Watcher in the Darkness, Book 1: Cold Blood and Black Tar

By K.M. Spires

Some people have to struggle to stand apart. Some are just born weird.

Toby knows what it means to be different. His father and grandmother are vampire royalty. His human mother murdered her entire family. Not really a vampire, but not really a mortal, Toby is all alone in the world.

The only way he can become a Pure vampire is to find the Tepes Chalice then enlist the aid of a reluctant teenage necromancer to transform him. Sounds simple enough, right?

Yeah. Sure.

Here’s the thing; Toby’s ex-girlfriend hid the Chalice thirty years earlier. The necromancer, Karen, might be of more help, if the two of them could stop arguing long enough to find it. On top of his day to day struggle for survival, his mortal enemy has suddenly reemerged and a horde of wild vampires is rampaging through the city. It’s hard to imagine how things could get much worse.

Enter the Watchers.

An underground organization that’s declared eternal war on any threat against humanity, the Watchers are the bane of vampire-existence. Homeless and without a territory of his own, Toby must root out the source of the vampire attacks before the Watchers target him and every other Disavowed vampire in the city.

• Language: English
• Publisher: K.M. Spires
• Release date: Dec 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370264773

K.M. Spires

Hi, everyone! Thanks for taking the time to read this bio. I’ll try to keep it short. I’m an independent author from Texas. I rock the whole “wife and mother” thing, too, but you don’t care about that. You’re here for the stories. I began self-publishing in 2011. When it comes to writing, I prefer the paranormal genre, but I’ll read just about anything. There are so many authors whose work I enjoy that I can’t point out any specific influence. I am currently wrapping up the third book in my Watcher in the Darkness series. You can read what I have so far on my personal website.

Book preview

Watcher in the Darkness: Book 1

Cold Blood and Black Tar

By

K.M. Spires

Copyright 2013 K.M. Spires. All rights reserved.

I dedicate this book and all that are to follow in the series to my friends in the InuYasha fandom. We may have drifted apart after the show and manga ended, but it was an extremely fun ride.

Cold Blood and Black Tar

City life sucks for vampires, even half-breeds like me. It’s hard to get past the stench. Living around thousands of humans piled on top of each other is like being trapped in the monkey cage at the zoo. Toss in rotting garbage, public urination, and car exhaust, and you’ve got the recipe for one funky cocktail.

It is what it is. Predators have to follow the herds.

The utility shed where I spent the day was a windowless oven, but I’ve slept in worse places. Being basically homeless has simplified my life, in as much as it only takes me a minute to get ready for the night. I tie back my hair then pull on my hoodie, the single greatest invention in the history of fashion. Sunglasses at night and long hair have always been huge red flags that I’m not normal, but hoodies hide everything without drawing attention. Barely anyone noticed my claws, fangs, yellow eyes, or fish-belly white skin. Barely anyone mortal, that is, which is how it needs to be.

It was only a three-story drop to the sidewalk, but I landed a little too close to an old woman walking her yappy poodle. She grabbed the cross around her neck then spewed every swear word in the English language at me.

Yeah, real nice, lady. You kiss your great-great-grandchildren with that mouth? I wanted to toss some insults her way—because I was a hundred times better at them—but I could feel her faith in the icon pushing me back. So, instead, I sneered as I turned to walk away.

On the street corner ahead of me, three vampire prostitutes glared as I approached them. The tall brunette in the middle must have been the pack-leader, because she bared her fangs and growled as I passed. I avoided eye contact but didn’t run. The last thing I needed was for these bitches to feel as though they had to chase me out of their territory.

For the record, humans that engage the services of vampire whores confuse me. Sure, they’re half the price of a mortal hooker with none of the diseases, but they take twice as much blood. Besides, has anyone ever heard of a zebra paying a lion to fuck it before ripping out a chunk of meat? It’s gross, but to each their own.

I walked a few blocks out of my way to flip off Sebastian’s security cameras. There was a Starbucks across the street—surprise, surprise—and I had just enough money, so I stopped in for a cup of type O. It must have been the teenager behind the counter’s first day on the job, because he added too much fish oil and Heparin. Worse than that, he left my order in the reheater while he blended a human’s iced coffee. The blood tasted like a fisherman dying of syphilis and heart disease, but you get what you pay for. Rather than make a big deal out of it, I just drank it fast then left.

I started walking again, and soon the apartment complexes spread out into actual neighborhoods. The chain link transformed into privacy fences and hedge bushes, at which point I had to travel in a crouch to avoid the UV security lights. Less than four blocks from my destination, I almost tripped over the other vampire.

He was young, in every sense of the word. I could tell by his scent that probably less than a month had passed since he’d been a student in middle school. I didn’t sense his Progenitor anywhere, meaning he’d been given a pretty long leash for his first hunt. Maybe he had run away. It was even possible that he’d been abandoned. His eyes were wild, his face was thin and grey, and the first thing the little retard did when he saw me was bare his fangs.

The fight didn’t last long. He made a crazy lunge that got him punched twice in the face. I kicked him in his hollow little stomach then tossed his ass over a tall fence. Harsh, but necessary. He took off like a panicked squirrel, because the newly-Turned are fucking stupid. They think like they’re still human.

A hundred yards from her house, I began to pick up the scent of jasmine. All of her perfumes, soaps, and lotions were jasmine-scented; I’d rummaged through her room and bathroom plenty of times while she was out, so I knew this for a fact. In her backyard, heat blended into her floral scent and my mouth went bone dry. My throat was so parched that it was hard to swallow. Cold blood never carried me very far.

Her bedroom lights glowed like a beacon. The window to her room opened onto a balcony, which was perfect for spying. Her desk was right next to the window and she was alone, her head bobbing along to the music from her MP3 player. I could see myself punching through that thin pane of glass to snatch her out into the night before she could scream. It would all be over faster than it took to decide this was an excellent fucking plan.

I took a deep breath, and my fingers curled into fists that drove my claws into my palms. Her sweet scent made me so thirsty that I felt a little lightheaded.

The wait was over. At long last, she was all mine.

What the hell do I need a title for?

October 18

First of all, if I had known it was so fucking complicated to start a blog, I wouldn’t have bothered. All I wanted was to look busy so the librarian wouldn’t kick me out. I don’t think the open books I have laying around the desk are fooling anyone anymore.

The problem is, there’s not a single cloud in the sky today. I’ll have a sun rash and a migraine within five minutes if I have to go back outside, so here I am. My twenty-year streak of not having an email address has been totally fucking shattered. Awesome.

So, now what? What do I blog about? I don’t have anything going on.

Okay, whatever. My name is Tobias, but almost everyone calls me Toby. If you looked at the picture I had to take for my profile, you’re probably wondering what’s the deal with my eyes. I’m a vampire. Well, half-vampire, which is why I could take that picture in the first place. Unlike the Pure or Turned, my image can be captured.

Damn, it’s hard to think of things to write about. Seriously, who cares?

I would like to point out, though, that this library’s selection of books about vampires sucks ass. For such a big library, you’d think they’d have some material that wasn’t pure crap. I’m not a scholar, but I know bullshit when I read it. The layman-type books are full of lies and the thick, ‘scientific’ books are fucking unreadable. I know I learned to read and write kind of late in life, but it’s like nosferatologists don’t want people to understand what the hell they’re talking about.

Whatever. Have your secret code, nerds. Enjoy not getting laid.

Okay, I’ve got to go. My slow-ass typing did the trick, and the library’s about to close.

How are you supposed to end these? Bye?

***

I tapped on the glass with my claws to let Karen know I was there. I doubted her mom was home, because she was never home, but I didn’t want to wake her little brother.

Karen didn’t look up from her textbook, but I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt that she hadn’t heard me over the music. I knocked again, a little louder, then saw her frown as her brow furrowed. Even so, she didn’t stop writing.

Uh-huh, I said, thinking aloud. So, it’s going to be like that, is it?

I pounded on the window hard enough to rattle the frame. Karen threw her pencil onto the desk as she gave me a shitty look, but I didn’t stop. I was prepared to break the glass, and we both knew it. I heard her huff as she got to her feet but honestly, what had she expected?

Karen yanked the lace curtain aside but didn’t open the window. What are you doing here, Toby? I have a big science test tomorrow. You promised you’d leave me alone until this weekend. I don’t care if you’ve heard a rumor, or know of an old witch three towns over with a spell book over a hundred years old that might mention the Chalice. I need you to leave. Go. Away.

See how she talked to me? There are ghouls on the beach.

Derailed, Karen blinked in confusion. What?

I spoke slower. There are ghouls on the—

I heard what you said. I just don’t understand what that has to do with us.

Are you going to invite me in so we can talk? I kept the tone of my voice even, because I knew how much it annoyed her when I was calm and she wasn’t.

Karen pursed her lips as she narrowed her eyes. After a few seconds, she sighed then opened the window. All right, you can come in. She waited until I had crawled inside then said, Honestly, Toby, so they found a ghoul on the beach. I mean, it’s awful. Poor whoever, but it happens.

Not ghoul, Karen. Ghouls. As in, more than one.

Karen’s frown made a comeback. How many more?

I shrugged. Enough that they had to close down the boardwalk until they get the problem under control.

So, like, three or four?

More like a dozen.

Karen’s eyes snapped wide. A dozen? No way there are that many ghouls. You must be over-exaggerating.

I was instantly pissed, which, I’ll admit, is not hard for me. I’m not over-exaggerating shit. I’m telling you what I fucking heard.

Karen was still skeptical. From who?

Who do you think? Sebastian. Some vampire is out there fucking up in a way that’s going to panic the entire herd, so he automatically accused me.

Karen gave me a dry look. Sebastian thinks you alone are responsible for a dozen ghouls? Can a hybrid even make a ghoul?

I tried not to take offense at that comment and failed. "I’m sure I probably could if I wanted to. My point was that even a starving vampire with the worst case of bloodlust ever couldn’t drain more