Thinking about it left a bittersweet taste in his mouth, along with a depressing awareness of how many members of his family he’d lost. He would never get another chance to get to know his grandfather. It was a practical loss, considering the secrets and knowledge the man might’ve been able to share with him, but it also made Jack’s heart feel like it was missing a piece.
He realized that at least some of the reason why Katie seemed so irritated with him was probably more about his grandfather than about him. Jack had only returned to the island after his grandfather’s death, and that left him unable to properly see the shadow Peter had left behind.
“Mr. Masterson?” Ryoko’s voice from the top of the basement stairs stirred Jack from his thoughts. “I’ve drawn you a bath.”
Jack sighed, taking a second to glance over the workshop and see if there was anything else he’d missed. He hoped that there was. He hoped for a hidden journal, or maybe an encoded note. Anything that could give him a better sense of who Peter Masterson had been, and what he would have done under similar circumstances.
He slid the door to the workshop firmly shut and headed back upstairs. Ryoko was waiting outside the bathroom, holding a fresh towel and wash cloth. She beamed at him as her eyes met his, brushing a single, spiraling strand of black hair out of her face and behind her ear.
“I laid clothes out in your room for you when you’re finished, sir,” she said.
Jack nodded. “Thanks.”
She waited, watching him for a few seconds, then bowed and turned to leave.
“Ryoko,” he said. “What was my grandfather like?”
It was an obvious question for him to ask, given how little he remembered of the man, but also one that made him feel an odd sort of shame.
“He was kind,” said Ryoko. “And he was strong.”
Kind and strong. Those words said everything about the man, while also saying nothing about him. Jack didn’t press Ryoko for more, instead nodding and heading into the bathroom.
CHAPTER 32
Jack took a long bath, soaking in the hot water and letting his muscles relax. He’d expected his chest wound to give him some trouble, but other than looking a bit unusual, it didn’t cause him any pain.
He started to feel the nagging tension of his bloodthirst as he dried off. It wasn’t hard to ignore, not in the early stages, but knowing where it would lead made Jack brood a little. He was sick of needing to bite people, especially innocent people. Katie and Ryoko didn’t deserve what he was putting them through.
The line of thinking left him in a particularly dark mood as he arrived back at his room. Ryoko had left out a blue silk dress shirt, brown slacks, and a black leather belt and shoes. Jack frowned, a little confounded by the choice of clothes.
“Jack?” Katie’s voice came at the outside of his door, along with a quick, incessant knock. “Are you in there?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I was just-”
The door swung open before he could finish explaining. Katie flinched and clamped a hand over her mouth, turning bright red as she took in the sight of him naked. Oddly, she didn’t shut the door immediately, almost as though her surprise, or something else, had locked her in place.
She was wearing a short, sleeveless burgundy dress, along with loose copper bangles around her wrists. She’d done her makeup and wore her hair down, which hung to her shoulders with a slight, curling buoyancy in the ends. Jack had never seen her dressed up before and was momentarily mesmerized by how good she looked. Then he scowled, realizing that he was still naked – and still being stared at.
“Sorry!” she said, closing the door. “I didn’t realize you were so, uh, naked. You need to hurry up, though. Have you eaten yet?”
“No,” he said. “I’m not hungry…”
For food. His bloodthirst was there, nagging at him, and his normal hunger was barely an afterthought in comparison.
“They’ll be some food there, anyway, but everyone will have already eaten dinner,” said Katie.
“Food where?”
“At the Mayor’s Ball,” said Katie. “He did invite you, didn’t he?”
Jack faintly remembered the invitation from his meeting with Dave. He started pulling on the clothes Ryoko had left out for him.
“Right,” he said. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Katie’s footsteps disappeared down the hall. Jack felt a sudden urge to call her back and ask if she’d let him bite her before the night got rolling, but he pushed it aside. He didn’t like the feeling of his bloodthirst controlling him, the constant demand for satisfaction at any cost.
He finished tying his shoes and headed downstairs to the foyer, where an unwelcome surprise awaited him. Katie was waiting for him, and so was Bruce, who had his arm around her and was whispering something into her ear.
The tension in the room was almost palpable as Jack walked over to them. Bruce didn’t try to hide his disdain, sneering openly. For the most part, Jack tried to act like Katie’s fiancé wasn’t there. He didn’t let himself dwell on how Bruce had left him to die at the quarry. He especially didn’t dwell on the valid reasons Bruce might have to resent him, and the dangerous territory he and Katie seemed to cross into each time he fed off her.
“Jack,” said Bruce. “Good to see you, bud. You feeling all right? You look a little tired.”
Jack flashed a humorless smile, holding Bruce’s gaze.
“I feel fine,” he said. “I’m not the biggest fan of parties, but I’m not the kind of guy to run at the first sign of trouble. How are you feeling, Bruce?”
Bruce looked like he was struggling to hold back his reaction. Katie made an annoyed, scrunched up face and glared at both of them. She pulled at Bruce’s arm, and he responded by pulling her in a little closer to him and rolling his eyes.
“Can you guys try to get along?” asked Katie. “I know that you’ve had some issues in the past, but I’d really like it if we could all put that aside for tonight.”
“Is this necessary?” asked Bruce. “I’m sure Jack is capable of making it to the mayor’s mansion on his own.”
Jack was about to agree with Bruce, which he found incredible, when Katie shot him a look.
“Yes,” she said. “He’s still new to the island, and I don’t want to risk him getting overwhelmed. Can you both please be civil to each other?”
She looked back and forth between them, pleading with her eyes.
“Ms. White?” Ryoko appeared from the lounge, bowing as she entered the room. “Can I speak with you for a moment?”
Katie nodded and hurried over, leaving Jack and Bruce alone in the foyer. Jack couldn’t help but smile as he saw the other man’s face and felt the raw friction between them.
“You listen and you listen good, bud,” said Bruce, as he jabbed a finger dangerously close to Jack’s face. “I know you’re into some shit.”
“Bruce,” said Jack. “You should take Katie’s advice. She has you best interests at heart, in more ways than I think you know.”
“Katherine’s advice,” corrected Bruce. “And I’ll be all smiles tonight. Because I know that you’ll slip up, sooner or later. I don’t know what the fuck is going on in this town right now, but I do know one thing. You’re connected to it.”
Bruce took a step forward, entering his personal space. It took all of Jack’s willpower to keep pushing from him back, or worse, casting Spectral Hand and striking out at his head.
“You’re paranoid, Bruce,” said Jack. “It’s fine if you don’t like me. I don’t like you very much, either. But you should stick to what you know.”
“You think you’re so clever,” said Bruce. “Even now. That smug look doesn’t belong on your face, bud. You have no idea who you are messing with.”
Jack chuckled. He couldn’t help himself. He saw how it set Bruce off, and the way his expression shifted from anger into unreasonable fury. Jack was ready.
“Bruce!” said Katie. “Jack! Is this a conversation I should be a
part of?”
Both men glanced at Katie, and then back at each other. Jack noticed the simmering gleam in Bruce’s eye, and the boiling tension in his body language. It wasn’t over. It hadn’t even started yet.
“We were just talking about the party,” said Jack. “I hope there is plenty of wine, by the way.”
Katie shot a scowl at the two of them.
“Bruce, I think I’m going to have Ryoko drop Jack and I off,” she said.
Bruce scoffed. “Katherine, that’s ridiculous. It’s going to look weird if you show up with him, instead of me.”
Jack couldn’t resist, even though he knew it was a terrible place to inject his own opinion.
“Why would it look weird, Bruce?” asked Jack, letting his tone imply the one thing that he knew the other man must already suspect. “Katie and I are just old friends. Clearly.”
“Jack!” snapped Katie. “Knock it the fuck off. And Bruce… It might look weird for me to show up with him, but it’s better than letting the two of you go at it.”
Bruce fumed. Jack could hear the other man’s teeth grinding together, and they weren’t standing all that close to each other. It was a moment he would have savored, if not for the violence he could feel hovering just under the surface.
“Fine!” said Bruce, forcing the word out of a clenched jaw. He turned around and stomped out of the mansion.
Jack’s immediate priority in the wake of Bruce’s departure was the pulsing of his headache, and the bloodthirst behind it. Unfortunately, Ryoko was standing in the foyer with them, waiting like the dutiful maid she was.
“Katie,” he said. “Before we go, maybe we should talk? In private?”
“Not now,” said Katie, with a sigh. “Not after that. Just hold on for now, okay?”
She walked out to the car without giving him a choice. Jack followed her, riding in the backseat, since Katie had beaten him to the front and Ryoko was driving. It wasn’t a long drive, but he decided he’d walk home when he was ready to leave. He needed a chance to clear his head, away from everyone and everything.
It was cloudy, and the dark sky made it seem later than it really was. There were more people outside than on an average evening, milling about on the streets and waiting for the weekend to bring excitement to the island’s few bars and taverns.
They parked outside the mayor’s mansion. Jack got out first, feeling the wind whip across his face as he thanked Ryoko and shut the car’s door behind him. The air had the humid, electrified scent of an oncoming storm.
He didn’t wait up for Katie, feeling as though there was no point, given that he’d be mostly on his own once they were inside the party, anyway. He headed up the steps and through the front door on his own. The mayor’s secretary recognized him and greeted him with a warm smile, waving him into the ballroom.
Jack wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting. The ballroom was wide open, with a high ceiling and expensive chandelier, but everything else about it was casual, almost laidback. A central table held bowls of chips, vegetables, dip, and various other finger foods. The mayor’s guests chatted in small groups, drinking wine and beer and laughing amongst themselves.
A projector had been set up on one side of the ballroom, and several people were watching a sailing tournament play out across the wall, the colors muted slightly by the ambient light. A group of six or seven men was playing darts in another corner, and a few people were dancing to the ambient music playing over the speakers on the ballroom’s left-hand side.
There were maybe a hundred people in attendance, which was a decent chunk of the island’s population. Of those hundred, it felt like ninety or more were paying Jack an undue amount of attention. He felt countless sets of eyes on him as he slowly walked over to where the bowls of chips and dip were set up. He picked up a stick of celery and began nibbling at it, more to give his hands something to do than out of hunger.
“Sir?” A serving girl approached him from behind, startling him slightly. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“A beer would be nice,” said Jack.
The girl nodded and hurried off. She smelled really good. A beer would be really nice, he decided. Both to calm his nerves and to numb his bloodthirst.
There were still people watching him, and he tried to make himself look as approachable as he could. Their interest made sense. He was the grandson of someone who, as far as he could tell, had been a major figure on the island. They were probably wondering if he was planning on staying, or selling the mansion, or investing part of his monetary inheritance back into the island.
He felt a little awkward just standing there. It didn’t seem fair for him to not know anyone and yet also be a target of the room’s attention. Jack was half hoping that Katie would come over and rescue him with a few introductions, but she’d reunited with Bruce and was in the middle of walking over and greeting another couple with him.
The serving girl finally returned with his beer. Jack thanked her and took a deep sip. He finally spotted someone that he recognized as he turned back in the direction of the makeshift dance floor. Synda, Katie’s friend from the gym, smiled at him and gave a small wave.
She was wearing a tight white dress that emphasized the curves of her chest and butt. Her hair was twisted up into a tight bun, and she wore a pearl necklace that hung across her neckline and cleavage. Jack was already moving in her direction when someone grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him aside.
“Jack!” said Dave. “I am absolutely thrilled that you could make it!”
The mayor had a broad smile on his handsome face that would have looked insincere on anyone else. The wine glass in his free hand was nearly empty, and Jack suspected it wasn’t the first drink the man had had that night.
“Mayor Stinson,” said Jack. “Thanks for inviting me. It’s good to be here.”
“Please, you can just call me Dave,” he said. “We’re all just having fun tonight! I have a rule at my parties. No business allowed!”
He chuckled at his own joke, and Jack smiled and nodded. Dave gestured for him to walk over behind the snack table, where there were fewer people. Jack felt a growing suspicion that the mayor was about to break his own rule.
“Walk with me, Jack,” said Dave. “I felt good about our conversation the other day. You have a solid head on your shoulders. I get the sense that you’ve been feeling things out here on the island, seeing where you fit, right?”
“I think that’s fair to say,” said Jack. He took another sip of his beer, feeling the alcohol working on both his tension and bloodthirst.
“I bet you’re sick of hearing this, but your grandfather was a good man,” said Dave. “A principled man. He had his own way of doing everything, it was always so positive and healthy. And I see a lot of that in you, too.”
Jack nodded slowly. He wasn’t sure he’d describe the version of himself that had emerged in his time on Lestaron Island as positive and healthy.
“Thanks,” he said. “I appreciate that.”
Dave’s smile seemed to lose its cheer as he leaned in a little closer. He glanced from side to side, making sure they were completely out of earshot.
“I don’t like beating around the bush,” said Dave. “So I’ll ask you point blank. Gina and Johnny. What happened to them?”
Jack froze. His fingers squeezed the neck of the bottle in his hand. He knew that Dave was watching him, reading into his hesitation, but he couldn’t think of a way to reply that didn’t involve lying.
“The sheriff said he’s never seen anything like it,” said Dave. “I do think that’s a bit of an exaggeration, given how much weirdness our little island is prone to. But still. The timing seems a little more than coincidental. Jack… Did you kill Gina and Johnny?”
That was a question he could answer honestly, at least.
“No,” said Jack. He looked Dave straight in the eyes as he answered, and saw the man relax visibly. Dave nodded, and his grin returned, as sincere and cheerful as ever.
“That’s all I care about, really,” said Dave. “I was conflicted, because truth be told, I don’t know you yet, Jack. But I do think that your grandfather’s spirit is in you. I really do.”
He poked Jack in the chest and then put an arm around his shoulders. Jack chuckled, again wondering just how much the mayor had had to drink.
“I told the sheriff not to consider you as a person of interest,” said Dave. “You’ll want to talk to him sometime soon anyway, though. Not tonight. He never comes to my parties anymore. Too old for them, he says.”
Dave laughed and then seemed to spot someone in a group across the room. He ruffled Jack’s hair as he walked off, finishing the rest of his wine and gesturing to the serving girl as she passed by.
CHAPTER 33
Talking to the mayor had been a nice distraction, albeit a temporary one. Jack felt awkward, standing alone again. It was only made worse by Katie and Bruce standing across the ballroom, over by the projector. Katie was leaning her head against his shoulder, and they were talking quietly to each other. They looked like they belonged together.
Seeing them made Jack feel an emotion more complicated than simple jealousy. It made him feel profoundly alone. It had been a long time since he’d felt like he’d belonged somewhere, since he’d last lived on the island, in fact. Katie had been his closest friend back then, and he’d had his parents, his grandfather. A life, and a place that wanted him.
It was just a memory, and yet watching Katie and Bruce so happy together felt like having it ripped away from him. He knew he was being ridiculous, but he also knew that there was a kernel of truth to it. He didn’t belong on Lestaron Island. He didn’t belong in the mansion, his grandfather’s mansion, and he was probably trampling on the old man’s legacy by occupying it in his current state.
The rush of emotion gave Jack’s bloodthirst a sharper edge. His beer was empty, and he scanned the room, looking for the serving girl to signal her for another. His eyes found Synda instead, who smiled at him and walked over.
Blood Mage (Dark Impulse Book 1) Page 18
