Stage Fright (Bit Parts)

by Scott, Michelle

  Heart pounding, I headed for the doors. “Where do you keep the stakes?” I asked Perry.

  “Forget it.”

  “Fine. I’ll go without them.” I wished I still had Andrew’s silver cross.

  “Okay, okay! Hold on a sec.” Perry hurried into the office. “I’ve got full riot gear in here. It may not fit you perfectly, but it will be better than nothing.”

  He was trying to stall me. Forget that. While he bustled about in the office, I lunged behind the counter, finding the stakes in a box beneath the cash register. I grabbed as much wood as I could hold and dashed through the doors and into the shadowy nave.

  I didn’t see the man in the duffle coat and ski mask until he’d tackled me. My head bounced off the wooden floor, and air whooshed from my lungs. The stakes clattered in every direction.

  Before I could force air into my body, the man hauled me to my feet and, with a grunt, dragged me towards the basement stairs. For a moment, I was too dazed to resist, then my chest unlocked, and I inhaled deeply, sucking in so much air that I started coughing.

  The man was sucking wind, too, as he struggled to haul me towards the steps. Apparently, he’d either underestimated his strength or my weight. It was nothing to pull out of his awkward embrace. The moment I yanked away, however, he let go, using my momentum against me. I landed so hard on my butt that my teeth clicked together. I made a swipe for his legs, but he kicked me away.

  The sanctuary door banged open and Perry, wearing a Kevlar vest and a helmet with a face shield, charged into the nave. He was so intent on the doors, he didn’t notice me on the floor until he tripped over my legs and went sprawling. As Perry and I untangled ourselves, my attacker fled the building.

  I finally got to my feet and bolted outside, but my attacker had already disappeared into the night. Looking for him wasn’t an option. Not with Isaiah facing down nine vamps by himself.

  Perry, gasping, came through the doors. He thrust a handful of stakes at me. “Go!”

  In the parking lot, the count was down to six vamps, but the long workout in the torture chamber had taken its toll on Isaiah. His injury was slowing him down. When one of the vamps lunged, he turned to meet the attack, but landed wrong. His wounded leg buckled, and he fell against the Jeep’s mangled hood.

  I reached Isaiah just as the woman in the tattered tank top pinned him against the Jeep. Using the tattooed angel wings on her back as a bull’s-eye, I took aim with one of my stakes. Before I could strike, however, Isaiah regrouped. He drove off the rogue with a blow to her shoulder. Bones crunched. His bat left a large, smoking wound in her grayish skin. He cut off her ungodly shriek with a second swing. The vampire exploded into a spray of black residue. The stink of bitter ash brought tears to my eyes.

  I launched myself at a vamp in biker’s leathers, but he dodged me and rushed Isaiah instead. As Isaiah regained his footing, the vamp slipped behind him, locking Isaiah in a bear hug. With a backwards jab of the bat, Isaiah caught the monster squarely in its sternum. The vamp stumbled away. In a single, graceful move, Isaiah spun and swung the bat again, knocking the creature’s head clean off.

  “I’m h-e-r-e!!” I flicked my eyes from the one-man battle to see Perry jogging across the parking lot.

  “It’s about time.” Isaiah glanced at Perry and spotted me. “Cassandra! Get back in the church!”

  “No way!” I raised my stake at another vampire, but Isaiah cut me off before I could go for the kill.

  “Get inside. NOW!!”

  “Forget it.” I lunged at a different target, but he interfered again.

  Frustrated, I backed off, looking for a new objective.

  Isaiah grunted as one vampire charged him while another landed a blow between his shoulder blades. Although he shrugged off the attack, he grit his teeth against pain. Almost immediately, he went for the first vampire, a bearded young man in a tattered leather jacket. Isaiah kicked the vamp’s knee, and the creature crumpled to the ground. One deft thrust of the baseball bat reduced the monster’s face to a smoking crater. Another blow and the monster lay still.

  Perry lobbed a canister into the fray. It fell with a clunk on the asphalt, releasing a cloud of mist that I bet contained holy water. Two remaining vamps shrieked and dropped back, but the third saw me and sped over.

  For a moment, I froze. I couldn’t remember what I was supposed to do. Spin and strike? Or strike and spin? Stupid girl, I told myself. Think. THINK!!

  When the creature was close enough for me to smell the cold, fetid air of its breath, I acted on instinct, spinning away from its outstretched hands while, at the same time, driving the stake underneath its ribcage and up into its heart.

  The vampire exploded as suddenly as a car’s airbag, spraying me with its hot, dusty residue. Retching, I jerked backwards and wiped my face. As I fought to control my gag reflex, another vampire grabbed me around the neck. Its weight knocked me to my knees. Instead of remembering Isaiah’s instruction, I lashed out like a terrified animal, trying to beat the creature with the stake.

  Another burst of thick, black ash brought me to my senses. I drove my stake into my attacker’s leg. The vamp screeched. I pushed it away from me and scrambled out of reach. When it came at me again, I went for its throat. The stake’s point landed squarely where I’d intended: the vulnerable hollow above the breastbone and below the larynx. When the vamp fell back, I drove a second stake under its ribs and into its heart. This time, when the monster exploded, I remembered to close my eyes and mouth.

  As the smoke dissipated, Isaiah helped me to my feet. “You okay?”

  I blinked. The parking lot was quiet and vampire free. “Yes.” I gave a shaky smile. “I’m fine.”

  He met my grin with a glare. “I told you to stay in the church!” He turned to Perry. “You were supposed to keep her there!”

  “Don’t shout at him,” I said. Then, before Isaiah could deliver more of a lecture, I lifted my chin and wagged my finger at him. “Besides, I did a damn fine job, thank you very much!”

  His glower deepened before breaking into a huge smile. He wrapped me in a hug. “I have to agree. Although, your technique could use some fine tuning.”

  “Take it up with my teacher.”

  He laughed. “I guess you’re not a junior vampire killer any longer.”

  “You’re promoting me?”

  “Consider this your final exam. You passed with an A plus.” He frowned again. “But don’t you dare try to hunt these things on your own.”

  “No worries there.”

  We circled the demolished Jeep, inspecting the damage under the parking lot lights.

  “I hate to break it to you, big guy, but I think your ride’s totaled,” Perry said.

  “Don’t listen to him, baby.” Isaiah lovingly patted the Jeep’s fender which fell off with a clatter.

  “I hope you have good insurance,” I said.

  “Isaiah’s got more insurance on his ride than on the store. Or on himself, for that matter,” Perry said. “But it won’t make a difference. What insurance company will believe that his car was innocently sitting in a parking lot when a group of pissed-off vampires beat the hell out of it? Without a police report, you’re screwed.”

  “Forget the insurance company,” Isaiah said. “I’m getting her fixed and sending the bill to Hedda.”

  “Good luck with that,” Perry said.

  “If she can afford to renovate the Bleak Street, she can afford to fix your Jeep,” I said.

  “I like how you think.” Isaiah circled my waist with his arm.

  I snuggled against his side. I liked how he thought, too.

  Back in Holy Comics, I headed to the bathroom to wash my face, but Perry stopped me. He held out a box of baby wipes. “These are an essential part of the vampire hunter’s survival kit.”

  I laughed as I scrubbed the greasy, black residue from my skin. “I’ll be sure to remember that.”

  In the office, Perry found a bottle of Vernors in the fridge
and poured us each a glass. Holding up his ginger ale, he solemnly said, “To Cassandra Jaber, our newest vampire killer.”

  Isaiah lifted his glass as well. “Here, here.” We all drank.

  Perry coughed on the bubbles, then continued. “What I’d like to know is what those rogues were up to. I’ve never seen that kind of behavior.”

  My stomach gave an uneasy twist. “I may know.” I hated to spill my secret, but it wasn’t fair to keep it from them. Especially if they had to deal with the aftermath. “Those rogues were a distraction to keep you away from me.” I described the attacker who’d been waiting in the nave. “I don’t know what the guy had planned, but I’m sure it wasn’t a surprise party.” I was the only one who laughed.

  Perry and Isaiah exchanged worried looks. “He had to be a human,” Perry said. “No way could a vamp set foot inside the church. Any idea who it was?”

  “Or why he would come after you?” Isaiah asked.

  Keeping my eyes on my hands, I confessed everything from my newly found ability to reclaim my shine, to Victor’s desperate offer for me to become his blood partner, to the real reason for Geoffrey’s visit at my uncle’s restaurant. “Apparently, the human blood partners aren’t too fond of me right now.”

  “Oh, shit.” Perry had paled three shades during my story. He ran his fingers through his hair. “Shit on a stick! Why the hell didn’t you mention this before?”

  I risked a glance at Isaiah. He sat so still that he might have been carved from stone. “Because I didn’t want you to worry.” Then, before either man could speak, I hurried on. “I didn’t want you to try to keep me away from Mercury Hall and the Bleak Street.”

  Finally, Isaiah blinked. He clenched his cup, reducing the Styrofoam to a small, white ball. With an edge in his voice, he said, “I am keeping you away from there. Even if I have to place you under house arrest.”

  “Well, good luck with that. Now that I’m the director of 16 Voices, I’ll be down there quite a bit.”

  Isaiah leapt off his chair like he’d been ejected. “You’re WHAT?!!”

  Oops. Apparently, I’d forgotten to mention that one, tiny detail.

  I tilted my chin up. “Victor and Charles got into this huge fight, and Charles was fired. So Victor asked me to be the director. I don’t even have to be his blood partner to do it.”

  Isaiah pointed his finger at me. “You are NOT going to be the director!” I swore his voice made the windows rattle.

  I stood to face him. “And you are NOT to order me around! I found out a lot of information today. Way more than you and Perry ever got before. You didn’t even know that Hedda and Marcella were lovers.”

  “They’re lovers?” Perry struck the palm of his hand against his forehead and swore under his breath.

  “I can’t give up now!” I continued. “We need to put an end to this rogue epidemic. Besides, you can’t keep fighting these things forever.” Isaiah might claim that his leg was holding out, but he couldn’t disguise his increasing limp. Even climbing the five stairs from the parking lot to the church had been difficult for him. I softened my voice. “I need to keep you safe, too.”

  Isaiah looked away. Reminding him of his weakness was a low blow, but one I had to make.

  Wanting to bring some levity back to the situation, I put my hands on my hips and gave him a teasing glare. “So don’t threaten me with a lockdown, Mr. Vampire Hunter. You can bully other people with that voice and those muscles…” and what a perfect pair those assets made! “…but you’ll never intimidate me!”

  Perry chuckled. “Outfielder, I think you finally met your match.”

  Isaiah’s lips twisted as he reigned in a smile. “Bully? I’d never bully anyone.”

  “The ball hawk might disagree,” Perry said. “So would that kid you caught shoplifting last week. And the… ”

  “I get it,” Isaiah growled. He shook his head in resignation. “Fine. Have it your way, Cassandra Jaber, but you damn well better come back to the mats for more training.”

  No argument there. I smiled innocently up at him. He glared back, but his amber eyes were as warm and sweet as melting sugar.

  Perry lifted his glass of ginger ale once more. “Okay, if Cassie is determined to join our league, she needs a kick-ass superhero name. I vote for Diva.”

  I would have laughed if Perry hadn’t looked so intent. Isaiah, taking the whole thing much less seriously, winked at me. “Cassandra’s not a diva.”

  “No, you’re right. How about Starlet?” Perry suggested. When I shook my head, he said, “Spotlight? Stagecraft? Backstage Pass?” When both Isaiah and I protested loudly, Perry reddened and dropped his head. “Yeah, you’re right. That could be taken the wrong way.”

  “What’s your superhero name?” I asked.

  “Professor Getts,” he said as if it was obvious.

  “Don’t ask,” Isaiah said when I frowned. “Just remember that Perry’s a cyber-nerd.”

  Perry drew himself up. “I resent that! I maybe an overweight, adult male who co-owns a comic book shop and spends too much time playing video games, but I am not a nerd. I am a highly evolved member of the species.” He drained his Vernors. “Hey! What’s that word for a young, innocent actress?”

  “Ingénue,” I said, “but there’s no way I’ll let you call me that.” Although the whole idea of a superhero name was silly, I was enjoying it. I hadn’t had enough silliness in my life lately.

  “Leading Lady,” Isaiah suddenly said.

  Perry rubbed his chin, thinking. “The Outfielder and his Leading Lady. Works for me. Cassie?”

  I smiled at Isaiah, quite happy to be his leading lady.

  Chapter Seventeen

  When Isaiah asked to borrow Perry’s car in order to drive me home, Perry winked at me. “You can borrow my baby, but if I find a scratch on it, you’re doomed.”

  Isaiah smiled tightly. “I understand.”

  “You do realize that I’m only doing this for Cassie, right? I’d make you walk home.”

  “Just give me the damn keys!”

  Perry’s grin widened. “Maybe you should stay here and wait for the wrecker while I take Cassie home.” When Isaiah growled, Perry laughed and tossed him the keys. “Have fun, you two.”

  Isaiah looked comically large behind the wheel of Perry’s Civic. He had to move the driver’s seat all the way back, and even then his chin nearly rested on his knees. As he drove, he turned the radio on, switching from Perry’s bland Clear Channel to the public radio station which was airing a jazz show.

  “Miles Davis. Kind of Blue,” I said, recognizing the song.

  He smiled, flashing his strong, white teeth. “You keep amazing me.”

  “My dad likes jazz,” I said. “I know a lot of the standards, but really, I’m more of a Lady Gaga fan.”

  He groaned theatrically. “Just when I was beginning to think you were perfect.”

  Perfect?! I turned my face to the window to hide my enormous grin. “You know, for a guy whose baby was just demolished by vampires, you’re in a pretty good mood.”

  “The vamps only damaged my car. They didn’t hurt anything I really care about.”

  A rush of warmth filled my chest, and I felt as giddy as a school girl whose secret crush sends her a mushy Valentine. I wanted to text Andrew right then and there to say: You were right. He likes me! He really likes me!!

  All too soon, we pulled into my driveway. The Civic’s headlights swept the front yard, briefly illuminating the For Sale sign.

  “You’re selling your house?” Isaiah asked.

  “I’m squatting here until my parents sell it.” I gathered my purse and the ash-wood stakes Isaiah had insisted I bring along. “Which stinks because I’ll have to find a new place once they do.”

  He walked me to the door. The porch was dark, but the lights were on in the back of the house. Probably, Andrew was in the kitchen fixing me a ten-course meal.

  “You live alone?” Isaiah asked.

  “M
y friend Andrew, the comic book geek, lives with me,” I said. “Remember Dracula from the play? That’s him.”

  “He’s a good actor,” Isaiah said. “Very convincing.”

  “I’ll tell him you said that.”

  The front door was locked. When Andrew didn’t answer my knock, I dug through my purse, trying to find my keys, an impossible task in the dark.

  “You’re the first person I’ve met who owns her own, black hole,” Isaiah said.

  “Very funny.” I bounced the purse up a down a few times, listening for the jangle of keys, but still couldn’t find them. “I hate the dark.”

  “I kind of like it,” he said. “It makes it easier to do this…”

  He bent down, putting his lips against mine. His kiss started gentle – a teasing brush against my mouth – but soon grew more intense. Fierce desire, something I hadn’t felt in a very long time, sparked in my chest and flowed outward, spreading delicious, heat throughout my body. He cupped my face with his hands while I held his shoulders, pressing myself tightly against him.

  When we broke apart, he said, “We need to talk about this shine thing of yours. Whoever attacked you tonight is still out there.”

  I kissed him to shut him up, but a moment later, he pulled away. “I’m serious, Cassie.”

  I ran my fingers along one of his dreads, marveling at how soft it was. “It was probably Martin. Or maybe Geoffrey. At any rate, the guy was more out of shape than I am.”

  I tilted my chin up, begging for another kiss, but he backed away. “Those aren’t Hedda’s only human blood banks. Some of the grieve’s blood partners could be dangerous.”

  “None of them know where I live,” I said, “and my roommate’s a pretty big guy. Besides, once they get it through their thick heads that I refuse to be anyone’s blood partner, I’ll no longer be a threat.”

  To my relief, Isaiah gave in and let me pull him close once more. “You are a stubborn, stubborn woman.”