“Thanks. That was a close call.” Lisa’s hands are pinned in front of her. “You supernatural types are certainly a challenge to reap.” A nervous giggle escapes her as she flattens her palms against my chest. My slow heart beat picks up, sending blood to areas I haven’t used in quite a while. Good to know all of me isn’t undead.
“Wow,” she croaks out. “You’re really built.”
Satisfied the threat has passed, I glance down at the tempting woman in my arms. Her blue eyes stare at me from under spiky blond hair. Do I respond? Damn, she’s cute when she’s flustered. A slow smile spreads across my face.
“Is that a gun in your front pocket?” she asks, innocence dripping from her tone.
My fangs itch to descend and I tense. I can’t believe I’m sporting a woody the first time her body connects with mine. Might as well go with it, it’s not like a little harmless flirting will lead to anything.
“No, darlin’. My gun is strapped to my right thigh.” God, it feels so nice to be touched. “On the outside of my leg.”
“Oh!” she squeaks. Her hands jerk on my chest and a blush spreads across her cheeks.
Damn, that just makes me want her more. My canines elongate and Lisa reacts, a shudder traveling down her back.
Maybe it’s too much for her. I unwrap my arms and step back, putting distance between us. A depressed sigh leaks out of me. “Joanna told you what we are. You’re a reaper, who are you to judge?”
“Judge? Is that what you think I’m doing? What, a girl gets a little apprehensive when the guy snuggled up next to her has growing fangs and all of a sudden she’s judgmental?” She adjusts her shirt, drawing my eye to her luscious boobs. Lisa catches my look and clears her throat. “Hello? My eyes are up here.”
I glance to the corner where the glowing door disappeared. Why does this shit have to be so hard? I’m crazy to think a normal woman would want anything to do with me. I mumble “sorry” and sit in a club chair by the shuttered windows, adjusting my semi-hard state absently with one hand. “I don’t blame you if you were judging. After all, I did kill that woman you just reaped.”
“Hold on now. Joanna said she left you no choice. Was that true?”
I shrug, and stare at my hands on my thighs. “Vivian didn’t think so. She was pretty pissed.”
Lisa’s tone sounds contemplative, “She’s the head vampire, right?” At my nod she continues. “Well, it sounds like she acts as a parent to all of you here. I see why she’d be a little bent when one of her charges dies. My daughter was in a car accident last fall and ‘bent’ doesn’t begin to describe how I felt. More like distraught and borderline suicidal. Cut the old gal a break.”
A grim smile curves my mouth. “I bet she’ll be interested to hear that we truly do have souls.”
“Was that ever in question?” I glance at her sharply and it’s her turn to shrug. “Hey, how would I know? Who am I to question who has a soul or not? Sure, I’ve read books and watched movies about the ‘undead,’ but what does that term really mean anyway? How are you guys—for a lack of a better word—‘made’? It’s obvious if you have a soul. You were human once, right?”
Once.
I wish I still was. There’s so much I’ll never get to have or do now that I’m like this. No family, no children, just me… alone… forever.#p#分页标题#e#
Buck up. You have Eric. And your dad is alive, so is your aunt.
Yeah, for now.
I steel my thoughts and push the old issues away. This existence here in Alaska is better than living with my aunt in Manhattan and I know I could be much worse off. My thoughts drift to Afghanistan and my face hardens. Yes, there could always be worse times.
“Whoa, now.” Lisa pulls me back to the present. “Your face got all spooky distant. Did I say something wrong?”
I stifle the urge to lean forward and hold her hand. There’s no way she’d want some blood-sucking fiend like me touching her. “It’s not you. I was thinking about when I was turned.” I meet her eyes and see something directed at me I haven’t seen in a long while—compassion.
“Can you tell me? I’d like to hear how it works.”
“I was serving my fifth term in Afghanistan.” Hesitation and uncertainty grip me, I haven’t spoken of my ordeal with anyone. “It was… hell.”
Lisa leans forward in her chair, reaching out a hand and dropping it at the last instant. “What happened?”
I shake my head, unsure how much I want to relay. “Some parts are a blur. After three weeks in the field, we were on our way back to base camp. All I could think was how much I wanted a hot shower.” The smell of Wet Ones leaps into my mind. “We had to conserve water on those trips and the baby-wipes didn’t cut it for bathing.” My lips turn up at the corner. “My Aunt Cali used to send them by the case. We used the wet wipes for everything—from cleaning our guns, scrubbing dust off the windshield, to wiping our—” I catch myself in time. “You get the idea.”