by Dale Mayer
*.*.*
Tessa landed in front of her family's shocked faces. She laughed as pride and joy rolled through her. "Not quite the klutz you thought I was, huh?"
Rhia grinned, appreciation of her daughter shining on her face. "Honey, I never thought that about you."
"Right." Tessa turned to her father. "I'm going to find Jared. Maybe with other vampires and maybe without, depending on if anyone wants to come." She raised one eyebrow at the bluster starting to build on her father's face. "And don't bother arguing. It's something I have to do."
She glanced at the crowd collecting around her. "Is anyone willing to go with me?" When several people cried out 'yes,' she nodded and held up her hand. "Just to make sure you understand. We're going to rescue a human. Possibly more than one. And we will be going against vampires. I don't know who is behind this or why they've taken humans, but there's a good chance these are vampires we might know. Don't make this decision lightly."
She offered a grim smile as people did a double take. "That's right. There could be some unpleasant surprises at the end of our journey. I'm not afraid of them." Eyes flashed at the mention of any of them being afraid. She smiled inwardly. A vampire's ego was not something to fool around with. "I don't have a choice. I feel responsible for Jared's kidnapping, and I will do everything I can to rescue him. But for the rest of you, it's a choice. Think about it and think about it seriously."
Several people exchanged glances with their neighbors.
Tessa continued her warning. "The other issue is someone has already died. He may have died from natural causes, or he may have had help. The truth is that being kidnapped and chained up like a dog for an unknown number of hours did not help him to survive. I've been attacked twice. For the rest of you, injuries or even death are possibilities. These are vampires who may know just how to do that. You could be giving up your eternal life."
Silence.
She nodded a second time. "Right. This is serious business."
Turning around to face Cody, she asked him, "In or out?"
"In," he snapped. "There's no option for me. I can identify them, and I was there with you when you were attacked. I'm going."
"So am I." David stepped forward, and that started the surge in the crowd.
"Hey, I want to come. At least we'd be doing something vampire-ish. It's like we've lost our souls these days."
Tessa, with a question on her face, turned to face Ian, the speaker.
The tall quiet member of David's group explained. "We're vampires, Tessa. We're born to hunt. Denying our basic instinct is like being one of the living dead."
Laughter greeted his words. Jacob, the oldest and most intimidating to Tessa, nodded. "He's right. We all feel we are a kind of living dead. Truthfully."
"Keep in mind," said Cody. "We'll be trying to save the treaty so that our easy life continues."
Goran stepped up. "That's enough. You younglings can't go alone."
David turned to him, surprising everyone. "Well, she tried to get your support and Dad's. Now she's given up and is going regardless."
Rhia stepped forward. "If you aren't going with them, Serus, then I am. Actually…" She thought about it for a half second. "I'm going, regardless. They don't know all the vampires. I do."
"Hey, that's great." Goran smacked Serus on the back. "We haven't had a good rumble in ages."
"Who said I wanted one now? I'm too old for this shit," grumbled Serus.
"Then stay home and tend the fires, Dad. We'll say hello to Moltere for you," David said.
Shock lined Serus's face. "What does Moltere have to do with this?"
"Moltere?" Sian's shocked voice cut through the noise. Sian was so beautiful, everyone instinctively paid attention when she spoke. "Are you sure it's him?" Her penetrating gaze locked onto David's face.
"No one is sure of anything yet. But he's certainly the first one that comes to mind," responded David.
Taz slid an arm around Sian’s shoulder then dropped a kiss on her forehead. "It's okay. It's not likely to be the same thing again," he said, lifting his head and explaining to the group watching, "I was kidnapped by Moltere's men a long time ago. Sian here rescued me." He smiled tenderly at his partner.
Goran stepped forward, understanding dawning in his eyes. "On the other hand, Taz, if you're right, he's been quiet for so long he could have built an army in secret. We assumed he died a long time ago."
"Maybe he did. But think about this. Someone old, with a taste for blood, who has money and the power to create new vampires for his own purposes. Someone of the ancient lines, maybe with ancient beliefs." David stared the adults down.
Tessa stepped forward. "Who it is at this point isn't the issue. We can't jump to conclusions or we might miss seeing the truth." Except if David was right, the fight ahead of them was huge. The more she thought about what little she knew about Moltere, she realized the points David had brought up were all true. And no one had said he was dead. Moltere was one of the originals, along with her father and Goran. There were others, but their names rarely came up. In fact, no one discussed anything from that era. Something big had gone down – so big it split their group apart.
She almost missed the horrified looks passing between Sian and her mom. She barely caught Sian's whispered, "Not again."
Rhia reached out to hug her.
Tessa watched, wondering if they'd all get an explanation – but doubting they would. Adult vampires were great at not sharing. There had to be a mess of hidden history. She saw her father look over at Sian and Taz, one eyebrow raised. Taz reached around Sian, one large hand sliding across her belly as if to comfort. Serus’ gaze widened and he grinned. He smacked Taz on the shoulder. "Congratulations! I hope you'll man the house in case of any injuries and also help coordinate with Sian?"
Taz nodded, his brows pulling together. "Of course, anything you need. Let's not have a repeat of what I went through."
Tessa barely tracked the conversation. Confusing, it jumped from some history that her mom knew about, to the possibility that Sian was pregnant – and that was something to ponder seriously as Taz was human – then to a reference about some nasty event from the past…one they wanted to avoid happening again. Why couldn't adults make things clear?
Sian beamed at Serus. "That we can do. And work out a plan to approach the Council."
Tessa shook her head, wishing she understood the undercurrents. Still, David was right. The issue wasn't just about Jared's abduction, although his kidnapping was a problem. The crisis was bigger. Much bigger. If this rogue group were turning humans into vampires, they had to have a reason. The idea that someone was creating an army for their own purposes to be used against the common good of vampire and human alike couldn't be ignored.
That thought spurred her into action. She didn't want to be disrespectful and she loved her father, but he did need prodding occasionally.
"Hey, Dad, you can stay with Sian and Taz if you'd prefer. Afterwards, we'll let you know how it goes." She deliberately turned her back on him, hoping to hide her grin. There's no way her Dad would let her get away with that comment.
He spluttered. She grinned and bowed her head. Cody nudged her gently. She glanced up at him to see the same laughter reflected in his eyes. "Ready?"
"Oh yeah. Let's go." Tessa's shoulder was grabbed before she could take a step.
"No way you're going to treat me like a senior citizen. I'm leading this team, and you're the one staying home," barked her father.
She turned to him. "Oh, I don't think so. You might want to finally step up, but leaving me behind isn't an option."
Frustration lined his face. Opposition he was used to. Just not from his daughter. Tessa stood tall and stared him straight in the eye. She refused to back down. She didn't want to go against him if she didn't have to. She had too much respect and love for him. She'd like to have him at her side. Chances of that happening, however were…
&n
bsp; And for the first time that night, her father laughed. Tessa stared at him in disbelief. Was that pride gleaming in his eyes? A warm glow wrapped around her heart.
"I guess that means you're coming." She laughed with him and turned to her mother, one eyebrow raised in question.
"Don't think you're leaving without me." Rhia stepped forward. "But we aren't going to waste the manpower. We'll split into groups. Serus, Goran, and I will take one group each. My group will drive to the house where you found the dead man. David, you are driving with me. Goran will take the fliers to where we last heard Moltere lived. That will let us know if the area has had any recent activity. Serus and his gliders will search from the air, picking up the trail from where Cody and Tessa last saw the vehicles and search the direction they were heading. Keep an eye out for any place large enough to house a blood farm."
"A blood farm?" Tessa's gaze widened. Sian swallowed loudly enough to catch Tessa's attention. Tessa watched as Sian snuggled deeper into Taz's arms. Right. Now the adults' half-filled-in conversations made sense. They'd seen one before. Go, Mom. Still a leap in deduction, but she'd consider it a possibility…for now.
Rhia surveyed the open-mouthed group staring at her and then spoke. "If they took more than one human, they are looking for sources of blood. Moltere went into hiding after the clans found out he was keeping humans alive to produce blood for him and his family line. If – and it's a big if – he's involved, then that's what he's doing. Some of his farms continued to exist long after he'd gone underground. Sian found one not all that long ago."
Goran beamed. "Love, love and love this. Cody will fly with me. Serus, pick your team."
Serus shook his head. "Well, if your son is going with you, you know my daughter is going with me." He reached out a hand. "If she wants to, that is."
Tessa grinned, and it felt like a light beamed from inside of her heart as she grabbed his hand. "I couldn't ask for a better partner." At the look on his face, she burst out laughing. "Okay, team leader."
Everyone cracked up as Goran punched Serus on the shoulder. "She's good stuff, Serus. Take care of her."
"Don't you dare let her get hurt again." Rhia turned to face the large crowd. "We don't have to tell you where you belong. Line up behind the leaders and let's get moving." With a final glance around, she added, "Everyone stay in close contact with each other. No one goes off alone. Serus and Goran, regular check-ins please."
Cody grinned. "Ian and Jewel, are you coming?"
Both nodded.
With that, the four fliers took to the air.
Tessa just wished she knew what they were in for.
*.*.*
Jared opened his eyes. The same stone walls stared back at him. Surely this nightmare had to end soon – or at least his awareness of it. He couldn't have said how long it had been now. People had come and gone. The other captive had been taken away. Only Jared remained in the cell.
The door opened. And yet another new person entered. What was out there, a freakin’ vampire city? He didn't think they were looking after his welfare though, or they'd have given him a bed and blankets, maybe some medicine for the headache threatening to split his skull wide open.
"Hello there. It's nice to see you looking more awake." The newcomer pulled a chair over to where Jared slouched, manacled to his chair. "We have the test results back. Interesting reading. You're a very healthy young man, did you know that?" He opened the file he brought with him. "It also appears that you may have some vampire in your blood."
Jared stared at him in shock.
"Oh, not in any recent generation. The line is very diluted with you. And that's a good thing. Because we need you human. We've finished our tests now, so we can move you onto the next stage of the program. There's been no decision yet as to which program you're going to go into; however, rest assured that your well-being is most important to us." A swarmy smile formed on his mouth.
"Programs? Do I get a choice?
"So you do speak. Very good. Now I can't tell you about our programs just yet, and as much as I'd like to give you a choice, that is being made for you based on these test results. Not to worry. You're in good hands."
At the nasty smirk on the guy's face, the last bit of hope died. None of the options would be good. He was never going home. He couldn't help wondering at the what-ifs. What if he'd not been kidnapped? What kind of future would he have had? What kind of relationship could he have had with Tessa? Was she even thinking of him?
Apparently a little rebellion was good for a father-daughter relationship. Tessa would never have believed it. Still, she had to admit owning a piece of his admiration had done wonders for her self-confidence. She actually held herself straighter. Like she needed more height. She already towered over her human girlfriends. Although, her companions tonight were vampires and they were all tall. It made her reconsider her notion that she didn't belong with them.
And there was the weird stirring in her belly every time she got close to Cody. Like what was with that? Vampires were notoriously faithful – once they'd found their one true love. Until that point however, it was a well-known fact they liked to do a lot of searching.
Tessa, like every other little girl in the world, often tried to picture her perfect prince. One week he appeared as a tall blond Adonis, the next a dark-haired bad boy. She'd never pictured Cody as 'the one.' Now she had to wonder.
"Tessa. We're heading out. Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" David said as he walked toward her.
Serus spoke from behind her. "I think you should go with them, too, Tessa. You are just learning to jump, whereas Wendy and Jacob are experienced gliders. We can't have you slowing us down. And I don't want you to get separated from us out there and get lost."
Tessa glared at her father. "Then you'd better lead now, before you take this conversation down that road any further. I'm jumping. I may not have much experience, and I know I don't look very pretty doing it…however, I can only get better from here. So let's go."
Her dad's jaw jutted out – he obviously took offence to her tone. She knew she was overstepping, she knew she was pushing the limit, but damn it, Jared needed help and she wanted to participate in his rescue…if that were possible. So when her father opened his mouth, she cut him off.
"Dad, we're past that now. I know you want to put me back into a little-girl box, but it's too late. Besides, I'm just a few years younger than the rest of the group. Let's just do this." She planted her hands on her hips and stared at him. She didn't want to fight him. Her energy would only go so far. "I'll learn from all of you."
"You're too damn young – you don't know what you're getting into."
"And you're too old – you don't believe the young can do anything."
The two of them stood nose to nose glaring at each other.
Then, just as abruptly, they both laughed, understanding the humorous take on their standoff.
Returning to the issue at hand, Serus said, "North. We're going north to the outskirts of Vampire City in the mountains."
A shiver slid down Tessa's back. The mountains had always been out of bounds. For a brief moment, she couldn't help but wonder if her dad might be right about this not being the trip for her. No. She couldn't let him be. Jared and who knew how many captives were more important than her childish fears of going into the mountains.
"Let's go." Serus took one last look at the three young vampires in his group and leapt into the air. Even though Tessa had seen him in action before, the precision of his beautiful movements still moved her. They were full of grace, and his landings…well, she could only hope she didn't have to be as old as he was before she learned to control her jumps half as well.
Jacob and Wendy followed. Both were friends of her brother, David. Tessa took a deep breath and tried to imitate their smoother, more practiced glides, but she ended up feeling even more awkward and inept.
Three jumps later, she reverted to her
normal crab style. Hey, it worked.
They didn't stop moving for close to an hour. That's when she really wondered if she'd made a major mistake when she'd insisted on coming. Most of her body ached one way or another. Getting out of bed tomorrow could be fun. Not.
At least her headache had disappeared. Her last jump brought her to within a few yards of her father. She even landed on her feet.
He nodded and turned his attention to the group as a whole.
"We've got a little further to go before we're deep in enemy territory. However, we could be watched even now. Don't do anything stupid. If anyone approaches us, I'll talk to them." He cast a stern warning glance at them all. "This is only a fact-finding mission. We want to know what's here and who's here – that's it. Got it?"
"Got it." Their voices blended into one chorus.
He took off once again. Tessa hated to admit it, but her legs were feeling more like marshmallows than ever before. Still, she pulled on her inner strength and headed out after them.
She'd lost track of time. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she realized everything that had happened so far had spanned only one evening. From the theater with Jared, to the Council meeting, to taking off and being attacked, and now down to this wild chase in the dark.
Worry immediately set in. The others would need cover soon. But not right away; they were in the mountains, and the morning sun would reach them later than it would have if they were home.
She jumped again and again, going from tree branch to rock to cliff edge. She used muscles she'd never realized she owned, and she completed jumps that she'd never have considered possible.
On the next jump she had a terrible takeoff and nearly fell off the tree. Her arms were almost too tired to grip the trunk. Feeling definitely shaky, she leaned against the trunk to rest her legs.
"Come on Tessa. We're almost there." Her father called out to her.
She groaned. At this point, almost wasn't good enough. Still, she'd insisted on accompanying them and she refused to let her dad be right. She'd damn well finish it. Gathering her energy, she jumped to an adjoining tree and then another and another. If she could avoid jumping down and then up again, it would save her a ton of energy and effort.