"She'll come," a distinctly male voice said, eagerly pacing. "I hope you're right or else all this was in vain," another male voice replied. "But we can always collect on the million dollar price tag on the kid's head," the first male said. "Leave my son out of this!" a female voice yelled frantically. It had to be his mother. Suddenly, a loud thud hit against flesh as Zac's mother gasped. "How dare you!" his mother yelled through gritted teeth. "When my husband finds out about this …" The second male, obviously vamp, laughed. "You mean your ex-husband," he said, then added, "Besides, how do you know he still gives a damn?""Go to hell!" Zac's mother spat at the vamp. I suddenly realized where Zac got his strength and courage. "Shut up, bitch!" the first vamp yelled, when I stepped around the corner. The vamp had his hand drawn back and was ready to hit his mother again. She was strapped to a heavy wooden chair and her eyes were shooting daggers at the vamp. "And what do we hav
"Okay, okay! Don't shoot!" he yelled as I pulled the hammer back on the Glock. "I was running down the street yelling about what you did, how you changed into different people and no one believed me, when suddenly this man grabbed me and pulled me into his limo. He asked about you and I told him about you morphing into different people. Then, he said he'd turn me into a vamp if I would help him find you." "Me?" I asked, my eyebrows pulling together in confusion. "What do you mean, find me?" "I don't know," he yelled, suddenly afraid for his manhood. "That's all I know! Now let me go!" "Not this time," I said, then turned to face Zac's mother, still strapped to the chair. "Don't look." She nodded as Stop and Rob screamed a series of "Don't hurt me!" "Don't kill me!" and the like. Zac's mother closed her eyes as I slit the guy's throat as his screams cut off abruptly with a gurgle and vamp blood spilled over the beige carpet. "Are you okay?" I asked Zac's mother, gathering the vamp b
"I can't believe Sam!" she replied, looking out the window. "I specifically told him to let Zac live a normal life.""Well, no offense," I gently began, thinking of the last few days. "If he hadn't, Zac would be dead." Then tears slid slowly down her cheeks. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. Then, I decided to gently broach the subject. "I just wanted you to know that it started off with me just protecting him, but it's become much more than that now." She nodded. "I see." But she said nothing more and changed the subject. "Where are you taking us?" "To a safe house," I replied, as I turned off the expressway. "No one will find you there, I promise. You and Zac will be safe." Then Jennifer turned to face me, looking me directly in the eye. "I sure hope you're right." And deep down, I hoped I was, too. A few sharp turns later, we were on a dirt road which led deep into the woods. We followed it for a bit, then came to a rustic log cabin buried de
I opened the door and smiled weakly as Zac's mother walked into the room. She returned the smile as she passed me to enter the room where her son lay. Unable to look behind, I ran quickly out the door at vamp speed, then turned the key in the ignition of the Challenger RT, listening as the hemi engine roared to life. Tears streamed silently down my cheeks as I threw the car into gear and headed toward the main road, leaving Zac and his mother behind. I told myself over and again that Zac would be safe, but I hated myself for having to leave him behind. For a moment, I thought of the other members of my CIA vamp team, but knew I couldn't call them. I didn't know who I could trust at this point. And now with Rick and Annie gone, it was just me. But I knew what I had to do. I pushed the gas pedal to the floor and headed toward the city. I was going to The Mirage. On I-95, I floored it, hoping I wouldn't draw the attention of any uniforms along the way. But, at this point, I had no choice
Then she snubbed me and talked to a vamp that looked exactly like James Dean to her left. For a split second, I wondered if it was really them, Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. If it was them, they could have staged their deaths before anyone noticed they weren't aging. Well, stranger things have happened. Behind the bar was a female bartender with short black hair, cropped into a bob curling just below her ears, reminiscent of the silent movie era. She had a painted on black mole on her left cheek and heavy black, Cleopatra eyeliner to match. "What can I get for you, Bill?" Cleo asked in a squeaky voice reminding me of Betty Boop, frantically chewing gum, as she placed an empty glass onto the bar in front of me. "The usual?" "No, I'm working," I replied, pushing the glass aside. Cleo laughed, then replied, "Since when has that stopped you?" "Since tonight," I replied, looking around the bar. "Where's V?"Cleo's painted on black eyebrows pulled together, confused. "Well, he went
"We have company!" Verus yelled over his shoulder, making a quick turn down another street where more rogue vamps blocked our way. I quickly leaned out the passenger side window and unloaded my Glock into as many vamps as I possibly could, while Verus expertly darted around others, heading toward the expressway. Quickly, I reached into my pants pocket for another clip and popped it into my Glock, ready to roll just as another rogue vamp jumped onto the hood. "Get the hell off my car!" Verus yelled in his pronounced Roman accent as I leaned out the window and unloaded my clip into his brain. Another vamp crawled across the back of the car and had me by the throat in an instant, while Verus quickly spun the yellow Corvette around, trying to knock him off, but failed miserably. In one fluid motion, I grabbed my Greyman knife from my boot and stabbed him all the way through his throat. The blade came out the back of his neck. He let go. Within a second, Verus made a sharp left turn
My tears turned to anger as I imagined Annie with Michaels. Then, I remembered what she said about Rick. How she was in love with him. But then again, when I asked her if she'd ever been with anyone else, she replied, 'None that I loved.' Oh, Annie! What have you done?"I don't believe it! She has to be undercover! Annie would never betray her country!" Somehow, I just couldn't bring myself to believe that Annie could betray us like that after what we've been through together over the years. "I sure hope you're right about her, for all our sakes," Verus replied, then added as concern filled his eyes, "If she is undercover, I haven't been told about it and she's made no contact with me. According to Abbott, she went rogue about a year ago." I laughed. "Is that who you got your information from?" I asked, feeling relieved. "Abbot's dead, I'm sure. A shape shifter was posing as him a few days ago.""No, I have Abbott," Verus replied casually, but concerned. "What do you mean, you
"But the problem was that the gladiators kept dying." Verus paused, shaking his head, remembering times long past. "So for sport, he decided to create vampires out of some of us to lengthen the games.""That's when he made you into a vampire," I replied, unable to believe what I was hearing. "Yes," Verus continued. "He made my friend, Priscus, and I into vampires, then told us we had to fight one another. The winner would earn our freedom." "I remember this story," I replied, remembering my world history. "Yes, you probably do," Verus continued. "Anyway, before the fight ensued, Priscus and I vowed to make it look good, but not to kill one another." "So, the day of the games," I continued, remembering the story. "You two fought long and hard until he finally stopped the fight and awarded you both your freedom." "Yes, that's correct," Verus replied, turning away. "We made it look good and put on a good show." A thought suddenly occurred to me. "How do I know that you're tel
"Come on, everyone!" Rick announced, heading toward the door. "Let's not keep Abbott waiting." He looked at Zac, and added, "Uh ... sorry ... your father." "Hey, don't change anything on my account!" Zac replied with a shrug then took my hand as we walked out the door and climbed into the back of the van along with John. Rick and Annie took the front.Soon, we were on NY-28 S headed toward Washington D.C. when Annie announced, "Hey, maybe we can go shopping in D.C. after we see Abbott." Rick laughed, rolling his eyes and smiling. But this time, I couldn't argue with her. "Sounds good," I replied, as Zac laughed, watching Rick as he moaned and shook his head, rolling his eyes again. "I need some clothes badly." "Oh, goodie!" Annie replied, joyously clapping her hands and bouncing up and down in her seat as I laughed. "Annie, you'll never change," I replied, secretly glad of it. I'd really missed her over the last few years and was glad we were all together again. "But you w
When I finally opened my eyes, the sun was shining brightly through the windows, glistening off the contours of Zac's smooth, beautiful skin. I turned over, draping my arm over him and smiled, closing my eyes. "Good morning, sleepyhead," Zac said with a smile, and then kissed me gently on the cheek. I yawned, stretching before sitting up. It really felt good to relax and rejuvenate my body, especially since Zac was safe and our case was over. "Did you sleep?" I asked, not wanting the moment to end. "No," Zac replied, trailing a finger along my cheek, "but I enjoyed watching you sleep." I rolled my eyes and turned over."Here," Zac said, pulling me to a sitting position. "Time to get up, sleepyhead." "Why?" I asked in protest, then turned over with a smile and curled up on the pillow, shoving it under my head. Zac tried to pull it from me, but we ended up tearing it in half as feathers flew over the bed and I tackled him, laughing, then pushed him back onto the bed with a sm
Abbott took a seat, knowing what was coming, but said nothing. Zac took his mother's hands into his own, then said, "Mom, I can't stay here. At least, not for a while." Jennifer nodded, taking the news reasonably well. "You know what I am now, Mom," Zac continued, his eyebrows pulling together in concern. "I'm sure Dad told you." She nodded, looking at the table, listening. "Mom, do you understand why I can't live here with you?" Zac asked, worried. "Yes, I understand," Jennifer responded, putting on a brave face. Then, she looked her son directly in the eye. "Son, I know you won't hurt me." "I won't, Mom. You know that," Zac answered, then continued. "But I don't know that. I need a bit of time. I'm new, brand new, so I have a few things to learn first." Zac's mother nodded, as Abbott took her other hand. "Where will you stay, Zac? Where will you live?" Zac looked at me as I nodded, then took a deep breath. "I'm going to stay with Abigail and her family." "But you'
A moment later, Zac and I pulled out of the narrow driveway and made a left, heading toward town and Annie's house. We said nothing as I pulled in front of the house, hoping no one would notice the bullet holes decorating the side of the car. Regardless, we had tonight and I didn't want anything to spoil it. The house was dark when we pulled up. At vamp speed, Zac came around the car and opened my car door, then scooped me with ease into his arms. His super-human strength was going to come in handy. I wrapped my arms around his neck, letting him carry me to the door. "What's this all about?" I asked as a corner of my lips lifted into a mischievous grin. "What does it look like?" he answered, returning my smile. "I'm practicing carrying you over the threshold." "Practicing, huh?" I asked with a smile. "You still want to marry me after all this?""Marry you? Nah ..." Zac said, smiling, as my face fell slightly. Then, he placed a gentle finger under my chin to lift my eyes to his.
Zac's perfectly-shaped eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "What are you saying? Even my father?"I nodded, smiling. "That son of a ..." Zac yelled, his grief suddenly turning to rage. "Zac, now wait a minute," I replied, cutting him off. "V said your father tried to call you, but we were already on the road and he couldn't get hold of us." Then, I thought for a moment and added, "The cell phones are in the glove box. We'll have to ditch them soon, but go ahead and call them. I'm sure they'll answer." "But what about other shape shifters?" Zac asked, looking at the black cell phone he'd just pulled from the glove box. "Zac, Drake's dead," I replied, then smiled. "We're the only ones left. Just you and I." Zac nodded, and then looked at the cell one more time. "No, I'll call them tomorrow." Then, a thought appeared within his mind. "Do you think it's safe to go back to Cooperstown now?" "Well, Drake's dead and I'm sure word will get around that who was going to pay is de
Slamming the car door, I expertly wheeled the Challenger around, running over another rogue vamp in the process. I stopped the car on the corner where Rick, Annie, and John were waiting, taking down rogue vamps as shots of gunfire resonated throughout the neighborhood. It wouldn't be long, and the humans would respond. The men in blue would be crawling all over us in the matter of minutes. Quickly, I slung open the trunk and Rick and Annie were beside me in an instant, ripping open the cases. "Yes! A Gatlin gun!" Rick yelled, taking it from the case. "Good girl!" he yelled as he quickly loaded the bullet belt into it, then pulled it into his arms with ease, slinging the bullet belt over his shoulder. Annie, Zac, and John pulled weapons from the black leather cases, loading up, then quickly turned to stave off the rogue vamps coming toward us. Quickly, I flung open a case, finding what I was looking for, a grenade launcher. Pulling it from the case, I quickly loaded it with a case o
Feeling was slowly returning to my body, allowing me to sit up. I looked over at Zac and relief filled his eyes. I smiled, knowing he would be fine. "Well, aren't you worried about me at all?" another voice came from the landing; a voice I would always know, pulling my attention momentarily away from Zac. "Rick! You're alive!" I exclaimed, turning to face him. And John was on his heels, smiling. "Of course! What did you think? That I was going to die and let you have all the fun?" Rick asked, sitting on the ground beside me. "John came back for us. Once we dug out the bullets, Verus and I healed pretty quickly." Then, he ripped open his shirt. "You wanna see?""Please, Rick!" I exclaimed, shielding my eyes. "Too much info!" Rick laughed, until he saw Annie lying lifeless upon the floor. "Annie!" he exclaimed as he ran to her side. Slowly, I got to my feet and followed. Rick knelt beside her and I knelt on her other side as tears filled my eyes. For here was Annie-my friend Aca
"You'll never be the one to break me, Clark," I replied, my eyes narrowing. "We shall see," he replied with a sneer lighting his lips, clearly amused. "You see? My experiment was a success," Drake said, looking over at Zac. "And now that I have him, what do I need with you?" He then knelt over my body, with a knee on either side. He looked closely at the knife's long blade, then into my eyes. "Now that I know all I need is your blood, or his, what do I need you for?" Then a sneer lifted the corner of his lips. "After all, he's filled with your blood." "Get it over with, Drake," I taunted, my eyes flaring. "Go ahead and kill me. You always were a coward." Drake's eyes narrowed. "Coward? I am no coward!" So, I'd struck a nerve. "Years ago, my father invited you into our house to talk rationally, but you were too much of a coward to comply. Obviously, you were too scared to come into the house because you didn't know if you were outnumbered or not." I took a breath, feeling it go
I looked at Zac, and then at Annie. "Let's do it," I replied. Together, we fired our Uzis at every vampire in the room. "I want Star and the boy alive! Kill the blonde!" Drake yelled over the gunfire suddenly exploding within the room. Within a second, the vamps rushed us, and we took them all down. Zac ripped the heads off some, then shot another, placing the pistol right between the guy's eyes. Annie's karate and jujitsu moves were unsurpassed as she moved with lightning speed, ripping apart the vamps in her wake. As for me, I ripped apart every vamp in my way, blowing the heads off any who got in my way as I made my way purposefully across the room, my eyes never leaving Drake. Suddenly, Annie was shot in the chest, throwing her to the ground face down, but my eyes never left Drake. Venom filled my mouth in anticipation of the kill. I took my time, killing any vamps who got in my way, as I walked purposefully toward Drake. The corner of my lips curled into a menacing smile, as f