The Afterlife of the Party

by Marlene Perez

  “I don’t know how to be a queen,” I wailed to Skyler. Rose remained impassive, but I caught Thorn snickering. She saw me staring and gave me a blindingly bright smile.

  “Make it up as you go along,” Skyler said. “You can’t be any worse at it than Jure was.”

  I made a face at her. “That’s comforting. There’s still his son to worry about.”

  “Travis won’t give you any more trouble,” she said.

  “That’s an interesting theory,” I said. “Maybe I need to find him to test it out.”

  I peeked over at her to see if she was disturbed by my suggestion.

  “That’s not the only thing you’d be testing,” she said. “Tansy, I’m over him. I’m over that compulsion to be with him no matter what.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked. “Nothing seemed to shake it before.”

  “Your magic worked,” she said. “The other girls are getting better, too.”

  Her eyes were clear and bright—no sign of compulsion. I was so relieved she was back home, I didn’t even argue with her about what the future might bring. The teeth marks all over her body were fading, but I knew there were other scars we couldn’t see. And I hadn’t helped her to heal them. Not when it mattered.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, looking her in the eye. “I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like that. I was hurting over Opal Ann. And so scared about Granny.”

  “We all were,” Skyler said back. “I understand.”

  We still had a long way to go toward healing, and I wasn’t sure if our friendship would ever go back to the way it was before. But something told me Skyler and I would be all right.

  Her dad was still out of the country, but Gertie came by to visit her. First, Gertie and Granny had a hushed conversation in the garden, and then Gertie and Skyler talked in private in Granny’s office.

  When they came out, I could tell they’d both been crying, but Skyler looked less unhappy somehow.

  It was dark now, and I needed a break from all the drama, so I took out the trash. I was dragging the bins to the curb when I spotted her, watching me from across the street.

  She was the last person I expected to see. I walked over to her. “Vanessa.”

  My mother had the nerve to show her face? She was either trying to goad me into fighting her or she had a death wish.

  “You tried to kill my grandmother,” I said.

  “If I wanted to kill her, she’d be dead,” she replied.

  I absorbed that information. Because it was possible she’d spared my grandmother, I wouldn’t kill her right now. Unless she made it impossible not to.

  “Aren’t you going to bow to your queen?” I asked.

  “You are not fit to be queen. A queen does not take out her own trash,” she said.

  “This queen does,” I said. “This queen also doesn’t treat her subjects like her personal blood bank.”

  “Do you even know what it takes to be queen?” she asked. “Have you even chosen your Executioner?”

  “I won’t need one,” I said.

  “Every ruler in the PAC has one,” she said.

  “Not me. I’ll be a different kind of queen.”

  She sucked in a breath. “You think you have what it takes to be queen?”

  I studied her a moment and then bared my golden fangs. “I know I do.”

  “We’ll see,” she said. I thought she would challenge me, but instead, she walked away into the darkness.

  It wasn’t a surprise to see my mother walk away from me. It was what she did. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

  And the hurts kept coming.

  When I looked over at the house, Vaughn was standing on the front porch, watching me with a frown on his face.

  I joined him. “Everything okay?” I asked. I’d taken a lot of his blood, and he still looked pale. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his summer tan had faded.

  Still, he was beautiful.

  “You let her go?” That’s why he was all frowny-face?

  “She’s my mother,” I said. Then I changed the subject. “I have a lot to do before school starts. Rose and Thorn said they can stay a little while longer to help with the transition. And maybe we’ll have time to go out on a real date.”

  He looked at his feet. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.”

  I sucked in a breath. “Are you going to break up with me?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Jesus, no. Tansy, you’re my favorite person. I…I really care about you. It’s something else. Thorn thinks that with some training, I can be useful to the PAC,” he said.

  “You want to help the PAC?”

  “I want to help you,” he replied. “And now you’re part of the PAC.”

  “What would you be doing?” I asked.

  “I’d meet up with some vampire hunters in Texas,” he replied. “Correction. We’d meet up with some of the observation team in Texas. She asked me to train with them.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked.

  “I am. Jure almost killed you, Tansy,” he said.

  “I’m aware,” I said. “But this isn’t about me.”

  “It’s always about you,” he said. “I want to protect you.”

  “And you think joining the PAC will help me?”

  “I do,” he said.

  I wasn’t sure about that. I didn’t know anyone else in the PAC. I liked Rose and Thorn, but they weren’t in charge. What would happen if Vaughn had to choose between me and some random group of vampires-in-charge?

  “You’re going to be gone the rest of the summer,” I said, my voice coming out whinier than I meant it to.

  “It’s only a month,” he replied.

  “That’s not an answer. Are we breaking up?”

  “You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” he said, and I relaxed.

  “I could use a little extra muscle,” I told him. “Bobbie Jean just basically threatened my life before she took off.”

  “She’s still mourning Opal Ann,” he said.

  “I don’t trust her,” I said.

  “She’ll calm down,” he assured me. “Just give her some time. But if she doesn’t…”

  I wrapped my arm around his biceps. “I know I can count on you.”

  “You can,” he said. “Count on me, I mean.” He shot me a warm smile. “Thorn said I’m a natural,” he added.

  A natural aptitude for killing vampires? That could be convenient…or very, very inconvenient.

  He ran a hand through his hair and looked away. A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I’ll miss you,” he finally said.

  “I’ll miss you, too,” I said. I cleared my throat. “What if I go full-on vamp while you’re gone?”

  “You won’t,” he said.

  “But what if I do?”

  He kissed me gently, just a peck. “We’ll figure it out.”

  “It makes me so angry,” I said. “I didn’t choose this. My life has been turned upside down. If I could just press rewind and change the past, I would. I would have never gone to that party, never met Travis. But I can’t, and now I’m stuck with my decision for the rest of my undead life.”

  “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “What if I become like them? What if I become a monster?” I knew the truth. Even if Vaughn didn’t think I was a monster, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to become one.

  “Not you, Tansy,” he said. “You’re not—”

  “Not a vampire? But I am. At least part of me is.”

  He moved closer and brushed a stray strand of hair away from my face. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I wanted to tell him not to go, that I’d miss him too much, but I couldn’t. Vaughn had made up his mind.

  “I’ll call you every night,” I promised.


  “Your skin is so soft,” he said. He touched my cheek. “I’ve wanted you for so long. I don’t want anything to come between us, Tansy.” He kissed me again, more thoroughly this time.

  When we drew apart, he took my hand. I looked into his eyes and smiled ruefully. “A vampire queen and a vampire hunter are dating. What could possibly go wrong?”

  He smiled back. “We’ll make it work.”

  “Tansy,” came Skyler’s voice. “We have a problem.”

  Of course we did.

  I sighed and dropped Vaughn’s hand, then walked away, tossing over my shoulder, “Duty calls.”

  Did you love this Entangled Teen book?

  Check out more of our titles here!

  Don’t miss another book by Marlene Perez.

  Sign up for the Entangled Teen newsletter here!

  Don’t miss Tansy’s second adventure in

  I’m With the Banned

  Coming soon!

  Turn the page for a sneak peek…

  Chapter 1

  My heartbeat accelerated when I saw who was leaning against my locker the first day of school. Vaughn Sheridan, long-time best friend, first-time boyfriend, and avowed vampire hunter. Too bad that this summer I became the queen of the vampires.

  It wasn’t all bad news, Skyler was back home, Vaughn still wanted to date me, and I was learning to manage my allergy to the sun. Since I was a striga vie, a vampire-witch hybrid, I didn’t turn to ash in the sun, like other vampires, but without my tonic, I did get violently ill, which is why I’d guzzled a big ol’ glass of the stuff right before school.

  I was getting better at taming the monster inside me, but I still had to deal with my fangs descending when I was angry or upset. I was learning to control it, at least in public.

  “Tansy,” Vaughn said. “I missed you.” His skin was golden brown from his month in the Texas sun, which made his gray eyes shine. His dark hair was longer than he normally wore it and it made me want to run my fingers through the strands.

  I melted when he linked his hand in mine and pulled me into a supply closet. He cupped my face in his hands, his thumb brushing over the scar on my cheek before he leaned down to kiss me. His lips felt so good that I could barely stand it. He broke the kiss, but I leaned in for more and he chuckled. “You missed me, too.”

  He was smiling. I always felt like I had won a prize when Vaughn smiled at me, even back when we’d simply been friends. He hoarded smiles like librarians hoarded books.

  There was a small patch of wall not occupied by shelving and he walked me backwards until my back was against it. I didn’t mind. I had missed him since he’d been off training with Rose and Thorn to hunt vampires.

  “I wasn’t sure I’d see you at school today,” he said, slightly emphasizing day.

  “Granny bought me a parasol,” I said. “And Edna is a dermatologist, so she wrote me a note excusing me from outside activities due to a rare skin condition.” It wasn’t a lie. If I stayed in the sun too long, I’d roast like a marshmallow by the campfire.

  He touched my shoulder lightly. “I like this shirt.”

  I like you, I thought, but kept my mouth shut and instead, I stared at him. I was glad Skyler had convinced me to make an effort. I wore a green top and a long skirt and sandals. I was wearing make-up because my eyes looked squinty without mascara and eye liner.

  I put out a hand, looking for an excuse to touch him like he was touching me. “When did you get back from Texas?” I breathed him in. He always smelled like sunshine and sand, like summer. Like home.

  “Late last night,” he replied, leaning in a fraction. “I would have called you, but I figured you were already asleep.”

  We were so close in the tiny room that I could smell the shampoo he used. “What did you want to talk to me about?” I asked, hoping he hadn’t changed his mind about us. Dating me was complicated.

  “You look really pretty today,” he said, his hand brushing mine. I stepped closer.

  “You look good, too,” I said. He seemed to realize how our bodies were pressed together and took a step back. I had to admit that stung.

  He could see the hurt in my eyes. “Tansy, I’m sorry. As much as I’m enjoying this, I need to talk to you.”

  I turned away from him and studied the shelf of cleaning products like they held the secret to life itself.

  I cleared my throat. I hadn’t been happy about his decision to go to Texas, but Vaughn had made up his mind. The important thing was that he’d made it back home in one piece.

  “What did you want to talk to me about?” I asked. “Because I have class in like five minutes.”

  “Do you want to hear the bad news or the worse news?” he asked.

  “Neither sounds great, Vaughn,” I said. It wasn’t like Vaughn to be dramatic. I tensed, expecting him to tell me something heartbreaking.

  “Okay, bad first. Remember how my dad is dating someone new?” he replied.

  “Vaguely,” I said. “He started dating her right before we…”

  “Went on the road with a vampire band?” Vaughn replied. “Yep, that’s her. He’s going to ask her to move in.”

  “When did you meet her?” I asked, surprised because he hadn’t mentioned anything.

  “I haven’t,” he admitted. “Dad’s setting up a meet and greet on Saturday.”

  “Why don’t I come over Saturday, too?” I asked.

  His face softened. “I’d love that.”

  “I’m assuming you haven’t told your dad about what happened?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Not sure he’d believe me about what we did last summer anyway.”

  “I worked mostly night shifts while you were gone,” I told him, “So I didn’t see him very much.” I hesitated and then asked, “He doesn’t know about your new career?”

  “No,” he said. “I told him I was at conditioning camp.” He paused and then added, “He’s been distracted, but maybe it’s because I’ve never seen my dad act so infatuated before.”

  “I’m glad he found someone,” I said.

  “Me, too,” Vaughn said. “But tell me what I missed while I was gone. Besides you, I mean.”

  “It was quiet,” I said. “Honestly, it was kind of nice.”

  “No phone calls?” Vaughn asked.

  “What do you mean?” I gave him a puzzled frown.

  “Connor texted me that he wanted to talk to Skyler,” he said.

  I flinched at my best friend Skyler’s ex-boyfriend’s name.

  Vaughn added hastily, “I didn’t tell him anything, I swear, but somehow, he knew something was wrong.”

  “Skyler didn’t say anything,” I said. “And I’m sure she would have told me if she’d gotten a call.”

  He nodded and I changed the subject.

  “Okay, back to the subject at hand,” I said. “Saturday night? I’ll come over.”

  He’d been gone half the summer. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. He’d been gone a month, but it had felt like half the summer.

  “No, I mean, I’ll pick you up,” he clarified. “I’m blowing this.” He ran his hand through his hair, then stepped closer until we were nearly touching. “Tansy, I’m sorry. I want you to come over and not just because I need your help. I want to spend time with you.”

  Before I could answer, the bell rang. We snuck out of the supply closet as soon as the coast was clear. I headed to my first class but then Skyler fell into step next to me. “A little supply closet action. Nice,” she said, then sighed. “Connor and I used to love that closet.”

  “No action,” I said.

  She gave me a skeptical look.

  “Okay, a little action and a lot of problems,” I admitted.

  “What’s wrong, Tansy?” Skyler asked.

  “Vaughn wants us to have dinner toge
ther on Saturday,” I said. “To meet his dad’s new girlfriend.”

  “Aw, a double-date,” she said. “With his dad.”

  I ignored Skyler’s giggles as we slid into our seat barely missing the tardy bell. “Classic,” she finally said between giggles. “That is so frickin twisted.”

  It was my turn to sigh. “Tell me about it.”

  “What are you going to wear?” Skyler asked.

  “That’s what you’re worried about?”

  “You know, this is an opportunity to remind Vaughn what he missed,” she replied, wiggling her eyebrows meaningfully.

  “What’s with the eyebrows?”

  She giggled. “Maybe you can remind him what he left behind when he went to Texas.”

  I flinched at the reminder that he had left me behind. I knew she wasn’t trying to hurt me, but it did. “How exactly am I supposed to do that?”

  Again, with the eyebrows.

  “Skyler,” I said. So much had happened between Vaughn and me this summer. We’d gone from friends to a couple, but that was the least weird thing about it.

  He was back home, and he’d missed me. The thought brought a smile to my face.

  “Senior year is looking up,” I said. “I was beginning to wonder if Vaughn was ever coming back.”

  Class started before she could answer, but then Ms. Townsend was interrupted mid-lecture about nineteenth-century poets when the principal walked in.

  Principal Ferrell cleared her throat. “Sorry to disturb you, but we have two new students joining us today, Rose and Thorn Assassin.” She paused. “Unusual last name.”

  Someone in the back row choked back a laugh.

  “What the hell?” Skyler mouthed to me. My sentiments exactly.

  What were the two vampire hunters doing at my high school? They’d tried to blend in, which meant that Thorn’s dagger was nowhere in sight, but I had no doubt it was concealed on her somewhere.

  “You are not enrolled here,” I hissed at Thorn, who took the desk in front of me, after shoving the guy in it out of it when the teacher turned her back.

  “My queen, I hate to contradict you, but yes, we are,” Rose said. She was sitting right behind me, studying a perfume bottle that probably didn’t contain perfume.