Title: The Ultimate Prey, 2/3 Author: Amiroq. aka Gypzy Email: fitchett@netaccess.co.nz Size: 12K Series: Vampire's Kiss Rating: R (eventually, for blood and guts.) Codes: Au?, V; K/T Teaser: Sequel to Vampire's Kiss. Harry comes face to face with an old foe. Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star Trek, I own Kalisha and the Vampire's Kiss possible alternate universe. Warning: last time I wrote a story with this much violence, I think it was the Price of Love, I was told by an irate mother to put little warnings on my stories like 'do not do this at home'. Me, being me, took her advice to heart and this is my little list of warnings for kids. Do not play with stakes without adult supervision. These may cause serious injury, blindness or death. Do not attempt to fly out of windows if you are higher than one storey, or off the top of a cliff. This will most probably result in broken bones, the number of these being relative to your altitude. Do not suck blood at home. If you take more than two litres from an adult, they will start to feel dizzy, and no matter how much you take you'll probably be carted off to a looney bin. Do not pick up drunk, seedy men in bars. This can result in sexual assault and/or emotional trauma. Most importantly, do not forget to leave donations of food on my front porch with a label reading, "For Amiroq. aka Gypzy, because I love her stories so much." Forgetting this may result in lack of feedback from said author, refusal of archive rights and the silent treatment. The Ultimate Prey, 2/3 Harry was already up the next morning when he heard B'Elanna's breathing increase, a sign that she was about to wake up. He frowned. He'd been up for about an hour, thinking about Kalisha, trying to remember anything that could help him kill her before she could kill either of them. Instead, his thoughts kept returning to the small amount of Chinese soil she'd taken the first time they'd been involved in anything. She was powerful enough to be able to use it for almost anything. Behind him, he heard the bed moving as B'Elanna sat up, fully awake, and turned. His eyes took in the scenario immediately and he recoiled in shock. The formerly white sheets were covered in blood - B'Elanna's blood, and a sharp wooden stake was submerged in her flesh. Her skin was blackened as if burned, and dropped off in large clumps as she got out of bed and walked toward him menacingly.... Harry awoke with a start. The room was dark, and when he glanced at his watch he saw that it was only about four in the morning. His head hurt. He climbed out of bed and wandered into the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face to cool off after the fevered sleep that was the best he could achieve. There was no point trying to get any more rest before dawn, so he just went into the main room and sat down, head resting in hands, and tried to *think*. --- B'Elanna woke the next morning to the soft thud of restless footsteps on carpet, and if she listened closely, she could hear the rouch 'scritch scritch' of the wiry fabric rubbing against shoes. The other half of the bed was cold, she realised, and figured Harry had probably been out of bed for a few hours. She sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes as a matter of habit. "What are you *doing*?" He stopped pacing to stare out the window - they had been moved to a different room after the incident the afternoon before, so the view here was slightly different - before turning toward her and walking back slowly. "Thinking. I found this slipped under the door." He held up a piece of paper, similar to the one that had been wrapped around the rock. It was a floral print, lavender scented - obviously she'd gotten it on earth, as the chances of finding another flower smelling like that on the other side of the galaxy were remote at best. He started reading it. "'R. Meet me in the ruined warehouse on cnr Swahain and Yole, sundown today. Come alone. K.'" "That's only.. ten hours away." "I know. And somehow, I don't think she wants a friendly chat." He sighed, and picked up his jacket from the floor next to the bed. "I'm going for a walk. If I'm not back before sundown, don't come looking for me." "Harry..." "Don't go to the warehouse, B'Elanna. Just wait here." She felt his mind pressing against hers, forcing her to agree, and she nodded. "Okay, I get the point. Now get out of my head." She felt the pressure ease gradually as he left, but a piece of it remained nonetheless. --- A cacophany of birdsong arose from the trees on the top of the cliff; rocks were scattered nearer to the actual edge and on one of these sat Harry. The sun was sinking, slowly, a reminder of how little time he had before sundown. Around him was his day's work - stakes, mainly, carved with symbols he remembered learning as a child, symbols of death and life and war. Now he was etching a silver medallion of protection with a knife he'd bought with some of the money he and B'Elanna had stolen from the man in town, before he'd found out Kalisha was around. He paused a couple of times to glance at the city below, stretched out toward the horizon at the foot of the cliff. He'd located the warehouse a few hours ago by reading the street signs from his vantage point on the rocky ground, glad once more for his enhanced eyesight, and now as he looked he saw somebody entering through the back entrance. He looked closer and noticed long, luxurious black hair. Kalisha. He waited a few minutes more, completing his work and packing his stakes and such into a bag before lacing the medallion onto the silver chain around his neck, from which hung another medallion, this one with a jade symbol on it. If opened, there was a small area packed full of soil from his hometown, which was the source of his life and power, along with the jade. Slinging his now full bag over his shoulder, he looked at the hotel where he knew B'Elanna was for a moment, sending her one last order - "Stay there" - before looking back at the warehouse and taking a breath. Sundown was in just a few minutes. He took a few steps back, then ran toward the edge of the cliff... and jumped. END PART TWO 2B CONTINUED IN PART THREE