Lord of the Night

by Robin T. Popp

  “Where are you?” he asked when Michael answered.

  “I’m at the lair. Why?”

  “I left you a message to meet me in town. Didn’t you get it?”

  He heard a pause and imagined Michael looking at the screen of his phone. “No, there’s nothing showing up. Must have got lost.”

  Erik sighed. Using the cell phones might be safer, but they certainly weren’t as fast as the link. “Can you meet me? I’d like to see if we can flush out our killer. I’m outside of Myrtle’s.”

  “Sure. I’m on my way.”

  Sitting in the back seat of the cab as it pulled down the driveway of his ancestral home, Gerard Winslow, Earl of Hocksley and veteran vampire hunter, was a nervous wreck at the prospect of seeing his daughter again. He’d already loved her as a niece when Vince died, but he’d quickly grown to love her as his own child after he adopted her. To have been estranged from her these past three years had been horrible. Now he had a chance to patch things up—if only he knew what to say.

  Still lost in thought, he paid the cabbie and climbed out. He only had the single piece of luggage with him because his collection of hand-forged and crafted swords would be delivered sometime later in the week.

  Standing in the drive, he waited for the cab to drive off and then took a deep breath. There was no point in putting it off any longer, he supposed.

  The crunch of gravel caught his attention. He turned, expecting to see Kacie, and barely had time to register the red glowing eyes of the vampire before he was hit over the head with something hard and blackness engulfed him.

  Kacie glanced at her watch again. Her father was late—at least an hour—maybe more.

  Picking up the phone, she tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. More than a little concerned, she keyed in Erik’s cell phone number and waited for him to answer.

  “Hello, love,” his velvety voice answered, instantly soothing her.

  Momentarily distracted, she couldn’t hide the smile in her voice. “How do you do that?”

  “What?”

  “You know perfectly well what. That thing you do with your voice that makes me feel like you’re caressing me.”

  He groaned. “I wish that’s what I was doing right now.”

  She sobered. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes—in fact, it’s downright boring in town tonight in terms of vampire nightlife. I’m waiting for Michael. He was supposed to meet me, but I guess he’s running late.”

  “He’s not the only one.”

  “Gerard’s not there yet?” His tone told Kacie she was right to be concerned.

  “No. And there was no answer on his cell phone.”

  “Okay. Try not to worry. I’m on my way.”

  “Thank you,” she said, feeling better already. She was still worried, but felt that with Erik by her side, she could handle anything. “Be careful.” She disconnected the call and mentally added, I love you.

  Maybe one day, she’d have the nerve to say it out loud, but not yet.

  The phone rang again and she hurried to answer it.

  “Hello?”

  “I have something of yours,” a stranger’s voice said.

  “Excuse me? Who is this?”

  The voice on the other end of the line sounded vaguely familiar and she tried to remember where she’d heard it before.

  “Kacie?” A new voice came on the line. This one was very familiar.

  “Dad?” Alarm shot through her. “Are you all right? Where are you?”

  “Not so fast.” The first voice came back on. “If you want to see your father again—alive—you’ll meet me at the old cemetery, near the Winslow mausoleum. Come unarmed and alone. If I see you with a sword—or if I see anyone else at that cemetery—I’ll kill the old man.”

  “How do I know that if I do as you ask, you won’t hurt him anyway?”

  “Oh, I assure you that I have every intention of hurting him and I will continue to hurt him until you arrive, so I suggest you hurry. The longer you delay, the more likely it is that in a couple of nights, when you go vampire hunting again, it’ll be your father you have to kill. So Kacie? Don’t take too long.”

  The line went dead but not before she heard her father’s strangled cry of pain.

  Chapter 15

  Stress and worry caused her head to ring. She gripped the back of the nearest chair to make sure she didn’t fall.

  Could her father’s kidnapper also be Sedrick’s killer? With her father’s cry still echoing in her head, she knew there wasn’t much time. Picking up the phone, she punched in Erik’s number and then hung up. Maybe she shouldn’t call him. If Erik got to the cemetery before she did, her father could die.

  On the other hand, it was foolish to try to rescue her father by herself. She picked up the phone again and dialed Erik’s number. It rang several times before clicking over to voice mail. She tried once more, but when she still couldn’t reach him, she had no choice but to leave a message.

  “Erik. Dad’s been kidnapped. I got a call to go to the old cemetery—to the Winslow family mausoleum—alone. If I don’t, he’ll hurt Dad. Please hurry.”

  She prayed he would check his messages soon and raced out of the castle. She longed to take her sword, but even without it, she had one ace up her sleeve—she was a changeling. She hoped she would have an opportunity to try out her new skills.

  “I don’t know what’s going on,” Erik said to Michael over the phone. “There’s no activity in town at all.”

  “Where are you now?” Michael asked.

  “I’m headed back to the castle. That’s why I’m calling. There’s been a change of plans. I talked to Kacie a little while ago and she’s worried because Gerard hasn’t shown up yet. Frankly, I’m a little worried myself. It could just be a coincidence that he’s late tonight, but—”

  “Tonight’s not a night to believe in coincidence.”

  “My feelings exactly, so I’m headed home to check it out. Can you meet me there instead?”

  “I’ve got to take care of something first, but then I’m on my way.”

  “Thanks.”

  Erik disconnected the call and then dialed the number to the castle. He knew Kacie was upset and he didn’t like the idea of her sitting there alone. He waited for her to answer. With each unanswered ring, his anxiety grew. He quickened his pace until finally he was racing along the backwoods path to the castle.

  Kacie approached the cemetery slowly, alert for signs of trouble. The last thing she needed was to have a random vampire appear out of nowhere and attack her. Worse yet would be the ones who weren’t random; the ones who’d been sent specifically to kill her.

  She headed toward the Winslow mausoleum and had almost reached it when a movement in the shadows caused her to pull up short.

  “You,” she spit out the word as Carrington appeared, holding her father.

  “You don’t seem surprised,” he said, smiling to show off his pearly fangs. With her new night vision, Kacie saw that her father’s neck bore twin puncture marks, indicating that he’d been bitten.

  “Let him go,” she ordered. “You don’t need him anymore. You have me.”

  “I don’t think so,” Carrington said.

  “Why are you doing this? What do you want?”

  He laughed. “You, of course.” He gestured with a tilt of his head and two vampires appeared from out of the shadows. One was carrying a set of handcuffs. “Now, be a good girl and put these on.”

  When the first of the two vampires reached for her, she kicked out and caught him in the stomach. He doubled over and collapsed to the ground. Kacie didn’t wait to see if he stayed down, but turned to face the other as he rushed her.

  He was too close to kick, so with fingers folded, she flattened her hand and jabbed him as hard as she could. He stopped in his tracks, clutching his throat and gasping for air. Kacie was about to hit him again when her father’s pained cry caused her to look around.

  Carrington’s mouth
was pressed against the side of her father’s throat. A small amount of blood oozed out from beneath the vampire’s lips and ran down her father’s neck. White-hot rage filled her and she charged, shouting.

  She’d only taken a step or two when she was hit with what felt like a battering ram. She landed on the ground, the air knocked out of her.

  For a second, she was too stunned to do anything more than lie there gasping. When she was able to catch her breath, she rolled onto her hands and knees. Her stomach and lungs burned and she felt sick.

  “You all are pathetic,” she heard the voice from the telephone snarl. “Do I have to do everything myself?”

  She looked up and saw the familiar face. The nausea in her stomach grew worse at the depth of betrayal she now witnessed. “How could you do this to him? He’s your friend.”

  His eyes grew ice cold. “I have no friends.”

  With a gesture of his hand, he summoned the two vampires she’d attacked earlier. They came forward eagerly and before she could gather her thoughts for a plan of attack, they grabbed her. She fought them, thrashing out with hands and feet—anything to get free.

  Her efforts against three vampires, however, proved futile. Before long, she’d been cuffed and forced to her knees.

  She looked up into the smiling face of her captor. “You don’t need my father anymore,” she pleaded. “You have me. Please let him go.”

  He laughed. “How naive do you think I am? If I let the old man go, he’ll go tell Erik. No, you’ll both be my guests.”

  “Just tell me why,” she asked. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Why, revenge, of course.”

  Erik stood in his apartment, feeling lost. He’d searched the entire castle for Kacie and came up empty. He had no idea where she was and it was killing him. When his cell phone rang, he practically pounced on it.

  “Hello?”

  “Erik.” Ty sounded panicked. “You have to stop him. Michael’s kidnapped both Gerard and Kacie. I think he might be planning to kill them.”

  Erik couldn’t believe what he was hearing. For a second, shock caused his mind to lock up. “What? Where are Kacie and Gerard?”

  “They’re here,” Ty told him. “Chained up in the old dungeon in the back of the lair.”

  Erik felt his gut clench. “Are they still alive?”

  “They were when I saw them, although I think they’ve both been knocked around a bit.”

  The thought of anyone hurting either Kacie or Gerard made Erik crazy.

  “I’m sorry, Erik,” Ty continued. “I tried to talk him out of it. I . . .” His voice broke with emotion. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Don’t do anything.” There was just one more critical piece of information that he needed to know. “Where’s Michael now?”

  “He’s here, at the lair.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Positive,” Ty said.

  “All right. I’m on my way.”

  “Be careful.”

  There was a resounding click as Erik disconnected the call. For a few seconds, all he could do was stare off into space and absorb the pain and shock of this latest betrayal. Then he turned to Michael, standing beside him. “I know who’s behind all this.”

  The dungeon they were in was dark and smelly. Kacie and her father had been locked in two of the five sets of manacles bolted to the dungeon walls and she didn’t want to think about what the vampires used this room for.

  There was a small amount of light coming in through the hallway, where someone had mounted lanterns. She could have seen without them, but knew her father wouldn’t have been able to. Listening for the sound of approaching footsteps, she heard only her father’s rattled breathing.

  “I’m sorry I got you into this,” she said. “How are you feeling?”

  “Tired—and a little sore.”

  “This isn’t exactly how I envisioned our reunion.”

  “Me either.” He sighed. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too.”

  “I should have insisted you come home.” He took a breath and winced, making Kacie wonder how badly he was hurt. “At the very least, I should have put more effort into convincing you to visit,” he continued. “I thought, at the time, that I was respecting your decision—and your privacy. That I was giving you a chance to forget the past.”

  She rattled her chains against the wall, wishing they were having this discussion anywhere else but here. “When I met Ben, I thought I’d finally found what I was looking for—a large family to be a part of. I thought if I stayed with him, his family would fill the hole I felt in my life. But the truth is, that hole only existed in my mind. I created it when I alienated myself from you.” She took a breath. “I don’t need a big family to feel at home. I need my family—you and Jess. I love you, Dad.”

  “I love you, too, Kacie. I never stopped hoping that one day you’d be back. I’m glad you decided to come home.”

  She yanked on the chains again, as if by doing so, she could loosen them. “There’s something I should tell you, just in case . . . you know . . . we don’t get out of here.” She paused to take a breath and gather a small measure of courage. “Erik told me the truth about my parents—about how they knew about vampires. I wish that they had given it up while they raised their children, but I can also understand why they didn’t. And I know that the reason you lied to me was so I wouldn’t hate them.”

  “Erik shouldn’t have told you.”

  That made her mad. “No, he shouldn’t have. You should have. It would have saved years of hurt feelings on both sides. Maybe then I wouldn’t have thought the only reason you adopted me was out of guilt.”

  “What? Kacie, that’s crazy.” He took a step toward her only to stop short when he reached the end of his chain. “I adopted you because I wanted you for my daughter,” he said. “I could have found a good family to adopt you and you would have been well taken care of, between the trust your father had set aside for you and the portion of the Winslow Trust that Erik and I would have given you. But Vince was more than my best friend. He was like a brother to me and I loved you and Robbie as if you were my niece and nephew. You were my family. When your parents died, there was no doubt that you would stay with me. Out of respect for your parents, I tried to keep my affections in line with those of a favorite uncle. Only I failed, miserably, because I came to love you as a daughter.”

  He stopped talking, winded from his long speech. Kacie searched for the right thing to say, her feelings in turmoil. “I’m glad you became my father.” The confession hung in the air, leaving emotions on both sides raw and exposed.

  Then her father sighed. “I haven’t done such a great job of taking care of you lately, have I? How are you feeling?”

  “You mean aside from being beaten and chained in this place by a psychotic vampire who will probably kill us?” He smiled at her attempt at humor and she went on. “Oh, you mean the chupacabra attack?”

  “Yes. It must have been horrible.”

  “‘Terrifying’ is maybe a better word, but now I guess it’s not so bad. I have these cool new teeth”—she smiled to show him—“and I can see and hear things I never thought possible.”

  “Still, I should have been there,” he said.

  “It’s okay. Erik took good care of me.”

  At that pronouncement, her father arched an eyebrow. “Speaking of Erik—how are the two of you getting along? You didn’t stake him, did you?”

  Thinking of Erik, she prayed he knew where they were and had a plan to save them. “No, Dad. I didn’t stake him.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  “Someone’s coming,” Kacie whispered, hearing approaching footsteps.

  “What have we here? A surprise for me?” Michael strolled into the dungeon, and Kacie had never been so glad to see anyone before, until he stopped in front of her and backhanded her across the cheek.

  “That,” he sneered, “is for killing my b
rother.”

  The blow looked worse than it felt, but it still hurt. Even more, it confused her. She’d thought Michael and Erik had reconciled. Apparently not. She wondered if Erik knew that both of the vampires he’d considered to be his friends had betrayed him.

  “How could you?” she asked, eying him suspiciously. “If you do anything to hurt Erik, I’ll—”

  “What?” he asked. “Chained to the wall, what exactly do you think you’ll be able to do?” He leaned close to her. “Not a damn thing.” He shook his head and then looked around. “Ty! Where the hell are you?”

  “I’m right here,” Ty said matter-of-factly, appearing at the entranceway. “Do you like my little surprise?” He sauntered forward, gesturing to Kacie and her father.

  “I do. How did you manage it?” Michael sounded impressed.

  “It was really more of Carrington’s doing, if you must know.”

  “Wonderful. And where is he?” Michael asked. “I must be sure to thank him.”

  Ty shrugged. “I don’t really know. Around, I’m sure.”

  Michael walked over to Kacie and she braced for another blow. Instead he grabbed her hand and held it up, studying the manacle about her wrist. “Where’s the key?” he asked, glancing around.

  “I have it; why? You’re not thinking of taking them somewhere, are you?”

  Michael smiled. It wasn’t a very nice smile. “Oh, I’m definitely taking this one someplace where we can . . . talk . . . in private.”

  “You leave my daughter alone, you bastard!” her father shouted, struggling to grab Michael, who stood just beyond his reach. Her father was not easily deterred, though, and fought against his bonds until Ty stepped forward and cuffed him hard enough that he dropped instantly to the ground, unconscious. In that second, Kacie saw anger spark in Michael’s eyes as he turned on Ty.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  Ty’s eyebrow shot up, but he only shrugged. “You’re going to kill them anyway, so what do you care if they get a little beat up first?”

  Kacie watched the byplay between the two carefully. It was to her advantage if the two of them fought.