Free The Vampire's Consort (Undead in Brown County) by S.J. Wright

surroundings. He took them to New York to see Broadway shows. The three of them travelled to New Orleans and toured the mosaic puzzle of graves that rose up out of the ground. They hiked into the Rockies, going so far above sea level that they were sometimes on level with the bright clouds that floated serenely by.
    He had introduced them to the glory of the natural world, the arts and the idea of family. Then, when things got complicated with the council and enemies began conspiring against him, he decided that the girls would need to stay with Teddy for a little while until the situation was safe enough for them. Michael hated the idea of any rival taking action against the girls because of him. Teddy would keep them safe, if not completely happy.
    Sam remembered vividly the night Teddy had told them about Michael’s transfer from New York to the Indiana detention zone. Neither of the girls could believe it. They had also never heard of a vampire being punished for creating another of its kind. All Teddy had revealed was that the human Michael had turned was supposed to be protected .
    When Sam had finally met Alex, she recognized that there was something special about him. It wasn’t just his paranormal abilities, either. Even he couldn’t explain why the vampire council felt that he should be held above the usual standard for creating another of the undead. He only knew that being a vampire had brought out the worst in him.
    Sam laid her blond e head back against the cool leather seat and looked out the window, observing the New York skyline morosely. She wanted to go back to the woods of Indiana, where things weren’t so complicated—where she felt safe and loved.

     
    Chapter 8
     
    The highway to hell was a long one. Victoria and Jones had been driving across Texas towards Arizona for eight hours and still had four to go before they reached the Arizona camp. Their unwilling passenger had to be bound and gagged, so flying wasn’t an option. Victoria looked in the rearview mirror to check on Jackson Bennett.
    He looked quite different compared to the last time she’d seen him at Woodhaven Inn. His hair was cut much shorter than it had been before and there were dark circles under his eyes that she’d never before noticed. He hadn’t been taking very good care of himself. In fact, once they had him subdued, Jones pointed out needle marks on both of his arms.
    “What a bloody waste,” Jones had said once they finally were able to get his unconscious body into Victoria’s black Cadillac sedan. The tall redheaded vampire shook his head and had settled back into the passenger seat.
    “The lad will be useless, Vic. He needs to dry the hell out before we take him to that camp.”
    “I disagree,” she replied as she started the car and pulled out of the motel parking lot. The sun was just rising in the eastern sky over San Antonio, coloring everything with a pink haze. She maneuvered the car onto a highway on-ramp heading west.
    “ Maybe seeing the place where his father died will sober up the inelegant Mr. Bennett. If not, then we’ve lost nothing. What matters is getting that Middle Eastern rogue under control. You still know a little Arabic?”
    “Aye, but not much. I’m not sure I’ll be much help to ye, love.”
    She turned a warm smile his way.
    “Thank you for coming. I’m sure you hated leaving Michigan.”
    “That old place? Who needs a big house on a lake when I can be traveling through the desert with you, dearie?”
    She chuckled with him and playfully smacked at the large hand that had crossed the center console to rest on her thigh.
    “Not now, Aiden!”
    She rolled her eyes back towards Jackson who was glaring at them both in turn with malignant hatred shining in his dark eyes.
    Jones grunted in dissatisfaction and glanced back at their passenger. He didn’t like Bennett any more than she did, but the capabilities he had could not be duplicated in any human being. Sarah and Katie were the