Seduced by the Night (29 page)

"You never learned where they came from?"
Lanie
asked.

"Remember, this was a long time ago and the brothers were afraid to commit what they knew to paper. So what I know today is what has been passed down through the generations, subject to embellishment."

Everyone watched the admiral attentively, waiting for him to continue. "Whether the creatures were aliens stranded here eons ago or prehistoric creatures that managed to survive undetected or the actual children of the gods, the
chupacabra
has its roots in Egyptian mythology. We know this because about a hundred years ago, a small piece of the Egyptian Book of the Dead was found. In it was a reference to the guardian of one of the twelve realms of the underworld and a picture of the
chupacabra
."

Lanie
frowned. "I don't remember seeing that in any of my research."

"No, you wouldn't have. Erik sneaked into the dig site one night and stole it before anyone else had a chance to study it."

Dirk, who'd been quiet up until now, suddenly piped up. "Erik? Of the Original Four?"

"One and the same."

Dirk frowned. "How is that possible?"

"Because Erik, as far as I know, is still alive."

A hush fell over the room. It was
Lanie
who finally asked the question that Bethany was dying to ask. "Have you met him?"

The admiral shook his head. "No, but my cousin, Gerard, has. He lives in the family castle where Erik still resides." He smiled. "Gerard is a character. I hope you get a chance to meet him."

"What about Angus?"
Lanie
continued. "Is he still alive? Do changelings live as long as vampires?"

"No, Angus is dead. He died a long time ago. As for how long changelings live, I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that," the admiral said solemnly. "Hunting vampires has always been a dangerous occupation and over the centuries there have only been a few changelings— and I'm afraid they all died fighting vampires. It's impossible to know how long they might have lived otherwise."

Bethany saw Mac reach over and take his wife's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She couldn't help but glance at Dirk, sitting there, staring at the fire, wondering  what he was thinking or feeling. On the other side of the room, Julia stood up, mumbling something about making a pot of coffee. Bethany watched her leave, envying her the escape.

"If the
chupacabra
originated in Egypt, how did they wind up being in England and the Amazon jungle?" Bethany asked.

"I'm not exactly sure," the admiral replied. "But the family theory is that they were mistaken for statuary by the Romans when they were in Egypt. For some reason, the gargoyle figures appealed to them and as the Romans slowly conquered Europe, they took the statues with them.

"I'm sure that over the years, several of the creatures were left at various points along the way, but some clearly made it as far as England and Spain. We think the Spanish conquistadors brought the
chupacabras
with them to South America."

"Where the
chupacabras
went, they had to have left behind vampires and changelings. How come the world isn't crawling with the
undead
?" Mac asked.

"The story of the Original Four is just how my family got involved with slaying vampires. I assume there have been others with similar stories throughout history."

"Speaking of family," Mac said, "were you able to get in touch with your cousin about making another sword?"

"Yes. In fact, he's been working on it. He's supposed to let me know when he's finished."

The talk turned to weapons and Bethany, already feeling overwhelmed with everything she'd heard, excused herself and went to join Julia in the kitchen.

She found the other woman leaning against the
counter,staring
out the back window into the night while the sound of coffee brewing filled the kitchen. "It's almost unbelievable, isn't it?" she commented softly, going to stand beside the woman.

Julia glanced at her and smiled. "Yes, it is. If I hadn't seen the
chupacabra
for myself, I would have thought the whole thing was an elaborate hoax at my expense."

"Ignorance is bliss?"

She gave a soft laugh. "Something like that."

"I felt the same way," Bethany admitted. "Even after I saw the vampires with my own eyes. And believe me, they're not as romantic and debonair as the movies make them out to be. At least, not the ones I saw."

"Is Mac a changeling?"

Bethany turned to her, studying her face. "Dirk, too. You didn't know?"

Julia shook her head. "Charles tried to explain everything to me earlier today, but it was so much to take in all at once." She fell silent for a long time until Bethany thought she might have lost interest in talking. Then she asked, "Is Charles a changeling?"

"I don't think so," Bethany said honestly. "I've never heard anyone say he was, but like you, a lot of this is still new to me."

Bethany felt a chill air brush across her and folded her arms, shivering. "Do you mind if I close this?" she asked, spotting the open sliding glass door.

Julia's eyes grew round. "Oh, dear." She looked around the kitchen. "Where is she?"

"Who?"

"Gem. She followed me in here and went straight for the door. She started scratching and pawing at it, making  such a terrible racket, I thought she'd break the glass. I opened the door a crack and that seemed to calm her down. She stood there, enjoying the breeze, so I left her while I made the coffee. Then I'm afraid I got lost in my thoughts, and well, I simply forgot about her." She rolled her eyes. "I'd better go after her before the others notice she's missing. They'll have my head if they find out I lost her—again." She looked worried. "I hope she hasn't wandered too far."

"Come on," Bethany said. "I'll help you look for her."

Grabbing a couple of jackets hanging inside the utility room, they put them on as they went out the back door.

She and Julia took turns calling the young
chupacabra's
name. When she didn't come, they widened the pattern of their search. They had wandered several hundred yards from the mansion when a whooshing sound caught Bethany's attention.

The hairs on the back of her neck rose as she pulled Julia to a stop. She glanced around and even though she didn't see anything, she knew they were there.
Vampires
.

"We have to get inside—now." Grabbing Julia's arm, she pushed her toward the house.

They hadn't gone but a few steps when a figure suddenly appeared on the lawn in front of them, blocking their path. Bethany felt her heart lurch. From this distance, she couldn't see him clearly enough to know if it was Mac or Dirk—or something far more dangerous.

She pulled Julia to a stop. "Dirk? Is that you?" she shouted.

At the figure's continued silence, she quickly looked around. He seemed to be alone. She spotted an old
shed,fifty
yards away. It was closer to them than the house and Bethany thought that if they could just get there…

A flash of movement caught her eye as the figure closed the distance between them. Bethany didn't recognize him, but she knew what he was. His eyes glowed a bright red and when he smiled, his fangs shone a pearly white. Terrified, Bethany couldn't think, couldn't move.

Then the vampire grabbed Julia and sank his teeth into her throat.

As Julia went limp in the vampire's grip, Bethany snapped into action. Screaming for help, she beat at him with both fists.

Suddenly Julia was free. As she fell to the ground, the vampire's face contorted into a mask of pain. He stood as if frozen, making no attempt to seize Bethany as she bent to grab Julia and drag her off.

Then, to Bethany's shocked amazement, he collapsed to the ground and lay there unmoving.

Bethany waited for him to get up, but after several seconds, realized that he was dead—permanently dead.

With no time to figure out what had happened, she bent over Julia and saw blood covering her neck. She was in shock, but conscious.

"We can't stay here," Bethany said, casting a nervous look around. "Can you stand?"

Julia nodded and, with Bethany's help, got unsteadily to her feet. Bethany wondered if there were other vampires nearby, waiting to attack them. Suddenly the mansion seemed very far away.

"I think we need to run for the shed. It's closer. Maybe we can hide there until we know it's safe." She nodded to the structure off to the side. "Can you make it?"

"Try and keep up," Julia said bravely, though Bethany thought she looked shaken.

Grabbing her by the arm, Bethany ran. All the while, her pounding heart kept beat to the litany of prayers she sent heavenward that the shed doors were unlocked. Luck was with them.

Hurrying inside, Bethany looked around. Faint moonlight filtered through the windows provided barely enough light to see. The shed was older than she had first assumed, and larger. It might have, at one time, been used as the garage, at least until the one closer to the mansion had been built. Now, it stood empty, except for a single car, covered by a large tarp.

Jerking her attention back to the door, Bethany felt her heart sink. "There's no lock. What're we going to do?"

"What about the crowbar?"

Bethany looked to where Julia pointed and spotted the collection of tools on the counter. She grabbed the crowbar and slid it through the metal door handles, hooking it so it would stay and praying it would hold against a vampire's strength.

Turning to take stock of their surroundings, Bethany felt a sense of hopelessness. Other than a small collection of dusty mechanic's tools, there was nothing. She longed for Dirk's presence and, barring that, wished she at least had his sword.

The first impact of a body against the door tore a scream  from them both. Next they heard the sound of someone on the roof. Bethany refused to stand there helplessly while the vampires searched for a way inside. Letting go of Julia's hand, she started looking for something she could use as a weapon.

"I never expected them to be like that."

Bethany spared a quick glance at Julia, who stood with a hand pressed to her neck. "How are you?" she asked, nodding to the woman's neck.