by Wendi Wilson
I inhaled sharply, shock coursing through me as it did every time I thought of what the man at the funeral home told me. I wanted to believe it wasn’t true. That it was just the ravings of a crazy, old geezer who thought he might earn a few bucks by feeding me a load of bull.
And I might’ve believed that—his story was just too insane—if he hadn’t mentioned the word Siskiyou.
If I hadn’t known my dad was killed by a vampire, one that ran straight to the Siskiyou Mountains after murdering him, I wouldn’t have given what the old nut ball said a second thought. But I did know that’s what happened, and it was too much of a coincidence.
I believed him, and so did Levi. He told me afterwards that the man hadn’t exhibited any telltale signs that he’d been lying. No accelerated heartbeat. No dripping sweat. No dilated pupils or rapid breathing.
He’d been telling the truth. My dad’s body had been taken by two men, and I had no idea why.
I’d talked Levi into taking me to see Warren Thornberry when we returned to camp. The old vampire seemed to have the best connections, and The Society, as a whole, had a knack for discovering the darkest of secrets. If anyone could help me find out who took Dad’s body and why, it was the Shadow Lake Vampire Society.
Two more weeks in my own room, surrounded by my own things to grieve and process, then Levi and I would head back. Thankfully, Mom agreed that it was a good idea for me to return to camp after the two weeks. Every inch of this town held memories of Coco, and Mom thought I’d heal faster with a little distance.
And Dr. Whitley agreed. She called after the funeral to check in on me, and when I mentioned going back to my job, she wholeheartedly stood behind that decision.
The thought of being here, and not seeing Coco’s beautiful face or hearing her sweet voice… it killed me.
Releasing Levi’s hand, I pulled my phone from my pocket. It was new and seriously high-tech, a gift from Warren as a replacement for the one Sarah stole. We’d found my old one smashed in the bedroom of the cabin after… the incident.
I opened Coco’s favorite social media site and scrolled through her pictures. In each one she was smiling and full of life. I intentionally ignored the comments filled with crying emojis and condolences, choosing to instead focus on the light in Coco’s eyes and her impish grin.
That was how I wanted to remember her.
Something caught my eye, and I froze. Chills coursed through my body as I tapped on the last picture Coco posted, dated the morning of her car accident. She was in her bedroom, smiling at the camera as she held up a hand in front of her chest. My heart began to pound as I read the caption.
Got a hot date tonight. This calls for pink. #NailsOnFleek #Manicure #NailsOfTheDay #DateNight
Her hand was tanned brown. The polish, bubblegum pink.
“Oh, my God,” I whispered as my fingers went slack and the phone clattered onto the table.
“What is it?” Levi asked, turning in his chair to angle his body closer to mine.
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. Mom puttered between the fridge and stove, completely oblivious of the fact that my world was, once again, blowing apart.
“Piper. Breathe.” Levi’s whisper broke through to my paralyzed mind, and my eyes met his.
Sweet oxygen rushed into my starved lungs as I took a deep breath. Then another. And another, until I was breathing too fast. I rubbed a palm against my chest, pressing hard to hold in my racing heart.
I was lying on a floor made of smooth boards. I could feel the grain of the wood beneath my fingers, smell the oil used to make it shine. A weight landed on top of me. I couldn’t push it off.
I tried to fight, to buck my attacker off. I couldn’t make out a face, but I scratched at it anyway. My eyes focused on my own hand, and I froze, holding it up in front of my face as I stared at it in confusion.
As the vision played in my memory, my gaze darted from Levi down to my phone where it lay on the table. Coco’s smiling face. The twinkle in her dark eyes. The beautiful fingers tipped with pink nail polish.
It was the same hand.
I looked back at Levi, my eyes stinging with fear and dread. “Coco,” I whispered.
He looked down at the screen of my phone, confusion screwing up his handsome features. I could hear Mom’s voice calling out to us as she bent over to look into the oven, but I couldn’t decipher her words. The blood pounding in my ears sounded like a freight train, drowning out all other sound.
“The vision,” I muttered, my eyes blurring as the tears started to fall. “I didn’t know. If I knew…”
“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.” Levi grasped my shoulder, squeezing it.
“I knew it wasn’t me,” I continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “I knew it wasn’t me, but I didn’t know… I didn’t know.”
“Didn’t know what? Please, Piper, talk to me.”
I met his eyes, my vision clearing as I blinked away the moisture in my eyes. I grabbed his thigh, squeezing it hard. With my free hand, I picked up my phone and held it in front of his face.
“It wasn’t me. It was her.”
Chapter Three
If only I’d known, maybe I could have stopped it.
I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling as thoughts rolled over and over inside my brain. My vision hadn’t been about my death, it had been about Coco’s. All this time, I’d believed that I was in danger when it had been my best friend. I should have known it was her. I should have realized I wouldn’t be having visions about some stranger, and Coco was the only person close to me with tanned, brown skin and a penchant for pink nails.
I hadn’t realized a lot of things. My visions had warned me, I hadn’t paid close attention, and now Coco was dead because of it.
A voice in my head told me to take it easy on myself. I wasn’t exactly a vision specialist since I hadn’t even known they were real things until a few weeks ago. Plus, I’d been fighting for my life while experiencing them, so it wasn’t like I had a lot of time to spend deciphering what they meant. And, if I had known, what could I have done to prevent it? It wasn’t like my visions were super helpful with times and places. Even the face of the attacker was hidden from me.
But, could the visions get better? Was there some way to make myself experience them? And could I use them to track down who was responsible?
I didn’t know.
All in all, I just felt awful. And guilty. What good was having visions of the future if you couldn’t use them to help anyone?
Lying there, I listened to Mom’s footsteps as she wandered around the house. It sounded like dinner was over. After I’d realized my mistake, I made up an excuse about having a stomachache and headed up to my room. Levi, always the gentleman, ate dinner with Mom to keep her company. Their pleasant chatter floated through the walls, surrounding me with sounds I found strange, yet comforting. Was this my new life? And, if so, how did I feel about it? Mom dating. Coco, gone. Levi, filling in like the world’s greatest boyfriend. It was all so weird.
A knock on my door drew my attention back to the here and now. Slowly, the door pushed open, and Levi’s observant green eyes appeared.
“Doing okay?”
I nodded, swinging my legs over and sitting up on the bed. “How was dinner?”
He pulled the door back and stepped into the room, shutting it behind him. “Good. We saved you some.”
“Thanks. I’m not hungry, but maybe later.”
He nodded in understanding, pushing a dark lock off his forehead. “I thought you might want to be alone, but do you want company?”
I patted the comforter beside me. “Always.”
He settled on the bed, his big frame dominating my twin mattress. It felt strange to have him in my room. Sitting on my bed. I’d already scanned the place for dirty clothes or embarrassing childhood photos, but I was still a bit nervous about having him in my room, in my personal space. What if he found something mortifying like my blankie-boo or that p
icture of me with a bowl haircut?
His eyes scanned the bookshelf and moved over to the desk with an attached mirror. He acknowledged the cheesy band posters and the photo wall, covered almost entirely with photos of me and Coco. I let myself search the photos, too. Coco and me on the beach. The two of us at my birthday party in tenth grade where we’d sung terrible karaoke. In her car, making duck faces on the first day of eleventh grade.
Each photo felt like a stab to my heart.
“She seemed like a very cool person,” Levi said, pointing to a photo of Coco alone, dressed like Snooki from The Jersey Shore for Halloween two years ago. The hair, the tan, and the dress were on point.
“She was the coolest.”
He turned to glance at my tear-streaked face. Gently, he trailed a thumb across my cheek. “I’m so sorry, Piper.”
I slipped my arms around his bicep, hugging him close to me. “It’s not your fault.”
“It’s one of my kind’s fault. Some savage vamp. If I knew which one…” The muscles of his arm hardened as his jaw set. I’d seen the destruction Levi could do back at the cabin. He’d literally ripped Lars’ heart out. I had no doubt if he could find out who killed Coco, he’d finish them for good.
“We don’t know it was a vamp,” I offered, just to make him feel less guilty.
He turned to me, his eyes still blazing. If I didn’t already trust him, I would have been terrified of the anger behind his gaze. “You said you felt the attacker biting her neck.”
“Yeah, well, humans can bite necks.” Lame, Piper.
Plus, who the hell knew what my visions meant anyway?
He fixed me with a look that let me know he wasn’t buying what I was selling. So, I switched tactics instead. “You can’t be responsible for what every vamp does any more than I can be responsible for what every human does. Would you be mad at me for what Ted Bundy did? Or those Columbine assholes?”
“Of course not.”
“See.” I hugged his arm, putting my head on his shoulder. “Not your fault.”
“I want to avenge her,” he said quietly. “I want to avenge your father. For you.”
“We’ll talk to Warren,” I said. “He’ll tell us what to do.”
Levi had started to soften, but at this, he turned hard as stone again. “Piper, listen, about Warren…”
“I’m listening,” I offered when his words trailed off into silence.
Levi swallowed hard. “You can’t fully trust him.”
I blinked. “What do you mean? He’s the head of The Society. He helped us.”
“I mean that, lately, he gives me weird vibes. Like how he’s always looking at you like you’re a snack, and he’s starving.”
Heat flooded across my cheeks and down my neck. “Levi Kass, do I detect a hint of jealousy?” I arched an eyebrow.
Levi refused to take the bait. “Warren is dangerous. He’s used to getting what he wants, and as the head of The Society, he can control me, make me do things. I’m a young vamp with very little power. He’s got all the control.”
This was new. I sensed that Levi didn’t always like it when Warren was around me, but now it seemed like he was afraid Warren might use his power to take what he wanted.
Mainly, me.
“What things can he tell you to do? He’s not a dictator or a king, is he?”
Levi shook his head. “Nothing. Just… please be careful around him. That’s all.”
“We can watch each other’s backs.” Among other things.
I leaned into him, nuzzling my nose into his neck. He smelled incredible, that musky cologne he wore turning me on as it always did when I was near him. And, maybe it was inappropriate to want him like this only hours after my best friend’s funeral, but I couldn’t help it. I’d felt so bad for so long.
And Levi felt so good.
He froze as I brought my lips to his neck, kissing the skin lightly. “Piper, are you sure?”
“Where’s my mom?” I slid my other hand across his chest, feeling the firm muscles beneath the thin fabric of his shirt. He shivered under my touch, only making me want him more.
“She said she had a date. I heard the door open and close and her car start up. She left.”
“Weird,” I added, shocked that she would leave us alone so soon after the funeral. But it was her life, and my mind turned to other things. “So we’re alone?” I asked coyly, popping a button free at his collar.
“Mmm hmm.” His right hand slid around my back while the left brushed hair behind my ear. His fingers trailed over my neck, leaving tingles in their wake. “You know I can’t resist you.”
“Then don’t.”
With a boldness I didn’t know I possessed, I put both hands on his shoulders and swung my leg over his, straddling him. His hands found my hips, gripping them and securing us together as his chest began to heave, despite the fact that he didn’t actually need the oxygen. “Piper,” he groaned softly.
It felt so good, so right with our bodies aligned together. Goosebumps broke out down my arms as I settled onto his lap. Every inch of my being longed to touch him. I let my lips and tongue be the first explorers.
His kisses were tentative at first, as if he were afraid to hurt me, but soon, his hunger for me took over. His hands slid up my back and into my hair, gripping my head as his mouth grew hungrier. He tasted of sweetness and something tangy. I wondered fleetingly if it was blood. I realized I didn’t mind if it was. Everything about him, including this, turned me on.
I moaned and captured his bottom lip between my teeth, pressing gently. He wasn’t the only one who could bite.
He moved from my mouth to my neck as his tongue ran up the sensitive skin there. His teeth grazed my skin, sending shivers down my chest. My head dropped back, allowing him all the access he wanted. I trusted him, and my body sure as hell wasn’t going to let me stop now.
“Piper,” he growled as he gripped my hair. “We should stop.”
“I don’t want to stop.” I grabbed his head and angled it towards mine.
With a groan, Levi was up, holding me to him like I weighed nothing. In one swift motion, he set me on the bed and stepped back.
Panting and rumpled, I stared at him. Vampires didn’t get flushed, but his expression was wild. He ran a hand through his hair and stared at me with wide eyes. “We have got to be more careful.”
I sat up, smoothing my dress. My lips felt deliciously swollen, but I wanted more. “What if I don’t want to be careful?”
His eyes lidded. “Piper, you know I’m not human. I have predatory urges. They aren’t easy to control. And with you…” He whistled. “God. I think I need some air.”
I nodded, though I knew he really just needed space from me. I’d already made huge mistakes, and I didn’t need to add one with Levi. He was the only grounding force in my life right now, and losing him might bring back the old Piper. Panic-Attack Piper. Fainting-in-the-Woods Piper.
Levi leaned forward, planting a chaste kiss on my forehead. It took all my willpower not to drag him on top of me.
When he’d left and shut the door behind him, I fell back on the bed. My head whirled with everything that had happened today, and my body was just plain pissed off it had missed out on more of Levi’s glorious touch. The touch that healed me.
Why was everything so frickin’ complicated?
For a distraction, I reached for my phone on the nightstand and checked my email. I had a few messages from True. The first were normal, asking how the funeral went and sending me virtual hugs. But the last one was marked urgent, and nearly stopped my heart in my chest.
Where R U???? Need 2 talk ASAP. Big stuff going down!!!!
I froze as my vision tunneled. What could be wrong now? True was the one person I wasn’t worried about and now this?
I tapped out a message, silently cursing the “no phone” rule at Camp Shadow Lake. There was no telling when True would get back on the office computer to check her emails. Maybe I could have Levi
call the dean…
“Piper, I have to go.”
My ass came off the mattress as Levi’s voice startled me. I pressed a hand to my chest to contain my pounding heart.
“What?” I asked, his words finally registering. “What do you mean? Why?”
“It’s Warren. He showed up at the camp today, claiming he’s found your dad’s killer.”
Chapter Four
I’d wanted to go with him. I demanded that Levi take me back to camp so I could talk to Warren myself, and when that didn’t work, I’d resorted to begging.
He told me I needed to stay with Mom, to give myself the two weeks to mourn for Coco properly. When that didn’t sway my arguments, he brought in the big guns—Dr. Whitley.
There was no way for me to fight her assessment of my situation. That I needed time. She had no idea vampires existed, that I was immersed in their world, or that one killed my father and another killed Coco. As far as she was concerned, a bear and a car accident had been the culprits.
So, when she insisted I stay home with Mom while Levi went back to camp to “handle some business,” I had no recourse but to agree to it.
And as angry as I wanted to be with all of them, I had to admit, they were right. Two weeks at home with Mom, watching old videos of Coco and me together, looking at photos, and telling happy stories about her really was a balm for my broken heart.
A piece of my soul would be missing forever, but taking that time had been crucial to helping me start to heal. When it was time to go back to work, I felt ready.
Pulling back into the camp was almost surreal. My eyes roved over the big sign that announced Camp Shadow Lake, and I marveled at how much had changed since the first time I saw it.
The list was massive: vampires were real, two people I loved had been taken from me by their kind, I’d killed one, and I was falling for another.