Kill Wilson (Petersburg Vampires) (5 page)

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Wilson was livid, Miriam on her knees before him shaking
in fear, the tears mingling with the steady flow of blood dripping from her
nose and mouth where the vampire had beat her.

“How could you be so stupid?” he was screaming. “You
think you’re immortal, neither one of you paying the least bit of attention
just days after being attacked. You’re a cow, a feedbag, a whore! And your
stupidity cost me something far more valuable than you’ll ever be. Oh…you’re
going to pay for this.”

Faster than her eyes could follow, he slapped her again on
the side of her head, her body flying against the far wall, the blow stunning
her but not to the point of unconsciousness, not even close to being fatal. Wilson
had been beating Miriam for a hundred years, knew exactly how far he could go
with his tirades. His vampire blood flowing through her veins gave her a strong
pain tolerance, and the healing from her many beatings was accelerated far
beyond what a normal human experienced.

He was insane, had been insane for a very long time, and
Miriam felt she must be right behind him. No normal woman would spend a hundred
years taking the abuse this man dealt out. All she held for him was revulsion
so deep murder would not be good enough.

Sitting up, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her jacket,
the woman’s eyes those of a wild animal, cornered by a crazed hunter.

 
“You’re blaming me
because one of your grand warriors lost his pretty little head to a tiny girl.
He was supposed to be guarding me, not the other way around. If you had
something besides immature little boys fighting for you, maybe we wouldn’t have
to be so worried all the time. Somewhere in your muddled brain, you must know
those three weren’t here as your enemies. You invited them, you guaranteed
their safety, and then you slaughtered them. Real brave, Beryl; you’re a class
act.”

His eyes were scarlet, fangs bared, his anger so deep he
wanted to rip the woman’s head off her shoulders. Taking a step closer to her,
seeing her stare up at him from the floor undaunted and defiant, he stopped in
midstride and laughed. Reaching out his hand and helping her to her feet, he
pulled her to his lap, cradling her like she was an infant.

“Oh Miriam, you always get right to the heart of the
matter, don’t you, my love.”

 
Rocking her and
speaking softly, the woman finally allowed herself to relax in his arms,
confident the worst was past, and she would live another day. She couldn’t say
the same of the vampire Sheldon, the blonde head turning to dust on the floor
across the room. He had been an arrogant child, but had been useful to Miriam.
He had been the only vampire Wilson had turned who could enjoy women as well as
men. Miriam would miss him. Being constantly surrounded by homosexuals pushed
the woman to her limits, so it was no small thing the only bi vampire in the
compound had lost his head.

At one time, Wilson was capable of functioning sexually with
Miriam. Not especially well, she remembered, and not often. She was very
inventive, and Wilson, although never enjoying the time with a woman as much as
with the boys, would go along with her games, up to a point. It hadn’t happened
in decades, and the human woman had tried to teach some of the younger ones the
joy of female companionship. It had only worked with Sheldon.

As Wilson’s paranoia had grown over the last 25 years,
all his attention had been on building his security, stockpiling arms and
surrounding himself with more of his creations. Miriam couldn’t actually call them
warriors; the term was a bit strong for the young boys strutting around with an
elevated sense of self-importance. They were bodies, numbers Wilson used to
fuel his fantasies, nothing more.

A warrior, in Miriam’s mind, was brave and not afraid of
death. A warrior was more like the vampire Riley. The man had fought to the
death, at the same time saving the girl Anne Marie. Riley had single handily
killed seven of Wilson’s vampires, and the number would have been much higher if
not for the shotguns knocking him down. Miriam would have enjoyed seeing how
many kills Riley claimed without the shotguns. It would have to remain another
of her fantasies she kept hidden in her head.

“Beryl, you called Danner here. He wasn’t the enemy; he
was answering your call. The enemy might very well come at some point, but
these three were not them. You don’t even know who the enemy is…if there is an
enemy. Don’t you think this little delusion of being attacked should end?
People are dying because of it. We have no proof of enemies, Beryl. We mind our
own business, and people leave us alone. Can’t we be satisfied with what we
have? ”

“That is where you’re wrong, my dear. They are coming, oh
yes, they’re coming to try to take what is mine, and this was just the first
skirmish. You saw how they acted; they disrespected me in my own home. They
were the enemy; it was obvious to everyone, but you. Your way of thinking is
stifled by human emotions...inferior emotions.
 
We’ll be ready; we proved we can deal with the likes of them.”

You stupid, crazy man, Miriam thought. There is nobody in
the entire world who wants what we have. The multitude of vampires living in
the south wouldn’t waste their spit on Beryl Wilson, his money, or his coven.

Just play the part, Miriam. Just play your part, and live
to enjoy another day, she counseled herself.

The blood she took from Wilson kept her young and alive.
She couldn’t bear the thought of living out her life normally, growing old and
dying like an ordinary human. This was her motivation for taking this monster’s
abuse. Wilson kept her on a leash by promising to turn her, to grant her
immortality, and she had decided a century ago she would do whatever necessary
to achieve it. Including the beatings and whatever else the lunatic dished out.

Something had changed in the past few years. The beatings
she could handle, but being such a primary part of this man’s fantasy world was
wearing her down.

The girl Anne Marie had reawakened feelings of shame and
self-loathing, emotions Miriam had buried decades ago. The vampire’s willingness
to fight against all odds was incredible, and Miriam could only look on it as
the finest form of womanhood she had ever witnessed. The girl vampire had
possessed a structure of honor Miriam had never known existed, and her promise
to return and avenge her friend’s was something Miriam was certain was going to
happen. Suddenly Miriam realized she had not a shred of self respect in her
body, and the vampire Anne Marie must be full of it.

Wilson finally got enough control he could talk in a
normal voice.

“With the loss of Sheldon, we have only 14 warriors left.
I make 15.
Enough to fortify our home, Miriam, or should I go
out and find more?”

“Please, Beryl, we’ve had this discussion. We have so
many living here; it’s a stupid waste of our resources. Any more is cost
restrictive. Fourteen is more than enough to protect us. You have guns and
swords, and people willing to die for you. Leave it as it is. Please.”

Considering the woman’s words, he finally reached a
decision.

“You’re right…for now, my dear. We will leave it as it
is. But if I get any information of a pending attack, we will seek
reinforcements.”

 
The vampire swept
out of the room, leaving Miriam to shake her battered head.

One crazy, crazy bastard, she told herself.

------

Danner had set up contingencies for unforeseen disasters,
and Amp was thankful for her sire’s foresight. There were several bank accounts
throughout the country, and Amp knew each contained an abundance of wealth.
Vampires didn’t have a lot of trouble making money. The three friends had
amassed a tidy sum, a bit more than 2 million dollars, so Amp had more than
enough money for whatever she wanted. What she wanted was revenge.

Arriving in Seattle, she fed one last time from the sweet
blood of Donny, then erased his memory, and was on her way. Catching a cab to
the airport, she had time to think about where to go, and what exactly she
could do. Once at Sea-
Tac
, she sat down at a pay
phone and called a number from memory.

The voice on the other end of the line served as a salve
to her high strung psyche. “Hello,” she heard, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Amylee, its Amp,” she said quietly, not
trusting her voice.

“Amp, what a pleasant surprise, I haven’t heard your
voice in forever. How are those sweet boys you run around with?”

Amp paused, gathering herself. Amylee was one of the few
vampires Danner’s group considered a friend. She and Danner had known each
other since before the Civil War, had stayed close, although they lived
completely different types of lives. Amylee was a member of a large coven
headquartered in Los Angeles, and she tended not to wander far from her family,
earning a nice living as a computer expert. Amp had always suspected at one
time Danner and Amy had been lovers, and the bond had seemed to carry over
through the ages.

“Amy… Danner and Riley…Danner and Riley are dead,” Amp
finally got out, although the effort took all of her will.

There was silence on the other end of the line, and then
Amylee’s strong voice came back. “Are you in danger, Amp?”

“I’m not sure, I don’t think they know where I’m at, but
if they show up, it could get bad.”

“Where are you calling from?”

“Sea-
Tac
.”

“Got your ID?”

“Yes.”

Amp heard Amy pecking away at a computer keyboard,
pounding hard to find the right information.

 
“Hold on…come on,
come on…okay, got it…there’s a plane leaving in 45 minutes, United, Sea-
Tac
to LA. I just bought your ticket, get your boarding
pass at gate…wait…okay, gate 45, E concourse, be on the flight, and I’ll see
you at the airport when you land. Move now, Amp, and keep a low profile. I’ll
meet you in LA. Go!”

The line went dead, Amp staring at the instrument,
knowing her first decision had been the right one. Jogging down the concourse,
she jumped on a monorail, got off at E, got her ticket just as the plane was
boarding, and was out of Seattle before anyone even knew she had been there.

------

As the plane taxied to the gate in Los Angeles, Amp
gathered her thoughts, telling herself she must be strong in order to
accomplish the things she needed to do. She had never been alone since Danner
had turned her, one or the other of the two guys had always been near. The
three had been inseparable, and Amp now felt like she had nothing, the
loneliness filling every pore of her being
..

Waiting for the line to work its way out the plane door,
she finally stood and followed at the end, hoping Amylee was going to be
waiting for her. Although Amylee was one of Danner’s best friends, she and Amp
had always had a good relationship. Amp didn’t know where else to turn, and
almost felt like an orphan.

She needn’t have worried. As she moved through the door
into the terminal, Amylee was waiting for her, along with three very serious
looking men, vamp warriors, Amp realized. Each one of the men was well over six
feet, solid looking, and very serious. Amylee rushed forward, throwing her arms
around the much smaller Amp, hugging her to her chest, as a mother might a
returning child.

“Oh Amp, I am so sorry, so sorry, and so damn pissed.
Come on, honey, let’s get out of here and get you home. You can tell me what
happened then, let’s just get gone real quick. Morgan sends his regards, and
said he will see you when we get to the compound. He sent some protection in
case you might have been followed, but I don’t think you were, nobody who exited
the plane gave off any vibes.”

Returning the hug, Amp felt she was finally safe. Looking
at the other woman, she had the thought Amylee would have made a great mate for
Danner, if the two hadn’t had so many life style differences. Amylee was a
classic beauty, tall and thin with pale skin, long dark hair, and huge,
chocolate eyes. She was mid twenties, and Amp had always looked towards her as
an older sister type. Amp had a feeling Amylee had always been in love with
Danner, and would have done anything for her friend.

Morgan was Amylee’s sire, and the master of their coven.
He was a good man who operated several successful businesses, and kept his
coven close, living in a compound outside of the city on 100 acres. Amp and the
guys had been there many times, and Amp felt almost like she was going home. She
wasn’t sure how many vampires lived at the compound, but she estimated at least
50.

Walking outside, she saw there was a stretch Lincoln
waiting at the curb in a no parking zone, the driver casually chatting with the
LA County Deputy who was patrolling the area. As he saw Amylee’s group
approach, he quickly opened the rear door, the group ducking inside, and they
were on the way.

The drive took an hour, the driver expertly moving
through the busy traffic, Amp and Amylee content to watch the scenery, each
lost in their own thoughts. Amylee wanted desperately to know what happened to
Danner and Riley, but it could wait until Amp was settled and refreshed. It was
obvious the girl had been through a traumatic experience, and the briefing
could wait until she was comfortable.

The limo passed through the gate of the compound, passing
the main house, and pulling up to one of the small cottages several hundred
yards down the lane.

“Morgan thought you might be comfortable in a cottage
rather than the main house, with all the activity going on around here. I had
one of the girl’s run out and find some things you might need, toiletries and
underwear, a couple pairs of jeans and t-shirts. I hope I got the sizes right.
Tomorrow evening if you feel up to it, we can go into LA and do some shopping.
Why don’t you get a shower and when you feel like it, come on over to the house
and you and Morgan and I can talk.

“I don’t know how to thank you, Amy. I feel so lost
without the guys. I’ve never done a whole lot of anything on my own. I’ll be
over in a bit. I need to get some money from our accounts; can you show me how
to do it on a computer?”

“Sure thing, Amp…oh, I forgot…have you fed lately? We
have a supply of bags if you need, or if you rather, we have several human
employees around, most who have no problem donating. We are extremely careful
with them, so if you want a human, please don’t get crazy, we kind of value our
assets.”

She was smiling, but Amp knew Morgan, like most vampire
Lords, had many humans who he had groomed for these things, and their rewards
were many, including extended life spans, as well as a great sexual
gratification every time they gave blood.

“I’m good, thanks. I fed this morning. I had a boat
captain bring me from Alaska, and he was very accommodating. I’ll be over
later. Thanks Amy; I’ll explain it all to you.”