it over with. She needed to put an end to this ‘thing’, because now it was starting to hurt innocent people like Mrs. Carver. That was another thing…why Mrs. Carver? Had she just been at the wrong place at the wrong time? Was it as simple as that?

  ~ Fifteen ~

  CHAD MACFARE DROVE h
is car away from Shawna’s cottage, veered off to the side of the road, and maneuvered his way through a thicket of trees. The sun was hidden by clouds, and at any rate, nightfall would soon descend. He didn’t want to be readily visible from the road.

  He parked the Jag so that he had a clear view of the cottage through the budding trees. Luckily Shawna always kept the outside lights on.

  He shut off the engine and listened to the quiet for a moment before he made himself comfortable enough to watch without getting too stiff.

  He had given Shawna a rough first day of training. She had been a trooper, both physically and mentally taking on everything he had thrown at her, even allowing him to tattoo her. He had expected her to put up more of a fight. No doubt, instinctively, she understood the importance of the tattoo, for she had allowed him to ink her with very little resistance. What she didn’t know was the connection he would ‘sense’ between them because of the additional little emblem he had installed.

  He would not be able to track her movements exactly, but the L—which was the letter that had been embroidered on his grandmother’s infant clothes—would give him a sense of her. Not much good in that, though, unless he were in her vicinity. He would know if she were in trouble, but not much else.

  Dark was engulfing the landscape in layered sweeps of varying shades. The day had been dismally gray and had held the promise of rain that had not yet arrived.

  On the way to Shawna’s little cottage he had experienced a really ‘bad’ feeling. He wasn’t sure why, and although he expected something to disturb the sweetness of the day, he wasn’t sure what that ‘something’ could be.

  He knew he was getting dangerously wrapped up in the lass, in her quixotic expressions, in her smile, in that musical way she had of laughing—laughter that always seemed to start in her bright silver eyes…

  It was so much more than her tantalizing beauty, more than the sexual rawness of a come hither buried inside of her and begging, dripping to be licked…

  It was more than all of that. It was the totality of the lass that got to him, twirled him around in circles, and made it hard for him to think of anything else. All he seemed to want—need was her company.

  He had to stop this because he had to think clearly in order to keep her safe. Right now, this thing, the thing that Shawna called the ‘entity’, was a dangerous addition to the mix. Chad was certain it was either comprised of black magic or created by someone involved with black magic. They would have to look for its “Achilles’ heel”.

  If, as he believed, it had been created by someone dealing in the black arts, they needed to know who that someone was.

  There was one thing Chad was certain of: the thing was growing in strength, and when it returned, it might be ready to take Shawna on.

  This thing was, he knew, more than enraged—it was insane. It killed for the pleasure of killing. It was, Chad believed, responsible for Farmer MacTay’s losing half his herd of sheep only last week, something the police were scratching their heads over. It had simply gone through the poor hapless animals and had slaughtered them in numbers. Whatever had done the killing had not eaten any of the sheep but had torn open and dismembered each in a horrific display of power and a sure taste for destruction. It had left the poor animals dead, bleeding out in the field—all over the field. Nearly an entire herd destroyed. Black magic gone rampant? There was no other explanation for the savage slashing.

  There was something about all of this that he was missing. Something that spoke to him, told him to dig into his memory, but if there was knowledge that he could draw on, it was elusive, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

  There was also the fact that when he had seen the thing, he got the sense of something human about it. There was a quality of distorted, deformed, and even evil humanity that clung to its aura.

  Now what he needed to discover was where the demon’s source of power was. Where did it go when it went out of sight? Had someone called this ‘demon’ from another dimension? Or—and this was what he really thought—was this thing created from the pits of someone’s evil soul? The answers to those questions were going to make the difference in destroying it quickly and thoroughly.

  Of one thing he was certain—it would come back to test Shawna’s power.

  It would have been ideal if she would have allowed him to stay the night, but there wasn’t a possibility of that, so he hadn’t bothered to ask. She had made it clear that she wanted to maintain her independence. A very real desire deep inside of him obtusely didn’t want to push her to accept him—he wanted her to want him.

  And so, he hunkered down in his car, which was pointed towards the cottage, and he watched.

  * * *

  Shawna was listing the things she knew about the mysterious Chad MacFare. He was a hunk extraordinaire, but she shouldn’t consider that as important. It wasn’t anything to do with her how good looking he was, how green and full of expression his eyes were, or that his height and muscle mass standing before her melted all will to resist. Enough! Okay, she cautioned herself, and more to the point, she needed to collect what she now knew about him. She had discovered that he owned some major skills in the ancient art of karate—in fact, she was certain he had displayed agility and finesse way beyond the best of the black-belts! Way beyond human?

  Right, it was practically a fact that he was more than human. Telling her that he experienced visions explained some things, but not nearly enough. She also discovered that he knew how to wield a sword like he had been born with it in his hands.

  There was more to it than what met her observations. There was more to it than his obvious skills. The sword he called the Dragar was arcane in design, as were the rune engravings on its hilt and blade. She’d felt its magical aura the moment the sword had come into her view.

  He had said she was learning to ‘mate’ with the sword he had given her, and maybe she was. He had moved in on her as she sliced air, and when she brought it back to fold in across her chest, he had bent and whispered in her ear, “Lucky blade.”

  Shivers had traveled the length of her spine. She stopped herself from looking at him. She knew what would happen if she did.

  He had continued whispering in her ear, making her tremble as he told her that when she finally trusted the sword, it would trust her. He told her the sword would kill for her.

  Would it? Would it be unerring in its target? She had scoffed over this, and he had laughed and flicked her nose like she was a child. Perversely, against her better judgment, she found herself positioning her body, her face, her lips for a kiss. Instead, he flicked her nose again.

  She was surprised and inwardly embarrassed. Had he known that she had angled for a kiss? He didn’t seem to. The next question that had disturbed her and kept her frowning for way too long was just why didn’t he kiss her?

  Right, so he was still a mystery. What else did she know? Ah, yes, he was skilled in the art of tattoo design. She now had a tattoo. What will Grams say? No reason for her to know—right?

  He had tattoos all over his sexy abs, on one shoulder, and around his biceps. She had traced their designs with her wandering fingers…

  Facts—stick to the facts. She shook off her meandering thoughts, and then without warning, a blue light caught the corner of her eye outside the kitchen window. She moved forward to face the window and meet it—whatever it was—head on.

  It was coming, and it was coming freaking fast!

  * * *

  Chad sat up at the first sound of a car engine and a moment later saw a dark Bentley. He recognized it as the squire’s vehicle at once. What the bloody hell was the squire doing heading for Shawna’s cottage at this hour?

  It was now close to nine! Damn the swine! What the hell was he doing? It was a late hour to be calling on Shawna. Chad felt a swelling of jealousy. Had Shawna phoned him to come and visit? Bloody hell!

  What the devil was he going to do about it? Shawna was a big girl, and she wouldn’t like a s
cene. He couldn’t rush over like a charging bull protecting his herd. But, he had to do something. He scowled in the dark. The cottage’s lone location made it impossible to pull in and say he was just passing by.

  And then he saw the blue sparks burning through the woods!

  It was a jagged bolt of electricity supercharged with energy that came to a sudden standstill as it pulsated in on itself. It moved a few feet into the field adjacent to the cottage. It sizzled, glowed blue fire, crackled, and heaved sparks, but it wasn’t moving forward. It had taken some kind of stand, and Chad suddenly realized it was watching…

  He had been leaning forward, but now, he made up his mind. Whether Shawna liked it or no, he was moving in. He started the car, and if it had been pavement instead of rough grass, it would have squealed as he raced his Jag onto the country road.

  ~ Sixteen ~

  SHAWNA FROWNED AND collected herself for what she was sure would be another attack. The blue mass of electricity had started to take on shape and substance.

  Was she assigning it a human form, or was it actually taking on a human form...?

  It spat out shards of blue electricity, and she heard it release a low-throttled cackle of anger. This thing had definitely made her a target. Why? That didn’t matter now—what mattered was her ability to draw on her magic because she had no idea what would actually work on the thing!

  Shawna forced herself to stand very still while she studied it. She had to know more about it, understand what drove it, and find its weak points.

  The black sockets she assumed were eyes defined its face—a face that was beginning to take on structure. She couldn’t shake the sudden certainty that this thing was female!

  She felt hatred emanate even at this distance, even with it outside. Would the wards stop it? She was nearly certain the entity couldn’t penetrate the wards, and then it was there, in her face, and tapping with its electric claw at her window.

  The wards Shawna had installed repulsed it, and the thing screeched with a storm of fury and resentment. Resentment—why had that come to mind? Why would it resent her? It tried to penetrate the wards again and charged at the window, only to retract in evident pain. Shawna clearly heard the agony it suffered as it howled ferociously in the dark.