People shouted and ran in all directions as Kevin huddled over Victoria. He crouched even lower as a corner of the table next to them splintered away. The pain in Victoria’s throat had faded, but she still couldn’t form words with a bullet inside her. A drink of blood would force the bullet out.
Their unknown attackers fired at them once again. A bullet struck her leg, which stuck out from the protection of their quickly-disintegrating table shield. She winced as she tried to reduce her profile, nearly curling into a ball.
She grabbed Kevin’s shirt and pulled him close.
"Four men," she struggled to say, and nodded in their general direction. "Get out of here."
Kevin ducked his head as more wood shattered around them. The men moved from table to table and shouted at each other.
"Move in."
"Don’t forget the laptop."
"She’s done. I know I’ve hit her twice."
"Leave," Victoria whispered.
The fear vanished from Kevin’s face as a sneer took its place.
"Nah. What would you do without me?"
Kevin stood up from behind the table and simply raised his hand. The four men stopped for a moment, surprised, before raising their weapons and firing. Victoria watched as every bullet stopped around him and fell to the ground at his feet. The light from above caught his simple quartz ring, a gift from Rachel, and gleamed. He had the ability to make any rock a powerful shield.
The men shouted in anger and simply kept firing. Kevin winced from the pain in his hand, but held steady.
"Stay here," he said calmly. "Just give me a second."
He grabbed a salt shaker and a packet of sugar from the floor, all the while continuing to take their fire. Moving to another table, he hovered over an abandoned cup of water. He dumped the salt and sugar into the cup and gave it a quick stir with his finger.
"The best tricks are the oldest ones," he said, tossing the water in the air.
As it landed, the water changed into a white fog, covering nearly the entire food court. He smiled as he heard the men coughing and gagging, holding their fire.
He went back to Victoria and grabbed her arm. She was already halfway to her feet with a hand to her throat.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded. "Just need blood."
"Leave that to me."
Kevin took her hand and led her through the fog, scooping up a packet of ketchup along the way. She looked at him in confusion as he stopped next to a wall and felt it with his hand.
"Kevin?"
"The Friday’s break room is on the other side."
Despite the pain in her leg and numbness in her throat, she smiled. "Have to punch out?"
"I just need my coat."
He drew a circle with ketchup on the wall, just large enough to step through. Placing his hand in the center, the circle vanished, leaving only a portal into Friday’s break room. Victoria would always be amazed, watching the things Kevin could do.
Kevin ushered Victoria into the break room. The five employees currently on shift at Friday’s huddled and screamed in the corner, along with a few customers. They all retreated to the break room when the chaos started, and barricaded the door leading to the restaurant.
When Kevin cleared the portal he put a hand on either side and ran them together. The portal followed his hands and closed, a new trick he’d learned.
"Kevin?" Anita said. "What’s going on? Are you okay?"
He nodded. "Yeah, thanks. Victoria, did you say needed blood-"
She was already moving across the room, and pinned Kevin’s supervisor against the wall. She buried her fangs in his neck and drank deeply, savoring the taste. His eyes rolled back and he clutched at Victoria’s shoulders as they slowly sank to the floor. The bullets popped from her leg and neck, the wounds closing behind them.
Everyone screamed and rushed to the barricade. They fought against each other as they tried to shove the tables and chairs out of the way.
"Nice," Kevin said. "At least you didn't start a panic or anything."
Victoria climbed off of Kevin's supervisor and licked a drop of blood from her fangs. She didn't feed long enough for him to reach an orgasm, but he lay there moaning on the floor with an erection. She felt renewed, and four mortals with guns didn't stand a chance against her.
She turned and raised an eyebrow as Kevin slipped into a long black coat that stretched down to his knees over his uniform. He adjusted it on his shoulders and cracked his knuckles. He looked like a private investigator out of a fifties movie, one that worked at Friday's.
"We came back in here for a coat? Do you have any idea of how ridiculous you look?"
"I know, I know," he said, frowning.
He opened his coat and gave her a glimpse of why it was so important to him. There were items spread everywhere, nestled in many pockets. Markers, a pair of eyeglasses, vials with mysterious contents, sugar, salt, a bottle of water. It seemed he had a little of everything.
"But, you have to admit...this definitely beats carrying a backpack everywhere."
Kevin reached for a vial and shook his head at the panicking employees and customers. He tossed the vial to the floor, sending little beads of glass everywhere, and a scent that wrinkled Victoria's cheeks.
"What the hell is that-"
The crowd fell to the floor, instantly asleep. They collapsed on each other, some even falling right on the barricade. Kevin caught Anita before she could fall. Victoria did the same with two others, grabbing them before they smacked their heads.
"It's something I came up with," he said, lowering Anita gently on her back. "They'll sleep for an hour, and forget the last five. It came in real handy when I got pulled over for speeding last week. Don't worry, it only works on humans."
Victoria was speechless as he reached into his coat for another item, this time a pair of eyeglasses. He slipped them on and stared at the wall. She still had trouble reconciling that the cat-loving teen wearing the goofy coat was the most powerful supernatural creature alive. His kind had come a long way from chanting around cauldrons.
"They're in Friday's now, trying to be quiet. Most of my fog is gone. They don't exactly look like professionals. How did they shoot you in the throat?"
"Well, excuse me," she said sarcastically. "And how do you know what a professional looks like?"
"I watch a lot of TV." He noticed her staring at his glasses. "These things are real fun near the women's locker room."
His cheeks turned red as he glanced down at her chest, and quickly turned his head.
"Oops, sorry."
Despite the four men beyond the wall trying to kill them both, Victoria laughed. "You are forgiven."
"Okay, what's next?" he said, and felt through his coat. "No, I don't want to use that. That will kill them. I'm guessing you don't want to kill anybody?"
"I'm not in the best of moods, but let's avoid killing. For now. Look, Kevin, I can handle-"
"Ah, this will work fine. Are you ready? Just stay behind me."
She sighed and shrugged. "Sure, I'm ready."
Kevin rubbed a liquid from a vial on a hand-mirror, and then drew the outline for another portal with a marker. Before setting his hand on the wall, he gave Victoria one final look. She nodded, and he created the portal.
"What the fuck?" one of the men said.
"That's them!"
Kevin held up his ring as he stepped into the main dining area of Friday's. Victoria stood right behind him, a hand on his back. She couldn't stop flinching as the bullets stopped inches from Kevin and fell to the floor. The men were scattered across the dining room. They no longer had the element of surprise. She could handle them easily. It turned out she didn’t need to.
Kevin pulled out a small flashlight, held it behind his hand, and shined it directly at one of men. He dropped his weapon and covered his face, like the light of the sun itself struck his eyes. Victoria had been on the receiving end of Kevin's blinding trick before.
H
e held up the mirror over his head, drawing the attention of the remaining three men. They screamed in agony as a bright light lit up Friday's, forcing even Victoria to squint and look away.
When her vision cleared the restaurant was quiet. The man Kevin blinded was on one knee, still rubbing his eyes. The other three men lay motionless on the floor.
"What did you do?" she asked. "Another of your sleep tricks?"
"Nah. They were too spread apart. So...I captured their souls."
"You...did what?"
He turned the mirror around for her to see. Victoria's mouth fell open when she saw the three men in the mirror instead of her own reflection. They looked at each other, confused. Their confusion turned to terror as they pounded on walls they couldn't see.
"Don't worry, they're not gonna die or anything. Once I break the mirror, the souls go back to their bodies. Not an easy potion to make. I don't like using that spell. The ingredients are really hard to come by."
Victoria knew of Kevin's power. She'd seen him wield it before, even against her. Jack Kursed was living proof of what Kevin’s kind was capable of.
But to see it with her own eyes was humbling.
"Anyway," he said. "I left that guy over there for you, figured you might want to question him."
Victoria pulled herself together and approached the man. He was still rubbing his eyes when she grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him in the air.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"F-Frank."
"Frank, why did you try to kill me and my friend?"
"We were just following the leak. We got the call telling us Collins' hard drive was copied. His laptop's been bugged. The idiot isn't taking this seriously, doesn't know how important this all is."
"What you're doing, it has to stop. The virus you guys are playing with, it changed somehow, or the people you work for changed it. It could destroy a lot of lives."
"As long as it's the lives of enemies, that's fine by me."
She tossed him aside, sending him crashing into a table and chairs and knocking him unconscious.
"Okay," Kevin said. "Wild vampires. We can handle this."
"They're not vampires anymore. Those last pictures I saw..."
"Fine, whatever. Let's go."
"No. Thank you, Kevin. I owe you one. But I don't want you involved in this. If you got hurt, I wouldn't forgive myself."
"Are you already forgetting the things I can do?"
"Of course not. If we were going up against a human army, I'd want you there. But these are supernatural beings. Please, just trust me on this."
Kevin thought it over, all the while twirling the mirror containing three souls in his hand. He finally rolled his eyes and put a hand on her shoulder.
"If you need me, call me. Okay?"
She nodded and gestured to the restaurant around them. "Are you okay with this?"
"Oh, yeah. Smash the mirror, give them some of my sleep juice. It's covered."
"Okay, I have to run," she said, giving him a quick hug. "I have to stop this."
"You owe me a new laptop," he called as she ran.
Victoria knew she owed him much more than that.
CHAPTER 17
Jack took the bumps in the road as carefully as he could. Erica grimaced in pain next to him, her broken foot bumping around in the truck.
"Sorry," he said.
She offered a smile. "I'm so glad I let you drive me home."
Erica had spent the past two days in the hospital. Jack had spent every second with her that he could. Tiffany took one day off school, but admitted she was bored in the hospital room with Jack and Erica. She was in school while Jack drove Erica on the bumpy streets.
"Thanks for hanging out with me in the hospital. I really appreciate it."
"You've thanked me a hundred times."
"Don't forget, give me any hospital bills that come in for Tiffany so I can help pay."
"Stop worrying about it."
"And you've said that a hundred times," she said with that sexy laugh of hers, stretching her arms over her head. "I can't wait to get home and take a shower."
Jack kept a smile to himself. He was sure her reaction to what he had in mind wouldn't go over well, but he didn't care. Giving her a glance, it didn't surprise him she was still beautiful and fun after an accident and two days in the hospital.
"I don't believe you," he said. "Stuck in the hospital with a soft-cast, and you don't wear shorts a single time."
"I did that on purpose just to piss you off."
"Well, it's working. Fall's coming soon. I have to get you on the beach, see those legs in all their glory just once."
She patted her crutches behind the seat. "That might be a while. And why is this only going one way? When are you gonna walk around the playground with no shirt on?"
"That might lead to some jail time."
He laughed, but saw her staring at him out of the corner of his eye. She was semi-serious, and just as attracted to him as he was to her.
She leaned up in her seat and looked out the window as Jack turned down another street.
"Uh, where are you going? This isn't the way to my house."
"Took you long enough to notice."
Erica finally recognized where they were heading. She looked at Jack with confusion as he parked in front of his house.
"What are we doing here?"
He left the truck and grabbed her crutches. He couldn't stop smiling as he circled around and helped her climb out.
"I figured a quick lunch, maybe watch a movie."
"Jack, come on. I need to get to my house and take a shower."
"You're gonna stay here until you can go back to work."
She leaned her weight on her crutches as Jack took a step back. "What?"
"I've already cleared it with Tiffany. She thinks it's cool to have another lady in the house."
"You want me to stay here? As in eat and sleep?"
"Wow, you really did graduate college."
Erica wasn't amused. "Jack, I am not comfortable with this at all."
"Believe me, me neither. I've already got an eight-year-old estrogen machine running around. The thought of two terrifies me."
"I'm serious. You're my friend, probably my best friend. But I don't want to live with you."
"It's only temporary. And I love your honesty, I really do. But I don't like the idea of you on the other side of town hobbling around your house by yourself."
Irritation was written all over her face, but there was a mix of pleasant surprise as well.
"I'm a grown woman."
He took the chance to look her up and down and let out a small whistle. "That you are."
She finally broke into a smile, and tried to turn her head to keep him from seeing. "Well, do I at least get my own room?"
"Already taken care of. You're upstairs next to Tiffany. The bedroom's made up. I went with just white sheets. Didn't think you were a fan of Spongebob."
"For the record, I still don't like this."
"For the record, I really don't care."
They ate lunch before Jack showed her the bedroom. He showed her where he kept the towels and where she could put her dirty clothes. She leaned in the bedroom doorway with Jack next to her and noticed the piles of clothes waiting for her at the foot of the bed.
"Remember when you wanted me to pick up a change of clothes for you? I picked up about a week's worth."
She leaned toward him with the intention of kissing him on the cheek. Her right crutch slipped out from under her, sending her into his arms. The crutch slid across the floor as Jack embraced her, their faces inches apart.
"Now we're getting somewhere," he said, smiling.
She balanced her weight on one foot while keeping a hand on his chest. She made no effort to push away. Jack enjoyed the closeness, much more than any one-night-stand he had in the past.
"That was an accident."
"Sure it was. That's what they all say. Eve
ryone woman that ever comes over here pretends to fall so I'll catch them."
"Is that so?" she said, still holding onto him. "Exactly how many women do you entertain?"
"Actually, you're the first in a long time. The last time I let a woman spend the night..."
Jack trailed off as memories two centuries old settled in his mind. He was so busy preparing a place for Erica to sleep that he actually forgot he was letting her sleep in his house. The last woman who slept in his home was Angela, and that didn't turn out very well.
"Jack?" she said, squeezing his arm. "Are you okay?"
"Oh yeah, fine." He backed away slightly and broke contact, killing any moment they were having. "Just, uh, lost in thought."
He turned away from her and picked up her crutch. He was near the steps when she spoke again.
"She hurt you bad, didn't she?"
He froze. No one had ever asked him that before. The reason no one asked was because Jack never showed enough of himself for anyone to wonder. Erica was either very perceptive, or they were closer than he thought.
"She destroyed me," he said, surprised at himself that he was answering honestly. "But I'm all better now."
She leaned back against the wall and folded her arms. "For the most part, but you have your moments. I can see it in your eyes. Just a quick flash of pain here and there."
He smiled as he handed her the crutch. "Hmm. If you want, I can lie on the couch with my head in your lap, and we can pretend you're my doctor."
She surprised him with a smile as she made her way past him to the steps. "Now that might be fun."
They watched TV and talked on the couch for another hour before it was time to pick up Tiffany. Erica stayed at the house while Jack drove to school. Tiffany was a bundle of energy sprinting across the playground. She chased some of her classmates as Jack leaned against the fence laughing. They walked to the truck, Tiffany talking the entire time. Jack was a good listener, but only picked up half of her words. He thought he heard something about an A on a test and winning at dodge-ball. She was still talking as he pulled out onto the street.
"Tiffany, slow down a second," he said. "It's okay to breathe."
"Sorry. I'm just so happy."
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