Hounds in the Night

The screams were echoing through her mind. She shivered as she walked through the long stone corridor. She could taste the blood in the back of her throat. It was smeared along the stone walls and pooled along the floors.

"I knew you would come back eventually."

She turned to look at him, eyebrow raised, "Oh, did you now? How could you know when even I didn't?"

"We are creatures of habit. This is where you began and it is where you'll end."

"And where did you begin William? Is it here?" she asked, scooting closer to him.

Their chests were pressed together, her face turned up to his. He smiled, leaned down and ran his oh-so-soft cheek along her jaw line. She sighed, turned to give him better access to her neck.

"Jesus," she sighed into his mouth. He grinned, fangs visible this time.

"You saved me...once," he whispered.

"I was returning the favor," she whispered back.

It was growing colder in the corridor and she shivered. He tried to wrap himself around her for warmth but it was a moot point.

"You're dead. You don't have body heat," she told him with a snicker.

"There are things here that you don't understand. Something's coming, can't you feel it?"

Something trailed dark and angry up her spine. It was the cause of the cold. Her breath was coming out faster, shorter. She wanted to scream from the pitt of her stomach.

"William?!"

He was falling away from her, the dream they shared shattering around them. She was left in the cold and the darkness alone. She shivered again.
The shadows shifted and she was running suddenly. Running and the blackness of whatever they were was catching up to her. It slipped over her like a cloak, leaking into her skin, through her flesh and into her chest.

Her heart was trying to escape, trying to pump its way through the thing closing over it. Her lungs were ice, every breath labored. A thousand knives carving through her chest. She was crying into the dark.

Where was she?

She was sitting up suddenly, shoulders shaking, drenched. She opened her mouth to scream. She coughed out blood instead. It twisted in ribbons through the cold water she was lying in.

Riley was pulling her from the bath, River screaming for Patrick to get bandages. The fact that there was no visible wound was unimportant.

"Wait River," she choked out, "It's not my blood. Watch."

The blood that had settled at the bottom of the tub seeped away.

"So...what does phantom blood mean?" Patrick asked, hands full of bandages and peroxide.

"It means something's coming," Riley muttered to herself.

"Beckett," Pete growled out.

"Worse," Raine sighed, the only sign of the dream a small drop of blood at the corner of her mouth. She licked it away.

"What happened?" River asked, pulling her wet friend into her arms.

"I was careless, let my shields fall and Beckett slipped in. Warned me. But he let something else in too. I think it's time to ward the warehouse."

"We have a Priest bless this place twice a month," Andy supplied.

Raine shook her head, "No offense...but god won't help you now."

~*~

"Pete?" Raine was standing in the doorway of his room.

He sneered up at her, arm in a makeshift sling.

"What's with the sling. It'll be healed by dinner time. Sooner if you feed."

"I don't feed," he growled out at her and she rolled her eyes.

"There are ways around that, you know that right? There's a blood bank owned by hunters that can supply you with fresh blood."

"What would you know about it?" he snapped.

"Oh I know a lot about a lot of things. But the main thing is that you weaken yourself, and us through you, by not feeding. River hunts when she shifts. It's the same concept."

"I'm sure River doesn't eat people."

"Well, there was this one time..." Raine trailed off uncomfortable, "You know, you can feed without killing, right?"

"Never tried."

"Whatever Blade," she sneered, marching off singing, "You are a sellout but you couldn't even do that right..."

~*~

"I'm not going out with him again!" River whined, "I can't smell anything with him near me."

"Don't look at me," Riley commanded, "I'd kill him on instinct."

Pete glared at her, "Like I'd let you kill me."

"Wouldn't ask for permission," she sang back.

"Well...that leaves Raine," Patrick said with a smile.

"Ah man!" Raine whined, "He's mean!"

"She wants me to feed!" Pete protested.

River and Riley shrugged, "She's right."

"I hate you all."

"I say we stake him and put him out of his misery," Riley whispered to River.

River nodded, "I'll hold him down."

They moved toward each other in a threatening way. A gust of wind blew through the room, keeping the three apart.

"Knock it off!" Raine commanded in a booming voice, eyes glowing violet.

"Yes mum," her two friends chimed.

"I am going to get dressed for tonight. When I get back here no one better be bleeding. Cept maybe River if Pete feels like feeding."

"I don't Pomme for anyone!" River growled. Raine tutted.

"Why did I let you read that book?" Riley asked with a laugh.

"Funnily enough, Ms. Hamilton got that right," Raine said, "I wonder what that means about her."

"I vote vamp," Riley said with a laugh.

"She's a lycan," River said with a nod.

"Both of you are wrong," Raine laughed, "She's part fey."

"That explains Meredith."

"Haha, wait til you meet the real Frost. Yummy on crackers."

"Forget Chicago! Let's go back to St. Louis!" River said laughing.

"I'm pretty sure they're holding the fort down in St. Louis," Raine said, "Too many cooks, you know?"

"Aww, but I wanna meet this Richard character..."

"Sorry hun, that one's pure fiction."

"Damn! That bitch needs to be smacked!"

Shaking her head at the useless banter she climbed the stairs to her makeshift room. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a mauve tanktop. She pulled her leather jacket over it, efficiently hiding her two guns and the knife attatched to her left wrist. She made sure she she packed an extra at her ankle and grabbed a few stakes. She slid one up the sleeve of her right arm and checked herself in the mirror.

Nothing was showing.

"Ready!" she called, skipping down the stairs.

The room was silent, everyone standing around glaring at each other.

"What now?" she asked with a sigh.

"They're making me hunt too." Riley shot a nasty glare around the room.

"And?"

"With Andy!" she complained like it explained everything.

"Yeah, but Andy has swords!" Raine encouraged, "Cool ones."

"Fine!" Riley threw her hands in the air, "But I'm not being bait!"

~*~

Ash sifted through the air and up her nose. She sneezed twice.

"Shit," she muttered and then glared at Pete, "You're supposed to say bless you!"

"Shut up."

"Hey! Don't tell me to..." He clamped a hand over her mouth.

Her skin tingled. Shit, she hadn't been paying attention and now they were surrounded.

"Keep moving," he whispered, "We'll try for the gate opening."

"Won't work," she whispered back sweetly, "There's two there."

"Think you can jump the wall?"

"Don't worry about me," she said softly, "I can handle my own."

"I'm sure, so, on three then?"

"Three!" She shouted before sprinting in the opposite direction of him. She could feel three following her while the rest followed him.

Oh how gender biased...

Another one appeared in front of her and she swerved, spinging around a tree. She turned with it to her back, knife at the ready. She cut through the first one with ease. The silver knife entered the stomach. She pushed it all the way to the hilt, pulling up she watched as blood spilled out.
She was drenched to her wrist, cold blood covering her hands. She dug farther, slicing the heart in half. He dusted at her feet.

The second was prepared for her as she lunged. He moved to the side, grabbed her by the wrist and tossed her through the air. She landed on her back, skidding to a stop. The air choked out of her and she coughed.

Geez, these guys weren't playing around. She climbed to her feet. Something flew at her back and she fell to her kees, letting the momentum take them forward. She was on her feet again, kicking the legs out from under the attacker as she went. She pulled her first gun and put a hole through his chest. She aimed at the next one in sight, putting a hole through his skull. She ran through the still sifting ash.

Pete was struggling with his very own group of them. When they tossed him into the wall she had had enough. Eyes glowing violet they burst into flame.

"I had it!" Pete growled.

"You're bleeding."

"You are too."

She looked down and sure enough her jeans were stained red-brown.

"Well, shit!" she sighed, "River's gonna kill me. Those are her pants."

"Your heart's slowing down."

"Shut up."

They were slowly walking down the street. The shadows shifted as she stared through it. The dark haired boy stepped out. Pete started to lunge at him but Raine grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him back.

"Urie..." he growled, "Let go!"

"Brendon?" Raine whispered, fingering the gun still in hand.

He held up his hands in a show of perfect innocence. Don't mind me, harmless lil' vampire...

"We aren't going there again," he smirked, "I'm supposed to give you this."

He dropped a small box in her hand before melting away into the dark.

"You let him get away," Pete growled.

"He isn't the enemy. Not anymore."