The squeal of a door opening made her stop.
“I heard something,” a man said. “I think it came from in here.”
The voice sounded different, not as deep as the one she’d heard on the phone. Katie reached behind her and pushed the sheathed dagger underneath the waistband of her jeans, having no other place to stick it without making a sound. Then slowly and quietly, she stripped the sword from its casing.
“Look, the window is open.”
“No one is here. I heard the car drive away.”
Katie held her breath as she recognized the second voice. She’d spoken to him the night before.
“There’s one car still outside. Someone is here.” The other vampire she couldn’t identify sounded irritated.
“Something isn’t right. I can feel it. We should look around outside.”
Katie twisted slightly and braced her feet on the roof. She slid the case between her thighs to keep it from falling and making noise. Gripping the handle of the sword tight in her hands, she lifted it slowly. She was a few feet from the window, but close enough to make a clean swipe. Even if she only severed hands, it would greatly slow the vampire down. No hands meant he couldn’t hold weapons to use against her.
“You look outside,” the unknown vampire said, his voice moving closer. “I’ll check out the rooms.”
Fingers came into Katie’s view. She held her breath. The vampire stood on the other side of the window with his hands on the edge of the frame. But he wasn’t venturing out any further.
“I don’t see anything,” the unknown vamp said.
Irritation flushed through Katie. She wanted to chop off his hands at least, but how could she if they weren’t out far enough for her. All she needed for him to do was move further outside the window. If only she could get him to inch out more.
In a sudden revelation, she figured out how to get his attention. She loosened her thighs and let the casing fall. It skidded down the roof with a slight scraping sound.
“Did you hear that?” the unknown vamp said excitedly.
“Brandon, don’t!”
A head protruded from the window. Green eyes met her and she swiftly brought the sword down with all her strength. The blade sliced through flesh and bone with ease and jammed into the shingles. The vamp’s head hit the roof, rolled down, then leaped off.
Katie lost her balance with her sword stuck in the roof. Her foot slid and she fell on her rear. “Fuck!” She continued sliding down. Reaching the gutter, she shoved her feet in it to stop her from falling off the roof.
“Brandon.”
She heard the other vampire yell and glanced over her shoulder. The headless vamp hanging from the windowsill suddenly disappeared inside the house. Blood oozed down the white siding.
“Son of a fucking bitch!”
While the other vamp continued to curse, Katie felt overjoyed. The vampire, who she now knew was Brandon, was stupid enough to look out the window because he heard a noise. And his partner couldn’t stop him. One vampire gone meant she could face the other head on without waiting for Riker. Game on.
The cursing vamp stood in front of the window. Compared to Kyle and Riker, he had a bulkier build and short, dark hair. The description matched the one Ben had given her.
Green eyes glowed brightly, identifying his true nature and anger. “I hope you’re ready to die.”
Katie grinned. “Come and get me.”
He turned and disappeared from her sight.
She took the dagger from the back of her pants and removed the sheath. Without wasting another second, she scooted to the edge of the roof, then dropped from it. She hit the ground hard and bent her knees to keep from injuring one. Still, they tingled slightly from the force of the landing.
A few feet from her, the head of the vampire lay on the ground. Void eyes stared at her. Even though Brandon no longer existed, she continued to have the urge to mutilate him–jab at his face and gouge his eyes. Hatred toward evil vampires was now deep rooted within her, like a thick and strong weed that would never die. With a deep breath, she realized revenge wouldn’t satisfy her enough.
Footsteps raced toward her. She took one of the smaller knives strapped on one of her calves and straightened, gripping both sharp blades. The minute she turned, she saw a small, shiny object in the air flying toward her. She crouched and it flew over her. Though she was curious to learn what Mr. Vampire threw at her, she didn’t have time to look since he was running toward her.
Katie rose and lifted her weapon as the vampire thrust his own knife at her. Metal clanked together as his blade clashed with hers. Like her, he held one knife in each hand. He attacked with full strength, forcing Katie to step back. One swing came from his left, then another from the right, again and again. She blocked each attempt he made to slice her. He was strong, but his moves were predictable. Amateurish, she thought as she stepped back and let him think he was wearing her down.
Growing tired of their repetitive knife-to-knife combat, she decided to spice up the fight. She brought her leg up and gave a healthy kick at one of his knees. Following a loud crunch, the vampire groaned and bent in pain. She took advantage of his pause, swung her right blade at downward angle along his face and swiped her left one across his upper torso. Both sliced his flesh and drew blood. He also needed a new shirt. She lifted a hand to quickly attack again, but he regained his balance and snarled at her with bright green eyes and long, pointy fangs. She took a step back and chuckled at the scare tactic.
He wiped the blood from the side of his face, smearing it over his cheek. “You can’t win.”
“I’m willing to bet I can.” She gripped the daggers and stretched out her arms, welcoming him to make a move toward her. “Care to test me?”
He rushed at her, as she had expected. Their blades clanked against each other again as he tried to strike her down. She held her ground this time and added a few swipes at him, which he successfully blocked. After several clashes, he thrust the knife low, aiming for her gut. The move took her by surprise and she jumped back. Then she swung at him and hit his wrist. A tingle crawled up her arm while their fight continued as normal. He attempted another jab at her stomach. Again, she shoved his hand out of the way.
“You have to do better than that, vampire.” She teased.
In a move that took her by surprise, he kicked her in the gut. She flew back and hit the ground hard. Although the blow caught her off guard, it wasn’t the first time. Kyle had snuck in many snap attacks at her. The trick was in the response. If she took the slightest hesitation, even a fraction of a second to gather air or acknowledge pain, the attacker would best her. Wanting revenge instead of death, she leaped to her feet.
Mr. Vampire stood in front of her, growling and holding the sharp blades tight in his hand. He swiped one at her. She sidestepped out of the way. He quickly attacked with another furious swing. She blocked it. The strikes came fast and her arms trembled slightly each time she stopped him. While his strength gave him the advantage, she had a few of her own too–flexibility and she knew how to dance.
Fighting with sharp daggers resembled dancing in a waltz without the hand-to-hand contact. Katie stepped to the side and backward, letting the vampire lead the way most of the time. He exerted more energy and she effectively blocked every move he threw at her. When he thought he had the upper hand, she’d push forward and take a jab at him. The move worked every time, drawing blood and growl from Mr. Vampire. And similar to a ballerina, Katie flexed her body in ways to avoid his blades and get a swipe at him. She slashed and poked at his lower extremities such as his gut, groin and legs. In little time, his clothes became soaked with blood while she only had a few nicks on her forearms. Kyle had taught her to move with grace and let the opponent believe he has the upper hand. Then, strike back viciously. He never gave her bad advice.
Drops of rain hit her face and arms as they continued with their melee in the front yard. The moisture and cool breeze felt good to her heated f
lesh, but if a downpour occurred, it certainly would add to the challenge.
Katie’s arms grew weary as she blocked his powerful swings at her. She sliced him three times more than he nicked her. Blood dribbled down her arms and she ignored the pain, focusing on causing more injury to Mr. Vampire. When she bent to avoid one of his swings and dragged her dagger down the length of his thigh, his temper flared and he growled. As she straightened, he came at her in a Mike Myers move, aiming to stab her in the chest. She turned quickly and the knife sliced deep along the side of her arm from shoulder to elbow.
Sharp pain radiated in vibrant thumping waves while warm blood ran toward her hand. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the injury and swung back strongly using her good arm. His blade clashed with hers. He thrust his other knife at her and she leaped back, knowing her injured arm couldn’t protect her from his attack.
Mr. Vampire grinned. “Your blood smells delicious. I look forward to ripping your throat out with my teeth.”
Katie shook her hurt arm in an effort to keep the blood from slickening her grip on the dagger. “In your dreams, vampire. Only in your dreams.”
He flashed his long fangs and assaulted her with more slashes. Katie brought her blades up and stopped them, but her one arm was weak. She exerted more force with her good arm and used it to help defend, which meant both daggers were blocking at the same time on occasion. She had mere seconds to fight back, having to take a more defensive approach. The vampire sensed this and swung at her furiously. She managed to jab his gut a few times, but not enough. He pushed her further into yard, closer to the driveway. He swung fiercely and knocked the dagger from her injured hand. The blade clanked on the pavement as it scurried away.
Katie leaped back to avoid his oncoming blade. She blocked the next one with the one weapon she had left. He had her at a disadvantage, but she wasn’t out of the game yet. Using her flexibility, she avoided most of his strikes. She took a few slices across her chest and on her sides. Nothing that wouldn’t heal quickly from Kyle’s blood, but the pain still burned like hell.
Mr. Vampire made an upward swing with one of his knives. The tip of the blade sliced along one of her breasts and up her neck before she stepped back. Her foot caught the edge of the driveway and her ankle twisted. She cursed as she lost her balance and fell on her ass with a loud gasp.
“Katie!” Ben yelled.
The vampire twisted and she peered to his side. Ben stood on the steps of the front porch, arms stretched out and with a gun aimed at Mr. Vampire.
“Don’t look at his eyes!” She hollered.
He fired two shots in succession. The vampire flinched and snarled. He took a step toward Ben, but stopped as if frozen in time. His body stiffened and he released a loud roar. The loud scream forced Ben to cover his ears. Since normal bullets didn’t have much of an effect on vampires, Katie wondered if Andy had given Ben the ones tipped with acid.
Seconds were golden when fighting a vampire and Katie knew it first hand. She rose to her feet, gripping her dagger. “Run Ben!” She yelled right before she leaped on the vampire’s back.
The vampire growled and twisted, trying to force Katie off his back. His efforts did little to move her since she had a strong grip on his hair and had locked her legs around him. Using her good arm, she slid her blade across his throat. He jabbed at her with his knives. Her shoulders took the incoming slices, but didn’t stop her from slicing deeper into his throat. For a split second, her stomach churned with deep disgust while she carved into him. To avoid spewing, she thought of her deed like cutting ham with a bone.
Using all her strength she held on to him, ignored the stabs and dug her blade deeper into his neck. More blood spilled over her hand. Finally, he fell to his knees, then forward. With a few last swipes of her blade and a strong jerk on his hair, his head broke free from his body.
Rain began to fall in big drops and made a soft clatter when it hit the ground. Katie slowly rose to her feet, one leg on each side of the vampire. She held his head in one hand and gripped the dagger in the other. Closing her eyes, she tilted her face toward the dark sky and let heaven’s tears caress her skin. In the distance behind her, Katie heard an engine approaching, but she didn’t look. Her heart hammered at her chest and intense feeling of rage and justice washed through her. She’d won for Kyle, but the threat of vampires continued to exist. More lives would end if she didn’t do something to stop them.
“Katie,” Ben said.
She lowered her head and opened her eyes. Through the pouring rain, she found him running toward her.
“Katie. Oh my God.” He halted near her, glanced at her hands, then met her gaze with wide eyes. “Are you all right?”
“Peachy.” She swung her arm and tossed the head past Ben, in the direction of the other one.
A truck raced down the driveway, heading toward the house. Katie instantly recognized the blond behind the wheel. Why did the vampire always insist on driving?
She stepped away from the decapitated body and strode toward the truck approaching. She had a few words to say to Riker and the time had come to do it.
Riker brought the vehicle to a quick stop a few feet from her, then shoved open the door. She headed for the vampire, her eyes locked on him, heart racing and fueled with enough violence and vengeance to scare any human. The cocky vampire met her powerful gaze with his glowing eyes. She halted in front of him and pointed her dagger at his throat.
“You want a war. I’ll give you one.”
Rain fell in her eyes and distorted her vision slightly as she held the tip of the pointy blade not even an inch from him. She believed they could be friends, but needed him to clearly know she was a force to reckon with if he ever hurt someone dear to her. As long as he played nice, so would she.
His lips curled into an amusing grin. “Bravo, Ms. Dillinger. Kyle would be proud.”
29
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go in with you?” Jules cut the engine, then twisted to face Katie.
“I can handle this. He knows vampires exist now. I just need to fill him in on some of the other details.” She reached for the handle. “But if I’m not out in an hour, be prepared to bail me out.”
“That’s not even funny. I think we’ve both spent enough time in that station.”
Katie grinned and nodded in agreement. She would’ve preferred to meet Ben somewhere else, but since Charles was in the hospital, Ben had stepped in as ranking officer to take over. He wanted answers to his questions and she had promised to deliver them, hence the reason for her return to the police station.
She tugged on the handle and pushed the door open. “If you’re running to the store, can you pick me up extra strength aspirin?”
A few withdraw symptoms had showed early in the afternoon. The battle with the vampire along with the many wounds he’d inflicted, had forced her body to consume Kyle’s blood quickly. All the cuts had healed, but light pink lines remained on the side of her one arm and on the inside of one of her breasts where the vamp had made a deep slice. She suspected they were scars since they’d yet to disappear. Time would tell. As for her headache and the tenderness in her bones, she’d taken everything she had. She felt fine for the moment, except for a touch of nausea. By midnight or sunrise, she estimated the symptoms would confine her to the bed, or the bathroom. Any kind of pharmaceutical help would ease the agony soon to come.
“Got it. Cleaning supplies and aspirin.”
Katie stepped out of her Camaro. “See you in a bit.” She shut the door, then headed toward the entrance of the police station.
The sun shined bright with a few clouds spotting the sky. Fresh air filled her lungs and a sense of peace calmed her soul. She’d won the battle, but the war had yet to come and she had much to do in preparation for it. The first step involved convincing others of the threat and gaining their trust. Andy was her boss and ally. Jules supported her too. Now, she needed to win over Ben.
She tugged on the handle and op
ened the glass door. Following the same routine as all her other visits, she stopped at the check in window.
“Hi, Ben Hildebrand is expecting me. I’m Katie Dillinger.”
The officer on the other side with sandy blond hair tied behind her head gave her a frown. “One moment please.” She picked up the phone and hit a button.
Katie stepped away from the counter and meandered into the waiting area. After spending all morning and early afternoon resting, she’d called Ben a few hours ago and arranged to meet him. He’d informed her of his evening shift, but eagerly agreed to meet sooner. It was the first time she’d spoken to him since he left the farmhouse before midnight. His tone had been surprisingly calm. She’d expected him to ask questions, but he didn’t. Maybe he’d accepted the truth. Maybe her visit was to confirm what had happened at the Jennings orchard and she could walk out in ten minutes. A chuckle bubbled inside her at the thought. Yeah, and she was the Virgin Mary. She highly doubted she was walking out in ten minutes.
The click of the door seized her attention. Ben stepped out. Upon meeting her gaze, he angled his head toward the hall. “Come on back.”
She walked past the doorway, then paused for him to lead the way to his office.
“Been busy?” she asked as he escorted her down the hall.
“Outside the thousand questions about Charles, not really.”
“That’s good. Right?”
“Yeah, I guess.” Reaching his office, he stopped and held his arm out. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
She stepped past him and into his office. The neat and orderly set up hadn’t changed since the last time she came for a visit. Stopping in front of one of the chairs, she turned to face him. “No, I’m fine.”
She took a seat as he shut the door.
“Thanks for coming to see me.” He walked around the desk and rolled out the chair.
“I did promise to provide an explanation.”
He sat and then scooted closer to the desk. His serious eyes stared at her and she suspected her visit might pass more than an hour.
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