We Own the Night (The Night Songs Collection Book 3)

by Kristen Strassel

  “What do you want to do about it?” I asked him softly, like I was reasoning with a child. “You know, you aren’t always happy about having to be in the band. Is this what you want?”

  Talis had used Immortal Dilemma as a springboard to get her business out of the slumping economy. Once she turned Tristan into a vampire, she’d formed the band around him. She’d bribed Tristan’s father into funding the rest of the construction on the Alta Vista, which had been a half-finished eyesore. The band drew tourists by the plane load. Tristan resented being trapped in the band, but it suited him in the afterlife so perfectly I couldn’t fathom him doing anything else.

  He pressed his lips together in a thin angry line, looking over my head out the windows at the city below. “With Talis gone, I finally had control. And I might not have wanted to be forced to be in that band, but I’m sure as hell not going to let Bradley Bennett tell me I’m fired.”

  I don’t know which made me more nervous: meeting Tristan’s dad and stepmom for the first time or flying on this tiny plane to get to them in Palm Springs.

  Trevor George knew we meant business. Of course, it probably meant nothing for someone like him to send a private plane over to Vegas to fetch his son and girlfriend, or whatever Tristan considered me. Even when we were both alive, our relationship didn’t fit into a neat little compartment. Nothing about either one of us ever had.

  I wrapped my arms around Tristan as we settled onto the overstuffed ivory leather couch, put my head on his shoulder and squeezed my eyes closed as the plane started to taxi down the runway.

  “You’re really that afraid of flying?” Tristan teased me as he rubbed my back.

  “This isn’t right. This is a living room. Not a plane.” A beautiful living room at that. All ivory leather furniture, light wood, gold accents and a fluffy area rug at our feet. I tried to relax a little bit, but as the nose of the plane tipped skyward, I buried my head back in Tristan’s chest.

  “It’s not like you’re going to die or anything.” He laughed at his own joke when I didn’t. “This is the way to go. Not shoved in like cattle with a bunch of disgusting tourists and crying babies. We can do whatever we want. We have the whole place to ourselves.” He tipped my face to his and kissed me.

  I didn’t move or respond until I was certain we were no longer climbing. I loosened my grip on Tristan slightly and looked at him. He’d been watching me, amused, but totally relaxed, like he didn’t know any other way to be. His free arm was slung across the back of the couch. He pulled me into his lap and brought his legs up on the cushions. Two glasses of amber liquid sat chilled in little indented holders on the table beside us. I picked one of them up and swallowed its contents in one gulp.

  “If you think I’m going to have sex with you right before I meet your family for the first time, you’re insane.” I whacked him as he started laughing. “And I’m pretty sure if this puppy drops out of the sky, we’d be pretty dead. Like the real kind.”

  “You’re no fun.” Tristan shook his head playfully, and then reached for the remote to turn on the giant flat screen in front of us. He picked some ridiculous comedy movie. I was glad for the distraction, but the movie made me sad. This isn’t what we did. This is what Blade and I used to do. Blade loved to get pizza, watch movies, lay on the couch, and snuggle. I missed the easy comfort of it all, the feeling of home.

  That Blade was gone. And it was all my fault.

  “You tell me I’m no fun all the time.” I sat up and looked into Tristan’s eyes for a little too long. I looked away, knowing if I looked any longer and I’d show up at Daddy’s house with blood running down my chin. “But you’re stuck with me.”

  “I’ll make you fun yet.” He cupped my chin in his hand, dragging my eyes back to his. I met him in the middle and laid back against his chest. “Alright, so I should prep you on our meeting.”

  I looked back up at him. “What a nice change of pace.”

  “Stop it, beautiful. Do I look like a business mogul?” He refilled my glass. “My dad had his lawyers draw up some new paperwork. Somehow, they are going to buy Talis Enterprises out of their holdings on the hotel and the band. Then he’s going to make you a trustee.”

  I sat up, wide eyed. “What? They’re going to put me in charge of a band and a multimillion dollar resort? Is he nuts?” I emptied my glass for at least the second time.

  “I doubt that. But if he can get you on the board, then you can ease your way in if you wind up being the clan leader.”

  If. I didn’t like that.

  “And no one is going to question an eighteen-year-old girl at a board meeting? I mean seriously, which one of my tie dyed skirts should I wear?” This would be nothing short of ridiculous.

  “Those people are so brain dead, they will yes anyone with an opinion to death.” Tristan smirked. “And powerful people should be eccentric. That’s what makes them stand out. So you can wear your cute little hippie dresses or your cloth shoes as much as you want.” He grabbed at my china doll slipper.

  I was glad he gave me a warning on what to expect for once, but this made me more nervous than ever. Even if all I had to do was go to meetings, this was way more responsibility than I’d ever had in my life. At my parents’ house, all my decisions were made for me. And since I came to Vegas, I seemed to royally screw up every decision I made.

  No one could afford for me to continue that track record.

  My stomach, full of Venom, lurched when the plane seemed to hit the brakes, signaling the beginning of our descent. Landing always seemed so much smoother than takeoff, maybe because I was so damn thankful to have my feet back on solid ground.

  A black car waited for us on the runway. I could get used traveling like a rich person. We climbed into the backseat and the driver whisked us towards Palm Springs.

  This was my first trip to California, although this visit was not quite the circumstances I’d imagined coming here for. I sat close to the window so I didn’t miss anything as we passed by. Besides being much smaller, disappointingly it didn’t seem that much different here than Vegas. The houses got progressively nicer, all low midcentury ranches, so I assumed we were close to our destination.

  The driver opened the door and Tristan held my hand to help me out of the car. We were at the end of an impossibly long driveway lined by lit up palm trees. The warm desert breeze whipped my skirt around my thighs. Hand in hand, we headed towards a sleek white house that looked like it was made of nothing but plastic and glass.

  Nobody had to introduce Trevor George to anyone in the civilized world. I was so nervous to finally meet him. He’d been a huge movie star as long as I’d been alive. His awards lined the fireplace mantle in the living room, the Oscar taking center stage. His presence filled the space the awards did not.

  Tristan hugged his father much more warmly than I expected. I loved it. When they pulled away from each other, his father eyed me with curiosity and the same charisma as his son, making butterflies flutter in my stomach. How could I not be star struck?

  “Dad, this is Callie. Callie, Dad.”

  “Hi,” I wasn’t sure what else to say that wouldn’t sound ridiculous.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Callie. I’ve heard so much about you.” Trevor held out his hand to me and frowned when he realized how cold my hand was as he shook it. Maybe hadn’t heard everything about me. But he had to know what I’d become to be talked into making me part of such an enormous business decision that would affect Tristan for the rest of his—and everyone else’s--life. I guess some things always caught you off guard.

  “You have?” My voice sounded high and thin.

  “Don’t worry, I only tell him the good stuff.” Tristan winked at me. He seemed so normal in his father’s house. So not like the rock star he usually was. Like someone’s son.

  “Come on out back. Sherri’s waiting for us out there.” Trevor turned around to lead us to the back yard. If he was freaked out about having two vampires in his house, he d
idn’t show it. An Oscar worthy performance indeed.

  “Sherri.” Tristan mouthed behind him and made a face. I’d met Tristan the summer his parents split up. It hadn’t been pretty. Obviously, Tristan had never welcomed this new woman into his life.

  I stepped out on the deck and gasped. Once we passed a giant fish tank, long couches and comfy chairs were set up around a huge pool, with fire pits illuminating the entire yard. Like the plane, the backyard was nicer than most regular houses I’d been in.

  We followed Trevor over to where a blonde woman sat, drinking wine. She stood as we approached. On first sight, I could understand why Tristan didn’t like her. Not much older than us, nothing about this woman said mom. She looked as plastic as the house with her platinum blonde hair, her overly tanned skin and long sharp nails. She hugged us both. Everyone did their best not to cringe on contact.

  We sat down as Sherri filled our glasses from an ice and fruit filled pitcher. I sipped the sangria. It did nothing for my nerves as I waited for our meeting to begin.

  “So, Callie, I just need you to sign some paperwork. It makes you a part of the real estate trust for the Alta Vista.” Trevor opened up a thick packet of paperwork, showing me where he wanted me to sign before he handed me a pen.

  “Shouldn’t I read this first? I mean, I’m not really sure what you’re asking of me.” I looked around at the gathering, feeling my skin flush as everyone chuckled. Why was it so funny that I wanted to take this seriously?

  “I already explained it to you, beautiful.” Tristan wrapped his fingers around mine. My heart warmed that he called me by his pet name in front of his family. “No one is selling you into slavery.”

  I opened my mouth to protest then closed it before I made an ass out of myself. Tristan had no idea what he was getting himself into getting involved with Talis, or being forced into Immortal Dilemma, or before his family got coerced into funding the Alta Vista. Once I signed on the dotted line, I had control over all of these things.

  “You can take it with you if you’d prefer,” Trevor offered, still seeming amused I’d dare question him. “It is a good idea for you to read it over, see if you have any questions. Do you have your own lawyer?”

  I laughed. “No.” I didn’t even have a driver’s license.

  “You can certainly talk to mine. They’re experienced in your situation.” Trevor raised an eyebrow and eased the paperwork away from me, closing the binder, ending the discussion. “So I hear you are my sister in law’s neighbor, Callie.”

  “Yeah. My family has lived next door to her since I was like ten.” I caught Sherri looking at me the same way she’d probably look at one of those little dogs cross-bred with a poodle. Like I was just too precious. Did she know I could rip her into tiny pieces and not even break a sweat?

  “I’d love to come visit some time, but as I’m sure you’ve heard, I’m not exactly welcome there.” Trevor had the same smirk as Tristan. I smiled, thinking of all the awful names Tristan’s aunt Caroline had for his dad.

  We chatted for a little bit about Tristan’s family, Trevor and Sherri sharing details about Tristan that I loved and made him blush. We laughed a lot. It was a much better time than I had expected.

  “We have a plane to catch.” Tristan stood up what seemed like minutes after we got there and I followed his lead. We said our goodbyes to Sherri, and Trevor walked us back to the waiting car.

  Instead of shaking my hand, Trevor gave me a hug goodbye. “It was so nice to finally meet you, Callie.” He pulled away, still holding on to my arms and looked a bit more serious. “You’re a part of this family now, as unconventional as it may be. No one is going to let anything happen to you.” He pulled me back in and kissed my forehead.

  I just nodded, my head spinning with his words as I slid across the back seat of the car. I couldn’t think of anything else on the way home, even when Tristan and I ruined all the pretty white furniture and joined the Mile High Club.

  I practically ran to Lennon’s door when Tony, the head of Immortal Dilemma security, stopped his jeep in front of my old apartment. As excited as I was to be here, I was haunted by the memory of my first apartment in Las Vegas, in this very complex. I’d moved in with Janelle, who ran the Immortal Fans Forever website. She helped me get established in the city, but she also helped establish a group of Tristan fans who’d rather see me gone. Unfortunately, it was Janelle who was gone now, a causality in Blade’s war against me.

  Lennon ripped the door open and hugged me, then we settled quickly on the couch. She’d already put out drinks, some fruity martini for her and Venom for me. She looked as gorgeous as ever, pinup girl perfect.

  “Tell me all about meeting Trevor George, doll. Is he as drool-worthy in person?”

  “Ew. He’s Tristan’s dad.” It was too weird to refer to him as drool-worthy, even if it was the truth.

  “He’s a silver fox.” Lennon stood her ground. “So why did he bring you to meet him? Sounds serious.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me while she sipped her drink.

  “Well, it was pretty serious, but not like you’re thinking.” Trevor’s words echoed in my brain. You’re a part of this family now. “It’s tied in to what I asked you about on the phone.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that ever since you called.” She frowned. “What’s going on?”

  “So now that I’m, you know, undead, apparently that automatically makes me clan leader since I’m a woman.” I might as well go for the wow factor right out of the gate.

  “Whoa. That’s pretty badass.” Lennon squeezed my knee. “But what’s Talis going to say? She’s not going to just hand you the keys to the kingdom, you know?”

  “Have you noticed that Talis hasn’t been around much lately at Embrace?” I asked, resisting the urge to down my Venom in one sip.

  Lennon thought about it for minute. “Yeah,” she said slowly. “Why is that?”

  “She’s dead.” I paused and put my hand up before she had a chance to speak. “Blade killed her.”

  “Oh my God.” Lennon’s mouth fell open. “You found Blade.”

  “More like he found me,” I sighed. She wasn’t going to like any of this. “Since he killed Talis, he’s also technically clan leader. He’s been on a rampage. Tristan seems to think he’s the one who killed Janelle, and--” I paused, and Lennon’s face started to fall before I even got the word out. “Jacey.”

  Tears fell from Lennon’s eyes, but she didn’t move or make a sound. I just sat and watched her, helplessly. I wanted to hug her, but I hadn’t finished delivering the worst of the news yet. I’d only destroyed part of her world. I’d wait to try to comfort her until I blew the whole thing to bits.

  “Tristan seems to think that Blade has been working with Peter all along to destroy Talis’s clan.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “But why would Peter want Jacey dead? That’s not possible.”

  “When Blade showed up at the Immortal Dilemma show the other night, he said he owned a piece of the band and he fired Tristan. He made it stick, because when Tristan went to play the next show, he got kicked out. Tristan is pissed, and that’s an understatement.”

  “I’d heard something happened at the show, but I didn’t really pay attention to what,” she said almost apologetically. Times like this Janelle and her gossip site would have come in handy. “I still don’t understand what this has to do with Jacey.” Her voice broke as she said his name. They had made such a great couple, her fun-loving ways mixing perfectly with his seriousness. He’d been found dead around the same time I’d been found undead. “It doesn’t explain why Peter would want Jacey dead.”

  She burst into tears and I finally went to her to hold her as she cried. The new revelation ripped the wound freshly open. Once she calmed down, she didn’t say anything, and I wasn’t sure what to say, either. I didn’t want to upset her more, but I didn’t want to trivialize what had happened by changing the subject.

  “Well, I guess I should know better than to let my g
uard down around these blood suckers,” she finally said as she sat up and straightened her top. “Present company excluded, of course.”

  “No offense taken,” I said quietly. “I don’t even really know what I am yet, so maybe I shouldn’t be excluded.”

  Lennon’s face fell all over again. I knew it was easy to forget someone was a monster when they were still packaged like a human. “You’d think after spending almost all my time with vampires, I’d be used to this. I’d be smarter than this.” She sighed and looked down at her hands. “Jacey didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “I know.” And I didn’t know what to do about it.

  That wasn’t true. I knew exactly what I had to do about it. I just didn’t want to.

  We fell into another awkward silence. “Oh, we have a new girl at work.” Lennon thankfully changed the subject.

  “Oh yeah?” I perked up at the chance of gossip. Finally, something normal.

  “She’s from Massachusetts, too! And she’s got a rock star boyfriend who just happens to be a vampire.” Lennon seemed to consider this all good news.

  “What? You said I couldn’t be replaced.” I pouted. Next she’d move in with Lennon and totally take my place. “Who is she and who’s the guy? Someone we know?”

  “Her name is Melanie and she’s dating Ryder Maddox.”

  “Who’s Ryder Maddox?” I never paid attention to hard rock bands before I dropped myself in the middle of their world. I’d never fully catch up.

  “Sometimes I forget how young you are. From Soul Divider?” Lennon tried to ring a bell for me.

  “I’ve never heard of them,” I confessed, feeling utterly unprepared for my life. It was so much easier when vampires were things in Never Never Land.

  “They aren’t really that popular anymore. They used to be huge, about ten years ago. But they’re part of the same clan as Immortal Dilemma.”

  My clan.

  “Huh.” I’d have to ask Tristan if he knew anything about them. If he wasn’t still in tantrum mode over being fired. Tristan without anything to occupy his time was a dangerous, volatile thing. I’d been tiptoeing around his Venom-fueled outbursts and broken furniture ever since he broke the news.