Broken Heart Town 04 - Wait Till Your Vampires Get Home Part 2

"Hiiiii," said the zombie. "Saaaaave yooooou."

He grinned at me. At least I think he did. His mouth was mostly gone so it was hard to tell. Some of his teeth were missing, and those left were black and rotting. His breath was worse than the fanged guy's. I breathed through my mouth, but the stench still made my eyes water.

The zombie twisted the vampire's head. I heard bones snapping. Oh, now really. Yuckyuckyuck!

To save his own hide, the man let me go. But he didn't just drop me. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d threw me.

"Libby!" cried Ralph.

Once again, I found myself airborne, only much higher and faster. I let my body go completely limp. I hit the ground on my back, flopping onto the hard-packed earth like a rag doll.

For a moment, I imagined I was lying on the softest bedding in the world. I focused on the pearlescent moon perched in the black- velvet sky and breathed deeply. I a.s.sessed my body and, though it ached, I was glad I hadn't broken any bones.

Thank you, Yogini Shivali. Ten years of yoga lessons had paid off. Whew. I closed my eyes and took several more deep breaths.

"Oh my G.o.d! Libby!" Ralph's voice startled the h.e.l.l out of me.

My eyes flew open and I looked directly into his concerned gaze. "Seriously. You should try out for the Olympics."

"You're okay?" His hands traveled over my arms and ribs, and then fluttered over my hips. His fingers lingered a smidge too long there, and my happy spot perked up. "Whoa there, bucko."

He chuckled as his hands tested my thighs, calves, and ankles. "Nothing broken."

"Yeah. Like you'd know."

"I would know," he said. "I was studying to be a paramedic before . . . well, before."

His wife died. Had his dreams died with her, too?

Gah! What was wrong with me? My thoughts seemed to go all mushy around this guy.

Ralph helped me sit up. I felt shaky and cold. I really wanted to go back to the hotel and forget tonight ever happened. So what if the proof that validated the existence of PRIS and my parents' lifelong dreams had been chasing me around a cemetery?

Ralph's hands took mine and, though they weren't warm, I still felt heat tingle through me.

Well, maybe I didn't want to forget everything.

Ralph helped me to my feet and we looked at each other for a long moment. Every nerve ending p.r.i.c.kled in antic.i.p.ation. I saw Ralph's gaze dip to my mouth, and my ever-so-subtle response was to lick my lips.

"Hiiiii," said the zombie.

I nearly jumped out of my skin. "Jeez! Would you people stop sneaking up on me?"

We turned and looked at our unexpected friend. He dragged the vampire by his leg. The guy wasn't protesting much. I looked down and saw that his head had been turned 180 degrees. Had he been alive, he'd be staring at his own a.s.s. He'd be eating a lot of dirt, too.

"Mm-mmph-mmph." Neither Ralph nor the zombie had spoken.

"Mm-mmph-mmph!"

"What's that noise?" I asked.

The zombie dropped the pant leg clutched in his gray fist and leaned down to roll the dead guy over. It was really weird to see a head on the wrong side of its body. Believe it or not, that wasn't the weirdest part.

The man glared at us balefully. He spit out gra.s.s and dirt. "Like it's not bad enough I have the Taint," he rasped. "Everyone says the cure's in Broken Heart. I want it!" He paused. "By the way, this isn't comfortable."

"H-he's alive." I thought I had accepted that he was a vampire. I mean, the fangs, and the jumping on moving cars, and the talking with a twisted neck . . . yep, all that added up to vampire.

"Yeah, he's alive," said Ralph, grimacing. "The only way to kill him is to sever the head completely."

"Oh." I really didn't want to see someone get decapitated. "You'd think he wouldn't be able to talk since his throat is messed up."

"Good point." Ralph studied my face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good," I lied. I felt as though I was slowly spinning. Cold tingles welled up from my stomach and washed over me. I jerked a thumb at the gray-skinned, eyeless corpse. "He's really a zombie."

"I'm afraid so."

"Why did we run away from him? He seems nice, even if he is a walking corpse."

Ralph shrugged. "He just really geeks me out."

"Totally. Um . . . and that other guy should be dead."

"He's already dead," said Ralph. He sighed. "He's a vampire."

"Right." Nausea roiled. Dizziness overwhelmed me.

"Libby?" He stepped forward. "You look pale."

"You should talk," I mumbled. Suddenly suspicious, I looked him over. "Oh, don't tell me. Are you a vampire, too?"

"Yes," he admitted.

No way. I had hit the paranormal jackpot and I didn't know what to do. My parents were gonna flip! Unless they'd run into their own preternatural problems, and that's why they hadn't answered my call.

"I need to get to the Thrifty Sip."

Ralph's eyebrows winged upward. "It's closed."

"Just tell me where it is." I pulled out my phone. "I have GPS."

"In case you haven't noticed," he said, "we have bigger problems."

"Bigger than you think," gasped the p.r.o.ne vampire. "Heads up."

We immediately looked up.

Two large, winged monsters barreled out of the sky.

And they were on fire.

Chapter 4

"Holy s.h.i.t!" shouted Ralph. He scooped me into his arms and took off like a shot. Before I knew it, we were safely on the road that Ralph had been aiming for when the car died. We were far enough away to be out of danger, but close enough to watch the action. He put me down and lucky, lucky me . . . he kept his arm around my shoulders.

I won't say anything about how nice his arm felt or how warm fuzzies turned into dancing b.u.t.terflies in my belly. Because, y'know, that would be wrong. My timing always did suck.

We turned to watch the fiery creatures. They plowed into the earth, screeching and burning, like two huge, jeweled meteors. Dirt and gra.s.s exploded. The ground under our feet shook. We wobbled and held on to each other to keep upright.

I might as well say it: Dragons. Yep. And they landed on the zombie and the vampire.

"Oh. Ouch." I flinched. "Do you think . . ."

"No," said Ralph, answering the question I couldn't quite ask. "They're toast."

"Maybe squished by dragons should be added to the list of ways to kill vampires." It was inane to say, I admit, but I was tired of screaming. My throat hurt. And if I was trying to appear cool under pressure and failing miserably, so what?

"Noted," said Ralph. "Beheading, intense light, and dragon squishing. Bad for vamps."

I bit my lip because I wanted to laugh, and it was sooooo not the time to exhibit a sense of humor. I mean, really, who laughs at a time like this? Not me. No, sirree.

I gazed up at Ralph, but he looked all stoic and cute. He had a nice jaw. A little cleft in his chin. A thick fringe of lashes that so nicely framed his baby blues. Why did guys always get the great lashes?

My ruminations were cut short because Ralph gathered his wits before I did. He whipped out a cell phone and made a call. I took the cell out of my coat pocket and tried to call my parents, but with no luck. Worry gnawed at me; I pushed it away. We'd gotten out of a lot of jams over the years. If anyone was good at surviving peril, it was Dora and Elmore Monroe.

The dragons kept breathing fire on each other and slashing at each other with sharp, black talons. One dragon was blue-green, and the other orange-red. The only positive thing about their battle was that their fire turned the freezing February air darn near tropic.

"Does this happen a lot?" I asked.

"Um . . . no. Not really." He squeezed me in a very nice (oh, baby!) hug. Then he seemed to realize what he'd done and let me go like I was on fire. He cleared his throat. "Don't worry. Help is on the way."

Uh, yeah. What kind of help could possibly resolve two dragons duking it out? I couldn't see Broken Heart cops showing up and hauling them off to jail.

"Oh! My purse!" My bag was just a few feet away. Wow. That vampire had lobbed it a huge distance. It had landed upright and, hey, no spillage. I ran toward it, thinking only about scooping it up. It had a lot of stuff inside, stuff I used and needed and didn't want to acc.u.mulate all over again.

"Libby!"

I didn't heed the warning in Ralph's voice because I had my eyes on the prize. I crouched near a headstone and reached for the strap.

ROOOOOOAAAAAR!

The orange-red dragon flew over me, its belly so close I could see the intricate pattern of its glistening scales. Its wing tip brushed my head.

Heart pounding and adrenaline spiking, I grabbed my purse and flattened to the gra.s.s.

The dragon landed on its side. The ground rolled underneath me, then shook violently. I squeezed my eyes shut and curled into a protective ball.

"Help me," cried a female voice.

I opened one eye. A couple of yards away lay a woman whom I can only describe as a dragon-woman. Her body was covered in a strange, shimmery material, which gleamed orange and red. Black liquid streaked her abdomen and chest. She coughed and the same liquid burbled from her lips.

Oh, G.o.d.

"Please," she cried. Desperation and pain filled her gaze.

The last thing I wanted to do was get anywhere near her. I wasn't a genius, but even I could figure out that she'd been the orange dragon. I'd studied shape-shifters. Rare was the mention of a were-dragon. And yet there she was, begging for my help.

Ruby Two and Sapphire Three would be really disappointed in me if I failed to help any living creature in trouble.

With the purse strap clenched in my fist, I rolled to my hands and knees. Where was the other dragon? Where was Ralph? Where was my common sense?

Ralph zipped past us, leaping over the injured woman. He aimed both palms at the sky. Fire erupted. Ralph made hand motions and the fire shaped into large spheres.

I couldn't wrap my brain around this new development. Ralph was a vampire who could wield fire? Wasn't that an odd ability for a creature deathly allergic to all things light?

I didn't really have much time to ponder the question. Apparently a dragon could be as quiet as a stealth bomber. The blue-green soared toward us, soundless, its maw opening as flames licked its teeth. My heart leapt into my throat and I nearly choked.

The fire bombs struck it in the mouth, the chin, and the neck. Ralph relentlessly threw the fire at the creature. It flew higher into the sky, obviously p.i.s.sed, trying to get out of range. Throwing fire at a dragon didn't seem all that smart. After all, dragons were fireproof. Maybe vampire fire was different. The blue dragon didn't seem to like it much.

I reached the girl. Up close, I could see her injuries were bad. Her odd skin had slashes from legs to shoulders, and several wounds were so deep I could see muscle and bone. My gorge rose. No. I had to keep it together. I could freak out later.

"What can I do?" I unzipped my purse and took out my box of wet wipes. I dabbed her face, wiped off her mouth, scrubbed her neck.

"Please." Her voice was a mere whisper.

From a side pocket, I pulled out my half-drunk bottle of Mountain Dew, my own little gustatory sin. I was a vegan. But that didn't mean I was immune to the sensual delights of junk food.

"I'm sorry." Tears crowded my eyes. G.o.d, I felt so helpless. She had to be in a lot of pain. "It's all I have. I promise I don't have cooties."

She smiled and I raised the bottle of soda to her mouth. She drank some, but it took effort.

I could hear Ralph's shouts, the constant roar of fire, and the growls of the blue dragon. Their battle continued, but I feared this woman's was over.

"No more time." She grasped my jacket with her long, orange fingers. Her red nails pierced the material. "My brother must not get my powers." She pulled me closer. "Kiss me."

"Oh. Uh . . ." I was all for granting last requests, but kissing a girl? "I'm really sorry. I'm not a lesbian."

Her laugh was hoa.r.s.e. "I promise I don't have cooties."