Vamps and the City

CHAPTER 6

Austin spent the rest of the night watching more of Darcy's taped reports for Local Four News. As he watched, he tried to make sense of the dilemma he was in. He compiled a list of vampires he had identified in the last few days. There were Darcy's two friends Maggie O'Brian and Vanda Barkowski. They seemed harmless enough. He wrote down Gregori Holstein's name, wondering what kind of relationship the undead guy had with Darcy. A friendly one if he was driving her around in his Lexus, but how friendly? Austin realized he was starting to feel possessive where Darcy Newhart was concerned.

Thank God he didn't have to write her name on the list. That mystery was solved. Darcy had a pulse, so she had to be mortal. But the mystery of her situation still remained. Why did she disappear four years ago on Halloween? And why was she living in the vampire world? And how could she live among mem for so long and remain unharmed?

Could Shanna be right? Was there a faction of peaceful vampires who didn't believe in hurting humans? Austin lounged back on the couch, splaying his hands through his hair. Everything had always seemed clear before. There were good guys and bad guys, and the good guys were supposed to win. When he'd worked in Prague, the bad guys had been the ones intent on slaughtering innocent people because of their race or religion. Slaughtering innocents made them bad. Simple and straightforward. No questions and no regrets.

Now, the enemy was the vampire who also slaughtered innocent people for food and pleasure. It should be simple and straightforward. They were demons who deserved to die.

But that was before he knew anything else about them. Roman Draganesti was getting married. How could a demon fall in love? If they were evil, how come some of them were drinking blood from a bottle and taking jobs and watching soap operas on TV? The more he learned about them, the more human they seemed.

With a groan, he trudged off to bed. Maybe it would make more sense after some sleep.

He woke late Friday afternoon and ate a bowl of cereal while he finished watching the last of the videotapes. Darcy did a report on the birthday party of 103-year-old Mabel Brinkley from Brooklyn. Mabel had run a speakeasy in the 1920's and outlived six husbands. Her secret for longevity was a shot of Wild Turkey every day. Then, Darcy covered the cannoli-eating contest in Little Italy, the female impersonator beauty pageant in Queens and the funeral for poor Mabel when she passed away in the bed of a fifty-two-year-old Cuban dance instructor. Alas, Hector had specialized in the rhumba, but not in emergency resuscitation.

Austin always found himself smiling during Darcy's reports. Without a doubt, her boss had given her the worst stories, but she'd always pulled them off with cleverness and charm. No wonder everyone at the station had loved her.

With a surge of dismay, Austin realized the last videotape contained no reports starring Darcy.

These were other reporters doing stories about her disappearance. They showed the vampire club and alley in Greenwich Village where she'd last been seen. They even focused their cameras on the dark splotch of blood on the ground. Darcy's blood.

A police spokesman confirmed that a large knife had been recovered from the scene, and the blood on the knife belonged to Darcy. Interviews with the kids inside the club were all similar. They believed she'd been attacked by a real vampire.

Austin jumped to his feet and paced around his apartment. He needed to get copies of the police reports. He needed to question her cameraman. Of course, the easiest way to get answers would be to ask Darcy herself, but that would blow his cover. How could she stand to live among vampires if she'd been attacked by one? And why would a vampire stab a woman instead of biting her? It didn't make any sense, dammit. And the thought of anyone stabbing Darcy with a knife made his blood boil.

The phone jangled, and he dashed for it, hoping it was Darcy.

"Hello, Austin. Enjoying your days off?" Emma asked.

"I guess." As if he knew how to take a day off.

"Well, I was wondering if you'd care to join me tonight in Central Park?"

She wanted to go hunting? As agitated as Austin was, a little action sounded good. And maybe they could capture a vampire who knew Shanna's whereabouts. "Yeah. I'll be there."

At midnight, he met Emma in Central Park by the entrance of the zoo, close to the gift shop. The revolver in his shoulder holster was loaded with silver bullets. They wouldn't kill a vampire, but they would sure hurt and slow him down. Slow him down enough that Austin could ask him a few questions. And just to be safe, Austin stuffed a few wooden stakes in the inside pocket of his lightweight jacket. Emma's wooden stakes were in the handbag slung over her shoulder.

They strolled north along the brick pathway.

"Garrett turned in his contract to Ms. Stein today," Emma spoke quietly as she scanned the grove of trees on the left. "Ms. Stein was concerned that you hadn't turned yours in yet."

Austin walked on her right, surveying the area to the right. "I turned it in last night at DVN."

"What?" Emma halted. "You went inside DVN at night?"

"Yeah. They hired me to do a show, so I figured I had a legitimate reason to go there. And I'm supposed to be ignorant about vampires, so why would I avoid the place? It seemed like an excellent opportunity to check them out."

"It was, but good heavens, Austin, it could have been dangerous. Did any of the vampires try to jump you?"

"No."

"Well, tell me more. What did the place look like?"

"It looked sorta… normal."

"What did you do?"

Austin shrugged. "I turned in my contract to the director of the reality show."

"What's his name? He's a vampire, right?"

"No, she's human. And her name is Darcy Newhart." Austin hesitated, then decided to confess.

"She's the mystery woman."

Emma gasped. "The one you took a hundred photos of?" She laughed. "Oh, this is priceless. She's your director?"

"Yes."

"And you're sure she's human?"

"Yes. Definitely."

"How can you be so sure?"

"She had a chocolate drink on her desk. And she has a pulse."

"She let you feel her pulse?" Emma studied him closely. "You're still smitten with her, aren't you?"

More than ever. Austin kept walking. The pathway forked, and he gestured toward the left path that headed uphill. "Let's go this way."

Emma walked beside him. "How does she feel about you?"

He shrugged. He knew she felt desire for him, but she was reluctant to admit it. Or to admit that she was trapped in the vampire world.

"Have you snogged her yet?"

He made a face. "What's that? It sounds kinda nasty."

Emma snickered. "Oh, I'm sure it would be with you."

He shoved her on the shoulder.

With a laugh, she stumbled to the side. "I only asked if you'd kissed her."

"Ah." In that case, he had thoroughly snogged her. And it hadn't been at all nasty.

"Well?" Emma quickened her steps to keep up with him. "Did you kiss her?"

"I plead the Fifth."

"You did kiss her!"

"I didn't say that."

She snorted. "Pleading the Fifth is the same as admitting guilt."

"We're innocent until proven guilty here. You Brits have it backwards."

She grinned. "But I'm right, aren't I? You snogged her."

He kept walking.

"You should be careful, Austin. What do you really know about her other than the fact that she consorts with the enemy?"

"I'm doing some research on her. And besides, we have a… connection. I can get into her mind very easily, and believe me, there's nothing evil there."

"I hate to rain on your parade, but if she knows you're reading her mind, she could be manipulating what you see."

"She doesn't know I'm there. She's a complete innocent." Austin stopped and looked to the right. In the dim light, he could make out the shapes of trees and a large rock. "Speaking of innocents, did you hear someone cry out?"

"I'm not sure." Emma pivoted, scanning their surroundings.

Austin listened carefully, but could only hear the leaves stirring in the wind and Emma's excited breathing. He closed his eyes and concentrated. An attacker could easily muffle the cries of his victim, but the victim would still be screaming in his mind. One time in Eastern Europe, he had located a group of women and children in an underground torture chamber by tuning in on their silent cries of mental anguish.

Oh God, help me!

"Over there." Austin pointed to the large outcropping of granite. A woman was being attacked on the far side. He removed his revolver and motioned to Emma to go to the right. She took off quietly, pulling a wooden stake from her bag as she went.

He skirted the large boulder, then paused when he heard a feminine whimper. Great. It would be just his luck to pounce on a couple of lovers. He leaped clear of the rock, pointing his gun at them.

Holy shit, this was the real thing. Two male vampires had a woman pinned against the rock. One was biting her neck; the other was yanking her pants down her legs. The bastards!

"Release her!" He approached slowly, his gun steady.

The second vampire let go of the woman's trousers and turned to glare at Austin. Leave us, mortal scum, and forget what you have seen.

Fortunately, the mental command of one vampire had little effect on Austin. He heard it and swept it aside. "I'm not leaving. You are. Permanently."

With a hiss, the vampire strode toward him. "How dare you defy me? You fool, you cannot stop us."

"Oh, yeah?" Austin noted the vampire had a Russian accent as he took aim and fired.

The vampire jerked. He grabbed his shoulder where blood oozed from the wound. His face contorted with pain. "What have you done?"

"I'm using silver bullets. They do sting a bit, don't they?"

The vampire growled and lunged forward.

Austin fired again, and the vampire slipped, falling to his knees.

Meanwhile, the first vampire withdrew his fangs from the woman's neck and turned toward Austin.

"You bloody svoloch." He pulled the girl in front of him for protection. "You think a few silver bullets will stop us?"

Austin cursed silently. He couldn't shoot as long as the vampire used the woman as a shield. He moved slowly to the left, searching for a clean shot.

The wounded vampire rose in the air and landed softly on his feet. Blood trickled from his two wounds, and he bared his teeth with a snarl. "I am stronger than you. You cannot stop me."

"Maybe not, but I can take all the fun out of it." Austin shot him again. He howled in pain and crumpled to the ground.

"Svoloch!" The first vampire strode toward Austin, dragging the woman with him. "You will die!"

Suddenly, he jerked to a stop. An expression of shock, then pain crossed his face. He released the woman who collapsed on the ground. He arched his back, letting out a long moan as his body crumbled into dust.

Emma stood there in his place, still holding the wooden stake that she'd stabbed into his back. She looked down at the pile of dust in front of her black athletic shoes. "I did it," she whispered. "I killed a vampire."

The second vampire scrambled to his feet. "You bitch! You killed Vladimir."

"And now, it's your turn." Emma strode toward the wounded vampire with the stake upraised.

"You won't get away with this. Vladimir will be avenged!" The wounded vampire wavered in the air, then vanished.

"No!" Emma hurled the stake at him, but he had teleported to safety, and the stake simply flew through the air. "No, dammit!"

Austin ran toward the injured girl, whipping out his cell phone. He punched 911, then checked the woman's pulse. "I need an ambulance. Quickly. She's dying." The pulse in her neck was very weak.

He gave directions to their location while Emma cleaned up the crime scene. She put away her wooden stake and scattered Vladimir's pile of dust.

"We did it!" She punched the air with a closed fist. "Our first kill! Aren't you glad you came?"

"Yes, I am." If they hadn't come along when they did, this poor woman would have been raped and murdered by those damned vampires. They truly were demons. Once again, his job made sense. The vampires were evil and deserved to die.

And he knew what he had to do. He would warn Sean that his daughter was about to marry a demon.

"What time is it?" Maggie whispered. She fidgeted, trying to find a comfortable position in the hard wooden pew.

"I don't know," Darcy whispered back. "About five minutes past the last time you asked me."

Vanda snorted. "And about ten minutes past disaster!" Her booming voice echoed across the high vaulted ceiling.

"Shh! Not so loud." Maggie glanced across the aisle at the other wedding guests.

When they'd entered the church, Darcy had been appalled how all the guests were sitting on the groom's side. Of course, they were all Vamps from Roman's coven, but still, she'd thought someone needed to make Shanna feel welcome. So, she'd taken a seat on the bride's side. Vanda and Maggie had joined her, but the rest of the ex-harem had refused. They were sitting across the aisle, whispering to each other. It was Saturday night, and everyone was waiting for the wedding to start.

And waiting.

Gregori had finally gone to see what was holding things up.

"You look wonderful, Darcy," Maggie whispered.

"Thanks. So do you." Earlier in the evening, Darcy, Vanda, and Maggie had dashed off to Macy's, searching for fancy, new dresses for the wedding. Darcy's dress was a maroon silk sheath with a matching sparkly jacket. Maggie was wearing a hot pink flapper-style dress with rows of spangles.

Vanda's dress was slinky, sexy, and purple to match her hair.

Unfortunately, the other ladies had dressed to the hilt in their Old World finery. Cora Lee's ball gown boasted a hoop skirt with row after row of lace-trimmed flounces that looked like they'd been attacked by an army of silk ribbons and flowers. The whole, huge atrocity was bright daffodil yellow, making her look more like a school bus than a delicate flower.

Princess Joanna's head was covered with a veil, then topped with her finest gold circlet. A white wimple was draped under her chin. Her dark green velvet gown had a long train in the back and her matching cloak was trimmed with embroidery. Her jewel-encrusted girdle hung loosely around her hips.

Even Maria Consuela was sporting her favorite hat—a conical headdress set back on her head and covered with a transparent, gauze veil. The flared sleeves on her woolen gown hung down to her knees, the cuffs trimmed with fur.

The vestry door opened, and Gregori appeared with a worried expression. He strode toward them.

Darcy stood and eased into the aisle. "What's going on?"

The ex-harem leaned toward them to listen.

"I don't know," Gregori spoke softly, but Darcy felt sure the Vamps could hear him with their extrasensitive hearing. "My mom should have been here twenty minutes ago. I hope she's all right."

"Have you tried calling her?" Darcy was concerned, too. Gregori's mom, Radinka, had only been released from the hospital a few days earlier. She'd been injured during the Malcontents' latest attack on Romatech. She'd also befriended Shanna, so Shanna had asked her to be the matron of honor in the wedding.

"Her cell phone is off," Gregori answered. "I tried calling Angus since he was in charge of bringing Shanna and my mom here, but he's not answering. Something's seriously wrong."

The ex-harem began frantically whispering to each other. The news spread across the pews 'til all the guests were quietly discussing the matter. Darcy wondered if the Malcontents were behind this.

They were a group of vampires who hated Roman with a passion. Since they believed in a vampire's sacred right to feed off humans, they had rejected Roman's synthetic blood and periodically did nasty things like bomb Romatech Industries.

Gregori sighed. "No one is answering their damned phones. The priest isn't here. I don't know what to make of it."

"I know what has come to pass!" Princess Joanna raised her hands in triumph. Her jeweled rings sparkled in the candlelight. "The wedding has been cancelled. The master has come to his senses and rejected that hideous mortal."

Maria Consuela's cone-shaped headdress bobbed as she nodded enthusiastically. "He has realized how inferior she is. Santa Maria, my prayers have been answered." She lifted her rosary and kissed the jeweled cross.

"Wait a minute." Gregori scowled at them. "I like Shanna."

"Me, too." Darcy came to the bride's defense.

"Ha!" Princess Joanna sneered at them both. "I would expect you to side with her. You modern types always stick together. You whine about being sensitive to other people's needs, yet you do not give a thought to our suffering. That mortal wench stole our master and our home!"

"I do declare—" Cora Lee flipped open her lacy yellow fan. "I was never so humiliated in all my life."

Lady Pamela Smythe-Worthing removed a handkerchief from her silk reticule and dabbed at her eyes. "It was simply too horrid to bear. If I wasn't blessed with such a miraculous constitution, I would have withered away in utter despair."

Just go ahead and wither, Darcy thought with a groan. She was so tired of these women's endless complaints. It never occurred to them to actually do anything about their fate other than constantly bemoan it.

Maria Consuela clicked through her rosary beads. "The horror was so unexpected. It reminded me of the night I was dragged off to the torture chambers of the Spanish Inquisition."

"Sweet Mary and Joseph." Maggie crossed herself.

Vanda snorted. "No one expects the Spanish Inquisition."

Darcy pulled the wedding invitation from her purse. "This is the right time and place." She showed Gregori the invitation.

He shook his head. "The ceremony should have started ten minutes ago."

"Hallelujah!" Cora Lee jumped to her feet, her hoop skirt billowing to the sides to fill half the pew.

Her blond ringlets, gathered in clusters over each ear, bounced in rhythm with her skirt. "The wedding is off! That means we can move back into the master's house."

"Oh, I do hope so." Lady Pamela pressed her handkerchief to her bosom, which was mostly exposed in her Regency-style ball gown of pink watered silk.

"Wait a minute," Gregori warned them. "Hold your horses."

Maria Consuela huffed. "Who would bring a horse into a church? How barbaric."

Gregori rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this."

"Reasonable?" Lady Pamela stuffed her handkerchief back into her reticule. "The only reasonable course of action for Roman is to dismiss that foolish mortal and send her packing."

Cora Lee snapped her fan shut. "Then we can have our old rooms back."

"Exactly." Princess Joanna stood. "I propose we move back tonight."

"Wait!" Gregori removed his cell phone from an inside pocket of his tuxedo jacket. "I'll try calling again. We have to find out what's going on first. So, cool it, ladies. Don't get your panties in a bunch."

With a snort, Princess Joanna sat back down. "As if I would wear such a ridiculous undergarment."

"Good grief." Gregori stepped back with a shudder. "I don't even want to think about that." He punched in a number on his phone. "You gotta get them out of my house," he whispered to Darcy.

"I can't take it anymore."

"I'm trying. But you can see how stubborn they are." With a gasp, Darcy spotted Connor entering the church. She instantly stiffened. Her lungs squeezed in her chest, making it difficult to breathe.

Good God, she hated the way she always reacted when he appeared. It had been four years and she still couldn't put that dreadful night behind her. She opened her mouth to warn Gregori, but the words wouldn't come.

Connor spoke quietly to the guests. Some responded by rushing out the front door. Others used their cell phones to teleport away. So was it true that the wedding was cancelled? Had Shanna had second thoughts about marrying a vampire? Darcy often wondered how such a relationship could possibly work. It just wasn't fair to drag someone into the vampire world. She knew that all too well.

"Hey, Connor!" Gregori motioned for the Scotsman to join them. "What's up?"

Darcy automatically stepped back as Connor approached. Her heart thundered in her chest so hard, it echoed in her ears.

The Scotsman strode toward them, dressed in formal Highland wear, which included a lacy white jabot shirt, black jacket, and a black muskrat sporran. He bowed slightly to the ex-harem. "My ladies." His gaze lingered on Darcy.

She turned away, unable to meet his sharp blue eyes that always watched her with a tinge of regret.

"We have an emergency situation," Connor announced. "Ian and I brought a limousine to help evacuate the ladies. We must leave immediately."

"What about the wedding?" Gregori asked.

"I'll explain later." Connor gestured toward the front entrance. "Yer lives could be in danger. Please move calmly and quietly toward the exit."

"Eek!" Cora Lee lifted her hoop skirts and skedaddled for the front door. The other ladies rushed after her. Darcy hovered toward the back of the group so she could overhear the men talking. She was uncomfortable being that close to Connor, but her curiosity was stronger. Of course, it was her wretched curiosity that had caused her nightmare to begin in the first place.

"Where are we going?" Gregori asked.

"Romatech," Connor replied. "For the reception."

"And my mother?" Gregori asked. "Is she all right?"

"Radinka is fine. She's with Roman and Shanna. Angus and Jean-Luc are there, so they have plenty of protection."

Protection from what, Darcy wondered. It must be the Malcontents.

Gregori had rented a limousine for the night since there was no way he could cart around ten women in his Lexus. Even so, it had been a tight fit with all the ball gowns. The ex-harem was happy to divide into two groups—half going in Gregori's hired limo and the other half traveling in the limo Connor had brought.

Gregori climbed into Connor's limo. "I want to know what's going on." He sat as close to the driver's seat as possible.

Darcy wanted to know, too, so she scooted down the long side seat to sit next to Gregori.

Connor was in the front driver's seat next to Ian. He twisted to the side, so he could see everyone through the open window. There were six occupants in the back—Gregori, Darcy, Maria Consuela, Princess Joanna, Lady Pamela, and Cora Lee.

"So did the master come to his senses and cancel the wedding?" Princess Joanna asked.

"Nay, milady," Connor answered. "The ceremony is happening as we speak. At a private chapel in White Plains."

"I guess that's why they're not answering their phones." Gregori unbuttoned his tuxedo jacket.

"Oh, fiddlesticks." Cora Lee had taken up the entire back seat with her hoop skirt. "Now we can't move back into the master's house."

Lady Pamela pressed a hand against her bosom. "This is quite beyond the pale. I tell you, that mortal chit is toying with us. She invites us to the ceremony, then sneaks off to get married elsewhere."

"She is evil," Maria Consuela announced. "Roman will rue the day he married that Whelan wench."

"Enough." Connor glowered at the ladies. "Shanna is not to blame for tonight's problems. 'Tis her father who is wreaking havoc. All day long, he was calling Roman's house, threatening the daytime guards and promising trouble if the wedding wasna cancelled."

"How did he find out about the wedding?" Gregori asked.

"We doona know. Only those who were invited knew about it. Then this evening, Father Andrew called Roman and told him that Sean Whelan was threatening to attack any church in the city if they allowed demonic creatures inside."

"Wait a minute," Darcy interrupted. "Are you saying Shanna's father knows about vampires?"

"Aye." Connor sighed. "I suppose there's no harm in telling ye. Sean Whelan is a CIA operative and head of a team called Stake-Out. Their sole purpose is to terminate all vampires."

Darcy gasped. "This is terrible."

"What is this CIA?" Princess Joanna asked.

"I'll explain later," Gregori told her.

Darcy lowered her gaze to her hands in her lap. So now there were two enemies—the Malcontents and a group of CIA agents called the Stake-Out team. Poor Shanna was marrying into a very dangerous world. No wonder Angus MacKay had offered to walk her down the aisle and play the part of her father. Her real father was a vampire slayer. What a terrible mess.

Beside her, Gregori spoke, "I still don't see how Sean Whelan found out about the wedding. Hardly anyone knew about it. Do you think the priest—"

"Nay." Connor shook his head. "Father Andrew has become good friends with Roman ever since he took Roman's confession. He wouldna tell anyone."

Gregori rubbed his chin. "Well, someone leaked the news."

Darcy thought back. Had she unwittingly told someone? For the last two days, Corky Courrant had been hounding her for information about the wedding. Corky and her crew from Live with the Undead had been invited to the reception at Romatech, but Corky was dying to record footage of the actual ceremony. Darcy had refused to divulge any information, for she was certain Shanna and Roman would want to exchange their vows in private.

And then she remembered. Good God, she'd mentioned the wedding to Adam Olaf Cartwright.

She'd forgotten about that, or rather, she'd tried her best to forget about that whole encounter. She'd especially tried to shove the memory of his kiss from her mind. But it still sneaked into her thoughts. How could she possibly forget how warm and passionate he had been, how much she had desperately wanted his warmth, and how much she longed to see him again.

So what if she'd mentioned the wedding to him? He didn't know Shanna or Roman. He was a regular person who didn't even know the vampire world existed.

She shivered with a sudden chill. What if she was wrong?