Page 120 of The Vampire's Thirst
“I’ll make it. Don’t make me have to drag your pansy ass to safety, though. My lifeguard skills are not the greatest.”
Dax dived in, rose to the top, and shook out his hair. “Hey, human. Come on in. The water’s fine.”
After tying his boots onto his belt hooks by the laces, Matty pushed off from the bank, jackknifing into the deep water. When he bobbed to the surface, he swam toward the other side with long, powerful strokes. “Race ya, vampire.”
Dax laughed and hand-over-headed it to catch the human.
Competitive bastard.
Matty reached the other bank first, but Dax grabbed his arm before he could emerge. “Get down now. Stay under.”
They both submerged, struggling against the current but coming up for quick breaths several times. Finally, Dax punched Matty’s shoulder.
Water spewing from his mouth, the American colonel gasped for air. “What was that all about?”
“Harpies. Overhead. We don’t want to tangle with them.”
Matty spied the back end of a flying wedge of black-winged creatures in the distance. “I feel like I got dropped into aJurassic Parksequel.”
“Don’t know what you mean.”
“Vampire, you have some serious cultural deficiencies. When we get out of this hellhole, we’ll have a sleepover, rent some classics, and paint each other’s toenails.”
Dax hauled onto shore, offering an assist to Matty, dragging him up by an arm. “Sounds like something I’d enjoy. Pink’s my favorite color.” The vampire pointed at the mountain. “Kole’s place is a cave behind the waterfall. We need to reach it before nightfall. I’ll be able to see no matter what, but I’m guessing you can’t.”
Matty eyed the long rise which grew sheerer near the top. “Don’t worry about me, gumdrop. I always make it.”
As he slipped his boots back onto his wet feet, Dax spoke. “Several Firebrands would actually like you. They’re smartasses, too.”
“Everybody likes me.”
“Nobody likes me.” Dax shrugged, a side of his mouth curling into a smirk.
“Hard to believe. You have such a cheery disposition. Is there a woman in your life?”
“No. Kind of. I don’t know.”
I want a specific female. A little witch in a gypsy skirt who I don’t deserve.“You?”
“Yeah. Ex-wife. Thinking she’ll be really pissed if I die out here. She may be the only person who doesn’t like me, but she loves my alimony checks. They’ll stop if I croak. But she’ll chase me into hell.” Matty slipped, sending loose rock scattering below him. He gripped a thick-leafed plant for stability. “How about family?”
“A sister.”
“She like you?”
“Fuck no. She’s smart, beautiful, has a good sense of humor.”
“So, total opposites.”
Dax chuckled. “You could say.”
Struggling alongside the river, they finally hit the base of the waterfall. The vampire stared uphill. “It gets hard from here.”
“Yeah. Cause the rest was so easy.”
“We’ll be scaling the rock wall. Get good grips because the terrain is difficult. Near the top is a ledge that leads into the cave. Follow me.”
“In all honesty, I have to tell you. I flunked mountain climbing. Not my proudest moment.”
