by Megan Hawke
That struck bone. Both grunted. At least they acknowledge that.
"Did you arrest her? That was a felony," I said. They stood silent, looking grimly determined. Shaking my head woefully, "I have some questions for you, Grinstead."
"Why should we help you?" Parker said.
"So I don't shoot you."
"If you shoot us, then you will be hunted down and killed."
"If I just let you go, I'll be hunted down and killed. If I go save one thousand children from a burning building, I will be hunted down and killed by the police. Perhaps you'd like to come up with something better than that." They were silent. I glared at them. "I didn't think so. We all know that it doesn't matter, and you don't care, if I'm guilty or innocent. You want me dead no matter what. Forgive me if I fail to show the proper appreciation for your justice."
I searched them, and threw their weapons atop the closest building. Then I cuffed them with their own handcuffs. Parker growled when the enchanted cuffs snapped around her wrists, taking away her ability to morph. A little more fear entered her eyes. Grinstead took the handcuffing a bit better, but not much.
Grabbing each by the collar, I surged up atop the nearest two story building. That left both of them gasping. Mortals were freaked out when a vamp grabbed them and surged. Many got sick. Mortal bodies are not designed to move that fast, that suddenly.
"Are we having fun yet?" I said. They remained silent. "No?"
One was a little aroused, and the other stone cold. Very curious. Neither was reacting quite as I expected.
"I used to turn you on, Billy Boy," I said. I glanced at Parker. "But it's Ali getting all hot and bothered right now."
Parker's face darkened. I felt her shame, and her arousal continued to grow. Did she enjoy being dominated or something? It piqued my interest, but alas, I probably would never get to explore that side of her. But I always thought Grinstead and I would eventually hook up.
Billy looked determined. "Leave her alone."
"I can take care of myself," she said.
"Not as good as I could take care of you," I said, and laughed when it startled them both. "But I have neither the time nor the inclination to explore potential relations with Ms Parker. I have questions about magic."
"What makes you think I'll answer you?" Grinstead said.
His defiance amused me. And I felt a bit of pride, too. He didn't want to help the enemy. Defiant to the end. Yeah, a real hero.
"If you lie to me, and we all know I can tell, then I will bite you and mesmerize you," I said.
"Why bite me?" he said. "You can mesmerize me without biting me."
I shrugged and grinned, then winked at him. "I've wanted to taste you since day one." He and Parker shared a worried glance. "Don't worry. You'd enjoy it."
The stench of fear rolled off him in waves. A witch's greatest fear was being bitten by a vampire and subjugated. In some ways a witch was more vulnerable to vampires than regular mortals. A witch was the only non vampire a powerful vampire could totally subjugate. I wasn't sure I was powerful enough yet to subjugate a witch, but I didn't need to tell him that.
"What do you want to know?"
"Ah, does that mean we're not going to play Good Cop, Bad Vampire?"
"What do you want to know? I'm a very weak witch, with little training," he said. I cringed, feeling his humiliation at that admission. "I doubt I know anything useful to you."
"What would it take for a witch to subjugate a vampire, or a group of vampires?"
"So you're going to stick with that theme, huh?" Parker said. "I have to give it to you, you are tenacious."
"Anal is more like it," Grinstead said.
"Well, bless your hearts," I said as caustically as possible. "Just answer the question."
"I don't really know. Not exactly."
He was telling the truth. The truth as he saw it, anyway.
"Is Zuza powerful enough?"
"Hell yes."
"And yet you refuse to even entertain the possibility she did do it. Interesting," I said. "Next question. If a witch of Zuza's power and talent lucked into a bit of vampire blood, and a couple of dead bodies, and wanted to have a few undead servants, how would she go about accomplishing that?"
That made them both pause and think. I watched the play of emotions rolling across Grinstead's face. No sense of deceit or lying came from him.
"She would have to hex the bodies during the actual reanimation."
"Why?"
"Because they might attack her when the rose up from the dead. Vampires are a lot faster than spellcasting. She might not have a defense against them," he said. "Unless she was able to contain them with some mundane or magical means."
"How would she control the vampires? Is there a way to disrupt her control or even severe it completely?"
He looked at me like I was dumb. "Of course. Just take the talisman away from her."
Talisman? Like the Coeur de Sabe? That was a nasty little trinket, and so damned powerful. Good riddance.
"Does she have to use a talisman? She's pretty powerful," I said.
"No one's that powerful," Grinstead said. "And even if she was, she'd have to be constantly casting spells to control their actions. No, it's easier and more efficient to enchant a gemstone and control them through it."
I considered that. Momma Zuza wore a lot of jewelry. Most witches did. So every gemstone she wore was potentially enchanted. One of hers controlled the vampires. I just had to figure out which one, and separate her from it.
"Any specific kind of gemstone?" I said.
He shook his head. "No. Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds are the best," he said. "The harder the crystal, the greater power it can contain. Diamonds are best, followed closely by rubies which are just red diamonds."
"Whoever controls the crystal, the talisman, controls the vampires?" I said.
"Yes."
"I appreciate your help." I grabbed them both by the collar, and levitated us all up and over the side. Nice soft landing, and released them. Oh, I left the enchanted handcuffs on them. "You're free to go."
I didn't wait for their warnings of dire consequences and such. Yeah, I assaulted police officers. Held them at gunpoint and kidnapped them. Whatever. I was done with them.
Leaping high, I extended my wings and started flying in ever widening circles as I rose higher and higher above Deep Ellum. Then I made sure it was obvious when I made southeast, towards the state fair grounds. After I was out of sight I veered back around to the north and returned to my bike in the hospital parking lot. Then it was a quick trip over to Heidi's loft.
The loft was empty when I arrived. I pulled out my phone, and dialed Momma Zuza's number. I wasn't sure if she'd answer. She did.
"I cannot believe you would call me," Momma Zuza said.
"I thought I'd give you a chance to confess and go to prison," I said. "Otherwise, come sundown, I'm going straight for your jugular, baby."
"Do you really think you can trick me into confessing over the phone?"
"Actually, it never occurred to me." I paused to put my blood in the microwave and start it up. "I just wanted to give you one last chance to do the right thing. Otherwise, I'm going to kill you. And it won't be pretty."
"I'm not afraid of some two-bit baby vamp," she said.
"You should be. I know how to find you now. You might say, I have a direct link to you, baby." She said nothing. I hoped I freaked her out. "What's that old saying? You can run, but you can't hide? Yeah, that's it, and that’s your new reality."
I hung up and turned off my phone. Let her stew in that all day.
Chapter 17
Gabe didn't return to the loft until after I retired for the day. Heidi came in just before sunrise. We discussed their progress at the house until the sun came up, and it ground mine and Heidi's will beneath its hobnailed heel. After that we were dead to the world.
"Happy April Fool's Day," Gabe said when I stumbled out into the kitchen an hour be
fore sunset.
Heidi rarely awoke before sundown. The sun beat her down a lot more than it did me. That had nothing to do with a vampire's age or power. Each vamp had his own relationship with the sun and daylight.
"It is April Fools, isn't it? Damn. That sucks."
"You're not superstitious are you?"
"Not exactly, but still," I replied, looking up and around warily. Gabe never looked from the laptop he was working on. I glanced at the screen and was pleasantly surprised it wasn't a porn site. "What's that?"
"You're website. I created a website to broadcast your webcam party. I'm making sure it works right now."
I set my breakfast mug of blood in the microwave, set the timer, and started it. While waiting I checked out what he'd done. The website was as barebones as they came, but I wasn't interested in bedazzling everyone with graphics. I just wanted to get my sweet round ass out of the fire.
"I didn't know exactly what you wanted, or will be using it for, so I put webcams in every room except the bathrooms and garage. There are at least two cameras in each room, and audio in all of them as well."
"Will everything be recorded?"
"Every camera and every mike." He pointed at a rough blueprint of the house at the top of the page. "Just click on a room and the windows for each of its cameras come up."
He demonstrated by clicking on the living room, and four small windows popped up, each with a different angle of the living room. Gabe left a clock radio in the house, set to a classic rock station, and we could see and hear it perfectly.
"Great job, Gabe. I may keep you around for more than sex," I said. He wagged his brows at me, then looked meaningfully at the couch. Horny bastard. But I had more important things to do. "Later."
I fetched my phone. My first call would be the most fun.
"Good evening, Big Momma," I said. "Are you ready to die, Mommasita? Have you made your peace with the Lord, Witchy Momma, so Black Heart can rip out your heart?"
"You don't scare me, vampire. I am more powerful than you can imagine."
"You obviously don't understand the scope of my supernaturally charged imagination. Or the depths of my rage and need for vengeance," I said. "I woke up early, dreaming of ripping out your throat. Think about it, Big Bitch. My fangs, sinking deep into your throat. Ripping. Gouging. Blood spurting all over the place. Your life bleeding away, unstoppable. I can't stop thinking about it."
"You will die tonight, vampire."
"Didn't we have this conversation before? I'm already dead." I stopped to toss a few M&Ms into my mouth and crunch them in her ear. "But the real reason I called is to tell you my plans."
"I don't care what your plans are, Black Heart. I am going to kill you."
Oh, she cared. I heard the hesitation in her voice.
"First, I'm going to kill you as previously mentioned. You remember that, right? Ripping. Bleeding. Death. Good stuff. Well, it occurred to me that death isn't the worst fate for you. Death, then reanimation as a vampire, now that will piss you off. Hey, it pissed me off when I was Changed." She was silent. Did I shock her? The thought made me all tingly inside. Gabe was shocked, just staring open-mouthed at me. Score one for the vamp. "I want to look into your eyes as you die, and then be the first thing you see when you rise again. A vampire. And you will be my vampire, controlled by me. All of your beloved magic will be gone, and you will be my slave. My eternal plaything. Perfect fate for you, don't you think?"
I crunched another M&M in her ear, feeling so proud of myself. Okay, maybe I'm a little evil.
"Bitch."
That was spoken with anger, but I heard a taint of fear, too.
"Speaking of a bitch, I can use my power over you to make you crawl around all night barking like a dog. I can do it. In fact, maybe I'll make it a Compulsion and you'll spend eternity thinking you are an undead dog."
That really shocked Gabe. Momma Zuza was speechless, too.
"I know where you are. After I call my family together, I'll be coming for you. So you have time for a last meal," I said. My voice changed from light-hearted, to barely contained anger. "You're a craven coward, who sends others to do your dirty work, Zusie, but not me. I kill real personal. I like to kill my enemies in the bloodiest way imaginable, and watch them die. Close and personal."
"You can't find me," she said.
"You're wrong. I have people and friends. Some are wolves, and some are witches," I said. Okay, I had no witch friends, but she didn't know that. "They've been busy all day. And they were very successful. I have confidence I can go straight to you."
Momma Zuza might be angry, but I didn't feel I'd pushed her over the top. It was time to up the ante. Push all of her buttons. Normally, I didn't like to play the family card, but…
"I did a little research, and discovered that Otis Glenn owned your sister, Meshia Delveaux." That was good. Zuza gasped. "I got Otis to give her to me for a few hours last night. She submits so sweetly. Otis has turned her into a premier thrall. I put her through her sexy paces, and made her love it."
"You have it all wrong," Momma Zuza said. Really, it was almost a hiss. I think the sister ploy did the trick. "It is I who will stare into your eyes while you die."
"Dream on, Dreamer. I have your number, witch." I looked up, feeling the sunset. "In a few minutes the sun will be down. I suggest you find a hole to hide in, coward. You are running out of time. And after I kill you, I'm going to go do naughty things to Meshia again."
I hung up and turned off my phone.
"What was that about?" Gabe said. "You sounded so evil. I kinda liked it."
"Oh, just stirring things up. I want her crazy mad."
"If that doesn't do the trick, nothing will," Gabe said. "Heck, for a second there I wanted to stake you."
After Heidi rose for the night, we got ready. I wanted to look good for the cameras, and hopefully an appreciative audience. Heidi mostly owned designer clothes. I'm not really a designer label kinda girl, though I do love their clothes. Heidi is flowing silk and I'm tight leather. I wanted pants and ass-kinking thigh boots, but got a leather skirt and stiletto granny boots instead. I was able to match the skirt with a black leather bolero jacket over a lacy red bustier. Red and black were my power colors. I felt strong, tough, and bad to the bone.
I needed all the help I could get.
Heidi wore her skinny jeans, biker boots, and an oversized ZZ Top t-shirt. She never looked more ready for a fight. I was quite proud of her. Gabe looked like an outlaw biker, as usual. But it didn't matter. He could wear a three-piece suit to a fight without fear of damage.
I gave Heidi and Gabe each a call list. Gabe called pack leaders and Heidi called Council members. I had one particular person to call.
"Hello, Jeric. Having a nice night?"
"Sable. Yes, I am. In a few hours I will have you under my power," he said. "How great is that?"
"Pretty damn great," I said. "I give the sweetest surrender in town. Why else would you and every council member in Dallas want me to surrender to them?"
"I don't think you'll enjoy what I have planned."
"I think you need to change your plans. Namely, boot up your computer and watch the party," I said. I gave him the web address. Twice. He didn't have anything to write with the first time. "Keep an eye on it, babe. Sometime before midnight, if I'm lucky, the party will start and come to an end for the werewolf murderer."
"You know who it is? Tell me. I'll take care of him."
Really? He didn't know who I was accusing of the crime? I thought everyone did. Didn't he have spies within the police? I suspected he was playing me.
I could play along.
"It's a her, a witch, and you'll have to watch if you want to know."
"Interesting. According to the police you are the one controlling the killer vampires. So why should I bother watching the website?"
"Two reasons. First, if I am the one responsible, do you really think I'll turn myself over to you tonight? I wouldn't even make su
ch a bargain," I said. "And second, I know who the responsible her is, I have spoken to her about it, and will try to get a confession live on the webcast."
"If you don't prove her guilt, then it doesn't matter that you identified her," Jeric said. "You'll still have to submit to the packs. Tonight."
I wasn't too sure about that. Telling who the killer was, or even just killing Momma Zuza and stopping the killings, should be sufficient. I wasn't about to argue semantics with Jeric. This webcast was really for the police, and it would help me with the packs, too. But if Momma Zuza didn't confess on camera, and escaped my trap, then I might have to turn myself over to Jeric's less than tender mercies. For me, one way or another, this problem would be over.
"Then you have nothing to lose by watching. Worst case scenario, you'll discover who the killer is and you'll get to possess me afterwards."
"I know. That's what I'm praying for," he said. "Bad luck to you."
"Ah, bless your heart," I said, and hung up.
After we finished notifying all interested parties, save the police, we piled into Heidi's SUV and headed over to the house. We left the SUV two blocks away, in a strip mall parking lot. We needed something to escape to, just in case.
Once in the house, Gabe checked the laptop controlling everything there. Heidi's PC at the loft was recording everything as well. Just in case. Backups are important. People tell me that all the time, usually right after I lose something.
Heidi and I rearranged various weapons scattered about. We decided where we wanted to stand and fight, and concentrated the javelins and stakes there. Vampire killing shit. Gabe never got around to buying more swords. Can't exactly pick them up at the corner 7-Eleven.
"Are we ready?" I opened myself up, and called. Called with all my heart and soul, but just for a brief second. It was enough. Heidi and Gabe grunted. I felt all of my links react. I felt the five vamps react. They felt our link again. "Well, we better be ready. They're coming."
And it took them more than half an hour to come. Traffic I guess. During the wait Gabe retired to a bathroom and morphed into a wolfman. I'm not sure why he had an aversion to being recorded morphing. We all knew that he was a werewolf.