The Vampire's Requiem II [malexmale]

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty (Starling)

"We can't leave them!" Daimonas cried for the hundredth time.

He kept pulling viciously at my hand, trying to turn us back around to go to Newell and Xed, but I only tightened my grip on me. Part of me was about ready to summon my tail to use it to keep the squirming booger in place, but that would take energy and I needed to save that for the right moment.

Dominik was eerily silent, but he looked terrified. He kept looking around in paranoia, biting his bottom lip and scurrying to keep up with us.

In all honesty, I wanted to turn back. I didn't feel right about leaving Xed and Newell alone. Something about it just felt so wrong. I didn't belong here, I belonged with them. It was something I'd known since the moment I met those two weirdos. Mr. Freakishly Tall Merman and Mr. Freakishly Sarcastic. They had been my guardians since the beginning. Call it fate, call it destiny, but I had always belonged to them and I always would. The pull to go back to them was so fierce, it reminded me of the pull I had for Daimonas. But instead of one that was clearly romantic, this one was a familial pull. It literally felt like someone was trying to force me to go back. And it wasn't just Daimonas doing it.

We managed to make it out to the parking lot. I instantly flinched at the icy bitter cold air. The wind stung my cheeks and pinkened my nose. I sneezed at the abrupt change in temperature, pausing to look around breathlessly for any sign of Hunter or Alister, but there were none. My heart kicked into overdriven alarm.

Where were they?

What was taking so long?

"Well, well, well, isn't this just the cutest surprise in the world?" I stiffened at the unfamiliar voice, releasing both Daimonas and Dominik, who gasped and whirled around. We turned to face a man who was sitting on the small overhead cover on the door, one leg drawn up at the knee and the other dangling over the edge. He was incredibly pretty with white-blonde hair that was stylishly layered to his delicate shoulders, his eyes a very pale shade of blue, and skin like a porcelain doll's. He dressed in a pair of tight black skinny jeans that disappeared into a pair of expensive ankle boots in the same color. A silky black shirt with a low cut collar and a long black wool coat that fell to his knees finished off his outfit.

"Who're you?" Daimonas asked uneasily. The man grinned and gracefully jumped off the top of the door and landed neatly on both feet in front of us. He put one hand on his hip, throwing back his jacket in the process to reveal a belt lined with weaponry that made my breath catch in my throat.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

"Some call me Damian. You can call me the Reaper. Because your soul is mine, cupcake." He introduced with a wicked smile. He moved fast and whipped out a gun like a cowboy from one of those old western movies. He went to fire it, but I I lunged at him and shoved him hard, knocking the gun out of his hand. He snarled, baring his fangs at me.

"How dare you touch me! Don't put your filthy hands on me or I'll rip them off and throw them to the dogs!" He shouted and whipped out a dagger, slashing it at me, but I ducked back quickly, panting for breath as my heart raced.

Shit.

Double shit.

Triple shit.

SHIT.

"Starling!" Daimonas went after me to get me out of the fight, but I slung my hand out, making him pull up short. I ducked another slash from Damian, his heels clicking on the asphalt as he took long steps toward me with each slice of his dagger. At one point, my foot caught on a crack in the asphalt and the dagger cut across my chest. I howled in pain, reaching up and catching my chest. It was a shallow gash, but what hurt the most was the stinging agony of it. Damian grinned wickedly, wagging the dagger in my face as I stumbled.