by Blake, Kasi
Should he report the stranger to school officials? They would call the police and have the guy questioned, maybe arrested. But then his stalker would know he’d spotted them. He would lose his advantage.
Maybe he should sneak up on them, pull them out of the van, and question them himself.
But someone might see him do it. That would lead to questions he couldn’t answer. They might even call the police on him.
He saw Dani standing near the building with friends. She hadn’t noticed him yet. Good. He didn’t want his stalker to see him talking to anyone. They might target that person to get to him.
After taking a deep breath, he ran for the school’s entrance. He was determined not to stop. A few people called out greetings, including Dani, but he kept going without once looking over his shoulder. The sound of his name made his legs move faster.
As soon as he got inside, he stopped long enough to check the van through the glass door. Still there. The binoculars retreated, and he knew they’d seen him. He wondered if they would sit there all day and wait for him.
Dani waved at him and started up the steps.
He swung around, not wanting to talk to her in front of the glass. He collided with another body. Summer. She grabbed his shoulders as if afraid of falling and gazed up at him with an intense longing he was sure he hadn’t seen on a girl’s face before.
It startled him, mainly because this was Summer, a vampire.
She licked her soft, pinkish lips.
His gaze dropped to her tongue.
A soft gasp echoed in his ears.
Dani stared at them from a few feet away, and he realized his hands were still on Summer’s waist. Dani’s jaw tightened before she darted past them. He called her name, but she kept going. It was her turn now to ignore him. In seconds she was swallowed by the crowd.
He shoved Summer backward.
Looking pleased with herself, she said, “Mission accomplished.”
“I should stake you on the spot,” he said.
“But you won’t.”
“Don’t be so sure.”
Hands on narrow hips, Summer said, “I just did you a huge favor. That mousy little girl wouldn’t be able to keep you interested long enough to cross the street. You need someone with fire and passion and the ability to string coherent thoughts together.”
“Someone like you, you mean?”
Summer smirked. “Like me, yes.”
“I would become a monk before I got cozy with a vampire.”
The fact was, he would rather die a painful death than to kiss a fanged creature. They were monsters, and all monsters needed to be destroyed. His father hadn’t been the greatest Dad in the world, but he had been right about one thing: the only good vampire was a dead vampire. Since spending a weekend with Cowboy, he went back and forth on the subject. On some days he thought his father might have been wrong. But today, he was positive of a single fact: vampires were charming monsters.
Summer said, “After you are one of us—”
“Never gonna happen.”
“Don’t be so sure.”
She winked after repeating his words back to him and walked away, head held high.
Trick’s hand slipped beneath his jacket, and his fingers caressed the hidden stake. How much more was he going to put up with before he dusted that walking, talking nightmare?
Killing a Shadow Faerie would be a great addition to his resume, and there was a chance he might need the vampire’s help to accomplish the feat. But as soon as the deed was done, Summer was next on his list. He would just have to be careful how he did it. Matt was crazy about her, and he’d promised his brother he wouldn’t end her existence. Somehow he needed to do it without Matt’s knowledge.
First, he had another problem to handle.
He hurried down the hallway to Dani’s locker.
She slammed the rectangular metal door and spun around to find him blocking her way.
He held his hands up. “What you saw, it’s not what it looked like.”
She shrugged. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. We are not together. You can do whatever you want with whomever you want.”
“That’s the thing. We could be together.”
She shook her head. “No, we can’t. You and me would be a train wreck.”
“You think so?”
“I know so, and I’m not letting anyone or anything interrupt my ten-year plan. I’ve already been accepted by my top two picks.”
College. If he was honest with himself, he would have to admit that Dani and his brother were more suited for one another than the two of them. He nodded as his heart sank. “Congrats. If college is what you want, you should go for it.”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I hope things work out for you too. What is it that you want, Trick?”
“At this point?” Several things came to mind, but he couldn’t have any of them. He had to boil it down to the basics. “Hunt. Kill. Survive.”
His turn to walk away. He headed for class, alone and frustrated. Something told him he was in for a crappy day. Hopefully, the van would be gone by the time he left school. The last thing he needed was for Sean or Laura to start wondering why anyone would want to spy on him.
♫
He spent his lunch hour by himself outside, hidden from view at the bottom of the stairs leading to the basement door. Basically, it was a cement hole. No one could see him if he stayed seated on the bottom step. He needed to think about the Shadow Faerie. How was he supposed to kill it when he couldn’t use his powers?
He ate his sandwich but didn’t touch the bag of chips.
“There you are.” Cowboy leaned over the metal railing above his head. “Good thing I have such a strong sense of smell. Without it, I would have kept walking.”
What a shame that would have been.
Had Cowboy smelled the sandwich or him? Maybe he needed a shower... or stronger laundry detergent.
“What do you want?” Trick asked.
“I don’t know what you did, but you’ve got Summer all homicidal.”
Trick waited for Cowboy to join him at the bottom of the stairs before he spoke. He didn’t want to get a crick in his neck staring up at the vampire. Besides, he didn’t want anyone to overhear the coming conversation.
“You know her better than I do,” Trick said as Cowboy reached the last step. “Why is she acting like a jealous wife? The first day we met she came onto me, but I set her straight. Even before I knew she was a vampire I didn’t like her. I thought she got that. Then she sees me kiss Dani and goes ballistic.”
“Buckle up, buddy.” Cowboy leaned back against the cement block wall, hands shoved deep into his pockets. He bent one knee and put a foot against the wall behind him. Looking relaxed he said, “She will take you for the ride of your life whether you want to go or not.”
Trick’s eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”
“I subscribe to the idea that all girls are born a little nutty. Okay? Now if you take the most insane, twisted, over-the-top chick in the world and amp up her crazy like a thousand times, you got Summer.”
The vampire painted a dire picture of his friend. A girl like that was unpredictable in the worst way. She was capable of doing anything.
“If she doesn’t stop, I’m gonna dust her. Know what I mean?”
“Yes, oh worthy one. You want to stake all us vampires and rid the world of our kind.” Cowboy made a face. “I will try my best to keep Summer on a short leash. Just came to warn you she’s about to do something to split you and your girl up.”
“Already did. She was here this morning, and she staged a scene for Dani’s benefit, made it look like we’re hooking up on the side.”
Cowboy snickered. “Consider yourself lucky there wasn’t bloodshed.”
“Not yet.”
“Have you given my proposition more thought?”
“No.” Trick rolled his eyes. “I mean, I don’t need to think about it. I al
ready gave you my answer. I would rather die than become a monster. Seriously. So forget about it.”
“As you wish.”
The vampire didn’t look convinced, and Trick had a feeling it wasn’t over yet.
♫
After school Trick stopped at his locker. He never took books home, preferring to do his homework in detention or during lunch—if he did it at all. As he went to put a book inside, he caught sight of something strange. A folded piece of paper with his name scrawled on top had been stuck through a metal slot and had gotten caught on a notebook.
He glanced up and down the hallway. No one was checking him out to see if he’d found the folded paper. Who would stuff a note into his locker? Was it from the mysterious van guy?
He unfolded the note as fast as he could. It was from Jersey Clifford, short and to the point. Need to talk.
His cheeks filled with air like a hamster storing food. Frustrated, he blew out a breath in a long steady stream. What did the werewolf want now?
And when did he become the kind of person who talked to monsters instead of killing them?
If someone had told him last month that he would be carrying on conversations with vampires and werewolves, not to mention accepting help from them, he would have thought they were crazy.
He shook his head at himself.
What had happened to his life?
Trick went to the classroom and knocked once before pushing the door open. Grabbing onto both sides of the doorway, he leaned in to take a quick peek. Jersey Clifford was cleaning his white board. With the exception of the werewolf-teacher the classroom was empty.
“Did you slide a note into my locker?” Trick asked.
Glancing over his shoulder, Jersey waved him in. “We need to talk.”
“You could have just grabbed me in the hallway.”
Trick reluctantly stepped into the classroom, closed the door, and leaned against the wall. If the talk turned nasty, he was prepared to run. He had his wooden stake, but that was it. Killing a werewolf required special weapons: silver bullets and something to chop off the wolf’s head with like a sharp sword.
“It’s imperative that we keep this conversation private,” Jersey said as he gestured to a front row desk. “This is an important matter, and I don’t want curious ears tuning in. Come. Sit. I have news for you.”
Trick remained standing, but he took a couple steps in Jersey’s direction. “What is it?”
“Oberon told the Shadow Faerie not to kill you until you accept your grandfather’s power—”
“So I won’t accept, and he won’t kill me. Problem solved.”
“I wasn’t finished.” Jersey sighed. “Oberon figured you were too stubborn to fall into line. He changed his orders as of this morning. That’s the news. Now the Shadow Faerie’s mission is to kill you whether you agree to take the power or not.”
Time for the heavy question weighing on his mind.
“How do I kill the Shadow Faerie?”
Jersey perched on the edge of his desk, long legs stretched in front of him. The red sneakers on his feet seemed oddly out of place. Trick tried not to stare. “There is no weapon that can succeed against a Shadow Faerie,” Jersey said. “The only way for you to win is to use your powers. But that would also kill you, wouldn’t it? Quite frankly, I don’t see a way for you to beat it, unless...”
Trick’s entire body stiffened. “What? Unless what?”
“No. You aren’t ready.”
“I am ready. I am ready to kill that thing.”
“You aren’t desperate enough.” Jersey grinned. “When you reach the point of no return, a time when you are willing to do anything to destroy the Shadow, I will tell you then.”
A cold fist settled in Trick’s stomach, and he sank into the desk closest to him. He believed the werewolf knew how to kill the thing, but he also had a feeling the answer was something bad. Jersey either didn’t think he could handle it or didn’t think he would do it. So what did that mean? What horrible action would it take to ensure a win?
“Tell me now or keep your mouth shut forever,” Trick said.
“Ultimatums. The last weapon of a desperate mind. Nice try. But you aren’t desperate enough, not yet.”
“For what?”
“When you reach the point of chew-your-own-leg-off desperation, I will reveal all.”
Donning what he hoped was an arrogant expression, Trick tried to stare the teacher down. When that didn’t work, he said, “I’ve killed over a hundred vampires. I think I can handle one Shadow Faerie without your help.”
Jersey’s head rocked back on his shoulders, and he laughed hard. “Ninety-two. You’ve killed ninety-two vampires.”
Trick bit the inside of his cheek to hold back a nasty retort.
Then the werewolf teacher added, “I will tell you this much. The Shadow Faerie’s favorite move is to suck out a creature’s power before he destroys it. That’s the attack you have to watch out for.”
The Shadow Faerie wanted to relieve him of the dark power threatening his life? A glimmer of hope made Trick smile. His outlook brightened considerably upon hearing the news. If the monster wanted his power, the monster could have it. Perhaps the Shadow Faerie was a gift in disguise.
He headed for the door.
Jersey said, “Come back when you are willing to do anything to defeat your foe.”
Trick left the classroom, raced down the hallway, and hurried across the parking lot to his bike. The mysterious van had disappeared. Although he was happy to see it gone, the fact he didn’t know where it was worried him. They could be anywhere. What if they popped up at his house later tonight? Or worse. What if Sean and Laura noticed?
chapter twenty-two
Summer
Days passed without incident. Unable to hunt because of his watchful adoptive parents and the hunters spying on him, Trick grew restless. The van circled the block at least once every hour. So far no one had noticed but him. How was he supposed to do his job with them hanging around? He wanted to kill some monsters. More than anything he wanted to kill a certain Shadow Faerie before the visiting hunters caught wind of it.
While Matt watched a boring tennis match on television, Trick sat in the recliner with his laptop. He sent Jersey an email, asking him one more time for details on how to kill the Shadow Faerie. No one knew it, but his plan was to invite the faerie to drain his power. Wouldn’t that be ironic? The thing that wanted to kill him might save his life.
He pressed the Send button with a sigh. More than anything he hated to wait. Patience was not one of his dominant traits. Why couldn’t other people move as fast as he did on important matters?
The doorbell rang.
Matt glanced at the foyer, flexed his sock-covered feet where they rested on the coffee table, and then looked at Trick. He held his hands up in surrender to signal he didn’t intend to move from his comfortable place on the couch.
Trick gestured to the computer on his lap. It would be a lot harder for him to answer the door than it would be for Matt to get off his lazy butt.
A silent battle of wills began.
Laura spoke to them as she passed by the wide arch between living room and foyer. “Don’t everybody rush to the door at once. I’ll get it. Not like I was doing anything important, just helping Camille fix dinner.”
Camille was their long-time housekeeper. Matt had let her take a vacation while their parents were in Europe to keep her from accidentally seeing something supernatural. Fortunately, she hadn’t mentioned the unscheduled weeks off to Sean or Laura.
“You have a visitor,” Laura announced as she returned to the living room’s entrance.
She waved the girl into the room. Without asking for an introduction, she went back to the kitchen. Unlike some parents, she didn’t snoop when it came to their social lives. It was one of the things Trick liked most about her.
What he didn’t appreciate included drop-ins by unwanted vampires.
Summer stood at the
living room’s entrance.
Before she had a chance to tell them why she was there or which of them she’d come to see, Trick jumped out of his chair. He let the laptop fall onto the abandoned cushion. Although he wanted to shout, he kept his voice abnormally low and controlled.
“Haven’t you caused enough trouble? I don’t know why you decided to make Dani think we were a couple, but the game stops here. I am not into you, and I never will be.”
Matt pointed the remote at the television and clicked Mute. “What did you do?” he asked her. Then he turned to Trick as he stood. Frowning, he asked Trick, “What did she do?”
“She got upset when she saw me kiss Dani. Next thing I know she’s at the high school, throwing herself into my arms. Dani thinks Summer and I are a couple now.”
Dumbfounded, Matt stared at her through his glasses, eyes wide. “You told me you didn’t like Trick. Why do you care if he kisses Dani?”
She took a step in Matt’s direction. “I can explain.”
No way was Trick letting her put a spin on the situation. She had ruined his chances with Dani. Time for him to return the favor. He would make damn sure she didn’t get her claws into his brother. “Your buddy Cowboy told me about your plan to break me and Dani up cause you were jealous.”
She shook her head, sending the chunky ends of hair flying. “I am not jealous. This isn’t about you. I don’t even like you, not even a little bit.”
“Actions speak louder than words,” Trick said.
Her glistening blue eyes settled on Matt’s face “Can we talk? Alone?”
Matt shook his head. “I think you need to go.”
“But—”
“Just go. Okay? I was stupid to think you liked me.”
“I did. I do. It’s just—”
“You were using me to keep tabs on Trick or to get information or something else underhanded. You used me.”
Summer took another step. “That isn’t true.”
Matt jabbed a finger at the wall where the front door waited on the other side. “Get out of our house, and don’t come back.”