If she wasn’t good at anything else, well, he needed to drink from time to time.
He sat down, told the two hulking guys to stand, each in a corner. He had tested their abilities to understand his commands back at the research facility, including ‘attack,’ ‘kill’ and ‘subdue.’ Mind you, he did it in the opposite order. They subdued, then attacked, then killed. It was beautiful to watch. He got a little ahead of himself in his excitement and got too close to the action. He had to change clothes when a bloody arm hit him in the chest, one recently ripped off of the test subject. The test subject, a research scientist who had a bout of conscience after witnessing the fruits of their labors had asked to speak with him. Anton had nodded and kept asking the scientist to just ‘let his heart out, tell him what he felt’ until the man was finished, happy to finally let his conscience speak.
So, he became the test subject, his obvious keen intellect and curiosity not enough to drive him forward any longer.
Finished wiping down his desk, he sat down.
It hadn’t taken long for George to bring the first person, a local constable who hadn’t been introduced to Anton yet. George nodded yes when Anton asked if the prime guest had arrived.
Anton listened to the man for a couple of minutes; it allowed a connection, the control to slowly insinuate between the two of them. Once Anton felt the connection grow, he slowly turned the conversation from what the Constable thought about his district, to what Anton needed the constable to be on the lookout for and what he wanted the Constable to ignore. By the end of the ten minute conversation, the Constable shook his hand, believing fully that Anton was his biggest supporter and he had agreed to take care of a couple of inconsequential items for his biggest supporter.
When George opened the door to let the man out, Anton said, “Why don’t we get the main attraction up here? I don’t want to be on pins and needles all night. These two brutes can then go back down to the tunnels and make sure they keep the blood off of my floor when they take her away.” George had almost walked out of the door before Anton spoke again, “George!” George stopped and looked back. “Get someone up here to take these chairs out. They’re antiques.” George nodded and seconds later a couple of men in tuxes came in to take the loose furniture out.
Satisfied he had done enough to minimize the destruction, he sat down.
Five minutes later, George entered, followed by a very beautiful woman, her black hair radiant in his wall light. She wasn’t wearing a dress, and didn’t smell like a vampire. He looked at George. “Are you sure this is the right lady?”
She spoke up, “If you mean, am I Bethany Anne? The answer is yes. What, is the fact I smell human throwing you off?”
Anton waved George back. “Where is Pepper? I’m going to want to talk with him later.”
Bethany Anne said, “He’s gone back to the ship, I wanted a personal conversation with you.”
Anton flipped his hand. “No matter, we will grab him there. What? I see a small flinch. Did you think I didn’t know all about your ships? Those two beautiful boats will be changing owners, much like they did when you took them over, yes? Got rid of the original owner somewhere out at sea and purchased them on the cheap?”
Anton was enjoying himself, he had seen a slight movement, a tightening around her eyes. He was getting to the woman. She wasn’t human, he was now sure of that, but he wasn’t sure how she was hiding her scent.
That was when his men attacked her ships.
22
The Queen Bitch's Ship Polarus
It was a good time. Not a very trying time, but a good time.
Both the Polarus and Ad Aeternitatem had moved out beyond the twelve nautical mile limit of Argentinian waters, so they weren’t near the city when the two speedboats came racing at them.
Captain Thomas called his Gunnery Officer and told her it was ‘weapons free’ but to fire a warning shot.
Jean complied, asking Darryl and his crew to place a few ranged shots as the boat sped towards the ship. Nothing seemed to faze the speedboat, so Darryl put a couple into their glass. The boat turned sharply to the right, but then got back up to speed, heading in their direction.
Darryl was near Jean and was able to overhear her, “Good, I was hoping they wouldn’t puss out.”
Jean ordered over her command headset, “Team 1, please uncover and ready to fire on my mark.”
One of the aboveboard emplacements shed its metallic cover. It was ripped away, in fact. It had appeared to be an equipment locker. Now, two gun barrels rolled down and tracked the boat.
“Fire.”
The barrels kicked back with a ‘whoomph.’ The Polarus barely rocked. Darryl watched the cigarette boat explode into pieces, one body wheeling at least forty-five feet in the air before he lost it in the night sky.
Jean spoke again, “Captain, orders?” She listened. “Understood.” She switched channels. “Team stand ready, we are heading towards the Ad Aeternitatem. They don’t have our armament.”
Gabrielle came back from the side of the ship where she had prepared to repel boarders. She spoke when coming up, “Anyone seen Michael or Stephen?”
On the Ad Aeternitatem, Captain Wagner was calm and collected. He spoke with Todd and Pete, “Men, we are about to have boarders, probably Nosferatu. I will move all crew I can into protected areas and lock down, but I can’t allow boarders on my ship and we can’t let anything happen to Bethany Anne’s spaceship. The Polarus is on its way but it will be at least five minutes before they can help. Suggestions?”
Pete was calm. Todd was calm but he understood what was coming at them so he asked, “Any chance we can get Bethany Anne to join us?” Pete nodded, it was a good suggestion.
“Unfortunately, no. I was able to hear enough to know she’s in the middle of something herself and can’t break.” There was a bright flash and explosion to port; all three looked in that direction, “That was probably the end of the boat attacking the Polarus. Maybe she will arrive a touch sooner.” He turned back to them.
“I don’t want any casualties and I don’t want any of these bastards running around on my ship, is this understood?” They acknowledged and left the bridge.
Pete looked over at Todd as they walked. “Will your guys trust my team?”
Todd looked over at the young Were. “Why? What are you thinking?”
They reached the main floor. “Six of us, four of you. I’ve got a situation that makes me possibly need to work alone. I say make up two, maybe three teams. Let my team soak up as much damage as possible while your team shoots the fuck out of them. My guys know fighting, but we haven’t worked on weapons so far and I don’t think we want them doing that on a boat in the middle of this much water.”
Todd thought he was being rather dry with his wit with that comment. “Three sets of three?”
“Works for us, I’ll send Tim with two of yours, Matthew and Joel with someone and then Joseph and Rickie with you.” Todd agreed and they went to finish suiting up.
All ten men met up on top of the ship, waiting for the speedboat to come within range before shooting. They didn’t hope to hit much, but better shooting off the ship than on.
His Guardians had their weapons, some blunt, some sharp. Those that had sharp weapons were told to be careful around Todd’s Marines. Pete started to get undressed when Todd looked back and said, “What the hell? Is this some sort of Werewolf rite of passage?” He honestly looked perplexed so Pete didn’t take offense. He had informed his guys what he was going to try and do.
“Trust me, and don’t get between me and those assholes.”
Todd asked, turning his head back to the rapidly approaching boat, “Does this have to do with you being on the alien ship the other day?”
“Yes.”
Todd just nodded. “Stay out of the way of Pete, everyone. I’m not sure what Bethany Anne and Pete have cooked up, but I want a front row seat. Ready to go?”
He got a bunch of, “oorahs!” from hi
s guys.
Pete left his pants on. He would feel stupid if he was fighting with his tackle hanging out. He would risk a pair of pants getting ripped off. He was getting pumped up, his blood racing through his body. Fighting was what he wanted to do. Ever since John Grimes had slugged him on the airport field, he had wanted to be worthy, had wanted to have John’s respect and he had earned it. He had earned Nathan’s respect and even Gabrielle’s when he took over the pack. His father had called him, told him how amazed he was, how proud a father he was after he and Tim had their alpha fight.
Now, he was fighting for his own future. The future of the world and a gift that had probably been intended to hurt people on his own planet. He needed to understand this final change and control it. He could feel his blood, feel the tension leave his body, the heightened senses that were muted before.
“Oh, fuck me sideways.” Pete looked to his left at Joseph, usually the quiet one. Someone had turned up the lights, he thought.
“What?” Pete’s voice was a little surly. Todd’s guys took a step back. Todd turned around to see Pete, with fur starting to cover his body, his fingers growing claws.
“Pete, I think Bethany Anne gave you an upgrade, buddy.” Todd pointed to his hands.
Pete looked down, clenching his hand, the two inch claws making it a little difficult to squeeze. He looked down, his legs were growing out of his pants.
He shrugged, his shoulders larger than before. He smiled, his mouth full of razor sharp teeth, making it hard to talk. He was able to communicate his feelings as he watched the boat come closer. He walked towards the rail, clasping it with hands bigger, stronger than his normal hands. He looked over his left shoulder, then his right. All of the men grabbed their weapons. He turned back to the boat coming at them yelling in a deep baritone, “Bring it, Bitches!”
Todd ordered, “Rifleman, fire!”
The battle for the Ad Aeternitatem had begun.
The Nosferatu jumped out of the boat, heading up at the first blood they could smell. Pete’s team split to the left and to the right, the Marines jumping behind them. Pete ignored the small fry, seeing his target, the vampire.
Manet had been a vampire for over thirty years. A fourth generation vampire, he was considerably stronger than his generation should be and often made third generation vampires walk around him. He was power walking, he was death, and he was here to take this ship. He had been winged by one of the bullets and it had pissed him off.
Manet hissed at the enemy seeking to stop them from getting on the ship. He smelled the Were, but didn’t know what to make of the mutant in the middle bellowing at him to ‘bring it.’ Whatever the hell that meant. If he wanted a fight, Manet was more than willing to kill him first.
He bounded up the boat, grabbing a line and pulling himself straight at the soon to be dead furry guy.
He made it as far as the railing when both of his hands were clasped, swinging him up and over the rail to the deck. This fool was going to make it too easy.
That was when he belatedly realized the beast wasn’t letting go and the momentum didn’t allow him time to get his feet under him. His body was smashed into the deck, bones cracking.
Manet pulled his arms apart, but they were quickly pushed back together. This werewolf wasn’t weak. Manet felt the first tinge of concern that this wasn’t going to be easy. That was when two bullets slammed into his chest. His left arm was free! He tried to reach around to grab something for leverage when a large clawed hand grabbed his neck. He reached back to pull the arm away when the hand clenched, crushing his throat. He thought little else when the claw pulled back, tearing his throat out.
Manet died on the deck of the Ad Aeternitatem, the first powerful vampire killed by a changeling in single combat in over four centuries. Seconds later, the last gun blast fired, the final Nosferatu died. Tim and Matthew went around cutting off heads.
Pete surveyed the ship, anger and hunger running through his mind. Everything was clear for him, like daylight. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he snapped around. It was Todd. “Come back to us, Pete. We need you too much. We’re done.”
Pete smiled, they had won. They had fought and the Guardians were 1-0-0. He took the feeling of the anger, the desire to continue dealing death and felt it through his body. Then he commanded it to leave. He would be the first, but he would not be the last. His people, his world and his Queen needed him to beat this. Pete shattered the rage, unshackling the bonds in his mind and he could feel the energy leaving as he changed back to himself.
Pete Silvers, the little rich boy who had been slugged that day on the tarmac in New York was destroyed. Peter Silvers, the first and arguably the best Alpha of the Guardians stood proudly among the men who had protected this ship and these people from the death that had come for them. He looked around and held out his hand to Todd. They cemented a friendship that would be talked about for centuries and together they architected the first Guardians cadre of Marines.
The Wechselbalg Guardians would forever be paired with humans.
Together, the teams threw the bodies overboard. They laughed over who would claim the fast boat. It didn’t take long for the Ad Aeternitatem’s crew to come up top and help them grab the expensive boat before it floated away. Later, Rickie was lamenting how those bully Marines had shot his beautiful boat. It took two seconds before three men jumped him, he was laughing as he changed it to, “Our boat, our boat!” They made it to within three feet of tossing him overboard before dropping him on the deck.
23
Anton continued explaining his method for capturing her ships. “A few Nosferatu and a vampire for each boat and now they belong to me, well actually two vampires for your Polarus. I know you have the lady Gabrielle on board that one. I’m not an ass so I’ll let her decide if your ship is worth saving, or if she would like to live a few hundred years more. I’m sure she will see the right decision open up before her.”
Bethany Anne’s eyes went to the hulking brutes in the corners. “Friends?”
Anton smirked. “Of course. Newly made, as it were. We’ve finally got a decent recipe.” He looked back to his right, talking as casually as if explaining the benefits of purchasing a new car. “Stronger than the original version, able to take a significant amount of damage before it quits working. Working on the intelligence of course, but I would have to rate them a solid seven out of ten. Over all, something I can be finally proud to bring out in public.” He looked back at Bethany Anne, “Well, by ‘public’ I don’t mean daylight yet. But, you know, small steps and all of that.”
“I see. So you just figured this little recipe out? Because, I have to tell you none of your other toys have been much of a challenge.”
It was Anton’s turn to be annoyed. She had reminded him of the many times she had messed up his plans. “Yes, well, I wasn’t aware of you until recently so I hadn’t exactly planned on your crashing my party. Well, like you’re doing right now!” He smiled. “You weren’t invited and yet here you are. I can only assume it was to create mayhem and maybe a little revenge, hmmm? Clarita not enough for you? I honestly didn’t have any direct action, nor did I order the death of your friend in DC, so you can’t lay that at my feet.”
Bethany Anne marveled at how the conversation was going, it was as if the man thought that he would get a pass for the thousands he had killed in the past. “Martin was one of my best friends, a man who helped a lost woman find direction in her life. An ear to bend when there was no one else to talk to, but then you probably don’t know much about that, do you?”
“Oh, au contraire! I was just listening to one of the research scientists bleed his heart out after he had misgivings over the results of their efforts. I truly did listen and encouraged him to get it all off his chest.” Bethany Anne wasn’t positive, but she was pretty sure he hadn’t told a lie.
“Well, then you might be able to appreciate how it helps a person.”
“Yes, I do.”
Bethany Anne
was perplexed. This wasn’t the way she had expected the conversation to go, but now she was too wrapped up in the story. “What happened to the scientist?”
Anton did that waving thing with his hand again, as if the end of the story was unimportant. “He was used to test the obedience of my two friends here. I told you, he bled his heart out, right? I’m almost positive I said that.” Anton gave her a sincere smile at how he had worked the death of the scientist into his story.
Bethany Anne was wondering why she even cared; he was not only powerful, but obviously mentally unstable. She turned around and saw George by the door. “You might want to move a few feet to your left.”
George looked at her funny and then looked at Anton who shook his head no. “She seeks to disturb you. What did you find on her?”
George pulled a small pistol from his pocket. “Just this.”
Anton looked back at Bethany Anne.
She told George, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She turned back to Anton, “What?”
“Really?” He pointed to the little gun “That isn’t even enough to piss me off.”
She nodded. “I totally agree, but I should have help arriving in 3…” She turned towards the door and George jumped to the side, ready to get into action.
“2.” Anton stood up, ready to command the two Nosferatu to attack whatever came through the door.
He began to speak. “I don’t hear…”
“1.”
“…anything.”
Two supersonic rounds, from two sniper rifles chambered for .338 Lapua arrived from a half mile away so close together you wouldn’t be able to tell which hit him first. Anton’s head exploded, brain matter spraying the wall and door in front of him. George was covered in gore, surprise evident on his face.
Kurtherian Gambit Boxed Set One: Books 1-7, Death Becomes Her, Queen Bitch, Love Lost, Bite This, Never Forsaken, Under My Heel, Kneel or Die (Kurtherian Gambit Boxed Sets) Page 104