Conspiracy of Vampires: The Vampire's Kingdom, #1

Chapter 1

There were more vampires in this damned house than I’d been told to expect. My magic crept over five before I’d locked it down tight. They might be able to sense me if I kept using it. But cutting myself off from my powers was a gamble. I’d never feel them coming.

Lucky for me vampires were lethargic during the day. Their powers and instincts were less acute, but the cloaking spell my friend Kori had cast for me would only work so well. Normal things like my heartbeat and breathing, it could hide, but the sneeze I’d been wrestling with for the past thirty seconds? Well, I wasn’t willing to bet my life on it. Stupid dust. Stupid allergies!

The chairs and desk in the vast study had been covered in dusty white sheets when I’d first crawled in through the window. I’d ripped them off of everything in my search, and they were now in piles all over the floor. I should have taken my ex up on his offer of dinner instead of casing a supposedly abandoned vampire hangout. Not that dinner was really the offer. He’d been trying to get back together with me for a month now.

The tickling in my nose subsided, and I took a breath. I’d been spared, but it would make an appearance again. Soon. And so far, I hadn’t found anything related to my parents in this house.

My contact had said the vampire who killed my parents had lived here. I was hoping for some sort of a paper trail of where he’d gone next. So far, no luck. But I couldn’t rip the whole place apart because the house he’d sworn would be vacant had at least five vampires in it.

Of course, he’d told me that after I’d made some very inventive threats to certain precious parts of his anatomy. He probably expected me to die in here. With five vampires in the house… well, I didn’t like my odds.

But if I did make it out of here? I’d be paying him a very unpleasant visit. The thought made me smile. Something to look forward to.

I pulled open the final drawer in the sturdy L-shaped desk. A ledger lay in the bottom of it, envelopes used as a bookmark. A paper ledger? A vampire who hadn’t heard of QuickBooks Online. I stood and opened it to the spot that was marked.

I held in my curse of annoyance as I leafed through the previous pages. Nothing about the purchase of another property, but I didn’t have time for an in-depth audit. It should have at least contained a hint of where they’d gone next. Nothing else interesting either. The only thing the ledger told me was that whatever vampire kept this house had been meticulous.

I removed the envelopes and flipped them over. They’d been sealed with an old-school red wax seal stamped with an M. Fancy. I slid everything into the backpack I’d left perched on the desk before shrugging it on and buckling the chest strap. No time to look now. Maybe I could try a different day if these leeches vacated the place. But for now, I’d raided the massive study of everything interesting. I’d give anything to check the rest of the house, but I’d already taken a big enough risk checking this one room.

The widening sliver of light from the doorway was the only warning I got that I was no longer alone. I glanced up from tightening the chest strap. The vampire standing in front of me wasn’t much taller than my five-foot-eight. His mouth dropped open. Glad I wasn’t the only one startled by this encounter.

Shit, shit, shit. What now? As a lowly human, the main thing I had going for me when facing a vampire was the element of surprise.

I leaped over the desk, pulling my knife from the sheath as I went. I had to do something before he snapped out of being dumbstruck.

I hit the ground as he started to back out of the room.

Hey! he shouted as I hurtled into him. We hit the ground, me on top, using all my weight to jam the blade into his chest.

He grasped a fistful of my hair and flung me off him with enough violence that I slid halfway down the long hallway, knife still clutched in my hand.

I bit back a curse. My whole right side was going to be bruised and stiff tomorrow. My scalp smarted, and I wondered if I’d have a bald spot.

He stumbled to his feet, his pristine white sneakers slipping a little in his own blood and shook some of my long red hairs off his hand.

I’ll kill you for that. He coughed, hard and ragged, blood splattering his chin.

I’d missed the heart. Luckily, with my ancient, magical knife, I didn’t need to hit it. Without someone to feed on, he would heal at a human speed, which meant he would die. Unless he fed on me, and I wasn’t sticking around for that.

I clambered up, using the wall as support, and suddenly he was the least of my worries.

Two more vampires stepped around the corner behind him. The difference was they were hulking bastards with arms as thick as my thighs. As if vampires needed weight training to wipe the floor with a human. The vampire I’d just stabbed wasn’t much bigger than me, and he could have broken me in half if given the chance.

I made a break for the stairwell and hurled myself over the handrail. My landing was bone-jarring, and I stumbled into the wall. I heard the thundering of footsteps behind me on the stairs and all but fell down the rest of them, skidding on the runner rug that covered the first floor as it bunched up under my feet.

An icy ball of horror sank into my gut when I landed on my ass. The knife slid across the exposed hardwood floor, banging into the cream-colored baseboard. Precious seconds wasted. That was all it took.

Above me, one of the men made it to the last landing of the stairs. His confident smirk said it all.

I fished the potion bottle out of the front pocket of my jeans. Thanking whatever god watched over me that I hadn’t put it in my back pocket, I flipped the stopper out and barely managed to down it before he was on me. The bitter, vile taste of tar filled my mouth. Like I’d licked fresh asphalt. Burned like it too.

He grasped my shirt and hauled me off the floor. A wave of dizziness seemed to rock the walls of the house, and I took a deep breath, hoping it would steady my head.

Suicide? How cowardly of you, vampire hunter. And in this case, a useless effort. I’ll turn you, torture you into telling me why you’re here, and then have you until I tire of you.

He pulled me toward him. This bastard was going to bite me. I prayed the potion I’d taken would work and not kill me for the privilege. Before he could bring me closer, I grasped his face in both my hands.

He shrieked, and I felt the flesh heat and bubble under my hands. He released my shirt and shoved me away from him. My back smacked into the wall, knocking the breath out of me, but I kept my feet under me. His fist came flying toward my face and I jerked to the side, avoiding the blow. Pain must have slowed his reaction time. He would have hit me if it hadn’t.

I darted toward the exit using the wall to stay upright while he was busy trying to get his fist loose from the drywall.

What did you do to me, you witch? he shouted.

The potion had worked, but the side effects were intense. I’d have to tell Kori it wasn’t practical for your average vampire hunt. The world tilted around me. My feet seemed to be going in the opposite direction of my body. The walls warped, rippling in waves. Everything smelled like burning cookies.

Screw him! What had I done to me?

I kept moving toward the light until it was suddenly blotted out. I blinked and squinted at the door. The shadow in the doorway shifted. It had to be another vampire. I kept going. I was literally untouchable now. Unless they wanted to be in a world of pain.

Let me pass, or you’ll regret it. My tongue felt thick. The words came out like I was on my eighth shot of tequila. Not effective for threatening.

He chuckled. I’m afraid I can’t do that. Strict orders to take anyone sneaking around here to the boss. Besides, what is a little girl like you going to do to something like me?

I hiked a thumb over my shoulder. You missed the show then. Your buddy regrets grabbing me.

Must not have hurt too bad. He ain’t there anymore.

Crap. I whipped my head around. Big mistake. A riot of colors swirled through my vision. And I’d taken my eye off the monster in front of me. Idiot. I blamed that devil potion.

Arms clamped around my body, pinning my hands to my side. The small travel backpack pressed nearly flat against my spine and wouldn’t be a deterrent to what was to come.

Wriggling in his grasp, I tried to pull one of my arms loose. If I could just get a hold of him! With the long sleeve black shirt, he wasn’t touching any of my skin. I wasn’t sure what the potion would do to him if he drank my blood.

His breath ruffled the hair behind my ear. Foul smelling. Reeking of the copper tang of old blood. I shrieked as his mouth clamped down on my neck, fangs puncturing my throat.

The agonizing pressure increased until I thought he was going to rip out my throat and let the blood pour like rain. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d seen something like that. But being on the receiving end was a new and bone chilling experience.

A violent roar filled my ears, and suddenly I was free. I spun around and it took several seconds of dazed blinking to reorient my vision. The man had collapsed onto his knees. He was holding his middle, trying to suck in a breath like he’d been punched in the gut.

He started clawing at his chest and stomach. I stood there stunned as desperate, pain-filled screams echoed through the house. I backed away, skirting around him but keeping a close eye. He didn’t even make a move to grab me.

And then flames started licking at his middle, snaking up as he screamed and burned. The smell that filled the air was disturbingly like barbecue and I swallowed back the nausea building in my mouth. I might never eat again. I inched to the doorway and stepped over the threshold. He fell onto his side and went still. My ears rang in the sudden quiet.

Movement at the end of the hall drew my attention away from the dead vampire. The one I’d injured earlier stood there. Rage filled his features as he saw what I’d done.

I might not be able to touch you, but I know what will fix you, bitch.

He raised his arm, and I threw myself out of the way as a bullet splintered the doorframe where my head had been. The left side of my face stung. I swiped at it and came away with blood and splinters.

I shoved myself away from the house and sprinted up the long driveway toward the street. My car was parked out there. I wasn’t sure I could drive. My vision sparkled and I couldn’t seem to catch my breath. But I’d have to give it a shot and pray I didn’t wrap myself around a tree.

Another shot cracked across the yard. There was a brush of wind and a clod of dirt erupted from the ground in front of me. I gasped, tripping over my own stupid, drunken feet as I propelled myself into the woods instead of continuing down the driveway.

I pushed through the thick Georgia brush and old fallen leaves, praying there were no snakes. Outside the air-conditioned house, the potion-induced hot flashes rolling through me intensified, causing sweat to coat my back and chest.

The street had to be close. I’d come out of the woods farther from my car than I would have liked, but if I kept running out in the open, that vampire might hit me, even if he was proving to be a shitty shot. Not many vampires bothered with guns. Who needed them when you were equipped with so many other weapons and the ability to persuade most humans to drop theirs? Or maybe guns wasted too much blood? I was betting on the latter.

I stepped out onto the asphalt baking in the sun and glanced around. No firearm-happy vampire in sight. I hoped he wouldn’t follow me. Vampires wouldn’t die from sunlight, unfortunately, but depending on their strength it could be anywhere from irritating to debilitating. I was hoping for debilitating today.

I flinched from the glaring light and hugged the shadows of the tree line as I made for my car. Each evil ray was like a needle to the eye. That would make driving fun.

Tension filled my shoulders as a black sedan rocked slowly down the rutted road toward me. I was too visible. I tried to tell myself anyone could be on this road, but we were in the middle of nowhere.

There was a crash in the woods I’d exited, someone moving fast through the forest headed for the road. I broke into a sprint, heart in my throat. I’d never make it before he got out of the woods.

The car heading toward me gunned it, bouncing wildly over the pitted asphalt. My gut turned cold. It could only mean they wanted to stop me before I could get away. I couldn’t beat them either.

The car swerved in front of me, forcing me to jerk to a stop. Dread burned in my chest. I was cornered.

Chapter 2

The door flew open.

Get in this damned car! Alaric shouted from the driver’s seat just as the vampire chasing me burst out of the woods. My ears would probably be ringing from all the yelling Alaric would do on the way home, but I couldn’t be more grateful for his timely arrival.

I leaped into the passenger seat and he took off before I could even get the door closed. The glass of the back passenger window shattered under another gunshot as we sped past the vampire in the road.

Alaric scrubbed a hand through his shoulder-length blond hair. Son of a bitch! Pagan, can I go back and run him down?

I slumped in the seat and glanced at him. No thanks. I feel like crap. I’d just like to go home.

The vampire next to me grinned, flashing fangs. I have good timing today, don’t I?

Yeah. Which makes me wonder how the heck you knew where I was.

I had a good idea. The only person who knew I’d be out here was my brother. Only that worry wart would send Alaric after me. Alaric had raised us after our parents had been killed. But when we’d started hunting vampires, he’d pretty much disowned us. Couldn’t really blame him, but it still stung. One decision and we’d lost the only family we had left.

Jason called. We’ve been talking since you pushed him out.

I glared at him. Apparently, they had done a lot of catching up. I’d stopped taking my brother on jobs after he’d nearly gotten killed. It pissed him off. He was older than me and didn’t appreciate being protected by his baby sister. He felt he could handle himself. And he could. It was me that couldn’t handle it.

Vampire hunting had been my idea, and having him risk his life with me was more than I could take. He’d moved past our parents’ murder. He’d made a real life for himself. He was an EMT on track to becoming some hotshot surgeon. He could save more people in a hospital than hunting down killers with me. I was the one who couldn’t let go. Probably because I’d heard it happen.

My mother had hidden me in a cabinet in the kitchen. I still wasn’t sure how the vampires hadn’t found me. The only explanation was that she’d used magic, but no one in the local covens remembered doing a spell for her. I’d asked. I was left with pure dumb luck as the explanation. Unlikely.

Alaric had been the one to get me out. I’d struggled for hours, but the cabinet had been locked from the outside. I still wasn’t sure why he’d taken us in. He’d been a new neighbor that neither of my parents had liked.

I didn’t push Jason out. He doesn’t want to hunt. And he doesn’t have the instinct for it.

He snorted. You’re transparent.

He glanced at me and did a double take. You look weird. And you smell like burned sugar. What happened to you?

I flipped down the sun visor and looked in the mirror. Holy crap, a tan wouldn’t fix that. My eyes were dull and glassy, the shadows under them darker than I’d ever seen. My skin was sallow with a sheen of sweat coating it.

Alaric reached forward to lay a hand against my forehead. I opened my mouth to warn him off, but it was too late.

Shit! He jerked his hand away from me and my heart leaped into my throat as the car weaved into the opposite lane.

He narrowed his eyes on me. Did you burn me? How?

I straightened, bracing myself for his anger. I may have gotten a potion from a witch.

A muscle in his jaw bulged.

Grinding your teeth is bad for them. Won’t it blunt your fangs?

You know it won’t, and you’re not funny, Pagan.

A violent shiver racked me, my teeth clattering together. When it subsided, I said, I’m a little funny. And the potion was a good call. It saved my life today, so stop looking like you plan to kill my source.

He nodded slowly. If you die, I might. You need to be more careful dealing with these witches.

Of course, you feel that way. They kill vampires.

And they’ll do anything to achieve that goal. Killing you would be collateral damage to test a spell. And I’m guessing it was a test, because I’ve never heard of something like it. Is that all it does? Burn vampires?

A spark of annoyance fired in my chest. Kori was my friend. She wasn’t like her mother. I could see Priscilla risking my life to achieve her goals, but Kori would never. In a manner of speaking.

Meaning?

I tilted my head so he could see the bite mark on the other side of my neck. One drank from me. He burned from the inside out.

He reached over and popped open the glove box before grabbing a handful of napkins and throwing them into my lap. I can’t believe I didn’t smell that.

I pressed the napkins to my throat. You were distracted. And they’ve mostly stopped bleeding. I need to call Kori and tell her what her potion does when a vampire drinks from a person. She’ll be very fascinated to know that it can kill your kind.

"Swell. Well, you can call