by Blake, Kasi
“Well,” Laura said. “You certainly seem chipper.”
Sean asked, “What did you find out about Ian Carver?”
Laura shook her head at her husband. “I thought we agreed not to push.”
“It’s okay,” Trick said.
He shrugged as he slid into his chair across from Matt. His brother’s entire body stiffened as Trick sat down. They hadn’t had a chance to speak since Trick was turned. Maybe his brother was on guard, expecting him to turn homicidal.
“I found out my father didn’t want to leave me,” Trick said. “He didn’t dump me and forget me. I think he planned to return just like he promised, only he died before he could. It wasn’t his fault. So I’m not going to dwell on it anymore. I refuse to waste my life hating him.”
Both Sean and Laura smiled.
“Glad to hear it,” Sean said.
Laura added, “I guess those sessions with Dr. Baxter are paying off after all.”
Trick made a rude noise. “She had nothing to do with it. Matt helped me see that I was just hurting myself by hating everyone for what happened to me. I decided to take his advice and move on.”
Now it was Matt’s turn to look surprised as his parents beamed at him. He hadn’t said a word since Trick came into the kitchen, but he kept his gaze on his brother as if watching for tell-tale signs that he was a vampire, something their parents couldn’t miss.
“I am starving,” Trick said.
Matt jumped, startled, and his eyes doubled in size.
Reading his mind, Trick shot him a nasty glare and slowly enunciated, “The muffins smell delicious.”
Matt settled back in his chair. His gaze dropped to his plate, while Trick buttered a muffin. Trick’s mind drifted to the last time he’d talked to Matt, the night his life had changed forever...
♫
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Matt had asked on the verge of hyperventilating.
Desperation pushed Trick to do the unthinkable. Jersey was right about one thing. Trick had needed a reason to do what they all knew he needed to do. “If I don’t, I’ll die before I can save Dani. This is happening to her because of me. I don’t have a choice anymore.”
“Maybe if all of us—”
“Deep down I knew I’d have to do this eventually.”
“But you said you’d rather die than become a monster.”
Trick cringed at the word.
Seeing his expression, Matt quickly added, “Summer isn’t a monster though; you won’t be either. I’m sure of it.”
He didn’t sound sure.
Trick had already gone over all the ways this could go wrong, and he’d made a tough decision. It didn’t matter to him if the Shadow Faerie killed the vampires, but Dani was not going to die because of him. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her or Scarlet. Neither of them deserved to be killed just for being his friend.
He took a deep breath and said, “If I do change, if I do become a monster, I need you to stake me.”
Matt paled. “I c-can’t... maybe Scarlet would... or Summer, if I asked her.”
Of course, Matt wouldn’t take him out. Matt wouldn’t kill a monster even if it was about to tear into him with claws. The kid just didn’t have it in him. Too bad. With his intelligence he’d make an awesome hunter.
Changing the subject, Trick asked, “What did you tell Sean and... Mom and Dad?”
They were probably asking questions, demanding to talk to him on the phone. Trick hoped his brother hadn’t followed through with his insane idea to tell them the truth. Sean and Laura Donovan could not handle it.
“I took a page out of the Trick Donovan book of conning parents, and I told them you learned something about your father that upset you. I convinced them that you need to work things out yourself.”
Trick smiled and put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “There might be hope for you yet. Will you stay with me? Cowboy says it’s going to be a long night. Turning vampire isn’t like falling off a motorcycle.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.”
Trick stretched out on the bed and squeezed his eyes shut. “Okay. Tell her I’m ready.”
Summer breezed into the room and leaned over him. Her soft hair brushed his cheek; her warm breath caressed his ear. She opened her mouth on the skin of his throat. It was kind of sexy. He might be turned on if he wasn’t totally terrified.
“Wait!” Matt yelled.
They both jumped, and Summer leaped off the bed.
“What?” they both asked simultaneously.
“Does it have to be Summer?” Matt asked with a tinge of jealousy in his voice. “Can’t Cowboy turn you? I mean, it’s just so... intimate.”
“And you think I want Cowboy to do it?” Trick glared at his brother. “Maybe you should wait outside.”
Matt looked sheepish, hands in pockets as he backed up to the door.
“Think of it this way if it helps,” Summer said. “I’m killing your brother, not making out with him.”
The remaining color in Matt’s face drained. He grabbed onto the wall to steady himself. His voice wobbled as he said, “There has to be another way to defeat that thing.”
Trick sighed. “There isn’t. If there was, I would do it. I don’t want to die, Matthew, but I can’t let that thing kill Dani. Let us get on with it. We need to save her.”
Matt stepped into the hallway.
Summer smiled. “Your brother is sweet, kind of a pain, but sweet.”
“If you hurt him, I will rip your throat out.”
She bit him.
♫
Sean cleared his throat, and the sound brought Trick back to the present. His parents were staring at him, and he realized someone had asked a question. Unfortunately, he hadn’t heard a single word. Now what?
Laura thanked the housekeeper for refilling her coffee cup while Trick went over his options. Should he admit his mind had been elsewhere or change the subject? He would rather have a root canal than share his feelings, but he’d promised Matt he’d be a more open person. His father had been wrong about vampires. Maybe the other things he’d taught Trick were untrue as well. There was only one way to find out. He needed to test his father’s theories and make up his own mind.
He opened his mouth, wanting to tell Sean and Laura that he actually thought of them as his real parents. He wanted to call them Mom and Dad, but he couldn’t force the words out. It didn’t help that they were staring at him, expectant.
After a few minutes of trying, he gave up. Instead, he offered gratitude. “I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you for taking me in like you did and giving me a nice home. So... thank you.”
Laura’s eyes glistened with happy tears as she reached over to pat his hand. She was satisfied with that small offering. Mission accomplished.
Sean continued to stare at him as if trying to figure out if he was being sincere or buttering them up to avoid trouble later. Maybe he had done something they didn’t know about yet. In the end, Sean simply nodded.
Matt understood what was going on. He smiled at Trick, giving his silent approval. Later, they would have to reach an understanding about Trick’s new secret. No way were they telling the parents. Sean and Laura couldn’t deal with it, and Trick didn’t want the way they looked at him to change. If it did, he would have to leave home.
“What are your plans for today?” Sean asked.
Perhaps that had been the question he’d missed.
What did other vampires do on Saturday afternoons?
After a second he remembered most vampires couldn’t take a stroll in the sunlight. They had to sleep all day. Maybe he would pop in to see what Cowboy and Summer were doing.
In the meantime, there was one other thing he needed to talk to his parents about. “Speaking of Dr. Baxter,” he said with a growing grin. “I have a suggestion.”
♫
Trick couldn’t wait to see Baxter’s face when he told her the news. He had dreamed of this moment
for years. Impatient, he hit the door buzzer three times in quick succession. At least her husband was out of town. He didn’t feel like dealing with John.
Baxter opened the door and frowned. “Our appointment isn’t until tomorrow.”
“Laur... my mom said to give you this.” He handed her a check and pointed out, “This is your last one. My parents have agreed I no longer need therapy. I’m almost eighteen, and we feel I can start making my own decisions.”
Baxter smirked. “Is that right? Well, I must say you do exude a certain amount of confidence now, Patrick. Good for you.”
“I worked through my daddy issues on my own. Thanks.”
“If you say so.” She leaned forward and whispered, “Did you do it, Patrick? Did you use the Sugar Bomb to kill the faerie?”
He nodded. “I did. Appreciate the clue.”
The smirk grew. “I have no idea what you mean. But you are welcome.”
The woman sucked the joy and peace from his heart. Somehow Baxter always managed to make him doubt the facts as he knew them. In the future, he would have to avoid her. He had hoped to see at least a morsel of unhappiness in her eyes at being fired.
“Is Dani here?” he asked.
Baxter sighed. “In the kitchen.”
Cowboy and Summer had warned him about vampire weaknesses and their limits while they were in Vegas. Even though the two of them could enter a person’s home uninvited, that didn’t mean he could.
“Do you want me to get her?” Baxter asked. “Or do you want to join her in the kitchen?”
Hesitant, he slid a foot forward an inch, then two. If it hit an invisible wall, he didn’t want Baxter to notice. He couldn’t be blatant about the fact he might not be able to enter her home uninvited. The last thing he needed was for her or her psycho husband to figure out he was a vampire. Somehow he didn’t think they would take his word for the fact he was still a good person.
His foot crossed the threshold, and he grinned. The rest of his body followed. He made a mental note to check another potential problem off his list. So far he didn’t feel the need to drink blood, could walk in sunlight, and could enter a house without a verbal invitation. What if he never had to feed? What if he was immune to all the bad things about being a vampire and only had the good stuff like immortality and crazy speed?
He hurried down the hallway to the kitchen.
Dani had her back to him when he entered the room. She was whisking a melted chocolate concoction in a large glass bowl, and her ponytail swung in a cute way with every movement. When she noticed him, she almost dropped the bowl. After setting it on the island, she ran to him. Her arms looped around his neck, and she hugged him tight.
“Where were you?” she whispered near his ear. “I was so scared. You told me you’d come right back. I stayed awake until four in the morning watching for your bedroom light to turn on, but it never did. What happened with the Shadow Faerie?”
Trick disentangled her arms from around his neck and gently pushed her through the back door while gesturing for her to keep quiet. They couldn’t talk with Baxter in the house. If she overheard any part of their conversation, she could tell her husband or their hunting group.
As soon as they were in the backyard with the door closed, he said, “I killed it.” Excitement made his heart race, and he couldn’t stop grinning. “It was incredible. I wish you’d been able to watch.”
“I don’t understand.” She frowned. “How did you win? I thought if you used your powers, you would die.”
The moment for truth had arrived, but how was he supposed to tell her he had fangs? After the numerous times he’d insisted all vampires were monsters, how could he make her understand he was still him?
He shuffled from foot to foot. “I took the vampires up on their offer.”
He pressed his lips together and waited for her to fill in the gaps. Dani was a smart girl. It didn’t take long.
Her eyes were thoughtful at first. She looked at a point over his left shoulder as the truth slowly registered. Then her eyes went wide, and she stared at him with growing comprehension. Her jaw slackened. She had pieced it together. She knew what he’d done, and it scared the hell out of her.
Her lower lip trembled. “But you didn’t want this. You didn’t want to be one of them. You told me that.”
“I didn’t have a choice.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Because of me. You did it because of me, to save my life.”
“No.” He shook his head and rubbed her arms. “If I hadn’t agreed to change, I would have died. I did it to save myself.”
“Did it hurt?” she asked.
Trick pondered the question. What could he compare the pain to in the real world? How could he make her understand?
He relived the moment of no return...
♫
Summer leaned over him, and her body flattened against his. It was a good thing Matt had left the room. Summer was a pretty girl with a petite body that...
Her teeth pierced his skin, and the burning pain wiped everything else from his mind.
Warm blood flowed into her mouth, and some ran down the side of his neck.
The pain lessened after a minute or two. A wave of nauseating dizziness washed over him. That didn’t feel good either. He wanted to make her stop. He wanted to stake her. Instead, he focused on the end game. Saving Dani was all that mattered.
A floating sensation filled his body, and he relaxed. The worst seemed to be over. He let himself drift away on a fluffy cloud.
♫
It had hurt worse than stubbing his toe, but not as much as breaking a bone.
Well, until later.
Then it had been much, much worse...
♫
Blind panic.
Cold sweats.
Something was wrong. His heart beat abnormally fast, and it slammed against his chest as if it was about to explode. Wide-eyed, he bolted upright in bed and searched for an escape hatch.
Matt left Summer’s side and hurried to his. “Are you okay? What can I do? How do you feel?”
His voice sounded far away and underwater.
Trick tried to get out of bed, but a multitude of hands stopped him. He fought them; he was weak. Summer yelled for Cowboy to help them, but her voice was like a whisper.
Energy drained, he collapsed on the mattress.
One second he was burning up, and the next he was freezing.
He shivered. The seizure-like movement rattled his bones and made him ache worse than he had a moment ago. He didn’t understand. Why was he in so much pain? Had something attacked him?
Matt threw a blanket on him. “What is happening?”
“He’s dying,” Summer said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Don’t look so worried. We all went through it.”
“You were like this?”
“Yeah. Only I didn’t have anyone to take care of me. Your brother is lucky to have you.”
Trick heard the words and knew they were true. He opened his mouth to tell Matt he loved him. If he was going to die, he wanted Matt to know. But the groan that made it out of his throat didn’t have substance or meaning. Once again he’d failed his brother.
Everything flooded back in a rapid flash. He’d let the vampire turn him. He had done it for Dani, and for Scarlet, and for his family. By the time he was finished, the Shadow Faerie wouldn’t hurt anyone ever again.
Holding onto that goal like a life raft, Trick allowed the darkness to swallow him.
♫
Back in the present, he watched Dani tentatively touch the bracelet on her wrist. “I should probably stop wearing this around you, huh? Does it make you feel sick?”
Good question. He ran an internal check for problems. Did he feel sick or weak when standing directly in front of Dani? Was it draining his powers?
He took her arm between his hands and caressed the soft flesh near the bracelet. Her quick intake of breath was the only sign that his touch had an affect on her. Their gazes
met. He wanted to kiss her, but he wasn’t sure of the protocol anymore. Although she had enjoyed it in the past, kissing a vampire might not be on her to-do list.
He leaned forward an inch and waited for her to either meet him halfway or step back.
Her eyes closed in anticipation.
She wanted to kiss him, and he wanted to kiss her. No reason to stop now. He leaned in more. His lips touched hers.
At the same time, his fingers slid forward and touched one of the charms by accident.
It burned.
With a yelp he jumped backward.
“What?” Startled, she gasped at the sight of his freaked expression. “What is it? What happened?”
“Guess I can’t touch your bracelet, but it doesn’t make me feel sick. Probably would be better if you don’t wear it when you know you’ll be seeing me. If it does to me what mine did to Summer, I’ll lose my new abilities. That wouldn’t be good, especially if we were being attacked by something.”
Her face paled at the word attacked.
“Sorry,” he said. “I’m sure that won’t happen. We won’t get attacked. I’m one of them now, so vampires won’t come after me, and the Shadow Faerie is dead.”
She got a far away look and tugged absently on her bottom lip.
Trick asked the most important question on his mind, the reason he’d wanted to see her. “I’m only going to ask you this one more time. Will you go out with me?”
“You mean a date?”
“Yes. I mean a date. Will you go on a date with me?”
Sadness entered her eyes, and he knew her answer before she voiced it.
“I can’t. Please, try to understand. This is about more than a ten-year plan. We can’t... you’re a vampire. I’m sorry. I just can’t.”
He held his hands up to stop the flow of rejection. “It’s okay. I get it. You and me wouldn’t work, especially now.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing. None of this is your fault.” He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter anyway. I’ll be moving away after graduation, and you’ll be leaving for college.”