by Mary Abshire
He surveyed Zale from head to toe before he met Zale’s gaze. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m looking for Scott Campbell,” Zale said. “Is he here?”
“What do you want with him?” the male vamp said.
“I need to speak with him. It’s very important,” Zale said. “I didn’t come to start any trouble.”
“What does he want?” said another man in the house.
Zale took a long breath and tried to remain calm. Although he had no intention of fighting, if he had to for survival, his odds were not looking good against three vampires. Then he reminded himself he needed to be more trusting. The vamps before him hadn’t done anything wrong. Why should he think they’d want to hurt him?
A man as tall as the model vamp appeared from a room in the back. He had his blonde locks tied behind his head. Dressed in black from head to toe, his skin tone seemed whiter than the other two guests in his home. Zale recognized Scott from the driver’s license photo he’d seen the night before when he’d been researching the men in the database.
“What do you want?” Scott asked.
“I have some information to share and you need to hear it because you could be in danger,” Zale said.
The woman looked at the model and then Scott. “Just listen to him. It can’t hurt,” she said.
Scott turned away. “Fine, let him in.”
Zale entered the home as the two men led the way into the large living room. A set of stairs on the right side angled up. Glass cabinets lined the same wall and contained a variety of plates and other fragile items. A rectangular wood table with eight chairs took up a fair amount of space in the back. The living and dining areas had an open concept with nothing to separate the two rooms.
“Have a seat,” the woman gestured toward the sofa near the window.
Two dark gray couches faced each other. A long glass coffee table separated the two. Oil paintings decorated the red colored walls. Zale recognized a few of the floral designs as similar ones from Robert’s house.
“Are those paintings from Bethany?” Zale asked, pointing at one as he moved to the couch near the window.
The woman took a seat at the far end of the sofa facing Zale and the window. “Yes, she painted them. How did you know?”
The model sat next to her. Scott stood behind them with his arms crossed.
“I’ve seen a few of her pictures,” Zale said before he took a seat on the center cushion.
“My wife knew Bethany well,” Scott said.
“She’s not gone yet,” the female vamp said, turning to look at Scott behind the sofa.
Scott’s gaze shifted to Zale. “You know the truth. Don’t you?”
The red head twisted to meet Zale’s gaze.
Sitting on the edge of the couch, he said, “My partner and I found her body recently. Is your wife here?”
“No, she’s out of town with a few girlfriends,” Scott said.
The woman shook her head. “That’s terrible. Robert will be devastated.”
“Robert is gone too,” Scott said.
“What?” the model asked before he twisted to face Scott.
Scott walked around the couch. “Why don’t you tell them the rest of the story? I’d like to hear it also.” He sat on the armrest. The vamp knew good and well Robert was gone because Robert had sent an email to Scott, Mark, and Tim.
The two vamps directed their attention to Zale.
He scratched his cheek. He hadn’t intended to start a conversation by discussing their departed friends. “My partner and I got a call about Robert. He was making a scene at a club. When I arrived, he was making threats. He wanted information about Bethany. When he didn’t get any response, he took an innocent man as hostage and then killed him.”
The model lowered his head and clenched his fist. “Damn it, he shouldn’t have gone out on his own.”
“He shouldn’t have gone out to cause trouble at all. Because he killed someone, we had to go after him,” Zale said.
“You destroyed him?” the woman asked.
“Of course he did. It’s his job,” Scott said.
Zale met the woman’s sad eyes. “He killed and he made threats. I’m sorry.”
“This is why we can’t trust the Union of Justice,” Scott said.
“He broke the AoA law,” Zale said. “You’re placing blame on the wrong party. The UoJ wants to help, but none of you want to give us a chance.”
“How can you help us when you don’t trust us?” Scott rose.
“I can say the same for vampires,” Zale said. “But I’m willing to put aside our differences so we can work together to end the bloodshed. Are you?”
Scott dropped his arms. “Why did you come here?”
“I just came from Mark Renaut’s house. Demons severed his head,” Zale said.
“What?” the model stood.
“Mark’s gone?” the woman asked.
“My partner was murdered too,” Zale said. “There were two bodies left behind also. I’m hopeful we can get prints to identify the dead. But what I can’t figure out is how the demons knew where to find Mark.”
“Good question,” the model said.
“I told you my partner and I found Bethany’s body. What I haven’t shared with anyone, for security reasons, is that she appeared to have been tortured. The demons could’ve gained information from her and that is how they found Mark.” Zale disliked disclosing the fact about torture, but he couldn’t see a way around it.
“Those monsters,” Scott said behind clenched teeth. “They all need to burn in Hell.”
Zale stood. “You worked with Robert. So did Tim and Mark. I’m guessing all of you knew each other well. Anyone who knew or was close with Bethany could be in danger. This is why I came here from Mark’s house. I don’t want to see more vampires destroyed. You should stay somewhere else for a while until we catch the demons and have them exorcised.”
“My wife and I are not leaving. We will not allow demons to run us away from our home,” Scott said.
“You can stay with us,” the model said.
“You could be in danger too. You two knew Bethany as well as we did,” Scott told them, and then looked at Zale. “I’m not leaving. I will defend my home and if I kill a few of them, so be it.”
Zale stepped around the coffee table. “The demons are still humans. They can be saved. You can’t kill them and solve the problem.”
“It stops them from destroying me,” Scott argued.
Zale sighed. Arguing tired him. “The problem is demons are gaining in numbers. To stop them, we have to find the demons who can lead us or the DS to the master. To do that, the UoJ needs your cooperation. Without your help, the demons will continue to multiply. We will face another outbreak. Mankind will lose and so will all vampires. You need to work with us.”
“Cooperate with you?” Scott scoffed. “I don’t think so. You probably would enjoy seeing us gone.”
“I may deal with the ones of your kind who break the law, but I know there are many who don’t. Many of you have walked this Earth for a very long time without killing. I have no quarrel with vampires who obey the law,” Zale said.
“I think we should listen to him,” the red head said.
“We don’t need their help,” Scott said, gesturing toward Zale. “We can handle the demons on our own. Besides, they’re weak. A couple of bullets can end their life.”
Hands at his sides, Zale clenched his fists. “We can fight demons quite well. But what I want to do is find them so the DS can exorcise them. I want to stop the violence and destruction before it gets out of hand and turns into an outbreak.”
The model sat down and the woman took his hand. “We should help him find the demons so they can be exorcised. It’s wrong to kill them at this stage.”
“The majority of you want peace and to save human lives as much as we do,” Zale said. “Work with us. We can prevent
an outbreak if we can locate the demons who are organizing and destroying vampires.”
Silence stretched for several seconds. The woman and the model were still holding hands. He met her gaze and she gave him a hint of a smile.
“What do you need from us?” the model asked.
Zale took a deep breath while his thoughts raced. The demons had taken Bethany and she may have given up names and locations. How did they know she had information?
“What was your relationship to Bethany? What did she do?” Zale asked. “According to Robert, she’d disappeared a week ago. I need to know more about her and who saw her last.”
“She worked at a popular club downtown. She was a bartender,” the young woman said. “She had two nights off each week, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.”
“Popular how?” Zale asked.
“Many supernaturals would go there, especially vampires. The leaders from all sides of town would visit, celebrities, and anyone with money would go there,” the model said.
A touch of fear raced through Zale. “Did she know all the vampire leaders?”
“She knew them all well and had introduced us to them once. Tim became our leader on this side of town about ten years ago after the last one decided to move,” Scott said.
Zale ran a hand through his hair as he ambled around in the room. All the vampire leaders could be in danger if she’d shared the locations for each one.
“Did she know where the leaders lived?” Zale asked, his gaze darting from Scott to the model. “They could be in danger too.”
“My wife might know the answer. She was pretty close to Bethany,” Scott said.
“I know Bethany had been complaining about the increase in demons at the club,” the red head said. “The last time I spoke to her had been about two weeks ago. Since she was a bartender, she’d look into their eyes. She said she thought alcohol made the spots show up more. She was a little worried by the large amount…”
The female vamp looked past Zale and failed to finish her sentence. Not even a second later, the model and Scott shifted their gazes to the curtained window too. The woman rose.
“What is it?” The hairs on the back of Zale’s neck twitched.
Scott strode to the lamp on the table behind the sofa. Following a click, the room darkened. The lamp near the dining area continued to cast a soft glow. Scott turned that light off too. Fortunately, they all had excellent vision in the dark.
Zale moved to the end of the sofa but remained close to the shaded window. The sounds of footsteps from up the street drew nearer.
The woman with the red hair came to stand next to Zale. “I hear nine heartbeats.”
Zale focused on the sound of the beats. He couldn’t distinguish all the differences, but he heard many.
“What’s your name?” Zale asked.
“Tiffany and Aaron is my lover,” she said. “What do we do?”
Zale spun to look at the two men behind them. They both were staring at the window.
“Are you expecting anyone?” Zale asked.
“No,” Scott said.
Zale guessed as much. If nine people had arrived for a party at almost two in the morning, they’d come to the wrong place. Zale’s instinct led him to believe they had other intentions.
“I think we know who they are,” Scott said. “And they’re getting closer.”
“We don’t know who. We know what they are,” Zale corrected.
“Do we run?” Tiffany asked.
“Of course not. We fight,” Scott said.
Tiffany looked at Aaron who turned to Zale.
“I don’t think we have time to make a clean break, so we have to fight. But we don’t kill. We need to keep as many alive as we can so the DS can exorcise them. Plus, we might be able to find out where others are so the DS can go after them,” Zale said.
“Are you fucking crazy? They want our heads,” Scott said excitedly as he gestured toward the window.
Zale doubted they could survive without killing someone, but they needed to give it their best shot. “I won’t stop you from doing what you have to do to prevent your head from being severed, but it’s imperative you try to spare their lives. Knock them out somehow.”
“I don’t believe this,” Scott mumbled.
“Do you have any weapons?” Aaron asked. “I would prefer to have something to defend myself with since there are so many of them.”
Considering what Zale had seen at the warehouse and Mark’s home, he couldn’t argue with Aaron. “No guns. Use a blade and aim for a spot that won’t kill.”
“I have knives in the kitchen,” Scott said.
“Listen,” Tiffany said with a hint of urgency in her tone.
In the silence, Zale heard the thuds of hearts moving along the side of the property.
“They’re heading to the back,” Scott said before he jogged toward the other side of the home.
Zale’s anxiety rocketed as he strode behind Aaron and Tiffany. The group of people would find a way to break in within the next few minutes. He wanted to phone the office for support, but he also needed to change since he was stronger in his wolf form. Every second counted now as the group moved closer.
He started removing his shirt. “I need to shift.” He lifted the top over his head. “Give me two minutes.”
Tiffany stopped and pointed up. “Go upstairs. We’ll hold them back.”
Shirt in hand, he climbed the steps two at a time. Before he reached the top, he had his jeans unfastened. He turned the corner and stopped in the hall. As quick as he could, he removed the remainder of his clothes and then dropped to his hands and knees. Heat and energy burst within his core and spread like wildfire. His bones popped while hair sprouted in waves along his spine. The beat of his heart sped like a racehorse. He closed his eyes as his face began to change. His nose and jaw extended while the rest of his body transformed too.
A loud smash from downstairs brought his eyes open. His shift was halfway completed. With each passing second, he hoped the vampires could handle the demons another minute without getting hacked into pieces.
Chapter Sixteen
The crashes from downstairs grew louder. Glass shattered. People were grunting and yelling. Many heartbeats raced. And there was blood. Zale knew the scent all too well.
Zale’s transformation finished. Filled with strength and vigor, he leaped down the staircase to the landing and then jumped again to the main floor. Glass and debris from one of the cabinets littered the ground and crunched under the feet of many. Chairs had been knocked over. The table had been moved. Humans with black eyes had entered the home from the open door in the back near the kitchen. All of them were fighting the vampires. One demon had a sword and was swinging it toward Aaron. The vamp blocked it with a butcher’s knife, but took stabs in his back from two other demons. Except for the demon with the sword and another with a machete, most fought with average knives. Each vampire battled three demons. And the scent of the coppery fluid grew stronger.
The one with the machete aimed it at Tiffany. She ducked, missing the swipe and shoved another demon. While he scrambled to keep from falling, a third demon jabbed his blade toward her. It slid into her side and she yelped. She couldn’t do anything since the demon with the machete swung again at her.
Growling, Zale rushed toward the one who’d stabbed her. He bit the man’s hand and the demon yelled. Blood spilled into Zale’s mouth. He tried to ignore the horrible taste and brought his canines down harder. The demon let go of his weapon. He punched Zale in the ear. Stunned, Zale released his hand. He shook off the ringing and then chomped onto the man’s groin. The demon cried out while Zale tugged and jerked. Satisfied the man would end his fight, Zale let go of his prized package.
Zale spun and found Tiffany holding the wrists of the demon with the machete. The second demon rammed his blade into her shoulder. She gasped and dropped her arm closest to her injury. Zale rushed for the demon who�
��d stabbed her. Before the demon could hurt her again, Zale jumped onto him. The man fell with Zale’s weight on top of him. His weapon fell from his hand and clinked on the hardwood floor. Zale clawed at the demon’s chest. At the same time, the man tried to squeeze his throat, but Zale moved too much for him to grasp well enough. Zale tore through the demon’s shirt with ease and drew blood from his torso. After the demon punched Zale’s throat twice, Zale clamped onto one of the man’s ears. He ripped it off and then tossed it aside. The demon screamed.
Content the demon wouldn’t fight for a while, Zale spun to see who his next bite toy should be. The demon with the machete fell on the ground and hit his head with a hard thud. His weapon clanked on the ground. Standing a few feet away, Zale watched to see if the man would get back up. After several seconds of no movement, Zale realized he’d been knocked out cold.
Past Tiffany and Aaron, two demons were holding Scott’s arms. They’d forced him to his knees. Blood coated his mouth, neck, and hands. His skin seemed paler than before and he looked weak. He pulled on his arms, trying to break free. The man with the sword jabbed it into Scott’s torso. Scott groaned while the bloody blade stuck out from his back.
Zale leaped over the unconscious demon and then ran toward one of the demons holding Scott. He clamped onto the demon’s wrist and the man cried out. After the demon let go of Scott, Zale leaped at the demon. The man fell backwards to the floor. Zale pounced on top and bit the demon’s nose. The demon screamed while Zale jerked his head from side to side rapidly until the nose came off. Blood rolled onto his tongue and he gagged, spitting the flesh and fluid on the ground.
A solid kick to Zale’s ribs sent him scurrying a few steps to the side. Pain spread within him, but he ignored it. He turned his attention to the demon missing an ear. He had a knife in one hand and shoved it at Zale. Thinking fast, Zale dropped to the ground, missing the blow. He quickly shot up and smacked the underside of the demon’s hand. The knife fell from his grasp. Zale didn’t miss a second to chomp on the man’s groin. Like the other one, the demon shrieked. He threw his fists down on Zale’s head. Growling and holding onto the man’s jewels, Zale tugged and twisted. When the demon dropped to his knees, Zale let go.