Chapter Seven

We said goodbye to our new friends, but they followed us outside.

The twins crossed the street and stood by a nondescript sedan, and it was clear they were arguing, even though I couldn’t hear what they were saying. The unflappable Rose threw her hands up in the air, and Thorn responded with a rude gesture before storming to the driver’s side and getting in. It looked like Thorn made her sister stand there waiting for Thorn to unlock the door, which she took her sweet time about. Baller move.

I gave Rose a little wave as we got into the Deathtrap.

Vaughn started up the car. “Ready to go? Or should we wait for them to leave?”

“Let’s go,” I answered, still stunned.

My phone rang. Not a text—it was my grandmother calling. How did she find out I was gone already?

“I can’t believe you left without telling me,” she said.

I can’t believe you lied to me about my own mother. “Hi to you, too,” I said. “And I left a note.”

“I found it,” she said. “That’s why I’m calling. What were you thinking, Tansy Morgan Mariotti?”

Granny was middle-naming me. She must be really pissed.

I ignored the question and replied with one of my own. “Why are you home so early?”

“Author missed her plane,” she replied. “We’re rescheduling. Now, explain to me what you were thinking by taking off after a bunch of vampires.”

“I was thinking that my best friend in the entire world needs my help,” I said. “And Vaughn’s with me.”

“Of course he is.” She laughed.

“What’s that mean?”

“That boy ever miss a chance to get up close and personal with you?” Her tone was teasing.

“Granny!” I moaned. “Quit trying to embarrass me.”

She snorted again. Granny’s snorts all sounded different and conveyed a variety of emotions. This one made me blush.

I glanced at Vaughn and then looked away.

Granny didn’t say anything for a long time. “You promise to call me every night?”

“I promise,” I replied.

“And you’ll keep your necklace on you at all times,” she said. “You can’t give it to Skyler or anyone else.”

Why was Granny so insistent? I knew those charms protected me, but I was a Mariotti witch, more powerful than Skyler, who was only human.

“Those are my conditions,” she said. “Take it or leave it. And be safe when you’re sharing a bed with Vaughn tonight. Ta-ta!” She hung up.

She was so embarrassing…but the thought of Vaughn and me alone did make me shiver.

We had agreed Vaughn would drive the first shift. I liked the idea because that way I got to pick the music. I scrolled through the track list on my phone until I found the perfect road trip playlist, which included my favorite Billie Eilish song.

We were only on the freeway for twenty minutes before we had to slow down. “Traffic.” I groaned the word out.

“It’s L.A. There’s always traffic.” Vaughn adjusted the air vents and the temperature controls, making sure cool air was hitting us both. I didn’t have the heart to remind him the Deathtrap didn’t do well in bumper-to-bumper traffic and with the air full blast. Not yet, at least.

But even the carpool lane was stopped. I sighed. We were likely going to be here a while.

My only comfort was knowing that The Drainers would stop to perform. We’d catch up to them, and I’d somehow snip some hair, cast a separation spell, and break the hold he had on my best friend. I’d do whatever it took. Even if it meant killing Travis.

I had to.

…

While Vaughn inched us forward, I got out my phone and did some research on The Drainers. They were popular, but there were a lot of comments about how they were best live.

I downloaded a couple of songs, and Vaughn and I listened. I wanted to see if he had the same reaction as I did. Before the first song was over, we agreed with the reviews. Travis singing on a recording was an experience I did not want to repeat.

Why did I have such different reactions to The Drainers’ music? Vampires had a variety of powers, including the ability to mesmerize and compel people. Being a descended witch must offer some protection. And clearly a recording didn’t have the same compulsion, since Vaughn seemed to be unaffected as well.

“That’s why everyone thinks they sound great live, but their recorded music sucks. Because they have to be near their victims for it to work.”

Vaughn shot me a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”

“When they play live, their music is haunting,” I said. “Beautiful. Compelling.”

“In other words, not this,” Vaughn deadpanned.

I burst out laughing. “Definitely not this.”

I noticed my nails were overgrown and got out a nail file from my bag. I filed them down to a reasonable length and then hit up social media streams again.

Their Instagram feed was obnoxious. A girl named Natasha oversaw it, and she featured herself in a lot of the posts. In one photo, she was hanging on Travis’s arm; the next, it was the drummer she was all over. There were a lot of #Bleeders references, too.

I wrinkled my nose. “I need brain bleach.” I tossed my phone on the console.

“Any pics of Skyler?” Vaughn asked.

“Only a few,” I admitted. “There’s nothing that stands out, except that I’m pretty sure she’s with Natasha, the president of The Drainers’ fan club.”

“Look further back,” he suggested. “Maybe about six weeks earlier.”

“But Sky only started talking about Travis a few weeks ago,” I argued.

“I think she met him a while back,” he said. He kept his eyes on the road, but there was something in his tone that worried me.

“Skyler tells me everything.”

He hesitated, then said, “She doesn’t tell you everything. In fact, I don’t think she’s been telling either of us half of what’s been going on with her.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s been acting funny for weeks,” he finally said.

I’d clearly missed the signs that my best friend was in trouble. I wondered what Vaughn’s impressions were. “Funny how?”

“Secretive,” he said. “Always taking off without either of us.”

“She had been partying without us more,” I said. “I thought she was getting sick of how much we had to work. I can’t believe I didn’t notice. I suck as a friend.”

“No, you don’t,” he said sharply. “You can’t blame yourself. Skyler lied to you. She lied to us all.”

“That makes it worse,” I said. “Skyler never lies to me.”

“Everyone lies,” he said. “Some of us just lie to ourselves most.”

“Maybe that’s what Skyler was doing, too,” I said. “She was scared and didn’t know what to do, so she kept it all to herself.”

I’d do better in the future, be a better friend, as soon as I found her.

…

Two hours later, we passed by the accident that had turned the freeway into a parking lot. After that, traffic improved, thank god.

“What’s the plan?” Vaughn asked, easing the Deathtrap up to the speed limit.

I shrugged. “We’re winging it.”

I thought he’d ask me more questions, but instead, he glanced around the interior and said, “This car is so badass.”

I nodded. “I just need to remember to fill it up every chance I get.”

“I’ll pay for the gas,” Vaughn said quickly.

I stiffened. “No, you won’t.” It wasn’t easy, but I made sure I always paid my share, despite Sky and Vaughn both coming from wealthy families.

“She’s my friend, too,” he said softly.

He had a point. “We’ll split all expenses,” I said. “Fifty-fifty.”

“Sixty-forty,” he countered. “You’re providing the sweet ride.”

I crossed my arms in mock anger but couldn’t hold it long and ended up in a wide grin. “Fine.”

We drove in silence for a mile or two before I remembered the file Rose had given me. Why? What did she have to gain by sharing it?

I hated the way my brain fired off suspicions immediately. Maybe it was why I didn’t have many friends. Maybe people could sense my deep distrust and skepticism and stayed away. Or maybe I pushed them away.

It probably didn’t help that the one person I trusted the most, my grandmother, had told me my mother was dead when she clearly wasn’t.

I flipped the file open. The first page listed the dates and places of The Drainers’ concerts for the past two years.

At first, I thought Rose might be a weird superfan, but then I turned to the next page, and there was a list of names, which I soon discovered was a list of murder victims and the locations their bodies had been found. Many of the dates had been highlighted, and when I compared the two, I noticed in a lot of cases, The Drainers had been in the immediate vicinity near the time of the murder.

My heart had relocated to my throat. I wiped my sweaty hands on my shorts. The Drainers weren’t just bloodsuckers; they were murderers.