by M. J. O'Shea
A bar? Yes!
“No, PC. My mom would have a heart attack.” Colin’s face read disapproval all over the place. I wanted to sock him.
“She’d have a heart attack if she found out—which she won’t if you don’t tell her,” I said. “Don’t be an asshole, Colin. Please?”
“Yeah, Colin. Don’t be an asshole.” PC pinched him in the side. Colin punched him back and soon they were wrestling around like I’d always seen Colin do with our older brother Callum. I rolled my eyes at Xan, who punched me on the shoulder like he always did. Maybe Xan and I weren’t all that different from the rest of the morons.
Pretty soon we were sprawled on PC’s comfortable couches. Colin and PC had beers, and we had soda, since Colin refused to share with Xan and me.
The door to the hall bath finally opened, and a graceful tall blonde wafted out on a puff of steam. That was Amanda? What happened to the braces and the knobby knees?
“Took ya long enough!” PC shouted. I had a feeling their relationship was very platonic. He barely even glanced at her, and the girl was gorgeous.
“Bite me,” she called good-naturedly. Then she turned and saw Colin and turned beet red. Aw, man. The poor thing obviously did have a crush on my dumb, oblivious brother.
“Hey, kid,” he greeted casually and toasted her with his beer. “You remember my little brother Charlie?”
“I think so,” she said politely. She glanced back and forth between Colin and I. “You guys….”
“Don’t look anything alike. I know.” I smiled at her to show that it was fine. Colin was big and brawny and all red-gold. I was willowy, smaller, pale with nearly white blond hair and huge blue eyes. I’d been told all my life that I looked like a cute elf. It sucked.
“You look more like Noah than Colin. So pretty.” The girls at school were constantly calling me pretty—fluffing my hair, telling me they were envious of my big eyes and porcelain skin. It was nothing new.
“He’s got more than just that in common with Noah, kid,” Colin grumbled. “Don’t even think about giving him those big soppy girl eyes.”
“Colin, you’re being such a jerk. Knock it off!” I wanted to toss my soda at him.
“I wasn’t—” Amanda protested. That’s when we all noticed Xan. He’d reacted strangely to PC at first. But that had nothing on the way he was reacting to Amanda. He’d crowded closer to me on the couch, turning like he was a shield, and if he’d been a dog, the fur on his back would be sticking straight up and he’d be growling low and menacing. As it was, my sunny, sweet friend looked like he was about to take a swipe—at a freaking girl. I nudged him with my shoulder.
“Xan, what the hell?”
“She shouldn’t be here,” he said softly. It was meant for my ears, but the room had fallen so silent that the others could easily hear him.
“What do you mean?” PC stood from his spot and stalked toward us to hover over Xan. He clearly felt like he needed to protect Amanda. “Amanda lives here. She belongs more than you do.”
“But she’s a—” And that’s where Xan dropped off. He sank back against the couch and stared warily at PC, Amanda, and even my brother. “What’s going on here?”
PC looked closer at Xan. Colin also stood and came over to where we were. Xan and I stood up. I didn’t like having the two other guys giving me the stare-down when I didn’t even know what was going on.
“Oh Jesus Christ. Will you all put your testosterone away and sit?” Four surprised guys turned their heads over to Amanda, who was standing with her hands on her hips. She made an exasperated face and flipped her hair out of her eyes. “I said sit.” She gestured to the couches and we all sat.
“Thank you. So, Xan, right?” He nodded warily. “Somehow you picked it up. Don’t know how, but you clearly did. Yes, I’m different.”
“I know,” he nearly growled.
“How?” I asked.
“Why don’t you ask her?” Xan gestured roughly at Amanda.
I stared at Amanda hoping for some answer, any answer that would tell me what the hell was going on.
“I’m a vampire, Charlie. A couple of months ago I was still human, but I got shot and I was dying. This was my only choice. I’m not going to hurt you.” She gestured at me. “Everyone’s cool—although when Leila gets here, you might want to get your friend to can the protective act because she might not like the implications he seems to be throwing out.”
I stared in silence. “You’re a… you’re a… vampire?”
Amanda moaned. “Please tell me that you knew vampires existed. I am not in the mood for a newbie.”
I sputtered for a minute before I could answer. “Uh, oh yeah, of course. I’m a Fitzgerald.” Xan shot me a shocked stare. I was guessing he and I were in for a long talk later. “I just didn’t know there were, you know, nice vampires.”
The door opened and two more people entered the room. One was a guy, tall and dark-haired, the other a young woman, exquisitely beautiful, tiny, curvaceous, and very dark—Middle Eastern, I guessed.
“Jason and Leila,” Colin said quietly. He was still near me and Xan, probably hoping one of us didn’t flip out again.
“She’s another one,” Xan said quietly. “And there’s something up with him too.”
“How can you tell?” Colin narrowed his eyes questioningly.
Xan paused. He looked flustered. “They, um, just seem different. Right?”
“No, actually. I don’t see it. How are you doing that?”
PC stood to make introductions. “Leila, Jason, this is Colin’s kid brother Charlie and his friend Xan. They’re in the city for the weekend.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” I shook both of their hands.
Leila smiled at me, then gave Xan a measuring look. She said something softly to him in a language that I didn’t understand. He inclined his head and answered her; then she gave him a brilliant smile and said, “Welcome.”
“What the—?” Colin said.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one in the room who’d like to know what the freaking hell was going on.
“What did you say?” PC asked.
“Xan?”
Colin, PC, and I stood looking at each other.
Leila handed the three pizza boxes to PC. “It’s nothing, boys. I swear, you’d freak out over anything. Amanda, why don’t you and I go in the bathroom, and I’ll teach you that navy-blue smoky-eye look you wanted to learn while they eat. The pepperoni smell is making me nauseous.”
Amanda nodded gratefully and followed Leila into the bathroom, where they shut the door.
“They can’t eat?” I asked.
“Wouldn’t want to,” PC mumbled around a mouthful of sausage and pineapple. “Our food smells disgusting to a vampire. Have some pizza.” And with that a box full of pepperoni pizza was deposited on the table in front of me.
“I’m not hungry. Xan, what’s going on with you? What was up with the secret language? Why were you getting all pissy?”
He shook his head and mouthed, “Later.” I gritted my teeth and took a slice of pizza since it was obvious nobody was going to do any explaining any time soon.
It was really hard not to keep staring at Xan, though. I didn’t know what his deal was, but obviously he had one. He’d not only known that something was different about the vampires and Jason, whose story I still wasn’t clear on, but when he heard Leila and Amanda were vampires he hadn’t even flinched for a second. Not any more than me. Xan had known. And I wanted to know why.
AFTER THE pizza was cleared and leftovers safely stowed in the fridge, Leila and Amanda came out from the bathroom. Colin’s mouth dropped wide open. Amanda looked nervous but gorgeous. Her hair swept down her back in a wavy golden sheath, her eyes were smoldering and smoky, and she’d shimmied into a tight shirt thing and these really awesome jeans. I couldn’t stop staring. Xan elbowed me in the side.
“Aren’t you gay?” he whispered with a laugh.
I choked. “Most of the
time.”
“I hope you’re wearing a jacket,” Colin said with a sneer. “I don’t feel like getting in a fight tonight.” He cleared his throat and looked away from Amanda.
“Colin, you ass,” Leila hissed. It was so obvious that Amanda was doing it all for him. Amanda’s mouth drooped for a moment before she picked herself back up and tossed him a bratty smile. Then she tugged her top down lower on her cleavage and stuck her chest out.
“I can take care of myself, Fitzgerald. Don’t bother your pretty head.”
I wanted to applaud as hard as I could.
“Where are Zack and Noah? They’re taking forever.” PC was clearly uncomfortable. The rest of us were too busy waiting to see what was going to happen between Amanda and my brother. She stared silently at him; he sat on the couch and brooded. PC was acting more and more uncomfortable. Honestly, he was starting to look really sick. I wondered if there was something wrong with the sausage pizza, because I’d had a piece. Damn.
“You okay, hon?” Leila, the tiny dark vampire, moved to touch PC on the shoulder. In that moment, he jumped up into the air. There were sounds of ripping fabric and an odd glow, and then all of a sudden a huge red-gold wolf was standing in the middle of the apartment. I jumped back and Xan grabbed hold of my arm, but before anything else could happen, the wolf took off running, slammed through the closed door, shattering it into splinters like it was nothing more than a piece of paper, and was gone.
“What the hell—?” I had no idea what to say.
“I should’ve guessed that’s what it was.” Xan’s voice was quiet, but I heard him.
PC was a freaking wolf? Jesus. “How do you know all this?”
“Later,” he murmured.
The others were looking at each other, baffled.
“PC’s been so controlled lately,” Leila said to Jason. “He hasn’t flipped like this in months.” Jason nodded in agreement.
“Is someone going to tell me what the hell just happened? Is he a… werewolf?”
Leila flicked a look at my brother. “Colin!”
Colin sighed. “No, kid, he’s a lycan. That’s different. He can change from human to wolf whenever he wants—he’s not affected by the moon. And he was born a lycan. It’s not something you necessarily get from a bite, although you can.”
“If he can change whenever he wants, what just happened?” I stared around the room at the girls, Jason, Colin, even Xan, who seemed to know an awful lot about things he wasn’t supposed to understand.
“We don’t know what happened.”
Xan spoke up quietly. “Someone important to him must be in danger.”
“And you? What’s with you? I’m starting to think I don’t know you at all.” I stared at him, trying to see my old friend somewhere in that new knowledgeable creature.
“Not. Now,” Xan murmured quietly. Then he flashed me a hard look. “Besides, you clearly weren’t surprised by the existence of this world either. You and I need to have a long conversation very soon.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” I ground out.
“Jase, love. Will you fix the door?” Leila asked.
“Sure.” Jason nodded. Without even seeming to move a muscle, he squinted and the door came back together again, a splinter at a time, slow at first, then more quickly. It only took about ten seconds before the door was back in place, solid and strong, like nothing had happened. My eyes had to be as wide as saucers.
“Witch,” Xan whispered.
“Yeah, I see that. Shit.”
I’d known of witches, just as I’d known of vampires, but I imagined them slaving over a cauldron for hours to do one tiny spell. The ease with which Jason had put the shattered door back together again was enough to knock me flat. I hated feeling like an idiot and I wanted to know more. I could tell by my brother’s creased brow that he wasn’t in the mood to share. Xan didn’t look like he was any more inclined to tell me what the hell it was he obviously knew. I sat back in my corner of the couch and gritted my teeth.
WE WERE all still sitting there in various states of glowering, worrying, glaring, or any of the above when the door clicked and swung open. Everyone jumped up, then there was a collective sigh of disappointment before we all sank back down on the couches.
“What a greeting. Man,” joked a young black-haired guy. He was superhot in a pale designer emo kind of way. “Where’s PC?”
“That’s the question of the hour. Where’s Noah?”
“Right here,” Noah called. He jogged into the room. “I was on the phone with my mom and told Zack to head up without me.” Noah leaned over and kissed Zack on the cheek. I couldn’t help but notice the silver ring on his left finger. Interesting. My cousin had a sort of glow about him. I imagined it was happiness. He turned and saw me on the couch.
“Charlie! How are you?” Noah came bounding over and yanked me up into a hug. Damn, he’s strong. It caught me off guard since Noah wasn’t very big. He was one of the smaller Fitzgeralds, like me, and very unlike my tree trunk of a brother.
“I’ve been okay. You?”
“Really good, actually. Babe, c’mere.” He gestured at the pale, dark-haired Zack. “This is my little cousin Charlie. Colin’s brother. Charlie, this is Zack.”
“Hey.” I stuck out my hand to shake Zack’s. “And this is Xan.”
“His best friend,” Xan added, standing.
“I remember you, Xan.” Noah smiled. “You two used to look like twins when we were kids. These little blond-haired elves running around my grandparents’ house knocking things over. You’ve gotten tall.”
And he had—nearly six feet tall but willowy and lean. I was still small and delicate. Not my favorite fact of life. We’d both remained blond, although his had turned to a golden wheat color, while mine was still near white. No one would mistake us for twins any longer.
“Okay,” Zack spoke up. “Enough with the introductions. PC is missing, everyone in here couldn’t be any tenser, and there is clearly something up. Who’s going to tell me and Noh what the hell it is?”
“PC just phased and took off. None of us know why or where he went,” Colin blurted out.
“Oh.” Noah and Zack looked at each other. “Crap.”
“Yeah, crap is right,” Colin answered. “It’s not really all that late—not by city standards, anyway. There could be people out still, and his royal pissed-off-wolfiness is out roaming the streets looking for trouble.”
“I thought he had himself under control,” Zack murmured, almost to himself.
“He did,” Noah said. “Something must have happened.”
“It had to,” Leila said. “PC doesn’t just take off like that.”
“Is this what your life is like now?” I whispered to Colin. I was envious as hell.
“Not really.” He shrugged. Noah gave him a long look. “Okay, sometimes. It’s not that great, though. I miss high school.”
“Nobody misses high school,” Zack said, rolling his eyes. “Lemme see… high school, being a vampire. Not much of a contest.”
I choked on nothing.
“You’re a vampire?” I looked at Zack, then to Xan. He nodded and gestured toward Noah as well. “Him? But he’s my cousin!”
“My mom was turned too, Charlie. The same one got both of us.”
I looked at his boyfriend. “Did the vampire get Zack? Or was he always one?”
Zack chuckled. “Nah. Noah bit me one night when he got pissed off.”
“Hey!” Noah shoved at him and they started play fighting.
“You two knock it off. I swear. Or go home and get it on,” Leila ordered. “We need to find PC and you’re not helping.” Little Leila’s eyes snapped, and immediately Zack and Noah looked contrite. There wasn’t much of a mystery as to who was in charge.
My cousin and his boyfriend stopped horsing around, but they didn’t stop touching. Noah kept his arm slung over Zack’s shoulders, Zack’s hand drifted to his waist. Must be nice…. I’d had my share of fun, I guesse
d, and never felt the absence of an actual relationship, but in that moment it stung, seeing how happy they were.
“What’s the plan?” Leila asked. “We should check all of his usual places first, right?”
My brother nodded. “You and Jase want to take the park? Amanda and I can hit Village Books and the pizza place. He’s probably disoriented, looking for something familiar.”
“Noh and I will head toward the lycan council chambers, in case he freaked out and went there. Not likely, but you never know.” Zack’s face had gone from joking to all business.
“Yeah, you never know,” my brother agreed.
The others turned and headed for the door to the apartment.
“What do you want me and Xan to do?” I looked hopefully at Colin.
Colin shuddered. “Stay here. Mom will have my ass if something happens to you.”
“Are you freaking serious?” I tried to make my voice deeper. “Maybe Xan and I could help.”
My brother shook his head. “No, you’ll help most if you stay out of it. You don’t know what you’re doing yet, and tonight isn’t the night to find out.” He pointed his finger at me, as if to say “Stay” like I was a freaking puppy. Then he ran after Amanda and the others into the hallway and out to save Manhattan from the accidentally shifted PC.
He was right. I knew he was, but at the same time it hurt. It hurt a lot. My parents hadn’t taken the time to get me started in my training—just the opposite. They kept pushing me away from the family and the hunting world, toward college. Colin’s dismissal felt like another poison dart to my already pathetic psyche.
“Let’s go,” I said to Xan.
“Go where?” he asked.
“Home. I don’t want to sit in this apartment alone all night. Colin dropped his keys on that table by the door. We can grab our stuff and take the next bus.”
“Are you sure you want to do that? You were so pumped earlier.”
I sighed. “I know. But the night’s not turning out like I hoped it would. I’m sorry I’m being such a pain in the ass, Xan. I have no idea what my problem is lately.”
“Your life isn’t what you thought it was going to be. I’m not what you thought I was. It’s bound to take a toll.”
