Laura sat on the roof top edge. The sun was still high in the sky as she looked down the four stories to the nearest street. It was a quiet time to think as she waited for Jake. Her mind lingered on Trace. He seemed so…familiar. She had wanted to run into his arms and ask him to make it all better. Yet she didn't', she couldn't. Something held her back, some sense of uncertainty and a deep sense of anger. A little voice in her head told her if she went back to him he would betray her again. She wasn't sure how he had betrayed her the first time but it was important. And she wasn't going to put her or Jake in that position. She knew he wanted to know others like himself, who wouldn't. There was comfort in numbers. But his first intro to a Lycan woman and her own hesitations seemed to stick with him as he stayed by her side. She was kind of thankful for his presence.
Something moved in the corner of her eye. Instantly she scanned the area, the alley directly below her. Someone had moved from shadow to shadow. She didn't think once that it had been just in her mind. Years of instincts screamed someone was watching her. Stepping away from the ledge she made silently for the door back into the building. It was a little hut in the centre of the flat roof, with steam vents coming up all around it. Stepping beside the hut, hidden by the steam vents she waited. And waited.
No one came. With a sigh she exited the building. Silently scaling the stairs until she came out the door. She didn't doubt that whoever was there was still there. It was mid-day so no vampire was out. Coming out the back door there were several dumpsters right at the edge of the relatively small space between several buildings. With the light in front of her, she could judge all the shadows on the ground. Standing against the wall before the alley she summed them up. Two dumpsters, fire exits, the buildings themselves, and something else. Something either small or slumped over seemed to be on the other side of the dumpster. It was between the fire escape and the nearest dumpster. Probably hiding in the shadow of the outside stairs. Laura waited a little longer to be sure that who ever it was alone.
Again, no one came. Pulling her berretta louse she slowly stepped around the dumpster, ready for whoever was there…except who really was. In human form the girl was maybe fourteen of fifteen. Black sweater and a one-strapped sack was the most apparent. Her blond hair tied back in a braid. Her eyes went wide when she held the sudden appearance of her prey. Slowing standing Laura was able to assess the simple blue jeans and sneakers. In all she was a regular teen in clothing slightly too large for her frame. In her mind, it was Gren.
"Laura?" the hesitant voice emerged from the girl causing a rush of painful memories to come back. Gren…. a pup, yet not a pup…Bitten as a child just to watch her real life parents die to vampires. The girl had been under her care. Her pup yet not her pup. She put a hand to her forehead in pain, the gun lowering but not dropping.
"Laura?" Gren asked again, confused and scared she took a step forward. Laura backed away from the girl. Betrayal. She had been betrayed, Gren, Gren was the key. It started with the pup that was not a pup.
"Hello Laura." Another voice growled. She spun up to see another figure on the second story of the fire escape. He was tall thin, and carrying malice grin. Instantly she knew her mistake. She had seen Gren's shadow and not thought to check above the girl to see if the girl was alone.
Tarrasque made no hesitations about leaping off the escape and onto her. All memories that were threatening to surface were pushed aside as she immediately went into fighting mode. In a wolf-man form Tarrasque was a muscular eight feet, his grey fur shining in the morning light. He was stupid enough to do it with street access so close by. Her own white form was ready for him. His ten years as a Lycan was no match for her two hundred years of fighting. As he came down upon her she stepped aside at the last minute. Slashing out before he had a chance to realize she wasn't beneath him. As he rose to reach she ploughed into him, her gun was no longer in her hand, but a long thin stiletto was. With him pressed against a wall and the delicate yet very strong blade pressed against his throat he was rendered helplessly.
"You!" She snapped. The memories very clear. He had been a human who had known, and kidnapped Gren. Forcing Gren to bite him, she had wanted to kill him right off. Trace had said no, probably thinking of an extra fighter. But Tarr had never been wronged by the vampires, and did not harbour any anger towards them. She knew he did towards them, towards her. She had been the cause of the death of his brother. Gren had been very attached to him, considering he was her pup. Yet things had a way of going wrong when he was around. Like that grenade that accidentally went the wrong way, and into her. It was his voice she remembers clearly with another. 'Take her, trace says a truce is more important.' She wouldn't believe that Trace would do something like that except there was someone else with him. Someone trustworthier. That was how it happened. Trace had sold her to Darius for peace. Her own sire had betrayed her. And this monster had helped.
"Don't kill him!" Gren screeched. Blinking Laura realized that she had been pressing the blade deeper. A line of blood had appeared on the blade. She was now in the upper end of the alley, upwind to everything. She could smell Tarr so close to her, Gren behind her crying, and Jake in the same fire escape Tarr had hidden in.
"I won't kill you." She growled looking him in the eye. He knew something Gren didn't. She wasn't tied down by Trace's rules any more. She wasn't tied down to anyone's rules. She could easily kill him, or worse. "Go tell your master that I'm coming, and death with be with me." With that she let him go. The rat looked at her wide-eyed, then to his sire. Gren said nothing, now very aware of the gun pressed against her temple. "She's mine till this is all over. Scurry away rodent." Tarrasque took off, without looking back.
She turned around to be confronted by Gren's wide eyes. The poor girl had no idea what to think. She had always been in between the fight, the closest thing she had to a sire, and the only pup she ever had. Laura always had wondered how much of a blind eye Gren had. She was about to find out. Walking back up to the girl she smiled sadly. "I hope you don't mind sticking with me for a bit. I'll explain somewhere safer." The relief in Gren's eyes was apparent.
"They said you had gone insane. I refused to believe hem." She said in a strong vice, there was a slight tremor to it.
Laura laughed, thinking you have no idea. "Come."
They all headed back to the new hotel in silence. The new location was deep within vampire territory. Somebody was not going to be happy come nightfall. It was a comfortable room with two large beds and a big screen TV. Gren immediately started flipping channels as Laura questioned Jake on the success of his trip. All he would say was it was successful as he mistrustfully eyed the girl. Quickly bored with a smart wandering mind, Gren turned to Laura. Gren would never truly betray her, but her attachment to Tarr had been always in question. With her isolated Laura knew she could be invaluable.
"He's changed." Gren said softly after hearing Laura's story. "After you left, he changed."
Jake watched from his position by the window, still not sure what to make of the girl. He had to go off of Laura for answers, and was mistrustful despite Laura's trust in the girl.
"Tell me." Laura commanded gently. A trick she had used before.
Not that Gren needed any prompting. "He became more…pushy. He fought with the others more and more. He was never much of a fighter so he doesn't win much. He grows more and more angry with each fight. He talks about what he deserves, like age and fighting have no place in his rise in the ranks. Even Trace doesn't trust him anymore."
"Why is he still there?" Jake prompted.
"Cause for some reason there are a few who seem to keep convincing Trace that he should be." Gren said in a tiny voice, "I don't know who."
Laura frowned; it was next to impossible to keep secrets in the lair. Always gossip and braggers about. These people were good. Very good. Rising she sat next to Gren, "He didn't hurt you did he?"
Gren shook her head and burst into tears. "He's threatened me though. Then got madder when I did what you did when pups get to feisty."
Laura held her. When pups were too feisty she put them in their place, violently. Something they would never forget. She was only five feet tall, and most pups were thugs and ruffians. It was something they never forgot. Gren being forced to use such tactics rather disturbed her, and made her slightly proud that the teen had done it successfully. "You stay with us. We will figure things out."
Gren nodded and smiled. "When you disappeared everyone was so upset. Some were mad at Trace for letting you go out at all. The doctor especially."
Looking at Jake her brows creased. Somehow in the matter of things, more memoirs came back to her, without her knowing them. He was getting his first lesion on pack life. It probably wasn't the best one. "What did the doctor say?"
"He said you were too fragile mentally. You had lost too much too fast." Gren said softly, "He was yelling at Trace in the couch room. Everyone heard. Trace…. was broken up. "
Laura pulled away. "How can he be broken up when he was the one who betrayed Me."? She growled. Things coming into her mind as Jake voiced them.
"From the sounds of it, you all were duped."
Both girls nodded. Now the game changed. From destroying two leaders, to sniffing out a double agent. That was a much bigger and tougher task.
By the time nightfall came everything was ready. Gren went with Jake to accomplish their tasks, as Laura got ready for a party. They had to move separately to achieve their goal tonight. Dressed in a stunning deep blue dress Laura considered herself. With more memories of her past she judged that dressing like this was impossibility. Yet to take on the vampires, she had to do it on their level. The strapless gown was simple, falling to her feet. Matching strapless high-heels held it off the ground. Jake had bought well; to go with it was a (fake) diamond necklace with matching earrings and bracelet. She wore long evening gloves that reached past her elbows that matched the dress perfectly. And to complete the picture her chocolate brown hair was done back in an elegant French bun. She looked nothing of the Lycan anyone remembered.
The party was at the mayor's house, three doors down from the vampire mansion. They called it Ortho…something. Some ancient language she didn't know. Vampires were all about appearances. They would make to be the perfect neighbours, which meant attending parties. Jake, through many contacts, managed to get her one. An unknown cousin from out of town. The little she knew about etiquette she knew form long ago. Unbidden from an unknown past before becoming a Lycan. She couldn't readily remember it, but the actions were still there. Her head was high as she entered the party. People from all over were mingling throughout the first story of the massive building. As she expected, the scent of vampire was thick.
She smiled and mingled, making her known as a single friend of someone's from out of town. Many gentlemen made offers to dance. That was something she had no idea how to do. She would blush and shyly admit it. Still she ended up on the floor several times. It was there she realized she might want to look into actually learning how to properly dance when all this was over. She enjoyed herself. And it worked to keep her moving. And the vampires wondering. The scent of a Lycan they couldn't find in the air must be driving them nuts.
Hours passed and finally her target showed. He was a tall imposing figure, even in a tux. His dark wavy hair as she remembered it was brushed but still very alive on his head. On his arm was a stunning redhead. She smiled and greeted people enthusiastically. Her emerald dress was similar to Laura's with straps and a matching shawl. She was sure Darius would not have any of his companions be any less than perfect. Wild red hair seemed barely contained in an elaborate set of braids and ties, the girl seemed just on the edge of knowledgeable and novice.
Picking up a glass of champagne she waited quietly. Darius and his companion made their rounds, greeting people as if nothing was amiss. Yet she could see it in his eyes that he knew. He knew something was wrong, and could smell her. He alone would know who scent he held. After a while he and his companion, who stayed strangely close, ducked out onto the balcony.
It was nearly empty, except for one other, Laura. She leaned against the railing, completely at ease as she waited for them to appear. She knew Darius would follow her scent. He was a trained psychopath, worst of all deathdealrs.
"Laura," he growled upon seeing her, "You surprise me."
"Why," she asked with pretend coyness." Because I survived? Or because I learn your own ways so quickly?"
"You were supposed to be hunting Lycan. Now I hear you killed my grand-childe." He said with a dark look. His vampire companion frowned.
"Who is your friend, Darius? A replacement for Darla?" She smiled as she mentioned his late childe. A creature he killed himself. She had been one messed up creature.
"This is Faea. She is far superior to anything Darla could have ever been." He replied then turned to her, "This is Laura, and one of the most despicable bitches you'll ever encounter. Stay clear of her. Now go get Echo. She's love this opportunity."
As the girl fled to her master's command Laura smiled. "She's going to find your precious Death squad otherwise occupied."
"Oh? Trace up to something good for a change?" Darius asked taking a drink of his champagne.
"Who said trace was involved. He sold me to you didn't he." Darius paused and looked at her. So she wasn't suppose to remember any of this. His twisted game was too clear. He wanted her to hunt her own pack mates. And to a degree it was successful. Except she still killed vampires too. He had fully believed that she was completely under his control. He honestly believed this.
"What are you playing at Laura?" His voice dangerous all of a sudden.
She smiled and rose. "You took something from me. Trace took something from me. You both will pay. I promise you that." She smiled with every venomous word. Walking by him she let him think about them, "oh," she paused to look at him one last time. He had to turn to see her, "How fire proof is that mansion of yours?"
She was gone before she could see the look on his face. Slipping out the front door she ignored the three figures that followed her. They would be distracted soon enough. Her threat was only partly true. Gren had sent off all the security monitors with her hacking genius. She loved a good prank. As vampires figured out their confusion of what was on fire and what wasn't, a bomb went off. Not in the vampire mansion, but in the mayor's. In a back room where she knew most of the vampires were, their scent thickest. She had secretly placed a small device of Jake's. Sure enough the mansion was quickly lighting up the sky. Using the crowd as cover she fled the scene feeling somewhat vindicated.