Star, Starland Vamp Series, Book 1

by Theresa Oliver

  Marilyn grinned slightly, gracefully extending her hand into mine, palm down. I dropped it, and her smile faded quickly.

  “Good night, Love,” I replied with a smile, as two vamps I didn’t recognize came quickly in the front door. Cleo gave them a slight nod in my direction. I looked to the back door, but two huge vamps that made Steve look like Barney Fife guarded the back door. I turned to face Cleo casually and replied, “If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my office.”

  Her eyes narrowed, but she nodded her head slightly as I headed down the hallway toward where I suspected the executive offices would be. Out of sight, I moved at vamp speed down the hall, surprising two vamps necking outside the bathrooms. The male looked like a cowboy, whereas the young female appeared to have stepped out of an Arabian harem. I moved quickly to the right down the hallway into what I suspected was Bill’s office and quickly bolted the thick steel door. He must have had it installed in case of an attack.

  Vamps beat on the door, yelling for me to open up, pounding so hard they punched dents in the three inch thick steel casing. Quickly, I looked around, and luckily there was a small window at the top of the room. Like a trapeze artist, I jumped up and grabbed the steel beams in the ceiling and swung back and forth until my feet was even with the window, then I let go, crashing through the window feet first, landing expertly on the ground outside the club.

  Outside, my body changed and shimmered, morphing back into myself when suddenly a 1970 Daytona yellow Corvette convertible pulled up. I reached for my 9 mm Glock, still in the back of my pants.

  “That won’t be necessary, unless you don’t need a ride,” the masculine voice with a Roman accent said nonchalantly. When I looked, it was Verus.

  “What the hell?” I asked, very confused.

  Behind me, I could hear vamps busting through the steel door of Bill’s office, yelling a series of “He went through the window!” “He’s outside!” “Go, go, go!” then I turned to face Verus again.

  At vamp speed, I aimed my Glock at his head. “Can I trust you?”

  “We don’t have enough time for this,” Verus replied.

  I pulled back the hammer on my Glock. “Can I trust you?” I demanded through gritted teeth, pointing the weapon at his brain.

  “What do you think?” Verus answered, as vamps rounded the corner, heading toward us.

  And I knew I didn’t have a choice. At vamp speed, I lowered the hammer on the Glock and slid into the passenger seat of his car, saying to Verus, “For your sake, you’d better hope I can trust you.”

  Without saying another word, Verus quickly sped out of the side parking lot, down an alley, then out onto Broadway as rogue vamps ran quickly after us.

  “We have company!” Verus yelled over his shoulder, making a quick turn down another street where more rogue vamps blocked our way.

  I quickly leaned out the passenger side window and unloaded my Glock into as many vamps as I possibly could, while Verus expertly darted around others, heading toward the expressway. Quickly, I reached into my pants pocket for another clip and popped it into my Glock, ready to roll just as another rogue vamp jumped onto the hood.

  “Get the hell off my car!” Verus yelled in his pronounced Roman accent as I leaned out the window and unloaded my clip into his brain. Another vamp crawled across the back of the car and had me by the throat in an instant, while Verus quickly spun the yellow Corvette around, trying to knock him off, but failed miserably.

  In one fluid motion, I grabbed my Greyman knife from my boot and stabbed him all the way through his throat. The blade came out the back of his neck.

  He let go.

  Within a second, Verus made a sharp left turn and we were safely back on I-95 headed to who knows where.

  I looked for a place to wipe the blood off my knife, and Verus read my mind.

  “Don’t even think about it,” he said, looking at the bloody 9 ¾ inch blade.

  So I shoved it into my boot again, deciding to clean it up later. Verus relaxed a bit. After taking a moment to collect my thoughts, I turned to him and said, “Okay, spill.”

  Verus knew I wanted answers to a lot of questions and I wanted them now. “Not here,” he replied, then added, “Let me find a safe place where we can talk.”

  I didn’t relax and said nothing as I waited for him to stop the beautiful 1970 Daytona yellow Corvette convertible. On the outskirts of town, darkness was encroaching upon us, with only the occasional street lamps passing by. Without thinking about what he would think, I pulled another clip from my pants pocket and reloaded my Glock, looking right at him as he laughed. His powerful muscles expertly turned the wheel, taking the next exit, then within minutes, we were deep within the forest on a secluded road. And although it was completely dark, I could see perfectly.

  He slowly pulled the Corvette to a stop, then turned off the engine. I waited for him to speak. “I suppose you’re wondering what’s going on,” he said, not taking his hands off the black leather steering wheel.

  “You suppose correctly,” I replied, still holding the Glock on my thigh. It didn’t escape his notice, but he said nothing about it. I just waited for him to continue.

  “I’m an undercover agent, too,” Verus replied, looking me directly in the eye.

  I laughed so hard that tears sprang to my eyes. “Yeah, right,” I said. “Tell me another one.”

  “It’s true,” Verus said, reaching into his back pocket.

  Immediately, I had the Glock at his forehead. “Be very careful, Verus.”

  He held both his hands up in surrender, then said casually, “I’m only reaching for my wallet. Do you mind?”

  I thought for a moment, then lowered my weapon. “Go right ahead, but don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

  Then he smiled mischievously, “Why? What do you have in mind?” Then he leaned closer and whispered, “Although I wouldn’t regret it.”

  And without missing a beat, I had the Glock pointed at his forehead again. “I said, don’t try anything stupid.”

  “Hey, I was just kidding!” Verus said, clearly amused, but unmoved. “And please, call me V.”

  “Okay, Verus,” I said, not trusting him for a second, even though he just saved my life. “What are you doing here?”

  “As I said,” Verus continued, pulling a card from his wallet and handing it to me. It was a standard issue CIA identification card with his name and picture on it. His entry date was 1947, the same date as the indoctrination of the agency. The same year I entered. I had one just like it.

  “How do I know this is real?” I asked, fanning the hard plastic card.

  “Come now Star, you know it’s real,” Verus replied with a half smile.

  “Okay,” I said, handing it back to him. “Then why have I not seen you at the agency before?”

  “I don’t know, Star,” Verus continued, shaking his head, looking out the side window. “There are so many of us working so many different facets of the agency, we just probably never worked together before. I’m on a different team than you.”

  “How do you know my name?” I asked, still not trusting him.

  “Abbott told me he was sending you undercover last week,” Verus replied. “After I told him there was a contract on his son’s head, that’s when he sent you and Rick in to protect him.” Then he sighed and sat back against the seat and looked out the window, taking a moment to collect his thoughts, then he turned to face me again. “Abbott sent me undercover a few months ago to work at The Mirage.”

  “A few months ago?” I asked, my eyebrows pulling together.

  Verus nodded. “Yes. He knew something was going down in the city and that someone was creating rogue vamps, but he didn’t know who, what, or why. That’s when he sent me in. He thought that the best place to find the answers was at The Mirage.”

  “And what have you found out?” I asked, still debating on whether or not to believe his story.

  Verus’ eyebrows pulled together, then he replied, “A vamp
is experimenting with creating vampires. I’m not completely sure what he’s trying to accomplish, but I have an idea.”

  I nodded, taking it all in.

  “And there’s more,” Verus continued, looking at me with concern, knowing I wasn’t going to like what he was about to tell me next. “He grabbed Rick last night.”

  I nodded, understanding. “I thought so. They grabbed Annie, too.”

  Verus laughed, then looked at me. “Star, she’s one of them.”

  “No!” I yelled into his face as tears brimmed my eyes. “There’s no way Annie is one of them! She has to be undercover or something.”

  Verus sighed. “I sure hope so. All I know is that she’s been hanging out with Michaels quite a bit.”

  Then my tears turned to anger as I imagined Annie with Michaels. Then I remembered what she said about Rick. How she was in love with him. But then again, when I asked her if she’d ever been with anyone else, she replied, ‘None that I loved.’ Oh, Annie! What have you done? “I don’t believe it! She has to be undercover! Annie would never betray her country!” Somehow, I just couldn’t bring myself to believe that Annie could betray us like that after what we’ve been through together over the years.

  “I sure hope you’re right about her, for all our sakes,” Verus replied, then added as concern filled his eyes. “If she is undercover, I haven’t been told about it and she’s made no contact with me. According to Abbott, she went rogue about a year ago.”

  I laughed. “Is that who you’re basing your information on?” I asked, feeling relieved. “Abbot’s dead, I’m sure. A shape shifter was posing as him a few days ago.”

  “No, I have Abbott,” Verus replied casually, but concerned.

  “What do you mean, you have him?” I asked as my heart stopped within my chest.

  “I grabbed him a few days ago,” Verus replied nonchalantly, then added. “Actually, he didn’t want to go, but I talked him into going to a safe house. The one who’s creating these rogue vamps is a shape shifter, like you said. He wanted Abbott out of the picture, so I told Abbott and he went along with it and the rogue vamp thinks he’s dead. Abbott really wants that guy. Bad. So he was willing to do what it takes to catch him. Anyway, the shape shifter took his place.”

  Sudden rage filled my heart. “You should have gotten word to me!” I began, letting the words spew like venom from my lips. “You almost got Zac and I killed the other day!”

  “There was no time,” Verus calmly explained. “I had to act quickly and I had no choice. Abbott tried to call his son, but couldn’t get hold of him. You two were probably already on your way there.”

  I nodded, trying to calm myself. It was a lot of information to absorb in one night. “Where does the moron have Rick?”

  “In a warehouse in the Bronx,” Verus replied with a sigh. “It’s like a fortress. Heavily guarded.”

  “What does he want with Rick, and with Zac for that matter?” I asked, trying to put the pieces together.

  “He doesn’t want them,” he replied, looking directly into my eyes. “He wants you.”

  “What does he want with me?” I asked, my eyebrows pulling together, confused.

  “You’re a shape shifter,” Verus replied.

  “So?” I said, then added. “So is he!”

  “All I know is that he’s been trying to lure you out.”

  “Why?”

  Then Verus turned to face me, looking directly into my eyes. “You’ve been in hiding for a while, haven’t you?”

  “Not in hiding,” I replied, shaking my head in disbelief. “Out of the country. Undercover.”

  “Well, someone must have told him you were back,” Verus replied. “Because he’s been looking for you.”

  “Why?” I asked, completely confused. I thought of Stop and Rob, but the rogue vamp was after me way before then. Stop and Rob just confirmed that I was there.

  Verus sighed, looking straight out the front windshield, then back at me. “Think about it, Star. Why are you a shape shifter?”

  I shook my head, concentrating hard. “There’s something in my blood. An anomaly. I’m not sure exactly what, but it’s passed down from one generation to the next through my blood.”

  That’s right,” Verus replied, nodding his head, helping me to piece it together. “So can you imagine why he wants you?”

  Then it hit me. “To make more shape shifters.”

  Verus nodded, letting it sink in.

  “He wants my blood hoping to create more shape shifter vampires,” I finally said as the realization finally sank in. Then something dawned on me. “But why does he need me? He’s a shape shifter! Why doesn’t he just use his own blood?”

  Verus shook his head. “He’s tried, but it’s not working. See, when he was turned into a vampire, his creator gave him his blood, then bit him, turning him into a shape shifter vampire. He’s not sure if it was the venom or the blood that turned him into a shape shifter.”

  “Rick …” I said, as something suddenly occurred to me. “You don’t think he’s been experimenting with Rick, do you? Using his venom? Because he turned me?”

  Verus shook his head. “I’m not sure. Possibly.”

  “My God …” I replied, unable to believe what I was hearing. “This guy’s a mad man.”

  Verus nodded.

  Then anger once again filled my veins. “Why didn’t you go in after Rick as soon as they grabbed him?”

  “I couldn’t go in alone,” Verus replied. “And I was waiting for you.”

  “For me?” I asked, trying to follow his logic.

  Verus nodded, then replied, “Yes. I didn’t want to scare him off. If I busted in now, he could take off then try to get you later, but he would be onto us. It will be much harder to get him next time, maybe impossible, if there is a next time. We need to nail this guy now while we still can.”

  “Do you know his name?” I asked, my eyebrows pulling together.

  “He goes by many names,” Verus replied, “I knew him in my prior life as Titus.”

  “The Roman Emperor Titus?” I asked, unable to believe what I was hearing. “The one who gave you your freedom when you were a slave?”

  Verus sighed. “The one and the same. I didn’t know he was still alive until I went undercover. And low and behold, he’s the one responsible. But Titus trusts me, so I used that to my advantage.” Then Virus sighed again and shook his head, remembering times past. “When the Flavian Amphitheater, or the Coliseum as it’s called today, was created, Titus wanted to create a show that no one would forget to lighten the spirits of the people, so he decided to hold games at the inaugural ceremonies, which lasted for over a hundred days.

  “But the problem was that the gladiators kept dying.” Verus paused, shaking his head, remembering times long past. “So for sport, he decided to create vampires out of some of us to lengthen the games.”

  “That’s when he made you into a vampire,” I replied, unable to believe what I was hearing.

  “Yes,” Verus continued. “He made my friend Priscus and I into vamps, then told us we had to fight one another. The winner would earn our freedom.”

  “I remember this story,” I replied, remembering my world history.

  “Yes, you probably do,” Verus continued. “Anyway, before the fight ensued, Priscus and I vowed to make it look good, but not to kill one another.”

  “So, the day of the games,” I continued, remembering the story. “You two fought long and hard until he finally stopped the fight and awarded you both your freedom.”

  “Yes, that’s correct,” Verus replied, turning away. “We made it look good and put on a good show.”

  Then a thought occurred to me. “How do I know that you’re telling me the truth now? That you’re still not working for him? He created you, after all. ”

  “He created me for his own enjoyment,” Verus corrected, as anger filled his eyes, remembering. “He condemned me to a life of constant thirst for his own enjoyment.” Verus t
urned away, thinking, with a frown on his face, then sighed. “Star, you have no reason to trust me, but you have no choice.” Then he paused for a moment and added, “Why else would I be telling you this if I wasn’t on your side?”

  “Well, let’s see,” I began, feigning nonchalance. “To lure me out, to capture me …”

  Verus laughed. “You have a point.” Then he thought for a moment. “Anyway, your mission was to protect the boy. I was supposed to handle the rest, that is, until Titus involved you so completely. Knowing what I know now, he probably set a million dollar price tag on the kid’s head to lure you out, knowing Abbott would send you in to protect him.”

  “Since I look so young,” I finished for him, then nodded. It made sense. Why else would he be grabbing everyone I know? “I still have a feeling I’m missing something …”

  “You probably know him from your prior life under another name. You probably had a run in with him many years ago,” Verus replied. “How else would he even know about you? That you’re a shape shifting vampire? That’s classified information.”

  “True,” I replied, knowing he was probably right. Then I wondered who could possibly be doing this that I knew. “Why do you think this moron wants to make more shape shifters?” But I already knew the answer.

  “To rule the world,” Verus answered. “Who knows why any mad man does the things he does? Look at Hitler. What do you think he would have done if he could have created shape shifting vamps?”

  “I hope you’re wrong,” I replied, then added, taking a sigh. “This guy has to be stopped before he succeeds.”

  “I know,” Verus agreed, then changed the subject as a thought occurred to him. “Where’s the kid, anyway?”

  “In a safe house with his mother.”

  Then shock illuminated V’s face. “Did you just say he’s with his mother?” Verus asked, his voice raising a few octaves.

  My eyebrows suddenly pulled together. “Yeah, why?” Then my heart suddenly sank within my chest.

  “Because I grabbed his mother a few days ago,” Verus replied despite the shock still prominent within his own eyes.

  “You what?” I asked, unable to believe what I was hearing. “You moron! Why didn’t you tell me?”