"As much as I desire your body, I do not desire it to be seen by other people," he commented.
I blushed and snatched up my clothes, but my inner thoughts were a bundle of foolish, girlish thoughts of hesitant love.
CHAPTER 5
We dressed ourselves and were barely done when Certus's voice spoke over the intercom. "I have located the source of the last call, sir."
Simon pressed the button on the dash. "Where is it?"
"The source lies in one of the abandoned manufacturing warehouses in the western part of the city."
Simon chuckled. "It seems our foes are fond of warehouses. How soon will we arrive?"
"Two minutes."
"Park us two blocks from the location. We will walk."
"Yes, sir."
Simon leaned back and crossed his legs. "Our foes seem to have little imagination for their lairs."
I pursed my lips. "How exactly are you going to deal with their lair?"
"I will simply walk inside and ask them for the use of their driver and vehicle," he told me.
My mouth dropped open. "Are you serious?" He bowed his head. "You're sure you're serious?"
He tilted his head to one side and studied me with those handsome eyes. "You disapprove of my plan?"
"I disapprove of dying," I quipped. "The guy who answered that phone didn't sound friendly. They'll probably greet us with a couple of wood boxes and a hail of bullets."
Simon chuckled. "I did away with my coffin centuries ago and have no intention of acquiring a new one."
I crossed my arms and frowned at him. "So you're going to what? Mind-control all of them? There could be dozens of bad guys in there."
He shook his head. "Nothing so unkind. I will simply stroll into the warehouse and request to see their leader."
"And if they decide to give you some lead for dinner?" I questioned him.
A crooked grin slipped onto his lips. A long fang peeked out from beneath his upper lip. "Then I will have my supper."
I cringed. "Do you really have to kill them? Is that really what vampires need do?"
The car slowed to a stop and Certus opened the door. Simon stepped halfway out and glanced over his shoulder in my direction. "No, but there is nothing my enemies fear more than their own death. Remain with Certus." He slipped out of sight.
I scrambled to the open door and thrust my head outside. The gloomy manufacturing district was full of tall brick buildings shuttered with ply-board and barbed wire fences. Trash piled up around the base of the chain-link and in the corners of the buildings. A few random streetlights, relics of a bygone prosperous era, still flickered with life.
Simon's tall, dark form strode down the sidewalk in the direction of one of the larger warehouse compounds. Several small buildings and a large warehouse were protected by a repaired chain-link fence. The lights inside the compound lit up most of the area and the gate was manned by a gentleman with a friendly warning strapped to his back in the form of a gun.
"Simon!" He didn't break his stride nor look behind him.
I stepped out of the car and tried to follow him, but Certus caught my shoulder. I spun around and glare at him. "Let me go."
He shook his head. "I cannot. You were ordered to remain here."
A thought struck me and a sly grin slipped onto my lips. I grabbed his hand and tugged him in the direction Simon had gone. "No, Simon said you and I had to stick together, and that's exactly what we're going to do."
"But-"
"No buts! We're going to follow him and stop him from having a late night snack!" I insisted.
Certus pulled himself free from my grasp and brushed his sleeve. I spun around and glared at him. "What are you waiting for? An invitation? Come on!"
He caught my gaze with his bright red eyes. "You are a fool to interfere."
I rolled my eyes. "All right, I'm a fool, now can we please hurry?"
He frowned at me. "Why do you care about these humans? They are not even known to you."
I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I just don't like the idea of me turning into something like that, okay? Now let's play follow the leader."
I raced forward and slipped into the high-speed of a vampire. There was no contest before Certus and me. He caught me in a few yards and wrapped his arms around my waist. My feet tripped over the broken sidewalk and we both tumbled onto the hard concrete. I was pinned between a rock and a hard place.
I squirmed, but he wouldn't fall away. "Get off!"
"I cannot allow that," he replied.
"I said-" I froze. A scent wafted to my nostrils. It was the smell of freshly spilled blood, and it was close.
Something took hold of me. It was a dark, feral creature that swept my human mind aside. It craved blood, and nothing short of that goal would satisfy its hunger.
I slammed my palms onto the ground and lifted myself off the ground. Certus's weight was now little more than a feather. He tried to pin me, but I shook my body like a wet dog. He was thrown off my back and tumbled into the road.
I scrambled to my feet and took off down the sidewalk, but not for the main entrance. My path took me not down Simon's trail but towards one of the smaller buildings that ran along the left side of the main warehouse. I arrived at the street on which sat the compound just as the alarms sounded. Simon had made his presence known.
None of that mattered to me, however. I thirsted for the blood which scent lingered in my nostrils. The smell led me to the last long, low garage-like building along a row of six. The fence security had all abandoned their posts to heed the call of the sirens. I climbed to the top of the fence and tore open a hole in the barbed wire. My hands were cut and my blood dripped onto the ground below. I didn't care. The fresh blood would fix my injuries.
I was just swinging a leg over when something grabbed me. I looked down and snarled at Certus. He already looked worse than when he fought the pathetic vampires. His face was blackened by the road and his clothes were disheveled. He looked at me with bright red eyes filled with anger, and the tips of his fangs peeked under the bottom of his upper lip.
"Get down," he hissed.
I growled and kicked his hand. He held fast, but my awkward position didn't. I straddled the slippery metal pole of the chain-link fence and my rear slipped. I tumbled over the side and Certus was diplomatic enough to let me go and allow me to drop in a heap onto the ground.
Certus leapt onto the top of the fence, a height of some height feet, and perched himself on the pole. I rolled myself onto my back and glared at him. He tensed to drop down. I turned and sprinted towards the scent of blood. Nothing would stop me from my dinner.
I reached the front of the building. There was a large garage door on the right and a smaller exterior door on the left. I chose the smaller door and rammed my shoulder into the locked entrance. The door flew open and slammed into the wall to my right.
The scene was open before me. A group of three men stood around a chair on which sat a slim gentleman of thirty-five. His hands were tied behind the back of his chair. His face was bruised and bloodied, as was their fists. Off to their right sat the black car from earlier in the evening.
All four men looked in my direction, and one of the burly bruisers sneered at me. "Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?"
My attention lay solely on the blood that bled from the captured man's wounds. The blood on their hands was old, dirty. His was fresh and clean. I strode towards them.
The burly man reached for me. "I asked you-" His hand landed on my shoulder.
I grabbed his arm in both hands and flung him behind me. His back slammed into the garage door and left an outline of his body. He dropped face-first onto the floor and groaned. I spun around and snarled at the other two. They each pulled out a gun and pointed the barrels at me. Their fingers pushed the triggers.
Certus swept past me and grabbed their gun hands. There was a definite crack and the men screamed in agony. Certus had broken their hand bones. He grabbed their collars and tossed them into the garage door where they soon joined their companion.
But none of that mattered to me. When I was assured the danger was passed I hurried over to the captive man. He shrank from me. I knelt down and clasped his chin in my hand. I turned his head away from me and revealed his neck. Blood dribbled down his face into the valleys of his throat. I licked my lips. My tongue brushed over my sharp fangs.
I leaned forward and sank my teeth deep into his neck. His stiffened for a moment before he sank in his seat. The sweet nectar of life flowed into my mouth. It was hot, delicious and-
Wrong.
There was a strong, loud scream in my head. I started back and found myself panting. Two thin threads of blood trailed from the bite marks on his neck. I reached up with my shaking hands and touched my long, thick fangs. The taste of blood permeated my mouth.
I fell onto my rear and scrambled back. My stomach churned. I turned and threw up. Blood and food splattered the ground.
A shadow fell over me. I lifted my head. It was Simon.
CHAPTER 6
Simon's clothes were disheveled and full of small round holes. He looked past me at my victim. The captive's chin lay on his chest, but he still breathed. Simon strode over to the chair and tipped his head away so he could look at the wounds.
My pulse quickened. I sat up and set my eyes on the pale man. A lump formed in my throat that I was forced to swallow before I could speak. "Is he. . .did I-?"