by Rose Pressey
“I'm not going anywhere with you and unless you want to find a stake in your heart, I'd suggest you remove yourself from me. I won't hesitate to rip your throat out.”
The vampires sure did like the violence. I was a believer in remaining calm. Working things out without having to rip someone's throat out. Violence was so ugly. This was the exact reason I always wanted to stay inside during a full moon, so I could avoid the hooligans. They were always looking for a fight.
I pushed forward more and he resisted. He was a strong sucker, but he hadn't anticipated on me being as strong as I was. That's what eating my daily beef jerky did for me. I continued to push.
“What do you think taking me would accomplish?” If he took me, then I’d never find Jack.
“It will get your Uncle's attention. We know he loves you.”
“He may love me, but not that much. He doesn't love anything that much. Well, maybe his shiny truck. Maybe you could carjack him?”
“If I could find him I wouldn't have to, now would I?”
“You have zero sense of humor, huh? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the coffin this morning? Or was that last night?”
Vampires were so confusing. Before I had time to make another smart aleck remark, he grabbed my throat with one hand and leaned down, his fangs pressed against the skin of my neck. I’d have to take a chance and use every ounce of werewolf strength I could muster.
As he pressed against my skin, ready to sink in, a flash of blonde, and then red streaked into my vision.
Chapter Twenty-Four
How to Date a Vampire, Rule #24:
Don’t refer to your date as a creature of the night.
Jennifer grabbed a red crystal vase from the table beside the door. I loved that thing, but now was not a time to remind her. I couldn’t say, “Hey, don’t use that one, it’s my favorite.” As my eyes locked with hers, my vampire attacker noticed my attention was focused on something behind him. He spun around and she heaved the vase over her head, then slammed it down on him. He stumbled backward and wobbled, but I knew it wouldn't do much to slow him down. If she’d whacked a human over the head like that, then I know it might have made a difference, but it wouldn’t affect the vampire much. However, it would give me a few seconds to plan my next move. So my werewolf skills needed to work, although I had never claimed to be a skilled werewolf. My brother said my bark was much worse than my bite… and he should know.
Lily grabbed him and shoved him the rest of the way to the ground.
“Come on, we have to get out of here.” Jennifer grabbed my arm. “It's not safe.”
She could say that again. It looked as if the vampires weren't going to give up any time soon. They wanted Ernie and they already had Jack. Now they wanted me. But why hadn’t they taken me when they took Jack? I didn't want to put Jennifer in this situation, although I already had. She was fully involved. There was not much backing out now. But Jennifer always had had my back. Well, except for recently when she let Jack convince her that I was nuts. But that was neither here nor there.
Thankfully, I hadn’t fully turned, so my fur-covered skin wouldn’t be as noticeable when I ran outside. As Jennifer and I made our way to the door, Stephen rushed in.
“What's going on here?” he asked.
“A vampire.” Jennifer pointed at the man fighting with Lily. Her eyes were wide. She jumped up and down as if she’d had one too many trips to Starbucks. “He was ready to kill Rylie.”
Lily was still rolling around on the floor with the vampire. He'd curse the day he ever messed with her. She was like a little mini-tornado with lots of hair. She was tough to take down and she wouldn't go without a fight. Stephen rushed past us and over to Lily and the vampire. He grabbed at the vampire, yanking at his shirt while Lily stumbled up from the floor. Something told me this wouldn’t end well. She moved over beside us and brushed off her pants, then smoothed down her frazzled hair.
“Dirty bastard,” she said.
“Come on, Rylie. Let's get out of here. They want to kill us.” Jennifer grabbed my arm. “There’s probably more vampires on their way. They’ll be crawling all over this place like the dirty rats they are.”
I looked over at Stephen as he tumbled with the vampire. “What about him?” I gestured with a tilt of my head. “I’m not sure we should leave him here to fend off that fiend.”
“Stephen will be fine. He'll handle him. He can handle anyone.”
That was the overconfident girlfriend in her talking. I doubted he’d ever dealt with vampires. This could end badly for Stephen.
“You do realize he’s a vampire?” I asked for confirmation, but the question went in one ear and out the other.
“We have to get you out of here.” Jennifer pulled on my arm. “It's obvious that the vampires aren't going to stop. We need to find your uncle so we can end this once and for all.” She pulled me out into the hall and Lily followed.
There was more to it than just finding my uncle. I also had to know why they wanted Jack.
“I don't think I'm comfortable with handing the vampires my uncle's head on a platter. I won't rat him out. We’re family and we have to stick together. I don’t want to see him killed. He needs to do the right thing and give the vampires their money and whatever else he has of theirs,” I said as we moved down the stairs.
Lily was trailing along behind us.
“I understand, Rylie, but I'm not asking you to do that. You need to get him to pay his debt so we can put this behind us. Have you asked them how much he owes? Maybe we can just pay and this will all be over with.”
We hurried down the stairs. Lily was still on my heels, breathing on my neck.
“That's the thing. It's more than a few hundred dollars and it’s not just money they want. The vampire says Uncle Ernie has something of theirs, but he wouldn't tell me what it is.”
“What could it possibly be?” Jennifer asked when we reached the bottom step.
“I have no idea, but I need to find out what it is, then find him and the item. Apparently, whatever it is, it’s a big deal.”
“Well, then let's go ask your uncle,” Jennifer said.
“First, I need to find Jack. I can't let them keep him. I have a hard time believing that he went with them of his own accord. I can’t let them get away with this.”
“Where do we even start to find him? I’m so sorry you have to deal with these vampire bullies.”
“I don't know where to start, but I need to find out. With all the paranormal people I've come in contact with, someone has to be able to tell me where the vampires are—their special hangout. Maybe their clubhouse. Apparently, there’s a leader of the vampires. Whoever or whatever that may be. I'm almost afraid to find out. Oh, who am I kidding, I am afraid to find out.” It was a lot for one little werewolf to take on.
By the look on Jennifer's face, she was afraid to find out too. Petrified, as a matter of fact.
“Are you sure you’re not worried about him?” I gestured over my shoulder toward my apartment where we’d left her human detective boyfriend.
“Of course I’m worried about him, but it’s what he does. It’s his career. He's the police. He's trained for this kind of stuff.”
“Yeah, but the guy's a vampire. They’re on a whole different level than humans. Has he dealt with vampires?” She didn’t seem all that worried.
“No, not exactly,” she said as she opened the entrance door.
“Well, there you go,” I said as I stepped outside.
“What the hell is wrong with you two? Do you really live under a rock? God, you don't even know where to find the freaking vampire leader, for Pete's sake. You are a disgrace to werewolves. To all paranormals. You shouldn’t be allowed to call yourself a werewolf.” Lily pointed at me.
“Look, I'm getting sick and tired of your insults. Why are you here?”
“I told you. To save your sorry ass so you don't embarrass me, you pathetic excuse for a werewolf.”
I shook my head. “I'm not buying it. I don't believe you.”
“Well, believe. It's the sad truth.” I wouldn’t humor her with an answer. Maybe if I ignored her, she’d go away.
Lily followed along behind us as Jennifer and I made our way down the sidewalk toward Jennifer’s car.
“It’s kind of ironic that your roommate is a veterinarian.” Lily looked at me, then pointed to Jennifer. “Does she give you your rabies shots?”
“That’s it. I’m kicking your ass.” I reached for Lily.
Jennifer stepped between us. “Ladies, remember why we’re here.”
“Fine.” I pointed at Lily. “But keep your trap shut.”
“Pathetic, both of you,” Lily mumbled.
“Don’t you think you should at least call for more police to help Stephen? If you don’t call, I will,” I said.
Jennifer stopped, trying to catch her breath. “I think I’m having a panic attack,” she said.
I patted her on the back as if that would somehow knock the anxiety out of her.
“You have got to be kidding me. You’re already out of breath? We’ve only taken a few steps. You need to do a little more cardio once in a while.” Lily scowled as she stared at Jennifer. “Weak, weak women.” She shook her head.
Why was Lily still hanging around? I didn’t trust her. She wasn’t just embarrassed about me not fighting off the vampires. No. She wanted something more. Soon she’d drop the bomb on me. But for now I had Lily following me around everywhere I went. What was she? My body guard? That was the last thing I needed.
The three of us marched down the sidewalk. We were like the freaking Charlie’s Angels. All of a sudden, Lily had my back? She definitely wanted something and it couldn’t be good. But I didn’t have time to contemplate what that something was at the moment since I had badass vampires following my every move. Well… they claimed to be badass. Werewolves were so much tougher.
When Jennifer reached in her pocket and pulled out her cell phone to call the police, a loud thud rang out, followed by Stephen’s voice, catching our attention. The vampire who we’d fought with was nowhere in sight. This was not good. We ran back over to where Stephen stood on the entrance steps.
“What happened?” Jennifer’s voice was beyond excited. Stephen’s eyes were glazed over with a faraway look. He was in a whole different world from us.
“The vampire got away.” As the words left his lips, he collapsed onto the sidewalk.
The vampire had gotten away? Where had he gone? Why hadn’t we seen him leave the building? Maybe I hadn’t been too far off with that bat comment. Maybe he’d flapped right on out of the building.
Jennifer and I knelt down beside him. “Stephen, what happened? Are you okay?” Jennifer asked again. She cradled him in her arms.
When I saw two long streaks of blood on his neck, my stomach sank. I felt a cold sweat break out over my body. A lump formed in my throat, blocking the words that I knew needed to be said. I looked to Jennifer, but she hadn’t noticed the blood. If she had, she’d have been freaking out even more. His skin was turning whiter right before our eyes and he looked as if he might pass out at any moment. I had to tell her. She was going to find out eventually. Had the vampire done the same thing to Stephen as they’d done to Jack. Was he half a vampire? Or was he a full-fledged vampire. The whole shebang.
“The freaking vampire bit him.” Lily pointed at his neck. “Don’t you all know how to avoid the vampires? You don’t let them get the upper hand. And definitely don’t let them near your neck. Are you really that stupid?” The more she spoke the louder her words came out.
As soon as I was out of this situation, I was going to kick Lily’s ass. So much for breaking the news to Jennifer gently. Lily had no on and off switch for her mouth. She spewed out the first thing that came to mind with no regard for other’s feelings.
Jennifer leaned Stephen back against the step, then moved to his other side. He still had that look as if he was in another world. The new paranormal world, perhaps? “Oh, my God. Look what happened to him, Rylie. What is going on?” She pointed at the puncture wounds on his neck, then touched her fingers against the blood. She lifted her finger away, stared at the crimson liquid on her skin, then showed it to us. “Are we all going to be vampires now?” Her words came out as screams.
“Calm down, Jennifer. Take a deep breath and calm down.”
“Calm down? My boyfriend is now a vampire? And you want me to calm down.”
Okay. She was freaking out. Her eyes were wide and she looked like a caged animal ready to fight. Next she’d be foaming at the mouth. I just hoped she calmed down before this made the situation any worse. If that was even possible. I’d never seen her so panicked.
“I have to take him to the hospital,” Jennifer said in a panic. “He’ll die if I don’t. Oh my God, I can’t breathe.” Jennifer was the one who needed to go to the emergency room. Maybe she needed a paper bag to breathe into in order to keep from hyperventilating.
“Sweetie, I’m not sure what they can do for him. It’s the same thing that happened to Jack. He hasn’t lost that much blood from what I can see.”
“My God, they’re dropping like flies.” Jennifer reached for Jack and struggled to lift him.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake. I’ll help you.” Lily stomped over to Stephen and hoisted him to his feet. He wobbled with his knees bent and he stumbled backward. “If you must take him to the hospital, I’ll drive. You’re in no condition. Rylie, you go look for Jack. I’ll babysit your crazy friend.” She reached under Stephen’s arm and heaved him to a standing position again, moving him forward.
Was this a softer side of Lily? Had her hardened heart started to crumble? Was it the apocalypse?
“We’ll take Stephen’s car. It’s faster,” Jennifer said, pointing the way.
There was nothing the hospital could do for him now. Maybe give him blood and IV fluids for dehydration. But Jennifer needed to do this and I couldn’t stop her.
As Jennifer and Lily led Stephen down the sidewalk, I turned around to leave. Before I made it more than a few steps, Jennifer screamed out. I whipped around and saw Stephen running down the sidewalk with Jennifer chasing him, and Lily chasing her. Now I was chasing all of them.
What the heck was going on, anyway? I really wasn’t prepared to run this much. I needed an oxygen mask or something. Stephen was grabbing at people as they passed by. He was going to be arrested in a few seconds if we didn’t get a handle on him. He was acting crazy. This was definitely out of character for him. I mean, sure he’d been bitten, but this was madness. He had always been so reserved anytime I’d seen him. Stephen reached out and made contact with a woman. He swooped her up in his arms and she began smacking him over the head with her purse. Lily whacked at Stephen while Jennifer pulled at his shirt. He finally let go, but the incident didn’t deter him. He’d just attacked a woman. Had he been trying to drink her blood? He sure acted a lot different from Jack when he’d been bitten.
Poor Jennifer. She didn’t deserve this. Stephen kept his pace, stumbling down the sidewalk like Frankenstein. What was he up to? He was obviously delusional. Up ahead, Stephen made a left into a café. A few screams echoed down the sidewalk. This was not good. How would we explain this situation? I finally caught up with them, running into the café like a wild woman. Stephen had collapsed onto the floor in front of a couple old ladies. Thank goodness, he hadn’t taken a bite out of someone, which was what I had expected.
“Someone call the ambulance. I’m taking him to the hospital,” Jennifer said. She was freaking out.
I knew Jennifer. She may appear relatively calm, but on the inside, I knew she was a mess. A crowd had gathered as Lily and Jennifer lifted Stephen from the floor. He had regained consciousness... well, I guess that’s what you’d call his current state. Had the blood loss gotten the better of him?
A man came out from the back of the café. “What is going on here?” he asked, irritation in his voice. “Take t
hat crap out of my shop. Whatever weird stuff you’re into, I don’t want any part of it.”
When I met his gaze, there was something there… a spark of recognition. He didn’t seem worried about Stephen’s condition like everyone else. He just wanted us out of his café. I knew it was best if we got Stephen out of there right away.
I followed Jennifer and Lily as they guided Stephen back out onto the street.
“You’ve got to snap out of this.” Jennifer looked at Stephen.
He was barely standing and I expected him to fall over at any second. Lily reached up and slapped him across the face. He didn’t flinch.
“What did you do that for?” Jennifer yelled.
“I’ve always wanted to slap a vampire.”
Jennifer glared at Lily. Breaking up a fight between the two of them was the last thing I needed. It was as if I was the babysitter for all of them.
People still stared. Some of the patrons stood by the entrance and continued to watch our hi-jinks.
“Go on, get out of here,” the man yelled.
“We’re going. We’re going,” I said.
Lily turned around and growled at him. He was lucky she hadn’t done more. Stephen was strong in spite of his zombie-like state. He still attempted to reach out and grab people as we led him down the street. It was like trying to control a two-year-old on a sugar high. After what seemed like an eternity, we reached Stephen’s blue sedan.
When we made it to his car door, I asked him, “Stephen can you talk to me? What is going on? Why are you acting this way?”
He focused his gaze on me. “I don’t know what’s come over me.”
“He’s crazy. That’s what’s wrong with him,” Lily said.
“Do you have any idea why you were acting this way?” I asked. I hoped he could give us some insight into his mind set. Maybe then we’d know more of how to help him.
“I don’t know. It’s as if I had an out-of-body experience.” Well, at least he was able to talk coherently now. “All I could think of was people’s veins,” he said.
