Vampire Innocent (Book 3): The Artist of Ruin

by Cox, Matthew S.

  Sam’s not in imminent danger. I leap out of my sweat pants, trading them for jeans and yank my sneakers on without socks. After stuffing the phone in my pocket, I race upstairs, and trip over Mom who’s down on the floor sopping up the water we tracked in.

  I catch myself flying and hang upside down. “Ashley’s in trouble. Explain later. Gotta go.”

  Mom stares at me in total shock.

  Before my mother can even try to speak, I flip over and rush out the front door.

  20

  Best Friend

  Ashley has never sent me a 911 text without a ‘lol’ in there somewhere. That she put 911 twice has me at the edge of crying in worry. The only reason I can think of that she’d be at the lake is going on a date, probably with River. I knew he was trouble. Okay, wait. Calm down. I might be thinking the worst of the guy. Maybe they went out on a boat and he almost drowned.

  I’m pretty sure I squeak past 150 miles an hour on my way there.

  Sure enough, River’s grey Camaro is parked near enough to the lake for a decent romantic view. He and Ashley are inside, and she’s pressed against her door. Grr. Sometimes the pessimists are correct.

  Seeing her alive at least lets me calm down enough go in with my claws retracted.

  I drop out of the air about thirty feet away, behind the car. Since everything but the ground in the headlights is black and white, I know it’s so damn dark here, there’s no way in hell they saw me.

  “Why are you being like this?” asks River, his voice muted by the closed windows, but still loud enough for my ears to catch. “Come on, baby. You know I need you. Right now.”

  “I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet, River. Please stop squeezing my knee so hard.”

  I reach the car and knock on Ashley’s window.

  She whips around, stares at me… and I’m going to kill him.

  There’s a bruise on her cheek.

  I yank the door open. Ashley scrambles to her feet, grabs me by the shoulders, and pushes me a few steps away, walking with me.

  “Please be a better friend than I was,” whispers Ashley.

  “What?” I look her over. “What happened to your cheek?”

  She stares at me half furious, half terrified. “I wanna leave this guy, but I’m scared to do it… like, you know. You were right. He hit me yesterday, and he’s pressuring me to have sex with him now. I don’t want to.”

  My eyes narrow. I pull her into a hug and whisper, “Don’t ever think I blame you in any way for what Scott did. You’re not a bad friend. You’re my bestie.”

  Ashley nods, her face mushed against my shoulder.

  “I got your back.”

  Like a character in a fantasy movie finding a potion of courage, Ashley goes from a shivering, sniffly mouse to the same fiery redhead who tried to kick the crap out of that inept vampire hunter a few weeks ago.

  River flies out of the car and comes stomping around toward us. He glares at me with thinly veiled contempt before grabbing for Ashley’s arm. She jerks back.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t think we’re working out.” She swallows. “You’re pushing me way too fast, and it’s just not gonna work.”

  “Hey now, baby girl. You’re talking crazy.” He lunges, this time grabbing her arm. “Now be a good girl and get back in the car.”

  She shoves at him, grunting, but isn’t strong enough to break away.

  I take a step closer. “Hey, asshole. It’s about time for you to go away.”

  River points at me. “You stay out of this, bitch. This is between me and my girl.”

  “Get off me!” Ashley punches him in the chest, though it doesn’t affect him much.

  He draws his arm back to slap her across the face, but I dart in and catch his wrist.

  “If you lay a hand on her again, police bloodhounds won’t be able to find what’s left of you.”

  River chuckles. He lets go of Ashley abruptly, causing her to fall seated on the grass, and faces me. “Oh, I just love it when bitches try to act all big and bad. Guess I need to teach you a few things, too.”

  He tries to pull his hand away from me, but I’m not letting go.

  “Something wrong, River? Not strong enough to get your hand back?”

  Anger and worry mix in his glare. “What the fuck is this?”

  “This is you going away, and forgetting you ever knew Ashley Carter.” I snap my hand open; the force he’d been pulling with sends him over flat on his back. “Oh, that was graceful.”

  River shoves himself back to his feet. A shift in his posture telegraphs him about to run at me. I save him the trouble, dashing in and grabbing him by the throat. An instant before I slam his face into the side of the Camaro, I hesitate. Much like Ashley, this car doesn’t deserve to suffer for being with an asshole like this.

  So, I swing him around and slam him face first into a tree trunk. Unlike the car, the wood doesn’t give much.

  “Ugh.” River groans and collapses down to all fours.

  “That’s for hitting Ash. Go away and don’t come back, or you will disappear.”

  “What the fuck are you, some kind of android?” River spits out blood. “This shit isn’t happening.” He springs to his feet, frothing at me. “What are you doing in my goddamned dreams?”

  “That tree is looking kind of lonely. Are you sure you don’t want to give it another kiss?”

  He glares at me. The urge to beat me for ‘talking back’ to him is strong in his thoughts, but he’s also confused and frightened at my strength—and quite pissed that a girl isn’t afraid of him. His smoldering, furious stare lingers a few seconds, but he rationalizes this to be a dream, and trudges off to the car.

  Ashley walks up behind me. “Make him forget. Please… I don’t want him to know who I am.”

  I glance at her. She’s worried, but not terrified.

  “He’s gonna come back and shoot me or something.”

  “Okay.”

  I sprint over to the Camaro and grab River before he can finish getting in. He screams in surprise as I haul him out and throw him to the ground on his back. He starts to sit up, but freezes when I loom over him. His face goes from red to purple to normal as the calming effect of my mental influence invades his thoughts.

  Images of Scott sitting in that Jeep, burning to his permanent death play across my mind. If I make this guy forget Ashley, what’s to stop him from hurting or maybe even killing some other girl? If I hadn’t put Scott down, he definitely would have killed people. Granted, River’s no half-vampire, but he’s still the kind of entitled shithead who’d shoot a girl for leaving him, especially if she did it in public. And of course, the news would say it’s the girl’s fault. Some bullshit like ‘After having his heart broken by this girl…’ Not, ‘insane jackass murders woman.’

  “Sarah?” asks Ashley, close behind. “Why are your claws out?”

  “I’m thinking that this guy is going to wind up hurting some other girl.”

  She gasps. “You don’t know that. He wouldn’t have hit me if I just did what he wanted.”

  I snap my head to the left and stare at her, a hint of snarl in my voice. “You did not just say that.” If this guy broke Ashley, he’s done.

  “I know… I know. That’s not what I meant. Like if he found someone who’d put up with that crap, he wouldn’t be violent.”

  “That’s bullshit, Ash. It’s not your fault what he does.”

  “I should have left him after our first date. I knew what kind of guy he was, but… I couldn’t stop thinking about Aurélie. I was hoping being with a guy would help me like hit the reset button or something. I know she kinda charmed me, but not in a mean way. So, you know, what I feel for her isn’t natural. I messed up.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “Sorry for not listening to you.”

  I sigh and glance at the lake. “You know it’s surprising how often careless swimmers can drown.”

  Ashley starts to giggle, but covers her mout
h. “Are we seriously talking about killing him?”

  “He hit you.”

  “No way. You don’t mean that.” She goes wide-eyed. “That’s not Sarah talking.”

  I pull my claws back in and rub my forehead. “No, you’re right. I’m just really angry right now. He hit you.”

  “Sarah,” whispers Ashley, tugging on my arm. “You can’t kill him.”

  A moment of glaring down at him calms me—a little. “You’re probably right. Ten, hell, even five minutes from now, I’d regret killing this guy. Maybe.”

  “Can you like make him not into girls anymore?” She tilts her head.

  “Umm. I don’t think so. That’s some serious changing. Not sure I have that much power. Could probably make him into guys for a little while, but it would wear off. Plus that’s creepy and wrong and all kinds of messed up to do to the other guy.”

  She cringes. “Yeah, good point.”

  I storm around angry-pacing. Killing River is not a great idea. I don’t really want to do it. Because he hit Ash, the girl who tries to catch bugs and release them outside is teetering on the edge of murder. Scott doesn’t count. He was already dead. “Argh. I don’t know what to do. Killing this guy isn’t a good option, but if I don’t do something, I’m going to feel responsible if he kills someone.”

  “Dude needs some serious therapy,” mutters Ashley. “Someone messed him up when he was little.”

  I snap my fingers. “Great idea.”

  “Huh?” she asks.

  Grinning, I flop down to sit on River’s chest, grab two fistfuls of his shirt, and pull him up so we’re almost touching noses. A few minutes of thought-surgery later, he’s got a pronounced compulsion to see a psychiatrist and talk about his feelings toward women.

  “There.” I let go, dropping him flat to the grass, and stand up.

  “What does ‘there’ mean?” asks Ashley.

  I put an arm around her back and walk with her away from River, explaining what I did.

  She giggles. “That’s awesome. But, if psychiatrists could just fix people like that, there wouldn’t be any psychos left.”

  “Oh, even if it doesn’t help him, the stuff he’s going to say to that shrink is going to get him put on some kind of watch list—I hope. Anyway, it might be enough to protect whatever girl he could threaten in the future.”

  “Yeah…” Ashley bites her lip. “Thanks.” She clamps on with a fierce hug. “I’m so scared it would’ve been me dying tonight, like Scott killed you.”

  I hold her for a while until the tears slow. “Hey, none of that. I got your back.”

  She wipes her eyes again, smiling. “Thanks. Next time, I’ll listen to you if you don’t like someone.”

  “Works for me.” I wink.

  “So, umm…” Ashley looks around. “We’re out here in the middle of nowhere. How are we gonna get home?”

  “Hop on my back. I can give you a ride.”

  “Flying?” she whispers. “Eep. What if I fall?”

  “You won’t.”

  Ashley nervously steps up behind me and wraps her arms around my middle.

  “Higher. Over my shoulders.”

  She drapes herself on my back like a living cloak. “Okay. Hey, maybe you should tie my hands so I can’t fall.”

  “That would take this in a completely weird direction I’m not sure I’m ready for.” I snicker.

  “Butt.” She giggles, sighs, and lets her head thud against my shoulder. “Thanks. I needed that laugh.”

  “Ready? Sorry to push, but Sam’s possessed and I need to help him.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll explain on the way. Hold on.”

  She squeals and clamps down. I grab her legs behind the knees to support her weight, and leap upward. Flying with Ashley is a little more work than carrying Sam. She whines out her nose as we glide up over the treetops.

  “Okay, stop. That’s high enough. Oh! You’re still going higher. Why are you going up more?”

  “So no one sees us. Just relax. Close your eyes if you have to.”

  “I’m too scared to close them.”

  “Then keep looking.”

  “I’m too scared to keep looking.”

  I laugh.

  “So,” asks Ashley a moment later in a shaky voice. “What happened to Sam?”

  “There’s this doll…”

  21

  Memorable Encounter

  I feel like a pregnant gooney bird. Having Ashley clinging to me has more or less shot my speed and agility into the toilet. We’re probably still cruising around fifty or so, which beats walking. And crap. I forgot to implant a reason for River to be at Paradise Lake. He won’t remember ever having known Ashley, but I hope he doesn’t do something super screwy like thinking he’d brought his last girlfriend there and she left.

  Anyway… I swoop in for an ungainly landing in the front yard of a house at the northern end of our neighborhood. Twice the weight I’m used to flying with imparts more inertia. That imparts my face into the lawn.

  Ashley rolls over me onto the grass, and we both lay there trying not to laugh out loud and draw attention to ourselves. I don’t remember who lives in this place, but it would be my luck they’re a cranky old couple.

  “Wow,” says Ashley. “That was… different.”

  I sit up and wipe greenery and dirt from my cheek. “Not my best landing.”

  “Sarah?” She rolls her head to look at me, half her face blocked by grass. “Do you think maybe the universe is trying to tell me I shouldn’t date boys? It always ends badly.”

  “I don’t think it always ends badly.”

  She sighs at the stars. “Noah.”

  “Was an idiot. Did he honestly think he could bring some other girl along and the three of you would all wind up in bed together?”

  “Something like that. Because, you know, I’m bi, so I just can’t resist having a boy and girl at the same time.”

  “Idiot.”

  “Yeah,” says Ashley.

  “Okay. One moron.”

  “Kyle.” She pauses two seconds. “Williams.”

  “Oh, right. There have been multiple Kyles.”

  She gives me the finger, then giggles.

  “Which one was Williams again? The boy-band lookalike or the one with the motorcycle?”

  “Bike,” says Ashley.

  “Oh. He didn’t seem that bad.”

  She stares at me again with a flat expression. “He’s doing eight to ten for armed robbery.”

  I shrug one shoulder. “Okay, but he was never shitty to you.”

  “Fair point,” says Ashley. “Terrence.”

  “Ouch.” Okay… that guy overdosed and almost died in his bedroom sophomore year—while she was hanging out with him.

  “Wow, I sound like such a floozy, don’t I?”

  “Most of those ‘boyfriends’ lasted a week or two and you didn’t do anything with them more intimate than holding hands.”

  “True.”

  I sit up and smile at her. “And hey, it’s not like you need to keep even points or something. Girls, guys, date whoever you’re drawn to.”

  Ashley turns her head to look at me again, her face framed by a wild spray of red hair. Something weird hangs in the air between us for a few seconds.

  I bite my lip.

  She grins. “No, dork. I love you like a sister.”

  Pretty sure I’m blushing, but I giggle into my hand. “We should probably go before the neighbors call the cops.”

  Ashley sits up into a hug. “Thanks for tonight. And I’m really sorry for not having your back with Scott.”

  I pull her upright and start walking toward her house. “Well, I did sneak off without telling you. It’s not your fault at all. Seriously, Scott was a possessive, egomaniacal jackass, but I never imagined he’d try to kill me.”

  “You know that logic doesn’t really work as a counterargument for best friend guilt.” She emits a sad chuckle. “I still see that bear, yo
u know. That’s how I remember it.”

  “Dalton was trying to keep our secrets. He expected I’d stay with him and let the normal world think I was dead.”

  Ashley pounce hugs me. She doesn’t need to say anything—not that she could. At that moment, I realize more clearly than ever that had I ‘died,’ she never would have recovered. Having someone so close to me that they would’ve been permanently shattered at losing me steals the words from my brain. All I can do is hold her in silence.

  “Sorry,” she whispers.

  “No need to apologize.”

  “I mean, about Sam. I’m keeping you away from that and he needs help, too.”

  We resume walking, side by side.

  “He’s not in danger. This is more of an otherworldly annoyance than a real threat. I need to take him to see Aurélie.”

  Ashley shudders.

  I glance at her. “What was that?”

  Her face flushes crimson. “Umm. As soon as you said her name, I got so turned on.”

  “That’s only a little bit creepy.”

  She peers up at me through her hair. “That’s some kind of mind trigger isn’t it?”

  “Maybe, but she didn’t do it on purpose.”

  “Ugh.” Ashley takes a few deep breaths. “I think I screwed up. Still not sure why I lost control of myself like that.”

  I shrug. “She has that effect on people.”

  Ashley laughs. “I still dream about her sometimes.”

  “Well, you had a rather memorable encounter.”

  She pokes me in the side. “What happened tonight with River is a ‘memorable encounter.’”

  “True. But not a good one.”

  “No shit…” Ashley pauses, staring into the distance. “Oh crap! Sare! Someone’s breaking into my house!”

  22

  Getting Personal

  Not far from where we stand, a man in dark clothes crouches by the front door of Ashley’s house, apparently trying to pick the lock. A beat up brown Chevy cargo van sits in her driveway, backed in, the side door open.