Gabriel changed clothes and then made his way to the backyard. He stepped over his bike and pulled his helmet over his head. Next, he pushed his shades firmly onto his head. The vibrations shuddered as the engine kicked into life. He winced as he pulled the clutch lever. The pain in his ribs hurt like hell. He fought for his breath as he kicked the bike into gear and drove through the rear gate that Maria leaned on and held open.

"Do you want me to come with you? I only have to grab a helmet?" Maria asked.

"Nah! Once I get going, the pain will go, and it’ll be better if I speak to Garrett and Abigail alone," he replied, twisting the throttle.

"Make sure to take it easy."

Gabriel drove to the end of the rear alley and headed out of town toward Noelle's parents’ home. He finally slowed as he approached the gateway that took him through the paddocks and down the gravel track. He saw the house at the bottom of the hill. It was the first time he’d seen the home in the daytime, and it was huge. More like a homestead. It showed there was plenty of money to be made from cattle. They also owned the sporting goods store and whatever other ‘pies’ Garrett might have put his fingers into.

He reached the bottom of the drive, and the tires crunched the gravel as he neared the front of the house. He pulled to a stop as he pulled off his shades and removed his helmet. Before he got off the bike, the front door opened. Garrett stood in the doorway and glanced over at him.

"For what do we owe the pleasure? It’s not often we have a personal visit from anyone from the Towers," Garrett said, walking over the gravel to Gabriel.

Gabriel removed his sunglasses. He squinted and wiped the remains of the tears from his eyes. "I've come for some information, if you have it," he claimed. He stepped off his bike and held it to shake hands. They moved to the patio.

"Before you ask me for information, how are things going at the Towers? Has Maria spent my money wisely?"

"Construction is finished, and it puts the rest of the street to shame. The guys who came to stay, they really know what they’re doing."

"They should, they built this place, so something as straightforward as the Towers is like child's play to them."

"Rest assured, Maria has done a great job with their help. But things are not all that clear now. A lot has happened over the last week and a half," Gabriel started to explain.

"Oh, dearie! I smell trouble!" Abigail muttered as she walked in with the hot mugs of coffee.

"Oh dearie, alright, it's more like the shit has hit the fan. Excuse the language," he said.

"I'm used to the bad language. Garrett has a sewer mouth, and he taught Noelle a few rosy words along the way. Have you heard from Noelle and Declan recently? How are they, and where are they?" she asked, setting the tray onto the table.

"Maria spoke to them, I haven't, and they are okay as far as I can tell. They are staying with Sasha in Miami."

"Shit's hit the fan again, huh?" Garrett mumbled. "That sounds ominous."

Gabriel started to explain what had happened since the first two lots of blood had been mysteriously stolen. He told them of the Kelvin scenario, the ambulance, and how Kat had ended up in the Towers because she had been poisoned with strychnine.

"What a crock, she wasn't poisoned with strychnine if she is still alive," Abigail commented.

Gabriel cast a puzzled look. "How do you know?"

"For one, I am an avid reader of Agatha Christie novels, and not one person survived who had strychnine poisoning. Secondly, there’s no real cure even if Dustin stopped the flow that quickly, yes, she might be a lucky girl, but it was something else that was in her drip."

"Why would anyone want to poison her with a weaker liquid?"

"They either don't know what they are doing, or... the only thing I can think of is—"

Gabriel's head nodded as he cut in. "They had never intended to kill her."

"You got it!" Abigail exclaimed.

"Besides that," Garrett said. "What else has happened?"

Gabriel put his cup on the tray and clasped his hands together. "Tanya, who was sort of my girl, she has, from what I can gather, changed sides and gone to the dark side… so to speak."

Garrett looked at Gabriel. "What about the information you wanted? We haven’t got to that part yet."

Gabriel smiled in an attempt to hide the severity of both missing persons. "We’ve lost Kelvin. I'm not sure if you know him. Declan met him when he was on his travels."

"Sure, I saw him at the Towers. He's that crazy kid. Jumps around like a small child."

Gabriel nodded. "Yeah, that's him, he has a dark, olive complexion."

"So, what's the story with him?"

Gabriel explained about vlads and daywalkers. "We aren’t sure, but we think he’s somehow related to a hybrid, like Noelle was. Not a full-blooded one though, and whoever is behind all this, we assume… well, they think that his blood can turn the vlads into daywalkers."

Abigail put her mug on the table, uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. Gabriel could see she looked serious. "So, Noelle can be in danger?"

"Yes and no. She is no longer a hybrid, so her blood’s pretty much useless as you mentioned last time we saw you. But Drake, he is the firstborn, so that is different, altogether."

"You have to warn them," Abigail said.

"At the moment, they are safe. No one knows where they are, and they haven’t pieced it altogether yet, they are focused on Kelvin, and we need to get him back."

"Sorry, Gab, we can't help. We have no idea, but if anything comes to mind, you’ll be the first to find out."

Gabriel thanked Garrett and Abigail for their hospitality and stood up. They all exited the house, and he got back onto his bike. "One other thing, we’re all leaving as soon as Kelvin’s safe. I’ve been told by an old Indian guy I have to find a shaman who can get my wolf back."

"And the Towers?" Garrett asked.

"Maria has started letting the place to humans. There will be no wolves from that pack living in the Creek this time next week," he replied. "Hopefully."

"Life's a changing," Garrett said as he slapped Gabriel on his back. The pain shot through his ribs, and he grimaced. He could’ve hidden it behind his shades, yet the sun now lowered behind the horizon, so there was no need for sunglasses.

Gabriel waved as he made his way up the track to the main road. A bit of a wasted effort, but it had been nice to see them, anyway. He slowed as he neared the main road. He saw a black car parked. He slowed and glanced through the window. The face turned and smiled through the strands of blonde hair. Gabriel stopped his bike behind the car. The door opened, and he looked at the long slender legs that slid from the driver’s seat. His eyes lifted, and he smiled as he started to remove his helmet.

"Well, fancy meeting you here?" he said.

"I was thinking the same."

"Megan, it’s been such a long time?"

Megan pushed her hair from her face and smiled. "It has, but now I'm back."

* * *

Kelvin opened his eyes. He’d felt drowsy ever since he’d drunk the water from the bottle that had been held to his lips. The bastards drugged me. He stared up. The light from the bulb shone brightly, and he squinted to limit the glare. A shadow fell over him. The towering figure stood over like a giant. He was no longer dressed in the long black jacket that was home to the blood-red-colored lining. He wore a doctor’s smock and a mask that covered his mouth, and his yellow-stained teeth were still prominent.

"So! Are you ready to help change the world?" the old guy muffled from behind his mask. Kelvin saw the fabric move as the tall guy spoke.

"It doesn't look like I have a choice, does it?" he replied in a sarcastic, half-sleepy tone.

"Relax a while. We’ll be with you soon," the guy said as he turned his back and walked to the office. Kelvin lifted his head and watched the body vanish through the open door. It spoke to someone else. It said, "Once he is settled and relaxed, then we can start to take his blood." Kelvin listened. His heightened wolf senses made the conversation clear apart, from the guy wearing his mask. He saw the female figure, although it didn't speak, and it didn't enter the room. Or it didn't while he was conscious.

Relaxed. I have to be relaxed. Come on old man... let’s see if you can get any blood from me?

Kelvin sucked in deep breaths and panted. He called on his wolf, but he couldn't change because he was shackled. He knew that, but his skin tightened. His eyes glowed silver. Footsteps returned to the large, wooden, lined room. Kelvin rested.

"You might feel a small prick," the masked guy said as Kelvin felt spindly figures grab at his arm. The needle rested on his skin. Kelvin gritted his teeth as the inner wolf inside growled and snarled. The masked guy pushed the needle. It snapped.

"Fuck!"

"What's wrong?" Kelvin muttered. I know what’s wrong. I'm too fucking tough for you.

The guy dropped a white cloth over Kelvin's face. His warm breath wafted over his face as he breathed heavily. He heard light footsteps enter the room. They stopped and then faded as they walked back to the office. The masked guy pulled the sheet from his face and grabbed hold of Kelvin's cheek. He held a plastic bottle above him.

"Open wide." The skinny fingers squeezed at Kelvin’s cheeks. The guy was old, but still, Kelvin couldn't resist opening his mouth. The cold liquid dripped against his tongue as he called for his inner wolf. If I can fight against this sedation, he's giving me… He swallowed. The liquid ran down his throat. Kelvin closed his mouth. His vision blurred a little.

"Five or ten minutes," he heard.

Kelvin closed his eyes and imagined himself in the forest. What would keep his inner wolf in a heightened state? The hunter battle, and that was what he thought about.

"Take the left flank," Declan screamed from the undergrowth. Kelvin watched as half the pack ran to the side and vanished. Seconds later he observed the hunters face toward the bushes. Wolves leaped from the undergrowth and walked steadily toward the pack of hunters. Bodies fell and writhed on the ground as silver bullets sliced through fur and embedded themselves into the left flank. The fallen wolves stood and retreated.

"Right flank," Declan yelled from the side of him. His head snapped to the right. He waited for the word from Declan. The hunters were weakened. There is no way they could win but—

"CHARGE!"

Kelvin grinned as he looked deep into Declan's eyes. "I was waiting for that."

Kelvin felt his heart race and beat wildly in his chest.

He walked forward on his hind legs with Declan. They lashed at the hunters. Bodies fell unconscious as he felt a searing pain in his shoulder. He saw the look of satisfaction on the hunter who had lunged forward with a silver-tipped spear. Kelvin looked down. He fought for his breath and stepped forward. He felt the spear tear at the skin of his shoulder. The burning sensation stopped as he smashed into the bridge of the nose of the hunter. Adrenalin kicked in.

His arm. He could move it. The shackle was now loosened. He kept his eyes closed and his wolf ready. He felt fingers pat his arm and the prick as the needle pushed hard against his skin.

"Here we go," he heard the muffled voice say. "Now we wait a while."

Footsteps made their way to the door. Not the office. He lifted his head and saw that he was now alone. His arm was free from his shackle. Kelvin glanced to the side and saw his blood starting to fill the tube. He sat and pulled the needle from his arm. Blood dripped on the old wooden floorboards as he reached over and unfastened the shackle on his right wrist. Kelvin's ears pricked up as he heard the floor creak outside the door. He quickly unshackled his ankles and called on his inner wolf. His shoulders flexed as he fought off the effects of the sedative. His head turned toward the door. Grabbing hold of the tube where his blood sat, his claws pierced the plastic, and his blood oozed to the floor.

Kelvin looked up. Pigeons cooed as they roosted.

The pigeons flapped their wings as Kelvin leaped and grabbed hold of the dust-covered steel beam. He pulled his body on top and thrust his fist against the grime-covered skylight. Fuck! It's meshed glass. He pulled his fist back and rammed it into the glass. His fist pushed through the glass as wire strands lacerated the skin on his forearm. He pulled it back and tore at the glass. He tugged against the meshed glass and folded it back on itself. He pushed his arms through and pushed.

Kelvin slithered through the hole and looked back at the empty bed. The door opened. He heard the masked guy scream as he stepped forward. The blue eyes peered up to the skylight as Kelvin peered down. Kelvin smiled as he put his hand to his head as a sarcastic salute.

"Adios motherfucker," Kelvin yelled before vanishing into the night.

“C’mon, we know you’ve got it in you.”