Fan Fiction
We are super chuffed to share this story with you. Written by M.G. Ryan, this is a merging of two worlds, "Enlightened" and M.G. Ryan's Vampire Hunter Prophecy series, "From Dusk". Written from Lexi's perspective (the main character in the Prophecy series), we hope you enjoy it just as much as we did.
Check out M.G Ryan's "From Dusk" and its hotly anticipated sequel, "To Dawn" here.
Enlightened at Dusk
A
feeling of claustrophobia washed over me.
The air in the elevator was still and tense. I leaned back into Jack, who was standing
behind me. I felt his arm slip around my
waist. The elevator came to a halt and
the doors pinged open. The mountain of a
man who stood in front of us stepped forward and we followed suit, until we
came to a halt when we reached a set of glass doors. He then swiped a card, which allowed us
access.
We were escorted through the doors
and led down a corridor. Even my long
legs struggled to keep up with this man’s massive stride. He reached a door and stopped in front of it,
then gently knocked upon it.
‘Come in,’ bellowed a voice from the
other side.
The mountain pushed the door open
and stepped inside. ‘Our guests have
arrived Commander.’
‘Show them in please Corporal.’
Jack and I stepped inside the
office, which was furnished with all of the necessities, but no luxuries. The man behind the desk stood. If I thought the Corporal escorting us was a
mountain, then I was currently staring at Everest. He was a couple of inches taller than Jack,
who didn’t have to look up too many people, but this man’s most appealing
feature was his bright blue eyes. I had
never seen anything like them before.
‘Thank you Corporal, that is all,’
Everest said and with that the Corporal left the room, closing the door behind
him.
‘I’m Commander Bravnica,’ he said as
he stepped from around the desk, holding out his hand, which I shook. He then shook Jack’s hand and I could see
them sizing each other up. Men and their
testosterone!
‘Thank you for coming,’ the
Commander said. ‘I hope that your
lodgings are adequate.’
‘They’re great, thanks.’ I replied.
‘Well, I think that we should get
straight down to business. If you would
like to follow me.’
He collected a small pile of files
from off his desk and if I was not mistaken, my name was on the top one. Jack and I followed the commander down the hall,
until we reached a door, which he opened and we stepped inside a meeting
room. The room was full of Kaul soldiers,
who all stood to attention when the commander entered. They were all tall and well built, very well
built and wore black t-shirts with camouflage pants. Do they clone these guys?
The commander indicated towards some
chairs at the back of the room. The men
sat back in their seats, though eyes remained on me and Jack as we moved past
them to the area the commander had indicated.
There, sat a woman in one of the chairs, who gave me a gentle smile as I
approached. Her green eyes reflected
mine, though they appeared to be full of sadness. I took the seat next to her as Jack then sat
down beside me.
‘As you are all aware,’ the commander
started, all eyes now on him, ‘we are having problems with the Kudlaks within the
borders Lumeer. The issue however has
now extended to our human counter parts, with Kudlaks moving into human
territories. Our liaison at the DEA, has
requested our assistance in controlling these numbers and they have in turn
sent us assistance for the task. I would
like you all to meet Alexandra… ’
‘Lexi,’ I interrupted him.
‘Lexi,’ he said, his tone indicating
he was not happy with the interruption; something he was probably not used
to. ‘Lexi and Jack have been sent from
Scotland to assist us while we are working in the human territories.’
‘Excuse me sir,’ one of the soldiers
spoke up, ‘no disrespect, but how is she meant
to help. She will only slow us down and
will require protection if a fight develops.’
‘I could kick your lily white ass,’
I muttered under by breath, but as Jack’s hand squeezed my knee, I was aware
that I had muttered the words louder than I had intended. I looked up horrified as I realised that all
eyes were on me, including those of the commander.
‘I understand your concern
Lieutenant,’ the commander said, ‘however, Lexi has come highly recommended and
is considered one of the best amongst her peers.’
‘And what exactly are her skill sets
Commander?’ the Lieutenant asked.
‘Lexi is a Vampire Hunter.’
The Lieutenant scoffed. ‘With all due respect Sir, but Kudlaks are
far more dangerous than the vampires of the human world.’
I tentatively raised my hand.
‘Yes Lexi?’ the commander said.
‘What exactly are the differences
between vampires and Kudlak?’
‘Kudlak are vampires, however they
are faster and stronger than the vampires you are used to dealing with. Your vampires are still very human in form,
where ours are not. Kudlaks cannot
tolerate sunlight like your vampires, they have distinctive red eyes and a
mouthful of sharp teeth. They also possess
a venom within their teeth, which, if you were bitten, would instantly turn
you. This is something I understand your
vampires do not have.’
‘What are their weakness?’ I asked.
‘Very few. Sunlight will kill them, as will wood through
the heart. Our weapons fire special
timber bullets.’
‘What about beheading?’
‘Yes, but we prefer not to get that
close if possible. Any other questions
Lexi?’
‘No,’ I said tentatively and leaned
back in my chair.
‘Does anyone else have any questions
about tomorrow’s exercise?’ Commander Bravnica asked.
‘Who has the job of babysitting the
princess?’ the same Lieutenant asked.
‘What the hell is your issue?’ I
demanded, as I stood from my seat. I
could feel Jack tug on my hand, but I shooed him away.
The lieutenant stood and confronted
me. ‘You’re my problem. This is a dangerous enemy we face and I don’t
need to jeopardise the safety of my men because I have you to baby sit.’
I felt Jack stand behind me. ‘I advise you to back off, mate.’
‘Who’s going to stop me, you?’
A small smile crossed my face at the
realisation that he didn’t know of Jack’s “special” abilities.
‘Oh, trust me when I say you don’t
want to make him angry,’ I said to the lieutenant.
‘That’s enough Lieutenant,’ said
Commander Bravnica. ‘You can all collect
your intel sheet from Ana on your way out.
Dismissed.’
The young woman who sat next to me,
started handing out paperwork to the men as they left. The last man out closed the door behind him,
leaving five of us in the room.
‘Just ignore them,’ the young woman
said to me, ‘the Kaul do not allow women, so to have you enter their ranks is
something they have never experienced before.’
‘Thanks, but I don’t know how
reassuring that actually is.’
‘You wouldn’t be here if Commander
Bravnica didn’t feel that you were up to the task.’ She then handed Jack and I our intel notes. ‘Do you need me to stay and continue taking
notes?’
‘No, thank you Ana,’ the commander
replied.
Once Ana left the room, Commander
Bravnica introduced Jack and I to Lieutenant Valinski, who had remained behind
after the meeting. Jack and I sat at the
table across from Bravnica and Valinski, as we ran through the details of our
patrol tomorrow and the roll that Jack and I would partake during the day. While Valinski didn’t show the arrogance of
the other Lieutenants within the room, I could see that he was not overly happy
with obtaining babysitting duty, but was not prepared to question the commander
on the issue.
‘Do either of you have any further
questions in relation to tomorrow?’ the commander asked.
‘No, I don’t think so,’ I said. ‘I think we have covered everything. Jack, do you have any questions?’
‘No, all good.’ Jack replied.
‘Excellent. I’ll have an escort at your quarters to
collect you tomorrow morning,’ the commander advised. He stood and opened the door, calling to
someone in the hallway, when a corporal appeared in the doorway. ‘The corporal will escort you back to your
quarters. I advise you to rest up. It is going to be a big day tomorrow.’
I sat on the window sill and admired
the view before me as I ended my phone call with Corey. I had only been away from him for a couple of
days and already desperately missed him.
I wished that he were here, but preferred the knowledge that he was home
safe in Dunkeld with Father Michael.
While the call was an opportunity to talk with him, it was also an
opportunity to find out if he had had any dreams, which could provide us with
information. The answer was no, so I
felt as though we were going into today blind, but then it could also mean that
the day may be uneventful.
I stared out the window at the
beautiful view of Lumeer and the mountains that surrounded the city. The mountains were certainly magnificent, but
for me they did not quite have the appeal and mystique of the Scottish
Highlands. I smiled to myself at the
thought of home.
I turned when Jack stepped into the
room. He stood awkwardly with his hands
on his hips, obviously uncomfortable in his new attire. My reaction to the sight of him was mixed; dressed
in Kaul Military uniform of the tight black t-shirt and camouflage pants. If he cut his hair a little shorter he could easily
pass for one of them. This was certainly
a different look for Jack and I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or throw myself
at him. The shirt pulled tight across
his broad shoulders, chest and stomach, defining his muscles. It was a good look.
‘Are you laughing at me?’ he asked.
‘Definitely not,’ I said as I slid
off the window sill and moved over to him.
I slipped my arms around his neck.
‘I didn’t realise that military men
were your style.’ His hands found my waist.
‘They’re not,’ I said, ‘but you are. I have to be honest though, it suits you.’
‘Don’t get used to it.’
‘Well I better make the most of it
then.’
I placed my lips to his and he
instantly responded, opening his mouth and accepting mine. His hands sneaked lower and before I knew it,
he had lifted me and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He started to turn and move towards the
bedroom when there was a knock at the door.
‘Maybe if we ignore it, they’ll go
away,’ Jack mumbled with his lips still on mine.
‘I don’t think so, they’re here to
pick us up.’
He slowly lowered me to the floor,
moaning his displeasure of being interrupted.
I picked up a canvas bag that I had ready to go and opened the door to
find a Kaul soldier impatiently waiting for us.
‘This way please,’ the corporal
instructed. We followed him out to the
street.
A military style Jeep, dark in
colour, was waiting for us outside. The
Corporal opened the back door of the vehicle for us and I climbed in first,
Jack behind me. I was surprised to find Lieutenant Valinski sitting in the
front passenger seat.
‘Morning. Are you ready for today?’ he asked.
‘Ah, yes sir,’ I said.
‘Good. Settle in and relax for now, we have a drive
ahead of us.’
With the corporal in the driver’s
seat, he moved the Jeep on and we soon joined the convoy of vehicles similar to
our own. We left Lumeer, home of the Kresnik
people and the mountains behind us, as the convoy moved towards human
territory. We drove for a few hours before
we arrived at our destination on the edge of a large pine forest. Dozens of men exited vehicles and moved into
groups.
‘Stay close,’ the Lieutenant
instructed as we climbed out of the Jeep.
Doing as instructed, we stayed close
to his side, as at least a dozen men surrounded us. A few of them gave me sideways glances, but
most paid their full attention to Valinski.
He detailed our mission for the day, which was to seek out any Kudlak
nests that may be in the area and destroy them.
We were to be back at the convoy by nightfall, to reduce the risk of a Kudlak
attack.
‘Let’s prepare to move out,’ the
lieutenant said.
‘Are you ready?’ I asked Jack.
‘I guess so,’ he replied.
We moved around to the other side of
the vehicle, away from the troops. I’m
sure that eyes were watching us, but I did my best to ignore them, as I focused
on Jack. I removed the bag from the
backseat, collected my dagger and hid it under my clothing. Jack removed his boots and his shirt, which I
put in the bag and then placed it back in the vehicle.
‘I’ll leave you to it then,’ I said
to Jack as I moved back around to the lieutenant.
‘Ready?’ the lieutenant asked.
‘Nearly,’ I said.
At that moment Jack stepped from around
the vehicle. I saw mouths gap open in
shock as they looked upon the huge grey wolf before them. Jack stood his ground and eyed them all.
‘What in Daska?’ I heard one of the
soldiers exclaim.
‘You’re not the only people who have
ancient prophecies, you know,’ I said defensively. ‘Anyway, who’s the scout?’
‘Corporal Nowak is our scout,’ the
lieutenant advised.
One of the soldiers stepped forward
and I could only assume that it was Nowak.
‘Come with me,’ I said.
He didn’t move at first, probably
not used to taking instructions from a woman.
I turned back and glared at him and we both moved to the front of the
platoon to take up our positions. Jack
moved through the group, which parted like the red sea as he made his way to my
side and I gently rested my right hand on his withers.
‘Okay Corporal, you now have a new
scout,’ I said indicating Jack. ‘I will
stay on his left flank; you will be on his right. The important thing is that you do not move forward
of his shoulder. Understand?’ Nowak just stared at me in disbelief. ‘If you move past his shoulder, your scent
can camouflage another scent that he may be looking for. If it is easier, stay a step behind me. Got it?’
‘Yes,’ he said.
‘Other than that, your job does not
change.’
‘Okay, move out,’ the lieutenant
bellowed and with that, we moved into the forest.
Our movement was slow through the
forest due to the terrain, sticks and foliage crunching under our feet as the
scent of pine swirled around us. Our search
for Kudlak lairs was methodical, not wanting to leave any area unchecked. We had been on the move for two hours without
any signs or indication of Kudlak activity.
After a short rest break, we
continued our journey deeper into the forest.
We had been on the move for another hour when Jack stopped short. He turned slightly to the left and lifted his
head into the air, then let out a huff.
He then turned and looked at me, before looking back into the
forest. I turned and looked at the
lieutenant, who, reading my gaze, moved up by my side.
‘Why have we stopped?’ he asked.
‘Jack has picked up on something in
that direction,’ I said pointing the way Jack had indicated. ‘Most probably a nest.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes.’
The lieutenant selected four men
from the platoon, who moved forward to our position. He then relayed them instructions. They, along with Jack, were to move forward
and search the nest. They stepped off
and I went to move with them, when I felt a large hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at the lieutenant.
‘I need you to stay here,’ he said.
‘I go with Jack.’
‘Not on this run. It is just a standard recon.’
I shrugged his hand of my shoulder
and he removed it with a look that he was aware that he had allowed it to
linger for too long. I looked to Jack,
who gave me a nod to assure me that it was okay. Jack and the four Kaul soldiers moved off
deeper into the forest until they were out of sight. The rest of the platoon moved forward and
took position around me and the lieutenant.
The next thirty minutes were
excruciating while I waited for their return.
I started to feel smothered being surrounded by the soldiers. I had the desire to run into the forest and
follow Jack, but I managed to keep my patience in check and hold my
position. The lieutenant then reacted as
voices started to crackle over his communications unit.
‘Rodger,’ he spoke into his comms.
‘The scout team are on their way
back. They found a nest, but it was
empty. Indications were of at least four
possible Kudlaks having used the nest.
They couldn’t confirm if the nest had been abandoned or if it was still
in use, but it has now been destroyed.
It does however, beg the question of where are the Kudlaks? However, we will be caught out after dark if
we keep searching, so we need to head back to the convoy pick up point once the
scout team has returned.’
‘Yes sir,’ the remaining platoon
members said in unison.
I said nothing and would not feel
any comfort until Jack and the soldiers were back and the group was
reunited.
I heard movement off in the distance
and snapped my head up to see Jack and the troops approaching. I let out a deep breath and smiled when Jack
and I made eye contact. Jack moved
through the soldiers and up to my side. We
had another short break before we started our journey back towards the convoy
pick up point. We resumed our normal
positions and were on the move once again.
We had been on the move for a while
and I had started to tire, when thankfully Valinski called us to a halt for a
short rest stop. We sat and rehydrated,
finding the opportunity to sit in some shade.
The lieutenant moved a few paces away, obviously in conversation with
someone over the comms unit. He returned
and I was surprised when he came and sat close by me and Jack, who still held
his wolf form.
‘We are not going to make it back to
the convoy before dark,’ Valinski said.
‘What?’ I asked.
‘We have been out for longer than
anticipated, therefore we have fallen behind schedule and will not make it back
before dark. We are well trained and
carrying sufficient ammunition. We will
maintain standard formation. Jack and Nowak
will remain as scout, Lexi, you will move back with me.’
Jack lifted his large head and
glared his big brown eyes at Valinski as he let out a low growl. A few of the men in the group reacted as
though to protect their lieutenant, who held up his hand to indicate for them to
back down.
‘Jack and I stay together Lieutenant,’
I said.
‘I can’t have you open and
vulnerable Lexi. I need you protected.’
‘That’s the whole point, I am
protected. That’s the wolf’s purpose, to
protect me.’
‘I know that Jack will want to stay
near you, but my men are armed and more than capable of protecting you Lexi.’
‘I do not doubt your men’s abilities
Lieutenant, but this isn’t about me and Jack, this is a Hunter/Protector thing. As a Hunter, the wolf is my Protector and I
am his sole responsibility. Your orders
cannot overrule his instinct. Jack and I
stick together. He and I will take the
lead with Nowak.’
‘Fine,’ the lieutenant said as he
stood. ‘Let’s move out. Jack and Lexi will continue as scout with
Nowak.’
With that we took up formation and
continued the march to the vehicle convoy.
I was surprised when only about an hour later, the sun began to
set. I could hear the lieutenant talking
over his comms unit, but could not make out the conversation. I turned and looked at Nowak, who kept a
steady pace by Jack’s right flank. I
noticed he was standing a lot closer to us on the return trip than on the way
out. I gave him a slight smile and was
surprised when it was returned.
We kept moving as the sun rapidly descended
behind the hills. The darkness slowed our
pace, as we had to watch our footing on the forest floor. With my hand resting on Jack, I felt his
shoulders tense before he came to a stop.
I reached out over Jack and grabbed Nowak by the arm as he continued
forward. Jack’s head went up higher and
he sniffed the air. His paw stroked the
ground 1, 2, 3… 4, 5.
‘Five of them?’ I asked into Jack’s
ear.
His paw stroked the ground once
more.
‘What is it?’ Nowak asked.
‘Six, we have six Kudlak,’ I said.
‘Where?’
Jack turned in a circle. ‘All around us,’ I replied.
Nowak indicated to the lieutenant
who moved up to our position and Nowak relayed the message.
Suddenly Jack turned to our left and
placed his head up in the air, sniffing as a low growl escaped his throat. I retrieved the dagger and held it tight in
my right hand.
‘What is it?’ Valinski asked.
‘They’ve moved,’ I said.
‘Where to?’
‘Down wind.’
‘Shit.’
We all held our positions, standing
silent, listening to any sound that came from the forest. Jack sniffed at the air, but found nothing. However, there was no way the Kudlaks were
going to allow us to walk out of this forest… alive anyway. For them it was a game and the hunt was
on.
The Kaul soldiers held rifles up and
stood in formation so that all angles were covered. We were all on edge as we listened intently to
the silence. In an instant two Kudlak
jumped out of the darkness down to my left.
Rifles opened fire and I jumped, not used to the sound, but the Kudlaks were
dust in an instant.
Jack spun just in time to see a Kudlak
leap at Nowak, who managed to let off a couple of shots, but missed the heart. The Kudlak had Nowak pinned to the
ground. I shifted as Jack leaped through
the air and barrel rolled the Kudlak off Nowak.
Jack and the Kudlak continued to roll until they both managed to come to
their feet. With the Kudlak’s back to
me, I threw the dagger, which landed between its shoulder blades. It turned, snarling at me.
‘Lexi, down!’ I heard a voice call.
I squatted down and heard the fire
of three shots from a rifle. One bullet
hit its target, penetrating the Kudlak’s heart, sending him to dust. I turned to see Nowak standing behind me,
breathing hard as he lowered his rifle.
‘Thanks,’ I said.
‘You’re welcome,’ Nowak replied.
Chaos erupted, as three Kudlak leapt
out of the dark in a simultaneous attack.
One of the Kudlak’s had hit Jack and sent them in a roll, but my
attention was drawn by a piercing scream.
I turned to see one of the soldiers pinned to the ground by a Kudlak. Instinct and training kicked in. I ran, scooping up the dagger on the way.
‘Hey,’ I called out.
The Kudlak, still pinning the
soldier to the ground, turned his head and looked at me. I brought the blade down, slicing it across
his shoulders. His head fell from his
body and he turned to dust. I didn’t
stop to check on the soldier, instead turning to find Jack, who stood with a Kudlak
head in his mouth, which he dropped to the ground and it instantly turned to
dust. There was rapid gunfire and I turned
in time to see another Kudlak dusted.
Kaul attended to the injured soldier
on the ground. It didn’t sound good, as
his screams of pain pierced the forest.
Nowak moved over to me.
‘You may not want to watch this Lex,’
Nowak said as he gently placed his hand on my arm and moved me forward.
‘Watch what?’ I asked.
‘I have to say, that was some bit of
fighting.’
‘Are you trying to distract me?’
The answer to my question came with
the sound of a bullet that vibrated to my core.
I turned to see Valinski standing over the injured soldier and reality
hit. The soldier had been bitten, so to
prevent him turning, the lieutenant shot him.
I couldn’t hold back the nausea.
I dropped to my hands and knees and released the contents of my
stomach. I had Jack on one side of me
and Nowak on the other.
‘You okay Lex?’ Nowak asked.
‘Fine, I’m fine,’ I said as I stood
up and wiped the back of my hand across my mouth.
The lieutenant joined the main
group, advising that one of the other platoons was on its way to provide
assistance. We were to hold our position
until they arrived. Jack and Nowak did a
quick sweep of our immediate area, but couldn’t detect anything.
Jack and I had position in the
centre of the group, while some of us rested, the remainder of the group took
guard. I sat on the ground, laying
against Jack as we waited for the other platoon to arrive. They located us after about an hour. While I was happy with the platoon’s arrival,
I was not so impressed when I saw that the lieutenant who hassled me yesterday
during the meeting, was the leader of the group. Valinski and the lieutenant talked and I
listened hard to hear the conversation.
‘I knew this would end up being a
disaster,’ the lieutenant stated. ‘Maybe
next time the commander will listen to us.’
‘Before you get the wrong idea
Lieutenant,’ Valinski replied, ‘we were ambushed and if it wasn’t for Jack and
Lexi, casualties would have been much higher.
They and Nowak together, took out three of the six Kudlaks that
attacked. This, however, is not the time
for conversation. Details can be
discussed tomorrow,’ he said in a stern tone.
‘The important thing now is to get everyone safely to the convoy.’
The lieutenant barked out orders and
a few of the Kaul loaded the deceased soldier onto a stretcher that the other
platoon had brought with them. We then
marched back to the vehicle convoy. I
could barely see straight by the time we reached the vehicle point; I was so
exhausted. At our vehicle, Jack
transformed back and dressed into the Kaul uniform of black t-shirt, pants and
slipped on his boots without tying the laces.
I was about to climb into the Jeep
when a voice called out my name. I
looked up to see Nowak jogging up the track.
‘What’s up?’ I asked as he
approached.
‘Nothing,’ he said. ‘I just wanted to say that was a good job you
guys did out there, both of you.’ He
looked from me to Jack, then back at me.
‘Women aren’t allowed to serve in the Kaul, but I would be happy to have
you by my side in any fight.’
‘Thanks,’ I said, knowing what a big
statement that was for a Kaul soldier.
‘Thanks Jack,’ Nowak said.
‘You’re welcome,’ Jack replied.
‘No really, you saved my life. I don’t think we would have made it out of
there if it wasn’t for you.’
‘I wouldn’t go that far,’ Jack said.
‘Thanks anyway.’ Nowak extended his
hand to Jack, who accepted and they shook.
Nowak gave me a smile before he
jogged off back down the track. I climbed
into the Jeep and Jack followed behind me.
I snuggled up against him, his arm wrapped around my shoulder and I fell
asleep as the convoy moved off. I didn’t
wake again until we reached Lumeer.
I hung up the phone from Corey and
sat on the windowsill, gazing out at the mountains beyond. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye
and turned to see Jack enter the room and place his bag next to mine at the
front door. I swung my legs over the
edge and watched as he approached. He
was back to wearing his standard jeans and t-shirt. Even as hot as he was in the Kaul uniform, I
was glad to have my Jack back.
‘Was that Corey?’ he asked as he came
and stood in front of me. I wrapped my
legs around him.
‘Yep, he is looking forward to
having us home.’
‘Is he okay?’
‘Yeah, of course he is.’
‘You sure, you just seem a little…
off, since you spoke to him.’
‘Corey’s fine, I’m just… He didn’t have
a dream about last night, that’s all.’
‘Did you tell him what happened?’
‘No. I told Father Michael, but not Corey. I just thought he would have dreamt about something
that full on.’
‘Maybe it’s this place,’ Jack said.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, it has a sort of magical
barrier to hide it from the human world, maybe it blocks Corey out too.’
‘Possibly. That would make sense. Anyway, I’m looking forward to going home.’
‘Me too, but I’m also looking
forward to a romantic night with you in Edinburgh first.’
I smiled up at him. ‘Me too.’
I pulled him in closer with my legs
and wrapped my arms around his neck as he placed his lips on mine, soft and
warm. The kiss deepened and I could feel
Jack’s muscles tense under his shirt.
Then there was a loud knock at the door.
‘You have to be shitting me,’ Jack
said. ‘Do these people have some kind of
sixth sense? I didn’t think we were
expecting anyone for half an hour.’
‘We’re not, but I better check and
see who it is.’
A moan of disapproval escaped Jack’s
throat as I slid off the sill and moved past him. I was surprised when I opened the door to
find Lieutenant Valinski standing there.
‘Hi,’ I said, surprised.
‘I hope I’m not disturbing you,’ the
lieutenant said.
‘Not at all,’ Jack called out
sarcastically from across the room as he leaned against the windowsill.
‘Come in,’ I said as I opened the
door wider. ‘We weren’t expecting anyone
so soon.’
‘I’m early, I know. There was just something I was hoping to discuss
with you before you headed home.’
‘What did you want to talk about?’ I
asked, as the lieutenant stepped inside.
‘You said something yesterday, about
us not being the only people with prophecies.
I would like to know more about yours, if that’s okay.’
‘Sure, but I’m going to need a cup
of tea with that conversation.
Lieutenant, would you like anything?’
‘A coffee would be nice and please,
call me Dahrel.’
Jack headed out to the kitchen to
make our drinks as Dahrel and I sat in the small living area across from each
other. Jack soon appeared with our
drinks and placed them on the small table between the two seats, then took his
place on the couch beside me, his arm stretched over the back of the couch.
I started by telling Dahrel about Jack
and how he became a shape shifter after being attacked in Berlin. After advice from a German priest, Jack then searched
for Father Michael in Scotland, who helped him deal with his transition to a
shape shifter. I explained how Jack and
I had met and about the ‘Vampire Hunter Prophecy’; detailing how I fulfilled
the role as a Vampire Hunter, Jack or his wolf form was my Protector and Corey,
who was homeless when we found him, my Prophet who had physic dreams about me. I also told Dahrel how Corey came to be part
of our lives and I was now his legal guardian.
With his coffee in hand, Dahrel sat and listened intently, without
interruption as he let me tell our story.
‘And that is pretty much it,’ I
said.
‘Well, that is pretty amazing. I would like to also let you know that my men
were very impressed with the two of you last night.’
‘Thank you,’ I said shyly. ‘I know that is a big statement for a Kaul
soldier, but like you, it is what we do.’
‘You still put your lives on the
line to protect my men. We will not
forget that sort of bravery. Anyway, I
better get you to the commander. I’m
sure he won’t be happy if he’s kept waiting.’
Valinski escorted Jack and I into
the same meeting room we were in yesterday, only today the room was empty, which
was somewhat of a relief.
‘I’ll leave you to it, the Commander
shouldn’t be much longer. It was an
honour serving beside you,’ Valinski said as he held out his right hand.
‘Thanks,’ Jack replied shaking
Valinski’s hand.
‘It was an honour serving with you
and your men too, Lieutenant, but please don’t take it personally if I say I
hope we don’t have to do it again any time soon,’ I said.
Valinski laughed. ‘None taken, but I’d be honoured to serve
with you again.’
Valinski left the room, bumping into
Ana on his way out. I could see them
chatting in the hallway. He placed his
hands on her upper arms and I could see her nod in agreement to whatever it was
he said. There was a closeness about
them, but they were not overly affectionate like lovers. He then stepped past her and she entered the
room.
‘Please take a seat,’ she said. ‘The commander won’t be long.’
‘Is Dahrel your brother,’ I asked
her as I sat across the table from her.
‘Yes he is. What makes you ask that, we don’t really look
alike?’
‘The way he looks at you.’
‘How does he look at me?’
‘Like he’s trying to protect you
from the world, even though he knows he can’t.’
A sadness crossed her face. ‘Do you have an older brother too?’
‘I have a younger brother, Corey. That’s how I feel about him.’
At that moment the commander entered
the room and the chemistry within it changed.
His blue eyes locked on Ana and they shared a look, which was brief and hard
to read, but there was an undiscovered intimacy about it. He then took the seat next to Ana across the
table from me and Jack. I noticed Ana
shift uncomfortably in her seat.
‘I won’t keep you long,’ the
commander began. ‘I have already been
counselled on last night’s events. One
other nest was also discovered, but was also found empty. One of the other platoons were also attacked,
thankfully they sustained no casualties.
The lieutenant has sung your praises, both of you. He stated that fatalities would have been
much higher if it wasn’t for your efforts.
Thank you for helping to protect my men.’
‘It’s what we are trained to do
Commander,’ I said.
‘Even so, bravery and courage you
can’t train for. My men were very impressed.’
‘Thank you,’ I said.
‘Well, I’ll have someone escort you
to your transport. I’m sure you are keen
to get home. Thank you again.’
He stood and reached his hand across
the table. Jack stood and shook his hand
first, then I followed suit.
‘Safe travels,’ the commander said,
then he turned and walked out of the room.
‘I’ll organise someone to escort you
to the helicopter,’ Ana advised.
‘Thanks,’ I said.
Ana stood and walked to the door,
then paused as though she was going to turn around and say something, but
decided not to. A few moments later, a
corporal entered the room and advised that he would be escorting us to the
helicopter. The DEA had certainly gone
all out for our travel. A military
helicopter would fly us to the nearest civilian airport, where we would be
flown by private jet back to Edinburgh.
There we would stay the night before driving back to Dunkeld. I was looking forward to going home.
