Amy Blankenship - Night Light

*****

Kane was pacing back and forth on the roof, smoking a cigarette and occasionally waving his arms around. He was starting to get antsy waiting for Michael to show up.

“Jaguars and cougars,” he grumbled. “They’re worse than domestic house cats. Everyone has to have domination over the others. I’d rather team up with the Coyotes than deal with this.”

Michael came up over the edge of the roof right behind Kane, catching him in his agitated rant. He frowned when Kane immediately fell silent and glanced to the side acknowledging his presence.

“Damn it Kane, are we going to talk about what’s bothering you or not?” Michael asked as he crossed the distance between them.

“Or not,” Kane responded.

“Fine,” Michael waited knowing Kane hated the silent treatment worse than arguing. He loved it when he was right.

Kane walked toward the edge of the building, putting the distance back between them. He’d forgotten how Michael could sneak up on him… it hadn’t happened in so long. “Raven seemed a little disappointed that his army was lacking at the warehouse… some of his crazies were missing. My guess is the vampires that missed our little death party probably needed a place to spend the day, so I’m going to check it out.”

Michael didn’t say a word when Kane once again dropped off the side of the roof and landed on the pavement below. Just as he stepped to the edge ready to fall as Kane did, something on the roof across the road caught his attention.

Jerking his gaze toward it, Michael caught a glimpse of the shadow as it disappeared. Something about that shadow had seemed familiar but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

Did Kane have a stalker or was he the target? Trying to suppress the feeling for now, he glanced down and smiled as he fell. Although he could no longer see Kane, and he knew the way to the warehouse, instead of following a route he followed the pull of his own blood within Kane’s veins. By the time he made it to the warehouse, he could hear the screams of the vampires Kane had caught off guard.

He paused in the doorway using his enhanced vision to see into the darkness of the huge room. Kane already had two vampires on him and several more thought the tag team tactic was a great idea. Stepping inside, he pulled the door shut behind him and started forward when Kane’s voice echoed.

“Let me handle this. Just don’t let any of them past you,” Kane said a little breathlessly as he twisted the neck of the vampire that was trying to rip his throat out. He jerked when fangs sank into his shoulder, causing him to lose his hold on the first one.

Both of Michael's eyebrows disappeared under his windblown hair but he backed up against the door. “Fine, if you’re sure.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the metal.

“Well… I’m bored,” he said after a moment and looked toward the soulless vampires that weren’t yet in the fight. “I don’t suppose one of you would do me the honor of running for it?”

When Kane managed to decapitate the first vampire, one on the sidelines turned to do just what Michael had suggested, but Kane's arm reached out and grabbed him by the leather jacket he was wearing. “I don’t think so,” he growled as he pulled it into the fight.

“Didn’t your mommy teach you to share?” Michael smiled as he watched Kane get the hell knocked out of him. He had a feeling Kane needed the pain to help him feel alive right now. He had no doubt Kane would be the last vampire standing and this release of anger and violence might even help to open his friend back up… Therapy at its best.

“My mother was a thief,” Kane answered, leaping up and pushing both of his feet into the chest of a vampire who was running hell bent toward him. The vampire went flying and Kane landed on his back. Kicking his legs up, he was back on his feet in an instant. “She didn’t believe in sharing.”

“We both know your mother was no thief,” Michael chided. “She was a well bred lady.”

Kane was punched in the face and flew backwards. Michael followed the movement as Kane sailed past him and into the very same pile of rubbish Kriss had knocked him into. He sighed when he fully noticed Kane was becoming a bloody mess. Kane rushed into the fight again, tearing the bastards apart as he went.

“Need some help yet?” Michael asked above the sound of bones snapping and feet splashing in puddles that were growing bigger by the minute. He actually laughed when Kane started mumbling one of Syn’s spells but was punched in the mouth before he could finish it.

“No,” Kane growled as he spit blood in the face of the one who had punched him so hard he’d seen stars. Grabbing a piece of wood from a chair they had broken during the fight, he shoved it into the vampire’s mouth so hard that it came out the back of his neck.

Michael made a face but didn’t interfere. He watched closely, counting three vampires down and four to go. Kane was a fearless fighter, more so now than before he was buried alive. Which reminded Michael of the one question he hadn’t asked yet: how did Kane break the binding spell without the blood of his soul mate?

Less than twenty minutes later, Kane collapsed to his knees. He looked through the red haze of his vision toward the sound of clapping that was coming closer. He wiped the blood from his mouth and tried to push himself up from the floor. He laughed when it didn’t work because the floor was so slick with blood.

“And the winner gets a hundred Band-Aids and a good night's rest at Michael’s house.” He bent down and wrapped his arm around Kane’s waist to help him up. They both swayed before he got them balanced.

“You have a house?” Kane asked hoping if he kept talking he wouldn’t pass out before they got there. He knew where Michael was living, but he didn’t want to admit it because that would just remind Michael to be mad at him for staying away. He wasn’t exactly happy with himself over that but he’d felt the need to keep his distance.

“Yeah, I’m all grown up now. Besides, caskets are so yesterday.” He cringed inwardly realizing Kane might not think that joke was very funny. “The place is huge. It used to be some kind of Victorian style art museum until they built an upgraded one in Beverly Hills. Maybe if you moved in with me, the place would feel more like a home.”

“I want a puppy,” Kane stated out of the blue while concentrating on the putting one foot in front of the other routine that usually keeps you from falling.

“You want a what?” Michael asked.

“If we are moving in together, then I get to pick out a puppy.”

Michael had to smile at his old friend. It seemed Kane’s love for canines hadn’t diminished over the decades.

Chapter 3

“So, what’s up with Micah?” Nick asked Steven as they pulled into the parking lot beside the church and parked in between two of the busses.

“Micah and Quinn got in their usual fight about who makes the rules and Micah left to blow off some steam.” Steven answered as he got out of the car. He still thought it was funny that all the jaguars drove… you guessed it… jaguars. “Hell, they taught each other how to fight, so decking each other is no big deal.”

“Then why hasn’t he come back?” Nick pointed out.

“That is the question isn’t it,” Steven sighed. “Quinn thinks Micah ran off but I know better.”

“What makes you so sure?” Nick asked curiously.