I wondered if Serv had cooled down on the ride home, but the way he threw my gear out of the van when we got back home was all the proof I needed that he definitely hadn’t. Ashamed and with a conflicted heart, I collected my shit, took it up to my room and tried to avoid the others. They sat downstairs with Charlie and told him how the show went. It went well goddamnit, but...I had been recognized.
Denver was too close to home. I mean my real home. I’d lived there with my dad ever since I was eight after Mom died. The bar where I’d met my maker, to coin a phrase, wasn’t but a few streets away from Lobos. Of course someone was bound to eventually recognize me. Relying on time to rub away memory wasn’t really reliable after all, and despite the fact that plausibility would argue there was no way in hell Gabriel Nez could look the same more than twenty-five years later, people still knew what the hell they saw. Not to mention I was supposed to be dead.
After a rough night of hearing Serv slam stuff around in his room next to mine and dodging angry glares from even Josh the next day, I decided the best method of approach would be to take off for a few days. Considering Charlie was out on a date with Linda, Darrell was out doing whatever it was he did when he wasn’t at Pale Rider and Josh was at home with Bea, it left me and Serv alone together. I definitely didn’t want to have another fight like the last two we’d gone through over Elaine, and I didn’t want to have to deal with his pissy attitude regardless. I packed a bag with some clothes and grabbed my guitar. With all the mistakes I’d made lately, I kept the things I valued most close at hand. I paused on my way downstairs to knock on Serv’s door.
“What?” His voice was flat and his music so loud I was surprised he’d heard anything at all.
“I’m headed out.” I didn’t bother opening the door.
“Great. Enjoy yourself, Xan. While you’re at it, go fuck yourself too.” He turned the music up even louder, and I left it at that.
I picked up my bass, in its case, and headed down the stairs and out the back door.
I didn’t bother calling Tabby, because if she wasn’t at home I’d just drive around, maybe end up at Scott’s or something. Anywhere but Pale Rider would suit me fine.
With my bass and clothes to take, riding the bike was completely out of the question. I left it covered in the garage next to the Dodge. I scraped the ice off the Camaro’s windshield while the engine warmed up, defrosting the glass from the inside. Tiny flurries of snow danced around in the air before vaporizing on contact. When I left Pale Rider’s parking lot, it was empty.
The moon peeked through the pines, improving my mood as I drove the twelve miles to Tabby’s. I liked the area out where she lived; it was woodsy, quiet. The kind of place I’d choose for myself if I had to. I could see her living room light on from the road and instead of the drive I kind of wanted to take, I went ahead and pulled up next to her house.
She answered the door in her pajamas after I knocked on the locked screen door once.
“What do you want?” She glared at me through the screen.
I leaned against the house and dropped my gaze to the painted boards of her porch. “I just need to see a friendly face.”
“After the way you left last time? Are you stupid, Xan? What makes you think that I would even want to talk to you?”
I licked my lips and sighed. She had a valid point, but I really did consider her my friend. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? I’m not a toy you can play with anytime you want and then toss aside. I didn’t even expect you to come back. Give me a good reason I should open this door.”
I took a step back and shrugged, looking everywhere but at her. “I can’t. If you want me to leave, I will.”
She exhaled through her nose and hesitated for a few more moments. “I must be a sucker for punishment.” She unlatched the hook and swung the door open. “Come on in. It’s cold out there, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Yeah, had ice on the windshield.”
Her frown melted into a smile, and she laughed. “You’re a pain in the ass, Xan Marcelles.”
“At least I’m cute.” I rolled my eyes. “Oh wait. Never mind. I guess I really am fucked.” I stuck my tongue out at her.
“I am pissed at you, damnit. Mr. Thinks-He-Can-Come-and-Go. But I’ll save that for later. Mm.” She grabbed the lapels of my leather jacket and pulled me down for a kiss.
My hands went to her shoulders, slid down her arms, and finally rested on her hips. “And you are a forgiving woman.” I smiled against her lips before she shoved me away.
“Who says you’re forgiven?” Her mouth said one thing, but her eyes said another. About ten minutes later, her body was telling me something else as she led me to her bedroom, and shoved my jacket off my shoulders. Her kisses were warm, inviting, making me feel bad about how I’d left the time before. We fit together nicely. Real nicely. I sat down to pull off my shoes, while she yanked my shirt over my head. I opened my mouth to mention it was all a little bit rushed, but when she covered it with hers, thoughts fled from my brain like scared deer, leaving only the deeper lust I had for Tabitha Cole.
“Mm, damn girl.” I dug my fingers into her faded blue hair and nipped at her mouth and chin, unbuttoning her pajama top to expose her pretty breasts. She pulled my head toward them, and I flicked my tongue over her hardening nipple. Even though the house was warm enough, it was an old, drafty building, which worked to my advantage, really. I sucked on that nipple and rolled the other one between thumb and forefinger, coaxing a soft moan from her.
She pulled the elastic from my hair and combed her fingers through it as I kissed down to her belly, pushing her pajama bottoms over her hips and down her legs. She stepped out of them and shed the top too.
“I missed you,” she whispered, tracing a line down my nose with her fingertip.
I licked my lip. “Yeah, look, I’m sorry about last time...”
“Shh.” She kissed me again and pushed me on my back, unbuckling my belt.
Her hand encircling my cock further reinforced my lack of coherent thought and I growled softly under my breath, raising my hips as she slowly stroked me. She climbed on top of me, straddling my legs, which were still hanging over the side of the bed, and leaned down to suck on my bottom lip. I hooked my fangs gently into hers and grinned.
She smiled back. “A real vampire. Who would’ve thought?”
“Could be worse.” I shrugged.
“How’s that?”
I laughed. “I could’ve been a werewolf instead.”
Her eyebrows rose then pulled into a frown. “Good point.”
“I’m full of points, not all of them good.” I palmed her breasts and squeezed, eliciting a squeak out of her.
“What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”
She shook her head. “They’re just sensitive. It’s part of the whole, you know, being pregnant thing.”
I swallowed hard. Ah. Right. “Sorry.” I let my hands fall away but she pressed them against her chest again.
“Don’t not touch me, just be gentle.”
We kissed again as she settled into position and slid me inside her. I groaned in her mouth, cutting her tongue on a fang, enough to get a little spark of blood. I wanted her. In so many ways. I broke the kiss and buried my face in her hair instead, inhaling the scent of her flowery shampoo as our bodies moved together.
She was hot inside, scalding, like a little volcano. The wet slide of skin on skin trended between us as she pressed her breasts into my chest, me trying not to maul them like before. She quickened her pace, and moaned louder. I rolled us over, pulled us into the middle of the bed, and rested her leg over my shoulder to pick the pace up again.
I wasn’t in a hurry to finish. I wanted her to get the most out of it too, so I slowed down, and rolled my hips to give her the full benefit of my length. She cried out and shoved a pillow over her mouth to bite and muffle herself.
I pulled it away. “Let me hear you.”
“I’ll be
loud...”
“So? There’s nobody else here, right?”
She shook her head and gritted her teeth. “It’s just embarrassing.”
“It’s not embarrassing. It’s one of my favorite sounds.”
I shoved deep inside her, forcing a deep-throated moan from her.
She clawed the sheet and clamped a hand over my wrist, digging her nails into my skin. “A little...validation of your abilities...”
“Maybe so.” I stroked her faster, and her moans escalated into little screams and groans.
She locked gazes with me, and I wondered what she saw. Did I look predatory in that critical moment, just before I came? Not like I’d ever seen myself. When she pulled on the sheet so hard, it popped off the corner of the bed, and her pussy clamped around my dick and fluttered along the shaft as she came, I lost my resolve.
I came with her, hard. She shrieked as I stabbed in her with sharp, short strokes and screamed at the tops of her lungs when I hilted deep inside her. I jerked inside her, groaning, and gripped her asscheek and shoulder hard enough to leave bruises.
When it was over, we blinked at one another, and I realized I had her bent in half beneath me. I rose up on my knees again.
“Sorry about that.”
“Sorry? That was nothing to be apologizing for.” She laughed and slid her leg off my shoulder. “Although this foot is asleep now.”
She gave a soft purr as I pulled out of her. I lay beside her and brushed her hair away from her cheek to kiss it.
“It’s good to see you again.” I smiled and pulled her close.
She rubbed noses with me and got up to disappear into the bathroom while I rolled over on my back and watched the ceiling fan spin.
She wasn’t in there long, and came out still naked to slide back in next to me. We lay together, her wrapped safely in my arms.
“Have you been doing okay?” I kissed the top of her head and she nodded.
“You?”
I sighed. “I’ve been okay for the most part.”
“So, why did you come see me tonight?”
I laughed. “You know, this makes the second time you’ve attacked me for sex.”
She giggled, and the phone rang.
I growled. “Let it ring.”
She pressed a finger against my lips and rose from the bed. “At this hour, I’d better pick it up.”
I nodded but stuck my bottom lip out in a pout. The minute she left the bed, I could tell the difference in temperature and lay back on her pillow, awaiting her return. I loved the warmth of her body against mine.
“What makes you think Xan would be here?” Her voice echoed back through the house. “Who is this?”
My jaw tightened. No one would call here, except maybe Serv. Maybe he’d fucked something up. I threw on my jeans and shuffled out to the kitchen. Tabby leaned back against the counter, the cord wrapped around her finger. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the phone.
“I’ll take it.” I held my hand out and she slapped the receiver in it, covering the mouthpiece with her palm.
“I don’t know who they are, but they insist on talking to you. Does anyone know you’re here?”
“I’ve never told anyone your number, but they know I hang out here. Is it Charlie maybe?”
She shook her head. “I’ve never heard this voice before. It’s a white guy. Kind of a hick accent.”
I frowned and raised the phone to my ear. “Yeah?”
“What’s up, Xan?”
“Who’s this?”
“I wouldn’t worry about that.” The man on the other end laughed, apparently amused with himself. In the background, I could hear others talking. It sounded like they were in a car because there was wind.
“What do you want?”
“Do you know where your singer is?”
A chill raced down the length of my spine. “Wait, what?”
“I’d run on home now if I were you, vampire.” The call disconnected.
I spun around, nearly knocking Tabby over. “Do you have Caller ID?”
She shook her head. “Did he tell you what he wanted?”
I rushed back to the bedroom and grabbed my shoes, socks and shirt from the floor as she put on a robe. “No. But something’s wrong. He asked me if I knew where Serv is, whatever the fuck that means.” Our eyes met briefly. “I gotta go, Tab.”
I snatched up my jacket and swept my keys off the dining table into my palm before giving her a quick peck on the lips. “Lock up tight. If anyone comes by, it’d be best for you to dial the cops because I don’t know what’s going on.”
The wind screamed through my cracked window as I smoked a cigarette down to the butt on my way back to Pale Rider. I didn’t care about the speed limit. Serv. Had I locked the door when I left? Had they let one of those zombie things loose on Serv while he was outside? They knew about me being a vampire. It could have been a bullshit call. It could have been anything, but I knew it wasn’t. Tabby lived about fifteen minutes away. I made it in six, which was nuts, considering how slick the roads were. I smelled the smoke before I saw the orange sky. Half of Pale Rider–the half where we lived–belched hungry flames from most of the windows and the roof. Oh. Shit.
Ash and snow fluttered around like ghosts as I got out of the car and stood there, mouth agape at the sight. Heat rolled off in waves, distorting my vision. Fingers made of fire were already reaching out to transfer to the trees, which was very bad. If it caught hold and spread through the branches, it would cause a massive wildfire, because all Pale Rider was flanked by were a million trees in the forest. My mind raced and, for once, I really regretted not having a goddamned phone in my pocket. I turned to get back in the car. I’d drive to the station, or find a payphone, or...sirens rose in the distance like crying babies, giving me a better solution.
A terrible thought hit me in the brain. Serv. Was he in there? I got just close enough to see through the glass in the door. Beyond, flames were slithering down the stairs and sniffing out the main hall. The air was heavy with thick, rolling smoke and burning cinders rained down around me. Headlights flashed behind me as Charlie rolled up in his truck. He shouted at me but I was too busy worrying about where my singer was. I stepped backward, gaping up at the windows to my room and Serv’s next to it. Both were ablaze. I wasn’t worried about losing anything–thanks to my new paranoia Sasha was safely in the case in the trunk of my car, along with the few clothes I’d packed, and I always kept my guns in there–but I didn’t know if anyone was in the building, and if they were...
“I said get away from the goddamned building, boy!” Charlie clamped a hand on my arm and jerked me out of the radius of raining cinders.
“I got a call.” I had to raise my voice over the roar of the blaze but he was just staring at the building, and didn’t seem to hear me. I wanted to tell him how I got there first, but the words died in my throat. A fire truck blew in like a gust of wind, all lights and rumbling engine, interrupting me midsentence anyway. Firefighters poured out of the cab and started unreeling hoses to attempt to quell the growing inferno that was Pale Rider.
They ordered me to stay back while two of them went through the front door, fully outfitted in masks and jackets. Another two had the hose working and started spraying the side of the building. The stench of wet, burned wood filled the air. I hadn’t realized the heat was so intense until a cold draft cut through it from the relief afforded by the spray. Charlie started coughing and had to step farther back to catch his breath.
“I can’t believe this.” I joined him as he leaned over, clasping his knees. If he kept coughing like that, he’d end up puking or something. I patted his back helplessly, and glanced back at the building. A dark worm uncoiled in my gut as flashes of what little I had posted themselves in my mind. I shoved them away and leaned down to check on Charlie.
“You okay, boss?”
He nodded. “Smoke’s just real bad.” He straightened and walked around the right side of Pale Rider
. “Need to get upwind from it.”
I followed him, dully noting the dry crunch of leaves in my stupor of shock. “Man, I’m so sorry about this. I don’t even know what to say.”
“Nothing to say. I’m insured.” He spat on the ground. “As long as nobody hurt. We be lucky for that.”
The two firemen that had gone inside came back out shaking their heads. The taller one held up a finger and I caught bits and pieces of their conversation on the wind.
“Can’t get to...upper bedrooms...verify...occupants...go talk to the owner... Fire too damned hot...”
I watched the scene, shivers ripping down my spine. Serv was gone. I knew it in my bones.
The taller firefighter pulled Charlie aside and gave him some news. Charlie covered his face with a hand, and his shoulders shook. The fireman patted his shoulder gently. Charlie nodded slowly then walked back over to me. I didn’t look at him.
“They don’t know if anybody was in there. The fire’s too hot.” His voice was strained and he sniffled. “They might be able to save maybe the back half of the second story, they said.”
I nodded, still stunned by the awful shit in front of me. The fire was hypnotizing, and terribly pretty as snow twirled around in heated eddies and dissipated into steaming trails. The firemen had a second hose trained on the trees behind Pale Rider. I couldn’t speak or move. Charlie shoved a cellphone at me.
“Can you call everybody and see if they all right?”
I nodded once, numbly taking the phone from his dark fingers.
I hoped if Darrell wasn’t at Pale Rider, he’d be hanging out over at Josh’s house. Sometimes, he even stayed the night. Bea answered on the third ring, her voice full of sleep, and sounded kind of irritated.
“I hope this is important to be calling in the middle of the night.”
“Bea, it’s Xan. Is Darrell over there with you guys?”
“Oh, Xan. Hey. Yeah, he’s here. Is everything okay?”
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