Page 32 of Killer of the Bells
Nine
ECHO
There was muffled thumping coming from somewhere, but I couldn’t have given less than a shit because I was cuddled up to something warm, grounding, and squeezing the ever-loving stuffing out of me.
I opened my eyes to see a bare chest I’d gotten to know intimately the night before. I squirmed until I was able to press a hand over Vale’s heart, wondering if it was the muted thumping I’d heard.
Did vampires have beating hearts? Popular media had mixed views on the matter, so only empirical knowledge was going to give me answers.
There was a steady rhythm under my hand, and Vale’s skin was warm, if a bit pale. My man was violating vampire lore left and right, but his heartbeat wasn’t the thumping in question.
Myman? Slow down there, heart. No need to get hasty. I was there for a good time, not a long time.
Vale was clearly one of the magic beings running around the valley I lived in, and a goodly portion of them seemed to be immortal in one way or another. The way Vale spoke with a muddied variety of expressions and accents told me he was very likely one of the long-lived varieties.
If Vale was trapped in the world indefinitely, he didn’t need to get caught up with someone like me. Especially not if he was as unhappy to be alive as I was.
Well, as unhappy as I usually was. Being snuggled up to a vampire who had just fucked my brains out was far better than life generally got for me, and I was wallowing in the afterglow.
But afterglows always faded, and cold, harsh reality always took their place. I knew it would be better for both of us if nature took its course and Vale killed me before he caught feelings.
It didn’t matter if I caught feelings. Having someone I cared about send me off to my dead loved ones sounded like the perfect way to go.
And let’s face it, I was catching a feeling or two for Vale. He was beautiful, fascinating, and don’t even get me started on his hair. It was a work of art, and I was its number one fan.
The muffled thumping started up again, and the door began to beep. Unlike the thumping, the beeping didn’t come and go. It was continuous and grew louder as time passed.
I tapped Vale’s chest, “Hey, sleepy. Get up.”
There was no response. My tap turned into a light punch, but Vale was dead to the world.
The noise by the door was impossible for me to sleep through, but Vale seemed to have no trouble. Vampire lore said they sleep during the day and can’t be roused, but that didn’t apply to Vale. When we’d run into each other earlier, it had been late afternoon, and while he hadn’t seemed excited about being in the sun, it hadn’t hurt him, and he’d been enthusiastically active when he was rearranging my guts a few hours ago.
Besides, it was probably nighttime. Vampires weren’t supposed to sleep at night.
I punched Vale again, only harder, and I finally got a muttered, “Fuck off, Gareth,” before he rolled over, freeing me from my trap.
“I’ll just get the door, then, shall I?” I asked, not yet realizing how odd that was for me. I was sleepy too, okay? And I’d had a long series of bizarre events happen over a short period of time. I should be forgiven for being stupid.
Vale gave me a few incoherent syllables, which I interpreted to mean,“Your ass was so dazzling earlier that I’ve been incapacitated, so if you could be a dear and get the door, I’d be ever so grateful.”
So, I got up, took the blanket with me, leaving Vale bare-assed and curled up to fend for himself.
I went to the door and saw that it had a touch screen next to it that was flashing. The text on it read:
Emergency protocol activated. Door will open automatically in:
5 seconds…
4 seconds…
3 seconds…
2 seconds…
Oh shit. My sleep and sex addled brain finally clued in to what was happening, just as the counter hit one and the door slid open.
“I know you don’t like to be interrupted, but we need to get the body out before it starts to smell… Oh, hello, Echo. You’re looking refreshingly alive for someone in your situation.” Baz reached out and took my hand, shaking it vigorously.
