No Man's Land: An Imp World Novel

by Debra Dunbar

  Jaq smiled fondly at the plump woman. “If you run out, I’ve got more. I’m working this afternoon, but Mike’s home and he can get a few for you out of the ice box.”

  Kelly looked at her fridge bursting with bags of meat floating in blood. There was no way she was going to force more cow blood down her throat. No way.

  The fresh human blood she’d had last night should hold her for a few days. After that, she’d be back to living on the edge. Perhaps if she didn’t wait so long this time, she’d have better control trying to feed from a human. Where could she go that Jaq wouldn’t know? The woman probably wouldn’t let her out of her sight after what happened last night.

  “I’ll definitely take you up on that, Jaq,” Melody replied. It took Kelly a moment to realize they were still talking about the squabs. “Not tonight though. We’re having pre–Thanksgiving Thanksgiving. Turkey and all the works. Joe loves it so much that we can never wait for the actual holiday. You’re coming over for dinner.”

  Kelly started, realizing the command was directed at her. No! She had to hunt for Kincaid spies tonight. The vampire glanced out the window, quickly calculating sunset to be just before seven in the evening.

  “How early?” Hopefully this whole dinner obligation would be over before nightfall. It’s not like she could say “no” after all the woman had done for her. It just wouldn’t be polite.

  “Five. Come over at three, though. You can help me cook while Joe watches his game.” The woman dashed over to Kelly, and before she could flinch, wrapped her arms around her in a crushing hug and planted a wet kiss on her cheek. “See you soon!”

  Kelly stared in shock as the woman darted out the door. Jaq made a choking sound then lost control and bent over laughing. “Your face; if only you could have seen your face,” she gasped.

  “How in the world do you stand her? She’s so cheerful. I just want to rip her head clean off her body.”

  Jaq wiped her eyes. “I know, I know. But she’s sincere. There’s never an ulterior motive with Melody.”

  “That’s the only thing keeping her alive right now. That and her tuna casserole.”

  Jaq laughed again. It came out as a snort, and Kelly couldn’t help but grin. “Just remember that when you’re suffering through hours of turkey and mashed potatoes tonight. You’ve got to refrain from killing her, otherwise no more tuna casserole.”

  Kelly groaned. “And that couldn’t come at a worse time! I need to find a Kincaid scout to interrogate. How am I going to do that when I’m helping her stuff a turkey? Not that I know how to stuff a turkey. Or how to interrogate a vampire.”

  With an easy jump, Jaq sat on the counter edge, tucking her legs up in an impressive show of agility and balance. “I’ll do the vampire search and then meet up with you after your dinner. How fast are you?”

  The vampire couldn’t help the little noise of superiority. “Faster than you.”

  “I doubt that.” Jaq grinned. “Will you be strong enough for a dash to Martinsburg? He or she may be pretty far ahead of us by the time you’re taking that last bite of pumpkin pie.”

  Kelly hesitated. She felt fine now, but needed to conserve energy if the prospect of human blood was a week or so away. If she raced full speed to Martinsburg, she may not be strong enough to capture and interrogate the scout. By the time she got back to her trailer, she’d be weak and dizzy once again.

  Jaq’s expression softened. “Or I can just catch and interrogate the guy for you. Save your strength.”

  Ah, the mighty werewolf saves the day. Still, Kelly shook her head. She needed to do this on her own. Or at least as much of it on her own as she could manage. “No. I’ll be okay. I’d appreciate the help in tracking and apprehending him though.”

  It felt strange to depend on someone else. She’d spent her whole vampire life working as a giant team, but underneath the cooperation, it had always been each vampire for him or herself. This felt …weird. Jaq had her back, could be relied upon. They were a team. The thought made her uneasy. You can’t trust anyone but yourself, girl. Don’t go getting any foolish ideas that this woman is going to catch you if you fall.

  The werewolf hopped from her perch on the countertop, landing lightly and walking a few steps towards Kelly. Jaq’s gate was smooth and light, her movements more like that of a cat than a wolf. Kelly’s eyes traced up from the woman’s feet, taking in the spotted skin that led from the neckline of her t–shirt to her angular face and startling gray eyes. Could she really trust Jaq? Those silver–gray eyes always seemed so kind, so warm when they looked at her. Maybe …just maybe she could.

  “And with that out of the way, we need to talk about last night.”

  The werewolf’s gaze was still gentle as she met Kelly’s eyes, but there was a steely note in her voice the vampire didn’t like. Tentative thoughts of trust fled, and Kelly stiffened. Last night …she’d broken the rules. Remembrance of what happened the last time she got caught breaking the rules twisted in her gut. And she’d almost killed someone, too. It shouldn’t bother her, but the thought halted her instinctive defensive reaction transforming it into guilt.

  “Is that man really going to pull through? I don’t want you to think I’m one of those vampires who routinely kills their dinner. It won’t happen again.”

  Jaq sighed, placing a hand briefly on Kelly’s shoulder in reassurance. “Yes, he’ll be fine, but I’m pretty sure it will happen again. You were drunk as a skunk off that guy last night, so let me say it again: we need to confide in the neighbors and get a regular source of fresh blood for you. They know about us werewolves, they’ll be more understanding than you think about living side by side with a vampire.”

  “No!” Visions of a lynch mob skittered across Kelly’s mind. “I can’t let them know what I am. Promise me you won’t tell them!”

  “Promise me you won’t try last night’s stunt again.”

  Both women stood silent. Finally Jaq sighed. “Seems we’re locking horns on this one. All right. I understand the need to keep some things secret. Let’s figure out a temporary blood supply that’s acceptable to us both until we can come up with a long–term solution.”

  There was no alternative. Bagged human blood might hold her off, but even that wouldn’t work for long. Twenty–four–hours old was really the maximum it could go and still be effective.

  “Fresh animal blood would be okay,” Kelly lied.

  Jaq narrowed her eyes as if she knew. “Okay. We’ll work this afternoon in setting up snares and traps for both small and large animal prey in the woods. I’ll teach you.”

  Great. Now she was some kind of Davey Crockett. Kelly glanced over to the chairs with the skirt and blouse she’d washed over and over, trying to get the bloodstains out, then down at her Italian leather flats. Setting animal traps, tracking and interrogating members of a rival vampire family, what next?

  “And you need to get a job.”

  Kelly made a strangled sound deep in her throat and stared at the other woman. “Tired of supporting your freeloader neighbor? You worried I’ll end up living in your basement playing video games all day?”

  She’d contemplated getting a job. It was one of her first keys to survival when she suspected she’d been cast out for good. But now it seemed her family would be bringing her back into the fold sooner than expected. Besides, how was she supposed to hold down a job while gathering intel? Add to that the fact that working for humans would be problematic. That first day when she was numb and in pain, it seemed like the only alternative, but now that she felt like a vampire again, it struck her as demeaning.

  “I don’t have a basement. I live in a trailer, remember? I already got you a waitress job down at Dale’s. He’s an old friend. Likes my venison jerky. You start tomorrow.”

  Kelly’s mind screeched to a halt. Not working for humans, working for werewolves. Oh. My. God. “I can’t …how dare you …there’s no way I’m going to….”

  Jaq quelled her with a stern look. How could the
woman do that? “No arguments. I’m going to get some supplies to make traps. Meet you in the woods in ten.”

  She didn’t have the time for a job — wouldn’t be here long enough for a job if things went her way. Dratted bossy woman was like a long–legged, freckled steamroller. Kelly sighed, looking again at her shoes. They were the only ones she had. “I doubt Donald Pliner, whoever the heck he is, had high–speed running and wilderness trekking in mind when he designed you. Let’s hope you hold up or I’m going to be barefoot for my first day of work.”

  16

  Kelly stared down at the index card. She’d managed to rip the stale bread into chunks, but did she need to melt butter next or add the nuts and apple? And how small were the apple pieces supposed to be? She peered again at the card and looked up at Melody helplessly.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t really understand what I’m supposed to do next.”

  Melody’s trailer was different than the one Kelly occupied — a luxury model by comparison. The kitchen and living area were equally cramped, but a small door to the back led to a screen–enclosed deck that had been skillfully added on. The longer length of the building allowed for a second bedroom —— barely bigger than the bathroom beside it. When Melody had given her the obligatory tour, Kelly had seen it had been turned into a cramped office, complete with shelves that made the room even smaller. She wondered how the woman could possibly turn around in there without knocking something over.

  “Dear, we really need to teach you to cook.” Melody said with a sympathetic noise. “Jaq told me you burn everything you make.”

  Dratted freckled werewolf. She did not burn everything. Just the liver. And the chicken. And those grilled cheese sandwiches the other day. Kelly scowled and looked over at Joe, Melody’s husband, who was sprawled on the couch watching football and wished that she could just go join him. She never cooked at the Casino. She’d never cooked as a vampire. She hadn’t cooked much as a human either — just peeled and chopped and diced. Endlessly peeled, and chopped, and diced.

  “I haven’t ever really cooked,” she confessed. “I worked in a kitchen when I was a child, but I only did certain things.”

  Melody sniffed. “I’m sure that violated all sorts of child labor laws, even if you were working for your own parents.”

  Labor laws were non–existent when Kelly was a child, and she’d never known her parents, but there was no sense correcting Melody and getting into a difficult explanation. No, she didn’t want to go there. Or here. She’d rather be out with Jaq, tracking trespassing vampire scouts.

  “Well, what did you do when you worked in a kitchen?” Melody asked. “Maybe you can put the rolls on the baking sheet? I’ll watch the timer so you don’t burn them.”

  With her luck, they’d still come out of the oven blackened lumps. Kelly looked around. This was what human women did in this century — they cooked big elaborate meals. But she wasn’t a human. She was a vampire with no cooking skills whatsoever, lost in a mess of turkey, stuffing, and potatoes. Potatoes.

  “I used to peel vegetables. I can do that.”

  Most of her human life had revolved around cleaning pots and prepping food. It hadn’t been so terrible compared to the life some children had. She’d had a warm box with a blanket behind the stove. Work to keep her hands busy, if not her mind. She’d quickly figured out who was kind, and who would take out any frustrations on a little girl with no last name.

  Things had changed as she’d gotten older. She’d no longer fit in the warm box behind the stove, and suddenly there were all sorts of offers for other overnight accommodations. The men and boys who had ignored her before now wanted to shove her in a dark corner and feel her up.

  Options had been limited given the circumstances of her birth, but she had been pretty. There was a good chance she could have caught the fancy of a groom, or possibly the younger son of a merchant. If she were lucky, passion would overcome the social disadvantages of a marriage with her. Kelly felt tears sting behind her eyes. Her life as a human had completely depended on attracting a man. It didn’t matter if she was smart. It didn’t matter what her skills were. She just needed to be pretty enough to snare a man.

  George. That stupid dream had once again brought him out of the dark recesses of her memories. Like yesterday, she saw him in her mind, tall and deceptively skinny. There were muscles under his rough muslin shirt. His hands were calloused, but the rest of his skin was soft and warm. I love you, he’d told her, blue eyes dancing with mischief. He was trouble, but he’d meant it when he said he loved her.

  Guilt flooded her. It wasn’t her fault. It couldn’t be her fault. She’d made the only decision she could. Love didn’t buy you food or give you a warm, safe place to put your head at night.

  Life was supposed to be different as a vampire, but it wasn’t. Not really. Smarts mattered over looks, but in the end a Made, especially a Made female, could only go so far. She’d made her decision — walked away from sunshine and chosen a life of darkness, and what had it really gotten her?

  “Wow, you can peel potatoes,” Melody said in amazement.

  Kelly had flown through five pounds with vampire speed, too lost in thought to pay any attention to what she was doing.

  “What do I do now?” Kelly smiled at the older woman, forcing the unwelcome memories back. She might as well try to learn to cook. Maybe she could surprise Jaq and actually make her a dinner that didn’t look like something that fell off the coal truck. A vision of the werewolf came to mind — blond and lanky with her freckled face and unusual gray eyes. Kelly chuckled, imagining the look on the werewolf’s face if she presented her with a reasonably well–cooked turkey — one that wasn’t charred on the outside and raw on the inside.

  It was actually fun, making the mashed potatoes, the dressing, and the pumpkin pies. Joe continuously came in to poke at the turkey and test it, snagging little bites where he could. Melody would scold him affectionately, and he’d kiss her with his mouth full of food and laughingly pat her rear. Then Melody would wave her spatula menacingly at him and banish him back to the football game. Kelly’s chest tightened painfully at the sight. Maybe her future as a human would have been more like this than the dismal hell she’d imagined. Maybe if she and George …but there was no sense in going down that path. George was long dead, and she’d never be a human again. Never.

  They ate until Kelly felt like she’d burst. If only she’d been able to drink some blood, it would have been perfect. Joe did the dishes, while Melody took her into the bedroom to show her a bunch of knitting. Kelly followed reluctantly, glancing at the darkness outside the trailer. It had to have been after nine o’clock. How much longer would they expect her to stay? Would it be rude to dash out right after dinner, or would she be stuck admiring this human’s handicrafts for the next three hours?

  “I have an internet group,” Melody told Kelly proudly as she pulled out box after box of brightly colored items. “We make hats for preemies, prayer shawls for cancer patients, and socks for our troops overseas. There are over five hundred of us on the east coast alone.”

  Kelly looked at a box of small blankets. When could she leave? She really needed to leave.

  “Those are lap afghans. Our church is putting a box of them together for the local nursing home. Those people really appreciate a hand–made blanket.”

  “Wow. That’s really impressive.” It was, actually. She couldn’t imagine coordinating the efforts of five hundred people from a distance. The casino had been one thing. She’d been able to dominate with the force of her personality and physical presence. But the Internet?

  “Yes. I feel like they’re all my best friends, although I’ve never personally met any of them. We chat; I see pictures of their grandkids and families, and I organize which charities we’re knitting for, and the schedule. Everyone sends their donations to me, and I send it out to the charity.”

  She showed Kelly a calendar with a schedule of charities and due dates as Kelly snuck gla
nces through the window, trying to see the small alarm clock beside the bed.

  “Come on; I’ll teach you.”

  What? She’d completely been ignoring the conversation. Melody had grabbed her arm and was dragging her back into the living, a bag in her other hand. Kelly once again glanced at the door as the other woman shoved her down on the couch and thrust two large metal sticks into her hands before plopping down beside her.

  Two hours later Kelly walked home, feeling a flurry of snow on her cheeks. Her trailer was dark and silent after the warmth and bustle of Melody’s. Jaq was nowhere to be found, so she put her stash of leftovers in the fridge and deposited the rest of her bundles on the couch before heading out. She’d check their traps first then hopefully meet up with Jaq.

  They’d put down six rat traps and rigged up a box trap with the milk crate and a stick. Kelly remembered seeing something like it on a TV show once and was really impressed that Jaq knew how to do it. The other woman had assured her it would work, but it seemed that the animal would knock the stick out and only be half in, easily backing out of the trap. Perhaps she was supposed to sit quietly by with a string and pull it shut on the animal? That would be a totally impractical use of her time.

  Kelly felt the hair rise on the back of her neck as she checked five traps. There was a faint, old smell of vampire, and not one from her family either. The light dusting of snow had diluted the scent, though, and she couldn’t tell if it was carried on the wind from a distance, or just faded from the weather. She paused, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, but finally gave up trying to pinpoint the smell. Hopefully Jaq was having better luck.

  It was disheartening to find the five traps untouched. She sucked at this. She was trained as a business manager, not a survivalist. The closest she’d come to this skill was as a human when one of the footmen had taught her to steal, and pick locks.