The Black Knight Chronicles

by John G. Hartness

  “You can do whatever you like, fangboy. I’m going to find Krysta, cut her head off and stick it on a fencepost facing east. Then I’m going to light up one of my hand-rolled Cubans and watch the sun rise.” King set his beer bottle down on the coffee table and leaned back with a satisfied smile.

  “I hate to burst your bubble, Mr. King, but didn’t you just say that you can’t take this vampire?” Abby’s voice shook a little as the big werewolf growled at her, but she held her ground. “You need us, Mr. King. And we might need your help, too. If Jimmy’s right, there are a lot of vampires in that house, and they’ve been killing people for a long time. So we can work together. If you’re willing to work with us.”

  I stared at our newest addition, wondering what kind of classes she’d been taking before she got eaten by my vamp-mom.

  “So, yeah. What she said. Now, do you have a plan other than ‘Hulk Smash’? ’Cause I’d love to hear it.” Even though I figured I’d probably hate it.

  Chapter 9

  I was right, I hated the plan from the second King started with, “We should split up to cover more ground.”

  “Seriously?” I asked, shocked right out of my fangs. “You’re a werewolf, and you’ve never even seen a horror movie? Do you know what happens when the good guys split up? Nothing good, that’s what.”

  “I hate to agree with my partner, but it is kinda typical of the genre. The good guys split up and no matter who the camera follows, they end up needing exactly the item or skill that’s with the other team,” Greg said, nodding.

  “Yeah, it’s one of the cardinal rules of horror flicks. There’s a monster hiding right where the cat just jumped out from, the virgin always lives and you never, ever split up. So we stick together,” I said with finality.

  “Then how do you expect to gather intel on the operations of the vampires at the school while we chase down your sire and separate her head from her body?” King asked.

  “We do one, then the other. The college vamps have been there for a long time and, if they’re anything like the college kids I knew, they’re probably stoned. So they’ll still be there, with the munchies, when we get back,” I said.

  Of course, there was nothing to say that they were anything like the college kids I’d known. Abby certainly wasn’t, and that thought was enough to give me a moment’s pause. Then I thought about just how long it had been since I was a college kid, and how different Mike was from those days. Greg and I weren’t. It’s like when we were turned we fell into stasis and never changed. Until recently.

  I snapped back to the conversation when the door opened. My subconscious must have registered her footsteps or her scent coming down the stairs, because for once I wasn’t surprised by Sabrina’s entrance.

  “Back from where?” the lovely detective said as she came down the stairs. She was wearing a pair of jeans with a scoop-necked blouse and a light jacket to ward off the evening chill. Even in late spring it was still cold late at night. She walked across the living room, gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and sat on the arm of the couch next to me.

  “Wasn’t expecting you here this early,” I greeted her. “You get any sleep?”

  “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” She tossed an empty energy drink can into my recycle bin.

  “Not from what I’m experiencing,” Abigail said. “Looks like tonight we chase more dead people, but this time we get to bring a bloodhound.”

  “I’m not a bloodhound,” the surly werewolf groused.

  “Detective Sabrina Law, meet Kyle King. He’s another private investigator looking into a string of murders all over the South. Abby here seems to be the latest victim.” I made the best introductions I could as Sabrina shook hands with King.

  “And he’s a werewolf,” chirped Greg, still bouncing with excitement. Sabrina raised an eyebrow at King, who bared a couple of teeth in response.

  “Another PI, huh? And who are you working for, Mr. King? This might be something peculiar to North Carolina, but here the police investigate murders, not private investigators.”

  “Like your boyfriend here?”

  “He’s a consultant. They work for me. And you didn’t answer the question.”

  “The vampire I’m chasing killed my wife. I guess you’d say this one’s pro bono.” King raised a corner of his mouth in a snarl as he leaned back.

  “Long canines don’t do much for me anymore, Mr. King. Got any other tricks?” She seemed unimpressed. I guess when you’d hung out with vampires, battled demons and had a cousin who was a ballet-dancing faerie, you got to be a little blasé about those things.

  “Yeah, but I don’t think your little boyfriend here would appreciate me showing them to you.”

  “Unless you want to reenact Dracula versus Wolfman in my living room, that’s probably a good choice,” I said.

  “So,” Sabrina said. “If you two are done measuring things no one else is interested in seeing, what’s the plan for the evening? Are we going after the chick who killed you and Abby before she makes another little ‘peace offering,’ or are we rousting a bunch of frat-boy vamps at the college before they take offense at the new predator in town and start a vampire gang fight in my city? Because I’d love it if Charlotte didn’t become ground zero in a vampire turf war.”

  “King wants us to split up and go after both groups of vamps, but Greg and I said no.” I pulled a chair in from the kitchen for Sabrina and looked around for a place to sit. If we kept adding supernatural associates to our little Junior Justice League, we were totally going to need a satellite. Or at least a real office.

  “Why not?” Sabrina asked.

  “Yeah, Jimmy, why not?” King said in a mocking singsong.

  “It’s one of the first rules of horror movies, babe. Never split up.”

  “One of the first rules of hanging out with women who carry firearms is never call them babe, babe.” Sabrina glared at me. “And that’s dumb. We should totally split up. That way we can gather intel on the nest and keep you three from getting ambushed while you deal with the threat from out of town. Abby and I will stake out the frat-vamps, while you three go deal with your sire. Or mom, or whatever you call her.”

  “I’m going with you?” Abigail asked, a little nervously.

  “Of course, you are. We can bond. And find a twenty-four-hour Walmart and pick you up a few things. You’ve been wearing the same outfit for a few days now. I’m sure it’s a little ripe.”

  “Yeah, these jeans are about ready to walk themselves to the washing machine. I’m with Cop-Girl.” Abigail walked over to Greg and leaned down, putting an inordinate amount of girl-flesh in his immediate vicinity. “Greggy, can I have some cash? I need to buy a few things.”

  My poor partner didn’t even bat an eye, just walked over to his little hidey-hole under the fridge and got her a pile of cash. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

  I watched with no small discomfort as a flash of cleavage bent Greg’s will all the way around Abby’s little finger. I’d never really liked girls who thought all they needed to get what they wanted in life was to flash a little leg and a smile. Now I had one sleeping on my couch. With super-powers, no less.

  “Ta!” she yelled over a shoulder and headed up the steps with Sabrina in tow.

  I reached out and grabbed Sabrina’s wrist. “Be careful,” I said in a low voice. I knew Abby could hear me, but I was counting on her being distracted by the wad of cash Greg had just handed her.

  “I know. She’s a little flighty, but if I can keep up with you two, she should be no trouble.”

  “That’s not what I mean. King says there are at least a dozen vamps in that house, and they’ve been in town for a long time. They’ve probably got pretty good security and, if they’re any good at all, you won’t know about them until it’s too late. Make Abby pay attention. Her senses are the only thing you’ve got going for you.”

  “Well, not the only thing. I still have my silver stake.” She smile
d wryly and patted a jacket pocket.

  “Yeah, but only the one. Just . . . be careful, okay?” I leaned in even closer and whispered into her hair. “I really don’t want to lose you.”

  She pulled back and gave me a firm look, eye to eye. “You won’t.” Then she kissed me, quick and fierce, before following Abigail up the stairs.

  I stood there for a minute thinking of the old saying, I hate to see her go, but I love to watch her leave.

  I turned back to amused glances from Greg and King. “You got something to say?” I growled.

  “Yeah,” Greg said. “Where do you go to kill a vampire from out of town?”

  Chapter 10

  King had tracked my sire to a new luxury hotel downtown, right next to the basketball arena. It looked like a good hunting ground, lots of out-of-towners who could be nibbled on without being missed. The Bobcats’ season was over, but there was a concert at the arena, so the sidewalks were full of people going in and out and generally milling about. Add in the traffic to downtown watering holes, and the whole area was full of people oblivious to the predators in their midst on a mild Tuesday night. We rolled into downtown in King’s truck, because he decided he wanted to be all alpha dog and drive. Plus, it appealed to the Clemson grad in me to ride around in a Silverado King Cab with the windows down and Hank Williams III blaring.

  “There,” King said, pulling his truck into a parking lot and pointing toward a rooftop lounge. “If I know her at all, she’s up there.”

  “And how well do you know her, King?” My spidey-sense was going off like fireworks, but I couldn’t tell if it was anything real or just nerves at seeing the vamp who had turned me after all these years.

  I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to kill her or thank her. I supposed it was like seeing the girl from high school who dumped you right before prom, but you ended up going to prom with your future wife—except I’d never had a date to a prom, not even one that dumped me for giggles. I went to all my proms stag with Greg and Mike, and we stood against the bleachers in the gym, mocking the couples and pretending like we weren’t choking on our own envy.

  “I’ve never laid eyes on her. I’ve just followed the trail of bodies.” He got a distant look in his eyes, and I knew he was thinking about his wife. I decided to let sleeping dogs lie for a change.

  We walked into the lobby, and I had to shield my eyes against all the highly polished wood and chrome. The place looked like a piece of LA had been dropped into the middle of Charlotte, just a little too shiny for the city I knew. Greg and King made a beeline for the elevators, but I hung back, scoping out the stunning girls behind the front desk, and the boys gazing at them in futility. After standing helplessly in the elevator for a few moments, Greg and King came over to where I waited.

  “You need a key to get up to the rooftop lounge,” King growled. Werewolf or not, the guy always sounded like he had something stuck in his throat.

  “I figured as much. Wait here.” I walked over to the front desk and almost had to cover my eyes again from the dazzling smile the woman behind the counter gave me. Her smile dropped a degree or two when she got a good look at me, but she recovered well. One downside to being turned into a vampire when you’re just out of college is that people in fancy hotels never take you seriously, no matter how old you really are.

  “May I help you?” she asked brightly.

  Her nametag told me that her name was Miranda and that she was from St. Louis. That wasn’t surprising. No one in Charlotte was actually from there. She had probably relocated when her dad was moved by a bank or something.

  “I sure hope so, Miranda. I went out for a few drinks with the guys from the convention, and it looks like I left my key in my room. Can you run me a new one real quick?” I gave her my best harmless Southern-boy accent and waited just a second until she looked back up at me.

  “Sure, can I just have your room number, Mr. . . . ?” When our eyes locked, I threw my will into my eyes and wrapped her head in my mojo.

  “It doesn’t matter. Just make me a key that will get me into the rooftop lounge. Then forget you ever saw me. And have a nice night.” I kept my voice low and a smile on my face for the security cameras I was sure were watching.

  “Yes, sir.” She put a key card into the magnetic coding machine, pushed a couple of buttons, then handed it to me. “Here you go. Don’t forget that you have to leave the key in the slot while you press the button for your floor.” She smiled again, and I walked toward the elevators.

  The boys caught up to me halfway across the lobby. King asked, “What did you do to her?”

  “A little mojo,” I said with a smirk. I put the key into the slot and pushed the button for the roof. As the elevator doors slid closed, I saw King’s eyes narrow a little. “Don’t worry,” I went on. “It’s harmless. And I’m pretty sure it only works on humans.”

  “At least it’s never worked on any non-human we’ve ever tried it on,” Greg added. “And I really don’t suggest attempting to mojo a dragon.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “They get testy about that stuff.”

  “And it’s no good on zombies, either.” My partner seemed determined to drag out all our failures for our newfound furry friend.

  “Yeah, and demons and faeries are right out, too. Come to think of it, it doesn’t even work on all humans. So you probably don’t have anything to worry about,” I said, needling the big guy a little.

  “I’m not worried. Try that crap with me, and I’ll rip out your heart and eat it. Then, I might change shape to finish you off.” He gave me a frigid grin, and the elevator doors dinged open just in time.

  The doors opened onto a nicely appointed rooftop terrace with several dozen well-dressed business types milling about. There was a pool with a few people swimming languidly in the underwater lights, and they were definitely the type of women who were at home wandering through a black-tie party in a bikini. A black marble-topped bar dominated one corner of the roof, with the building to the bartender’s back, and the low outer wall of the patio looked out over the skyline. I admired the lighted buildings, the arena and the fantastical architecture of the children’s theatre building just a couple blocks away.

  “Where is she?” Greg asked, jostling my elbow. “Do you see her?”

  I motioned for him to be quiet as I peered through the crowd, trying to find anyone familiar in the suits and party dresses. A loud group of guys wearing the oxford shirt, khaki pants and flip-flops uniform of off-duty bank employees cheered as they downed their tequila shots over by the ledge. As their group parted and meandered back to the bar, I saw her standing alone, watching me.

  Her eyes locked with mine, and my borrowed blood ran cold when I saw a smile crawl across her lips. The smile never touched her eyes, which stayed as blue and cold as iceberg chips. She held out a hand, curling a finger in an unmistakable “come hither” gesture. I had taken a good half-dozen steps before I ran face-first into King’s chest, breaking the spell and almost breaking my nose in the process. I shook my head and stepped to the side, but King put a heavy hand on my shoulder.

  “I think that might be a bad idea, Junior,” the werewolf said, carefully not looking straight at the vampire, who pouted beautifully at me for a second, then smiled and laughed as a man in a very expensive suit brought her a glass filled with what looked like red wine. It looked like wine at first glance, but I smelled the blood all the way across the terrace. When I looked back to where the man had come from, I saw one of the banker-boys leaning heavily on his friends, looking for all the world like a broker who’d had a little too much to drink a little too early.

  “Holy crap,” I whispered to Greg. “He drained that guy right here in front of everybody. And it’s like nobody even noticed.”

  I was shocked at the new guy’s actions, but even more shocked when he looked up at me and smiled a raptor smile. He’d heard me. With my whisper, not even a vampire should have heard me from more than a few feet away, but this guy had heard m
e from fifty feet. I was starting to think we might be a little out of our league.

  That thought barely had time to form when the new guy smiled a little wider, showing a gleaming set of razor-sharp fangs, then whispered, “They noticed, little vampire, but they don’t mind. After all, they all belong to me. These are all my people.” His eyes went from emerald-green to pupil-less black in a blink, and the patio fell completely silent. I turned around slowly and saw that every single eye was focused on me and my traveling buddies, and none of them seemed happy to see us.

  “Be cool,” I muttered to Greg and King, who had both reached for weapons when the crowd of beautiful people suddenly turned ugly. “They’re human.”

  “Exactly.” New Guy was suddenly right in front of me. I’d never even seen him start to move, and judging by the sharp intakes of breath I heard behind me, neither had the other guys. “Now, why don’t we all sit down like civilized beings and discuss the impasse at which we find ourselves?”

  “And what impasse would that be?” I looked anywhere but at the new vamp. I didn’t think he could mojo me, but this guy was the strongest vampire I’d ever seen, so I didn’t want to take chances.

  “You would like to kill Krysta. I do not want you to. That leaves us at an impasse, wouldn’t you say?” New Guy was now sitting at a table with five chairs halfway across the patio, the vamp chick beside him.

  “I assume Krysta is your date’s name?” I asked, showing off a little super-speed of my own by crossing the patio in the blink of an eye, then taking a seat. “I didn’t catch it the last time we saw each other.”

  The vamp who killed me threw her head back and laughed, a silvery peal of mirth that made me want to rip her lungs out through her nose. “I had other things I was looking for that night, Mr. Black. You’ll have to forgive my rudeness. I hope you’ve been well in the years since our last encounter. I’ve thought of you . . . often.”