Cambios en la abundancia de especies clave

They taunted me for the entirety of the ride, laughing at the sightless freak. It was as different as night and day from the car ride with Bryce and Cheetah. They gave me no hint where we were headed, and I didn’t ask. For the first hour, it didn’t matter.

My thoughts were only of Bryce. What would he do when he discovered me gone? Would he put himself in danger trying to find me? Could he find me? I knew he would try and that was the only reason why I wished for life.

As much as I wanted to blame him and his inquisitiveness for my predicament, I found blame useless. What Bryce had done for me was needed to make me strong. What happened next needed to be my concern.

I was surely going to meet the sun. Maybe it would have been inevitable; maybe I was saving myself from future heartbreak with Bryce. Either way, I relaxed back on the squeaky leather seat with my wrists bound together and was patient.

A particular series of staggered speed trips, the precursor to a tollbooth, jarred me as the weight against my hip made itself known. I could have burst out in laughter as I realized I had my cell phone with me.

There had been no ring, no vibration from the thing, and I was sure that Bryce would have returned to the room. Surely he had to know I was gone. While my hands were tied, I could have reached the phone. There was no one in the back seat with me but still, those in the front seat would surely notice it.

The cell phone was no help to me. The second they knew I had it, they would take it from me by force.

Angling my hands to my pants pocket, I found the phone. It had been longer than an hour, and surely with the door to our room knocked in, Bryce would have known something was wrong.

My thumb found the last button on the left side of the keypad and pushed. The phone shook a little but made no sound. Smiling as the vibrations reminded me of bickering with Bryce, I closed my eyes and laid my head back upon the seat. The phone was still on but it wouldn’t make any noise. I would know if it rang, even it I couldn’t answer it.

A piece of comfort, metal and circuitry though it was, was all I needed to remind me that I was not completely helpless in life, nor would I be on the path to death.

For that, Bryce’s small folly couldn’t put a dent in his accomplishment. If I was going to die, it wouldn’t be the death of a coward or a cripple.

* * * * *

I had an idea of where we were headed. Janos had two properties, both of which could be reachable before dawn: one in Manhattan, and a much larger mansion in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Manhattan was for pleasure, parties, and entertainment. It was a place for the youth. Scranton was a place for business. It was also where I had lost my sight.

The lack of outside noise combined with the high speed of the automobile led me to believe that we were headed to the rural Scranton compound. My thoughts were confirmed when the car swerved suddenly, probably to avoid hitting a deer. As the driver’s curses filled the car, I laid my head against the seat exhausted by the melancholy I felt within me. I had

never really liked Scranton myself. I had always considered myself more of a modern, party boy, rather than some Victorian, past-dwelling aristocrat and as Scranton contained nothing but pomp and cobwebs, it was no place that I wanted to be.

After several hours, the car’s tires slowed on a gravel-covered path. When our automobile came to a stop, my captors wasted no time in pulling me from the vehicle. Roughly, one took me by the elbow and guided me forward into Janos’s mansion.

Even without my sight, I recognized the hallways and spaces they lead me through. My ears picked up the tones of feet upon marble floors, the sound of an antique grandfather clock ticking loudly in the main hall, the echoes of narrow hallways as we descended stone stairs in to the bowels of the mansion.

The room smelled of roses, hyssops, and sage-scented smoke.

From memory I knew that the room was circular, and that Janos’s throne chair was in the back, framed on both sides by his lieutenants. I sought my memory for details, not out of hope of some grand escape but to assuage my feeling of helplessness. Fear for my life didn’t hold a candle to the fear of being considered weak.

I heard the whispers of his court, older and more powerful vampires than myself, when they threw me to the floor. By scent I counted twelve vampires; by ear I sensed four humans. It was by ear also that I recognized the gravely, east European lilt of Janos Kofaljk.

“Lexis. My beautiful Lexis,” he purred. “When will I learn? You are not one to be underestimated. I take away your beautiful green eyes, practically hand you over to the humans, and yet still you thrive. Hell, you’ve even managed to get a bit of muscle under your control. Tsk, tsk. I really do need to learn your secrets.”

I knew that he was talking about Bryce and I resented him all the more for his knowledge of my lover. Whatever he knew was one thing, but I would not give him anything new. “There aren’t any secrets,” I said, pushing myself up off the marble floor.

“Surely there must be,” came Janos’s voice, close enough that I could just feel the warmth of his breath. Chilly fingers seized my chin and squeezed. “You look so well.”

I jerked out of his hold, not masking in the least how much I loathed his touch. “I am.” “Well enough to declare revenge on us?

The idea was as humorous as it was wrong. “Janos. Honestly, I couldn’t give a damn about you or the coven. Regardless of what you might think, I didn’t lift a finger to inquire about you.”

Janos’s voice was much nearer, his breath warm on my ear when he spoke again. “You expect me to believe that inquires into my business matters and whereabouts from your wolf lover have no merit?”

Bryce had made inquires…undoubtedly that had been the true purpose of his phone.

Goddamnit, Bryce. “You can believe what you want,” I spat at Janos. “I told him I held no animosity to you about taking my sight or leaving me for dead. After all, I would have been just a lowly bloodsucking fisherman in Greece had you not shown me the world. You had every right to take back what you gave.”

“Still insolent, I see.” Janos growled -- a sign of irritation from the elder vampire. “Tell me, how many werewolves should I expect at my door? Five? Ten? Their type isn’t the kind to take initiative outside of a pack. They need orders to do anything other than blunder about.”

Laughter rang out in the hallway as if they knew it was true. They knew nothing about werewolves, I thought, and especially nothing about my wolf.

“So, Lexis, how many curs should I expect at my door?” I couldn’t dignify him with an answer I didn’t have. “I asked you a question!”

At the same time, I felt a hammering blow to my stomach. Doubling over, I barely had the air to reply. “I don’t know.”

“You know, you snide conniving, little --” He sighed loudly, steadied his breathing. “Perhaps I didn’t make it clear you were to suffer before, but that little misfortune will not

happen again. I don’t like killing my own kind. For you, I will make an exception.” “Do what you have to do.”

My head snapped to the right as Janos struck my jaw with his fist. Before I could right myself, a flurry of blows rained down on me. I took jabs to my ribs, kicks to the back of my head, my nose was smashed, my lip was broken. Despite my healing ability, my precious blood was spilled. “Right, brave, huh? You’re so fucking brave. How many?” Janos yelled.

I shook my head as he attempted to penetrate my mind. Despite his power, he was not my maker and could only cause a mild headache. “I have no idea…”

“You want your revenge. I can understand that --”

“You understand nothing. You’re beating a blind man with his hands tied,” I spat. “You’re a fucking brute. I told him not to seek you. It’s not my fault he didn’t listen. He seems to think you did me wrong but I couldn’t have cared less. I simply wanted to be away from you.”

Janos laughed, his voice filling the hall with its mocking timbre. “How noble. He didn’t fucking listen to you, but then you’ve had that problem for so long. And you wanted to lead my coven?” Grabbing my hair, he yanked my head back. “How? No one listens to you. Poor Lexis…you’re not ruthless or smart enough to learn your fucking place. I am so disappointed.”

“You needn’t be.”

“Oh. You’re right about that. You are so right about that. Now, I’m only going to ask you one more fucking time. How many friends does your werewolf have?”

It was useless to tell Janos what I didn’t know. Whatever course of revenge Bryce had planned was done behind my back and against my wishes. Despite the pain his preemptive actions had caused, I found myself hoping that even my capture was part of his plan. I began

hoping that any moment I would hear him roar amongst hundreds of his friends and pack members. It occurred to me that Janos might have suspected such a feat as well. Wondering how well he would take a lie as opposed to the truth, I answered, “Hundreds.”

“Hundreds,” he balked with a measure of uneasiness in his voice. “Hundreds won’t save you, you lying piece of shit. Werewolves don’t even run in packs that large. More than likely they’ll be four, six at most.”

He didn’t know anything and I could hear the uncertainty in his voice. “Hope you’re prepared.”

“Me? I’m always prepared, my boy.” Releasing my scalp, he shoved me to the floor. “I’ve got a little surprise for him and his friends. As for you --”

“You’re going to put me in the sun again?”

“Exactly! Seems like you do know something after all.” He snickered and I could have sworn that every creature within the room laughed at me. Was I so humorous? Was my fate such a jovial event? My spirit shuddered to think that those who laughed at me had once been friends and associates of mine.

“You know that. So know this; your wolf will get one hell of a surprise if he dares to come here.”

“What? Bells and confetti,” I muttered.

Janos roared with laughter as the first lash struck me. “Well, you are right about the confetti part.”

I only knew that there was more than one whip because they bit into separate parts of my body, one struck my leg at the same time another opened a gash into my chest. Relentless and cruel, I heard the whoosh of every coming blow but could not see where the leather would land.

Throwing curses along with every scream, there was nothing I could do to defend myself. I tried grabbing for the whips; the only thing I caught was air. On the floor or on my feet, I could not hide.

True to his word, Janos beat me until my clothes were shredded, and my body throbbed with the wounds. I had always heard that a person needed to reach rock-bottom before they could rise to the surface. With the laughter of vampires surrounding me, I knew that there was nothing but gravel beneath my feet.

My hatred for Janos, for the entire coven, raged within me. More than my own pitiful state, I despised them and wished for their destruction. Bryce had been right all along. They should have been made to pay, by me. Instead of focusing on how sad my state was, I should have been plotting their demise.

Janos didn’t need to worry whether or not my wolf would make an appearance.

* * * * *

I listened to their plans, very well laid indeed. They had humans armed with guns and silver bullets walking the grounds. Floodlights and surveillance cameras watched the perimeter. Vampiric guards patrolled the hallways. From the sound of it, radios were used for communication, as not everyone shared psychic links.

Bloody, yet healing still, I waited patiently on the floor. I wasn’t waiting for my demise; I was waiting for my opportunity. They had tied me up as if I were dangerous and left me alone. The ties that held me were made of the strongest rope, and while I could not break them, there was enough room for me to wiggle free. That they underestimated me was to my advantage. Waiting until dawn was also in my favor.

I knew Janos would invite only those in his closest circle to drink from me but only until I was near death. He would drink from me first as all Alpha predators had a right to while the others waited for their turn.

It was when he fed from me that I would give him my parting gifts -- my fangs and nails, teeth and feet. I would break my bonds and lash out at him with every ounce of energy that remained within me.

He would pay with my dying breath.

Janos wondered aloud, “There’s been no word from the guards?”

“None, sire.” It was the voice of some underling I didn’t recognize. “They haven’t had so much as a peep. It seems as if his furry boyfriend isn’t looking for him at all.”

“Perhaps you weren’t lying to me before, Lexis.”

Shrugging a shoulder recently reset back into the socket, I couldn’t contain my distaste. “I told you so, but then you wouldn’t have had a good excuse to ruin my life.”

“Oh, the tragedy. I ruined your affair with a mutt.” He laughed. “While it is likely that he hasn’t completely abandoned you, perhaps he sought you in New York. James, get Elena on the line and see if there’s been any noise in Manhattan, would you?”

The lackey answered back. “Yes, boss.”

“If he does decide to show his furry head, I will have the humans sweep up your remains. We’ll place them in a lovely jar for him to keep…at least for the hour that I allow him to live.”

“Fuck you,” I hissed, jostling my wrists in their bonds.

Like the lick-boot leech she was, Lazuri chirped to Janos, “Not to worry, sire. A little less than an hour, that’s how long he has to live. Hmph, what a waste. You should have known not to cross us. How stupid could you be?”

I wouldn’t dignify her with an answer, but I did contemplate whether I could take a chunk out of her before I died. Wrath filled me like an empty stream. Instead of spilling it forth, I contained it, let it rise. My fury would be for Janos alone, I promised myself, running my tongue over my fangs.

“Maybe we could turn the werewolf on our side? Offer him something other than damaged goods.”

“No. Werewolves can be oddly noble when they choose to be.” Janos’s reply to Lazuri seemed indicative of a past frustration. “They’re noble or unruly, obstinate rogues.”

Bryce was both -- unruly and an obstinate rogue. A sense of happiness descended on me as I thought about the times we spent together and how I should have given in to him so much earlier. If wishes imbued any sort of luck, I did my best to imagine for him a long and lucky life. I hoped that he would find someone who loved him and would take as good care of him as he had me.

My chest tightened. I demanded my emotions be calm. With the intricacies of my plot, I would need to be focused and not weak.

Bryce wouldn’t have wanted me to be weak. “Boss! Telephone!”

“What is it? Have the wolf and his friends found themselves in a trap, perhaps?”

Alarmed, I didn’t like the casual way that Janos gloated. My thoughts of Bryce went from calm to frenzied in an instant. Listening to the shaken voice of the errand boy, I awaited his words just as surely as Janos must have.

“Sire…t-he p-penthouse in Manhattan…”

Janos was too impatient for pauses. “Speak, man!” “I-it’s on fire.”

Fire? The penthouse was located on the top level of a business tower and I could only imagine how magnificent the sight of it on fire would be against the New York City skyline. Janos roared at the unexpected news, swearing vehemently. While he sought more information from a source that had none, I was awash with the most bizarre sensation of hope. Some measure of revenge was being enacted and even if Bryce were not the cause, I was still eminently pleased.

“The flames…they said they came out of nowhere. No one knows how it started even. I asked if it was the wolf but…”

“But what?” “B-but…”

I heard a whoosh, the sound of a body moving at great speed. There was a gasp and a gurgle, which I took to be the sound of the errand boy.

“Nothing,” the man coughed. “They said nothing. They were screaming, sire. I --” A sickening snap, and one less human heart beat in the room.

I could almost feel the heat of Janos’s anger as he swore aloud.

The first thing that came to my mind was Cheetah, the firestarter. I didn’t know how Bryce had sought his help and I wasn’t even sure he had, but I smiled nonetheless. From what I knew of the penthouse, its security measures, and artillery, burning the place down would be the most unexpected yet efficient way of flushing out the vampires. Depending on how near dawn was, there would be utter panic. There would be no sanctuary from the sun, and they would scramble desperately to hide. If any of them survived.

It was a brilliant plan and I couldn’t resist telling Janos so. “Well,” I laughed sarcastically. “He may have picked the wrong place, but it’s the thought that counts.”

I felt wind then the force of a hammer slammed against the side of my face.

“You fiend! You ungrateful, spiteful creature,” Janos sneered, his breath hot and putrid, close to my face. “I will lay you out in the sun, cover your limbs, revealing them one at a time to its harsh rays. I will start with your left leg, then your right, then your groin…you