Armed with Weren antidote for the humans, and bristling with weapons, they boarded the shuttle.
From his seat at the helm, Mayara glanced back at Kade and the rest of them. “Ready?”
“As we’ll ever be,” Kellan grinned. “Let’s go trick or treating on Earth.”
Kade nodded as they all strapped themselves in.
The hunters utilized their wrist unit to learn more than they already knew about Halloween, Earth, and its inhabitants.
Kellan started to laugh. “I think I’m going to like these earthlings.”
“Movie trailers?” Viper raised an eyebrow.
“You should try it, there’s all kinds of stuff on here.” Kellan swiped and pulled up another. Sounds of moaning could be heard. “Like this one, they aren’t at all shy—”
Viper swiped his brother’s wrist unit off.
“Aw, what’d you do that for, I was having fun. You should try it sometime, loosen up, you know?”
“We’re here, boys,” Mayara said and set their cloaked ship down in a small depression of hills.
“You have the Weren vessel?” Kade asked.
“Right beside us according to my scanner,” Mayara replied.
Lights twinkled from homes a short distance away. “These hills are teeming with earth bound critters, but I’m not picking up any humans, though there are two Weren on board their ship.”
Weapons ready, Kade and his crew set their feet on Earth for the first time.
“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore Captain,” Kellan said with a smirk.
No they were not. The air was fresh and invigorating, unlike a lot of the other planets they’d visited.
Excitement in his eyes, Mayara used his unique tech-based mental abilities and dropped the other ship’s cloaking. “It’s the Raken Claw.” He practically purred over the high caliber machine.
“Open her up, I’m in the mood for Weren,” Viper growled.
Mayara concentrated and the door in front of them opened.
Two Weren in their furred half-form, and eyes glowing red, charged out of the hold.
“Bring it, bitches,” Kellan yelled.
He and Viper took the beasts down fast.
A swirling mix of colorful light rose from the bodies. Then they just dissolved.
“Be right out,” Mayara said as he hurried inside the Weren ship.
“Going to scout around,” Antoli informed Kade before misting away.
“Bastard,” Charro said with envy over his fellow hunter’s ability.
The rest of them kept watch while the Weren ship fired up with a barely audible hum.
Mayara emerged, eyes bright. “This baby is fine, can’t wait to go through her and learn what makes her tick.” He nodded at Nico, the youngest Novarian male on the crew. “This sleek pretty is ready to go.”
“You got this?” Kade asked the male who was to pilot the Weren vessel back up to the Sentinally.
Nico grinned. “Like a tasty piece of ass.”
As Nico took off, Antoli reappeared. “The Weren split up.”
It was what they figured would happen.
“Keep in touch,” Kade told his hunters.
Despite the daunting task ahead of them, there was a surge in adrenaline to finally be after their prey. Hunting other predators was what they did best, and it wasn’t often they went after the formidable Weren. The shifters were smart and usually kept under the hunters notice.
“Ready?” Mayara asked after the hunters all melted into the shadows.
“Let’s go.” Kade got back in the shuttle.
Mayara delivered him to the ship Indris had absconded with. It nestled hidden within a clearing surrounded by trees. “See you when the shit clears,” Kade said and once again set foot on Earth.
He caught Indri’s scent and began to track it.
In minutes he was in a subdivision where children, most accompanied by their parents, went from house to house dressed up as various outlandish garb.
Kade groaned, so many innocent beings out in the streets everywhere he looked. He could scent their sweet blood. His fangs throbbed and his blood surged, demanding sustenance.
It wasn’t easy, but he avoided getting close to the humans where possible while keeping to his sister’s trail.
It wasn’t long before he caught a whiff of Weren and blood. It wasn’t human blood, but rather Weren and Andrican. More importantly, his sister’s.
He snarled.
Well aware Indris was capable of taking care of herself, Kade still couldn’t help the protective urge from rearing its head. She was his little sister and if she’d been hurt, nothing would stop him from tearing the bastard limb from limb.
He forced himself to calm, then continued after the scent trail.
It led him between a couple three story buildings.
He crept silently into the alley, and halted.
The scent was suddenly gone. Completely, not a drop left anywhere, not even the faintest tint of it.
But how could that be?
He drew in a deep breath and held it, searching for his sister.
Nothing.
Kade turned in a circle, eyes studying every nook and cranny. But it was if she’d never even been there.
Did his little sister have abilities he didn’t know about?
He went back out to the street and began to walk first one direction, but when it didn’t produce any results he backtracked and went the other way.
He rounded a corner and a group of six pretty teenage human girls of fifteen or sixteen years of age approached. Dressed up in costumes, they chatted and laughed, some digging into their bags of candy. A couple eyed Kade. The scent of their blood was enticing as it flowed hot in their veins.
Kade melted into the shadows as need for sustenance thundered through him. His fangs punched through the roof of his mouth, aching to sink into tender flesh.
Four boys around the age of thirteen, who smelled like they hadn’t bathed in a while trailed after the girls. Though at an awkward age, Kade caught their desire to be noticed. Yet it was the gang of older eighteen and nineteen-year-old white males who stalked them all that gave Kade pause.
Dark, disgusting thoughts of what they wanted to do to the group of girls filled their minds. They’d been stalking the females for over an hour, and now had a plan in place.
Kade emerged from the shadows with a growl. “Leave those girls alone.”
The group of thugs turned to him.
“What the hell dude, if you’re going to jump out at people you should at least be dressed up.” The speaker was of average height and medium build.
Kade could tell he thought of himself as the most intelligent in the group, someone unafraid to tell it like it is, and he loved it when the others laughed at his smart-ass comments as they did now.
Another boy indicated Kade’s weapons. “Maybe he thinks that’s good enough. What you supposed to be, some kind of space cop?”
“And who do you think you are telling us what we can or can’t do?” the largest guy asked, an angry sneer on his face. He was pissed at being interrupted and had the vilest thoughts of the group.
Kade revealed the tips of his fangs. “You can call me your conscience, or your worst nightmare. Your choice.”
They snorted, though a few inched back just a bit.
“Let’s go,” the big guy said to his friends. “This asshole is a nutcase.”
Kade blocked him.
The big guy started to challenge him. Kade held him immobile with his mind, then looked at the rest of them. “Are you all as twisted as your buddy here?”
“What the fuck?” Smart-ass asked, all humor gone.
“Don’t worry, you don’t have to answer, I can see it all. I just needed your minds open a bit more.” Kade grinned as he utilized his Andrican ability. Then he pushed.
The big guy and two others winced and clutched their heads.
Kade walked away, satisfied. Anytime any one of them even thought of doing something horrible or perverted to someone else they’d end up in excruciating pain.
Kade kept going in the direction he’d been headed and soon found himself on a busy street with restaurants, bars and one particularly loud club. He shuddered at the noise.
Women and men passed him by, some alone, some in groups. The last group to approach him had a nurse, a witch, a playing card, and a male dressed as a woman. The last costumed female looked as if she were trying to pretend to be dead. Or was it undead? “Hurry up. Call him back later,” the woman called to another who was trailing after them. She was speaking into a phone, and her bright red high heels and a slinky red dress gave Kade pause.
The woman shut her phone and smiled at him while calling to her friends. “Go ahead, I’ll catch up.”
With knowing smirks, they continued into the place vibrating with music.
“You’re not in costume,” the woman said to Kade, her gaze travelling up and down him. A glitter of appreciation in her eyes.
“You aren’t either,” he commented, eyes riveted to the pulse of her neck.
She shrugged and laughed. “No, I suppose I’m not.” Her hand landed on his arm. “Want to join my friends and I? Halloween’s the perfect excuse to party.”
No, I want to take you to an alley and drink you. Kade moved away. “No, sorry, I’m looking for someone.” You have no idea what you’d be getting, he thought silently.
The woman’s lips formed a pout. “Oh pooh! Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find us.”
“I do,” Kade said and watched as she went inside the club to rejoin her friends.
His gums were aching and his body starving, but he had a job to do, and eating was not on the agenda until the mission was complete.
A howl of triumph, followed by faint screams sent dread washing over him.
Kade broke into a run, slowing as he approached a single-story building with a sign that proclaimed it a community center.
A man burst out the doors, eyes wide in panic as he tried to utilize his phone. His shirt was torn, and he had bite marks in his arm.
“What happened?” Kade asked.
The man started to steak, stopped and with a shudder, waved behind him. “Th-there … was … an attack. P-people are hurt. I need to call 911.” He dropped his phone.
Kade picked it up and held onto it. “What kind of attack?”
“I-I … don’t know w-what they were.”
Shock had set in.
Kade sat the man down on the steps and then before the guy knew what was happening, he administered the anti-venom. Then he wiped the guy’s mind and sent him home with the thought that he’d fallen and hit his head after a dog attacked him.
Kade entered the building and sucked in a deep breath. About thirty humans, most under sixteen, had been bitten. The adults were trying to help and comfort the younger children who were all either crying, or writhing on the floor as the Weren toxin took over.
Concerned over the fact the Weren seemed intent on turning humans rather than killing, Kade steeled his heart against their pain and with his mind, took control of room. He quickly administered anti-venom, though the use of his mental ability was a strain and keeping his fangs from sinking into one of the humans who’d been hurt wasn’t easy.
Rage seethed, as he implanted the rabid dog attack, and then sent everyone home.
Though he needed to find his sister, Kade set out after the two Weren responsible for this latest attack. Despite his messing with their minds, he knew that the children, and possibly some of the adults, would be traumatized for life over what had been done to them.
Tense, hungry, and fueled by anger, Kade was even more careful to avoid humans where he could.
It wasn’t long before he found the pair of Weren he was tracking.
They were in the process of turning a couple more humans when Kade let out a faint whistle, drawing their attention. He waited in the shadows beside a school. Within moments, one of the Weren rounded the corner and stopped dead. His nose twitched, and a light of familiarity for Kade’s species filled his eyes. “Blood sucking Andrican. What brings you to Earth, come to play with your food have you?”
“Didn’t you get the notification, it's annihilate all furry fang-heads night, though the timing could have been better, you’re disrupting my R&R, and I can’t say I’m very happy about it.”
An older male, the Weren grinned, large canines glistening with blood and saliva. “Come get me then, I’d hate to keep you waiting.”
He may have been an elder, but he wasn’t an ancient, and despite the lucky swipe that left deep grooves in Kade’s chest, he wasn’t even a good fighter.
Kade disposed of the creature and watched it turn to energy, then dissipate.
Then he went and took care of the second Weren, administering more anti-venom to the humans. Kade had just sent the frail earthlings on their way when Mayara’s voice came through his comm unit. “We have a problem Cap.”
“I noticed.”
“Cap?” Mayara asked.
Kade sighed. “The Weren are turning humans.”
“What? Why would they do that?”
“When I find out I’ll let you know.” It was odd, the Weren were a very protective, insular race. It wasn’t often that they brought an outsider into their packs. “What have you got?”
“Well, this might be something. I found another Weren ship,” Mayara said. “A class five POS named Harbinger, and it’s been damaged. I managed to bring up the flight log though and it’s been here approximately two months.”
“That coincides with the Dadeus going dark,” Kade said, wondering what it all meant.
“It does. I’m thinking this pile of junk got into it with the Dadeus, stranding it here,” Mayara said. “You think they’re trying to start a pack on Earth?”
“Possibly.” Likely. Kade swore.
“We can’t chance the humans finding this, so I’ve set the scrap heap to auto pilot out of here. It will self-destruct once it’s a good distance from the planet.”
“Good thinking.”
“Find your lovely sister yet?” Mayara asked.
“No, she’s hidden her trail,” Kade said, then checked in with the rest of his hunters.
They all responded except Viper.
“What the hell is going on here?” Kellan asked.
“Your Weren turning humans as well?” Kade asked.
His hunters all replied in the affirmative.
Viper cut in. “I’ve got a school full of kids hit. The fur-heads broke up a dance. I’m going to need more anti-venom and some help here.”
“Since everyone’s low on the stuff, I’ll have Mayara send Nico down with more,” Kade said.
“I’m close to you,” Kellan told his brother.
“As am I,” Antoli said.
Satisfied Viper had enough help headed his way, Kade contacted Mayara again. He’d just turned his comm off, when a pained human scream split the night.
Kade darted in a blur across a busy intersection and into a seedier residential neighborhood. The homes were small, and though some well taken care of, others were in various states of decline with yards overflowing with trash and weeds.
Still, kids went door to door, though not as many as in the nicer subdivision he’d passed through earlier.
Kade let his instincts guide him, and within moments found himself across the street from a closed automotive shop.
“Run,” a female voice shouted from somewhere behind the building.
A moment later, a young girl wearing fake cat ears and a long black tail raced past Kade, tears streaked the black whiskers drawn on her face. What the hell?
Blood, and not the sweet stuff he’d been smelling all evening hit Kade. It had a taint to it he’d only ever come across in the vilest beings.
Kade silently rounded the building.
A pack of snarling and growling Weren, fought a slender human. A female.
Dressed all in black, the woman was giving them a run for their money. The scent’s where overpowering, and Kade noticed one Weren motionless on the ground.
But the taint came from a dead human man who lay in a puddle of noxious fluids that made Kade want to gag.
The Weren snarled as they circled the female.
“What are you nasty bastards waiting for?” she taunted them.
She was glorious. With long reddish-brown hair, her green eyes glinted as she wielded her blade like a pro.
As Kade blocked the tainted and disgusting smells, the female’s scent hit him like a punch in the gut.
Amazing. Divine. The blood in his veins surged. Roared. His fangs punched through his gums as fury at the Weren overtook him.