Series: Shifter Ops Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 30911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
“Careful. It’s silver,” Allison calls. She’s stuck in a cage a few meters away with Laurie. There’s a pile of white papers in her lap, and she seems to be reading.
Parker’s in another cage, his knees folded up, head in hands.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
Parker raises his head. “Vampires. They said they’ve been chasing us since Tucson. They must have sent the men in the SUVs.”
“Why?”
“They think…they think we’re some sort of shifter black ops crew,” he says.
“What?”
“It’s all here. Instructions on how to ‘activate’ the hidden hypnosis signals.” Allison holds up the stack of papers when a dark wind blows in and appears as two vampires. One of them snatches the printouts from her hand.
Overhead, a lightbulb sputters on, casting a gloomy glow over us. I flinch. At least it's not the brutal fluorescent lights of Data X. Being back in a cage is hard enough.
Allison turns her head to me, so her lips are hidden. “Fiona?” She mouths.
I shrug. I can only hope Fiona got away.
Run far and fast, lass. Save yerself. I could whine like my wolfhound, losing Fiona, but it’s better that she leaves me behind. For many reasons.
“All right,” one vampire says in his creepy undead voice, “Now that you're all here, let’s begin.”
I don’t want to, but I make myself study our captors.
The vampires look very strange. Vampire fashion is always off, usually dated from the century they died and were turned. One’s in a dressing gown like Hugh Hefner and the other like the dad from That Seventies Show.
“It’s time, Jenkins. Look sharp.”
“Right, Charles. Start here, I should think.” They move to an open space in the middle of the dusty barn and stand at attention.
“Left leg,” Charles calls. “Left and left again.” They hop in unison with Charles calling instructions like we’re at the strangest square dance ever. I would laugh, but it’s absolutely horrifying.
They finish their choreography and stare at us.
“What was that?” I ask Allison and Parker out of the side of my mouth.
“It’s not working,” Jenkins says.
“Of course it’s nae working,” I say. “As much as we're enjoying Twit Walk: Vampire Edition, I’m nae sure what the feck ya doin’.”
“Initiating your kill mode. See here,” Charles points to the paper. “To the left, four times…”
“That’s not a trigger for kill mode,” Allison says. “That’s the Cuban Shuffle.”
“Nonsense,” Charles hisses and rounds on Jenkins. “You must have done it wrong.”
“I did not,” Jenkins protests. “You were too stiff. It’s the pelvic thrust.” He repeats the move, and I shudder. Getting kidnapped by vampires was bad enough, but vampires who insist on recreating Rocky Horror Picture Show in bad costumes is true hell.
“Stop that,” Charles snaps.
“Then give me the manual.” Jenkins rips the papers away from Charles.
“You rube!” Charles liberates a lace handkerchief from his pocket and whaps Jenkins across the cheek. “You don't need that, I’ve memorized it!”
They argue and tussle, repeating the steps of the ‘trigger’ dance over and over until Charles tosses the ‘manual’ to the ground. “This is useless.”
“I tried to tell ya that,” I say. “We’re nae what ya think we are.”
Jenkins hisses, and my wolfhound almost wets himself. But I’ve got nothing to lose. I’m already reliving my worst nightmare, and from the sour scent emanating from Parker, he is too.
“I mean look at us?” I wave a hand at myself. “Ya think out of all the shifters in all the world, someone chose to program the likes of us into killers? We can barely feed ourselves. On a good day. Right, Parker?”
There’s a pathetic whimper from the direction of Parker’s cage. I hate to drag my friend into this, but I have to make these vampires understand. And poor Laurie’s still passed out.
Some crack team we make. I can say with all conviction, “Tink about it. We’re the last shifters anyone would choose.”
“All the more reason you were chosen,” Charles says in his plummy British accent. Makes me want to give him a good kicking. “No one would suspect.”
“If ya believe that,” my laugh is empty. “Then yer just about the stupidest vampires we’ve ever met.”
Charles’ face contorts into the mask of a monster. “You better give us what we want, or else–”
There’s a bright flash of light beyond the doors, and a quiet boom shakes the barn.
Jenkins blurs to the door. “Charles, the hearse! It’s on fire!”
“Dash it all, I just got new rims.” The vampires disappear.
“Fiona.” Allison straightens.
“She’s here? She came back?” My voice is hoarse.
“Of course she did,” Allison looks at me like I’m being ridiculous. “She’d never abandon us.”
There’s a whine from Parker's animal. He’s losing it. “Parker, look at me.” I lean through the bars, wishing I could reach him. “We’re going to survive this. We did once, and we’ll do it again.” I rise, holding his eyes. “You’re my pack. My family. And I’ll defend ya to the death.”