Page 112 of The Vampire's Thirst
Dax snorted. “To set the record straight, my kind was on the planet long before you.”
“No shit. Speaking of fangs. Tell me you’ve already eaten.”
Dax grunted, patting his stomach. “I’m not too hungry. But they haven’t given me enough blood to heal fast.”
“How often do you feed? And, just to be clear, I am not on the menu.”
“You better hope they start wining and dining me in style, especially since I’m so fucked up. Otherwise, you’re gonna be breakfast.”
He pursed his lips. “Gotta say, I’ll fight fucking hard to keep you away from my neck, and I fight mean.”
“So do I. How’d they snag you?” Eyes open, Dax swung his feet onto the cot, stretching his legs, feeling pain from the gash along his calf.
“Near a Bozeman portal where a bunch of your mutherfuckers came through. I took some out, but they got me while my men and I were on a clean-up mission. The guy who brought me in was big.” The colonel snapped his fingers. “That’s where I’ve seen you. You crashed the party in Montana, signaled me to cut off my opponent’s head. Why?”
“Told you. We’re on the same team.”
The colonel braced his elbows on his knees. “Why would you help humans against your own kind?”
“Remember, Scion Firebrand.” Dax pointed a healed index finger at his Phoenix brand. “Our job is to keep order on Scath and Darque. When necessary, we protect human ass.”
“So, you’re in the protection biz?”
“Yep.” He smiled, his fangs cutting his lower lip. “When we lived together, we nearly ate all your kind. Tasty. We moved to Scath when the Blood Coven created the realms. After which, the Firebrands organized. Now this shit-storm threatens to cause all sorts of problems with the balance.”
“Nice fairy tale.”
“You want a fairy tale? I’ve got a good one about the big bad wolf. He huffs and puffs.”
“Heard it.” The human rose from his cot, hand out. “Colonel Garcia. Call me Matty. We might become best friends. That is, if you don’t bite me.”
Dax shook his head. “I’m not so fond ofHomo sapiensas nourishment.”
Except Chiara.
“So how do we escape?”
“I’m busy working on a plan.” He got horizontal and crossed his arms under his head.
****
Whena metal door clanged open and shut, Dax’s eyeballs tracked three Aeternals who pounded toward the cell.
“The big fucker in the middle is the guy who captured my ass.” Matty’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“Busy male. He snagged me, too.”
“Morning, fellas.” The shifter-whatever fisted the silver bars. “We’re gonna have a play date. You first, vampire.”
“I’ve been to the party. No thanks. Besides, my previous date was prettier.”
The asshole signaled the two demons beside him. They marched into the cell, but before Dax could charge, they shot him with electrodes from their tasers. Like a meteorite caught in Earth’s atmosphere, he went down.
Spasms jerked his body across the floor, his boots tapping an erratic rhythm. Then lights out.
Feet shuffled across the concrete. A door crashed. Open or shut? He didn’t know. His lids were heavy sheets of sandpaper, but he scraped them open. Trussed and naked, he was in a cold concrete room chained to a chair sitting atop a drain.Not good.He didn’t think he was here for a shower.
When he tilted his chin up, he saw hooks hanging from the ceiling. Behind him, chains dangled from the wall.Sweet. A torture chamber. His stepfather would have been amused to see Dax here.
