The screams filling the air caused Wayne to wince. The vampire had turned to dust in an instant, but her thrall was still mostly human. There would be a charred carcass left over.
He hadn’t even considered Zoe before igniting the two. Looking down, he was pleased to find Serena pressing her hands over Zoe’s ears while pressing the kid’s face into her chest.
Wayne gave a curt nod of thanks to the vampire.
He could tell that she was smiling even behind her mask.
“Anyone else have something to say?” Wayne called out as the thrall’s scream died off.
The remaining vampires cleared away in a flash, leaving behind a scattered group of masterless thralls looking somewhat dazed.
“Oh, me!”
Whipping his head back to his side. Serena–Zoe still pressed against her–moved right up against Wayne. She looped one arm around his, eliciting a small grunt of pain.
“I don’t want you to be my thrall,” she said with a slight husk in her voice, “but maybe something else?”
“Too young for me, kid.” Wayne said. He almost smiled at the pout visible behind her mask.
“Buut,” she said, drawing out the word, “I’m going to be sixteen
This time, he actually did smile. Glancing at Sarah to hide it, Wayne gave his sister a slight nod of his head followed by a nod towards the thralls.
She sighed, but took off running without complaint.
Which suited him just fine. He wasn’t too interested in saying anything aloud with Zoe around.
Shaking his head, Wayne turned back to the kids. Mirth over the previous conversation gone, he narrowed his eyes at the vampire.
“Sarah will return in a minute or two. We will leave as soon as she does. But first,” he slowed his perception of time and ignited a small fireball, “I want to know
To his surprise, she didn’t balk away or grow hostile. Serena leaned into him more than before, smile visible beneath her mask.
“You saved me from the Elysium Order’s trap so I’ll give you a little hint. I’m a few years older than I look.”
Evacuation
Wayne kept his fireball steadily humming in front of the two of them. A warning that he could and would protect himself at any sign of hostility. She, in turn, had one arm linked around his like they were a couple. Her other arm kept Zoe pressed against her chest.
Despite his growing tension, Serena was the picture of relaxation. She leaned her head against his arm, knowing yet uncaring of the flames just inches away. A show of power? Or stupidity.
Either way, she hadn’t attacked him yet. Wayne was willing to entertain her at least until his arm was no longer in immediate danger of being torn off.
“How old?” Wayne asked.
“Fifty-six. I was sixteen when I joined the ranks of the undead.”
So long as she wasn’t lying again, that might kill his theory on vampire hair. While it was entirely possible to go fifty years without suffering hair damage–mortals did it all the time minus the regular hair-cuts–vampires tended to lead lives filled with significantly more danger than their human counterparts. She must have regrown some at some point.
Unless she wore some illusion covering up any permanent injuries.
Wayne tried to remember whether or not he had touched her hair and came up blank. It looked real. As she rubbed her cheek against his sleeve, the shoulder-length strands of black hair moved naturally against the fabric.
“You look good for being twice my age,” Wayne prodded.
Serena looked up with a wide grin, visible even behind her mask. “Thank you,” she said. If there was any doubt about her smiling, it vanished when she spoke. Her smile came through audible in her voice. “I do try. I’m glad you appreciate my efforts.”
That answer could go either way. Finding he really didn’t care no matter what she said, Wayne moved his fireball closer as he moved on to a more important question. “This disaster in the city, is it you or yours who caused it?”
“Please,” Serena said, dismissing the notion with a wave of her arm. “There is a phrase. ‘Don’t shit where you eat.’ I believe at least half of it is very literal in these circumstances.”
In moving her arm, she jolted Wayne’s slowly mending bones. Noticing his grimace, Serena stilled as much as possible.
“Starting just after Thanksgiving,” she said, tone more somber, “there was a meeting. All the vampires in the city had been called to it, even independents. Not something I usually participate in. The clans leave me alone and I leave them alone.
