Your Love Is a Razor Blade Kiss

It was all a blur.

"Dev, you gotta stay here. If any of us get hurt you're the only one with any idea how to fix us." Chris was saying pointedly.

Then, to Mauro, "Vinny... help him out, okay? It would be stupid for you to get caught up in our mess."

Vinny seemed reluctant to accept his role, but he glanced back at Devin and Jesse and eventually nodded. His sense of loyalty and his will to protect were commendable.

Ryan was tensing and releasing the muscles across his body in front of the mirror. He would lose a long breath every now and then. I could not tell if he was trying to pump himself up or calm down.

Balz walked up, "Ange is on his way."

"Thanks for calling him," Chris muttered distractedly as he gazed around the bus.

"You alright?" Balz glanced over at me.

"Hm?" I jolted in surprise.

My eyes dropped to Jess, still motionless, on my bed. He was breathing, but it was taking him a while to recover.

"Um, yeah, I..." my words failed to complete themselves.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking up into Chris' dark eyes, I tried to focus on the sound of his voice to shake me from my daze.

"I'm not going to tell you it'll all be okay because we both know it might not be," he started calmly. "But I promise I won't let them get away with this. Mike will get his, don't worry. They'll have to go through me if they want to get to Jesse."

I nodded in vague comprehension. My mind was racing blindly through instinctual anger and exhaustion. It was numbing me but I felt the boiling aggression burning just beneath the surface.

I could not allow myself to explode. I needed to remain calm and perceptive. If I let my emotions take control I would get myself killed.

My nature was not so natural. I forced away my instincts in favor of a clear mind. I was not naive or stupid, I knew I was not the biggest or even necessarily the strongest dom. My mind made me powerful and I needed to be able to use it.

I had a sinking feeling that I would need all my control to unleash it on Mike. He was not going to give up. If he lived, he would just keep coming back.

"Pull yourself together," Chris recaptured my attention. "We need you for this."

I know.

One last look at the wounded fertile gave me strength. I had to protect him. We needed to find his friend, too. It was assumed Mike took him since he was nowhere to be found.

"Alright!" We all perked at the sound of a familiar voice.

"I want you motherfuckers to know just how tiring it is making that trip here," Angelo complained as he stalked onto the bus.

"You shouldn't exert yourself so much. You'll need all your energy for this," Devin told him.

"Well, I didn't want to be late, did I? Wouldn't want to miss this!" It was nice having Ange around. His familiarity brought comfort and confidence.

Plus, we all knew how heavy Angelo could hit.

"That was quick," our manager commented.

"Which part?" Angelo inquired, "my arrival or the excitement?"

"I know you're all the excitable types, that's not impressive to me. When did you become fucking Speed Racer?" Josh asked dryly.

"I've had to do some running lately," Angelo smirked. "You fighting, Korrel?"

"Fuck no," Josh grumbled. "I've got appearances to keep and killing some uppity little freaks ain't good for the image."

"And to think I thought we'd get to see the legendary Korrel Shadow Take-down," Chris feigned disappointment.

"You'll live. I know you will." It was Josh's form of a pep talk.

"Have you heard anything from Michael?" Angelo turned to Chris.

Chris just shrugged. Michael Orlando or Vampire, as most people knew him, was not one to turn down a battle. He, unfortunately, was not the most reliable recruit, though. He would show up if he showed up. By extension, the other three members of his band were equally unreliable.

"We might seriously need DJ, though," Angelo said thoughtfully. "I remember he caused that fucking earthquake..."

While Angelo was reminiscing, I saw Jess stirring beside me. His eyes opened to reveal two glassy, silvery pools. I hovered him more closely to see how he reacted.

"Jess?" I spoke lowly, "how do you feel?"

He groaned softly and squeezed his eyes shut again. He was most likely still in pain. He was sort of thrown out of a three-storey window.

"Is he awake?" Devin noticed us immediately and hurried over.

Before I could answer, a loud shattering sound erupted through the tense space. The unmistakable exclamation from Josh told me he was in pain or had come close to being in pain.

"Go, I've got this," Devin dismissed me.

I hesitated to leave the fertile's side but eventually dragged myself up to see what was going on. Chris was holding a small, concrete tube similar to something you might find at a construction site. On the side in glistening, red blood were the words "COME GET US".

Josh picked himself off the ground, where he had apparently fallen, and snatched the pipe from Chris' hands. Ryan and Balz shared a look. Angelo and Chris stood rigidly in anticipation. I could feel Devin's eyes on my back. Vinny was animatedly watching the world outside the busted windshield, as if expecting something else to come crashing through it.

Josh eventually spoke up, "go end this."

Chris and Ange mimicked a devious grin. It was time for war.



We tracked them to an old parking lot. Few cars were parked in it and only a bus we knew well, some run-down laundromats and Tai food places were there to witness the coming storm. I could see shapes sitting frozen atop the vehicle. It was quite a distance away, so I did not know what to expect.

A semi-familiar dom met us at the nearest streetlight. His short, dark hair was covered by a beanie and he wore sunglasses to remove any way to easily identify him. I was tempted to dig through his head to place a name but I sensed this was no friendly encounter.

"Welcome, one and all to Jack's battle of the bands!" The strange dom grinned maliciously.

"Who the fuck is this shithead?" Balz asked the question we were all wondering.

"Catty," the Jack-dude hissed as if offended and disappeared.

"At least we anticipated them bringing in outside help," Chris said as he started walking across the lot.

"Where's ours?" I growled under my breath.

I feared actually needing Michael and his band. If it got to that and they did not show... I did not want to imagine our fates.

We were five strong and had no idea how our enemies looked in terms of man power. I was beginning to worry about Jesse back on the bus. Maybe it was a good thing Chris persuaded Vinny to stay behind.

"Well, well, look who finally caught up!" Mike's voice grated my ears.

We all peered up and atop a light post stood a confident-looking Mike with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. I felt the electric buzz of more vampires moving around us. They were surrounding...

I bolted out of the circle as quickly as I could force myself. It was not very sneaky and the desperate attempt to not get caught in the ambush left me open. The instant I stopped I found a hand wrapped around my neck.

"Caught you," a sickeningly sweet smile played on the doms face that was betrayed by his dark eyes. His long hair fluttered around him like Medusa's snakes in a breeze that only existed around us.

This one I knew -- Kellin Quinn.

I felt my feet leave the ground as I was lifted. His hand fell away from my throat but the pressure of his grasp continued to strangle me. Controlled winds levitated me higher.

"You're the smart one, I see," Kellin began to talk as if we were chatting under normal circumstances.

I glanced back to find Angelo flooring some vamp with red hair. Chris had been rammed against the light pole by Mike, and Ryan and Balz were teaming up against the Jack-guy and another dom I did not recognize. I assumed they were with Kellin.

I immediately cued in on the missing members of Mike's group. Where was his brother and the hyper one? I would have been surprised if they sicced their fertile on us, but I did not want to cross out the possibility, either. That left three vampires unaccounted for.

"You're out-numbered. How sad," Kellin mocked me and began to pace.

"Maybe," I struggled through my teeth. "But you're out-matched!"

Kellin whipped around as I broke his hold. Winds whirled wildly around us momentarily as if sharing the dom's shock. My feet hit the ground and I quickly pivoted to slam my leg into his stomach.

He staggered and I charged. My shoulder collided with his sternum and threw him to the pavement below. I pulled my arm back and readied to mess up his pretty-boy face when I suddenly felt the impact of another body slamming into me.

I found myself staring up at the glowing eyes of Vic, who pinned me without a sound. Vic was a worrisome challenge. Our size similarity left me without any real strategy. He was known to be cold and to the point, did not waste time.

I had to gain the upper hand if I did not want to learn exactly what that reputation entailed. My hand reacted without me and latched onto his neck. Vic let out a low snarl that honestly surprised me. His eyes were completely stoic, almost blank.

His fist knocked back like a piston and came at me without warning. He was fast, but I saw it. I moved my head and let him connect with the ground, only to return the missed hit with my own. I did not miss.

Vic's head snapped to the side and gave me the opening I needed to get my leg in between us and launch him off me. My intention was to follow up and dig my claws into him, but that was quickly deterred as I sensed someone closing in on me. I spun and dropped to the ground.

My foot connected with Mike's stomach and, as he doubled-over, hooked my other leg around his neck. I slammed him head-first into the pavement. He was still conscious.

Then, Kellin had me by my collar and did not wait for me to react. He threw me across the lot and straight into a street lamp. I forced my eyes up to check on his progress despite the spinning in my head. To my surprise, Chris nearly knocked him down with a sucker punch, but Kellin recovered much faster than last time.

I watched in shock as Jack was flung right past me and into the side of a nearby car, triggering its burglar alarm and sending various metal pieces soaring. Ryan stood hunched a distance away and wiped his mouth with his sleeve, eyes burning with the wrath of Hell.

Over his shoulder, I saw Balz pressed against a tree by the other dom. His fists came up above his head and came crashing down on his aggressor with enough force to flatten him in the dirt. My view of his fight was cut off be another body hitting the ground beside me. Angelo was on him immediately and was beating the shit out of him without a second thought.

I got to my feet in time to get thrown back down by Vic. I was not about to let him pin me down again. I used my center of gravity to flip us into a roll as we touched the sidewalk. I pushed us forward again to slam his head against the concrete.

My fist cocked back and met their target, and so did my other one. I got him a good three times before he pulled a familiar dodge and yanked his face away. My blow shattered the pavement beneath it.

A malevolent grin ignited his features and my sensory web shot out on instinct. I reached back reflexively and gripped his wrist, twisted, and pushed away the clawed assault. Had he connected and gotten his claws in my ribs I would have been toasted.

With my senses now on high, I felt more than saw the chilling blow. Kellin lashed out with his claws and sliced right into Chris' tattooed neck. Chris lurched backwards and sent out a reflexive kick to knock the other dom back. Chris dropped to the ground, clutching his throat and vanished.

The worst part was not having time to even worry about him.

Vic struck out at my face and left four slash marks down my cheek. Something inside me began to shake, replaying Chris' form hitting the pavement. I smelled his blood.

My hands grasped Vic's throat and squeezed with all my strength. His claws dug into my shoulders, and I leaned away when they aimed for my neck.

Retribution.

My nails extended in time slice open the other dom's flesh below his jaw. His ruby eyes widened in realization as blood splattered around us and I swore I saw fear, if only for a moment.

I did not get to see him die. I found myself yanked roughly to my feet by Mike. My body froze upon feeling four blade-like fingers jammed into my gut. He then rammed me against the street lamp with a grip strong enough to crush my wind pipe.

It began to shake harder deep within...

My senses felt Ryan's body hit the ground from somewhere high up, where he lay motionlessly.

The world drowned in fiery red...

The side of a stone building shattered and cratered around Angelo as he collided with it. Blood splattered upwards from his head. He dropped like a rock.

Pressure began to bubble and push outward...

Balz was on the ground surrounded by two others. A third jumped on him and grabbed his throat. He flailed beneath them, fought against those kicking his ribs trying to stop him from moving -- for good.

Something snapped...

"Call for reinforcements?!" Michael's voice echoed in my skull.

The earth shook beneath us as DJ's fist smashed into it. The pavement crumbled and exploded outwards, knocking Mike off balance. My foot struck out and sent him flying into the crater DJ left.

My mind stopped. My movements became uncoordinated and lurching. In a bloody aura, I saw my prey. The world around us darkened.

Mike scrambled to his feet and tensed to charge at me, but he felt the shadowy hands of death latch onto his legs and hold him still. He saw me disappear like smoke and the void grew stronger. The unfocused, red eyes of his fate began to open around him to watch him die.

I bent down to pry off a spoke from a tire lying on the ground from Jack's run in with the car. My steps stumbled their way to Mike's frozen form. He was struggling against my illusions, unable to tell them apart. He started to build his strength around him, trying to break free, but I let the dark hands bash him into the ground. They held his face in the dirt and his crimson eyes found me.

He said nothing but snarled like a feral beast desperately denying its death. I hovered him for a cold moment. Staring, I felt my blood drive suddenly peak. He must have seen it in my eyes because his widened as if the situation finally hit him.

My body moved. I swung the spoke and felt his skull give way beneath its point.



"That was kinda scary," Bryan Allan commented from the side.

"That was kinda fucking awesome," Michael added with the unconscious Kellin Quinn's collar in his left hand.

Balz was silently sitting in front of them. His posture told me his ribs were really fucked up.

"What do I do with this one!?" Josh Ingram shouted and lifted Jack's body above his head.

I did not think he was dead, either. Badly wounded, yes, but not dead.

"I don't know, eat him?" Michael shrugged noncommittally.

"Nah, I don't eat doms, man!" Josh yelled back and dropped the body.

DJ regrouped with Michael and Bryan, tugging a barely-conscious Angelo along with the wounded vampire's arm around his shoulders. I spent a long time just staring at the metal spike sticking out of his head...

"You, uh," Michael stretched his shoulders. "You should probably go get some help. I don't know if you noticed but you sort of have a hole in your stomach."

My hand lifted to the bleeding wound in my abdomen. I did not feel it. I did not feel anything.

Blood began to drip through my fingers.

"Here," DJ walked passed me with Angelo in tow. "Lets head to your bus."

"Wait..." my voice sounded strange to me. It was oddly distant, almost disembodied.

My eyes lifted to the bus at the other end of the parking lot. The forms from before were still there, but one was missing and another seemed to be anxiously stirring. The silhouette stood up tall on the roof and picked up a restrained body beside them.

"Who's that?" DJ asked while his shoulders squared tensely.

"Jaime." I grabbed the information from the man's head himself.

"Who?"

"Harmless..." I felt a wave of dizziness shake my world.

"Fuck-" DJ swore and I felt him grab my arm before everything went black.