Read Online The Vampire Hunters (Book 2): Vampyrnomicon by Scott M. Baker - Free Book Online
Authors: Scott M. Baker
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complications.
Heading into the kitchen, Drake made van Helsing dinner from a bag of pre-mixed greens. The simple pleasures of a simple life. A part of him envied van Helsing. No cares, other than getting fed on time, which could be a hit-or-miss proposition given Drake’s line of work. No life-and-death struggles with the undead. No living in the shadow of constant danger. No worries about whether he would survive to see another sunrise. And no feelings of guilt about whom he loved. No complications at all.
Unlike his own life. Being a cop in Boston had been complicated enough, and over time it had taken its toll on Drake’s health and morale. He couldn’t have expected anything different considering he faced an endless stream of gang-related violence, pedophiles, junkies, rapists, and every other dreg society could vomit up. Yet all that paled in comparison to the Night Stalker, the investigation that completely changed his life. What he originally considered a particularly vicious serial killer turned out to be a vampire on the prowl. Granted, it took him awhile to accept the reality that vampires existed. When he finally did come to terms with the reality, he and Alison tracked the thing down and eliminated it, but not before they burned out the Old South Church, ruining their careers and reputations in the process. Despite having saved the city from evil incarnate, the mayor and police chief were preparing to hang out Drake as a rogue cop who exceeded his authority. He would have ended up in jail, or a mental institution, had not Smith and the anonymous benefactor he represented intervened on his behalf. Smith arranged for all charges to be dropped, then offered Drake and Alison a job tracking down a nest of the undead in Washington. Smith promised to furnish them with anything they needed in return for eliminating the nest, which at first sounded like a fair enough proposition. At least until Drake realized that the Washington nest was unusually large, almost twenty snuffies at any given time, including two powerful and vicious masters.
The female master was the most vicious and powerful vampire he had ever encountered. Every run-in they had with her nearly proved fatal. Unfortunately, she escaped from Wolf Trap. As long as she remained among the undead, she posed a constant threat. They needed to track her down and destroy her before she could rebuild the nest, which was why the hunters were going back to the row house in two days.
A gentle nudge against his ankle brought Drake back to the task at hand. He looked down to see van Helsing sitting at his feet. When dinner did not magically appear, van Helsing gently nudged Drake again with his nose. Drake emptied the bag of greens into a plastic soup bowl and knelt down to feed his companion. Van Helsing stood on his hind legs and wrapped his front paws over the rim of the bowl, trying to speed up the process. He yanked out a chunk of radicchio and began munching before Drake could set the bowl down.
“You must be starving.” Drake tried to massage van Helsing’s ears, but the rabbit pushed his hand away with his head. Knowing when to take a hint, Drake left him alone. Heading into the living room, he poured himself a tumbler of Baker’s Bourbon and took a Macanudo from the humidor, then strolled out onto the enclosed balcony. A minute later, he sat comfortably sprawled in a lounge chair, sipping on the bourbon and puffing on the cigar.
In the four months they had been battling the undead in Washington, the hunters had earned themselves a respectable tally. Thirty snuffies and one master eliminated, which almost compensated for all the collateral damage his hunters caused and the notoriety they gained with local law enforcement. At last count, at least three jurisdictions in the Washington-Maryland-Virginia area waited for the hunters to screw up big time, to get themselves in so deep even their anonymous benefactor would not be able to help them. That number
Heading into the kitchen, Drake made van Helsing dinner from a bag of pre-mixed greens. The simple pleasures of a simple life. A part of him envied van Helsing. No cares, other than getting fed on time, which could be a hit-or-miss proposition given Drake’s line of work. No life-and-death struggles with the undead. No living in the shadow of constant danger. No worries about whether he would survive to see another sunrise. And no feelings of guilt about whom he loved. No complications at all.
Unlike his own life. Being a cop in Boston had been complicated enough, and over time it had taken its toll on Drake’s health and morale. He couldn’t have expected anything different considering he faced an endless stream of gang-related violence, pedophiles, junkies, rapists, and every other dreg society could vomit up. Yet all that paled in comparison to the Night Stalker, the investigation that completely changed his life. What he originally considered a particularly vicious serial killer turned out to be a vampire on the prowl. Granted, it took him awhile to accept the reality that vampires existed. When he finally did come to terms with the reality, he and Alison tracked the thing down and eliminated it, but not before they burned out the Old South Church, ruining their careers and reputations in the process. Despite having saved the city from evil incarnate, the mayor and police chief were preparing to hang out Drake as a rogue cop who exceeded his authority. He would have ended up in jail, or a mental institution, had not Smith and the anonymous benefactor he represented intervened on his behalf. Smith arranged for all charges to be dropped, then offered Drake and Alison a job tracking down a nest of the undead in Washington. Smith promised to furnish them with anything they needed in return for eliminating the nest, which at first sounded like a fair enough proposition. At least until Drake realized that the Washington nest was unusually large, almost twenty snuffies at any given time, including two powerful and vicious masters.
The female master was the most vicious and powerful vampire he had ever encountered. Every run-in they had with her nearly proved fatal. Unfortunately, she escaped from Wolf Trap. As long as she remained among the undead, she posed a constant threat. They needed to track her down and destroy her before she could rebuild the nest, which was why the hunters were going back to the row house in two days.
A gentle nudge against his ankle brought Drake back to the task at hand. He looked down to see van Helsing sitting at his feet. When dinner did not magically appear, van Helsing gently nudged Drake again with his nose. Drake emptied the bag of greens into a plastic soup bowl and knelt down to feed his companion. Van Helsing stood on his hind legs and wrapped his front paws over the rim of the bowl, trying to speed up the process. He yanked out a chunk of radicchio and began munching before Drake could set the bowl down.
“You must be starving.” Drake tried to massage van Helsing’s ears, but the rabbit pushed his hand away with his head. Knowing when to take a hint, Drake left him alone. Heading into the living room, he poured himself a tumbler of Baker’s Bourbon and took a Macanudo from the humidor, then strolled out onto the enclosed balcony. A minute later, he sat comfortably sprawled in a lounge chair, sipping on the bourbon and puffing on the cigar.
In the four months they had been battling the undead in Washington, the hunters had earned themselves a respectable tally. Thirty snuffies and one master eliminated, which almost compensated for all the collateral damage his hunters caused and the notoriety they gained with local law enforcement. At last count, at least three jurisdictions in the Washington-Maryland-Virginia area waited for the hunters to screw up big time, to get themselves in so deep even their anonymous benefactor would not be able to help them. That number
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