It wasn't like he hadn't done it before. Hell, he used to have a harem of girls who loooooooved it when he drank from them. He gave them all tons of money and sent them on their way when he moved in, and that was that. Nice and neat.
Except now. . .
His glove-tapping sped up. "I had assumed, after what happened earlier, that such things were off limits. To both of us. "
"Well, when you ASSuME, you make an ass out of you and me. So there!"
"What?"
"We just had a fight, that's all, just a stupid fight. It's not the end of everything. And frankly, I don't want you going out in the cold and biting some other woman, so there!"
"Another 'so there. ' You must feel quite strongly about the situation. "
"Well, you freaked out when Jon, who I have no intention of biting or boning, moved in. Now you're off to the races, and you're all surprised that I have a problem with it?"
His mouth tightened; it look more like a scar than lips I had come to know well. "That is hardly the same thing. "
"Wrong, suck-o! It's exactly the same thing. "
"Very well. " In a flash-I could see what happened only if I replayed it in my head-he dropped his gloves, kicked out of his shoes, and dragged me up the stairs. In the time it took me to realize he had dropped his gloves, he had kicked my (our) bedroom door shut, jerked my head to one side, and sank his fangs into me.
I screamed, shocked to my toes at what he had done-no, how he had done it. I tried to get free, but he had one hand across my shoulders and the other hand was forcing my chin to the side, giving him easy access to my jugular. Wriggling free was like trying to get free of a tree that had planted itself around me.
"Stop it, Eric, stop it, please stop it," I begged, and hated myself for begging.
Yes stop what are you doing why are you hurting her you'll have your pride and that's all you'll have so stop it stop it STOP IT!
He pulled back and licked my blood off his teeth. He watched the small trickle of blood travel down my neck, caught it with a finger, and licked that dry, too. Then he let go of me and I spun away.
I knew it was coming. He knew it was coming. And he stood still for it. Penance? I didn't give a fuck. I slapped him so hard he staggered back, bounced off the wall, and lay on the floor like a stunned cockroach.
I stood over him, saw his fangs were still out, and slapped a hand over the bite on my neck.
"I said I was sorry, okay?" I hated the way my voice shook. Why hadn't I seen that coming? Just how dumb was I? "I said it. And I'm done saying it. So you're either gonna get over it, or you won't. Once you decide that, move in here or don't. And I mean move in, none of this showing up at night for blood and sex and then leaving. But enough of this sulking and pissing and moaning, okay? Believe it or not, I've got bigger problems than your bruised ego. Now get the fuck out. Here, I'll help you. "
I bent down, meaning to pick him up and throw him out the window-I was pretty sure I was strong enough to do it, and was dying to find out. I had also counted on Eric's weird contrite mood, which didn't last very long, as I found out when he yanked me down on top of him.
"I guess you didn't hear my speech," I said through gritted teeth. "I guess I gotta go through the whole thing again. "
"I heard it. What are your bigger problems?"
"What is this, a quiz show? Undead Wheel of Fortune?"
"You said 'believe it or not, I've got bigger problems than your bruised ego. '" His eyes were about two inches from my own. I could smell my blood. I hated myself for wanting him to take another bite. "I was wondering what they were. "
"After the stunt you just pulled? I'm not telling you a fucking thing, pal!"
"Because I am a king who does not 'noe' the queen's ways," he said quietly.
"No, jackass, because you just came up here and practically raped me because you're in a bad mood! I don't give a shit that you can't read my mind when we're boning, and frankly, you should be relieved! Do you really want all that stuff in your head?"
"It's only a matter of time," he said in a monotone that scared me to death. "If you wish, you may throw me out the window now. "
"Sinclair!" I slapped him across the face, a sort of "wake up, you're on fire!" smack, but he didn't say anything. "Dude, you have got to pull yourself together!" I really need you now. More than I ever did, so please, please get it together, I'm sorry, you're sorry, everybody's sorry, can we please be the way we were a week ago?
"On the contrary, I have finally seen things for exactly what they are. It's. . . distressing. "
"Eric, come on. It's been a rotten day, and you already scared the shit out of me once. "
"Oh, that," he said absently. "I apologize. I was hungry, and you were annoying. It won't happen again. "
Don't say that! It wasn't what you did, it was how you did it, please don't say that!
"I'll go," he said quietly, "but before I do, I'd like to remind you that it's very likely you could have a living baby with a living man. I know how fond you are of Baby Jon, and I'm certain you could have one of your own once you come to your senses and jettison me from your life. "
"But-I could? But-but I don't want-"
Oblivious to my massive confusion, he sat up and gently picked me up off him, the way you shoo a ladybug off your hand when you're going inside, stood, placed me on the bed, turned, and left. Chapter 27
"Hey, wake up. "
I burrowed farther under the covers, a big undead worm.
"Hey, Betsy. Wake up. "
"Hnnnnnnwwwww," I mumbled, which any sane person would translate as "Go away, I'm sleeping. "
"Your sister is beating the living shit out of that vampire who lives in the basement. "
That got my attention. I sat up and there was Cathie, shoeless and looking scared, sitting in Marie's Chair. "What? What are you talking about?"
"Your sister. She came over early, I guess for Christmas shopping? She went downstairs, and I was bored out of my tits, so I followed her. She started beating up that long-haired guy in the basement, the one who can't talk. I didn't want to ask your friends to step in-one of your roommates looks like she's on a date, and her date is actually here, wandering around waiting for her-"
"Christ," I groaned.
"-and you're the only vampire I could wake up. "
I tossed the blankets back and glanced at the clock: 5:35 p. m. I'd slept late, but the others wouldn't be awake for a few minutes yet, not until the sun fell down.
"Nice pajamas. Did you get them at a garage sale?"
I started for the stairs at a dead run. I was out my door in half a second, on the stairs in another second, and pounding down the basement steps while the blanket was still falling to the floor upstairs.
I screeched to a halt in front of the long, bare area of the basement we called the sparring section.
Cathie had not been exaggerating. Laura was fighting George, and if he hadn't been dead before, he would be soon. It's not that she was such a good fighter-though she was-it's that he wasn't fighting back. Every blow she landed sounded sickening and looked worse.
"Laura!"
"Fight, you demon spawn, fight!"
"Laura, stop it!"
"You fight so I can send you to my mother. You fight so you can tell her I'm doing just fine up here and she need not interfere. . . again!"
Laura's hair, I was dismayed to see, was flame red-the color of sullen coals after a raging fire. Her eyes were the color of fall grass-green, but dying. Gone was the rosy-cheeked blond teen we all knew and liked. We were here with the devil's daughter now.
"Jesus," Cathie murmured, finally making it back down to the basement.
"I wish," I said.
"What's wrong with her?"
"She has parental issues. "
"No, I've got parental issues. She is fucked up severe. "
"Later. Laura!" I bawled. "Get off him
right now! Now now, not in a minute now!"
"Stay out of this, Betsy!" she shrilled back. She smacked George another good one-I could only imagine how much it must have hurt her hand, judging from how it split open George's cheek-and he reeled and almost went down, but didn't fight back.
"Laura, I hate to pull rank on you, but I'm the queen, and that's a subject so get your fucking hands off him right now!"
She smacked him again-whamthud!-I couldn't believe it. Was I even in the goddamned room?
I raced around them just as her sword materialized on her hip. I couldn't look at the thing-it was made of hellfire and gave me an instant headache, it was like looking into the sun-so I averted my gaze and somehow-I'm still not quite sure how I pulled this off-somehow I was in front of George, my arms spread out protectively, and that's how my sister accidentally plunged her blade into my chest. Chapter 28
"Betsy? Betsy? Betsy?"
"Gllllkkkkkkkkkk!"
Is that me? No. Who's choking? It's not me, right?
"Laura, I am quite fond of you-" Sinclair? What was he doing down here? And it sounded like he was throttling my sister. . . I had no idea how I felt about that, to be honest. Yay? Boo?
"Ggggglllkkkkk!"
"-yes, thank you, but if she dies, I'm afraid you will die as well. It's this odd little territorial tic I have. I realize it's a problem, and I'm dealing with it, but right now I must stand by what I said. "
"Betsy? Can you hear me?" Marc! That was Marc.
Excellent! Finally, he has a day off when it actually helps me.
"She's got a big fucking sword sticking out from between her boobs. " That was Cathie. "Of course she can't hear you. Why am I even bothering to talk to you idiots?"
I'm not dead!
"I suppose it's no good looking for vital signs. " Tina.
"Well, she doesn't have a pulse, and she's not breathing, so I'd say she's dead. Also, there's a big-ass sword sticking out of her chest. "
"Duh!" Cathie shouted.
"But she's been dead before, so this is kind of a stumper for me. "
Tina hmmmmed and then said, "For us as well. . . where's Nick?"
"Jessica's keeping him busy upstairs, thank God. Of all the stupid times for her to start dating again. "
"Amen to that," I said and opened my eyes. I was startled to see Marc and Cathie had been right-there was a big-ass sword sticking out of my chest. I'd seen Laura stab vampires with it before, and they instantly disintegrated. I was sort of amazed to see I wasn't a pile of ashes. "Sinclair! Put her down. Laura, get over here. Get this thing out of me. "
They both looked over at me, Laura's face so red it looked like she was going to pop a blood vessel. Which, given the firm grip Sinclair had on her throat, was probably imminent. He let go, and she hit the cement, gasping.
"I can't leave any of you people alone for one day without all hell breaking loose," I griped. "Where's George?"
"We put him in the shower to wash away the blood," Tina reported matter-of-factly. She was on one knee beside me and kept squeezing my arm as if to reassure herself that I wasn't going to disintegrate.
Laura had heaved herself to her knees and then her feet. If I were her, I wouldn't be so quick to turn my back on Sinclair, but she only had eyes for me as she staggered toward us.
"Betsy, oh Besty! Forgive me!" She tripped and fell but probably was going to get back on her knees anyway, judging from what came out next, which was: "I swear, you were not my target! I'm an unworthy treacherous bitch, one you have taken into your family, and I repaid you with-" She gestured at her sword. "Please, please, I beg your forgiveness. I--"
"Laura. "
"Yes?"
"Can we do this after you've pulled this thing out of me?"
"Oh. Oh! Yes, of course. I-ah-no one's ever-" She grabbed the hilt with easy familiarity. "Either my sword passes harmlessly through them-it only disrupts magic-or it kills them. It's never. . . gotten stuck halfway. "
I felt a little ill. "Well, can we get it un-stuck, please?"
"Yes, of course, but after causing you so much pain, I feel I must warn you it may hurt a bit-"
"Elizabeth!" Sinclair said sharply from his brooding corner. We all snapped around to gape at him; it was not a good thing when he raised his voice. "I must insist you cancel the wedding at once. "
I gasped with fresh outrage. "And the hits just keep on coming! Cancel the weddiarrrrrrrggggggggl" I clutched my chest, which was hole-free, thank goodness. "That did hurt, you cow!"
"Perhaps less," he said, looking vastly relieved, "as you were distracted. "
"Yeah, thanks for 'helping' me by scaring the shit out of me," I grumped as Tina and Marc helped me to my feet. Marc felt between my boobs, which I didn't take personally, and then circled around to feel my back.
"How do you feel?" Tina asked anxiously.
"Pissed off! I've been up for, what, ten minutes? Cripes. This is worse than prom '91. Laura, you've got some big-time explaining to do. "
"Close your eyes," Marc told me, "and think of England. " Then he pushed my pajama top up.
"Ack! It's chilly in here, stop that. " I jerked away from him. "I'm pretty sure if I had a big old stab wound in my chest, we'd all know it. "
"I can't believe you aren't dead!" Laura exclaimed. "I mean, I'm happy and everything, but I've never seen that happen before. " Sinclair came up to our little group, and she sort of shrank away from him. "I tried to tell you. . . before. . . I didn't mean to stab her. She got between us. "
"Yesssssssssss," Sinclair purred. "And who were you trying to stab when she, ah, got between you?"
"It wasn't. . . it wasn't for real. " Laura suddenly looked about twelve years old. The braids helped. So did the fact that she'd put her sword away. . . to wherever it went when she wasn't killing vampires with it. "We were just practicing. "
"I guess what happened at the Ant's bugged you more than you let on," I suggested.
Laura shrugged. She wouldn't look at any of us. Her hair was blond again, and her eyes were blue. The blue of the Ant's mother, apparently, or the devil.
"He's a feral vampire," she pointed out defensively. "It's not like I could have really hurt him. . . done some lasting damage. "
Lie.
"It was just a training exercise. "
Lie.
"It has nothing to do with my family life," she insisted, the third and (hopefully) final lie.
"It-"
You fight so I can send you to my mother!
"-doesn't-"
You fight so you can tell her I'm doing just fine up here!
"-mean anything. "
"Oh, boy," Cathie said. Tina glanced over at her, but nobody else had a clue. "Did you say she had some parental issues? Because that's a pretty fucking big issue right there. I mean, come on, Liz. You don't believe this happy crappy, do you?"
"Don't call me that. It's all right, Laura," I said after an awkward moment. My life: a series of awkward moments. "It was an accident. I know you'd never want to hurt me. "
"Yes, that's just right," she said, guileless blue eyes swimming with tears. "I'd never ever want to hurt you. I'd die before hurting you. "
"Really?" Sinclair asked, head cocked to one side.
"Let me, ah, just go check on George, and we can go finish our shopping. "
Her face lit up. "You-you still want to?"
"Are you kidding? What part of 'thirty percent off everything in the store' do you not get? It would take a lot more than this to keep me away. I'll meet you out at the car. "
"Oh," she said sadly. "I guess this is the part where you all talk about what to do about me. "
"It's more like a Secret Santa thing," I said, pushing her toward the stairs. Chapter 29
"Jesus," I said, staring into the shower. "She kicked the living crap out of him. "
"Yes. "
"I don
't suppose he said anything. "
"No," Tina and Sinclair said in unison. Marc had gone back upstairs to take Jess aside and assure her all was well. Who knew what Nick was up to-hopefully not prying too much. Cathie, miffed we had let my sister "get away," had walked through a wall and went who-knew-where.
"Poor guy, minding his own business and she comes down here and starts whaling away on him. "
I started to chew on my wrist-the usual quick pick-me-up for George-when Sinclair stopped me. "A large part of your sister's faith hinges on redemption. She does seem to feel badly about her part in this. So why not have her feed George for a day or two?"
"Oh, but that's pretty. . . " Diabolically mean. "Brilliant," I confessed. "Okay, I'll tell her that. She'll have to feed him, one way or another, until he's healed up from everything she did to him. "
"And I-ah-must be sure that the-ah-" Tina was stammering like a blonde learning Latin. And I ought to know.
"Tina, what in the world is your problem?"
"The thing!" she blurted. "I must be sure the thing is also taken care of. "
"What?" I asked, but Tina was already out of the shower room.
Leaving me with Sinclair, who wouldn't talk to me, and George, who couldn't.
Oh.
"Well. " Cough, cough. "I guess I'd better get to shopping-"
"You seem to always be shot or stabbed or otherwise fatally attacked when I'm not around. " And was that a smile, lurking in the corners of his mouth?
"Hey, I didn't do anything. I was minding my own business, and Laura stabbed me in the heart. " Okay, even I knew how lame that sounded.
He was smiling. "Your sister will have some bruising. "
"Okay. I'll break out the ice packs. For the record, I disapprove of the whole strangling thing. "
The smile was gone, banished to wherever Sinclair's smiles go. "She is extremely lucky that's all she will have. "
"Now, come on. It was an accident. You saw how upset she was after. "
"She certainly seemed to be upset," he agreed.
"What? She was lying?"
"I don't know. That's part of what I don't like. "
"Well, you shouldn't have picked her up like that and choked her like a rat, that's all I'm saying. Although it was kind of-never mind. Bad, bad Sinclair! But thanks for coming to the rescue. Again. "