Category: Avalon

Anne

Anne eyes cracked open as she regained consciousness. The bedroom was dimly lit, but Anne could make out the dresser to her left and the small bedside table to her right. The bed was soft and warm. Anne could smell the faint scent of lilacs. She lay in the bed for several long moments, trying to clear the foggy feeling from her mind. Still groggy, but feeling more able, Anne sat up.

Her feet landed on plush carpeting, and for a moment, Anne wondered if she was in Lady Maritza’s house. No, the last thing she remembered was Welks hitting her with that blackout drug. Anger roiled through Anne as she thought of Welks working for the vampires. She knew Welks was a lazy slob of a detective, but corruption was something new. Anne was going to either put a bullet in him or make sure he was locked up.

She felt the wild magic dancing around her an instant before the floral arrangement on the dresser erupted in flames. Anne instinctively reached for the vase, but she stopped herself. If she could start a fire with magic, she could stop it as well. Anne focused on the wild magic flowing around the room and saw the bindings on the vase. With careful thought, she altered the bindings slightly. The flames extinguished as if a switch had been thrown. Anne coughed as the smoke filled the room.

The door opened and two vampires materialized in her room. They moved so fast that they seemed to appear out of thin air. One was the vampire that had fled from the hotel room. The other was a woman. She was about Anne’s height, with a face and shape that would have made a supermodel envious. Her silver head flowed as if an unfelt wind was blowing it. She said something to the male vampire in some European language. He picked up the vase and vanished. The female vampire turned to Anne with glowing blue eyes.

“You’re the one who tortured Erik,” Anne said, recognizing the vampire from the description Samantha had given her. The vampire looked pleasantly surprised.

“Unfortunately, yes. I didn’t know how badly he’d been hurt by that woman,” the vampire said, sounding truly regretful. “Hers was the only one I could pull out of that vault of a mind that he has. Once I saw the truth…” The vampire’s voice trailed off. Anne watched the vampire’s face incredulously. She had a thing for Erik?

“You realize he wants to kill you?” Anne asked. Was she in the clutches of an insane vampire? Were any vampires sane? The vampire looked over at Anne and smiled.

“I’ve already marked him as mine,” the vampire answered, as if it was perfectly plain. “He can fight all he wants, but he’s already coming around. He didn’t even kill me tonight with that magic sword of his. Now let’s talk about how you’re going to help me.”

“Screw you,” Anne snapped. Anne felt the sudden pressure against her mind. It wasn’t like when Samantha telepathically spoke to her. This was intrusive and violent. It sent Anne to her knees.

You will help me, the vampire spoke into Anne’s mind, You and that lovely blood of yours. Anne let out a whimper and fell to the floor as the pressure on her mind increased. You will fulfill the prophecy, and I will be the new leader of this clan.

Erik

Erik was watching the target house when Veronica flinched in her seat. Erik twisted back as his sorceress’s head focused on one corner of the large mansion. From the expression on Veronica’s face, she’d felt some magic being used. That was pretty good confirmation that this was the target house. Erik let himself feel a tiny bit of relief from failing to tail Anne, but only a little bit. Erik would let himself feel more after he put Nao down.

“So, the tracker was correct?” Kurt asked. The German’s voice might have been professional, but Erik could feel Kurt’s fear and dread radiating like a space heater. Erik leaned into Kurt.

“Relax, my friend. We’ll get her out of there,” Erik said. Kurt nodded, and his feelings lessened a bit. Erik would rather deal with Kurt’s fear than Jason’s boiling anger. The American agent had been infuriated about what happened between Erik and Nao, and had not so subtly hinted that maybe Erik was compromised. If Erik was being honest, he wasn’t sure himself. That was why he was wearing the small drug harness under his battle armor.

The Imperial Army had experimented with battle drugs many times in the last century. It had to look at anything that would give its soldiers an edge against the likes of orcs and trolls. Chemical enhancement was one of many avenues. The results of the trials had been mixed. The drug cocktails needed to bring a human on par with an orc tended to have some nasty side effects. Very nasty side effects. That said, the Imperial Army had an institutional culture of never throwing away a weapon system. There might come a time when it had to be dusted off and used. Which was why Lady Maritza’s closet had a full chem rig. Erik had just switched out the normal battle drug cocktail for the venom treatment that the Americans had developed. He could feel the cool liquid being pumped into his system and hoped that it would fend off the craving. So far, so good.

“I think Anne’s in this room here,” Veronica said, highlighting the room on the floor plans. “At least, I think that’s where the magic surge came from.”

“Are you sure it’s not just the vampires?” Jason asked.

“No, it felt more like one of the spells we taught Anne,” Veronica answered. The agent nodded in understanding.

“If she’s there, we can go through these doors here into the sitting room,” Nigel said, highlighting the route. “The sitting room connects to the servants’ quarters where they’re holding Anne. We haven’t observed any vampires in this sitting room yet, and there’s no security system active. Just a quiet sneak and retrieve.” The two Foreign Security agents looked satisfied with the plan. Erik was pretty sure that the vampires would know the moment they entered the house, but he didn’t have any better plans. At least this time, they’d be bringing some surprises of their own to cover them.

“Everyone get ready. We go in ten.”

Anne

Anne rubbed her throbbing head as the escalator dumped her on the second level of the Highlands Mall. Why couldn’t the vampires have chosen a more secluded place to do the switch? Something like a warehouse down by the docks or one of the vacant buildings out by the airport. No, they had to choose the largest mall in the city – and on the second floor of a three floor complex. Fortunately, the closed restaurant being used for the trade was just off of the escalator. Anne wouldn’t have to wade through the packed walkways. A mall security guard intercepted Anne as she took a step towards the restaurant.

“Detective Hearst?” he asked. When she nodded, he handed her a key. “Only you and two others may go in. Any more and the deal is off.” The guard smartly spun and walked off before she could say anything.

Okay, Samantha and Veronica go in with Anne, Jason ordered over their telepathic link. He told Erik what was happening via cell phone. For some reason, Erik couldn’t be connected into the telepathic link, which was why Erik was outside the mall waiting to track Anne and the vampires when they came out. At least, that’s what Samantha and Erik said, but Anne was sure there was more to it.

Anne unlocked the door to the restaurant and Veronica strode into the darkened interior. The sorceress’s hands were faintly glowing with stored magic. Anne could see the wild magic bound to Veronica’s hands. Any vampire that dared to put its hands on Veronica was going to be immolated. Samantha stepped through next with Anne trailing the two women.

That’s odd, Samantha said, I’m hearing another set of thoughts besides Mia. Someone who knows you Anne. He keeps complaining you haven’t come yet.

Who? Anne asked, pausing at the edge of the entryway.

I don’t know, but he’s pissed, Samantha answered. Anne thought hard for a brief moment, but she couldn’t think of anyone she knew that would have been involved with the vampires. Anne motioned for Samantha and Veronica to step into the restaurant proper. She followed a few steps behind. As soon as she turned the corner, Anne froze and reached for a pistol that wasn’t there. Standing next to a blindfolded Mia Gold was Detective Harvey Welks.

“About damned time,” Welks growled as he saw the trio. “Some of the clan are in here with us. As long as everything goes smoothly, you won’t see them. If you try anything at all, then they will kill the songbird here.” Welks was staring directly at Anne.

“Welks, this is your game,” Anne said, surprising herself with the calm tone, “How are we doing this?”

“Let’s keep this simple, okay?” Welks answered, “The songbird walks to you and you walk to me. Once we both have what we want, you walk back out that door, and we go our way. Oh, and just to keep things honest.” He held up a gold medallion on a silver chain. It glowed like someone was hitting it was a flashlight.

“How did you get one of those?” Veronica hissed, her eyes fixed on the small disc.

“Never you mind,” Welks answered confidently, “From your reaction, I imagine you know what it’s for.”

“It’s a tal’kra. Any binding of wild magic and it will glow,” Veronica supplied for Anne’s benefit. “I didn’t know there were any on this side of the gate.”

“So that’s what it’s called,” Welks said, sounding amused, “So, you know what to do to make it stop glowing, because this trade ain’t happening until this little trinket is quiet.” Anne scowled. That made things more difficult. Veronica was supposed to back her if the vampires decided to double-cross them while Samantha protected Mia Gold until Jason, Kurt, and the others reached them. Veronica glared at Welks as she released her bindings. Anne felt as the wild magic was released and balanced into the flows around her. The tal’kra‘s glow faded.

Satisfied, Welks gave Mia Gold a rough shove towards Samantha and Veronica. The singer stumbled from the unexpected shove, but quickly recovered. Anne had to admire the singer’s poise. Even after being kidnapped and blindfolded, Mia Gold was walking like she was on the red carpet. Anne strode over to Welks with a look of disgust on her face. Welks looked unconcerned. As she neared, Welks produced a pair of flex-cuffs and motioned for her to turn around. As Welks secured the plastic restraints to her wrist, Anne watched Samantha hustle Mia Gold out of the restaurant. Veronica stood like a statue of a petite, angry Indian goddess. Anne gave her a small nod. Veronica cautiously backed out of the restaurant.

“I told them you’d come quietly,” Welks said as soon as the Avalonians were out of the restaurant. “They, on the other hand, wanted some more precautions.” Before Anne could ask what he meant, she felt the prick of a needle at her neck. Blackness quickly swallowed her.

Erik

At least she’s safe, Erik thought to himself as he waited for this Welks person to emerge from the mall with Anne. He was perched on top of the mall’s parking garage. It was the only place where he had a view of all the major and minor exits. Erik would sense Anne’s psi-scent when they emerged, and then he’d jump down to one of the pre-positioned vehicles to follow them. He had to give the vampires some credit. Their plan was smart. The mall was crowded enough to provide enough background psychic noise – normally. Spending three months, day in and day out, with Anne allowed Erik to quickly find her psi-scent.

Erik heard the soft thump behind him, and he spun around. Nao was leaning on a car some fifteen feet away. In tight black slacks and a brilliant blue blouse, she looked like she’d just stepped off of some high-end photo shoot. Erik suppressed a pang of need as her glowing blue eyes met his. His hand dropped to the hilt of Far’ling hidden just beneath his long coat.

“You do not want to do that, lover,” Nao said, the ghost of a smile dancing across her ruby-red lips.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that I do,” Erik replied, “And I’m not your lover.”

“Not yet, but soon,” Nao said. In the blink of an eye, she was standing next to Erik. Very close to Erik. Her hand clamped down on his before he could draw the elven sword. The other hand grabbed Erik’s head and pulled it down into a light kiss. Erik’s head swam as her venom surged into his blood. Nao stepped back.

“Stay out of our affairs, love,” Nao said, “There are goings on within my cland that you are not aware of. I can’t protect you if you insist on interfering.” Erik looked down into Nao’s perfectly sculpted face. She gave him a smile that was equal parts compassion and seduction. He felt her hand loosen on his sword hand. Erik hit her with the strongest blast of power he could muster.

Nao flew across the roof of the parking garage and slammed into a concrete pillar. There were cracks in the pillar as she slid down to the ground. Nao looked up and gave Erik a look of amusement.

“I’m going to cut your heart out,” Erik said, unsheathing Far’ling.

“No, you’re not,” Nao said confidently as she picked herself up off the concrete floor. “You will soon realize that I am your true match. Not that pathetic weakling I saw in your mind.” Her eyes flickered to the shining silver blade in Erik’s hand. “Not tonight though. You aren’t ready.” She leapt into the night sky and vanished from sight. Erik keyed the radio.

“Jason, I lost Anne,” Erik said, “But I managed to tag one of the vampires with one of those trackers of yours. We’ll know where they took Anne shortly.” Erik clicked off the radio before the American could reply and sank to the ground as the venom sang through him.

Erik

The room was dim when Erik opened his eyes. The pain was a low throbbing, but something else wasn’t right. His body was missing something. That drug. It was a craving for that drug. Erik spent what felt like a few hours pushing back against the craving and then tried to move.

“Would you just lay there and rest?” asked Sam, her voice filled with a familiar frustration. She stepped into Erik’s line of sight. Erik felt a pang of guilt as he saw Sam’s haggard expression. “Veronica managed to heal most of your wounds, but it took a lot out of her. You’re still not fully healed.”

“We’re not at the apartments,” Erik said, looking around. The room seemed familiar, but his fogged mind couldn’t remember.

“We’re at Lady Maritza’s,” Sam supplied. “You needed a lot more than what Veronica could supply you.” She motioned to the IV. “It’s helping keep the venom under control.”

“The what?” Erik asked.

“You were captured by vampires, Erik. When they bit you, they pumped you full of their venom. It’s highly addictive, according to Jason,” Sam answered.

“So why didn’t Veronica burn it out of me?” Erik asked.

“Because it’s not just a chemical. It has a magic component. Veronica said that the bindings had already seeped into your brain, and she couldn’t undo the bindings without possibly damaging your brain,” Sam answered. “Jason’s people told us how to make a treatment that will lessen the need. Not remove it, but lessen it enough to make you functional.”

“I’ll have to thank Veronica and Jason,” Erik said, sitting up. Sam made a sound of protest, but Erik waved her down. She knew him too well to stop him. Carefully, he reached out and took Sam’s hand. She didn’t flinch. Good.

“I’m sorry about what happened in the hallways,” Erik said. Sam let out a strangled laugh.

“They really screwed with your head, didn’t they?” Sam asked, gently, “I’m guessing one of them pretended to be Anya. Probably while you were weak and doped up on their venom. Jason explained how vampires operate.” Sam cocked her head. “So, I guess you’re not as over her as we thought you were.”

“No,” Erik said flatly. Sam placed a gentle hand on Erik’s cheek and lifted his face to hers. She had a sad smile on her face.

“There are days I want to strangle her for what she did to you,” Sam said.

“Thanks, I think,” Erik said, and the pair chuckled darkly. He looked back up to Sam. “How did you find me? I didn’t even know where I was.” Sam’s smile vanished and an odd tinge of fear lit her eyes.

“A couple of vampires killed a woman to draw out Anne,” Sam answered, “At least, that’s what we think. When we caught up with them, we found out that they were part of Mia Gold’s touring crew.” Erik’s eyes went hard and Sam swallowed.

“Has she been turned? Does she know?” Erik asked. Sam held up her hand to fend off any more questions.

“She’s not a vampire,” Sam answered, “We know that much from watching the paparazzi here in the city. I don’t think she knew that her tour was being backed by vampires.”

“Why?” Erik asked. Sam didn’t answer, but her eyes silently pleaded with Erik not to press further.

“Help me up, or I’ll do it myself,” Erik said.

Anne

We will trade Detective Hearst for Mia Gold at 10 p.m. tonight at the address provided below.

Anne looked down at the single sheet of paper that had been delivered nearly a half-hour ago to Lady Maritza’s house. The address was a closed restaurant in the Highlands Mall. Kurt, Veronica, and Jason were arguing about what to do. Samantha hadn’t come out of the room where Erik was healing. To top it all off, Lady Maritza was being strangely quiet. Anne looked up at the clock. Five-thirty in the morning. It had been a long night, followed by a long day and an even longer night. Anne really just wanted to go to bed, not make more critical decisions. Then she heard someone calling her name.

“What? I’m sorry, I kind of zoned out there for a moment,” Anne said.

“I was saying that we should be busy looking for where the vampires are holed up,” Jason said. “I’ve already contacted my superiors. We’ll have a DA team from the task force here in twenty-four hours.”

“Mia doesn’t have twenty-four hours Jason,” Veronica replied, “We need to start planning how we’re going to handle the trade.”

“Nein,” Kurt snapped, “All of our jobs is to protect Anne, not this singer. We cannot risk Anne’s life.”

“Are you saying that as the professional bodyguard, or the guy who’s in love with Anne?” Jason asked, sarcastically. Kurt shot up from his seat and stormed towards agent.

“Stop it, the both of you,” Anne snapped at the two men. “Kurt, we have to get Ms. Gold away from the vampires. I swore an oath to serve and protect, and I take my oaths seriously. And Jason, she doesn’t have time for your team to get here. We have to make sure Ms. Gold is safe.”

“Anne, please, we don’t know why the vampires want you,” Kurt pleaded, “Handing you over to them may be worse than giving you over to the Dark Towers.”

“That is a point,” Veronica said, scratching the bridge of her nose. At Anne’s shocked look, Veronica held up her hand. “Look, I want to save Mia as much as you do, but Kurt’s right. We don’t know what the vampires are going to do with you when they have their clutches on you.”

“So, you’re willing to sacrifice Mia’s life on the possibility?” Anne asked.

“We are not sacrificing Mia Gold,” Erik said from the doorway. Anne spun at the sudden voice. She hadn’t heard him walk in. Erik was pale and his face contorted with pain. Sam was reluctantly helping him stay upright while giving him furious looks.

“Erik, what the hell are you doing out of bed?” Veronica demanded. “You’ll ruin all the work I did on you.” Erik gave the petite Avalonian a level look that made her flinch back. Then he looked over at Anne.

“Anne has made her position clear, and we have a duty to secure Ms. Gold’s release,” Erik said. “Unless Lady Maritza happens to know where the vampires are hiding out, this trade is the our only good shot at rescuing Ms. Gold.”

“With all due respect Erik, but what duty do to we have to this singer?” Kurt asked. To Anne’s surprise, Lady Maritza was the one who answered.

“Because Mia Gold is an Avalonian subject,” Lady Maritza said. Only Samantha and Erik didn’t have shocked looks on their faces, which surprised Anne even more.

“Why is she here?” Anne blurted out.

“Because singer is not an acceptable occupation for Ms. Gold back in the Empire,” Lady Maritza said. “She came here to Earth on the caveat that she could not return to Avalon for at least a decade.”

“I don’t understand that at all. Have you heard her sing?” Anne asked. Lady Maritza gave Anne a sad smile.

“Yes. The young lady is quite gifted,” Lady Maritza said. “It’s why I agreed to broker the arrangement. A talent like hers shouldn’t be wasted.”

“My God, she’s a noble,” Veronica breathed, “That’s why she couldn’t have a singing career in Avalon. She’d embarrass her family.” Lady Maritza didn’t answer. Veronica turned to Erik. “Is that how you knew? You’d met her before she came to Earth?”

“Something like that,” Erik said, “I can’t say anymore, but we are going to rescue her, and then we’re going to wipe these vampires out to make sure they can’t threaten Anne or Ms. Gold again.”

“How are you going to do that if I’m being traded to them?” Anne asked. “I don’t think they’re going to let me take my gun or a radio with me.”

“I think it’s time we rapidly accelerated your magic training,” Erik said, and then looked over at Veronica before looking down at Samantha. The two ladies nodded. “First, we’re all getting a few hours sleep.” With that, Erik went back to his room under Samantha’s guidance.

“What did he mean by accelerating my magic training?” Anne asked Veronica.

“If Erik’s going to have us do what I think he’s planning, you better go get some sleep. You’ll need whatever rest you can get.”

Erik

Something was wrong. Erik couldn’t lay his finger on what, but his instincts were telling him something was going on with his captors. Erik stood up from the bed. His sides still hurt, but his head hurt more. Worse, he felt the craving for whatever drug his captors had been pumping into him. The loss made him feel weak and shaky. With some effort, Erik pushed all of his physical problems to the back of his mind and focused. Something going wrong for his captors could be his chance to escape.

His captors had annoyingly stripped the room of anything that would have made a quick weapon. Erik yanked on the sheets of the bed. They were hard stuck on the bed, but the top sheet finally pulled free. Erik started twisting the sheet into a tight rope. Whoever came through that door next, he was going to blast and then strangle. If he was lucky, it would be Nao.

The door clicked open. Erik crouched near the bed, ready to pounce. As the man walked through the door, Erik’s eyes went wide. At the man’s waist was the inscribed scabbard of Far’ling. Instead of the push he’d been readying, Erik grabbed the hilt with his power and yanked. The room seemed to light up as the silvery elf blade flew into Erik’s waiting hands. The man was moving with that same blinding speed, but he slammed into Erik’s shield. With one swift motion, Erik lunged. The sword easily slid into the man’s chest. There was a look of surprise on the man’s face, then he burst into flame. A second later, a pile of ash was left on the floor. All except Far’ling‘s scabbard.

Damn, Erik thought, I was at least hoping to get his clothes. He picked up Far’ling‘s scabbard and shook off the ash. Erik slipped out the door into the dark hallway.

Anne

Anne tapped her foot impatiently as the man worked on the electronic lock. She knew he was working as fast as he could. Nagging him or riding his shoulder wasn’t going to make it happen any faster. Anne had no idea how Samantha was managing to stay so calm as they waited to gain entrance into the Riverside Colosseum. Originally built as part of the Riverside Revitalization Project, it was hoped the Colosseum would lure at least a minor league hockey team to the city. Like most of the revitalization project, that plan had gone down in flames. Now, it was a half-decent concert location.

“Got it,” Nigel said, and the door opened. Nigel and his partner John joined up with the team on Lady Maritza’s orders. In addition to her two spies, Lady Maritza had also sent along gear and weapons. The team was now armored and carrying the stubby Russian assault rifles the Avalonians seemed to favor. Well, all except for Veronica. She had some sort of blocky submachine gun strapped to her armor, but no one expected her to shoot much. Kurt and Nigel were the first through the doors with Jason and John right behind them. Veronica came next with Anne and Samantha covering the team’s rear.

The backstage corridors were dark. Exit and a few emergency lights provided little globes of light. Anne flipped down the nightvision monocle attached to her helmet. The hallway turned to an odd mix of light greens and blacks as her eyes melded the two images.

“We’ve got some blood here,” Nigel reported, crouching some ten feet into the corridor. “Looks relatively fresh and heading down that corridor.” He pointed to a hallway that branched off to the right.

“Could be the one I winged,” Jason said. “Let’s follow, but cautiously. If he’s waiting for us, he could be among us before we realized it.”

“I’ve got something for that,” Veronica said.

“Assuming he doesn’t take you out first,” Jason replied. “I would.” The group followed the blood trail. They were maybe fifteen feet down the hallway when Anne heard running footsteps from behind. Anne stopped and turned. Running footsteps? Vampires moved too fast for that. Anne hoped it wasn’t a security guard. Things could get ugly fast.

Check it out with Samantha, Jason said over the telepathic link. If it’s a guard, flash the badge, and make up a story. We’ll move up a bit and try to stay out of sight. Anne and Samantha crept back down to the corner.

Are you sure it’s a human? Samantha asked. I can’t hear any thoughts. Anne brought the wire stock of the assault rifle to her shoulder and slid out into the corridor. The next thing she knew, Anne was on her back and dazzled by a brilliant light that lit up the corridors. Anne rolled to get up. Whatever had just hit her packed a punch.

“YOU’RE WEARING HER FACE, NOW?” Erik’s voice screamed. Anne scrambled up and dashed over to Samantha. Erik had her pinned to the wall with one hand around her neck and that magic sword of his less than inch from Samantha’s eye. Samantha was frozen in fear. “It was bad enough when you wore Anya’s face now, but Samantha’s as well? I’m going to enjoy this.”

“ERIK STOP!” Anne yelled. Erik paused, but didn’t lessen his grip on Samantha or his sword. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Erik half-turned and glanced at Anne. A confused look spread across his face. The sword fell from his hand and clattered on the concrete floor. It was at that point that Anne realized Erik was naked. Very naked.

“I thought you were now,” Erik said, looking at Samantha in horror. The women traded confused glances. Erik sank to the floor and held his sides. At that point, the others stormed up to them. Veronica immediately rushed to Erik’s side. Her hands glowed blue for a moment.

“”We need to get him out of here now,” Veronica said, “He’s banged up bad and there’s something else running around inside of him.”

“What about the other vampires?” Nigel asked.

“All gone,” Erik said in a raspy, pained voice, “They all left with now.” Anne and Samantha traded worried looks.

“Let’s get him out of here and back to the apartments,” Anne said, “We’ll figure out where the vampires went from there.”

Anne

“So why did that spell burn my hands?” Anne asked Veronica as the two searched around the hotel room’s desk.

“You didn’t have a circle set to absorb the excess from slinging the spell,” Veronica answered.

“Yeah, but I’ve seen you sling spells without a circle,” Anne said.

“There are formal and informal circles,” Veronica explained, “The formal circles are stronger and can act as barriers as well as protect you from the excess. Informal circles are kind of mental techniques to help divert the excess, but they take longer to learn. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to set a formal circle, much less try to teach you how to form an informal circle.” Veronica stopped searching for a moment and gave Anne a hard look. “That’s why you need to start taking our lessons more seriously. You’re going to need to be able to sling spells on your own. Especially if you have to go up against something like that vampire.”

“Okay, Veronica, I get the message,” Anne said, “I’ll make sure to set aside more time for your sessions.”

“Then I guess the burned hand does teach best,” Veronica said, with just the barest hint of humor. Anne gave the small dark woman a flat look.

“If you two are done gossiping, I think we’ve found something,” Jason said. He hoisted a black gym bag onto the bed. Reaching in, he pulled out two laminated cards on yellow lanyards. Anne picked up one of the cards.

“Why do two vampires have crew ID’s for the Mia Gold tour?” Anne asked.

“Stolen?” Veronica suggested.

“Nope. The names on the cards match the names on the ID’s the vampires were using when they checked in,” Jason said, consulting his phone. He tapped the screen a few more times. “They were on the tour’s list of visas when they came into the country. The tour manager is staying upstairs. Maybe we should go talk to him and see when these two were picked up.”

“That sounds like an excellent next step,” Samantha said, “Kurt and Veronica will stay here to continue to search, and then clean up as best they can. The three of us will go up and have a chat with this tour manager.”

“Maybe I should go as well,” Kurt protested. Anne walked over and gave Kurt a quick kiss. He looked down at her as if unsure what to do next. It was actually kind of endearing on his handsome face.

“Relax, I’ll be fine,” Anne said. “We’ll be careful, but I need you to find out where that vampire’s partner is. It might be where they’re holding Erik.” Kurt grimaced but nodded. Anne gave him another quick kiss on the cheek and left the room with Jason and Samantha. Veronica’s magical shields had held up because the trio didn’t have to deal with any curious bystanders as they made their way to the elevators.

“Anne, do you think starting up a relationship with Schneider is a smart idea?” Jason asked quietly.

“Shut up Jason,” Anne snapped.

“What? You’re the one who decided to kiss him in the middle of an operation,” Jason said, defensively.

“Be quiet, the pair of you,” Samantha snapped. Anne and Jason looked over at the Avalonian. “This is neither the time nor place to be holding that particular conversation. After we manage to deal with this particular menace, the pair of you can talk about it until your eyes bleed.” Jason gave Samantha an incredulous look, which she ignored. The trio didn’t speak again until they reached the tour manager’s room. Jason moved to the left of the door, while Anne and Samantha stayed to the right.

I’m not hearing anything, Samantha said, He’s either a vampire or not in his room.

Since I just heard some movement, let’s go with vampire, Jason said, Suppressors on ladies. Each drew out a long thin cylinder and screwed it to the muzzles of their pistols. We go in and shoot anything that moves. Easier to search the room for intelligence than try to capture a vampire for questioning. The two women nodded. Jason inserted the keycard and kicked the door open before storming into the room. Anne and Samantha followed closely. Samantha was wrong. There wasn’t a vampire in the room. There were two vampires in the room. Anne recognized one as the other vampire from the murder scene. The other looked like the picture of the tour manager. There was the barest instant where everyone was frozen in place.

Jason opened fire as the two vampires blurred with motion. The sharp tik-tik-tik of his suppressed pistol was barely louder than the cracking of the glass behind the two vampires. Anne was twisting to bring her pistol to bear on one of the vampires. The tour manager materialized between Anne and Samantha. The vampire kicked Samantha hard enough to launch her into the wall. The telepathic network flickered as Samantha crumpled to the ground. Anne brought up her pistol, but the vampire was already gone.

The other vampire screamed as two of Jason’s bullets landed. Anne instinctively spun to the sound. She realized her mistake an instant too late. She felt the tour manager’s iron grip clamp on her gun hand. Anne yelled out in pain and let go of her Glock. Her arm was wrenched violently behind her back as the tour’s manager wrapped around her chest like a metal band. The tour manager yelled commands at the wounded vampire in some Eastern European language. The wounded vampire flashed through the hotel room’s large window. Jason spun to bring the pistol on the tour manager.

“Let her go,” Jason commanded.

“You must be stupid,” the tour manager said, “Soon, the remaining members of my clan will be here. They will tear you limb from limb, and that little one trying to sneak up on me. Come back into view, or I will break this one.” Anne yelped in pain as the tour manager tightened his grip on her arm.

“We’ll see who gets here first,” Jason said, “Your clan members, or the Homeland Security agents I called in when we dealt with the one downstairs. I’m betting on the feds.” The tour manager laughed.

“You do not have federal agents here,” the tour manager said, “Especially not that can deal with my clan members. I don’t know how you killed Karlo, but he was just one. How will you deal with eight more?”

“Ambush always works well,” Kurt said from the doorway. Anne couldn’t see him, but she knew the look on his face from just the sound of his voice. Emotionless, cold, and fully fixed on the job. “Let her go.”

“So, you’ve me surrounded?” the tour manager asked. Then he whispered into Anne’s ear. “Well, then, might as well find out why your blood is so important to the gazda.” There was pain as the vampire bit into her neck. Then, a flash of heat covered her back, and she heard the vampire scream. Anne felt the vampire’s grip on her vanish. She spun and saw a pile of ash.

“What happened?” Anne asked, holding her hand to her neck. It didn’t feel like it was bleeding too bad. The others were staring at her in shock.

“He went up like flash paper the moment he sunk his fangs into you,” Jason said. “Did you sling a spell?”

“No,” Anne and Veronica chorused. Anne cleared her throat and continued. “I have no idea what the hell just happened. Although, it makes sense now why the vampires would be looking for me. If I can do that when they try to suck my blood…” She let her voice trail off.

“Where did the other one go?” Kurt asked.

“I thought you would know,” Jason said, “I thought you knew a bunch of languages.”

“Not Serbian,” Kurt said. Jason cocked his head and pulled out his phone. He tapped furiously for a few seconds. Kurt came up next to Anne.

“Do you need anything?” Kurt asked in a soft voice.

“That wasn’t the question I was expecting,” Anne said, a nervous chuckle escaping. She felt her cheeks warm in slight embarrassment.

“Asking if you were good would be foolish, with what just happened” Kurt said, “Far more important to find out what you need.”

“I need to find out what the hell is going on, and I need to find Erik,” Anne answered.

“We will do that,” Kurt said. The words were strangely comforting coming from him.

“Sonuvabitch,” Jason growled. Everyone was slightly taken aback. Jason rarely swore. “Eric’s at the Riverside Colosseum. We need to hurry. That pile of ash told the other to gather the others and eliminate the prisoner.”

Erik

Soft lips on his woke Erik from the blackness. His mind was still muddy as he tried to come back into reality. The light kiss turned into a more passionate. Familiar sensations rippled through Erik, but he still felt between dream and waking. Erik was barely able to force his eyes open. A woman with curly dark brown hair sat up.

“Welcome back, love,” she said, and the voice electrified Erik. A voice he hadn’t heard in almost a year.

“Anya, what are you doing here?” Erik asked, “Where am I?” He had been doing something. A job for the Saint. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember. Erik started to get up, but Anya laid a warm hand on him and gently pushed him back to the bed. Pain flashed through him. That’s right, he had broken ribs, but they looked like they’d been bandaged up. How did he get broken ribs?

“Easy, love,” Anya said, “You’ve had a hard time of it. You need to take it easy.” Erik looked up at the love of his life. Her shoulder-length mop of brown curls were hanging loose. He reached up to caress her heart-shaped face as her blue eyes twinkled down at him. She nuzzled his hand. It felt so right, but Erik knew something was wrong.

“What are you doing here, Anya?” Erik asked again. There was some reason Anya shouldn’t be here, but Erik couldn’t remember.

“Where else do you think I’d be?” Anya asked.

“With your husband,” Erik said, his voice cold. That was why Anya shouldn’t be here.

“You needed me more,” Anya said, “I’m sorry. I made a mistake.” She bent down and kissed him. His pain faded as it became harder to remember. Erik remembered that Anya had left him to marry someone else, but why and who?

“Just relax,” Anya said, “I’m here to take care of you.” She laid down next to him, carefully snuggling up next to his injured side.

“Anya, you shouldn’t be here,” Erik protested, weakly.

“Don’t you want me here?” Anya asked. “Isn’t this what you’ve been waiting for?” Erik let out a long breath. Of course he wanted Anya back. Why hadn’t he fought harder to keep her? There was a reason, but it was hidden behind the clouds in his mind. It must have been important, but at the moment, Erik really didn’t care. Anya was back. He’d deal with everything else later.

“You remember the first time we laid like this?” Anya asked. Erik groped for a memory. There were images floating through his mind. Most of them were of Anya in different situations, but he couldn’t sort out the jumble. Then one popped up and he grabbed it.

“When you broke into my apartment and announced that you were going to be my wife, and where did I keep my vacuum?” Erik asked. Anya giggled at his side. That was a sound he’d missed for so long. As he grabbed for the memory, it started to become clearer. Anya in a business suit with her arms crossed under her breasts staring him down. Erik yelling at her for breaking into his apartment. Her brushing aside all of his arguments as if they were immaterial. Her horror when she embraced him and he flinched because of the wounds he’d picked up on Battle Island. Her bandaging his injuries before they laid down together. Erik’s confusion at what this woman was doing barging into his life, but happy for the first time in a long time.

“Well, it wasn’t like you kept it in a logical place,” Anya replied. Erik chuckled and pulled Anya tighter. It was worth the pain. He ran his fingers through her hair and breathed deep. It wasn’t the usual light scent of lilac. There was something else missing. What? It was something about her scent. Why couldn’t he feel her psi-scent? As soon as the question ripped through his mind, the clouds started clearing.

In the span of a thought, Anya was straddling him. Erik watched as the Anya’s face was replaced with the platinum blonde creature that questioned him before. Pain, loss, grief, and rage coursed through Erik. How dare this creature use that face, those memories against him! Erik strained to throw her off, but she held him easily. There was something else he should be doing, but it was still hidden in his mind.

“Don’t fight, please,” the woman said, with a compassionate lilt in her accented voice, “Just let me do what I need to.” Erik felt the alien presence in his mind. It was rooting through his memories. He pushed back hard, mentally and physically. The woman deflected his mental attacks, while holding him down. The memory of when Erik had met Anne snapped into place. The woman seemed to be watching it carefully. Erik stopped struggling as he watched his memory. He knew there was something there. Then, he remembered.

The blast of power caught the creature by surprise. She was tossed off of him and into a wall. Erik could still feel her in his head, but he also felt the last of the clouds vanish. He wasn’t in a padded room. This looked more like a hotel room, with bed, chest of drawers, and desk. Erik cautiously stepped onto the carpeted floor as the woman stood up. Her glowing eyes pulsed.

“I’m going to tear you apart!” Erik screamed.

“I’m very sorry to have to do this to you.” The woman actually sounded remorseful. Then she dredged up his worst memory. Anya standing in front of him with that look of revulsion and horror. The last time he’d seen her. The time she finally saw what he was truly capable of doing. Her screams of terror echoed through his mind. It just kept looping through his mind. Erik was suddenly on the floor as the pain and loss pulsed through him. The woman was caressing his arm.

“She was a fool,” the woman said, “A weak fool who should never have deserted you. I wouldn’t use that memory against you, but you are too dangerous. I just need to find something in your mind, and then I’ll take the pain away.” Erik felt her presence digging through his mind.

“I am going to rip those eyes of yours out and roast them,” Erik muttered. Her presence left him. She picked Erik up off the floor effortlessly and gently placed him back on the bed.

“So, you don’t know if she’s the prophesied one, either,” the woman murmured. Her presence returned with a gentle touch. The memory of Anya was swept from his mind. The presence froze. The woman’s glowing blue eyes went wide in surprise.

“Well, now that’s very interesting,” she said quietly, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep that memory to myself.” Erik couldn’t see what the woman was seeing. He looked around for something he could use as a weapon. Then, the woman was kissing him again. It was hard and passionate. All of his pain vanished and the clouds in his mind returned. He fought, but he was losing the battle. She rose up and gave him a strangely warm smile.

“I come looking for the human that will make my clan the most powerful, and I find a human that could be my ljubavnik,” she said, “It’s very strange how fate works in this world. Before you drift back into darkness, my name is Nao. Remember it well, Avalonian.” Erik tried to say something. He wanted to curse this creature, to make it hurt. The warm blackness swallowed him before he could say anything.

Anne

Anne stood to the left of the hotel door with her Glock at a low ready. Jason was opposite of her with his own Glock drawn. Behind Anne were Veronica and Samantha with their pistols. Kurt was standing behind Jason with a short-barreled shotgun. Jason also held the keycard to the room. The manager of the hotel refused when Anne showed the woman her detective’s shield, but buckled when Jason flashed his Homeland Security credentials. Damn Feds got all the breaks.

I’m not sensing any thoughts in the room, Samantha reported over the group’s telepathic link.

That’s not as helpful as normal, Jason observed sourly, At least they don’t have any regular humans in there.

Do a knock and announce? Anne asked. Jason shook his head.

Vampires are kill-on-sight monsters. We go in hard, Jason said. Veronica, put up the sound and sight barriers to keep out the curious. The sorceress nodded. Her hands glowed as she made the intricate motions to twist and then sling the spell. Satisfied, Jason held up four fingers as the count. The team tensed as Jason counted down. At zero, he ran the keycard and tapped the door open. Kurt slid by Jason and kicked the door in. The door swung open with Kurt charging in close behind with his shotgun up. Just as they’d practiced, Kurt slid to the side and cleared the left side of the room. Anne was the next in, sweeping the right side. Jason followed with the two remaining Avalonians trailing.

Veronica had barely stepped into the room when one of the vampires was suddenly in their midst. He looked like a dark-haired male of average height and build in a tight shirt and jeans with wraparound sunglasses. That was all Anne saw before the vampire’s arm blurred and backhanded Kurt. The tall German was thrown across the hotel room before slamming into the couch. None of them had time to react as the vampire moved and punched Jason. The detective/special agent gasped in pain and crumpled to the carpeted floor. Anne spun and opened fire with her pistol, but the vampire wasn’t there. Samantha and Veronica were hurled back out the door. Then the vampire was standing inches in front of Anne. He flicked off the wraparound sunglasses. Glowing red eyes bored into Anne’s blue. Terror rushed through Anne as her muscles locked in place. She barely remembered to breathe.

“Yes, you are the one we were told to watch,” the vampire said in a low tone. A low, sexy tone. The terror vanished, and Anne was instantly filled with desire. Anne focused hard on the image of the woman this vampire killed earlier that night, and her rage insulated her from the vampire’s attempted seduction.

“Halten Sie weg von ihr, Vampir!” Kurt screamed, as he touched off his shotgun. Somehow, he’d managed to move just enough to get Anne out of the line of fire. The thundering blast drowned out the vampire’s scream of pain as thirty silver pellets slammed into its side. At that range, the pellets made a hole the size of a baseball. Black guts spilled out as the vampire’s stomach was ripped out.

The vampire moved faster than Anne could track. It was in front of Kurt and snatched the shotgun out of the German’s hands with a contemptible ease. The vampire placed the muzzle of the shotgun on Kurt’s chest and squeezed the trigger. Anne didn’t hear her scream over the shotgun’s blast. Kurt fell to the ground. Grief and rage coursed through Anne.

The streams of magic around her were instantly visible. Anne dropped her pistol and grabbed one of the streams. Her hand closed on empty air, but the stream responded like Anne was actually holding it.

Anne, what are you doing? Veronica almost screamed through the telepathic link. Anne’s answer was less words than raw emotion of vengeance.

You can’t use raw wild magic like that! Veronica said, “You have to twist it into a spell before slinging it.” Veronica sent a series of images over the link, showing Anne what she needed to do. The vampire spun as Anne’s hands flicked to twist the stream of wild magic into the spell.

“IKALA!” Anne screamed as she slung the spell at the vampire. A brilliant red ball erupted from Anne’s hands. Unbelievable burning pain blossomed across her hands. The ball lanced out at the vampire, who was too stunned to move. As the ball touched the vampire, it screamed and was reduced to ash. Anne crumpled to the ground, screaming in pain. Her hands were a brilliant scarlet.

“Here, let me help,” Veronica said. The small woman clamped her hands down on Anne’s. The pain intensified. “Anne look at me. I need you to look at me.” Anne forced herself to look into Veronica’s brown eyes. The pain noticeably dropped. Anne could feel the wild magic swirling around Veronica and herself. The pain lessened even more. Anne could see Veronica twisting the streams of wild magic into knots before running those knots over Anne’s hands. Anne’s eyes went wild as she realized Veronica was only using her mind and voice to manipulate the wild magic.

“My God, Vanessa, how are you doing that?” Anne breathed. Veronica gave Anne a half-smile.

“I’m sorry, this is going to be bad,” Veronica said, ignoring the question. The pain vanished, and Anne wondered what Veronica was talking about. Then an intense itching erupted across her hands and forearms. Anne instinctively tried to scratch, but Veronica held her tight.

“It will only be a minute, but it’s going to be one of the longest minutes of your life,” Veronica said, her brown eyes filled with compassion. “Look over at Kurt.”

“He’s—” Anne couldn’t complete the sentence. She was terrified to look over and see Kurt’s body.

“Magic vests, you silly girl,” Veronica said, with that same half-smile. “He’s hurt, but he’s alive. Look.” Anne turned her head. Kurt was sitting up with Samantha’s help. As soon as their eyes locked, Anne forgot the itching. Relief pounded through her. Kurt gave her a confidant smile, and Anne pulled out of Veronica’s grasp.

“I thought you were dead,” Anne cried into Kurt’s shoulder as she gripped him tight. Warm arms surrounded her.

“Anne, I’m alive, but that hurts. A lot,” Kurt said. Anne quickly let go of Kurt, who just continued to smile.

“We need to talk after this is done,” Anne said.

“Yes, we do.”

Erik

As Erik awoke from the darkness, he was aware of three things. First, he was in a lot of pain. Second, he was bound upright. Third, he was naked. Well, it wasn’t like this was the first time this had happened during his career as an Imperial agent. Hell, there was a scenario during training that was pretty much exactly like it. Erik was pretty sure he was in more pain during the training scenario than he was now, although to be fair, those things were hard to judge.

Erik didn’t sense any emotions around him, but that didn’t mean much. Those creatures he’d been fighting didn’t give off any psi-scents. There weren’t even any residual psi-scents in the room. He spent a moment just listening. Erik couldn’t hear anyone breathing or any sounds other than the clinking of the chains holding him up. Erik cracked open his eyes. It was completely dark. He couldn’t even see his own body as he looked around. The air around him was cool and dry with no noticeable scents. He was standing on some sort of gymnastics mat from the texture and padding. His arms were stretched out and supported by metal shackles. His sides were shooting pain through the rest of his body. Well, they hadn’t fixed him.

I need to get an idea of where I am, Erik thought to himself. Then, maybe try and figure a way out of here. He probed the room telekinetically. It was a decent sized room, maybe three meters by four by three. The chains were anchored to the ceiling. Erik couldn’t sense anything that felt like a door. He slumped forward and gritted back the pain from his ribs. Controlled probes were physically draining.

A door in front of Erik slid open. He shrank back from the sudden blinding light that filled the room. He heard someone walk into the room and could smell the expensive perfume as it wafted over to him. He couldn’t feel her emotions. The lights dimmed and Erik cracked his eyes back open. Glowing blue eyes met his. He tried to focus only on those blue eyes rather than the creature’s all-too-human form. The all-too-female human form. As she strode over to him, Erik could feel her soft touches in his mind. He clamped down hard as the creature gave him a seductive smile.

“What were you doing just now, Mr. Williams?” the creature purred. Erik barely stopped himself from answering. He studiously looked past her to where the door had opened. Could he force that door open with his powers? His thought were disrupted as he felt her warm caress on his cheek. She gently pushed his face to hers. Those glowing blue eyes reminded Erik of that movie Jason forced him to sit through. That one about the desert planet and the sound weapons. What was it called again?

“Mr. Williams, I need you to tell me what you were trying to accomplish,” the creature asked, bringing him back to the present. Erik bit his lip hard enough to taste blood. If he answered one of her questions, Erik wasn’t sure if he could stop himself from answering all of them. The creature breathed deeply before giving Erik a seductive half-smile.

“You didn’t have to do that just for me,” she said. Her hand moved faster than Erik could track. She pulled his bottom lip down and licked the blood. Electric waves of pleasure shot through Erik. He felt the pain in his sides dull and a slight giddy cloudiness come over his mind. It felt like he’d just been jabbed with strong narcotics. Worse, he could feel his body wanting more. What the hell was this woman?

“Are you going to tell me now, Mr. Williams?” the woman asked. Erik shook his head. Why was she calling him, “Mr. Williams”? Oh yeah, Erik Williams was his cover. Why did he have a cover again? Something for the Saint, he was pretty certain. That man always had some odd job he needed Erik to do. Pain lanced through his head as the creature forced her psychic presence into his mind. Erik pushed her back out, but it took more strength than he could spare. Erik was sure that the creature saw parts of his mind. Damn it. Sam had proved more than once how dangerous even a glimpse could be.

Those blue eyes pulsed for a moment and Erik’s head rocked as she slapped him. Blood dribbled from his mouth as he spit out a tooth. Without another word, the creature spun on her heel and stormed out of the room. The room was plunged back into darkness. Erik stared at the door. What had he done to piss that creature off, and could he do it again?

The pain from his sides flared back up to join his head’s aching. The pain was bad enough, but Erik could feel his desire for that drug rising again. One of the advantages of being forced through the Imperial Psi-Academy was that Erik had built up the strength of will that allowed him to separate his mind from his body. It helped being able to keep his rationality when his body was screaming for the touch of the drug again. Still, he was human. At some point, his will was going to break. He had to find some way out before that happened. Erik carefully tugged on the chains with his power. Maybe if he rested a bit and regained some of his mental strength, then he could yank down one of the chains.

A hissing sound started above Erik. He felt upward with his power. It was some sort of nozzle spraying some sort of gas. That couldn’t be a good thing. Erik started feeling dizzy. It didn’t feel like a nerve gas. Erik relaxed and breathed in the odd-scented fumes. Sometimes the best way to deal with adversity was just to embrace it and force your way through it. After a few breaths, Erik felt his eyelids grow heavy. His pain was dulled. A few more and the blackness consumed him.

Anne

Anne stared at the two faces in her monitor. There they were. The two vampires from murder scene were just standing there with bored looks on their faces. After going through hundreds of police photos and hours of video, Anne finally found the pair on a photo taken from a tourist’s cell phone.

“Jason!” she whispered. Her partner came from around their desks to look at the faces. He clapped her on the shoulder in congratulations.

“Send these over to my phone, and I’ll see if the task force has anything on them,” Jason said quietly.

“What the hell are you two so happy about?” asked a gruff voice from behind. Anne worked hard to keep the flash of anger from showing. She took a deep breath before turning around to deal with Detective Harvey Welks. As her blue eyes locked with his brown, Anne decided she needed more than one cleansing breath to deal with Welks.

“You do remember that in many of these cases the perpetrator will observe as the police work the crime scene?” Anne asked, with a hint of condescension in her voice. Welk’s bulldog jowls quivered slightly in anger. “I’ve been looking over photos and video of the crowd. I found a couple of bystanders that don’t look right.”

“Listen Hearst, the lieutenant put you on this case because it’s splashy, and everyone knows the press likes you,” Welks said, with a sneer, “That doesn’t make this anymore than a mugging gone wrong. So do us all a favor and go try to solve one of your own open cases without trying to be a media whore on one of mine.” Jason just barely managed to grab Anne’s shoulders before she leapt at Welks. Anne felt the swirls of wild magic around her. Before she realized what she was doing, a spark of flame erupted on Welks’ cheek. The stout detective yelped and slapped his hand to his face. As he lowered his hand, Anne could see an angry red burn on Welks’ face. Anne just stared at the injury in shock.

“What the hell did you do?” he shouted at her, his eyes wide with fear and rage. Anne was speechless.

“Welks, she was sitting in her chair,” Jason said, “I don’t know what just happened, but she couldn’t have done it.” Welks glared at the pair before snarling and storming off to the break room’s first aid kit.

“Well, that was exciting,” Jason said, finally letting go of Anne. “You need to get that temper of yours under control. Especially now that you seem to be able to sling magic on your own.”

“Jason, I don’t know how I did that,” Anne replied, “Plus, it’s not like he didn’t deserve it.” Jason gave her a flat look.

“That doesn’t matter, and you know it,” Jason said, “In the eyes of the federal government, what you did was no different than if you’d used your taser on Welks.”

“Then why aren’t you arresting me?” Anne asked, hotly.

“Because you didn’t do it on purpose, and as far as my superiors are concerned, you’re still learning,” Jason answered. “That will only go so far. So, get some control.” Anne glared at Jason, but the detective/Homeland Security agent ignored her. Anne hated when he did that, but she hated it more when Jason was right about these kinds of things. It wasn’t Anne’s fault that Welks was an overbearing asshat who held a grudge because she’d managed to upstage him. If his high and mightiness had listened to Anne at the time…

“Anne, go home, and get some rest,” Jason said, “I’m going to be a while talking with the task force on this. See if Veronica can help you with some control.” Anne gritted her teeth, but she stood up from her desk. He gave her a tired smile. “I promise, I will let you know if anything pops on these guys.”

Anne was surprised to see Lady Maritza’s limousine in front of the apartments when she pulled up. In the three months since Anne and the Avalonians started living at the converted hotel, she could count on one hand the number of times Lady Maritza had dropped by. Usually, the Avalonian noble/spymaster/society matron invited the group up to her mansion.

“I’m home,” Anne announced as she walked into the expansive foyer. She could hear Samantha’s, Veronica’s, and Lady Maritza’s voices coming from the common room. They stopped as Anne walked in, and Anne wondered if they were talking about her. Lady Maritza, clad in an elegant blue dress suit that probably cost more than Anne’s car, stood from one of the leather chairs and enveloped Anne in a warm embrace.

“Anne, it’s so good to see you again,” Lady Maritza said. Anne smiled back at the older lady.

“What are you doing here, Lady Maritza?” Anne asked.

“Business, unfortunately,” Lady Maritza answered, and her smile evaporated. Anne saw the look on Lady Maritza’s face and knew that Erik was involved. For some reason, the two despised each other, which made their professional relationship even more contentious than the normal rivalry between the Avalonian Foreign Intelligence Service, to which Lady Maritza belonged, and the Imperial Security Service that the others worked for. It didn’t help that since the three Avalonians were detailed to FIS for the duration of their mission, Lady Maritza was their boss.

“Erik’s missing,” Samantha said in a toneless voice. Her expression was similarly blank of any emotion.

“What?” Anne asked, surprised, “What happened?”

“We’re not exactly sure,” Lady Maritza answered, “We know he went after a pair of what Kurt has identified as vampires. After Kurt told me that, I tried calling him. He picked up and then was cut off.”

“Are you sure he didn’t just hang up on you?” Anne asked, “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“No, something happened. His phone went offline just after he picked up,” Lady Maritza answered. “The GPS isn’t even working, so we can’t locate the phone.”

“Something’s happened to him,” Samantha said, an odd tone of conviction in her voice.

“How can you be sure?” Anne asked, “He could just be looking for some alone time.” Her instincts were telling her that Samantha was right, but experience said that Erik may just be avoiding the group.

“No, he would’ve called me back. Even if he was ducking the lady, he would have called me back. Or at least sent a text,” Samantha said. Something in Samantha’s countenance made Anne tread very carefully. Still, the questions had to be asked.

“Are you sure he hasn’t just snuck off to meet with someone? Like a woman he met?” Anne asked. Anne was expecting Samanatha to lash out at her, but instead, Samantha let out a mirthless laugh.

“That man has been my best friend for fifteen years,” Samantha said, “I know what he’s feeling before he does. If he’d met a woman on this side of the gate, I’d know. He isn’t good enough to hide those clues from me. No, something bad has happened to him.” With a burst of fury, Samantha grabbed the lamp next to her and threw it across the room. “Why the hell does he always do this?” Before Anne could answer, her phone’s text alert sounded.

“We might have a lead,” Anne said, reading the text from Jason, “The two vampires from the crime scene flew into the city a week ago. We’ve got where they’re staying. I’m pretty sure they’ll know where Erik is.” Samantha gave Anne a look of malicious delight that chilled the hardened detective to her bones.

Erik

Pain lanced through Erik as he probed his side. Yep, those ribs were cracked. If Erik had a pound every time he’d cracked a rib since joining His Imperial Majesty’s Security Services, he’d be a wealthy man. Well, independently wealthy at any rate. Whatever that human-looking thing was, it hit like an orc. A very angry orc. Erik stood up on the sloped metal roof and looked down at the darkened street. His opponents were gone. The only evidence of the fight were the hand-shaped burns on the pavement. From what he could remember of the monsters of Avalon, none could look human, hit that hard, and then have their limbs burn when cut with magic. Oh, and stand up to pistol bullets. Erik was pretty sure this was another of the hidden monsters of Earth. He’d have to ask Jason about them when he got back to the apartments.

He pulled out his cell phone. From the numbers on the time display, Erik had been out for a couple of hours. There were also several missed calls from Samantha, as well as three voicemails. Well, he’d better find out what Samantha wanted before she called him again. Before he could hit the redial, the phone buzzed. The caller ID displayed “Unspeakable One.” Great, Lady Maritza was probably calling to bitch him out for going off on his own. He was tempted to let it go to voicemail, but decided it would be better in the long run to get the shouting done. Lady Maritza’s rage didn’t cool down with time, it simmered at a boil ready to explode like a pressure cooker with a faulty valve.

“Where the hell are you?” Lady Maritza in a barely controlled tone. Erik knew he was in trouble the moment he heard Lady Maritza’s high Avalon accent.

“I’m–” Erik started to say when he heard the soft footfalls behind him. He spun and slid to the side an instant before the tall dark figure fired a suppressed pistol at him. The bullet tore the phone out of his hand. Erik unleashed a full force blast of telekinetic power at the figure. There was an “umph” of pain as it was thrown back over the ridge of the roof. Erik grunted as he drew his own suppressed pistol. This was not going to be a fun fight. He hadn’t felt his opponent’s emotions as it snuck up on him. It was probably another of those human-like creatures he fought earlier. They must be trying to clean up their mistakes.

Erik crept up the roof, listening for his opponent’s movements. Erik fell to the roof as a blurring movement shot up from the roof. Erik felt more than heard the supersonic crack of the pistol bullet as it passed centimeters over his head. Erik brought up his own pistol and fired three shots at the airborne figure. It effortlessly dodged the gunfire and landed some thirty feet away. Erik pointed his pistol at it and flicked on the flashlight mounted to his pistol. There was a screech of pain as the creature was blinded by the intense white light.

Creature was definitely the right word. It was a tall humanoid, about two and a half meters Erik estimated, and just slightly less massive than an orc. Inky black skin covered the creature’s frame, with a rodent-like head. Except it’s snout was smushed in. Erik had seen those features before, but he couldn’t remember where. His memory flickered back to escorting Anne and her parents to the zoo a few weeks ago. Before the memory could be drudged up, the creature lunged at him with an unbelievable speed. Erik tried to dodge, but the creature was just too damned fast. He waited for the familiar hammer blow of a bullet. Instead stars burst in his eyes and he felt himself spinning through the air. The side of his face was ablaze with pain. The bastard had pistol-whipped him. That was just disrespectful.

The creature snarled as it suddenly materialized above him. It lashed out with a claw-tipped hand. Erik snapped up a telekinetic barrier. It wasn’t a strong one, but the creature’s blow slid along the barrier’s slant, leaving it’s midsection exposed. Erik brought up his pistol and fired. It howled in pain as the ten .40-caliber bullets slammed into its torso. It collapsed to the roof and slid down some fifteen feet. Erik crawled to the roof’s ridge. Pain blazed in his face and side. At least one of his ribs was now broken. He gingerly probed his side. Maybe two. He needed to get back to his team before his lung was punctured. At least he’d be under Veronica’s care rather than what passed for medicine on this side of the gate.

The creature stirred and started moving. It shakily stood up. The bullet holes were now puckered scars on its torso. It let out a rattling growl and took an unstable step towards Erik. Bloody hell Erik thought with a resigned air. He hit the magazine release on his pistol as his left hand reached back for a magazine with red tape on its baseplate. As the creature staggered towards him, Erik fumbled inserting the magazine. Taking a breath, Erik sent out a tiny burst of power at the creature’s feet. The telekinetic push was enough to knock out the creature’s feet from under it.

Erik took a breath and focused on slapping the magazine into his pistol. The slide snapped forward. Erik pointed the pistol at the creature. It howled again as the white light illuminated it. The creature slowly clamored back to its feet. Erik focused on the glowing dot of his front sight and stroked the trigger once, twice, three times. The creature’s howls stopped like someone flipped a switch.

“That was unexpected,” a tinkling voice said from above Erik. There was a hint of that European accent the two he’d fought earlier had used. “When did Avalonians start using silver bullets?” This one looked like a woman as it landed gracefully on the roof ridge. An achingly beautiful woman with sliver hair that seemed to dance around her and glowing blue eyes. Erik felt the creature’s psychic presence as it walked towards him. It eased some of his physical pain while calming him. All the better to eat you, my dear, Erik thought as he tried to push past the psychic onslaught.

“You are just full of surprises,” the woman said seductively. Her blue eyes seemed to pulse hypnotically. She effortlessly plucked the pistol out of Erik’s hand and ejected the magazine. She let out a silvery peal of laughter that eroded some of Erik’s resistance.

“Do the Americans know you’ve stolen some of their special bullets?” she asked. Erik clamped down before he answered the woman. Something about her voice and laugh made him want to help her. She cocked her head and gave Erik an intense stare. “I wasn’t aware Avalonians were that mind-strong, but it will be fun to break you.” The woman’s smooth and enticing psychic presence evaporated and Erik was pounded with a lash of fear and rage. He wasn’t sure if he screamed before the blackness took him.