Standing Before Monsters (Vorans and Vampires) (53 page)

“We understood pretty quickly that you all had been controlled,” Marek inclined his head towards the former army ranger. Will had been a marine and both men were loyal to whomever they served, whether it was the government or now Marek. “Lenora has always been willful and seemed to think that she deserved full privileges, but she does nothing to earn her keep or the respect that she wants from us. Vicki is a follower and Lenora controls her, but if pushed she might falter in leaving here. She isn’t a strong girl and I think that she is frightened of being on her own. Whether Lenora is strong enough to make her feel safe or using Justin will help, I don’t know.”

Audrey added, “Justin seems to get along well enough with the girls, but I can’t say that I know where his allegiance would be, if Lenora asked him to leave with her.”

The dark skinned Will spoke up and said, “He’s spoken with Tony and I. While he likes Vicki, he’s complained about Lenora being too bossy, but he doesn’t want them going out unprotected. Justin is still with you. Lenora would have to work magic to make him leave the coven.”

“If he likes Vicki, then Lenora might have the girl do whatever she can to make him go with them,” Audrey stated thinking how she would try to manipulate a man if in that situation. “Of course, that depends on Vicki’s loyalty.”

Putting up his hand, Marek spoke up into a brief lull, “The loyalty of those three is less important than finding these reapers who are still out there. Has your friend discovered more about them?”

Nick shook his head in disappointment, but having fully foreseen the problems that they might have finding the reapers, it wasn’t a shock. “They were using the car of a missing person. The vehicle was found to the northwest, but there were no video cameras for Fred to follow there. They covered their tracks well. Credit cards that had been used, whether it was the victim or the reapers; were transactions from a week before and in a couple areas.

“The detective hasn’t been able to find a pattern and looking at what he’s given me, I haven’t noticed anything that points any closer than the northwest side of the city. It doesn’t tell us much in a city of millions covering a lot of square miles.

“On the bright side, since the nest had pulled together more than one group of vampires and some individuals, we’ve seen the least activity from strays and rogues in years. The reapers may have lost a lot of numbers, but it’s presumable that they are still here and doing our job for us.”

Jake replied pessimistically, “That’s good and all, until they decide that the only remaining meals are us and start trying to pick us off.”

There were several nods as the other gathered vampires agreed with his worry. Marek tried to comfort their worries as he answered, “That is why we work in teams of three. Even Derek and Sophia will work with either Tony or Will. You may be our best fighters, but these creatures aren’t your typical vampires,” he said leveling a look at the power couple.

Sophia and Derek had become a team early on after he had turned the woman. Originally one of Nicola’s interests, Derek had moved on to his new love and never strayed again. The only problem with the two lovers being together is they liked working as a pair and seemed to know each other’s minds and movements, so any additional people just felt out of place. Nick had run with them several times and they tried to be inviting, but they truly only had eyes for each other, and stray vampires to kill. 

Still the two understood Marek’s worry and they had been at the nest to see what they would be up against. They nodded more than willing to have back up.

Nick added, “Even Lenora and the others know to call for help before dealing with a reaper, right?”

Audrey grinned and said, “After she peed herself, Lenora would be the first to call for help I think.”

The degrading comment made the other women in particular smile at the thought. Lenora had steadily alienated herself from the others, Nick noted, and not just from Nicola apparently. It was a shame. If the woman couldn’t work here, eventually that would mean she would be put on the wrong side of their blades. He wouldn’t supply a vampire outside of the coven with blood, which meant eventually she would turn to biting humans and they couldn’t allow that.

Bass thumped as the music of the dance club tried to keep the Friday crowd excited. The more they danced, the more they would need drinks and that meant more money for the bar.

“Where’s Lenora?” Justin asked the pretty redheaded Vicki. Her green eyes seemed luminescent under the
strobing lights of the dance floor. She sat at a table now, but the brown haired martial arts instructor had tried his best to get her to dance with him every night they went out.

Smiling at the young man and placing her hand on his forearm leaning on the table, Vicki moved closer to speak in his ear. It was only partly necessary if she didn’t want to scream an answer. She liked
Justin and didn’t mind him flirting with her, in fact she encouraged it. “I saw her with a guy before they stepped out for a breath of air.”

Justin’s face went from happy to have the girl breathe in his ear to a frown of worry as he countered, “She isn’t thinking of drinking from him, is she? If Nick and Marek find out that she’s
been tasting other men, she might be more than kicked out of the house.”

Vicki looked unsure as she tried to think of what to say. She wasn’t positive that Lenora hadn’t been trying to drink from the men she toyed with, since the vampiress had been talking of leaving the Lair. If they left, Vicki was pretty sure that they would be on their own without Nick’s blood to keep them in line with more human appetites. The girl wasn’t sure that she liked the idea of drinking from humans again. She still had nightmares from the time she served Cyrus. A procurer of new victims both for his army and the feeders needed to keep it fed, the redhead had done a lot of things that she was both ashamed of and frightened by as well.

“I hope not,” she finally said having nothing more creative to say. Vicki answered leaning close enough to lick his earlobe this time. She couldn’t help it. The young vampire was only a year older than her and had some of the same interests from their human lives. His blue eyes drew her in when she looked at him and Vicki wanted him to know that she was definitely interested. “She wouldn’t risk getting kicked out, I don’t think. I mean she’s pretty bold and doesn’t get along with the older girls, but Lenora couldn’t possibly think that biting people would be better than staying with Marek and Nick.”

His hand covered hers on his arm and he leaned in looking less distracted by her attention than troubled over her friend. “Lenora’s been disappearing almost every night from us. Haven’t you noticed the blood on her breath a lot of those nights?”

Her green eyes turned away from him anxiously. She felt caught between her loyalties: to Lenora, to Marek’s clan and even to Justin. While few people seemed to think she was more than a pretty face, the girl still worried and cared for those she loved. Lenora was her friend, but she feared that the woman was making a mistake.

He didn’t wait for her to answer as he could see it in her body language. “She’s going to get kicked out or killed if they find out that she’s been cheating. Hasn’t Lenora been taking her dose of voran blood?”

Vicki was saddened as she realized that Lenora was inadvertently ruining her time with Justin. As she started to reply, a smell that wafted on the air widened her eyes fearfully, “Do you smell that?”

One of the reasons that she and Lenora had been scouts for Cyrus was because of their senses. Not every vampire could track others of their kind or find a certain blood type an elder favored just from their scent, Vicki had that ability and a dark scent was in the air. Justin had just been a soldier in the vampire’s army. He only looked perplexed as he tried to discover what the pretty girl was talking about, though he wondered if it was just to avoid answering his question.

It was a bit faint at first, but then even Justin found the scent and his back tensed.

“You stay here,” he warned. “Call Marek and tell him there are reapers here. I’ll find Lenora. They won’t attack us with all these people around, but if she’s outside...”

Vicki pulled her cell phone hitting number one on her speed dial as fast as she could.

“So Paul, you are a broker? That is fascinating,” Lenora cooed to the tall, dark haired man.

Separated from his pack of friends now, who were apparently all out partying after a long week as the economy continued to make life hard on his profession; Paul had been stunned when the beautiful blonde had walked up to him and started flirting. It wasn’t uncommon for the man and his friends to find
women interested in them, if only for their profession; but she was bold and beautiful beyond most of those.

He chuckled leaning closer to the girl and smelled perfume just strong enough to be noticed, but not overpowering. She knew how to dress and the fine points of attracting men, even without her power to glamour. Lenora knew that she could draw in almost any man. “Well, the past few months have been a bit harder in our line of work, but with a few cautious investments there is still money to be made. I can give you my card if you’d like.”

“Well, I’ve been thinking of diversifying my portfolio of late, maybe you’d like to come talk to me about it?” she asked inferring that it wasn’t money she meant.

Putting down his glass after quickly draining it dry, the man let himself
be led across the room. There was a side door there that he hadn’t even known about, but the vampiress knew her exits and what lay outside of them. This one led to the alley, but it was a good place to talk and do other things. She wasn’t the only one to ever use it, but what Paul thought he might be getting from the blonde wasn’t what she planned.

She was fairly tall for a girl especially evening things out with three inch high heals, but she still had to look up at the much taller man. Lenora had always liked tall men. As her blue eyes looked to see his brown, they sparkled with glamour. Their lips kissed and she enjoyed the taste of them, but her interest was hardly just in the lips of the good looking young man.

“So what do you think I led you out here to do?” she asked breathing into his neck as he leaned down to caress her rear.

“Sex probably,” he admitted without thought thanks to the spell he was under.

“Hmm, do I really give off that desperate woman in need of sex vibe? Well, I guess that I did lead you on,” she replied with amusement. “Let me ask you, Paul. Do you have a lot of money?”

“Some, but less since the crash.”

Lenora cared less about the answer, though it made it easier to bite his neck. He groaned in brief pain as she pierced the veins on his neck. Warm blood flowed into her mouth and the blonde vampiress savored the taste. When she had first turned, the idea of drinking blood had disgusted her, but now it was almost a turn on.

She had drank the voran blood and it let her eat other things she liked for example pasta, and taking it now meant the woman didn’t have to drink a human’s blood; but Lenora found that she liked to and thought of her future. Learning how to take without killing would probably keep her off of the others’ radar. She also considered what men she would want to turn. Being alone, even if Vicki and Justin joined her they would be too few, wasn’t an option. She would need strong men, vampires, to keep her safe, plus having a few good men around meant she would have access to other pleasures the woman enjoyed.

Taking her taste, Lenora pricked her finger on a fang to bring a few drops of blood to the tip. She rubbed her blood on the wound and watched it begin to disappear before her eyes. Vampire blood was a magical thing and wouldn’t turn a human used like this. She was willing to obey Marek’s rules and through him Nick, but the girl wanted to have some fun and make sure that she had the skills to survive when she left the coven.

More and more, Lenora knew that she would leave. They didn’t understand her and, quite frankly, she just didn’t like very many of the ancient fossils living in the Lair.

“There good as new,” she stated before giggling. “Well, nearly anyway.”

Ready to enjoy some fun closer to what Paul had hoped for, Lenora’s nose suddenly picked up a smell. Frowning as she tried to understand what it was; the woman heard a thump on the ground from her right. She turned to she a man dressed in black. His eyes were as dark as the leather coat he wore. It was
Spring and unnecessary. Lenora’s thoughts of fashion aside, she knew a vampire when she saw one, but the black eyes meant he was a reaper.

A second reaper landed almost on top of them from the left. He was so close that when he slashed Paul’s throat open, Lenora was caught in the spray. She screamed, even though logic told her that humans shouldn’t see vampires, instinct told her self preservation came from her ability to get help.

The reaper from the left was on the girl so quickly, as he swung her with one hand by her neck to crash into the far wall, that Lenora hadn’t even had time to hear his steps. She was choking in his powerful grip. Her shoes clacked to the ground as she left her feet from the tremendous speed.

“Well, pretty, this is an interesting treat,” the reaper said with an English accent. If she weren’t so scared out of her mind, his voice would have been almost sexy to Lenora; but her lack of air and the black eyes stripping away her soul made no mistake that he only terrified her.