After searching for hours, mental exhaustion creeps in. Only the setting sun spurs me back to the safety of my jeep. I didn’t come across one trace of werewolf in the vast forest. I must have raced the almost six square miles at least three times. There’s got to be a better way of finding another pack. Where would werewolves hang out socially in this portion of Maryland? Would they occasionally go to a local bar like we did in Manitoba?
I shake my head at my vain attempt in grasping straws. I’m screwed and I know it. Searching like this could take forever. If a smart animal doesn’t want to be found, chances are you won’t find it.
But what about an arrogant creature unafraid of being discovered by animals they deem below them in the pecking order? I recall hearing vampires are better organized than we are, and they have rules of conduct, too. What if I found one—would they help my cause or consider what Cecil was doing to be normal? I’d like to think if it were normal I would’ve heard about the barbaric practice of keeping a horde of Weres for a blood addiction.
Shrugging on my clothes, I slip into the cold truck and make my way out of the park.
Would searching for a vampire be any easier? There’s only one way to find out. From what I was told, vampires like cities. Lots of victims to choose from in a confined territory. That settles it. I’ll start right after I stay the night in the Maryland hotel and get my replacement cards tomorrow.
Looks like I’m headed to Washington DC to find me a bloodsucker.
The irony of such a statement regarding a town full of politicians is not lost on me.
Chapter Eight
I wander our nation’s capital for two days with no luck. Considering how jaded I’ve felt since discovering the supernatural world really does exist, I’m strangely disappointed our judicial system and governing body is not overrun by power hungry, undead creatures of the night. It would be convenient if we could blame our country’s current problems on another species with a nefarious agenda.
Scouring the city in my wolf form late at night might not be the safest way to conduct a search, but it’s the only way I can think to accurately trace a vampire in this overwhelming soup of exhaust, exotic foods, and depressing stench of under-washed bodies. Searching as a wolf also helps me keep on the lookout for Raine’s master vamp should he still be out for my blood. Nothing beats a werewolf’s nose as an early warning detection system for danger.
I trot across the National Mall, the large expanse of real estate between the Capital building and the Washington monument. Sparse trees and a moonless night offer the cover I need to explore the area undetected. Yesterday, I caught a hint of a vampire scent at the newly opened World War II Memorial and wanted to come back today to investigate further—the appearance of an animal control van last night deterred me from following the lingering vampire trail onto the streets.
Creeping along the ground, my jaw open to catch all the night’s scents, I come across the same intriguing scent from yesterday, only this time it’s fresher. Once I single out the trail from all the crisscrossing human odors, I follow it away from the new memorial.
The scent mingles tightly with a human male, and both meander along the edge of the mall, in the direction of the Smithsonian Castle.
Small side gardens dot the sidewalk along Jefferson Drive, each one designed to pull in the visitor to walk through the display. The pair stopped at each garden, lingering over every signpost dedicated to a person, cause, or battle. It’s almost like the pair are sightseeing—in the dark.
A vampire sightseeing at night in our nation’s capital?
I heard the really old ones could tolerate the sun a little, so depending on their aversion level, I guess it makes sense—albeit an odd sense, but whatever.
After an hour of tracking, I hit pay dirt. The trail leads to a dark corner of a small empty park, sculpted trees and manicured bushes hiding the vampire and her companion. A light breeze changes course, bringing the smell of sex and blood.
Could the man with this vampire be in danger? Is it forced blood taking like Raine and her pack have endured? Will the bloodsucker drain him dry and leave his corpse hidden in the bushes?
Unsure what to do, I slink forward on my belly, creeping quietly through the well-tended beds to get a view of what’s going on. A small stone table bracketed by two curved benches appears. A woman sits on the table, her long flowing skirt rucked up to her hips, the edges of the fabric trailing toward the ground. The human man I scented earlier kneels between her thighs.
The pungent aroma of aroused female saturates the humid air, the musky scent laced with the subtle undertones of vampire. The woman must be the creature I’ve been tracking.
She’s a slight woman with ample curves, full breasts exposed over her bra cups. One arm supports her on the table’s surface while her free hand fondles one pert nipple. Two long strands of thin chain hang between her breasts, some type of large bead on each end. The teardrop-shaped beads sway with each moan of pleasure and gasp of breath.
The vampire’s fingers tweak and tease one engorged peak while the man works between her legs. Her head lolls back, her long hair drifting past the edge of the stone surface. “I’m going to come, baby.” The woman’s pleasure rips through her body, igniting tiny convulsions as she swallows her groans behind closed lips.
“So controlled, Dria,” the man says as he stands and shoves down his pants with both hands. “I like to hear you scream.”
These two are not new lovers, nor is this a passing man the vampire has picked up to seduce and abuse. I should stealthily back away and leave them to their privacy. But I’m drawn to the two lovers, excited by their chemistry.
The vampire angles her torso up, a look for pure desire on her face. “Then you’ll have to try harder, won’t you, dear?”
A slow chuckle bubbles from his throat, squashed the moment he plunges into her. “I’m always up for a challenge.”
Her companion proceeds to fuck her thoroughly, drawing out her build up and playing her body like a fine instrument. Within minutes she’s squirming and biting her lip to hold in her responses.
The vampire’s lover leans over her reclined body and nuzzles her neck. His mouth latches onto her skin and she bucks, a loud moan escaping. He slides one hand down her supporting arm and lifts it from the table, easing her slowly to lie down. The added leverage allows him to drive deeper into her waiting body and she can’t hold back her pleasure any longer.
Soft moans and groans pepper the night, interspersed with the couple’s jagged breathing. I’ve never seen anything so hot in my life, but then again, I don’t normally watch live couples doing it, either. The occasional porn, yes, but spying on real people? Nope, that’s a new low even for me.
She may be the all-powerful vampire, but there’s no doubt their powers over each other during this sizzling encounter are equal.
A stab of jealousy pricks my heart. What they have is what I wanted with Lori—what I’d hoped to build with Raine. Both situations are hopeless now.
The man rises to resume his original standing position between her thighs, driving himself into her depths, a look of ecstasy twisting his features.
“Again, Dria. Bite me again. I want you to come a second time.”
The pale skin of the vampire glows faintly in the dark, almost luminescent in contrast to the couple’s dark clothing and her lover’s tanned skin. Long unbound hair cascades down her slender back as she leans in, reaching toward her partner’s neck. In a delicate kiss full of tenderness, she places her lips on his sweaty skin.
Pleasure spills across the man’s visage, and his steadily pumping hips lose their rhythm, amping up to a frantic speed devoid of finesse.
“Yes!” the man shouts, his release upon him. Shudders ripple over his body as he continues to thrust. “Damn, that’s fucking incredible.”
The figure of the vampire convulses in pleasure and the two wrap their arms around each other, holding on to one another as their passion subsides.
/> “We have company, dear,” the vampire says as she turns and looks directly at my hiding place. “Come on out, wolfy.”
Panic seizes me and I run, bolting from the bushes into the night. The tinkling laughter of the vampire chases me, like a burn of shame down my spine.
What possessed me to stay and watch when their acts were obviously consensual and the man was not being harmed? Well, how was I to know she wasn’t going to kill him, unless I stayed?
I run the three miles back to my jeep at East Potomac Park, never once stopping, worried I might be seen. As first contact goes, I could have done better. She knows someone is trailing her now and might worry I mean to harm her.
Damn. Running was pretty stupid.
No matter how embarrassed I am over being turned on while watching the two of them, the hard fact doesn’t change that I need her. I need a vampire’s help if I’m going to save Raine’s pack. Recognizing her scent, I should be able to find where they are staying during the day and approach them like a normal person, rather than a pervert who watches them having smoking hot sex in a public park.
I sleep in my car. Again. At daybreak I hit the streets, doing a circle of the mall in human form and working my way outward to find the couple’s scent. Now that I know exactly what I’m looking for I don’t have to be in wolf form to follow it.
It takes about seven hours, but I finally track them to a hotel on E Street. With only the name “Dria” to go by, I don’t think I can walk up and ask for a room number. The sun hasn’t set, so I’m hoping that means the vampire will be in their room. I check into the hotel and shower, changing into clean clothes. I set the rest out to be laundered and head down to the hotel bar. It’s located near the bank of elevators and will give me ample chance to intercept them when they leave for the evening—assuming they hadn’t check out.
Damn, this plan has a lot of holes. What the hell am I going to say to her? Please save my werewolf friend and her pack from an evil vampire?
“I’ve always found the truth is the best place to start.”
Startled out of my thoughts, I look up to see a gorgeous redhead in her mid twenties. She’s dressed in a tight fitting pair of dark jeans and a low-cut black sleeveless blouse. A thin silver chain dangles down her neck, two gleaming drops of red, like blood, suspended from their ends—I recognize the necklace from last night.
A knowing smile curves her full lips. “Do you have a name, wolfman, or should I just call you ‘Peeping-Tom’?”
Chapter Nine
My heart leaps into my throat and heat flushes my face. “I…uh….”
Her piercing green eyes pin me to my chair. “Name?”
The intense desire to answer her has my name spewing out of me. “Jonathan Stephen Winchester.”
“Okay, Jonathan. Can I call you Jon?” I nod. “Last night can be forgiven; after all we were in a public place so it’s our own damn fault. But following us to our hotel is just plain stupid.” Her eyes narrow. “What are you after?”
The urge to tell this stranger every secret I’ve ever had wells up in me. The words tumble to the surface with no grace or setup on my part. “I need your help.”
Surprise flits across her face. “Fine.” She glances to the elevator banks. “We’ll talk. Have you eaten yet?”
I shake my head.
“Come to our suite and Rafe will order room service.” She looks around the crowded bar. “I’m sure whatever is so compelling to seek me out is not suitable to be discussed in public.”
I nod and follow her retreating form to the elevators.
Well, you wanted to talk to a vampire. You got it, dumbass. Oh, and following her back to her room is really safe.
Dria snorts as the doors close, sealing us in.
Christ. Can vampires read minds? Man, if they can, I am so up shit’s creek. Again.
“Stop projecting so loudly and I won’t accidentally read your mind. You’re so nervous it’s like you’re shouting your thoughts at me. Very hard to ignore.”
My body jerks and I cast a glance at the small woman. “And how would I go about doing that?”
She smiles at me, reassuring. “First, relax. I’m not going to leap on you and drain you dry.” She shrugs a shoulder and plays with a dangling glass drop on her necklace. “Not my style.”
The elevator bings and the doors slide open. I trail the vampire down the hall. “Next, calm your racing mind. It will help you from mentally having to shout over your own conflicting thoughts—which is how you initially broadcasted the ‘shouted’ snippets to begin with.”
My brain processes what she’s saying, but staring at her denim-clad tight ass makes it very hard to implement. Clear my head. Umm... yeah...
Baseball. Football.
Washington is muggy, even in June.
Vampires kill people.
She stops in front of a set of double doors. “Good,” she smiles at me while she slips her card key in the lock. The light flashes green and she opens the door, pausing and reaching out to place a hand to my forearm. “Seriously though, you need to chill.”
A tingle eases up my arm at her contact. It’s gone the second she lets go and I’m left feeling better and slightly stupid over my worries.
“Rafe,” she calls out. “I found him in the bar downstairs.”
The narrow hall beyond the doorway opens to a large suite. The man from last night sits at a round table big enough to seat four, his laptop open in front of him.
He closes the computer and rises, extending a hand to me in greeting. “Hi, I’m Dria’s husband, Rafe.” He towers over me by at least four or five inches, looking like he outweighs me by twenty or more pounds, too. I shake his hand and do my best to hide my surprise that he’s her husband. That equality feeling I glimpsed last night was not imagined, he really has a presence about him—quiet and stoic, but strong. And yet he’s human.
“Jon.” I reply. “Uh, nice to meet you?”
Rafe laughs, the sound tumbling out of him. “Jesus, you must have had some shitty run-ins with vampires.”
My face tightens. He may think my reaction is funny, but these two are the unreal ones. A happy vampire with their loving partner? What world is this? Surely not the same one Raine’s pack is kept for blood consumption in a secluded mansion and sold to any paying vamp who stops by. I feel a scowl forming and try my best to smooth out my expression.
“Oh dear. You’ve upset him, Rafe. Let the poor boy get some food in him first. I can hear his stomach growling from here.”
Her husband places a large order for dinner and we sit awkwardly around the table waiting for it to arrive.
“You worked hard to find us,” Dria says. “What is this about?”
This all feels surreal. Why is she so calm?
Probably because she can kill you or erase your mind at any time. That would make anyone pretty calm, don’t you think?
I nervously glance from one to the other, ending my ping-ponging attention to settle on Dria.
Her voice comes out in a seductive whisper, “Tell us a little about yourself.”
I stare into her deep green eyes and everything pours out. I tell her about being changed into a werewolf in my third year of college, my family living in southern Virginia who think I’m dead, the pack I lived with for a year in Manitoba and my recent departure.
I end with recent events, telling them how I found my way back to Virginia, started working, and became involved with Raine. I even explain the Were’s duplicity and how she originally intended for me to become another werewolf used for blood.
“You’ve got to do something,” I say. “There’s a vampire who’s captured a whole werewolf pack. He’s addicted to their blood and rents them to visiting vampires in a brothel type of setting. It’s horrible.”
Our food arrives and Rafe and I dig in while Dria sips from a coffee mug. The couple stares at each other now and then, but remain creepily quiet during the meal. I wonder if they are participating in some form of silent co
mmunication, but can’t think of a polite way to ask. These two definitely give a very insular vibe. Like it’s them against the world, and the rest of us are on the outside looking in.
I shake my head when I remember why I’m here. Can one vampire really make a difference in that pack’s situation? She’s a tiny thing and those guys are mean as hell. An image of an enraged Cecil jumping out of the woods flashes back to my mind.
I finish my second steak and wait for the couple to speak. Not much more I can say to convince them, is there?
“I’m sorry, Jon,” Dria begins. Rafe’s face clouds with anger and he throws his napkin on his plate. “The vampire isn’t breaking any laws. I can’t stop him.”
I jump up from my seat. “What the hell are you talking about? Not breaking any laws? He’s imprisoned an entire group of people, keeps the alphas drained and chained, killed the couple’s daughter, and basically serves every one of them to be raped and snacked on whenever he chooses. How is that possibly within the law?”
Her eyes soften and her voice comes out quiet. “He hasn’t broken any vampire laws.”
Rafe snorts, his anger palpable.
She ignores her husband’s reaction. “Our laws are designed to protect vampires—and they’re pretty vague. Nothing in them talks about werewolves. The focus is protecting the knowledge of vampire’s existence from the human race and ensuring humans are not slaughtered.”
Rafe rises from the table and walks to my side. “Dria, I don’t like it. You know what he’s describing isn’t right. This is a horrible abuse of vampire power at the basest level.”
She shrugs, turning her attention to the uncovered window. “It’s still none of my business. No matter if I approve or not.”
Rafe clears his throat. “Let’s look at this hypothetically.” He glances to me and then his wife, but the expression on her face clearly says she doesn’t give a shit what we say. “This pack has how many members, Jon?”
“Not sure—a lot were killed. From Raine’s description it sounds like there are at least fifteen werewolves being held.”
Death's Servant (The V V Inn, First Prequel Book) Page 5