The Blood Order (Fanghunters Book Two) (9 page)

Vincent turned back to face Dom. "Voice recognition," he informed him.

Dom's eyes lit up. "Oh. Cool."

"Follow me," Vincent then said, before swinging the door fully open and stepping inside.

Intrigue rose inside Dom. This was like a secret room within the secret room.

Maybe it's where he keeps his lingerie!

Dom chuckled to himself. He entered the small compact room beyond and he stopped dead, the smile melting from his face. He stared in bemusement at all the shelving running from floor to ceiling that now surrounded him. Sitting on the shelves were small blocks of some kind of clear amalgam, like glass or something similar. Dom craned his neck forward to get a better look at what was encased within the amalgam. He flinched back. "Are they...?"

"Fangs. Yes," Vincent said with a solemn nod.

"Kinda creepy, huh?" Trixie said.

Dom gawked at them open-mouthed. There were hundreds upon hundreds of pairs of fangs on display, of all shapes and sizes like some kind of macabre exhibition at a museum of natural history. Dom whirled in a tight circle, overwhelmed by the number of them all just sitting there. A dizzying mix of fear and repulsion overcame him. He grabbed hold of Vincent's shoulder to steady himself, puffing his cheeks.

"Easy there," Vincent said.

"This is crazy!" Dom blurted.

"Well, you did ask how many I've killed."

"Yeah, but collecting their fangs? Why?"

Vincent let out a sigh as he gazed up at the nearest shelf. "They remind me of who I am. What I am. They'll stay with me forever." There was a mournful stare in his watery eyes that invoked sympathy inside Dom. This guy was obviously hurt from what he'd been doing all these years. Not only that, he was clearly slightly crazy, or eccentric, or both. Whichever way you wanted to look at it, his life had affected him in all kinds of ways.

"This is what we're up against," Vincent stated. "I want you to know what you're getting into. This is what the life is. This is what we've dedicated ourselves to."

Dom nodded to himself. The magnitude of the situation was fast sinking in. Death. It was about the death of one thing in order for another to flourish. And he couldn't lose sight of what he needed to do in order to stop others suffering the same fate as him: losing their families as well as years of their lives a slave to a creature of darkness. All of a sudden, the fangs surrounding him didn't appear so creepy; they actually now represented something positive. For every pair of fangs was another Dominic, another soul who hadn't fallen into the same trap. In that respect, it all made perfect sense.

He gave Vincent a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Thank you, Vincent," he said.

"It's okay, Dominic," Vincent replied, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Can we get out of here now, please?" Trixie then requested, making them both turn to face her. "This place freaks me out."

CHAPTER EIGHT

T
hey made their way to the back yard. Dom stood on the patio and admired the vast expanse of land surrounding him. Grass stretched into the distance where huge fir trees marked the perimeter. "You own all this?" he asked Vincent.

Vincent nodded. "Yes."

"Wow."

Vincent chuckled.

"Vampire hunting must really pay."

Vincent lowered his head and shook it. "No, no, no," he said with an ironic laugh. "Sun Enterprise allowed me to acquire all this. We've done very well over the years."

"Man, how many holy water darts did you sell to get all this?"

Vincent chuckled. "Clandestine technologies like holy water aren't publicly available. At Sun
,
we produce tech for the mainstream market, while performing our vampire hunting duties in the background."

"You mean to say it's a front?"

"You could say that. In fact, some departments within the organization are totally unaware of what others are doing. I find compartmentalization helps keep things quiet. Now come on, time is precious." He set off along the pathway intersecting the grass, which led to a squat building over to their left. On reaching it, he stopped by the door and turned back to face Dom. "This is the gymnasium," he informed him. "This is where Trixie spends most of her time."

"The gym?" Dom groaned. "Doesn't sound like fun to me."

"Well, I'm afraid we're going to have to get some meat on these bones of yours." Vincent pinched Dom's upper arm as he spoke.

"Hey, I got meat!" Dom retorted, almost sounding offended.

"Dominic, if you're going to avoid having your head pulverized by an irate vamp, you'll need more than what you've got. Things aren't what they used to be. Fangheads come in all shapes and sizes, as do vamps. You may find yourself in a situation where your brawn is what gets you out of trouble. Trixie here uses her nimble feet and athleticism to evade danger. As you'll be the one going into the belly of the beast, so to speak, you'll need some muscle on that wiry frame." He turned and opened the door, releasing an aroma of wooden floor and rubber laced with sweat, a familiar combination that for a moment sent Dom back to high school. But, back then he'd been more interested in the inside of the girl's locker room than the inside of the gym.

He sighed as they stepped through the small foyer and out into the gym area. Waiting there was the driver kid from the previous night. He was making easy work of climbing one of the ropes hanging from the ceiling. He looked down at them from his lofty position.

"Ah, Rufus." Vincent said, his voice echoing around the gym. "I see you're busy."

Rufus lowered himself down the rope and approached them all. On seeing Dom, he put out his hand. Dom took it and shook it.

"I believe you two met last night," Vincent said.

"Not properly," Dom stated.

"Ah. Well, Rufus meet Dom, Dom meet Rufus."

"How you doing?" Dom asked.

Rufus didn't respond. Instead, he smiled and nodded his head.

"Rufus isn't one for talking much," Trixie said.

Rufus gave her a peeved look.

Trixie shrugged. "What? It's true."

"True it may be, but he's very loyal," Vincent stated. "And his silence is golden," he declared.

Dom stared back at him
. Man, more weirdoes. Is everyone here a freak? I guess they are.

But then what does that make me?

He shivered at the thought.

Vincent patted Rufus on the shoulder. "Rufus here will help train you in one-on-one combat."

Dom grinned. "The karate kid!"

Vincent pointed at Dom. "Indeed! Rufus is adept in all forms of martial arts. I've trained him since he was knee
-
high to a grasshopper. He'll teach you the basics, which should be enough to help you deal with any physical encounters."

Rufus gave Dom an enthusiastic nod.

"Is he gonna be joining us out in the field?" Dom asked.

Vincent showed him his palms. "No!" he replied in an ardent manner. He then mellowed. "Rufus is a very loyal servant of mine. If anything happens to him, it would be a big loss to me personally."

Dom crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh
,
I get it. And if anything happens to me?"

Vincent grinned. "Nothing will happen to you, young man. You'll be so prepared, that nothing can possibly go wrong. Hunting vamps will be like a walk in the park. Trixie will have your back as well." He puffed up his chest. "But Rufus is a close aide of mine. His father was a very good friend and ally. I promised him before he died that no harm would come to Rufus and that I'd take good care of him. And I intend to fulfill that promise to the best of my ability."

Dom glanced at Rufus, who had lowered his head and was staring at the floor.

Dom nodded but wasn't a hundred percent sure. He got the distinct feeling that he wasn't getting the full story on the kid Rufus here.

But, then again, he seemed a good kid.

Just too damn quiet.

Dom thought he might be able to crack a joke with him. "So, I'm expendable, and you ain't, huh, buddy?" Dom said to him with a laugh, giving Rufus a pat on the shoulder.

Rufus just shrugged.

Trixie rolled her eyes.

Dom stopped laughing once he realized he was the only one. He cleared his throat, regaining his composure. "Well, just to let you know, I'm pretty handy with an empty bottle. If that helps."

Rufus then began making signs with his hands. Dom frowned in confusion.

"That's good to see, Rufus," Vincent said to him once he was done.

"What was that about?" Dom asked Trixie out of the side of his mouth.

"He says he's looking forward to getting to know you and training with you," Vincent then told him.

Dom grinned. "Yeah, you too, Roo," he said, pointing at him.

Vincent clapped his hands. "Well, that's excellent! Camaraderie at its finest, so pleasing to see. Rufus is also my personal driver. He will get you around town as and when you need him. He's also a handy in the kitchen."

"A man of many talents," Dom noted.

"Indeed he is." Vincent checked his watch. "Now, it's almost time for lunch."

"Already?" Dom asked. "I haven't even had breakfast."

"Well, then we'll call it brunch for today. I have some other things to take care of, but Trixie and Rufus will look after you from here. Won't you?" Vincent glanced at Trixie.

"Oh sure, Daddy," she replied with a faux grin.

"Good. Now, Trixie has some leads on vamps that are loitering down south, so you'll find yourself on the job pretty quick, Dom. So, get ready for it. Any questions?"

"Yeah. Where's the bathroom?"

Trixie rolled her eyes. Vincent laughed. Rufus just stared on, not saying a word.

CHAPTER NINE

R
ufus stood between Dom and Trixie, who were facing off. The kid raised his hand in the air. Dom winked at Trixie; she curled her top lip back in response. Rufus then brought his hand down in a karate chop, and then stepped back.

Dom sucked in a quick lungful of air. Before he had a chance to release it, Trixie was on him. She went straight into a forward handspring, flipping across the training mat like a wind-up toy. All Dom saw was a spandex-clad blur rushing toward him like an unstoppable typhoon. His head darted left and right; his instincts told him to dodge, roll, move. Do something! Anything!

Trixie thundered up to him. He was rooted. He watched on, helpless as she flipped over, the backs of her legs coming down above his head. Before he could react, Trixie caught his throat between her thighs while on her way down. Dom let out an
ug!
just as he instinctively grabbed hold of them. Trixie's momentum sent him down. His back hit the mat with a thud, Trixie coming down on top of him, her butt landing on his chest. He struggled to release himself from her grip, but it was no use; it was like being caught in the pincers of a giant lobster.

Give it up, Dom,
he thought to himself.
She's got ya!

He flopped back. "Okay, I give in," he said. She didn't release her grip.

"Hey, on second thoughts I quite like this," Dom said, squeezing out a grin
.
"Keep going."

She clenched her thigh muscles, and then he couldn't breathe. "Okay... Maybe not so much now," he managed, beneath the pressure, his head ballooning with trapped blood. "You... can... stop... now..."

She growled before finally releasing him from her vise-like grip and rolling away.

Dom collapsed back, his chest heaving. "Man, I'll never wash this neck again," he said, gently rubbing it better.

Trixie leaped to her feet. "If you're not gonna take this seriously then there's no point in continuing," she said, dusting her hands.

Dom frowned. He used his elbows to prop himself up. "Hey! I take this deadly serious. I just don't feel comfortable fighting a chick, okay? If I hurt you, I'll feel bad."

Trixie titled her head back and laughed. "You? Hurt me? That's a good one, Jack."

"The name's Dom, doll. I don't know who this Jack is you keep referring to. Maybe he ditched you for someone else?"

Her smile vanished; her face turned as dark as thunderclouds. "Hey, don't make jibes about stuff you know nothing about."

A wicked grin spread across Dom's face. "
Sooo
, I'm hitting a nerve, huh? That's good, that's real good. Means I'm onto something."

"The only thing you're on is your ass. After you were floored by a
chick
." Dom's wicked grin was now matched by the wicked gleam in Trixie's eye. "Now, are you gonna put up a decent fight, or are we calling it a day?"

Dom got back up to his feet and arched his back. "You know, maybe I should take on Rufus." He turned to face him. "What do you say, Roo? How about me and you go toe-to-toe?"