Because the Night (The Night Songs Collection)

by Strassel, Kristen

  “Maybe he’s better than this.” I raised my eyebrows and crossed my arms in front of my chest. “His windows are all in one piece.”

  Tristan shook his head. “He wanted in. Bad.”

  I guess it would explain Blade’s bitterness towards Tristan, Immortal Dilemma, and the whole vampire scene. My brain swam as this information refused to settle. I never expected Blade to have a secret like this.

  “So he hates me, huh?” Tristan smirked. “Does he know —”

  About you, Tristan? I shook my head before he had a chance to finish.

  “Don’t expect me to help you keep your dirty little secret.” He leaned back, looking triumphant, and took a sip of his drink.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Aren’t you two cute?” Blade’s brother Dave teased as we lounged on the couch. “Listen, I need you two to peel your hands off of each other long enough to come to my bar tonight. We’re having a big radio birthday bash. Surprise live band. Anyone who’s anyone is going to be there.” This last part dripped with sarcasm. Dave raised his eyebrows repeatedly while waiting for us to accept his invite.

  “It sounds like it’s going to suck, Dave.” Blade offered in reply to the invitation, and went back to nuzzling my neck.

  “Oh, it’s totally going to suck. It’s going to suck out loud. That’s why I need you two there for my sanity.” Blade scoffed at Dave’s mention of sanity. “I need normal people there who are going to appreciate my commentary on the crimes against latex and fishnet that are bound to happen on such an amateur night in a place like this. C’mon, no cover, free drinks all night, you get to hang with the best bartender in town,” he tapped his chest, “Who just happens to be your favorite brother and the awesomest roommate ever. How can you possibly go wrong?”

  “We should just go.” I propped myself up on my elbows, peeling myself away from Blade enough to lobby on Dave’s behalf. Dave’s face brightened once he realized he had an ally. “I kinda feel bad for him. He’s whining.”

  “He is pathetic.” Blade sighed. “Fine, we’ll go. But if sucks, Callie, you are going to owe me. Big.”

  “It’s going to suck. And I plan on making good on all debts.” I ran my hand up the length of his thigh so there was no mistake on what currency I planned on paying in.

  The Bloody Heretic Hall was in The Hotel Paramount, next to the Alta Vista. This was my first visit to Dave’s bar, and from all the complaining he did about work, my expectations had been set pretty low. In reality, The Bloody Heretic Hall was actually pretty cool. It looked like the inside of a cavern or an old castle with wood paneled walls. Thick wooden beams supported the low ceiling and divided the club into little alcoves. Cozy dark green leather chairs surrounded the bar and booths. Thick, rich brown satin curtains encased the gold framed mirrors.

  Early by Vegas standards, we claimed seats at the bar. Dave brought Blade a pint of beer, then turned to wink at me. “What’s your pleasure?”

  “Something fruity.”

  A few moments later, Dave presented me with a glass of white sangria. Blade and I spun our stools away from the bar to people watch as the crowd filled in. Blade pointed out the people he knew milling through the crowd. Red lights pulsed over the dance floor and the crowd moved and swayed to ear splitting industrial sounded music. I couldn’t really hear Blade over the music so he slid off his stool so we could talk more easily, his chest against my arm and his breath tickling my face when he spoke made my heart skip a beat. He played lightly with the hem of my dress when his hand wasn’t settled on my thigh.

  Blade had turned to talk to Dave when a girl in a latex bodysuit screamed at me. I didn’t see her come out of the crowd, suddenly she was just in my face. “You fucking slut! You are such a fucking whore!” “Yeah, you. Callie.” She said my name with as much disdain as would normally be reserved for addressing a serial killer. “Stop acting like you’re so much better than everyone else and pay attention, bitch.”

  I wanted to ask her what the hell was going on, and how she knew me, but my mouth was so dry I couldn’t form the words. I wasn’t used to confrontation like this. This girl was most likely going to punch me in the face at any moment and I had no idea why.

  “Good.” She continued once she was satisfied that she had my complete attention. She leaned in close to me, so we were face to face. I sat tall and stiff in my chair. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here with some guy,” she jerked her head in Blade’s direction, again using her serial killer tone. “When you’re with Tristan as well. You can’t have it all, bitch. Some of us have a lot riding on things around here. You are screwing things up, big time.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I finally managed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Blade motion to his brother behind the bar. I hoped it was the nightclub version of S.O.S. I prayed he couldn’t hear what she was saying.

  “So you’re a dumb whore,” She laughed, even though nothing was funny, and I could smell booze. She must be loaded as well as obviously delusional. “Listen, bitch, one of these days, someone is going to teach you a lesson.”

  Security guards materialized out of the crowd and grabbed her, dragging her away from me. She screamed and gestured towards me, but I couldn’t hear any more of what she said and soon she was swallowed by the crowd. One of the guards stayed behind.

  “Are you OK, miss?” He asked.

  I shuddered. “I’m fine.”

  “Would you like to make a statement?”

  “No, it’s not a big deal. She was just some drunk girl.” But how did she know I knew Tristan?

  “Well, if you change your mind, let Dave know and he’ll come get me.”

  I nodded and the man also disappeared back into the crowd. I turned towards Blade, who looked down at me, frowning and concerned. He wrapped his arms around me and I rested my head against his chest.

  “What in God’s name just happened?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about it.” I didn’t want to give this girl any power over me or this situation. I just wanted to forget the whole thing ever happened.

  “Are you alright? Do you want to go?”

  “No, I want to stay. We were having fun up until that.”

  “Now who is going to owe who?” Blade ran his hand up and down my arm, kissing my hair, and I felt my body start to relax. He squeezed my hand and smiled at me.

  “I’m sure we’ll sort it all out.” I kissed him and forgot all about that crazy girl.

  A group of guys approached Blade, and from the fancy handshakes and hugs, I could tell he was happy to see them. He introduced me to them, but I couldn’t hear who they were or what he said. It seemed like they had some catching up to do, so I let them be. People watching kept me busy.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” a silky voice filled my ear. I turned to see Tristan leaning against the bar.

  I froze. What the hell was he doing here? Blade was right on the other side of me, so close we were touching. My heart beat so furiously, it might break a rib. I wasn’t sure I could take this much drama twice in one night.

  “You look like a Goddess,” Tristan’s eyes trailed down my bare legs, crossed on the bar stool. An electric current in my body followed his gaze. “Too bad you’re not with me tonight.”

  “What are you doing? You’re going to get me in to trouble.” I hissed at him.

  He laughed. “The only person who’s going to get you in to trouble, beautiful, is you.” He ran his hand along my jaw line as he pulled his face away from my ear. His cool touch burned. Another wicked smile, and then he disappeared into the crowd.

  Blade brought my bewildered mind back into The Bloody Heretic Hall by softly drumming on my bare thigh. I jumped three inches off my barstool and barely kept the liquid and fruit in my glass.

  “Whoa,” I surprised Blade as much as he surprised me. “Where did I just bring you back from?”

  “I was just thinking about how I was going to make things up to you later on.” I
surprised myself with my quickness. Our good natured teasing from earlier today had taken on a whole new meaning.

  Blade raised his eyebrows and smiled. “Well, tonight might not suck so bad after all. The guys just asked me if I’d play drums at a show with them coming up in a couple weeks.” He resumed his rhythmic tapping on my leg.

  “Oh that’s great!” He looked like a little kid who just got a surprise gift. I kissed him.

  I questioned Blade’s happiness. Tristan’s words ran through my head.

  Has he ever told you why he isn’t one of us?

  He wasn’t good enough.

  He wanted in, bad.

  The only person who’s going to get you in trouble, beautiful, is you.

  I took a large sip of my drink, hoping to drown my thoughts with wine. “So we’re celebrating tonight?” I asked hopefully. I needed to get my mind off of Tristan’s surprise appearance.

  “Looks that way,” Blade kissed me before turning around to share his news with Dave.

  The night resumed as it had been before. The club was filled to capacity, music throbbed, and bodies writhed on the dance floor. Blade attempted to fill me in on who the guys were who had asked him to play in their band. The two and a half glasses of sangria I’d downed did nothing for my attention level. I just smiled and nodded. I was thrilled to see him so genuinely happy about this.

  The crowd erupted into a roar when the curtains in the front of the room parted and revealed the stage. A petite girl announced into her microphone she was a DJ from the radio station hosting tonight’s party.

  “How are ya’ll doing tonight, Bloody Heretic Hall?” She paused for more audience feedback. From the sounds of it, everyone was doing just fine.

  “You’ve heard the rumors all week long about a possible surprise show from Las Vegas’ hottest band.” This met with a deafening response. “And you scrambled for information and hoped you made the right plans. Well, Bloody Heretic Hall, congratulations, you picked the place to be. Please join me in welcoming Immortal Dilemma!!”

  The lights dimmed as the band took the stage. Blade stood so stiffly, with his hand on my leg, it was as if he’d turned to stone while the girl was talking. I was almost afraid to look at him. He stared ahead with his mouth in a hard, straight line.

  I rubbed my hand along his arm. He still didn’t move. “Hey,” I did my best to snap him out of it. “We can go if you want.”

  Finally, he looked away from the stage, if that had even been what he was seeing, and turned to me. All the joy was gone from his eyes. His face looked gray. My heart sank. “No, its fine,” he said after staring at me blankly for what seemed like forever. “We can stay and watch the show.” Each word dripped with acid.

  Blade resumed his stony, staring straight ahead thing, with his hand possessively clutching my knee. I couldn’t think of a time I’d ever felt more uncomfortable. We had to get out of here. I wasn’t sure how to react to Blade in this state. I’d never seen him mad before.

  The concert seemed endless with Blade by my side. Again, I felt like Tristan could look right into my eyes while he played, even from all the way across the room. Before it had seemed sexy. Now it just made me feel naked.

  A girl crawled out of the audience and on to the stage. The same girl who had screamed at me earlier. The crowd gasped. The microphones picked up pieces of her shrill hysteria as she moved across the stage, headed towards Tristan. Once she reached him, she fell to her knees in front of him. She seemed to be begging him for something. Although there was definitely concern on Tristan’s face, he kept playing.

  Obviously not getting what she wanted from him, the girl tipped her head back and howled like a child having a tantrum. Silence had fallen over the room, making it easier to hear what happened on stage. She smashed her half full drink glass against the monitor near Tristan’s microphone, sending liquid and shards of glass showering down on herself, the stage, and possibly some of the audience. She lifted the jagged piece of glass that remained in her hand in front of her face as if she was considering what it was; the drops of liquid left on it twinkled in the light. Then, with a quick movement, she ran it violently across her neck. Blood flashed in the lights as it sprayed across the stage. She collapsed in a heap at Tristan’s feet.

  Security swarmed the stage. Where had they been before? The band stood motionless, like puppets without marionettes as the thick brown curtain made its way back to the middle of the stage. The room stood black and silent. Then the house lights came on along and a voice came over the PA system thanking everyone for coming, asking us to finish their drinks and make their way to the exits. Due to the unexpected events of the evening, The Bloody Heretic Hall called it a night early.

  Most of the people in the club stood motionless, looking lost. Many of them probably thought that the girl was part of the show, and were sobered by the thought of what she had really done. I leaned my head against Blade’s shoulder. My head swam. His demeanor finally softened and he put his arm around me.

  “Let’s go home,” Blade broke the trance.

  I slid down from the bar stool, feeling fuzzier than ever once I was on my feet. Blade put his arm around me, half to steady me, half to protect me. The bright lights and constant pinging of the slot machines as we made our way through the casino seemed obscene in contrast to what we just witnessed.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Have you ever checked out your roommate’s website?” Blade asked out of the blue a couple days later as we sat on the floor of his living room.

  “Of course.”

  “Recently?”

  I didn’t like where this was going.

  “Not since I’ve been in Vegas.” Something told me I should have. I didn’t need to check the Tristan gossip boards anymore now that he was a part of my life again. I watched Blade type on his laptop. He attacked the keys, striking them loud enough that the sound echoed in the room.

  My stomach knotted, I had no idea what was going to happen when he clicked on that link. Had Janelle shared my relationship with Tristan with the whole world?

  The answer was yes, she had.

  I couldn’t believe my own eyes. There I was, a bit blurry in the camera phone capture, at The Bloody Heretic Hall with Tristan’s fingertips on my face. An innocent exchange caught out of context. The caption questioned: “Old friend or new squeeze?”

  “What the fuck is this?” Blade coiled away from the computer, as a cat would round its spine under attack, pushing himself up against the couch.

  “It’s not what it looks like.” I struggled for air. “I can explain.”

  “Please do.” I opened my mouth to start a few times, and closed it. Blade’s eyes burned angry holes in me.

  I looked down at my fingers twisting in my lap. “Do you remember when I told you about my friend from the Vineyard who died?”

  “Yeah.” Not winning Blade over.

  “That was Tristan.”

  “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “It’s true. My parents rent our house from his aunt.”

  Blade relaxed slightly, but still had his arms folded defensively in front of his chest. He took a moment to digest that information. “So he’s the dead guy.”

  “Right.”

  Blade sighed. “If he’s just some old friend of yours, why didn’t you just tell me?”

  “Because I was afraid that this would happen.”

  “What do you mean, this?”

  “This! The first time I met you, you already had a chip on your shoulder about Immortal Dilemma, and it only got worse the longer I knew you. Of course I was afraid to tell you. I knew that you’d react this way.”

  “Callie, you can have all the friends you want. Really. Even if they’re dead. But if you hide it from me, I’m going to think there’s something you don’t want me to know.”

  This wasn’t the time to question him about his involvement with the band. “I knew that you’d hate the whole thing.”


  “I’m not going to lie, I do.”

  “See?”

  “I hate that out of all people in this city, it had to be him. I hate that I totally didn’t see this coming.”

  I tried to move closer but Blade didn’t welcome me. I deserved that. I figured I’d give him the opportunity to tell me about his role with the band himself. “Why do you hate him so much?”

  “Because he’s an asshole. The band embodies everything that is wrong with this city. The greed, the soullessness, the total disrespect for people. I’ve watched this happen with so many girls. It can’t happen to you.”

  So many girls, huh? “It’s not like that, Blade. He is just my friend.”

  “Am I your friend?” Something in his face changed when he asked me this.

  “Well yeah, of course.” I swallowed hard.

  “Am I just your friend?” He crawled in closer to me, his face so close to mine. His anger had melted away into something else. Need.

  Instantly I was lost in his blue eyes. “No.”

  I didn’t have a chance to say any more. His lips were on mine, and I didn’t have to explain anything else. I leaned backwards, between the couch and the coffee table, and he followed. As he continued to kiss me, with his mouth moving down to my neck, he ran his hand from my hip up under my shirt and stroked high on my ribcage, just below my bra.

  “Are you okay with this?” He stopped just enough to ask, with his face over mine, his hand still moving on my ribcage. I nodded.

  He leaned down to kiss me again, and I wound my hands around his neck, pulling him in closer. He slid his arms under my back and picked me up off the floor, stood up, and carried me into his bedroom.

  **

  The warmth of the sunshine streaming in the window woke me up the next morning. I snuggled in the tangle of sheets with Blade; I wasn’t ready to move yet. I felt like a cat waking up from a nap.