Vampires Dead Ahead

TWENTY



If the Vampires didn’t kill Armand Despre, I might.

Only the light from the waxing moon illuminated the alleyway. My back brushed the brick wall behind me as I shifted my position behind the Dumpster.

I glanced at Armand. Complete arrogance was in the Proctor’s gaze, his posture, his very presence. No doubt he had chosen me to serve as his teammate to keep an eye on me.

A sword was sheathed at one side and a dagger to the other as he knelt beside me. It seemed as though his complete attention was on the mouth of the alley, but I felt that he was as keenly aware of my presence as I was of his.

I leaned forward, and moonlight peeked through the cloud cover and brushed my skin. The moon’s glow highlighted my cobalt hair and the light amethyst of my skin. I wrinkled my nose at the rotten scent of garbage coming from the Dumpster.

“I hope our intel is good,” I murmured. “According to the Vamp whom Lawan and Max shook down earlier, we should see some action soon. At least if the Vamp was telling the truth and Vampires do meet up here.”

“They do.”

Those two simple words and the tone of his voice made hair prickle at my nape. His self-confidence and complete and utter arrogance were clear.

“How are you so sure?” I asked and then wished I hadn’t.

“I sense they have been coming here a long time.” Armand glanced at me. “And I smell them. I am never wrong on this.” He looked back at the alleyway. “There is no better Vampire hunter.” It came out as fact.

The urge to slap him upside the head was strong. Someone needed to take Mr. Ego down a rung or two.

Colin’s humbleness was the opposite of this guy’s demeanor. Both had amazing powers, and from what I heard about Armand and knew of Colin, each was every bit as talented a Dragon. They just had different skill sets. Armand had chosen to be a Vampire specialist, and Colin had so many versatile abilities.

“How long have you been a Vampire hunter?” I asked to fill the silence.

“Many years now.” Armand continued to stare into the night. “There is no one as good as I am.” He glanced at me. “It is my specialty. I’ve been doing this for over twenty-five years, not to mention the fact that I am a Dragon.”

More and more points in the I’m-not-too-sure-of-this-guy column.

“What made you decide to specialize in Vampires?” I was genuinely curious.

“Two of my closest friends were turned.” He moved his attention away from me. “I had to kill one of them.”

My stomach cramped at the thought of being faced with that dilemma. I couldn’t imagine it.

“It is dangerous for a once-bitten Tracker to actually be going after Vampires,” Armand said. “I have thought about taking you off this case.”

“Who do you think you are?” I scowled. “I have been laying my life on the line for a long time as a Tracker. If you think I’d back off this case now, you don’t know me well.

“I either go after Volod with your team,” I continued, “or I do it alone. I’ll worry about my personal risk. You don’t need to. I’ve gotten on just fine for years with my approach.”

“I worry what you could add to the other team if you are turned. If I become a Vamp,” he said, “I expect you to kill me. If you are turned, I will kill you.”

“I am clear what your position is.”

“I’m on a mission. If I had it my way I would not stop until every Vampire is dead. Because of the truce, of course, I can’t kill one until he crosses the line or I’d kill them all.”

“Where does that leave Volod’s bunch today?” I asked.

“Everyone on Volod’s team has crossed the line by my rules, so as far as I’m concerned they are dead.”

I looked at the shadows lying across the alleyway. “Is the Proctor Directorate going to have anyone talk with the Great Guardian?”

Armand was quiet for a moment. “There is no one,” he finally said.

I cut my gaze to him. “What do you mean?”

“Rodán and Monique were the only Light Elves with a connection to the Great Guardian,” Armand said. “The directorate never expected to lose either of them, much less both.”

That made my head spin. No liaisons to the GG? Someone would need to be.

My own senses kicked into gear at the same time Armand’s body tensed. Vampires—I caught their odor of old dirt and must.

“Six.” Armand stood, remaining behind the Dumpster, still close to me. He drew his sword, and the sharp edge glinted in the moonlight. “Vampires, not Vampire paranorms.”

The rush of blood in my ears intensified as I placed my hand on my buckler. I didn’t have that many sets of Vampire cuffs, and I didn’t think they were going to volunteer to come with us.

And then I sensed them, too. They made no sound as they approached but I could hear them, smell them, feel them. They said nothing as they pressed back farther into the alleyway, almost upon Armand and me.

Armand shimmered and vanished as he pulled a glamour. I drew my own, grateful that at least the Vamps wouldn’t be able to see me. It had taken a Master previously to sense me, and I could tell that none of these Vampires was a Master. And now not even a Master Vampire would detect my glamour.

The buckler at the front of my weapons belt felt cool beneath my fingers. The edges were sharp, easily able to slice a Vampire’s head from his shoulders if necessary.

But these Vampires might have information. What Volod was up to. And maybe even what he’d done with Rodán’s body.

Bastards. My hatred for Vampires grew with every day that passed. When Volod had bitten me and nearly killed me with a paranorm virus serum, I’d thought I couldn’t hate anyone more than I did right then. Well, he had surpassed that.

And he would be mine.

Small stones and gravel crunched beneath shoes. A pair of the Vampires were laughing and joking around, which seemed bizarre for Vampires. I sensed the two were newly turned, which would account for the lack of dourness.

“Where’s the bite party tonight?” One of the pair grinned. He looked cocky and sure of himself. He and Armand would have gotten along fine. “I’m thirsty. I could use a little fun and some real blood,” Cocky added.

An older Vampire looked at the younger one with haughty amusement. “Beneath an old church in New Jersey.”

“Just over the state line,” said another of the older Vamps, this one more serious.

“Thanks for including me tonight. I was wondering, though. Before, you guys always said we had to be careful,” Cocky said. “Now there are parties happening all over the place. What’s the story on the Trackers backing off? Everyone I talk with has a different story.”

“Supposedly Trackers are going down,” Amused said, not looking so amused anymore. “And all will be changing in the Vampire way of life, to what it should be.”

“That’s cool with me,” Cocky said.

One of the three Vampires who hadn’t spoken interrupted. He was tall and lean and looked very hungry. “I don’t know if they are going down. No one really knows. Rumors are that the Trackers aren’t focused on us rank-and-file Vampires. They have other distractions.”

Amused gave a slow nod. “I have heard the same.”

“Groups of our people have started feeding freely on humans even though Volod has not instructed them to,” Serious added. “I am not so certain that is wise.”

“Volod? Volod is back?” Cocky asked.

“The story is that he is behind all of this,” Amused said. “However, I don’t know anyone who has actually seen him back.”

Cocky changed the subject. “So what’s happening at that party in Jersey?”

Amused looked at the other three older Vampires before returning his gaze to Cocky. “From what I understand, those who organized the party have a bunch of once-bitten humans in coffin storage beneath the old church. Supposedly at least two dozen. Hopefully that is true.”

A fourth Vampire nodded. “Once everyone has arrived, the hosts will turn the humans loose. Then there will be a chase, with the winners getting to keep the prey they catch.”

“I love, love, love it. Let’s go then.” Cocky jerked his head in the direction he had come from.

“I thought we were going after humans in the city,” the other young Vampire said. He had an odd, nasally voice.

“Are you kidding—when there is a chance there are twenty-four once-bitten humans rounded up for a Vampire rodeo? Let’s go see this for ourselves,” Cocky said.

He went on, “I love seeing the look of horror on humans’ faces. As the coffin is opened they experience one last thread of hope … only to be recaptured and bitten. I just love that game.”

I really wished I could see Armand. At the same moment I saw a shimmer appear beside me where Armand had been standing earlier. He was still in glamour, but visible enough that I could see him.

“Let’s follow them.” Even though the Vamps shouldn’t be able to hear us through our glamours, I kept my voice down.

With the readiness of his stance, the calculating look in his dark eyes, Armand looked like he wanted to wipe out every Vampire there, but he gave a nod. “Of course. They will lead us to something far more rewarding.”

He was clearly relishing the opportunity to take on multiple Vampires.

Well, bring it on.

We followed the six Vamps back out to the street, where a Tahoe SUV and a Lincoln Town Car waited.

“Follow us.” Amused walked toward the SUV with Serious.

“I will go with the first car,” Armand said to me. “Can you make it into the second?

“Yes.” At least I hoped I could.

I waited until Armand vanished then reappeared in the backseat of the Town Car. Cocky and Hungry had loaded up with Amused and Serious in the Tahoe. The other two Vampires went to the Lincoln.

Now I had to make it to the back of the Tahoe. I just hoped I could do it without throwing up.

I knelt on one knee, bracing myself with my fingers on the ground. I closed my eyes, picturing myself in the backseat.

Prickles ran up and down my skin. I clenched my teeth. And leapt forward in my mind. Before I opened my eyes I smelled the strong odor of dirt, heard the sound of the engine running and talk among the Vampires. Apparently Cocky thought everything was all about him because he was talking over the others.

I opened my eyes, still in a crouch, and found that I’d just done the transference behind the backseat rather than into it. My stomach pitched a little, but it was nothing compared with how sick I got when I did a transference across a long distance or through stone walls.

The two young Vamps, along with Hungry and another older Vampire, talked about the most boring subjects. I’d never realized what gossips Vampires were. Who was sleeping with who, what Vampire was feeding when he shouldn’t be, just the disgusting ways of Vampires.

Sheesh. Get a life already.

Oh, yeah. Vampires have no life.

I was really hoping Armand was learning something useful on his joyride, because I certainly wasn’t with Hungry, Amused, Serious, and Cocky. Give them pointy hats, white beards, and shrink them, and you’d have Snow White’s seven Dwarves—Vampire style.

They obviously had no new information. At least we could save humans, though, and these lowlifes would soon find out that Trackers hadn’t disappeared.

When the Tahoe finally stopped, I was ready for a drink. Preferably a vodka martini with three olives on a cute little sword. More than that, I was really wishing I could just wipe these bastards out and move on to the next bunch.

The doors opened and the Vampires got out. I heard multiple voices and peeked through the window to see dozens of Vamps milling around an old church lit by the bright moon.

They looked like people out for a Saturday-night church potluck. Only sloppy joes, casseroles, potato salad, and watermelon were not on the buffet table.

I didn’t sense any paranorms or Vampire paranorms. All of these Vamps had once been human before the bite had twisted their minds like a virus.

The church itself was dark, but the beings outside obviously didn’t need the light. Vampires couldn’t go inside a church, but I think they enjoyed the ability to be around one without bursting into flames. The small graveyard in the back likely made them feel at home.

I waited for the Vamps to get far enough away from the SUV that they might not notice me appear if for some reason I couldn’t hold a glamour while I did the transference. I closed my eyes and imaged myself outside the Tahoe.

A quick rush of blackness then I felt ground beneath where I crouched. My heart pounded a little. I refrained from patting myself on the back for making two short transferences in a row. My father would be proud.

My glamour held. I straightened and looked around me and caught sight of Armand standing by the Town Car. I eased over to him.

“I’ll call for backup.” I started to reach for my phone but he put up his hand in a stop motion.

“Twenty to twenty-five Vampires is child’s play.” His gaze roved over the crowd. “I have heard of your skills. They will do. This is what it is all about. Let’s have some fun.”

My skills will do? I gritted my teeth. I forced myself to remain calm. And professional.

I gestured to the church. “The Vamps said something about the humans being kept beneath.”

A Vampire moved to the walkway just outside the doors. In the background a cross on each door started to glow, warding against Vampires.

The tall, slender Vamp raised his voice to be heard over the crowd. “We are ready to begin.”

Loud applause broke out, and hoots and whoops were heard as if kickoff before a big game was imminent.

“We will give the humans a two-minute head start,” the Vampire said. “To make it more sporting.”

Right. More sporting.

Anger burned beneath my skin, a hot flush creeping over me at the thought of what these Vampires were about to do, not to mention all that they had done up to this point. At the same time, I knew the annihilation these Vampires were about to experience.

“You can smell their fear from here.” The speaker smiled as Vamps around him nodded and bared their fangs. “Prepare for an entertaining evening.” He turned away and headed around the church to the east side. The creak of hinges of a gate opening was followed by the soft thump of the wood as it fell back in place.

Armand didn’t even glance at me. “I will torch the Vampires to slow them down. You take the group of ten to the east. I will take the remaining sixteen.”

I nodded. Sure. No problem. I was amazed at his self-confidence in taking sixteen Vampires on his own. More power to him.

“I will wait until the humans have been set free and are clear of the church.” Armand still didn’t look at me, just continued to study and evaluate the situation. “Wait until I have set fire to them all.”

“You’ve got it.” I placed my hand on my buckler.

Both of us, still in glamour, moved closer to the Vampires. We separated and I skirted the crowd toward the east side. The closer I got to them, the stronger their smell became. I sensed their hunger, their desire for sport.

A sort of excited hush fell over the Vampires. With my keen Drow sight I could see every bit as well as a Vampire, and I focused my gaze on where the tall, slender Vampire had disappeared.

Moments later came human cries of fear and terror. My stomach twisted. What they were doing was so sick, so vile. Vampires earned whatever fate they were dealt.

The hinges creaked again and I focused on the Vampire now holding the gate open.

Screams and cries and sobs became louder right before the first one ran out of the gate. It was a naked human male.

A second naked human followed the first, then another. They were being let out one by one.

The anticipation in the air thickened, the energy of the crowd like a pack of wolves surrounding their prey. Only these inhuman bastards were planning on playing with their meals first.

Ten humans came through the gate, wild-eyed with terror. A female stumbled and fell. The male behind her grabbed her by the arm to get her back to her feet before they both started running again.

When the gate closed I looked across the crowd for Armand. What was he waiting for?

A roar tore through the night followed by billowing plumes of fire from the west side of the churchyard. Shrieks and screams ripped the air. The mass of Vampires began charging in my direction.

Damn! They were all closing in on me, toasted and not.

A Dragon’s bellow rang in my ears. More fire torched the Vampires, and heat brushed my cheeks as the flames neared me.

The first charred Vampire was almost in my lap when I flung the buckler. It sliced through the head of one Vampire then took out the next Vamp as well.

Two down, eight to go, plus whatever I might need to help Armand with.

In a two-fisted grip I raised one of my seventeen-inch-long, two-inch-wide Dragon-clawed daggers and gave a Drow warrior cry as I swung the blade. I beheaded the third Vampire.

I whirled to take on the fourth and blood bathed me as the regenerating Vampire’s head flew off.

The next Vamp was too close to swing at. I ducked and rolled to the side into tall grass before getting to my feet. I leapt and forward-flipped through the air to land on the other side of the group I was taking on.

Armand was tearing off the heads of Vampires with his teeth. He was a massive Dragon, larger even than Colin, with ebony scales that gleamed in the fire he had produced.

No time to watch. A brief glimpse of Armand the Dragon and I was already drawing my second dagger.

Holding both weapons, I shouted another battle cry before I ran one dagger through the fifth Vampire’s heart and twisted the blade. She dropped.

I swung at a sixth Vamp, but my blade glanced off his shoulder when he ducked.

I twisted and caught sight of Armand as he took human form again. His movements were smooth, unconcerned, confident. He used the sword that had been sheathed at his side in simple, effortless strokes.

The remaining five Vampires snarled and shouted as they came after me. I somersaulted forward with my twin daggers extended and cut the sixth and seventh Vampires at the knees. I jumped up, brought the daggers down on the backs of their necks. They were beheaded before their bodies hit the ground.

I backflipped away from the remaining three Vampires and landed about six feet away.

Not three anymore, it was now four. Another one had joined in.

My mouth tasted foul and my breathing came fast as adrenaline rushed through my body. Anger heated me as I thought about those poor humans running blindly through the forest.

As soon as we eliminated these Vampires we needed to get a search-and-rescue team out here. Also a Soothsayer or two to erase the humans’ memories tonight.

Out of the corner of my eye I spotted one Vampire running away. Armand didn’t see him. Let him go, I thought. He could report back to the others. Maybe word would spread that Trackers were alive and enforcing laws.

The last four Vampires approached me with caution in their gazes, but hate, fear, and bloodlust, too.

I gathered my elements and harnessed my air power. With my elemental magic, I bound the four Vampires together so that they couldn’t move.

Armand’s arms had turned into something like giant taut rubber bands extending out fifteen feet. As he stretched them, a wooden stake in each hand, he drove into the hearts of two of the Vampires he had left to fight.

Eliminating the four I had captured with my air element would be like shooting ducks in a barrel. Out of nowhere a fifth Vampire came charging at me. I’d thought there were just those four left. I lost my concentration as the Vampire grabbed me and drove me down to the tall grass we were in. I dropped my daggers.

The huge male slammed me onto my back, knocking the breath from me. He grabbed me by my shoulders and widened his mouth. His fangs extended, his head came down in a rush of motion.

I brought my knees up and planted my boots against his chest. I shoved as hard as I could, and the Vampire flew off me.

When I started to roll to the side, two of the other Vampires dove for me.

Fear made my heart thump faster but it added to my strength and cleared my mind, too.

I brought my elbow up into the throat of one Vampire and flipped him over into the one who’d descended on me.

A tangle of bodies landed on top of me and I struggled to free myself, using my upper-body strength to get away.

My legs were still trapped but I reached out and grasped the hilt of one of my daggers. The grip felt comfortable in my hand as I brought it up and swung at the Vampire closest to me.

She cried out as my blade found its way to her throat. Her head flew from her shoulders, and her body slumped backward. Four Vamps left.

I planted my boot on the face of the other Vampire on top of me and braced him long enough to sever his head. He fell over my legs but I managed to shove him off. Another down.

I scooted backward, away from the remaining three Vampires who were advancing on me from just a few feet away. As I was about to get to my feet, one of them lunged.

A burst of energy came over me and I shot forward from a sprinter’s position. I put just enough space between myself and the Vamps.

I reached for one of the grenades at my belt, pulled out the pin, and lobbed it in front of them. It exploded in a rush of water and garlic. The Vampires flailed and cried out, temporarily blinded.

I picked up my sword and swung it at one of the Vampires. Another nice, clean swipe and he was headless. The other two were starting to gather themselves, but I didn’t give them a chance.

My blade flashed in the dying flames left over from Armand frying the place. I neatly cut off one of the Vampire’s heads.

The last Vampire reached me before I had time to think. He grabbed my hair and my shoulder and jerked my head to the side as his fangs came down on me.

A rush of fear of another bite, of becoming a Vampire myself, sent strength I didn’t know I had soaring through me.

I twisted and grabbed the Vampire’s head and brought it down as I rammed my knee into his face. At the same time I dropped my dagger and grabbed a wooden stake from my weapons belt.

With all my strength I jerked his head back by his hair, hard enough to expose his chest to me. Then I rammed the stake up and into his heart.

The Vampire crumpled. I let him drop.

I felt a presence behind me and whirled to face the next attack.

Instead I saw Armand casually leaning up against a tree, watching me. I was breathing hard, my heart pounding like crazy, and he could’ve been a patron watching a Broadway show.

I kicked the Vampire out of my way. I needed something to kick given the amused smile on Armand’s face.

“Very impressive,” he said.

I pushed my hair out of my face. “Just another day at the office. Now that you’re so well rested, we have more tracking to do.”