by Rosko, Mandy
Were they real guns? Or more dart guns?
She didn't like the idea of either. Her shoulder started throbbing again at the idea of being shot with anything.
"Bryce, I mean it."
"So do I, Dallas. It's three against two, and she's injured, and both of you are unarmed. Stand down."
"Can't you just let us go?" Rita asked. "What's the vampire bitch gonna do to you if you let us walk away?"
"Rita, stop," Dallas said. He held his arm out and stepped in the way, blocking off her view from the three men.
No, he was blocking their view of her, trying to keep the attention of those three off her.
Bryce rubbed his jaw. He shook his head. "Lilly wants the both of you. She gets what she wants, Dallas. You know that."
"Yeah, I know that," he said. "Bitch used me as a blood farm, and you think I'll let you take me back alive?"
"I believe you will try to make us kill you before going back," Bryce said. "But then there will be no one left to keep her safe. Is she gonna kill herself to keep us from taking her?"
"Jesus Christ," Rita breathed, a cold shiver rippling down her spine.
Too much. This was way too much.
And she was getting angry.
So was Dallas.
"You motherfuckers. You sons of bitches. I can't even believe you're all doing this."
"Yes, you can," Bryce said. "Because you're exactly like us."
Bryce looked back at the two men behind him, gesturing with his hand in what looked to be a sign to keep their guns pointed down.
He reached out his hand to Dallas, as though offering a peace treaty. "Come on, man. Come in with us, and I swear I will do everything I can to convince Lilly to take it easy on the both of you. She your girlfriend or something?"
"She means nothing to me, so you might as well let her go."
"If you say she means nothing to you, Lilly will have us shoot her," Bryce said.
Dallas growled. "And if I tell you she's important to me, that bitch will get jealous and slit her throat in front of me!"
“It’s over, man. Just surrender.”
Dallas looked back at her, just a quick glance, but it was enough. His shoulders sagged. "Let her walk away. Don't follow her. She can pack up a bag, leave here and you won't see her ever again. Let her do that, and I'll come in with you. No fighting and no trouble."
No. This wasn't right. "Don't let yourself be taken in because of me," Rita pleaded with him, touching his arm and meeting his bright green eyes. She couldn’t let him go back into captivity because of her.
All those tubes in his neck and arms as he lay motionless on that table, strapped down. That would become his life again, while Lilly did what? Took his blood?
Rita still didn't understand the need for removing some of his limbs and replacing them with extra parts, but what did she know about the mind of a crazy woman who tortured one of her bodyguards?
For all Rita knew, the bitch had done it for the fun of it, and now she had sent some of Dallas' friends after him to bring him back.
Once again, Rita was stuck wondering what in the hell Gerri had gotten her into, but she knew for a fact that she wasn't about to let herself get used as a way to finish ruining Dallas' life.
If she was going to help him, then she needed to get away. She’d have a better chance of helping Dallas from the outside than inside as a prisoner with him. Rita needed to take herself out of the equation since she was basically being used as a hostage.
"I want to go home. I don't want to be here," she said, keeping her voice small. She was already scared, so if playing up that emotion helped in her ability to look small, weak, and scared, then so be it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know whose house that was. I didn’t mean to get involved. I want to leave. Please let me leave.”
Dallas kept his fists clenched, though his expression softened. “Bryce, come on. I know you don’t want to do this. Please don’t do this. Let her go.”
It seemed to be working. Not that Rita could read minds or anything, but even behind those sunglasses, she could see he was struggling.
It was in the way he glanced back at the two men who were with him. The way his mouth stayed firm, how he didn’t respond right away.
“We can’t just let her walk away,” said one of the men behind him.
Bryce rubbed his jaw again.
“A trade-off then. You come quiet if she goes?”
“Bryce, come on, Lilly’s gonna fucking kill us if we don’t bring both of them back.”
Not good. If the two guys were going to panic and rat out Bryce for wanting to help Dallas, then he just might not help him.
But Bryce was looking for an excuse to not take it so far. “If we tell her it was the only way to get Dallas to come in quiet, she’ll understand. She wants his blood.”
“She won’t understand, and she’s gonna rip our throats out, you stupid fuck!” Screamed the guy to Bryce’s left. “I am not getting ripped apart and fed from because you don’t know how to follow orders!”
Dallas looked back at her. He gestured for her to go.
Rita did. She didn’t stop to think about it. Even with stitches in her arm, Rita didn’t think she’d ever run so fast.
Turns out that a life or death situation really brought out her talents.
She vaguely heard the shouts of the men behind her. A few more guns popped off. She knew to zigzag, lowering her chances of being shot. She leaped into the shrubs.
Chapter Eight
Dallas knew that Rita had been putting on a show. She was cagey, and obviously had some sort of plan. He wished she didn’t. If she could just leave and get to safety, he wouldn’t have to worry about her.
A few days ago, all he cared about was himself and getting freedom. But now he cared about Rita. He didn’t know why the feelings were so intense, he didn’t know why it felt like he’d known her his whole life, but he was absolutely certain that the most important thing to him was Rita’s safety.
He’d take whatever Lilly would do to him so long as she left Rita alone.
His friends howled in anger as Rita ran, and Dallas went back to fighting them. They had their guns, but as long as he could stay between them and Rita, he didn’t care how many holes they put in him.
Then they upped their game. Bryce pulled something from a sheath on his leg.
Dallas recognized the weapon. It resembled a light stick, but it was worse than that.
Bryce jammed it into Dallas’ side, and Dallas screamed, falling to his knees, the cattle prod jolting him with enough electricity to take down something twice his size. Even a guy with his strength and enhancements couldn't hold up against that.
Dallas momentarily thought how nice it might be if Rita were a wolf or a bear shifter. Hell, he’d even take a big cat – anything that would be useful in a fight.
Even if she’d switched to her raccoon form, there wouldn’t be much she could do to help him in this fight.
Luckily, Rita had figured that out already, because he heard her voice from a distance. “Yes, 911?” Rita gave their location, but as she did two of the guards started moving in her direction.
Dallas grabbed onto their legs, holding them back. He wished the electrical current would run through him and into them, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, he held on tight, summoning any last bit of strength he had to keep them away from Rita.
“Let go!” Bryce shouted, pulling the prod out and hitting Dallas in the head, as though that would make him release the other men.
“Then don’t go after her.” Dallas grit his teeth, feeling sweat on his forehead. He wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. In the minutes it might take the closest patrol car to arrive, Lilly’s guards could get both of them into the nondescript black van that had its doors open, waiting for them.
All three men had turned their attention away from Rita and were trying to pry Dallas’ hands off. Dallas still fought as best as he could, but the swings of his fists were sloppy at
best.
As Bryce was trying to get a metal cord around Dallas’ wrist, he saw Rita come up behind him. He’d tucked the cattle prod away, and without hesitation, she pulled it out and jabbed it into Bryce’s stomach.
With an “oof,” Bryce dropped the cord, but then looked at Rita with his brows raised.
She hadn’t turned it on.
"Give me—"
Dallas watched Rita turn on the cattle prod, and Bryce screamed long and loud, falling to his side and curling up. They didn’t have a chance to celebrate the small victory as the other two men who Dallas was holding on to turned their attention to her.
She was within their reach, and one managed to grab her and hook one of the metal cords to her arm. “What is this?” She shrieked. “I can’t shift out of it!”
He watched her as she struggled, but failed to move. He felt his heart sink. It was over. They had her.
"Help! Someone help!" Her cry for help wasn’t nearly loud enough to alert anyone. The current in the wire was subduing her.
Even so, there had to be someone in her building. Someone who would hear the commotion and come out to see what the fuss was about before the police got there.
No one was coming. Dallas had to do it. He pulled all the strength he could, the effects of the cattle prod still hampering his efforts. He managed to pull the guards’ legs out from under them. They went down, struggling, but Dallas managed to crawl forward, grabbing their belts, then their shirts, until finally, his massive hands held both of their heads.
With a loud “crack,” he smacked them together hard and fast.
Their sunglasses either broke, or the shades fell right off their faces as both men melted down and fell onto the hot asphalt of the parking lot.
“Breathe,” Dallas croaked, reaching Rita. “You have to calm down.” He reached a handout, placing it over her heart, feeling it racing.
He breathed in a deep breath, hoping she would mimic him.
She did. Then she mimicked his breath out. He offered her his metal hand, and she took it immediately. He pulled her up to her feet as though she weighed nothing at all.
"I'm glad you're okay," she said, her face full of worry.
He scowled, assessing all the blood on her. "You're bleeding."
"What?"
He indicated her shoulder. She looked, finally seeing the blood oozing through her shirt.
“Fuck. The stitches probably tore, and I didn’t even feel it.”
“Thanks to all the adrenaline. Are you okay?”
"Yes, how about you?"
A voice called out from the apartment building. "Are you all right down there?"
They looked up towards the window. Someone had seen them. An old man leaned out his window and stared at both of them with concern in his eyes.
"We're fine, thank you."
"Do you want me to call the police?"
"They're already coming, don't worry," Rita said, but then added, "But maybe it won't hurt to call them again just in case?"
The old man in the window nodded. He looked at Dallas funny, but then ducked his head back into his apartment and shut the window.
"He's probably wondering if I'm one of your attackers."
"So long as he calls the police, I don't care.."
"Dallas,"
They stopped and looked back quickly. Bryce was on one knee. His arm wrapped around his middle. He was sweating, his sunglasses off.
He looked like a normal guy without the shades on.
"You know she's not going to stop. She won't stop."
"That's fine. I won't stop either. You go back, and you tell that bitch that I'm going to get her back for doing this to me."
Bryce smiled. "Right, if she doesn't drink me dry first."
"Then tell it to her politely. Either way, I hope she got her fill of me because she's going to be real sick of me, soon."
Dallas approached Bryce, who stayed on one knee. He held out his hand, but it wasn't in a show of peace or friendship. "Give me the key to the van."
Bryce shut his eyes. He looked down at the asphalt. He looked almost as tired as Dallas, but then he nodded. "Whatever. Can't get much worse than this."
He reached into his pocket. Rita tensed, but Dallas stayed calm, and Bryce didn't try any other dirty tricks.
He pulled out the keys and handed them over.
Dallas looked at them, then away at the sound of sirens howling in the sky.
He looked back at Rita. "We need to go."
"No kidding." Rita pointed a finger at Bryce, in a pose that looked like she was trying to be as threatening as possible. "If you or any of your friends get into my apartment again and mess around with my stuff, there's gonna be hell to pay."
"Don't worry, we weren't pilfering your underwear drawer," Bryce deadpanned.
It really looked like everyone had stopped giving a shit.
They were clearly over it, and maybe Bryce would get away. He was still awake, but his two friends were done.
Rita and Dallas climbed into the van. Dallas started the engine, and they began driving, taking the second entrance to the parking lot so they wouldn't get stopped by the police.
As the sounds of sirens got farther and farther away, Dallas craned his neck to see what in the back seat of the van.
There was a gurney back there. A few medical supplies and an IV drip. Weapons were mounted to the walls of the van, and a long black box undoubtedly filled with horrors.
Rita looked back too. "Jesus Christ, it looks like a torture chamber back there."
They’d likely been planning on putting Dallas back into a coma and presenting him to Lilly like ants would to their queen.
"Okay, you really need to tell me what's going on now."
"That's not any of your business."
"Screw you, it's not. I just got held down by two guys and chased away from my apartment. I'm the one who keeps getting injured here. Why does Lilly want you so much? Why did she do this to you?"
Dallas pressed his lips together. Then he punched the steering wheel.
Rita jumped. He'd done that with his metal hand, and now there was definitely a noticeable dent in the wheel.
"Fuck," Dallas cursed again and again at himself for damaging their ride, and at her for putting him into this position.
"I should drop you off at a shelter," he said.
Rita was aghast. "Don't you even think about it."
"It's safer for you to be away from me."
"I brought you to where I live, and they saw my face. I'm going with you, you're telling me what's going on, and then we're dealing with this shit together."
"Uh-huh." He stared ahead, but then the corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile. "You're really going to stick this out with me, aren't you?"
"Well, I did you such a huge favor by breaking you out of that place. Then all this happens. Yeah, I'm sticking with you to make sure you don't get dragged back to that vault.”
Finally, Dallas seemed to come to a decision. "All right, then I need to let you know something. I’m not entirely human. Or even entirely human-cyborg."
Rita laughed and rolled her eyes. "Why do you say it like you’re going to say something that shocks me? I can’t smell shifter on you, so unless you’re going to say something like Lilly wants your blood because you’re a fairy or something—“
"Actually, that’s exactly it."
Chapter Nine
Rita had been so close to telling Dallas her secrets.
They said Gerri was never wrong. Gerri had a track record of finding someone's perfect match. People came to her from far and wide to find who the loves of their lives would be.
If that much was true for her and Dallas, then she couldn't exactly walk away from him now.
She had to keep her potential match out of Lilly’s grasp. He would be of no use to her - and her future plans - locked up and sucked dry.
But then he’d gone and changed things.
Shit.
Rita
tensed. She hadn't expected that.
"Are you serious?"
He smiled. "I know, such a stereotype, right?"
"Uh, yeah, no kidding."
Vampires were supposed to love how fairy blood tasted. There was a rumor that drinking it was not only delicious for them but that it would allow them to walk around during the daylight.
Which was, of course, proven nonsense.
No vampire could ever walk under the sun without there being dire consequences for them. Everyone knew that.
But some vampires still loved a good pint of fairy blood. Some fairies even sold their blood to vampires for a pretty penny.
Rita knew this because she’d stolen from the occasional fairy and seen what was hidden within their safes.
None of this clarified their situation.
"If you're a fairy, then why would she bother with locking you up? Why is your arm missing? Why not just buy some pre-bottle blood?"
Dallas checked the rearview mirror, as though searching for anyone who could be tailing them.
Or the police.
"She can buy all the fairy blood she likes. Get the purest stuff on the market and drink it every day if she wants. But she was using me for a different reason."
His metal fingers tapped the dented steering wheel.
"I think in the past, she’s had issues with hosts, it takes a long time to recover from a blood donation, and sometimes drain sites get infected. She wanted to create something that would produce faster, heal better, and also be compliant for the long-term."
Suddenly, Rita was upset with herself for asking him these questions. Lilly was trying to make him into a fairy-blood factory?
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. If it's too much, I'll shut up now."
"No, it's okay. You're right. You saved me, and I should tell you what you walked in there for. If Gerri matched you with me, then I guess you have more of a vested interest in this than what's just on the surface."
Rita almost didn't catch that. "Wait. What? I thought you didn't know who she was? How do you know who Gerri is?"
"I couldn’t remember at the time you asked. I don’t know anyone personally named Gerri. I never met Gerri Wilder, but I remembered hearing the name before. It came back to me when I saw her card in your bag at the hospital."
