*.*.*
Tory shook her head and turned when she heard a whispered warning from a nearby ghost. Pulling her thoughts away from her memories, she froze. Her eyes skimmed the darkened landscape. Two men moved silently through the graveyard. It was clear that they were looking for someone.
The faint outline of the soldier who had told her about the pond floated toward her. She waited until he was close before she spoke in a low tone. Something told her that the two men were not just out for an evening stroll.
“They look for you, ma’am,” the young soldier warned her. “Do you want us to scare them away.”
“No,” Tory said, feeling her teeth lengthen. “No, I’ll take care of this.”
“Be careful,” the soldier replied. “Me and the boys will be close if you need us.”
“Thank you,” Tory replied, setting her dinner down on the top of a headstone.
She started to turn away when another shape moved in the darkness. It took a moment for her to realize that it was either a very large dog, or more than likely….
“Simon,” Tory muttered. “Humans, first. Werewolf, second.”
Swirling, Tory transformed. This time, she was a sleek raven. Soaring upward, she flew toward where one of the men had circled around the large pyramid tomb. She transformed just a few feet behind the short, stocky man.
“Can I help you find someone?” Tory asked, smothering a grin when he turned with a startled cry.
The man stood frozen in surprise as she took a step closer to him. He swallowed several times as he tried to force the words out. Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the chill of the air.
“Where in the hell did you come from?” He croaked out at last.
“Why are you following me?” Tory asked instead, tilting her head to look at him. She sniffed the air. “Just out of curiosity, what blood type are you?”
“O… I have Type O,” he whispered before clearing his throat. “Why?”
“Damn, oh well,” Tory muttered in disappointment. “You know, smoking isn’t good for you, right?”
“I know. I’ve been trying to quit. Why… why do you… Why do you want to know what blood type I am?” He suddenly asked in confusion.
“Maybe she wants to drink it,” another voice commented behind her.
Tory turned and gazed at the other man. She had heard him coming up. She ran her gaze up and down him as well. Sniffing the air, she was disappointed that this guy smoked as well. They both probably had the same blood type too. It really didn’t matter. She might be hungry, but neither one of the men whetted her appetite like Simon Drayton did.
Now, that man had whetted her appetite so fast, so hard, she knew she was in trouble. That was why she had turned attention to Youssef. Thank goodness he had come in. She had been pulling Simon’s hair back to expose more of his neck. Another few seconds and her teeth would have been buried in his succulent vein and she would have been feasting on his ‘A’ positive blood.
Tory studied the man and wiggled her nose. “Not likely,” she replied. “He smells. So do you. Besides, you are both the wrong sort for me. I have to be careful who I bite.”
“Now, ain’t that a shame,” the tall man replied. “I’m sure Ray will appreciate it, though.”
“Why?” Tory asked, standing tensely as the man stepped closer.
“’Cause, you little darling, are about to get fucked,” the man chuckled. “Every which way.”
“Howie, I don’t like this,” Ray muttered as a chill wash over him. “Somethings not right.”
“The only thing that ain’t right is you turning coward,” Howie snapped, not taking his eyes off of Tory. “Let’s see if your tits are as pretty without your dress on.”
Tory shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “I’m giving you one chance, and one chance only, to promise to never harm another living soul.”
The sound of Howie’s laughter echoed in the cool evening. Neither man seemed aware that a light fog was beginning to rise up from the ground. Tory noticed it. It was the spirits living in the cemetery. They protected their own and she was not human.
“Ray, grab her,” Howie ordered.
“Howie,” Ray started to argue.
“Now! She knows our names thanks to you. You think she’ll keep her mouth shut? She’ll have the police on us if we let her live,” Howie snapped.
“Shit!” Ray choked out, reaching for Tory.
Tory didn’t wait. The moment Ray reached for her, she moved. One second she was in between the two men, the next she was behind him. She gripped his neck and tilted it.