Blueblood

Story: Blueblood: Dracula

Chapter 7 Planning Strategy

Author: Eric McQueen (mcqueen.richarderic@gmail.com)

Adult Readers, Sexual Situations, Sex

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Dr. Petran and Sorin Deluca have things explained and are shown proof. Together with Dragon they make plans to move forward.

Planning Strategy

Sorin was looking at Dr. Petran as if to question her sanity. "You believe this!?" He asked her in disbelief.

Dr. Petran cocked her head at him. "Give me another explanation." She said quickly. "I'm a doctor, Sorin. I'm not some silly little girl afraid of vampires. There is something in their systems I couldn't explain. When they told me, I had a hard time believing them." She waved at Dragon and the others there. "They are vampires. Surely you see that."

Sorin was like Dr. Petran and many others. He saw what was in front of him, but his mind was having difficulty letting it sink in. "They are just stories." He said as he worked it over in his mind. "My grandmother told me about them, but..." he shook his head. "They were just stories."

"When I was first bitten," Colin said. "I knew of one other." He said softly. "He bit me to destroy me. Then I found out he bit my daughter." He waved to Gabriella who waved at Sorin. His eyes grew having the same reaction even I had with the age problem. "I met others during the war...the American Civil War. They were just feeding. Wild. I was not one of them." He smiled. "I left home, found others...there are literally thousands of us out in the world." He walked over to George. "This...brilliant man...came up with a serum...it doesn't take the vampire out of us, but it puts it to rest." He grinned. "You, Dr. Petran, Chuck, Shelly, Mark and his partner Stan, who is back at the house on his computer watching us now...are the only ones here who haven't been bitten. You aren't vampires."

"If you're everywhere, why come here?" Sorin asked.

"We think..." George began. "No...I know there is an answer here. We have venom. That's what makes us vampires. We don't change into bats or any of that nonsense." He shook his head dismissing that idea physically. "There is a vampire here that did what I've never known was possible. He had a son." George said walking toward Sorin. "That son holds the key to our getting rid of this...infection. We are victims, not demons or the undead. We have an infection." He went to Dr. Petran. "The substance she saw in our blood is that infection and the serum used to treat it. This son has a natural...ability to block that venom and infection. I need that to help us." He waved at everyone here. "To help all of us. We want our lives back."

"In Transylvania." Sorin was clarifying again. "Because it started here."

I shook my head. "No. It didn't start here, but in the Middle East." I motioned for Sorin to follow me. "I'll show you what started it."

Sorin followed but kept the vampires with Dragon in front of him as he did, turning and even walked backward so he could keep an eye on them. Dr. Petran smiled but followed as well.

I stopped in front of the cell where and held up my hands to stop them. "Prepare yourselves...they are unlike anything you have ever seen." I stepped back and waved to the two Old Ones. "This is Earless and Repeat. Iustina and Repetate in Romanian." I hate to admit it, but those two put on a show. Repetate and Iustina were at the bars hissing and reaching out for Sorin. The fangs were always out, but now they wanted Sorin. Badly.

Sorin jumped back a foot and now he did draw his gun, but Dragon was there instantly and took the gun away. Dragon had fed before we arrived and his movements and actions were very fast.

"No! They are not dangerous for us." Dragon said firmly. His demeanor was dark and shadowed, but he would take no exception to what he had said. "I will not allow you to harm them."

I nodded. "They are not endangering us because we already are vampires. They can sense it, smell it and feel it." I backed closer to the cell bars and stood right below the two Old Ones, who were ignoring me as they still were reaching for Sorin. "As you can see...they're not interested in Dr. Petran. She took the serum to make her...less appetizing." I grinned as I waved at Dr. Petran who was more fascinated by Iustina and Repetate. She wasn't scared at all. Her scientific curiosity was stimulated more than her fear. "This..." I groaned. "Disflavor..." I looked at George. "I still hate that name. I'd prefer Ew Yuk to Disflavor."

Colin chuckled and nodded. "My husband is big on names and movies. He insisted we call ourselves the Vampire United Nations. The VUN."

I grinned back. "That was a hell of a lot better than Holms' Laboratories!" I grinned at George. "Nothing wrong with your name, George, but it gives more...pizzazz!"

George just rolled his eyes. "I just don't have your flare." He grinned and shrugged.

I grinned back. "You know I love you."

George nodded with a grin.

Dr. Petran got closer and was looking them over and Iustina and Repetate who ignored her completely, but still wanted Sorin's blood. "What interesting physiology!" She marveled and turned to Sorin. "Do you still not believe it?" She waved at Repetate and Iustina. "Here they are right in front of you! That can't be faked. No hair, naked and..." she looked closer. "No anus!?" She asked me to confirm what she saw.

"They drink only blood and piss ammonia," I explained. "No solid wastes? No need for one."

Sorin took his jacket off quickly and pulled his shirt down to reveal his arm. "Give me that...Disflavor...whatever you call it..."

George smiled and pulled the syringe he had already prepared for Sorin. A quick dab of the alcohol swab and he stuck the needle in Sorin's arm. "It takes a few minutes to work its way in, but it works quickly as you can see with Dr. Petran."

George was right, it did work quickly as Repetate and Iustina lowered their arms and stopped hissing at Sorin. I grinned as Sorin watched as he became less focused on by Repetate and Iustina. They were now smiling at me and happy to see me. Which I spoke to them and opened the door to go in the cell with them. Sorin's eyes widened as they crowded around me, waving at the laptop I had left them to watch cartoons and things on. They didn't understand how to scroll through the database for more cartoons. I grinned and pulled a CD out that had hours of Bug Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoons.

Dr. Petran was still caught up in the Old Ones and dared to come in the cell with me. Repetate and Iustina looked at her and even smiled at her!

"I'm sorry this has been so..." Colin began saying to Sorin. "...well, it's not something we can just explain easily."

Sorin nodded as he began to relax. "I can understand why."

George walked in the cell with us. "Doctor..."

She broke her stare at Repetate and Iustina and smiled at George. "I think now you can all call me Laurel." Dr. Petran smiled. "This is all...so..."

"Unbelievable?" George nodded. "Sorin."

Sorin looked up at George.

"You wanted to know what that liquid was I was carrying that night," George said. "I'll do one better. Dragon, are you ready to start again?"

Dragon nodded. "I'm patient."

Sorin looked as if he almost forgot about Dragon and his eyes widened as Dragon smiled at him only inches away, Dragon's fangs were still out.

"This is the serum I gave to all here with us in our group." He said holding the vial up. "I'm going to start his treatment again. In five or six days, he'll see the sunrise again that he hasn't been able to see in how many centuries?"

Dragon nodded. "It's been quite a few." Then he frowned and rubbed his chest. "Though I am not looking forward to the pain again."

George nodded and laughed. "No, but it will work. I promise." George reassured. He had a patient smile for Sorin. "I'm willing to share all I know, what I've observed and demonstrated what I've found to work with this venom."

Sorin pointed at the two Old Ones. "Those are vampires, too?" He asked more to keep it straight in his head.

George nodded. "They are the origins of all vampires."

I was getting an affectionate touch from Iustina. "These are two of many that were sent into the world. They are the oldest living things on this planet." I grinned I rubbed Iustina's face below his missing ear because he liked it there the best. "They are thousands of years old."

Sorin was still having difficulty with what we were telling him, yet unable to ignore what he saw with his own eyes. "Thousands of years?"

Amasis, who was using the translator because his understanding of English was still not fluent and he wanted to understand what we were talking about. He came over to Sorin. "I am over two thousand years old. I found out I was the last Pharaoh in Egypt."

Sorin heard it and his eyes grew and again, his mind was telling him it was impossible, but seeing what we've told him was true...not about Amasis or what we told him about us, but as in the two Old Ones right in front of him; he couldn't say it wasn't true. "That's...unbelievable." He said weakly.

"Other than Iustina and Repetate, he is the oldest vampire we've found," Colin said. "We have represented here veterans of many wars from World War II, two veterans of World War I." Colin smiled. "My daughter and I predate the Civil War in the States."

Willie nodded. "It's only because of the serum, we've been able to branch out to see what happened to us and began getting a better picture of what we had to work with."

"We have one in custody that is old, but she's evil," George said. "She was the source for most of the vampires in the United States, but with modern day technology, we closed the gaps and began talking with groups around the world and found there are thousands like us. Willie's right, since we've been out in the world a more concise understanding is beginning to form and maybe a cure."

"There are evil vampires," I confessed softly. "But those vampires were evil before they were bitten. It doesn't come from the fact they were bitten."

"The venom seeks a human being that's healthy and has the best blood," George said. He waved at Dragon's men and us. "All of these vampires are generations away from these vampires." He pointed to Repetate and Iustina. "They bite a person and they become what we call the Wild Vampires. They become like these Old Ones and can't speak." Then he grinned. "Well, there's Wayne." He pointed to Wayne. "Wayne was bitten by an Old One in England, but somehow managed to put together that we might help him. He was a wild vampire. Unable to speak or fully understand, but we gave him the serum and he is now a fully functioning person."

Sorin looked at Gabriella and then to Colin. "You said she's your daughter?" He was still having trouble with that.

I chuckled. "Yeah, it blows your mind, doesn't it? I had problems with that myself. The age thing." I shrugged. "I still do at times."

"And she..." Sorin pointed to my mother, "is your mother. She didn't give birth to you? I mean, she didn't give birth to you as a vampire."

I shook my head. "Oh, no...she gave birth to me thirty some odd years ago. We're the youngest vampires here." I grinned. "She and I are the only ones I know of that became vampires willingly."

"Willingly," Sorin repeated.

"I met Colin and fell in love with the man," I said. "Whether or not you think being homosexual is right or not. He would be alone if I hadn't."

Mom nodded. "I met William and...we also fell in love, so Devon and I wanted to be with them and we let them bite us."

"You wanted to live forever?" Sorin asked again in the tone for clarification.

"We wanted Willie and Colin to have someone in their lives that wouldn't die!" I said firmly. "For almost two centuries Colin has lost people in his life."

"You were both injured," Laurel said. "Badly. Granted you healed at a remarkable rate; is that because of the venom and serum? Not like a regular person. There is no ritual or anything to kill a vampire?"

"No, we could be killed," Colin confessed. "And it doesn't have to be a stake through the heart. We can fall and break bones...like our necks. We can be shot and stabbed."

"Vampires reproduce their numbers by the bite, not sex," George said. "The venom they infect us with basically rewrites our DNA and we become the thing that makes this venom." He waved at Repetate. "He bites someone, they become a wild vampire. I've found that with each new host..." he explained. "They also rewrite the venom. My venom is my venom and is different than Colin's. However, our venom all came from one of these vampires." He said about Iustina and Repetate. "There were hundreds...maybe thousands of these creatures...manufactured."

"Manufactured?" Sorin asked.

"By who?" Laurel asked.

George nodded. "Well, that's the tricky part." He smiled and scratched his ear as he did when had to admit something he was still not sure of himself. "We don't know who they were. The word or symbol for the name has not been translated, but an empire or king in the ancient world wanted to weaken his future conquests is our best guess."

"The texts we found..." I waved at Amasis, "thanks to him. A group of men or scientists came up with something they put in the water. Men and women, having to drink water that had this...whatever in the water...gave birth to these things." I said as Repetate knew I was talking about him and smiled at me. "They are victims, too." I smiled back at Repetate as he found out to start the CD of cartoons. "They really are kind of sweet."

"Sweet!?" Sorin balked. "They are killers!"

"They are what they were born to be! They can't help that they are what they were created to be." I shot back. "They are innocent!"

Sorin looked at me like I was insane now. "You defend them?"

"They're not hunting you now," I said simply. "They only consume blood...human blood."

Colin nodded. "Whether or not you see that they are innocent, they are important to us for ridding ourselves of this infection." Colin sighed as he walked closer to Sorin. "You wanted to know the truth...why we were here." He waved at the surroundings. "This is it. This is the truth."

George nodded. "There is a threat." He said causing Sorin to look at him again. "We are not the enemy, but there are vampires out there that are a big threat. They are planning something big, we just don't know what that is."

"There was a man named Iilya." Dragon said. "He believes we are more than we are."

"All of the movies and books out about vampires..." I said. "Iilya wants to be that kind of vampire, he wants power, but there is no vampire like they want. We're certainly not."

"You're not?" Sorin asked to confirm. "Fangs you have, hunger for blood..."

"I only had fangs twice." I chuckled. "On the serum, we don't have fangs." I shrugged. "When I first smelled blood, I didn't realize...well...imagine a steak done just right." I shook my head. "I don't remember anything smelling so good...and the taste!"

Sorin was becoming more relaxed and nodded. "Okay, so Dr. Petran, I understand why you need her. She's a doctor and scientist." He shrugged. "The investigation I did because you were shot, but what do you need from me?"

George nodded with a smile. "Thank you. For listening."

Colin came over and put his arm around me. "There are dangerous vampires in this part of the world besides Iilya or Lucian. That is because they were dangerous men before, now they're planning something...Iilya and Lucian were the ones that had us shot. I'd wager all I have on that."

Sorin shook his head. "Why?"

"We're not sure, but almost every town has one or two vampires that keep themselves hidden." I smiled and waved to the other vampires with Dragon. "There are several here. What's happening now is...there are no vampires out there at all at night."

Sorin again shook his head. "Maybe they're gone?"

"No," Alex said simply. "One of the things we can say is our advantage about becoming vampires...our senses were enhanced to make us better hunters. I can tell if a vampire has crossed a path even a day later from the scent they leave behind." He took Gabriella's hand. "My wife can even tell what gender they are. I can't."

"But they're still here," Gabriella said. "They're waiting for something."

"What?" Sorin asked.

Shelly came forward. "I found this today." She handed a brochure to Colin. "This could be what they're waiting for."

I looked at the brochure in Colin's hand. Written in big letters. "Halloween in Transylvania." The script used was bright red and dripping like blood. The image also contained what I knew was Vlad's castle, but shrouded in mist as the sun was setting. "Dracula Castle Escape," was also written on the brochure. It was just a couple of weeks away! "Oh, my god. Transylvania is going to be packed with people then." I said shaking my head.

Colin nodded and looked helpless a second. "They'll be up late...drunk mostly and just partying all night." He looked at Sorin. "This happens every year?"

Sorin nodded and then shrugged. "Of course...it one of the things we're famous for. Dracula." He thought. "Local law enforcement will be out fully...there will be over ten thousand people here...probably...tripling the population!"

I nodded. "I bet this is what they're counting on."

"You think they'll attack the people that come here?" Mom asked.

Colin frowned. "If they want to make a statement, yes."

"We may have pushed their timetable forward some..." I said. "For decades, they could pick and choose, but since we've offered this serum..."

"...we've forced them to move up their agenda." Colin nodded.

Dragon walked over and looked at the brochure. "My home." He said with a longing tone and affection, touching the picture of the castle. His castle.

Now Sorin's eyes widened even more. "Your home!?" He looked at the castle and of course, knew it well as did every person in Romania and around the world. "You're not..." he now was backing again. "It can't be. You can't be!"

"Inspector." I shook my head. "You know that book is about a fictional character. Not Vlad Dracul."

Dragon, not really comfortable with his infamous past and just looked away at first, but looked at Sorin. "You often talk about what can't be." He smiled. "Yet it stands before you."

Sorin shook his head. "Because it goes against all we are taught could be." Sorin looked at the others. "All of you are just fiction!"

I chuckled. "Again, we stand before you."

Dragon was still looking at the brochure and the writing there. "I've heard about this...hall...o...ween?" He stated hesitantly. "My understanding was it was mostly for children."

I nodded. "For a lot of people, it is," I admitted. "October 31st has changed over the centuries and it's not just for children. It's taken on many cultural influences, superstitions and now is just a day...or should I say night...of thrills for children and adults."

"Thrills," Dragon repeated as he held the brochure up. "I see images of strange creatures on this."

I nodded. "Being scared is thrilling," I said simply.

"Devon loved Halloween." Mom said. "I think you stopped Trick or Treating at..." she thought. "Was it twelve?"

Laughing I smiled as I remembered. "I matured from a pirate, clown and Power Ranger to ghost, mummy and..." I waggled my eyebrows. "The last years, I was a vampire!" I patted Sorin on the shoulder. "Sort of prophetic, isn't it? Only there aren't the plastic fangs or cape now."

Colin grinned but was thinking. "We don't know that is what they're waiting for."

Chuck stepped forward. "It will be televised. If they are..." he said. "We need to be prepared for something big."

"Think about it, Colin," I said. "If you sprang out on the night of Halloween. Would you be suspicious of fangs? It would be considered part of an elaborate costume. Part of the night's entertainment until it became too real."

"But if it's venom they spread to make vampires..." Laurel offered with a nod. "How much venom is required to make a vampire?" She asked George.

George shrugged. "One bite will do it."

"And how fast is the conversion?" Laurel asked.

"A few hours," George said. "The full transformation takes place during the day after the victim is bitten."

"I don't suppose we have enough serum to counter any attacks that happen that night," I said to George. "Like I got after the first time I was bitten."

George shook his head. "No. We wouldn't have enough blood to provide transfusions either."

"You were bitten twice?" Laurel asked.

"He was bitten by the same vampire I and Gabby were." Colin smiled. "Sorry, that's the name I used with my daughter. Gabriella and were bitten by the same vampire. I gave him the serum mere minutes following the bite."

"And then he was purged of all his blood and had it replaced with fresh blood not having any venom," George added.

"There is no way of blocking these vampires?" Sorin asked. "Garlic or crosses...Holy Water?"

I shook my head. "They don't do a thing. Crosses do nothing."

"And I love garlic," Colin admitted. "Very nice flavoring, but no adverse reaction to it."

"They would increase their numbers by thousands!" Sorin said. "There are people coming from all over the world!"

"That's why I'm saying this..." Shelly said waving at the brochure, "is the event we're looking for. I know it is. It will even be televised."

"Which Iilya wants," Mark said. "If you wanted to force someone to give secrets or suffer...scare people over TV."

"People will have their phones and other devices to record and transmit what happened." Mom said. "Even if you could say it was all staged or not real afterward...there will be footage going around the world. It would literally scare the entire world."

Colin shook his head. "We really need to find them."

George walked over to Dragon. "I hate to say it, but..." he pulled out a vial of the serum. "We're wasting time talking...you need this now."

Dragon looked at the vial, grimaced and nodded. "Let's do it."

George looked at Dr. Petran and Sorin. "Now you'll see how this works."

"But know this..." Colin said. "It will hurt Dragon, but in the end, ...he will be able to go out and eat again." He walked over to Dragon. "Perhaps even go home for the first time in centuries if he wants to. He'll have freedom."

We got Dragon to the chamber he used during the daytime when he slept. We explained what was going to happen...even had Laurel and Sorin feel Dragon had no real pulse. Then George again prepared Dragon's chest and inserted the needle in Dragon's heart. Neither Sorin nor Laurel was ready to see that it did...hurt...very much as Dragon arched his back with the pain.

Dr. Petran stayed with Dragon and George as Dragon endured the pain. I'd seen a lot of people suffer as they took the serum, there was no need for me to see it again. However, I also noted that Sorin was grimacing as Dragon suffered and walked out of the chamber. He was the police and I knew he'd seen worse things than this...I imagined. Sorin was mature with a little grey in his hair, but I think his gruff demeanor was more for show and to threaten criminals...the human kind. I followed Sorin as he returned to Iustina and Repetate where I saw Sorin still sitting as he was watching the two Old Ones enjoy the Bugs Bunny cartoons. He looked this way and that and then sat in a chair near the Old Ones' cell. That New York Bronx or Brooklyn accent of the lovable rabbit was distinct and the music told me what they were looking at. He looked as if he was still working things out in his head. I pulled a chair near him as he struggled with his own thoughts. "Give it time." I smiled. "It's a lot to take in just a few hours."

Sorin came back from his deep thoughts and chuckled. "To say the very least." He shook his head. "Everything I thought I knew about the world has sort of...gone all...nebun... little crazy." He circled his temple to say crazy. He had an Eastern European accent, but I heard less the longer we stayed here.

I laughed. "You're not crazy. It's hard to believe, but you're not crazy." I nodded. "Things won't be the same for you now."

"All of you had to go through that?" Sorin pointed back Dragon's chamber. "All that...pain?"

I nodded. "Yes." I smiled. "Colin did it every day for a while."

Sorin's eyes widened hearing that. "No." He said impressed with the level of determination Colin and George had. "You, too?"

I smiled. "Well, the first time I was bitten..."

"First time?" Sorin asked. "George said it only took one bite!"

I put a hand on his shoulder and nodded stopping him. "I was the only one to get the serum so quickly after a bite." I inhaled as I knew Sorin was trying to understand. "It was mere...minutes after I was bitten, maybe not even minutes...because Colin was a vampire and I wasn't."

"But you knew what he was," Sorin said to get things clear.

"I found a picture of him in some rubble where the house is now." I smiled. "He said it was a grandparent and he just looked like him." I smiled as I thought of that day. "But it was him. Day two, he told me the truth about what he was after he took the medication and explained what he was and how the medication was to prevent him from being a vampire."

Sorin shook his head. "But this level of pain!? Every night!?"

I shook my head. "No," I explained about the blood levels needed to be up and how it hurt because the heart needed restarting. "I would do it if needed. George has done some major improvements." I held my arm up to show Sorin the disc of serum. "Now, it doesn't hurt."

"Okay." He said as he was working it through. "I get it. It's a horrible life and you want out and any sacrifice is not too much, I get that." He looked at me with his eyebrows still together. "There aren't any more...surprises? Out there? Is there?" He motioned out of the caverns.

"Surprises?"

"Werewolves, witches, ghosts or goblins...that sort of thing? Frankenstein?"

I laughed. "I've never seen or heard of any." I shrugged. "I'm not saying there aren't, I just don't know of any." I thought. "I suppose there could be werewolves...after all they have an infection as well...but I dare say they won't be those in the movies."

He nodded as I could see him coming to grips at last with all of this new information and ideas. "That's good...I guess." He looked at the Old Ones who were laughing in their way at whatever Bugs was doing. "They are...not as creepy as before."

"They were made to drink blood. You had what they needed to live...now, you don't. I'm glad you see they aren't the evil." I smiled. "I don't say they aren't dangerous...they are...very. Clearly, they are a threat to mankind, but we can't just destroy them. We might be able to help even."

"Tell me why they were made in the first place," Sorin asked.

"Well, the texts we translated talked of an empire that wanted scouts...soldiers that would go in an advanced fighting force to weaken anyone they came across..."

Sorin looked surprised. "Wait. So, this translating project...whatever...is real?" Sorin asked.

I nodded. "Very real." I picked up my fully charged translator and clicked it on. "As I said before, we don't have to speak so many languages, so we never learn to. You do." I smiled. "You slip into English so well, it's not necessary. We are a diverse world and the vampires which we thought might be in the hundreds, maybe a thousand are a lot more." I smile. "And we need to talk to them, so it made sense to back this project and use it."

Sorin shook his head. "Sorry for interrupting. Back to these two. Who could think this sort of shit up!?" He asked incredibly.

I chuckled. "Many have dreamt of the perfect warrior and the perfect weapon." I smiled at Repetate and Iustina. "There they are...so they thought."

Sorin nodded and thought more. "Do you know what happened to this empire?"

I shook my head. "No, not really, but..." I waved at Iustina and Repetate. "There were a whole lot more of them in the beginning...I can only offer conjecture what might have happened. There is no proof. I don't know if this empire had what we do for countering the effects...making them less of a target to their own people. I would dare to say that these weapons turned on their creators if they didn't."

Sorin nodded and then gave a reluctant shrug. "It doesn't matter, they're gone now." He looked at Iustina and Repetate. "But they're still here."

"Yes, they are." I smiled looking as they were smiling at something else they saw. "I know we're asking a lot from you, Inspector..."

He chuckled. "Just call me Sorin." He shook his head. "I have a feeling we'll know each other a long time."

I smiled at the idea. "I welcome that," I said sincerely. "I know there will be a lot of questions later as you..." I waved at him, "assimilate all this."

Sorin chuckled again. "I'm working on it."

"I had a hard time with it, too," I admitted.

Sorin looked shocked. "I guess you did. Anyone would." He smiled. "You must have come around...you married him."

I nodded. "He had the harder time than I did."

Sorin looked surprised. "He did? He had a hard time."

"When we first met...he was a vampire already on the serum. He knew about the venom and that it was in all his fluids. So, therefore in his..."

"Yes, I get it!" Sorin said quickly laughing uncomfortably holding his hands up to stop me. I smirked. "Which is harder to accept? The fact that we're vampires? Or that we're gay?"

Sorin shook his head. "You're both!" He snickered. "I do have trouble understanding being...gay...but as long as I'm not involved..."

"And until you said that I was rooting for you." I shook my head as I frowned.

"I admit it!" Sorin confessed. "I don't get it." He threw his hands out. "It doesn't make sense!" He threw his hand out toward Iustina and Repetate. "They don't make sense." He frowned. "But they're here and so are you." He turned again to me. "Do you believe in God? How do you think He feels about what you are?"

"Are we talking about the vampire thing or the gay thing?" I asked angrily.

Sorin looked puzzled and shook his head. "No, you misunderstand." He chuckled. "Maybe we should use the translator after all." He smiled. "I mean...I can't imagine a man I would be attracted to enough to make me want to have sex with him." He waved at me as if to physically shove the miscommunication away. "We are attracted to what we're attracted to. We all do have...things..." He smiled. "Many don't care for what attracts me."

"And what are you attracted to?" I asked now curious.

Sorin was beginning to turn pink. "I like my women..." he scratched the side of his nose as he was embarrassed. "...let me say...I like meat on a woman."

I smiled and nodded. "Oh."

He held his hand up again. "Not fat, no, but a few extra pounds...soft and round." He watched as I was apparently my nose was turning up and pointed at me. "See!? You're not attracted at all...that's what I meant. You're not involved, so that's what I meant about the gay part. I don't want to be involved."

I nodded. "I get it." I looked at him.

"Do ypu believe in God?"

I shrugged and threw my hands up. "I hope so. Whether he's real or not...I can't answer that. I have no proof one way or the other. I've never seen a miracle or seen an angel. I've wanted to, but never did. Not one I recognized anyway."

"That means you don't believe in magic." Sorin nodded.

"Not the Bewitched kind of magic, no, but..." I frowned, "there's magic all around us."

Sorin cocked his head. "Where?"

"You have it in you." I smiled. "You. That presence that is looking out on the world through your eyes...seeing me, knowing who I am and more importantly, who you are. That's magic." I smiled. "There are vampires out there that are just basic predators. They wake up, hunt, and go to sleep and do it again the next night. We say they've lost their humanity. I say, they lose their sense of self." I nodded. "There are wonders in the world and there are horrors, but they're real I never could have dreamed up this life." I sighed. "We are animals. Yet there is something different. We know what we are. I'd say that's pretty magical."

Sorin bowed a little. "I mean...burning bushes and things like that."

I smiled. "Haven't seen one."

He nodded. "Is there anything that really surprised you about all this?" He asked indicating the caverns.

I nodded. "Oh, absolutely." I frowned. "It was really sad the first time I had...a problem with what we were doing...killing vampires." I held my hand up to stop his question. "I wasn't prepared for the one we found in Manhattan...New York...wherever. New York is big." I chuckled. "The vampire we found that night was only five years old."

"Five!?" Sorin balked. "You couldn't...use the serum?"

I shrugged again. "I don't know," I admitted. "We were still on the injections and the discs were new...and Colin said there was nothing left of the boy at that time that he was a mindless predator and I didn't see anything but a pissed off vampire about to kill a man!"

"Five," Sorin said in disbelief.

"There are vampires that aren't that picky or didn't have luck hunting, so..." I explained with a shrug. "The bottom line is they need blood. Colin, Gabriella, and the others never asked to be a vampire. It was done by someone else who wanted to kill them. Destroy them."

"And you?"

I smiled. "Well, I was a little different," I explained how Colin had been forced off the serum and became a vampire and I did it so he wouldn't suffer. "He could resist so long and...he would die after he attacked me and realized what he'd done. It wasn't his fault."

"You love him very much." Sorin nodded with a smile. "I can't argue with that."

"As far as God's take on all of this...He understands much more than anyone else and He's God! He knows the hearts of all of us." I said simply. "Vampires, too."

Sorin thumbed back toward Dragon and the others. "He has to do this five or six more days." He said to confirm.

I nodded. "He will if he wants to see a sunrise." I was very serious now. "You and I really don't have a clue as to how bad it is...being a vampire. I don't. I was a full vampire one or two nights. Colin did it for almost two centuries." I looked up as Repetate was looking puzzled and I realized the CD had run out. "Wait guys!" I said to them both. "I have more!" I went to the cell door and looked back at Sorin. "I'm opening the door. You'll see they won't be interested in you now." I slowly opened the door and Iustina and Repetate just smiled knowing the enjoyment was going to continue. I looked at Sorin and smiled. "It's going to work out fine, Sorin," I assured. "We're just people. Not all of us are fiends or something to go bump in the night."

It was after Dragon had gone to sleep did Laurel have to retire for rest. She even called to say there was an emergency she needed to take care of and won't be back to the hospital a while. George looked surprised as she shut her phone down. "I'm glad you're here, but don't you have other patients?"

Laurel smiled. "Who can do without me a few days." She said. "I was called in because of you." She pointed to me and Colin. "You were all shot and...well...I hate to say it, but...money does talk and we couldn't have a major investor killed by someone without punishing them and getting to the bottom of who shot you." She almost bounced. "And what better medical mystery than real live vampires!" She asked pointing at Dragon's prone form. She took George's arm. "Now, you say you have recorded what you've found so far on a hard drive. I'd love to see it."

I was with Repetate and Iustina a while but came back to find Sorin looking around the caverns we were in and he was nodding at what he saw. He stomped a foot on the hardwood floor and was impressed at the lack of give.

"Do you like where Dragon and his people live?" I asked Sorin.

Sorin turned and nodded. "It's amazing!" He tapped his foot on the floor again. "What's under here? It's level!"

"Sand, I think," I answered. "The ground has all those stalagmites that are jagged and the sand fills up the spaces. They boarded it up below."

"It's smooth and level!"

"They had a while to refine it," I said.

He turned to me and smiled. "All these centuries...this was under our feet." He said marveling.

"It's a little out of town, but, other than the color of some of the rock...a cave is a cave." I said simply. I looked at what had clearly been a lava tube at one time, perhaps millions of years in that past and only hammered out by hand at some portions to make it easier to get through. "Stalagmites and Stalactites are all pretty much the same underground."

"And which is which again?" Sorin grinned.

"Sticks tight to the ceiling...stalactites." I pointed up at the ceiling of the cave.

Sorin nodded. "That's good." He said smiling and he was looking more at ease now. "So, tell me...who tried to kill you when you were attacked?" He said leveling his gaze on me. "I still have an investigation."

I told him about Iilya and Lucian and how they were planning something big.

"And you think this Halloween in Transylvania is that event?" Sorin asked as he worked it in his mind.

"They can do several things that night," I said. "They feed. They make more vampires and it's televised."

Sorin frowned. "That would be a spectacle, but so...out there."

"But when it begins to happen, the people won't be scared for a while thinking that's why they're here...to be scared. They will think it's part of the festivities."

Sorin nodded as he walked over to me. "Something is keeping you here, though." He said. "More than Dragon and his men...rescuing vampires."

"Understand, this is an ongoing research process. We know that the original venom has gone through many people and so forth and down the line, it became what you see. There is no telling how many vampires got the venom, made it their own and passed it to another. Each time, it seems fractionally less." I explained. "There is a vampire here that managed something no vampire can do, as far as I know. A child. He has a son."

Sorin nodded. "And this son has something that will help you?"

"He has immunity," I explained. "He's not a vampire but has the venom. He has his own antivenin and antibody which George hopes to take from him and give to us."

"But you'll never die!" Sorin pointed out.

"There is a price," I said. "You have to stay on the serum. If we run out, we become those things again. You saw what Dragon went through...willingly to be free of this! He doesn't want to live forever and have no life."

"But you do!" Sorin said again. "You do now! You have that life." He stressed. "You're flying around the world, eating in fine restaurants, going to exotic places...you won't die!"

I shook my head. "We will!" I said. "Everyone dies. The problem is...we're not going to be killed because of illness or age, but we will die. How would you feel if you know that one day, you will be killed? It's inevitable! You won't slip away in your sleep after decades of life or even with an illness." I watched and I was getting angrier as Sorin's eyes grew as I said what I was saying. "You will die! You will be killed! Something or someone is going to kill you." I turned back as I was speaking louder than even I intended. "Or worse...you're in an accident. A plane crashes, a car runs you over. You lose an arm or leg...but it won't grow back, but you will live! You won't die. You could be brain damaged and you won't die! The only one I know that had anything close to a bearable life was Amasis, he was a god, or so he though for millennia. He stayed in a place like this for more than two thousand years!!" I was advancing as I spoke, but Sorin was backing up as I did with shock on his face. "When I saw Gabriella that first night." I shook my head. "She was this horrible...monster...this...thing!" I said not hiding my disgust. "She was more like that undead you read about or hear about. Basically, a corpse that...and thank God, had some humanity in her still. Her sense of self was still there and that was magic." I shook my head. "I'm glad I won't be leaving Colin...necessarily. But think about what I'd do if I lost him! Eventually, we will lose each other. We know that. Nothing lasts forever." I shook my head. "No, I want Colin and me to have our time together, but it will end. I know that."

"Whoa," Sorin said holding his hand up to stop the assault I was giving verbally. "I get it." He assured me. "My point is you have no idea when. It could be tomorrow or not for hundreds of years. Thousands of years. I have maybe twenty to thirty years, I hope." He smiled. "Can't you see where that would be what a lot of people want?"

I sighed. "Yes. I brought the same arguments to George and Colin." I said softer. "But it's a cheat. Fearing death. When Brett bit me, and he was the one that wanted to be a vampire, not because he would live, but to destroy Colin! He almost did."

"That was the first bite," Sorin said confirming.

"Right." I shook my head. "He wasn't that sharp in the first place, but he was insane with the turn of the centuries." I looked at Sorin. "This isn't a state I wish on anyone. I chose this for Colin. My mother chose it because of Willie." I said sadly. "They were both...all of them...Willie, Colin, Alex...they were lost and lonely. They're not anymore, but if I can have today and tomorrow with Colin, I'll take it. Mom can have Willie today and tomorrow...maybe we can help make up the years of suffering they have."

He gave a shrug and a nod. "I guess there's good and bad with both." He looked around. "Where's everyone else? I know Colin is here with George..."

"They do nightly patrols," I answered. "We're trying to find these other vampires. The ones not with Dragon."

"You can do that?" Sorin asked.

"Some of us had abilities we brought over from our days as regular people," I said. "Gabriella and Alex have a keen sense of smell. We all do, but theirs...it's almost supernatural what they can smell."

"So, there is a way for you to sense a vampire."

"We feel it when we meet one." I nodded. "Gabriella and Alex can smell it." I waved at Repetate and Iustina. "They can, too."

Sorin nodded. "My non-vampire blood."

"George has a detector he claims works. We'll find out that night."

We met with the others to gather what information we got that night back at the house we rented.

"These vampires are keeping it very low," Gabriella said sighing as she sat in a chair. "I didn't pick up a thing."

"But they have to feed!" Colin said turning to Sorin. "What about livestock? Have there been any complaints about missing livestock?"

Sorin shrugged. "I didn't pay much attention it, but now that you mention it, there have been some reports about someone bothering with them."

"Bothering? How?" Colin asked.

Sorin nodded. "The livestock were all drained of blood, but there were no deaths."

"What kind of livestock?" Colin asked.

"Cows, sheep, goats, and pigs mostly," Sorin reported. "They need them alive to go back for more later." He smiled. "Now that I know about it, knowing what it means, I can watch for it. But these events happened over a broad range of land. There's no way of determining where they will hit next."

Colin rubbed his face in his hands. "It will be Halloween night, I'm sure of it." He looked at Sorin. "I know there will be police there."

Sorin nodded vigorously. "Absolutely there will be...a lot of crazies and those vampires will be there added to the mix."

Willie sat up. "Your local police will need help. Are you getting help from other sources?"

Sorin nodded again vigorously. "Absolutely, but we're spread thin enough as it is even with support staff. It's over all Romania."

Shelly smiled. "Well, how about a few more?" She waved at Chuck and Mark. "We're all certified with handguns, and we can qualify again if we need to."

Sorin brightened. "You are agents." He nodded. "I could deputize you. I'd be within my rights to do that." He then growled. "But you follow orders!" He pointed to Mark and Chuck.

Chuck grinned as he saluted. "Roger that, Sarg!"

Colin smiled at what he saw. "This could be good!" He said happily. He stood up. "Now, I'll show you what we have when we find these vampires to push back! I think we'll get things done now."

"Push back? As in weapons? Garlic and Holy Water doesn't work?" Sorin asked and then nodded. "Oh, yes, you said you liked garlic, Colin."

Mark came in with...and truthfully it looked more like a toy, but that was the point. More like those really big squirt guns. "This is a serum gun." He said opening the cartridge. "It shoots little hard pellets of the serum."

"Isn't that what you have shot in you!?" Sorin asked. "To rid you of that...whatever."

"Yes, but the dosage is so low. It just hurts, if it does nothing else, it will slow them down." Mark replied and he pulled up another...it looked like a flashlight. "And this..." Mark flipped a switch and it came on, "...is a sun gun." He waved his hand in front of it and even aimed it at Sorin. "See? No harm to the humans!"

Sorin rose and took the two guns. "Anti-vampire weaponry." He grinned and looked up as I knew the look. "There's this great movie...Underworld Series...they had these great weapons!!"

There was a general groan from everyone and my mother shook her head. "No, not you, too!"

Gabriella snickered. "Here we go again." She moaned as her eyes rolled. "Another movie fanatic!"

I chuckled. "Well, Sorin's right, they did have some bitchin' weapons!!"

Sorin looked puzzled. "I said something wrong?"

I grinned at Sorin. "Not at all!" I smiled slapping him lightly on the back. "We, the very few...appreciate good cinema and a good story." I frowned at Gabriella and my mother. "Sometimes it's not appreciated by some...less enlightened individuals."

Stan came in the room but was carrying a tablet he studied as he walked, but had a near blank stare as he was looking at what he was reading.

"Earth to Stan," Mark said lightly to his partner but looked at Stan's face. "Is there a problem, Stan?"

Stan looked up as he read. "Huh?" Then he seemed to come around more and aware we were there. "Oh, yes..." he said looking at all of us. "Now, we have another problem."

"Another problem?" Colin asked. "What new problem is it now?"

"Well, it's not really a new problem, but a complication." Stan looked at his tablet. "Buddy and I planted...well...it's sort of a piggyback program like malware or one of those programs to just ride a message and see what keys you hit and tell it's source." He said. "Even though we can't find where this Vampire Death Squad originates. The messages are flying all around on the World Wide Web."

"Who's Buddy?" Sorin asked as he looked up having looked the plastic gun as he marveled at what it was supposed to do. "Vampire Death Squad?"

I patted Sorin. "I'll explain in a minute." I said. "What have you found out, Stan?"

Stan was nodding as he read. "The program Buddy and I created attached itself to the last message sent...that broadcast the Vampire Death Squad sent and rode it all over the world. When it arrived at different locations, it left a piece of itself so I could read other messages that are received and sent." He waved the tablet. "They are referring to ground zero." He said looking at all of us. "They're coming here! They think this is ground zero!"

I shook my head. "But this isn't ground zero," I said simply. "Vampires originated in the Middle East."

Stan nodded. "They don't know that."

Colin frowned. "If they aren't already here." He said softly.

"Who are these people?" Sorin practically bellowed. "Who is coming or already here?"

I gave a quick nod and realized he couldn't know. "Buddy is our computer. Our brain. He's not here, but the mainframe back in Manhattan ties in with all our computers, devices, translators...Stan is our...well...he is all things computer. He's a genius. We broadcast a web broadcast showing Dragon's conversion from vampire back to something more human to ease the other vampires into trusting us. We thought. This group...this Death Squad has four kills under their belts, warning us...through another broadcast that they would kill us!"

"But you're on the same side!" Sorin then asked simply. "They don't see you as good guys?"

I shook my head. "They couldn't know that."

"Vampire Death Squad?" Sorin said again. "They sound like they could be teenagers...at best...in college."

Stan nodded appreciatively. "He's right." He smiled at Sorin.

"How do you know?" Mom asked Stan.

Stan turned the tablet to my mother. "The language used." He said simply. "Many are from the United States, but...everyone is using this shorthand now, but almost all of these messages have it."

"Buddy translates languages," Shelly said. "Could it just be the translation program shorting it?"

"No. This generation has grown up on LOL and TMI and all that. Abbreviations in language when texting. Even messages of love and hate are abbreviated like 143 means I love you and 182 means I hate you. They don't have time to write things out. These messages are full of them and some that are just theirs!" Stan explained. "Buddy doesn't translate those." He pulled up a message and read it out loud. "TOA 2 GZ 1029 DCWL."

Sorin looked confused. "What? That's just numbers and letters."

Stan pointed at Sorin. "Exactly." He grinned. "That means time of arrival to ground zero October 29th, Dracula's Castle, Wallachia." He sighed. "I had to work that one out, but almost everyone these days has their emails sent to their phones now. They can receive and respond by phone, but this generation thinks that's too much typing and don't even think about punctuation. They created and use these shortcuts." He shook his tablet. "I think these are what these are."

Sorin smiled as he got it. "This is like that movie..." he started, "the one with those two boys named Corey something in it..." But his tone was telling me the gravity of this situation was hitting home now as he lowered the serum gun.

"The Lost Boys?" I supplied.

Sorin nodded. "Yes! Lost Boys! This group could be made up of people like in that movie, where they grew up, went to college and now fight vampires on semester breaks!?"

"The really bad part is...these guys are well supplied financially and are using sophisticated hardware." Stan said. "If anything, I think they're using college access to computers to do some of these things," Stan said. "Using Daddy's money to hunt these vampires and using the computer lab."

Mark threw his hands up. "So, we have some Poindexters in a computer lab killing vampires while studying Calculus!?"

"Poindexters?" Sorin asked having no clue what Mark meant. "What is that?"

I grinned did a quick search. "Tocilar." I offered.

Sorin's eyes now understood. "Oh." But I saw his face begin to lose more of that happy discovery look.

Colin leaned toward me and looked puzzled. "What's tocilar?"

"Geek," I said.

"Oh," Colin said.

Sorin suddenly thrusting his arms out. "Stop!! Everyone just stop!" He was gathering himself and thinking. "I lost myself a little with all this." He said handing what looked like a Supersoaker to Mark. "I got caught up in this...fever about vampires, but...I am an enforcer of the law here." Sorin said a little testily. "This whole...night has been..." he swirled his finger again around his head. "It's been crazy. I woke up one morning not even a few weeks ago...where I was handed this case and thought...no, I knew you were hiding something. There was an explanation. Rich men from the West are wandering around in the woods that early? A doctor in the group...with an unknown drug. I knew there was more than what I was told. I knew it! I'm thinking about drugs or something I can deal with. A simple crime!" He turned to Colin. "I find out there are vampires! Real vampires and I've seen them!" He shook his head. "My mind is still telling me it is a trick, but I can't figure out how or why." He looked at the others in the room. "You are almost all vampires here." He shook his head. "I saw those two...what you call Old Ones and I still have trouble with accepting it, but they were right there! I saw them! There are real vampires and they've been here for centuries! Longer in some cases." He waved at Amasis. "I knew you were hiding what you were doing here, but I never once considered this." He was starting to get loud. "Well, now, I'm back! I'm the police! This has been amazing, but now there's another group coming in to kill you!?"

"Wrong, Inspector," I said. "This group is coming to kill all vampires. Me, Colin, Iilya, Lucian, Gaius...Dragon..!"

Sorin was struggling again as he sat down suddenly. "I have always been this...show me evidence person." He explained. "I've seen people do some horrible things to others and themselves." He looked at Colin. "You suffered like Dragon did tonight almost every night?"

Colin nodded. "Once the levels were..."

Sorin nodded quickly. "I know...it was shorter, but you did it willingly every night!"

"To try to get rid of this? I'd do it again." Colin nodded. "George will succeed in finding how to get us free from this venom. I know he will."

Sorin nodded. "What I'm saying, I was always the Investigator. Show me the evidence. Follow the rules..." he looked up at me, "what your TV shows say by the book sort of investigator." He threw his hands up. "But there are no laws about how to deal with vampires! Now, I find out there are vampires here to help other vampires out, another group of vampires that want to be Dracula-type of vampire or one in those fiction stories...and now this group of kids that want all vampires to simply die." He shook his head. "What rule do I follow? I can deputize all of you, but there will be thousands of people here that night! How do I protect them?"

Alex smiled sadly. "You can't."

Sorin put his head in his hands as he tried to come up with a solution. "People are going to die?"

"Definitely." I nodded. "We're going to try to minimize as many as we can, but there will be deaths."

"A long time ago, some greedy men decided they knew what was best for us and to hell with the other people and wanted to control the world," Colin said calmly. "They...over hundreds of years created the creatures like Iustina and Repetate. The Old Ones were sent out in the world to destroy. Now, we're trying to clean up the mess. I know about five of these things. There was one in England that bit Wayne. He saw another there. Gizmo was the one that Devon met in Germany that was killed. Their numbers have been reduced, but the effects are still ongoing."

"They're breaking the law!" Sorin asked. "The laws of nature! Why are they still alive?"

"Because we need to understand them and find out about how to counteract their venom," I said. "It would be easier to just destroy them, but I think Dragon did a good job keeping them contained as he has. They're less of a threat now."

"As long as they're in custody," Sorin said. "But they could get out."

"We're trying to deal with a problem, not get rid of it," Wayne said.

"What can we do?" Sorin asked all of us. "We could broadcast, as you said you did with Dragon, telling people not to come."

"And not be able to tell them why?" Colin asked.

"We come up with something...we could say there was a terrorist threat." Sorin offered.

"Which you'll have to show evidence like you said," I said. "What threat? By whom? How'd you find out?"

Colin stood next to me. "Why did they choose you to solve what happened to us?" Colin asked Sorin.

Sorin smiled. "Because I have a 94 percent resolution rate. Conviction." He said trying not to sound too proud. "I get the answer to problems. Drugs, prostitution, or murder...I get whoever is responsible. I close cases."

"That's great!" I said grinning. "You're good at what you do." I walked over to him. "Look, Sorin...this is going to be very bad. That...you have to face."

Colin came up behind me. "We're doing everything in our power to make...lessen the losses."

"We don't have any guidelines." Mom said. "We'll help in any way, however we can."

"The danger will not be us," Willie said. "Iilya, Lucian and their followers will be..."

"And this Vampire Death Squad." I nodded. "We won't have guns to use on people. The sun gun and serum pellets are our weapons, but we'll be out there."

"What are your plans for those two..." he pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. "...Iustina and Repetate?"

Colin nodded. "Well, George wants to take them to Manhattan. He has a lab there that will work better...he says."

"How are you going to do that?" Sorin asked. "They can't be out the daytime."

Colin nodded. "They will be in what the first vampires we've transported in, but they will be from the farthest away. We have containers they can travel in that will shield them from sunlight."

"We'll move them at night to the container and then put the container on a plane," I explained.

"This is going to be a busy night coming up," Willie warned Sorin.

Colin smiled at Sorin. "We'll be out there with you." He assured.

Sorin was not in charge of the protection that was needed in Transylvania that night, but he was part of the task force to help with it.

He met with us almost every day.

Dragon was going through the serum and Sorin got to see him and even shared the first morning Dragon had to see the sunrise. Burke got him familiar with the serum guns and sun guns. Now Colin and I were bringing Sorin over to speak with George.

George and Laurel were working almost night and day with the venom and Nicolae's unusual blood properties.

Laurel was looking at the computer screen...no more did you have to look down on a sample under a microscope...the monitor screen showed the cells that were in Nicolae's blood large and in color! She nodded. "I see...it is like convergence to the two. The antivenin and antibody..." She looked at George's notes. "This is...what batch?" She asked. "You added venom directly from Iustina and Repetate...and the antivenin and antibodies are living."

George nodded. "And I harvest the ones that survive to further the process. They are getting stronger."

I cleared my throat making them both turn around. "Sorry to interrupt, but...have you had a chance to...whatever...tweak the detectors?"

George nodded. "Of course!" He went to a counter near where they were working and picked up one he had worked on. "John was helping with this...we can't seem to..." he shook his head, "...you can't just point at someone and know if they're a vampire or not." He explained as he turned it on. He looked up. "Dimitry." He called to a man walking by. He was still a vampire. "Dimitry is going to have the serum tomorrow night, but for now..." he pointed the detector at Dimitry and the red light blinked and a little alert sounded from the detector. "At best, it's a proximity alert, meaning there is a vampire near you."

"But there will be a crowd that night," Sorin said.

"Our senses are tuned to pick up vampires," George explained. "We use smell; the subtle biochemical changes that occur in the body that can be read. The problem is...if they are upwind or downwind, you may or may not get much warning."

I nodded. "But you'll get a warning."

"It's best if one of us is with you at all times," George said cautiously. He smiled at Sorin. "This will give you some warning."

Sorin shrugged and smiled at me. "It's better than nothing." He looked at me. "How are we doing this? Do I deputize you all?"

"You could Shelly, Chuck, and Mark, but I think it will be best if Devon, our mother and the others just fan out in the crowd," Colin said. "More noses and senses out among the people."

Sorin nodded and still looked a little worried.

Colin put his hand on Sorin's shoulder. "What's going to happen is going to happen. We'll just do what we can to prevent it from being so much worse. You're not alone in this."

Sorin nodded. "It will be bad." He sighed.

"It will." I agreed.

"And my people will help as well." Dragon said happily as he walked in the room. Only he didn't have on that dark leather now. His hair had been cut, his eyes had moisture and he was wearing a leather jacket over a turtle neck sweater and a nice pair of pants! He was a very nice-looking man.

"Who are you?" I grinned as Dragon came over to us. "You look familiar."

Dragon chuckled. "That's a joke." He literally bounced. "I look like a man of the twenty-first century now?" He asked holding his jacket open so we could see what he had on.

Colin nodded. "Very much so." He looked behind Dragon. "Wasn't Gaius with you?"

Dragon nodded. "He's spending a lot of time with his son and daughter-in-law, catching up on missed time with them."

"We should probably get Nicolae out of the country before this...thing," Colin suggested to us. "If they realize he's a key..."

George nodded. "I agree. If we lose him..."

"They don't have any idea what we're doing, do they?" I asked Colin and George.

"No, but we don't want to risk losing him the night of this Transylvania Halloween thing," George said.

"Okay, they leave within the week," Colin said simply.

"What about Iustina and Repetate?" I asked. "Shouldn't they go, too?"

Colin nodded and brought me aside. "I was thinking..." he looked at me, knowing I wouldn't like what he was going to say. "You need to go with them."

"What!?" I practically bellowed. "Leave you here!? I'm not leaving you!"

Colin nodded and tried to calm me down. "I know you don't want to, but think a minute." He said. "They are dangerous creatures. Not to us, because we are vampires. Manhattan would be an open feeding ground for them if they got loose!"

"They won't get loose."

"There could be accidents and...it could happen and who is the one person they trust right now? You!" Colin said again simply. "If they got loose the only one they would come to is you."

I waved at George. "They trust him! They let him take their venom!"

Colin nodded again. "With you there. Face it, Devon, you are the only one that can keep them calm and trying to escape!"

"Colin! I am not leaving you here!" I said now worried about the fact he would be separated from me if I went. "No," I said shaking my head. "This might become deadly, even for us! I won't be able to think or do anything if I don't know you're safe."

"Iilya and Lucian know about these Old Ones," Colin said. "They might come after them to make them...more the vampire."

"How can I do that, Colin?" I asked him. "I care about them, but I love you! I love you! I can't leave my husband to deal with this alone."

"I know, but they've never flown before." Colin went on. "Hell, they've probably never seen an airplane. They'll be scared, but they will be vulnerable if they stay."

"Fine." I looked at George. "Is the container ready? Is it here?"

George nodded. "It's here."

"We load them up," I said to Colin. "We get Nicolae, his wife and children on that plane...put Iustina and Repetate in the container and we fly directly to Manhattan, I get them secured and we fly right back! But you come with me! I'm not taking chances with losing you."

Colin nodded. "Okay, but we can't leave them alone." Colin objected.

"That's Iustina and Repetate...Colin, they've lived for decades in that cell. They've lived how many thousands of years?" I shook my head. "We put them in one of those rooms where we put Brett," I said. "The one they can't get out of..." I patted his chest. "I don't know if they understand me, but I'll tell them what will happen and whoever's watching them to keep the Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry coming and keep them supplied with blood. They should be fine." I waved toward George. "He'll be there and they know him. They'll make it a few days to do this and get back."

We'd been so busy these few days, most of the time we collapsed in bed and just went to sleep. Pitiful. I saw his eyes soften and he smiled. "I will confess something to you." He waved at Sorin. "I was jealous of Sorin for a while."

"Sorin!?" I asked surprised. "Why?"

Colin shrugged. "He was...so much more than I...he knew movies as you do and he's a handsome guy you seemed to like..."

I know my eyes widened. I didn't need to see them. "And you think I would be tempted...Colin!"

Colin smiled again. "I didn't say that, but you have a way with people and they just love you. How could he not love you?" He shook his head. "But not the way I love you. Now, I know you love me and this just proves it more." He kissed me gently and pulled me into an embrace. "We'll have to hurry."

"I love you, Colin." I grinned. "Besides, I'm not his type."

Colin's eye grew. "And how do you know that?"

"He told me!"

"How did that subject come up?" Colin demanded.

"I'll tell you all of it." I grinned and looked at his slightly peeved face. "You're kind of sexy when you're jealous." I pulled him to me kissing him. "I took vows to you. Don't worry about things that won't happen. I love only you." I said swatting him lightly, making him flinch but knew I'd never hurt him.'

He grinned pressing his forehead against mine. "I know."

We came back at Sorin was arguing with Dragon.

"...but it's been centuries since you fought any conflict! Things changed over these centuries." Sorin said. "You are who I think you are, we don't want to kill anyone."

"I proved I would do anything to keep the people safe!" Dragon argued. "Something is threatening them again. My men are from several wars over the centuries." Dragon said heatedly. "Dimitri is the last three of my people to go on the serum. They are vampires. They will be able to sense these other vampires. Don't tell me you can't use their help, Sorin."

"That would put more vampires on the serum out there." I pointed out to Sorin.

He looked up like he was seeking heavenly assistance and then looked back at Dragon. "Fine. But your people answer to me! Got it?"

Colin chuckled. "Okay, say good-bye to Iustina and Repetate. They leave tonight." He looked at Dragon. "Can you tell Gaius we're moving his son and family tonight?"

Dragon nodded with a smile. "I can! I'll go to his house! In the daytime and tell him!" He said almost excited about the fact he could now.

"Sorin, it takes a few days to get them there and settled, we'll be back before this Halloween thing. I promise. We'll coordinate what we need to do when we get back."

Sorin nodded. "I hope so."

Next: We Make Our Move