Nightminds

Chapter 7

Kate sighed as she dropped the receiver of her phone back onto its cradle. Nothing.

It had been a couple hours since she and Lanie had ventured into The Underground and Kate had since dropped Lanie back at the lab and sent Ryan and Esposito to look into the warehouse in Hell's Kitchen. She was growing weary of this whole situation, ready to get it over and done with, and get back to her normal routine, well, as normal as it could be anymore. So far Gates hadn't caught on to their unauthorized line of investigation, and Kate wasn't willing to push the envelope. It was bad enough she was considering asking to be transferred to nights; even the thought of breaking up her team sent a shot straight to her heart. Every step she was taking into the sun was a little more painful than the last, and how could she expect to do her job if she couldn't go outside?

And now, to make her mood even worse, there had been absolutely nothing at the warehouse Sam had told her about. According to the boys it looked like it had been abandoned recently and in a hurry. She really was starting to get a bad feeling about this "case".

"Nothing. Looks like Damon's guys caught on that someone was sniffing around and jumped ship." She relayed to Castle. Leaning back in her chair, she dug the heels of her hands into her eyes.

But she couldn't sit still. Pushing herself out of her chair she ran a hand through her hair as she began pacing in front of her desk. "This should not be this difficult. Sam told me where to find Damon not two days ago; how did they figure out so fast that someone was…"

Kate froze mid pacing-step before whipping around to face Castle, who was uncharacteristically silent, watching her from his chair. "The market."

"The market?"

"Yeah, at the market there was this guy… Eddie. He kept following us. I just thought he was being a creep but then Sal said he could be working for Damon."

"Sal?"

"Yeah," Kate waved off the question in his tone with a flick of her hand. "One of the vendors at the market. He specializes in organic blood."

"Organic blood?"

"Yeah from, you know, organically raised, grass and grain fed animals."

"Oh, right, organic. Because, you know, how many other types of blood could there possibly be?"

"Good quality blood is very important, Castle. You don't want to get a contaminated source, it could give a vampire an extreme case of blood poisoning."

"Right, blood poisoning. I really need to see this market."

"Well, you're going to get your chance. We need answers and I know where to find them."

"Hi Eddie."

Kate stood, arms crossed, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she watched the wiry vampire freeze at the low tone of her voice.

She had made her way through the maze of abandoned tunnels in record time, Castle trailing along behind her murmuring in wonder. She even caught an audible 'oo' and 'ah' when they emerged into the cavern housing the market.

But this time when Eddie turned there was a glint in his eyes that hadn't been present earlier in the day, when he had been skulking around Sal's stand.

"Detective."

"Ah, so you do know who I am."

Eddie let out a nervous laugh at his apparently inadvertent admission; a shaking hand snaked up to wipe at his nose. "There may have been talk around about a cop who got turned."

"Mmhmm, so you're saying you knowing I'm a cop has nothing to do with why you were following me and my friend around earlier today."

"Of course, of course. I just thought she smelled good. You're friend. Fresh, with a hint of death."

"Right. So, you see Eddie, I think you have some information about Damon that I want."

"Damon? Oh sure I know about Damon, everyone knows about Damon. He's a legend around here. Someone you don't cross." There was a flash in Eddie's eyes and they turned from randomly roaming to dark in an instant, his gaze focused on Beckett. "Of course you've already crossed him, haven't you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"He wouldn't have taken your friend if he didn't feel threatened."

Kate felt her heart plummet from her chest, while her stomach threatened to force it's way up her throat. The world was closing in around her. No.

No no no…

She forced out her next words. "Which friend?"

"Doctor lady, of course."

Castle drew in a quick breath behind her, but all she could see was black.

In the next instant, the world swirling around her in a cacophony of bright lights, she felt the impact of Eddie's body being smashed against the wall, feet swinging madly searching for purchase on the floor, a ledge, her forearm secured under his throat.

"Tell me where she is. Now."

This time Castle made no move to calm her when her words came out in a growl, or when she felt the tight stretch of her skin as her face morphed into that of a monster. This "Damon" had taken Lanie, and that meant war.

"Now, now, now. That's not how this works," Eddie stuttered, his voice strained from Kate's arm crushing into his voice box. "Damon wants you to back off. You do that and your friend comes back to you… alive. You don't and she comes back dead. In one form or another…"

"Or," Kate growled, as she leaned forward, shifting her weight to her arm. "You tell me where Damon is and I don't kill you now."

"Oh, but, but, but, you can't kill me, you see, I'm your only chance of finding your friend. You kill me, Damon hears about it and Doctor Lady is dead, just an empty shell bled dry."

She did a quick assessment of him. Judging by the smell of him and the smudges of dirt and waste on his clothes chances are he traveled the city by sewer and other hidden underground tunnels. Sheet white skin, almost blue. Sunken eyes, yellowing. He hadn't been anywhere near the sun in years.

"Okay, fine, I won't kill you." She yanked him off the wall, one hand firmly gripping his bicep as she dragged him behind her back through the labyrinth of tunnels as Castle trailed along behind them, watching her back.

She stopped short as they reached the boarded up entrance to the station. "One last chance Eddie before I shove you outside for a nice, long taste of the sunlight."

Eddie let out a nervous giggle, his free fist winding through his greasy mop of hair. "You wouldn't dare. You push me out there and you'd have to come get me before I burn or run and you can't be out there for any longer than I can."

"Oh, no, I can't. But he can." She nodded over to Castle who was standing watch, arms folded over his puffed chest, a wooden cross gripped in one fist, a murderous glint in his eye. "And trust me. He doesn't like you any more than I do. And who knows, he might be willing to let you burn."

At Eddie's hesitation, Beckett nodded toward the door. "Castle, could you do the honors?"

"Of course." He replied, his voice chipper as he moved to swing the board out of the way.

"I say we just start with a hand," Kate mused as she grasped Eddie's forearm, shoving it out into the daylight.

Eddie's screams echoed through the abandoned station and Kate's eyes darted around the space making sure no unwanted company wandered up from the market.

The seconds ticked by until Kate yanked Eddie back into the safety of the dark building, rolling her eyes as he whimpered, cradling his limb, the smell of charred flesh wafting into her nose.

"Okay, Eddie, tell me where they are or you know what happens next."

"Jersey," Eddie sniffled. "He set up shop in Jersey."

A/N: Thank you all for your patience, I apologize for the delay but I am working toward fitting writing into my new crazy life schedule. And thank you, as always to Kate Christie for taking the time out of her equally crazy life schedule to be my awesome beta and yell at me to 'WRITE MOAR VAMPIRES' whenever I get whiny.

x A.

Twitter: aspen_musing