Kaitlyn Strong Books 1-3: The Complete First Trilogy

by Art DeForest

  Deacon picked up my luggage and took it out to join his own on a luggage cart as I grabbed my makeup case out of the bathroom and joined them.

  We were soon parked back in front of Lycan Headquarters and heading through the front doors. The reaction from the people in the bar today was mixed to say the least. Apparently not everyone in the room was okay with the fact that I killed two of their pack last night. There we’re still a few nods and waves from the people I had become acquainted with while I studied the ways of the blood shaman with Sara, but there was a substantial group off in a corner that had murder in their eyes. Evan’s group of friends were going to hold a grudge for a while.

  Sara and Jake were at their usual spots at the bar as we approached. I smiled in greeting as I looked around the bar. “So, where’s this ambassador we’re supposed to be picking up?” I asked.

  Jake, looking a bit disgruntled, nodded his head in Sara’s direction. “The other Alpha’s think that Sara here is the best person for the job.”

  I looked at Sara in surprise. “Not that I don’t think you’re qualified, but I thought the plan was to separate and make it harder for the assassins to get us?”

  “The other Alphas seemed to think that I was best suited to represent their combined interests since I don’t swear allegiance to any specific pack. They also believe my vampiric abilities will aid me in my association with the Council.” She replied.

  Deacon looked troubled. “There are some on the Council, even as it exists now, that may still carry grudges from the past.”

  Sara killed a lot of vampires in the past. She was the weapon her people called on throughout the settlement of the America’s to protect them from the monsters that had come over with the european settlers. There was little enough she could do to stop the overwhelming tide of humanity from across the sea, but with her combat abilities, magic and healing powers, she managed to keep her people from extinction at the hands of monsters and disease. As her own people dwindled, Sara had found a home amongst the lycans, She had forged a merging of the european packs looking for space to run with the native american packs trying to remain hidden and not be swept away by the influx of new people. It was largely because of her that the lycans were the force they were today. They, in turn, kept her safe.

  Sara nodded gravely at Deacon’s remark. “I know there are still hard feelings about the past. We must resolve that, however. If the Council and the Lycans are to become true allies against the Abandonados and their cronies, I must be allowed to work in the open. Settling this issue first will make a great stride in the direction of unity.”

  “Did you practice that speech in a mirror?” I asked with a snort. “You sound like a politician already.”

  Sara actually blushed. “You did!” I said, laughing and pointing at her. “You did practice in the mirror.”

  Sara smiled and swatted at my extended finger before pointing her nose in the air haughtily. “I knew that the issue would arise. I simply wished to be prepared.” She said, looking at me sidelong.

  Deacon nodded seriously at her remark however, not getting involved in the byplay. “What you say is true.” He said with a sigh. “We’ll simply have to make any who become irrational see reason.”

  “Well, now that that’s settled. I believe you folks have a plane to catch.” Said Jake a bit dolefully.

  Sara walked around the bar and gave Jake a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be back soon.” she said with a smile.

  As she headed into the back to get her things I looked around, suddenly noticing that Marcus wasn’t here. “Where’s Marcus?” I asked

  Jake looked at me with a knowing look on his face. “He said something about having to follow up on a lead for a case he’s working on.”

  That made sense, I supposed. He was a Denver Police Detective after all. I was a little disappointed that he couldn’t find time to see us off though. “Oh well, duty calls.” I said, trying to hide my disappointment.

  Why was I so disappointed though? Marcus and I had only known each other a few weeks, but we’d become good friends. Yeah….friends. That’s a good word that you don’t have to examine too closely. Refocusing on Jake, I leaned across the bar and gave him a hug. “I’ll be back too.” I said with a smile.

  He hugged me back and gave me a knowing wink. “You’ll be missed.”

  ++++

  Kanjee wasn’t to sure if he liked flying without using his own wings and fluttered about the cabin of the G5 we were taking back to New York. He landed briefly on the back of the seat that was currently occupied by Fangs. Fangs was handling the flight like an old pro, curled up on the seat looking bored. Boredom he decided to alleviate by taking a playful swing at Kanjee.

  Kanjee squawked and hopped to the next seat. “Stupid cat, stupid cat.” he cawed, staring beadily at Fangs. Fangs, for his part laid back down with a superior look on his face.

  Smiling at their antics, I looked over to where Sara sat across from me. “You’re going to stay at my place right? Wouldn’t want to separate the dynamic duo there.” I said gesturing over at our familiars.

  Before she could reply, Deacon interrupted. “I don’t think it wise for either of you to stay at your apartment, Kaitlyn.”

  “Why not?” I said with a scowl. “Sara and I have already proved we’re more than a match for some hired thugs. Add in these two,” I said, gesturing at Fangs and Kangee and we can take on a small army.”

  “The location of your apartment is known. You may well find yourself facing a large army if you stay there.” He said with a scowl.

  “Right.” I said sarcastically. “A large army of Abandonados are going to attack an apartment located in a secure building in the middle of Manhattan, the city that doesn’t sleep.”

  “They may well try just that.” He said “They could also ambush you anywhere along the route from there to the Council building. There are only so many routes.”

  I started to open my mouth to argue, but he overroad me. “Add to that the Abandonados complete disregard for human life and you are asking for many more deaths than just your own.”

  That argument stopped me cold. I hadn’t considered the possible collateral damage. “Wouldn’t that be the case anywhere we go?” I asked.

  “I have a place out on Long Island.” He said with a small smile. “It is secluded and has a helipad. If we stay there, we can minimize collateral damage and avoid possible ambush by flying in.”

  My thoughts turned speculative. A secluded place on Long Island that was large enough to have its own helipad. How rich was this guy? While it's true that most vampires that lived past their first century were at least moderately wealthy. That was still some high end real estate he was talking about.

  I sat thinking for a moment before cocking my head speculatively. “That gives more opportunity for a large army to get close without being noticed.” I said.

  “Yes, but it also gives us a greater opportunity to hide our actions from the general public.” Said Deacon.

  “What do you think?” I asked, looking over at Sara.

  “I think Deacon has come up with the best compromise.” She said thoughtfully “As he said, the threat of collateral damage will be greatly reduced. Are the grounds fenced, Deacon?” She asked.

  “Walled” said Deacon immediately. “Why do you ask?”

  “A walled enclosure will give our familiars greater freedom. Adding them to whatever security measures are already in place can only help give us warning in the event of an attack.”

  “Fine, fine.” I said in surrender. “Fangs doesn’t get to run around and explore much. He’ll love it.”

  5

  A few hours later, we landed at a Long Island airport and coasted towards the private terminal. I saw Deacon reach for his cell phone and power it back up. Almost immediately it blew up with text and email alerts. His brow drew down into a scowl as he thumbed through the messages. “Demetri Orlowski has been assassinated.” He said gravely. “The Council believes that
someone in his own organization was involved.”

  I winced visibly at Deacons statement. Demetri was a member of the Council and a strong ally of the Caro family who headed it. “You think that’s Antonella’s opening move?” I asked

  “It could be.” Said Deacon speculatively. “It would be bold opening move for her and the rest of House Abandonado.”

  “It’s also a very devious move.” Chimed in Sara. “If one of Demetri’s own people is involved, then suspicion and distrust could run rampant.”

  “That’s true.” Deacon said as he continued to consider the repercussions. “The houses could very well decide to isolate themselves and see to their own security, bringing further division to the Council.”

  “With modern communications, that might not be a bad idea.” I said, thinking hard. “ At least in the short term, they could continue to communicate while still being in secure facilities.”

  Deacon nodded in my direction. “That’s a good idea. I will present it if I get the chance.” He said with a slight smile. “The personal security of individual Council members is still going to be a problem if they can’t even trust the members of their own houses”

  “I think the lycans may be able to help in that regard.” said Sara. “Military and Law Enforcement are very popular with the lycan population. We also have some of the foremost security firms in the country.”

  Deacon’s face brightened briefly before taking on a more troubled aspect. “On the face of it, that seems like an ideal solution. However, we will be coming up against some long held prejudices in that regard.”

  “I am here to negotiate an open alliance with the remainder of the Council. I can see no better way to accomplish that than by showing them our value right from the start.” She said regarding Deacon seriously. “Besides, the most hidebound families have already separated from the Council.”

  “Just offer the service and see who bites.” I said shrugging my shoulders. “If another Council member dies without lycan protection, or better yet, lycan security stops an assassination attempt, you’d probably be shocked at the requests that come in.”

  “Hopefully we can present these solutions to the Council. We have been ordered to Council Headquarters as soon as possible.” Smiling crookedly, he addressed Sara. “You, of course, have not been ordered. The Council simply requests your presence, Madam Ambassador.”

  Sara gave a regal head bow. “I am at the Council’s disposal” she said loftily.

  The G5 came to a stop next to a long black limousine, parked outside a private hangar. A man in coveralls immediately came out of the hangar and started to unload our luggage from a storage compartment and placing it on a trolley before moving it to the back of the limo.

  “I didn’t anticipate being called into the Council so abruptly” said Deacon, looking concerned. “We will have to take the car into the city. I don’t believe we should have any security concerns with an unplanned trip such as this, however.”

  I nodded in agreement. “Still, it couldn’t hurt to take a few precautions.” I said, heading towards our luggage. The gentleman handling our things stopped the trolley by the trunk of the limo and stood back with a small bow as I approached. Smiling at him in thanks, I began to rummage through my things. Fangs put his front feet on the trolley and watched me curiously as I pulled out the shoulder rig holding my Kimber 1911-A1 and strapped it on. Derisive comments about ‘man hands’ aside, I was delighted my hands were big enough to handle the large semiauto. Next, I pulled out my jacket. The kukri was still safely sheathed inside it. Reaching back into my bag I also picked up two hawthorn stakes and slipped them into the breast pocket.

  Getting the idea, Deacon and Sara joined me at the trolley as Kangee came to rest on the roof of the limo. Sara’s only concession to added security was to pick up her staff. It was an ancient and polished looking hardwood staff to all outward appearances, but I’d actually seen it in use. With a grasp and a tug, almost three feet of razor sharp steel could be pulled from the base of the staff. This left Sara holding a sword in one hand and a really long stake in the other. Watching her use them was like watching a deadly ballet as she swirled through her enemies. I was certainly glad she was on my side.

  Deacon was already carrying a large dagger in a concealed sheath in his jacket and didn’t feel the need to add anything else. Having seen him work, I had to agree.

  The ride into the city was uneventful. Soon, we were pulling into the parking garage in the basement of a Manhattan highrise. To public appearance Council Headquarters was a large law firm at the top of the building. It had it’s own private express elevator to keep the Council separate from those who worked below.

  A group of well dressed vampires was standing by the elevator, talking with strained expressions on their faces. No doubt having a Council member killed could do that to a person. The members of the group glanced at us in curiosity as our strange group approached. It wasn’t often you saw people in a parking garage with a cat that looked like a pigmy leopard and a huge raven that rode sedately on a beautiful womans shoulder. After a few appraising glances however, all but one of them turned back to their conversation.

  The exception was a large vampire. He approached Deacon’s 6’ 4” height, but was slightly broader in the chest and abdomen. He looked like an old wrestler that has gone to fat a little, but still packed a lot of power. He was staring with naked hatred at Sara.

  “You!” was all he managed to get out as he charged her like a bull towards a matador. The result was remarkably similar to a bullfight as well.

  Sara’s expression didn’t even change as she gracefully sidestepped the man, sending him sprawling to the concrete floor of the parking garage. Kangee hopped off her shoulder and glided to a nearby car in what was clearly a well practiced maneuver for the duo.

  Snarling in rage, he got quickly back to his feet and turned to face her once more. “I told you I’d kill you the next time I saw you bitch.”

  “You told me a lot of things John.” Replied Sara with a serene expression on her face. “I thought you’d gotten over the incident by now. It was a long time ago.”

  “Fuck you!” He shouted as he started to take a step back toward her. “You killed my sire!”

  His advance towards Sara was brought to an abrupt halt by a unique combination of sounds as the hammer of my .45 being pulled back to its ready position was accompanied by the snarl of a Savannah Cat..

  The big vampire glared at us dismissively. “What do you think your going to do with that little girl?” he sneered. “It can’t even kill me.”

  I just gave him my brightest little girl smile. Then I shot him in the knee.

  He went down, howling in pain and rage. The group that he had been standing with were frozen in place with shocked expressions on their faces. Deacon was standing close by with his hand in his jacket, just in case. Fangs, seeing that the situation was under control, sat on his haunches and started cleaning himself indifferently.

  Sara approached the man as his screams quieted down to moans. “You hated your sire John. He was a monster and he deserved what he got. So why are you acting like an adolescent now?”

  “He was family and I swore an oath.” he grated out between clenched teeth.

  “That was over 200 years ago.” She sighed. “You obviously don’t agree with how he acted or you wouldn’t be in this building right now. It’s time to grow up and let the past go, John.”

  John continued to moan and rock back and forth on the ground as his knee healed. We heard the ding of the elevator reaching our level and trooped into the compartment as the doors opened. Kangee swooped in to land on Sara’s shoulder. The group of vampires just stared at us with mouths hanging open as we entered the elevator and let the doors close behind us.

  “So who was the guy I just kneecapped?” I asked as the elevator sped upwards.

  “That was John Frank.” She said with a sigh. “The family wasn’t as progressive as they are now. They have ex
tensive holdings in the west and we butted heads a couple of times.”

  “Butted heads.” I snorted. “Seems a little more serious than that to me. He said you killed his sire?” I said with a quizzical expression on my face.

  Sara nodded somberly. “His sire, Edward, viewed the native americans the same way the Europeans viewed the bison. “He used my people for sport, food and profit without any regard for their possible extinction.” She stared off into space she continued. “By vampire standards of the time however, he was a loved and respected head of house. It caused some serious problems with the rest of his house when I was forced to take his life. I hope they can let the past go.” She said pensively.

  We rode in silence then until the elevator dinged it’s arrival at the top floor. The doors opened out onto a large lobby. A marble clad receptionist’s desk could be seen across a vast expanse of rich pearl grey carpeting. High end works of art and heirloom quality furniture were interspersed around the room. A metal detector and uniformed security guard was situated in front of a large oak door that lead to headquarters proper.