by Amber Riley
“Now, now.” The Marquis came in, spinning his cane. He winked at me as he sauntered up next to Davis, wearing gray sweatpants. “Patience is a virtue.”
I looked down at the severed head and shifted over so Lyn couldn’t see around me. Her shaking had gotten worse, and she had a death grip on my arm. “It’s all right,” I said over my shoulder.
“It’s all right?” Francesca spun around in a circle, her pleated skirt twirling around her. “Yes, it’s all right.” She stopped and met my eye. “Because I’m going to kill you.”
The Marquis cracked his cane against the back of her head. “Watch your mouth.”
“Kaden, I’m really sorry about this,” Davis muttered.
“Human,” Francesca called, “come out from behind him.”
A silence fell around us. They were waiting for me to decide what I was going to do, and we were waiting to see if anyone was going to try talking some sense into her. Then the Marquis smiled expectantly while Davis gave him a death stare. Everyone was watching me now, waiting to see what I would do.
“Just have her step out from behind you,” Stu muttered from the corner of his mouth. “Before she gets violent.”
“Let her try,” I snapped.
Sullivan pried Lyn’s hands from me and led her into the space between us. Her face was as white as a sheet. He nodded to her reassuringly and let go of her hand. I tried to reach out and pull her back, but Flo knocked my hand away.
“You’re eating again,” the Marquis observed in a pleased voice. “Phoenix is going to be happy about that.”
“Enough,” I hissed. “Leave her out of this.”
Francesca eyed Lyn, first with glee and then with hatred. “We need time to rethink our strategy,” she said in a calm voice and turned toward the door.
The Marquis followed on her heels, but Davis kept standing there. He looked at each of us before letting out a breath. They were outnumbered now. The odds were in our favor, and he knew it. He took off after the other two. It would have been smart to make a move against them while we had the upper hand. And they knew that was what we would be thinking.
“Calm down,” Reece said. “They can’t find replacements with that kind of strength in just a few days. We can come up with a plan before that.”
“Why didn’t you talk to me about this?” I fumed.
We were back in my living room safe and sound. Of course we were safe. If they had attacked us in The Amaryllis, they would have lost. They knew it as well as I did. Francesca may have wanted to test her luck, but deep down even she knew better. I just wished I had been prepared for a scene like that. Especially with Lyn there.
She hadn’t stopped sobbing since I set her down on the couch. Alex sat next to her, rubbing her back. I was sure it was meant to be comforting, but it still yanked on a few of my nerves.
“Because you would have found some reason to talk me out of it,” Sid said. “Besides, they were my favors to cash. And you’re welcome.”
“Shit,” I muttered under my breath when I saw Lyn again. Her face was too pale. Why did they have to bring the head with them? I thought. “Shhh.” I helped her stand up. “Stop crying. Everything’s all right now.” I closed my eyes, resting my cheek on top of her head. It wasn’t all right, but it would be.
“There was a head,” she mumbled into my shirt.
“I know.” I wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Let’s get you in bed.”
I glanced at Sullivan, who was by far the only understanding one in the room. I looked to him for support and got a half smile with a nod. He knew what I was asking and agreed to it, but I didn’t miss that hint of sadness behind his eyes.
It took Lyn a few minutes to get her hands to work well enough to change clothes, but once she was beneath the covers, I got in beside her. I ignored the knot in my stomach and held my arm out to her. “Come here.”
She inched across the bed and rested her head on my shoulder. Her tears soaked my shirt as she cried herself to sleep.
Chapter 18
I used my towel to wipe the fog off the bathroom mirror. There was a heaviness in my chest that hadn’t been there before. I didn’t really understand it. It should have been the opposite. A weight was about to be lifted, but that light, relieved feeling was missing.
I threw a little water on my face and opened the bathroom door. Lyn was sitting in the chair again with her hair falling around her shoulder, and her eyes were puffy from crying. I had wanted to wait until I solidified my freedom again before I had everything cleared from her mind. If Francesca was still lurking around and Lyn had no idea what was going on, then it would end badly. That, and there was always the off chance that I would lose. But after last night, it was time.
It wasn’t like I had gotten so attached to Lyn that I couldn’t let go. Having her memories erased was for her own good. That was what I was telling myself, so it had to be true. I couldn’t imagine how she could be this deeply involved with vampires and not end up dead. She’d only been here for a matter of days, and she had already seen enough carnage to last her the rest of her life.
“Kaden?” Her voice cracked, and she paused. “About last night, that woman …”
“Francesca?”
She nodded and seemed to sink deeper into the chair. If I were her, having a severed head tossed at my feet would have traumatized me too. It was my fault for bringing her with us, but I didn’t know what else to do with her. It would have been the perfect time for them to break in and kill her.
Of course, I was taking that risk by sending her home. It wouldn’t really be safe for awhile. I’d have to bank on Francesca’s thinking I had lost interest. She would look at this as giving Lyn up because I wasn’t interested anymore. She didn’t really understand emotions, not that I did. I couldn’t get a firm grasp on my own, let alone anyone else’s. But I needed to believe Lyn would be safer at her own house.
I sat down on the edge of my bed and patted the spot next to me. She slowly pulled herself up and took the few steps to sit beside me. Her heart sped up, and her hands were shaking in her lap. I hated seeing her like that.
“I’m sorry you had to be there,” I started. “It was my fault; I never should have taken you with us. I was worried something would happen to you if I let you out of my sight, but something happened to you anyway.” I stopped talking and rubbed the right side of my face. “I’m not good at this kind of thing.”
“What kind of thing?” she whispered.
“Apologizing.” I sighed. “Not all vampires are like us, you know. Some of them are the ruthless, bloodthirsty monsters that we’re portrayed as. Even we feel the attraction of that lifestyle sometimes. It was a long, hard road to learn the control it takes to be like this. And … and I don’t like that you’re afraid of me now, but I’m going to make things better for you.”
She was quiet for a long time. It twisted my stomach not knowing what was running through her mind, but that was as much as I could say. I wasn’t one for deep conversation.
“I’m not afraid of you,” she finally managed to say. “I was at first, but then it clicked. You could have killed me instead of keeping me around. You could have let your enemies kill me, but you didn’t. I can tell you’re not evil. It’s just been a lot to process.”
I stood up and bent down to her eye level. With one finger, I lifted her chin until she looked at me. I kissed her softly on the lips. “I know it has.” I placed one last kiss on her forehead and left her sitting there alone. I had to get out then, before I changed my mind.
Sullivan was waiting for me just outside the door. He was studying the medallions on the wallpaper like they were actually something of interest. His hair was pulled back away from his face tonight, making his features sharper.
“Are you positive?” he asked.
I shook my head, but my mind was made up. “Just do it.”
Then it was my turn to study the wallpaper, but to me they were just a bunch of blobs. A fight between Flo and Stu was
starting downstairs. Their voices sounded muffled in my ears. The feeling in my chest grew heavier. Those two short minutes waiting for Sullivan to come out again were two of the longest minutes I ever experienced.
When he finally came out again, he was frowning slightly. He quickly wiped the frown away, nodded, and continued walking by me. I watched him walk downstairs without looking back. It made me wonder if he had actually disagreed or if something had happened.
I forced myself back into my room. She would be unconscious for the next twelve hours, maybe more. Now I just had to get her home and into her own bed. When she woke up again she might have a slight headache, but she wouldn’t remember anything about us. She wouldn’t remember me.
She was lying still on the bed. If it wasn’t for the steady sound of her heart and the rising and falling of her chest, I would have been worried. Her face didn’t look as peaceful as I had imagined it would, but it would be over soon. She could go back to her normal life.
“I’ll drive you,” Alex said from the doorway, clinking the keys. He glared at me with unfriendly eyes. “I’ll wait in the car.”
He spun on his heels, and a moment later he was slamming the front door. I turned back to Lyn and scooped her up so her head was resting on my shoulder. I closed my eyes and inhaled her scent. It flooded my senses, and I opened my eyes again.
With heavy feet, I carried her to the car. The wind was whistling through the trees, and I wished I had had the sense to grab Lyn’s coat. Alex was holding the back door to Reece’s Trailblazer open so I could set her inside. He kept standing there as I laid her across the backseat, and when I stepped back he slammed the door so hard the vehicle swayed.
Once we were both inside, he started the engine and stomped onto the gas. The SUV lurched forward, and I grabbed the dashboard. “I could have taken her myself,” I told him.
He scoffed. “Like you could have taken her through the city like that without getting yourself into some kind of trouble.”
I grabbed onto the bar above the window as we whipped out of the driveway. “No one would have seen us.”
“The first time you took off running with her, she was puking her guts out in an alley,” he snapped. “Don’t you think this is a better idea?”
I looked over my shoulder at Lyn and was suddenly mad at myself. I should have thought of that, but she had been fine the night before.
Alex’s driving probably wasn’t much better. If we got to her house without getting into an accident, then it would be a miracle. I wasn’t going to tell him to slow down or take it easy. He was obviously already upset with me, and I didn’t want to get into an argument. Alex was the least of my worries. I reached over and buckled myself in. We were probably going to get pulled over at this rate. It would be interesting to see how he explained the woman in the backseat.
We flew through traffic. At every red light Alex slammed on the brakes, he honked the horn when other cars were in his way, and he almost took out a few pedestrians. Businesses with neon lights whizzed by outside. We avoided buses and a couple limos that were on the side of the road.
During the entire forty-five minute drive, I opened my mouth only once, to tell him there was a cop car. His response was to blare the radio. By the time he parked in front of Lyn’s house, my head was throbbing.
“What was that about?” I growled, climbing out of the car and opening the back door. He did the same on the driver’s side. “I’m surprised no one got killed on the way here.”
“I had it under control.” He leaned in to pull Lyn toward him.
“I’ve got her,” I snapped, lifting her gently. “Just open the front door.”
A group of teenagers walked down the sidewalk and stared. I shifted Lyn so her head wasn’t hanging back and her arm wasn’t hanging limply beside her. I smiled to try to avert their suspicion. It would have worked if one of them hadn’t noticed Alex’s using a credit card to open the door.
I hurried onto the porch and grabbed the handle. One of the teens was already on her cell phone, which I assumed was to contact the police. I pushed the door, breaking the lock, and stepped inside.
Alex was right behind me as I carried her to her room. It was exactly how she had left it. The bed was made, her textbook was open on her desk, and clothes I hadn’t been able to fit in her duffle bag were tossed in front of the closet.
“Her roommates are out,” Alex said.
I nodded and waited while he pulled the covers back. My hands gripped her a little tighter. I didn’t want to put her down. I actually took a step away from the bed before snapping out of it. It was already over; she already didn’t remember.
A numbness came over me as I set her down on the pale yellow sheets. With my right hand, I reached down and grabbed the blankets. I tucked them around her and brushed the hair from her face. She still looked troubled, if that was possible for an unconscious person.
“Are you having a nightmare?” I whispered. I traced my fingers down her cheek. “You’re supposed to be having good dreams now.”
“You’d better get going,” Alex said. “If they called the police on us, then Frank will probably show up.”
I stared at Lyn for a few more seconds before kissing her forehead. I stood up straight and cracked my knuckles. I glanced at Alex and walked over to her desk. He was probably going to have a problem with this too, but I opened the top drawer and pulled my ring off. I set it next to her pencil sharpener and shut the drawer again. I wanted her to have a piece of me.
“Let’s go,” I told him.
“I’m staying to make sure she wakes up all right.” He brushed past me and plopped himself down in her desk chair. “She’ll remember me anyway, since I’m her roommate’s boyfriend.”
My hand tingled with the urge to punch him in the face. “If you stay, then Francesca might get the wrong idea and think I’m having you protect her.”
He shrugged. “Since it’s obviously something you couldn’t do.”
My fist flew toward his face before I could stop myself. Blood spurted out of his nose. His jaw dropped, but he didn’t try to retaliate. He knew better. I stormed out of the house and started running.
I didn’t stop until I reached Flushing Park. The Unisphere loomed in front of me. The fountains were turned off, but the lights were still on. The steel globe was to symbolize peace through understanding. If that was all it took, then I’d be in a very different place right now.
There wasn’t anyone around tonight; it was too cold for a stroll. I found the nearest bench and sat down. I rested my elbows on my knees and held my face in my hands. The wind carried the scent of rain in the air. If I waited there long, then I would get soaked, but I found it hard to care.
I couldn’t help but wonder why everything seemed so much less important now. What did I care about this city? I had lived there for a long time, and I’d had a good routine going for a while, but it wouldn’t go back to the way it was. Things were changing; I was changing. Maybe it was time to embrace that and move on.
“What are you doing out here?” Flo asked.
I looked up and frowned. Stu and Sullivan were with her, along with Sid and Reece. I had been hoping for a few minutes alone to sort out this strange feeling. “What are you doing here?” I replied.
“We’re heading to my bar. This is a shortcut,” Sid said. “We’ve got business stuff to do, and they’re looking for dinner.”
Sid wasn’t cracked up about vampires feeding on his patrons, but he didn’t seem to mind then. Desperate times called for desperate measures. With so few werewolves left, it was safer to be with vampires.
“Did you get her home safely?” Sullivan asked.
I nodded and looked toward the Unisphere. I felt empty. Empty and angry. Alex was by her side where I wanted to be. I had to let it stop bothering me and focus.
There was a loud thud in front of me, and I jumped. Sid was laying face-first on the ground. We were all instantly on edge. There wasn’t anyone in the park besides
us. Reece knelt down carefully to check on him, and a low growl escaped from his throat.
He looked up, and his eyes glowed yellow green. The sounds of bones popping and tearing flesh echoed as he transformed; the air around us was vibrating with his growls. He barreled forward, lips curled in anger, before we could even see what he was running toward.
Francesca was on the other side of the Unisphere. Davis was trying to pull her back as another wolf rammed into Reece’s side. Flo hissed and was the first to run forward, but what she didn’t notice was that we were outnumbered.
Stu called to her, but it was too late. The only thing left to do was follow her. Half a dozen vampires were running toward us, but one in particular had singled me out.
Francesca smiled. Her eyes fixated on me as she got closer and closer. When she finally hit me, it was like a battering ram. I fell to the ground with her on top of me. Her teeth snapped at my neck. I shoved her away and got back on my feet. She was back on hers just as fast.
When she flew at me again, Reece caught her ankle in his mouth in midair. Her body was catapulted toward the statue of the Rocket Thrower. I sped after her. I wasn’t waiting. I lunged at her throat and sunk my teeth into her jugular vein. She shrieked. Her fingernails dug into my back. She tore at my skin. Blood trickled from the gashes and soaked through my shirt. I punched the front of her throat, collapsing her windpipe.
While she was clutching at it, I grabbed her by the hair. “I said I wasn’t going back.” I jumped onto the very top of the bronze sculpture. “I meant it.” I took her by the shoulders and shoved her down so the point of the star pierced her heart.
The wind carried her ashes back toward the Unisphere. I hurried back, but the fight was already over. That was what bringing baby vampires against ones as powerful as us resulted in. Even Francesca hadn’t posed much of a threat.
I looked around to make sure I wasn’t missing something. As it was, I felt like things were unfinished. It was too easy. It was too quick. All that buildup for such a small climax—things never worked like that.
