Stone and Steel: Vampires of Blood and Bones Read online

  Stone and Steel

  Vampires of

  Blood and Bones

  Vol. 2

  B.A. Stretke

  Contents

  Stone and Steel

  Copyright

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  EPILOGUE

  About the Author

  More Books from B.A. Stretke:

  Copyright © 2019 by B.A. Stretke

  Published by Superiorland Publishing

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person (living or dead), place, or event is purely coincidence.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Silas was having lunch today with his father Ismael and his father's beloved Easton. Now that the kitchen was back up and headed by Chef Reid, one of Europe's master chefs, the dining hall was nearly always filled, and room service orders were usually backed up. They hadn't been treated to this caliber of food in years, many years and everyone was enjoying it. The previous cook, Silas declined to call him a chef, had been too busy making lives miserable to actually prepare decent meals.

  Chef Reid had been recommended by Ezra, the Master’s beloved, and just like that the man was here. Master DuCane would gladly move heaven and earth for his beloved Ezra, as it should be. A vampire’s beloved was their center, their life, and their love all rolled into one. They would do anything and go to any length to secure the happiness and wellbeing of their beloved.

  Silas's father had waited many centuries before Fate bestowed upon him his beloved and yet other members have found theirs while still quite young. It was all in Fate's hands, and her timing was her own, and she was never wrong. Silas hadn't given it much thought, he was over four hundred years old, but that was still young in the vampire world. But now that his father and his Master had both found their beloveds Silas wondered if he too would be blessed or would he be left to wait?

  "I got a call this morning from Benny Lakatos, he's a member of the Hadden Coven back in Pittsburgh," Easton explained. Silas smiled when he saw his father cock an eyebrow at Easton letting him know he was well aware who Benny Lakatos was.

  “That little wolf Benny is responsible for me losing two of my best and most seasoned assassins. I know who he is.” Ismael clarified. The assassins Kingston and Diego during a layover in Pittsburgh at the Hadden Coven discovered Benny was their mate and ended up staying in Pittsburgh and becoming members of the Hadden Coven.

  Easton laughed. “Yes, but we got Chef Reid in exchange, so no complaining. Chef Reid is an absolute artist when it comes to food.” Both Ismael and Silas had to agree that Chef Reid was an artist and worth the exchange.

  "So anyway, I got a call from Benny this morning. He asked me if I would run a check on the brother of a friend of his who traveled to Toledo for work and hasn't been heard from in over a week. Apparently, he'd been calling his brother every night, and then he just stopped. I did a check and Simon Wielding, that's his name, checked into his motel and worked for A&C Construction as a laborer for two days and then never showed up again. His things were not in his motel room, but he didn't formally check out. It is assumed by the cops that he picked up and left and simply preferred not to tell his family." Easton ate a few bites of his lunch before continuing.

  Both Ismael and Silas stayed silent, giving him their complete attention and waited for him to finish before commenting.

  "There is video footage of Simon at a local bar, one of those dives that has dancers and such. It's the last time Simon was seen. I also have video of a man large well-dressed going into Simon's motel room and exiting with all of his things. I did a check on the man, and he belongs to a small, but sort of elitist coven in Perrysburg, but I couldn't find a name. I also pegged this same man as being at the bar in Toledo during the time that Simon disappeared." Easton took a drink of his coffee and stared at the two men.

  “You believe this man kidnapped Simon Wielding?” Silas asked.

  "I believe he knows what happened to him. I'll show you the video, he gives off a weird vibe." Easton leaned in closer, showing them the video on his tablet. "The man is a creep, a very polished creep," Easton added with effect.

  Silas watched closely and came away with the same feeling, the man was a creep. The way he checked the area before entering and then leaving spoke to his deceit. His very posture left you wondering what he was up to.

  "Can we check this out?" Easton asked Ismael. "Benny is a good friend, and Perrysburg isn't that far."

  "Ira and I can take a ride and check it out." Silas addressed his father. "When we took out the Toledo Coven, the Perrysburg Coven stayed to themselves and minded their own business, so they were left alone. Maybe that was a mistake that we should investigate." Silas elaborated on his thought.

  Ismael thought about it for a few moments. "Okay, take Ira and find out if Simon Wielding is with the Perrysburg Coven. If he is there of his own free will so be it, but if he was forced, I give you the authority to handle it as you see fit." Silas nodded impressed with the power his father had just given him.

  Ismael then turned his loving attention to Easton, Silas had never witnessed his father so engaged, so in love, it was heartwarming to watch and gave Silas hope for his own future. If his father a devoted hard-line pessimist, when it came to romance, could find love, then it was out there for Silas as well. "We will get you answers, my love." He vowed to Easton and followed that pledge with a tender kiss.

  "Simon's brother Victor is a member of the Hadden Coven, but Simon is human, different fathers, they are very close according to Benny and Simon is aware of the vampire culture." Easton included for clarity.

  Silas nodded. “If he’s there, I will bring him home or at the very least make him call his brother.”

  "Thank you both," Easton replied with a pleased smile.

  …

  The Toledo Coven had been dismantled during the takeover. The location was being renovated and at present housed DuCane soldiers and builders. Silas and Ira checked in with the crew leader, John Van de Berg, before heading out to Perrysburg.

  John Van de Berg was a skilled soldier and a master builder and had been with Coven DuCane since their time in France. John oversaw all renovation work and Silas could see that in the coming years he would most certainly have his hands full. Master DuCane was on a quest to conquer and solidify his place in this new world.

  "Perrysburg hasn't contacted us," John told them. "Which is surprising because, as you know, it's customary for a small coven like Perrysburg to meet with the conquers of a neighboring coven. It's important to make their position clear and to develop a non-threatening, supportive relationship. Perrysburg has remained suspiciously silent and hidden."

  “Have you investigated?” Silas questioned.

  "They're small and relatively powerless apart from the wealth they claim to possess. Apparently, it's old money, and they've boasted of nobility within their ranks. I have two men keeping a watch on them, but so far the reports are uneventful." John finished.

  "We'll check in with them when we arrive," Silas told him.

  "Caleb Scott and Asher North," John tol
d them, and Silas nodded he knew both men well as did Ira. Caleb and Asher were in training to take the places of Kingston and Diego, two DuCane assassins who moved to the Hadden Coven when they discovered their beloved. They were two of the best, but Caleb and Asher were showing great skill and promise, according to Ismael.

  Silas showed John the picture of the vampire who was seen at the bar and at the motel and also a picture of Simon Wielding, but he was not familiar with either. “I’m sorry, I don’t recognize them, but Caleb or Asher will have more information. They’ll know the vampire if he is a member of the Perrysburg Coven.”

  …

  Perrysburg was a relatively small city at twenty thousand and the coven sat on the north edge in a large brick colonial structure with three outbuildings. According to their information, it was a coven of roughly thirty individuals, all adult males, who kept to themselves and had migrated to Perrysburg from the West Coast approximately forty years ago with other members joining over the years. It was a new coven filled with old vampires and old money. They hid under the guise of financial consultants.

  “So, do we go up and knock or just barge in?” Ira turned and looked at Silas who was regarding the structure silently from the front walkway.

  "We shouldn't have been able to get this close without alerting someone inside. It's too quiet, don't you think?" Silas turned to regard Ira. At that moment they saw two men coming towards them from the left side of the building they recognized them immediately, they were Caleb and Asher.

  "They're gone," Caleb announced as he approached. "We just searched the property and outbuildings and are going inside. They packed up last night and headed out this morning." Caleb continued as they all started towards the front doors. "Not sure what spooked them, but they weren't wasting time they cleared out of here in a few hours. John contacted us and said to expect you." He explained.

  “The vampire you’re looking for is Raymond Roya, a soldier of sorts. This coven runs on the familial standard and the Roya line is near the bottom. Raymond operates more as a henchman for the upper levels rather than a soldier for the coven.”

  “I’m sorry to tell you that we have not seen the young human that you’re looking for. But we only came on the case five days ago so if he was taken before that he may well be with them. Although we did not see him leave with them last night.” Asher explained further.

  Caleb tried the door, and it opened inward easily. They stood still and took in the surroundings scents and sounds. Silas listened and felt a subtle stir of the air, light and thin as it brushed past him. The feeling had an urgency to it but also resignation. He cut a quick glance at Ira who seemed to feel it too.

  "I'll go around back in case someone tries to run," Ira said and turned to his right.

  "I'll go with you," Asher stated. They jumped from the porch and took off around the right side of the building. Silas and Caleb opened both doors wide and then stepped in standing side by side.

  The interior was stripped apart from a few pieces of furniture, but what struck them was the smell. It was a combination of disinfectant and decay. One was obviously used to try and cover the other, but they both prevailed. They searched the front rooms of the house and then moved back room by room until they reached a salon door that was locked from the outside.

  Silas looked at Caleb and then hit the lock and threw the doors open in one sweeping motion. They stormed into the room, expecting conflict and froze at what was there to greet them. It was a large room, and at one time in its life, it had probably been beautiful, but now it was dark and dank and filled with death. Bodies lay everywhere, on the dirty sofas and chairs and strewn across the cold wooden floors. This was a feeding room and going by the chains and cuffs it was not voluntary.

  Silas started rushing around the room, checking for life as did Caleb. "This is unconscionable, Silas," Caleb uttered aghast at what he was seeing. "We had no idea this was going on."

  "Don't blame yourself," Silas stated. "You would have had to gotten inside to be aware of a dirty business like this." He found one still breathing and hurried to check him. When he rolled him over, he recognized the young man as Simon Wielding. He was unconscious but still alive.

  "There are two alive over here," Caleb announced and quickly pulled out his phone. "I'll call Toledo and have them send medics and a cleanup crew." He said as he broke the chains and lifted one of the men to his feet and walked him out into the fresher air of the outer room. Then came back for the other.

  Silas picked Simon up into his arms and carried him to the outer room and laid him down under a bright window. He then took off his jacket and folded it, putting it under his head. Of the six men in the room, three were dead, and three were alive.

  Simon seemed to be the worse, he had bite marks on his neck and both wrists, and they were fresh. It appeared that several had fed from him simultaneously, which was forbidden according to vampire law unless the participants were mated. Silas doubted that was the case with poor Simon.

  Silas pricked his own wrist and held it over Simon’s lips and allowed a few drops of his blood to flow into Simon’s mouth. Silas didn’t like feeding others, it seemed too intimate, too personal and he definitely wasn’t going to allow this man to latch on and feed, that would have been just vulgar.

  If he hadn't looked so close to death Silas would have waited for the medics, but he feared young Simon may not have survived. He quickly pulled away and licked the wound closed when he saw Simon begin to move. Vampire blood was healing for humans, even a small quantity could kick start recovery of most injuries.

  When Simon finally opened his eyes, he was instantly combative. “Easy, your brother Victor sent me.” Silas quickly invoked the name of his brother in hopes of keeping him calm. Simon stopped fighting and looked at Silas closely searching for deceit.

  “You know Victor?” Simon said slowly as if every word were difficult and painful to get past his lips.

  "He hadn't heard from you in a while, and he was worried," Silas explained without all the details. Simon's eyes rolled back, and his strength gave out as he fell back onto the floor with his head cushioned by Silas's jacket. "Try to relax and be still medics are on the way." Silas pulled out his phone and dialed Easton letting him know that Simon had been found and also alerting him to his condition.

  The medics and the clean-up crew arrived, and it was then that one of the men Caleb had helped out into the outer room began to talk. "They kept us for food." He said and shook his head. "We were chained up and slowly drained. They feed us very little in order to keep us weak, I think." He looked over at Simon. "They all liked him. He wasn't going to last much longer. They said he tasted sweeter than the rest of us because he was so young." The man teared up and took a long breath.

  “Where did they go?” Silas moved over closer to the man so as to hear him more clearly. His words were slurred and muffled by his ordeal. The man shook his head and looked at the floor.

  “I don’t know where they went. They came in late last night and started feeding on all of us like it was their last meal or something. Then there was a lot of noise followed by silence until you guys showed up.”

  "We'll get you all sorted out and back home, but first we're going to take you to our medical facility in Toledo." Silas began to explain to the two men who were coherent and fearful. "You need to be treated and observed for a few days to make sure you're okay. Being held and used as you were can have lingering effects. You will be well cared for, I promise."

  Their memories of their time here would also have to be cleared. The vampire world had to remain hidden, but Silas wasn’t going to tell them that. People started arriving so Silas turned the further explanations over to the medics and started towards the back of the house.

  Ira and Asher had gone to investigate the basement and had not as yet returned. As he approached the door, Ira came up and met him. "What did you find?" He asked.

  "More were chained in the basement. Two deceased and one barely alive
. I gave him my blood, and he's holding on at least."

  “Simon was among the six in the salon, he’s alive. Three deceased three alive. What the hell were these people doing? This is barbaric, absolutely barbaric. Such practices have been banned for centuries. This recklessness threatens us all.” Silas could usually hold a stoic distance when confronted with the distasteful, but this was just too unwarranted. There were so many who willingly give themselves for the pleasure of the bite, food was easy to find. Why would they kidnap and kill and how long has it been going on?

  "They considered themselves superior vampires and picked their prey from what they deemed superior stock, healthy, young and vibrant. They considered humans as nothing more than food, cattle if you want to look at that way." Ira speculated with disdain.

  "We'll have to find them, all of them and eradicate them before they bring scrutiny down on all of us," Silas commented as he and Ira headed outside. The stench in the house was just getting worse as bodies were recovered and removed. This was a horror story, no one behaved like this anymore, and that was why covens were able to hide and thrive in today's society. Groups like this were an abomination.

  “I’m thankful that the man Easton was looking for was still alive. I would’ve hated having to tell him the man had died like this.” Ira remarked as they headed to their car. Silas nodded his silent agreement.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Silas and Ira leaned against their car and watched as the medics carried the men out once they were stabilized and put them into non-descript vehicles for transport to Toledo. Simon looked small and weak, but like Ira said he was alive, not all were so lucky.

  "We'll get the roster of names from Caleb and head out in the morning," Silas stated as he turned to walk around to the driver side of the car. "For now, let's head back to Toledo and see if we can question these men further once they feel safe and well. The clean-up crew will finish shortly, and they may have more answers as well."