Dracula: Hearts of Fire (Dracula Heart's) (26 page)

    “No, in fact it might be impossible. The twenty that we now have
do not mesh. My words of wisdom won’t last long. Oblivion, how goes the spell?
We need that spell like I need blood.
”

    Oblivion’s shrug was not inspiring fate in his ability. “Using an enchantment on a single vampire is one thing, but on
twenty is quite something else as magic from one feeds off the others. See everyone is made from a different chemical soup.
I told you from the beginning that it might be impossible. I’m working hard on it with not much progress.”

    Sharpton considered dishing out a threat, but with such a powerful wizard he decided otherwise. “Keep at it. If we could create a hundred zombie v
ampires that would definitely be a step in the right direction
.
But really you need to get your ass in high gear.
”

    “Yes, well, they would be zombie-like.”

CHAPTER
TWENTY-NINE

    D
RACULA SAT ON HIS SOFA
with Allison in his lap.
He was wearing a gray monogramed robe and she had on
plaid red
pajamas bottoms with a red top
.
She snuggled into
him enjoying
his strength. Allison
worried about Jenny’s safety and what predicament she might
currently
find herself in
.
Distraction was almost impossible but she was trying.
The girl was certainly capable of handling herself but she wasn’t indestructible.
It was an awful feeling not having her in the house. Would she be changed when she returned?
Experiences had a way of doing that, for good or bad. But strength was often acquired from struggle.
Would she be transformed and wanting to go out there and battle even more of the bad vampires? What knowledge would she bring back with her?

    Allison
could see that Dracula was becoming pensive and going
into himself; he had that distant look in his eyes.
It had been a wonderful morning with lots of time in bed. Moon Diamond was asleep on the opposite end of the sofa, dreaming of mice and men from past battles
, simultaneous dreams were going on in there
.
The cat’s right paw was clenched as Zacharia held his sword tightly in his battle dream.

  
The Master knew
that
the time had come because of all the evil vampires
; he wanted to force all those thoughts out and simply enjoy Allison but he couldn’t.
Ideas were encroaching like soldiers approaching a battle.
It was time to take a more active role in the carnage that was to come.

    “I
know you have to do something about all this immoral
shit that’s going on. Y
ou should have done something years ago. How many
innocent people would be
alive today had you stepped up?”

    Dracula knew she was right as he stared into those gorgeous green eyes. “The past cannot be undone; the future cannot be un
sung. It needs heroes to pull it
into the light.
Someone told me that though I don’t remember who.
”

    “What are you going to do
?
”

    Dracula smelled her neck and took in her natural aroma, and it was so satisfying. He messaged the back of her neck and it felt wonderful.
“Allison, I know what I have to do but I don’t like
it
.”

    “
What do you mean?
What do you have to do?
”

    “
To begin with
I have to create more red sheriffs. It sounds simple but it isn’t. Each individual vampire has to be scrutinized. They have to have a
good heart. H
earts of fire that can’t be extinguished. The
y cannot be evil with a spell that conceals their true self
. It happened
several times in the past.
I placed
red sheriff
s
on the streets only to be told that they were evil son-of-a-bitches
that had been masked
;
I had to track them down and kill them. It took me almos
t a year to find one of them,
the carnage he had caused.
It was my fault.
The world is not so small when you’re searching for someone.
”

    Allison kissed him long and lovingly. “You know
what;
I’ll bet that Jenny could help you with that
. Why don’t you call her back?
I’ll bet she can tell a good vampire from a bad one.
”

   
Dracula briefly considered.
“No, she’s in a necessary faze of her development. She’ll return in due time.”

    “What if something happens to her?”

    “Allison,
I know you don’t want to hear this but Jenny is a big part of the solution. Should she perish I fear that all would be lost. She needs to progress rapidly.
”

    Moon Diamond stretched as he awoke.
It scratched its ear briefly and then shook its head.
The cat wanted to dig into the sofa with its na
ils but Zacharia discouraged it; he didn’t feel like being tossed across the room by the Master.
He sat up,
stared and listened.
For a moment he forgot that he was trapped inside the feline.
Again the cat scratched its ear.

    “Zacharia, I think that cat needs a bath. I’ll run the water later and you can jump in the tub.”

    Zacharia didn’t like the thought of having to fight with the cat to get in the tub, but it did indeed need a bath.
He could feel the itch in its left ear.
He guessed that it was going to be a horrible experience, or it might be fun.

    “How long will it take to create more red sheriffs and get them out there?”

   “I’m not sure. We’ll have to track down the right people.
I
t c
ould take
a while
.”

    “I want to be a red sheriff!” screamed Zacharia from inside the cat.

    Dracula turned to the cat and laughed. “Zachar
ia, you a red sheriff? Y
ou’re a cat. Where would we stick the badge? What do you think Allison?”

    “Don’t ask me about such things.
The more red sheriffs you create the less Jenny will have to fight.
”

    “I suppose
we could get you a collar and stick it on that. Would you be willing to wear a collar?”

    The Siamese nodded
several times
. “If that dog can be a sheriff then so can I.”
He placed those words into Dracula’s mind with emphasis. The thought of being a sheriff would perhaps bring some meaning to his life
, and if he perished from it then so be it
.
If only he could wield a sword. The paws of a cat were limited in what they could accomplish. How would he arrest someone? Not much of that going on these days, it was mostly killing the evil vampires that needed to be killed.
How would he call for backup?
Still, with the extra energy that Dracula would place in him, he would become a supercharged cat.
The cat showed him a dead wet mouse covered in
dew; he told it to give him a break from all the freaking mice
. Then it showed him a crumpled up piece of paper that was in the corner
that he w
anted to play with
and he told
Moon Diamond that they would do it later.

    “Oh, you mean Tessy?
The vampire German shepherd is an exceptional animal. She’s a beautiful dog.
When the ceremony takes place
,
Zacharia
, my friend,
you
shall be the first cat to become a red sheriff, and hopefully the last one.
This world is getting too weird.
”

    The cat took after the bal
l of paper and pounced on it. Moon Diamond
threw it in the air and jum
ped up several feet performing an acrobatic aerial leap
to bat it. It raced through the house pursuing and hitting the improvised toy.
A glass in the kitchen was smashed on the floor as the cat raced out of there. Zacharia stood in the mind of the cat
with his arms crossed waiting for the cat to play itself out.

    Dracula laughed. “Poor Zacharia.”