Something Bolder (Book Two)

XIX. Basics

"There are a few key points you need to understand when it comes to killing vampires," Demetri began without further ado. "What do you know so far?"

"Uh. Fire?" I said sheepishly.

"Well. That's a start," he said.

"No need to patronize me," I glared.

"Your ruthlessness is admirable," he continued, brushing past my remark. "And the lack of hesitation you displayed the other night is promising. You just might have potential."

I gave him a sarcastic smile, but I let him continue without interruption.

"The biggest mistake you made was biting off more than you could chew. If it had just been me in the hall with you, you would've had a chance of being victorious. There's no way you can take on more than one vampire at a time as a human. Know your limits."

"Okay," I followed along pensively. I was surprised. What he was saying actually sounded do-able. So far.

"You're also sloppy," Demetri pointed out.

"Sloppy!" I exclaimed defensively.

"Yes! Sloppy!" he snapped. "How many times have you almost gotten yourself killed?"

"I'm still here, aren't I?" I snapped back.

"I do not act based on luck. I act deliberately, with focus and intention. Do you understand? If you throw your life away doing something idiotic, you've failed. You're better than that," he said sternly.

"Okay," I muttered. "Sorry."

"Tonight, I'm going to teach you the basics. We can get into the more advanced elements at a later date. Understood?"

"Yeah," I nodded quickly, pleased that he was open to meeting with me again in the future.

"The first thing you need to do is pick your battles wisely. Like I said, if it was just me, you would've at least stood a chance. Felix got to you in a matter of seconds."

"Right," I said, shuddering at the memory. Being choked out was not exactly my favorite subject to reminisce about.

"The next thing you need to do is avoid the teeth. If a vampire catches you with their teeth, they'll either drain you or rip you to shreds. Or both."

"Along with the teeth, you need to stay out of range of their arms," he continued. "Again, you'll get torn up, bitten, or crushed to death - none are a particularly pleasant way to go. Are you keeping up?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Pick my battles, avoid teeth and limbs."

"Exactly," he said, giving me a very serious look. "Now, another thing, it is much easier to take out a vampire if they are incapacitated first."

"Well, how the hell am I supposed to do that?" I asked, baffled.

"You can achieve it in many ways - the most common being the removal of limbs, especially the head. They won't die unless they are burned, but without legs, for example, you won't end up with a flaming vampire charging at you."

I frowned at the thought. I hadn't even thought of that.

"The last thing you need to know, and arguably the most important, is under no circumstances do you hesitate. Kill first, ask for forgiveness later - or not," he said, smirking at his own quip.

"Wait. Is that it?" I asked incredulously as Demetri walked toward the edge of the clearing. "Why did we come all the way out here? You could've sent this in an email."

Demetri paused, about thirty feet away, and turned back to face me. His whole face changed, giving me a dark, malicious look.

My pulse quickened as his gaze zeroed in on me, with the coolness of a wild cat setting its sights on easy prey.

"Demetri..." I stammered. My mouth was suddenly unbearably dry.

He crouched down a little and began to stalk.

I was wholly terrified. I'd never seen him conduct himself in any way other than a civilized - albeit arrogant - gentleman. I had no idea what to do.

Demetri paused again, twelve feet away, and stared at me menacingly, without recognition in his eyes.

For a long, horrible moment, I stood there, trembling like a leaf and locked in place, trapped by his wild, predatory gaze.

And then he pounced.

In the time it took me to squeeze my eyes shut, Demetri had thrown himself at me and slammed us against one of the trees behind me.

My whole body shook as I stood there; I was surprised that I didn't feel any pain, but I was still too terrified to open my eyes. I may not have been in pain, but I still felt like I was in horrible danger.

I felt Demetri's body against mine as he pinned me to the tree. I could feel his cold breath wafting across my face; its sweet, enticing aroma beckoning me to forward, toward its source.

I inhaled deeply, savoring the irresistible scent, and exhaled heavily as I mindlessly leaned in closer.

"What did I just tell you about the teeth?" he murmured.

I forced myself to pry my eyes open. Demetri held his arm up by my head; he'd used it to brace me against the impact against the tree, keeping me out of harm's way. Because I had foolishly shifted forward, our faces were less than an inch apart.

"You're breathing on me," I muttered breathlessly. I immediately regret responding. My lips brushed his when I spoke.

My whole body trembled and my cheeks burned relentlessly. I was riddled with embarrassment, and he still had me pinned against the tree.

"Fear will get you killed," he said in a low, commanding voice.

"Point taken," I said weakly.

He certainly didn't need to tell me that one twice.