Chapter 14

14

The vampire was the stuff of movies and romance novels. Beautiful, that was the only word I could use. Skin, smooth alabaster. Hair, lustrous and dark. He wore simple brown pants tucked into boots and a shirt open halfway down his chest. Where he lost the human look? His eyes. Dark pits with no whites, and when he smiled, a pair of pointed fangs peeked from beneath his lips.

Clover took one look at him and tucked against me. So much for the name Infernal hound.

The smell I'd noticed upon entering the cave strengthened as the vamp purred, "And who might I have the pleasure of eating?"

"Name is Sadie, a.k.a. your worst nightmare."

"Oh, I highly doubt that." His grin dimpled his cheek. Handsome bastard.

Unfortunately for him, Cain and Vance had made me a mistress of resistance. "Listen asshole, you took someone and I'm going to need her back." The girl in question lay on a bed of trimmed boughs, eyes shut, cheeks pale, but her chest rose and fell. She lived.

"You have an intriguing scent," he murmured. "You are not from here."

"What gave it away?"

"Your accent. Your clothing. Your attitude. The females of this world aren't so bold."

"Is that why you prey on them?"

"The girl was willing."

"Not according to her father. He says she ran away from you."

"She isn't running now." He indicated with a tilt of his head.

"Enough small talk. I want the girl." I didn't mention I'd be killing him one way or another. No point in giving him warning.

"She is free to go." He waved a hand. "She's got nothing left to give. Besides, you are much more interesting and, I'll wager, flavorful." He added to his creepy statement by sniffing the air.

"I am not food," I stated.

"I beg to differ. Pity I'm not hungry at the moment. Perhaps we'll play other games first." The leer let me know what kind he meant.

"Ew. No. Like never. Gross." Clover sensed my agitation and growled.

My reaction caused the vamp to gape for a moment before recovering. "A virgin. How unexpected at your age."

For some reason this caused me to laugh. Really hard. "Oh, buddy. You are way off base. I haven't been a virgin since high school. More like not interested. You're not my type."

"I am every woman's type," he asserted.

"Says the guy who had to kidnap an unwilling girl. She's a child."

"She is of breeding age."

"If you're a pervert."

"You seem awfully concerned about her and yet you are not related."

"It's called being a decent human being, you pig."

"Will you take her place?"

"I am not a fuck or blood slave." A term I'd heard in a movie, or was it a book? Didn't matter. I liked it.

"You will be."

"In your dreams." I snorted. "Now move aside while I wake the girl."

"By all means…" He stepped away from her, being a little too conciliatory.

"Wait, you're being too easy about this," I said suspiciously. "Is it because you've already infected her with your vampire germs? Is she going to go home and eat her family? Pass on your sick virus?"

"I am not contagious." He sounded quite insulted.

"Bullshit. I know how vampires are made."

"Oh, pray tell, how are we created?" I heard the mocking tone but forged ahead.

"You have to bite the victim, and then once she's been mostly drained, feed her your blood." I didn't mention that my knowledge came from books and not firsthand experience.

His brows rose. "If only it were that simple. Alas, we are not so easily created."

"Oh, and how are you going to claim vampires are made?"

"We are born. Of course. All living things are."

I frowned. "How can you be born when you're already dead?"

"Do I look dead?"

No, he did not. "So you were a baby vampire?"

"Born and fed on the blood of my maternal host."

"Gross. That's not something to brag about." It reminded me of the alien movie where the little sucker clawed its way out of someone. It also went against the vampire lore I knew, leading me to state, "You're allergic to sunlight."

"I am."

"What about garlic?"

"What is garlic?" he asked with a slight frown.

I already knew crosses were useless. "Can you see your reflection?"

"Yes, and I cast a shadow," he replied with amusement.

"If you were born, who were your parents?"

"The female was one chosen for her beauty and attributes. My father is a prince of Inferis."

"Bullshit."

"You do not believe me? All vampires are descended from royalty."

"Well, shit. That's news to me," I huffed. "I thought demon princes made those ugly gray demons."

Shock shot his brows comically high. "Is your world so backwards it knows not the basics?"

"So backwards I helped have Moloch killed."

"Moloch has returned?" He didn't feign his surprise.

"Had. He's dead."

"I wonder which prince earned the glory for his death," he mused aloud.

"Leviathan. Know him?"

He grimaced. "Yes. He is the one who had me exiled here."

It occurred to me that perhaps I should get more information before I killed his sorry ass. "Who's your dad?"

"Magoth. The mightiest of them," the vamp declared with pride.

"Not that mighty since Leviathan managed to get you tossed." I couldn't help but poke and received a fierce scowl.

"He will pay."

"Somehow I don't see that happening, seeing as how Leviathan has seized control of Inferis and titled himself emperor."

The news visibly shocked the vamp who stiffened and rocked on his heels. He spat, "The pretender can call himself anything he wants, doesn't make it true. He is a rancid boil compared to my father."

"And yet that boil has seized control."

"Only temporarily. Magoth should be ruler."

"And yet he isn't. Which again explains why you're here with your little demon brothers."

"What brothers?" He frowned.

"The ugly gray guys? Hairless, not too tall, skinny ass bodies and lacking visible dicks."

"The drones are not related to me." He sounded peeved at the thought.

"Are you sure? Because you're both major assholes."

The insult had him flashing fangs as he hissed, "The more you insult me, the more I will enjoy abusing your willing body."

"With that kind of pickup line, no wonder you have to kidnap young girls and hide in caves."

The remark pressed his mouth into a thin line. "I had a fine home until the villagers revolted."

"Did they come for you with pitchforks and torches?"

A wary look entered his eyes. "Did you lead them?"

"No, because if I had, you'd be dead."

For some reason my threat made him smile. "Your confidence is alluring. I look forward to seeing if that trait transfers to the child I will seed upon you."

I rolled my eyes. "What is it with you demon fucks wanting to give me babies? Like, no thanks. I am not the motherly type. At all."

"As if you'll have a choice. You want me to touch you. Would like nothing more than to lie down and spread your thighs for me."

The cajoling words washed over me and for a second, I did want it. Then I came to my senses. I pushed magic to strengthen the shield I'd let lapse and lifted my chin. "The only thing I'm spreading is your ashes once I kill you."

"You can try." His calm demeanor with a hint of mockery annoyed. As did the fact my dog remained sitting, tongues out. Judging by the glazed look in the three heads, the vamp had whammied my poor puppy.

"Enough chitter chatter. Let's get this over with." The girl remained asleep, meaning I'd have to be careful she didn't get hurt in the coming battle.

I pulled my scythe and extended it, widening his eyes.

"A fabled reaper? I thought only males were allowed to wield weapons."

"I'm the exception." I began circling to my left.

The vamp remained in his spot, pivoting only slightly to keep me in sight. He cocked his head. "Your scent has changed." He must have smelled the magic I used to reinforce my shield. I not only blocked whatever he oozed from his pores and his cajoling voice, but also added an impenetrable factor should he attempt physical contact.

I feinted with my blade, and he dodged easily.

"You'll have to do better than that." A statement followed by him moving almost faster than I could follow. He reached for me but hissed as his hand smacked my shield. "Witch!"

"That's reaper witch, demon fucker." And with that, I unleashed my magic.

I threw a fist of air at him first, knocking him back, followed by electricity. He screeched as it hit his chest and he jiggled.

To my surprise, he huffed and with a strained look on his face, brought his body back under control. He couldn't do anything about the smoke rising from his flesh and clothes, though.

"No more playing," he snarled before lunging for me.

I ducked and swept with my scythe. He nimbly jumped so it passed under him. He remained in motion, darting for my shield again, hammering it with his fists.

It held. Easily too.

A new punch of force slammed him, tossing him backwards into the wall. Before he could recover, my blade flashed and his head flew, hitting the floor with a tumble and roll. The body slumped, the neck sluggishly oozing a putrid smelling ichor.

Gross.

But in good news, the vampire was dead, and I'd learned some interesting tidbits.

The girl woke in that moment, uttering a groggy, "What happened? Where am I?" She screeched, the dead body and the scythe in my hand sending her to huddle against the wall, wide-eyed.

It took me a second to convince her I meant no harm. I finished with, "Your father is waiting for you outside."

"Papa!" She almost shoved me as she brushed past in her haste to leave the cave. Or was it me she wanted to escape?

My dog finally snapped out of his stupor and wandered over to the corpse, cocked a leg, and pissed.

I shook my head. "Thanks for your help." My pup replied with three hanging tongues.

Not Clover's fault. That vampire had been next level. If it weren't for my shield, he might have convinced me to be his little bitch. Kind of scary. In the end, I'd won and learned something no one knew. Vampires were demon prince babies. Wait until I told Mizuki and the others.

With my heroic task done, I grabbed the head by the hair and stalked out of the cave, emerging to find the man hugging his sobbing daughter.

I held up my prize. "The vampire is dead."

As if to mark that moment, the head ignited in the sun, leading me to drop it and watch as it smoldered into ash.

The man invited me to dinner, but what I really wanted was a bath. So I waved goodbye and, out of sight of him and his daughter, activated my talisman.

Fay said only one thing as I entered the Continuum— Thank you for aiding that family —before thrusting me onto the snowy ledge with no warning as to what awaited.

Apparently, my soak in the tub would have to wait because I had guests.