Meat

Chapter Twenty-Five

Priya lay in the grass, her broken leg cradled close to her battered body. The dead vampire had been discarded at the foot of the steps and not one of the others had dared step over him from the balcony.

It had been easy to shake off the chains with the vampires distracted by their dead. With one bound, he'd descended the steps and landed in the grass. Priya slunk behind him with a piteous whine, flopping onto the ground behind his protection.

The warmth of the sunrise was fast approaching and Kaleb knew they wouldn't have much longer. It wouldn't matter. The vampires would retreat to safety, leaving them outside to the naked dawn.

Kaleb's ears pricked, his tail flicking. The door opening echoed in the air. He growled and barked, jumping up on his back legs. The vampires backed away from him as he prowled closer to the balcony. On the other side of the house, the door slammed closed and footsteps rumbled through the house.

The balcony doors flung open and August came out into the pre-dawn. His grey-eyed gaze flickered around his vampires gathered on the balcony down to the dead man at the foot of the steps. He stepped through the group and peered past Kaleb to Priya, who struggled to stand, snarling her pain.

"Thomas, Paige," he said. The two youngest vampires hurried through the open doors to his side. "Please check that we have two more wolves in our basement. Do not approach them."

William crossed his arms over his chest and peered around the scene in amusement as August approached the steps.

Snapping his jaws in warning, Kaleb dug his claws into the ground, ready to launch himself forwards. August descended the steps slowly, prodding his toe against the shoulder of the dead vampire. Blood dribbled over his perfectly shined shoes as he turned the man over, blind eyes to the stars.

August turned away from him.

"What happened here?"

The vampires shared looks. One, a tall man looking to have been in his late-teens when he was turned, shouldered past the others.

"We let them out for some air," he said. "The small one went berserk. She attacked Adam. We tried to get her off and..."

Kaleb jumped forwards, his paws landing on the dead man's chest. The growl was barely past his lips when August rounded on him.

"You will back down, dog!" he snarled, his voice as cold as winter. "One of mine is dead, yours injured. You will hold that animal tongue."

Teeth bared, Kaleb didn't back away from the vampires, but he quietened, glancing back to ensure Priya was alright before he turned his glare back on the vampires.

"Come here," August said.

The man who had spoken stepped forwards to join August at the top of the steps. Slinging his arm around the young man's shoulders, August led him further from his friends. William smirked at the show and pushed through the group of vampires, positioning himself between them and their leader.

"Since you and your friends decided to act like children," August said, "I'm going to treat you like one, Patrick."

Patrick's brow furrowed, his lips parting. Holding up his hand, August stopped the denial in its tracks. He tugged Patrick closer and gave him an emotionless smile.

"So, I'm going to give you until the count of three to tell me what happened here, or I will rip your arm from the socket and beat you with it until the phrase 'stop hitting yourself' ceases to be funny. Do you understand?"

What little blood remained to a vampire was not in Patrick's face. His skin went paler than the moon as he stammered.

"One..."

"I swear, we didn't."

"Two..."

"We didn't mean to..."

"Thr..."

"We just wanted to know who would win," Patrick blurted. "It was supposed to be fun."

August smiled with the forced politeness of a guest offered tea. He turned Patrick around to look down at the body of his friend. Patrick stared at the hedge opposite. Grabbing him by the hair, August forced him to look down at his friend.

"Was it fun?" he asked. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

The vampire spluttered nonsense.

"Do you know what my sire found fun?" August asked. "She found it fun when I left little titbits for the police. A finger, or a foot. Never enough to let them know what had happened. She found it especially funny to watch them scramble over their little puzzles, knowing they would never find the rest of the body."

"I don't... I don't understand."

August straightened up, stepping away from the young vampire. He beckoned William forwards.

"I believe the police in the next town over need a puzzle, don't you agree?"

William smirked and shrugged.

"They need some fun too, and we're going to give it to them."

Glancing down at his dead friend, Patrick began letting out a sigh that turned into a blood curdling scream as William took hold of his arm.

Blood splattered over Kaleb's face and shoulders as the arm left its socket. The sleeve of Patrick's shirt fluttered over the skin and slid to the floor. The vampire collapsed, screaming.

August turned to the others.

"If you ever decide to have this type of fun with my guests again, I will make sure police forces over three countries have fun finding your bodies. Get out of my sight."

Tossing the arm down to join its owner on the decking, William came to the edge of the steps. Kaleb met his gaze and backed up next to Priya. Descending into the grass, William didn't seem the slightest bit perturbed by Kaleb's growls or Priya's whimpering. He came close slowly, blood dripping from his fingers as he stretched his hands out to the sides.

"Come on, pup," he said in a voice too soft for his bulking frame or the viciousness they'd seen moments earlier.

Crouching, he stroked gentle fingers behind Priya's ear, a playful smile on his lips. He slid his hands under Priya's body, unflinching as she yelped and coiled away from him. He lifted her from the ground and turned, carrying her inside with Kaleb at his side.

On the ground, Patrick kept on screaming.