Hunter Moon: A Grazi Kelly Novel #2 by C. D. Gorri Page A

door opened. Whatever it was it heard
me and it was going to come down here.
    I held my breath and crouched down low.
Waiting. Would I have to fight? Would I survive? My heart
was pounding as these thoughts raced through my mind. Another pair
of footsteps came into the room these louder and heavier. Their
gait uneven, as if the person they belonged to had a limp of
sorts.
    “And just where are you going?” A woman’s
voice asked impatiently. She sounded hoarse. Like a chain cigarette
smoker and nasty too. Whoever she was speaking to, she did not
respect them. That was evident.
    “Eeeeeee.” The Vampire screeched in answer. I
heard a shove and something banged against the door.
    “Get back to your cage! And no more wandering
around, bloodsucker! I’ll have to lock you in if you keep this up
or maybe I should just throw you back where I found you. Ungrateful
brute!” The door banged shut and I listened for more clues as to
who or what that could have been. I breathed in the air. It was
definitely human, not a Vamp, female though her voice had been
hoarse and rough. She definitely smelled female. Also she smelled
like grape cough syrup.
    That thick nasty purple stuff Aunt Theresa
was always shoveling down Julianna’s and Rebecca’s throats at the
first hint of a cold. It was a sickeningly sweet smell. Made me a
little queasy.
    I listened, but could hear nothing else. I
climbed the steps out of the basement and nudged the door open with
my muzzle. I hesitated a moment. I was so big in my Wolf form, I
would most likely get noticed. But this is only a dream,
Grazi .
    My hesitation made me ashamed. What kind
of Wolf was I to get scared in my own dream? Come on girl, get a
grip.
    I quickly passed through what look liked a
kitchen. It was dirty with old dishes and glasses strewn about.
Heaps of garbage littered the floor and the smell of rotting food
and waste was everywhere. It obscured anything relevant I might
uncover.
    Packages of ultra-processed snacks filled the
counters as well as stacks of 100% high fructose corn syrup and
food dye juices. There were also stacks of drained blood bags, like
from a hospital, piled in one corner.
    Dirty hypodermic needles were flung in an
open waste basket. It was overflowing. I took my steps more
cautiously.
    A big black pot or cauldron, oh yeah, it
was definitely a cauldron , sat on the stove bubbling over. Its
smell made me want to throw up. Not that anyone would notice with
all the filth and garbage everywhere.
    What was in there? I couldn’t tell from afar
so I got closer. I stopped and sniffed. There was nothing in there
I could identify.
    I walked quietly as I could over the dirty
floor. I stopped and listened. There seemed to be noise coming from
the left, a television show I think. I heard a couple of “eee’s” so
I figured that was where the Vampires were. A heavy New York accent
echoed from the surround sound. Seriously, Housewives, huh. I
guess they really like their reality TV. Go figure.
    The woman who scolded the Vampire by the
stairs seemed to be nowhere in sight. I went down the right side
hallway away from the noise of the television. There was one
bedroom door. It was locked from the outside. I reached up with my
lupine head and gripped the doorknob in my mouth.
    A few shakes of my head and the door opened.
The first thing that hit me was the absolute dark. There was no
lamp, TV, or light. Just a dirty window under a dirty drape or
shade. My Werewolf eyes adjusted quickly. Tied to a bed, sitting
up, was a young boy. Maybe ten or twelve, he was thin and unwashed.
He cowered against the wall.
    “Don’t hurt me, please. I keep telling you. I
don’t know anything.” His eyes were squeezed shut, there were
puncture marks in his arms and legs. Clearly he was a prisoner and
he was being fed on.
    I moved further inside of the room. My claws
made small clacking noises against the cold, uncarpeted floor.
    “What, what are you?” I cocked my head to the
side at the