Blood Thief Box Set

by Mac Flynn

  This time we weren't alone.

  A dark figure stood hunched over the rear side of the tomb. Its form was smooth like unbroken shadows, and I could see some of the scenery through their black.

  Specter stopped ten feet short of the tombstone. "Get away from there!"

  The figure straightened and turned its face toward us. The creature was faceless but for a pair of red eyes and a dark spot for a gaping mouth full of sharp silver teeth. Its body was a shadow in the shape of a cloaked figure. The color was darker than that of Death's messengers, and the red eyes glowed like someone had stolen coals from hell. Its shadowed hands held pieces of white bone.

  "Drop the bones!" Specter demanded.

  The thing gave off a raspy chuckle. It held up the bones in one hand. "If you wish for the second clue, and your bones, then you must defeat me first."

  Specter rolled up his astral sleeves. "No problem." He flew headlong at the creature.

  Simon stretched out his hand. "Wait!"

  The shadowed creature plucked one of the finger bones from the pile in its other hand and squeezed the thin bit of cartilage between its fingers. The fragile bone broke in half. Specter jerked to a stop and cradled his left hand. One of his fingers was bent at an impossible angle.

  The creature chuckled. "Do you want to try again?"

  Specter narrowed his eyes and flew at the thing. Again the creature took a bone, this time a knee bone, and crushed it in its hand. Specter cried out and crashed to the ground. He grimaced and clutched his right leg.

  The creature laughed. "Shall we do it again?" He glanced at us and held out the bones. "Or would you like to have some fun?"

  I shrank back from that horrible hand with its grisly pile. "What the hell is going on?"

  "That is a Demon Phantom, a obscure shadow," Simon spoke up.

  The creature chuckled. "Trica knew you would still know what I am, but do you know how to defeat me without destroying your friend?"

  "Don't bother asking him," Specter spoke up. He clenched his teeth and floated off the ground. His leg hung limp beneath him and he pressed his left arm against his side. "You've got my bones, so you're my trouble."

  The Demon Phantom looked him over. "You are not my prey, shade. You're only a puppet for both of us to use and discard."

  I frowned and stepped forward. "That's not true! He's our friend!"

  The Phantom sneered at me. "What a false word that is." His gaze fell on Simon. "Isn't it, Simon? Surely your life as a vampire has taught you that friends are a liability to be thrown away when they are no longer useful."

  Simon's sly, crooked grin slipped onto his lips. "If I believe that than I wouldn't be here." He glanced at Specter. "The weather is rather too calm, don't you think?"

  Specter looked over his shoulder and blinked for a moment before he copied Simon's grin. "You know, I think you're right. This dusty old place could use a good cleaning."

  Simon wrapped his arm around my waist and pressed his other hand flat against my head. "Hey, what are you doing!" I yelped as he pulled us backward away from the scene.

  His glistening eyes smiled at Specter. "We mustn't interfere with Specter's fight."

  The Phantom chuckled. "You don't care much about your friend if you abandon him to my fun."

  Specter floated so he blocked the Phantom's view of us. "I've got a question before I start my own fun. You're not much more solid than me, are you?"

  Our foe frowned. "If you think to harm me physically that is impossible. I can't be touched."

  Specter grinned and nodded. "Thanks. That's just want I wanted to know."

  CHAPTER 7

  Specter flew, but not toward the Phantom. He flew to its right and circled it. Once. Twice. Three times. I started getting dizzy as he picked up speed. The Phantom whipped its head right and left trying to follow Specter as he flew faster and faster.

  "What are you doing? You can't harm me!" it insisted.

  "Hold onto your hood! I'll be ready in a sec!" Specter scolded him.

  I winced as a rough wind blew off Specter's constant circling and hit me in the face. Simon's hand atop my head kept Maeve's dust from blowing off me as the leaves around us blew and swirled. I could barely make out Specter's white form as he morphed into a band of light.

  The Phantom shrank closer to the ground and grasped its shadow hood with its free hand. "What are you doing? Stop it!"

  Specter sped up. He was just a blur. The wind lifted all the leaves and created a vortex of autumn colors. The Phantom grabbed for one of Specter's bones, but a gust of wind shot out from the band and blew all the bones into its face. It sputtered and clawed at its face. The bones dropped to the ground and were picked up by the swirling cyclone of wind and ghost. They disappeared into the vortex.

  Specter's haunting laugh echoed from the center of the cyclone. "Thanks for my body back. Now it's my turn to return the favor."

  The top of the cyclone was open, but as we watched the sides of the band stretched upward into the shape of a cone. The stretched walls thinned enough so I could see bits and pieces of the interior.

  It was the same thing for the Demon Phantom. The cone sucked everything upward, and the force of the pull yanked and pulled at its shadowy form. Its shoulders and head were stretched upward like someone pulling taffy. Its black hands grabbed the tombstone as its cloaked feet left the ground. The bottom hem of its outfit was yanked and pinched apart seam by black seam.

  "Let go!" it shrieked. "Stop this!"

  "Almost time for the finale!" Specter laughed.

  The cyclone lifted higher into the air. The Phantom's hands slid off the tombstone. It was propelled into the center of the vortex where the twisting winds pulled apart its dark form piece by piece. The thing unraveled like a yarn of ragged wool. A long, final wail escaped its throat before that, too, was torn apart by Specter's tornado.

  The whirlwind of ghostly creation slowed to a whimper. Specter's bones floated into the hole in the ground. The ghost himself appeared from his diminishing band and dropped from the sky to near the ground. His hand was fixed as was his leg, courtesy of a quick snap of what remained of his tornado to his bone joints before they dropped into the hole.

  Our friendly ghost friend swayed side-to-side and clutched his head. "I've got to work on those brakes." He shook himself and floated over to us with a grin. "So what do you think?"

  I blinked at him. "What the hell was that?"

  He shrugged. "Oh, just a little something I call the Specter Spectacular Spectacle, but don't expect to see it too often. It's free only for the first showing." He glanced at Simon and winked. "Thanks for the tip. I wasn't sure the Spectacle would work on something that bad."

  Simon smiled. "The creature wasn't worth my attentions."

  Specter snorted. "Well, he wasn't very tough for me, either. Unraveled like a limp ball of spaghetti."

  I looked around. "So if that guy's torn to shreds where do we find that next clue?"

  Simon glanced up at the sky. "Your answer is even now floating down to us."

  I followed his gaze and watched a scrap of black shadow float gently to the ground. Specter swept it up and carried it over to us.

  "Looks like there's something writing on it," he commented as he handed the piece to Simon.

  I glanced over Simon's shoulder and read the contents:

  Dear Simon,

  Congratulations on defeating the weakest of my minions. The clock ticks on, however, and, as promised, here is the next clue:

  I can be gold, or silver borne,

  By Kings and pawns alike I'm worn.

  A solid strip or woven band

  You'll find me 'twixt your arm and hand.

  Respectfully yours, Trica.

  My face fell. "I bet this guy likes to hear the sound of his own voice."

  "That is a suitable way to describe him," Simon agreed as he tucked the note into his coat.

  I looked at my companions. "So anyone have any idea where to go next?"
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  Specter shrugged. "Beats me."

  Simon smiled. "It seems Trica has been following our recent adventures quite thoroughly. He wishes for us to return to the home of the Eres family."

  I furrowed my brow and shook my head. "I don't get that at all."

  Specter clapped his fist into his hand. "Now I see! It's a bracelet, isn't it?"

  Simon bowed his head. "Your guess is correct."

  "But what do we do there? We already stole the bracelet," I pointed out.

  Specter floated around us and laughed. "I bet that Eres guy bought a new safe."

  A ringing phone interrupted any more assumptions. Simon pulled out his phone and answered it. "Well?"

  I recognized Maeve's voice on the other line. "Sarpa had a lead for us. He thinks Trica might be hiding in an old house along the shoreline road."

  Simon arched an eyebrow. "I see. Meet us at the cemetery."

  "We'll be there in a few." Click.

  I frowned. "Isn't that the road where we stole the cash truck?"

  Simon tucked his phone into his coat and nodded. "Yes."

  "So which way do we go?" Specter asked him. "Break the chain and go see, or keep going?"

  Simon glanced up at the sky. "There is still much of the night left, and we have an advantage in knowing where he might be. Let us not waste our card by revealing it too soon."

  "But what about Certus? He could kill-destroy him just by staking him," I pointed out.

  Simon smiled. "He could, but Trica would rather play the game."

  I frowned and studied Simon's face. "You don't usually tell anybody everything, but I'm getting the feeling you're hiding more than usual from us."

  Specter folded his arms and floated around Simon. "Probably that he knew that thing was waiting here for us. He was pretty quick with that suggestion."

  "Did it fail?" Simon challenged him.

  Specter frowned. "No, but-"

  "But we are wasting time here," Simon interrupted him.

  He turned and strode toward the car. I glanced at Specter and he at me. "Did we just get brushed off?"

  He looked back to Simon's retreating back and nodded. "Yep. I just wish I knew why he's so bugged about this whole thing, and it isn't because Certus is kidnapped."

  I arched an eyebrow. "How can you tell?"

  He shrugged. "Let's just call it spiritual insight. What I do know is you're the only one who's going to get it out of him before these baddies tell us."

  I snorted. "I have trouble getting the time of day out of him."

  Specter ghosted around him and grinned. "Come on, you know he likes you. Don't be in denial."

  I eyed him as he circled me. "Speaking on that subject, what about you and Maeve?"

  He laughed and floated a couple of yards up the path toward the house. "I don't mind talking about that. Now that you're here I actually have a chance with her." He spun around so he faced me and grinned. "But you're right. We both need to tell them, and probably before the night's over."

  I furrowed my brow and followed him. "Why before the night's over?"

  He glanced down the path at the house. Simon's form lurked in the shadow of the stately old home. Specter pursed his lips. "Because if my gut feeling is right something bad is gonna happen. Real bad."

  CHAPTER 8

  I wondered about Specter's gut feeling, and his lack of the required body part, as our other two friends drove up. Maeve and Dolf stepped out of the car.

  Specter floated over to her with his arms wide open. "Darling!" His astral arms wrapped around her as best he could. "You would not believe the night I'm having!"

  She tried to push him away, but her hands went right through him. "What are you talking about?"

  Dolf glanced at Simon. "You guys have trouble out here or something?"

  "Or something," Simon commented as he and I joined our group.

  "It was awful!" Specter moaned. "There was this terrible phantom trying to break me apart, and then there was this cyclone-"

  "That was you," I reminded him.

  Specter's eyes flickered to me but he kept his latch on Maeve. "And Faith won't ask Simon what's been bothering him!"

  Maeve and Dolf's attention fell on me. I looked to Simon and sighed. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

  Maeve crossed her arms and leaned to one side. "I bet there is. You don't expect us to believe this Trica guy knows a lot about you and you don't know about him."

  Dolf snorted. "Hell, I'd like to know what the hell this Trica guy looks like."

  Simon pursed his lips. "He is missing the middle finger on his right hand."

  We all blinked at him. Maeve arched an eyebrow. "Seriously? He's missing his middle finger?" Simon nodded.

  A stifled, sputtering snort escaped Dolf's shut mouth. "So he can't even give us the two-fingered salute?"

  Simon narrowed his eyes. "He is more than capable of destroying all of you."

  "Then why this 'game?' Why not just take care of us now?" Maeve challenged him.

  "Because he wishes to amuse himself with our lives. That is how he entertains himself," Simon explained.

  My eyes flickered to Simon. "Sounds like somebody we know."

  "None of you are dead yet," he pointed out.

  Specter raised his hand. "I beg to differ."

  Maeve rolled her eyes. "All right, we're getting nowhere fast with this. If this crazy vampire wants to play a game with us, fine. What do we do next?"

  "We're supposed to go back to that place where we swiped the bracelet and get something," Specter told her.

  She furrowed her brow. "The Eres bracelet? We stole that."

  Specter floated around her and draped his springy body over shoulders. "Yeah, but we stole the bracelet while it was inside the safe, so that means Dolf gets some more exercise lifting some heavy security."

  She shook her body and loosened him from her shoulders. "Fine. Let's just get this over with before this Trica guy decides to end the game for Certus."

  Dolf held up the keys to the large limo and rattled them. "I'll drive."

  Our three companions wandered toward the vehicle. I took a step, but noticed Simon didn't follow. I looked back over my shoulder. He stood in the shadow of that lonely old house. His head was tilted back and his gaze lay on a window on the upper floor. His eyes held a soft look in them I could only describe as remorse.

  I sidled up beside him. "You okay?"

  He started and lowered his gaze to the front door. "I am fine."

  I frowned "You didn't look fine. You looked like you were remembering when you're dog died."

  A soft chuckle escaped his pursed lips. "That is a very apt analogy."

  "Are you two coming?" Dolf called from the car.

  Simon smiled down at me and offered me his arm. "Shall we?"

  I took his arm, but couldn't return his smile as he led me to the car. There was something painful we was keeping from us.

  Something I was soon to find out.

  Our little group climbed into the car and Dolf drove us to the Eres estate. We made a pass by the front gates. There was a black-suited, dark-glasses-wearing security guard on either side inside of the gate. Beyond that pair were many more that patrolled the heavily-lit grounds.

  "This is going to be fun. . ." Dolf mumbled.

  Maeve pursed her lips and shook her head. "I don't know how we're even going to get close to the house."

  Specter waved his hand. "You think this is hard you should've tackled that Demon Phantom."

  Maeve frowned at him. "So how are we getting across that lawn?"

  He grinned. "How's your flying?"

  Her frown deepened. "I am not letting you carry me."

  He shrugged. "Then we don't get in because right now only Santa Clause can get through that mess of security."

  "A simple plan, but lacking in tact," Simon spoke up.

  Specter glared at him. "Let me guess, you've got a better plan?"

  Simon crossed his legs and tha
t sly smile slipped onto his red lips. "I may have an idea."

  Maeve sighed. "You're cute when you're plotting, Simon, but spit it out."

  His eyes swept over us. "We have so far kept ourselves in the shadows during our memorable heists, but I propose we meet this challenge in the open."

  Specter floated over to his other side and pressed his cold hand over Simon's forehead. "Did one of my bones hit you in the head a little too hard?"

  His eyes flickered to Maeve, but he nodded at the wall of the estate as we drove past it. "Do you sense anything amiss on those grounds?"

  She followed where he gestured and shrugged. "Just a bunch of men in black-" She frowned. Her eyes narrowed as she leaned toward the wall. "That's odd."

  Specter arched an eyebrow. "What is?"

  She pursed her lips. "I'm sensing a magic vibe around the house that wasn't there before."

  Simon looked past her and at our wolfy driver. "Do you smell any humans, Dolf?"

  Dolf lifted his nose and wrinkled it. "No, but a whole bunch of werewolves that haven't bathed in a while." He glanced over his shoulder. "I thought you said this Trica guy didn't like werewolves."

  "Apparently this is the exception. What else do you smell?"

  Dolf shrugged. "Some vampires, too, and a lot of scented candles."

  Simon looked to Specter. Our ghostly friend held up his hand. "I get it. There's some ghosts in there, too, right?"

  Simon chuckled. "Quite a few, though none quite on the level as the Demon Phantom."

  Specter wiped his brow. "Good. I don't think I've got more than a couple more Specter Spectacular Spectacles in me tonight, and I'm charging everyone an exhibition fee for these next ones."

  Maeve blinked at him. "Some Specter what?"

  While Specter informed her of his magnificence, I leaned forward and caught Simon's attention. "But what does this mean?"

  "It means it's a trap," Dolf called from the front seat. He parked the car two blocks from the estate and turned around to drape his arm over the divider window. "And we're walking right into it."

  "Our foe means for it to be a challenge," Simon corrected him.

  "It's a trap if it kills you, and going in there with that much supernatural security will make mincemeat of us," he protested.

  Simon's sly, crooked grin slipped onto his lips. "Are you conceding defeat before an attempt?"