14

tanding in the doorway to the garage, Lori stared at the stacks of junk lining the walls. Somewhere in the clutter were the items she needed to get rid of the Tasha mess. But which method to use? On her first glance around the packed garage she spotted the case to a chainsaw. Too loud, she recalled. Think discreet. Seeing the containers of paint thinner she remembered the best way to dispose of a human corpse; sulfuric acid. There’s never a vat of that stuff when you need it.
Near the paint thinner sat a box of plastic sheeting once used as a drop cloth during the house’s renovation. Nothing in this house went to waste it seemed. The garage was proof of that. And judging by the deer antlers hanging on the walls, there was something else going on with Nicholas she didn’t see before.
Fumbling around the boxes and shelves, Lori picked out the items she needed: a roll of plastic, shovel, lighter fluid, and a book of matches that read “Phil’s Bar & Grill.” She plucked the matches from an old Mason jar filled with more of the same. For someone who doesn’t smoke, he sure has plenty of these things. It was another little clue hinting at Nicholas’ mysterious side, something he continued to flaunt just below the surface. If the circumstances were different, she would have loved to claw through his layers. But the predicament she found herself in now allowed no time for fun.
Lori went around to the back of the garage and sat the roll of plastic and lighter fluid on the grass, then slid the matches in her pocket. Placing the shovel over her shoulder, she looked to the sky, guessing how many hours of sunlight she had left. Her eyes moved to the back of the garage. Under the eaves of the roof, more antlers hung, double the amount of those inside. Based on the sizes of each set, the bucks were at their peak when they were killed.
“That boy definitely has some issues,” she smirked.
Shaking her head at the display of trophies, Lori headed into the woods, beginning her long walk in search of the right spot. Her previous hunting venture with Arden helped her map out the property, and finding the perfect resting place for Tasha wouldn’t be too difficult. Most of the land was untouched wilderness, and with no werewolf pack claiming this land, the probability of anyone discovering the remains played in their favor. Nevertheless, if the body were to be discovered, Lori knew she would be in the clear. No one could tie her to this land or its owner.
Lori drove the shovel into the soft, forest floor. The rotting vegetation and loose soil made the job easier, but no less tedious. The trick was to dig deep enough to keep an animals from disturbing the grave. As she finished digging, she began gathering up dried limbs to line the bottom of the hole, then continued deeper into the woods to being digging a second, smaller hole, lining this one with kindling, as well. Leaving the shovel by the first hole, she returned to the house to begin the second phase.

Lori stood in the kitchen doorway, the roll of plastic under one arm and a bucket of hot water by her feet. She liked it better when she wasn’t the one having to deal with these kind of messes. But it had to be done.
Rolling out the plastic she looked at the body and sighed. Blood was the enemy here. Grabbing the duct tape left on the counter from earlier, Lori ripped off a long strip, then twisted it into a makeshift rope. She wrapped the tape around the stump that was Tasha’s neck and secured it tight, using a second piece to keep it in place. She finished by using Arden’s knife to cut away the duct tape holding her to the chair and slid the body onto the plastic, followed by the severed head. After removing the car keys from Tasha’s pocket, she sealed the plastic around the remains and taped it up as perfectly as she could. Lori sat everything in the hall and began cleaning the blood from the floor. She took her time, making everything spotless to the naked eye.
With the sun nearing the horizon, the time to dispose of the body approached. Lori carried the body into the woods and placed it by the grave. Still using Arden’s knife, she sliced through the tape, as well as the makeshift rope around the neck, and rolled the body and head onto the bed of dried limbs. Lori then balled up the plastic and tape and set it aside. Removing the bottle of lighter fluid from waist of her jeans, she doused the body and kindling. Finally, with a lit match, she sat the kindling on fire and stood back. The flames caught hold of the dry wood and built in strength, catching onto the fuel covering the remains of poor Tasha. Lori waited until the corpse charred enough to hide any evidence before she began to fill in the grave. The fire extinguished underneath the smothering dirt, giving off a thick, white smoke that smelt worse than burning trash. Lori worked fast to kill the smoke as well.
Smoothing out the top of the grave, even scattering dead leaves over the area to hide the disturbed earth, Lori moved on to the second hole to get rid of the plastic and tape. With the aid of more lighter fluid, the flames of this fire rose quicker than before, melting the plastic and tape and releasing its own nauseating smell. As she watched the fire engulf the kindling, she sensed someone approach. Keeping her eyes on the flames, she spoke. “This is your mess. You should be doing this.”
Arden stopped a few yard from her, but did not reply.
Lori continued. “Nicholas agreed to leave tonight. Do you think he’ll keep his word?”
“Yes,” he answered.
Picking up a stick, she began to stir the fire. “I flushed the tracking device already. And we still need to get rid of her car. Speaking of cars, I need to go back into the city. I left my car there.”

No more waiting.
Jayda looked beyond the front porch and across the field leading away from the house. No more waiting for others to decide her fate. This was her time and her chance to prove she was in control. She heard Arden leave the house and knew the opportunity was now. Nicholas usually left his room not long after sunset, giving her only minutes to attempt an escape.
The main road wasn’t far away. She only needed to find a house or a passing car with people willing to help. Inhaling deep, Jayda began to run down the driveway, her legs growing numb within the first furious strides. It wouldn’t take them long to discover she was missing, and she knew her human speed was no match against theirs. As she came to the end of the driveway she headed left. It didn’t matter which way she ran, as long as she placed distance between herself and the house. But the further she ran, the more her fears began to build.
With her body unable to continue at its current pace, Jayda saw an old mailbox marking the end of a driveway. She changed her course as she began running down the overgrown driveway. The unkempt road should have been her first clue, but as she neared the old farmhouse, her elation turned to dread. Some of the windows were busted out and the front door was open. The house had not used in years. Even the land around the dilapidated structure was being reclaimed by the woods, the once sprawling fields now replaced with waist-high grass and patches of tall shrubs.
Jayda looked skyward and saw the darker blues pushing back the faded red. Time was against her now more than ever. Soon her eyes wouldn’t be able to pick up any light, and navigating through the darkness frightened her more than staying under the same roof as the vampire, Arden. These were unfamiliar lands, and she knew of the dangers that others were unaware of. And this knowledge sent her fear to flood her other senses, heightening them.
As she returned to the driveway to being the quick run back to the main road, a rustling in the woods found her ears. Jayda stopped in midstride to focus her attention on the noise. She counted the steps, deciphering them as an animal on all fours and running towards her. Taking off in the opposite direction, she went for the tall grass and concealed herself within. She took in a few calming breaths as she quieted her body.
The rustling of the leaves stopped. Jayda peered through the grass and saw the farmhouse and a dark figure moving towards it. The creature was a large, grey wolf, a beast she was accustom to seeing. But she couldn’t tell who it was; Nicholas or another werewolf. From what she gathered, werewolves once roamed the area and there was a possibility they still lived nearby.
The wolf investigated the house and followed the scent into the field. Jayda stopped breathing as she saw the wolf disappear into the grass. Every part of her wanted to run, but her fear kept her muscles locked and eyes refusing to blink.
Jayda saw the tops of the grass stalks swaying as the wolf crept closer. Its shadowed form rose above the grass, taking on a beastly shape with each step on its hind legs. With its eyes finding her, the wolf lowered itself once more, still keeping its beast form.
The fear within Jayda finally buckled under her desperation to survive. She backed away from the werewolf, keeping her eyes on the moving grass and her breathing in check. Any scream at this point risked triggering the wolf to attack. But as she crawled backwards, the wolf entered the grass matted down by her own weight. It stopped advancing to stare at her.
Its eyes…
Jayda stopped moving, as well, as she studied the face of the wolf. Her survival instincts had clouded her judgment. She assumed the worst of this land and believed more wolves roamed the area. But the truth was that the land had become a dead zone to any werewolf pack, tainted by a self-destructive alpha.
The werewolf inched closer to the human as he sensed her fear soften. His fur yielded under the pull of his human facade, returning to a form more familiar to Jayda. She raised a shaky hand and rested against his face. This was the Nicholas she wanted to see. He looked at her, his eyes the last to change as they went from amber to blue, and moved his body over hers.
Closing her eyes, Jayda felt the heat of his breath on her chest and neck, then his lips brushing her jaw before descending in a kiss that awoken a hunger once forgotten. She found herself kissing back, mirroring the aggressiveness in Nicholas’ movements. This was no scheme to gain any favor with him or to seek out a way to avoid a meeting with some vampire queen. She just wanted to feel anything else besides fear and uncertainty. She wanted to feel alive, and for once, enjoy it.

Entering the house through the front door, Lori continued her rambling concerns over Nicholas. “I know that deer are a staple for a werewolf’s diet, but he’s taken it a little too far with the trophies. There must be over a hundred set of antlers out there. I can understand a human’s fascination with trophies, but a werewolf? That’s a sign of some serious issues he needs to deal with.”
Arden didn’t show interest in her worry. His own concern centered on the fact that the house was empty. “They’re not here,” he remarked, quietly.
“Where are they?”
Searching for Nicholas through the bond they shared, he shook his head at his findings. “He’s blocking me.”
Lori froze in mid step as she replied, “Or they have him.”
“No. He’s still here.” Arden nodded at the discarded clothing leading to the front door. “I believe she tried to escape.”
“Then they better get back here soon,” she commented on her way to the stairs, “cause I don’t want to spend half the night looking for them.”
Arden followed Lori downstairs and into the spotless kitchen. The half-breed crossed her arms and gloated at her work.
“Pretty good, eh? Thoroughness and patience is the way to go in times like these, and with the mess you made, the method still holds true.”
“Wire isn’t really a preferred weapon, so why did you have it?”
Lori shrugged at his observation. “I wouldn’t call it a weapon; more like an instrument in gathering knowledge, unlike that strange knife you carry.” She reached behind her back, retrieving the knife from the waist of her jeans, and inspected it closer. “It’s nothing like I’ve seen before. Definitely handmade.” On the butt-end of the handle a letter “G” was etched into the design. The signature sent Lori reeling as she stared at knife. “Where did you get this?”
“It was given to me by a werewolf hunter.”
Lori let out a small laugh. “Gabriel.”
“Being the wife of Demetrius, I’m sure you two have met.”
“We traveled together for a while,” she said, handing him the knife. “We didn’t part on good terms.” Arden took the knife and placed it underneath his coat.
A solemn expression fell over Lori as she remembered time she spent with the werewolf hunter. She sat down at the table and spoke. “When this is over, I’ll leave. You two can go back to your little dual partnership you got set up here.”
Arden remained standing as he answered, “I return to court next year; sooner if I wish.”
Scratching at the table’s edge with her thumbnail, she saw more details of his plan surfacing. “So that’s why you’ve been waiting. Do you really think Nick will let you leave with her? The longer you keep her here, the more his feelings are going to deepen.”
“It was your plan to take her to Gysai, as well.”
“Well, yeah, but I was going to talk her into it. Use a bit of tact when dealing with others,” she said, looking up at him. “None of that brute-head guardian way of dealing with people. You need to give others more than just a blank slate.”
“I am reserved for Nauvia and no one else,” he said, words turning sharp.
“She’s not here and you’re not on duty. Stop hiding behind a title.”
“All I am is a title.”
Lori rolled her eyes and exhaled. “Centuries of hiding, of course. It’s not going to stop after one conversation, I’m sure.” Standing from the table, she headed for the doorway. “Let’s go find them so we can leave.”

Underneath a cloud-filled sky, in a forgotten field in Oregon, lay Jayda and Nicholas, bodies spent and breath heavy. The clouds brought with them a chilling breeze, jostling the tall grass around the two bodies hidden within.
Nicholas covered Jayda’s mouth in one last kiss before laying beside her on the grass, arms embracing and legs intertwined. He pulled away to look at the young woman still shuddering in his arms.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
Jayda’s eyes focused on him as she dared to look into his eyes. “We can… we can leave them behind. We can travel faster without them.”
“Are you still worried about what might happen?”
“I escaped one prison already,” she said, her eyes dropping from his. “I not going to enter another one.”
Nicholas placed a hand to the side of her face and guided her to look at him. “Then let me take you home.”
A rare smile found Jayda. “Thank you.”
Pulling her close, Nicholas kissed her once more and began to feel the last of her fears crumble away.

Lori followed Arden down the driveway leading away from Nicholas’ house. The vampire picked up on the trail belonging to the human and werewolf and tried to keep himself from running. It would have taken him a few minutes to reach them on his own, but Lori refused to give in to her own urgency. Though they still needed to get rid of the Honda Civic parked in front of the house, the fact that they were leaving this night relaxed her.
Arden stopped walking and looked across the field. Lori found herself mimicking his actions as she tried to pick up on what caught his attention. A muffled pop came from the edge of the woods, sending with it a small object. Lori eyes widened as she saw the dart strike Arden in the chest.
“It’s them!” she called out, grabbing him by the arm and forcing him back toward the house. She felt Arden slowing behind her, then stopping altogether as he dropped to his knees. Lori tried to get him to his feet but the dart’s contents already took hold. The vampire fell to the ground, silenced by 6 cc of a powerful drug.
Lori rolled him over and ripped the empty dart from him, throwing it to the side in disgust. She looked to the wood’s edge and saw the darkened forms of men, all armed and with weapons trained on her. Tearing herself away from Arden’s side, she ran for the garage, choosing the simplest course of action as she climbed into the van’s front seat. She checked the console and visor for the keys, but when the frantic search turned up nothing, she went for the panel above the peddles. She couldn’t remember the last time she attempted to hotwire a vehicle, but the skill was an easy one to remember.

The men, covered in black clothing, closed in on the fallen vampire. The group of six split up; three heading for the house and three nearing the vampire. Each man carried two weapons this night; an air rifle used to deliver tranquilizer darts and the other a handgun filled with silver bullets.
As the men crossed the final yards between themselves and the vampire, a crash came from the garage as a black van busted through the door, almost sideswiping the car parked in the driveway.
The men closest to the house dodged out of the van’s path while the other men in the field switched to their handguns as they opened fire, the silver bullets pelting the speeding vehicle.
Lori steered the van toward the men, hoping to run over as many as she could. But the men leapt out of the way, recovering fast with guns waiting for a clear shot at the driver. Lori whipped the van around and used it to shield Arden as she rushed into the back and opened the side door, moving fast to pull him inside and continue down the driveway. Her adrenaline began to catch up with her as her muscles felt like they were filling with cold liquid, reaching every joint and pore. She gripped the steering wheel and pressed harder on the gas. The van rumbled down the gravel driveway, leaving the group of six men to radio their change in status.

Nicholas sat up, the height of the grass still concealing him. Through the rustling of the leaves in the wind he heard something else.
He whispered to Jayda, “Stay here,” and then disappeared into the thick grass.
Jayda reached for her clothes and began to redress. She imagined Arden coming after them, furious in her attempt to leave. But she felt safe knowing that Nicholas was on her side. She trusted his word over the hollow promise dished out by Lori. The half-breed was on Arden’s side. She had been playing everyone for her own gain.
Finally pulling on her shoes, Jayda daringly lifted her head above the grass. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw a half dozen figures surround her location, dressed in dark military attire and carrying rifles. She flattened herself to the ground, breathing shallow and mind racing. She had no where to run. Nicholas had to have seen them.
Looking through the grass again, Jayda saw an opening between the men and ran towards it, her speed hindered by the thick grass. The men lowered their weapons upon seeing her. The two men closest to her broke from formation to give chase. Jayda heard the sound of their heavy boots as they closed the gap behind her. She then felt a firm hand grab the back of her shirt and gave a quick tug. The man wrapped his other arm around her and held tight, his rough voice in her ear. “Give us a good scream,” he said.
Jayda saw a knife in his other hand as he lowered it toward her arm. The sharp blade cut into her lower arm, digging deep in an attempt to get her to call out. The man changed directions with the knife, as though he tried to saw through her arm. Jayda gave in. She heard her own scream echoing over the field. As soon as it began, the knife left her.
Realizing what she had done, her eyes snapped open and saw the other men scouring the field with the infrared goggles attached to their helmets.
“He’s heading this way,” one man said as he raised his rifle.
Another man called out. “He’s moving into the woods. I lost visual.”
The men began to spread out. The one holding Jayda remained where he stood, certain their target would come directly for him first.
Jayda struggled to see the other men in the dark. The clouds seemed to part under her silent wish, spilling the early moon’s light onto the field. The subtle change sent the grass before the men to erupt as the large wolf form of Nicholas made himself known. He went for the nearest man, leaping into the air, his clawed hands swiping him across the neck and face. As he returned to the ground he went for the next man with the same feverish speed.
A man standing further back pulled the trigger to his rifle. The dart struck the werewolf in the shoulder, almost missing him. The werewolf didn’t even notice the attack as he continued his rampage.
Jayda squirmed against the man still holding her and brought her head back, clenching her jaw as she smashed into his mouth and nose. The sudden hit caused his arms to loosen. Jayda wiggled herself free and began running once more, this time ignoring the grass that threatened to eat away at her skin.
The man threw a hand over his face and went after her.
The remaining men held their own as the drug raced into the werewolf’s bloodstream. With each swipe of his claws, his actions softened until he began to stagger. His breathing, too, quieted. Looking at the men with rifles ready, the werewolf knew he was defeated. In his final act he called out to the vampire with his mind.
The werewolf collapsed.

Jayda’s feet struck the pavement and continued to push her body further into exhaustion. She noticed her vision becoming blurred and her hearing replaced with the rush of her blood, but her brain would not let her quit. Nothing felt real in this moment. She could see herself running, yet she sensed no more pain.
Her blurring eyes saw a white light engulfing her and the roar of some great beast. She stopped running to shield her eyes. The beast rolled to a stop and a silhouette entered the light.
Lori ran up to Jayda, her hands on her shoulders.
“Where’s Nick?” she said, lightly shaking her back into reality.
The last five minutes collided into Jayda as she began to grow hysterical. “They got him!” Tears began to pool in her eyes and fall down her cheeks with each fluttering blink.
From the edge of the woods, a man ran onto the road and raised a handgun at the two cast in the van’s headlights.
Lori looked at the man and calmly ordered Jayda, “Get into the van.”
The girl ran for the passenger side and climbed in.
Lori breathed in deep, exhaling slowly. This wasn’t Owen, but this was the first Brotherhood dog she happened to face in quite some time. And seeing that he was currently alone…
Taking a step forward, Lori sent a silent challenge to the man. He responded by tightening his grip on the gun, his finger pressing against the trigger.
The loud bang from the gun sent Jayda to cover her mouth with her hands. She saw Lori stumble as she was hit in the stomach. But the woman regained her composure and continued walking, eyes still locked on the human. The man fired again, aiming for her head. The bullet missed its target and struck the van’s driver-side mirror.
Lori was on the man before he had time to aim once more. Her hand caught the man under his jaw, slashing to the side as her nails tore through flesh and veins, even ripping into his airway. The man began choking at the blood trying to spill into his lungs. Falling to the road, he spit out the blood gushing into his mouth and nose. He stared up at the woman, his hands over his throat and mouth open with blood gargling out.
A sneer of contempt formed on Lori’s lips as she knelt beside him. She placed a hand to the blood passing through his fingers and then tasted it. Her look of contempt was replaced with more disgust.
“You’ve tainted your blood,” she said, spitting out the taste. “Interesting new trick. I’ll need to remember that.”
Lori watched as the man’s body started to spasm under the lack of blood and oxygen. She then searched through his pockets and gear, grabbing the last of his ammo and a pack of darts before picking up the gun.
The man’s body grew quiet. Lori wished she had more time to filet him properly for his buddies to find. But his buddies were probably surrounding the area, perhaps watching her now. Sensing that time was against her, she ran back to the van and into the driver’s seat.
Jayda couldn’t help but stare at Lori. She had never seen anyone move as fast as her. And to kill the man as coldly as she had… Her actions reminded her of Arden. Vampire or not, Lori was a different kind of monster in Jayda’s eyes.