“I don’t have another,” Kal said angrily. “Where do I find her?”
“Oh that’s hard to say,” Hodge evaded.
“Hodge,” Ra warned.
“She’ll kill me,” Hodge pleaded.
Kal shifted to gargoyle form and growled.
“My brother is going to kill you unless you tell us,” Ra explained.
“Decisions, decisions,” Hodge said. “Die now or risk Elyssa torturing me? I’m gonna have to go with die now.” Hodge shut his eyes and looked at the ceiling, exposing his neck.
Kal grabbed Hodge around the throat, lifted him up and slammed him against the wall.
“Which hand should I start with?” Kal growled.
“What do you mean?” Hodge asked, terrified.
“Never mind. I’ll start with your toes.” Kal stuck out his index finger and his long black, razor sharp claw, was the focus of Hodge’s gaze.
“Wait! Wait! Maybe there’s a compromise,” Hodge said.
“Let’s hear it,” Kal said angrily and slammed Hodge back down in his chair.
“So I think there’s a way we can both come out of this winners…and I won’t end up someone’s play thing,” Hodge offered.
“Well? I’m waiting,” Kal replied.
“What if I don’t tell you where she is,” Hodge started. Kal slammed his fist through the table and Hodge held up his hands. “Let me finish.” Kal stood up straight and crossed his arms so Hodge continued. “What if instead of telling you where she might be I tell you how you can find her yourself? If you go snooping around and find her. I didn’t help you did I?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kal asked. He shifted back to human form. The small room was a little snug when he was six foot two and over three hundred pounds.
“She uses several names to hide her properties. Even vampires own property. We can’t, very well, have humans walking in and risk being the current target of the council. That would be stupid. But when you own the property, humans keep their distance.” Hodge looked like he had just told them the location of a buried treasure. He looked so proud of himself until Kal sneered.
“Ok. Ok.” Hodge started writing down several names as quickly as he could. He picked up the napkin and handed it to Kal.
“This all of them?” Kal asked.
“As far as I know. I’m not saying I know every name she has ever used but this is a good list to start with,” Hodge said.
Kal leaned forward and gave Hodge a menacing stare.
“If I ever hear of humans coming here involuntarily. I’ll shut you down…permanently,” Kal warned.
“Hodge. I’d listen to him. He doesn’t make idle threats,” Ra said.
“Thanks a lot, Ra,” Hodge said sarcastically.
In a flash Ra had his clawed hand on Hodge’s throat.
“Kal is a by-the-book kind of guy. I might just come back for fun,” Ra warned.
“Just joking, Ra,” Hodge said nervously.
Despite being outdone by his baby brother Kal, Ra was one of the two oldest and most feared vampires on the planet, Elyssa was the other.
Kal led the way out of the bar and stuck the napkin in his pocket. Ra followed and grabbed a cup of blood on the way out. Kal didn’t have to turn around to know what Ra was doing.
“I almost threw up in there and you bring that stench with you?” Kal asked.
“You did a good job of hiding it,” Ra said with a laugh, guzzled the last of the blood then tossed the cup at the door.
“That was sort of fun. Reminded me of when we were younger,” Kal said. Ra caught up to him and patted Kal on the back.
“We were quite the pair before El happened,” Ra added.
“Was it all El? Sure, she killed dad but…” Kal trailed off.
“You tried to kill me because you thought I killed dad. It’s that simple. Would you have even considered killing me before that?” Ra asked seriously.
“I suppose not. I looked up to you,” Kal admitted.
“I always strived to be more like you,” Ra said. He smiled and jogged ahead. He hailed a cab and when Kal caught up Ra gave him a funny look. “I don’t walk everywhere. We need to head to the county offices and see if we can’t find some of the properties these aliases own.”
“You’re a little old fashioned, Ra,” Kal scolded. “I can probably do it faster on my laptop.”
“Ok Mr. Smarty pants. Let’s head back to your place then.” Ra got in the cab followed by Kal and soon they were back at Kal’s place to begin the search.
Chapter 17
Bree’s eyes adjusted to the dim light as the sun went down. The temperature was warm and she knew she was in Salvon but she had no idea what basement, of which building, Elyssa had hidden her in. She was tied with rope to a metal pole. Her hands were behind her back, around the pole and the place smelled horrible. Perhaps it was her pregnancy or the fact that she was pregnant with a baby gargoyle. Either way, she doubted the stench would have been this bad if she wasn’t pregnant.
She smelled dead animals and garbage. Then she sniffed the air again. Spilled whiskey and mold. Where they hell was she? Bree struggled with her ropes and realized the front pocket of these pants was about the worst place she could have stashed the pocket knife. Then she realized, nope, the shirt pocket would have been worse. Not that it mattered, there was no way she was getting either of her hands anywhere near the knife.
Bree slumped down and tried to sit on the floor. Her shoulders were killing her. She had been here for hours. Bree had tried yelling for help, she had tried breaking the ropes, she had even tried to slip her small wrists out of the bonds but Elyssa was no slouch at knot tying. Bree was going nowhere.
Bree heard footsteps and soon Elyssa walked into the dimly lit basement holding a tray.
“Supper time,” Elyssa said cheerfully. She set the tray on the floor then walked around behind Bree. “No funny business. No running. And no more screaming please. It just hurts my ears. No one is anywhere near this place.”
“Fine,” Bree yielded.
Once the knots were undone Bree reveled in the feeling of blood rushing through her arms once more. Her shoulders throbbed and her wrists hurt but it was much less painful than it had been a second ago. She eagerly scooped up whatever the food was on the tray in front of her. She didn’t care what it was, she felt like she was starving which meant the baby probably was too.
“Enjoying your rat stew?” Elyssa taunted.
“Delicious,” Bree said with her mouth full. She honestly didn’t care. It was the best rat stew she had ever eaten.
“You’re no fun. It’s beef stew,” Elyssa said miserably.
“Ready for Kal to rescue me yet?” Bree asked as she finished the last of her food.
“Almost,” Elyssa said with a strange grin.
Bree’s mouth fell open as ten incredibly frightful looking things walked up behind Elyssa. Their skin was pale and their heads were hairless. Some were short, some were tall but they were all bone thin.
“What are those?” Bree asked.
“The fallout of my brother living in the US,” Elyssa replied cryptically.
“And what is that supposed to mean?” Bree asked.
“These poor souls would rather spend their time hiding in the dark than risk meeting Kal in person. I’m helping them rid the world of my brother.” Elyssa waited for Bree’s indignance and snide comments. Truthfully, it was the highlight of her day.
“So you have a built in following. How cute. Starting a cult?” Bree asked.
“Actually,” Elyssa said and raised her hands. Thirty or forty more of the hideous creatures filled in behind her. “I have an army.”
“An army of speed bumps,” Bree said with a laugh.
Elyssa walked up to Bree with a smug look on her face. She bent down and grinned even wider.
“They just have to slow him down enough for me to deliver the killing blow,” Elyssa taunted.
Bree had heard enough. She q
uickly reached in her pocket, pulled out the knife and stabbed at Elyssa’s throat. Elyssa caught her wrist only inches before the blade sunk in.
“That was brave. Stupid but brave.” Elyssa squeezed Bree’s wrist until she screamed in agony then dropped the knife. Elyssa then picked up the blade and thrust it forward, stopping as the tip of the knife pierced the skin on Bree’s stomach.
“I could end its life right now if you like. All I need is you.” Elyssa held the knife and Bree’s wrist but Bree didn’t flinch.
“You know as well as I do that the knife will kill me long before it kills him…her? I think it’s a her,” Bree said with a strange smile. She leaned back and held her stomach while she grinned.
“How would you know?” Elyssa spat then turned and waved her army away. The sickly vampires took off, leaving Elyssa and Bree alone.
“I’m not sure. I just know,” Bree said and her face filled with joy.
“Oh so you just so happen to be the only human to ever get pregnant with a gargoyle and then, on top of that, you are the only mother of a female gargoyle? Don’t be ridiculous.” Elyssa seemed rather upset by Bree’s prediction.
“There are no female gargoyles?” Bree asked.
“No,” Elyssa replied sharply.
“Oh man. You vampires sure aren’t good at math are you?” Bree taunted.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Elyssa asked.
“Statistics. Ever hear of them? The pool of ten gargoyles isn’t enough to even come to a conclusion. Maybe females are just more rare. Maybe it just hasn’t happened yet,” Bree said confidently and with as much smugness as she could muster.
“Eleven,” Elyssa said.
“What’s that?” Bree asked with a smirk.
“There are eleven gargoyles. Kal is eleven,” Elyssa said as if that made any difference.
“Oh. So sorry. Your enormous pool of eleven gargoyles still isn’t enough to amount to anything. You might as well just throw darts at a board with your eyes closed. It would be just about as informative.” Bree crossed her arms and leaned back on the pole. Her stomach hurt where Elyssa had stabbed her but she knew it wasn’t deep and she wasn’t about to give Elyssa the satisfaction of letting her know it hurt.
“Hands behind the pole. I need to go out again,” Elyssa ordered.
Bree did as she was told but couldn’t help but taunt Elyssa before she left.
“Time for Kal to rescue me yet or are you going to lookup statistics? I hear the library has a whole section on math. Maybe your pale army would do better if…I don’t know…they could add?” Bree asked with a laugh.
Elyssa pulled the ropes tightly but Bree refused to scream or even grunt. It hurt like hell but she knew she’d never win a battle of strength. The battle of wits and willpower? She had a pretty good suspicion she was winning that battle.
Chapter 18
Kal crept into the dark basement of the abandoned factory. Ra was coming in from the other side but he couldn’t see him yet. Something was off about this place. He couldn’t smell as acutely as Ra, and although he trusted Ra’s assessment, he had his doubts. Ra had said that the smell from this place was definitely from a vampire, actually a few vampires. It wasn’t Elyssa but their sister was very careful about covering her scent. Ra had also smelled Bree. Something Elyssa couldn’t hide.
Over the years Elyssa had taken great pains to learn the art of covering her scent with various herbs and perfumes that confused a vampire’s sense of smell. They would not have an easy time tracking Elyssa but the smell of a human, carrying a gargoyle’s baby? It would take a ton of herbs and gallons of perfume to hide that smell.
As Kal made his way cautiously toward the metal pole in the center of the room he saw a tray on the ground. Ra came from the other direction and his face looked horrified.
“What is it?” Kal asked quietly yet adamantly.
“Just stay calm. It’s just a little blood. Who knows? Maybe she scraped her knee. Maybe the ropes were too tight. It’s just a little,” Ra said as calmly and confidently as he could. Truthfully, outside this room, he had feared the worst but when he came in the basement and the smell was no stronger, he was relieved.
“Just a little blood?!” Kal shouted.
“I said to stay calm. There’s something else,” Ra said with a smile that calmed Kal more than the words he spoke.
“What?” Kal asked.
“She’s changing,” Ra said.
“What do you mean changing?” Kal asked, his confidence in his brother fell away. How was this a good thing?
“She is less human than she was at the inn. I thought it was a little strange but even at the inn I could smell the gargoyle inside her.” Ra’s smile didn’t give Kal any comfort this time.
“You mean the baby?” Kal asked.
“No. At first that’s what I thought it was but this blood changed my mind. It’s not the baby I’m smelling. It’s in Bree’s blood.” Ra’s words were cryptic and Kal couldn’t stay calm any longer.
“What do you mean?! Changing into what?!” Kal demanded.
“Remember that human girl who got pregnant with a vampire in the umm…it was like the twelve hundreds or something. No thirteen hundreds,” Ra corrected himself and leaned against the metal pole.
“So?” Kal asked.
“That girl ended up becoming a vampire. Something about the pregnancy changed her,” Ra explained.
“You think Bree is changing into a vampire?” Kal asked.
“No, a gargoyle,” Ra answered. “She’s a strong woman. You never know. Maybe someday people will be cowering at the mention of the name Bree Johnson.” Ra laughed and Kal joined in then rolled his eyes.
“People already cower at the mention of the name Bree Johnson,” Kal added. “She can make a grown man cry if she sets her mind to it.” Kal’s eyes darted to the left then the right. He had heard something. He noticed Ra doing the same thing then Ra took a deep breath through his nose and stared at Kal.
“We have company,” Ra said and his fangs came out. His claws elongated then the bones in his face pushed out against his skin. He looked quite a bit like a smaller Kal, minus the grey skin and red eyes.
Kal transformed as well and they waited for whatever was coming. They could hear the quiet scratches, like claws running on cement. The sounds got closer and closer then stopped. The two men put their backs together and waited for what seemed like an eternity in total silence.
“You’re early,” Elyssa’s voice rang out from an unknown direction.
Kal desperately searched the room but there was still no sign of anyone. Ra’s eyes peered at a shadowy form, far in the distance, which Kal’s eyes couldn’t see. Something was off about Elyssa’s voice.
“Come closer sister,” Ra said with a sinister quality to his voice.
“Where is she?” Kal asked quietly.
“Calm down Kal. I’m not ready to kill you yet. My plan still has a few minor…tweaks,” Elyssa said with a cruel laugh.
“If you hurt her!” Kal warned.
“I’m not going to hurt her yet,” Elyssa said. Kal could hear the smile on her face, though he couldn’t see her like Ra could. “Oh. Did you smell it yet Ra? I doubt little brother could but surely you can.”
“Yes. You better watch yourself. She just might tear your head off for us,” Ra taunted.
Kal could hear his sisters long, evil laugh that seemed to come from everywhere in the basement.
“You don’t get it. I want her to change. I was hoping for it,” Elyssa said.
“Why?” Kal asked.
“Because she is the perfect woman for you in every way. She might even become immortal…and I’m going to rip it all away from you!” Elyssa’s voice was becoming agitated. “I couldn’t have planned this better myself. Who knew the day I came to Salvon to frame you for a murder I would find an even better plan just waiting for me to pick it up? Someone up there hates you Kal. Who haven’t you pissed off?”
K
al charged at a direction he thought he heard Elyssa’s voice coming from but halted as five pale, bone thin, vampires walked out.
“That’s not me!” Elyssa taunted.
Kal charged the opposite direction and was met with five more pale vampires.
“Wrong again Kal! Strike two!” Elyssa said with a cruel laugh. “Poor Bree. She has the most inept supernatural being in existence as her would-be savior. How have you survived this long?”
“Because despite my failings. I’m not psychotic!” Kal shouted angrily.
“Ouch. That one hurt,” Elyssa teased.
While Kal was charging around and failing to find Elyssa, Ra was listening carefully to the echoes and the nuances of Elyssa’s voice. He was certain it was down the hall but it wasn’t Elyssa. It was a speaker. The shadowy figure was not his sister after all.
“Kal,” Ra whispered. Kal turned and looked at his brother. “She’s not even here.”
“So you couldn’t even bother showing up in person?!” Kal shouted.
“No fair. Ra’s cheating for you,” Elyssa said and laughed maniacally.
The dark figure Ra had seen walked forward and he could see her clearly now. It was a female vampire about the same height and body type as Elyssa but it wasn’t her. The woman was holding a speaker in front of her and she was grinning from ear to ear.
“Every vampire in this room has exactly ONE CHANCE to run!” Kal shouted. He bent over and roared in the direction of some of the vampires. They looked terrified but they didn’t run.
“No one is that afraid of you anymore little brother,” the speaker said as the woman holding it walked closer. “They’re more afraid of me.”
“That’s their mistake,” Kal said while staring at the woman who was holding the speaker. She stared into his eyes and, without warning, she dropped the speaker and took off running.
Kal let her go but he was furious. He charged at the large metal pole where Bree had been tied up only hours ago. He slammed into it, shoulder first, and the building shook. All the pale vampires stood, horrified, some realizing their mistake, others unsure of what to do.
Kal put both hands on the pole and stared at Ra.
Immortal Consequences Page 10