The Vampire's Release, A Paranormal Romance (Undead in Brown County #4) by S.J. Wright Page B

us.
    I didn’t see the redhead until she spoke.
    “He doesn’t seem very angelic, Meekah.”
    There were two females--old vampires who looked like sophisticated young women, out of place among the desolate frozen landscape.  The redhead, I knew without a doubt, was the biggest threat.   And a stranger.   Meekah I had met before, but only briefly.  She carried herself with confidence, her dark skin blending beatifically with the gray tree trunks around her. 
    Both looked at me doubtfully and then at Katie.
    The redhead smiled like a snake.  “So how was the homecoming, Kate?”
    “A little annoying.” 
    I tightened my grip on Katie’s arm.  “What do you want?”
    Meekah moved towards us gracefully.  Her unusual accent was a mix of a dozen dialects and not unpleasant to hear.  “We will be taking Katie from you, Alex.”
    The warning bells that had been a mild, delicate music in my head began to shriek .  “What makes you think I’m going to let you do that?”   Every nerve in my body was hyper alert.  There was real danger in the air.  I had a feeling these two were not in the habit of making casual threats.  
    “Alex, perhaps you are not aware, but you are not the only immortal to have been mistakenly ‘saved’ by vampires.  There is another very much like you.”
    I didn’t miss the warmth that crossed Meekah’s face before the next movement in the forest caught my eye from above us.   The surprise they had in store for me was another vampire.  Or perhaps much more than a vampire. 
    He landed before me in a deep crouch, poised for battle.  Bearing the countenance of a predator, his gray eyes were cautious as he watched me.  He was clothed in all black, so it was hard to judge how powerful his body might be.  His long hair was blood red, not a natural tone at all.  I could not determine much about his heritage other than an obvious European strain.   He was as pale as we all were, but there was also a kind of stiffness in his features that reminded me of a corpse. 
    Whatever or whoever he was, he made me uncomfortable.  Perhaps he sensed my hesitation.  He relaxed slightly, standing a little straighter and glancing quickly over at Meekah.
    “Introduce us, my love.”  The voice was low and guttural.  He sounded like an injured animal.
    “ William,” Meekah purred.  “This is Alexander.  The one we have been talking about.”
    “Well met.”  He then turned his eyes on Katie. 
    The tension increased exponentially.  But this was not directed towards me.  William circl ed Katie slowly, seeming to have forgotten me entirely.   His strange eyes narrowed dangerously as he studied her.  There was a noticeable shift in Meekah’s profile when she realized to whom he had shifted his attention.   Something savage distorted her features into a jealous ly dark mask.
    “You are a descendent of an old friend of mine,” he said.
    I struggled to make sense of this claim.  He continued his appraisal of Katie, even extending a gnarled white hand to touch a lock of her ebony hair.  He closed his eyes and drew in the scent of her, his mouth curling upward in a sick little smile at the end of his inhalation.
    “How delicious you are, my dear.”
    “How do you know who I am?”  Katie asked slowly, her gaze rapt and fully focused on the intruder.  It alarmed me for some reason.  I didn’t want her to look at him for too long.  It seemed like a trap.
    Amanda stood patiently nearby with her back against one of the trees, watching us all.  She reminded me of a cat—observant and intentionally unattached to the drama unfolding in front of her.   But she had to have some reason for being there. 
    The old one, William, addressed Katie’s question with another queer smile and attempted to explain.
    “A very long time ago, I came to this place and met a Pawnee tribesman.  I was going to devour him, you see.  I was quite hungry at the time.”
    If Katie felt any revulsion, she