Blood Sport (The American Arcane Book 2)

by Justen Hunter

  “So,” I broke the silence. “Cowboy boots?”

  She smiled a little. “I've got my quirks, Mister high-tops.”

  I shrugged. “Hey, I don't see many vampires wearing cowboy boots.”

  “How many vampires do you see in casual settings?” She asked.

  “Point.” I answered, thinking for a moment on who I had seen. Most vampires tended to be snappy dressers, but most I dealt with in business settings, or when they were trying to impress.

  We got out on the fourth floor, presumably where Katrina and Luis lived. Teresa led me down the hall and around a corner, where a uniformed cop was standing next to an opened door.

  “Hi there,” I pulled out my specialist's license as I approached. It wasn't quite a cop's badge, for sure, but it was at least identification. “Eric Carpenter, Arcane Specialist. Who's in charge right now?”

  A familiar face stepped out of the door. “Carpenter? Good to see you.”

  Detective-Inspector Hernandez was a tall man, about six-two, with a shaved head, a friendly smile. I had met him a few months earlier when I first started my business with the Arcane. He had a weary expression to his face now that he didn't have six months ago. He extended one big hand, which I shook.

  “Hernandez, been a while. Did this fall into Homicide's lap?”

  “No, I'm working AIU now.”

  “Really? You got dragged into it?”

  “New task force, Captain Novak asked me to join up.” He said. “And this fell on our laps as the first major case. Come on in,” He waved us in. Contrary to Hollywood, vampires didn't need an invitation to enter a home. Most of that was politeness and natural behavior. Vampires were extremely mindful of territory.

  “So, where's the mess?” I asked. I could smell burnt flesh and blood, even from the relatively clean living room. The apartment was rather decent, with enough space that there were a few chairs and a love seat facing the home theater, and a decently-stocked liquor shelf next to the setup.

  “Bedroom,” Hernandez gestured us in. We walked in, and I fought the urge to hurl.

  My first dead body had been simple. A vampire attack, a dumpster, and I wasn't being asked to look at it too long. The second and third were executions, one I witnessed, one I performed. This, though, was a murder scene, and I had to look at it.

  Both Katrina and Luis were on the blood-soaked sheets, posed. They were back to back, on their sides, with their elbows tucked in, hands clasped together to look like they might have been praying. Both were naked, with their skin splotched with red from their wounds.

  I forced myself to keep looking. Katrina was a woman with the usual vampiric pallor, with short blonde hair and a petite body. Luis, oppositely, had a larger frame and dark hair. They had cuts across their stomachs. I couldn't help but think that this looked almost like a ritual.

  “Who found the bodies?” I asked softly.

  “Landlord.” He replied. “Came by, noticed the smell, called it in. We looked in, and found this.”

  I approached the bed, and I leaned over the side to look down at Katrina. “Damn. Can I get some gloves?”

  Hernandez reached into his jacket and tossed me a pair of latex gloves. I pulled them on. “The killers here, they're either Arcanes, or someone who knows quite a bit.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “How did you find them?”

  “They were tied up with chains.” Hernandez said. “We sent them down to the lab for them to be looked at.”

  I looked at the wrists and ankles, closely. Both victims had thin red marks on their skin, presumably where they had been restrained. “They used silver.”

  Hernandez looked between Teresa and I. “Silver?”

  “It's not talked about much,” Teresa was glaring at me, and I knew I was going to get an earful about this afterwards. “But most Arcanes have a severe weakness to silver.

  Binding them in silver is a pretty sure fire way to keep one down.”

  Hernandez paused. “Miss Crespo?” He asked, looking to Teresa. “Is that true?”

  I had a feeling I was going to be paying up in chocolate soon. “It is. We don't offer that knowledge freely. But yes, we do not react well to it. It burns our skin, can be used to restrain us, and hurts Arcanes. The person who restrained these two knew what they were doing. They are either knowledgeable about that weakness as an Arcane themselves, or it is a human who knew of it. Both aren't pleasant possibilities.”

  “It's not, but neither is the positioning of their bodies.” I frowned. “This looks like a ritual. Like someone has done this before. Posed back-to-back, hand gestures, and the cuts across their bellies. There are better ways to kill a vampire, even two vampires.”

  Hernandez frowned. “The running theory right now is that this was some sort of S&M deal gone wrong. I mean, how do you tie two vampires up without trust?”

  I shrugged. “Poison is my guess.”

  “Vampires can get poisoned?” Hernandez asked.

  I looked to Teresa this time before I answered. “They're not dead, really. Their hearts still beat, and they still process things from blood. It's possible something might have been slipped to them.”

  “I'll make sure the coroner knows to check for that.” He nodded. “Any theories of your own?”

  I walked away from the side of the bed, and took off the gloves. “One, maybe, but I'll need to have a minute to check it.” I crumpled up the gloves and shoved them in one of the pockets in my jacket. I needed bare hands for this.

  I held up a finger. “Just a minute of silence,” I said.

  “What's he doing?” I heard Hernandez whisper to Teresa.

  “His thing,” Teresa whispered. That was the cover I'd been using for the past few months. Witches were still too rare. I didn't even know of any others. I was cautious. I didn't want to go into the public too soon, so I'd just stuck with a 'psychic detective' as my cover for the time being.

  I closed my eyes, focusing on the task at hand. I forced myself to focus on the scene. Magic ran throughout the world, like an underlying energy that you could draw on. Witches were innately in tune with it, and can pick it up. I had never tried scouring an area to see if a spell was done before.

  The world of magic is like a small hum underneath the background noise of the universe. Slowly, I drew the magic of the room out. It was dark, sick, and when I reached out with my senses to touch it, I felt, almost immediately, an oily, slick sensation, pouring down my spine like ice water. Something in the back of my mind told me that this was definitely magic. It hadn't felt like the magic I used, which was full of energy and warmth. Instead, it was cold and alien.

  I opened my eyes, and looked back. “This person knew about Arcane stuff.” I whispered.

  “You felt something?” Teresa asked.

  “Oh, yeah. This was a ritual killing. The reasons for it, I don't know, but this was planned.” I frowned down at the two bodies. “Hernandez, when you get the lab reports, I'd like a copy, if that's possible.”

  The detective nodded. “Of course. Carpenter, what do you think is this?”

  “Honestly?” I looked away from the bodies. When I blinked, I still saw them. “If I said that I thought this was magic, would you at least consider it?”

  “What?” Hernandez paused. “Magic?”

  “Yes. I think that these two were killed in a ritual manner to fuel a spell.”

  Hernandez paused. “You're not just a psychic.” He whispered.

  Teresa froze, but I kept going on. “No. But I'd really prefer I didn't get too much publicity around the Department for it.”

  He frowned. “I thought that witches were dead. The Arcane Rights Association keeps saying that they're extinct.”

  “Mostly. I haven't met another one.” I said. “As far as I know, I'm the only one. I don't know if this is another one, or something else.” I glanced back to the bodies. “I've got some resources. Can I get some copies of the crime scene reports as well? I may have a few sour
ces I can have take a look at them, see if there's anything that they can recognize.”

  He thought about it for a second. “Sure,” He said, after thinking. “Stop by the precinct and I'll have them for you tomorrow afternoon. Novak will want to meet you, anyways.”

  “What can you tell me about the Captain?” I asked.

  “Novak is...well, the Cap's tough. But fair. She wants the first major case of the Unit to go well.”

  “I'll do my best.” I promised. “In the mean time, I need to head back to my place. I've got some things on the home front I need to take care of.”

  Hernandez nodded. “Sure thing. I'll see you tomorrow at the precinct.” He made a business card appear from the inside of his suit jacket, and I took it. “I'll make sure the front desk knows to let you in.”

  “Thanks, Hernandez.” I said. “We'll see ourselves out.” I headed to exit the bedroom, leaving the two bodies behind me.

  Chapter 5

  Teresa waited until we had entered the elevator before she started in on me. “Are you mad? Why would you tell him about our weakness to silver?”

  “Because the cops need to trust me. If I stonewall them, they're not exactly going to reward it with open information. Besides, they're not the bad guys here.”

  “And when do the police start buying silver rounds for their handguns?” She sighed.

  “Let's hope we never give them a reason to use them.” I crossed my arms against my chest. “I told Hernandez about my heritage because...well, someone in the police force had to know.”

  She leaned back against the elevator wall. “I want to protect my kind, Eric, and you as well. Even from your own desires to see the Arcane accepted more fully.”

  I sighed, and looked into her eyes. “Thanks. But at this point, I'm starting to think that some honesty might be a better policy than us hiding things from the cops.”

  “Indeed. But perhaps some consultation might be a good idea next time.” She paused a moment. “So, is this magic?”

  “I think so. I don't know if it's a witch behind it or not. No way to tell, really, until we find out who it is.”

  “And the contacts you know that might be able to help?”

  “Well, Amy for one. I know one or two people who might know some stuff as well.” I didn't want to drop Nick's name into casual conversation. The head of the US Marshal's Arcane department was surely not someone who would get high opinions from a vampire.

  I heard Teresa's phone buzz. She pulled it out. “It looks like we've got a taker on feeding your friend. He was the one I was hoping...”

  “Who is it?”

  “No one you'd know. His name's Vincent Beckett. Nice man, and a doctor too.”

  “Does it matter who it is?” I asked.

  Teresa looked at me seriously. “The first person a vampire feeds on...It's a very intimate process. That person, if they offer it freely, is putting their trust into a vampire's hands, and their hungers. I'll be there to make sure Serena doesn't get carried away, but assuming all goes right, there will be a connection between them.”

  “Oh, I didn't know that. Is it psychic?”

  “No, mostly hormonal and chemical. It's not like a were bonding with a mate, but it's like a small mark.”

  I did not think favorable on my one time being bit by a vampire. Even with the heightened metabolism of a witch and Amy's healing, the scar I wore on my collar was still faintly there. It probably would be.

  “You're sure that Vincent will do this willingly? No coercion or anything?”

  She smiled. “Some humans enjoy the process of being bitten. Vampires have compounds in their bite that relax the humans.”

  I shook my head. “Darius didn't exactly show me that courtesy.” I tried to keep any bitterness out of my voice. I guessed I didn't do a good job.

  “I promise that Vincent is doing this willingly. It will probably be harder for Serena, honestly, to restrain herself. That's why I want to be there, along with you.”

  “All right, I'm fine with that.” I looked towards Teresa, and our eyes met. “So, what do you think about this? Our bodies, I mean? What do you know about them?”

  “Luis did work for a few vampire businesses, like I said. I can get you a list of those. The only one that might have gotten him into some trouble was the work he did for Ruby.”

  “Ruby?” I furrowed the brow.

  “It's a club that he did the books for. It's a nightclub mainly for the undead. Lots of shows, dance numbers. We're creatures of history, and Baroness Yukiko prefers to keep her business how it's been since she first started it.”

  “So, a vampiric cabaret? Well, it's a place to start. What about Katrina?”

  “I know she was a dance instructor for the Pembrooke School in the city. I know she did some work with the theaters, but to be honest, well, neither of them were particularly involved in the community. We had never received any complaints about them, and they never came to us with trouble.”

  The elevator opened up, and I strolled out back into the lobby of the apartment building with Teresa. “Is that common with vampires?”

  “The more politically disinclined, yes. Some like to play the court and levy favors with Ishmael, while others prefer to just live their lives. We have some events throughout the year, and they would show up at them as a couple, but I wouldn't say they were exactly party animals.”

  We exited the building, being greeted with the cool night air of the Bay. “All right, I guess I'll look into both of their business, then, see if I can turn up anything there.” I gestured towards one end of the street. “I'm parked that way.”

  “Then I'll see you at...where did you take Serena?”

  “We've got her at Matt's place.”

  “You haven't found a new place to live yet?”

  I sighed. “You're kidding me. Ishmael, and now you? Right now I'm between places. I'm staying with a friend. Once the various courts start paying my Knight's salary, I'll be moving into some place where I'm not going to get kicked out for stabbing a werewolf in my living room.”

  I tried to wonder how many times those words might have been spoken, and decided it probably didn't happen often.

  “Very well. I'll meet you at Matt's place, and I'll tell Vincent to meet us there.”

  I smiled, and as I walked away, I hoped that the night would at least end soon. Things just seemed to be getting worse and worse.

  I got to Matt's house about five minutes after Teresa did. Her Tesla was parked in front of Matt's home in Nobb Hill. The old Victorian home was, if anything, the least Matt-like thing that he owned. I got out of the car, and fished my keys on the keyring out and opened up the front door.

  The interior of the house matched the outside, well-kept and pristine. Serena was sprawled on one of the couches, eyes closed. She had an IV drip hooked up to one arm, with Matt sitting on the arm of the couch next to her. Teresa was standing behind the couch, looking down at her.

  “You certainly run into your share of trouble.” Matt said by way of greeting. Matt was a tall, well-built man. His dark hair had grown out in the past few months, giving him the look of a six-four rock star. Of course, the twenty-something bad boy look was dampened by the fact that he wore a t-shirt for Ana Vista Elementary School. It was hard to take an elementary school counselor seriously as a bad boy.

  I approached the couch, and crouched next to it to look at Serena. “How are you doing there, Serena?” I asked.

  Serena stirred, groaning. “Feel like crap. Hungry.” She looked up at me. Her eyes pleaded for help, hungry and desperate.

  Matt spoke up. “I'm not too familiar with vampire feeding habits. But the IV at least should keep her from going on a feeding frenzy.”

  “What did you put in it?” Serena asked.

  “A sedative that's known to work with vampires.” Matt shrugged. “I don't practice, but I still remember the basics.”

  Teresa arched an eyebrow. “How do you have access to that?”

 
Matt crossed his arms across his chest, giving her a hard look. “There's more to me than just the guy who's friends with Eric.”

  The vampiress waited a beat. “Very well.”

  I did not want to explain that right now. A knock on the door cut that awkward moment short. “I'll go get that,” I said as I beat a hasty retreat to the front door.

  I opened up the door. “You must be Vincent, hi.” I smiled at the man standing there. I had learned early on that any preconceptions I had about what vamp groupies looked like were very wrong. But Vincent still didn't look the part.

  Vincent was a short, stocky man, with dark skin and a short haircut. He had a friendly face, and he smiled at me. “You must be Eric.” He said.

  “Come on in,” I said, and stepped aside. “Serena's in the living room right in here.”

  I led Vincent into the living room. “Hello there,” Serena drawled, looking over Vincent. “Well, certainly more eye candy than I was expecting to go with my first meal.”

  Vincent grinned. “You aren't too bad yourself, Serena.” Vincent pulled off his jacket and draped it over the arm of a chair. His arms were defined, muscular, and his forearms held very faint marks, ones I guessed were from previous feedings.

  He knelt down next to Serena, and he reached up a hand to touch her jaw. “I don't want to hurt you,” Serena whispered.

  “You're not going to hurt me,” Vincent assured her. “You're going to want to never stop. You're going to be so hungry that it'll consume you. But I've got to trust that you'll be able to stop.”

  “I don't know, I'm...” Serena hesitated. She sat up. “I'm not really sure I'll be able to.”

  Vincent looked into her eyes. “You seem like a good person, Serena. I'm going to trust you. We've got a vampire several hundred years old, and the Knight of the Bay here. If nothing else, they'll be able to stop you if it goes too far.”

  Serena nodded, and looked down at his arm. “You ready?” She whispered, to which Vincent nodded. “You're sure?” Vincent smiled, and he raised his arm.

  Serena lowered her head, fangs extended. She waited just a last moment, before Vincent said, in a low whisper, “Do it.”