A Bead of Blood Read online

  The man himself sat in one of the overstuffed chairs, a red velvet affair that enhanced his white silk shirt and dark slacks. Dark blond hair, straight to his shoulders, shone in the firelight, and his permanent fangs peeked from his lush mouth. One of the benefits of being a natural vampire was that my fangs were retractable. People who were turned had to get used to having theirs out all the time.

  “May I offer you a glass of blood, Miss Chalice? I have some lovely AB negative that I received from Florida.”

  “No thank you, Mishka.”

  He swirled a glass in one hand, the blood coating the inside with the motion. Then he took a drink and set it on a narrow marble covered table. “I understand that you wished to see me, Miss Chalice, but I’m not sure what I have done to warrant a visit from a Hunter, even if you are very, very lovely.”

  He gestured for me to sit in the chair across from him, and I did so, trying not to blush at the compliment. Mishka was a seducer of women; flirting was imbedded in his DNA. Red took his place standing behind me, ever alert for any trouble.

  “Please, call me Sabrina.”

  He hummed in his throat. “I knew your father. He was a good man. It was a shame what happened to our covens in Europe.”

  “Thank you.” I paused for a few seconds and then told him what I had witnessed over the days I’d had his business under surveillance.

  He studied me while I spoke, no trace of emotion on his beautiful face. Pulling his cell from his pocket, he spoke quickly, telling whoever answered to find Frank and bring him to the office for questioning.

  He stood, although that wasn’t quite the right word. He rose gracefully, sinuously, and asked for my cell number. Enraptured by the sight of him, I rattled the number off, and it wasn’t until my phone buzzed that I realized he had texted me. I opened my inbox and found two names, addresses, and phone numbers.

  “Elizabeth Stalking Horse is a wiccan who is married and living in the were-bear den. Lit is the alpha wolf of the pack that runs here in Cleveland. I’ll call ahead and let them know you are coming tonight. You were planning to warn them, weren’t you?” he asked pointedly.

  “Of course.”

  He hummed dismissively and made a small gesture towards the door. I took the hint, standing and extending my hand to him. He brought it to his mouth for a swift kiss and thanked me for visiting.

  When the double doors shut behind us, Red sniffed. “If he wasn’t so damn polite, it would have been very rude.”

  “That’s an old vamp for you. They can be downright insulting, but they’re so pleasant that you don’t realize it until later.” I shrugged as we walked out of the club.

  We stepped out into the brisk spring night and waited for the valet to bring my SUV around. My phone beeped as I took the keys and handed the young valet a few dollars.

  “I tagged the car from Mishka’s club the other night. It left and parked at a 24-hour lot down the street. I thought the car was abandoned, but it’s on the move now,” I said to Red, glancing at the phone’s screen.

  “You direct. I’ll drive,” Red ordered. I tossed him the keys, and within seconds, we were seated and pulling away from the club. I updated Etienne via text.

  As I directed Red through the streets of downtown Cleveland, we drew closer to the car until it was just a few blocks ahead of us. It turned into what had once been the warehouse district, but due to businesses leaving the area for more fertile, less taxing grounds, the district was mostly abandoned. Red pulled into an alley and turned off the SUV.

  The car had stopped a half-mile inside the district. The red light on my tracker program steadily flashed. “You want to call for backup?” he asked.

  “I just got a text from Etienne. He wants us to investigate and proceed with caution. Backup is a long way out, if it’s coming at all.”

  “So we’re pretty much on our own?” he asked as we got out and went to the back of the SUV, lifting the hatch and opening the floor compartment.

  As I strapped a heavy military belt around my waist and secured it to my thigh, I smiled up at him. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  The belt itself held small pouches with weapons ranging from tiny incendiary devices to holy water bombs. The attached thigh holster held a silver-coated blade, and slung across my back was a pack full of tools and wooden stakes. I switched out my heels for a pair of leather knee boots that I kept in the SUV for bad weather emergencies. I wasn’t exactly dressed for a recon mission, but it would have to do.

  Red adjusted a double sword sheath across his back and checked his gun before slipping it into the hip rigging. His vest, modeled after a military design, contained numerous pockets with different tools and weapons including silver-coated handcuffs, UV flash bombs, and concentrated liquid silver spray. “You think this Doc character has vamps working for him or human minions or what?”

  “Tell you the truth, I don’t have the foggiest what the hell to expect.”

  “Well, it’s been my experience that vamps only kidnap were-animals for one of two reasons: food or play. If this Doc is a real doctor, he may be playing with them, fiddling with their genetic material. Some government agencies in Europe were trying to figure out how to combine human and were DNA to create the mythical super soldiers without turning the humans into actual weres.”

  My stomach turned at the thought of were-animals being kidnapped for experiments.

  Stealing through the alley to the entrance of the warehouse district, I led us through the shadows towards the parked car. We crept silently, our senses focused to detect anyone or anything.

  As we drew closer to the car, Red stopped me with a hand on my arm. On a whisper he said, “You hear that? Sounds like...a big crowd.”

  I closed my eyes and focused my hearing, immediately aware of the sounds he spoke of. There were muffled cheers and shouts, clapping and stomping. We stole around the front of the warehouse across from the one where Hector’s car was parked. Two armed guards stood outside of the dark warehouse holding Hector’s car.

  Red pulled his sunglasses down and stared towards the guarded warehouse, his eyes glowing brightly. A moment later, he pushed up the sunglasses. “No one is inside. Just two guards in front and one around back.”

  Red was damn handy.

  Backtracking, we followed the noise and found another warehouse two down from the guarded one. This one was also guarded by several men, front and back. With a slow intake of breath, I caught the scents of vampire, human, and were-animal. Old blood, sweat, and urine, too. It smelled like death had rented a warehouse in Cleveland.

  The doors to the warehouse were closed. Light peeked around the edges of the darkened windows, which told me someone wanted to hide the fact that an abandoned warehouse was in use. The guards were a giveaway, though, but I doubted that any cops ever checked around here. If they did, it was a mistake they probably didn’t get a chance to make again.

  Red disappeared as I stayed pressed tightly against the next warehouse, watching the guards at the back as they paced quietly, hands on their guns. My phone blinked silently with a text from Red. I shielded the light behind the edge of the warehouse in case the guards looked my direction.

  Large skylight, one door. Get up here.

  I closed my eyes and scented carefully, judging the two men at the back of the warehouse to be human. I pulled two small knives from the pack on my back and at the moment they intersected, I flew towards them in a burst of speed with both daggers drawn. I buried the daggers to the hilt in their throats. Their bodies fell to the ground, their open mouths emitting only the softest of sounds as they died quickly in a pool of their own blood.

  Casting my glance upwards, I saw the flash of Red’s eyes and a rope slithered down. With the rough rope in my hands, I climbed up the tall building as quickly as I could, using my feet on the brick exterior to help quicken my pace. Red’s hands caught me and pulled me over the edge, bringing the rope up with me.

  His face was serious as we crouched
and moved across the rooftop towards the skylight. When I peered through the skylight, I knew why he looked so unhappy.

  A tall chain link fence encircled a dirt and sand arena floor, beyond which sat rows of spectators in fancy dress clothes, cheering and screaming. Inside the fenced circle, four people battled each other. What little clothing they wore was torn and bloody. Along one wall was a box seat, enclosed in glass. I would bet any amount of money that The Doc was inside that safe haven within the hell he had created.

  Underneath the box, a long row of narrow cages stood, each holding one man or woman. Some were shivering in the corner of their cage, some were pacing as much as they could, and some stood watching the fight with interest. I clicked the record button on my cell and recorded what I could before sending the video to Etienne.

  His replying text told me that we were still without help and should tag all the vehicles and follow up in a few days with more help. I watched as one of the four men fell, his throat torn out. The crowd rose to their feet with joyful shouts. The other three didn’t stop fighting for more than a few seconds, turning on each other like they were possessed by bloodlust.

  Bullshit. We were not waiting days while were-animals were forced to fight for amusement.

  When I met Red’s eyes above the skylight, his sunglasses were off and his eyes were blazing as if lit by the fires of hell. He was ready for whatever happened. I was never more thankful for my friend than I was at that moment. Our eyes darted to the side as a wave of men poured over the rooftop, heading right for us. The distinct scent of wolf surrounded us, and I knew that backup had found us...somehow.

  Chapter 3

  A tall, lanky, blond man darted across the roof. “I’m Lit, pack alpha. Mishka sent me a message.”

  I chuckled in disbelief. “How did he know where I was?”

  “Tracker from the valet.”

  “Sneaky bastard,” Red snorted.

  “I’m Sabrina, this is Red. It’s a hell of a thing down there. How many are with you?”

  “Enough to end this.” His eyes traveled up and down my body as I knelt next to the skylight. “You’re not exactly dressed to fight, little vampire.”

  “You just watch your tail, dog,” I laughed and he grinned.

  Lit told us that the warehouse was already surrounded, and his immediate idea to block the door and go in through the skylight was similar to what I’d been thinking.

  “My men are guarding the front door and will make sure no spectators make it out alive,” Lit said, his voice low and dangerous as he watched the fighting in the arena below.

  “I want whoever is in the box alive until I can sort out who’s in charge of this nightmare,” I said, fisting my blade.

  “I want every captive freed and the bastards responsible held accountable.” Lit growled.

  With a motion from Lit, three of his wolves leapt into the skylight so it shattered around them. The shards of glass rained on the dirt and sand floor. Red tossed his UV flash bombs into the crowds from his high vantage point on the roof, and they exploded in a bright flash of artificial sunlight strong enough to blind and disorient temporarily. The crowd screamed in panic. With a nod at me, Red transported himself into the box to wait for me and prevent anyone from leaving, and I jumped safely to the ground. Pandemonium erupted as soon as the skylight shattered; the people in the stands trampled each other for a chance at freedom. They’d find nothing but snarling werewolves.

  I fought my way towards the enclosed circle of fighters. My blade connected with people who spilled out of the stands in a desperate bid to find safety.

  Silver chains held the gate closed, and I sheathed my blade and gritted my teeth against the burn as I snapped the links and shouted to the three surprised men inside. “Free your brothers! Go!”

  Two of the three men darted past me with snarls on their lips as they tugged on collars around their necks. The third stood frozen for a moment and then lifted his head in the air, and drew in a long, deep breath. He was the one that had ripped the throat out of the fourth man, and his coppery skin was wet with blood. His short, roughly chopped black hair was a tangled mess, and his muscles rippled as he dropped his head and looked straight into my eyes. My breath caught in my throat; my heart constricted nearly painfully for one brief moment before he grabbed the collar around his throat. His fingers scorched as soon as they touched the silver collar. Sparks flew as he ripped it from his neck; large spikes pointed inwards and opened thick wounds on his flesh. It must have been a shock collar of some kind — those sick vampire bastards. He tossed the collar aside and shifted into an enormous black bear as I stood, mouth agape, everything else forgotten but the were-bear in front of me.

  As my brain tried to come to grips with the sudden emotions coursing through me, he barreled towards me. I was dimly aware of movement on either side of me, and my instincts screamed at me to defend myself, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the bear racing towards me. The bear knocked me to the side with one paw, and as I rolled to the ground I saw him take out two vampire guards who had drawn close to me, knives raised to strike me down. He crushed their skulls and bellowed a challenge that was echoed by the other captives within the warehouse, as humans and vampires screamed in fear.

  The bear lumbered to me and I got to my feet, brushing dirt off my ass. “Thanks.”

  He nodded once, the dark brown orbs of his eyes boring holes into me. I took a step and he mirrored me, as if he planned to stay right by my side. Pointing towards the private box I said, “I’m going up there to kill the asshole in charge of this nightmare. You in?”

  He grunted and we moved together through the throngs of shifters battling vampires and humans as more and more of the shifters were freed from their cages. Their collars that prevented shifting were cast aside.

  Blood and screams filled the air as we mounted the steps to the box, stopping only once to take out a human who was whipping a she-wolf.

  The door opened and Red grinned, “Who’s your friend?”

  “Don’t know, but he saved my ass.”

  “Right on.” We stepped inside and found Hector, two humans, and four vampires being kept in place by two snarling werewolves and Lit, in his human form. Lit glanced at me, down to the bear, and back to me. “So the vamps aren’t talking, but I think the humans will. You know, if we play a little.”

  “I had no idea you wolves were so handy. I could use guys like you on my team.”

  A growl seeped from the bear’s throat and Lit grinned. “I think you need to take it up with him, first.”

  I chuckled and told Lit to have at the humans, which he did with glee. I’d been to a few torture sessions in my lifetime, but Lit had it down to an art form. The first human passed out from fear, which made the second one hyperventilate so badly that he, too, passed out.

  Lit’s smile was positively devilish as he growled at Hector, “Just one left. Hope you last long enough for me to enjoy it.”

  Hector kept his mouth shut through two broken knee caps, a dislocated shoulder, and the separation of three fingers from one hand before he started blubbering that The Doc was the black-haired vampire of the group of four. He begged for mercy, pleading for his life, but Lit was not interested in anything he had to say, cutting off his voice with a fast hand to the throat, squeezing tightly until Hector was unconscious.

  I pulled stakes from the pouch on my back, tossing one to Red and fisting two. I stepped in front of the dark-haired vampire. He smelled young, a turned vampire that had somehow lost his way.

  He stared at me in amusement, his dark blue eyes never leaving mine for a moment as I approached him. Slim shoulders and a lean body were visible beneath his tailored suit and shirt; his black hair hung long and loose about his shoulders. He was beautiful and deadly, a viper in the grass. The world would be a far, far better place without him.

  “Welcome to my parlor, Hunter,” he said with a honeyed voice as he smoothed the lapels of his jacket as if we were sitting down for a
pleasant discussion instead of his impending death.

  “You know who I am, that’s time-saving. What my bosses want to know is why you are abducting were-animals and just what the hell the point of all this is.” I gestured towards the arena floor where the captive were-animals were slaughtering the people who had cheered for blood.

  “I’m an entrepreneur, Hunter. You’d be surprised how many humans and vampires will pay a great deal of money to watch supernatural creatures fight each other. The more blood, the more death, the better.” He leaned back casually against the glass and folded his arms. “I used to keep wolves chained up in my chambers as a permanent food supply. I had visitors from out of town and they were looking for something new and exciting. I decided to pit my food against each other, along with a few humans for fun, promising freedom to the last one standing. Of course, I didn’t free the winner, he was far too good of a fighter, but that’s neither here nor there. A new pastime was created that night, and for the last few decades I’ve been traveling the world hosting fights. I wasn’t the only one abducting fighters.”

  “You’re done now,” I promised.

  “You’re not the first to suggest that, my dear, and you won’t be the last. I hate to ruin your night—” His words choked off in surprise as I threw one of the wooden stakes with deadly accuracy, imbedding it deep into his heart.

  “I fucking hate long-winded speeches,” I groused. His body died quickly as if someone had let the air out of him, leaving only dried up skin and bones. I looked at the bear who stood quietly at my side and said, “You wanna take his head or should I?”

  Without a sound, he reared up on his back legs, towering over all of us, and with one mighty swipe of his paw, he parted The Doc’s head from his body, which exploded in a shower of ash and flame.