CHAPTER TWO
Zanna Blackrain couldn't sleep. Every time she tried, her mind wandered back to the Huntress spell her mother had opened the book to. She'd brought it home with her. With a sigh, she turned the book back to that page and read over the spell.
"This has nothing to do with Maddie's situation, Mom," Zanna complained.
"Doesn't it, Suzy-Beth?" Her mother replied.
"No, it really doesn't. This is a warrior spell. Maddie is no warrior."
"She's gonna need to be, Suzy-Beth. And you are the only one who can help her get there."
"Why is this my problem? I just met the girl... And she's annoying."
"You're not always a picnic yourself, baby girl. Now, you listen to me, Suzy-Beth. This girl needs help."
"It's just jury duty."
"You know darn well this isn't about the jury duty! Get in touch with your cousin and get this poor girl a bodyguard. She isn't safe, and she won't be until she learns the ropes of living as a supernatural being."
"What do you know that you aren't telling me?"
"I know a lot, Suzy-Beth. For example, I know that there's a perfectly attractive, very single young detective living in the apartment next-door who would probably enjoy your company-"
"Mom, we've been over this," Zanna cut her off. "Sisters not misters. Chicks not dicks. Tits or I quit. Did you hear I am queer?"
"Are you sure, Suzy-Beth? Maybe you just haven't met the right man yet!"
"Okay, we're done here. Goodbye, Mother!" Zanna threw up a powerful psychic shield, silencing her mother.
The knock on her door was a little bit of a surprise considering the hour. "I swear to the Gods, if she suddenly put it in my neighbor's head to come over and ask for some sugar in the middle of the night, I'm going to resurrect that bitch just to kill her again," Zanna mumbled. She grabbed her favorite dagger before she answered the door in her t-shirt and pajama shorts, not giving a fuck if she was judged for it.
"Easy, cuz," the man standing on the other side of the door said. "I'm sorry about the hour, but this was urgent."
Zanna studied his blonde hair and familiar features. An image of a six-year-old boy popped into her mind.
"Oliver?" She asked in confusion. "What are you doing here? How the fuck did you find me?" She demanded.
"Can I come in?" Oliver Blackrain asked.
"No," she replied flatly.
"I'm here to warn you, Suzy-Beth."
"Don't call me that. I'm not four years old anymore, Ollie. You have ten seconds to tell me why you're here or I'll feed you to the Master of the City."
"Suzanna-"
"Zanna," she corrected him.
"Zanna, the family's coming. And they're after your friend."
"What friend?"
"The cute redhead... The baby vampire."
"Okay, first of all, she's not my friend. I just met the girl, and I don't like her. Second, why are you telling me this? You're a Blackrain warlock, too. By the way, warlocks are illegal in the five boroughs, so you can't stay."
"I'm a witch now, Zanna. I gave up the warlock life."
"Bullshit. You don't quit being a warlock, Ollie. You either die or... Nope, that's pretty much it. Death is the only way out."
"I'm in hiding, like you... Or at least, I was, until I realized my baby cousin was in danger. I'm risking a lot by being here."
"Don't bother. I can take care of myself, Ollie. Go back to whatever hole you were hiding in."
She slammed the door in her cousin's face, determined not to let nostalgia make her trust him. Oliver was a complete stranger to her now. She hadn't seen him in twenty years. He was a Blackrain warlock, no matter what he claimed, and she couldn't trust him.
She pulled out her cell phone and sent a text message to the only cousin she intended to face that night.
I need to talk to you. Can we meet up?
She waited only a short time for a response. The reply simply read, Thirty minutes.
+++
It was nearly sunrise when the Master of the City demanded Douglas Gardner meet her in the tunnels. Every cemetery in the five boroughs was connected to the others by a series of underground tunnels that were mostly used by the vampires. Many members of the supernatural community knew about the tunnels, but very few were willing to venture into them other than the vampires who had created them.
Now, Doug was emerging from the tunnels when he really should have been going to bed. He was nervous to be outside as the sun rose, and he was not thrilled with his new assignment.
Doug had a tendency to run his mouth sometimes. Unfortunately, he had been foolish enough to do it where the Master could hear him one too many times. As punishment for his insubordination, Doug had been assigned as a bodyguard to a vampire with an unknown sire.
"I can't believe she turned me into a babysitter," he mumbled.
As the warm sun began to shine, Doug automatically flinched away from the light. He'd been undead since the seventies, and he hadn't been able to let sunlight touch his dark skin in all of that time.
He hesitated before testing it out, half convinced the Master had lied and was setting him up to die for the crime of daring to piss her off. When the light didn't hurt and his flesh didn't burn, he cautiously emerged from the shadows.
He sighed contently after a moment, savoring the experience of basking in light again after so many decades.
"She was telling the truth... I can walk in daylight," he said with a grin. "Maybe this babysitting gig does have a few perks after all."
He held the talisman the Master had given him in his hands. It was a silver necklace shaped like a sun with runes carved into it. The Master was a vampire, but she was also a warlock by birth and a witch by choice. She possessed great power, and even though this assignment was a punishment, Doug knew her magick would hold.
A matching talisman had been given to a warlock who would deliver it to Doug's assignment. He was to go find the young vampire once night fell again. Until then, he was free to enjoy his time in the sun.
The first thing he decided to do was to visit the veterinary clinic on Bleecker Street. He went back to his apartment to collect his pit bull, Viking. One might assume that a big, scary pit bull with a name like Viking would be a fierce warrior who lusted for blood as much as his vampire owner did, but one would be wrong. Viking was an overgrown puppy who wanted to play with everyone he met and would probably befriend a serial killer if said serial killer was willing to provide head and ear scratches.
"Come on, Vi, we're going to see Harmony," Doug said.
Viking perked up at Harmony's name. He ran straight to his leash and carried it in his mouth to Doug, who connected it to the dog's collar. Viking practically ran out of the door.
The clinic was owned by Harmony Hill, Manhattan's Alpha Werewolf. Harmony was fierce if angered, but she was generally a kind woman who helped those in need, especially animals. Despite the fact that she was a wolf and he was a vampire, Doug kind of had a thing for Harmony, but he'd never acted on it. Instead, he kept things friendly and took Viking by to see her any chance he got.
When he walked into the clinic, Justina Johnson raised an eyebrow. "You do know the sun's up, right?" She asked.
"I noticed, Tina," Doug replied. Tina was Harmony's right hand woman. The dark-skinned faerie had shades of blue and purple in the long black hair she styled in dreadlocks. She was beautiful, but Doug would never make the mistake of flirting with her. She loved animals, but she hated most people. Her affinity for communicating with animals often proved useful in her line of work, so Harmony usually handled the humans while Tina focused on their pets.
"Hello, Viking," Tina said in a much warmer tone. "How are you feeling today?"
Viking barked excitedly in response before licking Tina's hand. She nodded and said, "Yes, you must be so excited to feel the sun!" She turned back toward Doug, eyeing him suspiciously. "How is it possible for you to be out and about at this hour, Douglas?"
"The Master of the City gave me an assignment that requires me to be available at all hours," Doug replied.
"So we have to deal with you during the day now, too? Wonderful," Tina mumbled.
Harmony appeared then, saving Doug from any more snarky comments from Tina. "I thought I smelled your scent," Harmony said with a warm smile that lit up her eyes. Her long sandy blonde hair was in a ponytail that hung over her right shoulder, exposing the left side of her neck. "It's always nice to see you and Viking, Doug, but how are you here?"
"He's the Master of the City's bitch," Tina replied before Doug could answer.
"I have an important mission," he clarified.
"Well, enjoy the sun while you can, then," Harmony replied. "What brings you and Viking in today?"
"Just a check-up," Doug said. "I think it's almost time for his annual."
He thought about asking her out, but he refused to do it with Tina for a witness. Besides, one didn't just ask the Werewolf Alpha on a date, especially not if one was a vampire.
"Well, let's have a look then. Come on, Viking," Harmony said.
Viking happily licked Harmony's face in response before gleefully trotting after her into the exam room. Most animals were afraid of the vet, but when one of them actively communicated with animals and the other was a powerful werewolf, apparently that changed things.
Doug watched Harmony work, never taking his eyes off of her as she examined Viking. "Everything looks great," she finally said. "You did a great job, Viking! Good boy!" She gave him a treat, which he happily devoured.
"So, what's this big assignment?" Harmony asked.
"I'm working as a bodyguard for a young vampire," Doug replied. I'm a babysitter, he added silently, still annoyed with the job.
"He or she must be pretty important if the Master assigned them a bodyguard."
"Honestly, I don't get it. She doesn't know her Sire, but that happens sometimes. It's not normal for the Master to assign her protection or even a mentor. I'm sure she has her reasons, though. She always does."
"Well, good luck!"
"Harmony... Can I buy you lunch? I haven't been able to go out to lunch in decades and wouldn't mind some company."
She smiled. "Sure, Doug. I'd like that. I usually take a break around one, unless there's an emergency."
"I'll come back then." He smiled his best charming smile before leaving with Viking.
It's not a date, he reminded himself. It's lunch with a friend... But it's a start.
+++
Oliver Blackrain had his work cut out for him. Zanna had been stubborn even as a little girl, but now she had twenty more years of rage and paranoia to add on top of it.
Welcome to being a Blackrain, Oliver thought. Rage and paranoia are pretty much what we live on.
He walked through the Downtown area for a bit, enjoying exploring the strange new world he found himself in. Manhattan was a far cry from Savannah, Georgia, and it would take some getting used to.
Prior to his arrival in the City, Oliver had been living in a small town in Pennsylvania where nothing ever happened and where no one would think to look for him. He'd spent two years there, living largely in seclusion and only going out when he needed supplies. He had woods in his backyard and grew most of what he needed in his garden. He hadn't been thrilled to leave his sanctuary, but he knew he was needed in New York.
The East Village was full of strange shops. Most were geared toward the punk and gothic subcultures. Clothing stores and tattoo and piercing parlors lines the streets. His cousin's shop fit in very well in a place like that, where many who wandered by were interested in the occult.
Of course, to most of them, it was just a fun experiment, a brief playdate with the dark side that ended before they could learn about the real supernatural world which thrived right inside of their mortal one.
He continued walking, exploring Christopher Street, where every business had a rainbow flag in the window and where you could even find a street appropriately named Gay Street. Tourists found this especially amusing, not understanding that it was named long before it became the center of queer life in the City and was most likely simply a reference to a local family with the surname Gay, as that was how most streets were given their names back then.
As he continued walking, he found himself in the neighborhood of Chelsea. There were too many art galleries to count, as well as a large number of unique restaurants and bars. It featured an interesting blend of cultures, and Oliver couldn't help but admire his surroundings.
He finally stopped walking to stand outside of an apartment building. There was movement in the window he was watching, although most people wouldn't have been able to sense it. Oliver suspected that the vampire inside was too anxious to sleep. There were blackout curtains covering the window, but Oliver could see her aura even through them.
The building had no security. There were no magickal wards protecting it either. Madison Gallagher was a sitting duck who had no idea how much danger she was actually in.
Once the Blackrains decided to target you, there was very little chance you would survive.