Stormrage by Skye Knizley Page B

panther about to pounce.
    Raven waited for Levac to pull the trigger, hoping he wouldn't make her do it for him. Her hesitation was a mistake. Another vampire grabbed her from behind and threw her over the railing. She caught the rail with one hand and dangled thirty feet in the air. Above her the vampire had grabbed Levac and was rearing back to tear into his throat with fangs that glistened like fine china.
    Levac hesitated no longer. The plant was filled with a deafening boom as he fired the Automag, dusting the vampire in the rafters. He then drove the back of his head in the face of the vampire behind him, cracking the woman's nose and forcing her to let go.
    Inwardly proud of her partner, Raven raised her own pistol and fired, watching with satisfaction as the third vampire disintegrated into ash.
    "You okay?" Levac asked, helping her back over the railing.
    "I'm fine, thanks, " Raven replied. "That was a good shot, Rupert."
    "But what did I shoot, Raven ?" he asked. "What the hell are these things?"
    Raven started past him, deeper into the warehouse, but Levac caught her arm. "They're vampires, aren’t they, Raven? Honest to God vampires!"
    Raven looked at the ash and charred clothing on the floor and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, they're vampires, Rupert. Full on, blood-sucking monsters," she said. "The sort of crap I've been dealing with since my first day on the force."
    "Who else knows about this? Frost? Zhu? Gibbs? Anyone?" Levac asked.
    "If Frost doesn't suspect , he is a lot dumber than I think he is, but otherwise just me and Zhu. And now you," Raven said, still staring at the floor.
    "Why? For God's sake this should be on the news!" Levac exclaimed.
    Raven shook her head and raised her eyes to meet Levac's. "No! Come on, Rupert! You know people are panicky and stupid. If they knew Old Town was full of vampires, lycans and all manner of other monsters there would be widespread panic, the world would be in even more shit than usual. The Army would be mobilized, force would be used and trust me, the monsters would win."
    "You don't know that, Ray," Levac said.
    "Yeah… I do," Raven said. "And I need your promise, Rupert. Not a word about this. To anyone. Lives depend on the public not knowing about any of this."
    "Ray…" Levac started.
    "Rupert, trust me, please," Raven interrupted.
    " All right, Raven," Levac said. "For now."
    "I'll take it," she replied. "Come on, we still have nine suckheads and whoever holds their leash in here somewhere."
    Levac made an 'after you' gesture and Raven stepped past, leading the way into the back of the plant. Both detectives continually checked overhead for vamps lurking in the rafters while Levac occasionally glanced behind. When they reached the intersection Levac indicated he would continue into the back while Raven checked out the tinted room. She nodded in response and watched her partner move into the gloom before turning and making her way toward the glass room that overlooked the office below. The door opened at her push to reveal a chamber carpeted floor, ceiling and three walls in plush black. Twelve coffins were placed neatly around the room and a desk sat in front of the observation windows. A coffee pot half-full of warm claret sat on the desk next to an assortment of magazines, a laptop dock and a notebook.
    Raven ignored the desk and moved toward the coffins. A quick check confirmed that all were empty, but Raven sprinkled a mixture of garlic powder and silver nitrate from her purse into each just in case. Any vamp closing herself in one of the coffins would quickly find themselves spontaneously combusting.
    Satisfied the coffins were safe, Raven donned a pair of gloves and flipped through the notebook. Each page was dated starting about three weeks before and was full of names and numbers. Some names were listed every few days and the numbers got larger. Raven guessed this was a ledger of people purchasing Thirst and how many vials they purchased each time. By the