Page 66 of Graced
Letting out a bark of laughter, Rhyne pointed to Welsh.“Let me guess.You’re pissed because they drank without paying you first.”
“That’sexactlywhat he’s saying,” Cargill confirmed with a growl.
Nodding, Rhyne smiled.“So Welsh, you’re more concerned about losing your little gold mine than you are about the ramifications of what you did back at the hospital.Have I got that right?”
Welsh sneered.“Admit it, Rhyne.The only reason why you followed us is because you were wanting to get your hands on her for yourself.You want her all for yourself.”His expression changed.At the same time, his eyes began to glow from the extent of his growing anger.“That’s why the cops are after us!You sicced them on us!You snitched on us!”
Rhyne’s own rage came to the forefront.“You brought the cops down us when you broke the cardinal rule!” Taking a deep breath, he stepped back, away from the door, until he stood underneath the pale wash of light coming from the night sky.“I declare the right of vengeance!Come out here and face me, Welsh!”
He expected the man to walk out of the shack.Not for Welsh to suddenly bolt toward him.Rhyne threw up his arms to protect his face and chest from the guy’s assault.Welsh’s nails raked down his skin, drawing blood.The man’s impetus kept him moving forward, and he slammed into Rhyne, knocking him off his feet.
Both men fell onto the ground.Welsh continued to slash at Rhyne’s face, aiming for his eyes.Rhyne struggled to push the man away, but he realized he was at a severe disadvantage.Because he hadn’t fed in a while, his strength was ebbing.It was all he could do to keep Welsh from ripping out his throat, or worse.
Rhyne saw an opening and took it, rolling out from underneath Welsh as the man tried to dig his fingers into where Rhyne’s chest should have been.Instead, his nails hit the dirt, and he snarled in disgust.He leaped to his feet and turned to go after Rhyne when he noticed Rhyne’s posture, how his roommate seemed to be struggling for breath, and he chuckled.
“What’s wrong, Rhyne?You look a bit peaked.Haven’t had your dose today?Haven’t been able to drink from your ripe girlfriend?”
“You killed an innocent man in front of witnesses,” Rhyne darkly reminded him.“You brought the law into this mess, and because you broke the cardinal rule, our kind are on the verge of being outed.”He pointed a finger at Welsh.“Because of you, our kind is about to be exposed, and we both know, weallknow how that’s going to end!”
“Don’t try to pin this all on me, Rhyne!”Welsh yelled back.“If you hadn’t sent the cops after us, none of this would have happened!They wouldn’t have rammed our car, and we could still be on our way out of state.”
“Speaking of cars…” Rhyne gestured toward Cargill.He didn’t address the man directly.He had to keep his eyes on Welsh.“Cargill, you’ve now been implicated by the cops.Because they know Welsh was in your car with you, that makes you culpable.They may even bring charges against you for being accomplices in the murder!”
Cargill snarled as the truth sank in.They’d not only lost their home and their jobs, they’d have to go elsewhere and assume new identities.Although it wasn’t uncommon for vamps with long lives to have to pull up stakes—no pun intended—and start from scratch with a whole new existence when they’d stayed too long in one place, it was a major pain in the ass.
Welsh gnashed his teeth.“If Rhyne hadn’t turned the cops on us, they wouldn’t have known where we’d gone!”
“If you hadn’t killed Norris in full view of a camera, you wouldn’t have fled town in the first place!”Rhyne called out.He could tell Cargill wanted to battle Welsh, but vamp law gave precedence to Welsh’s nest mates.Only when Welsh killed Rhyne would Cargill be able to step in.
Enraged, Welsh pivoted and launched himself at Rhyne, but this time Rhyne was ready for him.Half-turning, he jabbed the man in the throat with his elbow.Welsh let out a gurgling noise as his fingers met air, and he dropped to his knees.
Clasping his hands into a double fist, Rhyne raised it over his head to bring it down like a club over Welsh’s neck and spine, when Welsh grabbed him by the ankles and jerked his feet out from under him.Rhyne hit the ground flat on his back, momentarily stunning him.The next instant, Welsh was on top of him, pinning Rhyne’s arms in the dirt with his legs, and giving Welsh the advantage.Chuckling, Welsh reached down to drive his thumbs into Rhyne’s eyes.
The large rock came from out of nowhere, hitting Welsh on the side of the head.Before the man could react, an enormous tree branch appeared above him.“Rhyne!Move!” Nash screamed and brought the branch down on Welsh, crushing the back of the man’s skull.
Rhyne rolled to the side at the last second before Welsh hit the dirt.Breathing heavily, he watched as Nash slammed the branch into Welsh’s head and back repeatedly until the man no longer moved.Once Nash was certain their roommate was dead, he tossed the branch into a nearby clump of bushes and moved away from the growing pool of blood.
Rhyne coughed.“Thanks, Nash.”
The man grimly nodded.“He no longer has any power over me,” Nash stated, adding, “or over you or Grace.”
He walked over and offered his hand to Rhyne to help him to his feet.Bent over, Rhyne placed his hands on his thighs and gulped in several large breaths as he fought the mounting headache and fatigue.The last thing he expected was for a straw to suddenly appear in front of his face.
“I don’t know why I put it in my pocket,” Nash admitted.“But you’re welcome to use it.”
Rhyne turned his head to give his friend a grateful smile.It would be Welsh’s final degradation.A centuries-old vampiric tradition that Rhyne had witnessed but never partaken of.Not until now.
Taking the straw, he went over to the cooling body, dropped onto his knees, and bent over to drink his enemy’s blood.It was like inhaling energy.When he’d had enough, he shoved the straw into the dirt and stood to face Cargill.
“I wish there was a way I could make up for Welsh placing a target on your backs,” he told Cargill.
The man appeared to be studying him.“There is,” Cargill responded.“I want to taste your woman’s magic elixir and be able to see colors again, if only for a short while.”
“I’ll ask her if she’s willing to donate to you, but I can’t promise she’ll say yes.However, I know she regularly donates to the hospital where she works.She might be willing to donate a few extra vials that I can offer you.”
“What will it cost me?”Cargill questioned.Judging by the man’s body language, Rhyne believed he expected Rhyne to quote an exorbitant price.
“Your silence.”
