Bitter Bite (Elemental Assassin #14)(67)

Besides, they’d be on me like a pack of hyenas the second I turned my back.

“Leave now, and we can pretend like this never happened,” I said. “Like you

weren’t trying to rob this place.”

Paul laughed and looked at his friends, who joined in with his chuckles.

“What’s so funny?” I muttered.

Paul stared at me. “You know why we like parties? Because the kids are too

busy drinking, smoking, and screwing to notice who comes in the front door,

much less what they take out the back with them. You’re not ruining that for

us.”

So they’d done this before. Slipped into a house during a party and walked

out with whatever they could stuff into their pockets and carry away. And if

the homeowners noticed that their valuables were missing, then it was just too

bad, and they’d most likely chalk it up to their kids’ friends having swiped

it and ground their own kids as a result.

It was a sweet little scam. I wondered who had told them about Finn’s party.

Someone had to have clued them in, especially since Fletcher’s house was out

in the boonies. It wasn’t like they’d seen or heard the noise from down the

street and had come to investigate. No, someone had to have tipped them off.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t be here.

But my main problem was that there were three of them and only one of me. I

glanced at the windows. The other kids were still inside, just a few feet

away, but the music was so loud that I doubted anyone would hear me if I

screamed. Even if they did, they’d probably think somebody was just messing

around and not in any real danger. Either way, none of them would come and

help me.

I’d have to take care of myself, just like always.

So I studied the vampires. Paul, the guy in the middle, was obviously the

leader, with a tall, strong body that made him the most dangerous. The other

two guys were short and lean, closer to my size than his, but they were still

vamps, and the blood they drank would make them stronger and quicker than me.

I couldn’t let any of them get close enough to put their hands on me, much

less sink their fangs into my neck. Too bad I didn’t have any of the knives

Fletcher had been training me to use. In fact, there were no weapons on the

porch at all, just a few small gardening tools that Fletcher had been using to

clean up the yard for the coming winter.

“You need to leave,” I repeated. “I called the cops. They’ll be here any

minute.”

For a second, worry flashed in Paul’s dark eyes, but he must have realized

that I was bluffing because he grinned again. “Cops, huh? Well, then, I guess

we’ll just have to be quick about our fun.” His gaze flicked up and down my

body. “Or maybe we’ll just take you with us. You’re a little skinny for my

tastes, but some guys like ’em just like you.”

My anger vanished in an instant, and bile bubbled up in the back of my throat.

Not only did they want to steal from Fletcher, but now they wanted to steal me

too.

I bolted.

I turned to run, but Paul was quicker. He grabbed my ponytail and jerked me

back. I used the change in momentum to ram my elbow into his stomach. He

gasped and doubled over, losing his grip on me. I opened my mouth to scream,

even as I surged forward again.

But I’d forgotten about the other two guys.

One of them caught my left arm from behind, and I smashed my foot down onto

his instep. He hissed, but he didn’t let go of me. The other guy stepped up

and clamped his hand on my other arm. No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn

’t break free of their tight, bruising grips, so I screamed and screamed, but

the blaring music swallowed up my terrified cries. No one so much as looked

out a window to see what might be happening outside.

Paul straightened up and marched over to me. He stared at me for a second,

then slapped me across the face. “Bitch.”

Pain exploded in my face, and I would have fallen back against the porch

railing if not for the two vamps holding me upright.

Paul hit me again and again, making my head snap back and forth. My lips split

open, and blood filled my mouth. When he had finished with my face, he rammed

his fist into my stomach, almost making me vomit on the spot. I groaned, but

the thumping music once again swallowed up the sounds of my misery.

“Get her down on the ground,” he growled. “I want to sample the goods first

to see if this bitch is worth hauling back to town.”

“And if she’s not?” one of the other vamps asked.

Paul shrugged. “Then we’ll have our fun, take her blood, snap her neck, and

throw her body into the woods. Now, hurry up, in case she really did call the

cops.”

Even though my head was spinning, I fought harder than ever before, biting,

clawing, kicking, scratching. But it was no use, and the two vamps threw me

down onto the porch. One of them pinned my arms down, while the other gripped