Lavos tracked the female while Kar had gone after the male. They’d run into the Vampires on the way into the canyon where the car alarm had originated from. The sound had stopped shortly after it had begun or they might have missed the slight noises the couple had made traipsing through the woods.
The Vamp had long, tangled black hair and smelled as if she hadn’t bathed in a week. He was glad it was easy to follow her by stench alone, since her dark dress and all the trees made it difficult for him to keep her in sight. The raspy noises she made when she ran helped, too.
He’d finally gained enough on her when Lavos found himself on top of a crest, with the Vamp below in a ravine. He dove, his bigger body slamming into hers. She screamed, and he focused on grabbing her wrists before she could scratch him as she tried to claw his face. Her fangs flashed in the moonlight a second before she attempted to bite. He threw his head forward, slamming it into her forehead.
She cried out in pain and Lavos felt guilt. Hurting a woman wasn’t something he had ever done before, bloodsucking enemy or not. He cursed under his breath and shifted his weight, flipping her over onto her stomach as he released her arms. He fisted her hair at the back of her head instead, while he shoved his other hand against the middle of her back and pressed down with his weight. He lifted his chest, effectively pinning her down.
“Stop fighting,” he demanded.
She struggled and made hissing noises. He thought of his brother and the woman he loved. Kira had been turned into a Vampire against her will. They were the enemy, but he was glad Lorn had spared her life. The bloodsucker under him might have a similar story.
“Stop,” he growled, allowing his voice to show his temper.
She stilled under him and tried to twist her head. He eased his hold on her hair just enough to permit her to look at him. He studied her face, the veins showing along her forehead and cheeks. They were black, faint lines marring pale skin. What should have been the whites of her eyes showed a deep red of busted blood vessels.
“Fuck.” Anger stirred but he fought it back. It wasn’t her fault, what she was.
She spat dirt. “Let me go.”
“Not a chance.”
“What are you?”
“Not like you.”
“You’re not human.”
He shook his head. “Nope. I’m something worse.”
“Let me go!”
“Answer my questions.”
She struggled again but ceased when she realized she couldn’t break free. “What do you want to know?”
“How many of you are there?”
Her gaze flickered away, seeming to frantically search for help. Lavos inhaled deeply, regretted it since she reeked, before shaking his head. “None of your kind are near. I’d smell them.”
“My kind?” She fixed her attention on him.
He hesitated before leaning down to get closer. He allowed his eyes to glow.
Her features softened and she stared at him in awe. “That’s beautiful. They’re so blue.”
“Thank you. Your eyes tell me exactly what you are.”
“I’m a Vampire. What are you?”
He inwardly winced. Someone had been telling big lies. “That’s not important.”
She frowned.
“Think of me as a peacekeeper—and you’ve been very bad by breaking laws. Do you understand? Killing humans is a crime. Did you know that?”
“We have to feed on them to survive. We have to kill them so they don’t change into one of us.”
Alarms went off inside Lavos. “Is that what your master told you? What’s his name?”
“Mitch.”
He’d never heard of the master but that wasn’t a surprise.
The sound of gunfire jerked his head up, and he knew he’d run out of time. He focused on the woman, allowing his eyes to glow brighter. “I’m sorry. This is going to hurt.”
He stared deeply into her eyes and she whimpered. To force his will on someone like her was painful for the one it was done to. “How many of you are there?”
“Five,” she whispered.
“How many are older Vampires?”
“Only Mitch.”
“Describe him to me.”
“He’s tall with black hair and wears black clothes.” Her nose started to bleed.
“Don’t fight me. You’ll cause your brain to hemorrhage. Do you understand?”
A thin trickle of blood ran out of her ear next and he was tempted to stop, but he had no choice. She was dead anyway. He couldn’t allow her to live. “Did he kill everyone in the area?”
“There’s a few people we couldn’t get to.”
He let go of her mind and eased some of the weight off her back by lowering until his elbow was braced on the ground. “You’re not a Vampire, sweetheart. Someone turned you but they didn’t do it all the way. You’re what they call a soldier. You heal faster than a normal Vampire but it has consequences. You would have had about six weeks before you couldn’t even remember your name. Your master could have turned you all the way but chose not to. They’re cold bastards by nature. You’d have felt sheer agony eventually, craving blood all the time. It’s the curse he infected you with. It eats you alive, and no amount of blood can cure what’s wrong.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s not true. Mitch said we’re Vampires. We’ll live forever!”
“He lied. But I’m going to make him pay for what he did to you. I give you my word on that. I’m going to spare you from suffering.” Lavos felt pity as he watched bloody tears fill her eyes.
“You’re lying!”
“I’m not. Vampires look human for the most part. Have you seen your eyes? The blood in them is a giveaway. You’re damaged. I can’t put it any other way. Sometimes Vampires make soldiers to increase their numbers to win a war, and then dispose of them when they’re no longer needed. It’s also how I can force my will on you. You were made mentally weak enough for a Vampire to control. Your Mitch never meant to keep you around. I can’t let you go. You’ll become a danger to everything living, and could expose secrets to the humans.”
“I am a Vampire!” she insisted.
He heard more gunfire. The people she’d mentioned must be a group of campers, probably hunters, and they clearly needed help. He wanted someone to survive this—and his best bet of finding Mitch would be where the blood was.
“Close your eyes. Think of something good. I’m so sorry.”
She struggled and he lifted up, pinning her again. The quickest way to kill her would be brutal but it would also be painless. He extended his claws and rolled over fast, taking her with him by keeping ahold of her hair. He slashed her neck as they twisted, removing her head.
Lavos stood, resting the head next to her body.
“I’m going to shred you for making me do that, Mitch. Your throat is mine.”
He couldn’t stand to look at what was left of the first woman he’d ever had to kill. Mitch had lied to her about her future. Lavos had been brutally honest, and by killing her, he had done her a kindness…but it didn’t feel satisfying.
One glance up assured him what remained of the woman wouldn’t be shaded from the sun once it rose in the sky. He spun, running at full speed toward the sound of random gunfire.
He became aware of someone else running and caught a glimpse of Kar. They drew closer, glancing at each other. Kar looked killing mad, telling Lavos all he needed to know. Blood stained his shirt and hands. He’d dealt with the male bloodsucker.
They stopped when they caught sight of the motor home. It was down a hill from where they stood. The side door hung open, light spilling out from the interior. A truck was parked nearby.
A gun blast came from the interior.
“Mine said there were five of them. He was a fucking soldier,” Kar panted.
“Mine said the same; she was one too.”
“Carl was a local resident turned twelve days ago by Mitch. I got a description. I also asked about that family we found torn apart. It seems Mitch knew them and held a grudge against the youngest member. That’s why they were slaughtered. It wasn’t for food, but revenge.”
“Were there any remains of this Carl?”
“Yeah. I dragged what was left of him to a clearing.”
Lavos growled. “Let’s go.” He took a step downhill.
Kar gripped his arm. “What about whoever is firing that gun? I’m guessing it’s a human who’s seen too much, or maybe the Vamps are torturing them with bullets.”
“We won’t know until we get down there.”
“Fuck.” Kar let him go. “You know if we have survivors we’re going to have to use mind control to make them forget. I’m not good with that.”
“You have at least a little experience. Garson doesn’t. That’s why you’re here and he isn’t. I can probably handle any survivors but I might need help.”
Lavos jerked out of his friend’s hold and rushed down the hill at full speed, only slowing when he got to the side of the motor home. He hid to one side of the open door, Kar on the other. He held his breath to keep from betraying his presence to listen to what was going on inside. There were only a few windows on the motor home and all of them remained dark, something covering them.
“Goddamn it!” a man complained. “How in the hell do we get past that door?”
“We can’t. She stole the key, so I can’t even put the shutters up to try to reach her through the windows. I had that gate built to withstand a yeti,” another man answered.
Lavos glanced across the open space to gape at Kar. There was a speaker on the side of the door and it was active, broadcasting what was being said inside.
“A yeti?” Kar mouthed, looking equally as confused.
“Huff and puff, asshole. You can’t get in—” The woman’s voice was cut off by a single gunshot.
“Stop that!” It was the first man who’d yelled. “That was my hand, you bitch!”
“Then don’t reach inside to push the button. It’s not a release, moron. It’s the trigger to close the gate. I told you that I’m going to shoot anything you put between the bars.”
“How many bullets do you think she has left?” The first man sounded furious.
“I would guess maybe a dozen or less. We came here to do a study, not kill,” the second man answered. “I keep some weapons for protection from regular wildlife.”
“I’m going to kill her,” the one with the deeper voice threatened. “I’m going to rip out her fucking throat and watch her choke on her own blood before I drain her dry.”
“That’s my daughter. You promised not to hurt her!”
“That was before she decided to keep tearing holes into me! I’ve lost a lot of blood.”
“Boo hoo,” the woman yelled. “Go away if you don’t like being shot. You should change your name to whiner.” She paused. “Or wiener. Both apply, you dick.”
Lavos grinned. Whoever the woman was, he had to admire her spunk. Kar shook his head, lifting his hands as if to say “what the hell?”
One of the Vamps inside roared out in rage and glass shattered against something. The woman screamed.
Lavos’d had enough, less wary of the danger and more worried about her wellbeing.
“Stop it!” the second man shouted. “You could kill her!”
Lavos entered the motor home by jumping up inside.
The sound of voices had come from the left. One quick glance to the right, toward the cab, revealed no additional danger—but the sight of a tall, scrawny, black-haired Vampire struggling with a short, wrinkled, white-haired one did surprise him.
They were wrestling between the kitchenette area and a built-in table with bench seats. The taller Vamp backhanded the shorter one, sending him sprawling onto his back on the table. The glass pitcher in Skinny Vamp’s hand was chucked down the short hallway, smashing into something with a metallic sound.
Both seemed unaware of Lavos, or the fact that Kar had also entered behind him.
“How do you like that, you bitch?” The taller one shouted.
“Fuck you, dickhead,” the woman yelled back. “You got me the first time but now I have the comforter up so you won’t cut me again.”
“What the fuck?” Kar muttered.
The tall Vampire spun around and Lavos lunged, grabbing him by the neck. The white-haired Vamp struggled to right himself on the table but Kar was on him before he could manage, slamming him flat.
“Soldier,” Kar confirmed. “What about that one?”
Fear was easy to read on the scrawny face as Lavos pinned the tall male against the wall, crushing his throat to keep him still. He stared into his bloodshot eyes. “Soldier too.” His eyes glowed and he punched into the soldier’s mind, not feeling an ounce of pity for the one who’d threatened to rip out a woman’s throat and watch her choke on her own blood. “Where is Mitch?” He eased his hold so the thing could talk.
“I’m Mitch,” the man quickly confessed.
Lavos lifted him off his feet, slamming his head into the ceiling. “I’m talking about the one who turned you.”
His nose started to bleed. “I don’t know.”
“Ask that one,” Lavos urged Kar.
“Where’s Mitch, the one who turned you?”
“Right there,” the white-haired man whispered.
Lavos turned his head, looking at his friend.
Kar shrugged. “I’m confused.”
Lavos glared at the soldier in his grip, easing him down a bit but staring hard into his eyes, forcing his will on the bastard. “Did you turn others?”
“Yes.”
“Son of a bitch,” Kar muttered. “I didn’t know they could do that.”
“Me either.” Lavos took a deep breath. “How many did you turn, Mitch?”
“Four.”
“I’m starting to get a damn headache,” Lavos admitted. “Who turned you?”
“He never told me his name. He was injured on the road and I stopped to help him. He grabbed me and bit into my neck. Then he had me drive to a house in this area. He took my blood and forced me to drink some of his. I passed out, but when I woke a couple hours later, I watched him drink from the two people in the house, and he made me feed from them too. I was tired afterward and went to sleep. When I woke again, he was gone. I knew he was a Vampire, and he turned me into one. That’s what we do. We turn others who are worthy of being Vampires.”
“Where did you pick this guy up from?”
“Near Pick. I go out there with some friends to get high.”
“This is fucking great,” Kar cursed. “Some Vamp created a moron he left behind to take out a small town. I want to find this bastard.”
Lavos tried to think. “Shit.”
“What?”
“We missed a Vamp in that raid.”
“You mean when we went after the asshats who took Veso?”
“Yeah. An injured Vamp who wanted a ride to the nearest town? Think about it.”
“Damn.”
Lavos dropped the tall soldier then slammed him hard against the wall, damaging it in the process of knocking him out. He reached into his back pocket and removed a set of reinforced specialty handcuffs. He dropped the bastard on the floor and none too gently flipped him over, securing his wrists behind his back.
“We’re going to need a detailed description to track the Vamp. I wonder if he paid any other towns a visit?”
“Fuck. We could have a shitload of soldiers making other ones. It’s a nightmare. What about this one?” Kar kept the other Vamp secured on the table.
“Kill it outside.”
A slight noise drew Lavos’s attention and he peered down the hallway. The sight of the woman staring back at him—from behind bars—came as a shock. It looked as if the room was somehow caged.
Her brunette hair was long, untamed waves, her light blue eyes wide. He lowered his gaze to take in the black shirt revealing some appealing cleavage. His attention wandered to a narrow waist that flared out at hips wrapped in snug jeans.
The handgun she pointed at him at that height kept his focus, plus the fact that she had two more guns holstered to her body.
“Who are you?”
He recognized her voice. She’d been the one giving the two soldiers verbal hell. He flicked his gaze back to her eyes. “Lavos. I’m law enforcement. Are you okay?”
Her blue eyes narrowed and her luscious lips curved downward. “Try again, handsome. This time keep it real. You tossed that dickhead around like he was a marionette doll after the dozens of bullets I put in him couldn’t keep him down.”
She thought he was attractive. Lavos smiled. That was the first bright spot of his evening. He stepped over the unconscious soldier—but paused fast when she lifted the gun, aiming it at what he estimated would be his heart.
“Stay back.” She turned her gaze on Kar. “That used to be my dad you have on that table. I’m not sure what the hell to call him now, because he’s not the man I knew. I’d appreciate it if you could hold off on dragging him outside to kill him just yet. I’d like to know who you two really are first.”
She’d witnessed too much and had become guarded. Lavos didn’t blame her. Intelligence shone in those pretty eyes of hers and he hated to do it, but he needed to find any remaining soldiers before they attacked other innocents.
He allowed his eyes to glow as he stared at her, waiting for her to look back at him. She did, and he saw her shock when she instantly noticed the change in his eyes.
“It’s going to be fine. You can trust us. We aren’t here to hurt you. Put down the gun and stay where you are. It’s safe. Lay down on that bed in there and take a nap until you hear my voice again. I want you to have peaceful dreams about your favorite childhood memory.”