X-Men: Black
Fire
By Paradox
BOOK
II
2
Once again, they took the limo to the club. They would meet the rest of the
band and the roadies at the club. Kitty had dressed for the occasion, logging
onto the net in her room and finding out what kind of place Dock 5 was going
to be. According to several personal reports and interviews in the Tribune,
the club was going to be a more popular alternative type dance club. Based
on that information, Kitty clad herself in dark blue jeans, a black sweater,
black, ankle boots, and a black leather jacket with Lilas name embroidered
on the back. It had been a gift from the band several years ago, and Kitty
felt it only fitting to wear to Lilas big opening.
The rocker herself, on the other hand, had dressed considerably different.
She wore a lycra black crop top and tight black spandex pants, with black,
high heeled boots coming up to her knees. A short black jacket completed
the look. When Kitty had first seen the woman, she had reddened with
embarrassment. Jeez, she had commented, Arent you
a little bit uncomfortable in that?
Lila just smiled and shrugged. Hey, the look works, what more can I
say. Kitty shook her head and smiled as they went into the
limo.
They were still rolling through downtown when Lila looked over at Kitty and
asked, So, why are you in town, really?
Kitty looked over innocently. Im here to see your show, of
course.
I talked to Logan, Kitty, she said knowingly, He said you
were going to be here for at least a three weeks. He actually said he thought
you might be here for a month.
Kitty shrugged. Well, I might be, Im not sure. I did want to
visit my parents, but theyre out of town, and with everything going
on with the X-Men and all.
Yeah, Lila agreed, Seeing your folks might be a bad idea.
So, that kills the parent visit, what else?
Well, theres the show, She paused and thought for a moment,
I dont know, I figured Id just wing
it.
Chinney laughed. Same old Kitty.
The two talked for a few minutes before they pulled up to the club. From
the outside, it looked like a run down building in a dark part of downtown.
The words: Dock 5 were in blue neon letters above the door. Two hulking bouncers
stood guard at the double doors. All and all, it seemed very
nondescript...
...With the exception of the huge crowd that waited impatiently outside.
There was no discernible line, just a mass of people all pushing and shoving
in an attempt to get a better look at the limo that was pulling up. When
the chauffeur opened the door and Lila got out, screams of fans filled the
air. People surged forward in an attempt to try and touch the legend, but
security personnel appeared out of no where and held them back with much
more ease than anyone would have expected. In fact, the security people,
who were all in T-shirts with the words: Dock Crew on the back, did not even
lift a hand to stop anyone. All they did was look at them and the giant cluster
stopped. When Lila saw the effect, her eyes widened and she motioned for
Kitty to look as well. When the younger woman joined her side, her eyes widened
as well. They look like their in a trance, Lila whispered, for
the sound had died to the point where whispering was actually possible; that
in itself was amazing. Somehow, I dont get the feeling that
its because of me being here either.
Yeah, Kitty agreed, clenching her fists nervously, I know
what you mean. You know a safe place we can jump to if we need
to?
I can get us to the hotel suite in the blink of an
eye.
Great, Kitty breathed, We might need to.
The two quickly rushed inside, making their way backstage to where the band
was relaxing. As soon as they walked in, the group sat up and
waved.
Hey Kitty, hows it going?
Kitty smiled back. Going good guys, how about you?
They all sort of shrugged. Were ready to rock.
As if on command, people started chanting from inside the club, their demands
for music raising higher and higher. Lila looked over at Kitty with curious
eyes. Boy, they let them in quick.
Kitty shrugged. Well, theyre calling for you.
The rocker smiled and ran her fingers through the shock of black hair. Too
true, you ready to play boys?
The band each picked up their tools of music and nodded. Lets
do it, the drummer said with a smile, and the stepped from the back
room. When they took the stage, the entire club erupted in cheer, and Kitty
finally got a good look at the interior of the establishment.
The stage was set against the back wall and was a good twenty feet wide,
more than encompassing for any band, plus extra. Kitty assumed it was in
case the band members wanted to work the crowd a little. There were two good
sized bars against the side walls, both of which were currently filled to
bursting. Normally, Kitty could tell there would be tables and chairs scattered
throughout the room, but they had been removed for Lilas performance
to allow for more population capacity. The dance floor itself was at least
forty square feet big, with boxes of different sizes and configurations stacked
up on each other in varying patterns. People had already stormed the mini
stages and were jumping up and down, cheering loudly.
When Lila saw the crowd before her, a smile like pure energy came over her
face. Kitty couldnt help but smile either, for she knew Lila. With
a crowd as big and energetic as this, she was guaranteed to put on a great
performance. Is everyone ready to party tonight? she yelled into
the microphone. An answering roar filled the air, making Kittys ears
ring. Then lets do it! She nodded at the drummer, who clacked
his sticks together four times before the entire group flew into the music.
Unable to help herself, Kitty started to dance, the music seeming to take
control of her feet and set them in motion. She flung her head from side
to side, unmindful of the way her auburn hair flew into her face. It was
as though there was nothing worth living for except for Lilas voice
singing out words of promise, praise, thanks, and joy. The whole world seemed
to be filled with music, and for a while, people knew happiness.
The musical spell was shattered by the sound of a shotgun blast, causing
the music to come to a grinding halt and everyone to freeze in place. Kitty,
her mind still whirling with song and color, stood gasping for breath, trying
to figure out what the heck was going on.
All right, a man in a kabuki mask called out, This is a
robbery for all of you morons. All we want is the cash and no one gets
hurt. He waved the shotgun in his hands and yelled, Now, everyone
get against the back wall and be cool!
The crowd instantly rushed to comply, some people getting trampled in the
process. When Kitty saw a young girl of sixteen get crushed beneath the running
feet, she leapt from the stage and rushed over, using her mutant powers to
discreetly make her way through the crowd without being trampled herself.
When she reached the girl, a quick look indicated a broken ankle, possibly
the foot as well. Are you okay? Kitty asked as she knelt next
to her.
My foot, the girl whimpered, tears rolling down her face,
Im scared.
Its okay, Kitty reassured the girl, Everything will
be okay and Ill make sure you get to a
hospital.
What the hell are you doing?
Kitty looked up and saw a kabuki mask done in red and white glaring down
at her, its puffy cheeks almost comical. This girls ankle is
broken, she tried explaining reasonably, We need to get her to
a hospital before she goes into shock.
Screw that, the mask sneered, shoving its very big pistol into
her stomach, Get yourself and the girl against the wall before we find
out what kind of damage a .357 does to intestines.
Kitty growled deep in her throat, her fists clenched in anger. She knew at
least three dozens of ways of taking this guy down, but by doing that, she
would reveal herself as a mutant and a member of the X-Men, and that was
unacceptable. Come on, she tried again, forcibly putting a plea
in her voice, Shes only a kid.
So are you, the mask responded with a kind of knowledge Kitty
had heard only a few times before.
How do you know? I could be the same age as you.
I dont think so, the mask said, slamming Kitty on the back
of the head with the gun faster than any normal human could move. Stars exploded
behind her eyes and she slumped to the ground, moaning softly. When she tried
to get up, her legs refused to obey her commands, simply laying useless instead.
Gotta get up, she thought desperately, or else these guys are going to kill
someone.
Looking up at the mask, she glared at it and said quietly, So, you
have to show how tough you are by beating up a girl, huh?
The mask shook from side to side and Kitty heard a sigh. Enough of
this crap, I warned you. He put the barrel of the gun to her forehead
and tightened on the trigger. With her vision spinning the way it was, Kitty
knew she would not be able to concentrate enough to phase out. The bullet
would punch through her brain and kill her like any human.
Just as the masks finger tightened down, a figure materialized out
of the shadows, tackling the kabuki mask wearer and rolling into a crouch
next to Kitty. Are you okay? a
very familiar voice
asked.
Kitty shook her head and her eyes widened.
Cole, Is that
you?
Cole looked down at her and his eyes widened slightly before returning to
their previous narrowed glare. Hi Kitty, good to see you again. Give
me a few and well talk. With that, he exploded from the ground,
his hands diving into his coat as the five other robbers leveled their
weapons.
Throwing his body to the side, Cole dodged out of the way of the bullets
and shotgun blasts, yanking what Kitty saw was a pair of Glock 9mm pistols
from his coat. He slid along the ground on his side, firing at the group
of robbers. The bullets slammed into a few, dropping them to the ground.
People screamed, thinking they were dead, but Kitty saw differently. Almost
instantly, the fallen kabuki mask wearers rolled to their feet and made a
break for the door, one of them yelling, Its Shadow, lets
get the hell out of here!
Cole spun to the right and dumped several more bullets into a robber trying
to sneak up on him, yelling, Ash, get the
front!
Im already there bud.
Kitty looked to the front door and saw the familiar image of a young man
with long black hair in a black trench coat standing in the doorway of the
club. He held a pair of submachine guns in his hands and a smile on his lips.
The robber skidded to a halt and gaped at him. Oh no, not him too!
one yelled, Blow out a wall or something, we need to get out of
here! They all scattered as Ash opened fire with the MP-5s, careful
not to hit any civilians in the room. The robbers all split up and started
firing at the two, trying desperately to find a way out of the club. While
Ash simply took the shots as they came, Cole dodged, rolled, and flipped
out of the way, returning fire with every maneuver.
When one of the robbers became confused and rushed right at Cole, the young
mage spun and snapped out his foot, catching the masked man in the head with
a spinning snap kick. The kabuki wearer was lifted off the ground and spun
in the air three times before he hit the ground with a resounding thud. Cole
looked up and yelled, Hammer, do your thing!
Almost instantly, the floor beneath three of the robbers exploded up, throwing
them into the air and slamming them into the walls. Kitty watched as a hulking
man with muscles to rival Colossus rose from the hole in the ground. Cole
slapped his forehead and shook his head. Dammit Hammer, Ive told
you before, minimum property damage!
The big man shrugged. Sorry, I wanted to make it look
cool.
Cole shook his head once more and fired a couple shots at the robbers, who
returned fire. Dammit, start getting these guys gathered up!
Cole snapped, leveling his guns and emptying both fresh clips into the chests
of the remaining two robbers. The robbers fell to the ground and did not
move.
Almost immediately, Hammer rushed over to the fallen bodies, scooping them
up so fast that Kitty could barely keep up with his movements. When the big
man jumped back into the hole, Cole looked over at Ash. Time to vamoose
partner.
See you at the shop, Ash called, ducking out the
door.
Cole spun and ran at one of the walls not occupied by hostages, When he glanced
at Kitty, he threw her a wink and a small smile, seconds before he vanished
into the shadows. Kitty shook her head and got to her feet, looking after
where Cole had disappeared. With his magick it was possible that he had simply
teleported onto the other side of the wall or walked through it. Feasibly,
she could have just phased through the wall and caught up with him. Yet,
Kitty knew that if Cole wanted to make a getaway, there was nothing she could
do to stop him. This was his part of town and he could lose anyone in the
shadows that seemed more a part of him than his skin.
She had just started to say something to Lila when the police surged into
the club, yelling for people to freeze that were no longer there.
* * * *
Where are we going? Lila asked as they walked out of the club
and headed for the limo waiting for them outside.
A club called Excalibur, Kitty explained as she slid into the
limo.
Why?
I need to see someone about what happened tonight.
Lila looked at the younger woman and shrugged. Okay, its your
call, my nights pretty much shot anyway.
Kitty nodded, her face serious, I know, thats exactly what I
want to know about.
Lila looked at her friend for a moment, then her eyes widened in realization.
You know something about what happened at the club.
Kitty shrugged. I think I do, but Im not sure. Thats why
were going to Excalibur.
Whats at Excalibur?
Kitty slid into the limo and reached for the cell phone. Someone who
can tell me exactly what
happened. She quickly dialed a number and waited. Yes, can I
have the number for the club Excalibur in Chicago. The information
operator gave her the number. Thank you. After disconnecting
from the information number, Kitty quickly punched in the clubs phone
number. After three rings, someone picked up the phone. Kitty could hear
the sounds of pounding music and voices in the
background.
Excalibur.
Yes, is Mr. Priest in?
There was a pause on the other end of the line. Uh, who is Mr.
Priest?
The owner of the club, Kitty said as though she were talking
to a child.
Im afraid there is no Mr. Priest who owns this
establishment.
Damn, Kitty hissed, slamming down the
phone.
Problems? Lila asked with raised
eyebrows.
Im just getting stonewalled, Kitty explained, leaning back
in the seat and crossing her legs. This is really starting to get me
mad.
What were you hoping to find out?
I dont know, the younger woman sighed, I wasnt
sure. Ill get my answers when we get to the
club.
As soon as the limo stopped in front of the dance club, Kitty jumped out
before the chauffeur could get to them. She immediately strode to the door,
ignoring the way the bouncer moved to block her way. Excuse me,
the man said overly polite, But you have to wait in line like the
others.
Get out of my way, Kitty growled, I need to talk to your
boss.
The big man looked down at her and sighed, as though a young girl trying
to get into the club ahead of everyone was nothing new. Look, I dont
like to hurt women, but if you dont go to the end of the line-
He reached down and took hold of her shoulder.
Instantly, Kitty grabbed his wrist and rotated it around, throwing off the
mans balance. She used the advantage and used a hip throw to drop him
to the ground. The man hit with a loud thud and he moaned, rubbing his head.
Look, she said, Where the hell is Priest, Im not
in the mood for this.
Neither is he.
Kitty spun, swinging her fist at the new voice out of instinct. She connected
with a face so solidly it should have knocked the person out for several
hours. Instead, the mans face only snapped to the side and looked back
at her. Now that wasnt a very nice thing to say to an old friend
like me.
Kitty sighed and slumped her shoulders. Im sorry Ash, Im
just not in a very good mood tonight and Im tired of people playing
games with me.
The vampire smiled sympathetically and put a hand on her shoulder. Come
on, Ill take you up to see him.
What about my friend? Kitty asked, looking back at Lila as the
woman watched the whole scene.
Ash looked at her and narrowed his eyes. How much does she know about
us?
She works with the X-Men all the time, you guys wont even phase
her.
Ash smiled. Fair enough, he waved at her, Come on
Lila.
The rocker hurried up, looping her arm through Kittys. As they walked
into the club, Lila whispered, Should I be worried?
Kitty shrugged. I dont know, I need to see what kind of a mood
hes in
tonight.
Who?
Priest.
Lila shook her head in confusion. Whos
Priest?
Kitty allowed the barest trace of a smile to touch her lips. Youll
see, just dont get him mad.
They started up a staircase. Why not, does he go berserk like Logan
does?
That made Kitty smile. Worse.
Lila gulped. Ouch.
As soon as they reached the top of the stairs, the two came to a set of double
doors, a man holding an MP-5 submachine gun standing on either side. Ash
nodded at the men and the two nodded back, one reaching over and opening
one of the doors. The trio walked into a luxurious office with plush chairs
surrounding a large oak desk. Paintings of obviously expensive taste hung
from the walls, surrounding the group with beauty. There was only one window
in the room, but it was a large picture one that looked out at the city,
its lights blazing in the night. The single seat behind the desk was swiveled
so the back was facing the group. Hey Priest, you got company, you
decent?
The chair spun around and a young man of about twenty-one or twenty-two faced
Kitty and Lila, kicking his boots up onto the desk and taking a drag from
the cigarette in his hand. Course not, when am I ever
decent?
Kitty sighed and shook her head. Same old Priest.
The vampire Prince of Chicago smiled and bowed his head. I dont
change for anyone Kit, you know that. Whos your
friend?
Kitty drew Lila towards the desk. Priest, meet the rock star Lila
Chinney.
Hi, Lila said somewhat timidly. It was Kittys show and
she was more than willing to let her run it.
Hows it going? Priest returned, throwing her a
wave.
Lila, Kitty continued, Id like you to meet Priest,
Prince of the vampires of Chicago.
Instantly, Priest was on his feet, his hand snapping out, grabbing Kitty
by the collar of her jacket, and hoisting her into the air. What the
hell do you think youre doing? he hissed at her, I should
kill both of you right now for saying that!
Kittys eyes went wide and she gulped hard. It had been nearly a year
and she had forgotten what a temper Priest had. She did remember that he
would make good on his promise if it suited him. Uh, Priest, its
okay, really.
How do you figure? he spat out.
Lilas worked with the X-Men before, shes dealt with weirder
stuff than you guys.
For several long moments, the vampire glared at her, obviously weighing the
options of letting her live. Kitty knew she could phase out of his grip and
run, but then the whole city of vampires would be hunting the two of them
down. There was no way she could outrun that many undead. Finally, Priest
put her down and sighed, dropping back into his chair as though he were
exhausted. Dammit Kitty, next time you plan on bringing someone here
to see me, let me know first.
I tried, Kitty complained, But the idiots you have working
for you said you didnt exist.
The vampire raised an eyebrow. Kit, do you really think I would use
my name under the ownership title?
Kitty looked down, her cheeks reddening. Why hadnt she thought of that?
Well, yeah.
Again, a sigh. Okay, he said, Whats up? He
indicated the chairs and the two women sat down. Ash moved to the window
and leaned against it, pulling out a cigarette.
There was an attack at the club Dock 5 tonight, Kitty explained,
It was done by your people. I want to know
why.
Dock 5 huh? Priest rubbed his chin, his glassing slightly as
he thought. I got a call from my boys in the PD saying that there was
a big shoot out at that place. No one was
arrested.
Yeah, Kitty said, sitting forward, Thats another
thing-
Before another word could be said, the doors to the office flew open and
slammed into the wall with a loud bang. Kitty and Lila spun in their seats
to see a young man stalk into the room, his black trench coat flapping violently
around his legs and ankles. Priest, we need to talk,
now!
The vampire Prince stood up and smiled. Hey Cole, youre just
in time to meet our
guests.
Stow it! the young
man growled, slamming a fist down on the desk so hard the computer sitting
upon it jumped, Ricky and his crew pulled a job on Dock 5 tonight,
I want a blood hunt on them now!
Priest shrugged. Hey, theyre Rabble, its in their
nature.
Cole shook his head, snarling in anger under his breath. Dammit Priest,
they answer to Jessica, and thats her fraggin
club!
Ill handle it, the vampire said quietly.
For a moment, Kitty thought that Cole might argue with Priest or even hit
him, but the mage finally backed down, spitting out a curse and spinning
towards the window Ash stood at. The younger vampire tossed him a cigarette
and said, Ive already talked with our guys at the PD, no one
will ever know we were there.
Good, Cole said, his anger slowly starting to dissipate,
Ive got two of Rickys boys on ice, maybe theyll tell
us where he is.
Hi Cole.
The young man froze, his heart stopping for a second and then kicking into
overdrive. Very slowly, his head turned towards the voice and his steel gray
eyes locked onto a pair of the most beautiful hazel ones he had ever seen.
Eyes he not seen for nearly a year, until earlier that night. Hi
Kitty, he said quietly.
Its been a while, the young woman said, standing
up.
Cole nodded, his expression growing dark. Yeah, it
has.
For a long while, neither said a thing. It seemed as though they were trying
to communicate their thoughts and feelings by expression alone. When he could
no longer take the heated silence, Priest pushed up from the desk and said,
All right. Ash, I want you and Flexor to interrogate the two guys you
got a hold of. Find out where Ricky is and then bring him to me. Ash
nodded and left the room. Cole, I want you to talk to Jess, find out
what the deal is and why she had her own club hit just when it was opening.
I have a feeling it has to do with money.
Cole nodded and quietly said, Im on it. He started to the
door.
Hold on chief, Priest said, I didnt mean right
now. Cole stopped, looking at the vampire with a curious eyebrow.
Let her relax and think shes in the clear. Do it
tomorrow.
Cole turned towards Priest fully. And just what am I supposed to do
until then?
Take the night off, he said with a smile and a wave of his hand,
God knows that youve been working your ass
off.
I want Ricky and Jessica, Cole insisted, narrowing his eyes
angrily.
Youll have em, I promise you. Now, get the hell out of
here and enjoy yourself for once in your life.
Cole glared at Priest for several tense seconds and then spun around, storming
out the door. Ill be downstairs having a drink, he called
back before the door closed.
Kitty and Lila looked after him until the door cut of her view of him and
turned back to Priest. Well, hes a pleasant fellow, Lila
quipped, I can see what you like about the guy.
Kitty threw Lila a hard look and said to Priest, Whats wrong
with him, he was never that cold.
Priest sighed and sank into his chair. Hes been under a lot of
pressure for the last year. He wanted the job of city sheriff and I gave
it to him.
Kitty cocked her head to the side curiously. So hes sheriff of
Chicago, he can handle it.
The vampire nodded. Yeah, I know, but it got more complicated once
I gave him the job.
How?
Priest sighed and took out a bottle of red liquid, pouring it into three
glasses. Something to drink?
Kitty smirked. Should I be worried about it being
blood?
The vampire looked stricken, and for a minute, Kitty thought she might have
actually offended him. That sent a trickle of fear down her spine. Offending
the Prince of vampires in Chicago was not a wise thing to do. Yet when he
suddenly smiled, the trace of fear vanished. She should have known better
than to think that Priest would take offense to a little comment like hers.
Nah, my blood binding you guys to me just wouldnt serve any purpose.
This is just a little red wine. He extended two cups to the
women.
Lila started to reach for hers and looked at Kitty for an okay. Kitty nodded
and took her own cup. Its okay Lila, Priests a vamp of
his word.
The vampire smiled and put a hand over his heart. My dear Kitty, you
make my heart go pitter patter with your kind words.
Kitty laughed and took a sip of the wine. Anyway, you were saying about
Cole...
Yeah, Priest said, his expression growing serious once again,
As I was saying, just after Cole took the job of sheriff, a lot of
people were giving him grief about him being a mage and not a vampire. There
was a lot of teasing and trick playing.
And Cole flipped out, Kitty surmised. She could already picture
the young mage growing enraged and begin to kill vampires left and right.
She could actually see the bloodlust in his eyes that surpassed even
Wolverines infamous berserker rages.
No, he actually didnt. Kittys eyebrows went up.
All Cole did was call a full blown vampire meeting here at Elysium
at three in the morning when the place was closed down for the night, stand
in front of everyone, and offer a general challenge to anyone
there.
What kind of challenge? Lila asked.
Priest looked over at her and then back at Kitty, his gaze asking her if
it would be wise to reveal anything else. Kitty nodded minutely and Priest
continued. It was a challenge for the title of sheriff. If anyone wanted
the job, all they needed to do was kill him.
The rocker winced slightly. Thats a little excessive, don't you
think?
Priest shrugged. Thats the way we do things. It tends to keep
order and dominance that way.
So what happened? Kitty asked, anxious to find out more about
Cole.
Well, the Rabble next in line for Primogen status stepped up and answered
the challenge.
And Cole won, right?
The vampire laughed. Won? Hell, the boy literally ripped the guy apart
from the inside out without even touching him.
Kitty gasped. She knew Cole was a powerful mage, but... Coles
not that strong of a mage, she stated
flatly.
Bull, Priest threw back, That kids got so much magick
inside him hes practically bursting with power. I had a couple guys
from the magi society come down and check him out and they never made it
through the door of the club before they turned and ran as fast as they
could.
Whyd they do that?
Well, the Prince said, leaning back in the chair, When
I called them up the next day demanding an explanation, they said that there
was so much raw magickal energy radiating from him that it was like he was
a living Node.
A what? the two women asked.
Priest laughed. Yeah, that was exactly what I said. I wont confuse
you with the magickal mumbo jumbo, just suffice to say that Coles a
walking magick battery with the strength of a nuclear bomb thats about
to go critical.
My God, Kitty whispered, How does he stay
sane?
Hes been bleeding off magick constantly, Priest explained,
At least thats what he said he was doing. From what Ive
been told, hes been using his magick to teleport from place to place,
heal wounds, and generally just been feeding it into the
Earth.
Wont such raw magickal energy harm the Earths structure?
Kitty asked, the analyst in her coming out. Whenever something weird or
unexplained happened, she always reverted to science to find an explanation.
So far, her knowledge had served her well, but there was nothing scientific
about magick.
No, Cole says that hes only returning the energy to where it
came from. According to him, the energy hes getting is coming from
the Earth anyway.
Lila suddenly stood up, draining her glass and setting it on the desk.
Well, Ive had about as much weirdness as I can take for one night,
so Im going to go downstairs and get plastered.
Priest smiled and stood up, taking her hand. Please, have whatever
you want and however much you want of it, on me. Its the least I can
do for screwing up your big gig.
Lila smiled and nodded her thanks before walking out the door. As soon as
the wooden door closed, Kitty turned back to Priest, eyeing him suspiciously.
Theres more, isnt there?
Of course, I just havent had a chance to talk about it yet.
He refilled both of their glasses and lit a fresh cigarette. About
six months ago, the Warlocks and the Rabble teamed up with the anarchs of
the city in an attempt to overthrow me. All combined, they totaled about
twenty vampires.
Thats not a lot.
On the contrary, Priest said with a wave of his finger, That
was more than half the population of vampires in the city. Well, Me, Cole,
and Ash got the Outlanders, Artists, and Blue Bloods together and formed
a counter offensive. In the end, we had a
real bloody war. The whole thing
was something we call a Clan War. Its when the different vampire clans,
basically, got to war.
I figured that, Kitty stated, obviously not liking being spoken
to like a child.
Yeah, Priest blushed, embarrassed by his oversight, Well,
when it was over, Cole proved to be the major turning
point.
How?
The vampire stood and looked out the window, surveying his city. He
basically vaporized ninety percent of them.
What! Kitty yelled, jumping to her feet.
Oh yeah, Priest said with a nod of his head, not looking at Kitty,
Hes
that powerful. Ever since
then, the vampires from down south, the Sabbat, have been trying to infiltrate
the city and Coles had his hands full. He turned back to face
Kitty. Needless to say, hes been under some
stress.
Yeah, Kitty agreed, Are you sure hes okay down at
the bar drinking?
Yeah, Priest said, Hes been okay for a while. This
whole Dock 5 thing just riled him up. That and the fact that you were there
didnt help any.
Kitty raised an eyebrow. What do you mean?
The vampire looked at her quizzically. You dont know? She
shook her head. Kitty, the guy is in love with you.
Kitty mouth fell open. For several moments, no words came to her mind, only
confusion and disbelief. Finally, when her voice obeyed her again, she quietly
asked, How can you be so sure?
Priest chuckled and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Kit, Ive been on this planet for more years than you know. Believe
me, I know when someones in love.
So how do you know?
Well, for one, Cole would never been so pissed off about that little
gunfight at Dock 5 as he was tonight. Hell, the kid loves getting into scrapes,
lets him blow off steam. The only reason he was so pissed was because you
were in harms way.
So maybe hes considerate of human life? Kitty offered
hopefully.
Priest looked at her for a long time and shook his head. Coles
considerate of human life all right, but hes also more distanced in
situations involving them. Trust me Kitty, hes in love with you, and
you feel the same about him.
Kitty jerked away from the vampire and faced him fully, glaring into his
eyes. What are you talking about? The guy saved my life, of course
I like him as a friend.
Priest made a disgusted sound and shook his head. You humans, you try
to hide your feelings from one another too much. He looked her in the
eye. Kitty, the one look you gave him when he came in the room spoke
volumes. Youre in love with him.
Kitty spun around and stormed out of the room. Just before she exited the
office, she looked over her shoulder and spat out, You wouldnt
know love if it smacked you in the face.
After the young woman had left the room, Priest sighed and smiled, dropping
back into his seat and looking at the two closed doors. Yes, he knew about
love. He had been in love shortly before and after his Embrace, but the feelings
had died away, along with the girl he had fallen in love with.
Yeah, he sighed, I think I might know one or two things
about love.