The Tiny Vampire From Outer Space That’s Bitey XI: The Mutto Train (Shadow Conn Tiny Vampire Book 11)

Marcus’ childer are maturing faster than he anticipated. He’d hoped he would have the majority of Earth culled by now, but he’s still fighting the Space Agency while he cements his financial control. Unfortunately, the government idiots seem hellbent on destroying every living thing on Earth with space dust. Can Marcus create a plan and stop the humans from killing themselves before they force Marcus to find a fourth planet for his growing family?

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1. Chapter 1 - Back Home

 

Oliver was woken by banging on the side door of the van. He jumped out of bed and opened it before it woke everyone. He knew Shadow slept late, and Alera was still tired. The excited vampire on the other side of the door had to be Shari. “Well, good evening.” He stepped outside and was immediately hugged by Shari`.

“Is Sire inside?” Shari asked.

“Both of them,” Oliver said as he hugged Shari. “Is Dr. Jones here?”

“He is,” Shari said.

“Did Lucia stay one night?”

“She did,” Shari said. “Then, she took us to work, and Dr. Jones brought us home.”

“Good,” Oliver said.

Oliver turned his head when he heard movement.

Marcus ushered the blooddolls off the van and stepped out. He’d rushed to put on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt when he heard the banging. He was surprised Shadow only huffed at him once before curling up in all the blankets and pillows.

Marcus was not surprised that it was Shari who was banging on the door. “Evening, Shari.”

Shari ran over and hugged Marcus.

Marcus chuckled. He hugged her. “How’s my little vampire?”

“Good. What are those?” Shari asked.

“Food and servants,” Marcus said.

Dr. Jones stepped out of the cabin with Marc and walked over to Marcus, Shari and Oliver. “We were just finishing up the feedings.”

“How’s everyone?” Marcus asked.

“Good. Your next two oldest wake a little every night,” Dr. Jones said.

“They do that when they’re about ready,” Marcus said.

“I’d say they are very close,” Dr. Jones said. “Who are these four?”

“These are the food we found in the middle of the jungle,” Marcus said.

“It was a vampire habitat. The vampires were long gone, but we found the food,” Oliver said.

“I was hoping to integrate them into our supply,” Marcus said. “I need you to examine them and figure out their intricacies.”

“Are they different than what we’re doing?” Dr. Jones asked.

“Extremely. They are extra thick and have bite points that stop bleeding,” Marcus said.

“All right. I can take them with me and examine them,” Dr. Jones said. “I’ll bring them back when I bring the childer back.”

Marcus explained what was going on to the blooddolls in Latin.

“Okay,” the blooddoll said.

“You know what. I better go with them,” Oliver said.

“I’ll wake Shadow and Alera,” Marcus said.

“I think Alera just woke up,” Oliver said.

“I’m up,” Alera said from the doorway of the van. “Did you want me to get Shadow up?”

“I’ll get her up,” Marcus said.

“Did you want to come with me to town, Alera?” Oliver asked.

“Yeah,” Alera said. “I need to get some things.”

“I guess I’ll follow you,” Oliver said to Dr. Jones.

“All right. We need to get going,” Dr. Jones said.

“Tell Shadow we’ll play cards when we get back,” Alera said as she got into the car with Oliver.

“I will.” Marcus turned and stepped into the van.

He found Shadow buried under the blankets. Since Marcus hadn’t put his shoes on, he slid into the bed next to her and kissed the side of her face.

Shadow inhaled.

“How’s my sleepy Bonded?” Marcus asked.

Shadow rolled onto her back. “Did I sleep late?”

“You did,” Marcus said. “It’s after nine. Almost ten.”

“Crap. Are we home? Did the childer get to work?”

Marcus kissed her. “We are, and they did. Oliver and Alera went into town with the blooddolls. We need them examined in order to improve our own.”

“Oh.” Shadow stretched.

“How do you feel?” Marcus asked.

“Fine,” Shadow said. “Not bloated at all.”

Marcus drug his hand down her abdomen. “It’s in there, but it’s just one sac.”

“This won’t require as much attention, will it?” Shadow asked.

“No, it will not, but before you think I’m going to stick my mutto in you any less...” Marcus kissed her deeply.

“Is everyone gone for the night?” Shadow asked.

“They are,” Marcus said between kisses.

“Then, why are we still in the van?” Shadow asked.

“Because you looked comfortable, and I’m being lazy. Are you turning down van mutto?”

Shadow laughed. “I am.”

“We can do this somewhere else.” Marcus slid off the bed. He picked Shadow up, blankets and all, and carried her out of the van. “Treehouse or recreation room? We have the whole property to ourselves.”

“How about food and then the treehouse,” Shadow said.

“Let’s see if the childer left us any live food,” Marcus said as he walked around to the food habitat. “Are you wearing a shirt?”

“I don’t know. Did you undress me?” Shadow asked.

“I don’t think so.” Marcus set her on her feet and took the blankets. “You’re wearing a shirt.”

“Have you eaten?”

“No, so I’m hoping there’s two in there,” Marcus said. He opened the door and allowed Shadow inside first.

Shadow looked around. “Might be slim pickings.”

Marcus walked down the hallways. He found one in the back. “How many workers are here?”

“Should be four of us,” he said.

“Where are the other three?” Marcus asked.

“I’m not sure,” he said.

Marcus opened the back door and looked. They were playing cards. “Can I get two of you to come with me?”

“Yeah. Sure,” a woman said. “I’m losing anyway.”

Marcus waited for a man to stand then said, “We’ll be doing some work around the treehouse.”

Marcus led them through the habitat. He sent Shadow’s blankets to the laundry room as they walked.

Shadow hopped along beside Marcus.

[Which one of these do you want?] Marcus asked.

[The female,] Shadow said to Marcus.

[Do you want me to hold it for you, or do you want to get it?] Marcus asked.

[I’ll get it,] Shadow said.

[You don’t have to prove anything,] Marcus said. [Let me hold it for you. The childer aren’t here.]

Shadow looked at Marcus. [Okay.] She knew he was concerned about the sac, and the food was a fairly large female, easily twice Shadow’s size.

Marcus grabbed the two humans with tendrils. “Go ahead.”

Shadow walked over to the female and grabbed her hand. She frowned when the woman tried to jerk it away.

Marcus wrapped another tendril around the woman’s arm.

Shadow sank her fangs into the woman’s wrist and drank deeply.

Marcus walked over and drained his food. Then, he sent both bodies into the Umbra.

“She was stronger than I thought,” Shadow said.

“Stronger than I thought,” Marcus said. “But that’s okay. Are you full?”

“I’m full.”

Marcus walked with her up into the treehouse. He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV before making them a bottle of bloodwine with the replicator.

 

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The Tiny Vampire From Outer Space That’s Bitey X: In the Jungle of the Vampire (Shadow Conn Tiny Vampire Book 10)

Feeling the crunch of not capturing Earth yet and overwhelmed wiht their more than 30 childer, Marcus, Shadow, Oliver and Alera decide to take a vacation to the Southern Jungles. Unbeknownst to Shadow, however, it's not a real vacation. Marcus and Oliver want to explore the potential vampire pyramids for clues on the previous vampire races and why they didn't conquer Earth. Where they failed, Marcus plans to succeed, with thier left-behind technology, of course.

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1. Chapter 1 - No Marcus

 

Shadow watched as the black car carrying Marcus drove down the street. She sighed and turned to walk into the apartment complex. Alera was in the office alone.

Alera looked up when she heard footsteps. It sounded like Shadow, and it was Shadow. “What are you doing here? I thought you had plans tonight.” She looked beyond her and didn’t see Marcus. “Where’s Marcus?”

“Space Agency,” Shadow said.

Alera cursed. “I knew putting those cabins in our name was a bad idea.”

“He didn’t have a choice. Eventually, someone was going to find us. And we’re still bigger than what we bought,” Shadow said.

“Why didn’t he take you with him?” Alera asked. She knew Marcus didn’t like letting Shadow out of his sight as much as Shadow didn’t like being left by herself, even if ‘left by herself’ meant her and Oliver were still nearby.

“He’s worried they’ll try and keep him this time,” Shadow said.

“Shadow. I can read minds,” Alera said as she straightened a stack of paperwork and looked around for her hole punch.

“He’ll kill them all if they don’t return him home tomorrow night,” Shadow said. “First thing. He’s really really angry.”

“I bet. He’s looking forward to tomorrow night,” Alera said as she continued looking for the hole punch.

“He keeps thinking about our anniversary too,” Shadow said.

“Your one year Bonded,” Alera said.

“I don’t think it’s been that long. Maybe a year since we met,” Shadow said.

Alera frowned and bit the stack twice then stuck the pages in a binder. She contemplated. “If it’s not this weekend, it’s getting close.”

“Close enough that he wants to do something for it,” Shadow said then paused. “Did you just bite that paper?”

“I can’t find my hole punch, and I needed to put that paperwork in a binder,” Alera said as she put the binder in a file drawer. “Well, Oliver’s really ready for this black moon. We’ve had sex every night this week.”

“Same,” Shadow said. “Multiple times, actually. He was ready for round three tonight when we got interrupted.”

“Three? I can’t imagine,” Alera said.

“Three of what?” Oliver asked as he walked into the office. “What’s Shadow doing here?”

“Marcus was taken to the Space Agency. He had her dropped off here,” Alera said.

“Well, shit,” Oliver said. “What’s the three?”

“He was ready to stick his mutto in Shadow. For the third time tonight,” Alera said.

“This black moon seems to be really powerful.”

“And it’s not even here yet,” Shadow said.

“He’s going to be about as agreeable as a needle hog,” Oliver said.

“What’s a needle hog?” Shadow asked.

“It’s a critter that crawls on the ground. Its fur is needles, and it really loves to stab things with them,” Oliver said. “Hurts like a bitch too.”

“I don’t think we had any of those on Umbra. Just the stabbing beetle,” Shadow said.

“Well, what I’m saying is, if he was ready to blow a load, he’s going to be beyond disagreeable,” Oliver said.

Shadow laughed.

“Oliver! That is crude,” Alera said.

Oliver laughed.

“Accurate though,” Shadow said. “We had to wash the whole bed when we got up.”

“So did I,” Alera said. “Did you use extra soap when you put the bedding in the washer?”

“I have no idea,” Shadow said.

“I’ll have to check your blankets when we get to the house,” Alera said. “That stuff doesn’t like to come off cloth.”

“I wish Earth had more information on this black moon,” Oliver said.

“It just says what it is and how often it occurs,” Alera said. “They don’t have any of the myths or legends.”

“We don’t think of it as myths or legends,” Shadow said.

“It’s fact to us,” Alera said.

“They don’t live long enough to pass a lot of that down,” Oliver said. “And they dismiss it if it is written down.”

“I read something the other night that was interesting,” Alera said. “Some people believe Earth was visited by off-worlders several millennia ago.”

“I’ve seen a little bit of that. I haven’t dug into it,” Oliver said.

“The pyramids are supposed to be spaceships or energy conduits,” Alera said.

“Or homing beacons,” Oliver said. “It’s probably true. I mean all of it. Some could be spaceships. Some could be for the generation of power, and some could be communication devices.”

“If they’re energy and communication, they should be using them,” Shadow said.

“You’d think they would be,” Oliver said.

“It’s already built. Lasted thousands of years, so the maintenance is probably nothing,” Alera said.

“I want to take a closer look at that,” Oliver said.

“Marcus wanted to take a vacation,” Alera said.

“And we shot him down. Maybe, we shouldn’t have,” Oliver said. “We could visit one of those pyramids.”

Alera tapped a few keys on the keyboard. “I was looking the other night. I couldn’t sleep. There’s only a couple we could visit. They are on the southern continent in a jungle. The others appear to be in a desert.”

“We cannot go to the desert,” Shadow said.

“Too much sun,” Oliver said. “Although, you’d like the temperatures.”

“We could all go south on vacation,” Alera said.

“With a black moon looming, possible new sacs and thirty childer,” Shadow said.

Alera sighed. “The same reasons we gave Marcus last night.”

“I pay attention,” Shadow said.

“We could skip tomorrow night,” Oliver said. “But I can tell you right now that my willpower is not that high.”

“Neither is mine,” Alera said.

“The childer aren’t a problem though. Marc and Shari could look after them,” Oliver said. “I was less happy with that idea last night, but I think those two have great potential.”

“How are they doing?” Shadow asked.

“Excellent,” Alera said. “They’re cleaning the halls now, but they’re learning quickly. Eager to help. I think they’d jump at the chance to take care of their siblings for a few nights. Marc is especially eager to prove his worth.”

“Did we get anyone hired for the office for the day?” Shadow asked.

“Yes, and she starts tomorrow morning. I had to catch Sadie from the shelter before we got here,” Alera said. “She said she can be here at eight to do the new hire paperwork and show the new girl how to do the job.”

“Doesn't she have another job?” Shadow asked.

“She said she did, but she finds the work at the shelter more rewarding,” Alera said. “She said she put in her notice about a week ago.”

“Interesting,” Shadow said. “They have no regard for their own species.”

“They do,” Oliver said. “But it’s the lesser of two evils, as Dr. Jones said to me one night. We’re creating our own food supply and not hunting the general population. Plus, he said we keep our food more comfortable than they do their own.”

“I can’t believe that.” Alera looked up lamb farms. “The lamb farms look fine.” She looked up chicken and beef farms. “Oh, unholy hell.”

“What?” Shadow walked around to view the screen. “That’s disgusting.”

Oliver grimaced. “He wasn’t lying. That’s horrific. All those birds in those tiny cages.”

“And they’re bleeding,” Shadow said.

Alera closed the window. “That’s cruel. They leave their food to rot while it’s alive.”

“I see how we’re more considerate,” Shadow said. “You should see what Marcus built our food.”

“We have live food?” Alera asked.

“We do,” Shadow said. “Dr. Jones brought twelve. We already drained two, but Marcus built them a little house with bathrooms and food.” She paused. “Oh, and we finished the driveway.”

“That’ll be nice. The childer can try their first live food,” Alera said.

“What’s live food?” Shari asked.

“It’s still warm,” Alera said. “You drink it straight from the vein.”

Shari looked at Shadow. “Where’s sire? I mean, where’s the other sire? I thought they were spending time alone.”

“Marcus got called to work,” Alera said. “He dropped Shadow off here.”

“Oh,” Shari said. “Is that good?”

“Not really,” Oliver said. “But it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Everything’s done,” Marc said as he walked into the office. “All the trash is out of the halls. I took it to the dumpster, and all the floors are mopped.”

“Good,” Alera said. She stood from the desk. “We can go home, and we have a treat tonight.”

“What?” Marc asked.

“Live food,” Alera said. “You’ll see when we get home.”

“Sounds interesting,” Marc said.

“You’ll like it. It’s better than the Umbra One.” Shadow walked out of the office, ushering Marc and Shari out with her. She waited for Alera to lock the door.

 

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The Tiny Vampire From Outer Space That’s Bitey XVIII: First Vampire School (Shadow Conn Tiny Vampire Book 18)

Shadow and Marcus are well on their way to taking over Earth. The humans are mostly oblivious. However, Marcus believes they need to start preparing to go back to Umbra in order to grab the technology on their old planet. In order to do that, they need to secure Earth. This means opening a vampire school and formally announcing the new vampire council.

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Chapter 1 – The Blanket

 

Marcus chased Shadow down the stairs with a tendril monster. He was in a good mood tonight. Beach City was coming right along, so he had time to play.

Shadow squealed and ran into the kitchen.

Oliver turned and snatched her off her feet before she could run into him. “Marcus, what are you chasing her with?”

“Tendril monster,” Marcus said as he walked into the kitchen. He demonstrated.

Oliver laughed. Marcus was manipulating a batch of tendrils that looked like they belonged on the bottom of the ocean on some desolate planet that no one had ever heard of, seen or expected to be there.

Marcus dissipated the darkness.

“It’s gone.” Oliver set Shadow on her feet. “Marcus was creating a personal boogieman for you.”

“Why can’t it ever be a giant blanket?” Shadow asked.

Marcus chuckled. “I’ll get you a giant blanket for your next turn-day.”

“When is that?” Shadow asked.

“The day I found you,” Marcus said.

“When is that?” Shadow asked.

“In a couple months,” Marcus said.

“Isn’t your bonding anniversary coming up too?” Oliver asked.

“I’m sure it is,” Marcus said. “We’ll celebrate that at the new resort in Ocean City.”

“Alera reminded me that ours is this week,” Oliver said. “So, we’ll celebrate that once we get there too.”

“Congratulations. How many years have you been bonded?” Marcus asked.

Oliver chuckled. “About two-thousand.”

“One thousand nine hundred and seventy eight years,” Alera said as she walked into the kitchen through the back door. “I was just coming to see if Marcus and Shadow needed food. Mia is busy handing out the food for the childer.”

“I already have it handled,” Oliver said as he motioned to the counter.

“There’s enough there for all of us if you want to join,” Marcus said.

“It would be a quiet breakfast,” Oliver said.

“Let’s do that,” Alera said as she started setting the table.

Marcus carried the food and drinks over to the table.

Shadow hopped into a seat.

Marcus had just set the food and drinks on the table when he saw the backdoor open, and Sabina run through. He snatched her up.

Sabina squealed.

“What are you doing?” Marcus asked.

“Running away from the tendril snake,” Sabina said.

Marcus walked over to the door and looked outside. He saw Ortho and no one else. Marcus stepped out on the porch. “What are you doing?”

“Uh, nothing,” Ortho said.

“Were you scaring Sabina with tendril monsters?” Marcus asked.

“Maybe,” Ortho said.

“No scaring Sabina with tendril monsters before breakfast,” Marcus said.

“We ate breakfast,” Ortho said.

“In that case.” He set Sabina on her feet. “It’s time for Sabina to scare you with tendril monsters.”

Sabina grinned. She concentrated and made a big tendril flower.

“Very good. Now chase Ortho with it.” Marcus looked at Ortho. When he didn’t move, Marcus said, “Ortho!”

“I’m running!” Ortho took off running away from Sabina. “Running and scared. Very scared of a giant tendril flower.”

Marcus chuckled as he walked back into the stone house.

“What was that all about?” Alera asked.

“Ortho was scaring Sabina with tendril monsters,” Marcus said.

“Now, I’m sure he’s your son,” Shadow said.

Marcus laughed. “So, I told him it was time for Sabina to scare him with tendril monsters.”

“What did she make?” Shadow asked.

“A giant flower,” Marcus said.

Shadow laughed. “Did he run?”

“I told him he better run,” Marcus said.

“He likes her,” Alera said.

“Yeah, but she’s not ready for that,” Marcus said.

“I've told him that,” Alera said. “So, most of the time, he’ll sit and play whatever game she wants to play.”

“That’s good,” Marcus said as he sat down at the table. “But he’s going to be waiting about a hundred years.”

“I’ve told him that. In private,” Alera said. “He understands, but I don’t think he understands.”

“Well, we’ll keep an eye on it,” Marcus said before inhaling in food.

Shadow looked at Marcus’ plate. “You even ate the bloodchocolates.”

“I was a hungry vampire,” Marcus said.

“Here’s a bowl of bloodchocolates.” Oliver set a bowl in front of Shadow.

“It’s not the same,” Shadow said.

Oliver put a few bloodchocolates on Marcus’ plate.

Shadow ate them.

Marcus chuckled.

“Is everyone fed?” Alera said.

“I’m full,” Marcus said.

“I shouldn’t’ve had those last three bloodchocolates,” Shadow said.

Alera put the rest of the food away.

“What’s the plan for tonight?” Shadow asked.

“We’re going to head into town and see how the theater is going. Then, we’re going to check on the new apartment building,” Marcus said. “Is Julian already in town?”

“He is. He left with Livia as soon as the sun set. He said he wanted to find a property for that school.”

“We do need that. And we need a headmaster,” Marcus said.

“I’m working on that,” Oliver said.

“Head down to the shelter and ask around,” Marcus said. “That seems to be where we find the skilled humans we need.”

“Makes you wonder how they got to be homeless,” Oliver said.

“The prices before we got here were ridiculous,” Marcus said. “They couldn’t work enough to afford anything.”

“They’ve come down a little bit,” Alera said.

“They should come down a lot more because they’re now fighting our food distribution and rent,” Marcus said.

“How are we able to do it cheaper?” Shadow asked.

“All our help is free,” Marcus said. “Or rather, their housing is included as part of their wages. We also have lower expenses. We only have to buy the human food. We don't pay for any services. It ends up being 50 to 60 percent cheaper than our competitors. We charge lower prices, and we still rake in a small fortune.”

“Doesn’t seem like we’re raking in a small fortune,” Shadow said.

“We do,” Marcus said. He handed Shadow the keys. “Go start the van. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Shadow looked at him. “Nope. I fell for this the other night.”

“I promise. I’ll drive. Just go start the van,” Marcus said.

Shadow took the keys and huffed on her way out the door.

Marcus turned to Oliver and Alera. “She’s mad because this isn’t a mansion. I owe you one if you turn this into a mansion while we’re gone. I’m not taking the Erector or Remodelator.”

“All right. You owe me one,” Oliver said. “We’ll get on it. I’ll get some of the older boys to help,”

“Well, I don’t know about owing anyone anything,” Alera said. “Let’s just call it a Bonding Anniversary present.”

“I can do that,” Marcus said.

“All right. Bonding present it is,” Oliver said.

“I’ll get the jungle food to clear out the blankets and pillows,” Alera said. “Pluto forbid, we lose one.”

“I don’t want to hear her if we lose a blanket,” Oliver said.

“Neither do I,” Marcus said as he walked out the back door.

He walked around the stone house to the cabin where the van was parked. As he got to the driver’s side, he realized Shadow had started the car and gotten into the passenger’s seat. He chuckled as he stepped inside the van. “Making sure you don’t drive?”

“I am,” Shadow said.

Marcus shook his head as he put the RV in drive and drove off of the property.

He was halfway to town when his wrist device dinged. “Marcus speaking.”

“Marcus, we have a problem,” Dr. Jones said.

“What problem?”

“A man started screaming about how the homeless shelter was a food factory for off-worlders, and they’re all going to be fattened up and turned into steaks.”

“That’s disgusting,” Marcus said.

Shadow gagged. “I’m gonna lose breakfast.”

Marcus pulled over onto the side of the road.

Shadow got out and threw up.

“What just happened?” Dr. Jones said.

“Shadow has a sensitive stomach,” Marcus said.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Dr. Jones said.

“Anyway, what happened to that human?” Marcus asked as he motioned for Shadow to stay outside.

“Sylvia hit him with a cast iron frying pan,” Dr. Jones said.

“That should have taken care of it,” Marcus said. “Did you put the body in the incinerator?”

“He’s still sorta alive, and we have a crowd both upstairs and in the basement,” Dr. Jones said.

“I’ll be there in ten minutes. I’ll deal with it,” Marcus said. He motioned for Shadow to get back in the van.

Shadow stepped into the van. She brushed her fangs and rinsed her mouth out.

“Take a pill and get an Umbra One,” Marcus said.

Shadow created an Umbra One and grabbed a pill out of the bottle before getting into the front seat. “That was gross.”

“I agree,” Marcus said. “We’re headed over there. I have to deal with the body.”

“Oh. What happened?” Shadow asked.

“Sylvia hit him with a frying pan, and they’re too busy to discretely get him into the incinerator,” Marcus said.

Shadow drained her Umbra One. “I think I feel better. I think I ate too much too.”

“I think you did too,” Marcus said as he parked in the parking garage at the apartment complex. He stepped out. Then, he retrieved Shadow and carried her into the shelter.

“How’s Shadow?” Dr. Jones asked as he stepped into his office doorway.

“She’s fine. She was a little glutton at breakfast too,” Marcus said.

“Well, I’ll examine her if you want to deal with the issue,” Dr. Jones said.

“Where is he?” Marcus asked as he set Shadow on her feet.

“Upstairs. Last room at the end,” Dr. Jones said.

“I’ll deal with it,” Marcus said.

Shadow walked into the clinic with Dr. Jones.

“On the exam table. I want to examine that stomach,” Dr. Jones said.

Shadow sighed and laid on the table.

Dr. Jones felt her stomach. Then, he rolled over the x-ray machine. He turned it on and looked. “Did you eat some blanket?”

“Not that I know of,” Shadow said. “But sometimes I chew on the blanket.”

“I think you ate some blanket,” Dr. Jones said.

“How do you get that out?” Shadow asked.

“I’m going to put a tube down your throat and grab it,” Dr. Jones said as he grabbed a syringe.

“That doesn’t sound pleasant,” Shadow said.

“I’m going to sedate you so that you don’t bite through the tube,” Dr. Jones said. “It’ll also be less traumatic.” He injected her with enough sedative to kill an elephant then he got his scope with some claws on the end.

Marcus walked into the clinic a few minutes later. “What are you doing?” He had something down Shadow’s throat.

“Getting the blanket out,” Dr. Jones said as he pulled out the tube. “Do you want me to pump her stomach?”

Marcus looked. “Oh, she did eat some blanket.” He contemplated. “I suppose I do. There might still be fibers in there.”

Marcus dialed Oliver on his wrist device.

“Marcus, we’re working on it,” Oliver said.

“Great,” Marcus said. “But did you notice any damaged blankets?”

“Yeah, Mia said there was a bite out of one,” Oliver said.

“Check all the blankets for bites,” Marcus said. “And somehow make those blankets tougher.”

“What happened?” Oliver asked.

“Shadow is currently getting blanket removed from her stomach. She got sick on the way over,” Marcus said.

“I’ll tell the jungle foods to look at them,” Oliver said. “How is she?”

“Fine. Coming out of the sedative,” Marcus said.

“We will look at all the blankets,” Oliver said. “It was her old blanket, if that helps.”

“How old?” Marcus asked.

“I believe that is the one she landed with,” Oliver said.

“Oh,” Marcus said. “That might make a difference.”

“They weren’t very sturdy,” Oliver said. “But we’ll throw that one away and make her something similar and check everyone else’s blanket.”

“Appreciate it,” Marcus said before ending the call. He walked over and looked at the scrap. It was Shadow’s crew-issued blanket on the spaceship.

“Recognize the blanket?” Dr. Jones asked.

“It was her crew blanket on the space ship,” Marcus said.

Shadow slowly sat up. “I’m starving!”

“We had to pump your stomach.” Marcus offered his arm. “Have a drink.”

Shadow sank her fangs into Marcus’ arm and drank deeply.

“She’s going to be very hungry,” Dr. Jones said.

“I’m not trying to feed her completely. We have food in the van,” Marcus said. He let her drink for a minute. “That’s enough.” When she didn’t let go, he shook his arm.

Shadow pulled away. “I’m still hungry.”

“I know,” Marcus said. “But you ate some blanket. Dr. Jones had to empty your stomach.” He motioned to the blanket bit.

Shadow looked. “Oh, I love that blanket.”

“Apparently, a little too much,” Dr. Jones said.

“They’re making you a new one,” Marcus said. He helped Shadow off the table. “I took care of the problem upstairs.”

“Thank you,” Dr. Jones said.

“Was anyone alarmed by his outburst?’ Marcus asked.

“Not particularly. They thought he went insane,” Dr. Jones said.

“Keep an eye on that,” Marcus said.

“I will let you know if I hear anything else to that affect,” Dr. Jones said.

“Does she need any rest?” Marcus said.

“Just a lamb bone and maybe a glass of water,” Dr. Jones said.

“I taste plastic,” Shadow said.

“Do you have a toothbrush?” Marcus asked.

“Toothbrush and toothpaste.” Dr. Jones motioned to the sink. “That’s a new toothbrush. I just unwrapped it today.”

Shadow brushed her teeth and rinsed out her mouth. “Mint, but at least it’s not plastic.”

“It’s still clean,” Marcus said. “We don’t harbor germs.”

“It’s okay. I have ten-thousand of them. They were donated,” Dr. Jones said.

“Excellent. We’ll be on our way,” Marcus said. “But I guess it’s a good thing we stopped.”

“Well, she hasn’t had an upset stomach in a long time,” Dr. Jones said. “I thought it better safe than sorry.”

“I agree with you.” Marcus picked Shadow up and carried her to the kitchen.

“What can I get for you?” Sylvia asked.

“A lamb bone and a water,” Marcus said as he set Shadow down.

Sylvia grabbed a small water and the bag of lamb bones out of the fridge.

Shadow drank the little water then stuck the lamb bone in her mouth.

“Was she sick?” Sylvia asked.

“She liked her blanket a little too much last night,” Marcus said.

Sylvia chuckled. “Did the doctor get it out?”

“He did,” Marcus said. “She’ll be fine.”

“I’m glad,” Sylvia said.

“We need to head on. This was supposed to be a short stop,” Marcus said.

“We’ll see you later,” Sylvia said.

Marcus led Shadow out of the shelter. “Are you feeling better now?”

“Much better,” Shadow said. “Still hungry.”

Marcus helped Shadow into the van. “Get an Umbra One.” He closed her door then got in on the driver’s side. He called Oliver.

Oliver answered his wrist device as he stepped outside.

“How’s the blanket retrieval going?” Marcus asked.

“Not at all well,” Oliver said.

“Do I hear wailing?” Marcus asked.

“Oh yeah. We’ve upset every little bitey,” Oliver said. “And I’m outside.”

Marcus cursed. “Did you tell them you’d make them new ones?”

“I did. It’s not helping,” Oliver said.

“We’re on our way back,” Marcus said.

“Did you get everything done?” Oliver asked.

“Not even close. We had to get Shadow’s stomach pumped,” Marcus said. “And I dealt with an obnoxious human.”

“We could use you. Marc is helping. Shari is helping. Your sire is even over here,” Oliver said. “And all the jungle food, but it’s still awful.”

“We’re on our way.” Marcus ended the call.

“The blanket check is not going well,” Shadow said before draining her Umbra One.

“Not even a little bit,” Marcus said. “We’re headed back.” He put the car in gear and drove back to the cabin.

 

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