by Peter Glenn
“Huh,” Blue Eyes said. His voice sounded deep, like Marvin Gay, and a little gravelly. He looked at me with a shocked expression on his face, but the shock quickly faded as I started to stalk toward him.
Then the little bastard ran for it again.
“Oh, come on!” I whined. This was going to be harder than I thought.
Blue Eyes bolted for the turnstile door, reaching it in a single leap, which was impressive enough of a feat on its own. He shoved the two well-to-do ladies aside, and they shrieked as they fell to the ground, limbs flailing about.
I groaned and sped after Blue Eyes, but he cleared the turnstile well before I could reach him.
“Sorry, ladies,” I said to the two women on the ground, gently saluting them. “I’d love to stay, but I have a criminal to catch.”
I imagined them swooning for me, but that probably wasn’t realistic. Maybe if I’d stayed to help them out…
At any rate, I ran through the turnstile as well and out into the night. Chill air blasted me, bringing back a measure of my strength and confidence as it cooled my sweat-soaked body. My eyes scanned the street both ways, looking for Blue Eyes, but I didn’t see him.
Like I’d said, he was fast.
“Where did the other guy go?” I asked the doorman. He was standing there like a fight hadn’t just occurred in his lobby.
The doorman gave me a flat look and kept staring at the street like I wasn’t there.
Ugh. I didn’t have time for this. “The blue-eyed guy that just sped through here? Where did he go?”
With one gloved finger, the doorman pointed toward a nearby alleyway. Of course the alley is where he’d go to make his stand. It was always the darkened alley. Bad guys never took to the well-lit streets.
I nodded my thanks to the doorman and headed toward the dark alley. My hand went down to the hilt of Grax’thor. I’d tried to avoid using her, but look where that had gotten me—nowhere. So I drew her from my side as I sped on.
The welcome weight of her metal in my hand gave me some comfort as I sized up the imposing maw of the alleyway. The overcast sky meant it was even darker than normal, so I couldn’t make out darn near anything in there past the first few feet.
Great. Just great. Blue Eyes would have even more advantages this way.
I wished for a moment that I’d thought to bring a flashlight with me, but nope. Didn’t even have one of those. Why had I left that at home again? I really needed to remember to bring one with me everywhere. I never remembered wishing I didn’t have one.
Oh well. I crept into the alleyway, taking it one step at a time. If Blue Eyes had kept running, there was no way I’d catch up to him now, so I had to assume he was lying in ambush. And here I was, walking right into it.
My grip tightened on Grax’thor, and I took another step forward. A small bead of water struck me in the forehead from an overhanging fire escape. I gently raised my free hand to my brow to wipe it away while I continued my trek further into the alley.
All at once, it happened. Blue Eyes swung down from the fire escape and loomed in front of me with something in his hands. He swung the object right for my head, and it was all I could do to bring my blade up in time to bat it away.
Metal clanged against metal as our weapons clashed in the air. In that moment, I could clearly see that Blue Eyes was brandishing a lead pipe. Now I was really glad that I’d pulled out Grax’thor.
He swiped at me again with the pipe, this time aiming for my middle. I danced backward away from the blow, almost stumbling over a pile of refuse behind me and just barely maintaining my footing. I really didn’t want to end up on the ground a third time.
Blue Eyes swung again and again, forcing me back a little further. I managed to parry the blows with my blade, but only barely. I was almost up against the wall now and would soon be out of space.
If it were even possible, Blue Eyes was more of a maniac with the pipe then he’d been without it. I began to doubt my chances.
Well, it had been a good run. Shame about Daequan, but maybe this would help exonerate him somehow.
Sweat stung my eyes, threatening to blind me, so I did something rash and ducked under his next blow, lunging forward at the same time, trying to spear him through the gut with the tip of my sword.
The speed and angle of the blow caught him off guard, and he flew backward, out of the way. But the attack still met with some success. I felt my sword scrape against his ribs as his flesh tore open. He knocked my sword out of the way before it could penetrate further, but it was still a successful hit.
Blooding my opponent gave me just the boost I needed to fight on, and I followed that strike up with another wild swipe, forcing Blue Eyes back even further while giving me room to get away from the wall and maneuver into a better position.
“Why won’t you die easily?” Blue Eyes growled.
I grinned a little that I was starting to rattle him as I wiped the sweat out of my eyes with my free hand. I kept Grax’thor at the ready with the other in case he came for me again. “That’s just how I roll.”
Blue Eyes hissed and came at me again, swinging his pipe at the leg he’d hit earlier. I slid to the side to dodge out of the way, but the move left me slightly off balance. Blue Eyes followed up his swipe with a barehanded strike from his other hand that was more effective. His fist crashed into the side of my head, and I saw stars swim in my vision for a moment as I fought to remain standing upright.
Holy hell, his blows were strong.
I staggered back again, and Blue Eyes took full advantage of the opening, railing into my abdomen with both his fist and the pipe. I doubled over in pain as the lead pipe slammed into my stomach.
Pain and nausea filled my core, making me worry for a moment that I’d lose the meager contents of my stomach. And it was all alcohol, too. I really didn’t want to lose my booze.
Blue Eyes smacked me again with the pipe, and it was all I could do to remain standing. My vision was starting to darken around the edges, and my grip on Grax’thor was starting to fade. Once again, I thought this was it. I was done for.
“Hey!” a voice shouted from the entrance to the alley. “Leave him alone!”
It was Charmaine. She had come to my rescue. A foolish move, but one I was, in that moment, immensely grateful for.
Blue Eyes halted his attacks, hesitating for just a moment as he turned his attention toward Charmaine.
That was all the opening I needed. I did the craziest thing I could think of in that moment. I bit his pipe hand.
The taste of cold, oily flesh assaulted my mouth, and I bit down as hard as I could until I tasted the metallic twang of his blood on my tongue.
“Ow!” Blue Eyes howled. He retracted his hand and dropped the pipe in the same instant.
I let go of his hand and used the opening to uppercut him again. I felt renewed vigor as I advanced on him, my fist zooming through the air. This time, my strike smashed into his chin, and I watched his neck stretch as his head flew backward.
Before he could recover, I swiped at Blue Eyes’ midsection with Grax’thor, opening up another line on his skin with a sickening slice. Blood oozed from the new wound, and I heard Blue Eyes hiss again as he started to recover from my onslaught.
“Who are you?” Blue Eyes demanded as he got back into a fighting position. In spite of the two wounds I’d dealt him, he didn’t seem the least bit affected. The guy was like some sort of superhuman.
“Pfft. Like you need to know.”
I feinted with my sword, forcing him backward once again. Now it was him that was almost up against the wall with nowhere to run. Maybe I’d get my answers yet.
“Just leave me alone, and I will let you live,” Blue Eyes said. His eyes darted around like wild, flitting from me to Charmaine and back. “Both of you.”
I advanced a little more. “Tch. Like you could take me. I’ve got you right where I want you.”
“Are you sure of that?” There was that strange glint in
his eyes again, the one I’d seen at the crime scene. In spite of everything, it unnerved me.
I furrowed my brow and hesitated for just a second at his odd choice of words. “Of course I’m sure!”
But it was too late. By hesitating myself, I’d given him the opening he needed. Blue Eyes lunged at me again, arms held out wide like he wanted to grapple me to the ground and leaving his chest undefended. It was such an odd move, I didn’t even know how to react.
I brought Grax’thor level with his chest, and he crashed into the blade as he continued his advance like the weapon wasn’t even there. I felt the metal glide right through his ribcage, into his lungs and out his back, but still, he didn’t stop.
True fear gripped me for a half a second as Blue Eyes grabbed onto me, holding me fast. I was a pawn in his embrace. I tried to twist my sword or pull it to the side to cause more damage and force him loose, but he had me held so fast that I couldn’t budge.
I felt like he was going to literally squeeze the air out of me. And I was certain he could, too. My consciousness started to fade once again as black spots filled my vision, and I knew all at once it was the end for real this time.
Then Blue Eyes surprised me yet again. He let go of me. Why, I don’t know, but he did. In that brief moment of consciousness while I was free of his grasp, I sucked in a deep breath, my chest burning as the air forced its way in.
I tightened my grip on Grax’thor and made ready to tear another hole in Blue Eyes, but I didn’t get the chance. I heard another hiss in my ears, then his cold, clammy mouth was on my neck.
Hot, wet saliva tickled my neck, then I felt the distinct impression of what felt like two small needles pricking my skin. It stung for just a moment, then the sensation changed. It was altogether freeing and welcoming, like coming home after a long day. My will to fight against Blue Eyes drained from my body, and I felt my hands go slack, letting go of my weapon entirely. I was once again certain that I was dying, but I didn’t have the will to fight it. In fact, I wanted it. To give my life to feed Blue Eyes’ strength felt like the greatest service I could provide on this planet.
Yes, this was as it should be. I was certain of it. This was it. My glorious end.
I heard someone shriek off in the distance, but it was far away. Not in the here or now. All that was here was Blue Eyes. And my death. My welcoming death.
Then, all at once, Blue Eyes was gone, and the euphoric sensation was gone with him. It was dark out once again. Dark and cold. I heard the sound of footsteps rushing in my direction, but they were still far off. Too far away to do anything.
As the last bit of consciousness left me, I felt my body start to slip toward the ground.
5
When I finally came to, it was in a plush bed, not an alleyway. I wondered for a brief second if I’d finally reached the afterlife but shook that notion away. I was lucky, but I wasn’t that lucky.
Still, that had been an awfully close one. I hadn’t come that close to dying in months.
“Ugh, my head,” I said, holding it in one hand and shaking it a little.
“Take it easy now. You’ve been through a lot,” a voice rang out from somewhere in the room.
It was Charmaine’s voice. Which meant I was probably in her apartment. Her bedroom. Now that was a scary thought. I started to squirm, feeling intensely uncomfortable. Being in a woman’s bedroom was far too intimate, even if I had been unconscious for the whole thing.
I tried to shoot up out of bed and high-tail it out of here, but Charmaine’s strong hand held me down. Relinquishing at last, I turned to face her.
“What happened?” I asked.
Charmaine’s beautiful face filled my vision. She gave me a big, warm smile. “Just take it easy. We can talk about that when you’re feeling better.”
Oy. I hated mysteries. But there wasn’t much I could do about it. She was obviously stronger than me, even without the vampire benefits.
There wasn’t much else for me to do, so I took stock of my injuries. Overall, I felt okay. There were no obvious scars or bandages anywhere, though my abdomen hurt every time I tried to breathe from the bruises that no doubt lay just under my shirt. On top of that, I could shake my legs and arms, and my chest was no longer on fire, meaning I probably hadn’t cracked any ribs. Or if I had, they’d already healed enough that it didn’t make a difference.
Either worked for me.
I looked down and noticed that I was, thankfully, still clothed. Being naked in a married woman’s bed would have given me the creeps. So that part was good, too.
As the last memory of the fight with Blue Eyes came flooding back, my fingers went instinctively to my neck. There were still two little pinpricks there. They were still a little tender and sore, but not overly so. All in all, I’d survived the scuffle quite well.
Other than the fact that Blue Eyes had bit me. Of course, I’d bit him first, so it was only fair. But there had been something more to his bite. Something unreal. The euphoria. That godawful euphoria came rushing back into my head, making me feel sick to my stomach.
Look, some days I wanted to die. That much was true. But only on my own terms, and not feeling like a goddamn meal. That sickening feeling had been on a whole other level. It was violating in a way I couldn’t describe, like he’d robbed me of not just my will, but my very emotions. I shuddered just thinking about it.
“He was a vampire, wasn’t he?” I asked Charmaine, thinking about Blue Eyes.
She nodded. “Yes, I think so.”
“He drank my blood,” I continued.
Charmaine sighed. “Yes. A little, at least. Not enough to kill you, thank goodness.”
I pushed myself up on my elbows so I could see her better. “Will there be any ill effects from it? I mean, other than the…”
“Wishing you could die to feed him?” she finished for me.
“Yeah.” I paused as the euphoria came back once more, and bile rose to the back of my throat. “That.”
Charmaine shook her head. “I don’t think so. You lost some blood, so you’ll feel the effects of that. You might get a little dizzy when standing for the next day or so, but you should be fine. I reached him before he was able to do any real damage.”
“Phew.” That was a relief. I looked her deep in the eyes for a moment, then lowered my head in shame. “Sorry I couldn’t stop him,” I added.
She waved a hand at me dismissively. “It’s no matter. You never would have been able to stop him, no matter what you did. He’s stronger and faster than you are.” Charmaine shot me a flat look. “I’m sure you’re a fine warrior, but no human is a match for a vampire that drinks real blood. It’s just not an even fight.”
I had to admit, she was likely right on that. I’d fought a lot of people in my day. Celtic warriors. Hideous beasts. Fae creatures I could barely even describe. But that had been something else. I’d been outclassed from the first moment I’d pounced on him.
“So,” I said, groaning a little, “what’s our next move? How can we help Daequan?”
Charmaine looked at me like I’d grown another head. “You mean you still want to… help me?”
I nodded and grinned at her. “Of course! It’s going to take more than one little vampire to stop the great Damian!”
Bravado, of course, but she didn’t need to know that. Though I suspected she probably did.
Charmaine reached forward and gently squeezed my hand. “You have no idea how happy that makes me.”
I sat up a little straighter and gave her my best haughty look. “You know me. I’ll do anything to help a girl in trouble.”
That part was true. I was a sucker for a lost cause.
Charmaine’s face lit up, and she suppressed a giggle. “You say that now, Damian, but mark my words—sooner or later, you’re going to regret it.”
Heh. She was probably right about that, too.
It was still dark outside, so I guessed I hadn’t been out very long. I glanced at my phone and it said
it was about ten o’clock. So, late, but not the next day yet. Good. I’d been hoping I hadn’t lost too much time lying about unconscious.
We were back in Charmaine’s car on the way to the police precinct. We’d decided to check in on Daequan and offer him whatever comfort we could. Plus, I really wanted to get his side of the story. There had to be more going on here than I knew about.
“Turn left in five hundred feet,” the phone AI droned on.
“You got it, boss.”
Charmaine shook her head and grinned a little, but this time, she said nothing. It looked like she was getting used to my antics. Or she was ignoring them so I’d stay on the case. Either way, I’d take it.
I had to admit, I could kind of get used to this having a car thing. It was kind of nice not to have to wait for a cab ride every time you wanted to go somewhere. Of course, it would mean I’d have to get around to getting a driver’s license, but there were worse things out there. I told myself I’d look into it when I got off this case and left it at that.
“Your destination is on the left,” the AI told us.
I gave it another salute and pulled over into a nearby spot. It was metered, but I could pay a meter. We weren’t likely to be there too long, anyway. Just a quick stop in to see Daequan and ask some questions, then we’d be off again.
Well, as quick as a stop at a police station could ever be.
“Ready?” I asked her.
She looked up at the police sign for a moment like she was mesmerized, then slowly nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
I couldn’t imagine what this was like for her; to see your loved one locked up like a common criminal for a crime they didn’t commit. And I was even more certain of that now that I’d fought with the real killer. Not that I hadn’t believed her before, but that fight had helped tip the scales, for sure.
But to know your loved one was in there all alone, sad and likely in pain, well… It would rock me to the core if LaLuna were trapped like that.
