TrueSide [The Forgotten Vampires, Book Three]

by Holly Hook

  “Holy shit,” I say. “Good idea. Nobody can track that.”

  Riley tucks the wallet away, and leans against the restaurant corner, watching a single car roll past. I do the same, letting my senses expand, and I can see the glow from downtown, just two blocks away from us and hugging the coast. The lights reflect off the water on this clear night and form an aura above the town that's beautiful. I can't believe regular people can't see it.

  And then I hear Lily's footfalls.

  She's bolting back towards us.

  Riley seems to pick that up when I do, because he peels himself from the building. “Lily's seen something.”

  “Or she's just super cold?” I ask, breath spiraling in front of my face.

  Lily bolts around the next building, a fishing supply place, and reaches us before we can run to join her.

  “Lily?” I ask. She still has her laptop bag under her arm. That means she didn't make it back to the hotel. “Did you see something?”

  My friend pants and catches her breath. “Yes. Riley, you won't like this, but I just saw your cousin hanging around the clothing store we were going to hit. Addie. And I'm pretty sure she's stalking the worker inside. If we want to save his life, we had better hurry.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Addie Beaumont is here?

  The total bitch who threatened me for even looking at Riley?

  My sense of power rises so much I can smell the concrete. Snippets of a phone conversation float from downtown, and it's a guy talking about closing up in fifteen minutes. It's a slow night and his boss said he could walk home. And yes, he took inventory.

  “Addie?” Riley spits, losing his grace. “She's evil.”

  “Well, it was a girl with purple-streaked hair,” Lily says, motioning us towards downtown. “We both know she likes to shop for clothes. And kill.”

  I look to Riley, thinking of Addie’s long fingernails and her threatening posture. Her staring at the Derp House. I can't shake the cell phone conversation I just heard. It sounds like a young man, someone Addie might view as prey, and if he's about to close up and walk home, we—

  Riley’s eyes widen, and I know he’s just heard the danger the young man is in, too.

  “Yeah. We save that guy,” I say, waving Riley and Lily back towards downtown. “And Addie might have clues. The Beaumonts. Shit. That means they're here, or staying somewhere close.”

  “And that means Dominic could be here, too. We can stop him before he tells the High Council what I did,” Riley says.

  My head thumps with the power building up inside. If there's any time to control it, it's now. Addie will be the perfect test subject for my full potential, and I have zero qualms about taking out my anger on her. She's given me plenty of ammunition.

  “This way,” Lily hisses, joining me while Riley takes up the rear. “She was just leaving the store when I saw her, but she’s hanging in an alley nearby.”

  Now is also a good time to try out my disguise. I bring back the vivid image of the homeless girl as we walk, and though I look the same to myself, Lily's eyes pop as she watches me. “Is that your new getup?”

  I just nod as we turn another corner.

  We storm downtown, me in the lead, and I spot the row of stores near the Oceanside hotel. I lead the way, keeping the homeless girl image up, projecting it to anyone within range. Only a few cars remain in the parallel parking spots. No one’s on the streets. I scan the stores. The cell phone talk has stopped, and only the tired sounds of employees near the end of their shifts filters through glass. A woman, tapping her fingernails on the counter of a beauty place. Someone sweeping. Money shifting as someone counts a cash register.

  And I hear the man inside a store labeled Threads. Yeah, it's just Threads, like that old nuclear war movie. And that's not ominous at all.

  He's shuffling some clothes. I sense no one inside with him, but I know she's around. My hearing picks up nothing, but Truebloods can be quiet.

  I stop at the end of the stores and look at Riley and Lily. Then I lower my voice. “There's one guy in there. Addie will wait until he leaves to spring her attack.”

  Lily frowns. “The Beaumonts have stopped caring about attacking people, then.”

  “They stopped before they got thrown from Moon's Peak.” Riley glowers at the front of the Threads store.

  We can't see the guy inside, but I know he's in there, wrapping up for the night, with no idea that there's a predator lying in wait. “I don't hear her,” I hiss.

  Riley leans close to me. “She’s lying in wait somewhere. We follow that guy when he leaves.”

  Yes. Addie will wait in the shadows and then follow this man away from the store. Then she'll pounce as soon as he’s away from downtown.

  And then she'll kill.

  “Can we warn that guy?” I ask Lily. This is her territory.

  “No. I doubt he knows what's going on.” She steps closer to the store. Inside, fancy clothes fill up the windows and glow under string lights. Dresses. Skirts. Necklaces. It's a place where Addie would shop for her little short skirts, all right. And possibly for blood.

  I wish my kick to her face would have ended her. How many people has she killed?

  “The Beaumonts are violating what it means to be a Trueblood,” Riley growls, marching to the front of the store. He pretends to admire the suits and size them to himself with his hands. “We're supposed to coexist with society. This isn't it.”

  Lily joins him and so do I, and I project that image of the homeless girl again. I can see past the mannequin couple inside the window, and yes, there is one employee inside. He's straightening out a rack of pants at the back of the store, which is dark, and letting my vision come into focus reveals he's alone back there. There's the back door to a storage room that's shut, and I can't hear anything from back there other than a buzzing electrical box. The guy finishes straightening out the clothes before retreating to a computer behind the checkout counter. He taps something, and the Open sign glowing above our heads clicks off.

  He's a college guy. Young. In good shape. Maybe even athletic, and on his way to a bright future of playing sports and mastering some program. He's sharply dressed in slacks and a polo shirt, and the ideal victim for Addie. Provided her specialty is young men.

  “He's in danger,” Riley breathes, backing away from the window. “We have to follow him because I don't know where Addie is.”

  I search the street. It's way too quiet out here. Lily reaches under her baggy pant leg as if to make sure whatever weapon she's carrying is there. “We should injure her. Make her take us to where Dominic is and finish him.” She looks at me, raising an eyebrow. “Can you do that?”

  I wait for Riley to flinch, but he only frowns, resigned to it. “We're going to have to kill him,” he chokes.

  The employee types on the computer as I reign in my senses. He's punching out and about to take a brisk walk home. If we fail at this, he could die a horrible death.

  “I'm sorry,” I hiss to Riley.

  Riley grimaces and puts his hand on my shoulder. “It's fine. I have you. Dominic is a menace, and he always has been.”

  Lily taps my arm. “Okay, homeless girl and Riley. Get ready.”

  I gulp, though I'm amazed I've maintained my disguise without trying. The college-aged guy is approaching the front door. He exits, glancing at us with a wave. We're not suspect, at least, and if we walk some distance behind him.

  The guy strides down the sidewalk, shoes clicking against the concrete.

  I swallow, letting my hearing and sight expand.

  The quiet downtown comes to life again, with its aura of light blending with the stars, but I can't let the sights distract me. The guy turns a corner, and I break into a run, Riley beside me, keeping my footfalls silent.

  Riley and Lily follow. And then I hear shuffling on the street ahead.

  “Well, hey, hotcakes.”

  It's Addie.

  She's standing there, lying in wait for her pr
ey.

  “Hotcakes?” the guy asks. “Who are you? What are you doing out so late?”

  Something slithers and I realize it's Addie pulling up her skirt. So slut skirt it was after all. This is how she lures in her prey.

  I turn the corner, motioning for Riley to stand back and stand there, still as the homeless, raggedy girl in the kitten sweater. Harmless. And I find the guy stopped on the sidewalk, just a few feet from Addie, who is leaning against the side of a closed tobacco store with her skirt hiked up over her bare, pale thigh. She chews the inside of her cheek as she looks at me, no recognition coming over her features. And from thirty feet away, I can see that the copper ring in her eyes has darkened to an evil red. The guy probably can't see it, but I sure can.

  She's hungry.

  Riley and Lily stay back around the corner, waiting. Addie's eyes widen in shock as I continue to hover there, looking like some dumbfounded, lost girl, and it takes effort to stop the pressure of my mind powers from exploding. Addie is almost as bad as Dominic. She's nowhere near as old, but she's got that serial killer potential.

  “Who are you?” she snarls, letting her skirt fall as she straightens.

  I'm still alone, with Riley and Lily lying in wait. If the Beaumonts know they're here, my cover will blow, and they'll be ready to deal with us.

  I remember my fresh voice, a higher pitched one belonging to a lost girl. I maintain that image, projecting it to Addie and the college guy alike.

  The guy backs away from her as if he can sense the danger. Smart.

  “Are...are you selling yourself?” I ask, feigning innocence.

  Addie works her jaw. The guy backpedals, clearly wanting nothing to do with this and a girl who could be underage for all he knows. “I wasn't planning to do anything,” he insists.

  I ignore the guy. This isn’t his fault. My mind scrambles, thinking of what to say. Maybe I can look like a victim, but Addie will figure that out soon enough. She'll be able to pick up my lack of sweet scent since Nightside blood doesn't smell good to vampires of either type. Taking a breath, I project cheap perfume to Addie. I'm in her head, sniffing, trying to pick up a scent. Yep. Cheap perfume. I've slathered it on.

  She wrinkles her nose.

  “This,” Addie says, “is none of your business. Go crawl under whatever box you came out of.”

  I ball my fists, wanting to kick her in the face again. Hold back. Control this. Don't give yourself away. Addie will know what mind manipulation feels like. Meanwhile, Riley and Lily stay back around the corner, waiting.

  “Look, I don't know what this is, but I didn't mean to walk in on this, and no, I will not buy you,” the guy says. “And for all I know, this is a sting. Goodbye, and goodnight. And by the way, I wish you luck.” With that, Mr. Smart storms off and ahead of Addie, not looking back.

  And he's gone, leaving just the two of us on the narrow side street.

  Addie emerges from the light, and her eyes train on me, studying me, sizing me up. If she can't have a hot guy for dinner, then she's going to settle with a homeless girl. I hold back a shudder. “I told you to leave.” But her tone softens, inviting me to stay.

  I know what I need to say, to get Addie to lower her guard. I'm still a homeless girl, starving, desperate. “I don't mean to offend you by asking,” I say. “But does this pay well? How do you get started?”

  Yuck. I will never forgive myself for this, but it's the correct way to go. With luck, Addie will offer to take me back to her place to talk. And that could be a code word for the other Beaumonts. She's a hunter now, tasked with bringing in fresh blood. I can go with her just long enough to find out where the Beaumonts are hiding, and then freak out, have second thoughts, and run away. With the help of my powers, of course.

  Addie curls up the side of her lip in a faint grin. She's got me.

  “Well, it's not that hard, but you must change that getup, girl,” she says. “We can talk about it somewhere more private. Come on.” She waves me farther down the narrow road and to the beach, just beyond a guardrail.

  I swallow, determined to hold back on hurting Addie. As soon as she turns her back, I ball my fists and follow, scraping my shoes against the concrete like a regular, tired human. Addie doesn't seem to notice that anything's off, that she's taking the enemy right to her secret lair.

  Putting all my focus on her, I act like an obedient dog, passing closed stores and one that's out of business. The darkness inside looks like it'll swallow me whole, and then my senses catch a flash of movement from within the restaurant.

  The trap isn't somewhere else.

  It's right here, and Addie is the signal.

  The door bursts open as Addie stops on the sidewalk and whirls.

  Two Trueblood men burst out in front of me, blocking my view of Addie, and I catch flashes of crimson in their eyes as I leap back, senses exploding. Both bare their fangs and lunge as the store door closes, and I let my full power come to the surface, wrapping around them both. I act on my own, seizing the first man, a dark-haired guy with tattoos.

  I'm looking through his eyes as I blink, and I see his companion, and then I take his arms and swing them at his buddy. The two Truebloods collide, going down as if they've crashed into each other, and Addie backs away on the concrete.

  “What are you doing?” she shouts at them.

  “Get down!” Lily shouts behind me, and I hear the strain of a crossbow pulling back.

  I throw myself to the pavement, determined to keep up the helpless girl image.

  A bolt flies, missing Addie by inches, and she cusses, turns, and bolts down the street in a blur. The bolt thuds against a building as Lily cocks her weapon to fire again.

  This time, the bolt thunks into flesh, and one of the Truebloods hisses just feet away from me. I push myself off the pavement to see the second guy, the one my first victim punched, pulling at a bolt in his shoulder. Dark, scentless blood bubbles around the wound, and I press myself against the abandoned store like a helpless girl. I'm still homeless. Wandering. Lost. And harmless.

  I seize the other guy and make him stand. He rises, eyes widening in confusion and fangs bared at Lily, who now runs down the alley towards us. Riley has stayed back.

  “What the—” the Trueblood man starts.

  A third bolt flies, lodging itself into his heart.

  The Trueblood grasps his chest, eyes widening before going blank.

  I let him go.

  He drops to the ground with a thud as his companion continues to hiss and claw at his wound. I peel myself from the wall now that Addie's gone, and I march to the guy and place my boot on his neck.

  He looks up at me, eyes widening.

  I press down without remorse. These Truebloods were going to drag an innocent victim back to their lair and slowly drain them to death.

  Snap.

  The Trueblood man goes as still as his companion. We've got two bodies on the ground, and Addie is running away to alert the rest of the coven, wherever they are.

  Two bodies in seconds, and I’m not even shaken.

  Lily bolts up to me, lowering her small crossbow. Where the heck did she stash that thing the whole time?

  I take a breath and look at her. “The coven. They're here. Hunting. Killing the people of this town.” I take my foot off the Trueblood’s neck.

  Riley runs around the corner, eyes shining with guilt. “Shit. They're ambushing their prey. If we hadn't been here, that one guy would have died.”

  I take my foot off the body. “We have to throw these into the ocean. And Lily? Thanks. You took the attention off me.” I could have handled these two guys easily, but I would have alerted Addie that a Nightside is in the house. And she might have gotten away.

  I glance down at the body.

  This should terrify me. I’ve killed again.

  But I feel nothing but relief.

  “I stayed back so we wouldn't blow our cover, but Addie saw Lily,” Riley says. “The Beaumonts could move soon if they think the
hunters have found them. Olivia, I should have fought, but—”

  I hold up my hand as he reaches me. “It's better they think the hunters are onto them instead of you. Trust me. You did the right thing by staying back. The Beaumonts are close. That means we're on the verge of finding Dominic and meeting one of our goals. Now, help me move these bodies. The ocean it is.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  It's just like old times, carrying Trueblood bodies and throwing them into the water. Except this time, I help, and without a shred of guilt over killing the one guy.

  I’m still not the same person I was before all this started.

  And I’m wondering if that’s a bad thing.

  This was self defense, and defense of that guy who never asked for trouble. It would have been worse to stand aside and let the Beaumonts kill the retail worker.

  I carry one of the Trueblood men over my shoulder, rushing. No one else is on the side street. The beach and the ocean are less than a hundred feet away, and the beach is empty of everyone, human or Trueblood. Addie’s long gone. Lily walks behind us, crossbow out as Riley and I throw the bodies into the ocean. We can't guarantee that the cops won't find this, but we have no other choice. Wandering too far will give the Beaumonts a chance to launch a revenge attack, and the longer we're out, the more likely that will be to happen.

  As soon as the Trueblood bodies float away, Lily draws close to Riley and I. “Olivia, keep up your disguise. They don't know a Nightside is here, or that Riley is here. And that's good. And we have to get back to the hotel.”

  The three of us scramble back up the rocky sand, following some concrete steps back up to downtown. Sadly, this is a spot where people come to watch the ocean and where seagulls ambush anyone with food. I can tell from the human and bird prints. There's no keeping this kill secret. I'm glad that Addie is a coward, though.

  Lily has left her huge laptop bag at the corner, hidden behind a trash can. Now I know why the bag is so big. She’s hiding weapons in it. After she retrieves it and puts away her crossbow, which zips into a hidden compartment, we get to the hotel. The Oceanside Hotel is quiet and we get back to our room without issues. Riley locks the doors behind us and sighs.