Blood Moon (A Sable Hart Vampire Slayer Novel Book 5)

by Megan Hawke

  "If you ever bite or attack an officer or police consultant again, our relationship will be over," he said. Really, it was almost a hiss. I could feel his rage, his indignation. He thought I had crossed the line. I disagreed. Survival was my number one priority. She threatened that. "We need her. She's the most powerful witch in Dallas by some margin. And she is the only witch with any kind of real power willing to help us."

  "For a fee."

  "Yes. People like to get paid for their work."

  "So do I."

  "Is this about money?"

  "No, it's about survival," I said. We locked eyes. Yeah, there was a little electricity, a little sexual oomph. Always was with a vampire. But I was too angry to seduce. My rage seeped out, causing him some little distress. I could feel it. "Tell me, my friendly, neighborhood cop, would you have come to my aid if she hexed me? What would you have done to protect me? Anything?"

  "I wouldn't have allowed her to hurt you," he said. "But she wasn’t doing anything. You just attacked her out of the blue. Maybe it is all the blood and – "

  "No! Believe me, she was preparing to cast a spell," I said. Oh, I was angry now. I recalled my father once warning against retaliation when I was a child, when I was caught retaliating against my sister. He said the instigator never got caught, but everyone saw your retaliation, so never retaliate. Good advice, but really, who could follow it? "I can feel it, sense it. You'll have to take my word for it."

  "No, I don't," he said. He stepped back. "This is your only warning, Sable. Now get out of here before I change my mind and arrest you for assault and battery."

  His phone started ringing. Anything I might say was cutoff by him turning away from me to answer it. I turned to leave when my preternaturally keen hearing heard what the caller said.

  "Werewolves are rampaging through Deep Ellum, attacking people and vampires," the male voice said. "There has to be hundreds of them, mostly in wolf form, but some as wolfmen."

  I didn't wait to hear Longhouse's response. I willed myself through the front door, and surged out of the house in an eye blink. Outside, I manifested my batwings. I cringed as they ripped through the fabric of my tank top. Another ruined shirt. The wings slipped through the vents in my biker jacket perfectly. I practiced it a lot.

  "Holy shit!" Detective Grinstead cried.

  He and Detective Parker stood with Momma Zuza beside a blue SUV. They were gawking at my wings. I got that a lot, even from people who have seen them before.

  Ignoring them, I unfolded those leathern wonders, and extended them straight up. Then I leapt straight up with all my strength. I can jump flat foot to the roof of a two story building, and sometimes to the top of a three story. I started beating my wings and rose quickly. At about one hundred feet, I leveled out and did a big spiral down to my car. I removed a sheathed katana from the trunk, strapped it across my back, between my wings, and took off again.

  Deep Ellum wasn't far. From a hundred feet up I could see the taller buildings. Screams of terror came to me as I flew nearer. Beside the sword, I had two Glock 31s and a Baby Glock. All were loaded with silver.

  I didn't see hundreds of wolves, like the caller claimed, but there was over a hundred. Mostly, they were running up and down Elm, Main, and Commerce, the three main East-West arteries. There were some wolfmen, usually in groups of two to four. The wolfmen were obviously directing the regular wolves.

  "Oh, that doesn't look good." I saw two wolfmen atop the Ruby Necklace, a rock & roll themed vampire dance club. They were tying a struggling blonde to a large cross. Just looking at that cross burned my eyes, so I could only image what it felt like to be pressed against it. "A vampire."

  I swooped down to discover the blonde was none other than the queen of thralls, turned vampire, Valerie St. Clair. They used blessed steel to bind her neck, wrists, and ankles to the cross. I could hear the sizzle as cross and silver burned the writhing vampire.

  "I am going to kill you for this!" she cried as they raised the cross upright, leaving her hanging from it.

  "No, you are going to die upon the cross, vampire," another man said. I recognized him as one of Valerie's werewolf bouncers. Ruben Ramos still wore the black slacks and t-shirt of a bouncer. I had no way of identifying the two wolfmen. "We're going to burn you at the cross."

  "I didn't have anything to do with the werewolf murders," she said. "Why are you doing this to me? I've treated you well, paid you well."

  "The pack has spoken," Ruben said. "All vampires must die."

  "Well that's just rude" I landed on the roof, surprising them all. I pulled both Glocks and aimed them at the wolfmen. "Release her."

  "You're bullets have no effect on us," Ruben sneered.

  Yeah. He sneered at me. Idiot. So I shot him. Right in the belly.

  Ruben gasped, a look of shock spreading across his handsome face. He fell and curled up into a ball.

  "Ouch. Silver bullets have an effect, don't you think?" I smiled at him as I turned the pistols back on the two wolfmen. But they rushed over to Ruben, picked him up and ran away. "You'd think by now everyone would know I only shoot silver."

  "Sable, please, help me," Valerie said.

  "You'll owe me a favor if I do."

  I caught her eyes. She never looked so helpless, so distressed. I had her where I wanted her, and she hated it.

  "Fine! I'll grant you a favor!"

  I smiled.

  "Agreed." The cross was free-standing, on a large X stand. I kicked it and toppled it. Valerie grunted. I had to squint, but found the tiny locks keeping the chains tight. I shot them off, and pulled Valerie off the cross. I carried her across the roof, since she was too weak to walk. "You're already starting to heal."

  Valerie owned and operated BDSM themed dance clubs for vampires. Not much better than vampire brothels, really. Thralls flocked there to dance, get drunk, and hopefully hook up with a vampire for sex and bloodletting. She even dressed the part of the wicked mistress – head to toe latex and leather. All black and skin tight. The latex and leather protected her undead body, so the wolves had ripped open her costume at wrists, ankles and back. The exposed skin was knitting together right before my eyes.

  "There. You look good as new," I said, stepping back.

  Valerie stood up on shaky legs. She matched my five foot ten, but was wearing platforms with seven inch stilettos, so stood taller.

  "How did they catch you?"

  She scowled at me. If vampires could blush, I think she'd be bright red. Valerie fluffed her shoulder-length blonde hair and checked out all the damage to her outfit.

  "They tricked me. I got a call that Lorenzo and Paul were killed. I rushed right down. I found they'd been splashed with holy water. Melted."

  I grimaced, averting my eyes. "Ouch."

  "Yeah. What I didn't realize was that Ruben, Quinn, and Thad were the killers. I thought I could trust all of my people," she said.

  "Right now, you can't trust any wolves. The packs are turning on vampires because of that group of vamps killing werewolves," I said. "I have to go."

  With that I leapt up and started flapping. I did a big loop, and swooped down along Elm. With pistols in both hands, I started shooting any wolves I found mauling anyone. The silver wouldn't kill the wolves unless I hit the heart or head. Silver to the heart or brain killed them instantly. But silver bullets inside their bodies made them change back to human form.

  If left in too long, silver could poison and kill a werewolf. But that would take a long time. So I wasn't killing anyone by shooting them. A first for me. I had a reputation for being too fast with a gun, and for killing my enemies, living or undead. I flew up Elm, guns blazing, to Exposition Avenue, then rounded the corner and headed back West down Main Street.

  At Main and Walton, I found four wolfmen carrying two large crosses down the street. A writhing, wailing vampire hung from both crosses. I recognized one of them.

  "Heidi!"

  I realized that I didn't have a link with Heidi a
t that time. I spent so much time suppressing it that I didn't miss it when it vanished. Somehow they had broken our link.

  "Big mistake, dog boys," I said, landing behind them. I pumped one silver bullet into each of them. Aimed for the lower back. I fought the urge to aim for the heart. I was trying to change my wicked ways and not kill so much. Times like this made it a lot harder to be good. "Heidi belongs to me. Nobody messes with my family!"

  We were surrounded by five more wolfmen, and dozens of wolves. They all turned on me, in a large circle. Heidi and the other vampire landed to either side of me, still chained to the crosses with silver chains.

  "Looks like you mangy dogs did a bit more planning than normal," I said. Though silver did not burn wolves, not even blessed silver, they tended to avoid it. "Some genius got you some chains of blessed silver, too. Expensive."

  Heidi and the male vamp were chained to the crosses just like Valerie had been. Both were naked. Their flesh sizzled where silver and cross touched them. I didn't recognize the male vamp. The wolves were starting to inch in.

  "Back!" I swept my pistols around, forcing them all back one step. Then I quickly shot off all the locks, got Heidi and the other vamp off the crosses, and holstered my pistols. "I'll be right back."

  I grabbed both enervated vamps by their hair, and leaped high in the air. I flew them atop the nearest building, and lay them side by side. Neither one seemed to be getting much better.

  "Heidi, what's the matter? Are you all right?"

  "Drugged," she whispered. "Sleepy."

  She struggled, eyes unfocused. I shook her, but her eyes fluttered and closed. Heidi's body relaxed, and her breathing slowed. Out cold. Dammit.

  I had a ton of questions, and no time. Both of them were asleep, so I left them there. I'd get my answers later. First, I had a rampage to end. So I extended my batwings and raced off the edge of the building. As I soared I replaced the half-empty magazines in my pistols. I spotted another wolfman down in the intersection where I rescued Heidi. I recognized him. His reddish fur gave him away.

  "Hello, Jeric. Long time no see." I landed before him, both pistols in hand. "Mind if I join the party?"

  Jeric growled. He really was a frightening sight. The pack leader made a few hand signs, and the other wolfmen quickly surrounded me. Behind them came the regular werewolves, who couldn't morph into wolfmen. Only alphas could do wolfman.

  "Why do I get the impression y'all aren't glad to see me?" They moved towards me, growling so viciously I found I was scared. Probably some primal instinct. So I swept my pistols to either side, pulling both triggers four times. Eight wolfmen dropped, howling in agony. They immediately began a fast transformation back to human form. "I think we need to talk, dog boy."

  I aimed both pistols at him. And shot him.

  "Bet that hurt," I said. I shot him in both thighs. He howled with pain and rage, and quickly morphed back to human. He was alpha, so could morph back and forth faster than a normal werewolf. He was back in human form in less than thirty seconds. I looked his nakedness over critically. "Well now, you are a big boy, aren't you?"

  "Bitch, I can't believe you shot me with silver." Jeric knelt before me, the wounds on his thighs not healing. The wound from a blade or regular bullet would heal almost as fast as a vampire. But for werewolves, a wound created by a silver bullet or knife, that remained inside his body, would heal at a normal mortal's rate. So as long as either of those silver bullets remained in Jeric's body he could not morph or heal fast. "Kill her!"

  "Aannt," I cried. Instinct. It was a sound people make to stop or reprimand a dog. At least we do in Texas. "Down, boys. I've been shooting to wound so far. That ends now. From now own, I aim for the heart. All I shoot is silver, so you will die."

  Werewolves might not be able to speak in wolf form, but they understood fine. They all stopped in their tracks and just growled low and deep. Once I was sure they wouldn't attack – yet – I turned back to Jeric.

  "Listen up. I am trying my damnedest to find the killers. Council is not interested in war, but they aren't entirely against it, either." I looked around at them. They looked intent on what I had to say. "I spoke to them. I convinced them to remain calm, and to let me try and resolve this problem."

  "Wolves being slaughtered whole-scale is just a 'problem' to you?"

  I rolled my eyes, took a deep breath, and continued. "Poor choice of words. I'm sorry. Dammit, Jeric, if you keep this up there will be war with the vampires. War! Is that what you want?"

  "Yes."

  That stunned me. Okay, it wasn’t the answer, it was the wicked glee in his eyes when he said it. He wanted war with the vampires.

  "You can't win."

  "I beg to differ." He smiled up at me, looking smug. "Four packs have called for a War Council. It's tomorrow night. After that, we go to war with the vampires. It will be glorious."

  "Innocent people will die." Did he care? Did he understand the long term ramifications of a paranormal war? The common people would freak out, and might not make distinctions between wolves and vamps when they reacted. And they would have a response, too. "Are you all mad?"

  "We might be mad, but unlike you vamps, we are legal," he said. "We have rights in this country. And since we're mortals being attacked by immortals, we will have the public's sympathy and support."

  They already thought it through?

  "Maybe. But whether you have public support or not, hundreds of wolves will be killed. Maybe most of you." The wolves around me looked just as eager to start fighting as Jeric. "Are you sure you want to risk the lives of your friends and pack mates? Are you that cavalier?"

  "Cops!" someone called down the street.

  "Eddie," Jeric said. Another wolfman threw his head back and let out a series to yips and howls. Suddenly, all of the other wolves on the streets stopped and howled, then turned east and ran for it. "It's been fun, Black Heart. But we gotta run. Don't leave anyone behind!"

  Two wolfmen grabbed Jeric and raced off with him carried between them. In just seconds I was alone in the middle of that intersection. Dumbfounded.

  I looked around the empty streets as red and blue flashing lights raced down the streets towards me. People lay in heaps all around me. I counted twenty just within sight of the intersection. All still had heartbeats. How many would get furry come the next full moon? Raw recruits for the coming war?

  "Everyone's going crazy."

  I leapt up, and flew away. Heidi and the other vamp were on hands and knees when I returned. There were still a few hours of night left, so I was confident the unknown vamp would survive without my help.

  "Sable, what happened?" Heidi whispered.

  "You tell me, honey. What do you remember?"

  "I was at an orgy." She looked at the other vamp and smiled. "We were at an orgy, when wolfmen charged in. Dart guns?"

  "Yeah," he said. "They had dart guns. They shot us."

  "No one else?"

  "We were the only vamps there." His face clouded. "Are werewolves targeting vampires?"

  "Maybe. Will you be all right?" I cocked my head, listening to the police and emergency responders down on the street. "They might come up here to check for victims. It's not safe up here."

  "I'll be fine. Help me to the edge of the roof."

  With an arm around his shoulders, I helped the enervated vampire to the edge of the roof. He looked over at the bare earth below. A vacant lot.

  "Thanks, doll. You're the best," he said, and pitched himself over the side.

  I watched him fall to the ground, roll to his back, and sink down into the earth. He'd be safe there. I made sure no one was around to witness it, and then returned to Heidi.

  "I'm taking you home."

  "You're such a lusty wench," she said, smiling. "Be gentle, I'm a good girl."

  "Bah. You were a naughty girl even before you died."

  "You mean before you killed me."

  "No one's perfect," I said, lifting her up in my arms.


  Extending my wings, I ran to the edge of the building and jumped. We dropped a bit, but quickly rose up and up. I circled around Deep Ellum a few minutes to make sure all the werewolves were gone. Then I headed for my car.

  Chapter 6

  I woke up at 6:30 PM. The sun was still up. The grogginess befuddling me was entirely due to the sun. As soon as it was completely below the horizon my spirits would rise and I'd be myself again. It happened every day. Not all vampires could wake up before sunset. Heidi couldn't unless someone woke her up. And if you wake Heidi up while the sun is up, you had better have a good reason.

  My room was light tight. I could move around it any time of day without fear. All of the windows were bricked up. It was the basement, so I was able to get away with it. In fact, with the deep porches front and back, and the way Kale rebuilt the siding of the old Victorian, it didn't look like the house even had a basement. I had the access door to the basement stairs both moved and hidden since moving in.

  Sitting up, I glanced at Heidi beside me. She was curled up in the fetal position and completely under the covers. Thankfully I had a king-sized bed and there was room. Neither me nor Heidi slept in a coffin. It wasn't necessary, and beds were so much more comfortable. Most vampires really liked sleeping in coffins. There is a certain sense of security inside a coffin, but really I prefer comfort.

  Heidi had a room upstairs and stayed there most of the time, even though she now owned a place of her own. Heidi moved in with me after I Changed her. I didn't demand it, or even ask her to live with me. She moved in and that was that. She was mine to command, by virtue of me Changing her. She thought of herself as being my vampire. I couldn't break her of it.

  By getting up an hour before sundown I could shower and fix my face before Heidi woke up. My senses went out as I headed for the shower. Desiree was upstairs in the kitchen. Both Dane and Gabe were in the family room. From the way they felt to me, their pleasure and tension, I knew they were playing a video game. Their current obsession was some online multi-player thing. I never understood their passion for video games.