by Terry Spear
"All right. Make it soon," their mother said. "I want him to feel like he's part of the family, not some outcast we don't want to meet."
"I'll make it soon."
"Are we on the hunt again for the rogue hunters tonight?" Daniel asked.
"Yes. And every night until we catch them. We can't let them get away with any more murders."
Then she gave everyone hugs and Rosa reminded her, "Remember to ask Atreides what you can be if you shift."
Selena smiled and before Daniel could ask if he could drive her back to Atreides's home, she vanished and sometime later, appeared inside the living room in Atreides’s home, startling Colt and Renault who were playing poker.
"We're here to watch over you. Imagine our surprise to learn Atreides was in bed without you," Colt said.
Atreides came out of the kitchen. "How did it go?"
"I'm a special agent. So are my brother and sister." Selena was feeling so lightheaded all of a sudden, she had to sit down at the dining table.
Atreides brought her a glass of red wine, but then she realized it was blood. She thought she couldn't drink it, but when she felt compelled to drink it, she took a sip and sighed. It was refreshing, coppery, smooth, and fed the need to have it. And she felt invigorated all at once.
Then she explained all that had happened at the Council.
"That's a tall order," Atreides said.
"And my mother wants you to come over for dinner soonest so they can welcome you to the family."
He slowly smiled.
"Really. Don't show your fangs though. I'm sure my parents will be the perfect hosts. Not as in vampire hosts. But they want you to know you're part of our hunter family just like I'm part of your vampire family, once Daemon knows about this."
Renault threw down his hand of cards. "I don't think you should wait on telling Daemon."
"He would return here in a heartbeat and have a major meltdown. You know how he is. We need to take care of business and when he returns with Tezra, well-rested and ready to work, everything will be just fine," Atreides said.
Selena sure hoped so.
Chapter 18
Atreides was thrilled the Council had accepted Selena for what she had become and not only that but had given her special assignments. And he was glad her family wanted to meet him.
"Oh, and that's not all. So the Council received all kinds of reports on what had happened and they took those into consideration. I have to thank you, Atreides, and you also, Renault, Colt, and your friend Basil. But the most surprising report was the one from a man named Quail, who was the wolf.” She read the statement he had made. "Do you know him?"
"Quail," Atreides said, trying to recall the name. He glanced at his friends, but neither of them seemed to know him. "We have vampires who are part of the clan but never participate. They're not fringe vampires as they commit their loyalty to Daemon and our family. But they just keep to themselves."
"Could he be a fringe vampire?" she asked.
"That's entirely possible too. We'll have to check with them about that."
"Oh, and I want to know what I can turn into."
Atreides raised a brow. The guys were smiling. "A crow, bat, wolf, fog."
"Fog? Oh, that would be so cool. So how do I do it?"
"It takes practice. And it can take a long time before you can shift into something else."
"What's your preferred shifter form?" she asked.
"A wolf, though I've been known to be a bat or a crow," Atreides said.
"A bat," Colt said. "It seems more…traditional, as far as fiction literature goes. But like Atreides, I've shifted into all of them. You know, it can really be great. One minute you're a wolf, a hunter comes along, and you vaporize into mist or fog. Makes it damn hard on hunters."
"Oh, I like that."
"For me, it's the wolf," Renault said. "It's much more…wild and beautiful at the same time."
"Oh, I can't wait. How do I do it?" she asked.
"Think about becoming one with the wolf, concentrate on only that thought, nothing else. Like I said, it might be a while before you can shift." Then Atreides changed the subject. "So tonight, we'll have the same plan in place, vampiresses walking along the street toward a vampire club, or even leaving one, and the rest of us will be lying in wait to protect them."
"When the two women were attacked by the rogue vampire, he waited until he found a huntress who was alone. Were the vampiresses with each other or alone?" Selena asked.
"Hell, alone," Atreides said. Selena appeared to be as astute a huntress detective as Tezra was.
"Okay, so I had another idea. What if the rogue was paying the hunters back, except he wasn't killing the huntresses like the hunters were killing the vampiresses, but turning them, making them one of his own kind, an army of huntresses at his beck and call. Because once he turned us, he could have made us do his bidding. He told the two huntresses he had turned that he would give them orders later."
"And he wouldn't have known the two other huntresses were on the fringe and not League huntresses, but you were with the League. He could have gotten you to go along with whatever he wanted, within the League. He could have done the same with the fringe huntresses, but they wouldn't have been in the League, so no access there." Atreides was so glad Quail had killed the rogue vampire. But who was he?
“But there’s another rogue vampire. He bit me first,” she told him. “And another appeared, tossed him aside, and then he bit me. Quail, the wolf, shifted and killed the second vampire and the other rogue vanished.”
“Hell,” Atreides said. “And he’s the one who must have wanted you dead. He wouldn’t have been the one who attacked the huntresses because he hadn’t wanted them dead either. The second vampire had to be the one turning them, and you.”
“The guys who stole my car said that both men looked similar. Black-haired and six feet tall. They could have been brothers.”
“Okay.” Atreides got a call from his brother and he took a deep breath. "Daemon," he said to Selena. "Hey, how's it going in paradise?"
"I didn't realize how badly we needed this getaway. Is everything going all right with the clans?"
"Absolutely. Minor vampire fights as usual. Nothing big. I visited the fringe groups, and everything seems to be going fine with them."
"No other problems? Nothing major?"
Atreides was afraid Daemon had heard something about what was going on. "No, I would let you know otherwise. I'm glad things are going well for you though."
"Yeah, Maison and Voltan needed this too. We'll be raring to go when we get back."
"That's good. I'm glad, though I've enjoyed the increased scope of my duties while you've been gone, I'll be ready to turn over the reins when you return." Atreides did love being second in command. But he loved taking charge of the whole of the clans too. It gave him a chance to prove to his people that he had what it took to lead should his brother ever perish or want to step down.
"Tezra said you needed this too, to lead without Maison and Voltan watching over things."
"Yeah, thanks, Daemon. We've been good."
"Okay, I'm glad to hear it. I'll check in with you later then. Keep up the good work."
"I will. Thanks! Enjoy your vacation."
Then they ended the call and Selena raised a brow.
"He doesn't seem to know what's going on."
"That's good, until he returns, and you have to tell him what happened. All of what happened, including about me."
"By then, we'll have everything resolved." He hoped. "I'm sure he will be glad to see all the changes—I mean with you working between the hunters and us. You're a valuable asset and that works in all our favor." But he was damn angry a rogue vampire was still out there who had bitten her to kill her.
"The hunter that goes by the name of Cliff is in the red-light district," a voice telepathically said to Atreides.
"Who is this?" Atreides didn't recognize the vampire’s voice.
&
nbsp; "Quail. I don't know if he killed my sister, but he's the one who killed Charlene, isn't he?"
"We believe so. I'm headed there now."
"With hunters."
"Yes, they can take him down. Did you kill the rogue who wounded Selena?"
“Yes, but his twin brother, Gorgio, got away.”
“Why didn’t you come to us with the information right away?”
There was silence and Atreides knew the vampire was no longer listening to him.
Then Atreides told Selena what was going on and she called her brother and Rosa. "They're meeting us over there."
"It would be faster if we take them with us."
"As vampires?" she asked for clarification.
"Yes. Otherwise, Cliff could get away before we get there." Atreides told Colt and Renault what was going on.
"We'll get the others and meet you over there," Renault said.
"No going after the hunter. Only the hunters can take him down—but he'll need to be turned over to the League. Unless he puts up too much resistance and it's a fight to the death. Then the hunters will deal with him." But if Selena or her siblings were overwhelmed, the vampires would fight—swords out, no teeth though. Even though he told his friends not to fight, if he got embroiled in it, they would follow his lead.
When they arrived at the red-light district, they saw several females soliciting passersby either walking to the human clubs or strip joints, tattoo parlors, or cars driving through looking for a pick up. At first, they didn't see any sign of Cliff.
"He won't be alone," Selena said. "He always goes with his friends."
"That will make him easier to spot," Atreides said.
Colt and Renault were scouting the area up ahead, moving as mist. It was a misty night already—which allowed the vampires to move through it without being noticed, streetlamps shedding light into the streets, lights on in all the establishments making the night seem more eerie than it would have otherwise.
"Should we split up too?" Rosa asked.
"No," Atreides said. "Since you're Selena's sister, Cliff and his buddies might believe you'll be here for his head also. And Daniel too. Any number of hunters might have leaked the word to them that we're coming after him."
A van pulled up to the curb next to where they were walking and Atreides and the hunters suddenly stopped in their tracks, wary of a potential threat.
"What do you think?" Selena said as they eyed the van.
Then the side doors opened, and the front passenger and driver's doors did, and eight hunters got out of the van.
"Daniel told us Cliff was prowling the red-light district. We're here to help track him down," Bernard said. He was Tezra’s former investigative partner.
Selena smiled. "Thanks, Bernard."
"We didn't want you to get all the glory. The council has named Cliff and his buddies the League’s Most Wanted. They respect you and know that Cliff and the others want your head, so they want you protected at all costs." Bernard inclined his head. "I worked with Tezra, I will work with you."
Atreides couldn't believe this turn of events. He really hadn't thought the League would be this serious about helping them out and really, making a pact with the vampires to take down rogue hunters.
"Where is he?" Bernard asked.
Atreides respected him and was glad he was here to help.
"I have a couple of my men scouting ahead. We don't know how big their force is," Atreides said.
"Okay, we're going to split into groups of four. We'll keep in touch." Bernard led one group, another man leading another as they split off and started to roam the streets, the call girls trying to solicit them while they were searching for Cliff and his cohorts in crime.
"Do you think we'll spook them with so many hunters suddenly descending on the area?" Selena asked.
"We might," Atreides said.
Selena lifted her nose and smelled the air. "I smell Cliff's scent. Over here."
"That was the car he was using," Atreides said.
Daniel pulled out his sword and sliced up the tires. "He won't be getting away in this vehicle if he gets spooked."
"Would they have come in different cars?" Atreides asked.
"I doubt it. They always rode together," Selena said. "Though they could steal a car. Why would they be down here? That's what I wonder. They're not into prostitutes. Hunters usually don't frequent these areas. Vampires either. And if they're looking for vampiresses to kill, they probably won't find them here."
"I don't know. Unless they're here because they don't think anyone would believe they would be, citing the reasons you just gave," Atreides said.
"I smell their scent down this alley," Selena said.
Everyone drew their swords and walked down the dark alley, the mist floating in the darkness. A cat scampered out of the alley and into the next street.
Then they reached the next street and looked about. He hoped they weren't being led on a wild goose chase. "Which way?" Atreides asked.
"To the left," Selena said, glancing back at her brother and sister who both agreed.
Atreides broadcast telepathically to his friends, "We're on the scent trail of Cliff and his friends." He told them the street they were on and the direction they were headed.
"We're on our way," Colt said.
The mist thickened into a light rain and they continued to follow the men's scents. They were fresh so Quail had been right about the men being here. Which made him wonder if Quail was here now, following them himself.
"Quail, do you know where they are?"
"I lost them. They were at a tattoo parlor when I saw them going in. I waited for them to come out, but they didn't. They'd taken so long, I finally went inside and they'd slipped out a back way."
"But they didn't know you were following them?" Atreides was afraid the men had taken off in another vehicle.
"I can't be sure."
"But they didn't ambush you when you came out of the tattoo parlor," Atreides said.
"I was mist."
Atreides told him where they were now.
"I'll meet you there," Quail said.
"Don't engage them. The hunters need to do this. We have more hunters on the scene to help take them down."
Selena got a call and said, "Bernard said they tracked down Lonnie. He fought the hunters and they had to kill him."
"Have they split up then? Cliff and his buddies?" Atreides asked. If that was the case, they would be looking for individuals and not a group of rogue hunters. It would make it easier for those hunting them down in a way, but one or two of them could slip away.
To their surprise the two huntresses turned showed up.
Eliza said, "Selena told us you needed help."
Brittany said, "We're here to offer our support."
"We're on the trail of Cliff and his men." The scent trail was leading them to an apartment complex and Atreides wondered if they had a safe house of sorts there. He was thinking if Cliff and his men had split up, with the extra help here, they could split up too. But the fringe huntresses turned weren't sanctioned by the League, so he figured they'd better stay together and if anyone of them had to resort to killing Cliff and the rest of his men, they would give the credit to Selena and her siblings.
Daniel entered the building first and invited Atreides and the others in, though the huntresses turned didn't need an invitation. They heard yelling in a couple of apartments, people fighting, a baby crying. An elevator was straight ahead, but to the left was the door to the fire stairs. Selena pointed to the door.
To keep in shape, the hunters would use the stairs.
Daniel went first, though Atreides had wanted to. Then they all headed inside.
Atreides didn't like that they were bunched up in the narrow stairs as they climbed one flight after another until they came to the fifth story of the five-story building.
Daniel opened the door, and they all went into the hall and found it clear.
"Okay, let's s
plit up here," Daniel said quietly, when they smelled that the men had split up and moved in both directions down the hall.
The two fringe huntresses turned stayed together with Daniel, and Atreides, Selena, and Rosa went in the opposite direction.
They glanced back at Daniel and the other women. They were standing beside a door and waiting for Atreides and Daniel’s sisters to be in place before they broke in the doors.
Atreides and his party were standing at the door down the hall where they smelled Cliff and the others had been. "Ready?" he whispered, though he would have telepathically spoken just to Selena, he had to let Rosa know what he intended to do. He did telepathically say the same to the others in the hall because the two huntresses turned could tell Daniel what Atreides had said.
Daniel inclined his head and then both he and Atreides slammed into their respective doors and broke them in. That was the problem with cheap doors when hunters, and vampires, used their power to break them in.
Cliff was off the couch in an instant, but instead of coming at them with a sword, he began shooting at them.
Atreides whipped Rosa out of the room’s entryway using vampiric transportation. Selena vanished. Weapons were discharged in the other apartment and Atreides saw that Eliza had moved Daniel out of the apartment he'd entered.
Neither hunters nor vampires used guns. It wasn't done. These men were rogues of the worst sort.
"Hell, we've got to get out of here," one of the other men yelled to Cliff.
"Don't you think I know that, damn it?" Cliff yelled back at him.
They were in a bind, but Atreides thought Selena would reappear next to him. She didn't. What the hell had happened to her? He was worried that she had been hit. That she was dead even. He couldn't go into the room without her invitation and he didn't want Rosa to subject herself to more gunfire. Daniel was texting on his phone, supposedly for backup.
Atreides called to Colt and Renault to join them at the apartment complex. He had thought there were other hunter rogues out there, so he hadn't called to them to come before this. But he needed to get in the room.
"Where's my sister?" Rosa asked, expecting the same thing as Atreides, for her to suddenly appear next to them.