Immortal Revenge (17 page)

As Katie waited for Andy, she wondered what kind of role the Asian vamp played in Kyle’s demise. She had to play a part, else why hang around with the other vampire who had dark hair. The bitch had to go. But how?

Katie considered her options since fighting in public would endanger lives and draw too much attention. The groomer’s house next door offered privacy behind the building, but the dogs would bark and probably attract attention. To steer clear from onlookers, the area behind the strip mall seemed the safest place to fight. Having determined the location for her battle, Katie now needed to figure out a way to lure the Asian out of the bar.

Andy came to a halt in front of Katie. The frown on his face gave away his mood. “I tried calling you.”

“I’m not in the mood to work.”

“I could really use some help, Katie.”

“I came in for a drink. Can you give me one?”

He placed his palms on the counter and leaned toward her. “Drinking will not ease the loss. I know you’re hurting–”

Katie sensed strong anger perfuming from someone close by. She sensed the emotion came from the Asian. She took a glimpse at the vamp, curious to see if the Asian was watching. She was. The bitch must have recognized her name when Andy said it.

“You don’t know shit, Andy.” Katie spat, acting like a normal human would. “Just give me a fucking drink, please.”

Color darkening on his cheeks, he clanked a shot glass on the counter. He poured vodka into the glass, then pushed it toward her. “I don’t want to see you back here until you straighten up.”

He left for the other end of the bar before she could respond.

Katie shook her head and lifted her drink. She glanced over her shoulder at the Asian. The woman stared and her green eyes shimmered. Hostility reeked from her.

“Lose someone close?” the Asian bitch asked.

Katie tossed the liquor into her mouth.
Hold it together, Katie. Don’t take her head off in the bar. Everyone would freak out.

She set the glass on the counter and faced the female vamp. “My boyfriend was murdered. Not sure who or why someone would do such a thing. I’m hoping the police catch the fucker and electrocute him.” What a human thing to say. She was human after all.

“My condolences.” The Asian’s tone lacked emotion.

Katie bit her tongue to refrain from vocalizing what she really wanted to say. She had to play the mourning lover, not smart juiced up woman ready to kill. The latter role would come soon.

“Have a good night,” Katie said as she twisted on the stool.

She headed for the exit, hoping the Asian would follow. Hairs on the back of Katie’s neck twitched and tickled her. If she guessed right, the Asian was watching.

Anxiety and rage pumped Katie’s heart. One vampire head with a slice of revenge was coming. As soon as Katie reached the pavement outside, she’d have to take off running to make it to the strip mall. She expected the vamp would catch up quickly.

Katie reached the exit and pushed open the door. Two steps later, she darted full speed across the lot. She crossed the grassy area between the businesses, not caring about muddying her shoes. Behind her, the voices from the bar disappeared. The door must have closed. Halfway past the dog-grooming house, the voices came back to life like a chorus. Alarm triggered in Katie and she pushed her legs harder.

She reached the parking lot for the strip mall and her shoes smacked on the pavement. She rushed behind the building and stopped about five feet from the corner. With her back against the building, she waited for the Asian. Her breaths were heavy and she hoped it would give her location away.

The patter of steps grew louder by the second. Katie held still, chewing on her lip. She’d have to act in a split second notice.

The Asian woman appeared from the side and came to a halt. Katie lunged forward and shoved her hands against the woman’s chest. The vamp flew backward, hit the fence and knocked a section down.

“Looking for me?” Katie stepped closer as the vamp got up.

“You have no idea who you’re fucking with.” The vampire’s green eyes blazed. She jerked her jacket off her shoulders and dropped it on the ground. In a blink of an eye, she emptied the sheaths strapped to her forearms and approached with a dagger in each hand. The skinny woman appeared to weigh less than a hundred pounds. Even with the shiny blades she held, the vamp looked as harmless as a string bean.

Katie held her hands together for quick access to the daggers strapped to each forearm. “So tell me, did you cut off Kyle’s head?”

The bitch grinned. “No, my boyfriend, Brandon, insisted on doing it. Ever since I told him I fucked Kyle two centuries ago, he had a hard-on to destroy Kyle.”

The urge to attack boiled in Katie’s veins, yet she held back. “But you were there?”

“I was, yes. I gave him his last kiss before I set him on fire.”

Fury sped Katie’s heart and raised her temperature. The bitch toyed with her emotions, tempting her to take action. Katie held back, for now.

“You may have kissed him, but I was his last fuck. And I’m sure he loved me and filled me more, than he ever did with you.”

The Asian roared as she rushed forward. Katie quickly withdrew her daggers. The woman swung her sharp blades and Katie met each blow with her own weapon. Metal clinked in rapid secession. With each swift move, Katie defended herself exactly how Kyle had trained her.

The vamp made grunts, no doubt surprised by Katie’s strength and defense capabilities. Sweat broke above Katie’s brow from the rage within her, not from the effort warding off the vamp. She let the Asian swing away and waited to see if she’d ever figure out she couldn’t beat Katie. But when minutes of dancing and batting at each other proved the vamp didn’t see her fate, Katie decided to give it to her.

Katie lifted her knee and kicked the Asian woman in the gut. The woman staggered back, but regained her balance fast. She lunged at Katie, swiping her blades furiously. Her typical and predictable moves made Katie wonder where the vamp learned to fight. She kicked the Asian again. This time when the vamp staggered back, Katie charged and swung of one her daggers. The woman spun to avoid contact, but she wasn’t quick enough and Katie’s blade sliced through her arm. The vamp howled as blood spilled down her arm.

“You fucking bitch!”

The Asian attacked again. Blood splattered on Katie from the vamp’s arm. Her stomach recoiled. The last thing she wanted was to have vamp blood on her skin.

With each clash of the metal blades, Katie noticed lighter pressure coming from the Asian’s injured arm. She wondered if she’d torn the vamp’s muscle.

Katie lifted her leg to kick her again. This time, the woman thrust her good arm down. She hit Katie’s knee and a sharp zing vibrated along her leg. Clutching her weapons, Katie threw a punch at the woman’s injured arm. The vamp’s dagger flew from her hand. Katie dropped on her good knee and spun with her tender leg sticking out. She hit the Asian, forcing her to fall on her back.

Katie stepped away, her knee sore from the impact, while the vamp returned to her feet. She switched the dagger to her other hand as if she were ready for another round of sparring.

“You’re a good fighter.” She pointed the sharp end of her blade at Katie.

“I learned from the best.”

“Kyle.”

Katie held her arms at her sides, gripping her weapons. She didn’t respond.

“He was a good teacher. Too bad he won’t be around anymore.”

Katie let her emotion get the better of her. She rushed at the woman. Their blades hit, then the vamp swung her fist and punched Katie in the eye. The blow sent her sideways with pain shooting to her head. She righted herself as the dagger came slashing toward her. She caught it with her weapon and swiped her blade across the vamp’s chest. The Asian wined, but continued swinging her fist and dagger, all of which Katie blocked.

Katie retaliated and managed to slash the vamp on both arms and across her abdomen. The wounds didn’t have an immediate impact on the Asian, but with the more blood she lost, it became apparent Katie had the upper hand.

“You’re a measly human. A maggot on this earth,” the vamp said, showing her fangs. Her pale skin revealed her distress.

“If I’m a maggot, then you’re a leach. I guess neither one of us belong here.”

The woman came at Katie, thrusting kicks first this time. Katie blocked several with her wrists and her sore knee. She’d definitely have a few nasty bruises in the morning. Instead of blocking the next kick, Katie grabbed hold of the woman’s ankle and yanked it. The vamp fell with a loud thump and her head smacked on the pavement. She lay there, unmoving.

Katie didn’t waste time. She pounced on top of the vamp and plunged one of her daggers into the woman’s heart. Blood gushed out of the Asian’s mouth and she choked.

“Fuck you, bitch!” Katie snarled.

Katie jabbed her other dagger into the vamp’s throat. She ground it to the side, severing half the neck. Rage consumed Katie, yet at the same time it filled her with life, happiness and the hope of peace.
One headless vampire coming up.
She dropped her weapon and grabbed a handful of the woman’s hair. Blood coated her hands. She withdrew her dagger from the woman’s heart, then cut off the rest of the Asian’s head.

Katie stood with her heart racing and breaths heavy. She held a head in one hand and her weapon in the other. A breeze cooled her flesh while she stood over the headless vampire. Thoughts of Kyle emerged and she slowly calmed. He’d trained her to fight his kind with patience and cleverness. She’d followed his teachings, but made one mistake. By letting her emotion come into play, she received a punch to the eye. She should’ve known better and berated herself for her blunder. Riker would undoubtedly have words to say as well once he found out. Lesson learned and she would be more careful in the future, but Kyle was a tender spot in her heart and that organ could only take so much pain.

She looked at the head in her hand and her stomach responded unkindly. The eyes were still open. Gasping, she let go of the head and shook her hand as if she’d burned it.

A vibration from her back pocket made her stiffen. She reached behind and felt her phone. She let it keep buzzing as she suspected the caller was Riker.

She picked up her dagger, stepped to the side of the headless vampire and wiped the bloody blades across her jeans. Riker might come looking for her if she didn’t return to the hotel quickly. But she had a head and body to get rid of. Suddenly aware of a big problem, she stared at the body. She couldn’t burn it. For one, she didn’t have matches or a lighter. Two, it would attract attention. A new dilemma unfolded.

Katie glanced in one direction and then the other. A large blue, steel dumpster sat at the end corner of the ally. As quickly as she could, she hauled the body to the trash bin with her stomach churning along the way. She tossed the dead weight over the rim and it thudded against the metal bin. Hurrying, she snatched the head, daggers and jacket. She threw them in the trash, too. The dumpster solved her problem until she could figure out a way to destroy the vamp’s body.

With no body or weapons in sight and only dark splotches on the pavement, Katie took off running. Joy gave her a surge of energy. So far, the night had been a success. Jules was safe and Katie claimed a piece of revenge. She couldn’t wait to share the good news. And if Riker gave her any trouble, she’d show him a few moves to shut him up.

12

Hot water cleansed the bubbles and filth from Katie’s body. She stood, head tilted down while the spray massaged her shoulders and back. The slight tenderness in her knee had disappeared during her jog back to the hotel. Even her eye felt normal. The wonderful healing magic of vampire blood was one she greatly enjoyed.

The gentle massage tempted her to stay longer, but Jules and Riker were waiting for her. When she had returned in the room, Jules’s wide eyes reflected fear while Riker glared at her with his glowing green eyes. Clearly, he was angry. She had said she’d provide an explanation, but first had to shower.

From the shower, Katie dried her body and then donned the white bathrobe left hanging on the back of the door. She’d rushed into the bathroom after she’d arrived and forgotten to grab a clean set of clothes. The robe would suffice until she could grab fresh attire.

She slid her hand over the steam-coated mirror and her reflection revealed a scary sight. A dark area circled her eye where the Asian had punched her. Brownish bruises coated her wrists and forearms. Her knee had the same dark coloring.