by K. E. Radke
El Cucuy seizes her arms and holds them behind her back.
The vampire’s eyes gaze beyond me. Crazed giggles spill out of her that sound like bells chiming. “Someone brought me dessert.”
A stalling tactic.
Soft light pierces the darkness, and a high-pitched shriek almost burst my eardrums.
The make-shift wooden stake in my hand pierces her chest at the same time her arm whips out, hitting me so hard, I’m flying through the air until a solid wall embraces me.
Chapter 10
Gabriel
J enissa giggles at my attempt to use her smartphone, and I throw it at her. “The dead don’t need phones.”
She catches it before it hits the wall and breaks. “Says the guy who needs one. They’re surprisingly useful. Lots of dating apps.”
“All our dates die at the end of them.”
“But sometimes you need fast food.”
“Fast food?” I ask incredulously.
“The horny ones are always willing to meet within the hour. Ember is like our personal meal delivery service,” she explains in a bored voice. “Sometimes I don’t feel like trying to lure someone and just want to quench my thirst.”
“What is Ember?” My curiosity is piqued.
“It’s a dating service. You put your picture on it and people swipe if they like you. Take your pick. Vegans. Meat lovers. Vegetarians. Kosher. The junkies.”
“Junkies?” My lip curls back in disgust.
“The gamers that sit at home all day playing video games and eating junk food until someone swipes their picture to meet.”
I’m intrigued but still prefer the old-fashion methods. “Whatever happened to the art of capturing a person’s attention by chance.”
“Is it ever really by chance if you’re a vampire?” she quips.
All the shades are drawn in the house so we can easily move around. Jenissa told me not to text Amelia for a few hours. She said desperation isn’t a favorable trait among humans. Which I find odd, because that’s my favorite one. It means the allure is working.
Hours go by and I don’t even notice as I try to destroy green pigs with birds. The most complicated thing about the smartphone is picking the right apps. It’s ridiculous how much time I spent flinging birds at wooden contraptions on a screen.
Life literally passes you by.
What a dreadful way to live.
They should be grateful I end their lives while staring at the device. They don’t have much to live for anyway.
Notifications keep popping up, and I delete every app that interrupts me. Jenissa throws a fit and ruins my game by taking the phone away. It takes ten minutes for her to become consumed by the screen like the humans, and I swipe it right out of her palm.
Holding up her precious gadget, I put the couch between us and preen, “If you were human, I’d already have my fangs—.” A growl of fury rips out of her and she flies gracefully over the couch and tackles me.
She releases her demon side and throws me across the room. A large crack snakes up the wall as I slide down it and hit the floor. Rolling to my feet, I crouch defensively for her next attack.
Pale like the moon, she glows in the dark space. Fangs protrude over her bottom lip and her tongue slides over the sharp tip. Every angle on her face is sharpened. Her eyes so black, they wrap you in despair until you drown in them.
“Look what you did.” She tsks and gestures to the giant crack in the wall with a mischievous frown. “Now I have to punish you.”
Jenissa is gifted with placing faults on everyone but herself. If she’s late, she’d insist everyone else was too early. Guilt and blame are her specialties. A black hole she’ll spit you in and watch you crumble beneath its weight. Her mind spins situations to her benefit like a spider spins its web.
“Is that an invitation?” I cock my head undaunted by her threat and secretly slide the phone into my pocket.
We circle the couch in the living room, one swift step after another. Our eyes never leave one another. She’s in the air and over the couch in seconds. I duck and roll out of her grasp. The moment she lands elegantly on her feet, my foot swipes hers off balance.
On top of her, I hold her hands hostage above her head. “It’s a pin.”
Neither of us is out of breath and I’m ready for her to lash out. Instead, she rolls her eyes and calls back her demon side. She lays beneath me demure and docile and waits to be released.
Seconds after I shift my weight off her hands, she throws her legs in the air and around my neck. While my hands are busy trying to undo the lethal grip around my neck, an elbow jabs my stomach. It sounds like a giant tree cracking from too much weight.
I’m flipped over on my stomach and she has both hands behind my back. In my ear, she whispers, “Now, it’s a pin.”
“Are you done playing now?” I concede. This little game of ours is tiresome after decades together.
“Never. But I’ll call a truce for now.” She lets me up and starts searching the floor for the phone I’ve hidden in my pocket.
“You honestly think it survived after our match?” I revel in everything she tears apart to find it.
“Are you going to help me look? Don’t forget, it’s the only way you can communicate with your precious human,” she says frustrated, and kicks the couch. It slides across the wooden floor and hits the wall, making the whole house shake.
A sudden burst of energy flows through me, and I instantly know the sun is setting. “A visit to the Boulevard will easily fix that problem. She’s probably hoping to see me today.”
Jenissa disappears without saying goodbye and I meander to the garage to use the Porsche, should I need to take Amelia somewhere. I put the car in reverse and Jenissa appears next to me in the front seat. A femme fatale on the loose.
“No. Last time you tried to kill her.” I stomp on the brakes.
“I’m hungry. And I need a new phone. Drive. Now.” She emphasizes the last two words and waits for me to argue with her.
“You’re exhausting. That’s why no one likes you,” I reply and make sure all the tinted windows are up.
Smart remarks don’t pelt me on our way to the Boulevard. She’s quiet because she knows I’ve hit my limit for her shenanigans today, and the next fight we have will be the death of one of us.
I parallel park and stealthily bang on the parking meter until it stops working. Jenissa strolls next to me, and we’re about to split up when her voice lilts like an innocent bell. “Oh, dear. Looks like she got started without you.”
Her finger is over her lips in thought as she stares across the street. I follow her gaze and feel my fangs prick through my gums. My temper flares and I almost dash across the street, tearing through traffic when Jenissa blocks my path.
Lovingly, she combs her fingers through my hair and says, “As much as I’d love to see you annihilate an entire block. You’ll ruin your whole plan. And that would be a shame.”
Usually, she instigates in situations like this. But she’s attempting to be nice, or as close as she can get to it. She’ll never verbally apologize for irksome behavior, so this is the alternative. To pretend she cares long enough so I’ll forgive her.
The urge to slam my fist through Sipsys’s window and choke him to death diminishes and keeps me rooted to my spot.
She’s with him. He’s where I should be.
“And here I thought it was all about killing the hunter,” Jenissa’s voice is full of fake sympathy as she analyzes my reaction. “She isn’t the one that got away. Without the allure, she’s not yours at all.” Gazing across the street, Jenissa looks at Amelia with new admiration. “Leave it to you to obsess over what you can’t have. She is quite lovely.” Her eyes fall on something else and she absently says, “What you need is a distraction.”
A tall, blond man with muscles is vying for her attention, and she saunters away from me so he can chase her. The group he’s with all nudge each other when she glances back to check him
out several times. I know what she’s up to. And it’s not a good idea on the Boulevard.
But I can’t walk away from Amelia. And I’m calling her before I can stop myself. Answer. I can feel the allure reaching for her. It never occurred to me to test its range.
A triumphant smile flashes across my face when her fingers reach for her phone. She’s mine. The phone keeps ringing and I’m waiting for it to connect, but it goes straight to her voicemail.
I’m convinced the call dropped and almost hit the button to call her again when she laughs. The phone is still against her face and they’re laughing. She doesn’t realize the call dropped. She’ll call me back.
But she doesn’t. And I can’t deny she ignored me for him after she places the device in her purse like it’s become a sudden disruption and she doesn’t want it nearby. Barely surviving my hand, I place the phone in my pocket before I break it.
At least Jenissa isn’t here to witness my embarrassment. I scan the area searching for her and notice the crowd encroaching on my space. Several people make it a point to catch my eye in the vicinity. All of them eager for more attention.
The most annoying thing in the world is being surrounded by humans who refuse to leave. Too much attention can be hazardous, especially if they start to fight over you. But what else will they do tonight for fun?
So I flirt with a few women from the different groups huddling around me and let them glare at each other before I excuse myself, pretending to have a phone call. They don’t notice me missing when the claws come out to defend their new man.
Not even this lightens my surly mood. I decide to trail after Jenissa’s scent before she stirs up more trouble than she can handle. She hates the Boulevard because of all the tourists and doesn’t know what lurks in the shadows.
Moseying along, the next time I inhale to check which direction she went in, my fangs itch to be released. Blood. A scent I can pick up anywhere—especially if it’s fresh.
There’s a frenzy of thoughts in my head. Where is it? Find it. The demon inside of me flares to life and prickles beneath my skin. I force myself to take my time and stroll at a leisurely pace in the public eye. Don’t call attention to yourself.
The aroma of blood becomes stronger, and I’m jogging, almost knocking people down, trying to get to it. I’m right outside the alley entrance and come to an abrupt stop. Peering down the dark space, I know nothing is visible to a human’s eyes, but I can see the top half of a body slide across the pavement behind a dumpster.
People are staring at me. You’re in the middle of the walkway. I move to the side and lean against a building. When there’s a break in the crowd, I glide around the corner and fall into the shadows provided by the alley. My fangs prick my lower lip and I don’t go any further than a few feet from the entrance.
Barely audible, I hiss, “Jenissa, if I can smell blood down the street, the Boogeyman can too.” She replies with sloppy slurping noises. I know she can hear me. Although her smacking is quite loud.
My hands turn to fists to keep the demon locked up. I can barely focus, and my attention wavers between wanting to drink my fill and keeping watch for something in the dark that doesn’t belong. It takes all my resolve not to join her.
The demon tries to leak through the cracks of my determination to stay in human form.
I lick my lips and run my tongue over my fangs. The coopery scent is so tantalizingly strong, my foot steps forward.
Swift movement on my left tenses every muscle in my body. Positive the blood has drawn the shadow man right to her, I almost lash out, ready for a fight. I’ve been so distracted, he’s in front of me before I have a chance to react.
It’s a man.
And I’m tempted to slash his throat open.
“Take a hike. You go down there, you’re not coming back out,” Gage warns without giving me a second glance. Another guardian of the Boulevard.
I recognize his voice instantly and realize I’m not on his radar.
All we can smell is the blood in the air.
A low growl is stifled in the pit of my stomach. Wringing his neck will be a pleasure I have to deprive myself of. If Gage is here, the Boogeyman isn’t far behind, and if I kill him now, I’m sure to die right after. Their target is Jenissa, and if she gets out of this alive, she’ll have no choice but to leave America.
And with her gone, I can focus on Amelia.
I force myself to pull away because he’s close enough to distinguish my scent from the blood. Fresh blood is every vampire’s weakness.
Backing away from Gage to get as much distance between us as possible, I can’t seem to leave Jenissa.
Maybe I can pull her out of the alley from one of these shops. The back door should connect to it. If she escapes now, the Boogeyman might not hone in on her scent.
Scents are like fingerprints. Once he has it, he can hunt her down at his earliest convenience. He can make it a lifetime commitment, but if he’s after her, she won’t be alive for too long.
The shadow man is lethal.
It’s a true badge of honor to kill one.
And it’s guaranteed another will be after you shortly because if their master can afford to have one, no doubt he’ll find another.
I beeline for the back of the souvenir shop that shares a wall with the alley. An old Chinese woman follows me, screaming in my ear about calling the police in broken English.
When we’re alone, the demon makes his debut, and I give her a charming smile. It’s the right language, and she runs back the way she came.
Screams from the front of the store make it hard to hear the scuffle in the alley. But I know I’m at the right door because the smell of fresh blood is strong. Every time I swallow, there’s a raw scratchiness inside my throat, craving the thick, red liquid. I stop my hand from wrenching the door open and place my ear against it.
Slight differences in their breathing and grunts of anger let me know they’re both still alive. The Boogeyman is sitting this one out, or he’s preoccupied.
Silence ensues, and I can’t help but wonder which one died.
Gage has never lost a fight he’s started—or he wouldn’t be alive right now—but neither has Jenissa.
The tension in my hand warps the doorknob. It’s so quiet, I convince myself Jenissa had to have won, and left the bodies to rot.
Something bangs against the dumpster loudly.
There’s only one way to find out.
I crack the door open and peek outside. Blood fills my nostrils, but it’s not fresh anymore. One body Jenissa dragged back here is lying a few feet from me. A lone heartbeat is still strongly ticking. She must have knocked him out.
Someone runs past the door, and I open it a little further to find Gage jumping on top of the dumpster. He runs across the closed lids and jumps as high as he can, missing Jenissa’s foot. Above him, she pulls herself onto the rooftop and blows him a sexy kiss.
He falls to the ground and curses.
It’s the perfect opportunity to get rid of him.
I cross the threshold. Gage doesn’t realize the real danger is behind him.
Both feet are back in the shop when the Boogeyman appears. He fizzles into existence in the shadows long enough to give Gage a boost to the rooftop before he disappears again.
I’m alone with one heartbeat striving for my attention. Behind the dumpster, I kill the blond without leaving a mark on him. Only the coroner will know the truth. Gage will think Jenissa sucked them dry.
Vampires don’t leave stragglers behind to tell tales. And hunters still think one bite will turn you if you’re not drained.
Our existence is a little more complicated than that. A secret they’re not privy to.
Dusting off my hands, I come out of the alley after a group of people pretending to be part of it. On my way back to the Porsche, it’s quiet, and everything is as it should be.
Frantic screams pierce the night and everyone in front of me halts. I move around the crowd and follo
w the hysterical cries, sticking to the shadows to use my vampire speed when no one’s watching. Tracking Jenissa won’t take Gage or the Boogeyman long.
The throng of onlookers is easy to spot. They’re all pointing up. Along the rooftop’s edge, two people are running—not that they can see the first one. Jenissa is a blur of white against the inky sky. Everyone can see Gage, although he’s moving with precision, and faster than humans are capable of.
Jenissa leaps off the building in an elegant arc and lands in the middle of the street. Her feet touch the ground with perfect accuracy. I barely see her stop before she’s running off again.
“What was that?”
“Did you see that?”
“Is it an alien?”
“That wasn’t human.”
“Please tell me someone got that on video.”
Phones are out, and everyone’s comparing what they caught on camera.
My gaze flees back to Gage. He stops on the edge of the rooftop. Is it because he’s incapable? Or he doesn’t want to take the risk with the growing crowd? He disappears from sight.
Rowan sprints across the road, and I mistake him for Gage. Narrowing my eyes, I can’t figure out what’s different about him. My smirk takes a downward turn. Wisps of darkness are bound around him, stuck to him like a second skin. He’s almost invisible when he avoids the street lamps. The shadows sway like a protective shield every time he passes a place the lights don’t touch. That changes the odds in his favor. The Boogeyman must be keeping pace with him.
True panic sets in when I realize there’s nothing I can do to help Jenissa—an unfamiliar emotion.
I sense Amelia without even seeing her. My eyes skim the crowd and there she is, jogging on the other side of the street. She follows the same path Rowan took to pursue Jenissa. Where is she going?
Is she working for the hunters?
Suspicion jolts me forward and I follow her at a distance. She slows down and spins in a deliberate circle. She’s lost. I make myself visible when she spins again to decide what direction to go in. But her gaze floats right over me.
She continues to go straight ahead and after a few blocks turns right. We’re further away from the Boulevard, tourists only come out this far to park.