CHAPTER XXVIII

Cassandra cuddles up into John's arms, his body has no warmth since he is an undead but it matters not.

She is warm enough for both of them.

She gets out of the bed and finds a shirt in John's closet. She looks at her man sleeping and goes to give him a peck. His cheek is as hard as a brick.

She goes to the kitchen to fix herself a glass of water.

She drinks the water halfway and stops, she notices something wrong.

Something feels off about John's apartment tonight, so she sniffs into the air as she tries to get the scent of any strange presence.

She drops the glass on the counter and bends down to hide behind the kitchen table.

Something strange is here, but she has to be sure.

She takes a deep breath and exhales; she concentrates so her sharp ears can pick up on any footstep around the house.

There is one. No, several footsteps around the house and she knows for a fact that none of John's neighbors would be coming to the house by this time of the night.

The only reasonable explanation that comes to mind is that hunters may be here for John, but he isn't alone.

She is with him and she is an alpha.

She howls and almost immediately something breaks the window of the apartment starts to release smoke.

Tear gas.

"John," she shouts out to wake him up. She hears the door burst open as she covers her nose with her hand.

Armed men wearing gas masks enter the apartment, scattering the place and throwing tear gas into corners.

Two of them enter the kitchen, "I heard a voice here. Someone else is here," Cassandra hears a voice and she lays low until she sees a boot close to the kitchen table.

Gunshots are fired in the room and a shriek is heard.

"I think we've found him," one of the men says, "Let's go".

The first man leaves but the other one seems skeptical about leaving since he is sure he heard someone.

Cassandra sneaks around the table trying her best to hold her breath because of the tear gas.

She sneaks up behind the man and slams the side of his head on the kitchen table knocking him out.

She takes his gas mask and puts it on. She takes his weapon and starts to slowly make her way towards the bedroom.

John tosses one of the men through the door and he hisses at them like a snake threatening to strike.

Cassandra begins shooting at the armed men and they try to take cover.

"John, are you alright?", "Babe, run" John shouts.

She feels a sharp pain as electricity flows through her body and she writhes in pain as her hairs stand like an old tree.

A stun gun?

She has been shot and the gun in her hand drops to the ground.

"Who is this?" a voice asks. She hears John scream as the voltage in her body increases, she has been shot again.

"Cassandra," John screams as stun batons are used on him.

He blocks a few but the volt of electricity that courses through his body is almost unbearable.

He charges at his attackers and overpowers a few but the bullets that penetrate his legs are specifically meant for vampires.

He falls to the ground and sees Cassandra on her knees, he stretches his hand forward as if he can reach her and he mouths the word, "Run,".

He knows this is not enough to bring her down but she doesn't want to leave him, he sees it in her eyes.

Cassandra swallows hard as the pain is excruciating. She has one knee on the ground and she sees John on the floor.

He shivers and manages to tell her to run, she shakes her head knowing he wants her to leave without him.

She hates it but it is the best way right now.

She clenches her fist as her anger grows; her muscles harden and push out the probes and wires of the stun gun from her body.

Her feet and arms expand as her bones grow larger.

"Fuck, this is a werewolf" someone in the background says.

She rips off the gas mask from her face and moves away from her attackers as they prepare to shoot at her.

She takes a few shots but manages to bully her way through the men and break her way out the window.

The men try to go after her but she is gone.

John smiles as his vision gets hazy, "Why the fuck is he smiling?" someone says before using the butt of his gun to knock John out.

Gabriel and Marcel leave the club to go hunting; hunting in the streets of New York is a strange thing but this block is his block, he knows the scariest monsters that walk these streets, after all, he is one of them.

He would have left Marcel back at the club but knowing his brother, Marcel would probably be dead by the time he got back.

They walk around the streets as Gabriel tries to get information from the different vampires around.

Marcel notices a taxi drop off two sexy ladies and a chubby man in a brown jacket, "Hmm, these youngins really know how to have fun. If only they know the dangers of the night," he says.

Gabriel glances at them and understands Marcel's statement.

"The fat vampire is going to have a delightful dinner," he says but Gabriel ignores him.

The only thing on his mind is the whereabouts of the Assassin sisters.

Even if they are in hiding, it can't be far.

He notices a group of vampires riding bicycles and smoking pot.

He sees them convince two young teenagers to follow them into an alley and Marcel chuckles, "The drugs don't help humans, those two don't know they are about to lose their lives" Marcel says.

"I don't know that group. I know everything that lurks here and that group isn't one of them," Gabriel says and he begins to make his way towards the alley.

He walks fast like every second he wastes the sisters could go after Rachael again.

He enters the alley and sees the group surrounding the young boys.

They seem ready to turn them to dinner before they see the two men.

"What? Want a taste? Go get your own dinner", one of the vampires says to them.

They must be new here because they do not know who they are talking to.

"How many of you are they?" he asks, "Are you blind? There are six of us here.

Do you want to pick a fight?" a vampire answers as another bite into the wrist of one of the boys.

"Young vampires these days think it's about numbers and forget to respect their elders.

It is paramount that you know your place in the food chain," Marcel says, "What the fuck is with you fuckers?", another vampire comments and the rest come together and prepare themselves for a fight.

"I asked a question," Gabriel says, his voice thickens and his eyes turn blue, shining like a blue gem under the sea steering both fascination and fear.

"Is that a fucking werewolf?" one of the young vampires asks, "It doesn't matter, we will…" before he can finish his sentence something pushes him backward away from the rest of the group.

They turn to see their comrade's body jerking with his head a few meters away from his body.

Gabriel stands in front of them; he beats them and breaks their joints while Marcel watches the show.

He jerks one of the young vampires and presses him against the wall, "Tell me, how many of you are here?", "It's just us, six" "Who put you on these streets?" "An old vampire, she is tall and she has red hair" "Alex,".

Marcel recognizes the description, "What did she send you here for?" Gabriel continues.

"She just said we should keep an eye on things here.

Give her any information we get on Clouds".

"Where is she?" "I don't know, I swear", Gabriel tightens his grip. "What of the twins? The sisters, where are they?" "I don't know what you are talking about, man.

I swear", Gabriel punches the vampire's face into his skull.

"I have to say, I would not like to be your enemy," Marcel says, "Go home," Gabriel says to the two human boys who are scared shitless and they run away.

The two immortals walk out of the alley and continue with their walk.

Gabriel stops several times to sniff the air, "Someone has been following us," Marcel says.

"I know.

A weird scent keeps coming up. I think I know who it is, let's cut a corner", he says.

They walk for a bit and divert at a corner.

Detective Warren Peace drives in a black Honda Civic along the streets of Roosevelt.

He was caught off guard by the twins so he decided to tail them and right now he has his sights on Gabriel.

He noticed when the 6foot man exited the club with an unknown companion who Warren suspects to be an undead.

He has been driving behind them, keeping as much distance as he can between himself and Gabriel.

Watching Gabriel move from corner to corner of the streets.

He seems to be looking for information and Warren thinks he might have the information the immortal is looking for but he can't go to him, not after what happened in the club.

If the twins are going to get anything from him, they will have to come to him.

He wonders what kind of creatures they are; dragons, werewolves or demons.

Whatever they are, he will find out and they will fall to his schemes like every other creature he has gone after.

He watches Gabriel and his strange companion enter an alley.

He watches from his car for a while and two young lads run out of the alley.

One of them holds his wrist as he bleeds.

They must be feeding. Those kids are lucky they got away.

The two men exit the alley and begin to walk slowly down the street.

Warren drives slowly as he follows them.

The two enter a corner and disappear out of sight.

Warren drives along the corner hoping to see where the two men are going but they disappear like a gust of wind.

He sees no one.

"What the fuck?" the Caucasian man knows enough about vampires to know that when they vanish, something bad usually happens.

He hears a knock on his window and turns to see a man at his window.

The night covering his eyes but not his smile, "Who the hell…", a fist breaks into his window and drags him out of the car.

Gabriel tosses Warren onto the sidewalk and his glowing blue eyes instill fear in the detective, "If you want to die that badly, I will make it quick" Gabriel's voice carries an ambiance of death.

"Wait, wait. I can help you find the girls," Warren shouts before his life is forfeited to the anger of the sphinx, "What did you say?"

"I can tell you where they are, the girls that attacked your club".

Gabriel shivers as his irritation towards the detective increases.

Gabriel wants to crush him like a bug crawling on his skin, "Speak before I cut out your tongue,".

"87th street,".

Who the hell is this detective? How did he know about the attack? How long has he been watching us?