by Erin Hayes
I looked up at Moira, my gaze meeting hers. She bit at her nail.
"I'll meet you over there," I told Hunter. "We can take care of the bodies before the police come."
I hated mutilating a human's body in the way that needed to be done to cover a vampire's bite marks, but we couldn't have anyone suspecting vampires were real.
"Too late," Hunter said. "The police found them before we could."
I cursed
"What is it?" Moira whispered.
"Call you back, Hunter. I've got a contact over at the police station. Maybe we can get access to the bodies somehow or… I don't know. I'll think of something."
I disconnected the call and clutched the phone tightly, lowering it to the table even though I felt like slamming it. It wasn't like vampires to leave two bodies out in the open like that to be discovered. Even they were good about covering their tracks. I had a strong feeling that these bodies was somehow connected to the vampire that had just walked past the restaurant.
"Tell me what happened," Moira ordered.
"A couple of bodies were found. Vampire kills by the looks of them. Police got there before we could." I shook my head. "We've got to find a way to get to those bodies."
"I'll do you one better. I'll get you to the crime scene."
I drew my brows together. "Exactly how are you going to do that?"
She opened her purse and dug around inside. A second later she pulled out an FBI badge and grinned.
I took it from her. "Where did you get this?"
"I stole it from my father several years ago. I've only had to use it a couple of times, but I keep it with me everywhere I go. No one has ever questioned it." She slid out from the booth and stood, dropping money on top of the table. I frowned as I wished I could always pay for her, but I knew if I argued it would just end in a fight. She insisted we take turns.
I followed Moira out of the restaurant completely in awe of her. Was there anything she couldn't do? I had to admit that I sometimes felt unworthy when I was with her, probably in the same way a human felt next to the Goddess Diana.
She glanced back at me and surprised me with a gentle smile. I resisted the urge to hold her hand.
I drove us across town and parked close to the scene. The area had already been marked off and several patrol cars blocked the entrance to the alley. Moira exited the car first and strode toward the nearest police officer as if she’d done this a thousand times. I caught up to her just as she said to the cop, "I'd like to see the body."
She flashed her badge. The man glanced down at it and then up at Moira. "What interest do you have in it?"
"We had another body up in Monroe found in a similar fashion. I just want to take a look and see if we might have a serial killer on our hands."
He nodded her forward and as she passed, she glanced back at me. "This is my assistant. He's with me."
The cop didn't take notice as I passed by him.
The alley was long and dark. Had the police not set up two giant spotlights at the end, I'd probably be tripping over the garbage sprawled across the pavement. Several police officers had flashlights and were scanning the ground, probably for evidence. They seemed to be particularly interested in a large dumpster pressed against the brick building next to it.
Moira nudged me and pointed toward the light at the end of the alley. Two officers blocked my view to what they were lighting up. They were talking and pointing at something in the corner.
As I drew closer, I saw what they were looking at: two naked bodies, a man and a woman, their backs pressed up against a chain-link fence. Rebar had been shoved into one end of their shoulders then bent and pierced into their other shoulder making it look like a giant horseshoe had been driven through them. Their throats were torn out and blood, much more than there should be for a vampire kill, spilled down their neck and onto their bare chests. Moira clutched my arm.
I turned her away from the scene. "We don't need to be here."
She searched my eyes. It was the first time I had ever seen fear in them.
She tightened her lips and clenched her jaw. "I'm okay. I just need a second."
I rubbed her arms, gave her an encouraging smile, then stepped away to examine the bodies closer.
"Pretty jacked up way to die," an officer said when he saw me approach. He shook his head, his face pale, and walked away with the other policeman.
I looked closely at their necks first. All but one vampire puncture had been destroyed. Hunter must've noticed it with binoculars from far away. One hole wouldn't be enough to draw suspicion.
Though the woman wore no clothes, a string of pearls had been fastened around her neck. Most of the white pearls had been stained a dark crimson. The man had been left with only his watch, a crack on the small, glass face. The time had stopped at 7:53 pm, almost two hours ago.
The way these two people had been pinned up with blood covering their bodies made me think this was more than a regular vampire killing. This was meant to send a message. But what?
I felt Moira come up behind me. "Half of her hand is missing."
I glanced down. Sure enough, someone had cut part of the woman's hand from her middle finger down to the top of her wrist. I shined the light around the immediate area looking for her thumb and pointer finger but didn't see it.
"I can't believe someone would do this," Moira whispered.
"I found it!" an officer called from behind us.
I straightened and turned around. Moira and I hurried over to see what they were looking at.
An officer shined his light onto the hand of another policeman. Resting on his palm was the missing half of the woman's hand, her thumb and forefinger maneuvered into a pinching position. In its clutch was a single sheet of paper.
One of the officers leaned over to get a closer look and read. "You kill mine, I kill yours. And it's signed DP."
Everyone looked at each other trying to figure out what it meant, but I knew exactly what it meant. I found Moira's gaze. By her angry expression, she knew who it was too.
"Bag it as evidence," an officer said.
Several others continued to talk about what it might mean while Moira and I slipped away unnoticed. Neither of us said anything until we were over a block away.
"Have you ever seen anything like that?" she asked.
I shook my head. "Never this public before. It's disturbing."
"What about Henry?"
A tall figure stepped out from the shadows directly in front of us startling us both.
"I have experienced something similar a long time ago."
"Don't do that, Henry!" I growled.
He ignored me and continued. "I fear this is just the beginning. A vampire unafraid of public displays is a dangerous one." He looked over at Moira. "Are you well?"
"My stomach feels sick, but after seeing what I just saw, I think that's normal."
"What do we do?" I asked. If anyone knew the answer to that question it would be Henry. He probably had experienced every scenario in his very long life.
"For now, we watch and wait. We don't know who this vampire is or how to find him."
"Actually, I believe I have a description of him now." I told him about the three vampires that had crossed in front of the restaurant, specifically the one wearing the suit. "There was something truly powerful and evil in this vampire. I feel strongly he is connected."
"I trust your abilities," Henry said. "I'd like you to make a sketch of him and give to all agents at all Deific locations. Also check our database. Maybe we'll get lucky and discover his true identity."
"And in the meantime," Moira said, "we need to question any vampire we see. No more killing them until we get some information. One of them has got to know something."
"That's a great idea, Moira," Henry said. "I expect you both to follow through with this."
"I'm on it," I said.
"I'm going to visit other Deific offices and see if they know anything. I'll be back." He too
k three steps back into the darkness, and then he disappeared.
Moira went after him as if she didn't believe her eyes. "Henry?"
I chuckled. "He does that sometimes. I don't know how."
"Can other vampires do things like that? Because if they can, we're in a world of trouble."
"Not that I've ever seen. Somehow Henry is able to use magic. He's never told me how, and I've never asked. He's extremely private."
She nodded as if she understood.
"I know you don't like me to," I said, "but I'm going to insist on walking you home tonight."
Surprisingly, she didn't argue with me. And even more surprising was the fact that she grabbed my hand as we went. I looked over at her, my eyes wide. She just gave me one of her sunshine smiles, and all the feelings of dread I had been feeling, melted away.
If this was how it was always going to be with her, then I could face any challenge as long as she was by my side.
Chapter Seven
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Moira asked me. She peered over the fence again, her face next to mine.
I stared at the small, abandoned auto shop wondering the same thing. Boards had been hammered over the glass front door, and the windows had been smashed long ago.
"This is where Hunter said to go," I insisted. "He said he saw two vamps go in here and not come out. He would've kept watching, but his sister is getting married tonight."
"Do you think we should call for backup?" she asked.
I glanced up at the sun sitting high in the sky. The vampires should be resting. "I think we can handle it, don't you think?"
She grinned at me. "Absolutely."
"We can always use the electric gun if we get into trouble." I picked up the weapon from within my duffle bag, glad I had brought it. The Deific had made the special weapon for vampires ten years ago, effectively changing the way we fought against them. They weren't my weapons of choice, but they did come in handy if you had to temporarily paralyze a vampire.
"You guys have the coolest tech," she said as she pulled on a thick leather jacket that she had borrowed from the Deific. It looked really good on her, and I almost said as much. Even though we had grown closer, we weren't at the point where I could give her those kind of compliments yet, but I couldn't wait for the day when I could. There were so many I wanted to give her.
She grinned at me and turned away as she sheathed the sword at her waist. "Let's do this."
We hopped the fence and approached the shop as quietly as possible. I peeked through the broken window. Several rusted pieces of equipment sat abandoned on an oil-stained concrete floor. In the back, an antique vehicle had been stripped of everything but the frame. I didn't see or hear anyone inside. Maybe Hunter was mistaken.
Moira tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the left.
I craned my neck to the furthest corner of the room to a door leading outside. I wasn't sure what she was talking about until my gaze fell to the floor. There was a worn path of several footprints. I followed their path until they disappeared into a narrow hallway. I looked back at Moira. She motioned her head forward as if we should follow the footprints.
We circled around the side of the building to the door, and although I opened it as quiet as possible, it still creaked like it hadn't been greased in years.
She gave me a frustrated glare, but I just shrugged. Most likely any vampires would already have heard us regardless of a squeaky door.
I crept through the garage following the footprints through the dust. I was struck by how many there were. And different kinds of shoes, too, by their bottom tread. I glanced over at Moira. By her expression, she was thinking the same thing. We might be dealing with more than two vampires.
The trail led down the hall and to another door at the back of the garage. I withdrew the electric gun from behind my back and carefully opened the door revealing a long staircase going down. I should've guessed there would be a basement, a typical hideout for vampires, dark and cool.
I turned around and pointed back the way we came thinking we should probably get back up, but Moira shook her head and motioned down the stairs. She gave me the thumbs up sign. I pursed my lips but did what she wanted.
We tiptoed down the stairs, my pulse racing. There was no door at the bottom leaving only darkness. Another obstacle. Vampires could see in the dark. We couldn't.
I turned on a small light on top of the electric gun illuminating some of the space in front of us. When we reached the bottom, I searched for a light switch on the wall but found nothing. It was too late to turn back now. Any vampires would attack us the moment we turned our back.
Keeping the wall and Moira at my back, I swiveled the gun around shining light into the room. There are several worn couches and a couple of mattresses on the floor. I also spotted a refrigerator in the back.
I continued scanning the room when my stream of light fell upon four hungry vampire faces. I stumbled back and fired the gun just as they attacked. I blasted the closest one, and he fell to the ground shaking. A second one came right behind him, stepping on the first as he went. Moira swung her blade through the air slicing off his head before he could get close to me. A cloud of dust puffed into the air making it harder to see.
Moving further into the room, I fired the gun again but missed a third vampire. "We only want to ask you some questions! Stand down and no one has to get hurt."
They didn't seem to care about my words and continued to come after us. One attacked Moira just as she swung downward, but he moved out of the way at the last second. The blade sliced into his shoulder. He growled and lunged for her. I withdrew a wooden dagger from my right sleeve and winged it through the air. Being a left-handed throw, not my strong arm, it missed its mark and pierced his back not his heart.
A fourth vampire tackled me from behind, and we tumbled to the ground. Before he could scramble on top of me, I pointed the gun backwards and fired. The force of the blast threw him back several feet.
I jumped to my feet and rushed over to help Moira who was struggling in hand-to-hand combat with the vampire. He had her back pinned to his chest and was forcing her head down so he could get at her neck with his sharp teeth. My heart clenched at the sight.
When I reached him, I jerked the stake from his back and stabbed him again, a quick jab, in and out of his flesh. He howled and let Moira go. He spun around just as I drove the wooden stake into his heart. He burst into ashes blanketing Moira and I in a chalky dust.
My heart beat painfully fast. The sight of seeing Moira in trouble had shaken me to the core. If anything were to happen to her—
Something took hold of my ankle and jerked hard. I fell face first, my nose smacking the concrete floor. Warm blood exploded from my nose. The first vampire we stunned must be recovering.
Moira scooped up her sword from off the floor and sliced its blade through the vampire's neck. His body didn't explode like the others; instead it withered and crumbled within itself until it was just another layer of dust on the floor. He must've been an older vampire.
"How's your face?" Moira asked. She helped me to my feet. I scooped up the electric gun as I went.
I pinched my nose and tilted my head back. "Hurts. How are you?"
"I'll be better after we question this last vampire." She reached down and picked up the electric gun with the light still shining and pointed it toward the last vampire. He was still on the floor, his body twitching. "We need to restrain him with something. Did you grab that syringe from the bag?"
"It's in my pant pocket," I said.
"I guess you want me to get it?"
I held up the gun in my hand and kept my other pressed to my nose. I grinned, but she probably couldn't see me smiling beneath my hands.
She stepped behind me until I could feel her warmth pressing against my back. Her hand slipped inside my pocket. A pleasurable chill brought heat to my loins.
"Not that pocket," I said.
"Are you serious?" She s
ighed and reached inside my other one until she found the syringe and pulled it out. "I think you could've done that yourself."
"And yet you still went for it." I kept my tone playful.
She looked up at me and held my gaze. The intensity made me part my lips in anticipation of something I wanted very much. She cleared her throat and averted her gaze to the syringe full of a clear liquid.
"How much time will this give us after we administer it?" she asked.
"At least ten minutes." I walked over to the vampire and shined my light down on him. "He won't be able to move anything from the waist down so don't get too close. He could still get you with his hands."
Moira knelt down next to him. He attempted to look up at her, but he was shaking too badly.
She looked back at me. "Directly into his spine? I've never done this before."
I walked over to her and handed her the gun. "Hold this and shine the light for me. I'll show you where to do it and how."
I rolled the quivering vampire over until he was facedown. He growled at me but I held him firm by driving my knee into his back. I pulled up his shirt exposing a giant tattoo of angel wings inked onto his back.
"Cool tattoo," Moira said, the compliment sounding genuine.
I felt his spine with my two fingers and followed it down to the top of his pelvis. I searched for the epidural space, between where the ligament sheathes the vertebrae and the membrane that covers the spinal cord. "Right here. Do you feel it?"
She placed her fingers where mine were and felt around. "I think so."
I injected the liquid from the syringe into his spine. He jerked and growled again. I rolled him back over and positioned him in a sitting position. His body no longer twitched. We stepped away from him, keeping the light and gun fixed on him.
He looked fairly normal for a vampire. In fact, with his broad shoulders and blonde wavy hair, he looked like he had just come in from surfing. Just a regular college frat boy. It made me sad to think that someone had changed his life so drastically so young. He flashed his fangs.
"We want to ask you some questions," I said.