Regina put their new toy in drive. When she reached the end of the long driveway, she rolled down her window to punch in the security code to the massive gate.
Chapter Sixteen
The shopping center wasn’t far away, just two blocks east and one block north. Unlike those large shopping centers that stay open 24/7, this one was closed at ten o’clock. Spencer is a small town, there isn’t anything more than this basic store, a grocery store up the road, and a gas station at the edge of town.
As they walked in the door, an older man wearing a bright-green employee vest approached them. “You have fifteen minutes.” Not bothering to wait for their response, he locked the double doors then disappeared around the corner.
Tanya followed Regina to the newly released movies.
“Look, Tanya, they have that Witch Mountain movie that Mark wanted to see.” A sad expression crossed her face as she examined the front and back of the box. “We were supposed to get this and have a movie night before Thanksgiving.”
At the mention of Mark, Tanya’s shoulders slumped, her good mood now somber. “I know.”
Regina tossed the movie in the cart. “Man, I’m going to miss that little booger.”
“Yeah, me too.” Tanya stared down at the movie. “At least we’ll have the movie, it’ll give us a little reminder for those days when we really miss his company.” She had a feeling there would be a lot of those days.
They moved further down the aisle, reading the backs of all the new movies. The squeal that left Regina stopped Tanya in her tracks. Looking up, she noticed what had her friend so excited. It was a complete box set of One Tree Hill. That show was a must in their home. Who doesn’t love drama, hot guys, and betrayal? Every Tuesday the five of them gathered around the television with popcorn, nachos, and soda for their One Tree Hill fix.
Regina snatched a box off the shelf. “Girl, you know that this is a must.” She hugged the box to her chest. “Do I even need to mention how hot Chad is?” At the mention of his name she began to fan herself to express his hotness.
Tanya giggled. There was never a dull moment with this girl around. She was dramatic to the core. Agreeing on the movie, Regina tossed the box set in the cart. After viewing several movies, they left the electronic department and made their way toward the luggage.
The store didn’t have a great selection. Most of the luggage was camouflaged, then there were a couple of pea-green and a handful of princess prints. They dug through the entire stock in hopes of finding something halfway decent. Just when they thought all hope was lost, they found five purple suitcases at the end of the aisle past the children’s totes.
“Hallelujah.” Regina pulled them off the shelf, tossing a stray children’s tote back in place. “There for a minute, I thought we’d have to tote around some butt-ugly junk.”
That statement made Tanya chuckle. “Regina, you’re a nut.”
Unfortunately, the shopping cart wasn’t large enough to fit all their new luggage. Regina stuffed one case under the cart, and Tanya placed two inside.
“I’ll go fetch another shopping cart. You stay here and keep an eye on those two until I return.” Tanya knew that last statement was unnecessary, Regina would sell her left leg to keep anyone else from taking those last two.
Sadness overcame Tanya as it suddenly hit her that she wouldn’t be walking the aisles of this store again. Nor would she drive the streets in this small town. If only they could get a proper goodbye with Mark, that may help ease some of her pain. Not likely. He had been their friend since forever.
As she reached the front of the store, she heard a familiar voice behind her. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach. This could not be happening, not like this.
“Great game tonight, guys.” High fives sounded behind her as he said goodbye to his football buddies. The sound of Mark’s voice tugged at her heartstrings. It took everything she had to fight the urge to turn around and say hi to him, to put her arms around his neck and kiss his cheek.
Keeping her head down and her pace slow, she pulled the shopping cart from the return rack. Taking a deep breath, she backed up just as slowly, silently praying he wouldn’t see her. Just when she thought she was in the clear, she felt a tap on her shoulder.
No, no, no, no, no. Please don’t let that be Mark. Whoever is listening, please let that be anyone but Mark. Leaving would be so much easier if he never saw them again. The liability was too great.
Ducking her head further, she turned around, hoping to find the face of a stranger. His sneakers came into view, and she squeezed her eyes shut. As if that would keep him from seeing her.
He placed his finger under her chin and gently lifted her head. “I knew that was you.”
Still, she refused to look him in the eyes.
Clearing his throat, he pinched her chin to gain her attention. “Tanya, look at me.”
She did, and his warming smile was all she needed to release some of the worry from her. Smiling back, she threw her arms around his waist, hugging him tight. Warring with the urge to tell him everything, she bit her lip. This was the first secret she had ever kept from him. “Hey, Mark.”
“Hey yourself.” He pulled back and peered into her eyes. “I’ve called you guys about a hundred times this last week. Where on earth have you all been?”
“Oh, um, we’ve been busy.” Tanya backed up a few steps, eager to get out of there.
“Busy huh?” He opened his mouth like he was going to say something else, but then his facial expression changed. Frowning, his eyes darted all over her body. He stepped close, close enough that she could feel his minty breath on her face. Cupping her face in his hands, he searched her face before taking a step back. Circling her twice, he finally asked, “Honey, what on earth did you do to yourself?”
“Nothing, I…” She couldn’t even finish her sentence. His finger flew up to her lips to shush her.
“Nothing my…” Instead of voicing that thought, he tried a different tactic. “Seriously, sweetie, it’s me you’re talking to. You know you can tell me anything. I won’t judge you. I love you.” His eyes changed from concerned to pleading, and it tore her heart in two.
She almost cracked, but knowing she’d be putting his life in danger if she did, stopped her. The one thing Lazarith had stressed to them was that vampire law stated they keep their race a secret. The punishment for those who broke that law was death, and the one that learned the secret would have to be dealt with, whatever that meant.
“Tanya, please. We have never kept secrets. Let’s not start now.” He grabbed her hand, sandwiching it between his larger ones. When she didn’t break, he pulled her over into the clothing section out of earshot of other customers. Looking around to make sure there wasn’t a soul in sight, he said, “I can see that there is something different about you.”
She stiffened at his words. Don’t let him say it.
“Tanya, you’re as pale as a vampire.” Oh God, he said it.
Chapter Seventeen
Why did he have to say vampire? Tanya froze, back stiff and wide eyed. No, no, no. Her breathing came faster. Oh god, please no. The pounding in her chest drowned out all other noise. How had he figured it out? They’d made zero contact with him since that fateful night.
He leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “Are you girls into drugs?”
Tanya’s shoulders instantly relaxed, and she let out a sigh of relief, not realizing she’d been holding in a breath. Though she was relieved he hadn’t learned their truth, she was disappointed he thought any of them would ever touch drugs. “No, we’re not doing drugs.”
He sighed. “Thank goodness.”
Feeling uncomfortable, Tanya took a step back. “Look, I really need to go.”
His grip on her arm tightened, and he placed his other hand on her shoulder to hold her firmly
in place. “Um, no. You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what exactly is wrong with you.”
Sad, she let her head fall and gave it a slow shake. “Please, just let it go. I don’t have time to talk, I really need to leave.”
His lips formed a tight line, and his eyes darkened for a moment with his disappointment. “Fine.” Letting his hands fall, he took a step back. “I’ll let this go. For now.”
“Thanks.” She blinked back her tears before looking him in the eye.
He pursed his lips and blew out a breath. “But this isn’t over. I want answers.”
“Okay.”
“Call me later.” When she didn’t respond, he touched her arm. “Promise me. I mean it.”
“I promise.” She ran her fingertips along his jaw, wanting to remember him, to remember the feel of his skin. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” He gave her a hug, a little tighter than normal, like he was afraid he’d never see her again. Which, sadly, was the absolute truth. “Go on, get back to what you need to do.”
She blew him a kiss as she walked back toward her shopping cart. Leaving him behind was proving harder than she thought it would be. Without a backward glance, she pushed her cart in the opposite direction of Regina in hopes Mark wouldn’t follow.
When she reached the pharmacy, she looked over her shoulder to see if he was still there or if he’d finally left. He was still rooted in the same spot. Dang.
He gave her a wave then shoved his hands in his pockets. A million curse words left her lips. Seeing him sad and heartbroken because of her crushed her heart. She had to get out of here before she did something stupid.
Smiling, she turned down the kitchen appliance aisle. Quickening her pace, she weaved through a few aisles then stopped to survey the area, to make sure Mark had not followed her. He was nowhere in sight.
Satisfied, she turned right and headed straight for the luggage aisle.
Regina was scrolling through her phone, tapping her foot in annoyance. At the sound of the shopping carts noisy wheels, she looked up and stuffed her phone in her purse. “Dang, girl, took you long enough. I thought that maybe you’d decided to just leave me here.”
Tanya shook her head. “Sorry.”
Regina’s hands flew to her hips. “And just where have you been?”
“Well.” Tanya bit her bottom lip. “I ran into Mark.”
The tapping stopped, and Regina’s eyes grew so big Tanya feared they’d pop right out of her head. “Seriously?”
Tanya nodded, nervously twisting the ring on her middle finger.
Regina noticed Tanya’s nervous tick and pried her fingers away from the ring. “Crap. What happened?” She bent over to get the remaining luggage and crammed it into the extra cart.
“Well.” Tanya started pacing, her fingers unconsciously twisting the ring again. “He noticed the changes in my face.”
Regina gasped, her face paling.
Noticing her friends panicked expression, Tanya chuckled. “Check this out. He said that I was as pale as a vampire.”
“Oh no. This is not good.” Regina gripped the handlebar of the shopping cart in a death grip, her knuckles turning white. “You didn’t tell him that you are one, did you?”
“Yeah, tell me about it.” Tanya stopped her pacing. She couldn’t believe Regina thought she’d break the law and put their oldest friend in danger. “No, I did not say anything to him about us. Thankfully, he didn’t pursue it anymore and let it go.”
“That’s too close for comfort. Let’s go get Makinzee’s lipstick and get the hell out of here before we run into anyone else.” Regina was fidgeting, and she was never nervous about anything. This girl was the cool, calm, and collected one.
Just as the two reached the end of the aisle, a male figure stepped into view. Not just any man, Mark. The look on his face was a mixture of hurt, anger, and concern.
At a loss for words, Tanya said the only thing that came to mind. “Oh…wow.”
Regina cursed under her breath then straightened her shoulders and put a smile on her face as to not show her disappointment. “Mark.”
“Yeah,” he crossed his arms over his chest, “it’s me.” His eyes had a hardness to them that Tanya had never seen before. “Sorry, Tanya, but there was no way I could just let this go.”
“Mark,” Tanya pleaded.
He rocked on his heels. “I followed you because I had to know what was going on with you.” Turning that pointed look at Regina, he grunted. “With all of you.” Mark returned his gaze to Tanya. “I was prepared to kidnap you and whoever else you may have been with and drag you off to the rehab clinic.” He closed his eyes, slowly shaking his head.
With everything in her, Tanya hoped he hadn’t overheard their conversation. “Well, like I said earlier. There’s nothing to worry about.”
If looks could kill.
He glared at her then Regina before returning his eyes toward her. “Nice try, Tanya, but I heard everything you guys just said.” Worry lines appeared on his forehead, and fear clouded his eyes. “What I don’t understand though, is how. Don’t you know that this stuff isn’t real? Vampires are make-believe. Why would you want to pretend to be one? Do you want to be a freak?” The pitch in his voice rose on the last question.
This caused Regina to rush to his side and clamp her hand over his mouth. Looking around, she relaxed her shoulders once she was satisfied no one was near. With the time, there probably hadn’t been anyone in the store for the last ten minutes.
“Look.” Regina’s voice was stern, a tone she’d never used with Mark. “You obviously want answers and will not stop until you get them. Do me a favor though.”
“What?”
“Just shut up until we get this stuff paid for and get to the car.” Regina’s voice softened. “I promise to tell you what you want to know.”
Seeming pleased with her demands, Mark put both hands up in surrender. Regina removed her hand cautiously then relaxed further when he made no attempt at making a scene.
“Listen, I won’t say another word, but you will give me answers once we’re outside.” His voice was low and demanding.
Both girls nodded their agreement, and Mark smiled. It was a kind of sad-triumphant smile but a smile nonetheless. He bumped Tanya with his bootie and took over her shopping cart.
When they neared the checkout line, Regina tossed the car keys to Tanya. “Hey, I’ll take care of this. Why don’t the two of you head out to the car?” This was her way of making sure Mark didn’t start his questioning again in front of witnesses.
Chapter Eighteen
The walk out was silent. Mark didn’t even make small talk. Tanya didn’t like the way his silence made her feel, like he was extremely disappointed in her and couldn’t stand the sight of her. She hated this. Upsetting him was something she had never wanted to do but alas, she had no control over the situation.
The Mercedes unlocked with a small beep when she pressed the button on the key fob.
Mark ceased walking, and Tanya looked back to see what the holdup was. His eyes widened, pupils expanding then contracting. “Ah, sh…” his curse fell short. “You’ve resorted to robbery?”
The shock on his face forced a giggle out of her. “No, we didn’t steal it.” At his skeptical look, she added, “It was a gift.”
His eyes didn’t stray from the vehicle. “Uh…ri-ight.”
Tanya chuckled at the horror etched on his face. “Just get in. I’ll explain the car to you.”
He must have feared being thrown in jail for auto theft because he stood rooted to the curb, shaking his head.
“Come on.” Tanya held her hand out, silently pleading with him to believe her. “It’s not stolen. I swear.”
He hesitated but then proceeded toward the car. It w
asn’t until she crawled into the driver’s seat that he opened the door to get in.
“Alright, time to explain how you got such an expensive car.” Mark caressed the dash with his fingertips. Another thing they had in common was the fact that they’d both grown up poor. Yearning burned in his eyes as he absorbed every detail of the car’s interior.
“First, I want to explain our vampirism to you.” He opened his mouth to say something, and she cut him off. “The car is part of that story.”
Still skeptical, he narrowed his eyes but nodded.
“So.” Tanya looked out the window, watching a stray cat eat crumbs from a deserted POP’S Chicken container. “It happened the night of your Halloween party.”
A tortured groan left him, and he smacked himself on the forehead. “I knew I should have walked you girls home that night.” Red crept into his face. Was he angry at himself? For whatever reason, he looked as though he blamed himself for what he considered their insanity.
She touched his shoulder. Instead of his relaxed and easy-going self, he was stiff and reserved. It hurt to know his feelings toward her were different now. “Well, you didn’t, and you can’t beat yourself up over it.”
Pained eyes met hers then drifted toward the side window. “Easy for you to say.”
Tanya couldn’t stand the thought of him blaming himself. “Look, you know that we travel everywhere on foot. Leaving your house that night was no different than any other.” She sighed. “Our apartment is right around the corner. It’s not like we were walking a mile on a deserted street.”
He turned his steely gaze on her. “I should have followed my instincts.”
“Just listen to the story.”
He said nothing else, just looked out the window, avoiding her gaze.
This distance she felt between them was foreign, she hated the feeling. “When we rounded the corner, we met a man. He had been waiting for us in the alley behind our apartment.”
Princesses of the Night (Royal Blood Book 1) Page 6
