THE VAMPIRE'S VISION
BOOK ONE OF:
PSYCHICS VS. VAMPIRES
SHAWN WISEMAN
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without written permission from the author of this novel.
Edited by Ethan James Clarke
https://silverjay-editing.com/
Copyright 2016 Shawn Wiseman
All rights reserved.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Two Bites Are Better Than One
2. Vasha, The Woman Who Never Died
3. The Need To Feed
4. The Third Eye Opens As The Fangs Close
5. Written In Blood
6. Biting Words
7. Ten Minds Are Better Than One
8. Psychics Vs. Vampires
More Novels From This Author
About the Author
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1. TWO BITES ARE BETTER THAN ONE
Kara checked her phone again. She's late, she thought. As usual.
The cold autumn air flew past Kara in a streak, and she shivered as it stole the heat from her body. She used her ability to shield herself from the cold wind. The air arched its way around her this time, and then went off without bothering her again.
Genetic lottery paying off again. She chuckled at her own joke.
Winter was on its way, but Kara already couldn't wait until it was over. The cold always hurt her teeth and made her skin dry. The only part she liked was that the sun, reaching its noonday peak, wasn't as strong, so she at least wouldn't have to worry about sunscreen and burns.
Kara looked up and down the sidewalk, and saw Olivia walking to meet her. Kara waved with a smile, and Olivia waved back fervently.
Olivia was wearing jeans, a tank top, and a thin jacket despite the cold. Somehow Olivia was even able to make her ivory skin look normal against the color of her clothes and straight, chestnut brown hair. That's attention to detail, I suppose. Kara always liked what Olivia wore, but could never pull it off. Comfortable jeans and a hoodie was her choice of fashion, trendiness be damned.
"Kara!" Olivia shouted. As she approached she went to give Kara a hug, but her face stopped as it hit an invisible barrier. She pulled back and blurted out an "ouch" as she rubbed her face, even though Kara knew it hadn’t hurt her.
"Sorry, Liv." Kara closed her eyes and relaxed her mind to dissipate the barrier. "I was cold."
Olivia's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah. That is a nifty trick. I wish I could do that, maybe then I wouldn't have to brush my hair every time the wind blew."
Kara chuckled. "You're late to your own meeting, again."
Olivia had a worried look on her face. "I know, I'm sorry. You know how much of a ditz I am." She touched Kara's arm. "Can you forgive me?"
Kara rolled her eyes. "I always do… So, what's so urgent, Liv? Did you just miss me?" she asked, pouting her lips.
Olivia laughed. "No, I need your help with something."
Kara's smile faded, and she sighed. "You know I know what you want help with, right?"
Olivia's face became stern. "I know."
"And you know I don't like helping you with that, right?"
"I know."
"And you know you're just using me because you know that I'm going to help you despite my protesting, right?"
"I know, Kara. It's just… I feel a lot safer with you there. At least for these types of jobs."
Kara sighed again, but there was a slight smile in the corner of her lips. "So, who's the deadbeat this time?"
"James Moore," Olivia replied. "He owes the boss for his vices, as usual. He lives in that building." Olivia pointed to a building down the street.
"Lead the way," Kara said, putting her hood up and her hands in her pockets.
Olivia took the lead and went inside the building where her mark lived. The elevator was busted, so they took the stairs to the third floor. When they reached the top of the stairs, Olivia stopped to put her hair in a ponytail.
"Are things going to get that serious?" Kara asked.
"Always helps to be prepared, and he owes a lot of money. How are my teeth?" Olivia flashed her white smile, showing off her long incisors.
"Perfect, as always," Kara replied. "How about mine?" Kara did the same as Olivia, showing off her not so perfect white teeth and pointed fangs.
"Sharp," Olivia commented before she turned around and went into the hallway of apartments. "Did you use those strips I gave you?"
Kara followed Olivia through the dank, dingy, and smelly hallway. "They hurt my teeth. So, no."
"It's a shame, you have such nice fangs too. Not that you use them much."
"Thanks, I think."
"Well, you're half vampire, you should act the part. You can't rely on the dead your whole life."
Kara frowned. "I'm a full vampire as well as a psychic, Liv. You know I don't like being called that."
Olivia turned around in front of one of the apartment doors. "I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it like that."
Kara nodded, but it still stung. "Is this the place?"
"Yeah, this is it. Ready?" Kara nodded, and Olivia knocked on the door.
There was no answer. Olivia knocked again, louder than before. Kara could hear some shuffling from inside the home. She tensed her mind, getting ready for what could happen next.
"Who… who's there?" a sleepy voice asked.
"We have a pickup for Mr. Green," Olivia replied.
There was a pause. "Does Mr. Green bring cash?"
"Of course."
The lock on the door clicked, and the door opened. A man in his late twenties stood before them. He had bags under his eyes, a shaggy, unkempt beard, and a rank smell. Kara presumed this was the James Moore they were looking for.
"Welcome, ladies," he said in a sick, flirting tone.
Kara and Olivia entered his house, which looked as expected, though a bit cleaner than Kara had thought it would be. There was a severe lack of furniture—only a couch, a cluttered coffee table, a large, new-looking TV, and a decent-looking computer in the corner. The blinds were closed, so what little light could enter was shrouded. Dirty dishes were piled in the sink, but the tables and counters were clear. Smoke permeated the air like a permanent resident, and it was unclear where it came from, or how long it had lingered.
Kara went to the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table between an ashtray and a bong on one side and a TV remote on the other. Inwardly she was disgusted, but outwardly she carried an air of indifference to mask their charade.
"What's the damage?" Olivia asked.
James closed and locked the door. He had several locks, so it took a moment. "First, you guys aren't cops, are you?"
Olivia raised her eyebrow, and put her hand on her hip. "Do we look like cops?"
James glanced from Olivia with her stone-cold-fox air of superiority over to Kara's lackadaisical lounging on his couch. He nodded in what seemed to be approval. "Andy'll get you an ounce."
"Give me three then." Olivia took her wallet out of her jacket and pulled out three twenties to hand to James. He took them without hesitation and with a cringe-worthy smile on his face.
James whistled. "I'll be right back, ladies."
He vanished to the back of the apartment. Kara got up, and she and Olivia followed James without making a sound. They sneaked up to the doorway of the room he entered and peered inside. Kara saw James kneeling down in front of a closet, and punching in a combination for what appeared to be a small safe. James glanced over his shoulder. With her
superior reflexes, Olivia managed to pull Kara away in time.
Olivia motioned for them to return to the living room. After another moment, James entered the living room with a plastic bag in his hands.
Kara motioned for James to give her the bag. "Liv, can I just take a hit before we get going?"
Olivia nodded to Kara. Kara opened the bag and took a little bit of the weed out, then placed it in the bong on the coffee table. She grabbed a lighter and inhaled the smoke accumulating in the bong, then sat back and blew it out, letting it join with the smoke already in the room.
"You good?"
Kara coughed, and then laughed. "Oh, yeah, I'm good." Kara focussed her mind through the fog the drug created, and she was ready.
Olivia smiled, showing her fangs to James. His face contorted in confusion before he quickly seemed to realise what was happening. He threw his arms up and furrowed his brow, but nothing happened, which confused him even further.
Olivia grabbed him, swept his leg, and threw him to the floor. She opened her mouth, showing off her fangs in a threatening manner, and pinned him to the floor by sitting on his waist.
James let out a small scream of terror and pulled his face back. "Is this about the money I owe to Vasha? I swear I'll have it all by next week. Please, please don't kill me."
Olivia snarled, eliciting another yelp from James. "Vasha's tired of waiting. We know you have money, we saw the safe. Give me the combination and make this easy, otherwise…" Olivia flashed forward and touched the skin of James's neck with her teeth. "I'm going to take out my frustrations on you."
Kara had to concentrate on James throughout the whole interaction. She could feel the shiver going up his spine when Olivia's hot breath caressed his skin. He was pushing against Kara's bonds, and wasn't willing to take their assault lying down. If it wasn't for her countering his abilities, Olivia would be in real trouble. Despite his looks he was a decently powerful psychic.
James looked at Olivia, then over at Kara as sweat beaded on his temples and fell to the carpet below. "Alright, alright. It's twenty-three, fifty-eight, two."
Olivia pulled herself up, but kept James pinned. "What do you think? Is he being cooperative?"
Subconsciously, Kara had begun leaning forward and maintaining strict eye-contact with James during the whole conversation. "He was being testy, but now he seems docile."
"You alright to handle things here while I open the safe?"
"I'll be fine."
Outside the apartment, the sound of several police sirens came blaring within earshot and settled in front of the apartment. All three sets of eyes moved to the window covered by the blind, where the faint glow of red and blue flashed through the crack in the centre every second.
Olivia looked at Kara with concern. She got up off of James and went to the window to peek outside. She could see police exiting the vehicle and entering the apartment building.
"I'll be right back, hold him there," Olivia said.
"Do you think they're coming here?" Kara asked to Olivia's back.
"Better not to be here if they are," she replied as she rounded a corner into bedroom hallway.
Kara kept her mind focussed on James as she walked backwards to the window to look outside.
"I never thought I'd see a psychic working with a filthy vampire."
Kara turned her head around and gritted her teeth. She slammed James' head on the carpet. "Shut up," she commanded.
James' face twisted in pain as he eyed Kara from afar. He did a double take. "Wait a minute, I know you. You're the freak. A vampire and a psychic."
Kara frowned. "You know, for having no power in this situation you're really pushing your luck."
"Dirty half-breed. I hope the cops do come here. I know some detectives who have it out for vampires."
Kara slammed his head against the floor again. "It's genetics, asshole. We're all the same, we just have different abilities. I just happened to win the fucking lottery." A shitty lottery.
Olivia came back into the living room. At the same time, there was a sharp knock on the door.
"Police, open up."
Olivia motioned for Kara to come with her.
"Help! I'm being held hostage!" James yelled.
Olivia’s and Kara's eyes widened. Olivia jumped on James and punched him in the head, knocking him unconscious.
The police started trying to kick the door down. The locks were giving them trouble, which meant there was more time for Olivia and Kara to escape. They ran to the bedroom hallway, where there was a large window which opened to a fire escape. The banging got louder, and there was a crack as the frame on the door started to buckle. Olivia opened the window and pushed Kara out.
Kara climbed up to the edge of the window and shuffled through the opening. She turned around on her knees to help Olivia just as the noise of footsteps and a "Clear!" could be heard behind them. Olivia was in the middle of exiting the window. She put her hands under Kara's knees and, with her superior strength, she tossed her friend over the side of the fire escape.
Kara could barely register what had happened before she was halfway to the ground from a three-storey drop. She strained her thoughts and slowed her fall before she hit the ground, then she rolled on the street.
Kara hurried to her feet and turned around to see her best friend dragged back into the apartment by police. Kara panicked as millions of thoughts rushed through her head, all variations of concern for Olivia over what James had said about psychic detectives. The cold wind felt like nothing; her thoughts were elsewhere.
After a few moments, the police came out of the apartment building carrying James and pushing Olivia into the squad car with her hands cuffed behind her back. A few passersby stopped to watch the scene.
Kara frowned and started to use her powers, but she saw Olivia's face. She was shaking her head back and forth, telling Kara not to do what she was about to do.
Kara could only stand there as they took her friend away into unknown dangers.
2. VASHA, THE WOMAN WHO NEVER DIED