Vampire for Hire: The Nephalem Files (Book 2)

by Douglas Wayne

  I stood my ground, even as his one free free friend moved to his side. "Still not a fair fight," I smiled, causing the two holding the kid to let him go and join the others in circling around me. Once I had the attention of the group, I did some fake karate moves to hide my shield as it winked into existence. "We going to do this, or are we just going to dance?" I asked, trying to provoke the group. "Have to warn you, I'm horrible at the waltz."

  The first man was on me shortly after I spit out the words, bringing me to the ground with a grapple from behind. He climbed on my back to hold me on the ground while the other six men moved in to stomp and kick me. I looked up enough to see the kid and his friends sneaking off towards the exit, making me feel like a fool. I honestly didn't expect them to be able to add much to the fight, but I figured it was common courtesy to help the guy who just saved your skin. Not wanting to pick another fight I shrugged it off as my shield began to wane.

  I pushed myself to my knees, even as the blows continued to hit home.

  "Where do you think you're going?" the older man asked before kicking me square in the ribs, knocking out my shield.

  "Up." I enhanced my strength and leapt into the air, bringing the man on my back with me. Near the top of my jump I twisted around and pushed the flailing man off my body. He reached out, desperately trying to grab on, but I was well out of his reach.

  I landed soft, allowing my bent knees to absorb more the impact. The other man wasn't as lucky, as he handed awkwardly on one of the wooden chairs, shattering it into a dozen pieces.

  "Anyone else?" I asked, cracking my knuckles. "Plenty of that for the rest of you."

  The men looked at each other a few times, none making a move at me or even bothering to say a word. After a moment the head man shook his head and the others backed off to help their fallen companion before walking out the door.

  With them out of the way, I hugged the wall and continued my trek to the back. The beads shifted forward as Alfred stepped through the strings. I moved closer to the crowd, hoping to blend in while he walked towards a table in the back.

  "What's going on here?" Alfred said, his voice enhanced by a microphone in his hand. Across the room, men stopped what they were doing, suddenly mindful they were in someone else's house. I used the distraction, and my magically enhanced speed, to clear the gap to the Alfred before he had a chance to retreat to his office. My body slammed into his, knocking him through the strings of beads and back to his open office door.

  "I'll be asking the questions now," I said, tossing him into the room and onto the desk after slamming the door behind me.

  - 20 -

  Alfred's eyes widened as he say back in his seat, shifting nervously as I paced the room. I tried to keep calm, but the longer I stared at the man the more I thought about how he wiped my bank accounts clean the night before.

  "Owning the club and getting your share of all the money wasn't enough for you," I said, pointing my finger inches from his nose. "You couldn't deal with having a portion of the money, you wanted it all."

  "Don't you?" he asked, beads of sweat forming on the top of his once flawless brow. I got nervous when he glanced at the door and then back to me, so I moved around the desk to keep both clearly in my sights.

  "No, I don't." I pulled the sword out of its holder and placed it up to his throat, only wanting to scare him. But to tell the truth, my natural instincts were telling me to kill the man. Get back at him for the mess he caused. "Tell me why I shouldn't gut you right here?"

  "Because you can't." His face went from nervous to serious as he sat up in his chair, embracing the touch of my blade to his neck. "If you don't believe me, try it." He smiled.

  I laughed at Alfred's last ditch attempt to spare his life. Sure, I admired his bravery, but it was short sighted. Even if I were to spare his life, the two vampires waiting outside would rip him to shreds the moment he stepped outside. To be honest, I didn't want to give them the pleasure, even if they deserved vengeance as much as I did. "Can't?" I asked, moving the blade gently across his bared throat, slicing some of the hairs on his neck. "Try me."

  Before I had a chance to react, he leaned back and kicked his five hundred pound wooden desk at me, pinning me against the wall. The impact sent my sword well out of my reach, onto the floor in front of one of his bookshelves.

  Out of all the things I expected out of the man, this was definitely not one of them. I drew in some essence and enhanced my strength, but not before he moved his chair close enough so he could prop his feet on the side, pushing it with his strength to counter my own. He leaned back, grabbing the glass of water off the nearby book shelf and placed it on the desk next to a digital clock that told me the time.

  Six-thirty. A little after daybreak, telling me Silas and Corbin would not be any help unless they happened to get inside. As much as I hoped that was the case, something told me Alfred here had yet to consent to the move.

  "You had no idea what you were messing with." He opened his mouth wide and reached inside, pulling out a pair of perfectly whitened dentures. He smiled wide, not opening his mouth as he placed them in the glass. "I should've known those two would fail to kill you. They have never been the creative type."

  "Call it a hunch, but I don't think you play for the same team anymore."

  "No, I doubt my last move made them very happy." He laughed, revealing a mouth full of polished teeth. I wondered about the dentures for a moment until I noticed the pair of elongated canines on the sides of his mouth.

  Of course. How did I not see that coming. He was the one behind the murders and disappearances. Silas and Corbin were just pawns in his system. Just there to do the dirty work from time to time while Alfred pocketed the money. I knew after years of dealing with his species that they all end up wealthy beyond imagination, but I always assumed they made it legit. Never once would I have imagined one would've come up with a way to make his fortune without doing anything to risk a dime. I had to admit, it was creative. But even if I hadn't come around it was only a matter of time until the whole thing came crashing down.

  "Tell me, Mr. Gilmore. Are you afraid of death?"

  I shook my head while doing my best to look calm, even as the rapid beating of my heart threatened to give me away. Sitting here, pinned between the wall and the desk, I understood why the war started between the wizards and vampires. Wizard blood has always been known as a delicacy in the vampire community as they claimed it tastes much sweeter and is more fulfilling than normal human blood. I always imagined it was similar to the difference between eating a steak from a normal cow and a similar cut from an Angus one. Overall, the products taste the same, but there is enough of a difference between them for the market to favor the one that was more rare.

  While it didn't seem like he cared much about the treaty, but in his office he had little reason to. By the letter of the rules I would be listed as the aggressor even though his actions provoked me to this point. If he were to kill me here, the wizard council would probably write it off as an overzealous wizard overstepping his bounds while they did everything in their power to maintain the peace. The vampires would be upset, but get over it quickly once they were given a copy of my record and how I was sent here to investigate the murders while on probation.

  The only way there would be any justice was for me to survive. If that were to happen the tables could turn the other way since there was plenty of evidence pointing at Alfred. I doubted they would call me a hero, but they wouldn't call me the bad guy either. It was going to come down to a fight any way I tried, so I figured now was as good a time as any to get some answers.

  "Why'd you send me after Silas?" I asked, straining against the weight of the desk.

  "Protracted clan wars take a nasty toll on your resources after a few decades," he said. "I needed him and the others out of my territory so I could focus on my business."

  "So you've been killing your members to cover the cost of your petty clan war? Classy."

  "They
were growing suspicious. I had to make it look like I had someone covering it. If you took down a rival or two in the process," he said, smiling. "All the better."

  Alfred Jacobs was proving himself to be a class act. Not only did he not give a crap about the people who frequented his business, he didn't care about his species either. Clan wars have been a reality for vampires since the beginning of time, mainly fighting over turf and resources more than anything else. I guess if you become an apex predator, the amount of things you concern yourself with on a daily basis dwindles significantly.

  "So you don't care about your business or your fellow vampires," I said, straining against the desk. "Is there anything you do care for?"

  He laughed. "I care a lot about my safety. And about having the resources I need to unseat your precious leaders from their silly council."

  My jaw dropped as he played his card. This wasn't a pull on money or resources. To him, Silas and Corbin were pawns to be used on a chessboard. If either of them were able to take out an important piece he would consider it a win though the true victory was just by keeping me busy.

  I suspected his true plan was much more dire. If I had to guess, his optimal result would've seen me killing one of the two shortly after arriving. All it would've taken was me injuring one any worse than I did and it would've been over. We would have been in the midst of a war the likes of which has never been fought on the earth. Little did he know how close his plan got to coming true. One slip of my hand and Corbin would've been dust blowing in the wind and I would've been in line right behind him.

  "You know there are easier ways to start a war."

  "The wizards are too entrenched," he said. "Besides, all I had to do was have someone important killed for them to send someone to me. A shame Elliot had to send someone who was a tad too competent."

  "High Wizard Wade?"

  "For now," he said, his teeth poking through a wicked smile.

  I started to see the picture as it unfolded, and why they wanted to send me here. It also partially explained why Cedric had so much dirt on me at the trial. He was probably there, trying to find a way to bring Bradly here to start the plot. All it would've taken was the allure of money, especially the easy pickings of the people already dead and gone to get him involved, and set the whole plan into motion.

  From there all it would've taken was the death of one vampire, or even just the hostile actions of Brad, to set the vampire population in a frenzy. There wouldn't be any way for the remaining council members not involved to prove it was the actions of an undisciplined wizard and not one of their own. It would've made it even more impossible if the High Wizard was involved. There couldn't have been more than a handful of beings in the world who were more revered, and powerful, than he was.

  I looked around the room, looking for something, anything that could get me out of this mess long enough to be able to call Max. My sword was too far away to be of use as it was still on the floor on the other side of the room. Without telekinesis, pulling the sword or anything off the bookshelves was also going to be hard. Then I saw it, my salvation in the form of the small whiskey glass sitting on the edge of the desk with Alfred's pearly white dentures soaking in it.

  "As much fun as this has become, I've grown tired of your meddling." He moved in closer, leaning over the table stopping inches away from my neck. "Any last words?"

  I stared him in the eye, showed off my pretty smile, and nodded. "Let there be light!" I shifted nearly every ounce of essence I had into pushing the shot glass with a gust of wind as I wasn't powerful enough with the element to pull it off any other way.

  Alfred snarled, opening his mouth to move in for the kill. I felt his teeth tear into the soft tissue of my throat as the vampire clamped down. Then there was a crash.

  Light flooded into the room through the now shattered glass. The morning sun warmed my chilled skin, and more importantly warmed the face of my attacker.

  Alfred howled in pain as the sunlight seared his skin. Wisps of smoke trailed off the burning flesh as he struggled to push away. He looked at me one last time, anger visible in his bloodshot red eyes before he bolted out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

  I knew he wouldn't be dead, but I also knew he had nowhere else to hide. Unless he built this place with an escape plan in mind, he would be in the building somewhere. I just needed to find where.

  - 21 -

  Before leaving the office I strapped the staff to my belt and pulled out the sharp steel blade. I even went so far as to duct tape the hilt to my fist so there wouldn't be another repeat of the office. Alfred got sloppy once, I knew I wouldn't have that luxury again.

  I rushed into the main warehouse, through the wall of beads to find the place empty. If it wasn't for the damaged chairs and tables, not to mention the piles of cards on the floor, you wouldn't have known the place was just full to the brim less than an hour before. Out in the open I stepped carefully, not wanting to give away my position any more than I already had. Not just that, but I also needed to hear.

  Other than my footsteps on the now filthy floor, the room was silent. Sunlight struggled to poke through the painted glass windows nearly forty feet over my head. I briefly considered sending some of the debris crashing through the glass, but I decided against it. Wind, being my weakest element, also happened to use the most essence. Fighting a vampire on even ground was going to prove tough enough without wasting my energy on something that may not even matter.

  I glanced around the room, sweeping it twice to make sure I wasn't missing anything. The warehouse was very large, but it was primarily open as the only semi-enclosed areas I'd seen were the entrance room and Alfred's office. In the corner, not far away from the entry door was an abandoned bar, the only spot he could've been hiding in.

  I fought off the temptation to move in close to it, knowing it could cost me my life if I did. In the wide open expanse of the warehouse, I had the advantage as long as I maintained my range. If I allowed him to move close, even within ten feet, my advantage would be gone as he would easily be able to make up the ground. With that in mind, I weaved a ball of fire from my fingertips, the heat radiated up my arm and singed my hairs until I tossed at the bar.

  The ball of flame shattered the wooden barstools and counters that remained after the fight. Smaller balls of flame lit the room as the bottles of booze exploded as well, helping keep the bar on fire before the initial flame died out.

  I watched the smoke and debris waiting for Alfred to jump out, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. I sighed and moved away from the fire, not wanting to breath in the smoke.

  Then, across the room, I saw a pair of boots poking out from under a table in the center of the room. I circled the table slowly, wanting to get a better view. As I drew closer I saw a man shaking as he huddled under the card table. His arms, covered in a heavily stained long sleeve shirt were huddled around the remains of his ripped and tattered blue jeans. As I moved close, he moved his feet under further, hoping to hide them from view.

  "I'm not going to hurt you." Unless you are Alfred, then you are going to die. "Come on out where I can see you."

  The body, still huddled underneath the table didn't move so I stopped in my tracks. I didn't want to throw something offensive at the man, just in case it wasn't Alfred, but I didn't want to move into his wheelhouse if it was. I pushed another table out of the way, giving me a spot to kneel to get a better view.

  "Winston?" I said, seeing the man's face for the first time. His eyes widened and jaw dropped as he looked up. I could almost swear I saw him smile before his expression changed from excitement to one of pure terror.

  "It's OK," I said, reaching for Winston as he pushed himself backwards with his feet. "I'm here to help."

  "How can you help him," Alfred said, grabbing me by the scruff of my neck. "When you can't even help yourself?" I swung my body around, hoping to hit him with the sword. He laughed as he thrust his hand into my elbow. A sharp pain went through my arm
as the bones snapped, causing my arm to flail around helplessly. Panic set in once I realized my only hope of killing the vampire was strapped to my now useless hand. I had to come up with something, and in a hurry.

  "I'm not so easy to kill," I enhanced my strength and swung at him with my good arm. He let out a grunt as my fist hit him in the abdomen, the force of the blow sent him crashing through one of the poker tables.

  Alfred let out a booming laugh. "I've noticed." He moved on me at a speed that would've made a jaguar jealous and returned the favor, the speed added onto his strength, knocked me across the room and into the concrete wall. Pain shot through my back as my ribs shattered from the impact. I tried to take a step towards the vampire, but my legs failed me, forcing me to collapse onto the floor.

  I pushed myself back against the wall as Alfred approached. He wrung his hands together as he approached, his beady red eyes never leaving mine. Biting my lower lip to avoid crying out, I resigned myself to defeat as my body was too shattered to put up a proper defense. In one final act of defiance, I took a deep breath and with it, took in as much essence as my body would hold.

  Alfred, seeing my move, rushed in quickly, his hands wrapping around my sore throat. "I will not be fooled again."

  I tried to talk, but couldn't through my constricted wind pipe. He lifted my body off the ground, barely allowing my legs to touch the floor while he squeezed harder. The corner of my vision started to turn black as my body desperately pleaded for air.

  I'm sorry, I thought. There isn't enough fight left in me to give you another breath.

  I closed my eyes, resigned to my fate when I had an idea. Placing the palm of my good hand on the brick wall, I channeled every ounce of essence into it. Alfred's expression darkened as the building began to shake. Across the room, tables rattled along the shifting floor knocking over any tables they came across. Behind Alfred I caught a glimpse of Winston as he ran for the exit, the bead wall shifting back and forth as he made his escape.