One minute passes, then two.
There are no footsteps.
What's he doing? Has he changed his mind? Is he standing on the steps smoking a frigging cigar while he decides whether or not to meet me? Should I ask him?
No need, Anna. I'm right here.
The voice is so close, it reverberates in my head like a scream. I've been so concentrated on the front, his appearance from behind comes completely without warning.
Just like before.
But this time, I don't drop the Taser and I don't let his sudden presence put me off guard. I straighten and turn to face him.
So you recognize me.
He smiles, a complacent, tight-lipped little smile. Oh, yes.
Then you know why I'm here.
Is it because you enjoyed my technique so much the first time that you've come back for an encore? Oh wait, no need. You took what you wanted from me. You know, I'm the one who should feel violated. I just wanted a simple roll in the hay.
Look what you turned it into.
I'm shaking with fury. The urge to kill him is so strong that it's only the image of David in my head keeping me from attacking him.
Forcefully, I calm myself, motioning at him with the Taser. Let's take a walk.
But he doesn't seem the least bit concerned by the Taser or by my thoughts. Why would I want to take a walk with you?
Because if you don't, I'm going to blast you with this thing and drag you into the bushes where I'll happily bash your head in with a rock.
He clucks his tongue. My, my. That's an awful lot of attitude for a little girl.
He's baiting me and I'm swallowing it. I have to mentally give myself a thump on the head and once more drag myself back from the anger threatening my good sense. Being this close to the bastard who threw my life in such disarray is having a much more profound affect on me than I expected. I have to remind myself why I'm here. David.
He picks through all this and finally reacts. Who's David?
That triggers another spasm of blind rage . Don't play with me, Donaldson. Believe me, I'd love nothing better than to kill you.
The only reason I haven't already is because you're going to tell me what you've done with David.
He reflects a moment, searching my thoughts. David? Oh, the guy from the bar. Now that was a dirty trick. And I saw you with him at the fire, didn't I?
Which is another thing I have to thank you for, you miserable bastard. Why'd you do that, anyway? You must have known I wasn't inside. Even if you hadn't gone in, you would have felt it.
He's shaking his head at me, as if I'm speaking gibberish. I don't know where you're getting your information, but you need a new source. I didn't set that fire. I didn't even know it was your home.
Oh. Right. You just happened to be in the neighborhood when it burned.
As a matter of fact, yes. I was summoned. I don't know by whom. But when I saw you, I beat it out of there. I figured you would be a little pissed at me for—well, you know.
Donaldson, you're a damn liar, but you're right about seriously pissing me off. I don't give a shit about the fire right now. I want to know where you've taken David.
I told you, I don't know anything about your friend.
That does it. I step right up to him, pushing the Taser at his gut. If I pull this trigger, I wonder what will happen? Will you jump and wiggle like a fish on a hook or just drop like a rock? Either way works for me.
He still isn't reacting with anything close to fear. In fact, blind indifference is the only emotion bubbling to the surface. It only makes me angrier. I have the Taser on contact stun and I pull the trigger.
A Taser shoots 50,000 volts of energy at .162 amps to penetrate the nervous system and render the victim immobile. It doesn't matter where you aim either, because the entire body is covered with a neural net. I have the thing shoved right into Donaldson's midsection when I fire, yet I'm not getting the reaction I expect.
In fact, I'm getting no reaction at all.
He's staring down at me with a puzzled expression that turns almost immediately into a derisive grin. Oh, Anna, Anna. You have so much to learn.
Then he backhands me with a wallop that sends me flying into the dirt. It's so unexpected, it takes me a minute to shake away the cobwebs. But he doesn't follow up, which I'm going to make him regret. I jump to my feet, blood pounding with rage. I feel it in my head and coursing through my body, an unrestrained fury. It's feral and ugly and it's going to allow me to do what I should have done the moment Donaldson appeared.
When I attack this time, it's with my fists and teeth. He's taken by surprise at the ferocity, but he recovers quickly. He's holding back, making the mistake of thinking he's stronger because he's male. He's forgetting an important fact of nature. The female is always the best hunter, often the more brutal. When I come at him, he tries to parry the blows, to step out of my reach. I don't let him. I keep inside, putting every ounce of vampire strength into each punch. I aim at his stomach with my hands, his throat with my teeth. I can wear him down, he has the disadvantage of having consumed a lot of beer, but I don't want to take the time. With a final, decisive thrust, I have him down, on his back in the dirt. I'm pummeling his stomach, my teeth at his jugular.
Hey, Donaldson, are you awake? I want you awake. It's no fun otherwise.
For the first time, I detect a little concern percolating through the drunken haze in Donaldson's head. It's finally dawning on him that he doesn't have the upper hand. He starts to send out an “SOS” to his pals in the saloon, but I stop that with a snarl. My teeth are at his neck.
Don't. I'll tear your throat out. It's a little trick I learned from you.
He backs off, his mind closing down. What do you want?
I told you. I want to know where you've taken David.
And I told you, I don't have him. Look, check it out. You can get into my head. What do you see?
I use no finesse this time. I hold his head against the dirt and stab into his thoughts with the power of a blow torch. I read confusion at what's happening; aggravation that I've overpowered him; smugness that he could take me if he really wanted to; lust at the feeling of my pelvis pressing against his crotch. He starts squirming under me as that last thought provokes a physical reaction.
God. Donaldson, you're a pervert.
He starts to sit up, but I push him back down. This time, I have my arm across his throat. I'm still not convinced he doesn't have David. And it's lowering my tolerance level more each minute.
He senses that I've reached the end of my patience. He tries to shake me off, but I'm not about to let him go. I press my elbow against his jugular. It's instinctive, I guess. If he was a mortal, I'd go for the windpipe but since we vampires don't breathe, it makes sense that pressure on the jugular would produce the same result.
It does. When I feel him at the verge of losing consciousness, I ease off just enough to let my voice ring through.
Where is he?
Donaldson chokes and shakes his head.
I apply pressure again.
Where is he?
This time, there's real panic in his voice. I don't know. You have to believe me. I didn't take him. Why would I?