Freaky Fangs, page 7
part #9 of Mystic Caravan Mystery Series
Kade didn’t look convinced. “We’ll talk about it later. We need to focus on the vampires now. If they’re in the caves, why did they attack the truck?”
“I don’t know.” I held out my hands. “We have to figure out how many we’re dealing with. We have to find a way to track them to their nest so none of them get away.”
“What if the vampires attack here?” Cole asked. “I mean ... I know you guys are capable of fighting, but if there are enough of them they could wipe out your entire camp. The midway workers and clowns are vulnerable.”
“I say we feed the clowns to the vampires,” Nellie offered. “Then, when they’re distracted with the eating I’ll get to the beheading.”
“That’s a lovely plan that will totally work out,” I said dryly. “I don’t see any holes in it.”
“There aren’t any.”
“There are plenty of holes,” Cole countered. “We need to come up with a plan to keep them off this property. The dreamcatcher draws them in, right? That might not be such a good idea under the circumstances.”
“It also serves as a warning system,” Raven pointed out. “If a vampire crosses, we’ll be alerted.”
“That’s good if they send one or two scouts,” Cole conceded. “What if they send twenty? What if there are fifty to fight?”
“Then we’ll have to come up with another plan,” I replied simply. “I don’t see where we have much choice. They’ll eventually come for us.” I thought about the previous night, the feeling of dread that descended when I was erecting the dreamcatcher. “They might’ve already come for all we know. When they come back, we have to be ready.”
“Then let’s get to brainstorming,” Kade said, linking his fingers with mine and forcing a smile. “If we must fight, I want a plan.”
“Let’s get to work,” I agreed. “It’s going to take all of us working together on this one.”
7
Seven
Kade was quiet as he followed me back to our trailer. He liked to think things out — and then some — before offering up a plan. He was a plotter, a worrier extraordinaire. He was also the best man I’d ever met, and I could tell he was troubled by everything I’d told him.
“Why would vampires attack a family?” He paused outside our door and fixed me with a curious look. “I mean ... do they drink blood, like in books and movies?”
I hesitated. He seemed a little frazzled. Since joining Mystic Caravan Circus, his entire world had been upended — including his assumption about who his father was. Max, the man who had plucked me off the street and given me a chance at a new life, pretended to be a friend of the family when Kade was young. It was only after his mother died and Max offered him a job that Kade learned the truth. In quick succession, he also found that he was magical and he’d been practicing his mage powers ever since. Every new creature we added to the mix was simply something extra his brain had to absorb. I often wondered why he didn’t blow a gasket, he was absorbing information so quickly.
“They do drink blood,” I confirmed. “They’re often also sexual in nature.”
“Like the incubus?” He furrowed his brow. “I don’t like that.”
I laughed because there was nothing else I could do. “I don’t like it either. That’s why we’re going to take them out. It’ll be okay.”
“It had better be.” He wrapped his arms around me and hugged, his chin resting on my shoulder as he sighed. “I’m glad you and Cole had a talk. You seem more comfortable around him.”
“Yeah, well ... now that I’m shuttering my mind I feel better. I still wish he’d just told me.”
“I think he wanted to but was afraid. I actually like him.”
I did, too. “Yeah. I still don’t know what he and Luke are going to do if this thing continues.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s none of your business.”
“Luke is my best friend.”
“And we make him keep his nose out of our relationship. You owe him the same.”
I wanted to argue the point, but an ear-splitting scream filled the air, ruining the moment and causing me to jerk my head in the direction from which I thought the sound emanated.
Kade’s hands were tight on my back. “What is that?”
Instead of answering, I raced down the steps and almost collided with Luke. He and Cole were still at the fire when we’d left. They’d obviously heard the screams.
“I think it’s coming from the east,” Cole volunteered, his eyes on the field beyond the trailers. “That’s my best guess anyway.”
I moved to head in that direction, but Kade snagged my arm.
“What are you doing?” he hissed, his voice low.
“Um ... saving whoever is making that noise.”
“You can’t just run blindly into the night because you hear a noise.”
“Says who?”
“Says anyone with a brain.” Kade gave all outward appearances of being calm, but I could tell he was struggling. His grip didn’t lessen on my arm. “It’s not safe.”
“We’re not supposed to be staying safe.” I did my best to sound reasonable. “We’re supposed to keep people safe. That’s what we do.”
“Yeah, but ... how do you even know that’s a person out there?”
I was taken aback by the question. “What else do you think it is? It’s definitely not an animal.”
“That’s not what I meant. It’s just ... when I was overseas, one night we heard screams. It sounded like a child. Actually, it turned out to be a child. He wasn’t hurt, though. He was screaming to get us to leave the safety of our base, and once we were outside, in the dark, we were ambushed.”
My heart gave a little heave at the naked emotion on his face. It was obvious the memory haunted him. That didn’t mean I had time to coddle him. “I’m assuming it is a trap,” I replied, opting for honesty. “It makes the most sense. We can’t ignore it ... and at least this way we’ll get a look at our enemy.”
Kade didn’t look convinced. “And what if our enemy takes us out?”
“We’re strong, Kade. We work well together. We know what we’re doing.”
As if on cue, Naida, Nixie and Raven emerged from the darkness. They looked grim ... and ready.
“It’s obviously the vampires trying to draw us out,” Naida noted, her gaze focused on the tree line to the southeast. “I don’t know if they’ve completely surrounded us, but I’m pretty sure that’s a safe bet.”
“We should stick to the dreamcatcher,” Raven suggested. “Unless we have a specific reason to cross the boundaries — and they’d better be confirmed reasons — we should remain close to our base. They obviously think we’re stupid enough to run into the night because of a scream.”
As if to prove that’s exactly what they thought, another scream ripped through the night. This one loud enough to send a shudder down my spine.
“Help me!” the voice screamed. It belonged to a woman, and it definitely sounded as if she was in danger.
“We have to at least check.” I was adamant. “We can’t just ignore that, trap or not.”
“Poet’s right,” Cole said, moving to my side. “My guess is they want to see how we react. This isn’t a full-fledged attack. These vampires didn’t live long enough to build such a big nest by being stupid. They might not attack at all.”
Kade’s hands landed on his narrow hips. “Really? You think they’re just making that noise because they’re curious? They’re definitely going to attack.”
“We can’t know until we check it out.” Cole remained unruffled in the face of Kade’s furious glare. “I’m not wired to be able to ignore that noise.”
Another scream ... and this time a few whimpers. It was enough to have me making up my mind on the spot.
“We’ll stick inside the dreamcatcher until we see something. If there’s someone out there who can be saved, we’ll have to try.”
Kade held my defiant gaze for a moment and then released me, sighing. “Yeah. Just ... be careful.” He leaned over and pressed a short but firm kiss to my lips. “That goes for everyone.”
“Do we all get a kiss?” Luke asked blandly, causing Kade to glare at him. “I was just asking for a friend.”
We split up because it seemed the thing to do. The screams had garnered the attention of the clowns and midway workers, and they were out of their trailers and watching the commotion.
“Go to the middle of the circus,” Max ordered, appearing out of nowhere. He gestured toward the area he was talking about and pinned Mark with a look. It was clear he thought the oily midway manager was the one to wrangle first. “It’s safer there.”
Mark didn’t immediately start moving. “We talked about this, Max. The fights of your pet monsters aren’t supposed to touch us here.”
“If you want, my pet monsters can worry only about themselves and not you from here on out ... if that’s what you prefer.”
Mark scowled. He was a jerk, but he wasn’t an idiot. “That won’t be necessary,” he said finally. “We’ll move everyone to the center of the circus.”
“That would be lovely.” Max watched them for a moment longer and then shook his head. “Seth, Dolph, please patrol those sides of the fairgrounds and make sure he complies. I don’t like this setup.”
Seth, our tiger shifter, and the strongman Dolph nodded without hesitation and headed off to do our boss’s bidding. Max looked tired, as if he’d been woken, and there was a darkness in his countenance that caused me to shiver.
“What are we dealing with?” He was matter-of-fact as his gaze fell on me.
“Vampires,” I answered. “We think it’s a huge nest.”
“And what makes you think it’s vampires?”
“Well ... .” I hesitated before glancing at Cole. I really wasn’t a fan of putting this on his shoulders, but I didn’t see where I had a choice.
“It’s vampires,” Cole reiterated, his voice strong as he drew Max’s attention. They’d met once, when Max okayed Cole traveling with us. Other than that, Max had been busy dealing with other things, the “mundane minutiae of the business” he called it. I hadn’t seen him in days.
“How can you be sure?” Max was calm and there was nothing accusatory about his tone.
“I have magic at my disposal. I tested when Poet and I headed down to the scene of the accident earlier,” Cole answered. If he was bothered about being questioned by Max he didn’t show it. “I’ve dealt with vampires before. I’m certain that’s what we’re dealing with now. The question is: How many?”
“That is the question,” Max agreed, his gaze going back to the darkness surrounding us. “There are multiple creatures out there. I can sense them.”
“I don’t suppose you can give us a ballpark number?” Kade asked.
Max smiled at his son. Their relationship, a work in progress, wasn’t always comfortable. He did his best to appease Kade whenever possible. He was making up for a lifetime of being separated from him. “No, but it’s more than ten.”
“Is it less than fifty?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” Max held my gaze. “I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not allowed. You can’t run out there and use yourself as bait to see how many vampires we’re dealing with.”
Kade’s mouth dropped open in abject horror. “Are you kidding me? That’s definitely not allowed.”
I shot Max an annoyed look and then held up my hands to placate Kade. “I have no intention of using myself as bait. Right now, we’re sticking to the dreamcatcher until we see something. That’s our best option.”
“I agree.” Max tugged on his shirt to smooth it. “Let’s split up and take a look around. Everybody needs to stay sharp ... and don’t do anything stupid.” His gaze had moved to Luke for the last bit. “Poet, Kade and myself are in charge. When in doubt, defer to us.”
“I don’t know why you’re looking at me when you say that,” Luke groused.
Max’s eyes twinkled. “Perhaps it’s history informing my decision.”
We broke apart, different factions heading for different boundaries. Luke, Kade and Cole were with me. The comfort I felt in our particular foursome was surprising, especially considering I’d wanted to throttle Cole earlier in the day.
The screams had become more intermittent, but the noise was still out there. Every time I heard it my teeth started grinding and I had to fight my every instinct, which told me to race into the darkness and rescue whoever was in so much pain. Of course, part of me — a very small part, mind you — recognized that this was likely a trap and no one was in any danger. They simply wanted to isolate one of us in an attempt to grab us for questioning. That’s what I would do in similar circumstances.
“Where?” Kade asked, moving closer to my side. The air had turned chilly since we’d left the fire and I had to force myself not to shiver. It was a sign of weakness, after all, and I had no doubt our enemies were watching.
“I don’t know.” I squinted, frustrated that I couldn’t see anything beyond a few feet. It was simply too dark.
“We could use a streetlight,” Luke lamented as he joined us. He looked as agitated as I felt. “I sense movement out there. It’s as if I can feel it clawing over my skin, if that makes sense. But I can’t see anything. It’s driving me crazy.”
Something occurred to me. I craned my neck and looked behind us, hoping beyond hope for a glimpse of the pixie twins. I came up with nothing. “We need someone who can create light.” I flicked my eyes to Cole, contemplative. “You created sparks earlier. Can you do that again?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“If you throw up the magic, I think I can amplify it. We need to be able to see what we’re doing.”
He held my gaze for a moment and then slowly nodded. “We might as well give it a try.” His hands were already moving and he threw bright yellow sparkles into the air. I reacted accordingly and unleashed my magic, freezing the specks above us, expanding them and creating what could be described as a magical dreamscape around us. It was almost as if we were trapped in a snow globe and our combined magic fluttered around us.
“That’s awesome,” Luke intoned, lifting his eyes in delight. “I mean ... really awesome.”
I couldn’t join in his glee because my eyes had instantly gone to the fields surrounding the fairgrounds ... and what I found waiting there was enough to freeze my blood in my veins and cause my heart to constrict.
“Oh, my ... .”
Kade gripped my hand so tightly I was afraid he might break my fingers. “How many are there?”
The light illuminated at least twenty-five bodies, and that was just on our side of the fairgrounds. To the north and south I saw equal numbers of vampires. They stood, scattered, and watched us with hungry eyes. There were so many I could barely register faces — until I landed on a specific one.
There, a tall woman — she had to top six feet — stood in brown leather pants and a weird coat of some sort. Her hair was crimson, with long waves that hung well past her shoulders. Her eyes were ... distinctive. They glowed beneath the magical cloud we’d created.
She stood in the center of the vampires, completely alone, and her gaze immediately went to me.
“She’s in charge,” Max announced as he joined us. He was grim as he studied the immense number of vampires. “There have to be at least a hundred of them.”
My stomach hopped at the news. “We’re woefully outnumbered.”
“We are,” he agreed. “The magic should be a great equalizer, but ... there are enough of them to roll right over us if we don’t get a grip on this.”
As if reading my mind, the red-haired vampire tilted her head and met my gaze. There was something dark about the way she looked at me. Dark ... and evil ... and terrifying.
“She’s definitely in charge,” I said after a beat, finding my voice. “She’s playing with us.”
“She is,” Max agreed. “I ... .” He didn’t finish what he was going to say, instead jerking his head to the north. All the color drained from his face and he was already moving in that direction.
“What is it?” I asked, giving chase. “What’s wrong?”
“Dolph. He’s crossed the line.”
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. When we arrived at the spot where we should’ve crossed paths with Dolph, he was missing ... and it didn’t take long to find him in the melee on the other side of the line. He was fighting at least ten vampires, holding his own, but he was about to be swamped.
“We have to go now.” I didn’t wait to see if I would have backup, instead allowing my mind to explode with blue fire. The bolt I sent out hit two vampires squarely, sending them flying.
“Wait,” Kade called from behind me.
I couldn’t wait. If we didn’t move now we would lose Dolph ... and that simply wasn’t an option.
As if reading my mind, Cole crossed the line with me. His hands were on fire as he shot out heavy bolts of magic. Each vampire he hit burst into flames, and the action was enough to send some of the more timid creatures fleeing into the darkness. Those surrounding Dolph, however, remained.
“Stop!” I raced forward when I saw a pair of hands wrapping around Dolph’s thick neck. The female vampire trying to strangle him seemed surprised to see me. With little other choice, I slammed my pooling magic into her head, causing her to reel backward and land prone on the ground. She remained like that for a moment, her eyes focused on the moon as she twitched, and then all movement ceased.
She was dead.
The other vampires hissed when they realized our assault was serious enough to threaten their lives. They stepped away from Dolph, allowing Kade and Luke to swoop in and grab him by the arms. He was a big guy and he tried to fight them off until he realized they were friends.
“Hey.” His eyes were glassy when they met mine. “I couldn’t take the screaming. I had to see.”
It was fair to say the screaming had definitely been a trap. Still, he didn’t need to hear that. “It’s going to be okay,” I reassured him as I grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. “We’ve got you. Everything is going to be okay.”
