by Gayla Twist
Grabbing her by the arm, I yanked her from her seat. “Come with me.”
“Dude!” her date exclaimed. “What’s your problem?”
“Stay there!” I commanded him, scarcely having time to fix him with my eyes.
Haley’s eyes were so wild that I knew I didn’t have a second to spare. Locking my arms around her, I dragged her toward the exit.
“Let me go,” Haley hissed, struggling to return to her date.
“You just need some fresh air,” I insisted, strong arming her through the lobby. “I think you’ll feel much better once we’re outside.”
“No.” She flailed against me, trying to get free.
“Haley, I promise you that you just need some air,” I said, practically dragging her from the building. It was fortunate that the theater was between show times because I don’t know what would have happened if the lobby had been crowded.
We burst through the doors and a winter wind blasted our faces. Vampires didn’t really experience heat and cold in the same way as mortals, but we were still aware of the elements. Haley was still struggling in my arms. She desperately wanted back in the building.
“Haley, look at me,” I said, taking her by both shoulders. “You need to get a hold of yourself. Calm down.”
“No,” she said, practically wrenching herself out of my grip. “Leave me alone. I’m going back inside.”
“Haley, no,” I told her. “You can’t. You’d hate yourself forever.”
“I don’t’ care.” She fought against me. “None of that even matters anymore.”
I mentally kicked myself for not remembering to pack a flask. A few good slugs of blood would have calmed down her bloodlust, but I had none to offer her. Haley thrashed in my arms. People on the street were staring at us, not realizing that their very lives were in danger. I had to do something for her. I had to at least try to drag her somewhere. I had to find a way to break her out of her frenzy.
And then I was kissing her. It was the only thing I could think to do to shock her out of going on a killing spree. For a few seconds she fought me, but then she sunk into the kiss.
In that moment, I felt alive. I felt like my heart was hammering in my chest and blood was pumping through my veins. I felt alive in a way that only the undead could feel. I wanted to take Haley in my arms and soar into the sky with her, leaving the mortal world far behind.
“Hey. Dude! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I heard a voice say. And then I felt someone tapping me roughly on the shoulder.
Oh no, I thought to myself. Without even opening my eyes, I knew it was Haley’s date rushing into the lion’s den with no idea where he was headed. I hadn’t had time to properly influence him. I’d only delayed his impulse to follow us.
“You need to back off my girl,” the boy informed me, puffing out his chest.
I could feel that he was standing very close to me. The kid had obviously seen too many movies where the tough guys got up in each other’s faces and refused to back down. That just told me he didn’t know how it felt to have his arms ripped off. I wondered if I wanted to expose him to the experience.
“Please just back off and go home,” I said, more as a furtive prayer than a direct request to the young mortal.
Haley pulled away from me, her eyes searching mine. I wanted to keep kissing her and ignore the boy. He was like a tiny gnat buzzing in the background. But sometimes a single bite from a miniscule insect can leave you open to virulent diseases. I nodded toward her date, my eyes never leaving Haley’s. “Is this something you want me to take care of?”
The young man pushed at my shoulder. “Dude! Didn’t you hear me? You need to take your hands off my girl.”
“Is he being serious?” I asked Haley.
Slowly, she pulled away from me. “I’d better handle this,” she said, turning toward her date. “Tommy,” she said in a firm voice, immediately drawing his attention. “I’ve really had fun on our date, but I need you to take me home now.”
“What do you mean?” the kid demanded. “You run out in the middle of the movie and then I catch you with your tongue down this dude’s throat.”
“I can explain everything,” she said, taking him by the arm and speaking in a calm voice, her eyes glittering. “Let’s go somewhere and talk.”
I wondered if it was a good idea for Tommy to be alone with my progeny. More for his safety than for hers. The boy looked like he might be persuaded to not continue trying to commit suicide by confronting me, but then he glanced in my direction again. “Hey,” he said. “I know you. You’re one of those Vanderlinds. Aren’t you? Those rich assholes that live in that cheap, knock-off castle.”
“Let’s go,” Haley said, pulling her date toward the parking lot before he could shove his foot any further into his mouth.
Haley shot a look over her shoulder, making eye contact with me. “I’ll meet you at my house after,” she whispered.
“What?” Tommy jerked his head around. She’d said it so quietly that his mortal ears hadn’t picked up the message, but I could hear her well enough.
I nodded and then slipped into the shadows. Miss Haley Scott had a lot to explain. But I was going to have to be patient if I wanted to hear her excuses.
I was beginning to really hate always having to be patient.
Chapter 16
Haley
If Dorian hadn’t pulled me away from that movie, I don’t know what I would have done. I definitely needed to stick to only watching romantic comedies for the rest of my death. No more Tarantino. Ever.
I had felt like a crazed animal. It was as if I was a mad dog, all teeth, no brains. Even after Dorian had dragged me clear of most the mortals, I couldn’t suppress the urge to feed. There was a small part of my brain that knew I needed to control myself, but the rest of me was acting on sheer killer instinct. It was scary. I think a gallon of blood was the only thing that would have broken me out of my frenzy. That or Dorian’s kiss.
I couldn’t believe he kissed me. And I couldn’t believe how good it felt. It was so startling that I forgot all about my appetite, which I guess was his plan.
I needed to get Tommy squared away so I could get back to Dorian. I needed to know if there was anything behind his kiss. Or was it simply something he had done just to jolt me out of my mania?
Tommy must have been out of his mind getting in Dorian’s face like that. Okay, so he’d caught me kissing Dorian. Plus Tommy didn’t realize he was a vampire. But it was still a spectacularly stupid thing to do. Tommy really wasn’t the brightest bulb. To be honest, I had only been trying to date him when I was a mortal because he was popular. And he’d actually shown an interest in me. Pathetic, but true. It turns out that when you have no one in your life and someone actually shows you a little attention, you tend to get overly excited.
“So what the hell is going on?” Tommy asked, once we were both tucked in his mother’s car. “Why were you kissing that dude? I should have broken his face.”
“Well, I appreciate that you didn’t try,” I said. That was probably one of the smartest things he’d ever done in his life. Then I fixed him with my eyes. “You’re feeling a lot of conflicting emotions right now,” I told him.
“I am,” he agreed, bobbing his head and staring into my eyes.
“You’re very attracted to me, but you also want to be with Sheila. In fact, tomorrow morning you’re going to call Sheila and ask her out for tomorrow night. If she confronts you about me, you’re going to say that you don’t even like me, but your parents made you take me out.”
He nodded some more and then frowned. “But I do like you.”
“Yes,” I told him. “You like me very much. In fact, you like me so much that it kind of scares you. And that’s why you’re running back to Sheila. Dating her is playing it safe. But you can’t let her know that.”
“Okay,” Tommy said, looking confused. “But I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“That’s right.” I p
atted his hand. “No matter how much time you spend with Sheila, you can’t stop thinking about me.”
“Okay,” he said again.
“Now drive me home.”
“Can I call you?” Tommy wanted to know.
“Not right away.” I gestured toward the key in his hand to encourage him to drive. “You’ll try to resist. You’ll try to play it cool. You’ll take Sheila out tomorrow night. But in the middle of your date, you’ll realize that you have to see me. You’ll excuse yourself to use the bathroom and then just take off. You’ll drive over to my place, desperate to see me.”
“But what about Sheila?” Tommy asked. I found it surprising that he was actually even minutely concerned for her wellbeing. That seemed a very un-Tommy emotion.
“She’ll be fine,” I assured him. “You’ll make it up to her.”
I scanned the sky as Tommy pulled up to my Uncle Kevin’s house. Was Dorian already there? I was eager to see him, but also nervous. I wanted the kiss we’d shared to mean something. But he might have only been using his charisma to keep me from losing it in a very public place.
The wheels of the Mercury Sable had barely stopped rolling when I was already opening the door. “Goodnight, Tommy,” I said, hopping out of the car. I didn’t want Tommy to pull some awkward move, like trying to score a kiss. Especially if Dorian was waiting for me, somewhere in the shadows. That would have not been good.
Tommy opened his mouth, stammering to say something, but then I fixed him with my intense gaze and he closed it again. “Goodnight,” I repeated before shutting the car door.
“Goodnight,” he said, his voice sounding slightly muffled from inside the car. And then he started driving away.
I didn’t know if it was still possible for my stomach to clench but it felt like it was in knots. Almost cringing with anticipation, I turned and scanned the neighborhood. Was my maker nearby?
Out of the shadows Dorian appeared. His gray eyes were stormy and his golden hair was illuminated by the moon like a halo. It was my turn to stammer. I wanted to ask him about the kiss. But before I could, he swept me into his arms and kissed me again. It felt like the world fell away from beneath me.
I was lost. So wonderfully lost. He had kissed me outside of the theater to save me from a horrible mistake, but this was different. There was no reason for this kiss, but desire. I suddenly understood the expression, “Like putty in his hands.” I would have done anything for Dorian.
There was the sound of squealing tires and the next thing I knew, Tommy came roaring backing up the street at high speed. “What the hell?” he shouted, rolling down his window. “I dropped you off like two seconds ago. Then I look in my rearview mirror and see you kissing this dude again.”
“Tommy,” I snapped, pulling away from Dorian and fixing the mortal with as intense of a gaze as I could muster. “This never happened. You never saw us kiss. Now do what I told you and go home.”
Tommy drove off again and I turned back to Dorian. “Where were we?” I asked, wrapping my arms more tightly around him.
“I think you were about to kiss,” said a female voice. And then the crazy vampiress from the diner sauntered into view, her red curls swaying in the evening breeze.
“Good evening, Ilona,” Dorian said stiffly, his arms becoming rigid around me. “It’s wonderful to see you again. How are you this evening?”
“I’m fine,” she told him. “You’ll be happy to know that I did manage to make it back to my coffin safely last night. I’m sure you were concerned after we spent so much time together.” She said it in a sultry way and I knew it was her intent to make me jealous. It was kind of working.
“Happy to hear it,” Dorian said, clearing his throat. “I’d like to introduce you to my progeny, Haley Scott.” He casually let his hand drop from my waist. “Haley, this is Ilona Firenze.”
“We’ve met,” the woman said, giving me a disdainful look, like I was covered in slime. I was happy she hadn’t offered to shake my hand. It would have been like reaching to pet a dog when its ears were back.
“Oh,” Dorian said. “I didn’t realize.” His eyebrows narrowed on his forehead.
“So what is it between you two?” Ilona asked, slowly walking in a circle around us, looking us over. “Are you enemies? Are you lovers? She says the two of you have slept together. He says you’ve never been intimate. And then I find you here in a passionate embrace.”
I was about to protest that I’d never said we’d slept together. I’d implied it, of course, but never stated it. But Dorian preceded me off by saying, “Why is it you ask, Ilona?”
“I’m just curious,” she said, continuing to circle us as we stood there, our arms hanging awkwardly at our sides when only seconds earlier they’d been entwined. “After all we’ve shared, I think I’m entitled to know something of your business.” She batted her eyes and gave him a coy smile.
I wasn’t exactly sure what part of the body were the hackles, but I felt mine starting to rise. I had no idea who this woman was or why she was harassing us in the middle of what was obviously an intimate moment. And what was her history with Dorian, anyway? Had they actually been intimate? Did she know him in that way?
That’s when Dorian reached over and gently squeezed my hand. I thought that maybe he was trying to reassure me, but also warn me. I decided that I needed to keep my mouth shut and just observe what was going on. Ilona was beautiful, but there was something about her that reminded me of a snake ready to strike.
“Ilona,” Dorian began. “I think it’s touching that you are so concerned for my well being and my relationship with my progeny. But the truth of the matter is, we’re still figuring things out ourselves. I’m sorry if that means one of us has said one thing and then the other has given conflicting information. It wasn’t our intent to confuse you. It’s just that I don’t see how the status of our relationship pertains to you.”
Ilona stopped in front of us, her stance wide and her hands on her hips. “It pertains to all vampires,” she said. “Reports have been coming in that there have been some unlawful vampire activities going on in this tiny little part of Ohio and I’m here to investigate.”
“Officially?” Dorian asked, obviously surprised. “The Bishops sent you?”
“I’m here of my own initiative,” she said, looking annoyed. “But I’ll be reporting anything I uncover to the authorities, of course.”
Great, I thought to myself. We were being harassed by an undead busybody.
“I assure you,” Dorian said, “there is nothing to report. There has been some trouble with teenagers disappearing, but that began before Haley was turned. In fact, it was the reason that Jessie asked me to visit for the holidays. He was concerned that a rogue vampire had descended upon the town.”
Ilona pursed her lips. “Do you have any proof to back this claim?”
“You can take my word for it,” Dorian said. “I think you know me well enough for that.”
Ilona turned her eyes toward the ceiling and lifted one shoulder. Then she smiled. I thought the effort of contorting her face into such an expression actually caused her some discomfort. She leaned forward and stage-whispered in Dorian’s ear, “I just find it hard to believe that after all the intimacies we’ve shared, that you would reject me for someone like her.”
“I didn’t reject you,” Dorian assured her. “You were the one that broke it off with me. I know it’s been a couple of decades, but that is something I remember quite distinctly.”
The vampiress pretended to pout. “I was just trying to protect myself,” she said. “I knew you would someday break my heart.”
“Come on, Ilona,” Dorian grumbled. He obviously wasn’t buying her bullshit.
“Fine,” she relented. “I just need to check with your aunt, or one of your handsome cousins to make sure you too haven’t been putting our community in danger and then I’ll be on my way.”
“I thought you said you weren’t here in an official capacity,” Dorian
said, his voice not fully concealing his annoyance. “I see no reason you need to speak to anyone about anything.”
That was the wrong thing to say. Ilona’s eyes started blazing. “You know all it would take is one word from me and the Bishops would have investigators swarming all over this town. They might even memory sweep the entire population just to be on the safe side.”
“I know,” Dorian said. “And I’m sorry for my flip remark. It’s just been a tiring few weeks and I haven’t had much rest.” I could tell he was solely trying to appease her when he added, “Please accept my apology.”
“Fine,” she said, although she hardly seemed placated. “Shall we fly back to the castle now so I can talk to your relations and then be on my way? I really do have more important things to do than hang around this podunk town, you know.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know what’s become of my aunt and cousins,” Dorian admitted. “They seemed to have disappeared on me.”
Ilona narrowed her eyes. “I thought you said they were at a party.”
“And I thought they were,” he said with a shrug. “But I appear to have been mistaken.” Then, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he added, “I’ve been meaning to reach out to a few friends and see if anyone knows where they’ve gone. Out pleasure seeking, I assume.”
The vampiress expelled a little harrumphing noise to show her annoyance. “You know, just because I’ll live for an eternity doesn’t mean I have forever to waste on you.”
“Perfectly understandable.” Dorian nodded his head and made a sympathetic face. I had to wonder why he was so keen to placate her. “Why don’t I have my aunt contact you as soon as I discover where she’s hiding? That should set your mind at ease, yet give you the ability to continue your journey.”
Ilona rolled her eyes. “Make sure that I hear from your aunt in the next day or two.”
“Of course,” Dorian said in his most accommodating voice yet. I could only assume it was his way of holding onto civility. “Where are you headed so I can tell her how to catch up with you?”