Bite the Bullet - Vampire Cohorts Book 1

Chapter Two: Sometimes Vampires Look Like Pixies

THE next time awareness began to creep back in, it was accompanied by a female voice. "Time to open your eyes Salix, eternity's waiting for you to leap in and have a ball with me."

A groan escaped me and I considered rolling over and going back to sleep. I certainly didn't want to open my eyes. I'd been warm, cosy and safe in my unconsciousness and I wasn't inclined to face a reality where there was work, bills, blood, and vampires.

Wait. Blood and vampires?

My eyes shot open as everything that had taken place came back to me in a roaring wave of fear, anger and then begrudging resignation. Despite my horror, every one of those emotions was quickly replaced by incredulity as I gawped at the unbelievable sight before me.

What could possibly have caused such a reaction upon my unwelcomed return to the land of the living?

A pixie face.

A pixie face under a shock of short magenta hair, decorated with a pair of kohl lined lavender eyes, and lips which had been painted a vibrant scarlet. I swear. Magenta hair. Scarlet lips. Lavender eyes.

"They cannot be real," I told the woman leaning over me.

She laughed, her chuckle hearty and full of joyous mirth. The pink haired stranger grinned at me, flashing canines which were far pointier than those of a human, even while retracted. "No, they're contacts, but I like them. They drive the boss-man mad. Our Sire doesn't strictly approve of my alternative dress sense, but where's the fun if you can't irk your maker every once in a while?"

"I plan to irk him at every possible opportunity," I admitted miserably as I sat up, noticing that I had once again been placed on my sofa. I hugged the crochet blanket to my chest, trying to wring every ounce of comfort from it. Then, in the interest of not creating enemies, I held out my hand to the pink-haired pixie and murmured, "Hi, I'm Darcy."

The impish woman smiled again as she replied, "Only for now. Gunner has the house sentries use their surnames, most of them, and you're going to be one of the watch. You'd better get used to answering to Salix." She didn't even give me time to absorb that news before she grabbed my hand and shook it vigorously. "I'm Penny Alexander but you may call me Lex."

Indicating behind her she then directed my attention to the two men conversing in the corner of the room. "I assume Jimmy's introduced himself, but the guy with him, that's Glen, Martin Glennister. We're both guards. You'll be working alongside us soon, once you're tested. It's not official yet but I already know what job you'll be given."

As she prattled away, barely pausing for breath, all I could do was stare, dumbfounded, at the woman. Blinking at Lex in mystification, I wondered if the madness was part of being vampire or if it was restricted to the odd lavender-eyed individual.

"You know? How do you know?"

Her head tilted as her lavender gaze swept over my doubt filled expression. "I've seen it," she announced as if that explained anything. "I'm a foreshadower. That sounds grim doesn't it? It's not. I get visions; some are premonitions and some are of the present or the past. They're like film stills in my head. I've seen you in the sentry uniform. You're going to be one of us, and I bet you're going to be damn good at it."

Good? At being a vampire sentry? But I didn't want to protect the vampires who'd stolen my life. Turning away from her I couldn't help feeling bitter. "Awesome, I have a first class honours degree and I'm going to be a security guard... And there are prophets now as well? What happened to just being human?"

A frown hardened her expression as she considered me. "You gave that up when you signed the... oh," she whispered softly as her eyes glazed over and she slid down onto the sofa next to me. "He didn't... What the hell was he thinking? Christ."