Chapter 1

Bruce stretched his leg muscles, hoping to relieve some of the pain that seemed to radiate clear to the marrow of his bones.  When he’d agreed to allow me to give him a crash course in martial arts self-defense, he had no idea how physically challenging it would be.

He always prided himself in his well preserved and athletic body.  He’d been a valued player on his college football team and continued to play with a local group of Owego residents on weekends just for fun. He was also an adept and avid hunter.  Even so, his body was screaming in shocked surprise at the number of muscles he possessed that hadn’t seen action; possibly ever.

The floorboards of his cabin’s porch creaked under his weight as he paced back and forth; partially out of impatience while he waited for me to return with the newlyweds, and partially to keep his muscles from tightening up any more than they already were.

Our good friends and my fellow escapees from vampire captivity, Shen, and Dao-Ming, were married while visiting her mother in China. We’d debated whether or not their going was a wise decision under the present circumstances.  We weren’t out of the woods with these vampires and a plan for stopping them needed to be formulated, but, after all that had happened, no one could deny them a short trip back to China to assure Dao-Ming’s mother that she was fine and to allow her to bask in a little motherly love.  While there, they felt an overwhelming need to marry while in the comforting embrace of their loved ones. Since Bruce and I were in need of healing both body and soul, we sought the peace and quiet his cabin offered while we waited for them to return.

Although my body had been put to the test during our vampire encounters -it had been broken in some spots and severely beaten in others- I’d healed with remarkable speed.  I attributed it to my desire to get back out there and finish what we’d started.  Now, not even a month later, my wounded ankle and the fractured rib cage were as good as new.  It was a classic example of mind over matter.

I carefully worked Bruce’s black SUV through the deep ruts that thick tires and melting snow caused in the long dirt drive leading to his cabin.  Spring was slow to come to the Southern Tier of New York and even slower on its wooded hillsides.  Even so, the sun managed to peek through the treetops just enough to work its magic on the brilliant white blanket of twinkling snow and, little by little, it was being whittled away; allowing tiny buds to peek through.

Bruce looked quizzically past me, only to find his SUV carried no other passengers.

Barely waiting for me to park, he bellowed, “I thought you were bringing the newlyweds. What happened?”

I eased my foot over a large puddle as I balanced my body while closing the door behind me.

“You really need to figure something out with this drive if you plan on spending a lot of time up here.  This is bad,” I grumbled with annoyance.

“Never mind that,” Bruce scowled, “Where are Shen and Dao-Ming? What happened?”

“I don’t know,” I replied. “They weren’t on the plane.  I checked with the airlines.  Man, are they tight with their info.  It took me hours before I finally found someone who’d tell me that they put their tickets on hold.”

“Are you kidding me?” he said incredulously.

“I don’t get it. I’m hoping to hop online and find an e-mail waiting for me explaining it all,” I said as I held my blackberry up over my head and rotated my body. “I haven’t been able to get enough reception with this stupid thing all day.  I knew I should’ve met them at JFK instead of agreeing to a connecting flight in Syracuse. These mountains are cell phone nightmares.”

“I hear ya,” he said as he reached into a small portable cooler, produced two bottles of beer, and handed one to me. “Do you think they’re okay?”

“I sure hope so,” I said as I tipped the bottle to my lips and allowed the cool, carbonation to pour down my throat. 

“Should we go back to my place in town?” he asked.

“Is your computer hooked up?” I replied with a scowl. “I don’t know if I’ll get reception with this thing in town either.”

“What do you have your mailbox with?” he asked.

“G-Mail,” I said with curiosity. “Does it matter?”

“Okay then. We’re in business,” he said with a smile.

I handed my empty bottle to Bruce and picked my way back through thick slush to my SUV.  I was anxious to get to a computer and see what message, if any, Shen might have sent. I was concerned about his last minute change in flight. I was against his trip to begin with. It was too dangerous. Now, all I could do was hope their flight change was for family reasons and not because they were discovered and were trying to fool the enemy.

****

The desert heat assaulted Shen as he stepped out of the airline terminal to hail a cab. He was back in Las Vegas, the city of sin.

 Only a few months ago he’d fought for his life alongside Bruce and me against the cannibalistic vampires who’d held him captive, while keeping him in a drug induced state that stripped him of his own will as they forced him to breed on command.  His body shuddered involuntarily as the still vivid memories of the traumatic ordeal flashed through his mind.

He moved through the crowd in a robotic fashion while his eyes scoped it warily. We’d destroyed the mutant-vampires who’d held us captive and we were sure the ones who managed to escape weren’t cannibalistic mutants and couldn’t walk in the light of day, but until we found those demons of the night and destroyed them as well, they’d be a constant threat to us and those we held dear.

He’d given it considerable thought while resting in China.  Tatyana and the baby were the key.  Find them and we’d find the vampires. He was certain of it.

The baby was half-vampire and would turn if encouraged. Dracula’s first born, Dragomir, wanted to take the infant back to Dracula immediately after his birth, but Tatyana had cradled her newborn half-vampire, half-human brother and fled during the confusion. Shen was certain Dragomir would search for the baby. Yes, Tatyana and her baby brother were the key to finding and destroying Dragomir and his clan before they found and destroyed us.

His sources had contacted him while he was still in China to tell him they’d spotted Tatyana working in a small out of the way casino in Las Vegas.  Shen immediately changed his travel plans with Dao-Ming and had hastened to Las Vegas.  He promised Dao-Ming that, as soon as he accomplished securing Tatyana’s safety with Bruce and me, he’d return to China for her and they’d come back to the states together. He had no intention of letting her travel alone again.

In his haste to leave, he neglected to inform Bruce and me of his change in plans.  He decided it was probably just as well.  He knew we’d have insisted on joining him and he wanted nothing more than to grab Tatyana and the baby and slip in and out of ‘“Sin City”’ as quickly as he could.  He didn’t plan on being there long enough to justify us coming.   As soon as he reached the hotel, he’d fill us in on what was happening and what flight we could expect the three of them to fly in on.