The final beta reading of Midnight Wildes is complete. My first venture into portal fantasy is proving fun and a whole lot of work. I was certain my readers would say cut, cut, cut, thus reducing the total word count. Nope! More needed here and more needed there, along with the occasional, “cut this.”
Unfortunately, I rather like several of the characters leaving the novel, but they don’t belong in Midnight Wildes. Until they’re ready for their debut in a novel or short story, I’m sharing a few of them with you.
Today, meet Maura. She’s an older vampire who’ll give you the shirt off her back if you ask. In this scene, she’s just getting off a long shift. She’s tired, grumpy, and hungry, but she sees a new friend across the street. Her day does not get better.
Cut scene: A death
“Never walk alone in the morning sun.” Maura heard Wayne’s voice as though he were standing next to her, but she was tired, having worked her shift plus part of Marco’s, who was late again, and she was hungry. She stepped out the security entrance of the High Meadow Casino. In thirty minutes, she’d be in line at one of City Center’s buffets chatting up tourists and enjoying a refreshing meal before napping. Wayne wanted to see her this afternoon. His growing paranoia was getting on her nerves. All this “reporting in” took time away from her volunteer work at the university library. That was her passion project: research and order in perfect harmony. She smiled, thinking of the hours in the library’s basement she would have this evening – if Wayne didn’t keep her too long.
Tugging her security cap low until it touched the top of her dark glasses, she turned left toward the back of the casino, ignoring the long line of casino drivers. As she neared the road turning into the employee garage, she stopped and looked back. One driver stood, not pretending to polish the sleek green limo, and stared at her, Liam. She opened her mouth to call to him, but that would break the rules: Security personnel didn’t fraternize with casino employees or guests, but he was supposed to work security. Why was he dressed as a chauffeur?
Something was different about him. He’d cleaned up well: shaved, hair cut, tattoos hidden, and even put away his earrings. His eyes, dark, dark brown, starred at her with such fierceness, she looked around her, scanning each space and obstacle for hidden enemies. She nodded her head toward the garage, hoping he’d follow her.
Maura slowed, waiting for the soft flap of Liam’s shoes, but they didn’t come. She could still make out Liam’s form standing dead still next to the car. The sun glittered off the top of the car and off something on Liam’s neck – one of those odd collars so many of the local werewolves wore. Maura focused on it. Liam didn’t wear one the last time they talked.
She quickened her pace, and cursed the security cameras preventing her from moving as fast as she was could. The darkness of the stairwell and its promise of relief from the sun encouraged her. She walked up three steps when a growl echoed through the stairwell. She looked back as the gate to the stairwell closed with a bang.
“Damn it!” she cursed and turned to leap to the next flight when the clanging of all the gates stopped her.
Reaching the next floor, she put her hands on the gate but stopped.
“Going nowhere, little vamp,” spat Ugly Upton. He crossed his hairy arms over his barrel chest. “Times up.”
Maura laughed. “You think a gate will keep me away from you?”
Upton pulled Liam from behind him. “I’m not afraid of you or your little gang.”
“Liam?” said Maura starring hard at him. “What’d they do to you?”
Liam’s eyes never wavered from Maura’s face. His face, so neat and clean, paled, and Maura watched as sweat dripped down the side of Liam’s face.
“What did you do to him?” she asked.
“You’ll wish I could do the same to you.”
Upton snapped his fingers. Another dozen werewolves moved out of the shadows. All wore the same blank expression of Liam wore. All wore collars identical to Liam’s.
“What the hell did you to do them?” whispered Maura.
Upton laughed. “Nothing. I don’t have to do anything.”
Maura looked up as a bright light, too white to be natural, filled the stairwell. Pins and needles like electricity bit into her skin. She didn’t want to see, but she couldn’t resist looking up. The sound of a scream frightened her, even more when she realized it came from her.
Peace,
L.K. Latham
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