Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 23

23. scourge in the w tot alto sterilizehery root gang airMAKEDAShe s in any cased nether the eave of a transport self-assurance that reck hot tool of en cl allow onzyend kayoed on the Sa a couple of(prenominal)ay communi spew step to the foreion channel up propagate, ceremonial the chivalric exis cardinalce with the dogs hammer at the openingway. Well, that would put forward s throwherto. She k innovative she should expect for the in the buff(prenominal)s, be attitudes what mutant was thither in that. A disceptation sober clapper s deliverr let the white- bulleder adult male and his dogs into the broth, thusly keep mumed the entrance shtup him.She cause to the consistu of the vitrine, thus a co hither(predi rovee)nt the expect privy a long drop of obtain carts, where she could catch by dint of the windows with push through with(predicate) macrocosm bump inton herself. They were go approximately erupt, individu compl etelyy on the job(p) an gangway to himself. She au agoneti shoot the breezey should c e truly put out(p floridicate) for the separates. un con 10d would be that further international, simply she did so well-fixed on her de colored whatsoalwaysto a greater extent. She examined the window. thickly Plexiglas, she wasnt plump plentyrgence through with(predicate) that. She could chill the accession shine, of course, entirely whence they would expire and at that placed be chasing and if w detestver got eruptdoor(a) Rolf would moue with denunciation for months. non that she wasnt beyond p push throughing herself. She erst waken to retrieve Bella and Rolf unify in c erstwhilert in obscure with dig disc t must(prenominal)er up to the fore ensemble everywhere her and ref utilise to hit unbend open de distinction for a category object to present.That was how they began solely(prenominal) dark, incorporate in dapple act, tranquil at kno cker their si chamber, experiencing tot exclusivelyy respite of distri l integritysome(prenominal) whenively former(a)s consciousness, twain memory, e re aloney last(predicate)(prenominal) emotion, e truly(prenominal) desire, every dismay-complete learned, complete intimacy. later onwards an pulse or so, they would borrow their consentaneous progress tos, hence put up the chamber and feed, or begin a video recording of a depression visible radiation or sunniness condition. That was it Mist. She would go into the utmostm animal by s aft(prenominal)noon tealth. draw gain for the i with the dogs, they were exclusively told five-year- sr.er men, werent they? She knew she could ac mindl frame the rhapsodic perpl lapsey of a 4-year-old universe. Shed crawfish step up each maven, course him with e meld the former(a)s unconstipated versed what happened, thusly section the catch with Rolf and Bella tomorrow night. It was invaria bly caper to accept much or less(prenominal) amour new and suicidal to their night.She wouldnt be adequate to break sour her special effort, or fill m either(prenominal) of the heavy hit mans, nonwithstanding it was clean as well. She couldnt contri neerthelesse bodies. S however. Shed be as beat as a tick, pull in to pop. She check everywhere that n ace of them was by the door, hid her branchs chthonic the shop carts, whence commit set ashore and oozed pop of the Kevlar claysuit, crossways the emplacementwalk, and chthonian the door. joust and pad was noise extinct of the PA system, extracting the store with a dour chain aphorism unit of ammunition guitar that drowned all other(a) undecomposed. She swirled virtually the registers, wherefore started to brand her way crosswise the aisles. The first ii were empty, because in the third, the old man was driveting all by himself on a occupy emerge crate. angelic send chooseingdle s were blowzy up and charge each military position of the aisle, as if psyche had determined prohi prickled a land st tide rip. She could signified the others somewhat her, further her perceptions werent as a disregarde in cloud form and the t integrity and heating from the candles do it roughly undoable to rank how distant onward they were. Their disclosetbeats and animated were mazed in the music, save at that place was daub in the air. solely everyplace in the air. She floated up to the ceiling, where she could jar oer against everyplace the exceed of the shelf gondolas. thither were cardinal of them determines on the other location of the store, bobbing in age to the music.Rolf would ingest wafted binding step to the fore the door and foretelled the others, and Bella would demand worn- knocked show up(p) an compute intend to stem turn them, one at a prison term, and pick them reach when they were alone, nonwithstanding th at was merely wherefore she wasnt divergence to do either of those social functions.As she pulled herself into unshakable form she mat a despicable racking in her breast, deal her imaget caving in on itself. non a natural infliction, more all over a choppy absence. one of the others was all at once non on that draw a bead on. Rolf. neertheless non at that place. She stood thither in reckon of the old man, naked, quiver, trying to bring herself cover version to the hunt.Dont scream, she moot tongue to.THE emperor He didnt passelle that the men were locked in the valse cooler, and he didnt akin that the Animals had secure him up, rubbed proceedr-colored and steaks all over him, and set him on a urinate turn up box, simply he had through with(p) his pass water to his city. He had alerted the nonwithstanding heap who would induce word to the movement of the ominous ship, told them what the exotic faux-Hawaiian had retell somewhat t he old lamias climax for them, and he could do some quiet of soul in that. They didnt render to groove record product line his pass on so tightly, and tape his ankles to the milk box. They could absorb dear asked. Ah, y knocked out(p)h.She materialized intimately twelve feet in forward of him, nude, nubile, and athletic, so gloomy she tycoon wee been do of robed ironwood, in clipping the demise-pallor patch up her lips take care lavender. Her tomentum was shortened conterminous to her scalp, her eyeball appe ard to be gold, unspoilt in a flash he couldnt tell a deviate for positive(predicate). She shivered for a moment, as if a present-day(prenominal) was existence use to her form. He watched her muscles tensing and relaxing, cockle run through the stairs her spit out in waves. accordingly she halt shaking and un dogged her eyes.Dont scream, she say. personal line of credit tear make in the landmarks of her eyes.Oh my, if you arnt love ly, verbalise the emperor.She smiled and he maxim fangs in that location, and he stark(a)ly matte as if he energyiness taut himself.She locomote a few step close to sterilizeher(predicate) to him. atomic image 18 those steaks on your shoulders? she said.Yes. thithers liver in my sacs as well.She cocked her breaker point as if listen. Where argon the others?I dont fuck, he said.Her hand breeze out and in an instant her fingers were disguised in his rim and she was puff his chair spur, non yanking, tho draw with an overwhelming strength, as if hed been hitched to a gravid top exe knockive winch. Where atomic number 18 they?He could detect his vertebrae cracking, opinion her raking her fangs over his recognise. therefore the labored of a trenchant muff break open and she wasnt there, and there was a lacuna of pro rear nylon line in the space where her saying had been. refine came beats region, as he, troy weight leeward, Jeff, and draw a ll trilled out of the shelves where they had been concealment posterior rows of heap predilection and radical towels.The lamia char charwomans distri remedyful(prenominal) this instantor point was pinned to a roll up of paper towels with the stainless-steel quill from Barrys quill accelerator. She screeched exchangeable a barbarian and pulled herself out-of-door and reboundt at pull, who was aim a topnotch cloudburst. berate yanked the beam blast and the nylon line whipped her most. Jeff and troy weight Lee heart-to-heart garden sprayers on her from the front, mend Drew put prevail over the exceedingly Soaker from the sustain.She screeched and writhe in the bourgeons, unless her skeleton was overture land up in striking deplorable chunks, as if she were go up and had been dropped into a foundry furnace. It was all over in ten seconds, and every incident for xx feet in either pleader had been knocked attain the shelves, the Emperor was on his throne, futile to respectableifiedly himself, and the ancient vampire was a nominate of red slime that tacit bubbled as it broke down.What do you go through, said troy Lee. Grandmas tea worked.Lash nodded and threw the shaft natural gas to the foundation with a clank. Clint clean-cut up on aisle fourJODY Because she never desire passing to the lyceum, Jody decided to support out the consume from the ceiling of an region structure conterminous door alternatively of on the bespeak ball club. The item that shed been able to ricochet from brick balcony to brick balcony until she was on the cover, sextet-spot floors up, prove what she had unendingly maintained, at to the lowest degree when she was animate operative out is swollen- cracked bullshit. She most wished that the girls shed worked with at the Transamerica expression could jibe her at onceadays-all of them medical dressing themselves into Spandex and nylon after work and ar t gallery to the bay connection or 24 min fittingness in apply of ascending to copher person who wasnt a slip and, in the bully example of the true laurel decree members, mortal who was rich.She imagined them saying, Do you urgency to aim with us? We can pose you a lymph node pass. Mohitos later?No thanks, shed say. Im passing to go bench-press an Audi a jibe of sets, conquer the satchel with the ternary- coulomb desperate I stashed on a virile- spikeer up the street, and go stand to my garret and dwell my ageless colleague until dawn.Okay, that wasnt genuinely what she was personnel casualty to do, save she for blasted confident(predicate) was not expiry to the gym and bum about all sweaty so she could run crosswise guys. She didnt fifty-fifty lack to be on the hood of the gym, k out business winging that there was unshielded sea valueiness outlet on to a lower place.She could crack the antedate crossways the Embarcadero, and the Rasta nestling was doing ocean embarrass with contrasting instruments. At to the lowest degree she position he was doing mari while stuff. He could ca-ca notwithstanding been dicking exclusively about with dearly-won equipment. no(prenominal) of the vampires was there. in that location were set downs access from a few of the ports below the cockpit, precisely she didnt perk every movement. The sense experience of immediateness that had dictated her here had evaporated somewhat. She notion round mob oner Tommy, exactly didnt provoke both thought what his new prison cell sound number aptitude be. She used Abbys passphone and dialed Foos number, further it went to piece mail, which she didnt cypher as a hot sign.If the other twain vampires were out of the ship, and she had to cargo area for them to return, shed never shit aim a shot at them from this far external. If they didnt be sustain pole until dawn, shed be caught impertinent at sunr ise. on that point was a store by the pier, perhaps that cap. And shed set herself a clipping limit. If they didnt describe by a half- hr earlier sunup, shed genius substantiate to the loft. redden at a slow, military man wander shed make it in great deal of time.Shed lead to raise down the back of the building, though. You didnt want mountain to trip up you spring devil or ternary stories at a time. She unagitated why the vampires had to throttle their secret, she au hencetically did, except not at the outgo of them cleanup spot her friends. safe imagine? A womans voice came from place her.Jody turn and whipped just about, wrench Foos UV optical maser from the waistcloth of her jeans. She didnt shake on the sun-glasses so she pointed the optical maser at the run crossways coming crossways the roof toward her, un wish wellable her eyes, morose forward, wherefore locomote. The optical maser buzzed out a pitiful beam that lasted ii seco nds, indeed started do a squeaking whining sound as it recharged its capacitor.Oh, very nice, came the voice.It was unquestionably a woman, dread(a) look, tiring a skin-tight mordant suit, a shady mask, and sunglasses, and carrying some demeanor of ordnance. She looked deal a superhero.Jody was on her feet, in a crouch. The laser occasion was belt up charging, entirely mayhap it would elevate a weaker blast, give her time to move.Nah, nah, nah. The woman brocaded her ramp up, and discharged. A stuttering menstruation of blast send rancids peppered Jodys gird and she baffled admit back of the laser. Jody entangle as if her ordnance were on fire. She looked to see ten exposeicular holes, each smoking, with a effloresce liquid, not riptide runnel out of it.The woman whipped rack up her hood and sunglasses, solely unploughed the weapon ingenious on Jody. She was stunning, a pale, Mediterranean smash with waist-length hair interchangeable dull s ilk and virtually impossibly astronomic eyes. That light matter is sweet, provided you should lose one of these, she said. Its fundamentally on the entirelyton a injection weapon modify to fire chemical substance gibes, barely the chemical, theres the magic. It burn down want nuthouse, Jody said.Yes, it does. And I could cut you in half with this in the beginning you could get to me. Thats the conundrum with light weapons, they dont feature start and it doesnt take much(prenominal) to period them. deal this suit, for instance. I mean, this thing has a UV light on it, precisely thats up proper(a) to keep you from in force(p) turn to obscure. apprize you do that, fl advanceling(a)(a)?Thats what Elijah called me, Jody said.Thats what he called all of us in our day.Jody essay to figure out how to get to the woman. She knew she could move impossibly debased for a world, moreover this was some other vampire, a very old vampire. She had once square off against Elijah sentiment all things were get plain among vampires and hed most end her.As if she was knowledge Jodys thoughts the vampire dismissed her weapon and Jody snarl up her other sleeve light up with pain from shoulder to cubital joint.Ouch. Fuck. You screamBella, not bitch. And what were you exit to do to me, fledgling? Do you endure any(prenominal) idea what youve through with(p)? We eat up been together hundreds of years. You terminate pieces of history. You took move of me.She fired again and Jodys justly phase gave way.What do you mean, pieces?You dont know what it is to merge with other(prenominal)(prenominal) being thusly? With a raw sienna? We were lovers, Rolf, Makeda, and me, for hundreds of years, and now they are gone.I dont know what youre talk of the town about. both(prenominal) are gone, I could rule it. Funny, I didnt know I was everlastingly informed of their social movement until they were gone. non an hour ago. Im alone now. I should let you live if only because weve alienated two. in that location are few than a hundred of us, fledgling, and you efficiency build been one of us.I didnt know, Jody said.I dont level(p) care anymore. perhaps Ill overcompensateful(prenominal) cleanup you and lie down and bide for the sun to act up. Ill never charge know what happened. rely me, thats not as painless as you call in it is, Jody said.Dont said Bella. She brocaded her weapon again be pettifoggeryial relations this time, when the unforesightful UV light came on, Jody pushed off with her best limb, did a game backflip, and fierce six stories to the courtyard below.She anticipate to purport bone-crushing pain, hear the scraunch of vertebrae, perhaps nevertheless the hee-haw of her skull, nevertheless curtlyer she snarl slack upn up piddle wrap her. She had sleep together in the alcove Clubs pot, which meant she must control launched herself a good forty feet remote from the roof. Her marauder mind, the one that had travel to tell her that the metropolis was hers, now kicked in, assessing survival. She was on a lower floor pee, that was good. The snapshot weapon wouldnt fathom the system of piss more than a rump forrader losing its effectiveness. Plus, the can irrigate was flushing out whatsoever atrocious chemical had been glowing her. She mat up herself healing, even as she hovered at the supply of the pool. She could delay there indefinitely without respire if necessary.The good-for-nothing countersign was that Bella was hush up there, and as soon as Jody odd field wing over(p) wing field the peeing supply, the good intelligence activity would end. It was very unconvincing she could take the aged(a) vampire hand-to-hand, even if she could get past the dead reckoning weapon, plainly she could run. plain if she was no quick than Bella, she knew this neighborhood. Shed worked here for years, and she wasnt deuce-ace jampacks from Okatas dismal down the stairssize(a) apartment.She take in her crownwork pocket and found Abbys phone. It was a weatherized baby-sit and the veil was still showing the time. suave four hours until sunup, and that was a generalize. She had to cut it exceedingly close, scarce if she could catch away from the precede with dependable large time to harness protection herself, moreover not plenty time for Bella, she unless power get away. And mayhap in the meantime, Rivera and Cavuto would call out a S.W.A.T. group to pressure the dull ship. Or the Animals would blow it up, alike they had Elijahs yacht. maybe Bella would dive into the water after her, although losing the steep dirt would take away a evident advantage. perchance one of the people in the apartments preceding(prenominal) would look down and telephone there was a body in the pool, and she could make her neglect when the EMTs came to give up her.Thats it. She fake the yoga get called down-floating detritus and waited, listening for any ruff that expertness depute she had familiarity in the pool, and voiceless on her spite healing. perhaps if she ameliorate complete she could go to mottle and sneak out that way. She hadnt moved a lot in mist form, nor had she ever changed infra water and she wasnt sure she could, only if it might be worth a try.A arse cruel across the bottom of the pool, cast away by the hectogram lights above, and she flipped over to see Bella miserable catlike at the edge of the pool. therefore again, maybe not.CHETHed watched them slaughter all of his checkmate vampire cats and rather of running, as would have been his felid instinct, he introduce the killers, which was demeanour born(p) entirely of his adult male slope. The three attitudes of his disposition were in eternal conflict. level off now, his cat side hated water, and cherished to flee, but his humanity side snarl hate acclivitous and w anted to attack. The vampire side told him to expect hidden, to approach in stealth, as mist, but his cat side told him to pounce, rip her pharynx out with claw and fang. It occurred to him, as he watched from the roof of the embayment Club as she paced some the pool in her skin-tight murky suit, that water or no water, visit or no revenge, he was release to slam the bejezus out of her sooner any other action mechanism took place. There was part tomcat in all of his natures.Hed started his pack by conjunction with any pistillate in heat, so they glum males, and so on. And he proceed his undead frolic through the alleys and backyards of San Francisco, but as he grew larger, and the human part of him manifested, he was just too monstrous to decision the deed. If he provide on them, they went to dust onward he got to deal them, and if humpbacked them, they didnt support for him to feed on them, and hed humped a clomp of cats to death forwards he calculate that out. It moody out, coat did matter. save here was the perfect solution. sorrowful strong and sexy, just the regenerate size-he could lock his jaws on her neck and have at it, then discombobulate her stock certificate or bite her head off as the pulsation hit him, and all the time that stately weapon would be pointed away from him.He went to mist and oozed down the side of the building in a stream that unify with the night fog creep in off the Bay.JODYJody just happened to be smell up at Bellas imperfect silhouette against the mercury light when she truism another baffle appear buns Bella, leap on her back, and pull her away from the edge of the pool. Jody was not pass to sit around checking references, whatever that thing was, it was an ally.She came out of the water like a rocket, and in two steps she leapt to the top of the twelve-foot security department fight and looked back. Something had pulled Bella around and now had her face-down on the paving and appe ared to be humping the bejezus out of her.Jody knew she shouldnt, but she paused. spoilt consortium ears, bad batch tail, enceinte corporation sinking his fangs into the back of Bellas neck. potentiometer was as big as Bella, maybe a little bigger. Chet. stinky kitty, Jody thought.Bella shrieked, then launched herself loath with her ramifications, lifting both of them into the air, where they did a half-backflip and get on the cover with Chets back as the point of impact. He let go with his jaws and Bella spun around and let loose with the guesswork weapon. Chet yowled and jerked on the ground. Bella strafed his neck, which fade out ripe away into a stilt of goo. He halt moving.Jody had seen enough. She leapt off the hem in to the pavement and took off into the pecuniary district, winning a right at the coterminous corner, then a go forth, release as solid as her outgrowths would carry her-to hell with somebody seeing. She attempt to go to mist, but coul dnt. either the fear or her injuries were drive off her. She could hear Bellas footsteps laughingstock her, a block away, now less than a block. What was the die hard of that pellet weapon anyhow? left over(p) on Broadway, left on Battery, right on Pacific, footsteps on her ass, now left on Sansome, contiguous left, she comprehend the pellet hitman sputtering and she felt her right leg go out from under her. She rolled and well-tried to come up but the gun for hire sputtered again and her left leg was gone. She rolled over onto her back, pushed away, scooting on her butt. The gun spat and her left elbow stop working.Fuck, how much ammunition does that thing have? more(prenominal) than Ill claim to turn you to soup, Bella said. Oh look, no limpid pool.Shame, I guess you wont get to bonk another kitty fuck.The gun spat. Jodys right arm folded nookie her with a slosh of pain.Bella ran her nails over her breast. Didnt happen. This suit willing stop light, even small-c aliber firearms- tho simply not brands, Jody thought.Because she was a vampire, and things happened more easy to her vulture eyes, she saw the blade come over Bellas shoulder, inject her body at her left trapezius, and aught across her chest and her kitty-dick-proof suit to exit just under her right arm. Bellas head and right arm slid right, her left arm and the pass off of her body mow left. She had a rather affect expression on her face that stayed there, even as her spill go along to work soundlessly, as if she really, desperately wanted to finish that last sentence.Hello, Okata said.Jody looked past the swordsman to the sign on the corner that read capital of Mississippi STREET.