bryn n sinjin 02.5 - blood lust (6 page)

Betta told me that both of these rodents were quite accomplished Elementals, something which only further spoke to my own powers as a Master Vampire. I had to admit I expected them to put up more of a fight. As it was, this would be quite like taking blood from an intoxicated and love-deprived woman.

“The nature of my identity is inconsequential,” I answered, waving my hand in a dismissive gesture. “What is of consequence, however, is the
nature
of my visit.” They both stared at me with an almost dumbfounded expression. I felt a cold, mirthless smile overtake my face. “As a Master Vampire, I enjoy certain … hmmm … let us call them, physical gifts inherent to my species, and I accept my responsibility to protect and care for those who, for whatever reason, are incapable of doing so themselves.” I studied each of them for a moment or two, deftly restraining the growing fury which threatened to overtake me. “As regards someone who is very dear to me, I was not able to protect her when she needed me the most. Thus, I now find myself in the unenviable position of avenging her.”

“Avenging her?” Will repeated dumbly.

“Yes, my dear sir,” I answered. I arose from the uncomfortable chair and approached them, standing barely a foot from them. While I was nearly a head or more taller than either of them, they were still not small men; no, not by any stretch of the imagination. On the contrary, they were both broad-shouldered, barrel-chested, and well muscled. When compared to the Lady Bryn, they were gargantuan—a thought which I suddenly found incredibly difficult to digest.

“What’d we do?” the larger of the two, Gus, demanded.

I turned to face him and felt my authority waning. His pupils were beginning to shrink, returning to their ordinary size. That simply would not do. I immediately widened my eyes as I stared into the deep recesses of his vacant orbs. I forced my power to emerge and channeled it to combat any rebellion he might dare to put forth. His pupils responded instantly by blowing up again, their blackness swallowing his brown irises.

“What did you do?” I repeated. I took a step back so I could address both of them again. I tapped my fingers on my lips and again had to force my anger to subside. “You took something that was not yours to take,” I answered abruptly. I had to remind myself to slow down and keep track of my emotions. “And the wounds you inflicted were deep.” I clapped my hands together and Will jumped in response. “I realize you two were not the only offenders and, of course, I understand that you had strict orders to obey, but that will not clear you of blame.”

“Blame? For what?” Gus protested and I realized my hold over him was slipping again.

“For assaulting the Lady Bryn, the queen’s sister,” I ground out, my jaw instantly tight. I lost the battle to control myself and unexpectedly leapt forward before wrapping my fingers around Gus’s neck. I threw him against the wall before lifting him until his feet were dangling. Will just stood there, watching and awaiting my next command. When I faced Gus again, I stared into his eyes and relinquished my control, canceling my superhuman power and authority. I wanted him to know exactly what was happening and why.

He sputtered and clawed at my hands as he kicked his feet out. My fangs dug into my bottom lip and I knew it was only a matter of seconds before Gus attempted to use his Elemental magic against me. The time to strike was nigh.

“You will die for your indecency to her,” I warned him. Without further ado, I sank my fangs into his neck and pulled down, thereby severing his carotid artery neatly as I did so. The taste of his blood in my mouth was disgusting, and I spat it out before I released him. He dropped to the floor, his blood spurting from his neck like an active volcano.

I then turned my attention to Will, who remained motionless. “If there is disturbance in the camp, the general’s authority is weak,” I told him, quoting Sun Tzu; but Will simply stared at me, expressionless. I ordered him to approach Gus’s body which was now jerking as the last of his life’s blood flowed from him. I commanded Will to cover his fingers in Gus’s blood and write on the wall the one, single word which I knew would cause panic among the compound.

Justice.

Neither Betta nor I knew the identity of all the men who raped Bryn, but she was certain, however, that Gus and Will were the ones who stole Bryn’s virginity. The only other name supplied by Betta was that of Jack Jeffers, someone who was next on my list. Of course, I knew Luce was the ultimate orchestrator, the puppet master himself. It only seemed fitting that he would be my last victim.

Approaching Will, I deftly wrapped my hands around his neck before snapping it as easily as if it were a dried twig. He dropped in a heap on the ground. Pulling out a handkerchief from my breast pocket, I wiped the blood from my face and then smoothed the creases from my shirtfront as I faced the front door and pondered my next move.

Two down and two more to go.

SIX

The power of persuasion was among one of my more impressive skills. There were, however, also some very simple things I could do to aid my abilities. While dressing in the clothing of one of the plonkers (read: idiots) I had just killed might not sound like a large feat, it allowed me to better convince anyone I came across that I was one of their own.

The blue track trousers were an ankle too short and the matching blue shirt too tight in the biceps for my comfort, but both would have to do. If the very real chance that I came across someone eventuated, I wanted to look the part. While my identity would certainly be questioned up close, from far away I had the advantage. Especially with the darkness of the night on my side. When it came to meeting up-close and personal, my powers of persuasion would aid me. Nonetheless, I despised the fact that part of my plan was predicated on wearing anything from one of the dimwits I had come to kill. The clothing smelled of him. It stunk.

According to Betta, Jack Jeffers was a citizen who preferred to train during the evenings, so he slept during the day. This was not a surprise because Jack was a Daywalker. They evolved (or devolved as the case may be) from vampires who, of course, preferred the evening hours. Betta taught me that although Daywalkers did not perish if exposed to the daylight, they nonetheless still favored the darkness.

As I made my way across A Street, heading for C Street, I could feel the blood pumping through my veins. My excitement heightened, and I became thrilled by the chase, anxious to see justice dealt where it was sorely due.

“Soldier.” I heard the scratchy voice coming from behind me. In response, I immediately spun around, smiling and bringing my hands up into the air to show I was not armed.

“Evening,” I said in a calm, easy tone of voice.

The man was a Daywalker; I could tell by the dearth of magic surrounding his person. He had no electric force field, nothing that would hint to otherworldly or magical abilities. He was dressed in black, no doubt, to blend in with the night, given that he was a guard. He was also heavily armed, carrying a rifle and hoisting a large pack that he slung over his shoulders.

Once our eyes met, I had him. I widened mine and stared into the deep recesses of his, testing his strength and power. Quite like dogs sniffing one another’s bums, vampires can learn much just by looking into another’s eyes. And Daywalkers proved to be no different. By studying his eyes, I could decipher his power, his age and his health. No male Daywalkers ever lived long enough to see their twenty-first birthday, so it was safe to assume that this one was young. I did not have to read that in his eyes to know as much. But his eyes told the truth all the same. Being as young as he was meant he was also inexperienced. His superhuman strength was just budding, still in its infancy, and I had no doubts he would be very gifted where physical combat was concerned. Despite his expert training, he did not threaten me.

Tell me where I can find Jack Jeffers,
I asked him in my silent thoughts.

“He’s supposed to be training,” he started before appearing as if he had some misgivings about offering any other information. Unluckily for him, however, if I wanted information from him, I would damn well get it.

But he is not training, so where is he?
I demanded.

“He’s visiting the Breeders,” the young Daywalker responded, sounding and acting suddenly nervous.

The term “Breeders” immediately ignited an indignant flame that lit up inside me before I managed to force it back down. When the Lady Bryn was mercilessly held captive here, she had been assigned to the class of the Breeders. That particular group of females, according to Betta, was basically deemed useless except where procreation was concerned.

Where are the Breeders located?

“You can take a shortcut through those two buildings to get to B Street,” the young man started. He turned around to indicate the two buildings in question, which stood directly in front of us. “When you get to E Street, make a left; the Breeders are in the house at the end of the street.”

Very good,
I answered with a quick nod. I tightened the hold I had on him through our locked gazes.
You will forget our interaction and go back to your patrol as if you never saw me,
I ordered, opting to spare the young man’s life, mostly because I did not want to sully my disguise with his blood.

The man did not say anything more and I did not wait for him. Instead, I started up the small incline of the hill directly before me, being careful to stick to the side of the wall on my right, lest anyone see me. The path was clear, so I continued forward until I reached the unpaved road, where I turned left. At the end of the street was a two-story building that easily dwarfed the rest of the “homes” along the street. There were a few lights glowing in the numerous windows that shone onto the road.
How ironic
, I thought. Not only was the residence of the Breeders akin to a brothel, but it also looked the part.

I glanced around before tuning my expert sense of hearing to detect any footsteps or breathing in the vicinity around me. When I could see and hear no one, I darted forward, seeking shelter from the shadows along the wall created by the angle of the moonlight against the roofline. There were no windows along that particular wall, but I did not require them. I held my ear against the wall and listened for the familiar sounds of frolicking that might suggest some carnal activities taking place in the rooms inside.

I could hear nothing, which led me to conclude that either the occupant on the other side of the wall was asleep, or I was not adjacent to a bedroom. No matter. Closing my eyes and summoning my strength, I began to levitate, feeling my feet lifting into the air as the rest of my body grew weightless. When I reached the second story of the box-shaped building, I stopped my upward motion and held my ear again to the wall. This time, I could hear grunting and heavy breathing. I sincerely hoped the animal sounds emerging from behind the wall belonged to Jack Jeffers, as I was not in any mood for a hunt.

I scaled the wall, using my hands to guide me as my body floated. When I reached the front of the building, I glanced down to ensure there were no soldiers below who might spot me. Thankfully, there were none.

I floated around the corner of the building before I found myself in front of a window. The room on the other side was dark, but I knew this was the room from which the sounds of carnal activities had come … and, as I listened now, I could still hear them.

The moon overhead was shrouded by quickly moving clouds. As soon as the clouds broke free, the milky rays threw themselves into the window, lighting up the room. As I glanced through the window, I watched as the woman on the bed, who was underneath the man, looked right at me. I immediately widened my eyes as soon as I captured hers.

You will disable the wards protecting the room,
I commanded her.

She did not respond, but by the fact that she held my gaze for as long as she did, it was safe to assume that she was under my influence. I placed my palms on the pane of glass and pushed upward. I was slightly surprised when the window slid right open, as I had assumed it might be locked. The opening was large enough to allow me fairly easily to slide my lower half in as my upper body followed.

When I stepped foot into the room, I was pleased to find that I did not burst into flames. It was good to possess the power of persuasion …

The woman on the bed was now staring at the ceiling while the man continued to bounce atop her, not in the least bit aware of his guest.

“Ahem,” I uttered once it became fairly obvious that my entrance was going to continue to go unnoticed.

The man lying on top of the woman immediately stopped thrusting inside her. He rolled off her in record time, gripping the bedsheet and using it to cover him up to his chin. When he faced me, he was understandably angry.

“What the hell?” he started, narrowing his eyes on me as his suspicion grew evident. He was a Daywalker, for he had no magical aura. “Who the hell are you?” he demanded.

I took a few steps toward them. Because I broke eye contact with the woman, she was no longer under my spell. She pulled herself to the top of the bed and hid beneath the comforter to cover herself. She did not say anything either, but neither did she look overly concerned at my untimely interruption. Of course, after glimpsing the brute’s less than attractive visage, I was almost certain she was more than grateful for the intrusion. It was probably more appropriate to say she even hoped I might be her next partner.

“I am looking for Jack Jeffers,” I announced while taking another step closer to the man. I opened my eyes wide when I stared into his. There was obvious power there. Much more so than in the eyes of the soldier I encountered outside.

“You found him,” he responded as he continued to scrutinize me.

The bitter realization that this bastard was one who had abused Bryn, ruthlessly forcing himself on her, filled me with the same fiery heat that formerly threatened to overtake me. The rage inside me grew in its vastness. He was so large, easily outweighing her by more than double, and the thought of him hurting her so cruelly made my hands tremble with anticipation. I planned to rip him into pieces. I felt my fists curling at my sides and forced myself to release them. I had to calm down. Anger was simply another emotion; as such, it served no use or advantage to me. I had to control my inner gladiator; I had to be stronger than my instincts and the irresistible urge to kill.