Amante's Compound Outskirts of St. Louis Amante had barely been awake for ten minutes when the phone rang. Rolling his eyes skyward momentarily, he said a silent prayer to whatever god would hark to a vampire that it wasn't anything life threatening. Then again, he'd just activated Murphy's Law, hadn't he? "Hello?" "I'm looking for Amante." "This is he. Why are you calling?" "I have something that belongs to you. If you want it back, you must come and claim it," the man on the other end of the line told him. "Where?" "Dance of Shadows. One hour, or your kitten dies." *click.* Amante frowned at the phone. "That was rude." "Amante?" He turned, facing one of his 'cats. "Yes?" "Something happen?" "Yes, Ryan. Apparently, some idiot is holding one of ours hostage at a place called Dance of Shadows. Have you heard of it?" he inquired. Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Bondage club. Sort of. It's run out of some guy's basement." "Who is missing?" Ryan paused for a moment. "Lucia and Rachel, but they're Christmas shopping at the mall. They called a while ago to find out if we were absolutely *certain* the baby was going to be a boy." "No one else?" Amante asked. "Well, Maria. But she's supposed to be sick," Ryan answered. "Maria, sick? Ryan, I'm surprised at you. When have *any* of you ever been ill?" the vampire asked. "Uh...hangovers don't count?" "..." "Didn't think so. Okay, point made. So, it's Maria. Not surprising, since she's into that whole 'hurt me, fuck me, bleed me' scene," Ryan said, shrugging. "Leave Michel and Santos to keep watch here. The rest of the alphas, you included, are coming with me," Amante said, standing. "You're going to take thirteen alphas into a bondage club?" Amante's lips quirked upward in a devilish smile. "Well, he did not say to come alone." ++++++ Dance of Shadows St. Louis proper, residential area Amante stood in the 'lobby' of the Dance of Shadows bondage arena, looking around distastefully. "This place is...squalid," he commented, glaring at a film of dust on a table nearby. A tacky black curtain with bright red rhinestones sewn onto it separated the basement into a lobby area that was seperated from the main arena, but only by a wishful thought. Egg cartons had been stapled onto the walls to serve as soundproofing from the house above, and Amante decided that the little cretin who called him probably still lived with his parents. "You Amante?" a nasal voice intruded on his disgusted perusal of the place. The dark haired vampire blinked, twice, at the man in front of him. He looked like he'd auditioned for a mobster movie-and failed miserably. The suit was too tight around the middle, too short at the arms, and too long at the feet, giving him the look of someone who was wearing hand-me-downs. Very poorly, at that. "Yes. And you are?" "Cordova. Felix Cordova," the man said haughtily, making Amante cough abruptly to choke off his laughter. *This* little pipsqueak was holding his 'cat hostage? A Golden Retriever would've been more of a challenge. "You implied you were holding one of my people here involuntarily," Amante said, clinging to politeness just in case this pathetic little man was more than stupid, but insane as well. "Yes. A very pretty little kitty cat. Calls herself Maria," Felix said, smirking. "She said you were her master, so unless you want her sent back to you in pieces, you'd better cooperate." "What are your...demands?" Amante inquired, having to exercise every bit of his self-control not to fall to the floor laughing hysterically. Felix blinked, as if he hadn't thought that far ahead. "Ten thousand dollars," he finally said, the smugness returning to his nasal tone. "That's it?" Amante asked, frowning. "Er...ten *hundred* thousand dollars," Felix corrected hastily. "There's no such number as ten hundred thousand," Amante pointed out, biting his lower lip until he drew blood so as not to snicker. "Yes, there is," Felix argued. "No, there isn't." "Hey, who's holding the hostage here?!" "Ten hundred thousand it is," Amante sighed, exasperated. "Damn straight," Felix said huffily. "Small bills. Nothing over a hundred." *The man is definitely inbred. He'd have to be in order to be this stupid*, Amante thought. "Is there a time limit?" he inquired. "Oh, no," Felix waved a hand dismissively, then blinked. "Wait, yeah. A month. Bring it here. And no cops either, you furry freak." "Oh, good grief. Get Maria, would you?" Amante waved the others forward. Ryan and the rest of the alpha lycanthropes they'd brought along moved forward, ignoring Felix's shouts for them to 'halt' and 'freeze where you stand, infidel!'. "What do you think you're doing?!" Felix yelped indignantly. Amante rolled his eyes. "Taking my 'cat home before your insanity rubs off on her." "What, just because I'm not a fucking animal once a month, I'm insane now?!" "I'm not a lycanthrope," the vampire said patiently. "Yeah, yeah...I'm sure you're a registered Republican, okay, man? I'm talking about your furry state," Felix told him. *Would they really execute me for putting this creature out of its misery?* Amante wondered. "Lycanthropy is the disease that shapeshifters have. It is what causes them to change shape during the full moon. I'm not a shapeshifter," he informed the man, trying to use small words so he'd understand. "Then why did Maria say you were her master?" "I am. That doesn't mean I have to be a wereanimal." "So, you're human?" "No." "Ha! You are, too! You...you faker!" Tired of the man's incessant idiocy, Amante dropped his shields, letting his power thrash through the room, unable to quash a tingle of satisfaction as Felix hit the floor with a girlish shriek. "I am not human," he said calmly. "Then what are you?" Felix asked, rubbing his face where a shallow cut had opened as Amante's shields had fallen. "You wouldn't be able to spell it, much less understand it," Amante told him. "We ready?" Ryan asked, flinging the curtain aside, Maria at his side. "More than," Amante said. "Hey! That's my hostage! You can't take her!" Felix whined. Maria rolled her eyes. "The fucker duct-taped me to a chair in front of the Tellytubbies! I came here for bondage, not torture!" Ryan snickered, then gave her an innocent look at the death glare she sent his way. Felix pulled a slightly-bent Oscar-Meyer whistle from his pants pocket and blew it. The door to the upstairs opened and a group of young men came downstairs, some rubbing sleep from their eyes. "Felix, what the fuck, man? It's like midnight. I've got a Trig final tomorrow." "Oh, shut up, Mark," Felix grumbled. "Stop them!" "Oh, man...he's doing that Godfather crap again. Screw this, I'm going back to bed," another stated, then turned and went back upstairs. "Is he for real?" Ryan muttered. Amante gave a gallic shrug. "It would appear so. Take Maria to the car." "Hey, come back here, you!" Felix yelped. "You cannot win. My people are legion!" "Oh, yes. All twelve of you. I tremble," Amante said dryly, gesturing for his other 'cats to leave as well. "Hey, they're bad-ass. They play football," Felix defended. "So, who's the kid?" one of the guys asked, pointing at Amante. "He'll be my hostage!" Felix said gleefully. *Please, gods, can I kill him? Just a little...?* Amante thought. "You wouldn't know what to do with a hostage if someone gave you instructions," Amante told Felix flatly. "I would, too! They just all have a habit of escaping...Smart little buggers," Felix said, pouting. "Maria walked right past you, unarmed." "See? It's dastardly!" Amante looked up at the group of young men who were watching Felix's antics with a mixture of disgust and pity. *Like a train wreck,* Amante thought. "Would any of you mind terribly if I hit him?" There was a chorus of "No"s and "Not at all"s. With an inward cheer, Amante backhanded Felix, watching in amusement as he catapulted backwards, tearing down his own curtain, and landed on a sofa that had more holes than fabric, knocking it over as he collided with it. Felix whimpered, peering at him over the end of the upturned couch. "What are you?!" "Vampire. Look it up," Amante said, smirking. "Then how'd you get in without an invitation?" Felix demanded smugly. "I didn't. I knocked, and you said 'come in', remember?" "Oh. Right. You can go now." Amante rolled his eyes. "Thanks, everso," he said dryly, turning and heading for the door. "But, this isn't over, you, uh, dead guy! I will have my revenge!" Felix shouted after him. "I shudder in abject terror. Oh, please, please, don't come after me," Amante deadpanned, arching an eyebrow at Felix's unimpressed expression. "Was that sincere enough? No? Oh, well," he said, then walked out of the basement, shaking his head. "*This* is the next generation of mankind?" he muttered to himself as he walked back to his car. "The world is doomed."