Penny’s backlash at Christian’s declaration was understandable. Truthfully, Christian had been berated worse than this before. However, he couldn’t help but grin when she addressed him as ‘Mister Reaper.’ How could a spirit be that positively adorable?

Shaking his head from the thought, Christian turned his head to see Penny’s body twitch, the last defiant acts of her body refusing to die. The vampires were starting to slow in their task, some of them moving off, bored now that their prey had no real fight left. As the obstructions cleared, Christian could see more of Penny’s battered body. She was riddled with fang marks, her skin nearly translucent from the blood loss. A cold calm washed over Christian, and he looked back at Penny. 

[color=#B0E0E6]”You want me to bring you back? In a den full of vampires, into a body weakened from blood loss? Do you have any idea what pain your body is in right now? Can you fight through that, Penny? The pain and the dizziness while also fending off vampires?”[/color] 

Christian wasn’t sure where this sudden burst of emotion had come from. He often didn’t feel anger. This fear. What Penny was asking for was not so simple. He had to know she understood that, at least. His rules and regulations would matter nought to her, but the human understanding of pain and hopelessness might be enough to suspend her ludicrous idea of wanting to remain alive. And if it didn’t, then he would bring her back and find some way to get her out of the den without suffering further harm.