Blood Battles (Fallen Angels Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  More Fallen Angels Stories

  Blood Battles

  (the 2nd Fallen Angels novel)

  by

  Judith Post

  Copyright 2013

  Thanks to M L Rigdon and Ann Staadt (both fellow writers) for slogging through this manuscript when it was long and messy and helping me shape it into something better.

  Chapter 1

  A lone floor lamp lit Enoch's penthouse. He sat in its small circle of light, his long legs stretched before him as he read the evening paper. A second crime boss had been staked through the heart. The first had been waiting for his mistress in L.A., the hotel door securely locked, but someone crashed through the big, plate glass window to get to him…on the fifteenth floor. The second stepped out onto a balcony in Chicago to get fresh air during a party. Twelve floors up.

  Why stakes? Enoch wondered. The men weren't vampires, or they'd have turned to dust when they died. Every vampire he'd killed had disintegrated to ashes, and he could kick them away where they fell. No bodies. No evidence. So what was the point?

  Enoch glanced up from the article he was reading and rubbed the bridge of his nose. His balcony doors stood open, and a breeze riffled the paper's thin pages. The air carried the scent of rain, refreshing and clean. Enoch heard the bedroom door open, and Voronika, barefooted, padded toward the kitchen. He stopped to watch her and thoughts of crime lords fled his mind. Slender, but curvy, she wore tight black jeans and a black top. Her amber eyes glowed in the dim light.

  She gave a graceful, feline stretch.

  How could someone so sensual be so emotionally disconnected? He understood why she'd built a wall around herself—to protect her sanity—but how did he break through it? Could he break through it?

  "Are you hungry?" she asked.

  He went to join her. Since she'd moved in, he arranged his life around her hours—breakfast at sundown, their big meal just before sunrise, and a solitary lunch in the afternoon. Angels didn't sleep, so what did it matter when he ate or worked? While she poured red wine, he arranged beef tartare on bruschetta.

  She carried her snack to the balcony doors, staring out at the city below them. "The streets look slick."

  As usual, cars sped by on Lafayette, their tires humming on the wet cement. People covered their heads to scurry into the restaurant on the corner. "Would you rather stay in tonight?"

  "No, I love June showers."

  Enoch finished his wine and went to get an umbrella. "Where to this time?" They'd explored downtown Three Rivers so often on their evening walks that they'd taken to driving to different neighborhoods for variety.

  Voronika slipped on a raincoat. "Foster Park. It's my favorite." It was only a short drive from their apartment. One of the city's trio of rivers bordered it on the south, but Enoch and Voronika usually strolled the path near the big, grandiose houses of yesteryear on the far side of the gardens and golf course.

  Tonight, Enoch pulled to the curb on a side street and they walked up and down one winding road after another. Huge Tudors mixed with Georgians and Spanish style stuccos, so that no house was similar to the next. "You know, we could buy one of these if you'd like to. You could remodel it any way you want."

  Enoch had amassed a fortune over his many lifetimes. Buying and decorating a house might give Voronika something to do. If she liked it, they'd buy and sell over and over again. She was restless, he knew, but she’d had no success in finding a hobby or passion to fill her hours.

  "And leave your penthouse? And the view of downtown?" She threaded an arm through his. "I like being above the busy streets."

  "We could buy a lake cottage or a condo somewhere for vacations." Maybe she'd enjoy traveling. New scenery, customs. How long would she be satisfied, sleeping during the day and walking every night?

  She shook her head, her long hair, the color of moonlight, rippling over her shoulders. "I ran for centuries to hide from Vlad. I moved from one spot to another, one country to the next. I'm happy staying put, having a home, one home, to call my own."

  Enoch's cell phone beeped, interrupting their conversation. He looked at the number. "Danny."

  Voronika adored Danny and his fiancee', Maggie, but late night phone calls usually meant one thing—an odd case. When Danny called on duty, Enoch answered.

  "Hey, I have a novelty murder I thought might interest you," Danny began without preamble. "At least, I hope it's a novelty."

  "I'm at the park with Voronika." Enoch had worked with Danny long enough, they didn't fiddle with niceties. His friend knew their hours and habits.

  "Bring her along," Danny said. "I'll let Derek know you're coming."

  "Derek, hmm? Should have known." Whenever Danny worked a freaky homicide, he was usually paired with the younger officer. "I haven't seen him for a while. How's he doing?" A vampire had swooped down to feed off him on their last case. Would have, too, if Enoch hadn’t been there.

  "Fine. No more night sweats. Hope it stays that way."

  Enoch took Voronika's elbow to steer her to the car. She'd been listening in, he knew. Vampires' hearing was every bit as good as his own. Rain drops began falling harder. The cuffs of his light, wool trousers felt damp on the bottom. "Where do I find you?"

  "The Lincoln Bank downtown."

  Enoch knew the building. He'd admired it often. Its humble beginning as the German American National Bank was to serve the many German immigrants who'd settled in Three Rivers, but when World War I started, the bank changed its name. A wise choice. People weren't always rational in times of stress.

  He flipped his cell shut, his gaze on Voronica. "Danny needs me. Do you want me to drop you at the apartment?"

  "No, take me with you." She sounded too eager. She picked up her pace to the Land Rover.

  Her reaction puzzled him. "It's a murder. Are you sure you want to see the victim?"

  She shook her head, amused. "What? Do you think I'm going to faint at the sight of blood?"

  He raised a dark eyebrow. She didn't often resort to cheap, vampire humor. "No, b
ut it's unpleasant. If I can spare you, why not?"

  "You coddle me too much. What am I supposed to do? Sit and wait for you? That gets old."

  Did he coddle her? Was he too controlling? Their routine was getting old, and that worried him. When they reached the car, he held the door for her. He waited until they were on their way downtown before he asked, "Are you happy? Do you like it here?"

  "Why wouldn't I like Three Rivers? I have the first friends I could make for centuries, and they know what I am and don't care. You freed me from Vlad. I don't have to look over my shoulder every minute of every day."

  Enoch frowned. She didn't sound happy. He knew from experience that most rescuers got kicked to the curb. Just because someone felt grateful didn't mean they wanted to stay with you.

  He reached the bank building and pulled to the curb by its front doors. The Art-Deco, limestone and granite high-rise was something to see. Enoch found it stunning. He'd studied the copper panels outside that showed scenes from Abraham Lincoln's life, but that's as far as he'd gotten. For years, the building had been the tallest in Indiana. He looked forward to seeing its interior, even if it was for a homicide.

  He circled the car to open Voronika's door.

  She studied his hand a moment when he offered it to help her. "Danny must need your gift, right?"

  He slanted her another look. Was that why she wanted to accompany him? He didn't talk much about his odd talent. She'd never seen him use it. "There must not be much for Danny to go on."

  Since his Fall, Enoch had worked hard to perfect the strange talent he'd discovered, but it didn't quite work the way he'd planned. When he touched a dead body, he couldn't see the actual killer, only the faces of his next intended victims, in the order their deaths would occur.

  A uniform was waiting at the bank door to greet them. The man looked them up and down. "You must be Danny's friends. He said I couldn’t miss you. He needed Derek for a minute, sent me to secure the scene."

  Voronika had put in her colored contacts before leaving the apartment, so skewered him with a blue stare. "Why couldn't you miss us?"

  The officer nodded toward Enoch. "Danny said the guy would be six-five. Black hair, black eyes. Dressed like a million bucks." He turned his attention to her. "His girlfriend would be drop-dead gorgeous. . ." He shrugged.

  Enoch smiled. "That sounds like the way Danny would describe us."

  The cop unlocked the door for them. "Top floor. They're waiting."

  The bank, restored to its previous glamour, was as beautiful inside as Enoch expected. Its ceiling soared. Large art deco murals adorned its walls. There was an abundance of bronze, and Enoch was surprised to see a small snack shop with its original 1930 soda fountain. They rode in an elevator that lurched its way to the twenty fifth floor. Derek waited there.

  "Long time, no see," he told Enoch. His voice held a bit of relief. When the young detective saw Enoch, he'd think of vampires. He did a double take when he got a good look at Voronika. "Whoa! No wonder Enoch was willing to move heaven and earth to keep you safe."

  Her pale eyebrows pulled together in a scowl. "You're???"

  "Derek."

  "Danny's partner?"

  "Sometimes…when we get the offbeat cases."

  She held out a hand. "I owe you thanks. I almost cost you your life."

  "Not your fault. The first vamp was already in town before Enoch even got here to look for him." Derek motioned toward the office. "It's the only one up here. Each floor gets smaller and smaller the higher you go. Part of the building's design. This poor bastard's wife got mad at him, so he came to the office to work late."

  Enoch tapped lightly before he stepped inside the room. The door had obviously been forced, the lock and frame damaged. Danny was looking out a window, his broad back to them. "Great view. Not as good as the one from your penthouse, but not bad." Enoch knew from experience that Danny needed a small break after he saw a murder victim, something to help settle his mind. Looking down on the lights of the city might suffice.

  When Danny turned to greet him, he was all business again. "What do you make of it?"

  The man, slumped in his desk chair, looked to be in his early forties. He had pure white hair pulled back in a ponytail. Dressed in an off-white, linen suit with a black t-shirt, he was handsome and sophisticated. He looked more like an artist than a businessman. Enoch glanced at the plaque on the door. An architect. The office was as stylish as its occupant with dove gray walls, a large mahogany desk, and matching file cabinets. Modern art adorned the walls. Plush, gray carpet cushioned their footsteps.

  A stake protruded from the man’s chest. His top desk drawer was slightly open, and a nine millimeter had fallen out of his hand. Blood drenched his shirt, pooled on his desk, and stained the plush carpet.

  Enoch frowned. "I've read about two guys who were killed like this in other cities. Both were on high floors."

  "One on a balcony." Danny fixed him with a meaningful stare.

  Enoch knew what he was thinking. "Why would a vampire stake a human?"

  "What other explanation is there?"

  Enoch couldn't think of any. That's what he liked about his friend. He didn't mince words and didn't rule out anything. "The other two were crime lords. It's hard to believe a vampire would come to Three Rivers to hunt down a mafia kingpin."

  Danny raised blond eyebrows. "Really? It seems to me other people have come here to disappear for a while. . ." He gave Enoch a pointed look, ". . . What better place than the Midwest?" He shrugged wide, beefy shoulders. "Or maybe we have another copycat killing, like on our last case."

  Voronika stepped through the door and grimaced. "Someone has a sick way of killing people."

  Danny nodded. "Hi, V. The techs have come and gone. The body bag will be next." He motioned to Enoch. "Care to do your thing? If someone's staking business men, I'd like to know who's next."

  "Can he do it here? Now?" Voronika stepped closer.

  "If he hurries," Danny said. "The baggers are on their way."

  Just what he needed—an audience. Enoch went to the body and touched the man's bare throat. He shut his eyes. When he opened them again, he frowned, perplexed.

  "What?" Danny asked. "You look like something doesn't add up."

  "Your killer's on a mission. He's after vampires."

  "And the victim?"

  "Was an accident. I can feel the surprise. The killer thought he'd turn to dust once the stake hit him."

  "I don't get it," Danny said. "Whoever hit the crime lords knew they weren't vamps."

  Voronika studied Enoch, intrigued. "You can tell more, can't you?"

  "I can see who comes next."

  "And?" She waited.

  Enoch sighed, worried. "He has a list of Bart's generals he wants to kill."

  Enoch had worked with Bart and his small band of vampire enforcers often. It was Bart's job to control rogue vamps and protect innocent mortals. Stress the word "innocent." Enoch wasn't thrilled that vamps could feed on muggers and rapists, killers and bullies, but it was a compromise that kept things in check.

  Danny ran a hand over his close-cropped hair. He'd worked with Bart, too, and had come to distinguish between good vamps and bad. "Bart and his men left Three Rivers after you killed Vlad."

  "Is a general still here?" Voronika asked.

  Enoch shrugged. He hadn't seen one.

  "Who'd be stupid enough to go against one of them?" Danny threw a harried look Enoch's way. "No one can hurt them, right?"

  "Rogues almost killed Claudia—true dead." Enoch held up a hand to stop the flow of questions. He didn't have any answers at the moment. "A general must be in town, and the killer came after him. He killed this poor guy, thinking it was him."

  They were all silent a moment.

  Finally, Voronika asked, "How many generals did you see when you touched the body? How many are on the killer's list?"

  "At least six."

  "Six?" Voronika turned paler than usual. "You only
touched the dead man once."

  "My friend here has talented hands," Danny said.

  "I know." Voronika gave him a meaningful look and Danny blushed. He might be a detective, but he started out as a farm boy, and sometimes it still showed.

  Enoch ignored them. "The visions came faster and faster. Once this killer gets started, he doesn't mean to waste time."

  "Can you list the faces you saw?" Danny took a notepad from his pocket.

  "I don't know the first vampire, the one in town. We've never met. The next is Nula, the second Elijah, the third Amado, and then Claudia…"

  "Claudia?" Danny shook his head. She and Bart had done their best to protect Danny and Maggie when Vlad came to Three Rivers. "No way. Bart won't let that happen." She and Bart were mates.

  "After the killer finishes his list, he means to end with Bart."

  Danny began to pace. "Is the guy nuts? Does he have a death wish or something? I watched Claudia take out five young vamps by herself. Bart's even stronger."

  Voronika narrowed her eyes. "What does the killer want?"

  "I don't know." Enoch was as frustrated as they were. None of this made any sense. "Sometimes I can feel the killer's emotions when I touch his victim, but all I got was surprise this time. It could be that he hates vampires, or it could be that he wants to control them."

  "Hold on a minute." Danny stuffed his notepad back into his pocket. "Are we talking a mortal here, or is a vampire waging a civil war of his own?"

  Enoch sighed. "I only see the next victims. You know that, but I'd guess the killer is mortal. A vampire could hear the beating of this guy's heart. A vampire could smell his blood. He'd know he's human. He wouldn't be surprised."

  "That makes sense." Danny shook his head. "So it looks like a mortal's waging a war on vamps. The guy has to be certifiably crazy to think he can pull that off."

  It was Enoch's turn to look out the window at the city below. He needed to collect his thoughts. "No, that's too simple. I'm betting vampires killed the two mafia men I read about."

  "But a mortal tried to kill a vampire here?" Danny's shoulders sagged. "Sorry, it's not adding up for me."

  "Maybe the killings aren't connected." But even as Enoch said that, he realized he didn't believe it. All three victims were killed with stakes, even when stakes weren't needed. Why? A statement? Of what?