Page 83 of Bite of Passage
“Shampoo.Not sure you have that here, but maybe I can work out something with the mages or witches who can go between realms and have one bring some back.Also, I need dental care items.I’m not going to be using twigs and baking soda.I’ll use the same plastic toothbrush for ten years before I do that.”
“Since your change, you smell incredible.”He rolled her a bit and moved the hair off her neck to kiss her.
“Don’t start.There’s no room under here for anything, let alone get our clothes off.”
“Sleep.I’ve got you for now.”
“Are you going to leave before I wake up?”
“Perhaps.I can move in daylight a bit.I need to get to the church right at sunset.If I’m not here, stay inside the room.I’ll return as soon as I can.”
“In one piece.Promise me you’ll come back alive.”
He kissed her neck but didn’t reply.It wasn’t a promise he could make.
ChapterThirty-Four
Pound.Pound.Thwack.
Gemma blinked to alertness and whacked her head on the underside of the bed frame.
Ouch.
Rolling out from under the bed, she tried to make sense of the sound.
No Skarde.
Holy shit.That was the edge of an axe coming through the door.
Thwack.Thwack.
Angry voices chanted, “Kill the vampires!”
The sun was within minutes of setting.Kind of freaky she could sense it, but right now she thanked her luck for the ability to know.She reached for the window, but a small bit of sun hit her fingertip.Her skin sizzled.She stuck it in her mouth to soothe the burn and glanced around.
She’d been good and remained all last night, then slept the day.He hadn’t kept his promise.He hadn’t returned.
There was nothing remotely useful in the room to protect herself.No weapons.
Once the sun set, she could escape through the window.She pulled at the sash, but it wouldn’t open.Closer evaluation showed it had been nailed shut.Who the hell nailed the windows shut when there wasn’t air-conditioning in the summer?Maybe they never had true summer here.Or maybe this room was designed to keep its occupants trapped inside.
The noise on the other side of the door increased.The axe had made a decent sized hole in the middle of the door.Why would they wait to attack until now?Maybe their courage had been lacking, or their drunkenness held them back.
A man kicked the door in and rushed inside, the axe held in front of him.A second man followed, holding a wooden cross up like a shield.
She hadn’t discussed crosses, holy water, or garlic with Skarde.They’d never been used against him in the episodes she’d watched, but she wasn’t about to gamble against a hoard that might know more about vampire weaknesses than her.The last thing she wanted was a cross that large sizzled into her skin.
Drawing forth as much calm as possible, she stilled.“Are you sure you have the right room?I don’t believe we are on fire in here.I definitely don’t remember ordering a wake-up call for a prayer session.”
Four more men crowded around the one with the axe, each holding various weapons.One had a stake.She really didn’t want that stabbed into her.
“You’re a vampire,” one hissed.
“Am I?”She forced herself not to smile, not to show off her teeth.A quick glance allowed her to gauge the light outside.Another minute or so before the sun was down.She might have to jump through the window before then.It’d hurt.
“You were here withhim.The vampire.”The burly man who said this was missing a few teeth and the odor of bad breath carried to her.Definite lack of dental care in his life.Part of her felt sad for him.
“He’s here to take care of your problem at the church.Why would you want to turn him against you by attacking me or him?Would you prefer he not take care of your problem?”She tried to appeal to their sense of reason.
