Kaitlyn Strong Books 1-3: The Complete First Trilogy

by Art DeForest

  As we started forward towards the suspected house, Kangee came in and landed on Sara’s shoulder. She stared at him for a moment or two before nodding and looking at the rest of us. “Kangee doesn’t see any vampires outside, just lycans. The living room light is on, but the shades are drawn. One car in the driveway.” she concluded.

  “Do we have any guess as to their numbers?” asked Deacon as we snuck closer to the house in question.

  “We know about the five that took her from the trail. Other than that we really don’t have a clue.” There hasn’t been any movement out of the house since the search team got here.” said Marcus.

  “So, anywhere from five to as many as they can pack into the house.” Said Deacon speculatively. “Kaitlyn and I maybe able to get more precise numbers by scent if we can get close enough without being seen. “

  I looked over at Sara. “How many of your people are here.” I asked.

  “We have four more here.” Gesturing across the street where I could just make out some stealthy shapes moving parallel with us down the street. “There are also two more behind the property, keeping watch for anyone trying to escape that way.”

  Speaking quietly, so as not to offend, I asked Sara, “I’ve never gone hand to hand with a lycan. How do they compare in a one on one fight to a vampire?”

  Sara thought for a moment as we walked, her staff tapping on the sidewalk lightly with every other step. “Vampires have a definite edge in speed and that is often decisive. Lycans in battle form have more strength, so it's best not to grapple with one. They can literally tear your head off.”

  I thought about that as we drew closer to the house situated at the very back of the cul de sac. There were no convenient cars parked on the street here. Everyone had their own driveway and garage. There was however, a lot of distance between the houses with enough trees and shrubbery to give us some concealment. Deacon streaked across the street, so that he could approach from the opposite side of the house from Sara and me. The lycans held back while we scouted and tried to get a fix on their numbers.

  We darted from one piece of cover to another until we came to a stone wall that divided the front and back yard of the house next to our target. We moved along the wall until it became a privacy fence at the property line. We inched as close as we dared to the house, trying to catch the scent of vampire. There was a window on the side of the house facing us that I thought might be in the kitchen. Drapes hid the inside from view, but the lights were on. Sniffing around, all I could detect were the five vampires who had taken the young vamp earlier. Her scent was strong here too. I also got faint traces of Darius. The scent was old now, but he’d definitely spent a lot of time here before I dusted his ass. It just goes to show I guess. Monsters could hide out even in nice neighborhoods.

  Just as we were about to move back to rendezvous and compare notes, we heard the back door bang open and the sound of running feet headed away from the house. With no hesitation I jumped to the top of the privacy fence for a look. I could see five running shapes. One had something human sized slung over its shoulder. “They’re getting away!” I hissed down to Sara

  Backing up two steps, Sara ran at the fence and jumped, easily clearing the six foot fence. I looked down at Fangs where he sat looking up at me patiently. “Come on boy, we gotta go.” I whispered urgently. Fangs didn’t even have to get a run at it, the show off. He went from sitting on the ground to beside me on the top of the fence in one fluid leap.

  As we jumped down to join Sara, I saw the shadows of the fleeing vampires leap nimbly over a four foot chain link fence into a large open field that separated the neighborhood we were in from the middle school to the north. They immediately started running towards the cluster of building in the distance.

  Sara, Fangs and I sprinted to the fence and didn’t even break stride as we flew over its low height. Deacon, having heard the same noise, joined us in our sprint towards the middle school. “The lycans are transforming.” He said calmly as we continued our run. “They will catch up.”

  We closed the distance steadily on the fleeing forms, but they were still a good distance away when they reached the sidewalk around the buildings and immediately cut up a walkway angling in amongst them. We followed hard, hoping to catch them before they reached the escape vehicle they no doubt had stashed nearby. We charged up the walkway and came to an abrupt halt as we were confronted with the five we had been chasing, along with about ten of their buddies that we didn’t have the first clue about, until this moment of course. Crap.

  Gino stood in the center of the group with his thugs arrayed around him, In the dim light I could see that his hand was still missing. I could also see a small form of the girl we were trying to save standing next to him...smiling. “Son of a bitch” I thought to myself as a hollow spot opened in the pit of my stomach. “It as a trap the whole time. A large grin spread across Gino’s face as we came to a stop. “Well” he said smugly. If it isn’t the chew toy, the council stooge, and the blood whore. Just the people we wished to attend our little party.

  “You are in direct violation of a Council directive Gino.” said Deacon. “Your whole family will pay the price for your stupidity.”

  Gino spit to the side, his face growing fierce. “Bah! I care nothing for the Council’s directives.” He sneered “They are a bunch of appeasing old fools who give away our power and hide in their hovels like little old ladies who fear the dark.”

  Slowly drawing my sword, my eyes locked with Gino’s as my movement drew his attention from Deacon. “Tell you what stumpy.” I said with all the derision I could put in my voice. “Run away as fast as your little legs can carry you right now and maybe you’ll live through this night.”

  “Fuck you Chew Toy!” He said as his face went instantly from sneering arrogance to frothing hatred in the blink of an eye. “Tonight you pay for all of your insolence and disrespect for your betters.” He said in with a vitriolic growl.

  “I don’t have any betters, and damn few equals.” I growled back, taking a step forward and raising my sword to a ready position. A feminine hand reached out and grabbed my sword arm, halting me in place.

  Sara stepped up beside me and cocked her head questioningly over at Gino. “Why are you here Gino?” she asked. “Why would you and Darius violate lycan boundaries in the first place? There’s nothing here you want.”

  Gino smiled slyly, a deranged look coming over his face. “There is just one thing we want.” He said, raising his hand and slowly pointing….to Sara. The girl beside him chuckled.

  “Yes, we knew you’d have to come out of hiding if you thought an innocent little girl was in danger.” The girl said, putting on and innocent little girl pout before sneering at us and chuckling once more.

  Sara’s eyes widened a bit for a moment before she snorted in derision. “I have nothing you need Gino.” She said haughtily. “Go crawl back under your rock.”

  Gino laughed. “Nothing we need?” he said. I thought you were smarter than that. “With your knowledge we are going to create and army of blood shamans and destroy the Council.” he paused for a moment and looked at Deacon and I before continuing. “and anyone else that dares to stand against us.”

  A shocked laugh escaped Sara’s lips. “You are as stupid as you are deranged if you think I would ever help the Abandonados.” She said with cold scorn in her voice.

  “Perhaps not willingly,” he purred, but wringing the information out of you will make it all the more fun. He said with a greasy smile.

  It was at that point that six more growling figures stepped out from the shadows. Glancing back over my shoulder, I gotta say; they looked pretty darned good. All the lycans were in battle form, stripped to the waist with their teeth exposed in identical snarls. The were scary as hell, but they were on my side.

  As they drew up around us, Sara looked back over at Gino. “You can’t win this one Gino. The Denver pack is one of the largest in the United States. They will never be let me be t
aken.” she said confidently.”

  Gino’s own smile was smug. “The whole pack isn’t here. All I see are a few worthless curs. We still outnumber you.”

  I couldn’t believe my ears. “Gino, We’ve been outnumbered every time we’ve come up against you and your bully boys. You’d think you’d have learned the lesson by now.” I said disbelievingly.

  Gino just grinned at me. “Oh but I have.” He said as he raise a hand into the air.

  At that signal we heard the hissing thung!! Of crossbows being fired from the rooftops around us. Two of the lycans went down immediately as crossbow bolts passed clean through their chests. Deacon, Sara, and I were quick enough to dodge the incoming fire. Marcus appeared to have taken a bolt to the upper arm as he tried to dodge, but he just snarled and ripped it free.

  “Capture the blood whore. Kill the rest.” Commanded Gino, motioning his troops forward.

  I was okay with that. The only chance we had against those crossbows was to run away or get in amongst our adversaries. I just didn’t feel like running.

  Pulling the stake to join my sword, I locked eyes with Gino and screamed in rage as my beast came up into my eyes, turning them the color of blood. Fangs’ buzzsaw like warcry echoed my scream as we charged into the fray.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sara bring her staff up horizontally in front of her. Pulling her arms apart, three feet of gleaming steel emerged from the base. That gave her a sword and one hell of a long stake that she immediately put to good use as she swirled like a whirlwind of destruction into our opponents.

  Gino, the mewling coward, faded back and let his thugs flow in around him as he cowered at the back of the group. I lost track of the girl almost immediately. We crashed and swirled in amongst Abandonados soldiers. Blocking an overhand knife attack with my stake I sent a front kick to the knife wielders groin and stepping to the side took his head. Ducking under a sword stroke I felt coming in from the side, I lunged up with my stake, taking another in the heart.

  I heard Fangs off to the side snarl in rage as the claws on his back paw lodged into the back of an attacker trying to flank me. With efficient fury, he reached around the man’s head with his front paws and raked his front claws across both the man’s eyes, blinding him before leaping off to find his next victim.

  Deacon was the picture of power and precision as he fought. He only carried his huge dagger but had already killed one in passing as he swept in to engage two more behind the quickly expanding pile of ash.

  The lycans charged in, all rending claws and savage fury. The vampires in front of them were definitely faster, but they were also close together and had their range of movement limited by their cohorts. Marcus in battle form shot a straight left hand at the vamp in front of him, catching her around the neck. Reaching up with his huge right paw, he grasped the top of her head and twisted it off like a bottle cap.

  I got all that in the brief instant I had to glance around before the next opponents attacked. One of them stumbled, screaming as Fangs sliced in behind him and hamstrung the bastard. He quickly jumped on the man’s back and tore his eyes out. I blocked his buddies stake as it came streaking in from a low angle and stepped inside his guard. My sword came down from above and took the arm holding the stake off just below the elbow. He screamed in pain as my backhand slash separated his head from his shoulders.

  Coming back into a balanced stance I looked on in sudden horror as a vampire stood over Fangs, dagger pointed down and heading his way. I screamed and lunged, trying to get to his attacker before it was too late. Fangs heard my scream and leapt nimbly from the back of the vampire he’d just hamstrung and blinded. He moved just in time to avoid the dagger as it plunged into the back of his fallen opponent.

  As I sighed in relief, a burning, tearing pain erupted from my lower back and abdomen on my left side. Looking down I could see a large hole in my shirt surrounded by black blood. Apparently the guys with the crossbows had finally reloaded.

  The guy who stabbed his downed buddy, jerked the dagger out of his back and headed my way. I slid into a defensive stance, sword forward and left elbow clutched close to my bleeding side. Fangs growled menacingly at the man as he approached. Telling him in his own feline way that he wouldn’t be fighting just one injured vampire.

  As the goon came in range, Fangs feinted towards his legs, causing him to slash downward at the cat in order to protect his hamstrings. The opening he left in his guard was all I needed. Teeth gritted to fight off the pain, I lunged, taking him high in the abdomen. I pulled back as fast as I had lunged, dragging the sword back out and widening the hole in his stomach. The dagger he carried fell from his fingers and he grasped at the wound, trying to stuff his innards back inside. He didn’t care about them anymore when his head went flying off into the night.

  My side felt like it was on fire as I glanced around looking for my next opponent. I heard a distant cry from one of the rooftops. Jerking my head around I saw a form plummeting to the concrete below as a dark feathered form flew off into the night. One crossbow down. Way to go Kangee.

  I heard a scream from Sara’s direction. Jerking around I saw her spinning to the ground. Telltale blood spray told me she’d taken a bolt through her upper chest. She was immediately mobbed by three Abandonado soldiers.

  Fangs and I turned to attack when the sound of a gunshot and the feeling of being hit in the chest by a sledge hammer dropped me to my knees. I managed to use my momentum to keep rolling as more rapid fire explosions sent bullets ricocheting off the concrete..

  As I rolled I caught a glimpse of Gino, a semiauto with the slide locked back in the empty position, smoked in his hand as he continued to point it in my direction. His eyes were wide with fear as he kept pulling the trigger on the empty gun.

  Disregarding him for the moment as being little threat, I focused my attention back on Sara. The three goons looked to have beaten her into unconsciousness. They had picked her up and were carrying her as fast as they could towards a distant parking lot. I tried to rise to my feet, but dizziness overcame me and forced me back to one knee. The wounds would heal quickly, but for right now, they were taking a toll.

  With a scream and a lunge, I managed to get to my feet and started a staggering run after the fleeing thugs. “Fangs, sic ‘em” I said, pointing at the fleeing backs. Fangs became a tawny blur as he took off after Sara’s abductors.

  The sound of a clip being fed into a pistol and the slide moving forward as it dropped a round in the chamber diverted my attention. Gino had finally managed to reload his weapon and was once more tracking me. I dove into a roll as his first round exploded out of the barrell. The pain of hitting the ground had bright white spots appearing before my eyes. My sword went skittering along the pavement as my shoulder made contact.

  Coming to a stop, I tried to stand and reach for the kukri at my hip at the same time, but the weakness in my legs had me staggering. A look of triumph crossed Gino’s face as he steadied his aim. He knew he couldn’t kill me with the piece in his hand, but we both know a shot to the head or heart would leave me helpless unit I healed.

  The kukri came out of its sheath finally and I drew it back for a desperate attempt at a throw in his direction. It wasn’t need however, as Deacon Cain’s large dagger sliced downward out of the darkness, taking off the hand that held the gun. He didn’t get the chance to finish Gino however, as two of the goon squad tackled him to the ground.

  I turned my attention back to Sara and her fleeing captors. One was down, trying to get back up with the tendons at the back of his knee shredded. Goon number two was batting at a diving Kanjee as the bird did his best to help his companion.

  I started staggering once again after them. My side was already starting to feel better, but I suspected that the bullet to my chest probably took a good chunk of me with it as it exited out of my back.

  Kanjee went down suddenly. The soldier who’d been swiping at him got lucky and his fist clipped Kanjee’’s wing. He hit the
ground hard, landing flat on his back and cawing fiercely up at his assailant as he clawed the air, trying to right himself. The thug grinned viciously as he took a step forward and raised his foot to stomp the life from the huge bird. Fangs’ howling warcry ripped the air once again as he launched himself at the guy standing over Kanjee. Forty five pounds of enraged savannah cat hit the man with blurring speed.

  It was enough force to unbalance the vampire and send him toppling to the ground. Fang’s rode him down. His claws and teeth tore at the man in a frenzy.

  The first of the abductors Fangs had taken down was back up to his knees by the time I got there. My kukri did its usual efficient job of head removal as I ran past. I had no choice but to continue on past Fangs and Kanjee if I was going to have any shot at catching the last abductor. I just hoped Fangs could keep his opponent occupied long enough for help to arrive.

  I ran through a breezeway that separated two of the school’s buildings. The soldier carrying Sara like a sack of grain was almost to the parking lot. A small cargo van sat by itself in the empty lot, shrouded in the darkness between two streetlights. My legs moved desperately as I staggered on, trying to close the distance. I knew it would take a couple of seconds for him to get her in the van before he could drive off. That would give me the chance I needed. All the sudden, pain exploded in the back of my head and the world went black.