Braced to Bite (Book 1: Half-blood vampire series)

Chapter Two

Chapter 2

I laughed nervously. “Then you must be talking to the wrong people because I’m really very nice.”

“Show me,” he insisted and suddenly I found myself face-to-face with him.

People react differently when cornered. Some freeze, others panic and some keep their cool. I fall under a different category. I get mad.

“Look, I’ll show how nice I am by not kneeing you in the groin. Get out of my way!”

He looked me deep in the eyes and reached forward to sweep some hair away from my face. I stood frozen in place. I just couldn’t get my feet to cooperate with my mind and run. I felt like a deer in headlights when he stared into my eyes.

“You’re very pretty,” he whispered, moving closer to me until I could see how large his pupils were in the dim light.

“And you’re very creepy,” I replied, glad my voice still worked even if my body wasn’t cooperating.

He stared at me intently and my body seemed to go numb. He leaned forward to kiss me and I surprised us both by saying, very firmly, “No.”

He was startled. I could tell by the way he stopped and looked at me again.

“No,” I said again, this time with more strength, and the numbness left my body.

“No!” I practically shouted and the cloudy spell that held my legs immobile seemed to give way. I pulled my knee up with as much force as I could muster and followed through with my threat. He was caught by surprise and grabbed at me as he buckled over. Well, I did warn him.

I struggled to pull away, but his hands were firmly gripping my sweater. He wrenched harder and I heard my sweater rip as I fell to my knees. I was free, for the moment. I tried to crawl away, but he yanked the backpack that was still draped across my arm and pulled me toward him.

He grabbed my shoulders and threw me back so I was face up. I don’t remember feeling fear, just anger. My sweater was ruined, I was rolling around on the dirty trail and I looked like a stupid turtle lying on its back, trying to turn over. Certainly not me at my best.

He grabbed my face and looked at me again. I rammed my head forward and hit him in the nose. I have seen this move in several action movies and can honestly say it hurts like hell. I didn’t break his nose but I did startle him enough for his grip to weaken, allowing me to roll to my side and get to my knees. My stupid backpack was tangled around my arm, and as I struggled to break free I looked his way. He was also on his knees, holding his nose. I thought he might be bleeding.

He grabbed at my leg, and I tried to kick him. He was very strong. I scratched at the dirt as he pulled me toward him.

He grabbed my hair and pulled my head back so I could see the trail clearly from my position on the ground. It was empty. He flipped me on my back again, this time fairly easily. I felt a sharp twinge in my neck where as he pulled my hair back and my whole body went ramrod straight. My eyes were open, my mouth was open and I was stiff as a board.

I didn’t feel anything. I couldn’t move. I expected this would be the point where he would kill me, rape me, beat me—something. We seemed to be in that position for an eternity when he shifted.

He put his arm to my mouth and forced it open wider. I felt a warm liquid enter my mouth and I gagged. He was poisoning or drugging me! My strength returned and I screamed, “No!” a final time, pushing him with all my might, punching him in the nose again. We both struggled to our feet. I was ready to run but he grabbed me by the throat and held me up. For someone who looked so average, he was amazingly strong.