Another show was finally over. I’d learned the hard way that the band—except for Vaughn, of course—always fed before and after a performance. Beforehand in order to look humanish, and afterward because they were “thirsty.”
I was in no mood for an after-party, but Travis had insisted Vaughn attend for “band bonding.” I was hopeful that I’d see Skyler, so I’d agreed, which also had the added benefit that Travis didn’t pout like a bloodthirsty toddler. I was tired of waiting. Tonight was the night I was going to cut that asshole’s hair and get my best friend out of here.
Travis and the guys seemed to have finally forgotten about Fang. I hadn’t wanted to kill him, but part of me thought that justice had been served. It wasn’t like there was a jail for predator vampires.
At least I didn’t think there was. It was hard enough to make sure the regular kinds of predators were locked up, which was made obvious by the number of creepers still walking the streets.
When we got to the party, everything felt wrong. There must have been at least a hundred or so people there, but no one was talking. Travis and his band weren’t even playing, just standing around on a makeshift platform. He was wearing a flowy white shirt, which was stained with either taco sauce or dried blood.
I scanned the crowd and finally spotted Skyler, her long dark hair in braids, which she always told me she hated because she said it made her face look too round. She was wearing a white sundress that fell to her ankles. Her only accessory was Travis, hanging on her arm, which was another thing unlike Sky. She never went anywhere without her diamond studs and her necklace that matched mine.
She didn’t see me, but I couldn’t keep my eyes from her. She had violet bruises under her eyes and was so pale, she looked see-through. She was like a Skyler-shaped husk, hollowed out and empty.
“What now?” Vaughn asked.
“We wait until Travis is distracted,” I said.
“You have a plan?”
“I want to rip his heart out,” I confessed. “But I’m not sure he has one. I need to be able to get close enough to him that I can steal a lock of his hair without him noticing. Do you think I could bribe a Bleeder to get it for me?”
Vaughn shook his head. “If you ask a Bleeder, they’ll go right to Travis.”
He was right.
Travis bent to whisper something in her ear, then nuzzled her neck. Her legs buckled under her, but he held her in one hand. Was he feeding on my best friend? Right in front of everybody?
I made my way through the crowd toward them.
“Tansy, there’s no way we can get her out safely if you confront Travis right now,” Vaughn said. “Look around you.”
As I did, someone knocked into me hard. “Who’re you?” she asked, looking me up and down. I recognized the intimidation tactic from middle school and put my hand on my hip.
“Who are you?” I asked right back.
Her eyes flared yellow, and I realized I’d finally met a Sundowner. She looked and smelled differently than the Bleeders, the humans who were in thrall to a vampire but who hadn’t gone all the way over to the dark side. Sundowners had a just-starting-to-rot smell, like a refrigerator in need of a good cleaning instead of the totally rank smell the guys wafted my way.
She smiled at me, her fangs undersize and dull. “I’m Temple.”
“Well, Temple the Sundowner,” I said, and she flinched in surprise. “I’m Tiffany.” I smiled back, and Vaughn nudged me.
“Tif, we need to get backstage now,” he said, practically dragging me away.
“What’s the matter?” I asked him as soon as we were out of earshot.
“Your fangs were showing,” he said.
I slapped a hand over my mouth. “Oops,” I said. “That Sundowner just made me so mad.”
“Do you think there are more here?”
From what I could spot in the crowd, there were only a handful of them, but they were hollow-eyed and looked at Bleeders like they were a herd of cows and they were picking out which steak they were going to eat. Not all the way vampire, though. They didn’t move as quickly as the guys in the band, and their fangs, which they flashed proudly, were undersize and duller than the vampires’ razor-sharp teeth.
“I can try a quick healing spell on Skyler again,” I said. “She doesn’t look very good.”
“Wait until she goes to the bathroom or something,” he said. “Uh, there are lots of Bleeders here tonight, too. We’ll wait until he’s distracted.”
Skyler and Travis headed for a roped-off area, clearly meant for VIPs only. When I got a few feet away, a couple of burly bodyguards growled at me, but then one of them seemed to recognize Vaughn.
I snapped “move” at them, and they did, shooting a look at Travis, who gave a short nod. I ignored him and concentrated on Skyler. She looked awful. Up close, I could see that her white maxi sundress was stained in places with dried blood. Her brown eyes were vacant. I wasn’t sure she even knew where she was.
How long had Travis been stealing pieces of my best friend? Too long.
We sat at a booth. It was just Travis, Skyler, Vaughn, and me. Skyler was so out of it that she kept sliding down to the floor. Travis would remember to catch her before she fell—most of the time.
“Where are the rest of the guys?” Vaughn finally asked.
Travis smirked. “They’ll be along. They’re busy…making friends.”
“I just threw up a little bit in my mouth,” I whispered to Vaughn.
He slung a casual arm around me and pulled me closer.
Skyler’s fuzzy gaze sharpened for a moment. “Tan?”
For the first time, I was grateful for Travis’s inability to remember anyone’s names.
“Uh, yeah. I’m Tiffany. Skyler, want to go to the little girls’ room with me?” I asked, wincing inwardly. I’d never in my life called the bathroom that, not even when I was a little girl. “Please?” I added.
I didn’t want to risk a direct order. Even a clueless wonder like Travis might notice someone doing a little witchcraft right in front of him. Or was it my vampire side? I forget.
I tugged on her hand, but she resisted. Travis whispered in her ear again, and she got up and followed me, like a good little girlfriend/groupie/blood bank.
Once we were inside the one-stall bathroom, which needed a serious cleaning, I asked her, “Do you even know who I am?”
“You’re Johnny Divine’s girlfriend,” she said.
“Did he suck out your memory along with your red blood cells?” I asked. Harsh, but I was frustrated. We were surrounded by vampires and vampire wannabes, and Skyler showed no indication she would ever leave Travis.
“Jesus, Tansy, don’t be such a bitch,” she snapped.
My mouth opened. “You knew who I was?”
She nodded. “You and Vaughn. But Travis isn’t happy with you—the real you, I mean.”
“You were protecting us,” I said, softening toward her. “Okay, I’m going to do one quick spell. It’ll help you heal.”
“You think you’re smarter than he is,” she said. “But you’re not. After you healed me last time, he knew.”
“How did he know?”
She shrugged. “My blood, I guess. It tasted different.”
“You can’t keep on like this,” I said. “I’ll do it anyway. Just avoid him for a few days.” Or until I figured out how to get him alone. The idea sickened me, but I knew it was what I’d have to do. One bite from Travis had changed my whole life. What might happen if he got close enough to figure out who I really was?
“Forget it,” she said. “Just go home.”
“Not without trying to help you,” I said. “Please, Skyler. You’re my best friend. You know me better than anyone—you know I’d never leave without you.”
Her gaze turned scornful. “I do,” she said. “And that
’s why I know you won’t do anything to stop me. You’re still that scared little girl who got dumped off at your grandma’s house. And that’s all you’ll ever be.”
Hateful words poured from her mouth, but her eyes flickered, desperate and afraid.
“Let me help you,” I said.
“You want to help me?” she asked. “Leave me alone. Quit acting like you know what I want.”
I’d been raised by a tribe of strong women. Women who raised one another up instead of tearing one another down. That was the only reason the hateful, angry words trembling on my tongue didn’t spew out of my mouth.
I wanted to blast her with all of them, but instead, I turned and left her there, surrounded by vampires.
I went back to Vaughn, who was sitting at the booth.
Skyler stumbled in behind me.
“We’re leaving,” I said sharply.
He stood. “What’s wrong?”
At the last minute, I remembered our cover and decided on Jealous Girlfriend 101 to get us out of there. I may have channeled his ex a bit. “I saw how you were looking at her.”
“Who?” Vaughn looked truly lost.
“Her,” I replied, tossing my head at Skyler.
Skyler slid into the booth next to Travis and licked his ear, watching for my reaction the whole time.
I wheeled around so I didn’t have to look at her. “Let’s go,” I told Vaughn and didn’t even wait for his reply.
The sound of Travis’s laughter accompanied our retreat.
As soon as I was out of their view, I was crying so hard that I couldn’t see in front of me. But then there were hands on my hips, guiding me through the crowd.
“Vaughn?” I sobbed out his name.
“Shh,” he said. “Don’t cry, please, Tansy.”
“I-I’m n-not,” I said, clearly blubbering.
Once we were outside, he hugged me for a long minute. Vaughn gave the best hugs, and no matter how scared and frustrated I was, it calmed me.
I told him what Skyler had said to me.
My tears were finally drying when he said, “You know she didn’t mean it. That wasn’t Sky.”
“Then what was it?”
“She’s lashing out,” he said. “She’s hurting, so she wants you to hurt, too.”
“You’re right. That wasn’t Skyler. She’d never talk like that to me.”
“Or to anyone,” he added.
I nodded. Everyone liked Sky. She was one of the most popular people in school, and not mean-girl popularity. She was kind, thoughtful, and funny. I needed to remember that.
His gray eyes had turned storm dark. “Let’s get out of here.”
Angry Vaughn was hot. I’d never seen him like this before; he was the most even-tempered person I knew.
I’d known it would be difficult to convince Skyler to leave the band, but I’d never guessed it would be this hard. I’d underestimated the hold Travis had on her.
But I wouldn’t make that mistake again.
When we were back at the hotel, Vaughn handed me one of his T-shirts and, because he knew I hated cold feet, a pair of comfy socks (and honestly, this hotel was nice, but who knew what bodily fluids had ended up on the floor).
I went into the bathroom, still hiccupping with sobs, and changed. Then I splashed cold water on my face. Then I cried some more. I was sick of restaurant food, I was sick of The Drainers and their Bleeder groupies, and most of all, I was sick of my best friend who, poisoned or not, had said that she loved me and then ripped me to shreds.
Chapter Twenty
The next night, Vaughn drove us to a performance at a seedy club just outside of Diablo called Alexa’s Bar.
Vaughn turned down a narrow two-lane highway until we reached the parking lot. We’d arrived early, but there were already a bunch of cars there.
I was wearing another one of my disguises, same black wig, different dressing like the drummer’s girlfriend outfit.
“This is where you’re performing?” I asked. The building looked like a strong gust of wind would knock it over, and the paint was faded and peeling.
There was a bouncer at the door. “Twenty bucks,” he said in a bored tone. He didn’t seem to know or care that we were underage.
“We’re with the band,” Vaughn said. The guy frowned, looking squinty-eyed at the both of us before waving us through.
The walls were wallpapered in red velvet, the carpet a faded red with unidentifiable stains. A scarred black bar ran along the end of one wall, and the place was ripe with perspiration and cheap beer.
There were a lot of people crammed into the small space. I recognized some of them as Bleeders.
The carpet felt tacky when we walked, and I was glad I’d decided against sandals and instead had paired low-top purple Converse with a black maxi dress. I looked like a crow in a sea of white doves, since there were a lot of Bleeders in their let’s get bloody white outfits.
“I don’t see Skyler,” I said fretfully. I thought I caught a glimpse of Bobbie Jean in the crowd, but she disappeared before I could talk to her.
I was running out of ideas. I’d thought that being face-to-face with Skyler would have given me the opportunity to break the hold Travis had on her. Or that our friendship would be some magical cure. But it wasn’t. Sometimes, friendship wasn’t enough to save someone.
Part of me wanted to give up on my best friend—just go home and leave her to her fate. But I could never do that—not to her or all the other victims here—so instead, I followed Vaughn backstage, into a teeny-tiny dressing room marked with his name.
“Don’t you have a show to get ready for?” I teased. “What’s your pre-show process? Meditation?”
“Kissing my girlfriend,” he said. There was barely enough room for the two of us, but he didn’t seem to mind as he pressed up against me and kissed me. “For luck,” he said.
When he released me, I noticed a package with a note on it on the only chair. “Looks like someone left you a present.”
Vaughn reached for it and read the note before opening it slowly. “The guys expect me to wear this tonight,” he said, unfolding a sleeveless black tee.
“It doesn’t seem so bad,” I said, but then I saw the lettering. I DO bite was written in block letters under the band’s name.
“Ugh,” I said. “Travis had to be the one who thought that one up.”
“They’ve been making noises about how I’m the only human in the band,” he said. “And how they should change that.”
I sucked in a breath. “It’s not safe for you to be alone with them.”
Vaughn shrugged off my concern. “Anything for Sky.” He stripped off the shirt he was wearing, and I zeroed in on his bare chest. Vaughn was so ripped. God, his body was a thing of beauty.
The door opened without warning, and Travis appeared. He put the STD in stupid, but he’d been paying attention lately. Too much attention.
“Am I interrupting something?” he asked with a sly grin that told me he’d hoped he was.
“Not at all,” I replied at the same time that Vaughn growled, “Yes.”
Travis inhaled deeply. “It smells good in here,” he said. “Like a strawberry milkshake.”
I flinched. Travis smiled at me, his fangs flashing.
“It’s probably my shampoo,” I said. “Lots of girls use strawberry shampoo.”
“Not like this,” Travis replied. “It’s like strawberries and vanilla and—” His long pause made me shift on my feet, but the next word made me freeze. “Magic.”
With that mic drop, he turned to Vaughn. “Get your ass moving. We have a show to do.”
After Travis left, I met Vaughn’s eyes. “I screwed up. I don’t think my perfume is working anymore.”
“You think our cover is blown?” he asked.
I nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
…
But everything seemed normal at the gig. I left Vaughn backstage and joined the audience.
Predictably, there were a bunch of females gathered around an empty stage. Most of them wore white. And they were whispering about me. The words were clear over the clank of the busboys clearing dishes, the server who was chewing gum, and the roadie unloading instruments onstage.
“What’s she doing here?” Natasha hissed as she stared right at me. I stared back.
She had her shiny black hair down but held away from her neck by two silver barrettes. Her outfit was the skimpiest I’d ever seen. Her white dress was basically two strips of cloth connected by a gold chain.
It wasn’t my business what she wore, but it made me queasy when I realized she was dressed that way in order to show off her bite marks.
I shot a look at Natasha. “I can hear you, you know.”
She smirked at me. “I know.” And then she flounced away.
“Natasha’s not happy with you,” Rose said. I hadn’t even noticed she was there. Spooky.
Bobbie Jean leaned in and spoke in my ear. “She and Thorn have been following you since you got here. Where’s Natasha?”
“Don’t know where the number one Bleeder is,” I said. “She’s probably doing something for The Drainers’ Instagram feed.”
“I’ll be right back,” Bobbie Jean said, and then I lost sight of her in the crowd. I had to admit I was happy that Rose and Thorn were here because the Bleeders surrounding me looked like they’d rip me limb from limb and smile while they did it. Jealousy, I guess, because I was dating a band member?
Or something else?
Bobbie Jean appeared a few minutes later.
“Where were you?” I asked.
“In the bathroom,” she replied. Something about the way she said it made me nervous.
“What were you doing in there?”
“The usual,” she drawled.
“I thought you were trying to give us the slip.” Stress was making me paranoid. Bobbie Jean had been completely forthcoming with me. Hadn’t she?
She shook her head. “I just really had to pee.”
The Afterlife of the Party Page 16