Immortal Consequences Read online

  Surely the vampire wouldn’t try again in the middle of a busy hospital. Telling or showing one human would mean the death of the human but if a vampire showed itself to multiple humans, it would mean the death of the vampire. Killing multiple humans would only raise more questions. The police station had been five. The hospital…? Twenty, thirty, maybe more. There was no way the vampire council could come up with a story to cover that many deaths. It was just simpler to kill the vampire.

  This vampire was smart, using an empty car to fake an accident was proof of that. He or she wouldn’t attack in the middle of a hospital. Then it hit him. His sister’s words rang out in his head and he was terrified. The vampire wanted to hurt him first. That was the reason behind Laura Olen’s death. And the vampire hadn’t been aiming the car for Kal. The car was meant to kill Bree!

  Kal shot up from the exam table and rushed to the door but as he reached it a doctor greeted him.

  “Going somewhere Mr. Johnson?” the elderly woman asked.

  “My wife. Is she ok?” Kal asked.

  “She’s fine,” the older woman comforted. He grey hair and glasses, even her slightly overweight frame, added to her look of compassion. “The baby is fine too.” She smiled and Kal’s worry faded.

  “How soon can I see her?” Kal asked.

  The doctor looked out into the hall and motioned to someone. Soon Bree walked up to the doorway.

  “Why don’t you come inside Mrs. Johnson? I think I’ll get a little more out of him if you are here to set his mind at ease,” the doctor said with a grin.

  Kal hugged Bree then the doctor ushered him to the table while Bree took a seat in one of the chairs. The doctor started asking the standard questions and after she was satisfied that Kal had no damage she headed toward the door. Before she left she felt the need to add something.

  “You two have to be the luckiest people I’ve ever met. I’ve seen the condition of your car. This is one for the history books. How it didn’t crush the both of you I’ll never know. I’ll be back in a minute with your discharge papers.” She looked at them with disbelief one more time then left.

  When the door was shut and Kal was certain no one could hear them he felt the need to tell Bree his suspicions. He walked over and sat beside her in the empty chair.

  “I think the car was meant to kill you. You heard what El said. He or she wants to hurt me first.” Kal looked worried and upset but Bree was calm.

  “I figured as much,” she replied.

  “Why are you not upset?” Kal asked.

  “You’re my husband. You’ll take care of it,” Bree replied with confidence.

  “What if I can’t? What if I miss something?” Kal asked more urgently.

  Bree put her hands on her stomach and looked at Kal.

  “I trust you to keep us both safe,” she said with a smile.

  “I need to find out who is doing this,” Kal said more to himself than to Bree but she answered anyway.

  “Do what you need to do. Just make sure you come home when you’re done,” she said with a glare that made him smile.

  “You take a cab straight home. I’ll see what I can find out and meet you there for supper. Deal?” Kal asked.

  Bree stood and looked down on her husband with a loving smile.

  “I trust you Kal.” She paused and a devious look came over her. “Even if you think I cheated on you.”

  Kal stood and looked distraught.

  “I don’t think that. It was a knee jerk reaction. I’m really sorry,” he apologized.

  “And you’re going to make up for it for a very long time,” she said with a smirk that lifted his spirits then she left. He was going to pay, sure, but she wasn’t going to leave. He could deal with the punishment, whatever it was, as long as she stayed.

  After Bree left Kal sat thinking about what to do next. There were no gathering places for vampires in this town, it was too small. He had seen maybe half a dozen vampires in the ten years he had lived here, not counting the one trying to kill his wife. He needed a clue but he also didn’t know where to start. As he was pondering where to begin the exam room door opened but it wasn’t the doctor entering. Detective Saul Krite walked in with a condescending look on his face.

  “No driver? How exactly does that happen?” Detective Krite asked.

  Great! Just what Kal needed. A detective with an unknown grudge looking into vampire business. If this petty human kept pushing he might find out something that would get him killed. As much as Kal disliked the man, he didn’t want him to die.

  “Detective Krite. I’m glad you’re here. I was actually going to see you after the doctor released me,” Kal lied.

  “Why is that?” Krite replied snidely.

  “I think someone is trying to hurt me and after they killed Laura and tried to frame me for her murder they decided to go after my wife,” Kal replied. It was a mundane explanation that left out many details but it was the truth.

  “So they sent an unmanned vehicle toward your car? How?” Krite asked, full of skepticism.

  “That’s what I can’t figure out,” Kal said and watched the detective’s face as he continued. “I’m not even sure why they want to hurt me.”

  “Do you have any enemies? Are you into something unsavory?” Krite asked.

  “Not that I know of and no. I’m just an investor,” Kal replied.

  “We found your cell phone by the way,” Krite said. He looked at Kal like it would frighten him and was surprised when it did the opposite.

  “Good. Now, if they haven’t erased everything, I can prove my innocence,” Kal replied.

  “You sure seem confident,” Krite stated.

  “I told you. I was recording everything when I walked into that alley,” Kal said. “I must have caught them on my phone. I just don’t understand why they didn’t destroy it.”

  “Why don’t we head down to the station and you can show me. We couldn’t get through your password,” Krite said. He looked a little surprised but wasn’t ready to give up his suspicions about Kal.

  As Kal followed Detective Krite to the desk, to finish signing all the paperwork, he couldn’t help but wonder why Krite seemed to hate him. Krite wanted him to be guilty of something. He was desperately trying to pin anything on him. Had Kal done something to Saul Krite and forgotten about it?

  These thoughts plagued him for the whole trip to the police station. Kal scoured his mind for anything that might serve as an explanation for why Saul Krite hated him but he found nothing. The man was not familiar to him and, as far as he knew, he had never done business with anyone named Krite. Though he couldn’t shake the feeling like he had heard Saul Krite’s name before.

  Kal watched the detective’s expression carefully as he put in the password to his phone and showed him the recording he had made.

  It was shaky since Kal had been running but Laura Olsen was clear as a bell. She was walking casually down the alley, staring at her phone. She turned, put the phone to her ear then with a strange smile on her face said. ‘This is silly. Where are you?’ Seconds later a figure flew by the camera and Laura fell to the ground. Her glassy stare and the blood coming from her head made it clear that she was dead. Then the camera flew from Kal’s hand, tumbling so quickly that it was not able to focus on anything. After a few nauseating seconds the image was steadied and Kal’s face was visible only inches from the screen. His eyes were shut and he wasn’t moving.

  Kal secretly thanked his lucky stars because the image was of human Kal. Getting knocked out must have immediately shifted him back. Then the camera shut off.

  “Pretty convenient,” Detective Krite said.

  “I don’t understand why the killer didn’t destroy the phone? Did they not know I was recording?” Kal asked. Then he answered his own question. It had nothing to do with Laura nor what he filmed. It had everything to do with Bree. He shot up from the chair. “It’s because they want me to see my wife die! If I’m in jail I can’t see it!”

&n
bsp; “You’re serious aren’t you? Bree really is in danger,” Krite said and for the first time he didn’t look at Kal suspiciously. He actually looked worried. That was when Kal realized who Saul Krite was and why he hated him. He HAD heard the name before but it had nothing to do with him. Just like the cellphone showing up and proving his innocence, it had everything to do with Bree.

  “I know why you hate me now,” Kal said angrily. “But it’s your fault. Not mine.”

  “Oh really?” Krite replied angrily and stood to face Kal.

  “You are the reason Bree doesn’t talk to her sister anymore,” Kal added.

  “Hey. I was set up,” he replied, his anger growing.

  “Oh yeah. Leanne forced you to take off your clothes and kiss her,” Kal said, unconvinced.

  “I wasn’t naked. And…she tricked me. She never intended to have sex with me,” Krite admitted.

  Kal stared back, his anger growing as well.

  “You were engaged to Bree. There is no excuse for sleeping with her sister!” Kal shouted. Saul Krite looked back and something in Kal’s face terrified him.

  “What’s wrong with your face?” Krite asked.

  Quickly Kal looked in the mirror and saw that the bones of his face were enlarged. His eyes had a faint red tint to them and his skin was looking a little grey. He calmed himself and all the effects of his transformation faded.

  “Quit trying to change the subject,” Kal evaded. He desperately hoped the cameras hadn’t been on for that, or at the very least, they didn’t have a good angle on his face. He had never made a mistake like this. He had nearly changed in front of a human and he didn’t even know he was doing it. This vampire was succeeding in its quest to harm him. He was so unnerved by everything going on and the threat to Bree’s life that he was letting his emotions get out of control. The vampire was getting exactly what it wanted.

  “I made a mistake,” Krite said with sadness.

  “A mistake? The way I hear it, that was just the last one in a long list,” Kal replied. He tempered his anger and forced back his loathing of the man.

  “So I was a little promiscuous. We weren’t married yet. I fully intended…” Krite explained but Kal cut him off.

  “She left you because of it. Face it. You screwed up. She’ll never want you back. She won’t even talk to her own sister,” Kal said. “Besides. She’s my wife. I have never and will never cheat on her.”

  Krite flopped down in his chair and was silent for a moment then relented.

  “You’re free to go,” Krite said as he looked down at his hands, deep in thought.

  “You going to tell me not to leave town?” Kal asked with condescension.

  “No. The video proves your innocence. If we have any more questions we’ll call you,” Krite stated.

  “Good. And let me know if you find out who is trying to kill my wife,” Kal said angrily then stormed out.

  He had little hope that the police would find the vampire trying to kill Bree but it was what humans would expect him to say. Not saying it would seem more suspicious, so he played his part. The police would be useless and the vampire was clearly winning. Kal had no idea where to search and no clue who the vampire really was. It was up to him to save his wife but it seemed like the vampire was at least five steps ahead of him. If Kal didn’t find something soon he would lose the person he cared about most. He had been wrong before. Bree leaving was not nearly as terrifying as the thought of Bree dying. Kal realized what this meant. After centuries of being nearly invincible a vampire had finally found his weakness. His weakness was a small sandy haired woman and the child she carried.

  Chapter 6

  After a very long day of searching the streets of Salvon and finding absolutely nothing, Kal returned home. This vampire wasn’t just good, this vampire was possibly the best he’d ever encountered. He had tried to find evidence at the crime scene, even coerced someone into checking Laura Olen’s phone records but there was nothing to find. The crime scene was completely devoid of anything and Laura’s phone records only showed a call to a burner phone with a fake address and name. Despite his failure Kal was happy to be home.

  As he walked into their apartment he noticed the broken lock on the door and his heart pounded in his chest. He thrust the door open to find the place a mess. The fridge door was wide open, milk was spilled out on the floor and the living room furniture was flipped over.

  Kal ran through the apartment. He checked the bedroom and bathroom but Bree was nowhere to be found. Then the house phone rang. Kal stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the phone. What if the vampire was on the other side? What if Bree was already dead? Then anger filled Kal. He shifted involuntarily and the back of his suit coat tore from the pressure. Kal grabbed the phone with his clawed hand and waited.

  “Don’t look so upset Kal,” a muffled and garbled voice said from the other side. “I want you to see her die. She’s perfectly safe as long as you come alone. You’ll get your chance to save her but I won’t make it easy.”

  “What do you want?” Kal asked through gritted teeth.

  “Meet me at fifteenth and Sutton. You know. Where Laura died? Think you can find it?” the voice asked. He couldn’t tell if the voice came from a man or a woman but he recognized the hatred it held. This vampire didn’t just want to hurt Kal. This vampire hated him, loathed him. What had he done to this vampire?

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Kal said.

  “Be there in five!” the voice shouted back then hung up.

  Kal didn’t bother to shift back to human form. He didn’t have time to get there like a human. He ran to the bedroom window and shot through it, throwing glass to the street below. He landed on the opposite apartment building and scaled it like a spider. The five floors below him didn’t even phase Kal. Even if he had fallen, the sidewalk would have been in more danger than his rock hard skin.

  When Kal reached the top of the building he took off at a sprint and lept to the next. Within a few minutes he stared down at the empty, dark alley and at his wife. Bree was tied up against what used to be a light pole but had been long forgotten in the abandoned alleyway. The vampire was nowhere in sight. As Kal was searching the dark alley for the vampire something hit him from behind. He went careening off the side of the building and landed with a loud crash at Bree’s feet.

  Kal got to his feet, whatever had hit him hurt worse than hitting the pavement, which now had a Kal sized dent in it. He peered into Bree’s terrified eyes and saw the joy which now replaced it. She was gagged and bound but otherwise unharmed.

  A steel beam came flying at Bree so Kal did the only thing he could think of. He threw himself in the way. His momentum shot the beam sideways and it missed Bree by inches while he was thrown against the side of a nearby building.

  Kal shook off the confusion and got to his feet once more to see a shadowy figure at the far side of the alley, Bree was between them. There was no way he could traverse the distance and save Bree. This vampire was faster than he was. He had no options. The beam! Kal quickly bent over and picked up the beam. Although he could not reach the vampire in time, he could throw the beam much more quickly. As he pulled back his arm to throw the beam a gunshot rang out through the alley. The vampire screamed in agony as the shot hit it in the leg but Kal still couldn’t determine if it was male or female then the vampire vanished.

  Out of the corner of his eye Kal saw Detective Saul Krite and his revolver walk into the alley. Kal dropped the beam and swiftly changed back to human form then ran to Bree’s side. Once he reached her he pulled down the gag then started working on the ropes that held her to the light pole.

  “Did you get a good look at him Bree?” Detective Krite asked as he peered down the alley where the vampire had disappeared.

  “No, Saul. He or she wore a mask,” Bree explained. When Kal had her arms free she turned and threw them over Kal’s shoulders and squeezed as hard as she could. She whispered quietly. “I knew you’d come. It said y
ou wouldn’t but I knew better.” Then she turned her head and addressed Detective Krite. “How did you know I was here?”

  “I…umm…I spoke to Kal and decided to trace your phone,” he admitted with much embarrassment.

  “You and Kal spoke?” Bree asked and gave both men a condescending look.

  “I was going to tell you but when I got home…” Kal trailed off.

  “Ok. I’ll let that one slide,” Bree said then turned to Detective Krite. “I know I said I never wanted to see you again but I’m glad you ignored me.”

  Detective Krite looked down at his shoes and smiled.

  “The least I can do after…you know,” he said. “I’m sorry, Bree.”

  Bree walked up to Detective Krite and smiled. She stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Despite everything that happened you saved me, my husband and,” she put her hands on her stomach. “Our baby. I think I can let that one slide as well.”

  “Are we going to need to come down and fill out a statement or something?” Kal asked.

  “I’m not going to report this,” Detective Krite said then a funny look came over him. “Not sure how I would explain you picking up that beam.” He looked at Kal then quickly added. “And I don’t want to know. Just get her somewhere safe.”

  “I will and in case there is a next time. Aim for the heart,” Kal said with a smirk.

  “You’re telling me. I hit, whatever that was, in the leg and it still ran off like a bat out of hell. And no I don’t want to know that either,” Saul said.

  “Good, because I’m not allowed to tell you even if I wanted to,” Kal replied.

  With that Detective Krite headed out of the alley and back to his car.

  Kal walked with Bree and anxiety set in. He knew what he wanted to ask but was afraid of the answer.

  “Oh don’t give me that,” Bree said.

  “You know what I’m thinking don’t you?” Kal asked.

  “You can’t ask that,” Bree replied.

  “You just talked to Saul,” Kal said.

  “But he was just a guy. She’s my sister. I can’t forgive her,” Bree said.