thought this one would—with Seth or Bastien decapitating him. “I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me. You’ve been a good friend.”
Bastien stopped. “Cliff, if you’re thinking of running, I’ve been ordered to—”
“I’m not,” he assured him. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I don’t want to torture and kill innocents the way other vampires do.” And he trusted Bastien and the others to keep him from doing it.
“Joe didn’t either,” Bastien said somberly, “when he surrendered and sought the network’s help. But he wouldn’t have hesitated to run if I’d taken him hunting with me.”
Sadly, it was true. “I’m not suffering the paranoia that struck Joe. I just have… violent thoughts.” It shamed him to admit it. “Really ugly violent thoughts.” But Bastien deserved the truth. “It’s getting harder and harder to not act upon them when I’m around Dr. Whetsman.”
Bastien snorted. “Hell, I have violent thoughts when I’m around Dr. Whetsman. Even Chris has violent thoughts around Whetsman. He’s a total prick.”
Cliff smiled, his mood lightening. “I still laugh when I think about the time you got all up in his grill about talking down to Melanie and giving her a hard time. I thought for sure he was going to wet his pants.” As Emma would say, that moment had been priceless.
Bastien grimaced. “I almost wish he would’ve. Whetsman doesn’t wet himself when he gets nervous. He farts.”
Cliff laughed. “I know. Melanie has a hell of a time keeping a straight face when he’s around us vampires. You know we terrify him.”
Now Bastien laughed, too.
A cool breeze toyed with Cliff’s dreadlocks. “Wow, you smell that?” Tilting his head back, he drew in a deep breath. “The three B’s: bad breath, BO, and blood. Ahhhhh. It’s like we’re back in your lair again.” While Bastien had ensured his vampire followers were well fed, he hadn’t succeeded in getting them all to maintain good hygiene.
Bastien shook his head with a smile. “Let’s go check it out.”
When he started forward, Cliff stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Wait. What’s my role here? When you said I could hunt with you…” What did that mean exactly? Tag along and watch?
“I meant you could help me locate and kick some vampire ass.”
Releasing him, Cliff grinned. “Seriously? I get to join the fight and everything?”
“Absolutely.”
“Awesome! Let’s go!”
Just like the old days, the two of them shot forward. Except this time, instead of hunting nefarious humans with revolting intent, they tracked down two vampires feeding on a couple of female students in the shadows between two buildings.
Bastien stopped and nodded for Cliff to take the lead.
This was so cool!
“Hey,” Cliff said cheerfully, stopping only a foot or two away from the vamps. “What’s up?”
Raising their heads, they turned glowing eyes upon him and bared fangs that dripped with crimson liquid.
The blond vampire hissed like a cat.
Cliff burst into laughter. “Dude! Seriously?”
Frowning, the blond released the woman he clutched.
Cliff couldn’t tell if she was a student or a young professor. Eyes unfocused, she staggered a couple of steps backward, then slid down the wall to sit on the ground. Blood trailed from a wound on her neck and dirt marred the front of her shirt, as if the vampire had been groping her while he fed.
The vampire’s brunet companion shoved his victim toward the other woman and faced Cliff. That woman definitely looked like a student. Hell, he didn’t think she was even out of her teens yet.
“Who the fuck are you?” the second vamp demanded.
“I’m Cliff,” he answered, maintaining his genial smile as cold fury built behind it. What if that had been Emma and Cynthia? What if these vampires had cornered Emma and her friend when they were out for a girls’ night or something?
The two vampires looked at each other, their blood-streaked faces blank with confusion.
“What did you think I would say?” Cliff asked. “That I’m your worst nightmare?” Drawing two long daggers, he displayed them in a series of showy swirls, flips, and tosses as the voices in his head jumped on board his anger and begged for blood. “I probably am but thought it would be rude to say so.”
The blond drew a bowie knife. “You’re an Immortal Guardian?”
“Sadly, no,” Cliff said. It could have been Emma, the voices taunted. That could’ve been Emma he was groping. That could be her shirt he left his filthy paw prints on. “But I do still plan to kick your ass.” As soon as the words left his lips, Cliff dropped