by Gail Koger
A useful talent.
Ya think?
Sanctuary came into view and I gasped in horror. My best friend, the ethereal Lady Isobel, was fighting off two blood fiends. “Put me down!”
The jerk dumped me on the roof. Wait! You can’t leave me up here.
Oh, but I can and if you move from this spot you will be punished. Bellowing a frightening battle cry, McGregor attacked the fiends.
If he thought that macho bullshit was going to work on me, he was sadly mistaken. I scrabbled from one side of the roof to the other. Crap. No way down. My gaze fell on a nearby tree. Oh, hell no. I’d kill myself.
Isobel’s bloodcurdling scream jerked me around. I couldn’t let her die. She was my best friend and mentor. She’d patched me up so many times, kept me sane and made me laugh when all I wanted to do was scream with frustration. It was one of life’s little ironies that she was a vampire I was sworn to kill. In my heart Isobel was family and I never let my family down. I backed up, sucked in a deep breath and jumped.
“Shitttt!”
The tree smacked me in the face. I slid painfully down the rough bark, ripping my tights to shreds. Branches slapped at my face as I made a frantic grab for a limb. My fingers dug in and I managed to wrap my arms around the swaying branch. I hung for dear life as I chanted, “Please don’t break. Please don’t break.”
An ominous crack sounded.
“No. No. No.”
The branch cracked again and I slid down a few inches. “Oh, crap.”
The limb snapped.
“Shitttt!” I plunged through the branches and smacked the ground hard enough to see stars. I lay there for a moment, trying to get my breath back.
A body sailed out of the darkness, crashed into the tree and flopped down next to me.
Nausea rolled over me as the stench hit me. Ick. Ick. Ick. The fiend smelled like he had been dead for a month. I struggled to my feet and moved away from the rapidly rotting corpse. Within minutes all that would be left of the monster would be a puddle of stinky ooze.
The screams of the dying snapped me out of my mental fog. Isobel! I ran painfully towards the battle and staggered to a stop at a scene straight out of one of those bloody horror movies.
Moving almost too fast for the eye to follow, McGregor and his warriors were a blur of violence, noise and death. Their huge Claymores sliced and diced the fiends. A severed head rolled to a stop at my feet and dissolved into a rotting mess. Ewww!
Snarling werewolves uttered unearthly howls as they tore fleeing fiends to pieces, leaving the once immaculate lawn littered with body parts and blood. The stench was overwhelming.
Where the hell was Isobel?
“Die, you foul beast!”
I spun around.
A furious Lady Isobel was beating the crap out of a fiend with a shovel.
I grinned. It was like watching Snow White go postal.
Lights flashing, sirens blaring, several police cars skidded to a stop in front of the clinic. Officers of the Las Vegas Police Department’s Supernatural Unit bailed out, shotguns in hand.
My skirmishes with the fiends had drawn police attention. A lot of police attention. Ben had stepped in and an alliance had been formed. I even had my own badge now.
I limped towards a Hispanic officer built like a tank. “Got an extra gun, Dan?”
My patrol buddy glanced towards me and did a double take. “Bunny?”
“Yeah. Gun?”
With a low whistle Dan popped the trunk of his cruiser and tossed me a shotgun. “Date go south?”
I caught it. “All the way to Mexico.”
Dan took his usual spot at my back. “Is that McGregor?”
“It sure as hell is.”
“Shit, how did he find you?”
“Bambi.” Releasing the safety, I chambered a round and shot a fiend charging us.
“You need to dump that bitch down a mine shaft,” Dan spat, his shotgun boomed loudly.
“I have one all picked out.”
Silence fell abruptly.
“Code four?”
Opening my senses, I mentally scanned the area and heaved a sigh of relief. “Yeah, they’re all dead.”
“Good.” Dan promptly heaved his dinner all over the lawn.
I fought down my gag reflex. “God, Dan, that’s just nasty. I thought cops were supposed to have cast iron stomachs.”
“This smells worse than that warehouse we found full of rotting corpses.” He puked again.
“You’re such a wuss.”
A gore-covered black wolf trotted up to me, sniffed me from head to toe and snarled at Dan.
He hurled again.
The air shimmered around the wolf and Ben stood there. A very naked Ben. “How in the hell did you make the S.W.A.T. team?”
“Best sniper in the country, sir.”
My gaze focused firmly on Ben’s face, I stated, “The fiends are all dead, sir.”
He ran a gentle hand over my scratched and bleeding face, “What happened to you?”
“I fell out of a tree.”
He stared at me for a long moment. “What were you doing in a tree?”
Ian popped in. “I put her on the roof to keep her out of harms way.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, my Alpha turned to the nasty vamp. “And you expected that to work?”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.” His cold blue eyes settled on me. “Once I have properly trained her, she will do what I say.”
I glared at him. If he believed that, I had a nice bridge for sale.
Captain Hennessy walked up and eyed me disapprovingly. “Ben, we need to talk.”
My stomach knotted. Oh hell. Hennessy and his crew were worse than the paparazzi. If he had footage of my little run in last week with the fiends, I was so dead.
“I’ll be right with you, Mike.” Ben turned his attention back to me. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
Did he think I was stupid? “Nope. Not a thing.”
“You wouldn’t lie to me, now would you?”
It was an omission, not a lie. “No, sir.”
“Have Isobel tend to those cuts.” Ben walked off giving me a great view of his taut butt.
“You will stand where I can see you,” McGregor growled and followed him.
“Anything you say, boss.”
“What an asshole,” Dan commented.
“There’s a news flash.”
“Thinkin’ of making a run for the border?”
“Acapulco is supposed to be nice this time of year.”
“Might not be far enough.”
“Antarctica is probably not far enough.” I winced at the furious look Ben shot me. “You have any flash bangs?”
Dan eyed me nervously. “Are you nuts? Hennessy would have my ass.”
“How many times have I saved your cowardly ass?”
“You really think you can outrun a pack of werewolves and a slew of vamps?”
Ajax, a towering Viking wannabe, popped in next to me and gave me an evil grin. “The boss said if you make any attempt to set off a flash bang, I get to eat your friend here.”
With an audible gulp, Dan quickly plucked the shotgun from my hand. “I think I better check in with the Commander.”
I glared at him. “Wuss.”
The vamp sniffed the air. “AB negative, my favorite.”
Dan fled.
“You’re a real comedian.”
The crack of a high powered rifle shattered the night. An instant later something slammed into my left shoulder, spun me around and knocked me to the ground. I stared in disbelief at the blood soaking my dress. Some asshole had shot me.
The blond vamp scooped me up and sprinted towards the clinic.
Shock gave way to mind blowing pain and I struggled to breathe.
McGregor shoved his way into my mind. You will not die.
Black dots swirled across my vision. Can’t breathe.
Ben’s distorted face app
eared above me, “Hang in there, Ann.”
“Hurts.”
His big hand closed around mine. “I know sweetheart. Isobel’s going to give you something for the pain.”
“Who?” I sucked in a labored breath and fought to stay conscious. “Who shot me?”
“Don’t know, but they can’t run fast enough or far enough to escape us.”
Blackness crept across my vision and I was falling, falling, falling.
Chapter Four
A harsh male voice hammered at my mind, demanding something from me. Who? Agony splintered my concentration. Couldn’t think, couldn’t block him. Why wouldn’t he leave me in peace? I was so tired.
Drink.
Something salty dripped into my mouth. A callused hand rubbed my throat and I swallowed. Blood? Omigod, it was blood.
Drink, Ann.
More blood dribbled into my mouth and I tried to spit it out.
Stop that. Fingers clamped around my jaw and forced my head back. You die and he wins.
Who?
Alpin McCabe, the vampire who raped and murdered your mother.
A whirling kaleidoscope of images and sensations were thrust into my head. My mother’s battered and bloody face. The horrible sounds of her being beaten and raped repeatedly spun across my mind. Stop! Please stop.
He is our enemy.
That hideous braying laugh sounded again. I saw the monster drag my mother bleeding and naked from our home. He was the ugliest creature I had ever seen. His grossly bloated body was covered with thick black hair. His equally hairy penis was grotesquely swollen.
Would you allow him to go unpunished?
I tried, but I couldn’t stop him. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks. I couldn’t stop him.
Cold horror knotted my stomach as fragments of a broken picture snapped together. My mother’s dull, defeated gaze as she surveyed the bodies of her slaughtered family.
The hideous vampire grabbed a handful of her thick blonde hair and jerked her head back. “Where is she?”
“Only Carl knew and you killed him.”
“Then you are of no further use to me.” A cry tore from me when the monster grabbed a sword and beheaded her.
Mom!
Memories shifted and I fitted one of mom’s special arrows into her crossbow. I aimed it like she had taught me and fired. The bolt slammed into the vampire’s groin. His shrieks were music to my ears. Blood spurted everywhere and his penis lay shriveled in the dirt. That dickless creature would never rape another woman.
I felt McGregor’s grim pride. When I discovered you were the one that had unmanned Alpin, I knew I had to possess you.
You pervert, I was eight years old.
The Hag foresaw your birth. She said I was to search for the child with the blood of the King in her veins. You were the key to destroying Alpin and his sire.
You scheming bastard! You kept me from becoming a slayer and all because of some crazy woman’s mad ramblings.
You were never meant to be a slayer.
What?
I took your powers to keep you safe.
Safe? From who?
Morgana.
But she’s been dead for three years.
Aye, now Alpin must die, too.
Another image formed in my mind. A burning medieval village with bodies strewed everywhere. A gloating Alpin watched as women and children were mercilessly slaughtered. Their screams mixed with the sound of swords clashing and the cries of the dying.
McGregor’s rage filled my mind. My traitorous cousin was responsible for the slaughter of every man, woman and child in my clan. I need you to find him.
Helpless tears ran down my cheeks as Ian’s pain and grief became mine. The loss was unbearable. Their dead souls cried out for vengeance.
Ian gently wiped my tears away. Our families will be avenged. Together we will hunt Alpin down and make him pay for his crimes.
Promise?
You have my word. He will die. Now drink.
I obeyed his command and drank. I would do whatever it took to kill that murdering bastard. Even ally myself with McGregor.
The blood rolled down my throat and I swallowed again and again.
That’s it sweetling.
Who? Who shot me?
Elliot Snarls.
Who?
He’s a paid assassin.
Blood fiends hire him?
The wolf is checking into it. His hand stroked my hair. Sleep.
And I did.
* * * *
My psychic senses went on red alert. A master vamp was close. Too close. My breath coming in panicked gasps, I jerked upright in bed and looked around frantically for a weapon.
A harsh voice growled, “Relax, you’re safe.”
My voice was a raspy whisper, “McGregor?”
“Aye.”
With a sigh of relief I relaxed back against the pillows and closed my eyes. McGregor?! My eyes popped back open and to my horror a very naked Ian was lying next to me. Holy fucking shit!
I shot out of the bed. “What in the hell are you doing in my bed?”
“This is my bed and I’ve been taking care of you.”
“What!” The fog cleared from my brain and I touched my bandaged left shoulder. “I was shot.”
“Aye.”
“He’s dead?”
“Very.”
“Good.” I suddenly realized that I was buck naked. I grabbed the sheets and jerked them up to my neck.
“No need for modesty. I’ve already seen everything, sweetling.”
“Oh swell.” Then it hit me. My Amalfi Medallion was gone.
“Looking for this?” Ian held up my dog collar.
Oh crap.
“You’re truly caught, sweetling.” With a wicked smile, he slid out of bed and stood.
My eyes widened in shock. Good God, his pecker was even bigger than Ben’s.
He winked at me and handed me a glass filled with green gunk. “Isobel said you were to drink this when you woke up.”
I reluctantly took the glass and edged towards the door. “Okay, I’ll just be going now.”
The nasty vamp stepped on the sheets, yanking them from my grip. “Going? The only place you’re going is back to bed. My bed.”
“Your bed?” My nervous gaze dropped to his humongous pecker and I gasped as it suddenly sprang to attention. I took a quick step back. “Oh, hell no. Not ever again.”
In a blink of an eye, he was inches from me. His hand tipped the glass up to my mouth. “Drink it or I’ll show you what my friend here can do.” His cock poked me in the stomach.
My temper flared to life and I brought my knee up.
With a low growl, McGregor blocked the blow with his leg and pinned me against the wall. “That little trick will cost you another year on your back.”