Song of the Alpha, page 8
part #9 of Full Moon Series Series
Declan pointed. An amber glow was cast to the sides of a huge tree. Gabriel could see that the witch’s home wasn’t far away.
Something tugged on Gabriel’s boot. He reached for the knife and gasped for breath.
“Dec...”
His arms splashed as his head vanished underneath the surface. He popped up again.
“Declan!” he screamed through a mouthful of water.
Declan looped his arm through the backpack and dived under the surface of the murky water. It was too dark. He came to the surface and pulled out the waterproof flashlight. He flicked the switch, took a massive gulp of air, and dived in again. He saw Gabriel’s legs kicking. He felt lucky it wasn’t a croc; a submerged branch had snagged on Gabriel’s laces and pulled him under the surface with the current. Declan grabbed his ankle and sliced through the lace with his knife. His head broke as Gabriel gasped for air.
“I thought I was a goner,” he mumbled, spitting out water.
“It was only a branch, and not a croc trying to get you into a death roll.”
“I don’t give a fuck what it was, it’s scary, that’s one way I never want to die. Fuck drowning.”
They stepped from the water and drip-dried as they glanced toward the large tree, which now appeared to have moved further into the distance. Declan was sure it was on the river bank. They started to walk in the direction of the tree, and now the golden hue which emanated from its sides had a luminescent glow to it. The earth dried under their feet as they neared the tree. Declan stepped over the large roots and stepped into the warm fiery haze.
A familiar face turned to look at him and smiled. “Did you have any problems?” the witch asked.
“Leeches and a branch that tried to pull him under.”
Declan sat on a log and held his hands toward the roaring campfire and he noticed the witch appeared much older than last time he’d seen her. A cauldron of smoking liquid bubbled away as Gabriel made his way from the shadows.
“Good evening,” he said.
The witch gestured with her hand to the branch. “Sit, and take a load off.”
Gabriel looked at the old woman. He glanced at her hands and then back at the creviced skin on her face. “I recognize you. You are the old lady on the bench,” he remarked.
“Ten out of ten for being observant,” she replied, giving him a kind-hearted smile.
The witch explained that sometimes so many people wanted her help, but they were not always good people. In many cases, she vetted them beforehand and being a homeless woman seemed to be the best possible way to do it. She pulled out the fifty and handed it toward Gabriel. He shook his head and told her to keep it. Declan coughed to interrupt as he held a Ziploc in front of him.
“A gift from the both of us,” he said.
“You got my cookies! Very good.”
Gabriel looked toward the cauldron which hung over the roaring embers. “What’s boiling in there, is it some potion?” he asked.
“That is very special. You want to try some? It will keep you awake all night.”
“Are you sure it’s safe?” The witch smiled and then ladled some of the liquid into an earthenware drinking vessel and handed it to Gabriel. He lifted it to his mouth with a little bit of apprehension. The steam rose and wafted to his nose.
“This is...”
The witch giggled. “Yeah! It’s coffee.”
Ren begrudgingly changed after a shower and tagged along with Kelvin and Dustin. Along the way, Kelvin filled him in on more about the vlads, and what it meant for everyone if they couldn’t stop Sanders in his tracks. Ren was amazed at a couple of things. First up; was how he’d never heard of anything like this happening, before now. He was sure he’d had his ear to the ground in Miami, but vampire-werewolves growing in numbers would usually be something you’d hear about. Actually, he’d never heard the slightest thing about it. Second of all, was the most unbelievable part… the fact that Kelvin was right “smack-bang” in the middle of it.
They entered Model City, and to Dustin, it appeared as if they had stepped back in time. Graffiti was on every wall of every building they passed. He commented how bad it was and Kelvin and Ren burst into laughter, as he’d not even seen the worst part yet. This was glamorous compared to Liberty Square and where they were headed.
“Why are we heading down there if it’s so rough?”
“Ariana,” Ren replied. “Kelvin here had a thing with her, and she’s gonna kill him when she sees him.”
Dustin asked why she’d be so upset at seeing Kelvin, and Ren began explaining that Kelvin walked out on her, which pretty much summed it all up.
“I was coming to the Creek, it wasn’t as if I walked out on her for another woman or anything like that,” he replied.
They passed the sign for Liberty Square and headed to the far end of the block. Dustin noticed all the homes were of a similar construction, and they were already falling into disrepair. The Dirty D was hit by a hurricane, and it appeared better than half the houses they’d passed here.
A gang of five kids stepped across the sidewalk in a line. Two held their shirts to show they were packing. Ren and Kelvin never flinched and walked straight up to the kids.
“Where do you think you’re going?” the gang leader asked, obviously cupping his fist in his hand like a baseball catcher.
“We’re off to speak to Ariana.” It was a need-to-know basis and these thugs didn’t need to know anything else but that.
“Are you sure she’ll grant you a sitting?” one asked, grinning wildly.
“Come on man, you make it sound rather dramatic, don’t you think?”
The guy cupping his fist highlighted the fact that he was just following orders. He’d made a mistake; in Ren’s eyes, and the last thing he remembered was the sting that followed as his ass went to the ground. Ren landed his fist on the bridge of his nose. Kelvin’s boot made contact with the kid who’d pulled a gun. His balls shot into his stomach before he collapsed next to the first guy.
The other three held up the palms of their hands to show defeat. It was apparent the two on the ground were number one and two, and within a few seconds, they were both reduced to absolute zero.
“Where’s Ariana?” Kelvin asked as the guys pushed their backs hard up against the brick wall.
“Eighty-eight.”
“Did you need to do that?” Dustin asked as he stepped over the kid who busied himself with grabbing hold of his balls.
Kelvin turned and shrugged his shoulders. “It’s the only language they know. Ask a regular question, and you’ll end up losing your wallet and your watch.”
It might be the case that Model City was as rough as they’d made out. Dustin spotted the dealers and the runners on the street corners. But one glimpse from anyone who recognized Kelvin, and Ariana would know he was there before they even reached the door to the house where she was.
“It’s the last house up here,” Ren pointed out. His finger was aimed directly at a pink house at the end of the street.
A gathering filled the front lawn and music blared from the front door which was open and filled with a girl resting the bottom of her foot on the door jam and puffing on a joint.
“There always seems to be a lot of joints flying around where you go. Have you ever smoked any?” Dustin asked Kelvin.
“Never. I don’t agree with it.”
“Sure. You wouldn’t admit it if you did.”
Kelvin chuckled. “Dustin, don’t forget, I respect your every word and look at you as a father figure and coming from a good moral backgrou...”
“Full of shit, that’s what you are.”
They sidled their way up the path as the whites of the eyes of the partygoers were all facing in their direction. Ren walked in first with Kelvin close behind. They walked to the kitchen, and Ren pulled three beers from the ice bucket.
A slim girl with dreadlocks walked into the kitchen. The light glinted on the piercing she had through her bottom lip. She stared at Kelvin as she pulled a bottle from the bucket and popped the cap with her teeth. She sauntered across the kitchen, her slender legs covered by skin-tight leather pants which were laced up at the side, with her cropped t-shirt hanging short, and bearing her navel. Dustin noticed she wasn’t wearing a bra, and the way her breasts pushed against her top, he could tell that she possessed another couple of body piercings.
“What the fuck are you three looking at?” she questioned.
Kelvin sipped from his bottle. “I’m not sure, but it’s looking back,” he replied.
Ariana sipped from her bottle and walked toward Kelvin. She ran her tongue on the inside of her lower lips as she looked them up and down. She sipped her beer and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She slapped Kelvin across the face.
“You walked out on me,” she said.
He replied he’d had a good reason for it. And it wasn’t another girl (if that’s what she was thinking). Dustin frowned as that line seemed to be well rehearsed.
“What’ve you come here for, anyway?” she asked.
“I brought my good friend Dustin to see the sights. And I was thinking of taking him to the Blue Moon. That is; if it’s okay with you.”
Ariana looked Dustin up and down and looked back at Kelvin. “Don’t you think he’s a bit old for the Moon?” she answered. Kelvin said that Dustin was a real partygoer, or he used to be. He also needed to speak to her about something fundamental. “Go to the Moon, and I’ll send for you. We can chat in my office.”
“Ariana, you’re one in a million,” Kelvin said.
“Says he, who wants the two in a million,” she replied as she exited the kitchen.
Kelvin called after her to remind her that he’d left because he’d traveled, and not for another woman. Ariana raised her middle finger and held her hand up for all (especially Kelvin) to see.
“What’s with you and her?” Dustin asked.
“We were pretty solid before I walked out… as you can guess,” Kelvin said, rolling his eyes.
“Is she human or ...”
“All animal right down to the core, if you know what I mean,” Kelvin said, smiling.
Dustin guessed she seemed a bit of a handful. She made it clear she took no shit from anyone, and being a club owner at such a tender age showed that she must have balls of steel, or whatever women had to show their ferocity.
The three exited the house and walked down the street as the music faded. The Blue Moon Club was a block and a half away, right on the border of Little Haiti. As much as Ren’s ear was on the street, and he knew what was happening, he (and they) never noticed the hooded figures that followed them into the shadows.
The golden glow in their eyes pierced the darkness, and they watched on as the three approached the doorway to the club. They were in Miami and watching already, very keenly.
“Blue Moon, you watched me standing alone, without any dreams in my heart, or without a love to own.”
Chapter 10
Thirst
“Take your medal and wear it with pride. It’s consolation for pain and sin you now feel inside.”
Noelle sat in the car and watched the mist settle across the receding water levels. The jetties appeared, and all looked as usual. Anyone who wanted a way across to the witch would have a hard time. This was mostly because even the jetty Declan used the first time he visited the Everglades wouldn’t lead the way to her, not now.
She twiddled the nob on the radio. The noise of static filled the car and all she got was broken lyrics and intermittent beats and static. She sighed as she turned it off and started to hum to herself. She opened the door and stepped onto the river bank. Noelle stuffed her hands in her pockets and looked at the drooping mangrove trees which sat on the far bank. The branches gave the appearance of a plant which was full of sadness.
I know how you feel. You have to sit in that shitty water all day, it’s no wonder you’re pissed.
Noelle heard a noise at her side. She froze and tuned into her wolf senses as she listened. Another branch cracked.
“Hello,” she called into the mist. “Is there anyone there?”
Silence greeted her, and she thought it was only an animal foraging for food. Another crack of a branch was closer and louder. That wasn’t anything foraging for food (unless she was to be the food). She stepped backward toward the car. Her eyes cut through the blanket of mist toward the branches of the trees. The breeze had already dropped, and she still spotted the branches swaying.
What the fuc...
Three shadowed figures began to emerge from the darkness. Mist swirled around their bodies as they pushed their way to the river bank. Noelle stepped backward; quicker. The thought entered her mind as she turned and started to run.
Vlads…
She reached the car and yanked on the handle. Her finger slipped in the moisture. She glanced to her side and then at the knob in the door.
Fuck, this side’s locked.
Noelle ran around the other side of the car and tugged on the handle. The door opened, and she scrambled inside. She leaned across and grabbed the door handle as she watched her cell drop onto the floor. The vlads were almost upon her.
She reached down and touched the cell with the tips of her fingers. Her hand pulled back as the cell slid under the car and a vlad landed on the hood. It began shaking the vehicle. She slammed the door closed and hit her fist on the knob as the click of the door locked her firmly inside.
A large vlad walked to the side window and sniffed at the glass. Its jaws opened. Noelle saw the razor sharp teeth which were now fronted by large fangs; much larger than the ones she possessed in her wolf form. The vlad’s golden glowing eyes stared at her. She felt like she was in Jurassic Park, but this was oh so fucking real. She pulled open the glove compartment to find a weapon. Declan’s driver’s license was nowhere near suitable. She clambered onto the rear seat and saw a tow chain in the back of the car. Her fingers wrapped around the cold steel.
It’s better than nothing.
The vlads banged on the side window as one beat its paws and claws onto the roof. She looked up and saw the dents forming with each repeated swipe. The third vlad paced back and forth in the headlights. The driver’s door window rattled.
How long’s that going to last?
She slithered across onto the passenger seat as she watched the vlad’s fist crashing purposefully toward the glass. Shards exploded inside the car as she screamed. The vlad poked its head through the hole to meet the heel of Noelle’s boot.
“Get the fuck out of my car!” she screamed as she slammed her foot into a vlad’s face.
Its jaws opened ready to snap and it locked itself onto her ankle. Noelle pushed herself against the passenger door as she drove her foot, harder still. The vlad’s head hit the door frame and stopped. Its lower jaw didn’t, and it snapped with a loud crack. It tried to squeal in pain as it pulled its head from inside the car and cowered back toward the trees, now shaking its bowed head.
Noelle watched the other vlad approaching. She needed her cell to inform Declan. Noelle pulled on the doorknob. Her fingers slipped on the blood-soaked plastic. She wiped her hand and pulled again. There was a faint click as the door became unlocked. She pushed the door wide and plunged herself onto the damp earth in a quick roll. She stood and turned with the chain hanging at her side. The large steel tow hook rested on the ground.
The vlad on the car roof ceased its banging and dropped to the ground. It was joined by the second animal which paced around in the headlights. They walked toward her with hunched shoulders. Their low snarls filled the bank of the Everglades. Noelle was ready to turn, but first, she had the chain to use. She raised her arm above her head and started to swing.
Vooof...vooof
The chain whistled through the air above her head. The vlads stepped closer. One stepped too close as the hook snagged it in its eye socket. Its head pulled back as Noelle yanked on the chain with all of her might. The vlad fell to its knees and tried to lift its claws to its face. Noelle took her chance and lunged forward. The chain wrapped around the vlad’s neck.
“Come on, you motherfucker!” she yelled as memories of being a hunter filled her with adrenalin.
The veins on her neck bulged as she arched her back. The vlad clawed at the chain as its gasps faded. Noelle waited for it to slump and stop fighting before she tugged and twisted. The snap of its neck halted the third vlad in its footsteps. She stepped from the limp body and faced the vlad. It paused as it thought about what to do. Running wasn’t an option. If it returned to Sanders and he found out, it’d be dead, anyway. This way it could save some dignity. And so it stepped forward.
Noelle knew in a straight fight like she was in now, she’d lose. Maybe after a few minutes or so, and with her unarmed skills, but she’d definitely lose.
She turned. The vlad faced Noelle in her wolf form. Her shoulders flexed as they circled for one to make the first move. It was the vlad. Garrett had always taught Noelle to wait and then react to what your enemy did first.
It lunged forward. Noelle saw it was too high. She crouched and rolled on her back. Her claws lashed at the body above her and dug deeply into the base of the throat and sliced down over its rib cage. The vlad was dead before it hit the ground.
Take that.
Noelle stood and made her way toward the car. She crouched and picked up her cell. She typed a message to Declan to inform him the vlads were in the area.
Her head lifted from the cell, and she looked at her reflection in the window. A head towered above her with bright golden eyes. The broken jaw had already healed. Vlad number one’s jaws opened up. Noelle smiled into the glass and turned. Her thumb hit send as she dropped her cell.
“Ready for another go, you motherf...”
The huge guy on the door didn’t frisk Ren, Kelvin, or Dustin. He held his nose close to them and sniffed. Obviously a wolf, Dustin thought, and it made sense. A wolf’s senses were far better (and even more reliable) than frisking someone. Maybe they should use them more at airport security?
