Wolf's Den

by J. R. Mitchell

  I went against my natural hunting instincts and lowered the barrel. I didn't utter a word, but turned on my heel and ran back to where I had left Pete dying. I rounded the corner to the room where Pete should have been, and saw nothing but a blood trail. I sensed Ian behind me in wolf form, but heard no sound from him, as he curled around my legs and sniffed the wet pool of metallic smelling red.

  He continued forwards toward the slight blood trail. I raised my gun to the ready and followed close behind.

  As Ian started to pick up speed, I knew we were getting closer, and I was hot on his tail, when we rounded the corner and confronted three more of Raif's kiss.

  All three appeared to be in a blood frenzy, but Pete was not with them. As Ian leapt out of the way, I mowed them down. It was perhaps the easiest kill I had, in a long time. The machine gun did all the work for me. When I stopped firing, the room was awash in a blood spray that covered me, Ian, and his three bodyguard vampires. I had not realized they were there until it was too late. Rather than me having to cut heads off to ensure that the bad guys were not getting back up, they attacked still twitching bodies, and with sheer force ripped heads from bodies.

  I was beginning to feel ill, not because of the amount of blood or the fact that these vampires were brutal, it was the fact that I wanted to join in the hunt and the feast.

  I turned my head away so that I would not have to watch anymore. I noticed that Ian the wolf was sniffing around a spot in the wall, it looked as though there may be a secret passage. I wondered how long would it take us to figure it out? As I watched him scratch at the wall, I knew that Pete had gone through there and that he had help. We had to get to him before he rose and became another of Raif's little groupies.

  I ran to Ian's location, I began to push on different rocks on the stone wall nothing. I tried in vain to find some sort of switch and came up empty handed.

  We must have spent over an hour looking for some way to open the cavity, to no avail, and soon Ian looked up at me with his big wolf eyes, and whined.

  I stopped concentrating on what I was doing. I knew it would be dawn soon and that there was no way Ian and his vampires would make it back to the Den in time. Hunkering down, I nodded my head. I would stay awake until Ian woke from a small rest. Then he would take watch until it was late enough for his kiss members to rise, we would then continue our search.

  Ian trotted off, and soon returned in human form, Ariana, please do not continue to search without our help, I will wake shortly so that you may rest.

  Not bothering to use my mind, I spoke aloud to him, “Do you think I am that fucking stupid? There is no telling if Raif needs to rest, he could have humans behind that door that are working for him, all kinds of things could be waiting. I will wait until all of us are awake. Now go and die, we will have a more unpleasant conversation when this is all said and done.” I had closed down my mind after that, clamped down hard, and envisioned myself in a bubble that no air could escape from. I was still pissed at Ian and that was not good, however; I knew that it would be foolhardy to continue to look for Pete without backup.

  "I thought that was unpleasant enough,” one of the vampires said to the other two. I was about to make a smart-ass comment, but blew it off. It was not important enough to kill an ally. I hunkered down across from the secret opening, and waited, machine gun at the ready.

  I waited for what seemed like hours before Ian crept over to me and touched my shoulder. I knew he was on the move; only because of our bond. Otherwise, I would have sprayed the wall across from us.

  He nodded at me, that I should get some rest with his kiss members, before we tried to enter the wall once again.

  I shrugged him off with a dirty look and he sank down to his butt next to me. I still had my mind shut down and I could feel him probing at my mind, begging to be let in. When he realized that I would not budge, hi sighed aloud, and instead of trying anymore, he gently placed his arm around my shoulder.

  I stiffened with reluctance at his touch, because I was pissed off at him. Instead of closing my eyes, I tried in vain to keep my eyes open.

  I next woke with my head on Ian's lap. I felt quite groggy and noticed that the other three vampires weren't alive yet for the day. I thought since they were almost dead, I could start my talk with Ian.

  When I turned, he glanced down at me, and grinned. Grinned like he had won some kind of battle with me. I gave him a dirty look, and then smiled with sweetness; it was satisfying to see his eyes squint in suspicion.

  "Ian, I think it is a good enough time to talk.” I said innocence masking my motives.

  Ian actually rolled his eyes before he answered me, I never thought of him doing something so juvenile, so—human.

  "Ariana, what is it you would like to talk about?” He answered with a smirk, he knew what I wanted to talk about, he just didn't want to have the conversation right now; it made me wonder if he knew something I didn't.

  "Let's start with your attitude earlier tonight, what the fuck was that all about? I mean...” I stopped talking when I heard stone being pushed against stone. Ian dumped me onto the floor when he stood.

  I was quick to react, faster than I should have been; I was chalking all of the added bonuses to the fact that I was a bonded human. Bonded to a shape shifting vampire, leader of his own kiss, and powerful in his right, and for his age.

  I held the machine gun at waist level, it didn't matter about sighting so much, it was more of a sweeping motion, machine guns are like shotguns; you just have to be close to your target.

  As the first vampire stepped through the small opening, I mowed him down, but didn't take the time to make the kill for sure, as I saw another arm reach through.

  They knew we were there, how could they not? I had mowed down the first to come through the opening and now they were formulating some sort of plan to rush us.

  Ian, how many are there? I spoke to his mind.

  I count four more. We can take them. He glanced at me and grinned. Like a fool, I grinned back at him, I let him take the lead as we approached the small tunnel.

  I let the machine gun slide back on the shoulder holster to lie at my back and I grabbed the sixteen-inch machete with my right hand and a ten-inch blade off my thigh in my left.

  As Ian got to the opening, a rogue vampire jumped out, attacked Ian while another followed close behind, and engaged me. We were lucky that Ian kept his wits about him, as he blocked the opening from the other two from coming out.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  As the vampire lunged at me, I stepped aside and brought the machete down across his back. Not a sound issued forth from him, but he turned faster than the eye could follow, and lashed out with a closed fist that I blocked somewhat successfully with my upper arm.

  I could hear Ian close by, keeping another vampire blocked in the opening. He was probably taking quite a beating. He was waiting on me, and I knew I needed to finish this vampire off fast. I used all of my wit, lunged with an upward hook, and caught the vampire in the chin with my smaller blade. I caught him in the neck and the blade stuck. I tried to pull it free, but the effort was useless because he was still coming at me. I turned my other knife around in my hand and hacked left handed at the half-severed neck. I got him to drop to his knees with excessive amounts of his blood spraying onto me in the process.

  With my right hand, I grabbed another knife. I plunged it deep into the chest of the almost dead vamp, and twisted. It was then that he screamed out in pain. It was a scream that nightmares are made of. If you had been passing by you would have known that this person was dying. It was one last-ditch effort to tell the killer you would not give up easily.

  As the scream died off, I could hear the rest of the fight. When I turned, I found that Ian had been forced back and he was now fighting off two rogue vamps.

  I grasped my machete in a two handed grip, placed a boot on the dead vamp's shoulder and pulled back. The machete had gotten stuck on the vertebrae. It was quite
a challenge for me to remove.

  I staggered back a step, when the blade was released from its prison. I turned, grabbing the rogue closest to me. When he arched his head backward, I sliced his throat down to the bone again. It was at this point that the vampire noticed me. Back peddling faster than normal; it slammed me into the far wall.

  As my machete went skittering across the small room, another vampire jumped at me, I thought it was the fourth bad guy; however, it was Nathan a bodyguard from Wolf's Den. He was one of the vampires Ian had brought with him.

  As Nathan grabbed the rogue vamp that was about to pounce on me, I was free to deal with the fourth rogue that was now gnawing on Ian's right arm, while the other sat in a pool of his own blood, watching as his undead life slipped through his fingers. Ian had wounded him so bad that he may not be able to recover from it. I was not taking the same chances. I ran to my machete, reached down and grabbed the hilt. I moved at a sprint and didn't pause as I swung the blade and cleaved the head from the injured vampire.

  When I turned on my heel, I nicked my arm with the now dull blade. It hurt worse then a vampire bite. The rogue vampire came at me like lighting and it was his fatal mistake. Ian was no longer injured. He grabbed him around the neck, and sank his fangs into the rouge's jugular. Ian drained him dry.

  I licked my lips while I watched him feed from a lesser vampire. I shook my head and gained Ian's attention. When he stepped away, I plunged my machete into the vampire's heart.

  As I twisted the blade back and forth, I once again heard an anguished scream of death from the vamp. I guess it was only fitting that the Reaper of vampire kind hears these nightmare giving screams. I knew that when this was all over and done with, I would be having nightmares.

  After the last rogue was dealt with, Ian, Nathan and I checked the passage and discovered that it was bathed in afternoon sunlight. That must have been the reason the four vampires came through. And so we hunkered down and waited for the other three allies to wake for the day, and to wait for the sun to set.

  * * * *

  Nathan made a lame excuse to go and check our rear flank. He left Ian and me alone, with the assurance that David and Godwin, the other two vampires Ian had brought along would not wake until the setting sun.

  I met Ian's turquoise eyes. To meet a vampire eye to eye is a tricky situation. It usually gets you into trouble. It was still hard for me to do it with confidence. My bond with Ian had given me some immunity towards him and lesser vampires.

  I stared into those beautiful eyes and wondered why anybody would have given a man let alone a vampire, eyes that were that beautiful.

  It made me realize how much I had fallen for him, I may not have like his juvenile behavior, but to stare into those eyes that could be so inhuman, and see lust, love, passion, and fear made me want him.

  I knew that moment was not the right time. However, just then I had no recollection of anybody else in my life. My heart and soul were his, whether I wanted to admit it or not. I was destined to be his, and I would uphold that.

  Ariana, we have to wait, why don't you try to get some rest? It will be at least two hours before we can chase after Raif and the lieutenant.

  Ian I thought I was your Sikaoki? What happened? What did I say to make you so angry with me?

  Yeah I know weak of me, but after those eyes, the questions just spilled out of me.

  My dearest Ariana, nothing you could say would make me stop wanting you. It is of no importance, once I reflected on your words, I realized that I was being foolish. It was just the way you worded things that upset me. Not the true meaning of what you were trying to say.

  Then I guess Ian, I will leave it be, just know that your beautiful, enchanting eyes have not made me lose my mind, and we will be having a discussion after this. Now how much longer before I can kill the bastard?

  Ian didn't dignify my question with an answer. It was probably the smartest move he could have made. Instead, he grabbed me around the neck fisting his hand in my hair and drew me toward him for a kiss.

  It was everything it should have been. I loved him, and he loved me, although neither of us was willing to proclaim it.

  We stayed locked in our embrace, kissing and petting each other, I was wet, and could feel how hard Ian was. That was something I would have to ask him about, could he get an erection if he hasn't fed, hmmm, something to play around with after this unpleasantness with Raif was over.

  I had a feeling it was going to give me nightmares to kill him. But the gratification in killing a monster like him was going to make the trigger squeeze all the sweeter. I had said goodbye at Wolf's Den and now it was all a matter of doing the deed, actually reaping his undead life force from this world to go onto the next.

  As if on cue, the two other vampires, David and Godwin rose with the setting sun, after Ian and I had collected ourselves, Nathan appeared.

  It seemed to me that Nathan and Godwin had some authority problems with each other. I could tell that Nathan was only around a hundred years old, however; Godwin was older than Ian. After that, I couldn't even gauge, but he was weak. I wondered at that, I thought all old vamps had a limitless resource of power behind them.

  When Godwin and Nathan almost threw punches at each other, Ian stepped in. It was really kinda pathetic to watch Ian play the parent in the group, but then again in the most basic terms that was the definition of being a leader.

  After all it isn't Daddy who has to school the son when he gets up in his face, I mean you call the old man out, you are gonna get hurt, same thing with a mother and daughter. Push one to many times and you go outside to see who is the tougher. Usually the parent wins, must be some psychological reason for that.

  After Ian had threatened both of them with me, of all people, we continued to hash out our battle plan. Ian would change forms and try to locate either Raif or Pete. In the likely chance that he was unable, we would meet back up at the Den, and discuss our plans from there.

  I was pissed at the plan, but then I was the only being that could search all night and not die when the sun rose.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  When we walked into the Den, all action stopped. I didn't see even one of Ian's vampires. We were apprehended at the door and all five of us were frisked. I was sorely disappointed by the fact that the goon vampire squad found every single one of my weapons. They even found the pocket pistol I kept shoved down my trousers; however, they did not take my two-millimeter flare gun that was attached to my car keys. Point for me.

  Ian, the three vamps with us and I did not comment, or fight back. We were outnumbered ten to one so we just co-operated and went with the new bad guys.

  When we reached Ian's office, I wasn't surprised that Raif was sitting in Ian's big black leather office chair going through his drawers. I thought that perhaps he was looking for a button to the door for the lair, but then why would there be none of Ian's kiss if Raif had not cleaned it out? Then again, Ian wasn't as stupid as some of the vampires I had met. He most likely had a back up plan.

  I glanced at Ian, he shook his head to tell me I should not attempt to speak to his mind, and I nodded my agreement. Although I was new to this vampire/human bond, I knew enough about vampire's to know that the stronger the vampire the more power they had. Raif may well have been able to overhear any conversation we had, and that would not be a good thing if Ian was trying to give me pertinent information.

  And so I sat back and watched Raif as he watched Ian and me. I was pissed; I wanted to blow his head off so badly it hurt. I wondered what he would say when he spoke and what I would say in return. How disappointed I was when he didn't address me, or even Ian for that matter, he talked instead to Nathan.

  "So my little Nathan, whatever shall we do with you and your counterparts here? Shall we tell them about our little plan, or should we make them guess?” Raif said looking at Ian while talking to Nathan.

  "It is up to you Raif.” Nathan replied, so far I was not so confused. I remembe
r Raif and the way he tried to play word games, and it seemed all too familiar, Ian on the other hand looked outraged.

  "Really Nathan, now is no time to get cold feet, you have already done your part why not just spill the beans, if you like, I can do it for you?” Raif was again pushing, and Ian was falling for it. Nathan was going to have to be extremely calm, to try and outsmart Raif. He had to beat him at his word games, I could have stepped in, but I was not ready to have his attention focused on me. I was still pissed and the only thing that kept me from walking over to Raif and kicking him in the nuts was the fact that I had three very large vampires surrounding me, two of which were holding my arms.

  I guess I was scary, but hell, I didn't think I was that scary. Ian didn't even get that much attention.

  Ian was now staring into the back of Nathan's head, from the discomfort I could see on his face, Nathan knew it.

  Things were going too rapid. I knew they were soon to get out of control if I didn't put a stop to it.

  I sighed aloud, and it brought attention to me. I watched Ian turn towards me. I could see he was upset by my interruption. But he didn't know Raif the way I did. And Raif was trying to create conflict, weaken his enemies, and I was not going to let it happen, the only way we were going to get out of this alive was to beat him at his own games.

  How very vampiric of me. I guess if you spend enough time with the blood suckers, you pick up a few of their rules, I only wondered how Ian could forget these rules so easily.

  I gave Ian a look that said as much. He schooled his face and went blank, still, dead while still alive, and I could feel the goose bumps rise up on my arms. Of all the things vampires did, that was one of the creepiest.

  I had the attention of everyone in the room on me, and still I said nothing, I wanted to word it so I sounded informed and yet didn't want to give any of my knowledge away. I had guessed as to what Raif truly wanted and most things on the list were not available to him.