“Conrad Abernathy,” she said. “Yep. He’s Head Watcher.”
I felt my eyes go wide. “But Conrad Abernathy is Chief of Police.”
Donna leaned across the table. “Conrad Abernathy has a finger in both pies.”
I sat back, numb with the shock of learning that such a high-profile person of the community was not even human.
“He’s a friend of my parents,” I muttered. “He’s been to our house lots of times. His kids go to my school!”
“His kids are vamps, too. You don’t usually meet an entire family of ‘em, especially one that’s blood-related. Even pairing doesn’t happen very often. We’re solitary by nature, you know? They’ll have to move on soon enough and never show their faces here again. Just like us all.”
“Why?”
Donna snorted. “Use that pretty little head of yours, girl. You can’t have vampires in the public eye for very long without people noticing they don’t ever age.” Then she said under her breath, “Hollywood got that part right at least.”
My mind was working in overdrive. The Abernathy’s were really nice people. Thomas was a junior this year, and Margaret was in my grade. We had art and math together. She kept to herself mostly. In fact, the only one I’d ever seen her willingly talk to was . . .
“John.”
“What?”
I shook my head to clear it. “Nothing. I know Conrad Abernathy and he doesn’t scare me. Josiah is a lot worse.”
Donna rolled her eyes. “Josiah has a very high opinion of hisself, but he’s good at what he do.” She gave me a hard look. “That’s not to say that Mr. Abernathy ain’t. And he’s definitely not as sweet and cuddly as you think he is. You best be careful.”
I gave her a silent nod of the head, my front teeth sunk so hard in my bottom lip I was in danger of drawing blood.
Donna put her hand on top of mine. “Look, I really like you. You a sweet kid. Just don’t do anything that’s gonna get you hurt.”
“I don’t have much choice,” I said. “It’s either find John and get Mr. Abernathy to let him go, or . . .”
My voice trailed off and Donna patted my hand in understanding. Then she sat back and gave me a calculating stare.
“You know,” she said. “If you’s worried about John not having a chance to turn you, I’d be happy to do it for him.”
I got up then, taking that as my cue to leave, and attempted a smile. “That’s very generous of you, Donna. I’ll keep that in mind.”
She laughed. “Go on. You best get out of here before Josiah comes back.”
“You won’t tell him I was here?”
“Not a chance.”
I gave her a fleeting smile and left as quickly as I could.
The Abernathy place—a ten-thousand-square-foot mansion that was practically a tourist attraction—stood on the southern tip of the lake. Mom once told me the master suite alone could fit our entire house! And I thought we had money . . .
Aside from a private dock—the Abernathy’s owned two boats—the house boasted an indoor pool and full-size gymnasium. Tennis courts and a private golf course entertained the adults, while a go-cart track snaked the perimeter of the property. I supposed even vampire teenagers liked to have fun.
Speaking of vampire teenagers, I spied on Margaret and Thomas Abernathy from the relative safety of my car as they raced each other along the track, disappearing for a few minutes before finally zooming into view again. After awhile, I got out of the car and made my way to the edge of the black asphalt.
Margaret saw me first, and she immediately pulled over and killed the engine. She removed her helmet and shook out her long raven hair. Her skin glowed like moonlight, her eyes twinkling a sapphire blue. “Blake Ehlert,” she said in a voice too cultured-sounding for someone as young as she looked. “How very odd to see you here.”
I studied her in the way of one who knows another’s secret. “Not as odd for you as it is for me,” I said, which made Margaret smile in a slow, deliberate way. I’d never really noticed how pretty she was.
“I have a feeling you’re not here to see me,” she said, sounding almost disappointed.
I shook my head. “I’d like to speak to your father.”
Margaret removed a driving glove from her left hand and examined her nails. “My father is a busy man. Surely you know that.”
“I do. But it’s important.”
The rev of an engine caught my attention then, and I watched as Thomas raced toward us and pulled up alongside his sister’s car. He yanked off his helmet and smiled up at me. “Hi Blake.”
“Hi Thomas.”
Margaret pushed her lips out in a pout. Thomas had a way of monopolizing attention. He was as equally stunning as his sister, and yet he actually had a personality that made people gravitate toward him. He’d always been one of the most popular guys at school, and there was never a shortage of girls throwing themselves at him.
“Tommy, run along and tell Father there’s someone here who wishes to speak to him.”
“Mother said not to disturb him,” Thomas said. “He’s in a meeting.”
Margaret’s eyes cut to me as her mouth broke out in another Chesire-cat grin. “Somehow I don’t think Father will mind. Run along now.”
“It’s your neck,” Thomas said. He got out of his car and broke into a leisurely jog toward the main house. Margaret turned back to me.
“Well, then. What brings you here? That’s a hideous tattoo, by the way. Very uncouth. I don’t even pretend to understand children these days.”
“I’ve come for John,” I said as I tugged at my collar. I thrust my hands in my pockets so I wouldn’t be tempted to blot out the shame of the tattoo by hiding it under my hand.
“I take it you mean John Kelly.”
My stomach twisted. “I was told Josiah brings all the, um, c-criminals,” I said, stumbling on the word, “here to your father, the Head Watcher.”
“And who told you that?” Margaret asked, removing the driving glove from her other hand one finger at a time. She folded her arms over her chest and raised a dark brow in expectation.
I swallowed hard. “No one you need to be concerned about.”
That earned me a faint snort. Margaret got out of her car at last and stood in front of me. Her eyes traveled the length of my ratty frame. “The entire school will mourn your loss,” she said abruptly. “Even students who didn’t know you well will lay claim to grief. They’ll say things like She was so young and What a tragedy. I’ve seen it happen before.”
I blinked once but otherwise held my surprise in check. “I have no intention of dying.”
“It would appear you don’t exactly have a choice in the matter.”
“Don’t I?”
Thomas hailed us from across the yard just then. “Father says come in!”
“Well then. I guess we shall see,” she said.
I trailed behind Margaret, silently revising my earlier opinion of her character. Quiet she might be, but I had a feeling she possessed the same predatory instincts of a tiger lying in wait. I made a mental note never to get on her bad side.
An attractive older woman greeted us. She introduced herself as Mr. Abernathy’s personal secretary, June. “Can I get you anything while you wait?” she said to me.
“I’ll take a pint,” said Margaret. “I’m feeling not altogether myself at the moment.”
“Certainly, Miss Abernathy. And for you, Miss Ehlert?”
I felt not altogether myself, too. I had pushed the limits of my practically non-existent stamina already. I should be at home taking it easy, not trying to rescue my vampire boyfriend from the clutches of Conrad Abernathy and Josiah Butler. “A glass of water would be nice,” I said.
June turned on her heel and walked away, the clack of her heels like a metronome against the parquet floor. I put my purse on a side table and began fishing for my medication.
“Those won’t help,” Margaret said when she saw the bottle of pills in my hand.
&
nbsp; I didn’t look at her. I decided I really didn’t like her very much. “They won’t hurt, either. And they do help.”
“Maybe a little. But your body’s red blood cells are dying faster than they can be regenerated.”
“I know that,” I snapped. “You’re not my doctor. You don’t have to explain it to me.”
Margaret turned away, a slight smile on her face. We waited in silence until June returned. When she did, she presented a tray topped with a clear glass of water, as well as a blue plastic tumbler.
Margaret sniffed in distaste. “I told you I prefer to take it in one of Mother’s crystal goblets.”
“I was trying to be sensitive of our guest,” June replied, her words and tone clipped. Obviously June had issues with Margaret, too.
Margaret narrowed her eyes but didn’t say another word about it. Instead, she took the offered drink and sipped casually, delicately wiping the corners of her mouth with the tip of her finger every now and then. When she had finished, she handed June the tumbler and stalked off.
Thomas, who’d been lurking in the doorway, came over and kissed June’s cheek. “What a spoiled brat,” he said.
June’s shoulders relaxed and she gave Thomas an affectionate squeeze around the middle. “She’s not spoiled. She’s just cranky because she can’t have what she wants. You know it’s just a phase.” Thomas smiled at that, his eyes flicking at once to me.
“What does she want?” I asked.
Thomas laughed. “You don’t want to know. Let’s just say Father would have a fit if he ever found out that his own dau—”
“Thomas,” June said, placing a hand on his arm. She shook her head. “That’s enough.”
The smile fell at once from his face and he cleared his throat. “My apologies,” he said to the both of us.
She handed him the tray with Margaret’s empty cup. “Be a sweetheart and take this to the kitchen.”
Once we were alone again June said to me, “You’re here to see John, is that right?”
I perked up at once. “So he’s here? I wasn’t sure. I mean, I hoped—”
“That’s just Margaret being Margaret,” June interrupted. She nodded at a set of closed doors directly behind me. “He’s right in there, speaking with Mr. Abernathy at this very moment.”
I turned and stared at the closed doors as though willing them to open with nothing more than the power of my mind. The anxiety had my insides in knots. “What do you think is going on in there?”
June shook her head, but I didn’t miss how she was meditatively rubbing the hem of her jacket. “Well, he came in with Josiah. That’s never a good sign.”
I felt like a popped balloon. “Oh.”
June put a hand on my elbow, taking me off guard. “How much longer do you have?”
The iron pill I’d taken felt lodged in my throat. I took another sip of water and swallowed hard before answering. “Not long. I’ve come to see if I can bust John out of here. He’s the only one who can turn me.”
June burst into laughter. “You’ve a whole city of vampires at your fingertips. I can’t imagine he’s the only one.”
“He’s the only one who’s offered,” I revised. “Well, not the only one. But he says he loves me.”
June stopped laughing and her face clouded with an expression like regret. “I understand,” she said. “In that case.”
Just then the doors behind me opened and Conrad Abernathy emerged. He was a kind looking man—slight like his children with deep blue eyes—except when his fangs were exposed. I took an automatic step back at the sight of him and bumped into June. She grabbed my elbow to steady me and whispered in my ear, “It’s all right. He won’t hurt you.”
“Miss Ehlert! You’re looking . . . ah . . . well these days,” said Mr. Abernathy. I didn’t believe for a minute that he actually meant it.
June tapped a canine and bobbed her head at him. He furrowed his dark brow in confusion and then clapped a hand over his mouth, understanding finally dawning on him.
“I’m so sorry, Miss Ehlert,” he said, turning slightly from me. “I’m not always so careful in my own home. I’m sure you can understand.”
“No n-need to apologize, Mr. Abernathy,” I stammered. I could barely get over the shock of seeing a man I actually knew, one who had been in my house many times before, as a vampire. What would my parents think?
He took a lengthy stride forward and grasped my hand in his long and delicate fingers, deceivingly firm and disconcertingly warm. “Tell me, to what do I owe the pleasure? And how are your parents these days? I do so love those parties of your mother’s.”
“They’re fine,” I said, withdrawing my hand from his as inconspicuously as possible. “I, um. I’m actually here to see John.”
“Actually,” Mr. Abernathy echoed. “And how did you know Mr. Kelly is here?”
“I have my sources,” I said, lifting my chin a fraction of an inch.
He smiled, showing his fangs once again. “And I take it you’re loyal to those sources.”
“Yes, well. I sort of have to be.”
Mr. Abernathy’s brows shot up in a look of genuine interest. “Oh? And why is that?”
“Because I can’t start my new life as a snitch.”
“Your new life?” he said with a shake of his head. “I don’t think I understand.”
“I want to be a vampire.”
Mr. Abernathy stared at me for a long moment before a rumbling laughter bellowed forth from his gut and echoed through the cavernous room. He pulled a satin handkerchief the color of blood from inside his jacket pocket and dabbed the corners of his eyes. When he’d finally gotten control of himself, he fixed me with a more serious expression.
“Miss Ehlert, have you taken a look at your reflection in the mirror lately, much less smelled yourself? I’m sure you’ve heard the saying on Death’s doorstep. Well, I’m afraid it applies to you.”
I gritted my teeth. “I am aware of what I look like, Mr. Abernathy. That’s one of the reasons I’ve come for John. So he can change me. So I won’t die.”
He sobered quickly and narrowed his eyes at me. Then he flicked his wrist at June. “That’ll be all for now, June. I appreciate your assistance. Thank you.”
“Certainly,” June said. She gave me a small smile before leaving.
Conrad Abernathy crooked a finger at me once we were alone. “Come this way, Miss Ehlert.”
“Where are we going?”
He turned to look at me over his shoulder. “Apparently I have something you want.”
He disappeared through his office doors and I followed. My heart leaped into my throat at the sight of John sitting in a plush wing-back in front of Mr. Abernathy’s desk. His gaze had been fixed on the door. As soon as I entered, he rose to his feet and rushed to me. Josiah was there, too, but I spared him no more than a glance.
“I expected to see Andrew,” John said in a low voice, his arms going around me. He crushed me to his chest.
“I went to him. He wouldn’t help.”
“You shouldn’t have come here.”
Conrad Abernathy closed the door with a sharp click. He affected disinterest in our conversation as he resumed his seat behind his desk, but I knew he was listening to every word we shared between us.
“Now then,” he said, arranging a few loose papers into an orderly stack and situating his pens in a neat row. He clasped his hands in front of him when he was done and fixed us with his gaze. “It seems we have a few matters to discuss.” He gestured to the two chairs in front of him. “Please, take a seat so that we can talk a little more comfortably.”
I took the chair next to John’s. From the corner of my eye I kept watch on Josiah, who sprawled on a lounge on the other side of the room. His arms were spread wide over the back of the couch, one leg draped lazily over the other. He appeared entirely too at ease for my taste.
“Am I to understand, Mr. Kelly, that you have offered to change Miss Ehlert so that she may live as o
ne of us?” Mr. Abernathy questioned.
“That’s right.”
“Am I also to understand that Mr. Butler here interrupted you in the act of changing her?”
“Yes. That is true.”
“Then you are one very lucky young vampire, Mr. Kelly.”
John let go of my hand and shifted in his seat. He cleared his throat. “How am I lucky?”
“Miss Ehlert’s blood is badly tainted with vampire venom. Surely you can smell the rot on her. Had you drank even an ounce of her blood, it would have been a most,” he smiled as he searched for just the right word, “ungratifying experience. You would have been dead yourself before the night was through.”
I looked over at John, whose face had drained of all color. “I had no idea something like that was even possible.”
“Of course not,” Mr. Abernathy said. “You’re very young still. There is a lot you must learn about this new life. Usually one’s Maker assumes the responsibility of teaching his progeny, but Mr. McAvoy doesn’t strike me as being a particularly responsible parent.”
Goosebumps rippled along my arms. My mouth went suddenly dry and I swallowed several times to wet it. “Are you saying there’s no hope for me?”
Mr. Abernathy looked startled at first, but then the lines of his face relaxed as he smiled at me in a very fatherly way. “Certainly not, my dear. Like I said, Mr. Kelly here is a rather young vampire, relatively speaking. The young ones simply cannot withstand blood that has been allowed to fester for very long. It takes someone much older, someone like Mr. Butler here,” he said, gesturing to Josiah, “to endure the effects of tainted blood. And even then it’s an unpleasant experience.”
My breathing came faster. I didn’t like where this conversation was going. John reached for my hand again, though he kept his eyes trained on the vampire sitting before us. Evidently he didn’t like it, either.
“Seeing as how you’re so intent on becoming one of us,” Mr. Abernathy continued, “I’d like to broker a deal.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What kind of a deal?”
Mr. Abernathy sat back in his chair and smiled. “Your life in exchange for something else.”
I shook my head. “What could I possibly have that you want?”
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