Night Unbound(30)

Swearing, the vampires scrambled to fight him off and avoid his blades.
Cliff struck with vicious intensity, his smile gone.
Bastien looked around to see if anyone dallied nearby when the vampires began to scream. He didn’t know if it was pent-up energy, pent-up aggression, pent-up frustration, or a first display of the madness formerly held at bay, but . . . Cliff tore those vamps to shreds.
Had Bastien not done the same to the mercenaries who had shot Melanie, he would’ve been disturbed by it.
One vampire collapsed to the ground, already starting to shrivel up.
Cliff grabbed the other by the hair, yanked his head to one side, and started to sink his fangs into the dying vamp’s neck.
Bastien shot forward and stopped him before he could. “Don’t.”
Cliff glared up at him.
Bastien could hear Cliff’s heart racing, pumping adrenaline through his veins.
Cliff tried to shove him away.
Bastien didn’t budge. “Don’t.”
“Why? They were draining those women. Why not give them a taste of their own medicine?”
“Because Melanie is worried that drinking the blood of another vampire will increase your viral load.” He frowned. “Or is it viral count?” He shook his head. “I can’t remember. I just know she’s afraid that it will make the brain damage and madness progress faster.”
Either Bastien’s calm tone or the science jargon reached Cliff.
Dragging in a deep breath, Cliff calmed and dropped the vampire. “He’ll be dead soon anyway.”
Bastien clapped him on the back. “Good. How do you feel?”
Cliff thought about it as the vampire at their feet drew his last breath and began to deteriorate. “Juiced. Relaxed. Relieved that I didn’t lose it completely and try to bail on you or something.”
“I knew you’d keep it together.”
“Yeah, but I really wanted to bite that guy. I mean, I wanted to rip his throat out.”
“Don’t let it disturb you. I feel the same thing every night. I’m not exactly what one would call even-tempered.”
At last, Cliff laughed. “I think you would bore Melanie if you were.”
Bastien knelt before the women.
Brow creased with concern, Cliff joined him. “Are they going to be okay?”
Both females had lost consciousness during the battle, but a quick listen to their pulse told Bastien they’d survive. Neither, thankfully, would remember the vampires’ attack. With the first bite, the glands that had formed above the fangs of vampires during their transformation would’ve delivered a chemical that acted like GHB in the system.
“They’ll be fine.” Bastien drew his cell phone out and dialed the network.
“Reordon.”
“It’s Bastien. Cliff and I found a couple of vampires feeding on two human women. Can you send a cleanup crew out here to see them home?”
“Sure. Where are you?”
Bastien gave him their location.
“How do you like hunting, Cliff?” Chris asked, knowing the young vampire could hear both ends of the conversation.
Cliff’s eyebrows flew up. “It’s weird.”
Chris laughed. “I know, right? Jack will be there in ten to take care of the women.”
The line went dead.
“That was weird, too,” Cliff said as Bastien tucked away his phone.
“What was?”
“Reordon’s asking me what I thought about hunting instead of asking you if I’d lost my shit.”
Bastien shrugged. Both questions would have accomplished the same goal—letting Chris know if Cliff had lost it during the fight—but this way Chris had left Cliff’s dignity intact. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’m actually starting to like that asshole.”
“Chris?”
“Yes.”
“Reordon’s a good guy,” Cliff said slowly. “He’s been really nice to me ever since the mercenaries got their hands on me.”
“Good. He should be. You saved a lot of lives that night.”
Cliff smiled.
“So,” Bastien said, “once the cleanup crew arrives, do you want to call it a night? Or are you up for more hunting?”
“More hunting,” Cliff chose with amusing enthusiasm.
 

 

Zach perched on Lisette’s roof, waiting for her to return home.
A long sigh escaped him. The shingles beneath him were beginning to acquire a shine only wear could deliver. He would have to find a new place to sit soon or his ass would end up going through the roof.
Gargoyle duty.
The description fit. He really did feel like a gargoyle tonight. Probably resembled one, too. He hadn’t taken the time to look in a mirror before he had teleported to Lisette’s side and ended her battle with the unusually powerful vampires.