Loren nodded. “The son of Rafael. He will be a good addition to your team of hunters.”
“Was he the one you intended us to pick up?”
“We only knew that one more would join. We couldn’t see who.”
Jack rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “What’s the deal with them all being so young? You said it was necessary.”
“One of the elders saw it in a vision. The unending hope of youth. The ability to remain focused on the task at hand. The unyielding…”
“Wait a second. We’re talking about kids here, not battle hardened vets. Most kids I know can’t concentrate on anything long enough to see it through.”
Loren nodded slightly. “But these are not ordinary children. They are young adults. And they are battle hardened, each in their own way.”
He had to give her that one. “Okay, boss. You got your team, and now we got our target. I don’t guess any of your soothsayers happened to see where this Lilith was hiding, did they?”
“Not yet, but they have not given up. I am certain that she will raise her ugly head soon enough.”
Jack sighed and stared out the open door. “I’d feel a whole lot better if we could strike first.”
*****
“What is this?” Lilith stepped back slightly as the vampire was tossed against the wall.
“He was directing the others. He is the leader.” Samael towered over the vampire and snarled, his wings extended and his hands opening and closing in anger. “They will want him back.”
“So why didn’t you remove the head from the snake?”
“I want to know how they controlled me!” His words echoed off the walls and caused the glass windows to vibrate. Centurions scurried back to their work, their curiosity no longer a priority.
“Whatever it was, they’ll no longer be able to do it if he’s dead, lover.” She stroked his chest as she spoke, her words dripping with saccharin sweetness.
Samael pushed her aside and glared at the vampire trying to stand. “Who are you?”
Rufus got to his feet and adjusted his clothing. He squared his shoulders and turned to the Fallen One. “I am Rufus Thorn. Normally, I would say that I was pleased to make your acquaintance, but under the circumstances, I am sure you will understand why I cannot.”
“Why have you come here?” Samael took a step closer and raised a meaty hand to strike the vampire.
Rufus did not cower, nor did he flinch. He stared the Fallen One in the eye and raised a brow. “I would be most pleased to discuss matters with you in a more civilized manner.” He walked closer and extended his hand. “I assure you, brutality will get you nowhere.”
Samael stared at the little vampire and anger rose within him. He couldn’t explain why. All he knew was that he hated the man standing before him. He reached back to crush the man when Lilith yelled, “Stop!”
Samael turned on her, his eyes aglow. “Why would you stop me?”
“I’d like to hear what he has to say.” She stepped closer and inspected the vampire. “He intrigues me.”
“He shall be crushed.”
“Not until I’ve heard what he has to say.” Lilith stepped between the two and took Rufus’ hand. “Lilith. So pleased to meet you.”
“Lilith? As in, the Lilith?” Rufus kissed the back of her hand, his eyes never leaving hers.
“Of course. There can be only one.” She gave him a wicked smile. “I take it that you know of me.”
“I know that Damien Franklin was working diligently to see you made whole again. I see that he succeeded.”
Her face wrinkled at the mention of the name, but she quickly recovered. “Yes, he did.”
Rufus looked amongst the crowd hard at work inside the facility. “And is Damien still with us?”
Lilith chuckled and looped her arm through Thorn’s. “In a manner of speaking, yes.” She pointed to the demonic character behind her. “Samael took his body for his own.”
“Samael? The angel?” Rufus glanced over his shoulder at the monster that had fallen into step behind them.
“One and the same. My lover needed a host body to transform.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Unfortunately, by taking on dead flesh, there were certain ‘side effects’. His wings…”
Thorn nodded. “I see.”
“So, Mister Thorn, please, tell me what brings you here before we skin you alive and allow my demons to have their way with your bones.”
Rufus raised a brow and cleared his throat. “We were…well, we were looking for Damien. We had heard that he was resurrecting you and we were going to see if we could assist.”
“Then why would you run?”
“We didn’t recognize any of the people here, and when we tried to summon Damien, we saw your friend here. The angel…”
“Samael.”
“Yes. Samael. I must say, he did put quite the fright into us. So we decided that leaving was the best plan at the moment.”
“Too bad you didn’t leave sooner,” Samael growled from behind them as Lilith pushed the door to her office open.
Rufus entered and the distinct smell of sex and stale food struck him. The unkempt bed in the center of the room and the myriad of tables with papers scattered about made him realize that this was definitely a multipurpose room.
Lilith stared at the vampire and shook her head. “What to do with you, little vampire?”
Rufus shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“We kill him.” Samael stepped closer, and Lilith placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
“Technically, I am already dead.” Thorn held up a hand. “However, I am probably worth more to you unharmed than not.”
Lilith smirked. “How is that, little vampire?”
He turned to Samael. “Ask him. Didn’t you say that he took Damien’s flesh? Then certainly he still has some of his memories. Tell her who I am, baby vampire.” Thorn’s voice took on an edge that angered Samael. “Tell her the power I wield, the people under my command. Tell her the continents that I control, the sheer number of vampires who would stake themselves at my command!” He stepped closer and got in Samael’s face. “Tell her, baby vamp!”
He struck quickly, a slap to the face that both stunned and silenced the angel. Just as Samael’s eyes widened and his mouth opened to speak, Thorn released a wave of power that brought the angel to his knees. Rufus maintained the wave of power emanating from him until the angel lay prostrate on the floor, his mouth opening and closing as he gasped for breath, the green glow of life slowly fading from his eyes.
Rufus bent low and lifted the angel’s head by the hair and whispered just loud enough that Lilith could hear. “Tell her who your real master is, baby vamp.”
“Enough!” Lilith stepped forward and grabbed Thorn by the wrist. “Release him. Now.”
Thorn turned his gaze to her and his face twisted into anger. “Unhand me, woman, or you’ll beg for what the Romans did to you as a mercy.”
She dropped his hand and stepped back, her eyes wide and her breath caught in her throat. She had seen evil in her life. She had experienced evil in her death. She thought she had been touched by evil while being taught by the Fallen Ones. But what she saw in those eyes made her heart turn cold.
“Please,” her voice was barely a whisper, “Mister Thorn…please. Release him.”
Rufus withdrew his power and stepped away from Samael. The angel rolled to his back and coughed, sucking in huge gulps of air as he tried to suck life back into his form. Slowly the green glow of life came back to his eyes.
“Thank you.” Lilith dropped to the floor and cradled Samael, her eyes turned fearfully to the vampire before them. “I-I don’t understand. You could have…I mean…you ran. But you could have…”
“He is not what I thought him to be.” Rufus stepped back further and placed his hands behind his back. “But now that I know what he is and who you are…perhaps we can work together.”
12
“Major, I
’m surprised to see you again.” Doctor Evans rolled his chair away from his workbench and stood up. “Is everything okay?”
Mark stepped deeper into the lab, the lights falling on his pale face. “I didn’t know where else to go.”
“You don’t look well. Come, we need to run some blood panels and—”
“No.” Mark took a half step back and held his hands up. “It’s not…it’s something different.”
Evan moved around the bench and slowly approached him. “Okay, why don’t you tell me what’s going on then.”
Mark slowly shook his head. “I’m not sure. Something’s broken.”
“A bone?”
“No.” Mark threw him a frustrated look. “Something inside. I can feel it. I can…” He glanced around the lab then reached to the workstation and pulled up a phillips screwdriver. “Let me show you.” He stabbed the end of the screwdriver into his hand then slowly withdrew it. There was little to no blood as the wound healed almost instantly.
“Remarkable.” Evan moved in closer and stared at his hand. He took his hand in his own and turned it over. “There’s not even a scar.”
“I felt it, but there was hardly any pain.” He turned worried eyes to the doctor. “What does this mean?”
Evan shook his head. “I honestly don’t know. Vampires and werewolves both feel pain. You should have as well.” He shrugged. “Perhaps because you heal so quickly, your body no longer registers it.”
“I don’t follow you.”
Evan sat down and motioned for Mark to do the same. “Pain is the way your brain tells your body not to do something. Harm will befall it if it continues to do those things.” Evan shrugged. “Since you apparently won’t be harmed, your brain isn’t registering the pain.”
Mark ran a fingertip gently across his skin and felt the sensation normally. “Everything else seems to be okay. I mean, I can feel a normal touch. I can tell when my eyes are dry and I need to blink. I can tell when my mouth is dry and I need a drink.”
“That’s the only explanation I can come up with without running a myriad of tests.” Evan shrugged. “I’m sorry, Major, but it’s all speculation.”
Mark stood and glanced around the lab. “There’s no other way?”
“I’m afraid not. And even then, simple blood tests may not give us the answer to this one.”
“So it’s a shot in the dark.”
“Yes,” Evan sighed. “Unfortunately, we simply have no other specimens to use as a baseline. You are the only known subject to be infect—”
“I know, Doc,” Mark interrupted. “I’m unique.” He rolled his eyes as he fell back into the chair and rolled his sleeve up. “This better tell us something.”
Evan grabbed his blood drawing kit and donned gloves. “We can cross our fingers and hope.”
*****
“It just grabbed him and plucked him straight from the bloody car! I’m telling you, it was a demon!” Paul screamed into the phone, his voice cracking as he spoke. “All I know is that he’s still alive. If he had been killed, my people would have reverted back to me. I would have felt the shift in power.”
“And you are in Detroit?” Viktor sounded more annoyed than worried.
“Yes, dammit. I’ve only told you this three times. He needs help. Whatever this thing is, I can’t deal with it on my own.”
Viktor sighed heavily and rubbed at his temples. “I have my own matters to deal with. Dropping everything to rush off and assist Rufus with a problem that is his own creation is not exactly how I planned to spend my weekend.”
“Dammit, wolf! Are you not sworn to protect him?” Foster screeched into the phone.
Viktor leaned away from the speaker and glared at the offending device. “Do not use that tone with me, vampire. Why are you suddenly so worried about your brother’s wellbeing?”
“I am his Second! When Thompson turned on him, he made me his…” Paul stopped and took a deep cleansing breath, trying to calm his emotions. “It doesn’t matter why I am so worried, what does matter is that Rufus is in need. Will you help him or not?”
Viktor growled low in his throat then picked the receiver up, turning off the speaker phone. “I’ll need time to assemble an attack force. And time to arrive.”
Foster breathed an audible sigh of relief. “Thank you, Viktor. When can we expect you?”
“Morning at the earliest. Afternoon at the latest. By tomorrow evening, we will be positioned to strike.”
Foster smiled into the phone. “Excellent.” He hung up the phone and turned to the enforcers who surrounded him. “They’re on their way. They’ll be here tomorrow. Sometime during daylight. In the meantime, call in every enforcer we can get our hands on. I don’t’ care if they are hired mercenaries. I want to hit them with an army that will overwhelm them.”
The enforcers bowed and left the darkened room, leaving Foster to himself. “Hang on, brother. We’re coming for you. Just stay alive until we can get to you.”
*****
Laura paced outside the hospital, a thousand thoughts racing through her mind at once. Something wasn’t right and she knew it. Her father was exhibiting symptoms far too early and she bit at her lower lip. Had she used the vials in the wrong order? No…she remembered exactly what Evan had told her. Was he healthier than she thought when she came to him?
She paced and mumbled to herself, her eyes following the cracks in the sidewalk. “People will think you’re nuts if you keep talking to yourself like that.”
Laura looked up and saw her brother, Derek walking toward her. “They wouldn’t be far off the mark.”
“How’s our dad doing today?” Derek squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.
“He’s got his appetite back. He sent Crystal to get him something from the kitchen. Swore he could smell it cooking.” She continued to stare at the ground, her feet wanting to pace.
“Really?” Derek rubbed his chin as he stared up at the window to their father’s room. “I guess that’s a good sign, right?”
Laura shrugged. “I guess.”
He turned his attention back to his little sister. “What’s wrong with you, Punk? You’re acting like you got ants in your pants or something.”
“Hmm?” She glanced at him questioningly. “Oh. No, I’m fine. I just have a lot on my mind, that’s all.”
“You’re still a horrible liar.” Derek walked past her and started toward the main entrance. “I’m going in. Want to go up with me?”
Laura nodded absently. “Might as well.” She fell into step behind him and kept her thoughts to herself as they rode the elevator up.
“It’s really good to have you home, ya know.” Derek gave her a pat on the shoulder. “Maybe tonight we can go by and see mom?”
Laura paled. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that, D. It’s been hard enough seeing Dad in this condition and…Crystal. Maybe in a day or so we can visit Mom’s grave.”
Derek nodded. “Whenever you’re ready, Punk.” It’s not like she’s going anywhere. “Just let me know and I’ll go with you.”
“I appreciate it.” The elevator door dinged as it opened and the pair walked down the hallway to Jim Youngblood’s room. He had finished the tray of food that Crystal had brought to him and was leaning back in the bed, a satisfied look painted across his features.
“Hey, Punk, I was thinking maybe you had taken off on me.”
Laura walked around to the other side of her father’s bed and sat next to him. “I just got here, Daddy. I’m not going anywhere for a while.”
“You going to stay at the house?” He searched her face and tried to read her.
Laura shrugged. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
Crystal stood and let Derek have her chair. “You know your room is just the way you left it. Somebody refused to do anything with it just in case you decided to come home for a visit.” She gave Jim a wink as she settled on the foot of the bed.
“Thanks, Dad. I may.” Laura glanced around the
room then her gaze settled on Derek. “Where are the rest of the boys?”
He shrugged. “They got families of their own that they have to see to. They usually come in on the weekends, don’t they, Pop?”
Jim nodded. “Yeah. But maybe this next weekend we can all just meet at the house? We can have a barbecue like we used to.”
Derek turned to Laura and shrugged. He didn’t know that the old man was losing his mind, too. “Uh, sure, we can do that.”
Crystal lowered her eyes and avoided Jim’s gaze. Laura simply squeezed her dad’s hand. “That sounds wonderful, Daddy.”
“You guys think I’m joshing you, but I’m feeling better by the moment. I wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t walk out of here in the next few days.” He squeezed Laura’s hand knowingly.
She kept her head down but glanced about the room, noting everyone else avoiding eye contact with her father. She caught his eye and gave a worried but subtle shake of her head. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Daddy, but let’s just wait and see, okay? Let’s take each day as it comes.”
Jim gave her a knowing smile. “Whatever you think, Punk.” He quickly turned his attention to Derek. “So have you heard the news?”
Derek shrugged. “What news, Dad? I haven’t been watching TV today.”
Jim chuckled. “Not that news. I’m talking about your sister giving me and Crystal the go ahead to tie the knot.” He waggled his eyebrows at Crystal. “I finally get to make her an honest woman.”
Crystal smiled and patted his shoulder. “It’s going to take a lot more than wedding vows for you to do that, mister.”
Derek gave Laura a mocking smile. “Oh really? So you gave the old man your blessing, huh? Nothing like waiting ‘til the last minute, little sister.”
“I’m not dead yet, buster.” Jim pulled Crystal up onto the bed next to him and planted a kiss on her cheek. “You better watch it or I might turn you into an older brother again.”
“Jim!” Crystal poked at him. “You may be feeling your oats again, but that isn’t going to unshrivel these ovaries.”
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