The Vampire Hunters (Book 2): Vampyrnomicon (9 page)

Toni sat up in bed, the sudden movement causing her jaw to throb. Without looking at Melinda, she asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Cleaning up the mess made by you and Ion.”

“Fuck you.”

“Knock it off.” The voice came from the other room. A moment later, two male masters entered the bedroom.

If vampires had circulation, Toni’s blood would have run cold.

The first master stood just under six feet tall, of average build with a swarthy complexion. He sported a goatee and black hair down to his shoulders. His visage appeared attractive, especially for a man more than six hundred years old, until you looked into his eyes. Deep brown, they mirrored the darkness that had replaced his soul. He had been born Santos Treja, but the other masters knew him as Treja the Terrible. He was notorious not only for his skills in outwitting and defeating hunters, but also for his penchant for torturing and raping his prey. Chiang Shih had appointed Treja one of her
consigliores
because of his former abilities and gave him free reign to indulge the latter.

The second master stood in the doorway, his very presence menacing. He towered over them all, standing at an intimidating six and one half feet. Muscular and lean, his body only hinted at the power and fury it could unleash. Close cropped black hair emphasized the stern African facial features, which made his furrowed brow and scowling lips appear even more threatening. Dark, intense eyes bore into Toni, forcing her to avert her gaze. Toni had never met this master, but she knew of him. She was being judged by Nelson Walker, Chiang Shih’s right hand master.

Walker had an enigmatic history. Toni knew Walker had been taken captive by slave traders in the Sudan and sold into bondage in the Middle East during the Crusades, at which point he was somehow sired. For centuries, Walker used the bloodshed of the religious wars to mask his feeding and turnings, Ion among them. No one ever talked about what Walker did during the Crusades. When relative peace finally settled over the region, Chiang Shih had asked Walker to join her. Together, the two masters unleashed a centuries-long reign of terror across Eurasia, eventually invading Europe with a ferocity that would permanently solidify vampires into Balkan folklore. In time, Walker became Chiang Shih’s enforcer, eliminating masters who had grown out of control and threatened the security of other covens.

“How are you feeling?” asked Walker in a quiet and deep.

“Not bad, except for my jaw.”

“I had to defuse the situation before you made a scene.”

“A simple ‘I’m one of you’ would have sufficed.”

“Doubtful.” Melinda nearly spat the word. “You should have known Walker was there. You should have sensed that he was one of us.”

“Well, I didn’t.”

“You didn’t because you’ve become weak and ineffectual.” Melinda pushed herself out of the chair and stepped over to the bed, positioning herself between Walker and Treja. “You’ve become a liability. If I had my way, Walker would’ve taken care of you last night.”

Toni bared her fangs and snarled at Melinda, instantly regretting it. The three of them could have ripped her apart as easily as wolves devouring a puppy. Thankfully, instead of ravaging her, Walker spoke in a calm and quiet voice. “This isn’t the time or place.”

“It’s as good a time as any to get rid of the trash,” Melinda replied.

“Enough,” Walker said firmly. Then to Treja, “Take Melinda into the other room.”

“Sure thing.” Treja exited the bedroom, gently nudging Melinda along with him.

When they were gone, Toni asked, “Where are we?”

Walker sat on the end of the bed. “The Grand Hyatt in Washington. It’s where we’ll be staying until we’ve completed our task.”

“Which is?” Toni was apprehensive about hearing the answer.

“Chiang Shih wants to rebuild the Washington coven.”

“Because I failed her?”

“I’ll let her explain when she arrives.” Walker stood to leave. “You get some rest. Tomorrow I’ll rent a room for you.”

“Why can’t I go back to the coven?”

“The humans discovered it, so we have to abandon it. We got you out just in time.”

“Did you save me to help rebuild the coven, or to give Chiang Shih the chance to kill me herself?”

Walker paused. For a second, Toni thought she detected an uncharacteristic sympathy in his eyes. “I honestly don’t know. Chiang Shih is very fond of you. But you and Ion ran this coven poorly. Too much exposure. Too many mistakes. And you allowed the coven to be wiped out. She’s not happy.”

“And when Chiang Shih’s not happy, no one is happy.”

Walker nodded in agreement. “Get some rest. You’ll need it once Chiang Shih gets here.”

“When’s that?”

“In two or three days.” Walker left without saying another word, turning off the lights and closing the door behind him.

Toni leaned back and rested her head on the pillows. It had been a long time since she lived in such comfort. Ion had foresworn to live like humans, condemning the coven to sewers and decrepit buildings. It was part of his mental deterioration, but her affection for him blinded her to that. By the time she had realized Ion had lost grip on reality, she had forgotten about such luxuries.

A bright glow seeped around the outer edges of the room’s black-out curtains. Daylight. She could only stay indoors and sleep, which she desperately needed. Rolling over with her back to the windows, Toni closed her eyes and dozed.

Hopefully, things would look better in the evening.

*     *     *

The elevator door
to Drake’s apartment building closed. Drake pressed the button marked 13. With a slight jolt, the elevator began its rise. As it passed the third floor, Jessica leaned into Drake and slid her arm around his.

“This is a first,” she said.

“What is?”

“You realize this is the first time we’ve been together when we haven’t either been talking about or fighting vampires?”

“I guess it is.” Drake placed his hand on Jessica’s arm. “You must find it boring.”

“It’s nice.” Jessica wrapped her other arm around Drake’s and leaned her head against his shoulder.

The elevator stopped on the thirteenth floor. As the doors slid open, Drake escorted Jessica down the hall. When they reached his apartment, he reached into his pocket for the keys and unlocked the door. Jessica let go of his arm and leaned back against the door jamb, flashing him a smile part seductress.

“So, why did you bring me back to your apartment?”

“I wanted you to meet someone.”

“Who?”

“You’ll see.” Drake pushed open the door and ushered Jessica inside.

Drake had a nice apartment. It looked big, probably a three bedroom, modestly furnished and surprisingly neat for a single guy.
Much nicer than my own place
, thought Jessica. But then, she could live like this, too, if she had an anonymous benefactor paying the bills.

“You got a nice place here.”

“Thanks. I like it. Much better than the shit hole I used to live in back in Boston.” Drake slid out of his leather jacket and hung it in the hall closet, then helped Jessica off with her coat. “I don’t get as much use out of it as van Helsing does.”

“Who’s van Helsing?”

Drake smiled. “Let me introduce you.”

He led Jessica through the living room and into a small den just off of the enclosed balcony. She never expected to see a brown-and-white lop ear rabbit sitting in a two-level cage in the middle of the floor. On seeing Drake, the rabbit excitedly raced back and forth. Drake opened the second-level door. The rabbit leaned out, extending his head and gently nudging Drake’s nose with his own. Reaching into the cage, Drake lifted out van Helsing and cradled him in his arms, supporting the rabbit in his left arm while he massaged the lop ears between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand. The rabbit lay there with his eyes closed, basking in the attention. After several seconds, Drake raised van Helsing up onto his chest and kissed him on the top of his head. When his hand went for a bag on the top of the cage, van Helsing’s ears rose up and his nose twitched in anticipation. Drake pulled a raisin from the bag and placed it between his lips. Arching his head upwards, the rabbit took the treat and began chewing.

Jessica had never seen this side of Drake. She had only seen the cynical tough guy who spent weeks dodging her questions and making her life difficult, only later to go charging into a nest to rescue her after her abduction. She had watched him feed the master that had kidnapped her through a wood chipper. Two days ago, he ignited an acetylene tank and blew up a good portion of the Washington sewer, and nearly himself, to take down a single vampire. Though outdated, the word macho fit Drake quite nicely. Yet here stood the fearless vampire hunter, cuddling his rabbit as if he were ten years old again.

Drake came over to Jessica. He turned so the rabbit faced Jessica. “This is van Helsing.”

She gently patted van Helsing’s head with her fingertips. The rabbit closed his eyes and started to click. “Is he all right?”

“Uh-huh. That means he’s happy.”

Jessica continued petting. “Is this the rabbit you saved back in Boston?”

“You know about that?”

“When I researched you I talked to one of your colleagues on the Boston Police. He mentioned it when discussing your involvement in the Night Stalker case.”

Drake cuddled van Helsing a little closer as he recalled that night. “He was the only survivor of that attack. The Night Stalker had butchered the entire family. Both parents and the two kids. They had been tortured and bled dry. When we arrived on the scene, we found this little guy hiding in his cage scared out of his wits. One of the sergeants wanted to take him to the pound, where I knew he’d be put down. I couldn’t do that to him, so I took him.”

“You don’t seem like a pet person.”

“I wasn’t. But I couldn’t let them cart him off and put him to sleep.”

“Compensation for not being able to stop the Night Stalker?” Jessica hoped the question did not rub any raw nerves.

“Partly. And partly because I don’t think anything should die alone.” Drake bent over and kissed van Helsing on the head. The rabbit looked up and nudged Drake on the nose. Drake placed van Helsing on the floor and gave him a gentle pat on the butt. The rabbit hopped across the room. When he reached the door to the living room, he looked over his shoulder at Drake and bolted down the hallway.

“Would you like a drink?” asked Drake.

“Watcha got?”

“Not much. Bourbon, diet cola, and tap water.”

“A diet cola will be fine.”

Jessica sat on the living room sofa as Drake prepared the drinks. She crossed her legs at the ankles and pulled the hem of her skirt above her knees. Van Helsing raced through the apartment, stopping occasionally to check out some portion of a room or to scratch an itch with his hind legs. After a minute or two, he hopped over to the sofa and tentatively approached Jessica, his head outstretched, and sniffed her shoes. When she bent over to pet him, van Helsing ran away and binked into the kitchen.

Drake exited the kitchen holding a can of diet cola and a glass of ice. He placed them on the coffee table in front of Jessica. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted a glass or not.”

“This is fine. Thanks.” Jessica opened the can as Drake went to the bar and poured himself a tumbler of bourbon. “You don’t seem like the squeamish type.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your comment a few minutes ago that nothing should die alone.”

“Oh, that. It doesn’t mean I’m squeamish.” Drake came back to the sofa and sat down beside Jessica. “I’ve seen more than my fair share of death, even before I became a hunter. Unwanted newborns left in garbage cans. Junkies who ODed in back alleys. Homeless people who died of disease or exposure. They had only one thing in common—they died alone, with no one around to comfort them in their final moments. It’s no way to die.” Drake swigged down a shot of bourbon. “It’s the only fear I have.”

“You mean dying alone?”

Drake nodded.

“Well, at the rate you’re going, you’ll die surrounded by a hoard of vampires.”

Drake faked a grimace. “That’s a comforting thought.”

“And I take it back. You’re not squeamish.” Jessica took a drink of her diet cola and flashed him a teasing smile. “You’re just sensitive.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“Not at all.” That’s perfect, you idiot. Keep teasing him like you’re a schoolgirl with a crush, and you’ll wind up pissing him off.

“I don’t mind.”

Jessica rested her right arm on the back of the sofa and placed her hand over Drake’s. “Honestly, I don’t know how you do it.”

“Do what? Hunt the undead?”

“You put your life on the line every day.”

“It’s not too much different from being a cop, except I don’t have to fill out reams of paperwork.”

“I’m serious. I’d go nuts if I knew vampires were out to get me every night.”

Drake shrugged. “It’s not like they have a personal vendetta against me.”

“Really? What do you call that reception for us a week ago at Wolf Trap?”

“I hunt vampires. Vampires try to kill me to stay alive. It’s not personal. If I gave up this profession tomorrow and moved back to Boston, they’d leave me alone.”