"So what's the plan, Gramps?" I asked.
"I'll drive you to town. Show you where they're staying. You do your thing," he said simply.
"Can I come?" Lukas asked.
"No," Grandpa and I said simultaneously.
"At least we agree on that." I shot Grandpa what I hoped was a winning smile. He responded by narrowing his eyes.
"Can we have some chicken first?" I asked hopefully.
"There's only bones left," Grandma said. "Bloody tasty it was."
I sighed. "Okay then, lead the way to the car?"
Grandpa nodded back the way we came.
I turned and gave Grandma a nervous smile. "Audrey, you want to lead again?" I eyed the stake uneasily.
"Fuck no. Lead on, Preston."
"Great." I stepped sideways past Grandma, my eyes on the stake the entire time. I'm pretty sure the mortal found the whole thing hilarious, but I wasn't going to look and find out.
I stepped out the door and down the steps, followed by my sister and lovers. Grandpa brought up the rear. To be honest, I thought he might have locked the door behind us and hid inside until the sun rose. On the other hand, werewolves are bloodthirsty and when they have a vendetta, they're like…well, dogs with a bone.
"Car's this way." Grandpa jerked his head toward an old, sturdy-looking ute . "Girls in the cabin, guys in the back."
I made a face but grabbed my bag and Audrey's before I climbed into the open back of the old beast. Benny climbed in beside me and snuggled up close.
"This is kinda romantic," he said, a dreamy expression on his face.
I kissed his mouth and said, "If you think this is romantic, I need to work on that more." This was going to suck ass. I grabbed onto the side as the engine roared to life and started off down the road toward town. The ute kicked up a trail of dust, a lot of which ended up in my mouth, nose, and pretty much everywhere else. Those mortals better be bloody tasty.
I closed my eyes and held Benny's hand while we bounced over every tiny bump in the road. Once in a while, Benny would let out a squeal of excitement, as if this was, in some way, fun. He was clearly more monster than I was.
The ute gave a last jolt and then the road became smooth. I cracked my eyes open to find we had gone from dirt to tarmac. Thank hells for that.
"If you squeeze any harder, you're going to break my hand," Benny remarked. "I didn't know you were scared of being in the back of a moving vehicle." He looked bemused.
"I'm not scared of anything," I retorted. "I just don't like bouncing around. Unless it's in bed. Plus it reminds me of the time I was tossed in the back of a carriage and taken off to be burnt."
Benny's eyes widened. "You were? What happened?"
I shrugged. "I escaped." I was actually let out by the besotted younger son of the town's mayor. He begged me to turn him and swore he'd be my servant for life, or something to that effect. I didn't in the end. He would have been miserable as an immortal monster. Plus he would have turned his annoying mother, with whom he was besotted even more than he was by me. I couldn't condone such an unhealthy relationship lasting until the end of time. Oedipus had nothing on this kid.
"You're so badass," Benny sighed.
"Damn right." I nodded. "You're not so bad yourself," I added as an afterthought.
He beamed. "Thanks, Pres. I'm trying to be more like you."
I arched my eyebrows at him. "Well that's something to aspire too, I suppose." He would never be like me. He wasn't enough of an asshole. As vampires went, Benny was pretty sweet. That was one of the things I loved about him. Imogen, in contrast, was salty. The perfect combination.
"I wonder how far it is to town?" I mused. Out here, it could be ten minutes or ten hours.
"I don't know, but I hope we're not walking into some kind of trap," Benny said lightly.
Shit. I hadn't thought of that. Clearly I was too hungry to think straight. Yes, that was it.
"Like a den of werewolves?" I suggested. "Ready to rip us apart and laugh while bits grow back, only to rip us apart again."
"Um, I wasn't thinking about anything that bad, but now you mention it…" Benny swallowed audibly. "Maybe we should get out of here. That doesn't sound like fun."
"No shit," I muttered. "We'd have to leave Imogen and Audrey behind." I would feel bad about leaving Imogen at least.
"They'd be angry if we did that." Benny looked pensive. "They'd catch up with us sooner or later and—"
"Only if the werewolves leave them alive," I pointed out.
"Right." Benny's hand trembled in mine. "I guess we could jump out and run."
"Yeah, but let's wait until we're closer to civilisation. We still need to feed."
"Okay, Preston." Benny nodded and gave me that look I hated the most. That one that said he trusted me implicitly. Someday I would screw up and get us killed permanently, but he was so sure I wouldn't.
I sniffed the air, pulled out a handkerchief from my pocket and cleared my nose of dust, then sniffed again. Ah, that was better.
"I smell blood." Lots of blood. A whole town full.
"Mortals." Benny sniffed too. "I don't think it's a den of werewolves, Pres."
"Yeah, I guess not." I hoped not. That would suck. I preferred if they left the sucking to me. "Still, be on your guard. If we have to run, we will." And by run, I meant hide until we could steal a car. One of these days I would steal some money and buy a car. Stealing them was too much hassle. It drew attention to the fact none of us had a driver's licence, or could even get one. I made a mental note to recruit and turn someone who did have one.
"Okay, I'm ready." Benny sighed. "I can't believe it's Christmas Day tomorrow. It should be freezing cold, maybe snowing."
This couldn't be more different to that. At least the wind rushing past cooled me down somewhat. I didn't know how humans could handle being up and about during the day. Imogen was right, we should have stayed in the city. When this was over, we'd find a cooler one and go there. Canberra, perhaps, or Melbourne.
"Do you ever get homesick, Pres?" Benny asked after a moment.
"What?" I frowned.
"Homesick," he repeated. "For Europe. Things were different there. Familiar. Except Transylvania. That place gave me the creeps."
"Yeah, me too, but no I don't." I squirmed a little before I said, "As long as I have you and Imogen…okay, maybe Audrey too, then I'm home. I don't need a place for that. Except—"
"Yes?" Benny pressed.
"I miss a good London pub," I admitted.
Benny smiled. I had met him in one and Imogen in one of them. I had fond memories of meeting many mortals I later fed on in places like that. Australian pubs are fabulous, of course, but they don't give me the same nostalgia.
"The beer is a bit cold here," Benny agreed.
I grimaced. "It really is." Fortunately I much preferred wine anyway. Speaking of that, I should have asked Grandpa if he had some to spare. Sitting in the back of the ute as it sped along the highway would be much more tolerable if I wasn't so sober.
"Some people prefer it that way," Benny said.
"And they call us monsters."
The smell of blood was stronger now. The ute slowed and I twisted around to see the lights of a small town. By the look of it, nothing was open, but the lights were on in the pub and a petrol station on the corner of the highway.
Grandpa pulled up in front of the pub. I climbed out the back, bags on my shoulder.
"They're staying at the pub. Think we won't be paying attention, what with it being Christmas tomorrow. That's when they'll try to swoop." Grandpa scowled. "Need to be dealt with before that."
I nodded. I probably imagined the sour tang which mixed in with the delicious smell of blood. Sometimes I was almost sure I could taste the inherent evil in some mortals. Maybe I just pretended so I wouldn't feel so bad about killing them.
"We'll need to find somewhere to spend the day." The eastern sky was starting to get lighter.
"This way." Grandpa
nodded. He led us around the back of the pub to a small shed. "No one'll look in here. They'll be too busy setting up for Christmas lunch tomorrow and whatnot."
"And if they do look?" Audrey asked.
Grandpa shrugged. "You'll deal." He opened the door and gestured for us to step inside.
The shed was tiny, but the door had no lock, so even when Grandpa closed the door behind us, I knew we weren't locked in. That didn't mean he wouldn't betray us, but in the faint light from the pub, I had seen the look in his eyes before he closed the door. He was desperate. Whatever might go down tomorrow, we were his last chance to stop it.
I swung the bags down in a corner and sat against a wall.
"We might as well get some rest." I stifled a yawn I only did out of habit, not need and snuggled into Imogen when she lay down beside me. Benny snuggled into me on the other side.
"Keep your ears open," Audrey advised. "Just because the old man says it's safe doesn't mean it is."
"Yeah," I agreed. "Be alert, but rest."
"Should one of us keep watch?" Benny asked.
"Our vamps’ hearing and smell should warn us in advance," Audrey snapped.
I murmured my agreement, although the smell of blood all around was intoxicating. I licked my lips. If it wasn't for the increasing light outside, I'd hunt down the nearest mortal and have a snack.
"Rat?" Benny asked, waving something in front of my face.
I squinted and grimaced. He held the rodent by the tail. It squirmed and writhed to free itself from his grip.
"How the hells did you catch that?" I asked. I shook my head. "Never mind. No thanks, have at it."
"Okay." Benny happily bit the head off the rat and sucked all the blood out of its small body.
"Yuck. That thing was probably full of diseases," Imogen said.
"So?" Benny asked. "They won't kill me."
Imogen paused. "I know, it's just yucky."
"Mortals are probably full of diseases too," Audrey remarked. "That won't stop you feeding from one."
"They probably have fewer diseases than a hundred years ago," I pointed out.
"You're making me hungry," Imogen complained. "Can we sleep now?"
"Yeah." I kissed her forehead and rested a hand on her hip before I closed my eyes. It might seem odd that we needed to sleep. Honestly, we didn't need to, but it passed the day and took my mind off feeding.
I dozed for maybe an hour or two before I was awoken by the sound of voices.
"Tomorrow is the day," a man said in a broad Australian accent. "Is everything in place?"
"Almost." This one was a woman, but the accent was the same. "Frank is bringing up the tanks this afternoon. He'll have them in place before sunset. After dinner, we'll meet him out there and open those tanks on up."
I frowned. Tanks? I assumed they didn't mean the kind with treads and a gun turret. At least I hoped not. I saw enough during the Second World War. Even drove one for a while. Those things are hot and I don't mean that in a good way. Also they make a mess, again not in a good way.
I opened my eyes a crack and looked straight into Imogen's. Hers were open wide.
I put a finger to my lips and she nodded. I heard her swallow, but returned my attention to the voices outside.
"How long will it take to work?" the first voice asked.
"The toxin will enter the waterways slowly, but after the rain we had, the river is moving fast enough to spread it quickly. In a week or two, the land to either side will start to die. A few kilometres down, the toxin will disperse enough to do less damage. In a few days, it will have washed out to sea and become untraceable."
"Is it dangerous to sea life?"
After a pause, I assumed for a shrug, the second voice said, "Somewhat. It'll go past a penguin colony and might impact on a turtle habitat, but those areas will be open for development then."
Imogen let out a choked cry and looked as though she might get up and kill them right now.
I grabbed her hand to hold her back. It was broad daylight outside. Attacking them now, while very tempting, would do us more harm than good.
"We have to wait," I mouthed. "We'll stop them, I swear."
She nodded and bit her lip so hard, blood trickled down her chin. I licked it off and smiled. She was tasty, in every way that counted.
"All right, we'll meet back here after dinner," the first voice said. "Don't drink too much."
"I'm not an idiot, Chad," the woman said scathingly.
"I know you're not, Yvette, but billions of dollars are at stake here. If we succeed, we'll…" Chad's voice was muffled as the pair moved away.
Chad and Yvette, you just become an after dinner treat. The world would definitely be better off without people like that, but I bet their blood tasted like it was mixed with ashes. Still, it would fill us up for a few days.
"I have an idea," Imogen whispered.
"Oh, you do?" I traced the line of her cheek and jaw with the back of my hand.
"Yes, and it's a good one, so listen up." She gave me that look she had when she was determined, and would leave the rest of us behind if we didn't go along with it. We always did, so I don't know if she actually would go off alone.
"Okay, hit me with it." I sat up and drew her up beside me. I would have pulled her into my lap, but I knew she hated that when she wanted to be taken seriously. She would probably have hit me for real.
I listened attentively and nodded with each point she made.
"You're right," I said when she finished talking. "That is a good idea." I kissed her nose. "You always were the brains around here."
Audrey cleared her throat, but I ignored her.
Imogen gave me a smug smile. "Damn right I am and don't you forget it."
"How could I?" I asked. "You remind me every chance you get." I kissed her mouth before she could argue with me.
"Now we just have to wait until dark," Imogen said once we locked lips for a few minutes.
"Yep, it shouldn't be too long now." I checked my perfectly-ordinary-old-fashioned-analog watch. Five pm. The sun wouldn't fully set for a couple of hours. All we could do was wait.
"Finally." Audrey pushed open the shed door and stepped out into a cloudless evening. The day was just a smudge of purple on the western horizon. Not enough to hurt or let anyone see us, but early enough that Chad and Yvette should be along soon.
I followed her and inhaled the fresh air, even though it was hotter than a succubus' ass. It was still better than inside the tin structure.
"Should we take our bags?" Benny asked.
I hesitated. "I think so. If we pull this off, we might be better off far away." I grabbed mine and let Audrey take her own.
"Ready?" I whispered. Judging by the sound of talking and music coming from inside the pub, Christmas Eve dinner was well underway, but we still needed to be careful. The gods only knew who might be out and about at this hour.
"Benny, check and see if anyone is on the street, would you?" I asked.
Audrey shot me a disapproving look for potentially putting him at risk, but as usual I ignored her. I wasn't going to start being selfless because it was Christmas. She should know that about me by now.
"Okay, Pres," Benny said happily. He walked to the corner and leaned out to peer down the street. When he turned to look the other way, he let out a squeak of surprise and fell face first onto the ground.
Shit.
"Benny?" I hissed.
He pushed himself onto all fours and shook his head. "I'm okay, but we have company." He stood and rubbed his nose, which looked a bit squashed.
"Company?" Imogen echoed.
Lukas stepped around the corner dressed in camo pants and a matching t-shirt.
"The fuck?" I said under my breath. "What are you doing here? Does your Grandma know you're here?"
Lukas shook his head. "I drove one of the old cars to town. We'll be back by the time they know where I went." He raised his chin.
"Highly unlikely they won't gue
ss," Audrey said dryly.
"Right. Do you want us to get ripped apart by your Grandpa?" I crossed my arms over my chest. "Not to mention your Grandma. She'd be pissed. She'll probably put a stake through my heart before I have a chance to explain."
"She said if she ever saw you again, she'd shoot your balls off," Lukas said helpfully. "She's a good shot too."
I dropped my hands to my groin, just in case she followed on his heels. "I'm attached to my balls, I'll have you know. I'm not going to lose them because of some upstart werewolf. You should get back in your car and go home."
"Preston, we need a car," Imogen pointed out.
I hesitated. "Or you go to the pub and call home. Tell them someone stole the car."
Lukas scowled. "If the car goes, I'll go. If you leave me behind, I'll tell on you."
"Why you little shit." I advanced on him, but Imogen grabbed my arm and held me back.
"Let's not make an enemy of the werewolves by killing him," she warned. "What's the harm in him coming along anyway? He could be the lookout guy."
"Yeah." Lukas perked up. "I'll be a great lookout guy. Besides, it's my land they're trying to take. Why shouldn't I help?"
"I can think of a thousand reasons without breaking a sweat," I grumbled. "You're going to be a twat if we don't take you?"
"Yes," Lukas agreed.
"If we do take you along, you have to do what I tell you, without question." I raised a finger before he could respond. "And you will tell your grandparents this was one hundred percent your idea. Imogen and Benny will be upset if anything happens to you. I'll be upset if anything happens to them, or me, because of you."
"What about her?" Lukas pointed toward Audrey.
"I'd miss her for a while, I guess." I shrugged.
"Shhh," Audrey hissed.
"Hey, I was only jok—"
"Shut up," she snapped, "they're coming."
My mouth shut with a click of my teeth and I listened. Sure enough, two voices, talking low, were getting closer.
"You drive," Chad said.
"So much for not drinking too much," Yvette said with a derisive laugh. "You can barely walk straight."
"I can open a tank. That's all that matters." Chad's words were followed by a chink of keys and the beep of an unlocking car.
Holidays Bite: A Limited Edition Collection of Winter Holiday Vampire Tales Page 8