A/N – Thanks to all that left a review; always nice to hear what y'all thought. So what about that True Blood sneak peek huh? I think I yo-yo'd between "omfg, that's so HOT!" and "omfg, they're back to fighting already?!" the second I saw that almost slap. These two are seriously giving me a complex. *laughs* Anyway, here is the next chapter. Oh, in keeping with HBO's True Blood's serialized format, each chapter will end on a cliffhanger. FYI, 'k? I'm not doing it to torture y'all…much. *grins* Happy reading.
Part II
Tara contorted her body sideways in a vain attempt to duck the hail of bullets but before she managed a half-twist, a firm hand whipped out and grabbed for the back of her jacket, yanking her bodily back into the protective cover of darkness.
"You stupid bitch!" Pam's voice dripped with rage as she shoved Tara up against the wall. One alabaster hand gripped the front of Tara's shirt, lean fingers wrinkling the material as cerulean blue eyes darkened to the color of slate. The blonde glared angrily at the younger vampire. "You just gave away our cover!"
Tara gulped, Pam's livid expression sparking off a wave of guilt that thudded down her end of the bond. She opened her mouth, an apology poised and ready on the tip of her tongue but Pam cut her off.
"Don't speak," Pam barked, her eyes boring dangerously into remorseful obsidian pools. "You are a goddamn vampire," she hissed, pressing Tara harder against the mildewed and slightly slimy wall. "Make use of the superior senses I have so graciously bestowed upon you."
Tara nodded, her body plaint beneath Pam's, a physical gesture of her surrender and acknowledgement of her foolishness. "I'm sorry," she whispered softly, hoping to convey her regret with a simple apology.
Pam glowered at her, anger still wafting off her in palpable waves. Then, she sighed, pale fingers loosening their hold on Tara's shirt though she didn't move away. Arctic blue eyes lasered into unflinching mahogany orbs as maker and progeny simply observed each other.
Tara did not know what was going through the blonde's head at that precise moment but the way Pam kept looking at her was starting to make her squirm. The blonde's cobalt blue gaze was unreadable, her maker's end of the bond muted as Pam simply stared at her, their bodies flush against each other.
Pam in turn, could feel Tara's confusion, felt the nudge of uncertainty pulsing down from her progeny's end of the bond. The blonde had to acknowledge that her irrational anger at Tara had stemmed from the fact that she had very nearly lost her progeny mere moments ago. She sighed again and was about to step away when something caught the corner of her eye.
"Let me see." With a gentleness that neither party knew the blonde was capable of showing, Pam reached up and tenderly grasped Tara's chin, turning it sideways to reveal two fading pink lines that marred Tara's otherwise flawless ebony-hued skin. For such superficial wounds to heal so slowly, the blonde concluded that the bullets that grazed Tara's cheek were crafted from silver. Crimson dots peppered the previously wounded area, marking Tara's ebony cheek like lines of Morse code. Pam stared at the spot, blue eyes welded to the scarlet drops, her expression almost transfixed.
"Pam?" Tara's voice was like a gunshot going off in the otherwise silent tunnel. She tried to turn her head back around but her maker's grip tightened on her chin, alabaster fingers digging slightly into the sides of her jaw. "I'm okay," the younger vampire continued in a subdued tone, guilt and shame coursing through her veins as she felt a ping of grief from Pam.
Pam made a disparaging noise in her throat that somehow tapered off into a growl, causing tension to escalate between them until it was like a thick, palpable stew in the air. Then, without any warning, the blonde leaned in and licked away the remnants of blood speckled across Tara's cheek. Each lick was subsequently followed by a barely-there kiss, Pam's bee-stung lips feather-light against soft ebony flesh.
Tara's body, already at a slow, steady burn thanks to her maker's close proximity, felt her blood reach an almost unbearable boil the second Pam's tongue touched her cheek. Eyes instantly hooding in response to the fiery ache blossoming between her legs, Tara's hands shot down to grip at Pam's hips, instinctively pulling her maker closer to her as Pam continued to lave attention to her now healed injury with her lips and tongue.
"Pam…" Tara's voice was ragged as Pam pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek, her cool breath tickling her flesh.
Pam responded by dropping another butterfly kiss to the side of Tara's face. Lips dragged themselves up to Tara's temple before moving back down to graze the side of her jaw. Pale fingers went slack against Tara's chin as Pam trailed the down the column of an ebony throat. She played the pads of her fingers across Tara's clavicle before perching them on Tara's shoulder, her lips never wavering as they dropped kiss after feather-light kiss on Tara's cheek.
Tara exhaled a shaky breath as Pam moved to nibble at her earlobe. Unconsciously, she widened her stance, dark fingers flexing against the blonde's hips. Pam's thigh sliding in between her newly parted thighs was not a coincidence.
"The things I want to do you," Pam murmured into Tara's ear before placing a soft kiss to its shell. Her voice was several octaves past her usual low rasp, rich with a huskiness that conjured up long hours in an arousal scented room of slow burning candles and satin sheets. The blonde murmured something unintelligible causing Tara to quake. Then, she moved to nuzzle her nose into Tara's sable hair, greedily inhaling the scent of musk and cloves lurking beneath the stench of dried blood that stained parts of Tara's body.
"P-Pam," Tara stuttered. She gripped harder at the flesh she found beneath her fingertips, arched her neck to allow her maker more access then moaned lowly when she heard Pam protract her fangs and run its needle-sharp tips over her jugular. Her own sharp incisors shot out of their sheaths, nicking her full bottom lip and beading the pillow-y flesh with scarlet.
"What do you want, Tara?" Pam breathed out seductively as she ghosted her fangs over the vulnerable flesh of Tara's throat. She pressed a firm kiss to the hollow of Tara's throat, licked at the skin she found beneath her mouth and let her progeny's unique scent filter into her taste buds.
Earthy. Spicy. A lingering strand of sweetness.
Pam bit playfully at the juncture between Tara's neck and shoulder before she used her nose to nudge aside the collar of Tara's jacket. "What do you want?" she murmured into dark flesh, her voice slightly distorted as she spoke around a kiss. "Tell me."
Tara gasped as Pam nudged her thigh more snugly between Tara's legs, a gasp that flared into a needy moan as the blonde pressed upwards, immediately igniting an inferno at the apex of the younger vampire's thighs. Ebony-hued fingers clutched at Pam's hips, pulling her maker even closer to her as Pam licked a path up Tara's neck.
"I-I want…" Tara couldn't finish the sentence, Pam robbing her of speech and coherent thought with every new lick and kiss. Moisture pooled in almost embarrassing quantities between her legs as Pam pulled back to reveal glaucous tinged eyes that were hooded dangerously with arousal.
"Yesss?" Pam purred as she inched her head forward until their lips were only a hairsbreadth apart. She grinned wickedly as Tara grinded down on her thigh, desperation and frustration scorching a path through the bond. "What do you want, Tara Mae?" Pam asked one final time, her voice now at a register that was decidedly appropriate only for the bedroom. Smoky blue eyes locked onto blown and aroused chips of obsidian as Pam waited patiently for an answer.
Tara opened her mouth her mouth to speak, ready to beg Pam to take her right then and there up against that grimy tunnel wall. Self-control and self-possession were two qualities that had completely escaped Tara in wake of Pam's close proximity and the way the blonde was applying minute pressure to the aching moist feminine flesh between her thighs.
Her maker's name had barely begun to form on her lips when the sound of multiple booted feet ricocheting off the tunnel walls caused the pair to spring apart.
Pam reacted with a vicious snarl, whirling around so quickly that her curled flaxen strands whipped Tara in the face as she pushed her progeny behind her.
Tara, never one to run from a fight, no matter how dismal the odds, came out from behind Pam to flank her right. She ignored the way Pam glared holes into the side of her head as she cocked her head, listening to the sound of approaching foes.
Consternation was written all over Pam's face as she reached out and tapped impatiently at her progeny's shoulder. The blonde waited until Tara slid a midnight glance her way then held up four fingers between them. Upon Tara's grim nod, Pam began a silent countdown.
Four.
Pam and Tara picked up low snatches of conversation as their assailants marched determinedly in their direction.
Three.
Pam zeroed in on the fact that her enhanced hearing allowed her to make out for distinct heartbeats, each beating to its own unique rhythms.
'Humans,' the blonde thought savagely to herself as she balled her free hand into a tight fist. 'Easy pickings.'
Two.
Tara took note of the fact that the approaching footsteps seemed to echo as one even though her vampiric hearing could pick each distinct footstep apart via its owner's weight distribution. 'Close formation,' the younger vampire mused, making a mental note. 'Possibly walking in pairs, one behind the other.'
Anticipation flared through Pam's end of the bond followed by a blistering streak of caution, causing Tara to look at her maker. Pam's remaining digit was half crooked, her azure blue eyes seeking out fathomless pools of pitch. A dozen unspoken words passed between maker and progeny as they waited for Pam to drop that final countdown.
One.
They moved in unison, one pale streak darting out from the dark of the tunnel followed closely by a dark blur.
The guards didn't even know what hit them.
Blood splashed the walls, painting it a dark, rich crimson as Pam and Tara took out the first pair, simultaneously ripping out their throats before throwing the deceased guards off to the side. The next pair were quick to react to their fallen comrades, trigger-happy fingers letting loose a series of bullets that strafed in Pam and Tara's direction.
The vampires split up, blurring to either side of each guard to avoid the spray of bullets.
Pam reached her quarry first. She yanked the semi-automatic from the human guard's hands, spun it around then cold-cocked him mercilessly over the head with the butt of the gun. She brought the weapon down so hard onto the side of his head that it left a notable indentation in his skull. The guard dropped wordlessly to the ground, brain matter leaking out from the crack in his head to join the blood that seeped from that fatal wound. Pam followed his descent, one hand gripping a handful of chestnut brown hair to yank his head sideways before she bore down on his exposed neck fangs first.
Tara's initial actions mirrored Pam's as she wrenched the Glock 17 from the guard's firm grip. However, instead of turning it onto its previous owner, Tara simply slammed her forehead into the guard's face even as she tucked her newly procured weapon into the back of her pants. The guard stumbled back, cursing in a language Tara didn't recognize but the younger vampire had to give him credit as he recovered fast enough to attempt to swing a fist at her.
Tara sidestepped the punch with practiced ease. "Ooh, a swing and a miss!" she jibed. She blurred aside again as the guard lashed out a powerful side kick meant to concave the ribs in her chest, grabbed the extended limb by the ankles then used her hold to swing the guard into the wall. The guard hit the tunnel wall with enough force to cause a hairline fracture to spider-web up to the ceiling but he shook it off valiantly and charged at Tara once again.
Tara heaved a resigned sigh as she moved away from the guard's trajectory and shoved at his shoulder, her push combined with his fast moving momentum sending him careening face-first into the opposite wall. Something crunched nastily as the guard smacked bodily into the wall and a low groan of pain followed as the guard slumped to the ground.
"It's not nice to play with your food, Tara." Pam's Southern drawl was muffled as she continued feasting on her own meal. She pulled back long enough to bestow upon Tara a long suffering glance. "Finish him off already," she commanded before returning to suckle at the dead man's neck.
Tara rolled her eyes at Pam but didn't miss a beat as she blurred forward, hauled the guard to his shaky feet then clapped two hands on either side of his head, effectively snapping his neck. Before the guard's body could crumble unceremoniously back to the ground, however, Tara dropped fang and sank them savagely into his jugular vein. She felt her teeth and fangs break through skin and muscle, sinking deeper into wet flesh until there was a pop and warm liquid settled onto her tongue. Blood spurted from the twin puncture wounds as Tara pulled her fangs out before sinking them back in, almost purring in gratification as she began pulling deep mouthfuls of blood down into her mouth.
Silence once again reclaimed the its dominion over the tunnels, disturbed only by soft suckling noises emanating from both Pam and Tara as they recharged themselves.
Tara pulled away first, her thirst as a young vampire resulting in her draining her victim much more ruthlessly and quickly than Pam. Blood smeared her mouth and stained her lips as she licked almost absentmindedly at them. She dropped the exsanguinated body uncaringly to the ground, a satisfied expression masking the features of her face.
Next to her, Pam was finishing her meal with a little more grace and etiquette. When she retracted her fangs from the side of the dead guard's neck, only a few splatters of blood dotted the skin around her mouth. She thumbed them away, kicking the body away from her feet as she suckled the last remnants of blood from her fingertip.
"Humans," Pam spat out in a repulsed tone. "Useless, fuckin' cattle." She tossed the deceased guard a disgusted look then bent to pick up the discarded semi-automatic. Checking its ammunition, she then sauntered over to the dead body and started patting it down for other weapons.
"I was human," Tara pointed out quietly as she too began relieving her own dead body of its weapons. She retrieved two magazine clips from the guard's vest and slid them into her jacket pocket. Next, she unbuckled the stake thigh holster from the guard's leg and strapped it around her thigh. Securing the two stakes snugly against the side of her leg, she straightened and turned to find Pam staring at her with an unreadable expression.
For a long moment, neither spoke. Then Pam roused herself by swinging the semi-automatic rifle over her shoulder. "You're not anymore," the blonde reminded Tara in an even tone. She reached down to reseat the knife still tucked into her boot then straightened. Blue eyes were flat and unyielding at they came to rest on Tara's face. "Remember that."
Without another word, Pam took off in the direction the guards had come from, trusting Tara to follow.
Tara remained stock still for scant seconds, a midnight gaze watching Pam's retreating figure with an inscrutable expression of her own. When the darkness of the dimly lit tunnel almost swallowed her maker whole, Tara forced herself to snap out of it as she compelled her feet to move.
Tara had barely taken three steps when Pam came hurtling back out of the darkness, her body thrown at such an inhuman speed that she was only a blur as she sailed through the air. Tara reacted with an unconscious instinctiveness, hands outstretched and feet firmly planted into the ground as she sought to catch her maker's flying body. However, when Pam collided bodily with Tara, the force of her weight descending upon her progeny not only caused two of Tara's ribs to snap but also upset her equilibrium.
The pair fell in tandem, sliding backwards into the harshly lit space that made up the tunnel crossroads.
Tara gripped at Pam's waist and ignoring the jarring stabs of pain resonating through her chest as her ribs began to knit themselves back together, she pulled a stunned looking Pam up into a sitting position between her legs. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly, ebony hands traveling anxiously down Pam's sides, seeking for any bumps and bruises her maker may have sustained.
Before Pam could offer a viable answer however, an enraged roar erupted from the shadowy end of the tunnel sending chills down Tara's spine. The sound was awful, a disastrous combination of sheer, unadulterated rage and wounded animal. Fear licked at the bunched nerves at the base of Tara's spine as she pulled a still dazed Pam closer to her. Mahogany eyes widened dramatically, her expression morphing into one of stupefied horror as the source of the inhuman roar stepped into the light…
TBC