Romance at Heart: Night Vengeance, Chapter 3 of a free rah read

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Night Vengeance

Chapter Three

Justin streamed across the city of Columbia, South Carolina; his senses alert to any sound that would let him know the vampire was near. He still couldn't believe she'd escaped him and without telling him her name! He'd put a light compulsion on his question and she should have answered with her name, but amazingly she hadn't. He couldn't understand it! Was he losing his touch?

His ears attentive to the city sounds, Justin streamed across the night sky, his eyes vigilant, searching for any movement that would tell him it was she, the woman in black pajamas. Then he saw her on the roof of a building, she was running and about to leap over the chasm to the next building. He couldn't get there in time to save her if she fell; all he could do was watch, his heart in his throat as she reached the end and jumped.

Raelynn felt suspended in air for a few seconds then she pulled herself in and landed on the opposite roof exactly the way she wanted. She went to the side and watched the man walking nonchalantly along with no idea she'd found him.

She saw him stop and talk to a woman scantily clad, a hooker. She couldn't hear what he was saying but she saw the woman's eyes become glazed and knew she was now in a trance. They began walking away so she turned to follow only to slam into a hard body blocking her way.

Hard, warm hands grabbed her to prevent her from falling and her head snapped up to see who held her. The light of battle left her eyes as she stared up into Justin's face. She wasn't surprised to see him; deep down she had known he would follow her. She looked over her shoulder and spotted the vampire and the woman turning the corner into an alley. She quickly brought her arms up in between his and pushed out, breaking his hold.

"He's about to kill again," she growled at him, then ran to the other side of the building and looked down over the ledge.

Not letting her out of his sight, he followed and gazed down. Justin's eyes suddenly burned as he saw the man below open his mouth over the woman's neck. He instantly disappeared and reappeared behind the vampire. He grabbed the undead by his long, dirty, brown mane and pulled him away from her, and throwing the vampire into the garbage cans that littered the alley.

Raelynn climbed down the side of the building using her hand claws and foot spikes. A little more than halfway down, she jumped and landed softly next to the woman whose eyes were open in horror, as she watched the beautiful face of the man she'd been about to have sex with turn ugly, as he face the other man who'd saved her. Raelynn quickly took out a dart and jabbed it in the woman's arm effectively putting her to sleep, then turned to observe the fight between the vampire and Justin.

"Who are you?" snarled the vampire.

"I am justice undead one," Justin stated. "You have killed for far too long. It is time you slept the sleep of eternity."

Raelynn's eyes rolled up at the formal words, 'why didn't Justin just attack?' she wondered. Did he think words were going to defeat the creature? She surreptitiously raised her arm and wrapped her hand around the hilt of her sword, ready to pull it out at the first opportunity. Her gaze steady, she stared at the vampire waiting for any wrong move he made.

"Justice! Who are you kidding?" spouted the vampire. "You're just like me and feed on the same garbage I do," he pointed to the woman lying on the ground. Raelynn blended so well in the darkened alley that he'd not yet seen her.

"That is where we differ undead one," Justin said. "To me, the humans are not garbage, they are life, and I preserve life."

"They're not human, they're cattle! And I'm not letting you stop me from having my dinner," challenged the vampire as he took a step towards the woman.

Justin immediately blocked him and Raelynn relaxed into her Shizen stance, ready for anything. The vampire roared and charged Justin. Justin leaped, jumping over the vampire, turned in mid-air, and landed facing the undead's back.

Raelynn watched as the vampire twirled and charged again. Justin moved with speed and precision, he shoulder-length black hair whipping with every quick turn of his head. His big frame was oddly graceful, lean muscle and bone working together in a harmony of motion, the tendons in his thighs, bunching under the loose legs of his jeans as he feinted and then pressed a vicious attack.

Justin beat the vampire down and quickly jerked his head up when he sensed a whoosh of air go by. Alarmed, he glanced up and reared back just as Raelynn's sword passed before his stunned gaze and lay a hairsbreadth from the vampire's throat.

"Want me to finish him off?" Raelynn asked coolly.

Furious, Justin got up, knowing full well the vampire wasn't going anywhere with a sword to his throat and confronted Raelynn. "What the hell were you thinking? You almost took my head off with that stupid stunt!" he exclaimed.

Raelynn was momentarily stunned. No one had ever yelled at her like this before. While she hadn't expected a thank you for trying to help him, she was shocked when he yelled at her. For a second an unholy light entered her eyes and she felt a prickling sensation along her arms, but ruthlessly she extinguished it and remained in control.

"Do you want to do the honors," she asked Justin, indicating the vampire, "or shall I?"

Before he could answer, the vampire suddenly grabbed the sword's blade and pushed it away, as he jumped to his feet he swiped his claws across Raelynn's stomach, cutting though her clothes to her skin and ran out of the alley.

Raelynn' sword dropped from her suddenly weak hand and she doubled over in pain. Poison entered her bloodstream making her weak and cold, she groped for her pouch of healing herbs but it fell from her shaking hand.

Her eyes glazed over and she went limp. Justin was at her side in an instant, his arms around her, catching her before she crumpled to the ground. He quickly grabbed her sword and her pouch, then launched into the air…shapeshifting into a large falcon and flew to Knight Industries headquarters, where he knew his lab techs could help her.

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