by Lucinda Dark
Thirty-Four
Barbie
Bartol’s Ballroom had been filled with bodies encased in glitter gowns and matte black suits. Teenagers wanting a night of dancing and fucking. The smell of alcohol lingered beneath the expensive perfumes and colognes. I wrinkled my nose as Torin and Mav each put one hand on my back—one high and one low—pushing me forward into the crowded area. Lights flashed. Teachers strode by, only half paying attention and trying to police the numerous juniors and seniors already making out in the darkened corners of the rented hotel space.
“It’s a rite of passage,” Torin said, leaning down as he spoke in my ear. The feel of his breath against my earlobe made me shiver.
I shot him a glare. “You know what else is a rite of passage?” I asked and then before he could think of an answer, I gave him one. “Pulling my foot out of someone’s ass—but to pull it out, I gotta put it there first. Are you volunteering?”
He chuckled and straightened. His amusement dropped away a moment later, though, as the real reason we’d come came through in a flurry of clicking heels and bright red lipstick.
“Barbie!” Olivia squealed when she saw me and practically threw herself into my arms. I caught her easily as she stumbled and giggled. Already half-drunk, her eyes shined when she looked up at me. “I’m so glad you came. I was worried you wouldn’t.”
I shrugged. “I’m here.” It was all I could think to say.
A few paces back, a familiar figure approached at a slower pace. Ben grinned when he saw me and waved slightly before cupping his hands around Olivia’s waist and drawing her back.
“Ben!” Olivia jumped up and down excitedly. “Look who I found!” She gestured wildly to me, causing his grin to widen into a truly amused smile. A dimple appeared in his cheek as he gazed down at her.
“I see, Liv, she’s right there,” he said, bemused.
Olivia flipped her sparkling blue eyes back to me. “Are you going to hang around?” she demanded.
Before I could reply, Torin stepped forward. “We’ll be here until the end of the night, Olivia,” he answered.
Olivia glanced from him to me as if waiting for my agreement.
I nodded. “Yeah,” I said. “We still have to have that … um … talk before you leave tonight.”
Olivia’s face fell slightly, but she nodded anyway. “I won’t forget,” she promised before she blushed. “I mean I will—erm—” She cut herself off, looking up at Ben before she looked at me with wide, oh shit eyes.
I laughed. “I’ll talk to you later,” I assured her. “Go have fun with Ben.”
She sighed, her shoulders relaxing. As Ben moved to usher her back to the dancefloor, she paused and looked back. “I’m really glad you came, Barbie,” she said. “I hope you have fun tonight.”
I couldn’t say that I’d have fun, not since all I’d be able to think about for the next few hours would be Torin erasing her memories at the end of the night, but I nodded nonetheless. “Yeah,” I lied, “I will.”
Ben pulled Olivia away, leaving Mav, Torin, and me standing there at the edge of the dancefloor like sentinels guarding a horde of tricky monsters known as teens on the edge of adulthood. I shook my head and turned away.
“Hey.” Mav stopped me with a hand on my arm. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Uh, to find a place to sit?” I said, lifting a brow.
Torin smirked and shook his head. “Why don’t you go have a dance?” he asked. “I’ve got to make a few phone calls.”
“Phone calls?” I narrowed my eyes on him suspiciously.
“Nothing major,” he replied. “But I want to go ahead and get things set up. Graduation is coming up and I don’t know if we’ll make it to then, but I want to make sure I have a pilot on standby and—”
“Doesn’t it seem weird to you,” I started, interrupting him, “that we’re using Arrius’ own resources to plan his murder?”
Mav barked out a laugh and shook his head as he wrapped an arm around my waist and tugged me away. “Come on, Princess, let the man do what he does—he’s a planner, let him fucking plan.”
I grumbled but didn’t fight back as Maverick dragged me onto the dancefloor, whirling me around and lifting me against his chest. Out of the corner of my eyes, I watched as Torin shook his head and strode off, disappearing into the shadows of the room and leaving me alone with Maverick McKnight. I looked up into his soil-rich brown eyes, wondering if he too would become a casualty in my plan to kill the most powerful vampire in the world.
“Barbie.” Mav spun me in a circle, putting me off balance. We came to a stop at the center of the dancefloor. “Stop thinking,” he ordered.
“I—”
“Nope.”
“Just let me—”
“No.”
“Mav, I will throat punch you. Do not tempt me.”
“It’s my fucking job to tempt you,” he argued.
“You’re not cute.”
He shook his head, squeezing me closer and tighter as he dipped his chin so that his lips brushed my temple. “Stop worrying,” he said. “Just for a few hours. Let Olivia have tonight.”
“It’s hard,” I admitted. “I mean, it’s kind of like she’s Cinderella or some shit. When the clock strikes midnight—I’m the asshole that turns her carriage into a pumpkin.”
“She’ll still remember you,” he reminded me.
“Yeah, but it’s not the same.”
“You don’t want her to forget.”
I shook my head against his chest, turning and laying my cheek against him. “No.” I knew she’d be safer, but having someone know the truth—someone that wasn’t Maverick or Torin—was nice.
It was also a selfish desire. A way for me to cling to my old life—pretend like I was just like any other girl with a friend who knew all of her deepest, darkest secrets. Even if I wasn’t. Because knowing my secrets was more likely to get someone killed.
Four hours. That’s how long we waited Olivia out. I’d danced for two of those hours—splitting my time between Mav and Torin. The last two, we’d sat at a nearby table and just talked. I caught a glimpse of Olivia dancing with Ben and hanging out with her friends. She'd pop over for several minutes at a time to chatter away, getting more and more tipsy each time we talked to her. For most of the evening, though, Ben followed closely behind her—keeping her from falling each time she stumbled. He was a good guy. When I eventually left this town behind, I felt like she'd end up staying with him—maybe even marrying him.
Every once in a while Torin would step outside to answer a phone call or to make one. We ate from the table of refreshments the school had provided. One sniff of the punch told me that someone had already spiked it long ago. The scent of alcohol wasn't even poorly masked by the original flavor of fruit.
Torin approached the table, causing both Mav and I to look up at him. He frowned down at me with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Barbie. It's time." I winced but stood anyway. He was right. Students were already starting to leave, their dates leading them out to limos and cars or to the hotel front desk to check into their reservations for the night. "Okay," I said, "let me go find her."
"I'll go with you." I held up a hand when Mav moved to stand.
"No, let me just ... she's not going to run away, but I want to find her myself. Meet me out in the parking garage?"
Torin and Mav exchanged a look that I couldn't read. When I thought they might argue, however, they surprised me. "Alright," Torin agreed. "We'll give you a few and then head out."
I nodded my thanks, disappearing into the quickly thinning crowd as I searched for Olivia's bright red hair. I didn't find it though. Instead, I found Ben—sans Olivia—on the sidelines with a couple of the same girls I'd seen Olivia hanging out with.
"Ben!" I called as I got closer. He turned and spotted me. "Where's Olivia?"
"Bathroom," he mouthed back.
I sighed and pivoted away, grunting when someone stumbled past, nearly elbowing me as th
ey teetered on their high heels. The bathrooms were empty though, save for a leggy blonde in a skin tight bright blue dress. She reapplied her lipstick with shaky hands before turning on her heels and nearly plowing into me. One more fucking asshole—I swore silently.
"Ohmygosh! I'm—like—so sorry," she blubbered, blinking her unfocused eyes at me. "Oh hey, it's you—you're Liv's friend, right? I love your dress, it’s just so fucking pretty.”
"Olivia?" I grabbed her arms. “Yeah, I am. Have you seen her? Her boyfriend said she came to the bathroom."
"Oh, yeah." The blonde bobbed her head, nodding quickly. "But she wanted to see if his dad had dropped off the car yet. She went to the parking garage to see if it was there. She is such a sweetheart, isn’t she?” the girl gushed. “Such a good friend, I just love her so fucking much—”
But she’d let her head out to a parking garage, drunk off her ass in the middle of the night? I groaned. “Thanks,” I said, releasing the girl. I turned and shoved the bathroom door open, barreling through. Lord fucking save me from wasted high school girls.
Thirty-Five
Barbie
Concrete made everything colder. Had I still been human, I knew goosebumps would have been rising along my arms as I made my way quietly through the parking garage. It felt like all of the warmth had been sucked out of the space. The first floor was nearly packed with cars—Lamborghinis, Rolls-Royces, Ferraris, and Bentleys. All things wealthy high school seniors would have. I rolled my eyes and made my way across the pavement towards the elevators in the corner.
I pressed the button and waited, tapping my foot impatiently and wondering if it'd just be faster to take the stairs. Two minutes later, when the elevator still had yet to arrive, I decided that they would be. I turned the corner and put on a burst of speed, darting up the stairwell. Because I didn't know which floor she'd be on, I'd have to check every goddamn—I came to an abrupt halt, pushing through the stairwell door as the scent of fresh blood hit me.
My body froze and my head turned as if pivoting on a spike as I swept the area for the source of that smell. Breath whooshed from my chest as horror skittered down my spine when I spotted two delicate heels peeking out from behind a black car several rows down. All other thought fled my mind. I didn't stop to check the rest of the area. My legs were moving before I'd even consciously decided to head towards those heels. I knew, somehow, deep down in my gut—I knew.
When I rounded the bumper of the car and caught a glimpse of the cherry red curls I knew who the heels would belong to; any leftover oxygen in my lungs dispersed. I dropped to my knees. So much blood. It was everywhere. I touched her skin—it was still warm. I lifted her head, cradled it in my lap as I slid my fingers through the red swaths of liquid on her chest, coating her throat, and staining the beautiful dress she'd chosen for tonight.
"O-Olivia?" My voice sounded quiet—far too fucking quiet. I couldn't hear it over the pounding in my ears. "Olivia?" I slapped her cheek lightly. She was still warm. Her heartbeat was slow … slower. I felt it when it stopped altogether. It hit me like a bullet to the chest. I looked down to her chest then to her throat. No. I slapped her cheek, harder this time.
There were lacerations on her chest, at her throat. So much blood. I dropped her back to the ground and put both hands over her chest, like I’d seen people do in CPR training videos. I pumped. One. Two. Three. Breathe. I leaned over and pinched her nose shut, breathing into her mouth. Her lips against mine were cold, growing colder.
“No…” I did it again. One. Two. Three. Breathe. Nothing. No change. Again. One. Two. Three. Breathe. One. Two. Three. Breathe.
“You know it doesn’t matter how often you do that, once the heart stops—that’s it. The end. Finito.” The unfamiliar voice had me lifting my head as a man stepped out from around the front of the car and leaned against the driver's side door. He smelled of blood, too. Her blood.
Barbie, be very careful, Satrina warned.
Kill them, my vampire urged.
Of the two, I was preconditioned to follow the second order rather than the first. A second figure moved—its shadow falling over me as another vampire appeared behind me.
They were twins, I realized. Both tall and slender with jawlines that looked as if they had been cut by solid steel. Red eyes glittered in the fluorescent lighting of the parking garage. My fingers left Olivia's throat slowly. I was far too angry to feel hunger by the sight. Angry and something else. Angry wasn't all I was. I was disgusted. Furious. Full of vengeance.
The one in front of me withdrew a set of paper squares from his pocket. He held one up—looking from it to me. “Well, this is definitely the other bitch,” he said, speaking past me to the man at my back. He tucked the squares back into his pocket—all but one. Instead of putting it back in his pocket, he held it up and ripped it clean down the middle before letting the halves flutter to the ground. I looked at it—watching it fall. Only one of the strips landed image up, but I only needed one half of it to realize what it was. A picture of Olivia—taken straight from St. Marion’s online yearbook, the one that had been released just a week or two earlier. This was no fucking accident. It was an intended hit. Just like my parents had been. The only question was … why?
Kill, my vampire hissed in my mind. Them.
I nodded slowly even as Satrina followed that with her own logic. Barbie, they're here for a reason. You have to attack logically—don’t let your emotions rule you.
It was far too fucking late for that, I thought.
No! she snapped. You have to find out how they tracked you down. Ask them why? Answers are important. Answers will determine what you should do next.
Her questions were important, I knew. But the need to maim was rising too quickly and it was very hard not to give in to it. Besides … I only needed one of them alive to get answers to those questions, right?
I was off my knees and heading straight for the closest twin before they could blink. The world blurred as I hurdled through the air. I landed against his chest, only catching a glimpse of widening eyes before my fingers were locking on the underside of his jaw. My fury strengthened me as I snapped his head to the side. The crack of his neck breaking reached my ears, but it wasn't enough. As his body stumbled back, I remained locked on, turning even harder as the skin around his neck began to rip.
Blood slid over my fingers and knuckles. I kept turning. Twisting until blood splattered the front of my dress—red on gold. My skin tingled as I ripped his head clean off. I sank my nails into the unknown vampire's flesh and pulled until his skull popped off like I was taking off the head of a doll.
“Mikael!” The shriek resounded against the cold, stone walls of the parking garage, growing louder as it echoed up.
I held the vampire’s head in my hands for a brief moment, staring at the look of shock that remained in his expression, and I stood. My boots hit the asphalt as I stepped over the body—holding his head by his hair. The limbs and torso began to deflate beneath the expensive suit he'd been wearing as they turned to ash. I held up the head and cocked mine at it. Cracks formed along the cheeks and forehead as it, too, began to turn to ash. I glanced at the other vampire still left as he stared open mouthed at what I'd done.
I tossed the head at him, watching as it disintegrated mid-flight until all that remained as it scattered across the tops of the man's shoes was dust. His chest pumped up and down as he stared at me in shock. I half-expected the creature to turn tail and run, but he must have had some humanity left to care for the vampire I'd just killed because instead, he snarled—his fangs punching through his gums at the same time talons erupted from his nail beds.
"I have some questions," I said quietly, not caring if he heard me or not through his own anger. "And you're going to answer them."
"You bitch!" A black and white blur of a vampire hit me, slamming me into the ground. My dress tore, my skin split, blood seeped against my spine.
I unleashed my own talons and shoved them straight thr
ough his stomach—not caring that his own had pierced my shoulder. When he pulled free with a shout, blood spilling across both of us, I felt more of my skin rip. I clambered on top of him, shoving him back as I kept my talons in his guts, twisting until I was satisfied.
"Who the fuck are you?" I demanded.
He hissed and spat at me, squirming to get out of my grip as his talons shredded my thighs. I yanked one of my hands from his abdomen and grabbed his head, letting the sharp nail of my thumb hover right over one eyeball. He froze. "Can vampires regenerate complete eyeballs?" I asked lightly.
His eyebrows shot up. "You killed Mikael," he said. "You killed my brother."
I stared at him, my lips parting. "And you killed my friend," I said on a laugh.
"She's a human!" he spat. "Humans are—"
I released his head and caught his tongue between two of my fingers.
Stop! Satrina's shout had me pausing as I pulled until I could feel the tension in him racket up another notch. If you rip his tongue out, he won't be able to talk.
"But if he still has his hands," I argued aloud, watching the play of confusion over the man's face, "he'll still be able to write."
Which would be faster? Talking or writing? I think you know the answer to this, Barbie.
Kill. Kill. Kill. I hated to have to ignore my vampire, even if it was only for the time being, but Satrina was right. I pulled back and even as his lips parted to speak, I shoved one talon into his right eye, straight back until I could twist my hands and pluck it from his head.
Unholy shrieks filled the air and echoed up the concrete walls. My body moved as he howled and arched beneath me. One of his hands moved up—cupping over the bleeding eye socket as he bared his fangs once more and tried to throw me off of him.