Serienna smirked at the two of them, drumming her long red fingernails on the top of her romance novel. “Well, aren’t you girls just a bundle of joy this afternoon?” She stood, tucking the book under her arm. “Since I’m a nasty, cadaver-cutting freak, I’ll just go to the bookstore to help Dannika.” Slinging her purse over her shoulder, she stuck her tongue out as she walked out the door. “See you jokers later.”
The bananas sitting in a bowl on top of the table made Tanya’s mouth water. She broke one off the bunch and peeled it before biting the tip.
Makinzee plopped down in the seat Serienna had just vacated, a smirk on her face. “Okay, so tell me what you’re wearing tonight?”
“It’s just a Halloween party, Kinzee. I’m just going to throw something together.” Tanya cringed inwardly. Makinzee was the apparel queen and was always voicing her opinion on Tanya’s choice of clothing. This afternoon was going to be one from hell. She could tell by the expression on Makinzee’s face she was in for an afternoon of playing dress up.
The wrinkle that formed across Makinzee’s nose was one of disgust. “Okay, that’s it. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I’m in charge of your costume. You are not showing up at Mark’s party dressed as plain ol’ Tanya Dobbins. Uh, uh, ain’t happenin’.”
Why did she have to live with someone that always harped about her wardrobe? Tanya crossed her eyes. Yay, what fun. She was about to become Makinzee’s life-size dress up doll. Sadly, when Makinzee decides to do something, there is no stopping her. Tanya slumped in defeat.
“Chop, chop. Finish your coffee, we need to get started.”
Tipping her coffee cup, Tanya drank the last of her coffee then tossed her banana peel in the garbage can. Makinzee grabbed her arm, dragging her down the hall to her bedroom. Like a madwoman, Makinzee threw open the closet door and began pulling out every dress she owned, taking a moment to examine them before tossing them over her head.
Tanya stared in horror at her friend’s carelessness. “Seriously, Kinzee, would it hurt you to just put them back in the closet?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get them back…eventually.”
Several dresses later and Makinzee squealed, bouncing up and down. “I have it.” She spun around. “I found the perfect dress for your costume.” Holding it out, she said, “Here, put it on.”
All color drained from Tanya’s face at the lack of skirt on the leather dress that her friend held out to her. “Um, no. There is no way I can wear something that short. My rear would be hanging out for all to see.” She shook her head in refusal.
A devilish grin formed on Makinzee’s face as she shoved the dress into Tanya’s arms. It was clear this girl was not going to take no for an answer. “This,” she looked at the dress, “is perfect. Now put it on.”
That’s it, there was no getting out of this mess. Tanya’s lips formed a tight line. “Fine.” She took the dress off the hanger, handed the piece of plastic back to her friend, and headed to the bathroom.
Tanya could not take her eyes off her reflection. The dress left little to the imagination. The neck dipped low enough most of her breasts showed, and the skirt ended just below the globe of her rear.
A knock sounded on the door. “Come on, I found some heels that will rock that outfit.”
Dread bubbled up in Tanya. This was not her. She was practical and comfy, not skimpy and slutty. Opening the door, she stepped into the hall. “I feel like a cheap hooker.”
Makinzee waved off her remark, murmuring, “You’ll look phenomenal.”
At the sight of the silver stilettos in Makinzee’s hand, Tanya’s eyes bugged out of her head. “No.”
“Come on.” Makinzee extended her arm, the stilettos dangling from her fingers. “Just put them on so I can get your hair done.”
Sheesh, why didn’t she just tell Makinzee from the start that she’d already bought an outfit? She could have avoided this whole mess. Rolling her eyes, she took the heels and slipped them on.
The stilettos added height. They also felt awkward. Tanya took an unsteady step, almost toppling over. “Kinzee, I’m going to fall and break my neck.”
Ignoring her, Makinzee pointed at the shiny heels with satisfaction. “Just as I thought. They’re perfect.”
Once Tanya gathered her balance, she shifted her weight to her left side, planted her hands on her hips, and posed for her friend.
Makinzee clapped. “Oh, Tanya, you look amazing.” With no care about Tanya’s unstable balance, she led her back to the room and toward the bed. “Time for a new hairdo and makeup.”
Makinzee worked like a professional. A tease to add volume, curls to add character, and a spritz of hairspray to hold it all together. The makeup took a little longer, but an hour later Tanya stared back at her reflection in awe of how beautiful she looked. Yes, the blue eye shadow and cherry-red lipstick completed her hooker look but aside from that, she was stunning.
Tanya smiled at her reflection. “You did good.”
Makinzee beamed. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I do.” Hugging her friend, she turned to leave. As she stepped over the threshold a shiver ran up her spine. The feeling reminded her of the nightmare she’d had. A chill breezed through her, and she couldn’t shake the dread surfacing within her.
Chapter Four
The door chimed when Serienna entered the bookstore. It was like a ghost town in here. Antonia sat on a barstool, thumbing through a magazine. “Hey Antonia, how are you today?”
She glanced up. “Bored.”
Last year it was Serienna that sat on that very barstool, bored out of her mind. “Slow day?”
Antonia rolled her eyes. “Slow is an understatement.” She turned her attention back to the article in the magazine. “We’ve only had one customer today, and she was in and out within minutes.”
“Sorry, hun.” Serienna gave her an apologetic smile. She knew how torturous these days could be. “Is Dannika around?”
Nodding toward the back of the store, Antonia said, “Yeah, she’s in her office doing paperwork.”
“Thanks.” If Dannika agreed, she’d close shop so Antonia could leave. Chances of any costumers at this point was unlikely. She entered the employee area of the bookstore, and a cold chill hit her bones. “What in the world?” Uneasiness came over her, and she rubbed her arms, nervously looking around.
As she passed Tanya’s office, the sound of breaking glass made her jump. The noise had come from Dannika’s office. Quickening her steps, she burst through the door. What was taking place on the other side of that door was something Serienna hadn’t expected to witness.
Dannika’s back slammed onto the top of her desk, her hands pinned above her head by a bulky man. He glanced up at the intrusion, hissing at Serienna. The glint from his right hand drew her eyes upward. Above his head, he held a large knife, ready to stab Dannika in the heart.
“What the heck?” Acting purely on instinct, Serienna grabbed a nearby chair and ran toward her friend’s attacker. Planting her left foot in front of the other, she swung the metal chair at the man’s right arm.
The chair back struck him right below the wrist causing him to lose his grip on the knife. The handle of the weapon hit the wall with a thud. He let go of Dannika to face Serienna. The anger burning in his eyes scared her, and red ringed his dark-green irises. To her utter shock, the red in his eyes was not the only odd thing. She had to lean forward and squint to see it clearly, but in the center of his irises a purple glow danced like a burning flame.
Seconds passed, and Serienna held her breath, waiting for him to attack her. She flinched when he snarled like a wild animal, but instead of attacking, he ran out of the office at an inhuman speed.
“What the hell?” She ran after him. The hallway was empty and so was the store. Who moves that quickly? Antonia was still si
tting on her barstool. “Did you see a man run through here?” Surely, he hadn’t left the store without being seen.
Antonia shut the magazine, pushing it to the side. “No, no one has been in here.” She nodded toward the door. “But the door blew open a minute ago. It must be getting windy out there.”
Yeah, or we have a superhuman freak running around Nebraska. “Okay. Well, we’re about done back there. You’re free to go.”
Not needing to be told twice, Antonia bent over to retrieve her purse from the cubby at her feet and left.
Figuring the man with super speed must have snuck out without being seen, Serienna locked the door and went back to the office.
Dannika leaned against her desk, ankles crossed and a hand over her heart. All color had drained from her face, leaving her looking like a porcelain doll. Serienna approached her like she would a frightened puppy. “I guess he’s gone. I couldn’t find him anywhere.”
“I hope I never see that creep again.” Dannika reached for the phone with a trembling hand.
Seeing her friend struggle to pick up the phone, Serienna brushed her hand aside and dialed 911. “I’ve got this. You sit back and calm your nerves.”
“Promise me that you won’t say anything to the others until after the party.”
Serienna raised her brow. That was not a great idea. If the others learned about this through the grapevine, they’d be upset, and rightfully so. Against her better judgement, she agreed. “Fine, but you have to tell them.”
Dannika nodded, refusing to look at her. “I will.”
“Tonight,” Serienna urged.
Staring at a spot on the far wall, Dannika sighed. “Tonight.” Her voice was nothing more than a whisper and Serienna had to strain to hear it.
The dispatcher answered on the third ring. “Nine-one-one, please state your emergency.”
Chapter Five
The music could be heard a block away. Tanya recognized her favorite song, If I Die Tomorrow, as she and her friends walked toward Mark’s house. Unable to help herself, she sang along. She knew she sang horribly off-key, but she didn’t care.
Mark Reese stood on the lawn wearing a black cape and fangs, droplets of fake blood stained the corner of his mouth. As soon as he spotted them, he headed in their direction waving. “I’m so glad you girls are here. It wouldn’t be a party without my favorite girls.” He wrapped Dannika up in a hug. “I vaunt to suck your blood.”
“You’re a dork,” Dannika said, slapping him on the arm.
“Yeah, but you love me anyway.” He greeted Serienna, Makinzee, Regina, and Tanya with a hug.
“That’s debatable,” Dannika replied.
Tanya observed the two. She couldn’t believe how blind Dannika was to his advances. Every time he was around, he flirted with the girl. He had no shame when it came to her cousin.
Tanya wondered when Dannika would open her eyes and discover that one of the greatest men alive was madly in love with her. Heck, if he wasn’t interested in her cousin she’d be the one chasing him. The man was as fine as they came. He spent all his free time in the gym, and his rock-solid, six-pack abs were proof.
The volume of the music increased when they entered the house. The furniture had been pushed against the walls so the guests could have a makeshift dancefloor. The room was packed full of gyrating bodies.
A flush crept up Tanya’s cheeks at the sight of a couple dancing so provocatively they were practically having sex fully clothed. Though she felt a sense of embarrassment at having witnessed their movements, she couldn’t peel her eyes off the couple. They moved so fluidly, totally in tune with one another.
A new song blasted through the speakers, Dark Horse. She loved this song. Entranced by the lyrics, Tanya swayed her body to the beat of the music. Someday she’d find a guy who wanted to make her his one and only.
Time had passed, but she couldn’t be certain how much time had gone by. The only thing she was aware of was the fact that at least ten songs had played, possibly more. She’d been completely lost in the music.
“Tanya?”
Tanya opened her eyes to find the owner of the voice calling her name. Strange. It didn’t sound like her name had been yelled, it was more of a whisper. Curious, she stood on her tiptoes to see over the sea of bodies. Nothing stood out to her. Everyone around her was solely focused on their dancing partner.
Serienna and Makinzee danced with one another, and Regina spun in the arms of a guy wearing a ninja suit. Making her way through the crowd, Tanya spotted Dannika off in a corner dancing with Mark. There wasn’t a soul in this room looking in her direction.
Tanya… The voice invaded her mind once again and this time she knew it hadn’t been spoken aloud.
Spinning around, she searched the faces around her once more. Now she was beginning to get an uneasy feeling. The voice in her head mixed with her nightmare from earlier did not sit well with her.
Squeezing through the mass of bodies proved difficult, but she finally made her way to Dannika and Mark. She must have looked as spooked as she felt because Dannika immediately grabbed her arm, her eyes searching their surroundings. “What’s wrong, Tay?”
The slight trembling of Dannika’s hand forced Tanya to glance down at their joined hands. This was unusual behavior for her cousin. Her cousin was the calm, cool, and collected type not the nervous type with a thin layer of sweat coating her forehead and upper lip.
“Tanya?” Dannika tugged on her hand. “What is wrong? Is there some psycho here?”
Strange that she should ask that question. “No. Why do you ask such a question?”
Dannika raised a brow. “Because you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Tanya, it’s time. The voice caressed her mind like a lover.
Plugging her ears to hear the voice more clearly did not help. Nothing else was said. “Did you hear that?”
Mark raised an eyebrow at her. “Hear what? Who can hear anything above this noise?” he shouted.
“I don’t know. I guess I’m just tired.”
Mark untwined his fingers from Dannika’s. “How about some punch?”
Tanya wrinkled her nose. “No, thanks.”
“I have a bottle of Merlot upstairs,” he added with a grin.
Tanya shook her head with a smile. She opened her mouth to respond, but a glimpse out of the corner of her eye stopped her. Who was that man? Following him with her eyes, she watched him lean against the doorframe to the kitchen.
He brushed his brown hair out of his eyes, never taking his focus off her. Tanya… whispered the voice.
As odd as it seemed, Tanya knew deep down that the voice belonged to this man. “Excuse me a minute,” she said to Dannika and Mark. They had said something to her, but she was on a mission to find out who this stranger was and didn’t hear what they’d said.
The stranger crossed his arms, a serious look in his eye. That’s right, come to me, he coaxed.
Tanya quickened her steps, pushing through the masses to get to her hypnotic stranger. The room was packed so tightly, she had to shove her way through. She was almost there. Squeezing between two bodies was no easy feat, but now she stood on the edge of the make-shift dance floor.
The place where he’d stood just seconds before was now void. He’d left.
Tanya searched the entire lower floor for this mystery man, but he was nowhere to be found. Was it possible he was an illusion, something just in her head? That made the most sense, no human alive could speak telepathically. Jeez, she really needed a vacation. Obviously, her brain was on overload between work and school.
***
The last guest filed out, and Mark walked them to the door. “You girls always brighten my day. Thanks for coming.”
“Of course,” they spoke in unison.
&nbs
p; Dannika stepped forward to give him a hug. “Thanks for the invite. We had a blast.”
Mark gave her a squeeze, holding her just a little longer than necessary. Tanya watched as he tilted his head and casually smelled her hair. The guy was smitten, that much was clear to anyone with eyes.
Tanya stood back while the others hugged Mark. There was no way to explain the feeling she had, but she’d swear she was being watched. Of course, it was Halloween. That holiday alone made her more cautious and paranoid than normal.
Once the others had had their turn, she took her turn and hugged Mark. He smelled of Dannika’s perfume and citrus. “See you tomorrow.”
He smiled down at her. “See you. Are you sure you girls don’t want a ride?”
Tanya shook her head. “No, we’re just walking down the street.”
“Okay.” He waved, stepping onto the porch to watch them as they walked home.
Chapter Six
It was well after midnight when they left Mark’s house. Tanya rubbed a sore spot on her neck. After Makinzee fussing over her costume and a night of dancing, she was more than ready to climb into bed.
Serienna yawned rather loudly. “Oh, I can’t wait to get home.” Pausing for a moment, she slipped her heels off. “My bed is so calling my name.” Jogging the few steps to catch up, she continued, “I’m just glad that tomorrow is my day off.” The fact was, she only worked at the bookstore one to two days a week and spent her free time with her nose in medical journals.
Tanya rolled her eyes. Tomorrow was her day to open, and that meant she had to be out of bed by five. Ugh, she hated the early morning shift.
“Wish we all had that luxury, Rienna, but since the five of us own the joint,” Makinzee said with a yawn, “somebody’s got to be there.” In truth, Makinzee didn’t have to get up as early as Tanya because she had morning classes.
Princesses of the Night (Royal Blood Book 1) Page 2
