by Debra Dunbar
Idiot.
Jaq caught the reflection of herself in the mirror behind the rows of liquor bottles. If she was wrong, she’d put her whole pack in danger. The devil on her shoulder prodded her with a pitchfork of doubt. What if Kelly was lying, setting them all up for a fall? What if her helplessness hid a scheme to open the doors and let the northern vampires take what had belonged to the werewolves for centuries? Was Kelly some kind of Trojan horse, and she the fool at the gate?
“Idiot,” she told her reflection firmly.
“I’m constantly reminding the rail liquor of that fact, but they still overestimate their IQ. Especially the gin,” a teasing voice said. Jaq glanced over at Kelly, suspicion still clouding her mind. The vampire walked so fast, moved so quietly that Jaq hadn’t even heard her.
“What’s up?” Kelly asked. The warmth in her voice was mirrored in her eyes as she smiled at the other woman. “Do you need a menu? Can I get you a beer?”
Jaq shifted on the bar stool and pushed her doubts aside. Kelly wasn’t a monster. She wasn’t like the others. It was time to stop worrying over these things and worry over the retaliation that was surely coming their way.
“Nah. Just wanted to see how you wanted to handle this evening. Should we set up an ambush? Or do you need to make a quick run across the border first?”
“I’d like to borrow your truck,” the vampire said, her face reddening. “And …uh …maybe some money for gas. Tips haven’t been too good. I’ll pay you back; I promise.”
Jaq bit back a smile. Sheesh, the woman was still fretting over ten dollars here and ten dollars there. She’d probably rather ask for a kidney than borrow money. She dug a folded bill out of her pants pocket and slid it across the bar.
“Of course you can borrow money. I just filled it up though, so we should be okay. Do you want to leave right after work?”
Kelly made herself suddenly busy, scrubbing what appeared to be an imaginary spot off the bar as she took the money and stuffed it into a pocket. “No, you stay here. I’ll meet up with you later. It shouldn’t take me long.”
A chill ran through Jaq. She couldn’t let the vampire do this alone. There was too much risk that the Kincaids would catch her and overpower her. She shuddered to think what they’d do to Kelly if they found her poaching across the border.
“I really think I need to come with you. Someone to watch your back.”
The vampire’s dark eyes met hers, and she reached out a hand to Jaq’s arm, squeezing gently. “I thought about things a bit this morning, and I just can’t let you do this. You can say what you want about me being a lion, a predator, but attacking humans is wrong in your mind. I’m not going to let you bend your ethics like a pretzel. I’ll be quick. I’ll be careful. And I’ll be back in an hour.”
As if on cue, Dale locked the door, turning to face them. Besides Nan banging around in the kitchen, they were the only ones left in the bar.
“I’m going to run the trash out to the dumpster and start pulling together the deposit. Go ahead and close out the register, then you can leave.”
Kelly nodded, walking away from Jaq to perform the closing routine as Dale disappeared through the swinging door into the kitchen. She was still counting and sorting bills when Nan came out of the kitchen, purse over her shoulder. She gave Jaq a sharp look, but a respectful nod.
Darn straight. None of the wolves might approve of her protecting the vampire, but none of them would challenge their First, especially with the Alpha backing her up. Nan wouldn’t be much of a threat, but others might, and Jaq reminded herself that she’d need to watch carefully, in case anyone planned an “accident”.
“Night, Nan,” Kelly called cheerfully after the cook. Jaq hid a smile, realizing that the vampire was baiting the werewolf with her unwelcome friendliness.
Nan grunted and turned the deadbolt. “Jaq, will you lock this after me?”
Jaq slid off her stool. Not that anyone with half a brain would rob a werewolf–owned establishment, but there were a few humans with more bravado then sense.
The door chimed as Nan opened it. Then all hell broke loose.
There was an explosion of red, and Nan’s head hit the floor, her body slumping as the door slammed open. Jaq instinctively shifted into her wolf form, grateful it didn’t take her twenty minutes like other werewolves. Taking a split second to shake off any loose clothing, she launched herself toward the door, preparing to intercept the vampire that shot through it in a blur of speed. They collided mid–room, crashing to the floor. The cloying, sweet taste of thick vampire blood filled Jaq’s mouth as her teeth sank deep into his arm. It tasted horrible. No wonder Kelly refused to drink their blood.
The vampire cursed, shaking her like a doll as he rose to his feet. Jaq’s four paws dangled off the ground, and she felt her teeth slip on his arm as he whipped her about. The vampire’s free arm grabbed her neck and squeezed. Biting harder, she flailed all four legs in an attempt to connect somewhere. Her head throbbed as his grip tightened, and she felt her teeth slip further. Just as spots were beginning to float in her vision, there was a loud crash. Jaq fell to the floor, gasping and spitting out the foul blood as she rolled away. She heard a string of curses as she rose unsteadily to her feet, shaking her head to clear her vision.
Kelly had pitched the cash register at the vampire, complete with a tangle of electronic cable. He had staggered backward, dark blood pouring from his head. The ten–pound, sharp–edged piece of equipment hadn’t knocked him out, but he was tangled in the mess of wires and furiously trying to get free.
Kelly vaulted the bar. Before the vampire could attack again, she snatched up one of the round tables, wielding it like a giant club. He ducked and dodged, backing up to avoid the round end of the table; their actions like a movie on fast forward.
Jaq hesitated, uncertain how to place herself in between the two vampires without Kelly accidently smacking her with the table. The woman was sure to tire soon. With Kelly’s lack of blood, she was probably running on adrenaline alone. And where the heck was Dale? He must have heard the commotion, even if he’d been out putting trash in the dumpster. Jaq caught her breath, worried that another vampire might have been sent around back to enter that way. Dale was her pack–mate, and she should be racing to assist him, but her heart was with Kelly, who was swinging a table like it was no heavier than a fencing foil.
The vampire grabbed the round end of the table and Kelly staggered, her momentum throwing her off balance. Twisting the table, Kelly lost her footing entirely, and let go of the metal feet as she fell. It was the moment she’d been waiting for. Jaq leaped at the vampire’s back, digging her claws into his shoulders and waist and biting down on his head. Bone cracked, but before Jaq could finish the job, he whirled about and began smacking her into the wall.
Pain lanced through Jaq’s back and her breath whooshed out. Dale had lovely brick walls, a good eighteen inches thick, and the vampire had slammed her into it with all his strength. Mortar and brick chunks rained around her. She struggled to take a breath as he smashed her against the wall. The vampire’s movements became more frantic. Jaq realized that Kelly had attached herself to his front, her hands around his neck. Jaq wasn’t sure whether her friend was attempting to strangle the other vampire or rip his head off, but it was becoming quite clear she didn’t have the strength for either.
Another slam against the brick and Jaq felt her limbs grow numb. Her hold on his head slipped, and he tossed her aside, spinning around to do the same maneuver on Kelly. Jaq slid across the floor, trying to force her numb legs to obey her commands. He bashed Kelly into the wall, and Jaq saw blood trickle from her mouth and nose, her hands losing their grip on his neck.
The roar of an explosion deafened her, and all Jaq saw was red. The mangled flesh that had been the vampire slid to the ground, and Jaq glimpsed Dale from the corner of her eye, bloody as he racked the shotgun and took aim for a second blast.
Kelly! Jaq howled, a piercing noise of grief
and warning as she managed to put herself between the vampire and Dale’s shotgun. Was she okay? Had the shells blown clean through the other vampire to kill her?
“Jaq! Move aside!” Dale commanded.
She snarled, exerting her status as First to disobey the older werewolf. He cursed, transferring the shotgun to one hand and pointing the barrel toward the ceiling.
“Fine. But even you gotta admit that this vampire of yours is trouble. She brought this on us tonight. If you don’t end her, you’re jeopardizing the pack.”
Probably. But what Dale didn’t understand was even without Kelly, the pack was in danger. And Jaq was not about to choose between the vampire that had become her friend and the pack she owed her life to. There had to be a way she could protect them both.
Jaq turned from Dale and panicked when she saw the condition of the attacking vampire close up. He had been shredded — the silver shot in Dale’s gun keeping him from regenerating as the pellets tore through him. Silver shot wasn’t enough to kill a vampire. He stirred, and Jaq knew that even though it would take him days to heal from the silver damage, he’d still be up and mobile in a few moments. She should take his head off. She should dig his heart out with her claws. But all she could do was shove him aside, her own heart in her mouth as she examined the other vampire he’d been laying on.
With a flash, she’d transformed back into her human form, her hands roving over Kelly as she frantically tried to determine what blood was hers and what belonged to the other vampire. Relief flooded her as Kelly opened her eyes.
“Where are you hurt?”
“I’m okay,” Kelly grimaced, obviously lying. “Make sure you kill him. Take care of him first.”
Assured that Kelly wasn’t on the edge of death, Jaq complied, pulling the knife from her pocket and slicing through the vampire’s neck. With a twist, she’d separated it from the body and turned her attention back to Kelly.
“Dale’s gun was loaded with silver. Did any of it hit you?”
Kelly winced, raising her arms and shifting her legs. “Mostly in my extremities. I’ve got some surface burns from slugs that went all the way through the other guy.”
“How’s your back and head?” The other vampire had bashed Kelly hard against the wall. Hard enough for her to bleed from her mouth and nose.
“Bruised. Concussion. Nothing that can’t heal.”
Nothing that couldn’t heal if Kelly had not been at the edge of starvation. Jaq sighed, tears burning the back of her eyes. This had to stop. Now.
“Romantic as all this is, I really want to know what’s going on here,” Dale growled, placing the shotgun on a nearby table as he approached. “I get jumped taking the trash out and come in here to find you two doing tag–team wrestling maneuvers with another of these jerks. Think I deserve some explanation.”
Jaq exchanged a glance with Kelly and helped the vampire to a sitting position. “There’s a war brewing. We’ll need to get ready for a lot of vampires tromping through our territory. If we’re lucky, we can manage to keep them out at the end of it all, but the odds aren’t good.”
Dale’s expression darkened. He shook his head slowly and looked at the bodies on the floor. “The guy killed Nan. And he didn’t come here passing through on his way to a battle field. Your little friend brought him on us. What cha gotta say about that, Jaq?”
Kelly winced, like she’d been hit. Jaq moved to protect her from the other werewolf. “Let her be, Dale, or you’ll face me in challenge.”
The other wolf snarled, but he dipped his head, retreating slightly. “Fine. But she’s fired. I don’t want her around here no more. I’m not putting my employees at risk for a disgusting vampire. I’m not putting her before the safety of my pack mates.”
The implication stung, but it was honest. Jaq stood, helping Kelly up. Everyone was on edge with the aftermath of adrenaline and violence. She didn’t trust herself to reply.
“I gotta get my clothes,” she told Kelly. “Can you stand, or do you need to sit down.”
The vampire glanced over at Dale. “I can stand.” Her voice was defiant, although from her shaking legs, it clearly took effort to remain upright.
Jaq snatched up the clothes, yanking on pants and tossing a shirt over her head before looking around for the rest.
“Underwear is over there,” Kelly laughed weakly.
It was. The tiny scrap of black lace hung from the top of a chair with the matching bra on the floor. These were her favorite pair. Worry over whether they’d been ruined warred with worry over Dale seeing the sexy underthings. Embarrassment won over, and she snatched them, shoving them in a pocket of her cargo pants to examine later.
Kelly needed her help to walk out the door and into her truck. But no sooner was the vampire in the truck than she began laughing.
“I’m sorry; I can’t help it. The look on your face when you saw your lace thong hanging over a chair in full view of Dale — so funny.”
“Oh God,” Jaq groaned. “Do you think he saw? At least he didn’t get a good look at the bra, too. It’s a demi–cup push–up. I’d never live it down.”
“No, I think he was too distracted and upset to notice your underwear.”
Kelly’s reply sobered them both. Nan had been killed. A vampire had attacked them in a werewolf–owned establishment. Jaq realized that everyone around them was in danger. These vampires wouldn’t think twice about taking out their neighbors. They’d use any means necessary to have their revenge. What had they done? And Kelly …she had probably used up her last strength fighting that guy. There’s no way she could face another vampire in her current condition. No way they could spare the time for a blood–run across the border either.
They drove the short distance to Briar Lane in silence, Jaq finally speaking as they pulled up in front of Kelly’s trailer.
“Do you need me to help you remove any of that silver?”
Kelly laughed, the sound a faint noise in the truck cab. “Can you? I thought this stuff was worse for you than it is for us. I’m surprised Dale has it in his shotgun. Heck, I’m surprised you kept those necklaces.”
Human friends had given her the necklaces, and she’d endured the pain just to keep from offending them, only to shove them in a box once back at her trailer.
“Dale likes to keep silver in case there are any fights. They work for vampires too, but y’all don’t stand still long enough to shoot most of the time. If we can’t take you by surprise, then it’s hand to hand. I swell up every time I have to load silver shot in my gun. Look like a raspberry with red blisters and burns all over me. It’s hard to breathe if I’ve been touching it too much. I could help you if I wear gloves, though.”
Kelly shook her head. “I got it. I’ve probably only got a dozen or so slugs in my legs and arms. Once I dig them out, I’ll be able to start healing. Give me half an hour, then we can head out to check the traps and plan some kind of ambush. I doubt that guy was the only one they’re sending tonight.
Jaq nodded, watching the vampire stagger from her truck to the door of her trailer. Half an hour. She’d be back, but not to check traps with Kelly. There was something else far more important that they needed to do first.
25
Kyle waited impatiently in his car. He would have been a lot more comfortable waiting for Juan in the human diner down the street, but it was too risky. Vampires always did their subversive business, their clandestine meetings, in human diners, and his father was too smart not to know trouble was brewing. Diners were out.
Everything stood on a razor’s edge. Tonight they’d take West Virginia. He had his vampires poised at the border, ready to move. And tomorrow, his corporate business would move in, sealing the deal on the largest money makers in the state.
Everything else needed to wait until he heard from the Kincaid female, and he knew she was watching to see him prove himself. It was the waiting that was the hardest. He pushed the need for action down deep within himself and practiced calm. Patien
ce was a critical trait for a vampire, although the high level of self–control he desired would not be his for many centuries. Seeing his second walking briskly towards him, he was finally able to relax the tension from his shoulders.
“Sorry I’m late, Sir,” Juan said with barely concealed excitement. Juan always had difficulty hiding his emotions. If he hadn’t been so loyal, so capable, that trait would have stalled his career a hundred years ago.
“Do you have the information?”
Juan spread a map out before him. Red circles dotted the paper like chicken pox. “I’ve got the addresses for two–hundred werewolves in the state, most clustered towards the east. Should we move house to house? Send groups of two or three to take down a section of them at a time?”
Kyle frowned. “Two hundred?” That couldn’t be right. The angels would never allow that many werewolves to congregate in one area. The most he’d ever seen in a twenty–mile radius was fifty, and that was rare.
“My source insists that he’s correct.”
That would require a change of plans. Kyle didn’t have enough vampires to attack two hundred werewolves at the same time, and success required surprise. Once those things had time to transform and take to the woods, they were a pain to catch.
“Then we need to draw them together so we can hit them fast and hard, all at once. It would need to be something urgent enough that they’d come without taking the time to change form. They’re easier to kill on two legs.”
Juan chewed thoughtfully on the end of a pen as he scanned the map. “Then we probably need to attack a group of humans. They’ve got some kind of agreement with them and will run to defend them. “Maybe Martinsburg, at the veteran’s hospital?”
“A hospital?” Kyle shuddered at the thought. Ill humans had a horrible aftertaste. “How about the racetrack/casino here, in Charles Town?”