Stakes & Stilettos - Michelle Rowen [8]
“Please, just listen to us.” There was a pleading in Heather’s voice now.
I stopped and turned around to face them. “Look, I understand that you two are in love. That’s super. Really. But I don’t like being lied to and I don’t want to bite anyone. Like, ever. So let’s just forget this ever happened, okay?”
“We’ll pay two thousand dollars,” Josh said with a glance at Heather. She nodded.
Two grand? That was a lot of money and would currently solve a great many problems. “That’s very generous, but no. I can’t do it. Listen, don’t become a vampire. It’s not really that great. Be a human. Stay a human. Less stress, trust me on that.”
Disappointment filled Josh’s expression. “That’s not an option.”
“I’m sure somebody will help you if it’s what you really want.”
“No, it has to be you,” Josh said, and he began to shiver from the cold night, since he only wore a sweater, and he wrapped his arms tightly across his chest. “You’re currently the only vampire alive who has the blood of two masters coursing through her veins.”
“I’m the only one?” I said with surprise. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “There was another fledgling who had the blood of three master vamps, but he was recently set on fire by hunters and pulled apart by dogs. Apparently he saw it coming in one of those prophetic dreams.” He shrugged. “I’ve researched it. It has to be a fledgling and it has to be the blood of more than one master vampire. That’s you. You’re so lucky. Masters almost never let fledglings drink from them.”
My stomach lurched. “I’m going back to Haven.”
“You need to bite me. Please, bite me, Sarah.”
“Bite him, Sarah,” Heather echoed. “Don’t worry, I won’t be jealous.”
The cold wind picked up and I could hear it whistle through the dry branches overhead, shifting the loose snow so that it fell lightly to the ground close by. I sighed with frustration. “How many different ways can I say no?”
Heather’s eyes narrowed. “You bitch. How can you be so selfish?”
I glared at her. “Selfish? Because I don’t want to bite your boyfriend? How is that selfish?”
Then I felt a hand at my waist and the unmistakable feeling of a sharp wooden stake at my throat. Josh was now behind me.
“We tried to do this the easy way.” The friendliness and pleading were now gone from his voice. “Ask you nicely. Pay you, even. But I’m not taking no for an answer.”
Immediate panic gripped me as tightly as Josh had. “The easy way? By lying about a job?”
“God, get over it, would you? This is the job. You’re going to sire me or I’m going to kill you.”
Any move I made would send the stake directly into my jugular so I tried not to budge, even though my entire body felt like a live wire. Perhaps a different tactic would be a good idea.
“The Slayer of Slayers doesn’t take kindly to threats, asshole,” I growled, trying to sound as tough as I could through the fear as sharp as the stake at my throat.
He snorted at that. “We know it’s just a rumor that you killed all of those hunters. However, everything else about you isn’t a rumor. You’ve drunk the blood of two master vampires. That makes you very special. But you don’t have to bite me. The virus is in your blood as well as your fangs. Doesn’t matter if you’re alive or dead. All I need is enough of your blood.” He dragged the tip of the stake along my neck and I felt a stinging pain and a warm trickle of blood slide down my throat. “See? Not so tough after all.”
“Let me go right now.” My gaze whipped over to where Heather stood, hoping she would see that her darling boyfriend was actually a violent sociopath, but she just looked at him with love and devotion.
“Kill her,” she prompted. “We can save the money we were going to pay her for our honeymoon.”
I breathed out, trying not to shake with the fear I felt, and tried to think as calmly as I could. This wasn’t the first time I’d been in a life-or-death situation. However, I wasn’t quite the victim I’d been ten weeks ago when I was made into a vampire by my blind date.
“Josh,” I said shakily. “Listen, we can