Chapter 9

Howie watched as the private jet took off. He had tracked Kevin and AJ to the small airport. He approached a young woman sitting at a receptionist's desk.

"Excuse me, ma'am? I was wondering if you could help me," Howie said with a charismatic smile.

"Yes?" she asked, looking up at him. She blushed as she stared a bit too long at his chiseled cheekbones and chocolate brown eyes.

"That Lear that just departed, where was it heading?' he asked, casually leaning against the side of the desk.

'I'm sorry, that was a private aircraft. I'm not at liberty to give out the information," she said.

"Not even to me?" he said leaning closer to her.

She blushed even deeper. She leaned forward and in a hushed voice, said, "It was leaving for the Czech Republic. It will land in Prague."

"Thank you. You've been to kind," he said, taking her hand and kissing it. She smiled shyly and tucked her hair behind one ear.

Howie turned to walk away, but then turned back, "come to think of it, Prague is a beautiful city. Maybe I should go. Are there any jets available?"

"Um, I can check," she said, flustered by his charm.

An hour later, Howie was in pursuit of Kevin and AJ. He knew Kevin's intentions. Kevin would stop at nothing until he had broken Nick and claimed him. Howie was not going to allow that.

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"Mmm…Europe," Kevin said ad he stepped off the plane into the chill midnight air.

"How are we going to find them? We don't even know if they're in the city or not," AJ said.

"Patience, my friend, patience. We'll find them. Look how quickly we found out where they were going. This will be even easier," Kevin said, putting his arm around AJ's shoulder.

The two vampires arrived in the heart of the city and checked into the most sophisticated of hotels. AJ came to Kevin's room after he was settled in.

"I'm going out. Care to join me?" AJ asked.

"I think I will hunt on my own tonight, but thank you, "Kevin said, staring out the window over the city's skyline. AJ quietly left, leaving Kevin in silence.

Kevin knew Nick was somewhere in this city. To the east, he saw the lights from the St. John's Bridge. A wicked grin crossed his face. What a perfect place to prowl, he thought.

It was past midnight when he made it to the bridge. The statues stood like sentinels, guarding passage over the river. He rested against the low stonewall and looked out over the water. It was so quiet that the only sound Kevin heard was the water lapping at the stone piles. He turned his head as he heard footsteps approaching.

Kevin watched his victim approach. It was a lone woman, dressed in a waitress's uniform. She must be heading home, he thought. Kevin kept his gaze locked on her as she approached. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Kevin's dark figure.

"It's late for a woman to be out alone," he said in her language. She ignored him, put her head down, and continued in her path. His eyes followed her as she past.

The woman jumped and opened her mouth to let out a scream as Kevin instantly appeared in front of her. He quickly covered her mouth with his hand.

"Don't scream. I will be over quickly," he said, brushing his lips against her cheek. The woman let out a cry but it was quickly silenced as Kevin tore into the flesh of her neck.

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Finding Kevin and AJ did not pose a problem to Howie. They never suspected they would be followed. Howie made the bold move of checking into the same hotel. He would have to take special care so Kevin would not discover his presence.

Checking Kevin's room and finding it empty, Howie settled into the lobby. He his himself behind a newspaper and waited for Kevin to return.

When he saw Kevin walk through the front doors, Howie resisted the urge to confront him right there. He watched Kevin board the elevator and disappear.

Howie slowly folded the newspaper and went to place it on the table before him. His hand froze in mid-action. A hand lay on his shoulder and an eerie sensation rolled over him.

He turned to look at the woman behind him. Tears brimmed in his eyes. She was still so beautiful to him. Her skin had lost its light cocoa smoothness, her eyes were the same stormy blue they always had been. Her long hair fell in a veil of silky waves. She moved to caress his cheek.

"Howie," she said quietly.

He closed his eyes as his tears fell. He took her hand and held it to him. One word escaped his lips. Mother.