by Rye Brewer
That surprised me.
For one brief, breathless moment, I was about to say yes. I was about to go up there with her and take her. I wanted to be with her, all over her, inside her. I wanted to compel her to let me drink her rich, sweet blood until she was at the edge of life and death—I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop myself until it reached that point. I would drink my fill and let the blood flow through me until I quenched my thirst for her. It wouldn’t be enough, either. It would never be enough.
I really wanted to go. I did. I came so close.
There was a loud noise down the street, like a car backfiring, and it shook me from my trance.
No way I could do this. If the league ever found out I was drinking from a human, I would never get away with it. Consorting was bad enough, but drinking from them was against our laws.
She spun around, surprised, searching for the source of the noise.
I took the opportunity and crossed the street, disappearing behind a minivan and then into the shadows.
I stared through the windows of the van and saw her looking around for me with her mouth hanging open.
No, I couldn’t take a chance on being with her or drinking from her.
If we got caught, it wouldn’t be just me who faced the league’s wrath. They would kill her to keep her quiet, and I couldn’t do that to her.
No matter how desperate I was for her.
No matter how sure I was she was meant for me.
28
Carissa
Where the heck did he go? Was he a magician or wizard or something? One minute, I was going against everything I had ever believed about going to bed with a guy right after I met him. The next, he was gone. So much for trying to turn over a new leaf.
Did I scare him away?
I looked around, turning in a full circle.
He was gone. He really was.
My heart sank until it was somewhere in the vicinity of my sandals—sandals I was glad I’d worn that night, since it meant being able to walk for hours on end without wanting to cut off my feet.
Not that it mattered, because I would never see him again.
I thought there was something special between us. Was I that far off-base? Was I just kidding myself? I must have been.
He was so sweet, so gallant. I didn’t even get his number—not like he’d asked for mine, anyway.
I guessed he figured he’d done his good deed for the night and could go home with a clean conscience.
I was fun to walk around with for four stinking hours, but that was all. Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Weren’t guys supposed to sleep with a woman and then disappear? Not do something semi-meaningful, something that made a girl think she was bonding with somebody when she wasn’t?
I was just about to turn toward my front stairs and drag my feet the whole way to my apartment—and that was when I spotted him, hurrying down the block on the other side of the street.
A car turned in his direction, and the headlights shone on his profile. Unmistakably him.
I took off after him before I could stop myself or even think about it, jogging until I turned the corner and saw him hurrying past a row of storefronts.
I kept my distance, hanging maybe a half-block back so he didn’t catch sight of me if he turned around. I didn’t want to come off as some desperate stalker, refusing to take the hint that he didn’t want me. I knew girls like that. I’d had a few friends in college who were like that. I had made a vow a long time ago I would never be that girl.
You should be home, getting into bed, you idiot.
No matter what I told myself, I couldn’t help it. There was something special about him. He got me, as strange as it seemed. And he was real. He didn’t put on some fake macho BS act to impress me, even though he obviously had money and was pretty well-off. The family business. Whatever that meant, it bought him some pretty nice clothes and a watch I could’ve paid a year’s worth of rent with.
The guys I met at the club had been equally well-dressed and flashy, but that was the difference in a nutshell. They were flashy. They had to show off, like it actually mattered they could afford VIP treatment and a bottle of Cristal. Big whoop.
Give me a guy who smiles indulgently when I tear into a slice of pizza any day of the week, thanks very much, I thought as I ducked behind a dumpster when he paused to wait for a light to change.
Who did I think I was? Nancy Drew? Hiding behind a dumpster. Jeez. But that didn’t stop me.
I kept following him, darting between cars as I crossed the street. We definitely lived on different sides of town. He was heading into the heart of Manhattan, where all the high-rises were. Yet another thing to confirm how wealthy he was.
Where did he come from? He’d randomly jumped in and saved me earlier. I didn’t know what I would’ve done without him. It could’ve turned out to be a very different night. I might have been running away from someone rather than running after someone.
I did not have a good feeling about that club, no matter how hot the guys were. Unlike Mathilda, I cared about more than what a man looked like. But there’d been no getting through to Maddy. She had been insistent I go in. But she was always pushy, wasn’t she? I loved her, but she was a pushy broad. She was also a good friend—something I had to remind myself from time to time. Like when she’d left me on my own in the middle of a bunch of guys who were practically licking their chops.
I told myself that was why I was desperate to find out more about Gage. He was like a unicorn. Respectful and kind and funny and smart. He actually took my elbow when we crossed the street together, as though he was trying to protect me. He looked like he could kick some ass if he had to.
I had never known anybody like him. I didn’t know men like him still existed. Hadn’t men been chivalrous and protective of their women back in the old days? Hadn’t those days passed? Not for him. It was sweet.
I wondered how the girls were doing. They’d all gone home with somebody, even Jenna. I was happy for her. She deserved a fun night. I only hoped she was smart about it—I had the feeling she was a virgin, and I felt sort of protective of her. She wanted so much to fit in with the rest of us. I made a mental note to call her first thing in the morning.
Oh, wait. It’s almost first thing in the morning now.
It would be dawn in a little while, and I was still following Gage down half-empty streets, all the way across town. I wondered what I planned to do once I caught up with him, or if I wanted to catch up with him at all.
What if he walked into a brothel? Did they still have brothels? Or a drug den or something like that? What then? I wondered if I should maybe quit while I was ahead, cut my losses and get a cab. It would be better to believe he was a good guy and leave it there.
Finally, after what felt like forever, he opened the tall, glass doors of a high-rise and went inside. I was across the street when he did, and I craned my neck to look up, up, up. It seemed to go on forever. All glass, sparkling in the dim pre-dawn light. Very swanky. So, he lived there. Lucky him.
He wasn’t the only one going in, either.
It was like everybody in the building had gone out that night and was just getting home. All of them were dressed roughly the same—club clothes, sort of like what I was wearing but more like what the other girls wore. Sexy. Fun. The clothes a person wore when they wanted to get noticed. I never could dress like that, no matter how many times Maddy or any of the others tried to convince me I should. I guessed I had the body for it. It was decent enough. I just never felt right, like I was wearing a costume that didn’t quite fit. How could I have fun when I felt awkward and not like myself?
The sun was rising by the time I decided to head home. He wasn’t coming back out.
I almost missed him, but I chalked that up to feeling tired and rumpled and disappointed. I didn’t know him before I left the club, and life would go on without him.
I hailed a cab and climbed into the first one that stopped, leanin
g back against the seat with a sigh. Comfortable shoes or not, my feet hurt after all that walking. I guessed they would hurt no matter what I was wearing.
My friends from the gym would be impressed with all that walking—I wished I’d worn a pedometer or something to record how far I had actually gone. But pedometers didn’t usually go well with dressy clothes. Even I knew that.
It didn’t take long to get back home—dawn was the one time of day when traffic seemed to ease up a little. Not like I would’ve known that before then. I wasn’t exactly the early bird going after the worm.
With heavy feet, I climbed the front stairs then went up another three floors. I half-hoped somebody would spot me and think I was doing a walk of shame. But no. For once, none of my nosy neighbors were around. Some people were actually asleep.
“Hey, Chloe. I’m coming.” My kitty was purring away at the door as I unlocked it.
Poor thing would’ve been waiting for me all night—I never stayed out as late as I had. She wound herself around my ankles the second I stepped through the door. I didn’t know whether she was being affectionate or trying to trip me as punishment for leaving her alone all night.
“It’s not like I didn’t leave food for you, you big baby.” I pushed her out of my way before falling onto the bed without bothering to take off my dress first.
She purred and rubbed herself against my back until I had to smile. At least there was somebody at home who was happy to see me.
“Why didn’t he want to at least give me a good-night kiss?” I rolled over to snuggle her. “I mean, a hug, even. Or a handshake. Anything. Why did he run off like he did?” I looked down at her, like she would give me an answer other than “Purrrrr.”
“Maybe his girlfriend was coming down the street, behind me,” I guessed. “Maybe he freaked out when he saw her coming along and thought he could run away. Or he’s with Witness Protection. No, that’s stupid. People don’t move to New York to go into Witness Protection. They’re usually moving from a big city, not to one. Jeez. I wish I knew.”
I tucked one arm under my head and watched the cat play with a random bit of lint. I wished I had her problems. She had her food and water and a litter box, and she basically walked around the place like she owned everything and was being generous by letting me share her space.
His name was Gage.
That was all I knew about him.
I also knew he made me feel special, that I’d never felt that sort of spark with another guy, ever. Would I ever see him again? Would he even remember me? I hoped I would, and I hoped he did. Because I knew I would remember him.
I was still thinking about him as my eyes slid closed, imagining his face in my head, remembering how he’d laughed until he couldn’t walk anymore.
29
Jonah
I still can’t get a hold of her. She turned her phone off. Did I tell you that? It used to ring, but now it goes straight to voicemail.” Scott looked more and more desperate every time he tried, and failed, to reach Sara.
It was getting harder every time to tell him she was all right and sound convincing while I did it. Except, I knew that where she was, there probably wasn’t any cell coverage.
I couldn’t imagine there were any cell towers around where Allonic lived, and that was probably where he’d taken Anissa and Sara to meet with their mother.
I vaguely remembered hearing she had recovered there, back at the caves with the rest of the shades.
“She’s all right. Who knows how far away they had to go?” I wished I could change the subject. I hated having to make things up to get him off-track.
He was too smart for that, anyway. And way too devoted to Sara. Not that that was a bad thing. I was devoted to Anissa, and she didn’t even want me anymore. That didn’t change my feelings for her, not a bit. So, I could sort of understand where he was coming from. It didn’t help contain my frustration, however.
“I wish she could’ve let me know where she was going,” he muttered before disappearing into his bedroom. I was almost relieved when I heard the door slamming. One less thing to worry about for the time being.
Gage came in from the balcony, and I reflected on how weird he’d been, too.
He wouldn’t say what was up with him or why he’d disappeared from the club a few nights earlier. When we got home, he hadn’t been here, but he came back just before dawn and went straight to his room. He was keeping secrets again. Hadn’t he learned the first time?
“Where’s Philippa?” he asked, going to the kitchen. He pulled some blood from the fridge and poured it out into a glass.
“Where do you think?” I made sure Scott’s door was tightly closed before saying anything else. “She hasn’t been able to stay out of the vault.”
“I’m worried somebody will see her going in or coming out,” he said.
“I know. But you know how she is. It doesn’t matter how many times you tell her something, or how sensible it is. If she doesn’t want to listen, she’ll tune you out.”
“She would refuse help if she was on fire,” Gage agreed.
We smiled together, and, for a second, it felt like the old days. Back when we were friends.
I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it wasn’t easy when he wasn’t giving me much to work with. When he wouldn’t tell me why he’d acted like somebody had killed his dog ever since we went to the club together.
“How’s the brand feel?” I glanced at his arm.
“The same. There. Like it’s been since it appeared. But it doesn’t hurt, at least.”
“Yeah. Same for me.” I could tolerate its presence as long as it didn’t bring pain or any surprises.
I turned my head at the sound of footsteps.
It was good to see Philippa walk in, even if her face was as sad and distracted as ever. She was going to waste away in front of us if she didn’t get it together.
Gage poured blood from the bag and handed her a glass without saying a word. He was right. She needed to feed and get her strength back. She shook her head.
“What good are you to him if you starve to death?” he asked.
“I’m far from starving to death,” she insisted.
“Even so. Drink.”
She rolled her eyes but drank.
Gage always knew how to get through to her better than I did.
My phone buzzed.
For a second, my heart leapt with the thought that it was Anissa.
How ridiculous.
She had already told me she had no intention of being with me anymore, hadn’t she? I was kidding myself to think she would go back on that so easily. Anissa was stubborn. She didn’t change her mind that quickly.
It was a text: Go to the roof.
The sender was unknown.
I wondered what I was risking by going at all, and what I’d risk if I didn’t go. Who would send me such a cryptic message?
I laughed humorlessly to myself. Who wouldn’t at this point?
“What’s up?” Philippa asked. Even so soon after drinking the blood, her color looked better.
“Nothing. Be right back.” I slid the phone into my pocket.
“Where are you going?”
“The roof.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s where I feel like going right now. I want to be alone for a minute.”
Her eyebrows knitted together when she frowned, but she let me go without argument.
I went outside into the darkness and asked myself again who would send such a message. My senses were on overdrive, trying to pick up any little trace of a person. Or a creature like myself.
The wind whipped around me, the way it always did so high up. I looked around me but saw nothing. Then, there was a shifting in the shadows.
“Hello?” I called, ready to leap if I had to.
“Hello, Jonah.” Out stepped Fane.
“Oh, wow.” I let out a deep breath and bent over, hands on my knees. “You could’ve let me kno
w it was you who was texting me. Where did you get a phone?”
“Don’t worry about that. I have my ways.”
“Evidently. What’s this all about?” My heart raced.
It was never exactly good news when Fane showed up out of the blue.
“We need to have a family meeting.”
I bit back the slight hiccup of emotion that hit me when he said those words.
Exactly the way he used to say it back in the day, before everything happened. When we were just a family—an unconventional family, a vampire family, but a family nonetheless. Whenever it was time to get together and talk something over, be it about the clan or about where the family would take a vacation that summer, he would announce it was time for a family meeting.
And we would roll our eyes and drag our feet—those meetings could last a long, long time, depending on how many opinions there were and how deeply they contradicted each other.
I would’ve done anything, given anything, to go back to those days.
I shook off the memory. There was no time for that. “Are you talking about the entire family? Scott, too?”
“I think it’s time for him to know the truth, yes. He’s around?” His voice cracked.
“Yes. He’s downstairs. At least, he was when I came up here.”
He nodded. “Bring him, too.”
“Where are we going to have it? Here?”
“No, not here. Someplace private. I’ll take care of that.”
“Yes. Great. He’ll enjoy that.”
Fane smiled. “Go get everybody. I’ll be waiting here for you.”
I nodded and went back down to the penthouse. Philippa and Gage would probably be glad to hear Fane was back, but Scott?
I dreaded what was about to happen.
Scott was with the others when I walked in, and Philippa was trying to make him laugh—unsuccessfully.
I cleared my throat and shot her a glance. “I think we all need to go to the roof,” I said, feeling like a complete idiot.