Hope nodded her head. “It totally kicked ass. Remember Cody, Andrew, and Jason from Algebra? They started playing hacky sack in the middle of the room.”
“Yeah,” Whitney said, nodding along. “It was crazy. So, finally your dad comes out looking all pissed off wanting to know what the hell is going on and Fane says, “We’re friends of Noel’s and if you bother her again, we’re going to bother you. And we’ll come by every afternoon after school if you don’t back the hell off.”
I was trying to picture Clive’s face; his reaction. I was dying to know how he had responded to a mob scene at his place of work. That had to have thrown him. What about the patients in the waiting room? Heaven forbid they think Clive was anything other than the good doctor. I was starting to see the brilliance behind Fane’s strategy.
“What did my dad say?” I asked.
Whitney frowned. “He told Fane that his relationship with his daughter was none of Fane’s business.”
A lump formed in my throat so large I couldn’t swallow. “And then?” I whispered hoarsely.
Whitney straightened up, eyes fierce, as though she’d taken on Fane’s persona. “And then Fane gave Dr. Harper the coldest look I’ve ever seen and in a voice that sent goose pimples to my arms, said, “If you contact your daughter again I’m going to make your life a living hell, and I will take pleasure in every second of it.”
“What did my dad say?” I asked breathlessly.
“He didn’t say anything.”
“He looked like he was having a stroke,” Hope offered.
That would have been too good, but this was pretty well near perfection.
Whitney sighed. “Fane Donado is the hottest vampire on the planet. Total knight in shining armor.”
“Maybe he was a knight,” Hope said.
“Or a prince.” Whitney’s eyes sparkled.
“Maybe he was a pauper,” I suggested, which earned me a scowl from Whitney. “Unless he was of noble birth he very likely didn’t lead a charmed life.” And I thought I had problems. Fane could have been the son of a cobbler or a half-starved orphan.
Whitney lifted her nose. “Well, I don’t care if he shined shoes for a living. I’d offer him my body in a microsecond.”
Hope laughed.
“But enough about my fantasies,” Whitney said. Her eyes sparkled when she looked at me. “I want all the dirty details.”
I looked at her in confusion.
Whitney made a huff of impatience. “Where did he bite you? What did it feel like? Did Fane hold your head while he sucked you?” She leaned all the way over the table. “I want to see it. I want to see where he bit you.”
At that moment, a scrawny boy in braces walked up with our tray of food. I didn’t recognize him from Denali High School. Might still be in junior high. He didn’t look old enough to drive and certainly not old enough to overhear what Whitney had spouted without turning a hundred and three degrees in the face.
Whitney and Hope exchanged glances before bursting into laughter. The poor kid dropped the tray as quick as he could and took off.
“Hey, you forgot our numbers,” Whitney called after him, holding up our order cards.
Hope hit her on the shoulder. “He might think you mean our phone numbers.”
This set Whitney and Hope off into another round of hysterics. I might have joined them if everything in my life didn’t feel so topsy-turvy and out of control. Still, I couldn’t help teasing Whitney. “Nice going, ace. That kid’s probably scarred for life.”
“Boys,” Whitney replied with an eye roll. “Let’s get back to the subject of real men.”
I grabbed a handful of fries and shook my head. “Fane didn’t bite me, and he’s not going to. We’re friends. Friends don’t bite friends.”
Fane had looked seriously smoking in his Goth getup, but he wasn’t my type and thank goodness he wasn’t because Aurora was my friend. I had negative ten interest in a love triangle involving a vampire, a vampire hunter, and a vampire informant. No. Hell, no.
Whitney’s face fell in disappointment. She turned to Hope. “Hope, what’s the opposite of a whore?”
Hope stopped unwrapping her burger and lifted her brows. “A prude?”
“Yeah, a prude,” Whitney said, turning forward once more. “Please don’t tell me you’re turning into a goody two-shoes puritan, or I may have to barf all over my burger.”
“Eww!” Hope said mid-chew.
“Do I look like a prude?”
Whitney took a quick look at my corset and shrugged. “I just can’t believe you’re not taking advantage of a dream opportunity.”
“She’s not over Gavin,” Hope said. “I get it.”
“Okay, fine,” Whitney said. “But it would serve Gavin right if you became bite buddies with Fane.”
“Bite buddies,” Hope repeated. “Good one.”
All this talk of biting was making me hungry. I devoured my burger and fries while Whitney went off on a wistful fantasy involving herself and Fane. Halfway through my shake, I received a text from Melcher telling me to come in the next morning. Hopefully that meant he’d found a place for me to hang my hat.
12
Unusual Symptoms
The next morning, I left an hour after Fane went to school. Joss set toast and tea out for me again. When I told him I had to run an errand, he didn’t ask any questions. I could see why he made such a good roommate.
Speaking of roommates, I hoped the next set worked multiple jobs and were never home. Sharing a space with other women sucked. Having my own place would be so cool. Dante mentioned having a roommate, so I doubted I’d get off without one.
I’d find out soon enough.
Walking through the base always felt like some kind of twisted joke. The men and women wore head-to-toe camo. The guys had shaved heads and the women wore tightly knotted buns at the napes of their necks. Made me feel like freak girl striding down the hall in black Goth wear: my hair loose and stringy over my face.
I stepped up to the front desk outside Melcher’s office and was met with a frown. The secretary had me wait, but it wasn’t long before one of the unit’s specially trained doctors came out to collect me. He didn’t wear camo, but a white lab coat was hardly comforting.
“Good morning, Miss Harper. Please follow me.”
I followed Lab Coat into an exam room that didn’t look much different than the kind at real hospitals.
“Please have a seat on top of the examination table.”
I jumped onto the table, a white sheet of paper crinkling under me while the doc clicked the door shut. According to my calendar, I wasn’t due to receive my shot for another week. Guess Melcher decided to have it done early as long as he was calling me in.
The monthly injection is what kept all of us ABers from turning into vampires.
The irony was that when Melcher recruited each of us, he simultaneously saved us and condemned us to a life dependent on the government’s antidote. It was kind of weird knowing that eternity was just within reach yet simultaneously out of the question.
We were recruited to put an end to vampires, not become them.
When Melcher enlisted anyone with AB blood, he first infected them with a mix of diseases now known to cause vampirism in people with AB negative or positive blood. In boot camp, my instructor had referred to it as “activation”—a necessary evil for vampire hunters to successfully poison vamps with their blood.
But not necessary for those of us with AB positive blood. It only worked with AB negative.
Melcher hadn’t been sure. Not until me. He’d said I was his final test subject. When my blood failed to poison a vampire during initiation, he’d come to the conclusion that people with AB positive blood were no longer candidates for assassin work. We could still be used as informants. I wondered if they’d start bringing in all blood types for undercover work. I hoped not. I liked to think I was special, even if my blood couldn’t poison a vamp. Maybe my blood connection made me bett
er equipped to deal with them.
The doctor walked over with a large needle and took my arm in his cold hands. I looked away. Sure, knives didn’t bother me, but needles did.
The tip of the needle jabbed through my skin. I held my breath until it was over.
“Have you experienced any unusual symptoms since your last visit?” the doctor asked. Same question every time.
“No.”
“Any concerns or questions?”
“I feel great.”
Every month, the doctor went through the same routine and questions with me before sending me to check in with Melcher. It was like a teeth cleaning before seeing the dentist.
He scribbled some notes inside my chart then looked up and said I could go wait outside Melcher’s office.
The door to Melcher’s office was slightly ajar. Sometimes he left it that way for me to go on inside, so I walked over. But as I neared, I heard him addressing someone in a stern voice.
“You were supposed to take care of everything. Instead, I had to rescue you from a prison cell... again! I cannot keep cleaning up after you, Jared.”
Whoa, hold the smartphone. Jared? At first I thought Melcher was talking to another informant or one of his hunters. Jared didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who got reprimanded. More like the kind of guy who called the shots. I was glad Melcher stuck to his guns. He was far less intimidating than the likes of Just Jared.
I knew I shouldn’t, but I paused a moment longer beside Melcher’s door.
“Clean up after me? That’s rich, Gabriel. Since when are you a comedian?”
I didn’t hear Melcher’s answer because I backed up as quickly and quietly as I could. Keeping my head bent, I slouched in a chair across from the secretary’s desk.
Gabriel, I repeated inside my head. Gabriel Melcher. It didn’t sound right. I didn’t know a lot about Melcher, but at least now I knew his first name.
What I wouldn’t give to know how Mr. Badass Jared ended up in a jail cell... twice. Maybe he ought to stick to recruiting rather than field work. I hoped Aurora was okay. Valerie could rot in a cell for all I cared.
A pair of legs strode past me. I looked up and caught Jared’s backside as he receded down the hall. He hadn’t even noticed me.
“You can go in now,” the secretary said.
I adjusted my lace gloves and proceeded into Melcher’s office as though I’d never eavesdropped.
Melcher stood, holding an open file in his hands, staring down at it intently. He looked like one of those hard-ass FBI agents on television.
“Good morning, Harper. Take a seat.” Melcher closed the file and tossed it on top of his desk before settling into his chair. He leaned across his desk on his elbows. “I’ve got good news. I’ve secured a new place for you.”
My heart leapt with joy.
“I trust you’ll be fine on your own for a few months? Aurora can decide if she wants to move in after graduation or at the end of summer before university begins.”
I sat straight up in my chair. “Wait a minute? I get to be roommates with Aurora?” Now my heart was really bursting with joy. It sounded too good to be true. First I’d get the place to myself, then I’d be living with a close friend who knew all the things I knew about vampires. No more Michelle and Trudy, no more hiding who I was or getting weird looks for what I wore and how often I went out.
“That’s right,” Melcher said with a slight smile. “I’d planned to find her a place near campus this summer, but now works just as well.”
“Melcher, thank you. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”
Melcher nodded. “It’s a better situation all around. I’d rather have my team looking out for one another than stick you with innocents who have no clue as to what you do.” Melcher tapped his finger on his desk. “There is one other thing. I want you to keep an eye on Aurora.”
The excitement I’d experienced two seconds ago dissolved to ash. Melcher’s hawk-like stare and crisp tone did not bode well.
My voice dropped an octave. “Why do I need to keep an eye on Aurora?”
“It’s nothing you need to worry about. Aurora has already come forward about her blood cravings. Now I want to make sure she doesn’t experience any relapses.”
I wrinkled my nose, remembering how Aurora sucked down a full glass of human blood after sustaining multiple stab wounds. She’d jokingly called it a self-administered blood transfusion.
Melcher gave an approving nod at my reaction.
“As I explained to Aurora, blood cravings are one of the unfortunate side effects a hunter or informant can experience after their procedure.”
No wonder the lab coat was always asking me if I’d experienced any unusual symptoms. Yetch! Thank goodness blood cravings weren’t one of my side effects. I’d never experienced any that I was aware of.
“Aurora seems to be doing fine now, but a relapse might occur at any moment,” Melcher continued. “That is why I want you to keep an eye on her and report any suspicious behavior to me so that I can get Aurora immediate help.”
Something about that sounded really sketchy, like black-hood-over-the-head, disappear-without-a-trace sketchy.
Luckily, I was a pro at masking my feelings when I didn’t want to show a reaction. I’d had plenty of practice with Clive. All those times he wanted to see me crumble, watch me cry, I’d forced a stony expression over my face and saved my tears for later until I was so well trained, I rarely needed to cry even in private.
“What kind of help?” I asked calmly.
“Most times it’s as simple as adjusting the subject’s medication.”
Did he seriously just refer to Aurora as a subject?
I nodded thoughtfully. “What kind of symptoms am I looking for?”
Melcher relaxed into the back of his seat. “Blood cravings first and foremost. Any significantly altered nocturnal patterns—staying up all night, sleeping all day. Hypersexuality. Any sort of compulsive, obsessive, addictive behavior.”
“Excuse me?” This conversation had shot way out of my comfort zone.
Melcher stared at me for several unnerving seconds.
“Just keep your eyes and ears open.”
For what exactly? Bumping and grinding? Screaming and moaning the whole night through? I never realized Melcher had such a twisted mind.
His frown deepened. “You trust me, don’t you, Noel?”
“You saved my life.” I said it with conviction because despite any sketchiness on Melcher’s part, I never forgot that fact. But it didn’t mean I’d report harmless vampires or rat out friends.
Melcher’s jaw moved from side to side as though chewing on a thought. “You’ve done good work for this department,” he said slowly. “You were worth it.”
Wacky words and freakiness aside, I felt an inexplicable urge to walk over to Melcher and hug him. He’d found me a safe haven and said my life was worthwhile. I’d never hug him, of course. Not in a million years. But that was how grateful I felt at the moment. I could use some good news in my life.
Melcher rapped the file he’d tossed on his desk with his knuckle. “While you’re here, I want you to look at something.” He pushed the file across his desk.
I leaned forward to the edge of my seat, spun the file around, and opened it. A photograph of a young blond woman, about nineteen was clipped inside. She had a stony expression and the frown of a person utterly devoid of joy. Her image gave me the instant willies.
“Vampire,” I said.
“That’s correct. Giselle Morrel. Last seen in Sitka and considered extremely dangerous.”
“Sitka?” I asked, looking up. I needed to get back to school or get on the phone and talk to Aurora. It sounded like her mission didn’t go as smoothly as mine.
Melcher nodded, grim-faced. “She’s the one who got away.”
“Did she have anything to do with Agent Crist’s murder?”
“No, but her father did. He and his wife and son were successfully
terminated, but Giselle managed to get away.” Melcher leaned forward. “I don’t need to remind you what happens when a vengeful vampire is on the loose.”
My throat suddenly felt very dry. “You think she’ll track her family’s killers to Anchorage?”
“Again, one of many reasons why I need you to keep an eye on Aurora. If you see this girl, tell me at once.” Melcher reached across his desk and touched the photo. “Do not engage with her. Do not let her frail appearance fool you. Giselle Morrel is a killer. She’s been around longer than any of the vampires you’ve investigated before, and she’s lost every last trace of humanity. Do you understand?”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah. I understand.” Loud and clear. I’d happily step aside and let the vampire hunters take her out. Sounded like the perfect assignment for Dante.
I guess the whole “keep an eye on Aurora” assignment wasn’t as peculiar as I first thought. It sounded like Melcher was truly concerned for her safety with this baddie blonde possibly out for revenge. At the end of the day, he was only looking out for us. Look how quickly he’d found me somewhere to live.
“How soon until I can move into my new place?”
“You’ll have the key next week.”
Now would have been better, but I wasn’t going to complain. At least I’d soon have a place to live and could get out of Fane and Joss’s lair. I was sure they’d be happy to have their living room back.
I couldn’t wait to tell Aurora we were going to be roommates. Time to get my butt back to school. I got up from my chair.
“Thank you, Agent Melcher.”
“You’re welcome,” he said without emotion. “Oh, and Noel, none of this leaves the room.”
“Of course not,” I said.
“Including the house you two will be sharing. I will let Aurora know after she graduates. She can decide if she wants to move in right away or spend the summer at home.”
Stakeout (Aurora Sky Page 15