by C.M. Owens
***
Tessa hunched lower, out of the men’s way. Neither she nor Jewel wanted anything to do with the fighting. She'd be happy to leave that part to the men. Between the cold temperature and the sinister location, her shakes hadn't eased. The absence of smells also bothered her. It was probably too cold for any to linger. Fans hummed in the background, an ominous reminder of the industrial level of this place.
She listened as footsteps came closer. Her father's fangs slid out. Tessa winced. He had some seriously long fangs. It came with his age and vampire lineage. She blinked.
And missed it.
It was over so quickly, so quietly, she didn’t understand what had happened until her father dragged the guy around the cart to her side. "Is he dead?" she whispered hoarsely. She winced at her father's glare. She'd take that as a yes. "That’s the short older guy from the house," she whispered. "He was with the really big pudgy guy. The big guy must be here too."
David groaned. "Why do the bad guys always come in extra large sizes?"
Her father bent down. "Come on, stay focused. Your mother says there's one guard in the room with them."
"Can't Goran and the others take him down?" David asked.
"No. They are tied up, I think. She said they were restrained."
Tessa didn’t want the details, she wanted the solution. "Come on. Let’s go."
Her father led the way, with Tessa right behind him. They managed to remain undetected as they traveled along the curved wall. Coming around the corner was a different story.
"Hey. Who are you?" A man in a lab coat walked toward them.
Serus stepped forward with a genial smile to greet him. "Sorry, son. Didn’t mean to scare you. Just came to check out my investment."
"Oh." The man looked around uncertainly. "We weren’t expecting anyone today."
"No, I wasn’t supposed to make it this early. But like most things in life, change happens." Serus smiled and chills ran down Tessa’s back. She’d never seen that look on her father's face.
Her father reached out as if to pat the guy on the back, but his hand clamped around the guy’s throat, pressing hard on the carotid artery. The guy slid toward the floor. Her dad caught him before that happened, then dragged him around a large laundry cart and dumped him behind it, out of sight.
"That’s two," David crowed.
Optimistic, they picked up their pace and made it around the corner to find a series of doors dotting the long wall. Tessa counted six. Two were open. "Can you tell which one Mom is in?"
"No. Just that she’s here somewhere. She's waiting for an opportunity to move on their guard, too."
"Good." David slipped around in front of them and casually opened the first door. He stuck his head in and pulled back. "Empty, except for long rows of beds."
They slipped down to the second door, with David once again opening it. He motioned for someone to go in with him. Cody followed him inside. Tessa and Jewel stared at each other wide-eyed when they heard muffled noises. Then David and Cody came back out. Something had changed. If they were Native Americans, then it would be like they went through a manhood ritual of some kind. There was a thirst in their eyes but they were calm, standing tall and straight. Tessa shook her head and smiled.
"Another one down."
The next door was open. A woman sat at a desk looking over sheets of paper stacked beside her. The men all looked at Tessa. Her eyes widened. "What?"
David answered. "It’s a woman; we don’t want to have to hurt her."
"But I do?" Shaking her head, Tessa dragged Jewel in behind her.
"Hello." The woman jumped up. "What are you doing here? Get out. No one is allowed down here." As Tessa steadily approached, the woman pulled out a phone. "I’m calling security."
"I don’t think so." Jewel hissed, her fangs sliding out as the other woman bared hers.
"You bitch."
Tessa picked up the chair as the woman went for Jewel. She crashed it down on her head.
The nurse crumpled. Tessa bent down, picked up the cell phone, and removed the woman’s set of keys from her pocket. Grinning, the girls made a fast exit and locked the door behind them. They were greeted by looks of respect when they faced the males again.
"Wow."
Tessa held up the keys. "Thought we might need these."
They raced to the next door to find it locked. Tessa tried several keys before finding the right one. She quickly unlocked the door and looked inside.
Her mother lay crumpled on the floor, her legs and arms tied behind her. Tessa ran in. "Mom! Are you okay?"
"Look out!"
Shit. Tessa had forgotten there was a guard. Spinning around, she barely saw Goran launch himself at the guard. Arms tied together, his fingers around the guard's neck. Serus stepped up, blocking Tessa's view. The guard slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Tessa shuddered and raced to her mother's side to make sure she was all right. She wrapped her in a warm hug.
"Honey, I’m so glad to see you."
Serus joined them and quickly undid the bindings to help his wife to her feet. "Take it easy when you stand up. It’s going to be painful as the blood moves through your limbs." He supported her gently, the love for his wife naked on his face. She gasped and leaned into his strength. With his arms around her, they looked so intimate that Tessa turned away to give them some privacy.
Goran wrapped an arm around Cody’s shoulders. His voice shook with emotion as he said, "Thanks, son."
"Hey Dad. I think you missed our meeting?"
They grinned at each other.
Serus looked at him over Rhia’s head. "We’ve taken out three men and one woman. How many more?"
Goran frowned. "Of those we know of, one badass, one unknown, and one of us. I’m going to kick that boy’s arse something fierce when I catch up to him."
"Jacob?" Tessa spun around at his comment.
Almost backing up in surprise, Goran glared at her. "You know about him?"
"I saw him talking to strangers when he shouldn’t have been – at one of the vampire holdings." She glanced toward the open door. "Is he here?"
"I don’t know. Saw him a while ago. Dumb punkass kid."
"If you can travel, we need to get going." Tessa shot Goran a questioning look.
He glared at her. "I amalwaysready to get down to business."
"Easy, Dad, Tessa’s had a hard day."
"Like how," snorted David, easing back to the front door. "My kid sister was kidnapped and when they gave her back to us she had this Wonder Woman thing going on."
Tessa grinned, pride straightening her spine. "Yeah, Wonder Woman. That’s me.Not."
Her mother reached over and gave her a quick hug. "I really want to get away from whatever the hell is going on here. We are not enforcers."
"Enforcers?"David turned back to face her, the question written all over his face. "Weren’t they like a vampire army that kept the peace among the clans?"
"They were. There are only a few of them left. Without the need for their skills any longer, they’ve pretty much disbanded."
"That’s too bad. That’s exactly who we need right now." Cody turned to face his dad. "Do you know any of them we could call for help?"
Goran hesitated. "Maybe, but there’s no guarantee they’d be on our side and not with this lot." He nodded out to the warehouse and its gruesome contents. "They believe human blood makes them fierce hunters." He exchanged grim looks with Serus. "Have you considered them?"
Serus glanced down at Rhia, who was gathered up tight in his arms. "No, I haven’t, and honestly, that thought is enough to make me want to pack up my family and run. That means there’s a war ahead. For all of us – with humans becoming the discarded, undervalued casualties."
"I don’t understand."
Tessa and David stared at each other. "You’re saying these old enforcers could be behind this factory?"
"Or they could be the beneficiaries of the blood."
Tessa’s eyes wi
dened. "But how many are there? Surely they couldn’t consume this quantity?"
"Not unless someone is building an army of them."
***
Jared couldn’t stop his legs from trembling. He wouldn't make it out of the room in this condition. His feet had turned to mini glaciers.
There. Noise sounded next door to him. Footsteps approached.
He waited, his fingers tense on the makeshift weapon.
"The next door is open, I’ll check it out."
"I’m coming, too," a female voice said.
Jared closed his eyes and prayed. He didn’t want to die. But he really didn't want to endure this undead existence.
The footsteps sounded closer. A tall male entered, followed by a shorter one.
Jared swung. Hard.
"Ouch." Both men spun around. The pole bounced harmlessly off the first man's arm. Jared watched in horror as fangs slid down. He kicked out, helpless, as he was picked up and tossed onto his bed. His head bounced twice before he slid to the floor. So great was his disappointment, he barely felt the pain. He'd failed.
Jared lay staring up at the ceiling, defeated. He had no more energy for a second attempt. It was all over.
"Wait."
Jared heard a female voice. Almost recognized it. Then everything started to waver in front of him. The next thing he knew, Tessa was bending over him, a huge smile on her face. "Jared," she cried. "We found you."
He smiled at the vision. She’d dyed her hair again. And, damn, did she look good.
Just like an angel should.
He closed his eyes and let unconsciousness wash over him.
***
"You hurt him," Tessa accused Cody in outrage. "Why did you do that?"
"Because he beaned me with this." Cody held up the IV pole and shook it at her. "Besides, I hardly touched him. I just threw him onto the bed."
Tessa looked from the pole to him and sighed. "Okay, so you were justified in defending yourself. But look at him. He looks terrible."
Then she stopped and took a closer look. "Actually, he doesn’t look all that bad. They must be giving him vitamin injections or something."
Her mother dropped to the floor beside Jared. "This is the boy?" she asked as her hands ran over him quickly, looking for injuries.
"Yes, he’s the one." Tessa chewed on her bottom lip. She wished he’d wake up. They weren’t out of danger yet. She'd like to get a long way away before someone else came along. "Is he going to be okay?"
"I’m sure he will be."
Tessa glanced out the doorway to the macabre laundry line of hanging humans. "They were going to hang Jared up like those other people, weren't they? Put him in a plastic bag and turn him into a milking machine?" Anger burned inside, overwhelming the relief of finding Jared safe. They'd almost been too late. Look at what these animals had put him through. Put her through, for that matter.
Angry tears filled her eyes. She wiped them away.
"It’s all right, honey. We found him in time.Youfound him. You did good."
Tessa sniffled. She was so tired. And it wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. There were still a few assholes here to find and deal with, and all these poor humans to help. "Mom, will taking these people down kill them? Or do you think Taz might be able to save them? At least some of them?"
Rhia glanced at the rows and rows of suspended blood donors, then looked away quickly. A shudder rippled over her. "I don’t know sweetheart. I hope he can."
"If they’ve been up there for a long time, their muscles won’t work anymore, will they?" Tessa's voice thickened at the thought.
"They’d probably have to recover slowly, like a patient waking up after being in a long coma."
Tessa ran her hand over her face. "I guess the professionals will have to make that decision. They can't stay like this. It's obscene. They’re the real living dead."
"You think they'd be better off dead?" Rhia studied Tessa’s face. "I can see how most people would believe that." She glanced back at the men who’d finished checking the other rooms and were slowly returning to the group. Lowering her voice, she added, "This has been a hard couple of days for you, honey. But as tough as it's been, you've grown…matured. You've really come into yourself. And I, for one, am very proud of you."
Tessa's eyes filled with tears again. Her emotions were so close to the surface now. She smiled as she stared down at Jared, still lying on the cold floor. "I couldn't do anything less."
"And that's the change I see. I'm sorry it came through such painful circumstances, but you are better for it."
With a sniffle and a half smile of thanks, Tessa looked around. "He’s really cold. Isn't there anything warm he could wear?"
David piped up. "We found a storeroom with a bunch of clothing. Any idea of his size?"
Tessa shrugged.
But her mother leaned over with an assessing eye and said, "I wouldn’t worry about size too much. Better go with large. Get something warm with long sleeves. Oh, and make sure to look for socks, too." She busied herself with an extra blanket and tucked it around him. Placing the back of her hand against his forehead, she frowned again. "Serus, can you lift this boy back onto the bed? I don’t like his color."
Tessa cried out, "What’s wrong?"
Her mom reached over and pulled her out of the way. "I don’t know what they’ve been giving him, but he could be going through withdrawal from their drugs."
"Oh no." Too upset to say anything else, Tessa watched as her father bent down, scooped up Jared like he was a four-year-old, and carried him across the room to a clean bed.
David arrived with an armload of clothes. Rhia pushed Tessa and David out. "Serus, help me get him dressed, please. This boy is freezing."
Outside, Tessa wandered back and forth, refusing to look at the rows of humans hanging among the crazed network of tubing and piping. A weird pumping suction noise made her bones cold. The sound had something to do with the blood collection system. She so didn't want to know any more about that.
"Are you all right?" David walked up and hooked his arm through hers. "We found Mom and him thanks to you."
A wan smile appeared. "And to all of you. I can’t believe all this." She motioned to the mess around them. "So ugly. Shameful. Ihatethat our people created this."
He raised an eyebrow at her phrasing. "I know. I’m not feeling very proud either. Just remember, it’s notus. There are bad humans and bad vampires."
She closed her eyes and felt herself sway gently.
"Hey. Stay awake. There’s still a lot to be done."
A sudden thought hit her. "We still have to find the other guards too, don't we? Not to mention check on the ones we knocked out earlier. I don't want them to wake up and come after us." She spun around. "What are the chances that pudgy guy has gone for reinforcements?"
"Calm down. There are a lot more of us now. We can do this. Goran has gone with Cody, Jewel, and Ian to look for other vamps and move the ones we've already captured into a locked room. Mom and Jared can’t take much more. Not sure you can either." He studied her face, frowning. "You’re exhausted. But I have to tell you, you’ve done a fine thing these last two days, and I’m really proud of you."
Tessa stared at him. His words slowly penetrated the fog in her brain. She smiled slowly, brilliantly, some of her fatigue melting away at his words. "Thanks. It’s nice to hear."
"You deserve it. I’m not sure how you knew to kick the doors or how you can see this energy stuff… I’m just glad you had the skills to put into use when we needed them." He shook his head as if remembering her actions.
She grinned. "The kicks were easy. I was just mad. The energy stuff is something I’ve always seen. It never occurred to me that I saw things differently from you. My skills, as you call them, never showed up before because there was no need for them. I haven’t been trying to develop my vampire abilities because, well, I didn’t think I had any to develop."
"Jared owes you a lot. I’d never have b
elieved this…" David waved his arm around, adding, "If you’d just told me. I’m glad I’m here to see it for myself."
"And I wish I’d never seen it. Chances are it will remain in my nightmares for decades."
"Mine too, Tessa. Mine too," he added softly. Wrapping his arms around her, he tugged her in for a brotherly hug. "Let’s go check on Jared."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Cody strode down the south side of the warehouse at his father’s side. He couldn’t help but feel a little cocky after rescuing his old man. Kinda made him feel like an equal. Ian strode along on the other side of his father, quiet as always. Jewel was almost running at Cody's other side to keep up. She was one of the rare short vampires. But then Jewel was unique in other ways. Like her coloring. Her hair was more charcoal-colored than jet black.
And Jewel had a big heart. She'd accompanied them on this search to give David's family time together. He could understand that. He wanted to put some distance between him and Tessa, too.
He was still pissed off over getting hit by her friend Jared. At the same time, he had to admire a guy willing to fight when he was so drugged he could hardly stand. Cody frowned. Jared’s health was in question, if he’d read Rhia’s expression correctly. Tessa would be devastated if anything happened to him at this point.
And Cody wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Tessa was only sixteen…okay, almost seventeen. David had mentioned her upcoming birthday was just a couple weeks away. Was she too young for him? At least right now? With vampires living for centuries, age stopped being a factor once they became adults. Still, Tessa was a long way from being an adult. These last few days, he'd had a chance to understand her, gain some insights into her weird I-want-to-be-human thing she'd had going on before. He figured she’d let most of that go now.
In fact, she looked and acted more like a vampire pureblood than most of them did.
She wore it well. And had she suddenlydevelopedovernight? Where had that figure come from? She almost popped out of her shirt or whatever that thing was called. He'd caught himself watching, waiting for just that to happen. He shook his head. Stupid.
"What’s bothering you?" His father nudged his shoulder.
Like he was going to tell the truth. Cody shrugged. "Just this whole mess. We seriously need to find out what’s going on here and who the ringleaders are."
"I know. This has Moltere’s touch. But he can't be working alone. That brings up the possibility of a human accomplice…or many of them. And given the size of the operation, we have to consider that Council members all over the world could also be involved."
