Vampires Rule

by K. C. Blake

  Vanessa stared at them, mouth open.

  Andrew leaned forward in his seat. “Explain. I want to hear your evidence against each one now.”

  Silver looked to Jack, but he motioned for her to go first. She could talk until she was blue in the face. He knew he was right, and he would prove it. He held the warm coffee cup between his hands but didn’t drink it. The dark liquid was bitter. He’d added some sugar, but it hadn’t helped.

  While Silver delivered her case against the teacher, Jack tried more sugar and a bit of cream. He sipped it, trying hard not to make a face. He had the feeling a ton of sugar and a gallon of cream wouldn’t convince him to drink the sludge.

  “Allow me to present my case,” Silver said. “I have irrefutable proof that Jersey Clifford is the lead werewolf.” To demonstrate her point, she pulled the silver dagger from her blouse. “My necklace doesn’t burn when I’m around him.”

  That was it? That was her whole argument for killing Jersey? Silver didn’t know it, but she’d already lost. Finished, she sat down across from Jack before motioning for him to speak.

  “The janitor killed my mother and father,” Jack said in a cold, dead voice he didn’t recognize as his own. “I remember how easily he did it. He took out two strong hunters, no problem, and he’s avoiding Silver at school. Why would he avoid her if he wasn’t the lead werewolf?”

  Andrew nodded slowly. “I hate to agree with this kid, but he has a valid point.”

  “No.” Silver exploded out of her seat. “He wants the janitor to be guilty because he hates him. My gut is telling me it’s Jersey Clifford.”

  “I have an idea,” Vanessa said. “Get close to the janitor on Monday and see if your necklace burns. If it does, then our man is the teacher. If it doesn’t, then it could be either one of them.”

  They all agreed to the experiment, although Andrew didn’t like his daughter getting close to a psychotic werewolf. Jack told them he would be close at hand just in case. He stood, told the parents goodnight, and asked Silver to walk him to his brother’s car.

  Once they were outside, Silver got shy and quiet. They stood on the porch for a short time while he tried to memorize how her face looked in the moonlight. Her eyes were on everything but him. Her attitude reminded him of that first night. He took her hand and pulled her off the porch with him. They strolled down the sidewalk, taking slow steps to make the trip last for as long as possible.

  “Are we a couple now?” she asked. “I mean, I just want to know how to act when I see you in school on Monday. We don’t have to be a couple if you don’t want to be. That’s fine. Whatever. We don’t have to label it. I mean, we can just hang out if you want.”

  She was cute when she babbled. He stopped walking, touched her face and smiled. With gentle fingers he traced her jaw line and smoothed over her lips. Her eyes finally met his. He said, “I think we’re a couple.”

  A huge smile transformed her face. “Okay. Cool.”

  “And I think we should meet in the school parking lot tomorrow. We’ll walk in together like a real couple.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah. I’ll put my arm around you like this.” He demonstrated by placing his arm around her shoulders. “Then we’ll go inside. I’ll walk you to all your classes and carry your books, and we’ll eat lunch together every day.”

  They continued on the slow walk to his brother’s car. Far too soon, they reached their destination. He sighed and leaned against the side of it. She joined him. They stood next to each other in silence for what seemed like forever. He didn’t want to leave, but he had to. It was getting late, and Billy would worry.

  “I’m glad we’re a couple,” she said.

  He was too. Unbelievably glad. He turned to her, cupped her face before he kissed her. It was a gentle kiss, like wings of a butterfly. His eyes didn’t close, but merely took a long blink. As his lids were lowering he caught sight of something unusual down the street. Several seconds passed before the image registered in his brain.

  Summer?

  Summer was watching them.

  Jack’s head snapped up, but it was too late. She was gone. He sniffed the air in the hopes his vampire scent of smell had returned. He couldn’t smell her, and he couldn’t see her. She’d probably gone home to the abandoned house they were staying in. Knowing Summer, she would have a fit. She’d throw a few things in a wild tantrum. Then she’d get dangerous. She’d want to kill Silver.

  Silver asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” He didn’t want to freak her out. “Better get inside. It’s cold out here.”

  Her eyes narrowed on him, but she nodded. She hurried inside while he jumped in the car and started the engine. He made sure Silver was safely behind locked doors before he left. He also took another quick look around for Summer to be sure she was gone.

  ****

  Jack drove straight to the abandoned house.

  Even in the dark the place looked hideous. The house had once been painted blue, but the parts that hadn’t peeled off were now a dull gray. Most of the windows were broken. The torn remains of a dirty white curtain hung out one of the ground floor windows, gently blowing in the breeze.

  Jack climbed the broken steps. The screen door had been almost completely ripped off since his last visit. It dangled from a solitary screw at the top. The main door was shut, but the locks were busted. Jack pushed it open, entering without knocking. His friends were vampires, so they probably already knew he was there.

  He walked over the litter-covered floor into the living room. His friends had taken the dust covers off the furniture. One of them had set a small radio on the fireplace mantle. The volume was turned down low. Someone had recently been in the room, but it was empty now. Were they hiding from him?

  “Summer!” he shouted. “I want to talk to you.”

  Someone flew past him, striking him on the cheek. His anger burned. It had to be Summer. She wasn’t going to face him. She’d rather play games. He wished he had more of his power back so he could take her on and survive.

  Again she whipped by him, hitting him in the back this time. She returned at lightning speed. This time she hit him with something, a hard object to the knees. He went down on the floor and gritted his teeth together to keep from crying out in pain. Before he could recover, she struck him in the head with the weapon.

  Color exploded behind his eyes. He thought he actually saw stars like a cartoon character. Pain sliced through him from one ear to the other. He shut his eyes against a wave of dizziness. A trickle of blood made a line down the side of his face. He had no chance winning a fight with her now. He waited for the final blow, the one that would kill him.

  Lily appeared in front of him, blocking him from Summer’s wrath. The hem of her long floral dress brushed his face as she shouted into the air. “Stop it! I won’t let you hurt him. He’s my friend.”

  “Traitor!” Summer yelled from somewhere deep in the bowels of the old house. “If you care about him, make him leave.”

  Lily spun around, grabbed Jack under the arms and helped him to his feet. She brushed the dirt off his knees. “Are you okay?” When he nodded, she grinned. “Still enjoying being human?”

  “It has its moments.”

  Jack went to the uncovered sofa and sat on it. He needed time to catch his breath. Lily crossed over to sit next to him. She placed a hand on his thigh and smiled at him. He covered her hand with his. It was good to have at least one friend with powers.

  “Thanks,” he said. “Where’s Cowboy?”

  She shrugged. “I have no idea. I was out running in the field. It feels so good to have the moonlight on my face and the wind in my hair.” Her smile faded. “What’s it like to feel the sun? I think out of everything I miss the sun the most. Describe it for me.”

  “It’s a big ball of fire in the sky.”

  His lame description removed every trace of happiness from Lily’s face.

  Jack’s gaze traveled to the ri
ckety staircase. He wanted to go up and have a talk with Summer, maybe threaten her life if she didn’t leave Silver alone, but Lily deserved better from him. The least he could do was share the sun with her.

  “Sorry,” he said. “The first day I woke to the feeling of sunlight on my hand. The warmth is incredible like a million hugs from your favorite person. Then I leaned out the window and looked at it. The sky didn’t look real, more like a watercolor painting. There were colors like yellow, orange, pink, and maybe a splash of purple. They blended in perfect harmony.”

  Lily’s eyes sparkled. “I wish I could see it too. How did it feel the first time the warmth of the sun touched your skin?”

  “Scary beyond all belief.” She giggled while he explained the circumstances. “I had no idea I wasn’t a vampire anymore. When I woke up and the sunlight was on my hand, I totally freaked. I thought I was going to burst into flames, but once I learned the truth, I went to the window and let it touch me full force. It felt incredible. There are no words to describe it. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. You did a good job.” She went to the fireplace and picked up the radio before playing with the dials. “You’re lucky to have this second chance. I know Cowboy and Summer don’t agree, but that’s what I think. I would give anything to feel the sunlight again. It’s what I miss most. Not my family or my old life. I barely remember them. Anyway, my parents are probably dead by now.

  “They were already old when I was born, early forties I think. I had a younger brother, but he’s probably dead too. I didn’t like him anyway. I remember him sticking his tongue out all the time and he put a lizard in my lunchbox once. We didn’t get along.”

  “Most siblings don’t,” he said. “Billy and I used to fight over everything. He followed me around, got in the way. Sometimes I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My mom used to tell me I should be glad to have a little brother who looked up to me, but I didn’t think so. Now he’s older and loves bossing me around. It’s hard.”

  Lily frowned. “That doesn’t sound good. You should tell him some of the things you did with us. Your older than him both mentally and emotionally if not physically. You have lived longer than him. You have seen things most mortals never do. He should show you respect.”

  Jack couldn’t agree more. “We’re working things out. It will be okay as long as he doesn’t revert to form.”

  His eyes went back to the stairs.

  “Why did you come?” Lily asked. “Why do you need to see Summer, and why is she mad at you?”

  “She threatened this girl I know, and she was watching us tonight. I’m here to make sure Summer doesn’t hurt anyone I care about.”

  Lily sang, “Jack is in lo-ove.”

  “I am not.”

  “I saw it in the cards, moron. You’re in love with the girl in the fuzzy pink sweater, the one I warned you to stay away from. Am I right?”

  “I wouldn’t pay too much attention to those cards if I were you. They were wrong before. Obviously I didn’t die.”

  “Death comes in many forms. Your vampire-self died, and you were reborn as a mortal, so the cards were right. I’m happy you didn’t listen to me though. I’m glad you have the girl in the fuzzy sweater.”

  They talked some more about the good old days and shared a few laughs. He missed Lily the most. He and Lily had always had a special bond. It was good to be with someone who would love him no matter what. Lily hugged him.

  “Maybe I should be jealous of you, Lily.” Summer spoke from the doorway. “Not the little human girl.”

  Jack released Lily and stood to face his former girlfriend. Summer wore a disinterested expression, but he wasn’t fooled. She had come down for answers. She wanted him to tell her what she saw meant nothing, wanted him to reassure her.

  “Leave Silver alone or else,” he said.

  “Is that really her name or does she use a nickname too?”

  “She is Silver, the werewolf hunter. She’s a legend, has her own book and everything.”

  Summer made a face of disgust. “Is that what turns you on now?”

  “She has a family of hunters. She has me. She has my brother and his hunting friends. Do you really want to take us all on? You’ll lose.”

  Summer turned and slowly walked to the bottom of the staircase. She faced him once her foot was on the bottom step. “Fine. I’ll stay away from her. I’m not the one you should be worried about anyway.”

  “Meaning?”

  A malicious smile curved her lips. “Cowboy has taken matters into his own hands. He’s probably killing the little tramp as we speak.”

  ****

  Jack drove like a maniac, praying the whole way he wouldn’t be too late. He made it to Silver’s house in record time and immediately spotted his former friend. Cowboy stood on the other side of the street, propped up against a telephone pole, waiting on Jack. He had a bottle of booze in his hand. Tossing it into the air and catching it several times, he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to talk to Jack.

  Was he drinking?

  Vampires were allergic to alcohol, so that couldn’t be it. Jack didn’t take the time to turn the engine off. He jumped out and sprinted over to Cowboy. His eyes went straight to the bottle, checked it out. It was filled with whiskey. Jack’s eyes narrowed on Cowboy’s face. Cowboy wasn’t the type to hurt himself to spite someone else, so there had to be a plan involving the alcohol. Maybe he was going to force it down Jack’s throat to make him sick.

  “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to show,” Cowboy said.

  “You’re pissed at me. I get that. Take it out on me, not Silver and her family.”

  Cowboy gaped at him. “You really have a thing for these people, don’t you? Hah! I thought Summer was just being Summer when she told me you had hooked up with this girl. And she’s a hunter? What is wrong with you? We were buddies, but you have spit in my face for the last time.”

  Jack steeled himself for a fight. Summer could play with him, knock him down a few times, but Cowboy could tear him in two without breaking a sweat, and they both knew it.

  Only Cowboy didn’t attack him.

  Instead, Cowboy turned away from Jack and opened the bottle. Before Jack could gauge his intentions, Cowboy cocked his arm. He threw the bottle across the street. There was a rag stuffed into the top, and it was burning with an orange flame. The bottle crashed through the Reign’s living room window.

  With a sudden burst of speed Jack didn’t think he was capable of any longer, he flew across the street and into the house. He was inside before the bottle hit the floor. He could have caught it, could have stopped the fire from spreading, but shock kept him from thinking straight. Standing frozen in the entryway, he watched in horror as the area rug ignited.

  Chapter Fifteen:

  FIRE!

  Jack watched in horror as the drapes caught fire. The scorching heat sucked the air from his lungs, making it almost impossible to breathe. Sweat broke out on his entire body. He considered trying to put the fire out, but it was spreading so fast he felt it would be a waste of time. Silver’s home would burn to the ground in a matter of minutes, and the entire family was upstairs asleep.

  Flames nibbled at the furniture.

  Jack hurried up the stairs.

  Andrew jerked his bedroom door open as Jack reached the second floor. “What in the hell is going on?”

  “The house is on fire!” Jack would save blame for later. “You need to get out quick.”

  Vanessa yelled, “Silver!”

  “I’ll get her,” Jack said. “Take the back stairs.”

  Andrew said, “I have to get the diary. Go, Vanessa! Call the fire department. I’ll meet you outside.”

  “I’m not going anywhere without you.”

  Jack left them in mid-argument and rushed to Silver’s room. He burst through the door, found her slipping into a baby-blue robe. A startled cry burst passed her lips, and her wide eyes landed on his face.

  “What’s going on?” sh
e asked.

  “Fire. Grab whatever you can, and let’s get out of here.”

  Her stunned gaze drifted around the room, slowly moving from one item to the next. She stood frozen. The only part of her that moved was her throat as she swallowed several times. She wasn’t trying to save anything—so Jack did. He went to her closet and grabbed several pieces of her clothing, yanking each item off the hangers. He hurried to the window and tossed them out.

  The sight of her stuff flying out the window spurred her into action. She grabbed her hamster cage first. Her eyes continued to pick out things in the room, things she didn’t want to lose. It was like she was silently saying goodbye to her life. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

  Jack threw more clothes out the window. With a burst of speed, he flew around the room, dumping her drawers outside in less than a half-a-second, clearing off her dresser and desk, and gathering various items from various places.

  Silver’s voice returned. “You have your powers.”

  He yanked a sheet from her bed. Tying one end around her waist, he pushed her to the window. “I’ll lower you down.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Can’t we just use the door?”

  “No time. Do you trust me?”

  Her head slowly moved up and down. He reassured her with a smile before pushing her out the window. She was light as a kitten to him. He lowered her easily. In seconds her feet touched the ground, and she waved up at him. He returned to her room, clearing out her belongings in a flash. The thought of Silver losing a single possession was not acceptable.

  Jack used his vampire speed to get to the back door, and Silver met him on the side of the house. She grabbed onto his arms with both hands. Worry drew her brows together. “Where are my parents?”

  Good question. Jack had warned them about the fire before going to her bedroom. They should have been outside already. Then he remembered her father talking about saving the diary and her mother refusing to leave him. Jack sighed. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”