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  Consuming the

  Darkness

  by Shiela Stewart

  Breathless Press

  Calgary, Alberta

  www.breathlesspress.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or

  persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Consuming the Darkness

  Copyright© 2009 Shiela Stewart

  ISBN: 978-1-926771-00-7

  Cover Artist: Justyn Perry

  Editor: Rochelle Weber

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations

  embodied in reviews.

  Breathless Press

  www.breathlesspress.com

  To Nikki B

  Without you, this book would not

  have been written. Who would have

  thought a mislabeled title could turn

  into a full blown story.

  Thanks a bunch, lady!

  Prologue

  Damn it was hot today.

  Wiping the sweat from his brow, Nathan spotted his partner as he pulled up in his beat up Mustang. The guy really needed to come into the future and drive something a little more modern. But every time Nate had suggested it to Leo, he got the same rant. “They don’t make cars like this anymore and until they do, I’m driving my ‘Stang.”

  The guy did have a point but Nate sure as hell wasn’t going to admit that to him. He enjoyed ribbing him far too much to let it go.

  “Took you long enough. Car break down on you on the way here?”

  Lifting his middle finger, Leo scratched his cheek. “Merry hey hey to you to, fucker.”

  Laughing, Nate slugged his friend’s shoulder for good measure. “So you ready to do this?”

  “As I’ll ever be. What makes you think he’ll show? Much less in broad daylight?”

  “He won’t be able to resist.” Nate was betting The Heartless Killer, as the press had dubbed him, wouldn’t be able to resist the invitation. “Besides, he loves playing with me.”

  “Sick fuck if you ask me. Who in their right mind would want to play with you?” Darting out of reach before Nate’s fist could connect with his arm, Leo laughed. “Okay, so what’s the plan?”

  “You hide and I’ll stand around looking bored.”

  “Typical day at the office then. Gotcha. Your radio on?”

  Nate held his two-way up, showing the green light indicating it was on. “You?”

  “Never leave home without it.” Waving his in the air, Leo headed down the alley.

  Damn it was hot!

  The black T-shirt he wore clung to his chest showing off a patch of dampness down his chest and under each arm. And he’d put on extra deodorant before he’d left. Little good it did under these conditions. Nate made a mental note to buy something stronger next time.

  “Can you believe how fucking hot it is today?”

  Clicking respond, Nate replied, “Hadn’t noticed.” He was so full of shit.

  The sound of a twig snapping behind him had Nate spinning around, hand ready on his weapon, only to find a scrawny cat looking for food. “Shit!” Relaxing his hand, he drew in a deep breath and tried to relax.

  Maybe this had been a bad idea but even bad ideas were useful sometimes and if it meant getting a peak at the low life who seemed to enjoy killing his victims by removing their hearts, then it was well worth it.

  A car sped past the alley, revving its engine and putting Nate on high alert. Damn, he was too tense.

  “Where the hell are you?” he muttered to himself.

  He was sure the guy would come. The killer seemed to enjoy playing with him and making sure all of his messages went to Nate first and foremost. He had no idea why the guy was so fascinated with him but hell, if it got him caught, then more power to him.

  “Shoulda brought water,” Leo said softly through the two-way.

  “Just drink your own sweat.”

  “I will if you do.”

  Smiling, Nate tucked the two-way back in his belt loop and once again, waited. He checked his watch, saw that it had been nearly forty minutes since they started and was thinking if the killer didn’t make a show in the next hour they were calling it quits. He hated admitting defeat but he sure as hell wasn’t going to wait around all day in this heat.

  Deciding what he needed was to walk around to keep from passing out in the heat, Nate headed away from where Leo was hiding and to the end of the alley. His eyes glanced about as he walked, making note of his surroundings. He’d picked this area for a reason. For the most part, it was filled with abandoned warehouses, a junk yard and repo site. There wasn’t a lot of activity, which made it perfect for meeting with a killer who didn’t want to be seen.

  He checked his watch, again, and noticed he’d burnt a whole three minutes. My how time flies when you’re having fun.

  His two-way clicked on and he was sure Leo was going to bitch to him about waiting.

  “Hello, Nathaniel.”

  Yanking the two-way from his belt, he replied, “Stop fucking around, Leo.” If he kept up the chatter Nate was sure the killer was going to hear it.

  “Sorry to disappoint you, but this isn’t Leo. He’s a little…indisposed at the moment.”

  Spinning around, Nate narrowed his eyes to the sun as he looked down the alley to the dumpster Leo was hiding behind. He couldn’t see him which only made his blood run colder. “We agreed to meet. You and I. So why don’t you step out of the shadows and show yourself.” He kept his voice calm as he started off toward the dumpster.

  “How foolish do you think I am?”

  He quickened his pace, his eyes darting around in search of the madman who was taunting him right now. “You showed up, didn’t you?”

  “Did I? You really shouldn’t have turned your back on your partner, Nathaniel.”

  Not only did his blood run cold but his heart began to pound in his chest. In a dead run, Nate headed to his partner. The instant he approached the dumpster, his heart stopped.

  “Jesus, Leo, no!” Falling to his knees, Nate grabbed hold of his friend, knowing full well there was no hope in finding a pulse, but checked anyway.

  “Fuck! Leo!” Right over the area where his heart should be was a hole. Straight through to his back. “Jesus, Leo. I am so sorry,” he cried as he held his partner and best friend, blood soaking into his already damp chest.

  “You’ll never win, Nathaniel.”

  Spinning around, his eyes went wide as he glared up at the…thing before him. He saw his hand come up a split second before the rock connected with his head.

  Stars exploded before his eyes and as the bright sunlight began to fade, he heard the eerie laughter trailing off behind him.

  ***

  He felt a hand on his arm and jerking awake, came up defensively, thinking it was the killer. The bastard was going to pay for what he did to Leo.

  “Take it easy, now. We came to help.”

  Seeing the officer looming in front of him, he blinked rapidly to clear his vision. The ringing in his ears and the loud tribal drum beat in his head made it hard to hear what he was saying.

  “We need an ambulance here. This one’s alive,” the officer shouted out wh
ile he pressed a hand to Nathan’s head.

  What did he mean “this one’s alive”?

  “You got a name, buddy?”

  “Nathan, Detective Powers. Shit, we have to get him, he could still be here.” Bolting up, the scene around him spinning, Nathan turned to his friend. The blank dead-eyed stare looked back at him but his friend wasn’t in there.

  “You need to stay down, Detective. You’ve got a nasty head wound here.”

  Nathan shook the officer off and stayed sitting. He noticed the police cars with their bright lights flashing and all the cops milling about. “We need to find the fucker who did this to Leo. Now!” Pushing himself up, determined to hunt the bastard down, Nate felt the ground beneath him move.

  “You’re not going anywhere, Detective.”

  “I have to find him. Let me go!” But as he tugged free and tried to run, his legs turned to jelly and the scene around him spun some more. He saw the ground as he went down, then it all turned black.

  Chapter One

  Jacob’s Cove, 2026

  After the Darkness

  Lieutenant Sienna Storm’s first day in Jacob’s Cove was proving to be a bitch. It was only just past one in the morning, five hours since she’d arrived without any of her furniture or belongings yet. What the fuck?

  God damn movers had decided to take a break for the night instead of following through with their promise to deliver her stuff immediately. They informed her that she would have her stuff late the next day. She really should have packed an overnight bag but, no—she’d believed the company when they said, Speedy same day delivery even out of town. Yeah, right.

  When she got the call to arrive at a murder scene, she’d been gung-ho to get started. Except, her damn car decided to break down halfway to the scene. But no, that wasn’t bad enough. The damn cab driver she’d flagged down got lost. And he tried to charge her twice what the fare was worth. Well, she’d shown him, hadn’t she, shoving her badge in his face and threatening to haul his lumpy ass into a cell for trying to con her. He’d apologized profusely and had even given her the ride for free.

  Damn straight.

  Hurrying down the dark alley, unfamiliar with the terrain, she hoped her first case would be a smooth one.

  Spotting the scene up ahead and the officer standing with his hands in his pockets, she took a deep breath and got into cop mode.

  “Lieutenant Storm.” Sienna held her badge up, giving the officer a quick glance. “What have we got?” she asked as she approached the body. The instant she caught sight of the victim she knew it wasn’t going to be a typical case.

  The body of a young woman, approximately mid-twenties, lay face up on the ground, with a fist-sized hole in her chest where her heart had once beat. She had long, brown hair with blond highlights and a slim build. The jeans she wore looked designer, as did the purse tossed a few inches from her body, still intact.

  What the hell had she been doing alone in an alley this late at night?

  “Officer Barlow,” the tall, sturdy-looking man with a very ordinary face introduced himself. “This is Sally Grand, according to her ID, twenty-three, five-seven, one ten,” the officer explained. “She was found by a woman taking out her trash. At least she had the sense to puke away from the body. No witnesses so far but we’re still early. Same MO as two other murders. Heart missing, hole through the chest and back. This is some sick shit, if you ask me.”

  She hadn’t but everyone was entitled to their opinions. Sienna had to agree, though. She’d never seen anything like it before and she’d seen some disgusting stuff in her career. “Crime scene been here yet?”

  The cop chuckled, which didn’t amuse Sienna much. “Lieutenant, we only just got started working the town three months ago. Our CSU consists of one guy who also happens to be the ME, and two green eyed wannabes.”

  Perfect. Well, she had been warned, hadn’t she. “Where is he?”

  “On another call.”

  Great! “Who’s collecting the evidence?”

  “Well, looks like that’ll be you, me, and Officer Dickie over there taking the witness’ statement.” He held his hand out to the officer behind him.

  Why had she come to Jacob’s Cove again? Oh yeah, to help rebuild the city after the darkness lifted. Right. Still…

  “Okay, Officer Barlow. What I need is for everyone to stay back from the body. I also need someone to drive me to my car which is…fuck…probably in the shop by now. Damn it!” Yeah, her day really wasn’t starting out well.

  “I need a crime scene kit. I don’t suppose you boys would have one in your car?”

  “Of course. Dickie already took fingernail scrapings and footprint impressions. A full-body exam will be done when she gets to the morgue. We do know what we’re doing, Lieutenant, even though we’re shorthanded at the moment.”

  She took his attitude in stride. “I hope so, because this isn’t going to be an easy one. From the looks of it, it might be Jacob’s Cove’s first serial murder case since the sun returned.”

  Sienna examined the area where the body had been left. It was your typical dark alley complete with stinking garbage, knee high weeds and graffiti. She knew enough of Jacob’s Cove to know it had been through hell and back in the past year and a half, so she cut the disaster some slack. Some big evil vampire dude named Chaos had gripped the city in darkness for his own gain and after a year had finally been taken down by a band of warriors determined to save the town and its inhabitants. Sunlight filled Jacob’s Cove once more and now it was slowly beginning to come back to life, thanks to the city’s mayor, Trinity Hawthorn, and the chief of police, Basil Hawthorn, who both happened to be vampires.

  Yet that was nothing strange for Sienna, given the fact that she had grown up with such things. Her father, having come from a race of powerful Tejakka demons, had owned a spiritual store back home in Kansas that had catered to all sorts of creatures, including vampires. It was through him that she had learned of Jacob’s Cove and through him she’d been appointed the city’s first and only lieutenant of homicide.

  She’d heard all about the decay of the city, the ruin of some of the areas, but hearing about it was nothing compared to seeing it in living—or dead—color. It amazed her that a city could be so badly destroyed in the course of a year. They should use Jacob’s Cove as the poster child for Global Warming. This is what can happen if we don’t treat the planet better.

  Well, this was her city now and it was her job to bring the bastard down for killing three innocent people.

  She heard the crunch of tires and, swiveling back, saw a long, black car come to a stop at the end of the alley. She assumed it was the ME, but she wouldn’t be a smart cop if she went on assumptions. The driver’s door opened and a tall gentleman dressed in all black stepped out.

  “CSU’s here,” Barlow announced, confirming her assumption.

  He looked like he was in his mid-forties with chestnut-brown hair perfectly coiffed, dressed in a dark suit that looked as if it had been handmade for him. As he drew closer she saw the tell-tale yellow vampire eyes as they connected with hers.

  “Lieutenant Storm,” she introduced, flipping out her badge.

  “Doctor Cooper Hawthorn. Good to have you onboard, Lieutenant.” He looked down at the body and the sorrow came into his eyes. “Another one,” he said on a long sigh as he gloved up and put on his sterile gown and cap.

  “This one’s younger than the last,” Barlow added with a heavy sigh of his own.

  Clicking his tongue, the doc knelt down beside the body. Sienna stood watch as Officer Barlow filled him in on what he and officer Dickie had taken from the body. There was compassion in the way the doc examined the body of the young woman, the way he delicately took each hand in his, gently taking her head in his hands. Sienna was moved by the emotion on his face. The doc seemed to really
care.

  “When did you arrive in town, Lieutenant?”

  Startled back to reality by his question, she responded, “A few hours ago. Do you have a spare set of gloves, cap and gown for me?”

  Reaching in his bag, the doc pulled out two sealed packages and handed them to her. “How are you finding the city so far?”

  Sienna was fascinated by the way he examined the body. He took such care with her as if she were still alive. She slipped the sterile plastic cap over her hair, pulled the gown over her head, slipped her hands through the sleeves, and pulled on the gloves. “The movers decided to take a break and sleep instead of delivering my belongings. My apartment won’t be ready until tomorrow morning. The hotel I found at the last minute claimed to be a five-star, though I’d give it a negative score. The lock on the room I was given didn’t work and when I went to the next room, I found a couple engaging in some serious S and M. Then, my car conked out on me halfway here and the cabbie tried to double charge me. So far, it’s been a shitty start.”

  Cooper looked up at her with a glimmer in his eyes. “Yet you arrive looking as fresh as the day’s rain and as lovely as the stars above.”

  The guy was a smooth talker and he left her speechless.

  “The diameter of the hole in her chest is six inches wide and five inches deep. Consistent with the other two victims.”

  Back to business.

  “Has anyone taken photos of this poor girl and the crime scene?”

  “Dickie did,” Barlow informed him. “He’ll get the camera to you when we transport the vic. How’s the wife?”

  “She is doing well, thank you for asking, Donald. How are your wife and children doing? Has Tommy cut that tooth yet?”

  Barlow pulled his cap off to scratch his head of dusty grey hair. “The wife’s threatening to run off to the Bahamas, which tells you no, Tommy has not cut that tooth yet.”

  Cooper clicked his tongue as he got to his feet. “Have your wife brew up a strong pot of chamomile tea, then freeze some of it in popsicle form. In the meantime while you’re waiting, soak a cloth in the tea, then place it in the freezer for twenty minutes. Let Tommy suck on it until the popsicle’s ready. This should calm the poor dear. And the child as well,” Cooper added with a wink.