“Hey.” I chased after Tristan before he could make a clean getaway. The crew would need time to clean up before I could practice anyway. He and Callie stopped, and they didn’t bother to hide their annoyance when they turned around. I wasn’t a part of their plan. “We need to talk.”
“It wasn’t a date, it was a photo shoot.” Callie rolled her eyes. “Work on your acting skills while you try to get your fire back.”
A snapping noise stopped me from talking and I looked down at my robe. Smoke rose from my fingers. Shooting blanks was embarrassing, but it was start. And hopefully enough to call her bluff.
I ignored her. “What are you adding to the show?” I asked Tristan.
He wrinkled his brow. “I’ve sent you the songs. The band is working on them, getting ready to record—”
“I don’t mean music. You keep saying we’ll push limits, blow people’s minds.” I gestured to exaggerate my point, and the smoke swirled between us. “The songs are good, but it’s not enough. I’ve been completely transparent with my plan. That was our agreement. No bullshit.”
“No, you haven’t.” Callie scoffed. “What part of ‘Blade is a deal breaker’ did you not understand? Lennon’s my best friend. She tells me everything. If you think I’ll let you sabotage the show, forget it. I’ll kill you before I let you do that.”
I stepped closer to her. “Try it. Your ashes will fall like confetti from the sky at the end of my performance. I’ll be on stage, no matter what. What are you without Tristan?”
She lunged at me, fangs bared. What I’d do for more than a spark right now. I opened my mouth and more smoke came out.
It was the wrong time to get excited about it, but this was the most fire than I’d conjured on my own since the curse.
Tristan separated us. “Cut the shit. Holly’s right, we haven’t been completely honest with her.”
The fire was gone.
“She hasn’t been either.” Callie glared at me from behind Tristan’s arm.
He narrowed his eyes at her before looking back to me. Interesting that he took my side over hers. Tristan wanted this show as badly as I did. “We’re amplifying our abilities. Not hiding behind being human. Every vampire can do something different. We’re not relying on the blood shit. Boring. We’ve been suppressing the power, so it might take longer to perfect, but it’s gonna be more like what Cash did, without the killing people part. But better.”
He hadn’t given me a specific answer, but it was better than nothing. Still, I wasn’t sure we should be relying on underdeveloped vampire powers to sell tickets. “Let me watch one of your rehearsals.”
“Name the time.” What Tristan was lacking for in a solid plan, he made up for in confidence. Or arrogance.
“Not tonight.” Callie grabbed Tristan’s arm. “We have a meeting.”
“Should I be at that meeting?” A third of the profits went to me. I wasn’t a majority anything, but I should’ve been invited. Callie’s face wasn’t being plastered all over the city, mine was. I’d be the one to take the fall for her decisions.
“No. Not everything concerns you.” She turned on her heel. “Work on your own routine, Holly.”
They moved away while she was still talking. The end of her statement sounded an awful lot like she added, “you need it.” It pissed me off because I was right—they were hiding something from me, despite the promise to keep things transparent and small. The smoke left an aftertaste in my mouth.
I headed to my dressing room. Some people would say, fuck you, I don’t want to please you if that’s your attitude. But not me. I ran up against this my entire life. People didn’t understand my powers. The best revenge was living better than anyone ever considered me capable of doing. I’d practice more and hold nothing back. Those feelings would fuel the fire, which was exactly what I needed.
Not recognizing the woman who stared back at me in the mirror, I was disgusted with myself. I totally sold out, and there was no guarantee I’d succeed. The unexpected appearance of my fire tonight was encouraging, but I couldn’t stay on a roller coaster of emotions to summon it. There had to be a way to keep it on an even keel.
I ignored the first knock on the door. I never liked to see anyone right after a performance, even if it had only been a photo shoot—it evoked all the same feelings, though I got nothing in return. And I ignited. It had failed, but I ignited. Whoever it was could wait.
I pulled my hair up, but I kept the makeup. Out of context, it was no longer beautiful. I looked as much like a monster as Tristan’s stylist had worked so hard to cover. The knocking intensified.
“What?” I ripped the door open and immediately regretted snapping at Lennon. Although, I couldn’t trust her, either. “Come in.”
She picked up my wings, considering them before moving them aside. “I’d love to wear these.”
“Have you ever thought about performing?” I asked. Everyone around her did.
“No.” She shook her head, running her fingers along a feather. “You got the talent. I’ll just cheer you on.”
“That’s not true, everyone has something.” Her powers had been repressed, too. After my fight with Callie, I’d forgotten my promise to her. Lennon needed me more than ever. “Still want to practice tonight?”
“Sure, but can we talk for a minute, first?” Her gaze met mine, and I stared into my own eyes.
I sat on the counter in front of the mirror. It was still bare, I’d barely moved in yet. “Of course.”
“You’re probably pissed off I told Callie that you’ve been hanging out with Blade—”
“I wouldn’t necessarily consider it hanging out.” More like forced visitations.
“Whatever. Callie was alive when I met her, and she was dating Blade. We never had any idea of what he was capable of. She pined for him, even after he killed people. She gave him chances. I wish the two of you got along because you have a lot to talk about.” Lennon chuckled. “You probably think I ratted you out. But I can’t watch the same mistakes happen twice. I have a responsibility to you.”
“You keep saying that. Why?” If I could teach her how to time travel, I’d bring her back to the place I found her, at Bethlem Royal Hospital all those years ago, so she could see herself as I did. As my mother.
“Because Cash talked about you like the sun, moon and stars revolved around you. He loved you, and I had a hand in taking him away from you.”
I nodded. It was hard for me to get emotional about Cash. He was a threat in so many ways, even if he was my father. “You really loved him, didn’t you?”
She closed her eyes like she savored a memory. “I did. He captivated me the first time I saw him. He showed up at Embrace, acting like he owned the place. And he ignored me. It drove me mad. I’ve never chased a man before, but he was all I could think about.”
“How’d you catch him?” I asked. There was an art to seduction, and Lennon was a woman who mastered it.
“One night, Callie and I went on a fact-finding mission. The two of you aren’t so different, you know. You’re both so hotheaded. And you don’t like to take no for an answer. Anyway, I found a way to stay behind at his apartment when she left. Cash and I talked forever. His stories were so fascinating—all the places he’d been, his shows, and the magic. I thought he was the one.”
And he tried to kill her. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” The corners of her mouth quivered as she tried to keep a brave face. “Nothing’s guaranteed, and that goes double for vampires. I’ve been watching them for years in a way a lot of humans never will. Forever is a fragile thing, doll. We might be immortal, but we depend on so many outside forces for our survival. Shelter, almost importantly. You won’t see this girl digging a hole to get away from the sun. And we need to keep humans happy. That’s where some vampires fail.”
“And Tristan succeeds.” I finished the thought for her. Lennon was a genius. Neither Callie nor Blade understood what they were doing, and they let instinct drive
them. Bad energy was toxic to vampires, like ingesting poison. Lennon had the advantage of being the human that made vampires happy long before she was turned.
“As long as he has an audience.” She lowered her voice. “Tristan is killing himself. And the worst part of it is, his body won’t die. He’s wasted all the time, passing out almost every night. Callie doesn’t know what to do. She’d kill me if she knew I was telling you this. She’s freaking out, convinced he won’t be able to do the show.”
Lennon was lousy at keeping secrets, and this time I appreciated it. “But he needs to have a show.”
“Exactly. He’s never had to fend for himself. He had energy spoon fed to him. It’s important we get this right. If Tristan’s out of the picture, Callie’s in trouble. She’s changing, too. The hunger isn’t doing her any favors. She was the sweetest thing when I met her...”
“She hates me.” And sweet was not even in the top one hundred words I’d use to describe her.
“No, she doesn’t. Every time she’s around you, there’s a crisis, and she associates you with Blade.” Lennon frowned. “There’s a piece of her that will always love him.”
Callie and I were more alike than I wanted to admit. “How are things going at Embrace?”
“A living, breathing nightmare.” As I expected. “I quit.”
Holy shit. “Because of the show?”
“It’s not a show, it’s a sacrifice. I refused to be associated with it. If you know of anyone who’s looking for a bartender, I make a mean Venomtini and I’m happy to work overnights.”
“You can work here.” It was probably weird of me to offer, especially since she told me there might not be a show after all. “Or you can come practice with me.”
She waved her hand. “I don’t want to steal your spotlight.”
“I thought you wanted to see what kind of powers you had?” Granted, there was a lot going on in Vampirelandia, but it was ridiculous that a half-vampire was the one to help her with her abilities. It gave me another reason to resent Rachel. Lennon felt responsible for me, and the feeling was mutual.
Her face brightened. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Follow me.” The halls had quieted; all the producers and the crew from the photo shoot were gone. Only a few guards remained. I waved at them as we passed. I needed all the friends I could get. “Let’s see what you can do with the fast movement.”
Lennon was always stage-ready, in a vintage sundress and sky-high Mary Janes. But the stage still managed to make her look tiny. A pool of light flooded the space on the floor between us. “I imagine myself in a different place, and then I’m there,” she said.
She disappeared. I spun around to find her laughing behind me. “Like that,” she added.
A glint of the lyra shined above us. I pointed to it. “Can you get up there?”
“It’s more than I’ve done before.” She stared at it open-mouthed. “What happens if I miss?”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and set the stopwatch. "Guess there’s only one way to find out.”
“Easy for you to say.” She sighed and stared up at it. I hadn’t realized she disappeared when she called down to me. “How do I get down from this thing?”
“The same way you got up there.” It was cute that she was worried about falling. As a vampire, bruises and broken bones were minor inconveniences. Her landing on the lyra hadn’t been smooth; she clutched the ring for dear life while she hooked her leg into the circle, fifteen feet above the stage. I missed the rest of it, because I stared in disbelief at my stopwatch. The number had gotten smaller.
Lennon had time traveled.
“Doll! I need help! Is anyone here that can get me down? I’ll break my neck if I jump.” Even if she was freaking out, she looked so beautiful swinging from my lyra. I wished she let herself enjoy what she accomplished.
“Pretend it never happened,” I yelled.
“What? It doesn’t work like that.”
Problem was, I had no idea how it worked. I returned from most of my travels like waking up from a dream. “Picture yourself standing here with me, like we’d just come out on stage.”
“Your show will open and my skeleton will be stuck on your ring.” Her laughter echoed through the theater. “Knowing Tristan, he’ll think it’s fucking cool and leave me up here to rot.”
She nailed her impression of him, even at that volume. I laughed, picturing the lyra coming down to greet me with a rotting corpse on it. Tristan said he wanted to push limits. The next thing I knew, Lennon was standing in front of me, looking around the theater like we just arrived.
I glanced at my phone. It had gone back ten minutes in time.
“Have you ever been on a lyra before?” I asked her, pointing at the ceiling. The ring hung motionless in the dark.
“No, but I’m really excited to see your routine on it.”
Lennon just time traveled, and she brought me with her.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I COULDN’T WAIT TO get home and tell Rainey about my night. Despite the usual weirdness concerning Callie, it had been amazing. My powers were coming back. I never breathed smoke before, but where there was smoke, there was fire. And I had no more answers about what Lennon could do, but I had proof she made time her bitch. She swore to me that she didn’t remember anything about being on the lyra. But we traveled. I wasn’t sure how she brought me with her, but the important thing was we did it.
Rainey would have the answers. She always did.
Time got away from me any time I stepped into the theater, and it was late. Las Vegas still had a pulse in the small hours of the morning. People were dressed up, headed out for the night, illuminated by the lights of the hotels.
Vampires aren’t the only ones who feed from the energy from the city, I thought as I stopped at the traffic signal. It was why people came here. And I wondered what would happen to us if the light was snuffed out, strangled by the negative emotions that Blade amplified at Embrace.
Lennon quit. That girl had put up with a lot of shit in her life and took it all in stride. But something made her say no more. The possibilities made goosebumps flourish on my skin.
The lights of the building next to me flickered and dimmed. I wondered if anyone else saw it.
Impossible. I was alone. On Las Vegas Boulevard.
I scanned my surroundings, desperately trying to recall what had been happening moments before. But I couldn’t. I was the only car on the road. The light in front of me blinked red, proceed with caution.
My pulse quickened and I drove through the intersection. I needed to get home, where even if things didn’t make sense, it was safe. I slammed on the brakes when I approached the next marquee. It was plastered with a picture from tonight’s photo shoot. One of the shots with my head back, my eyes closed, and my mouth open. I hadn’t realized I put my hands on Tristan’s shoulders. His muscles tensed under my touch and his fangs were poised to break the delicate skin on my neck.
The poster was torn down the middle. It flapped in the breeze, the end of it catching in the palm tree next to it. I shouldn’t be driving. I picked up my phone; the screen had gone blank. I’d call Rainey to come get me, but it wouldn’t do me any good. I could tell her where I was, but not when.
I couldn’t even be happy my power was back, if I could say that. I never experienced this before. My travels were always to the past, never the future. Something was terribly wrong.
Once I tore my gaze away from my ruined self, hanging from the giant billboard, I looked around. The Strip looked like a war zone—hotels dark and abandoned, signs ruined. The only other cars on the road had broken down and left to rot. Taking the first turn I could, I gunned it. Things looked a little more normal as I got further from the Strip, but it was two in the morning. If I saw another person or something that worked, it would’ve given me comfort. Everything was closed or abandoned. I didn’t stop at any more red lights until I got home, because they weren’t working.
I was afraid to go inside. The rest of the city looked like a decaying hellhole, and it was arrogant to think everything in my home would be as I left it.
Please let Rainey be okay, I thought as I pushed the door open. The rest of it doesn’t matter.
“Hey, I’m home.” Usually at this time of night I tiptoed around, afraid to wake her. She wasn’t in the living room. Her books were a mess, ripped pages all over the place.
Fuck.
“Rainey?” I called, rushing to the bedroom. The bed was made. I ripped open her dresser, relieved to find her clothes still neatly folded inside. Until I realized that meant something was very, very wrong.
Collapsing on the bed, I grabbed her pillow and inhaled her scent as I squeezed my eyes closed. To travel, I needed calm and quiet. Or so I thought. I did it tonight with Lennon, and all the rules had gone out the window. It was very possible I did it again on the way home. When I opened my eyes, I hoped to see her sleeping peacefully beside me. Luck wasn’t my thing—past, present, or future.
“Rainey!” My screamed bounced off the walls, back at me. There were only two more places to check, the closet and the bathroom. I could barely bring myself to open either door. If she was missing, there was still a possibility she was okay. She had to be okay.
Rainey was gone. I wandered aimlessly through the living room, cringing when I stepped on ripped pages from ancient books. The last thing I needed to do was piss off the spirits. I needed them on my side.
I was possessed by the ghost of Vegas future and Rainey was gone. This was no coincidence. I was willing to bet I hadn’t been the only one playing with power tonight. But if I played my cards right, I still had a chance to win.
Sin City Vampire Club Page 16
