by Nina Walker
“You talked about it,” Kenton replies casually and winks at me “I like this chick. You’re one of us now.”
“No, she’s not.”
“I’ve killed a vampire, haven’t I?” I lean back in my seat and cross my arms over my chest. “Pretty sure that should grant me entrance to your little club.”
“Our little club?” the quiet guy beside me speaks up. “You’ve no idea what you’re asking to get involved in here, Eva.”
“Exactly,” Felix interjects.
“I didn’t realize you even knew my name,” I shoot back at the brooding quiet guy. “And you are? You haven’t spoken two words to me and now you have an opinion?”
His face hardens to stone and he doesn’t answer.
“That’s Seth,” Kenton supplies. “He’s one of our lacrosse teammates and fellow hunters.” He meets Seth’s surly gaze through the rearview mirror. “Sorry, but Tate wants to meet her.”
Ah, so all three of them play lacrosse. Note to self, lacrosse boys are hot.
“You told Tate?” Seth and Felix say together, both pissed off.
“Hey, he asked me why we left early for our assignment and it came up. You can’t get anything past that guy.”
“He wasn’t mad?”
“At us? Sure. At finding a new hunter? No way. He’s excited to meet Eva.”
I don’t know who this Tate person is, but by the way the other two guys are acting, I can assume it’s their boss.
“Hi, Eva here.” I raise my hand. “I’m sitting right here, remember?” I lean forward and almost kiss Kenton on the cheek for being awesome but think better of it. “When and where am I meeting this Tate person? Name it and I’ll be there.”
Chapter 10
A couple days later, I’m dressed in my favorite athletic gear and riding with Felix to meet this Tate character. Felix is pretty pissed that this ball is rolling and there’s nothing he can do to stop it. He figures that he might as well be there for the ride so he can make sure I don’t get myself killed.
His words, not mine.
He made me lie to Ayla and tell her that I also got an internship at the bank and joined the same gym nearby. She bought it without question. In fact, she was excited for me, which made lying even worse. It’s a good thing the woman is going to college soon or else there’s no way I would be able to keep that up. I’ve always told her everything. But Felix is right to not want to get her involved, and if his parents found out about what he’s been up to, it would put us all in danger.
“So what can you tell me about Tate?” I ask, fiddling with the air conditioning. I decide I’m really just nervous, so I sit on my hands instead.
“You’ll find out for yourself,” Felix replies and then goes back to acting like I’m not even in the car. So lame.
I’ve been wondering about this Tate person for days, but I guess Felix is right.
We wind through the downtown financial district and pull into the same parking garage from before. Felix parks and we head over to the unmarked door. Felix uses both a fingerprint scanner and a keypad code to open it. I’m not really sure what to expect will be on the other side. My brain has conjured up a mix of superhero movies’ hidden lairs and squashed them all together. The bat cave would be pretty cool, except for the fact that bats gross me out. So what if they’re kind of cute? They eat bugs and their poop is toxic.
We walk through a sterile, blank hallway and then down two flights of stairs. When we open the next set of locked doors, this time using a different keycode from what I can snoop off of Felix’s quick fingers, we’re greeted by what’s essentially an upscale underground bunker/office/gym. It’s a huge room––all polished concrete and shining chrome, with sleek gray and white surfaces. There’s an open space with workout equipment along the edges and a sparring pad in the middle. Everything is airy and tall, and the second story looks down with glass rooms lining the perimeter. The windows are tinted, so I can’t see what’s behind them. Offices? Maybe more than that, maybe a kitchen, maybe even bedrooms. There are no windows to the outside. Whatever this place is, it’s super nice, super secure, and beyond what I expected. I look around, studying the people here––there aren’t many, and most of them are college-aged looking guys. They keep their distance but eye me with blatant curiosity.
I assumed the vampire hunting groups were ill-equipped on account of the fact that adults can’t be trusted to get involved. This place––these guys––appear to be anything but.
It’s with that thought in mind that an older man descends the metal staircase and my jaw practically drops to the floor.
“Hello, Eva.” He sticks out his hand when he reaches our group. “I’m Leslie Tate. It’s nice to finally meet you, Eva.”
I don’t know what to say but I shake his hand. How can he be here? Isn’t having anyone older than twenty-five a huge problem for the safety and security of an outfit like this?
“I know what you’re thinking.” His gray eyes wrinkle around the edges when he smiles. “But I’m immune to vampire compulsion.”
“Uh, say what now?” I blurt. “That’s not possible.”
Tate raises a bushy eyebrow. “I assure you, it is.”
Hope loosens my body and I find myself smiling. “Can you show me how?”
“I wish I could,” Tate goes on. “But it’s an ability I was born with.”
“Well that sucks,” I grumble, and Felix elbows me in the ribs. “I mean, it’s awesome for you, of course, but it sucks for me.”
Tate nods and runs his hand through his salt and pepper hair. “Don’t worry. I’d feel the same way if I were in your shoes. You’re what? Eighteen?”
I can’t help but frown. “Yeah, almost nineteen though.”
I hate getting older. I should want to grow up, and I do, but every day older is just one day closer to losing my mind to the vamps. What if they turn me into an addict like they did my mom?
“We keep people around until they’re twenty-four-and-a-half,” he pauses for a second, “that’s if they don’t die first. I have to be honest about that fact. We lose almost half of our hunters before they age out of the program.”
“I know what the vampires are capable of.” I swallow hard. “Don’t worry about me. I want to be here more than I want to be anywhere else.”
Something about that seems to concern Tate. Sadness softens his features. “We will verify your age with your birth records. You can hunt with us until it’s time to erase your memory of ever having been a hunter.”
Umm . . . My eyes practically bulge out of my head. “Excuse me? Erase my memory?”
This is getting weirder and weirder. How on earth do they have that kind of tech? Did I just walk into the world of Men in Black? I half expect Will Smith to appear with that silver “lose your memory” light pen thingy. I almost want to look around for aliens.
“There’s so much more to our world than you know,” Felix offers regretfully. Considering he didn’t want me to get involved, that sourpuss tone makes sense. Now all I want to do is ask a million and one questions.
“So wait, are you saying other supernaturals exist?”
Tate’s sigh is deep. “You’ll learn all about that in time.”
“Are you a werewolf?” I blurt. I can’t help myself. I mean the man has bushy eyebrows and powers and if vampires are real then maybe werewolves are, too.
He chuckles. “No, I assure you I am not a werewolf. It isn’t safe for you to know more than that.”
“Why?” I look to Felix but he shrugs as if he doesn’t know the answer either.
“Well, first of all, we have to see if you’re loyal to us and not the vampires,” Tate continues.
I scoff. “Loyal to the bloodsuckers? No way. I hate them.”
“Unfortunately, it’s happened before.”
“It won’t happen with me.” I fold my arms over my chest. “My mom is a gambling addict because of those creeps.”
Tate frowns. “I’m sorry to hear that, but
we’ll still have to confirm that you can be trusted.”
“Alright, fine. What do I have to do to prove myself?” Because at this point, I’ll do anything.
“A simple lie detector test will suffice.”
A trickle of excitement passes through me. I’ve only ever seen those things in movies and television. I don’t mind the thought of it. Not one bit.
An hour later and I end up telling Tate everything he wants to know. He takes a particular interest in my dealings with Adrianos Teresi even though there aren’t that many. I never mention that Adrian has threatened my life should I ever step foot in his filthy casino again. I figure if Tate asks me to go to The Alabaster for an assignment, I’ll bring up my problem with that then. Sort of an, “asking for forgiveness is better than asking for permission” mentality. I’m careful to be honest while still not saying anything that might jeopardize my ability to get in with this group. If they knew I’d made an enemy of the most powerful vampire around, they might send me packing, and I wouldn’t blame them.
“Congratulations, you passed,” Tate says as he removes the lie detector wires from where they’d been taped to my skin. We are up in one of the rooms––just us––but I already feel comfortable around Leslie Tate, like he’s the father figure I never knew I needed. His energy is warm and magnetic. There’s just something about him that’s good. I don’t know how else to describe it.
“Great.” I smile, my mind already three steps ahead. “So what’s this group called, anyway?” I’ve heard names over the years of other groups, like the Midnight Slayers, The Nightwatch Club, The Buffy’s, which was a total throwback to the nineties hit television show, and countless others.
“We don’t have a name,” Tate says. “It’s safer this way.”
“I guess that makes sense.” But honestly, I’ll just end up giving it it’s own name in my head. The Bank Vault Vampire Hunters has a nice ring to it.
“We’re going to start with your training.” Tate shoots me back into reality and levels me with a knowing stare. “Are you absolutely sure you want to do this? I can wipe this from your memory now. No hard feelings.”
“Yes. I’m sure.” Inwardly, I do a little happy dance. I’m excited to get back out there and fight the bad guys, but I understand training will take time and that I need it.
“You have to know what you’re getting yourself into,” he continues. “You could die. You could be tortured. You will lose the friends you make here because they’ll die or they’ll age out and forget about your interactions together. And of course, there’s always the possibility that a vampire could catch you and turn you into one of them.”
I swallow. “Can they turn people against their will?”
“They can and they will. Keep in mind, a situation like that would lead them right to us. This is why it’s important you’re never caught.”
I worry my bottom lip between my teeth and think it over. “If I’m somehow caught and turned, is that it? There’s no going back?” These are stupid questions that I already know the answers to but I can’t help but ask.
“Well, the bloodthirst will be unlike anything you’ve experienced as a human. However, I do know of people who were changed against their will and were able to get into the sun before feeding.” A haunted expression crosses his face. “But once a new vampire feeds, that’s it. They’ll never have their humanity back.”
It’s hard to imagine being burned alive by the sun, but then it’s also hard to imagine drinking someone dry and having a vampire master lording over me. If it happens that I get turned one day, I hope I’ll be strong enough to seek out the sun too. I think through all these possibilities for a long minute, through everything terrible that could happen to me, then swallow and offer another nod. “I’m in.”
“Somehow, I knew you’d say that.” He shakes his head. “I’ve seen your kind before. Let me guess, you feel like you have nothing to lose?”
“I mean, I wouldn’t call my life nothing, but I don’t have a lot of prospects for my future, if that’s what you’re asking.” No college. No boyfriend. Not much of a family unit. Only one close friend in Ayla, but she’s going off to live her life. I am probably the perfect candidate for a job like this.
His lips thin and he changes the subject. “Our actual hunters are our best, brightest, and quite honestly, our bravest. Even your friend Felix isn’t a hunter, yet,” Tate goes on. This revelation is news to me. “He’s only been with us for four months. He’s still a novice. We recruited him and two of his lacrosse teammates from Tulane. They’re on the reconnaissance side of things right now and not considered hunters yet. Once they get more experience under their belts, they’ll be able to do the offensive work and start making kills.”
Ah, so that’s how Felix knows Seth and Kenton. That also explains why those guys were in the graveyard placing stakes in caches a few mornings ago. But that didn’t explain why they’d gone out while it was still dark. I suspect they weren’t supposed to go in there until the sun came out, so I decide to keep my mouth shut. Something tells me those guys were hoping to find a newly sired vamp that morning. I don’t blame them because I want to hunt too.
Tate escorts me back to the gym and introduces me to the hunters and the novice. I count sixteen in all, twelve men and four women. “Everyone, this is Eva. She’s new. She’s going to be joining the novice crew a few months late, so she’ll be working overtime to catch up.”
He points to Felix, Kenton, and Seth. “You look out for her like she’s your own sister, you got it?” So my guys must be the novice crew, a.k.a., the newest recruits. I can work with that.
I give Felix a sidelong glance. His dark hair is all disheveled from running his hands through it, and his pillowy lips are set in an annoyed pout. I widen my eyes as if to say, “Yay, isn’t this fun?”
He glares back.
Oh, yeah, I’m pretty sure treating me like a little sister isn’t going to be a problem for him. He’s certainly had enough practice.
Chapter 11
I’m running through the darkened forest, leaping over fallen logs and ducking under low hanging branches. My boots squash dead leaves like crumpled paper. Between that and my panting breaths, it’s hard to hear the vampire chasing me. He could be anywhere by now. My heart thuds against my chest and my mouth goes bone dry. My hands squeeze tight around the wooden stake. The monster is coming for me.
I can’t escape it.
I can’t outrun it.
So I press my back against a tree, ignoring the rough bark that claws at the exposed skin above my tank top, and try to focus. The metallic scent of blood trickles through my senses and something wet drips down my arm. I’ve accidentally cut myself.
And now he’ll know right where to find me.
I refuse to die today, refuse to let this demon get the better of me. I’ve been training for this very moment for nearly two weeks, and now that it’s here, I’m determined to win. Still, nerves fire warning shots in my belly. What if I fail?
The tree behind me rips away, roots and all. I scream and scramble back as the vampire pounces on me like a sleek cat. His glowing eyes are wide and crazed with bloodlust. His skin is translucent under the moon-drenched night. I swing the stake, same as I’ve practiced a thousand times, but at the last moment he veers to the left and bears down on me, fangs sinking into my neck. He rips me open, blood arcs and pain erupts. I scream and then drown in my own blood until it’s over and I am nothing.
“Damn it!” I growl and rip off the virtual reality headset. I’m covered in little round sensors taped to my skin and I want to rip those off, as well. The dim lights of the small room brighten and Tate slips through the doorway. The treadmill floor below me has stopped. I sit up and shake off the failure. “I really thought I had him that time.”
Leslie Tate offers me that same knowing smile he’s given me about a million times since I started training in the virtual reality simulations. Okay, not a million, but it sure feels like it. At fi
rst I found the smile endearing, but now I imagine it’s pitying and all I want is to see it morph into pride. I don’t know why, but I suck at this. The others make it look easy. Everyday we get one session with the simulation and everyday I fail to stake the vampire. Tate doesn’t want our team to start practicing simulations together until we can all stake the vampire on our own. I’m the last to get there and I worry that the guys are starting to get impatient.
“What is wrong with me?” I ask. “Honestly, what am I doing wrong?”
“It’s normal to struggle at first,” Tate assures me.
“But from between the simulations, to the sparring down in the gym, and the grueling workouts, I’m still miles behind the rest of my team––way more than a couple months. I’m holding them back.”
“Do you know why you’re here, Eva? Your friends weren’t supposed to go into the cemetery until sunrise. Yes, I know all about how they broke protocol, and they were reprimanded for that, but look what came from it? You.”
I guess that’s true, but why am I struggling so much? Felix sure hasn’t been afraid to let me know I’m behind. On more than one occasion he’s encouraged me to quit the program entirely. It’s really starting to piss me off. Kenton is all for me being here and is more than willing to help me train, but he doesn’t hold back when sparring with me and I’ve yet to best him. Seth hasn’t said anything to me at all. He’s the epitome of the silent brooding type, and it’s like he doesn’t want to acknowledge my existence. Maybe he’s sexist? Maybe he just doesn’t like me? I can’t say I’m his biggest fan either.
“What if I got lucky when I killed that new vampire?” I run my shaky hands through my hair and stand up, peeling the sensors off of me as I go. “Beginners luck and nothing more.”
“You’re stuck in your head.” Tate begins helping me remove the sensors off my back. “Instinct hasn’t taken hold yet, but it will. In the meantime, you need to keep practicing and getting stronger. Next week, we’ll start training with crossbows, and then we’ll move on to silver bullets.”