Simon dropped the man's head and turned to me. "He will not become a vampire."
My shoulders slumped. I clutched my hands against my chest. "Thank god."
Simon scoffed. "He did nothing to intervene. It was your own foolish desire to reject your nature that saved this man."
I whipped my head up and glared at Simon. "My nature isn't to hurt people."
Simon strode over and knelt before me. His eyes caught mine and held them in his powerful gaze. "Your nature is to survive. In order to do so you must harm others."
The man groaned. His eyes flickered open and he lifted his head. His hazy eyes fell on me and widened. He started back, but that only caused him to tip over his chair. He crashed onto his side and winced.
"Damn it. Can this night get any worse?" he muttered.
Simon stood and walked over to the man. He righted the chair with his foot and grinned down at the captive. "It can be infinitely more worse if you do not agree to my proposition."
The man swept his eyes over Simon and frowned. "Who the hell are you?" He jerked his head to me. "And what the hell is she?"
Simon chuckled. "She is a vampire, as am I."
The man blinked at him. "Seriously?"
"You need only touch your neck to assess the validity of my words," Simon dared him.
The man squirmed and twisted his roped wrists. "That's a little hard for me right now."
Simon bowed his head. "Pardon. I had forgotten the frailty of humans." He leaned down and sliced the rope with his fingernails.
The man jumped to his feet and took a few steps away from us. He rubbed his wrists and looked from one of us to the other. "So you guys with Rufus or what?"
Simon shook his head. "No. We have our own motives for coming to your rescue."
The man smiled and shook his head. "I'll admit I was in a pretty rough spot. Those assholes didn't like me showing off to-well, to somebody, and they were gonna beat me pretty bad for it." His eyes flickered to me and he frowned. "Then you showed up and-" His eyes widened.
He reached up and patted his neck. His eyes widened, and he lowered his hand to see two smeared streaks of blood on his fingers. He whipped his head to me, the blood, and back to me. The man stumbled back and pulled the chair with him to place between us.
"W-what the fuck are you? Some sort of a weirdo?" he questioned me.
Simon stepped closer to him. "I have already informed you we are vampires, and from your words I must assume you are Bo Macon."
The man frowned. "That's 'Swift,' not Bo." Simon moved closer to him. Swift scooted back with his protection chair. "Stay back! I'm not gonna be dealing with any vampires!"
Simon chuckled. "Would you rather we return you to Rufus and his gentlemen? I am sure they would be eager to resume their association, and any unfinished business, between you."
Swift straightened and eyed Simon. "What's your deal, Mr. Vampire? I'm guessing you didn't come here to save my hide out of the kindness of your dead heart."
Simon smiled. "You are quite right. We would like to assume a business contract with you and-" he gestured to the vehicle, "-your impressive car."
Swift scoffed. "So you want the Shadow, too, huh?"
"If that is the name of the vehicle, then yes."
The human swept his eyes over us. Behind Simon stood Certus. Swift nodded at him. "Is he a vampire, too?"
Simon opened his mouth, but paused and tilted his head to one side. "Unfortunately, there isn't time for proper introductions on our part. It seems Rufus has gathered his forces and means to surround us."
I whipped my head to Simon and frowned. "You didn't take care of them."
His half-lidded eyes fell on me. "Your mental screams were impossible to ignore, and I was forced to disengage before my work was finished."
I turned away and pursed my lips. Simon returned his attention to Swift. "Will you accept my contract, or remain here?"
Swift frowned. "I don't know. What's the fine print say?"
A voice over a bullhorn broke the silence outside the building. "Whoever the hell you are, get the fuck out of there and drop to the ground! Otherwise we're gonna come in there and you're not gonna like what we'll do to you!"
Swift scoffed and rubbed his bruised face. "Like we're gonna like what they do to us outside."
Simon turned to him. "Then do we have an agreement?"
Swift nodded. "Yeah, but on one condition. Whatever you want with me and the Shadow, I get to keep the car. Agreed?"
Simon smiled and bowed his head. "Agreed. Will you two escape through the front or rear?"
Swift blinked at him. "What two?"
Simon nodded at me. "She will accompany you and lead you to my home. You, and your vehicle, will be safe there."
I started back and glared at him. "Are you crazy? I nearly sucked that guy dry once already!"
"Like hell I'm going in a car with a girl who tried to kill me!" Swift agreed.
Simon met my gaze. "You cannot escape this garage on your own without being seriously harmed. The only way for you to escape unharmed is to leave inside the armored vehicle."
I winced. My eyes flickered to Swift. He still looked pale. "But I-"
Simon stepped up to me and grasped my chin. He tilted my head up so I stared into his eyes. "Prove to me your nature can be what you choose it to be."
He dropped my chin and strode towards the door. Certus followed him. The pair paused at the entrance and Simon half-turned to us. "We will distract them so they cannot follow you, but a quick leave would be advisable." And with that the pair stepped outside and shut the door behind them.
The man with the bullhorn sounded angry. "Now get on the ground! I said get the fuck on the-aah!" The scream was followed by gunshots and yelling.
Swift's eyes fell on me. "You promise not to give me another hicky?" I turned to him and pursed my lips. He smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. What's a little blood between business partners?" The noises outside grew louder. He jerked his head to the car. "Come on. Let's get out of here before Rufus turns the big guns on them, and us."
My pulse quickened. "Bigger guns?"
Swift grabbed my hand and yanked me towards the car. "Let's just say they're not legal, at least not in most countries."
Swift paused to swipe the keys from one of his beaters, and we slipped into the car. The interior was tight, but comfortable, with a rear seat and two in front. The dash had a few more dials than the usual car, and there was a small square screen where the CD player should have been.
In the small confines of the cab my sensitive nose picked up on the smell of his dried blood. I slapped my hands over my mouth and nose.
Swift turned the ignition and the car roared to life. He grinned and put the car into gear. "Purrs like a dream." He glanced over to me and frowned. "What's wrong with you?"
I shook my head, but didn't drop my hands. "Nothing. Just get us out of here."
"Yes, ma'am," he agreed.
Swift pressed a few of the buttons and the screen lit up. The screen was split into four camera views, one for each corner of the car. He slammed on the gas and the car sped off.
Except it sped off backwards. The seat belt cut into my chest and I clung to the dash in front of me as we went in reverse. The rear of the car slammed into the back wall. The vehicle's tough plating cut through the metal siding like a can opener. The gunmen who surrounded the rear fired at us, but the bullets ricocheted off the thick armor. They jumped out of the way and made a convenient path for us.
Swift slammed on the brakes and spun the wheel. The car slid a full ninety degrees and came to a stop, but not for long. He slammed on the gas pedal and the car jumped forward. Men in black suits leapt out of our path while the guards from the fence leapt onto the hood of the car. They lay flat on the hood and shot point-blank at the windshield. The bullets bounced off the glass, but left large ripples on the exterior surface.
Swift grabbed the stick. "Hold on!"
I clutched onto either side of the bucket seat as he shifted into a faster gear. The car leapt forward and the lighter rear began to fish-tail, sending the car into left-and-right convulsions. The men on the hood were thrown off and we had a clear view of the chain-link fence towards which we careened.
I jabbed a finger at the oncoming barrier. "Fence!"
"Not for long!"
Swift stepped on the gas and we slammed into the metal links. They curled back and snapped, opening a hole for the car. We bounced onto the road. Swift turned a sharp left and right, and we shot past the black limo in a few seconds.
I looked behind us. Nobody followed. We were alive. Mostly.
CHAPTER 7
I slumped into my seat and breathed a deep, heavy sigh.
Swift's eyes flickered to me. "You okay?"
I gave a nod. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just not used to all this excitement." A fresh waft of his dried blood hit my nostrils. I pinched my nose and shuddered as the familiar hunger growled inside of me.
"You know, you don't look like the type to suck people's blood because you want to," he commented.
My voice sounded squeaky with my nose pinched. "Let's just say I said 'yes' when I should have said 'no.'"
That got a chuckle out of him. "So where are we headed, anyway? This thing doesn't have much gas after my test drive."