“Where the hell have you two been?” Sanders screamed while they sauntered through the motel door.

Tanya gulped at the anger Sanders showed. Megan replied, “We’ve been to feed.” She didn’t add any more because she noticed Sanders fumed inside.

“I’ve got a job for you two, and you need to be very fucking quick about it,” he yelled. “I’ve booked the plane. I want you to go back to the Creek.”

Megan shuffled her feet in frustration. “The Creek, you want us to go back to the Creek? What the hell for? Fuck, there’s nothing there for us.”

Sanders squared up against Megan. She didn’t bat an eyelid and stared at him with a blank expression.

“Nothing is there for you, for me there’s something which is crucial, very fucking crucial, and I need you two to fetch it.” Megan felt the rage building up inside her. “The gas which is escaping from the mine; and is all over the news. I’ve almost run out and won’t have enough to take to Mexico.”

“You’re sniffing the gas, what do you need it for?” Megan quizzed him while he paced back and forth next to the dining table.

“To simplify it, it stops me from becoming like a regular male vlad. He tapped the side of his head with his finger. “You know they’re a bit slow.”

“You mean dumb?” she asked.

“Call it whatever you want, but yes,” he replied. “You’d better get moving.”

“What time’s the flight?”

Sanders looked at the gold watch on his bony wrist. The leather strap was hanging loosely against his freckled skin.

“Sixty-eight minutes.”

Megan huffed while she stormed to the closet and grabbed her backpack. She stuffed clothes inside and then craned her head over her shoulder.

“You really leave things until the last minute,” she replied.

“I sent you a message; didn’t you check your phone while you were gallivanting around?”

Megan pulled the drawstring tightly on her bag. Without looking, she replied, “I’ve lost my cell.”

Sanders' foot landed squarely on the chair. It rolled across the floor. “WHAT?” he snarled. “You’ve lost your cell? Where?”

“I’m not sure. It must’ve been in a skirmish or fell when I was climbing into the vehicle,” she replied. “It’s blank; all the messages have been deleted.”

“Yes! Apart from the one I sent you this evening. If your phone happens to fall into Gabriel’s hands, they can see what’s been going on.”

“They’ll hate me all that little bit more, and I can live with that,” she replied, throwing her backpack over her shoulder.

She held her hand out, palm up, and gestured with her fingers. Sanders pulled out a large roll of notes from his pocket and peeled a few off and then slapped them into her hand. Tanya took her bag, and they left the motel room.

“Get a new phone and tell me when you’re going to be in Houston. We’ll meet you there.”

They walked from the motel room without so much as a thank you, a goodbye, or even a kiss my ass. Lizeth watched all the action from the bed and smiled to herself. The girl who kept quiet, she liked. The girl with the patch over her eye, well, she wasn’t so keen on her. Megan slammed the door behind her and walked up to Tanya who’d raised her hand and was hailing a cab.

“Something’s got to give, and it isn’t going to be me,” she snarled.

Tanya replied by saying nothing. Megan always lost it when she was forced to do something she didn’t want to do.

“Identification and ticket please,” the girl at the gate requested. Megan handed her passport and ticket over. She chatted to Tanya while the girl behind the counter coughed and spluttered. “Is this you, ma’am?”

Megan turned and snapped. “Of course it is, are you blind, can’t you see it’s me in the picture?” The girl glanced at the picture and then back at Megan. She frowned and said she needed to call her supervisor. “What do you need them for?”

“Your distinguishing features might’ve changed somewhat.”

The girl stepped from her cubicle and walked over to a portly guard who was standing against the back wall. He waddled over and took hold of Megan’s passport.

“When did this happen?” He gestured to the side of his own face in reference to the scar and patch which now adorned Megan’s face.

“Within the last few weeks.”

“I don’t want to sound off, but are you sure?” he replied. “You seem to have healed very quickly from such a large wound.” Tanya stood back to let them proceed with their conversation.

“I’m a fast healer, what can I say.” Megan reached for a folder which sat on the counter of the cubicle. She held it over her blind side and covered half her face. “Now look.”

The supervisor glanced back and forth at Megan and at the picture. He saw the similarity and agreed that it was (indeed) Megan.

“You’ll want to get your passport updated. If this were an international flight, you wouldn’t be boarding.”

“Pfft. I don’t want to board this fucking thing,” she muttered under her breath. She walked through the gate to the boarding area.

They boarded the smaller-than-average plane with fifteen minutes to spare. Megan huffed and puffed while she fidgeted. The seats were smaller than usual and possessed about the same comfort of a park bench in the middle of winter. The captain spoke and said the flight wouldn’t take too long. Quick refreshments were available, and they’d be in Colorado Springs a little before one in the morning. Tanya and Megan buckled up while the hostess walked up the aisle, checking that all the passengers were strapped in.

Megan lifted herself slightly and spotted that the plane was less than half full. With all the commotion of not being able to identify her, the damned plane was nearly empty, it seemed.

The plane turned to face down the runway, and the whine of the engines reached fever-pitch. The plane vibrated and slowly inched forward.

“I’m hungry,” Megan said. The plane increased in speed.

“They’ll come around with food in a while,” Tanya replied, gripping the arms of her seat and clenching her eyes shut.

“I mean, I’m hungry. I want to feed.”

The plane tilted upward, and the sound from the runway vanished when the tires left the ground. Tanya opened one eye and looked at Megan.

“You want to feed up here?” she asked. “How the hell?” Tanya remarked.

Megan unbuckled her belt. She counted the heads and said to Tanya that between the two of them they could take everyone on board, apart from the pilots. Crashing wasn’t one of her options, but the people on board could all be turned by the time they’d landed. If anything, it could please Sanders. Maybe.

“You’re’ freaking crazy for even suggesting that.”

Megan watched as the hostesses walked into the rear of the gangway to ready the food carts.

“I’m gonna do it. The mile-high feeding club.” She smiled and pushed Tanya’s legs out of the way. “Feel free to join me in a moment, once I’ve sorted the hostesses out.”

Megan walked to the back of the plane. She pulled the curtain over the galley. The two hostesses looked up from preparing the food trays.

“Can we help you?”

“You sure as hell can,” Megan replied.

“What is it; you want to know what’s on the menu?”

Megan smiled and pushed the food cart out of the way. “I know what’s on the menu!”

“Um?” One hostess choked when Megan grabbed her by the throat. She lunged toward the other once her vlad form appeared.

“You are!”

Sascha and Gabriel rolled the dead vlad bodies onto the street. They glanced over while Declan picked two up at once and threw them like rag dolls. Their bodies hit the street with a dull thud. The lights of Dustin’s van came around the corner. He pulled up and opened the rear doors. Renegade and Dustin loaded the van. Sascha and Gabriel watched Declan take the quick route when he leaped from the edge of the roof and landed on the fire escape just two floors down. His hand grabbed the railing, and he jumped over and hit the street below.

“I used to be able to do that,” Gabriel said. “No such luck at the moment.”

“One day, lover boy,” Sascha said. She stepped onto the rear fire escape while Gabriel looked up into the night sky. Another flight taking off passed overhead.

I wonder where that one’s going…

He slid down the old rusted ladder to the platform. Sascha was almost on the street. He stepped down the final step and dropped from the first level. The back alley now echoing as their footsteps rattled against the cobbles. Their job was almost done. One last trip to the club and then it would be up to the human hunters to take over.

They rounded the corner at the same moment Declan changed back into his human form. The pack teams turned the corner and moved back together.

“That wraps it up for the evening,” Declan remarked. Dustin started the engine and headed off to the club after Declan said the teams would walk back. And, just in case of any stragglers, they’d be together to have each other’s backs if push came to shove.

The club was silent. The van unloaded, and a pile of the beasts lay before the ones who were alive and awake, after their drug-induced sleep. The sun wouldn’t take too long to rise, and then the screaming would begin again when the beasts combusted and burned in their own hell.

Ariana said drinks and refreshments were on the bar for the teams. Her dancers stood guard over the group of vlads and made sure none of them became overly-enthusiastic or attempted to escape.

The teams split up and divided themselves between the club’s glass tables. They remained in that position while they ate their late supper (or very early breakfast) as it were.

Dustin sat with Declan and Noelle. Now all the action was over, the adrenaline had begun to subside. Noelle found that the seriousness of what had happened was sinking in.

“Drake’s gone,” she said.

Declan put his arm around her shoulder. He kissed her forehead. “I know, but I promise we’ll get him back unharmed.”

Noelle looked up. Tears welled up in her eyes. “How can you promise something like that when you don’t know?” she asked. Declan inhaled. His chest puffed out.

“I know. I’ve got a gut feeling.”

Noelle bowed her head. She raised her hand and wiped her eyes. “I’m not so sure. Maybe this time we’ve bitten off more than we can chew.”

Declan placed his finger under her chin and whispered. “I promise. Ask this guy here if he believes in what I’m saying.”

Noelle turned to Dustin who’d already begun nodding. He reassured Noelle with his eyes. Declan walked to the bar and started talking to Gabriel. Dustin went deeper into his conversation with Noelle. If Declan has promised, he’d keep that promise. Hell would freeze over before Declan would even consider giving up. His strength came from the pack around him. It was like they were all chosen for a reason, as Dustin stated it.

“What do you mean?” Noelle asked.

Dustin pointed at each member of the pack and the friends who formed and now relaxed around the bar.

“Kelvin’s a bit of a wild child as we know, although he is full of street smarts and can get things done at such a young age. Sascha is a medical expert and a badass fighter when in her wolf form. We then have Gabriel. And there was the stint when he attempted and failed to fill Declan’s shoes as alpha, and he soon realized he was best-suited to being a beta. As a number two in a pack, I personally can’t think of anyone better,” Dustin explained in detail. “And then there’s you and me.”

Noelle looked at Dustin. “I’m nothing special, but I know you’re his guiding influence,” she said.

“Far from it. You give Declan purpose, and I don’t only mean that now that Drake’s been kidnapped.”

“You forgot Maria.”

“Ah yes, Maria. She’s special in her own right. She’s like Declan’s inner conscience, his inner rationality.”

Noelle screwed her nose up in the way which had always drove Declan crazy. Dustin thought she looked cute doing it, but there was more behind a cute screwed-up face than just the way she looked when doing it.

“So, you think we’re all here to serve Declan?” Noelle asked.

“Now, that’s the thing. A regular wolf pack would do that. You have your alpha, and then below them you have all the followers, the pack. None of us follow Declan; we support him and raise him up to a whole different level.”

“I gotcha now,” she replied. “I thought all this trip was about was Gabriel, and getting his wolf back. And Drake now, of course.”

Dustin chuckled. “It is, but now Drake’s been thrown into the mix so I think it’s all interwoven with Sanders,” he remarked. “It’s like one huge fight. Good versus evil.”

“Well; if all this is mapped out for us from forces beyond what we know, someone’s got a twisted way of doing things,” Noelle said.

“You’ve got that right.”

Declan returned to the table and slid back on the bench seat next to Noelle. “The sun’s a few hours away yet, and it’s too long to hang around here. We’ll finish these refreshments and then head off back to the condo,” he said. “I can see that your mom and dad are absolutely shattered.”

Noelle pushed her body against Declan’s. “I’m not surprised, they’re as old as the hills, and it’s been a while since they’ve done this much running around.”

Declan laughed. “I bet they haven’t run this much since we gave them the herbal tea, remember, when it purged all the badness out of them?”

“Now that was bad,” Noelle replied. “Now, on a more serious note, what’re we going to do about our son?”

Declan looked up at Dustin. They’d already run through a brief outline of what action to take and they were vitally waiting for a signal from Wong. If he got the location of Sanders, they could decide whether to accept plan A, B, or C. Catching up with Sanders was out of the question. Heading him off and beating him to the shaman was the goal. Gabriel needed to be back with his inner wolf so they could defeat Sanders and the ghastly followers he’d created, once and for all.

“When will we know that?” Noelle asked.

“After the last message to Megan’s cell. We know they’ve gone back to the Creek. It’s too far to drive, so they must’ve flown,” Declan explained. “At some point, they need to contact Sanders; and when Wong spots activity from his cell and deciphers the message, or finds his new location, we can see the distance between us.”

“It sounds simple,” Noelle said.

Dustin sat opposite them at the table. He smiled. “It is simple. It’s as simple as one, two, three!”

Noelle sighed while she thought of Drake being with strangers and how scared he’d be. “That’s easy for you to say, it’s not your son who has been taken.”

Dustin frowned. “Drake’s as good as family. Not just to me, but to all of us,” he replied. “Remember what I told you. Any one of us would lay down our lives to save Drake.”

That was a serious commitment from any of the pack. Noelle never looked at things in such a way. “Well, we’d better hope it never comes to that.”

“I’ve not eaten in days and my gums bleed, I curse for one more feed.”