Tyler snagged a piece of pumpkin pie, and Jason grabbed a brownie.
As he picked it up, he heard Sienna's familiar laugh. And for a second, he felt like he'd had a six-pack instead of just one beer. He turned and spotted her with Belle, reclining on matching lounge chairs the other side of the pool. Van Dyke stood next to them.
Jason wandered - in what he hoped looked like a casual way - in their direction. Tyler followed him.
"Uh-oh. We're being invaded by Michigan," Sienna said, and laughed when she spotted them.
"I'm not complaining," Belle purred.
"Remember that the insanely jealous boyfriend is probably lurking nearby," Jason warned under his breath. Tyler nodded.
"Pretty soon there are going to be more of you than there are of us," Sienna teased.
"And that would be a bad thing?" Jason asked. "You could use some good Midwestern stock in the mix. You've gotten soft out here."
"Soft? Feel this!" Sienna reached out, grabbed Jason's hand, and ran his fingers across her taut abs. Jason tried to look unimpressed.
"Gym muscles," Tyler scoffed. "Those don't count. Jason and I have real muscles, from working the land."
"Yeah, Jason, I'm sure you worked the land every weekend - with the power mower," Sienna joked.
Van Dyke and Belle laughed.
"You don't get muscles like these mowing the lawn," Jason retorted. He caught Sienna's hand, flexed, and pressed it against his bicep. He knew he shouldn't be doing it. He knew he should be keeping his hands off her. But it's not like we're going behind Brad's back or anything, he told himself. We're just two friends, joking around, in front of loads of people.
Right.
"Ooooh." Sienna gave his arm a little squeeze. "You're right! You definitely don't get muscles like that mowing the lawn. You must have had one of those mowers you ride on."
"Meow!" Belle said, grinning at Sienna.
"Just give up," Van Dyke suggested to Jason.
"Yes. I'm too smart for you." Sienna sighed, her dark eyes flashing with mischief.
Jason raised an eyebrow. "You won't seem so smart when you're dripping wet," he remarked, with a nod to the pool. He turned back to Sienna. "Watch it. Or you're going in."
"With those tiny muscles? I don't think so," Sienna shot back, laughing.
She was asking for it.
Jason lunged toward her lounge chair, and Sienna leaped out of it with a shriek and darted away.
Let her go, Jason told himself. But he couldn't. And as he raced after her, Jason realized that Sienna was his Ritalin. And he was addicted.
"Jason, I'm going to break the kegstand record. I'm going for a full minute,'' Harberts called as Jason headed toward him. He flipped onto his hands, and two guys grabbed his legs. Erin Henry positioned the keg tap in Harberts's mouth and flipped it.
"One, two, three - ," the crowd around him began to chant as Harberts struggled to force beer up his throat.
Sienna had disappeared into the house. Jason picked up speed, dodging the stream of beer Harberts had just started to spew, and running into the den. A group of guys from the football team were lounging on the overstuffed leather couches, watching a Super Bowl game on the plasma-screen TV. Jason caught a glimpse of Sienna running through another door and followed.
He found himself in a home gym, fully equipped. Weight machines, cardio machines, a lap pool, and Sienna. She was bouncing on a trampoline, her hair flying around her, her cheeks flushed.
Jason walked toward her. "Don't think I'm not going to carry you right back out to that pool,” he warned.
"You'll have to catch me first," Sienna taunted, jumping lightly off the trampoline and slipping away through another door.
"Right," Jason muttered, picking up speed again. He ran out into the corridor, in time to see a door close. Throwing it open, he saw the library beyond and, for a split second, he thought he'd found Sienna. But when the girl turned toward him, he saw it was Lauren Gissinger. She was sitting with Dominic and two other guys, playing strip poker. Lauren was clearly braless under her thin T-shirt, and one of the guys was shirtless - except for a lacy pink-and-black bra. Must be some rule I don't know about, Jason thought.
"Wanna play?" Lauren asked.
"Maybe later," Jason said as he heard Sienna laugh behind him, and whirled around to see her at the other end of the corridor. He followed her into a sun-room. It had glass on three sides, plants all around, and lots of bamboo furniture. The air felt dense.
Sienna darted behind a sofa - like that was enough to stop him. Jason leaped straight over the back.
"Nowhere to run," he told Sienna, strolling lazily toward her.
Sienna backed away, laughing and reaching behind her for the balcony doors. She got the handle, twisted it, and slipped outside. Jason was out the door half a second later.
The small balcony had a wrought-iron railing all the way around it Candles illuminated it, casting light across Sienna's face. She was close now, and Jason could hear her breath coming fast. He smiled as she backed up again - and hit the railing.
Jason grabbed the rail on either side of her, creating a wall with his body. Sienna twisted back and forth, trying to wriggle away.
"Now what were you saying about my muscles?" Jason asked as she gave him a playful push that didn't move him an inch.
"That they're very strong and manly," Sienna lied with a grin.
"That's not what I remember." Jason moved closer, preparing to drag her back to the pool. But he didn't want to take her back out to the crowd. He wanted to stay right there with her - alone.
He stared into her dark eyes, then Sienna's arms came up around his neck and her body met his. Just like in his dream, her lips parted…. And, suddenly, the rest of the dream came flooding back. Jason remembered Sienna's eyes - unrecognizable and full of bloodlust. He drew back sharply, confused, needing to know that she was still Sienna and not someone - or something - else.
NINE
Sienna looked up, startled, as Jason drew back. Her dark eyes went wide with surprise. They held no bloodlust. There were no fangs. There was just Sienna looking puzzled and then pissed off.
"Sienna, I - ," Jason began, trying to explain.
But it was too late.
"Forget it," Sienna said flatly, and she turned and walked away. Just walked. The chase was over. Jason knew he'd screwed up. He'd had her. She'd wanted him to kiss her. But he'd flashed back to his dream and ... well, that was that.
If I could just explain, he thought. Yeah. Just say, "Sienna, I wasn't trying to give you mixed signals or mess with you. I completely want you. It's just that for one minute I thought about this nightmare where you gave in to the bloodlust and attacked me." Right. Great plan.
But he had to do something. Jason pulled in a deep breath, ran his fingers through his hair, and smoothed down his shirt. Then he retraced his steps. Sienna wasn't in the library. Neither were Erin or Dominic. The two remaining guys had switched over to playing for cash.
He returned to the gym. Vivian Andersen was lying on the trampoline now, staring up at the ceiling and giggling, like there was a movie up there or something. No Sienna.
Jason skirted the glossy polished floor of the basketball court and headed into the den. His heart twisted painfully in his chest, because there was Sienna. On one of the leather couches. More specifically, on Brad's lap on one of the leather couches.
Sienna caught Jason's eye, her gaze ice. Then she took Brad's face in her hands, leaned down, and kissed him - long and deep. The kiss that should have been Jason's, would have been Jason's if he hadn't screwed up so spectacularly. Again.
Jason abruptly turned away. He didn't want to see what he was missing. And besides, he didn't want anyone to notice him staring.
He headed toward the pool, just to have a destination. Belle and Van Dyke passed him."... to get up to the Garden," Van Dyke was saying. Jason tried to put a smile - or at least a normal, relaxed expression - on his face. To his relief, they didn't not
ice him. He didn't want to try to come up with words right now. He sat down in the closest deck chair and stared vacantly at the water volleyball game that had started up in his absence.
A few minutes later, Adam sat down in the chair next to him. "Remember what I said about not knowing when a docudrama was going to unfold?" he asked. Jason nodded.
"Well, the unfolding is happening now, I'm pretty sure," Adam went on. "There's this slow migration happening. People are heading upstairs - where no one is supposed to go."
Jason shrugged. "Ever been to a party where that doesn't happen?"
"Mia Hodges's third birthday party. Because we were all afraid of Mrs. Hodges," Adam answered. "But it's not just regular people going upstairs. It's only people of the Sienna, Zach, Brad variety."
Vampires. "So they're having a little sub-party," Jason said.
"Could be," Adam agreed. "Could be something else. Don't you want to know why they all suddenly have this need to get together?"
"If they want to be alone, let them be," Jason replied with a shrug. Right now he was just happy to know that Sienna and Brad would be out of sight for a while. One step closer to out of mind.
Adam frowned. "Do you remember putting on some kind of metal hat? Maybe some electricity?" he asked. "Because I think somebody may have switched our brains. Aren't you the one who was übersuspicious of our friends?”
"Yeah," Jason admitted. "But the way Zach handled the rogue vampire convinced me that we can trust them to deal with their own shit. I don't know about you, but I have enough of my own to deal with." Thinking of Sienna. And Brad. And Tyler.
"I just want to take a little peek. Come on." Adam got to his feet, slinging his camera strap over his shoulder. "I know where there's a back staircase."
"Adam, it's none of our business what they're - "
But Adam was gone. Jason closed his eyes for a long moment. Then he opened them and headed after his friend. He couldn't let him go up there alone.
Jason spotted Belle and Van Dyke walking up the main staircase as he followed Adam. "We're going to have to be careful or we're going to get spotted," Jason warned when he caught up to Adam at the smaller staircase off the kitchen.
"Careful is nothing like my middle name, which is Tecumseh. But, yeah," Adam answered, starting up the stairs. He slowed down as they reached the top. Jason peered over his shoulder. There was nothing to see but empty hallway. And nothing to hear but the dull thud of the music from the party.
"If we're doing this, now's a good time," Jason said. He and Adam headed down the hall. Adam paused outside a closed door, listened for a moment, then swung the door open. A bedroom. Probably a guest room. Nothing too personal in it. Empty.
Adam shut the door and they continued. Another bedroom. Also empty. They moved on to the upstairs living room, just off the main staircase. Empty.
"Something mysterious has occurred," Adam said, turning on the camera and panning across the empty sofas and chairs. "My colleague and I witnessed people coming upstairs. But having followed them, we've found nobody." Adam pointed the camera at Jason. "What are your theories?"
"I thought I told you not to come up here," someone interrupted before Jason could answer.
Jason turned to see Zach Lafrenière standing in the doorway. He didn't look happy.
TEN
Where the bell did Zach come from? Jason wondered. "Sorry. Uh, the line for the head downstairs is almost out the front door," he said quickly. "It was the rose bushes or the forbidden upstairs."
"And the rose bushes, they have thorns," Adam added, lowering his camera. "Not safe."
Zach raised one dark eyebrow, and Jason suddenly felt like a five-year-old.
"There are four bathrooms down there," Zach said, one corner of his mouth lifting in amusement. "Come on. I'll give you the tour. I think you'll especially enjoy the one off my dad's office. The toilet has a heated seat." He turned and headed for the stairs.
"I don't think I've ever heard Lafrenière make a joke before," Adam said under his breath as he and Jason followed Zach downstairs.
"Down that hallway. Third door on the left," Zach said when they reached the first floor.
"Thanks." Jason answered.
Zach turned and loped back upstairs.
"He sounded downright cheerful. And he was grinning!" Adam exclaimed. "Now I really want to know what's going on. I know it's his birthday, but come on. What could be happening up there to put Zach in such a great mood?"
"Vampire Twister?" Jason suggested.
"Don't be an ass," Adam said. "Seriously, what do you think they're all doing right now? They can't be having some private feeding session. They'd need humans for that."
Jason nodded thoughtfully.
"Do you think they're planning something?" Adam went on. "Something that made Lafrenière so happy that he actually smiled?"
Jason wished Adam would drop it. "Vampire bingo!" he said firmly.
"Definitely a complete ass," Adam retorted.
"Want to check out the bowling alley? Get some footage?" Jason started down the hallway. "Because, really, can you even name one truly great film that does not include a bowling scene?"
"The Bicycle Thief Adam answered, falling into step beside him.
"I said truly great," Jason protested. He led the way into the basement: five bowling lanes with electronic scoring, vintage video games, two pool tables, jukebox with accompanying disco ball and strobe lights, and tiki bar. Not your regular rec room.
But even with all the toys, without the vampires - meaning without the most popular of the popular - there was something missing from the party. Some kind of... shimmer. Or maybe it was just lack of Sienna that was making the party feel flat to Jason.
Which meant his whole life would feel flat from now on, he reflected, because Jason got the impression that Sienna didn't plan on being around him much.
In the middle of his second bowling match, Jason caught sight of Sienna just as he released the ball. So they had returned. Jason forced his attention to the pins and watched his ball take out all but two: a seven-ten split. Nasty.
"Goalposts!" Harberts yelled. "That's a shot for you, my friend." He handed Jason a shot glass of tequila.
Nasty, but not without benefits, Jason thought. He downed the shot. The sensation was not unlike staring into Sienna's eyes: a long burst of fire from mouth to gut.
Sienna looked away, wrapping her arms around Brad, and Jason felt cold in spite of the tequila. Seeing Sienna all over Brad sucked the pleasure out of everything.
Jason didn't want to be there anymore. He worked it out carefully in his head: one beer when they'd first arrived, and now one shot - he was okay to drive. He wondered where Tyler was. He hadn't seen him in hours.
"Your turn," Harberts told him.
Jason grabbed the closest bowling ball, sent it down the lane without aiming, and managed to knock down one of the pins. He decided to name it Brad. Even though Brad had done nothing to deserve being slammed to the ground by a bowling ball - except be lucky enough to have Sienna as his girlfriend.
"Take over for me," Jason called to Craig Yoder, a guy from his history class.
"You've got some catching up to do." Harberts tossed Craig the blue Cabo Wabo bottle as Jason made his way over to the stairs. He took them three at a time and followed the sound of whoops and whistles through the house and out onto the back patio. Tyler usually managed to locate - if not create - the epicenter of a party. It seemed like the place to start the search. Maybe he'd find Adam, too. He'd wandered off after the first game of bowling ended.
No Tyler on the patio. Although Jason thought his friend would have liked to be there to see Belle right that second. She was shaking her moneymaker down the top of the adobe wall that ran around the courtyard. Guys lined the wall below her, arms up. Wanting to be the one who caught her if she fell.
Dominic stood at the edge of the crowd, arms crossed over his chest, watching Belle and her entourage, blue eyes narrow. Did any
of those guys realize an armful of Belle almost certainly came with a gutful of her boyfriend’s fists? Jason wondered.
He made his way deeper into the backyard and over to the pool. Who wouldn't want to be hanging in an outdoor pool in November? Especially when Maggie was floating on a lounge chair in the center, her long, golden-brown hair trailing in the water.
As Jason watched, Maggie used her fingertips to slowly paddle down to the shallow end of the pool and over to Kyle Priesmeyer, one of the divers on the swim team. She reached up, looped her hands around his neck, and pulled his head down for a kiss. The lounge chair rocked, but didn't capsize, and Kyle stretched out on top of Maggie.
Jason knew that Maggie had begun to feed on Kyle. And the guy was oblivious. To anything but the pleasure. Jason shook his head and continued his search for Tyler.
He hurried back into the house to check the mini-party kitchen, which included Adam earing a slice of white pizza and trying to explain why reincarnation was complete bull. Just the kind of conversation you could only take seriously when wasted. But still no Tyler.
"Jason, back me up here," Adam called, waving him toward die group. "A whole buttload of people would have to be walking around soulless for reincarnation to be possible, correct? Because if there are a finite number of souls that keep coming back, and no new ones, there aren't enough souls to go around, because of population growth."
"Have you seen Tyler?" Jason asked, ignoring the question.
"But, no," a girl with bangs and an intense expression said. "All the souls available aren't inhabiting bodies all the time. The number of people on earth thousands of years ago tells you nothing about the total number of souls. There's no correlation."
"Tyler?" Jason said again.
"Haven't seen him since before we went upstairs," Adam answered. He broke away from the group and crossed over to Jason. "But you know what I have seen?" He lowered his voice. "A lot of our special friends circling Zach."
"You can see that every day at school," Jason pointed out.
"It's more than the usual Zach-adoration. And it's more than him being the birthday boy," Adam said, taking a bite of his pizza. "And he's still smiling. And the smiles are somehow vampire-related, because whatever is making him smile, they all know about it."
Alex Duval - [Vampire Beach 02] Page 7
