Kissing Skulls *Revised*

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

            When I felt a hard, solid surface cradle my body I knew that I was safe.  Don’t ask me how…but I knew that Serenity and her crazy macho man would be the least of my problems today. 

            I wouldn’t have to worry about anything else…

Besides, I was probably dead.  Flattened instantly into a Mary Tanner pancake. 

            My eyes were clenched shut, but I fearlessly let them open, blinking in the bright, white light that washed down to coat my aching skin. 

            But death wasn’t quite what I expected. 

            Heaven was very smoggy, I couldn’t help thinking.  And…it smelled like peppermint.

            Confused, I craned my head back only to realize that I wasn’t broken into pieces on the sidewalk.  I was in the arms—very real arms—of someone who held me so tight I almost couldn’t breathe. 

            “Next time,” Dustyn said seriously into my hair.  “You could at least wait for me to break down the front door.”

             ______________________

We high-tailed it away from my doomed apartment like bad-asses in an action flick.  Or, more like Dustyn did with me in his arms, along for the ride.

            My heart was pounding so badly that I was afraid the damn thing might explode from my chest—but a naughty part of me knew that it had abso-lute-ly nothing to do with the two vampires currently squatting in my apartment. 

            No siree Bob. 

            It was no secret that Dustyn was one buff dude—but now, pressed close against him I couldn’t help but realize just how buff.  Very, very, very buff; the boy had the kind of muscles you could sharpen steel on.

 Every inch of him felt lean and mean and purely iron. 

            Don’t get me wrong—Dave was no puny wimp.  But even he, with his lanky body, had nothing on the pure fitness of Dustyn. 

            My heart was pounding so hard because I was fucking disgusted with myself…

Because, a tiny part of me—damn the damsel in distress—absolutely loved the way his arms flexed and shivered as he carried me through alleyways and back streets that divide this shitty side of the city. 

“I think we’ve lost them.”  I felt Dustyn’s arms go rigid as he slowed to a stop and glanced worriedly over his shoulder.  “But I don’t think it’s safe to push our luck just yet.”

I yawned, unaware of just how exhausted I was until just now.  Being chased by vicious monsters tended to do that to a girl, I guessed.  Hearing said monsters go on and on about princesses and demons and insanity didn’t help much, either.

But something Dustyn had said made me cock and eyebrow in confusion. 

“Can they even walk in the sunlight?” 

His head swiveled around to shoot me one of those looks that plainly said; seriously?

“What?” I demanded around another yawn—it was getting hard just to keep my eyes open.  “Won’t they…burn in the sun or something?”