by D N Simmons
“Richard,” Darian greeted, cutting past his usual pleasantries.
The other man looked at him. “Darian,” Richard replied in the same fashion.
“Were you able to gather a distinct scent?” Darian asked.
“Yes. The shifter is male, and he’s a lion … which means he’s extremely territorial, more so than other male shifters. His scent inside of the truck is hours old, but the scent I smelled when I first arrived was fresh, had to be no more than twenty minutes old. He was just here. I’m suspecting he claims this scene as his territory and most likely wanted to see the commotion he created,” Richard replied.
“So, it’s just the one scent, then?” Darian noted. He was keeping track of how many were involved. So far, he had four vampires and one shape-shifter … more then he’d like.
Richard nodded. “Just the one … at this scene, that is. This is the ‘Second Phase’ Matthew told me about. I haven’t had a chance to speak with him yet, he’s over there.” He gestured toward his young Pack member standing next to Warren and two other detectives.
The two men stayed silent as they listened to the gossip around them, in hopes of gathering more pertinent information. Apparently, four children had been brutally slain. Their bodies had been partially eaten and mutilated. Body parts dismembered in some grotesque fashion as if it were deliberate. It was. Darian listened to Marshall speaking with the six detectives, giving them his report. The medical examiner said he’d never seen anything quite like what was in the freezer. He told them that the children looked to be between the ages of five and eight, no more than ten based on the size of the bones and skulls. He mentioned how intricate details were left on the remains from what he could see.
It was at that point when Warren stated; “it was left on purpose so that we could find out who the kids were”. Adding to that, Matthew said; “they needed to get in contact with the police throughout the state to see who had filed missing persons reports and in which city”. The detectives decided one team needed to stay to continue the investigation while the others should head back to the precinct in order to make those numerous telephone calls. Warren noticed Darian and Richard among the observers and once again, he excused himself, which seemed to make two of the other detectives curious. They watched as Warren made his way over to the crowd.
Darian and Richard stepped closer to the tape as Warren drew nearer. They had heard everything that was said and believed the officers were on the right track, but now both men wanted to know exactly what was on his mind that he couldn’t say to the others he was with, with the exception of Matthew. They also acknowledged that one of the other detectives was also a shape-shifter, a wolf. Both Darian and Richard found that interesting.
Once Warren was standing face to face, he began to speak. “Okay, I’m sure Xander told you about the mother and son and how she somehow felt compelled to buy ice cream, then when she noticed the empty truck, how she called the company to report it. The owner said that the driver never did check back in to report locations, and he had begun to worry. When she called him, he called the police because it was the end of the driver’s shift and he hadn’t returned the truck or signed out. That’s when Officer Brown came out here. Now I think there was some vampire manipulation going on here. I just want to know something, can you guys hypnotize people in your resting state?” Warren asked, performing an analysis of checks, balances and elimination.
Darian shook his head. “No, when we’re under a full resting state, we are not respondent. However, more powerful, ancient vampires no longer have to succumb to the resting state unless they want to. They can rest to regain energy, strength, but they are never completely under.”
Warren nodded. “How do you defeat a vampire that old?”
Darian held his hand up, silencing Warren. “This isn’t the place to discuss such things.”
“I agree. We may not be alone and we should be careful about what we say from now on,” Richard agreed.
Warren kind of understood what they were saying, but he was still slightly confused. “I get that you’re concerned that someone may be eavesdropping, but wouldn’t you be able to sense or smell them?” he asked.
Darian gave Warren a look that meant more than any words could have expressed. Basically, he wanted Warren to remain quiet.
“Never mind,” Warren said, getting the hint. He suspected that Darian didn’t want their enemy to know how much he knew about them. “Listen, I’m heading back to the precinct. You’ve got my number.” He walked away, rejoining the others and a few minutes later, four detectives drove away in two cars, leaving Gabriel and Barry to complete the investigation.
Darian looked at Richard. “We’ll keep in touch.” He walked away, taking flight once he was away from curious onlookers.
Richard decided to stay, just in case the lion came back to his “territory.”
***
Darian flew toward downtown Chicago, landing on top of the highest skyscraper the city possessed. He scanned the minds of all of the vampires he could sense in the area, seeing if any of them knew anything or happened to be a part of the coven he was tracking. After several minutes, his cell phone rang. He answered it.
“Mr. Alexander, this is Lisa from Desires Unleashed. A man called for you earlier today and left this message.” Lisa gave him the message Adan had left with her.
Darian memorized the message and thanked her for relaying it. He ended the call, before he could dial the number Adan had given him, he felt the aura of another. He looked up in time to see a beautiful man at least six-two, with cobalt blue eyes and long blond hair flowing past his shoulders, standing only twenty feet away from him. Then the man vanished instantly. Darian turned around, looking in all directions for the vampire. The appearance of the vampire was so instantaneous, one second he was there and the next, he wasn’t. He did note that the man was wearing a white shirt and black pants and shoes. He scanned his memory and realized that he remembered the man. He was at the crime scene amidst the crowd. At that time, he was simply another face amongst many, granted, it was an exceptionally handsome face, which may be the reason why Darian remembered him so well, but a random face none the less. Now, he was no longer just another person in the world. Now he was a recognized member of this coven, possibly the Master himself.
Darian suspected the vampire didn’t try to attack him because it’s all a part of some form of entertainment for him. He already knew the vampire Master was stronger than he was by the time of death of one of their victims. Now he knew what he looked like and figured that was just another game the ancient vampire was playing: revealing himself to prove that he wasn’t afraid of him. Darian was deep in thought when he remembered about Adan’s message. He dialed the number, still looking around carefully. He knew now that he couldn’t sense this vampire unless the vampire wanted him to; which disturbed him greatly.
Adan answered his cell. “Hello?” he asked, tentatively.
“Hello Adan,” Darian responded, recognizing the shifter’s voice instantly, “You wanted to speak with me.”
Adan exhaled, relieved to have finally made contact with him “Yes, Darian … I need your help, desperately. I wouldn’t have contacted you otherwise.”
“Does this have anything to do with the vampire coven terrorizing my domain?” Darian asked, slightly annoyed.
“I’m afraid so. I’m sorry for bringing this threat to your territory. I swear, it was not my intention, but as I said, I was desperate. Trust me, Darian, it wasn’t the least bit easy for me to come to you, but I have to ask, will you help me?” Adan asked, then he waited for a response.
Darian didn’t think he’d have much of a choice either way. “Yes, I’ll help you. Come to my home.” He gave him the address. “I’ll be there after I’m done here, but someone will let you in just in case you make it there before I do.”
“Thank you, Darian.” Adan said, “I won’t forget this.”
“Don’t thank me yet, just meet me there,”
Darian said, before ending the call. He contacted Elise and Xander, using his nifty three-way dialing technology. He told them only that he needed to see them and their entire communities at his mansion as soon as possible and left it at that. He wanted to wait until they were all there so that all cards could be placed on the table. He then contacted Richard and told him he wanted him and his Pack to be there as well.
“I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it, but I’ll send my Pack,” Richard said. “I don’t want to leave this scene … I have a very good feeling that the shifter will return and when he does, he’ll have me to face.”
“If that is your decision, I want Xavier to be there with you in case you’ll need assistance. He’ll be there shortly,” Darian suggested.
“Good, I’ll be here.” Richard ended the call.
Darian, with the use of telepathy, contacted Xavier, who had just put their son to bed and told him what he wanted him to do. Without protest, Xavier left the mansion, leaving Natasha in safe hands with members of their coven. He flew toward Richard, traveling as fast as he could. Darian continued to mentally search a few more beings looking for information a little while longer before he returned home. When he walked through the door, he was greeted by Natasha, who wanted to know where Xavier had gone to. Darian took a seat in the living room, relaxing a little as he waited for the others to arrive. He looked at her as she waddled to a chair, taking a seat. He smiled at the sight and then answered her question.
“I have a task I want him to perform. He’ll be back soon. Shouldn’t you be resting?” he asked, concerned about her pregnancy, and the amount of stress she was under. He didn’t want her stress to be increased anymore than it was, but he wasn’t so sure if he could prevent it.
“I’ve rested enough for one day, I want to be with you now. I can tell that you’re upset, feel like talking about it?” she asked.
“I will soon. I’m waiting for everyone to arrive.”
“I already know it’s got something to do with these vampires. I just heard on the news that four children were found murdered, their bodies left in the freezer of an ice cream truck.” Natasha was horrified, as was Xavier when they first saw the report on the television. It made her hold her son closer, thankful that he was unharmed. She felt nothing but sorrow for the mothers who would have to endure the aftermath of that senseless and brutal crime.
“You would be right,” Darian said in confirmation. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the cushion of the chair, calming himself.
Natasha watched him, but stayed silent. She figured he had a lot on his mind and wanted to get a moment to clear his thoughts. Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang. Billy answered it. A few seconds later, several members of Elise’s Pride and Xander’s Pack entered the living room. They greeted Darian and Natasha. Within an hour’s time, everyone who could make it there, were waiting for Darian to speak. Several of them looked at Adan, wondering who he was and why he and his Pride were there.
“I wanted you all here because we have information you all need to know,” Darian said, gesturing toward Adan. “I’m sure you’re all aware of the four children slain this afternoon.”
Several of them nodded, each horrified.
Darian continued. “Good, we’re all on the same page. I have seen who I suspect is the Master vampire of this coven … tonight.”
The room lit up, everyone wanting to ask him questions at the same time.
Darian held his hand up, silencing everyone.
“Are you okay?!” John asked, shocked.
Darian nodded. “I’m fine. He didn’t want to fight me. I believe he was simply toying with me, showing me that he wasn’t afraid of me … or any of us for that matter.”
Xander nodded. “Were you able to sense him?” he asked.
Darian exhaled slowly. “No. And that bothers me more than I’d like.”
“It means he’s stronger than you,” Natasha said, her stress levels rising.
Darian looked at her. “Perhaps you shouldn’t be here listening to this,” he said. He could hear her heartbeat increase its palpitations and that worried him. He didn’t want anything to put her and their unborn child’s health at risk.
“Please don’t start that. Hiding the truth from me won’t help in this case. Especially since the news keeps such good track of their activities,” Natasha said.
Darian nodded. “Very well. He’s either an ancient r old enough for ancient blood to give him the power he has.”
There were several gasps around the room. Mainly because they were all wondering how they were going to defeat a vampire stronger than Darian. The last time they met a vampire of considerable strength, she was a little over three thousand years old. Even then, Darian had to pull out everything he had to defeat her, they all did. Many were considering a time before that, dealing with Kysen, when Darian had strongly advised them not to trespass on the Master vampire’s land because he would destroy them. No one had doubted him, especially since Kysen had dominion over the entire state of Montana. So now, Darian tells them that this vampire is stronger than him. There was no telling how strong the shifter was or the other members of his coven were.
Darian allowed them a few moments to gather their thoughts then he continued. “I asked Adan to come here to address us all. He may have information which can help us.” He looked at Adan, opening the floor to him.
Adan nodded. “First of all, I would like to apologize for bringing this threat into your land. I really had no other choice.”
“Wait a minute, it’s because of you he’s here?!” Christopher asked, greatly irritated.
“Christopher!” Darian growled, silencing the young vampire immediately. He shocked the others as well; no one had actually seen Darian reprimand one of his vampires in such a manner. They did have to agree, Christopher was out of line.
Christopher looked at Darian, but remained silent, not wanting to anger his Master any more.
“Trust me, the last thing I wanted to be is a catalysts for the creator of death and carnage. And the last place I want to be is here, pleading for help,” Adan said, hoping he’d set the record straight. “Fact of the matter is, it was only a matter of time before this coven made its way into this territory. They’ve been chasing my Pride for the past week or so. I’ve only managed to escape them because of my own perseverance. When I first encountered him, he had accosted me on the streets of Bombay. That city doesn’t have a Master vampire, because I won’t allow it and those who have come to challenge me for the territory haven’t been strong enough or smart enough to defeat me. So when he came to me, I took it as a challenge. I told him to leave my land or die. He only laughed at me”
“Were you able to sense his aura?” Devin asked, cutting Adan off unintentionally.
“Only a little, only what he wanted me to sense. I thought he was young like the others who’d come before him. I had no idea he wasn’t interested in my territory at all, but my Pride. I told him again to leave. I told him that I didn’t want to see him again. It was then that he released his full aura, blasting it at me strong enough to slam my body against a nearby brick wall. At that point, I knew I couldn’t defeat him, I had never felt a vampire’s aura with that much power. I knew then it was either take my Pride and leave or die.”
“Did you try to fight him?” Justin and Devin asked at the same time.
“Will you two let the damn man speak?” Sergio and Adrian sad in unison. Both men looked at each other, surprised.
“Sorry,” Justin said as Devin nodded.
Everyone’s attention returned to Adan.
“To answer your question, I didn’t want to initiate a fight with him at that point, Sometimes displaying bravado isn’t the best decision. Understand I’m not a coward, but I’m not stupid, either. I know which battles I should pick and I have a greater responsibility to my Pride to protect them at all costs. My dying there in the streets wouldn’t have done them a bit of good. Regardless of that fact,
he attacked me. He was on me before I could get back to my feet. His nails were embedded in my neck when his hand closed around my throat. I could feel my blood oozing from the wounds. I remember him leaning forward, licking the blood, I heard him moan … it was eerie. It was then that he kissed me, forcing his tongue into my mouth. I tried to push him away with one hand and free my throat from his grasp with the other, he was immovable.” Adan paused.
Danielle placed her hand on his knee, wanting to comfort him. He looked at her, smiling sadly. He turned to the others.
“When he pulled away, he said, ‘You’re no good to me alone.’ Then he let me go and vanished. At that point, I knew I had to get home, but I didn’t know what I was going to run into when I got there. I didn’t know if he would be waiting for me to reunite with them to kill us together, but I had to take the chance. When I got there, I told them what had happened.” He placed his hand over his Matron’s. “Danielle suggested we wait until the sun rose to make our escape. I didn’t know when the vampire would come for us, but he didn’t come that night. When the sun rose, we fled the city. Boarding a plane to Pakistan, I had gotten permission from the Pack Alpha there to take Sanctuary. As soon as we exited the plane, I felt his aura.”
“My God!” Madeleine said, unable to contain herself.
“My thoughts exactly. My guess was, he had been watching us the entire time, cloaked. He watched as we left the mansion and boarded the plane. He then followed our plane, landing when we did. It was only his aura I felt and he wanted me to. He didn’t attack us until that night, hours later. It was almost sunrise when he and his coven converged on us, killing several members of Donovan’s Pack. They were very precise. It was as if they wanted to torture them for allowing us Sanctuary, and they wanted us to know this. The rising sun forced his coven into retreat. He went with them. I believe he joined them only to protect them. Donovan blamed me for bringing the threat to his doorstep; we fought … I won.”