I put the hat on my head. “See, I’m almost unrecognizable.”
“Almost,” he said. He grabbed his lightweight hoodie and said, “Wear this. It’ll help.”
“It’ll be huge on me,” I said.
“Exactly.”
Vaughn helped me into it, zipped it up, and then stared into my eyes for a long minute. I wondered if he was going to kiss me, but instead he asked, “Do I need a disguise, too?”
I studied him. “Sunglasses and a hat will probably be enough.”
We grabbed our hotel key cards and left. In the elevator, Vaughn stood close to me.
We took a set of wooden stairs to the beach. When we reached the sand, I kicked off my flip-flops, and Vaughn took my hand. The water shimmered on the horizon, and the rush of the ocean calmed me. We walked along the shoreline, not speaking, our toes burrowing in the sand as we went.
Vaughn bought us ice-cream cones from the snack stand, and we sat on the sand and ate.
“I already feel better,” I admitted. He smiled at me, his dimples showing briefly.
He said, “Should we head back?”
I started to answer him when the hairs on my arms stood up. “Someone is watching us.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Rose and Thorn.
They approached us, but Thorn was scowling.
“Why are you following us?” I asked.
“It’s our job,” Thorn said.
I put my hands on my hips and glared at them. “Why is it your job?”
“We’re after Travis Grando, too.”
“Why?”
“We’re currently assigned to the vampire observation and extermination team,” Rose said.
I gaped at them. “You’re vampire hunters?”
Rose wrinkled her nose. “That implies we do it for sport. We don’t hunt vampires in general, just the rogue ones. The ones who do not follow PAC rules.”
“Is Travis not following the rules?”
They didn’t answer me at first.
“That has not yet been determined,” Rose said, but Thorn’s hand went to her side, where her dagger was currently hidden, probably so she didn’t scare the tourists.
“You are looking for your friend, yes? We know where she is,” Rose said.
My heart started beating so fast, I couldn’t talk, so I just nodded.
“Would you like for us to bring you to her?” she asked. I wished they’d stop following us around, but I’d let them if they helped me find Skyler.
“Yes please,” I said.
She nodded. “It’s not too far. We can walk.”
I started to follow her, but Vaughn caught me by the arm. “Tansy, what if it’s a trap?”
I gave him a hard look. “What if it’s not?”
Chapter Thirteen
Although the sun had already set, it felt like a hundred degrees outside. The ocean breeze kicked up, which cooled my sweaty face.
We took a shortcut through a park. I spotted universally accessible play areas and an actual zip line. Even though it was past dark, there were kids running around while their parents chased after them. Palm trees lined the path, but something in the air made me uneasy. It smelled rotten.
I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Thorn stopped and sniffed the air like a dog. She looked at her sister, and a silent conversation seemed to go on between them. Then out of nowhere, they both took off running into the shadows.
I turned to Vaughn. “Where did they go?”
“I have no idea.” His gaze narrowed as he strained to see in the dark.
We walked along, moving into a deserted area of the park, near the empty basketball court. Something rustled in the bushes. I jumped and then laughed when a rabbit ran across the grass.
“What is that?” Vaughn asked. He pointed above our heads, toward a row of palm trees. Red eyes glinted in the darkness.
“Probably a rat,” I said. “Granny calls palm trees ‘rat condos.’”
“That’s the biggest rat I’ve ever seen,” Vaughn replied. “Rose and Thorn looked like they smelled something bad.”
I took a closer look. “I don’t think it’s a rat; I think it’s a vamp—”
Something grabbed me. I heard Vaughn shout my name before everything went dark.
…
I woke to the sound of water dripping. My first fuzzy thought was that Skyler had spent the night and had forgotten to give the bathroom faucet that extra wiggle, like she did every time she stayed over.
Then I realized that I wasn’t in my bed. I was hanging upside down, and all the blood had rushed to my head. Some rough material bound my wrists and ankles, and I couldn’t seem to open my eyes, no matter how many times I told them to obey me.
My mouth tasted like graveyard dirt, and my head pounded. The tang of blood filled the room. The dripping sound was louder, closer now.
Sleep. The word whispered through my mind, but I fought the command and shook off my grogginess. I needed to open my eyes, but I wanted to listen to the voice in my head.
Instead, I pried my eyes open. My vision was hazy. Two guys—no, only one guy.
He was on the phone—talking, not texting. “I got her. Yeah, easy as pie,” he said.
The bragging voice sounded familiar. Not a guy—a vampire. I was getting better at sensing them.
My vision cleared, and I could finally focus on my surroundings. I was in a warehouse somewhere. Either that or someone had a big online shopping problem, because there were boxes and cases everywhere.
Musical instruments, I realized.
My hands and ankles were bound, and I was sitting on a chair in the middle of the room.
“But I want a bite,” the guy whined. “I’m hungry, and she smells like strawberry pie and whipped cream.” He sounded like a five-year-old child instead of one of the undead. I almost laughed but then realized he probably wanted a bite of me.
He sat in front of a set of drums, holding his phone in one hand and twirling a drumstick with the other.
I looked around and then wished I hadn’t, because it wasn’t water dripping from a faucet that I’d heard—it was blood draining from the veins of a terrified girl. There was a basin positioned to catch it.
Her eyes blinked rapidly, like she was trying to tell me something. I turned my head and nearly puked at the pain inside my skull.
I didn’t recognize the guy at first. Until I focused one blurry eye on him and realized I’d met him before. He had gym-rat arms and pasty skin, and he smelled terrible. The Drainers’ drummer. The guy with the poser vampire name, Fang. He clicked his phone off and leered at me.
“Where’s Skyler?” I asked. “What have you done with her?”
He snorted. “I’d worry more about what I’m going to do to you.”
“What makes you think you’ll get the chance?” I said. I tried to keep any trace of nerves from my voice, but I was worried. What had happened to Vaughn? Had Rose and Thorn lured me outside so Fang could kidnap me?
“They told me you’re a witch,” Fang said.
“I am a witch,” I said. He hadn’t bothered with a gag on either me or the girl slowly bleeding out next to me. Her eyes were now closed—she was probably passing out from loss of blood.
Exactly how many of these assholes were running around killing girls? Entirely too many.
“Your powers are a joke,” he sneered.
“You’re a joke.” My fingers started to throb, and I curled them into fists, which made the rope chafe my skin.
My nails bit into the fleshy part of my hand, but I ignored the pain. A couple of drops of blood ran down my wrist, catching the vampire’s attention.
“Look, Fred,” I said. “Untie me. Please. You don’t want to do this. You’ll get into trouble.”
One of the tasty little tid
bits in the report about the Mariotti witches was that they had found a way to resist vampires, but vampires couldn’t resist them. Centuries before, my ancestors had been able to control vampires.
Maybe it would have worked if his entire body wasn’t focused on the blood welling from my hand.
“Fred,” I said sharply but already knew I’d blown it. Reasoning wasn’t going to work with him.
“My name’s not Fred,” he said. “You know it’s Fang. I’m the drummer of The Drainers, the best band in California.”
I snorted at that.
“You don’t think we’re the best band?” Aw, Fangy’s feelings were hurt. “But you have to.” His voice deepened as he stared into my eyes. “I command you.”
“It doesn’t work with me,” I said. At least I hoped it didn’t.
“It works with every girl,” he said. He waved his drumstick at me and then let it drop to the floor, where it rolled until it was only inches from me.
“Not me. Which one of you can compel through music?” I asked. “It’s how you make your audience think your music is amazing. I bet it’s Travis, isn’t it?” I’d been guessing, but I knew I was right when I saw his face. “After all, he is the prince. It makes sense that he’d be the powerful one.”
“It’s not just him. It’s all of us together. I can do stuff, too,” Fang said.
“The drummer never gets the girl, so you have to kidnap one?” I made my voice sound as insulting as I could.
“I don’t have to,” he replied. “I wanted to. The blood tastes better with a little terror in it.” There was a whole tsunami of terror in my veins. I hoped he choked on it.
But still, it made it hard for me to formulate a plan.
Maybe I could stall long enough for me to get my hands free.
“Really?” I replied. “You sure you’re not Fred? You look like a Fred.” Fred was the least cool name I could think of.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He took a step toward me.
I smirked at him. “You know. Fred.”
“I don’t,” he said, still watching my bloody hand. “But I’ve heard from a friend that your blood is delicious.”
Travis had a frickin’ big mouth. “Too bad you’ll never get the chance to find out,” I replied.
I wasn’t sure what I was doing. Granny had taught me spells of peace, of protection, of harmony. But I wasn’t feeling harmonious.
And I could tell from the look in Fang’s eyes that kind of magic wouldn’t work anyway.
Nothing I’d been taught had prepared me for this, but I had to work with the tools I had.
“Come closer,” I commanded.
While his feet propelled him forward, my teeth grew long and sharp, so I used one to slash at the rope binding my hands together, and then at least my arms were free.
Something strange was happening to me. My body felt cold to its marrow. My lungs breathed in ice. When I looked at him, I could feel his victim’s terror, her pain, as he’d taken her blood and nearly her life. White-hot fury pulsed through me. I snatched his discarded drumstick and, with every bit of my strength, stabbed Fang in the heart.
Then there was the sound of crunching bones, and the man who’d been standing next to me was a pile of goo and bone on the floor.
I tried not to look at the dark splotches on the wall, but I couldn’t help it. It was like a giant had popped Fang like a pimple.
The only thing left of the guy was staining the hardwood floor. I had killed him.
I picked up the drumstick and wiped the blood off it before sticking it in the back pocket of my jean shorts.
What was Granny going to say? But reasoning with Fang hadn’t worked, saying no hadn’t worked, and the girl beside me was slowly bleeding to death. I’d had to kill him. I knew it was true, but that didn’t stop me from bending over and heaving out the contents of my stomach.
I was starting to understand why Granny had never trained me in magic.
“How’d you do that?” the other girl breathed, fully conscious now.
“I have no idea,” I said. “Do you know if there are more of them?”
“More of who?”
“More vampires,” I replied.
“Aren’t you a vampire?” she asked, motioning toward my mouth.
I put my tongue to my teeth. The fangs were still out.
“I’m not a vampire,” I said, but she didn’t look convinced.
I cut the rope around my ankles and then went to help the other girl. She was losing a lot of blood. I made quick work of the ropes holding her suspended and gently eased her into the chair I’d been sitting in. As the blood rushed into the rest of her body, she seemed to come out of her fog.
I was still wearing Vaughn’s hoodie, which meant there was plenty of extra fabric. I tore a strip from the bottom and used it to stop the bleeding at her wrists. She was shaking and pale, but the bleeding was starting to slow already.
She flinched when I touched her. “I won’t hurt you. I’m not a vampire,” I insisted. “I’m a striga vie.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
“A vampire-witch hybrid.”
“So you are a vampire.”
“I’m a witch,” I said. “Who has a few vampire abilities.”
“Sounds like a vampire to me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. We need to get you to an emergency room,” I said. “And then call the police.”
“No hospital.” Her wide gaze held mine. “No police, either.”
“But you’re hurt.”
“I’m okay,” she said. “It looked worse than it is. I’ve always bled a lot. And what are the police going to do? That guy won’t be abducting anybody else.” I started to say something, but she interrupted me. “Please.”
I wanted to argue, but she looked like she’d bolt if I insisted. The only thing worse than not getting her to a hospital would be to let her wander around alone again.
“Won’t your parents be worried about you?” I asked. “They’ve probably already filed a missing person report.”
She snorted. “They probably didn’t even notice I was gone.”
It felt weird that we didn’t know each other’s names. “I’m Tansy.”
“Misty,” she replied.
There was an unfamiliar ringtone, and I eventually identified it as coming from Fang’s phone: “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred. I rolled my eyes. Fang was Right Dead Fred now. I held a finger up to the girl to ask for her silence and then answered.
“Yes?”
“Tiffany?” Travis sounded perplexed. “Why are you answering Fang’s phone?”
“Fang can’t come to the phone right now.” Or ever.
Then I realized what he’d called me.
“Tiffany?” What’s with this guy? “That’s not my name.”
I waited, and after a long pause, he said, “Strawberry milkshake. Shay’s friend. Whatever.”
“My name’s Tansy. And you mean Skyler. My best friend,” I replied through gritted teeth.
“You mean the girl who is so head over heels for me that she used Daddy’s credit card to buy me a new Les Paul guitar? I like her. She tastes good, too. Not as good as you, though.”
If I found him, I was going to smash that guitar right over his head.
“You need to let her go,” I said, using my best compelling voice.
He snickered. “It doesn’t work over the phone, genius.”
“Travis, just let her go,” I said. “Please.”
“No, I think I’ll keep her. Just because you want her back.”
I’d made a mistake with him. My hands were gripping the phone so tight that it was in danger of being crushed. I eased up.
“Remember this conversation when I come after you,” I said.
He he
aved a beleaguered sigh. “Just put Fang on the phone.”
“He can’t come to the phone right now. Or ever. You’re going to have to find a new drummer,” I said. Then I hung up on him.
I searched for my phone. I didn’t have any numbers memorized, and I needed to let Vaughn know what had happened.
But the phone wasn’t in my pocket. I found it on the floor near the door. There were several missed calls from Vaughn.
“It wouldn’t stop ringing when he brought you in,” the girl said.
As I bent down to grab it, it started ringing again. It was Vaughn.
“I’m all right,” I said instead of hello, knowing he was probably freaking out. “You?”
“I’m good,” he said, but he didn’t sound good. He sounded the opposite of good. “One minute, we were talking about rats in palm trees, and the next, you were gone.”
“That particular rat won’t be a problem any longer,” I said. “And by rat, I mean vampire.” My words were blasé, but my voice was shaking.
“Tansy, are you okay?” Vaughn asked. “I can come get you.”
“No, don’t,” I said. I needed time to pull myself together. “I’ll text you where to meet me. It’ll take a few minutes because first I have to figure out where we are.”
“We?” Vaughn asked.
“Another girl. I’ll explain later,” I said. “We’ll be there soon.”
It was after midnight. I turned on my maps app, crossing my fingers that the vampire hadn’t flown us somewhere a thousand miles away or something, and was relieved to see that we were only about five miles from the hotel.
As much as I hated to, since half the town seemed to be vampires, I ordered a ride from one of those ride-share apps. If the driver tried anything weird with us, he’d regret it—especially after the day I’d had.
While we waited, Misty told me how she’d been walking home around sunset, and then the next thing she knew, she’d been tied up in some creepy warehouse.
“I know this might be hard to talk about,” I said. “But why did Fang tie you up instead of compelling you?”
“He did compel me at first,” she said. “Or I think that’s what happened. He came up and asked me a question—I don’t remember what—and then his eyes went all weird and squinty.”
The Afterlife of the Party Page 11