by Lane Mason
It was dark and it took her a few minutes to recognize any landmarks. Eventually they passed over a small bridge and she knew they were almost home. She looked over at Jeffery. He was constantly checking his rearview mirror.
He’d done that frequently on the trip into town as well, but not nearly as often, and the look on his face was telling. Something was bothering him.
“What is it?” Erica asked.
Jeffery kept checking the mirror, and said, “Just a car behind us, probably nothing.”
While it may be nothing, Erica could see the tension in Jeffery’s hands and face was still there. He wasn’t as sure as he tried to sound.
When they reached a long straight stretch with a passing lane, Jeffery eased off the gas. The car behind them soon was right behind them. Erica watched as the car sat right behind them for a few moments, slowly pulled into the passing lane, and accelerated past them. The dark sedan had tinted windows, so Erica could not see the occupants, as the car pulled away.
Erica relaxed. It seemed that the car had not been following them.
The rest of the drive home went quickly, with no further headlights behind them.
As they exited the car, Erica could see Jeffery was still tense and on high alert.
“Go into the house. Call Dexter on the speed dial. Tell him that I think we might have company,” Jeffery ordered in a much deeper and raspier voice than normal.
Erica could instinctively sense that Jeffery was more bear than man when he ordered her into the house. Something was causing him to shift. She hurriedly followed his instructions and went into the house, pulling out her cell phone as she went.
...
Jeffery watched carefully as Erica entered the house. His senses tingled a tiny bit when the dark sedan had been following them, and they tingled again when the car passed them. Now it wasn’t just a sixth sense that was warning him of danger. He could smell it in the air. A vampire was in the vicinity.
There at the corner of the driveway, stood a tall blond vampire in dark clothes.
Seeing that Jeffery had spotted him, the vampire menacingly walked up the driveway, towards the house.
Jeffery’s bear blood pulsed through his body. His leg shook with adrenaline. Jeffery was no stranger to combat, but the anticipation of it always had the same effects on him. The adrenaline rush and the wave of raw emotions, as his bear side pushed its way forward. Soon he would shift and fight the vampire in his more powerful bear form.
“Why do you protect her?” asked the vampire. His cold eyes studied Jeffery.
“They are not cattle, at your disposal,” Jeffery said coldly. He would tear this vampire limb from limb.
“You, and your MBI friends, will not save the humans. They are weak and stupid. Why do you even bother? You will die for them. Look at you. You are all worked up over a pathetic little human. You are so pathetic you can’t even tell the difference between the smell of one vampire and two.”
As Jeffery processed the significance of the vampire’s words, he felt a wicked blow to the head. With a roar, Jeffery shifted fully into bear mode, his body transformed, muscles grew and claws extended. But the violent strike to the back of his head stunned Jeffery. His reaction time was slowed. The vampires took advantage and continued their attack, biting, hissing and working like a tag team.
...
From his perch on the roof, the gargoyle watched the bear shifter struggle against the two vampires. It was obvious that, if he did not intercede, the vampires would kill the bear shifter. Normally, a fight between vampires and shifters would mean nothing to the gargoyle. The affairs of the different races and breeds of paranormal beings meant little to him, except this fight was on his territory. The bear shifter was trying to protect his human. The vampires had unknowingly made a fatal error. The attack had unleashed the gargoyle. For the second time this week, Dante was able to hunter.
The gargoyle leapt from the roof, his stone wings unfolded. He sailed down to the ground, landing behind of one of the vampires. With his stone grip, the gargoyle grabbed the neck of the unsuspecting vampire and squeezed. His rock hands snapped the vampire’s neck. The gargoyle yanked the vampire’s head clean off of its body. It was the same technique he’d used against the demon, and countless other foes over the centuries. Hardly anyone took time to look above when they came to his mansion, a mistake they never lived to regret.
He turned to the second vampire, who was crouched over the neck of the wounded and downed bear. His fangs were ready to sink into the bear’s thick flesh. The vampire paused and the ground shook as the stone gargoyle advanced.
The vampire jumped up as fast as it could, running towards the gargoyle. It jumped into the air and tried to sink its fangs into the gargoyle’s neck. The gargoyle grabbed the vampire mid jump and squeezed it in a bear hug. The vampire’s sharp fangs crashed against his stone neck. The fangs snapped off and the vampire screamed in agony as the gargoyle squeezed the life out of him.
These vampires are weak, the gargoyle thought to himself. If the bear hadn’t been caught by the clever way the vampires had covered the scent of the second vampire, they likely would have been easily handled by the bear shifter. The gargoyle surmised that the vampires must have been scouts and not actual warriors. With a flap of his wings, the gargoyle returned to the roof top, satisfied that he had been once again able to do his duty. Now that the vampires had attacked his mistress, his full powers were activated. The demon lurking in the yard had started the process but the vampire attack completed it. The gargoyle’s long semi- slumber was officially over.
16
Frantically, Erica dialed Dexter. While she waited for him to answer, she locked the deadbolt.
“Hello?” Dexter said.
“Vampires,” responded Erica right away.
“Where are you?” Dexter said.
“I’m in the house. We just got home and Jeff sensed danger. He ordered me in the house and told me to use the speed dial,” Erica quickly explained. Adrenaline and fear had her heart pounding. She was terrified. Jeffery was outside and she was in the house all alone.
“Good, that is good,” Dexter said, reassuringly. “There will be help there in a few minutes. Don’t be alarmed if you see or hear wolves. You are safe in the house.”
Wolves? Oh fuck! Werewolves, thought Erica. There were werewolves on their way to help Jeffery. She gulped. “Okay, but what if something happens to Jeffery? Should I run into the woods?”
“No matter what, you don’t leave that house until help arrives. Trust me, that house is the only place you want to be,” insisted Dexter.
Suddenly Erica heard a frightening scream, like an animal slowly and painfully dying. Even Dexter could hear it over the phone.
“Remember, Erica, do not go outside,” reiterated Dexter.
Frustrated and afraid, Erica was desperate to know what was going outside. “Can I look out the window?” she Dexter asked.
Dexter thought about the request. The vampires knew she was there, so hiding was pointless. His concern was that she stay in the house, under the protection of Jeffery and equally, if not more important under the protection of the gargoyle. If the vampire attack brought Dante De Bello back to the world, Erica was as safe there as any place they could hide her. “Yes, but, stay back from the window. Let me know what you see.”
Erica carefully moved towards one of the large foyer windows that block-ended the massive oak doors. She looked outside. The yard light provided a dim yellowy glow across the driveway that gave her enough light to see into the dark night. Down the driveway, she could see three forms lying on the ground. “I see bodies,” Erica practically yelled into the phone, before realizing how loud she was. “It looks like Jeffery is in bear form and two men are down as well. Jeffery isn’t moving!” exclaimed Erica in a lower, yet still anxious voice.
“Wait for the wolves,” Dexter said. “They should be there any minute.”
Erica stared out into the night, searching for
any signs of movement. A shadow from the house seemed to flicker and move. Was her mind playing tricks on her, or had something moved on the roof?
True to Dexter’s word, it was less than a minute before Erica saw two large beasts running up the driveway. The beasts were wolves, but of a size like no wolf she had ever seen. The werewolves sniffed around the bodies, and then ran a circle around the house. A fast-moving vehicle came into sight. It sped into the driveway and screeched to a halt, feet from the prone bodies. A slender, dark-haired woman jumped out of the vehicle and ran to Jeffery’s body. The woman ran back to the SUV, grabbed a blanket and returned to Jeffery. She placed the blanket over Jeffery’s body and poured something into Jeffery’s mouth. Erica watched in awe as Jeffery shifted from bear form back to human. His body seemed to shrink and shimmer and before you could blink the transformation was over.
The two wolves returned from their surveillance of the house and walked up to the SUV. When they were at the vehicle they too shifted. In the dim light Erica could see their lean and hard naked bodies, before the first one reached into the SUV and pulled out a pair of robes. The men dressed themselves and then went to Jeffery. Together the men lifted Jeffery and started moving him towards the house.
While this transpired, Erica was giving a verbal replay to Dexter over the phone. When the men lifted Jeffery up, Dexter interrupted her.
“You can open the door now. Let Terra and the boys inside,” Dexter said.
“Okay, I am hanging up now,” Erica said before turning the cell phone off and opening the door.
The two werewolves brought Jeffery inside.
“Is he okay?” Erica said.
The woman said, “It looks like he is just unconscious. We have a shifter doctor on the way.” She turned to the two werewolves. “Take him to his bedroom,” she ordered.
The werewolves paused for a second, looking at the woman for further instruction.
Erica interjected, “Upstairs, turn right, last door on the left.”
The werewolves nodded and carried Jeffery up the stairs.
The woman turned her attention back to Erica. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. We were in the city shopping and just got home. Jeffery got out of the car and he knew they were here. He sent me in to the house to call Dexter. When I looked out the window, all three were down.”
The woman stared at Erica intently, as if Erica were to blame for Jeffery being hurt. She then nodded, “Okay, we will just have to wait for Jeffery to regain consciousness to find out the rest of the story.” The woman stuck out her hand, “I am Terra.”
Erica shook her hand, “I’m Erica.”
Terra nodded, “Oh, I know all about you. I am sorry for your loss. Jack was a beloved member of the shifter community. He helped a great many of us.”
“Thank you. I am glad he was able to help.”
The two werewolf men, naked except for the long druid-like robes they were wearing, came back down the stairs.
Terra addressed them immediately, “Duke, Stephen, Jeffery and Erica were likely followed from the city. See if you can back track the vampires. They likely have a vehicle hidden somewhere near here. Make sure it disappears, along with any other vampires that might be waiting.”
The two werewolves nodded at Terra and quickly made their way outside.
Terra took out her phone, “I’ll text Dexter, just to let him know that you are okay. He is probably pacing like a madman right now waiting to hear from us.”
Erica watched Terra tap out a message, her fingers were a blur as she texted Dexter.
Terra stopped. “Okay, let’s go check on Jeffery.”
When they entered the room, Jeffery was conscious. He looked up at them from the bed, “Erica, thank goodness you are alive!”
“Me?” Erica asked, “You are the one who looked dead. You scared the crap out of me. Thank God you killed those vampires.”
Jeffery shook his head, “I didn’t kill anything. I got my ass handed to me. I was tricked. I could smell the first vampire, but the second one must have covered his scent. I got smacked in the back of the head. I should be dead. Did the twins save me?”
“No, we found two dead vampires, with you unconscious,” said Terra.
“Hmmm, maybe one of us has a guardian angel,” Jeffery said.
Terra snorted. “Angel my ass, you know what that was.”
“Maybe,” Jeffery said with a shrug. “We can investigate that later. Right now, I think I would like some sleep. My head feels like a vampire tried to rip it off.”
“You are so funny,” said Terra, with a tone that meant she thought he was anything but funny.
Erica watched Terra and Jeffery interact, there was tension there. Sexual? Erica wanted to ask Jeffery more questions, but he was already closing his eyes.
Terra turned to Erica, “I’m going to stay here for the night.”
Definitely sexual, Erica surmised. Terra was Jeffery’s significant shifter. “Sounds good, I am going to go to bed now, too much excitement for one night.” Erica said goodnight and left Terra with Jeffery.
While Erica was ready for bed, she knew she wouldn’t be able sleep right away. Too much adrenaline from the vampire attack and too many questions rattled around in her brain. Like who saved Jeffery? Had she seen a shadow move on the roof, or had it been her imagination? How did the vampires find them? She went out on her balcony.
Lighting her cigarette, Erica looked at Garg. “I don’t suppose you can answer my questions?” Erica inhaled deeply, letting the smoke fill her lungs. The nicotine instantly started to balance her out. “No, I didn’t think so. Damn it! Garg, you are not much help at all. Sitting up here watching the whole thing, you know exactly what happened. If only you could tell me.” Erica exhaled her frustrations out with the smoke, and looked at Garg with big grey eyes searching for some sign of response from the gargoyle. “Well, if you ever decide to talk, I would really like to know who saved Jeffery and me. I would like to thank them.”
Erica stood at the rail and stared out into the night. It was weird. She felt safer here on the balcony than she did anywhere else in the building. Something about Garg made her feel safer. Maybe that was the next thing on her research list: vampires and gargoyles. Finishing her smoke, Erica was now feeling the adrenaline wear off, she was ready to crash. “Goodnight, Garg,” she said before leaving the balcony. Climbing into bed, it was difficult to just pull the covers up to her chin. She resisted burying her head under the covers like she did as a frightened child.
...
Dante was tempted to talk to Erica. But to what end? His purpose was to protect her, not be her friend. On the other hand, he longed for human interaction. It had been so long, just sitting frozen in stone, waiting. Now that vampires had attacked, he was free to roam at will. The ancient spell that allowed him to switch between gargoyle and human form had been activated. Now that a human in his home had been attacked, he was free to use his powers, all of them. The demon could’ve activated them if it had been more of a threat, or had directly attacked Erica or her shifter protector, but the magic hadn’t been active but the vampires had attacked Jeffery, the bear shifter, which had done the job. As long as Erica lived, he was once more a true guardian. No more sitting. Years upon years of waiting for one worthy of protection were over!
Dante De Bello was curious to see his home. The new surroundings of his mansion were so very different than his old estate in Italy. The times were so different from the last time he had been active. The world, with all its technology, had changed more since the last time he was awakened than it had in all the hundreds of years previously. From listening and observing, Dante had a pretty good understanding of all the changes, but hearing about change and seeing it firsthand were two different things. He missed roaming the halls of his home. He missed human interaction. His nightly conversations with Erica were interesting, but always a one-way interaction. Perhaps she would like to hear his point of view for once instead of ju
st silence?
Walking around as a human had its disadvantages as well. As a stone being he had no real deep feelings and emotions clouding his judgment. When in human form, he was just as vulnerable to emotions as were the humans around him. Anger clouded reasoning. Pity weakened resolve. Falling in love was always a danger. It was a foolish emotion, love, one that had cost him, dearly. It was love that drove him to seek out those mages and mystics in the first place.
It was love that made him surrender his own life, so that he could protect his betrothed. When she ran in fear of his stone form, there was nothing he could do to regain her love. If only she had given him time, time to learn to control his powers. Now, he understood the nature of his gift from the mages. Now he understood the ramifications of his curse. The mages had done him no favors. They did not tell him what he was truly sacrificing in the name of love. But, that was the past, there was nothing he could do about that now. Now his dilemma was the choices he faced. Stay in stone form to protect his new house guest while staying in the shadows, or reveal himself.
Dante knew that the shifters and their friends had moved his house, his mansion, in order to have him protect the woman, Erica, but that did not mean he owed them anything. He would do his duty as always, but beyond that, it was still his choice how he would go about it. It was one choice he had the power to make. He knew that he would soon have to make a decision. Soon, Erica would find out, from her research or from one of the shifters, his true nature. He could choose to ignore her, or choose to interact with her. Either way it was good to escape the forced confines of his stone perch at the corner of the mansion. There were a few shit-dropping birds he wished to squish, new surroundings to explore, and there was a desire to see his old bedroom. The fact that a beautiful woman inhabited his old room was of no consequence. At least that was what he told himself as he peered through the window where the curtains were parted.
17
