5 - ‘Come gentle night…’

Kemp pocketed the money without looking at it. At this point even twenty dollars would make his life easier, and knowing Leif, he had given him more than that.

“Thank you. I’ll keep in touch, I promise.”

Leif snorted. “Like you have a choice. Just, damn it be careful kid.” He got up and pulled Kemp into a bear hug. “You need me, I’ll be there.”

“I know. And I’ll call as soon as I figure out where I’m going to settle. Perhaps,” Kemp smiled as a sudden thought hit him. “Yeah, that would be perfect. No one will hassle me, and just maybe I can get a job doing what I do best.”

Leif stepped back to look at him, frowning deeply. “That hadn’t better be what it sounded like.”

It took Kemp a second to realize what he meant and then he shook his head. “Not even! No, I was thinking there are plenty of clubs there and it’s possible one of them would hire me on if they need a singer.”

Heaving in internal sigh of relief Leif nodded. “Possible, once you hit twenty-one.”

“Damn it, I forgot about that. Still, I am going down there.” He grinned. “Who knows, maybe I can hook up with someone to get me false ID.”

Leif chuckled. Instead of scolding his brother for even thinking that he said, “When you get there call me. I’ll have a name or two for you.”

“Serious?”

“Yes, seriously. If that’s what it takes for you to get a legit job, I think I can arrange it. Of course, if my chief heard me saying that he’d bust me back down to a street cop.”

“My lips are sealed.” Kemp drew his fingers across them in a zipping motion. “So, anyway…” He looked up at his brother.

“Yeah, well like I said, be careful. Got that? And, umm, hell, Kemp, I love you.”

“Love you too, Leif. So you be careful too. And stay out of the sun and all that crap. I don’t want to loose you.”

“Will do. OK, enough of this mush, I gotta get moving.” Leif backed towards the door. “See you…whenever kid.”

Kemp nodded. “Whenever.”

4 - ‘Come gentle night…’

Leif shook his head in frustration as he listened to the shower turn on. He was sorely tempted to use Kemp’s idea in reverse, locking him in the bathroom until he saw reason. But knowing his brother that would never happen. For a nascent dhampir who was unwilling to use his abilities, or his strength, the kid could still be a royal pain in the ass. He would probably just crawl out the window to get away, assuming the bathroom had one.

“Damn it, Father, where are you when I need you.” He knew the answer to that; he was at his home in Europe with his human wife, living a life of luxury. Kemp was the result of that union. He on the other hand was the result of his Father’s turning him a few hundred years ago.

And there in lay the crux of Kemp’s problem. He had grown up in a household with two vampyres and his father’s visiting friends, and learned that not every vampyre was some evil spawn of the devil. As a result he had denied what he was supposed to be—and everything that came with it—when he had reached the age of eighteen. Rather than continue to live with his father, fighting the pull that would eventually drive him to kill those that his blood deemed were his enemies, Kemp had put as much distance as possible between them. The only reason he allowed his brother into his life was their strange mental connection.

Leif had been a cop in Seattle for years, first as a patrolman and then working his way up until now he was a sergeant on the force. He’d known the moment Kemp had arrived, and sought his younger brother out. Kemp had not been happy about that, refusing any help his brother had offered---insisting instead that he was going to be responsible for his own life for once. Looking around the dingy hotel room Leif shook his head, wondering if Kemp thought he was doing that successfully.

“I’m doing the best I can, Leif,” Kemp said as he came back into the room. “Yeah, I’m not rich. Okay, I’m poor. But I’ll make it eventually and on my own merits, not because you and dad helped or supported me.”

“Stubborn kid,” Leif said fondly. “But that doesn’t solve the immediate problem. I still need to take you in and get your statement, and then arrange for protection for you.

Kemp shook his head. “Like I said, you want a statement you take it here and now. And then I’m heading…umm…south maybe, where it doesn’t rain twenty-four/seven. Besides,” he glanced out the dingy window, “you don’t have time to take me in and go through all the rigmarole. Dawn will be here soon and you have to get home.”

As much as he hated admitting Kemp was right, he was. Taking out his notepad and a pen, Leif began quizzing his brother on what he’d seen. When they were finished, knowing it was just a salve to his conscience, he took out his wallet and handed Kemp a few bills. “It’s not much, but it can help. I know I can’t stop you leaving, since as you pointed out I have to get home before the sun gets too high, and I’m not about to cuff you and take you in at this point.”

3 - ‘Come gentle night…’

“I’m not some superhero, damn it.”

“No, but you have a duty to use what is at your command. Just because you’re…” Leif looked Kemp over and shook his head.

“A skinny little fag that really can’t be like you no matter what?”

Leif chuckled in momentary amusement. “I was going to say a nice kid even if you are gay. Kemp, I don’t care that you’re that way. It’s really none of my business. I just…hell I knew something like this was going to happen sooner or later.”

“Getting psychic in your old age?”

“No.” He shook his head. “Actually I guess if I had to choose what I expected to happen, I’d have said you’d run into some punks or skin-heads who would have beaten you to a pulp, or worse, because you weren’t willing to defend yourself. I really didn’t expect anything like this.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t in my day-planner either. At least my ID isn’t valid these days.”

“No shit. But the picture and stats are, and once that goes out over the wires you’re going to have every cop in town looking for you. They’re not sure if you’re a witness or the killer, but either way they want to talk to you.”

“Fuck and double fuck,” Kemp muttered as he thought about that.

“Yeah, so why don’t you let me take you in. Tell my boss what you saw and he’ll have you put in some sort of protective custody until we catch the killers.”

“Wow, do I get a hunky detective to watch over me until that happens, like in the books?”

“No, Kemp, you’ll get me if I have anything to say about it.”

“Oh joy cajole. Like you did such a good job so far.” Kemp chewed his lip as he thought about it and then shook his head. “I’m leaving town.”

“The hell you are! First off, you’re a witness to a murder. Secondly, you have no money, and third, who is going to protect you?”

Kemp countered with, “First, I’ll give you an official statement of what I saw. That should cover the legalities or whatever. Second, I’ll hitch my way to wherever and third—well I’ll just be more careful.”

“And how am I going to explain why I didn’t bring you in with me?”

“You went to the john, I locked you in and ran. Happens all the time in books.”

“Kemp, damn it, this isn’t one of those fucked up stories you bury your nose in. This is real life. It doesn’t work that way.”

Swinging his legs off the side of the bed, barely avoiding kicking his brother in the process, Kemp got up and went in search of something to wear before heading to the bathroom. Looking back over his shoulder he said, “We’ll talk more when I get done in here.”

2 - ‘Come gentle night…’

“When will you use what you have available to you, instead of running like the scared little rabbit that you are,” a voice growled in frustration.

Kemp sighed mightily and rolled over on the threadbare sheets to look at the man who was speaking. “Can’t I even get a few hours sleep before you come bothering me,” he replied as he sat up, taking a quick check to make certain he’d actually remembered to put on briefs before he’d fallen into bed only a couple  of hours ago.

“Not when you make such a fool of yourself.” The man in question sat down on the side of the bed, frowning at Kemp. “Are you always going to be such a wimp?”

I’m not a wimp, just not tall and bulked out like you are. Kemp looked at his brother, noting as always the thick, muscular arms and broad shoulders under the dark blue shirt, and the short military cut of his hair above the handsome, if somewhat patronizing face. What he said in reply was, “Just why are you here Leif?”

“Because of what you did. Or more precisely what you didn’t do tonight. Now you have the authorities looking for you as well as those men.”

Kemp shrugged in indifference, although in point of fact his brother’s words sent a wave of fear through him. “By authorities I presume you mean the police. Why would they be on my ass?”

“Because, you little idiot, it seems you dropped something when you turned tail and ran. To be precise, your wallet. The least you could have done was make certain your pants pockets didn’t have holes in them.”

“Wasn’t in my pants, was in my jacket.” Kemp sighed again, this time in frustration. There went his last ten dollars. “How do you know it was cops that found it?”

“The same way I know about everything that happened.” His brother tapped his forehead. “As long as you refuse to use what you have, I’ll be connected to you when something bad happens. If I hadn’t been busy elsewhere at the time I would have ridden to the rescue.”

“On you big white steed, oh, right, it’s a car these days isn’t it?” Kemp snorted, putting a hand over his heart. “My hero.”

“I’ll ‘hero’ you, you little shit. Just because you look like a ninety pound weakling doesn’t mean you have to act like one.”

“Actually it does. It goes with what I am.” He pursed his lips and made a limp-wristed gesture knowing it would annoy his brother no end, even though that was far from how he really acted. He relented when he saw the look of pity cross his brother’s face. “OK, so I fucked up tonight by letting them know I was there.”

“You fucked up because you ran rather than dealing with them.”

'Sui Generis' comes out tomorrow!

'Sui Generis'

http://firebornpublishing.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_bookx_info&products_id=36

Captured and tortured, Brand becomes...unique. He escapes and with Mag's help, he sets out to exact revenge. Soon life becomes complicated when they meet others willing to help them. Will they find his captor, and if so, what then?

Captured, imprisoned and tortured, Brand becomes...unique. After escaping, he vows revenge on his captor, Fedor. With the help of his friend and housemate, Mag, the search begins. Then others who also have a vested interest in finding Fedor become involved.

These others, who call themselves Enforcers, are not run-of-the-mill by any means. Their leader, Antton, convinces Mag that Brand is more than he seems. When Fedor captures Mag to demoralize Brand to force him to come to him, Brand and the Enforcers, including Randulf, set out to rescue him.

With that mission successfully completed, Brand admits he cares for Mag as much as Mag does him--something he has been previously unwilling to reveal.

Then Brand is invited to join the Enforcers--and accepts. The Enforcers receive another assignment and Brand and Mag meet Lew, Randulf's ex-lover. There's no love lost between those two, but Mag suspects that deep down they care for each other. He vows to force them to admit it--to themselves and to each other--if they survive the coming battle.

CONTENT ADVISORY: This is a re-release title.