stained blanket draped over the foot of the crib and held it in front of her face. "Where's Cully? Where'd Cully go?" Whatever was in the crib gurgled in delight. "Peekaboo! There he is!" she said with mock surprise as she dropped the blanket away from her face. It was the first time I saw something resembling a little girl in her eyes.
The bedroom door crashed open with such force it was knocked off its hinges. Fiona filled the threshold. She was still nude, her monstrosity bared for all to see. Her toenails were long and curved, like the claws of an iguana. Her carefully maintained bouffant had
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( http://www.novapdf.com ) unraveled, revealing her oddly pointed skull. Still, as ogresses go, she was quite the looker.
"You know you're not supposed to play with the baby!" Fiona shrieked as she advanced on Tiffany. "You're a bad girl!" Fiona rasped. "You know what happens to bad girls, don't you?"
Tiffany mutely shook her head. She was too frightened to even cry.
"They get eaten up by monsters," the ogress said, licking her lips with a pointed tongue.
As Fiona grabbed Tiffany, the child finally found the breath to scream. It was a high, thin cry, like that of a kitten being tossed down a well. Fiona snarled and backhanded the girl, sending her flying across the room, where she slid, unconscious, between the bed and the wall.
That was my cue.
The ogress spun around as I entered the apartment in a shower of glass. Her lips drew back in a jagged grimace. "I told you to keep your distance, vampire! The morsel's miner There was no point in trying to tell her that I was not interested in Tiffany as food. She wouldn't believe me even if I tried. So I bared my fangs and growled deep in my chest.
Before I could move on Fiona, I was slammed into a wall hard enough to shake the plaster loose.
"I've got her, Ma! I've got her!" Garth crowed.
Fiona's piggy eyes bulged in consternation. "Garth! Get away from her!"
"You should really listen more to your mother," I said, as I grabbed his head and jerked it in a direction it was not designed to go. There was a loud snapping sound, like that of a bundle of dry kindling being broken in half, and the ogre fell to the floor. I was lucky I was dealing with a preadolescent. Had he been a year or two older, there would have been no way I could have broken his neck.
Fiona stared at the body of her son sprawled at my feet for a long moment, then raised her head to look into my face. Her lips pulled back, exposing rows of needle-sharp teeth and charged, her talons at the ready.
Her fingernails were hard as horn and sharp as knives, slicing through my leather jacket like it was tissue paper. I felt something warm and sticky spread across by belly. She had drawn first blood, and if I didn't want to find myself tripping over my own guts I would do well to keep some distance between us.
I tried to reach into her mind but Fiona had been around long enough to know what a probe felt like. She furrowed her brow and snapped her teeth in rage, saliva flying from her lips. It would take too much time to breech her defenses and wrest control of her motor center. Better to get this over with as quickly as possible, before one of the neighbors decides to call the cops.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( http://www.novapdf.com ) I flexed my right arm, freeing the switchblade from its sheath inside the jacket's sleeve. It fell butt-first into my cupped palm, filling my hand like an old friend glad to see me. I ran my thumb across the dragon wrapped about the handle, pressing the ruby chip that served as its eye, and the silver blade sprang forth, quick as a serpent's tongue. The ogresses'
piggy little eyes narrowed in confusion as she spied the weapon in my hand. Vampires don't need to fill their hands with weapons in combat.
I feinted with the knife, making as if I was going to stab her in the belly.
The bedroom door crashed open with such force it was knocked off its hinges. Fiona filled the threshold. She was still nude, her monstrosity bared for all to see. Her toenails were long and curved, like the claws of an iguana. Her carefully maintained bouffant had
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( http://www.novapdf.com ) unraveled, revealing her oddly pointed skull. Still, as ogresses go, she was quite the looker.
"You know you're not supposed to play with the baby!" Fiona shrieked as she advanced on Tiffany. "You're a bad girl!" Fiona rasped. "You know what happens to bad girls, don't you?"
Tiffany mutely shook her head. She was too frightened to even cry.
"They get eaten up by monsters," the ogress said, licking her lips with a pointed tongue.
As Fiona grabbed Tiffany, the child finally found the breath to scream. It was a high, thin cry, like that of a kitten being tossed down a well. Fiona snarled and backhanded the girl, sending her flying across the room, where she slid, unconscious, between the bed and the wall.
That was my cue.
The ogress spun around as I entered the apartment in a shower of glass. Her lips drew back in a jagged grimace. "I told you to keep your distance, vampire! The morsel's miner There was no point in trying to tell her that I was not interested in Tiffany as food. She wouldn't believe me even if I tried. So I bared my fangs and growled deep in my chest.
Before I could move on Fiona, I was slammed into a wall hard enough to shake the plaster loose.
"I've got her, Ma! I've got her!" Garth crowed.
Fiona's piggy eyes bulged in consternation. "Garth! Get away from her!"
"You should really listen more to your mother," I said, as I grabbed his head and jerked it in a direction it was not designed to go. There was a loud snapping sound, like that of a bundle of dry kindling being broken in half, and the ogre fell to the floor. I was lucky I was dealing with a preadolescent. Had he been a year or two older, there would have been no way I could have broken his neck.
Fiona stared at the body of her son sprawled at my feet for a long moment, then raised her head to look into my face. Her lips pulled back, exposing rows of needle-sharp teeth and charged, her talons at the ready.
Her fingernails were hard as horn and sharp as knives, slicing through my leather jacket like it was tissue paper. I felt something warm and sticky spread across by belly. She had drawn first blood, and if I didn't want to find myself tripping over my own guts I would do well to keep some distance between us.
I tried to reach into her mind but Fiona had been around long enough to know what a probe felt like. She furrowed her brow and snapped her teeth in rage, saliva flying from her lips. It would take too much time to breech her defenses and wrest control of her motor center. Better to get this over with as quickly as possible, before one of the neighbors decides to call the cops.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( http://www.novapdf.com ) I flexed my right arm, freeing the switchblade from its sheath inside the jacket's sleeve. It fell butt-first into my cupped palm, filling my hand like an old friend glad to see me. I ran my thumb across the dragon wrapped about the handle, pressing the ruby chip that served as its eye, and the silver blade sprang forth, quick as a serpent's tongue. The ogresses'
piggy little eyes narrowed in confusion as she spied the weapon in my hand. Vampires don't need to fill their hands with weapons in combat.
I feinted with the knife, making as if I was going to stab her in the belly.
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