The Accidental Vampire(96)

Something on fire? In the backyard?

"Where's Elvi?!" Victor roared with sudden panic, and immediately chased after

Harper. He was positive that if there was trouble, that was where he'd find Elvi.

He raced out onto the deck, pausing at the sight of the small shed at the back of the

yard on fire. One whole side was a wall of flames. He heard a muffled shout and

several thuds and felt his blood run cold. Someone was inside the burning shack. It

didn't take two guesses to know who it must be.

Not bothering with the stairs, Victor left Harper to wrestle with the garden hose and

charged, leaping up and over the railing that ran around the deck. He was at the shed

door in barely more than a heartbeat. There was a shovel jammed against the handle,

blocking it closed. Victor kicked it aside with his foot even as he reached for the

handle.

He pulled the door open and started to step in, only to grunt and stumble back as a

smoking bundle crashed into his chest. It appeared Elvi had decided to rush the door

just as he opened it. Unprepared, Victor lurched several steps backward, his arms

closing around her even as he did. They both cried out as he crashed into the birdbath

and sent it tumbling as they crashed to the ground.

Victor grunted as his back slammed into the dirt, cursed in pain as Elvi came down, her

knee landing bull's‐eye on his groin, then simply whimpered like a baby when she

realized what had happened and quickly slid off him, only to have the still flipping

birdbath finish its own fall by allowing the base to take her place, crushing his testicles.

"Victor?" Elvi's anxious voice sounded by his ear. "Are you all right?"

Stars exploding behind his eyes and body racked with pain that radiated out from his

groin, Victor lay completely still and merely groaned, amazed that he was able to do

so. He followed that with a moan when water began to pour over him.

"No, Harper!" Elvi cried by his ear. "You have to set it to jet! It isn't reaching the shed!

You're getting us! Set it to jet!"

"What the hell happened here?"

Victor recognized Teddy Brunswick's voice, but didn't bother to open his eyes or look

around. He just lay where he was, waiting for his body to stop protesting the abuse it

had received.

"Victor?" DJ's voice sounded anxious as it neared. "Are you all right?"

"What happened?" Edward asked.

"Was anyone hurt?" Alessandro's question almost had Victor opening his eyes in

disbelief, but it seemed like too much effort, so he stayed as he was.

"I've got it! Out of the way!" That voice belonged to Mike Knight, the fire chief and

Elvi's neighbor. Recognizing it, Victor didn't immediately open his eyes. It wasn't until

he heard the hissing sound that followed the man's authoritative shout that Victor

popped his eyes open to see Elvi's mortal neighbor was the only one who had been

sensible enough to bring a fire extinguisher to the party.

A disappointed sigh to his side drew Victor's gaze to Harper to see the immortal

standing, shoulders slumped, the dripping garden hose in his hands. The hose itself

was a tangled mass straggling between the deck and where he stood. It seemed in his

rush to be of assistance, he'd somehow tangled up the hose and hadn't been able to

reach the back of the yard with the spray.

That explained the small shower he'd got, Victor supposed.

A rustle at his side drew his gaze to Elvi as she sat up beside him to watch Mike finish

putting out the fire. Her face was streaked with soot, and her hat and clothing a bit

singed, but she appeared all right otherwise. However, he'd already expected as much.

Her voice had been strong both times she'd spoken since their crash landing.

His gaze shifted to the birdbath still lying on top of him and Victor grimaced. It had

done some real damage. If he were mortal, there would be some question as to

whether he would ever have more children. Fortunately, he wasn't mortal. Victor

reached down and pushed the birdbath off.

Elvi immediately turned to peer at him. Managing a worried smile, she leaned over and

placed one hand on his cheek as she asked, "How are you? Are you all right? I think

you got the wind knocked out of you."

Before Victor could respond, Teddy appeared behind her, his wrinkled face grim as he

peered down at them. "What happened?"

"What are you doing here?" Victor asked instead of answering. "You left a good fifteen

minutes ago."

Brunswick's eyebrows rose at the question, but he answered calmly enough. "I was

almost back to the station when I realized I left the blood bank cooler here. So I turned

back and saw the smoke about two blocks away. I hit the siren, radioed the fire

department, put my foot down and pulled up just in time to see you and Elvi crash