Nine by Night: A Multi-Author Urban Fantasy Bundle of Kickass Heroines, Adventure, & Magic

by SM Reine

  My jeep idles on the side of the road with the windows up. With any luck she won’t smell I’m here and I’ll be able to follow her. I slide down in the seat when she turns onto the road, waiting a few seconds before straightening and following. I ease off the shoulder and tail her car at a discrete distance. She continues on 15 South toward Purcellville. After a dozen or so miles, Raine takes the exit for town. I follow a hundred yards behind, glad it’s not full dark yet when headlights could give away my position.

  She takes a lot of turns, leading me deeper into undeveloped farmland and away from the construction sites mushrooming all over Loudoun County. She turns onto a long gravel drive. Thick trees and deep underbrush hide any glimpse of a house, and her bumper disappears beyond a bend as I pass the mouth of the driveway. Unwilling to risk discovery, I pull over a quarter of a mile past the entrance and shut off the jeep.

  No other homes are close by. I roll down the window to sample the air. Scents of fertile dirt, new plant growth, and fresh horse manure stream in. Man, we are isolated—about three turns back we crossed into what I call the boonies. This is what I’ve heard the locals affectionately refer to as “horse country.” Living most of my life in southern Virginia, I’m no stranger to desolate farmland, but to find it close to an area with one of the biggest construction booms in the state feels surreal.

  The wind shifts and the pungent odor of wolves drifts over the lowered glass. My gut tightens in response. Lone wolf, my ass. There’s a pack in this area and I’ve just stumbled onto their den. Why in the hell did she lie to me?

  I quietly exit the jeep, keenly aware that walking uninvited onto their property could be the stupidest thing I’ve done in my life to date.

  Is this the place she invited me to last week? Her being part of a pack changes the meaning of why she acted the way she did.

  She’s hiding something.

  And as I slip into the dense greenery next to the driveway, my heart hardens with resolve—I intend to find out exactly what she’s concealing.

  Recent rain has left the ground spongy, making my every step absorbed by plump soil and new plants. The sun set while I trailed Raine to this isolated location, and the long twilight of late spring creates deep shadows between the thin trunks and undergrowth.

  In a third of a mile or so, glimpses of red brick and a metal roof wink through the dense vegetation. Within a few minutes a huge structure and several smaller outbuildings come into view. Three stories high with a gabled roof and arched windows, the main house resembles a McMansion on steroids.

  The new homes where I’ve been working don’t even compare, and I thought those houses were huge. Either her pack is doing much better than Romeo’s in Manitoba or this isn’t their home.

  The breeze shifts and the strong stink of werewolf lifts to reveal a fainter scent underneath. Blood cools in my veins as I realize I’ve encountered the odor before. It’s the unmistakable stench of vampire.

  Is this a vampire house and the wolves live here as well?

  I tamp down my confusion and skirt the edge of the woods, slowly making my way onto the neatly trimmed grass, angling toward a far corner of the house.

  A large detached garage comes into view with an array of expensive cars parked on the gravel. I see hood and grill ornaments for Mercedes, Lexus, and Porsche. Either they’ve got company or Raine’s pack drives luxury cars. Her tiny battered Honda sits off near an even larger, one-story outbuilding farthest away.

  I ease behind the garage, casually drifting from one darkened location to the next. Despite the obvious signs of habitation, no one walks the grounds nor do I see any movement through the windows. Huh. Wonder where everyone is?

  I approach Raine’s car, her familiar scent filling my nostrils. A quick glance reveals the car lies empty without even a candy wrapper to clutter its neatness. The area near her car door holds the strongest trace of her, the trail leading toward the large house, not one of the other outlying cottages or sheds.

  I tense, unsure if the course I’ve taken in coming here is the wisest choice. I’m all alone and have no idea what I’ll be facing. I shrug off my discomfort and follow Raine’s last steps. I’ve come this far, might as well see it through to the end.

  Like I suspected, she went to the backdoor of the main house. Sounds of local wildlife from the dense woods surrounding the house are strangely absent, as if they sensed my predator presence and refrained from further display. Before I decide to try the knob or knock, a groan meets my ears. The sound issues from the right, around the corner of the imposing brick façade.

  I press my back to the sun-warmed surface and slink quietly along the outside wall, easing toward the noise. A large bay window protrudes, its panes free of fabric, allowing inhabitants a clear view of the peaceful woods beyond. The design style also offers me an unhindered view inside.

  Two men in tuxedos stand with their backs to me, their attention focused on the dining room table before them. One brown-haired man stands taller than the other one with black hair. The shorter man leans forward, eagerness apparent in his body language. I follow his gaze and barely stifle my surprise in time.

  Raine sits on the polished mahogany surface, knees spread to bracket her thighs outside the hips of a third tuxedo-clad man standing in front of her, leaning over her neck. Her head is tipped back, leaving her delicate throat exposed to the man’s attentions.

  His dark blond head angles across her throat. He appears to be kissing the skin there.

  She groans again and the sound cuts through my heart like a knife. All this time I thought she wanted me, desired me as a possible mate. What an idiot I’ve been.

  The man roughly pulls down the neck of her t-shirt to expose her breast. He grabs her flesh, squeezing hard. Raine gasps and thrashes her head to the side, allowing me to see her eyes are scrunched tightly closed, a look of discomfort showing in her features.

  I jerk in surprise when one of the men, the taller one with brown hair, near the partly opened window speaks. “Go easy on her, Nathaniel.” His voice holds strength and the man kissing Raine’s neck loosens his hold on her small breast. “She donated last Wednesday and I’ll not have you draining her more than necessary. She’s a favorite of Dominic’s and he’s scheduled her for Friday.”

  A faint whiff of blood billows from under the wooden pane and fear grips my gut. As if confirming my horrified thoughts, a thin trail of red seeps down the young woman’s skin, collecting in the hollow of her throat.

  Dear God. They’re vampires feeding off Raine.

  By the casual sound of the tall man’s comments, it must be a normal occurrence. Panic clogs my throat as I stand frozen in place, unable to turn away from the horrible display and afraid to move and be discovered.

  Nathaniel ignores the vampire by the window, instead pressing a palm roughly between Raines legs, groping her through her jeans. She bucks at the added stimulation, a look of disgust crossing her face at her body’s betrayal.

  The second man standing near the window chuckles. “You’re losing your touch, old man. She doesn’t look like she’s enjoying it.”

  Nathaniel raises his bloody mouth, feral eyes focusing on the man who spoke. Without a glance back at Raine, he slips his hand into her pants for a more intimate caress. “Want to wager who can get her off faster?”

  Raine’s eyes fly open and she looks toward the window, her eyes seeking out the tall brown-haired man who warned off Nathanial. She shakes her head side to side, fighting what the man’s ministrations are making her feel.

  A low growl starts deep in my throat. The alpha instinct to protect rages to the surface at her look of utter dejection and humiliation.

  In a lightning fast move, the two men by the window spin around. The tall one leaps through the glass, tackling me.

  Strong hands pin me to the ground as a rabid face full of dripping fangs leans toward me.

  “And who do we have here?” The vampire sniffs the air near my neck. “You’re the werewolf Raine
was with earlier. The one she said left town no matter how she tempted him to stay.”

  I push up with my hips, trying to buck off the creature. We thrash until he grasps both my hands in his, pinning them above my head as if I were a weak child. The look on his maddened face sends additional adrenaline streaming through my body, pushing my inner wolf into a fight response.

  The change boils under my skin, the wolf struggling to break my hold and meet this new threat. A growl of fury erupts from my throat as I brace to rip off his face with my teeth. The change begins and my jaw elongates into a muzzle full of sharp teeth. I lash out, snapping at the grinning vampire.

  He avoids my attack and punches me in the face, harder than I’ve ever felt from an enraged Were. It momentarily halts my change, stunning me with the pain. He laughs and hits me again, effectively ending my retaliation.

  “Come and join me, Thomas,” my captor calls over his shoulder. “This one’s fresh—and on the house.”

  The second vampire jumps through the window to crouch next to my side. Raine’s scream of “no!” is the last thing to penetrate my consciousness as two sets of fangs descend upon me.

  Chapter Six

  Pain radiates through my skull as my surroundings slowly come into focus. I’m lying on a cold, gritty floor. Weakness drags at my limbs, making it hard to raise my head. What the hell happened?

  In a flash, the memory of intense pain and fear spiral through me, drawing a hard shudder in response.

  A rustle nearby draws my attention to a blurry figure a few feet away. “Thank God,” Raine’s concerned voice reaches me. “You’re finally awake.” She sounds strained and nervous. Considering she’s living with a group of blood sucking parasites—ones that will apparently jump on anything on their property and suck it almost dry—I can sympathize.

  A cup is pressed to my lips, while a gentle hand slips behind my head to support me. “Here. Drink this.”

  Warm water flavored with something lemony trickles past my cracked lips. “If we get fluids in you it should speed up your healing.” Despair clouds her pretty gaze. “Why? Why did you follow me, you stupid bastard?”

  I sputter, but continue to drink. She takes the empty mug away and refills it from a nearby pitcher. I struggle to a seated position, finding my actions slowed by chains binding my limbs loosely to the wall behind me.

  My vision clears as I glance around the room. Dim light from the naked overhead bulb does nothing to enhance the starkly empty space. Or should I call it a cell? The cinderblock walls and steel door emphasize my assumption.

  What the fuck is going on here?

  My coordination slowly returns and I reach for the full mug she’s offering. I gulp half the contents before bothering to respond her question. “You really think my following you is the biggest issue to discuss, right now? What is this place?”

  Raine settles on the floor next to me, resting the carafe on one splayed thigh. “I used to call it Hell.” She smirks and meets my eye. “But after meeting you, and dreaming about freedom, I realize this place is worse.”

  I drain the cup and reach for the pitcher. “Worse than Hell?” I pour the tangy water, eager for more as my strength returns. “Sitting chained to a wall after being drained by two vampires... well, it’s not Hell but it’s not great, either.”

  Tears trickle down the young woman’s face. “What would you call it after five years? What would you call it when you watch your friends die? What would you call it when you’re forced to lure more of your kind here?”

  “That depends. What exactly is ‘here’?”

  Raine looks toward the partially open door, her gaze distant and sad. “It’s a pretty prison. Not this room, obviously, but the big house. A prison decorated with lavish parties and forced entertaining.”

  I drink my lemon water, which is strangely making me feel a lot better than one would expect, and watch a shiver run over her. “This blood brothel is run by Cecil Davies. He’s a vampire addicted to Were blood.”

  “Addicted to Were blood? A blood brothel? I didn’t know the first was possible or the second even existed.”

  She looks at me and shakes her head in remorse. “Apparently the addiction is more common than I would’ve have guessed. Cecil has my whole pack bound to him as vampire servants. We can’t refuse his commands—even ones that go against every fiber of our being.”

  Her overly flirtatious behavior when I first pulled into town makes more sense. She was ordered to bring more werewolves to feed this vampire’s addiction. Maybe ordered to flirt with me as well.

  “I don’t understand. How many of you are here? How much blood can one vampire drink?”

  “I don’t know how much they can drink at once, but several feedings too close together have killed quite a few of us. Our pack was small to begin with, only twenty. Half of them died in the last eighteen months.” She trails off and hangs her head, staring at the floor. “But I’ve brought in nine more over the years—three of which also died. And I’m not the only wolf bringing in victims.”

  A chill creeps down my spine. She meant to lead me here, just like the others. But she also warned me, telling me to leave town. Something doesn’t add up. How did she resist her orders to bring me in?

  “How did you lie to him about me?”

  “I’m not sure. There is the obvious compulsion to obey burned into my brain, but apparently I could lie just enough regarding you to make him believe me.” She looks at me with longing. “I wondered if it might mean we were destined to be… more to each other… if the situation was different.”

  My mind whirls, desperate to figure out a plan to save these wolves and myself. What is Cecil’s security like? I recall two who attacked me as a third stood close by, feeding on Raine. “How many vampires live here?”

  “Just him. The others come and pay to feast on werewolf blood... among other things. They use us like rag dolls, knowing we can heal from any damage they dole out.”

  Sickness coils in my stomach at the thought of all these people held against their will and made to service any vampire with enough money.

  “How did all this happen? Where is your alpha? What happened to him and his mate?”

  A sad look crosses her face as she fills my mug once more. “He was the third one taken. After that we all dropped like flies, bound to his call as our leader.”

  “Third? That means he knew what was going on...and...” The bastard led them into this Hell.

  “Yes. He knew. He had no choice.”

  “Really, no choice?” I haven’t even met the guy and I’m not sure I like him.

  “He told me later that he’d hoped we’d ban together and overpower the vampire... Somehow find a way out.”

  Disgust crosses my face at the situation she’s describing. How could’ve it gotten so bad, so fast?

  As if sensing my unease in the facts laid out, she continues. “First, the creature took his eight year old daughter.” Her words drive a spike through my heart. “When his wife tried to find her, against her mate’s orders, she was abducted as well.” A heavy sigh escapes her and she sags against the cold wall, exhaustion and defeat etched into her skin. “By then it was too late for little Pamela. She’d lost too much blood to Cecil’s addiction and couldn’t bounce back.” She motions to the pitcher, with the strange lime-lemon tasting water. “We found out about the blood replenishing additives later.”

  Power floods my limbs at her mention of the drink. I gesture with my cup. “What’s in it?”

  “I don’t know for sure. We grow the plants out back at the vampire’s direction. But he won’t let us give them to Cliff and Kristin, our alphas.” Sadness crosses her face. “My sister, Jennifer, was killed when she tried to sneak the herbs to them. Cecil keeps them chained and weak for a reason. I think together they would eventually overpower him. Their draining is very specific; they aren’t used at the main house, but depleted here in the cells. He makes sure they remain on the cusp of death.”

  Th
e return of my strength encourages me to test the chains binding me to the wall. A slight tug loosens their hold in the stone, confirming my suspicions. The water is working on me the same way it would work for Cliff and Kristin. In ten minutes I’m back to normal, like my blood loss never happened.

  Raine reaches out a hand and touches my forehead. “Your gash, from the fight—it’s gone already.” Confusion mars her features. “It would normally take hours after that much blood loss to heal perfectly, even with the herbal-infused water.” She gasps and hope lights her eyes. “Oh my God. Are you an alpha? That’s the only thing that would explain it.”

  I nod, staring deep into her eyes. “Yes, I am.” I wrap the chains around my fists. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

  “What?”

  I rip the chains from the walls and stand. “I’m going to get us the hell out of here and find a way to save everyone.”

  Raine’s hand flies to her throat, her mind whirring behind her startled eyes. “You’ve got to get out quick. Before he checks on you.” She scuttles toward the door, gesturing me to follow. “I’ll show you through a back door they can’t see from the house.” She checks the watch on her wrist. “You’ve got very little leeway until he’ll come to test your recovery time. If he suspected you were an alpha he never would have ordered the enhanced water.”

  “You’re coming with me, right?” We glance up and down the hall and then scurry along the deserted passageway to a dimly lit staircase leading up.

  “No, I can’t,” she whispers. “If he suspects I’ve helped you he’ll kill one of my packmates in retaliation.” We make our way to the top and down another dark hallway leading to a back door. “Each of us knows the penalty for running when we’re let out to work and attract other Weres to his net.” She faces me at the threshold, rising up to kiss me lightly on the mouth. “I’m so sorry I got you into this. You’re our only hope. Get out and find help. Even the local police if you have to—anyone!”

  A grim expression settles on my face. “I won’t let you down. No matter what.”