Full Moon Rising - 02 (27 page)

Something hit his foot and rolled away.  Dom looked up, his eyes not quite focusing in the dark.  “There’s ibuprofen in there.  And some aspirin, too.” The kid barked, his throat still burning.

Dom turned to him, his look questioning.  “I nearly choked you out.  Why would you…”

“Whoever these assholes are, they took my friends.” The kid said, tears forming in his eyes.  “You may be my only chance of getting out of here alive.”  He tried to keep the tears from co
ming, but they ran down his dirty cheeks.  “If that will help you get your head cleared up faster, take them all.”

Dom nodded and scooped up the plastic bottle, the label all but worn off.  He fished out four of the small brown caplets and four of the white ones.  Popping them in his mouth, he scooped up the water with the sandy aftertaste and washed them down.  He popped the lid back on what was left and shoved them in his shirt pocket.  “Thanks kid.”

“Jake.”  He replied.  “My name is Jake.  And I just want to get back to Sacramento.”

Dom nodded.  “Dominic.  I’m an east coast guy myself.”

“Sorta figured by the accent.” Jake said.  “What were you doing in Ohio?”

Dom thought about lying to the kid.  But the odds were against him surviving against their captors.  He deserved to know the truth.  “I’m with a special military unit.  We hunt down the monsters before they can do any real damage.”  Dom a
nswered, his eyes still closed.  “I got separated from my team and they shot me in the ass with a tranquilizer dart.  Apparently they wanted me alive.”

Jake listened and watched him closely.  “So, you’re serious about the whole vampire thing?” he asked nervously.  “You’re not jerking my chain, are you?”

“You wish, kid.” Dom sighed.  “I don’t know who’s behind all of this, but whoever it is, doesn’t play nice and is most likely connected.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because you don’t just nab a bunch of American college kids off the street and use them for midnight snacks without fear of getting caught.” He said softly.  “Americans have a way of never letting it go when one of their kids come up missing.  They tend to move hell itself to find them.”

“What makes Americans worth more than any other natio
nality?” Jake asked defensively.

“I didn’t say that they were.  I just said that American pa
rents tend to stop at nothing to get their kids back.  They don’t come from third world nations and they have more resources at their disposal to raise hell and put pressures on other countries’ governmental officials.”  He tried to explain.  “They just
think
they’re more important.” He muttered.

“Oh.  For a minute there I thought you were saying…”

“I know what you thought.” He interrupted.  “But we fight to defend people from Mexico, the states and Canada.  We don’t pick favorites, junior.” He retorted spitefully.

“Sorry, man.”  Jake defended.

Dom kept rubbing at his temples wishing he had something stronger than the over the counter pain relievers Jake had.  “How were you able to keep the aspirins with you?  Didn’t they take everything from you when they dumped you in here?”

“They let me keep my backpack.” He said.  “I had a few changes of clothes, the Tylenol and a paperback in it.  They took my wallet and passport, though.”

Dom nodded.  At least Jake had clothes to change into at one point or another.  “Book any good?”

Jake laughed.  “I’ve read it three times now.  There’s not
hing else to do in here but masturbate and read.”

“Okay.  Dude…TMI.” Dom objected.

“You asked.”

“I asked if the book was any good, not what you do once the lights go out.”

“Oh, I don’t wait for the lights to go out.”  Jake responded.  “They never do.  Same old gloom in here twenty-four-seven.  I have no idea if it’s day or night.”

Dom glanced at his wrist.  The bastards grabbed his watch again.  “Me neither.”  Dom said.  “But my guess would be that it was early morning when they dumped me in here.”

The two shared a silence for some time before Jake asked him, “Are we going to die in here Dominic?”

“Probably, Jake.”

The silence was palpable as they sat and listened to it grow.  After several more heartbeats, Jake said in a shaky voice, “I really don’t want to die, Dominic.”

“I know, Jake.” Dom said wearily.  “I know.”

*****

Rufus and Viktor stepped off of the boat and onto the docks.  After helping Natashia and Nadia to the dock and retrieving their bags, the quartet loaded into a black SUV and headed to the warehouse district.  Rufus needed to speak with Paul Foster b
efore they departed for the military base where Colonel Mitchell and his human hunters were preparing to meet the threat.

Foster needed to know that circumstances had changed, but really only the ‘
who’
that was behind the circumstances.  Thorn feared that Foster might try to back out on their agreement, but as long as his copy of the blood alliance was safe and sound, Foster could do whatever he wished with his and still be bound to it.  Thorn trusted Foster as far as he could throw the vampire…actually, he didn’t trust him
that
far, but he knew that he was honor bound to the blood alliance.  He could no more break the alliance than cut out his own heart.

The Black SUV came to a stop in front of a non-descript row of abandoned looking warehouses.  The only clue that they may be in use were two armed guards standing outside the front double doors.  The driver opened Thorn’s door and he stepped out, the guards immediately snapping to attention.  Apparently, they recognized their new leader by the call of his power, even if they had never met him. 

As Rufus approached the double doors, one of the guards saluted him with a fist across his chest, covering his heart, the other snapped to attention again and opened the door for their new master, saluting him in the same manner.  Thorn ignored both and entered the warehouse. 

As he walked between the double rows of tractor trailers, vampires and familiars alike bowed to their new master, some bending a knee to show their respect.  To some of the older vampires, Thorn gave a nod of recognition.  As he approached the offices in the rear of the warehouse, the guards at the door of Foster’s personal chamber snapped to attention.  The older of the two vampires addressed Thorn, “Master.  What brings us this honor?”

“Is Foster in?”  Thorn already knew the answer as he could feel the vampire in the room behind them.

“Of course, my lord.  He has ordered not to be disturbed, but for you, master…he
will
make an exception.” The edges of the guard’s mouth trying not to curve into a smile.

Rufus opened the door to find Paul feeding on a buxom Mexican woman, ravenously feeding from her large swinging breasts.  His fangs were sunk deep into her tissues and it was obvious that he had torn one to ribbons and was now working on the other one.  She was dazed and possibly drugged as she seemed to sit in his lap, naked and didn’t have a care in the world, her eyes almost glazed over.

“Am I interrupting you?” Rufus asked, his stomach almost turning at the sight of Foster’s piggish activities.

Foster turned quickly, the woman’s breast still stuck to his fangs.  He retracted his fangs and dumped her unceremoniously to the floor.  Standing, it became obvious that he had also been engaged in some form of sex with her while feeding, as he, too, was naked in the chair.  “Not at all, my king.” He said, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his arm.  “I was just having a little snack.” He said, a smile crossing his face as his eyes darkened.  He glanced down at his engorged manhood and raised an eyebrow.  “And a little fun.  You know me…I like to
play
with my food.”

“I see that.” Rufus responded stoically.  “I bring news b
efore my departure.”

“Departure?  Are you going to meet with the Beastia Co
nventio?” he asked.

“Non.  I go to the human hunters compound to di
scuss…military matters.” He said guardedly.

Foster’s curiosity was piqued.  “The hunters?  I would think that they would be a secondary force in our war against the L
amia Humanus.”

Rufus nodded.  “Normally, perhaps.  But things have changed somewhat.” He stepped further into Foster’s chambers and took Foster’s favorite chair.  Foster pulled up another chair and made no mention of Thorn taking his high backed throne.  “While negotiating with the hunters I was graced with an emi
ssary from the Sicarii.”  Rufus stated, allowing his words to sink in.  He watched Foster’s reaction carefully.  Foster had been licking some blood from his fingers until Rufus said ‘Sicarii’ and then froze. 

After a few moments he inhaled sharply, “You jest!” Foster all but yelled, a nervous smile crossing his bloody features.

“Non.” Rufus replied, his face stony.  “He came as a representative of the Sicarii and bearing a scroll conscripting me into service to his army of vampiri.”

“B-but the Sicarii is only a
myth
.” Foster argued.  “He’s not REAL!”

“You are wrong.” Rufus informed him.  “I thought the same, but the scroll was real, the seal was real and the conscript was official.”

“So…we are
all
conscripted into his service?  Why didn’t I feel the change in power?” he asked.

“Because I did not break the seal.” Rufus answered with an evil smile.  “I unfurled the scroll and left the seal intact.”

Paul’s brows gathered in confusion.  “Is that legal?  I mean…truly?  Is that all there is to it?”

“Truly.” Thorn answered.  “A very old vampire taught me that trick many centuries ago.”

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Paul mumbled.

“Oui.  We all are.  We
are
vampires, are we not?” he stated more than asked.  “But the fact still remains, that the Lamia Humanus may be behind the attacks and the war we were preparing to fight, but it is the Sicarii himself who is orchestrating the entire affair.”  Thorn allowed a moment for Foster to realize the ramifications of this knowledge.

“Oh, fuck.  We are screwed.  We are SO screwed!” he cried.  He covered his face in his bloody hands, he sucked in air deeply trying to prevent losing control.  “We need to back off, Rufus.  There is
no way
we can stand against him!  He can FORCE us to his bidding, you realize that, don’t you?”

“Non.”  Rufus stated flatly.  “We stick to the plan.” He said quietly.

“What?!  You cannot be serious?”  Paul all but screamed.  He stood up and began pacing.  “He can physically FORCE us into service, even without the scroll!  Rufus, for shit’s sake, he is the Father of
all
Vampires.  He could make us tear at each other while the rest of his army stand there and take bets!”

“Non.”  Rufus repeated.  “We have an accord with the h
umans and we shall…”

“Fuck the humans!” Paul shrieked.  “They’re FOOD!”

Rufus stood and a huge wave of power shot across the room, buckling Foster’s legs from beneath him, dropping him to the floor.  Rufus stood over him and stared down at the quivering vampire.  By taking control of Foster’s people, he had grown in power exponentially.  By being made leader of the Lamia Beastia, he had assumed their power as well.  Foster had never been in the presence of such power before and it sucked the air from his lungs.  “I said, ‘non’.” Thorn repeated again, quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.  “I gave the word of our army…I gave the word of the Lamia Beastia, I gave
my
word to the hunters that we would fight to the death against the Sicarii to prevent the Vampiri Apocalypto and it shall be so.” He whispered.

“Yes, my king.” Foster said, his head bowed, eyes to the floor.

“You will pull your people together and have them ready to assemble on my word.  I do not know yet what the humans have in mind, but I have a strong suspicion that we will meet the Sicarii on a common battlefield, rather than scatter our forces across the globe.  But whatever the case may be, I want
all
of the resources at my disposal ready when I call for them.  Do you understand?”

“Of course, my lord.”  Foster said.

“Good.  Now stand and see me away.” Foster stood on shaky legs and Rufus placed a robe across his shoulders.  Paul was still stunned by the display of power and failed to close the robe as he walked him across the warehouse and to the waiting SUV.  When they reached the door, Rufus turned to him again, “I do not know when I will return, or even if I will return.  I may well simply send word to meet me.  You will prepare our troops, oui?”

“Of course, my king.” Foster replied.  He grasped Thorn’s hand and kissed his ring.  Thorn touched his head then turned to leave.

Thorn stepped into the SUV and the driver shut his door for him.  As the SUV pulled away and headed to the airport Rufus turned to Viktor, “He’ll prepare his people for us.  They should be ready to move once we know the hunter’s plans.”

Viktor nodded.  “Are you sure that it’s wise to trust the h
umans?”