Excerpt:

A small terrified scream came from a corner as three hulking shapes stepped from the shadows into the miniscule light. The vampires were males, each starkly handsome and dressed in well tailored clothing. They grinned maliciously at the sight of Florian and Evanesco, showing their fangs. Florian took careful aim at the skull of the biggest, a reckless smile playing across his features. He took far too much enjoyment from this, thought Evanesco as he carefully unscrewed the lids from the bottles.

The vampires did not attack. They merely watched and waited for the two humans to make the first move. The girl in the corner continued to weep softly, sure that the men were as doomed as she.

The largest one was in the middle and had long black hair, smoothly pulled back, that emphasized his moon-white face and cruel eyes. The other two looked much the same, though did not carry the same air of superiority this one had. He turned to Evanesco and stared him straight in the eye, the smile widening to near disturbing proportions.

“Look brothers,” he said, a soft chuckle behind the words, “It’s the one we had such entertainment from this very afternoon. It thinks it can harm us with that water, with those pathetic little firearms. It thinks to drive us from our residence, where we have fed better than in many years. What say you, brothers? Shall we allow the intrepid hunters to remove our sinful existence?” He threw his head back and laughed, fangs flashing in the light from the lantern. The other two muttered what they clearly thought were witty responses and laughed as well.

Florian was giving Evanesco a confused and alarmed stare. Evanesco ignored this and tightened his grip on the blessed water, trying to formulate an attack plan. He hoped that whatever they’d done to his mind earlier in the day was but a fluke or the influence of something else entirely. Ignore it, Florian, ignore it, damn you! he thought viciously. Florian shook himself and looked back at the vampires – by the gods, he would have whatever had happened this afternoon out of Evanesco before the night was over. Now was not the time to focus on that.

“I think you’ll find that our paltry weapons do have some effect,” sighed Florian carelessly. It was Evanesco’s turn to stare at the marvelous act. He could have sworn that Florian was examining his nails in an effective attempt at looking bored (though the gun was unwaveringly still pointed at the vampire). “We killed one of yours down the stairs. Though she was certainly far less composed than you . . . gentlemen appear to be. I suppose you had newly created her?”

“It was an inadvertent doing, to be sure,” oozed the vampire, waving a hand in a manner as equally careless as Florian’s. “But she was a delight while she lasted . . . they do train the whores well in this city.” The malice was hiding at the edge of his voice now, subtle but terrifying in its degree.

“I suppose, if you find syphilis to be particularly alluring,” demurred Florian with a slight nod. “But I also suppose that such things are of no bother to your kind.”

“Quite right, quite right,” came the reply, though there was less malice and more curiosity now. Evanesco only hoped that it was curiosity at the sheer nerve of the human to address him so flippantly and not curiosity pertaining to the color of Florian’s intestines. “Still, pleasures of the flesh and all that.”

Florian nodded knowingly and half shrugged. The two other vampires were giving the leader the same look Evanesco imagined was plastered across his own face. What on earth was going on? Surely the vampires could have ripped them to shreds by now. Indeed, the largest advanced a step until he came to the lantern and he looked down on it, an odd pleased expression on his face.

“The woman who made this created a work of beauty,” he breathed, admiring the mechanisms and light as he lifted it. “And do I detect the unmistakable odor of Greek Fire? Truly, Evanesco, you have a wondrous group surrounding you. Yet, I wonder – do you know the significance of it all? I do. And I think your entire motley arrangement is in danger of collapsing much like this thing would do had I a mind to destroy it.” He set the lantern back down and flashed another sinister smile. “You really ought to learn to take warnings seriously . . . but I’m afraid I shall be the one forced to show you the error of your ways. Propriety simply demands it, you understand.”

He lifted an elegant hand and snapped his fingers impassively. There were two loud thumps behind Evanesco and Florian and both men knew they were in for a more dangerous fight than they had anticipated. The vampire kept his hand up, an obvious instruction for the two new enemies to keep back for a moment.

“I do feel obligated to offer your freedom once more though,” he said, giving Florian an intense look. “While your pigheadedness is hardly appealing, Evanesco, your friend here is quite amusing. Such bravado from such a substandard specimen.”

“Florian,” said Evanesco, as clearly as he was able, “Shoot the bastard.”

The gun had fired before Evanesco finished the sentence.