The Merciless Alpha(erotica)

“Dazza doesn’t take a dump without permission from Frost, so yeah.” Sadie was angry. She glanced at Vlad when his radio screeched and he had to step away to take a call. “Think about that,” she said coolly. “Melissa is your friend, or at least she was. And Frost would have her killed just because he didn’t want us to find out who all he was Turning.”

Devlin looked angry. “I never would’ve had anything to do with this if I thought he’d hurt anyone. All I want . . . all I want is what she has,” he said, pointing at Mel. “What you wouldn’t give me.”

Vlad walked over, his face even darker than before. “Sadie, they just found Terrence McDermott. He’s dead. His body washed up down river about three miles.”

Sadie screamed in deep, rich anger. She jumped to Devlin and lifted him up by his shirt with just one hand. “Imagine that! The guy who clued us into Frost’s plans is suddenly dead. A fucking coincidence?” She dumped Devlin into the open grave.

Devlin looked shocked. “No, that’s not possible,” he muttered. “He was my friend. He was so cool to me.”

Sadie was fighting back tears. A friend had been murdered, and another friend had almost met the same fate. The law she had represented would soon close in around her neck, and she would be unable to stop whatever scheme Frost had cooked up. “Why is he doing this?” she asked to the cool night wind.

Devlin stood up and looked around him. Being in the grave humbled him beyond anything he could comprehend. “I’m sorry Sadie. I’m so sorry.”

“Sadie, there’s one other thing,” Melissa said, looking at Devlin. “The second row of initials were the people being Turned, but the first row were the vamps doing the Turning. My computer kept spitting back the same name for the person chosen to Turn Devlin.” The girl’s eyes were wide open.

Sadie felt an unnatural chill in her skin and bones. “Who?”

“Solomon, the Blood Saint.”

Sadie stepped back, every nerve ending in her body going dead. She fell to her knees. Solomon was the most revered vampire in the world, and had walked the Earth for seven thousand years. And to Sadie, everything began to make sense. She knew what was happening.

“No,” she whispered, fear and hatred seeping into every part of her body. “Not again.” Then she lifted her voice to an uncaring heaven and screamed . . . and screamed . . . and screamed.

————- ———————–

“What’s going on?” Officer Vladimir Koloff of the Gravestones Police Department asked as Melissa exited the long silver, windowless trailer that Arbiter Sadie Hewitt called home. It had been a bizarre twenty four hours for all those present.

Just twelve hours earlier, Melissa had died. Overall, she was handling it rather well. Before her last breath had been drawn, her frantic lover Mary had gotten a hold of Sadie and convinced her to save Melissa by Turning her. Sadie had laid with her new daughter below the earth until the sun had risen and set. No one knew what happened in that grave except for Sadie and Mel, and neither of them were talking about it, but Melissa had emerged far more confident and capable than a newborn vampire should.

Things had gone to hell in a hand basket quickly. Vlad had taken over control of the Northwestern werewolf pack in a bloodless coup and brought a number of them to Mary’s house to guard the resting vamps. Then they found out that a friend and ally, Terrence McDermott, had been killed for the same reason that Melissa had . . . they had crossed Lord Frost. There would be no second chance for Terrence . . . his second chance had already expired. But in some ways, Frost had failed. Melissa had survived, in a fashion, and now everyone knew what Frost was doing. The vampire lord was arranging a Turning of epic proportions that would put the vampire race at the top of the political food chain in the western world.

But it was the news that Solomon the Blood Saint would be coming to Turn Officer Matt Devlin that had pushed Sadie over the edge, and no one knew why. They only knew that Sadie had come unhinged and had fled back the sanctuary of her own trailer and wouldn’t let anyone near her but Melissa.

“She’s just muttering to herself,” Mel said, sitting on the porch and looking pale. Mary quickly appeared at her side, wrapping her hand in her lover’s. Mel’s gaze was drawn to an insect darting around a tree only to be eaten by some species of nocturnal bird. She was seeing things as she had never seen them before. She had gone from an analog picture to high-definition, and the difference was amazing . . . as different as night and day. “I don’t even think that she saw me,” she whispered. “Somehow I know that I need her, but she’s cut off from me.”

Mel shook her head and tried to bring herself back to the matters at hand. She had to be careful about what she said. Sadie had begged her not to discuss what she saw or felt because according to Sadie, Melissa wasn’t exactly a normal Turn. This meant that Sadie wasn’t a normal vampire, and Melissa was dying to know what made her so different.

Mary hovered nearby, still glowing with scarcely contained rage. Her lover had been attacked and brought to death’s doorstep, and her first friend in a century had apparently lost her mind. To make matters worse, no one was calling for vengeance. She was sure that such vengeance would be righteous, but she could not act unless called upon to act.

“Would you like for me to try again?” the wraith whispered.

Melissa grimaced. “She doesn’t want you in there,” the girl said sadly. “She’s afraid of you right now, but I’m not sure why.” She put her head in her hands. “I’m not sure of anything.”

Mary put her hand on her lover’s shoulder. “Be sure of me,” she said. “My feelings for you have not changed. And be sure of Sadie. I could sense how much it pained her . . . this breaking of her vow against Turning. Like you, I wish I understood why –”

“We’ve got company,” Vlad muttered angrily.

Sure enough, a low rumbling of vehicles emanated from the driveway and the gravel driveway crackled underneath a great many tires. Five SUVs and a Gravestones patrol car came trundling into the parking area around Sadie’s residence. It was Frost’s entourage to be sure. Vampires, including Lord Frost, came pouring out of the larger vehicles and Captain Grom stepped out of the patrol car.

“Captain,” Vlad said. “You in a squad car? I’m pretty sure that I just lost the precinct betting pool.”

The Captain wanted to smile, but things were too serious. His eyes found Melissa and he had a look of relief. “You’re looking . . . pale.”

She smiled at him, just a hint fang showing. “I’ve always been pale. I doubt I’ll be trying to tan anytime soon.” She glared at Frost as he walked up and stood beside Grom.

“Captain Grom, I must insist that we get down to business. There was an unauthorized Turning and –”

“I am well aware of the law,” Grom said. “Don’t forget that while you’re the Vampire Council representative, you’re still a civilian.” The captain looked back to Vlad. “Things moved fast Vlad. As soon as Dazza was arrested for what he did to Melissa –”

“What he was accused of doing,” Frost tried to correct.Belonging to NôvelDrama.Org.

“Shut . . . up.” Grom shot a glare. More cop cars were arriving, and things were getting awfully crowded. “But he’s right Vlad. Word spread quickly. I got called at home by the Arbiter Bureau, who informed me that until this gets all sorted out, Sadie’s status has been revoked. She’s on unpaid leave pending investigation.”

“She saved Mel!” Vlad growled. “And they’re going to punish her?”

“Mortals die,” Grom replied. “They don’t all get a second chance. It’s ugly, but it’s part of the rules they made to keep vampire numbers in check and to keep war from breaking out between the mortals and immortals It’s worked for thousands of years Vlad. The law is the law. You’re a cop, so you know I’m right.”

“It’s my night off,” Vladimir replied coldly. In his own mind, he knew what Grom said was the truth and he bore no ill will towards his boss. But to emphasize his point, a number of his pack mates made their presence quite conspicuous, standing between the intruders and the trailer.

Melissa stood up, her fangs extending slightly, but this time it was on purpose. “I won’t let you hurt her.”

Frost laughed, but there was no mirth in it. “A babe in the woods,” he chuckled, but then he collected himself. Melissa wasn’t backing down, nor was she apparently overly cowed by his presence. “You have adjusted to the darkworld well, haven’t you my kitten?”

“I’m not ‘your’ anything,” she said.

Mary floated to Melissa’s side. “I would be very careful how you address my love.”

Frost didn’t know how to respond to that. No one in their right mind screwed with a wraith, and most wraiths just kept to themselves. This one was an anomaly. “There has been no call for vengeance against me, has there?”

Melissa hated Frost, but he wasn’t the one who had plowed into her car. Rather, it had been . . . “Dazza,” Mel muttered.

“Dazza,” Mary whispered, vengeance flowing into her like wine so sweet she could feel it on her lips. “I feel your need,” the wraith said, slowly vanishing into the midrealm. “It will be done.”

Frost looked alarmed, but not half so-much as Melissa. “No!” she shouted. “That’s not the way things work in this world!”

The last thing any of them heard before Mary was gone was, “But that’s the way it works in mine.”

Frost turned to Captain Grom. “You have to protect him! He has not been convicted –”

“Convictions and human law means squat to the wraiths and you know it,” Grom said, sounding not-at-all apologetic. “Vengeance was called for, even indirectly, and the fates determined that such vengeance is justified. But wraiths can’t crossed emplaced magic or spells, and luckily our holding cells are properly protected –”

“He’s not in your holding cells you idiot!” Frost snapped. “He made bail an hour ago!” Frost stopped. Captain Grom knew that Dazza had been set free.

Grom shrugged. “Not my fault he got bailed, now is it? I’d suggest you get him somewhere safe, but we both know that it’s probably a bit late. You should’ve let him stay in jail.”

Frost let all of the barriers he used to control his presence fall, and his magnetism and power spilled out into the surrounding air. “I have had enough of this,” Frost said, realizing that his favorite henchman was probably dying a horrible second death as they spoke. He saw the werewolves rankle their hair or fur as his presence spilled over them. The humans all took a step away, and even the other vampires looked nervous.