giving you this one chance.”
She turned again, stomped up to him, but didn’t touch him. Instead, she glared down at him, and he had no doubt that if he had cared, the hatred in her eyes would have burned him far worse than the sunhad. “You think I’m afraid of you? After you saw what I’ve been running from night after night? You think I’m afraid to die? I live in a tomb. If you think you’re going to intimidate me by threatening to kill me, go ahead. Kill me.”
“Point taken.” He was able to close his eyes again, so he did, to appear defeated and tired. She walked to the kitchen, and he gave her just enough time to reach the spot where the back door had been before calling after her. “After I kill you, though, who’s to stop me from killing someone else? Someone like Derek?”
She came back. He knew she would.
“So, here’s the plan.” He got to his feet, painfully, the skin sliding off his toes inside his shoes. “You and me, we’re going to have a little chat. We’re going to figure out how you can help me, and how I can help you, and how we’re going to get out of this mess.”
“Why would I want to talk to you? You’re a disgusting…thing.” She spat the word out as though it were the most bitter insult she’d ever tasted.
“You haven’t even thanked me for fixing your kitchen.” He put a hand on the back of the couch to steady himself as he walked toward her. “Or saving you from the monster.”
“Which you probably summoned,” she insisted.
“Summoned?” What the hell was this, Dungeons and Dragons? “No, I don’t know how to ‘summon’ anything. If I did, I could have gotten him to leave alot easier. You don’t seem to remember that I got torn up real bad distracting that thing from killing you.”
“Yeah, but you could have been doing that to make yourself look good.” She didn’t sound as certain now of his involvement with the beast. “It could have been part of your plan, if you knew you weren’t going to get hurt or anything.”
“I did get hurt,” he pointed out again. “What you’re saying is that I somehow captured this town, which has absolutely nothing interesting in it, full of people I don’t know and probably won’t like, five years ago. During that five-year span, I was never once seen, but I decided to show up spontaneously just the other night for some reason. I control the creature, but I let it kick my ass, and I send it out to kill townspeople, who would be my food source if they weren’t ripped apart by a monster. That make a lot of sense to you?”
“Everyone says that once it draws blood, it gives up. It kept fighting you,” she accused.
He sighed, feeling more and more tired of the argument. “I guess I’m just likeable.”
Her eyes narrowed. “So, what, you’re here because of a coincidence?”
“That’s all I can figure.” A thought occurred to him, one that made him a little sick. “Maybe it’s because I’m a vampire. Maybe that’s why I was able to stop here.”
“Then why can’t you leave?” She probably didn’tbelieve his innocence yet, but at least she was done with her line of absurd accusations. “If being a vampire got you in, how come it hasn’t got you out?”
“It just might!” If he hadn’t just had a painful reminder of what the sun could do to him, he would have bolted out the door right away to check.
Jessa scoffed at him. “You think you can leave.”
He nodded. “I think so. I’m going to try again as soon as the sun goes down.”
“Well.” She looked him over, burns and all, and her face screwed up like she couldn’t tell if she hoped he would succeed or hoped he would fail. “If you’re right, I look forward to never seeing you again.”
“You and me both,” he snarled.
Seven
N ightfall could not come fast enough. Jessa gave Graf a wide berth. She was still afraid of him. Probably because when she’d all but ordered him to let her lock him in the basement again,
She turned again, stomped up to him, but didn’t touch him. Instead, she glared down at him, and he had no doubt that if he had cared, the hatred in her eyes would have burned him far worse than the sunhad. “You think I’m afraid of you? After you saw what I’ve been running from night after night? You think I’m afraid to die? I live in a tomb. If you think you’re going to intimidate me by threatening to kill me, go ahead. Kill me.”
“Point taken.” He was able to close his eyes again, so he did, to appear defeated and tired. She walked to the kitchen, and he gave her just enough time to reach the spot where the back door had been before calling after her. “After I kill you, though, who’s to stop me from killing someone else? Someone like Derek?”
She came back. He knew she would.
“So, here’s the plan.” He got to his feet, painfully, the skin sliding off his toes inside his shoes. “You and me, we’re going to have a little chat. We’re going to figure out how you can help me, and how I can help you, and how we’re going to get out of this mess.”
“Why would I want to talk to you? You’re a disgusting…thing.” She spat the word out as though it were the most bitter insult she’d ever tasted.
“You haven’t even thanked me for fixing your kitchen.” He put a hand on the back of the couch to steady himself as he walked toward her. “Or saving you from the monster.”
“Which you probably summoned,” she insisted.
“Summoned?” What the hell was this, Dungeons and Dragons? “No, I don’t know how to ‘summon’ anything. If I did, I could have gotten him to leave alot easier. You don’t seem to remember that I got torn up real bad distracting that thing from killing you.”
“Yeah, but you could have been doing that to make yourself look good.” She didn’t sound as certain now of his involvement with the beast. “It could have been part of your plan, if you knew you weren’t going to get hurt or anything.”
“I did get hurt,” he pointed out again. “What you’re saying is that I somehow captured this town, which has absolutely nothing interesting in it, full of people I don’t know and probably won’t like, five years ago. During that five-year span, I was never once seen, but I decided to show up spontaneously just the other night for some reason. I control the creature, but I let it kick my ass, and I send it out to kill townspeople, who would be my food source if they weren’t ripped apart by a monster. That make a lot of sense to you?”
“Everyone says that once it draws blood, it gives up. It kept fighting you,” she accused.
He sighed, feeling more and more tired of the argument. “I guess I’m just likeable.”
Her eyes narrowed. “So, what, you’re here because of a coincidence?”
“That’s all I can figure.” A thought occurred to him, one that made him a little sick. “Maybe it’s because I’m a vampire. Maybe that’s why I was able to stop here.”
“Then why can’t you leave?” She probably didn’tbelieve his innocence yet, but at least she was done with her line of absurd accusations. “If being a vampire got you in, how come it hasn’t got you out?”
“It just might!” If he hadn’t just had a painful reminder of what the sun could do to him, he would have bolted out the door right away to check.
Jessa scoffed at him. “You think you can leave.”
He nodded. “I think so. I’m going to try again as soon as the sun goes down.”
“Well.” She looked him over, burns and all, and her face screwed up like she couldn’t tell if she hoped he would succeed or hoped he would fail. “If you’re right, I look forward to never seeing you again.”
“You and me both,” he snarled.
Seven
N ightfall could not come fast enough. Jessa gave Graf a wide berth. She was still afraid of him. Probably because when she’d all but ordered him to let her lock him in the basement again,
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