by Shae Shannon
“I can’t sleep without you. Why don’t I come help, that way we can get it done faster and I can be in the arms of my big bad vampire?”
“Aah, my little go-getter. Blake and I have a few preparations to make, and final touches to do for security. It’s nothing major, but we have to get it in place before the sun rises. It can wait a little longer. I will lie with you until you sleep, love.”
“Okay, but if I wake up and you are gone I am coming to look for you, so you better do some vampire voodoo to make sure I sleep hard and don’t have time to miss you.”
Smiling, Gabe settled in beside her, pulling her into his arms. “Do you want me to? I can put things in your mind to make you drift right off to sleep and have peaceful dreams until morning.”
“The only peaceful dreams I want come from being curled up safe and sound next to the man I love. No amount of magic can replace that, Gabriel Jacobs. You best remember that.”
“Yes, ma’am. Now get that sweet little ass over here and take your place, woman.”
Chapter 7
Gabriel relished in the feel of his enchanting little witch curled up in his arms. She was the missing piece of his puzzle. Her spunk kept him on his toes and tamed his overly dominating personality. He was so very proud of her for the way she handled tonight, but even more so for the sudden invasion of his thoughts. Never had he thought that she would be able to learn so quickly, much less with no guidance. This just proved that she was going to be even more amazing than they had anticipated. Tomorrow he would push her and try to get her to break out and take it even further. He would have to make it discreet so she didn’t pick up on what he was doing.
He had been so lost before she came, in a world of monotony, wishing he could sleep the next five hundred years or so just to make time pass faster. He thought his heart had blackened and formed ice barricades around it decades ago. One look at his little minx and his heart tripled in size and pumped molten lava through his veins. She erased all of the hollow, miserable existence and replaced it with purpose and true heaven. Lying here, his chin resting on her head, the smell of coconuts and the sweet ocean breeze wafted from her silky hair. He was relaxing, relishing in his true blessing when his body went rigid. Someone is coming. A vampire.
With lightning speed he was able to slip out of bed and barricade Chloe in the room. With a few quick flips from a hidden control panel behind the headboard, the doors were reinforced by a thick metal that contained silver components to take care of any parasite vampsquitos who may have flown into the wrong lair. He had vanished into the hidden passage behind a bookshelf that connected their room and the room that Amy and Blake were occupying. With a flash, he was standing beside Blake, startling him and causing a hand to flash toward his throat. Gabe was so much faster and stronger, and this action was easily countered, enabling him to make his identity known before too much time was wasted. He flashed the images in his mind to Blake, who acknowledged with a simple “Let’s go.” Gabe knew that he didn’t know the vampires that were approaching—their thoughts were unknown to him—but they smelled like decomposing death and the brimstone of hell like the rest of the rogues. He did see that they were weak and had no experience keeping their thoughts to themselves. They were here for the girls. Unaware of which was of the Shalay bloodline, their genius plan was to take both and figure it out later. They reeked of death and darkness and were heavily armed. He knew by their thoughts where they were positioned and what they were going to do before they had the chance to do it. He relayed all of his info silently to Blake, knowing that his one and only true friend would know exactly what he was planning.
The turned vamps were no match for Gabriel and Blake. Because they were purebloods, and really old purebloods at that, their reflexes and gifts were way beyond what even an elderly turned vamp could comprehend. When they reached the main level of the house, they both split faster than a strike of lightning. Gabe was on the roof in a flash, crouched down on the left wing of the house. He could see the three vamps slithering in his direction, all of which were carrying crossbows and bundles of wooden stakes. They were definitely here for a good time, and he would be sure they got what they paid for.
“Let’s teach these mudbloods a lesson or two, shall we, bro?” The telepathic message Gabe sent brought a boyish smile to Blake’s already adolescent looks.
“My thoughts exactly. Whoever gets the most heads wins. And to sweeten the deal, if you win, you get the castle in Ireland. If I win, I get your beachfront in Maui. Deal?”
“Sounds good to me, I just hate to see you let go of your favorite vacation spot. Just doesn’t seem fair.”
“A wee bit overly cocky, even for you, Gabe.”
“Naw, not cocky, dude. Confident. Okay, you have three coming around from the rear. There are two in the front along the tree line, and I have my sights on two on the left. I imagine there is a lookout somewhere. You can sniff him out. I don’t want to do all the legwork and make it too easy for you.”
“Thanks, bro. But you failed to mention the one behind the cellar entrance. Just another slipup due to you getting old and rusty. I can feel the ocean breeze already!”
“Now where would all the fun be if I just handed them all to you tied up in a bow? I am in my prime, old friend. Keep those images in your head, though. That way you still have something to hang onto after you are cryin’ over a pint of O-positive.”
Blake stifled a laugh to keep his position uncompromised. “Show time!”
In a flash of energy, Gabe flew off of the roof onto the first bloodsucker. He landed on his back, and in one smooth motion he had snapped the vamp’s neck. The action was flawless. In another effortless swipe, he had the head totally removed and tossed it away like a football. Mosquito number two had finally caught up and turned toward Gabe, bearing his fangs. “Aw, is someone a little cranky? I would be if I had to go around with fangs like that. Maybe they will still grow, dude. There are always implants to compensate.”
The vamp’s eyes turned black like the sweater he was wearing, and he leapt at Gabe, stake in hand. He radiated anger. Anyone in their right mind would be scared shitless. Gabe was a blur as he changed positions, readying himself to counter the attack and use the momentum against the soulless parasite. As the vamp reached him, Gabriel leapt from a crouching position, jumping cartwheel style over his head and taking his back. The disgusting creature was a little more experienced than his headless friend but still didn’t make Gabe’s heart rate change. He was still calm, cool, and relaxed, as if lounging on the couch reading a book. Gabe drew the knife from his belt, severing the head in a single swipe, and kicked it around hacky-sack style, ending with a final punt to send it hurling through the air to land aside the previous one. Before the head left the tip of his foot, a brawly, Frankenstein-looking rogue had sent an arrow whirling in his direction, aimed for his heart.
He sidestepped, but unfortunately his little game of hacky head cost him a small cut to his bicep and a tear in his favorite shirt. Fuck! Okay, you big piece of shit, you are taking away my fun. Now you’ve worn out your welcome. “This is my favorite shirt. Now I don’t want to play, which is unfortunate for you.” A loud snarl came from the vampire, his fangs fully extended and dripping with saliva. Gabe took off in a dead run, landed his fist in the rogues gut, flipped around, and brought his other fist against the side of his head. He could have killed him already, but he wanted a little revenge for his messed up shirt. The wound healed immediately, going almost unnoticeable. While the vamp was flying to the side, knocked off balance, and making his way to the ground, Gabe was like a beam of light pivoting around the vampire, or CJ as he had learned from the less-than-intelligent thoughts of his opponent. This dude was more than a tool. He picked up on a few thoughts that turned this exercise into anger. It seemed CJ here sexually assaulted a barely eighteen-year-old the previous night, before sucking every drop of blood from her helpless body. What was even worse than that was that he still kept it running over a
nd over in his head as if it was an accredited accomplishment. Yeah, this douche bag was definitely going to get a little repercussion for his past transgressions.
Gabe’s fangs descended. He waited until the vamp hit the earth with a loud thud and leapt on top of him, proceeding to punch him over and over in the face, shattering every bone in his skull. He let out screams of terror and pain gargled with growls of evil determination that echoed off the walls of the mansion. The vamp was thrashing violently, desperate to get away. Even the thoughts that were now seeping out of his head could probably be seen by a mere human and were of fright and pain. CJ managed to reach the knife that was holstered to his thigh and swung frantically at Gabe’s face. Gabe caught the knife midswing, wrenching the bastard’s hand and breaking the bones enough where they were protruding from his forearm before taking it away from him. He jumped up forty feet in the air, landing back on top of the evil slime bag, knifepoint down. It ripped through the chest with a simple swipe down the length of his body, gutting him like a fish.
“That is for the poor girl last night, you ghastly, maggot-infested piece of shit. I want you to feel the terror and pain that she felt before I send you to hell to burn.” The monster lay there, gasping and sputtering blood, his eyes glowing pure evil and hate. Before he could start to heal, Gabriel reached up and tore his head off, letting out a low, beastly growl.
Blake eased out of the shadows toward the not-so-stealth vampire trying to climb into the second-story window. He watched him climb, putting his opponent up against a brick wall, literally. In one lunge, he was on the back of the vamp, prying his wretched claws from the ledge. They plummeted to the ground as Blake leaned to make the wretched ignoramus land facedown on the rock walkway. It let out a groan when its face made impact. Blake took that opportunity to slam his fist into the infected creature’s spine, shattering bones.
“You are going to pay, pureblood!” The vampire growled and twisted, landing his foot against Blake’s groin. Blake jerked back, grabbing his junk and trying to ease the sting.
“Aw, hell no. You fight like a little bitch!” He ran full speed toward the vampire. The vamp tried to get up and move, but Blake’s speed was faster. Blake landed in front of him, nose to nose. “You are stupid. To try to fight a true vampire? I think that you have been sucking too much ganja blood, asshole.” In one swipe, he tore the head off of the attacker. The sound of the bones cracking and the pungent smell of his blood turned his stomach. “Nasty shit. Okay, I’m bored. Let’s get this over with so I can get back to my little hottie.”
He made his way around the corner where he spotted a figure hiding in the woods. So as not to tip him off, Blake lifted off the ground, rising above the tree line to hover over him. Five more minutes, and I am gonna be back in the arms of my little naughty angel. That will leave plenty of time to torture her smoking-hot curves and sink into her before daylight. Torture by orgasm. Definite game plan.
He scanned the area, making sure that he was the only opponent in the vicinity. He was still unnoticed, which was a bit odd even for a bloodsucker. Thankfully there was quite a wind tonight, and it was blowing in the opposite direction, so there was no chance his scent would be picked up. They must have brought a fresh born. Stupid. Definitely using the toilet paper of the breed to do their shit work. Whoever was behind this obviously didn’t know that the witch they were after was dating a pureblood. Maybe they weren’t up against a huge threat after all.
In a silent descent, Blake landed on top of the lookout. He landed a few lethal blows to the throat, head, and chest before the spy knew what hit him. He was going in for the kill when, before his eyes, the bloodsucker started morphing. What the fuck! What are they doing, getting Optimus Prime to butt rape the newly turned vamps now?
“Aw hell! Not a damn dog. There goes my snuggle time. Time to get serious. Okay, Rover, time to get neutered.” It appeared that he was wrong about the crafty lookout. It wasn’t a vampire but a werewolf. He still smells like a damn bloodsucker though, besides the wet, dirty-dog odor. What the hell?
The werewolf lunged at Blake, tearing his arm with one swipe of his claws. “What the hell? Since when did the dogs get speed like that?” He moved around the back of the werewolf, drawing his blade from his belt. He thrust the knife in the beast’s back, twisting it in to the hilt. The wolf let out a howl, wincing from the invasion. He moved to the front to try to get a clear shot at the mutt’s heart. Its huge teeth were snarled, saliva dripping and oozing from each razor point. He managed to stab the beast again, this time hitting its shoulder. The silver of the blade seared and burned the beast’s flesh. While Blake was removing the knife, the animal reached over and sliced his cheek, laying the flesh open.
“You son of a bitch!” Blake was gushing blood down his face. He knew that it would heal by morning without a single scar, but it still hurt like hell. “Okay, Fido. I am done fuckin’ with you.” The wolf growled in response, lunging to bite Blake’s bicep. Blake was ready for him and flipped over the top of him. While he was in midair, he thrust the knife in the neck of the hairy beast. Once again, the silver caused a burning reaction, cooking the wound from the inside. The dog mutant yelped like a hurt puppy, thrashing and waving his arms to get the weapon out of him. As Blake landed on the other side of the varmint, he went in for the kill. He wasn’t expecting the hooligan to recover so fast. Rover was already in full rebound, stampeding toward him. Blake was caught off guard. The beast caught him in the shoulder with his claws, shredding the flesh in one downward swipe.
“You are no match for me! We will get that little whore. Standing against us is treason! We will bring order to these contemptible humans! Our breed will become a species superior to all and rise above the pitiable purebloods!”
“You are just some freak mutt. I am surprised you can talk! Did you learn that in obedience school? Whatever ‘Pinky and the Brain’ plan you have is adorable, really.”
The behemoth wolf roared with frustration. That was the opportunity Blake was waiting for. As the beast threw his head up and flung his arms out, Blake slammed the knife into its heart. The silver started to go to work immediately. He fell to the ground, jerking and wailing as the fire caused from the silver blade torpedoed through its veins. It was then that Blake withdrew the knife and severed the head, putting the rumble to an end.
“Well, this proves all dogs don’t go to heaven, because I am sure you are going to be someone’s bitch in hell. Bowwow, motherfucker.”
Blake scanned the area and was satisfied he was alone. He made his way back around the house, where he found Gabe ripping off the head of one of the intruders, with the remaining two closing in. Like a gust of wind, he was next to Gabe, heading them off.
“Hey, bro! Are we having fun or what?”
“I was. You missed an epic game of hacky head. Then they went and pissed me off. I say we just rip their fuckin’ heads off, burn the bastards, and get back to what is waiting for us. We have to get the rest of the security stuff up tonight. I thought we had more time before the goons came out. I say we amp up the plans with a few light shows, if you know what I mean.”
Blake flashed Gabe his huge, boyish grin. “Hell yeah. We can fry the bastards before they even make it on the property line. Teach ’em a lesson! We need to have a discussion about the new breed of slime they are creating. I think it has something to do with your lovely little lady. If I had to put money on it, I’d say they are trying to create an army of frankenpoodles. We might need to do a little research on the subject.”
“Damn. Okay. I thought that these evil pieces of shit were bad enough. Add in dog breath and fleas and we might need to find how to exterminate this pest problem for good. Protection and a show! Ok, with these last two, let’s kick it old school.” With that, Gabe reached out, taking Blake’s hand. He was raised up in the air and swung around until his legs tied around the first goon. He released Blake’s grip and twisted around, using his legs as a noose to squeeze the life out of it. When the go
on fell to the ground, he used his supersonic speed to dismember the abomination. He picked up the head, tossing it to Blake.
“Here, bro, send me your best curve head.”
“Right on! Don’t miss it this time.” As Gabe took a severed arm, Blake hurled the head in his direction. With an impressive swing, the head was sent through the air in a home run. It landed with a splat and rolled to reside by the others.
“It’s a home run, ladies and gentlemen! And the crowd goes wild! Okay, next one is mine. Let’s finish this shit.” Gabe squatted down, placing one knee on the ground.
“Ready when you are! Finish this!” Blake ran toward Gabe, his vampire speed making him nothing more than a streak. In one step, he landed on Gabe’s knee, slinging up in a set of flips to end on top of the creep that remained. He sent an assortment of punches and kicks into the vamp, bringing forth grunts and groans topped off with blood splattering. He removed his blade from his belt and, samurai style, decapitating the ugly pest. He followed his friend’s example and tossed the head to Gabe.
“Batter up!”
“I am driving my grand slam with this fine leg here. Let’s go with the curve head. I always knock it a little too far left if it’s pitched straight.”
“You got it.” Gabe lobbed the bleeding, slobbering head at Blake, who slammed it up in the air, landing nice and neat with the others. “Good hit, but if we were keeping score, I won. That was definitely a fly ball, dude. You would be out.”
Blake’s eyebrows shot up. “No way. That was a clean shot.”
Laughing, the guys finished moving the bodies and burning all of the remains to ash. They went around the property, installing security cameras and lasers, booby traps, and other high-tech equipment that let them monitor everything from the inside of the house or their cell phones.
“Okay, Blake. We are ready. Let’s go get some rest and some lovin’.”