Page 2 of The Vampire's Thirst
Damn.
Veering into the thicket, he parted tall shrubs when he burst ahead. Dodging fallen tree trunks along with scattered boulders, Dax tried to lose the unwanted traffic. He risked another backward glance. They were still coming strong.
His pursuers must not have spent the night sucking on some opium strung-out blud whore’s throat while pumping off to Imagine Dragons’ “Believer.” They had probably eaten a nutritious breakfast. Too bad his mother hadn’t been the type to nurture him with a hearty bowl of oatmeal and a push onto life’s right path.
While he navigated a steep incline, he tapped the D-chip implanted in his wrist to call his partner, Scion Firebrand Tyr.
No response.
Dax messaged him through the link which connected their brains to the chip.Where are you? I’m being chased by three asshole drug dealers in Arisen Dawn uniforms. I can’t trace away because a fucking warlock spelled me.
With his vampire powers negated, Dax tried his backup. He tapped his wrist. The multifunctional implant allowed him to shadowflash, like his now-useless vamp gift. He chose the top of the hill where he saw the shade beneath a large tree. In an instant, he was there. When he materialized, he rested palms on his knees, gasping for breath. When he twisted his neck to have a look-see, the three pursuers popped out of the mist like tics.
Impossible.
Not only did the warlock block his innate vampire abilities, but he obviously had a top-notch tracking spell in play or a device similar to the Firebrands’ chip.
What if I jump to Earth? Unlikely they can follow me there.
Again, he called Tyr.I’m heading to a portal and Earth. Contact you from there if I get across without my tag team. Over and out.
Not paying attention, Dax nearly ran into a tree. He wove around it to keep on hustling. His followers had dropped off a bit. Hoping they were wearing out, he plowed through a low bush.
If he reached the portal before Larry, Schmuck, and Curley, he could get to Earth. Where? Somewhere isolated.
In a previous visit Earthside, during one of his required walk-about stints, he’d camped out in Idaho. Good locale. Few humans. A nearby gateway.
Jumping a boulder and running around a tall shrub, he tapped his chip. Still no answer from Tyr. Dax wondered if his warlockfreronwas punishing him for all the calls he’d ignored while distracted by O blud or by just plain being a snarly dickhead.
The portal was ahead. Almost there.
Once through the entrance, he tapped his wrist, somersaulting through the Whorl to Earth, the rough ride scrambling his brains. Vampires weren’t meant to travel this way. It was unnatural. After he landed in a cave in the woods as planned, he shook his head to clear it. Outside, he scanned the area. Not a human in sight. So far, so good.
He scrubbed a fist across his jaw, trying to jar his memory. On Scath, Dax had watched his soon-to-be pursuers from cover while they talked to a male peacocking it in a sports car. The guy handed off a package to the warlock. The prick in the sleek auto was familiar, but he couldn’t place him. Maybe he should stow the walk down memory lane until he wasn’t being chased.
Good idea.
Dax took cover while he eyeballed the gateway. What the…? One demon scrambled out of the cave. The other dealers wouldn’t be far behind. With little time to wonder how they’d acquired portal jumpers which could track him, he was sprinting again.
It was all about power and stamina now. So he really regretted his vices. The drugged blood. The lack of sleep. Not enough food. Too much pussy. Not working out with hisfreronsto build strength. His life was about to take a left turn onto shit road. At least he wasn’t leaving anyone behind who would miss him. Maybe his sister Bounty. But she was better off without him.
That’s when the demon snagged his shoulders, tackling him to the ground. Big mutherfucker.
From a less-than-auspicious position flat on his back, Dax threw out both legs to spring upright. When the bigger-than-a-Stryker-tank demon charged, the Firebrand landed a scissor kick to the male’s chin. Crunch. Bones splintered.
With his fingers moving his jaw back into place, the guy rushed forward only to be taken to the ground by Dax’s swift footwork.
Grasping his assailant by the shirt, the vampire Firebrand pulled him up onto wobbly legs where he slammed a fist through the guy’s chest. Dax stared at the beating heart before he popped the organ between his fingers. When he shook his hand, crimson goo splattered in the air.
Aeternals could survive most injuries, other than those which left them with no heart or no head. Those were no-goes. Fast trip to the Evermore. Being engulfed in flames didn’t work out well either.
Before Dax could enjoy the kill, the second demon wrapped him in a headlock. With an arm thrown behind him, Dax tossed the male overhead.Whoomph. His pursuer shot to his feet. The two exchanged fists to noses, jaws, and ribs before the vampire Firebrand planted a side-kick to his opponent’s ear.
The demon leapt back, holding his head as if it rattled. Then he came at Dax with the works. A foot to the gut, a jab on the chin, a one-two punch to the face. The vampire took it all, but bells were ringing with each hit from the giant’s meaty knuckles.
Fire shot from his opponent’s hand.
Fuck.
