by Candy Crum
Instead of texting back, Khia popped a piece of pineapple in her mouth and called Casi. She answered on the second ring.
“Hello,” Casi said.
“What did you want?”
“Jeff found out some information. Apparently, the girls went out tonight. Rachel, the dumbass that she is, took Kailah to Club Crimson. She called ahead to make sure the booth that’s normally reserved for them would be empty. Jeff never told Rachel what the club really was, so she’s essentially leading the Elysian straight to the wolf den, so to speak.”
Khia laughed. “Oh, I love how stupid humans are. This is fantastic.”
“What do you want us to do?”
“Go after Rachel. Jeff could probably get to her. I realize human women travel in packs these days, but I’d venture to guess Kailah and Rachel aren’t exactly stereotypical. Kill her or turn her. I don’t care. Either way, it’ll destroy Kailah, and she’ll be weaker for it. I want her to hate Vampires.”
Casi let out a sarcastic laugh. “Yeah. I bet you do.”
“Watch your tone, baby Vampire. It would take a hell of a lot more juice than what you have to take me.”
“Oh, I’m very aware. That’s the only thing keeping us friends,” Casi said with obvious disdain.
Khia laughed. “Glad we see eye to eye. Get to it. This should be fun.”
***
Kailah and Rachel could hear the music as soon as they pulled onto the block. The lights on the outside of the building pointed into the sky and moved in sync with the music. The line was wrapped all the way down the block, and they were barely able to find parking in the garage.
They drove all the way to the top and parked in the back, which made Kailah nervous, but she pushed it down. While her mind was screaming at her to go home, she reminded herself that the very same thing sometimes happened just going to Wal-Mart.
Anxiety was prevalent on her mother’s side of the family, but Kailah seemed to get the worst of it. Just leaving the house some days took effort, which made this business with Sayen so much scarier. Khia could be lurking in the shadows anywhere, and she didn’t want to take the chance of running into her again.
“Just relax,” she said out loud to herself.
Hearing that, Rachel put a hand on Kailah’s. “I know. But we’re going to have fun. You’ll see. You always hate going, but once you get there, you always feel better. With everything going on, that might not be entirely true this time, but we should try anyway. After everything going on with you, I feel like my problems pale in comparison, but I know I need this. We need this.”
Kailah looked at her inquisitively as they exited the car. “What problems? Why haven’t you said anything?”
Rachel shrugged. “I didn’t want to burden you with it. Jeff and I broke up last week. He’d been acting weird for weeks, and I found some girl’s name in his text messages and recent calls. Casi. The messages were deleted, but I looked in his cell phone account, and they text all the time. So, I dumped his ass.”
Though that was the least of the horrible things Jeff had done to her, including forcing himself on her their first time because he was piss-face drunk, Kailah was glad Rachel had finally found a breaking point.
“I’m sorry that happened, but I’m glad he’s gone. I can’t hide how I feel about him,” Kailah responded.
Rachel nodded. “I know. I feel different though. I kept getting a bad feeling around him. And he kept asking about you, which I found weird. He hates you. So, I found that rather annoying. Did I talk to you that day, did I plan to go over to see you, when did we plan to hang out next. So many questions.”
Kailah’s eyes narrowed. She wanted to ask questions of her own, but Rachel continued to vent, and she didn’t want to stop her.
“And then there’s Mom…” Rachel’s eyes widened as soon as it popped out of her mouth.
“What about her?” Kailah asked, obviously worried.
Rachel sighed. “She asked me not to tell you. I just got on a roll, and it slipped. Mom’s been getting sick a lot. She found a couple of lumps in her left breast and one in her right. She’s getting tests done, but we don’t know anything yet.”
Kailah felt sick. Mary, Rachel’s mother, had always been a mother to Kailah, too. Her own mother had left when she was nine and preferred getting drunk and partying instead of seeing her children. And when Jean would come to get her children, the parties didn’t stop.
Mary was always there. She bought school clothes for Kailah when her father couldn’t afford them, she let her stay over almost every weekend, and she took her to family reunions and cookouts. Kailah was always one of them. So, for Mary to be sick and her not know about it, she felt incredibly ill.
“I’m so sorry.”
Rachel nodded. “It’s okay. It’ll all be okay. You know how Mom is. She’s a fighter. She can get through anything. But that’s kind of why I needed a night out. Jeff’s a dick, and Mom’s sick. Now you’re in the middle of something insane, and neither of us has a clue how to make this any better for you. But we will. We will figure this out.”
Kailah’s anxiety began to melt away as she listened to the fierceness in her friend’s voice. If Rachel was going through all of that and could still believe everything would be okay, she could, too. While Kailah’s nerves sometimes turned against her, she had always prided herself on her strong will. Giving up was never an option.
So right then, she set having fun as her mission for the evening. As silly as it felt to do so, she felt her mood change immediately, and she even smiled at the bouncer at the door.
“Hi, Doug!” Rachel said.
Ah, Kailah thought. She knows the guy. After bypassing the line entirely, and receiving some nasty comments and stares, Kailah found herself wondering what Rachel was doing. There was a line for a reason, and they were no one special.
But to Doug, Rachel was someone special. She could see it in the way he looked at her best friend.
“Hey, Rach! How are you? And who is this?” he asked as he looked to Kailah, his smile still in place.
He was tall and broad, like most security guards at clubs were. His deep brown eyes complemented his dark brown skin. Kailah noticed just how large his arms were and promptly found herself trying to look away.
Minus Sam at work, it had been a while since she’d looked at anyone with interest. While Rachel didn’t need to be getting into anything new with anyone, it was apparent that tall, dark, and sexy had a thing for her. And Kailah hoped that his sweet words and innocent flirting would help her friend feel better.
Jeff had always made Rachel feel like he was the only one capable of finding her attractive. His manipulation and mental abuse were what had kept her with him for so long.
“This is my friend that I told you about!” Rachel said with excitement.
“Oh! Kailah!” Doug said. He’d even remembered her name, so he clearly paid a lot of attention to the things Rachel told him. “It’s so nice to meet you.” He smiled and held out his hand.
Kailah reached for his hand to shake it, but instead, he gently pulled her hand to his mouth and placed a light kiss on the back.
“It’s so nice to meet you. You’re just as lovely as she said you’d be.” He smiled. He released Kailah’s hand and reached into his back pocket before handing each of them a card. “Those are drink passes. You guys have fun tonight. And if you have any trouble, you come get me. Got it?”
Kailah nodded, the smile still plastered on her face. She felt torn between being smitten with how sweet he was and the desire to see her friend with someone like him.
“Thank you.”
Doug nodded before pulling the rope back and opening the door for them. “Welcome to Club Crimson, ladies.”
The girls walked inside and were hit by a wall of vape smoke, perfume, and alcohol. The music was loud, but not uncomfortably so. Crossing the threshold set Kailah on immediate alert again. Her stomach jumped a little, but she quickly forced it back down as Rachel took h
er hand.
“Let’s head to the bar and grab a couple of drinks. I have a table permanently reserved for me here,” Rachel said.
“Come here often, do ya?” Kailah joked.
Rachel laughed. “Jeff started dragging me here a few months ago. I hated it at first, but then it quickly grew on me. I love it here. Everyone’s very nice, and everyone’s welcome. Doesn’t matter what size, shape, color, or if you like men, women, or both—you’re part of the crowd. I don’t know why, but I just love it.”
The club lived up to its name. Its decorations were deep reds and silvers. The bar was black marble, and she couldn’t help but wonder just how much that would cost. She’d never seen such an expensive layout.
The dance floor was huge, and there was a stage that Rachel said was for just about anything. Patrons sometimes got up there, but mostly it was for drag shows, strippers, and even karaoke night. Now that she was inside, she found it hard to believe a place like that had a karaoke night.
“You okay?” Rachel asked.
Kailah realized she’d begun to tremble. Her anxiety was getting worse as she crossed the bar. While her body was reacting, she didn’t feel bad. In fact, she felt rather confident. Had it not been for the shaking and the chills now going down her spine as they took a seat at the bar, she wouldn’t have known anything was amiss at all.
“It’s weird. I don’t feel that nervous, but clearly, I am. I’ll probably feel better after a drink. I’m only going to have one, though,” Kailah said.
She knew they would be there for hours, so it didn’t bother her to have one drink early on. She had a strict no drinking and driving policy.
“Hey, Kelly!” Rachel said to the bartender, but the bartender wasn’t looking at Rachel.
She came to stand directly in front of Kailah.
“Look, I don’t want any trouble. You need to leave,” Kelly said.
Kailah blinked in confusion. She looked to Rachel who had a dumbstruck look on her face.
“I’m sorry?” Kailah said.
“You,” Kelly reiterated. “I said I don’t want any trouble here. Please leave. Your kind always causes trouble.”
Kailah’s jaw dropped and turned to Rachel. “Totally inclusive huh?” She turned back to Kelly, confused. “Exactly what is my kind? I see people of every race in here, so I’m not exactly sure what you’re talk—”
“You know what I’m talking about, Immortal.”
Kailah’s eyes widened. “What did you say?” She turned to Rachel. “Did she just…?”
Rachel nodded. “She did.”
She turned back to the bartender. “What do you know about all this?”
The bartender’s eyes narrowed. “I can see you trembling from here. Do you not know what I am? Do you even know what you are?”
Kailah stared at her for a moment with what must have been an obviously confused expression.
“Oh, hell,” the bartender said, her eyes slightly wide. “Here.” She poured Kailah a shot and sat it down on the bar.
“Thanks,” Kailah said before tipping it back. The bourbon burned going down, but she didn’t care right then.
The bartender sighed as she looked around. “I don’t know what to do here. I can smell you over everyone in here, so any other vampire here can, too. You seem like a nice girl, but your queen isn’t exactly a fan favorite around here.”
“My queen?” Kailah asked. Then she realized who the bartender was referring to. “You mean Khia?” She laughed, but it wasn’t amused. “No. She tried to kill me. At the hospital I work at, no less. She could have hurt a patient or passerby. She is not my queen.”
“This is very confusing,” the bartender said.
“Tell us about it,” Rachel said. “We’ve been at this for a week trying to figure all this shit out. Do you know anyone named Sayen?”
“Rachel!” Kailah said. Though she didn’t think it was a big deal, she also knew Immortals were hated among Vampires. She didn’t want to put Sayen in danger.
“Sayen? Hell yeah, I do. She’s one of the only good Immortals I know. She’s always welcome here. How do you know her?” Kelly said.
Kailah smiled. “Turns out, she’s my great-great-grandmother. I just found out.”
Kelly’s eyes lit up. “Well, please forgive me. I smelled Immortal, and I was quick to judge. You’re more than welcome here. Anyone associated with Sayen or our queen is a friend of ours.”
“Your queen? The Vampire queen?” Kailah asked. The bartender nodded. “I don’t know her. In fact, I don’t know either one of them. When Khia attacked, Sayen spoke to me telepathically and helped me escape. I started digging through old family files and found Sayen and I were related. It’s been a very long week.”
“It sounds like it.” Kelly turned and grabbed a picture off the wall from behind the bar. She set it down in front of Kailah and pointed, but Kailah didn’t need her to.
On the left was Sayen. She recognized her from the vision Taima had shown her, only solidifying what had happened earlier. There was no mistaking her beauty and snow-white hair, though the clothing was modern.
On her right was a woman Kailah had seen night after night for a very long time. She’d had no idea who she was but knew Khia had called her a vampire in the dreams. Now, she was standing right next to her great-great-grandmother.
“Oh, my God,” Kailah said.
“What is it?” Rachel asked.
“That’s her! I’ve been having dreams for weeks, months even. A woman, that I now know was Khia, was fighting against a woman with long, jet-black hair and emerald green eyes. She told me to be careful because Khia was coming for me. Khia called her a Vampire in the dream, but I didn’t know why. The Vampire just kept telling me to be safe. The world would know about me soon. That’s her! That’s your queen?”
Kailah looked up, and Kelly’s eyes were wide. “What?” Kailah asked.
You’re the Elysian? Kelly’s voice said through Kailah’s mind.
Cold chills ripped through Kailah as she stared into the eyes of the Vampire before her. She knew then that her body had been reacting to the bartender’s presence—and possibly that of other Vampires in the club as well.
Kailah nodded slowly. So, I’ve been told very recently.
We have waited for you for centuries. You’re the one who will end this war. You will save countless lives. That’s why I’m not saying this out loud. I don’t want to take the chance of anyone overhearing.
Thank you, Kailah responded. I appreciate that.
You can always turn to me for aid if you ever need it. Khanae, the woman in this photo with Sayen, is my Queen. She will help you. If she’s been coming to you, she plans to help you. Trust her. She is as pure as they come. You’ll see.
“Why are the two of you staring longingly into each other’s eyes?” Rachel whispered.
“I’ll explain later,” Kailah replied before turning her attention back to Kelly. “Thank you. This has all been overwhelming.”
Kelly smiled and reached out a hand. She gently touched Kailah’s hand. “It will be for a while, I’m sure. But soon enough, you’ll figure all this out. The queen will help you. Just remember what you feel like right now, especially with me touching you. That anxiety and sickness you feel is your Immortal spiritual energy sensing Vampires. Your body can’t process it because you don’t know how to control it. So, it manifests in anxiety and sickness.”
Kailah’s eyes widened. “That’s why I’ve had anxiety issues all these years? It’s not actual anxiety? I was sensing Vampires?”
Kelly laughed. “Well, if you burn yourself on a stove and someone later tells you to touch a burner to check if it’s hot, wouldn’t that make you anxious?”
“I don’t follow,” Kailah said.
“You more than likely do have anxiety. But it’s probably caused because you went into public and sensed a Vampire a time or two and got sick. So you began to associate going out of your house with feeling sick. You probably develope
d an anxiety problem because of this. But now that you know what it really is, you can stop that from happening. Just remember the way your body is reacting to me right now. Your gut will never lead you wrong. But remember, you’re in a club where other Vampires are. So, you’ll probably feel that way for a while. Have another drink.”
Kailah shook her head. “No, thank you. I can only have one. I’m driving.”
The bartender smiled and poured another shot. “Do you feel the first one?” Kailah shook her head. “That’s because you’ve already burned it off. If you’ve only known what you are for a week, it’s probably because you’ve only just awakened. So, the way you processed alcohol a week ago is much different than the way you do now. You’ll be sober after fifteen minutes.”
“Gross. That sucks,” Rachel said.
“It’ll be that way until she learns to control it. But you’ll need it if you plan to have any fun tonight. Just relax. Have fun. You never kn—”
“Never know when the next opportunity will arise. Yeah, yeah,” Kailah said before taking the shot. “I’ve heard that a lot lately.”
Kelly smiled again and sat the bottle on the bar. “On the house. Have fun. If anyone bothers you, call my name. I’ll hear it.”
“Thank you,” Kailah said. “I appreciate all your help. You’ve told me more in the last twenty minutes than I’ve learned all week.”
Chapter Eight
The girls took their seat at Rachel’s regularly saved booth. Kelly had put them at ease with the secrets the club held.
“I just don’t believe it. I’ve been here so many times and had no idea,” Rachel said.
“Yeah, I think that was the point,” Kailah said, pouring herself another drink.
“Well, she said this was a sanctuary. No violence is allowed in here by anyone. She owns the place, so I doubt she’d have much issue enforcing the rules. Especially since she could pick anyone up by the throat and physically throw them out with one hand,” Rachel said with amusement. “Seriously, this is all very messed up. Badass, but messed up.”