Jonas shot some video with his phone for the Fan Club as we continued to go from door to door. Trey handed out his air guitars, the Paper Jamz guitar, all the stuffed animals, candy, and the flowers until every last gift had been given to a sick kid.
Chapter 15
Aurora
JUST AS THE GUYS were finishing up with all the kids, I got a call on my phone from Mark. I promised to meet the guys back in Trey’s room and let myself out the nearest exit to have some privacy.
“Hey,” I said into the phone.
“You’ve had a busy day,” Mark said, which just confused me.
“I had a crazy night,” I responded.
“Does that crazy night have anything to do with the reason you’re running around my hospital with your band of humans and handing out gifts to all the sick kids?” I could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke.
“It might,” I said. “How did you know?”
“A resident sent some footage to my phone. You’ve got the whole hospital talking.”
“That explains it,” I said.
“Is everything okay?” he asked. He started to say ‘your human’ but caught himself and instead said, “Trey was in a wheelchair with his arm in a sling. What happened?”
“Apparently you haven’t been watching the news,” I observed. “Vampires happened.” I didn’t have to say more than that. Mark knew exactly who I was talking about. “I’m not going to lie. I really wish you had been here at the hospital when we pulled up to the ambulance bay last night. I don’t remember the last time I was that freaked out. You should see Trey’s Mazda. I’m not sure how he survived the crash, let alone ...”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” Mark said, and I could hear the genuine sympathy in his voice. “Is Trey okay? Do you need me to come back to town tonight?”
“He dislocated his shoulder and bumped his head, but he’ll be fine.”
“Did you identify any of the vamps that attacked you?” he asked.
“Kind of,” I said. “I killed one of them. Does that count?”
Mark was stunned into silence for a moment before he said, “I don’t know. Does it?”
“The new bartender at Club Sanguin recognized the sketches I made of the two that got away. He claims they’re from the Miami area.”
“And the dead guy? I imagine Damir isn’t too happy about that.”
“I’m tired of worrying about what everyone else thinks,” I said, feeling tired all of a sudden. “I have to meet with the Emissary tonight to defend my actions.”
“Damir’s in love with you,” Mark said. “I’m sure he’ll send you home with a slap on the wrist.”
“I wish I could be so sure about that. I haven’t exactly been nice to him lately.”
“Just lately?” he teased, which made me smile despite the situation. “Call me after your meeting tonight, and let me know how it goes.”
“I will,” I promised. “And Mark ... thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” he said before hanging up.
It was almost five-o’clock when I met up with everyone back at Trey’s room. O’Shea and Jonas had retrieved their acoustic guitars from their cars, which Trey had asked me to tell them to bring. Chase also had some weird looking percussion instrument with strings of metal beads on it. I guess it made more sense than bringing a full drum kit into the hospital. We made our way down to the cafeteria, and the guys got comfortable in a corner in some chairs and started tuning their instruments. Trey sat there empty-handed, and I realized he was itching to have a guitar in his hands. It was probably really weird to perform without one.
It wasn’t long before kids starting filing into the room, parents and siblings in tow. By five o’clock, there wasn’t much in the way of empty seats or tables for eating. People were forced to take their food out into the rest of the hospital, or outside to eat, if they didn’t want to take part in the concert. The first song they performed was “Filtered Ache” from their last album. Most of the kids sang. The younger ones who weren’t confined to wheelchairs danced around in their hospital gowns. Even some of the nurses and orderlies were dancing before the song was over. The next song they did was a little slower, and Trey moved a little closer to the crowd to sing that one. Before it was over, they’d done another older song and one from the new record. At the end of the last song a nurse snuck up and whispered something into Trey’s ear. A grin spread across his face, and he turned to face the kids again.
“Where’s Gracie?” he asked. Some of the younger girls started giggling. “Come on, Gracie. Don’t be shy.” Apparently even the young ones couldn’t resist that million-dollar smile. A girl in blonde pigtails stood up and Trey held his hand out to her, motioning for her to come forward. I noticed a woman standing in the back who looked like an older version of Gracie. She was holding her hand over her mouth and seemed to be fighting back tears. “Gracie,” Trey said to the girl as she stood next to him. “A little birdie told me that today is your birthday.” The young girl nodded enthusiastically. “How old are you then?”
“Seven,” she answered proudly.
“Seven?” Trey asked. “Well, it’s not every day that a young lady turns seven. Would it be okay if we did one more song for your birthday?” Gracie’s smile stretched across her whole face as she nodded again. “You ready, guys?” Trey said to Jonas, O’Shea and Chase. Chase counted off a beat, and O’Shea and Jonas played happy birthday on their guitars while Trey sang for Gracie, asking the crowd to join in. Gracie was beaming with pride by the time the song ended. She gave Trey and all the other guys a fist bump and ran back to her mother while everyone clapped.
Following the applause, the guys said goodbye and excused themselves, knowing that some of the kids needed to get back to their rooms and rest. O’Shea, Jonas and Chase took all the instruments and left after Trey insisted that he’d be getting out soon. Trey and I were waiting impatiently in his room when Dr. Hyatt came knocking.
“How’s our resident rock star doing?” he asked as he let himself in.
“Can’t complain,” Trey said with his million-dollar smile. He’d have done almost anything at this point to get released.
“I caught some of your concert in the cafeteria. I think it’s fairly safe to say you’re feeling quite a bit better than you were when you came in last night.”
“You can say that again.”
“I think it’s great what you’ve been doing for the kids today,” Dr. Hyatt added as he picked up Trey’s chart and started flipping through the pages.
“It was nothing,” Trey said modestly.
“Well, everything looks good here. There’s no evidence that you sustained more than a minor concussion. You were both very lucky. You’re going to want to have your shoulder looked at by someone in a few weeks to check that it’s healing properly, but other than that I think you’re good to go.”
Trey’s face did nothing to hide the relief he was feeling at the news. “Thank you,” he said, offering his hand to the doctor to shake.
“Yes, thank you,” I added.
“My pleasure,” Dr. Hyatt said. “Make sure he takes it easy for a while, will you?”
“I’ll do my best,” I said.
Trey and I made our way to the nurse’s station where he signed the release papers and was given a bag of his belongings that contained his wallet, keys, the garage opener from his car, and his ripped and bloodied clothes from last night.
Chapter 16
Aurora
JUST AS I’D EXPECTED, Trey was not happy about my decision to leave him at Antonio’s during my meeting with the Emissary.
“It’s just not a good idea to parade you around in front of Damir and his posse right now,” I explained as we pulled up to Antonio’s place in my car. We’d gone straight to Trey’s house after leaving the hospital so he could shower, change his clothes and eat some dinner. Those tasks had taken Trey a little longer than usual with one hand, but now it was dark, and Antonio was expecting us. Tr
ey stared out the passenger side window, chewing on his bottom lip anxiously, and then he briskly opened the door and got out without a word. I met him on the sidewalk. “Hey,” I said softly as I grabbed his good arm and forced him to stop walking. “It’s okay. You’ll be safe here with Antonio.”
He turned his head and met my gaze in silence for a long moment, and I saw that his brilliant blue eyes were filled with pain. “It’s you I’m worried about,” he said. “I feel like you’re about to walk into the lion’s den alone. Last time I felt like this, I had to let you leave the restaurant with some strange guys in suits. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know they were Emissary. I knew something was wrong. Now I know exactly who we’re dealing with, and I’m supposed to willingly send you off to face them alone. It’s killing me.”
I took his face in my hands pressed my lips to his. I kissed him fervently, feeling waves of dread roll off of him as he pulled me closer with his good arm and kissed me back. His heart thumped in double-time and mine raced to match it, a poor imitation of the rich, untainted sound. Human or not, I never felt safer than when I was in his arms. We kissed until he was short of breath, and then he rested his forehead against mine.
I played with the strap on his sling. “Don’t worry about me.”
He let out a quick breath of air. “You realize that’s like telling Chase not to bang on things.”
I smiled and said, “I can take care of myself.”
He looked at me intensely and said, “Promise you’ll come back to me.”
“Trey, it’s just a meeting.”
“With Damir,” he added. “I need to know that you’re not going to let him blackmail you into making some crazy deal to keep me safe or something. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s tried.”
So that was it. He was still afraid Damir might make me some irresistible offer to be with him instead. His fears weren’t completely without merit. Damir had tried to blackmail me into being with him before. He’d even gone so far as to show up at Wes’s funeral and offer to keep Trey and all of his friends safe, if I’d leave Trey for him. He appealed to the part of me that wondered if Trey would have been better off if we’d never met. I wasn’t convinced I was worth all the danger.
“Promise me,” Trey said again with bated breath.
“I promise. You and I have come too far to let someone like Damir stand between us. Besides, I’m not entirely convinced that he’s not involved in all this somehow.”
Trey nodded and pulled me in, kissing the top of my head. “Okay,” he said resolutely. I took his good hand in mine and we made our way up Antonio’s walk. Antonio had the courtesy to let us knock before he answered the door, though I knew he was aware that we’d been out in the yard for some time.
“It’s good to see you in one piece,” Antonio said to Trey, eyeing his sling as we stepped inside.
“It’s good to be in one piece,” Trey said.
“I shouldn’t be gone long,” I said to them both.
“Remember my child,” Antonio added. “You’ve done nothing more than protect someone you care about. There’s no fault in that.”
I nodded, wishing I could believe Damir and the Emissary would be so reasonable. As I turned to go, Trey caught my arm and spun me around to face him. His lips came crashing down on mine, and I kissed him back through my surprise. Emotions came flooding through the connection the kiss brought and I felt his uncertainty, his desperation. When he pulled back, he stared at me intensely.
“What was that for?” My voice was just above a whisper.
“You know what,” was all he said. And I did. “I love you,” he added.
“I love you, too.”
The drive to Damir’s house wasn’t a long one, but it seemed to take an eternity. I could still feel Trey’s lips on mine, still taste the salty-sweetness of his kiss. I wished there was something more I could do to reassure him that he was the most important thing in my life, but I knew that nothing short of me walking back through Antonio’s door to him in the next hour would make him feel any better about the situation.
Damir’s front door was answered by a member of the Emissary who led me down into the basement where the other members were lounging on lavish sofas and sipping Vidic Vineyards blood-laced wine from tall glasses. Officer Dunn was also there. He rose to his feet and nodded at me, and I returned the gesture. As for Damir, he barely reacted when I walked into the room. Apparently, I wasn’t worth more than a mere raising of his eyebrow. He sat behind a large wooden desk that was set up in the corner. Honestly, he acted like he was bored with the whole proceedings, and I’d only just arrived. I don’t know why, but I’d expected more from the Emissary. From Damir. A little formality, perhaps? It was just another way in which Damir was a big disappointment.
I planted my feet firmly and crossed my arms, facing him. He wanted informality? I could give him that. “You wanted to see me.” It was more of a statement than a question.
Damir took his time slowly sipping from his glass before he set it down on the desk. He spoke slowly without turning to look at me. “What I want is not to baby-sit vampires who make foolish childish mistakes.”
Unlike my meeting with the Synod when I’d felt the need to bite my tongue, I decided to give Damir a piece of my mind. “Since when did vampires killing vampires become a childish act?”
This got his attention. He spun in his chair to face me completely and leaned forward. “So you admit to killing another of our kind last night?”
“I’ve never denied it.” He glared at me for a long moment. Was that satisfaction I saw in his glowing eyes? Officer Dunn took a step forward, clearing his throat.
“Miss Evins has been forthcoming about the role she played in the vampire’s death,” he said. Damir didn’t respond, but he was obviously displeased with my cooperation.
“Am I to believe you still don’t know the identity of the vampire I killed?” I asked, but I directed my question to Officer Dunn. He shook his head before Damir could interrupt.
“This is a hearing to decide your level of guilt in all this,” Damir said coolly.
“I thought we just cleared that up.”
Damir acted like he was exercising extreme patience with me, ignoring my comment altogether. “As I was saying, this is not a question-and-answer session.”
“That’s unfortunate,” I said, reaching for my back pocket. “Because you have questions and I have answers.” Damir frowned as I pulled my sketches from my pocket and unfolded them, holding them out to Officer Dunn.
“I am in charge of these proceedings,” Damir said as he rushed to stand in front of me, snatching the drawings from my hand. “Any evidence that could incriminate or liberate you will go through me.” What he didn’t need to say was that the other members of the Emissary were just there for show. None of them had any real influence in this matter. I shrugged, happy to have gotten a reaction out of him, and saw Officer Dunn fight back an amused grin as Damir stared at my sketches.
“What are these?”
“These are the vampires that got away last night,” I said simply. “They were smarter than the dead guy and knew when they’d been beat. They retreated into their black SUV and left the scene. The same black SUV that ran the human Weston Leavy off the road and whose occupants broke his neck when they realized they’d made a mistake in identifying their intended victim.”
“You can’t be certain of that,” Damir said, passing the sketches off to Dunn.
“You want certainty? I’ll give you certainty.” I took a step forward and met his gaze with all the contempt I could muster. “I can be certain that these vampires are from the Miami area. I can be certain that they attacked me and my boyfriend last night. I can be certain that they were there to kill, and I was lucky to have spent the night at a hospital and not a morgue. I can be certain that if they ever come near Trey or me again, you’ll be taking our next meeting more seriously, because I’ll have killed them all.”
Damir almost lost
his cool completely. Almost.
He turned and paced a few feet away, and I was glad to have some space. It was a moment before he spoke again. “Officer Dunn was pleading your case before you arrived tonight,” he said. “Against my better judgment, I want to believe that you were acting out of defense last night.”
“Glad we’re on the same page.” But the smile that stretched across his thin lips told me I wasn’t going to walk away from this completely unscathed. “What is it?” I asked. “I can’t stand the suspense.” I always saved my best sarcasm for Damir.
“You’re a loose cannon, Aurora,” he said. “I can’t guarantee that you won’t run off in a rage of vengeance and start slaughtering vampires you think might be involved in the so-called murder plot against your little human pet.”
I was literally speechless. That’s saying a lot for me. I wanted to say that I would definitely slaughter any vampires involved in the murder-plot against Trey, but then again, hadn’t I just said that? I needed something else. Officer Dunn shifted his weight just then and I looked up at him. He was the answer.
“Officer Dunn is perfectly capable of taking care of the vampires responsible for this,” I said, hoping I sounded convincing. Nothing against Officer Dunn, but I’d never been good at trusting people. “Now that he knows their faces, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be able to track them down and put an end to the attacks.” But Damir still looked amused, and that couldn’t bode well for me.
Immortals And Melodies (Blood And Guitars #2) Page 8
