Page 43 of Until Forever Comes
“WELL,you’re pretty. I’ll give him that much.”
I shot up in bed and scrambled as far as I could from the stranger sneering down at me. Well, he wasn’t really a stranger. I mean, he’d torn into me, pinned me to a wall, and watched me nearly bleed out as he tried to kill me. I supposed that meant we were somewhat acquainted.
“What are you doing here?” I asked Ralph as I grappled for the blanket and pulled it up to my chin.
“I think the more interesting question,” he said as he stepped closer, “is what you’re doing here, dog.”
I was in the corner of the room, an angry vampire between me and the door. Things could have been better.
“This here is Miguel’s room,” I answered.
“Yes.” Ralph put one foot on the mattress. He was fully dressed, shoes included. That there was just poor manners. “It is Miguel’s room.” His second foot joined the first. I hoped he hadn’t stepped in any mud. “And yet you’re here. In his bed.” He shoved his foot under the blanket, kicked it up, caught it with his hand, and then yanked it off me. “Naked.”
I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, shielding as much of myself as I could from his prying gaze.
“Well?” he said.
Was he expecting me to say something? Because I hadn’t heard a question in there. It seemed he had summed things up quite nicely. Plus, anything I could have said was right likely to antagonize him further. I was young, not stupid, so I kept my mouth shut. Seemed to me from the little bit I knew about this particular vampire, that there was a lesson he could have taken to heart.
I heard a door open and somebody running down the stairs. I already recognized Miguel’s gait, both by sight and sound, so I knew it wasn’t him. I must have been really out of it to have slept through Ralph’s descent into the basement. Miguel had been right to tell me I needed sleep.
“Ralph?” That was Ted’s voice. “Hector said you were down here.”
I was guessing Hector was one of their vampire friends. I’d never received formal introductions.
“In here,” Ralph shouted over his shoulder.
Ted came running in and stumbled to a stop just inside the doorway. “What’s going on?” he said, looking back and forth between me, cowering naked in the corner, and Ralph, towering over me and tracking who knew what onto the mattress.
“I was just asking Miguel’s dog here the very same thing,” he said as he gestured to me with his chin.
It wasn’t technically a true statement. I mean, he’d said a few things, sure enough, but he hadn’t asked any questions. I reckoned correcting him would just rile him further, and seeing as how he seemed more than a bit off-kilter, I decided against it.
“Shit!” Ted said. “We have just enough time to find shelter nearby before the sun rises, but we can’t lose any more time.” He sounded downright panicked. “Come on, we need to leave now.”
Ralph crossed his arms over his chest. “Now why would we do that? I just got here and I’m in no rush to leave.”
“Are you kidding me?” Ted asked disbelievingly. He looked at Ralph like the man was just eat up with stupid. Which, bless his heart, seemed to be an ongoing problem. “When Miguel finds you here, hewillkill you.”
“Well, then, it’s a good thing he’s not going to find me, now isn’t it?” Ralph said darkly.
Ted’s jaw dropped. “What have you done?” he asked in a near whisper, fear laced through every word.
“I took care of our problem.” Ralph shrugged his shoulders and smirked at Ted, who seemed to be finding no humor in the situation.
“Our problem?” Ted repeated. “What problem?”
“What problem,” Ralph scoffed. “Your bossy unbalanced friend, that’s what problem.”
“Oh, fuck.” Ted’s face paled before my eyes, which was quite a feat because the man wasn’t exactly sporting a tan under the best of circumstances. “What have you done?”
“I just told you, I took—”
Ted moved forward and grasped Ralph’s upper arms, shaking him hard. I rather hoped it would bring the man to his senses, but to that point I’d seen neither hide nor hair of any sense nearby. “This isn’t a joke!” Ted shouted. “Do you have any idea who you’re messing with? Miguel Rodriguez is—”
“You have a thing for him, I get it!” Ralph said as he planted his hands on Ted’s chest and shoved him back. “But he’s gone, so you’re going to have deal with it and move on.”
“What, are you jealous?” Ted said, sounding truly surprised.
