She was pissed that she let herself get so scared a moment ago and she was angry with him for shoving her to safety. She didn’t try to calm down. She needed the strength her rage would give her if she were going to help him, but the sudden boom that made her ears ring seriously upset her equilibrium. “What the hell was that?” she yelled as she wiggled her knife out of her jeans pocket. “Will you just stay the hell down?” Jasper said as she heard a click and another boom. It's a gun, she thought, kicking at the hand that tried to grab her shoulder. She knew instinctively that it wasn’t Jasper. It fell away and she twisted around, smashing her boots into the creature's face. It didn't do much damage, no surprise, but she managed to tip it off balance. She surged up, trusting Jasper to keep her back safe and slashed out, cutting the monster's throat. Blood gushed out, black and sticky, and she kicked again. The vampire went down. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to kill it. She glanced behind her, not surprised to see Jasper was no longer in the car.
