What Evils Lurk in the Hearts of Men DNS

by Black, Mychael

“Karl Jerrik is searching for the key to unlock the daywalker trait,” Riley said. “If I give myself up, he will be under the illusion that he has the upper hand. That is where all of you come in.”

  “We won't let you down,” Erich said. “Lane will remain in touch with you, as I will with Detective Pierce. Just be careful. Karl Jerrik isn't stupid.”

  “I will be. Make sure you stay under protective cover until you're inside. The sun will be out by then.”

  With the plan set in stone, the others headed out, leaving Riley, Jonah, Erich, and Lane. Riley handed Lane his knives, earning a glare from Jonah.

  “They're going to search us,” Riley said. “I'm not about to give them a reason to not let us inside.”

  “So we're going in there unarmed.”

  “Not if we play our cards right. Karl Jerrik knows daywalkers are strong, but he has no idea how strong we really are. Trust me, Jonah.”

  Jonah sighed. “I do.”

  “We'll be waiting,” Lane said, slipping Riley's knives into the inner pockets of his coat. “Jonah, stay in constant contact with Erich.”

  “Will do.”

  They all left the room and Riley and Jonah went out to where one of the black, unmarked cars sat. They got in and the driver -- an agent in civilian dress -- pulled out of the parking lot. When Jonah's fingers wrapped around his, Riley gave them a squeeze. He had no clue if this plan would even work. Jerrik had plenty of vampires under his command, and one wrong move could prove disastrous.

  The drive into the mountains took less time than Riley thought it would, and before he knew it, they'd arrived outside a tall, electronic gate. A guard approached the car and shined a light inside the driver's window.

  “Mr. Jerrik will be very interested in what my passenger has to offer.”

  “Ja?” The guard flashed the light into the backseat once the window rolled down. Riley smiled, showing the man his fangs. The guard narrowed his eyes and waved them through.

  The window went back up just as the car stopped in the circular driveway. A building of gray stone loomed over them, only a few windows dark. Riley peered into those first, but he didn't sense anything unusual. When the front door opened, an older man appeared.

  “Are you expected?”

  “Not exactly,” Riley said. “But I'm sure Mr. Jerrik will see us.”

  The man huffed but allowed them entry anyway. He gestured to a side room as he closed the door. “Wait in there.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Sir?”

  Wulf stopped halfway to Karl's office and turned.

  “What is it?”

  “There are two men who wish to see Mr. Jerrik.”

  “Who are they?”

  “I don't know, but they are in the receiving room.”

  Greatly intrigued, if a little unnerved, Wulf headed back in the opposite direction he'd been going. There had been no announcements of visitors. When he stepped into the receiving room, he found two men sitting on one of the couches.

  “Karl Jerrik?”

  “Nein.”

  One of the men stood, but didn't approach him. “I believe Mr. Jerrik is looking for something I have.”

  Realization hit Wulf like a ton of bricks the second the man smiled, fangs in full view. “Please, come with me,” he said in his best English. He spun on his heel, sensing the men followed. He led them to Karl's office door, then knocked. When Karl bade him to enter, Wulf opened the door wide. The expression on Karl's face would've been comical under any other circumstance.

  “Do come in,” Karl said, standing from behind his desk.

  The two men entered and Wulf shut the door behind them, discreetly flicking the lock. The younger of the two spoke first.

  “I've come to offer you something you've been searching for,” the man said. “Provided you meet my demand to immediately stop all killings.”

  One of Karl's eyebrows rose and he smirked. “I'm impressed,” he said. “I had not expected you to show up so abruptly. What is your name?”

  “Riley.”

  Karl nodded. He glanced at the other man, then returned his attention to Riley. “You realize you will not leave here 'alive', so to speak.”

  Riley didn't seem at all surprised. “I'm fully aware of that. We both are. It's a small price to pay in exchange for the lives of countless others.”

  “What makes you think I will end my little farming venture?”

  “Because as a daywalker, I have the ability to kill you--and your henchman here--with no effort. What good is my blood if you aren't alive to use it?”

  “Agreed.”

  “Then you will cease all killing.”

  Karl nodded. “I will do so.” He gestured for Riley and his companion to sit in the two chairs. “Please, make yourselves comfortable.” Once the brothers were seated, Karl motioned to Wulf. “Wulf, bind them.”

  Wulf moved quickly, lashing each man to his chair.

  Neither struggled, and Wulf glanced at Karl. The mortal didn't seem the least bit worried. Wulf shoved away the nagging feeling in his gut and stepped back.

  “Tell me,” Karl said as he removed a black box from one of the bottom shelves along the wall, “how does it feel to walk in the sun and know you will never succumb to it?”

  “In truth, I prefer the night,” Riley said.

  “I see.” Karl drew out a syringe with a rather thick needle. “Personally, I look forward to doing so, with your strength, of course.” Before Riley could so much as blink, Karl plunged the needle into the side of the vampire's neck.

  Riley's companion jerked, but didn't say a word. Karl continued to draw Riley's blood, but Wulf didn't like the way the other man stared at them. When the needle filled, Karl withdrew it. The puncture wound healed on its own. Karl stepped back.

  “Show our guests to their rooms.”

  Wulf untied both men and unlocked the office door.

  Four guards entered and escorted Riley and his companion out. Only when the door shut once more did Karl speak again.

  “Drain them. I want every last drop of their blood.”

  “What about you?” Wulf asked, nodding toward the syringe full of daywalker blood.

  Karl smiled and crooked a finger. “That is where you come in.” The mortal tipped his head, baring his throat.

  “Drain me--then feed his blood to me.”

  Wulf licked his lips at the expanse of flesh before him. He pressed close and nuzzled Karl's neck. Karl groaned softly and his free hand cupped the back of Wulf's head. Without waiting for further invitation, Wulf bit. Karl gasped, the mortal's entire body going rigid between Wulf and the desk. Wulf drank, waiting for Karl's heartbeat to stutter, then he bit harder. Fingers tightened in his hair and he didn't stop until Karl went limp in his arms.

  He pulled the plunger from the end of the syringe and poured the contents into Karl's mouth. Karl's body sagged a few minutes later, and Wulf placed him on the floor. He hadn't turned anyone before, but he'd seen it done. All he could do now was wait.

  ***

  The guards locked the stainless steel manacles, then walked back out, the door locking behind them. Jonah tested the cuffs and grumbled.

  “Now how the hell do we get out?”

  “Remember how I said some of my abilities are learned?”

  “Yeah, but I don't see how that's gonna help us--”

  Jonah's jaw nearly hit the floor as his brother's body dissolved into black mist. “What the fuck?”

  The mist, free of the manacles, reformed in front of Jonah. “Shh. I'll be back.”

  Jonah didn't bother to argue. He just watched, utterly speechless, while Riley faded into mist again. The blackness drifted toward the door, then slipped effortlessly under it. “How the fuck does he do that shit?”

  ***

  Riley floated along the dark hallway, wary of guards.

  While humans would never notice him in the darkness, vampires could sense the energy shifting. He stopped at a junction and found one of the guard
s who'd locked their room door. With no one else around, Riley knew it was his only chance. He took his own shape again, then grabbed the vampire's head. Before the man could so much as move, Riley snapped the guard's neck, then ripped the head from the shoulders to avoid any chance of healing. Blood splattered on the walls and floors, and Riley tossed the head down the hall. He found the keys and ran back to the room.

  He got the door unlocked and threw it open. Jonah's eyes widened just in time for Riley to remember he had blood all over himself.

  “Don't ask.” Riley freed Jonah, then grabbed his brother's hand. “We have to get the fuck out of here. By now, Jerrik should be turned.”

  “Erich and the others are surrounding the perimeter now,” Jonah said.

  “Good. We need to get to Jerrik.”

  They raced along the hallway, which was surprisingly devoid of any other guards. Riley skirted the remains of the one he'd killed, and Jonah didn't say a word. When they reached another door, Riley spotted Lane and Erich, along with the other agents, moving into position. Riley caught Lane's gaze, then nodded.

  At the same time, they all converged on Jerrik's office. The door banged open on its hinges, and Riley skidded to a stop.

  “Who the fuck?”

  Riley crouched and checked the body on the floor.

  “Wulf. Poor bastard actually thought Jerrik gave a shit, I imagine.”

  “Where is Jerrik?” Jonah asked.

  Riley glanced around and noticed a second door. “Try that way.”

  Erich and Lane went through the door with Erich's agents. Riley stood and, with Jonah, followed. The scent of fresh blood mingled with the stench of old, the farther down the metal stairs they went. Riley had a bad feeling about the whole damn thing.

  “Shit!”

  One of the agents caught the railing just before he fell. The human agents shone their flashlights, though Riley and his fellow vampires certainly didn't need it.

  “My God...” Jonah whispered. “What the hell is this?”

  Vats full of blood sat in intervals along the length of the corridor, while a trough ran along the middle, blood flowing at a steady pace. Riley spun around and headed toward the source.

  “Jonah, Erich, take half and find out where it leads!”

  Lane and the other agents joined Riley. “The blood farm, you think?”

  “I know.”

  Riley followed the trough, the scent growing much stronger. It ended at an opening in the wall. Riley jerked open the door beside it, then ran up the steps. “He's up here.”

  “Riley, we've got nothing here.”

  “I know,” Riley said silently to Jonah. “We found him.

  Get your ass here now.”

  The steps ended in a cavernous room. Riley fought the urge to retch at the smell of rotten flesh. The mortal agents weren't so lucky. He glanced at Lane, who looked just as horrified. All around them, suspended by various methods, bodies hung from the walls. Many of them were unrecognizable due to the extent of decay.

  “I know, it truly smells awful.”

  Riley snapped his attention to the far end of the room.

  A figure stepped from the shadows.

  “It's why I never bothered to come down here. My vampires did the dirty work, so to speak.” Karl Jerrik, fangs glistening with fresh blood. “Did I mention how glorious it is to feel this?”

  The ceiling opened up as Jonah burst into the room.

  Sunlight blinded them all. Riley whirled around to warn Erich. “Stop!”

  Erich skidded to a halt, but not before his left forearm burned. He hissed and stepped back into the shadows, clutching his blistered arm. Jerrik appeared intrigued, but returned his attention to Riley.

  “Come now,” Jerrik said. “The sun is such a grand thing.”

  He reached into the darkness, then jerked someone into the light. It was Lindsey, the woman they'd rescued before. She shrieked as her skin sizzled and smoked, but Jerrik's grip proved too strong for her to escape. Riley rushed them both, only barely noticing Jonah beside him. He slammed into Jerrik and Lindsey broke free.

  Riley heard Jonah shout his name, but nothing mattered now beyond tearing Karl Jerrik apart.

  Jerrik fought with every ounce of the power he'd stolen. He closed his hands around Jerrik's throat, the vampire shouting hoarsely. Claws dug into Riley's arms, but he refused to let go. Jerrik's eyes grew wider, his skin deathly pale where Riley squeezed, the bones inside crushing into tiny pieces. Then Riley struck.

  Karl Jerrik screamed as blood flooded Riley's mouth.

  He tore away abruptly, leaving mangled flesh and bone where Jerrik's throat had been. Riley's favorite knife came down a split second later. Riley scrambled backward, heedless of the mess, as he watched his brother hack and saw Jerrik's head from his shoulders.

  Jonah tossed the head to the side, then Riley's knife followed. Riley crawled over and Jonah shocked him with a hard kiss. “If you ever fucking do that shit again, I will kill you myself.”

  The threat surprised a laugh out of Riley. “Deal.”

  “Yeah, he's dead,” Erich said into an earpiece.

  “Round up the rest of the vampires. The humans most likely need medical treatment, if there are any left.”

  Riley slumped against Jonah and stared at the dead vampire before them. “That went better than I expected.”

  “I'm just glad it's fucking over,” Jonah muttered. “I need a damn shower.”

  “How's Lindsey?”

  “In pain, but Lane said he can help.” Jonah sighed.

  “Can we go home yet?”

  “God, I hope so.”

  Chapter Nine

  “She's going to be in recovery for a bit.”

  “At least vampires heal fast,” Jonah said.

  Lane nodded. “True, but the burns were extensive.

  She'll be fine, though. I assume you two are heading back to the States?”

  “Tomorrow night, yeah.” Riley grinned. “I have the feeling we'll be going alone.”

  Erich stepped up behind Lane, surprising him with his arms around Lane's waist. “I hope so.”

  Lane smiled and leaned back. “We're giving it another shot.”

  Jonah chuckled and shook his head. “I should have seen this one coming.”

  “I'm sure Arcanum can function without me,” Lane said. He reached up and back, arm curling around Erich's neck. He tipped his head and shivered when Erich kissed the side of his neck.

  “I think that's our cue to vacate,” Jonah laughed. He stood and drew Riley with him toward the door. “We'll see you two before we head out tomorrow night.”

  Lane barely managed to wave before Erich bit down.

  Lane's knees threatened to buckle, but the strong arms around him kept him upright. Sensations rushed through his body, each one surging with every pull Erich made on his throat. Lane hadn't expected this when he arrived in Germany. Hell, he'd never meant for them to get back together. However, he wasn't about to complain, either.

  “Stay with me,” Erich whispered as he lapped at the wounds to close them.

  “I'm all yours...” Lane turned in Erich's arms. He stared into eyes he never thought he'd see again. “I always have been.”

  Erich smiled and brushed Lane's cheek with the backs of his fingers. “There's something I should have said a long, long time ago.”

  “What?”

  A soft kiss pressed to Lane's lips. “Ich liebe dich.”

  Warmth suffused Lane and it took a few seconds before he found his voice. “I love you, too.”

  ***

  Jonah barely let the door close and lock before he grabbed Riley and jerked him close. “Is retirement a possibility?”

  Riley laughed in between kisses, his fingers working Jonah's pants open. “Do you really want to talk about work right now?”

  “No.” Jonah groaned as his brother's fingers grasped his cock and squeezed. “Riley...”

  “What do you want?” Riley murmured, pumping slow
enough to drive Jonah absolutely mad.

  “Fuck me.”

  Riley grinned and kissed him hard. “My pleasure, believe me.” He released Jonah and pushed him toward the bed. Then he started stripping. “On your back, though. I want to watch.”

  Harder than he thought possible, Jonah got undressed as fast as he could. Then he lay down on the bed. Riley parted his thighs and hovered over him. Their cocks just barely brushed alongside each other, the tease almost too much. Jonah groaned and spread his legs more.

  “Now.”

  “Bossy.”

  Riley grabbed the lube off the table, slicked two fingers, then circled Jonah's hole with them. Jonah drew his legs up, hands behind his knees. The second Riley's fingers breached his body, Jonah gasped, eyes rolling back. Riley growled softly, working him open. Jonah rode his brother's fingers, his cock leaking all over his stomach.

  “Ready?” Riley withdrew at Jonah's nod, then pushed his cock in deep.

  “Riley!”

  Riley hooked Jonah's legs up over his shoulders, then started fucking him hard. Jonah moaned and writhed, every thrust going deeper, Riley's hips grinding into Jonah's ass. Jonah got a hand between their bodies and stroked his own cock in time to Riley's thrusts.

  “Oh, fuck...fuck...”

  Jonah panted. He caught Riley's gaze and lost all control. Back bowing, hips jerking, Jonah came hard enough to see stars. Riley shouted his name and slammed into him, cock pulsing thick and hot in Jonah's ass.

  Several moments passed before either of them bothered to move. Riley eased out and rolled over. Jonah managed to find his shirt and cleaned them both, then pulled Riley close. They'd been through hell and back in the past few days. Just before he started to drift off, Jonah chuckled.

  “What?”

  He kissed Riley's hair and hugged his brother tighter.

  “Maybe retirement isn't such a bad idea, after all.”

  But...that was something they could deal with later.

  Much later.