his head made when it thumped against the wall.
“Oh! The master just got schooled by the student! Who’s the alpha? Christoph’s the alpha!”
Ashi got up and staggered in a half-circle before leaning against the wall, obviously dazed.
It took a minute for it to sink in, but Mouse eventually realized that they were sparring. Not actually at each other’s throats.
God, if not for her momentary shock, she might very well have killed Ashi if she’d followed through with her usual behavioral patterns.
Shaking a little, she remained as still as she could, not moving from the top of the stairs since she didn’t want to attract Ashi’s attention while he was in the hall. Hopefully he would go right back inside. Her stance became predatory, weight shifting to the balls of her feet as she tensed in efforts to keep herself from falling on him. She really needed to stop waiting so long between feedings. The press of hunger made her want to pace him, follow his movements, close in and—
—No. She wasn’t going to do that. The muscles in her jaw twitched as she clenched her teeth together, fighting to keep her fangs from extending, feeling them slide into place anyway. The lure of blood and violence on the air was too much.
Ashi needed to hurry the hell up and get out of her way so she could retreat to Timothy’s room, now.
Ashi picked his way past the obliterated door and stepped into the apartment.
“Shut up. At least you can do some moves. We’ll take this up again tomorrow. Clean up that door.”
He went into the kitchen and filled a baggie with ice for his head.
Christoph stepped into the hallway and started picking up the bigger pieces. The doorjamb had taken some damage as well. He wasn’t looking forward to answering the inevitable, “Who did this?!” He also wasn’t looking forward to picking splinters out of his arms. There was a rivulet of blood snaking down his right arm from his shoulder, tracing a veinlike pattern down his skin.
He looked down the hallway and spotted Mouse. Straightening, he looked sheepishly at the wreckage.
“Uh, I’m cleaning this up. I’ll pay for the door. It’s cool.”
She just stood there. He felt like he should say something.
“Look, I’m really sorry about the other day. I was an ass and you were just trying to help, I know. And, hell, you did help. I mean, you saved me. So, thanks. And I hope you don’t think I’m the worst guy in the world, because I try not to be, but sometimes I’m an idiot and it just sort of happens. Anyway, thanks. And I’m sorry about wigging out. I really shouldn’t have.”
If he thought yesterday had been bad, he’d go into conniptions if he had the faintest clue what was going through Mouse’s head at that moment. Before she could stop herself, she’d moved closer, the urge to latch onto that cut making her fangs ache.
She couldn’t concentrate on what he was saying. An apology. Fine. That was great. She nodded a little too vehemently and forced herself to keep moving, trying to making her surge toward him look a little more natural, a little less like she was stalking him.
Good God, her mouth felt dry.
Keeping her head bowed, she had to close her eyes when she edged past so she wouldn’t have the added visual temptation. And to keep him from spotting the first glimmers of red creeping into her irises.
She did make it past him without pinning him to a wall. That was a plus. The hard part was over. She could make it to Timothy’s.
She didn’t quite run, but it was close.
Christoph sighed and continued to pick up the pieces of the door. He really sucked at this apologizing thing. Maybe he should ask Analie what to do. She’d been here a while, she’d know.
* * *
“Honestly, I have no clue.”
Christoph’s expression turned from eager to despairing. Analie shrugged and went back to her book.
“I think you just have to ride this out. I don’t know what you could do to make amends other than letting her bite you. Which makes me lose the bet.”
Christoph glared at her. “You’re all heart.”
Analie stuck her tongue out at him.
Christoph shook his head and headed out of the room.
“Hey,” Analie called after him. “Ask Jessica. She’s like the Vampire Whisperer or something.”
Christoph nodded and went in search of Jessica. He also needed to find who was in charge of maintenance and let them know that