No Man's Land: An Imp World Novel

by Debra Dunbar

  “Jonah says Charles Town. He wants a show of force there.”

  “Wait,” Kelly urged. “Why? If two families are fighting to the east, why would they send a handful of vampires to grab a casino? It doesn’t make any sense. They’ve got enough to worry about without trying to snatch one out–of–territory business. No, there has to be a reason for this.”

  “Would they want us to head to Charles Town and give them an opening to come in from the southeast, through Berryville?” Mike frowned. “That doesn’t make sense either. It’s only fifteen miles away. They wouldn’t make much progress before we’d be on their backs.”

  “Or maybe someone is using the fight to the east as a cover while he makes a move on the state,” Kelly mused.

  Jaq slowly shook her head. “Then they should have us all run to Leesburg while they make a grab behind us and push us into Virginia. Ten or fifteen vampires taking a casino and making a big deal about it? Reminds me of a prank — something just to get us riled up.”

  It was a small number of vampires. If they’d wanted to annoy the werewolves, they would have just popped in and randomly killed humans here and there, or attacked werewolf–owned establishments. This was too big a move to be a thorn in their side, but too small to be more than a half–hearted attack. And vampires never did anything half–heartedly.

  “The casino — it’s to get you all in one location,” Kelly said. “It’s a trap. He knows you’ll come out in a big group. It would be much easier than trying to pick you all off one at a time across the state. A few–hundred werewolves dead in one evening would make the rest think seriously about leaving the state — especially if he managed to kill your Alpha.”

  “Who is ‘he’?” Jaq’s tone was suspicious. “Did you know about this? We had a deal. You were supposed to let us know in advance.”

  “The Prince. I told you he might make a move to raid Kincaid lands across your territory. You told me about your businesses being bought up. I suspected he might make a play for your state, but couldn’t believe it. Seems he is.”

  “We’ve got to warn Jonah,” Mike said. “If we hurry, we can get to Charles Town before he does.”

  Kelly threw her hands up in frustration. “Doesn’t anyone around here use cell phones? Can’t we just text him?”

  Jaq shook her head. “In a situation like this, we’d take wolf form. No pockets, no fingers to push the buttons. Everyone just leaves their phones at home or in their cars so they don’t get lost or trampled.”

  Great. Suddenly they were all back in the Middle Ages.

  “By the time we drive there, it may be too late,” Mike said, his brow creasing in worry. “We don’t have time.”

  Kelly saw a look pass between Mike and his sister, and then Jaq turned to her, eyes full of indecision.

  “I need to run ahead. I can change in a blink, and I’m faster than Mike. I’ll warn Jonah.”

  Mike nodded. “I’ll catch up. Save a few for me. It’s been three months since I’ve ripped the head off of a vampire.”

  Kelly winced. Jaq running ahead left her and Mike going together in the truck. Maybe she should go with Jaq. Anything but being trapped in a truck beside this werewolf who would like nothing more than to gnaw a vampire’s head off.

  “You drive.” Jaq tossed Kelly the truck keys. “That way, Mike can change into wolf form in the bed and be ready for fighting.”

  Ugh. Her worst nightmare. But Mike would be less likely to lop her head off from the bed of the truck. “Let’s go, then. Time’s a–wasting.”

  “She’s not coming with me,” Mike snarled. “I’m not changing into wolf form in a truck while a vampire drives, and I’m most definitely not fighting beside one.”

  “Fine.” Kelly tossed the keys over to Mike. “I’ll just run along with Jaq then. Have fun driving.”

  “She’s not coming at all. No one wants to fight beside a vampire, Jaq. She’ll betray you to get in good with her family. If you’re lucky, one of the pack will kill her before she turns on us.”

  Kelly caught her breath, but held silent, waiting for Jaq to defend her.

  “He’s right,” Jaq said, trying for a gentle tone. “Mike, you change form a few miles out where you can be safe, then join us from there. Just leave the keys under the mat. Kelly, you stay here with Melody, and we’ll touch base with you when we get back.”

  That hurt more than anything ever had in her life. Even more than George. “What do you mean? Don’t you trust me to fight beside you?”

  Doubt flashed across Jaq’s face, and Kelly felt the knife twist further. “It’s not that. My pack won’t be able to tell if you’re friend or foe. Most of them don’t know you to tell you apart from the other vampires. Plus, these people we’re fighting are most likely your own family. I know you still have hopes that they’ll take you back. I can’t put you in a position that would jeopardize your ever being able to return to them.”

  Oh, it hurt. “You mean you wouldn’t trust me to side with you out in the battlefield, don’t you? Isn’t that what you’re really saying? Because let me tell you right now, I made my choice the moment I tossed those two dead vampires in the back of your truck. I’m offering to come with you knowing that every vampire I kill tonight used to be one of my own.”

  Melody looked back and forth between them, her face pale. “What should we do? Vampires can’t come into our house without invitations, right? So we’re safe if we stay here. I’ve got Joe’s rifle, and a jar of minced garlic. My rosary is in the nightstand.”

  Kelly bit her lip, uncertain what to say to the five women frozen with fear in the trailer’s small kitchen. Vampires could come into any home they wanted, invitation notwithstanding. “Stay inside. I doubt any will be out this far, but, just in case, stay inside. Turn off the lights and be as quiet as possible. If anyone tries to get in, shoot them.”

  “I’ll send one of us back to stay with you,” Jaq promised. “And we’ll come by to let you know when it’s all clear. As for you,” she turned to Kelly. “I do trust you to fight with us, but I also worry about you. Tonight is the first time you’ve had a decent amount of blood in five days. One skirmish and you’ll be right back where you started. What’s going to happen when your body can’t heal?”

  “I’m going,” Kelly insisted, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

  “We don’t have time for this,” Mike snapped. He threw the keys back at Kelly. “It’s time for you to prove whose side you’re really on. Time for you to earn your keep, to repay the kindness my sister has shown you. Get your butt out there and kill some vampires. And if you dare try anything while I’m changing in the back of the truck, I’ll hang your head above my doorway.”

  Gross, but pretty much what she’d come to expect from Mike. This was probably as close to acceptance she’d ever get from him or any of the werewolves.

  “We’ll be okay,” Melody chimed in. I’ve got a whole bunch of silver bullets for the rifle, and silver–coated slugs for the shotgun.”

  Jaq looked at her in surprise. Melody’s expression turned defensive. “What? We’re surrounded by a bunch of werewolves, and as nice you, Mike and Dale are, some are not so nice. Best to be safe.”

  Kelly hid a grin. “That should do it. Don’t answer the door. Act like no one’s home, and if someone tries to get in, open fire.”

  “Got it,” Melody replied, saluting before hauling a rifle out from under the sofa.

  Kelly turned to meet Jaq’s worried eyes. “Let’s go.”

  27

  The bitter November air was sharp in Jaq’s nose. It smelled of snow, even though the moon and stars shone clear above. Avoiding the main roads, she’d run through the woods, familiar as the fur on her paw, before cutting through long stretches of open fields. The only sound was her breath. Animals hid and held silent, forewarned by the thud of her paws on frozen ground. It wasn’t time for stealth; it was time for speed.

  As she approached the railroad tracks, the werewolf slowed. It wouldn�
�t do to barge in head–on. If this was a trap, she wasn’t sure where the other vampires would be positioned. Crossing the tracks and heading a bit east would bring her to the practice track and the rows of stables below. It would allow her to get close to the casino building under their cover, but her instincts told her there would be vampire guards placed there to ensure werewolves didn’t sneak into the main building undetected.

  Straight down the railroad tracks would take her to the parking lot, but she’d be exposed the whole way. Veering west, Jaq hopped a wooden stockade fence and, instead, made her way weaving in and out of the manicured lawns of a residential subdivision. At the last house she paused, sniffing the air to get her bearings. There was no avoiding it; she’d need to expose herself in a dash across the parking lot to reach the line of tour busses that Jonah had positioned himself behind.

  The fur on the back of her neck rose as she streaked across the nearly empty parking lot, belly close to the ground. It was too quiet. Sunday midnight and the humans were all settling in for the night. The air smelled of wolves from her pack, of grease from the fast–food joints that lined the highway ahead, of auto fuel and human sweat. It didn’t smell of vampire — not even a faint trace from the ten or so that were inside. It worried her. Where were they all hiding?

  Jonah looked up as she approached. He was still in his human form, outlining strategy to a mixed group of twenty werewolves — most on four feet, although a few were still on two. Twenty. Mike had said there would be about two hundred. Hopefully she’d made it here before them.

  Skidding to a stop, Jaq transformed into her human self. She was always a bit uncomfortable with her nudity, even though the pack routinely saw each other without clothing. No one cares, she told herself, and sure enough, not one of the werewolves looked below her face. That somehow bothered her even more. Idiot, she thought. Now wasn’t the time to question her attractiveness, or angst over the size of her breasts or the freckles that covered every inch of her skin.

  “Jonah, Kelly fears this is a trap, and I agree.”

  The alpha frowned. “Your pet vampire? Please tell me you didn’t bring her. I’ve got enough to worry about without fussing over whether one of us ‘accidently’ kills her in battle.”

  Jaq winced, ignoring the question. “She has information to suggest that the northern prince may be making a play for the state, trying to drive us out and take over.”

  “By seizing a casino full of humans?” Jonah looked at her as if she were insane. “That’s just going to piss us off, not drive us out of the state. No, this is just a rowdy group that came here to chow down on a bunch of humans safely out of their own territory. Once everyone else arrives, we’re going to distract them and send in three teams to take care of the situation.”

  “Since when have vampires ever been a ‘rowdy group’?” Jaq argued. “They would have snuck in, drained half the gamblers and been back across the state line before we even knew. Come on, Jonah, you know better than that!”

  He scowled, and Jaq cringed, realizing she wasn’t taking the best tactic with her alpha in front of twenty other pack members. “I mean no disrespect, Sir. I fear that this is a trap, that the vampires are gathering us all in one area hoping to kill enough of us that it encourages the rest to flee the state when they take over.”

  “What trap? I don’t smell any vampires in the outlying areas. There will be almost two hundred of us — that’s more than enough to take on a bunch of vampires. Unless …you don’t think they mean to blow up the casino?”

  Jaq shook her head. “They’re trying to buy it out. I doubt they’d destroy one of the better investments in the state. I don’t smell any vampires either — but I also don’t smell the ones in the casino. Could they be using some kind of olfactory camouflage? Or working with a witch to provide a masking spell?”

  Jonah glanced toward the mish–mash of connected buildings that made up the racetrack and casino. “No witch in West Virginia would work with a vampire, but I guess they might have paid one of those New York ones to do it. So, Jaq, as our pack’s First, I’m asking your counsel.”

  She caught her breath. “Sir. I’d suggest we move now. They’ll wait for the rest to arrive before they attack us. They’ll also expect us to storm in, in a huge show of force. Instead, let’s send a few individuals in through the back to rescue the human hostages. If they loop around by the stables, and go in on the lower level where the horses enter the track, they can sneak up the service stairs to the dining room, then down back into the casino.”

  “We make a big show out front here to keep their attention in the meantime.” Jonah tapped his chin thoughtfully. “I’ll send my best hunters to locate the ambush party and report back.”

  “What would you like me to do, Sir?”

  Jonah grinned. “Why, Jaq, you’re my best hunter. I expect you to hunt.”

  28

  Kelly couldn’t help the occasional peek backward as she rocketed down the road in Jaq’s pick–up. It took every bit of strength to keep from being tossed around the bench seat. Jaq had stripped in Melody’s bathroom, the poorly hidden periwinkle bra peeking out from under the folded Levis as she placed them on the sofa and popped into her wolf form with a flash of light. It was disconcerting to see her race off through the trees, leaving Kelly behind with a werewolf that hated her, and an old pick–up with bad shocks.

  She glanced back, feeling vaguely like a peeping tom, to see a shape twisting as it bounced around the rear of the truck. “If I don’t slow down, he’s liable to fly out,” she muttered, half hoping he would. Of course, that would make for an awkward conversation later, when she had to explain to Jaq why she’d driven off and left Mike beside the road, a horrific mixture of fur and flesh.

  Ten minutes to the casino, even with the crazy back roads Mike had insisted she take before starting his revolting transformation in the back of the truck. Kelly hoped he’d be fully wolf before she arrived, otherwise he wouldn’t be much good in a fight. A huge pothole sent the truck lurching to the left, headlights bouncing around uselessly on the road. They were screwing up Kelly’s night vision. She’d contemplated turning them off and just driving in the dark, but at this speed, she was worried she’d plow into a deer before she could stop. Shocks weren’t the only thing barely functional on Jaq’s truck.

  “Holy shit!” Something darted across the road, a blur in the headlights. Too fast for a deer, and too tall.

  With a thump, the road disappeared and a face took its place on the windshield. Instinct took over, and Kelly jerked the wheel, sending the vampire sliding off to the side, hanging on to the light rack on the roof and scrambling with his feet to regain balance.

  There was another thump, this time toward the rear of the vehicle. Kelly felt herself flung forward as the truck jerked backward. The wheels skidded on the gravel road and she shouted again, twisting the wheel. The truck spun around, slamming to a stop and flinging her onto the floor in a heap. If Mike hadn’t fallen out before, there was a good chance he had now.

  “Vampires,” she shouted, hoping Mike could hear from the rear of the truck, and that he was in a position to do something about the attack.

  The truck shook as the vampires jumped onto the hood and roof. A hand smashed through the window beside her and Kelly reached up from her position on the floor to grab it and pull. There was a shriek as the vampire’s arm raked across the jagged glass, spraying red onto the truck’s worn upholstery. With one hand, Kelly twisted and pulled to break the vampire’s arm. With her other hand, she yanked the door handle, kicking the door as hard as she could. There was a satisfying thump, and another yell of pain.

  She repeated the action a few times, gaining momentum to spring up and out of the truck when the door flung open. Keeping his arm trapped through the window, Kelly spun around to face him.

  The vampire stared at her with shocked eyes. “You’re not….”

  “No, I’m not,” she assured him as she rammed the silver filet knife into his
heart, twisting while it smoked.

  Thanks, Prince. This knife sure has come in handy, she thought as she yanked it from the vampire’s torn chest before giving it a quick wipe on her pants leg.

  The truck rocked with impact, and Kelly jumped into the bed, slipping on the blood coating the floor. The tailgate was a torn chunk of metal dangling from broken hinges, and just past the end of the truck, two figures rolled across the frozen gravel — one on two legs and the other a strange, furry two–legged creature — half man and half wolf.

  “Mike!” Kelly shouted, jumping from the truck and running to his aid.

  The vampire pulled his head up to see her, and took a swipe across the face with a sharp set of claws. Turning his attention back, he grabbed Mike by the front leg and picked him up, spinning to fling him into the woods. Kelly heard a dreadful “crack” and saw a tree shudder just as she plowed headfirst into the vampire.

  The momentum drove them both backwards, and the vampire hit the ground hard with Kelly on top. Once again, she stabbed for the heart, but this one had full use of both his arms. He grabbed each of her arms then lurched forward to smack his head against hers.

  Everything blurred with pain, and Kelly’s grip loosened on the knife. Before she could react, the other vampire shifted his weight, rolling her over and snatching the knife from her hands.

  “Hold still, you traitorous bitch,” he snarled, stabbing her repeatedly as she thrashed around, trying to get free, or at the very least keep the silver blade from her heart.

  Wiggling an arm loose, she reached up and grabbed the vampire’s hair, yanking his head in a futile effort to throw him aside. As he shifted to the side, Kelly found herself looking into a pair of golden wolf–eyes and a massive jaw of razor sharp teeth in a human face. The teeth closed on the male vampire’s neck, slicing cleaning through muscle and bone, and blinding Kelly with a spray of red.

  She panicked. There was a silver knife burning its way through her stomach, a decapitated vampire weighing her down, and Mike looming over her. Would he take this chance to kill her? Tell Jaq the vampires had done the job before he could save her? She frantically tried to push the corpse off her and wipe the blood from her eyes. Any moment, she expected those teeth to be slicing through her neck. Instead, she felt a soft paw patting against her cheek. When she looked up again, she saw through a red haze that the wolf–man was staring down at her, a look of wary respect on his grotesque face.