W E FACED EACH OTHER IN THE CENTER OF A large cavern. The ground underneath was uneven, just rocks upon rocks and dirt. I was dressed again, sans gloves, the stake and my special cross dagger in my hands. He had laughed again when I demanded my clothes back, saying the jeans didn’t have give and they would cost me fluidity. Tartly I responded that, fluidity or no, I wasn’t battling him in my underwear.
There were more lights strung up around the area. How he had electricity in this cave was beyond me, but that was the least of my concerns. Underground as we were, I had no idea what time it was. It could already be dawn, or still be deep in the night. Briefly I wondered if I’d ever see the sun again.
He wore the same clothes as before, fluidity apparently not a concern for him. His eyes snapped with eagerness as he cracked his knuckles and rolled his head around his shoulders. My palms were sweaty with trepidation. Maybe the gloves would have been a good idea after all.
“All right, Kitten. Because I’m a gentleman, I’ll let you have the first try. Come on. Let’s do this.”
Without further encouragement I charged him, moving as fast as I could with both weapons pointed murderously. He whirled in a semicircle that left me sailing past him, chuckling infuriatingly as he did so.
“Going jogging, pet?”
Catching myself, I glared at him over my shoulder. God in heaven, but he was fast. His movements were almost a blur to me. Gathering my courage, I feinted a broad overhead right swing. When he raised an arm to block, I swiped low with my left hand and slashed him before getting a devastating kick to the midsection in return. Doubled over, I saw him examine his garment with a slight frown.
“I liked this shirt. Now you’ve gone and ripped it.”
I circled again, breathing slowly to combat the pain in my stomach. Before I could blink, he came at me and punched the side of my head, hard enough for me to see stars. In mindless defense I kicked, punched, and stabbed at whatever was near me. The returning blows came heavily and rapidly. My breathing was ragged and my vision swam as I lashed out with all of my strength. The room suddenly spun as I was thrown backward, rocks cutting into my skin.
He stood about ten feet from where I was sprawled. Clearly, in hand-to-hand combat, I was outclassed. I felt like I’d been dropped off a cliff, and there were hardly any marks on him. With a sudden flash of inspiration, I flung my cross. It flew with incredible speed and sank into his chest but too high, too high.
“Bloody hell, woman, that hurts!” he snarled in surprise, snatching it from his chest.
Blood flowed from the wound before stopping abruptly, as if a faucet had been turned off. Contrary to popular belief, vampires did bleed red. I was dismayed, being down to only one weapon and not even having slowed him. Bracing myself, I sprang to my feet, moving with heavy steps.
“Had enough?” He faced me and sniffed the air, once. I blinked in confusion, never having seen a vampire breathe before. I was panting furiously. Sweat was dripping off my brow.
“Not yet.”
There was another blur of motion, and then he was on me. I blocked blow after blow and tried to score some of my own, but he was too quick. Fists landed on me with brutal force. Desperately I jabbed the stake into whatever was nearest, but it always missed his heart. After ten minutes or so that seemed like eternity, I fell to the ground for the last time. Unable to move, I gazed at him through swollen eyelids. I don’t have to worry about his terms, I thought dully. I was dying from my injuries.
He loomed over me. Everything was colored red and fading.
“Enough now?”
I couldn’t speak, couldn’t nod, couldn’t think. As my answer, I passed out. It was the only action I was capable of.
There was something soft underneath me. Floating, I was floating on a cloud and covering myself with its fleece. I burrowed farther inside when it spoke to me in irritated tones.
“If you’re going to take all the covers, you can bloody well sleep on the floor!”
Huh? Since when was a cloud both annoyed and English?
When I opened my eyes, I saw with horror that I was in a bed with the vampire. And yes, apparently I had the entire blanket wrapped around me.
Shooting upward as though burned, I immediately banged my head on the low ceiling.
“Owww…” Rubbing the sore spot, I glanced around in revolted fear. How did I end up here? Why wasn’t I in a coma from the beating? In fact, I felt…fine. Aside from the mild concussion I had surely just given myself.
I backed as far into a corner as I could manage. There didn’t seem to be any visible exit to this small limestone chamber. “Why am I not in a hospital?”
“I healed you,” he replied blandly, as if we were discussing tea.
Numb with fear, I checked my pulse. God, he hadn’t turned me, had he? No, my heart pounded strongly.
“How?”
“Blood, of course. How else?”
He leaned back on his elbows, eyeing me with impatience and weariness. He had changed into a new shirt, from what I could see. I didn’t even want to know what was under the sheet.
“Tell me what you did to me!”
With a roll of his eyes at my hysteria, he fluffed his pillow and then hugged it to him. It was such a human gesture, it was uncanny. Who knew vampires cared if their pillows were fluffed?
“Gave you a few drops of my blood. Figured you wouldn’t need much, what with your being a half-breed. You probably heal fast naturally, but then you were banged up a bit. Your own fault, of course, having suggested that stupid match. Now, if you don’t mind, it’s daylight and I’m knackered. Didn’t even get a meal out of all this.”
“Vampire blood heals?”
He shut his eyes as he answered me. “You mean you didn’t know? Blimey, but you’re ignorant about your own kind.”
“Your kind is not my kind.”
He didn’t even flinch. “Whatever you say, Kitten.”
“Would too much blood turn me? How much is too much?”
That got an eye opened balefully at me. “Look, school’s out now, luv. I’m going to sleep. You’re going to shut up. Later, when I’m awake, we’ll go over all of these niceties while I prepare you for our arrangement. Until then, let a fellow get some rest.”
“Show me the way out and you can sleep all you want.” Again I looked around for an exit, finding nothing.
He snorted in derision. “Sure thing. Hows about I fetch your weapons for you as well, then I’ll just close my eyes while you plug holes into my heart? Not bloody likely. You’re in until I let you out. Don’t bother trying to escape, you’d never make it. Now I suggest you get some rest, because if you keep me awake much longer, I’m going to want breakfast. Understand?” He closed his eyes again with finality.
“I’m not sleeping with you.” Indignation filled my tone.
There was a brief tussling on the bed, and then a sheet hit me in the face.
“Sleep on the floor, then. You’re a cover hog anyhow.”
Left with no other alternative, I lay down on the cold stone ground. The sheet didn’t do much to keep out the chill, let alone provide any padding. I maneuvered around, hopelessly trying to find a softer spot before giving up and cradling my head on my arms. At least this was better than being in bed with that thing. I’d sooner sleep on nails. The silence of the room was somehow soothing. One thing was for certain, vampires didn’t snore. After a while, I drifted off.
It could have been hours, it seemed like minutes. A hand none too gently shook my shoulders and that dreaded voice sounded in my ears.
“Rise and shine. We have work to do.”
My bones gave an audible creak of misery when I stood and stretched. He grinned at the sound.
“Serves you right for trying to kill me. Last bloke who did that ended up with much more than a stiff neck. You’re right lucky you’re useful, or you’d be nothing more than a flush in my cheeks by now.”
“Yeah, that’s me. Lucky.” I felt bitter instead, trapped in a cave with a homicidal vampire.
He wagged a finger at me. “Don’t be glum. You’re about to get a first-class education in nosferatu. Believe me, not many humans get to learn this stuff. But then again, you’re not really human.”
