Dead Before Dawn: The Vampire Curse

Chapter 21 - Just Call Me Sir Galahad

"Scott," he said, as he followed his rival through the door, "come back inside, please. I'll leave, but it's not safe out here."

Scott was just drunk enough to not care it seemed. Dark alleys in L.A. were not safe at the best of times, even if they were out the back of a popular night club. With what Max could feel, this one was definitely worse.

"Awww, not going to share, Sugar?" a voice said from the darkness.

Max could just make out a shape in the shadows. Without shifting form again he could not see her clearly, but he could see enough. When she stepped out of inky blackness into one of the lights, he put himself between Scott and her.

"I'm not the sharing type," he said, aiming for a tone just about absolute zero; he wanted her to have no doubt he was serious.

"This is my hunting ground, Sugar," the female vampire said, smiling at him with all the sincerity of someone running for office; "either you share, or I take what I want and leave you in a little pile."

She sounded home grown American; looked it too. Given what he knew about Russian bloodlines and his in particular, the odds were in his favour. He guessed she was assuming his bloodline was local as well; after all, vampire weren't big travellers. No doubt she had had much more practice at the whole vampire thing, but there was no substitute for brute strength. At least he hoped not.

"You could try, Lapushka," he dropped into a Russian accent, wondering if he could scare her off that way.

"What the hell?" came from Scott. "Max, what the fuck are you doing?"

For a moment she hesitated, but then straightened again.

"Nice try, Sugar," she said and smiled dangerously, "but you don't scare me."

Scott stepped up to his shoulder, Max growled quietly and moved back in front of the other actor.

"Scott, stay behind me, okay," he said.

"Like hell I will," Scott replied, sounding just drunk enough to be a dick.

There was nothing else for it and Max turned to Scott and let his vampire traits out.

"Stay behind me," he said, carefully stressing each word. Power made his voice resonate with each syllable.

Hopefully, along with the glowing eyes, that would get the message through to his oblivious companion.

"Shit." Scott took a step back, which was a good start.

Point made, Max turned back to the problem at hand; he could deal with Scott later. The female vampire was frowning at him; he had to be confusing her.

"Last chance, Lapushka," he said, dropping back into the accent and hoping his strange behaviour would convince her not to risk a confrontation.

He should have been afraid, he knew that, after all he was up against a fully fledged vampire, but, although his heart was beating fast, it was not because he was scared. Fear was taking a back seat to other instincts. The vampire part of him was actually looking forward to a fight and he let it all the way to the surface. There was no point in holding back now; he needed every advantage he could get.

"This is my territory," the female vampire told him and snarled, showing him long vicious fangs, "I don't like invaders."

She launched herself at him without warning, far faster than he was expecting. She got in the first blow. He stumbled back as her fists connected with his chest, but it fired him up more than damaging him. He growled and made an attack of his own. She was fast. He barely caught her shoulder, but it wasn't a miss.