Erik threw up his hands. “I don’t know how you survive in this world.”
Rose rolled her eyes and then used her telekinetic abilities to send the vase on the nightstand chasing after him. She heard his footsteps and loud curses all the way down the hallway as he ran from the floating vase. She closed the door and dropped her towel. Then, she tossed both pairs of the not-sexy-enough panties back into the drawer and pulled out the pair of ultra-unsexy Cheshire cat underwear. Since Erik hated them so much, she felt obligated to wear them.
—
Rose waited until Emma finally released her to breathe in a good lungful of oxygen again, not wanting to make the same mistake she made the last time Emma hugged her. She shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another, her Converse tennis shoes squeaking against the hardwood floor. “Umm…listen,” she stammered, blushing profusely. “I’m sorry about what happened last time…”
“Oh, don’t worry about it!” Emma sang in that sweet, lilting voice of hers. She smiled brightly at Rose, the smile so wide that her razor-sharp fangs gleamed in the dim light of the foyer. Those terrifying, lethal fangs looked out-of-place in such a sweet smile. “I’m actually flattered that you want to have sex with me. I mean, I have to be honest with you: I’m only into men. But if I were gay, and I weren’t already married to Geoff, I would totally have sex with you!”
Rose’s face turned an even darker shade of red. “But I don’t… I never said anything about,” she sputtered, her voice trailing off into a mumble, “sex.”
Meanwhile, Erik had doubled over in a fit of hysterical laughter.
Emma, on the other hand, had already pranced happily into the living room to join Geoffrey, completely oblivious to Rose’s utter humiliation.
Rose glared at Erik. “I’m not sure what you find so amusing about this.”
“Everything,” Erik snorted, still laughing obnoxiously. “Every bit of it.”
She rolled her eyes at him and walked past him, into the living room, where Kallias, Geoffrey, and Emma already sat on the sofas, watching the news.
Geoffrey leaned forward. “Are you sure about this?” he asked Kallias.
Kallias sat across from Geoffrey and Emma, on the opposite sofa. Unlike Geoffrey, whose body language practically screamed anxiety, Kallias leaned back against the back of the sofa, his boots propped on the coffee table, his arm draped across the back of the sofa, as relaxed as someone might be if they were discussing sports or the weather, rather than an imminent war between vampires and humans. But then, that was Kallias: calm, collected, brave…and sometimes, emotionally-detached. He shrugged one shoulder. “Believe me. If there were another way, I would’ve already tried it,” he sighed. “But someone has to stop this before it’s too late. Hell, it might already be too late. We can’t keep waiting around for someone else to do it, especially when there may not be anyone else.”
“This is happening in Aaron’s territory,” Geoffrey said. “Surely, he…”
“Aaron usually deals with these things swiftly,” Kallias interrupted. “The fact that he hasn’t put a stop to it yet makes me a little suspicious of him.”
Rose sank down on the other side of the sofa, next to Kallias. “A little?” she scoffed. “In your mind, he’s already convicted. Guilty until proven innocent.”
Kallias scowled at her. “You haven’t met Aaron yet,” he reminded her. “If you had, you wouldn’t be so quick to defend him. He’s not a good guy.”
“I’m not defending him,” Rose insisted. “I’m only saying that maybe we should hold off on burning him at the stake. Maybe he is trying to stop this.”
“Aaron is over four thousand years old,” Kallias argued. “If he were trying to stop these murders, they would already be over. Period. There isn’t a single vampire alive who is powerful enough to hold their own against Aaron.”
“Except maybe Kallias,” Emma said, “and only because he’s a telepath.”
Kallias shook his head. “Even I am not arrogant enough to think I can defeat Aaron. But that won’t stop me from fighting him, if he is behind this.”
Geoffrey ran his fingers through his short, black hair. “Kallias, that is basically suicide. Whoever is behind this—whether it is Aaron or someone else—likely has an army of vampires fighting for them. You’re outnumbered.”
“Geoff,” Rose said, “you said that going after Theron was suicide, too.”
Geoffrey scowled at her. “It was suicide, Rose. You died.”
Rose grimaced. “Fair point.”
Emma leaned forward in her seat, her brown hair falling forward around her small, feminine face. “I think you’re forgetting something, Geoff,” she said with a bright, innocent smile. “We have Rose. That is better than an army.”
Rose’s eyes widened. “Uh…I appreciate the faith you have in me, Emma,” she muttered, “but I’m not sure I’m ready to be our atomic bomb yet.”
“What if Aaron is behind it?” Geoffrey asked them. “What is your plan if you have to go up against the Tomb of Blood? What could you possibly do?”
Erik appeared in the doorway, scarfing down an overfilled plate of food, as usual. “Our plan is to get on a plane, travel to Europe, and check things out,” he said as he picked up a slice of bacon. “Then, we kill whoever is behind it.”
Geoffrey scowled at him. “That plan has a lot of holes in it.”
“You asked for a plan,” Erik said, shrugging, “not a good plan.”
“Erik and I will do whatever we have to do to stop this,” Kallias said.
“Wow,” Rose said dryly. “I just love being left out.”
“I already told you that I want you to stay out of this,” Kallias reminded her. “If you insist on coming, I need you to at least try to stay out of trouble.”
“And I already told you that I don’t like being told what to do,” Rose complained in her sassiest tone, “oh, you know…only about six billion times.”
“What about Emma and me?” Geoffrey asked. “What will we do?”
“Someone needs to stay and keep an eye on things here,” Kallias said.
Geoffrey nodded in agreement. “Of course.”
“I called that pilot that we used the last time we traveled, and he agreed to fly out in two days,” Erik told them. “We have to meet him in Miami, Florida.”
Rose straightened at that. “Florida? Why Florida?”
“That’s where he lives,” Erik said through a mouthful of food.
“We could use someone closer, but we prefer to use one that we trust,” Kallias explained. “Besides, this pilot’s plane is easier to sun-proof than most.”
“If we’re driving through Florida anyway, then,” Rose paused, biting her lip, “could we make a pit-stop at my apartment? I really need to get some things.”
“No,” Kallias said before she’d even finished talking. “Absolutely not.”
Rose narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ve been away from home for nearly a month. Do you know how many phone calls I’ve gotten from Audrey? She’s starting to think that you kidnapped me. I can’t stay away from home forever.”
“Yes, you can,” Kallias said. “That’s how this works. You’re a vampire.”
“Thank you for the seven billionth reminder! I had totally forgotten!” Rose gasped, clasping her hand over her heart. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Seriously, I’m well aware that I’m a vampire. The fact that I consume blood every day is reminder enough. But I don’t understand what that has to do with stopping by my apartment for a few minutes. Does being a vampire mean that I can never go home again? Does it mean that I can never see my friends again?”
“That’s exactly what it means,” Erik said suddenly. When Rose glanced at him questionably, he continued, “That’s the way it has always been. When you become a vampire, you leave your human life behind. It’s the only way.”
Rose frowned at that. “But why?”
“Because you’re dangerous,” Geoffrey told her.
Kallias shot
a glare at Geoffrey, and then, he turned to face Rose. “And because you look different, Rose. Don’t you think that the people closest to you will notice that? All of your features may be the same, but you are still different.”
“You mean I’m more attractive,” Rose stated.
“To humans, you are,” Kallias clarified. His brown eyes softened with sympathy. “I already told you: I feel the same about you as I did before. But the fact remains that the transformation into a vampire does change your appearance. It makes you a better predator, and it makes you more attractive to your prey.”
“And humans are your prey,” Geoff said. “Humans, like your friends.”
Rose flashed a sarcastic smile at him. “Thanks. I had no idea.”
Geoffrey frowned. “You didn’t?” he asked, not catching her sarcasm.
“There’s also the fact that you are still a very young vampire. You can’t control your hunger yet,” Erik added, setting his empty plate on the decorative table beside the door. “While you’re here, around vampires, you don’t have to worry about that. If you lose control, we can handle it. But if you’re around one of your friends, and they accidentally cut their finger…or make you angry…your instincts could take control, and you could hurt them. You might even kill them.”
Rose swallowed uneasily. “So, what? I can’t ever see them again?”
Geoffrey shrugged. “You died, Rose. Your human life is over.”
Kallias took one look at the horrified look on Rose’s face, and he shook his head. “No,” he said suddenly. “No. I told you when I brought you here that I would eventually return you to your normal life. Things have changed since then. Drastically. But…we’ll figure out a way for you to see your friends again.”
“That’s just impractical,” Geoffrey scoffed.
“It’s my fault that’s she is going through this at all,” Kallias said, his jaw tightening. “I turned her into this. So, I have to make this right somehow.”
Geoffrey scowled. “Theron tortured her. Then, she sacrificed herself. Then, Erik gave her vampire blood. I’m not understanding how this is your fault.”
“Why are you all talking about being a vampire like it’s such a sad thing?” Emma complained. “Am I the only one that actually likes being a vampire?”
“I do,” Erik said. When they all frowned at him, he added, “Sometimes.”
“I think I can control it,” Rose said quietly, staring at a random spot on the floor. “I mean, come on. I’m strong-willed. I can control the laws of physics, for goodness sakes. Surely, I can control my hunger for a couple of hours.”
Kallias sighed, “And when your friends notice that you look different?”
“Well, my brother is in prison, so Audrey and Owen would be the only people who would even see me, the only people who could possibly notice,” Rose said. “And neither one of them is attracted to women. They won’t be affected.”
“You have a brother in prison?” Erik asked, his eyebrows lifting.
Rose scowled at him. “Yeah. Why do you sound so shocked?”
Erik wrinkled his nose. “Because you’re such a boring prude.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’m not a prude.”
“But you are boring,” Erik stated, grinning.
“They may not be affected by your…allure,” Kallias interjected, ignoring their banter, “but that doesn’t mean that they won’t notice that you’ve changed.”
Rose shrugged. “So, I’ll come up with a good lie.”
Erik snorted, “You? Lie? Good? Those words do not belong together.”
“Besides,” Rose added, turning toward Kallias, “you’re a telepath. You can control minds. If something went wrong, couldn’t you just…fix it?”
Kallias nodded thoughtfully. “You mean erase their memory of it?”
“Hmm,” Erik said, his eyebrows lifting. “That’s a good point, actually.”
Kallias leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “And I’m bound to you,” he said, scratching his unshaven jaw. “I would sense it if you were about to lose control. So, I suppose I could stop you before anything terrible happens.”
“That is a huge risk to take,” Geoffrey objected.
“It is,” Kallias agreed. He turned toward Rose. “But it’s a risk I’m willing to take, if you are,” he told her. “I know how much you love your friends.”
Rose smiled. “So, we can stop by my apartment on the way?”
Kallias shrugged. “If it’s what you want.”
“I can’t think of a single way this could go wrong,” Erik said sarcastically.
Reckless Endangerment
Rose held her breath and knocked on the door. Thanks to Erik’s horrendous, terrifying driving, it had only taken a day and a half—or rather, a night and a half—to get to Florida, which meant they had a day to spare, which was longer than they had anticipated. On one hand, Rose felt immensely happy about having a little extra time to visit her friends. She hadn’t seen them in a month, after all. However, on the other hand, she’d grown increasingly anxious about this visit since Geoffrey, Kallias, and Erik had warned her of the dangers.
“Coming!” Audrey yelled from inside the apartment, her voice muffled.
As she waited for Audrey, Rose reminded herself of all of the advice that Erik and Kallias had given her during the trip down to Florida. She repeated it in her head like a mantra: Hide your fangs when you talk. Hide your fangs when you laugh. On second thought, don’t laugh at all because you’re still terrible at that. Move slowly. Don’t lift anything that would be too heavy for a human. And above all else, avoid blood…
The door opened to reveal a half-dressed Audrey.
“Whoever you are,” Audrey complained miserably, “can you help me?”
Rose chuckled at her friend. Audrey stood in the doorway, unable to see her, because her sweater was wrapped around her head. Audrey had managed to get the sweater caught on an earring and the clip of her bra somehow. Rose reached out and unattached the fuzzy, pink sweater from Audrey’s earring and bra. Audrey sighed in relief and jerked the sweater down over her stomach.
Audrey glared down at the offensive garment. “I hate sweaters.”
“Then, why are you wearing one?” Rose asked, lifting her eyebrows.
At the sound of Rose’s voice, Audrey’s head snapped up. For a moment, she just stared, her amber-colored eyes wide with shock. “Rose?” she squeaked. The shock faded away, then, replaced by pure fury. “Well, it’s about damn time!”
Rose cringed at her friend’s high-pitched screaming. “Thank you for shattering my eardrums,” she said sarcastically. “I appreciate that. Really, I do.”
Audrey glared at her. “Just get inside…so I can yell at you in private.”
“Of course,” Rose said dryly, “since you made such an appealing offer.”
Audrey rolled her eyes at Rose’s sarcasm and then moved out of the way so that Rose could step inside. Rose stepped through the doorway and immediately stumbled over a painting easel. She turned around to look at it, raising an eyebrow as she noticed half of Audrey’s belongings on the floor.
“Hey, I’d like to see you try to make it to the door with a sweater around your head,” Audrey said defensively as she picked up the easel. “It’s not easy.”
“Once again,” Rose said, frowning, “why are you wearing a sweater?”
“I’m going to a party, and this sweater makes my boobs look bigger,” Audrey said, placing her hands on the aforementioned boobs, “don’t you think?”
Rose blinked. “Uh…”
“And since you’re back,” Audrey said, “you’re coming to the party, too.”
Rose’s eyes widened in alarm. “Uh, no. Not happening. You know how I feel about parties. And socializing in general,” she said, shuddering at the thought. Then, she cringed in anticipation and added, “Also, I’m not…back.”
Audrey spun toward her. “What the heck is that supposed to mean?”
Rose sh
rugged. “I’m just picking up some things. Then, I have to leave.”
“Are you kidding me?” Audrey squealed. “You’ve been gone for nearly a month! Look, I understand that you like Mr. Tall-Hunky-Scary-Guy, but…”
“Kallias,” Rose corrected.
“But,” Audrey continued, glowering at Rose for the interruption, “you can’t just run off to New York and never come back! You have classes here.”
“I dropped them,” Rose mumbled, wincing, “last week.”
Audrey froze, her jaw dropping. “You dropped your classes,” she repeated in disbelief. “You—the woman who has never made lower than a perfect score in any class ever, the woman who refuses to miss class for even the worst sickness, the woman who probably wouldn’t even drop a class if she died…”
Rose winced at that last part. “I was hunted by every vampire in the country, Audrey, including a sadistic psychopath. I’ve been through…a lot.”
A lot. Right. Understatement of the century.
Audrey shrugged, as if Rose had just said she was suffering from a case of the sniffles. “So?” she asked. “Rose, you come from a family full of felons.”
“Only three of my family members are actually felons,” Rose corrected.
Audrey scowled. “You only know three of your family members.”
“Two, technically,” Rose argued. “I never met my murderous uncle.”
Audrey rolled her eyes. “Anyway, you had a pretty shitty home life as a child. Your mother died. Your brother is in prison. Your ex-boyfriend tried to rape you. And you still never missed a class. What could be so much worse now?”
Rose’s skin suddenly felt intensely hot, and the air around her seemed to snap with electricity. “I’ve asked you so many times not to mention Ethan.”
“Right. I know. I’m sorry, but the point is…” Audrey began in a dismissive tone. But then, she froze. “What the hell just happened to your eyes?”
Rose paled in horror. “What…what do you mean?” she stammered.
“Nothing,” Audrey said quickly, shaking her head. “I just thought I saw them…change…but…I couldn’t have. It’s crazy. I must have just imagined it.”
The Tomb of Blood Page 8
