Aaron glowered at him, but only for a second. Then he burst out laughing. “Did you see that?” he cried, his eyes glowing with excitement. “That was insane.”
Jason laughed, too, the sound colored with relief. “You should definitely try to hit me now,” he urged. “If nothing else, as payback for—”
He’d hardly gotten the words out before Aaron shoved him in the chest with both fists. Jason exhaled in surprise but didn’t budge. Aaron, on the other hand, folded over, clutching his hands against his stomach.
“Aughh,” he wailed, glaring up at Jason. “What the-? It’s like you’re made of iron or something!”
Jason looked distraught over having injured Aaron again, however unintentionally. But then he turned to Dara, and his grin resurfaced. “Did you hear that, Babe? I’m like iron.”
Kiefer, who’d been watching the goings-on with amusement, stepped over and patted Aaron’s back. “You think that’s bad, buddy, you should try hitting Nathan. He’s like a cinderblock wall. With steel reinforcements. Don’t ask me how I know. Let’s just say I’ve learned not to get drunk and try trading licks with him anymore. Never ends well for me.”
Lucy glanced at Nathan, half expecting him to step in and put an end to these shenanigans, but instead he looked at Jason and Aaron and asked, “What about speed? Can either of you do this?” Lucy felt a breeze swat at her, and she saw a blur of movement as Nathan raced around the perimeter of the room in two seconds. He stopped beside her again, not even mussed for his efforts.
Jason’s face lit up. “Let me try it.” He accomplished the feat with no fuss, zooming around the room twice before stopping behind Dara, wrapping his arms around her, and kissing her neck until she giggled.
Aaron frowned. “I’m pretty sure I can’t do that, either.”
“Try,” Jessica urged and, despite herself, Lucy nodded.
Aaron sighed and took off, loping around the donut shop as quickly as he could. He completed the circuit rapidly, but probably no faster than most healthy men his age could if they pushed themselves to top speed.
“Well, this is just awesome,” he said, resting his hands on his hips. His color was high, and his hair tousled in that adorable way Lucy loved. He wasn’t out of breath, thanks to his undead lungs, but she guessed he wouldn’t have been, anyway. He might not pass the vampire physical fitness test, but he was in excellent shape by any human standard. Lucy’s heart gave a leap as she eyed him.
“You get speed and strength,” Aaron continued to Jason, “and all I get are killer migraines and a mind-window into Celia’s creepy head? How is that fair?” He pointed at Nathan. “And if you say it’s because the bite affects different people in different ways one more time, I’m going to call you something really nasty.”
Nathan grinned. “It is possible your powers will manifest at a later time, Aaron.”
“Yeah?” Aaron stared at him incredulously. “Or maybe I just got nothin’.”
“That is also possible.”
“Okay, is the Testosterone Competition of the Undead over?” Jessica was standing by the door. “Can we go now? Or do I need to remind you all that there’s an insane master vampire probably ripping apart my bookstore as we speak?” Her words were softened by a bantering tone, but Lucy could tell she was really worried. She couldn’t fault her. She knew her friend was in a hurry to get to Book of Love and assess the damage there, even if she wasn’t eager to confront Celia. Lucy guessed none of them were too excited about that part.
Still, Kiefer said, “Yeah, we’re coming.” He shifted his gaze to Lucy. “Hey, Booth, yours is the only car here with a real trunk, so we’re going to have to stick Theo in there for the ride over to the bookstore, okay?”
“Oh.” Lucy felt her stomach drop. “Sure, that’s um…that’s just great.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Please, don’t,” Theo pleaded when he saw Lucy’s trunk gaping open in front of him. He’d shaken awake when Nathan tried lowering him into it, and now he was rebelling. Lucy saw beads of sweat pop up on the guy’s forehead and realized it was taking a lot of effort for him to resist Kiefer’s enchantment. “I don’t like being in enclosed spaces.”
“Yeah?” Kiefer said. “Well, I don’t like getting my ass beat, but you did that to me earlier, so…in you go, jerky.”
“How did that happen, anyway, Kiefer?” Jessica asked, peering at him.
“What do you mean?” Kiefer paused with his hand on the scruff of Theo’s neck.
“How’d you get beat up? Nathan said being a vampire in the past had left you ‘better able to defend yourself’ now. Does that mean you’ve still got super-speed and super-strength?”
Jason developed an excited expression when she asked this question. “Is that what happens? After we turn back, we get to keep our powers?”
“Yes, it seems some people do,” Nathan answered him, “at least for a short while, usually proportionate to the amount of time they spent as vampires.”
“So, if Aaron and I turn back into humans tonight,” Jason said, “after having been vampires for only a couple of days…”
“You could expect…perhaps a few months of enhanced speed and strength,” Nathan speculated.
“Oh, snap,” Jason grinned, “that is so awesome!”
“Yeah, if you have powers,” Aaron grumbled under his breath.
Jason laid his hand on Aaron’s shoulder. “Hey, for what it’s worth, man, my eyesight didn’t improve all that much after I was bitten. I’m still wearing my contacts.”
Aaron’s mouth thinned to a line. “Yeah, totally the same thing. I feel so much better, now. Thank you, Jason.”
Jason shrugged and dropped his hand back to his side. Lucy caught Aaron’s eye and smiled to reassure him.
Kiefer said, “To answer your question, Jessica, I’m faster and stronger than the average guy now, yeah, but not like while I was turned. Back then, I was amazing. My powers have faded every year since I turned back. I assume eventually they’ll be gone, which is part of the reason I’m still learning and practicing magic. That way, I’ll still have something to offer in the fight against evil once I’m just a regular schmo again.” He sighed. “Anyway, Theo here and his buddy, Tom, got the drop on me ’cause like he said, my wards got sorta sloppy. What can I say? I’m not proud of it. But nothing like this has ever happened to me before. H-Town’s usually a pretty quiet neighborhood in terms of paranormal activity. I mean, yeah, sure, every once in a while, you’ll get a crazed witch running around hexing people on a revenge spree. And there’s the occasional Chupacabra that wanders across the state from Mejico. But generally, this is a pretty chill gig. I wasn’t expecting these guys, and they used magic to dull my powers.”
Lucy angled her head, puckering her brow. “What’s a Chupa…cabra?”
“A Mexican goat-sucker,” Dara told her. “It’s a bipedal monster with spines down its back, that drains the blood out of livestock.” When Lucy blinked inquisitively at her, she explained, “My dad’s adoptive parents were both academics, professors who taught at universities in Mexico City. My Abuelita Fuentes specialized in Latin American folklore, and she would tell me these really bizarre bedtime stories.” She paused. “At least, I always assumed they were just stories.”
“Yeah, you’d be surprised,” Kiefer told her with a raised eyebrow. He returned his attention to Jason. “Anyway, this is something you need to be aware of, bro. Even though you’re a vampire, you might still be vulnerable to spells. So don’t count on always having your abilities available to you in a fight.”
Jason seemed to find this disappointing, but he nodded gravely, and Lucy knew he would be careful. Despite his occasional bouts of exuberance, Dara’s husband seemed like a level-headed person overall, and she was glad he’d agreed to come along with them to fight.
In the end, Kiefer agreed to let Theo ride in the cab of his pickup, but he kept his hands tied behind his back, this time with a length of sturdy rope he’d produced from the b
ed of the truck. Jessica and Nathan traveled with Jason and Dara, while Lucy followed behind with Aaron. When they reached the bookstore, they found a subcompact car from the security company sitting in front of it, with its driver’s side door hanging open and its lights flashing.
“Where is the driver of this little vehicle?” Nathan asked, peering around the courtyard. “If the security guard has entered the building he could be in grave danger.”
“Let’s have a look-see,” Kiefer suggested, ambling toward the bookstore entrance.
With an ache in her chest, Lucy saw that Aaron’s vision had, unfortunately, been accurate: Book of Love’s front window was missing, and pebbles of safety glass littered the sidewalk. The cardboard standee of Prince Ion lay facedown and, as Jessica unlocked the front door and led them all inside, Lucy saw bookshelves tipped over, their shredded contents blanketing the floor like confetti. The posters had been knocked from the wall and ripped to pieces. In the reading nook, gutted plush settees belched out clouds of white stuffing. Lucy’s heart broke for Jessica, knowing she would be devastated to see all of her hard work ruined this way.
The chaos inside the store soon became the least of their worries, though, when Nathan found the lone security guard collapsed in front of the cash register. He seemed really young, barely out of his teens, and his face was a battered mess. Blood spattered the front of his uniform, and he wasn’t moving. Even from a distance, Lucy could see the two dark holes perforating his neck.
“Oh no, is he…?” she couldn’t bring herself to say dead.
Jessica came over, looking sick, and everyone else gathered around, too.
“Well, don’t let Nathan check him for a pulse,” Kiefer said, pushing past the vampire to get to the guard’s side. “We already know he’s too quick to decide a poor guy’s kicked the bucket even when he hasn’t.” He crouched and examined the guard, flicking at the nametag pinned to his uniform. “Frankie?” he said, reading the name off it, “Hey, Frankie, can you hear me?” When Frankie didn’t respond, Kiefer pressed his fingers to the man’s neck and examined him briefly. “He’s been bitten but not turned,” he declared, “and he’s beaten up pretty bad, but he’s still alive.”
The group let out a collective sigh of relief, and Dara whipped out her phone. “I’ll call an ambulance.”
“Don’t,” Kiefer said. “They’ll just call the police and we don’t want them here, remember? We can’t afford to attract any attention.”
“We can’t just leave him here like this,” Jessica countered. “He needs help.”
“I will help him,” Nathan said, touching her arm. “I will heal this man, and Kiefer can cast a spell over him to ensure he remains asleep. Then we can just…keep him here until all of this is over. If it still seems necessary, we will take him to the hospital then, I assure you.”
At Nathan’s touch, some of the tension cleared from Jessica’s face, and she moved out of his way. Nathan knelt and repeated the ritual he’d performed with Kiefer earlier, cutting himself and dribbling his blood into the young guard’s mouth. He also bled directly onto his scrapes and cuts, inducing the injuries to heal right in front of everyone’s astonished eyes.
“That’s amazing.” Jason’s emerald irises glimmered with admiration. “Can we all…I mean, do you think I could do that too?”
“Only Saint Nathan can do that,” Kiefer said, smirking as he shook his head. “Most of the time, vampires are only about the killing, not about the healing. In fact, it’s pretty much never about the healing. But for some reason Nathan can lay on hands.” He wiggled his fingers.
Nathan hung his hand on the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable again at being called a saint. “I do not know why I have this ability,” he said, avoiding everyone’s eyes, “or the full extent of its power. But at times like this, I am exceedingly grateful for it.”
Being careful not to jostle him too much, Kiefer and Nathan moved the security guard onto one of the only intact couches, which had somehow ended up halfway across the bookstore. Kiefer worked his magic to make sure he stayed asleep, and then they left him there, snoozing behind a bookcase that was still standing. Everyone resumed their search, carefully picking over debris and shoving wreckage out of their way. Lucy could see tears in Jessica’s eyes as she surveyed the damage, and she knew her friend had to be outraged.
“Celia?” Jessica called out in a sing-song voice. “Yoo-hoo, Celia? Are you in here somewhere, you loony tramp? Yeah, well, I don’t blame you for hiding from me. You won’t want to face what I’ve got in store for you for wrecking all of my stuff!”
“Jessica,” Nathan admonished her. “It is likely inadvisable to taunt the crazed master vampire.”
Jessica sneered, unrepentant. “I’m getting tired of her funny business, Nathan. I just want her to come out here and get what’s coming to her so we can all go home. Live happily ever after, like the sign says.” She pointed at the words on the wall.
Lucy saw Nathan’s lips tug into a reluctant smile. “Yes, I want that for all of you as well,” he said.
Jessica’s face fell, and Lucy guessed what she was thinking. Even if they took down Celia tonight, and Jason, Dara, Aaron, and Lucy all went on to get their HEAs, Nathan would still be stuck being a vampire. Which meant he still wouldn’t want to get romantically involved with anyone. If Jessica wanted her own happy ending with him, it would probably take nothing short of divine intervention to make it happen. And despite Kiefer’s nickname for him, and the incredible things they’d seen him do tonight, none of them really believed Nathan was a saint capable of producing a miracle.
“Hey, you guys,” Aaron spoke up, “I hear cars coming. Do you think it might be more security guards? Or maybe the cops?”
“I don’t hear anything.” Lucy tilted her head to listen.
“They’re still miles away,” he said. “A lot of miles. And it sounds like they might be stalled somewhere for a minute. Maybe waiting for something?”
“Aaron is correct,” Nathan said. “There are vehicles headed this way. But I do not think they are security or police.”
“No,” Jason said. “I hear it now, too, and these sound more like really big vehicles, maybe armored trucks. I think there are two of them.”
“What?” Jessica fisted her hands on her hips. “Are they sending the National Guard or something?” Then, with hope in her voice, “Oh, you guys, maybe it’s the National Guard!”
“I don’t think so,” said Aaron. “I hear something else. Voices. Of the creatures being hauled inside the trucks.”
“C-creatures?” Lucy touched the stakes she’d put in her back pocket.
“Vampires,” Nathan said. “At least some of them, anyway.”
“How many?” Kiefer asked him.
Nathan concentrated. “I cannot be certain, but…they are numerous.”
“Yeah,” Jason concurred. “It sounds like a lot to me, too. Couple dozen, at least.”
“What?” Jessica was incredulous. “Truckloads of vampires, are you kidding me? As if that’s what we need right now!”
“Does anyone ever need that?” Aaron asked Lucy in a whisper, and she couldn’t restrain a giggle.
“We should leave,” Nathan said. “Get the security guard out of here and go to ground and regroup. We are unprepared for this level of attack.”
“I second that motion.” Kiefer’s eyes were wide with worry.
“Wait a second, hang on.” Jessica touched the sorcerer’s shoulder. “What about Celia?”
“Yes, what about me?” another voice purred at them from a distance. “You can’t just leave me here all alone. In any case, my lovely new minions, Aaron and Jason, will need to stay behind, so that they can become better acquainted with their new master…So they may learn all the best ways to serve me.”
With trepidation prickling over her skin, Lucy turned toward the voice—and saw the most beautiful woman in the world standing in the stockroom doorway. She was petite and pale, with luminous b
lue eyes and glossy gold hair. She wore a sleeveless silk dress that draped to her dusty bare feet, and which had once been white but was now spattered with dirt, grass, blood, and Lucy dreaded to conjecture what else. She looked young, little more than a teenager, but her eyes seemed ancient and fathomless, clouded with evil.
“Dream on, leech,” Kiefer threw at her. “No one’s gonna be serving you jack.”
“Except maybe me,” Jessica chimed in. “A nice knuckle sandwich. Look what you did to my store, you douche!”
“Jessica, please.” Nathan held up his hand. But then he turned to the master and took his own potshot at her, saying, “Celia. Is that really you? It has been so long, I had almost forgotten how homely you were.”
The master vampire laughed, and it was a jarring sound, like windows shattering in a hurricane. “It is I.” She raised her arm, draping it against the doorframe as she cocked her hip. In a hate-filled growl, she added, “Nathan. And while I know you were only jesting about my looks, you are correct about the other. It has been a long time since you’ve seen me. I would guess about, what? Eight years, eleven months, and three days? That’s a long time to be stuck in a box in the ground, starving to death. Ask me how I might know.”
“Do not be melodramatic,” Nathan replied. “You were sound asleep. Kiefer and I made certain of that before we interred you. It has been as though you were in a coma all of this time, not awake and suffering.”
Celia’s eyes narrowed. “Is that somehow supposed to make it better? Should it excuse your impudent treatment of me? Particularly when your plan was to dig me up later and cut off my head?” She shook her head, letting her arm slide back down to her side. “You will pay for what you have done to me, vampire traitor. You will pay slowly, perhaps over the course of…oh, let’s say almost nine years?”
“Very well,” Nathan said. “Just let everyone else here go free and you and I will stay here and settle this however you would like.”
The Sharpest Kiss Page 16
