“Right.” A flashlight came on with a sliding click. The beam hit me, landing on my injured arm. The man cursed. He crossed the space between us. “You hurt anywhere else?”
“No,” I said, closing my eyes against the glare when it hit me in the face.
“Here. Hold the flash.” He knelt, set a weapon on the dirt at his side, and closed my good left fingers around the flashlight, aiming the beam on the wound. It looked a lot worse in the light. I swallowed, heart rate tripping, breath too fast. He was older than I thought, and when he folded my turban into a passable field dressing and tied the bandage with the right amount of pressure, I upped his age again.
“Medic?” I asked.
He glanced at me above the flash. “Marine. Two tours in Afghan, one in Iraq. You learn to do all sorts of shit when you’re in the line of fire.” His tone was bitter and his smile was full of shadows and mockery, from the night and the military. “Thought I’d be safe when I came home to the United States of America.” He made the country sound worse than a war zone. “Instead, I find my hood is fulla bloodsucking vamps, and I got to go back to war just to keep my family safe.”
“You got it, though?” I said, turning it into a question at the last moment. “The vamp.”
“Staked, belly opened, head a few feet to the side of where it used to sit. True-dead.” He paused, then added, “I knew the kid. Fifteen when I left for my first tour.”
Not knowing what else to say, I said, “I’m sorry.”
He snorted softly in laughter and shook his head as if to say, Life sucks. “Yeah. Kinda gripes my ass too.”
“You lose any men tonight?” I asked, craning my neck back. I could see only lumps at this distance, in the uncertain light.
“One hurt. Mr. Pellissier can fix him.” He took up his weapon, rose, and held a hand down to me. “Can you stand?” I took a breath, steadying myself, and nodded. I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet. “Nice dress.” He ran the flashlight up and down me. My skirt had loosed from the makeshift trousers. “You always hunt vamp in a dress and party shoes?”
I couldn’t help my laugh. “No. Tonight was a surprise. I usually hunt in better garb.” Pelt, Beast thought. And claws. He still held my good hand, so I increased the pressure, turning it into greeting. “Jane Yellowrock. The girl you just saved from being dinner.” Which he had. I might have killed two vamps alone, but not without serious injury. Caught up in the bar fight and the chase, I had miscalculated tonight. A rookie’s mistake. I was ticked off at myself.
“Indian name?” he asked. I nodded as he shook my hand, holding it a bit longer than necessary. “Derek Lee. Nice to meet you, Injun Princess. Mr. Leo say you hunt vamp for a living. Kinda strange to hear that from the city’s head bloodsucker.” He dropped my hand and looked around at the night. A soldier’s alertness. I followed his gaze along the street.
Even with the gunshots, no one had come out to see what was happening. Or maybe because of the gunshots. But the music had faded away and the night had gone silent. I was surprised not to hear sirens. “No cops?” I asked.
“Not after dark,” he said, the bitterness back in his tone. “They’ll respond in daylight if there’s enough of them available and if they’re in the mood to look for trouble and knock heads. But they stay away after dark.” I had nothing to say to that. “You think we got ’em all?” Derek asked, changing the subject.
“I don’t know for sure. But the smell of blood usually draws out any in hiding. Especially the young ones.” I cradled my arm to my waist. Adrenaline faded; I was hurting. Throbbing. Bad. “I haven’t decapitated the girl,” I said. “You want to do the honors?” I picked my vamp-killer up from the dirt and handed it to him hilt first. I could have done it myself. I had done it before. But this was his turf. His true-kill, if he wanted it.
He took the hilt, reached into a pocket with his other hand, pulling out a small, vibrating cell phone. Glancing at the display, he flipped it open. “Mr. Pellissier.” He sounded exactly like a Marine reporting to headquarters. Beast perked up, listening. Derek strolled away, but not far enough to give him privacy. Unlike a human, I could hear both sides of the conversation.
“Two encom down,” he said softly. “One of my men wounded and needing assistance, life threatening if he doesn’t get to a hospital or get an infusion from one of you, sir.”
I understood that Leo or one of his family could and would heal the injured man. Interesting. I knew vamp blood could heal, but had never seen it happen, the vamp-on-vamp scene between Katie and Leo notwithstanding. I heard Leo say, “And Miss Yellowrock?”
“The girl’s injured. It’s non-life threatening but she’s lost blood and use of one arm, sir. She needs a surgeon or one of you. She took one vampire down single-handedly. She’s a good soldier, sir.” I felt like I was being recommended for a medal, which might make me one of Derek’s men. Funny idea.