“I didn’t say I don’t like it,” Su-Jin accused. “I just know how the crisscross leather and lace must look to Violet.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, Miss Prude is never going to make it in our world in a church dress.”
In the limo, it took about two and a half hours to get to Hollywood. Violet was amazed at all the exciting nightlife on the famous Sunset Boulevard. The street was lit up with so many lights. Young people spilled out of the clubs. Monstrous billboards of beautiful models and movie ads loomed over the clubs, stores, and restaurants. Violet had never been to such an exciting city.
“Oh, my gosh!” Violet said as she stuck her head out the window of the limo. “The cologne model on that billboard looks exactly like Radley!” Her heart started pounding fast in her chest.
The girls scooted over to look, careening their heads out. “That is Radley Aston,” Zeta said. “Didn’t you hear that he got a contract with Swear?”
“No,” Violet responded, her face falling. “Good for him.” She swallowed hard, wondering why his expression looked so mean like a real bad boy in the picture.
Their limo crawled along in the bumper to bumper traffic. Once the Fatals arrived, Violet saw the crowds of people in nightclub attire mingling in the parking lot and waiting in lines to get in. The scents of their bodies made her stomach knot. Friday night was a full house at the Whiskey Raven in Hollywood. The newly popular rock band, Dark Paradise, was playing. If it wasn’t for Lord Viparado’s connections, they would have never been able to get in.
As they got out of their limo, heads turned. Some guys even whistled at them. Violet felt like one of the rich and famous as they strutted past the crowds to the front of the line. “We’re Viparado’s kids,” Destiny said to one of the bouncers at the door.
“Welcome,” he said, his eyes lighting up. At that, he held out his hand, directing them inside. “Enjoy your evening.”
Though everyone was dressed up, the place wasn’t anything spectacular. It was a huge bi-level room with a bar to the side, tables and chairs up above and below, some long sofas, coffee tables, and a stage set against the back wall where one of the opening bands was playing. Zeta and Alexa were whispering to each other. Looking over at them as they leaned up against one of the walls, Violet detected a certain gleam in Zeta’s eyes that made her wonder what she was up to.
Su-Jin took Violet’s hand and led her to a table to sit down. “Try to pick someone low profile, someone you are attracted to, but not someone who everyone is paying attention to.”
Violet dug her fingers into the table and nodded. Under the circumstances, she didn’t feel like she had much of a choice. If Lord Viparado found out that she wasn’t killing humans, he would hurt her badly. He wouldn’t let up until she succumbed. And now the Fatals wouldn’t cover for her.
What good was it to hold out? The girls had been killing an extra person on her behalf every time they went out these past months anyway. There were always five slayings regardless of whether she participated or not. Every fiber in her body yearned to feed—if a body was going down anyway, why shouldn’t she enjoy its nourishment instead of just wasting it?
But she knew it was wrong. Her heart pounded against her ribcage. She rubbed the sweat from her palms on the sides of her nude colored mesh dress. Her body was riddled with anxiety as she surveyed the room. So many young people. Who was going to be the unlucky one?
The room swirled in her mind. Even through the music she could hear so many heartbeats. There was an overlapping of rhythmic sounds. Get a grip, she thought to herself as her throat burned and throbbed. She was so angry and hateful. What difference did it make if she killed. That was who she was—a killer. Should she really deny her nature?
The music from the rock band on stage was entrancing. Three guys were jumping around singing a song about fire and death. One of them would be good, she thought. But no—too high profile. Someone who wouldn’t be noticed. She looked around the crowded room.
“There,” Su-Jin pointed at a guy with blond short hair who was leaning against the back wall near the bathrooms by himself.
Violet thought he was cute with his long legs and lithe body, but he looked sad in the eyes like maybe he was an orphan like Radley. Her heart clenched at the thought of the boy she would love forever, but couldn’t have. How could she do this? “Okay,” she said to Su-Jin. “He’s good.” She tried to remember some of the techniques she had learned in her Art of Killing class but her mind felt so mixed up that she couldn’t think straight.
She walked over to his side of the room, knowing she would have a better chance of luring him to her if she was dressed down. Zeta was an idiot to think she should wear such a costume. Most of the people there were dressed up, so she didn’t look so out of place, but she would feel more confident in something more conservative.
The blond guy noticed her standing there by herself as did half the guys in the club. A couple of young men started hitting on her, but she brushed them off excusing herself to the bathroom. Instead, she walked up to the blond and laughed as she shook her head. “You don’t know how embarrassed I am to be dressed like such a slut.”
“What do you mean?” He looked surprised that she was talking to him. “You look great.” His arms were folded over his chest as he leaned against the wall.
“It’s just that I’m more of a sweat pants type of girl and my friends dared me to wear this.” According to Mr. Wright this was a disarming technique. And to her surprise, it seemed to be working.
He smiled and kind of chuckled lightly. “I know what you mean about not feeling comfortable because I hate clubs.”
“Why did you come?” She wanted to grab onto her throat, but refrained. The throbbing sensations were getting to her.
“I wanted to hear the band, but I don’t think I’ll come back. It’s just not worth it to deal with all the people.”
She smiled and nodded. “I know. So many people in one room makes me feel claustrophobic.”
He shook his head. “Exactly.”
She judged his clothes. They looked almost casual, maybe an organic brand with the muted colors and earthy look. “I’m more into nature,” she sighed.
“Hey, me too.” He unfolded his arms dropping them to his sides. “Do you like hiking?”
Her face brightened. “I love it.” He smelled good, especially as his interest in her increased. “Do you hike?”
“Yeah, all the time.” He was still smiling.
“Where do you go?” Anxiety rolled through her as she imagined his body skinned and hoisted up in the kitchen.
“I hike a lot around here. You wouldn’t think so, but there are a lot of trails nearby.”
“We should go hiking,” she said suddenly. A part of her wanted to sabotage the situation.
His face looked surprised. “Uh, yeah…”
She put her hand on his arm. “Why don’t we go now?”
“Right now?” One of his eyes narrowed infinitesimally and then a grin formed on his face.
“Wouldn’t that be fun?” She giggled. “We could go somewhere super close by. I saw some hills behind the club.”
He laughed. “You’re funny. You mean Hollywood Hills?”
“I don’t know. I’m not really from here.”
His smile was big. “I can tell.”
“There actually are some trails, but are you sure you want to do that with a guy you just met?”
“Yeah, maybe not.”
He appeared disappointed.
“But maybe yes.”
He smiled again. “Okay.” His voice lifted. “Let’s go.” He took her hand and started to lead her through the crowds of people out of the club.
“I’ll meet you in the alley behind the nightclub,” she said. “First I need to use the restroom.”
He looked a little surprised again. “Sure, that’s fine. I’ll wait there for you.”
She went into the restroom and climbed out the window so that nobody would see th
em leave together.
“What are you doing?” He asked as he stood over by the dumpster between some trashcans watching her climb down from the window into the alley.
She blushed. “Oh, I got locked in.”
He laughed and then walked over to her. Oh, how she wanted to taste him. She looked around, her adrenaline rushing. They were all alone.
But she was doing this all wrong. It was obvious to her that this was risky business. The girls never went for their victims so early in the evening. They told the guy to meet them somewhere else where there weren’t people around. Often they weren’t able to lure a guy from the club into the right situation to kill him. At the end of the night, if that happened, they would find someone off by himself in a park or downtown in a seedy area of town. She should have paid more attention in class. How could she be ready for this?
“Uh…” She bit her nail. “I don’t know what I’m doing.” A tear rolled down her face.
“Hey, don’t cry.” He walked over to her and wiped the tear from her cheek.
“I can’t do this anymore.” Her voice cracked. “My life is a mess.” More tears fell from her eyes. “I’m so alone.”
“You’re not alone,” he whispered and took her face into his hands. He started to kiss her.
She wasn’t expecting that. Sobs rushed out of her mouth against his lips. It was too much for her. His heart was beating too fast. The sounds of his blood rushing and the warm scents… It was all too overwhelming.
He put his cheek against hers. Oh boy… Her head swayed to the side. And then she lost it. Her teeth itched like mad. And before she even knew what she was doing, she bit into the jugular vein in his neck. At first his head jerked up slightly in surprise. She wanted to stop, but she couldn’t. She pulled him up against her. He struggled violently for a minute, but her arms were like steel and she kept him pressed against her as his arms flailed about.
The blood was so warm and fresh unlike anything she had ever tasted. Once she started, she could not stop. And when he fell limp in her arms, she continued to suck until nothing else came out.
Oh, terror. What had she done? Her eyes widened in horror as the body fell from her arms to the ground. The fine hairs on her arms stood on end. Her heart was beating so fast like a jackhammer. She started to hyperventilate. Crap. In a panic, she started lifting the trashcan lids. Once she found an empty one, she lifted up the body in her arms and stuffed it inside, covering it back up with the lid. Quickly, as her hands shook, she dialed the limo driver, one of Lord Viparado’s guards. He was supposed to park beside the alley.
“I’m in the alley. Come for pick up,” she breathed into the phone.
“Over and out,” he replied.
In shock, she stood as still as a statue for minutes without breathing or making any movement whatsoever. The limo pulled up to her. And without hesitation, the guard got out and opened the trunk. She carried the trashcan over and dumped the body inside. He shut the trunk.
Chapter Fifteen
Violet listened from below the bathroom window of the nightclub. Nobody was inside. Now that the coast was clear she ran to the far side of the alley and circled back at super speed. She leaped up to the trashcan top and pushed off, where upon she hooked her hands around the open window ledge and made her way through to the top edge of the stall and to the floor.
She looked at her appearance in the mirror. Her face was flushed. But with the waterproof mascara Camila had put on her, her makeup hadn’t smudged too much with the crying. She wiped her eyes and nose with some tissues and repositioned her windblown long hair over her shoulders before unlocking the door and stepping out of the restroom.
There was a line of angry faces waiting for the girls’ room. “Dang, you must have had a killer Montezuma’s Revenge,” some sassy girl said with one leg crossed over the other as she sipped on a vodka tonic.
Still in shock, Violet ignored her. Her adrenaline was still rushing. She had to remind herself to act human and to breathe. As distraught as she was, she felt so much stronger and more agile now. If she wasn’t so horrified with herself, she surely would have appreciated the unbelievable feeling. The idea that later she would have to skin and cut up that poor boy she just killed made her sick to the stomach. Loathing and self-hatred ran through her veins. What an evil girl she was now. She should have refused Drew’s conversion and let Lord Dyson molest, torture, and kill her because now she was a monster like him.
She stepped in the main room. The vibrations of the music were rising up through her legs from the floor. Her head ached; she felt dizzy from inner turmoil. Trying to steady her wobbling legs, she pressed her hand against the wall for support. It was the very same spot she had only less than ten minutes ago been talking to her victim and now he was dead and she was to blame.
Feeling like she was lost in a nightmare that she couldn’t wake from, her mind seemed misplaced in a great fog. But behind the veil of mist, there seemed to be dancing and yelling out, whistles, and cries of joy. Crowds of people. Where was she? Girls screamed and threw off their tops. Yet something so familiar rattled her bones. Serendipitous. The music. It was one of the opening bands. Yes! The sound of his voice somehow brought her back to her innocence. The rhythms warmed something cold and dead deep within her.
“She sits under waterfalls/blood pouring down her face/oh, oh/tiger eyes on fire mountains/violet petal rain/oh, oh, yeah…”
Her head lifted up meeting the fiery eyes of the singer on the stage. The intensity was so great that it felt like a dagger pierced through her heart. Radley, her love! He looked different—wild and dangerous. He massaged the microphone and threw his head back before meeting her eyes again. “I run my hand down to her waist/I part her legs/water pounding; her heartbeat is pain/blood coursing through her veins…” he was lost in her essence. “Oh, oh, my tiger violet chain/oh, oh my tiger violet chain/I part her lips with my tongue/white sparkle flame/ whoa, oh, my violet quiver shame…”
Girls were screaming and trying to climb onto the stage, but the bouncers were pulling them off. One girl made her way up and grabbed onto Radley, but he pushed her off. His insides burned—he could feel her pain. At once, he ran down the steps off the side of the stage and pushed his way through the crowd. People were throwing themselves on him and grabbing him, but he was so strong and swift that he made it through. He stopped before Violet, his eyes filled with a million songs as he took her into his arms and kissed her like the flames of hell had risen up and engulfed them.
At that moment, he couldn’t care. He swept her up into his arms and ran out of the club breaking past the grabbing hands. Without stopping, he set her in front of him on his motorcycle and fired the engine. They raced away, screeching out of the parking lot.
He took her to his hotel room at the Rodeo Drive Inn. “We can’t stay here long,” he whispered, putting his hand on her shoulder.
Her body tingled at his touch. “Why not?” she looked up at him, still in shock that she was actually with the boy she loved. It had been so painfully long since she had seen him.
“Lord Dyson visits me here. He was supposed to see me in concert tonight, but I didn’t see him there.”
Perspiration lifted on Violet’s forehead. “Maybe we should go somewhere else.”
“We probably ought to, but I want you to see where I live first.” He looked down at her through his thick lashes and grinned crookedly as he opened the door.
The room was like something out of a fairy tale. Beautiful, dreamlike, with satin finery and roses everywhere. “Su-Jin decorated it,” Radley whispered as he laid Violet down on the bed.
Her blue eyes lit up. “She knew you were singing at the Whiskey Raven?”
“I’ve been checking in on you. Su-Jin’s quite the match maker.” He stroked the side of her hair. “She seems to think you still want me.”
Violet swallowed hard as heat rose to her cheeks. “It’s too dangerous for us to be together.” She didn’t want to say that, but she
felt she had to.
“All I care about is now. I would die to be with you even just for one minute of this night, for as long as it lasts. One minute with you is better than an eternity without you.”
She couldn’t stand it any longer. “I want to make love to you right now before Lord Dyson or anyone else comes and tears us apart. I don’t know how. I’ve never done it. But I want my first time to be with you and I want you forever.”
Radley’s jaw clenched. “You have me, Violet Rose.” His intense eyes bored into her before brushing her hair off her flushed face. “God, you are perfect.”
She grabbed onto his t-shirt taking fist fulls of it in her hands. “This could be the last time we are together; we don’t know what the future holds,” she said eagerly as she looked up at him.
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