Secrets In The Bones: The Curse of Blood Bay

Thirty

My hand wouldn't stop shaking holding the bottle; I couldn't bring myself to look closer, and it hadn't occurred to me. Too busy climbing to safety, Michael gave the rear of his car a proper once over. He hoped there'd be a clue, finding nothing but scrapings of clay-mud residue along the seat base where legs brushed past. We chalked it down to my boots with nothing else to make sense.

"You sure this is wise?" Michael says, snatching the whiskey back.

"Not really; facing up to more bloodsuckers isn't appealing at all. But this house is important, and if Ellena was taken, this has to be checked off as somewhere searched."

"Weren't you talking about the sea and a dream?"

"Yeah, down there is key to stopping the vamp bastards from getting their way, but we need Ellena; her bloodline sets the 'big man' free. If that happens, we could all be fucked."

We were playing a dangerous game and did not have enough manpower to handle everything that needed solving. It crossed my mind to locate that wolf; with the full moon, I may have stood a chance to return their mind from the wild side. Ellena's di appearance hindered my ability to focus and prioritise. I didn't tell Michael that; he relied upon me leading us, being the 'Alpha, ' but I couldn't. Ellena was my real weakness, not wolfsbane.

Instead, I played it safe, or as can be. The house l clocked far more intimidating up close; I could hear its timbers yawn in the breeze and creak to pile on the trepidation. No lights, and so far, no hint of life. Not that we could use that as a guide like normal. Michael had his face screwed up, whiskey in hand, stalking. His heart had sped up some since we arrived. Near-death experiences have a habit of doing that. What did I expect to find?

Anything to give me hope; this quest wasn't a lost cause.

My claws were ready with a flick of my hands, followed by part shifting. Michael followed; I could tell he held back after earlier. So far, nobody was nearby, and my eyes homed in on the steps from the visions I had, half expecting the ghost to appear. I wished Michael could see them, too, just to know how pant-shitting it can be. When it all began, hearing Chris after the gunman on my doorstep rocked my sense of reality.

"So, run this tip by me again; what makes it special?"

"The caverns underneath and god knows what other secrets druids turn vampires had created in there. They housed the older vampire for a while, conducting experiments. All hypothetical, of course,"

"Ah, okay. So we don't expect to walk into a hoard of bloodthirsty bastards? I've had my share of close shaves tonight, and the only person who can bleed me dry is the now ex-wife," Michael laughs before swinging and passing the bottle. Dutch courage was needed.

"I do not know. Let's hope either is in there, then. This place is fucking weird, though; it looks creepy as shit. Anna's ghost comes here, and everyone else wants it. But nobody will go in there,"

"So, it's the town's dirty secret that everyone knows but doesn't dare do or say anything about."

"Exactly,"

"Well, isn't that just fucking great? It looks like we're fucked, then."

"Why do you say that?"

"Oh, come on, matey. The fact nobody will enter means there's bad shit waiting, and I reckon it bloody well leads into those flipping pits below."

"The catacombs, you mean? Yeah, that's my fear, and we have been misled by so much. Why else did another tunnel if the vamps are sealed? No, it's more than Ellena's descendant. Blood is part of a curse that can release the elder. The rest just wait for his return, with Amos recruiting an army to swarm the town."