"What the hell are you talking about?" Annie's eyes narrowed as she smoothed her dress, undeterred. "Because V said the same thing about you, Annie," I replied, taking another deep breath. "He's on our side." "For your sake," Annie said in a rushed low voice. "You'd better hope so." She looked around to make sure we were alone and looked me in the eye again. "We don't have a lot of time." Then, a thought occurred to me as I backed away, my eyes narrowing. "Annie, why didn't you tell me about Michaels when you saw me in Cooperstown?" "That's not important, Star ..." "The hell it isn't!" I said, preparing for the worst. Annie sighed. "I've been undercover with Michaels for a few months now. Michaels heard you were in Cooperstown and sent me. He has no idea I'm still an agent! As far as the agency is concerned, my cover is that I've gone rogue!" I sighed, not sure what to believe. But at this point, I knew I had to believe her. I had no choice. "Okay, what do you know?" I kn
I nodded, turning my attention back to Drake, listening. "Won't you sit down?" Drake replied, indicating the other couch sitting kitty corner from the one where Michaels and Annie comfortably sat. Then, Drake picked up my drink and handed it to me again. I knocked the drink from his hand, sending the glass flying across the room. It crashed loudly into a million shards as it hit the wall then fell to the floor. "I'd rather stand," I said casually, my eyes narrowing. "Come now, dear," Drake replied, taking my hand into his, then looked directly into my eyes. "There's no reason why we can't be civil.""Tell that to everyone you murdered during the war!" I replied, my eyes narrowing, refusing to give in. Drake laughed. "Which war?"I glared at him as Michaels chuckled. Annie, watched, casually running a finger along the top of her glass. "Yes, I was talking to the Fuhrer about you, Star," Drake said, then his eyes narrowed. "That is, before you came in and killed him." "Hitl
Michaels shoved me roughly out the door and into the hallway, as Drake's sinister laugh echoed in the room behind us. Annie followed Michaels out the door. I walked down a narrow hallway, followed by Michaels, when I turned to look at him. We were alone. "Where to now?" I asked menacingly, when behind him, Annie lifted the hem of her mini dress. I knew I had to keep him talking. "Just keep walking, lady," Michaels replied, then shoved me again, but this time, I didn't budge. A slight grin curled the side of my lips as I shook my head. "Na ... I don't think so," I said, stalling. Behind him, Annie silently pulled a Ballistics knife from a sheath in a garter strapped high at the top of her thigh. "You know why?" Michaels stepped closer to me until we were nose to nose. My eyes never wavered from his as he sneered, clearly amused. Annie poised herself with the knife behind him, then gave me a slight nod. "No, why?" Michaels asked, and from the look in his eyes, he thought he had m
"What do we have here?" I asked in Michaels' baritone voice, looking exactly like him. Mengele's black hair was slicked back, resembling the old depictions of Count Dracula. His eyes were a bright green and his skin, pale. Yes, now he was definitely a vamp. The last time I saw him, he was still human, in Poland at Auschwitz. I almost had him once, but he narrowly escaped. It's not surprising that Clark found him. Mengele's eyes flared and his lips turned down into a scowl as he glared at me. "I thought I told you never to come down here again," Mengele bellowed, looking directly into my eyes, holding a metal syringe as he stood over the blonde youth. Rick looked at me from the table, and his eyes flared. He looked haggard and in dire need of blood. Mengele must have been starving him to keep him in a weakened state. Rick's skin was pale from the lack of blood, but in his eyes, his spirit was still strong. Although I revealed nothing, it killed me to see him like this. He'd be dead
He took a deep breath and lowered the knife, then practically fell into my arms. "Sorry, Star. I've just been through a lot. It's so good to see you, girl." I held him close within my arms, supporting his weight. "My God, Rick! What have they done to you?" It was good to have him within my arms, to know he was safe and alive. Then he pulled back to look into my eyes. "You don't want to know," he said, then turned to face Annie with an arm around my shoulders. "Annie, thanks for coming through. You're the best." "Did I just hear you correctly? Did you just say I'm the best?" Annie asked seductively, stepping closer to Rick, her eyes never wavering from his. "As in, the best agent, the best girl?"I rolled my eyes as I laughed. Annie would never change. But, to my surprise, Rick didn't waver. Taking a step closer to her, he replied, "Not girl ... woman." He took her into his arms, his eyes never releasing hers, and lifted the hem of her dress and shoved the Ballistics knife back
Within a second, I scooped him into my arms and laid him on the metal surgical table where Rick had been strapped. I gently gave him one last kiss-one last human kiss-and smoothed a lock of blond hair gently away from his face as I looked one last time at his beautiful human face. Then with tears streaming down my cheeks, I bit his neck, his arms, his ankles, his wrists, and his chest to try and get as much venom into his body as I possibly could. Zac didn't respond. I turned to face Rick, who was watching it all along with Annie, standing by the other burning teen. "Rick, please tell me I'm not too late." Rick shook his head. "I don't know, Abbey," Rick replied in a low voice, taking a step closer to me. "Time will tell, Hun. The venom will heal him." "Why?" I asked through my tears as they fell onto the planes of Zac's muscular chest. "Why did Drake do this to Zac?" But I already knew the answer. "Star, Zac's filled with your blood."I nodded, understanding. Drake knew I wou
"Who are you?" the blonde teen finally asked, no longer screaming. "My name is Annie, and this is Rick, and that is Star and Zac over there. How do you feel?" Annie asked with concern in her eyes. Rick was at his other side of the metal table. Then she asked, "What's your name?" "John," he answered, obviously trying to control the pain. "Jonathan Ryan." Annie smiled. "Nice to meet you, John." "How do you feel?" Rick asked, concern lighting his face. "Is the pain gone yet?" "No, but it's lessening," John replied. "I can handle it." Rick nodded and smiled. "It'll be over soon." Then, he thought for a moment and added, "I'm so sorry you had to go through this." "What happened to me?" John asked, trying to control the pain. "You were injected by a mad man with my venom," Rick replied. "You're becoming a vampire." John laughed without humor. "I remember you and Annie telling me that, but I didn't believe you. Vampires are just myth, right?" Rick shrugged, then asked, "Wh
In a flash, Annie crossed the room, taking me into her arms, letting me cry on her shoulder. "It'll be okay, Abigail. Zac will be okay, I promise.""I know, Annie," I replied. "Thanks. It's just hard. I know what he's going through. And I know he's trying to protect me from it, but him pushing me away feels too much like a rejection. I just hope he still wants me after he's a vamp." "What?" Annie smiled, pulling me back to look into my eyes, incredulous. "Please tell me you didn't say that, Star! For someone so smart, you sure can think the dumbest things!""Thanks a lot, Annie," I replied, pushing away from her, crossing my arms. "A lot of help you are.""Abbey," Annie said, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "He loves you. He will love you just as much if not more when he's a vamp. Trust me." She looked deeply into my eyes, forcing me to look at her. "He's just hurting right now and he doesn't want you to see him that way. He's trying to protect you. Respect his wishes." I
"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