Twisted Death Excerpt



Ripples in a pond that showed the true horror of what she had become.  Rivulets of blood ran down her chest into the tub.  Death was a cape hugging her shoulders. It had been one of those nights for Rayne.  Fresh tears gathered in her sapphire eyes then rolled down her cheeks.  The wound on her thigh would need stitches.  Rayne didn’t want to have to do them again.  Blood trailed down her leg making current in the water. Pain she could deal with, but the loss was harder on her heart.  It was like taking a chunk out of her heart and throwing it away.  Vampires had to get revenge even if it was on the wrong person. They didn’t know pain until they messed with a woman who had lost her lover. The man who was going to make her life so much better, take her out of the game as it was. 
The call had come from Majesta telling her that Rick had been killed.  Heart ache had lanced through her that night which she put into hunting.  It had been a great night to kill blood sucking assholes.  That wasn’t the first night they had hurt her, she had been so blinded by her aching heart that she hadn’t seen the blow coming.  The blonde had gotten a lucky hit in that had sent Rayne over the bridge.  Fortunate for her at the time it had just rained.  The river below was higher than it would have been a few nights before.  Drip…Drip…Drop it rang in her mind as she pulled the thread and needle out of her bag.  She had to start carrying the kits when she was stabbed a few years back.  This wasn’t the best of jobs, for one it didn’t pay for shit. So she stayed in the house her parents left her.
Drip, drip…it was driving her crazy.  If she didn’t close this cut soon she would scream then pass out cold on the floor.  In and then out, pull tight and bite your tongue till it bleeds a little. The taste of copper in her mouth made her gag but she moved the needle again putting another stitch in her thigh.  Pale skin seemed to shine back at her, the blood seemed even brighter. The water was now blood red causing Rayne to start to feel a little light headed.  Blood lose was going to kick her ass tonight it would seem. She would have to take a few nights off to let this heal before she could go out again. It had been almost six months since she had lost Rick.  Rayne had been hunting for two years before that.  Her nights of hunting had doubled since that night; she had lost part of herself.
“Witches!” she thought out loud, Nix came into the room to stand beside her.  The large Siberian husky was her only family. Nix whined up at her and she smiled as she finished the last stitch.  “It is alright Nix, I will live.  I need to go see our neighbor the witch about getting this fixed soon.  Wish I could find an angel around here.”
Stacy laughed when she slipped out of the bathroom, leaving her bloody leathers in the bathroom to deal with later.  Stacy was back while Rayne was put on the back burner.  It was like slipping her skin at times, the way she went from Stacy to Rayne.  It worried her as well that she could just forget about the woman to go into the hunter. Nix stayed by her side as she moved through the house, she didn’t fear a vampire attack.  Long ago she learned to put the symbols by her door. They didn’t always work, for instance if a vampire came to her door with no intent of harming her it wouldn’t work.
When the door bell rang she wondered who the hell would be coming over this late.  Nix growled at the door as she walked in front of Stacy.  It was a bad sign when the dog acted like this.  Normally she only acted like that if a vampire was at the door.  By the time she got around the dog who ever had been there was gone.  They did however leave Lilies on her door step.  It wasn’t something most men would think of.  Lilies were an odd flower to give; only one person knew she loved the scent of the flowers.  Ten minutes of waiting, Nix moved to allow Stacy to pick up the potted plant.
When she moved back into the house she wondered who would left her flowers.  No note on the flower or the pot.  So she placed the Lilies on her table next to the door so it would get sun.  She moved through the house to the bedroom to grab her bag.  The witch would help her with the pain in her leg and maybe some info. A few moments later she was dressed and ready to head to see Willow.
“Nix you want to go see Willow?” the dog wagged her tail then went to sit at the front door.  Stacy laughed at the way her dog was acting like a puppy when she talked about Willow.  She loved that woman like she was her mother.  So out they went to see Willow about her leg.  Stacy was rather sure she would hear it about getting hurt again.
Moments later she stepped onto the plant covered porch. The boards under her feet didn’t make a sound unlike older houses that creaked loudly when someone put any weight on the boards.  Ivy, ferns and so many others that Stacy couldn’t name them all.  She went to knock but Willow already knew she was coming.  The door swung open and Nix almost knocked Stacy over to get to Willow.
“Well hello Nix, I see you brought the crazy woman to be healed again.  Did she think of me this time or did you have to pull her?  I know she is kinda stupid for going after them.” Willow said as she patted the dogs head; there was something about this dog.
“Hey watch it Willow!  I am doing the world a favor.” Stacy glared at the old woman but couldn’t stay mad at her.
“Oh for sure dear, but you are still getting hurt. Come in and bring that horrible nurse job with you.” Willow said as she turned toward her healing room, her long skirts spinning with her.
“Like I could leave my leg outside and it isn’t a horrible nurse job.  I got it to stop bleeding on my own this time.” Stacy laughed at the thought that she was being treated like a child.  Willow was older but you didn’t dare call her old.  She was a willow of a woman, slim from shoulders to feet.  Her mocha skin spoke of her heritage and her wild black hair spoke of her father’s side of the family. Not many would have guessed that she was all black though.  Most would have said she was half white.  The truth was she was born from a Voodoo Priestess who happens to be in love with a noble man.  One that happens to be married to another woman, but that didn’t stop her.  She wove a powerful spell that brought the man to his knees. 
One and one made two and Willow came to be.  The two of them made their way to Willows sick room as she calls it. Stacy calls it the heebie geebie room.  As they entered the room Stacy shivered from the spell that keeps the evil from entering the room.  Willow pointed her to the table and Stacy moved toward it.  She sighed as she struggled to get on it.  Willow was humming under her breath and the feeling in the room changed and Stacy sighed into the joy that entered her body.
It was a trance that she welcomed; it helped to keep her from jumping off the table when Willow took out the bad nursing job to fix it.  The stitches came out pretty easy, but the feel of warmth running down her leg made Stacy look down.  That was all it took, she started to feel woozy again which meant she would pass out soon.
“You are a big baby!  It isn’t that bad, yes it is deep but you see blood and bam you out!  The big bad vampire hunter faints at the site of her blood.”
Stacy looked away from her leg as she tried to stop the spinning in her mind.  It wasn’t that she was a big baby; she just didn’t like seeing her own blood like that.  If she had still been in Rayne mood it wouldn’t have affected her the same way. Nix wagged her tail at Willow then looked up at Stacy as if to say BABY!  Stacy rolled her eyes at them both as she tried to keep from barfing all over the place.  After a few moments the blood stopped and her leg felt warm, then hot searing pain shot through her leg making her want to scream.  It wouldn’t make anything better and Willow didn’t like that too much.
“Alright big baby you are all fixed up.  It should be alright in a day or two.  DON’T go out hunting tomorrow!  I meant it Stacy Johnson.  I will know!”Willow told her as she started to clean up the mess.  The smell of burning rags drifted through the air making Stacy gag a little.
“Alright Willow, I had other plans any way.  I am heading to the new club Majesta opened.  I don’t think I will get into the club part though.  Vampire’s only from what I hear.  Not that most humans believe a word of it. The other night I went and I meet this amazing guy but well he is a vampire and not my type.” Stacy half fell off the table to follow Willow out of the room.  They went into her kitchen where she found coffee on the table.  It was still warm.
“You amaze me you know.” Stacy said then took a long drink of her coffee.

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