Gypsies, Vamps, and Wolves, Part II
By Autolycus, maynlinz@earthlink.net
A genetically altered female werewolf meets a vampire from her past.


A SPANISH WEREWOLF IN HOLLYWOOD V:

GYPSIES, VAMPS, AND WOLVES

Part II

(c) 2000 Autolycus

Her name is Lupe Bacalao and she is a werewolf...sort of. She is currently the
houseguest of Dr. Cassandra Trotter, an old friend and former teacher of
Jessica Chance who runs a consulting business and writes mystery novels. The
good doctor's daughter, LAPD Officer Saba Trotter, disapproves of her mother's
businesses--She runs a "fight club" in addition to the consulting firm--and of
Lupe, personally, but will nevertheless help them out. This is the story of
the time they encountered a vampire from Lupe's past named Audon Forrade.

What has gone before:

Lupe and Simone had a fight following Lupe's unsuccessful attempt to get a
private investigator's license and Saba discovered the grisly remains of a
woman who was killed by a method that reminds Lupe of a trip she took to
Romania 100 years ago. During that journey Lupe encounters the charming Gypsy
leader Marko and his jealous lover Rasita. On a visit into the local town Lupe
is attacked and nearly raped by three young men but she ends up overcoming
them, shattering one man's face and crushing another's ribs in the process.

Then, after humiliating Rasita in a physical contest the furious Gypsy girl
turns to the mysterious wizard known as "Herr Forrade" for help in destroying
her rival. When Marko catches Rasita in the company of the wizard she kills
him with a silver dagger given to her by Forrade to use on Lupe. She then
lures Lupe to the site of Marko's murder and in the ensuing battle winds up
being fatally stabbed herself. Forrade attempts to save her by turning her
into a vampire like himself but is unable because a piece of the silver knife
broke off inside her. He suggests there may be another way to keep her alive
and carries her off to his camp.

Romania-1912

As Lupe expected, the news of the two Gypsies' deaths was not welcome. And,
coming from her, especially not so and tinged with no little amount of
suspicion besides. But, fortunately for her, the elders supported her for the
most part, even though the majority of the women wanted to hang her the minute
the men returned with Marko's savaged corpse.

"What about Rasita?" she demanded, dreading the Gypsy's survival. But the men
just shook their heads and informed her that Marko's was the only body they
had found.

As for Lupe's fate, it was decided to wait for the return of Ezmina. She
always knew what to do, they said, and this seemed to satisfy even the women.

After one of the women reluctantly attended to Lupe's badly damaged hands,
secretly wondering if the blade that did this had been heated to cause the
torn flesh to burn and blister so suddenly, the weary Spaniard climbed into
Marko's wagon, despite some disapproving glares from her hosts, and quickly
fell into a troubled sleep.

While Lupe was not technically a prisoner, neither was she entirely allowed
freedom of movement either. As she discovered the next morning when she went
to relieve herself and found a Gypsy woman following her into the woods. "I
gave my word that I wouldn't run off," she called out, but the woman ignored
her, except to make strange gestures at her with her hands.

The later in the day it got, the more worried the Spaniard became, knowing
that at sunset she would transform into a ravenous wolf for three days. Her
only hope was that Ezmina would arrive before that and, as everyone assured
her, know what to do.

As it turned out there was an arrival before sunset, but it wasn't who they
expected.

"We've come for the Gypsy whore who did this," announced a very large man as
he shoved a youth with a broken face forward. "She also shattered another
boy's entire ribcage."

"Pity," said Lupe, stepping forward, "I was trying to snap his spine."

"She the one?" the man asked the cowering boy next to him. Erno nodded.

"She is no Gypsy, mein Herr," said one of the men, "and we would gladly hand
her over to you but we suspect she was responsible for the murder of one of
our own men, possibly a woman as well, and are awaiting the arrival of our
elder to settle the matter."

"Killing a damn Gypsy or two doesn't compare with nearly crippling two of our
boys, so just kindly step aside and let us have her or there'll be trouble,
and plenty of it," the large man said, patting the rifle in his grip and
gesturing to the other dozen armed men with him.

Suddenly a trap carrying a frail old woman clattered up and an aged Gypsy
stepped down and, quickly sizing up the situation, held up her hands.

"Ezmina!" exclaimed the Gypsy who had spoken with the townsman. "Thank God you
have finally arrived." He quickly filled her in on the events of the past
three days and she nodded knowingly, glancing at Lupe several times.

'I will talk privately with the stranger and then make my judgement," she
announced, gesturing for Lupe to follow her.

"Now, just wait a minute, lady. We mean to take that bitch, Gypsy or not, and
teach her not to mess with our folks," the gun-toting man exclaimed, stepping
forward. But Ezmina whirled to face him with such a fierce expression that he
stopped in his tracks.

"You may do what you will with her once I've satisfied myself that she's not
guilty of the murder she's been accused of, and not a minute before," she
hissed sharply. "Is that understood, Herr Loddes?" The man nodded dumbly and
Ezmina smiled and said, "Come along, child," beckoning Lupe with a crooked
finger.

She led the Spaniard to a small wagon covered with brightly painted runes and
alchemic symbols and entered. Inside, she quickly set about lighting lanterns
to illuminate the dark interior and Lupe saw that the wagon was practically
filled with jars of various herbs and other things, things that floated eerily
in semi-clear liquid and seemed to look back at her.

"Make yourself comfortable, child," Ezmina burbled as she tidied the place up
a bit and put away the bundle she'd brought with her. "Would you care for some
tea?" she asked, setting a cracked porcelain pot on a small burner. Lupe shook
her head and the old Gypsy shrugged her stooped shoulders and said, "Suit
yourself, child, but I find that nothing settles my mind like a good cup of
hot, strong tea."

"We don't have time for these pleasantries," Lupe said desperately.

"Nonsense, child, there's always time to be pleasant," she gently corrected.
"That's what's wrong with the world today, people are too damn busy to be
polite to each other. Mark my words, child, there's going to be trouble and
it's going to be soon and it's going to be bad. But none of that concerns you
in the right here and now, does it?" Lupe shook her head. "You just sit back
and tell me your troubles, child, and I'll do what I can to help you," she
said with a soft smile as she prepared her tea.

Lupe told her how she'd become a werewolf and briefly of her adventures on the
way to Romania and then of the tragic circumstances leading up to Marko's
death and the aged woman listened to her every word as she sipped delicately
on her tea and her bright eyes glittered like gemstones in the wavering light
of the lanterns. When the Spaniard had finished her sad tale Ezmina scowled
and said in a voice too soft for the weathered face, "I knew Forrade wouldn't
give up so easily. He was once a powerful alchemist, child, and he lived far
to the north. As many wizards and sorcerers do, he sold his soul to the powers
of darkness in return for what all men secretly crave: Eternal life. But his
prize came with a terrible price. He was transformed into a nosferatu, one of
the undead, and must now drink the blood of the living to sustain himself and
avoid the light of the life-giving sun lest he be destroyed by it."

"Why is he here and what does he want from you?" Lupe asked, temporarily
forgetting her own problems.

Ezmina smiled. "He wants his soul back and the poor fool thinks I can get it
for him, or at least that I have the precious ingredients with which he can
get it back himself. But I can't help him, child. He gave his humanity up
willingly and the powers of darkness have a binding claim on it. No spell or
potion can alter that, but the old fool won't accept that. He thinks he can
somehow cheat the Devil at his own game." She sadly shook her head. "He can't.
But you, child, are another matter. Your soul was stolen from you by an action
beyond your control. You, I can help." She set her steaming cup down and began
to rummage through a large oak trunk set against one wall of the wagon.

"You can cure me of my dreadful curse?" Lupe asked, daring not believe her
ears.

Ezmina turned and her eyes were filled with pain. "No, child, I can't stop the
dreadful monthly transformation any more than I can wrest Forrade's soul from
the bowels of Hell, but I can restore your soul," she said, holding up a
golden necklace with a charm in the shape of a wolf's head dangling from it.
"So long as you wear this pendant, child, the transformation to a wolf will be
only a bodily one for the most part. The savagery of the beast will be
lessened a great deal and the physical change will be less severe." She
reverently placed the necklace around Lupe's throat and fastened the clasp. "I
only wish I could do more."

"I shouldn't have hurt those boys. I'm prepared to face the consequences of my
rash decision," Lupe said, examining the golden wolf head.

"It wasn't entirely your fault, child. Part of the blame must rest with the
nearness of the transformation," Ezmina reminded her. "But, I think it best if
we keep that between us. Herr Loddes is worked up enough as it is without
knowing there's a werewolf in the vicinity." She gave the Spaniard an
exaggerated wink and Lupe laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Well?" demanded Herr Loddes when Ezmina and Lupe finally emerged from the
wagon. "Have you finished your examination, old woman?"

"I have. I find no guilt within her in regards to the murder of Marko," she
announced. Several of the women scowled and muttered under their breath, but
the men and the rest of them nodded in silent approval of the elder's finding.

"Fine. Now that that foolishness is settled we can take her back to town to
answer for the crimes she committed there. Unless you'd care to try to stop
us?" he said, the challenge practically dripping from his words.

"They may be done with that shape-changing bitch, Schwein, but I'm not!" cried
a familiar, but nonetheless impossible voice.

"Rasita?" Lupe shouted, turning to face the Gypsy girl as she strode from the
shadows. "But... I killed you!"

"And now I'm here to return the favor!" she stated, coming at her, the broken
silver-bladed dagger clutched tightly in her hand.

Lupe dove aside and Rasita nearly knocked Ezmina over. "Out of my way, old
crone," she hissed, raising her weaponless arm to strike the old Gypsy down.

"I always feared would you would sell your soul to the Devil, child," Ezmina
said sadly. "I blame myself for not being here when your moment of crisis
came. Mayhap I could have found a way to save you...."

Rasita suddenly halted her arm in mid-swing and then turned to pursue Lupe
without another word.

"What the Devil is going on here?" Herr Loddes demanded. "Who is that
pasty-faced Gypsy woman?"

"Her name is Rasita, mein Herr," said Forrade, stepping from the shadows,
careful to avoid the dying rays of the sun as it sank behind the Carpathians,
"and she is my, shall we say, protégé. I see you've returned, Ezmina, but I
fear you're too late to save the lycanthrope, these fools, or, indeed,
yourself and your pitiful band. You should have taken my offer, old woman."

"I don't care if she's the damn tooth fairy! She's interfering with my duties
as the duly appointed representative of the law," Loddes growled, his entire
body shaking with rage.

"I've told you many times before, Herr Forrade, that I am powerless to aid you
in your mad quest, even should I be of a mind to do so," the old Gypsy
croaked.

Forrade just scowled and then grinned malevolently. "What do you think of her,
Ezmina? Magnificent, is she not?" he asked, gesturing to where Rasita was
attacking Lupe in the full light of the setting sun. "She should be dead. But
I, Audon Forrade, Wizardus Maximus, not only saved her life, I actually made
her more powerful than even myself. She can walk in the light of the sun with
no ill effects, as you can see. Aren't you curious as to how I accomplished
such a feat, old woman?"

"Not particularly," sighed Ezmina. "But I suppose you shall bore me with the
details of it nonetheless."

Forrade laughed deep in his throat. "You mask your curiosity well, but I know
you are fairly burning with desire to learn how I did it. So I shall tell you.
It's the least I can do before I kill you," he said with a sneer. "After the
doomed shape-shifter fatally stabbed her with the silver dagger intended to be
her own undoing I tried to turn her into one of my kind but was unable to do
so thanks to a piece of the silver blade which had broken off when she was
stabbed. So I took her to my camp and there--And this is the truly ingenious
part, old woman!--using some of the shape-shifter's own blood, along with
various other ingredients, including some of my immortal tissue, I
manufactured a potion which restored life to her body, but--And this is
another brilliant aspect of the whole operation!--only so long as I live. If I
should ever succumb to the Gates of Hell's beckoning she will be at my side."

"So, you've linked your beings, eh?" Ezmina nodded. She cocked her head and
gazed at the vampire out of one eye. "I must admit that is clever, Herr
Forrade. She dare not harm you for fear of her own death and, even more than
that, she will eternally guard you to likewise protect herself. The immunity
to sunlight was a nice touch, too. Still, there must be consequences to the
presence of both your body and Lupe's blood in that potion..."

"There may very well be," Forrade replied with a shrug. "If there are, I
suspect we're about to find out." He looked over to where the last sliver of
the sun was disappearing from view and took a deep breath. "I love this time
of day."

"I imagine it's the only time you do," Ezmina said with a sharp nod.

Meanwhile, Rasita and Lupe had managed to avoid each other for the most part,
with the Spaniard sustaining only a few passing cuts from the deadly blade as
she and the Gypsy struggled in the gathering darkness.

"I've had enough!' cried Herr Loddes, raising the rifle to his shoulder and
aiming at the fighting women. "All this talk of immortality and shape-shifters
is just foolish superstition. As I'm about to prove." He squeezed the trigger
and both women screamed as a bullet tore through Rasita's shoulder and went on
to strike Lupe in the chest. They both dropped to the ground. "You see?
They're as human as you and I, old man," he said to Forrade.

"As human as I, mein Herr, but not, I fear, you," the vampire said and then
cackled obscenely as both women simultaneously sat up.

"What the...?" Loddes exclaimed, noticing that both women were now covered
with a thick covering of fur, Lupe's tending to light brown and gray while
Rasita's was more dark brown and black. "I don't believe it!" he cried in
horror as bushy tails suddenly sprang from both their backsides and their
faces changed, the nose and jaw pushing out to become much more canine in
appearance. "It's not possible!" He quickly fired another shot at the pair and
his mouth dropped open when Rasita took it full in the chest without so much
as flinching.

"'There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in
your philosophy,'" Forrade quoted loftily as his grin widened.

"Who the bloody Hell is Horatio???" Loddes screamed, frantically reloading his
weapon.

"The classics are truly wasted on the rabble," the vampire said with a deep
sigh.

Ezmina nodded in silent agreement as Lupe and Rasita fought with renewed fury,
tearing into each other's flesh like the animals they now resembled.

"I see you've meddled and given the shape-shifter some charm or another to
diminish the transformation," Forrade observed.

"And I see that Rasita's metamorphosis is likewise curtailed; by the presence
of your own flesh, no doubt," she replied.

"Indeed. But, my dear Ezmina, she has other advantages, while you may have
removed the only one the Spaniard possessed," he chuckled.

Ezmina said nothing but her hands tightened around a charm pouch in the pocket
of her apron even though she feared it would prove useless against Rasita. She
realized with some bitter irony that the vampire was right and that the only
hope of her people lay in Lupe's victory, but, by giving her the charm, she
may have taken away the only real bonus the Spaniard had in her transformed
state: Sheer, brutal savagery.

"I didn't sign up for this, Herr Loddes!" one man suddenly exclaimed, eyeing
the battling werebeasts with rising terror.

"Nor did I!" echoed a chorus of others.

"Perhaps it is time to go back to town for reinforcements...." Loddes
conceded. But when the men turned to go they found a veritable army of large,
black rats blocking their way. "Now what deviltry is this?" Loddes demanded,
aiming his rifle into the midst of the living flood of rodents.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Herr Loddes," Forrade cautioned. "My little
pets wouldn't like it if your gun were to go off."

"Oh, they wouldn't, would they?" Loddes grinned and fired into the pack,
instantly killing several of the beasts. Unfortunately for him there were
hundreds more and they suddenly squealed and then fell on the hapless
townsfolk, the tiny, needle-sharp teeth tearing into their flesh as the
frenzied men did their best to beat them off or run away.

The farthest any of them got was half a dozen steps.

"I suppose a similar fate awaits myself and my people?" Ezmina casually
inquired as the rats enjoyed their grisly fare.

"Not at all, my dear. You Gypsies shall provide the night's sustenance for
Rasita and myself. Your death, in particular, will be much more excruciating
and drawn out," he sneered, his eyes glowing like embers in the darkness.

The two werebeasts suddenly broke away from each other, both bloodied and
exhausted from their battle and needing some time to catch their breath and
plan a more successful strategy. As it was, they seemed to be evenly matched
in a straight brawl, even with the silver dagger in the Gypsy's possession.

"You're taking too long to finish her, little one," Forrade scolded. "Didn't
your parents ever teach you not to play with your food?"

Rasita looked over to reply and in that instant Lupe flew at her, knocking her
to her back and driving her knife-like nails into the surprised Gypsy's chest.
Then, despite her foe's thrashing about and manic efforts to escape, the
Spaniard dug right through her flesh, tearing open the old wound she'd
inflicted the night before and literally tearing out her heart.

"I told you last night, bitch: A heart for a heart," Lupe snarled, holding the
still beating organ up so Rasita could see it.

But, to her horror, Rasita struck her solidly in the jaw and then grabbed her
heart back and swallowed it whole. Lupe watched in terrified fascination as
the still- pumping organ resumed its rightful place in the Gypsy's ravaged
chest and then miraculously reattached itself to the arteries before the
dreadful wound sealed itself, leaving naught but a faint scar.

Forrade clapped his hands gleefully. "She's even more indestructible than I
thought!" he exclaimed. "Now finish her, little one, so we can deal with the
rest of them. I grow hungry."

"Don't wait for me, old man. You know I can't stomach blood and this bitch is
as good as dead anyway," Rasita grinned, tagging Lupe with a powerful right
cross that snapped her head around and caused a spray of blood to splatter the
dirt floor of the clearing. Another blow, this time from the Gypsy's left
fist, sent her tumbling onto her side, the side of her face crashing against
the unyielding ground and nearly knocking the consciousness from her.

"Her digestive system is apparently too delicate to process pure blood,"
Forrade explained in response to Ezmina's questioning glance. "She can only
eat the raw flesh once I've drained it of the liquid nutrient."

The old Gypsy shook her head sadly as Rasita straddled the Spaniard, grabbed
her by the hair and began to beat Lupe's half-pulped face into the packed
earth. The Gypsy girl then yanked hard on the Spaniard's mane, bending her
neck painfully backwards, and raised the silver knife for the killing stroke.

Lupe's and Ezmina's eyes locked for a moment and the old woman nodded as a
single tear ran down her cheek. The battered werebeast deliberately reached up
and her clawed hand closed around the charm.

Seeing what she was about to do, Forrade yelled, "Hurry, you idiot! Kill her!"

But his warning came too late.

With a blur of motion the necklace was ripped from her throat and thrown
across the clearing to land at Ezmina's feet and a heartbeat later Rasita
found herself astride an enormous wolf.

The wolf reared up, causing the curious creature on her back to topple to the
ground. She sniffed the air and the hair along her spine suddenly rose as she
detected the stench of one of the Damned. Then her nose wrinkled in curiosity
as the scent of the creature that had been on her back reached her. It was
similar to that of the Damned, but different; weaker and more pungent at the
same time. She was startled to detect something alarmingly similar to her own
smell coming from it.

Then the pack-thing sprang at her and all thoughts save the First flew from
her mind: Survival.

Despite the presence of teeth and claws the half-beast chose to fight with a
shining tooth it held in its forepaw which confused her until it bit into her
flesh and she bellowed in a combination of pain and surprise that the little
tooth should hurt her so much. She jumped back and warily circled her foe,
careful to keep the strange tooth as far from her as possible. Once again the
pack-thing lunged at her but this time she avoided the tooth and her powerful
jaws closed on the creature's forearm. She bit down hard and the pack-thing
howled in pain and dropped the tooth. When it reached for the tooth with its
other hand she jerked her head savagely, nearly pulling it off its hind legs
and preventing it from regaining the weapon.

With a terrible cry the pack-thing struck her full on the nose with her free
hand and the wolf's jaws released its limb as it was driven onto its haunches
by the force of the blow. As she sat, trying to recover, the pack-thing hit
her again, even harder, this time under her chin and flipping her onto her
back. With a triumphant cry it then sprang on her and its clawed hands closed
on her throat. She tried to bite it, but its arms were out of reach. She tried
to scratch it, but her claws couldn't reach it. In desperation she rolled her
enormous body over so the pack-thing was beneath her and was able to get her
feet solidly on the ground. The pack-thing still had a death-grip on her
throat, however, and was still beyond the reach of her claws.

As she felt her life slipping away her eye suddenly spied the fire pit and she
leapt for it as the yawning blackness looming around her closed in. She landed
on the edge, where a ring of large stones separated the pit from the
surrounding ground, and the pack-thing's head struck sharply on one of the
rocks. The choking grasp was loosened and she leapt clear and shook her coat
free of the few flames it had attracted. Hearing a horrible cry she turned and
saw the pack-thing's fur had caught on fire and was rapidly consuming it.

It managed to stumble from the pit but only made it a few steps before
collapsing to the ground. The wolf watched as the fire quickly burned itself
out, leaving nothing but a blackened mass of burnt, foul-smelling flesh and
bone. She cautiously approached it and sniffed it experimentally before
snorting with contempt and disgust and then turning baleful brown eyes on the
Damned.

Forrade looked on in horror as Rasita's body was reduced to a smoldering heap
of human debris and then saw that the eyes of the wolf had fixed on him. He
scanned the area and quickly spied the silver knife in the grass.

"You'll never make it, Herr Forrade," Ezmina said, shaking her head. "Don't
you think it's time to cut your losses and make a hasty exit?"

The vampire grunted and sprang for the knife.

It was an impressive leap, easily clearing the distance to the knife.

The only trouble was that the wolf's was much quicker and he found himself
nose to snout with the enraged beast when he landed.

"Nice doggy," Forrade said with a weak smile.

The Damned showed her his teeth and with the fetid stink of his kind burning
her nostrils she replied in kind, drawing back her black lips in a growl which
began deep in her chest. When his blazing eyes flickered down to the ground
and the shining tooth she hurled herself at him, her frothing jaws snapping
about his scrawny neck as he stumbled backwards, trying to raise his arms
defensively. His blood was even more rancid than his odor and she gagged as it
filled her mouth, but she nevertheless kept her teeth clamped tight.

Suddenly his claw-like fingers were digging into her eyes and she reluctantly
released her hold and sprang back, whining and growling in discomfort, her
paws rubbing her face in a desperate attempt to relieve the stinging.

"I warned you," said Ezmina with a grim smile as the vampire clutched
frantically at his throat, doing his best to stop the terrible blood loss.

Forrade threw a wicked glare her way as he rent his fine shirt and wrapped a
strip tightly around his neck. "You and I are not yet quit of our business,
old woman," he warned, turning and staggering toward the darkness beyond the
circle of light provided by the Gypsies' fire.

Then, hearing a groan, he and the old Gypsy both looked over in astonishment
as the smoking figure of Rasita climbed unsteadily to her feet. Though most of
her flesh was still blackened beyond recognition, and some patches were gone
completely, allowing them to see the charred bone beneath, it was obvious to
both that she was already healing. Her face, for example, was nearly free of
burns. "Did we win?" she croaked, despite the fact that her neck was little
more than smoking bones.

"Not today, little one," said Forrade, gesturing for her to follow him, "but
our time will come. We have all eternity to exact our revenge."

She stumbled after him, glancing over to where the wolf was rubbing its face
in the cool grass, frowning to see her rival still lived and longing to finish
her, but she dared not delay her departure in her weakened condition.

Once they'd gone from sight Ezmina reached down and picked up the golden charm
and then walked over to where the wolf was apparently still blinded from the
vampire's attack. But, despite the loss of its sight, the wolf was aware of
her approach and snarled a warning. "It's all right, Lupe," the old Gypsy said
softly. "The danger is past for the moment. Let me help you."

The wolf whined in discomfort and confusion. She could tell the Damned and the
pack-thing were no longer in the area but had no reason to trust the human
near her. Besides, there was an odd scent coming from her that caused the wolf
to back away, despite the soothing sounds the human was making.

As her vision finally began to clear she could barely make out the figure of
an old human female sitting on her haunches and patiently holding out her
hand. The wolf cautiously approached and sniffed it, her snout wrinkling at
the odd other-scent that permeated it. Getting closer still she could see
something in her hand, something that glittered in the dim light of the full
moon. At first she feared it was the strange tooth and she growled another
warning. But then she realized that this was a different object and its
glitter was different from that of the tooth, which had been cold. This, in
contrast, seemed to radiate comforting warmth.

She nuzzled the hand and it slowly moved up her nose, past her still-smarting
eyes, paused to scratch her behind the ears, and then moved to the back of her
neck. A moment later the warmth she'd sensed in the glittering object seemed
to spread throughout her whole body...

Lupe sagged against Ezmina, sobbing, and the old Gypsy held her and stroked
her hair, whispering reassurances into her pointed ears as her tail thumped
gratefully against the ground.

Los Angeles-2012

"What makes you so sure that this is the work of Forrade and Rasita?" Cassie
asked when Lupe finished her story. "There must be other vampires or demons
with similar feeding habits and Goddess knows there are plenty of sick plain
old human beings who could have killed that poor girl."

"It wasn't another vampire. Forrade is the only one Lupe has ever encountered
who both ripped out the throats and beat in the faces of his victims," she
explained. "Ophelia once told me that vampires are careful not to tear out the
throat so they don't waste any precious blood and also so the kill will act as
a warning to others of their kind that this is occupied territory."

"Like an animal marks the area it lives and feeds in," the doctor nodded.

"Exactly. As for a demon... It could have been one but Lupe doubts it," she
finally said with a firm shake of her head. "It's Forrade. I know it. And this
time I will make sure both of them are well and truly dead."

"Whatever happened to Ezmina and the other Gypsies?" Cassie asked as Lupe
began to page through the phone book.

Lupe paused, raising a hand to the golden wolf's head, and then said softly,
"He killed them years later. Ezmina, the men, and I tracked them to where he'd
camped the next day in hopes of destroying them but we were too late. They'd
wasted no time and had left the night before. I tried to find them for years
but without success. After many adventures I made my way back towards my
homeland and it was when I returned to Romania that I discovered their fate.
Forrade had been as good as his word and destroyed every last one of the band
one night according to some other Gypsies who had come across their gruesome
remains some days later. Ezmina had still been barely alive when they found
her but almost all of the blood had been slowly drained from her body using a
needle and tubing apparatus. He hadn't even drank it, letting it drip into the
earth at her feet as she was forced to watch the massacre of her family and
friends."

"What a horrible fate!" exclaimed Cassie. Lupe nodded and continued to thumb
through the directory. "You don't honestly expect him to be listed in the-"

"Aha!" the Spaniard suddenly cried, her finger stabbing at an entry.

Cassandra looked down and saw: FORRADE Audon 1412 Hillpark Drive. "Then again,
what do I know about the habits of the undead?" she said with a laugh.

Lupe scribbled the address on a note pad and then turned to Cassie and asked,
"Can Lupe borrow your car?"

"Borrow... Do you have a license?" Lupe shook her head and Cassie sighed.
"Even if I let you, you'd never find this address; you're not familiar enough
with this area yet. I'll drive you."

"Lupe couldn't ask you to do that!" she said suddenly.

"You didn't ask me, dear. I offered. And I won't take no for an answer. We've
still got a few hours until sunset, we'd better hurry."

Lupe nodded and they headed for the door. "Don't you need anything? Like a
cross or holy water or a stake and hammer?" the doctor asked as they reached
the car.

"Crosses are no good against the undead and we don't have time to get any holy
water but a stake will definitely be useful," she said, walking over to an oak
rocking chair sitting on the side of the house and unceremoniously breaking it
with a well-placed kick. As she picked up several stake-like pieces she asked,
"You don't mind about the chair, do you?"

"Not a bit, dear," Cassie replied, biting her lip at the loss of the imported
antique. She then gunned the engine of her '72 Chevy Nova and shot out of the
driveway before Lupe could even fasten her seatbelt.

* * * * *

Pam Dunn looked up when the main elevator opened and smiled at the solidly
built man with Asian features and a bald head who exited the elevator. "Good
afternoon, Master Po," she said, waving him through. But he stopped in front
of her desk and fixed his jade eyes on her, allowing her to get her first real
good look at him. He was handsome and stood close to 6' tall but she couldn't
tell how old he was since his face had both youthful qualities and indications
of great age, especially in his eyes. He was wearing a light colored business
suit, but the shirt was open at the top, revealing a golden chain and tiger
charm with emerald eyes, and he was barefoot. A small denim bag with a long
strap was slung over one shoulder and a pair of dark glasses stuck from the
pocket of his suit coat.

"Please, call me Tony, Ms. Dunn," he said. His voice had only the slightest
trace of an accent and it was so deep and commanding that it sent chills down
her spine. "Who did this to you?" he asked, raising a finger to her bruised
face.

"Some woman. It's a long story and Ms. Kahira isn't known for her patience...
Tony," she said hesitantly. "And you can call me Pam.

He nodded and said, "Go and see my secretary, Miss Fong. She has plenty of
time to listen to your story, Pam." He then entered the double doors to Lilith
Kahira's office and Pam suddenly realized that she'd been holding her breath.
She laughed and exhaled, shaking her head as she put her mind back to the
tasks at hand, but making a mental note to stop by and talk to Miss Fong
later.

"Ah, you must be the mysterious Master Po," Lilith said, leaning back in her
chair and resting a foot on the edge of her desk.

The man bowed as the doors closed behind him. "And you must be the one and
only Lilith Kahira," he replied, casually walking to stand in front of her
desk. He set down his travel bag. "A pleasure to meet you at last."

As he looked down at her Lilith found her mouth was suddenly dry. "Care for
something to drink?" she asked, getting up and walking over to the wall which
hid her secret temple to Sakhmet. She pressed a button and a wet bar silently
glided out.

"Alcohol is a poison that robs the body of vitality, the mind of clarity, and
the soul of purity," he said. Adding, "I'll take a Scotch, straight up."

"But you just said..." Lil started, her own glass of champagne halfway to her
lips.

"What you expected me to say, Ms. Kahira," he finished for her. She nodded and
took a sip of her drink and then prepared his. "All things in moderation, Ms.
Kahira," he said, touching his glass to hers and then downing it in a single
gulp. "Shall we get started?" He handed the empty glass back to her and walked
back over to his bag and removed two gis. "Where can I change?" he asked,
handing one to her.

She accepted the outfit and walked across the office to the double doors that
led to the pool and opened them, revealing that the swimming area had been
transformed into a workout room by installing a sliding floor over the pool
and placing thick mats on it. She indicated a door to one side and he nodded
and entered it without a word. She then rushed back to the bar and poured
herself another glass of champagne and gulped it down and then hurried back to
the makeshift gymnasium just as he exited the bathroom.

"My turn," she said with a half-smile. He ignored her, walking to the middle
of the mat and sitting down and then pulling his legs into his lap and
assuming the lotus position. She scowled and entered the bathroom and quickly
changed, but left the top daringly open, exposing her black bra-encased
breasts.

"Nice tits," he remarked without opening his eyes when she stepped into the
room. "Now close your gi and stop fooling around, Ms. Kahira. You may have
more money than God but I've no time for students who aren't serious about
wanting to learn what I have to teach."

Lilith's frown returned as she pulled the gi closed and stalked over to him.
"You can't talk to me like that. I'm the one paying you, remember?" she
demanded. Then, noticing that he was floating a full foot off the mat, she
asked, "How are you doing that?"

"I know who's paying me and I know for what," he replied. "If you want a
gigolo, I'm sure you can afford younger, more pliant men. If you want to learn
the martial arts, however, I'm the best there is. Take me or leave me."

"Fine," she snapped. "But tell me how you're doing that floating thing?"

"Don't you believe in magic, High Priestess of Sakhmet?" he said with a
half-smile as he slowly lowered to the mat and stood up. He extended a single
finger and gently pushed up on Lilith's jaw, closing it. "No more questions.
It's time to begin."

She jerked her head, snapping herself from a mini-daze. "Okay, but I'm telling
you right now that if I hear the words 'wax on, wax off' you're fired," she
warned.

* * * * *

Cassie pulled to stop outside an enormous pair of imposing steel gates set in
a high stone wall. The numbers 1412 were on the wall next to the gate in the
form of large bronze fittings and the gates themselves were decorated with the
initials A and F and several iron bats. "I'd say this is the right place," the
doctor said with a shrug.

"Lupe agrees. Stay here, Dr. Blotter, but only until dark. If Lupe is not back
by the time the sun sets leave and think no more of her." Cassandra opened her
mouth to protest but the Spaniard exited the car quickly and then stuck her
head back in the window and embraced her, adding in a stern whisper, "Under no
circumstances are you to enter this place. Do you understand?" Cassie
reluctantly nodded her head and Lupe grinned. "I'll be back before you know
it."

"You'd better be. Good luck, Lupe," she said as the Spaniard walked over to
the gate and cautiously reached out a finger, testing to see if it was
electrified. Satisfied that it wasn't she jumped up and caught the top and
then easily pulled herself up and over and disappeared down the winding
tree-lined roadway, leaving the doctor feeling very helpless and worried.

Rounding a bend in the road the trees suddenly fell away and revealed the
house and surrounding yard. The mansion was old, how old, however, was
impossible to tell since it was in such poor shape. The windows were boarded
up for the most part and the paint hung in long strips, revealing the bare
wood beneath. The yard was more like a jungle with the brown grass standing
nearly as tall as Lupe and a moss-covered empty fountain in the middle of the
whole mess with a grinning horned figure that might have been the Devil or a
satyr rising above the grass and seeming to watch her as she walked down the
road. The Spaniard grunted as she broke into an easy jog and quickly reached
the cracked steps leading up to a pair of double doors, one of which hung
crookedly thanks to a broken hinge.

Lupe slowed and then walked up to the entrance and as quietly as possible
pushed the door aside so she could enter the structure. The gloomy interior
provided little light but her keen eyes could see numerous white lumps that
she realized were pieces of furniture covered with sheets. The white tile
floor was thick with dust and she could see several old sets of footprints but
they looked too small to be those of either Forrade or Rasita and she sadly
concluded that they were the prints of children. Not wanting to think on their
gruesome fate she pushed forward into the hall and found a door beneath the
winding stairway that opened to an unlit corridor with a set of stone steps
leading below the house.

She tightened her grip on the makeshift stake in her hand and descended into
the darkness. Fortunately, her lupine senses enhanced her vision enough that
it was more like twilight than midnight but that made it no less unnerving.
When she reached the bottom of the stairway it opened into a vast room
cluttered with empty wine shelves. She located a switch on the wall that she
assumed would turn on the lights but her hand paused in the act of flipping it
when her heightened senses informed that she wasn't alone. Her nose wrinkled
in disgust at the familiar stench of the undead and she saw several small
figures shambling towards her.

Lupe turned on the light and found herself confronted by four children that
Forrade had transformed into zombies and snarled in frustration. She didn't
have time for these distractions since, despite Cassie's supposed familiarity
with the area, it had taken over an hour to find the address, leaving her less
than an hour before Forrade himself awakened. She didn't even want to think
about how much more powerful he'd become in the last 100 years and had no
desire to find out, preferring to stake him while he still slept, thus
eliminating Rasita in the same stroke. She briefly wondered where the immortal
Gypsy girl was but with the zombies closing in on her she had no time to worry
about her.

Having more than a passing familiarity with zombies thanks to her stay with
Ophelia and her own undead servants Lupe knew they were little more than pests
if one struck quickly and decisively. The only danger they posed was when they
got close enough to either grab or bite you; once their undead hands or jaws
closed on you it was nearly impossible to pry them loose.

"Come on, kids," she smiled. "Come to Lupe." She waited until they were nearly
on her before casually reaching over and toppling one of the heavy wooden
shelves on them. They mouthed the silent screams of their kind and clawed at
the chicken wire that separated the shelves in two but Lupe tipped another
shelf on top of the first. And then a third just for good measure.

Satisfied that they were trapped she began to search the cellar for Forrade's
resting-place. She located a secret door on one wall and opened it, her stake
at the ready.

Inside she found an elegant boudoir decorated in blood red trimmings dominated
by a large bed. Lying on the bed, however, wasn't Forrade but a blonde woman.
Lupe's delicate nose told her that this was a vampire, too, however, and she
knew from Ophelia that most vampires chose not to sleep in coffins-"I choose
to do so in order to terrify anyone foolish enough to come looking for me,"
she once told her friend after they'd encountered a vampire who preferred to
spend her daylight hours in a high-rise apartment on a waterbed-- despite the
persistent rumors to the contrary, so she had no reason to doubt it.

Approaching the figure she saw that the vampire was beautiful with high
cheekbones and decidedly Nordic features, not unlike Forrade's. Her body was
sleek but with the large breasts common to Scandinavians and she was just
under 6' as near as Lupe could tell. She was dressed in a skimpy red teddy
and, oddly enough, patent leather red boots.

The Spaniard looked around the lavishly adorned bedroom for some other door or
sign of her quarry's whereabouts but it appeared to be a dead end. Knowing she
didn't have time to search any longer she was about to stake the lady vamp and
make her escape when the woman's blue eyes snapped open and she reached up and
grabbed Lupe's wrist before the stake could be driven home.

"I don't believe we've met," she smiled, licking her crimson lips. "I'm
Kirsti." She tightened her grip on Lupe's wrist until the Spaniard was forced
to drop the stake.

"I'm Lupe," she replied, pulling her arm free and shaking it.

"Wrong," said the vamp, planting her arms on the bed and swinging her body
around, kicking Lupe full in the face with a booted foot, "you're breakfast."
She sprang after the staggered woman but pulled up short when a tail sprang
from beneath the brunette's skirt.

"We'll see about that," Lupe snarled, turning and displaying her lupine
features to the surprised vamp. "Shall we dance, senorita?"

Kirsti smirked. "Will you lead or shall I?"

"You're already leading," she said, wiping the blood the vampire had drawn
with her kick.

"So I am," Kirsti agreed, lashing out with a fist and sending Lupe flying into
the wall. As the dazed Spaniard bounced off it she was met by a heel deep in
the pit of her stomach and a thundering uppercut that hurled her back into the
wall. This time she slumped to her ass, coughing and gasping for breath. "Oh,
come on, honey, I was expecting a bit better from a were. Upsy daisy," she
said, reaching down and grabbing a handful of Lupe's hair and hauling her to
her feet.

"Lupe would hate to disappoint you," she said, bringing her knee up and
slamming it between Kirsti's legs. As the vamp squealed in pain Lupe grabbed
her by the throat and rammed her head hard into hers. Knowing that a vampire
was weakest immediately upon waking she dared not let up for a second and
followed the head butt with a series of powerful rights and lefts that drove
the staggering blonde back towards her bed...and the stake.

Kirsti did her best to defend herself against the flurry of blows but she was
weak and hungry and the blood dripping from the wolf-woman's lips kept
distracting her. Feeling her legs rub against her bed she dropped to her back
and suddenly kicked out with both feet, catching Lupe square in the chest and
sending her flying back across the room. "Okay, my turn to lead again," she
announced, literally flying over to where Lupe was just getting to her feet
and kicking her solidly in the face, knocking her to her back. She quickly
jumped astride the dazed werebeast and snapped her head back and forth with
clenched fists, drawing more of the tempting red liquid from her lip. Unable
to resist any longer the vampire lowered her mouth to Lupe's and kissed her,
sucking on the torn lip at the same time.

Realizing what was happening Lupe frantically reached up and grabbed the
vamp's blonde tresses and forced her face up and off of her own. "Oh, come on,
Lupe, you know you like it," Kirsti smiled, licking the Spaniard's blood from
her lips erotically.

Still maintaining her hold on the vamp's hair Lupe rolled over so that she was
now on top and began to bash the back of Kirsti's head against the thin carpet
covering the stone floor. "The sight of you might arouse Lupe, senorita, but
the stench of death clinging to you completely kills the mood." She gave the
head one final whack and then took advantage of her stunned condition to sit
up and drive her fist deep into her gut, bringing a gasping "Ooommmppphhh!!!!"
from the vamp.

Lupe stood up and kicked the gagging blonde across the face and then dashed
for the stake.

Kirsti sat up and shook her head, clearing the cobwebs from the assault and
sprang after the werebeast. "Don't think you're leaving just yet, Lupe," she
scolded. "Our little dance is just getting started." She landed next to the
brunette and drew her fist back but then suddenly looked down at her chest...
and the stake sticking out of it.

"No, senorita, our dance is ended," Lupe said somewhat sadly as the blonde
slumped against her.

Lupe laid her gently on the bed and then hastily headed for the stairs, only
taking solace in the fact that Forrade would have no idea who had killed his
undead lover, leaving her free to return and find and finish him tomorrow.

* * * * *

One of the things Rasita hated about living with Forrade was the diet she was
forced to endure. Not that she had anything against meat per se, but when all
one ate was raw flesh it got a bit tiresome. So every once in a while she
treated herself to something different. Today it had been ice cream. It didn't
taste particularly good but at least it was cold and didn't reek of decay or
Forrade. As she came up the hill to the mansion she was surprised to see a
large car in the driveway.

Rasita pulled over to the curb and was about to blow the horn of her Ferrari
to get the heap parked in front of the gate to her house to move when she
suddenly decided to wait and see why it was there. Besides, the middle aged
black woman at the wheel certainly posed no threat to her. It was already past
sunset anyway and Forrade was obviously still alive or, according to the old
wizard, she wouldn't be either. She briefly wondered for the several millionth
time if he was telling the truth about that, if her immortality depended on
his own or if he'd simply made her immortal and then lied to get her to guard
his miserable life when he was vulnerable during the day. In the 100 years
since they'd been together she'd never been tempted to try the truth of his
claim and she wasn't about to start now.

Hearing a noise she looked up and saw a figure atop the ornate gate. A figure
with a tail. An evil grin spreading across her features she watched as the
familiar form of her oldest enemy climbed down and got into the aged car and
then ducked when they turned around and headed back down into the valley.
Figuring Forrade could take care of himself she followed the pair, careful to
keep her distance lest the cursed shape-shifter detect her presence too soon.

They drove to a large, odd-looking house and Rasita parked across the street
and watched them enter it as she called Forrade on the cell phone to tell him
about the Spaniard's return into their lives. "Forrade," she began when he
answered.

But he cut off her off with a bellowed and pain-wracked roar. "Where the Hell
were you?! Someone snuck in here and killed Kirsti, you useless slut!"

"Mind your tongue, old devil, I have to protect your life in my own
self-interest but the lives of your lovers aren't my concern. Besides, I know
who killed her," she added with a smirk, plainly happy that the annoying
blonde vamp was dead.

"Who?" hissed Forrade suspiciously.

"An old friend," she replied.

* * * * *

"It's a pity you weren't able to destroy Forrade as well," Cassie remarked as
they entered the house and Lupe finished telling what had happened.

"No matter. I shall return and do it tomorrow. In a way I am glad he will have
this night to mourn the loss of the vampire I killed," she added.

"And what are you going to do tonight?" asked Cassandra with the merest hint
of a smile.

"Lupe thinks you know very well what she is doing tonight," the Spaniard
laughed, picking up the phone and dialing Simone's cellular number.

"I'm sorry," both women said at once upon connecting.

"Lupe is the one who is most sorry. I acted very childish," she said.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry, Lupe. I shouldn't have left you and broken my
promise," Simone said.

"Fair enough. We were both wrong. What are you doing tonight?" she asked
coyly.

"I've been invited to a party thrown by an old friend. It'll be a great chance
to do some networking and make sure the right people know I'm back in
circulation," she explained. "I'd love to have you as my date, Lupe."

Lupe grinned. "I will dress in my finest, sexiest outfit, querida," she
promised.

"Great. I'll pick you up in a couple of hours. And, baby, I really am sorry,"
she said and then hung up before Lupe could protest.

"Going out tonight, dear?" Cassie asked casually, coming back in from the
kitchen with two cups of coffee.

Lupe laughed and sat down on the divan and accepted one of the cups.

* * * * *

Rasita had nearly nodded off when the roar of a sports car jolted her awake
and she saw a red Porsche fly into the driveway of the odd house. Her dark
eyes widened when she saw the familiar figure of well-known actress Simone
Stallion get out of the car and then deeply kiss Lupe before bidding farewell
to the older black woman and tearing out of the driveway. "Nice to see you've
improved your taste in lovers since we last met," she chuckled.

Once the car was gone she quietly pulled into traffic and turned into the
driveway. She climbed out of her car and knocked on the door.

"Did you forget something, dear?" Cassie asked when she opened the door.

"Yeah, about a hundred years ago," replied the strange woman standing before
her. Rasita had changed in the ensuing years. Forrade had managed to reverse
the initial decay her skin had experienced and she now looked healthier than
she had when she was alive. She'd also changed with the times and her hair was
now short as was the popular style of the day and her body had lost its
chubbiness, replacing it with hard-toned muscle, but without losing any of her
voluptuous figure. She was wearing a tight-fitting black catsuit that had mesh
over the cleavage between her full breasts and high-topped leather boots. "I
forgot to kill that shape-shifting bitch who just left here."

Before Cassandra could do anything the Gypsy had struck her solidly in the
mouth with a right cross and knocked her out cold. Stepping over the
unconscious woman she shut the door and looked around for some paper and
something to write with. She was just beginning to write the note she intended
to leave for Lupe when she was startled to hear a car pull up in the drive.
Alarmed that it might be Simone and Lupe she rushed to the window and was
relieved to see a blue Acura instead.

"Get a new car, Simone?" Saba asked as she opened the door. She was dressed in
a casual shirt, jeans, and sneakers. "Mom! Who the fuck are you and what did
you do to my mom?" she demanded, reaching for her gun. But Rasita kicked it
from her hand before she could raise it. Saba quickly recovered, however, and
delivered a kick of her own that caught the Gypsy under the chin and knocked
her to her back. She grabbed her gun and aimed it at the dazed woman's head.
"Let's try that again, bitch. Who are you and what did you do to my mom?"

Rasita gave a grunting laugh and started to get back to her feet but Saba said
sternly, "Stay down, lady, or I swear I'll put a bullet in you."

"As you wish, negru," she replied, lowering herself and sitting cross-legged,
her dark eyes never leaving the young woman.

"I'm waiting for the answers to the questions I asked you," Saba growled,
backing up and kneeling next to her mother and feeling her neck for a pulse.

"She's only unconscious. My quarrel is with another. Your mother was
unfortunate enough to get in my way," Rasita said smoothly.

"Lupe. I might have known," the officer sighed. "There's no love lost between
she and I, either, lady, but at least she's never attacked me or my mom. Now,
very slowly, roll over onto your stomach and place your hands over your head."
She removed a pair of handcuffs from her back pocket.

Rasita tossed her head and smiled but did as she was instructed. Saba walked
over and put her left knee into the small of the Gypsy's back and applied just
enough pressure to keep her from trying anything. Then, while she held the
gun's muzzle against her back directly between the shoulder blades with her
right hand, she attempted to fasten the cuffs with her left. Rasita, however,
kept moving her arms, making it impossible for Saba to lock on the cuffs.
"Stop moving your arms, bitch, or I'll have to get mean. Right now it's just
simple assault. Keep this up and it'll be resisting arrest," she warned,
jamming the gun into her back.

"Sorry, but I'm very ticklish," the Gypsy said.

"That's a new one," Saba remarked, finally managing to fasten a cuff around
the woman's right wrist. "Now don't move and this will be over in a minute,
honey."

"Indeed it will, honey," Rasita sneered, suddenly pulling her free arm beneath
her and pushing up.

As Saba lost her balance and stumbled backwards, the gun went off, blowing a
neat hole in Rasita's back. She dropped back to the floor and a puddle of
anemic-looking blood began to pool beneath her still body.

"You crazy bitch!" exclaimed Saba, rushing over and feeling for a pulse even
though she knew the woman was dead. "You didn't have to die. There was no
reason...Why did you do that?"

"Because I have better things to do than go to jail, babe!" Rasita cried as
she flipped onto her back and landed a solid left jab flush on Saba's nose.

The young officer was hurled to her back, the gun flying from fingers that
were numb from terror, and she scooted away in a mad effort to escape the
nightmare before her. "You're dead," she gibbered.

"Yeah, for a hundred years now," Rasita nodded, standing up and looking down
at the hole in her chest and smiling when it closed up without so much as a
scar. "But just because I'm dead doesn't mean I didn't like this outfit, and
now just look at it. Ruined." She walked over and picked up Saba's gun and
then walked over to where the officer sat frozen with fear. "I was gonna leave
a note but this is even better. You tell Lupe that if she wants to see your
mother alive again she'll come to us tonight. Tonight, honey, got that?" Saba
nodded and Rasita aimed the gun at her. "Good, now give me the key for this
thing." She indicated the handcuff dangling from her right wrist and the young
officer dug the key from her pocket and handed it to her. "Thanks," Rasita
said, unfastening the handcuff and then handing the key and the gun back to
the confused officer. "Don't forget, tonight, or very bad things will happen
to the old woman." She lightly slapped Saba's face and then walked over and
picked up Cassandra and slung her over her shoulder and walked out the door.

By the time Saba made it to her feet the Ferrari was already gone.

Not sure what to believe but knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that her
mother was in deadly trouble she rushed over to the small table which held the
base for the cordless phone and ripped open the drawer. She grabbed her
mother's address book and quickly located the number for Simone's private
cellular phone. With shaking fingers she dialed it, praying that the actress
had it with her and turned on and that she was with Lupe.

* * * * *

Simone waved her hand when she heard someone calling her name and was
surprised to see a passing acquaintance coming toward her with her cell phone
in his hand. The party looked to be one of Marilee's better ones and she
couldn't imagine who'd be calling her at this hour.

"The bloody thing won't stop ringing, love," the man said as he handed it to
her.

She accepted it with a brusque "Sorry" and held it to her ear. "Hello?"

"It's about time you answer this damn thing!" Saba's voice shouted at her.

Everyone in the vicinity stopped talking and turned to look at her and she
smiled sheepishly and headed for the patio with Lupe in tow. "What's got you
so worked-" she began.

Saba cut her off. "She's got my mom and she says if Lupe doesn't come to them
tonight she'll kill her!" she said frantically.

"Slow down, Saba. Who's got Cassandra?" Simone asked. Lupe's ears pricked up
and she held her head close so that she could hear the reply.

"I don't know. Some crazy bitch was here and I shot her right through the
heart and she didn't die, Simone. It was like something out of your fucking
movies. She said to tell Lupe to come to them tonight or else and took mom and
left."

"Rasita," Lupe nodded, a snarl curling her lips as she spoke the name. "Tell
her I will get her mother back and not to worry."

"We'll get her back, Saba," Simone said, ignoring Lupe's shaking head. "Just
sit tight and don't-"

"Fuck that shit, Sim! I'm coming with you. So either tell me where to meet you
or pick me up on your way. No arguments," she said.

Lupe sighed and gave Simone the address and directions. "But, if she gets
there before we do, querida, tell her not to go in without us if she values
the life of her mother," she added.

Saba reluctantly agreed and Simone hung up the phone and said quickly,
"Cassandra is my friend, too, Lupe, and you're gonna have your hands full with
Forrade. Leave Rasita to us."

Lupe scowled but nodded. "For once Lupe is thankful for your speed-demon
driving habits, querida," she said as they rushed back inside, got their coats
and made a hasty exit after apologizing to the hostess for their abrupt
departure.

"Oh? Why is that?" Simone asked as she gunned the engine of her Porsche.

"We need to make a couple of stops," she replied as the car peeled out of the
driveway, throwing loose gravel and leaving a huge dust cloud that the other
guests would not likely appreciate when they went to get in the cars later.

* * * * *

Saba was waiting impatiently beside her car when they pulled up. "What took so
damn long?" she demanded. "With the way Simone drives I thought for sure you'd
beat me here."

Before Lupe or Simone could respond the enormous iron gates creaked slowly
open and a voice Lupe hadn't heard for a century spoke to them from the
security station near the road. "How delightful to see you again, Lupe, and
I'm so pleased you brought some friends." They looked up and saw a red light
blinking on a surveillance camera. "You know my motto has always been the
more, the merrier. Please, come in, Cassandra is dying to see you."

"If you hurt her, you sick son of a bitch, I'll kill you with my bare hands,"
Saba shouted into the security box's speaker while glaring at the camera on
the wall.

Forrade just laughed.

"Leave him to me, senorita. I know him and how to defeat him," Lupe said,
gesturing to the travel bag over her shoulder. "You and Simone will have to
keep Rasita busy, though, to give me time to do what I must."

"Rasita? Is that the bitch who can take a bullet through the heart without a
scratch?" she asked as the trio made their way up the road. Lupe nodded. "What
the hell is she, Lupe? She said she'd been dead for a hundred years, but
that's impossible, isn't it?"

Lupe opened her mouth but Simone said quickly, "She's nuts, Saba. An escapee
from one of the government's more stupid attempts to create an invincible
soldier who knows Lupe back from when she tagged along with Jessica."

"I should have known that redheaded troublemaker would be at the bottom of
this," Saba scowled. "So who's the guy with the creepy laugh?"

"One of the program's directors," Lupe answered, winking discreetly at Simone.
"He went vogue when the government tried to pull the slug on his project.
Jessica and I thought they'd died but they obviously survived."

Saba was about to say something when the four zombies Lupe had encountered
earlier suddenly confronted them. But the undead children made no threatening
moves, content to simply watch them with lifeless dead eyes, and followed them
into the house.

"Robots," said Simone in answer to Saba's questioning look.

When they paused in the hallway, the zombies shambled to the winding staircase
and pointed up.

Lupe cursed herself for having watched too many B-movies and going downstairs
instead of up that afternoon.

At the top of the stairs they followed the sounds of organ music to the end of
a hall. Opening the double doors they found themselves in a grand ballroom.
Audon was seated at the organ and Rasita stood next to him. He was wearing
black tie and tails and she was in an elegant black gown. The only other
person in the room was Cassandra, suspended above the middle of the dance
floor near a glass chandelier. She was hanging upside down and a thin tube ran
from her throat to a huge glass bowl, the bottom of which was filled with
blood.

"Mom!" screamed Saba, rushing into the room and drawing her gun. "Let her
down, you bastard, or we'll see the color of your blood."

Forrade turned around very slowly and fixed his haunting blue eyes on the
officer. Saba tried to look away but found she couldn't, that she didn't want
to, and lowered the gun to her side. The ancient vampire calmly walked over
and took the gun from her. "At least she didn't barge in here with a
crucifix," he said with a sharp laugh, crushing the metal in his hands like
clay.

He continued over to where Lupe and Simone still stood in the doorway and ran
a long nail down the side of Lupe's face. "As beautiful as ever,
shape-shifter. It will almost be a pity to kill you. And I'm glad to see you
and your friend dressed for the occasion at least."

Lupe was wearing a daringly open red gown while Simone was in a blue sarong.
Both looked stunning. "If I'd known I was going to be attending your funeral,
I would have worn black," she replied, cringing at his touch. "But the
important thing is that I'm here and this is between you and I, Herr Forrade.
Let the old woman down and let us conclude what we began 100 years ago."

"Ah, Lupe, of all the arrogant beings who ever faced me, you were always my
favorite," Forrade chuckled, gazing hungrily at the curve of Simone's throat.
"You know I never had any intention of releasing the old woman. She was just
the bait to lure you here and a snack for after I've disposed of you once and
for all. Lycanthropes give me indigestion," he said to Simone.

"I'll get the pleasure of feasting on your carcass once he kills you," Rasita
said, coming over and standing next to Forrade. "And on yours, sweetie, once
I've killed you and he's drained your luscious body of blood." She licked her
lips as her dark eyes locked with Simone's ice blue ones.

"Bring it on, babe," Simone smirked, kicking off her high heels. "I haven't
kicked any ass in a few days and yours looks ripe for a beating."

"As much as I'd love to stay and watch what I'm sure will be a very intense,
if somewhat brief, catfight, Lupe and I have long overdue business to attend
to. So, if you ladies will excuse us...." He gestured to the organ and Lupe
cautiously followed but stopped next to Saba and folded her arms across her
chest impatiently. Forrade sighed. "You don't mind if I release this one, do
you, little one?"

"Not at all, old man," laughed Rasita. "It might even make this slaughter
interesting."

Forrade snapped his fingers in front of Saba's eyes. "Don't waste your time
with me, girl. The only chance your mother has is if you can defeat Rasita in
time to release her before the blood loss is fatal," he warned her when she
raised her fists in an offensive gesture.

"Satisfied?" he asked Lupe. She nodded and he proceeded over to the organ and
sat down.

"Planning to bore me to death with a music recital?" Lupe asked as she
approached the ancient device at Forrade's beckoning.

"I hardly think you'll find this boring, my dear Lupe," he grinned and then
banged his fists down on the keys. The organ emitted a deep bellowing note
and, before Lupe realized what was happening, fell through the floorboards and
down to the first floor with a thunderous crash. Forrade leaped clear of the
wreckage and disappeared into the shadows among the sheet-covered furniture.
Lupe, however, was thrown against a large wooden box and nearly lost
consciousness when her head bounced on the tiled floor.

"You really should have waited a few more days to challenge me, Lupe," his
voice hissed from the darkness. "At least the full moon would have given you
the illusion of a fighting chance."

Lupe's head suddenly shot up and she howled from the depths of her soul as the
transformation into a werebeast took place. "I guess I should have told you,
Herr Forrade, that I'm the new model of werewolf: No full moon required," she
snarled, raising her nose and sniffing the air to locate him.

"A neat trick, to be sure, Lupe, but it will change nothing. I've lived for
over 600 years and I'm not about to be killed by the likes of you," he stated,
but there was a slight hesitation in his voice.

"Oh, come on, Herr Forrade, surely, you're exaggerating your age to impress
me," Lupe remarked as she stealthily made her way around the room.

"Not at all. As a matter of fact, this year marks the 600th of my turning," he
said as he moved through the gloom, searching for an opening. "You see, I had
been the secret lover of Queen Margaret I of Norway, but, following her death
in 1412, I was so overcome with grief that I sold my soul in a vulnerable
moment. I've been trying to get it back ever since."

"By killing countless innocent people?" Lupe said with a barking laugh. "Yeah,
that'll be sure to score you some points with the Holy Mother. A sad story,
mein Herr, but no less so than those of your thousands of victims. It's time
to end your story once and for all!" She suddenly leaped across the room and
ripped a sheet off a chair, raising a cloud of dust and a gruff laugh from the
vampire on the ceiling over her head.

He dropped down onto her with his mouth open and fangs glinting in the dim
light. Striking her back, he wrapped his arms around her and buried his teeth
in her throat.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, the instant Lupe and Forrade had dropped through the floorboards
Rasita had struck, nailing Simone with a beautiful left hook that sent her
stumbling to her right. She grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up short,
jerking her right into a spin kick to her mid-section that drove the wind from
her body in a mighty rush of air. An elbow between her shoulder blades dropped
the stunned actress to her knees and a knee to her face left her on her back
with blood running out of her mouth.

"Now for you-" she began, turning to deal with Saba. But the young officer
surprised her by having moved in while she was engaged with Simone and met her
with a flying kick to her cheek which sent her sailing backwards to land on
the floor and then slide a good ten feet before crashing headfirst into the
wall.

"No, now it's time for some payback, you sick freak!" Saba exclaimed, rushing
over to where the Gypsy was just sitting up and driving the back of her head
into the wall with another flying kick to her face. There was a sickening
crunch on impact and Rasita's skull seemed to momentarily break open before
snapping back to its normal appearance. Undaunted, and no longer frightened,
Saba dropped her knee into the Gypsy's gut and then grabbed the front of her
dress and hauled her to her feet while she was gasping for breath. She swung
her around and then released her hold on the gown, slamming her face into the
wall again. As she started to slide down, groaning and leaving a trail of
sickly blood on the flowered wallpaper, Saba held her up by the hair and
proceeded to bash her face against the wall as hard as she could over and over
and over. "Let's see just how fucking indestructible you are, bitch!"

Simone was coming to help the officer when Rasita suddenly pushed back from
the wall with both arms and then spun around and kicked Saba hard between the
legs, dropping her to her knees. "I'm as fucking indestructible as they come,
honey," she said with a chuckle as her face instantly repaired itself again.
She was about to kick the downed woman in the face when Simone tagged her
cheek with a spinning jump kick that she immediately followed up with a series
of bicycle kicks to her chest which left the Gypsy backpedaling towards the
wall.

Saba shook her head clear and rushed over and grabbed Rasita's left arm and
held it against the wall as Simone dropped to the floor and did the same with
her right arm. "Heads or tits?" the actress asked with a wicked grin.

"Tits," nodded Saba, landing a powerful kick across the trapped Gypsy's chest.

"I'll take heads, then," Simone said, slamming her foot into Rasita's mouth.

The Gypsy furiously tried to escape but the two women held her fast and their
repeated blows might not have done any real damage but they were enough to
keep the immortal too dazed to mount any kind of attack of her own.

* * * * *

Down on the first floor Forrade screamed and jumped back, landing atop a huge
pile of boxes and spitting and cursing. "Silver foil!" he snarled, wiping his
mouth with the back of his hand. "What other toys did you bring?"

"This," Lupe said, pulling a large squirt gun from the pack and firing it at
the startled vampire.

"Agh! Holy water!" he shrieked when the blessed liquid struck his flesh and
left a smoking welt. "Annoyances, Lupe, nothing more. And you know it."

"Perhaps, Herr Forrade, but combined with my enhanced strength and endurance
they might be just enough to tip the balance in my favor. Did you eat tonight,
mein Herr?" she asked with a laugh, sending another stream of holy water at
him. But he jumped out of the way and retreated back into the shadows. "Hiding
only increases the odds of my victory, Herr Forrade. If you haven't killed me
by sunrise I shall most certainly kill you," she snickered, creeping though
the scattered boxes and covered pieces of furniture towards where her nose
told her he was located.

A sofa suddenly came hurling out of the darkness at her, catching her by
surprise and knocking her backwards and into what felt and sounded like a
piano beneath a dusty white sheet. "I'd no idea you were such a musician, Herr
Forrade," she remarked as she climbed to her feet.

A chair came flying at her but she was able to dive aside and it smashed into
the piano, demolishing it in a cacophony of destruction.

"Why, Audon, I think you're afraid of me," Lupe grinned, keeping a wary eye
out for any other projectiles.

"Not at all, my dear Lupe, merely taking advantage of my surroundings as any
good warrior is trained to do," he replied, tossing a table in her direction.

She easily dodged it and then charged up and over a shapeless sheet-covered
lump and launched herself at him, catching his jaw with her right fist and
sending him stumbling backwards and tumbling head over heels when he crashed
into an ottoman. She used her razor-sharp claws to slice a sheet into ribbons
and rushed over behind him. "I learned this little trick from Rasita," she
growled, wrapping a strip around his thin neck and pulling it taut.

"You're wasting your time, Lupe, I don't need to breathe," he chuckled,
content to let her try choking him.

"Oh, this isn't to suffocate you, Herr Forrade, it's more of a leash," she
smiled, jumping over him and flipping him over and onto his back in front of
her. The vampire's impact reverberated throughout the room and she quickly
repeated the maneuver, this time flipping him onto a sheet-covered lump that
collapsed with a loud crunch when he struck it.

His blue eyes lit with fear when he saw sharp pieces of wood poking through
the cloth and he began frantically clawing at the rag around his neck. But
Lupe jumped over him one more time and this time hurled him with all her
strength at a pile of wooden boxes. He screamed in agony as he crashed through
them, hundreds of slivers of wood piercing his body, and continued on his
unstoppable journey until he struck the wreckage of the organ, one chunk of
which seemed to leap straight through his heart, impaling him across the
keyboard and causing the aged device to emit a final, haunting note.

By the time Lupe reached him he was little more than a moldy skeleton and that
quickly dissolved before her eyes. Hearing the sounds of battle up above her
she jumped onto the organ and then sprang for the edge of the upper floor.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, while Lupe and Forrade had continued their battle Simone had
announced, "Second floor: belts and lingerie" and proceeded to ram her knee
into Rasita's crotch.

Saba smiled and did the same to the struggling Gypsy's gut.

They repeated the punishing moves until Saba heard her mother moan.

"Go on, Saba, get her down," Simone urged, slamming her knee hard enough into
Rasita's pussy to strike bone and elicit a squeal of agony from the immortal.
"I can handle her on my own. She's not so tough." She lifted the panting,
tear-streaked face of the Gypsy and kissed her full on the lips. "Are you,
baby?"

Saba shook her head and rushed over to where the rope suspending her mother
was secured next to the chain that held the chandelier aloft and slowly
lowered her to the ground. "Mom?" she whispered, rushing over to her. "Speak
to me, mom. Are you all right?" She carefully detached the tube and then moved
her to the far side of the room and cradled the still form in her arms,
grateful that there was a pulse, weak though it was, but fearing the worst.

"I'm going to kill you slowly," Rasita sneered, spitting with contempt.

"You're not killing anyone, babe," Simone laughed, swinging her right fist at
the Gypsy's face. But Rasita reached up and caught the fist with her left hand
and smiled wickedly. When Simone tried to hit her with her left the Gypsy
caught that fist with her right hand. Before the stunned actress could prepare
herself, Rasita then delivered a bone-shattering knee-lift to her groin that
left her gasping for breath and in incredible pain.

"How do you like it, babe?" the Gypsy asked, keeping her hold on the actress'
hands and forcing her to her knees. She slammed the side of her thigh into
Simone's head but still kept her hold on the dazed woman's hands. She then
stepped into a kick that forced her toes deep inside Simone and literally
lifted her off the floor. She landed hard on her stomach with her arms bent
back at the elbows thanks to the Gypsy's continued hold on her hands. Rasita
then stomped down on the back of Simone's head, nearly knocking her out cold.
She then grabbed her by the hair, lifted her up and shoved her head between
her thighs and squeezed her legs together, choking the actress.

Saba looked over and saw that Rasita had gained the upper hand and rushed to
Simone's aid only to be brought up short with a straight left to her eye which
staggered her long enough for the Gypsy to grab her by the throat and deliver
a lightning-fast series of powerful blows deep into her gut. "Have a seat,
honey," Rasita grinned, pulling the gasping officer forward and sitting her
atop the trapped back of the gagging actress. She then grabbed her by the hair
and forced her face deep between the cleavage of her large breasts. "Quit
struggling, sweetheart. You've no idea how many people would kill to be in
your position," she laughed as she used her other hand to press her breast
close against Saba's nose and mouth.

"I'm in a killing mood, senorita," Lupe announced, climbing into the room from
below.

"He's dead?" Rasita asked fearfully.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," the Spaniard nodded. "And you're next, bitch."

"I knew he was lying about our souls being linked!" She suddenly laughed,
releasing her holds on the two unconscious women. Both of them dropped to the
floor as Rasita stepped forward to meet her longtime rival. "You still can't
kill me, shape-shifter, but I can most certainly kill you."

"We'll see, senorita, we'll see," Lupe said, wondering if the Gypsy was right
about her immortality being independent of Forrade's. Pushing such unpleasant
thoughts from her mind she leaped across the room and landed with both feet
full in Rasita's chest, knocking her to her back and sending her sliding into
the wall headfirst.

She got up slowly and Lupe met her with a powerful left/right combination to
her stomach that left her splitting up blood. The Spaniard then stepped back
and connected with a devastating right that shattered the Gypsy's jaw in a
spray of blood.

Rasita dropped to her knees and screamed in agony when her face did not
instantly heal.

"It would seem your life insurance policy has run out, senorita," Lupe said
with a grim smile, hauling her to her feet by her hair and then ramming her
knee hard between her legs.

"I'm just a normal human now, Lupe," Rasita sobbed as Lupe deliberately turned
her around. "No threat to you or anyone else. What do you say we let bygones
be bygones, huh?"

"I say: Suck boot, bitch!" the Spaniard cried, kicking her full in the face
and sending her flying through the air.

She landed on her back and slid another dozen feet before coming to rest
directly below the heavy chandelier. She tried to get up and get away but her
body was too racked with unfamiliar pains to obey her commands to move.

"Give my regards to Forrade," Lupe said, walking over to the chain and
releasing it, "when you meet him in Hell."

"Noooo!!!!!" Rasita shrieked as the pieces of glass and metal ripped through
her entire body and then sent both her and the chandelier crashing through the
floor.

Lupe walked over, her flesh melting back to its human appearance as she did,
and looked dispassionately down the fresh hole at the evil Gypsy's twitching
remains. Satisfied that Marko's death was at long last revenged, she then
rushed over to where Cassandra lay. "Are you all right, my friend?" she asked
fearfully, looking into the kindly face of the older woman.

"We've gotta get her to a hospital, Lupe," Saba said, sitting up and coughing.

"She's lost too much blood to recover on her own," Simone added, likewise
sitting up and rubbing her neck and pointing to the jar a quarter of the way
filled with the doctor's blood.

Lupe gently picked her up and they headed for the stairs, Saba pausing when
they came on the slumped remains of the zombies, but the Spaniard and the
actress rushing past them when they saw that the unlife had deserted them as
well with the vampire's destruction. "It's all right, Saba, there's no one to
control them," Simone explained. Saba nodded and followed them down the
stairway and outside, too pleased to be leaving this hall of horrors to ask
any more questions.

* * * * *

As Saba, Lupe, and Simone waited anxiously for word of Cassandra's condition
the young officer said quietly, "You know, there's one thing I still don't get
about this whole business." When neither the Spaniard or the actress said
anything she continued. "If these two were responsible for the murder of that
woman I found, who killed the other three dozen?"

"What other three dozen?" Simone asked, arching a narrow eyebrow.

"That's why I went back to my mom's last night, to tell Lupe I'd found a
semi-secret file that chronicled a series of similar murders dating back to
the 1950's," she explained. "But these two couldn't have been around since
then, could they?"

Lupe and Simone exchanged quick glances and the Spaniard nodded almost
imperceptibly. Before she could say anything, however, a nurse walked up and
told them they could see Cassandra now.

All three gladly followed her, Lupe and Simone sighing with relief as they
left the waiting area.

Cassandra's brown eyes fluttered open and she looked up at the trio of
concerned faces from her hospital bed and smiled weakly. "They're dead?" she
asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

Lupe nodded and Saba threw her arms around her mother, hugging her tightly.
"Good," nodded the older woman, "the world is well rid of them."

"You can say that again, Cassie," smiled Simone.

But she slowly shook her head. "Too tired right now," she said quietly,
shutting her eyes and falling into a contented sleep.

Saba, Lupe, and Simone laughed and after the young officer informed them she'd
be staying with her mother until they released her the Spaniard and the
actress bid her goodbye.

It wasn't until after the pair had left that Saba realized they'd never
answered her question abut who was responsible for the three dozen murders
that had happened from 1951.

Case Closed

(Until next time)

Send comments/criticism to: maynlinz@earthlink.net