Lady & the Vamp ib-3

by Мишель Роуэн

  "The Eye. That's the thing that's supposed to grant a wish—the thing that Janie and Lenny are looking for?"

  He nodded. "I need to wish to be human again. If I stay this way… I don't know what I'm capable of.

  Who I might hurt next."

  "The past is past. The future is all you got. Whether you're vampire or human doesn't really change a damn thing."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "You can be a lousy vampire. You can be a lousy human. What you are doesn't mean anything. It's what you do with what you are that counts."

  "This coming from a cowardly werewolf. Terrific. Just the advice I was looking for. Thanks a lot."

  Barkley's expression soured. "I was trying to help. Why don't I leave you alone now to feel sorry for yourself? Would that work?"

  "That would work just fine."

  Without another word, Barkley turned his back and left Quinn's room.

  He covered his face again with his hands and pressed his lips together. He could still feel Janie's warm body against his own, still taste her on his lips.

  She'd tasted and felt better than anything he'd ever experienced before.

  Ever.

  He reached forward and grabbed the map that he'd pulled out of her pocket without her knowing. It was the only thing that mattered. This scrap of paper was everything to him now. He couldn't hurt it, and it couldn't hurt him.

  Janie had effortlessly managed to work her way into his life, into his heart and mind and body in less than a day. The thought of never seeing her again actually hurt. But that's what he'd have to do.

  For her own sake.

  Lenny was applying some of the healing balm to Janie's neck in her motel room. It would take care of the wound, heal it up by tomorrow so she wouldn't bear the scars like she did of the last vampire bite.

  She hadn't found the balm in time for that injury.

  The proof that Quinn had bitten her would be gone, but the memory remained.

  Her cheeks warmed. God, she wanted him. She wanted that messed-up vampire like no man she'd ever known before.

  Did that make her crazy?

  Yes. Of course it did. But it didn't change her mind.

  It was almost eleven o'clock. Lenny insisted that they go to the restaurant, because he heard her stomach start to growl, and then she realized that she hadn't eaten all day. After her recent blood donation, she figured she should get something on her stomach as soon as possible.

  Lenny was cranky. She could tell because he ordered only a plate of fries and a Coke. That was like a diet-sized serving of food to Lenny.

  "What's wrong?" she asked him after she placed her order for a club sandwich and coffee that the waitress poured immediately.

  He shook his head. "I don't know how you can be so calm. He almost killed you."

  "I appreciate your concern, but that's not true."

  "Janie, I've seen you with other vamps. You've never had a problem with them before. How did you let this asshole get you off guard?"

  She rubbed her lips together and took a sip of her coffee before answering. "He didn't catch me off guard."

  He stared at her blankly.

  "I let him bite me," she said.

  "What?" His eyes bugged out of his huge face as if that was the craziest thing he'd ever heard. "Why would you do something like that?"

  "He needed blood. He was dying. There were no other choices."

  "You should have staked him, then."

  "I couldn't do that."

  "Why not?"

  Dammit. Why did she feel like she owed Lenny the truth? Well, maybe because out of everybody in the world, he was probably the one that cared the most for her. Call it a misplaced crush or just simple loyalty to one's partner, Lenny genuinely was concerned for her safety and well-being. When somebody feels that way toward you, you don't lie to them and blow them off. They deserved a lot more than that.

  "I didn't want him to die."

  He scrubbed his fingers through his short hair. "Janie, I know you knew this guy when you were a kid,

  but what difference does that make now? How could you be so sure he wouldn't have drained you?"

  "Because I trust him."

  He laughed. "You trust him?" He shook his head and brought his notebook out to rest on the tabletop.

  She eyed it warily. "Don't do it, Lenny."

  "I have to. You've obviously forgotten." He flipped toward the middle of the book to a page filled with scrawled writing. One of Lenny's many poems. This one was titled "Why Vampires Are Bad."

  He cleared his throat:

  Vampires suck

  And not just blood

  They are mean and nasty

  And definitely no good

  When you're drained

  And close to death

  Vamps will laugh—

  To your screams they're deaf

  They arenot human

  Not even close

  Get too close to one

  And you're going to be toast

  He closed the notebook. "See?"

  She sighed and took another sip of her coffee.

  Happily, the food arrived then. Lenny snatched a bottle of ketchup off a nearby table. Janie bit halfheartedly into her sandwich and swallowed the dry mouthful down.

  "I have another," he said.

  "Please no."

  He ignored her and flipped to another page in his notebook.

  I know an amazing woman

  Her name is Janie Parker

  Pretty face and red lips

  Her hair used to be a bit darker

  She looks real sweet and innocent

  But she's tougher than you think

  She's killed a hundred monsters

  At slaying she does not stink

  He closed the notebook again, leaving his fries untouched. His forehead was furrowed deeply. "See?

  That's the Janie I know and love—um…respect deeply. Where did that Janie go?"

  "That Janie is still here."

  He shook his head. "I just don't get it. I've seen you protect yourself from guys way bigger than him. I don't know how he managed to pin you to that bed and rip your shirt off like that. It's almost as if you—"

  He broke off and looked at her.

  She blinked. "Almost as if I—?"

  "Almost as if youwanted it."

  "I was helping him. Try to understand that, Lenny. We need him."

  "No, we don't. And you weren't simply helping him. You were… you were kissing him. After he bit you!"

  He said it loud enough that the waitress looked over.

  Janie tried to smile at the women. "Could I get a little extra mayonnaise over here, please?" Then to

  Lenny, "Keep it down, would you?"

  "Are you in love with him?"

  "In love? Lenny, you're talking crazy."

  "I haven't seen you with any other guy since we've been partners. I know they ask you out all the time,

  but you don't go out with them. I thought—" He swallowed. "I thought maybe that meant that we could… that we…" He turned away to study the darkness outside the window.

  She reached over and grabbed his hand. "Lenny, please—"

  He pulled away from her. "All of my poetry is about you."

  "I'm sorry."

  He shook his head. "I'm so stupid."

  "No, you're not. And I'm not in love with Quinn."

  "You're not?"

  She shook her head.

  Of course she wasn't in love with him. That would be completely ridiculous. After all, she'd only just started to spend time with him that day—a mere twelve hours ago.

  Her childhood crush was meaningless now. She was an adult and definitely not swayed by silly romantic fantasies. Lust, sure. But love? Only a weak, pathetic woman would let herself fall in love so quickly with a vampire who didn't even like her in return.

  Yeah. Totally pathetic.

  The waitress dropped off her extra mayo, and she dunked the sandwich into it b
efore taking another bite, then pushed the plate away.

  For some reason, she wasn't hungry any more.

  She looked out of the window at room sixteen. Was Quinn okay? Should she go and check on him again?

  Oh, my God, she thought with dismay.I ampathetic .

  She didn't love him. Shedidn't. She could be pathetic just fine without being in love—especially not with that train wreck of a man.

  The door bell jingled as someone entered the restaurant. She looked over and saw it was Barkley, who looked less than friendly. Lenny waved him over.

  Barkley nodded at Janie. "You okay?"

  "I'm surprised you even give a damn, considering I almost had you killed."

  "I'm a very forgiving person. Just in my nature."

  "How is…" She swallowed hard. "How is Quinn?"

  "He's a total asshole. But I'm sure you already know that."

  She raised an eyebrow. "I thought you two were friends."

  "Yeah, that's what I thought, too. But friends don't call the other friend a coward when they're just trying to be helpful. I'm not a coward."

  "Of course you're not."

  "Just because I ran away from my pack because I didn't want to get killed doesn't make me a damn coward."

  Janie shook her head. "That's just being sensible, I think. So is he feeling better?"

  "He says he feels great. You must have fantastic blood."

  "Don't get any ideas."

  "Don't worry. I prefer my steaks well done." He looked at Lenny. "You're quiet. What's up?"

  "Nothing." He poked at his French fries. "Janie's in love with the vampire."

  Barkley looked at her. "Really? With Quinn?"

  She forced a smile. "I think I'm going back to my room now."

  "Good idea. I did tell him that you looked like you needed a cold shower. I would have figured you for black lace lingerie. Since it was on the floor I was able to confirm it." He grinned at her.

  Her cheeks flushed even more, which pissed her off, because she couldn't remember the last time someone had made her blush.

  "Forget getting Lenny to do it—I think I'm going to kill you myself just out of principle."

  She stood up from the table.

  A smile curled up the side of the werewolf's mouth at her obvious embarrassment and he motioned toward the waitress that he wanted a coffee. "So, tomorrow what happens? Are you and Quinn going to find the Eye together and Lenny andme'll head to Vegas to look for your sister?"

  Janie froze. "What did you just say?"

  "The redhead from my visions. It's your sister, right? Didn't Quinn tell you I'd had the dream that pinpointed her location somewhere inLas Vegas ?"

  She felt the color drain from her face. "It hadn't come up yet."

  "Oh." Barkley looked nervous then.

  "She's inLas Vegas ?" she repeated.

  He nodded. "I got a really clear picture this time. Couldn't figure out exactly what casino she was in, but it was definitely Vegas. She's still wearing the same necklace as you." He explained why the necklace was vital to his visions. "You know, other than the hair color, you two look a lot alike. Do you know if she's single? Does she have an aversion to werewolves?"

  She moistened her lips. Her mouth had gone suddenly bone dry. "She… she always used to love puppies."

  "Close enough."

  She looked at Lenny and narrowed her eyes. "Did you know about this, too?"

  He looked sheepish. "Of course. I thought you did, too, or I would have brought it up earlier. We're going to find her, Janie. Don't worry."

  Without thinking about it, she pulled the turquoise necklace from around her neck and handed it to

  Barkley.

  "Take this. If it helps you to find her, then I don't need it right now."

  He nodded and took it from her. "It might."

  "Good." She nodded back and turned away. "I'll see you in the morning."

  She would have felt a sense of relief if she'd let herself. There was a chance she could find her sister and protect her before the Boss got his hands on her? And they weren't even that far away from Vegas. A few hours' drive and she'd be there.

  Could she let herself believe that it was true? Barkley was a true psychic who had seen her sister and that she was okay? She felt tears well up in her eyes but fought them down. No time for that. There was never any time for tears. It just made everything blurry.

  Angela had always been a real pain in the ass. Typical little sister. Always borrowing Janie's clothes,

  makeup, magazines. One time even stealing Janie's boyfriend—a distant, meaningless memory now but at the time had been a huge deal. They got along like cats and dogs, but it didn't stop her from loving her little sister and protecting her with all of her might. Then and now.

  She glanced at room sixteen as she passed it by. Quinn knew? He'd known for God only knows how long and he hadn't told her?

  That son of a bitch. He must have laughed, keeping that information from her. It changed everything.

  She realized right then and there that it was true what they said. There was a very thin line between love and hate. And she'd just jumped sides.

  Chapter 11

  Quinn slept. At least he was pretty sure he did, since he had some bad dreams. When he opened his eyes, he was still on the floor of the motel. It wasn't as clean as he would have liked. He brushed the dust bunnies from his shirt and slowly got to his feet. It was now light outside, from what he could see past the cheap curtains covering the window that looked out on the parking lot. He grabbed his watch from the nightstand to see that it was a quarter after eight.

  Good time to make his escape.

  He changed clothes silently, pulling a fresh black T-shirt and a pair of khaki trousers out of the duffel bag he retrieved from the truck. He splashed some cold water on his face and ran a hand across his jaw,

  feeling the roughness of the stubble that he couldn't see in the mirror.

  No reflection. He couldn't even see the clothes he wore. It's as if anything that touched him became nothing. Just like him.

  Neat trick.

  He understood a lot about vampires. Wooden stakes, and the ability to infect others with vampirism through bites. He could even make sense of the blood drinking, but the reflection thing never made sense.

  Some said it was because vampires lacked souls and silver didn't reflect a soulless being. But mirrors weren't made of silver anymore, so that blew that theory out of the water.

  All it proved to him was that he was something different. Something bad. Something touched by evil magic. And something he didn't want to be anymore, reflection or not.

  When he was human again, he'd try to make something of his life. Help people. Do things to make up for his past.

  Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

  He hadn't quite worked out all the finite details yet, but he wasn't simply going to forget everything. Being mortal would help to make everything make sense again. At least he really hoped it would.

  If he could have seen his reflection, he knew that how he was feeling on the inside—conflicted, shaky,

  uncertain—wouldn't be reflected on the outside. The blood he'd drunk the night before had infused him with vitality. He felt healthier, more energetic, like he could take on the world. It almost made him forget what he'd done to get it in the first place.

  He rolled his eyes.Stop feeling sorry for yourself, asshole. It solves nothing .

  He was out of there. No real reason to stay. Barkley hated him now. Add him to the growing list.

  Getting out of everyone's life would be good for everyone.

  And he wasn't going to think about Janie. It was enough that he'd dreamed about her, in both good ways and bad. Good because he'd dreamed about making love to her on the beach of a tropical island. Bad when he'd lost control, torn her throat out, and watched her bleed onto the sand.

  Just a dream? Or a premonition?

  Screw it. B
arkley's the psychic, not me.

  He grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from his duffel bag and sat on the edge of the bed to write a short note that he hoped would help.

  Janie…

  He paused, suddenly blanking on what to write. But he couldn't just take off without saying anything to her.

  He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  I can't hope for your forgiveness, so I won't ask for it. It's better that I leave now. Touching you sends me over the edge of sanity, and I don't want to hurt you like I did last night ever again. Go toLas Vegas with Lenny and Barkley. I have faith that he'll be able to help you find your sister. I hope you find what you're looking for.—Quinn

  Dammit. He wanted to rewrite it. It sounded too clinical. Too cold. But what was he supposed to say?

  That he wanted her with every fiber in his being? That he wished she could forgive him for being a bloodsucking vampire and he wished things could be different?

  It should be easy. Knowing what she was. What he was. There was no room in either of their lives for sentiment.

  However, leaving that morning was going to be tough. He knew he'd never see her again, and that was the sacrifice he was going to have to make. She wasn't a cold, calculatedMerc killer as he'd originally thought. She did what she had to do with the life she'd been given. She was strong and independent and kind and beautiful, and funny and sweet, and she could easily make him want to tear her clothes off when she was within ten feet of him.

  Shit.

  He definitely had to get out of there.

  She'd think he was a heartless bastard, but then again, she seemed to be a good judge of character. The best thing he could do for her would be to get the hell out of her life while the getting was good.

  He folded the letter and left the room, heading for Janie's room. He'd push the letter under the door. He couldn't leave with her thinking that he'd known about her sister the whole time and hadn't said anything to her. Why he hadn't told her immediately, he wasn't sure. He didn't trust her. She sure as hell couldn't possibly trust him. But she had a right to know.

  Through the dark morning, bright headlights blinded him for a moment. He squinted and held his hand up to his brow. A black Mustang with Barkley in the passenger seat drove past him and out of the parking lot to the highway beyond.