Anthony.
Wow, Roderick thought. This kid had a knack for being a vampire. He shouldn’t just ‘know’ how to do shit. Roderick was supposed to teach him. Roderick was supposed to be in control. Damn. What was happening here?
The girl with the braids, the one called Candy, walked right up to the new vampire and greeted him, not with words, but with a sensual, knowing kiss. A kiss with tongue.
The other girl appeared in front of Roderick. She smiled at him and actually purred as she said, “Hi, Stranger. You looking for a little action tonight?” Even the purr was grating to the ears. Roderick looked around. They were standing in the middle of the crowd. He grasped the girl by the wrist and pulled her off to the side, using a shadow for cover.
Her voice was annoying, but the taste of her blood was as sweet as her friend’s name. He was blood-starved from turning the boy and the hunger urged him into long deep swallows. What he wanted most was to press his fingers through her rib cage, pull out her blood-saturated heart, and chew on it like bubble-gum. But her sweet young blood smoothed the frenzy and he kept control. He let her corpse slide to the ground intact.
No man would ever have to hear that voice again.
He was suddenly terrified.
He had left a fledgling unattended through his first kill!
Holy Mavis, he breathed, was he ever going to stop screwing this up? He spun around and looked for Anthony. The girl with the braids was staggering with zig-zag steps away from the boy. He was watching her go, a goofy grin on his face. To Roderick’s horror Anthony lifted an arm and wiped his shirtsleeve across his mouth. Roderick could clearly see the bright red stain.
“You idiot! What are you doing? You’re supposed to wait for me to teach you things!”
The boy turned to him, goofy grin still plastered across his face. “That was the coolest thing!”
Roderick was so tense he thought he might jump up and down and have a temper tantrum right there. “You idiot! Hide your sleeve. Get that shirt off! Find a garbage can or something.” Fortunately no one had noticed them yet.
Anthony looked down at his shirt. Looked at Roderick. The expression on his face was so dumbfounded it would have been comical in a different time and place. “What are you so excited about?”
“Your sleeve! Your sleeve.” Roderick forced himself to be calm. He was acting paranoid. More like his own Master every day. He counted to five. Ten would take too long.
“Look at your sleeve, Boy. You must never do that again. When the girl is found dead there must never be any evidence to connect you to the body. Particularly blood on your clothing. Don’t you know anything about forensics?” He tugged at the shirt. Tony let his arms slide out of the sleeves, and Roderick rolled it into a ball.
The boy gave him that stupid look again. “Forensics? No, I don’t read much. But... the girl was fine. Didn’t you see her dance away? What do you think I did to her? Wait a minute!” He looked around Roderick, peered into the shadows. “What did you do? Is that the other girl on the ground? What did you do?”
Roderick sighed. “I fed. What did you do with yours?” He hustled the boy down the street, away from that particular crowd, the girl he’d left on the ground.
“We danced for a bit.” His eyes glazed over. “Mmmm. I tasted her. She tasted me. We danced in a way I have never danced before. I think we shifted the universe.”
“Oh gag me. You fed. I can’t imagine how you fed so little that she walked away, especially your first time out, but that’s what it was. Nothing earth-shaking, believe me. You’re not supposed to feed them back. Gad, I can just see it, all sorts of little stupid Anthony-vampires running around.” He froze at his own words.
“I prefer to be called Tony,” said the boy.
Stupid little Anthony-vampires. Very possible. As a high-pitched scream rose from somewhere behind them, Roderick suddenly knew
Wow, Roderick thought. This kid had a knack for being a vampire. He shouldn’t just ‘know’ how to do shit. Roderick was supposed to teach him. Roderick was supposed to be in control. Damn. What was happening here?
The girl with the braids, the one called Candy, walked right up to the new vampire and greeted him, not with words, but with a sensual, knowing kiss. A kiss with tongue.
The other girl appeared in front of Roderick. She smiled at him and actually purred as she said, “Hi, Stranger. You looking for a little action tonight?” Even the purr was grating to the ears. Roderick looked around. They were standing in the middle of the crowd. He grasped the girl by the wrist and pulled her off to the side, using a shadow for cover.
Her voice was annoying, but the taste of her blood was as sweet as her friend’s name. He was blood-starved from turning the boy and the hunger urged him into long deep swallows. What he wanted most was to press his fingers through her rib cage, pull out her blood-saturated heart, and chew on it like bubble-gum. But her sweet young blood smoothed the frenzy and he kept control. He let her corpse slide to the ground intact.
No man would ever have to hear that voice again.
He was suddenly terrified.
He had left a fledgling unattended through his first kill!
Holy Mavis, he breathed, was he ever going to stop screwing this up? He spun around and looked for Anthony. The girl with the braids was staggering with zig-zag steps away from the boy. He was watching her go, a goofy grin on his face. To Roderick’s horror Anthony lifted an arm and wiped his shirtsleeve across his mouth. Roderick could clearly see the bright red stain.
“You idiot! What are you doing? You’re supposed to wait for me to teach you things!”
The boy turned to him, goofy grin still plastered across his face. “That was the coolest thing!”
Roderick was so tense he thought he might jump up and down and have a temper tantrum right there. “You idiot! Hide your sleeve. Get that shirt off! Find a garbage can or something.” Fortunately no one had noticed them yet.
Anthony looked down at his shirt. Looked at Roderick. The expression on his face was so dumbfounded it would have been comical in a different time and place. “What are you so excited about?”
“Your sleeve! Your sleeve.” Roderick forced himself to be calm. He was acting paranoid. More like his own Master every day. He counted to five. Ten would take too long.
“Look at your sleeve, Boy. You must never do that again. When the girl is found dead there must never be any evidence to connect you to the body. Particularly blood on your clothing. Don’t you know anything about forensics?” He tugged at the shirt. Tony let his arms slide out of the sleeves, and Roderick rolled it into a ball.
The boy gave him that stupid look again. “Forensics? No, I don’t read much. But... the girl was fine. Didn’t you see her dance away? What do you think I did to her? Wait a minute!” He looked around Roderick, peered into the shadows. “What did you do? Is that the other girl on the ground? What did you do?”
Roderick sighed. “I fed. What did you do with yours?” He hustled the boy down the street, away from that particular crowd, the girl he’d left on the ground.
“We danced for a bit.” His eyes glazed over. “Mmmm. I tasted her. She tasted me. We danced in a way I have never danced before. I think we shifted the universe.”
“Oh gag me. You fed. I can’t imagine how you fed so little that she walked away, especially your first time out, but that’s what it was. Nothing earth-shaking, believe me. You’re not supposed to feed them back. Gad, I can just see it, all sorts of little stupid Anthony-vampires running around.” He froze at his own words.
“I prefer to be called Tony,” said the boy.
Stupid little Anthony-vampires. Very possible. As a high-pitched scream rose from somewhere behind them, Roderick suddenly knew
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