Nick and Vachon did not care about using the door. They flew in through the skylight and landed by the couch.
"They killed that guy right in front of other mortals!" Vachon had been in a state of disbelief since they had left the warehouse.
Nick walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle. Pulling the cork out with his teeth, he spat the cork away and chugged down the bottle's contents. He offered a bottle to the younger vampire. Vachon gladly accepted and mimicked Nick to a tee.
"Give me a minute," Nick said as he walked toward the phone. He speed-dialed Natalie at the coroner's office. As the answering machine picked up, he sighed. Figures she wouldn't be there, he thought to himself. Beep.
"Hi Nat. Listen, we're back, no problem. Call me when you get back. It's important."
He hung up the phone, turned around, and found Vachon gone. The younger vampire had made it a point to carefully balance his bottle on the stair railing and fly back out through the skylight.
Nick yawned. It had been a long night and he needed some sleep. He went upstairs, careful to turn off the lights, and curled up in his bed. He fell asleep before his head hit the pillow.
======================
"...problem. Call me when you get back. It's important."
Natalie listened to her messages. Nick must have called while she was talking with Grace. She had just expected to talk for five minutes, not an hour and a half. She called Nick and waited for either Nick or his machine to pick up.
The line opened, and Nat anticipated Nick's hello, but the line stayed silent.
"Hello?" Nat spoke into the phone. "Nick? Are you there?"
"Nick cannot come to the phone right now," a raspy voice answered Natalie. "He's going to be busy for a long time." The line went dead.
Nat slammed the phone down and grabbed her coat and keys. She dashed to her car, determined to reach Nick before it was too late.
======================
Nick had been dreaming of the past. Lacroix's bright eyes when they had met, first learning how to hunt, deciding not to kill people anymore. Eight hundred years flashed through his mind as he slept. Moving from Europe to America, losing Janette, becoming cop. Meeting Natalie.
Suddenly, he snapped awake. He gazed around the room and saw dozens of eyes staring back at him. Dozens of glowing eyes. Each pair of fangs gleamed, reflecting the light of the candle that each vampire was carrying.
About twelve vampires surrounded his bed. Nick tried to jump up, but four pairs of hands grabbed him and held him to the bed. A hooded figure stepped forward. Nick recognized. Santino.
"Nick Knight. You have been found guilty by The Dark Angels of spying on your peers. You will be presented to the Leader for your sentence."
They picked up Nick and carried him, kicking and screaming, up through the still open skylight and back to the warehouse.
======================
As Natalie drove up, she was rattled when she heard a bellow of terror and anger streak overhead.
She punched in the security code and took the stairs two at a time. She could not wait for the elevator. She pushed open the door.
"Nick!" Her voice echoed, filling the room with a sense of fear. Not only was Nick not answering, but Natalie had started to smell smoke. Not a good thing in the lair of a vampire.
Nat dashed up the stairs to Nick's upper floor and into the bedroom. There she found the source of the smoke: Nick's bed sheets were on fire. She quickly bundled the sheets together to snuff out the fire. She started to walk out, but stopped when she saw the many candles lying on the floor. There was more than one other person here, her mind frantically repeated.
She ran back down to her car and sped to Vachon's church.
"They killed that guy right in front of other mortals!" Vachon had been in a state of disbelief since they had left the warehouse.
Nick walked to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle. Pulling the cork out with his teeth, he spat the cork away and chugged down the bottle's contents. He offered a bottle to the younger vampire. Vachon gladly accepted and mimicked Nick to a tee.
"Give me a minute," Nick said as he walked toward the phone. He speed-dialed Natalie at the coroner's office. As the answering machine picked up, he sighed. Figures she wouldn't be there, he thought to himself. Beep.
"Hi Nat. Listen, we're back, no problem. Call me when you get back. It's important."
He hung up the phone, turned around, and found Vachon gone. The younger vampire had made it a point to carefully balance his bottle on the stair railing and fly back out through the skylight.
Nick yawned. It had been a long night and he needed some sleep. He went upstairs, careful to turn off the lights, and curled up in his bed. He fell asleep before his head hit the pillow.
======================
"...problem. Call me when you get back. It's important."
Natalie listened to her messages. Nick must have called while she was talking with Grace. She had just expected to talk for five minutes, not an hour and a half. She called Nick and waited for either Nick or his machine to pick up.
The line opened, and Nat anticipated Nick's hello, but the line stayed silent.
"Hello?" Nat spoke into the phone. "Nick? Are you there?"
"Nick cannot come to the phone right now," a raspy voice answered Natalie. "He's going to be busy for a long time." The line went dead.
Nat slammed the phone down and grabbed her coat and keys. She dashed to her car, determined to reach Nick before it was too late.
======================
Nick had been dreaming of the past. Lacroix's bright eyes when they had met, first learning how to hunt, deciding not to kill people anymore. Eight hundred years flashed through his mind as he slept. Moving from Europe to America, losing Janette, becoming cop. Meeting Natalie.
Suddenly, he snapped awake. He gazed around the room and saw dozens of eyes staring back at him. Dozens of glowing eyes. Each pair of fangs gleamed, reflecting the light of the candle that each vampire was carrying.
About twelve vampires surrounded his bed. Nick tried to jump up, but four pairs of hands grabbed him and held him to the bed. A hooded figure stepped forward. Nick recognized. Santino.
"Nick Knight. You have been found guilty by The Dark Angels of spying on your peers. You will be presented to the Leader for your sentence."
They picked up Nick and carried him, kicking and screaming, up through the still open skylight and back to the warehouse.
======================
As Natalie drove up, she was rattled when she heard a bellow of terror and anger streak overhead.
She punched in the security code and took the stairs two at a time. She could not wait for the elevator. She pushed open the door.
"Nick!" Her voice echoed, filling the room with a sense of fear. Not only was Nick not answering, but Natalie had started to smell smoke. Not a good thing in the lair of a vampire.
Nat dashed up the stairs to Nick's upper floor and into the bedroom. There she found the source of the smoke: Nick's bed sheets were on fire. She quickly bundled the sheets together to snuff out the fire. She started to walk out, but stopped when she saw the many candles lying on the floor. There was more than one other person here, her mind frantically repeated.
She ran back down to her car and sped to Vachon's church.
