by E. J. King
With a cup of decaf in hand and warm, fuzzy slippers on my feet, I settled in with my mystery journal. Similar to Skye’s diary, this one also dealt with a Lost Soul. The Hunter, Violet, spoke of a young man named Benton. Like Rafe, he was turned but didn’t complete the transition. But unlike Skye’s journal, Violet’s held a level of detail that was impressive. She documented every false lead and dashed hope.
Also unlike Skye, Violet wasn’t shy about why she wanted to help Benton. She was in love with him.
The journal was painful to read; it so closely mirrored my own situation that I had a hard time reading it. But I also knew that it was important to read every word. Someone had given it to me for a reason.
Violet tracked down several leads that turned out to be dead ends, but she eventually found one that seemed promising. She learned about a girl that had special blood. The girl’s mother had been a regular human, but her father had been a Lost Soul. Their combined blood had created a human that carried the cure for vampirism. Or at least that’s what the legend said.
At this news, I started to read faster. Somehow, Violet discovered that she was the girl with the magic blood. She held the cure that would save Benton in her veins. But try as she might, she couldn’t convince Benton to drink from her. He was too worried that he would take too much and kill her. So Violet devised another plan.
Her next entry was so confusing I had to read it twice. Violet waited until Benton had started to reach the end. Every day for a week, she stashed away bags of her own blood. One bag per day, until she had seven of them. She took them to Benton, convinced that if he drank all of them at once, it would be enough. By that time, he was so crazed with bloodlust, he couldn’t resist the temptation. He tore into the bags and the minute he tasted the blood, the monster in him took over.
Her plan hadn’t worked. Benton transitioned before her eyes. He grabbed Violet and sank his fangs into her neck, drinking hungrily. After a few seconds, he realized what he was doing and he pushed her away. He screamed for her to run, and she did.
Violet’s story ended with that entry, but it wasn’t the last entry in the book. On the very last page, I found familiar handwriting speaking directly to me.
Pay attention to the details.
~Link
I don’t know why, but it didn’t occur to me until that minute that my brother had been the one to leave the journal for me. It made sense- he knew that my blood was special, and he wanted to protect me, like always. But if Lincoln had left the journal, that mean he had been in the library with me. He had been right there and I had missed him, again. Not only that, but he had taken the time to leave me a message. A cryptic message, yes, but one that he had thought was important enough to risk almost getting caught. I was determined to crack Link’s code and even more determined to finally reunite with my brother.
CHAPTER NINE
My distracted state allowed Hope to convince me to skip class Thursday morning to shop for our party outfits. Once she’d heard that I was going with Rafe, she’d convinced me to get Ethan to go. Since he still didn’t know that Rafe and I were going on a date, I’d propositioned it as a group outing. He’d agreed under the condition that he wouldn’t have to wear a ruffled shirt.
“We need to look amazing, Kaylie,” she said after she vetoed the fifth dress I’d picked out. “If we’re going to have the hottest dates there, we can’t wear just any old dress.”
“I’m not planning on wearing the dress long anyway,” I said, grabbing a long, black one from the sales rack.
“What?” Hope’s eyes widened so much that I worried they would pop out of her head. “Damn girl. That’s very vixen of you.”
I had to take a second to remember what I had said that might’ve come out sounding scandalous. “That’s not what I meant, Hope. We have to hunt the Siren later tonight, so I’m not expecting to spend much time at the party.”
“Right. Sure that’s what you meant.” She winked at me conspiratorially and leaned over the rack of dresses. “Seriously, though- is tonight the night?”
“It’s our first date.” I pretended to study the dress in my hand. “I’m not going to sleep with someone on a first date.”
“But it doesn’t really count as a first date. You’ve known Rafe for months now. I mean, I’m sure he’s not planning on just holding your hand all night.” She snatched the dress away from me and shoved it onto the rack. “Plus, it’s not like we are sixteen anymore. We’re adults now. You’re allowed to have an occasional impulsive moment.”
I frowned and flipped through a few more dresses. “I’m not good with impulsive. I’m also not particularly good with dating. So tonight is probably going to end badly.”
“You never date so how can you know if you’re good at it?” She studied me carefully. “Or, did you really mean that you’re not good with sex?”
“Hope,” I hissed, looking around quickly to make sure none of the other shoppers were listening. “I’m not going to talk about this here.”
“Fine.” She grabbed a handful of dresses and pulled me toward the dressing room. Once we were behind a big, red curtain, she started in again. “Privacy. Now, spill.”
I fingered the fabric of a red satin gown, debating whether to have this conversation with Hope. It wasn’t a fun story to tell, but I did need some advice and Hope was my only female friend. Not to mention, she wouldn’t let me out of the dressing room until she knew my deepest, darkest secrets.
“Fine. I’ll tell you. But once we exit this curtain, you’re never allowed to mention it again.” I stared her down until she nodded.
“Deal.”
While Hope made herself comfortable on the small bench in the room, I started peeling off clothes. It would be easier to talk if I didn’t have to see Hope the whole time, looking at me in excitement. Trying on dresses was a perfect distraction.
“I was sixteen when my family was killed.” Starting the story with the massacre was a good way to get some sympathy. “Since I didn’t have anywhere to live, I bounced around a lot, staying with Hunters that had been friends with my parents. Without my family to keep me grounded, I did a lot of wild, reckless things.”
“Like what? Grand theft auto?” Hope was riveted to my story.
The red dress was smooth and cool against my skin as I pulled it over my head. Studying my reflection in the mirror, I continued. “Using fake IDs to hang out in bars. Drinking. Going on really dangerous hunts alone. And then I moved in with the Camptons”
“The Camptons?” Hope made a silly face. “Family friends?”
“Yes. They were the same age as my parents, had known each other for years, and they had a son, Luke.”
“Luke! You’re one true love that broke your heart?” Hope was practically salivating.
I sighed. “Not exactly.”
It had been nearly three years since the Luke incident, but I still felt terrible about it.
“Luke was a couple years older and he was a nice guy. Really sympathetic about my family and he had a crush on me. After a couple of weeks, while I was still in my drinking-too-much-and-making-bad-decisions phase, I started sleeping with Luke.”
“Vixen!” Hope clapped her hands. “I knew it.”
“I’m not proud of it, Hope. I was only doing it because I was hurting and it was nice to feel wanted. But Luke was in love with me. When he found out I was just using him, it destroyed him.”
“How did you tell him?”
“After about three months, I realized just how he felt and I knew I couldn’t keep having sex with him if I didn’t feel the same way. So I wrote a long letter and I left.”
Hope’s jaw dropped. “You wrote him a letter? You didn’t even tell him to his face?”
“I was a coward.” I turned to see a profile of myself and was aghast at how high the slit of the dress was. “I was also sixteen and stupid. So, yeah. I left a note. Luke called me for weeks afterward, refusing to accept it. He finally got the hint when I didn’t return any of his calls for
four months.”
“He was in love with you, just like all the other boys.” She rolled her eyes. “Poor you. Who was your next victim?”
“No one. I felt so bad about it that I’ve kept my distance from guys ever since. I’m clearly dysfunctional,” I said as I tugged at the low cut neckline. “That’s why I should never have agreed to this date with Rafe.”
Hope walked behind me, looking me in the eye through the mirror. “Please. Rafe is way more dysfunctional than you. The two of you deserve each other.”
“Thanks.” She had meant it as a jab, but I smiled anyway. She wasn’t entirely wrong. “I like him, Hope. I don’t want to mess that up.”
“Who says you will?” She gave me an encouraging smile. “Just because your family is dead doesn’t mean you have to pretend that you are, too. You’re allowed to live, Kaylie. Enjoy life a little. Go on a date with a boy you like. Wear a hot dress. Be a little slutty if the mood strikes you. Do all of those things at once.”
We both laughed. “You are a good friend, Hope.”
“No, I’m your best friend.” She gave me a hug from behind. “And as your best friend, I’m making you buy this dress.”
“I don’t know.” I winced at the amount of skin I could see in the mirror.
“You don’t have to know because I know. I know that Rafe won’t be able to keep his hands off of you in that thing.” She winked. “You can thank me later.”
I hurried out of the dress, eager to return to my own clothes. “What about you, Hope? Why did you want me to invite Ethan to tag along? Don’t you have a guy of your own lined up?”
“Maybe.” Hope actually blushed, something I had never seen her do. “There is this one guy that I kind of like.”
“So why didn’t you invite him?” I pulled on my hoodie and instantly felt better.
Hope pretended to be busy choosing which dress she wanted to try on. “I don’t know.”
“What’s going on, Hope? You’re never this secretive about boys.”
“I don’t know how you’re going to react.” Her eyes darted to me and then away. “I think I like Ethan.”
“Ethan? My Ethan?” It was a stupid thing to say. Ethan definitely didn’t belong to me.
Hope ducked her head. “Yeah.”
“Why were you afraid to tell me that?”
“Because I know you like him, or at least you did for a while. I mean, look at what you just said.” She started undressing quickly.
“I’m sorry. That was a stupid reaction. I didn’t mean it that way. I was just surprised.” It seemed like years ago that I had told Hope I had a crush on Ethan. I certainly didn’t feel that way anymore. “I do like Ethan, just not in that way. He’s my friend. That’s all.”
“You’re sure?” she asked, pulling a shiny gold dress over her head. It fell perfectly over her body.
“I’m absolutely sure,” I said. “You do remember that I just poured my heart out to you about Rafe?”
She smiled. “Yeah, that did happen, didn’t it?”
“Ethan is all yours.”
“Well, I don’t know about that. I mean, you might be okay with me liking Ethan, but that doesn’t mean that he likes me back.” She studied her reflection, head tilted.
“If he doesn’t feel the same way about you, he’s an idiot.” I pointed to her reflection. “Besides, he’s a guy. Once he sees you in this dress, he’ll be head over heels in love with you.”
“You think?” she asked with a relieved smile.
“Trust me.”
“Hey, Kaylie.” She paused, meeting my eyes in the mirror. “You’re a really good friend. I know you’ve dealt with a lot of really bad stuff in your life, but I think it’s your time for a little happiness.”
I felt inexplicably touched. “I hope you’re right.”
“I’m always right,” she said with a cocky grin. “But you’ve got to be willing to let yourself be happy.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, don’t push Rafe away. Whatever is happening between the two of you is real. It makes you smile. Whatever you feel for him, embrace it.”
“That sounds even scarier than hunting Souls.”
Her smile softened. “Then it must be love.”
CHAPTER TEN
Even though Hope wasn’t always known for her words of wisdom, our conversation stuck with me the rest of the day. She was right that I had been running from my life for a long time. I had given up on fun and happiness years ago. But as I put on my dress later that night, I stopped fighting my growing feeling of excitement.
“Kale! Can you get the door? I’m still getting dressed.” Hope had been locked in the bathroom for over an hour.
I finished putting on my shoes, glanced one more time in the mirror to make sure my hair was still in place, and hurried to get the door before the bell rang again.
“Holy crap,” I said, completely surprised by what was on the other side of the door.
“Ditto.” Ethan smiled and smoothed the collar of his suit jacket. “I almost feel bad about how good we look. Everyone else is going to look like crap in comparison.”
I stepped back slowly, still in shock. “Come in.”
Ethan made his way to the kitchen, but Rafe paused just inside the door.
“You look amazing, if you didn’t already know.” He smiled shyly, something that rarely happened. It made my heart race.
“Thank you.” I looked down at the dress. “I feel a bit ridiculous in this thing.”
“There’s an easy solution to that.” He took my hand and squeezed it. “I can help you out of it.”
My face burned and my mouth felt dry. Surprisingly, I found the gusto to say, “If you’re good tonight, maybe later.”
His smile turned playful. “Maybe later we can both be bad tonight.”
The temperature seemed to go up at least twenty degrees when our eyes met.
“You guys want a drink?” Ethan called from the kitchen.
“Yeah,” Rafe answered him without breaking eye contact. The way he was looking at me, I was sure he wasn’t thinking about drinking a beer.
“You’re sure you want to go to this party?” I asked after taking a few deep breaths to slow my racing pulse.
Rafe’s thumb traced a slow circle over my hand. “Not at all. But I think it’s too late for us to back out.”
The bathroom door creaked as it opened and Rafe dropped my hand. Hope appeared, looking radiant in a champagne colored dress that brushed the ground as she walked.
“What are you two weirdoes doing in the hall?” She did a twirl for our benefit.
“Nothing.” I snapped back to reality. “Ethan is working on making drinks in the kitchen. Let’s go.”
Ethan made his drinks strong, and it only took one of them for me to start feeling the effects. We arrived at the ball in good form, laughing and teasing each other loudly. We were also an hour late and the party was in full swing as we stepped inside.
“This is…interesting,” Rafe said. We all stood awkwardly in the doorway and observed our surroundings.
“Is this what prom is like?” I asked after seeing the life-size panther ice sculpture near the refreshment stand. Talk about school pride.
“None of you went to prom?” Hope asked dubiously. She laughed when we all shook our heads no. “Suddenly, I’m the cool one in the group.”
“Since you’re the expert on school dances, what do we do?” I couldn’t tell if we were supposed to mingle, get a drink, or grind our bodies against strangers on the dance floor.
Hope turned to us with a giant grin on her face. “We dance.”
All three of us stared at her. Finally, Ethan shrugged. “Okay.”
She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him onto the dance floor. Instantly, they were swallowed into a sea of college kids.
“No one told me we would be required to dance.” Rafe fiddled with the knot of his tie nervously.
The music, which had started as a thumping
pop tune, turned into a slow jazz number. Feeling bold, I took Rafe’s hand. “Let’s live dangerously.”
I was surprised when he didn’t protest as I led him forward.
On the dance floor, Rafe seemed to freeze. “I’m not a dancer, Kaylie.”
“Well, there had to be something you are bad at. I’m just relieved it’s dancing and not other things.” I acted like it was perfectly natural to put my arms around his neck.
Rafe chuckled and his hands moved around my back. They softly grazed the exposed skin my open-back dress revealed.
“Do you know where Ethan and Hope went?” Rafe’s eyes darted around.
“No idea. I think they are on the other side of the room by now. Why?”
Rafe’s cocky smirk reappeared. “Good. Then I can do this.”
He kissed me hungrily, lips firm but still tender. I melted against him as my body went numb. His fingers pressed into my back, slipping underneath the fabric until they were dangerously low.
“I think I finally understand why school dances are such a big deal,” I said when we pulled away slightly for air.
“It hasn’t sucked so far,” Rafe agreed. “What are the odds we can just do this for the rest of the night?”
“If you don’t mind getting caught by Ethan, then I’m fine it.” I hadn’t even noticed that a new song was playing.
Rafe considered it. “I don’t think I’m ready to deal with that yet.”
“You really think Ethan is going to have a problem with us dating?” I asked.
“I think Ethan still hopes you and he will end up dating.” Rafe’s arms tensed around me. “Every time I kiss you I feel a little bad.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Bad?”
“Not bad,” he hurried to correct his poor choice of words. “Guilty. I feel a little guilty. But mostly I feel lucky.”
“Nice save.” I asked, “Do you think we’re crazy for even attempting this?”
“Dancing? Yes. Completely insane.” But his hand caressed my back in a way that said he didn’t mind being a little insane.
I laughed. “I wasn’t actually talking about the dancing. I meant you and me trying to date like normal people. That’s nuts, right?”