“It’s home away from home,” he said.
Mike pushed his way past her, through the living area, and tossed his bag into a long curtained cubby hole.
“Is that the bedroom?” she asked.
“This bus sleeps six. You can take one of the open bays,” Troy answered. He eyed her with that don’t-try-anything glare. “And if you get any funny ideas, just know I have a whole collection of wooden stakes ready for you.” He pointed towards a wooden spice rack, mounted to the wall. Instead of spices, it had been filled with various broken drum sticks.
Kendra laughed. “Why don’t you get a sword to chop my head off? It’ll work a lot better than those silly pieces of wood.”
“I just might,” Troy said with a chuckle, but Kendra sensed a hint of seriousness there.
“Why do you have those, anyway? Did you break them all today, just for me?”
“Nah, I save all my broken sticks on tour. It’s good luck.”
“Hey. Anybody seen Marcus?” Mike yelled.
“I’m right here, man,” Marcus answered. He poked his head into the hallway from the back room. “You don’t have to yell.”
“You feelin’ any better?” Mike asked. “You were in some rough shape last night, dude.”
“I’m fine. Our newest roadie is taking good care of me.” Marcus winked at Kendra, and then turned to Mike.
“I don’t wanna know details, man,” Mike groaned.
“That’s a first.”
Mike reached in his duffle bag. He extracted a notebook and pen. He rested the pen behind his ear and turned toward the back room. “Let’s talk music. You got some free non-dead-girl minutes?”
“I’m not dead.” Kendra groaned and took a spot on the couch across from Chad.
Mike continued as if Kendra hadn’t spoken. “We need to work out the melody on ‘Creative Mysticism’.”
“We’re not calling it that,” Troy shouted. “You trying to make us sound like some emo band?”
“Hey… when you write the song, you can name it,” Mike shot back at him.
“Um… who wrote it?” Marcus asked.
“I don’t give a crap who wrote it,” Troy snarled. “I ain’t playing emo-sounding crap,”
Kendra looked at Chad, who was smiling and grooving to the silent music he’d been playing along with. “Are they always like this?”
“Usually worse,” he said, still plucking away at his bass. “They’re probably toning it down because you’re here.”
Kendra stretched out across the couch with her hands behind her head. The arguing had trickled down into silence, and all that was left was the muted notes from Chad’s bass guitar.
Troy’s face suddenly appeared above her. “We have your word, right?” His jaw was tight and he spoke through clenched teeth. “No… drinking anyone’s blood? You’ll keep Marcus happy and singing until we finish in Phoenix?”
“No worries, okay? I’m not going to hurt anyone.”
Troy nodded and disappeared from view.
“Guys, really, I’m not some big, scary monster,” she said, sitting up and turning toward the booth. “Okay, so I’m a vampire. Big deal. Please stop acting like I’m going to murder you all in your sleep.”
“Actually, Kendra, that’s exactly what we think you’re going to do,” Chad said with a snort.
Kendra smacked herself in the forehead. “Am I to endure this the entire time I’m with you? Why ask me to come along, then?”
“Don’t ask me, that was all Troy,” Chad said. He twirled his long beard in between his fingers as if in thought, and then leaned back into the cushions of the couch and resumed plucking away at the guitar.
Kendra was intrigued at how at ease Chad seemed to be. She expected Marcus to be at ease with her—that was a result of the blood bond they now shared. Mike seemed to hate her, Troy was worried stiff; so why was Chad so cool and relaxed?
“I gotta ask or it’s going to drive me crazy,” Kendra said with a laugh. “How is it you’re so chill about me being here?”
“I figure it this way.” Chad smiled as he continued to play. “You don’t want a fat bastard like me when you have a tasty little nugget like Marcus to play with.”
“I heard that,” Marcus’s voice boomed from the back of the bus.
Kendra chortled and quickly covered her mouth to hold back the sound. “Point taken.”
“Seriously though.” Chad set down his guitar and leaned toward Kendra. “I got a good vibe off you. I’m not worried.”
“Glad I at least have one of you on my side,” Kendra said with a smile.
“Don’t let me down.” Chad winked.
A middle-aged man with graying hair and glasses rushed onto the bus. “You all ready? We’re behind schedule,” he shouted without looking at the passengers. He sat down in the driver’s seat with a clipboard and pen, checking off items on a pad of paper.
Kendra looked over to Chad, but before she could get the words out, he stood up and shouted, “Hey, Gary, you know we got an extra with us, right?”
Gary didn’t turn around. He continued to scribble on his pad of paper. “Troy told me. Marcus picked up a girlfriend or something. She better not be any trouble. Give her the bottom bunk.”
Chad took a step toward Kendra and bent down low to whisper in her ear. “He doesn’t know you’re a….”
“Got it.” She nodded. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”
He stood up and turned toward the kitchenette. “He’s a really good manager, driver, and most of all, friend.”
“Once I finish checking the equipment in the van I’m pulling out of here. That’s twenty minutes, you guys,” Gary shouted as he walked down the steps. “Everybody better be on the bus or they’re walking to D.C.”
Kendra smirked at Chad. “Bit of a hard ass, huh?”
Chad opened up the fridge and extracted a bottle of water. “That’s what makes him a good manager. He keeps us all in line.”
“I’m going to disappear for a few minutes, if you guys don’t mind.” Kendra stood up and took a step toward the door. “I have some, ah, business to take care of before we leave.”
Chad arched an eyebrow. “The bathroom’s in the back.”
“If I’m going to be trapped on a bus all night, I need to—” She gave him a toothy grin.
“Ahhh.” The proverbial light bulb went off in Chad’s eyes. “Just don’t take off. Marcus needs you.”
“You leaving, Kendra?” Marcus shouted from the back room.
“I’ll be back in time. Just popping out for a quick pint. Don’t let Gary leave without me,” she said, walking down the steps to the asphalt below.
The drive from Boston to Washington, D.C. took just under ten hours. Marcus and Kendra spent much of that time snuggled up on the couch going over the notes in her old poetry journal. Together they had come up with the start of a duet, though Kendra swore she would never sing it.
“I don’t have a voice like yours,” she said defiantly. “Get one of those pop singers to work with you. It’ll be great.”
“You wrote it, you should sing it. C’mon. At least hum a melody with me.” Marcus wrapped his arms around Kendra and pulled her close. “Mikey, don’t you think she’d be great?”
“Didn’t think dead girls could sing,” he said, without looking up.
“I told you, I’m not dead.”
“Whatever.” He sighed, and then looked up. “Listen, Marcus, we have a CD to finish… this year. Can you try to focus on our current projects? Where are you at on the changes to verse two… ‘Creative—’ ”
“It’s ‘Diabolism!’ ” Troy yelled.
“No one agreed to that dumbass name either,” Mike shot back.
“We’re here!” Gary’s announcement instantly silenced the group.
The bus pulled into Verizon Center, just in time to see the sun rise. Kendra peeked out of the shaded window at the large concert venue, a brick building that looked almost pink in the early morning light.
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Just like at the hotel, Gary pulled around to a back door entrance with receiving bays. He parked, and then walked into the common area.
“Okay, boys. Setup and sound check this afternoon.” He pushed his glasses up on his nose and gave each of the band members a stern, parental look. “I want you back here no later than 1 P.M., got it?”
In unison, they all agreed to be back in time.
Mike shot up from his seat on the couch, dropping the pad of paper he’d been working on. “Who’s up for some breakfast? Bacon and eggs are calling my name.”
“And pancakes,” Troy added. “Count me in.”
Marcus turned to Kendra. “You gonna be okay if we take off?”
“Yeah, go. Eat and do some sightseeing. Take pictures and stuff. I’ll hang back here and get some sleep.”
“Let’s go, Chad. Time for breakfast,” Troy called to the sleeping bays.
Chad rolled out of the middle bay, his bare feet landing with a soft thud on the floor. “I’m coming. Just gotta find my shoes.”
After a few minutes of frantic rushing through the bus, the guys were dressed and ready to go out on the town.
Troy looked at Kendra and mouthed the words, “Please be good.”
She rolled her eyes and gave him a mocking thumbs up.
“I’ll come back early so we can finish our song.” Marcus whispered in her ear and gave her a quick peck of a kiss before turning and following the rest of the band out of the bus.
“Okay, have fun.” She smiled weakly and waved goodbye, and then slumped down on the couch with a sigh. Another day trapped inside. She knew she would be stuck until dusk.
Gary walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a small plastic bottle of orange juice. He took a sip, and set the bottle on the counter. “Aren’t you going with the boys to get some breakfast?” he asked as he busied himself in the cabinets.
Kendra was shocked to hear him speak to her. He hadn’t said two words to her since they’d left Boston. He’d been all business before they left and then silent on the drive—not letting anyone bother him. Only the mechanical female voice of the GPS had been allowed to interrupt his listening to books on tape.
She looked at him and tried to speak without showing her teeth. “Oh, no. I’m a little tired and don’t feel like eating right now. I’ll probably crash in a minute.”
Gary grabbed box of cereal from the cabinet. “Well, you can take that bottom bay on the left. It’s always open for guests.”
He pulled out a small bowl from a lower cupboard, poured some cereal in, and then opened the fridge again.
“Do the guys have guests often?” Kendra asked, trying to make pleasant conversation. She felt it was best to be on Gary’s good side since she was going to be stuck with him and the band for a few weeks.
Gary fumbled in the fridge, moving around various bottled beverages. “Damn it! I put it on the list. Those boys never remember the milk.” He turned back to Kendra. “Sorry. Excuse my language, Miss—”
“Kendra.”
“My apologies. Yeah, Mike and Troy’s girlfriends tour with us often. We aren’t new to having a woman aboard Big Bertha.”
Kendra giggled. “Great name.”
“Yeah, the boys thought so.” He took a spoon out and set it in his bowl of corn flakes. “Guess I’m eating it dry again.” He sighed and walked his bowl and bottle of orange juice to the small booth.
“So Marcus never brought a girlfriend on tour?”
“No.” Gary shook his head and took a dry bite of cereal. “Come to think of it, I don’t ever remember seeing Marcus with a girlfriend.”
Kendra smiled inwardly, remembering Marcus had kept her journal. She wondered if he had really kept a small place open for her in his heart.
“I mean, they’ve all had their flings,” he said, shoving another bite into his mouth.
A flicker of jealousy threatened to turn her mood. Kendra reminded herself that it had been ten years since she had seen him. She had no reason to feel jealous. It would go against everything he was as a man not to have had some flings. She locked onto the fact that Gary said he hadn’t had any serious relationships. That kept her mood from turning completely sour.
“This is stupid,” she mumbled to herself, lower than Gary would be able to hear. “I shouldn’t be with him anyway. I’m the worst thing for him and his career.”
“I hate to get involved. I like to stay out of the boy’s personal business,” Gary said, wiping his mouth after a sip of orange juice. “But I have to say, it’s nice to see Marcus with someone. He spends so much time working on his music. I think he forgets to live.”
“Yes, he does deserve someone to make him happy.” It just can’t be me. The thought tugged at her heartstrings.
“Do me a favor.” He turned to face her, and his pale blue eyes met hers with a determined focus. “He deserves a nice girl. Be good to him.”
She was taken aback by his ability to stare her down. Most mortals weren’t so cavalier around a vampire. But he doesn’t know I’m a vampire, she reminded herself.
“I don’t want to hurt Marcus.” Her stomach sank. She knew he would be emotionally destroyed, at least for a little while, when it was time for her to leave. She wondered what he would do. Would he try to follow her? Would he beg to be turned, like she had with Hector, or would he push through the depression? What effect would all of their time together have on him? Or her? Somewhere in the back of her mind, she questioned if she would have the strength to leave him, as she knew she should.
Gary’s voice snapped her back to reality. “You sound a little unsure of yourself. If you don’t mind me askin’, how long have you known Marcus? How long have you two been together?”
“We were reunited at last night’s concert, but we go way back to the early days.”
“Old flame, eh?”
“More like missed opportunity.”
“Well, figure out what you’re going to do. Just remember, Marcus is a good guy. Be good to him, and he’ll be good to you.” Gary finished the last bite of his cereal and gulped down his orange juice. “I’m off to bed. Got to get some shut eye before we setup.”
“Night, er, morning, Gary.”
“I know the feeling. On the road, nights and days tend to blend together into one.” He smiled, tossing his bowl in the sink, and climbed into a sleeping bay.
Following Gary’s lead, Kendra loaded herself into the small sleeping bay and pulled the curtain closed. The cramped space darkened, giving the impression of night time. She welcomed sleep, but her mind ran amok with thoughts of Marcus.
She didn’t want to hurt him, but it seemed there was no way around it. Only now, she was hurting herself at the same time. Kendra wanted so much to enjoy this momentary happiness, but the reality of how short their time together was made it all that much more painful. Even if she gave in to her heart and turned him, there was still the problem of Hector. She couldn’t remove the worries playing at the back of her mind. She’d only just escaped Hector, and she didn’t know how far the blood bond would reach.
How far would Hector be able to track her? If he found her, what would he do? Hector loved to play games. He loved to destroy people from the inside out and watch as they fell to pieces in front of him. What would he do to Marcus? Would he know about Marcus? Could he glean that information from the new bond she’d created?
Closing her eyes, she decided to test the bond herself and see how much she could sense with Marcus. She centered herself and thought of him. It took only the name in her mind to open the floodgates of sensation and send the feelings rushing toward her. Instantly, she felt the warm comfort of a hot meal and a full belly as if she herself had just eaten. Marcus was happy and well-fed, walking down a street under the warm sunlight. Kendra felt the echoed glow on her cheek and smiled. It had been so long since she had basked in the sunlight.
Marcus’s presence was so strong in her mind. It was as if he was a beacon calling out to her, and that if she f
ollowed his signal she could find him anywhere. He couldn’t be more than a mile or two away.
Then, a sudden frightening thought entered her mind. Could she be a beacon for Hector?
She mentally reached out again, but didn’t sense Hector’s foreboding presence. Kendra assured herself that if he were close, she would feel it. She had always been able to tell when he was near her. That gave her a small measure of comfort. After a few deep cleansing breaths, she calmed her mind once more, deciding that she was safe for the moment, and welcomed drowsiness, allowing herself to drift off to sleep.
CHAPTER 7
SACRIFICES
“You can’t run forever, darlin’. I’ll catch you. And when I do, there’ll be hell to pay.”
Kendra awoke with a start, slamming her head into the top of the sleeping bay.
Marcus chuckled. “You okay in there?”
“I don’t know,” Kendra moaned, rubbing the sore spot on her forehead, struggling to remember where she was. She shook off the last remnants of sleep and opened her eyes, feeling as if she had only closed them moments before. Was it a dream, or had she really heard Hector again? Was he getting close, or was it just subconscious worry invading her dreams? She pulled back the curtain, relieved to see Marcus’s smiling face. “Sorry…what time is it?”
“It’s time to get up, sleepyhead. Support band’s already on stage.”
Kendra blinked a few times, shocked that she had slept so long. She rolled out of the sleeping bay. “I thought you were going to come back early and wake me?”
“Troy found a swap meet, and we lost track of time shopping.” He pointed toward the living area. Kendra spotted a few plastic bags and snickered, seeing the hilt of a large-ish looking sword sheathed in an old leather scabbard. Guess he took my joke about buying a sword seriously.
“Here.” Marcus handed her a badge hanging from a plastic lanyard. “You’re gonna need this if you want to be back stage with us. We’ll have to get you a wristband too,” he said, extending his other arm to show the neon orange band around his wrist.
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