Chapter Twelve
"Fucking pussies! Too scared to fight me one on one, huh?!" I screamed into the headset, hunched over and drilling intense little holes into my television screen; I jerked this way and that, fingers flying across the buttons of my controller. "God, I hate little bitches like you!"
"Bitches?" the dickhead I'd accurately dubbed Stink-Face laughed over the virtual sound system that filled my whole living room. "That's funny coming from a girl who plays a male avatar with a female's looks! Why not just be a good little slut and get on your knees already? Hmm?"
"Because I'm a boy in real life, too, asshole!" I snarled; I dodged a swing of his sword and sent a punch into his leather-clad stomach, watching as his character stumbled backwards.
"Ooh, so you're a faggot?" Stink-face mocked. "Nasty!"
Laughter filled the air and on the couch across from me I saw Sebastian raise a disinterested eyebrow out of my peripherals, which I blatantly ignored since I really needed to focus. Still, getting thrown into the thick of things is a confusing and sometimes disorienting experience, so let me go back and explain this confrontation and how I ended up embroiled in it.
You see, after Sebastian had finally stopped trying to dominate me or whatever, again, I'd flopped down on my couch and had turned on Atlas Chronicles. I'd been adventuring with a few friends through the game for the better part of the night, stopping in safe areas when the sun came up and moving along the road when it went down again.
It had been fun and casual up until roughly a few minutes ago.
I'd been on my way through one of the darker and more threatening forests towards an Orcish city called Tucoa when I'd literally been ambushed by four high-level players out of nowhere, WildFyreEz7, Packmule_998, HandenOutLzzzzzz2029, and the same annoying little fucker from the tavern I'd been in a few nights ago, Stink_Wrinkles.
He was doing a damn good job of triggering me with his shit talking and worse they were attacking me all at once, with weapons.
I, as usual, was fighting without one, but doing so against a crowd was far harder than a solo fight which meant that I needed to be careful as fuck, otherwise I was going to die.
"Come 'ere pussy boy," Packmule taunted. "Over here!"
"Shut the fuck up!" I snapped, deflecting another sword-swipe and punching his character in the face; when he stumbled, I mashed the X button just in time to deflect Handen's sword, which came flying at me from behind. I swiveled the camera and skillfully used the break in his defenses to throw a vicious kick at the back of his head, smacking the fucker off balance.
They backed away, regrouping in a line that barred me from moving down the road.
I tapped the button to swap my fighting stance, making sure that I was prepared.
"Stupid faggot," Wildfyre jeered, the youngest sounding of the group. "Just you wait."
"For what?" I taunted, making my character perform the feminine middle finger emote. "For you to try coming at me all at once? Yeah, everyone saw how that went the first time, losers. Why not just back the fuck off my ass and let me get back to what I was doing?"
"You that afraid of taking this D?" Stink-face sniggered, perfirming a rather lewd self grope emote. "Awww, the poor faggot is scared of taking it up the ass! Let's encourage him, boys!"
My blood boiled and my ears grew hot when they all made some perverse emotes; I squeezed my controller, glaring at the ring-leader's username, wishing I could punch him in the face for real, but then I saw movement to my left in the real world and suddenly Sebastian was on his feet behind me, one hand on my shoulder.
He leaned down and his arm moved past me, finger pointing right at the screen.
"Behind you," he growled, making me stare at his face, which was right beside mine. "Keep your eyes behind you and on both of your flanks."
"H-huh?" I asked, frowning. "Why?"
"The way they're positioned," Sebastian grunted, refusing to take his eyes off the screen; his finger pointed at each offending player, all of them standing in a haphazard row. "They've got another player hidden somewhere out of sight. They did a poor job of hiding it, too."
"How do you know?" I asked, startled; I looked at the four of them, but they said nothing, signalling that they were either listening to us talk or they'd swapped their chat settings. "What makes you think there's a fifth guy?"
"Classic pincer formation," he grunted, narrowing his eyes at the screen. "See how the two on the edges are closer than the ones in the middle? They're close enough to leap in once you're off guard, but far enough to be out of reach. Be prepared for an attack from the back or sides."
"Who th' fuck is that?!" Handen suddenly demanded in a deep, very British voice.
"Yeah, faggot, is that your boyfriend?" Stink-face simpered, making my cheeks flame. "He sounds like he spent his whole life sucking too much dick! Which one of you takes it up the--"
Sebastian snagged my microphone piece and turned it so his lips were right beside the tip.
"Keep talking like that," he said in a low, slick, extremely dangerous tone, "and I'll buy a console of my own, buy this very same game, and come destroy you and every single one of your friends in ways that you won't even want to imagine while the vampire watches."
All four of them went dead silent, and my jaw dropped, but when they started raging only a few seconds later, Sebastian let my microphone go and stoically swaggered away. A burst of mirth hit me when I heard how screechy they sounded and I bit my tongue to ward off my laughter.
"Well," I said, voice coming out thick with restrained amusement, "you heard the man."
"Fuck you, faggot!" Stink-face screeched, throwing an emote that had his character smacking his gyrating thighs in a very promiscuous manner. "Suck my dick!"
"No thanks, I outgrew Tootsie Rolls when I was a kid," I teased, swiveling my camera around; while I did so, I activated a Vampiric magic skill and watched as a blue pulse of energy filled the air, illuminating every single living figure within a ten meter radius.
To my astonishment, there really was a fifth player creeping through the brush to my left, making his way closer to where I stood. I immediately queued up a magical attack that would help me put the fifth guy out of commission since I was more fond of knockouts than I was killing other players, unlike the rest of the war-like people who's names constantly zoomed out of the corner of my screen and zipped past my face in a beam of holographic light.
Sure enough, he came barreling at me like Sebastian said.
I targeted him and mashed the attack button, watching in sheer satisfaction as my character raised his suddenly sparking arm and sent a well-aimed lightning bolt at him. He was blown off his feet and his character screamed, daggers flying out of his hands, and he landed. His friends started yelling and charged at me, and the fight resumed, but I still felt smug.
Why, you might ask?
The zooming text was broadcasting that I, Little_Vampire1993, had KO'd someone named SneakiSneakiBeefThief44. Aka, the fucker I'd just blasted. I fought the rest of them until I eventually KO'd Handen as well, which is when they decided to split.
They didn't even bother trying to revive their friends.
Once they were gone, I thrust my controller in the air, letting out a squeal of joy before dancing on my couch like an idiot, swiveling my shoulders and swinging my body back and forth.
"YEAH! That's right you fucking pussies, run away!" I crowed, tossing my head around and flinging my hair in absolute triumph. "That's what you get for trying to molest me! Ha ha!"
Then I remembered it would have been even harder had Sebastian not warned me.
That's right! I realized, shocked. It was actually thanks to him that I wasn't caught off guard!
"Hey, Sebastian!" I called, turning to flash him a thumbs-up. "Thanks for the... help...?"
I frowned since he was no longer sitting on the couch, and after leaning over to peer through the door to his room, which was beside the new bathroom, I realized it was also empty. I turned my head and peeked into my own bedroom, wondering, but I didn't see him there, either.
"Sebastian?" I called, looking around in confusion. "Hello?"
I waited for him to say something, anything, but instead I got absolutely nothing but silence. I hadn't heard him leave the apartment, but it didn't really matter since he could take care of himself. My smile slowly faded and I lowered my arm, returning my attention to the television.
Taking a breath, I resumed my journey, but not before looting Handen and Sneaki's unconscious bodies. They deserved to be broke after what they'd tried to do to me.
I played for another hour, quietly, and I even managed to make it to Tucoa but I heard nothing from my apartment and nothing from the stairs leading to it. The beginnings of a familiar dry itch were tickling the back of my throat, too, and I started swallowing repeatedly.
I guess its time to get offline, I silently muttered, making my way inside of the nearest tavern and signing off from the main menu. I took off my headset and stretched, arcing to relieve the subtle pressure of my cramping vertebrae, then looked at my phone to check the time.
It was three A.M.
Frowning, I turned off my console and rose, setting the controller down.
"Sebastian?" I called, peeking into my room and looking around a little more carefully; I even went in and peered into my bathroom. "Hello?"
I received no answer which weirded me out.
I poked around the entire apartment, even going as far as walking into his room, AKA unspoken forbidden territory for me, but there wasn't a sign of him anywhere. I stood in the middle of the living room, wondering where he'd gone and why he'd left without saying anything.
Until it hit me.
My insides froze when I remembered he'd said he was using me to lure in another vampire.
He can't have left because of that, right? I wondered, breaking out into a cold sweat. If he's using me to draw out another vampire so he can kill him or her, I... I have to stop him. He's not here, too, which means that the other vampire might think its safe to show up.
If that was the case I needed to get away from the apartment.
I knew I would get hell for leaving without permission but I simply didn't care right then.
With a sigh, I trotted into my room and pulled my favorite soft beige sweater over my tank-top, wrapped my sister's scarf around my face to hide my mouth, and slipped my shoes on. I wasted no time making my way out into the hall and down the front stairs.
Warm summer air brushed my hair off my cheeks but I paused when I saw a variety of cars parked along the street. Confused, I looked around, wondering who would be parked along my road at three in the morning until I heard the door to the pizza place come open.
A familiar jingle met my ears and a couple walked outside holding a box of it.
I sighed when I remembered that it was All Night Thursday and made my way past it but as I was walking by the window Mike spotted me and jumped, eyes widening. I saw him turn and look over his shoulder, mouth moving, but paused when another worker behind him nodded.
To my surprise he ran out from behind the counter and made his way toward the front door. I stepped back, startled, when he threw it open and ran outside.
"Hi, Aerin!" he said, flashing me a goofy grin; his freckled cheeks were very dimpled and his blue eyes were a little giddy. "Haven't seen you in a while, but, I... well, I mean... look, this is hard to say since we don't really know each other, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."
"Huh?" I asked, feeling my heart sink. "Wait... what do you--"
"Will you go on a date with me?" he blurted, and I balked, mouth falling open; his pale cheeks reddened and he swallowed, clenching his fists. "I-I mean it... I think you're really pretty, and cool, a-and... well, I'd like to get to know you a little better."
To say that my heart sank again would be incorrect.
This time, it plummeted.
My shoulders sagged and I sighed through my nose, hiding my eyes with my hair for a second, but then I looked at him again, clearly, because I needed to make direct eye contact for this.
"I can't," I said, hating how his face fell. "Sorry dude."
"Oh," he said, rubbing the back of his neck; his disheartened tone made me feel guilty. "Can I at least ask... well, why?"
"I'm not a girl," I gently informed him; his face went stiff and his arm dropped, brow furrowing and eyes taking on a confused glint. "People make that mistake all the time because of how I look, but in all actuality, I'm a guy."
"A guy," he said, giving me a look of disbelief. "You... you're a guy. Really."
"Yup."
"But the other night, when those college kids came in," he said, warily, as if he couldn't believe his ears, "I asked you if you were the girl who lives upstairs and you said yes! And those guys, they kept talking to you like you were a girl, and you went along with it--"
"I said yes because its easier than going on an awkward tangent about how I'm a guy who looks like a girl, and I went along with their banter because I'm gay," I said, and for effect I cocked my hip and planted my hand on it; his face tightened and he took a step back. "I didn't correct them because they never asked, and more than that it didn't bother me since I do, in fact, consider myself a queen."
I snapped my fingers once for a little emphasis even though it lacked most of the sass.
"I... but... you..." he mumbled, looking confused and disheartened. "This is... ugh."
I felt a twinge of irritation sweep through me at his reaction but I smothered it.
"Sorry for giving you the wrong impression and idea," I said, then straightened up and shook my hair out, "but either way, I'm not interested in going out with you, so... yeah. Ciao, I guess."
He stared at me with his mouth hanging open as I waved and turned to go, but after only the sixth step down the sidewalk, he grabbed my arm and spun me back around. I blinked when he glared at me, mouth puckered up into an expression of childish irritation.
"Prove it," he said, letting go and folding his arms. "Prove that you're a guy."
I blinked, raising an eyebrow.
"Seriously?" I asked. "You want me to prove it?"
"Yep."
"Uh... how?"
"I dunno, just... just do it! It doesn't matter how! Prove to me that you're really a guy!"
I raised my other eyebrow, then shrugged and undid my belt buckle, ignoring how he jumped.
Before he could so much as open his mouth, I dropped my jeans and drawers before proudly planting my hands on my hips in what I hoped was a masculine pose. His eyes bugged and he covered his eyes, letting out a yelp, and I took that as my cue to pull my britches back up.
"What the fuck, man?!" he howled, turning his back on me. "Why'd you jerk your junk out?!"
"You asked me to prove it," I chuckled, finding his reaction amusing, "so I did."
"Yeah, but not like that!" he angrily squawked, shaking his head. "Fuck!"
"Whatever," I snorted, refastening my belt buckle and dropping my sweater. "Sorry for your mental and emotional scarring, but you'll get over it eventually. I'll be on my way now."
"You're a total fag!"
I paused, then, and took a deep breath before continuing on my way with a wave.
"At least I'm not a homophobic idiot who mistook a boy for a girl and asked him out," I flippantly called back. "Your mistake wasn't my fault, so don't take your frustration out on me. Although, to be honest, girl, boy - my gender doesn't matter cause I'd have said no either way."
"And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?!" he angrily squalled.
"It means I have standards!" I laughed, waving without looking at him. "You're not my type! I'm interested in stable people who have their lives together! Namely, older men! I'm flattered, though!"
He said nothing, although I heard his footsteps and the sound of the pizza place's front door being thrown open; a quick glance back revealed him stomping behind the reception counter with his freckled face bright red, mouth taut with anger and embarrassment.
I felt a little guilty, but I knew he'd get over it.
I had bigger problems to deal with, anyway.
I still had no idea where Sebastian had gone, but since I didn't want some other hapless vampire getting ambushed because of me, I figured I would have to try and lure them to a safer location. So, I decided to head for the park and wait for a while: based on what Sebastian had told me, if the vampire he'd been hunting knew where we were, he or she could seek me out there.
A part of me was worried that this was a very stupid idea after going over everything I'd already been told, but there was also another huge part of me that still didn't trust my new and violent roommate, and I couldn't help but think he had to be wrong somehow.
I was a vampire myself, after all, and I wasn't a monster like those he'd described which had to mean that there were others who could be reached as well.
The town park was three blocks away, but I walked the distance like a normal person since there were so many cars out that night. I made my way over to the swing-set and sat down, pushing myself back and forth while I looked around. The park was small and poorly taken care of, but during the day it was always filled with children and people jogging or walking their dogs.
To be honest, I liked it, and I occasionally frequented these swings on nights when I grew bored. It also had a long walking trail, tall trees, a small pond that was always filled with ducks, and a playground that was surrounded by a tall cast-iron fence that had been long overgrown. With the fence and the trees, the area was also very private, so I could hang out there all night.
I'd done it before and never seen another soul.
And so, I waited, telling myself that I would until the sky started to lighten if I had to. Pulling my scarf down and pushing off from the ground, I clung to the metal chains and swung, throwing my head back and letting gravity take control.
I loved swinging.
I'd loved it ever since I'd been a child, since doing it always felt like what I'd imagined flying to be like. I hummed some songs from my early childhood and adolescence, staring straight up at the stars shining so brilliantly in the night sky, and the moon, looking as if it were completely full.
Until a song from a long time ago came back to me. I hummed the melody and even felt myself smiling at the irony.
"Meet me on the battlefield... even on the darkest night... I will be your sword and shield, your camouflage, and you will be mine. Echos of the shots ring out... we may be the first to fall. Everything can stay the same or we could change it all. Meet me on the battlefield."
I pumped my legs, throwing myself towards the sky, every note coming out stronger, higher.
"We're standing face-to-face... with our own human race. We commit the sins again and our sons and daughters pay. Our tainted history is playing on repeat, but we could change it if we stand up strong and take the lead. When I was younger, I was named a generation unafrai..."
My mouth snapped shut and I stiffened as the fine hairs on the back of my neck stood up on edge, a feeling that I recognized as a warning to Sebastian's presence, and I righted myself just as the swing arced backwards with the intent of digging my feet into the ground. Only, when my hair reversed gravity on the way back down, I saw a dark figure standing there and jerked.
"HOLY SHIT!" I squealed, flailing my legs. "LOOK OUT!"
I could barely see the looming silhouette because of how fast I was going, but the next thing I knew I was crashing into it. I banged my nose on a soft chest and two arms wrapped around me as the motion sent us toppling head over heels to the ground.
The next thing I knew I was lying flat on someone's stomach, presumably Sebastian's.
"Ow," I muttered, rubbing my nose. "Shit, I didn't realize I was swinging that high. Must have been too fast if it knocked you over, too. My bad."
I was expecting an angry growl demanding to know why I'd left the apartment without permission, or at the very least a set of teeth on my neck, something, but I received no response whatsoever even though the arms around me tightened a little.
Confusion swept through me, then, because it also hit me that the embrace wasn't familiar.
Sebastian had huge, powerful arms... and whoever was holding me didn't have that at all. I felt another chill run down the back of my neck and immediately tried to push away, but when I broke free, two strong hands fumbled and pushed me off as well. I righted myself, ready to give the stranger a piece of my mind, but I forgot everything and stared.
Two wide blood red eyes set in a face as expressionless as a doll's were looking right at me.
The other vampire, I realized, shocked that my plan had worked. He came.
Only, he wasn't at all what I'd expected.
His eyes - held open almost obscenely wide - were redder than a pair of cherries that had been dunked in strawberry jam. Those eyes followed my every movement when I shifted, but he made no effort to speak.
Although, I was no better.
This was the first time I'd ever seen another vampire. He was nothing like me complexion-wise since his skin was ashy grey and almost bloodless-looking. I listened, and to my confusion I heard a sluggish heartbeat, signalling he had a slow pulse. His eyes glinted like rubies when they flicked down towards my throat and widened a little further, widened in a freaky-looking way.
Like they would pop out of his head.
He's blood starved, I immediately realized, eyes widening. More blood starved than I've ever been, period. Shit... this isn't good. He could go into a frenzy and attack someone any second.
I needed to buy myself time.
"You're in really bad shape," I said slowly, and his eyes flashed to mine again. "Believe me, I understand what you're going through, being blood starved is the worst feeling ever, but I can help you get blood safely, without having to hurt or even bite anybody."
His eyes narrowed a little, losing some of the bizarre buggy quality, but he said nothing.
Okay, I muttered to myself, so far so good.
"I also know you're being hunted by a werewolf," I added, but to my surprise his face contorted into a dangerous expression. Just as he tensed, raising his arms towards me, I clutched his wrists and leaned close to his face. Not too close, of course, but close enough to get his attention. "I can help you if you hold back the thirst long enough for me to get you some blood."
He stared at me blankly and watched as I scooted off his chest and slowly rose to my feet.
I turned, looking over my shoulder to make sure nobody was watching, but in a moment I somehow missed he'd risen as well and was now looming only an inch from where I stood. I jumped and stepped back, looking up to see him staring at me in a way that gave me the creeps.
I could only see the tops of his crimson irises and the whites of his eyes.
The guy was tall, taller than me by far, with wide shoulders, strong arms, a square jaw and... well, everything about him seemed like a sharp angle. He had soft brown hair that hung to his shoulders and was wearing dark jeans and a t-shirt that looked too small, or maybe it was just that he was so well built that the shirt looked small, I couldn't decide.
All I knew was that there were alarms going off in my head.
"Hey, pal," I said, looking at him a little warily, "you can put away the psycho stare, thanks."
Those eyes only widened even further.
I blinked, watching as his mouth slowly opened, revealing glinting fangs. If I were normal, I'd have pissed myself since this guy was, in fact, scary as fuck even when compared with Sebastian, but because I recognized his behavior and knew most of it was probably a product of being blood starved I decided to try something new.
I didn't know if it would work but it was worth a shot.
Jerking my scarf down, I raised my wrist to my mouth and squeezed my eyes shut before biting into it like an apple. I felt a shock sear through my skin and the pain, oh boy, it hurt like hell. I punctured myself good and deep, then jerked my fangs out of my skin.
Before the vampire could react, I held my bleeding wrist out.
His whole body jerked and his eyes honed in on it, visibly salivating, even drooling a little.
"I'm already a vampire, so I don't know if this will help," I hissed, "but you need blood, so do us both a favor and take mine. I'll stop you when I start to get dizzy."
He was on me in a flash; snatching my arm with both hands, he crushed his mouth against the holes in my wrist and started sucking. I cringed and turned my head away, trying to tune out the feeling of him literally sucking blood right out of my open wounds. Pain shot through my wrist with every pull of his lips and mouth and I felt his teeth scraping me a few times but I dealt with it silently, refusing to complain.
I'd made my choice.
Time passed as I stood there and while I didn't really know how much had already gone by I was finding myself growing pretty lightheaded before too long. I tapped his shoulder to get his attention but I received no response, he simply continued sucking the blood from my arm.
"Hey, I'm getting dizzy," I muttered, swaying a little. "That should be enough to hold you off until we can get you some real blood, yeah? Come on, stop."
Again, I received no response. I pushed at his head and tried to pull my arm back but he abruptly threw it up and smiled at me, sharp teeth covered completely in red. I jumped, eyes widening since his irises were the same. They were still manic, still oddly blank, and still blood red.
They should have changed, I realized, stunned. Whenever I was forced to drink my own blood to hold off my thirst, my eyes always changed back to blue, so why haven't his?!
"L-let go," I stammered, pulling against his grip. "Seriously! If your thirst is that bad, we can--"
A heavy hand swung up and clutched my jaw, smashing it closed, and long fingers dug into my cheeks with a strength that made me feel like my skull would shatter. I let out a muffled scream as I was raised off my feet, kicking and dangling, before being smashed into the ground.
I wheezed, eyes bugging, as the wind was knocked out of me.
My vision blurred and swum.
"You're a generous little thing," a soft, melodic voice murmured; two blank red eyes came close to my own, staring at me, head cocking this way and that. "Offering me your help, and even your own blood... I think I'll take your body next."
I stared at him in shock, wondering what the hell he meant, but I had my answer when he used his free hand to grasp his belt buckle and started undoing it. Panic literally blinded me and I felt something spark behind my eyes, vague mental flashes overshadowing the sight of his face.
My heart thundered in my ears as I struggled, writhing, letting out muffled screeches against his cold hand as he dragged his jeans down and grabbed my own belt. I tried to open my mouth so I could bite him, but his grip was far too strong.
I jumped when he ripped the buckle clean off and flailed my legs, horrified.
No! I pleaded, raising both my arms and beating against his shoulders. NO! STOP!
His free hand blurred and smashed into my bleeding wrist at such a high speed that it broke; I heard it and felt it, and all I could do was scream against his palm in agony. He held it against the ground, smiling at me with eyes that held no soul, nothing but evil.
Help me, I pleaded, twisting and turning as his hand shredded my jeans right down the middle and started dragging them off. Someone, help me! Please!
My underwear was jerked down then, too, and I heard him laugh... slow, wicked, menacing.
"Ah, well, a hole is a hole," he murmured, looking me right in the eyes. "Be still. It'll feel good in a moment, believe me."
No, no, no, no, I chanted, shaking as he pushed my shirt up; my skin crawled with revulsion, my hair was standing on end, every part of me was rebelling against this. No! SOMEONE HELP!
He removed the hand covering my mouth to drag my underwear off completely.
I was having none of it.
"SEBASTIAN!" I screeched at the top of my lungs. "HELP ME!"
That was all I could get out before the hand was smashing back into my jaw, squeezing so hard that I saw stars and nearly blacked out. I felt another hand digging into the flesh at my waist, gouging, but still. My vision blurred, from the pain or from the tears filling them, I couldn't tell.
I heard nothing.
The vampire on top of me must have heard the same since he sneered, showing all his bloody teeth.
"Looks like he's not coming," he crowed, and I flinched when he groped me, hand making direct contact with my skin; revulsion swept through me in a wave and I struggled to get free, angrily screaming muffled curses against his palm, hitting him with my uninjured fist. I punched him in the cheek, then drew back and hit him in the nose, then the jaw, again and again and again, but to my mortification he actually started laughing at me.
Fucking asshole! I wailed, twisting my lower torso away from his hand. Let go of me!
"Your struggling is growing annoying," he said quietly, and I paused. "I have no qualms about killing you before I take my pleasure. It wouldn't be the first time, you know."
I stared at him with my eyes bugging.
This guy is a Necrophiliac? I mentally screeched, heart thundering in my ears. What the fuck is wrong with him?!
But then the reality of his words hit me and I realized that he'd basically just admitted to killing people and raping their dead bodies. I broke out into a cold sweat and almost burst into tears as he laughed at me again and leaned close to my neck, teeth glinting.
Only, he never managed to bite me.
In what felt to me like a gale of wind, a large, brown-skinned hand smashed into the vampire's head and grabbed his hair before ripping him off of me. I curled up into a ball and cradled my shattered wrist with my free hand, tilting my head back to see Sebastian roaring.
Holding the vampire's head between both of his hands, roaring into his frozen face like a lion.
"Filthy LEECH!"
And then, to my muddled shock, relief, and fascinated horror, he ripped the fucker's head off.
Blood sprayed in a crimson fountain as the decapitated trunk fell over, twitching and writhing, limbs jerking violently before abruptly freezing, as if turned to stone. The blood stopped spraying across the bone of what I assumed was a severed spine sticking out of the bloody meat where the creature's neck had once been, and before my eyes, his body started crumbling.
Piece by piece, cracking like pottery, the headless man crumbled into dust.
Sebastian dropped his shriveling head and turned to look right at me.
His eyes were neon yellow, features warped with absolute rage as he made his way over. I watched him through blurred eyes, watched as he squatted down and grabbed my hair, dragging me upright and forcing my eyes to connect with his.
"If you ever," he hissed, baring his razor-sharp teeth at me, "leave that apartment without me again, I'll beat the living dog shit out of--"
I interrupted him by promptly bursting into tears and throwing my arms around his neck.
He froze, going as rigid as a washboard, but I didn't care, I didn't give a flying fuck. Even though he was a violent asshole and even though we hated each other, I had never been more glad to see anyone in my entire life. I buried my face in his shoulder, heaving for air and vehemently crying it out again, eyes screwed shut, fighting to stop even though I knew it was pointless.
Almost being raped and murdered by that psycho had really fucked with my head.
I needed something to latch onto, it wouldn't have mattered if it was him or a pillow since anything would have worked, but he was right there and he'd saved me, too, so I did.
I wanted to thank him, but I couldn't get a word out edge-wise around my sobbing. His hand shifted a little and I felt his fingers brushing up against my tattered jeans but when they met bare skin he stiffened even further, muscles turning into marble. He didn't move again after that, merely sat there and waited, and to his credit he didn't push me off of him either.
I knew how bad he must have wanted to, though, so when I'd finally managed to stop crying I squeezed his neck one last time and pulled back on my own, rubbing my eyes. My wrist was aching and burning in a way that felt almost acidic but I ignored it.
I was alive, that was the only thing that mattered.
"Thank you," I said in a watery, snot-clogged voice. "If you hadn't showed up, h-he'd have..."
I trailed off, shuddering, and jerkily dragged my boxers back on before kicking my jeans off.
They were too ruined to even attempt passing off as wearable.
"Let this be a lesson," Sebastian suddenly grunted, voice coming out quiet. "Learn from it and never make the mistake of attempting to befriend one of your own kind again."
I nodded in agreement, then paused and looked at him.
"How'd you know I tried to befriend him?"
Sebastian's amber eyes were cold when he said, "you're predicable."
I blinked but didn't have it in me to argue now that the adrenaline had worn off. My jaw was screaming at me, my wrist was definitely broken, likely as a result of the injury Sebastian had inflicted prior to this incident since it was the same hand, and I was too shaky to stand up.
"We need to get back before sun up," he said, and without much by way of warning he began to walk away with his hands jammed deep into his pockets. I looked up to see that the sky had lightened to a pale blue, signalling that dawn was coming.
"What if someone sees me?" I asked, jerkily rising to my feet and trying to catch up.
"Tell them that you fell in the mud or something," he growled, long-legged stride moving him far ahead of me. "Hurry your ass up."
Let's just say we didn't get far before he had to stop to wait for me to gain ground.
"Can't you move any faster?" he snapped when I caught up to him.
"My legs feel like jelly right now. I can barely stand, let alone walk fast."
He was silent for a moment.
"There's no other choice."
Before I could blink, his hand lashed out and curled tight around my wrist, and his fingers were hot against my skin. I squealed in pain and protest alike as he jerked me toward him, legs going out from under me as he picked me up. I uttered a small scream when he jumped straight up into the air and buried my face in his shirt, fingers twining into the fabric as the sickening motion made my head spin.
Leaves and twigs streaked over my skin and clothing, and I would have been buffeted to death had it not been for Sebastian bracing me from underneath. The wind rushed by and the momentum of his jump faded, was replaced by the sensation of falling, and I screeched again and held on tighter.
A thump jarred us and made my teeth smash together, and then we went still.
I didn't move a muscle.
"I won't jump like that again," he said, the words vibrating deep in his chest. "Let go."
"No!"
"Let go."
"I'm too scared."
"We're right outside your window, idiot! Now let go!"
Unbelievably, I found myself trusting him and my eyes cracked open.
"Raise your head."
I swung my face away from his chest, but my eyes closed on their own.
I felt his arms--one hooked under my knees, the other wrapped around my back--tighten in a silent command, but when I didn't look around, he didn't push it. Instead, he shifted his hand from my back to my butt and hefted my weight, and then the hand under my knees disappeared.
I heard the scraping of old wood and the squeal of rusty metal, and then his hand was back.
The familiar smell of my home engulfed me in a dry, cool wave seconds later.
I opened my eyes again to see him walking out of my bedroom and into the living room but he wasted little time dropping me on the couch. The jolt of it jarred my wrist and I let out a yelp, clutching it with my free hand. He'd been in the process of walking away but went still at the sound; after a second he came back, squatted, and looked at my arm more closely.
With another rush, he snatched my wrist, but the pain blinded me.
"Ow!" I cried, kicking my legs and screaming when he bent it. "OW! Ow, ow, ow, ow, OWWWWW!"
Amber eyes narrowed.
"Shut up," he growled, letting loose a snort. "Don't move your wrist until I get back."
"That hurt, asshole!" I snapped, nursing my screaming limb with a whimper. "Fuuuuck!"
I muttered a string of vulgar profanities while I waited, but what felt like only moments later, he came back with some sort of metal bar and a ball of white stuff. I warily watched as he squatted down and held his huge hand out, but he glared at me until I tentatively put my wrist in it.
I braced myself for more pain, but to my surprise, he set the metal against my arm and started wrapping it with what looked like medical tape. I stared at his hands as they wound the sticky, adhesive-like stuff around my wrist, then looked at his stony face.
Noticing my confusion, he curled his lip and said, "it's a clean break. I felt where the bone broke when I grabbed your wrist earlier and set it."
I stared at him blankly but said nothing since the gesture as a whole was pretty unexpected. For whatever reason, though, tears welled up in my eyes again and I abruptly felt overwhelmed so I covered my eyes with my free hand and clenched my teeth, mouth pulled tight.
In turn he said nothing, simply wrapped my hand up, taped some gauze to the punctures in my skin, rose to his feet, and walked into his room without a word. Why he left was beyond me but I was grateful to be alone, at least.
I needed time by myself after the fucked up night I'd just had.