Finding Fire

Chapter One

Though badly named, the Stakes was the most serious vampire club Anna had found. When she had first moved to New York City, she'd continued with her research into the supernatural. In that time, she'd met some of the strangest people.

People thought they were vampires, werewolves, nymphs, succubi, and just about any other non-human entity a person could imagine. If they didn't think they were one of these creatures, then they were on a mission to become one.

It seemed bizarre that the fear was really gone. Instead of trying to find a way to become the undead, shouldn't everyone be pulling out the pitchforks?

This particular vampire hunting meeting was held at a generic coffeehouse near the campus Anna worked at. The owner of the shop catered to its mainly student clientele, so there were a few private study rooms where the Stakes could meet without customers overhearing their strange conversations.

The Stakes consisted of five members, including Anna. The oldest was Dennis. He was a businessman in his fifties. He was a bit heavyset with balding black hair he tried to hide with a comb-over. His suits were always a bit wrinkled, and he was consistently late for all of their meetings.

One of the other men in the group was Brad. Though he and Dennis were both businessmen, that was the end of their similarities.

Brad was tall and striking. His suits were always tailored to perfection and complemented his features. His blonde hair was always impeccably styled, and Anna strongly suspected his hands saw a manicurist on a regular basis. His age was hard to determine. Anna figured he could be anywhere between thirty and fifty.

The third man in the group was more blue-collar. Terrence worked as a janitor for one of the office buildings not too far from the campus.

He was in his late forties but still had a nice build. He was about the same height as Anna's own five seven, though he had a lot more muscle behind his height. He mentioned a military background once or twice in past meetings, but he didn't elaborate on what branch he'd been involved in.

Laura, the last member of the group, and Anna would sometimes bet between themselves what Terrence had done in the military. At this point, they were torn between Marines and Navy SEALs.

Laura was older than Anna by around ten years. Her husband owned a small restaurant right off campus. He did all the cooking while Laura managed all finances. Her hair was a short sandy brown, and her eyes were such a bright green that Anna suspected contacts.

As the only two women in the group, Laura and Anna had connected, but because of the rules of the group, they never got too close.

Vampire hunting is risky business. On one hand, if the vampires ever learned of their group, they could very well try to put an end to it. On the other, if coworkers or family found out about this hobby, there would be a lot of issues for the individual members to deal with.

The academic career was a particular one. If any of the faculty discovered Anna searched for the undead in her spare time, there would be consequences to pay. Namely, she would have a hell of a time gaining her doctorate or getting a job at any respectable university.

Everyone had arrived on time at the coffeehouse except for Dennis, who was his usual ten minutes late. After everyone finished with pleasantries, they got down to business.

No one had any interesting finds from internet and newspaper searches though Dennis had some news. "Someone contacted me last week," he said.

"What about?" asked Brad.

"He requested to join the group." Dennis's tone was calm, but his face betrayed his concern.

Anna asked, "When you say contacted you, you mean...?"