by Megan Hawke
We stepped outside to discover the overcast of the past few days had turned to a light misty rain. Not enough to concern us too much, but all that humidity was going to suck the curl right out of my hair.
Greenville Avenue wasn't too far from my house. Heidi had been to the club, so was able to direct me straight to it with two minutes to spare. My links to Dane and Gabe told me Dane was waiting, and Gabe was on the way. The parking lot was full, so Dane had parked on the street. I parked half a block away, at a closed Mexican restaurant. That parking lot was more than half full, too.
"Must be a popular place," I said.
"Very." She opened her door and held out a hand. "At least the rain has stopped."
Heidi and I joined Dane. He looked hot in black trousers and a black shirt. He came without his usual ponytail, too. I unfastened three buttons, exposing some of that meaty chest. Girls liked to see some muscle sometimes. Gabe pulled up while I was adjusting Dane's clothes to my liking. I directed him to the same parking lot I left my car.
When Gabe joined us, Heidi and I both did double takes. He was an outlaw biker of sorts. No fashion sense outside of jeans, Harley t-shirts, and leather jackets. Gabe had a lot of bandanas, too. But he showed up all GQ on us. Or as close to GQ that he could muster. He wore a dark gray wool suit and a midnight blue shirt. No tie. His shoulder-length brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. He'd even trimmed his wild tangle of beard back by half.
"Wow. You clean up good," I said.
"Thanks," he said. Yeah, he was embarrassed, but I sensed his pleasure, too.
"Here are pictures of the thirteen vampires. Their full names are written on the backs of each picture." I handed out the black and white pictures printed on plain printer paper. "We all have our phones, so call me if you learn anything useful."
"We're splitting up?" Heidi said.
"Yes. The club is only open another two hours," I said. "We have to split up."
"A vampire club that closes at two?" Gabe said. "That's stupid."
"It's not a vampire club," Heidi said. "It's a regular dance club that is patronized mostly by witches, werewolves, and vampires. Very few vampires, I might add. Most of the patrons have to go to work tomorrow, so they leave by two. The club knows its clientele."
"They are open until four on Friday and Saturday nights," Dane said.
The front door was guarded by four big werewolves in human form. They looked at me, then Heidi with a hint of anger. I suspected it was from the recent murders. They barely gave Gabe a glance, but did a double take on Dane. Werewolves loved Dane.
"Your name?" one of the wolves said.
"Dane Douglass, why?"
He handed Dane a business card. "You should meet with this man. You won't be disappointed."
"You're wasting your time," Gabe said. "Dane's been recruited by most of the packs. He's not interested in going furry."
I had learned that werewolves could feel Dane's powerful aura. They couldn't see auras like vampires. A wolf would try to recruit any mortal from which they felt power radiating. Dane's aura was enormous, and strangely tainted because he was a rarest of the rare in the paranormal community. Dane was a dhampir. His mother was Changed just before she gave birth, which made him a half-vampire. Dhampirs were almost as dangerous as vamps, so the vamps that saw him steered clear.
Because of his unique birth, if Changed into a vampire, Dane would likely be the most powerful vamp in Dallas. Though, some speculated Antoinette was also a dhampir before being Changed. So no vampire wanted Dane to be a vampire, since he'd likely follow me and continue to hunt vamps.
Heidi and I got in without paying a cover. Dane and Gabe weren't so lucky, but staff did warn us not to bite anyone on the property. If they caught us feeding, then we'd be banned for life.
"If anything happens, meet back at Dane's jeep," I said.
I started by checking everyone's aura. When Heidi said very few vampires go to Primary Urges she wasn't lying. I only saw two other vamps, male and female, and they appeared to be together. They sat at a large table, side by side, with a dozen thralls surrounding them. Probably every thrall in the club.
When the male vamp spotted me, his eyes narrowed and his upper lip pealed back to expose his fangs. I quirked a brow at him, and turned away. Territorial bastard. Some people just don't like to share. That was probably why he wasn't at one of the vamp clubs in Deep Ellum.
Finding a waitress, I pulled out my pictures and asked if she recognized any of them.
"Sweetie, I see far too many people day in and day out to remember them all. None of them look familiar, but I might have served them a beer ten minutes ago," she said.
"Thanks anyway," I said.
She wasn't lying about not recognizing them. She was mortal and easily read by my vampire senses. The next four waitresses I questioned gave the same results. Well, one waitress wanted to know if I was a cop. I asked witches and werewolves. No one knew them.
"Hello, big boy," a woman purred behind me. I glanced back and saw that she was a werewolf, and Dane was the object of her attention. "How'd you like to go somewhere private and talk?"
"Nice," I replied, giving her friendly look. "What we really want to know is if you recognize any of these people?"
She wasn't happy with me injecting myself between them, but looked at the pictures nonetheless.
"Why?" I got that a lot too. People were suspicious. Paranormal people even more so. "Are you a cop or something?"
"No, these are my friends. They have gone missing and we're trying to find them," Dane offered.
I was impressed. I hadn't used that angle.
"Well, baby, I can't see so well in this scant light. Why don't we go outside and let me look at your friends' pictures." She pressed up close to him, her hands caressing his chest. Dane hesitated. I could feel he was turned on by her. Werewolves had a certain animal appeal, and were almost as lusty as vampires. They tended to be more aggressive than vampires in their seductions, too. And she was very attractive. "I think we could get it done outside."
"No thanks. Going off alone with a werewolf is never prudent," Dane said. "So, do you recognize any of these people?"
"No."
Oh, she was miffed. I bet she didn't get rejected too often.
"Forget him," the female vampire I'd seen earlier said as she passed by. "Your bite wouldn't turn him into a wolf anyways."
I glanced at the table of thralls. If she was a regular here, then she had to have met at least one of the rampaging vamps when he was a thrall. I looked at the pictures rolled up in my hand, then at Dane still speaking with the shifter girl, and back at the vampire. She got in line for the restroom. I decided I needed to pee.
The vampire was tall and lithe, with blonde hair pulled up in an elaborate twist, tendrils artfully framing her face. She was pretty, but her dark eyes were hard. She was decked out pretty impressively in a red strapless gown that hugged every curve of her body, with diamonds at ears, throat, and wrists. I stepped up right behind her in line.
"Nice gown. Valentino?"
She turned and looked me up and down. I didn't seem to impress her. "Versace."
"Ah. My bad," I said. Glancing down the long line, I sighed. "You'd think dying would excuse us from such base needs."
She barked a laugh.
"My name is Sable."
"Genevieve," she said. "I've never seen you here before."
"I'm searching for some missing friends. Mortals. Thralls. I understand they hung out here."
"Who would that be?"
"Michael and Sarah Aronstein, Nora Ulrich, Elias Foreman, and others," I said. "Did you know them?"
"Yes. But they were really Geoffrey's," she said, looking bored.
"Geoffrey?"
"Huddleston. Another vampire," she said. She frowned. "I haven't seen him in a couple of weeks, either. He's usually up here every weekend."
"He vanished the same time my friends did?"
"I didn't say he vanished. I ju
st haven't seen him. Business might have kept him away."
"True. Do you know of anyone else who might know my friends? I'm very eager to find them."
"Why?"
"They are like family to me."
"Sorry. Can't help you."
I spotted Dane talking to a pair of witches. They were looking at him with adoring eyes. Were witches also attracted to dhampirs? Were dhampirs especially talented with magic or something?
"Lord, why is everyone so attracted to my friend?"
She looked at me askew. "How old are you?"
"Umm."
"I thought so. Stay away from him. He's dangerous to us."
"I think I might be more dangerous to him," I said.
"He's a fucking dhampir," Genevieve said. She scowled at him. "Don't touch him. If you accidentally Change him, he will become an instant uber vamp. A super powered uber vamp."
My heart raced. Genevieve might know things. I couldn't tell how old she was, but I sensed she wasn't a young vamp.
"Like Antoinette LaRue?"
My breath caught as I waited for her answer.
"Exactly. We don't need another Madame LaRue. Dhampirs are also naturally born vampire slayers. And I don't like the way he carries himself. He's a killer."
All I could think about was Antoinette, and the fact she was a super vampire. And she was calling in a favor.
I glanced down the line. It was going slow. "Damn, I really have to pee now."
Genevieve barked another laugh.
By the time I got to use the restroom, it was almost closing time. People were leaving. I pulled out my phone and called each of my friends, asking them to meet me by Dane's jeep. I was happy to find there wasn't much more than a fine mist falling.
"Anyone learn anything?" I said.
"Yeah, these people are closed lipped," Gabe said. He held up his phone. "But I got four phone numbers."
"You're a pig," I said. "Dane? Heidi?"
"Nada," Dane said.
"No phone numbers?" Gabe said, eyes alight with wicked glee.
"No. I don't need any phone numbers," Dane said. "Between Sable and Heidi I'm too tired to chase other women."
"That's just sad," Gabe said, laughing.
"No luck for me, either," Heidi said. She shrugged. "Really, I found the witches and wolves really didn't want to know about any thralls. They thought thralls were repugnant or gross or foul." She shrugged. "Not my words."
"What about you?" Dane said. "Did you learn anything?"
"Yes. I learned a lot," I said, wagging my brows. "I got a name."
"Wow," he said. "And you didn't have to sleep with anyone to do it."
"Her loss," I said. After looking around to ensure privacy, I waved everyone in closer. "I found out some, if not all, of the killer vamps hung out with a vampire named Geoffrey Huddleston. Geoffrey hasn't been around since before the first attacks."
"Geoffrey is our man," Gabe said.
"Okay, let's head back to the house and get ready for some real action. I'll see what Mr. Google has to say about Geoffrey Huddleston."
I rode home with Dane, spending most of the trip on my smartphone doing searches for any info on the Geoffrey. Vampires were pretty secretive, but everyone left some traces to find on the internet. Hell, some vamps were darlings of social media. Geoffrey wasn't one of them.
Once home, I let Dane and Gabe search for information on Geoffrey Huddleston. They were more internet savvy. Oh, I'd find the same information, but it would take me longer. As it was, Geoffrey wasn't an easy man to find. They finally did, but it was almost sunrise.
"Gabe, don't forget that I need you to get me permission to attend tonight's werewolf war council."
"They do not want you there," he replied. Gabe ground his teeth when I just lifted a brow and waited for the answer I wanted. "Jesus, Sable, they think you're the enemy."
"Exactly," Dane said. He turned stern eyes on me. "They are having a war council because they want to kill all of the vampires, Sable. You can't go to their meeting."
"If I'm not willing to stand before them, then why should they believe I care enough to stop the killings?"
Werewolves admired strength and courage. I couldn't show fear.
"Why should they think you care just because you go to their stupid war jamboree?" Heidi said.
"I'll convince them that I care."
"No, they will kill you," Dane said.
"Not if Gabe gets me permission to attend." I grinned at Gabe. "A werewolf's word is as good as a vampire's, right?"
"Well, yeah," he said. "If I can get a pack leader attending to agree to sponsor you, then they can't kill you. Not outright, anyway."
"What does that mean?" Heidi said.
"Well, one of the wolves could challenge her to a death match," he said. He shrugged. "It's really kind of a trial by sword."
"I can kill a werewolf."
"Most, yes. But there are some really big, vicious werewolves out there. Some of them you don't stand a chance against," Gabe said.
I sighed. The discussion was over as far as I was concerned.
"I don't have a choice, Gabe. Get me permission, or a sponsor," I said. "I mean it. It's important." I turned to Dane. "I need you to go to Geoffrey's house during the day and find him. Don't kill him, unless it is obvious he is controlling the killer vamps. Maybe Gabe and Sabrina should go with you."
"You have a point. He could have all of the killer vamps there." Dane grinned at me. "If that is the case, I'll burn the house down around them."
"That would work," I said. "Keep thinking happy thoughts like that, babe."
Chapter 7
"Any news?" I said upon emerging from my basement bedroom.
It was 6:45 PM. Still daylight, but the windows were covered. Heidi followed me up. Desiree waited in the kitchen, two hot mugs of cow's blood on the counter.
"Good evening, Sable," she said. She moved between me and the blood with a smile. Her arms went around my neck and we kissed. Desiree then slipped away to kiss Heidi. "Good evening, Heidi."
Picking up my cup of breakfast, I then moved into the family room and turned on the TV. Texas News Network. The big news was the rain. How much we had already. How much we'd get before it moved on. Rain was a big deal in Dallas. We were in a drought, with dried up lakes and towns without water, most on restrictions.
"Have you heard from Dane?"
"Yes," Desiree said. "Call him. He and Sabrina are in Geoffrey's house right now."
I stared at her a second. That was odd. They either found him or not. They either found all of the other vamps, or not. Why stay there all day?
Heidi and I were already fully dressed and ready to go. We were, as I liked to say, all vamped out. I wore a leather bustier and shiny latex pants stuffed into thigh boots. All black. Around my neck hung a necklace, with a black heart centered between my throat and boobs. My pants didn't have pockets, so what I wore was something Gabe turned me onto – a utility belt. It was a military issue, dyed black, utility belt. From it I could carry pouches with spare magazines, holsters, etc. On the front left was a small pouch with my cell phone. I pulled it out and dialed Dane's number.
Heidi was dressed much like me in black leather pants, ankle boots, black tank top, and leather jacket. We both had our long hair pulled back in ponytails. It was raining so no use trying to style our hair.
"Good evening, Dane, it's Sable. What did you find?"
"We found one body. Geoffrey Huddleston. No one else," he said. His voice sounded strain. "He's been dead a while."
"Really? Damn. That theory just went down the drain."
There was silence for a long second. I reached out through my link with him, and felt his stress. There was something he wasn't telling me.
"You better come take a look at it."
I hesitated. Dane didn't get stressed out easily. "Why? Something interesting?"
"Yeah. Come over and take a look for yourself."
"You haven't called the c
ops, have you?"
"No."
"Okay, we'll head over as soon as the sun is down. Are Gabe and Sabrina with you?"
"Just Sabrina."
The sun was down, and it was twilight by the time we finished a second mug each, so Heidi and I headed for Geoffrey's house. It was up in Garland, near Lake Ray Hubbard. We took Heidi's SUV, since I hoped to go with Gabe to the war council. It was almost eight before we arrived, since we got lost and turned around once and Heidi had to stop for gas. Twilight was just ending.
It was a track house in an older subdivision. Three bedroom, two bath, two car garage brick house to be exact. Dane's Jeep and Sabrina's Mustang were parked on the street. The driveway was empty, so Heidi parked there.
I smelled it before I reached the front door. Rotting human corpse stink. Really disgusting. Just outside the door, next to the sidewalk, were two puddles of vomit. I opened the door and stepped into hell.
"Oh my God. It is almost as bad as one of the murder scenes," I said.
There was blood everywhere. The white walls were splashed with blood. The carpet was crunchy with it. Really, mostly dried blood now. A skeletal corpse hung from a large wooden X against an inside wall, a wooden stake through his heart. I could see numerous places where blood pooled. Places where someone died.
Despite all of the blood, I was not aroused by the scent of blood. It was old, dried up blood. Not appetizing. And really, the stench of rotting flesh was far worse.
Dane stood in the dining room to my right, still in his clubbing clothes from the previous night. He and Sabrina were standing close, heads together speaking low. His hands were on her shoulders, and hers were on his waist. I could sense a bit of distress in both of them. Pep talk for the new girl? Or something more intimate? Our sudden arrival startled them.
"Oh, it's you," Dane said. "I thought it was the police or something."
I guess Sabrina noticed my curious look at them. She stepped away from and around Dane, and strode into the adjoining living room. The room with the most carnage on display.
"Notice the bullet holes in all of the walls," Sabrina said. "We counted thirteen spots it appears someone died and bled out scattered through the house."