She parked outside the closest hotel they could find. The lobby was empty, except for a lone young man in desperate need of coffee slouching behind the front desk. He perked up when they walked in, pulling his shirt down and tidying the area. A baseball game played on the TV under the counter. He regarded the three supernatural creatures, his gaze on Zoey more than the others.
“Hi,” he said awkwardly. “Checking in?”
“I hope so,” Victoria said. “We don’t have a reservation. Just hoping to get lucky. Do you have three rooms?”
The employee’s tag on his shirt identified him as Ray. Ray tapped at a computer for a moment, his eyes darting up to admire Zoey once again.
“We have two,” he said. “Both doubles.”
“Perfect,” she said.
Victoria led the way to the elevator. Kevin waited for the doors to close before speaking.
“I call my own room,” he said.
“That’s fine by me,” Zoey said. “Us girls should stick together.”
“Actually,” she said. “I’m calling seniority on this one. Just for tonight, at least. I’m getting my own room.”
She smiled as she watched the emotions play out across Kevin and Zoey. Confusion, awkwardness, apprehension. Kevin was more bothered by the decision than Zoey.
“Unless,” Victoria said. “You two don’t think you can behave around each other?”
The reaction was exactly as she expected. The two were becoming close, but not that close. Kevin only had eyes for Leese. Zoey thought Kevin was cute. Even Victoria thought Kevin was cute. But there was no romantic attraction there.
“I, uh, have a girlfriend,” Kevin said. “In case you both forgot.”
“I don’t know, Victoria,” Zoey joked. “It’s going to be tough. But I think I’ll be okay.”
They made their way across the top floor to their rooms. Kevin opened the door, using magic instead of his keycard. The room was cozy enough, no different from any average hotel room. Two double-sized beds, a dresser, small refrigerator, television, small desk in the corner. The smell in a hotel room always gave Victoria pause. The cleaning crew only spent the bare minimum required between guests.
“Oh, God,” Zoey said. “What is that smell?”
“I don’t smell anything,” Kevin said.
“Of course, you don’t,” Zoey said, tapping her nose.
“Do you really want to know?” Victoria said.
They glanced at her, waiting.
“A couple had sex in here last night. They cleaned the room, but, you know, love sometimes lasts a while. And there was some drug use, too.”
Zoey looked about to be sick.
“Shit! Which bed?”
“I’ll let you both figure that out.”
Zoey stood with her hands on her hips as she studied each bed. She let out a quiet, frustrated sigh that Victoria understood all too well. Victoria could almost read the teenager’s mind. She was plotting her plan of defense from the sun, trying to figure out the best way to block the windows.
“What do you think?” she asked. “Use the sheets? Maybe prop up a mattress, like a tent? I’ve done it before.”
Victoria gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders, sharing her sadness. She’d gone through it herself, so many times. The strength, speed, agility, all the perks that came with being a vampire, were amazing. But staying in the shadows, hiding from the day, had an emotional toll, was a constant reminder that humanity had left her behind.
But this was the path Zoey had chosen. They’d argued before about having Kevin take away her weakness to the sun. Zoey herself decided she wasn’t ready for that. Part of that path was getting used to day, how to live away from it.
“That will work,” Victoria said. “Sheets, trash bags, whatever you can find. If you want to keep it simple, just sleep in the bathroom. Put something under the door, so the light doesn’t seep in.”
“Sleep in the bathroom,” Zoey mused. “That’s disgusting.”
Victoria laughed.
“Try sleeping under a pile of corpses. I’ve done worse. It’s good practice, though. Good training. After all, there won’t always be a witch around to make things easy. To use—” Kevin wiped his hand across a window, which he’d soaked in a sweet-smelling liquid. Victoria closed her eyes as she sighed. “Magic.”
They both stared at the witch. He froze in place, glancing over his shoulder, like they caught stealing a cookie. His cheeks turned red.
“Oops,” he said. “Was I not supposed to do that?”
“That depends,” Victoria said, cocking her hip and arching an eyebrow. “What did you do?”
“Uh, Zoey’s safe,” he said. “I just have to hit this other window. They won’t let in light.”
“What?”
“They’ll look normal from the outside. But when the sun comes up, they’ll block the sun.”
“Hooray,” Zoey joked. “Now I can sleep in that nasty bed.”
Victoria rolled her eyes.
“Kevin,” she said. “I’m going to take a shower. Would you mind getting my bags for me? They’re in my bedroom. Just leave them here until the morning. I’ll come get them then.”
Kevin frowned at the odd request, but nodded. He pulled a potion from his coat.
“Sure. You don’t want some underwear or pajamas or anything?”
“I’ll be fine, thank you.” She walked to the door to leave and stopped to cast one last smile. “Behave, you two.”
“You’re so funny,” Zoey said.
“I try my best.”
Victoria closed the door behind her. Her room was further along the walkway. She imagined it was identical to theirs, hopefully without the interesting scents. As she left Kevin and Zoey behind, she heard them already arguing over who would sleep in which bed.
She passed her room, not even bothering to look inside. There were other things she needed to do first.
CHAPTER 12
VICTORIA SMILED AS she once again approached the front desk. Ray straightened up in his seat and returned the gesture. As subtly as a young mortal man could, he admired her as she crossed the lobby. His eyes drifted, taking in various features. His smile faded as he realized Victoria was alone. She laughed quietly to herself. Perhaps the centuries were finally catching up to her, as Zoey was stealing her thunder.
“Hi, again,” she said.
“Hello,” he said, leaning forward. “Is everything okay? Is the room alright?”
“Oh, the room’s perfect, thanks. I’m actually just looking for some help. I need to get drunk. Desperately. Driving in a car for hours with my family—” She shook her head. “It gets a little crazy.”
“I’m sure it does. So, that’s your family? I thought your friends might have been a couple.”
“Oh, no. Brother and sister, and they’re my cousins.”
Ray perked up.
“Really? Well, make sure they know to call me if they need anything.”
“Thanks. So listen, where’s a good place to have some fun around here? Maybe, you know, meet some guys.”
“Don’t go to the bar down the block,” he said, almost wincing. “Rough crowd, and the liquor is terrible.”
“Okay,” she said. “No bar down the block.”
“Yeah. Two streets over, almost right behind us, is a good place. A fun little club I go to now and then. You can almost see it from some of the rooms. Called The Eighth.”
“The Eighth? Really?”
“Yeah. Well, it’s on Eighth Avenue. You can’t miss the place. I guess the owner thought he was being clever.”
She smiled and nodded.
“Thank you. Let’s see what trouble I can get into.” She held out her arms. “Do I look okay?”
Ray went through a spectrum of confidence and unease in a matter of seconds.
“You look gorgeous … beautiful. I mean, nice. You look very nice.”
“Wish me luck!”
Victoria left the lobby, leaving Ray behind
to shake his head in frustration.
She rounded the hotel and passed the back, near the rear lot and dumpsters. Stopping in place, she noted her surroundings. No one was nearby, but that didn’t matter. The mortal world was constantly changing. Surveillance seemed to be the latest craze. Cameras were everywhere. On every street corner, in every phone. She often told Alex not to worry about modern day cameras, but there was no need to get recorded if she didn’t have to.
Satisfied she was alone, with no technology watching her, she started her climb up the hotel. With her agility, the task was effortless. She used windowsills, balconies, whatever she could get her hands and feet on. She leapt from one handhold to the next. The mortals sleeping in their beds never even knew she was there. Only a couple engaged in a late-night sexual encounter caught sight of her, and that was only her foot as it moved past the window. By the time the woman climbed off her partner and sprinted to the window, Victoria was already on the roof.
Victoria took a breath as she enjoyed the view. She typically had time to study a town before arriving. The sight of Sumerset from a tall building brought back memories of working early cases with Jack. There was no technology, and they spent many hours plotting on rooftops.
The nightlife in Sumerset was nothing like Baltimore. The town seemed to already be asleep. She saw The Eighth. Like Ray said, it wasn’t difficult to find. It was the only place on the block with any activity. Even from two streets away, she could hear the dull music. People flowed in and out of the club, laughing and drinking. A security guard flirted with a group of women as they entered. Another woman rested her hands on her knees in the corner as she vomited. Two of her girlfriends tried to help her up, support her, while others laughed.
“Ah,” Victoria said. “To be young again.”
She scaled down the hotel, using a rain gutter to slide until leaping to a nearby balcony. She missed running across the rooftops. Victoria and Alex would often engage in a race, which he often won. She never considered the contest fair, considering he had wings.
The music grew louder as she approached The Eighth. Everything grew louder. She heard conversations, laughter, crying, drinking, drugs. She tried to steel her senses, prepare for the upcoming assault.
As it always did, her body tensed as she stepped inside the dance club. Closing her eyes, she let it all in, discarding the sounds and scents she didn’t want.
It wasn’t thirty seconds before she sensed the eyes on her. She still stood near the entrance, getting acclimated to the noise, when the young man approached.
“Well, hi,” he said. “I haven’t seen you around here before. Can I buy you a drink?”
Victoria opened her eyes and smiled. The man was halfway drunk. His expression was nothing more than a creepy leer.
“A drink,” she mused. “Actually, that would be very nice.”
She pounced with expert precision.
It only took a second to move him to the corner, near a pool table. Her fangs were already in his neck as they hit the wall. Reaching her arm around him, she held him up easily by the waistband of his jeans. They held hands tenderly, completing the illusion of a normal, aroused couple making out in the darkness of a club. A man passing by even let out a shrill call of congratulations.
His erection pressed against her. His breathing quickened, as did his pulse. The sweet nectar rolled across her fangs, over her tongue, down her throat. She could feel her body growing stronger. The nameless blood donor let out a cry, and his hand trembled. It was tempting to push him further, let him come to the natural conclusion from a vampire’s feeding. After regaining his senses, he’d cross the dance floor, embarrassed, as he tried to conceal wet jeans on the way to the bathroom.
She spared him that humiliation, and pleasure, as she withdrew her fangs. He almost collapsed in her arms. She held him up, preventing another potential embarrassment with a tumble to the floor.
“Whoa, baby,” she said gently. “Are you okay?”
She helped him walk to a nearby chair. Two concerned strangers and a nearby friend gathered around.
“Dan? You alright?”
“I think he drank a little too much,” Victoria said. “Either that, or he couldn’t quite handle me.”
Dan’s friend looked her up and down.
“Yeah, I can imagine that.”
“Let me get him a drink.”
With that, Victoria vanished into the dancing crowd, feeling like a new vampire. Closing her eyes, she let the music flow over her, and danced. She hated loud music, but did like to dance. The energy of the place was a pleasant change of pace from her cold, empty mansion. Heartbeats filled her ears. People talked around her, some in intimate whispers in each other’s ears, over the roaring music. Others shouted across the room or from the other end of the bar.
Through the mass of mortality, a familiar voice touched her ears.
“Uh, I … actually have a girlfriend.”
Victoria opened her eyes and searched. She shook her head when she spotted him. Surprise settled over her, but she realized surprise should have been the last thing she felt.
Kevin awkwardly stood against the wall, near the bar. Despite the heat rolling through the club, he wore his coat. A young woman in a revealing dress flirted with him.
“Lucky her,” she said. “Still, you won’t share one drink with me? I promise, I’ll behave.”
Movement from the side caught Victoria’s attention. Zoey pushed her way through a sea of bodies, coming to Kevin’s rescue. She took his hand.
“Hey, finally found you.” Zoey looked the woman up and down. “Who’s this?”
The women engaged in a battle of wills, which Zoey won. Kevin’s admirer walked away, giving him one last wink.
“Thanks,” Kevin said.
“No problem. Do you see her anywhere?”
As soon as the question left her lips, she looked up and locked eyes with Victoria. They weren’t even old enough to be inside a nightclub, but that meant nothing to a being that could bend space, wield magic. Victoria frowned at the thought that she couldn’t even smell them. It was no doubt another potion from Kevin.
Zoey smiled sheepishly and waved. Victoria didn’t return the smile, instead signaling for her to approach. Kevin and Zoey talked for a moment, wondering if Victoria wanted one over the other. Finally, Zoey moved, as Kevin stayed behind.
Victoria continued to dance amongst the crowd. Zoey joined her, a look of apprehension on her face.
“You followed me,” Victoria said.
“Yeah. Kevin said you probably weren’t going to your room. He was right.”
“That’s … not cool, Zoey.”
“You came here without us. That’s not cool. You didn’t think we’d like to come here and dance, have some fun?”
“I’m not here to dance.”
“It doesn’t look that way to me.” She let out a small smile, deciding for an attempt at humor. “Looks like you’ve still got some moves, for an old lady.”
“I’m working,” she said. “I’m trying to find a vampire.”
Zoey stopped dancing and searched the floor.
“There’s a vampire here?”
“I’m guessing so.”
Zoey frowned.
“Then you definitely should have brought us along. We can’t help you if you won’t let us.”
“I don’t need any help for this part.”
She put her hands on her hips.
“Victoria, come on. Teach me.”
Victoria stopped dancing as well, looking over her young ward. Frustration settled in at the fact that Zoey was going to slow her down. There was no other way around it. But she was earnest, with a good heart, and wanted to learn.
“Okay,” she said, taking her by the hand. “Come here.”
The pair crossed the dance floor and stood near the edge of mortals. A young man slipped and spilled beer on Zoey. She held him up and helped him on his way, wincing at the scent of alcohol on his breath.
“If there’s a vampire presence in this town,” Victoria said. “Then this place is the buffet.” She gestured with her hand, encompassing the dancing mortals. “Look at them all. Every mortal here is an easy meal, a potential sexual encounter. Vampires enjoy life just as much as mortals. And this place is full of it.”
“It smells bad and it’s loud.”
Victoria laughed.
“Yeah. The drawbacks. How are you doing with that?”
“It’s not my first time at a club since … changing. But that doesn’t make it easy.”
“It’ll get easier over time, and with practice. If another of our kind is out browsing the store tonight, I want to talk to him. Or her.”
“How do we find them?”
“I drank from a man not long ago. Our kind will notice. And—” She took her hand and smiled. “We attract attention.”
They moved to the floor and danced once again. Victoria moved seductively, although doubts crept in. She never had trouble attracting the mortal eye. But times changed. The definition of sexy evolved over the decades, and it wasn’t always easy to keep up.
Zoey had no such issue.
She moved easily, gracefully. The surrounding eyes shifted to her, admired her, as Victoria picked up whispered conversations. Even Kevin watched in awe from his corner.
“Victoria,” Zoey said. “Someone’s watching us.”
“Yeah. Many people are. Well, you, I think. Maybe I’m losing my touch.”
“No, I mean, that guy, right there.”
She followed Zoey’s gaze to see she was correct. A man stood in the shadows, talking to an attractive young woman. She rubbed his arm and whispered in his ear, an eager smile on her face. Despite the attention his companion gave him, the man stared at Victoria and Zoey. He studied the both of them, not with lust or desire, but with curiosity.
“That’s him,” Victoria said.
“How can you tell?” Zoey asked, trying her best to discretely stare.
Victoria couldn’t answer that. There were no outright signs. It was instinct, almost, just the way he stood and moved. If there weren’t so many distractions, his scent would give it away.
Damned and Cursed | Book 10 | Fallen Skye Page 17
