Page 26 of Fangbanger

15

MARCUS

My instincts demand that I tear Dean’s head from his overly muscular body, but they also compel me to follow Leah out into the night. She weaves on her foolish shoes before she lets out a small noise of frustration and bends to remove them.

I wrap an arm around her waist before she can fall.

“Get off me.” She elbows me in the side, and irritation flares. The bond lashes me. I hate it. It reminds me viscerally of every time I was denied food as a newly turned vampire.

“You are a fool, slayer.”

“So you’ve said.”

I growl. Her head jerks up. She whirls around, one pointy shoe in hand. She presses it to my chest and bares her teeth.

“Growl at me again, bloodsucker.”

“Is that supposed to intimidate me?” I lean in, letting the point of the heel dig into my flesh. She’s tall enough that her mouth is near mine. My gaze dips, then bounces away.

I need to feed. The bond is pulsing between us, and I can deaden its call if I sate myself. The siren was certainly willing.

“Go away,” she says hotly. “Just go back to the bar and do whatever disgusting things you were going to do. But leave me out of it. I’ll be fine on my own.”

I snarl at her. Surely, fate is laughing at me. She is reckless and impetuous, like every other slayer I’ve met. In fact, she’s worse.

“I cannot believe I’m saddled with you,” I growl.

“You’re not.” She throws up her hands and starts to back away. “We’re not friends. We’re not even drinking buddies. You’re my temporary partner in crime.”

“A fine partner you make. You got drunk when my brother is hunting you.”

“And you were too busy thinking with your dick to even notice whether I was in the bar.”

“I noticed plenty,” I growl. “The spell you cast incessantly reminds me of your presence.”

Her eyes flare, with hurt, I think, and something twists in my chest. It’s not a feeling I’m familiar with. Not in this century, at least.

“I’m depositing you at home behind your wards and then I’m going to feed.” I grip her arm, and she tries to wrench away, but I pull her back against my chest. “Do not fight me, slayer.”

“Leah,” she spits.

I tense to flash, reaching for her property with my mind. Only powerful vampires have this ability, but too much flashing tires us quickly and the distance we can cover is limited. My range extends as far as my home, but not much farther.

I disappear into the mist, holding her tightly against my body, then release her on her front porch. She stumbles, then rights herself and slams the door open.

“Go back to the bar,” she shouts over her shoulder. “I’ll be here doing shots so I don’t have to feel you feeding. Have fun. And do try to deaden the bond so I don’t have to feel any unwanted…emotions.”

My teeth gnash together on the last word. “You should be so lucky,” I growl, loudly enough that I know she hears.

There’s silence from inside the house.

When I push open the door, she’s braced against the counter, her head hanging, a bottle of brown liquor already uncorked. Her slim frame shakes before her head swings up and our gazes connect.

“Go away, vampire. Go have your fun.”

“Marcus,” I say tightly.

“Marcus.” She pours herself a shot of liquor and slams it back, then coughs and makes a face that tells me she hates this and wouldn’t do it if she didn’t have to.