Page 38 of Pike

Until a hand caught her wrist mid-swing. A warm hand. A hand not attached to a ghoul.

“When are you ever going to learn?”

The next breath filled her body with relief so strong it tingled on the back of her tongue. Accompanied by regret. Desire. Too many emotions to put into words. She swung wildly and was unsurprised when his free hand closed around her fist.

“Enough, Lavinia.” The grim finality of his voice softened when their skin made contact. “It’s done.”

A phenomenal heat surged through his fingers and into her body, amplifying her already racing pulse and electrifying her blood. “Pike.” His name came out as half sob, sticking in her chest. A bead of sweat trickled down her temple.

She should have been proud to elude certain death. Maybe not certain death, but enough of a blow to the nervous system to have Pike wiping away the tears that finally sprang free. He released her abruptly and she lost her balance, staggering away. Ghoul ash and grime were soaked into her shirt. A large rent along the shoulder had the fabric hanging loose over her right arm.

She swallowed, staring at the damage and wondering, always wondering, how he’d managed to find her.

“Are you hurt?” he asked. He sounded weird. Preoccupied.

When she finally looked up at him, a muscle in his jaw tightened to the point she thought it would snap. “No.” It came out as a trembling whisper of sound. Luckily, the vampire had a keen sense of hearing.

“Let’s get you out of here.”

She fell back two more steps. Pike followed with arms outstretched, palms reaching for her. God, she wanted him to touch her. Wanted it more than… “I don’t need your help,” she grumbled.

His deep voice thrummed with agitation. “No, I can see that. By the time I followed your scent, you were three ghouls deep. I took care of the rest. I called out to you but you never answered. What’s going on?”

“I could have handled it,” she insisted.

“So I see. So you proved.”

“You should have left them all to me.” She swung around in a circle, not knowing what to do with her legs. Then skidded to a halt. “You have no business being here.”

“I should have left you alone, is what you mean.”

“Yes, leave me alone.”

He continued to watch her. “Sorry. I can’t do that.”

“Why not? Can’t find anyone else to dupe? You’re looking a little gaunt around the edges. Are those ribs I feel?” She jabbed at him.

“I deserve that” Pike’s spine straightened, as straight and rigid as a steel beam. “I deserve everything.”

“Ha. You have obviously been following me, but you really need to get over it. You said you’d never apologize, that day in your kitchen. So there’s nothing more to say.”

He grunted in response. Typical Pike.

Lavinia sighed and purposely lengthened her stride as she left the mausoleum and struck out across the cemetery. Her patience with the whole mess was wearing thin. Had she ever had the patience to begin with? She must have, to spin on the merry-go-round with him for the last two years. No apology in the world would be enough to have him crawling back onto her good side.

His longer legs ate up the distance between them soon enough. “Lavinia, wait.”

“How did you find me?”

“I told you. I followed your scent. It was easy. You have corpse on your face.”

She rolled her eyes and gave him her best I’m-going-to-punch-your-lights-out look. “What else is new. Silly me for thinking one shower a day was sufficient. Now go away.”

His nostrils flared. “Be mad at me if you want. I deserve it.”

She stopped. “Why are you suddenly changing your tune?”

“Maybe I had a long talk with a few people.”

---