Excerpt: Vamp (working title)

I began to follow them. I had a feeling about them. I was also still concerned that I had no desire to maim and kill the woman. I definitely relished the thought of my blade kissing the man’s pale copper skin. It would sing as I sliced through it. When I envisioned doing the same to the woman I almost felt some revulsion about doing it. I would do it if the opportunity arose, but I would feel strange about it.

I followed them several blocks until they slipped into a coffee shop. Two vamps walking into a coffee shop? It sounded like the beginning of a bad joke. Drew would crack one if he were here. He had muttered something about even psychopaths taking days off to rest when I’d asked him to accompany me earlier that evening. I had ignored his weakness, as I typically did. His company had saved my life on a few occasions. I owed him his eccentricities.

I climbed the building the vamps had entered and found an aperture in the roof that led to the building’s vent system. I eased myself into the vents and was met with a blast of warm air. It was a change from the chill that outside had been and it took a moment to get used to it. I removed my mask and tucked into my waistband. It would be too warm to do this with it. I crawled nimbly around until I found a vent that looked into the main room of the restaurant.

The coffee shop was bustling. People were gathered in various groups chatting and speaking and being very sociable with one another. I found the vamps in a corner and reworked my position until I was closer to where they were.

“So that’s the plan? Somewhat lacking,” the woman was saying. “It seems like you would have some practice at this sort of thing by now.” Her voice was acerbic. I noticed they had each ordered a cup of coffee and that each large mug had been left alone. The woman stared at hers with some longing.

The man looked uncomfortable at her words. He didn’t fidget, but I saw his muscles gain tension in that way that vamps often did.

“I have no real incentive to do my job with any particular efficiency,” he said after a long silence.

The woman nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose not,” she said. “Except that it was you who didn’t want to die?”

“Aren’t we dead already?” he asked and the woman smiled at him. It made her somewhat dull features less dull somehow.

“This discussion again, huh?” She grinned at him. “I decided to quit having it my head and here we are having it out loud. I’d rather have some coffee,” she stared at her full cup forlornly. I imagined for a moment a life without coffee. For a brief moment I felt something strange. I couldn’t place a name on the feeling, I knew life without coffee would be less acceptable than a life with it.

The man left some money on their table and they got up. I worked my way out of the vents and found them on the street after a few minutes of searching. It surprised me that it took me that long. I usually was more effective at tracking my prey. I blamed it on the strange feelings I was feeling towards the woman. They had me very distracted. Those feelings and trying to puzzle out Krista’s mystery served as ample distractions. Perhaps I should have taken Drew’s tack and taken an evening to rest with my thoughts.