Page 34 of Heart of Dawn
Joe’s left arm dropped. I managed to punch his mouth. His head snapped back, the rest of him taking a backward tumble. He landed in a heap on my legs, thrashing angrily.
I’m sorry…
I kicked him off me, leaping to my feet. He rolled, getting on all fours.
Offering up another apology, I kicked him in the head. The poor guy went down hard, not moving.
Shit. I knew he wasn’t dead. He was still breathing, and you didn’t kill a vamp by using its head as a football. Zombies ended by shutting down the brain.
Hopefully, Joe would keep his brain intact. But if I had to stop him from?—
Don’t think about it…
Daria jumped back up, blood gushing from her broken nose. She hissed, a puff of pink condensation passing her lips.
“Fight it!” I yelled, trying to reach her. Was she still in there, or had Dawn killed her and reanimated her like a human?
Dawn erupted with laughter from the direction of the ladder.
Yeah. So hilarious.
Daria hissed again, darting forward, only to come to a juddering stop after a few steps. She staggered, clutching at her chest.
Shit. What now?
“Miko…” she whispered, hunching over. “I…”
“No!” Dawn bellowed from the ladder, the horde hissing in response.
I stepped forward. “Fight it, Daria.”
This was a good sign, right? This meant Dawn still wasn’t quite strong enough to take over supernaturals. That was my theory, anyway, and I was lucky enough have an extra Orion boost to get its arse.
Daria whimpered then retched. Nothing came up.
“You are mine!” Dawn cried. “You are mine! You are mine! You are?—”
Daria retched again, a stream of pink vomit exploding out of her.
The ladder rattled and clanged, appearing to come loose at the top.
Come on, Daria. Come on.
The vampire puked her guts up five times in a row until a puddle of pink goo sat at her feet. It faded to black, steam curling from it. She gasped, her breathing labored.
I went to her, ready to knock her out if she attacked me. But when she lifted her head, her eyes were back to their regular purple hue.
“Miko…” she rasped.
We didn’t have much time. “Can you walk?”
She straightened, rubbing her stomach. “I think so.”
Joe stirred, groaning. That same pink liquid poured from his open mouth, quickly turning black.
“My vampires!” Dawn wailed, a bolt pinging free from the top of the ladder.
“Thank goodness,” Daria said, heading for Joe.
