Black Heart: Wild On (19 page)

            Heidi was only wearing a lacy red teddy. Her shoulder length blonde hair was all tousled and her big blue eyes sleepy sultry. She was always the most bedroom sexy girl I knew when she first woke up. She also tended to wake cranky more often than not.

            I growled at her in passing.

            "Nice," Heidi said. "Fur and a bushy tail become you."

            Halfway across the master bedroom I morphed back to human. The bed was unmade. Kale never made the bed. Irritating. I knew Desiree would make it as soon as she realized it wasn't made, but I couldn't leave that one for her, too. So I stopped to make the bed, breathing in his scent. His and Heidi's scent. So I knew who he slept with last night.

            "Where's Kale?" I said to Heidi.

            I used my normal voice. Vampires had the best hearing.

            "He's working on that project house of his, over in Plano or McKinney," she said.

            "So helpful."

            "I try."

            Kale was a carpenter. His hobby and second source of income was buying old, run down houses and renovating them. He had two project houses, one in Garland and one close to White Rock Lake, which was within Dallas city limits. Neither anywhere near Plano, much less McKinney.

            Desiree showed up just as I finished the bed. She gave me a curious look.

            "No one makes up their own bed in this house," Desiree said.

            "Apparently not," I said. "Sorry, I should've made my own bed."

            "No problem," she said. "I enjoy doing it. I should've been a chamber maid to a rich lecher, spending my days dusting, making beds, and being chased around by an old geezer."

            Desiree had a very dry sense of humor, and I had a hard time telling if she was joking or not. She really did enjoy cleaning house. Cleaning and shopping were her ways to relax. Me? I preferred shopping and sex, not necessarily in that order. Okay, sometimes in that order.

            "Sounds like a sweet situation," I said, shaking my head.

            "You go put on your face and I'll pick you out something nice to wear," Desiree said.

            "Jeans and a t-shirt," I said. "Nothing kinky."

            "You're no fun," she grumbled.

            It was Desiree's night off. She was wearing metallic red micro mini, matching bikini top and black patent thigh boots. She was accessorizing with big, chunky bracelets, gold chandelier earrings, and black leather, spiked dog collar. Did I mention she was off work, and relaxing?

            With a fashion sense like that she would make a good vampire. Of course, everything she was wearing was mine. And I had thigh boots that matched the skirt and bikini top, too. I've never worn them, since Desiree "borrowed" them that first night and never returned them.

            It took me all of ten minutes in the bathroom. Most of that was brushing my teeth and fixing my hair. I didn't wear much makeup unless an event called for it. My only jewelry was the pair of thick, sterling silver hoops Heidi gave me for Christmas. They came from Tiffany's, and I loved them.

            "Here you go," Desiree said, handing me a little black mini.

            It was a halter dress with a slit up the left leg. I bought it because it was hot, figure flattering, and no back to speak of. I could sprout wings without fear of destroying the dress.

            "I'm not going to a cocktail party," I said. She also brought me fishnet stockings, garter belt, and black pumps with a thick strap around the ankle. "Or dancing."

            "You wore jeans and a t-shirt last night," she said. She didn't like it when I wore "normal" clothes. Desiree thought such clothes were boring and unimaginative. "Just put it on. If you still don't like it I'll find something else."

            "You are such a man," I said.

            Why did I let her dress me? I was the vampire, the one supposedly in charge here. Since I had no specific plans, I couldn't argue the dress was inappropriate. Of course, most of the stuff I wore was considered inappropriate in polite society. But still, chasing killer vampires and undead kidnappers in a little black mini just seemed wrong.

            "You obviously don't have a grasp on what I'm doing tonight," I said. I waved away her choices. "I'll pick out something."

            "No jeans!"

            "Don't make me bite you," I said.

            "No jeans!" she cried, and we laughed.

            We spent ten minutes in my closet arguing over clothes. In the end I wore snug black pants stuffed into black thigh boots, a red satin bustier top, with a black leather bolero jacket over that. I declined the slave collar she wanted me to wear, but reached for the spurs.

            "No spurs!" she cried. She grabbed them before I could, and held them away from me. "Spurs are just stupid."

            "But the guys love them," I said.

            "Guys are stupid, too."

            "But still...," I said, grinning.

            I liked them, so I guess that made me stupid, too. They sounded great when I walked. Besides, I was headed to Deep Ellum. That was the perfect place to wear spurs.

            "Sable! Get out here!" Heidi called. "Now!"

            I didn't hesitate. Heidi didn't cry out like that unless it was important. She was standing and pointing at the TV when I ran into the living room.

            "Look," she said.

            It was a news report. The caption on the screen said it was a live shot. There had to be a hundred people marching down a street. Many of them holding up large crosses like they were banners. If VEN was showing them, then they were protesting vampires.

            "Is that Deep Ellum?" I said.

            "Yes."

            My blood ran cold. I closed my eyes and prayed it wasn't what I feared.

            "Who?"

            "Your father and Reverend Saxon," Heidi said. "They showed them leading the marchers. They are demanding the vampires return Timmy Saxon, or else."

            "Or Else?" Desiree said. She looked ashen. "Oh, that's not going to go over well."

            "Well fuck me to tears," I said. "They didn't listen to me. Even after the zombie attack, they didn't listen."

            The "protesters" were well into Deep Ellum. I can't distinguish vampires and werewolves from mortals on TV. Auras are not picked up by the camera or even mirrors.

            "Call Dane and Gabe," I said. "Tell them what is happening. I'm flying over now."

            The Mustang was fast. Uber fast. But flying as the bat flies was faster, especially with my big bat wings.

            Opening the front door, I took off running as my wings came out. The short bolero jacket just rode up over where the wings came out. Some practice was involved so I could sprout wings without destroying my clothes. I was airborne before I reached the street.

            The marchers were slowly moving up Main, just shy of Malcolm X when I arrived. From high above the "mob" wasn’t nearly as impressive. I estimated two hundred marchers, but it was hard to count them with so many carrying large white crosses. Those damn things shone like the midday sun in my eyes. My father and Reverend Saxon were leading the marchers.

            The Deep Ellum crowd was not pleased to see them, and maybe numbered around three hundred. Many were just curious, but those with no dog in that fight mostly got out of Dodge. So there was a higher than usual ratio of vampires and fang whores in the surrounding crowds. The vamps were easily enough to spot, since they were all averting their tortured eyes.

            I circled the marchers once, then spiraled down to the street before them. Main Street went straight down the middle of Deep Ellum and was one of the few two-way main East-west streets. Personally, I would've marched up Commerce, since it was one way and there was a higher concentration of businesses catering to vampires and fang whores on that street.

            "What are you doing?" I cried even before my feet hit the street. "Do you all have a death wish?"

            "The Lord God is on our side," Reverend Saxon said with a superior tone. "We are not afraid of these minions of Hell."

            "Then you're stupid," I said. That pulled a gasp from the marchers, and cheers from the angry crowd around them. My eyes bore into his. At least they had the intelligence of all wearing mirrored glasses. A vampire could only mesmerize a mortal if they achieved direct eye contact. They had to lock gazes, and that could only happen if both parties could clearly see the other's eyes. "There are more than enough vampires in the surrounding crowd to rip you all into bit sized pieces in a matter of minutes."

            "They don't scare us," he said loudly. "We are mighty in our multitudes and faith!"

            The mob of zealots cheered his bravado. My father was remaining silent. His face was grim, but resolute.

            "What do you hope to accomplish here tonight?" I asked my father. I struck a belligerent pose before him, hands on hips and hip cocked to one side. It was my mother's "scolding" pose, and I couldn't believe I had assumed it. The way my father cocked his head said he recognized it, too. "I mean, besides showing all the evil, wicked vampires exactly who their enemies are. Showing them who to
hunt
and pick off one at a time."

            That rattled a few of them. I saw some look at the crowd worriedly. Those fools didn't think it out very well.

            "We're here to get Timmy back," Reverend Saxon said.

            "Oh?" I said, leveling angry eyes on him. "Where is he? Tell me, I'll go right now and get him."

            "I don't know exactly where he is," he said. His self-assured mask was starting to crack. "But they do, and we won't leave until they return him."

            "And when they don’t give him to you?"

            "There will be trouble," Reverend Saxon said, accompanied by angry shouts from the mob. To his credit, my father looked even more uncomfortable. I think he was finally thinking through the ramifications of his actions, and the opposing actions that could be expected. "We're not docile little sheep, Sable. We are Holy Warriors on Divine Crusade!"

            The mob started working itself up in a frenzy with that, shouting at me and the surrounding people. My vampiric senses let me measure and evaluation their mood and intentions well. They were highly aroused, in a bloody way. It would only take the slightest spark to ignite a riot. The Deep Ellum denizens seemed almost as eager to fight.

            "Really? You're all ready to fight vampires? Face to face?" I said. The mob shouted back their eagerness, and Reverend Saxon looked at me smugly. He might be starting to see me as one of the enemy. Well, I had a small lesson to teach him and his followers. "Tell me, how many of you can do this?"

            I simply turned around, reached down and grabbed the bumper of the car behind me. A quick glance showed the driver had gotten out. His eyes got big when he realized what I was going to do. Before he could voice his complaint, I jerked up and flipped that red Toyota end over end.

            People scrambled out of the way, crying out in fear and surprise. A glance back showed my father and Reverend Saxon had looks of shock on their faces. So I lifted up the rear end of the car next to the now smashed Toyota. It was a blue Mazda Miata. The driver jumped out of it as the rear end rose higher and higher, and I moved up beneath it. In no time I found the car's center of balance, and lifted it over my head.

            Okay, I am stronger than a dozen Clydesdales, but picking up and holding that car strained me to the max. I quickly graced the startled mob a smug grin, then tossed the car aside.

            "I could kill every one of you by myself," I shouted. "If nothing else, I can bombard you with cars. You can't kill me, while I can easily kill you. How did you plan to win a fight with vampires? How!"

            Yep, I made an impression on them.

            "But..." Reverend Saxon said, now looking crushed.

            "But nothing," I said. "Go! Get out of here while you can. Let me handle this. Let me do my job, Reverend."

            "It's taking too long!"

            "I know," I said. My stomach twisted. The chances of recovering Timmy intact grew less and less as the hours ticked away. "Getting yourselves killed won't save Timmy."

            "We'd better listen to her," Daddy said.

            They moved off to discuss it, while their supporters surrounded them protectively. Those men had the grimmest faces I'd seen in a while. Then everyone froze as two men broke from the surrounding crowd.

            Vampires.

            "I'm taking care of this," I said.

            "We don't like the way you're handling it, Black Heart," the tall blonde man said.

            He had the longest fangs I'd ever seen. There was no way for him to speak without everyone knowing his was a vampire. My fangs weren't that obvious, thank God. He was accompanied by another vampire, a short, stocky fellow. Both were dressed like Goths in black and crimson.

            "Too bad," I said. I extended my wings, fists clenched as I took an aggressive stance. "I'll kill you both the rest of the way if you mess with me or these poor, delusional people."

            "You'll try," he said.

            So I thrust the end of my right wing straight through his undead heart. Everyone gasped and froze. His partner in crime exposed his fangs and charged me. I thrust the end of the other wing into the blonde vampire's chest, as well, then hurled him half a block away up Main. By that time his friend reached me.

            "Fool," I growled, leapt up and over him.

            He spun and surged at me. I wish I could do that! In an eye-blink he slid fifteen feet and was in my face. Unfortunately for him, I had experience fighting vampires who could surge. My knee came up into his groin, my left arm blocked his punch, and my right slammed into his neck. The blow to the groin hurt more, I'm sure.