Boot camp had given me a taste of community. We were like a family. We bonded. We fought. We embraced certain members and tolerated others. Sleep was the only break we got from each other. There was the emotional exhaustion of being around women all the time on top of the physical fatigue. Sometimes I swore the emotional kind was worse.
Now here I sat, all alone. It felt unnatural. Loneliness was like a stomachache, eating away at my insides, causing me physical pain.
Is that why Selene was with Randal?
Is that why I was with Dante?
Why shouldn’t I be with Dante? He was a good guy. Handsome. Funny. Caring. Committed. That should spell out winner in all caps.
Maybe I wasn’t physically repressed so much as emotionally repressed… like a vampire. How had I gotten this way? To become detached was to let Jared win. I ought to look to Dante as a prime example of living a life filled with purpose and pleasure.
I was a living, breathing, aging soul; and it was about time I got my head on straight and started enjoying my finite youth.
Hopefully Dante would rub off on me.
Voices drifted up from the stairs and became louder as a group emerged and walked past the living room to depart via the entryway.
Melcher wouldn’t be happy if he could see me lounging inside an empty room with the party and Diederick downstairs. That was Valerie’s area of expertise. I didn’t know what I was good at besides being bait. I could kill, which meant something in this line of work, but I didn’t like it.
Hmm, which college major went well with murder? Philosophy? Theatre? Justice?
I didn’t see the point in any of it unless Melcher expected us to work day jobs on the side.
“Hey, there’s my girl.”
I gave a start when I heard Dante’s voice. I hadn’t seen or heard him enter the living room.
His cheeks were flushed and dimpled when he grinned.
“Are you finished?” I asked.
He nodded energetically.
“Did you miss me?” he asked. “I missed you.”
During the upstairs blood orgy? I doubted that.
“I’m ready to go,” I said.
“Me, too. Where’s Red?”
“Downstairs mingling.”
“Want me to get her?”
I nodded. “If you don’t mind.”
“Be right back.”
I leaned back into the chair, relieved I didn’t have to return to the room below. I didn’t even care that it took Dante a good fifteen minutes to reappear with Valerie.
We left the way we’d come. The valet who had greeted us when we first arrived brought the Jeep around.
“I’m okay to drive,” Dante said to me, climbing into the driver’s seat.
“Good because I’m not,” Valerie said.
I glared at her, but she missed it as she hopped in behind Dante. Once we had our seat belts on, Dante drove off the property and into the night. The headlights lit up the dirt road spiraling down the mountain.
“I’m more than okay,” Dante announced. “I feel like I could race in the Grand Prix.”
“Great,” I said. “So long as you don’t do it down the mountain side.”
Valerie giggled. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw her cover her mouth. So much for staying sober.
“Did you get the lowdown on Diederick?” Dante asked.
“Aurora was too preoccupied with the vamp hitting on her,” Valerie announced.
I glared into the rearview mirror. Valerie swayed to the right even though the next turn wasn’t for another fifteen feet.
“Some blood sucker went after my woman while I was upstairs?” Dante said angrily. “That’s it. I’m turning the car around and calling this guy out.”
Valerie sniggered. “It wasn’t a guy. It was a woman.”
Dante slouched back. “A lady vamp? In that case tell me everything. Was she attractive?”
“Long legs, lean, limber body, silky brown hair… What do you think Aurora? Did you find Selene attractive?”
There wasn’t much use glowering at Valerie in the mirror when she could barely hold herself upright.
I lifted my chin. “Selene was very nice.” A lot nicer than Valerie.
“Did you two kiss?”
“No.”
Dante’s chin dropped. “No?” he repeated, sounding disappointed.
“Did you kiss anyone?” I returned.
“Of course not.”
“What took you so long?”
Valerie quit the giggling and huffed. “It’s not a timed exercise, Aurora.”
Dante drove, head turned to me. “I wanted to give you two enough time to gather information below. Are you upset?”
“No. Please watch the road.”
Dante kept looking at me.
I sat up. “There’s a turn!”
Dante glanced forward, cranking the wheel into a hairpin turn, and skirting the edge of the mountain. The tires slid over the gravel.
“Yahoo!” Valerie called out, throwing her arms up. “Where to next? Koots?”
She was talking about Chilkoot Charlie’s, Anchorage’s most popular nightclub. I’d never gone, not even to test out my fake ID. Getting shoved around and hit on by drunk guys didn’t sound like my idea of a good time.
“I’m game,” Dante said.
“I don’t know,” I said. “It’s been a long week.”
“Two against one!” Valerie called triumphantly.
“Ah-hem,” Dante said. “You’re forgetting that I’ve got the wheel. Driver decides. Aurora wants to call it a night. We call it a night.”
I shot Dante an appreciative smile.
“No fair,” Valerie said. “You two just want to get home and get down to business.”
Rather than respond, I reached forward and turned on the radio. Bruno Mars’ “Treasure” came on, and Dante started singing on cue. The scowl I saw on Valerie’s lips in the mirror brought a smile to mine. She sulked the remainder of the ride.
We zoomed by the familiar grounds of Denali High, driving under street lamps through Valerie’s neighborhood. Dante passed her Honda, parked in the street, and pulled into the driveway. Her guardian had left the outside porch light on.
Once we were stopped, Dante lowered the volume on the radio.
Valerie jumped out and said, “You two suck!” before slamming the door.
As she walked in front of the Jeep, Dante blasted the horn. I jumped in my seat. Valerie jumped, too. She turned on her heel and flipped Dante off.
Dante looked over his shoulder, laughing as he backed into the street. I didn’t like being in this part of town. It reminded me too much of my high school days and Fane. Soon enough, we were back on the main road.
“Now that we’ve ditched the third wheel, what say we go to Koots?” Dante asked mischievously. “Kidding,” he added a second later.
“She’d kill us both,” I said.
“I think you could take her.”
That made me smile. “Really?”
“Totally. Chicks who act tough are usually trying to hide the fact that deep down they’re insecure and afraid.”
“Thanks, but I’ve seen Valerie in action, and I don’t think she’s either of those things.”
Dante shrugged. “I still think you could take her.”
I gave his shoulder a light shove. “You’re just trying to butter me up.”
“I don’t know. It sounds like I’ve got competition now—lady vamp on the loose. Did she hit on Red, too?”
“Not really.”
“She prefers sweet over sassy. Can’t blame her there.”
“You and Valerie are turning this into something it’s not. Selene and I were just talking, plus she was there with a guy. Do you consider it flirting any time another man talks to you?”
Dante nodded. “Point taken.”
“Good. Now tell me what happened upstairs?”
Dante drummed his fingers over the steering wheel. “Let’s not talk a
bout work anymore.”
Oh, so it was okay to kid around about me and Selene, but suddenly time to change the subject when it came to the wine flight. I tried a different approach.
“The taste of blood can be overwhelming. How are you feeling?”
“Better than ever,” Dante said. “But only because we got our foot in the door. I don’t care about the blood. I’m not a real vampire.”
I wasn’t a vampire, either, but I did enjoy the blood. I thought Dante would have too. I thought I wouldn’t be alone in my cravings.
Selene understood. She said it was one of the few rushes she got.
I really shouldn’t be relating to a vampire.
As we got closer to campus Dante, asked if I wanted to come over for a cup of coffee.
He lifted both hands off the wheel. “Just coffee, I swear. Oh! And kissing. And touching.” He stroked the back of his neck with two fingers, grinning. “And more if you want.”
“I think I just want to call it a night,” I said.
“It’s your call.”
“Thank you.”
Dante had to park in the street because a beat-up MGB Roadster was parked behind Noel’s car. Good. If Noel had company, that made it easier not to talk to her.
“Looks like the after-hours party is at your place,” Dante said.
I huffed.
Dante leaned into the wheel. “I still don’t get it. I wish you and Harper would make up.”
“Why do you care?”
“Because you’re my teammates. You’re both good at what you do, and you’re both great gals.” Dante grinned and added in a goofy voice, “Can’t we all just get along?”
“That’s not how the world works.” I reached for the door handle.
“Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?” Dante asked.
“Thanks.”
“Spend the night with me,” he said softly.
My heart raced more out of panic than excitement. “Not tonight.”
“What about next weekend? Will you stay over? My roommate will be working on the slope—out of town for two weeks.”
I focused on the houses beyond the windshield, gathering my thoughts.
When I didn’t answer right away, Dante frowned. “Does this have something to do with your ex?”
I shook my head slowly. “This isn’t about him.”
“Then what is it?”
“I can’t help thinking we’d be better off as friends.”
I couldn’t bring myself to look at Dante when I spoke. He’d helped my family while I was away, cheered me up by text, waited for me. I owed him. If only my heart could connect to my head and the logic it presented.
“Is this because of what Melcher said?” Dante asked.
“I don’t know.”
Dante put his hand on my leg gently. As soon as my eyes met his he said, “Don’t worry about tonight or next weekend. Forget your ex and forget Melcher. Give us a chance.”
Such sweet words. Why couldn’t they make me feel something other than guilt?
Finally I nodded.
At the very least, Dante deserved a chance.
He gave me a quick kiss on the lips before removing his hand from my leg.
I hopped out of the Jeep, my dress sliding down to my ankles. Dante followed the fabrics downward motion with his eyes.
“Sure you don’t want me to come in and patch things up between you and Harper?” he asked, voice returning to normal.
“I’m sure.”
Dante’s grin widened. “Sure you don’t want me to come in and distract you from her?”
I smiled back. “Good night, Dante.”
He pulled away and was gone before I reached the front door. As I passed the Roadster, I took a quick look inside at a set of black seat covers with white skulls and satanic wings stretching across the fabric. Did Noel have Whitney and Hope over? I would have loved to say “hello” under normal circumstances.
I reached the door and jammed my key into the deadbolt.
The plan was simple: beeline it for my bedroom. I walked in with my head bent, watching where I stepped in the dim foyer. When I looked up the staircase, a short guy with an eyebrow piercing dressed all in black moved down a step. I nearly screamed. I hadn’t expected to see anyone in the hallway or on the stairs.
Once my heart dislodged itself from my throat, anger ripped through me.
“Who the hell are you?” I demanded.
The guy stopped. “I’m Daren. Don’t you remember me?”
I squinted a moment, eyes adjusting to the dim lighting. He didn’t look like anyone I’d ever met.
“No, I don’t,” I said.
“Denali High,” the guy prompted. “I’m one of Fane’s friends.”
I looked at him again. This time I noticed the bite mark on his neck. I folded my arms over my chest.
“You’re bleeding, Daren from Denali.”
Daren’s eyes widened. His nose practically touched his shoulder when he turned to look.
“Oh, um… um…”
“Um, um, what?” I asked impatiently. “What are you doing here?”
“Noel invited us over.”
Us?
It hit me. Noel had a vampire in the house.
11
Sex Games
Although I was taller than Daren, his position on the stairs made it so I had to look up at him. I lifted myself onto the balls of my feet and glared beyond his shoulders. His brows dropped. His head turned quickly as though he expected to see someone standing behind him. But there wasn’t anyone. My scowl was aimed at the room above.
With three swift steps I reached the staircase and charged up the stairs. Daren’s eyes widened as I closed in on him, but it was only to push him aside and make my way up.
“Wait,” he said suddenly. “They’re not done yet.”
Not done? Oh yes they were!
How dare Noel bring a vampire into our home? I ought to grab the dagger from my nightstand, but I didn’t have the patience to pass Noel’s closed door without pounding it with my fist.
“Noel is not to be interrupted,” Daren called feebly behind my back.
I turned the doorknob and threw the door open so hard it hit the inner wall. Either Noel hadn’t locked it or rage had given me Hulk-like strength, though if that were the case I would have ripped the door off its hinges rather than merely push it open.
A single pillar candle flickered in the wind of my arrival from on top of Noel’s nightstand.
My eyes flew immediately to her companion who sat up quickly from his place on the bed. He wore ratty Goth clothes, had black hair, a round face, broad shoulders, and impossibly round eyes—most likely caused by my abrupt arrival.
Luckily Noel and her companion were fully clothed. The boy quickly covered his neck with his hand.
Noel had the audacity to smirk at me. “Maybe try knocking next time.”
Her glossy lips, highlights, and short plaid skirt fit her. It also made it easier on me. The deep, dark, sensitive friend I’d known was gone, Goth Girl replaced by Gossip Girl. Why she’d invite another human in on the suck-fest was beyond me. Maybe Daren arranged the rendezvous in exchange for a turn with his fanged friend.
I looked at the vampire, still holding his neck, which was weird. Shouldn’t Noel be the one covering her neck?
“Who are you?” I demanded.
The guy scrambled off the bed, hand cupping his neck as though glued to his skin.
“I’m Reece. We went to Denali together.”
Neither his name nor Daren’s rang any bells—not that I stored names in my head. Apparently not faces, either. Didn’t matter. He needed to go. The fact that Noel would invite such a creature into our home made my stomach clench into a fist-sized ball of molten rage.
“You and your friend need to leave now,” I said to Reece.
Noel slid off the bed in one fluid motion. Not a single strand of her perfectly streaked copper and gold hair was out of place despi
te romping around in bed with two guys.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Noel said in a calm voice. “You and Daren can wait for me in the living room while I have a chat with my roommate.”
So now I was the roommate rather than Aurora.
“See you downstairs,” Reece said, eyes on Noel. He closed the door behind him.
Noel looked up as though listening to his retreat before directing her gaze at me. “If this living arrangement is going to work, you need to start respecting my privacy.”
“And you need to stop entertaining vampires in our house,” I retorted.
Noel snorted. “Daren and Reece aren’t vampires.”
I looked at Noel’s neck. I didn’t have the clearest view standing in the dark, but I couldn’t make out any bite marks.
She raised her eyebrows.
“Both those boys were bleeding,” I said. “Who did that to them? You?”
The candle light glinted off Noel’s eyes. She grinned slowly.
“I give a wicked hickey.”
That wasn’t a hickey, more like a laceration. I shivered. What if Noel was into sick role playing games? That, or she was a vampire. I didn’t know which scenario to believe. Had she turned while I was away at camp? Noel the she-vamp. Crazy. But something had changed.
Before I could say anything, Noel spoke.
“Lovely dress. Did you and Dante have a nice date?”
Oh no she didn’t.
“I was out on assignment,” I said. “Why aren’t you?”
Noel shrugged. “I’m between assignments at the moment.”
How come Noel got a carte blanche? And a convertible! Not that I was in the market for an automobile, but seeing the damn thing in the driveway rattled my cage.
Noel flipped her hair back. “Are we done here? My guests are waiting for me.”
“I want them to leave.”
“For the second time—they’re not vampires.”
I folded my arms at her tone. “Are you?”
Noel stared at me a moment, her expression unreadable, before answering, “I like role playing.”
I wrinkled my nose. So she did like sex games.
“I don’t want those guys over here,” I said.
Bad Blood (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 3) Page 13