She tugged on her boots, strapped them up, and then wrapped her thick mane of hair into a tight bun against the back of her head. After grabbing her tote bag of weapons, she pulled the door closed behind her and took twelve flights of stairs down to the lobby to meet the other three members of her work unit for tonight.
Danny, who was known as D-209, pushed off a wall near the door when she came down. D-0008 and D-57, both males, had just walked off the elevators.
D-209 grinned. "Ready for some fun?"
D-0008 cracked a smile, gnawing on chewing gum. He ordered boxes of it every week and had them shipped directly to the front desk. A different flavor for every day. "Lead the way, Boss."
Chapter 4
Elaina and her crew caught the gang of rogue vampires in the act not too far from campus. It was easy to scout out the bloodsucking murderers. All they had to do was follow their instincts, which led them to a frat party. The six o’clock curfew didn’t extend off campus, so, of course, the off-site partygoers didn’t heed the warnings.
As the music blasted from the open windows of the two-story mansion that housed about a dozen frat boys during the semester, rogue vampires were in the process of sucking their victims dry. It was possible that no one heard their screams or even noticed they were gone. By the amount of noise coming from the interior, there looked to be a good amount of partiers crowded inside.
Elaina made out the three vampires feeding on a human male and female through her riflescope. By their state of half-dress, she figured they’d been making out before the rogues struck. How unfortunate.
Her post was on the roof of an adjacent, unoccupied mansion. The other three members of her unit were on the ground, surrounding the vampire suspects in an attempt to prevent escape—if they tried.
The vampires were too involved in feeding to realize they were caught and about to be shot dead. Well, dead was an understatement. Executed. Blasted from the face of the Earth.
But one wrong move from any of Elaina’s crew, and they would all be busted and possibly fail their mission. The vampires could disappear at any moment, free to murder again, which would be the worst case scenario. Even worse still, however, the rogues could turn on Elaina’s crew, and they’d become the victims.
Since her crew had been given orders to execute, the best way to do that was to strike from afar with little to no contact—which also ensured a successful kill.
Elaina already had her assigned target in her scope before the order was given by Danny to shoot.
When she fired, her bullet hit the target clean through the head. Even though she was far away, she could tell she had a direct hit by the way the vampire’s head popped back from the force of her bullet.
The other shots were fired almost simultaneously. The rogues never had a chance as each team member’s aim was precisely positioned to kill. The vampires withered away next to their human victims, never really knowing what had hit them.
Elaina wished all assignments and rogue executions were this clean, but she knew that wasn’t possible. The rogues were weaker than full-blooded Dresdan, especially if they were just made. And by the way these three had mindlessly attacked the college campus night after night, anyone could tell they’d been desperate for blood and too weak to prey on anything other than students.
Tonight’s assignment was completed. Three murderous predators were off the streets, but, of course, there were hundreds, possibly thousands more to go.
Chapter 5
Vampires were fucking all over the goddamned club. Even in plain sight.
Vicq could sense it in the air, see it at every turn he made around a corner, and could even taste the erotic thrill in the blood exchanges being made that night.
It was an initiation night, which meant a human had recently been turned and welcomed into a coven. Besides Vicq's, there were four other covens here tonight in the bar. They had traveled from all the way across the country to get here. It was a good thing many of his coven members were strong enough and old enough that they didn't need to travel the human way. Shifting from city to city in tandem at the speed of light made the trip shorter. Of course, it never allowed time to enjoy the views.
"The weather is nice here," Eli said from across the booth. A vampiress was cuddled up beside the young scientist, her thigh draped across his lap and her fingertips tracing his bare chest.
"Of course," Vicq agreed. "It's not like the east coast."
"The chicks are hot, too," Eli said, grinning at the vampiress, who looked content to be his toy for the night.
"You southern vamps are always so straightforward," the vampiress commented. "Too bad you can't stay."
Vicq turned away as the two became intimate in the booth. Tonight was the perfect excuse to be reckless and indulge with no worries or cares, but for some reason, he wasn't up to it. He'd refused every female vampire in here that had freely offered herself for anything more than a little blood. He was glad his coven members could take part. With all of the tension back home and the rogues crossing into their territories, he was sure the party was a relief to many.
"Go get us some drinks," Eli told the female.
She immediately got up and sauntered off through the crowd toward the bar.
When she was gone, Eli leaned over the table and said, "You're not having fun."
Vicq shrugged. "I'm not the partying type. I just like to chill and save all my energy for the thrill of the hunt.“
"That's not it. You’re not the type to get a thrill out of killing your own kind, not even those poor rogues. I sense you’re overthinking things.”
"You do?"
"Don't worry. Our sanctuary is secure. Not even a bear has made it past the barriers we set up. There's nothing that can get past without us knowing."
"I don't know about you, Eli, but I don't plan to spend my nights hidden behind the walls of that sanctuary. It doesn't help that we're hunted by both our kind and this vampire slaughtering agency."
"Ah, but that agency is mostly killing rogues, so that's less work for us. And we’re not rogues.”
"To a human, a vampire is a vampire. To that shady agency, a vampire is a killer. In their eyes, we are the enemy. Do you think they would hesitate to kill you because you are not a rogue?" Vicq asked.
"Good point."
"Plus, we have sound evidence that rogues aren't their only target. They've hunted Dresdan for years and have even managed to take out some of the older ones."
"But now we know what we're up against. We won't walk into their traps like the rogues or those under Russo’s orders. You told us before that we have to wait for the right time to strike and shut down this vampire killing agency."
Vicq clenched his fist on the table. “Someone will pay for the ill-treatment and senseless terrorism, and for those who have perished at the hands of those bastards.”
Chapter 6
Vicq and the attending members of his coven didn’t leave the initiation party until well past 3AM. They were halfway across the country when they realized that they were being followed. The blood scent lingering in Vicq’s wake wasn’t familiar and didn’t belong to any he knew. Vicq called out to his coven members where they gathered at a deserted bus station. Since they traveled in groups by trailing each other’s blood scent, it took some time for everyone under his command that night to appear. Trailing was the vampire equivalent of following someone, or in this case, tracking someone down without their knowledge.
“Some of us are being trailed,” Melrose said. The redheaded, former lead guitarist was one of the first to fully materialize in front of Vicq.
“I sense it, too.” That could only mean that there was more than one suspect. Vicq’s fangs dropped as he picked up on more unwanted presences among his coven members. Many unwanted presences.
Eli unfolded beside him, his eyes burning red. “And they aren’t rogues…”
Rogue vampires had a slightly different blood scent than that of their Dresdan brethren. Because the
y killed humans when they drank, they always smelled of the bile and other unsanitary elements of their victims. Those things associated with the scent of fear right before death.
Eli was right. These were not rogues. They were Dresdan-kind.
As the last of the coven members gathered in the lot next to the bus station, a thick mist began to seep between their boots where they stood, indicating that uninvited vampires were there but had not yet materialized.
“Show yourselves,” Vicq demanded.
“We don’t come in peace. We’re here to take all of you in.” The reply echoed around them, but the source of it was still not identified with so many invisible intruders around them.
“In? Where?”
“Russo.”
Vicq grimaced. “We’ve denounced ties to Russo. We’re not going anywhere.”
“Then we have orders to kill.”
After that declaration, the rivals revealed themselves, and all hell broke loose. There were at least two Dresdan Soldiers for every one of Vicq’s coven members. It was probably only by chance that they were out in the middle of nowhere at a secluded bus station. This was a sight not meant for human eyes. Vampires going head to head with other vampires. It only showed that they were threats to each other and uncontrollable. Vicq’s coven members attacked with blistering force. They were all intent on not being forced to serve Master Vampire Russo, whose hatred for humanity had become so great that he failed to punish rogues who killed humans unjustly. Russo’s train of thought, tactics, and missions weren’t like the former Master. A Master who’d respected human life and outlined boundaries his followers adhered to in order to keep the peace. But Russo had betrayed and murdered the prior Master—a Dresdan who’d also been Vicq’s Maker. And for that one simple act, Vicq would never acquiesce to Russo or refer to him as Master. Vicq had severed ties with Russo and fled the Court.
Three minutes into the group fight, and Vicq was certain more blood had been shed than what had been consumed that night. Evidence of the carnage lay in puddles in the parking lot, and on Vicq’s skin and under his fingernails.
He had no taste for their blood—which no doubt would’ve made him stronger. The only bloodlust he favored that night was that which thirsted for destruction and the death of those who threatened his existence.
When only one of Russo’s Soldiers remained alive, the night grew silent as Vicq’s coven members glanced around to make sure they were all accounted for. No one under Vicq’s leadership had perished. Good.
Melrose dragged the surviving Soldier and forced him to kneel in front of Vicq.
Still panting and heaving air into his lungs, Vicq wiped the blood off his hands onto the Soldier’s shirt. “What is the penalty for failing to execute orders, Soldier?”
Vicq was only taunting the vampire. It was too bad he couldn’t speak. Melrose had already ripped out his voice box and her nails were dug deeply into his shoulders, holding him upright.
Russo’s brand was embedded in the flesh of the Solider’s chest, and seeing it now through the ripped remnants of his clothes caused rage to erupt in Vicq’s heart. Images of the vampire who’d made him flooded back to Vicq. Zaket had once been Master of the Dresdan Court until he gave up hope of leading a unified Court, and Russo, his most loved Superior, had betrayed him. Vicq’s Maker was dead because of Russo. One day he’d avenge his Maker’s untimely demise.
Vicq struck, severing the Soldier’s head. It landed some ten feet away with the littered parts of the others. He’d probably done the Soldier a favor. The penalty for failing to execute an order was death. Dozens of Russo’s Soldiers had failed tonight.
Vicq looked out at his coven members and loyal followers. “Good work. Let’s regroup and get back to sanctuary.”
Chapter 7
Vicq revved the motor of the Ashton Martin and made it through a yellow light only a millisecond before the signal turned red. This particular city district was known for its high crime rate, so he had to watch out for swarming cops and FBI agents. He didn’t need to attract attention at the moment. Especially since he was hot on the trail of a black van belonging to the agency he had come to hate so much. No insignia marked the van to identify any affiliation. A normal corporation would have something like that on a company car to market themselves to the public—but not this corporation. Instead, Vicq was able to confirm that the van belonged to the vampire slaughterers by the distinct license plate numbers on the front and back of the vehicle. The plates always began with the letter D, followed by the number 5, and then a series of other distinct numbers and letters. Any time he had ever come in contact with a vehicle belonging to this network, the coding was all the same.
Vicq had just left an antique shop after checking out the new arrivals. He’d found the place by doing a search online seeking more vintage wooden models for his collection. It was only coincidence that he was forced to take a detour that brought him near an orphanage for teen boys where he first spotted the van parked. As he was driving by, the occupants of the van had just concluded their business. The driver had rolled the van door shut before Vicq could get a good look inside. He found their actions strange and highly suspicious. Of course, everything about that organization was suspicious and deceitful.
Vicq followed the van for another twenty minutes, not sure where it would lead. Finally it turned into the parking lot of North Heights Health Clinic. To avoid blowing his cover, he drove by the clinic without stopping. He circled the area, parked the vehicle, and used his abilities to shift through the atmosphere.
The clinic parking area was empty, except for a couple stray vehicles near the front and the van he’d followed there, which had been strategically parked near the back. The clinic’s operating hours were displayed on the door indicating that it was closed. Most of the lights were turned off inside.
Vicq blended with the shadows and crept to the backside of the building where the van remained idle. The driver had already exited, yet another male sat waiting on the passenger side. A sturdier man wearing blue nursing scrubs came outside from the back door of the clinic to meet the driver. He carried some type of medal box in his hand. Vicq also noticed that the driver had a suitcase. There was a handshake between the men and then a few words were exchanged.
Vicq honed in, calling on his abilities again to pick up on the conversation despite the distance.
“…the heart.” The man in the nursing scrubs had just finished talking.
“Here’s half of the cash as requested and another delivery.” He flipped the suitcase open momentarily to reveal stacks of money. “Three adolescent boys. One with the same blood type as the previous one. If you get us more organs, we’ll double the payout.”
“I’ll need more than double,” the man in the scrubs replied.
“You need to call the Heads about that. You want ‘em or not? They ain’t dead yet, just like you requested.” The driver gestured to the rear of the van. “They’ve all been drugged and are unconscious. That makes it easy for you, right?”
Vicq’s blood boiled below the surface and his fangs thrust downward as he realized what was about to transpire. Just earlier, he’d watched the van leave an orphanage and end up at a clinic. Now the men were talking about hearts, adolescent boys, and death. This didn’t seem right at all to Vicq.
The man in scrubs handed the driver the metal box. “Give me my money….and the boys. I’ve got more bidders lined up. You tell ‘em to triple my payout or I’ll take another deal.”
They made the physical exchange and then the driver produced a set of keys from his pocket and opened the back of the van. Sure enough, there were three boys lying motionless on the floor of the van. The boys had to be no more than thirteen or fourteen years old. Pubescent young boys. Human. Innocent. And they were about to be taken advantage of, and possibly have their organs harvested and sold to the highest bidder.
The men had already begun to drag the boy’s bodies from the vans.
Vicq cringed as he
processed the situation and acted without another thought. He pulled out a Kalis dagger from the sheath in his trench coat and shifted from the man in scrubs to the driver at the foot of the door. He slit their throats one by one. The execution was so sift that the only noise Vicq registered was two limp bodies hitting the pavement and gurgling sounds as they suffocated to death.
The passenger in the van was oblivious to what had just happened, or maybe he really wasn’t interested in doing his job anyway. His eyes bulged outward in surprise when Vicq grabbed the van handle and tore the door off the frame. The man shook in fear as his gaze shifted up and down over Vicq. A rubber strip was wrapped around his meaty arm, and he held a syringe filled with clear blue liquid in another. He’d been in there shooting up on those drugs while his partner transacted business. His eyes were glossed over and he seemed high as a kite. It was all the confirmation Vicq needed to conclude that whatever drugs were given to this agency’s employees, that it was harmfully addictive.
Vicq captured him by the shoulders, lifted him up out of the van, and buried his fangs into the man’s neck. This wasn’t a feeding. He despised taking blood from this scumbag, but he needed to know.
These men worked for that shady organization like scouts. They were killers. They hunted down humans, handed them over to clinics funded by their organization, and brought the organs back to be used in some kind of research lab.
Vicq hadn’t realized he had snapped the man’s neck until his blood flow began to dwindle, resulting in him having to make more of an effort to take memories. Content on the information he pulled from the criminal, he dropped him carelessly on the ground, and then circled back around to the side of the van where the boys were left. He checked their pulses. They were still alive. Drugged, but still breathing.
At the back of the clinic, Vicq located the gas line and ripped it in two. It didn’t take him long to find a lighter in the glove compartment of the van. He torched the clinic. Usually he would watch as it burned to the ground, but not now. Dawn was approaching. He picked up the suitcase and moved the boys from the van to the back seat of his Ashton Martin. Because of the small interior, they were nearly piled one on top of the other. They were so drugged up that none of them seemed to care.
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