Crimson Vengeance

by Sheri Lewis Wohl

  Riah didn’t wish death at a vampire’s hand on anyone, yet for the first time in several hundred years, she was almost glad a vampire had made a kill. The state trooper lying in her cooler would give Adriana the samples she needed to duplicate her experiment. Riah could hardly process what Adriana might soon be able to do for her. She’d be human again for the first time in half a millennia.

  “Ned Stratton, the Adams County Prosecuting Attorney/Coroner, called in the murder of a WSP Trooper last night. He’s in my cooler,” Riah told Adriana.

  “The vamp got him?”

  “Yes.”

  “Crap, sucks for the trooper.”

  Her lover did have a way with words. “Yes, it does.”

  Adriana’s eyes were bright. “It sucks that one of our state’s finest was taken down just because he was doing his job, but his death will make a difference.”

  Leave it to Adriana to put a positive spin on a tragedy. “I suppose so.”

  Adriana started toward the door. “Let me get my bag out of my car, then let’s bleed him and I’ll get to work.”

  *

  Ivy awoke alone. In a way, she was glad. The night had been glorious and Colin was a great lover. No, scratch that. Fantastic lover. Just thinking about him made her tingle all over. Where did a vampire hunter learn to use his tongue like that?

  Being with him was also surreal. She barely knew him, yet she’d jumped in bed with him like she’d never been with another man. She should feel embarrassed, but she didn’t. Quite the contrary. She could hardly wait to see him again.

  Ivy hugged his pillow to her face and inhaled his scent. A sigh escaped her lips, then suddenly she laughed. What a girl she was. In real life, she was a very serious and ultra- professional coroner. Behind the blinds of her own home, she turned into a complete cream puff that melted when a sexy man ran his tongue down her body. Today, cream puff worked for her. She smiled, kissed the pillow, and tossed it aside. As appealing as it might be, she couldn’t spend the entire day in bed.

  After a shower, Ivy went to the kitchen where Colin had left a note on the counter. She smiled as she read his tidy script. He’d gone back to Spokane to try to figure out where Destiny was headed. He also left his cell-phone number. No endearments. No apologies—thank God. She liked him better by the minute.

  Her cell phone lay on the counter, with the image of an envelope on the display. Maybe Colin had changed his mind and decided he needed to talk to her after all? She quickly punched in her code and listened to the message. It wasn’t Colin.

  Riah’s voice sounded strained and her message was troubling for more than one reason. The bodies continued to pile up, except now they seemed to be moving east. If Ivy were to guess, this Destiny was likely in Spokane already. According to Riah’s message, a dead Washington State Trooper was found on the outskirts of Sprague, about forty miles west of Spokane. The elusive vampire was on the move, so Moses Lake was probably safe for a while.

  Today was Saturday and no one expected Ivy in the office, despite her habit of showing up anyway. Murders always guaranteed her appearance, although fortunately in Moses Lake those were few. Accidents were more common. Sometimes she came in on the weekends for those, and sometimes she let one of the deputy coroners handle them.

  Today was as good as any to delegate. It was one of the reasons she’d been able to sleep so late. After a couple of days with little to no sleep and a late night playing footsy with Colin, she’d been exhausted. Now, she was wide-awake, fully refreshed, and needing a good cup of coffee even if it was late afternoon.

  Ten minutes later she pulled into the Starbucks just off I-90 and ordered their biggest latte. Now she could face the rest of the day. She was headed for Spokane a few minutes later.

  Her cell phone rang just about the time she passed the starch plant, and she groaned at the sound of Phil’s voice. Between him and the stench of the plant, Ivy almost retched. With effort, she pushed down the urge and tried to sound civil.

  She bypassed a greeting. “You know I can’t say anything.”

  “Ivy, buddy, old pal, you know I gotta ask.” His voice was too sweet to take seriously.

  “Look, Phil, I understand you’re only doing your job––”

  “And this is a big story.” The artificial sweetness disappeared.

  “I don’t know if there is a story.” She didn’t have time for this, and she sure didn’t intend to tell Phil what she did know.

  His voice grew serious. “Ivy, don’t bullshit me, we’ve known each other too long. Jorge was my friend too, and I know about the dead Stater so don’t play dumb. Way too many bodies to call it coincidence. I smell serial killer, and no matter what you say, or don’t say, I’m running with the story. The people have the right to know.”

  Ivy sighed. On one level, she understood, yet the law-enforcement side of her wanted to duct-tape Phil’s mouth. After serial killers Gary Ridgeway in Seattle and Robert Yates in Spokane terrorized the east and the west sides of the state, the last thing Moses Lake needed was to panic over the possibility that another one had made a home in their town.

  “I honestly can’t confirm, Phil, and that’s not bullshit.”

  “Ivy, come on, we’re old friends.” He tried the pleading voice now.

  “Yes, we are, and I’m telling you straight up, I can’t confirm it’s the work of a serial killer. Look, I’m on my way to Spokane right now. Let me see what I find out. Keep the serial-killer theory to yourself for twenty-four hours as a favor to your old pal, and I promise to make you my first call when I have more concrete information.”

  “You swear?” He didn’t sound convinced, not that she blamed him. Despite all the years they’d known each other, they were on vastly different sides of the story. Law and media didn’t mix well most of the time.

  “Cross my heart and hope to die.” Please let it go.

  “Okay, Hernandez, I’ll hold you to that.”

  “Thanks.”

  She breathed in relief as she snapped the phone shut. Wheedling a twenty-four-hour reprieve from Phil was big, but she and Riah had better come up with a good story for him or they’d have even more problems. Phil knew lots of people with really powerful pens, and he could stir things up fast. Also, she didn’t want people in her hometown to be afraid. Moses Lake might not be the prettiest town in the state, but it was home. It deserved to be left in peace.

  Ivy took a sip of her latte and let it warm her. As she drove, she managed to put Phil out of her mind and instead tried to talk herself into being not pissed off about the state trooper. The coroner for Adams County was a lawyer. The prosecuting attorney, no less. Though he filled the shoes of the coroner, unlike Ivy, he wasn’t a doctor and didn’t do autopsies. Victims came to either Moses Lake or Spokane under a mutual-cooperation agreement between the counties. In this instance, he requested Riah’s assistance rather than Ivy’s.

  Until recently, they came to her in Moses Lake. Adams County didn’t have many suspicious deaths, and because of the light workload in Moses Lake she was better able to handle them. Spokane was much busier and typically only took them from Adams County when something unusual occurred or Ivy’s department was unable to assist. That scenario had happened only once since Ivy became coroner.

  Ivy would be insulted as well as pissed off that Ned hadn’t called except she knew why. After her divorce from Jorge, Ned hit on her hard. When she turned him down, he’d been pissed off. If Ned could have reined it in and waited a little longer to make his interest known, she might have taken him up on the offer. He was a good-looking guy, as well as smart and successful. But his timing sucked, and when she told him no, he acted like a spoiled little boy. His unflattering antics pretty much screwed up any chance he might have had, and these days he treated her as if she didn’t exist. He’d call her for help if, and only if, he had no other option.

  So Riah now had the body of the murdered trooper in her cooler, and Ivy knew about this death only because Riah kept her in the loop.
It’d be fun to see the look on Ned’s face if he found out she was on her way to assist with the autopsy he’d tried to exclude her from.

  In the big picture, Ned didn’t rate much consideration. His petty behavior was precisely that…petty. If Destiny held true to the pattern she’d established so far, the trooper would make his transition from death to undeath in about two hours.

  What kind of game was Destiny playing? Vampires didn’t always leave their victims in a state where they were guaranteed to turn. They could kill them for food and leave them good old-fashioned dead. Just because they died at the hands of a vampire, they wouldn’t automatically turn. The vampire made the choice.

  For a long time, Riah didn’t share with Ivy what made the difference between food or follower. It all centered on trust. It took a while, but when Riah finally realized she could trust Ivy unconditionally, she opened up about her long existence in the shadows.

  The secret between death and undeath had to do with blood, Riah had explained. Ivy remembered thinking duh. Every person who ever watched a movie, read a book, or researched folk legends understood vampires were all about the blood of their victims. But it wasn’t as simple as Ivy thought.

  Blood had to be shared for undeath to come knocking. Riah had been turned when the vampire’s blood mixed with her own. Just a bite alone wasn’t enough to turn a human into a creature of the night. One drop of the vampire’s blood ingested by a victim, however, was. Whether by mouth or through the bloodstream, a drop made the difference.

  It wasn’t just turning a victim though. Vampires were supposed to follow unwritten rules. If a vampire turned a victim, they became that victim’s master. They taught them how to survive, they cared for them, they never abandoned them. They were their maker, their teacher, their protector.

  Destiny wasn’t just taking victims for food. She was playing a very dangerous game and only she knew the rules. Each victim so far had turned, which meant she fed them her own blood, then turned around and discarded them like trash. What she was doing went against everything Riah had explained.

  All the way to Spokane, Ivy kept thinking one thing––why?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Night fell quiet and dark. Destiny rose and stretched like a cat. Tonight promised all manner of fun except, first, she needed to feed. She took a shower, dried her long blond hair, and dressed. Black jeans, a bloodred blouse topped by a black jacket, and a nice pair of leather boots, handmade in Italy. Casual yet elegant. Striking enough to catch the attention of a willing victim while subdued enough not to stand out. Nobody had to tell her how good she looked.

  The lights from Riverpark Square shone bright and cheerful. Saturday night was in full swing and she was just one of the crowd. Couples walked arm-in-arm while hordes of teenagers rode the escalators in the Square up to the third-floor multiplex.

  At a wine bar on Howard, she found a nice table where she sat and twirled a long-stemmed goblet half full of an aromatic red. This seemed to be a popular hangout, exactly what she had in mind. The wine was excellent, though it didn’t quench her thirst.

  She didn’t have to wait long, not that she ever did. As far back as she could remember, both before and after coming over, she’d drawn admirers wherever she went. It was a gift and a curse, her special brand of allure that took her from death to undeath.

  The one who’d found her alongside the dark muddy road had been as ugly as Destiny was beautiful. That night, she’d hovered a mere breath away from death. Then as life began to flow out of her body, his blood trickled bitter and hot between her lips. She still recalled the peace of that moment.

  What her life became afterward was nothing she could have imagined. It was beautiful and horrifying. Before, her life revolved around pleasure and the pursuit of wealth. After, pleasure and wealth were still important. So too were power and revenge.

  “Hi,” the man said, interrupting her reverie.

  Destiny looked up and smiled. Not bad. Tall and dark-haired with a fashionable beard and mustache. His black slacks were stylish and expensive. So, too, was the gray shirt. “Hello,” she said.

  “Are you waiting for someone?” His eyes were rich chocolate brown.

  “No.” She ran her tongue over her lower lip. “Would you care to join me?”

  He smiled and his eyes seemed to light up. “I’d love to.”

  “Are you here alone?” Why would such a tasty treat be out alone on a Saturday night? Destiny could smell the sweetness of his blood, hear the pulse of it as it coursed through his veins.

  He looked sheepish. “Yes. I live across the street in the River Ridge condos. Every once in a while when I’m feeling cooped up I come over here. This place has the best wines in town. By the way, I’m Dale.” He held out a hand.

  She took the offered hand and shook it. “Destiny.” He had a broad palm and long fingers that wrapped around hers. His nails were clean, manicured.

  Much later, she stood looking out the tall windows of Dale’s tasteful condo. As they’d walked from the wine bar, he’d promised the view was killer. He hadn’t exaggerated. From his front room, the sight of the Spokane Falls was breathtaking. Floodlights bathed the falls in white light, the raw power of the water more than impressive as it roared between the basalt cliffs.

  Destiny watched for a few minutes longer, then sighed. It was time to go. She walked back to the bedroom and began to pick up her clothes. Dale had proved to be an energetic and enthusiastic lover. She’d thoroughly enjoyed herself. The little romp had filled her with energy. The blood didn’t hurt either. It was a lovely way to start a long and eventful night.

  Once dressed, she stopped in the bedroom doorway and glanced back. Dale was stretched across the bed, his eyes closed and his skin pale in the darkened room. He appeared to be deep in sleep, if one didn’t look too closely.

  *

  Colin glanced at his watch. Jesus, it was already almost ten. He shoved up from the hotel bed and headed for the shower. He couldn’t believe he’d slept that long. Then again, Ivy had done her best to wear him out. He smiled. God help him, he’d take that kind of workout any day of the week. Beat the heck out of going to the hotel gym.

  He rested his head against the shower enclosure and closed his eyes, letting warm water flow down his back. It was stupid to get sidetracked. He had no business jumping into bed with anyone, especially in the middle of a hunt like this one. Then again…

  Love at first sight wasn’t something Colin believed in. It was hormones. It was an itch. It was anything except love, because love at first sight didn’t exist. Of course, most people would swear vampires didn’t exist either.

  Still, he told himself he wasn’t in love with the dark-haired beauty. The notion was ridiculous. He might be in lust—he’d buy that. Love—not a chance. Except from the first second he touched her, something was very different. And not in a bad way different.

  Love wasn’t exactly something Colin had much experience with. Sure, he’d started life as a loved and wanted child. His parents had been the best and all his memories were good. Having that foundation was probably the only thing that kept him from crashing into madness.

  Once his family was gone, all he had were his memories. Monsignor did his best to fill the void left by the loss of his family, and he did the job well, all things considered.

  Still, it wasn’t the same. The monsignor gave him the unconditional love of a family while at the same time molding him into the hunter he ultimately became. It wasn’t exactly a normal upbringing. He was always the guy on the outside, just a step out of touch with all the others. Most of the time, it was fine. He understood who he was and why. Then, there were times when Colin wanted to be like everyone else—oblivious to the dangers lurking in the shadows of the night. To be able to go to college, chase women, and drink beer. Just a regular Joe Blow.

  What he wanted and what he was were two very different things. The night his family was destroyed took the possibility of choice from him. So, when he wished t
o be like everyone else, when he wanted nothing more than to be a regular guy, he pushed the desires away and concentrated on what he was––a vampire hunter.

  Now, after all this time, the end was in sight. It both thrilled and scared him. Without a concrete goal, what would his life become? He’d never considered what he would do once he cleansed the earth of vampires. It was the only thing he knew how to do.

  He immediately thought of Ivy. Was she God’s gift to him? Was she the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Or, was he seeing things in her that didn’t exist because he was scared?

  Colin pulled his head up and let the water hit him in the face. It didn’t really matter one way or the other. Life would be what life would be. He had to focus on one thing—destroying the last two vampires on the planet.

  By the time he was dressed and in his car, he felt more like himself. Steady, focused. No more thoughts of love. He picked up his cell phone and called Ivy. The moment he heard her voice, a rush went right up his spine. Yeah…fling.

  “Colin.” His name rolled off her tongue like honey. “I’m glad you called.”

  “Are you all right?” Though her voice sounded sweet, he had the feeling something wasn’t right.

  “I’m on my way to Spokane.”

  “Why?” His thoughts shifted into hunter mode.

  “She took out a state trooper last night.”

  “Where?” He did have a broad vocabulary, but as his mind raced, everything seemed to come out in single syllables.

  “Sprague Lake. It’s between Spokane and Moses Lake. I’m on my way now to meet Riah and Adriana at the morgue.”

  “How far out are you?”

  “Just pulled off I-90 onto Maple. I’ll be there in about five minutes.”

  “I’ll meet you there, I’m close as well.”

  He snapped the phone shut and concentrated on traffic. At first he was surprised at the amount of it until he remembered it was Saturday. He hated Saturdays. For him it wasn’t a night to party. No, for Colin, Saturday night was the busiest night of the week.