Chapter Three
Say what you like about undead fiends, no one can accuse me of not being a vampire of my word.
I didn't bother to pretend I was not enjoying myself. There was something so very satisfying in being the servant of justice.
Seizing the paretic piece of filth by the scruff of the neck, I heaved him up one handed. Big and brawny, he must have weighed more than 18 stone of pure muscle, but in my grasp, he was little more than a child. His remaining hand fumbled for his knife, but it was of little consequence. That butter knife would have served him no better than it had his dead friends.
“W-w-what are you?” he choked out the words.
The stain of blood was thick in the air, and I knew I should feed while there was still some life in his veins, but the thought of feeding on that. It was enough to turn the stomach.
“I’m hungry.”
His eyes widening, Web screamed and the metallic scent teasing my fangs was suddenly cut by acid. He’d pissed himself.
One swipe was all it took. The screams died in a gurgle as I tore out his throat and dumped his carcass to the ground, to rot with the rest of the filth.
When the last of his life’s blood had bled away, I turned to Kate, but she had slumped to the ground. Head back. Eyes glazed.
I felt a momentary spark of concern, however a quick check revealed that she had only fainted. Hardly surprising really, given what she had just witnessed. Shredding her bonds, I traced my thumb down her jawline and to her neck, fingering the pulse of her veins pumping hot blood just beneath the surface of her skin.
I mustn’t leave her here. If the law found her there, they would likely try to pin all the deaths on her. Girl slays three, possible self-defence, made a much better story in the papers than murdering vigilante on the loose, police baffled. If she tried to tell them what she saw, they’d just stick her in a madhouse. And if she didn’t, if by some miracle she got away, she’d probably end up there anyway.
She’d seen what lurked in the shadows, up close and in vivid gory detail. She might never get another night’s sleep again.
Or she might not live to see the dawn.
“Ahhh little rabbit, you’re proving to be a lot more trouble than I bargained for.” Rising to my feet, I scooped Kate into my arms and thought of home. “Typical woman.”
Together our bodies slipped into mist.