Moonlight Calls (Demon's Call Series Book 1) (36 page)

I stiffened as I
saw Dominic and his henchmen watching from the doorway.  A curtain twitched
over one of the windows on this side of the mansion, and I knew Argenou was
watching.  She wasn’t really angry with me.  It was all just a show. 
More
fucking politics and mind games.

With a resigned
sigh, I stopped struggling.  “Alright,” I said between clenched teeth.  “Let me
go.”

I jerked in
surprise when she clutched me harder and sank her teeth into my neck.  A wash
of pain and pleasure surged over me, but my anger was stronger.  I worked my
arms between us and shoved her as hard as I could.  It was like trying to move
a brick wall.  I could get her off me if I used my powers, but that would
likely get one of us killed.  Resigned, I let my head fall back against the car
with a thump.

Sensing my
surrender, Ailis released me.  I put a hand over the slow trickle of blood from
my throat and looked to see Dominic watching with his eyes completely lost in
silver. 
Swell, a vampire voyeur.  
I rolled my eyes and gave him and
ugly look.  The corner of his mouth pulled up, ever so slightly, before he
turned and walked away.  No doubt, he was off to inform master that the uppity
human had been punished.  With a tremendous effort, I resisted the urge to give
the whole house the finger.

Ailis started
the car and I jerked my door open and threw myself inside, seething.  “What is
it with vampires and mind games?”  I groused.

Ailis let out a
sigh.  “It’s just how things are Mya,” she said tiredly.  “I admire your
courage, but if I didn’t punish you for your gall then someone else would
have.”  I flushed at the thought of being “punished” by Dominic then shuddered
at the thought of the serial killer twins teaching me a lesson.

“Fine,” I said
sullenly.  “But don’t expect me to play the part without a fight.”

She only nodded
in agreement.  “If you didn’t fight, it wouldn’t look real.  Everyone knows how
stubborn and hot tempered you are.”  Now she was laughing at me.

Surprisingly, it
turned out that Dominic and I won the battle of wills with Ailis and
Christian.  They agreed that I could come along since they needed me as radar,
but only if I stayed completely out of harm’s way.  That explained how I had
ended up in a dive-bar on the other side of town from the warehouse the three of
them had come to raid.  I repressed a shiver as I was reminded once again how
completely ignorant humans were about what went on around us every day.  I
wished, not for the first time, that I could be that blissfully unaware once
more.

When I said goodbye
to my three companions in the parking lot, I was the only human who was aware
that Christian’s long leather duster hid an arsenal that would bring down a
herd of elephants, or that the bulges under Ailis’s sweater weren’t just a few
extra pounds, but a pair handguns.  I twirled my finger around the lip of my
margarita glass as I decided that the most interesting of the bunch was the
pair of gleaming katanas Dominic carried.  They crisscrossed his back, the
hilts barely protruding past the upturned collar of his long coat.  I still
wondered how he intended to draw them without cutting off his own head.  It
would be a sight to see.

I sipped my
drink and made a sour face at myself in the mirror that hung behind the bar. 
It was dim and comfortable here and I was surrounded by a herd of other humans,
thus making me harder to target- if that was indeed on anyone’s agenda.  I felt
like a mutt, sitting around and waiting for master to return.  I could pretend
to be mad at them for leaving me here but the truth was, I really didn’t want
to see what they were going to do to the creep once they found him.  Or what he
had already done to the remaining children, for that matter.

A knot of
anxiety had been steadily growing in my stomach since they drove away.  At
first, I thought it was just worry, but it was only getting worse and I was
starting to have a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I might be
slow, but I was learning about this whole supernatural ability thing. 
Something was wrong.

I took another
gulp of the sour drink, licking the salt off the rim absently, and then shot a
warning look at the guy at the end of the bar.  I gave him the cold shoulder
and sighed.  If something had gone wrong, what in the world could
I
possibly do?  I rolled my shoulders, trying to relieve the tension there.  They
had only been gone about fifteen minutes, barely long enough to get to the
warehouse, let alone get into any sort of trouble.

I raised my
glass to take another sip, sloshing it all over my hand when a voice spoke
inside my head.  It was nothing like when Christian spoke to me
telepathically.  This was an invasion.  It was cold and dark, and dripping with
evil intent, and it left me feeling unclean.  I couldn’t ignore what it said
though. 

Moved...gone.

I set my drink
down and began to mop up the mess with a pile of napkins, my hands shaking like
mad.  I didn’t know who or what was in my mind, but it was pure evil.  I had
never been so sure of anything in my life.  However, something was telling me
to listen.  God, maybe this was it.  I had finally cracked and I was going
completely insane.

The bartender
made his way to my end of the bar with a wet towel.  He gave me a wary look as
he wiped up my mess.  He eyed me for a moment before asking, “Are you feeling
okay, ma’am?”

I plastered a
smile on my face and nodded. 
Ma’am
?  “I’m fine.  I think I just need
some water.”

He nodded as if
this was the best idea he’d heard all day and bent behind the bar to get me a
bottled water.  “You didn’t drive yourself here, did you?” he asked slowly.  At
my negative shake of the head he headed away to serve the other patrons,
leaving the crazy drunk lady alone with her mental problems.

He is not there now.
 He moved. 
The
evil voice rasped inside my skull again, making my eyes hurt.  The words-or
thoughts- seemed slow and difficult, as if whatever it was didn’t usually
speak. 
I protect him from the vampires and the men who are beasts
.  
But
not you.  He did not know about you.

 
I focused my
thoughts inward and tried my best to communicate. 
Who are you?  What do you
want?
  There was silence inside my head for a long while, and then it
replied.

He summoned me.  I
want... free.

Okay.  I may be
a little slow, but this could not be good.  Whatever it was that was shielding
the vampire wanted him to be killed so he wouldn’t control it anymore.  There
were so many things wrong with this picture.  I didn’t know who or what I was
dealing with.  I didn’t even know if it was telling the truth.  However, if I
ignored it they would never find the vampire, and one more little girl might
die.  I knew I was being stupid, but I just couldn’t have a child’s death on my
conscience.

I pulled my cell
phone out of my jeans pocket and called Ailis.  She didn’t answer, and I swore
aloud.  A drunk blonde with fake boobs a few stools down looked at me in
surprise, trying hard to get her eyes to focus.  I plopped a wad of bills on
the bar to pay for my drink and headed for the bathroom, hoping for a little
privacy in which to call my vampire and my werewolf.  When the man who had been
making eyes at me approached, I pointed him in the direction of miss barfly
USA.  “She looks lonely…
and easy,”
I whispered in his ear before giving
him a shove.  His confusion turned to a grin as he noticed her cleavage and I
shook my head in disbelief.

Humans are so
disgusting,
I though sourly.  Then I wondered just when I had stopped thinking of myself as
human.  When this was all over, I was going to see a really good shrink.  I
could just see it now.  I wondered how long it would take the good doctor to
phone the loony bin and have me taken away.  Maybe some really good meds would
help this whole thing just disappear.  I thought of John, my old patient at the
hospital, and shuddered.  If only I had known.  Not that I could have done
anything to help him.  But maybe having someone understand that he wasn’t
delusional would have been some comfort to him.

Heaving a sigh,
I pushed open the door to the ladies room and checked under all the stalls
before dialing Ailis again.  I leaned against the door, blocking it in case
anyone should decide to use the facilities.  Someone knocked and I moaned
loudly, “Go away!”  I followed this up with an exaggerated gagging sound for
effect.  The knocking stopped abruptly and I hit the call button.  It went
straight to voice mail.  Damn it.  She must have her phone turned off so it
wouldn’t give her away if it went off suddenly.  I left her a brief message and
hung up.

Making up my
mind, I stuffed my phone back into my jeans pocket.  I hadn’t brought a purse,
so I was traveling light.  All I had on me was some money and my I.D.  I didn’t
know what I was going to do, but I was determined I would not just sit here
doing nothing.  Supernatural creatures weren’t the only ones who could be
stubborn.  I was supposed to have all these damned powers.  I might as well try
to put them to some use.  It was just one measly little psycho vampire after
all.

I made my way
through the crowded bar and out the back door.  Once I was in the dark parking
lot and away from the loud atmosphere, I closed my eyes and attempted to clear
my mind.  I hoped that whatever had been talking to me had gone.  I didn’t want
to open myself up to something that foul.  I didn’t know if this would work
without a map.  I sent a brief prayer upward to whatever Gods were watching. 
Then I opened my mind and looked for the vampire.

I felt him
almost immediately.  The despair and sadness weren’t far away, and they should
have been if he was still at the on the other side of town.  I turned in a slow
circle, trying to get my bearings.  I slowly established the direction where
the feelings were the strongest and began to walk.  As I went, the link grew
stronger and I broke into a jog.  The night was humid and sweat was beginning
to run down the groove of my spine.

I felt
overwhelmed by the emotions bombarding me and I snapped my link to them
suddenly, leaving me with a pounding headache.  I didn’t need to hone in on him
anymore.  I knew where he was.  The only building on this street was an old
stone church, its stained glass windows long ago broken and boarded up.  How
appropriate.

I took out my
cell phone, intending to call Ailis and tell her where I was.  I groaned in
irritation when I saw the complete absence of service.  I made a mental note to
change cell phone carriers if I survived the night, then I closed my eyes and
tried to send a message to Christian.  I didn’t know how his telepathy worked,
but he had seemed to be able to hear my pleas when I was kidnapped.  Maybe I
could do it now too.  I focused my thoughts on him and repeated the same
thought, over, and over-
he moved, church.
  The church would be easy to
find from the bar.  It was the only one in the area, though there was a bar on
every corner.  Taking a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and headed toward
the feeling of madness.

I crept along to
the front door in a state of absolute terror, jumping at every sound.  I
whirled around twice, my heart in my throat, thinking I was being attacked,
only to realize that it was just the movement of a shadow cast by the big trees
lining the street.

I reached the
massive wooden doors without incident.  Pushing them wide, I took a breath and
stepped inside.  I staggered back the moment I entered.  I didn’t need
supernatural powers to smell death.  It rose up like a choking cloud, making me
lightheaded.

I stumbled over
something in the entryway, falling to my hands and knees.  I registered the
feel of cold, dead flesh and my hands landed in a sticky puddle as I scrambled
away.  Standing, I wiped them furiously on my pants.  I paused, waiting for my
eyes to adjust to the darker interior of the church, trying really hard not to
breathe through my nose, or vomit.  There was a soft glow coming from deeper
inside and I followed it.  I had no idea what I was going to do if I found him,
but I was here now.  No turning back.

I quietly
stepped into the sanctuary.  It was lit by dozens of candles all lined up in
neat rows beneath the disfigured statue of Christ on the cross that graced the
altar.  A space had been cleared near the front of the church, pews ripped from
the floor and tossed into a pile in the corner.  The space they had occupied
was now filled with a large cot and an old dilapidated chase lounge.

The vampire was
sitting on the chase with the little girl in his arms.  He didn’t look up from
feeding as I entered the room, though he undoubtedly knew I was there.  I took
another step forward, keeping my eyes on him.

“Let her go,” I
said loudly.  I was hoping to sound commanding, but my voice wavered a bit.

I was surprised
when he actually did as he was told, and let the little body slip to the
floor.  Blood trickled from her throat as she lay inert and pale on the
hardwood floor, and anger crept though my veins.

“I’m surprised
the humans figured it out so soon,” he said caustically as he slowly approached
me.  I sized him up, knowing even as I did so that it was pointless.  He was a
medium sized man with a skinny build and long light brown hair.  He could have
been a girl scout for all it mattered.  He was still a vampire and I was no
match for his strength, whatever his build.  His murky eyes looked wrong.  They
lacked the usual glittering sharpness of the vampires I had met.