Kissing Skulls *Revised*

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

            I jumped back.  My motions were sloppy and slow, and I couldn’t seem to move fast enough.  My shoulder smashed against the doorframe with a resounding crack, but at least I had enough sense to throw up two fists in front of me like a boxer.

                Though, if the vampire decided to come at me with those sharp teeth, there wasn’t much about it I could do with just my fists, now was there?

                “Get the hell away from me,” I managed to hiss—which was a miracle in itself.

                Along with the fact that I hadn’t pissed my pants yet.

                Alexi smiled coldly, but—wonder of wonders—he backed away and waved a pale hand through the air as if erasing a bad smell. 

            “Temper, temper.”  He craned his head to glance over his shoulder at someone behind him.  “I don’t think she’s very happy to see us, Ren.”

                “Be quiet, Alexi.”

             I recognized the soft tones of the other vampire, Serenity, before I even saw her beautiful face peering intently over Alexi’s shoulder.

              “This isn’t time for jokes,” her soft voice was an unpleasant snarl.  Angrily, she jabbed those dark eyes of her into Alexi’s mocking ones.  “Do you know what this means?”

                “Ren, Ren, Ren.”  Alexi rolled his eyes, and pulled away from her to lean against the edge of one of my filthy countertops.  “Always the worry wart—”

                “What this means,” Serenity continued, cutting over him.  “Is that we left a Stroggha princess alone, unguarded, and unprotected in this mortal filth-realm.  My god—” One of those slim, white hands flew to her chest as if she was afraid that her heart was about to jump out of it.  “We should have never left her alone.  Can you imagine if the council finds out?  Abandoning a Stroggha—that alone is worth at least a hundred years in prison…”

                Her eyed widened; she looked horrified.  It was such a strange emotion to see on a vampire’s face that I almost felt bad for her.  Until I remembered the fact that she and her little moronic side-kick had tried to kill me.

            Talk about reality check.  I wished the bitch felt worse. 

                “Relax, Serenity.” Alexi shrugged.  “Once again, we’re not even sure if she is Maryne.” 

            He glanced around my narrow kitchen nook and scowled.  “Do you think Mar would even be caught dead in a place like this?”

                Serenity growled between her teeth and glared murderously in his direction. 

            “Oh?  Then how do you explain the fact that she’s still alive?”  She released a cold, hard laugh.  “Unless of course you’re getting rusty, Lex, and even breaking a mortal’s neck is a task too complex for you…”

                Alexi waved her off with a flick of his fingers.  “Maybe I wasn’t trying hard enough?”  I saw those black eyes flicker to me as he slid from the counter and took a menacing step in my direction.  “How about we try again?”

                “Enough.”  Serenity pushed him aside as easily as if he weighed nothing and bent down until her flawless face was just inches away from mine.