Chapter Twelve

It was Friday night, and Granny was out dancing with Edna and Evelyn and some of the other Old Crones Book Club members. For all I knew, she was meeting her silver fox from The Last Stop. He’d been texting her, and although Granny was trying to play it cool, her smile got wider every time she heard from him.

Skyler, Vaughn, and I were having a movie night, like we used to before Vaughn and I had started dating.

Vaughn came out of the kitchen, carrying bowls of popcorn. He handed one to Skyler and then took a pack of M&Ms out of his pocket.

Skyler’s face lit up. “Popcorn and M&Ms are my favorite,” she said.

He smiled at her. “I know.”

He sat next to me, and I snuggled into him to better appreciate his familiar scent, which was sunshine and sand and a little bit of sweat. My nose twitched when I detected something new. He smelled a little wild. It wasn’t unpleasant, just unfamiliar.

We bickered over what movie to watch like we always did but finally settled in to watch a Marvel superhero movie.

“You haven’t told us much about Texas,” I commented.

“You haven’t told me what you and Skyler did while I was gone,” he countered.

“I’m just going to say it,” Skyler interjected.

“What?” We both turned to look at her.

“It’s kind of weird that my two best friends are a vampire and a werewolf,” she said, giggling.

“Don’t forget about your ex-boyfriend,” I said. “Who seems to want to take the ex out of the equation.”

“We’re not talking about Connor.” She sniffed. “Vaughn asked what we did while he was gone. I started a new business,” Skyler said. “Selling Bloodsicles to vamps.”

“Bloodsicles?” Vaughn quirked his eyebrow.

“Bloody frozen treats,” Skyler said brightly. “Tansy loves them.”

Vaughn frowned. “Is it safe?”

“They’re made with blood from animals,” I said, trying not to feel defensive.

“I meant safe for you and Skyler to be dealing with vampires at all,” he said.

“They’re my subjects, Vaughn,” I said. “I have to deal with them.” I crossed my arms over my chest. It wasn’t like I wanted to take care of a bunch of blood-sucking fiends.

I still needed to figure out what to do about Travis and the other Drainers, the werewolves, and the potential feud. And find a werewolf killer. The one thing I was pretty sure of was that the killer was some sort of supernatural creature. It would take an inhuman amount of strength to rip someone’s heart from their body.

Skyler got up. “I think I’ll grab more soda,” she said. She went into the kitchen and stood in front of the closed refrigerator for a long time.

I shifted in my seat. “Maybe we should just watch the movie before it gets too late.”

“Is it safe to come back yet?” Skyler yelled from the other room.

None of us wanted to talk about the bad parts of the summer, so I faked a cheery tone. “C’mon, let’s just watch before Vaughn has to go.”

He groaned. “I hate Saturday morning shifts,” he said. “It’s like Dad can’t stand to see me sleep in.” Vaughn’s dad owned the catering company where we both worked.

I gave him a sheepish smile. “I did the schedule this week.” I had to because Vaughn’s dad had been too distracted. He had some new girlfriend who had him all dreamy-eyed and dazed.

I glanced over at my boyfriend. I knew the feeling.

“We have another hour,” I said. “We’ll watch the end of the movie, and then we can walk Skyler home.”

“Deal,” he said. It looked like he wanted to say something, but instead, he picked up the remote and hit rewind. “I missed a bit of it.”

We watched the rest of the movie in silence, partly because Vaughn couldn’t talk while he was busy powering down an entire bowl of popcorn.

There was a knock at the door. Weird. It was after midnight.

“I’ll get it,” Vaughn said.

“It’s okay,” I said. “My leg’s going numb. I need to move.” I carefully slid out of Vaughn’s arms, then grabbed my drumstick from my bag and slid it into the waistband of my yoga pants before going to find out who was pounding on my door late at night.

Standing on my front porch was a young stranger. I took a closer look and caught a familiar scent.

No, not just a stranger. A vampire.

“I seek amnesty, my queen,” he announced. He clearly didn’t have the nerve to say it aloud, but from the way he eyeballed my outfit, I could tell I wasn’t his idea of a vampire queen.

I had on a pair of yoga pants—but in my defense, they made my ass look amazing—and a tee Granny had brought back from a library conference that read, “Check out my big books.”

Judging by the way he was staring at them, I thought it was the pink hedgehog slippers on my feet that really threw him. “You are Tansy Mariotti? The vampire queen of California?”

“Yep,” I said.

He took a step closer to the front porch light, which gave me a clearer view of him. He was young when he’d been turned and still resembled someone on the brink of puberty. He was trembling, and blood soaked his T-shirt and jeans.

“What did you do?” I asked. I didn’t invite him in.

“Your Majesty?”

“What. Did. You. DO?”

He looked blank. “Does it matter?”

It seemed inconceivable to him that I’d actually care if he’d killed someone.

“Yes, actually, it does,” I said, crossing my arms, but then I sighed. I was the queen; it was my job to show mercy. “You can come in,” I said, holding the door open. “But no biting.” I used my vampire ability to make the last part an order, one I knew he’d have to obey.

I led my visitor into the family room.

“Who was it?” Vaughn asked. “Did your grandmother forget her key or something?”

“Not my grandmother.” I gestured to the vampire. “One of my subjects. He says he needs help.”

“Is that blood on your jeans?” Skyler asked the guy. It was. The sweet, thick smell was making my head spin, but there was something unusual about it. It smelled earthier than other blood, but wilder, too.

“It’s werewolf blood,” I said before he could answer, “isn’t it?”

He nodded, looking at his shoes. This young vampire seemed more scared than evil.

“Tell me what happened…” I paused and cocked my head in inquiry, since I didn’t know his name.

“My name is Jared,” he said. “I was at The Last Stop. They have live music on the weekends, and I was having a drink with some friends.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What kind of drink?”

Someone pounded at the door, and his eyes widened. “Don’t let them in,” he begged. He was one of my subjects, but vampires weren’t exactly trustworthy.

“I have to see who it is.” I went to the door, irritated that my friends hang was turning into major drama.

The last person I expected, or wanted to see, was on my doorstep—Connor.

“What do you want?” I held the door open, but only a crack. I glanced back, hoping that Skyler had stayed put and wasn’t going to have her night ruined by the sight of her ex-boyfriend.

“Tansy, where’s the sucker?” Connor asked.

Skyler’s laugh carried to us, and something like pain passed across his face. “Is Skyler in there?” Connor craned his neck to see inside the house.

I didn’t have the energy to get into it with Connor, at least not tonight. Instead, I slammed the door in his face.

“Who was at the door?” Skyler asked.

I opened my mouth when the knocking started again. “Don’t answer!” I finally said.

“Why not?” Skyler’s brows knitted together.

“It’s Connor,” I admitted. The knocking continued, but I ignored it.

She started to smile but then went pale as it hit her, the reminder of all that had happened between them. Her eyes narrowed. “What does he want?”

The sound went from polite knocking to insistent pounding.

“I’ll go,” Vaughn said.

I watched Jared the vampire while Vaughn went to get rid of Connor. “Start talking. Quickly,” I said.

“She was already unconscious when I found her,” he said. “I just took a little drink. I didn’t know she was a werewolf or I would never have…” His voice trailed off when my nostrils starting quivering. I had to clench my jaw to stop my fangs from coming down.

“You bit an unconscious werewolf. Tell me, Jared,” I said, low and deadly. “Did you get a copy of my new laws?”

He gulped. “I did.”

I held up a hand. “Please stop talking.” He did, and I took a deep breath as I tried to figure out what he’d gotten us into. One of my subjects had bitten a werewolf. And now Connor was at my door, looking for “a sucker.”

I wasn’t thrilled with his terminology, but I knew one thing: this vampire had admitted to my face he’d broken vampire law and brought an angry werewolf to my door. The only thing in my favor was that it wasn’t a full moon and the girl was alive. Or at least that was Jared’s story.

“Jared, do you know the consequences for drinking without consent?”

“Banishment?” He said it like a question.

“Who is your ruler, Jared?” I asked.

He started to sob. “Please, Queen Tansy. I was so hungry.”

“You are banished from this realm,” I said. “Eighty-sixed. Kicked out of my realm and never allowed back. If you ever return, the penalty is death.”

“But the werewolves will try to kill me if you don’t help me,” he said. His voice shook, and despite myself, I felt a twinge of sympathy.

“You drank from an unconscious werewolf,” I said. “You’re lucky I don’t give you straight to them.”

Instead of relief, I was surprised to see anger cross his face. “Why are you siding with those walking Furbies?”

“I’m not siding with anyone yet,” I replied. “I’m trying to find out what really happened.” A series of low growls came from outside.

“Don’t move,” I told him. “I’ll take care of the werewolves.”

Connor’s voice rose. “We want the vamp, Vaughn.”

I stomped to the front door. “The answer’s no.” Then I realized Skyler’s ex hadn’t come alone. Lucas and Beckett stood by Connor’s car.

Skyler had absolutely perfect timing as she walked up to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with me.

The guys ignored us as they continued to argue. Connor said something to Vaughn to low for us to hear, but I caught Vaughn’s reply.

“Tansy asked me not to tell you anything about Skyler,” Vaughn said.

“What does Skyler have to do with Tansy being the vampire queen?” Connor’s voice deepened.

“Go away, Connor,” Skyler said.

“I didn’t know you would be here tonight,” he replied.

“Or you wouldn’t have dropped by?” she challenged, but there was a trace of disappointment in her voice.

“He’s not dropping by for old time’s sake,” I said. “He wants to kill one of my subjects. But I won’t let him.”

“He attacked one of my pack,” Connor said.

“Tansy’s subject,” Vaughn replied. “Tansy’s decision.”

“Rose and Thorn will escort him from the realm. He’s been banned.” It seemed like a perfect job for the two vampire hunters.

“That’s it?” Connor asked.

“It’s not a full moon,” I pointed out. “The girl is alive, yes?”

He nodded.

“He broke my law, and he will be dealt with,” I said firmly.

Connor sighed and then gave a jerk of his head in agreement.

“Would it be possible to talk to her?” I asked him.

“You want to me to let a vampire queen talk to someone who was attacked by a vampire? No way.”

“You don’t know for sure that it was a vampire,” I said. “Maybe I can find out something that will lead us to the real culprit.”

He studied my face, and I had to force myself not to squirm.

“Okay,” he said. “Give her a couple of days to heal. And I have to be there the whole time.”

“Fine,” I said.

“I do want to talk to you, Sky,” he said.

“You have a strange way of showing it,” she snapped.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said.

“Tansy, I got this,” she said. She stepped outside onto the front porch. “What do you want, Connor?”

“Just to talk,” he said. “I can be reasonable.”

If so, Connor had changed while he was away. When he was dating Skyler, he’d been stubborn, used to getting his own way.

Skyler cleared her throat. “What did you want to talk to me about, Connor? We’re in the middle of a movie.”

“Just the three of you?” Skyler’s ex looked around suspiciously.

“Who were you expecting?” I asked, glaring at him.

Connor ignored me and stared at Skyler. “No date?”

She flinched, and for a second, I wanted to punch him, but his muscles would probably only hurt my hand.

“Connor, it’s time for you to leave,” I said firmly.

I really wanted to punch him again when he said, “I’ll go, but be prepared for the consequences.”

“Is that a threat?”

Vaughn grabbed my hand. “Tansy, let it go for now.”

I nodded.

Connor hesitated, staring at Skyler intently, but she shook her head. “Go home, Connor.”

He finally left, but Skyler stood on the front porch, watching him go.

I didn’t want to leave her out there, but I needed to check on the vampire anyway. I went back into the living room and froze.

Jared was gone.