by Lucinda Dark
“Am I a danger to you?” His voice was so quiet, I almost didn’t hear the question.
I looked up. “What?”
Maverick set the gun down on the table in front of us and turned to me, pulling off his ear protection. “Am I putting you in more danger?” he asked.
I shook my head, taking mine off as well. “Don’t worry about that,” I said. “Don’t worry about whether or not I’m in danger. Focus on protecting yourself first.”
“I can’t do that.” My eyes widened as he stepped forward and without thinking, my legs went back and I smacked into the cubicle wall.
“You have to,” I snapped. His head dipped and he sighed as his forehead pressed against mine, his eyes closing. “Mav? Are you okay?”
He cupped my cheek and I froze, startled. What the fuck? “I don’t want to get you hurt,” he said gruffly, his eyes sliding open again. They pierced me through, a blade sliding between my ribs. Fuck.
I cleared my throat and sidled out from between him and the wall. “You’re not going to get me hurt,” I said. “Just keep practicing.” I looked away as I snatched up the bag and took out all of the clips I’d brought, setting them on the table. “Stay here and keep hitting that target.”
“Barbie, where are you going?”
I yanked out my cell and backed out of the cubicle.
“I’m … ah … I forgot I had plans with Olivia,” I lied, avoiding his eyes as I took another step back, my heart in my throat. Shit, fuck. I really needed to get the fuck out of here. “I have to go get a dress for Homecoming. It’s next weekend.”
“You—”
“I’ll see you back at home.” I bolted. There was no other word for it. I ran like a bat out of fucking hell and slammed through the thick double metal doors at the end of the room, pressing the call button on my phone almost as soon as I was out of his sight. Beth had told me that my car would be delayed for several more weeks, unfortunately, and I had no other way out. I needed a rescue.
“Barbie?” Olivia’s cheery voice echoed in my ears.
“Can you give me a ride?” I blurted as I hit the sidewalk outside of the shooting range building.
“Uh, yeah sure?” she said, her voice rising in pitch with her confusion.
I sighed, already hating what I was sure would be several hours of pure, unadulterated torment, but it was either this or staying behind in close proximity with Maverick. And after what I’d allowed myself to do with Vampire-Torin, I didn’t trust myself anymore. “I need a dress for Homecoming,” I said weakly.
There was a breath of silence and then a quick intake of air as she squealed in my ear. “I knew you were going!” she screamed. “Oh my God, I’ll be right there. Don’t move a muscle. I know just the place and they do alterations too.”
The sound of stuff being thrown, keys being jangled, and the soft, but quick patter of heels on hardwood floors echoed in my ears a split second before a car door closed on the other end of the line and the phone went dead. I pursed my lips. She hadn’t even waited for me to tell her where I was. I typed out a quick text with the address of the shooting range and leaned back on my heels, looking up at the gray clouds churning overhead. A wind whipped down the street, tearing through the light jacket I had on.
Rain was coming.
Olivia’s Porsche shrieked to a halt and I got into the passenger seat, pulling the door closed as she gunned the engine. “The door wasn’t closed!” I snapped. I reached for the seatbelt and yanked it across my chest as she swerved into traffic, taking a turn too fast.
“Sorry,” she said, “but we have to hurry or we’ll be late.”
“Late?” I echoed as I finagled the buckle into its clip and clutched the damn belt to my chest as she roared through a yellow light.
“Blondie Boutique,” she explained. “It’s the only place you can get the perfect dress.” She flipped her hair over one shoulder and sent me a reproachful look. “Really, you should’ve just confessed that you were going earlier. You’re lucky I’ve spent like a fortune there every year since I started high school. I called on the way to get you and they said they had a cancellation and could squeeze you in, but we’ve only got like five minutes to get there.”
I reached for the ‘oh shit’ handle and clutched onto it for dear life as she took another turn. I swore I felt the vehicle rear up on its side. “I’d like to get there alive!”
“Psh, we’re fine. I know my car.” She swung into the parking lot of a strip mall and screeched to a stop at the end, snagging a parking spot in the corner and jerking the small car into it just as another car was leaving. I didn’t want to know how close she’d come to hitting them, and they obviously didn’t care because they kept going. She shut off the car and popped her door open with a sigh of relief. “Oh thank goodness, two minutes to spare.” I looked down at my hands, still clutching the seat belt against my chest and took a breath. “Come on!” Olivia called, her heels clicking against the pavement as she hurried away from the car towards the front doors of the boutique.
Prying my hands from the belt, I unbuckled and slid out of the car, snapping a hand against the roof to steady myself before wobbling after her. I was already regretting this.
Inside the Blondie Boutique, two young women dressed in all black approached us and welcomed Olivia like a long-lost friend, crying and throwing their arms around her in excitement. The girls chattered away as they led us further back to a secluded area with a small room curtained off in front of a luxurious suede couch.
“This is my friend, Barbie,” Olivia introduced. “We’re looking for a to-die-for gown for Homecoming.”
One of the women, a reed thin brunette with a sharp nose and petite slanted eyes, approached and looked me up and down. “Good figure,” she said. “I think we have a few options off the rack.”
“That’s fine—” I began.
“The rack?” Olivia interjected. “Don’t you have anything from the Deloris Collection?”
“Off the rack is fine,” I said.
“No.” Olivia looked at me like I was crazy, her lips pursed in disapproval. “This is Homecoming. Senior year. You’re going with Torin Priest. Off the rack is not acceptable.”
“I don’t care—”
“Torin Priest?” the second woman echoed, her eyes widening as she stared at me.
Olivia grinned. “Oh yeah, I heard him ask her myself.”
“He didn’t really ask,” I pointed out. “He just told me we were going.”
“Hey, you accepted, no complaining,” Olivia shot back.
I grimaced, but it wasn’t like I could simply say that I accepted more because we suspected the St. Marion murderer would be at Homecoming and we were pretty sure that whoever was killing male students and ripping out their hearts was a supernatural creature. Vampire or not, they needed to be stopped.
Olivia and the women congregated together and whisper-hissed a few words before they nodded and disappeared back into the main section of the boutique. Olivia went to the couch and reclined on it with a sigh. A moment later, a young man carrying a bottle of Champagne entered and presented the bottle along with two crystal glasses and a bucket of ice to her.
“We’re underage,” I reminded her tersely as she allowed the man to pour her a glass.
Olivia laughed. “Not here, hon. Take a seat.”
I frowned her way but saw no point in standing around, so I did as she suggested and sank down onto the couch cushions next to her. Holy fuck, it was comfortable. I groaned as I laid back. A girl could fall asleep on something this plush.
Olivia snickered. It took more effort than I cared to admit to lift my head. “What?” I asked.
“You,” she said, sipping at her champagne as the man disappeared out the door.
“What about me?”
“Anyone else would be lording it over everyone that they were going with Torin Priest to Homecoming,” she said.
I shrugged. “So?”
She shook her head. “You
’re just an odd duck.”
I stared up at the ceiling, my mind whirling. Torin Priest. Half-vampire. King of St. Marion. Red eyes on my naked flesh penetrated my thoughts. My thigh throbbed.
“He’s just a man,” I said.
She snorted. “Sure he is,” she replied.
“He is,” I insisted. The thing was, I wasn’t sure if it was her I was trying to convince or myself.
Torin Priest was just a man, but so was Maverick McKnight. One, dangerous and deadly. The other, safe and pure fucking human.
Chapter 34
Maverick
I froze, riveted as Barbie took off. My chest tightened as she backed away, turned, and fled. And whether or not she wanted to admit it, that’s exactly what she was doing—running away. The dark circles beneath her eyes worried me. I set the Glock on the table and pulled my phone out of my pocket, dialing the number I’d seemed to never have forgotten.
“Yeah?” Torin’s voice on the other end calmed me, but only marginally.
“It’s me.” But before I could say anything more, one of the other shooting range attendees started firing. “Hold on.” I headed for the closest door and kept walking until the sound of shooting was muted enough that I could hear myself think.
“What’s up?” Torin asked. “Are you at the shooting range?”
“Yeah, but that’s not why I called. It’s about Barbie.” Silence. “She doesn’t look good,” I admitted. More silence. “Torin?”
“I—ah—listen, I gotta go.”
“What the fuck, man?” I clutched the phone to my ear and frowned. “I call you to tell you something’s up with Barbie and you blow me off?”
“It’s not that,” Torin said. “I just have to—” he grunted, cutting himself off. A moment later he was back. “Are you sure she’s not just tired or something?”
“She just bolted from me,” I said. “She was watching me practice and I just…” What had I done? What had I been thinking? I’d just wanted to know if she thought I was a danger to her. I wasn’t skilled at this shit. Sure, my dad had taken me shooting before. I’d been hunting, but not for a few years. I was strong. Football kept me fast, but this—vampires? This was something new for me. I’d watched the way Barbie had taken out that vampire bitch. She’d been thrown clear across the room. The damn cunt had even lifted me up without batting an eyelash. I was facing something completely new here.
“What did you do?” Torin asked.
“I…” Maybe it had been a mistake to call him. “Never mind,” I said. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Mav.” Torin’s sharp bark stopped me from hanging up. My fist clenched around the phone. Irritation swelled inside me, ballooning in my gut until I found myself eyeing the wall across from where I’d stopped, wondering how many times I could hit it without breaking anything. “Listen to me,” Torin said, bringing my attention back. “Worrying about whether or not you’re good enough is more likely to get you killed. If it were up to me, you never would have found out about any of this shit.”
I scowled. “You would’ve kept me in the fucking dark?” I snapped.
“Yeah,” he replied, no remorse in his tone. “Of course I fucking would have.” The sharp sound of his breath on the other end grated against my nerves. That wall was looking better and better. “I didn’t want any of this out in the open. I didn’t want you anywhere near it.”
“I don’t need your fucking protection,” I growled.
“Shut up and listen, will you?” Torin’s voice deepened. “I have to fight a part of myself every day. I drink human blood.” I had known that, but hearing it aloud felt like a sucker punch to the gut. I leaned back, the crown of my skull smacking into the wall at my back. “I’m not completely human,” he continued. “As much as I wish I wasn’t, a part of me is a monster. I wanted to protect you from that reality and so does Barbie. I’m sure she doesn’t want you anywhere near the creatures who took her family from her.”
“It’s more than that,” I said. “I…” How the fuck did I say it? “I don’t want to lose her.” I couldn’t quell that fear inside. “I keep seeing her covered in blood,” I admitted through clenched teeth. “And I keep thinking what if I hadn’t gone to you? What if it’d been too late? What if I get her killed later on down the road?” Torin didn’t respond for several long moments. So long, in fact, that I pulled the phone back and looked down to see if the call had dropped or something. I put it back to my ear. “Tor?”
“I’m … here.” He sounded odd. His voice hoarse as he spoke. “It’s … this is something you’ll have to live with,” he said. “Worrying about ‘what ifs’ won’t do anyone any good. So, pick up the fucking gun I gave you. Practice. Shoot. Get good. Protect her.” A growl echoed through the phone. “Now, I have to go.”
I blinked and looked down in shock as the line went dead.
Chapter 35
Torin
The phone in my fist cracked, a fissure slithering across the glass face as my hand contracted on it. Hard. The small object left my hand before I knew what I was doing. I watched as it sailed through the air and slammed into the wall, the screen shattering upon impact into a hundred tiny little cracks, glass particles raining down as it hit the floor.
So possessive…
I growled as the voice intruded. “Shut up.”
You really don’t like the fact that he likes her, do you? Red hot fury boiled within me. No. I fucking did not.
My hands curled into fists and I turned away from the mess I’d made. “I said, shut up.”
Just admit it—your feelings for her.
“What would that do?” I snapped. “She’s human.”
So are you, in part.
I groaned, rocking back on my heels as I lifted my arms and shoved my knuckles into my eye sockets, grinding down until black and white dots danced in front of my vision.
“Have you heard?”
I jerked in surprise, dropping my arms as my gaze shot to the doorway. Katalin stood there, one slender eyebrow lifted as she looked from me to the remains of the phone. I cleared my throat. “Heard what?”
Tilting her head to the side, she examined me, cool hazel eyes traveling down and then back up. “There’s been another killing.”
I paused, watching her carefully. “Another student?” I inquired.
She shook her head. “An employee from the Harris estate. Male.”
I waited, but whether or not she had more information, it seemed that was all she was willing to part with at the moment. I couldn’t let it be. “What do you think?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Do you think they’re human? The murderer?” I asked.
As I expected, she didn’t betray any of her inner thoughts. “I think you should find out on your own, yes?”
I frowned. “Don’t you want to know?”
“I already know.” My muscles tightened. She knew. That meant it wasn’t a human. It couldn’t be. Unless it was and she just … didn’t care? Katalin’s perceptive gaze never wavered.
"I suggest you use caution," she said quietly.
"What does that mean?" Did she know what I was already planning? What Barbie, Maverick, and I were planning?
"It means that this is a test and you should do everything in your power to pass it," she replied.
"A test?" Did that mean—what did that mean? She couldn't be saying that Arrius was behind the murders, could she? I gritted my teeth, feeling the sharp edge of my vampire as it rose to the surface. He'd been closer as of late. A fact that I usually wasn't so pleased with, but in these matters, the more power I had the better. "Tell me, Kat, did he have anything to do with this?" I demanded.
"You know I can't answer that." She shook her head and sighed.
"Then what can you answer?" I knew my eyes were glowing red. I could feel the heat beneath my skin, the anger that I so often worked to keep under control spreading throughout my limbs.
"I'm not the one you need to seek answ
ers from."
"Then who the fuck am I supposed to—"
"Your vampire knows who you're looking for," she interrupted, her voice dipping into a warning growl. "Do not make the mistake of irritating me, Torin. I have been kind enough to turn my cheek in recent days. Do not think I don't know about your new human friends."
I stiffened. If she knew that I was seeing Maverick again, if she knew about Barbie—there was nothing stopping her from telling Arrius. And after the ultimatum Arrius had given me two years ago, I didn't want to know what he might do if he found out. I stared at her, wanting to ask, but at the same time, this changed things. Katalin turned and strode away. Her comment wasn’t a threat, but a warning. The murderer wasn’t human and on top of that, it had more than likely been sent by my father. Katalin knew about Mav and Barbie. It was only a matter of time before he did too.
I didn’t like this. Not one fucking bit.
Chapter 36
Barbie
“Trust me.”
“You know what else says that?” I asked. “Vodka. And yet, the trust issues I have with vodka still aren’t resolved.” I could practically picture Olivia’s responsive eye roll as I grumbled under my breath. The five-hundred dollar piece of fucking shit.
“Try this one.” A mass of white and black came through the curtain, Olivia’s arm wiggling as she shook the damn thing at me. I snatched it out of her grasp.
“I swear to fuck, if you—”
“Just put it on,” she interrupted.
I rolled my eyes and finished stepping out of the previous disaster. “You know I don’t actually care what I wear,” I commented as I pulled the dress up my legs and slid my arms through the straps, the fabric thin. They fell right down my arms. I gritted my teeth and slid them back up as I reached behind me and zipped up the dress. Annnnd down the straps went.
