half of the table’s surface covered in old newspapers with dismantled engine parts sitting on top.
The sound of my sudden entrance drew the attention of the house’s owner who stood at the stove, dressed in stained jeans smelling of engine grease, and a tattered, once white t-shirt with dark yellow pit stains under the arms. He was muscular in a slender, sinewy way, and I hoped that he’d put up more of a fight than the hunters had.
“Who the fuck are you?” he demanded, rounding on me with a fork in his hand, a slab of meat hanging from its tines, dripping oil to the floor. His voice faded away to a startled gurgle, his eyes growing wide, as he took in my appearance.
The fork fell to the floor with a clatter and wet sounding slap, and in a rush he reached for a knife on the counter, wielding it like a weapon. My laugh came out as a low, rumbling sound, making the foolish man wince and shrink back against the stove.
“You really think that little thing will hold me off?” I asked, my voice distorted by the razor sharp teeth crowding my mouth, but he understood me just fine.
“Get the fuck out of my house!” he yelled at me, even as the hand holding the knife shook.
The staccato clack of my nails on the floor sounded loud in the small space as I took one step, and then another, towards him, challenging him to fight me. The scent of fear rolled off of him in dizzying waves, pungent and sweet as I drew in a deep breath, savoring the taste of it on my tongue.
Lunging at me in a panicked rush, he swung the knife in a wide, clumsy arc, missing me by a mile. Throwing my head back, shaking the shaggy mantle of thick fur on my shoulders, I laughed, the sound rolling up from my gut.
“You mundanes are so pathetic,” I said through my laughter, batting aside his arm holding the knife as he slashed at me again.
The fury in his eyes faded to fear as the knife fell uselessly from his fingers.
“Get away from me! Get away!”
I had hoped that he would put up more of a fight, that he’d prove to be somewhat of a challenge, but the first swipe of my hand across his face reduced him to a blubbering mess, the tears streaming from his eyes mingling with the blood pouring from the ragged shreds of his cheek. His weakness infuriated me, fueling the hunger that burned white hot in my gut. Lashing out I struck him again, raking claws across the front of his throat, delighting in the hot bubbling fount of blood that sprang up to meet my fingers.
Falling towards me like the useless sack of shit that he was, he pressed a trembling hand to the gash in his throat while extending the other towards me as if for support or some glimmer of mercy. Splitting my lips in a wide grin, I stepped back out of his reach, watching him fall to his knees before slumping over to his side where he lay in a widening pool of blood. Sinking to my knees I leaned over him, inhaling deeply to savor the scent of his death.
My vision grew dark and fuzzy for a moment, and when it cleared I was staring in terror up at the vile beast looming over me, rancid breath huffing against my face, hot against the tears and blood that tracked down my cheeks. Golden eyes brimming with hatred and hunger stared back at me, any prayer I’d had for mercy fleeing like a bird loosed from a cage. I could feel my life bleeding away second by second with each straining thump of my heart while my fingers went numb where they lay splayed on the linoleum. Scraping up the dregs of what little life I had left in me I murmured, “Stay away from me!”
The sound that came out of Samson was more like a growl than anything even remotely close to a human laugh, but there was no mistaking the amused gleam in his eyes.
“Stay away from me,” I repeated, my voice sounding slurred and faraway.
“I’ll never stay away from you again, Riley,” he replied, his words mangled by the crooked row of fangs lining his mouth.
“No! Stay away!” I tried to shout, my words bubbling
The sound of my sudden entrance drew the attention of the house’s owner who stood at the stove, dressed in stained jeans smelling of engine grease, and a tattered, once white t-shirt with dark yellow pit stains under the arms. He was muscular in a slender, sinewy way, and I hoped that he’d put up more of a fight than the hunters had.
“Who the fuck are you?” he demanded, rounding on me with a fork in his hand, a slab of meat hanging from its tines, dripping oil to the floor. His voice faded away to a startled gurgle, his eyes growing wide, as he took in my appearance.
The fork fell to the floor with a clatter and wet sounding slap, and in a rush he reached for a knife on the counter, wielding it like a weapon. My laugh came out as a low, rumbling sound, making the foolish man wince and shrink back against the stove.
“You really think that little thing will hold me off?” I asked, my voice distorted by the razor sharp teeth crowding my mouth, but he understood me just fine.
“Get the fuck out of my house!” he yelled at me, even as the hand holding the knife shook.
The staccato clack of my nails on the floor sounded loud in the small space as I took one step, and then another, towards him, challenging him to fight me. The scent of fear rolled off of him in dizzying waves, pungent and sweet as I drew in a deep breath, savoring the taste of it on my tongue.
Lunging at me in a panicked rush, he swung the knife in a wide, clumsy arc, missing me by a mile. Throwing my head back, shaking the shaggy mantle of thick fur on my shoulders, I laughed, the sound rolling up from my gut.
“You mundanes are so pathetic,” I said through my laughter, batting aside his arm holding the knife as he slashed at me again.
The fury in his eyes faded to fear as the knife fell uselessly from his fingers.
“Get away from me! Get away!”
I had hoped that he would put up more of a fight, that he’d prove to be somewhat of a challenge, but the first swipe of my hand across his face reduced him to a blubbering mess, the tears streaming from his eyes mingling with the blood pouring from the ragged shreds of his cheek. His weakness infuriated me, fueling the hunger that burned white hot in my gut. Lashing out I struck him again, raking claws across the front of his throat, delighting in the hot bubbling fount of blood that sprang up to meet my fingers.
Falling towards me like the useless sack of shit that he was, he pressed a trembling hand to the gash in his throat while extending the other towards me as if for support or some glimmer of mercy. Splitting my lips in a wide grin, I stepped back out of his reach, watching him fall to his knees before slumping over to his side where he lay in a widening pool of blood. Sinking to my knees I leaned over him, inhaling deeply to savor the scent of his death.
My vision grew dark and fuzzy for a moment, and when it cleared I was staring in terror up at the vile beast looming over me, rancid breath huffing against my face, hot against the tears and blood that tracked down my cheeks. Golden eyes brimming with hatred and hunger stared back at me, any prayer I’d had for mercy fleeing like a bird loosed from a cage. I could feel my life bleeding away second by second with each straining thump of my heart while my fingers went numb where they lay splayed on the linoleum. Scraping up the dregs of what little life I had left in me I murmured, “Stay away from me!”
The sound that came out of Samson was more like a growl than anything even remotely close to a human laugh, but there was no mistaking the amused gleam in his eyes.
“Stay away from me,” I repeated, my voice sounding slurred and faraway.
“I’ll never stay away from you again, Riley,” he replied, his words mangled by the crooked row of fangs lining his mouth.
“No! Stay away!” I tried to shout, my words bubbling
Similar Books
