He took my finger, with the spot of blood, and sucked it into his mouth.
That did wild and crazy things to my insides. Nerves lit up like a Christmas tree strung with firecrackers. My hips reacted on their own. They did not want the fun to end. At the same time my brain revolted. No, that was blood, not cool. He had no idea what my health history was. And while I was perfectly willing to suck his face, and hump like clothed bunnies without knowing his name, there were just some bodily fluids that required a name, and maybe a full blood panel. The realization of our situation slammed into me at full sobriety. I no longer felt languid and liquid in his presence.
I saw two of my furry body guards arrive and cross their arms, like so much muscle right behind my paramour.
“Good timing guys,” I said bright and brittle. “I feel like the mood has changed around here.”
My green-eyed seducer gave me an oblique glare, and turned his attention to the pack at his back.
“Gentlemen.”
They stood there nodding, looking like movie heavies. My leg was still hiked around his hips and he still had me pressed back to the wall, only instead of necking, we were having some kind of a show-down.
“You okay Gloria?” Biker asked with a sharp lift to his head.
“Your name is Gloria?” the seducer purred.
I shook my head. “Name’s—”
“No,” he cut me off. “Tonight is not the night for true names. Gloria it is.”
And Gloria I wanted to be for the rest of my life. The way he said it, rekindled some of those happy party nerves.
“So what’s not your name?” I finally asked. After all, we were still pushed hip to hip, and it seemed like I should know his name since he hadn’t done the embarrassed thing and jumped away from me. His presence against me spoke volumes regarding what he thought was going to happen.
“Vlad.”
“Nice to make your acquaintance, Vlad.” I slithered my leg down his and bumped him away with a hip thrust.
I was feeling a little boxed in between Vlad and the way the Fur Boys loomed. I held my hands up, fingers splayed as if I was showing them I held no weapons as I stepped away from all three of them.
“I need to go find my friend who’s name is definitely not Britney. Maybe we can pick this up again later, but right now, not feeling the vibe.”
I ducked into the crowd and hid behind the pulsing bodies on the dance floor.
Chapter Two: The Nose Knows
Things were a lot less claustrophobic out from under the watchful gazes of the Fur Boys and Vlad. At least that answered my unasked question of what he was dressed up as. I must have cut my tongue on cheap costume vampire fangs.
Dance-floor bodies pressed into me, and I bounced along to the music. I really should find Vin. I doubt she got any closer to the anime guy than a distant harem member. He certainly had a draw. If I hadn’t been so enthralled by Vlad and his green eyes, I probably would have fawned after the man myself.
I let the current of the dance floor move me around. I got a fairly decent view of most of the club this way. Dancing and looking, it felt self indulgent, so I convinced myself it was serving double duty. The only problem with that, it wasn’t as efficient as I would have liked. Either I wasn’t paying attention, or I just wasn’t seeing the hottie and his entourage, including Vin.
I bounced my way out of the throng and began looking for her in earnest.
“Vin you in here?” I called out into the restroom.
“No Vin in here!” was the response I got.
I did the same for the men’s room, and the replies were a lot ruder. Not that I expected her in here, she was a good girl through and through. But I had to cover my bases.
“Well are you fucking a school girl or not?” I asked. Rude got rude in return.
“He’s fucking his hand, there’s only one pair of boots in that stall,” the guy at the urinal told me.
Okay, no Vin in the bathrooms. She wasn’t along the make-out wall either.
Sorting through the dancers took a little more work. I felt like a total chump when I realized I could see the entire dance floor from the raised seated area. She wasn’t there.
“Hey,” I asked as I approached the bouncer on the door. “Do you remember a tall guy, wearing Asian robes, with super long-ass hair?”
He nodded with a grunt. I took that as a yes.
“Did he leave?”
“He take something of yours?”
“Possibly. You don’t remember if an Indian Britney Spears was with him? You know, sexy school girl outfit,” I asked with a hopeful grin. I probably just looked manic.
“He had a few chicks with him. One of them yours?”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “One of them’s mine. The school girl?”
Bouncer man shrugged and I was left not knowing if Vin had left with the guy or not.
I pulled my cell from my thigh holster, the skin-tight yoga pants under my costume had no pockets, so I had to add some. Besides, strapping things to thighs just added to the bad-assery of my costume. And while I admit to having a pinch of nerves at first over the thigh accents because I had mighty thighs, I was pretty sure Vlad couldn’t have cared less that I didn’t have a thigh gap. He got between them just fine.
There were no messages from Vin. I sent her one, not expecting a reply. I hadn’t checked my phone first, I didn’t think she would either. How long had it been since I had seen her? Since I had seen hottie anime man? I didn’t want to panic, but I was getting worried. This was Vin. She didn’t run off with guys she met in clubs.
Sure, she tended to be dressed one way when she left home, and then changed. She liked to dress up and show off, and her parents were crazy strict. But that was pretty much it for her. Her idea of follow through was not going home with a guy, and meeting him for coffee a day or two later. She didn’t do hook ups. She just didn’t. Also she didn’t ditch and run when we went out together. I had other friends who saw no problems doing that to me, but not Vin. Never Vinyana.
I hit the dance floor again, but this time instead of getting swept up in the beat, I shoved and pushed my way through groups of partiers. No Vin. No hot anime guy.
I saw the Fur Boys and Vlad at the corner of the bar making appreciative glances at various women. One overly flirtatious fairy stood in the middle of them and ran her hands over Biker’s furry chest the way I had. She was tiny in comparison to the tall men. Is that how I looked when I was in their midst? And why had I left that position? Vlad was gorgeous, and so were the furries in that I refuse to admit that I might have grown up having the hots for an animated fox character kind of way. I wanted to boot her out of the spotlight and resume being annoyed by the way they loomed over me.
But as I fought my way through the throng over to them, this wasn’t about me.
“Hey Goliath,” I said tugging on his sleeve.
“Gloria, what’s the matter?”
Suddenly I was back in the middle of the three men, and a very annoyed fairy. Her little wings quivered with anger.
“I’m sorry.” I swiped at my eyes and failed at not crying. “I don’t know anybody here except for you guys and I can’t find my friend. I think she left with that hot anime guy with the long wig.” I sniffed, both pissed off that I was this freaked about Vin, and completely freaked about Vin.
Biker wrapped a hand around my upper arm, his claws bit into flesh. “What does she look like?” he practically growled.
“She’s dressed as a sexy school girl. Like Britney Spears in that video from way back.”
He pushed past me and stormed out into the party.
Vlad had a handkerchief and dabbed at my eyes. He stroked my hair as he cussed under his breath. “Blow,” he instructed.
The fairy was gone, and Goliath was on the phone. “Did you see him leave? I thought you were tracking him,” he grumbled.
I couldn't tell if he was asking me or Vlad.
Vlad shook his head. “I allowed myself to becom
e distracted,” he said with a lift of a single eyebrow and a head nod at me.
“I didn’t see any sexy school girls,” Biker said as he returned. “Do you have anything of hers?”
I shook my head. “No, wait, yeah. Her jacket.” I reached into my thigh holster and routed around. I brandished my coat check ticket with triumph.
Biker snagged it from my hand, and turned back into the throng.
I followed, with Vlad and Goliath in my wake. We caught up with Biker at the coat check as they handed over the two jackets I had checked in.
Biker placed my jacket to his nose and inhaled before handing it over to me. With Vin’s he took a much deeper inhale, like he was trying to identify her scent or something. He handed the hoodie over to Goliath who did the same. Their eyes met for a split second and they went back into the club. They were taking their fursona a little too far with the whole wolf and scent tracking thing.
Vlad and I stood near the coat check, and he helped me with my jacket. The club was hot with all the bodies, but I felt a chill in my bones. I must have unconsciously leaned into him, because I was suddenly aware of his arm around me and his hand rubbing my arm in a brisk warm-up rub.
“They’ll be able to tell if she’s still here in a few minutes. Are you sure she didn’t mention going out for a smoke?”
“She doesn’t smoke. She didn’t text me. I mean, maybe she’s just walking someone back to their car in a group for safety, ya know? But she would have said something. She wouldn’t have left with some guy. That goes against everything she believes. The only reason we’re here and staying so late is because she’s spending the night.”
“What? Is she an actual school girl? A sleep over?” Vlad scoffed.
“No, her parents are very strict. It’s a cultural thing. She doesn’t like to piss them off or worry them. So we sneak around the edges of the rules.”
“And your parents?” I swear he looked down his nose at me.
“I got kicked out of the nest when I was eighteen. Bye-bye, we’re turning your bedroom into a sewing room for your mother. And I don’t like pissing off Vin’s parents either. Her mom’s a really good cook.” I crossed my arms and pouted.
Vlad laughed at me.
“She’s not here,” Goliath announced as they returned.
Biker handed over Vin’s jacket. “We’ve got to go. If she’s out there, the sooner we leave the sooner we can find her.”
I followed them out of the club. Vlad kept his arm around me.
“Hey, what about your friend, Posh Spice?” I stopped in my tracks a few feet into the night air. “We shouldn’t leave him. You should at least tell him you’re going.”
“He left a long time ago,” Goliath said to us while he listened to something on his phone. He slammed his phone into a pocket with obvious frustration.
“Still not picking up?” Biker asked.
“Nope.”
Vlad stood next to me as we watched Biker and Goliath turn in circles. They both had their noses up high and were sniffing. Goliath squatted and began sniffing closer to the ground.
“Really?” I asked. This was getting ridiculous.
Biker did something similar a little farther up the street.
“This way!” He took off at a jog.
“I can’t run in these shoes,” I yelled as Vlad took off after them yanking on my hand. He dragged me for maybe twenty feet before I finally got my hand out of his grasp.
He raked me with a glare and huffed when he finally saw my shoes. They were for looks, and dancing, and for giving my legs a longer line while only wearing lingerie. They were not for running.
“Fine.” He stomped back to me. “I’ll carry you.”
I laughed. Vlad was tall and on the thin side. And while I’m sure he had rangy muscular strength, there was no way he was going to be able to carry me. My substantial thighs supported some serious squish.
He sneered at me, as if I judged his ability to lift me. Which I did.
He turned his back to me. “Jump up, piggy back.”
“What?”
“You heard me, piggy back. Spit spot, let’s go, or we’re going to lose our wolfish friends.”
I placed my hands on his shoulders, and lifted one leg to his hip. He wrapped one hand under my leg, ducked down and with a heft, got me onto his back. As I swung my other leg up, he caught it. A minor jostle of adjustment, and he was off to the races. I had to tie my arms around his upper chest to hold on. I expected to be bounced around like riding a pony for the first time and not understanding how to rock along with the movement, but that wasn’t an issue. Vlad ran smooth, like he was on rails. It was unreal.
We didn’t exactly catch up. Goliath waited for us at a corner. When he saw that we had eyes on him, he took off down the street. After we made the corner, I swear I saw Biker’s pale tail, but at dog level, turn into another street, or maybe it was an alley, and then Goliath disappeared around the same corner, as if he chased after a dog. And we came following after.
I hadn’t seen a dog. I saw a wolf, it had to be. It was too huge. I tried to pull back on Vlad, like I had reins on him or something. I did not want to get closer to that beast. Vlad slowed, but he did not stop. I squirmed.
“Put me down,” I demanded.
“Would you hold still or I’ll drop you,” he said through clenched teeth.
“That’s a freaking wolf or something, and I don’t want it to eat me.”
“Your friends aren’t going to eat you unless you ask. Nicely. Now hold still,” he chastised me.
I strengthened my grip on him. I now counted on him to protect me from the big bad wolf. Only I might have been wrong about it being bad. Goliath approached. The beast turned its head, took a brief look at the costumed man, and turned its attention back to whatever it was sniffing.
Goliath squatted down and pulled out his phone. He held it out. It looked like the animal was listening to it too. With a nod Goliath stood up and walked back to where we were finally catching up.
Vlad let me slip off his back. I ran my hands down the front of my clothes, as if resituating them.
Goliath gave me a long, pointed stare. “Posh has eyes on the mark. There are several women with him. The problem we have run into is how they got from here to there.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Your friend’s scent, and the scent of others came this way. And it just ends right here. All of their scents, just stop.”
“Could they have gotten into a car?” I asked.
Goliath and Vlad stared at me.
“Gloria dear, look where we are.” Vlad gestured to the alley.
It was narrow, and boxes and garbage built up against the buildings. We had passed through a hole in a chain link fence. There was no way a car could have been back there, or driven out.
My mouth made an O shape. “Okay, no car. A motorcycle? A scooter?”
Goliath shook his head. “We’d still be able to catch her scent.”
There was a sizzle and pop. Purple lightning crackled in the air over our heads.
I gasped, startled. Vlad crouched down with a hiss, and I swear I saw fangs extend that were not in his mouth earlier. Goliath grabbed me and put me behind him, and the pale wolf growled and bared his monstrous teeth. We all focused on the roiling clouds that smelled like ozone and sulfur.
“I hope you know how to fight,” Goliath said a split second before creatures began crawling out of the hole in the air.
Chapter Three: Demon Night
About a dozen things, creatures, people? Not people but very human-like—crawled from the rift in the night. They were a dark-burned mummified skin and bone. No flesh, no muscle, skin-wrapped skeletons. Wisps of long, dark hair grew in clumps on their scalps. They were barely covered in the shredded remains of what looked like blood-soaked rags.
I didn’t scream, but I might have made a gurgle sound deep in my throat.
“Demons,” Vlad hissed and jumped into the middle of t
hem and began shredding limbs from bodies.
It was hard to keep track of how many there were. Especially when they broke apart and limbs went flying in different directions.
“Holy Mother of God,” I muttered and scrambled for the “cross” bow. It’s base was a real cross, and I hoped that it was fully charged the way crosses are supposed to be against things like this.
Goliath backed me against a brick wall, and crouched in front of me, tearing into any of the things that got close enough.
The way the things moved made me think of a swarm, and if there had been more, maybe that’s what they would have been. But the hole in the air collapsed with a thundering boom as more of the demons crawled out. The thrashing torso of a demon cut in half flopped on the ground in front of us. I gave it a running kick and sent it spiraling to the other end of the alley. The pale wolf tore into it, confirming its death.
I screamed as a demon rushed toward me. Goliath was occupied with another. I ripped the decorations from the cross and brandished it before me. The creature didn’t stop. Clearly the cross’s religious batteries weren’t working. I hauled back and slammed the decently heavy metal object in the ugly face with shriveled orange eyes.
There was a scream and a hiss. The air filled with the smell of burning rancid meat. The scream came from the demon’s throat, the hiss was the burning of its flesh as I pressed the cross into its face. It looked like it was charged, but it required contact to work. With another scream and a torrid of cuss words I spun and mule kicked the thing in the chest. Vlad caught it, like I passed him a dance partner, only instead of taking the demon for a spin, he pulled its arms from its torso.
The blood splatter was weird in that I didn’t register that I was getting covered in blood and gore. It was thick and oozy black, not red, not flowing.
Knowing how my cross worked, I turned to help Goliath who was taking on two of the demons. I pressed the crucifix into the closest piece of exposed demon I could find. I switched hands, and reached into my jacket, pulled one of the sharpened stake props from my bandoleer and stabbed down with all my might into the thing’s neck.
A Cursed All Hallows' Eve Page 45