Stone was awakened with a snarl on his lips by Gavin mentally yelling in his head.
[Vampires are in the city!]
He bolted upright on his large, plush bed, fear mixing with his anger. [What?]
[They slipped through the werewolves in the north. A swarm of them, like locusts.]
Cursing, he kicked off the blanket and hurried downstairs. He mentally called out to everyone in the pack for updates. Alistair and Gunner were already on their way to the city, while Gwen was just waking up and running downstairs, stark naked like him.
"Why didn't the werewolves warn us sooner that their borders had been breached?" she asked. Worry creased her brows as she looked upon her father's face in sympathy.
He held the front door open for her since she was right behind him and followed her out. They were far away from the city and deep within the woods, that they didn't need to worry about locking it.
They shifted quickly, their bones crunching and grinding against cartilage. Their skin rippled as the muscles shifted position, turning to rubber in order to bend and move before hardening once more. Fur broke out on their skin and spread throughout their bodies. Their arms lengthened, their hands turned halfway between hands and claws larger than a human head. Their mouths and nasal cavities lengthened into muzzles—a painful procedure, but one that they got used to after a hundred times of doing it. A tail sprouted from their tailbones as they fell forward on their mutated hands and feet. Their internal organs churned and gurgled as they shifted slightly within.
As soon as he was transformed, Stone reached out to Gavin. [Is Aubree's position secure?]
Gavin responded with a slight edge in his voice. [Yes.]
Stone's throat rumbled, not liking even a hint of uncertainty regarding Aubree's safety. The whole reason he had someone out there patrolling her neighborhood was to ensure no harm came her way. Maybe it was a little overbearing, protective, and controlling, but she was his soulmate whether he liked it or not.
[Oh, so you're finally ready to admit that she's your mate now, huh?]
Stone snapped his enormous jaws at Gwen as she ran next to him through the forest. She barked in laughter and skittered around a few trees to avoid his teeth.
[Guard the southern border in case any leeches try to slip through there,] he commanded.
She yipped back. [Aye aye, Captain.]
Stone picked up his pace and flew through the forest and into the dark backyards of suburban homes.
The position of the half moon in the sky told him it was the middle of the night. They had roughly four hours to find the vampires and chase them out of the city because once they found a place to hide, that meant more complications and hunts until they were certain the streets were cleansed of them.
[How close are they to Aubree?] Stone asked.
There was hesitation in Gavin's response. [Maybe a mile off.]
Stone knew that was a generous estimate. The city sounds and smells made it harder for them to pick up vampires, which only further encouraged them to keep them from entering the city limits. Out in the forest, the vampires were easier to sense because their hearing could stretch for miles. With city distractions, it was much harder to zero-in their senses on the living dead. Vampires were nearly soundless in their movements because of their grace and their scent was faint, except when they opened their mouths and the pungent odor of metallic blood filled the lycans' nostrils.
Cursing, he mind-linked with Alistair and Gunner to get their locations. They were already deep in the city, but the farther north they went towards the vampire threats, the closer they got to the heavily populated downtown core. It was harder to conceal themselves there and the vampires knew it and used it to their advantage.
[How many are there?]
He waited for Gavin to get back to him.
[I only sense one in this area. Shit.]
Gavin swearing made Stone's heart skip a beat. Fretting panic, he dug deeper into Gavin's mind in an attempt to see what he could see. [What? What happened?]
[I think she saw me.]
Confusion laced Stone's mind as he was forced to slow his speed in the residential area and proceed with more caution. [Explain. Who saw you? The bloodsucker?]
[No, the girl. Aubree.]
Stone furrowed his furry wolf brows. [How did she see you? She's not outside, is she?]
[I was on the balcony. Best way to scope out the city. She must have woken up and was wandering around the apartment. She seemed tense and... agitated.]
Stone thought back to the dream, how she reacted to seeing him naked. At first, he smirked to himself, thinking, of course, she'd be 'agitated.' The thought of her being flustered and aroused by the mere sight of him in a dream pleased him.
Until he remembered Adelaide and his last words to Aubree before he was awakened.
He growled to himself. He could not accept Aubree. Not now. Not while he still ached over Adelaide. The mere thought of Aubree sharing Adelaide's soul hurt. How could she be born again as a human?
A human sexually involved with another human at that.
Bile filled his mouth and he bit back the vile taste. At least for Aubree's sake, the male was clean of other female scents. That kind of loyalty was rare among the human species.
He couldn't break them apart. That would be cruel. But he knew it was only a matter of time before neither he, nor Aubree, would be capable of fighting it. Time was on his side, although not hers.
Shaking his head, he attempted to clear his thoughts of his mates from his dream. It was because his soul and theirs were seeking each other in the dream world. It would be like this until they mated and marked each other. Their souls would not be content until they were made one once again.
Chiding himself, he reminded himself to focus. He was coming up to a busy street, so he had to concentrate on finding a way across.
[Stay in the vicinity,] he told Gavin. [I'll have Alistair and Gunner aid the werewolves. Do you think Carina and Adranus are behind this?]
If they were, he knew Aubree was in danger.
[No, I don't sense them. These vampires are too young and fresh.]
That was a relief. But young vampires, newborns as they were called, were more reckless. They didn't try to conceal themselves from humans. They were concerned with one thing, and that was quenching their thirst. Usually, the ones responsible for turning them will guide them in their new lives as members of the living dead for the first week or so, but not always. The unguided ones came in two types: the naïve confused ones, and the crazed bloodthirsty ones. The latter were the most destructive and dangerous, while the former were mistaken as drug addicts or drunks, who eventually attacked someone because their thirst became too much for them to bear.
[Alright. Just... be cautious. I'm on my way and will try to steer away any bloodsuckers from the area,] Stone said.
[Yes, sir. By the way, Gwen's singing in my head that you've accepted the girl as your mate. Is this true?]
Stone gritted his teeth and reached out to Gwen's mind to scold her. [Guinevere.]
She cackled back. [First comes love! Then comes marriage!]
He shut her out and returned to Gavin's mind. [No.]
There was no immediate reply and Stone used this moment of silence to take a deep cleansing breath and survey his surroundings. He skittered across the street and kept to the shadows.
[Oh. Okay. You know, it's okay. We understand that this is hard and everything...]
Stone growled, wishing they would drop it already. Aubree was a human, couldn't they get that through their thick skulls that it wouldn't work?
[This ends here. Maintain focus on the target. Am I making myself clear?]
Gavin was quick to respond. [Yes, sir.]
Stone slipped silently between two parked cars and peered out from under the bumpers to make sure the coast was clear. All was still. He sprang forward and ran across the street. Not a soul was around and he was thankful for the silence in his mind so he was able to concentrate on the task at hand. Even the crickets were silent due to his presence.
He instructed Alistair and Gunner to aid the werewolves while he and Gavin would look after the ones in Aubree's neighborhood and the southern portion of the city.
A few minutes later, he entered Aubree's apartment complex and met Gavin in a clump of bushes.
[Do you want to go up and check on her?] Gavin asked.
Stone hesitated before shaking his head. [No. It will only confuse her more.]
She didn't need to be more confused than she already was. Frankly, he wasn't ready to confront her himself. What would he say? It was too awkward. Besides, she started her new job in the morning. She had enough on her mind to worry about. Vampires, werewolves, and lycans shouldn't be a concern of hers, if he could help it.
His nose wrinkled when he got a whiff of a vampire. Growling, he lowered himself to the ground and crouched in the bushes, using the scent of the earth to mask his own musk. If the wind blew in their favor, the vampire wouldn't even get a chance to notice them before it was too late. However, if the wind carried their scent toward him, no matter how much they tried to mask their scent, the vampire would pick up on it.
Vampires usually preyed on the inebriated found in bars or clubs or walking down the streets in a drunken stupor at this time of the night. Stone didn't pick up the smell of alcohol or drugs. What could bring a vampire into this neighborhood if not for that?
His lips curled back, revealing his large canines. Whoever this vampire was had to know about Aubree. There was no other reasonable explanation for him to be there because he wasn't even following a human home for a late night snack.
As the vampire came into view, dressed in jeans and a light gray sweater over a simple cotton tee, Stone picked up on the faint perfume that Carina wore to blend in with the humans.
He knew she was behind this! His instincts were always right when it came to that devious leech!
[Circle around him if he attempts to make a run for it. Try and hold him for questioning,] Stone told Gavin as he rose on his haunches, preparing to pounce when the vampire got close enough.
[Affirmative.]
The wind picked up, ruffling their fur from behind, and blowing it toward the vampire.
They both mentally swore as the vampire turned his head in their direction.
So much for nature working in their favor. The Goddess must be out to get them tonight.
Stone gritted his teeth and leaped forward. He knew it wasn't Carina, but rather a poor soul recently turned by her.
As he approached, he could sense the newborn's hesitation and fear, as if he couldn't even conceive of the creature bolting at him.
He was fresh indeed. Probably just woke up from his vampiric coma and was still trying to figure out what was going on.
Stone almost felt sorry for him when he jumped on the guy and sent him crashing to the ground. He reeked of terror and his bloodshot eyes also reflected confusion. He opened his mouth to speak, but all he could rasp out was "Thirsty."
When he didn't fight back, Stone gingerly picked him up in his jaws and carried him to the bushes, where he promptly shifted back into his human form, and Gavin took over pinning him to the ground.
The poor kid couldn't have been more than eighteen or nineteen, and already his life was ruined.
Stone would have the honor of putting him out of his misery. Death was better than living a life sentence to sucking the vital fluids of human beings and other living creatures.
Standing over the vampire, he looked down upon him with cold, calculating eyes. "Who sent you, leech?"
The pale kid had ruffled red hair and he looked from Gavin to Stone, and back to the snarling beast pinning him down. He seemed unable to make sense of Stone's question. "Water," he managed to croak.
Frowning, Stone shook his head. "Water's not what you need, and I can't allow you to quench your thirst. That would make me an even greater monster than I already am."
Gavin snorted in the boy's face, bits of spittle striking his cold cheeks.
Whimpering in fear, the teen grimaced from the spray.
"I'll ask you nicely once more," Stone said, glowering down at the teenager. "Who sent you?"
"I live here," he choked out. "I was just going home. Please, my throat burns. Give me water."
Even though his heart skipped a beat, Stone refrained from recoiling and maintained control over his emotions. He knew better than to show any hint of weakness with a vampire—even one as oblivious as this one.
[Carina must be nearby,] he mentally told Gavin.
[How could she know, though?] Gavin asked.
Stone shook his head. [She's always been a cunning one. She'd have to be to live for over a millennium.]
To the bloodsucker, he said, "How long?"
The vampire hissed in pain as Gavin pressed down harder on him when he started squirming then. "Not long. Four years."
"So, you're not visiting from another city? This is your current residence?" Stone asked.
"Yes! Please, whoever you are, just give me water!" he begged.
Stone crouched down next to him as his eyes grew wide. "I have nothing to give you."
The newborn struggled to swallow, squeezing his eyes shut with the effort.
"Do you remember what happened last night?" Stone asked.
The teen pursed his lips and shook his head. "I-I was on my way home from the campus library. I-I don't remember what happened after I got off the bus."
Stone narrowed his eyes at him. "So, it was right here?"
"I don't know!"
[I swear, I didn't pick up anything last night!] Gavin said.
His massive form grunted, closing his eyes in regret as a low whine reverberated from his throat, causing the kid to flinch.
[Gawain, calm yourself,] Stone reminded him.
Disgusted with himself, Gavin's ear's flattened. [But if Carina snatched him right out from under my nose...]
Stone shook his head. [No doubt, Carina's picked up on Aubree's scent, as well as ours, and knows this is her location. All we can do now is be diligent in our efforts to keep her safe. Carina can't enter Aubree's apartment without prior invitation. As for entering the building itself, who knows?]
He turned to the young man and tried to keep the feelings of regret from bubbling up from his stomach. Despite his pity for the boy, he knew he had to tell him the truth. "Do you know what you are now? What you've become since last night?"
Apprehensively, the newborn coughed and shook his head, no.
"It is with regret that I inform you that you've become a vampire."
His bloodshot eyes grew large in disbelief.
Stone lowered his voice as he leaned an inch closer to him. "And my job... is to eliminate your species."
Rising to his feet, Stone stepped back as the young man began to cough, hiss, and thrash under Gavin's enormous paws.
"May your god have mercy on your soul."
----
Dedicated to junacohenclaudia
*Copyright Jo Lee Hunt (Joflower) 2015*
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