by T M Linville
“It has, for the most part.”
“So if I dig deeper into the Crown Corporation, what will I find?” Martin asked.
“Depends on where you dig,” Vince countered. “You’ll find a lot of properties that house honest, hard-working individuals and families. That’s the only thing Crown owns, housing properties. It was begun hundreds of years ago by the King of some little known country, hence “The Crown”. Its sole purpose was to house the wealthy and their servants during hard times. It owns properties in every country on earth.
“If you dig long enough and hard enough you will find that in the 12th century Britain, the Easterling family, now abbreviated to “Sterling”, was among the first to obtain residences at these properties.”
“As in Vincent Sterling,” Martin said.
“Yes.” Vincent stood up and put out his hand. “Feel free to dig as much as you’d like. The Corporation is legit and has never been associated with any wrongdoing.”
Martin stood and shook Vincent’s hand.
“The 12th century, huh,” Martin quizzed.
“Yes, it goes back a very long time.”
“So why is it that it’s so hard to get into the properties?” Martin asked.
“Residency is passed down from generation to generation. One can marry into one of the families,” Vincent nodded toward Shay who was intent on hearing this story, too.
“Married?” Martin looked at Shay.
“No, Dad, were not married, yet,” Shay said. “I would’ve told you.”
“So there’s going to be a wedding?” Martin questioned.
“We haven’t actually talked about it, Dad.”
“Then how did you get into the building?” Martin asked, looking at Vincent.
“Special request by my granddaughter. You know how hard it is to say no to your granddaughter, right Martin?”
“I suppose,” Martin confirmed.
Vincent handed Martin a business card that only had his name and a phone number on it. “If you should have any more questions, feel free to call me. No need to interrogate the children.”
Martin just nodded his head.
Vincent gave Lily a hug and kissed her on the cheek. “Stay out of trouble, dear,” Vince told her.
“Yes, sir,” she replied.
After Vincent and Martin left, Lily and Shay finally took a deep breath. They had no idea where that meeting was going to go. Martin had started asking all the right questions that would lead him to every vampire coven in the world. And if he kept digging, he’d find the Underground and all the vampire’s secrets. Vince was hoping that the inquiry was over.
“So what was that all about?” Lily asked Shay.
“Whew! I have no idea. But I’m glad Vincent was here so quick.”
“I know.”
It was a Saturday, and the girls decided that they wanted to spend the day on the couch together, just relaxing and watching movies. So that’s what they did until someone knocked on the door about four o’clock.
“Dammit,” Lily cursed. “Who the hell is it now? Your dad has been here already, Vincent has already been here, McGoo has already taken all the blood that he possibly could… So who is this?”
Shay walked to the door and peeped through the hole. It was Shane.
“Shane? How did you get up here?” Shay asked as she swung the door open.
“Well I didn’t fly to the fifty sixth floor. The elevator was much safer,” he joked.
Shay gave him a hug and invited him in. Lily was still laying on the couch. She was thinking that she had wished that Shay’s dad was back. Anyone except Shane.
“Hello, Lily,” he said politely.
“Hi, Shane,” she said.
“So, seriously, how did you get in the building?” Shay asked.
“I walked in and went to the information desk, you know, the one beside all of the Egyptian stuff, and told them I was here to see LaShay Black on the fifty sixth floor. You told me that you got an apartment across from Lily, and I remembered that she was in fifty six A. I never forgot that for some reason.”
“So they just let you in?” Shay asked.
“Well, I got sniffed by a really big dog. Oh my God, that one is even bigger,” he gasped when he saw Onyx stand up by the balcony doors. “Holy shit what do you feed your dogs in this place?”
“He’s a wolf, Shane, not a dog,” Shay corrected.
“He’s massive! Does he bite?”
“If you give a reason to,” Shay smiled. “He’ll let you pet him, if you want to.”
Shane walked over to Onyx and Onyx sniffed him then sat down. Shane petted him for a few minutes before he sat on the couch next to Shay.
“He’s really big,” Shane reiterated. “Beautiful though.”
“Thank you, he’s Lily’s,”
“No, love, he’s ours,” Lily said. “He belongs to us both now.”
“So you like have joint custody or something?” Shane laughed.
“Well, we’re always together and if not he’s in the hallway where he can monitor us both,” Lily said.
“Like he really knows that,” Shane smirked.
“You’d be surprised,” Shay told him.
“So Shay, what’s it like living in the Crown Building?”
Shay just shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head. “Just like living in my old apartment, except it’s a lot higher up.”
“With ridiculous security in the lobby, giant guard dogs, I mean wolves, and there are even guards in the stairwells. They thought I didn’t see them poke their heads out when I got off the elevator. There are two more wolves in the hallway. Is Lily like some sort of Princess or something?” Shane joked.
They all laughed.
“No, she’s not a Princess, but her grandfather does own the building.”
“No shit! Really? Wow! I’m in the company of royalty.”
“So what are you doing here, Shane? I thought you hated me,” Lily asked.
“Weeell, I gave it some thought and if Shay trusts you enough to move here, I guess I should try to trust you, too. I would hate to lose my best friend over something like that. Shay has always been a good judge of character, so I figured I should trust her judgment.”
“Would you like something to drink?” Shay asked.
“You know it! Something fru fru please.”
Lily stood up and went to the kitchen to make drinks.
“So how are things? How are things with Lily?” Shane asked.
“Better than I could’ve ever imagined,” Shay beamed. “It’s like I have an entirely new life. I’m truly happy for the first time. I really never thought I could be this happy.”
“Is the sex that good? Because damn girl, it sure looks good on you,” Shane teased.
Shay hit him in the arm. “Shut up! And yes, it is.”
“Ooooo!”
“Well, you asked.”
“You look incredible, by the way,” he added. “So her grandfather really owns the building?”
“Yup. Been in the family for centuries,” Shay told him.
“This building has been here for centuries?” Shane quizzed.
“Well, no. But the land has belonged to her family for a very long time.”
“Oh, I see,” Shane said.
There was a whirring sound from the kitchen and glass clanking. In a few minutes Lily walked back into the living room with three drinks. They were on a little tray and she was trying not to drop them. She sat them down gently on the table and then sat back down opposite of Shay. Shane picked up the one closest to him and took a sip. Strawberry daiquiris.
“So Lily, what’s it like to be the granddaughter of the owner of the most prestigious address in the city?”
“Well, Shane, I guess I’ve never really thought about it,” Lily answered truthfully. She has always lived in the Crown Corporations properties so it’s never been a big deal to her.
“Shay tells me that you two are doing great. I’m glad to hear that.
” Shane looked over at Shay and then patted her knee. “I’ve never seen her so happy. Or looking so young.”
The three of them sat and talked for about an hour and a half before Shane said he had to leave. He too had met a new guy and was eager to get to his date.
“Taylor doesn’t like to be kept waiting”, Shane smiled. “He lives in this building, too, you know.”
Shane had no clue what that meant. Lily and Shay just looked at each other and smiled.
“What,” Shane asked.
“Nothin’,” the girls said in unison.
The girls walked Shane to the door and said their goodbyes.
The Coven vs The Underground
Shay leaned back against the door and Lily put her arms on Shay’s hips. Shay wrapped her arms around Lily’s neck and kissed her. Shay ran her fingers up through Lily’s hair and pulled her closer. They kissed all the way as they stumbled to the bedroom.
Around midnight they finally came up for air. Shay was walking to the coffee table to grab the melted drinks they had left there when Onyx’s ears perked up. He stood and walked to the front door. Shay had almost gotten to the bedroom door when Onyx barked. Lily jumped out of bed and threw on some clothes.
“Hurry up, get dressed,” Lily said as she passed Shay on the way into the living room.
“What’s wrong?” Shay asked.
“Onyx?” Lily called.
He barked again and the fur on his back and tail stood up. His ears flattened against his head and a low growl rumbled in his chest. He stood with his head lowered facing the front door.
He took a step back from the doors just as they flew off the hinges. Lily heard the crack of wood and came running down the short hall from the living room. Onyx was already on Eric. Two other vampires grabbed Onyx and threw him into the hallway. Eric was in Shay’s apartment and this time he had brought backup, a lot of backup. Eric and his two vampire friends multiplied to six then eight. Shay walked out of the bedroom to see Eric and two others grab Lily. Lily got off two good swings at Eric but it didn’t even slow him down. He didn’t wait for his other six friends who had orders to grab Shay. Eric dragged Lily down the hallway, past the dining room and out the busted double doors. There were more vampires waiting in the hallway.
Shay felt her teeth shift and her fingers stretch. Her eyes burned and she took a clawed swipe at the first vampire to get to her. Then took another.
“She’s a vampire!” One of them said.
“She’s supposed to be human!” Another called out.
Eric didn’t hear them. He and two others were dragging Lily down the hallway. She saw the two Guardian wolves laying on the floor just past the elevators. They weren’t moving. The two guards from the stairwell were standing guard by the stairs just beyond the wolves. Eric hit the elevator button and then hit it again.
When the door opened, Vincent and Venom were facing Eric and Lily. Eric was so stunned, Lily was able to elbow him in the ribs and slip away. She punched one of the other vampires square in the chest cracking his sternum. He fell forward grabbing his chest. Lily took a clawed swipe at the second vampire and caught him across the cheek. Blood splattered the wall and he too went down. Venom made sure he didn’t get up.
When Lily made it back to the apartment, Shay was being dragged out the door by three vampires. Onyx had taken out two and Shay had taken down one of the other six that were left in the apartment. Shay was struggling against her attackers. Suddenly the vampire directly behind her let go and grabbed his chest with both hands. Before he even realized what had happened he was on the floor. The vampire on Shay’s left suddenly let go of her, too. He looked down at his hand to see two gaping holes. The vampire on the right did the same. They looked at each other, then at Shay. Her spikes were clearly visible through her gray and black shirt.
Lily made it to Shay just as Onyx stepped back into the apartment. Lily took out the vampire on the left and Shay took the one on the right. Onyx made sure neither one of them got up again. Lily wrapped her arms around Shay and recoiled when the spikes nearly stabbed her arms.
“You have spikes, love,” Lily smiled.
As quickly as the spikes appeared, they were gone. Shay could feel the spikes retract and the holes heal.
“Wow, they come in handy, don’t they?” Shay said. “Not so good for the shirt, though.”
Venom went back toward the elevators. He lunged at Eric and knocked him onto his back, hitting Eric’s head hard against the wall. Vincent grabbed Eric by the throat and lifted him off the floor. The two stairwell guards rushed at Vincent but were stopped by Venom. The gray and white wolf stood with his head down and his teeth bared in front of Vincent. The guards turned and ran down the stairs.
Another elevator door opened and off stepped Erica and her wolf, Apollo. On orders from Erica, Apollo ran to Shay’s apartment. Onyx was dragging dead, headless vampires out into the hallway when he arrived. Shay and Lily were fine so Apollo headed back to Erica.
Erica grabbed Eric’s arm and threw him toward the elevator door just as it opened. Steven and four security guards caught Eric as he stumbled in. Another elevator dinged and opened. Four more of Eric’s vampire friends were about to step out when Venom and Apollo cut them off. The four took a step back and let the elevator doors close in front of them.
When Eric got his footing on the elevator, Steven shoved him back toward Vincent and Erica. Each grabbed an arm and they all stepped onto the elevator behind them. They waited for Venom and Apollo to load in. Vincent pushed the button for sub-basement three. Three floors below the parking garage.
Vincent and Erica escorted Eric to the far end of one of the hallways. Through thick, steel double doors there sat two large cages with thick steel bars.
“Wolf cages? Really! You’re going to put me in a wolf cage?” Eric whined.
“You’re lucky you’re still alive!” Erica told him.
Eric knew that they would put him there if he were caught. He already had a plan to escape. He had found more entrances into the sub-basement from the Underground tunnels. They must have been escape routes for the vampires long ago. They were unfinished and falling in, but they were passable. Eric’s vampire buddies already knew to come for him if he didn’t make it back to the Underground with Lily and/or Shay.
Erica rode the elevator back up to the fifty sixth floor. Workers were busy carrying dead vampires down to the incinerator on the maintenance floor of the sub-basement. It was used to heat the building in the winter, but under the circumstances, there were an excessive number of bodies that needed to be disposed of.
Lily and Shay had gone to Lily’s apartment while workers repaired the door and cleaned the carpets. Shay was still pretty shaken and was having a little trouble with her fangs. Lily was trying to comfort her when Erica came in.
“Lily? Shay?” She called from the hallway.
“In here,” Lily called back.
“How are you two doing?” Asked a very concerned Erica.
“Kind of shaken up,” Shay said with a weak smile to show her teeth.
“That’s understandable,” Erica said. “Some sleep would probably be the best thing for that. Not ‘sleeping together’, sleep!”
Shay laughed. “You know what it’s like to be a new vampire. It’s just never enough. How did you get past that?”
“I was single at the time,” Erica grinned quaintly.
“Oh,” Shay replied. “Sorry.”
“No worries,” Erica laughed. “But seriously, Lily you know what calms you down.”
When Lily was young, she had near complete control of her claws and teeth, but sometimes, after one of the many fights with Eric, she would have some trouble with her teeth, too. Anger and fear are the two main triggers and sometimes when tempers were flared, Erica would have to calm Lily down. She did it by brushing Lily’s hair. It always worked to calm her and thought it may work for Shay.
“Lily, scoot down,” Erica told her. “Shay, lay down and put your hea
d in Lily’s lap.”
Lily began to run her fingers through Shay’s long dark hair. Within fifteen minutes Shay was asleep. Erica winked at Lily and waved good-bye then let herself out.
Shay woke Lily up about two hours later. And they went to bed.
It was just after six AM when Eric’s vampire friends broke into the sub-basement. They had used an entrance on the far end of one of the unfinished hallways. Most of the basement was white tile, drop ceiling and florescent lighting. But at the far end of some of the tunnels, tunnels that extended far past the floors upstairs, the tile ended and there were only the solid walls of Manhattan bedrock. Unlike the other tunnels that were supported by old timbers, these tunnels were solid. Harder and louder to dig through but easier and safer to escape through.
Zeus and Raven were guarding Eric’s cage and four security guards were at the door. The guards had machine guns and enough armor piercing ammunition to start another world war. They saw the vampires coming from the clear view down the long hallway. Three canisters came rolling up to the guards. Smoke and fumes began bellowing out of the canisters. Within seconds the smoke had obstructed the view so the guards just began firing in the direction on the incoming vampires. A couple of the vampires were hit but none were fatal. The gas masks that the vampires wore protected them from the sleeping gas.
By the time they had made it to the doors, the guards, the wolves and Eric were all out cold. For good measure, one of the vampires shot both of the wolves with a tranquilizer dart. The vampires went to work on the cage. One sprayed the padlock with a freezing agent and another smashed it with a sledge hammer. They walked into the cage, put a gas mask on Eric and dragged him by the arms out of the cage and down the hall. The smoke was still thick when more guards came on the scene. One by one they too, were knocked out by the lingering gas.
It wasn’t until eight AM that Vincent got word that Eric had escaped the cage.
“Dammit!” He yelled and threw his coffee cup against the kitchen wall. “How in the hell did he get out?”
“Gas canisters and tranquilizer darts,” said the voice on the phone.