Chapter 1
It was all Sean's fault really. At least that's what Melissa kept telling herself. She hadn't seen him in three months, just a couple of phone calls. No word about when or how he was going to help her. So it was only natural that she would start searching for Frederick on her own (actually she'd tried to convince Andrew to help her, but he'd been adamant about not doing anything without Sean).
Of course it being Sean's fault wasn't going to stop the two vamps chasing her down Baker.
Melissa started her search by trying to track down anybody who'd known the three vampires Frederick had used to guard her and Andrew the night she'd found out Sean was a werewolf. She'd been a little worried that if she did find any friends of theirs they might connect her with their disappearance and want some revenge. That turned out to not be a problem.
The two chasing her didn't seem to be interested in revenge. They didn't seem to care what had happened to their friends at all. They were just chasing her for the fun of it.
Well, she was glad someone was having a fun night.
Melissa considered running up to one of the quiet houses up and down the street and seeking refuge. But she didn't think she'd be allowed to. Even though she was running with all she had, she knew the vampires could catch up to her in a blink of an eye if they wanted to. This meant she was still alive because they wanted her alive. To play with. And this chase was just the beginning of the games.
Even knowing that part of her wanted to try it anyways, to force an end to it. But that was just one part, the rest of her wanted to fight back. Because as frightened as she was, fright wasn't the primary emotion Melissa was feeling. Or even the second. First was anger that they had her on the run like this, and after that frustration that she couldn't figure a way to turn the tables on them.
Lost in her thoughts Melissa didn't see the crack in the cement. It caught her by the foot and it felt like something was throwing her to the ground as all of her forward momentum was translated into the fall. She could feel the blood start to ooze out of a scrape on her left knee. But that was the least of her problems. Whether the scent of blood had drawn them, or because they were bored of the chase; the vampires had caught up to Melissa. Before she could even rise to her knees one had grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up.
It was the skinny one with the buck teeth she saw. He sniffed at her neck, and then his tongue flicked out and licked up and down in the hollow of her jaw. It was obviously intended to be sensual, but Melissa felt herself start to puke.
Despite her decade long hunt for the vampire who'd murdered her parents Melissa hadn't actually been physically close to very many of them. So for all she knew it could be common for vampires to smell of vomit and stale cigarettes. But she thought it was more likely that this particular vamp was just very gross with no conception of personal hygiene.
"Don't be in such a hurry Slash," said the other. Where Slash was skinny this one was ponderously obese. He was black with Asiatic eyes that looked at Melissa filled with thoughts it was far too easy for her to understand. "we can have a lot of fun with her before we're done."
Melissa considered throwing up all over the both of them. That might gross them out enough to drive them off. Then taking another look at the revolting pair she thought it possible it could excite them even more so she forced her gorge down.
"Here is the one-time deal. Let her go and walk away right now, and I'll let you." Melissa was shocked to hear the familiar voice. Both of her captors turned to see the new figure standing just a few feet away.
Melissa did a double take as at first it looked as if Sean was wearing some helmet less space suit from a fifties sci-fi movie. After a second look she realized it was one of the suits that were designed to make you sweat more when you worked out. She was trying to figure out why Sean would be wearing one when Slash spoke up.
"Who the fuck are you?"
"Not that I don't appreciate proper courtesy, but now is really not the time for introductions. Now is the time for you to go." Sean stepped forward and the fat one got a strange look on his face and started backing up.
Slash was about to respond, when he saw his friend backpedaling out of the corner of his eye. "Trip, what are you doin'? Let's shred this jackass and do the girl."
Shaking his head no Trip said "You don't feel it? This guy's a, a..."
"What?" asks Slash now visibly angry at his friends cowardice. Slash let's Melissa go and steps toward Trip. Or at least he tries to but Sean grabs him by the throat and lifts him in to the air.
"A werewolf." Sean answers for the nearly gibbering Trip. Before Slash has a chance to reply Sean rips out his heart and finishes it in two bites.
Then he grabs the now quivering mass that goes by the name of Trip. "But I let her go," he squeals "you said if we let her go and walked you'd let us, you said it!"
"Apparently I lied." Answers Sean before cracking open Trip's chest. Once he's finished Sean says "I'll try to remember to feel bad about that later."
Melissa stands but before she can ask Sean how he knew what was happening he calls out "Hey, Brian."
And a little man appears. Not a midget or dwarf, but a man. Who was three feet tall with everything in perfect proportion to that height. "Yes, Sean?"
"I'm gonna need George, could you go get'em for me? Do you know where the-"
"I know." The little man answers before Sean can finish. "I'll have him here directly." And with that the little man is gone again, back to wherever he came from. Then Sean turns to Melissa.
Melissa is expecting to get chewed out for not waiting until Sean said it was time. She was trying to work up some good responses to it, and not having much success, When Sean surprised her with "I suppose three months is longer than I had any right to expect."
"To expect what?" Asks Melissa, now almost physically off balance.
"For you to stay outta trouble."
Upset at his patronizing tone Melissa responds without thinking "What do you mean 'stay outta trouble'?" Sean doesn't bother to reply; instead he just looks at her with an incredulous look on his face. As the ridiculousness of what she said sinks in Melissa can feel her face turn red with unpleasant warmth.
"Forget I said that."
"No, I'm going to remember and remind you of it constantly."
Realizing that there's nothing she can say on the subject that won't dig her in deeper Melissa tries to turn the conversation in a different direction. "Interesting look; going for the garbage fabulous look?"
Sean looks surprised, and then just shrugs it off. "I was out on a run when Brian brought word. It didn't sound like I had time to stop home and change. Not up to your high fashion standards?"
"No that's not it; but you were working out right?"
"Yes running when you're not actually trying to go someplace does count as a workout the last time I checked. Why?"
"But, why would you workout?"
Sean looks at her like she just asked if water was wet and said "While I'm glad you noticed that I'd already reached the pinnacle of male perfection in appearance, there are other reasons to workout you know. I need to get in shape. Get stronger and faster, that's going to be important you see."
Melissa can't help but laugh and replies "No, not that, I mean can't you just wolf out, or whatever, and be as strong and fast as you wanna be?"
"You don't know much about magic do you?" Before Melissa can answer they're interrupted by the sound of a truck coming down the street. Suddenly she's reminded of the two bodies at their feet and is wondering how they'll manage to explain it before somebody decides to call the police.
Then if they do manage to explain it Melissa wonders how to convince them to not call the cops then! She turns to Sean but before she can say anything he just says "Don't worry, it's George." Then without further explanation he picks up the bodies and carries them to the curb, just in time for a hulking orange pickup to pull up.
Sean tosses the bodies in back and says "Good, Brian remembered the tarp. It'd be kinda awkward if somebody noticed a couple of bodies in the back." After tying the tarp down so that it covered the bodies he studies the ground and remarks "It looks like they hadn't fed recently, no blood to clean up. Hop in."
Before Sean reaches the driver's side door Melissa collects herself and asks "Where's George?"
With a surprised look Sean turns to her and answers "Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce you. Melissa this is George," patting the rusting hulk beside him "George this is Melissa." As Melissa is preparing a sarcastic reply the truck beeps. It takes her a second to make out shave and a hair cut. Sean says "George, when you're transporting bodies in the back you don't wanna attract attention to yourself, okay? You could've said hello to Melissa later."
The truck's lights flicker in what Melissa finds herself thinking of as a sheepish manner. "Did he-it-he, just beep at me?"
"Normally he'd know better, but George has a weakness for blondes."
"The truck has a weakness for blondes?"
"Technically I suppose you could say it's not the truck, but the ghost. But since the ghost haunts the truck, what's the difference; really?"
While Sean had been explaining about the truck they'd both gotten in. But at this last part Melissa paused in buckling her seat belt. "Your truck is haunted?"
Sean laughs. "You wanna hunt down a master vampire, but a little friendly ghost makes you nervous?"
"Well, no." Melissa replies unconvincingly. "I just have never met a ghost before, that's all."
Sean nods at this. "Not too surprising, real ghosts are pretty rare. Most of the stories are bunk. But George is the real deal."
"Did you know George when he was-" Mid-sentence Melissa realizes it might be a little rude, or at least inconsiderate to talk about the ghost's former life in his presence.
"Alive?" Sean asks her. Feeling more than a little sheepish herself now Melissa nods. "Nope, but a friend of mine did. It's actually my friend's truck. But he almost never uses it; it's more of a memorial for him really. This use to be George's truck. After he died my friend kept it to remember him by. I rent it from him."
Melissa still feels a little mystified by Sean driving a haunted truck, but decides to let it be for now in favor of a different question. "What was that you were saying about magic before?"
"Oh yeah, you were talking about me wolfin' out; like that just made me invincible or somethin'. With unlimited strength and speed and all the other comic book powers. It doesn't really work like that, you see."
"Kind of looks that way to an outsider. How does it work then?"
"First remember I'm not a wizard or mage or anything like that, my understanding of magic is pretty basic. I more or less understand the, I guess you could call it the practical application of my own magic, and a few related things; but that's it. I don't have any deep understanding of it. Okay?"
Melissa nods her understanding, which isn't particularly honest of her; but she wants to hear an explanation and she realizes nodding will get her one faster than absolute truthfulness at this point.
"I suppose you could call magic a force multiplier of sorts. It takes whatever you have, and gives you more of it. Well, whatever it's applied to anyway. Do you see what I mean?"
"I think so, but I'm not sure. I mean how does it work?"
"I'm not entirely sure about the answer to that one myself, but let me give you an example,"
"Okay."
"Let's say without magic you can lift a hundred pounds. But with magic you could lift a thousand, right?'
"I'm with you so far."
"Well if you could lift two hundred without magic, then you could lift two thousand with, got it?"
"Yes, you know that actually makes a kind of sense. What abo-" Melissa's question is interrupted by Sean's cell phone going off.
"Hello. Yeah, George got us and we're on our way to Pulse. I wanna have a word with Alicia, and she'll have an easier time getting rid of the bodies than I would. Later." Answering Melissa's unvoiced question Sean says "That was Brian. Just making sure George got to us without being spotted by the cops. They tend to get a little rattled by a truck diving itself."
"If George can drive himself, why did you need Brian to go get him?"
"George can drive, but he can't start himself. Somebody else needs to turn the key."
As Sean finishes answering her question something he said to Brian registers with Melissa. "Isn't the Pulse a major vamp hangout? Owned by the local vampire boss? What are we doing going there?"
"Yes, though not quite in the way you think. And yes. And we're going to see said boss."
"Why do we wanna see a vampire boss?"
"I don't know that 'we' want to. I want to because when you're trying to get information about vamps, it kinda makes sense to get it from a vamp. On top of that, those two vamps shouldn't have been willing to go after you like that in public. Things are generally kept more low key than that.
Attacks in public like that get people upset. And when people are upset at vamps about attacks they tend not to worry about niceties like which vamp did the actual killing. They just hunt down all the vamps they can find.
Alicia usually has a better handle on things than that, and I wanna find out why she doesn't now.
Besides, do you know of a good way of gettin' rid of a couple of bodies without the cops getting wind of it?"
To this Melissa has no answer.