Dead and Everything (Eve Benson: Vampire Book 2) (30 page)

At
about six she headed into the back and just spoke with him, until she heard
Barb and Edom talking to someone in the front area.

“Hi!
I’m Krista? I was told by your rep, Maggie, to show up here today for some
lessons? I have the right place, don’t I?” She sounded an odd combination of
confident and uncertainty.

Eve
stood, and patted Bey on the knee, since she was claiming him as hers. If he
got that, the tiny man with his big ears, and eyes, didn’t react to it. Not
even to throw her hand off and tell her to stop being fresh with him.

“That’s
my cue, I guess.” She started out into the front, not knowing what to expect at
all.

The
first thing Eve noticed was a bit different to tell the truth. At least it
defeated her secret expectations rather handily. This Krista Hall person had
come alone, and
not
with six people standing around her for protection.
That was either very brave, or rather foolish of her. Not that
they
were
a threat, being the cool and collected Vampires they were all the time. Edom
was busily shaking her hand, over the counter, and reassuring the woman, who
was about Eve’s own age, and nearly as thin, that it was, indeed, the right
place.

“I
think that Eve is going to be working with you?” His toothy grin sparkled a
bit, which wasn’t lost on the woman. At least she didn’t let go of his hand
very quickly.

Which
was a bit less shy that way, than Eve remembered her being, back in Arizona.

It
was enough of a shock that she paused for about five seconds, going totally
still. Then she smiled, almost feeling it for once. Walking up silently, she
cleared her throat, just so she wouldn’t make the other girl scream. She did
not
handle being startled that well, or at least didn’t use to be great at that
kind of thing.

“Becky?”
She said the single word happily, which got the actress to spin in place, her
face a bit baffled for a second.

She
looked different, the face leaner for one thing, and the body a good bit
harder. Fit, rather than too butch looking. She wore make-up, but it made her
seem like a regular girl, ready for the day. A cute one, and maybe even a
person that was movie ready, but it didn’t totally hide her old buddy.

“
Eve
?
Oh, my, God! Eve!” There was a tackling hug then. The kind that spoke of
realizing that you missed someone, even if you hadn’t known that yourself until
that very moment.

Everyone
else just stood there for a bit, even Bey, who had worked his way out into the
shop to see the reunion. They all smiled, but Barb managed to seem a bit
baffled after a minute or so. She really was a lot better about faking emotions
and expressions than Eve. Not just a little bit, either.

“So…
You
know
Krista Hall? Like personally? I thought you didn’t have a clue
who she was?”

Eve
shrugged, and looked directly into Becky’s eyes.

“It’s
a new name? Becky was one of the gang, back in high school. I really
didn’t
know that you were famous now though. Darla
mentioned
that you were
acting, and doing okay. Zack too. He works here, at the mall I mean. Actually,
it’s practically a reunion… Though… yeah, well, some of the things are
different. So, how have you been?” It was the kind of thing you asked, wasn’t
it?

Becky
grinned, “not too bad. You know, no Oscars yet, but I’ve been in a few high
budget things, and managed to score this current project, which is the first
Vampire piece since they came out. Swerlin and the others. What are you doing
here?”

Eve
blinked, but realized that seeing someone from the past might just throw her
old friend off. She hadn’t known about the rest of them either, had she? So
there were going to be more than a few surprises.

“I’m
a Vampire. Now. Not back in school. You got that Rebekah was a real Vampire,
right?”

There
was a slow nod, but she seemed nearly confused.

“Yeah.
I… It’s hard, learning that someone you knew was different like that. I keep
forgetting that it’s all real, you know? And, um, you? You look different than
her though, so, what does that mean? Is she just that much older than you are?”

Eve
gestured to one of the booths, the yellow seat gleaming, and the top spotless.

“Come
on, let’s sit. That’s actually a decent question.”

To
her surprise, Edom stayed behind the counter, but Barb, who was clearly about
to gush all over Becky, like a true fangirl, managed to sit right next to her.
It was cute, and the actress smiled, getting the general idea. So she was
famous enough that people sometimes knew who she was, it seemed.

Going
on, Eve tried to keep her face pleasant.

“There
are six different kinds of Vampires that we know of. Maybe more than that, but
if so, the others don’t advertize. Rebekah is a Manthori. All of us here are
Classics. Here, I’ll show you my teeth and cool red eyes,
if
you promise
not to scream too loud?”

There
was a wide eyed nod, and only a small, half laughing, squeak when she popped
her teeth down with a click. They went away after about half a minute, since
other than being intimidating, or getting at the blood she needed from a living
creature, the things were just kind of in the way all the time when they were
down.

After
that, she laid out what she knew about the different kinds of Vampire, and
finally went silent, after Becky had pulled a small pad from her bag, a brown
and rather plain looking thing, and started taking notes. It was strange, but
also what she was there for.

To
learn all about Vampires.

They
were quietly discussing things related to that topic, when the rather angry
seeming Vamp man came in. He was a Classic too, and should have been able to
pass, but was wearing dirty clothing, and smelled bad enough that Becky
wrinkled her nose and looked away. Worse, the creepy Vampire, who was clearly
too young to be out on his own, was barely able to keep from attacking the
Human woman.

Dumping
a crumpled wad of bills on the counter, he growled at Edom.

“I
need twenty of those fucking animal blood bottles. Now! I don’t have all
night.” Then he shifted around, agitated, looking over his shoulder at Becky
every few seconds.

Thankfully,
when he lost it, and started his rush, Barb was in the way, blocking easy
access to the tasty seeming, juice filled mortal with her own body. Eve was on
him before he touched either of her friends, pushing into white hot pain to do
it. The real trick was all in keeping the Vampire alive, while not letting him
go. That took some grappling skills.

Finally
she decided that breaking his arms and legs would work for a bit, to get that
done. She did the legs first, stomping them, as Bey stood back and watched. The
ancient being held his right hand out toward Edom, getting him to stop and not
help her out, for some reason.

Then
he spoke, his voice very friendly sounding, considering the screaming coming
from Becky.

“You
have something in mind, other than death by torture, Miss Benson?”

She
smiled, and nodded.

“Yep.
No one buys twenty bottles of blood at one time. That means that there are more
of him at home, doesn’t it? He’s
young
, too. He looks like he’s used to
living rough, which… Well, that could mean a build up, right? Of Vampires.” She
glanced at Becky, who still seemed scared, and explained. “Sometimes people do
that in order to soften up a target. They throw half wild baby Vamps at their
objective for a while first, and then move in for the kill, after wearing their
enemy down for a while. Only right now no one should be making more, at least
in this area. The word went out on that.” She grinned and looked over at Bey.
“By
that
I mean that
I
made up a new rule, saying that we had
paperwork for it, so anyone that wanted to try it out needed to apply with us
here, and then get training. I don’t recall Bunky here being in the classes for
that.”

The
ancient being gave her a soft, slow nod.

“I
do recall hearing that discussed in the Council, yes. It was ratified by a
unanimous vote. Even your friend Gene, The Burning One, agreed that it was a
most sensible plan given the current environment, so it is indeed the law now.
Your plan for this one then?”

She
took a deep breath, then swallowed.

“We
could compel him, then follow him back to wherever he needs to make his
delivery?” It was that, or torture, since she doubted that the still thrashing
man was going to be intimidated by them. They could hurt him horribly though,
which might change his mind. Other than that however, he was too enraged to
believe that they’d do anything to him.

Barb
was wisely staying right in front of Becky, which was brilliant of her, since a
broken leg managed to lash out in that direction, followed by another lunge.
Both were blocked by Barbara, who was totally still otherwise. Waiting to see
what was going to happen.

Edom
moved in, but Bey stopped him from trying to compel the younger Vampire.

“Miss
Benson, if you would?”

Edom
made a face, but moved back.

“She
hasn’t had a lot of practice yet…”

Which
was, she knew, Bey’s point. Snapping her fingers almost directly in the
squirming Vampire’s face, she tried to focus. That part was fine, but he
refused to make eye contact. Either getting what she had planned, or more
likely, just being too angry to go along with the woman that had just broken
his arms and legs. They’d heal though, and were already starting to make little
snapping and clicking sounds, moving back into place. She didn’t have much
longer, if they didn’t want to do it all again.

“Hey,
look at me, and I’ll get you some free blood.” It was meant to shock him in to
glancing at her, but he looked at Becky instead, as if
that
was the special
treat she was promising.

After
about six seconds of this it grew old, so she just bobbed her head in between
the Human woman, and the hungry baby Vampire. That worked, and he went still,
and didn’t blink, after that. Caught by her gaze and the power of her mind.
There was a strong buzzing then, a thing that she tried to increase the power
of as much as she could.

“Stay
calm now. You’re on our side, and that means you respond with total discipline
at all times, from now on, and do what we say, even if not compelled, too. You
understand that, don’t you?”

“Yes,
ma’am.” The voice was a bit blank, but that was fine.

“Great.
Good job. Now, you must have a bunch of friends that need that blood, so after
you have a cup of it, we’ll help you make a delivery. How does that sound? We
won’t leave them hanging, or anything.”

“That…
Yeah. Morten will like that. He sent me out to get this, since I have the best
control so far.” There was a bit of pride in those words, and Eve had to hide a
wince. This was the best they had? That didn’t bode well, did it?

“That’s
good then. A good choice, sending you. Say, what’s your name?”

“Eric.”

“Hi,
Eric. I’m Eve. Like I said, you’re with us now. Edom, would you get that blood
for us? For our new friend here?” She might be compelling him, but making
friends had to be easier than having him fighting her with all his will, didn’t
it? If nothing else, it seemed more polite, and they had a Human right there,
listening in. Taking notes, in fact, now that she’d calmed down a bit.

Edom,
being incredibly awesome, didn’t act like getting that blood ready was beneath
him. In fact he did it all so quickly, and efficiently that Eve nearly missed
the baskets that were being put together to carry it all.

Eric
drank from the ceramic cup he was offered, but did it slowly. With control.
That nearly got her to blink, but even when he looked away, the link didn’t
drop. The sense of buzzing in her head did try to drop out, but she focused on
it, not letting that happen, which seemed to work, even without the eye
contact.

When
he was done, they still had to wait, since it took about twenty minutes for his
legs to heal enough to walk on them safely. Then Eve noticed a different
problem.

“We
can’t take you with us on this Becky. It’s dangerous, but I…” Then she snapped
her fingers. “Right! This isn’t my job. We have a Proctor for this kind of
thing. I think the number for her is in the blue book?” She looked at Edom, who
smiled at her, his face beaming.

“I
believe that’s right. Why don’t you go and make that call, while the rest of us
work out what to do here?”

It
was a plan, and she agreed to it. After all, wrangling an army of baby Vampires
wasn’t
her job, was it? Besides, she had guests in now, and just running
off would be more than a little rude.

That
decided, she went and called in the Vamp catcher.

It
was raining that night. Earlier it had been fine, but that was never a real
promise as to what would be happening later in Vancouver, Washington. Eve was
standing in some bushes, sighing, as they all surrounded the house. It was
isolated, thank God, since it was also filled with mainly wild baby Vampires.
Not just twenty of them, either. Those were just the ones that weren’t being
starved, to send them into a feeding frenzy in a few days.

Eric
didn’t know when the big attack was supposed to take place, but he knew, for
certain, that Morten had something in mind. It was all the bald man would talk
about, practically. Eve got that part, that he was both without hair, and the
same Vampire that had set people on the club all those months ago, just by
hearing what was going on inside.

She
didn’t bother to tell anyone else what she’d figured out about it, since they
already had a plan. Nikki the Proctor for the area, had orders to try and take
all the Vampires alive if possible. That probably wouldn’t be happening, since
there were too many of them for that. Nearly fifty, from the smell of it. The
place reeked, and it was noisy inside, since that many upset and angry undead
could have that kind of effect. Not that either of those things was a good
enough reason to skip out on showering.

Not
being a mighty hunter herself, Eve still couldn’t help but think that having
their Human prey not notice they were coming from half a mile away might be a good
idea. Still, it wasn’t
her
call, since the insane sounding balding
Vampire inside was in charge of that.

They
only had six Vampires on their side, Barb not being there at all, since she’d
gone to stay with Becky at her hotel room, in order to keep filling her in on
all the secret Vampire lore she could think of. Why Eve was there instead she
didn’t really know. Except that she was, most likely, a better fighter than the
other woman.

That,
or less of an investment, if things went wrong? Either way it made a certain
amount of sense, though Lenore came, looking primped and well coifed, as well
as made up for a date. She didn’t seem upset to be out doing this though, so it
was either pretty good acting on her part, or she hadn’t really had plans of
note for the evening.

Edom
was on the far side of the place, the bond between them strong suddenly. It was
probably a response to danger, or concern on his part, for her. That was sweet,
if it was the case. Her real dad, Roy, hadn’t always been there for her, so she
didn’t really expect a lot from anyone that way. Not that he was evil or
anything. Just… Well, he’d been an alcoholic at one point. Eve didn’t know all
of it, but she kind of thought that Darla had fixed that for him, by making him
her personal slave.

They’d
never spoken about the subject, since Eve wasn’t really certain that she wanted
to know the answer. After all, what if it was just the case? If Darla had used
enslavement to make Roy a better person, who loved his job and did it well,
then maybe it was for the best?

There
was a gentle whisper, the single word that was the only signal they were going
to be given to attack the stronghold. It wasn’t that large of a place, so her
part in the whole thing was to make a hole in the wall, for the others to run
through, if she could manage it. It wasn’t actually a fighting position, but
she’d likely be hurt, since she was supposed to slam into the thing as hard as
she could, as soon as Bey gave the word.

“Egg.”
It was an odd choice, but they were going after beings that all had superior
hearing, so the idea was to not set them on edge too soon. Saying almost
anything else, including
go
, or
now
, might get attention.

That
word might too, but it would baffle anyone hearing it for a while, or at least that
was the plan. It worked better than she’d have thought, she noticed. At least
as she threw herself at her best speed, right at the windowless and poorly
pained exterior wall of the place. Eve covered her head with her forearms, the
pain of running slipping at the last moment, as she jumped against the thing,
hoping that it wasn’t as sturdy as it looked. It pretty much exploded, carrying
her behind a wave of materials that destroyed everyone that had been in the
front room.

It
really
did
hurt, but she was used to that by now, so managed to recover
quickly enough, landing on her feet. Bey was there already, moving through the
hole first. He picked his way in, but moved so quickly that no one in the room
would have really noticed him, if they’d been alive still. A few probably were,
but of the fifteen or more unwashed bodied that had been sitting there, watching
television of all things, didn’t move. At least the flat screen that used to be
there, before it kind of got hit twenty or thirty times by flying bits of wood,
was sparking, and everyone had been facing it.

She
was on her feet though, which hadn’t been expected, she guessed. Sure, she was
injured, and pulled some shards from her body in various places, but managed to
follow Bey as he left the room, just as the others were getting there.

The
ancient Vampire was wicked fast, compared to her, but she tried to keep up,
since the more bodies they had there, the more likely they’d be able to keep
everyone alive. More or less. Some of them weren’t going to make it, she knew.
For instance, most of the clever ones that had gone for weapons already were
just having their heads vaporized. It made the room around Bey filled with a
red mist, but she managed to disarm a few of them. That required picking up a
knife and cutting hands off, for most of them, including her buddy from the
club.

Morten,
if Eric had described the right one to her.

In
all the noise, except for some pitiful moaning. It was kind of clear that these
a-holes were a bit on the wimpy side, since they
should
have been quiet.
Either pretending to be dead, trying to bargain for their lives, or attempting
to sneak away, into the night. For all she knew a few of them managed it.

Not
Morten though, who was sitting there, his right arm gone at the elbow. It was a
clean wound, and would heal. If she’d heard correctly, it would even grow back,
eventually. That might take a while though, a year or two. If they pressed the
arm back to the stump for a while, a day or so, it would probably set back
together, she thought. To that end, she went and got the bit of bone and flesh,
and handed it to the angry looking Vampire.

“Hold
it in place and answer our questions, and you can keep it.” She sounded dead,
and like her energy was low. Really, she just didn’t want to tease the man.
After all, they might well kill him, even given what she’d just said. She was
playing it like a Greater Demon might.

Lenore
gave her a questioning look, but she didn’t explain her reasoning. He could be
headless, and still have his arm back, for all Eve cared. Morten the bald
Vampire seemed to think it was a decent start to negotiations at any rate. To
her amazement, Bey smiled and stood back, watching the other moaning forms in
the room, closely.

“Perhaps,
as you did earlier?”

He
meant trying to compel the truth from the guy holding his arm. She nodded at
the idea, knowing it might not happen. Morten here wasn’t some fresh from the
grave newb after all, with dirt still behind his ears. If he wasn’t ancient, he
was still
old
. It showed in everything about him. It was hard to pin
down, but it was there in his control, for instance. Even beaten and sitting on
the floor, holding his arm, he didn’t whine about it, or beg for mercy. There
wasn’t even screaming this time, though he was clearly in pain. He did start
cussing at her, but she smiled and nodded along with it, until he glared at her
for long enough that she managed to catch his mind.

Sort
of. It was a real fight, not to be taken over herself.

The
buzzing in her head became deafening, as she changed the tone of it, not
letting the other guy win. That would be unfortunate, plus make her look bad,
if it happened. So she stood there for half an hour, striving to make him heed
her will, while he tried to do the same. Honestly she half expected the others
to laugh at her, after she had him, finally. It did happen though, eventually.

She
won, and was in charge. Holding a steady sense of presence inside the other
Vampire’s mind.

She
spoke, without inflection.

“What’s
your name?” Everyone turned to look at her, including the younger Vampires.
Enough of them had died, sitting there, surging up only to be slapped back down
by the others, that no one moved now.

“Morten,
known as The Iron Hand.”

His
accent was slightly British sounding. She couldn’t place it, not having a fine
ear for that kind of thing, but it probably didn’t matter all that much in the
moment.

Eve
gave him a set of orders, so that she wouldn’t risk losing him as easily as she
might. That didn’t mean she could let her guard down however. Even as he sat
there, explaining himself to them all, he fought. It was nearly brutal, the way
it struck against her, battering the inside of her mind. Bey had to take over
asking the questions, after a few moments, so she could focus on holding him.

“The
Iron Hand? I have heard of one by that name. Out of Scotland, if the memory
strikes me correctly? Something of a hero. That was several hundred years ago,
and attached to a being that was a good and loyal vassal to the Council. Is
that you?” There was no doubt to the words, for all that it ended in a
question.

She
didn’t feel any shock when the defeated Vampire nodded. Eve didn’t have that
kind of range at the moment, needing to do nothing other than concentrate on
holding him down. That some old Vampire might be able to respond like that,
even while they fought, wasn’t that big of an issue really. Of
course
some of them would be able to do things she couldn’t.

“Aye.
That was me, back when I was but a pup, seeking the scraps from the high table.
Now my master sets my course, and no being will be left free of will or
thought, when she is done.” Then, as if they weren’t going to simply ask the
obvious questions next anyway, the Vampire went still. Utterly silent, his bald
head almost glowing it was so pale.

Before
Bey could get the words out, there was a strange scent in the room. It was like
burning meat. Iron Head, or whatever the dork in front of her was called, burst
into a brilliant white and blue flame, not even bothering to scream. Even as
she held him in place. The only thing she knew for certain was that this wasn’t
some kind of super power that he had, and was using against them to escape. Too
much of his body started to fall away in burning clumps for that to be the case.
It was gory, and set the house on fire. The cheap orange and brown carpet
smoldered instantly, filling the place with smoke. Eve stopped breathing, but
didn’t move.

There
was no letting him go either.

“Who’s
your master?” She spoke the words, using the last of her air. There was a vast
struggle, in her head, and in the end, she couldn’t hang on. The buzzing broke,
and the freak on fire started to run. Slowly, and staggering, not with the
speed
she
would have if it were her burning like that.

After
a few seconds, the whole place on fire already, the walls glowing a normal
orange and yellow color, the black and gray smoke reeking of plastic and wood,
the Vampire died, and turned into ash. That left the place filled with trapped
babies, but that wasn’t her problem. Moving into her best speed, feeling like
agony was an old friend, she moved back to the hole in the wall, which was two
rooms away, the flames not touching her. It was kind of interesting, both that
she noticed it, and that it happened at all. The flames were nearly thick
seeming, and slow, barely moving even as she rushed past.

They
all bent away though, like she had a force field on. It was probably the
density of the air that she was moving out of the way, she knew. Or guessed, if
she were going to be totally honest about it. What she actually knew was up for
debate. That was probably a thing to learn about, if she ever got a chance.
Maybe she could go to school and study that kind of thing? She had the time,
even if it took fifty years for her to get free for long enough to make that
happen.

Stopping
in the overgrown yard, which hadn’t been mowed in so long that she nearly
wondered if the place had just been abandoned a long time before, she waited,
to see who else came out. It was just her people, in the end.

Nikki,
the Proctor for the area, very carefully killed any of the babies that tried to
rush out into the night, as the others stood there, watching it happen. Those
that didn’t try to escape burned, and there was screaming after a very short
time. It grew louder as multiple voices were added to it. The night began to
glow, and even standing back a good long way, the heat and smoke became
annoying. The heat was the worst of it, since Eve hadn’t started to breathe
again yet.

They
all stood there, waiting and watching for hours, as the Proctor did her job.
True, she was supposed to keep the kids alive if she could, but this situation
called for death. They had no way to tell the difference between the half wild,
but well behaved otherwise, Vampires on fire, and ones driven insane with blood
frenzy, who would kill and kill, if they ever met with a Human population. Bey
waved for her to help, after a while, his eyes dark pools in the night.