This Side of the Grave

My own kind. How strange that I felt that way now. I’d spent the first sixteen years of my life not knowing about my mixed heritage, then the next six years hating vampires until I met Bones. Now, at twenty-nine, I’d been a full vampire for less than a year, but I almost couldn’t remember what it had been like to think of myself as human. I hadn’t felt that way since my mother first told me why I was different from everyone else.

"Gin and tonic, plus a whiskey, neat," Bones told the bartender.

Oddly enough, that made me smile. Some things didn’t change, after all.

Chapter Eight

I was on my way back from my third tripto the bathroom, thinking my nose couldn’t be less shiny and being glad public toilets were no longer a necessary evil for me, when a shout jerked my head around.

"Let me go!"

Even above the music and the other noises, the words were distinct. I switched directions and headed toward the source of that cry, realizing it came from the booths in the far corner where I’d first met Bones. A cluster of vampires gathered in a circle, their backs to me. They had someone in the middle of them, and from the sounds of it, whoever it was wasn’t happy.

"Get your hands off me!" came another yell, too shrill for me to tell if I recognized who was speaking.

"You know the rules. Take it off the premises," the DJ boomed out. He didn’t sound too concerned about what would happen after that, I noticed.

I reached the vampires just as they shoved the screaming man out of my line of sight.

From the frantic internal thumping in his chest, he was human.

"What’s going on, guys?" My voice was casual and I kept my hands off the silver strapped to my upper back. After all, I’d promised Verses we wouldn’t break his rules this time.

One of the vampires gave me a hostile glare. "None of your business, Redhead." Bones came into the area, obviously having heard the disruption and my involvement in it. He smiled at the group of vampires, but that wasn’t what made them stop to give him their full attention. It was the power Bones unleashed when he dropped his shields and the full weight of his aura blasted out like a geyser, swirling the air around him with invisible currents.

"I believe my wife asked you a question," he noted in a deceptively light tone.

It was very unfeminist of me, but the expressions of wariness that settled on their faces had me biting my cheeks to keep from laughing. Just realized having several of your buddies around doesn’t mean you have the upper hand, huh, boys?

"The human’s a spy," the one who’d snapped at me said to Bones in a much more respectful manner. "I’ve seen him coming in here before, asking questions about our kind . . .

now we caught him taking pictures. You know we can’t have that." I still couldn’t see him behind the wall of vampires, but I was betting this was the reporter we were looking for. And as soon as they took him off the premises, he was in deep shit.

Vampires and ghouls would do anything to ensure that all but a few, select humans were happily unaware they shared the planet with creatures that were supposed to be myth.

"Give him to me," I said, thinking fast. "I’ll wipe his mind and destroy all his gadgets.

No harm, no foul."

"But I’m hungry," one of them protested.

Oh yeah, the damage control they’d intended was far more permanent. "Lots of people here would be happy to help you with that, but you’re not getting him," I said, my words soft but steely.

The apparent leader of the group ignored me as he pulled out a cigarette, sticking it between his teeth.

"No need to fight. You want him? I’ll bargain," he said to Bones.

I was past my initial amusement over how these vampires were so focused on Bones that I seemed to be invisible to them. Plus, Bones had said it would be better if we were recognized.

Well, let this serve as my introduction.

"I have an idea. How about we arm wrestle? Winner gets the human." That switched their attention to me. Laughter broke out from the group and the leader’s gaze actually became pink with tears of mirth.

"You’ve got to be joking," he managed.

I gave him a sweet smile. "Not at all."

His gaze flicked to Bones. "You’re not going to let her do this, are you?" Bones snorted. "Let her? Mate, if you think you can control a woman, you must be single – and a thousand pounds says she beats your arse."

"We can use this," I went on, walking over to a high-top table that butted against the half wall separating the booth area from the dance floor. "Come on. Moonlight’s burning." A small crowd started to form. I didn’t look at them, reserving my attention for the leader as I cocked a brow in invitation. I could have suggested we take this off the premises. Upped the stakes to a brawl instead of a simple test of strength, but though I wasn’t about to be dismissed as arm candy, I wasn’t looking to make new enemies, either.

The vampire handed his cigarette to one of his friends before coming over. He rolled up his right sleeve with a confident glance at my very average build. If he was measuring my aura to gauge my power level, he’d find nothing intimidating there, either. Bones told me I felt like a new vampire, which was as much of a disguise as my heartbeat had been when I was half human.

In comparison, the vampire was almost as tall as Bones, but with black hair and a burly build that spoke of thick muscle underneath a layer of firmly packed fat. His appearance wasn’t what I paid the most attention to, however. It was his aura, dating him at around a buck fifty, and he carried his big form with easy grace.

Not an unbeatable opponent, but not one to half-ass my efforts with, either. I set my elbow on the table, not needing to do any more prep because my halter top didn’t have sleeves.

All around us, bets were being placed. It amused me to hear my low odds.

The vampire’s hand curled around mine as he placed his arm on the table, having to bend a little due to his greater height. His grip was firm but not punishing, raising my opinion of him a notch. A schmuck would’ve ground my fingers in his fist trying to make a point.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Verses shoulder his way to the front of the other onlookers. He was probably wishing he hadn’t let us in after all.

"Count of three?" I suggested to the vampire.

Blue eyes tinged with emerald met mine. "Why not?"

Calls of "Show her what you’re made of, Nitro!" and "Knock her on her pretty ass!" rang out when I began to count, never taking my eyes from my opponent. As soon as the word three left my lips, that previously steady grip tightened and Nitro hammered his hand downward, going for the quick win with a blast of inhuman strength.