At that moment a bloodcurdling scream erupts. I’d know that voice anywhere, and Chloe only uses that pitch when she’s in trouble.
From the corner of my eye, I see Rachel rip wires out of her arm, but I don’t hang around to see if she gets out of bed. I race down the hall, adrenaline pumping hot through my veins, and my mind going crazy with scenarios. I can’t lose another sister!
I pull my knife out, preparing for a fight. I expect to find Blondie, and I’m ready to take her out.
I reach the nurses’ station, and my heart stops. There’s a man behind the counter waving a gun around, mumbling incoherent words, and in his clutches he’s got Chloe.
I have no idea how he got ahold of her. Chloe’s face is pasty and it’s clear she has panicked and forgotten the basic self-defense I’ve taught her. She’s eight. I can’t really blame her.
The knife in my hand is useless. I can’t throw it and risk hitting Chloe, and I can’t get close enough to disarm this guy without the possibility of him discharging his weapon.
If I knew the bullet would hit me and not my baby sister, I might go for it. But I can’t endanger Chloe.
I scan the area, searching for anything useful. Everyone’s disappeared except for two security guards, and a teenage girl—the dark-haired girl who was talking to Blondie last night.
What is she doing? From her stance I can tell that she’s frozen, but she almost looks… focused. Probably at the gun being waved in her direction. I don’t have time to get her out of the way; I’ll have to leave it to the security guards.
The guy shouts but I can’t make out the words. His eyes are bloodshot. Crazy eyes, and it scares me worse than facing down a gang of vamps without backup.
This guy’s desperate, but so am I. I’ve lost one sister already; I will not allow it to happen again.
There’s sudden motion in my peripheral vision. The next thing I know the druggie’s weapon is flying one direction and he’s going another—backwards into a filing cabinet.
I dive in and pull Chloe away. Rachel’s behind me and grabs Chloe; I shove them both further back down the hall and turn back to assist in taking down the crazy man.
To my surprise, Blondie’s got him pinned against the cabinet, her arm across his shoulders holding him in place. No way. A vampire just saved my sister? Blondie must want Chloe for herself.
Blondie’s hand shakes where she’s got the guy’s t-shirt in her fist. With a view of her cheek, I see her tongue run over her teeth. She swallows convulsively.
I change my grip from the butt of my knife to a throwing hold, ready to take her out. Even though this guy could’ve hurt or killed my sister, he doesn’t deserve to have his blood drained.
I can’t believe it, but Blondie releases the man. His shoulders relax, but before the druggie sees it coming she socks him in the face, knocking him into the cabinet, sending papers flying.
The security guards rush in, and I sheath my knife. The last thing I need is to get in trouble for being armed. I don’t take my eyes off Blondie. She might not have killed yet, but it doesn’t mean she won’t.
She turns and when our eyes meet I’m staring into the black eyes of a monster. All my instincts scream take her out. It would be so easy; she’s not even expecting it. My hand inches down to my knife again.
I need to destroy her. The urge is instinctive, calls to me.
Then the vampire blinks and her irises are green. Did I just imagine that? Vampires can’t just turn back into a human that fast. Especially not with adrenaline pumping through them, and Blondie’s breathing like she just ran a 5K.
“Someone needs to get that girl back into her room and patch her back up.” Blondie gestures over my shoulder.
I automatically follow her gaze and see that she’s talking about Rachel, who looks like she’s about to pass out standing up.
Her skin is so pale it’s almost transparent. Blood is gushing from her forearm where she ripped the IV out. She’s got Chloe half-hidden behind her.
I sidestep into Blondie’s path and brace for her attack. No vampire can refuse fresh blood, and it’s pouring out of Rachel. And I will kill her in front of witnesses before I’ll let my sister be hurt again.
4 - Maggie
Rachel’s blood is a distraction I don’t need—more so because I never got to feed last night—but I’m more preoccupied with whether or not her brother saw my black eyes.
There was a moment of something—alarm maybe—on his face, and I swear he noticed the monster.
A nurse rushes over to Rachel and pushes a wheelchair behind her just as the girl collapses.
“No, I want to—I need to stay here. Shane!”
The boy reaches for her and eyes the exit sign above his head. Like he just wants to walk right out of here?
Hannah steps up to Rachel’s other side and lays a hand on the girl’s shoulder. She’s pale from holding the druggie using her telekinesis, but she gives me a jerk of her chin. She’ll get Rachel back to her room.
The nurse wheels Rachel down the hall to her room, Hannah following, and I’m grateful for her absence.
The two security guards are shooting suspicious looks over their shoulders. They don’t understand how a short girl took down a linebacker like I just did. One set of eyes stays riveted on me. Rachel’s brother stares like he’s waiting for me to explode. I have to smooth things over, so I make a joke.
“Thank God for tae bo and gym class, right?”
The two security guards roll their eyes, but walk off with the druggie and don’t give me another glance. As usual, they don’t want to believe in the supernatural.
A quiet sob breaks the silence and Rachel’s brother looks down in surprise at the little girl next to him. Did he forget she was there? She’s trembling and my heart breaks just a little. Edward was that age when he died.
“Is she okay?” I ask, taking a step towards them. There’s something about her…
The boy’s burning eyes snap back to me. “She’s fine,” he spits.
What is his deal? I just saved her.
The girl’s wide blue gaze is fixed on me; she has the same color eyes as her brother. She’s… hurt.
“Maybe you should have a nurse take a look just in case,” I say.
My extra senses tell me something’s wrong. In my human form the smell of fear radiating off her overpowers my ability to know exactly what’s hurt, but I know that something’s not right.
His eyes narrow into slits and he shepherds the girl further behind him, blocking my view of her. “Thanks for your opinion.”
He’s acting unexpectedly. Most people just avoid me, but he’s facing me head on. And almost projecting violence. Is this a reaction to seeing what I really am? How can I convince him that his sister needs medical attention?
The girl sobs harder, trying to muffle the sound in her right fist. She’s holding her left arm gingerly away from her body, and I realize she has a fracture, probably from hitting the floor when I got her away from the druggie. And he is so focused on me that he doesn’t even know it.
“It couldn’t hurt to let someone take a look. Maybe it’ll calm her down.”
“I think you need to mind your own business.”
Why isn’t Hannah back yet? I could use a little help getting this guy to see things my way. I’m cranky enough without sleep or food.
Seriously, what is his deal? For someone as attractive as he is he doesn’t have the manners to match.
“Why don’t you just ask her? She’s obviously in pain.”
I can almost hear his teeth grinding together; a muscle jumps in his jaw. He kneels down next to the girl—keeping me in sight—and brushes away her tears with the back of his hand.
“Come on, tough girl,” he says softly and I bristle. That’s what he says to a scared young girl? Then his demeanor changes and he clasps her shoulders in his big hands. “What’s wrong, Chloe?”
She sniffles. “My arm hurts.”
“Did that man grab
your arm?”
“No, I fell on it.”
The boy gently takes Chloe’s hand and extends her arm. She flinches, but doesn’t cry out. Brave girl. I expect him to poke at her arm to see if something’s seriously wrong, but he doesn’t. Instead he motions for a nurse and asks her to take a look. At least he seems to care about his sister.
Chloe looks nervous, but she follows the nurse over to a vacant room.
The boy stands back up and faces me, his arms crossed over his chest. His cheeks are flushed, and the tenderness I just witnessed disappears.
Maybe we just got off on the wrong foot. I know he has to be under stress with his sister—now both his sisters—hurt. I take a small step towards him so that I’m within a few feet.
He uncrossed his arms, shifts his feet so he’s balancing on his toes. Does he think I’m going to attack him?
I put out my hand. “I’m Maggie.”
He stares at my hand as if it’s contaminated; his opposite hand twitches at his side.
“Shane!” calls out a voice from where his sister just disappeared. He gives me one last scathing look and disappears into the room.
His rejection of my overture stings. I remind myself that humans are uncomfortable around me, and this boy is no exception to that. Of course he wants nothing to do with me, I’m a bloodsucking leech. Even if he doesn’t know I’m a vampire, he senses something’s not right.
Not for the first time, I wish things were different. Why couldn’t I just be the cute girl that he found as attractive as I found him?
“Maggie–” Hannah calls from across the room.
She’s walking down the hall toward me, and she looks like a train wreck. She’s paler than when she left with Rachel, if that’s possible, and her eyes now have blue shadows under them. I’ve got to get her back to E.W. House pronto.
But I take a moment to consider the door where the two siblings just went, finally realizing what’s been bugging me about Chloe. I smelled it before I knew where her injury was, it just didn’t register at the time.
She’s supernatural.
5 - Maggie
Hannah and I make it back to E.W. House just after ten a.m., which is a good thing because the other kids should be in fourth period and won’t notice our entrance. It’s been awhile since we’ve pulled an all-nighter, and if our floor mom was paying attention last night, we’re in trouble. I don’t need a month’s worth of KP duty.
Hannah is barely conscious, leaning heavily against me in the backseat of the cab. I’m not positive she can walk into the building, and in my human form there’s no way I can carry her—she’s seven inches taller than me. Turning isn’t an option while the sun’s out, so I say a silent prayer that she can at least make it inside.
I pay the cabdriver and bail out, pulling Hannah along with me. She can’t even stand up straight and I’m getting really worried about her depleted energy.
“Hannah, what the–”
She throws her arm over my shoulder and I get a mental zing and a “not here”. There’s no time to waste, so I start stumbling across the plush lawn, Hannah’s weight on me.
How did this happen? Was the druggie that hard to handle? He was obviously psychotic, but I had no idea that Hannah used up so much power to keep him immobile. Had I waited too long to jump him? I thought I’d moved quickly but I’d been worried about hurting the little girl in my rush to stop the guy.
She usually “talks” to me several times a day, but that’s about the extent of her power usage. It’s been a long time since we’ve needed her powers. Is she weakening, and I haven’t even noticed it?
She stumbles on the side steps, and I bite back a curse as I stub my toe on the cement walk.
“You know, this would be a lot easier if you were shorter,” I grumble.
“It’s not my fault… you’re a midget.” She’s breathing so hard it’s difficult for her to get words out. “Besides, don’t you have super vampire strength?”
I glare at her sideways. “You know, us walking down the hall like this is going to exacerbate those rumors about us being more-than-friends. And you look like you’re high. We’re supposed to be the good examples for the kids here.”
“Maybe you should’ve thought of a better way of getting us inside.”
“You’re the planner, Hannah, not me.”
“Excuses.”
The door opens unexpectedly, almost banging me in the face. I hold my breath.
“Ladies, the back stairs are clear for the moment,” Director Phillips says politely as he holds the door for us.
Relief. We’re home free.
“I got a text message from Mr. Wellington this morning warning me that you two would need an escort,” he explains.
Hannah shoots a questioning look at me, but I just shrug. She may be the brains, but I have been known to have a good idea once in awhile. And I just happened to have Wellington’s cell phone in my backpack, since I hadn’t taken it out after my trip.
Director Phillips grabs one of Hannah’s arms and we tow her up the stairs to the sixth floor.
By the time we hit the hall Hannah is green and sweat beads across her forehead. The Director leaves us by the stairs.
“Okay, do you want to go to our room or stop by the bathroom so you can yak first?” I ask.
Hannah doesn’t reply, and her arm across my shoulders goes slack. Her entire body turns into gelatin and she slips from my human grasp. Instinctively, I change and catch her before she hits the floor. As a vamp, all my senses are heightened, and her witch’s blood smells almost too tempting to refuse. I’m so thirsty! One bite won’t hurt… but not out here in the hall.
I shoulder open the door to our room, focused on the beat of her pulse through her carotid artery. She smells so sweet. So much more tempting than a human.
She’s so weak! She won’t even fight me if I bite her. Now. Now. Now.
No!
Using the last shreds of my humanity, I dump her onto the bed and race out of the room, panting.
I take the stairs down to Three in hops and jumps. Away from the temptation of Hannah’s blood, I have more control over my monster. The human part of me is glad this dorm level is empty of students right now; the monster reminds me they’re only one floor down and would be so easy to take…
I reach the locked door marked “Janitorial”. It’s not really a closet, it holds my extra-large, private refrigerator. I fish the key out of my pocket, hands shaking, and push it into the knob when I hear footsteps from down the hall. Shoot.
“What is with you prowling around on this floor? What’re you doing?” a familiar voice asks, blatantly sarcastic. Lily again.
She’s close, whispers the monster. Take her out. You know you want to.
Why did it have to be Lily? The Goth girl hated me for no reason; I know she won’t leave me alone. And I have to eat, now.
“Why aren’t you in class?” I growl with more force than I intend.
I have to keep the beast under control, but of all the people that I would love to pounce on, Lily is definitely at the top of that list. What a jerk.
“Why aren’t you?” she asks, walking closer. The human in me wants to tell her to stop before she gets hurt, but the monster welcomes her presence.
“None of your business, Lily. Now why don’t you get lost before you get in trouble?”
“By who? Little ol’ you? Wells, you’re a hypocrite. You walk around with your ‘I’m-better-than-everyone-else’ attitude and yet you break all the rules–”
My fist slams against the door. I’m losing control, I can feel it.
“Lily. Go. Now.”
My senses are so sharp that I hear her open her mouth, feel the pulse of her heartbeat. I turn my face, my glare on her. Her jaw drops, and her voice is nothing more than a gurgle.
No! It takes every last bit of the human left in me, but I close my eyes and take a deep steadying breath. When I open then again, they’re green and totally normal. I’m human.
Lily sputters something incoherent and runs down the hall. Away, thank goodness.
What have I done? Maybe she’ll think she imagined the altercation. Maybe I can have Hannah work some magic on her. Right now I just don’t care.
The reminder of my best friend and the condition I left her in has me turning back to the task at hand.
I pry the door open and lock myself inside. The room is essentially a closet, but I don’t need a lot of space.
I don’t flip the light on; I don’t need it. My vampire vision is as good as anything the military has in its night-vision goggles.
I open the fridge and pull out a gallon-size Ziploc. It has a name written in sharpie on the side. Camilla Ray.
“Thanks, Miss Ray.”
All the blood is donated anonymously—they never know where it goes, but I know where it comes from. Crazy people into the whole vampire thing. Weirdos.
I guess it’s better than killing people to survive. I unzip the bag—disgusted with myself—and tip it up into my mouth. With nobody around there’s no need to be ladylike.
I gulp it down as quickly as I can without giving myself a brain freeze. Cold blood is not appealing, but it’s my only option if I choose not to kill humans. It’s a small price to pay to keep my humanity intact and remain guilt free.
I slurp down the first bag and then a second for good measure. I’ll be liquid-logged, but with Hannah vulnerable and unable to stop me if I lose control, I need the extra.
I slide down to the floor while I drink the second bag, allowing my head to rest against the wall. Now that my bloodlust is under control I need to practice my control of the beast and bring the human part of me forward. Apparently I need to practice more, if my control is slipping badly enough to let loose in front of Lily.
I focus on the guy from the hospital. Shane. He hadn’t told me his name, but that’s what his sister called him.
What was it about him? Sure he was attractive, but it’s not like I haven’t seen hot guys before. His willingness to jump in and rescue his sister? Really, his fierce protectiveness of both girls was borderline controlling. Where were the parents? Dead, most likely, if he has custody of his sisters. I should know that losing your parents changes you; maybe his protective instincts were born from that.
Alliance Page 3
