“When I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever met one, not to recognize.” I blushed. “This is going to sound like a stupid question, but is there a way you can tell that someone is a vampire just from looking at them? I mean, the Fae have a certain look to them—I know, I’ve been outed before just by my looks. Shifters, not so easy. And I never would have pegged you as half-ogre. But I don’t know much about vampires.”
Vik paused, leaning against the wall. “When they’re angry, their eyes burn crimson. Then again, a number of the undead do, as well as demons. Of course, the fangs are a dead giveaway—no pun intended. But their fangs are recessive, so they aren’t always visible.”
“They descend when they’re…hungry?”
Vik nodded. “It’s kind of like an uncontrollable arousal. When a vampire’s hungry or in predatory mode—hunting mode, if you will—their fangs descend. A lot like a guy who gets an erection. It’s hard to hide. But when a vampire is well fed, and they aren’t on the prowl, their teeth look just like yours and mine. Otherwise, there isn’t much giveaway.”
“Wonderful. And they can move around during the day, right?”
“Only if they’re out of the light. Sunlight and fire will both kill them. Fire if they’re caught in it, sunlight will burn them on contact—if they can get out of it quick enough, they’ll suffer damage but survive. If they can’t get out of it, they’ll burn to ashes. Also, they’re extremely strong, far stronger than humans. They’re stronger than most shifters, and definitely stronger than the Fae. They’re also extremely fast, and some can shift shape into wolves, rats, or bats. That’s not a given, but down here? If you see one of those, there’s a good chance you’re facing a bloodsucker. By the way, they don’t appreciate that term. Never use it to their face.”
I took note of what he was saying, filing it away for future use. If someone had told me this morning that I would be creeping through the catacombs, facing down vampires, I would have laughed in their face.
Vik motioned for me to follow him. “If we do end up in a fight, you may need this.” He reached back, holding a silver stake in his hand. “I know the Fae can use silver, so you should be able to hold this.”
I silently took the stake, tucking it through one of my belt loops. After a moment, I thought of a couple other questions.
“Is it true that you need to hit them through the heart with it? And will any sort of stake work? I mean, what if all you have is a broken chair leg or a dagger?”
“Silver works best. Vampires hate silver just like Fae hate iron. It hurts them and, if it touches them long enough, it can do permanent damage. Wooden stakes also work, although they’re more problematic. Bullets won’t faze them. Really, what you want is something that’s extremely pointy, and you need to plunge it directly through their heart. Any other questions?”
I felt like I was in school, learning about some new exotic creature. “The Fae, some more than others, have the ability to glamour. What about vampires?”
“Vampires have more of an ability to mesmerize. It’s not a glamour, although they do possess a sensuality that’s hard to ignore. Even the butt-ugly ones reek of sex. With the Fae, it’s more charm. Vampires force the issue more. Think of it as the difference between a gorgeous glamour girl trying to seduce you, and someone spiking your drink with a date rape drug. The former being the Fae. The latter being vampires.”
Vik had a way with words, I had to hand it to him. For an ogre, he was extremely articulate.
We had been walking for about ten minutes and I began to notice various side tunnels, leading both to the right and the left. Also, the surface of the walls was getting rougher, and the concrete tunnel was giving way to rock. I touched the side of the wall. Vik noticed what I was doing.
“We’re entering the catacombs proper now. Don’t worry too much about cave-ins. While it could happen, most of these have been around hundreds of years. They were here before Seattle was founded. That’s the thing, you see. There was a labyrinth of tunnels here long before the city was settled. The vampires just broke through to them from underground Seattle and incorporated the catacombs into their network. Unless we happened to be down here when there is a major earthquake, I don’t think these tunnels are going to come down anytime soon.”
That didn’t give me much comfort, considering we were on several major fault lines. I tried not to think about the thousands of tons of rock over our heads as we continued to head west.
At one point, I heard music off to the right as we passed a side passage. And a few moments later, laughter sounded from the left. Vik ignored both, keeping a quick pace as we navigated through the tunnel. Then he slowed, motioning for me to move to the right, close to the wall. Up ahead, two figures were headed our way. Even from this distance, I could feel something different about them.
The two men slowed as they approached us, giving us a long once-over. They were wearing business suits, and one of them had hair down to his shoulders while the other’s was short, almost a buzz cut. There was something about them that set off alarm bells in my stomach, yet I found it hard to look away. Even standing behind Vik, I felt exposed and vulnerable.
Vik puffed up, looming larger than he actually was, and I wondered if ogres had their own form of glamour. I realized that I could hear Vik breathing, and my own breathing, but the two men who were facing us were still as night.
“Looking for anything in particular?” one of them said, in a slow languorous voice. “Any help we can offer?” The question was suggestive, fraught with opportunity and danger.
Vik stared the men down. “Thanks, but we’re fine.”
“Are you sure? What about the pretty lady? She looks like she could use some…help.”
“I’m going to reach in my pocket now, for my identification.”
Vik held his hands out, as though he were facing the police, and then slowly reached for his pocket, easing his wallet out. The vampires watched him closely as he opened it and held out his agency identification. There was a pause, and the men suddenly became all business. Their hypnotic energy withdrew, leaving cold, ruthless expressions on their faces.
“We won’t detain you. Be careful, though, there have been a number of unexplained deaths around here.” The one with the buzz cut gave me another look. “She with you?”
Vik nodded. “She also works for the Wild Hunt.”
“You know, our community would be extremely grateful if you could find out who’s behind the murders. I assume that’s what you’re looking into.”
It sounded like a warning. Then, the longer-haired vamp turned away and, followed by his friend, they headed down the corridor in the direction from which we had come. Vik waited until they vanished from sight, motioning for me to stay quiet. When they had disappeared around the corner into a side passage, he let out a long breath.
“Well, we dodged a bullet there.” He leaned back against the wall. “You okay?”
“Yeah. But that was one of the most uncomfortable interactions I’ve had in a long time. If those are vampires, I could do without them.”
“As Herne said, all four factions of the United Coalition know about us. Well, about all the agencies like us. Word spreads, especially to those in higher positions. My guess is that our two vampires have some clout down here. Otherwise, they might not have recognized my identification. I took a gamble and it paid off. Come on. I want out of here as soon as possible.”
I seconded his sentiment, and we began to jog down the corridor at a faster pace. Another twenty minutes brought us past a number of other side corridors, and to a shaft with a ladder leading upward. Vik began to ascend. I still had my gloves on and swung onto it without hesitation. About fifty feet up, Vik reached up to the ceiling and slid a panel back. A moment later, a shaft of light broke through. He scrambled out of the opening, then reached down to help me out. As soon as I was standing on the sidewalk, he shut the panel again.
I looked around, blinking in the relatively bright light. We were in a parking lot, right next to the docks. Another hundred yards and we would have ended up in the water.