| |
Rankin was already suited up as he usually was at night. In the hallway closet, he chose his weapons while Velvet calmly dressed in battle gear.
On the bed, Carmen sat picking up the tension in the house. She reached for Velvet when she came to her. “I love you, baby girl.” With a kiss she was sent away in a light puff of smoke.
In the living room, Rankin waited at the front door, his back to the wall. She came striding up to him, carrying only her short handled axe.
“Well,” she said. “How do I look?”
“Beautiful.” He opened the door, allowing her to step outside first.
They waited until she stepped on her lawn. Vampire’s dropped from the sky and trees to surround her. Armed with swords, they came at her two then three at a time. After four minutes of fighting, nine vampires lay bleeding out on the grass. Velvet continued with her axe toward the four men armed with guns. From the way they stood and were dressed out, she guessed they were probably paramilitary for hire, and most likely human. Jerome had enlisted aid rather risk his whole brood. As they fired, so did Rankin from the vantage point of the front porch. By the time they recognized return fire, Velvet had disappeared. Rankin took a few direct hits before ducking for cover. Behind the evergreens, he commenced to fire at the soldiers, even as Velvet moved in and out of sight, appearing only to strike a deadly blow to the attackers.
When the last gunman fell, she remained in plain sight. From Hummers, sword wielding vampires emerged on the pavement, had to be at least twelve from her estimate. Rankin sprinted up to join her, guarding from the rear.
“All right, then.” She raised her axe, then swung it into the small mob coming at her.
“Witch!” A woman’s voice shouted from among a band of five that advanced from the others. “Velvet Washington, at last!”
“You think you know me?”
“Vee, don’t waste time or energy talking to vermin like that!” Rankin shouted to her. “Just kill them!”
“For the pain and shame you caused us, for having to endure the cruel perversions of a cruel master! For the death of our beloved true sire, we destroy you and everything you hold dear!”
“What? Who are you?”
“For Milton’s sake!” The woman crowed, lashing at her.
Milton’s surviving brood were with Jerome? No wonder they were so mad.
Rankin stepped up in front with his sword. “No, Rankin. I got these.”
“Fine, there’s plenty to go around.” He jumped into the mix with a loud cry.
Backing into her yard, she invited the five to join her. Amazingly, they were good, savage and quick.
“Hey, you black bitch!” Rex bounded over the back of a Hummer touching down out of reach of her axe swing.
“I’ll get to you in a minute,” she promised, chopping into one of the males’ sword arm. He ran away clutching him limb. He was out of the fight it seemed.
“Oh- Black – Vel-vet!” Rex sang. His voice was from the other side of the lawn. He kept singing, obviously trying to distract her. After dropping the spokeswoman of the group of five, Velvet finally spared him a glance. He laughed when she leaped over the remaining two of the five and then froze. She dared take her eyes from him to check on Rankin. He was standing, swinging his sword. Dumbfounded and aghast, she looked back at Rex- and the blood dripping head he held in his hands. “Rankin? Rankin!” She screamed. His eyes were looking right at her. Rankin!” She ran to his body that was still fending off attackers. She dropped her axe and pushed his body to the ground, then she turned screaming Rex’s name.
Her hands filled with silver light. She tossed a giant ball of it at his pretty boy face. He ran, dropping Rankin’s head in the middle of the street. He took flight and the ball followed, homing directly on him. It struck him in the back of his head, knocking him from the sky. His body, smoking hot and sizzling, crashed into the pavement.
Every vampire on the street charged her at once. She cried out in a loud powerful voice, “I’m going to kill all of you!” From her body burst white, silver and blue light. She began throwing waves of it everywhere as she screamed, striking body after body. The energy force flipped the Hummers and a few cars parked in her neighbors’ driveways, rolling and smashing on top of others.
When every attacker was down, she called the light back, channeled it in her hands, up to her arms, and then shot it into the sky. Breathing hard, she rested her hands on her knees, taking a few moments to collect herself from the powerful rage that had overtaken her in just a matter of seconds.
She felt weak, deflated. Not from the throwing, but from the sight of Rankin’s headless body. She’d taken too much time messing with the five when she should have been watching Rankin’s back. She went to his body to check on it. The arms and legs were moving as if trying to get the body up. He was immortal, even a severed head would not kill him. “Rankin, oh my God.” She wanted to scream again, but a howling cleared her head, brought her back to what needed to be done.
Rankin’s head had dropped in the street. She found it beside the tire of one of the flipped to the side Hummers. Thank goodness it was not damaged any more than being separated from its body. The howling was closer. It didn’t sound like Devon. Werewolves were on the move in her neighborhood. Werewolves that wanted her out of Troy’s life. Surely they weren’t working with Jerome tonight. Dumb for them to be howling like that if they were coming to attack.
“Vee!”
“Troy?” She hid the head under her coat. She walked out from the Hummer. Craig was on the other side of the street in wolf form checking out burning bodies. Troy was running over to her in partial form. He was here leading his pack?
“Vee?” He looked her over, hesitant to touch her. He appeared just about out of breath.
“I’m okay.”
His eyes went to the bulge she was hiding under her coat. “Vee, where is everyone? Did you have to fight alone?”
“No. Rankin is here.”
“Where? Is he chasing someone?”
“No, he- he was struck down.” She slowly brought his head out.
“Oh, Vee. I’m so sorry.”
“He’s not dead,” she said.
“Baby, a person can’t...” Rankin’s eyelids opened and blinked. When they found Velvet’s face they focused and stayed on her. “Jesus,” Troy whispered and stepped back a half step.
“I think I should put them together.”
“Yeah, I think so.”
She carried the head face up, keeping contact with the eyes. She felt he was actually seeing her, but the mouth remained closed not even twitching involuntarily. “Rankin,” she said, after kneeling with the body. It felt better that way than talking to the head alone. She carefully placed the head on the body. “I don’t know what to do. Can you talk?” His body rolled to the side, grabbing for her body. His head fell to the ground as his arms settled around her waist. “Rankin, can you talk?” she asked again. He responded again by hugging tighter. “I guess you can’t, but you hear me, right?” Another squeeze was her answer. He seemed to prefer holding her than keeping his head connected. “It’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna take care of you, my friend. Don’t worry,” she said, hugging him back. His hands traveled up her arms and shoulders then sought her face. Soothingly, he touched her wet cheeks in turn. “Don’t worry about me, old man. It was that kid Rex that did this to you. He’s a crispy critter now and so are the rest of them.”
Troy came up flanked by Craig. “Let us help get him inside before the cops arrive.”
Craig pulled Rankin from her and carried him on his back inside her house. Velvet took the head and hugged it to her chest following close behind. Troy remained outside he said to watch the street.
~*~
Troy stood just outside the door, as if not wanting to intrude on her sitting next to Rankin’s bedside. He caught her eye then backed up into the hallway.
She wiped her face and blew her nose before squeezing Rankin’s hands and assured him she’d be back. Troy was still unclothed and edgy, she got the feeling he wasn’t so comfortable being in her house. He also looked bone weary and his back was a mess. Somehow he was enduring it just for her sake, and until now all she’d thought about was Rankin’s condition and herself. Except for Craig, who was looking after Troy’s needs?
“So that’s your bedroom?” he asked, apparently a bit uncomfortable under her expressive scrutiny of his raggedy appearance. “Not what I expected for a witches private room. Or is there more in there than meets the eye?”
“If I told you that I’d have to kiss you.”
“Why don’t we just make do with a hug? I could sure use one.” He backed up against the wall and opened his arms. When she stepped inside, he closed them slowly around her. “I was missing you, wanting to see you so much. These circumstances were not what I had in mind.”
“You can see me anytime you want to, Troy.” Her fingers touched the bullet wounds in his back that weren’t healing. “We don’t have to wait for tragedy to strike.”
“We should be trying to get over this.”
You should be trying to find a way to get the pack off your back about me, she wanted to tell him, instead she bit her lip and hugged him closer. She’d known how possessive and jealous werewolves were about their leaders. She’d known how much they loved and admired Jasmine and hated her for always throwing her weight around and always busting Jasmine’s chops at the club. Of course, there wasn’t much Troy could do now to pave a way for her to be tolerated by the pack. Besides, it wasn’t Troy’s fault, if he just wasn’t feeling her the way she was feeling him. It was no one’s fault but her own that she’d went and fallen in love again. “Come on.” He followed her down to the room recently vacated by Leroy and Milly. “I’m going to run you a bath.”
“No. Look, I just wanted to let you know since the rest of your team arrived, me and Craig is gonna take off.”
“I can’t let you go like this. You look like you are about to fall on your face.”
“I’m fine enough. You need to see to Rankin.”
“Rankin is comfortable for now. At least, take a shower.”
“Velvet.”
“God, Troy let me take care of you! It doesn’t matter if Craig can manage to get you home and to bed. I need to help you while you’re here!” Okay, girl, calm it down, she told herself. No man wants to stick around a crazy woman. “You don’t have to run from me. I’m not planning to jump your bones tonight.”
“No?” He grinned at her, then ran a hand through his hair. “Guess I’m not too sexy right now.”
“Not so much,” she agreed. “But you are adorable.”
“What?”
“Your appeal is more than sex, Troy. When I was telling you I wanted to see you, I meant see you. And talk, and have a meal, watch some tee vee.”
“You wanted to do those things with me?”
What did he think she was, a sex maniac? “Of course, I do. Is sex all you think we have in common?”
“Honestly, I thought sex was the attraction for you. What else could you see in me? I’m nothing like Wilder or Rankin.”
“You certainly aren’t. The attraction is you, you jerk.”
“I am a jerk most of the time.”
“Well, you aren’t when it counts. If you and Craig didn’t run over here tonight, I think I was going to lose it.”
“I told you I’d be looking out for you.”
“Yeah, you did.” She smiled up at him gratefully. “You really came through for me.” She went to him not touching him. “I remember everything you said on the mountain, and I’m not going to do anything to hurt you with your pack, but I can’t act like I don’t need you. I’m not going to act like it’s fine for you to walk out of here without resting. Craig told me what happened to your back. I’m proud of you.”
“You are proud of me?”
“Craig said, you were really ripping him apart. Wish I’d been there.”
“No, Velvet, you don’t want to see me like that. I don’t want you seeing me like that.”
“He had it coming, Troy.” She thought about the dead vampires outside her house and wondered what he thought of her for killing them like that? “Anyway, according to Craig, you took a lot more than you should.”
“Craig has a big mouth.”
“Craig is your best friend. And, I can see the trauma. You can’t heal from silver unless you rest. Don’t make me worry about you too.”
“Okay, I’ll shower and lie down for a while.” Was it her imagination or was he wanting to kiss her? If she stood there a little longer rather than go to give him privacy would he touch her again? “Velvet?”
“What?”
“Did you tell Suzanne to protect me?”
“Not directly. She’s good about knowing what I’d most likely do. I heard about what she did. I’m proud of her too. She knows I worry about you and Wilder fighting, that’s why she goes to the club with Wilder.”
“You think about me that much? The same way I think about you?”
“Yeah,” she said, but in her heart she knew her feelings ran deeper. Otherwise, how could he stay away from her so easily?
“I wish I could tell you to wait for me to fix things to be with you, but I’m not sure I can, Velvet.”
“Well, if it was meant to be, it would be.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” She waited for him to say more or reach out to her. He didn’t and she kissed his cheek and excused herself from the room.
“Well, that was that,” she whispered after she closed the door. “But it’s okay, everything is going to be fine.”
~*~
“All right, people,” she began the second she entered the living room. “As soon as Rankin is seen to, we will begin plans of retaliation. Then we-”
“Retaliation?” Omar Henderson exited the kitchen with a stemming cup of coffee, he balanced it on a matching hand painted saucer.
“Omar!” She jumped surprised and then a little miffed that no one bothered to tell her a cop was in the house. “When did you get here?”
“About fifteen minutes ago,” he replied mildly. “I drove Tyra and Devon right over after Craig called. We were at Smacker’s. Remember I invited you to join me for the grand opening a while back?”
“And?”
“Nothing. I just thought that the look you gave me was expecting a reason why we were all together. But I suppose you couldn’t care less.”
“Are you here officially?”
“Until another detective arrives.” He came closer, giving her a quick going over. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Sorry about Mister Rankin. I know he’s still alive, is it true he’s still aware too? He can hear and see?”
“Yes.”
“So this was a direct hit on you?”
“Yes,” she answered tightly. “Omar, this isn’t police business. For safety reasons, I suggest you get all your people out of this neighborhood.”
“Sorry, Vee. I can’t give this case special treatment. I have to make a report and your people have to answer questions.”
“No one has time for this,” she gritted, feeling like screaming again. “Everyone suit up, now!” she ordered. Before they could make a move, she magically dressed them. “And stay suited up!” She turned to Omar, her aura going brilliant indigo. “Police work isn’t needed here. Get your people out of here or I will send them to the next county.”
“Velvet, calm down.” Wilder appeared at her shoulder. “I will deal with the police.”
“What for? They don’t care about somebody’s head being cut off!”
“Velvet, I do care!” Omar said. “But that aside, you know you have some accounting to do for all those bodies lying dead on your lawn and out into the doggone street!” Omar set his cup on the coffee table. After taking a short breath, he continued. “Now, you tell me what happened. Tell me why those vampires look like they were caught in the sun.”
“As if you give a damn about dead vampires,” Wilder said.
“Whether I care or not, I’m here doing my job, folks. And I expect you all to cooperate.”
“Okay, fine.” Velvet wasn’t sure she liked this take charge version of Omar. He hadn’t smiled at her once. “They surrounded my house and attacked. During the fight they managed to take off Rankin’s head and I lost it. I threw silver and ultra violet light on them all.”
“You meant to kill them?”
“Of course, I did.”
“Obviously, you were upset and not thinking.”
“I was so thinking! Don’t be trying to sugarcoat what I did! I killed them in self- defense!”
“I just meant vampires aren’t the only ones silver can harm. Several werewolves were sighted by the neighbors. Were they here to attack you as well?”
“I heard some howling, but I never saw the pack.”
“What were they doing here? Was it Tanaka? He still hooked up with Jerome?”
“Why don’t you ask me all that, detective?” Troy strolled right up to Omar and stepped rudely in front of Wilder.
“Troy?” What was he doing up? She’d just peeked on him a minute ago, and had kissed him while he slept. He’d only had about ten minutes of rest, and he still looked haggard. Why wouldn’t he stay down and let her handle things?
“Mister Tanaka,” Omar greeted him mildly. “I wasn’t aware you were on the premises. Perhaps we can all have a seat?” No one moved. “All right, Mister Tanaka. I need to know why your people were on the move tonight.”
“Why?”
“Because this is the scene of a crime, sir. You and your people were present doing the activity.”
“No, they weren’t. They were following me at a distance, and didn’t witness anything.”
“Why were you running in this neighborhood?”
“I had reason to believe Jerome was making an attempt to murder Velvet tonight. I assumed she might be alone. I came to warn her and offer my protection.”
“Did this have anything to do with the commotion that closed your club early tonight?”
“What commotion?”
“The commotion where gunshots were fired and you were slicing and dicing Jerome on your dance floor. Maybe all this stuff is how you vamps and beasties have fun, but when Velvet is in the middle of all that, and someone’s head gets cut off, I expect some answers.”
“As you half implied, it isn’t your business,” Wilder commented and Troy grunted his approval. “You are not qualified to take care of Velvet and see to the recovery Rankin. So what is this attitude suddenly about detective?”
“It became my business that night she chose to take me to the mansion to get that old bat woman out of the dungeon. She chose me, not a werewolf and not a vampire. I think you already know how I’m qualified. And this isn’t an attitude, this is me.”
“Omar,” Velvet said. He didn’t seem to care both men’s eyes were shining or that they were starting to snarl.
“I’m cool, Vee. And these two ain’t stupid.” He backed off heading to the door. “When CSU gets here, allow them to process your property. If you believe this is Jerome’s work, tell the detectives that.”
“That’s all fine, Omar. Law and order must be at least attempted, but no one is getting near Rankin. The Madison Clinic is en route to transfer him to their facilities. After they’ve come and gone, I’ll allow the police access.”
“Good enough. Again, Vee, I’m sorry about your friend.” He slipped out and pulled the door shut rather than let it slam after him.