by Gallier, TW
"I have a link to you," I said.
"Dammit, I knew it!" he cried. He was furious. His aura drew my attention, sort of strobing with his anger. I frowned at the slight taint to his. Why his aura and no one else's? Gabe was a very unsavory man, and his was bright white. "Why did you lie to me about this?"
Of course, Dane was a dhampir. His mother was captured and Changed just before giving birth, so he was sort of a half-vampire. A dhampir. Stronger, faster than normal men, but without the fangs or aversion to sunlight. He was still very much alive.
"I was afraid you would stake me," I said.
That stopped his fury cold. He gawked at me a moment, then looked abashed.
"I...I could never stake you," he said, looking anywhere but at me.
"Glad to hear that," I said. "I'd miss you terribly."
"Get her out of my house!" Heidi screamed through the closed door. "Now!"
"Uh, you have to go," Dane said.
"Gun? Please," I said. "I've been disarmed. I have no money to buy anything."
"What about Gabe? He cut you off?"
"I always think of you first. Gabe is home, licking his wounds," I said. "I'm not sure he has any guns or staking supplies at his house."
"Gabe? He has more weapons than Fort Hood," Dane said. He frowned at me, looking so confused and unsure. I wasn't used to seeing him like that. "I have something for you."
He went to the hall closet and brought out a cardboard box. He pulled a Glock 31 box out of that first box. Then he pulled out a Glock 33 box. Those were the pistols Dane carried. The Glock 31 fired a .357 round, with a ten round magazine. Dane loved it. The Glock 33 was smaller, easier to conceal and his preferred backup weapon.
"Is she still here?" Heidi called from the bedroom.
"She's leaving," he said.
Dane quickly filled up magazines for both pistols with sanctified silver bullets. He handed them to me. I put the Glock 31 in the hidden holster sewn into the book bag, and then put the Glock 33 in my purse, which was still inside the book bag. Then he filled four more magazines, for each pistol, with silver bullets.
"Thank you," I said. "You're the best, Dane."
I shouldered the small black backpack, smiling at the added weight. Dane's eyes did a once over of my leather and latex clad body, and then shook his head.
"You've changed," he said.
"I know," I said. "I was there while it happened."
"Do you have to dress so...?"
"Slutty?"
"I was going to say vampirish."
"Is that a word?" I said, grinning.
"Shut up," he said, grinning back.
"You're stupid," I said.
"No, I'm just crazy," he said.
Heidi screamed, and threw something against the door.
"We're going to kill you, bitch!" she said. "When Dane finds that talisman, your ass is mine!"
Dane was taken aback, then blushed deeply. Was she telling the truth? Were they looking for the talisman for themselves?
"Dane?" I said. "Do I need to know anything?"
"Ignore her," he said, but he didn't feel right. He was lying. Or feared telling the whole truth. "She's just distraught."
"Who's team are you playing for?" I said.
Heidi threw something else at the door. I think she broke it. Didn't sound good, at any rate.
"You have to leave. Please don't come back."
"Does she throw many hissy fits?"
"No, this is the first," he said. "Do you blame her?"
"No," I said. I studied him warily. The fact he wasn't looking me in the eyes anymore didn't help. "I'd be trying to kill me, if I were her." I shrugged apologetically. "Thanks again."
I stepped close quickly, and kissed him on the corner of the mouth. He didn't flinch or anything. But he didn't turn into the kiss either. And a second later I was out the door.
Just for the hell of it, I didn't take the stairs down. I did a little hop over the railing, and fell feet first three stories. I hit the ground hard, but it was bare earth. Grassy. Soft. My heels were nailed into the ground, and I plopped down on my butt. It wasn't dignified, but kinda fun.
I sat there a moment, wiping the dirt off my stiletto heels and looking back up at Dane's apartment. Dane and Heidi, living together. There was nothing to show he was only visiting. They were a couple, so I had been replaced.
"That was fast," I said. "I thought it would take longer to get over me."
I shook my head woefully. If Dane was going after the Coeur de Sade with his own agenda, there would be hell to pay. The council would not like that one bit. There would be repercussions. The thought of it sent a chill down my spine.
CHAPTER 14
I passed a bank as I cruised down the street. The sign out front said it was five after nine and sixty degrees. It was partly cloudy, with moonrise still a two hours away. It only took a few minutes to get to the Tom Thumb.
My Mustang was gone. I didn't really expect it to be there. The cops were pretty good about cleaning stuff like that up. There was no way for me to get it out of impound. Beside, it was smashed up. I didn't know if it still ran.
Another reason to stake Lolita and her sister.
Glancing down at my gauges, I realized money was going to be a bigger problem than first anticipated. I was down to a quarter tank of gas and no money to fill up. No gas money meant the Ninja was grounded. I was grounded.
“Sheeze, I have to get a job,” I grumbled.
I had no idea what kind of job I qualified for. Checkout girl at an all night grocery came to mind first. I did know how to use a cash register, since I worked as a checkout girl during summer vacations in high school. For that matter, I could work in a convenience store or gas station. I wondered if they made more than church secretaries.
“I’ll call Jeff and Tara later,” I said, watching the checkout girls inside the Tom Thumb. That store wasn’t far from Kale’s house. Maybe I could move in with him and get a job there. “The council will just have to give me some money if they expect me to look for this killer full time.”
I parked the Ninja. No reason to putt around the parking lot wasting gas I couldn’t afford to replace. Nothing outside struck me as unusual or important, so I went inside the store. Strangely enough, people stopped and stared at me.
Finding a stocker, I asked to speak to a manager. He hurried off, and returned with a middle-aged man with a friendly face. I smiled brightly at him, and his face lit up too. Girls do that to guys. It’s a gift.
“Hi, I’m Sable,” I said. I gave him an “I like what I’m seeing look” and he actually sucked in his gut. I refrained from giggling. “Can you help me?”
“Yes, ma’am, I’ll certainly do my best,” he said, extending his hand. I think he only wanted to touch me, even if it was just my hand. So I shook his hand, and he continued. “I’m Cesar, the assistant manager. What can I do for you tonight?”
“Do you have security cameras in the parking lot?”
Now he was suspicious. His eyes narrowed and then wandered up and down my body. They of course returned to my boobs four times, but he wasn’t obnoxious about staring at them like some men. I really don’t think men are physically or emotionally capable of not looking at a woman’s chest. It’s genetic, I think. I could be wrong.
“Why do you ask?”
Cesar had a wedding ring, so seduction was out of the question. I did my best to suppress my pheromones, though it was impossible to shut them completely down. But I didn’t have the patience to banter with Cesar, just to wheedle the information I needed. There was an easier, surer way.
I looked him dead in the eyes and turned it on. One second later I owned Cesar body and soul. He was mesmerized and willing to do anything I asked. Just like that. I felt powerful and guilty at the same time.
“I’ll ask again. Do you have security cameras in the parking lot?”
“Yes.”
“Are there tapes from last night available?”
“Yes.”
“Take me to them,” I said.
Cesar led me into the back, then upstairs. I’d never worked in such a large store, so didn’t know they had an upstairs. He took me to the security room, and introduced me to Wanda. She was monitoring the security cameras. While shaking her hand, I mesmerized her as well. No use in having to explain anything to anyone.
“I want to review the tape from last night.”
“There are twenty of them,” Wanda said. “Five cameras, each tape lasting two hours.”
“You don’t record in long play?”
“Fast play gives a better picture.”
I sighed. That was going to take longer than I anticipated. But I really didn’t have anywhere better to be. I had zero clues, and no idea what to check next. I told that damn council I wasn’t a detective.
“Fine. I really just want to see the big fight last night, and just before the fight,” I said.
Wanda picked them out first. There was a playback VCR, and she fast-forwarded to the fight.
“Stop there,” I said, seeing Fritz fighting with Lolita.
I watched as Lolita tried to run him down with my Mustang, and she almost pulled it off. Really, I think he was just lucky to have turned around when he did. He ducked between the parked cars and quickly transformed into a wolfman. Lolita kept going, and came back up the next row over, Fritz rushed the side of the car and flipped it over.
The enraged vampire burst out of the car and charged the werewolf. Fritz was easily as strong and fast as Lolita, and then he pulled out the talisman. The Coeur de Sade captured her instantly and she froze.
That’s when Lorelei struck with her magic. He was lifted up in the air twenty feet and then slammed to the ground. I thought it would be over, but when Lorelei strode over with that so smug look on her face Fritz leapt up and slammed a fist into her stomach. A second later he roared and backhanded Lolita, sending her flying.
Fritz quickly morphed back to human. The wolfman form was when he was his strongest, but he couldn't speak very clearly with a wolf's snout and vocal apparatus.
Roger charged in at that time. Ah, the white knight. His wings sprung out, ripping through his button down shirt. He was trying to scare Fritz away. I don’t think he knew what he was dealing with. They surprised me, and the two of them spent a few minutes speaking to each other.
Neither seemed to like what the other was saying, and they got belligerent. Fritz pulled out the talisman and fight was over. And I arrived shortly thereafter.
I watched it just long enough to see Lolita and Lorelei jump in their Mercedes SUV and leave. After jotting down their license number, I had Wanda rewind past where the fighting started.
“A Jeep,” I said, seeing Fritz arriving in the parking lot in a late model Jeep Wrangler, top off. I jotted down his license number, too. Unfortunately, the video was black and white, so I couldn't discern the color of the Jeep. "Thanks. That's all I need. Wait in here five minutes, then forget all of this happened and go about your normal lives."
Truth be told, I didn't know if such a command would stick. I gave commands like that, but I never followed up to see if they obeyed. No one ever said I couldn't give a command to forget. I didn't care. I just wanted time to make good my escape.
I cranked up my bike and started to leave. With those two license plate numbers, I might be able to trace Fritz, Lolita, and Lorelei to their homes. Might. Vampires were sneaky creatures, and I suspected werewolves were also. Worth a try, anyway.
A familiar form and face caught my attention. Roger was sneaking back into the parking lot. Glancing over my shoulder I quickly located his silver Mustang. A pang of jealously hit me. His car was fine. My beloved Mustang was stolen, trashed, and impounded.
“Sounds like a description of what the Giorgi Girls did to my entire life,” I muttered.
I wanted them more than Fritz at that point, but knew I had to find him first. Getting to him before the Giorgi Girl’s would foul their plans splendidly. Then I recalled how Roger stopped to speak to Fritz before they fought. Like they knew each other. Didn’t Roger say he didn’t know any werewolves? I might be confused.
I frowned at him as he stealthily moved between the few cars, fearfully looking all around for an ambush. Fritz must’ve really freaked him out. He was acting very un-vampirish. We had reps for being fearless and bold. He was acting like a fraidy cat. It was kinda of embarrassing.
As much as I wanted to speak to Roger about Fritz, indeed, I needed to speak to him, he scared me. Roger had powers I didn’t understand or know how to fight. The man might be afraid of his own shadow, but he could lay me low mucho pronto. Literally. Like lay me out on the bed and screw my brains out. I had no defense against his or Antoinette’s seductive powers, if anyone did.
“Boney could have a thousand girls working for him with that ability,” I thought, thankful Roger didn’t think like a pimp. “I need to get his phone number so I don’t have to meet with him face-to-face.”
So I turned the Ninja back into the parking lot and did a big loop around Roger. He was too intent on his car and looking for Fritz. I barely rated a glance. Guess he didn’t recognize me right off.
Roger squatted between two cars as I approached. He didn’t even look to see who it was coming towards him. I grinned. Won’t he be surprised?
“Hey, big boy, shouldn’t you be at work?” I said, braking suddenly behind him. He jumped up and spun around, eyes like saucers. I couldn’t help but grin with delight.
“Sable! Don’t do that!” he said. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“Well, we all have our talents,” I said, grinning roguishly. “So, tell me, where do you know Fritz from? Old running buddy?”
“Fritz?” he said, suddenly wary. “I don’t...”
“Can it, boy,” I said. I leaned forward and gave him my best steeling gaze. “I watched the security tapes, and you know Fritz from somewhere.”
Roger took a step back. I never intimidated a vampire so thoroughly before Roger. Why couldn’t they all react that way towards me? It would make my life less complicated.
“You’re going to tell me,” I said. “Might as well just do it and give me what I want.”
“It’s complicated,” he said, looking around. People were watching us curiously. Probably because Roger was acting like I was mugging him, and they’d heard about the previous night’s big fight. Considering how I was dressed, they might’ve figured out I am a vampire. “Can’t we do it in a more private place?”
“Like?”
“My place.”
“I’ll follow you,” I said. He looked around warily. “Get in the car. I have your back.”
He started to protest my assumption he was afraid, but stopped himself, scowled and headed for his car. A minute later we were rolling down the street towards his house. The lights favored us, and we were there in no time flat.
I parked my Ninja in his garage. Roger frowned but said nothing. But he did offer me something to eat, probably to ensure I didn’t forget myself and feed off him. It could happen, especially if we ended up in bed. It took effort to not bite my lovers. A lot of effort.
The living room was messier than before. There was a TV tray beside the couch, with a plate of half-eaten pizza, an open laptop, and a stack of comic books. I picked up the comic books and looked through them, seeing what he liked to read. Vampirella? Purgatori? Lady Death? Spawn? Most were comics about sexy female vampires and other supernatural babes, or demons. Oh, and Wonder Woman. Don’t all men lust after her?
“So, tell me all about Fritz and how you know him,” I said, sitting in the middle of his ratty couch, legs crossed. Roger just stood there looking at me, looking unsure. He looked at my boobs a long moment, then at my crossed legs and bouncing foot. I expected the air to fill with vamp pheromones, but I smelled fear instead. “Why are you afraid of a werewolf?”
“I’m not...I mean, he wasn’t a werewolf when I knew him,” Roger said. “I’m not afr
aid of werewolves, per sa, but Fritz is very strong and fast. He surprised me last night.” Roger shivered. “W-What was that thing he had?”
“The Coeur de Sade? It's a talisman created to capture vampires. Scary, isn’t it?”
“Oh yeah,” he said.
“Fritz?” I reminded him. “Tell me his last name.”
“Rotmensen,” he said. He grinned. “It means ‘Rotten People’ in Dutch, or something like that.”
“That’s his real name?”
“Yes,” he said. “My Sire, the vampire that Changed me, also Changed Fritz’s younger brother and both of his sisters. Fritz was the only one he didn’t Change, because he didn’t like Fritz and knew Fritz really wanted to be a vampire.”
“So he is bitter towards vampires,” I said. “And envious.”
“Very much so. I’m not surprised he is killing vampires. He staked my Sire.”
“Is that how you escaped the family?”
He was much too young to have escaped due to age, and he definitely didn't possess the sheer power to break free. Not Roger. I doubted he would've had the guts to even try.
“No,” he said. It was a sharp, cold, bitter word. “My Sire found me...lacking as a vampire. A supreme disappointment. He put me out after five years.”
I cringed at seeing the pain in his eyes. Roger might not have wanted to be a vampire, but being put out had been painful.
“You’re aversion to blood?”
“That was part of it,” he said. “The Compulsions he placed upon me couldn’t override my queasiness at the sight of...it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I didn’t want to be a vampire anyway. I hate being a vampire, and I hate vampires,” Roger said. “I was glad when I was put out. I didn’t have to deal with my fellow family members constant barrage of cutting comments and taunting.”
“Why didn’t you just use your powers of seduction on them?”
“I didn’t have them at the time. I developed those just in the last couple of years,” he said, then shrugged shyly. “You’re the first vampire I tried them on.”
“Really? Well your power worked pretty good on me,” I said, a bit chagrin.