Whoa. Kylie. The same Kylie who'd led me into what was basically a death trap. Kylie the werewolf.
"Are you comfortable with the front passenger seat?" Zane asked. "I can understand how sitting next to a vampire would be a bit... unsettling."
"I have a choice?" I was a bit stunned at that.
"About coming with me? No. About where you sit? Yes. I'm not trying to be your captor, Alex. I just need your help."
Oh, sure. Nice way to put it. But, I guessed I had no choice in the matter, and he seemed sincere. Besides, if he killed me, the Hunters would be after him, and he seemed smarter than to get himself in trouble. It was better not to look afraid. "Front passenger."
Gently, Zane set me down on the ground in front of his car. I stood, looking at it. To be honest, I'd been expecting the Batmobile, or something. But no, it was just a plain black car, not brand new, but not over four years old, I'd guess.
Cold hand on my shoulder, Zane opened the front passenger door for me and guided me onto my seat. Shooting him an annoyed glance, I buckled my seatbelt, still oddly calm.
Faster than what should have been possible, he was sitting next to me. He gave a small smile. "You fascinate me, Alex. Most human girls would be screaming or crying by now. If not that, then entranced."
"Maybe I'm not most human girls," I said, trying to sound as dignified as possible. This earned me a laugh.
Worried, I tilted my head down, covering up my neck as possible, while trying to be discreet about it. Now that I was in Zane's car, a place where not too many people could see us, I was getting a bit scared. Words of his reputation rang in my mind, and I began to bite my lip. My muscles bunched up as I prepared to scream or try and run.
Suddenly, my hand was in Zane's. His skin was icy, and I immediately jerked away, though it was no use.
"Your throat is not the only place I could bite you," he said in a tone that was almost musing. Slowly, he turned my hand over so that my wrist was exposed, my throbbing pulse facing up. There was a long pause before Zane spoke again. "I wouldn't want to kill you, though. Not unless it was entirely needed. Like I said, you fascinate me, so it would be a waste of human." Smiling slightly, he let go of my wrist.
Breathing hard, I ran my finger across the spot where he'd touched me. It was still freezing. Like death.
The rest of our ride was in silence as we made our way towards Ty's apartment. To my surprise, Zane's car was way faster than I'd first thought. I had a feeling that he'd probably messed with it or something.
Soon, we were at the apartment building, and Zane was leading me inside. His hand was locked around my wrist, and I walked obediently, too scared to do anything else... And also too trusting.
I'm such a moron sometimes...
Some part of my head kept reminding me that he had saved my life before. If he'd done that, then what would be the point in killing me now? Maybe he was a psycho, though. Anything could happen. After all, I'd just found out that my best friend was a Supernatural Hunter, and discovered that vampires, werewolves, and tons of other creatures existed. Who knew what could happen.
"Stand behind me," Zane said as we reached Ty's door.
"What?" I asked sharply, my first words in a while. "Why?"
"Just in case your friend is planning an attack," he replied calmly. "I'll probably be able to stand the first shots, but... you're just human."
"No!" I wasn't going to obey every single thing he commanded. In fact, I was getting sick of being obedient.
Zane shot me a sidelong glance. "Forget fascinating. You're just annoying."
"Oh, you're annoyed?" I snapped. "Hello! I'm the hostage here!"
"I prefer the word leverage."
"And that's so much better."
"Your funeral," Zane shrugged, knocking on the door.
After a few moments, I heard Ty's voice. "Name?" He sounded more official than usual. Apparently, his Hunter senses were telling him that a vampire was outside his door. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have an Alex sense.
Zane leaned towards me, his lips inches from my ear. I shivered at his cold breath—it reminded me of my dream. "Tell him that it's you." His eyes flickered to mine, and though I tried to look away, I couldn't.
"Ty," I said, trying to keep a quaver out of my voice. "It's me."
"Good girl," Zane murmured. His voice was only audible to me, I'm sure.
Huh. So this is what being held hostage by a vampire feels like. Besides the slight terror and worry for Ty's life, it isn't that bad. Sarcasm meant, here.
Slowly, the door opened. Ty stood there, stake in one hand, silver dagger in the other. His eyes were venomous as he looked at Zane, then turned to me.
"Alex!" he said sharply, then turned to Zane.
"You really are new at this, aren't you?" Zane asked dryly. Ty raised a stake towards him. "I don't think so."
Within a second, he spun me around so that his arms were around my waist, his fangs close to my throat. This didn't feel like when George had gotten a hold of me...
"One more move, and she's bitten," Zane instructed carefully. "I don't want to do it, Hunter. Thought you'd be smarter than that."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ty dart quickly to stand at Zane's back, raising the stake into the air.
No! He was acting on impulse, and that would get him killed. Sure enough, Zane heard him and swiftly let go of me, turning around with his fangs bared. His hand flashed out to grab the stake, and he twisted it out of Ty's hand.
"Not the most intelligent move you could make."
I stumbled backwards, trying to regain my balance. Before I knew what I was doing, I'd run in front of Ty.
"Get out of the way, Alex," he growled, pushing me to the side.
"Look, Ty," I said quickly. "You don't need to fight him. He didn't intend to hurt me—all he wants to do is talk to you."
Zane shot me a glance. "Annoying, but she comes in handy, doesn't she?"
Ty gave him a wary look, then turned towards me. His eyes studied mine, and I could tell what he was looking for. "Do you really think I'm stupid enough to get myself zapped by his eyes?"
"Zapped?" They both asked at the same time.
"Yes, zapped," I muttered, shuffling my feet around.
"Humans," Zane said quietly, rolling his eyes.
"Don't insult her, vampire," Ty said sharply. He seemed to be satisfied by my words, and he gave a reluctant sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Look, you can come in. But don't try anything or-"
"Or what?" Zane held up the stake. "You're going to stab me with this? So scared."
"I may seem new to you," Ty stated, clearly trying to stay calm. "But don't underestimate me."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
Now Zane was no longer touching me, and I suddenly ran towards Ty, hugging him. But as I did so, I whispered in his ear, "Do not act like a stupid hothead. Try to be calm and cold. Like him."
"I would never want to be a vampire," Ty whispered back, hatred saturating his voice.
"Standing right here," Zane said pleasantly, walking around the apartment. He ran a hand across a writing desk. "I'm guessing you inherited a lot of your father's things?" Giving the stake a glance, he tossed it towards Ty, who caught it with more grace than I thought was possible from him.
"Yes," Ty said warily, fingering the stake—as if to make sure Zane hadn't tampered with it some way. He hadn't closed the door yet. "Alex, I think you'd better leave."
"Oh, really?" I placed my hands on my hips. "Not going to happen. I am sick and tired of being bossed around. Is it really so bad if I make some decisions today?"
"Technically," Ty said, reluctance in his voice. "Yeah. It is—considering that there's a vampire in my apartment, and he just held you hostage."
"Not really," I argued, trying to stay calm, but clenching my hands into fists. "Come on, Ty. Think. Did he really seem like he was going to kill me?"
"He was at least going to bite you!" Ty retorted, his voice rising. "You
think, Alex! It's not safe."
"So what?" I snapped. "I'm stuck in this thing already, and no one's going to be performing Memoria on me. Like it or not, I'm already in danger." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zane leaning against a corner, watching the scene with coolly detached eyes.
"It won't help if you get yourself tangled up in the matters of the SCA," Ty shot back.
"You're my best friend, and I'm not leaving you. I'm already tangled up in the matters of the SCA. The fact that I know at all is enough to get me killed—we've seen that." I gave him a pleading glance. "I'll let you protect me. Won't that be better than if I just wandered around like an idiot?"
This got to Ty. I could tell. He turned quickly away from me, massaging his temples. Pity for him began in my heart. After all, he was only nineteen. He should have been out partying, not making important decisions like this.
Finally, he turned around, looking into my eyes. "I'm going to have lines you can't cross."
I gave a small smile. "And I'll try not to cross them."
"You won't," he said firmly. "Because, trust me, I'll be keeping an eye on you."
"Now that your little discussion is over with," Zane said, walking up to us. "I think we should focus." He looked straight at me. "You need to be careful. Don't say a word to anyone—Supernaturals aren't the only ones who will be upset about you knowing if they find out."
"What?" I asked, looking towards Ty, who was glaring at Zane. "What does he mean?"
"Nothing," Ty said quickly. "Nothing you need to know about, at least. Back to you, Zane. Why did you want to meet with me?"
"Simple," Zane began. "I was wondering about Alex, at first-"
"Wondering about what?" I asked carefully.
"Don't interrupt," Zane said mildly. "I was wondering about your scent. It's different—not in a bad way. Just different."
"Do not say a word about Alex's scent," Ty growled, taking a protective step in front of me. Apparently, Zane saying something about my scent was bad. Interesting.
"So," I said, ignoring Ty. "I don't get it. What does having a different scent have to do with any of it?"
"It's hard to explain," Zane began, ignoring Ty just as much as I was. "Sometimes it means nothing, sometimes it... doesn't. I was just curious. Probably nothing. Now..." He looked towards Ty. "I don't suppose you've told her about the murders?"
Murders? All right... I hadn't really expected to get tangled up in that kind of stuff, but I was ready for anything, I guess.
"I didn't find a need to," Ty muttered, shooting me a guilty glance. "Plus, it seemed to be a bit too much information for just the introduction. And Alex doesn't seem to be in danger from that..."
"You may be wrong there," Zane said dryly. "That's where you need some mentoring."
"Um, excuse me," I interrupted, raising my voice. "But if there are murders going on, I'd like to know what they're about."
Zane turned to look at me. "Newly turned vampires have been showing up dusted lately." I was guessing that 'dusted' meant that they were destroyed. "Not to mention the human donors that have been disappearing..."
"Donors?" This was the second time he'd used this word.
"Humans who willingly allow vampires to bite them and continue in a symbiotic relationship," Ty answered. "The vampires get their blood, the humans get... pleasure."
Now Zane seemed to be getting a little bit more annoyed. His eyes darked, and a low growl rumbled in the back of his throat.
"It's illegal," Ty continued. "You have no idea how dangerous it is. There are ceremonies some vampires and humans perform... It's ultimately just the vampire using the human."
I slid a glance at the vampire. He seemed to have composed his face into a cold mask, but I could tell that Ty's words bothered him.
"Anyway, it's punishable by law," Ty shrugged. "I'm not sure what the punishment is—it ranges by the intensity of the relationship."
"Some Hunters are strongly against that kind of thing." Zane's voice was as chilling as his skin. I remembered Ty saying that Zane had been a womanizer... If he'd carried on relationships like this, had he been imprisoned? Or maybe he'd never been convicted... "So strongly, that they'll kill the donor."
"That hasn't happened in years," Ty snapped.
"Says the SCA," Zane murmured, his voice velvet. "Now, it's also against the law to turn someone—conspiracies are stopped. But once things are done, they're done. Turnlings are supposed to be initiated by the SCA, and their sires punished... Of course, most Turnlings are loyal enough to refuse to reveal their sires, who are usually older vampires." He paused before continuing. "The extreme Hunters-like the ones who kill the donors-often think that the Turnlings were idiotic donors. Since it would be unsafe to destroy a vampire who's older, stronger, well-known... They go for the new, unskilled, unknown Turnlings. Low."
He had a point. Destroying someone who was new to the whole deal, who maybe didn't even have a choice in the matter, was just low.
"You have no proof that the donors were even killed," Ty pointed out. "Besides, it could be another vampire doing all this. Your kind have killed their own before."
"My kind?"
The words were a hiss from Zane's mouth, and he bared long fangs, just as threatening as George. His eyes were so dark that they were nearly black, and I felt myself cringing away. However, he soon relaxed again. His next words were flat.
"Don't be so naïve. You're not just the son of Rick Sander, but there's also Jennifer's blood in you."
At these strange words, I looked at Ty. His face became angry. "Do not speak of my mother, vampire."
"I see potential in you," Zane began carefully. "I could help you become a better Hunter. There are some who are willing to merge the sides if it's for the good of the people... I know them. Open-minded Hunters are needed."
"Open-minded," Ty scoffed. "Do you realize how much trouble that would get me into?"
"Everyone keeps on complaining about we vampires being volatile creatures," Zane smiled, darting a glance at me. "But wouldn't you rather be volatile than afraid?"
It was as if he was speaking to not just Ty, but me... And I didn't quite understand that. Why would he want to speak to me?
"Anyway," he continued, voice lighter. "If either of you want to find out more, then you can call me." He slipped two business cards out of his pocket, placing one in my hand and throwing the other at Ty, who caught it in thin air. "Untraceable, Hunter. Can I trust both of you not to tell anyone?" His eyes slid towards me.
"My lips are sealed," I promised.
Ty set his jaw. "I see nothing the SCA would take seriously yet."
Zane gave a nod, and, without another word, strode out the door. I held his card in my hand, staring straight at Ty. He refused to meet my eyes.
"Be honest," I whispered. "Do you really think that there's no possibility of extreme Hunters committing the murders?"
"I don't know," Ty said, voice low. "But throw that card away. We can't do any business with Zane. He'll just get us into more trouble."
"I'm already in danger, you're already in danger," I pointed out. "We might as well do some good with what we've got. I'm not sure what kind of help I could be, but Zane seems to thinks-"
"Stop," Ty interrupted, cutting me off. "Don't you see that Zane's using you? He wants your blood, Alex."
Oh, yeah. "I never thought of it that way... But really, you seem to be acting awfully... by the book. Maybe he has a point. Sometimes, rules need to be broken."
For a moment, I saw some of the old Ty in his eyes. The Ty who sneaked out with me to see a rock concert last year. The Ty who was crazier.
"I'll consider it."
xxx
Pulling my hair into a ponytail, I gave a sigh. Hot vampires, dead donors, and conflicted Supernatural Hunters. My, my, what problems. However, there was a more important matter at hand for me: my new job.
OK, so TECHNICALLY, it wasn't more important than various murders, but it was my focus at the momen
t.
The thing was, one of Tammy's waitresses had recently quit, so... there was an opening. And to be quite frank, I needed some cash. Tammy's known me since I was ten, so she agreed to hire me within a matter of minutes.
"Please don't let me spill anything," I muttered to the Forces that Be as I walked out of the kitchen, a hamburger in hand. "Please, please please!"
Unfortunately, it looked like the first person I was ever serving was a biker dude. This should be fun.
"Hey, sugar," he grinned at me as I placed his food down in front of me. "Thanks. You look as good as this food!"
"So I resemble slices of potato fried in grease, a slab of meat between two pieces of bread who have who knows how many calories in them, and a beer?" I asked brightly. "Gee, thank-you, mister!"
Rolling my eyes, I began to walk away from him, when I heard a snicker. Pausing, I turned my head and found someone who was literally from a nightmare. Zane stood in the doorway, leaning against the wall and watching me.
His card, which I'd been keeping in my pocket and carrying around for the last week since he'd given it to me, seemed to burn—just like my face. "What the heck are you doing here?"
"How can you be a waitress if you have no idea of what etiquette requires?" Zane asked curiously, walking over to a table and sitting down.
I made my way over to him, placing one hand on my hip. "Welcome to the twenty-first century."
"Sometimes I don't think it's the century," he mused, eyes mischievous. "Just the people."
Recognizing the insult, I pursed my lips and took a notepad out of my apron. "What'll it be, sir?"
"So informal," he purred, clearly trying to lure me in with his eyes. When I adamantly looked away, a frustrated expression crossed his face, and his voice became flat. It took him only a second to read the menu. "No drink... Just a steak. As rare as you can get it without being raw."
"Huh?" The word escaped my mouth before I could stop it. I'd asked him as a joke... I didn't think he'd actually order!
"I can't wreck my image, can I?" He asked, raising his eyebrows as he handed me the menu. "Honestly... What did you think I was going to do?" His voice was low, audible only to me now. "Say, 'Excuse me, I'd like the teenage girl, preferably wearing little, throat exposed, please. For the side? How about a small dog?'" His eyes were blank, sarcasm dripping from his every word.
Meeting: Vampire Hunter Saga Book 1 Page 6