So You Used to Be Human - Book 3 (Original Version)

Chapter 43: Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda

The aftermath of the battle was a huge release of energy and tension.

Beatrice was pulling Jaime's arm, carefully massaging it as Jaime writhed in pain on the floor, somehow managing to not scream out the stream of cursewords she so desperately wanted to. I was amazed that Jaime could manage the pain so well as her arm was broken in several places, but even more amazed at how gentle Beatrice was, how much care and attention she was taking to make sure every bone was back in place.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" This was me to Beatrice of course, ever tactful.

"Why, I came to see you lover... well I actually came to kill you, but same difference." Beatrice made a last adjustment and Jaime actually cried out this time before slumping to the ground.

"ShitmotherfuckergoddamnfuckingsonofaBITCH!" Jaime spat and Beatrice grinned.

"You're probably going to need an X-ray and have it re-broken, but right now it should at least heal not all fucked up and twisted."

"I still hate you," Jaime said and pulled away from her.

"Of course you do," Beatrice said, and what was it with that smile anyway?

"Alright kids, time to leave," Claude said, as he returned from glancing outside the motel as the considerable police presence. "The cops are here and no doubt surrounding the place, there's a half-burnt dead body lying here, you two are covered with blood, we got two more bodies upstairs and there has been significant property damage, so if we're going to make it out of here alive and without killing anyone else, I'm going to need you guys to listen to me. If you could avoid burning up in the sun, that would be great..."

"Say who-what-now?" I asked, completely puzzled.

"You think you two could avoid killing each other for two minutes?" Claude asked Beatrice and Jaime. Beatrice gave the thumbs up, way too happy for my liking; Jaime just glared at her and just shook her head dismissively at Claude. She was done fighting for the day. You could see it in her entire body, but mostly in how she just stared at the body of Mr Bryce. I could have assured her that he would be back in about three days, albeit a lot pissed off, but something told me that she wouldn't have cared.

I looked at the body of Mr Bryce and not for the first or last time, wished that I hadn't left the stakes embedded in his eyes like I had, but at the time it had felt right and just. Mr Bryce might have applauded me if he wasn't dead at the moment, after all his brain couldn't start it's regeneration with two stakes deep inside. The longer he stayed dead, the more distance we could put between us and the Gentlemen.

I shuddered as I thought of Mr Sinnel and Mr Flynn upstairs, and the thought came that we didn't really have much time left at all before one of them was on their feet again. The jubilation that I had felt at defeating all three of the gentlemen, now turned to a deep dark dread, the same dread that had come when I had failed to turn Mr Sinnel's head into mush.

I caught Jaime's eye and for some reason I thought she was thinking the same thing.

Beatrice caught Claude's eye and smiled. She blurred moved quickly, quicker than I could have ever thought from Beatrice and was in front of Claude in an instant. She stuck out her hand for him to shake, a lunatic grin on her face.

"You're the asshole who locked me out of my vault! You stole my vampire!"

I leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. "Don't shake her hand. It's a trap."

"Is it a trap?" Claude wanted to know.

Beatrice nodded happily and put her hand down. "Yeah, but it's mostly out of habit. Where's my vampire?"