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"Vampires can't starve to death. I understand the principle." I added silently in my head: You bitch. I can only be terrified so long before I get angry. Anger feels better.
"You smell of fresh blood. Let me taste you, and I will see your zombie safe."
"Does taste mean bite?" I asked.
She laughed, sweet, heartrending. Bitch. "Yes, human, it means bite." She was suddenly beside me. I jerked back without thinking. She laughed again. "It seems Phillip has beaten me to it."
For a minute I couldn't think what she meant; then my hand went to the bite mark on my neck. I felt suddenly uneasy, like she'd caught me naked.
The laugh floated on the summer air. It was really beginning to get on my nerves.
"No tasting," I said.
"Then let me enter your mind again. That's a type of feeding."
I shook my head, too rapid, too many times. I'd die before I'd let her in my mind again. If I had the choice.
A scream sounded in the not so far distance. Estelle was finding her voice. I winced like I'd been slapped.
"Let me taste your blood, animator. No teeth." She flashed fang as she said the last. "You stand and make no move to stop me. I will taste the fresh wound on your neck. I won't feed on you."
"It's not bleeding anymore. It's clotted."
She smiled, oh so sweetly. "I'll lick it clean."
I swallowed hard. I didn't know if I could do it. Another scream sounded, high and lost. God.
Willie said, "Anita. . ."
"Silence, or risk my anger." Her voice growled low and dark.
Willie seemed to shrink in upon himself. His face was a white triangle under his black hair.
"It's all right, Willie. Don't get hurt on my account," I said.
He stared at me across the distance, a few yards; it might as well have been miles. Only the lost look on his face helped. Poor Willie. Poor me.
"What good is it going to do you if you're not feeding off me?" I asked.
"No good at all." She reached a small, pale hand towards me. "Of course, fear is a kind of substance." Cool fingers slid around my wrist. I flinched but didn't pull back. I was going to let her do this, wasn't I?
"Call it shadow feeding, human. Blood and fear are always precious, no matter how one obtains them." She stepped up to me. She exhaled against my skin, and I backed away. Only her hand on my wrist kept me close.
"Wait. I want the zombie freed now, first."
She just stared at me, then nodded slowly. "Very well." She stared past me, pale eyes seeing things that weren't there or that I couldn't see. I felt a tension through her hand, almost a jerk of electricity. "Theresa will chase them off and have the animator lay the zombie to rest."
"You did all that, just then?"
"Theresa is mine to command; didn't you know that?"
"Yeah, I guessed that." I had not known that any vampire could do telepathy. Of course, before last night I hadn't thought they could fly either. Oh, I was just learning all sorts of new things.
"How do I know you're not just telling me that?" I asked.
"You will just have to trust me."
Now that was almost funny. If she had a sense of humor, maybe we could work something out. Naw.
She pulled my wrist closer to her body and me with it. Her hand was like fleshy steel. I couldn't pry her hand off, not with anything short of a blowtorch. And I was all out of blowtorches.
The top of her head fitted under my chin. She had to rise on tiptoe to breathe on my neck. It should have ruined the menace. It didn't. Soft lips touched my neck. I jerked. She laughed against my skin, face pressed against me. I shivered and couldn't stop.
"I promise to be gentle." She laughed again, and I fought an urge to shove her away. I would have given almost anything to hit her, just once, hard. But I didn't want to die tonight. Besides, I'd made a deal.
"Poor darling, you're shaking." She laid a hand on my shoulder to steady herself. She brushed lips along the hollow of my neck. "Are you cold?"
"Cut the crap. Just do it!"
She stiffened against me. "Don't you want me to touch you?"
"No," I said. Was she crazy? Rhetorical question.
Her voice was very still. "Where is the scar on my face?"
I answered without thinking. "Near your mouth."
"And how," she hissed, "did you know that?"
My heart leaped into my throat. Oops. I had let her know her mind tricks weren't working, and they should have been.
Her hand dug into my shoulder. I made a small sound, but I didn't cry out. "What have you been doing, animator?"
I didn't have the faintest idea. Somehow, I doubted she'd believe that.
"Leave her alone!" Phillip came half-running through the trees. "You promised me you wouldn't hurt her tonight."
Nikolaos didn't even turn around. "Willie." Just his name, but like all good servants he knew what was wanted.
He stepped in front of Phillip, one arm straight out from his body. He was going to stiff-arm him. Phillip sidestepped the arm brushing past.
Willie never had been much of a fighter. Strength wasn't enough if you had shit for balance.
Nikolaos touched my chin and turned my face back to hers. "Do not force me to hold your attention, animator. You wouldn't like the methods I would choose."
I swallowed audibly. She was probably right. "You have my full attention, honest." My voice came out as a hoarse whisper, fear squeezing it down. If I coughed to clear it, I'd cough in her face. Not a good idea.
I heard the rush of feet swishing through the grass. I fought the urge to look up and away from the vampire.
Nikolaos spun from me to face the footsteps. I saw her move, but it was still blurring speed. She was just suddenly facing the other way. Phillip was standing in front of her. Willie caught up to him and grabbed an arm, but didn't seem to know what to do with it.
Would it occur to Willie that he could just crush the man's arm? I doubted it.
It had occurred to Nikolaos. "Release him. If he wants to keep coming, let him." Her voice promised a great deal of pain.
Willie stepped back. Phillip just stood there, staring past her at me. "Are you all right, Anita?"
"Go back inside, Phillip. I appreciate the concern, but I made a bargain. She isn't going to bite me."
He shook his head. "You promised she wouldn't be harmed. "You promised." He was talking to Nikolaos again, carefully not looking directly at her.
"And so she shall not be harmed. I keep my word, Phillip, most of the time."
"I'm all right, Phillip. Don't get hurt because of me," I said.
His face crumbled with confusion. He didn't seem to know what to do. His courage seemed to have spilled out on the grass.
But he didn't back off. Big point for him. I would have backed off, maybe. Probably. Oh, hell, Phillip was being brave, and I didn't want to see him die because of it.
"Just go back, Phillip, please!"
"No," Nikolaos said. "If the little man is feeling brave, let him try."
Phillip's hands flexed, as if trying to grab on to something.
Nikolaos was suddenly beside him. I hadn't seen her move. Phillip still hadn't. He was staring where she had been. She kicked his legs out from under him. He fell to the grass, blinking up at her like she'd just appeared.
"Don't hurt him!" I said.
A pale little hand shot out, the barest touch. His whole body jerked backwards. He rolled on one side, blood staining his face.
"Nikolaos, please!" I said. I had actually taken two steps towards her. Voluntarily. I could always try for my gun. It wouldn't kill her, but it might give Phillip time to run away. If he would run.
Screams sounded from the direction of the house. A man's voice yelled, "Perverts!"
"What is it?" I asked.
Nikolaos answered, "The Church of Eternal Life has sent its congregation." She sounded mildly amused. "I must leave this little get-together." She whirled to me, leaving Phillip dazed on the grass. "How did you see my scar?" she asked.
"I don't know."
"Little liar. We will finish this later." And she was gone, running like a pale shadow under the trees. At least she hadn't flown away. I didn't think my wits could handle that tonight.
I knelt by Phillip. He was bleeding where she had hit him. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes." He managed to sit up. "We have to get out of here. The churchgoers are always armed."
