Daughters of Dracula (The Stoker Sisters #1) (17 page)

Ready to pounce on the strong vampire, Keegan stopped when a strangled and gurgling sound came from the doctor.

“Well, look at that.”
Skars
smirked. “The good doctor still has a few breaths left. How would you like to stay and witness how I drain the very last drop from your mentor’s aging and twisted body?”

Keegan fisted his hands as he took another step closer. He glanced down at his tortured friend. He needed medical attention fast.

“No doctor will be able to save him, Keegan.” Slowly threading his fingers together,
Skars
took a step toward Keegan and held his clasped hands up to point at him. “The remaining drops of blood that course through his veins will not keep him until he can be examined.”

Tears threatened to make their way to his eyes, but Keegan refused to give
Skars
the satisfaction.

“Your stoicism is admirable.”
Skars
snickered as he took another step closer. “Having lost your biological father must have been painful enough. Now to have to watch your mentor, the man who brought you from a boy to a man, the man who gave you a purpose in life, lose his last life’s blood must tear you apart.”

“I’ve grown accustomed to living with pain.”

“And what if I were to alleviate that pain?”

Keegan resisted the urge to ask how.

“I’ll spare your mentor and will breathe life back into him.”

The price would be high; of that Keegan had no doubt.

“Let’s have an exchange, shall we?”
Skars
asked. “We both want one thing – vampires destroyed. I want certain ones to be, and you are going to help me…”

**********

Though the hundreds of years had passed, Keegan maintained his youthful, eighteen-year-old appearance. Dr. Franz was made immortal, too. In exchange for Dr. Franz’s life, they were made immortal, not as vampires, but humans. But Keegan would serve the vampire he hated most –
Skars
as his immortal hunter. There was something about Keegan that rendered vampires to lose their vampire instincts when they were around him…all except
Skars
and
Strigoi
vampires.
Skars
could use that to his advantage in ridding the world of his vampire enemies. When Dr. Franz suggested coming to
Summerlin
, Keegan was reluctant. Leaving Europe seemed like a betrayal.

“You're the one who made a pact with
Skars
,” Dr. Franz reminded him. “He wants death to all vampires who could diminish his powers.”

“Yeah, but hunting good vampires feels like such a waste of my time, of my abilities.”

“There’s no such thing as a good vampire, Keegan,” Dr. Franz said.

“Well, a less vicious vampire.”

“Delilah has been at the top of
Skars
’ list for centuries. Now that he’s tracked her down, he wants her. Not only is she a good vampire, but she’s strong… and that’s why
Skars
wants to get rid of her.”

The beach community was a far cry from the life Keegan had known in London. Becoming accustomed to the high school he had to attend added to his initial discomfort. But being in school afforded him a good cover, and he had heard Delilah sometimes taught art at this school. Months he spent trying to see when she would turn up, but as if she knew to stay away, she never did.

But now as he distanced himself from the funeral home, the pain of his loss was heavier on his shoulders than it had ever been. He was alone. Battling the seemingly endless stream of vampires had been a daunting task with Dr. Franz as mentor.

The knowledge that he now stood at the helm both invigorated and frightened him. Would he be able to live up to the legacy of Dr. Franz?

Alone in this strange country, did he have what it took to rid the world of vampires?

Chapter 18

Alexis avoided her reflection. Every storefront cast a vile image; a woman she barely recognized and one she wanted to look at less and less, despite the human beauty that still clung to her features. Her intense and frequent feedings, constant hunting and insatiable thirst for blood had left her barely human.

Her hunger led her to risky hunting practices and feeding grounds where the chances of being caught were high. Though aware of the increased risks, she forged on, intent on her next victim; next meal. If anything the thrill and the danger of it all heightened her senses and intensified the satisfaction of each kill.

A thread of logic remained somewhere in the recess of her mind, telling her to gain control of these frenzied feedings before things got out of hand. It was also this thread of logic that kept her from sharing this transformation with her sister. But the thread seemed about to break. Alexis could feel it.

It seemed no matter how many victims she drained, no matter how many pints of blood she ingested, it was never enough, and that thought alone concerned her.

**********

This was the part of town tourist never visited, Keegan thought.
At least not intentionally.
The buildings were run down beyond habitable. More windows were boarded up than glassed, and the few that still held their panes were cracked and broken.
 
Stoops were filthy and falling apart, and the people who loitered around fit in perfectly with their surroundings. In this part of town, the streets were filled with people who’d found a way of life society just didn’t approve of.

But this was where Keegan felt certain a particularly vicious vampire hunted; the same vampire who’d killed Dr. Franz. Was Dr. Franz out stalking this vampire when he was viciously killed? Keegan had traced a line of victims with similar wounds down to these very streets. If this vampire maintained the same practices, he would be here tonight.

Prepared for an intense battle, Keegan knew he would be up against a strong force, stronger than any he’d ever come up against. This had to be a powerful vampire. Dr. Franz wasn’t an easy target and with the years of experience the good doctor had, getting to him couldn’t have been accomplished by a rookie blood sucker.

No. This vampire had been around for a good long while. And the way Dr. Franz’s throat had been torn apart told of the ravenous hunger this vampire lived with. Few vampires ever left such messy remnants of their handiwork.

As he walked with strong and confident strides, Keegan held his head high and avoided eye contact as much as he could. All eyes were on him as he made his way down the street, heading to a popular drug dealer’s digs. Some sneered and one old man actually spat on him.

“Get out of here, pretty boy. There’s no room for guys like you out here.”

Keegan only grinned. Dr. Franz had raised him a gentleman and it was evident in his stance and stride. He’d always carried himself with importance, something many people didn’t understand and appreciate in the form of a man so young. Trying to fit in was useless and he’d given up years ago trying to melt in with the people he often came across on these hunts.

After all, when it came to a hunt with a solid lead, he was usually in and out, his business done in a quick and efficient manner before returning to the serenity and quietude of home.

Turning into an alley he approached the door that was slightly obscured by a pile of trash cans and an old mattress stained with urine. A low groan followed by the sound of punctured skin came from further down the darkened alley.

His hair on end, Keegan saw the vampire in the distance, hunched over an elderly homeless man. Blood pumped fiercely through his veins at the thought of a kill. The anger and pain of Dr. Franz’s death added to his urgent need to rid the world of one more vampire.

Every step he took had him analyzing the situation more and more closely. The vampire was small and slight, delicate in its way of attacking, despite the obvious penchant for wild and animal-like movements.

This would be easy and would only warm him up for the real hunt to come.

He readied his stake, gripped it tightly in his hand and he rushed to the hunched figure. Raising his hands high above his head, he anticipated driving the stake deep into the vampire’s back, piercing the heart and killing it. The thought alone was euphoric.

Despite its intense feeding, the vampire rose and turned to face Keegan, blood dripping to the ground from its chin.

“Alexis,” Keegan gasped. The shock of seeing her paralyzed him and it took him a few moments to collect his thoughts. Throughout the years he’d been surprised to learn of acquaintances that’d been turned. It was a frequent happening and as a novice hunter, he’d been fool often, meeting people who had a semblance of a normal life, some even saintly and pious. He’d long ago learned that vampires came in many different styles and sizes.

But he had not suspected Alexis; not at all. She was warm and tanned. She walked in the sun without effects, and she had a heartbeat. She seemed so human, unlike the other vampires he had known. Was he that smitten by Alexis that he refused to
see
any signs of vampirism in her? That thought alone shocked and scared him. For all the times he’d been with her, and for the occasions he’d actually been close, so close, how could he not have known?

She stared at him, wide-eyed with bloodstained lips parted. Her fangs were long and menacing, ready to continue feeding.
“You?”
Her eyes darted to the stake in his hand, his arsenal of vampire hunting weapons at his belt and his duster.

“It all makes sense now,” Keegan said in a strangled and unsure voice. Never had he been so shaken by the discovery of a vampire. “You’re undead. I can’t believe I didn’t see it. You play the game very well.”

Keegan thought he saw a moment of fear in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced with anger and determination. Her chin took on a haughty tilt. “I certainly didn’t suspect you were a hunter, and certainly not one who would be able to sneak up on me as readily as you managed. I’m rather astute, you know.”

“I’ve no doubt.”

“Granted I’ve always found you were fast and undeniably strong, but despite that you seemed, well, too…” Her lips curled into a sultry grin.
“… pure to be a hunter.”

“I’ve had years of training; hard training by a master. I’m very good; better than any other hunter out there.”

An eerie chuckle rumbled from deep in her throat while her eyes roamed over every inch of him. There was hunger in her eyes, but whether it was a hunger for his blood or hunger for the man he was, he couldn’t quite tell. “I’ve no doubt. But I warn you, my dear Keegan, I, too, have had years of being what I am. It’s amazing what a few hundred years of practice can do to a girl.”

Keegan swallowed, afraid to ask what he needed to know, though in his heart he already knew the answer.

Alexis’ eerie chuckle exploded into a full on cackle, evil and spiteful. It filled the alley and echoed with vengeance. “Yes, Keegan,” she said with relish. “Sadie has been turned as well. Aren’t you the lucky boy? You’ve hit upon two sisters who not only have your heart confused and searching for the right answers, but they’re vampires as well.”

The stake almost fell from his numbed fingers. He may as well have driven it into his own heart for all the pain he felt. He cursed himself for having allowed his heart to open to anyone. Hadn’t the years taught him that?

Sadie. The image of when he’d last seen her came to him.
Sweet, caring and with a heart of gold.
But she fed on human blood. There was no way she could deny that aspect of who she was; of what she did to survive. She dug her fangs in like any other vampire and sucked blood to fulfill her and keep her alive.

The pleasure he now saw in Alexis’ eyes added to the pain of this deception. “She was turned at the same time as I, by the same vampire. As a guest of Stoker Manor he took a liking to us both.” She winked, naughty and inviting. “Of course I enticed him more than my saintly sister. Don’t think her puritan ways are anything new and just for you. If anything she was more annoying back then than she is now. But her saintly ways did manage to entice that handsome Lord nonetheless. When our home was ravaged by fire, he saved us from certain death. He turned us.”