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I should probably get off him before he whisked me away to the Regal Peaks mountain range of the Werewolf Domain again. Or even a little trip to worse parts of the Hinterlands.
Now that wouldn’t be fun.
“Help me,” the woman begged again. She got to her feet, clutching at her neck.
Oh, shit. I hadn’t noticed the puncture wounds before.
Now I did get to my feet, resisting the urge to stomp my foot down on Aidan’s head.
“Vampire?” I questioned, my executioner senses prickling with a yes.
Anyone could see those were the marks of a vamp’s teeth. But I couldn’t sense any bloodsuckers around.
Vampire attacks were rare and usually took place out of sight. Away from the eyes of polite society, seeing as we lived in a society of blood donations and paperwork to feed our fanged friends.
Hmmm. Well, as much as the vampires were victims of Aidan, there were those who did drink mortal blood outside of the stringent laws in place to keep the peace. And there were those who believed in vampires taking over this world, rebels against Silvanus’s rule. They wanted to lock him up to be their source of life on account of the Heart of All, while some vicious prick ruled in his place.
Yeah, not happening. Silv wouldn’t step aside so easily.
You called him Silv again…
Shaking off the spike of fuzzy joy thinking about him conjured, I focused on the poor woman before me.
“What happened?” I asked, gingerly approaching her.
She slipped in blood, steadying herself against the barrier. She was shaking, in total shock.
“I was out to dinner,” she said. “A late dinner. Having a nice night.” Her lips trembled, a distant scream making her flinch. She backed away, suddenly wary of me.
“It’s okay,” I tried. “I won’t hurt you.”
Her eyes fell to my stakeblade. “You’re one of them. An executioner.”
Shit.
I sent the weapon away, holding up my hands. “You’re safe.”
A closer boom, smoke mushrooming into the sky. Too close, the echo of the explosion lingering in my ears.
I drew luck down my chest.
The woman stared at the sky as she continued. “They came into the restaurant, tearing through us. One got hold of me, sank her teeth in.” She shivered. “Killed my husband. Killed so many. Then the bombs…” She closed her eyes, tears rolling free. “I want to go home.”
What did I do? Offer comfort? Escort her home?
“Where is home?” I asked.
“I’m not telling you.”
Fine. I got that. Why trust a man you’d been conditioned to report to the authorities on sight?
The wind picked up, carrying a chill. Silence seemed to fall around us, the distant screams and booms nothing more than muffled sounds now.
Goosebumps raced across my flesh.
Man, I needed a mistrock cig.
The woman sucked in air, dabbing at the skin around the vampire bite with her fingers and pointedly not looking at the bodies on the bridge.
