I went to my fireplace and grabbed my broadsword, sliding it into its jeweled scabbard. The massive sword was heavy, but I’d spent a lifetime training and fighting with the forged steel in my hand. As I hefted it, testing the familiar weight, I realized how much it felt like an old friend. My fangs were another weapon that went with me all the time, but there was nothing like the broadsword.
Going to my gun safe, I grabbed my Desert Eagle. I figured my backup might want to use it if nothing else. On the way out of the house, I picked up the phone and dialed a number I had saved. It rang once and was picked up by the old man.
“Romeo may be in trouble,” I said, before he could say a word.
“I’m already on my way to you. Stay where you are, vampire,” Sid replied.
The power of the witch’s magic always surprised me. I really shouldn’t be so shocked, though. Every time we needed help, he seemed to sense it and show up. Still, it never ceased to amaze me.
“Hurry.”
“Hold your horses,” Sid said, snickering.
“Funny guy.” I disconnected the phone as I heard the distinct sound of an old VW bug coming up the drive. I had to admit, I was impressed. The old man must have jumped into his old rust bucket the moment he sensed Romeo and Sally might be in trouble. I waved at him as he drove up the drive and parked beside my Honda just as I was closing my glovebox with my gun inside. I watched him get out of the bug, leaning heavily on his thick staff.
“Let’s go,” he said, waving at my car. I threw my sword in the backseat and waited with what felt like an excruciating length of time as Sid folded himself into the passenger seat of my car with his staff joining my sword in the backseat. As soon as his door shut, I backed out of my driveway and turned onto the main road, following Sid’s direction to the small backwoods town of Frederick.
“My Desert Eagle is in the glovebox. I loaded it with silver bullets. You can use it if you want,” I said.
“No need. My staff has everything I need,” the old witch replied.
I sighed. He was confident. I had to hand it to the old man. His confidence acted as a balm to my soul. I couldn’t really explain it, but I was relieved to have him at my side as we drove into unknown territory.
“You got to my place fast,” I said, glancing over at Sid who seemed relaxed as hell as he sat beside me with his laced fingers resting high on his paunchy belly.
He smiled at me. “It’s a full moon. I’m always on alert when it happens, especially now that Floyd is alpha. I can never predict what that guy is gonna do on any given day, much less during a full moon.”
“Who do they hunt? The werewolves, I mean,” I asked, curiously. Romeo certainly wasn’t going to put up with any humans disappearing in Prosper Woods or even Frederick, if there even were any humans in Frederick. I doubted it.
“They don’t hunt humans. Buck Walters happened to wander into their path the night he was killed. That was purely a territorial killing. I’m sure if the old moonshiner was sober, it never would have happened. So, humans aren’t their normal prey.”
“What is then?” I asked.
“Literally everything else. There are a lot of animals in these woods. From racoons, to bears, deer, rabbits, field mice, werewolves will eat anything with a heartbeat on the night of a full moon.”
“So, Romeo is in real danger?”
“We both know how strong his powers are, though, faced with a whole pack of changed wolves, it might be a tricky undertaking. That’s why I figured I should pick you up and offer a little backup,” the old witch said.
“He’s got Sally with him,” I said. “He went out to Frederick to pick up Sam’s car and grab as much stuff as he could from their house.”
“Did they get everything?”
“No. Romeo said Floyd and his pack burned the house and the car to the ground. The reason he was so late in leaving Frederick was because he had to wait for the fire department to put everything out.” I glanced over at Sid and noticed his deep frown.
“Floyd Reardon is a real menace. I do wish another alpha would come along and make mincemeat out of him.”
“Wolf meat anyway,” I replied.
Sid chuckled. “Well, having Sally there complicates things. Your unicorn is going to be more focused on keeping her out of harm’s way than looking out for his own safety.”
“Those were my thoughts as well, damn him.”
“You can’t change that about the unicorn. He’s a fine man with a history of moral behavior.”
“I agree with you but how do you know anything about his history?” I asked, slightly surprised.
Sid turned and stared at me. Our eyes met before I finally tore my gaze away to look back out the windshield.
“I just know it. I didn’t formally look into him or his family line, but I can sense it in the man. He’s not that hard to read if you haven’t noticed. You and he are much more alike than you even know, vampire.”
I didn’t know how he knew that, but he was right about my moral compass. I’d hated the things I’d seen “good Christian men” do during the crusades. I’d seen streets running with rivers of the blood of innocents, murdered just because they were born in the wrong place at the wrong time. There were many
