Afraig woke to the feel of motion followed by a sudden stop, he was in a vehicle, his hands were free and belted into a seat.  The sound of someone walking in front of him slowly came through the noise of his scrambled brain as slowly began to recognize reality around him.  He felt a sharp tug as what he assumed was a bag was snatched from his head.


    “Wake up Mr. Valmont, your ride is over.”, a tall broad shouldered man with an aged face, beard and a suit that screamed federal agent of some kind looked down at Afraig.  He was in some sort of van that had been converted into a mobile command center, probably a sprinter van.  The man who was talking wasn’t alone, there were three heavily armored soldiers that screamed special operations training, Afraig had met plenty of guys like this in his time in the Marines. One of them handed a manilla folder to the man in the suit.


    “Here’s his file Agent Black.”, she said, her feminine voice almost as shocking to Afraig as what they hit him with in the tunnels.


    “What did you hit me with?” he asked, breaking his silence.


    Agent Black grinned, almost as if he enjoyed this part, “Modified taser, let''s see what we have here.  Afraig Valmont, 29, father Ivan Valmont, deceased. Mother, Lilian Valmont, also deceased. Died while providing medical aid in Bosnia,wow.”


    He paused considering that fact for a moment, almost as if it was significant for an unknown reason.


    “You were raised by your uncle Dimitri in Glendale, California, wait Glendale really?” He looked at Afraig briefly then back to the file. “Decent marks in highschool, joined the marines at 18, two tours, highly decorated, survived an IED that took out almost your whole unit.  Moved to Black Raven three years ago, and honestly have been in and out of trouble since.:


    Agent Black closed the file and leaned in to bring himself face to face with Afraig, “Do you know what this means?”


    Afraig saw an opening he couldn’t pass up, “The feds starting hiring people that know how to read?”


    “It means there isn’t a thing I don’t know about your sorry ass Afraig,” Agent Black responded, “except perhaps why you were in an area closed to the public under investigation by my team.”


    Afraig cocked his head, “I don’t remember seeing any police tape, of signs, wait was it a psychic barrier Agent?”


    Agent Black gave a slight nod to the men beside Afraig, who quickly jerked him out of his seat and led him to the opening door.


    He leaned close to Afraig and spoke in almost a whisper, “Ya know when you’re pushing thirty, the whole disrespect for authority thing gets really old.”


    He stood up straight smiling “I believe this is your stop.”


    He shoved Afraig out onto the sidewalk, “Try staying out places you don’t belong, Valmont.”


    The door to the van slid shut as it drove off and around the corner.


    “Fucking Asshole” Afraig called after the van, though he knew the insult wasn’t going to land, saying still felt good.


    He watched as the van drove down the street and turned the corner, obviously he couldn’t go about things the way he planned.


    “More than one way to find a dog.”, he said to himself as he climbed into his Silverado.


    Afraig started the engines and headed for the outskirts of the city, near the Raven River banks.  He parked about a block from the water and sewer annex building and waited until four o’clock.  As soon as the clock struck the dozen or so men and women who worked in the building made for the parking lot and sped off, not wanting to wait a minute longer unless they got caught in the afternoon traffic.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Afraig waited until the last truck left the parking lot before driving in and pulling behind the building.  He parked along the edge of an embankment where a large drainage pipe exited from beneath the city.  This pipe was bricked off at the end with a single steel door in the middle. A sign in black and orange on the door read No Admittance.


    Afraig stepped out of his truck and made his way to the door, a brief look around assured him he was completely alone and unwatched.  The door was secured with a simple padlock, not something that would take him long to get past. At this point he figured if he were caught coming out with the dog, the charge and fine for petty vandalism would be nothing compared to the $10,000 payday that awaited him.


    Once the lock was out of the way Afraig proceeded through the door and into the dark of the city’s old tunnel system.  He pulled a flashlight from his pocket to illuminate his way and start a journey of what he figured would be at least a mile.


    The exit that Afriag used was probably built in the late 30''s, maybe the 40’s. That part of the tunnels was built large enough to hide a tank in, but as he progressed the tunnels got older and smaller.  Afraig soon found himself crouching most of the time as he made his way, with the occasional junction chamber every few hundred yards having ceilings just high enough that he could stretch out to his full height.


    After a half an hour of crawling through the dank and smelly tunnels, Afraig began to regret his decision to take this case.


    “This has got to be the worst idea I’ve ever had.” he grumbled to himself. “This is not worth ten thousand bucks, and what the fuck is that smell?”


    Afraig’s question was answered by a growl from behind him. Before he could spin to react, the unknown creature was on him. He felt a stabbing pain in his back as something pierced through him. He tried to fight but his head slammed into the concrete wall on the tunnel and his world went black.


    ***


    Across town at the Black Raven International Airport creatures of a different kind were meeting. A Gulfstream 360 slowly taxied towards  hangar 47 where a black limo waited. As the door opened out onto the stairs stepped a middle-aged man with gray hair and a dazzling smile. He wore a custom fitted navy blue vest suit with a gold tie pinned with a diamond crusted palmetto tree. Senator Graham Kindsey smiled before turning and shaking the pilot''s hand.


    “Wonderful flight son, so smooth I barely knew we left the ground, thank you so much.” he paused for only a second to tilt his head slightly “Remember now, vote Kindsey.”


    He made his way down the stairs and towards the car awaiting him, his driver stepped out and greeted him taking his bags.


    “Welcome to South Carolina Senator, right this way, the gentleman is in your car.”, the driver said as he opened the door for him.


    The senator beamed a smile, “Thank you, young man, here’s a small tip for ya, and remember at the polls, vote Kinsey.”


    He placed a hundred dollar bill in the driver''s hand and slid into the seat in the back of the limo.  He had barely settled into his seat when the deep smooth voice of the vehicle''s other occupant filled the space.


    “Senator,” Kane said in a bemused tone, “pleasure to see you again, was your flight down enjoyable?”


    Kane was tall, slender with silver hair and smooth pale skin, he wore a red suit that the senator assumed was designer and a matching hat that shadowed his eyes. His fingers were adorned with jeweled rings that held a bottle of aged scotch in one hand and a glass filled with ice in the other. He grinned at the senator as he began to pour revealing long sharp fangs where his upper canines would be.


    “Why, yes it was Mr Kane, I have to say how grateful I am for the use of your private jet”


    Kane smirked handing the senator the glass, “That’s what friends are for, we take care of each other. You and I are friends aren’t we Graham?


    “Absolutely we are,” Graham replied, “and as your friend I am pleased to bring you good news. The majority of the committee is more than willing to discuss your proposed treaty changes between the United States and The Shadow Council.”


    Kane’s smile grew, “Excellent, our agent informs me his little creation is already causing problems for Ezekiel Knightwood and his court. It’s to the point the council has sent in a Blood Guard to investigate and determine if he is competent enough to lead.”


    “A Blood Guard, that sounds ominous”, the senator replied concerned.


    Kane waved his hand and chuckled, “The council’s version of secret service, usually a werewolf, or dryad, nothing to be concerned with.”


    Graham took a sip from his glass then held it high as if to toast, “Then to our shared ventures together my friend.”