said.
"Haven't you had too much of that?" Jayson asked.
"Not today."
"Bree, you really ought to stop scaring us," Hank walked in, followed by Bill, Opal, Trina and Kathleen.
"How? I said I wanted to be alone. You automatically assumed I'd left the house. Didn't you?"
"What am I supposed to think? Your track record stands against you, and I don't want to wait another two years to see you again."
"See, you're thinking of yourself, here," I said.
"Yeah. I'm thinking of myself. I admit that. I'm thinking of you, too, whether you believe that or not. Is it wrong to worry that you might be hurt or need somebody and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it?" Hank pulled his T-shirt over his head and unbuckled his belt.
"Anybody not wanting to see this better leave now," he dropped his pants. Well, he'd gone commando, which was easy enough to see as he stepped into the water and sat beside me.
"Hell, I'm getting in," Jayson announced and started stripping. Trina and Kathleen left quickly after Jayson's announcement. Opal shucked her clothes and Bill wasn't far behind. I covered my eyes with a shaking hand as all of them climbed into Jayson's overly large spa.
"Well, what are we planning to discuss now?" Opal said brightly.
"Are you cold, sweetheart? Is that why you came here?" Bill asked. I dropped my hand and nodded at him.
"Fuck," Hank sighed.
"What's your plan if you do find Oscar Forde and/or Keir Arthur tomorrow night?" Opal asked. That gave me something else to think about, rather than the violation of my privacy.
"It depends on where I find them," I said. "You know I'll want to take them out, but it doesn't need to happen in front of others."
"We can't shoot them?" Jayson sounded disappointed.
"My sister once said you don't take a gun to a vampire fight," I pointed out. "You'll be dead before you can pull the trigger." The only gun that might be useful against a vampire was a Ranos pistol or rifle, and that technology didn't need to fall into human hands.
"They move that fast?" Jayson was skeptical.
"I thought you showed him vampires and werewolves," I turned to Hank.
"From a safe distance, and they were walking down the street," Hank defended himself.
"They looked human, just like you," Jayson said. Opal snickered.
"So these don't impress you at all?" I pulled a hand from the water and let my claws slide out.
"Don't touch them," Opal warned as Jayson reached out a hand. "You'll lose your fingers and be left wondering how it happened."
"I've seen them slice metal," Bill agreed. "Lissa did that."
"You can slice metal?" Jayson pulled his hand back.
"I haven't tried metal, yet, but yeah, I could."
"What have you cut, then?" Jayson asked.
"I've lopped off a couple of vampire heads," I said. "Bill knows about that already," I added.
"The one here and the one in D.C." Bill agreed amiably. "And she had a hand in taking one down in Austin, but I don't have the whole story on that one."
"I caught him in the midsection, he flipped into the air and Radomir beheaded him on the way back down."
"What about you?" Opal asked.
"I was knocked flat on my back and couldn't breathe for a while," I replied.
"Unbelievable," Hank muttered.
"You weren't there," I said, studying his face. He looked as if he wanted to argue with my tactics. Well, they may not have been thoroughly considered, but it was the best I could do with the limited amount of time I had.
"No, I wasn't," he said and put his arms around me. "It just scares the hell out of me. I'll have to work on that."
"Hank, I do the best I can. While it may not be up to your special ops standards, so far I've come out of it alive."
"Breanne," Hank gripped my jaw in a hand and forced me to look him in the eye. "Coming out of it alive is only half the equation. The other half is who'd be destroyed if you went down."
I blinked at him and struggled to keep my fear from showing. Yes, everything could fall if I died. There would be no second chances for those left
"Haven't you had too much of that?" Jayson asked.
"Not today."
"Bree, you really ought to stop scaring us," Hank walked in, followed by Bill, Opal, Trina and Kathleen.
"How? I said I wanted to be alone. You automatically assumed I'd left the house. Didn't you?"
"What am I supposed to think? Your track record stands against you, and I don't want to wait another two years to see you again."
"See, you're thinking of yourself, here," I said.
"Yeah. I'm thinking of myself. I admit that. I'm thinking of you, too, whether you believe that or not. Is it wrong to worry that you might be hurt or need somebody and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it?" Hank pulled his T-shirt over his head and unbuckled his belt.
"Anybody not wanting to see this better leave now," he dropped his pants. Well, he'd gone commando, which was easy enough to see as he stepped into the water and sat beside me.
"Hell, I'm getting in," Jayson announced and started stripping. Trina and Kathleen left quickly after Jayson's announcement. Opal shucked her clothes and Bill wasn't far behind. I covered my eyes with a shaking hand as all of them climbed into Jayson's overly large spa.
"Well, what are we planning to discuss now?" Opal said brightly.
"Are you cold, sweetheart? Is that why you came here?" Bill asked. I dropped my hand and nodded at him.
"Fuck," Hank sighed.
"What's your plan if you do find Oscar Forde and/or Keir Arthur tomorrow night?" Opal asked. That gave me something else to think about, rather than the violation of my privacy.
"It depends on where I find them," I said. "You know I'll want to take them out, but it doesn't need to happen in front of others."
"We can't shoot them?" Jayson sounded disappointed.
"My sister once said you don't take a gun to a vampire fight," I pointed out. "You'll be dead before you can pull the trigger." The only gun that might be useful against a vampire was a Ranos pistol or rifle, and that technology didn't need to fall into human hands.
"They move that fast?" Jayson was skeptical.
"I thought you showed him vampires and werewolves," I turned to Hank.
"From a safe distance, and they were walking down the street," Hank defended himself.
"They looked human, just like you," Jayson said. Opal snickered.
"So these don't impress you at all?" I pulled a hand from the water and let my claws slide out.
"Don't touch them," Opal warned as Jayson reached out a hand. "You'll lose your fingers and be left wondering how it happened."
"I've seen them slice metal," Bill agreed. "Lissa did that."
"You can slice metal?" Jayson pulled his hand back.
"I haven't tried metal, yet, but yeah, I could."
"What have you cut, then?" Jayson asked.
"I've lopped off a couple of vampire heads," I said. "Bill knows about that already," I added.
"The one here and the one in D.C." Bill agreed amiably. "And she had a hand in taking one down in Austin, but I don't have the whole story on that one."
"I caught him in the midsection, he flipped into the air and Radomir beheaded him on the way back down."
"What about you?" Opal asked.
"I was knocked flat on my back and couldn't breathe for a while," I replied.
"Unbelievable," Hank muttered.
"You weren't there," I said, studying his face. He looked as if he wanted to argue with my tactics. Well, they may not have been thoroughly considered, but it was the best I could do with the limited amount of time I had.
"No, I wasn't," he said and put his arms around me. "It just scares the hell out of me. I'll have to work on that."
"Hank, I do the best I can. While it may not be up to your special ops standards, so far I've come out of it alive."
"Breanne," Hank gripped my jaw in a hand and forced me to look him in the eye. "Coming out of it alive is only half the equation. The other half is who'd be destroyed if you went down."
I blinked at him and struggled to keep my fear from showing. Yes, everything could fall if I died. There would be no second chances for those left
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