“Yo Cindy? You decent in here?”
Through the crack in the door I saw a purse hit the couch. I opened the door all the way to see Cindy taking her sandals off. She didn't look happy. She looked at me as I stepped in.
“Everything okay?”
“Oh, yeah. Everything's perfect.”
She stepped out from behind the couch and stormed into the kitchen. She took my advice. She wore a baggy tee-shirt and a pair of shorts that looked great. Very casual, but Cindy is so hot, anything looks good on her. But I got the hint the date didn't go well.
“What happened? Fill me in. You guys hit dinner and a movie?”
“We saw a movie. That's it.”
“He was a jerk?”
She came out of the kitchen with a soda. “Nope. He was fine. A nice, good looking guy. And I caught him staring at my legs.”
I smiled, just because I was right. “Okay. He was in to you then. So what happened?”
“Look, Alex, I don't want to talk about this right now. I just want to be left alone, alright?”
There was danger in her voice. I hadn't seen her this angry in a while. I realized as she looked at me that I was the one she was angry at.
“You pissed at me?” I asked.
She didn't answer, which meant yes. “Can we talk about this later? I'm not in the mood right now.”
“Cindy, I'm really sorry if I messed up your date somehow.”
She finished her soda and turned to toss it in the trashcan. I heard her mumble under her breath. “You ruin every fuckin' date.”
“What the hell is going on?”
She raised her voice. “I don't want to talk about it! That's the third time! Am I speaking Chinese here?”
Cindy and her temper. I'd experienced it a few times before, and I'd seen her unleash it on others. We had fights before. Sometimes they were my fault, sometimes hers. But honestly, this time, I had no idea why she was mad at me.
I shrugged. “Cool.”
I left without looking back. I actually paced in my apartment for a while. I kept trying to think about what I could have done. As much as I wanted Cindy, I wouldn't sabotage a date of hers on purpose. Hell, she said he was nice and my leg trick worked. What the hell was she mad at me for?
I stopped thinking about it after a while. All I had to do was leave Cindy alone and she'd eventually calm down enough to tell me what was bothering her.
But I was restless. I didn't want to sit in my apartment after Cindy gave me a hard time.
I would have called Alicia, but I knew she was out with her friends, which I was thankful for. I wanted her to get her mind off her recent guy problems, or what she thought were guy problems.
I saw Victoria's business card, still sitting on my coffee table.
I got in my truck and drove toward the city. I couldn't believe I was driving to her mansion. I just wanted to do two things. Get out of the apartment and talk to someone.
I didn't think she'd be home. I expected to get to her place, see she wasn't there, then drive back home. So I was surprised when I rang the buzzer at the front gate and heard her voice after a few seconds.
“Alex? Is that you out there?”
“Yeah.” Suddenly, I felt foolish. I didn't call or anything. Kind of rude, actually. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't just drop by.”
“Hey, no problem. Hell, I'm surprised the buzzer works. Hold on one sec.”
She met me at the front door with a smile. Her clothes surprised me. She wore a pair of tight sweatpants and a sweater. Her red hair was pulled in a ponytail. She looked great, but hardly like a seductive vampire.
“This is a surprise. Come on in.”
I followed her through the empty first floor.
“How come there's nothing up here?” I asked.
“Too many windows. Can't let the sunlight in. So I'm always downstairs.”
I felt a little awkward as we walked down her basement stairs. It dawned on me I didn't really know what to call her.
“Should I call you Vickie? Do you go by Victoria?”
She laughed. “Call me Victoria, please. Vickie just sounds, blah.”
I laughed too. “Okay.”
The TV was on in the far corner. Again, I thought that was strange. I knew Victoria would say I watched too many movies. I guessed vampires didn't watch TV. They spent all their time seducing people for blood and roaming the night. But here was Victoria, watching TV.
“You want something to drink?”
She went to a tiny fridge and pulled out a bottled water. I looked at it, then at her. She nearly read my mind and rolled her eyes.
“There's no blood in this fridge,” she said. “Man, I'm not that weird. Here.”
She sat on the couch. I sat in the chair across from her, the same positions when I was first here.
“So what brings you here?” she asked. “I never have company, so this is nice.”
I looked down for a second, still feeling a little foolish for even coming to Victoria's house. “I just needed a friend to talk to. We are friends, right?”
“Sure. I have to say I've never had a man with demon blood for a friend before. What's up?”
“Sadly, woman problems.”
She nodded and smiled. “And I thought we were gonna talk about something supernatural. Again, I like this. I guess we're talking about Cindy?”
I frowned. “That obvious?”
“Yup. I saw it about ten seconds after I first saw you two. Little clues. Body language, facial expressions.”
“Well, how does she feel about me?”
“I don't know.”
I rolled my eyes. I took that as a polite way of saying “not the same as you”.
“Well, I'm not really sure, Alex. I spent most of my time studying you. She thinks you're attractive, I can tell you that. Shit, I think you're attractive. If you weren't so hung up on her you'd be in that bed right behind us.”
I glanced at the king-sized bed in the middle of the basement. “Can vampires have sex?”
“Would you like to find out?”
I turned red. “Uh, no thanks. But don't take that the wrong way. You're gorgeous.”
She laughed. “You're definitely a rare one. I wonder if it's the demon in you.”
I was starting to hate that word.
“I was born back when black people were only three-fifths of a person,” she said. “It's nice to see people like you not caring about race.”
“Well, too bad it's only one way. She just sees me as a friend.”
“She told you this?”
“Nope. And I'm not gonna ask, either.”
“Why not?”
I laughed a little. “Victoria, even if she did have feelings for me, do you think she could really date this?”
I stood up and lifted my shirt. My wings grew from my back. I extended them fully, nearly touching her basement wall, then folded them up behind me. It was amazing how huge they were. But when I folded them, they took up almost no room. After giving her a good look I willed them to disappear, and they shrank once again into my back.
She smirked. “Hey, I'd date a guy with wings. That would make for some fun sex.”
I was finally starting to feel at ease around her. “What a thought.”
“I'm just saying. I've fallen in love with vampires and humans. No reason why it's gotta be different for you. Alex, it took me a long time to get used to being a vampire. I'm not trying to belittle what you got going on, but for us, we go from being human to suddenly being very much in danger from the sun. We stop eating and drinking everything, and now it's blood only. Having to reverse your sleep, stay inside like a prisoner for twelve hours a day, and watching everyone you care about age while you don't. Hell, I thought I'd lose my mind for sixty years or so. So if you're the product of some supernatural accident, and the only problem you got is woman problems, I'd say you're doing okay.”
I absorbed what she said for a moment and smiled. “Thanks, Victoria. You're right.
Thanks for listening to me bitch.”
“Anytime. Least I can do for pulling an arrow out of my chest. Anyway, the answer to your problem is simple. Just tell her what's up.”
“You sound like my sister.”
“Alicia. Smart girl.”
I laughed. I did feel better, although I had no plans of listening to her or Alicia's advice.
We talked and watched a little TV for about a half hour. It was relaxing, and I admit it helped take my mind off Cindy. I never would have thought in a million years I would have a vampire for a friend.
It was around eleven when her cell phone on the end table rang. She picked it up and excused herself. I watched TV alone for about five minutes when she hung up and put a hand on my shoulder.
“You up for a little ride?” she asked me.
“Where to?”
“The city. Just got a call from my cop buddy, William. He needs a little help.”
I stood up. “You help the cops?”
She nodded and I followed her across the basement. “Every now and then. I actually own a few businesses across the states. But if William has something going on that looks like it might be supernatural, I'll lend a hand. And of course he pays me.”
“I'm almost afraid to ask, but like what?”
“Well, if a vampire or werewolf goes a little crazy and starts killing people.”
“We have werewolves in Maryland?”
“Yup.”
What a thought.
Chapter 23
We rode her car into the city. Looked like a brand new Porsche, with a folded down soft-top. I knew there wouldn't be anything I could contribute to help the police. It didn't take me long to figure out where we were going. Traffic started to back up, and it wasn't because of the normal reasons. We could see a crowd on the sidewalk not too far ahead, with a cop in the middle of the road directing traffic.
Victoria parked her car and I walked next to her.
“William didn't give me much on the phone, but there might be a body up ahead. You okay with that?”
I flashed back to my quick trip to the demon world. I thought I could handle a single body.
We pushed our way through the crowd until we got to a yellow police tape barrier. A cop was also there. He gave Victoria a quick look up and down, then looked back at the crowd. About twenty yards away we could see a black sheet in the middle of the street. Cops were everywhere and seemed to be gathering evidence. Victoria searched the scene until she found what she was looking for. Her eyes locked on a guy probably in his mid thirties talking to a uniformed cop. She waved at him. William Sloane.
“William! Over here!”
He looked over and approached us. He looked like he'd seen a lot of bad things in his life. He walked slowly, as if he couldn't be bothered to walk fast. He was a big guy, but his shoulders were slumped as if he were tired. Slightly graying hair, steel blue eyes. He tried to smirk as he drew closer, but it didn't quite come off right.
“Victoria. Thanks for coming.”
“No problem, William.”
He winced. “Fuckin' call me Bill. I hate William.”
She ignored him. “What do we got here?”
“Come see for yourself.”
He held the police tape up for her. I followed, but Bill put a hand on my chest.
“Relax,” Victoria said. “He's with me.”
“Ah. Is he a-?” He didn't finish the sentence.
“No, he's not.”
Bill gave us both some kind of pass, I guess to identify us to other cops. The three of us approached the black sheet. I felt my heart beat a little harder with each step. But that was it. If it had been a year ago I might have thrown up. It's scary that the sight of my first dead body didn't affect me that much.
Bill leaned down and pulled the sheet back. Young guy, in his twenties, lying there dead on his back. He stared up with a blank expression and his eyes wide open. His skin was pale white. He looked normal enough. He wore a tee-shirt and bluejeans.
Although it was hard not to notice the bite marks on his neck.
Victoria saw them too, and made a sound of disgust.
“Shit,” she said. She knelt down to study closer. Then she actually put her nose to the man's neck and started sniffing.
“Tell me it's not what I think it is,” Bill said.
“Oh, it's what you think.”
“Damn,” he said. “When the hell does your kind start attacking in the middle of the street? We haven't got a single witness yet. This whole thing just bugs the shit out of me.”
“Has the body been touched?”
“Nope. What you see is what you get here.”
Victoria started sniffing up and down the body like a bloodhound. It didn't take a genius to see that obviously vampires had strong noses. Her face stopped just above the man's ankle.
She pulled his pants leg up to reveal another set of bite marks.
“What the hell?” she said.
Bill looked at me with confusion. I was worse off than he was. I had no clue of what was going on.
“Two vampires?” Bill said.
“Yeah.”
He shrugged. “And that's weird?”
“Very weird. This has all the signs of a newborn. But that doesn't make any sense.”
I looked at her. “Newborn?”
“Newborn vampire. I'll explain later.”
She was quiet for a moment, continuing to study the area. Another cop came over and pulled Bill to the side, so Victoria and I stood there over the dead body.
I didn't think I had anything to offer Victoria, but as I stood there something ate at me. Something was bothering me, and I couldn't figure out what it was. Some detail that I couldn't quite see, but I knew was there.
“People just don't get bit and turn into vampires,” Victoria said, leaning close to my ear. “There's a lot of different factors. Blood type, heredity. So believe it or not, vampires are rare.”
I nodded. “So two newborns are extra rare?”
“You catch on fast. Exactly. Something isn't right.”
“Okay. How do you know newborns did this?”
“Just a feeling. A seasoned vampire, like yours truly, will never be seen, and would never leave a body. This strikes me as a newborn, crazy and out of control for blood. And two sets of bites, well, you can add.”
“Did you kill anyone when you were first turned?”
She gave me a look. She may have said we were friends, but it was obvious she didn't appreciate the question. “No, I didn't.”
I left it at that.
She searched the street. “Okay, so two newborns wake up somewhere around here. They're confused and thirsty. They attack someone in the middle of the street and kill him. Their senses kick in after that, their humanity. They need to run. Their instincts tell them somewhere dark and safe.” Her eyes fell on something and she smiled. “Like right there.”
She pointed over the crowd to a corner butcher shop on the other side of the street. The place was closed, like all the other small shops nearby.
“A butcher shop?” I said.
“Yup. Shit, I can smell the blood all the way over here.” She gestured to Bill. “William! We'll be in touch. I'll call you tomorrow.”
“You better, Vickie.”
She talked to me as we pushed through the crowd and crossed the street.
“William is a good man. I met him when he was a rookie. He's actually saved my life a few times. Typical stupid cop. Married to the job. I've tried to get him over the house a few times just to watch a movie, but he won't.”
I shook my head. “I still have trouble seeing you sitting on the couch watching TV.”
“I only go out to feed. When I first saw you I thought you were another vampire, moving in on my territory. It was only when I heard your heartbeat that I knew you weren't.”
“I still don't know what I am.”
“And you probably never will. Get used to that, Alex. Accept that, and live your
life. Don't throw years away searching for an answer that might not be there.”
I nodded behind her, and realized something. Victoria was suddenly my mentor. Also, there was something personal in her words. I wondered if she had searched for an answer she couldn't find.
Without another word we stopped in front of the butcher shop. Victoria studied it for a moment and stared into the darkened storefront. She walked around the side and circled toward the rear of the place. I was a step behind her. The back door was open.
She gave me a smirk and nodded. “Jackpot.” She lifted her head and sniffed around the door.
“Smell anything?” I asked.
“Just a lot of meat and blood. I'm not gonna be able to pinpoint anything in here. So be careful.”
“It's a little dark.”
“That's okay. I can see in the dark.”
I felt foolish. So could I, and I had forgotten.
As soon as we stepped inside the first thing I noticed was the smell. It was horrible. I wasn't sure if a butcher's shop normally smelled like that or not. Victoria didn't seem bothered by it at all, which was amazing considering her nose was stronger than mine. I gagged a few times, and Victoria gave me a strong look and put a finger to her lips.
It was pitch black, but I willed the darkness to vanish, and the light gray swirled in. Over a few seconds objects and shapes came into focus. A table with cleavers hanging from the side. Large freezers. A door that led into an office. A set of double doors that led to the front of the store.
Victoria continued to sniff the air.
“Smell anything yet?” I whispered.
She shook her head.
She stared at the office door for a second, then walked past it to the double doors. She pushed them open slowly and searched the room before moving another inch.
I saw movement in the corner, near the locked front door.
Victoria saw it too, as her head locked in that direction.
I squinted as hard as I could. Even though I could see better, I couldn't see completely. It was just dark enough near the front of the store that I couldn't see anything.
But I could hear it.
It sounded like an animal, low to the ground, tearing and gnawing at something. The fact that I could hear it and not see it sent shivers up my spine.
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