Chapter 5

Dawn arrived with a hint of excitement; Vicki was going to see her Barnabas in a few short hours. Throwing the cover from her body, she quickly yanked the warmth of the blanket back to her body. The room was chilled. "Good grief, where is the heat!" She muttered, hugging the blanket around her body she slid from the bed and moved towards her window.

It was opened enough to allow a heavy pervasive intrusion of the outside temperate chill to invade her room. "How did this happen? I know this window was closed before I went to bed." She muttered to herself as she felt the heat begin to slowly take over the cold.

Making her way to the bathroom, Vicki felt the cold had; similar to an invasion; encroached on her personal space and laid bare her vulnerabilities. Waiting for the room to warm, she began to draw a hot bath. "Hello Victoria." The words were softly uttered with a hint of malice to their intent.

The room had filled with steam giving the area around her a surreal atmosphere to her surroundings. Spinning around she could barely make out a shadowy image hiding in the corner. Tugging her bathrobe tighter to her body, her eyes fixed she moved to shut off the water taps, she felt it then, cold long boney fingers around her neck, shoving her face down towards the water, pressing her closer to extinction.

Bracing her hands to the side of the tub, she pushed but to no avail, her head was under water. She was drowning. The pressure against her baby was unbearable. As quickly as the pressure was on the back of her neck holding her down, it was gone. During the time she found no air instead the tendrils of death creeping ever closer; she swore she saw snippets of her life barreling past her in a kaleidoscope of finality.

Pushing herself from the grip of her watery demise, she slumped to the floor choking and gasping for air the water dripped down her body and onto the floor. Adam was gripped in a life and death struggle with a horrible creature that reeked of death and destruction. Pushing the cloying wet hair from her face, she began to speak her voice raspy and water logged, "From this place of once felt peace, shall you be cast to the depths of hell." The figure spun, lifted into the air hung like a puppet from its strings and hit the floor. Upon impact the creature born from some hell was gone.

Adam slumped to the floor in a sitting position. Winded and amazed he pressed his back to the door. His words so soft he looked at Vicki as she lay on her side. "How did you do that Vicki?"

She wrapped her arms around her stomach then frowned, pressing fingertips she explored the swell of her stomach, there was no movement. More than fear gripped her as she continued at a frenetic pace to find some sign of movement.

Then ever so subtle it was there, a soft pressure against her fingertips. Rolling onto her back she looked up at the ceiling expelling a breath of relief. Adam had watched her and then realized she was afraid something had happened to her baby. "The baby is she ok?"

Vicki nodded, sending the matted hair into a wet tangled mess. "Yes, she is ok. Thank you Adam."

He moved to all fours and crawled to her side. Like a child, a protective big brother he laid his head on her stomach and listen. "She has a heartbeat. It's fast."

Vicki lifted her head and peered at the large head gently pressed to the swell up her stomach.

Taking her fingertips she gently stroked Adam's forehead pushing his hair back. "You saved her life and mine Adam, thank you."

The struggled had not gone unnoticed by the other residents in the house as Vicki's bedroom began to grow with curious and concerned onlookers. Willie was the first to arrive, followed by Carolyn, then Maggie and finally Joe Haskell.

"Vicki?"

The obvious concern was edged in Carolyn's voice. Calling Vicki alerted them to her location, "In here! Please help us!"

Adam had during his struggle received several nasty scratches from the assailant and now his blood co-mingled in a diluted mixture of the bathwater on the floor.

Hearing Vicki's weaken voice, Joe was the first to push open the bathroom door to a sight to behold. Vicki lay on her back with the huge man battered and bleeding laying with his head on her stomach.

"Vicki! Adam!" Carolyn squeezed past Joe moving to her sister. Adam glanced up at Carolyn seeing her concern and knowing they were there to help, he allowed himself to close his eyes in relief.

Somewhere deep in the recesses of her mind, Jeanette heard her name. "Jeanette, wake up! We have to move, now!" Then a rude hand shook her and she sat up with a start.

Josette glared around the room. "We are under attack, get your ass up and move!"

Jeanette, rolled from the sofa, grabbing for her side arm and found it was gone." Josette nodded to the floor by the sofa and she saw her weapon lying half concealed by the edge of the couch. Instinctively, she grabbed her weapon, and with agile speed was at her sister's back.

"Why the hell did you not tell me you had a pooch?" Both women were watching the room standing back to back, doing an instinctive turn to half turn keeping the front covered with glances that danced about the room.

Shadows formed and disassociated then reformed to converge on both women. "Really? Are we going into this now?" One shadow shifted and a long hairy arm with knurled long sylphlike fingers that had clawed nails swiped at the women who in turn danced in unison away to avoid a strike.

"Why not now, its something I feel I should know if I am about to die."

Josette prepared to feint left so she could strike with a right kick. Jeanette feeling her body tense reading her intentions did likewise and struck at the figure that advanced on her.

"Well for your information sister," Josette was continuing the explanation while throwing a right cross to the head or what she perceived was a head to the beast advancing on her with one purpose. That was to end her life.

Dancing back with graceful steps to her sister's back she gritted through her teeth. "I don't have a pooch."

Jeanette frowned then with a series of heterogeneous moves managed a particularly well executed move to snap a kick and break the neck of one of her attackers dropping it to the floor, "Then what do you call that white wolf that was in the apartment. Which by the way where is it, we could use its help about now."

Josette pacing her sisters moves with a counter balanced action, pivoted on her toes, ducked, parried with a kick then spun back to leap across the room and take up her position at her siblings back, spoke softly, "I call him Radu, you nit."

Seeing the remote for her windows, Josette spoke one word. "Remote." Jeanette instinctively took up a T stance so she could do a three eighty pivot to defend while Josette rolled grabbed the remote and hit the button, locking down her apartment with metal grade shutters that allowed no sunlight in the room. The minute those blinds were in place, Josettes office door opened and from the gloaming of her office, a purity of whiteness unfolded and with incredible strength and speed leapt into the room and joined the foray of battle.

"Jig is up Radu, she knows who you are. You might do better joining us in human form."

The white wolf's form shimmered and reformed to that of a man. "Shit, I gave a vampire a bath." Jeanette muttered, which elicited a smile from Radu ducking his opponent's formidable claw-like hand to avoid decapitation.

Rushing forward Radu laughed, "I rather enjoyed our bath time together my dear."

Jeanette was embarrassed and growing angrier by the minute with this cat and mouse game she had been playing with her aggressor, using the coffee table, she did a hand stand par core style over the table launching herself into her attackers body catching him around the neck with her legs she twisted and broke its neck.

As another moved in for a kill, she released her hold on her dead opponent twisted around and caught the second attacker by his neck with both arms and in a backwards flipped heard the bone crunching crack of its neck in her arms. "Told you she would be embarrassed and pissed."

Josette and Radu sat back to watch Jeanette, color high, eyes fixed with pupils dilated with her emotions, dispatched the last of the demons with a decidedly sickening crrrrrack of its neck.

Radu was impressed. The three surveyed the room. "Well guess that is Gabriel's horn being sounded, they are on the move, which means mother is also under attack." Josette observed the array of bodies that laid in shambled mess of her living room. "I am getting a little sick and tired of this crap, why does it always have to be my house."

Jeanette sighed, "Because you are the guardian. So you are the biggest threat."

Radu snickered, "I guess they have not heard about you." He smiled asJeanette shot him a deadly look, "Shut up. I still owe you for that nasty trick last night."

Radu glanced from Josette to Jeanette. "You two would have been impressive to see in battle during the war with the Ottomans."

Josette pushed past Radu to pick up her phone. Punching three buttons she waited. "Assemble the team, we have movement." She pressed one button, and then pressed two buttons. "Clean up my apartment seven bodies to be bagged and burned." Josette slid her phone in her tight fitting body suit, looked to Radu and Jeanette. "You two can worry about your mistaken identity problem later, we got to move. Radu you in or you waiting this one out?"

Radu smiled as he looked from Josette to Jeanette, winking at Jeanette he bowed, "By all means count me in."

Jeanette barely looked at Radu passing him, "That was really shitty what you did. You should have told me." Her words were born more of embarrassment than anger moving towards the door.

Josette opened her closet door took out a heavy coat, glasses and a hat, pitching them to Radu, she ordered, Radu surveyed the decidedly feminine articles of clothing, "I am expected to wear these?"

He studied the red hat with decorative feathers, " Sorry, I don't have men's clothing, those will protect you until we get to the ready room. There are only three spots to worry about any kind of ultra violet rays. Now lets move."

Jeanette smiled, "You at least will be making a fashion statement if Vogue shows up for pictures."

Radu glowered quickly donning the apparel and followed her out into the hallway. The first such spot that allowed the morning rays to enter the hallway. "Once we get past the next two spots, we will be in the elevator and headed subterranean. I will take you to the dressing room where you will need to suit up. . ."

Again, the two women moved in tandem when two figures darted out of side junctures in a forward attack. Jeanette dodged an attack, ran forward and slid on her knees to come up under the creature that gave the appearance of an emaciated ape, with its huge nappy forehead, over sized knuckle dragging the floor.

The difference was this ape had elongated teeth that dripped with ooze that decimated what it touched. "Shit, they mean business, acid demons."

Jeanette turned to her sister and Radu, "Go on, I will take care of these two just call it in for bag and burn."

Radu did not wish to leave the woman that so closely resembled the woman he loved. "I want to help."

Jeanette shook her head. "Go before you get me killed mutt."

She threw the words over her shoulder as she faced off with the two demons. Carelessly Radu had stepped into the rays of sunlight and felt his arms begin to sizzle. Stepping back, he turned to Josette as he clutched his arm. "Will she be able to handle them?"

Josette nodded, "She cut her teeth on acid demons. Me, I get burned each time. Come on, if they are sending this many to attack, we have to hurry, or we won't be able to save my mother."

That is when Radu knew, she did love her mother and she was worried. If she was worried, he knew he had to be as concerned as she was about Vicki. Picking up his pace, he moved down the hallway past the third light source and dove head first into the elevator.

Josette clicked her phone with two button pushed, "Bag and burn body retrieval, my hallway." She put the phone back in her pocket hit two buttons at the same time on the elevator. The doors slid shut and they were left in silence. "You do love her."

Josette gave a sideways glance at the man beside her. "Of course I love her. I just don't agree with her methods."

Radu studied her and noted she'd not had much sleep. "You're tired, are you going to be able to do this with little or no sleep?"

The elevator stopped and the door opened up to a flurry of frantic activity in the main office.

"Don't have a choice. Later I will sleep, for now we have a job to do. You need a suit, come on." She led him into the chaos that was the heart of SHADOWS operations. A tall angular featured man what could be termed ruggedly handsome fell into step next to Josette as they moved towards the dressing room.

"I see you brought the vamp." He glanced past Radu then commented, "Nice Hat, new fashion statement for the undead?"

Josette did not feel like arguing with Cameron. " Shut up Cameron. I brought Radu, he is going to help."

Cameron afforded a brief nod of acknowledgement to Radu. Then moved to a change of subject. "Where is Jeanette, didn't she get the order?"

Radu could tell the man caused Josette to bristle; the very air between them was palatable with friction.

Her response was brief delivered with staccato phrases of a no nonsense tone. "Upstairs. Two acids. Will be here shortly." Extracting a thin metallic card from her form-fitting suit, she slid it past the security lock and waited for the door to open. "Radu, in here, suit up, we will wait for you here."

Radu peered around the room, stepped through and the door slid shut. He looked at a locker room, the walls were crisp and clean, along one wall were metal narrow doors with numbers assigned. Along another wall hung suits similar to what Jeanette and Josette wore. Moving to the body suits he took one off the rack, then he curiously looked around and began to undress.

"Are you really going to trust Vald Tepes main henchman?" Cameron stepped in front of Josette as she leaned with her back to the wall.

"Why not? He loves my mother he was willing to die for her at Castle Dracul." Cameron, who towered a good foot and half over Josette, leaned into her while bracing his arm over her head.

Pinning her with his dark direct look he caught her gaze with his penetrating stare. "So we are going back to the time we first met?"

Josette did not want to show any signs of weakness with Cameron peering down locking his gaze with her gaze. She knew, they were going back to the very first time they met. It should have unnerved her but she was calm and collected.

"Yep." She said and crossed her arms starring right back into the soulless dark eyes. "We are going back to the time of your salvation and now your time of reckoning or retribution."

She watched the slow easy smile move over the well-chiseled features and for the first time she felt fear. Cameron Dragonsbane was going to face his brother of the underworld, a man most knew as de diabolo mortis, the devil of death or as he was called Baal. Usually Josette would have felt more confident except she knew that Cameron had a particularly nasty grudge against his brother for his banishment to the ninth hell.

Cameron had been born to the darkness and suckled at his mother teat in darkness. It was their fateful meeting that had brought him to the light. Though she had the light of purity and goodness blended in her soul, Cameron was darkness complete, his soul had been washed to the gray world of in between.

He could go either direction, the decision was up to him. Now they were preparing to follow her mother to the very pits of Baal's world, Josette could not be sure if Cameron would finally give in to his very nature and turn on them trapping them forever in hell.

Cameron felt her fear; he could smell it pouring from her pours. To demonstrate his abilities at perceiving her uncertainty and fear he lowered his head to her neck and pointedly sniffed her, "Your showing fear little lamb, do you think I am leading you to the slaughter?"

Josette pushed off from the wall and he caught her to him. Pressing his body into hers she could feel his arousal and that made her uncomfortable. Josette had pressed her palms to his wide chest and she could smell his primal excitement at such close proximity of her body to his.

Forcing herself to relax she spoke more of irritation than fear, "I think you could turn on me in a heart beat Cameron. I know you hate your brother more for his betrayal than your desire to surrender me to the darkness. You are the unknown Cameron. You thrive in this and embrace it with as much passion as you declare you have for me. So if this is to be my slaughter, I go in good company."

The moment had grown into a air of intolerable tension which was broken by a voice, "Well you two gonna play patty cake all day or are we going to get this circus on the road?"

Jeanette's sarcastic intrusion was enough to break the moment between Cameron and Josette. Josette saw the dark look of irritation that flittered across his eyes at her sister's intrusion of their intimate moment.

Cameron reluctantly released Josette turned to face Jeanette. "The acids?"

Jeanette shrugged, "Dead, what would you expect?"

Cameron stepped past the two sisters, "I would expect nothing less."

He left them in the hallway as his broad shouldered figure disappeared down the hallway. "What the hell was that about?" Jeanette stepped next to her sister.

"Posturing, he is getting ready for his confrontation with Baal."

The door to the dressing room opened and Radu stepped through now dressed as his contemporaries.

They looked him over, "Coat."

Jeanette said as she pointedly looked at his male attributes and saw they were definitely outlined in his jumpsuit.

Josette followed her sister's line of sight and nodded, "Coat."

Josette disappeared into the dressing room and returned with duster styled coat in black. "Here, you need to put this on."

Radu looked down and then up with a wide smile, "I think I like this time and these clothes."

Jeanette took the coat from her sister and shoved it into Radu's chest. "Coat or you stay here bucko."

Radu instinctively grabbed the coat and watched her walk away. "Are you not going to wear a coat? You too are equally as distracting in that suit you know."

Josette watched her sister's figure stiffen and she turned to pass them entering the dressing room, she emerged wearing a coat. "Happy?'

She walked away again, to a glib response from Radu, "I fancied the view myself."

Jeanette muttered, "You need to muzzle your mutt."

Radu burst forth with a hearty laugh. "I rather like her, she has grit."

Josette started after her sister, "Yeah, keep it up and you will find that grit up your ass, come one we have to meet in the war room."