A Tale of Revenge Ch. 05-07

"I am now," I answered, pulling him next to me and kissing his cheek. "Thanks honey."

Ryan rolled his eyes, staring at me like I was nuts. "We've got to get out of here, Raina."

"I still have something I have to do." I nodded my head towards James who was just standing up from where Ryan had knocked him with the bike. He had a scrape on his face from one of the tires, and I watched in disbelief as it healed with a shake of his head.

"Okay, babe, but get it done. We're about to have company."

I took a deep breath and let the power of the crucifix flow from deep inside of me. It was golden and beautiful, powerful beyond the telling. I reached into my pocket for my stake, not noticing the gore that was still on it from Marina and the artist, instead, I flipped it from one hand to the other.

"Come on, James, let's get this done. I've got a man to thank for saving my neck."

"You've gotten over me pretty quickly, Raina. Are you sure you ever loved me?" He pushed his hair back from his forehead, a gesture that brought back a few memories that I ruthlessly squelched.

"You got over me in seconds, James. You didn't even look back." Sarcasm covered my tone, I couldn't help but dig. "And now your girlfriend is a splat on the sidewalk, not much different than the Kamikaze bugs I scrape off my windshield."

"One bite and I find myself a new girlfriend, Raina. It could have been you, it could still be you..."

"No thanks," I interrupted. "I'm not much into sloppy seconds." I twisted my head, cracking my neck and then cracking my knuckles, classic geek crack and hack movements. "You wanna stand around and talk or can we do this?"

I saw the move in his eyes before he made it. He rushed me, his arms out. I let him get close and then stepped to the side, going under his arm and into his stomach with my fist then grabbing his arm and twisting, flinging him back in the direction in which he came. The move, which would have had a living human on the ground struggling for breath, instead had him careening into the wall, before he turned back around. His eyes gleamed evilly and I felt the niggling tingle in my brain.

Shaking my head, I raised my finger and waggled it at him. "No, no, no, you did it once. I'm not dumb enough to fall for it again. Get out of my head, James."

"I'm not in your head, baby," he said, smiling as he looked past my shoulder.

I turned and caught a flash of something just as a board came down against the side of my head, striking my shoulder. It didn't knock me off my feet, but I stumbled for a moment before getting my hand up to stop the next blow, tearing the board out of Ryan's hands. He swung at me then, and I managed to duck under it, grabbing his wrist and spinning him, pushing him against the wall hard.

Keeping one eye on James, I pushed my body against Ryan's, forcing him to stay pinned against the wall. "Wake up, Ryan. Dammit, you gotta wake up!" He struggled and I had to push against him harder. "I'm sorry to do this Ryan, but you leave me no choice." I took his head and knocked it against the wall, just hard enough to knock him out, hoping I hadn't done any other damage.

Ryan slid down the wall, limp, and I let him go, turning back to James. "Now it's just you and I, asshole. You're making this easier for me with every stunt you pull."

"But love," he said, his tone mocking, "wouldn't you rather make love than fight?"

"I've changed, James. I'm a fighter, not a lover." Flipping my body away from Ryan, I managed to get close enough to James, straight arming a blow into his face that flipped him back. He landed on his feet, wiping his chin where cold, black blood ran from his lip.

"And you hit like a girl, Raina." He came at me, incredibly fast, his hand whipping out to smash against my cheek. I saw stars, felt the skin start to swell and the pain caused my eyes to tear. But I stayed on my feet and managed to duck under his next blow. Spinning away, I laughed, putting everything I had into it. "You say I hit like a girl? What, did you forget how to work out since being dead? Or were you too busy getting laid and then killing your lovers when they complained about your lack of ability?" I spit out the blood that had filled my mouth, wiping the rest away with the back of my hand.

"I don't remember you complaining," he said but I knew I had struck a nerve.

"Well you know, Mom's golden rule. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." I bounced on the balls of my feet for a moment and then motioned him forward. "Not that I mind the conversation, I could insult you all day, but I'd like to get this over with. I have to get my guy over there home and in bed."

James attacked, his teeth bared, an insidious growl hissing from his mouth. I ducked under his arm once more, following him with a roundhouse kick that struck him in the back of the head, sending him reeling into the wall.

His head bounced off the brick with a hollow sound.

"You remind me of a dog I had once," I said, still baiting him. "He was a fierce. Yorkshire Terrier and a whole seven pounds, he scared me silly when he growled, sounded just like you."

He pushed from the wall and turned, flying at me. I readied myself to duck under him once more when he stopped and grabbed me, pinning me against his chest. The crucifix flashed, its light glowing fiercely, burning his hand and making him scream in pain. But he didn't let go. I felt his mouth, moving from my ear to my throat and I struggled harder, desperate to escape the fate he had destined for me, as that of his mate, to take Marina's place.

My struggles didn't seem to faze him and he pushed my head to the side, baring my throbbing pulse to his eyes and his teeth.

A cold dampness pressed against my throat and I felt his tongue, rubbery and icy, lap at my skin. I tried to bring up my arm, the stake in my fist but it was impossible. He hit my hand and the stake went clattering out of my reach, leaving me defenseless.

Teeth pressed against the taut skin of my throat, sharp and unrelenting until I felt him bite deep. I heard the ugly sound of his gulps in my ear as he began to feed.

His scream of pain shocked me. I felt him throw me away and I landed hard against the brick wall, holding on to it with my fingers to keep myself upright. Turning my head, I saw Ryan, a thin trickle of blood dripping from a wound on his head, my stake in his hand as he stepped back away from James' writhing form.

Ryan gestured to me and I came toward him, taking his hand that he held out. He tucked the stake back into my pocket where it belonged and picked up the bike. "We've got to get out of here, we've got more company coming."

I climbed on the back of the bike and we raced out of there just as James' body exploded in a shower of splinter sharp bones and gore.

We helped each other inside the warehouse and he doused the bite marks on my neck with holy water. I felt the scream inside of me as the demon who had sought refuge in my body died. And then I bandaged his head, before we crawled into his bed.

I had to ask. "Why did you come after me?"

"I woke up and knew you were in trouble. Don't ask me how I knew, I just did." He blew out a breath as if admitting anything cost him dear. "God, Raina, do you know how stupid what you did tonight was? He'd have killed you if I hadn't gotten there."

Stupid? I was stupid? "What about you, riding in there on that damn bike like you did? You could have broken your neck sliding it into him like that. And where did you get that bike, anyway? I've never seen it around here."

"Never mind where it came from," he grumped. No way was he showing her the cars he had available to him. She'd want to drive them. "And I've been driving motorcycles since I was little, I can handle them. But you weren't strong enough to go up against two vampires of that strength."

"Three," I said quietly.

"Three? Who's the third?" he asked, his voice raising.

"The artist, his body made a big splat on the white carpeting."

"Carpeting? What carpeting?"

"Damn, Ryan, you're beginning to sound like a parrot." I sighed and rolled over, putting my back to his front and snuggling next to him on the bed. "It's a long story."

His arm came around me, cupping over my naked breast as he got comfortable, spooning behind me. "We aren't going anywhere for a while, unless you have plans to go and find some more blood suckers to kill tonight."

"Nah, it's getting too late. They are all creeping into their coffins to sleep," I joked.

"I told you, they don't sleep in coffins," we finished the sentence together.

He kissed my hair and then my cheek. "I don't think I can handle you going out alone anymore, I don't think my nerves can handle it."

"You're just worried about what the next girl will be like that you have to train. She'll probably kick your ass if you try to climb into her bed like you do me."

"Wait a minute, woman. Whose bed are you in?"

"Oh, what does it matter? Just admit you love me and want me to stay with you forever and let's go to sleep." I held my breath, more scared at hearing his answer than I was at facing Marina and James.

He was silent a moment then his long fingers touched my cheek turning me until I faced him. He stared down at me, his eyes dark, his fingers stroking over my face. "I do," he said quietly, kissing me gently. "I didn't want to but I think I knew when I got your file that you were going to do me in."

I had to smile. "Is this a declaration of love, or are you talking about how I'm going to kick your ass tomorrow on the mats."

"If you'd shut up for a moment, maybe I could talk." He dropped a quick kiss on my lips. "I love you, Raina. I thought I did for a long time but when I woke up in that alley and saw him with his teeth at your throat, I knew for sure. If he'd changed you, I'd have found a way to be changed too, to be with you."

He kissed me then, not letting me tell him that I loved him too, a feeling I hadn't expected to have. It wasn't the same gentle feeling that I'd had with James. This was raw and all consuming, lust filled and hot.

And when his cock found my cunt, wet and needy, I cried out his name, my fingers gripping his back with a strength born of love and desire. Our lovemaking wasn't caring and gentle, or slow and loving, it was hot and passionate.

I felt no guilt at the feelings that Ryan pulled from me. I knew that if James could have spoken, he would want for me to live to the fullest. For the life I had chosen, the life dedicated to killing those that walked the night, was dangerous and filled with uncertainty. And while I walked those streets, searching out the blood suckers, I never walked alone, Ryan would always be there backing me up.