Black Heart: Wild On

by TW Gallier

  "Yeah, and I could punch my fist through your head, too," I said.

  "You are not a nice woman," Angelique said.

  "Said by the whore Antoinette sent over to seduce me," I said, and looked over at Antoinette. She was just thirty feet away, so could hear me fine. She smiled and laughed. "Go away, Angelique."

  "You won't hurt me," Angelique said. "It's Wild On, and there's a truce in effect."

  "I've already killed four vampires tonight," I said. "One more won't matter."

  "What?" Mercedes said. Everyone around me looked horrified. "It's not allowed."

  "Tell Jeff Howell. He's the one that set his undead thugs on me," I said. Werewolves and vampires were scrambling away. I suppose to tell their lords and masters of my transgression. I shrugged. I lived in trouble lately. Dane stood up. "What?"

  "If you broke one of the rules, then maybe we'd better leave," Dane said.

  "After I speak with Jeff," I said. "Get your clothes. And bring me mine."

  While Dane hurried away to get our clothes, I headed around the bonfire. Jeff was speaking with Piers and Timmy. It seemed to be a rather animated conversation. I listened in, shaking my head at Jeff's audacity.

  "I will not hand over one of my wolves to you because his disappearance upset you," Piers said.

  "He is in league with Black Heart," Jeff said. "He must be punished."

  "No, he must not," Piers said. "Unless you want to fight the whole pack."

  "I have my own pack, and they are a lot more dangerous," Jeff said.

  "You have a pack?" I said. Jeff did a double-take on me. Talk about surprised. Then he scowled at me. "Which pack? Not Black Moon or Red River. I thought the only vamps with their own pack were the Trudeau Family."

  "We are," Henri said.

  Henri was standing with Tara, Rod, and Otis. A number of alpha werewolves were standing with them as well. The werewolf leaders regarded the argument with varying emotions, mostly distaste and anger. No wolf likes it when a vamp demands anything. Demanding a pack turn over a member was out of the question.

  "Sable claims to have killed four vampires here at the Wild On tonight," Lolita declared, surprising everyone but me. I glanced over my shoulder at her. Antoinette, Vanessa, and their vamp families were trailing behind. "She's callously violated tradition and our werewolf brothers' trust."

  "No, I defended myself against the four vamp thugs Jeff Howell sent to kill me," I said. I grinned at Jeff, who looked totally pissed. "By the way, Jeff, don't wait up for Francisco, Jerry, Tanya, or Sid. I gave them a one way trip to Hell."

  "All lies," Jeff said. "She murdered my family members, and is trying to convince you I sent them after her."

  "Actually, I heard them calling out her location," a werewolf volunteered.

  Everyone, werewolf and vampire alike turned accusing eyes on Jeff. Didn't look like he enjoyed being the object of their anger.

  "Where are they?" Jeff demanded, stepping towards me.

  "In the woods," I said. "I don't want them found and reanimated before sunrise, so I can't tell you any more than that."

  I could've mentioned I removed all of their hearts, but what fun would that be? Let Jeff go look for them. He'd figure it out.

  "I'm over a hundred years old, Black Heart! Don't fuck with me," Jeff said, eyes flashing darkest death.

  "You know what? Francisco said almost the exact same thing. Then I killed him," I said. "Go figure."

  "You're playing a dangerous game, Sable," Henri warned, though there was a tiny smile on his face.

  "Maybe, but I came here to enjoy a nice hunt and orgy, and instead Jeff tried to have me murdered," I said. "And to add insult to injury, the craven coward didn't have the cójones to try and kill me himself."

  "So be it," Jeff growled. He started toward me in earnest. "I'll kill you myself."

  "No!" Piers said, and morphed into a wolfman.

  Every alpha there morphed. Jeff stopped and looked around warily. None of the vampires were offering to help. A few like Antoinette, Otis, and Yuan Kwang seemed amused by his predicament.

  "You will pay dearly for this insult, Sable."

  "Hey, he knows my name," I said. "Jeff, stop being an idiot. Better, older, and more dangerous vampires than you have tried to kill me. They're all dead. Think about it."

  "I'll be thinking," Jeff said. He gave me the most withering look I'd ever seen. Then he morphed into a bat and flew straight at my face. I ducked and waved him away, and Jeff headed straight for the woods to look for his lost vamp thugs.

  "I think you might've bitten off more than you can chew," Dane said, handing me my bundled clothes. "He isn't council because he was pretty."

  Chapter 16

  "There she is," Kale said. "The house I've been working on for so long and hard is finally finished."

  I glanced out the window and the sight sucked my breath away. It was a majestic old Victorian. Three stories high, with a turret in one corner, it had deep porches and balconies.

  "It's gorgeous, Kale," I said. The yellow paint with white trim popped, without overwhelming the senses. "You did a great job."

  We were on a date. Timmy was supposed to be calling home today. He should've called them during the day, while I was sleeping. I would call the Saxons after the date. That would end my obligation to the Saxon family. And after the previous night's "excitements" I was looking forward to some fun and relaxation time.

  I felt I'd been neglecting Kale too long. Besides, he was becoming more and more uncomfortable around everyone else. We were too violent for his tastes, and I had a knack for getting into major trouble.

  We were dressed to the nines, for a Kale date. He wasn't a formal kinda guy. Kale was jeans and boots and Country-Western dancing. So he was in snug jeans, his best snake-skin boots, and a bright Western shirt.

  I wore one of Heidi's designer dresses. It was blue silk with pink flowers, accessorized with a pink belt and matching strappy sandals. She even loaned me a diamond choker and matching bracelet, with pink diamonds. That was probably the most expensive jewelry I'd ever worn.

  "Let's go inside," he said.

  The visit to the house was surprise enough. I really didn't expect to go inside, but whatever he wanted. After all, Kale was justifiably proud of his renovation. And I loved big old Victorians, too. He knew it.

  The house sat on a large lot, with six really large pecan trees. Very shady. The lawn was a thick carpet of San Augustine grass, still the khaki color of winter dormancy. At the end of the driveway was a detached three car carriage house garage.

  "Does it have a basement?" I said. I couldn't tell. The deep porches and thick holly shrubs hid the base of the house well.

  "Yes. It'll make a great game room or media room," Kale said.

  I had to smile at his excitement. Underlying his excitement and pleasure was worry. Was he afraid I wouldn't like it?

  "It has two master bedrooms," Kale said. "One on the first floor, and another on the second. The first floor master opens onto the back porch, and the upstairs one has a balcony."

  Walking across the front porch, I listened to the sound of our footsteps. A vampire could hear her enemies coming with floors like that.

  "Hardwood floors throughout," Kale said when he noticed where my attention lay. The house had double front doors. I personally didn't care for them, but they certainly made moving day easier. "And all windows have steel shutters that roll down from the top. The whole house is light tight."

  Oh, that got my attention. Steel shutters that rolled down from the top? I've never heard of such a thing, but what a great idea. Even if I wasn't a vampire I'd like that. Talk about great security.

  The first floor was one delight after another. The entry had a grand staircase. The living room was spacious with high ceilings. There was a formal dining and library. And a gourmet kitchen. The master suite was huge, easily a quarter of the first floor.

  Upstairs, there was another "family room" that the three second floor bedroo
ms open onto. The third floor was a converted attic that wasn't divided up at all. Just a really big room. Lots of great storage.

  "Four bedrooms?" I said.

  "And six and a half baths," he said.

  "Six?"

  "Yep, and a half," he said. "Counting the basement and attic, there are four floors and two master suites. They all have bathrooms, though the basement bath is just a half bath."

  "Tell me, did you prepare this to sell to a vampire?" I said. "Light tight seems aimed at a specific market, but not preparing the basement for a vampire is odd."

  With a secret smile, he nodded. "Come with me."

  The basement was the largest I'd ever seen. There was enough room for a media room and a game room. There was a separate utility room with washer and dryer connections down there, too. And he'd even covered the floors with hardwood flooring.

  "Nice," I said. It wasn't divided up, but how hard would that be? A nice little vampire master bedroom could be put down there easy enough. "How much are you asking for this place?"

  That set his heart to racing. He averted his eyes, feigning pleasure. But he was suddenly very stressed. The real possibility that one of my enemies was blackmailing him into leading me into a trap crossed my mind.

  "You'd be surprised," Kale said. He paused to regain control of himself as subtly as possible. Did he really forget I had a link to him, and could read his emotions like a book? "But I haven't shown you what we came down here for. He walked over to a wall. It was beautifully paneled and stained a rich brown. I watched as he took hold of the light fixture, and twisted it. The wall opened up. "Voilà! Welcome to vampire central."

  It looked like a massive vault built into the wall. There was a steel door inside the hidden door, with an electronic control panel. Kale pressed his thumb to the scanner, and the door hissed open on hydraulics.

  "Throughout the house are hidden escape routes only a vampire could access," Kale said. "The safe room has four more escape routes."

  "You put a safe room in?"

  "It was already here. I updated it," he said.

  We went inside, and there was a king-size bed against the far wall. It was more than a safe room, too. It was a suite of rooms. Bedroom, huge bath, two large closets and an extra room.

  "Where are we? Under the driveway?"

  "Yes," Kale said.

  "This is incredible," I said.

  "And it can be all yours," Kale said. "Cheap."

  His stress level peaked. We were alone in the house, so no attack was imminent. He was stressed about how I felt about the house?

  "I don't want to cheat you," I said. "But I also don't think I can afford this house."

  A little panic set in. Kale was really counting on me buying this house. Why? Did he need the money that badly? Or was it worse?

  "I'll sell it to you at cost."

  I stepped back. That was bad. Very bad. Sadness engulfed me. My eyes started to burn.

  "Do we scare you that much?"

  Kale froze. I could feel all of his emotions whirling within him. We did scare him, but he was ashamed.

  "I'm afraid to bring my children home," he said. "I'm afraid a vampire will follow me to their house and kill them after I leave. Just to spite you."

  I worried about the same thing sometimes. Vampires were all capable of being incredibly cruel and vicious. Even me. I tried to keep my darker side in check, as did most vampires. Sometimes we lost the battle and went rogue. Some believe that every vampire, no matter how good intentioned, would go rogue eventually.

  My phone started ringing. I didn't want to be interrupted, so turned it off.

  "I'll take it," I said. It was time to move on and let Kale return to a normal, safe life.

  "Are you sure?" he said, now feeling relieved.

  "Yes," I said, wrapping my arms around him and laying my head on his chest. "It's the perfect house. How could I not love it?"

  "I designed it with you in mind," he said.

  "You did great."

  Kale's phone started ringing. He glanced down at the display.

  "The house phone. This is probably for you," he said, and answered it. "Hello?" He listened a second. "Hold on. It's for you."

  "Hello?"

  "Sable! Why did you turn your phone off?" Desiree cried. She was hysterical. "Turn on the TV! Turn on the TV!"

  "I don't have a TV," I said. "What's happening?"

  "Oh my God! Oh my God!" she cried. "They did it! They are all but saying they did it!"

  "Did what? Who did what?"

  "They burnt down vampire owned businesses," Desiree said. That's all she had to say. I knew who they were. For a second I wanted to curl up and hide under a rock.

  "What was burned down? Who owned it?"

  "I don't know. I just turned on the TV and there it was," Desiree said.

  "Thanks, Desiree. I have to go find out what is happening," I said, and hung up. Handing Kale his phone, I powered mine up and hit a preset. Boney answered on the first ring. "Boney, what is happening?"

  "Jesus, Sable, the whole fucking world is blowing up," Boney said. "Those stupid 'holy warriors' burned down a dozen businesses. Nine of them were actually owned by vampires. How did they figure that out?"

  "I don't know. People can be resourceful when they're up to mischief," I said. It was worse than I thought. "Which vampires were hit?"

  "Antoinette, the Trudeaus, Vanessa, and Jeff Howell. They really hit Jeff hard," Boney said. "Four of the nine businesses they burned down were his, and made up the core of his wealth. The Trudeaus and Vanessa each lost one business, and Antoinette lost two very lucrative gentlemen's clubs."

  Okay, the fact they hit Jeff and Antoinette the hardest kinda pleased me. At least they were hitting the worst of the lot hardest. I did not like the fact they hit Vanessa. Of all the council members, she seemed the most rational. But she looked like she could have a temper, too. And hitting vampire mafia is just plain suicidal.

  "Thanks, Boney, I can always count on you to fill my heart with dread and foreboding," I said. He chuckled. "Any good news?"

  "No. Nothing but bad news," he said. "Antoinette is livid. Jeff was already angry from last night's humiliating defeat, and now this. And you are tied to them, so he will be doubly pissed."

  "Do we absolutely know it was mine and Timmy's parents that did this?"

  "They are on TV all but admitting it," he said. "That Saxon bastard looks so damned smug, too. He's pissing me off just with that attitude."

  Ice filled my veins. The phone slipped from my fingers and clattered on the floor. Kale grabbed my shoulders, fear filling him as well. Fear for me.

  "They are on TV admitting they are burning down vampire businesses," I said. Disbelief filled his face.

  "Nobody is that stupid."

  "Wanna bet," I said. I grimaced. "They have God on their side."

  Picking up the phone, "Boney, you still there?"

  "Yes. Where did you go?"

  "La-la land," I said. "Did they say why they burned the businesses down?"

  "They want Timmy back."

  "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Timmy, you bastard!" I cried to the Heavens. "Why didn't you call them!"

  Kale backpedaled three steps, alarm filling his face and aura. The phone was crushed in my hand. I still had minutes on that phone, too.

  For the second time that evening my eyes started burning. I was shaking. Trembling. I couldn't stop.

  "It was supposed to be over," I whispered. "I found Timmy. I found him! Dammit. I asked him to call home. I demanded it, and he agreed." I squeezed my eyes shut, fists clenched. "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid."

  Truth was I didn't know if I was calling myself stupid, or my parents and the Saxons. We were all stupid. Timmy was stupid for not calling, and that failure gave our parents time to do something monumentally stupid. So we were all stupid, especially me. I shouldn't have trusted Timmy to call. It was my responsibility.

  "What's happening?" Kale said. "What can I do?"

>   "You? Run and hide," I said. "I have to stop a massacre. Take me back to the house."

  While Kale drove, I started making calls. I called Dane and Gabe. They were my best firepower, especially Gabe since he kept an incredible stash of weapons. I called Sabrina and told her to go to Kale's house, too. Heidi was already there.

  By the time I finished with the phone calls Kale pulled up into his driveway, behind Desiree's red Dodge Charger. Sabrina's silver Mustang was parked on the curb behind Heidi's silver BMW SUV. My battered black Mustang was in the driveway, too.

  "Are Dane and Gabe coming?" Sabrina said the second I walked in the door.

  "They are going straight to the church," I said. "But first they are gathering up all the guns and silver ammo they can carry."

  Everyone seemed dressed for battle. They all wore jeans and jackets, with the straps of shoulder holsters visible. Even Heidi, which was a first for her, was dressed for a fight. Heidi, though, was wearing a black latex catsuit, knee boots and leather jacket. Heidi and Sabrina had their hair back in ponytails.

  "Where are we going?" Desiree said.

  "Are you sure you want to do this?" I said. "I mean, you've never gotten involved in the fighting before."

  "Don't worry about me," Desiree said, smiling grimly. "I haven't lasted eighteen years on the streets without being tough."

  Eighteen years? She started at thirteen? I shuddered. But she was right, and God knew we needed the extra help. I glanced at Heidi, trying to look all badass, but she was just too pretty and feminine. Of course, she was a vampire so was incredibly deadly.

  "You and Sabrina are going to the church," I said. "It's already setup for defense against vampires."

  "Are Momma and Daddy already there?" Sabrina said.

  Good question. I called everyone but them. I just assumed. Probably not a good idea to assume. I mean, I assumed they were sane and wouldn't do anything suicidal, and they proved me wrong.

  I picked up the house phone, calling my father's cell. He answered on the fourth ring.

  "Daddy? Where are you?"

  "At the church," he said. He sounded stressed.

  "Are you all right? What's the matter?"

  "Nothing. Nothing," he said, but there was something. "It's just we were attacked by a trio of vampires. One of the men went outside of the circle of crosses, to his car, and was attacked."