Returning the hug, Amp felt she was finally safe. Looking at the other woman, she had the thought Amylee would have made a great mate for Danner, if the two hadn’t had so many life style differences. Amylee was a classic beauty, tall and thin with pale skin, long dark hair, and huge, chocolate eyes. She was mid twenties, and Amp had always looked towards her as an older sister type. Amp had a feeling Amylee had always been in love with Danner, and would have done anything for her friend.
Morgan was Amylee’s sire, and the master of their coven. He was a good man who operated several successful businesses, and kept his coven close, living in a compound outside of the city on 100 acres. Amp and the guys had been there many times, and Amp felt almost like she was going home. She wasn’t sure how many vampires lived at the compound, but she estimated at least 50.
Walking outside, she saw there was a stretch Lincoln waiting at the curb in a no parking zone, the driver casually chatting with the LA County Deputy who was patrolling the area. As he saw Amylee’s group approach, he quickly opened the rear door, the group ducking inside, and they were on the way.
The drive took an hour, the driver expertly moving through the busy traffic, Amp and Amylee content to watch the scenery, each lost in their own thoughts. Amylee wanted desperately to know what happened to Danner and Riley, but it could wait until Amp was settled and refreshed. It was obvious the girl had been through a traumatic experience, and the briefing could wait until she was comfortable.
The limo passed through the gate of the compound, passing the main house, and pulling up to one of the small cottages several hundred yards down the lane.
“Morgan thought you might be comfortable in a cottage rather than the main house, with all the activity going on around here. I had one of the girl’s run out and find some things you might need, toiletries and underwear, a couple pairs of jeans and t-shirts. I hope I got the sizes right. Tomorrow evening if you feel up to it, we can go into LA and do some shopping. Why don’t you get a shower and when you feel like it, come on over to the house and you and Morgan and I can talk.
“I don’t know how to thank you, Amy. I feel so lost without the guys. I’ve never done a whole lot of anything on my own. I’ll be over in a bit. I need to get some money from our accounts; can you show me how to do it on a computer?”
“Sure thing, Amp…oh, I forgot…have you fed lately? We have a supply of bags if you need, or if you rather, we have several human employees around, most who have no problem donating. We are extremely careful with them, so if you want a human, please don’t get crazy, we kind of value our assets.”
She was smiling, but Amp knew Morgan, like most vampire Lords, had many humans who he had groomed for these things, and their rewards were many, including extended life spans, as well as a great sexual gratification every time they gave blood.
“I’m good, thanks. I fed this morning. I had a boat captain bring me from Alaska, and he was very accommodating. I’ll be over later. Thanks Amy; I’ll explain it all to you.”
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As Amp finished the story of the massacre in Alaska, there was silence in the room. The shock of losing two friends was dominant, but the knowledge the rogue vampire had desecrated several decrees was high on the lists of atrocities.
Morgan sat in a recliner, sipping a glass of white wine as he patiently listened, not interrupting until Amp was finished. Amy sat on a loveseat next to Amp. The fourth person in the room had not been introduced. He was leaning against the door and hadn’t moved the entire time Amp was speaking.
“First of all Amp, I am so terribly sorry for your loss. I have known Danner and Riley for many years, and I considered both of them close and dear friends,” Morgan began.
Although he had been turned when he was twenty one, Amp knew Lord Morgan was more than 500 years old. An inch shy of six feet, he was all man, almost a contradiction to his gentle nature. Amp had watched him work out with martial arts on several occasions, and knew he was put together as well as any man she had ever seen. His courtly manners hid the deadly side she knew existed, and often wondered how many of his enemies had underestimated him.
“There is no rhyme or reason for what happened in Alaska. This Wilson character broke several edicts, more than enough reason to seek remuneration; his guarantee of your safety is something never to be compromised. Throughout our species history, this guarantee has been ironclad, even between blood enemies. Furthermore, I do not condone his men using shotguns to take down Riley, although it seems I’m living in the past. More and more vampires are carrying and using firearms these days. It’s more than distressing he displayed our friends in such a grotesque manner following the murders…I am appalled…and a bit sickened. What do you say, Silas?”
The man leaning on the wall straightened up, and looked at Amp as he spoke.
“I also knew Danner well, and Riley and I have met on occasion. I don’t think we have ever met, Amp. My name is Silas, and I handle much of the security here at Morgan’s home. I applaud you for your bravery in the fight, as well as the message you sent to this Wilson person afterwards. You are a brave child, and you have nothing to be ashamed of. Your friend commanded you to run, and you obeyed him. You did exactly what you were supposed to do, and for this I respect you deeply.”
Amp had not told anyone how ashamed she felt for running, but this man had picked up on her feelings, and his words were a salve to her inner bruising. Looking at him, she noticed for the first time how large he was. Well over six and a half feet, his black jeans, tailored pullover shirt, and cowboy boots made him a formidable looking man. His shoulders were broad and appeared to be made of granite. His light hair was cut short, in a military cut, buzzed on the sides and a bit left on top. His eyes, Amp thought, were full of honesty…and kindness. He had a long scar down the left side of his face, the cut having missed his eye by less than an inch, ending near his lips. The mark added, rather than detracted from the rugged beauty of the warrior.
“The question now is, what will we do…if anything? What is it you would like, Amp? I think I can speak for Morgan, as well as the rest of the household, in stating you are welcome here for as long as you like. Our home is your home, and we all mean it. But I have a feeling there is some unfinished business you have on your mind.”
Looking around the room, Amp knew she was among friends. The older vamps considered her an equal, and the story of the Alaskan murders had escalated their opinion of her. Finally, her eyes returned to Silas, and she told him what she wanted.
“I’m going back there…to Petersburg. And I’m going to kill every member of his family; and spike every one of their heads on his fence. When I’m done, the Beryl Wilson lair will be laid to waste. I don’t know yet how I will do it, or when, but I’ve got some money Danner set back, and I have a couple of friends, and I’ll come up with a plan. But I made a promise to Danner and Riley…and I’ll take every head on the island. After I’m done, it still won’t be enough…but it’s all I have.”
Morgan stood up and crossed the room, kneeling down in front of Amp. Taking one of her hands, he spoke softly, looking the girl straight in the eyes.
“Amp, we all say things in the heat of passion, or battle, or stress; things we can’t…or don’t want to, complete. I want you to take as much time as you can to think about your vow to Danner and Riley, work it out for yourself what you want and what you are capable of doing. I don’t want you to go off half cocked and get hurt…or worse.”
When Amp answered, her voice was ice. Nobody in the room had a doubt about whether her mind was set.
“Morgan, I appreciate your hospitality, I didn’t know who else to call. I will stay here for a few days until I get things in order…with my bank accounts and stuff. But don’t ever doubt what I told you about my vow to my sire. I will find some way to destroy Beryl Wilson, if it takes every penny I have…even if it means sacrificing myself. Beryl Wilson is a dead man, and I am the girl who is going to send him straight to hell.”
Morgan stood, his eyes still locked with Amp’s. Turning, looking at Silas, a slight smile crossed his face. Silas turned and left the room, Morgan taking his seat in the recliner.
“Amp, you are in no shape for a fight of any kind. You were very fortunate to get out of Alaska alive. If it is all right with you, Silas is going to start a training regimen for you starting tomorrow. Before I send you from here, I want him to sign off on every aspect of your skills. I refuse to see you enter a life and death situation ill prepared. This means sword fighting, martial arts, hand-to-hand combat, and archery, as well as becoming familiar with modern weapons. This is not going to be a picnic, Amp. Silas will drive you so hard you might hate him. Any questions?”
Amps face finally relaxed, a smile appearing for the first time since her friend’s deaths. “No questions, Morgan. I’ll train hard, and Silas will not find me lacking for effort. I promise
you. Thank you. I didn’t come here expecting this type of help; I came because I was hopeless. You’ve given me a great gift, and I will honor you for this. Goodnight.” Turning, Amp walked out of the room, a glow finally gracing her skin.
------
The training sessions with Silas and his staff was like nothing Amp had ever dreamed of. They started at eight every evening with a ten mile run at human speed, more to build self-control and discipline than muscle. This was followed by sessions of martial arts, modern weapon training, ancient weapon training, boxing, and what Silas referred to as kill class.
Kill class was devoted to learning everything about vampires; predominantly their strength and weaknesses, and how to gain advantage of their vulnerabilities. Amp was the type of vampire shielded from the race, having traveled with her two companions for a century with little contact with other members of her race.
This had been Danner’s way, and Riley and Amp had nothing else to compare it with. The information she was gleaning in kill class was all new and intriguing to her.
It was during these sessions of kill class Amp discovered vampires could be killed with a number of human weapons. Enough trauma to a heart or a head would render their recovery process useless. The old tales vampires could die only from a stake to the heart, or having their heads cut off was nothing but one of many urban legends. A shotgun blast to the brain or heart was as handy as a stake. Now she understood Morgan’s disdain for human weapons.
She discovered holy water had no effect on vamps, but silver did; an odd allergy nobody could figure the cause of. Silver would cause severe burns if in direct contact with vampire skin, as well as draining their strength, much as a severe case of the flu might a human.
As for sunlight, many people believed sunlight would ignite a vampire, instantly killing them. Although sunlight was not ideal for a vampire to spend time in, it would take a day in a desert to cause death. Amp had always been able to walk in the sun for short periods of time, but used sunscreen and covered up due to the likelihood of sunburn.
Amp had always wondered if some vamps actually slept the sleep of the dead, as portrayed in popular novels. She had always slept normal, awakening whenever she wanted, never in a grave or a coffin, preferably in a soft bed with three pillows. Of course Amp and other vampires slept mostly during the day, for no other reason but to stay out of the sun. Silas explained horror writers couldn’t sell a lot of books if vampires were portrayed as a semi-normal race.
“We’re strange enough, but the extras they throw in the stories are what sell books and movies,” he explained to Amp. “The no heart thing makes no sense whatsoever,” he laughed. “We have blood, we live on blood, so we need a pump to circulate it; which is the purpose of a heart. We would be in pretty bad shape without a pump. Fiction authors will say whatever they want in order to sell books, and some of it is rather bizarre, in my opinion.”
Silas explained that there were many covens around the world, and each country had a semi-governing body that policed the race. The exceptions were people like Danner and his crew who moved around very few years. Because they stayed out of trouble, nobody gave them a hassle. Then there were the rogue vamps whom preyed on humans, who believed humans were meant to be hunted and killed. They were usually tracked down and eventually eliminated by the policing authority. Then there was Wilson and his ilk who set up shop in an out of the way place, keep a fairly low profile, and make their own rules. They should be eliminated if they are breaking vampire law, Silas explained, but the option of going to war with a large coven is distasteful to most.
“Chance is Wilson is a rogue, should have been hunted down years ago, but he found a way out of it, created his own little world, and disappeared off the radar.”
“Would going to war against Wilson be distasteful to you?” Amp asked.
Silas gave the question a long moment of thought before he answered.
“No, going to war is never distasteful. Warriors fight when they are told to fight. First and foremost I am vampire…and I am warrior. I have been involved in many vampire disputes throughout my lifetime, but I’ve also been a part of many human wars, including the Civil War and both World Wars. Now I pay honor to Morgan by doing his bidding, and for this reason alone, I would crush Wilson if ordered. My sire is dead, and Morgan is who I have sworn my allegiance to. But also, Danner and Riley were friends of mine. Not close, personal friends, but friends nevertheless. I understand your need to retaliate.”
“Do you think Morgan would be open to the idea of joining me against Wilson? I thought maybe it’s why he has me training with you.”
“I think it’s something you and Morgan will have to work out, Amp. If ordered, I will destroy Wilson. Without Morgan’s order, I will not move against the Alaska coven. I am Morgan’s warrior, and I do not pretend to be anything but.”
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During the months Amp trained with Silas, the teacher could not believe the devotion the girl showed to her lessons. Never had he known a student so committed as this one. Amp would spend all of her night’s training, and most of her free time finding partners to practice with her.
The girl was a natural, born to fight, and the other students, as well as Silas, grew to respect the fire burning within her. The hand-to-hand combat classes grew to be wars, Amp handling men twice her weight, inflicting as much damage as Silas would permit. She wasn’t particularly fond of using the human weapons, the guns bringing back horrible memories of Riley being blown off his feet during battle. It was the sword fighting classes where she excelled, shocking Silas with her natural ability. It was as if Amp was born to fight with a sword, and after being instructed for several months on technique, strategy, and discipline, Silas privately told anyone who would listen Amp was one of the most skilled sword fighters in the world.
It finally got to the point Silas felt the need to interject some type of diversion to the fanaticism the girl was displaying. He started pushing her out of the gym, forcing her to enjoy life a bit more. She was difficult to rein in, but his gentle manner and obvious affection finally convinced her to spend more time taking care of Amp, rather than constantly training to kill.
During this time Silas and Amp developed a friendship going well beyond that of teacher and student. Silas tried, subtle at first, and then a bit more aggressively, to fill the void created with the death of Danner and Riley. The two often took trips into the inner city to feed, separating and hunting on their own, then meeting back and enjoying the night life of the giant city.
It was one of these nights, sitting in a club near Hollywood, the two enjoying the loud music and scantily clad girls, Silas finally brought up what had been on his mind.
“Amp, I don’t think it’s a good idea, going back to Alaska. If what you told me about this Wilson guy is true, his insanity and paranoia will keep him on constant alert. You’re not going to be able to sneak up on him, and you’d have to have a small army of skilled warriors to attack his compound. It would be suicide, honey. To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t want to lose you. Friends like you
don’t come around often.”
“Then go with me,” she said.
“I go where I’m told to go, you already know that,” he said, smiling warmly at her. “If I was a loner, I’d jump at it. I love a good fight, and I love you like the sister I never had. I think you better prepare yourself for Morgan’s decision. Knowing the way he does business, I think the odds are long that he’ll send anyone to Alaska. Everything in this coven is based on economics, and if the projected bottom line doesn’t justify the output, it’s not going to happen. Emotions play a very small part in Morgan’s decisions. Just stay here with us…with me. We can have a great time, doing just what we’re doing.”
The conversation was taking a melancholy direction, and Amp felt it down to her bones. Sadly she looked into Silas’ eyes, knowing that she was going to lose another friend soon.
“I love you, Silas. You’re a good…no, a great friend. And I am so tempted to stay here with you, just fight and party and be with you forever. But my heart is driven to finish this thing, and that’s what I’m going to do. Don’t ever think it’s easy to give you up. But I’ve got an obligation, and I’m seeing it through to the end.”
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As the months slid by, it was obvious to Silas that Amp was as talented in the art of killing as any he had trained. Secretly he wondered if he could defeat her on a one-on-one battle. He hoped it would never come to that.
It had been close to a year when Morgan invited Amp to his personal quarters, Amp finding Silas and Amy waiting for her as she entered the living room. After greetings, Amp took a seat, hoping with all her heart that Morgan was going to go to war with her.
“I have a proposal for you, Amp, and you have all the time to think about it you want. First of all, we’ve been doing an in depth workup of Beryl Wilson’s business dealings. He is involved in several shady enterprises, things that should be shut down for the betterment of everybody concerned. But he also has a few very lucrative investments, and his annual gross earnings from these dealings are roughly 15 million dollars. That’s not chicken feed…rather impressive for someone of Wilson’s sort.”
Kill Wilson (Petersburg Vampires) Page 5