She kept hold of the towel with one hand and leaned against the doorjamb. “How mad at me are you?”
“Not very. I’m more surprised than anything.”
“I bet. Should I start at the beginning or just get to the point?”
“You said you were in trouble.” He locked gazes with her to avoid getting turned-on more by ogling her body. “Why?”
“A Vampire attacked me.”
His gaze lowered to her neck. He didn’t see any wounds there. He took a step closer, alarmed.
“I killed him. I mean, I would have just let him bite me so he thought his eyes were working, but…my blood wasn’t the only thing he wanted.”
He glanced down her body. “He wanted sex?” He couldn’t blame the Vampire. She was very attractive. But it also pissed him off. She was too good for one of those damn bloodbags. Then her other statement registered. “You killed him?”
“Yes.”
“How did you do that?” He drew even closer, wanting to pull her into his arms. The thought of her fighting off a Vampire chilled his blood. She could have been killed. She was too small to be a fighter. Humans rarely survived facing off against a Vamp.
“I think the ice pick I shoved into his nuts gave me the advantage.”
His leg automatically twitched, wanting to protect his own. “Ouch.”
“He ordered me to get down on my knees and blow him. He let them hang out in the breeze. I just aimed for the closest body part. They were a bigger target than his dick. It was sad. I could almost understand why he felt the need to mind warp women so they wouldn’t laugh when he unzipped. I’ve seen bigger ones when I changed diapers.”
Lavos would have laughed but he saw the haunted look in her eyes. He also noticed how tired she looked for the first time. She’d been traumatized by the ordeal she spoke of, probably tormented by nightmares when she slept.
“Come here.” He opened his arms.
She did, to his surprise. He pulled her into a hug. She was damp and smelled like him, since she’d used his shampoo and conditioner. He lowered his chin until it rested on top of her head, not minding the wet strands. She could have been killed.
“He exploded on me, just not the way he meant to. How can one body make so much ash?”
He closed his eyes and held her tighter when she shivered. He doubted she was cold; it was more from the trauma she must have suffered. “How did you kill him?”
“Fire axe to the throat. I thought I’d have to chop at him a bit but one swing did it.” She shuddered in his arms. “His head came off and boom—ash explosion.”
He rubbed her back. “My brave Jadee. It sounds as if you got lucky and hit his neck just right. They have stronger bones than humans but they weaken if he hasn’t fed for a while.”
“Then his nest came after me. They must have seen what happened and somehow followed me home. A bunch of them surrounded my place. They couldn’t get in since I had started living in the RV, but at dawn I got the hell out of there. I didn’t know if more of them would come after me. They knew my name. I’m fucked, aren’t I?”
He picked her up. She tensed in his arms but didn’t struggle. He carried her to the bed and eased her back onto her feet. “Sit.” He let her go. It was difficult. He liked holding her.
She sat on the edge of his bed and he crouched in front of her, bracing her knees between his spread ones. It put them at face level. “It depends. Were they rogues?”
“How can you tell?”
“Did the one you kill smell bad, as if he hadn’t bathed in a while?”
She shook her head. “He was a well-dressed perv.”
“Rogues tend to be a little nuts and they don’t live the way humans do. The organized Vamps pretend they’re human. They keep homes and take care of their appearances to avoid drawing attention.”
“These Vampires seemed organized. The two women and five guys were dressed almost in uniform, in all-black clothes.”
He sighed. “It means they’re members of a nest, and probably associated with the Vampire Council if they weren’t rogues.”
“They have a council?”
“Yes.”
“That means they can tell other nests about me, right? What about your Werewolf packs? Will they be sending out alerts about me to them too? Can you check to see if you’ve gotten one yet?”
He hated to see the fear in her eyes. The Vampire Council would spread the word to other nests if one of them reported Jadee. “Do they know you’re immune to their eyes?”
“Yes.” She swallowed hard. “I didn’t blow the perv, and another one demanded I unlock my car door to let him in at a red light after I left work. I took off like a bat out of hell and left rubber on the streets in my wake. Then those other ones showed up at my place. Did I mention they know my name?”
He let that sink in. It was bad. Vampire nests would be looking for her. She’d killed one of them. That was enough to stir their wrath. A human killing a Vampire tended to be a crime they wanted punished. The fact that she was immune to them controlling her mind and erasing her memories would make them fear her.
“You probably think I should have just given the pervert a blow job, right?”
“No.” The desire to rip apart the Vamp who had come after Jadee surged but he was already dead. “You had every right to defend yourself. I’m just glad you were able to. You’re lucky to be alive.”
“I won’t be for long if more Vampires find me. Is anywhere safe for me to go? I was thinking about avoiding big cities but then I realized they could send your kind after me too. Is that how it works? I needed to know so I came to you for answers. Will I be safe if I just lock down at night and only go out during the day?”
“I need to tell you something, Jadee.”
“It’s bad, isn’t it? I’m toast, aren’t I? Spit it out. Can you put in a good word for me with these packs so they don’t come after me? Tell them I’m dog friendly or something?”
“I’m not a Werewolf.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “You’re not a Vamp. We were just outside. The sun burns them.”
“I’m something else.”
“But I saw you. You were a big…dog.”
“I’m both.”
“Not very. I’m more surprised than anything.”
“I bet. Should I start at the beginning or just get to the point?”
“You said you were in trouble.” He locked gazes with her to avoid getting turned-on more by ogling her body. “Why?”
“A Vampire attacked me.”
His gaze lowered to her neck. He didn’t see any wounds there. He took a step closer, alarmed.
“I killed him. I mean, I would have just let him bite me so he thought his eyes were working, but…my blood wasn’t the only thing he wanted.”
He glanced down her body. “He wanted sex?” He couldn’t blame the Vampire. She was very attractive. But it also pissed him off. She was too good for one of those damn bloodbags. Then her other statement registered. “You killed him?”
“Yes.”
“How did you do that?” He drew even closer, wanting to pull her into his arms. The thought of her fighting off a Vampire chilled his blood. She could have been killed. She was too small to be a fighter. Humans rarely survived facing off against a Vamp.
“I think the ice pick I shoved into his nuts gave me the advantage.”
His leg automatically twitched, wanting to protect his own. “Ouch.”
“He ordered me to get down on my knees and blow him. He let them hang out in the breeze. I just aimed for the closest body part. They were a bigger target than his dick. It was sad. I could almost understand why he felt the need to mind warp women so they wouldn’t laugh when he unzipped. I’ve seen bigger ones when I changed diapers.”
Lavos would have laughed but he saw the haunted look in her eyes. He also noticed how tired she looked for the first time. She’d been traumatized by the ordeal she spoke of, probably tormented by nightmares when she slept.
“Come here.” He opened his arms.
She did, to his surprise. He pulled her into a hug. She was damp and smelled like him, since she’d used his shampoo and conditioner. He lowered his chin until it rested on top of her head, not minding the wet strands. She could have been killed.
“He exploded on me, just not the way he meant to. How can one body make so much ash?”
He closed his eyes and held her tighter when she shivered. He doubted she was cold; it was more from the trauma she must have suffered. “How did you kill him?”
“Fire axe to the throat. I thought I’d have to chop at him a bit but one swing did it.” She shuddered in his arms. “His head came off and boom—ash explosion.”
He rubbed her back. “My brave Jadee. It sounds as if you got lucky and hit his neck just right. They have stronger bones than humans but they weaken if he hasn’t fed for a while.”
“Then his nest came after me. They must have seen what happened and somehow followed me home. A bunch of them surrounded my place. They couldn’t get in since I had started living in the RV, but at dawn I got the hell out of there. I didn’t know if more of them would come after me. They knew my name. I’m fucked, aren’t I?”
He picked her up. She tensed in his arms but didn’t struggle. He carried her to the bed and eased her back onto her feet. “Sit.” He let her go. It was difficult. He liked holding her.
She sat on the edge of his bed and he crouched in front of her, bracing her knees between his spread ones. It put them at face level. “It depends. Were they rogues?”
“How can you tell?”
“Did the one you kill smell bad, as if he hadn’t bathed in a while?”
She shook her head. “He was a well-dressed perv.”
“Rogues tend to be a little nuts and they don’t live the way humans do. The organized Vamps pretend they’re human. They keep homes and take care of their appearances to avoid drawing attention.”
“These Vampires seemed organized. The two women and five guys were dressed almost in uniform, in all-black clothes.”
He sighed. “It means they’re members of a nest, and probably associated with the Vampire Council if they weren’t rogues.”
“They have a council?”
“Yes.”
“That means they can tell other nests about me, right? What about your Werewolf packs? Will they be sending out alerts about me to them too? Can you check to see if you’ve gotten one yet?”
He hated to see the fear in her eyes. The Vampire Council would spread the word to other nests if one of them reported Jadee. “Do they know you’re immune to their eyes?”
“Yes.” She swallowed hard. “I didn’t blow the perv, and another one demanded I unlock my car door to let him in at a red light after I left work. I took off like a bat out of hell and left rubber on the streets in my wake. Then those other ones showed up at my place. Did I mention they know my name?”
He let that sink in. It was bad. Vampire nests would be looking for her. She’d killed one of them. That was enough to stir their wrath. A human killing a Vampire tended to be a crime they wanted punished. The fact that she was immune to them controlling her mind and erasing her memories would make them fear her.
“You probably think I should have just given the pervert a blow job, right?”
“No.” The desire to rip apart the Vamp who had come after Jadee surged but he was already dead. “You had every right to defend yourself. I’m just glad you were able to. You’re lucky to be alive.”
“I won’t be for long if more Vampires find me. Is anywhere safe for me to go? I was thinking about avoiding big cities but then I realized they could send your kind after me too. Is that how it works? I needed to know so I came to you for answers. Will I be safe if I just lock down at night and only go out during the day?”
“I need to tell you something, Jadee.”
“It’s bad, isn’t it? I’m toast, aren’t I? Spit it out. Can you put in a good word for me with these packs so they don’t come after me? Tell them I’m dog friendly or something?”
“I’m not a Werewolf.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “You’re not a Vamp. We were just outside. The sun burns them.”
“I’m something else.”
“But I saw you. You were a big…dog.”
“I’m both.”
