late twenties knelt in front of me, a set of dog tags dangling around his neck.
I’d know those tags anywhere. “McGuiness,” I growled.
McGuiness was the undisputed leader of the Black Cross Guild I belonged to. He’d spent some time in the military in his late teens and early twenties, and he ran his chapter like we were part of the military. He looked like he had gotten bigge r – not that he was ever small . Veins popped out along his bulging arms and neck, and his buzzed hai rcut made his head look smaller , but maybe that was because his muscles were so big. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was using steroid s now. His dark eyes were mean. I saw myself in them, my eyes reflecting red like a cat’s.
He spit on me. “You disgust me. I knew there was something off about you when you disappeared and then suddenly came back like the prodigal daughter . I should have trusted my instincts then and gutted you on the spot.”
He had a Scarlet Steel knife in one hand and was trailing the tip over the black tattoo on the inside of his right wrist, in the same spot mine was. It couldn’t be comfortable, since Scarlet Steel was still a little acidic to humans, but McGuiness’ s expression of pure hatred never changed.
I glared at him, silent.
McGuiness grinned and shook his head. “I can’t believe our luck. We’ve been looking for you. Vampire .” He suddenly laid the knife across my throat, right beneath my chin. My head lifted painfully in an effort to not touch the knife, but it was no use . I couldn’t bend my spine back any more than it already was.
McGuiness leaned in. The smell of chewing tobacco on his breath made me want to gag. He chewed so much of it that his teeth were perpetually st ained yellow. One of the curses – or gifts, depending on how you looked at it – of being a vampire meant a heightened sense of smell. “I knew you’d come up to the surface eventually, like a rat always does. I can’t wait for you to see what I have in store for you.” Without another word he straightened, blessedly taking the knife along with him, and snapped his f ingers. “Take them back to HQ.”
Cool air lapped at the burn marks on my throat. I was about to breathe a quiet sigh of relief when someone wrapped a Scarlet Steel chain around my neck, right in the wound. I strangled a cry of pain, gritting my teeth so hard my gums hurt. The person who had hold of me jerked back o n the chain, forcing me to stand .
Whoever was handling me wasn’t taking any pains to be kind about it. They gripped my arm, tight. “Let’s go, vampire,” a husky voice said beside my ear.
I nearly choked on my breath. I spun around, my eyes widening as they landed on a tall, handsome guy with olive-toned skin and curly black hair. He stood a few inches taller than me, with deep brown eyes and lean muscles that suggested he spent a few hours lifting weights every day.
I eyed him up and down, not able to drink enough of him in. It felt like a dream – or maybe a nightmare. The hard look in his eyes suggested the latter. Something twisted painfully in my heart at the way he looked at me, so cold, like any vam pire hunter would eye a vampire and not his childhood best friend.
“Leo,” I whispered.
My last memory of him came flooding back to me before I could stop it, accompanied by a tidal wave of guilt. We stood in a playground, arguing, then kissing, and then with him moaning and grinding up on me as I drank from his neck.
I blushed at the memory, looking away in shame. To say things between us had been left in a rocky place would be putting it lightly. I hadn’t meant to bite him. It had just kind of happened. Apparently any kind of sexua l encounter, no matter how mild – although there had been nothing mild about his kisses – triggered the need to feed. Thankfully, I hadn’t drained him, and I’d run away in horror before I could explain anything. I didn’t even know how to begin to apologize for that.
I reached
I’d know those tags anywhere. “McGuiness,” I growled.
McGuiness was the undisputed leader of the Black Cross Guild I belonged to. He’d spent some time in the military in his late teens and early twenties, and he ran his chapter like we were part of the military. He looked like he had gotten bigge r – not that he was ever small . Veins popped out along his bulging arms and neck, and his buzzed hai rcut made his head look smaller , but maybe that was because his muscles were so big. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was using steroid s now. His dark eyes were mean. I saw myself in them, my eyes reflecting red like a cat’s.
He spit on me. “You disgust me. I knew there was something off about you when you disappeared and then suddenly came back like the prodigal daughter . I should have trusted my instincts then and gutted you on the spot.”
He had a Scarlet Steel knife in one hand and was trailing the tip over the black tattoo on the inside of his right wrist, in the same spot mine was. It couldn’t be comfortable, since Scarlet Steel was still a little acidic to humans, but McGuiness’ s expression of pure hatred never changed.
I glared at him, silent.
McGuiness grinned and shook his head. “I can’t believe our luck. We’ve been looking for you. Vampire .” He suddenly laid the knife across my throat, right beneath my chin. My head lifted painfully in an effort to not touch the knife, but it was no use . I couldn’t bend my spine back any more than it already was.
McGuiness leaned in. The smell of chewing tobacco on his breath made me want to gag. He chewed so much of it that his teeth were perpetually st ained yellow. One of the curses – or gifts, depending on how you looked at it – of being a vampire meant a heightened sense of smell. “I knew you’d come up to the surface eventually, like a rat always does. I can’t wait for you to see what I have in store for you.” Without another word he straightened, blessedly taking the knife along with him, and snapped his f ingers. “Take them back to HQ.”
Cool air lapped at the burn marks on my throat. I was about to breathe a quiet sigh of relief when someone wrapped a Scarlet Steel chain around my neck, right in the wound. I strangled a cry of pain, gritting my teeth so hard my gums hurt. The person who had hold of me jerked back o n the chain, forcing me to stand .
Whoever was handling me wasn’t taking any pains to be kind about it. They gripped my arm, tight. “Let’s go, vampire,” a husky voice said beside my ear.
I nearly choked on my breath. I spun around, my eyes widening as they landed on a tall, handsome guy with olive-toned skin and curly black hair. He stood a few inches taller than me, with deep brown eyes and lean muscles that suggested he spent a few hours lifting weights every day.
I eyed him up and down, not able to drink enough of him in. It felt like a dream – or maybe a nightmare. The hard look in his eyes suggested the latter. Something twisted painfully in my heart at the way he looked at me, so cold, like any vam pire hunter would eye a vampire and not his childhood best friend.
“Leo,” I whispered.
My last memory of him came flooding back to me before I could stop it, accompanied by a tidal wave of guilt. We stood in a playground, arguing, then kissing, and then with him moaning and grinding up on me as I drank from his neck.
I blushed at the memory, looking away in shame. To say things between us had been left in a rocky place would be putting it lightly. I hadn’t meant to bite him. It had just kind of happened. Apparently any kind of sexua l encounter, no matter how mild – although there had been nothing mild about his kisses – triggered the need to feed. Thankfully, I hadn’t drained him, and I’d run away in horror before I could explain anything. I didn’t even know how to begin to apologize for that.
I reached
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