Jim checked his watch for the second time since leaving the loft. Five years ago, heck, two years ago, if anyone had told him he’d be out at close to three A.M. chasing vampires he would’ve told them they were crazy. Course, if someone had said he’d be hypnotized by a beautiful vampire intent on making him her slave, he would’ve called the mental hospital on the spot. Yet, here he was, almost three o’clock in the morning and he was standing in front of Club Doom, arguing with Bram and Blair on why he had every right to go into that club. Alecia had thankfully taken up his side. Adrian wasn’t saying much of anything on the subject.

Bram and Blair had both hit it home to him that he wasn’t the club going type. He was too big, too old, and too menacing. He pointed out that he wasn’t nearly as menacing as the bouncer that stood on the lookout for trouble in the doorway.

“It’ll ruin our cover,” Bram argued. “The vampires will know something’s up the moment they see you.”

Hearing this kind of talk really was making him paranoid. Over in the shadows, hidden behind the stairway that led to the club’s entrance, were two figures he could barely make out, even with his heightened eyesight. He was almost positive they were checking out him and his argumentative bunch. Drug dealers maybe, he thought. But that wasn’t why he was here. The drugs could wait until later.

“The more we have inside the club,” Alecia said, “the easier it is for us. If they spot us, oh well. They’re young and apt to make a dumb mistake or two.”

Well said, he decided. Blair’s face was knit in concentration, seriously taking in her words and probably coming to the conclusion that she had a good point. Bram, on the other hand, was frowning. He didn’t like being beat.

“Fine,” he muttered. “He goes in.” Then loudly, “But I don’t want to hear any crying if something happens because of it.”

Alecia rolled her eyes. There was a light-heartedness between them that had been missing for too long. Despite Bram’s properly chastised expression, there was a delight that was unmistakable. Bickering with Alecia was one of the dear things Bram had missed.

They paid their way into the club. Jim received a few skeptical glances, but was, for the most part, ignored. Stepping into Club Doom in the middle of the night was like stepping into a completely different universe. The first thing Jim was assaulted with was sound. The live band on stage was going full swing with some unidentifiable mess that was supposed to pass for music. The kids on the floor were obviously enjoying it immensely. How or why, Jim couldn’t fathom. Sight was the next to strike. Bright lights flashed everywhere in an array of colors, spinning around upon the otherwise obscured dancers. The only other lights in the establishment were the overhead lights on stage and the weaker lights at the bar. Smell was the last to wash over him, but by far the most potent. Not only was there the evil stench of body odor (didn’t these kids know enough about personal hygiene to wear deodorant?), but there was also the overwhelming bite of drugs in all the many wonderful shapes and flavors they were abused in.

It was a Sentinel’s worst nightmare.

A calming tough feathered across his back, a familiar hand, warm and comforting to the touch, and a soothing, rich voice whispered in his ear, “Turn it down, Jim. I know this is too much for you.”

He nodded. It was. But as long as he had Blair beside him, he could easily manage it. He pictured the imaginary dials and cranked his senses down a few notches where his sensory activity wouldn’t be plagued, but his special abilities would be of some use to the others.

To be heard over the cacophony of the music and crowd, Alecia shouted, “We have to stick together!”

The others nodded their agreement and together they slipped through the mob. There were more people than Jim thought could possibly cram into one space and still be able to move. Not that they were really moving. It was more like a steady creep that was frequently hindered by an overzealous dancer. Blair and Adrian had already gotten ahead of them enough that Jim had to use his sentinel hearing to keep track of them. It was giving him a headache though. A hand gripped the back of his shirt. Without turning around he knew it was Alecia. Adrian and Blair were getting farther and farther away and he had to strain his senses to keep track of them, building his headache into the first stages of a migraine. He opened his mouth to yell for them when the hand holding his shirt tugged.

“Detective Ellison.” He turned to look down at Alecia. “Bram’s missing.”

He frowned. Great. Just great.

“We need to find him.”

“We’ll lose Adrian and Blair,” he said.

“We can’t leave Bram alone,” she protested. “He’ll make trouble for himself. He doesn’t even need vampires to do that.”

He sighed. Here was the crux. Either he tried to catch up with Blair and Adrian or he let Alecia try to find Bram on her own. It was quite simple really. He had heightened senses; she didn’t. After finding Bram he’d have an easier time finding Adrian and Blair than she would. He nodded at her.

“Okay,” he said. “Let’s try to find him.”

In the maze of people, lights, and sound it seemed nearly impossible to get a grip long enough to focus his hearing on Bram. Bram’s voice came to him sounding like it was being played through an old phonograph. Still, he could hear him enough to know something bad was up. He waggled his finger in a ‘follow me’ gesture and he fought against the crowd as he listened to the conversation taking place, melting a freezing pool in his gut.

“I’m from Ohio.”

“Ohio!” Sweet, feminine laughter. “Why such a long distance, sweetie? Got someone special here you’re seeing?”

“No.” Shut up, Bram. Shut up, shut up, shut up. “It’s business actually. I’m here with two of my friends.”

“Business with two of your friends?” The question was designed to sound casual and teasing, but there was a chill undercurrent of suspicion. “All the way in Cascade, Washington?”

“Well, two of our friends needed our help. All of them are here tonight.” Then, as an afterthought: “Would you like to meet them?”

“That’s quite all right, sweetness. But I’m very curious to know what kind of business you’re involved in.”

Oh shit. Jim grabbed Alecia’s hand to hurry her along without losing contact in the crowd. He knew what was happening. The woman Bram was with was one of their vampires. Somehow she had figured out what he was.

And he was telling her everything she wanted to know.

“We’re professionals . . .”

Jim caught sight of him, shorter than most of the surrounding crowd, but there, sure enough, talking to a beautiful young woman with long blonde hair and a Victorian face.

“Bram!”

The throng was too loud and he didn’t think anyone as far away as they were would be able to hear him. Yet the vampire’s head whipped around in his direction, her gaze locking on his. She turned back to Bram.

“Sweetie, why don’t you and I go out for a walk? I’d like to take you with me and show you a good time.” She tugged on his hand, but he resisted. She grimaced, apparently not used to people being able to match her physical strength.

“No,” Bram protested. “I can’t. My friends . . .”

Jim pushed through the crowd, his grip on Alecia loosening. She latched back onto his shirt as she’d done before, just as determined as he to not get separated. The vampire leaned into Bram and kissed him sensually, enough to take his breath away. His eyes glazed over.

“Please, sweetness. It’ll be fun,” she coaxed.

He nodded dully. He trailed behind her like a lost puppy and Jim soon lost sight of them.

“They’re leaving the building!” he yelled back at Alecia. Her grip on his shirt tightened. They chased after them, exiting the building only to find nothing, but a few loiterers.

“Where are they, where are they,” he muttered.

Alecia placed a hand on his shoulder, as Blair would do in a situation like this. The big difference here though wasn’t the person, but what the person knew. Alecia didn’t know he was a Sentinel, therefore wasn’t aware he actually had the ability to track Bram down without any help.

“It’s okay,” she said. “We can still find them.”

He raised a silencing finger. Her brow wrinkled, but she said nothing. Down the sidewalk, gaining distance, he heard the lilting laughter of their woman. He waved in another ‘follow me’ sign and took off running. He didn’t know if Alecia would be able to keep up with him, but he had learned from their last vampire encounter that these young people were chock-full of surprises.

Bram was being led far from the excitement of Club Doom.

“What’s your name?” Bram asked, sounding a bit overwhelmed.

“Inez.” Jim could hear the demon’s smile. “I have some friends of my own. We’d like to get to know you personally. You up for a little gang bang, sweetness?”

“No . . .” Like he was drugged.

Jim gritted his teeth. Not much farther. Just a little more. Cloth ripped and there was a small protest from Bram, an insistent murmur from Inez, then a shout followed by what sounded like someone getting punched, and an outraged scream.

“No means no,” Bram said coldly. “Don’t you ever try that hypnotizing crap on me again.”

“Oh no, little boy.” This was a new player--deep, masculine, and rough. “I don’t think you’d better be pulling that crap on her again.”

There was a whispered “shit” from Bram, and then Jim rounded the corner of the alley, Alecia fast on his heels. He stopped short, Alecia running into him hard enough to stagger him. She caught him as he stumbled forward, balancing him. That’s when she saw what he had seen.

Bram’s back was pressed against the wall, lips set paper-thin, jaw jutted out stubbornly, eyes daring anyone to try and take him on. His t-shirt was torn, the cloth flapped down to reveal part of his muscled chest and abdomen, rising with gasps of air.

“Don’t worry, Saber,” Inez said, eyes gleaming madly. “Sweetness here is mine.”

Behind her was a man, unshaven and unkempt, a blazing scar trailing over one eye that appeared to be blind. Four others semi-circled around them. Jim didn’t recognize those, but he did recognize Inez and Saber. They were the demons in the pencil sketches. Adrian’s subordinates. Yet, right here and now, they didn’t look like subordinates. They looked like vampires on a rampage.

“Bitch, I don’t think so.” Alecia stepped forward, ramrod straight, all of her brave glory shining like a halo, as if it were truly a visible thing.

Everyone in the alley turned to her, all wearing matching expressions of astonishment. Bram appeared to be relieved beyond all measure. Jim couldn’t blame him and if it had been any other circumstances than these, he might have even found it comical.

“About time you guys showed up,” Bram said weakly. “How’d you like to join us for a little gang bang?”

Alecia strode towards them, the halo still hovering around her, not visible maybe, but definitely there. The infant vampires backed up and Jim could tell they didn’t know why they should be backing away from this female mortal. After all, they were gods. Jim stayed right behind her. He didn’t know what to expect, after all it wasn’t like he’d ever actually had fisticuffs with the undead before; but he was sure that when he looked back on this twenty years from now, it would be one of the more notable times of his life.

Later on he would not be able to recount it accurately. He wasn’t sure exactly who started the fight, but if he’d had to bet on it, he was sure it was probably Bram. What he would be able to remember was how fast and furious it was and thinking just how hard those kids’ job really was. He’d taken on more than one person before and always come out victorious, though usually bruised and scraped up. With the two he had coming at him now, a man and a woman, he was sure that one wrong move could get him decapitated.

Somehow he managed to snap the man’s neck with little more than a few scratches to his face and a rip in his shirt, but before he even had a chance to round on the woman, she had rocked him back with a powerful blow to the face. Blood spurted from his nose, gushing along his mouth and dribbling in, tasting like liquid copper. He fell to the ground and tried struggling to his feet, but was knocked by another powerful blow. This all delivered by the same woman, slender and petite, but packing the punch of a heavyweight champ on the best day of his career. Her eyes were glowing vivid red, teeth baring razor fangs. She shrieked like a banshee and dove for his neck, mouth opened, canines ready to clamp down on a late night snack. He slammed her back with a fist to the jaw, felling her with that one swing. But it wasn’t enough to keep her down. He pounced on her, all of his training from the days of Covert Ops kicking into high gear. With one swift move he grasped one hand in her hair, the other on the side of her face. He twisted. There was a crack, like that of brittle wood, then she collapsed to the ground, dead.

With a groan he clambered to his feet and he saw the two remaining vampires as he did. He never even had the chance to get all the way to his feet or move to help. Inez had Bram cornered and one strong swing to the face slammed him into the wall. He nearly slid down, but she grasped the back of his neck in one hand. She drew him to her, the spider drawing in its paralyzed prey. Then there was Saber and it happened so fast, what he did, that it seemed to go by in a blur. He had Alecia by the arm, and with a mighty heave, threw her into the wall. Her feet hit the ground, but her legs wouldn’t support her. He caught her by the back of the head before she could drop. Before Jim’s stunned eyes, he bashed her face into the wall. There was a sickening crunch and red spurted across the brick wall, oozing down. There was a lot of blood, too much for one person.

Jim did it instinctively, without even thinking about it. He whipped out his gun and fired at first Saber, then Inez. He fired, alternating between the two, feeling a fierce satisfaction as both jerked with each bullet that ripped through them. When the bullets were spent he took the few steps to grab Saber, blood spewing from the bullet wounds in ghastly amounts, a virtual bloodbath, and wrenched his neck, wishing he could rip off his head instead. Inez had recovered enough to stumble towards him, intent on killing the man who had dared to try and kill her with a frivolous weapon such as a gun. But James Ellison didn’t need a gun to kill anyone. He could’ve told her that before the chaos started. He knew just as well how to kill a person with his bare hands, or a vampire in this matter. In this case, it was a simple matter of snapping the neck, just as he'd done to Saber, just as he had done to the two previous vampires.

When it was over, he checked on Bram who was still standing, if somewhat woozy. Bram waved him off. He was less concerned for himself and more concerned for Alecia. Both pairs of eyes fell on the still body. Jim could hear her heart beating, but it was faint and irregular. She had just received massive trauma to her head. If they didn’t get her to the hospital immediately, superhuman abilities or not, she was not going to make it.

“We’ve got to call the ambulance,” Jim said, as both walked over to where she lay on her side, one arm hiding the extent of damage to her face. He didn’t want to move her, nor did he want to see what Saber had done to her. The sickening crunch as her face was bashed into the wall still resounded through his mind.

“Oh God,” Bram exclaimed. He fell to his knees beside his friend’s crumpled form, a tear creeping along the outer rim of his bottom lash to slip past and slide along his cheek. He wiped at it, probably not even aware he was doing so. “I did this.”

Jim pulled out his phone. He needed to first contact 911, then try to console his friend. The call was quick and simple. He tucked it away and reached for Bram. He was shrugged off angrily.

“Dammit, I don’t need your sympathy, Ellison. This is my fault and you damned well know it,” he ground out as new tears tracked along his face. He was sniffling now, nose running, too, but he wasn’t even trying to swipe at it anymore. His hands were too busy running along the unmoving body of Alecia, one of his best friends. One of the people he couldn’t live without. “I let her control me, man. She used me and I told her you guys were there. She knew all along, man. She had to’ve known. If she brought me out here she’d at least get a few of you along with me. Then they’d have less vampire hunters to worry about.”

Then it hit Jim, solid as a sledgehammer. “Has this ever happened before? Have vampires ever made you guys out?”

Bram frowned. “Adrian . . . never me and Alecia. I guess we don’t carry that special something that draws vampires.”

“Then why did she go to you?”

Bram sniffed, glancing down at Alecia’s unconscious figure. “I don’t know. It’s never happened before . . .” He trailed off, letting the uncertainty linger.

Jim knew right then that things had gone catastrophically wrong. Inez and Saber may have not succeeded in killing them, and they may have lost their lives over it, but one thing had been accomplished: their team had been broken apart--severely. And there were two more vampires left.

Those were the ones Adrian had said were the most dangerous.

~*~

Blair whirled around. There was nothing but people everywhere. It was stifling enough to make the bravest person claustrophobic. Somehow, somewhere along the line, he and Adrian had lost the others. He grabbed Adrian's arm, spinning him around.

“We've lost them,” Blair said, having to lean close to be heard over the blaring music.

Adrian's eyes widened. “You're kidding me.”

Blair shook his head. “It must be the crowd. We'd better go back and look for them.”

Adrian nodded, eyes scanning his surroundings. They fought their way through the crowd, pushing past the dancers who didn't even give them a first glance. Adrian bumped into Blair as someone knocked against him. He splayed his hand across Blair's back to steady himself.

Adrian yelled towards Blair, “The vampires couldn't have picked another day to come to this club?”

Blair grinned at Adrian. “You're telling me you've never gone through a setting like this before?”

“Not this crowded!” Adrian exclaimed. “Is it usually this bad?”

“Beats me.” Blair threw his hands up.

A slender passage was opened through the mob. Blair motioned Adrian to hurry so they could get through it. He froze in his tracks. Standing in a space, surrounded by a wall of people that seemed to subconsciously know not to get too close, was their sadistic Asian demoness. She was staring directly at them. Blair thought he would die of a heart attack right then and there if it wasn't for Adrian's solid grip and reassuring murmur in his ear.

“Don't look at her. We're going to go the other way and get out of here. If she's spotted us that only means things aren't going to work out so well.”

“Jacoah!” she bellowed, heard easily over the raging music. There was only a slight reaction from the crowd. Two or three people glanced at her, but the majority were too wrapped up in the strains of the roaring music.

Blair turned to Adrian. “He must be your Rob Lowe look alike.”

Adrian nodded anxiously. “Yeah. Not a good thing. Let's go.”

She moved after them, gliding through the mob effortlessly. Blair chanced the one last glance and with Adrian's steady reassurance behind him, dove through the crowd. The fight to get anywhere in this mess was pouring sweat down his face and back. Sweat trickled into his eyes, stinging them. He wiped at it, unconsciously. Adrian pointed ahead of them. There was an exit sign. If they could get out of here they might even have a chance of surviving the night. If either one of those vampires caught them, who knew what could happen. Whatever did happen, it wouldn't be anything good.

The door lay ahead, the exit sign's glow a beckoning haven. Adrian gave Blair a push as it came into view. Blair didn’t turn around; the urgency he felt, and which radiated from Adrian, kept him heading toward the door, and escape. He didn't want to see if their pursuers were anywhere close. What he could already tell, from the prickling along his spine, was that they were too close for comfort. Once they got out of Club Doom, they could get in his car and take off. After that, he didn't know what they'd do with Jim, Alecia, and Bram still here. There was nothing either of them could do, though, if the vampires caught up. It didn't seem to be a problem. They threw the door open and dashed outside. There were only a few loiterers; most people weren't wasting time getting to their vehicles.

“We're going to make it,” Blair huffed as they ran down the sidewalk. He couldn't hear anything behind them, but the fear still chilled his gut. He would not feel safe until he got in his car and had the engine started.

"I think you're right," Adrian said, sounding out of breath.

The Volvo was parked farther from the building than the cars of most of the club-goers. At the time it had seemed like a good idea to remain inconspicuous. Now, there was no one close by to call for help if something happened. He pulled out his keys, which reminded him of his cell phone he had brought into the club. As soon as they got into the car he would have to call Jim and let them know what happened. He cautioned a quick look behind and saw no one in pursuit. There was a small twinge of relief as he unlocked first Adrian's door, then his own. They slid in, both automatically locking their doors.

“I don't see them,” Blair said, as he pulled out his cell phone with one hand and fumbled to insert his keys in the ignition with the other.

Adrian glanced anxiously around the deserted walkway. “I don't--"

The phone rang. A startling crunch, then glass sprayed everywhere. Blair flinched away as a hand shot through the now open window frame. The phone and his keys fell from his hands as he attempted to wrench the grasping hands from him. He heard Adrian yell out. A grotesque creaking of metal, then the passenger's door was ripped free from its hinges. Adrian leaped from the car at his attacker. That was the last Blair saw before the hands got their grip and he was yanked through the now empty window frame. He shouted for help, still struggling. The hands were too powerful. As his legs slipped from the car he got his first good look at the person who had just smashed the window out bare-handed.

He didn't know where it came from, but as their eyes met it came to his lips like a prayer. Or a curse. “Chandra.”

She grinned, a mix of pleasure and malice. “You saw my name. That makes things all the more interesting.” She spun him around and he almost lost his balance. He felt her hands slide up his body, along his chest and he was pulled to her. He lunged against her arms. They were like steel belts. “I saw you and I knew. You're the one I want.”

In the shadows he heard the sound of fist striking flesh and knew Adrian had been on the receiving end. He wrenched against her unflinching hold, having no luck. Jacoah moved around the car, carrying Adrian's limp form in his arms like a sleeping child. Blair's stomach churned, his determination evaporating.

“I've got him,” Jacoah said. “He won't be a problem for a while.”

“Good,” she purred. “Neither will he.”

A sharp pain lanced through his temple. He could still hear the phone ringing as everything blurred into a fuzzy gray, then vanished into blackness.

Sirens cut the night air. He had listened to them for a few minutes before Bram acknowledged them. The vampire bodies had disintegrated into dust, a marvel he paid little attention to. He and Bram had tended to Alecia, who was in a very bad way. Chances were she would need plastic surgery. Her face was coated in dripping red, like a demented clown. He wouldn't chance skimming her face with his fingers. Her nose was crushed, he could make out the faint bruising around her eyes, knowing that by tomorrow it would be a ghastly black and purple. One of her teeth had been knocked loose, a few more chipped and her cheekbones had most likely shattered. The crunching sound, like an overripe melon being smashed, once again flitted through his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to chase the horrid images from invading his thoughts again.

Bram was the hardest to deal with. The kid's initial reaction was to try and gather Alecia in his arms. When Jim had held him back, Bram blew up. Bram had taken a swing at him without even thinking about it. Finally, Jim had pinned Bram's arms to his side long enough to get the kid settled down. He let him go, but Bram was still pissed and stalked off to the other side of the alley just as the ambulance and police car pulled up. Jim watched Bram apprehensively. There were two more vampires out there and he didn't know when, where, and who they might attack next.

Two police officers approached him as the medics rushed to Alecia's side, two carrying a gurney. Jim showed the officers his badge and told them she had been mugged and he was handling the investigation himself. The officers appeared unconvinced, but after some more fast talking they decided to let him handle the case.

Alecia was loaded onto the ambulance. One of the medics informed Jim that they would be taking her to Cascade General, and no, they couldn't tell him anything about her condition. It was too soon to tell. He thanked them. As the ambulance and police car pulled out, sirens once again blazing, he watched with the same sinking feeling he'd had for the past fifteen minutes while trying to call Blair on the cell phone. He headed in the other direction, to the back end of the alley, where Bram was now wrapped in his own heated grief. Bram was leaned back against the wall, right by the edge, arms crossed and face set in a dark scowl.

“She's going to be all right,” Jim said, hoping to convey some faith.

Bram was having none of it. Snidely, “Oh, is that what the medics told you?”

“No,” Jim admitted, chagrined. “But you guys heal quickly--"

“Man, you saw her face. It was completely smashed. Her fucking skull was caved in. Most people don't survive something like that. Even those of us with superhuman healing abilities.”

Jim sighed. Times like this tested his patience to no end. “You know there's nothing we can do for her--”

“No, there's not.”

“--so we might as well hope for the best,” Jim continued as if he hadn't even been interrupted. “We still have to find Adrian and Blair and stop the other two vampires and there's no way we can do any of that if you're pouting.”

Bram's face burned. “I'm not pouting!”

“That's enough!” Jim shouted, patience finally tapped out. “I know what your problem is and it's not what happened to her. You're blaming yourself for what happened and you're going to have to get over it. Something may have happened to Blair and Adrian, and if that's the case then their lives depend on us.”

Bram grimaced, averting his eyes to the ground. “I'm no hero, Jim. I don't know what you expect from me.”

Jim leaned on his side against the wall, studying Bram's withdrawn expression. “I don't know where you get the idea you're not a hero. There are a lot of people you've saved that would consider you a hero.”

Bram rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever. Not like I've ever been informed.”

“It doesn't matter if anyone's told you, as long as you know it for yourself. Now, we need to find Adrian and Blair and stop the other two vampires. You can stay or you can come. The choice is up to you.”

Bram glanced at Jim, their eyes meeting. “Fine. Fine. But only because you guys can’t do this without me.”

Jim caught himself before he smiled. “All right. I’m sure Adrian and Blair will appreciate it.”

Bram pushed himself from the wall, sauntering back to where they had entered the alley. “You know they will,” he said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his baggy jean shorts.

Jim laughed, shook his head and followed. He glimpsed at his watch. About 3:30. One thing was certain, he wouldn’t be getting into the station on time later. If, that was, Simon wanted a fully functional detective and not a zombie.

They had run a considerable distance from the club, but he could still hear the music going full blast. As they neared the club he pulled out his cell phone, calling out to Bram to slow down. He punched in Blair’s number again, hoping this time he would receive an answer. The phone started ringing. He hesitated. He could hear Blair’s phone ringing outside of the line.

“Bram, hold up!”

Bram spun around, looking curiously at him.

It sounded like it was past the club, opposite the direction they had just come from. “Follow me.”

Without question, Bram did. The ringing grew louder as they jogged farther from the club and towards the spot Blair had parked earlier. Something had gone awry. His eyes widened and his heart pumped faster as he neared.

The few street lamps that worked spilled a dismal fluorescence over the Volvo. The car sat in an eerie play of shadow and light like some broken toy. The door lay carelessly on the ground, sparkling shards of glass sprinkled over the hulk of metal. Jim broke into a sprint, phone still gripped in his hand. Bram was right behind him, gasping through his fear and need of breath.

“What happened?” His voice quavered.

He rounded the car, to the driver’s side where the ringing was coming from. The door was still shut, but there was no glass in the window frame. A lot of it was littering the street. Warily, he opened the door, bracing himself in case some demonic ghoul might jump out at him. There was the rest of the glass, strewn across the seat and floor. Also on the floor was Blair’s shrilling cell phone and the Volvo’s keys.

He lowered himself and grabbed the phone, gaping at it as he would a live rattlesnake. Bram ran up behind him, panting.

“They took them, didn’t they?” He clasped Jim’s shoulder tightly. “They’ve won this time. Shit. They’ve actually won.”

Jim dropped the phone, twisting around to peer at Bram, rage churning in his gut. “They have not won.” He looked back at the floorboard where the keys still lay. “We still have a chance.” He picked the keys up and turned back to Bram who was looking at him expectantly.

“How?”

Jim gazed at the keys as he jangled them in his hand. “Those two vampires, Inez and Saber. I recognized them.” He sat down on the driver’s seat, once again looking at Bram, whose expression was all shock. “Before I met Blair, about five years ago, I was involved in a drug sting. We arrested several kids, couldn’t’ve been more than twenty at the time. Two of those kids were Inez and Saber.”

Bram blinked. His voice nearly caught. “You’re kidding me.”

“I’m afraid not. I think we better get down to the station. We have some research to do.”

~*~

Chandra loved this place. Some of her fondest memories happened here. They had found the abandoned mansion six years ago. It was located on the outskirts of Cascade in a rural section, perfect for people who needed privacy. Even though they’d had what could’ve been the ideal location, their business was busted by the cops only a year after they’d set up camp. That night had been complete pandemonium. A few escaped, but she, Jacoah, Inez, and Saber were among the lucky bunch arrested. Lucky indeed. The best part of that mess had been parole in which she’d been reunited with her buddies, back at the mansion.

Only a few short months after they were together again, Chandra had the most intriguing encounter of her life. She went out one night by herself. She’d decided to go bar hopping by herself, feeling particularly reminiscent. In one of the bars she met an interesting stranger. There was something about him, something hypnotic. That was why she did something she would never have done otherwise. He wanted her to leave with him. He said he had something he wanted to show her. She agreed and he took her to his apartment, a small, filthy thing really. He told her he wanted to give her a special gift. It would make her powerful and invincible, like a god. If she declined, he’d let her go and let that be that, but if she accepted, it would be all hers to have, to do with whatever she wanted. Fascinated, she asked what he wanted in return.

“Nothing you can give me right now. When the time comes you will give me everything I have ever wanted. I promise you.”

“My friends,” she said, remembering them suddenly. “What about them? Can they have become gods, too?”

He mused over this, tapping his index finger to his lip. “Yes. But it is not a gift I will give them. You must give them the gift yourself. One thing though.”

She leaned towards him, excitement building in her. “Yes?”

“What I give you will not be what you give them. Your power will be ten times greater than theirs. You will be unlike anything any human being has ever seen. As time passes it will grow in you. I will give you everything you need now and later. If things have not gone as I’ve planned, I will come to you.”

She looked fearfully at him. He smiled at her in reassurance.

“You have nothing to fear from me. I will only come to you in aid.”

“What are your plans?”

“That is knowledge I will ingrain in you. When the time comes, it will unfold to you. Until then, you will develop your skills and strength. Now . . . do you accept my gift?”

She hesitated, eager to say yes, but wondering what the catch must be. "I have to do nothing to keep these powers?"

"All you have to do is feed on the lives of mortal humans. Their life essence will give you power. The more you take in, the stronger you will become."

"Kill?" Fear swam through her, but the growing sense of desire was drowning it. She would become a god. A god, he had said. The lives of others did not matter if she could receive this gift. "I accept your gift."

What followed was a haze of lust, pain, and power. Afterward, she came to, lying at the steps of the mansion she and her friends called home. She didn’t know how to share her gift with them. Yet, it came naturally. Jacoah had been her first. It had happened in the middle of a fiery bout of sex. The blood lust had come out of nowhere and before she knew what was happening she was sinking her teeth into the tender flesh of his neck. He had struggled of course. All of her victims struggled, but he had succumbed in the end. Then she gave him her gift. She slit the skin of her own neck and let him drink from there.

She had never been able to tell them exactly what they were, only what the stranger had told her. They were powerful and invincible. She didn’t tell them that she was much stronger than they and she had never explained where she had received the gift. Those were secrets she kept to herself.

Where they were planning on opening up another drug circuit, they now changed their plans to creating havoc in all shapes and forms. They had at first remained discreet, picking their playtime meals from those that would least likely be missed. Then they had gotten restless and that was the first time, two days ago, that they decided to have some real fun. Saber, Inez, and Jacoah never got into the act as wholly as she. Her fun was in the terror she could inflict in the young men she brought into her lair, wherever her lair might be. They had all been a blast, but now she had found someone new. Someone different. He was gorgeous in a way that was utterly vulnerable and unbelievably strong. It was an intoxicating mix that drew her to him in a fashion she’d never experienced before. She couldn’t explain it, this attraction, but she really didn’t care to. All she knew was this man appealed to her in a way that excited her unlike any other. Even Jacoah had never elicited this type of excitement in her.

She had taken him to her room on the top floor. There were no lights. They would’ve had to pay the power bill for that, but it wasn’t necessary. Though the bed she used for her nightly encounters was worn, she got good use out of it. Like now.

His name was Blair Sandburg. She had seen his license and the police observer’s pass while rifling through his wallet. She had already known his name, though. It had come to her when she had seen him in that private room at Club Doom and their eyes had met, melding his mind into hers. From that point on she had been consumed with the desire to have him for herself.

Now she did.

He was beautiful, like an angel without wings, fallen from Heaven. She smiled. The two worlds should now collide, Heaven and Hell. She knew that he was only half of a soul. She had seen the other half walk into the club with him, along with the three children. He was tall and brooding, with eyes that burned like ice and a body to crush the unsuspecting. He was bad. She didn’t know why she thought that, but she just knew, like she knew Blair was the one for her. The Bad Man, James Ellison, was an evil that had to be destroyed because in her perfect world Blair’s other half was herself, not the Bad Man. Blair did not belong to Ellison, only her. She would not have the competition.

She had detected the strange ones the moment they had entered her killing ground. She had spotted the short boy first--Bram Lyte, as she had read from his mind--and had known immediately that he would be a weak link. She had sent Inez to lure him out and Saber and the four young disciples to accompany her in case trouble should arise. It had worked even better than she had suspected when the girl and the Bad Man had followed Lyte and Inez out. That left the Dark One and Blair. The Dark One was enchanting, as well, in his own right. There was something very special about him. He was even more powerful than Blair, she could tell, and in that case much more dangerous. Jacoah was probably having a good time with him, dangerous or not.

Jacoah had been rather edgy lately, what with her many conquests and all; and now that she had discovered Blair he had become outrageously jealous. She could just imagine the damage he was inflicting on the Dark One right now in an outpouring of covetous rage. Jacoah had always been misled. She had let him believe that he had a hold over her, during both their mortal and immortal years. That was over now. She had what she had always, unknowingly, been seeking. She no longer needed Jacoah. He was expendable as far as she was concerned, but she would keep him around anyway. She didn’t want to waste her energy on such useless activities as killing him. Every once in a while he did prove to be amusing, after all.

Her newly acquired toy, however, would be even more amusing. Instead of her customary handcuffs, she had chosen hemp rope. She bound his hands together, tying them to the headboard, leaving his legs free. She hoped he would fight. She always enjoyed it when they fought. It made her more voracious and increased the excitement.

He was fully awake as she sat beside him and completely terrified, as she always preferred her prey to be. However, where most quivered and pleaded in their fear, he spoke bravely, doing a respectable job at keeping the tremble in his tone at a minimum.

“This is a big mistake on your part,” he said.

Amused, she asked, “And how is that?”

“Jim will find me. Him and our other friends. They’ve been up against those like you before. If you let me go and leave Cascade, they’ll leave you alone.”

She smiled. “Who are those like me, my dear?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed nervously. His eyes were wide and shining. How endearing. “Other vampires, Chandra. That’s what you are. Not a god, but a vampire.”

She twitched as if she’d been slapped. “A vampire? Really? Doesn't sound as powerful as a god," she murmured, "but I guess it'll have to do." Then louder, "So your friends, the Evil Man and the children, they kill vampires?”

He nodded, distressed now. “They’re vampire hunters. They only hunt vampires that feed on the innocent, though. It’s not too late for you. Release me and I’ll talk to them. They’ll leave you alone.”

She arched an eyebrow. “You honestly expect me to believe that? I know that I’ve killed too many and had too much fun doing it, for them to just forget I exist. Besides that, dear, I know something you don’t know.”

He tried lifting his head off the bed, but was only able to raise it several centimeters before letting it drop back to the mattress. “What?” Now the true hint of fear was being revealed in him.

“Your friends--” His eyes widened, already expecting the worst--“are probably dead.”

“No,” he breathed. “You’re lying.”

She shrugged. “More than likely not. I sent six of my colleagues after the other three. If even one of them survives and happens to find us, Jacoah and I will be waiting. I was kind of hoping your special friend, ahh, Ellison would be the one to come and execute the rescue mission. Wouldn’t he be in for a nasty surprise?” She grinned sardonically.

“He’s stronger than you think!” her captive growled, tugging at the ropes around his wrists.

“Is he? Maybe I should cross you over now, make you truly mine. Wouldn’t that be a blast?”

“You can’t!” Blair gasped. He looked like he was willing the mattress to swallow him whole, digging his back into it, his beautiful curls fanning around his pale face. “You’ve already crossed someone over. Fledgling vampires are only able to cross one person over in a period of months.”

Now this was news to her. “Is that so? Mind if I tell you a little secret then, dear?” His lips pressed together. “Jacoah, Inez, and Saber were all made by me.” He closed his eyes, lips curling into a trembling frown. “I have crossed four people over so far and I have been a vampire for less than a year.”

“It’s not possible,” he whispered, opening his shining eyes. “You’re not supposed to be able to do that.”

“Maybe normal vampires,” she said, smiling once again. She couldn’t help it. She was just so damned elated. “But I’m not normal, sweetheart. I’m special.”

He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut again. She brushed her hand over his cheek and he cringed, eyes startling open. His skin was slightly rough with a day’s worth of fuzz. She ran her hand along his neck, enjoying the sensation as he swallowed convulsively. There was a minute shivering throughout him that she lapped up. It was terror she craved and it was terror that she got. She sank down, hovering her lips over his. She thought about kissing him then and there. She could wait.

She pushed herself up, roving her eyes over his slender form, drinking it all in, from the physical beauty of his body to the abstract radiance of his fright.

“I have to talk to Jacoah now,” she said. She stood up. “But I promise to return soon. Then we can really have fun. Behave yourself now.”

She winked at him and left the room, listening to his shuddery breaths as she walked the length of the hall. Yes, this one would be extremely entertaining indeed.

~*~

The Major Crimes Bullpen was relatively empty when they arrived. No wonder. It was almost four AM. Most of what they saw was the skeleton crew for any emergencies that might come up. Jim could feel the edges of fatigue pulling at him. He would’ve liked nothing more than to lie down and nap for a while. He shoved it aside, reminding himself what the Volvo had looked like when they discovered it, the door wrenched free from its hinges, the shards of glass littering the ground and floorboard, the keys and cell phone that had been dropped, most likely in a struggle.

He pulled up his old case files on his computer, Bram in Blair’s customary spot. It served to remind him of their situation’s gravity. Who knew what was happening to Blair and Adrian now or what had already happened? It was painful enough to remember the previous victims and what had happened to them. It was even worse to think that the vampires they had killed were the easiest to be rid of. The real challenge was still before them. The thoughts distracted him from his work and it was only Bram’s occasional encouragement that kept him focused on the computer screen as he scrolled through the files.

Finally, he discovered a case file from five years ago, a year before the Switchman case and Blair Sandburg. They had busted close to ten kids, all around the age of twenty, for drug trafficking. That night had been chaos and some of the culprits had gotten away. Two of the kids arrested were Inez Deugd and Lance “Saber” Williams. They served less than four years before being released on parole. Two others had been released on parole at about the same time, Jacoah Snider and Chandra Balachandrin, the dangerous ones. Parole had lasted a year and after that the four kids were never heard of again.

Until now.

He pulled up Inez’s picture. There was a nearly inaudible gasp from Bram. He turned. Bram’s face was a ghastly white, the color where most would ask if he’d seen a ghost. He hadn’t seen a ghost, Jim thought, but it was definitely close enough.

“Are you going to be all right?” he asked softly.

Bram nodded, the motion slight, almost unnoticeable. His gaze was averted to the desk. “Yeah. I think they’re just flashbacks. You know, ‘we’re having technical difficulties’. That sort of thing. I’ll make some minor repairs and everything will be back to normal real soon.” He glanced at Jim. “I promise.”

“I want to go down to the old mansion these kids were arrested at and see what we can find.” He pulled up the picture files of Jacoah and Chandra. “These are the ones Adrian and Blair saw.” He swivelled in his chair so he was facing Bram in full. The kid didn’t look any calmer or more reassured, but he seemed to be getting himself under control, his resolve starting to shine through. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to come down to the mansion with me. I can drop you off at the hospital to see Alecia if you’d like.”

Bram drummed his fingers on the desktop, as if contemplating, but he had not dropped his eyes from Jim’s and the resolve was even stronger than before. “No. There’s nothing I can do for Alecia. What happens to her is out of my hands; but I can do something to help Adrian and Blair. This isn’t something you should do alone. I don’t care who you are, there isn’t a single person who can safely deal with these demons by himself.”

Jim smiled, relieved, though he wasn’t about to admit that. He didn’t care for the thought of running into any more vampires or their victims without someone there to back him up. It had been bad enough in the alley with Bram and Alecia’s help and look what had happened. Alecia was now at the hospital in serious condition. If he came across either Adrian or Blair and something horrible had happened to them, he didn’t know what he’d do. There was nothing he could do alone. He appreciated the backup a lot.

“I agree with you there,” Jim said. “Let’s go. Sooner we get on the move, the sooner we find Adrian and Blair.”

Bram stood up, eyes blazing with the resolve that had been breaking past and a determination that not even the fiercest of elements could hold back. “Okay, then. And when I run into either one of those freaks they’re gonna be screaming for mercy. I’m sure it’s more than they’ve ever given to any of their victims.”

It sickened him, yet it was true. Jacoah and Chandra were probably having fun with Adrian and Blair.

There wasn’t much Adrian could remember about how he got where he was. He remembered going into Club Doom and he remembered Blair saying something about losing Alecia, Bram, and Ellison. Everything else was a blur. He fought through the fog enveloping him. It was sticky and thick, hard to wade through.

Something slashed across his face, stinging him. He opened his eyes, or tried to. They didn’t want to cooperate. Again, there was the stinging. This time, with some effort, he was able to open his eyes. Ice seized his heart in a brutal clutch.

He licked his lips. “You’re Jacoah, aren’t you?”

The vampire who had been staring at him, hand drawn back to deliver another slap, blinked at the instant recognition. “You caught that, huh? That’s impressive.”

His throat was dry and scratchy. He swallowed, hoping he could rid himself of the grating bite. “I’m just full of tricks.”

Jacoah smiled. “Chandra said you were. She called you the ‘Dark One’. She really didn’t like your tall friend, the older guy. She called him the ‘Bad Man’. Said he was evil.”

Adrian shook his head. He could feel something dried along the side of his face. He guessed that it must be blood. Jacoah had probably delivered quite a number of blows to him before he regained consciousness. “He’s not evil. None of us are.”

Jacoah drew back, watching him skeptically. “Who are you, darlin’?”

Adrian blanched at the ill-placed endearment. “I hunt people like you.”

Jacoah’s eyebrows arched. “Like me? Why is that? What have I done that deserves your special attention?”

Jeez, his stomach hurt. “You kill people.”

He shrugged one shoulder, his smile turning into a smirk. “This is a problem? We were just trying to rid the world of scum. I’m sure you’d thank us for that.”

“Scum? You slept with them, tied them to beds, and killed them. How are they scum?”

The smirk vanished, replaced by a scowl. “I’ll have you know, darlin’, I didn’t have to exactly drag any of those women kicking and screaming to bed. They all came along willingly. It’s their own lust that killed them.”

Adrian lowered his eyes. He had nothing to say to that. Nothing that wouldn’t infuriate his captor anymore than necessary anyway.

A flaring raced along his ribcage and shot up his arms. He gritted his teeth through the pain and tilted his head up to see what the source of his agony was. His arms were tied above his head, hands roped together, the end of the rope knotted onto a hook in the ceiling. He had to stand on the tips of his toes to relieve the pressure. He gasped as another burst of anguish erupted in his side.

“Ahh,” Jacoah crooned, caressing Adrian’s cheek and down his jaw, cupping it lightly in his hand. “Does it hurt, baby?” He dug his fingers into the pressure points. Adrian’s jaw opened unwillingly as a distressed gasp escaped him. Tears sprang to his eyes. His whole being centered on the pain running throughout his body and taking residence in his head. “I’ve never been quite like Chandra when it came to inflicting pain. You see, I never did care to hurt women. I’m just noble like that.”

“Yeah,” Adrian managed to utter. “A regular nice guy.”

Jacoah glared at him, but chose not to comment on it. “But you’re a guy. The rules work differently here.” His hand moved back up, cupping Adrian’s cheek, fingering the strands of hair there. “Actually, you’re pretty cute. I’d be almost tempted to fuck you.” Adrian shrank back, eliciting a hideous grin from Jacoah. “But I don’t fuck guys. Just one of those things I’m not really into, you know.”

Adrian clenched his eyes. Well, that was at least one indignity he knew he would be spared. “I’m relieved to hear that.” There was still the matter of what Jacoah was willing to do to him. Chivalric tendencies spared the women Jacoah went after in at least one sense of the word. It wouldn’t spare him.

Jacoah stroked his lips, outlining them as he leaned closer. Adrian could feel his cold breath, that of the undead, grazing his lips. He shuddered. “Yeah, I bet you are relieved. I still think I can do a lot of things, though. Some rather inventive things. I bet you’re curious to see what I can come up with, aren’t you?”

“About as curious as a dead cat,” he replied, drily.

“You think you’re real funny, don’t you?” Jacoah slapped him. Adrian’s head rocked back, ears ringing, his entire face blazing. “I don’t like pretty boys who try to act real funny. In fact, I could show you just how much I hate them.”

Adrian glared at him. He was starting to get weary of this. If the guy would shut up for just a minute he could concentrate and probably get the asshole under control. He didn’t care to find out just what Jacoah had in store for him. Despite all the messes he managed to get himself into, pain had never been one of his favorite things. He thought, however, by now he should certainly be getting used to it.

Another slap jolted him, nearly sending his brain out of his skull. How the hell could he think like this? He tried to ignore the incessant ringing in his head, his throbbing face, and burning sides and arms. It was overwhelming, pushing out his ability to concentrate. There was absolutely nothing he could do.

Fingers moved over his shirt, playing with the buttons. Jacoah undid one. He struggled for all of two seconds before the fire rushing through his body forced him to quit. Jacoah smiled at that. “I borrowed a whip from Chandra. She dipped it in glass, said that it drew out the agony even more. I thought that I could get real good use out of it. Looks like I’m going to, too, doesn’t it?”

Adrian remained silent, listening to the promise of more suffering, when he was already unable to think straight with the torment his body was dealing with. Respite was offered when the door to the room creaked open and Chandra entered. She grinned, acknowledging Adrian’s bruised state.

“He’s bleeding,” she said. “You didn’t take your time, did you?”

Jacoah turned around, his back to Adrian. “Not hardly. I couldn’t wait to teach him a few tricks.”

Chandra sauntered over to Adrian. She ran her hand along his chest. “It’s probably a good thing you didn’t wait. He’s dangerous.”

“Pretty boy?” Jacoah laughed derisively, yanking Adrian’s hair. Adrian pressed his lips together. “Sure, he fought when we broke into the car, but he didn’t last very long.”

“He has great mental powers. I felt it when he came into the club. Don’t take him lightly, Jacoah. You could be very sorry.”

“Sorry? I seriously doubt it. Now will you just leave me alone, Chandra? You have your little plaything now. I want to be alone with mine.” It sounded like a pout.

“Fine. But if he manages to kill you, just know that I did warn you.” She clasped Adrian’s chin between her thumb and index finger. He inclined his head, trying to escape her touch. It was making his skin crawl. She tightened her grip and he stilled. “He’s attractive, that’s definite. Under different circumstances, baby doll, I may have kept you for myself.”

So she had taken a special fondness for Blair. “Where is he? What have you done to him?” Standard lines from any captive in an action flick, but he would have to forgive himself the triteness.

Chandra smiled a menacing smile, a sadistic smile. “Lying around. Don’t worry your sweet little head over him. I haven’t done anything to him . . . yet.” She flashed her teeth, the sharp canines gleaming. “I’m going to make him my pet. By dawn he’ll be mine.”

Adrian’s face flushed. He surged against his bonds, momentarily forgetting the pain it would cause. “Let him go! Take me instead!”

She threw her head back laughing. She collected herself, though she was now leering at him. “Tempting offer.” She ruffled his hair. “But you just lack that certain flair that Blair has. Can’t quite place it. I guess it’s because he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.”

Out of the corner of his line of vision, Adrian saw Jacoah brooding.

“By the way, Jacoah, I wanted to pass on a bit of information my little toy shared with me.”

This caught Jacoah’s interest. “What’s that?”

It caught Adrian’s as well, but in a more frightening way. He held his breath.

“He told me what exactly we are. Told me some other interesting things along with that.”

Exhaling, Adrian closed his eyes. Dammit, Blair. I hope you did that for a good reason. He was sure Blair had, probably out of concern for their lives.

“So what did he tell you?” Jacoah asked, all eagerness.

Chandra’s lips curled up. “Vampires. We’re the undead, Jacoah.” She raised her index finger. “But I guess with all the glory comes certain limitations. According to him, because we’re young we can only cross one person over at a time. Over months in fact.”

Jacoah’s jaw gaped. “Months? But you crossed us over at the same time.”

This really caught Adrian’s attention. She had crossed three people over at the same time? That was impossible.

Chandra's gaze darted between Jacoah and Adrian. Adrian knew that she had just realized her mistake. Making Jacoah mad now, wasn't going to help her cause. Trying to cover ground, she said, keeping her expression unreadable, “Must’ve been a freak occurrence. I was probably lucky I didn’t die.”

As he listened to her lame explanation, Adrian's mind tumbled over everything that had been revealed to him. She truly was the key player here. And she was much more powerful than he had imagined. If she had the ability to cross over three people at once at her age, then in the next ten years she would be unstoppable. It was almost unheard of for even vampires of a millennium to be that strong. He had never seen anything like it. How could this be possible? There was just no way. In his years and many vampiric encounters, he had yet to meet a vampire that had her strength. No matter the age.

“How?” It shocked him to hear the question come from him without warning.

It shocked the vampires as well. Jacoah looked at him as if he’d forgotten he was even there. Chandra was examining him intently.

“How what?” she asked.

“How did you cross them over? How long had you been a vampire?”

“I crossed them over that same night.”

“Who crossed you over?”

Her eyes seared into his. “Why are you so curious?”

“You’re not like him, are you? Like Jacoah, I mean. There’s something different about you. Who crossed you over?”

Jacoah stepped back, now obviously confused by this conversation.

“I don’t know who crossed me over,” she said. “Does it matter?”

“He gave you something special. You’re not a normal vampire.”

She sneered. “I know that. Blair realized that, too.” She jerked a thumb at Jacoah. “And he didn’t realize just how powerful I am, and neither did Saber or Inez. It’s worked out to my advantage so far.”

It was still bothering him that she didn’t know who crossed her over. If he knew that, this might make more sense. As it was, he’d never been more baffled in his life.

Apparently neither had Jacoah. “You knew you were different and never said anything to us?”

She curled her lips down. “I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

“It is a big deal! You have an advantage. That much you should’ve admitted. Instead you were going to just go around and lie to us. What did you have in mind? A double-cross?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, give me a break! I just didn’t want to freak you guys out. I thought you’d react poorly and guess what? You did!”

“No kidding we’re going to react poorly. Why not? You’re stronger than us. Can do more. That there says to me something’s not right. Why don’t you know more about the guy who gave you the gift, huh, Chandra? What exactly did he tell you?”

She glowered at him. “That’s none of your business. And I don’t have to listen to this.” She whirled around and stalked out of the room, leaving Adrian with a sinking feeling. Jacoah was pissed all the way through and all of his rage was going to be centered on one person.

Jacoah grabbed him around the throat and squeezed. He writhed, trying to get some air to his lungs. Nothing could get past. Before he thought he was going to pass out, his throat was released. Jacoah wrenched a handful of his hair until Adrian couldn’t withhold a gasp.

“Baby, I may not kill you tonight, but you sure as hell are gonna wish I had.”

Adrian believed him on that.

~*~

Jim and Bram stopped at the loft to drop off Blair’s trashed Volvo and pick up Jim’s truck. Jim could put up with the lack of a window on the driver’s side, but Bram wasn’t too crazy about the concept of driving around without a passenger door. The mansion was located in the outskirts of Cascade, which normally took twenty minutes, but Jim reduced to fifteen. The dirt road leading to the mansion ran through an expanse of hills scattered with evergreens. A battered sign reported to them that there was to be No Trespassing. The truck’s headlights caught the hulking building to which they were drawing near. The mansion had seen better days--dilapidated, white paint peeling in ugly patches, moss and ferns crawling along the sides, windows dingy and cracked. Jim pulled in front of the wide, stone steps leading to the door. They got out of the truck and stood in front of the mansion.

“Looks like the Addams family mansion,” Bram muttered.

Jim focused his hearing into the mansion. There was one heart beating.“Can we just talk about this?” That was Adrian, sounding desperate and scared.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” This guy was unfamiliar, but if Jim had to guess it was more than likely Jacoah Snider. “I’ve been robbed and I gotta get something out of the deal. Now, don’t you think that’s only fair?”

Jim tapped on Bram’s arm. “We’ve gotta get in there. Adrian’s in trouble.”

Bram gave him a puzzled look. Jim jogged up the stairs leading to the door, Bram right behind. The door opened with a whining squeal. Jim’s nerves pulled taut at the grating sound. If the vampire had hyperactive senses of his own there was no doubt he’d heard that.

“We need to be careful,” Jim said. Unnecessary really, Bram was already on alert. “I think we just announced our presence.”

Bram nodded, glancing around warily as they stepped into the oversized foyer, a stairway stretching before them, its banister ornate, yet dusty with years of neglect. The only light to shine into the room was that of the full moon through the numerous windows placed along the walls. The stairway was cast in dancing shadows.

“Upstairs,” Jim said, listening to the rapid heartbeat. He no longer heard Adrian or Jacoah speaking. More than likely, Jacoah had left Adrian to check out the suspicious noises downstairs. To check for and eliminate trespassers like themselves, in other words.

Every stair step creaked beneath their feet. If his nerves stretched any tighter, Jim thought, they’d snap. He couldn’t hear these vampires coming, they moved silently and there was no heartbeat to go by. The only thing he could detect was scent. Which he did. There was a definite smell, one that he recalled from last year with Celestra and her two proteges. It was getting closer. He couldn’t detect where exactly, but it was near. Very near.

A dark shape flew down the stairs, barreling directly into him. He toppled down the stairs, rolling past a startled Bram. He hit the floor with a bruising jolt, paralyzing him momentarily. He heard Bram rush down the steps.

“Jim! Get up!”

He lolled his head to the side. The vampire was already to his feet, stalking towards him. Bram wasn’t going to make it down before the vampire reached him. Hands lashed down, grabbing the front of his shirt and hauling him to his feet. Claws dug into his face. He gripped the wrists, trying to wrench them away. His grip was loosening, succumbing to Jacoah’s superior strength and his own injuries. Colorful spots swam before his eyes.

Bram dived into Jacoah, tumbling the vampire from his grip. Jacoah howled in rage. Jim tried to clamber to his feet, but collapsed back as a wave of dizziness struck him. Bram threw Jacoah back. The vampire stumbled as he tried to catch his balance. Bram jumped at him, not giving Jacoah the chance. They tumbled to the ground, going down in a heap of flailing limbs and shouted curses.

Jacoah clutched Bram’s throat and yanked him closer. “I know you.” Bram faltered under his grip. “You’re Adrian Ward’s friend. The one we sent Inez after.” Bram dropped to his knees, Jacoah’s clamp on his throat following. “I have to tell you, your friend, Ward. . ..” He whistled lewdly. “He’s a real fine boy. Good looking.” Bram cried out hoarsely as his face turned red. Tears streamed down his cheeks. “I took my time with him.” He shook Bram. “I fucked him. I fucked him till he screamed for mercy. Then I tore him from limb to limb.”

“He’s lying!” Jim shouted as he crawled to his feet. “He’s still alive, Bram! Trust me!”

“He’s dead, Bram,” Jacoah said, dark, quiet, and intent.

“Don’t listen to him! He’s trying to psyche you out!”

With a resounding bellow, Bram gripped Jacoah’s arm in one hand and moving with lightning reflexes, spun under the arm, twisting the hand loose from him. He followed with an elbow to the gut and a full swing punch to the face. Jacoah staggered back, right towards Jim. Jim spun him around and delivered a reeling right punch, followed by a high kick to the chest. Jacoah fell to the ground.

“He’s mine,” Bram said, stepping forward.

Jim moved back. He knew this was important to Bram. He wasn’t able to take Jim’s word that nothing had happened to Adrian and here was his vengeance.

Bram swooped down on Jacoah before the vampire could collect himself. He let loose with flailing punches and sharp kicks covering the vampire’s entire body. Jacoah curled in on himself.

“You son-of-a-bitch!” Bram screamed, delivering a powerful punch that knocked a tooth loose. “You’re burning in Hell, you bastard.”

Bram wrenched the neck, twisting the head halfway around. The body sagged in his arms. He let the head drop to the ground with a thud. He wiped his hands as he rose to his full height. He looked at Jim, sincerity masking the still seething rage.

“Thanks, man. I needed that.”

Jim nodded. “I know you did. C’mon. Adrian’s waiting on us.”

They climbed the stairs, this time a little slower after their bout with Jacoah. It had been short, but Jim still felt the effects. Falling down a flight of stairs was definitely not on his next list of ‘Top 10 Things To Do’. Swimming in a tankful of ravenous piranhas sounded more appealing. They reached the top of the stairs and Bram stopped, eyes darting from side to side.

“Now what?”

Jim cocked his head to the side and listened. He waved his hand to the right. “Down here.” Bram narrowed his eyes, but followed along, much as he did before.

They found Adrian hanging by his hands to a hook in the ceiling. His shirt lay as a pile of rags at his feet. His head dangled against his chest. Bram rushed to him and began to fumble with the ropes around Adrian’s wrists. Jim placed his hands on Adrian’s face to check for any injuries he couldn’t see when the young man flinched violently. Bram jerked back at the sudden movement. Jim’s hands hovered over Adrian’s face. The young man’s eyes were shut tight as if expecting sudden pain . . . or worse.

“Adrian,” Jim said, in what he hoped was a calm and soothing tone, “it’s Jim and Bram. I need to make sure you’re okay and Bram’s going to untie you.” He winced at the ‘make sure you’re okay’ part. He knew undoubtedly that Adrian was anything but okay. “Do you understand?”

Adrian nodded slowly, eyes still closed. His entire body trembled. Jim’s stomach turned. Jacoah couldn’t have been telling the truth. One glance at Bram showed his own thoughts mirrored in the worried expression there.

“Can you open your eyes, Adrian?”

Adrian made a sound that was something like a sob. He ducked his head further against his chest, eyes still closed. He spoke in a rasping whisper. “Too close. Too close.”

Tentatively, unsure how his friend was going to react, Bram placed a hand on his back. Adrian didn’t move this time. He rubbed Adrian’s back in circles, then gradually, took him in a hug. Adrian rested his head against Bram’s shoulder. Jim felt a swelling of pride, as if it truly was his son there, comforting Adrian, being the unmoving rock.

He knelt down to pick up the torn shirt. As he lifted it, he noticed something sparkling underneath. He picked it up in his other hand and brandished it.

“Bram.”

Bram removed one arm from Adrian, but kept the other around his back. He looked and instantly paled. “Dear Lord. Did he use that?”

Jim examined the whip in his hands. Flecks of glass were embedded into it. One strike would’ve flayed the skin open. There was nothing on Adrian’s back or chest indicating it had been used yet. Chances are they had almost been too late. He shook his head at Bram, who sighed in relief.

Adrian peered up at it. His head dropped back down. “Please, get me free.” Desperation was starting to seep into his voice. “I can’t stand being like this any longer.” He tugged at his bonds and gasped.

Bram went back to the ropes, frustration hampering his efforts. Jim dropped the whip and moved beside him. He held Adrian’s ripped shirt to Bram. “Let me try.”

Reluctantly, Bram relinquished the job and took the shirt. Jim’s fingers moved deftly over the knots, feeling with his super-sensitive touch for weak spots. Within a minute he had it free. Adrian sagged, knees no longer willing to support him. He moaned as he lowered his arms.

“It hurts,” he managed between clenched teeth.

Bram kept him supported on his feet in a careful embrace. Jim helped hold him up while Bram slipped the shirt on Adrian. It hung open, all of the buttons, save for the top, missing.“You’re gonna be all right, Aje. Can you walk?”

Adrian nodded. Jim wasn’t too convinced, neither was Bram from all appearances. Still, they were going to have to at least let Adrian try. If he couldn’t make it down, then they would have to carry him. Jim understood the concept of pride and how important it could be, especially to one whose basic human rights had just been violated. He wasn’t sure if Jacoah had been telling the truth about raping him or not, but even if he hadn’t, the threat had certainly been there. He figured Adrian may even be able to tell them at some point. He prayed it was nothing severe, but anything that could induce the fear he and Bram had seen at first, must be traumatic.

Adrian walked faster than Jim had given him credit for, yet there was a slight limp to his step. Soon they were at the head of the stairs, looking down. Adrian was still holding on to Bram with one arm. The contact was there more for his own psychological need than any physical need. Which was when Jim thought about Blair and why he hadn’t heard his heartbeat.

“Adrian, was Blair brought here, as well?”

“I think so. Chandra was here anyway, telling me her plans for him.” Adrian kept his eyes locked on the foot of the stairs.

‘Her plans for him’ did not sound promising. And why hadn’t he heard his heartbeat? “I’m going to try and find him. Chandra didn’t jump out at us, so I’m just going to assume she’s not here.”

Adrian glanced at him. “Never assume anything with vampires.”

“I have no choice. You’re in no shape to fight and I’m not leaving here without looking for Blair.” He wasn’t about to mention that he thought something terrible had happened and that was why he needed to look. The lack of a beating heart when evidence suggested Blair should be in this mansion was making him uneasy. “Bram, take him to the car. I’ll be down in five minutes.”

Bram opened his mouth to protest.

“Are you going to stay up here with me and send Adrian down to the car by himself? I think he needs your help more than I do.”

Bram closed his mouth, not looking too happy about it either. He twisted his lips to the side. “Just be careful.”

“I will.”

He watched for a while as Bram and Adrian crept down the stairs. Adrian had been fine up until this point. Now, however, he was gasping. If Jacoah had raped him, what should he expect from Chandra, the one Adrian and Blair had noted for her sadistic nature? He couldn’t think about it. If he wanted to stay sane while he searched the mansion, he could not think about what had possibly happened to Adrian and what may have happened to Blair.

If Blair had been kept anywhere around here, more than likely they would’ve kept him upstairs where Adrian had been. He concentrated with his sense of smell and was immediately assaulted with Blair’s scent. It swept through his system like a drug, disorienting him. Blair was still alive. He had to still be alive. He centered on the familiarity, following it, allowing it to consume him. It led him to a closed door. He stood outside, Blair’s essence hammering at him through the barrier. His hand poised over the doorknob, fear keeping him from twisting it open. If he opened it and saw Blair’s corpse, the sightless expression of horror and shock forever frozen in that face, he would lose it right then and there. He knew he would. But what if there was nothing? What if Blair was gone? He was willing to believe the latter and used that to open the door and step into the musty room.

There was only one window with which to see by. The broad side of a bed was pushed up under the window so the full moon’s glow spilled over it. Sheets were rumpled over the mattress and rope that had been tied to the headboard lay limp against the bedding. Blair wasn’t there.

He rushed to the bed’s side, kneeled, and ran his hands over it. It was still warm. He found a curling strand of auburn hair. He lifted it to his nose. It was Blair’s. So, he had been here, but now where was he? If anyone could answer that question it was Adrian. He ran out of the room and down the stairs. His body ached with every step, but he was driven with one purpose in mind: find Blair.

Outside, he saw Bram sitting in the truck, the passenger door wide open. Adrian was lying across the seat, his head in Bram’s lap. He jogged up to the truck. Bram looked at him, face tense with worry.

“He passed out,” he said.

“Blair’s missing,” Jim said, warring with the despair chilling his gut. “She took him.”

“What’re we going to do? We’ve gotta get Aje to the hospital.”

Bram was right. If the worst had happened to Adrian, then they really had no choice in the matter. The best he could do at this moment was take Adrian to the hospital, then search for Blair. He nodded at Bram and walked around to the driver’s side and got in the truck.

Chandra blazed into the room Blair was imprisoned in and untied his bonds. It was his chance to escape, but numbness had already settled in his muscles and all he managed was a weak pounce. She flipped him over effortlessly and taped his wrists behind his back.

“Doll, you and I are going on a road trip. I’m gonna let Jacoah fend for himself.” She flipped him on his back and revealed an oversized silk handkerchief she had slipped from her slack’s front pocket. “I don’t want him to know I’m bailing out on him, though. I don’t know how, but I’ve gotten the distinct impression the Bad Man is coming.”

“Who--” He was cut off when the handkerchief was slipped between his teeth and knotted behind his head.

Chandra slipped her hand through his hair, massaging his scalp. He tried to buck her off. She grinned in response. “But the Bad Man isn’t going to find you. I’ll let him find Jacoah and they can kill each other. Maybe he’ll win and still come after you, but he can’t kill me. I’m immortal.”

She leaned down and kissed his cheek, above the length of the gag.

“And you will be, too. Just not here. I want to take you somewhere special. Where I grew up. No one’s there now. It was condemned several months ago; they just haven’t tore it down yet.” She chuckled. “Good for us, huh?”

She guided him to a sitting position, smoothing her hands over his body. Goose bumps rose along his skin. She brushed loose strands of hair back from his face.

“Will you walk or will I be forced to carry you?”

He blinked. He didn’t care for the thought of her carrying him. That was too humiliating. Tentatively, he nodded. She patted his cheek.

“Good boy. I knew you wouldn’t make this hard on me.”

She led him downstairs and to her classic convertible with one arm hooked around his waist. As she drove she told her captive audience about their destination.

“Just me and my mom lived there for years. It was small, but it wasn’t like we had a lot of money, you know? Then Mom got sick. She had cancer and didn’t have any insurance to cover the bills. I was about seventeen at the time. So I hooked up with Jacoah, Inez, and Saber and we went into business for ourselves, so I could make some money to pay for mom’s bills. Made good money at it, too. There are a lot of people on drugs, babe. It’d surprise you some of the types we’d get. Anyway, we’re making all this money, right? Working out of Inez’s and Saber’s place, when they get kicked out by their landlord. So we find that mansion and move our business there. By then we’ve got a few more people working for us. I thought, hey, I got all this money. I can pay for Mom’s bills.” An unexpected glimmer lighted her eyes. “You know what. I just remembered about your friend, Ellison, the Bad Man. I know why I thought he was evil. It was him and his buddies that arrested me and my friends. It was because of him my mom died.”

Blair shook his head in denial. He wanted to tell her she was wrong. That Jim had nothing to do with her mother’s death.

“She died while I was in jail. There was nothing I could do.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “After I got out I was going to sell the house, get rid of it.” She glanced sidelong at Blair. “I never did. I just left it. It went to rot and that’s why it’s now condemned. Come to find out, it’s actually been of good use. If I want to hide out it’s the last place people come to look. I mean, who’s dumb enough to go into a house that’s falling apart, right? Of course, what they don’t know is that if it fell while I was in there, it wouldn’t kill me.”

Oh, that was just fine. It wouldn’t kill her, but that left no guarantees for himself. As if reading the thought, she patted his thigh.

“Don’t worry, baby. It won’t fall apart. I’ll hear it before anything goes. Then again, I may just lose all control and cross you over right away. But that wouldn’t be as entertaining. Now would it?” She grinned at him.

Blair looked away, leaning his cheek against the cool windowpane. He had been grappling with his despondency for too long now and it was inescapably winning. As they made another turn he perked up. There was a road sign, reading Glansing Road. If he paid attention to where they were going maybe it would help. How, he wasn’t sure, but it seemed important to keep track of their location. With every turn, he looked for a sign or some other distinguishing mark.

“This is it!” she announced cheerily as they pulled into the driveway.

A copse of trees bordered the house. There were no neighbors to call in any strange disturbances. The house itself was even more rundown than the mansion. The windows were boarded over, the shingles were peeling away, and most of the wood siding was rotting through. There were no steps at the door, forcing Blair to step higher than he was able to in his current condition. Chandra gave him a boost, staggering him into the house. It stank of mildew and animal feces. He wrinkled his nose.

Chandra led him through the front room, into the kitchen where another door led into the pitch-black basement. Because he was blind here he was totally at her mercy. She steered him down the steps and onto what must’ve been a cot. There she left him, though he could’ve leapt to his feet. Of course she knew he was unable to see, therefore there was nowhere for him to go. More than likely he’d end up running into a wall and that would be the end of his escape attempt. He listened to her fumbling around in the dark, obviously looking for something. He found out what when a glow abruptly filled the room. He squinted and blinked against the light. Chandra held up the kerosene lamp by its handle, its wick aflame.

“I thought you might appreciate the light. Not like I need it, but every once in a while I can do these random acts of kindness. I’m sure if you were able to, you’d thank me for it.”

Blair grunted and rolled his eyes. She scowled at the rejection and waggled the lamp in her hands.

“If you don’t want the light, I can put it out. Would you rather lay here in the dark?”

Blair fell silent. The picture of lying in complete darkness with no way to tell what pain Chandra was going to inflict made him sick. He moved his head to the left, then right, warily.

“I didn’t think so.” She placed the lamp on a stack of wooden crates before sitting on the edge of the cot. She ran her hands through his hair, fingering the strands. “I love your hair. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.” She brushed it out so it was fanning his head. He endured silently, knowing that she could be doing a lot worse than playing with his hair. She leaned down and inhaled, closing her eyes blissfully. “Smells so good. Almost like vanilla.” She nuzzled her nose above his ear. She trailed down, along his cheek and nipped the skin. She licked her lips. “You taste good, too.” She reached behind his head and undid the gag. “I don’t think you’ll need this anymore. ‘Sides, it’s getting in my way.”

Blair moistened his parched lips. “Chandra, have you ever killed anyone down here?”

She trailed her fingers lightly over his forehead, over his nose, and along his cheeks. “No. Didn’t want to here.”

“Why’s that? Because it was your mom’s house?”

She nodded absently as her fingers continued to trace their path along his face, sometimes dipping along his neck.

“Are you going to cross me over here?”

She shrugged. “More than likely. I don’t see that I have much choice in location.”

“But you have a choice as to whether you cross me over or not. Do you think you’re honoring your mother’s memory by doing this?”

She pressed her lips together angrily. He was stepping over his boundaries, but this was the only option he could see for himself. He didn’t honestly think it was going to work. Still, he was willing to try anything at this point. The idea of becoming one of the undead appealed to him even less than the idea of death. A vampire was death eternal. He would never be able to deal with that. “My mother’s dead. It doesn’t matter what I do here anymore.”

“But you didn’t want to kill anyone here because--”

“I don’t care!” she shrieked. “I don’t give a fuck! Okay?”

She flew off the bed and stormed across the other side of the room. She flung open a chest and began rifling through it. She found what she was looking for and slammed the lid back down. Blair’s heart plummeted into his stomach. She waved the butcher knife she clutched in one hand. Her eyes had once again become the black holes he had seen earlier in his vision. The vision seemed like a lifetime ago.

“Are you going to start questioning me now?” she challenged, stalking towards him.

Blair scooted against the wall, tucking himself as far into the corner as he could. It was ridiculous, he knew, but the glinting blade was doing illogical things to his brain. He couldn’t think. He could only see the blade gleaming menacingly, promising suffering.

“I think we should start small.” She sat with one knee on the cot, one foot on the floor. She slid the flat surface of the knife along his cheek. It took every ounce of his resolve not to cringe. “What do you think?”

“I think I don’t like that knife,” he said, hoping for composure, knowing it had come off intimidated. “I think you should put it away and we should talk.”

She laughed softly. “You think so, huh?” She leaned in closer, giving him nowhere else to go. She slid the sharp point of the blade along his bottom lip. “I think you can get used to it.” With a flick of her wrist, there was a sting in his lip and he felt something dribbling from it to his chin. “Like I said, I think we should start small. If not . . ..” She trailed the knife down along his neck, his chest, to rest on his groin. “We can get right to the main attraction. Any objections?”

Numbly, he shook his head. She smiled at him and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. He wanted to puke on her.

“Good. Trust me, babe. This is going to be a blast.”

~*~

Jim had taken another glance at his watch after he had jumped in his truck. It was after five. In less than an hour dawn would come and then he knew it’d be too late for Blair.

Bram was leaning against the passenger side door, Adrian’s unconscious form slumped against him. Bram had one arm curled around him protectively. For ten minutes Bram had remained silent. They had less than ten minutes before they reached the city limits of Cascade.

“Do you think Jacoah was telling the truth?”

Jim glanced at Bram. He was staring straightforward. “Telling the truth about . . .” It was hard enough for him to say. He didn’t think there was any way possible for Bram to say the words.

“Telling the truth about . . .” He took a deep breath. “About, you know . . ." Bram glanced at Adrian, blanching. He couldn't say the words.

How could Ellison blame him? If he had been in Bram’s place and Blair in Adrian’s, he didn't think he would handle it quite so well, truth be told. He forced air down his throat. “No. I don’t think he was.”

Bram nodded resolutely. “I don’t think he was either.” Then he faltered as if another important detail had just come to mind. “Do you think he would’ve?”

That was a question he didn’t think he could answer. He shook his head, opening his mouth to offer a lame answer when he was cut off at the pass.

“No, he wouldn’t have.”

Bram started and Adrian moaned in response as his head was jostled. “Aje, you’re awake! Are you okay? What did he do to you? Where’s Blair?”

“Hey.” Adrian raised a hand, using the other to push himself off of Bram. “One at a time, okay?” He rubbed his right temple. “I still have a headache.”

“Right, right,” Bram said, his words rushed. “He told me . . . he told me he . . .”

“He fucked me, right?”

Bram blanched and nodded.

“He didn’t. He wasn’t going to either. He . . .” Adrian’s control trembled for a second. “He said things. But he told me he didn’t fuck guys.” He inhaled a quavering breath. “Guess I got off lucky, huh?”

Bram nodded again. Jim could see that he wanted to reach out to Adrian again.

Adrian looked around at the passing scenery. “Where’re we going?”

“The hospital,” Jim said.

Adrian turned on him. “Why?”

“Jacoah had you for about an hour. I don’t want to take chances.”

“He didn’t do anything to me.”

“Were you unconscious at any point?”

“Well, yeah, at the beginning, but--”

“During that time he could’ve done anything.”

“I would’ve known! I would’ve been able to tell!”

Jim had his lips pressed together so tightly they tingled.

“You need me to find Blair,” Adrian said urgently.

“How?” Jim demanded.

“Your bond. Have you already forgotten about that?”

Jim wasn’t going to admit out loud that he had.

“You can use that to try and find him. But you’ll need my help to do it.”

“Blair’s life was placed in your hands once and he almost died. You’re asking me to do the same thing again?” A green and white sign declared that they had just entered Cascade’s city limits.

“It may be his only chance.”

“I found you two before without any supernatural crap. I think I can do it again.”

“That could take hours. You have less than an hour. She’s going to cross him over. She’ll play with him for a little bit, but then she’ll get tired of that. If you just let me help you, you’ll be able to find him a lot faster.”

Jim pulled up to a stop sign. There were two directions he could go, left to the hospital or right to the loft. If he turned left he could drop Adrian off and track Blair by his own means. If he turned right he was placing Blair’s fate in Adrian’s hands once again. Either way he was taking a chance.

He turned right. “You show me what to do and I hope to God you don’t screw up this time.”

“I won’t, Detective. I promise.”

At the loft, Adrian directed Jim to sit in a full lotus. The idea of being put in a trance put Jim on edge, but he was willing to go through anything to find Blair. It hit him immediately, the whirling blackness, sweeping him from the world as he knew it, into a world he had set foot in only once before.

“Concentrate,” came Adrian’s voice from outside this world enshrouded in nothingness. "Think of Blair and focus on that.”

Think of Blair and focus on that? Was that all he had to do? It couldn’t really be that simple, could it?

It was. He felt Blair straining at him and the terror that enveloped him.

“Sandburg!” Fog swirled around him. He couldn’t see anything past it. “Blair!”

“Jim?” The voice was faint, as if coming through a thick wall.

He trudged through the cotton-thick mist in the direction Blair’s voice had come from. “Where are you, buddy? I can’t see you.”

“It’s Chandra, Jim. I can’t do this long, she won’t let me. Listen carefully, I know where I am.” The words came out in a rush. “I’m going to give you the directions.” Without giving a chance for Jim to respond he rattled off a list of directions that Jim desperately clutched. “I can’t hold on any longer.” He cried out.

“Blair!”

He waved out a hand, as if he could grab hold of Blair that way. But wherever Blair had been, he was now gone. Jim was spun back into his body. His eyes snapped open with a great gasp of breath. Adrian was squatted down in front of him, peering at him anxiously.

“I heard Blair. He knew exactly where he was. He gave me the directions.”

“Did any of it sound familiar?” Bram asked, from where he was standing to the side of Jim.

Jim nodded. “It wasn’t far from the mansion, actually. It’ll probably take us twenty minutes to get there.” He stood. “I don’t know what she’s doing to him, but I don’t want him in her hands any longer.”

Adrian was already out the door. Dawn was creeping upon them all too rapidly.

~*~

Blair was shivering in earnest. Chandra had sliced his shirt off. She trailed the blade of the knife along his chest, pressing the point into his belly. He sucked in his stomach as she pressed the edge deeper until it drew blood.

Without warning, he was struck with vertigo, pulling him away from the living nightmare into a landscape without form. He heard Jim calling for him and he answered back, stumbling through the haze surrounding him to find his friend.

“Where are you, buddy? I can’t see you.”

This was it. His only chance. He forced out everything as quickly as he could, ending with the directions and a plea, “I can’t hold on any longer.”

A sharp pain lanced through his abdomen. He cried out. He heard Jim call for him one more time and he was flung back into Chandra’s grip. She glowered at him.

“You left me.”

He could feel something wet and thick pooling over his belly. The tip of Chandra’s knife was painted in a glistening red. She wiped it on his chest, coating the hair there in blood.

“I don’t think that was very wise of you. Do you?”

He remained silent, provoking her into slashing the blade down his chest in searing anguish. He yelled out.

“I didn’t think so.” He trembled as she slid the knife up to his throat. “What happened, Blair?”

“Nothing.” It took his full control to keep his teeth from chattering.

The blade bit into his neck and he winced. “I think you’re lying to me. What happened?”

“I felt something happen to Adrian. I-I think Jacoah killed him.” With his frame of mind as it was, she wouldn’t be able to tell whether he was lying or not. This he knew for a fact.

She smiled in a parody of pity and withdrew the knife. “Did he? Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. I guess he couldn’t help himself, huh?”

Blair didn’t even have to try and look withdrawn. She tapped his chest with her finger, leaning against him, her body pressed firmly to his. Her lips hovered centimeters above his.

“It’s almost dawn you know. I think I’m ready for the main event. How about you?”

He stared at her, dismayed. It was too soon. Jim needed more time. She raised the knife again and pressed it against his neck, along the crook where the carotid was. She nodded decisively, as if this were a question she had been struggling with herself.

“Yes,” she said. “I think we’re ready.”

She didn’t slit his throat. All she did was pierce it. Blood was spilt anyway. Her eyes blazed red and she opened her mouth wider, revealing her sharpened canines. Blair tried to scoot back, but she held him in place, both hands on his sides, claws digging into his bare skin. He shouted for help that was too far to hear. She sank her teeth into his neck and one hand came to tangle in his hair. Until he was overcome by a daze, he could only struggle vainly in her grip. Jim would be too late, he thought. Chandra was going to succeed in making him one of her kind.

~*~

Jim drove like a man possessed. He was closing in on ninety m.p.h and even that seemed too slow. Bram had covered his eyes with his hands and he could hear Adrian’s heartbeat accelerating at a dangerous pace. They would live, though. Blair might not.

He had already passed the second landmark after Glansing Road. There were only two more until they would reach the house Blair had described. It had all been said so hastily a lot of it jumbled in his head, but using the technique Blair had once taught him, he was able to play the words over in his mind like a recording. It had taken fifteen minutes thus far and that was fifteen minutes too long. The sky was gradually purpling and soon it would be joined by pink, then orange. When that happened, it would be too late. But they weren’t going to be late. They were almost there, and when they got there he would kill the bitch and rescue his partner and then they would go home and go to sleep. That was all there was to it.

Jim pulled the truck up beside a convertible that was probably from the sixties era. The dilapidated house was something straight out of a horror movie. Jim focused into the house and heard the wonderfully familiar heartbeat of his partner and the horrible sounds of a struggle for breath. Blair was dying. He didn’t even bother to give his plans to Adrian or Bram. He jumped out of the truck and took off running, gun drawn. He dashed into the house, following the sounds of extinguishing life. He stumbled over rotted plywood, barely keeping his balance, save for the drive to reach Blair. He rushed into the kitchen and through a door that led into a dank basement. He raced down the steps.

He only took the time to acknowledge Chandra holding her wrist to Blair’s mouth before raising his gun. She spun around, not enough time to do anything before he fired six successive shots. She jerked with each, blood spurting out, then slumped to the floor, unmoving.

Blair lay on the cot, semiconscious, skin a sickly pallor. He rolled his eyes in Jim’s direction. “Jim . . .”

Jim stepped towards Blair. Chandra was off the floor and tackled him. He landed on his back, throwing a punch blindly that knocked her off. He kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying into the boxes stacked beside the cot Blair lay on. The kerosene lamp toppled from the boxes onto a pile of cardboard next to it and shattered, igniting the cardboard. As the flames spread, catching the boxes on fire, Adrian and Bram raced down the stairs. Chandra swiped a knife from the cot and flung it with a roar of fury. It sliced past Jim’s arm, grazing it and embedding into the ground. He rolled to his feet as she ran at him again. Bram was next to him this time and came around at her back.

Jim only had enough time to call out to Adrian, “Get Blair!”, before his neck was wrested back. The room was hotter with the blazing fire and sweat trickled into his eyes. He used one hand to try to pull her hands from his throat and grab her hair with the other. Bram wrapped an arm around her throat from behind and her hands slipped from Jim. He turned as she slammed her elbow into Bram’s ribcage and delivered a crushing blow with her palm against his chin. Bram stumbled backwards and crashed to the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, Jim saw Adrian helping Blair to his feet. The cot caught on fire. He had to keep Chandra away from them until they were able to get out of this fiery deathtrap. The biggest problem now was getting Adrian and Blair safe passage to the stairway with her right here, darting about like a rattlesnake.

Jim swept down, yanked the knife out of the ground and leaped at her, blade targeted at her heart. It was good aim. It was set to kill and it would have, too. Chandra shot out a hand, slamming his arm to the side and used the other to aim a killing blow to his trachea. The millisecond he saw it coming, he was twisting out of her way. The jab glanced to the side, still stunning him briefly.

Adrian and Blair had reached the stairs, moving fast despite everything they’d been through. Chandra, however, was faster. Without regard to Jim, she sprinted after them, grabbing the back of Blair’s hair. She yanked and Blair let out a startled cry. The only thing that kept Blair from flying into her grip was Adrian’s own steadfast hold on him. Jim careened into her, sending her colliding against the brick wall to the side of the staircase. He quickly shooed Adrian and Blair on to rush up the stairs as Chandra sagged in his grip. Blair faltered, but Adrian tugged on him, shaking his head. Reluctantly, Blair acquiesced. Relief washed over Jim. Outside, the sun was coming up. Outside they would be safe. In here, he was unsure of the outcome.

He dragged her away from the staircase. The flames were spreading rapidly. Soon they would consume the entire house. If he didn’t kill her soon the entire place would collapse on them. Off to the side, Bram was clambering to his feet, rubbing his jaw. Jim was about to call out to him to get out of here when Chandra lashed her head, connecting solidly with his own. He almost sank to his knees. Double-fisted she swung, striking the side of his face solidly, dropping him to the ground.

“Jim!” Bram yelled.

Chandra angled her head in his direction. “Your turn will come, boy.”

“How about now?” he taunted, rushing at her, his fists poised for action.

She rolled her eyes dramatically. “I really don’t have time for this.”

She ducked the first swing, caught the second and crushed his fist in her hand. He cried out. She twisted his fist, spinning his back to her, then curled her arm around his neck. He rammed an elbow back, and with a gasp she released her hold. He skipped away from her, but not in enough time to dodge the kick to his midsection. He folded over and fell to his knees. She stood over him, ready to finish the job, when Jim, on the ground still, kicked out, catching her calves and knocking her feet out from under her.

“You got her!” Bram exclaimed, as he crawled to his feet, arms still held over his stomach.

She leapt back to her feet as if she’d been on a trampoline.

He faltered. “Maybe not.”

With a solid roundhouse kick, she caught Bram high in the chest and lashed out with her other leg, catching Jim in the abdomen. She brushed her hands off.

“Would love to keep this up, but I got a date to catch.” She rushed up the stairs.

Hunched over, Jim crept up beside Bram who was wheezing for breath. He patted him on the shoulder. The flames were creeping along the walls. Something popped in a burst of embers.

“C’mon, kid. She’s getting away. We’ve got partners up there to protect.”

Bram nodded, still gasping, but gathering enough control to run up the stairs after Jim. The basement was almost completely destroyed by the fire and it was now making its way to the staircase and eating at the floor above it. Thank God for small favors, Jim thought. At least they were getting out of the house. The big problem that had taken its place was Chandra was now with Adrian and Blair.

Outside, Adrian was valiantly fighting Chandra, but the battle was one-sided. She had him kneeling on the ground, his head forced back. Jim and Bram came to the doorway in time to see this and not in enough time to stop Blair from jumping on top of her from behind. She easily tossed him to the ground. Adrian collapsed, eyes locked on Chandra and Blair. He crawled towards them. Jim and Bram rushed out of the house. Chandra saw this and yanked Blair to his feet, holding him in front of her, an arm crooked around his neck, the other hand tangled in his hair. Blair froze, as did Jim, Bram, and Adrian.

“I’ll snap his neck.” She gave Blair’s hair a tug. He gritted his teeth. “Anyone comes any closer.”

“Chandra,” Adrian said, propping himself up with an elbow. “The sun’s coming up. You can’t survive out here.” He nodded to the house, smoke rising from it. “Your sanctuary has been destroyed. You’re out of options. Let him go.”

She shook her head resolutely. “If I go someone else goes with me. Might as well be him. He’s the one I chose to live with me forever, he can be the one to burn with me in Hell forever. Seems about right, doesn’t it?”

Jim stepped forward. She took one back, pulling Blair’s head back further. Jim faltered. “If you’re going to take anyone, take me. He doesn’t deserve to die, Chandra.”

“Jim,” Blair pleaded. “No.”

It bit at Jim’s heart, but he had no choice but to ignore it. Not if he wanted to get Blair out of this alive. The sky was brightening. If they could just delay a little bit more the sun would break the horizon. She was already sweating.

“Blair, I can’t let her kill you. No matter the cost. Chandra, let him go and kill me instead.”

Her eyes darted between the two. “You’re the Bad Man.” She paused before deciding, “This is a trick.” She looked at the sky and blanched. “Oh shit.”

In a burst of brightness, the sun came over the horizon, spilling an array of vivid pinks, oranges, and blues into the sky. She flung Blair at them, screaming. Jim caught Blair before he could fall and watched as she sprinted into the copse of trees.

“She’s getting away!” he exclaimed.

Bram glanced at Adrian who nodded.

"I can run," Adrian said. Bram helped Adrian to his feet and together, they took off after Chandra, Adrian limping slightly as he clutched at his side.

Jim was set to follow when he decided that the matter in his hands was more important than Chandra. Blair clung to him, as if Jim were his life preserver. Perhaps, in some respects, that was even true. He led him to the Ford and sat him down on the passenger’s seat. He removed his jacket and slipped it on his partner who gratefully clutched it together. They watched the blazing destruction of the house, letting the heat warm them.

Jim glanced back at Blair. The blood on Blair's stomach had not gone unnoticed by Jim. He reached a hand to Blair's face, fingers hovering over the cuts.

"What did she do?"

Blair's eyes remained locked on the burning house. "Butcher knife." He looked at Jim. His eyes darted across Jim's face. "Doesn't look like your faring much better. Where's Alecia?"

"Hospital."

Blair's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Oh man. Is she going to be okay?"

"Yeah. It looked pretty bad, but she's tough. How about you? Are you going to be okay?"

Blair glanced back at the crackling fire. The heat from the flames was intense even in the chill of the morning, and though he was wearing Jim's thick jacket, he shivered. "Yeah, despite the promise of some really nasty nightmares." His eyes, soulfully large and rimmed with an edge of pain, settled on Jim again. "You saved me big time, man. She was so close. If you had been ten seconds later that would've been it."

Ten seconds. Jim swallowed. No exaggeration either. He'd seen Chandra holding her wrist to Blair's mouth. It had been much too close. "I thought I was going to fail you again. Like the time Celestra controlled me and I nearly killed you. I thought Chandra was going to win and that it would be my fault because I was too weak."

"You weren't weak, man." Blair grinned, teasingly. "My knight in shining armor."

Jim laughed and looked down at his rumpled and sweat-stained clothes. "Not sure if the shining armor part fits, kid, but we'll work with it." He patted Blair's cheek, comforted by the feel of the rough, blood-streaked skin. Their eyes met and Blair smiled wearily. The kid needed a bath and sleep. He moved his hand to Blair's shoulder, then turned back to the burning house. For now, he was going to soak up Blair's nearness, a reminder that he had shown up in time and he could play the part of knight when it truly mattered.

Adrian and Bram emerged from the wooded area. Adrian was leaning against Bram, who had an arm around his waist. Both looked bedraggled and weary.

“We couldn’t find her," Adrian said. "She must’ve turned to ashes.”

“You didn’t find her?” Jim asked, looking between Adrian and Bram. He felt Blair tensen beside him. “Are you sure she didn’t get away?”

Adrian gestured to the sun. “Vampires can’t survive sunlight like this, especially the young ones. It wouldn’t even take a minute for them to turn to ashes.”

Blair relaxed slightly and hugged himself. Jim patted his leg, looking at Blair reassuringly. “So,” Blair said, “it’s finally over.”

Adrian hesitated for a second, then nodded. “Yeah. It’s over.”

The drive home had been mostly made in silence. Blair and Adrian had both fallen asleep, Blair slumped against Jim, and Adrian against Bram. Jim noticed Bram’s head drooping, jerking up every now and then. He was doing a valiant job trying to stay awake, as if he were afraid that if he fell asleep, someone else would attack and try to take their friends away from them again. Jim hadn’t been exaggerating when he told Bram he was noble. Bram was, in his opinion, among the noblest the world had to offer. The kid had his problems, sure, but when it came to what was truly important to him, Bram had no regard for his own personal welfare. He had Bram to thank for helping him save Blair.

He also had Adrian to thank. He hadn’t wanted to trust him. It had been all too fresh in his mind, what had happened to Blair earlier under Adrian’s control. Though he knew Adrian had not tried to hurt Blair purposely, there had still been that doubt that Adrian really didn’t know what he was doing and couldn’t control circumstances. Maybe he couldn’t always. Adrian hadn’t been able to stop Jacoah. Jim had to once again remind himself how wrong things really could’ve gone. Jacoah could’ve done a lot worse. Chandra could’ve gone right to the kill with Blair. Things had been too close.

It wasn’t doing much good thinking that. Yet, it was these thoughts that reminded Jim how lucky he was. Lucky that Bram was the strong, capable fighter he was, that Adrian truly did have the ability to work with the supernatural, and the most relieving of all, that Blair was still alive.

He thought of Alecia at the hospital. He didn’t know what her condition was. After they got some sleep he’d take everyone to the hospital. He had faith she’d be all right. He’d seen her and her friends do some pretty incredible things. Recovering from a massive head injury would certainly be the least of her abilities.

They sat in the hospital for close to an hour. No one did a lot of talking. Adrian was caught up in his own silence. His face was bruised and covered with light scratches, but compared to Alecia, whose hand he held, he was over the worst of the damage. The doctors and nurses had offered little hope. Bram knew they were wrong. They didn’t know Alecia Wynters like he did. Her face was swathed in bandages and one of the doctors had said something about plastic surgery. The doctor hadn’t said, ‘if she survives’, but Bram heard it anyway. She would survive. Most people wouldn’t have survived something like that. Her skull had been crushed. There had been massive internal bleeding in her head. Her nose had been caved in.

Alecia was going to live and she wouldn’t need plastic surgery. This Bram knew from the inside of his heart.

Sitting beside him was Jim and Blair. The most amazing thing he had witnessed was Jim’s selflessness when it came to Blair. Since the moment they had discovered Blair and Adrian missing, Jim had run with a single-minded purpose. Jim was, in every aspect of the word, a hero. The only other people Bram had ever met that he could call true heroes were Alecia and Adrian. They were the ones who would put their life on the line to save someone else. That was what they all were, Bram decided. Every single one of them sitting in this room were heroes. It was a special type of hero, for without each other they lost their power. Bram smiled. They were the Three Musketeers, with a couple additions.

Alecia moaned. Everyone perked up. Adrian leaned closer to his fiancee.

“Alecia? Come on, open your eyes.”

She moaned again, rolling her head to the side. Her eyelids fluttered.

“That’s it, babe. Just a little more.”

She opened her eyes. Adrian was beaming. Bram figured he was probably grinning like an idiot himself. He just knew he had the dopiest grin on his face. Alecia glanced around, her expression lost in confusion.

“Um, this is a hospital, isn’t it?” Her voice was hoarse, yet strong.

Bram glanced to the side. Blair and Jim were grinning as well.

“Yeah, Leesh,” Adrian said. “You’re in a hospital.”

She frowned. “Why’m I in a hospital?”

Bram answered, “You had a run in with the bloodsuckers.”

She wrinkled her brow. “I did? I remember going into the club . . .” She trailed off, looking for a fill in to her uncompleted thought.

Bram obliged, though he did so to his own embarrassment. “One of the vampires started playing tricks with my head and got me out of the club. You and Jim came to my rescue.”

She smiled, as if this were familiar news to her. It was really. Alecia had come to his rescue plenty of times in the past. “Why does that not surprise me?” Her smile straightened a little. “So I take it, one of the vampires got the drop on me, huh?” She reached a hand to fiddle with the bandages on her face. “Got a real good drop on me, obviously.” She glanced from person to person. “What did I end up missing?”

Jim shrugged. “Nothing I’m sure you’re not already used to.”

“Yeah,” Adrian added, stroking her hand, “it was the usual.”

Later they would tell her everything. There were no secrets among them, but she had just woken up and a nurse or doctor would probably come in soon, check on her and give her more drugs. It wouldn’t do any good to tell her anything right now.

“Then you guys didn’t need my help?” she asked hopefully. It would kill her if she had to think that she had been desperately needed when there was nothing she could do anyway.

“Nah,” Bram said. “We had it under control. If we’d had you with us, we would’ve looked better fighting them. But can’t have everything.”

“No,” she agreed. “You can’t.” She yawned.

A nurse waltzed into the room, checked Alecia’s vitals and, as Bram had guessed, administered morphine into her IV. Alecia was out seconds after the nurse left.

“You guys did good,” Blair said. “I was positive Chandra was going to . . . you know. Cross me over. But you found me in time.”

“Jim was determined,” Adrian said. “He had everything to do with it.”

Jim shook his head. “No. I can’t take all the credit. If it hadn’t been for you I would’ve never found him in time.” He cocked his head towards Bram. “And if it hadn’t been for him, Jacoah would’ve killed me before I even got to you. We did it as a team.”

“That’s how it works,” Blair said. “Don’t you remember me telling you that, Jim?”

“Telling me what?”

“ ‘United we stand, divided we fall.’ That’s the way it works.”

Adrian smiled thoughtfully, his eyes still on Alecia.

Jim nodded. “Yeah, I guess that is the way it works.”

Bram’s eyes fell on Alecia and Adrian together and Blair and Jim side by side. Blair was right. That was how they worked.

I hope you enjoyed the story. If you did, please let me know. I am considering doing another story and possibly making this an ongoing series. I'd love to know your thoughts on this. Shycat
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