by Kendra Ashe
My world had changed and it would never be the same.
Mason was right. I longed to know what was beyond the veil of death. If I could just see my little brother once more, and know that he was okay.
Had Johnny ceased to exist once he took his final breath or had he gone to a better place?
If I could only know!
No one blamed me for Johnny’s death. Well, no one except me. It had been my fault. He’d been my responsibility that day and I’d failed him. If only I hadn’t taken that phone call, maybe he’d still be alive.
Finally, something outside my own dark little hell caught my attention.
There was a little boy on the patch of grass in front of my apartment building. He was pushing his toy trucks over mounds of earth. Although the boy was covered in dirt, he was adorable.
My tears came again and I let them. I didn’t have the will or the strength to brush them away. I’d do nearly anything to hold Johnny in my arms again and to wash the dirt from his face.
Wren’s voice crept into my thoughts.
What if you could see your brother again?
Wren believed it was possible. He thought the veil was thinnest in this hidden valley of supernaturals, and that communication with those in the afterlife was possible.
Maybe I should have taken Wren a little more seriously and drilled him more on what he knew. There were psychics, but it was hard to tell who was real and who wasn’t. I didn’t want to get my hopes up just to have them dashed by some fake.
But if I believed Wren, there was a sliver of hope. Maybe it really was possible to talk with Johnny without having to join him in death.
The thought of dying didn’t bother me. Death hadn’t bothered me in the least since the day God took my little brother. In fact, for a long time, I’d wanted to die.
I should be the one lying in my grave and not Johnny.
My feelings had started to change, partly because of my relationship with Mason and Wren. Within the darkness that is the vampire, I’d found a ray of light.
Blinking rapidly, I suddenly felt as if I were coming out of some kind of daze. I’d been so lost in my dark world of self-pity that I hadn’t noticed the passage of time.
Sighing, I stood up from the window seat. It was time to get ready for the night, and whatever it brought with it.
Without fully realizing it, I’d come to a decision. I would embrace this new world of darkness, as long as it meant that I would have a chance to see my brother again.
If I played it right, I could keep Mason at arm’s length and still do what needed to be done to save Wren and find Shadow Valley.
First on my to-do list was to protect myself from falling under the spell of the vampire.
Miss Avalon had left two mason jars full of sweet tea at my front door. Now that I knew she was spiking her food gifts with vervain, I had a way to fight back. No doubt that’s why she was doing it.
Part of me wanted to talk to the old woman about my dilemma, but I didn’t want to involve her. There was no telling how dangerous the situation might get.
Grabbing the sweet tea out of the fridge, I poured a big glass. I figured it would not only keep me from falling all over myself every time I came into contact with Mason, but it would keep vampires from compelling me, and hopefully feeding on me. Vervain would be my shield.
Mason might be okay with sitting back and waiting, but I wasn’t. It was time to find Wren.
First on my list was a visit to Colin, the window-breaking vampire. I was pretty sure he knew more than he was saying. Even Mason thought so.
But where could I find him?
I didn’t even know his last name. Besides, it seemed vampires used fake names a lot. Mason was really Sir Jonathan of Lincolnshire.
The only thing I knew about Colin was that he likely hung out at the Underground and that he was one of Kieran’s Nightwalkers, AKA, a vampire that preferred to live in secrecy and victimize humans.
That left me with the Underground as my starting point.
* * *
Other than two cars in the parking lot, the Underground was deserted. That wasn’t a big surprise. It was still a couple of hours until sundown. Most people didn’t party until after dark, especially the vampire type.
The parking lot was empty but there was a green neon open sign next to the door. I walked in and sat down at the bar. Judging by the look on her face, the tall, blond bartender was surprised to see a customer so early.
Pasting on a smile, she finished putting away bottles of booze and made her way to where I was sitting. “Can I get you something?”
“Yeah, some information. I’m looking for a guy who hangs out here. His name is Colin; tall, dark, and hot as hell,” I said.
“Oh, you must be talking about Colin Fitzpatrick. Are you a cop?”
“I’m not a cop,” I said, shaking my head. “I just need to ask him about something.”
The woman’s eyes reflected her skepticism. “Sure, lady. Do you know how many women I get in here looking for guys like Colin? They always have a good reason.”
“You’ve got this wrong,” I said. “One of my friends has gone missing. I need to talk with Colin about it.”
“Okay,” she sighed. “He lives over in the Warehouse District. I think it’s a blue house.”
“There must be a lot of blue houses,” I pointed out.
“You can’t miss it. He works the grave shift for the Eternal Rest Mortuary, so he has a hearse in the driveway.”
“Thanks. That helps,” I told her before getting up to leave.
“Hey!” she called after me. “Don’t go there alone. Colin isn’t the welcoming type.”
Chapter Eighteen
There was still some daylight left, which was pretty much the only thing I had going for me.
The bartender was right. Confronting Colin alone was probably a terrible idea, but the longer we waited, the more dangerous it was for Wren. No matter what Mason said, Wren was in danger. I was sure of it.
It took some driving around but I finally found a blue house with a shiny black hearse in the driveway.
How morbid does one have to be to take a hearse home?
I couldn’t imagine his neighbors were too thrilled with the view from their windows.
Parking across the street, I watched the house. The windows were blacked out, which is what I’d expected. His house would have to be lightproof. Without a basement, blacking out the windows was the only option.
Why would a vampire want to live in New Orleans in the first place?
Basements would make a better location to sleep. With New Orleans below sea level, a basement wasn’t a logical option.
Oh well. That was another question I’d ask Wren when I rescued him.
I needed a plan.
Unfortunately, I was coming up blank.
The sun was sinking lower in the western horizon. I didn’t have a lot of time. At least with the sun up, I'd have a bit of an advantage.
Getting out of the car, I slipped my phone into my back pocket and started for the house. I still wasn’t sure if I should knock on the front door and simply confront whoever answered, or find a way to see inside.
After all, I was technically a detective and detectives frequently did a little breaking and entering while doing their jobs.
Okay, maybe not but that was how it was done on TV, and I didn’t have many options.
The knocking on the door option didn’t make much sense either. It was unlikely that Colin would answer, but if he did, he’d recognize me.
I decided to take the second option, which meant sneaking around to the back of the house. Hopefully, the back door was unlocked. Of course, in this part of the city, even a vampire wasn’t likely to leave their doors open.
I tried every door and window but the house was locked.
What a massive waste of time!
Now what?
A woman came out of the house next door to stand on her porch and gawk at me.
“Are you looking for someone?” she asked.
There was hostility and suspicion in her voice so I figured I’d better tread lightly. “Yeah, I’m looking for Colin Fitzpatrick. Would you know if he’s around?”
The woman descended the porch stairs and was on her way over. “Colin works nights so I expect he’s sleeping.”
“Okay, thanks. I'll try to catch him later,” I told her as I turned to walk away.
“Can I give him a message?” she asked.
Even in the fading light, the woman’s dark hair was a stark contrast to her pale skin. In fact, she was so white that she almost looked dead.
She couldn’t be a vampire. It was still too light.
Maybe she was one of his feeders.
I didn’t trust her. She might as well have vampire harlot written on her forehead.
“No. My business with him is private,” I said before turning to leave.
Turning my back on her was a big mistake. I hadn’t taken three steps before pain erupted at the back of my head. My vision blurred.
The last thing I remember was her standing over me.
* * *
There was no telling how long I was out but when I woke up, I was in the back of what I assumed was the hearse. We were moving so I figured either the freaky woman was taking me somewhere to finish what she'd started, or Colin was picking up where she’d left off.
I had no one but myself to blame. It was my fault I was in this mess. Everyone had warned me not to deal with the vampires alone. I’d underestimated the influence that a vampire might have on others. Apparently, one even had to watch out for brainwashed neighbors.
To think of how close I’d come to being just like the crazy neighbor lady was enough to give me a headache. Thank goodness Mason had been gentlemanly enough to not take advantage of me.
How screwed up does one have to be to kidnap or murder for a vampire?
My hands were bound behind my back with what felt like a rope. I tried to wiggle loose but the more I moved around, the tighter the rope got.
Whoever was driving, they had the stereo so loud that I didn’t have to worry they'd hear me.
Craning my neck, I tried to see who was behind the wheel. It was no use. A black velvet curtain was blocking my view.
A few minutes later, the hearse stopped. I had to make a decision fast. Should I struggle with them on the off chance I would escape, or pretend like I was still out?
Trying to escape while tied up never worked out well in horror movies. It was better to look for a chance when their guard was down.
Closing my eyes, I forced my breathing to slow. If Colin were my abductor, he'd hear my heart racing and sense my fear. The feeder didn’t have the enhanced senses of the vampire so she'd be easy to fool. The freaky neighbor would also be a lot easier to escape from after I kicked her ass for her cheap shot.
I heard the door at the back of the hearse swing open and felt the gurney being yanked out. The legs and wheels were released and I was wheeled through a set of doors. I knew this because I could hear the doors slide open.
A few minutes later, I heard more doors open and I was wheeled into a cold, dark room. As soon as I heard retreating footsteps and the door close, I opened my eyes.
The room was dimly lit with emergency lights that weren’t too helpful. It was really my nose that figured out where I was. The strong smell of chemicals and the other metal tables were big clues.
It was apparent I was at the mortuary where Colin worked.
I assumed the deceased on the other tables were waiting for processing. I didn’t care to think about what that processing involved. It was better to block it out and work on getting loose from the rope around my wrists.
It seemed to take forever, but I was finally able to work the rope lose and slip my hands out. Fortunately, whoever had bound my wrists hadn’t done a good job.
I was also grateful that my phone was still in my back pocket. The crazy neighbor lady didn’t make a good kidnapper.
My first instinct was to dial 911, but I had a feeling if they sent regular patrol officers, things could get messy, especially if there were vampires involved.
Landry knew about vampires so I dialed his number.
“This is Landry,” he answered.
“Detective Landry. This is Claire Benolte from Dark Side,” I whispered into the phone. “I’m in some trouble. I was trying to locate a vampire by the name of Colin Fitzpatrick and was abducted. They have me locked in some kind of body cooler.”
“Damn it, girl. I thought you knew better than to do this kind of stuff on your own.”
“Well, Wren is missing and it isn’t like the police are doing anything. Can you come and get me out of here or not?”
“Do you know where you are?” he asked.
“I think it’s the mortuary where Colin works. Eternal Rest,” I told him.
“Stay put and don’t try to escape on your own,” he warned.
A sound from across the room caught my attention.
“Can you hold on a minute?” I said, pulling the phone from my ear.
There it was again. It sounded like growling. My heart went into overdrive as I slipped off the table.
“Stay where you are,” Landry said again.
“I just want to check this out,” I whispered.
I tiptoed across the room to where I thought the sound was coming from. When I saw the body on the table, I almost lost my lunch. It was Wren and he didn’t look good at all.
Wren’s eyes were glowing a strange blue color and his face was pale and sunken. Fangs protruded from his mouth.
As soon as he saw me, the growling grew louder and he started struggling to get loose from his bindings. Unlike the rope that they’d used on me, Wren’s entire body was wrapped in metal chains. No doubt it was silver, which was the only metal that would hold a vampire, at least according to what I’d learned during my internet research.
Wren looked as if he was out of his mind and more than willing to eat me if he broke free of his bindings.
“I found Wren,” I told Landry. “He’s growling and looks kind of weird.”
“Don’t go near him,” Landry said. “He hasn’t fed. He’ll attack you if you get near him. Vampires lose their self control if they go too long without feeding.”
“Okay. Just hurry.”
Ending the call, I slipped the phone back into my pocket.
“Wren,” I whispered. “It’s me, Claire. I’m going to get you out of here.”
There was no recognition in his eyes at all. He was like a mad dog, ready to attack.
Something moved behind me. I swung around to see another body moving and growling. Using my phone as a flashlight, I made my way over to the other table.
Although he was barely recognizable, I was pretty sure it was Colin Fitzpatrick.
The growling got even louder when several others started struggling to get loose.
They were hungry and they sensed food. The crazy lady had basically put me in with a den of hungry monsters.
When I got my hands on her, I was totally going to kick her ass.
A plan started to form.
I needed something to use as a weapon. There was a metal tray near a table with an actual real dead body on it. I grabbed what appeared to be a scalpel from the tray and made my way back to the gurney.
If someone came in, I wanted them to think I was still unconscious. That way I’d have the element of surprise.
I positioned myself on the table so that it would appear that my hands were still tied, except I had the scalpel beneath me. I hoped Landry would show up before I had to use it.
No such luck.
As soon as I heard the door open, I closed my eyes and waited for them to get close enough that I could attack.
“You can quit pretending to be asleep now.” It was Landry’s voice.
My eyes opened to see him standing nearby, but he wasn’t alone. The crazy neighbor lady was standing w
ith him.
I flew off the table and held out the scalpel. “I can’t believe you’re part of this!”
The room flooded with harsh florescent light. The macabre scene before me was enough to give me nightmares for the rest of my life. The room was full of desiccating vampires that looked more like zombies than bloodsuckers.
My mouth fell open. I was too horrified to speak.
“Now settle down, girl,” Landry said. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
“What the hell are you doing?”
“I have a plan,” he said as he inched closer.
“Stay where you are,” I warned as I swung the scalpel toward him. “I’ll fillet you like a catfish.”
“Now just listen to me,” he said, holding up his hands. “I don’t want to have to kill you, but I will. All I’m doing is letting these vampires loose one at a time to make a kill. We dispose of them as soon as they’re done. That’s what happened to the vampire in the cemetery. A UV gun.”
“That’s horrible! You’re starving them so they’ll murder people and then you kill them? Why?”
“The Seekers are getting too loud. They want to be acknowledged so they can live semi-normal lives. I can’t say as I blame them, but no one else wants disclosure, including other vamps.” Landry paused while he moved a little closer.
I was watching him and ready to do whatever I had to.
“Can you imagine what it would do to human society to learn about supernaturals. It would screw with their entire worldview. They would have to accept that they were not at the top of the food chain and not the center of God’s universe. That would devastate society.”
“So it’s your view that humans can’t handle not being on top so your plan was to what?” I asked.
“I figured that if the Seekers thought the Nightwalkers were causing problems, they’d confront them. The Nightwalkers are stronger and would wipeout the Seekers. They’d take care of the problem for us and everything would go back to what it’s been for thousands of years.”
“That’s just sick and wrong,” I said but I wasn’t really listening to him. I was too busy gauging my chances of making it to the door before they could get to me.