Liam stood up and started circling the room. Evan was trembling, barely able to control his rage. Alexis was furious, too, maybe even angrier than Evan. Garret looked ill. Liam examined each of them in turn, then walked back behind the couch. Caitlin knew it was a pretty flimsy barrier, but it was a huge relief just to have something between them and him.
She mustered her courage. "Li, Liam." Caitlin took a deep breath, and forced herself to continue. "You don't want to make this any worse on yourself. Angelica told you to leave me alone. What do you think she's going to do when she hears about this?"
Liam looked at her with glinting eyes. "Oh, she'll probably put me over her lap and spank me. She hasn't done that in ages. Should be fun."
"Get out of here, Liam," Caitlin said.
"Well, look who's got a big brass set," Liam said. "Child, I was murdering people with Angelica before your grandparents were a gleam in someone's eye. Don't think for one second that you know my Sire better than I do. This," he said, gesturing at the carnage, "is nothing compared to the things we used to do together. She's just forgotten how much fun murder is. But I'm pretty sure I can remind her."
"What do you want?" Caitlin asked. Her voice shook, but she pressed on. "More blood? Is that what it'll take to make you leave?"
Liam chuckled. "I want blood. But not yours. Not yet."
Everyone looked at each other.
"So, um, whose blood do you want?" Raj asked.
"I'm not sure yet," Liam said. He walked over to the microwave, which was pouring smoke. He swept it off the table, yanking the cord out of the wall and sending it crashing to the ground. Everyone jumped at the noise. Then he circled back around the couch, and stood in front of them. "Why don't you tell me?" he said to Alexis.
"Fuck you," she spat.
"Believe me, I've thought about it," Liam answered. "All those times your boyfriend's ignored your hints and your offers, and just left you standing there? I was worried I'd have to step in and show you what a real man is. I'm glad he finally sacked up. By the way," he looked back at Evan, "You snore in your sleep."
The temperature in the room must have dropped twenty degrees when he said that.
"How about you?" he said to Bethany. "Do you want to pick who dies tonight? How about him?" He pointed to Garret. "The black guy always dies, doesn't he? Should I eat him? I bet he's having all kinds of premarital sex. Doesn't he need to be punished?"
"Nh," Bethany said.
Liam raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, what was that?"
"Nh, no. Not him."
Liam smiled wide. "Okay, who, then?"
"Anybody else." Bethany looked at the floor. "I'm sorry, guys."
"Hi, yeah. I'm in the G2 lounge. Um ... there's a vampire in here. Yeah, a vampire." Raj had his hand over his mouth, speaking quietly into his cell phone.
Liam stared at him in disbelief.
"Oh, crap," Raj said.
Liam walked over, and Raj looked up at him, terrified. "May I?" Liam asked, and held out his hand. Raj gave him the phone, and Liam held it up to his ear. "Hello? Who is this? Oh, hello, Lieutenant. Liam. Why yes I am, thank you for asking. No, everything is fine. Well, maybe a carpet cleaner. I made a bit of a mess. Thanks, that's great." He closed the phone and handed it back to Raj.
"So, where were we?" Liam asked. Without looking, he swiped his claws through the air. Raj's eyes went wide, and then a red line appeared across his throat. Blood poured down his shirt, and Raj fell to the floor.
Liam licked his fingers. "He's right. Tastes like curry."
Caitlin could smell his blood.
"Okay," Liam said, "the girls aren't being very good sports. How about you?" He stood in front of Evan.
"Go to hell," Evan said through gritted teeth.
"Not tonight." He grabbed Evan's chin, and stared hard into his eyes. Caitlin could feel a wave of pressure move through the room. The expression left Evan's face as he fell under Liam's compulsion. "Now, pick someone. Who do you want to die? Who's the least important person in the room?"
Caitlin could see Evan trying to choke the name back, but Liam's influence was too strong. "Garret," Evan said.
"Oh, come on man," Garret said.
"Sorry," Liam said. "I guess he doesn't believe in bros before hoes." And then his face morphed into its vampire form, and he sank his teeth into Garret's neck.
"No!" Bethany screamed, and jumped on Liam's back. She wrapped her legs around him and pounded him with her fists. Liam released Garret, who fell to the ground, limp.
Liam laughed, then casually threw her off. "I'm surprised. I really didn't think you were the type to put up a fight. So timid and shy. I really bring out the best in you, don't I? I bet I could teach you a thing or two about ... expressing yourself. What do you say, girl? Would you like me to make you scream?"
Bethany lay on the floor, looking up at him. Her lip trembled.
Evan started forward, but Liam, still in full vamp face, hissed at him, then yanked Bethany off the floor and sank his fangs into her neck.
She screamed and struggled, but it was useless. Then Liam threw her over his shoulder and jumped toward the window. The glass exploded, sending glittering shards tumbling into the night. Liam and Bethany sailed through and disappeared into the darkness outside.
Caitlin ran to the window, but they had already vanished.
Chapter Twelve
The paramedics were there, swarming all over everything. Garret, injured but still alive, was taken out on a stretcher. Other than that, they were just picking up pieces. There was nothing they could do for anybody.
The police were there, too, the campus police and the city police, taking photographs and putting little markers next to things. The Chief, a heavier-set black woman with curly hair, was taking their statement.
"Okay, Caitlin. Just start from the top, and tell me what happened."
"Okay," she answered. "We were all here for movie night, when the power went out. Jess went to check on it, and called Maintenance from her phone. Then she came back here, except this guy was following her, and he stabbed her. Wham wham wham, three times in the chest, and then wham wham wham, three times in the back. And then she, she ..." Her voice trailed off, and Caitlin wiped a tear from her eye.
"Okay, take your time. What happened next?"
"This other guy, God, I don't even know his name, tried to get away, but the guy snapped his neck. He was so strong. He must have been on drugs or something."
"Okay," the Chief said, jotting down notes.
"And then Raj tried to call the police, but the guy took the phone from him, and ... with the knife ..." Caitlin broke off.
"Okay. I think I'm starting to get a picture here." She looked at the others, standing in the hallway. "Why don't you all come over here."
They did, and the Chief looked down at her notebook. "Let me read you guys something. 'Wham wham wham, right in the chest, then wham wham wham, in the back.' 'Wham wham wham, he stabbed her right in the chest, then wham wham wham, he stabbed her in the back.' Wham wham wham, three times in the chest, and then wham wham wham, three times in the back.' That's what you guys told me. Oddly similar, don't you think?"
They just looked at each other.
The Chief continued, "'I don't even know who he was, but he was so strong, he must have been on drugs.' 'I don't know who he was. This guy tried to get away, but he snapped his neck. He was so strong, he must have been on drugs.' 'I don't even know his name, but he tried to get away, but the guy snapped his neck. He was so strong. He must have been on drugs or something.'"
She closed her notebook, and put it in her jacket pocket. "That's what we call a rehearsed story, kids. People do that when there's something they don't want the police to know."
Alexis started to protest, but the Chief waved her off. "So let's just call this what it is. You kids had the bad luck of ending up on the wrong side of a vampire buffet."
Caitlin's mouth dropped open. "Wait, you know?"
"Hell yea
h I know. What, do I look dumb to you? Everyone in this town knows. Everyone important, anyway."
"Then ... what are you going to do?"
The Chief suddenly looked very tired."What I always do, kid. Clean up, file a report that's as boring as I can make it, and make this go away as fast as I can."
They looked at her, stunned. "How can you do this?" Alexis demanded. "Aren't you supposed to be on the side of law and order? Or is that just something you stencil on your cars?"
"We put 'To Protect and Serve' on our cars, sweetie. And yeah, I am supposed to be on the side of law and order. Thing is, in this town vampires are the law, and the only orders that matter come from the Regent. I make a noise about this, and they'll be cleaning my blood up off the floor. Yours too. Don't you doubt it."
They all just looked at her, shell-shocked.
"But I'll talk to her. The Regent. And the Council. They really don't go in for this kind of mess. Too hard to keep it quiet, too many parents demanding answers. It attracts too much attention. I know it probably isn't much comfort, but the vampire that did this will be punished."
"Ten pieces of gold, right?" Caitlin said.
The Chief kept going like she hadn't been interrupted. "As for you guys, I suggest you do the best you can to forget about this." She paused. "I am sorry."
"What about Bethany?" Caitlin asked. "How do we get her back?"
The Chief just shook her head.
Alexis looked like she was about to tear into the Chief, but a commotion at the door stopped her. "Sir, I'm sorry, you can't come through here—" one of the cops was saying, but his voice cut off when someone grabbed him and threw him through the air.
The rest of the crowd parted like the red sea, and Michael stalked into the room, in full vamp face. Everyone got really quiet, and the police officers tried to look at Michael and the floor simultaneously.
Michael saw Caitlin, and his vamp face melted away. She rushed over to him, and fell into his arms. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"No."
The Chief walked over. "Is this your handiwork?"
Michael looked at her like she was mentally challenged. "Yeah, I did all of this. She came running over to me because she's got an early-onset case of Stockholm syndrome."
"You don't have to get snippy with me, sir."
Crimson circles appeared in Michael's eyes. "And you don't need to talk to me at all. Go finish covering up your crime scene."
The Chief blinked. "Oh, you must be McKenna. You know who did this?"
"Liam."
The Chief swore.
"What?" Caitlin asked.
"Liam is a ... special case. He belongs to the Regent. They're lovers or cousins or something. Hell, I can't keep this vampire crap straight. But whatever they are, he's her golden boy. She ain't gonna touch him. I'm sorry."
Caitlin looked up at Michael, tears in her eyes. "He took Bethany. We have to get her back."
Michael lifted his eyes away from her. "We don't have to do anything," he said. "Wait in the dorms for me. I'll be back before sunrise."
There was blood in his eyes.
***
Michael stormed out of the dorm, still in vamp face, still furious. Liam was a menace, and he needed to be stopped. Not just for the humans, but for the vampires, as well. His sick games were going to bring everything in St. Troy crashing to the ground. Why couldn't Angelica see that?
He walked past a group of guys on the way to the parking lot. One of them called out, "Nice makeup, Twilight!"
Michael ignored him, but the kid followed him. "Where you going, Cullen?"
"What's a Cullen?" one of the others asked.
"The vampire from those movies."
"Oh. How the hell do you know that?"
"...Shut up."
The first guy yelled at Michael again. "Slow down, Dracula. We're talking to you." He got in front of Michael and started walking backwards. "There a Halloween party I didn't hear about? Or does that just make your boyfriend hot?"
Michael roared and rushed him. He grabbed the boy by the shirt and hoisted him into the air, then let him dangle there. The other guys swore and backed away.
"Jesus!" the guy in Michael's grasp said. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean anything! Please don't bite me!"
Michael dropped him and walked away. The boys ran in the other direction.
He pulled out of the parking lot at an unreasonable speed, but it still felt slow. Every second counted, and he needed to get to Liam's as fast as he could.
But he wasn't sure what he would do when he got there. Liam was still more powerful, and he'd probably increased his security since the last time Michael had dropped in unannounced.
He was furious with himself. He should have been there. Should have protected Caitlin. Should have protected them all. But he couldn't be everywhere. And even if he could, what difference would it make? He would slow Liam down, sure, but he couldn't stop him. He might even make Liam angrier, more likely to lash out.
God damn it.
Minutes later, Michael stopped the car. Liam's mansion loomed above him. He wasn't going to play games; he was just going to cut anybody that got in his way. He took two daggers out of the trunk and slipped them into his belt, then drew two swords. Blood was going to flow.
He walked toward the gate, ready to jump over it, but it swung open as he approached. Michael looked around, expecting a trap, but the area was clear. He moved toward the mansion.
A werewolf—still in human form—was waiting, with two lines of wolves behind him, forming a corridor that led to the main door. "Liam is expecting you," the werewolf said, and stepped aside.
None of the wolves touched him as Michael approached. He swung the door open and walked in.
Finding them wasn't hard. He just followed the scent of blood and fear into one of the sitting rooms.
The room was dark, lit only by the moon and a fire that danced in the hearth. Some kind of reedy folk music was playing, emerging from hidden speakers.
Bethany was sprawled out on a couch. Her glasses lay on the floor beside her, broken. Most of her clothes had been removed. Blood dribbled from her neck, her wrist, and the inside of her thigh, creating three separate pools. Her skin was chalk-white, and her eyes were open but unseeing.
Michael felt for a pulse, but knew he wouldn't find one.
"Sorry, Mikey, you missed the party," Liam said.
Michael whirled and raised his blades. Liam had appeared in a vast armchair, reclining, fingers steepled. His face was hidden in shadow. Not that that mattered to Michael.
"I would have saved you some, but she was so delicious. I just couldn't contain myself."
Michael started forward, but Liam flashed across the room, behind Michael, and wrapped his arm around Michael's neck. Liam drew a blade and drove it into Michael's back. The silver sent rivers of pain flooding through Michael's body, and his strength left him. Michael fell to the floor.
"Pathetic," Liam says, looking down on him.
He started pacing around Michael's body. "Things are going to change in this town, Michael. We've been coddling the humans for too long. It's time that they learn who's really on top of the food chain.
"And it's time for you to learn your place, too. I know you see yourself as some kind of hero, a knight in shining armor or an avenging angel or something. But you're not. You're not the hero of this story. You're the annoying kid brother. The only reason you're still alive is Angelica, and she's going to lose her girl boner for you sooner or later."
He crouched next to him, inches from his face, and whispered fiercely. "This isn't the CW, Mikey. It's real life. And in real life, the good guys don't win. You don't get the girl. You don't get to save the girl. I'm going to kill her friends, and then I'm going to kill her. Slowly. And there's not a damn thing you can do about it.
"In fact, I might make you watch. You're no more of a threat to me than they are. I might take you, and chain you up, and make you watch me have my way with her. Watch me
drain the life from her, one sip at a time. Watch her cry. Watch her beg. Watch her die."
Michael thrashed and tried to strike at Liam, but the silver nullified his efforts.
"This," he gestured at Bethany, "was just an object lesson. So go back to them, Michael. Tell them how you failed. Tell them you're impotent. Tell them that Bethany Lourdes is dead, and that she's just the first."
He stood up, and called out, "Damien!"
A few moments later, one of the wolves ran in. "Sir."
"Get him out of here," Liam said. "And get someone in here to clean the carpets. The room is starting to smell like pig's blood."
***
William heard a car tearing up the driveway. That, in and of itself, wasn't unusual. Master McKenna wasn't always the most prudent driver. But William's curiosity was piqued when the vehicle screeched to a halt in front of the mansion, instead of the car park. And when the car tore away again, William got up to investigate.
He undid the door's several locks and swung it open, and gasped.
"Master McKenna," he said. He managed to keep most of the horror out of his voice. Most of it. He would never get used to seeing his Master like this, but it wouldn't do to let his emotions get the better of him.
Michael lay on the ground, a silver blade jammed into his kidney, smoke rising from the wound. The silver poisoning was starting to spread; his skin was ashen, gray, and the veins on his hands and face were turning black.
Michael made a pained grunt, but was otherwise unable to speak or move. William yanked out the dagger, which made Michael cry out. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid that was necessary. Come now, let's get you inside."
The butler struggled to get Michael more or less vertical, supported his weight on one shoulder, and helped him inside, careful not to get too close to his fangs. William wasn't as young as he used to be, and Michael wasn't as light as he looked, so it was a struggle just to get the injured vampire to the couch.
"Oh, sir," he said. "What have they done to you? What have you gotten yourself into this time?" Michael looked terrible. William knew that vampires were of a very strong constitution, and that Michael would almost certainly be able to shake this off, but still ... to see him like this, injured, suffering, helpless ... William had grown fond of the young vampire, and his current condition was heartbreaking.
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