Venom (The Reawakening Series Book 1)

by Daniele Lanzarotta

  I walk toward the side of the house so no one will see me. Soon after, Ian rushes past me to get to his car. He doesn’t even notice me, but I stop him. I have to know what he meant by me getting away from Cassie’s group.

  “What do you want?” he snaps at me, making me think twice about this. Another perk that I still have from my vampire years is that I can be very persuasive. It isn’t exactly glamour, but it works almost as good.

  “I—I was just wondering what you meant earlier about Cassie not being good company.”

  He looks me up and down, “You clearly already know.”

  “I don’t,” I tell him.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you…. If you don’t know already you will figure it out soon enough.”

  I’m getting ready to use my so-called persuasive abilities when Cody comes out of the house.

  “Hey, Noelle, I was looking for you.” He turns me around and tries to kiss me, but I pull away. THIS is not going to be my first kiss.

  “You really don’t know, do you?” asks Ian.

  I shake my head.

  “Dude, let her go,” says Ian.

  Cody turns to face him. “Why don’t you worry about your own problems with Megan instead? It seems to me that is plenty to worry about.”

  Sure enough, Megan comes outside. “What the hell are you doing, Ian? First you leave the room because you are all consciously aware of what is happening to the freshman slut, and now this?”

  “Shut up, Megan. You have been drinking. There were other reasons why I left. Just leave it alone.”

  By that point, half of the school is outside.

  “Let’s go back in,” says Cody as he grabs my wrist. I break my wrist free from his hand and push him away. He stumbles back.

  “Actually, I think I’m going to go home,” I say.

  He gives Cassie a look that can’t be good. Cassie shrugs.

  “You are with me tonight. Let’s go.” His arms go around my waist and I’m just trying to get away from him again, when I see Ian’s fist coming his way. He hits Cody on his nose.

  There is an awkward silence everywhere.

  Cody wipes his nose with the back of his hand and when he sees blood, he clenches his fists and launches forward trying to punch Ian, but Ian moves out of the way and Cody stumbles, hitting the car.

  Everyone laughs, which distracts Ian. Cody comes from behind him putting his arm around Ian’s neck. With little struggle, Ian elbows the side of Cody’s stomach. Cody lets go of Ian and gets down on his knees.

  Next thing I know, Ian grabs my hand and pulls me past Cody and toward his car.

  “Get in!” he yells, and I do.

  Megan shouts after him, and Cassie after me, but we both ignore them. Ian quickly makes his way to his side of the car, gets in, and drives off.

  He doesn’t say anything for a while, and then, “Where do you want me to take you?”

  “Well, not home! I will be in trouble for dressing like this and for not being with Cassie.”

  He laughs. “You should be in trouble for being with Cassie.” He pauses. “My sister has clothes you can borrow. You can probably spend the night in her room. My dad is out of town and my mom is passed out by now. Does that work?”

  I nod. It’s not like I have another option.

  CHAPTER TEN

  “I will text my sister and let her know she will have a roommate for the night.”

  I nod. “Thank you.”

  After a short and silent drive to his house, he parks the truck and we walk toward the back porch where he gets the key from under the mat.

  Before he opens the door, he turns to face me.

  “You really have no idea what Cassie is up to, do you?”

  I shake my head.

  “You must be the most naïve person at that school then.”

  I can feel my heart beating faster. That comment really gets to me and not in a good way. I’ve had enough with Harvey and Nicholas thinking that I’m naïve and now him, who I barely even know.

  “Why don’t you enlighten me?” I say. “All I know is that Cody gave her money and I overheard something about not telling me anything yet.”

  “Sit down,” he says, looking at the chairs on the back porch.

  I sit and he sits on the chair next to me.

  He sighs. “Cassie runs a… well, some people call it a dating service… others call it an escort service. I will go with the second term based on the circumstances that she works with. She recruits freshman students without them knowing, finds something to use against them, and then she sets you up on dates with certain people and gets paid for it.”

  My mouth drops open.

  “Why don’t they just say no?”

  “Like I said, she uses something against them. Some are happy to accept new clothes,” he looks me up and down, “and do what they are told.”

  “I had no idea. You have to believe me.”

  “I believe you.”

  “Why hasn’t anyone told on her?”

  “It’s not worth the trouble. Too many people are involved in her mess one way or another. If she goes down, she will bring everyone down with her.”

  I nod once and get up, turning toward the door, but Ian puts his hand on my arm to stop me. Without thinking, I close my eyes for a split second and enjoy how his skin feels against mine. He makes me feel… safe.

  “People tried to stop them before. It didn’t end well. If you can help it, don’t do anything. Just try to distance yourself before it is too late, okay?” he says in a concerned tone.

  “Why are you helping me?” I ask.

  “Before you, my sister was the naïve person who fell into her trap.”

  Ian gets up and stands in front of me. He then opens the door and motions for me to go in. “I’m sure she will be more than willing to share her story with you once she finds out what happened tonight.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  NICHOLAS

  “Where are you going?” asks Harvey.

  “Out.”

  “Out where?”

  I shake my head. I’ll never understand his need to act like a father figure.

  “To feed.”

  “Would you like company?”

  What the hell is wrong with him? I ask myself. “To eat? No. I think I’m good.”

  “Well, I’m going anyway. I have nothing else to do.”

  “Seriously?”

  He nods and I give up. “For the record, I’m not sharing.”

  He laughs and follows me out.

  “You’re driving,” I say.

  We get in his car and drive for a while.

  “Where do you go to feed these days anyway?” he asks.

  I shrug. “Random places. I pretty much look for the first crowded place I find; usually bars or clubs. Just head downtown… we’ll find something.

  After a short few minutes driving, I catch the scent of blood. As in a high concentration of blood, and then, I hear the music.

  “Turn here,” I say.

  “That is not downtown.”

  “Does it matter? I said I stop at the first crowded place.”

  “How can you tell we are approaching one?”

  “Unlike you, I haven’t been sipping off blood bags. I drink straight from whatever source I deem awesome enough to serve my needs. Or at least I used to. Something is off lately.”

  He glances at me, “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m starving.”

  “There,” I point. “That is the house.”

  “Are you just going to get the owner to invite you in?”

  I smirk. “Why wouldn’t they want to?”

  Harvey parks the car across the street and we walk up to the side of the house where someone is passed out on the lawn. That is when I notice something…

  “Do you smell that?”

  “What? The god-awful smell of alcohol?”

  “No… Sarah’s blood. It’s very faint, b
ut it’s here.”

  I rush to the back yard ready to ask for the owner so he or she can invite me in, but I don’t have to. I see Sarah’s friend there, pressed against the wall by some guy.

  I walk over and turn him around by his shoulder.

  I glamour him before he can say a word. “Leave,” I order.

  I notice Harvey behind me.

  Sarah’s friend smiles. “She isn’t here,” she says, “but I’m glad you are.” She has been drinking but the smell of alcohol on her is not as strong as some of the other people here.

  “Where is she?” I growl.

  “She left with someone.”

  I take the guy’s place, pressing her against the wall, with my hand right above her left shoulder. She moans and I roll my eyes.

  “His name is Ian Sullivan.”

  “Where does he live?”

  “What do I get if I tell you?”

  I laugh. “You get to be alive to go on with whatever you are doing here.”

  “Geez. Fine. I will tell you.”

  I could have glamoured her to save myself from hearing all of this, but there is something about the way she is talking to me. There is a certain playful defiance that is getting to me.

  “A few blocks down the road.”

  “Nicholas, let’s go,” says Harvey.

  I ignore him. I move my hand down, brushing her hair to the side and I see a red rose tattoo.

  I freeze. Something is wrong. Like the other day… the color… it’s all wrong.

  “Nicholas!” yells Harvey. “I said, let’s go.”

  He pulls me away, then glamours Sarah’s friend into forgetting that we were talking to her.

  It’s not until I get in the car that I’m able to focus on anything but the rose. “I didn’t get this guy’s address and we can’t track Sarah because of the angel blood.”

  “Relax. We can track her phone, but I’m calling her first.”

  “And if she doesn’t answer?”

  “We’ll go and get her, but that will at least buy us a few minutes for you to calm down before you go ripping the poor guy’s throat apart. I don’t exactly feel like packing to move again.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  SARAH

  I follow Ian into the house. His mom is sleeping on the couch with the TV on. He says, “She is a heavy sleeper. Ally’s room is at the end of the hallway. Come on.”

  I follow him there and he knocks on the door.

  “Come in,” says the voice on the other side.

  Ian opens the door and walks in, motioning for me to follow him.

  “Hey, Ally,” he says as he sits on the bed.

  Ally is also sitting on her bed, with a book on her lap. She puts it aside and looks at me. She isn’t rude, but she doesn’t exactly seem pleasant either.

  “So what is going on?” she asks Ian. “You can sit down,” she says, looking back at me.

  I sit on the chair by her desk.

  Ian sighs.

  “This is Noelle,” he says. “She found herself in the middle of Cassie’s little games.”

  Ally gives him a saddened look. “First week of school?” she says. “I’m impressed. She never moved this fast before. So, how did she end up with you?” she asks Ian.

  Ian seems nervous. “Everything just happened so fast. I saw her with Cody and some guys. I told Megan someone should try to do something about it, and she flipped out, so I left her there. I was on my way to Noelle when I realized there was nothing I could actually do, so I decided to just leave. When I got to my car, Noelle showed up and asked what was the deal with Cassie. Cody came out, we threw a few punches, and here we are.”

  Her eyes widen. “You left Megan?”

  He nods.

  “I’m proud. It’s about time. I told you before I didn’t want you with her out of obligation for helping me out.”

  “I didn’t say I broke up with her. I just left her alone at the party.”

  “Yeah,” she rolls her eyes. “She will have your head on a silver platter for that.”

  I just sit back and watch their interaction.

  Ian looks at me, “Do you think it is too late to help her?” he asks his sister.

  “Well, school just started. I think she can get away. Just don’t accept gifts from her… ever,” she says as she looks at my clothes. “And don’t give her anything she can use against you.”

  I nod.

  Ally looks from me to Ian, and we can both see the way he looks at me. It is strange that someone I just met is so invested in helping me. Ally shakes her head. “Don’t get involved in this, Ian. I’m warning you. If you want to help Noelle, do it without them knowing.”

  He nods without taking his eyes off me.

  “I’m sorry,” I say. “I really didn’t mean to get you involved.”

  “Too late,” he says. “Megan saw me leave with her.”

  Ally shakes her head again. “I’m sure there are ways to make it up to her.”

  “I’m sure there are,” he says in a careless tone. “Look, it is late and we have school in the morning. Noelle’s things are at Cassie’s. Can she stay in your room until then? Maybe borrow some of your clothes for school?”

  “Of course.” She looks at me. “I’ll go get you bed sheets and a blanket. I’ll be right back.”

  She gets out from under the blankets and it isn’t until then I notice that she is pregnant. I do my best to hide how surprised I am. Luckily, my phone rings and I welcome the distraction.

  NICHOLAS

  In the car, Harvey dials Sarah’s number. I’m surprised she answers it.

  “Sarah, where are you?” he asks.

  “At a friend’s house.”

  He sighs. “We know you are not at Cassie’s house,” he says in a stern tone. “We just left the party.”

  The line goes silent for a while. “I—I was there but I didn’t like what was happening so I went to another friend’s house.”

  “Who is that friend?” asks Harvey.

  I can tell she hesitates by the silent, “Ally”, she says.

  Harvey relaxes. “Okay, well… Just make sure you go straight home after school tomorrow.”

  He is too easy on her… he always is. I intervene. “Give me the damn phone,” I order him.

  Surprisingly, without a fight, he hands me the phone. “Let me talk to this friend of yours,” I say, hoping to catch her in a lie.

  “Okay,” she says.

  A second later, someone comes on the phone.

  “Hello,” she says.

  “Hi.” I’m caught off-guard. Maybe she didn’t leave the party with the guy named Ian like her friend accused her of. I think maybe Harvey is right…

  “Hello?” she says again after a while.

  “Oh, yes. I just wanted to be sure where my sister is staying for the night. Your name is?”

  “Alexis Sullivan.”

  The stabbing headache comes along at the same time I start to see spots. I drop the phone as my vision goes dark, and then… I see her… her brown eyes staring into mine, her telling me that I’m a sarcastic jerk, me turning her, her lying on a bed surrounded by blue rose petals and closing her eyes when she is about to kiss me, her sleeping on our bed before I left her and broke our imprint.

  When my vision clears up, I look at Harvey. He now has the phone in his hand and he looks whiter than any vampire I’ve ever seen. And I feel the thirst. The thirst for her blood… the thirst for her… something I will never be able to satisfy again.

  I start to open the door.

  “Where are you going?” yells Harvey.

  As fast as I can, I disappear from his sight, hoping that he won’t be able to track me.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  HARVEY

  I’m not sure how to react. I can barely process what just happened.

  I end up staying in the car. I know it’s too late to track him and, even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t know what to do.

  I dial Sarah’s number again.r />
  “Harvey? What happened?” I can tell by her tone that she is panicking.

  “He remembers her,” I say.

  “Should I go home?” she asks.

  “No. Stay where you are. It’s safer for now. I do need to know where that is just in case something happens and we have to leave town last minute.”

  “But I don’t want to—”

  “Sarah,” I interrupt her. “You know we have no choice. Things have been quiet for years because we have managed to stay off the radar. If Nicholas does anything to bring attention to us, we have to do what we have to do. Now, where are you?”

  Sobbing, she gives me the address.

  “I will call you if anything happens. I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to go to school in the morning, so just ask to be dropped off at the house until we know what is happening, okay?”

  “Yes,” she says crying.

  SARAH

  When I hang up the phone, both Ally and Ian are watching me curiously.

  “My brothers are a little overprotective,” I say.

  Ally shrugs it off and lies down on the bed. At some point while I was on the phone, she put a blanket and bed sheet on an air mattress on the floor.

  “Do you want a glass of water?” asks Ian.

  I nod. Ally gives him a warning look as we walk out of the room.

  I follow him to the kitchen where I stand next to the counter.

  “You can sit,” he says.

  I sit on the bar stool while he gets me a glass of water.

  “Are you in a lot of trouble?” he asks.

  “Probably.”

  “You were home-schooled before, right?”

  I nod.

  “I guess it makes sense they would be worried. I don’t mean to sound rude, but what about your parents?”

  It doesn’t bother me at all that he asked, but I’m still sobbing at the thought of what could happen to us now. “My parents died a long time ago; I was raised by my brothers.” Obviously, I don’t mention the centuries when I was being raised by a vampire who treated me more like a slave than anything else. And all because I was one of the rare vampire children, and even though my blood drove her crazy, it did allow her to go out in the sun.

  “Are you going to be okay?” he asks.

  I nod and wipe the tears away with the back of my hand. I wasn’t going to bring this up unless he did, but I’m so desperate to change topics that I end up asking how old his sister is.