Her Vampire Ward by Britten Thorne Read Free Book Online

I
stood by with my brother as the black van sped into the parking lot,
tires spinning and spraying dust and dirt as it came to an abrupt
stop in front of us. We were far from the main road - we could only
hear crickets and frogs and other nocturnal animals in the area. The
run-down motel behind us looked abandoned from the outside; at least
to untrained eyes.
    The
van's side door slid open, and two of our men escorted our newest
client between them.
    A
vampire. Hence the cover of night.
    "I'm
Daniel Ballard," my brother said, "This is my sister, Eve.
We'll be keeping you safe while you're in transition here." The
vampire opened his mouth to talk, but my brother cut him off. "Your
new name is Alek Yerzov. We'll fill you in on the rest later, but you
need to settle into that immediately."
    "I
understand." His voice sounded raspy. He must have had a hell of
a time before we got to him. His button-down shirt was dingy and
rumpled, his straight black hair hung limp and greasy around his
head, and he kept his eyes on the ground. Poor guy. The report had
said that he'd been on the run for a long while.
    It
had also detailed the sort of magic he’d been casting to keep
ahead of his pursuers. Blood magic. Dark, scary stuff. Nothing anyone
in our agency would ever dabble in. It was a miracle the vampire had
survived using as much as he had.
    "You
can relax, now, Alek. You're safe with us," I said.
    He
turned towards me, and I got a glimpse of a dark green eye before he
stared at his feet again. "If it's all the same to you, Ms.
Ballard, I'll relax when the sun rises."
    "Fair
enough," said Daniel, "Follow me."
    I
brought up the rear as we entered the old motel down a flight of
stairs through a basement entrance. I set the electronic lock and
flipped the mechanical one on the door behind us. I opened the nearby
filing cabinet and pulled out a tiny bowl of dried and blessed herbs
and a packet of matches. I lit the bowl and placed it on the floor.
That would activate the magical lock.
    "All
clear," I called, and Daniel switched on his flashlight. He led
us into a stairwell and up to the second story. The long hallway had
its old carpeting still, and smelled like mildew. The other two men
nodded to us and broke away, heading for the office at the end.
Daniel unlocked a room midway down and allowed Alek and I to enter
ahead of him.
    I
flicked on the lights. The two-bed room had no phone or television,
but otherwise nothing was out of the ordinary. The room was clean,
the furniture new.
    Alek
sat on the edge of the nearest bed with a heavy sigh. "I'm sure
you guys are aware of everything already, but I need to re-state the
threat, here. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't. The warlock they've
got working with them... " He shuddered.
    "We
know," I said. "Now that you're here, I can tell you. We've
encountered him before."
    "And
your client?" He looked up at me, finally revealing his face.
Despite the dark circles, his green eyes were striking. He might have
been handsome, but he just looked exhausted. And afraid.
    "Hey,"
I said, dropping into a crouch to meet him at eye-level, putting a
hand on his knee, "You're safe here. And as long as you follow
our instructions to the letter, you'll be safe back out there."
    "The
client, Ms. Ballard?"
    I
maintained eye contact. "Gone. He reconnected with his old life
and was found before he could testify. The whole case fell apart, and
he's probably dead."
    Alek
looked away. "Thank you for your honesty."
    "It
won't happen to you. Just do what we say." He nodded. "Daniel
and I will both be with you here until your new identity is ready."
    "My
sister... "
    "Don't,"
my brother and I both said, and I continued, "It's best for both
of you if you don't contact her."
    He
looked away.
    "I'm
very serious," I said, "We'll talk more after you've had
some rest, but you will have no access to phones until we're
satisfied that you understand."
    He
met my eyes again and nodded. So weary, so sad. And trusting. None of
the