Bloodline World Seven Book Bundle: 7 Books from the Bloodline Awakened Series and Scarlet Dragon Saga

by J. P. Rice

  The hardtop Jeep had bulletproof glass, tires and paneling. The 35-inch tires and 8-inch lift gave it the appearance of an offroad beast with some luxury. The custom seats were made of plush leather and it had a GPS system and touchscreen monitors molded into the back of the seats, which were also automatically heated.

  Jonathan had insisted we take this vehicle for some reason he hadn’t fully explained. We drove for a while in silence with some heavy metal buzzing on the speakers, too low to determine the band or song. Jonathan’s phone rang to the tune of some classical music. I leaned to my left to peek through the seat openings, but I couldn’t make out the text.

  Jonathan said, “He knows we’re on the way. Here’s the plan.”

  The head vampire turned his head to the side but didn’t fully shift his body around to face us. It was as if he didn’t want to leave Roydell out of the conversation. “Mathias has a long driveway with three separate checkpoints on it. Those checkpoints are manned by guards. Since we are expected, that shouldn’t be a problem. Roydell, Timson and I will go inside and Mike will wait in the car with the semi-automatic pistol in case things go awry.”

  Jonathan stopped for a second and searched around for something. He produced a Fiji water bottle and took a long drink, uncaring that he was making us wait. “When we go in, I will do all the talking. You two don’t say a word unless you are asked a direct question. His guards are likely shifters, but still guards. If they were more powerful, they wouldn’t be guarding a lawyer’s house in the middle of nowhere.”

  He took a few more sips of Fiji. “The major problem would be if he has other vampires there. I’d like to handle this peaceably and don’t want to start any trouble with other clans, but we aren’t leaving until we have the portal.”

  “Are we sure he still has the portal? Didn’t that receipt say transfer fee on it?”

  “No, I don’t know if he still has it in his possession. I’m going to frame it like I don’t know that he has it at first. That I am only concerned about the possible repercussions. I want to gauge his reactions before I start making threats. Timson, make sure you have the business card ready to go when I call him out on it. If necessary, of course. I’m hoping he comes clean, but I don’t expect that either.”

  Nobody ever came clean. Unless it was beaten out of them. Even then, it wasn’t a given. Coming clean usually meant admitting guilt and facing punishment so it never happened. I played a game where most beings didn’t have any rules to live by. Unfortunately, I did.

  This trip worried me. I was tightly bound by my oath to the Celtic Gods, which included acting with honor and not killing indiscriminately. Jonathan and his vampires could do whatever they wanted as long as they didn’t raise the suspicions of law enforcement. If they started killing for no reason, it would put me in a terrible position.

  Even if some of his bodyguards were the dregs of society, I needed a valid reason to kill them. The portal was important but not a life or death situation. Although technically Alayna’s life was in the balance, there were other portals out there. But they were all a great distance away and who knew if they hadn’t fallen victim to the same fate as this portal. So it wasn’t a life or death situation where I could justify laying waste to a bunch of people, regardless of character.

  King’s Mountain was located in the Laurel Highlands and in close proximity to a few ski resorts and some golf courses. Most of the properties were owned by people from Pittsburgh, who used them as a winter getaway from the city. However, there were people who lived there year-round and some of the houses were almost hidden from the public eye.

  King’s Mountain was located in Somerset County and somewhat close to the location of the portal, which would make perfect sense. I looked out the tinted window as we hit a steep incline. We continued to climb toward the sky, and although I’d never been to King’s Mountain, I got the impression we were close.

  We pulled off the paved road and onto a dirt street lined with towering trees on both sides. Even with the expensive struts and shocks, we bounced around on the uneven street. We wound around the path for what seemed like twenty minutes, and Jonathan pointed out his window and said, “There’s his driveway, right there.”

  Jonathan looked through the middle of the seats. “Mike. Get down and under that blanket now.”

  I slid off the seat and lay on the floor of the backseat. Timson helped cover me with a black blanket and then jammed his feet under the driver’s seat.

  The Jeep charged up the rocky incline for about a minute and then came to a stop. I felt a cool breeze enter the vehicle. A gruff voice said, “Name?”

  Jonathan answered, “Jonathan Rickleshaw and two guests. Mathias is expecting me.”

  “Welcome back, Mr. Rickleshaw. Please continue up the driveway.”

  The same procedure happened two more times and I wondered if it was necessary to have multiple stops. Being blind under a blanket made me uneasy. If things went to shit, I’d like to know my escape route. This prevented me from knowing which way to run if it went haywire.

  Hopefully, the pistol under the passenger’s seat would keep me safe no matter what. This was a very different scenario than usual. Almost always, I was the lead man, never taking a backseat from the action. However, it made sense for this plan.

  Mathias had seen Roydell and Timson before, so they wouldn’t raise any suspicion. If Jonathan rolled in there with a guy they’d never seen before, it would raise eyebrows. I still had a key role if action broke out, but I wasn’t driving the action like normal. It kind of felt refreshing that someone else was in charge for once.

  Jonathan said, “All right. Here we are. Mike, there is a guard right next to the front door. I don’t see anyone else, but be careful when you come up. He’s staring at the Jeep right now.”

  The guard was probably staring because we’d basically rolled up there in a tank. Minus the machine gun turrets, the Jeep looked ready for battle, replete with the spiked push guard on the front bumper. Even with the winch attachment, it didn’t look like a typical off-road Jeep Wrangler.

  The vampires stepped out of the hunter green vehicle. Timson kicked me in the head on the way down. I didn’t yell at him, but I tucked it away for later. Payback was a motherfucker and I was one vindictive man.

  The doors slammed shut and I planned to look up in a few seconds since the guard would be distracted by the new visitors. I sat up, still hidden behind the passenger seat, in the most uncomfortable position of all time. My knees were jammed into my chin and my back was screaming a sad song of discomfort.

  I swiped the binoculars off the back seat. The house was pretty close, but I needed to check for weaponry planted around the house. Leaning slowly to my left, I raised my head slightly to see out the windshield. I took a quick peek and pulled my head back to safety.

  The guard at the front door was an enormous man, much taller than the vampires standing in front of him were. He was wearing a bright white track suit with the jacket unzipped, exposing a vest of dark chest hair. His long hair was pulled back into a ponytail and his face hadn’t been shaved in months.

  Stealing another glance, I saw the guard opening the door, stepping to the side and gesturing with an open hand for the three vampires to enter. I tossed the binoculars back onto the seat and slid the pistol out from under the passenger seat. If shit did break out, I’d hate to be caught without a weapon.

  I called on my reservoirs of magic to come out of reserve and be ready for action. Gooseflesh prickled up my arms and I could feel the magic sitting just under my skin, ready for action. Another peek revealed the guard playing on his phone so I shifted my attention to the big window near the entrance.

  The strained sunlight tried to poke through the thick branches of the trees above, but it kept the house in permanent shade. I could see shadowy figures behind the pane of glass, but couldn’t tell them apart. Not good considering I might have to open fire if the peaceful approach went south.

  A small worry in
the back of my head wouldn’t go away. After seeing how angry Jonathan had been earlier, I expected him to resort to violence quickly, rather than take a rational approach. I checked on the bouncer again. Still playing on his phone.

  As I stared at the hirsute man, the ring of shattering glass rent the area. Jonathan jumped through the open window and stood over a bloody man in a suit, pointing at him and shouting something I couldn’t make out.

  Roydell and Timson exited through the window and several men in suits poured out the door, lining up next to the guard. I rubbed the trigger in anticipation. They appeared to be shifters still in human form and I based that off the fact that all of them were extremely hairy. A telltale sign of a shifter. I could take out the row of six men rather easily with the gun in my hand if it wasn’t for the bulletproof glass.

  In a wave, they rushed over to confront Jonathan. Due to the thick glass, I couldn’t hear what they were saying. From the looks of it, it was a heated argument with Jonathan red-faced and shaking. Roydell and Timson stepped in front of their boss to protect him.

  The tense scene continued with the lawyer jumping up from the ground and running behind his wall of protection. The door guard shoved Timson out of the way to get to Jonathan.

  The leader of the Purple House struck like lightning. He jumped in the air and threw a punch at the much taller guard. His fist crashed down, connecting with the man’s temple. An explosion of blood volcanoed from the impact, and as Jonathan pulled his fist back, he left a crater on the side of the man’s head.

  It was true. Seeing that made me rethink my friendly approach with Jonathan. This exhibit reminded me that I needed to be careful around the vicious vampire.

  The remaining five men went after the vampires. With all the commotion and everyone distracted, I jumped out of the car with the pistol on my hip. The vampires were surrounded by the guards so I couldn’t open fire or risk shooting an ally.

  I turned away from the action to carry out my other duty. I’d been tasked with making sure none of the guards from the driveway came up to help. So far, so good.

  Spinning around, I saw Roydell and Timson struggling against the shifter guards, wrestling around on the ground. Jonathan ducked a straight right jab from an opponent and drew his arm back. As his hand reached as far back as it could, long silver fingernails extended from his fingertips, and a smirk came across his face.

  His arm whipped forward like he was throwing a bowling bowl. His claws raked upward over the man’s belly and chest and a fountain of red liquid sprang from the fresh wounds. The staggering man looked down to assess the damage. As he lowered his head, Jonathan retracted the killer claws and clenched his fist.

  Jonathan threw a right hook that landed right under the man’s ear and resulted in an eerie thud. The man’s lower jaw suddenly hung lower as if it had become unhinged. Jonathan extracted his silver claws again and buried them into the man’s chest.

  Mesmerized by Jonathan’s moves, I’d almost forgotten I had a job to do and glanced back at the driveway. Still nobody. Back to the action. Roydell and Timson were struggling with their opponents. I wondered if they were fully healed from the bullet sandwich Glenda had fed them not too long ago.

  A werewolf emerged from behind a tree trunk. He and two other wolves circled around Jonathan, effectively surrounding him. I thought the vampire could use some help until a streak out of my peripheral vision grabbed my attention. The lawyer was making a break for it. He jumped over a small pile of split logs and took off for the hill.

  I pulled my finger away from the trigger and chased the lawyer. Draped in a three-piece suit and leather dress shoes, the lawyer wasn’t breaking any speed records. He trampled down the steep incline next to his driveway. I caught up quickly and closed in on him.

  Using an old grade school move, I kicked his foot behind his other leg and he fell and rolled down the hill, finally coming to a harsh stop and groaning in pain. He tried to jump back up, but I acted fast and hooked my arm around his neck from behind.

  I laid the end of the barrel up to the side of his bloody head. There were still bits of glass strewn through his dark, shaggy hair. “Where do you think you’re going?” I asked in a husky voice, trying to sound threatening. Acting crazy seemed like a good plan to get quick answers.

  “This is all just a misunderstanding,” he pleaded, his stuttering words drenched in fear for his life.

  “Misunderstanding or not, I was told I could kill someone. Sorry.” I pushed the barrel harder against his head to let him know I meant business.

  The lawyer’s arms shook uncontrollably, and he wailed, “Wait. Wait. Wait. I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

  “Pass. I’d rather kill you,” I shifted my tone to speak in a creepy voice.

  “Jonathan. Get this maniac away from me,” he moaned on the verge of tears.

  I looked straight up at the sky, still holding the barrel to his temple, and yelled, “Sorry Jonathan, I’ma kill this fucker.” I leaned closer to his ear, tightened my hold around his neck and whispered, “Looks like you’re all alone. Nobody to save you.”

  “Jonathan. I’ll tell you where it is,” the lawyer said, almost gurgling from the choke hold. I watched the first few tears run off his cheeks and fall harmlessly to the ground.

  “Don’t stop there. Keep talking.”

  The lawyer whimpered, “I need to know you won’t kill me. Jonathan has to promise me.”

  “I’m getting bored.” I aimed the sights at the top of Mathias’ Italian leather shoe. I wasn’t allowed to kill anyone, but I could inflict some pain.

  BOOM!

  The lawyer cried out in pain. “You son of a bitch. Why’d you do that?” He leaned heavily and unsteadily to his left to get the weight off the injury and almost pulled me down.

  I planted my right foot firmly and tightened my grip around his neck. Holding him upright, I whispered, “I don’t like to wait. Start talking.”

  “You fucking crazy...” He bit his tongue momentarily. Crying and hobbling, he gathered his thoughts, and between sobs, he asked, “What can I say?”

  I increased the pressure around his neck and pressed the barrel against his cheek. “Now that you know I’m serious, tell us what we want to hear, sweetheart.”

  The lawyer shouted a garbled mess of words, “I sold it to the Larimores. All right. Are you fucking happy?”

  “Nope,” I said and lowered the gun to his other foot.

  Mathias’ eyes followed the weapon as I aimed it and started whistling. He screamed, “What the fuck are you doing? I just told you who has it.”

  “I don’t believe you. And I really like shooting people.” I waved the gun up and down his body.

  He pleaded, “Ask Jonathan. He’ll tell you.”

  “Hey Jonathan, does the name Larimores sound right?” I yelled casually up the hill.

  The vampire screamed back, out of breath, “Yes. Makes sense.”

  I asked, “Can I kill this guy since we don’t need him anymore?” I traced the barrel up his side and eventually let it rest against his temple. As I rubbed my pointer finger gently against the trigger, four-gun shots rang out.

  I looked at my hand in disbelief, but it wasn’t my weapon that had discharged. Oh shit. Shifting the gun around in my hand, I removed my finger from the trigger and pistol-whipped Mathias on the head, knocking him out. I charged back up the mountain and saw Roydell lying on the ground, four bullet holes in his smoking chest.

  Behind the felled vampire were Jonathan and Timson standing with their hands in the air. The final remaining guard had a big Colt .45 in his extended hand. Why weren’t the vampires attacking? They couldn’t die from normal gunshots, which led me to believe that this guy was using silver bullets dipped in holy water.

  The man didn’t hear or see me, so I took aim. I exhaled and held the pistol so that my body would be completely still. Closing one eye and staring through the sights, my steady hand squeezed the trigger.

  The bullet tore
through the air and hit the gunman’s wrist. He screamed in agony and the gun slipped from his hand, fluttered in the air and eventually landed on the ground. I ran over to Jonathan and Timson as the wolf writhed in pain, holding his bloody wrist.

  Jonathan announced, “We need to get out of here in case they called in back up help. Mike, have you killed the other guards from the driveway?”

  Was he crazy? He knew I couldn’t just mow people down. I said, “No. They haven’t been anywhere to be seen.”

  Jonathan nodded confidently, mischief racing through his eyes. “That probably means they went to round up the posse. Let’s go.” He pointed to the getaway vehicle.

  The two vampires started to walk to the Jeep. I pointed and asked, “What about Roydell?”

  Jonathan glanced at his fallen comrade, shrugged his shoulders and said, “He’s dead. You can take him if you want, but it will take too much time to drag him over.”

  It seemed wrong to leave the body there even if Roydell was an asshole. And I wondered how they knew he was dead. Reg’s body hadn’t moved in weeks, yet he was still alive somehow. I didn’t have time to dwell on this now and rushed over to the vehicle.

  As I put my foot on the step bar, bullets echoed in the winter air, whizzing past my head and plastering the side of the house. As my heart trembled with the anticipation of more shots, I spring boarded up into the raised Jeep and dove into the backseat. Jonathan was already behind the wheel and Timson jumped into the passenger’s seat.

  Jonathan started the car, revved the engine and turned around. He ran over two of the guards’ bodies as we drove through Mathias’ lawn. Bullets clanged off the vehicle, and when we turned around, two men with guns were standing at the top of the driveway.

  Jonathan chuckled and jammed down the gas. My head whipped back, and I grabbed the support bar. The gunmen kept firing as bullets ricocheted off the vehicle that was gaining speed and bearing down on them. The men maintained the onslaught, showering the front of the Jeep with a storm of bullets and holding their ground impressively.