The Vampire's Apprentice

The front door was unlocked. Had it been unlocked when she left? And the shades were drawn. There was no sign of anything stirring, not even Sam reacting to her getting home. He still hated when she left him.
 
The door she did not notice, but the fact that Sam was silent was more than enough cause for her to pause, hand on the knob. There was no reason, this time, for everything to be this still.

Cautiously, Kitty let the door creak open, but didn't immediately step inside. Half of her was waiting for another startling surprise of some sort—something she could laugh off later; the other half was concerned of something worse.
 
Silence. Nothing but heavy silence. If she looked in far enough, she would be able to see a shape in Clancy's favorite chair, a more or less Clancy shape. Everything was dark. Still no Sam.
 
"Welcome home, kid," said a soft, hoarse voice. "We were thinking you'd never get here."
Before her hand could reach the light, a flat palm on her back shoved her inside, and the door slammed shut behind her. Two burly men stood on either side of the door, glaring. They were not particularly tall, but they had a working man's muscle, not showy gym bulk, and with the leather and bristly chins, they brought to mind serious bikers.
Their leader - and ther was no mistaking him as anything else - was lean and lank, but he still filled out the worn leather vest and grey-ish shirt just fine. He sprawled in Clancy's chair, owning it and dominating the very room without even standing. He gave Kitty a long, slow smile, his eyes glinting strangely in the low light. "It's not polite to keep guests waiting."
 
"How did you get in here?" And why was that the first question she had to ask? Kitty's eyes flicked warily between the two groups, her shoulders unintentionally hunching in a defensive position. Her gaze finally settled on the man in the chair as she made an attempt to creep more in the direction of the kitchen. The air in the room foretold something very, very dangerous, and she deeply feared disturbing it.
 
Another man was already in the kitchen and moved to block her. He was not much older than Norville or Kitty, herself, and he was vibrating with keeness to prove himself to the boss.
A fourth lackey sat on the stairs near the top watching everything below and calmly eating a piece of cake in one hand without napkin or plate. He seemed to be watching a show more than an actual participant, but considering his massive bulk almost filled the stairwell, he didn't need to be actively involved in much.

"Now, now, is that any way to greet a guest? After all, we were invited," the leader grinned. He turned his head a little as he watched her, revealing a long, thin scar on one cheek. Under his chair, Sam lay unnaturally still.
 
Two... three... four... five of them... it was still daylight, Sam was....

Kitty held very still, arms crossing her chest in discomfort. She was inside, which meant there wasn't much of an opportunity to bolt, and even if she did run, they were everywhere; she'd be cornered before taking more than two steps.

Besides... they weren't natural. The lights were off and shades drawn, shrouding them in darkness; any sensible human would have turned on the lights by now. She had also noticed the familiar low-light glint in their eyes, quite similar to the way Clancy's were on certain occasions. But these weren't vampires... so what were they?

Her own voice cut through the mess of thought in her mind. "Invited by whom? And why?"

The girl didn't dare throw the next sentence of humor in there. Sarcasm tended to make her stress worse if taken badly by the audience, and she was already very high-strung. The last thing Kitty wanted was to irritate her captors; her only goal right now was to stall.
 
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The low, husky voice took on a hint of a snarl as the man replied, "Invited by your boss when he killed out Beta!" He reached up and flicked on the reading lamp, providing a little more illumination. His face no longer bore the calm facade, and open hatred glinted in his eyes as he studied Kitty. "So we accepted his invitation to come pay a little visit."

There were a few growls from three of the lackeys. The fourth was stuffing the last of the cake into his mouth. He gave an appreciative nod before turning his attention back to the people below.

"We know he's here somewhere. You can either give him up and go on about your way like a good little human, or you can suffer for some feelingless leach," the boss told her, still in Clancy's chair.

Sam stirred, whining pitifully.
 
The impossible situation, as depicted in almost every kidnapping scene she'd heard of. Tell the truth and they think you're lying, or lie and they hurt you. It was a matter of how she worded the next few sentences.

"I don't know where he sleeps." Kitty said. "He never showed me."

Sam's brief life caused a forgetfulness of what she was intending to say next, though her hope was short-lived; crushed by the heavy aura lingering in the air. It felt almost too thick to breathe.
 
The Alpha's eyes narrowed as he studied her. "This house is not that big. How could you possibly not know where that bastard sleeps?"

The youngest member, the one guarding the kitchen entrance, edged forward. "I could help her remember!" he offered, leering at her.
 
"I don't know! I don't know!" She stepped away from the youngest. "It's not a room inside! If you want him, you'll have to wait!"
 
The alpha held up a hand. "Hold on, Jake. I imagine he wouldn't tell a human where he slept. It would be a terrible breach in security. I would have prefered to stake him before he woke, but this will just make things more... interesting."
A low growl rumbled through the room. Under the chair, Sam whined again and struggled briefly to move.
 
At the word stake, cold dread prickled down her neck. They were here to kill him.

She dug her fingernails into her arms, intentionally causing slight pain to distract from her thoughts and keep her focused.
 
One of the two at the door checked out the shades. "Sundown should be in a minute. Maybe two."

"Good," the Alpha grunted. He smirked at Kitty and waved to the couch. "Why don't you have a seat?" It was not a suggestion.
 
The girl hesitated only for a second. Even then, she kept her distance from Clancy's chair and the Alpha, curling up on the opposite end of the couch and hugging her knees tightly in anxious anticipation. She dared ask a question, but was fully prepared to silence herself should it end badly.

"What are you?"
 
The Alpha snorted. "What am I? What am I? What kind of a question is that?" He grinned and leaned forward. "What do you think I am, girl?" he hissed.
 
"If I knew that, I wouldn't have asked."
Kitty regretted her initial reply and sought to emend it. "You're not human... so what are you?"
 
"Wolves, little girl, and be careful or I will rip out your tongue," he growled, bristling. He looked like he was about to say something else, but Sam interrupted him.
The dog tried to stand up and bonked his head on the bottom of the chair, distracting the self-acclaimed wolf. He yelped then wobbled his way out from under the chair. He stood splay-legged and confused.
 
Werewolves. The thought only worsened the knot tied in her stomach. She remembered what happened the last time–

"Sam," Kitty whispered to the dog.
 
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