17 17
I woke up late Thursday. Well, to hell with school. One more day wasn’t going to make a difference. As soon as I saw the time on my digital clock, I stuffed my head under my pillow. Third period could go on without me.
I bit the bullet Friday and went to school. I hadn’t made it past third period when one of Mike’s friends got in my face and yelled, “What happened to Mike? He said he was meeting you at a party and then he ended up dead!”
I cowered at the accusation in his voice. Me, Aurora Sky, vampire hunter let a high school boy intimidate her in the hallway.
“I’m so sorry,” I stammered. “I don’t know what happened.”
“Well, he’s dead because of you.” Such hatred in those eyes. Boy did he know how to make an exit. He said his lines and left, leaving them to linger in my brain like a scar I was stuck living with for the rest of my life.
People in the hallway stared. Let them. This wasn’t my high school. I had no friends here. I had no life. Just passing through.
I couldn’t wait to get my goddamn diploma and get out.
At the end of the day, I waited until the school emptied out to open my locker. I swear that the small metal enclosure had become permeated with Mike’s scent. I yanked his letterman jacket off the hook in the far back and wadded it into my hands.
Halfway down the hall I saw a big plastic wastebasket. I clutched the jacket to my chest then dropped it in the moment I stood over the trash bin. I looked over my shoulder. Why did it feel as though I was disposing of a body?
Outside, my mom waited at the curbside for a change. I got into the car and yanked the door closed behind me. “How was school?” she asked.
“Sucky,” I said, staring out the front windshield.
“At least it’s the weekend.”
Yeah, so? I kept staring out the window. Mom did her loop around Benson Boulevard. “Taco Bell again?” I asked.
“I have a lot to deal with right now,” she said defensively. Her voice went back to normal when she rolled down her window and ordered a taco salad, Mexican pizza, and nachos. “What would you like?” she asked in her even voice.
“I’m not hungry.”
“You need to eat something.”
“Maybe I should drink blood instead.” Mom wasn’t the only one whose mood was slipping. I felt myself going to a dark place. I’d been there before, and it never did me any good.
Mom added a bean burrito and a pink lemonade freeze to the order. Right, cause I really wanted to drink something with the word “freeze” in it.
Once we were home I changed into my running gear. Instead of going through the woods, I ran down the street to the bike trail across the road. I had my ear buds in but no music playing. I jogged up to the corner were I’d had my accident then paced along the curve, staring at it from every angle.
I could still see it in my head: the frosted trees along the road, the oncoming vehicle, my dashboard, the windshield…then nothing.
I pictured Jared driving along a couple seconds later, happy to see another person about to lose her humanity.
“Another One Bites the Bust” by Queen started spinning through my mind.
I ripped my ear buds out, but it kept going. It was all in my head.
Mom had The Vampire Diaries on when I returned home. The pink lemonade sat on the kitchen counter where she’d left it, the slush slowly turning to liquid, condensation dripping down the side to form a wet ring. I took a shower, blew my hair dry, and stuck my ear buds in and listened to music while carefully applying makeup. Nothing too heavy duty. Just a bit of eyeliner, shadow, mascara, and lipstick. I left Dante’s bear claw in the top drawer of my nightstand.
I dialed Marcus and stared at my phone for several minutes before hitting send.
“Black beauty,” he answered.
I took a steadying breath. “Hi, Marcus. You wouldn’t happen to be throwing a party tonight?”
Marcus chuckled then stopped. “It’s Friday.”
I’m pretty sure that meant, what do you think? “Great, so you don’t mind if I show up?”
“Are you coming alone?”
Oh God, I didn’t want to have to talk about Mike. Marcus probably already had his hopes up. If I told him Mike had died after stopping by he might take it as a personal affront again and try to hunt down the offender. My lips twitched. It would serve Jared right if Marcus went after him. Jared had tried to pin it on the party host, after all. If anyone could take on Jared, I’d put money on Marcus. He’d killed Renard for abducting a guest. Jared had actually killed a guest—Andre.
“Yes.” But I didn’t plan on being alone for long.
Mom wasn’t too happy when I told her I’d called a cab so I could go “check on something for work.”
Or when I told her not to wait up.
I called Fane from the cab. I didn’t even hesitate. Valerie was right. It was time to wear the proverbial thong. I’m sure this isn’t what she had in mind, but she’d skipped town and taken her threats right along with her. Not that it mattered anymore. Not if Melcher already knew about Fane and wanted him alive for information. Like Jared. I doubted Fane would work for Team Vampire Hunter if Melcher approached him. I’d just have to hope Melcher never gave him an ultimatum.
“Aurora Sky,” Fane answered in his mocking tone.
“Hello, Fane,” I replied back. “I’m just on my way to Marcus’s. It would be great to see you again. I so enjoyed our last meet up.”
“Are you drunk?” Fane asked suddenly, his voice changing.
“No, but I will be,” I said, and hung up. I turned my phone off before dropping it inside my purse.
If Melcher could fraternize with vampires and bend the rules, so could I.
I threw my arms around Marcus as soon as I entered the palace. He let out a deep laugh and patted my shoulder. “Rough week, my pet?”
I nodded. “You can’t begin to imagine.”
“Come,” he said, taking my arm. He escorted me into the kitchen, which had quite the gathering.
I hesitated but Marcus kept pulling. None of the faces looked familiar. There were a couple teenagers and some older twenty-somethings. Everyone looked clean cut and had dressed casual but nicely.
“Allow me to present Aurora Sky,” Marcus announced.
I hoped my lips were smiling. They had a tendency to grimace all on their own when I felt uncomfortable. Luckily, everyone in the group introduced themselves, though I forgot each name the moment a new one entered my ears.
“Aurora is a student at West,” Marcus continued. “She wants to relax after a long week.”
“Relax? It’s Friday night!” someone said.
I found myself laughing with everyone else. Probably just nerves.
“Will you drink a whiskey with us, Aurora?” a guy to the right of me asked.
“That sounds perfect. Thank you.”
The boy turned to Marcus. “Gorgeous and polite. Where did you find her, Marcus?”
My face heated at being called gorgeous.
Marcus chuckled. “She found me.”
“Lucky man.”
“Tell that to Francesco,” Marcus said. He left my side and joined a young man in the corner who began giggling the moment Marcus started speaking in his ear.
The boy poured two shots of whiskey and handed one to me. “Then I suppose we’ll only be drinking whiskey together,” he said, lifting his glass.
I hit my glass against his, careful not to spill.
Don’t do it, Aurora. Not again. It never leads to anything good.
I threw back the glass and coughed.
The boy’s eyes widened slightly at how fast I downed it. He chuckled then drank his in one fluid motion before refilling both our glasses. “What do you think?” he asked.
“It’s disgusting.”
He laughed and handed me the full shot.
“I like the way it burns, though,” I said. Much better than pouring freezing slush down my throat.
I let the whiskey slip down my throat slowly this time.
Conversations resumed around us. It made me feel better now that I wasn’t the focal point.
“What was your name again?” I asked the boy.
He grinned. “Thomas. You can call me Tom.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Tom.”
Tom lifted the whiskey bottle and raised a brow. I nodded. “Thanks.” I felt more relaxed with each sip. I did a lot better one on one than in bigger groups, and Tom seemed nice.
“How long have you and Fane been together?” he asked after we’d done another shot.
I felt warm inside. It felt good. I leaned against the counter. There were only two other people who’d lingered behind and that felt good, too. More room to breathe.
“Not long,” I said, running my hand along the countertop.
Tom watched my fingers as I stroked the smooth black granite. “It’s not like Francesco to leave his woman unattended.”
“Yeah? Well, our relationship is complicated.”
Tom looked me up and down, a glint in his eyes. “Giving Francesco a run for his money, are you?”
For some reason that made me laugh. Once I started it was hard to stop.
Oh yes. I was giving him a run for his money all right. The vampire and the vampire hunter. I began laughing harder.
Tom laughed too, thank God, so I didn’t look like a madwoman laughing on my own. “Can I get you a glass of water?” he asked when we’d regained our composure.
“No thanks,” I said, leaning more weight into the counter. “I feel good. Do you go to school, Tom?”
“Nah,” he said with a wide grin. “I don’t get nostalgic like some of these other vamps. High school sucked. Why would I go back for more?”
“That deserves a toast,” I said, grabbing the whiskey bottle. I filled Tom’s glass too quickly and ended up spilling on the counter.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said.
I stopped halfway on my glass to avoid a second spill. I lifted my shot. “To life after high school.”
“The only kind of life,” Tom said.
I managed not to spill as we clinked glasses.
“We should all go out sometime,” Tom said after he finished his shot. “Movie night or something. Double date.”
Double date? I nearly snorted whiskey out my nose. This felt surreal.
“Got any friends interested in meeting a polite young man?”
“My friends are in the dark about all this,” I said. Better than admitting to being a loner. “Except Noel Harper. Have you met her?”
“Yes, I have. She’s sweet on Gavin.” Tom laughed. “Maybe I should enroll in high school.”
“Forget that,” I said. “Stick to your guns.”
Tom poured us each another shot. I left mine on the counter. I felt warm and good-humored at the moment, and I wanted to keep it that way.
“What about you, Aurora? What do you have planned for life after high school?”
“College.” Tom laughed with me.
“College and drinking?” he asked, raising a brow.
I wavered slightly. Definitely feeling the whiskey. I hoped I hadn’t gone too far. “College and dancing. I love dancing. How come there’s no dancing at any of these parties?”
Tom’s eyes lit up. “You’re absolutely right. There should be dancing! Come on.” He grabbed my hand and led me to the living room. I stopped when Tom stopped on the edge of the sunken living room. “Marcus, Aurora and I want to dance.”
Marcus turned away from the young man he’d been conversing with. I thought he’d show annoyance, but his lips lifted into a full grin. He clapped his hands twice. “Dancing! Excellent idea!” Marcus grabbed a remote off a speaker in the corner of the room. A moment later, “Ring My Bell” by Anita Ward began playing.
“Where’s the disco ball?” someone yelled.
“Bedroom,” Marcus answered.
We all laughed. Tom took my hand, and together we stepped down to the living room. The furniture and statues made it challenging, but we managed to groove in place, lifting our arms in unison to ring our “bells.” Tom moved side to side with a goofy smile. It made me laugh.
I felt my limbs begin to loosen up.
A guy next to us snapped along with the beat. Just about everyone had started dancing. The whole room and everyone in it were rocking. I cranked my arm in the air.
Smiling, laughing, dancing—this is what I needed, not drinking.
I shimmied in front of Tom. He laughed and shook his arms in return.
“I think I was born in the wrong era,” I said. I mean, how could anyone not enjoy themselves with disco blaring from the speakers?
The song ended too soon. “YMCA” by the Village People shot out of the speakers. The room erupted in laughter.
“Oh my God,” I said.
Tom shook his head, his smile reaching all the way to his eyes. “Vampires.”
“My party, my music,” Marcus yelled over the singing.
I shrugged and began doing the YMCA. The Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” cranked through the living room of the palace when Fane walked in and took in the scene. Marcus had gone into full John Travolta Saturday Night Fever moves. Fane looked more like John Travolta from Grease in his black jeans, black tee, and black leather jacket—and a sly smile on his lips. Somehow I doubted he’d start shaking his ass and grabbing his crotch.
Fane did remove his jacket in one smooth motion and toss it aside. It landed on the back of a chair. Way smoother than Travolta.
Fane walked up to Tom and me. Before I could say anything, he jutted his chin toward Marcus. “Now there’s a sight I haven’t seen in a long time.”
“Not long enough,” Tom said.
The guys laughed, but the way Fane looked Tom up and down was far from friendly. He glanced at me then back at Tom.
Tom stopped dancing. “Don’t worry, Francesco. I didn’t lay a finger—or tooth—on her.” Tom shot him a cocky grin.
Fane looked at Tom with his own bemused smile. “Lucky for you.” Fane turned to me. “Now that I’m here, what do you say we go somewhere a little less seventies?” He glanced at the spiral staircase leading to the rooms above.
“I’m all yours,” I said in a flirtatious voice. “Tom, thank you for the drink and dance.”
“My pleasure,” he said. “Let me know if you ever want to hang out. Francesco has my number.”
“Sure, why don’t I give you Tom’s number,” Fane said under his breath as we walked away. “Shmuck.”
I glanced over my shoulder. “I thought he was nice.”
“Thomas? Thinks he’s James Cagney.”
I frowned. “Who?”
“James Cagney,” Fane repeated impatiently. “American film legend.” He made a sound of disgust in the back of his throat. “God, I’m getting old.”
I chuckled softly. “No, actually, you aren’t.”
“Thinks he’s James Dean,” Fane tried again.
“Ah, Rebel Without a Cause.”
“Exactly.”
“What movies was the other James guy in?”
Fane’s lips twisted in thought. I loved those lips. “The Public Enemy. Angels with Dirty Faces. Love Me or Leave Me. Yankee Doodle Dandy.”
“Nope,” I said, shaking my head. “Didn’t see any of those in film class.”
“Film class?”
“Yeah, I’m taking it with Noel.”
Fane’s lips curved. “I should tell Joss. It might motivate him to give high school a try.” He stretched his hand out for me to go up the staircase first.
I stopped abruptly, causing Fane to bump into me. I turned around, momentarily breathless when I found myself against his chest. “I need another drink.” All that dancing had started sobering me up. I needed at least three more shots. I needed to be able to blame the alcohol if something happened between Fane and I. Something that involved tongues not teeth.