“Smell like a vampire?” Natalie shot Van a look. “Have you been teaching first-years that vampires smell funny?”
“Of course not.” Van crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared at me across the table. “What makes you think vampires smell different?”
Shoot. Was smelling vampires something only shifters could do? “Um, figure of speech?” Right up to that very moment I hadn’t realized that I had a special ability. I thought Statics could smell the difference too. Apparently, I was wrong.
“Maybe your class should do a stakeout tomorrow night,” said Natalie. “It would be a great hands-on learning opportunity.”
“But tomorrow’s our night off,” said Kellogg. “I have a date.”
“Yeah.” Leah blushed. “Me too.”
They both looked at each other and then quickly looked away.
“Aw!” Dereck chuckled. “There’s romance blooming in the year-one class.”
“Shut up, Dereck, or you’re not taking me to the movies tonight.” Sarah frowned at him. “Go ahead first-years. Have your crushes.” They were the only two second-years present since the rest of the class was out enjoying their free time. Kassie, Abeer, and James went downtown, and Eliza and Bao were on a date at the Marine Room.
Max held up his hands in surrender. “I’m not crushing on anyone, but I want to go night surfing.”
“Mom,” Cassandra said in an icy tone. “Thursdays are our one night off. You know that.”
“Fine.” Natalie looked at Van. “I’ll follow up with Professor Radcliffe tonight. You catch up with him tomorrow.”
“You should take someone with you just in case he’s really a vampire,” said Van. “Slayers always work in pairs.”
Natalie scanned her eyes across the table, surveying her options. The second-years had Wednesdays off, and the first-years were stuck in class. Her eyes settled on Al and her face lit up. “I know exactly who I want to bring.” She winked at her husband. “Fancy a stakeout?”
“With you, darling?” Al grinned. “Always.”
An hour later, I was washing the last pan of potatoes when Van called the first-years outside to the backyard for class. “Bring your materials!” he hollered. “We don’t have all night.”
I hustled up the stairs to my room and collected my water bottle, dog bone, and frisbee. As soon as I saw my motley collection of objects, I felt ridiculous. What had I been thinking when I’d picked out this lot? I seriously needed to get more sleep.
“Hurry up!” Van called from downstairs.
Out of options, I grabbed the objects and hoped for the best. When I came outside I found an enormous blue tarp covering the patio and dozens of bottles of silver paint, as well as brushes of every size and a roll of paper towels.
“Okay, people.” Van handed out rubber gloves. “We’re dealing with liquid silver today, so everyone needs protection. When this stuff hits metal, it adheres instantly, but when it touches skin, it stings—even if you’re human. I mean, eventually it dries and is safe to touch, but in liquid form, it’s nasty.”
I picked up a bottle of paint as well as a few brushes and sat down on the tarp next to Leah. She held a pair of high-heeled boots with razor-sharp stilettos. Kellogg was next to her with a thick, copper bracelet and a collection of calligraphy pens.
We spent the next hour coating our everyday objects in silver and setting them out on the tarp to dry. Van shook his head and chuckled when he saw my Frisbee. “What good is that? Can you hit someone with it?”
“Usually,” I said. “If I want to. I have a pretty good aim.”
“Yeah, but how would a Frisbee inflect damage on a vampire?” Van inspected the plastic edge. “This isn’t sharp.”
“Maybe you need a discus or something.” Cassandra dipped scissors into a bowl of paint. “Or carve a sharp edge into it.”
“If she sharpens the edge of her Frisbee, she risks cutting her hand.” Van flicked the Frisbee away and it landed in the pool. “Sorry, Kate. But this is a yard toy, not a slaying weapon. What else have you got?”
I showed Van the rawhide bone. “It’s heavy.” I waved it in the air, demonstrating the heft. “I could do a lot of damage with it and a vampire wouldn’t be able to yank it away without being burned.”
Van rubbed his temple as he considered. “I’m not saying this is a good idea—because it’s not—but it’s not a bad idea, either.” He was about to move on to Leah and her high-heeled boots when I took out my water bottle.
“But wait,” I said. “There’s more.”
“You sound like an infomercial,” said Van with an amused smile on his face. “Let’s see it.”
I showed him my stainless-steel water bottle with the carabiner attached to the top. “When it’s filled with water, it’s really heavy.” I hooked my finger into the carabiner. “If I swing it like this, it has some torque.”
Van’s eyes lit up. “Now you’re talking. I approve of this idea. In fact, I think I have some more carabiners in the junk drawer in the kitchen that might help. I’ll be right back.” He returned a few minutes later with enough extra carabiners to form a foot-long string. Van tried the weapon out a few times for the fun of it. “It’s like one of those old-fashioned balls and chains,” he said.
“A flail,” I corrected. “If I could attach the chain to a handle.”
We both looked at the dog bone at exactly the same time. I opened one of the carabiners and clamped it on to the loop in the rawhide. It was the perfect fit!
“That doesn’t look like a concealed weapon to me.” Van seized the bone and began flailing around. “But man, oh man, this thing is awesome.” With one giant whack, he knocked over an empty paint can, and it flew into the distance. “Shit,” Van muttered. “I hope the lid was on that thing. If I get silver paint on the patio, Mom’s going to kill me.”
“Maybe you better give that back to me.” I held my palm out for my new toy. “Now about that Frisbee…”
Chapter 23
Gretchen and Cassandra were fighting over me like I was the last peanut butter cookie in the cookie jar. We stood in the middle of Gretchen’s and my room. It was Thursday night and we all wanted to go out and do something fun. I’d managed to finish my essay for Asian-American Lit that afternoon, and now I was free to go out, so long as we didn’t spend much money. Like, if we went to The Olive Garden, I could order the all-you-could-eat soup and salad, but that was it. I didn’t have enough cash for pasta. Wait. Was that deal over at 4:00? Maybe all I could afford were the free breadsticks.
“I’m her roommate.” Gretchen put her hand on her hip. “You didn’t even want her.”
“That’s not true!” Cassandra put her arm around my shoulder. “Kate and I are old friends by this point. We’ve slain vampires together.”
“Well, I taught her to drive,” said Gretchen. “What did you ever do for her?”
“Excuse me?” Cassandra’s jaw dropped. “I kept Kate alive. If it weren’t for me, she might be undead by now.”
“Guys, stop.” I took a giant step back. “I know you two got off on the wrong foot this year, but I think you have more in common than you realize.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Cassandra jerked her thumb toward Gretchen. “I’m nothing like her.”
“That’s not true.” I squeezed my toes inside my sneakers. “You both have strong opinions. You both…” I struggled for a second, trying to find common ground. “You both want to be alive.” I thought harder, and the perfect reasoning hit me like a flash. “You’re both sick of Van scheduling your every waking hour and are ready for a night off.”
“You can say that again.” Cassandra snorted, then rolled her eyes.
I decided to be bold. “And you’re both lonely, like me. The last time I went to a party I popped a guy in the nose because he slobbered beer all over me.”
“The last time I went to a party my boyfriend broke up with me because I was leaving for America.” Gretchen pulled her hair behind her
ear. “Männer sind schweine,” she said under her breath.
We both looked at Cassandra expectantly.
“Oh, all right,” she said with a scowl. “I’ll play. The last time I was at a party I got cold and when my ex-boyfriend loaned me his pleather jacket, I found a three-carat diamond ring inside the pocket.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.” I unclenched my toes. “Unless you weren’t ready to be engaged. Twenty is really young for that type of commitment.”
“I know.” Cassandra’s shoulders slumped. “But that wasn’t the problem. A week later Kyle found out that a guy down the street was…” Cassandra scrunched up her face.
“Was what?” I asked.
“Yeah?” Gretchen asked. “I never did hear the details.”
“That’s because they’re too horrible to mention.” Cassandra sat down on the floor in front of my dresser and motioned for us to join her.
“It must have been pretty bad,” said Gretchen, taking a seat on the floor. “Jared told my mom that he was shocked Kyle went back to blood. He’d been on the No Slay List for so long.”
“Four and a half years of sobriety.” Cassandra hugged her knees. “Gone in an instant because of one bad decision.”
“What made him do it?” I sat cross-legged on the floor. “Who did he, you know, eat?”
“There was this guy who lived across the street from Kyle who kept complaining about raccoons.” Cassandra’s face paled, and her eyebrows knit together. “Kyle didn’t think the raccoons were a big deal, of course, but this neighbor would go ballistic when the raccoons got into the trash and threaten to shoot them with his pellet gun. So Kyle actually bought all the neighbors on the street brand new trashcans with special locking lids.”
“That was nice of him,” I said.
“Yeah.” Cassandra nodded. “Most of the neighbors thought so too. And after a while, the raccoons didn’t bother the trash anymore and everyone assumed that Kyle had solved the problem.”
“But he hadn’t?” Gretchen asked.
Cassandra shook her head. “It was all over the news. The crazy neighbor was posting videos on YouTube and that’s how he was caught.”
“Videos about what?” I loosened my ponytail because it pinched.
“I don’t even want to say it.” Cassandra’s voice dropped to an almost-whisper. “He was catching raccoons in cages and snapping their bones with bolt cutters. Electrocuting them. Ripping them open while they were still alive. Torturing their babies. Horrible stuff. The guy was basically a serial killer in the making.”
“Wow,” said Gretchen. “That’s awful.”
“Kyle was vegan. Is vegan,” Cassandra corrected herself. “He’s going to law school when he graduates to become an animal rights lawyer. At least that was his plan. Now, I don’t know what will happen.”
“What did happen?” I asked. “I still don’t understand.”
Cassandra buried her head into her hands. “After the city released the neighbor with only a small fine to pay and some community service, Kyle became enraged at the lack of justice. Originally, he stormed over there just to give the neighbor a piece of his mind, but…” Cassandra whimpered, and it sounded like she was crying. “He slunk over here a couple of hours later, completely invisible, and popped up in front of Mom and Van, begging for help.”
“Help to do what?” I rested my hand on the carpet. “Dispose of the body?”
Cassandra nodded. “As soon as that was taken care of, he drove to Oregon and checked himself into the Commune for New Life and Reformation that the Brothers of Temperance run. I’ve only heard from him a few times since he’s been there, but I know that he’s committed to his recovery. I just don’t know if I can ever trust him again.”
“Gosh, Cassandra. I’m so sorry that happened to you. Sometimes life really sucks.” My condolences weren’t much to offer. I’d been on the receiving end of sentiments like that before, and I knew they meant nothing.
“It is what it is.” Cassandra lifted her head up and tears rolled down her face.
“I think we all deserve a nice night out.” I smiled warmly. “Maybe we could go to The Olive Garden.”
“The Olive Garden?” Gretchen scoffed. “We can do better than that. Let’s go to some parties on campus. I saw posters at Food Without a Face for a bunch of them.”
“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “I already told you about the first and only time I went to a frat party and—”
“And what?” Gretchen asked. “You’re going to let one drunken loser keep you from having fun?”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Gretchen makes a good point.” Cassandra rose to her feet and held out her hands. “Come on,” she said, hauling us up. “We can’t go out looking like we’re coming from kickboxing practice.”
“But we did just come from kickboxing practice,” I said.
“And we smell like it too.” Gretchen poked her head into the hallway. “The shower’s free right now, and I say let’s not bother with whose name is on the schedule or not, even if the second-years come home and protest. If we act fast, all of us can get a turn in there before anyone notices.”
“Good plan.” Cassandra unbraided her hair. “I’ll go first. It takes my hair the longest to dry.”
Forty-five minutes later, I was considerably cleaner, but in total distress as they both criticized my wardrobe.
“You can’t go out wearing running pants and a tank top.” Gretchen laughed. “Even those cult-y people from CrossFit dress up when they go clubbing.”
“Yeah,” said Cassandra, who was rocking a black micro-miniskirt, lace stockings, four-inch-heels, and a green turtleneck. She looked like a sexy librarian. “If I can dress up, so can you.”
“You’re wearing a turtleneck to go dancing?” I raised my eyebrows.
“It’s woven from nano-silver.” Cassandra jutted out her hip and struck a pose. “I’ll have you know that this turtleneck has saved my life not once, but twice.” She bent over and brushed her hair straight down, and then lifted it back up and coiled it into a bun. “And it never hurts to be warded. That’s why I’m bringing my silver hair pins with me in addition to my necklace and heels.” Cassandra lifted her shoe to show us the silver coating.
“I’ve got one of Van’s penknives in my purse.” Gretchen hooked a small bag over her shoulder and fluffed up her hair in the mirror. She wore a strapless purple dress that showed off her curvy figure. “Plus, I dipped my purse strap in silver. Since it’s a metal chain, it held the bond pretty well.” Gretchen unhooked it from her leather purse. “Look. The chain’s removable.”
“Cool.” Cassandra gave it a closer look. “Maybe I’ll need to rethink my position on purses because that looks handy.”
“So, Kate, what are we going to do with you?” Gretchen eyed me from head to toe. “You look like you’re ready to run away from a party, not toward one.”
“What about that plaid skirt I packed when we were moving you out of your dorm room?” Cassandra opened the closet and found my graduation outfit. “This is better than nothing.”
“The dark colors go with your hair.” Gretchen nodded. “And some red lipstick will make your eyes pop.”
“Lipstick? Skirts? I don’t know, guys.” I backed up a few steps and bumped into the bunkbeds.
“Come on, Kate.” Cassandra was already unclipping the skirt. “You can return to the world of Athleisure wear tomorrow.” She handed me the garments. “Oh! I just had a great idea. Be right back.” Cassandra returned a few minutes later with a silver bracelet and a small leather pouch on a belt. “Here’s a hip-pack that will match. Plus, a silver bracelet. Pop a penknife in here, and you’ll be warded, just in case. In never hurts to be prepared, right?”
I thought about the two vampires we’d faced a few days ago when I’d been moving out of Tioga Hall. “I guess you’re right.” I flapped my hands at the both of them, shooing them out of the room. “Can I get some privacy? I need to change.”
/> Half an hour later I was riding shotgun in the Durango as we drove to campus. There had been a brief debate over whether or not we should have Ubered, but Cassandra assured us that she didn’t drink and would make a safe designated driver. I didn’t drink, either, but I also didn’t have my license. Gretchen claimed that Germans grew up on Pilsner and that the last thing she wanted to do was get wasted on what she’d called “American Pissner.” I squirmed in my seat, the tights making me uncomfortable. But I didn’t want to take them off and go bare-legged because I’d grown a few inches since high school graduation and the plaid skirt barely covered my butt. The makeup I wore also made me uncomfortable. The scent of lipstick was all I could smell, and I was positive it made me look like a clown.
“Are you guys sure red is my color?” I opened my hip pouch and pulled out a tissue. “Maybe I should wipe this off.”
“Don’t you dare.” Gretchen reached between the captains’ chairs and swatted my hand. Then she leaned back into the backseat. “You look fabulous.”
“I’m not so sure,” I said, but I put the tissue away and snapped the pouch shut.
“It’s just some lipstick and mascara.” Cassandra pulled into a parking spot and turned off the headlights. “You’ll be fine.” She took the key out of the ignition and turned toward me. “Look, I hate wearing makeup, but sometimes I do because that’s what the mission requires.”
“This isn’t a slaying mission,” I protested. “We’re supposed to be having fun.”
“And we will have fun.” Gretchen opened the backdoor. “Come on. I hear music.”
At least I wore flats. That was what I told myself as I walked beside Cassandra and Gretchen, who both teetered and tottered in high heels. Sure, their silver stilettos doubled as slaying weapons, but I could run fast if I had to. I fiddled with the silver bracelet at my wrist and practiced sliding it over my hand to make my punches burn. The chances of there being vampires at this frat party were slim, but I prepared myself for the worst.
“Don’t leave without me unless I text you, ’kay?” Gretchen asked right before we entered the house. The music drowned out her voice, and she had to shout.
Secret Shifter Page 16
