Upon reaching the bottom of the staircase they found Atkins waiting on them. He was talking in his headset to his men, and gave them both a quick nod and gestured them to follow. Rachel happened to notice that the boots she and Clarisse wore matched Atkin’s footwear.

This woman leaves no detail overlooked, Maria! She amazes me.

I have noticed this Rachel, and I very much admire her.

They spilled out the double-doors into the front porch area and then down the steps to where the driveway curved in around a fountain. Beyond the spray of water they could see a group of men, all dressed in black, marching towards the manor. They were advancing cautiously, some armed with semi-automatic weapons held ready.

Corwin barked orders into his headset microphone, and received numerous acknowledgements within seconds. One of his soldiers came running up behind and placed himself beside Rachel, while Corwin flanked Clarisse.

“Ladies, as we planned, let us slowly withdraw and pull them in!”

They slowly backed away from the intruders to an area to the right of the manor spotted with fruit trees.

Several of their soldiers were up in the trees, armed with tranquilizer guns rather than conventional weapons. They had told Corwin that they wanted prisoners, and the man was doing his utmost to provide them.

Rachel’s vision was much better since her conversion and she was able to spot the leader of the opposition quickly. He was hanging back in the rear of the enemy formation, and sported a goatee. She mentally marked him as an important target as she, Atkins, and Clarisse all broke for cover around the trees and flowering bushes.

The men in black did not hesitate at all when they reached the front of the manor, but plowed ahead into the trees, weapons ready. Clarisse noted that most of them had a set of chains with four manacles slung over their shoulders — presumably for herself and Rachel to wear. She frowned and grimly stated that she would not be wearing any manacles or chains today.

As the men entered the area and passed the first tree, multiple “pfutt” sounds occurred and four of the men dropped to the ground, tranquilizers already working. The remaining five men scattered and found cover.

At least two of them raised their semi-auto weapons and began spraying the trees and bushes. Rachel was nicked by one bullet in her upper arm, but shrugged it off, knowing she would heal soon enough. She knew she’d need blood soon enough, though. Healing seemed to use up blood at a phenomenal rate.

The one that had shot her now sported a tranquilizer dart in his throat and fell over face-first into the grass. She smiled, silently thanking whichever of their soldiers did the deed.

Bullets were flying in all directions from the enemy soldiers, and Rachel’s chief concern was that none of their own soldiers were killed. She glanced around and didn’t see anyone down or worse, dying. She felt the inner tingle that meant Maria wanted control and she let go.

Maria was keeping a sharp eye out for the goateed man who was in charge. She had spotted him circle past two trees and kept Rachel looking out for him as the bullets continued to fly. Atkin’s men laid down covering fire to keep the enemy pinned down, with no intent to kill them.

The enemy leader had a Bluetooth headset on, talking nonstop. She pointed him out to Clarisse and the Frenchwoman instantly grasped what was up and they both headed toward him at a furious run. They separated and came around the tree from both sides.

They leaped almost simultaneously on him and bore him to the ground, while Clarisse yanked a pair of handcuffs from her belt she’d brought along for just this reason. They wrestled his hands behind his back and she snapped the cuffs on. Rachel leaped back up and knocked unconscious one of the men coming to rescue his commander. She took his manacles and chains and soon he was wearing them.

She spun around, checking in all directions for threats, and then came back to the commander of the soldiers they had caught. She kept the commander down on the ground with one foot on his back. She relieved him of his headset and listened to see if she could learn anything useful. She nodded at Clarisse, letting her know things were secure, here.

He cursed at her in Russian, then in English but she paid him no attention at all, wanting to keep focused on the fighting for now. She did note that he spoke English, in case that came up, later.

Clarisse darted up behind another one of the kidnappers who was fighting with one of the Legion soldiers with knives. She leaped on to his back, pulled the man’s head to the side and battened on him as he flailed about in a panic. Their soldier took the opening and slashed the man’s arm, forcing him to drop the knife.

Soon the enemy soldier fainted from blood loss and Clarisse dropped his body, still alive but completely out of action.

Atkins came over to Rachel and put his back up against hers, realizing the importance of her prisoner. She nodded at him and pondered whether to try to move him to safety or stay here and keep an eye on the battle.

Maria answered that. Best to stay here at this tree than move and risk him being shot. We need this man and the information he has. Turn his head up and stare into his eyes, Rachel. I want to put him to sleep so he is no trouble.

Rachel spoke to Atkins. “Corwin, turn his head and if you have to hold his eyes open so I can see them for a moment, would you?”

Atkins nodded and wrestled the man’s head into position as she’d asked. She locked eyes with the man and Maria said one word to him. “Sleep!” He was out cold in seconds.

Corwin snorted and remarked, “Handy, that.”

Maria giggled. “You have no idea!”

She whirled around, searching for Clarisse, and found her down and wrestling with another black-clothed soldier. Before Rachel could move, Clarisse punched him in the face several times and he was out. She hopped up and looked around, fangs out, mouth bloody, looking quite dangerous.

Clarisse saw Rachel looking towards her and grinned, fangs slowly pulling back in. Rachel felt Maria say in her head “Dieu merci, elle est vivante!” and was puzzled for a moment. Since when do you talk to me in French, Maria?

Evidently Maria was too, as she spluttered at Rachel. I did not say that! That sounded like Clarisse to me, Rachel!

Rachel stood, gaping at Clarisse as she walked up. “Clarisse, did you just think to yourself, “Thank God she is alive” when you looked at me?”

Clarisse smiled and nodded. “Yes, I did, Rachel. How did you know that?”

“Because I heard it, in your voice, inside my head, Clarisse!” replied a still-shocked Rachel.

The woman looked quite surprised but she also shook her head. “This is something we must look into further, and soon! But right now, let us take stock of these trespassing fils de putain and begin to get some answers!”

Rachel smirked, thinking that ‘sons of whores’ was beginning to catch on as their enemies’ official designation. As Rachel turned, a shot rang out from behind one of the trees out beyond the area they had been fighting in, and Clarisse hit the ground, blood pouring from her chest. Rachel growled and ran towards the source of the shot, fangs extended. She was a blur, moving so fast that Atkins did not even see her move.

She reached the place and found a man with a rifle just shoving the receiver shut, readying to take another shot. She hissed and pounced on him, and nearly ripped his throat open as she tore into it in anger. She drank almost a pint before she calmed down slightly and licked his wound closed. She grabbed his leg and dragged him back over to where Clarisse lay.

Atkins was cradling Clarisse’s head in his lap, watching her chest wound slowly begin to close. She opened her eyes and hissed, fangs out and face contorted with pain. Rachel dragged her prisoner over close to her and said, “Here, Clarisse, drink! You need blood, I can tell!”

Clarisse nodded weakly and fastened on to the man’s throat and began to feed. She obviously had needed the blood because she drained the man dry in a very short time. As she fed, the man struggled but he could not break Rachel’s and Clarisse’s combined grip. Soon he was still.

She slowly stood, wound healed over and the pain on her face receded. She spared a glance at the corpse lying at her feet and shrugged. “I do not kill indiscriminately, but for you, I made an exception.”

She glanced at Rachel, but Rachel offered no condemnation of her act at all. She still explained, “His intent was to kill me, so I do feel justified in returning the favor. Intent, to me, is not much different than actions.”

Rachel did not feel the least bit bothered by Clarisse’s kill, and of course neither did Maria. She took Clarisse’s hand and squeezed tightly, glad that her friend and lover was not permanently injured or worse. Clarisse returned the squeeze and gave Rachel a bright smile, eyes twinkling.

“It takes more than a bullet to keep a tough Frenchwoman down, mon ami!” She tsked at the bullet hole in her blouse, then reached inside and retrieved the bullet which had popped back out of her chest. She passed it to Rachel and said “Souvenir?”

Rachel rolled her eyes and tossed the bullet aside, bringing a grin from Clarisse. The fighting had stopped and things were now quiet. She turned to Atkins. “Let us see what we have collected, shall we?”

They went back towards the manor entrance and found six men lying in the grass, all of them trussed up in their own shackles they’d so nicely provided. All of them were gagged, blindfolded, and chained securely. Most of them were also unconscious. Atkins took in the scene and checked on his men.

“My lady, we have two wounded, but none severely. No deaths on our side, two on theirs. And six prisoners! A good resolution, would you agree?”

Clarisse beamed at Atkins, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “My dear Sergeant, this is a wonderful resolution. But, we are missing one, no?”

He nodded ruefully and gestured to one of his men to report.

“Ma’am, one of them did get away. Made it back to one of their SUVs and took off while you were… indisposed.”

“Merde! Ah, I suppose it could not be helped. Do not fret, Sergeant, you and your men did an excellent job!”
Atkins gave her a short bow, obviously happy with her praise.

“Now, if you and your men would kindly lock these men down in the basement? A cell for each, I think, would be best.”

She walked over to the goateed leader and smirked. “But leave this one for us; we are going to have a long chat with him.”

“Oh, and Sergeant? Have your men search those SUVs thoroughly later today when they can, and report to me tonight if they find anything at all.”

Atkins saluted and ran off to see to her orders.

~o~O~o~

They carefully bound the man to a metal chair that Clarisse sat in the center of one of her garages. There were not any cars in the garage at present. Her cars were in her primary garage. Rachel had rolled her eyes at having two garages and so many cars and Clarisse had smirked and poked her in the ribs.

Clarisse began smacking the man in the face to revive him and soon he was wide awake and glaring. This might have been because she smacked him a lot longer than necessary to wake him up.

She stopped and his eyes fell on Rachel. The man grinned insolently at her. “Pokazhi pizdu detka!” Rachel wasn’t sure what he said but Maria knew all too well.

She casually backhanded him, sending blood spraying as the corner of his lip was torn. “I am not showing you my cunt or anything else, Russian pig!”

Rachel spoke up, “Umm, Clarisse you might want to handle this one. Maria has… issues, with Russians. She might kill him.”

Maria sniffed but did not object as Rachel backed away and Clarisse walked in close to their prisoner.
The man spat blood at her feet and smirked at her. “I speak English too, vampire whore! There is some blood for you — why don’t you lick it off the floor!”

Clarisse smiled at him sweetly and then casually reached down and broke his pinky finger. “Firstly we will remember our manners here, or we will regret it. Am I understood?”

He groaned, but then spat blood in her face and smirked.

Rachel feared that Clarisse would fly into a rage but she simply wiped the blood off her face with her fingers, she then sniffed it curiously. She touched it to her tongue, and then wiped her fingers off on his shirt. She looked intently at him for a moment, and looked to be lost in thought.

She shook her head and glared at their captive.” I think we’ve had enough of your insolence, my new Russian friend.” She moved and in a flash she had his head cradled between her hands and was staring deeply into his eyes. Her fangs extended as she put every ounce of energy in her being into enthralling the man.

He was obviously resisting, at first. But she kept staring and kept mentally pushing at him and after a few minutes his will crumbled and his body relaxed under her power. She let go of his face and backed away, but kept her gaze locked on his.

“You will answer any question that I, or Rachel, here, ask of you. You will answer completely and speak only the truth, nothing more. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” The man replied as if drugged, and sat limply under her spell. He answered in a monotone.

“You were the leader of this group, yes?”

“Yes.”

“What is your name?”

“Vasily Popov.”

“Why were you trying to kidnap us, Vasily?”

“I was ordered to.”

“By whom? What is his name? What does he do?”

“The boss. Arkady Volkov. He is the leader of our gang.”

“What gang? Where is it based?”

“The Wolf Pack, he calls us. We are based in Bucharest.” Maria’s eyebrows raised — she’d been expecting them to be based in Russia.

Rachel said, “Werewolves?”

Maria snorted. “Nay. Volkov is a common Russian surname, meaning wolf or wolf’s. Their leader is a bit vain, I would guess.”

Clarisse could see that Rachel was about to veer the topic to werewolves and held up her hand and shook her head. She continued with the questions they had discussed asking before the battle. “Why does this Arkady Volkov wish us captured? What does he intend to do with us?”

“He has a use for vampires. He has told me directly that we must not exterminate every last one. I do not know exactly what he does with them. He will not tell us. He plans to chain you up in a cell, as Maria once was.”

Maria hissed and walked over to him. “How do any of you know me?”

“Our order imprisoned you centuries ago. We are all under orders to recapture you at all costs.”

Maria bristled. “Why?! Why must you recapture me?”

“I do not know. Arkady does not usually explain his orders, and asking him ‘why’ is not ever a good idea.”

Clarisse went on. “Who are these men who try to kill us rather than capture us?”

“They once were with us, and we all had the same goal — to eradicate all vampires in the world. But Arkady’s father decided to keep some imprisoned rather than wipe them all out.”

“Why? And this man’s father imprisoned Maria?”

“I do not know, and yes, so he said.”

Maria spluttered. “That is impossible! I was imprisoned in 1877!”

The man offered no response. Clarisse shook her head. “We will return to this. Why does this Wolf Pack wish to destroy all vampires?”

“Vampires are evil. If we do not destroy them, they will destroy mankind.”

Clarisse snorted. “And this gang was responsible for killing all the vampires in France and England?”

“Yes. We have cleansed all of Europe over time. There are only two bloodsuckers left, and Arkady wanted you captured rather than killed.”

“How many people are in this Wolf Pack?”

“I do not know, exactly.”

“Give me your best guess, as a minimum and a maximum.”

“There are at least fifty, but not more than one hundred, presently. We lost many in our attacks here over the years.”

“How many are among the Wolf Pack that wants to kill us, rather than capture us?”

“Roughly twenty left, I would say. They are not so numerous as they once were.”

“How do members of the Wolf Pack track us?” Rachel asked.

“I do not know. We are called and told where you are.”

“Who calls you and informs you where we are?”

“By Arkady himself, or his lieutenants.”

“And how do they inform you of our location? Street names, GPS coordinates, or what?”

“GPS usually, though at times we have just been told to go to the French Whore’s home.”

Clarisse showed no reaction to the term and continued on. “Where is Arkady right now?”

“I do not know. He was in Calais yesterday. He sent us here today.”

“When are you to report in to him?”

“After we have failed or have captured you.”

“By cell phone?”

“Yes.”

She held up the cell phone that had been removed from his pocket, and the Bluetooth device that was paired with it. “This phone, here?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have any secret code words or phrases that you use with Arkady to prove that you are not under any duress?”

“No, but — we are instructed to ask Arkady to bring vodka if we are in such a situation.” Rachel laughed at the phrase, but was also impressed that Clarisse had thought to ask such a thing.

“Did he know that you were attacking this morning, or was there some set time?”

“We were to determine if you were here, then attack. No set time.”

“When does he expect you to check in?”

“Any time within the next twenty-four hours he will expect a report of success, or failure.” Rachel raised an eyebrow at Clarisse, who nodded in reply. An opening they could use to trap Mr. Volkov, perhaps.

Clarisse thoughtfully tapped her index finger on her chin for a moment. “What do you and your men get out of this? What is your motivation to work for Arkady? Does he pay you?”

Her rapid questions did not seem to bother him. “We get satisfaction from stopping the vampires. That is our motivation. Most of us have seen vampires so we know that they are real. Yes, he pays us enough to live on.”

Rachel looked out the tinted garage window and noticed the sun rising. She turned to Clarisse. “The sun is rising, Clarisse. Shall we save more questions for tonight? I am tired, myself.”

Clarisse nodded in agreement. “Rachel I am extremely tired as well. Let us go rest, and we will have Corwin’s men keep an eye on this one and the others while we sleep.” She turned to their captive and said “Go to sleep, and do not awaken until you hear my voice again!” The man’s head fell down, and he was sound asleep almost instantly.

They left instructions with Corwin and went upstairs to Clarisse’s suite. One of her servants had thoughtfully lowered the metal blinds for them. Rachel remarked on this and Clarisse was not the least bit defensive, but more amused.

“Rachel my dear, you tend to think of my servants as prisoners of my will or something like that. You should begin to see that they love me, and I in turn take very good care of them. I only use my power to keep them silent about who and what I am to the outside world. Otherwise, they are here of their own free will.”

Rachel understood and was contrite. “I am sorry, Clarisse, I do see what you are saying. I am adjusting to a lot of things here.”

Clarisse smiled and told her to think nothing more of it. She bolted the door and they snuggled into the silk sheets. Clarisse sensed that Maria and Rachel wanted to talk, and welcomed the notion.

Rachel brought up what was bothering her most, first. “Clarisse, Maria and I heard you quite clearly in my head when you were saying to yourself you were glad we were still alive. How is that possible? And can we do it again? I could see that being a very useful ability!”

For her answer, Clarisse stared intently at Rachel and was obviously concentrating hard. Rachel relaxed and tried to ‘listen’ with her mind but heard nothing.

Clarisse sighed and shook her head. “Yes, I was trying to send you something but it is not working, now. This is something we shall have to spend some time working on, but not tonight!”

Maria responded. “I have not experienced such a thing but I agree that when we have time we need to try to duplicate what happened. But, before we rest, let us discuss what we have learned?”

Clarisse agreed. “Mm, we have learned much about our enemies, my friends. But I feel that there is much more to learn as well, no?”

Rachel happily answered. “Let’s see what we have, here. The Wolf Pack began as a group to exterminate all vampires. They had some kind of split about their goals, right around the time they imprisoned Maria. The larger portion of the split wants to cage at least two of us. The remainder wants us completely eradicated.”

“Yes, Rachel, that is a good summation. I, for one, think that we can lay a trap for this Arkady, if we are devious and put to good use this man that we captured.”

Maria chimed in. “I agree, Clarisse. We need to get the head of the snake, certainly. I do wonder if everything that he said was absolute truth, though.”

Clarisse replied. “I sensed no pushing back from him when we interrogated him. From all that I could tell he was telling the truth — at least the truth as he knows it.”

“Ah yes, I was thinking about that myself, Clarisse. So he’s being truthful to us, but what he knows to be true and what is true may be two different things,” Rachel mused.

“Oui, Rachel. We shall find out more tonight, and perhaps we can plan a trap and finally put an end to all of this nonsense. I do not know how we will stop the second group, though I-”

The communicator on the nightstand beside her beeped, and she picked it up and pressed the button. “Yes, Corwin? Is there a problem?”

His voice came out of the device. “No, my lady, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve posted a guard outside of your bedroom door, guards on the prisoners, and the manor is secure. I bid you a good day’s sleep!”

“Thank you, Corwin! Please awaken us if there are any disturbances. And please give Julien a full report so that he will not worry?”

“I will do that immediately, my lady. Good day!”

She laid the communicator back in its place and turned back to Rachel and caressed her cheek. “We did well today, darling, and I must once again say how wonderful it is to have you here and in my life — both of you!”

“We both feel the same way about you, Clarisse,” Rachel replied softly, then leaned in and kissed her beautiful friend gently on the lips. “I was terrified when you were shot that you might somehow be killed by it, and I think Maria and I would have been devastated if that happened. We love you, and once this little war ends, we want to spend a lot more time with you.”

Her brilliant smile answered more than words could have. They both slipped off to sleep, each with a smile on her lips.