Chapter Twenty Five

Peter didn't look left or right while they walked down the path and Boe walked onto a few feet in front of him. Peter could hear the sounds of howling and moaning all around him, but he looked straight ahead and saw a tiny dot of light only a few feet in front of him. The light grew brighter as an image appeared and he swore it looked like a stone cell. Boe walked faster as Peter half ran to keep up with the tiger and stopped when they came to the center of the cell.

"No, you have to get out of here!" Cassandra shouted as Peter turned around and Cross flew to the unlit torch sticking out of the wall.

"Why?" he asked while walking toward her and she slid her arms around him.

"This is where it happened."

"Where what happened?" he asked and she sighed, rubbing her hands over his bottom.

"This is where Giacomo died," she said then told him about her dream and Peter sighed, lowering his eyes. "So, please, go!"

"No, Cheri, let him stay," a voice behind her said as Peter moved Cassandra closer after she turned around and they looked at Jean-Phillipe. "Let's see if we can't make history repeat itself."

"Look, I get that you're out for revenge for your family. Fuck, I sort of did get my revenge and, Mate, it's not all it's cracked up to be," Peter said while Jean-Phillipe walked closer and stood face to face with him. Peter puffed on the cigarillo then took it out of his mouth and blew smoke in Jean-Phillipe's face. Growling, Jean-Phillipe went to punch Peter as Peter gently moved Cassandra one step to the left and Jean-Phillipe fell to his bottom. Peter softly laughed then placed the cigarillo back in his mouth and Jean-Phillipe got off the floor, glaring at him.

"I will not be made a fool of," he growled as he drew the steel blade sword out of the scabbard and pointed the steel blade at Peter.

"Yeah, well, someone's got to do it. I mean, come on, you spent all this time looking for her when you could have been rebuilding your family."

"Not as long as that was still out there," Jean-Phillipe said while pointing with the steel blade to the silver blade sword in the scabbard hanging from Peter's hip.

"You mean to say that a big bad ass vampire like you is afraid of this?" Peter asked after dropping the cigarillo to the ground, crushed it with his boot then removed the silver blade sword from the scabbard and pointed the silver blade at him.

"You have no idea what power you are playing with, Mon Ami," Jean-Phillipe said and Peter's eyes widened.

"Oh, I got a pretty good idea. So let's get this over with," Peter said as he placed Cassandra behind him, secretly handing her the rifle, and held the handle of the silver blade sword tightly in his hand with the blade facing him.

"You are so like your ancestor," Jean-Phillipe said and a hint of a smile broke Peter's face.

"You are so wrong. See, Giacomo was fighting because he had something to lose," Peter said then gave him a serious look. "I have nothing to lose."

"Then you die for nothing!" Jean-Phillipe said as he held the handle of the steel blade sword tightly in his hand with the blade facing him. Cassandra watched as the blades smashed together and was shocked with how well Peter was fighting.

"He is either really very good at this or he's totally drunk!" she thought while Peter swung the silver blade sword and the silver blade seemed to be glowing in a white light. He bellowed while the silver blade cut a long line from Jean-Phillipe's right shoulder down to his left hip and Jean-Phillipe screeched. The smoke and blood filled the air as he staggered back and Peter smiled at him.

"Giving up already?" Peter asked while bouncing side to side and Cassandra half smiled, rolling her eyes.

"He's drunk," she thought when Jean-Phillipe roared and charged at Peter. Peter stepped out of the way then swung the silver blade sword and cut a long line across Jean-Phillipe's back. The smoke and blood filled the air as Jean-Phillipe fell to his knees and, with one shaking hand, reached behind him, touched the blood then looked at his hand. Cassandra walked to Peter while Peter breathed hard and fast through his nose when an inhuman screeched filled the room and the steel blade sword fell to the floor.

"Oh shit," Peter said while they watched Jean-Phillipe arch his back and the white shirt he was wearing split into tatters as thick, black, leathery wings exploded from Jean-Phillipe's back, The muscles rippled under his skin while his arms extended and his fingers and thumbs turned into claws with long talons on the end. Jean-Phillipe pushed up as his trousers exploded and his legs extended while his feet turned into paws with long talons. Turning to face them, Jean-Phillipe snarled at them as his face turned into something almost feral and his eyes looked catlike. His nose was pushed up into a snout and slime dripped drown from the fangs. "Now that's what I call ugly!"

"This isn't time to make jokes!" Cassandra said as she came up next to him and held the rifle in her hands. Jean-Phillipe snarled at them as he moved closer and Cassandra smiled, looking through the cross hairs at him. "Just so you know. Constance was a wimp. Me? I'm a bitch!"

Peter slightly ducked as the rifle went off and Jean-Phillipe howled as the bullet hit his right shoulder. Hissing, he charged at them as Peter gently pulled her out of the way and handed her some rifle shells. Jean-Phillipe turned while growling at them then screeched when Boe jumped onto his back and clamped its jaws around his neck. Jean-Phillipe tried to shake the tiger off when Cross flew at him and started pecking at his eyes. Jean-Phillipe screeched when Cassandra took aim at his right leg and pulled the trigger. Jean-Phillipe screeched as he tried to rear up on his legs but Boe raked it's claws along his back and sides and Jean-Phillipe screamed. Peter handed Cassandra the last of the shells when she took aim and Jean-Phillipe reared up on his legs, trying to shake Boe off his back. Blood was rolling out of his eye sockets as he roared and Cassandra pulled the trigger. Peter crossed his legs as he hissed air and his left hand went over his crotch.

"Remind me not to make you mad," he teased while Jean-Phillipe crashed to his side and Boe jumped off his back, half running to Peter. Cross flew back to the unlit torch while Jean-Phillipe groaned and had changed back to his human form. Shrugging, Peter puffed on the cigarillo while walking to him and looked down, the handle of the silver blade sword held tightly in his hand. Bleeding and blind, Jean-Phillipe moaned while Peter held the silver blade sword over his head and growled. Howling, he swung the silver blade sword when Jean-Phillipe's head rolled across the floor and Boe picked the head up by the hair and headed for the shadows. The body had burst into blood, fire and ash as Peter placed the silver blade sword back into the scabbard and Cassandra walked closer, placing her arm around him.

"Where did he go?" Peter asked and Cassandra smiled, kissing his cheek.

"Don't worry. He'll be back," she said and he gave her a confused look.

"That didn't answer my question. Where did he go?"

"There are some things, Magic Man, that you're better off not knowing," she said as she looked at the shadows and smiled.

The bedroom was dark and still while Cross sat on the dresser and Bow was lying on the floor in front of the door. Both were asleep while Peter looked at the ceiling and watched the shadows moving. Jane and Charlie were angry after they had come back to the penthouse and Peter knew that Charlie was angry at the fact he didn't take him with him. Peter explained that it was his turn to slay the vampire and Charlie smiled, rolling his eyes. Jane, on the other hand, made him feel like a child when she called him an irresponsible, selfish asshole and that he could have been killed. She went on for what seemed like eternity while reminding him about his responsibilities to not only them, but to the hotel and how would they explain what happened if he and Cassandra hadn't come back. What made it worse was Charlie was standing behind her with a smirk on his face and Peter smiled, rubbing his eyes with his finger and thumb.

"You lied," Cassandra whispered as he blinked his eyes a few times and she moved her fingers through the soft hair on his chest.

"I lied?" he asked and she placed her head against the center of his chest and his heart thumped soft and steady in her ear.

"You told him you had nothing to lose," she said as she moved her fingers along his side and he shivered.

"Well, I did say that most of my life deals in lies and illusion. So, yeah, I did lie when I said that. I mean I have a great job, a limo, still trying to get them to give me my own jet and I live in Vegas. Then there's Charlie and Jane. Ok, Charlie lied to me, but he also made me realize that I was fooling myself and living a life that sucked. True, I never wanted any of this shit, but I'm stuck with it. It might not be a twenty-four seven deal. Then there's Cross and Boe," Peter said and the familiars opened their eyes at the mention of their names. "I couldn't ask for better back up. Finally, I have you. If someone would tell me a few months ago that I would meet someone that I would fall totally in love with, I would have told them to fuck off!"

"So…," she said as she carefully climbed on top of him and he could feel her hands moving under his shoulders and she kissed his chest. "You're telling me that Peter Vincent is happy?"

"Yep," Peter said as he popped the "p" and she giggled. "What?"

"Nothing," she said as she kissed his lips and Boe, watching them from its spot on the floor, snorted, closed its eyes and went back to sleep.

The End