Amnesia Bites (Shady Arcade Book 1)

by Sharon Stevenson

  She opened the front door and placed Lancelot outside. He sat on the doormat for a moment, cleaning his paws. Bridget picked up Arthur as he dug his claws into her legs. He wriggled in her arms, not as content as usual. She presented him the wound she’d opened after a moment’s hesitation. He purred as he drank a few drops of her blood. When she put him down, he shot out of the front door, making Lancelot’s hair stand on end.

  “There’s a good boy,” she said with a smile and raised eyebrows.

  Favouritism apparently counted for something, after all. Lancelot meowed at her as she closed the door on him. He sat on the welcome mat, licking his paw. His sister and brother were fast asleep under the radiator in the living room. She left them be and went into her bedroom to concentrate.

  She lay down and reached out with her thoughts to Arthur. The link between familiar and vampire was strong and grew stronger every time she utilised it. She saw through his eyes as he ran through an alley. She didn’t bother attempting to figure out where he was. He knew he was out there to track down the other vampire. He wouldn’t stop until he’d found him. She’d be sure to look for clues when he did. She heard him hiss and realised Lancelot had followed him only when she saw the other cat through Arthur’s eyes. The strange point of view made Lancelot look weak and pathetic. Arthur’s hissing was followed by a swat of his paw, claws out. Lancelot mewled sadly. He darted out of Arthur’s way as her favourite pet continued forward.

  The night didn’t seem quite so dark anymore. The streetlights illuminated Arthur’s path. He stopped suddenly, and Bridget saw the vampire standing in front of the arcade. It was definitely a man, and not an unattractive one at that. He had something in his hand. The door swung inwards, and he went inside. Arthur rushed forward, but the door closed before he could follow him inside. He leapt at the door, his paws reaching for the handle.

  Bridget sat up, opened her eyes, and broke the visual link with her redirection of focus. She stalked out of the house, only slowing down to pick up a golf umbrella from the rack at the building’s entry on her way out.

  The arcade was dark, lights out for the night. The sign above the doorway was lit up, making her smile wryly. Something had been wrong with the bulbs in the middle word ever since she’d been there, turning ‘Shady Pines Arcade’ into simply ‘Shady Arcade’. It had never been fixed and never would be. Six months in town and it was one thing she knew for sure.

  She opened the door; Arthur awaited her instructions. She stroked his fluffy head and told him to go home. She didn’t speak the words aloud, just used their telepathic link to show him the front door of the flat.

  He sauntered off when she straightened up. She went into the arcade, clutching the umbrella around the middle as she walked. Her heels clicked on the tiled floor. The vampire would know someone was following him. She wondered if she’d get to find out who he was before she killed him.

  “Stop right where you are.” His nasal voice penetrated the darkness.

  She sensed him straight ahead. It was too dark to make out more than a vague shape where he stood. He was big and tall, but he smelled new. Younger vampires tended to smell less dead. Anything over a century old had a rotting carcass scent that made Bridget gag when she got within a few feet of them. This guy was freshly made. She grinned into the darkness.

  “You’re in my town,” she told him.

  “This is necromancer territory,” he said, sounding cocky. “What the hell’s a vampire doing messing about here?”

  “Funny,” she said. “I was about to ask you the same thing.”

  “I know who you are,” he said. “You don’t scare me.”

  “Well, I don’t know who you are, and you don’t scare me either.”

  He took a few steps closer and she was able to see his face. It wasn’t good enough. She needed to see more skin. A positive ID was more important than dispatching him. She had to know which clan was after Zack. Whichever one knew about him, they certainly wouldn’t tell any of the others. She would earn her bosses’ eternal trust if she could just disarm this newly hatched vampire.

  “You look better than the last one they sent.”

  He frowned at her. “I would do. I’m the first.”

  She laughed, making sure to make the sound deep and throaty. It was her sexiest laugh. Kenny couldn’t listen to it without stretching out the front of his jeans. “You really believe that?”

  His glare was searing as he approached. She dropped the umbrella. Staking him was out of the question. She wondered if this would be what landed her a promotion. Not that it mattered.

  She reached out and touched his arm, thinking of Kenny and the new development in their sexual relationship. She bit at her lip, drawing blood.

  The new vampire was young enough to be teased by the scent of it. His expression went from guarded to slack and ravenous within seconds.

  “I haven’t been around another vampire in ages,” she said with a soft sigh. “I haven’t gotten laid in a long time.”

  His eyes, already desirous at the sight of the blood on her lip, turned almost feral. She smiled. Her plan might have been hackneyed and obvious, but he was falling for it all the same.

  She hauled off Kenny’s sweater. Her ripped shirt hung open, allowing him a glimpse of her lacy bra.

  The vampire made to grab her and she took a step back, shaking her head.

  “I took my top off,” she said, fingers tugging at the hem of his turtleneck.

  It took the dimwit a second to realise what she was alluding to. He hauled his top off a second later. Her fingers trailed down his hard, muscled chest. His skin was unmarked.

  He pulled her to him and pressed his mouth to hers, first sucking at the blood on her lower lip and then plunging his tongue into her mouth. She fought the urge to pull away, her fingers exploring his naked back. The branding wasn’t there, either.

  Damn it! She unbuttoned his trousers, pushing them to the ground as he grabbed at her tits. He was rock-hard against her as she went for the next most likely area. Bingo, she thought as she stroked the raised skin on his ass. She traced the pattern a few times to make sure she was right about it. The half-moon design with the ‘W’ across it was similar to another clan’s design. She checked around and didn’t find any little bumps that might signify stars. It was safe to assume that he was with the Winter clan.

  She pushed him back. He stumbled, tripping over the trousers pooled at his ankles. She wiped her mouth and picked up the umbrella. His mouth moved, but he didn’t get the chance to ask her what she was doing. She staked him through the heart with the silver-tipped, pointed end of the umbrella. His body turned into a pile of black ash, a jangling sound telling her the keys he’d used to gain entry were under the lump somewhere. She picked them out as a smile broke out on her face. She might have taken a groping from a thoroughly stupid vampire, but at least she had something good to show for it.

  The keys belonged to Larry. She read his name on the keyring and shook her head as she dropped them again. The greasy security guard would get the blame for the mess and the door being left open. He would be too dead to care. The vampire had been out of control. Whether he’d turned Larry or killed him, she supposed she’d find out soon enough. She fished the vampire’s clothes out of the dust pile and tossed them into the nearest bin. The pile of ash, she left spattered over the floor. For a second, she considered finding a way to clean up the mess. She knew Chloe would know what the ash really was. She’d likely inform her Council.

  Bridget smiled. All she’d done was protect Zack. They couldn’t penalize her for it. So she’d end up having to talk to someone about what had happened, probably Chloe. It was almost enough to make her consider breaking into the cleaner’s cupboard to find the vacuum cleaner. Almost. She shrugged, kicking at the idiot’s remains. She could deal with one little necromancer.

  She threw her sweater back on and headed home, leaving the arcade unlocked.

  Chapter Nine

  It was early, an
d he was far too tired to put up with the canned coffee that tasted vaguely of depression. Zack’s complete lack of sleep had made him cranky. He’d started at every little noise the house had made the night before, convinced a vampire was breaking in to poke out his eyes and laugh maniacally about it while he screamed until his sanity broke for good. He was going to start wearing sunglasses. His eyes seemed woefully under-protected.

  The arcade was open and the smell of Cassandra’s baking filling his nostrils as he drifted into the building. He headed towards her cafe, knowing it would be closed but wanting to get a closer smell, anyway. He usually slipped his lunch order under the door while she was closed, along with the cash to pay for it. Today, he added a breakfast order and hoped she would see it soon. Whatever muffins were on the menu, he could tell they were going to be even more amazing than usual. Getting them while they were hot would be absolute bliss.

  He walked away from the cafe with a pained sigh. His office was open as was usual with an early-to-rise bodyguard. He wondered exactly what time Bridget got there every day as he glanced at her black ceramic drink container. How could he not have noticed what she was sooner?

  “Hey, Zack,” she said, barely glancing up from her computer screen.

  It was as if nothing had even changed. He supposed for her, not much had.

  “Cassandra should be by soon. Let me know when she comes.” He went into his office and closed the door.

  Was it all some weird-ass dream? Had to be. Had to be.

  He sat behind his desk and tried to relax. Everything was completely normal. He hadn’t seen fang marks on a murdered girl’s throat. He hadn’t seen Bridget grow fangs and bite her own hand.

  He got up and went back into the reception area, looking Bridget over. She was too pretty to be human. Her icy-blue eyes locked on him as he took in the pale perfection of her skin. She wasn’t breathing. He realised it after a few minutes of regarding her in complete silence. He hadn’t dreamt what she’d shown him. He wasn’t crazy. She really was a vampire. He swallowed as he met her eyes.

  “Am… am I safe?”

  She raised an eyebrow, briefly. “I told you I would take care of it, and I have.”

  He frowned. “What does that mean?”

  “It means you don’t need to worry about any blood-sucking fiends.”

  “What about the girl?”

  “What about her?”

  “Is she dead, or…” He didn’t want to have to say it.

  The door opened, and Cassandra entered with a bag and a cup in her hands. She looked as radiant as ever, her caramel skin flawless and her deep brown eyes bright. The top she wore had been a gift from one of the other shop owners in the arcade. It had that cheap and tacky look to it. He appreciated the low cut front as much as any guy would, but it was pretty revealing for her to be wearing out in public, at least during the day. He doubted it was something she’d put on if it hadn’t been given to her. She was too nice for her own good.

  He smiled as he took his order out of her hands, wishing he’d thought to take his gloves off when she appeared. He was sure he wouldn’t get any nasty surprises from touching her.

  “Thanks. Smells amazing.”

  “Aw, you’re too sweet,” she told him, rubbing his arm before she took off. “See you at lunch time.”

  She never made a big deal out of his constant use of the gloves. It was like she didn’t even notice he was a freak.

  “Don’t even think about asking her out,” Bridget snapped, looking as if she wanted to break the pen she held in half.

  “I wasn’t.”

  He knew his face was going red, but he would never admit he fancied Cassandra. Everyone had to fancy her. She was a goddess.

  He retreated into his office and started in on his breakfast. His stomach told him he was full after one muffin, but he couldn’t let the other one go to waste. He carefully collected every moreish crumb in his naked fingers and demolished every last bite before he put the empty bag into the waste basket. The coffee lasted slightly longer, but only because it was a large cup.

  The creak of his door made him glance up quickly.

  Bridget gave him a rueful smile. “We have a problem.”

  She opened the door wider, and the boy with the pink purse, Dorian, entered. His eyes were big, and Zack could tell from where he sat that he was shaking uncontrollably.

  Bridget ushered him into the room and closed the door behind the three of them.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Zack loathed to ask because he knew the answer wasn’t going to be pleasant.

  “Tell him what you told me,” Bridget said in a soft quiet voice that Zack wished she would use more often. It was very soothing, and it seemed to stop the kid from shaking quite so violently.

  “My sister came back,” he said, swallowing audibly. “She’s not right in the head.”

  “She bit his dad,” Bridget said when Dorian appeared to be done with his story in favour of adopting a blank gaze that burned into the wall behind Zack.

  Zack didn’t know what to say. The girl had been turned into a vampire. He had no words to make it better. He threw Bridget a look, wondering exactly what she expected him to do. She prodded the boy in the arm. He leaned forward and dropped something onto the table in front of Zack. The garment was pink. Blood-stained. He was pretty sure it was the T-shirt the girl had been wearing when she’d dropped dead.

  “Think you can check out his story?” Bridget pushed the shirt a little bit closer to him.

  He fought the urge to recoil. His fingers were still naked and vulnerable. Touching the bloodied item didn’t appeal to him, but he didn’t think he had much of a choice. Bridget’s steely blue eyes were staring him down, unblinking, challenging him to defy her.

  He frowned as he picked the T-shirt up. The vision was no more than a quick flash of memory.

  The girl had gone home and picked a fight with her parents, which had quickly escalated to baring her newly acquired fangs and lunging at them. Her father screamed at the bite she took out of his arm. A piece of flesh ripped from it as he grabbed his arm away from her hungry mouth. She turned away when the two of them ran into the bathroom and closed the door. They were yelling for help as she stripped off her clothes and headed down the basement stairs.

  He put the T-shirt down. “Vampires are real.”

  He wished he hadn’t touched the damned thing.

  “They are?” The kid had finally found his tongue.

  “Oh, they most definitely are,” Bridget assured. “When she goes out, you need to have a priest bless your house. She won’t be able to step past the threshold if you do that.”

  “She can’t be… I thought… Vampires can’t enter the homes of the living?” The kid looked confused.

  “There’s an exception to that rule. She used to live there, so she can walk in any time she likes unless the house is protected against her kind.”

  The boy’s eyes seemed to regain their focus as he looked curiously at Bridget. “You know a lot about this stuff.”

  She nodded. “Where’s your sister right now?”

  “Oh, uh, she went into the basement and stayed there. I mean, after she freaked Mum and Dad out. They almost called the police.”

  Almost? Zack glanced at Bridget.

  “They rationalised what happened,” Bridget said.

  The kid nodded slowly. “Dad bandaged his arm, and Mum made tea. Like nothing had happened.”

  “Is there someone you can stay with?” Bridget was asking the kid.

  “I don’t… I’m supposed to be at school.”

  “Okay,” she said. “Is there a friend’s house you could go to after school?”

  “I suppose…” He didn’t look sure.

  Zack watched Bridget, wondering what was on her mind. He got the gut-clenching feeling they were going to hunt down the vampire. He wondered where he could get a pair of sunglasses from before they went.

  “Here’s what’s going to happen,”
Bridget said, taking charge in her bossy tone. “You’re going to tell me your address, and you’re going to go to school. You’ll go to a friend’s house after, and don’t come home until late.”

  The kid frowned. He was shaking again. “Are you going to… I mean, I know she’s not my sister anymore, but she… she still looks like she is.”

  Bridget pursed her lips. She stared into Dorian’s eyes. “You will write down your home address on this piece of paper. You will go to school and to your friend’s house after that.”

  He gazed blankly at her, and Zack knew Bridget was compelling him somehow. The thought gave him shivers. He really needed to get himself a pair of sunglasses. He didn’t even care if they were angry sunglasses.

  The kid scribbled down a barely legible address before he left, walking like a robot. Zack read the address and glanced at his vampire bodyguard.

  “You can’t go out in sunlight.”

  “It’s overcast outside,” she told him with a smirk. “We’ve got a baby vampire to stake.”

  “But…you’re a vampire. Doesn’t that mean some of them are…sort of okay?”

  She laughed.

  “So that’s what you think of me? Sort of okay?” Her eyes sparkled.

  He wondered if she expected a compliment. A girl like her was probably used to being told how good she looked. “Well, you know what I mean. You’re not a bad person.”

  “No, I’m not,” she said. “The girl was created by someone who is out to get you, Zack. Chances are, she has your details. I might have killed her creator, but his weapon is still out there right now, loaded and waiting to strike.”

  “Oh,” he said, wishing it didn’t sound so horrifying.

  “Don’t worry. She won’t get anywhere near you.” She picked up the piece of paper with the address on it.

  ***

  Chloe turned Larry’s keys over in her hand. She’d been one of the first into the building when the cleaners were finishing up. Mary had handed her the keys, smiling wryly. She’d thought he had dropped them and left without locking the doors. Someone had gotten in and tried to light a fire. Mary liked him, so she’d tidied the mess and figured Chloe would be the best one to leave them with. She didn’t want Larry getting in trouble with building management.