by Lucinda Dark
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I growled and shoved them back up, but there was too much slack. Everywhere else on me the dress fit perfectly. Turning, I snapped the curtain to the side and stepped out. “The damn straps keep falling,” I complained.
Back on the couch and taking another refill on her champagne, Olivia turned to me. “It’s supposed to be like that,” she said as her drink was topped off. “They’re just for decoration.”
“Aren’t they supposed to hold the dress up?” I asked, moving my arms up and down. I felt like a fucking windmill.
“Do you feel like it’s going to fall down?” she replied.
“Well, no…” I turned in a circle. The dress fit me pretty well and other than the straps, it was great for movement. The tulle skirt flared out just under my waist, staying closer to my body until it hit my hips where the skirts were much thicker. The bottom didn’t even touch my knees, the hem hitting just above them. I frowned down at the fabric, reaching for the layer of white beneath the black lace of the bodice and lifting it up to look at it closer. It wasn’t actually white at all, but a very light pink.
“I love it, it’s perfect,” Olivia said.
“How much is—”
“Don’t worry about that,” she interrupted again. She was getting rather comfortable at that. I glared at her. With a sigh, she downed the rest of her drink and got up from the couch, circling me. “I already called Mrs. McKnight, she gave her card number over the phone.”
“What?” I blinked at her in shock.
Olivia continued circling me. “I think this is it. This is the dress. Torin’s mouth is going to hit the floor.”
His mouth had already hit somewhere… As soon as the thought slipped into my mind, I felt my eyes widen. The memory rushed at me, unbidden, like it had just been waiting for a slip up to remind me what I’d done.
Torin’s red eyes all over me. His tongue in my pussy. His fangs piercing my flesh. I should have been disgusted. I should have hated every part of it, but I didn’t. It had been hot. Boiling hot. Volcanic. And I wanted it to happen again.
My mind reeled as Olivia pushed me back into the curtained off changing room and commanded me to strip. I didn’t even argue. I pulled the dress off and shoved it out the curtain into her waiting hands. My mind drifted back to my dream and I wondered if I would have another tonight. It was wrong. I had to focus on other things, like the murderer, like training Maverick.
Maverick…
“Alright! It’s all done and paid for.” Olivia’s cheery voice startled me as she came back—what must have been minutes later—and slid the curtain out of the way. I looked down, thankful that I had seemed to get redressed by rote memory. “Let’s go grab some coffee.”
I didn’t pull away as she yanked me out of the dressing room and led me out of the boutique, calling goodbye to the girls who had helped us over the last few hours. We got into her Porsche and I clipped my seatbelt, still muddled by my thoughts. I didn’t even notice her bad driving.
“Ugh, I have been dying for this all day,” Olivia whined as we arrived at the coffee shop and got out. “I mean, I don’t mind that you called so early, but—hey, is that Rachel?”
I frowned and looked over in the same direction she was staring. Across the street, Rachel’s dirty blonde hair swayed with the movements of her ponytail as she pumped her arms and legs on the treadmill at the front window of the gym.
“Hmmm. Weird,” Olivia commented, turning away with a shrug.
I followed. “What’s weird?”
“Rachel hates working out,” Olivia said, pushing through the door into the coffee shop. A bell jingled above our heads announcing our arrival, followed by a few ‘welcomes’ from the staff.
“So?”
Olivia moved to the counter and placed her order before turning to me. “She’s a cheerleader, she doesn’t need to do anymore working out. Cheerleading is an actual sport, like gymnastics and all that.” She waved her hand as if that encompassed everything else she was trying to explain about it before continuing. “Rachel basically tells everyone who works out that they’re just lazy. If they wanted to be in shape, they should’ve been born with a metabolism—one that she’s definitely got in spades. I’ve seen that girl put away pizza at a slumber party before, she’s—”
I sighed and snapped my fingers in front of her face. “Liv,” I said sharply, “stay on task. Why is it weird for her to be working out?” I repeated the question.
“She doesn’t believe in it,” Olivia said simply. “She thinks people who work out in a gym are stupid. Her parents are weird with their whole fresh farm to table, vegan, no unnecessary technology stuff. Her dad’s the owner of a huge vegan grocery store chain. They think people should run cardio in the ‘real world.’” She lifted her fingers and curled two on each hand as she air-quoted ‘real world’ with a roll of her eyes. “And that a treadmill or anything in a gym is a waste of money and resources. They’re super weird about it.”
I thought it over as our orders were called and we picked them up at the end of the counter. When we headed back out to the car, my eyes sought out the window of the gym across the street but either Rachel was done, or she’d moved on to a new machine.
“Maybe she’s just trying to lose weight for Homecoming,” Olivia suggested as we got into the car. “She was pretty pissed when she heard that Torin was taking you.”
“When did she hear that?” I asked. “Only you and—” My eyes widened as she gave me a guilty grin. “You didn’t.”
Biting down on her lower lip, she buckled her seat belt. “Gabby was asking why he was hanging out with Maverick and everyone knows that you’re hanging out with both of them, so I just…” She trailed off. “It’s just gossip,” she tried to assure me as I groaned and sank back into my seat. “It’ll blow over soon.”
“Why did you have to say anything?” I snapped.
She shrugged as she backed out of her parking spot. “The longer they wonder, the longer it’ll go on. Just date one of them and people will stop talking.”
“Date one of them?” I stared at her in horror. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”
“Why do you make it sound like that?” She shot me a confused look, lips pursed, both brows raised. “They’re hot.”
“I’m living with Maverick,” I reminded her. I couldn’t date him. Not to mention the fact that I was still planning on finding the vampire who killed my family and making them pay. I couldn’t date Maverick. He was human, one who was quite new to all of this. He was in danger. All I could do was teach him how to protect himself and get the hell out of his life. That’s what he deserved. He deserved some vestige of safety and as long as I was around, it wasn’t going to happen.
“But not Torin,” Olivia pointed out. “And he is the one taking you to Homecoming, right?”
I shook my head. “They’re best friends.”
“Ex-best friends,” she said.
That was right. They weren’t friends anymore. The only reason that they’d been forced to see each other again was because of me. I had forgotten. But … maybe when I left they’d reconcile. If that was going to be the case, then I should just stop now while I was ahead.
“No.” I shook my head from side to side again. “Absolutely not.”
Olivia’s mouth popped open as she rolled to a stop sign and looked over at me. “You’re the strangest girl I’ve ever met, Barbie Steele.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It’s not.” I shrugged. I didn’t really give a shit what she thought. She didn’t know me. Not the real me. “Anyone else would kill to have either of those two. From where I’m sitting, it looks like you could have both.”
“Both?” I looked at her. “Are you certifiable?”
She shrugged and turned the corner, one hand over the other on the steering wheel as she returned her gaze to the windshield. “Maybe, but at least I admit it.”
“I—”
Sh
e stopped me before I could say anything else. “I don’t know what you’re scared of, but whatever it is, you better get over it soon. No matter what happens, life goes on. Make sure you’re living it before you’re too old or too dead to enjoy it.”
I gaped at her. Was I really getting life advice from a preppy cheerleader knock off? Apparently, I was. What the fuck would I say to her if she was right?
Chapter 37
Barbie
I panted, sweat dripping into my eyes. Metal flashed and I ducked and rolled across the grass, sliding as I dodged Torin’s attack. I weaved and spun, narrowly missing another downward swing of his sword. Within seconds, my back slapped the ground and he came down hard over me, his chest slamming against my breasts as the flat part of his blade touched my throat.
“Is this what your father taught you?” he asked, his face flushed with color. I looked at him closely, noting how dilated his pupils were. In the center of the green irises, red bled out into the rest of the color. “I’m surprised you managed to kill not one, but two vampires on your own.”
My chest rose and fell, pressing my breasts against him as I tried to catch my breath. I gritted my teeth against the insult. “Hey!” Maverick’s call caught both of our attentions. As Torin’s head turned, I hooked one foot behind his knee and shoved against the opposite side of his chest, rolling us so that I was on top and his blade fell away from my throat. I rose up and jerked the blunt—but still deadly—end of my own sword down.
The edge thrust into the soil next to his head and I leaned down, my lips right by his ear as I spoke. “How’s that for fucking training?”
“Enough fucking around, I’ve got some information to share,” Maverick said from the back porch of Torin’s guest house. He watched us—his eyes both curious and something else. I couldn’t quite place the emotion that lit his face, but it was intense. His gaze focused on where my groin was pressed against Torin. I huffed and jerked off of him, standing up and holding a hand out.
Torin didn’t take it, instead choosing to get up on his own and stormed past me. I threw both arms up. “Fine, be an asshole,” I snapped. “As if I give a shit.”
“Inside,” Maverick barked, turning and stomping back into the house. Torin shot me a look and followed him.
Great, I thought. Just my luck, I get stuck working with two fucking assholes with manstrual cycles out their fucking twatholes. A part of me wished Torin could hear that, but in the days that had passed since I’d taken some of his blood, his prediction that the side effects would fade was correct. Well, mostly. My attraction to him was a completely different matter. One I wasn’t quite ready to face just yet.
I left my sword in the ground and took the steps two at a time until I hit the backdoor and strode inside. Lifting the hem of my shirt to mop up some of the sweat dripping down the front of my face and neck, I closed my eyes and rubbed the fabric between my brows. Almost as soon as I hit the living room, I slammed into a broad expanse of back muscle.
“Jesus—fuck!” I stumbled and released my hem, nearly falling down as my legs gave out from under me. Maverick turned and grabbed me just before I hit the floor. Our eyes connected and a dull, low heat rose to the surface of my cheeks. I pulled away just as quickly, muttering a quiet “thanks” as I rounded him and headed for the couch.
I collapsed back on the cushions as Torin came in through the kitchen, tossing me a water bottle and taking his own seat. “What’s this about?” he asked, turning his focus to the man standing in the doorway.
“The last vic,” Maverick started, “was an employee working a large business gathering at the Harris estate.”
“Yeah?” Torin popped the cap on his bottled water and downed half of it in one go. I couldn’t help but stare at the long lines of his throat and how it worked as he swallowed. Sweat droplets collected on his collarbone and slid sideways until they reached a point where they could slide further down between his pecs, disappearing into the neckline of his workout shirt. My throat went dry.
“Every victim so far has been present at a large gathering or party,” he said. “This guy was the only one who isn’t involved with St. Marion. So, whoever the murderer is must be using parties as his hunting ground.”
“So, the likelihood that they’ll be at Homecoming increased?” I guessed.
Maverick nodded. “Exponentially.”
Torin finished off the majority of his water and sucked in a lungful of air before leaning over and pouring the remainder over the back of his head, wetting the long dark locks and making them stick to his forehead as he braced his elbows on his knees and looked up. Water ran down his face, dropping haphazardly on the floor. The red in his eyes had receded completely, but he kept his focus on Maverick as he spoke. “I have some information, too,” he said with a grimace.
Maverick noticed and crossed his arms. “What did you find out?” he demanded.
Another breath. A moment of silence. And then… “I have no doubt that my father is behind the murders.”
Shock was a silent scream in the room. “I’m sorry, what?” I stood up abruptly. “Your father is in town and you didn’t think to fucking tell us?”
Torin shook his head. “No, it’s not—he’s not here.”
“Then how can he be responsible for the murders?” Maverick asked, his tone deepening as his brows puckered.
“I don’t know exactly, but Katalin said something the other night—something about testing me. He’s a bastard, I know that. He’s corrupt and as a vampire, he’s pretty fucking ruthless. Killing is nothing to him. Simply a means to an end.”
Killing as a means to an end. I was quiet for a moment as something hit me. I wasn’t dissimilar.
“Where does that leave us then?” Maverick’s question pulled me back to the conversation at hand. I shook my head and refocused.
“It’s not human, that much I do know,” Torin imparted.
“Do you know what it is?” I asked.
He stiffened and shook his head. “No.”
“Then we don’t necessarily know how to kill it.” Shit. That wasn’t good.
“Bring your gun and holy water anyway,” Torin said. “There’s nowhere for Barbie to hide the swords so I’ll be giving these back to you.” Torin stood up and reached for the chest in the corner of the living room, pulling out two familiar looking daggers. He handed them over to me and released them just as quickly, pulling his hands back before my fingers brushed his. My brows lowered and my mouth tightened, but I didn’t comment.
“Do you think we have a chance?” Maverick asked. I looked up in time to see him unfold his arms and step farther into the room, his gaze seeking Torin out, worry creasing the corners of his eyes.
“We have as good of a chance as we’re going to get. You’ve been practicing with that gun I gave you?”
“Every day,” Maverick said with a nod. “Barbie’s been trying to teach me some self-defense at home, too.”
“Good, keep it up,” Torin replied. “It shouldn’t be bad, whatever it is, and I’ll be there. And if worse comes to worse, I’ll unleash the vampire.”
“Is that a good idea?” I asked, my hands tightening on the dagger handles.
“He and I have an … understanding,” Torin said without looking my way. I just fucking bet they did.
I sighed, shoulders slumping. “Okay then,” I hedged.
Maverick looked my way and then at Torin before seeming to come to a decision. “Let’s head out then.” He turned towards the front door, pausing as he glanced to Torin one last time. “See you at the game tomorrow?”
Torin shook his head. “I probably won’t be at the game, but I’ll be at the dance.”
“Because you’re taking me.” I couldn’t help the upper curl of my lip as I said it. “Are you sure we have to go through the whole charade?”
Torin turned and lifted a brow my way. “Why, are you scared?” he asked.
I jerked my head back, a scowl overtaking my expression as I stormed a
round him and headed for Maverick’s side. “I’m not fucking afraid of shit,” I said. “I’ll be at Homecoming.”
“In a fucking dress,” Maverick commented, shaking his head as he headed out the door.
“In a fucking dress,” I agreed.
“We’ll see, sweetheart.” Torin’s words echoed in my ears as I trailed after Maverick.
Sweetheart. That was what his vampire had called me. Along with … mate.
Chapter 38
Barbie
The day of Homecoming arrived. I didn't know what to expect, and it seemed that everyone had forgotten the fact that, up until a few months ago, I hadn't even been put into a classroom with other students. Homeschool really did cut out a lot, even if I had managed to learn a lot of things no one else my age knew. Like how to fight. How to survive. How to shoot a gun. I eyed Maverick as he came stomping down the stairs.
Beth was so overjoyed that I would be taking part in Homecoming that she took it upon herself to tell me everything I would need to expect. I stood dutifully as she helped me zip up the dress I'd bought with Olivia into its protective bag.
"Every school has their own Homecoming traditions," Beth explained. "For St. Marion, it's the afternoon football game with one of the local rivals and then the dance. Lots of schools parade the Homecoming Court at halftime, but they won’t announce who won king and queen until the dance.”
"Why are they on the same night?" I asked. "Won't the players be tired?"
"More like wired." Beth chuckled as she shot her son a look as he grunted and took the dress bag from her before moving out the front door. Rich, warm sunlight poured over the front porch as we followed behind him, stopping on the top step. "Homecoming is a wonderful tradition any young man or woman would want to be a part of," she said. "I'm sure you'll have loads of fun. Please, just do me one favor."
