Page 11 of Her Reborn Mate
While there was still breath in my body, I would defend that woman.
I perched myself on one of the cozier roofs, trying to figure out why I couldn’t shift into a wolf even when I tried. This had also robbed me of my other abilities to move swiftly, hear intently, and see far away.
Right now, I was as defenseless as an ordinary man.
But even in this state, I could see something moving in the dark. Five figures, all of them traipsing around the roofs. It did not take me long to realize from how they moved that those were not humans. Their shapes, their gait, and their propensity for leaping across long distances only confirmed my suspicions.
The vampires had followed Alexis to Bangor.
And without my abilities, I stood little chance against all of them.
As soon as I realized I needed a weapon, providence provided one for me in the form of a guy standing behind me, holding a handgun to my head.
“You best tell me what the fuck you’re doing on the roof of my building, buster, or I’m going to pop a cap in your skull,” this man said.
Vampires were one thing, but I could take this man on, even with his added advantage of catching me by surprise.
I lunged to the side before he could shoot and grabbed his gun in my hand, yanking it free from his grip.
“What is it with this town and people pointing guns in my face?” I asked, throwing the gun on the floor.
“What do you want?” the man asked, raising his hands above his head. “Money? I don’t have any money.”
“I don’t want your money, my friend. I just need your permission to use your roof. I’m in no mood to fight, as I have had the worst past hours. So, don’t raise the alarm, and don’t reach for your gun. Just understand that I mean you no harm, but there’s someone out there I love very much, and she is in the way of harm. I intend to save her. In order to do that, I need access to this roof. Do you have a family?”
The man nodded.
“Do you love them?”
He nodded again.
“Then you must understand, as a family man, that I would do anything to protect mine. Right now, this means using your roof. I am not going to hurt you,” I said, passing the gun back to the man.
“You could have knocked on the door. I’d have let you in. Don’t go scaring people like that. This ain’t Gotham, and you ain’t Batman,” he said, stowing the gun back in his pants.
“Are we okay?” I asked, now taking notice of the man’s features. He was white-haired, wrinkled, and quite frail.
“Son, I don’t presume things, and I don’t mean to ask, but you look as bad as those junkies down in the streets. Are you okay?”
“Nothing some food and sleep won’t fix,” I said.
The man nodded solemnly, then retraced his steps back to the rooftop entrance. I turned my attention back to the silhouette of the vampires. They were still there, acting maniacally as ever.
When the man returned, he came back with a tray of food, water, and a blanket.
“Best leave before the morning,” the man said.
“Thank you for this,” I said. “There’s something different about your town. Folks are kinder here. Except for shaking guns in my face, that is.”
“Aye, that’s true,” the man said. “You better not be here when I come in the morning.”
I nodded as the man left, holding myself off as best as I could. The minute the door closed, I fell upon the food on the tray like a starving dog, eating every bite without even chewing.
It was only after I’d drunk all the water that I realized how famished and parched I had been. After finishing my food, I diverted my attention back to the vampires on the roof.
They weren’t there anymore.
Chapter 5: Alexis