Blood Wyne (36 page)
She didn’t answer, but I could hear the sprite’s soft breathing. Feeling under the gun, I sought for something else to soothe her worry. “I have to do this. We can’t let any more women die—and there was another murder tonight.”
“I know,” Iris finally said. “I just don’t want you going down there feeling guilty over Morio. I don’t want your subconscious doing anything to get you hurt. Sometimes you have more conscience than I think is good for you, girl.”
“I have to. Otherwise, I’d just be another monster.” Hanging up, I slid my phone in my pocket, watching as Wade hustled over to my side. “Yo. We’ve got to get moving. He could be long gone by now.”
“Do you really think he is?”
I shook my head. “No. Actually, I think his lair is near here.”
“If things end up playing out the way we think they are, I wouldn’t worry about him disappearing. He’s pulled to this area. I worked up a quick profile based on everything we talked about. He’s probably feeling so much guilt over either fucking a hooker, or even thinking about it, that he’s compelled to stay here. He’s constantly searching out his sire, and—in his mind—killing her over and over again. But because she’s a vampire, she can’t die and his subconscious knows that. So he has to strike again and again. In a sense, he’s trying to cope with a feeling of impotence since he can’t seem to strike her dead.”
I stared at Wade. “We really need to talk more often. Crap, that’s good. And we
are
dealing with a priest.” I told him what Chase and I had found out about Charles Shalimar.
are
dealing with a priest.” I told him what Chase and I had found out about Charles Shalimar.
“That adds a whole new layer of guilt. I guess we’re good to go.”
I brought out several wooden stakes, handing him a couple of them, fixing several in my own belt. Then I handed him a cross.
“What the . . .? Religious objects don’t work on us.” He took the wooden T and frowned at it. “What should I do with this?”
“Ah, it won’t work on you or me, but remember—he was a priest. He’s had a psychotic break. The cross may very well carry some impact with him since he is a believer and he sees himself. . .. well, hell . . . I don’t know exactly what he thinks he’s thinking, but it can’t hurt to try. The crosses won’t actually hurt him, but he might
think
they will. And that could buy us valuable time.”
think
they will. And that could buy us valuable time.”
“Brilliant. So, shall we?” He motioned to the gaping hole.
I flipped open my phone and called Chase. He might be only a block or so away, but it was easier to call than run over there. He answered. “Chase, Wade and I are headed down. I suggest you keep some of your men in the area for a while.”
“I’ll stay myself. We’ll be over in a few. And, Menolly—”
“Yes?”
“Be careful.”
I slid my phone back in my pocket and looked at Wade. “Time to go hunting, babe.” And I jumped into the hole, floating down, hoping that this time we’d successfully bag our quarry.
CHAPTER 21
The tunnels were becoming all too familiar. Old friends, almost, or rather—frenemies. They were comforting in their darkness, and I felt at home in the dusky passages, but they were also fraught with danger and my common sense kept me alert.
“I smell something,” Wade said. “Blood.”
I inhaled deeply and the coppery scent spread through my body. “Blood. Of course—he has to be covered with her blood. You didn’t see . . .” Visions of her mutilated body raced through my mind and I tried to shake them away. “He has to be covered in her blood. Follow the scent and we follow him.”
And so, silent, we tracked him through the tunnels. We headed in the direction of the passage where we’d found the shadow men, but fifty feet or so before the fork, the scent led us to the left wall of the passage. It was brick and seemingly solid. I frowned, running my hands over the aged tablets. And then I felt it—a thin line, running vertically.
“I think I found it,” I whispered, keeping my voice so low that only another Supe could hear me. Wade nodded as I traced my hand along the crack. It was in the shape of a door, and there must be a trigger stone. But as I felt for some indentation, protrusion, or other anomaly, a shriek behind us caught me off guard.
I whirled to find myself staring at a wispy cloud, tendrils emerging from a vaporous cloud that coiled like a serpent in front of me. Wade slowly turned, and I could feel him stiffen, staring at the creature. The tentacles of fog danced, serpentine in the darkness, glowing with a faint incandescence. They spiraled, reaching out to brush my face. I steeled myself, forcing myself not to move. Until we knew what it wanted, whether it would be friend or foe, I didn’t want to startle it.
The form stretched, writhing in the air, as if in slow motion, and brought one slow tendril around to hook over my shoulder. I didn’t want it to encircle my neck and quickly stepped back from the wisps of fog.
As I moved, there was a sudden hiss from the creature and the tendril that had been trying to loop around my neck lashed back, then whipped across my face, leaving a stinging slash.
Crap. Not good!
I suddenly realized that, vampire or not, Wade didn’t have any formal training in how to fight. I’d have to protect him as well as take care of myself.
I suddenly realized that, vampire or not, Wade didn’t have any formal training in how to fight. I’d have to protect him as well as take care of myself.
But he surprised me. He did a quick cartwheel out of the way and came up in a crouch, reaching into his jacket for something. I didn’t have time to see what, but I decided that if the spirit could materialize long enough to touch me, I could touch it. I whirled, kicking toward the center, and was pleasantly surprised when my heel made contact. The cloud form moved back, just a little, but enough to tell me that we could fight it.
It was materializing even more as we watched. The vaporous shape was condensing, congealing into a creature right out of Lovecraftian nightmare. Hideous olive-green tendrils streamed out from every side—there must have been fifty of them. Visions of the Karsetii demon flashed through my mind, but this was no Karsetii. Ghost or demon—I did not know, but it was after us and that was enough for me.
As I tried to aim for the center, Wade darted in, a Taser in hand, and he managed to make contact. For a moment, the creature blinked in and out, then two of the tentacles snapped at him, knocking him back against the wall with a resounding thud.
I did a running flip, aiming straight for the center, feet wheeling over my head. A two-footed landing, right into the core of the monster, knocking it back as the impact of my weight slammed into it. The moment I felt it whip back, I broke my jump, landing in a crouch in front of it. As I raised my head, with my fangs fully descended, the creature came racing back for me. I screamed and grabbed the nearest tentacle, attempting to use it like the chain of a mace to whirl the monster through the air.
The thing was both heavy as hell and unwieldy, but I managed to gain momentum and sent it slamming into the wall. At that moment, Wade blurred by, landing on top of the thing. He sank his fangs into the materialized spirit, and an ear-piercing shriek filled the tunnel.
I scrambled on top of it next to him, adding my fangs to the fray. The monster writhed beneath us, tendrils attempting to dislodge us, but we were no ordinary mortals, and it couldn’t pull us off. One tentacle coiled around my waist, attempting to squeeze me, but I just bit harder and the shriek continued.
Wade clasped his hands together and brought them down in a double-handed blow that thundered into the core of the monster. It shuddered. Taking my cue from him, I followed suit and we pounded the living crap out of it.
A moment later, the creature began to dematerialize, and within seconds it vanished, leaving us to fall to the floor. I scrambled to my feet and glanced around. No sign of it.
Wade picked himself up and shook his head. “Crap. Is this what you guys do for fun?”
“Mostly,” I said, wondering if it would be back—and would it bring friends?
“No wonder you stay in such good shape. Or your sisters, rather.”
I snorted, but I knew what he meant. I’d never change shape. Not now. Once you were a vampire, you stayed the way you were when you’d died. In a perverse, vanity-induced way, I was glad that—if I had to be a vampire—I looked good and was young enough to retain my beauty. I didn’t admit that much, although I knew Camille would understand me, but it was true when I really let myself think about it.
“Come on. We have to get hold of him before that motherfucker comes back with its brothers. Or Mommy. I have no idea what it was.” That was actually a lie. Though I didn’t know what it was, I’d figured out that it was some sort of demon, probably another guardian sent by the Demon Underground to replace the shadow men.
I went back to the door and Wade joined me. We searched in vain for a trigger to open it. “So if the catch isn’t here, then maybe . . .” I turned to the opposite wall. “Let’s look over here. There has to be something to open this mother.”
Wade took one section of the wall and I took another. After a few minutes, he whistled. “Menolly, look—what do you think?” He pointed to a small metal plate against one of the bricks, three rows up from the bottom. It was directly opposite the outline of the door.
“Go for it.” I readied myself, making certain the stakes on my belt were easy access.
Wade pressed against the catch and I heard a faint click. The door shivered and popped an inch. We could push it open now, and I reached out and gave it a quick shove. It slowly opened, leading into a dimly lit passage.
“Come on. The scent of blood is stronger here.” I ducked in, Wade following me. The tunnel was brick and the floor of the passage was lined with cobblestones. I glanced around, looking for the light source, then saw it up ahead. A lantern, hanging from a hook on the side of the wall. There were several doors off this passage, and I had the feeling we were within reach of our prey.
I took the lead, running lightly to the first door, which was off to the right. I peeked in—the door had long been broken in—but it was only a musty, empty chamber. I was about to move forward when Wade stopped me.
“The scent—it leads in here. Can’t you smell it?”
I forced myself to take another breath and yes, there it was. “You think another secret passage?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised. We’ve found one . . . why not another?”
As we paused by the entrance, I examined the floor. “Look.” Footprints in the dust—and they led right to the opposite wall. I followed them, coming up against another brick front. I scanned the area for a metal plate. And bingo, like clockwork, there it was, this time off to the side. I motioned for Wade to give it a press and when the door opened, we sprang inside, hoping to get a heads-up on our quarry if he were there.
Surprise.
The chamber into which we entered was a natural cave, not another room. It looked to be about twenty feet high and was rounded, narrowing at the other end. But still, a dim light shone through the inky darkness, and lanterns lined the walls in strategic places, lighting a curving trail through a mass of boulders and cavern formations.
The chamber into which we entered was a natural cave, not another room. It looked to be about twenty feet high and was rounded, narrowing at the other end. But still, a dim light shone through the inky darkness, and lanterns lined the walls in strategic places, lighting a curving trail through a mass of boulders and cavern formations.
“Notice anything odd about the lanterns?” Wade whispered.
I frowned, staring at them for a moment. Then I saw it. “No flame. They aren’t fire-based. But he was an FBH—he doesn’t have magic. What’s going on?”
We approached the nearest lamp and examined it closely. I realized it was sealed—a sealed glass case—and as I pressed my face to the glass, a face in the glowing light stared back at me. Inhuman, with slanted eyes and a pursed mouth. The creature had no nose and no real form other than an amorphous shimmer of light. It reminded me, vaguely, of the tentacle monster we’d just fought.
“Crap—I think this is a young version of what we fought out there—captured inside some sort of glass. But mere glass couldn’t hold this thing. So it must be some sort of magical trap.”
Wade shook his head. “Something’s going on here. No normal vampire would have access to anything like this. Especially a newly minted one.
Especially
a psychotic one. I have the feeling we’re on the edge of something bigger here—bigger than you, me . . .”
Especially
a psychotic one. I have the feeling we’re on the edge of something bigger here—bigger than you, me . . .”
I thought of the Demon Underground. Could they have made a deal with the killer? Why would they? If he posed a threat, they’d just stake him and be done with it. No, there was something going on that eluded our grasp. I thought about smashing the container, letting the creature out, but there was no guarantee that it wouldn’t turn and attack us. After all, it had been imprisoned, and it wasn’t going to be happy with vampires. Or maybe—
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