My heart dropped. All I’d ever gotten out of Gavin was a “You look nice,” and he’d never looked at me the way he stared at Valerie, as though he were a thirteen-year-old who’d never seen breasts before.
A gust of bitter wind reached my legs when the front door opened. I turned in time to see Fane flick the butt of his cigarette to the ground before stepping inside. He might have gone unnoticed longer if other guests hadn’t seen him and quieted in that way that attracts instant attention.
Fane took languid steps across the stone entrance, stopping at the lip of the living room. He glanced at Valerie. I wish I could have looked as bored as Fane when he noticed his ex-girlfriend in another vamp’s lap.
Fane scratched his pale cheek. “Two exes in one night. Marcus really knows how to throw a party.”
Valerie sniggered. “Maybe you should have stayed at home drinking tea with Joss.”
Fane took another step inside the living room. “There’s only one thing I like to drink.” His voice was intimate, as though it were just he and Valerie having a private conversation without the rest of us listening in. “Good thing Gavin likes sharing.” Fane winked.
Gavin wrapped an arm around Valerie and glared at Fane. “She’s off limits.”
Something inside me felt broken. Taken. He’d said I was taken. Now I’d been tossed aside and replaced by ginger vamp bait.
Fane looked around the room and chuckled. “Just remember I had her first. But then, you always went for the leftovers, Gavin. I guess that makes you more of a vulture than a vampire.”
The people standing around only looked mildly interested in the male bravado on Valerie’s behalf.
I was so disgusted I wanted to leave, but it’s not like I could retreat mid-act. I so wanted Fane to steal Valerie back, claim his former rights, yank her from Gavin’s lap, and haul her skanky ass up the stairs then ravish the banshee until there was nothing left but a pile of red rags. But a Fane and Valerie comeback was about as likely as Marcus suddenly developing an appetite for snatch.
Valerie rose to her feet and glared at Fane. She lifted her nose in the air. “Come on, Gavin. I’ll show you how tasty leftovers can be.” She shot Fane and me a silky smile.
Gavin shot up after her, not sparing either of us a glance.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” I whispered as Valerie sashayed her way up the stairs, Gavin following eagerly at her heels.
I hadn’t realized I’d spoken aloud until I heard Fane’s voice inside my ear. “It’s his loss. She tastes like rotten fish.” I hadn’t seen Fane move next to me. My senses had gone numb the moment I saw Gavin with Valerie.
“Rotten fish,” I repeated with a frown. So Valerie’s blood did taste off. That or Fane was still putting on his macho show. I hoped so. Maybe my taste had turned Gavin off. But he’d sucked my blood before. Please tell me I did not taste like rotten fish!
Henry walked in a second later and missed the whole Valerie and Gavin barf show. He took mindful steps as he glided over with a full martini glass, sipping from it only when he’d stopped beside Fane and me .
Henry finished swallowing and looked directly at Fane. “So Aurora was followed
here... again. Not the best track record, Francesco.”
Fane smirked. “You mean that boy from earlier? Mike? The only danger he poses is to himself.”
“He’s still a threat.” Henry took another sip of his martini.
“What do you propose, Henry? We slash him and stash him at the dump?” Fane chuckled softly.
Suddenly I wasn’t breathing. Fane better be joking. They both better be joking. I looked at Henry.
He didn’t look amused, but he didn’t shoot down the idea, either.
“Perhaps if you made it clear that you and Aurora are together guys from the outside wouldn’t try swooping in on her.”
Fane’s jaw clenched when he forced a smile.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Henry said. “I’m only pointing out the obvious. She’s trouble.”
“Yeah, she’s trouble all right.” Fane grumbled under his breath. “But that’s none of your business.” He started for the entryway.
“Where are you going?” Henry asked.
“Home,” Fane replied. He locked eyes with me. “To drink tea.” Fane smirked when he saw Henry’s look of confusion. Then he turned and headed for the front door.
Henry shot me a bemused smile. “Want a sip?”
His martini glass was over half full thanks to the dainty sips he’d taken.
I downed it in five seconds. After coughing softly to clear my searing throat, I handed the empty glass back to Henry. “I suppose there’s more where that came from.”
Henry leaned in. “Or we could take this upstairs.”
“Why not?” I answered with all the numbness I felt inside.
Henry leaned forward, inches from my eyes. “You’re something special, Noel. So brave and beautiful.”
I didn’t have it in me to smile.
I’m not special. I’m not beautiful.
And brave? I simply didn’t give a shit if I lived or died. I didn’t give a shit what happened to me. Maybe that’s why I said what I did next.
“Has anyone ever told you, you talk too much?”
Henry’s face darkened right before he let out a bark of laughter. He gave me an appreciative nod. “You’re the first.”
“Let’s get me a refill first. Unless you want to drink alone?”
Henry smiled. “You can have as much as you want.”
And more. So much more, but it turned out to be too much.
When I first woke up, I didn’t know where I was until several shades of orange came into focus. This was no sunrise staring me in the face. I blinked four times, remembering that I’d darted in front of Henry in the hallway earlier that morning and led him into the unoccupied October room. At least Valerie hadn’t taken that away from me. But it was just a room. I didn’t give a shit about a room.
My neck ached where Henry had bit me.
I turned my head on the pillow, relieved to find myself alone in bed. Not exactly a shocker. I was good enough to bite, but not to bed.
Henry had, however, taken my shoes off and pulled the covers over me.
The hardwood floor was cold. My mouth tasted like cotton. I stuck my head under the faucet of the October room’s private bathroom. Besides having a slight case of bedhead, I looked about the same as when I’d arrived. My makeup wasn’t even smudged.
After finger combing my hair, I emerged from the room, pumps in hand, eyeing the doors I passed in the hallway. Several were closed with bats dangling from the doorknobs. I wasn’t the only overnight guest.
Was Gavin behind one of the doors?
Part of me wanted him to step into the hall as I walked by. I wanted him to look me in the eye and see the hurt he’d put there.
Maybe I’d misread his signals. Then again, maybe a certain redhead had gotten in the middle and rained hot lava all over my parade.
He’d said he’d turn me if he could. That was practically “I love you” in vampire speak.
The smell of bacon greeted my nose at the top of the staircase. Dull gray light filled the large windows below, reflecting off the inlet. I circled my way down the stairs and headed to the kitchen.
Marcus stood over a frying pan in a pair of black silk pajama pants with a matching buttoned top. A man in a suit sat with a cup of coffee and the newspaper at the small table against the far wall of the kitchen. I’d only met Marcus’s partner, Richard, once. Where Marcus was boisterous, Richard was reserved. He sat with perfect posture and a serious gaze.
Marcus looked over his shoulder. “We’ve got an early bird.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I don’t remember falling asleep.”
“You’re welcome to stay the night,” Richard said, surprising me. “There’s no reason to put yourself at risk on the road.”
I looked from him to Marcus.
“Richard has a hea
rt of gold,” Marcus said. “He’s a rare find.”
The two men stared at each other for a moment before Richard cleared his throat and buried his head in the newspaper.
“Now! Noel,” Marcus said cheerfully. “What can I get you for breakfast? I’ve got scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, bacon, and homemade scones,” he said, setting down his spatula to clap softly, “in the oven.”
It had been a long time since I’d had a real breakfast, but at that moment my intestines felt like charred toast.
“Thanks, but I’m not hungry.” Okay, so I was hungry, but my stomach couldn’t handle anything, not since twisting in on itself after seeing Gavin with Valerie.
Marcus smiled at me warmly. “Honey, I applaud your figure, but you’re not leaving here without one of my homemade scones.” He ripped a paper towel from a roll on the counter and pulled a scone out of the oven with his bare hand.
“Thank you,” I said, taking it from him.
“Don’t you dare throw that out,” Marcus called after me as I left the kitchen.
He probably thought I was anorexic. I actually had a hearty appetite. I simply didn’t gain weight. Hate me all you want. Tough shit.
I just wasn’t in the mood for a scone. It’s like, “Oh, the guy you have a major jones for just hooked up with the bitch from hell. Here, have a scone.” I felt like chucking the damn thing into the road. But I didn’t.
After wrapping it in the paper towel, I set it on the passenger’s seat to save for later. It was early Saturday morning, and the roads were quiet.
After crossing town, I did a U-turn in the street and grabbed a parking spot beside my building. Morning always felt calmer than night. Safer. Bad things never seemed to happen in the immediate hours after nine a.m.
The washing machines spun their way through rinse cycles as I passed the laundry room.
I took a quick look through the wood slats in the outer hallway. A couple of cars were warming up under the carport and a woman from the first floor was brushing snow off her windshield from an open spot beside the building. Other than that, the coast was clear.
I breathed the cool air in and out as I unlocked my apartment door. I quickly locked it behind me.
It was eerily quiet inside. Michelle had most likely spent the night with her boyfriend. Trudy did morning yoga.
I set Marcus’s scone on the kitchen counter to save for later... maybe even now. I was starting to feel hungry. I’d bypassed all the appetizers at Marcus’s in favor of numbing my emotional pain as quickly as possible. Happy fucking Valentine’s! Always had hated this holiday. Now I hated it even more. It was a slap in the face to anyone who had no one to love them.
I stepped out of my pumps, scooped them up, and was walking barefoot across the carpet toward my room when I saw a figure in the living room from the corner of my eye. My heart jumped instantly into my throat and began hammering out of control.
Clive sat on the couch, smiling smugly.
“Hello, Noel.”
6
Out of Town
I dropped one shoe and clutched the other against my stomach. “How did you get in here?”
“Your roommate let me in on her way to yoga.” Clive smirked. “Nine a.m. Saturdays, right?”
“You can’t be here.”
“Of course I can. I’m your father.”
“You can’t be here,” I repeated, and this time I saw a flash of anger cross over his eyes.
He leaned forward like he might stand up. I squeezed the pump in my hand as though gripping the handle of a knife. I’m sure the heel could do some damage—especially when aimed at an eye. A cold sweat broke out over my body. If Clive came at me I was more likely to freeze up than take out his eye. I was equipped to kill vampires, not monsters.
Clive’s eyes dropped down to the death grip I had on my shoe. He relaxed back into the couch.
“All our neighbors have been asking about you. Your grandparents want to know when you’re coming home.”
“Where did you tell them I was?” Clive lied like a champ. He could come up with something on the spot. I wanted to know what story he’d sold the public.
“Rehab,” Clive said, shaking his head sadly. He looked me over from head to foot. “I see it’s not working. You need to come home where your family can take care of you.”
Bile rose to my throat.
Take care of me? Is that what he called taunting and bullying and beating down his own daughter until she couldn’t take it anymore? All my life I’d felt like he was trying to push me over the edge. But why put a stop to the games? What he really wanted was to push me over then pull me back up so he could push me again and again and again and again.
My jaw ached from the pressure of my grinding teeth. “I can take care of myself. And I don’t ever want to see your face again.”
I braced myself for his reaction. With Clive I never knew whether he’d erupt or come off as calm as a priest on Sunday. He took the high ground on this one, looking me square in the eye when he said, “Well, that’s just too bad. I’m your father.”
He loved saying that, like he was Darth Vader delivering terrible news over and over—news that could destroy me.
I’d nearly let him destroy me once. I wouldn’t let him again. Melcher said the world needed me. Melcher wasn’t a liar. Not like my dad. He had one of the most important jobs on the whole planet, and so did I.
I lifted my chin. “You need to leave now, unless you’d rather be escorted out.” I grabbed my phone.
“Who do you think you’re going to call, Noel?” Clive asked in a snide voice.
“A friend,” I replied. Little did my father know I had them in high places. Agent Melcher didn’t want family interfering in my new life.
Clive stood up.
“All you had to do is ask nicely,” he said.
Yeah, right. The man lied as easily as he breathed.
“Please leave,” I said.
Clive stopped three feet from me. “I will... for now, but you need to come home. I’m giving you one week, Noel.”
“No.”
Clive smiled because my “no” was barely a breath. Now that he was closer, I could smell his familiar off-putting scent—eau de demonic.
Clive zeroed in on my neck. I hadn’t had a chance to cover the bite mark. Instantly, his eyes lit up and a smile cut through his cheeks. Clive took sick pleasure from pain in any form.
“Did your friend do this to you?”
“That’s none of your business,” I retorted, standing my ground no matter how much I felt like stepping away from him.
“You need your family more than ever, Noel. I’ll let your mom and brother know you’re coming home. You wouldn’t want to let your little brother down, would you? Make him think you don’t want to see him. I’m sure there’s a heart somewhere inside there. Do the right thing for once in your life, Noel.” Clive stepped around me in one fluid movement and headed to the door. He unlocked the deadbolt and let himself out.
There was a scream building inside my throat, ready to erupt and echo through the halls of the building.
I rushed to the front door and relocked the bolt then stormed back inside the living room and threw my pump at the spot where Clive had been seated. It missed the couch, banging the wall instead, before dropping onto the cushions. But not before leaving a black mark on the eggshell paint.
I stormed into the kitchen and looked out the window in time to see Clive walking down the dirt road sandwiched between our building and a warehouse. So that’s how I’d missed his car—he’d parked out of sight. Because that wasn’t creepy.
Turning my back to the window, I surveyed the apartment through the open space between the kitchen and living room. It no longer felt secure. Not only had Clive found me, he’d managed to get inside.
I couldn’t stay here. There was just no way. But where was I supposed to go on such short notice? Whitney and Hope came from families only slightly less screwed up than mine. Their parents
would never allow me to crash anyway, not even for a night.
There was Aurora, but I didn’t exactly feel comfortable asking her. I could tell her mom thought I was trouble the one time I’d come over. And then I’d have to answer all kinds of questions I’d rather not share the answers to.
My life was personal. Private.
I had a week to figure something out, because no way in hell would I be sticking around this place at the end of it.
Just what I needed. First the school transfer—thanks to Valerie. Then Gavin. Compliments of Valerie, yet again. Then the reappearance of Clive. And now I needed to move out of my apartment and go who knows where.
I yanked open the knife drawer and stared down.
I felt like cutting open my chest and ripping out my heart. I felt like holding the lifeless organ up to my dad and Gavin and saying, “You can’t hurt me anymore, because now I’m as heartless as the two of you.”
I grabbed a pair of kitchen scissors and stormed into the bathroom. Lights on, standing in front of the mirror, I gathered my hair in my fist and began cutting through the strands.
The snipping sounds made my heart pump with elation. I hacked my way through the rest of my hair and set the long black rope of it onto the bathroom counter. Well, that was freeing. I felt lighter already. Maybe I could cut off my head while I was at it. Forget my heart. My brain was the real problem. It’s where thoughts festered and turned into unwanted emotions. Off with it!
Scissors opened wide, I held one blade to my throat and stared into my reflection. My hair hung jagged around my shoulders.
The scissors made one last slicing sound as I snapped them shut and set them down.
I had no desire to be dead. Not anymore. I was made of stronger stuff than that.
At ten, I started calling hair saloons until I found one that could see me that morning. I covered Henry’s bite mark with concealer and a studded choker, got my hair trimmed, and spent the afternoon in a coffee shop with my laptop looking at roommate-wanted ads.
I’d love to rent a place of my own. No roommates. No drama. Nothing but peace and quiet, or loud music if I wanted. Who knew? Maybe Melcher would go for it if I took the initiative and found something without his help.
Stakeout (Aurora Sky Page 7