“Perhaps it’s time for the change,” Nike said.
Michel took a few steps backwards and shook his head with vehemence. “Let’s not argue about this again.”
I interrupted what seemed to have transitioned to a private talk between them. “You’re not talking about becoming a vampire, are you?”
“Nightwalker,” Michel corrected.
I shot him a look of disgust. “Oh please, she wouldn’t be in this horrible situation if it wasn’t for you.”
Nike leaned forward on the bed. “Hey, Maya, don’t start this now.”
She and I didn’t see pretty boy vampire in the same light. It wasn’t the first time we’d argued about her predicament—and how I blamed Michel.
“Start what?” I said. “The way I see it, he’s the one who screwed up your life.”
Michel stormed over and loomed over me. “You’re just as complicit, Maya.” He spat out my name with contempt. “You encouraged her to go with me the night of the fire, so grow up and accept some of the responsibility.”
Anger pulsed in his eyes with a hot, red glow. Fangs extended from his lips. I gasped and jumped back, heart wrenching in my chest. Pissing off a vampire—or nightwalker, whatever—wasn’t a smart move. And clearly, I still needed to learn when to keep my mouth shut.
Maybe he was a teensy bit right.
Fine, more than teensy. What he said was true. Nike had run into him at Vamps over two years ago. Although she was a tough-ass firefighter who wouldn’t take shit from anyone, she got all tongue-tied and weird around him. I’d convinced her to talk to her fantasy guy. In retrospect, it might not have been the best call, since he was one of the undead and could suck the life out of her. But how could I have known?
I glanced away with a sheepish expression. “Maybe you’re partially right. I accept some of the blame.”
“Enough. Both of you.” Nike whipped the covers off and climbed out of bed. She was wearing a pair of blue plaid lounge pants and a Misfits t-shirt.
She pointed her index finger at us both with a total You’ve-Pissed-Me-Off-and-You-Better-Fuckin’-Listen-to-Me attitude. “In case neither of you realize, I am a grown woman. I was able to make decisions that night and I sure the hell am able to make one now.”
Michel exhaled. “Of course.” The red in his glowing eyes had faded. “We both just want what’s best for you.”
I lowered my head. “Sorry for being an opinionated ass.”
“Nobody has to worry about me and my predicament any longer.” She paced and waved her arms, all fired up. “Clearly, something fucked up happened when I was attacked. But we’ve waited this out for long enough. The symptoms haven’t faded. They’re growing worse. And I hate being this out of control.” She squeezed her hands into fists and dropped them by her side. “Hate it.”
“Understandable.” I’d known her long enough to know how she needed to be in control of her world.
“I’ve discussed and debated the options—and I’ve made my decision.”
Michel and I exchanged a glance. Since our mutual concern was Nike, our animosity vanished like a popped bubble.
Nike raised her chin. “I’ve decided to complete the transformation. I’m going to become a vampire.”
I resisted barking out an “oh no!” and stirring up more drama. Michel let out a muffled groan. At least, he didn’t correct it as “nightwalker.”
Okay, that was unnecessarily bitchy. But my best friend had just declared her intentions to join the undead.
Wonderful.
Oh God, she wouldn’t really become a monster, would she? She’d still be Nike to me, right?
“I’m sorry, Maya, but this means I can’t attend your wedding,” she said.
Shoot. This whole conversation was going down a dark path. “You won’t even come?”
She bit her lip and shook her head. “I can’t. I have no idea how I’ll react. And you don’t want a wedding guest who’s going to treat the guests like an open bar.”
In the dour situation, I resorted to a weak attempt at humor. “It would save on catering.”
Her lips curled into a smile. Dark humor was one of the things that had kept us going during some difficult shifts when we’d worked together.
When her expression turned serious again, she said, “I’m happy for you. So much so. But you need to go ahead with your life without me.”
“Come on, Nike.” My insides twisted like she’d impaled me with a pitchfork. “There has to be a way. You’re my closest friend. After all we’ve gone through together, it doesn’t seem right to not have you there.”
“I know, and I wish I could be,” she replied. “You have a bright future with Tristan ahead of you, but I’m going down a darker path—and may be dangerous to you. And that means we’re better off staying away from each other.”
I’d come here to make sure she was safe and ask her to be in my wedding. She turned me down and chose to join the undead instead. We might have found gothic culture fascinating, but this seemed morbid, even for us.
“If you change your mind, Nike, you’re always welcome. I’d love you to be there.”
With her resolute declaration, she wouldn’t.
And for my first wedding invitation, it was a twisted RSVP.
Nike
After Maya left, I finally left my self-imposed isolation in the bedroom to brew some coffee in the kitchen. Saying no to her and pushing her away made me a shitty friend, and I didn’t need any more guilt heaped onto my already weighted shoulders. Caffeine was essential to getting me moving. I tapped my fingers on the counter as I watched the coffee brew, trying to focus on that rather than the questions and regrets looping through my mind. Soon, the scent of freshly brewed French vanilla coffee reached my nose.
Michel pulled out a bottle of blood from the fridge. He poured some into a shot glass. I stared at it, salivating at the aroma of chilled blood in the air. It tasted better warm, but blood was blood. A vampire’s form of liquid courage, I suppose. He downed it like it was a shot of whiskey. After he put the glass down on the counter, his lips were tinged with red.
He raised the bottle. “Want a few drops?”
Something I would have once considered revolting was now used more often than cream in my coffee. “Yes, please. One sec.” Once the coffee finished brewing, I filled my mug and held it out to him.
As he poured a splash of blood into my coffee, my veins stirred with anticipation. Jeez, I was already a bit obsessed with blood. How much worse would it be when I turned?
“Are you sure about your decision?” Michel asked.
“Yes.” I raised my chin. “I’m tired of waiting to see what happens.”
From what I understood, the technique to become a vampire involved dying. Not looking forward to that. I’d already had a taste when Ricard had tried to drain me.
As I drank my coffee, I contemplated the changes. Every decision has its benefits and disadvantages, doesn’t it? Not aging—benefit. Needing blood—disadvantage. Not needing food to survive—hmm, tough one. Good food was delicious. The sudden reminder of how I’d be giving that up made me ravenous. I took out a carton of eggs to scramble them.
“I hope you don’t want me to turn you,” Michel said.
“I don’t know who else to ask.”
He appeared so tormented that I instantly regretted saying those words.
“I love you, Nike. You’re asking me to end your human life. To kill the woman I love.”
Perhaps I wasn’t being understanding. Sure, we’d discussed this many times in the past and I knew he had reservations about me turning, but I’d never seen him so tormented by the idea.
“You’d be giving me immortality. Isn’t that a gift?” I said.
“Immortality is not the fantasy many believe. It’s an ugly way to continue existing. It is not life as you know it.” Michel rubbed the back of his neck.
I took a deep breath. Yes, he had some salient points. “On the bright side, you won’t get
stuck with an old lady in sixty years.” I gave him a weak smile. “We’ll get to be together.”
He fixed his stare on me. One side of his mouth curled into a smile. “If we’re damned for eternity, at least will be together.”
Michel had some strong opinions about the cost of immortality and didn’t understand why anyone would choose it. I grew up in a different part of the world centuries later and didn’t share those beliefs. Nobody knew for certain and anything was possible.
“I’ve never turned anyone before,” he said.
I had to ease his anguish. “Do you think we should ask someone else?” I wasn’t crazy about the idea of a strange vampire turning me, in what was such an intimate act, but I couldn’t force Michel to do something that repulsed him.
“No,” he growled. He curled his hand into a fist. “I’d never let another nightwalker touch you. Of course I’ll be the one.”
“Thank you.” I was asking a lot from him, and it warmed my heart that he’d do what reviled him so we could be together. “When should we do it?”
“That decision is yours,” he said. “When would you feel more comfortable?”
As I debated that question, I rolled my shoulders back. “I’m not at all comfortable in this predicament I’ve been in lately. I feel so out of control. Soon, I’d say.”
“All right. Be aware that it’s a rough transition to a new world.”
A new world. While Maya would be taking a step with Tristan toward a bright happy future, I would venture into darkness, choosing the path of eternal night.
Yet, for some reason, this step into my new future filled me with more hope than I’d had in quite some time. An eager rush to leap forward swept through me.
“How about tomorrow?”
Michel took a step back from the counter. “No, Nike. You have to say goodbye in the proper way—something I wasn’t able to do.”
Ah, true. “Well, I’m not going to abandon my family, so what exactly do you mean?”
My mom had died of cancer when I was eight. My dad still lived in Rhode Island, where I grew up. Both he and my older brother were cops. My younger brother was in the Army and was deployed over in Afghanistan.
“Once you stop aging, it will become noticeable, especially as your brothers age and you remain forever in your twenties.”
Although I’d considered this many times, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do about that situation. Cutting myself off from my family was unthinkable. But was it better to tell them that I had become a vampire? Not an easy decision.
“I’ll decide after it’s done. If I see them now, it might make me waver. I’ve made my decision.”
“All right. But there’s something important you must do before you change.”
“What?”
“Say goodbye to the sunlight.”
Maya
After I left Nike and Michel’s, I headed over to Vamps. As I entered the front entrance flanked by the familiar gargoyles, I headed down the passageway to the next set of doors. The bass of the music pounded out against the walls out here.
I’d booked Bloodlust and Metal again and they always drew a sizable crowd for their ’80s rock and metal covers. Too bad Nike wouldn’t venture out of her cocoon any time soon.
Byron, the bouncer whom I’d known for many years, stood guard at his usual spot.
“Hey Byron, what’s it like tonight?”
“Pretty packed already. You book a crowd pleaser, you please the crowd.”
I laughed. “That’s a good sign.”
After we chatted for a few, I approached the sign warning, “Abandon all hope ye who enter here,” and opened the door.
Bloodlust was on stage and a sea of black-clad people licked it up as they sang “Detroit Rock City.”
I headed to the bar and ordered a Tempted Fate cocktail from Tracy, the pink-haired bartender. Patrons loved her and we treated her well, hoping she’d stay. So when her boyfriend Danton inquired about a job as a bouncer, Tristan hired him without hesitation. It wasn’t until later that we figured out Danton’s secret—he’d already been watching over the club in stone form for many moons.
I took my drink and cozied up to a spot at the edge of the dance floor to get a better look. Angelica, their lead singer, had dyed the ends of her brown hair purple, but I doubted anyone noticed with the tight vinyl catsuit clinging to her fit body.
“Hello, beautiful,” said a man from behind me.
Since I recognized the rich velvet voice behind me, I smiled. “Hi, yourself.”
Tristan placed his hands on my hips and bent down to my ear since he was so tall. “You look especially hot tonight.”
“Thanks.” I’d put on a little black dress and black boots, nothing too enticing. Still, I beamed at Tristan’s assessment. The warmth of his breath on the back of my neck and earlobes shot intense shivers through me. Images flickered in my mind of naughty things we could do in Tristan’s lab below—and all the naughty experimenting we’d done down there already. I shelved that idea for later.
“How did it go?”
I groaned. “I asked her to be my maid of honor, and she basically told me to fuck off.” Since the music was so loud, I practically screamed it.
“Why would she do that?”
“Okay.” I gestured with my hands. “Maybe I’m exaggerating that last part.”
Tristan took my hand and led me to a quieter nook in the rear. “What really happened?”
I inhaled and let out a sigh. A dramatic one, I admit, but I figured it was justified. I lowered my voice. “She’s decided to become a vampire. And not knowing how that will affect her, she doesn’t trust herself to be around guests.”
“Ah.” Tristan gave a sage nod.
“Ah?” I repeated. “That’s your response? Did you not hear the part about me mentioning Nike will be a daughter of darkness, a mistress of the underworld, a—”
“I heard that quite well.” Tristan’s deep eyes twinkled as he gave me a knowing look. “What I mean is that I’m not surprised. I’ve expected something like this for some time.”
My mouth dropped open. “Why on earth would you say that?”
“Maya, you’re not looking at the situation clearly. You’ve had this idea that she’s magically going to recover and things will go back to the way they were.”
I squirmed. Yes, perhaps I did harbor that hope. I missed having my best friend as the big part of my life that she had been. I missed working with her at the firehouse. It wasn’t the same with her gone, and me being the solo woman on my shift.
“Maya?” Tristan prodded.
“Okay, yes, you might be right. Still, I’m not the only one. Michel and Nike searched for months looking for some sort of magic potion or elixir that would help her.”
“And they never found one. Which means that this step is likely the only real option she has.”
“But, she’s becoming…like him.” I curled my lip in disgust, picturing how he’d flashed his blood-red eyes and fangs at me earlier. It demonstrated that he was a monster. And Nike chose that same horrid fate. I shuddered.
“Listen to yourself. You’re one of the most open-minded people I know. When I met you, I sensed I could trust you with my secret—one that I always hid, for fear people would label me a freak—and you spent your life hiding one yourself. But when it comes to Michel and a fate he didn’t choose, you give him zero leeway. What is it with you and him? Is it because you think he’s stolen Nike from you?”
Ugh, Tristan was so infuriating when he could read me like I was a well-read paperback. Yet, at the same time, it was cool that he understood my perspective.
“Perhaps.” I gave a half-shrug.
“You might need to work on that. It looks like Nike’s going to be with him for quite some time. If you don’t want your relationship with her to suffer, you’ll need to be civil to him.”
I suppressed an eye roll. Freakin’ Michel again. Was there anything more annoying than hating your best frie
nd’s boyfriend?
Okay, I didn’t hate him. How his world affected Nike pissed me off. Perhaps Tristan was a tad right, though.
“Well, that doesn’t matter now,” I said. The defensive edge clearly sliced my tone.
“Why not?”
“Nike said we should stay away from each other.”
“That sucks. Anything I can do?”
Sensual distraction came to mind, but we had a club to run, a house to prepare, and a wedding to plan. “Well, since we’re getting married soon, we could tackle one of the zillion things we should do.”
“Sure thing. I started looking at honeymoon locations.”
“Ooh, that’s the fun stuff. Any good options?”
Tristan gave me a mischievous grin. “Why don’t you let me surprise you?”
I raised a brow. “I do like surprises.”
“Okay. One question—tropical or cosmopolitan?”
“Hmm, decisions.” I tapped my lips and envisioned all the places we could go. A cross-country road trip. Nope, too much time in a car. A decadent splurge in New Orleans. Possibly. A cruise through the Caribbean. Maybe. A whirlwind tour across Europe. No, scratch that. That would remind me of Nike and Michel’s quest to discover what had happened to her after the bite.
“Tropical,” I replied.
“All right, I’ll take care of it. All you need to do is pack some bikinis and tiny sundresses.”
I gave him a suggestive glance. “No sexy lingerie?”
His eyes widened. “Oh, there better be some of that.” He ran his fingers over my shoulder. “Something silky and white that I can slide off you.”
With a sly smile, I replied, “I think I can arrange that.” Leaning closer to him, I whispered, “Maybe a white garter belt and some thigh-high stockings.”
“Damn, Maya. You’re turning me on. We’re not going to be very productive if you talk that way.”
I smiled with satisfaction and trailed my fingers along his jawline. “We’ve got the honeymoon settled, so we can steal some alone time.”
A rumbling groan escaped him, and his gaze lowered to my lips. “Downstairs, my little minx. Lab. Now.”
Combust: a vampire and firefighter paranormal romance (Underground Encounters Book 7) Page 2
