Wolfgang glowered at her. His eyes held smoldering embers that wanted to burn her from existence where she stood. “Why are you here?” he asked slinging daggers with his eyes, barely keeping his voice level above a growl.
“I’m just chatting with you, Wolfgang,” she said and started walking around the room keeping a casual eye on the vampire seated on the bed. “You really have done an amazing job of staying afloat though. You’ve kept your House relevant in an entertainment ‘last year’ kind of way. I just wanted you to know that I admire how you managed to do it.”
“A last year, kind of way?” Wolfgang threw his head back and laughed. “You have no idea, do you?”
The unexpected laughter caught her off guard. Just what did he find so funny? “Care to let me in on the joke, Wolfgang?”
“You’re the joke!” he said in anger stabbing a finger at her. “You and all your kind are a joke that’s about to end!”
Ansuya let a small smile crease her lips, “Really? How are you going to manage that? We’ve already gotten stronger and better at finding our pups before they are reborn better than you can. Our numbers are becoming very healthy again. Soon we may be able to do more than just burn down your drug dens or slave houses.”
She hadn’t had any contact with the Mountain for over a year. She could only bluff that the Mountain had improved the techniques she had helped to reawaken in Nicolas.
“You sound very confident of that,” Wolfgang replied very self-assuredly.
Ansuya heard something in his voice, something that was a little too confident. “Have you heard of Kenneth Pacifico?” she asked pointedly.
“I have,” he replied with a smile, “Very nice young man when you get to know him. He is a true asset to his House.”
“Is he that praise worthy to receive compliments from you?” Ansuya asked keeping her features calm and unreadable.
“Miss Das, I give credit where credit is due. Kenneth is only around, what? seventy-two seventy-three years old? I wish he was one of mine.”
“Why is that?” Ansuya pressed.
“Because of his ambition.”
She had experienced his ambition for over a year. She had resisted his attempts to break her and dominate her. Is that what Wolfgang was talking about? No, Kenneth had hidden her and seemed terrified that she might escape his hold over her when she almost broke free. If it wasn’t that then?…
“Tell me what you know about wolves and a place called The Zoo?” Ansuya asked.
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“We have several zoos here in Los Angeles, Miss Das. Which one might you be referring to?” he asked with a smile.
“The place where Kenneth trains new pets?” she answered carefully.
“I wasn’t under the impression that he kept pets, Miss Das,” he replied easily stepping out of the bed well onto the floor.
There were no windows here. She would have to draw Wolfgang out of the room back onto the loft if she was going to let the sunlight be an advantage in a fight to her. Wolfgang knew something, she knew he did. He was stalling, of that she was sure, but for what?
“Are you telling me that you have allowed a rival vampire House to learn and exploit new abilities in your own city that you aren’t aware of?” Ansuya asked in projected disbelief. “I’m shocked that one of the House Heads would allow himself to be so blind to what was going on in his own city to allow that to happen. Wolfgang, you need better informants.”
The vampire’s features turned to stone as he stared at her, “You think I really don’t know what Kenneth has been up to? I know better than even his own Head of House knows!” he said with a smile.
“And what might that be?” she asked quietly.
The smile slid from his face. He had fallen into her trap and now she had him. He looked at her out of one eye as anger broiled there. He looked out into the loft area and saw the beautiful sunshine brightly fill the rooms beyond. He smiled wickedly at her, “That he is going to end you, and your kind, for good.”
Without another word Wolfgang lunged at Ansuya.
She immediately shifted forms and blocked his swinging attacks. The shreds of her clothes falling off her form as she moved.
The vampire attacked with careful grace and pinpoint attacks. His fists and legs jabbed and shot out in exacting careful maneuvers.
Ansuya was hard pressed to keep up with him. She dodged and countered his blows as best she could. His left leg swung up toward her face, she blocked the kick and was met in her right side with a vicious jab. The wind was knocked from her and she danced back from him out of reach.
Wolfgang didn’t let up. He glided along the floor after her. His body was controlled as were his features. His legs and arms were a blur of motion and Ansuya, even though she had shifted into her werewolf form, couldn’t keep track of every strike. Every barrage he threw at her always landed one or two hits against various parts of her body.
Ansuya was losing and losing badly. He had been ready for her. As she desperately dodged and blocked his attacks she wondered at his strength and speed. He may have drunk extra blood before she had found him. It also could have been that she hadn’t fully recovered from her year of bondage, maybe both. She refused to believe that any vampire, even a Head of House, could be this strong or this fast. Werewolves were not weaker than vampires.
Wolfgang’s foot caught her chin solidly and lifted her into the air to crash backwards, almost falling into the bed well. She rolled to the side and got up on one knee, breathing hard looking at the vampire.
Wolfgang slid one of his feet slightly forward and seemed to be waiting for her. She couldn’t win this fight. She hated to admit it, but right now, for whatever reason he was too fast and too strong. She glanced towards the doorway that she had entered by that let out onto the sunlight drenched loft and the living room below.
Wolfgang followed her glance and smiled, “You can’t get out that way, dog.” He quickly glided across the floor with inhuman speed to block her only exit.
She stood up from her crouch on the floor, then raised herself to her full height. The vampire was calm but unmoving. If he thought that she was an animal to be put down then she would give him what he thought he wanted. With a low growl in the back of her throat she charged.