Alaskan Bones: Shadows of Alaska Book 2, page 12
I hadn’t released his hand yet. He squeezed my fingers.
“Fine, move us outside of their crowd,” he suggested.
I closed my eyes, snapped my fingers, and we were standing outside of the vampire hoard encircling our car.
The crowd turned from the car.
“What are you doing here?” a man approached us.
“We’re looking for the lady who left the bar with one of your men. We can’t allow any non-consensual blood donations,” I said.
“Or non-con anything, really,” Mason added.
“Obviously,” I agreed.
“I am WenBeth. I run this clutch,” said an older woman.
“I’m Mason; this is Dot,” he said.
I nodded.
“We don’t welcome outsiders often. We don’t permit anyone here against their will, so your concerns are unwarranted.” She waved at us to follow.
Entering the main house on the ranch, WenBeth nodded to a large table. We grabbed a couple of seats. She poured us each a glass of water.
“Thanks, so where is the girl?” I asked.
“She is a grown woman who chose to join us. She has visited once before and met with us outside of the ranch a few times before committing herself. Tonight, was a more serious move for her. We only want people who want to live as vampires,” WenBeth explained.
“She’s a new member, not dinner?” I asked.
WenBeth smiled. “Well, if she wants to become one of us, we need to drain her and she must drink. But we don’t feed on humans except when they want to join. We live off of the animal blood.”
“Caribou ranch,” I said softly.
“Exactly. We don’t want people who don’t want to be here. What exactly are you doing here?” she asked.
I shrugged to Mason.
“We’re working a case where a child was kidnapped. He was found dead later on. We’re following up on any suspicious leads.”
“Drained of blood?” she asked.
“No,” I replied.
“Then why would you be here suspecting vampires of the crime?” she asked.
“We were keeping an eye on the bar. Magical types seem to frequent there. We were having trouble getting leads. There were really no humans with real motives. Do you know anyone who might be after kids?” Mason asked.
“Other than someone who wants to murder a child, no. We don’t allow children to join. You won’t find any children here. It’s not fair to turn a child, willing or not. But I see your dilemma. Shifters would’ve eaten the child. Unless it’s for spells or rituals, which we don’t do, I can’t imagine.” Wen Beth shrugged.
“Can we speak to one of these recently vamped people?” I asked.
WenBeth nodded to her man at the door.
He left and brought back a young woman, not the one we’d seen in the bar.
“This is Mimi. Mimi, these officers of the law would like to talk to you for a moment.” WenBeth stood.
“Alone,” I said.
“Alone?” Mimi looked upset.
“We won’t harm you,” Mason added.
“No, nor any of us.” WenBeth led the way out of the room.
The two of us alone with this new vampire felt weird. She was a bit twitchy.
“How can I help you?” she asked.
“Relax, sit. You wanted to be a vampire?” Mason asked.
She nodded. “Very much.”
“Why?” I asked.
I expected to hear about a blood fetish or being a child of the night.
“I had cancer as a child. I beat it, but it’s come back here and there. I’d fight it off, and when I thought I was good, it came back again. I’ve wasted so much time and money in treatment to be tired and weaker than I was before. I finally stumbled on the right underground, where it wasn’t a joke…the vampire life was real. I want to live without disease or fear. I don’t want regrets,” she explained.
Mason and I shared a look.
“Even if it means you’re in the dark all the time? Drinking blood to stay alive?” Mason asked.
“There are worse things to put in your body than blood. You don’t see much sun in a hospital either, nothing but the crap lighting they have. It’s depressing, but this is freeing. I know that not everyone survives the change, but I did. I took the risk, and I’m happy,” she said.
“I never knew that. People don’t always survive the change? Why not?” I asked.
Mimi smiled and shrugged. “It’s a choice. We decide when to drink. They tell you, of course. The vampires know, and they urge you to do it at the right time, but you’re not forced. Some people want the high of being drained to go on. You feel so lightheaded that it’s a real rush. But so is drinking vampire blood. Some individuals play the game and wait too long. Then they become monsters, or they die before they can drink.”
Mason frowned. “What happens to those that live but become monsters?”
“I believe we feed off of them and then they are killed. I haven’t participated in anything like that yet,” she said.
“Show us these monsters,” I said.
“Why? They were here voluntarily. They knew the risks, right?” Mason asked Mimi.
She nodded. “Everyone knows there is a chance we’ll miss the moment and die or become wild.”
“I want to see these wild vampires, I need to know what they look like,” I insisted.
“They’re scary. It’s very upsetting even for vampires to see them,” Mimi warned.
Mason sighed. “Are they kept secure? Could these monsters get out and hurt people? Could they have killed the kid?”
She shook her head. “No. They are kept in a barn and guarded. They are fed. We’re not cruel to them.”
“I want to see them so we can be sure,” I said firmly.
Mimi nodded. “I’ll tell WenBeth. Wait here.”
“We’ll go with you,” Mason corrected her.
We followed Mimi who whispered to WenBeth. Clearly, the monsters weren’t something we were supposed to know about. I couldn’t explain why I wanted to see them, but I did.
WenBeth led us to a barn that was away from the other buildings. There were guards at the door and a large padlock.
“They can be violent,” she warned.
“Then why not put them down immediately when the turn fails?” Mason asked.
“Their blood is a supply of food for us. We never screw up a turning on purpose, we need numbers to be a community. We’re small, but we do get attacked on occasion. People think we’re witches or a cult. We can’t justify throwing away food by killing them outright. Caribou blood will keep us alive, but it takes more of it than human blood.” She unlocked the door.
“It’s okay. We’ll be perfectly safe.” I threw a forcefield up inside of the door. “It’s safe.”
“Witches,” WenBeth grumbled.
“I’m not sure that’s what I am, but I’ve got magic and you don’t, so maybe be nicer to me,” I warned.
Another vampire stormed up. “You think we can’t defeat two of you?”
“I wouldn’t threaten her. She’s hopped up on Yeti power still,” Mason said.
“What?” WenBeth asked.
I snapped my fingers and turned the offensive vampire into a bat.
Mimi’s jaw dropped.
WenBeth opened the doors, trusting my magic.
Mason shined a flashlight into the barn.
“Oh hell,” I said.
“What? You know one of them?” Mason asked.
I shook my head. “That’s what was in my dream. These are what I saw.”
“They aren’t allowed out. We never take them out of here unless we’re going to sacrifice them, and it’s all done in one night, so they don’t suffer. They didn’t kill anyone,” WenBeth insisted.
“That doesn’t mean they don’t have powers or desires. They want to kill humans and eat their flesh,” I told her.
WenBeth looked at them. “They are starving. We give them caribou blood, but they never seem satisfied.”
“You said your dream involved the Wendigo,” Mason whispered in my ear.
“I thought so, too, but this is them. You’re sure one didn’t escape?” I asked.
“We do a daily head count. If one got out, they’d rip a person or caribou apart, not just drink their blood. We’d have heard of a killing like that,” she explained.
“They invaded my dreams. They can connect to people,” I warned her.
“Or maybe you felt them. You sensed the threat?” Mason countered.
I hadn’t considered that. “I thought it was a dream. Like a nightmare from something I must’ve heard about as a child.”
“I’m sorry that they disturb you. We’re working through them, but their blood is oddly powerful. We don’t want it to make trouble for us and our urges by consuming it too fast,” WenBeth closed the barn.
“You want to search the rest of the place?” Mason asked me.
WenBeth shrugged. “You can search as you like. We don’t want any trouble. Especially with the Natives.”
She’d never made eye contact with Mason. That was why she was creeping me out.
“Why? What’s with you and the Natives?” I asked.
“It’s not all vampires, but some can’t consume Native blood. Sort of a natural protection.” Mason smiled.
“You mean your blood kills vampires?” I asked with a grin.
Mason shrugged and nodded. “Basically, some vampires, yes.”
“Cool. You learn something new every day.” I headed back to our car.
“You okay?” Mason asked.
I turned and saw WenBeth watching me.
“Who would traffic women, kidnap children with a potential for magical abilities—keep some, and kill and dump others?”
She shook her head. “Trafficking sounds human, but evil warlocks certainly don’t mind profiting off human suffering. The children business is darker and more unusual—are the children eaten or damaged?”
I shook my head. “Not even environmental exposure. Like animals won’t touch them.”
WenBeth’s eyes grew large, and she turned to her people. “They are here.”
“Who?” I pressed.
“We must go.” She turned to her people. “We must go to the barrens of the north and hide.”
“They were up North too. We found kids there. You’ll only make yourself more obvious if you flee,” Mason said.
“I’m done playing games. Who is they?” I demanded and blasted my anger into the ground.
The area shook a lot more than I thought it would.
“Earthquake?” Mimi asked.
“Just Dot. She’s amped up on Yeti power and making her mad makes that rage boil over. They are the ones we can’t find,” Mason said.
“Indigo?” I asked.
“The Shadowmen. Eliminating people without reason. They have their own reasons but answer to no one. Fear nothing. Leave it alone and be grateful they haven’t caught you.” WenBeth waved her population back to their normal routine, or at least indoors.
Only Mimi stayed, staring at us.
“I don’t know who those Shadowmen are,” Mimi confessed.
“Welcome to the paranormal. There’s always something new to learn. You should stick with your group,” I said.
Mason sighed. “Is there anything else you can share with us about the Shadowmen?”
“I’ve only heard whispers of them. That you never want them to know you or be bothered with you. Everyone says they must’ve died off centuries ago or been killed off, but with weird things popping up—people are worried they are returning. We’re not taking chances.” WenBeth shook her head.
“Weird like what?” I prompted.
Mimi took a deep breath. “From what I’ve been told, normally we don’t have this many monster turns. Maybe one vampire conversion goes bad in a year. This year they’ve had over a dozen. The system hasn’t failed in centuries, so why would it go so wrong in one year? New vampires are never allowed to oversee turns for ten years, so it’s not error or inexperience.”
“You wouldn’t be turning any Natives?” I asked.
“No, we avoid them. Draining them would kill us. Maybe some people are part and don’t know it? But that would’ve been part of the issues before. There’s always a chance, but we’d feel the ill effects first. This year, it’s odd. I don’t know. Maybe the Shadowmen are trying to limit our numbers?” Mimi folded her arms. Her long pale blonde hair shimmered in the moonlight.
“Maybe stop going out and trying to bring in new people for a bit,” Mason suggested.
WenBeth nodded. “I’ll tell everyone we should hunker down for now. We don’t want to be on their radar, but vampires blend in better in above the Arctic Circle. We’ll definitely head there for the winter, the more hours of darkness, the more freedom.”
“Good call. Thanks,” I said.
I hopped in the car, annoyed at the lack of progress.
Mason got behind the wheel and with a wave of my hand, I opened the gate.
“I’ve never met vampires like them,” I admitted.
Chapter Fourteen
“Why do I feel like we’re just going in circles around Alaskan para groups?” I asked.
Mason locked the motel room door behind us as I flopped face down on the bed.
He smiled. “Because that’s what investigation is. You have an advantage with humans that you don’t here. I mean, you do to an extent with your powers, but you’re still learning to control them. All that Yeti fuel has made you rather frustrated.”
I took a deep breath and cleared my mind. “I’m frustrated because this case is like being caught in a web and I can’t find my way to the bad guys. The FBI won’t help, because it’s all paranormal at the core. We do know that the vamps aren’t part of it.”
“No, I never even heard of a clutch that close by. They’ve been hiding themselves well,” Mason replied.
“But that’s where my dream came from. These Wendigo, or whatever we want to call them, are vampires that didn’t turn properly and are starving for blood or flesh. Seems cruel not to just kill them,” I reasoned.
“Beer?” Mason offered.
“Sure, maybe it’ll lesson the frustration,” I teased.
Mason handed me one from our little fridge. “Hey, I felt the frustration when you shared power with me. I don’t want more of that.”
“Yetis do seem overly angry.” I took a sip of the beer. “We’re back to Shadowmen.”
“Yes, you’ve heard most of the rumors, but they’re rumors.” Mason shrugged as he changed into pajama bottoms.
I tried not to look or at least not to stare. We were getting a bit too comfortable together sharing a room. I would’ve suggested getting separate rooms, but now there was no way to guarantee the FBI would foot the bill.
“Right, rumors. Powerful wizards that aren’t trackable. Why can’t we track them?” I asked.
“Too powerful. Their magic is different. But it’s also rumors, no one has had a concrete or verified encounter with them in decades.” Mason turned off the lights until only the TV glowed with the sound off.
After another slug of beer, I kicked off my shoes. “Is it their magic that is different, or are they a different sort of wizard?”
“According to rumor?” Mason sat on the bed.
“Yes, okay. Tell me whatever you know or think you know. I just want to get up to speed on what people think. It might be wrong. We might never find them, but two distinct groups are bringing them up. We have to follow the lead.”
“They are different. The magic is strong, but it’s in the blood. You can’t learn how to be or become one of them. You are or you’re not a Shadowman. If you are, you’re feared. No one knows where they live or how. You don’t find them, they find you. It’s not a good lead to pursue,” he said.
“Why not? If we’re looking for them, great, let them find us,” I said.
“That doesn’t usually go well, according to legend…seeking them out usually ends in death.” Mason downed more of his own beer.
“What do they want? What do they do?” I asked.
He shrugged. “They prefer to remain mysterious.”
“Killing children wouldn’t be against their rules?” I asked.
“Rules? I don’t think they’d have to care much about rules. Unless they hold each other to a code, no one else could begin to enforce any rules on them. If they are the ones going after these kids, we’re way out of our league,” Mason said.
“But it’d be brilliant,” I said.
Mason coughed as he choked on his beer. “What?”
“Using the human trafficking to cover the death of the kids. The first kids reported and found dead were from that case. Before they probably blended in with routine missing persons, but if they ramped up the number of kids taken, hiding some in another human crime is diabolical.” I took another swig of beer.
Mason smiled and shook his head.
“What?” I got up and started changing in front of him.
“Dot, can you do that in the bathroom?” he asked.
“You didn’t,” I shot back. I had my back to him anyway.
“You’re too much.” He chuckled.
“Back on topic, please,” I said.
“The Shadowmen won’t care about being caught. Humans couldn’t imprison them. Indigo sat in a cell for a while. He was playing human. He’s not a Shadowman unless he’s trying infiltrate a group of wizards. Human laws and traditions wouldn’t mean anything to them. Like us respecting the rules of honeybees,” Mason scoffed.
“How do they regard Natives?” I asked.
Mason looked away. “Almost as bad as humans but we respect the Earth a lot more so mostly we’ve been left alone, if you trust the oral history of various tribes. Our magic is basic, and not everyone has it, but we work with nature. Our gifts are strong, but we live like humans and intermarry with them. Follow their laws.”
“I’d be regarded just as low.” I took off my bra under my night shirt and tossed it aside. “Fine. We’ve got no in.”
He laughed. “You want to talk to them? Meet with them? Dot. You’ve got a better chance of being fully accepted as a Fae.”
“Elitist,” I mumbled.
“There’s always a chain of command. Are you ready to pull out of the FBI now? Learn the magical ways more in-depth?” he asked.
