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“Wrong with what?” he spat.
“You weren’t monster enough for Jeanie?”
“Monster enough?”
I nodded. “You aren’t the only one who did some research. Every one of her lovers transformed into something impressive, but not you. You’re still human.”
“You think I’m still human.”
“Until you tell me otherwise, I’m callin’ your bluff. An’ I’m sure that was not only a disappointment to you, but also to Jeanie, I’ll bet. Especially when Ethan became a hellhound. Why would she leave him now? He’s one of the most dangerous beasts around. Faster and stronger than you could ever wish to be.”
He chuckled at that. “An’ yet look where he is and look where I am.”
“You only managed to capture him because you took the coward’s way out by threatening his wife and kids. You’re pathetic.”
One moment Arnie was standing a few feet away. From one blink to the next, he’d crossed the distance between us, hauling his arm back to strike me. I wasn’t fast enough to dodge the blow, and when the grip of the revolver smashed into my cheek, it sent me spinning. I split my cheek on my fangs and blood burst into my mouth. My cheek throbbed so hard, I saw stars as my vision pulsed and for a horrifying second, I thought I’d pass out. But then my vampire senses kicked in and I regained my footing, crouching as I leapt at him. At this distance, I couldn’t miss.
We went down in a tangle of thrashing limbs. Arnie let out a loud curse when I snapped his wrist to one side. The gun clattered out of his hand and I grabbed it, hurling it further into the underbrush. The bestial snarl coming from him gave me a second of pause as I couldn’t help but wonder what in the hell he was.
“Bitch!” he hissed, all pretense of civility gone.
He seized me by the arms and managed to buck me off him, his actions so quick, they appeared as a blur. Within seconds, he was on me again, pinning my legs with his bulk. One of his hands came up to cage both of mine, and though I struggled, I couldn’t get free. What was wrong with me? Had the hit been hard enough to stun me into sudden weakness?
Arnie’s breath was hot on my cheek when he bent to whisper in my ear. “Oh, I’m just as much a monster as you, Twila Boseman. I just don’t try to pretty it up like you do.”
Arnie leaned back, lips stretching wide to reveal a set of recurved fangs almost identical to mine. His eyes gleamed with a madcap kind of triumph. I stared up at him in mounting horror as dawning realization overcame me.
“You didn’t think you were the only vampire in the county, did you, Miss Twila?”
He didn’t give me time to answer. His head snapped forward faster than my eyes could track.
And then his fangs dug into my throat.
Chapter Eighteen
For a moment I was too stunned to move.
Another vampire.
So far, we hadn’t had many copycats. Everyone seemed to be more or less unique. Sure, some of the species were closely related. Snake shifters had something in common with Ol’ Ned’s lizard form, but... another vampire?
What was more—Arnie seemed to be like me. Hot blooded, breathing, fangs, and thirst for blood. What was different about him to make him unique? Were we somehow related, and that accounted for the similarity? Would Sicily have turned into a vampire as well if she’d been in Windy Ridge when the Fog rolled through?
Arnie slapped a hand over my mouth to keep me from screaming. His teeth in my neck felt like dozens of needles stabbing into my skin. I was grateful Ol’ Ned and the others killed the animals they captured before bringing the blood to me. I’d never want to make anything suffer the agony I now knew my fangs could inflict.
Arnie’s weight shifted over me as he lost himself in the taste of my blood. I wasn’t sure if it did anything for him nutritionally, but he seemed to enjoy it all the same. My stomach rolled. This felt like getting the world’s worst hickey from a terrible lover. His fingers tightened around my wrists hard enough to bruise, and he barely flinched when I bit his fingers. I pressed my lips tight when blood began to flow. I didn’t want any part of this asshole inside me, even in the most non-sexual of contexts.
I shifted, using the distraction to bring a knee up into his groin. That did succeed in tearing his mouth from my throat. He let out an undignified wheeze and reared back, clutching himself. It seemed even vampires didn’t like having someone battering the family jewels. Good to know.
I squirmed out from underneath him and then scrambled onto my hands and knees, searching for the gun I’d tossed away, using the smell of the primer to guide me. It was nearly lost in the smell of the woods, the grasses, and the scents rolling off my friends as they came closer. I groped blindly for the thing and found it just as a hand gripped my ankle and pulled me back. I kicked out and landed a solid blow to Arnie’s face. I heard something crunch. I hoped it was his jaw, but I’d settle for his nose. By the time I stood, he was already on his feet, stalking toward me. He seemed supremely unconcerned when I pointed the gun in his direction.
“Stop,” I ordered. Then hearing the sound of footsteps and smelling the spicy, earthy scent of the one man I seemed to recognize above all others, I called over my shoulder and said, “Get Jeanie and the kids out, Dean, but not through the front door! There’s a ladder in the tool shed. Arnie put Slim Jim inside it. Someone make sure he’s okay.”
Shapes ran past in my periphery, but I couldn’t pay attention to them. My nose said they were friends, not enemies, which was good enough for me. Instead, my concentration was fixed on the man trying to circle me.
“I said stop walkin’, dirtbag!” I snapped. “I will shoot you!”
Arnie didn’t stop moving. He just kept circling, looking for a moment to pounce. He reminded me of an arrogant cat toying with a mouse. I was sure he was sure he had me on the ropes and just needed an opening to go in for the kill. His gaze darted from my face to my torn neck periodically. Blood still streamed down my throat, pooling in my collarbones and the collar of my shirt. Strangely, though, I didn’t feel any worse for wear. Maybe that was a vampire thing or maybe it was just adrenaline.
