He leaned against the counter. “You don’t need my help. You already know what to do. You just want confirmation.”
I sank onto the stool. “No, I really don’t. Part of me wants to go over because he needs me, but I—“
Someone pounded on the door.
“Who’s that?” I asked.
Laeddin walked to the door. I followed. By the smell of blood, I knew they were human.
Two police officers stood on our porch.
“Hello, sir. Are you Jackie Ryder’s father?”
Laeddin opened the door all the way. “No, her parents are in Las Vegas, and they’ve asked me to keep an eye on her until they’ve finished their business and can join Jackie here in Salem.” He smiled casually.
Both police officers scrutinized him. They were about the same height, but one was more muscular than the other. They both looked like they were in their early twenties. One had dark brown hair. The other officer had strawberry blond. They seemed to take their job very seriously.
“I’m officer Gand,” the guy with strawberry blond hair said. Then he pointed to his partner. “This is officer Vick. Can we come in?”
“We have some questions for Jackie,” officer Vick added.
“Sure,” Laeddin said.
When they were inside, he directed them to the couch. “Have a seat.”
I came in. “I’m Jackie.” My heart raced and my lips were chapped. What did they want? Did they know I drank Jackie’s blood?
“A couple of students saw you and Abby walking away from the school together yesterday. Is that true?” Officer Vick had a pad of paper and a pencil out, ready to write down whatever I said.
“Yes, that’s true. I was there for a while. I’m not exactly sure how long, but we watched three plus a little of the fourth episode of a show called The Vampire Diaries.”
Officer Vick nodded. “When did you leave?”
“I don’t know the exact time. We were watching and then Abby said she was going to go get us a drink. It took her a while so I went down to the kitchen. Abby wasn’t there so I called out to her and she answered from the bathroom that she was sick and that she was going to be a while.” I shrugged and took a moment to take a deep breath. An image of Abby’s broken body fluttered past my mind. Tears filled my eyes. “I told her I’d see her at school tomorrow and left.”
Both officers nodded.
“You’re new to the school. Correct?” Officer Gand asked.
“Yes,” I responded, my voice a whisper. “Today would’ve been my third day. Abby and I had Creative Writing together. That’s where we met.” They hadn’t asked for any of that information but I gave it anyway.
“I see.” Officer Vick eyed me suspiciously. “Did anyone seem to dislike Abby?”
I shook my head. “Not that I saw.” I thought about Sydney and how she wasn’t friendly. “I mean there are kids at school who don’t hang out with each other, but that’s just life, isn’t it?”
Officer Gand and officer Vick gave each other a knowing look.
“Tell us the name of those students she didn’t’ get along with?”
I sat on the chair across from the officers and clasped my hands between my knees. “There’s a girl named Sydney and then a guy named Drake. I don’t know their last names.”
Officer Vick wrote something down. Then he gave me a direct look. “Did you kill Abby Carrington?”
A sob ripped from my throat. My body shook with grief and pain. Finally, I shook my head. “No, I didn’t.”
The officers stood. Officer Vick patted me awkwardly on the back. “We’ll find whoever hurt your friend.”
“You can be sure of that,” Officer Gand added.
They walked to the door. Laeddin followed them.
“If she thinks of anything else, please have her call us.” Officer Vick handed Laeddin a card.
“I will. Thank you.” He shut the door behind them.
I jumped out of the seat and ran over to Laeddin.
He put a finger to his lips.
Once we heard the police car drive away, he removed his finger.
“Are you okay?” He pulled me to his chest.
My body still shook uncontrollably. I was devastated, sick inside, definitely NOT okay. “What do you know about the demura?”
He rested his chin on my head. “I’ve never heard that word before today. But I may know of someone who does.” He pushed me back so he could see my face. “I’ll need to be gone a few hours. Maybe a day at the most. Will you be okay alone?”
In response my teeth started chattering. I really wanted to go home. But I couldn’t. Not yet. I needed to find a way to end the demura. It was the least I could do for Abby. “Yes.”
“That’s my girl.” Laeddin smiled sweetly.
My heart warmed, grateful that whatever anger he harbored over the scratch on his neck, was gone.
Right before my eyes, he vanished as well. I turned in a circle, unsure what to do next.
My phone beeped. I looked at it and realized I had a text.
From Cam. You coming over or not? Then another that said, Never mind I’ll come to you.
I responded, Okay. Do you know where I live?
Yep. Be there in a few.
Okay.
I put my phone in the back pocket of my jeans and went to sit on the couch when I heard scratching.
“What the…” I opened the door and there was Gatsby.
He sauntered in. “Close the door. I need to speak with you and there isn’t much time. Your friend Cameron will be here soon.”
Chapter 22
I’d grown up around unicorns, ogres, elves, and vampires. They all talked often, sometimes annoyingly so. But that was in Sharra. A talking cat in the human world was completely different, probably because humans were normal here, as were the animals. They weren’t supposed to talk. And a mist-creature wasn’t supposed to invade human bodies either. Sometimes sarcasm really helped.
Gatsby jumped on the couch.
I sat beside him, working to get a handle on myself. “What is it?”
Gatsby curled his tail around his paws. His yellow eyes studied me carefully. “I know what happened to Abby yesterday.”
I was stunned. “You do?” My hand found my way over my mouth.
“It’s okay, Jasmine. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
My bottom lip quivered. “I drank her blood.” My voice was barely above a whisper.
Gatsby placed a paw on my knee. “If you hadn’t, the demura would’ve killed you.”
I nodded. Tears dripped from my eyes.
“Don’t cry. You’re getting blood on your shirt.”
“Pixie dust!” I quickly wiped my eyes. Cam would arrive any minute and I didn’t want him to see my face or my shirt. I pulled off my shirt and tossed it in the corner, ran to the mirror and wiped any remnants of my blood tears. “Gatsby, do you know what the demura is? What it wants?”
“Of course I do.” He licked his paw. “But Cam is on his way. Comfort your friend, and I’ll tell you about the demura tonight.”
“But—”
There was a knock at the door.
I realized I hadn’t put on another shirt and was only in my black camisole tank, but it was fine. I opened the door and Gatsby ran out.
Cam looked awful. His eyes were puffy from crying.
He sniffled. “Hey.”
“Hi Cam. Come in.” I walked him into the kitchen. “Want a drink or something?”
“Got any liquor? I’d really like to get drunk and pass out.” He sat on a stool, his face buried in his hands.
I went over and rubbed his back. “I’m so sorry, Cam.” He would think I was apologizing was not having alcohol, but it was so much more. I was sorry for putting Abby in harm’s way. It was my fault she died. The demura said so. I was sorry I’d ever come to Salem. I should’ve stayed in Sharra and become the princess my mom and dad wanted me to be. I never should’ve wished to become something I wasn’t. The w
orst part was, if I’d come into the human world with all of my powers and my wings, I would’ve been able to stop the demura. I had no doubt about that.
Cam sniffled. “It isn’t your fault, Jack.” He glanced at me. “How are you holding up?”
I pushed away the tears threatening to drop. “I’m…” I swallowed. “I’m okay.”
“You two seemed to really hit it off. She told me you guys were going to hang out yesterday. Did you?”
I nodded. “Yes. We watched The Vampire Diaries for a while until she got sick.”
“Weird.” Cam pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his nose. “Abby never got sick.”
I told him how we ate licorice and then she went to get a drink. “Maybe the licorice made her sick?” My lips trembled and my shoulders shook. A sob caught in my throat. “She told me she’d see me in school tomorrow,” I whispered.
Cam hugged me and I hugged him back. It was a sweet moment, a normal one, me hugging my friend, but it was marred by the fact that my face was against his neck. His heart pumped his warm blood through his veins. I longed to sink my teeth in his neck and… “I feel so bad for her family. They must be devastated.”
“Yeah.” He wiped his eyes. “Abby was close with her little sister.”
I stopped listening at the mention of a sister. No one else had been home when we were there. I was sure of it. But a part of me worried maybe that wasn’t true. What if the little sister was home and had seen something? Like me drinking Abby’s blood.
“I didn’t know she had a sister.” I said, sniffling.
“She’s like eleven or twelve. I’m not sure. Did you see her there yesterday?”
“No, I didn’t. And the police didn’t mention her either.” I pulled away and walked over to the refrigerator.
“The police?”
“They were just here, asking questions.” I pulled out a peppermint leaf, took a big sniff, and then put it behind my ear.
“What did they ask?”
I took the teapot from the stove and went to the sink. I didn’t want any tea, but I needed something to do and I’d seen the cook in our kitchen brew it many times before. “Just whether I’d gone to her house. What we did. When I left.”
“Ah, well yeah, you’re probably the last person to see her alive.” He sat up straighter. “I wish you could’ve gotten to know her better. She was so smart and funny and a great friend.” A tear dripped onto his cheek.
I hurried over and hugged him. “You liked her?”
“Well, yeah. I did.” Cam looked at me. “I mean not liked, liked her, but she was the best friend a person could ever have. When we were in junior high, she got in several fights trying to protect me, even though I could’ve handled it. She once told me she was like a mamma bear with her cub when it came to how she felt about me.” He smiled at the memory. “I wouldn’t have survived without her.”
“She seems amazing. The little bit of time I spent with her proved that.” I took a bag of chamomile tea from a box and stuck it in a mug.
“Amazing is an understatement,” Cam said.
“How long were you two friends?” The teapot whistled. I took it from the stove and poured water in the mug.
“Her family moved to Salem when we were in the third grade. We were in the same reading group. She was shy and always had her nose in a book. Our teacher challenged us to read the Harry Potter books. We read those books twice by summer vacation. She was a total book nerd so we got along together perfectly. I used to say her parents moved to Salem for me because I needed her.” His eyes filled with tears.
“Cam, I’m so sorry.” I removed the teabag and handed the mug to him. “Here, drink this. It’ll calm your nerves.” At least that was what the box said.
He brought it to his nose and sniffed. “What is it?”
“Chamomile tea.”
“You made me tea?”
I shrugged. It was something to do. “Yeah.”
Cam squeezed my hand. “It’s perfect.” He took a sip. “Thank you, Jack. I’m so glad you moved to Salem. If I didn’t have you, I—” An odd look twisted his features. “What do you know about those new kids, Zoe and Peter?”
“Not much.” I dumped the remaining water in the sink, watching the steam rise. It warmed my face. “I’ve talked to them a couple of times and we ate lunch together, but that’s it.”
“Hmmmm,” he took another sip. “We should find out more about them.”
It wasn’t a bad idea. “Okay.”
Chapter 23
Cam and I hung out for several more hours. After he left, I went upstairs to change into my PJs.
Gatsby said we would talk later. He needed a way to get in so I opened the window. Before I had a chance to open a book, he’d jumped into my room.
“The boy seems to be doing better. You really are a good friend, Jasmine.” He hopped on my bed and curled into a ball.
“Um, thanks.” I fluffed some pillows and stuffed them behind my back. Gatsby appeared to have fallen asleep. I cleared my throat. “Are you going to tell me about the demura?”
His eyes blinked open. “I suppose I should.”
I crossed my legs and sat forward.
“I’m actually surprised your genie friend didn’t tell you anything about it.”
“Why’s that?” I suddenly felt a little sick. Had Laeddin brought the demura to Salem?
“Well, because a demura is the spirit of an evil genie.”
My heart beat in my throat. “How can a genie be evil? Aren’t they required to obey those who possess their lamp? Do they have a choice?”
Gatsby crossed his paws. “Let me start at the beginning.”
I crossed my arms and sank further into my pillows. For some reason I dreaded hearing the story. What if it put Laeddin in a bad light? As difficult as the past few days had been, I didn’t want him to be evil.
Gatsby began, “More than two thousand years ago, twelve brothers were born to the king and queen of Debania. The king, being a selfish man, realized that someday he would die and have to give up his throne. As the most powerful man in his kingdom he decided to find a way to live forever.
“The kingdom had a powerful sorceress named Maleficent. He went to her and asked that she grant him eternal life. The sorceress agreed, but only if he brought with him twelve golden lamps and his sons.
He agreed. The very next day he sent his soldiers out in search of the lamps. Within the year he had all twelve. Some were encrusted with gems. Others were gilded with diamonds. All were extremely beautiful and fine. He presented them as well as his sons to the sorceress.
“She placed a lamp in front of each son and then cursed them all to an eternity of servitude. Once the sons were captive inside their lamps, she took the king’s sword and stabbed him through the heart. While he lay dying, he asked why she broke her vow. Maleficent gave him a smile. You will live forever through your sons. They will never die and for your selfishness, they will be required to serve others forever.” The effort of so much talking seemed to have tired Gatsby out. He rested his head on his paws and closed its eyes.
I closed my eyes, my thoughts wondering over the story. Did that mean Laeddin was over two thousand years old? That was kind of creepy. And while I now knew Laeddin had eleven brothers and that a sorceress by the name of Maleficent cursed them, I still didn’t know how the demura came to be.
I sat up. “Gatsby, what about the demura?”
The cat yawned, his pink tongue curling as he flashed his sharp teeth. They looked a lot like my own. “Right.” He climbed onto my lap and rubbed the top of his head against my hand.
“Fine.” I chuckled and scratched him.
He purred.
“After a thousand years, the oldest brother began his subjugation to a peculiar creature. It changed forms as often as it breathed. The oldest brother never got a sense of what it was, but according to the laws of the genie by which he was bound, he was forced to grant the creature three wishes.
“The creature disappeared and the oldest brother became the first demura or demon mist.”
I stopped rubbing Gatsby’s back. “So there’s only one demura and it’s Laeddin’s oldest brother?”
Gatsby pawed my hand. I began petting him again. “Over the next several hundred years the same creature found and took possession of all the brothers, demanding the same three wishes from each of them. There are now eleven demura. Laeddin is the only genie left who hasn’t been turned by the creature.”
My heart began pounding so hard I thought it would come out of my chest. “He’s in danger?”
“Yes, he has been for several decades. That’s probably why he was hiding in Sharra.”
“What is the creature changing the genies?”
Gatsby closed his eyes. His purring grew louder. “I have my guesses but I don’t know for certain.”
“How do you know about the demura and the story of the genies?”
Gatsby chuckled. “I’ve been around a really, really long time. There isn’t much I don’t know.”
“Except you don’t know what’s after Laeddin?”
“Little vampire, I’ve told you more than anyone else ever could have. You should be grateful for what I’ve given you.” He rose and walked to the edge of my bed.
“Sorry, Gatsby. I am.”
The cat jumped off my bed.
“Don’t go. I need to know how to stop the demura. What can stop them?”
Gatsby turned and sat. “They no longer have their lamps, which is why they must enter the bodies of humans.”
I moved to the edge of the bed.
“So either we get rid of all seven billion humans…”
That wasn’t even a possibility. “Or?”
“I’ve thought a lot about this. I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I believe if they had their lamps back, they would return to their original form and no longer need humans to survive.”
Vampire Lies (Blood and Snow Season Book 1) Page 11