Salvation (Vamp Series 3)

Chapter Two

We waltzed into the closest restaurant from Nombre de Dios. Our house was just shy of the old church. To be more specific, it was right nearby to the church and the old cemetery. For nearly one thousand a month, it was reasonable to have something nearby. Our rental money was having jobs and partly family.

We slid into the booth after the hostess seated us. It was the local hibachi restaurant near Drake's Deli. The food there was okay, but somehow it lacked the quality of being good hibachi, that is where some of the ones on Anastasia Island or near the 312 highway.

We got our water and ordered some tasty hibachi dinners. I chose seafood while Toby chose steak. We eagerly awaited our meals. I sipped my water slowly, watching the condensation build on my water glass. Beads formed and dripped into the napkin. It was the timer I would use to count how many drops it takes for the food to appear in front of me.

"We did good," Toby said. He grabbed his water and took a large sip.

"You scared him," I spat. The water dripping slowly, the napkin was still slightly dry. It was about thirty minutes or less. I wondered if they were digging to China to grab the dish I ordered.

"He started running once he saw me by the cross." The water was pushed away and he leaned further in his seat. I raised my hand and gave him a poke in the nose.

"We kill them on sight, scarring is just for shits and giggles." He quivered out his bottom lip, hoping that I would go lightly on him.

Our food came in and Toby asked for chopsticks for the two of us. We dug in for a few minutes. The silence was great, mostly due to food being in front of us. Toby took in one bite of steak before he looked back up at me.

"I wonder how your sister is doing?" Toby asked. I looked up at him between my bites of food and sat back, the sauce lingering on my chin.

"She's fine. They offered her a chance to join the undead," I said. I took my chopsticks and swirled the sauce around on my dish. The oil and soy sauce separating to form bubbles in the middle of my plate. Alfie was older than me, but she was going to be Alexandru's bride in my place. The position was offered to me once I was sitting in the back of his car leaving Poneari Castle. The haunting memory of Gwen enveloped in flames left me shuddering in horror. Toby reached out his hand and squeezed mine.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Gwen," Toby patted, "Truly." He went back to his dinner. For the rest of the night, we stayed in complete silence. 

As we were able to get out of the restaurant, darkness has settled. We took our time walking home since our car was at our apartment, walking was more efficient to stretch our legs and walk off some of our meal before we settled down for the night. Toby was ahead of me and I was lagging. The sky was dark, the stars glittered and shined, but most of them would be invisible due to the light pollution of San Marco Avenue. We were at the turn of the road when the scent of fresh blood and death littered the wind that blew in my hair.

"Who is there?" I asked. A woman came out of the darkness, her hair was short, red and chopped like those Twenties bobs that symbolized feminine rebellion. Her skin was slightly tan and her face was devoid of freckles. Her eyes were brown and large. A single tattoo came into view when she swung her arms out from behind her. The rest of her large and long body was covered in black clothing. Toby and I were unarmed.

"Who are you?" I asked. The woman didn't say anything. Her face and head pointing towards her left shoulder. The tattoo flashed like a warning sign, it was a small tribal sun. Inside the middle of it was a pentagram. Necromancer.

"You're a necromancer that has long been devoid of her master. You should leave," I warned. Toby and I looked at each other as the young girl walked closer to us. She didn't draw a weapon, nor did she make any threatening arguments. Instead, she walked up to me and draped her arms around my shoulders. I watched on, my face devoid of any emotion or interest as she let out a smile.