My bed is closet carnage as I search for the perfect outfit to bait a vampire. I hold up a tank top, supertight. Not me. Next up, a midriff top with short shorts. Too obvious. I put my favorite plaid pajama bottoms on and check myself out in the mirror. I’m definitely comfy but don’t think it’ll do the trick. I try a sexy dress. Flowy, white. Neck and shoulders on display. Over the top? Probably, but I’m owning it.
Danny walks through the open door. (I finally gave up worrying about locking the door since everyone pretty much treats this place like a subway station.) “I brought you some liquid courage,” she offers, handing me some tequila. She puts her phone in her pocket and just looks at me. “Is that what you’re wearing?” she asks.
I’m self-conscious as all hell so this isn’t helping. “Not sexy enough?”
She gets her flirt on. “That is not the problem. You’re totally working the brooding lover thing. You could really tone it down. You know?”
I’d like to yell, No, I don’t. Just speak the words so I know if we are a thing or not. I know fighting vampires doesn’t lend itself to romance, but I’d like to know where I stand before I go into battle. Instead, I keep quiet about that and go somewhere else. “Wanna hear my plan?”
“I’m all ears. But damn, you look amazing. Makes me wish I was a vampire,” she flirts. Yes, this might be a thing. Just not right this second.
“We’re going to hit the luau for a bit. Have a drink or two to loosen her up, get her off her game. I’ll ask her to go for a walk, then the Zetas will grab her. Fingers crossed she doesn’t ingest me first. That’s the plan.”
“Just be careful, please. Text me as soon as they have her. I worry about you.” I can’t get derailed by her lavender smell or her perfect hair. Stop it, Laura. Focus.
“Promise,” I assure her before she leaves.
Back to my makeup. I add some black eyeliner and soft pink lipstick, then spray some dry shampoo in my hair to give it a tousled, sexy look. Or something like that.
Carmilla sneaks in. “Don’t you look like a virgin sacrifice,” she purrs. I turn to see my vampire roommate in a corset and leather pants, with a bottle of champagne and two glasses.
“I’m not the one wearing a corset. Which is … wow.”
Carmilla fills the glasses. She is flat-out the most beautiful person who has ever been in my sphere. She is intoxicating. Vampire or not.
“What’s happening here?” I ask, trying not to show that I’m about to faint.
She hands me a glass, gets close. “The more I thought about a bonfire with those morons and a roasted pig, the less appealing it sounded. Parties are for new beginnings, glowing possibility. So I brought the party here.”
She’s good. I sip the champagne, checking out the bottle. It looks super expensive. “Where did you even get this?”
She raises her eyes. “I have my ways. There was champagne at the first party I ever went to,” she shares, edging closer to me.
“You say it like it was a hundred years ago.”
She reaches for my wrist, running her fingers from the crease in my elbow down to my hand. Her touch feels like cashmere. Softer than soft. “You aren’t wearing your bracelet. If you don’t have it on, it can’t protect you.”
Does she mean I’m not protected from her, or from someone else? My head is a muddled mess. “Oh yeah. Right.” She’s unnerving me. I can’t pinpoint what I’m feeling. I just know it’s a lot of unknown.
Her sweetness fades. “If you didn’t like it, you should have just said so,” she says like I hurt her feelings.
“No, no. I do like it. I like it a lot.” Her tenderness flusters me. Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but I think this is a big deal to her. Like she truly wants me safe. I’m not sure if I can go through with the plan now. Time to call for reinforcements. I reach in my pocket for my phone, but Carmilla nabs it.
“I was just going to text Danny and the girls,” I explain. “Bring the party here. Like you said.”
Carmilla tosses my phone on the bed. “Maybe I don’t feel like sharing right now.” She closes in on me all suggestive-like.
“That almost sounded flattering, but you made it sound like I’m a snack or something.” Really, I’m not sure I can do this.
That comment seems to strike a funny bone. Her howling gets deeper and longer. “You’re wound so tight. I should know better than to get involved. But there’s something about you, Laura Hollis, that I can’t resist.”
“My fashion sense?”
She leans in alarmingly close, cups my chin. “Definitely not that.” She’s either going to kiss me or bite me. I ready myself for either. As her lips inch closer to mine, I lick mine nervously.
Her warm breath tickles my face. Those eyes take hold of mine and don’t let go. Like it or not, I’m drawn to Carmilla and I want her to kiss me. I consider making the first move, then chicken out. She’s moving in now.
It’s on.
Just as it’s about to happen, someone kicks the door in. Did Carmilla lock it?
“What are you doing? Get away from her!” Danny screams, yanking Carmilla away from me.
“What the hell?” Carmilla yells right back.
LaFontaine rushes in. “Get her, boys!” In a flash, I see Kirsch karate-chop Carmilla, then Will knock her to the floor. They hold her down while Danny ties her hands and feet with ropes at lightning speed. LaFontaine flies across the room. Will jumps up and puts duct tape across Carmilla’s mouth. Kirsch adds a garlic necklace along with a slew of crosses draped on her. It happens so fast, all the flailing limbs, the swinging fists, the shouting voices. The whole time, my heart is pounding against my chest. I should have aborted the mission. This is all wrong. My brain is in a blender with all of my feelings.
When the dust settles, I can’t believe my eyes. Our room looks like a full-on hurricane blew through and left a wake of mass destruction. The mattresses are upended. Danny’s eye is swollen, turning shades of purple, and Perry is cowering in the corner clutching a cross. A cross.
I rush to Danny’s side, checking her eye. “Are you okay?” I look over her shoulder at Carmilla. Something in my chest tugs at me. Hard.
“Better now. I knew she had you trapped.” She did this for me. I can barely look at her. I was about to kiss Carmilla and she was trying to save me. I feel terrible. So conflicted.
“My gut told me this was the time,” she continues. “It was like I could sense you needing me. That’s why we rushed in.”
Feeling worse.
Danny turns around to Carmilla. “Your plan didn’t work.”
Carmilla is steaming. Epically pissed off.
“If anyone cares, I think I’m bleeding,” LaFontaine says. “Something hit me on the side of my head. It hurts. Help. Anyone?”
“Did anyone see where the Zetas went?” I inquire.
LaFontaine manages to answer. “Those idiots stepped over me to get back to their party. Kirsch was mumbling about getting a pig sandwich before it was gone.”
“So we’re stuck with the fallout?” Perry asks, pointing to Carmilla.
I can’t focus on my confusion. I have a job to do, and I promised myself I would see this through no matter what. I can’t let her eyes distract me. Again.
I adjust the camera to get Carmilla directly in the webcam’s eye. “Time for a party, Silas. We’ve got our vampire. No more of her flirting with unsuspecting girls or hunting them down. It’s over. We win. Now we just need to un-pod Nat and SJ then find Betty and Elsie.”
Okay, we still have a lot to do.
I’m scared to look at Carmilla. I steal a glance and don’t like what’s looking back. It’s betrayal. I got caught up in the heat of the moment with her. A moment that never should have happened. Anyone sucked into her eyes would have done the same thing.
Wouldn’t they?
Perry applies an ice pack to an angry lump on the side of LaFontaine’s head. LaFontaine winces. “That hurts.” I swear Perry presses harder.
“Now what?” I ask.
Carmilla is spitting nails, red-hot mad. She’s trying to wiggle out of the ropes so hard that the chair scrapes along the floor. Her grunts are getting louder and angrier.
Danny gets up in her face. “This was so worth it. How does it feel to be trapped like those girls you took?”
Carmilla jerks her head back and forth.
I settle my hand on Danny’s shoulder to encourage her to leave Carmilla alone. When my eye catches Carmilla’s, she turns away.
I don’t like the way that hurts.
A bloodcurdling scream and a rumbling from outside stun us all into stone-cold silence.
“What the hell was that?” I ask.
“Can’t be anything good,” LaFontaine answers.
Kirsch rushes in, carrying a half-eaten sandwich. “Come quick. I think someone tried to take Natalie, and Sarah Jane’s not breathing. I think she might be dead.”
“Oh my God,” I say. “That can’t be. We have the vampire. There’s just no way.”
Maybe he’s drunk.
Carmilla growls.
“We need help,” Kirsch squeals. “We have to find Natalie.” He takes a bite of his sandwich.
“Someone has to stay with her,” Danny snarls.
Perry points to Carmilla. “She’s not going anywhere.” The ropes are so tight that her knuckles are turning white.
“Dudes, come on!” Kirsch yells.
We race across the moonlit campus to the Zeta House. The lawn is littered with empty plastic cups and it reeks of stale beer. The DJ is still rocking the party that’s in full swing in spite of the fact that Sarah Jane is motionless near the firepit. The pig on the spit eyeing us makes the creep factor multiply. LaFontaine checks Sarah Jane’s pulse.
But it’s too late.