Page 50 of Pleasantly Undead in Dark River

“I know. If it turns out I’m not Alexander’s progeny, I would feel sadder for him than myself. He’s so fucking lonely, Raine. So many centuries with no one. I can sense the hope inside him that it's true.”

My heart went out to Alexander, but I didn’t have the capacity to heal his centuries-old hurts as well as juggle all my own baggage. I was one woman, not JFK Airport.

I kissed him once more and went to work. The routine was becoming calming, and these quiet moments before we opened were kind of cathartic to me. Enit came over and started fixing the little jars of flowers in the middle of the table, working beside me, and it became even more special as I talked to her softly about all sorts of nonsensical stuff that kids loved.

The door opened and I looked up, smiling. “Sorry, we aren’t-” A strange vampire was across the room and had his hands around my throat in the time it took Enit to scream. My hand reached out, finding the pup and pushing her as far from me as I could in one movement. My other hand tried to work its way up under the vampires forearms and dislodge his grip, but he held on too tight. Still holding me by the throat, he dragged me from the cafe. My feet didn’t touch the ground as he sprinted away, dodging my swinging hands. He got to the edge of the town before Lucius stepped in front of him.

Any semblance of sanity was gone from his face now. There was only a crazed predator.

“Drop her, and I will make your death quick, Kevin.”

If I wasn’t about to die, I would probably laugh at a vampire named Kevin. As it was, I felt his fingers dig under my windpipe.

The vampire bared its teeth. “She is not yours, Lucius. If you can’t hold her, you cannot claim her.” That made no fucking sense, but I couldn’t protest as he squeezed my throat.

“SHE IS MINE,” Lucius screamed, and everything that was alive in the forest around us scattered.

“I will kill you and take her. Then I will come back and kill all the others who think they have a claim. I will relish in it. You and your family think you can take everything and the rules do not apply. But she will be mine!”

He sounded eerily sane, despite the fact his words were absolutely nuts.

Nico appeared behind us, a blunt icing spatula held against Kevin’s throat. Honestly. Who would ever think I’d have to witness this moment without laughing?

I knew that Nico had enough strength to cut off Kevin’s head with just a wooden spoon. A spatula may as well be a katana in his hands.

“Kevin, it's out of respect for our previous friendship that you aren’t dead already. But threaten my consort again, and I will hack your head off and piss on your cold, dead corpse,” Nico growled, and a shiver ran down my spine at the death in his voice.

Holy shit.

“I have none of your ethics, Brother. Kill him,” Lucius spat.

Kevin’s hand tightened around my throat, his nails piercing my skin. I wasn’t even a year into my undeadness. Would I survive having my throat torn out? His eyes flicked between the twins, one who basked in death and asked for no forgiveness, and the other always desperately clinging to the last of his humanity. He sneered in Lucius' direction, and I sensed the moment that his vengeance for whatever wrong Lucius had committed outweighed whatever friendship he’d previously had with Nico. I began to choke as his nails dug into my throat, and he flung me.

At the last minute, his hand went lax, and I gasped for air on the ground. Walker was there, his gun aimed toward us, and half of Kevin’s face was blown away.

Bits of brain matter had landed on my face, and I saw a chunk caught in my hair.

Nico was quickly on his knees in front of me, prying my fingers from around my throat.

When he saw the damage, or just the fact that my throat was still in my body, he sighed with relief. He bundled me into his arms, squeezing me tightly, until Lucius wrenched me away, snarling at this brother.

“Your hesitation could have gotten her killed,” he yelled at his twin, and Nico’s face went paler than it already was. The blue of his tribal tattoos stood out in bright contrast.

He looked panicked more than angry at the accusations. “I would never, ever let harm come to Raine.”

Lucius sneered. “We both know that is a lie, Brother. She has almost died too many times on your watch.”

Nico’s face contorted into rage. “One of those times was on your orders,” he spat back.

It was like a bubble came over the forest, sound drifting away as if we were suspended in time. Then the twins burst toward each other, Lucius dropping me as he launched at his brother with bared teeth and clawed hands.

Walker raced across the clearing, wrapping his arm tightly around my waist as he dragged me back towards the edge of the town. Nico and Lucius leveled ancient trees in their fight, their blows echoing around the clearing.

They were yelling at each other in a language that was probably long dead, as their fists and bodies tried to wrestle for control, for the ability to cause the most pain. I needed to stop this.

I opened my mouth to shout at them, but Walker slapped a hand across it. “They need this. It is a century overdue.”

When Lucius’ fist cracked a bone in Nico’s jaw, I turned away. I needed to be here, I needed to make sure no one went too far, but I couldn’t watch them cause injury to each other.

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