Blood Crazed

2. Witch Haven

Chapter 2

Witch Haven

I rolled into town at midnight. John’s directions were exactly precise. I killed my Harley and shrugged off my backpack. A helmet wasn’t necessary. I didn’t break like mundanes. I was the exemplar of hardheadedness.

I blew out a long breath feeling the lift from the heavy load. I brought the necessities. Wooden stakes and petrified garlic. All the accessories a girl needed. At least this girl.

I studied the old building. Blistered hands came to mind. The neon sign hung half off its hinges and screeched like a screen door in a hurricane. One of the panes from the front window was shattered, shards of glass lay in a pile underneath on the dirt. Looked like a fight had taken place. Someone had gotten pitched. If it had been a break-in, the glass would’ve fallen on the inside.

Fights cropped up all the time in dives like this joint. I’d be disappointed if one didn’t occur at least once a week. “Oh, what fun!” I blew out an aggravated sigh. I guessed that the inside mirrored the outside … disarray, full of cobwebs and wrecked chairs and tables. I bet the apartment was just as bad. Nothing compared to the brownstone that I hated leaving.

I spotted a flight of stairs off to my left at the side of the pub. If I were a betting girl, I’d make a wager that those rickety stairs led up to my dusty old apartment, directly above the bar.

After unmounting my bike, I headed toward the stairs. I glanced up at the street light or what was left. It looked as though someone had taken a rock to it. Glass pooled around the bottom of the pole. “Damn!” I hated the dark. Especially a new place I wasn’t familiar with. After all my training, you’d think such a little thing wouldn’t bother me but it did. I hoped this apartment had electricity and hot water. I could use a shower after riding for hours on the dusty back roads.

My stomach unexpectedly growled. The steak came to mind. I hadn’t eaten dinner and my stomach was starting to protest. I supposed I should be grateful that I had the money to replace it. John funded my adventures very handsomely.

I spotted a red neon sign across the street reading Witch Haven Diner. The place shined like a beacon with all its bright lights.

The idea of pancakes suddenly made my mouth water. Mindlessly, I licked my lips. I had a weakness for melted butter and maple syrup over fluffy cakes. Good thing I had a fast metabolism. I’d eat pancakes twenty-four seven.

A slight detour. I decided to check out my new crib after I had a full belly. I snatched my keys, donned my backpack, and trotted across the street. Good idea to get a feel for the town, chatting up with a local before I dove into my new position. Waitresses were always full of the latest gossip. They were the eyes and ears of the town.

As I passed the doors, a splash of warmth bathed my face, and the smell of hot grease swirled my senses. “Ah!” I groaned—the typical smell of a diner. I took a booth by a window directly across from the bar. I stared at the trodden place when I noticed a waitress with blonde stick hair approach.

“Evenin’ honey,” she drawled in a deep throaty voice. “You want coffee while you’re decidin’?” She handed me a menu.

“I don’t need a minute. I’ll have a coffee. Loads of cream, Splenda, and pancakes with maple syrup,” I smiled, handing the menu back.

“I’ll get that right out,” she smiled blandly.

“Hey, I’m new to town. I’m opening the bar across the street. Any tips about the locals?”

The waitress paused, favoring her weight on her left. “Yep,” she replied, smacking her gum. “Keep to yourself. This town’s full of kooks. After all, it ain’t called Witch Haven for nothin’,” she flashed a curt smile and turned her back to me, leaving.

Then I grabbed her attention. “What do you mean?”

She half-turned, facing me. “I mean like every supernatural being you can imagine. I carry garlic spray on me at all times. I wear a cross, too.” She dug her neckless out from under her shirt. “Stay home at night unless you wanna be someone’s dinner.”

I arched a brow. Smart girl. “Supernatural beings, huh?”

“Yeah, like freaky creatures that little children have nightmares about.” Her voice came off snarky. I sensed it all stemmed from fear. Deep-seated fear. Though the girl intrigued me.

“Why stay if this town frightens you?” I studied her face to measure her purpose. It made no sense to me.

“I can’t. I have roots here. Family,” she shrugged. “Anyway, where would I go? Ain’t got a pot to piss in, let alone a window to throw it out of.” A frown drew across her face as she stuck her pencil behind her ear and darted off. Looked like this town had some major troubles. Wait ‘til they get a load of me. I shook my head, watching the waitress disappear behind the white double doors.

I didn’t get why John sent me here. Usually, fangers preferred cities. Easier to blend. Less conspicuous. Fading into the woodwork around here would take some clever maneuvering.

My eyes roamed over the empty booths. I was the only customer in the joint. Only nine o’clock, not a soul on the street either. So strangely quiet. The whole town appeared closed for the night. I guessed the locals had the same sentiments as the waitress. If the town shared worriment, I expected to have a challenge drawing customers. Folks may not be so keen on testing their luck with hungry vampires lurking the night.

After I’d finished my late dinner, I paid my bill and headed back to my new home. I figured I’d gotten all I was going to from the waitress. Seeing the fright in her brown eyes and witnessing the empty street, she told me all I needed to know. This town had an infestation problem. I smelled the creatures’ vile blood in the cool night air.

Back at the bar and trotting up the rickety wooden stairs, it creaked with every step. I held my breath, half expecting it to collapse, sending me to the ground with a hard whomp.

Why John picked this old place baffled me. All the money he’d have to sink into this place before it was ready to open struck me as imprudent. The liability, for example. If the ceiling toppled down on someone, we’d surely get sued.

I had a bad feeling about this pad. It felt too open, unprotected. A fanger busting down my door didn’t concern me. The undead had to be invited before entering a private dwelling. Now the occasional burglar was another story.

I preferred my living space to be as tight as Fort Knox. Securing this little ramshackle flat was the first thing on my list. I’d like to sleep with both eyes closed. The bar was a different story. Since it was a public establishment, any creature, human or not, had an open invitation. But in my private quarters, I intended to keep unwanted guests from entering.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside, dropping my bag next to the door on the wooden plank floor. The apartment was pitch-dark. I brushed my hand across the wall at the entrance and found the switch. A large lamp beside the sofa showered the room with golden light.

I pursed my lips, taking in the full panorama of my new home. A quaint space, I thought. A small living room, hardwood floors, a tiny kitchenette off to the left. A dusty, small table in the corner by the only window in the kitchen. “John must’ve forgotten to have the place cleaned.” I laughed as I moved forward, checking out the rest of the pad.

In the bedroom, I found a wrought iron bed, folded sheets, and a blanket—a small nightstand with a lamp and a chest of drawers against the wall on the right. The one bathroom was just off the bedroom—a tight space with an adequate shower.

I blew out a long breath, digesting my new home sweet home. It was a far cry from the brownstone, but it would be sufficient. I didn’t need much. After I finished ridding the town of its pesty critters, I’d be off to my next assignment. Always another town, new faces, but still the same old song. The Society didn’t allow me to stay long anywhere. People would begin to notice that I didn’t age. Sorta hard to blend when your drinkin’ buddies aged and you didn’t.

I learned a long time ago not to become attached. It complicated things. So I adapted by shutting off my emotions. Feel nothing, just consuming an empty soul.

Suddenly distracted from my thoughts, I heard faint footsteps at the door. A sharp ringing in my head commenced. The ringing was my built-in radar detector. I knew that meant only one thing. “Damn!” I mumbled under my breath. I’d left my bag of goodies in the front room. At least the vampire couldn’t enter. I had time to reach my weapons before the blood bath commenced. Nothing to fret about. I was safe as long as I didn’t invite him in. Fat chance that was happening.

Quiet as a mouse, I stepped into the front room as my eyes collided with the fanger standing at the entrance. Vampires were different than humans. They sucked the air out of the atmosphere, and I loathed the bloodsuckers.

This fanger stood tall, dressed in a tailored gray suit and poised with authority, scrutinizing my presence from head to toe. His eyes, a pale green, brimming with intrigue. Hair, trimmed short, white as snow, made his flawless skin appear radiant and … ominous.

“You must be the welcoming committee. Isn’t it past your bedtime?” I welcomed danger. An addiction that I grew to love. Yet one day, it’d be my downfall. But for now, I reveled in its seductive mock. I eased over to my bag of stakes and tightened my fingers around one. I began twirling it, taunting him.

He flashed a courtly smile, revealing his sharp pearly fangs. “I see you brought accessories.” There was a hint of genteel in his voice, soft as satin yet deadly as cyanide. His strange hypnotizing eyes drew me to him. “You do not need to fear me. I promise no harm.”

“I never knew a fanger that wasn’t thirsty.”

He stepped up to the threshold of the door. “Perdón for my candor but your blood is intoxicating.” His eyes were heavily hooded as if he were high on opium. “I struggle to contain my thirst. Such a divine aroma, lavender and peaches, I believe.” He swallowed hard. “However, I am not here to feed. You have my word. I come in peace.”

“A vampire with honor. Now that’s something new,” I narrowed my eyes. “Please don’t hurt me, Mr. Vampire. I’m just a girl new to town.”

“New, you are correct but ordinary, you are not. A simpleton with tainted blood and a deadly stake, I shalt be deluded so easily.” His quizzical brow arched. “If my senses serve me well, I believe the stake is rose. Obviously, you’re a girl that knows her stakes. The kind that surely will kill a vampire.”

“What a coincidence.” A mischievous smile curved my mouth. He must be hyperosmia. A fanger with a heightened sense more so than most of his kind.

“I believe your courage is as striking as your flaming hair. I am quite intrigued, Miss Brown.” When my eyes blinked, the vampire had swept me weightlessly into his arms, pressing his firm, perfect body against mine. He tenderly stroked a strand of hair through his fingers.

Instinctively, my back straightened. The stake had vanished from my hand. Defenseless, I didn’t dare move. “I don’t recall inviting you inside my home,” I hissed.

He whispered, his breath cool against my ear. “I am not a customary vampire. Unless you call four hundred years wonted. I am Hernando. The oldest of the de Soto brothers.”

“Wait! The de Soto brothers who hired me?”

“Sí. Señor Ford did not tell you?”

“No. He must’ve forgotten.”

“This town belongs to my brother and me,” he paused. “Perdón me for my lack of manners. It is late. I have intruded without the proper invite. Please forgive my impudence. We shall speak soon. Perhaps tomorrow when you have rested.” He ran his thumb down my neck and gently kissed my hair. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for an attack. I expected a b****y duel. He’d try to rip my throat out, and I’d thrust my elbow in his gut and make a dive for my bag of stakes.

Instead, he disappeared, leaving nothing but a quick brush of cold air and flickers of shadows in his wake. Spidy chills crawled down my spine as I stood stunned in the middle of my living room.

All at once, anger, shock, and just pissed off coursed through my veins. “I needed to have a serious talk with John!”

After my quickened pulse had quieted, I hurried to shut the door and lock it. Though a lock did very little to keep a vampire out once they had access to your home.

I leaned against the door for support. The rules of the game had changed. This fanger no longer needed an invite to enter my home. This little hitch in the road had me rattled. Desperate times called for desperate measures.