A bead of sweat slid down the small of Tom’s back as reached into the cooler beside his rocking chair. The slurry of ice and water shocked his hand, but he left it submerged for several seconds after grasping a bottle of beer. The Georgia weather in July seemed to have been made for lizards and scorpions. What else could possibly enjoy a sultry ninety-five degrees in the shade besides those things and maybe hell-born demons? Not that he believed in demons, but before the past year, he hadn’t believed vampires were real either. Could be that the whole lot of folktale creatures were out there somewhere, demons and werewolves and witches too.
“Demons or not, Lady, it’s still too hot around here for anyone to expect us to do anything useful.”
The German shepherd lying beside his chair raised her head and eyed him for a few seconds as if expecting something more profound. When he added nothing, she went back to lying with her muzzle atop her crossed forepaws.
He chuckled as he wiped the water and ice off his newly acquired bottle of Budweiser, replaced the empty one in his “World’s Greatest Lover” foam koozie, and twisted the cap. Before long, he would have to branch out from the King of Beers, which had been his preference for years. He’d already drunk just about every bottle he could find in a five-mile radius around the mansion property Emily was using as the Chalet, her home and base of operations. She liked to switch them up often—they were living in the fourth such house since he’d returned with her group from Cincinnati—but the current one had a special feature. The porch he sat on belonged to the servant’s house, a small structure about a hundred and fifty yards from the main house, where Emily and her vampire Family lived.
That distance had distinct advantages, both for him and for Emily. Last fall, when he’d first started living among the vampires in Atlanta, there had been incidents. Emily, the oldest known vampire and the matriarch of her Family, had sworn to keep Tom safe after he’d helped deal with a challenge to her authority from a rival one. He was the last man alive after humanity had been decimated by Charon, the deadly plague, and hunger was an increasing problem for the vamps. Even Emily’s stern methods of controlling her sworn followers weren’t always effective when a hungry blood-eater happened to come across a warm-blooded human. The last such incident had prompted the move to the current location two days after, and there hadn’t been any sign of another move since.
He took a long pull from his beer and rocked back as the sun finally disappeared fully behind the tree line in the distance. For the fourth or fifth time in the last week, he considered the field in front of the servant’s house. It was plenty big enough to grow something. How much trouble could it be to grow some barley? The beers he’d been finding weren’t going to get any fresher, regardless of the brand. He could probably figure out how to brew more, right?
“You on your fourth beer by now or fifth? Smells like maybe five. And with the sun just now setting. Sugar, you keep this up, you won’t need protection from no one because your blood’s gonna be too pickled for any of us to want to drink it.”
He turned his head to scowl at Lindsey, who stood in the doorway to the house. She must have just risen from her daytime Rest. Some days she rose earlier, but more and more lately, she’d been rising only as the sun was setting or after it was little more than a glow on the horizon.
“That doesn’t sound like too bad a plan, Linds, all things considered. Does that mean, if I keep getting drunk, you’ll stop threatening to drain me every other day?”
She pulled her auburn hair back into a ponytail and grinned. “Oh, no. Not me. Any day now, I’m gonna get tired of putting up with you and have myself a nice meal, even if it is strongly laced with beechwood aging. I’m never giving up my claim to you.”
Her claim was something he’d learned came with being a vampire in Emily’s Family. He’d come to Atlanta from Cincinnati, looking for a way to stay alive when one of Emily’s rivals, Colin, had planned to make a move on the territory to the north. It was controlled by a third vampire Family led by one named Alexander. Colin had sent one of his own, Ana, to find a living human to use as leverage among the other clans.
Without Tom, though, Colin couldn’t leverage total control over Alexander’s land, so Colin sent someone south to get him back. Tom found Lindsey first, though, and she begrudgingly took him to meet Emily. Before all was said and done, the fight between Alexander and Colin had settled in a fragile peace, and Emily had offered Tom her protection.
He never was completely sure whether that vow of protection extended beyond Lindsey’s claim, but the two had become, well, something more than friendly since Linds first surprised him in that Walmart. He must have grown on her a little. Being honest, he had to admit that whatever it was between them, it was pretty mutual. Hard to imagine she would really do anything to hurt him.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure you’ll kill me tomorrow.”
At the sarcastic threat, Lady popped up from the floor and stretched. She then padded over to Lindsey in the doorway, who raised an eyebrow. Lady sniffed the air around her then the palm of one hand before shaking herself out and trotting into the field. Apparently, she had some business to attend to and trusted that particular vampire enough to leave her alone with Tom. Lindsey was lucky to be one of only two who had been granted such an honor. The other, of course, was Ana.
“Coming with me tonight, Tommy, or planning to sit here until you burn out your liver?”
“I figured you probably have a good enough handle on Emily’s business without me. At least this once. Anything interesting going on?”
“She’s supposed to have gotten some scouting info about what’s been going on up north with Alexander and Colin. Or hell, could be between Colin and that Lars guy. I can’t keep track. If any of it matters, or if she gets a notion that Colin is working up to grander schemes again, I might have to go north and check things out myself.”
“As fun as your security briefing sounds, I’d hate to waste this perfectly good cooler full of ice and beer. Heading over to the house, then?”
Lindsey shook her head. “Not just yet. Emily has a few things to go over before she wants to meet with me. I’ve got some time to get ready.”
Tom nodded. “You could have a beer with me while you wait.”
“Maybe later, hon. I just rose, and I’m still wearing yesterday’s clothes. Nobody wants to meet with Lady Emily in a pair of dirty pants. Save me one.”
“I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises. If your meeting goes too long, we might need to go on a beer run.”
Lindsey chuckled. “You really are a worthless bag of meat. Why do I keep you around?”
He raised the bottle to her. “My quick wit and understated charm, obviously.”
She smirked and looked out at Lady, who snapped at a firefly among a crop of weeds. “Would you do something with him, already, Lady? He’s a mess.”
The shepherd ignored her.
“See? She’s on my side.”
“There’s no arguing that, Tommy Boy. Try not to pass out before I get back.”
He gave her a thumbs-up and took another sip of beer as she disappeared inside to get ready.
In the distance, Lady jumped, snapping again at a firefly but apparently missing it. She spent ten minutes or so just about every night trying to catch lightning bugs out of the air, never with any luck, but that didn’t stop her from trying again. Hard not to admire her tenacity. And while it might be a pointless exercise, at least it was entertaining. Tom, on the other hand, had little to do but sleep, sit on the porch, and drink beer. He would have to find some kind of hobby soon, or he would turn into pudding in his rocking chair long before winter arrived. Maybe if he…
Something heavy slammed into his right side, and the world spun sideways. A blossom of color and light like a Fourth of July sky flower filled his vision as a stinging explosion of pain radiated from his left shoulder. Somewhere far away, a dog barked, clearing his head. He was laid out on the porch decking, having landed on his side. Something—no, someone—lay on top of his right side, pinning him down. He couldn’t turn his head enough to get a good look, but he caught a glimpse of shaggy brown hair. The smell of raw meat filled his nose.
“Relax,” the attacker whispered. “You don’t want to fight me. Just let it happen. You’ll feel so much better in a second.”
Pain, like being stung by wasps, shot through the right side of his neck, and he cried out. It faded as quickly as it came, though, like getting a vaccine. It was wrong. Bad wrong. He had to get whoever it was off of him. But that seemed impossible.
And why did he even want that, really? A cozy warmth spread through him. Wouldn’t it be better just to relax, like the guy said? A nap, honestly, was starting to sound great. Definitely, just let the sleep come.
Another sharp bark startled him, and Tom’s eyes flashed open in time to see Lady leap from the ground onto the porch. The weight that had been on top of him shifted away, and he rolled forward, away from the attacker.
He staggered to his feet, bringing a hand to a dull ache on the side of his neck. It came away crimson. “What the hell?”
The vampire shoved Lady away, and she rolled a few feet across the porch to Tom’s right.
The monster stood, teeth coated in slick blood. Ruby lips curled upward. “Oh no, we’re not done yet. I’ll drain you both.”
The dog, growling, stepped between him and the attacker while Tom crouched low. “I’ve killed scarier things than you, asshole. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
The vampire shot forward and was met with Lady’s flashing jaws. She clamped down on his forearm and pulled. He growled back at her but didn’t stop. An anvil of cold fear filled Tom’s stomach, but he reached out with his right hand. God, he’d almost forgotten how fast they were.
A frenzy of vampire and German shepherd entered his circle of reach, and he swung upward with gritted teeth. The beer bottle he’d picked up smashed into the vampire’s jaw with a satisfying crunch. The assailant staggered backward then to the side as Lady yanked hard on the arm still held in her jaws.
Twisting to his right and stepping forward, Tom swung the bottle again, slamming it into the vampire’s temple. It was a miracle the thing didn’t shatter. They must not really do that, despite what he’d seen in movies.
Lady released her grip, and the attacker teetered to Tom’s left before collapsing on the floor. Tom took as many steps backward as he could before hitting the porch railing behind him.
In a blink, the vampire was back on its feet, feeling the spot at its temple where the bottle had landed. “I didn’t figure you for such a fighter. Thought you’d be easy prey, seeing how you’re Lindsey’s little pet.”
“I’m not Lindsey’s anything, asshole.”
“That’s not how I see it, pet. But I’m impressed. You’ve got a little more steel in you than the lapdog I took you for.”
“Come at me again, and I’ll show you a lapdog.”
The words weren’t out of his mouth before the vampire flashed forward, faster than he could react. He tried to bring the bottle back around, but the vamp caught his arm then crashed into his chest. Lady sprang on the vampire again, but he kicked her away, hard.
“I don’t care if you relax now or not, pet,” he hissed. “Just hold still for a second.”
With his right arm pinned to his side, Tom attempted to swing his left, but with so much pain in his shoulder, all he could muster was a weak wave. Panic buzzing in his ears, Tom reared his head back then squeezed his eyes shut, intending to headbutt the vampire as it leaned in to feed again. He missed and collapsed forward as the force holding him against the rail disappeared.
Tom groaned in response to the pain shooting through his arm as he landed on all fours. He looked up to find Lindsey restraining the vampire in a choke hold from behind, her face a furnace of rage. Her captive, eyes wide in alarm, slapped her forearm and bucked against her.
“Stop fighting, or I’ll end you right here,” she growled.
He croaked in reply and slammed his head into her face. Her head whipped backward, but she held firm.
Lindsey’s mouth twisted into a grimace, and for the first time in months, Tom saw her vampire teeth, and her eyes changed. She shifted her grip, taking his head in opposite hands. With a grunt and a sharp twist followed by a half dozen pops and cracks, Tom’s attacker dropped to the floor in a heap, neck twisted in such a way that, had he still been alive, he’d have been looking almost backward.
Sagging against the railing, Tom groaned. The wound on the side of his neck was ragged, not quite gushing blood. He pressed his hand to it but couldn’t apply the pressure he wanted. The world turned gray around the edges, and everything in his vision swung like a pendulum.
“I don’t… think. Something’s not…” He looked at Lindsey but couldn’t be sure she was still there. “Not right.” Strong hands lifted him, cradling him like a child. His head lolled to one side. A soft “Linds?” was the best he could muster.
“I’ve got you, sugar. Just hang in there.”
Everything bounced several times, with each down ending in a jarring thud. Then he heard footsteps on something hard and a pair of loud bangs.
“Everyone, out!” someone shouted.
That had to be Lindsey again, right?
Before another odd thought could cross his mind, Tom was placed on something soft. The fabric was hot, a pleasant sensation compared to how cold everything had become. He shouldn’t be cold, should he? Wasn’t it just summer? Someone pressed something even softer to the place on his neck where everything felt wrong.
“What happened?” someone asked from somewhere to his left.
He knew that voice, too, but couldn’t place it.
“Nelson told me to hurry to Emily’s with med… oh God, Tom!”
“I think he’s dying, Ana. Can you save him?”
“What the hell happened?”
“Later.” A third voice. More firm. “What do you need?”
“O positive. What can you spare?”
“Precious little. You can have some from my personal supply.”
“My lady!” the first person exclaimed. “Be shocked later, Lindsey. If we try to spare it now, no amount is going to help.” Something sharp pinched the skin on his arm, then a line of warmth traced up his shoulder. The voices went quiet.