It started to rain, not hard but it did make it more difficult to listen to the sounds of the forest. The vampire could hear a long way off but that also placed a lot of rain distortion in between, each drop producing some sound to a vampire’s sensitive ears. There was a rumble of thunder off in the distance as the wind picked up; bringing forest scents that had been out of range closer. Lightening lit up the area and then he saw it. The werewolf was circling as it had detected the scent of the bait. Its thoughts were as wild as it was as the circle got tighter. It was a male, a big guy, wild reflective eyes. Newly turned werewolves were generally quite wild until they got accustomed to their condition. Even those willingly being turned often had a tough time dealing with the aftermath. The sheriff watched as it ever so slowly approached the cage, its instinct told it to beware but it was unable to resist, the scent within maddening. The animal entered the cage and tore into the meat. It turned to discover that it was trapped.
Vincent blurred and approached the werewolf. It took time for such a creature to come to its senses and to avoid humans. He guessed that this werewolf was less than a month old. It did have some humanity in at in its current stage of development but he wasn’t sure how much. He was no expert on werewolves. “Well, well, what do we have here?”
The wolf chewed on the bars to no avail; its large teeth attempted to bite Vincent, closing hard with loud audible bites but it couldn’t reach. Although he had dealt with werewolves in the past, he remained impressed by its size and beauty. They were magnificent creatures. The werewolf threw its head up and howled at the sky, and it was a satisfying sound to the sheriff. They were creatures of the night and not often seen. He had always loved the sound of a howling wolf. It wanted to pace but there wasn’t enough room in there to accomplish it. It picked up a piece of meat and threw it at Vincent but he avoided it. It displayed its teeth and showed him images of what the wolf would do to him had he the opportunity. Again the wolf howled.
“You can howl all you want but you’re in there until at least daylight.”
Although the sheriff didn’t know it the werewolf was a 17-year-old named Brad Mason. He had been an average kid until he had been bitten by another newly turned werewolf. The transformation had affected his personality even in human form, becoming irritable and confused. Brad would become normalized in time, if he lived long enough. He was off to the worst start possible if he had killed a human.
“I didn’t kill that human.” Brad looked menacingly at the sheriff with his wolf eyes. “I was following a low level wizard that had drained the blood of other humans. I was trying to protect her but unfortunately I was too late.”
“Am I supposed to believe that?”
“Believe what you want but it’s the truth.”
Vincent was astonished to hear a wolf pack approaching; they were miles away but would be on him in seconds. He never expected a pack to show up but life was like that, unpleasant and unpredictable at the most inopportune time. Not sufficient time to decide what to do as he couldn’t just leave the werewolf trapped in that cage. Suddenly they were surrounding him. The alpha went over to the cage and stared in at the werewolf, with the wolf in the cage instinctively lowering its head as its tail went between its legs. It then sauntered over to Vincent and stared him directly in the eye.
“Release him!” The alpha werewolf made it clear that it was a demand and not a request. It tried hard to go into Vincent’s mind to control him but was disappointed to discover that it couldn’t. Only alpha wolves could mind at such a high level.
“This wolf has to be eliminated. It’s been killing humans.”
The others circled but it was only the alpha male that spoke to him mind to mind. “We’ve come a long way to add him to our pack. Fifteen hundred miles to secure him. Vampire, you won’t survive a fight with all of us. That head will come off.”
Vincent put his hand on his gun. “I’ll make sure that you die too, and you won’t be able to release him from that cage.”
The wolf emitted a low growl and was disappointed by the impasse. He couldn’t think of an easy way out. A minute passed as the alpha considered what to do next. The other wolves in the pack waited impatiently for the command to attack but didn’t receive it. The sheriff found the wolves to be such beautiful creatures; he was almost tempted to pet one but didn’t want to lose his hand. He sat back down on the tree and crossed his arms defiantly.
“He’s a werewolf and that makes him our business. We are battling nasty vampires and we need this wolf to strengthen our pack. Give him to us and I can assure you that he’ll never kill another human. We will owe you one vampire. What do you say?”
“I never killed anyone,” said the wolf from the cage.
The fact that the pack was willing to owe Vincent a favour was surprising; it was something that they rarely did because they were honor bound to keep it. It showed Vincent how much they wanted this wolf, and it was probably the best place for him. What was the proper thing to do? Justice had many faces, some of them distorted. Otherwise, what was he to do with it?
The pack leader stuck its snout into the cage and sniffed. “Let me into your mind, that way I can tell if you’re telling the truth.”
“I give you my permission.”
He went into the caged wolf’s mind and saw that he was indeed telling the truth. “He’s not lying. He’s never killed anyone or anything.”
The sheriff looked into the cage and the wolf inside definitely didn’t look happy. It was a free spirit and didn’t want to be the lowest rung on the ladder. He didn’t want to be a part of that pack and would rather take his chances in the cage. He stared at the pack leader. “What’s your name?”
“Bodolf.”
“Well Bodolf, let me into your mind so that I can judge if YOU are telling the truth. I need to see what you are up to, good or bad.”
“Vampire, are you calling me a liar?”
“Are you a liar?”
“Very well, I’ll let you in but make it quick. Let’s get this over with before I change my mind.”
Vincent went into the mind of the wolf and found that he was telling the truth. The wolf had killed no one. Bodolf had commanded a pack of nine and had lost two while defending humans. It had been a vicious fight where most of them had ended up with serious wounds. He now saw the pack in a different light. The red sheriff approached the cage and as soon as he touched it the door opened. The werewolf exited the cage and tried to run, but Bodolf was on him quickly and forced him to submit. It was strange but in submitting to the alpha he felt for the first time in his short werewolf life that he was home; he was where he needed to be. The pack howled as one, with the newest of the pack being the last one to join them in song.
Vincent watched as they disappeared into the night, wondering what it was like to be part of a wolf pack. He heard the sounds of the pack killing and eating a moose, and could tell that it had been a quick and efficient death. The scent of blood was making him hungry. It was time for him to go home and have a blood smoothie.
CHAPTER FIFTY
ANNIE SPENT THE NIGHT at Alastair’s home in the Hampton’s, the South Fork of Long Island. The garden in the backyard was so lush and beautiful that she thought she could live in it; there were so many flowers, some that she didn’t even recognise. It was a paradise as she had always loved flowers. It was a great place to sit and meditate or to read an e-book. The place was quite a mansion so the vampire obviously had lots of money. The place had expensive chandeliers; the furniture was beautiful, solid and obviously expensive. Huge 3D televisions hung on most walls with the longest and most elegant black leather sectional sofa that she had ever seen, large enough to accommodate a dozen people comfortably. Alastair said that the sofa had been built to his specifications. Why he had such a thing when he rarely had company was beyond her.
Annie left his bedroom and made her way to the kitchen and his glass door refrigerator, and there she consumed two bags of fresh blood that had been deliver
ed yesterday morning. She had sex for the first time in a long time; they actually destroyed the bed. The vampire was in his bedroom attempting to put the expensive thing back together but it was a useless endeavour. They had destroyed it; he dropped a large section of it as he realized it was a lost cause. Picking up his cell he called for a new bed. He had been quite fond of it and didn’t like seeing it like that.
Alastair found Annie in the kitchen and kissed her neck; he was happy when she didn’t pull away. “You destroyed my bed.”
“I destroyed your bed? You’re the one that was doing all the thrusting.”
He smiled proudly as only a man could. “Yes, well you kicked me through the wall so I guess we’re even. How long had it been?”
“A person doesn’t think about sex when you can barely breathe. Dying takes more effort than living I can tell you that.” She sat at the kitchen’s island and strummed her old fingers. “Why is everything so expensive in here? Who are you trying to impress? This place is big enough for a dozen people or more.”
“I don’t know. I have money so why not spend it?”
She could smell the aroma of the garden even from the kitchen. It was so pleasant that she got lost in its fragrance. “Why don’t you give some of that to charity?”
“I do. I wrote a check for several million last week but I think there might be more charities than I have money, and once you get on the list you never get off.”
Annie thought that he was a bit of a strange bird, but she supposed that if you examined people close enough there was usually a lot of pretending going on, a lot of posturing in general. “Alastair, what would you like to do today?”
He sat down beside her and thought. “I’d prefer to do whatever you want to do. We can stroll through Central Park if you like? We could see how many different animals we can find in the forest? I know that might sound strange but it’s a bit of a hobby, just to see how many I can find.”
“I have a better idea. Why don’t we bring some toys to the hospital and see if we can’t cheer up some sick kids?”
“That’s an excellent idea, and afterward we can talk to the administrator and see if they need some new scanners. I could donate whatever they need.” Alastair danced over to the fridge and drank a bag of blood. His pupils widened at the scrumptious taste of it.
“If we become a couple I’ll help you get rid of some of that excessive money.”
“Can I person have too much money?”
“If someone has a billion dollars in the bank that’s not doing anyone any good when others are starving for lack of food and shelter, then yes I think a person can have too much money. How did you make all your money?”
“Real estate mostly, and then gold and silver. Stocks and bonds. When you live for centuries you can see things evolving, and when you can get in early you can make a fortune. I bought a tonne of gold in 1930 I believe, I think it was around $20 an ounce if I remembering correctly.”
The doorbell rang and as he checked his Rolex he smiled as if he was up to something, trying to look innocent but not exactly able to manage it. “Annie, would you be so kind as to get that.”
“That’s if I can find the door. This place is so big you could land a small plane in here.” She made her way to the front door where four Mexicans in sombreros played guitars and sang to her. “Annie, won’t you please stay with me, get your suitcases see; we’ll build a life together. If you don’t like it hey, you can always run away. Together!”
Annie laughed. “Run away together? All right, all right that’s enough.” One of the so-called boys who all looked to be in their sixties handed her chocolates and a large bouquet of flowers.
Alastair blurred behind her. “I’m not much of a song writer Annie but you get the idea. Move in with me for a month, if you don’t like it you can run away.”
She looked at Alastair and at the four Mexicans; they had been told that if she agreed that they would get a sizable tip. Therefore the anticipation on the faces of the Mexicans were as animated as Alastair’s, perhaps even more so. Their pleading eyes were quite expressive. They felt like grabbing her and shaking her head YES. Annie was enjoying the attention. She waited for a time before she gave an answer, watching as all the Mexicans continued to nod a little like bobbleheads. “We can give it a try for a week and see what happens. I suppose I’ve nothing else to do.”
Cheers went up from everyone.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
PIERS ANTHONY AND MOON DIAMOND waited patiently on a bench just outside the Magnetic Hill Zoo. The author petted the cat which stuck its butt in the air and of course that always annoyed Zacharia. Night had covered the area so the facility was now closed to the public, and the two spoke mind to mind. The half-moon shown through a light cloud as Piers stared up at it. Being a vampire was at times troublesome, but so had being a human. He was studying up on it but there was so much false information out there. Perhaps he should write a book if he ever got it all figured out or at least enough to help others that had been newly transformed.
They were on a bit of a case to catch the vampire killer that had murdered people near the zoo. Piers thought that they would make a good movie title: The Author and the Siamese Cat. He wished that Zacharia was still in the form of a vampire and not a feline. It was difficult to bond with someone trapped inside a cat.
The air was cool, the summer being chillier than normal. Piers preferred Florida’s warmth to Canada’s chill. The author was sorry for Zacharia but of course there was nothing he could do, and that was the vampire’s problem, with no body to return to he was stuck. Those awful thoughts repeatedly slapped at him. He was stuck on a mindless loop that didn’t help his mental health any. It was a permanent condition so he best get used to it. He thought that No body knows the troubles he’s seen.
Silence was appreciated by both for a time, with the sound of crickets giving atmosphere to the season, and the occasional animal moving around in the zoo. Silence could be as appreciated as a trunk full of memories. Moon Diamond liked the taste of crickets while Zacharia thought that they had a bit of a nutty taste. The author was working out a plot in his head in the land of ghosts and Zacharia was remembering a sword fight that had occurred back in 1465, the world had come a long way since then, yet still had such a long way to go. Zacharia could see similarities to faces that he had killed long ago. He remembered being part of the troops of King Louis XI of France battling an army of great nobles. He even recalled the stench from that long ago era.
The night had a way of being refreshing to vampires, like humans experiencing a beautiful spring day after a long hard winter. The cat also liked being out after dark, at least they had that in common.
The RCMP was avoiding the area like animals avoiding a forest fire; they knew they wouldn’t be a match for a vampire so why bother getting killed over it. Calls had been sent out to get a red sheriff into the area but they were swamped with their own areas being overrun. Attendance at the zoo was down even though the attacks were mostly at night. Even a rumor of vampires in a certain area was enough to keep people away. It had become easy enough to destroy a business with false rumors.
Piers wondered why it was that most vampires appeared to be evil these days. There had always been bad vampires but not like this. Achak’s caustic and evil emanations was making its way around the planet and affecting more than half of the biters in one way or another, and by the time it was figured out it may well be too late. Those emanations were occasionally positive to certain biters but negative to the majority; at least humans were safe from his bad magic.
The Siamese cat jumped off the bench and Zacharia told it to cease and desist, but Moon Diamond had become fixated on a nearby rat. Inside that felis catus they fought for control of that vehicle of cat fur, and although Zacharia won most battles this one he lost. The Siamese was simply too intent on killing the rat. The rodent went flying into the air as Moon Diamond pounced on it. Bite, bite, bite, and shake. In a matter of seconds it was ki
lled and tossed aside. The cat returned to the bench beside the author and cleaned its fur.
“See the things that I have to put up with. Why did I have to animate that cat with a piece of my soul? And one of the worst things is that I can’t stop thinking about it. I play the kill scene over and over like a bad movie.”
“It is what it is.”
“Why don’t you try and forget that you are a vampire Piers Anthony!”
“Yes, I see your point. Your reality is a bitch.”
The Siamese stared up at Piers and wondered if that wasn’t some sort of dig. It was easy to spew wisdom after something nasty had occurred, but before was something else. Zacharia felt something pulling at his aura but couldn’t tell where it was coming from. His cat eyes scanned the area but saw nothing. “Piers, do you feel that?”
Dracula: Hearts of Fire (Dracula Heart's) Page 20