No Man's Land: An Imp World Novel Read online

  Power danced through her as her body absorbed the blood. Kelly breathed out and stretched her hands in front of her, dropping the broken bottle to the ground. How much of her sensation of invincibility came from the large infusion of blood after near starvation and how much was from the alcohol her victim had been swimming in? She was invigorated. Ready to eat a decent meal of solid food, rest a bit and begin looking for Kincaid scouts. Or fight for her life, she thought, eyeing Jaq’s shadowed form inside the car.

  A strange light filled the vehicle, almost as if the werewolf had turned on one of the interior lights, then it faded, and Kelly saw the woman’s long legs as she awkwardly backed out of the vehicle.

  “What were you doing?” Jaq’s voice was barely controlled fury, and Kelly stared up at her, dazed. The werewolf practically glowed, her eyes shifting from silver to gold in the moonlight. She should be scared. She should be bounding to her feet ready to run or battle, but all Kelly could do was gawk drunkenly at the woman looming over her.

  “Dinner. Was hungry.” The words slurred from her in an incoherent ramble. “I didn’t mean to kill him. Didn’t want to kill him.”

  Jaq moved her hands as if she’d like to wrap them around Kelly’s neck. “I fed you. I brought you food, gallons of blood. Are you insane, attacking a human like this? Do you want to die?”

  No, she didn’t want to die. Kelly struggled to clear her head, realizing that if she had any hope of making it through the night, she would need to get this werewolf to understand.

  “I was starving. Blood has to be human. Live prey. Too long without human supply and we die. Animals are only good for a day or so.”

  The other woman put her hands to her face, and Kelly saw something sparkle in her eyes and on her cheek. Was she crying?

  “Why didn’t you tell me? Why? I could have let the others know about your needs, taken up some kind of collection from the human neighbors — a blood donation or something.”

  “No! Less humans who know, the better,” Kelly slurred. “Need live prey, but I’ve got no fangs. People will know. It will hurt them and they’ll kill me, so I thought this drunken man would be best, but I was too hungry. Or maybe he was too drunk. Wow was he drunk. I don’t think I can stand up.”

  “If you don’t want anyone else to know, fine, but I can’t have you slicing up humans like this. That guy nearly died. He would have if I hadn’t helped him. You can’t do this anymore. Others will find out, and I won’t be able to protect you. No more humans. You’ll have to figure out something else that will work. Do you understand? I won’t be able to protect you from either my pack or the humans if you keep doing this.”

  Kelly tried to stagger to her feet only to fall back onto her rump in the gravel. “I’ll be outta your territory soon. Just gotta find a Kincaid spy and interrogate him.” She collapsed in a fit of giggles at the idea. “I do it and my family takes me back. Two weeks tops. If I can make it that long, I’ll be back home with my family.”

  Jaq did not seem to find the idea as amusing as Kelly did. “You’re kidding me. They’re just toying with you. They’re not going to take you back, no matter how many hoops you jump through for them.”

  “It’s the vampire way,” Kelly announced, again trying to stand. “I prove my worth, and they take me back.”

  Jaq moved forward and helped her up, stooping to support the vampire’s weight with her arm. “Then I’ll figure something out. I told you I’d help you with the vampire scouts. I’ll help you find and interrogate this spy, and we’ll find a way to get you enough blood to stay alive. Just no more feeding on humans. No more.”

  “Can’t promise that.” Kelly stumbled forward, leaning heavily on Jaq. “It’s like trying to fast while standing next to a buffet. Death by starving, death by werewolves — I’ll take my chance with the werewolves.”

  “Well, you’re going to have to figure out a way to restrain yourself. Actually, how about werewolves? We’ve got a pretty high pain tolerance, and we heal fast. Maybe you could use us instead?”

  The whole idea was bizarre. Werewolf blood. Would it taste like it smelled? Dogs and old ham wasn’t very appealing, but if it kept her alive it might be worth trying to choke down. “Don’t know. I could try, but I can’t feed from you. Can’t do it.”

  “Why not?” Jaq sounded offended.

  Kelly patted her shoulder. “Friends aren’t food. Don’t eat friends.”

  Kelly could have sworn she heard a quickly muffled snort from the woman beside her. “Well, that’s nice, but you need to eat. Don’t you vampires drink each other’s blood sometimes?”

  “Oh. My. God. No.” If anything sobered Kelly up it was the idea of drinking another vampire’s blood. “That’s disgusting. Why would we do that?”

  “Well, I thought during sex, or when you turn humans?” Jaq seemed rather amused at Kelly’s reaction.

  “Ugh, no way. You watch too much television. Or porn. There’s a gland connected to our fangs for turning. And drinking a vampire’s blood? Ugh. Just …yuck.”

  Jaq laughed softly. “Okay. Good to know. Come on, Toothless, let’s get you home.”

  The tall woman half supported Kelly as they moved toward the shelter of the woods.

  “Did I kill him? He going to be okay?” Kelly nodded at the car.

  Jaq sighed. “Yeah. He’ll wake up perfectly healthy, just covered in blood. Not even a hangover, which I can’t say for you. You’re going to be sick as a dog tomorrow.”

  14

  No, seriously, Jonah. We need to figure out a way to get her some human blood or she’s going to die.”

  The Alpha snorted, hanging up a pheasant and a brace of quail on a rack inside the pole barn. Early–morning sun streamed through the gaps in the siding, hitting the red and gold plumage on the pheasant. Jaq had met Jonah coming in from his hunt. As usual, he was without gun or a bow. Running down a deer took skill, but the dexterity it took to catch birds with only teeth and claw wasn’t lost on Jaq. Jonah may look like every other human in West Virginia, but even among werewolves his hunting skills were legendary.

  “I’d rather she die. It would make it all a lot easier. No, Jaq. No exceptions. I’m not having anyone preying on our human neighbors, let alone some skanky New Jersey vampire.”

  Jaq bristled, but held her temper. “Well then, how about we let her have werewolf blood? Just a pint a day. We could run it like a blood donation clinic.”

  Jonah examined his catch before turning a stern eye on the other werewolf. “Jaq, my girl, you have surely lost your mind. Imagine that for a moment — werewolves sittin in a chair all nice and quiet like while some vampire chews on their arm. No one is gonna be a blood donor for your pet monster. I’m doin all I can to keep them from ripping her into little bitty pieces. Kill her or drive her out of our territory, because I can’t hold them all back for much longer.”

  The image flashed before Jaq’s eyes, and it wasn’t a pretty one. No werewolf would willingly let another bite them. The whole thing would dissolve into a nasty, probably deadly, fight. But what was the alternative?

  “We need her; everyone is just too blind to see it. She may be young, but she’s smart, and she can help us defend our territory. And she’s not a monster. She’s actually nice. And funny.”

  “She’s not your pet, Jaq. She’s a rival predator, and nice or not, she’s going to turn on you. We can’t trust her. I promised you a week, and I’ll stand by that. Help her get in good with her family then let her go back with them. It’s for the best.”

  Jaq squirmed. “They’re not going to let her back. I can tell. They’re using her. Even if she does what they say, I’ve got a feeling they’ll just leave her here and laugh while she starves to death.”

  “Well then, the best thing is to kill her now. You can’t let an animal starve to death, even a monster. Put her down.”

  “No! She’s not a monster. I’ve talked to her, and she’s no different than us, just with some odd dietary requirements. Why can’t she
stay? She’ll never be able to return to her family, and the vampire group won’t accept her. If we figure out a way to get her blood, then why can’t she just stay here?”

  Jonah snarled, his eyes golden. “Jaq, you overstep your bounds. I won’t have a vampire in our territory.”

  “It’s not just our territory; it’s the humans’ territory too. What do you think is going to happen if the vampires move in here? What do you think will happen to us? You can piss on the borders all you want, pretend that we’re the big bad in the woods, but at the end of the day we’re just a bunch of wolves hiding from the outside world.”

  “And one vampire, some young, barely turned thing, is going to make all the difference?”

  “One vampire and me. We just need forewarning, and with a big show of force, they’ll leave us alone. It worked once, centuries ago, it can work again.”

  Jonah shook his head, his eyes dimming to warm brown. “It’s too risky, Jaq. We’re pledged to protect you, and we can’t do that if you don’t lay low. Besides, it’s not just you at risk; it’s the whole pack, and it’s werewolves as an entire species.”

  She nodded. “I know. I’m thinking of a way we can pull it off without revealing too much, but we need this vampire.”

  Jaq winced slightly at Jonah’s wry expression. He turned to tend to his quail, and she let the silence stretch on. One. Two. Three.

  “All right. I don’t see how some vampire girl is going to get us out of this, but I’ll give you a few extra weeks. Just keep a tight leash on her.”

  Relief washed over her. “I think we can make this work. I’ve already talked Dale into giving her a job at the bar. She’ll feed us information on what the other vampire groups are doing. She can be a valuable asset to us. We just have to figure out how to keep her from starving to death.”

  “Not my problem,” Jonah growled. “I’m trusting you on this one, Jaq. Don’t screw up.”

  The werewolf dipped her head in respect and took her leave, striding into the chill morning breeze. There was no plan. She had no idea how Kelly could be of help beyond supplying information, and even that might be worthless. Jaq’s main goal should be to protect the pack, to keep their territory intact, but she needed to be able to sleep at night. Kelly’s face flashed before her — pale skin with a silky cap of black hair and equally dark eyes. But it wasn’t the vampire’s features that hung in Jaq’s memory; it was the desperation behind her eyes. The girl had no options right now, no road that didn’t lead to her death. She could talk all she wanted about reinstatement with her family, but Jaq saw deep inside that the vampire feared her end was near. That wasn’t the look of a monster.

  Kelly might be a ruthless predator, sneaky, conniving, and untrustworthy, but she was not a monster. Jaq wasn’t about to toss her out of the state into the clutches of those who would like nothing more than to rip her apart. If their territory was big enough for humans, werewolves, and her, then it would surely be big enough for one small vampire.

  15

  Idon’t know, Elizabeth.” George’s voice was thick with doubt and fear. His hand reached for hers and gripped. She felt the cold sweat on his palm. It sent a feeling of unease through her that she couldn’t manage to shake.

  This was a different George than the lanky, sixteen–year–old butcher’s apprentice she’d run away with. That one had blown into the frozen emptiness of her life like a breath of warm summer air. He’d wooed her with his quick smile, and his promises of riches and power. She’d abandoned everything in a heartbeat, less interested in riches and power than the promise of something different in the boy’s sparkling blue eyes. Unlike the other men, he hadn’t smelled like onions, and his hands awoke a fire beneath her skin. She’d followed him into the dank dark of the catacombs and had happily talked to these intense strangers with him. George was her sunshine, the only happiness she’d ever known.

  “Don’t be silly. So you saw one of them feeding. I’ve seen worse things in back alleys late at night.”

  Her voice came out strong, confident, but inside she wasn’t. Why should she care? People did horrible things to each other all the time. These strangers might treat her with the same cool detachment as nearly every human she’d met in her life, but at least it didn’t concern them that she was a girl — or that she was a bastard.

  “I’m not going through with it.” George looked around him nervously, clearly worried that someone might overhear. “They said we could say ‘no’ at any point if we wanted to. Let’s leave. We’re not locked in, and I know the way out. Let’s go now.”

  And go back to the kitchens to peel vegetables? Cook would never let her return after she had run off with the butcher’s boy. How long would they survive on the streets? How long before George abandoned her and she wound up lifting her skirts for anyone that would have her, just to put a bit of food in her belly? She looked over at the boy, and his brightness dimmed.

  Pulling her up by her hand, he stood and guided her to the doorway, his other hand firm on her lower back. He hadn’t even waited for her decision, just assumed she’d come with him. Should she? He was her sunshine. Fear gripped her at the thought of remaining in these dark stone rooms without him, surrounded by cold, emotionless beings that drank blood. George opened the door and a damp breeze stirred the loose strands of dark hair at her neck. She hesitated, hearing a thumping from far away, and a sound — as if someone was calling.

  Kelly woke up to her door banging and the now familiar “Heloooo” of her neighbor Melody. For a moment, she tightened her hand and felt nothing. Where was George? Panic gripped her. Gone. They’d said he had moved on, forgotten her, and she’d been crushed. Years later she’d learned the truth, but by then it was too late to change her course. Far too late.

  George. The pain was like a knife of silver through her chest, even after nearly two centuries. It was too long ago to still hurt this bad. George had belonged to another person — Elizabeth, the human. She was Kelly, the vampire, and there was someone banging persistently at her door.

  “Helooo!” The loud knocking thankfully stopped, but the slam of the door alerted Kelly to the fact that Melody was no longer on her front step, but inside the trailer. Opening her eyes, she winced at the light and struggled to rise from the lumpy bed. Her head throbbed, and she felt an odd combination of peppy and ready to puke. Why couldn’t the dratted woman let her sleep? Why didn’t they respect the fact that she was nocturnal? She’d put old newspaper all over her bedroom windows, but it wouldn’t help her sleep during the day if the darned humans kept forcing her to keep to their schedule.

  “Wake up, sweetie. Jaq and I are here with some food. I’m making coffee.”

  Kelly buried her head under a pillow. It was no use. Melody was relentless. If she didn’t get up, the woman would be in her bedroom to ‘check’ on her. At least she’d brought food. That was one good point.

  Kelly shuffled out in the borrowed oversized sweatpants and t–shirt, already smelling the coffee. Melody bustled about the little kitchen area, and Jaq looked up at her, snickering before turning her gaze away.

  “How are you feeling this morning, sweetie?”

  Dratted werewolf. Kelly rubbed her throbbing head and glared at the tall woman. “As good as can be expected.”

  Melody chuckled. “Did you go out and tie one on last night? Don’t you worry one bit. Auntie Melody has the perfect hangover cure. I’ll just get breakfast going here and run over to my place and get it. I always keep it handy for Joe. He sometimes has a few too many beers at poker night, you know?”

  What Kelly did know was that she’d need to watch this neighbor of hers. Jaq wasn’t the only sharp one around here. In spite of her appearance, Melody was pretty quick on the uptake.

  “You are so thin,” Melody continued, looking Kelly over. “And I can’t believe how much food you go through. Didn’t that horrible man of yours ever feed you? No, don’t answer that. We’re not going to speak of him at all. I saw you went out last night, and I�
�m glad you’re starting to have some fun, but you need to be very careful. You’re just a tiny thing, and there are some pretty rough places around here.”

  Kelly wasn’t sure whether to be amused that Melody thought her incapable of protecting herself, or alarmed that she was apparently keeping an eye on her comings and goings just as closely as the werewolves were.

  “Early this morning, some man was found passed out in his car, all bloody from a fight at that titty bar down the road.” She giggled. “Did I say titty? Oh, I shouldn’t laugh. That poor man. He’s okay, but that’s what he gets, drunk and lusting after those loose women. You should be very careful. It’s not safe for a woman to be out alone at night. Next time take Jaq with you, or maybe Tanya. No, not Tanya; she’s liable to leave you stranded the moment some cute guy offers her a beer.”

  Kelly stiffened and exchanged a quick, anxious glance with Jaq. It didn’t sound like the man had died, thank God. She’d taken so much blood from him that she hadn’t been sure, despite Jaq’s reassurances. She did need to be more careful, although not in the way Melody meant.

  “I brought more food,” Jaq told her with a rather peculiar look. “I know you’re hungry. I’ll do the best I can to make sure you have what you need.”

  The tall woman took an armful of ziplock bags from a sack and sat them on the counter, then reached back for more.

  “Goodness Jaq,” Melody scolded. “Drain some of the blood out of those things before you put them in the fridge. That’s just gross.”

  “No,” Jaq said sharply as she grabbed the bags. “They need that. Gives the meat flavor. Makes it tender.” She shot Kelly a stern look and stuffed the bags quickly into the refrigerator.

  “Well, you’re the expert, dear,” Melody said cheerfully. “Jaq is such a good hunter,” she told Kelly. “She’s always giving us bologna, ground venison, and other stuff. She brought us squab a few weeks back. It was very good. I like it much better than that squirrel stew from the other week.”