Guilty Pleasures   ::   Гамильтон Лорел

The giant rats were staring at him, intent, judging, waiting. He made that same cutting-air motion in reverse. The rats squeaked and stood on hind legs staring around, as if they couldn't believe it, but they began to pour down the stairs the way they had come.

I leaned into the door, knees weak, cradling the bitten hand against my chest. The ratman began to creep up the stairs. He moved easily on the balls of his elongated feet, strong clawed toes digging into the stone.

Lycanthropes are stronger and faster than humans. No mind tricks, no sleight of hand, they are just better. I would not be able to surprise the wererat, as I had the first. I doubted he would grow angry enough to be stupid, but one could always hope. I was hurt, unarmed, and outmatched. If I couldn't get him to make a mistake, I was in deep shit.

A long, pink tongue curved over his teeth. “Fresh blood,” he said. He drew in a loud breath of air. “You stink of fear, human. Blood and fear, smells like dinner to me.” The tongue flicked out and he laughed at me.

I slid my uninjured hand behind my back, as if reaching for something. “Come closer, ratman, and we'll see how you like silver.”

The ratman hesitated, frozen, half-crouched on the top step. “You have no silver.”

“Want to bet your life on it?”

His clawed hands clutched each other. One of the large rats squeaked something. He snarled down at it. “I am not afraid!”

If they egged him on, my bluff wasn't going to work. “You saw what I did to your friends. That was without a weapon.” My voice sounded low and sure of itself. Good for me.

He eyed me out of one large patent-leather eye. His fur glistened in the torchlight as if freshly washed. He gave a small jump and was on the landing, just out of reach.

“I've never seen a blond rat before,” I said. Anything to fill the silence, anything to keep him from taking that one last step. Surely Jean-Claude would come back for me soon. I laughed then, abrupt and half-choked.

The ratman froze, staring at me. “Why are you laughing?” His voice held just a hint of unease. Good.

“I was hoping that the vampires would come for me soon and save me. You've got to admit that's funny.”

He didn't seem to think it was funny. A lot of people don't get my jokes. If I was less secure, I'd think my jokes weren't funny. Naw.

I moved my hand behind my back, still pretending that there was a knife in it. One of the giant rats squealed, and even to me it sounded derisive. He would never live it down if I bluffed him. I might not live it down if I didn't.