Picking up where Vampires in Vegas left off, The Hunt (Book II of the vampires stories) is full of martial arts action, magic, werewolves and vampires! The thrilling and dramatic adventures of the Haidaul Cousins and their friend, a martial arts master, continues as they find themselves in Phoenix, Arizona, where Ben discovers love while struggling against werewolf contamination. With vampires roaming the countryside, the stakes are high for Dave and Li as they join forces with a vampire lord and a voodoo high priestess to help Ben before time runs out.

An Excerpt from Chapter 7
   ...Even with the air conditioning pumping away, the living room of the PURS member’s house felt crowded and stuffy as Ben made his way to the far corner of the room where it seemed less populated.  He was feeling progressively worse, with flu-like symptoms surfacing. His nose was running profusely and he felt hot to the touch.
   They had driven a considerable way to get here. The house was on the outskirts of a small town called Buckeye. Ben stared out of the window and marveled at the number of stars that could be seen against the rocky skyline.  
  New York State was gorgeous with its mountains, rolling hills and plush, green foliage all about, but Arizona had a majestic and magical beauty as well. It spoke of a time of ancestors and dinosaurs; a time lost, yet hinting of its remnants. Ben had read somewhere that the refugees from the sinking of the ancient continent of Lemuria had passed through Arizona on their way north; with some settling. Many of the artifacts found that were thought to be of Native American origin actually dated back as far as these refugees.  It was easy to see why a place such as this would attract as many UFOs and paranormal phenomena like it was reported to do.
    “Attention everyone.” A stout, middle aged woman clapped her hands to assist in getting the attendees attention.  “Please, can I have your attention?”
     The woman stood with her lips pursed in mild irritation as she waited for the room to focus on her. When it had quieted to her satisfaction, she continued. “I want to start by welcoming you all to my home. Tonight’s special meeting of PURS has been called by our president, Tom Marino, to help these two young men from New York.”
  Ben shifted under the scrutinizing looks of the group while Dave gave a light hearted smile and wave.
   “I’m going to turn the floor over to Tom, so that we can begin.”  The woman bowed slightly as she stood aside and allowed Tom to take the floor.
   “Thank you, Millie.” Tom smiled as he accepted the lead from his hostess. “I have called you here tonight because of a very serious situation that had been brought to my attention. It is not like anything we have ever dealt with before.”  
   Tom motioned for Dave and Ben to join him at the head of the room. Ben hesitated and had to be coaxed by Dave, but eventually both men were standing where the group could focus on them more easily, without taking any attention away from Tom.
     “I would like to introduce Dave and Ben from New York; not far from my old home town of Middletown, NY. These men are very unique cousins. What makes them so is the fact that they have encountered a Werewolf and lived to tell about it. In fact, it is my understanding that they have encountered several. And, it gets better. They have also lived to tell of their encounter with vampires.” The room mumbled and gasped as Tom continued. “I’m not talking about the modern day vampires who suck you dry of energy. I’m talking about the real Dracula type vampires that Brahm Stoker wrote about. They’re real, my people. And these men and their lineage are the ones who can back me on this claim with first hand knowledge.”
   The room grew noisy as people voiced their opinion about the validity of what Tom had just told them.  
   For a paranormal group, they’re pretty sceptical, Dave mused, even more so than I was before all of this started. “Maybe we should go.” Dave whispered to Tom. “This might not have been the best idea.”
  Tom raised his hands to silence the crowd. “What is the matter with you people? I’m shocked to find this type of a reaction from a group such as you.  Appalled, in fact.  We have seen enough on our investigations to know that this type of thing is possible; even probable. So, why the reaction?”
   Dave and Ben agonized as the room continued to banter back and forth about the validity of their claims and the probability of real, blood sucking vampires existing for well over fifteen minutes. A few were just about to take their leave when a tall, stately man stood up and walked quietly toward Tom. Tom had no idea who he was, but assumed that, since he was in attendance, he was a new member of the society. His presence and movement seemed to subdue the crowd and a hush came over the room.
   The man stood in front of Ben and pulled Ben’s face gently to allow him to look deep into his eyes. After what seemed like eternity to Ben, the stranger released his chin and then  repeated the same action with Dave.
    “These men are the real thing.” He bellowed, still looking into Dave’s eyes. “They tell the truth. And, if I am not mistaken, this meeting was called because they are in need of our assistance to... uh... kill a werewolf? Or is it a vampire? Whatever it is, we should consider helping them.” The man turned toward the crowd. “Marshall, O’Brian, Abraham, Coolidge and Prudence may stay. The rest of you may leave.”
   Tom stood, dumb struck, as he listened to the names being called out by this member of the society, with the incredibly blood shot eyes, who he did not recognize.  How could he know everyone when he was so new?
   The room emptied obediently, leaving only those whose names were called remaining with Tom, Ben, Dave and the stranger.
   Tom took the opportunity to examine the stranger more closely. There was something familiar about him, but he could not put his finger on it.  He looked quite pale and sickly.  And those eyes... perhaps he was a alcoholic? That’s it.  Tom, a recovering alcoholic himself, must have seen him at an AA meeting.
   “Have we met?” Tom moved in front of the stranger. “You certainly seem to know the group. Can I ask how that came to be?”
   The stranger seemingly ignored Tom, turning to Dave and Ben and speaking in a soft and somewhat controlled voice, “My name is Lupul Christea.”
  Dave accepted Lupul’s outstretched hand, noticing it had a cold, dry feel. “I am...”
    “Dave. A man in need of our assistance.  And this is Ben, correct?” Lupul scrutinized Dave closely. “You are... cousins?”  
   Too shocked to answer, Dave and Ben found themselves nodding in agreement.
    “Your look is strong, like brothers, not cousins.” The words curled off Lupul’s tongue with a thick European flare.   
    Tom strained his memory. Lupul’s accent had a hint of familiarity. He was the kind of man who never forgot a face. Why was it that he could not remember this one?  He stepped back against the wall to allow himself the opportunity to observe the group more easily. It was clear that Lupul would command the attention from now on, so he doubted anyone would really notice his retreat. And he was correct.
   Tom’s ears roared with what sounded like the crash of the ocean, frustrating him while he strained to hear Lupul’s instructions to the few remaining members. It was as if ocean waves were crashing all around him, muffling all other sounds. He rubbed his ears, hoping that might help and did his best to read Lupul’s lips.  
   When he had finished giving directions to the group, Lupul politely made his departure. It was only then that the roaring stopped and Tom was able to hear the conversations in the room. Much to his surprise, the others in the room had the same complaint. Each one insisted that he or she had not been able to hear what Lupul had said because of an unwavering and extremely annoying roaring in his or her ears.    
   Lupul raised an eyebrow and gave a curious look, but did not repeat himself and made ready to take his leave.
    Lupul’s feet barely touched the ground as he made his way off the front port of Millie’s country home. He could not believe his good fortune of late. He had only by chance stumbled upon the news of the PURS meeting being held so close to his den and had decided to check it out.  Although these humans were basically harmless, it was always good to keep on top of what they are up to; especially of late. The news of Von’s destruction had traveled to his den swiftly, causing spurts of panic and mayhem.
   Not feeling like he could leave his den in such a state, Lupul had sent his ambassador, Sedgewick, to represent them in Transylvania for the meeting that the great Count Dracula had called.  Sedgewick had only just returned, not three nights earlier, to give a full report of his journey.
    Dracula was on the rampage. His son, Helmut had been killed. The Haidaul clan had survived enough to produce two vampire killers. They must be stopped, but not killed. He wanted them brought before him to receive their ultimate punishment; a punishment he wished to execute himself.  The vampire to fulfill this task would be dearly rewarded.
   There was an added twist to Sedgewick’s news. Not only had Count Dracula put a bounty  out on these young men, but he had expressed the desire to have the newborn child that Dragos had spoken of brought to him as well. The child had vampire genes and must be raised and nurtured accordingly. Not to mention the fact that the child was his great grandson. He would reward dearly for the safe capture of the infant vampire.
   Lupul was not certain, but he suspected that these men were the men Dracula sought. If so, he had been standing in the presence of the very men who had the power to destroy him. It somehow felt exciting, causing him to shudder as a chill of ecstasy to ran down his spine.
     If these were the men the Count sought, the fact that one of the Haidaul men had been scratched by a werewolf was not good.  The Count had specifically stated that he wanted them delivered to him unharmed and untouched.  Being infected by a werewolf would deplete the value of Ben considerably, and possibly reverse his reward to punishment; even if it did happen before he found them.  Count Dracula was not noted for ration or reason when he was angry or upset.  And from what Lupul had heard of late, the Count was raging daily.
     Lupul had left the cousins free for now. He needed to be sure who they were and that he was ready for their capture. He needed time to check them out and to plan their capture; not to mention what to do with them once he had them.  
    He was not worried about them leaving the area because he had ensorcelled the small group, planting desired actions and duties within the sub-conscious of each individual for the sole purpose of making sure that the Haidaul men stayed close by; hoping that Ben did not turn werewolf before he has had the opportunity to turn him, his cousin and the baby over to Dracula.  
   Lupul would have liked to have fed of Tom one more time. His blood was rich and tasty. But, a vampire could only ensorcell a donor for feeding so many times before the donor started to remember them.  From Tom’s attempt to place where he had me Lupul tonight, it was obvious that he could no longer use him as a donor.  Such a shame.
   He hurried back to his den.  He needed time to decide what to do to accomplish his task at hand and the best way to execute his plan, once he had one....

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