Irving looked back at the screen, a ball of anxiety growing in his stomach. All he needed now was for this kid to make contact. Then, he'd see what he would do next.
Finding the kid hadn't been a problem. The Order had a host of private forums online where the younger members often got together to talk. Irving had realized most of these new members were dying to do something, to prove themselves. Unlike their parents and grandparents, these kids were not afraid of a good fight. Getting the kid talking, on the other hand, had been an effort. Irving soon realized there was a social stratification happening. Younger people didn't mingle with their older peers. They used the same forums, but stuck to different topics and even sections. Apparently, the kids resented that their parents' generation had a tendency to clip their wings. The members in Irving's age group feared the radical tendencies of the younger members. No one ever said anything, but the message was clear.
Irving wouldn't have any of that. He'd talk to anyone who would listen.
He had taken his time. He had learned the kids' lingo. Then, he had created a persona for himself that was open and honest. He never outright lied - he just kept things vague. He made things sound a little different than they were. He had a brother and a sister. His sister had died at the hands of a vampire. His family had been in the Order since long before the trip to the New World. He had joined the Order after witnessing his sister's death, eager to change the world. Then, the world tried to crush him into conformity. But what he never mentioned was that Madeleine had died fifty years ago.
Irving knew that deep down these kids would agree with him, but he was the same age as their peace-loving parents. It would be hard for them to trust him. So, he decided to let his message do the talking.
He promised himself he would give the kid ten more minutes and then he was off to bed.
After eleven minutes, Irving got to his feet. A deep sigh escaped his lips. He knew the supernaturals were gathering in Thunder Bay. Something big was about to happen. His insider had told him so. He knew he would have a one in a million chance to cause some real damage. All he needed now was a matchstick that he could light and toss on the gasoline.
His computer gave out a loud ping. The kid had entered the chat room.
Irving rushed back to his old, black chair and read the message. His lips curled into a smile. He was back in the game.
The message started with: Guess what? The bomb is finished!
Chapter 7
Chris stood under her window, watching the white drapes like a lovelorn idiot for a solid hour before his mind started working again. What was wrong with that girl? No one had ever said no to him since he'd been sired. Come to think of it, a lot of girls wouldn’t have said no to him even before that. He'd just been too much of an idiot to do anything about it.
Chris threw another nasty glare at her window. He had never seen anyone resist glamour like that. How was that even possible? He started walking down her street. This was a quiet little street, a dime a dozen. Was he losing his touch? Maybe he should talk to Darcy about it.
Chris stopped, startled.
Could a vampire have a glamour dysfunction?
No. It had to be her. She was the problem. Maybe there was something wrong with her head.
Chris turned around and started walking back to her building. He went around it, checking how he could get in and look around, try to get any clue as to why she just shut her mind to him like that. Maybe then he could find a way to establish a connection between them and glamour her.
Connections happened to earthlings all the time. When two people saw something on the street and thought of the same reference or joke? That was a connection. When a person was thinking of a song and the person at the radio station plays that song? That was a connection, too. When a person had been thinking of a friend or family member and said friend or family member called because they started thinking of that person, too? Yep! Connection.
For earthlings that’s where the connection ended. Their minds scattered and they focused on something else. For vampires, it was their way in. They could harness that moment and find their way into the other person’s head. Vamps couldn’t do magic. They couldn't do it. Everyone knew that. Witches even had a stupid explanation for it. They said vamps were unnatural - whatever that meant. But even witches couldn’t explain glamour without using the word magic.
She lived on the third floor - the top one - of the cute little brick building. If Chris hadn’t ran into that thug, this was the type of building he’d have lived with Elizabeth, where they'd raise the kids they never had. Instead, Elizabeth was killed and he was turned into a vamp.
Chris caught himself thinking of Elizabeth. He'd loved her something fierce. He would’ve died for her. He tried to do it, in fact. He'd thrown himself on the knife that had been meant for her. But loving someone can’t save them. Love only made you weak. Elizabeth begged Darcy to bite Chris instead of her. She'd died because she loved him.
Chris shook his head. Damn it Lydia for making him think of the past again. And damn this girl, too. It was all her fault.
He tossed another mean glare at the girl’s window. He had managed to not think of Elizabeth and his last moments as a mortal for years. But then Lydia talked about it and this girl came along, with her chocolate brown eyes and her creamy skin, and now Chris was all sentimental again.
It'd been the whole reason why he had picked her in the first place. Something in the way she danced made him smile, it reminded him of the first time he'd seen Elizabeth, even though the two women looked nothing alike. Chris had wanted to fuck that girl senseless. He hadn't been able to look at anything else. He had walked straight to her. It was as if she had glamoured him.
He made his way back to the hotel in a dark mood, something turning to steel inside him.
He knocked on Elliot’s door. Chris knew Elliot would get the girl he'd been talking to back to his room. He was counting on it, in fact. He had already glamoured her out of her mind by the time that girl had walked back to the bar.
It took Chris's brother a moment too long to answer. Chris heard a loud moan coming from a woman’s throat. Great! Even Elliot got lucky tonight.
When he did answer, it was pretty obvious Elliot was sexing someone. His hair was a mess and he was only wearing a sheet draped around his body, like a toga. Chris just hoped it was the right someone. Otherwise, this stop had been an exercise in futility.
“What are you doing?” Chris asked.
“I’m with that girl from Moonlight.” Elliot's cheeks had a nice little blush to them. He must have fed off of the girl. “Where’s her friend? I thought you had left with her.”
Left with her, chased her cab back to her place. Potato, Potahto.
But Chris wasn't going to tell Elliot about that. He was getting laid and drinking fresh blood from a girl who really wanted to sleep with him even before he glamoured her. Chris was so mad he almost forgot what he had wanted to ask Elliot. Instead, he shoved his hands in his pockets and gave Elliot a bright smile. He couldn’t tip his hand just yet.
Chris jerked his chin towards the room behind Elliot. “Is she succubus material?”
The reason they were the top clan for all the mythological world’s succubi and incubi needs was because Darcy's clan knew who to pick for their training program.
Elliot shook his head. “Nah. She’s a nice girl.”
“Elliot,” the girl called from somewhere inside the room. “Where are you? I want more, baby.”
Elliot’s lips curled into a proud smile. Bastard!
“What do you want, Chris?” Elliot was not outright rude, but his tone left no room for doubt. He’d shut the door on Chris's face any moment now. “I’m in the middle of something here.”
Chris shuffled his feet and looked away. Now that he could say what he wanted he didn’t know if he should ask it. Elliot was his brother. Sure they got mad at each other from time to time, especially where Lydia was concerned, but what siblings didn�
��t fight from time to time? Chris knew Elliot would do anything for him just as he would do anything for his brother. The problem was their nature. They were vampires. It was in their nature to look for an angle, for an opportunity. They were creatures of prey even when they talked to each other.
“See you tomorrow, Chris.”
Elliot started closing the door.
“Wait,” Chris snapped.
Elliot stopped.
Chris knew how to get Elliot to do what he wanted, no questions asked. With Elliot, you had to make him feel like the king of the world. He had to feel his word mattered. He had to feel that the whole thing had been his idea. If Chris asked him a favor, Elliot would hold it against him.
“You know what? Nevermind.” Chris shook his head, doing a meh face. “Have fun.”
He started walking away and counting silently in his head.
3... 2... 1...
“Chris, wait.”
Chris looked back and found Elliot leaning towards the hallway, an eager look on his face.
“What is it?”
“I wanted to talk to you. Tonight’s girl was-” Chris pretended to look for a word. “Interesting. I wanted to check her out. Maybe sneak into her place. Do a background check...”
“You need information on her.” Elliot nodded like the old wise man from a 1970s kung-fu movie. “I can get her friend talking for you-” he gave Chris a smug smile, “-if you want me to.”
That was it. Chris almost had him. He just had to keep playing Elliot a little longer.
“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Chris did his best to look hesitant. “They are friends. If that girl remembers you were asking about her friend...”
“What’s the girl’s name?” Elliot said, rolling his eyes at Chris.
“Evelyn.” Chris hesitated again, acting like something just occurred to him. “Are you sure?”
“It will be fine.”
"Thank you, Elliot," Chris sighed in genuine relief.
“I’m on it, baby brother,” Elliot said, giving Chris a grin.
Then, he snapped the door shut.
Chris whistled on his way back to his room, feeling much better.
Chapter 8
Evie was gazing out the window, back in her family home in Oregon. She was seventeen again. A deep sense of dread invaded her. She had relived this moment over and over for the past four years, never able to stop it or chance how it played out. But, like all dreams, she was powerless to stop it. She could only watch herself as she gazed out the window, in tears. She had just broken up with Dan.
They wanted opposite things. He was happy to stay home. In fact, he'd be happy to stay working at her dad's garage, building pretty custom-made cars, for the rest of his life. NYU had just accepted her. She was moving to New York.
Evie knew Dan was sitting on the couch behind her, quiet. He hadn't applied to any school outside the state, in spite of all her pep talking.
Tears streamed down her face. This was it. After summer, they'd go their separate ways. She could've waited until the end of classes, but Evie didn't want a long goodbye. She wanted things to end well between them. And a part of her knew that she might love Dan but there would be a whole world between them. She could feel the distance building from the moment she decided to apply to NYU without telling him. So, the sooner the better.
Evie let out a strangled sob.
Something changed in the room. The walls seemed to charge with energy, sending a tingling feeling right under her skin. Her heart started pounding. Her mind snapped. Her tears stopped. Something was off.
At this point, part of her - the part that was watching this all-too familiar train wreck from a quiet corner of the room - had noticed the slightly hazy contours of the moment. It had realized what the other part of her hadn't: this was a dream. Evie screamed in her head, trying to make herself wake up. But she didn't. She never did.
Seventeen-year old Evie turned around. Dan was standing. Her eyes lowered to his hand. It had curled into a fist.
Dan took a step towards Evie. Then another. He was so angry. Her eyes darted around, looking for an exit. But she didn't move. It hadn't worked out, but they loved each other. He wouldn't hurt her, right?
Then his fist connected with her face.
***
Evie woke up gasping. Dan's angry words still rang in her ears. She kicked the covers and sat up. She hugged her legs, trying to make herself as small as possible. The day was just about starting. She was shaking. What a crappy way to start the day.
A top 40 radio was blasting from Evie's downstairs neighbor's apartment. She didn't know which one of them liked to start the day with music, but Evie appreciated that now. She'd probably start crying if there was nothing but silence in her bedroom.
Evie took a deep breath and held on to her security blanket: her routine. She splashed water on her face and brushed her teeth. She packed a fresh change of clothes and the stuff she'd need for her trip to the library in her backpack because she wouldn't have time to come home and change for work. She had a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal before she left for the day. Evie'd assumed the trip to Moonlight would make her feel better. Apparently, it hadn't.
She was pretty much on autopilot until she was on the treadmill, putting that restless energy to good use while loud music blasted from her earbuds right into her skull.
Someone tapped Evie's arm.
It was Jon.
He was smiling brightly at her. A wave of relief washed over Evie. Jon was like her mom's chicken soup, listening to her dad singing and curling up with her favorite novel all rolled up into one tall and handsome package. They were on the treadmill together, side by side.
"Hey, stranger." She removed her earbuds and smiled back. "Haven't seen you in a while."
"I've been busy." Jon said. He was pre-Med. He tended to disappear from time to time. "How are you?"
"Good," Evie lied. And because she didn't want to talk about her and she needed to get this out of the way, she asked, "How's Natalie?"
Jon's smile slipped from his lips and eyes. Evie knew Natalie didn't like her. She even knew why. Jon and Evie committed the unforgivable crime of going out on one date freshman year. It made no difference that they were just friends now and that he and Natalie had been together for two years. Natalie seemed to think Evie was one breath away from stealing him from her at any given time. Evie thought the whole thing was stupid and she didn't think Natalie was worthy of Jon, but if he loved her, Evie had better keep her feelings to herself and be a good-
"We broke up," he said.
Evie almost tripped on her treadmill. She slowed it down, going from a jog to a power walk. It gave her a much-needed moment to kill her joyous smile. This was the first piece of good news in a while. Still, Jon probably needed her support. She had to act like this was the worst thing to ever happen to anyone, anywhere.
"Oh, Jon, I'm so sorry," Evie said. "I know how much she meant to you."
And that's why Evie never got Natalie's jealousy. Jon was the best boyfriend ever. He never said or did anything that could give her reason to doubt him. He would even refrain from hanging out with Lucy, Tamara, and Evie from time to time.
Evie promised herself she'd be a good friend and lend him a shoulder to cry on. She'd wait until she was alone to do a happy dance.
But instead of heartbroken, Jon seemed to be taking it all in stride. He just shrugged and sighed.
"We were sort of doomed from the get-go." He didn't look at Evie. He kept his eyes on the spot of wall in front of him. "I can see that now."
"I lied to you." That caught his attention. Jon looked at her. "I had a nightmare."
And because they'd been friends for four years, Evie didn't have to tell Jon what the nightmare had been about.
"Are you OK?"
"I'm getting there." She had an idea. "What are you doing today?"
"Studying at the library. You?"
"The same." She gave him a smile and batted her
eyelashes. "Want to ditch studying and binge watch action movies at my place? We can call Lucy and Tamara, order pizza, have ice cream, you know. The full breakup package."
He smiled brightly again, but it faded away too fast. "I can't. I had a bad week and I need to catch up."
"Oh, OK." Evie tried to smile, but she was a little disappointed. She loved binge watching stuff with Jon. "Some other time, then."
"Tomorrow?"
She brightened up. "Sure."
Evie powered down the treadmill while she and Jon made plans. They'd go to the supermarket together. Evie planned on pampering him rotten.
She was exchanging texts with Lucy and Tamara, getting them on board before she left the gym. After her nightmare, Evie had braced herself for a crappy day. She smiled at the feeble December sun; feeling about a hundred times happier than she had just an hour before.
***
Evie studied for most of the morning and well into the afternoon.
That sense of feeling restless stayed out of her radar for most of the time she was at the library, but it came back full force when Evie left school. She was hyper aware of her surroundings all the time. She kept looking around. She tried to come up with alternative exits wherever she went. Every moment felt like that instant right before Dan hit her. Her mind was working overtime and, as a result, she was running out of steam halfway through her day. Not to mention the crippling sense of paranoia. Fun times!
Evie was on her bus seat, her e-reader in her hands, but she couldn't stand still. Her leg shook. The guy sitting next to Evie gave her a nasty glare. Evie slapped her hand on her knee, urging her leg to stand still. It didn't. She started looking around. She had no idea what she was looking for. All she knew was that something was off.
Then, she saw them. Three guys were sitting in the back, talking and laughing - not really interacting with anyone else. They were speaking in a language that she could almost recognize. Spanish? Portuguese, maybe? They looked like tourists. Who came to Thunder Bay to visit? It was a small town. There were other obvious tourist magnets around.
Her Blood Sings: Episode 01 Page 4
