Page 10 of Silent Stalker
The cat’s eyes glinted violet, and the color did as good a job of stunning me as the damned vampire’s hit to my nose.
The last time I’d seen the same shade of purple, Emerick had been venting his temper over the pointless murders of the women and regretting my independence. One by one, the hints he’d given me clicked into place.
Maybe vampires couldn’t transform into bats, but no natural cat had glowing purple eyes. While shapeshifters existed, I hadn’t assumed a vampire, a stealthy ambush predator, could possibly turn into an even more potent predator.
Huge cats with lethal claws and gleaming fangs unnerved me a great deal more than any vampire I’d ever crossed paths with.
The throbbing in my nose reminded me that while I’d survive, the teenagers might not if I didn’t act. With the cat holding the other miscreant at bay, I grabbed my phone, turned it on, and found the police contact Emerick had given me for emergencies, meant to expedite any miscreant victims who might survive due to my intervention.
“Mistress Lowrance?” a woman asked when the call connected.
“I have two kids with me who got attacked by some vampires.” I detailed the location to the best of my ability. “They need medical care. I’m going to get the vampires away from them.”
“You took them alive?”
“Well, at least one. Maybe three, but they’re busy right now.”
“Staked?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I am calling dispatch. Will your phone be on?”
“It will be.”
“I’ll call you back if there are any issues. It would be better if you were not present when the ambulance arrives. The nearest hospital is prejudiced.”
I snorted at the disclaimer. “Then maybe they’ll work harder making sure these kids make it. If I don’t answer right away, I’ll call you back.”
“Roger.” The woman hung up.
I shoved my phone into my pocket, took off my jacket, and retrieved one of my pocketknives, slicing into the material enough I could tear it in half. I applied pressure to the girl’s shoulder and eyed the rest of her injuries, which involved a lot of punctures during the struggle and a few gouges. The boy had gotten off lighter with only a nasty bite on his upper arm.
He must have been capable of putting up enough of a fight the vampires had needed to concentrate to secure a hold on him.
Using my foot to maintain pressure on the girl’s shoulder, I used the other half of the jacket to wrap his arm. The boy’s glazed gaze settled on me.
“Put pressure here,” I ordered, grabbing hold of his uninjured arm and pulling him in the direction of the girl. “Just hold it until help arrives, okay?”
Moving him restored some of the life to his eyes, and he jerked his head in a nod before doing as I asked. He began speaking in Spanish, and unable to understand a word of what he said, I went to check on my next victims.
For better or worse, my stakes had preserved their lives, and while paralyzed, they still breathed.
Damn it. I grabbed them by their shirts, and not giving a shit if they choked, I began the tedious process of dragging them away. On my way, I shot the bastard who’d broken my nose a glare. “Unless you want staked, too, move your fucking ass, nice and easy. We will not be terrorizing any more people. We clear?”
The panther snarled, and I could easily imagine Emerick vocalizing one of his more potent threats in his typical overly formal way.
“In case you couldn’t translate that, it means he would very much appreciate if you were to do us the favor of behaving, else he’ll become impolite about it.”
The panther lowered his head and sighed.
“And don’t you get me started about you, feline.” I winced at the ache in my back at the effort of dragging my prone captives across the overgrown grass. As Emerick would count every sprained muscle as part of his campaign to maintain his status as an overprotective brood master, I’d have to play the defenseless kids card and hope for the best.
No good person would abandon two imperiled teens, even if their attack had been a consequence of their decision to go out into a sketchy part of town after dark.
The miscreant crawled on the ground, keeping a close eye on the posturing cat. In the distance, sirens screamed, drawing closer every passing moment. I angled for the nearest trees, which also had the misfortune of being a graveyard of abandoned dumpsters.
Judging from the smell, somebody had stashed a few dead bodies in them. Gagging, I eased closer to the shadows of the trees to stay out of the sight of the emergency responders.
