Jeaniene Frost - Halfway to the Grave

“No,” I answered, and shoved the stake into Sergio’s heart. My hand went into his chest with the momentum and I jerked back, shaking his thick dark blood off in disgust. “I’m done talking to him.”

B ONES WAS FAR MORE EXPEDITIOUS IN disposing of a body than I’d been. He had Sergio wrapped in plastic and tucked inside the trunk within a few minutes, whistling to himself all the while. Meanwhile, I sat with my back against the car applying pressure to my wrist. He squatted down next to me after he’d closed the trunk with a bang.

“Let me see it,” he said, reaching out to me.

“It’s fine.” Tension and pain made my voice sharp.

Bones ignored that and pried my fingers off the wound, undoing my makeshift bandage.

“Nasty bite, tore the flesh around the vein. You’ll need blood for that.”

He pulled a switchblade out of his pocket and started to press the tip against his palm.

“Don’t. I said it’s fine.”

He just gave me an irritated glance and scored the blade along his palm. Blood welled up at once and he clamped it against my resisting forearm.

“Don’t be irrational. How much did he take?”

My wrist actually tingled as his blood mingled with mine. The magic of healing, in real time. Somehow it seemed almost as intimate as when I had to lick blood off his fingers.

“About four good pulls, I guess. Stabbed him in the neck as fast as I could to get his mind off it. Where were you, anyway? I didn’t see a car behind us.”

“That was the idea. I drove my bike but kept back far enough so Sergio wouldn’t know he was being followed. Bike’s about a mile from here down the road.” Bones nodded toward the nearby trees. “I ran that last part through the woods so there’d be less noise.”

Our heads were only inches apart and his knees were pressed against mine. Uncomfortable, I tried to scoot back, but the car door left nowhere to go. “I think the car’s ruined. The rear door is in scraps.”

Indeed it was. Sergio had mangled it beyond belief. A wrecking ball would have done similar damage.

“Why did he go for your wrist, if you were both in the backseat? Couldn’t get to your neck?”

“No.” Inwardly I cursed at the memory. “He got frisky in the front seat and tried to feel me up, thanks to you and the no-panties idea. I wasn’t about to let that happen, so I climbed into the back and put my arms around him from behind so he wouldn’t get suspicious. Stupid of me, I know now, but I didn’t even think of my wrists. Every other vampire had always gone for my neck.”

“Yeah, including me, right? The car swerved off the road so fast, I thought you two were already sprawling inside. What made him pull off so erratically then?”

“I told him to come and get me.” My voice was flippant, but the words hurt. He’d come and gotten me, all right. A question suddenly leapt to mind.

“Is he okay back there in the trunk?”

Bones chuckled. “You want to keep him company?”

An evil glare accompanied my retort. “No, but is he really gone? I’d always cut off their heads to be sure.”

“Critiquing my work? Yeah, he’s really gone. Right now we need to get out of here before some nosy driver pops alongside and asks if we need help.” Releasing my wrist, he examined the wound. The flesh was already closed together as if by invisible stitches. His hand no longer even bore a mark. “That’ll hold you. We need to move this vehicle.”

I stood up and again looked at the mangled car. Not only was the door hanging by a mere few scraps of metal, but there was a fair amount of blood in the front area from my wrist and Sergio’s neck.

“How I am supposed to drive in this wreck? Any cop that sees this car is going to pull me over!”

He grinned that cocky smile of his. “Don’t fret. Have it all worked out.” From out of his jacket he pulled a cell phone.

“It’s me, we’re finished. Looks like I’m going to need that lift after all, mate. You’ll like the ride, it’s a Benz. Needs a little body work on the door, though. We’re on Planter’s Road, just south of the club. Step on it, right?” Without saying goodbye, he hung up and turned his attention back to me.

“Sit tight, Kitten. Our ride will be here in a minute. Don’t worry, he’s nearby. Told him I might have a use for him tonight. Course, he was probably figuring on it being a little later in the evening.” He paused, giving me a knowing look. “You left with him right quick, didn’t you? He must have been quite pleased with you.”

“Yeah, real happy. Color me flattered. Seriously, Bones, even if you tow this car there’s still too much blood in it. And you didn’t listen to me about bringing cleaning materials. This thing could have been at least mopped up.”

He moved closer to pull my arm out for another inspection. There was only a thin red line of healed skin now, but after satisfying himself with its condition, he still didn’t let me go. Avoiding his gaze didn’t prevent me from feeling its weight.

“Trust me, luv. I know you don’t, but you should. You did a smashing job tonight, by the way. That stake in his back was just a thought away from his heart. It slowed him, as did the one in his neck. You would have had him even if I wasn’t here. You’re strong, Kitten. Be glad of it.”

“Glad? That’s not quite the word I’d use. Relieved? You could say that. Relieved I’m alive and there’s one less murderer prowling around for naïve girls. But glad? Glad would be if I never had this lineage. Glad would be if I had two normal parents and a bunch of friends, and the only thing I’d ever killed was time. Or if even once I had been to a club just to go dancing and have fun instead of ending up staking something that tried to kill me. That’s glad. This is just…existing. Until the next time.”

I pulled my hand away and moved off a few feet to put some distance between us. A wave of melancholy coursed through me at the things I had just mentioned that would never be mine. Sometimes it was frightening to feel old at twenty-two.

“Rot.” The single word broke the silence.

“Excuse me?” How like a vampire, to have no sympathy.

“Rot, I said. You play the hand you’re dealt just like everyone else in this bloody world. You have gifts people would kill for, no matter that you scorn them. You have a mum who loves you and a nice house to go home to. Sod your backwoods neighbors who look down their ignorant noses at you for your lack of a father. This world is a big place and you’ve got an important role to play in it. Think everyone goes around whistling about the life they lead? Think everyone is given the power to choose the way their fate goes? Sorry, luv, it doesn’t work that way. You hold the ones you love close and fight the battles you can win, and that, Kitten, is how it is.”

“What would you know about it?” Bitterness made me brave, and the words flung out of my mouth.

Surprisingly, he threw back his head and laughed before he seized my shoulders, moving closer until his mouth almost touched mine.

“You…haven’t…the…slightest…inkling of what I’ve been through, so don’t…tell…me…what I know.”

There was thinly veiled menace in the way he deliberately spoke each syllable. My heart started to pound, and I knew he could hear it. His grip loosened until his fingers no longer dug into my skin, but his hands remained. God, he was close…so close. Unconsciously I licked my lips, and a jolt went through me as I saw his eyes follow the movement. The air fairly crackled between us, either from his natural vampire energy…or something else. Slowly his tongue snaked out and caressed his bottom lip. It was mesmerizing to watch.