Sad Eyes and Broken Heart

  Pittsburgh Vampires Vol. 21

  B.A. Stretke

  Superiorland Publishing

  Copyright © 2023 B.A. Stretke

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN-13: 9781234567890

  ISBN-10: 1477123456

  Cover design by: Art Painter

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309

  Printed in the United States of America

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  THE END

  About The Author

  CHAPTER ONE

  "Get out of the way!" One in the group yelled at a homeless man stumbling down the street. He paid them no attention, so he got pushed, and when he fell, they kicked him a couple of times. Everyone tries to push forth their dominance in a dog-eat-dog world. The group got bored quickly and continued down the way as if they had something to do and somewhere to go.

  Teo moved with the pack, walking with a confidence and bravado that he did not own or feel; it was all part of the hype and the look. They walked the alleys and low streets as if they were a hard-won prize when, in reality, no one wanted this battered and morally crumbling part of the lowlands. It was pathetic, really, but Teo had no other option right now, so he stayed with this pack that called themselves the Nadir.

  They were a group of allied street kids who banded together to survive, and Teo was glad to have been accepted but also knew his time with the group would be limited. He was a vampire, and all his fellow Nadir were human. Teo had been on the streets now for nearly a year, having arrived in Pittsburgh about six months ago. His birth coven was in Baltimore, a place he could never return.

  The thought of home brought on feelings that were both good and bad. Until the building distrust and the tragedy that changed everything, his life had been somewhat normal and average. But then things changed on a dime, and now his life would never be the same, and he would never again know what it was to be normal or average. All he had was this group of ne'er do wells who would gladly turn on him if the price were right, but for now, they were a pack. He made a practice of not looking too close and just accepting what was offered.

  They moved from the street to a back alley now that it was coming on dusk. It was time for them to hunker down and become invisible because there were worse things on these streets than the Nadir, and they came out after dark.

  Teo felt a cold wind following him and put up another shield to cloak him from awareness. He'd managed to throw them off so far, but the time would come when he was not strong enough, and he feared that day.

  Thayer had settled into life at the Hadden Coven easier than he’d expected. He chose to take an apartment over the Imperial Club rather than the Hadden Center because he enjoyed the ambiance of the place. The Club had an old majesty that spoke to him, and he liked the more relaxed atmosphere.

  The threat of dark magic was neutralized to a great extent. There were still pockets of casters within the city, but they were easily located and dispersed. Master Hadden re-sanctified the old monastery, putting an end to the blight's attempt to subvert that power vacuum. For the past few months, everything seemed smooth and calm within the boundaries of the Hadden Coven and beyond, which was welcome.

  His trip to assist with events occurring at Coven DuCane opened his eyes to the honor and strength of character of both Louis and Edward, also known as the dreaded Duke of Burgundy and the Black Prince. They were two individuals he had never trusted, and now he would trust them both with his life. Master Hadden considered Louis a fine man and a good friend, and Thayer now recognized him as both. It was an education and a broadening of his own awareness in regard to judgment and the fact that people can change.

  Cyprian Knights are harsh in their judgment but always fair, and he found his fairness lacking with Louis DuCane. Louis was a cold-hearted fight to the death, blood and bones warrior of old, and Thayer never thought he could be anything else. But redemption was always possible, especially when a tender, kind-hearted beloved entered the picture. Both men, Louis and Edward, were made better by the love that entered their lives. Thayer often finds himself contemplating that fact.

  He never regretted following his Cyprian leader and friend, Marek, to this dimension and this life among the mortal and immortal. Marek was established in his life here with his inamorato, Noori Hassan, a guard with the Hadden Coven. They worked together patrolling the streets of Pittsburgh, keeping life safe for everyone.

  Life at the Hadden Coven was fast-paced, and Pittsburgh held many secrets and surprises that tended to keep them all busy. There were days after watching Marek and his inamorato together that he would speculate in the back of his mind on the possibility and hope that there was a tender, kind-hearted individual waiting out there for him.

  "We're patrolling the lowlands tonight," Marek announced to Thayer as they all sat down together for dinner. Marek and Noori lived at the Hadden Center since Noori's assignment as Commander of the guards, which made it essential that he reside in the heart of the Coven and near his men.

  “Are there problems in the lowlands?” Thayer asked as he accepted a glass of red wine from Noori.

  "Nothing definite," Noori replied.

  "But there's been a spike in energy coming from that area. It could be nothing, or it could be someone just getting started." Marek explained.

  "I'd like to come along if you have room," Thayer commented.

  "Always room for you," Marek answered with a smile. Thayer hadn't formally joined any team or endeavor, preferring rather to remain freelance and join when and where needed. It gave him a wider field, and he enjoyed working with a range of individuals rather than a singular tight-knit group.

  He was always prepared and ready whenever Marek needed him; that relationship was deep and resided in his bones and in his soul. His Cyprian leader would forever be of primary importance until the day Thayer found his inamorato, and then Marek would be relegated to the second most important person.

  Teo found a suitable hiding place in the condemned building and tucked himself into the darkest corner, away from the rest of his crew. He needed this group in order to survive on the street, but he didn't like to be too near any of them at night when they were isolated and hiding. They gave him a vibe of every man for himself when no one was looking, and no one was looking at night in the dark.

  He hadn't eaten in a couple of days but managed to get enough blood from a few rodents. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than falling into the thirst. He was a young vampire, so his blood needs were less than that of a fully advanced vampire, which usually occurred around age thirty-five. Until then, his strength, skills, and vampire powers were not as developed. He still had abilities, just not as fine-tuned as they would be once he reached thirty-five or he happened to meet his beloved. Finding his beloved and bonding would jump-start all his skills.

  Teo smiled at the thought, realizing how bizarre it was. His beloved was probably some lowlife back at his old Coven. Probably someone who would use and abuse him just like the rest of the family and friends. There was no help for him in that quarter. His thoughts continued to spiral in this direction until someone spoke to him.

  "Move over. I'm hiding here with you." The voice was that of Jackson, the young man who fancied himself the leader of this group. Teo wanted to get up and let him have the space and find something else for himself, but he would take that as an affront. It happened with another member about a week ago, and that member was roundly beaten for what Jackson called rudeness. Teo wasn't in the mood for a fight which he could easily win but would most likely land him on the outside of this little Club and on his own.

  "You said you'd keep me warm tonight, Jackson." A smaller voice, flirty and demanding, entered the conversation, and Teo was relieved. Unfortunately, that relief was short-lived as Jackson rounded on the guy and punched him in the face hard enough that the guy fell backward onto the wet, dirty concrete floor.

  "Fuck off, Morley." Jackson cursed and broke the silence of the night. Morley looked miffed and scooted away to one of the corners, and Jackson brought his attention back to Teo. "Move over, Teo." He repeated.

  "Fuck off, Jackson, I'm not gay." Teo was as gay as the day was long, but he had to get this guy off his scent. It seemed to disrupt his thinking for a moment, and then he smiled.

  "Maybe you just haven't met the right guy." He said and moved toward Teo. Teo shook his head. He wasn't going to roll over for this. He put up with a lot in his life, but he refused to put out for this guy just to have a half-assed safe place to exist.

  He was about to stand when Jackson pushed him back to the floor and moved in on him. Teo had placed a piece of a cardboard box on the wet concrete to make it less wet and a tiny bit
more comfortable, but now Jackson had gotten his stupid wet feet all over it.

  "I've met plenty of guys, and there isn't a one that I would give it up for, least of all you." He knew he was walking on shaky ground, but his dignity was involved, and he had to hold onto something, even if it was just a shred of dignity.

  The double doors on the far wall came crashing down, and the room suddenly became flooded with light. Men started swarming the place, and the Nadir scattered everyone going in a different direction. Teo recognized the men as vampires and knew he had to get away fast. Jackson forgot all about him and everyone else as he shimmied through a pipe to the outside and disappeared. Their fearless leader was a jerk, but Teo already knew that.

  “Squatters?” Enzo, a Hadden Center guard who elected to come along, enquired while searching the area for real problems.

  "Street kids, it would seem," Noori responded with a shake of his head.

  “This is a hell of a place to spend the night.” Mael, one of Noori’s guards, made his opinion known.

  "They feel safe hidden together in the dark corners. It's the best they can do." Thayer commented as he watched the last of the young ones scurrying off, afraid of what the light had brought. His attention became focused on one as he dropped and disappeared through a hole in the lower wall. He was different than the others, but Thayer couldn't determine what that difference was.

  He walked over to where the young man had disappeared and crouched down to look through the hole that led to an overgrown side yard. There was no sign of them, for they were a street gang, and they knew how to vanish. He stood and looked around, not sure what he was looking for but feeling a need to find out more about these kids, especially the one with blond hair and frightened blue eyes.

  “Find anything?” Marek walked up to stand next to him. Thayer shook his head but maintained his pensive expression.

  “What is it?” Marek pressed for more.

  "Nothing bad, just a feeling that there is more here than I can see." Thayer tried to describe the feeling.

  “The building or the gang?” Marek asked.

  "The gang . . . I think." He turned to look at Marek, who was nodding.

  “Follow it up because your instincts are never wrong. In the meantime, Noori and I will make sure the area is clean.”

  Teo ran to the warehouse on the corner of the block and slipped into the basement through a broken window. It was the place they said to meet up if something happened, and slowly, one by one, he noticed others coming in the window and some coming down from the first floor.

  He moved to a far corner and found a perch on an empty wooden box. He pushed his back against the wall and crossed his legs, becoming as small as possible. Jackson wasn't around, but still, he wanted to be as hidden as possible, not in the mood to deal with that jackass again. All he wanted was a few hours of sleep, but the roust out of their previous location was going to make it all but impossible to relax.

  The group were vampires, probably from the Hadden Coven, because Teo could not imagine someone like Master Hadden allowing anyone into his territory. He was a ruthless dictator and dealt out death sentences at a rate unmatched in the vampire world.

  Teo shouldn’t be in Pittsburgh, but it was ideal because no one would look for him in such a perceived dangerous place. No one would believe he was foolhardy enough to trespass on Hadden territory. There were many reasons he was still there, the most agonizing of which was the fact that he ran out of money just after leaving Harrisburg. He got as far as Pittsburgh and couldn’t go any further.

  Working was out of the question due to the fact Hadden's people would out him easily. It would be impossible to hide the fact he was a vampire from other vampires for very long, and he would be seen as a trespasser, which would most likely lead to a death sentence. Hadden had no mercy and reveled in the destruction of others.

  Silence fell as everyone found their own hidey-holes for the night. The soldiers who had rousted them did not follow, so their target was not them but rather the location. A group of human street kids were of no interest or consequence to someone like Master Hadden. They were useless and invisible and the perfect place for Teo to lay low until he came up with a better plan.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Thayer completed the search of the abandoned building and the adjacent locations that had given off indications of low-level magics, but his thoughts never left the young man he saw running away. There was nothing special about him apart from those eyes, those terrified eyes. What was he afraid of? Was it the soldiers, the magics, or something specific to him alone, something from his own life? There was no way to get those answers without talking to the young man, but he was long gone, for now.

  "There were traces of magics throughout the building but no definite source or direction," Marek told him. "Something is going on down here. I can feel it in my bones." He continued, and Thayer nodded in complete agreement that there was something going on, and it wasn't in the Coven's or the city's best interest to ignore it.

  "The building should be razed, brought down, and purified," Thayer stated.

  "That would be a good beginning," Marek confirmed. "The subtleness of the energy may simply be a tester or feeler checking our response, so we need to come down hard and complete.”

  "It may scare them off, or they will come back with more firepower." Thayer smiled, for he was always up for a fight against the darkness and its cohorts.

  "Either way, we will know where we stand."

  They spent the evening razing the building and purifying the grounds. All signs of dark magic were wiped out. They also treated the lands that surrounded the building, and when finished, Thayer stood and wondered about the gang of young ones that had been scared off. They were not inherently bad and had not been touched by anything dark; they were simply surviving.

  With that thought in mind, he wondered why they were filling his mind and why the blond with the sad eyes continued to prey on his mind and his interest. He had to find him there was a reason, and he was too used to this type of imagery and provocation to simply write it off as unimportant. Whoever he was, he had a story that Thayer needed to hear.

  "Noori has assigned another team to cover the rest of the lowlands tomorrow. It will just be patrols, nothing like tonight with breaking-in doors and floodlights." Marek smiled.

  "We can't always barge in, I suppose." Thayer chuckled.

  “I enjoy barging in, and I love the purifying effects of a good flood light." Marek continued until Noori stepped up to his side, and then he reached over, took his hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it. "It was a good night, my love. Whatever was trying to take hold here has been eradicated."

  “It was a good night. We made the lowlands a little better.” Noori agreed and squeezed Marek’s hand. Thayer loved seeing their relationship so easy and loving. His friend was a very lucky man.

  “I’m going to hang around and see if I can pick up a trail on those kids who ran from here when we arrived.” Thayer declared. “There is something about that gang that feels off to me.”

  "Let us know if you need any help," Noori told him as Thayer turned and started walking toward the alley that ran behind the derelict buildings on the block.

  “Will do.” He said and kept walking.

  With all the activity going on, the area cleared out, so Thayer wasn't sure how much he would find regarding the young ones who'd escaped upon their arrival. The alley was overgrown and wild in spots, affording you a good place to hide as long as you weren't being hunted by a paranormal. Humans were not able to scent or see auras, so hiding from them was quite easy.

  Thayer walked over to the side of the alleyway where the dense brush began and looked down into the thick overgrowth. He saw eyes looking back at him. It was nearing morning, but was still dark, and this human probably assumed Thayer could not see them. He didn't startle them but rather shifted his gaze back to the road ahead and began walking.

  That young man wasn’t who he was looking for. It dawned on him as he continued to analyze the brief encounter he’d had with that young man last night that there was something decidedly different about him. He did not give off the aura and markers of a young human. He didn't present like the others who ran from the building. The one with the blond hair and woeful expression was vampiric.