“Oh no,” she said.
“What? What's wrong?”
“Stay behind me.”
She slowly moved through the living room. As I took a step behind her, my right wing clipped the couch. I popped my wings out without even knowing. Didn't even feel my shirt rip. I was so mad at myself. It was like premature ejaculation.
I followed Victoria through the living room into the long hallway that went through the whole house. The kitchen was near the back. I got a sniff of what Victoria smelled as we got closer. And it wasn't good.
The scene set itself as more of the kitchen came into view. An open freezer door. Raw meat spread over the floor. A man in plain clothes on his hands and knees licking the blood and juices from the meat. When he heard us he looked up like a wild animal. Long fangs, bright red eyes.
Detective Bill Sloane.
“Oh, William ,” Victoria said quietly.
Bill snarled, then dove right at us. I vanished, but it turned out I didn't need to. Victoria moved almost faster than I could see. She stepped in front of me and easily knocked Bill to the ground. She jumped on top of him and pinned his face to the floor.
“William, come on,” she said. “Tell me you're in there somewhere.”
He responded with another snarl. He reached up and raked a claw across her face. She cried in pain, and it was enough of a distraction for William to throw her off. She crashed onto the kitchen table, which shattered under her.
Bill turned his attention to me.
He took a step forward. I lashed out with one of my wings. I actually caught William off guard. He staggered against the back door.
But that was all. As many tricks as I had, I wasn't any match for a vampire. Luckily, I didn't have to be.
Victoria was already at my side. The gashes on her face had already healed. She had two splintered table legs from the kitchen table.
“William. Bill. Please, talk to me.”
She sounded almost desperate. In the back of my head, I knew Bill was gone. Victoria knew far more about vampires than I ever would. But this was our fourth feral in just a few days. Bill wasn't coming back.
He took a split second to size us both up. Maybe my wings threw him off, but he decided Victoria was the weaker target. He charged her. She easily drove one of the table legs into his shoulder. She kept a grip on it and drove him to the floor.
“William, listen, you're a vampire now. But we can get through this, okay? Just tell me a part of you is in there.”
He tried to reach for her throat. She leaned up a little, still keeping her weight on the table leg. Blood spilled from his shoulder. I was careful in walking up to the two of them. I retracted my wings and pulled them inside my back.
I touched Victoria on the shoulder. “I don't think that's William anymore.”
She gave me a quick glance. I'd never seen her so upset. She studied Bill's face.
“You're right.”
Before I could say anything else, she reared the other table leg back and drove it into his chest. Bill opened his mouth to scream, but nothing quite came out. He closed his eyes and slumped lifeless. Not dead, but in a coma.
I'm not sure how much time passed before we went into the living room. It felt like forever. Some deep part of me still kept thinking. We should be leaving, getting out. It's dangerous to stay here. If a neighbor heard, trouble will come. But Victoria sat on the couch, and I sat next to her.
She was quiet, sitting there staring straight ahead. I would have never thought it possible, but I think I was more together than she was. I risked putting a hand on her shoulder.
“Victoria? Are you alright?”
“I thought William and I would work together for decades,” she said. “I, uh, I actually thought I'd go over his house. Have dinner. Hang out. Maybe even give him advice on getting a wife.”
I didn't know what to say. “I'm so sorry.”
“You always think there will be enough time. Maybe being a vampire can spoil you. But there's never enough time.”
That got me thinking about Cindy. I had to tell her how I felt.
“Listen,” I said. “I know you're hurting. I'm freaked out myself. But what are we gonna do? We have to leave.”
She nodded. “Yeah. He's always taking work home with him. Let me look around first.”
“Okay. What do you want me-”
I didn't finish. Bill's living room was gone. I was somewhere else. Another living room full of people. Loud music, people bumping into each other.
I stood up. “What the fuck?”
Victoria grabbed me. I came back to Bill's home for a moment, then I was once again in that unfamiliar living room. “Alex? What's wrong?”
I saw Alicia. She was on the other side of the living room talking to some other girls. They were laughing, having a good time.
Then a voice. Two guys were talking to each other. I couldn't see them.
“That one, right over there. The hot blond.”
“Yeah. She's smokin'.”
“Did you bring the shit?”
“Yeah. Go upstairs and get in a room. I'll bring her up in a minute.”
I was back at Bill's. Victoria had both hands on my shoulders, holding me steady. She was worried.
Then I was right in Alicia's face.
“Hey. What's your name?”
“Alicia. But my friends all call me Leese.”
“Well, Leese, you want something to drink?”
A hand reached out and handed her a beer.
I was seeing through someone else's eyes.
Someone who had eyes on my sister, with bad intentions.
“Alex? What's going on? Talk to me.”
I gripped Victoria's arms to keep myself from falling. I wasn't sure if it was the suddenness of those quick flashes, or what I saw, but I felt sick. It didn't last long, though. My demon senses always keep me close to the ones I love, and they were telling me my sister was in trouble.
“Alicia,” I managed to say.
Victoria simply nodded. “Go. I'll take care of things here.”
“Go? Go where? I don't know where she is. I just saw-”
I was panicking. Luckily, Victoria wasn't.
“Relax. Call Cindy. Maybe she knows where she is.”
I nodded and started hitting numbers on the cell phone.
“Hello?” She sounded like she was in her car.
“Cindy?”
“Hey, Alex. Where you at? I'm gonna pick up Dave and Tina and Jenny. You coming out with us?”
I hadn't seen my other friends in forever. But that was the furthest thing from my mind.
“Where's Alicia?”
“She won't be coming out. She had a party to go to.” She picked up on the tension in my voice. “Everything okay?”
“No. Do you know where?”
“Uh, her friend Stephanie's house. I think she lives a street over.”
I did know Stephanie. And I knew where she lived. Cindy was right, she wasn't far from my old home.
But I was so far away.
“Alex, what's going on?”
“I can't talk now, Cindy. But I'll catch up with you later.”
I hung up and looked at Victoria. She nodded and gave me a small smile. “Get moving.”
I gave her a quick hug and ran through the front door. As soon as I was clear, I popped my wings. I didn't even care who might be watching. I took off.
I made serious time. For the first few minutes I followed roads, as that was all I was used to. Then I started taking a shorter flight, cutting through the night sky.
Flying was amazing, but I couldn't let myself enjoy it. I beat my wings in a steady rhythm. My first flight through the city wasn't very long. This one was a lot longer, and I was afraid I wasn't gonna make it. I really didn't have any idea of what I was capable of.
I made it without breaking a sweat.
I passed over my old house and over Stephanie's street. It wasn't very hard to find the party. A million cars
parked along the street, with groups of teens heading in and out of one house.
I flew low through the trees that were in pretty much every backyard. I heard a few dogs barking at me as I passed over. I landed in Stephanie's backyard and pulled my wings in. I walked around the side of the house and walked through the open front door.
Typical house party. Teens everywhere. Loud music blaring. Beer being passed around, and who knows what else. I scanned the living room.
I saw the stairs going to the second floor. I fought panic as the scariest thoughts imaginable filled my head.
I pushed my way through a few groups and hit the stairs. It was quieter on the second floor, with only people coming in and out of the bathroom. There was only one closed door at the end of the hall.
It was locked.
I pulled my hand back and knocked a few hard times.
“Is anyone in there?” I called.
A voice from the other side “Yo! Get your own fuckin' room!”
I recognized the voice from my quick flashes.
I vanished and stepped inside.
Two guys, probably twenty years old, were on a bed with Alicia. She wasn't unconscious, but moaned like she was having a bad dream. One of the guys was holding her hands above her head. The other was pulling her jeans off.
I reappeared, and as I did, threw shadows across the room. They turned around to see me.
“What the fuck, man?”
“How did you get in here?”
I didn't answer. I lunged forward and pushed the one fumbling with her jeans to the floor. I shoved the other against the back of the bed. I went right to Alicia and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Alicia?”
She looked at me with glazed eyes. “Alex? Where are we?”
I got hit hard with something on the back of my head. I fell on top of my sister. Then, before I knew it, I was lifted to my feet and in a full nelson. The dude was strong.
The other guy started punching. One good shot in the stomach almost forced the air out of me. My body wanted to fall, but the guy behind me held me up easily.
“Leave him alone,” Alicia said from the bed. She tried to move, but she could barely pull her jeans up.
I got punched two more times. One hit me straight in the jaw. The other connected right where Heins hit me earlier in the day, on the side of the cheek.
That's when I snapped.
I didn't need any demon tricks. Didn't need to throw people around with my wings. Pure rage carried the day on this one.
I felt for one of the guy's fingers on the back of my neck. I grabbed one, and twisted. I heard a snapping sound as he screamed in pain.
I rushed forward and had my hands around the other guy's throat. I forced him against the wall. He tried to break my grip, but I squeezed tighter. I felt the fight start to leave him.
An arm wrapped around my neck. I was dragged backwards. Thank God for that, as I might have killed someone.
The other guy had recovered, and was trying to help his friend. My hand happened to fall on an alarm clock on a nightstand as I was pulled back. I ripped it from the wall. I gripped it with both hands and swung it wildly behind my head. I hit him square in the forehead. He collapsed to one knee. I turned around and hit him two more times. The last time sent him to the floor in a ball.
There was a strange growling. I realized it was me. Or something inside me, trying to get out.
I wrapped the alarm clock cord around his neck and started to pull for all I was worth. I was totally out of control.
Out of the corner out my eye I saw his buddy struggling to get to his feet. His face was still red from when I choked the hell out of him. Right as he took a step toward me I saw a leg come up and kick him right in the balls. His eyes nearly shot out of his head before he crumpled against the wall.
Alicia was on top of him, clawing and punching away. Whatever they'd given her, it must have started to wear off. Or, like me, anger was pushing her.
“You mother fuckers!” she shouted. “Touch my brother? I'll fucking kill you!”
That was Alicia. She was nearly raped, and she was worried about me.
Ironically, seeing her lose control made me start to calm down. I started thinking clearly again. I needed to get my sister away. These assholes didn't matter.
I loosened my grip on the alarm clock and hooked Alicia under the arms. It was tough pulling her away.
“Alicia, relax. It's okay. They're done. Let's go.”
“You're damn right, they're fucking done.”
She started to let me pull her away. But not before getting one last kick in to the other guy's balls.
She started to fall when we made it to the bedroom door. She wasn't quite ready for a marathon yet. Tears rolled down her face. She managed to pull her jeans up, but didn't have any shoes. I'd buy her another pair later. I just wanted to get her away.
I wrapped her arm around my neck to help support her. We walked through the house, getting quite a few looks. When we made it outside I stopped.
The gang was just pulling up in a minivan that Jenny was driving. It was her, as well as Dave, Tina, and Cindy. They had come to rescue us. I hadn't seen the crew in so long.
Alicia and I were quite a mess. Thankfully, I was in worse shape than she was, at least physically. Her clothes were messed up, and her face stained with tears. My face was starting to swell a little from the few beatings I'd gotten in one day. And now that I was calm, I was starting to feel the pain.
Jenny, Tina, and Cindy took over for me with Alicia. They helped her into the back of the minivan. Dave put a hand on my shoulder. He was all business.
“Do we need to go in there and fuck people up?”
Despite everything, I smiled. I couldn't ask for better friends. They had no idea of what was going on, but they put the pieces together. My crazy call to Cindy, seeing the shape we were both in.
“It's all taken care of. Some guys tried to mess with Alicia. But we beat the shit out of them.”
Cindy walked up to us. She looked concerned. She put a hand to my face. I winced a little. “Damn, Alex. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I'm fine. I'm in better shape than those two assholes in there.”
“Assholes? As in more than one?”
“Yeah.”
She was mad. “Dammit. Next time wait for us. You can't be doing crazy shit like that by yourself.”
“I couldn't really wait. But thanks for worrying, sweetie pie.”
I didn't expect the hug. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around my neck. I hugged her back, a little nervous at the sudden touching. Dave was looking at us with a smirk. I could tell by his look that he knew I had a thing for her. Hell, it probably wasn't much of a secret anymore. But as long as Cindy didn't know, I was golden.
“Come on, guys, let's get out of here,” he said.
Chapter 27
We agreed Alicia would stay with me at the apartment. The drive was quiet. Alicia didn't say much. Shock, maybe. She cried quietly. She sat in between me and Cindy. Cindy had an arm wrapped around her and stroked her hair. Dave and Tina tried to keep the mood light, just joking and carrying on.
The rest of us watched TV in my living room while Cindy and Alicia were alone in the bedroom. I had to change shirts once again. My damn wings were gonna cost me a fortune in shirts. I caught everyone up on what happened.
“Should she go to the police?”
I shrugged. I didn't know what the hell to do. I could barely talk from the soreness and numbness in my face.
“I really don't know. We all probably should, but I'll leave that up to Alicia. I did kind of fuck up two guys and a bedroom.”
Jenny shook her head. “Man, I wish I saw that.”
Everyone was surprised. I was always the calm one. Always in control. I was afraid that I'd lost it so bad. I really could have killed those two guys. And with the things I can do, I couldn't let myself ever get that out of hand again.
“Cindy came an
d picked us up to go out. She told us you two needed help,” Tina said.
“I'm sorry I messed up your night, guys.”
Dave waved me off. “Man, don't say stupid shit like that.”
The bedroom door opened. Cindy walked out with a finger to her lips.
“Sleeping?” I asked.
“Yeah. She cried for a while. She's just shaken up. But she fell asleep.”
“The police?”
“She said no.”
I shook my head. I didn't know if that was a smart thing or not.
Cindy went into the kitchen and messed with something in the freezer.
“What do you guys think?” Dave asked. “Pizza? Movie?”
I laughed. Everyone was dressed for a night out, and it ended up with pizza and a movie. I was so sore, and the day was so packed, I wouldn't have minded a night to myself. I definitely could have used some time away from vampires. But I also couldn't think of a better way to end it than spending it with my friends.
And Cindy was gonna make it even better.
She came out of the kitchen with the phone and a little ice-bag she made. She tossed the phone to Dave.
“Get some pizza.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
I was alone on the couch. Dave and Tina were sitting on the loveseat, while Jenny sat on the floor and leaned against Tina's legs. Cindy crossed the living room and sat next me on the end. Then she tossed one leg against the back of the couch and stretched out. She patted the spot in front of her.
“Come here.”
I looked at her. “Uh, dear? Shouldn't we save our crazy sex stuff for when no one's here?”
She rolled her eyes. “In your dreams.”
I couldn't argue that. It would be a dream come true. She grabbed me by the shoulders and gently dragged me closer. Next thing I knew, I'm leaning back against her. She held the ice-bag against my bruised cheek while rubbing my shoulders with her free hand.
I can only imagine how tense I was.
“Alex, would you relax?”
“Oh, I'm relaxed.”
She wrapped an arm around my chest and pulled me against her. She handed the ice-bag to me and squeezed my shoulders with both hands. Her face was right next to mine, watching TV while Jenny flipped through the channels. It felt great.
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