Kissing Skulls *Revised*

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Before I could answer, Alexi reached for my arm, yanking me along by the sleeve of my sweatshirt as he turned on his heel.

“Come along, Mar,” he said on a sigh.  “We have much to discuss.”

I had no choice but to follow as he left the shadow the alley for the wide-open Pier, where beams of faint moonlight gave everything an eerie glow.  I couldn’t see anyone else around.  Even the three little vampires had disappeared.

I was utterly alone with Alexi…on a pier, close to an easy disposal spot for bodies.  You couldn’t blame me for feeling afraid. 

But the vampire didn’t seem intent on murder tonight. 

“How rude of you to drop in without warning, Mar,” Alexi grouched as I stumbled in his grip.  “We’ve had absolutely no time to prepare.  Why, if the wrong eyes had caught sight of you—”

He broke off and peered at me from over his shoulder.  I sensed those dark eyes scanning my face, taking in the smeared snot and tears dribbling down my chin.

He frowned.

“Unless you’ve already made you’re grand entrance ahead of time,” he grumbled under his breath.

I had no idea what he meant, but in the next moment he was dragging me to that cluster of warehouses in the Pier’s corner.  As we came close, he wrenched open one of the rusty metal doors and shoved me inside. 

It was pitch black darkness.  I had no chance in hell of seeing anything, even as Alexi wrestled the door closed behind us with a metallic whine. 

“Lucy, I’m home,” he called obnoxiously into the dank, empty space.

I couldn’t see anyone, but—like that old saying went—that didn’t mean anyone wasn’t around to see me. 

I could hear the quiet scuffles of someone moving around through the dark.  A heavy someone.  Way too heavy to be your average dock mouse. 

“Alexi,” someone said on a dramatic yawn.  “Do you know what time it is?  It’s barely evening…”

They sounded pissed at having their beauty sleep cut short, but the annoyance was quickly replaced by a startled gasp as their eyes adjusted to the dark.  I guess that was when they could finally make out the sight of me, standing like a deranged puppet, in Alexi’s grip. 

“We have a guest, Ren,” he said simply. 

Before I could react, he shoved me forward.  I tripped over unseen garbage in my graceless fall and landed hard against a firm surface.  My knees scraped against the cold cement floor.  Great, I couldn’t help thinking, another trip to the lovely clinic.

It was a second later that I realized I might not even live that long to get bandaged this time.  Go figure.

I tried to pull myself to my feet, only to epically fail as my foot hit something hard instead.  I would have fallen again—no doubt amassing more lovely injuries—if it weren’t for a cool hand on my shoulder that held me stead.  I shivered as the icy fingers brushed the skin of my neck that peeked through my collar. 

“Maryne…”  Serenity murmured.  Her fingers clenched me tighter, and her tone changed from wistful to sharp in an instant. “But what about—” 

“Gone,” Alexi said.  “I didn’t see him around with those stupid little Dhamphirs,” he added with a scoff of disgust.  “I just hope that he didn’t see her.”