There's a Fine Line: Chapter 05 Snippet

All good things must come to an end, much like Blake's and Alicia's date. Chapter 5 will be submitted to Lit on Sunday, 4Aug12, but here's a teaser to tide you over.

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There's a Fine Line...

Chapter Five

Reluctantly pulling away from the Pierce Estate, Blake watched his mate in the rearview mirror until a curve in the drive blocked her from his sight. His beast grumbled and paced at leaving Alicia behind with other vampires, especially when one of them was unmated, but was partially soothed to see that she stayed on the stairs until he had disappeared from her view as well. The only thing that prevented the creature from demanding they bring her back to their suite was the fact that he’d have to forbid her from leaving should he have to go to the office or attend a meeting. He didn’t want to cage her and, at least with the Pierces, she had some freedom of movement. The wrought-iron gates latched shut behind the silver sports car and Blake shifted into gear with a sigh. No matter the reasoning, it was still difficult.

The road was deserted as he sped across the asphalt though his mind was occupied with thoughts of his beautiful mate and their night together. Their time in the elevator had been interesting, to say the least, and he’d already requested an associate with some basic skills in magic to look at the wall and see if it could be repaired. He was tempted to leave it as it was but it had seemed to upset Alicia on their ride down to the garage so he’d fix it if it brought her peace. Hell, he’d change buildings if that’s what it took. Smirking ruefully, he shook his head at the thought. How his friends would laugh to see him so wrapped around the little human’s finger.

It was clear, however, that he needed to spend some serious time with his mate in the playroom. He’d never seen anyone take to the flogger and the paddle the way she had. She’d even gotten sassy with him when she realized there was pleasure to be found in the pain. Grinning, he knew he’d have his hands full with his spirited little brat and he was eager to take on the challenge. Her susceptibility to subspace, though, had surprised him. He’d only had a few submissives over his many centuries that were able to fly beneath the flogger; he supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised that his mate would be one of them. They were truly well matched.

Downshifting the powerful roadster to enter a sharp turn, Blake’s musings had distracted him just enough that he didn’t notice the large rocks that had been rolled onto the lane until it was too late. Clutch, brakes, and handbrake were all applied immediately as he turned the steering wheel sharply in an effort to avoid destroying his nearly two million dollar vehicle. The smell of burning rubber joined the shrill shriek of the tires on the asphalt as the car slid sideways towards the boulders. When the dust settled and his ears quit ringing from the noise, Blake was relieved to see that he’d stopped half a foot from the closest rock.

And then the figures emerged from the blowing dust.

From a small bush near the cliff side of the road, one vampire rose and began to slowly advance towards the car while another appeared from behind one of the large rocks. Blake curled his lip in a sneer as he watched them. Younglings. He took his time leaving the vehicle, unbuttoning his suit’s navy blue jacket and tossing it carelessly into the passenger seat.

“I really wouldn’t recommend doing anything…unfortunate.” The elder vampire drawled as if bored while rolling up the sleeves of his pristine white shirt. “I’ll get upset if I have to make a mess.”

“There’s gonna be a mess, all right.” One of the younglings grinned, crimson eyes glowing malevolently. “But I think I’m gonna take that shiny toy you’re driving after it’s all been cleaned up. Ain’t seen nothing like it except on the TV.”

Blake merely smiled and leaned against the closed door with his arms crossed over his chest. His mind was racing as he worked out just how to dispose of the two vampires. The one who’d come from the bush and taunted him had stopped his advance and stood mirroring his stance. The other was moving as quietly as he was able…which counted for little in the face of Blake’s age and skill. His age had also taught him patience, which the younglings had yet to learn. The chatty one’s eyes darted around the ambush site, landing on more than just the single vampire on the rocks and their victim. There were more to this group than he’d originally thought.

Hearing the scrape of a boot on the rocks to his right, Blake dropped to the asphalt as the vampire made his move. Had the situation not been quite so dire, he’d have laughed when the enraged youngling hit the road face first. Instead, he quickly rolled beneath the Bugatti to grab the pair of pistols he kept in a magnetized box attached to the front passenger wheel well. Sliding off the safety, he took aim and shattered the ankles of his talkative attacker and the rock diver. There wasn’t enough space between the roadster and the rocks to use the car as a barrier, so he rolled back out the way he came in. In a single smooth motion, Blake rose to one-knee and quickly put two rounds into one of the screaming vampire’s heads, removing him from the equation.

“Who paid you to commit suicide?”

“Fuck you, Simons! You ain’t leaving here alive.” Chatty snarled as he waved to someone over Blake’s head. “Get him!”

The smell of brimstone filled the air just seconds before a stream of fire singed the elder vampire’s hair. Cursing, he dove towards the back of the small vehicle and searched the sky for his attackers. Hovering about ten feet above the ground were three short creatures straight from nightmares and fantasy novels. Neither male nor female, they needed no garments to cover their leathery, humanoid bodies.  Approximately four feet tall with broad bat-like wings, the lesser Infernals were a deep brick red and completely hairless. They bore only three digits on each hand and had hooves instead of feet. Upon their heads were two small horns that curved back away from faces that held large black eyes and a canine snout above a set of vicious fangs. A thin, whip like barbed tail completed the horrific image. The creatures grinned down at the trapped vampire as they gathered the energy needed for a second fiery attack.

“Mephits?” Attempting to hide his concern, his scornful words were directed to the vampire he thought of as Chatty, who was clearly the leader of this little band. “Someone is getting a bit desperate to be working with the cockroaches of the Lower Planes.”

One of the mephits snarled and dove for the trapped vampire. Blake nearly grinned as he easily dodged its clumsy attack and grabbed the Infernal’s tail, yanking him from the sky. A quick twist, a slash with his razor sharp incisors and there was one less fire-throwing creature to worry about.

“You can’t win, Simons. Four against one ain’t good odds, no matter how old you are.”

Four? Blake took a quick glance around the site in an effort to find the missing fourth attacker. Since Chatty hadn’t counted the dead vampire in his numbers, it stood to reason that the dead mephit wasn’t included either. His beast growled. No matter the numbers, it was eager to dive into the fray. The human held it back for the moment but soon, it would be allowed out to play.

As he scouted his surroundings one last time, he managed to pinpoint the hidden vampire. Snorting in disgust, he realized it was slightly older but still little more than a youngling. Either he was being insulted by the caliber of his attackers or he was being severely underestimated. He didn’t appreciate either option. Widening his stance and checking the slight difference in weight of his guns, he got ready for the rest of the fight.

"Time to show me what you’ve really got, kiddies!" he murmured with a wicked grin.