by Abra Ebner
I began to wonder if Jake had done this on purpose. I bet he’d wanted me to look like an idiot because he was trying to prove a point—he was better for Emily than I was. I was no idiot, though. Now that I knew who the strange looking kid I’d originally seen through the window was, I knew all too well how he gazed upon Emily in Math class. Could I not catch a break? Besides, what was with the makeover? The disguise?
I splashed a little water on my face, trying to make myself look a little less drained. I flicked off the bathroom light and exited into the hall, drawn by the sound of Emily’s voice. She laughed, making my muscles tense with jealousy—now I knew how she felt about Jane.
I rounded the corner, walking into a green room, the couches a deep red in contrast.
“There he is!” Jake stood from the couch opposite Emily—at least he wasn’t sitting beside her. Maybe he knew better, maybe he wanted to save that insult for later. He walked up to me, his hand outstretched.
I shoved my hands in the pocket of my Capri’s, refusing to grant him the courtesy of a hand shake—he’d still stolen my girlfriend.
“Well,” Jake dropped his hand. “Sorry to steal Emily away, Wes.” He said it as though he’d known I’d thought it. “I just wanted her to know that she wasn’t alone. It’s good for our kind to stick together.”
“Our kind?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Me, her…you…”
I stopped him. “She’s not alone. And there’s no you in this equation. She has me.” I tried to keep the anger in my voice at bay, but I wasn’t succeeding. I didn’t stop observing him, seeing the obvious reflection of his eyes, the unnatural peak of his teeth. “And what are you, exactly?”
Jake stood tall. “A vampire.”
“You’re joking,” I was laughing, but the expression on his face suggested that he wasn’t kidding.
“I’m not kidding,” he answered, repeating it verbatim from my thoughts.
My body steeled, stunned by an imaginary bolt of lightning. “What?” I looked at Emily. She was smiling. Why are you smiling?
“It’s true, Wes. He’s a vampire.” She shrugged.
Then why are you with him? He’s a vampire!
She just blinked, her smile never fading.
Her naïve sense of trust was obviously skewed after her friendship with Greg. Her being here proved that. How could she think this was okay? I recalled her vampire books, and it all suddenly made sense. Great, more reasons to worry about her.
Emily tilted her head. “Jake’s different than what you think. He’s not dangerous.”
Like that made me feel any better. I glared at him. “So, are you dead?” It was the first thing I could think of. My tone was noticeably annoyed and disgusted. I’d dealt with enough dead—or at least dead-ish—people lately.
“No,” he answered plainly. “I’m more like you than anything else—just another animal.”
“How are you like me?” I eyed him from head to toe, seeing nothing but a yuppie poser in sheep’s clothes.
Jake laughed, leaning against the arm of the couch where Emily sat. “I’m just a hot-blooded carnivore. That’s the real definition of a vampire. I drink blood, yes, but not human blood because it’s gross. And I can read your thoughts, so…” His voice trailed, meaning that to be a warning.
“Another mind-reader?” I couldn’t handle that. For all I knew he was seducing Emily as we spoke, telling her sweet nothings and nasty lies about me.
Jake smiled. “Nothing like that at all. I was showing Emily how to block the thoughts of others, so she doesn’t have to hear every little thing, that’s all. I can teach you a few things, too. If you like?”
I felt my muscles relax, but only slightly. It was the first useful thing to breach his lips since I got here. The mere mention of the chance to block Emily’s spidery intrusions into my mind was reason enough to change my outlook on the situation. I could bear this madness a moment longer.
Jake chuckled, looking over his shoulder at Emily. “Is he always this charming?”
Her lips pressed together and she nodded sarcastically, agreeing with him in a way that looked like they’d suddenly become best buds.
I could feel my fingernails digging into the skin of my palms as my fists tightened. Jake leaned away from the couch, moving to the other where he sat down, knowing his place was not between Emily and me. At least he seemed to respect that to some degree.
Stepping forward, I collapsed onto the couch beside Emily. I felt relieved as she leaned her head against my chest, weaving her hands around my torso. Smugness puffed my ego, and I lifted my chin.
“Alright then, Jake, I’ll buy it. So, start talking.”
He sat back, his arms resting on the crest of the couch. “First of all, I’m not here to steal Emily away, I swear.” He grinned. “I couldn’t if I wanted to. She’s not a vampire.”
I raised my hand, pointer finger extended. “And she’s going to stay that way,” I added.
Jake nodded. “And she will stay that way. It would be illegal for me to turn someone into what I am without the permission of our coven leader.”
“Dracula?” I ventured.
Emily elbowed me.
I winced.
Jake didn’t indulge my childish remark. “Like I told your girlfriend, my race is very natural, not at all obscene, ghoulish, or horrific as history would imply. I’m simply a creature that likes the blood and meat of a good juicy animal, and humans are anything but good.”
I analyzed the look on his face, seeing true disgust as he said it. “So what’s the draw? Why help us?”
Jake shrugged. “Because you’re classmates, and I’m not ashamed to admit that it’d be nice to have a few more friends at Glenwood High.”
I heard the front door open and close, my ears perking. I kept my gaze on Jake, but I was secretly praying it wasn’t another vampire. Jake smirked at me, and it filled me with anxiety. Footsteps approached, slow, soft, and normal, but still, I couldn’t help but feel on edge. Halting just behind me, the hairs on my neck became erect and tingly.
“Hey, Jake.” The voice snaked over my head, a lot more pleasant than I had expected, and also female. “Oh…” she paused.
I turned, my gaze meeting that of a girl about my age. Her eyes were just as reflective as Jake’s, her cheeks pink and glowing. She looked like the sweetest person you’d ever meet, her hair in a lose ponytail, a red checkered dress conservatively fitting over her body.
“Jake, you have friends,” she continued.
I could tell by the way she said it that ‘Jake’ and ‘friends’ didn’t typically go together. She had a plate in her hand, covered by a film of plastic wrap. It was such a natural image to see, but I knew that whatever was on the plate was anything but normal.
She glanced at me, pursing her lips. “If I’d known you had guests, I would have brought something else home from the bakery.” She looked back at Jake.
“Don’t worry about it, Sierra. We’ll be fine.”
I turned to Emily. “The bakery?” I mouthed.
Emily shrugged.
Sierra put her hands on her hips, her attention turning back to me. “Yeah. The bakery. Do you have an issue with that?” she snapped, her animal teeth flashing with a snarl. Her sweet demeanor changed in an instant, and I retracted my previous calculations.
I felt Emily’s hand on mine, her nails digging into my skin.
“Calm down, Sierra.” Jake intervened. “They’re new here.” He turned to us. “Sierra likes to bake, but she’s a little bitter about the fact that she can’t really eat most of it.”
Annoyed by Jake’s excuse, Sierra threw the plate at him.
He caught it before it tipped over, the plastic holding whatever it was tight. “Except these.” Jake looked down at the food in his hands, as did Emily and I. “Blood pies,” he explained.
I swallowed down the urge to gag, horror striking the once accepting expression on my face.
Jake sassily grinned at Sierra as
she stormed from the room.
Her long red hair flipped behind her, her cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red. “Moron,” she muttered.
Jake set the plate on the cushion beside him. “That’s my sister. As you can see, she’s a bit moody.”
Emily released the grip on my hand. “Is she your real sister?” Half moon shapes were pressed into my skin where her fingernails once rested.
Jake nodded. “In this case she is, though often they’re not. We were orphaned together. In a situation like that, it’s law to convert both or none at all.”
I lifted my brows. “You sure have a lot of rules.”
Jake exhaled long and slow, gaze focusing on a distant, unseen point. “We do.”
“So, why doesn’t Sierra go to Glenwood High?” I continued.
Jake propped his legs on the table before us and put one hand behind his head. “She doesn’t want to. All she wants to do is play Betty Crocker. She’s really good at it, too. She owns the bakery in town. I’ll have to take you there sometime.”
“Perhaps a day she isn’t working,” Emily whispered under her breath, enough that the three of us heard it, but not enough that Sierra would. We all laughed.
Emily shifted away from me a little, feeling more comfortable as I did as well. The truth was, this wasn’t really so bad.
Max:
I winced, a sharp pain digging into my arm. It felt like nails were ripping into my skin, matching the pain I’d felt across my chin a few days ago.
“What’s wrong?” Jane took a sip of her soda as we sat at Vicco’s, enjoying our afternoon feast—or at least she was; I’d already grown tired of the food.
“Nothing.” I fixed my jaw, trying not to show the pain I felt.
Jane plumped out her bottom lip. She turned back to her burger, her appetite changed as she felt my anxiety pull through her. She dropped it into her lap, the foil crunching. She knew better than to believe me.
This sudden pain was happening a lot more than normal. It was something I’d grown used to over the years, but it had never meant as much as it did now. I had something to live for for the first time in my second life, and Greg was becoming a liability to me. His enemies were in turn my predators. Too many people wanted him dead, meaning too many people could also kill me. Never before had the need to separate myself from him been stronger. I had to be here for Jane no matter what. It was my duty, my job, and not to mention, my desire.
What I needed to do was growing obvious, and what I needed was the Priory. They could help separate me from Greg. They could help me stay with Jane, maybe even in the way she wants. I needed them now more than ever and they would undoubtedly come through. For so long, they had been like a family, and family never turned their backs when asked for help, just as I would help Greg if he ever decided to come around. My stomach grumbled, the food now feeling like a rock.
I’d avoided Winter Wood for long enough, and though the memories of that place stung, they would welcome me home as though nothing had ever happened. They accepted anyone willing to join their vendetta against the Black Angels, regardless. Facing the Crown could not possibly be as difficult as I’ve manifested it to be. The Crown is a man of business; our personal history would remain a moot point—I hoped.
I glanced at Jane, thinking of Avery once again. Avery had been my attempt to fit in with their world and accept my fate. Jane had been my reason to leave it, and find purpose within my seemingly endless life. Jane’s youthful fears of growing old had begun to infect me with uncertainty. How long would I get to keep her? How long before her death would leave me empty handed once more? I forced back such thoughts, reminding myself that in the end, I would choose death to be with her. We were meant to be together, and so we would be together after our death—no matter what the cost.
Jane signed, rubbing her stomach. “So much for dinner. I think this is kind of it for me.” She sighed tiredly.
I grinned, wrapping up the rest of my mostly uneaten burger and putting it back in the bag. “Want to walk it off?”
Her head was resting back against the seat. She rolled it to face me. “Where? I’m not in the mood for tourists today.” She crinkled her nose.
I lifted one brow. “Then let’s go to my town.”
She sat up. “You mean Winter Wood?”
I brushed a strand of hair from her face, her cheeks warm and pink and her freckles accentuated in the afternoon light. “Yes.”
Her smile sank to a concerned frown. “I really want to go, but I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said about having not been there in a long time. Will they mind you coming for a visit? I mean, I don’t really know what it’s going to be like. Is it… cultish? Will they have to capture you and probe your mind for secrets, or…?”
I threw my head back and laughed whole-heartedly, feeling her emotion seep from the tips of my fingers to my head, filling it with lucid hope and happiness. “It’s not a cult, Jane. It’s just a town for people like us. We can get the things we need there: potions, special foods, and safe lodging. It’s a bit touristy, but not as touristy as here.”
She giggled. “You make it sound like a hybrid version of Vail, Colorado.”
I pressed my lips together and tilted my head. “That’s pretty much what it’s like. It looks the same, at least on the surface. Everyone pretends their local, though they’re not. It’s a vacation spot for some, others it’s their home.”
Jane had a million questions streaming through her head. “How many people—or rather beings—are there?”
I shrugged. “Probably close to ten thousand permanent magickal residents, being that it’s the capital.”
Jane’s eyes grew wide. “Wow, and I thought I was special, one of the few people like me in the area.”
I touched her chin, tilting her head to face me. “You are.” I leaned forward, bringing her lips to mine, my hand trailing back and hooking behind her neck. I touched her softly, sending a ripple of desire across her skin.
She moaned gently. “That’s nice.”
I smiled against her lips, breathing in the smell of tea leaf and rose. There was the ever-increasing tug to give in, even in such a location and time as this. Leaning back, I forced myself to start the car instead. “Time for a walk.”
She frowned, but it was quickly replaced with her excitement for Winter Wood—my home.
Emily:
I looked across the coffee table at Jake, listening to the thoughts he was leaving open for me to hear. He was nothing but friendly, nothing but genuine. Lingering views of him flashed across my mind: Him as a child, the fact that I’d never once met his parents, and the way he was always just sort of there, but not at the same time. Was this kid I once knew really the kid I saw now?
Jake’s silvery green eyes looked at me then, a small smile curving his upper lip. He slowly glanced away. “So, shall we get to business?”
Wes let out a contented sigh, his thoughts edging on acceptance. I nodded delicately. This was nice. Having Jane and Max within our circle of magick was good, but it was good to have more—less related—friends as well. Once Wes got past the initial jealousy, I was certain they’d get along. How couldn’t they?
“Teach me how to block some stuff, and stuff.” Wes’s voice was dramatically exasperated, and lacking the finesse I wished he had.
I gave him a playful slap on the arm. “Be a little more exact, why don’t you. Not to mention the fact that you’re making it sound like being with me is exhausting.”
Wes sat up straight, remaining dramatic. “It is!” He laughed. “You know everything about me. A guy’s got to have a little space.”
Jake was nodding in agreement.
I frowned. “Are you saying there are things you want to hide?”
Wes narrowed his eyes, knowing it was a jealous retort. “No, Emily. You’ve got to see it from my angle. I can’t think about anything, not even the fact that I have to use the toilet! I’d gross you out, so I force myself to think of other t
hings.”
I crossed my hands against my chest. “Yeah, I know. Like baseball, homework and weather, right?” I challenged him with a lifted brow.
Wes turned to Jake. “See what I mean? She’s incorrigible!” He was talking as though I was no longer in the room.
Jake laughed. “Okay, chill out. I’m not here to play therapist, just to teach you a few tricks, got it?”
Wes nodded bitterly. Was I really so bad? Was I really such a burden on him? I grunted and shook my head.
You’d think he’d see the bright side! Jake internally sympathized with me.
I know! I replied.
Jake collected himself and turned his attention toward Wes. He took a deep breath and proceeded to explain how the mind worked, showing us that there were places, like rooms, where you could keep your thoughts. He spoke of it like a mansion, each room holding a different thought, while the main room held public thoughts. This was something that seemed so natural to me, as though I should have known it all along. I picked it up fast.
“What about the kitchen?” Wes joked.
Jake played along. “Public domain.”
I grinned, enjoying their camaraderie, enjoying the fact that Wes was learning something that made our relationship stronger. Wes grasped my hand, his touch restrained though I knew that with the slightest squeeze, he could break every bone.
Jake finally stopped talking when the room grew dark with the coming twilight. He sighed deeply, stretching his arms. “Feels so much better when the sun goes down.”
Wes was visibly more comfortable as well. “So, do you sleep in a coffin in the basement?” he teased.
Jake gave Wes a reproachful glare. “I don’t sleep at all, actually. Up all night, all day. The daylight tires me, but only because my eyes have to work extra hard. It’s sort of like staring into a flashlight, except its all day. That’s why I like to go to Glenwood High, the halls are dark.”
