by Sondra Hicks
“Have any of your contacts come up with anything?” Jonathan asked.
“Still waiting to hear from a few but so far nothing!” Liam told him. “There’s blood in the fridge if you want it.”
“Thanks,” Jessica told him, opening the fridge, handing Jonathan a bag and grabbing one for herself.
“Please let me go!” Cindy wailed.
Kloe woke up to her crying. While she felt bad for her, she also didn’t appreciate being woken up. She sat up and looked over at Cindy, who was at the bars of the cage pleading with the passing vampires. Kloe felt a pang of hunger and she tried to ignore it. She knew drinking from a human was against everything she was taught by her parents. The vampires were apparently not going to give in and this was her food. Nothing else. She could feel her teeth elongating and her mouth began to water. She moved closer to Cindy. Cindy turned, noticing Kloe coming closer. She moved to put more distance between them.
“Stay away from me,” Cindy told Kloe.
“I am so sorry,” Kloe told her, moving quickly to pin her against the wall.
“Please don’t!” Cindy begged. “Oh my god! Your teeth! Help me!”
Kloe moved Cindy’s head to the side and sunk her teeth into her pale neck. She felt the sweet nectar of her blood fill her mouth and run down her throat. It felt so warm and delicious. She hadn’t noticed Cindy’s heart begin to slow. When she realized what she had done it was too late. She was gone. She had killed an innocent girl. She gently laid her down on the ground. She closed her eyes and said a prayer. Not sure if god would hear a vampire. When she turned around, she saw a female vampire standing at the cage watching her.
“Why did you say a prayer?” the vampire asked.
“Because Cindy was a child of God!” Kloe told her.
“Cindy?” she asked.
“That was her name,” Kloe told her.
“You are an odd vampire,” she said, walking away.
About twenty minutes later two vampires came to the cage. One standing guard by the door, while the other grabbed Cindy’s body and removed it. Kloe sat on her mattress, watching, feeling ashamed of herself. She had been so hungry she had lost control. The weird thing was she had kept the blood down and not thrown it up. This meant there would be others they would expect her to feed on.
“How are you and the baby today?” a voice asked.
Kloe turned to find the elder who had kidnapped her.
“I am fine. I just want to go home,” Kloe told him.
“That is not possible at this time. First you have to give birth to the child you are bearing. You are the chosen one but I am glad you have fed.” The elder told her.
“You do know this child is part wolf, right?” Kloe asked.
“Doesn’t matter. It will be part vampire as well. It will be a hybrid and worshipped.” The elder told her.
“This is my child, not yours!” Kloe told him. Angrily walking up the cage bars.
“You are so wrong. You have no ownership over it. You are just the chosen vessel into this world. You should be honored to share your bodies DNA to bring our leader into this world.” The elder told her.
“Are you high on something? My boyfriend and I made love and created this baby. It shares our DNA because it is ours. Not yours or anyone else's. It is not anyone’s leader but my sweet baby.” Kloe told him. Staring into his eyes, holding her ground.
“My Kloe. You are a brave one. We could take you now and remove the child. However, we want to wait until your waters break. You don’t have much time left. I might just keep you around. I like your spirit. You are not easy to break. Relax and food will be brought later on.” The elder told her, leaving her alone in the cage with her anger.
She knew she was defenseless against them. She had no idea how she would protect this baby. She knew she would die trying. She placed her hand on her belly and felt a tear slide down her cheek. “I love you,” Kloe whispered.
“I think I have something but I am not sure,” Kali announced.
“What is it?” Liam asked.
“There is some chatter about a chosen one and an underground following. It’s not much but there is some more talk about the prophecy. There isn’t much where we can pinpoint her location,” Kali told him, sighing.
“It’s okay Kali. Just stick close to those chats. They might reveal something,” Liam told her, patting her on the shoulder.
“George those stakes you made. Can you make more of them?” Liam asked.
“Yeah. How many are we talking?” he asked, looking at Liam.
“At least two per wolf for the whole pack.” Liam answered, looking serious.
“I will need supplies,” George told him.
“Write it all down. We shall collect them for you,” Liam said, looking to Jessica and Jonathan.
“We appreciate all you are trying to do to get our daughter back. We seem to be missing something. You have never even taken on elders before. You are hoping strength in numbers and toys will win the war. Truth is our daughter is close to giving birth and every day we lose valuable time.” Jonathan said frustrated.
“Jon calm down. I know you want her back, we all do. We are flying blind on how to fight elders. They have mastered elements that we have not. Hopefully some news will come in that will be useful. We can use it to find her. Attacking each other won’t solve this though.” Jessica told him.
“Your right. I am sorry. I just want her back!” Jonathan told them.
“We understand,” Liam said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
“Liam! Where are you?” Came Ahiga’s voice.
“I am right here and stop yelling,” Liam told him shaking his head.
“There you are. Have you heard from your sources?” Ahiga asked, tossing back a couple Tylenol.
“Not as of yet. I think some of them are scared to come forward, honestly.” Liam told him.
“Then offer them protection and get the Intel. The clock is ticking. Has anyone seen Heinmot?” Ahiga asked.
“I will send a group to check the local pubs and see what we can turn up.” Liam told him.
“I’ll send the group. You get on the Intel. Hopefully, you will return with something we can use.” Ahiga told him.
“Who is Heinmot?” Jessica asked.
“He is our eldest wolf. He has fought an elder vampire and lived to tell the story. We could use his help right now, preparing for this battle. They aren’t going to hand over Kloe and the child. We are going to have to fight for them. I fear some will die. We have no idea what their numbers are. We need a scout mission but we need to find where they are hold up.” Ahiga told her.
“I will fight. After all you are doing this for my family. It’s only right.” Jessica told him.
“If an elder gets you, he will snap you like a twig. Be aware of that. You saw in your vision how your daughter couldn’t even fight them.” Ahiga told her.
“I will be right there beside my wife,” Jonathan said, hugging her close to him.
CHAPTER 20
Kloe woke up to the sound of a struggle. She glanced over to the door of the cage and saw a young male being tossed in. They locked the door, as the male grabbed the door and started yelling at them. Calling them all sorts of curse words. They expect me to feed off him? She sat on her mattress watching him. Eventually he looked around the cage, noticing Kloe for the first time. She stood up revealing her pregnancy which seemed to soften him a little. After all how’s a pregnant girl suppose to hurt you?
“What’s your name?” Kloe asked breaking the silence.
“Brad, what’s yours?”
“Kloe.”
“Well Kloe. It seems we are prisoners. Any idea why?”
“They want my baby,” Kloe told him.
“What! Are they a cult?” Brad asked.
“Vampires,” Kloe told him
“Are you serious? I knew they were strong but shit really?” Brad said in disbelief, leaning against the rock wall. “Wait your pregnant. Did they kidnap you
to?”
“Yes. They snatched me in broad daylight. I just want to go home. I miss my boyfriend and my friends. I don’t want them to take my baby.” Kloe told him.
Kloe knew he was there as food but it felt good to talk to another person. Plus, she was getting nowhere near him, without him fighting back. She needed him to let down his guard and that would take a bit. She didn’t want to risk going into labor early because he hit her or kicked her in her belly.
“So you have a boyfriend?” Brad asked.
“Yeah. This is our miracle baby and I know he is doing everything he can to find me,” Kloe told him.
“I had a girlfriend. We broke up tonight. I caught her sleeping with my best friend. It got a little ugly. I ended up punching him. She left us both there but he had a car, I didn’t. I got jumped on the way home.” Brad told her.
“So you have had a bad night. You could say,” Kloe smirked.
“How long have you been in here?” Brad smiled, moving a little closer.
“A day or two. Not sure,” Kloe sighed.
Kloe could smell his sweet blood, pulsating in his veins. Her mouth watered but she held it at bay. She was hungry and she knew she had to play this right.
Apparently these vampires failed to remember that she was stronger and faster than an average vampire. However, she was no match for an elder. The other vampires that served the elders though. She could take them on but she would need help. She looked away from the vampires and back to Brad. Her dinner. Were they testing her by supplying different strength victims? Maybe they were trying to get her to go into labor early. They were evil enough to do that.
Kloe walked over to mattress and sat down. Brad followed but he sat on the dirt floor. They sat there in the quiet not saying a word. Vampires walked by occasionally and laughed, seeming to find it amusing. The urge to take Brad’s throat was getting stronger but she didn’t want to risk her fears. She knew what she had to do. Her gaze was more powerful than most vampires. It was just how she was made.
She got up and walked over to Brad and sat down in front of him. Startling him. She reached out and touched his wrist. He looked at her hand and at her. She looked deep into his eyes. Locking the gaze.
“Brad I am going to feed from your neck and you will enjoy it. You will not fight me,” Kloe told him. Not losing his gaze until she was at his neck. Sinking her teeth into the pulsating vein that was just waiting for her. He smelled sweet but didn’t taste as sweet as Cindy had. She pulled away when she realized he was gone. The heart was beating it’s last. She closed his eyes but he had a smile on his face. She kissed his forehead and said a prayer and went back to her mattress. She lay down. She felt guilty for what she had done but she knew she had to feed her baby.
“You are embracing your vampire side and your baby will be well nourished.” A female vampire told her.
“I hate what you are making me do!” Kloe told her.
“You can’t hate your own nature,” the female vampire told her.
“I drink from blood bags so no one gets hurt,” Kloe told her.
“Well that time is over. It’s time for you to see your true nature and embrace it.” The female vampire told her.
“Just leave me alone,” Kloe told her.
Gavin sat waiting in the living room with Kloe’s parents. Liam came in with a sense of urgency. He smiled when he saw them waiting.
“I have some good news. According to a tip, I may have a location on Kloe, I am going to check it out now,” Liam told them.
“I shall go also,” Gavin told him.
“I shall go as well,” Jonathan told him.
“Okay but remember we are going to check it out. This isn’t a rescue mission. So if you see her, you will have to restrain yourself,” Liam told them.
“I understand,” Jonathan told him.
“I can restrain myself,” Gavin told him
“Where we are going is underground by an old mansion. We need to get Intel on how many vampires they have and how many elders. Also what they are keeping her in. If this is indeed where they are held up,” Liam told them.
“Liam where are we at, with the search for Kloe?” Ahiga asked, as he walked in the room.
“We were just planning on going on an Intel mission, to follow up on a tip we received.” Liam told him.
“Okay. That sounds good. I assume Gavin is going?” Ahiga asked him.
“Yes, I am. Jonathan is going as well,” Gavin added.
“Just keep your head boy,” Ahiga told him.
“I would like another wolf to accompany you as well. To even the numbers, just in case. Take Peter, he is experienced at Intel missions.” Ahiga told him.
“Sounds good. Let’s get our gear and meet at the van,” Liam told them. He wandered off to find Peter and get his gear.
“Hey Jonathan! I want you to have this in the field,” George said handing him a vest.
“A bulletproof vest?” Jonathan asked.
“Yes, and stab proof,” George smiled.
“Thank you!” Jonathan responded, taking off his suit jacket and handing the coat to Jessica, who accepted it. He slid the vest on and smiled at George.
“Looks like a good fit,” George smiled.
“Yes it is. Jessica don’t worry. I will return and hopefully it will be with good news.” Jonathan kissed her on the forehead.
“Jon, you ready to go?” Liam asked, reappearing.
“Yes. Let’s go find my daughter,” Jonathan stated.
Liam patted him on the back. The four of them headed out the front door to the van outside.
CHAPTER 21
Liam drove across town to a rundown building. It was large and looked unsafe from the outside. He parked and turned to them all.
“Remember this is an Intel mission. If we see Kloe, we need to report back. We cannot try to rescue her yet. We shall more than likely be out numbered. Any guards we shall take out if need be. Let’s keep this clean guys!” Liam told them.
The door opened. They piled out, grabbing their gear. They walked through the unmown grass to the boarded-up door. Liam pulled the large board off as quietly as he could and looked inside. He motioned for them to follow. They walked through rooms, with old wooden floors and detailed moldings for ceilings. They came upon a room where there were two vampires sitting at a table, listening to music. Liam and Peter rushed in and dusted them before they had a chance to leave their chairs. Gavin and Jonathan entered the room behind them.
“Okay! Let’s look for a basement or something out of place. Elders are crafty about the places they call home,” Liam told them.
“How do you know so much about Elders?” Jonathan asked.
“I had a good teacher. Let's hope you get to meet him.” Liam told him.
They split up. Searching each room. Careful to take any vampires by surprise. Jonathan noticed a doorway different from the others. It was steel and newer. When he opened it a cool draft rushed in. He closed it quickly and turned to Gavin.
“Go get Liam and Peter. I think I may have found something.” Jonathan told him.
Gavin quickly went to find them. He found them in a kitchen, looking down a basement door.
“Jonathan found a door he thinks we should check out,” Gavin told them.
“Okay, let’s go check it,” Liam told him.
They made their way back to Jonathan who was waiting patiently next to the steel door. He opened it and the draft came through.
“Peter stay up here, in case we have company,” Liam told him.
Liam, Jonathan and Gavin made their way down a hallway and through the door. The hallway was boarded. Along the walls seemed to block dirt walls but eventually they noticed they turned to stone. They slowed their pace when they noticed a doorway. There was a rock on one side. They hid behind it. Looking into the large room, with concrete floors and stone walls. There was an inverted dome ceiling with reflective tiles. There was an alter in the middle of the room, big enough for a body. There
were two doors on either side of the room and off to the left was a cell with bars. They were unsure if Kloe was there. Until they saw her stand at the bars, looking upset. There were at least twenty vampires and it looked like two to three elders in the room.
Gavin fought the urge to run to his beloved and free her. He hated that she was locked up. Especially looking that pregnant with their child. He looked at Jonathan who looked upset as well. Liam signaled for them to head back. Once back outside the steel door they caught up with Peter.
“Let’s go back to the pack and start planning her rescue!” Liam told them.
“I hate to leave her here,” Jonathan told them.
“We have to for now but we will be back,” Liam told him.
Jonathan agreed. He followed him out but felt a tug at his heart for leaving his daughter there in such a vulnerable state. They made their way out. Careful to not alert anyone to their presence. They loaded into the van. Gavin was quiet, as was everyone else. The ride back to the den was a tense one. While no one spoke, there was a feeling in the air and everyone felt it. What they had just seen had bothered everyone. They knew they had to wait to help Kloe. When they all had wanted to help her only moments ago but it was clear they were outnumbered.
The four of them piled out of the van and walked back into the house. Into the curious eyes of those waiting to hear what they had found. Liam went to find Ahiga to inform him of what they had found, as Jonathan went to tell his wife the news. Gavin went and sat down on the couch. He put his head in his hands and until he felt a hand on his back. He looked up to find Kali sitting there next to him with a half smile.
“Was it that bad?” Kali asked.
“It was hard to see her like that. Locked in a cage and there was nothing I could do to help her. I just wanted to run and stake them all. To free her and take her home.” Gavin sighed.
“I am sure Liam and Ahiga will come up with a rescue plan. She and your baby will be returned to you.” Kali told him.
“I hope so. She looks ready to give birth. We don’t have much time left. I know we can’t just go charging in with a stake. I know we need a plan of attack and we need more muscle. This is all new to me. I don’t want to lose her or the baby in this,” Gavin told her.