by D N Simmons
“I can smell the wolf and the vampire,” responded Warren. Through his eyes, Natasha caught a glimpse of movement behind the dark haired stranger. “Darian, behind you!” she yelled, with her male voice. She watched the other man defend himself with seeming ease as he fought with the female vampire. She bared her fangs and swung her clawed hand toward the man named Darian.
That vision began to fade into darkness and another started to form. She saw the three men looking around the warehouse, searching for something, someone. She knew who she was in the vision. She was the male shape-shifter and he was setting his sights on Warren. She could see that he was moving closer. A loud ringing sound filled her head. The sound began to pull her out of the vision. She woke up and stared into the darkness of her bedroom. The phone started ringing again. She sat up and lifted to receiver to her ear.
“Hello?” she asked, her voice groggy, drugged.
“Well don't you sound sexy first thing in the evening,” a sexy male voice said through the telephone. Natasha knew his voice, it sent tingles down her spine.
“Hi Xavier. Look, this is a bad time. I need to call you back, is that okay?” she asked. She was anxious to call Warren, needed to tell him what she'd seen while it was still fresh in her mind.
“Well, this is unexpected. Okay, call me later,” he said before hanging up the telephone. Natasha noted that she didn't get a chance to say goodbye, she hoped he wasn't upset with her. She thought about the last few days, astounded by how fast her life had changed. Would it ever be normal again? She didn't know. She dialed the cell phone number Warren had given her, listening to the telephone ringing three times, before Warren picked up.
“Hello?” he asked.
“Detective Davis, this is Natasha Hemingway. I had another vision!” she said excitedly. “Are you still at home?” “Yes.”
“I'm on my way,” and he hung up the telephone. She hung up the receiver and waited for the detective to arrive. She glanced at her watch, noting the time was 7:42 P.M. She soon heard a knock on her door, the knock being loud enough to make her jump. She wondered if it was Warren. If so, he'd made it to her house in seven minutes. She wondered where he had been when she called. She walked to the door, looked through the peephole, seeing both him and his partner, Matthew. She opened the door and let them in. They walked past her and looked around her little apartment.
“What did you see?” asked Warren, not wasting any time.
“I saw you, I mean, I saw through your eyes. I felt what you felt, and,” she paused, looking at Warren, she walked over to him and gestured for him to lean closer. He did and she whispered into his ear. She whispered low, knowing he had excellent hearing. “I smelled what you smelled. I know what you are.” She stepped back quickly, hoping she hadn't just made a mistake. She didn't want to be dinner.
Warren looked at her, he couldn't figure out how she could do what she did. He looked at his partner, then back at Natasha. “He knows, you don't have to whisper,” he said to her, attempting to clear the air.
“Oh! Okay. That's a relief, I'm not the only one who knows,” she said happily. If his partner knew, then she might not be his dinner.
“What else did you see?” he asked. It seemed as though he didn't care that Natasha knew his secret, only that he could solve the case. Natasha was happy that he was on her side.
“The building is an abandoned warehouse. I'm not sure where, there were cardboard boxes everywhere and the place was all dusty and grimy, I have no idea what kind of warehouse it is, if I knew that, it would help narrow the search, wouldn't it?” she asked. The men nodded. She paled. “I thought as much. Oh, there was another man there, he was helping you,” she said. Warren and Matthew gave each other a surprised look, they couldn't possibly figure out who could be helping them.
“Who?” asked Matthew.
“I think he was a vampire. He fought with the female I told you about, she was a vampire too. You called him Darian in my vision,” Natasha said. She glanced at Warren to see if the name registered. It looked as though it did. “Do you know him?” she asked.
Warren and Matthew nodded. “He's the owner of that huge entertainment club called Desires Unleashed. He's also the master vampire in this city. Only reason why I know this, is because of my leader. Both of them have been in the city for a long time. The S.U.I.T.s don't have a real record on him, such as real age, nationality, nothing of the sort. All we know is that he registered his business as a vampire owned establishment. Why would he help us? Why would he want to?” Warren said, he seemed to be really pondering the notion.
“The female vampire looked to be strong and he was fighting her. I think you need him for a reason. I wouldn't go against the vision. Oh, and the male victim is still alive, you could hear him somewhere in the warehouse.”
“Well, I suppose we have to make a trip to Desires Unleashed. Let's go, we don't have time to waste. You did say they wanted to kill him tonight, right?” Warren asked Natasha as they headed down the stairs to the car.
She nodded. “Then we need to haul ass,” he said as he climbed into the driver's seat. He turned on the siren and lights as he raced through the crowded streets, switching from lane to lane at breakneck speed. Natasha began to wonder if they would survive the ride over. She watched Warren drive. His eyes locked on the road, his reflexes were perfect, inhuman, he didn't even flinch as he dodged two potential accidents. Ten minutes later, they arrived in front of the club her best friend worked at. Would Xavier be here tonight? Natasha wondered.
CHAPTER 19
There was a long line of people waiting to get in. Some of the people were dressed in black garments. Their eyes, nails and lips decorated with dark colored cosmetics. They looked excited about going in, wanting to see a real “live” creature of the night. She climbed out of the car with the two detectives. A valet parking attendant walked over. His hair was black and shaved low, he wore a black shirt and pants uniform, with a white satin vest.
“Excuse me, Sir, but you can't park there,” he said, trying to get Warren's attention. He did.
“Look.” Warren flashed his badge, and the man's brown eyes widened. No one of the supernatural race wanted to see that badge. He stepped back and watched as Warren flashed the badge to the door bouncer, who made Warren wait as he called his boss on walkie-talkie.
“Yeah, un hun, okay, okay...yes, Sir.” He lowered the walkie-talkie, calling over another bouncer, who stalked over to them. He was tall, had a mustache and his head was shaved bald. He stepped up to Warren, looked him up and down, a snarl appearing on his face.
“Against your own kind, ain't that grand,” he said disgustedly. Warren stepped up to him. The bouncer was two inches taller than Warren but it didn't seem to matter.
“Do I have to go through you to get to your Master?” Warren asked. The bouncer's snarl grew more intense, his body became rigid.
“That depends. Why are you here, traitor?” he hissed through clenched teeth.
Warren took a deep breath and let it out. He was becoming annoyed at the run-around he was getting. Matthew stayed quiet, not wanting to tread in uncharted waters. Natasha took his cue, remaining silent herself.
“I need to speak with your Master. I need information from him. He's not a suspect, so can we calm down the tough-son-of-a-bitch attitude? I don't have time for it,” Warren said tightly, his nostrils flaring slightly as he kept his temper in check. The two bouncers, who Natasha suspected might be vampires, looked at each other then nodded.
“Follow me,” said the bald headed bouncer that was causing the stall. He led them through the crowded dance floor. They had to push past some of the rowdy dancers that didn't seem to have any regard for the four of them passing through. Natasha looked upward, astounded that there were go-go dancers in skimpy black leather outfits dancing in cages suspended from the ceiling. She reckoned that was a real thrill for the partygoers. She liked the vitality of the disco music the DJ was playing, enjoying the vibrations of the bass as
the sounds thumped through her body. The only thing that annoyed her was the multicolored neon lights that danced around the club. She looked at the bartender, who was as sexy as all the other men she had been seeing lately. She marveled at his skill as he twirled bottles of alcohol for the crowd that cheered him on and praised his efforts with money. The bouncer directed them toward the employees only entrance and lifted the walkie-talkie to his lips.
“Mr. Richards, I've got two detectives here from the S.U.I.T, they want to talk to the Boss. I'm bringing them to your office.” He released the talk button and listened for further instructions.
“Two detectives? Did they say...never mind. Go ahead and take them to the Boss' office, instead,” said a masculine, sexy voice. It took Natasha a few seconds to realize that it was Xavier's voice.
“Yes, Sir,” he said as he opened the door to the employees only entrance. The hallway was decorated with photographs of naked people, they were done tastefully, no smut. The artist had truly captured the beauty of the human body in each photograph. Natasha found herself wanting to stop and look at the photos as if she was in a gallery, but decided against it. Maybe she could ask Xavier to show them to her later. Then she thought about Xavier. Was she really contemplating starting a relationship with him? It seemed to be a possibility to her. They were led to a set of double, dark red wooden doors. The bouncer knocked twice and a young blonde man opened the door. Natasha thought he was beautiful also but very young, his blue eyes gave them all a once over before he stepped aside to let them pass.
They entered the room and looked around. Natasha marveled at the grandeur of the room. It was simply amazing. She wondered how much money it must have cost to decorate a room like this. Then her wandering eyes stopped on Xavier. He seemed surprised and confused to find her with the two detectives. His eyes held a hint of bewilderment. She smiled slightly at him and waved, hoping that would ease some of his suspicions. This night wasn't going well for the two of them. So much was going on, she hoped he would understand. If not, then that would be just one more thing to contemplate later. She looked at the huge, three sectioned, black marble desk in the middle of the room. Behind it sat the most gorgeous man she had ever laid eyes on. Natasha fought hard not to stare, dumbfoundedly. She wanted to photograph him, wanted to kiss him, wanted to touch him. Anything to prove that he was real, that his beauty was real, tangible. He sat comfortably in a black, soft, leather chair behind the desk. Natasha was willing to bet the chair vibrated. From the look of the rest of his office, she would not be surprised.
He looked at the three of them, his eyes lingering on Natasha then darting over to Xavier. Natasha watched him study Xavier, who was staring at her. She couldn't take her eyes off of this man, he held her captive. He smiled and rose from the chair and walked around the desk, practically gliding. Natasha wondered if his feet even touched the ground, his moves were so graceful. He leaned against the front of his desk, resting his palms on top of his desk beside him. He was dressed as he had been dressed in her vision, hunter green, ribbed sweater with black front pleated pants, the only thing missing was his trench coat. Warren had been watching him too, as had Matthew. Natasha looked at the two officers, she could see that they were looking at him pretty much in the same way she had looked at him. She began to wonder about their sexuality. She concluded that both Warren and Matthew might be gay.
“What can I do for you tonight, Officers?” he spoke, this gorgeous man across the room spoke in a voice that matched his exotic beauty. Natasha couldn't tell what country he came from. His voice was low, but there was a hint of an accent when he spoke. It made his voice all the more sexy, more intoxicating. Warren seemed to come out of a trance when he heard Darian speak, they all did.
“I'm Detective Davis and this is Detective Eric and Miss Hemingway,” Warren said as he gestured to both Matthew and Natasha. “I don't know if you're aware of this, but there's been some murders around town,” he said, his eyes darted around the room as if he was trying not to get caught in a spell.
Natasha even wondered if this beautiful man had put a spell on them. She let her gaze roam over him from head to toe. She swallowed the saliva that had pooled in her mouth. Deciding right away that this handsome hunk of a man, had no need to cast such a spell, he was just blessed. He nodded when Warren mentioned the murders, but didn't seem too interested.
“Well,” Warren paused and looked around the room, “can we talk privately?” he asked. Darian smiled slightly, gesturing to John to leave the room. John bowed, walked to the door, opened it and left. Xavier stood in his place, not moving. Warren looked at Xavier but said nothing. He continued speaking to Darian. “We have a witness who has seen the murderers, one of which is a vampire. To make a long story short, we need your help. We know that they're going to kill someone tonight. We have to get to them before it happens, but we don't know where to find them. I think you can. Will you help us?” Warren asked.
Natasha watched the man leaning against the desk. His expression was blank, as if he hadn't heard a word Warren had said. Then his eyes darted to Natasha then Matthew, then back to her.
“Are you the witness?” he asked her.
She nodded, it was all she could do, her voice was caught in her throat.
“And you want me to track down this rogue vampire and then do what?” he asked impassively.
Natasha was getting the feeling that he wasn't going to help them. She didn't understand it. In the vision, he was there, he was fighting on their side.
“Well, I have weapons to deal with vampires, but let's face it, if this vampire is old, which I have an inkling that she is, I don't think I have the strength to fight her off and the wolf that's with her. Will you help us deal with them? She's killing people in your territory. This looks bad on you, don't you think?” Warren asked, trying to find a reason that would convince Darian to look into the matter.
Natasha gazed at the other man, this was the Darian from her vision. She was still at a loss for words. She watched as he shrugged his shoulders lazily. “You're the police squad, the government trained protectors of the human race, you take care of it. I do not pay taxes to do your jobs for you,” he said sarcastically. He crossed his muscular arms over his broad chest. Natasha couldn't believe what she was hearing. Why was he being so obstinate?
“If we don't stop it tonight, there will be more deaths. We need to find them. You're the only one who can help us!” Warren said desperately.
Matthew had his hand on the butt of his gun, just in case things went sour. He didn't know quite what to think of Darian. He watched Warren plead with the master vampire for help, unsure if Natasha's vision was accurate.
“Humans die all of the time, either by their own hands, or old age. What do I care about a handful of mortals who must meet their fate? You'll have to fight crime without me, my young wolf. I see nothing in it of interest to me,” Darian said dispassionately.
Natasha saw red flash before her eyes. She could nor believe someone could be that heartless. She looked at Xavier, who stood silent. She stepped up to Darian, his forest green gaze lowered to meet the soft green of her eyes. One eyebrow raised slightly, he was curious about her.
“How can you stand there and say that? You would let people die horrible deaths, and for what? You're being petty and stubborn!” she yelled at him.
He fought the urge to smile, he could always appreciate a feisty woman.
“I can resist easily, because I do not care.” He chuckled.
“You know what, maybe you don't care but I do! I've seen what happens to these people. I see their deaths in my dreams! I can't just brush it off like some unimportant thing the way you can. I see their suffering and I don't think you'd be all high and mighty if the shoe was on the other foot!” She could feel her temper rising. She glared at Darian, who didn't seem the least bit ruffled and it annoyed her even more. “People are dying. You can help. Why won't you?” she asked, the tears welling up in her eyes. She imagined the male vict
im was being gutted while they argued and it angered her even more. The more she looked at Darian, the less beautiful he was.
“You misunderstand. This has nothing to do with me. I will not come to the aid of the human world as if I were some superhero in tights like your friend over there.” He gestured languidly toward Warren. “It is a shame that your condition will not allow you a moments peace, but even that holds very little concern to me,” he said coolly.
Natasha felt an alarm go off in her head, felt her hand rise before she could stop it. Her open palm slapped Darian hard on his left cheek, before she even realized it was her hand that did the smacking. There was a collective gasp in the room. She knew she'd made a mistake, giving a silent prayer. Darian stood up straight, no longer leaning against his desk, arms still crossed over his chest. A look of pure shock was plastered on his face. His eyes wide, lips slightly parted in astonishment. Gaping at Natasha, he watched her slowly back away from him, still he didn't move.
Xavier came to stand beside Natasha. Darian's eyes were still locked on her. A thousand thoughts filled his mind, yet he only settled on one. He had never been slapped by anyone in all of his long life. It was a whole new experience. No one had ever thought to lay their hands on him in anger. Suddenly, Natasha intrigued him. He had never seen a mortal with such fire, such courage to challenge him. He was fascinated, instantly entranced with her. He could not take his eyes off of her. Natasha thought her life was over. She didn't know if Xavier could protect her or not, but she prayed that he could. All she wanted to do now was to crawl inside a box, anything just to get away from Darian's deep gaze.
“Darian?” Xavier queried anxiously. Darian, who had been staring at Natasha, seemed to come out of a spell at the sound of Xavier's voice, his eyes slowly focusing on him. “Are you through speaking with the officers?” Xavier asked, trying to redirect Darian to another point of interest. Darian lowered his arms and walked across the room to where Natasha was standing. Warren stepped in front of her, blocking Darian's way as Xavier came to Darian's side. Hand clasped on the master vampire's arm.