Ghost Soldiers by Keith Melton

Author:Keith Melton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Published: 2011-07-11T16:00:00+00:00

Karl led her eastward toward the docks and the containership, moving quickly across the rooftops, down into the streets, avoiding traffic, avoiding streetlamps, scaling walls and running along power and laundry lines. They paused on the roof of a long two-story building a half mile from the docks to reorient. He could see the water and hear the distant surf as he scanned for the best approach to the shipyards.

Bailey broke the silence. “Have you ever killed anyone you later regretted?”

“I’ve killed a lot of people.”

Bailey shoved her hands in the pockets of her white coat and stared at him. She didn’t seem shocked or angry or surprised. He reached out and wiped at the blood on her cheek, meaning to clean it away, but it had grown tacky and didn’t come off. She raised her hand and rubbed at her skin, then looked at the dark color on her fingers. She drew closer to him, her pupils dilating as she gazed up into his face. She put a hand on his chest, grabbed his black shirt and pulled herself up to kiss him.

He drew back immediately and turned his face away, prying her hand free. “Don’t.”

Emotions flitted across their link almost too fast to read. Hurt. Anger. Frustration. Shame. She snorted and shook her head, glared at the distant water until she finally turned back to him.

“Vampires don’t fuck?” she demanded, her words razor sharp. “Or do Masters just not fuck their sirelings? Or is this a personal thing?”

“I belong to someone else. You know that.”

She gave a bitter laugh. “Hell, hey, I was just looking for some fun, don’t get your jockstrap in a knot. Can’t hate a guy for staying true, even though I do, cuz it’s goddamn rare and just my shitty luck. Men. All the good ones are either dead or taken. Sometimes both.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Fuck your sorry. I can’t do anything with a son of a bitching sorry.”

“You just fed. Feeding sometimes stirs you up.”

“Stirs me up. Ha. More like makes me do something incredibly stupid.” She shook her head. “Like tequila.”

He turned away and started toward the roof ledge, eager to be gone. “We’re almost to the shipyards. Dawn will be here too soon.”

“Wait, Karl.”

He looked back at her. She stood in the darkness, stars all around her head as if she lay back on a velvet celestial carpet. She didn’t meet his eyes. “What if I kill someone innocent?”

“You won’t. I’ll always help you.”

“But what if I do? What if I do anyway?”

He stared at her for a long time, remembering the young girl Master Cade had forced him to feed upon. “Then I’ll destroy you.”

“Nice. That simple, huh? Lines in the sand.”

“This non-life is dark enough without tasting the blood of innocents. That blood burns as it goes down. A vampire is nothing more than a never-ending collection of haunted memories, hunger and suffering. An engine running on blood, in the silence of an unbeating heart, drinking of shadows. I warned you, Bailey Fletcher.

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