Blood Sport (The American Arcane Book 2)

by Justen Hunter

  “Have you come up with any leads?”

  He looked to me, then said. “I don't wish to comment on that at this point. It is an ongoing investigation. The reason I have called this meeting is-”

  He never got to finish that statement. Automatic fire rang out like a long cloth being torn. I didn't see who it was at first, I only reacted.

  “Get down!” I really hoped the tables were at least solid. I knocked the one I was sitting behind over, getting a makeshift barricade. Screams and cries of terror filled my ears, and I could only imagine the carnage on the other side of the table. I turned to the master vampire next to me. “Ishmael?”

  He snarled. “I can't explain it all. Something must have broken through security.”

  I peeked my head over the top of the table, then ducked back under it. There were three men, dressed in suits and ski masks. Just great. There were several real reporters on the ground, wounded or already dead. “How are you two?” I turned to the two vampires.

  Ishmael had a huge wound on his shoulder, dark blood seeping from the wound. I didn't smell the tell-tale steam of silver. “Wounded,” The count replied. “Disabled.”

  Teresa, though, was flush with anger. “Bastards.” She hissed. “It's daylight. I'm not as strong as I usually am. Are you armed, Eric?”

  I pulled my Colt and chambered a round. “Ready.” I said as Teresa drew a small batch of throwing knives from her purse.

  “Good. You lay down suppressive fire. I'll see what I can do about them.” I trusted Teresa's aim a lot more than my own. The gun was my secondary tool. I preferred to just not get into fights.

  We gave a silent nod, and we took our separate jobs. I rose, bringing my pistol to bear. I laid out a pair of shots, catching one of the assailants and sending him grabbing his shoulder as he spun to the ground.

  I ducked back under as they turned their attention on me. How did these guys sneak automatic weapons into a presser? I saw Teresa as she tossed one of her knives towards the attackers. A curse in what I'd come to recognize as Portuguese told me that she wasn't satisfied with her shot.

  I saw one of the bullets send wood shards flying behind us. I checked again on the wounded Count between Teresa and I. “How're you hanging in there?” I asked the Count.

  Ishmael glared at me. “I've got a bullet wound. I've never been shot before. How do you think I'm doing?”

  I shrugged. “You're conscious. That's a start.” I looked at the wound for a moment. How did you treat first aid for a vampire? “Teresa? How's it on your end?”

  The vampiress had ducked back down. “One's wounded, but still firing. Other one has placed a few chairs between us. Can't get to him.”

  Another rattle of fire sent more wood chips flying above us. Two guys were putting out quite a bit of firepower. I needed something, anything. I slid Teresa my gun. “Cover me.” I said, and tossed her my spare magazine as well.

  “What?” She looked at me with concern. “Eric, I thought you couldn't.”

  “I need to try. I'm going to clear your line of fire.” I focused, and closed my eyes. I reached out, pulled on the ripples of magic. I drew them around my hand, mentally looping it around my hand like a piece of string again and again, hundreds of times in my mind in a matter of a second.

  Actual, physical magic was hard to do. At least for me. I had first summoned it in the home of magic, the Other Side. But now I was in trouble, and masked gunmen were just as, if not more, dangerous than a master vampire who had kidnapped a friend of mine. The little magic I had summoned in our world would not be enough for what I had in mind.

  I nodded to Teresa, and she and I moved in one fluid motion. Teresa rose and fired the pistol, originally her weapon, with a fluid precision. It kept them down, and I rose.

  I flung out my hand, pushing it towards the two attackers and the rows of chairs. I shaped the magic in my mind, imagining a wrecking ball and the force of it. At first, nothing came. I saw one of the gunmen turn, and I ducked back down. Too slow.

  Pain blossomed in my right shoulder, and I cried out. The searing sensation of the wound was indescribable. I probably didn't sound very macho at the moment, but there were people all around me in pain, crying, moaning in agony. The pain wasn't the worst I had felt. I looked down, and saw the bleeding. I couldn't reasonably assess it, but I knew it hurt like a bitch.

  I took the pain and forced it to shape my magic, using the pain to focus. There was nothing so focusing as imminent demise. I thrust my hand forward again, drifting all my thoughts into one single word. Force.

  A crack-boom whipped through the air, and I felt the pure energy leave my hand, invisible yet entirely potent. The chairs bowled over, and the wave of force toppled over the camera stands and any hope of cover that the gunmen had. It was quickly followed up by a pair of shots from Teresa, who took down both gunmen with well-aimed shots.

  I slumped down, feeling the immediate drain that magic placed on my body. I fell behind the table, groaning as I grabbed at my shoulder, placing pressure on it. Warm blood oozed out, and I hissed. “Crap crap crap.” I groaned, forcing my eyes open. You were supposed to stay conscious, right?

  Teresa moved in front of me. “Eric,” She cupped my face. “Stay awake.” She bundled up her jacket, pressing it against the wound. “Stay awake, you. You have to explain to me what you just did.”

  “Magic, baby,” I smiled, though it was probably a bit more goofy than I intended. “Someone call 911?”

  “Emergency services are on their way. Security called it in.”

  “Fat load of help they did. Who were those people?”

  “Television crew.” She looked back towards the front. “Several vampires are now patrolling. It's one of our contingency plans.”

  “I need to activate one of my own.”

  I closed my eyes, now, focusing. The pain wanted to drag me to unconsciousness, but I needed to do this. Amy. Amy, I need you.

  “Eric,” The cool, calm voice of my guardian came into my ear. I opened my eyes, turned my head. Amy was kneeling next to me, her fierce eyes burrowing into mine. “Eric. What happened?”

  “Shot.” I grunted.

  “Where did you come from?” Teresa asked.

  Amy narrowed her gaze at the vampire. “That is none of your concern.” She looked back to me. “The wound went through.” She nodded. “That is good.”

  “What do you plan to do?”

  “Something to speed along the healing.” She pulled the jacket away. “See to your master, Teresa. I have my own ward to tend to.” She spoke with a crisp, commanding tone.

  I had never seen Teresa take orders from anyone other than Ishmael. But she nodded, and she paid attention to Ishmael. I watched as she slashed her own wrist with one of her knives, and offered her blood to her maker. Ishmael drank slowly from her, and I watched as his tongue lapped at her dark skin. It was so far from my mind that I was watching Teresa feed her own master, that I realized getting shot really distorts priorities. How often did those two share blood? Was she an emergency blood pack for him?

  Amy was nowhere near as gentle. She placed her hands on me. She spoke in a language I didn't recognize. Was this magic? Whatever it was, it burned like hell. It felt like every nerve in my body was on fire, spreading from my shoulder. I clung to the sound of Amy's voice, whispering in that weird language. I panted, groaned, cursed.

  I just started rambling. I'm pretty sure that I started quoting Faust at one point. I did not handle delirium well. Finally, I heard Amy's voice, back in English. “Rest, Eric. You have earned that reward for a short while, but you will be needed again shortly.”

  Sweet oblivion.

  Chapter 15

  I know hospitals anywhere. The rhythmic sound of the EKG, the smell of hardcore sanitary environments, the unyielding discomfort of a hospital bed. It had been six months since my last visit as a patient, but I had been starting to get familiar with it.

  I didn't open my eyes for a while, but when I did, I saw
Teresa, Serena, and Amy were all waiting at the edge of the bed.

  “You're all standing,” I grumbled, and desperately wished I wasn't wearing a hospital gown.

  Serena offered a shrug. “Amy said she knew when you'd wake up.”

  “What was that you did?” I asked, rubbing at my head. Downside of letting my hair grow out was that it was a mess whenever I woke up.

  “I healed you, but I also placed you in a...reboot cycle, setting your body to rest through a REM cycle.”

  “Fantastic,” I grumbled as I sat up. “So, I've got three wonderful ladies at my bedside. I have not been that good this year. What's up? How's Ishmael?”

  “Recovering,” Teresa answered. Her fingers drummed against the foot of the bed. “But there is a more pressing concern.”

  “Being?”

  Teresa frowned. “There's been another murder. We need you to take a look at it.”

  I paused for a moment, and I looked to Amy. “How mobile am I?”

  “Ah, Eric, I know you are left-handed, but perhaps it is best you look at your right arm.”

  I looked down, and cursed. “You have got to be kidding me.” My right arm was in a sling. Perfect. “How long?”

  “A few days, enough for you not to disturb your stitches.”

  Just my luck. “Great.” I sighed, and reached up to my shoulder. “So, where did you guys find the body?”

  “San Jose.”

  I frowned at that. San Jose, the often-forgotten southern cousin of San Francisco. Most Arcanes ignored San Jose, unless they worked there. There wasn't enough nightlife to hold a vampire or Red Angel's attention. “All right,” I nodded. “Serena, you drive, right?” She nodded. “Amy, I need you to head over to Corazon Shoppe. Grill Renee for whatever you can on the research I asked her to do. Serena, you're driving me down to the South Bay.” I used my left arm to steady myself as I lumbered out of the hospital bed.

  All three of them watched me. My first thought had been that the gown had ridden up or something, but that didn't turn to be the case as I looked behind me. “What is it?”

  “We need to talk,” Amy said. “Teresa said you conjured magic.”

  “Yeah, I did.” I nodded. “It wasn't pretty, but I was able to summon it.”

  Amy smiled. “She said you conjured quite a bit of force.”

  Serena looked between the three of us. “I thought that's what witches did.”

  I shook my head. “Never been able to manifest it in this world.” Serena's questioning look forced me to add. “Don't ask about metaphysics. We'll talk about it on a day where I haven't been shot. Do I have clothes?”

  Teresa nodded. “We brought a bag.” She said.

  “Will you need assistance?” Amy asked.

  “Ah, yeah. Never had to put a shirt on while I was wearing a sling.”

  “Very well,” She looked between the two other women in the room. “Some privacy?”

  Teresa considered it for a moment. “I am not a jealous type. I have every belief Miss Amy's intentions are noble.” She looked to Serena. “Let's grab some coffee for you two for the road.”

  After a slow, torturous process of Amy and I working to get me dressed, I asked. “Done this much?”

  “I have dressed wounds on many fields of battle.” She answered. “Modern medicine still impresses me.”

  “How long am I really going to have to wear this?”

  “The wound should be fully healed by tomorrow, provided you get a decent night's rest.” At my snort, she added. “I could force you to heal normally. That would not be comfortable for either of us.”

  “So, what do you know of the new victim?”

  “Another vampire,” She said. “That is all I know.” She stood up, and placed a hand on my shoulder. “You truly manifested magic?”

  “Yup,” I nodded. “Tried it once, didn't get it, but after I got shot, well, the pain focused me, I suppose.”

  “It could be a start,” Amy suggested. “Perhaps the first time was the hardest. I have heard of magic initially being difficult, but once the first time has passed, it becomes much easier to manifest energy.”

  “Let's hope you're right.” I reached around with my good arm and hugged her. “Be careful, all right? There's a killer out there, and some people have taken a shot at some vampires.”

  “Why are you worried about me?” She asked as she returned the hug, if a little stiffly.

  “Because I'm associating with vampires, and you're close to me. I don't know what they want, but all of us need to stay on their guard.”

  “You most importantly. I will try to keep a sense out on you, to see if you are in danger.”

  I pulled away slightly. “Amy, I don't want you to just be my guardian. I want you to be a partner in this. I don't want you at my beck and call. Your talents are wasted babysitting me.”

  She took a step back, resting back against the window sill of the room, which looked out into the lit San Francisco night. “Dangerous words, Eric Carpenter.”

  “Why? Because you made a deal with my mother?” I picked up my jacket off the bed and draped it over my shoulders. “What do you want to do with your life?”

  Amy's eyes cast down to the floor. “I wish to help people. That is all I have ever wanted to do.”

  “You could help more than me. There are a lot of Arcanes out there, and a lot like Serena who could use your help.” I reached out my good hand, offering it to her. “When this is over, and we've got some time, I want to talk about renegotiating our business relationship.”

  “You do not wish my protection?” She frowned, disappointed. “Have I been unsatisfactory?”

  “No, but I think a lot of people could be helped. It'd be selfish of me to hoard it all.”

  “Once this case is over.” She placed her hand in mine, and we shook hands. “Until then, call on me if you need my help.”

  “Will do, Amy.”

  Someone knocked on the door. I turned for a moment, seeing it was Serena waiting for me. When I looked back to say goodbye, Amy was already gone. The woman was like Batman, just disappearing on people like that.

  “Come in!” I called to Serena.

  Serena peeked her head in. “Car's outside. Let's roll.”

  The ride down to San Jose on 101 was traffic-free. Late nights be praised.

  “So what were you two talking about in there?” Serena's question broke my thoughts.

  I shrugged. “Oh, stuff. I think it's pretty selfish of me to just have her as my guardian. She could be helping other people.”

  Serena grinned. “I dunno, if I had a blond girl in combat boots ready to kick butt for me, I'd be all in for it.”

  I shrugged. “Amy taught me initially about the theory of magic. But now, now all that stuff is in my mother's journals. I think some of it, at least, was designed as an instruction manual for witches. About theory, but not a lot about execution. There's some spells, rituals, but...I need to figure that out now.”

  “So what could she do? What you do?”

  “I don't know. Amy's pretty smart about Arcanes. I think she could be a Knight, or something similar. Who knows, I think she'd make a really good private investigator. For all that old speak, she's good with people.”

  “Yeah.” She paused a moment. “So, uh, change of subject. You and Teresa.”

  “What about us?” I asked, already dreading the direction of this subject.

  “Well, okay,” She sighed. “What's sex with a vampire like?”

  I did a double take. “Uh, wait...” I palmed my face. “Teresa and I aren't...”

  “Wait. You're together, right?”

  I shrugged. “We haven't had sex.”

  Serena frowned. “Why not? I mean, I don't want to pry.” She paused a beat. “Okay, I sort of do.”

  “I...listen, Serena. My first experience really with a vampire wasn't pleasant. It wasn't sexual, but the bite wasn't good. It's not a matter of whether I find her attractive, or if I care for her.” I looked
away for a moment, and tucked a loose strand of my hair behind an ear with my good arm. “It's a matter of time. We've talked about this. When I'm ready, I'll tell her, and we'll talk about it. I trust her, and all, but I'm just not ready.”

  Serena nodded. “That's cool. I mean, that's probably more communication than any relationship I had in college.” She waited a second. “Hey, let's get you some calories after we've finished with the scene.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, sure, I could go for some burgers or something.” I agreed, and I slumped in the seat as we entered Santa Clara County.

  We got to the crime scene in downtown San Jose relatively quickly. It was the middle of the night, and there was barely any traffic around the location of the murder. We parked in a lot, and we got out of the car.

  I walked across the street, towards the familiar commotion of police activity. The crime scene was in a parking lot, and the two street corners nearest the lot were blocked off by emergency vehicles.

  A uniformed cop held up a hand. “Sir, ma'am, this is a crime scene.” The officer, a white woman with short red hair, glared at the both of us with the look of someone who had been shooing people away for a while.

  “My name's Eric Carpenter.” I pulled out my wallet and flashed the Arcane Consultant's badge. “I'm here with my associate Serena Laurent. We got asked to come down from San Francisco.”

  “Oh. Hold on a sec.” She reached for the radio on her shoulder strap. “Captain Francis, Officer Martinez. We've got someone who says he's a consultant. Eric...” She looked to me to supply my name again.

  “Carpenter. Eric Carpenter.” I supplied, patiently.

  “Carpenter.” She went back and forth for a minute or two. “Captain Francis. There with your Detective Hernandez.”

  “Thanks, Officer.” I nodded curtly and we headed into the parking lot, past the concrete barriers surrounding the lot and signed in. We continued on towards the mass of cops, and Hernandez turned to see us.

  “Hey, Carpenter. Got a new gal this time?” He asked, which earned him a dirty look from me. “Ah, hi. D-I Hernandez, SFPD.” He extended a hand towards Serena.