Sui Generis – 31

 

Then Brand remembered Ulrik. The werewolf seemed to be having more trouble now than the others had in closing in on his prey. The vampire was swift and wily, raising up to the ceiling then swooping down to rake his nails across whatever part of Ulrik's body was closest before rising up again. Ulrik leapt, trying to catch an arm or leg in his jaws. Brand heard him say, ::I'm getting too old for this.::

"Allow me," Randulf said, striding over to stand beside Ulrik. When the vampire swooped, veering when he realized it was now two on one, Brand grinned slightly. Between them, Ulrik and Randulf had herded the vampire to him. With a wide sweep of his sword, he beheaded him.

"Now I know why Antton wanted you in human form," Brand said, staring up at Randulf. "Your reach does exceed your grasp, so to speak."

Randulf snorted. "I'm not sure that applies in this situation, but the basic idea is right on."

::Upstairs,:: Antton ordered, heading out of the cave. Everyone followed and when they were in the cabin, Antton and Ulrik shifted to their human forms. But only for the moment, according to Antton, who said it was easier for all of them to talk that way.

"He knows by now Vesper is here, and possibly some of the rest of us, if he's aware his guards have been destroyed," Antton said. "The question is, what are we going to run into on the other side of the closed door?"

"I can mist and go find out," Dante suggested.

"And fall right into a trap, since he'd expect that," Vesper said tartly.

"I sensed two vampires close to the entrance," Brand put in. "They seemed alert but not worried, if that makes sense."

"Too bad you can't feel Fedor," Randulf said, pacing restlessly.

"If I was able to, none of this would be happening in the first place," Brand grumbled in reply. "At this point, I'm about ready to just walk in there and tell him to go to hell."

"Not happening," Randulf told him sharply. "It wouldn't solve the problem. We'd just have to rescue you as well as Mag."

"Hold on a minute," Ulrik said. "That could be just the element of surprise we need. But he can't go in alone. As Antton said, he already knows Vesper was following him. He probably senses Dante as well. So the three of them go in together. Randulf can continue to hide our presence."

"Only mentally," Randulf cautioned.

"That should be enough, as long as we stay back until it's time to attack. All we need is a visual and one of us can pick that out of Brand's mind without Fedor being aware."

Antton nodded thoughtfully. "It could work, and there's the advantage that Fedor doesn't know Brand is a werewolf. Add our strength and speed to what Brand already has as a dhampir, and he's a force to be reckoned with."

"I am?" Brand said in surprise.

"Yeah, kid." Ulrik chuckled. "Given time and more training, and you'll make the rest of us look like newbies beside you."

Brand grinned, relaxing momentarily. "Then you'll have to start calling me something other than kid."

"We'll see; you're still younger than me."

Antton sighed, even though he was smiling a bit. "Okay, can we get back on topic? Brand, you can make your sword invisible but will Fedor feel that you have it anyway?"

"No clue. When he kidnapped me, I didn't have it with me. It was daytime and I rarely carried it then. I mean, why bother? There's no way I can sense a vampire who is so old he could be out in direct sunlight—like Fedor. I haven't been around long enough." He thought a moment before saying, "On the other hand, even if he does know I have it, he can't take it away from me. It's pure silver."

"True, although if he has any humans with him, they could," Antton said. "And he does have one that we know of. Mag."

"Mag would never do that."

Randulf shook his head. "He would if he was compelled to, and that would be quite easy for Fedor to do. Or, contrary to that, you'd hand it over if he threatened to harm Mag."

Brand chewed his lip, nodding. "Yeah, maybe."

"Maybe?" Randulf stared at him in surprise.

"I'm a dhampir. My sole reason for existing is to rid the world of vampires like Fedor. I'm not certain, when it comes down to it, that I can override that."

"Then you keep it hidden until the right time comes and we'll pray Fedor doesn't figure out you have it."

Vesper, who had been pensively silent up until then, said, "He knows. Even though they were fighting us, I can't believe that one of his guards wasn't in communication with him. So he'll know Brand has the sword and exactly how many of us are here. The only thing he won't know, as Antton pointed out, is that Brand's a werewolf."

"In that case," Antton said, "we might as well go in together and let the chips fall where they may. Our number one priority is destroying Fedor, preferably without his killing Mag in the process."

Sui Generis – 30

 

Foot by foot, the werewolves moved slowly along the tree-line that followed the edge of the lake. Suddenly Vesper appeared in front of them, his hand held up to stop them.

Antton tilted his head then relayed Vesper's non-verbalized words to the others. ::Dante thinks the cabin, which is all it is, is a ruse. He senses natural caverns beneath it but hasn't gone inside yet to confirm it. Fedor entered and hasn't left. So far, Mag is fine, if unconscious. Dante couldn't determine if he's enthralled as well.::

::What are we going to do?:: Brand asked, wondering if they could hear him.

::We can,:: Randulf reassured him.

::Why can't Fedor hear us?:: Brand asked.

::Because I'm shielding our mind-speaking,:: Randulf replied.

::We'll split up,:: Antton said. ::Randulf, you stay with Brand and go to the back of the cabin. Wait until I give you the order to enter. Dante says there are shuttered windows on all four sides, and only one door, in front. Ulrik, you take the left side, I'll take the right, Vesper and Dante will go in first since as far as Fedor knows, they're the only ones who followed him. Of course, Fedor probably suspects we're not too far behind.:: He turned his attention directly on Brand. ::"Something I should have asked long before this. Can you sense vampires in your werewolf form?::

Brand nodded. ::I know where Dante is, about five hundred feet from us. There aren't any in the cabin but that's as far as my senses reach at the moment. If there are some in the cavern, I probably won't know where or how many until we enter it.::

::That's good enough for now. All right, gentlemen, shall we?::

The werewolves fanned out, moving stealthily to their assigned locations. When Brand and Randulf reached the rear of the cabin, they waited for Antton's order to enter.

::According to Dante, the entrance to the lower level and the cavern is a trapdoor. There's a chair attached to it to hide its location. He and Vesper have already gone down to the cavern's entrance. It's in a small cave. I have the visual.::

Brand saw the picture and wondered how he was going to teleport there, to say the least of into the cabin. 'Should have known' was his instant answer when Randulf gripped his shoulder gently with his jaws. Seconds later they were standing with the others, surrounded by what appeared to be impenetrable rock walls.

::Randulf, Brand, shift please,:: Antton said.

They did. Then at Antton's request, Brand opened his senses, searching for the presence of vampires. He understood why he was supposed to do that when he realized the ones he felt were all to his left. "The…" What he was going to say was interrupted by Antton telling him to think it instead of speaking. ::There are four vampires behind here.:: He walked over to touch the cave wall.

::Guarding the entrance, one would presume,:: Ulrik said. ::Now, how to open it.::

Antton paced over, sniffing the wall. Then he nodded, placing one paw just below one of several rocky protrusions. ::If I'm not mistaken, when I push on this, the wall will swing open, so be ready.::

Antton did as he had said and they burst through the widening space when a section of the wall moved. They were in a second, larger cave with a wooden door set into a paneled wall at the far end. Between them and it, just as Brand had predicted, there stood four vampires. Whether the vampires had expected them or were there just as a precaution didn't matter. They attacked with a vengeance, using clawed fingernails, fangs, and weapons in an attempt to repel the invaders.

Dante and Vesper closed in on the largest of their foes, while Antton bit, snapped, and clawed the second of the four, managing to bring him to the ground.

::Brand, your weapon would come in handy right now.::

Brand skittered past Ulrik, who was holding his own against the third vampire. Closing in on Antton's prey, he lifted his now unsheathed sword and brought it down on the vampire's neck, decapitating him. Then Brand swung around, looking for who needed his help next.

Randulf was obviously toying with his chosen vampire, feinting blows while dancing lightly out of his reach seconds later. The frustrated vampire angrily took to the air. With a gleeful laugh, Randulf grabbed his feet, whirling him around to slam him into the stone wall. "Ouch, I bet that hurt," he commented when the vampire's head split open like a cracked egg. "Still, better safe than sorry." With a quick twist, he tore the vampire's head from his body.

           Brand heard Dante mutter, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall," and saw him and Vesper double-team their vampire, tumbling him to the floor. He was beside them seconds later, his sword hissing as it cut through the air and into the vampire's neck. Dante thanked him, while wiping away blood from the deep scratches in one of his arms. Vesper had fared a bit worse. The right side of his face was lacerated, as was his shoulder under his tattered shirt. "The bastard needed a good manicure," Vesper muttered, tearing off what remained of his shirt to sop up the blood. That was hardy necessary because, even as Brand watched, his wounds began to heal.

Sui Generis – 29

 

Brand struggled against whoever was holding him down with their hand covering his mouth.

::Hold still and be quiet, damn it,:: someone spoke in his mind. ::We have company.::

Freezing, Brand looked up into Randulf's deep amber eyes. "Who?" he mouthed once Randulf removed his hand.

::A friendly vampire,:: Randulf told him sarcastically. ::Who do you think?:: 

"Mag!" Brand shot straight up and would have taken off for Mag's room if Randulf hadn't grabbed him.

"Fedor has him. They're leaving now."

"Damn it, we have to stop him!"

"Will you shush? Dante's following and I've notified the others. Things are finally falling into place."

"What if he loses him?" Brand reached for his jeans, lying on the chair beside the bed.

"He won't." Randulf tilted his head as if listening to something. "Fedor's moving fast, but not as fast as he could by a long shot, according to Dante."

While pulling on his jeans, then slipping his feet into his shoes, Brand said, "So we were right, but why did you want me to be quiet?"

"Because Fedor was still here when I woke you. I sort of figured you'd want to tag along with us. Antton will be pissed, but…" Randulf shrugged. "You might want a shirt too."

"Antton can just suck it up. If you'd left me behind, you'd have had one pissed off me on your hands."

Randulf chuckled, even though his expression was fearsome. "Ready?"

"Not quite." Brand hurried to the closet, returning with a sheathed sword strapped to his back. With a thought, he made it invisible. "Now I'm ready."

Randulf gripped Brand's hand. Seconds later they were at Antton's. "Where are they?" he asked the moment they landed.

"According to Vesper, who joined Dante, they're about two miles outside of Golden and moving fast toward the mountains."

"You have a visual?" Randulf asked the others.

"Yes." Antton—and Ulrik, who was standing by the fireplace—locked their gazes with Randulf for a second.

"Okay, let's head out," Antton ordered.

It took two stops in order to get more visuals from Vesper, before the quartet was deep in the mountains.

"Where the hell are we?" Brand asked.

"In the middle of the forest," Ulrik said, with a trace of asperity.

"No duh." Brand looked around, seeing nothing except trees and more trees. "How close are we to him?"

Antton closed his eyes momentarily. "Vesper says they're at a small lake east of where we're standing. Time to shift."

"What about…" Brand tapped his sword then realized the others couldn't see it. "My weapon?"

"It will come back when you regain your human form, just as your clothes do," Antton replied tersely, his concentration obviously somewhere else.

The three werewolves and Brand shifted. Brand knew what Antton's wolf form looked like from his lessons—lean, muscular, and covered with dark fur. Ulrik's fur was a deep blond, bordering on brown, like his hair. Randulf's was a much paler, a yellowish-white, and he was massive. Brand felt insignificant next to him, and very plain as his fur was a muted shade of brown blended with gray.

::Follow me,:: Antton mind-spoke.    

The werewolves raced through the forest, Antton in the lead, Randulf bringing up the rear. Antton stopped suddenly at the edge of the trees where they met a wide band of rocky earth.

Swinging his head left and right for a moment, Antton told them, ::Now we'll be stealthy. Vesper says there's a small structure on the far side of the lake from where we're standing. He doesn't dare to go any closer than where he is now, but Dante has, although he hasn't entered it so far.::

Sui Generis – 28

 

It was decided that Randulf and Dante would accompany Mag and Brand home and stay until morning, after making it seem as if they'd left. Since neither of the Enforcers had come by car, they borrowed Antton's SUV. When they got to the house, Dante drove slowly by it and around to the alley where he parked and they all got out.

"Looks okay so far," Brand said after a quick visual check of the backyard and the tree. "No dead animals."

Dante went to porch. "Let me check inside." He misted, slipping under the back door.

"He'd make a good burglar," Mag said. "He doesn't have to worry about locks or alarms."

"Which we don't have," Brand pointed out. "Alarms, that is." He began pacing, opening his senses for any signs of vampires other than Dante. He knew he wouldn't feel Fedor but he wouldn't put it past him to send a couple of his lesser vampires to try to pull something as part of his reign of terror.

"Anything?" Randulf asked, apparently picking up on what he was doing.

"Nope. All clear unless he's in the neighborhood somewhere."

Mag looked around fearfully as if anticipating Fedor would show up any second. When Dante opened the back door, he scurried into the house, quickly followed by Brand and Randulf.

Dante stopped them as soon as they were inside. "I presume the two of you aren't into blood as a form of wall art."

"Shit," Brand growled. "Now what?"

"It looks like he paid another visit. Much earlier this evening, since the blood is dry, but it's there."

"I wish to hell he'd just show his face, grab one of us, and get this over with," Brand said angrily.

Mag walked into the living room and swore, not too quietly. "The landlord is not going to be a happy camper."

Brand followed and had to agree. Two walls were liberally spattered with blood, heavily at the top with long streams coming down from there almost to the floor. Fedor, presuming it had been him who had done it, had also left a message in blood on the third wall. It said, "It ends soon."

"What's his definition of soon?" Brand spat out.

"I suspect it depends on how much longer he wants you looking fearfully over your shoulder," Randulf replied. "Still…" He took out his phone and called Antton to let him know the latest developments.

"We should probably take you back to Antton's so you can get some sleep," Dante said. "I doubt you'll be able to here, after this."

"Hell no. We're not running scared," Brand said adamantly. "Right?" he added, looking at Mag.

"Right," Mag agreed, although he looked as if he wasn't quite as certain as Brand.

Randulf grinned. "Didn't think you'd take us up on the offer. You two have guts. So Dante and I will make an obvious exit then return less openly. If Fedor is around somewhere, he'll sense Dante's back. I don't think he'll do anything tonight but we're not taking chances."

"Thanks," Brand said. He glanced at the walls again, trying to repress a shudder. "Come on, Mag, let's see them out and then go upstairs." Turning back to Dante, he said hopefully, "He didn't get up there did he?"

"No sign of it. Or at least if he did, he didn't do anything."

"Good." He headed through the kitchen into the backyard, followed by the others. Then he and Mag watched as Dante and Randulf drove away before going back inside.

"We probably have five minutes before they're back," Mag said, as soon as he closed and locked the door.

"Not enough time to do anything—exciting," Brand replied with a bit of a grin.

"No, but…" Mag wrapped Brand in a tight embrace. "We can make out a little." He didn't give Brand any chance to object, kissing him quite heartily—a kiss Brand returned very enthusiastically, exploring the taste and feel of Mag's mouth when Mag opened to his questing tongue.

"Told you," Dante said from behind them a few moments later.

"Like I doubted you?" Randulf replied with a laugh. "Sorry to break up your fun, guys," he said when Brand and Mag spun around to look sheepishly at them, "but it really is necessary for the two of you to get some sleep. Preferably in your own beds. Emphasis on 'beds'. Plural."

Brand nodded. As much as he'd have liked to continue what he and Mag had been doing, he knew Randulf was right. Now was not the time. Later though, when all of this is over. He smiled softly at Mag. "Guess we'd better do as ordered."

"Yeah," Mag agreed with a sigh. "Not that I'll actually sleep, but… yeah."

Sui Generis – 27

 

"So what do you suggest?" Antton asked.

"That's what I trying to figure out." Randulf rapped his fingers on the end table beside his chair. "What's around the coffee shop, Mag?"

"It's on a corner. Next door on one side is a parking lot, then an apartment building. On the other side are small businesses. There's a convenience store across the street opposite the parking lot and more small businesses across the other street."

"When do you get there, and leave, and do you take breaks away from the place?"

"Eight, four-thirty, and breaks are usually around ten, for fifteen minutes, and at two for half an hour for lunch." Mag added, before they could ask, "Most of the time I bring my lunch and sit outside in back where there's a picnic table."

"What do you think?" Randulf asked, looking at Ulrik and Antton. "Is it doable?"

"We should scout it out, but I suspect so. I've seen the place, so we can do that now." Antton stood, holding out his hand to Ulrik who took it. Instantly they were gone.

"Whoa up," Mag exclaimed. Then he grinned. "One myth that's for real."

Randulf chuckled. "Yep. Now I guess we should figure out how to put Brand out there and track him, just on the off chance we're wrong about who Fedor will go after."

"I'd appreciate that," Brand said sardonically.

Smiling slightly, Randulf continued. "Since I gather you've been out hunting him at night, you should keep that up. He's used to that pattern from you."

"You think it's possible he's just going to go straight for me, despite the idea he'd want Mag just to add another layer of torture to what he's been doing do far?" Brand asked.

Dante nodded. "As has already been pointed out, he might like to lure at least some of us into following him when he does make his move. And have no doubts, he will move."

"So," Mag said, "it sort of comes down to who he'd rather catch—Antton and Ulrik because he hates werewolves, or you and Vesper to show he's superior to any vampire who might try to catch him, especially if they're Enforcers."

"Precisely," Dante replied.

"What about Randulf?"

Randulf smiled wickedly. "I'm the secret weapon."

Brand looked up at him, all six foot six or more of solid muscle sheathed in a tight T-shirt and leather pants. "You're about as 'secret' as… as the Sphinx in the desert."

Laughter ensued before Randulf said, "I'm an alpha, as are Antton and Ulrik, but I've been around a lot longer than them and have some interesting abilities as a result. There is no way a vampire can sense me or control me, not even one as old as Fedor. I can also shift so that my human form is different from what you see now."

"And I thought Ulrik was good at undercover work," Brand said.

Randulf nodded. "He's very good, but more the way a cop would be. Mine is purely physical." 

"Could you be me?"

"No. I have several forms I can take, but they're all individual to me alone. I can't 'become' another person, in the sense you're asking."

Brand nodded. "So you could be around and Fedor wouldn't know it."

"Exactly, and I will be—both with Mag and with you."

"Don't you have to sleep occasionally?" Mag asked.

Randulf chuckled. "Occasionally. I take, you should excuse the expression, catnaps."

"Bad one," Mag muttered, just as Antton and Ulrik reappeared.

"There's plenty of places we can use," Antton told them without preamble.

"Question," Mag said, holding up his hand before realizing what he'd done. "Okay, this isn't class," he muttered. "Anyway, won't he sense you're around?"

"That is the idea," Ulrik pointed out.

"Right. Sorry. Nerves talking, not common sense."

"Quite understandable," Antton said. "Now, if there are no more questions, we should get you home."

            "And hope he hasn't left us another 'present' while we've been gone," Brand said.

Sui Generis – 26

 

"I told you…" Randulf started to say.

"I don't give a damn what you told us, I'm not letting you put Mag in danger." Angry now, with no way to release it without throwing a temper tantrum, Brand jumped to his feet, grabbing Mag's wrist, pulling him up beside him. "We're leaving. We've done fine on our own so far. If he shows his damned face, I'll take his head. I am capable of doing that. It's why I… Why I exist. Right?" He sighed suddenly, his anger abating when he realized it was driven by fear.

"Brand," Mag said quietly, "they're trying to help us."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just…"

"Scared out of your mind, just like me." Mag hugged him hard, urging him to sit again.   

Brand resisted, saying, "I'm better standing, pacing, so I can work off some of my tension."

Vesper smirked, looking at the two young men. "Might I suggest you…?"

"Enough," Antton said firmly. "This is getting us nowhere. The question before us is how to put Mag in the right place so that Fedor thinks he has a chance of kidnapping him."

Mag took a deep breath. "Let him. Then follow him to wherever he's hiding. That way you can get him where he least expects it."

"And where he's most protected, so that's not an option," Ulrik told him.

"Besides which, following him would probably be impossible," Dante added. "He's not going to jump in his car and drive there."

Brand stopped his pacing when an idea occurred to him. "He knows Antton, Vesper, and possibly Ulrik are here. Vesper, because he saw him, Antton if he's been paying attention, since he came by the house and took us out to Fedor's old hideout." He pointed to Ulrik. "And you, because we ran into each other on the Fourth. The way he feels about werewolves, he has to have picked up on what you are."

"True," Ulrik agreed. "So?"

"The three of you play on that. Be more visible, more obvious about protecting Mag. Fedor's ego should demand that he draw you into following him back to—wherever—so he can show the world, or at least our world, how powerful he's become by capturing or killing you. Meanwhile, Randulf and Dante stay well in the background, just in case I'm wrong." He looked at the others questioningly. "Does that make sense?"

Most of the Enforcers nodded slowly, obviously thinking about it. Dante was a bit less circumspect. "Out of the mouths of babes, as they say."

"I'm not a babe," Brand grumbled.

"You're a lot younger than the rest of us," Ulrik replied, "so yeah, you are."

At the same time, Mag murmured softly under his breath, "I disagree. You're a real babe. Umm… whatever the masculine equivalent of that is." He turned red when everyone laughed and he obviously remembered they were all graced with extremely keen hearing. "Shoot me. He is."

Brand dropped down beside him, smiling. "Thanks for that. Saying it and—" he chuckled, "—giving everyone a laugh. It helped me relax a bit."

"Then my job here is done. Can I leave now?"

"No, I need you beside me and… we'd better get back to what we were doing."

"Which was plotting how to covertly, overtly, watch the two of you," Antton said.

"What do you do on a daily basis?" Ulrik asked.

"Normally, up until a couple of days ago, I work," Mag replied. "Then in the evenings we go to college, and if things really were normal, we'd go back home, study, and get some sleep."

"You don't have a job, Brand?"

"No. I've been sleeping days so I could spend the nights searching for Fedor."

"Okay. It's a fair bet Fedor knows all this. If I were him, if I thought as deviously as he does, I'd grab Mag from his job."

"Definitely from his job, Ulrik, since Fedor would figure no vampires could be involved during the day. Of course, being ancient, he can tolerate sunlight to some degree." Dante said. "Where do you work, Mag?"

Mag smiled wryly. "Where else could an ex-street kid get a job? At a coffee shop that has food as well."

"Good. That gives Ulrik and Antton a reason to be hanging around."

 Randulf shook his head. "Too obvious."

"But that's what we're going for," Dante protested.

            "But if they're blatantly out there for him to see them, he's going to smell a setup."

Sui Generis – 25

 

Antton nodded. "Sorry, but yeah, you're right, Brand. Before you think we're total asses, catching Fedor is and always has been—what did some TV show call it—our prime directive."

"Star Trek," Mag told him. He pulled out a chair and sat down hard, scowling at them. "So Brand be damned when it came right down to it. If he led you to Fedor, that was all that mattered. And now you want me to be the bait to bring the bastard out of hiding." He paused, frowning deeply. "If you were tracking Brand, why didn't you see Fedor that night in the alley when Brand did? And since you know where we live, why didn't you have someone watching the house. Fedor's been there at least twice."

"I did see him in the alley," Vesper said quietly. "Unfortunately, he spotted me at the same time and retreated. Possibly he was afraid I and the others were guarding you."

"I thought the cops showing up was why he ran," Brand said.

"Do you really think he'd be afraid of a couple of police officers?"

"Well… no. I guess not."

"Exactly," Vesper said.

"We have been watching your house, waiting for Antton to decide it was the right time to talk to you," Randulf told Mag. "However, Fedor is very old and very wily. He can be in and out of a place before you know it, if that's how he wants to play it. And in this case, it is."

"His reign of terror, as you two put it," Antton pointed out.

"Which isn't working," Brand stated with a confidence he wasn't certain he really felt. He pulled out the chair next to Mag's and sat, looking squarely at him. "Is it?"

Mag smiled ruefully. "It's beginning to. The more I hear, the more I wonder if we—" he glanced at the Enforcers, "—if they can really stop him."

"We're going to try, but it will take all of us, and that includes the two of you," Antton replied. "You're…"

"The bait. Yeah, yeah, we know." Mag reached for Brand's hand, holding it tightly while looking at the other men. "So what do you want us to do?"

"Eat dinner," Antton told him, chuckling. "We're all hungry. Ulrik's here now, we have a good meal fixed, and I, for one, am not going to let it go to waste."

*****

"That was good," Mag said half an hour later.

Dante laughed. "You sound surprised. Didn't think vamps and werewolves could cook?"

Mag snorted. "Until a couple of days ago, I didn't know you existed, so what do you think?" He started gathering up the dishes, taking them from the dining room table into the kitchen with Brand's help. When they finished, they went into the living room to join the Enforcers.

"I now call this meeting to order," Antton said, smiling briefly once everyone was seated. "We need to come up with a way to keep our young friends here safe while at the same time putting Mag in a position to be captured by Fedor."

"Without Fedor knowing we're around," Randulf pointed out. 

Vesper nodded, looking thoughtful. "As I said earlier, he does know I'm in the city. He might suspect I'm not the only one who is."

"I'd say that's a given at this point," Antton said in agreement. "It doesn't mean he's going to give up. He's just going to be twice as cautious, especially if he knows we found where he was holding Brand."

"How would he?" Mag asked.

"He'd be a fool not to have someone checking on the house occasionally. Probably a lesser vampire who could sense that we'd been there. We didn't do anything to cover our tracks."

"On purpose?" Brand wanted to know.

"No. There wasn't any real reason why we should have. As Vesper said, he has to know at least some of us are around."

"Then setting up a plan for him to try to come after me or Brand is pointless," Mag said. "He wouldn't dare go up against the five of you."

"Don't count on it," Dante said. "He's old—bordering on ancient—evil and thinks he's invulnerable. He'd love to show us how clever he is by grabbing you right from under our noses."

"Which we won't allow," Ulrik stated firmly.

Brand shot him a look of disbelief. "If he's that clever, how can you stop him? I've seen him, once, since I escaped, and you know he's been to our place. You said… well, Randulf said, you all have been watching our house and yet Fedor managed to tear up Mag's garden and the next day he left the dead puppy. Somehow that doesn't make me feel as safe as you'd like me to think I am."

Sui Generis – 24

 

"Good evening."

The man who spoke—Ulrik, Brand presumed—stood at the far side of the kitchen. There was something vaguely familiar about him, although Brand couldn't put his finger on what it was. He seemed older than the others, at least in appearance. Brand would have guessed around thirty-five. His hair was dark blond, cut short, and he had a mustache, but otherwise was clean shaven.

"Evening," Brand replied, eyeing him. "You're Ulrik?"

"I am." Ulrik bowed his head briefly in acknowledgment. He smiled a bit wickedly. "How quickly you forget—kid."

It took a moment to sink in then Brand muttered, "Shit."

"What's wrong?" Mag asked, stepping defensively in front of Brand.

"It's okay," Brand told him, moving beside him, resting one hand on his shoulder. "Ulrik here is an old… friend, I guess you could say. Although last time I saw him he looked older and dirtier and hairier, to put it mildly. And…" He shook his head. "He called himself John."

"No way! I met John a couple of times. No way are you him," Mag said determinedly. "He was an old man."

"Middle-aged, thank you very much," Ulrik replied, "and it was an act. Anyone can seem older than they look if they put their mind to it. It's all in the attitude."

"And the clothes, and the hair and…" Antton chuckled. "Ulrik is quite good at that, when necessary."

"But why?" Brand wanted to know.

"When I met you the first time, I was searching for a rogue—not Fedor. We had no idea he was anywhere within a thousand miles of the city. You seemed like a good kid and having you hanging around sometimes made my cover more complete. I knew what you were, so I figured if nothing else, you might spot the vamp I was after and your actions would give me a heads-up."

Curious, Brand asked, "Did I?"

"Nope. Found him all on my lonesome, called in the troops, and now he's history. That was maybe a week after you vanished. If I'd paid more attention, I might have figured out sooner that there was more to you not being around than met the eye. By the time I did, it was too late. I reported it to the council, given what you are. They put us—" he thumbed toward the other Enforcers, "—in charge of finding out if your disappearance was by choice or otherwise."

Mag snapped his fingers. "That's why you found me and asked that night."

"Yep. I figured if anyone would know, it would be you, as close as the two of you were. When you said Brand had taken off without telling you where or why, that pretty much cinched it, as far as we were concerned. After that, it was an all-out hunt for him."

"With no luck," Dante added, "until I ran into an old friend. He said there was a rumor that Fedor had surfaced long enough to grab someone new for his experiments."

"And that he'd been hiding somewhere in this area," Vesper said. "At first we figured the most logical place would be in the mountains." He smiled wryly. "Do you have any idea how many abandoned towns and mine sites, as well as caves, there are up there?"

"Too many," Randulf grumbled.

"And here he had me hidden right in the city," Brand muttered miserably.

Antton nodded. "We did have some of our sources keeping an ear and an eye open for anything that said that was possible, but it's a big city—what with all the suburbs."

"A big city, lots of mountains… how the hell did you think it would be possible to find him, even if he was still here and not halfway across the world?" Mag asked angrily.

Ulrik shrugged. "Luck?"

"How did you know I'd escaped, and why didn't you show up as soon as you found out?" Brand looked between the men questioningly. "No, never mind. I think I know the answer. I started looking for Mag, and you figured Fedor would come looking for me. Right?"

Sui Generis – 23

 

Mag quickly crossed to Brand, looking him over carefully. His sweat-soaked hair hung lank around his face but there was pride in his expression.

"You seem to have survived in one piece," Mag said with a smile.

"Barely, but after three shifts, I have the hang of it now. On the last one I didn't feel it at all, well barely anyway." Brand grinned. "And I can come back fully clothed."

"Well, damn." Mag laughed, hugging him.

While they talked, the newcomers studied them. "It's true," Vesper said, "you are a… well, a hybrid I suppose, would be the best description. Truly sui generis."

Brand nodded. "Very unique, I agree. Dhampir, meaning half human, half vampire, plus I'm now a werewolf as well, thanks to Fedor." He looked at the men inquisitively. "And you are vampires in two cases, and I presume a werewolf?"

Each one introduced himself, Dante adding, "I suppose we should be happy you consider Vesper and me friends, Brand."

Brand chuckled. "You still have your heads, so yes I do. Besides which, Antton warned me there would be two of you. I'd rather not breach his hospitality by killing you."

"Nice of you," Dante replied dryly.

"Now all we need is Ulrik and we can get started," Antton told the others. "Until then, I suggest we eat."

"Raw meat for everyone," Mag whispered softly to Brand.

The men all laughed, Dante pointing out that even a whisper could be heard by all of them as if he'd spoken out loud.

Mag grimaced and apologized.

"No harm done. We're used to humans thinking that's all we eat," Randulf told him. "Raw meat for werewolves, straight blood for vamps."

"In actuality—" Vesper grinned, "—I like a good lasagna with lots of garlic."

"Another myth blown to smithereens," Mag muttered, much to the amusement of the others.

*****

When Antton and the other Enforcers headed to the kitchen to see what was available to make dinner, Brand stopped Mag by dint of taking his hand to lead him to media room.

"You want to play games?" Mag asked.

"Not those kind," Brand replied quietly as he closed the door. "I… we need to talk."

"I think that's my thing to say, not yours," Mag told him with a grin.

"I'm serious, damn it. I don't like their idea of using you as bait. What if something goes wrong?"

Mag sat down on the sofa in front of the TV before replying, looking up at him. "They said I'd be well protected."

"I know but we're talking about Fedor. He's older than sin. Hell, he's my definition of sin, with a capital 'S'." Brand knelt down in front of Mag, gripping his hands. "I don't want you hurt. You mean too much to me."

Mag's pulse quickened at his words. "I… I'll be all right. They promised."

Brand grimaced. "Is that all you can say? I tell you I care about you and you just say 'I'll be all right'?"

"More than that—now." He freed one hand so he could stroke Brand's cheek. "I care about you too. Probably… no, definitely more than care. I have since forever. If using me to catch him means you'll be able to live free of fear, then it's worth it."

"If anything happens to you, I'll die," Brand told him fervently. "Now that I'm willing to admit how I feel to you—but even more to myself—I don't think I could stand losing you."

"Nothing is going to happen. Everything will go just as they plan. It has to!"

"I think," Brand said, getting up then sitting down beside Mag, still holding his hand, "you shouldn't say that. It borders on famous last words or something."

"No. It has to do with trust. I trust them because I have confidence in Antton. But more than that, I trust you to make sure Fedor's caught and destroyed." Mag winced when Brand's grip tightened painfully.

"Sorry," Brand whispered, releasing Mag's hand. "I just don't know if I'm worthy of your faith in that respect. No way am I in his class—or even in Antton's and his friends'."

Mag put an arm around him, pulling him against his chest. "I suspect you're close, and getting closer. No, you don't have their age or experience, but you're sort of a triple threat. You can find vampires, no matter where they are, and you're a werewolf with all that entails."

Brand turned his head to look at Mag. "That's two. What's the third?"

"We, I think I can safely say, love each other—or damned close to it. Not to be hokey or whatever, but love is a power in and of itself."

"But is it enough?" Brand replied, sounding doubtful.

Cupping his jaw, Mag kissed him. "I guess we're going to find out, aren't we?"

Brand nodded then slowly smiled. "I guess we are." Spearing his fingers through Mag's blond hair, he kissed him hungrily. "You know," he said, breaking the kiss long moments later, "the next time we go to bed, it's not just going to be to relieve tensions."

Mag kissed him lightly. "Has it ever really been that? I mean, yeah, that's what we told ourselves but still…"

"Does it matter, now we're admitting our feelings? Somehow I suspect it will show in our… our love-making too."

"If we ever get a chance to do it again," Mag grumbled when someone rapped on the door, telling them dinner was ready.

"Oh we will. Trust me on that. Once all this is over, I plan on showing you just how much I care for you, in all ways possible."

They kissed again, Brand pouring all his feelings into it, aware that Mag was as well. And then, quite reluctantly, they got up. When Mag opened the door, Dante stood there, a knowing smirk on his lips.

"Work now, fun later. Ulrik has finally arrived."

Sui Generis – 22

 

"Nice digs," Mag said, when they were inside Antton's home. The house was large, set on an acre-and-a-half of forested land in the foothills outside the city. The furnishings in the living room were modern but more of the comfortable sort rather than lots of steel-framed leather and glass. One big bay window overlooked the rambling front yard while a second one gave a marvelous view of the mountains behind the house.

"Do you run a lot out there?" Brand asked.

Antton nodded. "In both forms, actually. Speaking of which, I think it's time for you to have a real lesson on shifting. That you managed to do it the first time without any help is impressive but as you said, it was also painful." He turned to Mag. "Do you want to join us?"

"Umm, if it's going to hurt him then no. I'm not certain I could just stand by and watch."

"Very well. We'll be back in half an hour or so. Feel free to look around."

After they left, Mag took Antton at his word and explored the rest of the house. The ground floor consisted of the living room, a dining room with a long table that could easily seat ten people, a very well appointed kitchen and, much to his surprise, a large media room with a huge TV, two gaming systems, and a computer that would put most people's to shame.

Upstairs there were four large bedrooms, all with king-sized beds, dressers, walk-in closets, and en-suite bathrooms. It was obvious which one was Antton's, because it had the best view of the mountains, with a small table and two comfortable chairs in front of the window.

As he walked back downstairs, feeling duly impressed with what he'd seen, he thought he heard a noise from the living room. He hurried the last few steps, wanting to find out how Brand's lesson had gone, and froze when he got to the arch leading from the hallway into the room. A very tall man with shoulder length blond hair was standing in front of the fieldstone fireplace, staring at the painting above it. 

Mag backed away as quietly as he could, praying the man hadn't heard him approach.

There was a low chuckle then the man said, "I'm safe enough. You can come in. I'm Randulf, a friend of Antton's."

Mag remained where he was, studying the man. Finally he came closer. "You're not Fedor. The nose is wrong."

Randulf tilted his head. "Just what's wrong with my nose?"

"Nothing… nothing…" Mag stuttered, looking up at him. Randulf towered over him, a good five inches taller than Mag's six-one. "It's a very nice nose and it's not like Dante's."

Randulf roared with laughter. "Good gods, I hope not."

"Now what's wrong with my nose?" A second man appeared suddenly at the far end of the room. He wasn't nearly as tall as Randulf. His hair was deep auburn and so long that even tied back, it hit well below his shoulder blades. 

Mag gulped. "Who… Who are you?"

The man bowed. "Dante, but not Alighieri. He's long dead. Of course, technically, so am I." 

"You're a vampire? Well, duh. I guess that's a given," Mag said, beginning to relax slightly.

"I am, whereas Randulf there is a werewolf." Dante turned to Randulf. "Where are the others?"

"On their way still, I presume. Ulrik was in Germany last I heard. I have no clue about Vesper."

"Vesper is in the house."

The three men all swung toward the sound of the deep voice. A man stood in the darkened doorway between the living and media rooms. "Would someone mind closing the drapes? I'm not as old as Dante, so the sunlight is a bit bothersome."

Mag walked swiftly across the room to do as he asked, closing the drapes over both windows.

"Thank you, young man," Vesper said, finally coming into the room. He was probably six-foot with raven-black hair cut short and well styled. "I'm, as you probably gathered, Vesper—and a vampire. You are?"

"Mag. Magnus Larsson."

"Scandinavian?"

"Way back when. Swedish actually, on my father's side."

"Then you and Ulrik should get along famously. He's Swedish too. Has been for—" Vesper glanced at Randulf, "—two hundred years?"

"Give or take."

"Two hundred and eight, I believe," Antton said, as he and Brand joined them.