by Angie Martin
“But, that still would have been a bloody scene, one that would have been difficult to clean. That would have made the news.”
“Authorities probably kept out of the media since they’re still looking for you. The police don’t always report everything, especially if there’s a bloodbath in a missing famous author’s hotel suite.”
For once, something about the situation of my disappearance satisfied me. “I’m glad. My parents would have freaked if they heard that.” Sadness crossed my heart at the thought of my family. Again, I had gone almost the full day without thinking about them or their plight. “Have they… Have the police found my ‘body’ yet?”
“Not yet,” he said. “I imagine it won’t be too much longer.”
“I don’t know how others leave everything behind like this. I’m really struggling with it. It’s got to be easier being raised in the life, having family who don’t have to go through your faked death.”
He smirked. “Yet, those like me who were raised in a complex would disagree. I would have loved to experience the world out there before committing to this life.”
I could see his point. The grass was always greener, or so they said. “Do you have other family besides Garrett and Keira?”
“Garrett’s dad, my uncle, is still around. He is high up in The Order. I believe he’s seated sixteenth on the council.”
“That’s it? Your parents?” I regretted the questions as soon as they left my mouth. How many times did they need to tell me that the life expectancy around here was very low before I finally processed it? “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked about that.”
“It’s okay. Dad died on a mission about ten years ago. Mom wasn’t too much longer after that.”
“They were both night stalkers?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Hard thing about this life is that since we’re pretty well isolated from the outside world and no one else can know about what we do here, everyone ends up marrying someone else in the life. Families end up being small and are often separated due to being called to serve at a different complex. Death can come early and quickly. Not many fifty-year anniversary celebrations in this place. Not many fiftieth birthdays, either.”
Maybe growing up in the life wasn’t as easy as I had believed. Being raised to know that everyone they loved could die young, knowing there wasn’t much time to cherish anyone they cared about. Then again, every moment counted, so much more than in the world from which I came. Taking each other for granted, wasting time over petty things… they were probably foreign concepts to those in the complex.
“That can’t be easy,” I said. “And, I’m sorry about your parents.”
“The only good thing about it is that they died before Brent. It would have destroyed them to lose him.”
“I didn’t mean to bring it all back up,” I said.
“It’s okay. You have questions, and I’m sure you’ll have more. I’ll be honest in my answers.”
“Probably will have more questions as I sift through the rest of these books. But, I guess I need to know what I’m looking for. I mean, I’m learning a lot here, but there has to be something that’s helpful for you and the rest of the night stalkers. Things you don’t know, things that can assist in the mission to eradicate this nest.”
“There are other components to your job,” he said, “but until the other team returns from their recon, there’s not much more for you to do but learn. You’ll study not only blood seekers, but also other missions from the past. Learn what they did right, what they did wrong. When the recon team comes back, you’ll review their reports and help us with whatever information we need to succeed.”
“And, then I go on the mission with you. Sounds like an eighteen hour a day job I signed up for.”
“Which is why we have to keep you well-nourished and in good shape. You ever go to the gym?”
“What’s a gym?” Since learning I would join the night stalkers on missions, I’d had a feeling he would eventually force me to get into shape. I had never been the athletic type. Even watching sports seemed to wear me out.
“Got it,” he said. “Let’s go join the others for some dinner. Tomorrow morning, you’re hitting the gym. Gotta get those muscles working again.”
I groaned, but rose from my chair when he did. Grabbing the book off the table, I said, “You’ll turn me into mush. What good will I be then?”
“We’ll have you in peak physical condition in no time,” he said, following me to the bookshelf so I could restock the book. “Can you at least run?”
“If there are cake and sweets at stake, then yes.”
He laughed. “I guess I’ll have to put something tasty for you at the end of the track as incentive.”
“There’s a track, too? You really do hate me, don’t you?”
“It’s not just you,” he said. “It’s all romance authors in general.”
I swatted his arm and started toward the library door. With him trailing me, my eyes grew wide, and I restrained a smile. Had I just flirted with the enemy? A playful hit on the arm… Even with the shift in our attitudes toward each other, this was Mr. Smith. What the hell was I thinking?
Clearly, I wasn’t. As I locked up the Chronicle Library, I resolved to change that immediately.
Chapter Sixteen
T he streets of New York City bustled with the busy people occupying that corner of the world. I had been there several times over the years, but had never seen such a sight. Residents in business wear powered through sidewalks partially blocked by groups of tourists searching for that perfect photo opportunity. Cabs honked in an endless stream of irritating music, while deafening conversation made it impossible to focus on what Liz had to say.
“…of Liber…”
I turned my ear toward her and leaned over, hoping to catch every bit of her statement. “Say that again,” I said, trying to listen only to her voice.
“Let’s go to the Statue of Liberty today,” she said, standing up from the café table where we had enjoyed our morning coffee. She straightened out her pencil skirt and smart business jacket – two things she would never wear on our days off from the book tour. Especially if we decided to play tourist and sightsee.
“We’ve been there twice already,” I said, also rising from my chair. “Last time, you told me that was more than enough.”
“I want to go on the boat, Mads.” She walked around the table from me and grasped my hands. “You promised we could go this time.”
I shook my head at her insane statements. “But, you get seasick. The last time we were here, you took several Dramamine pills, and it still didn’t help.”
“I won’t get sick this time. I promise.” She tugged on my arm, and I followed her lead down the street.
Despite remembering the ferry in a different location, the ticket booth appeared just two blocks over from the café. The man behind the glass seemed to have stepped out of a carnival. Red and white shirt, straw hat, and a “step right up” smile on his face. A gold tooth gleamed from underneath his curled lips.
“Do I know you?” I asked.
“I don’t believe we’ve met.”
I unzipped my purse and pulled out my wallet, but he stopped me.
“We don’t accept your money here. You’re too important to have to pay.”
“No, please,” I said. “Let me pay.” I slid two ten-dollar bills into the slot under the window. “There’s two of us.”
He made no move to take the money. “Like I said, you don’t have to pay.”
Without anyone having touched them, the bills disappeared from the slot, but it didn’t seem strange to me. The man removed his straw hat, and long, fiery auburn hair tumbled down into the shape of a mullet.
“Are you sure we don’t know each other?” I asked again.
“Eventually, we all know each other,” he said.
Before I could ponder the strange statement, Liz yanked my arm again in the direction of the ferry. “We’re goin
g to be late!” She broke into a run, and I stumbled to keep up with her as we shoved our way through another crowd of tourists.
“Slow… down.” The breathy words sounded as if I were having an asthma attack.
Liz didn’t seem to hear me as she continued dragging me toward the ferry. I gasped for air, and my free hand gripped the side of my torso as cramping seized my insides. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d run, or even exercised on purpose.
Our feet thumped so hard across the ramp leading onto the ferry that I worried about falling through the wood. We entered the cabin, and I looked around at the occupants already settled into seats. They all turned to stare at me. Not at Liz. Just me.
The red-mullet ticket seller grinned, his gold tooth gleaming in the sunlight pouring into the cabin. How did he get there so fast?
I whipped around to see the other tourists that were surely coming with us. People always packed these ferries to capacity. But, no one tromped across the ramp, and no one stood behind us, waiting to get inside.
The boat engine roared to life, and an unseen captain steered us away from the dock. Away from safety.
Liz pushed past me and sauntered over to a man in the corner of the room. She held out her hand, as if introducing herself.
The man kept his gaze focused on me. Narrowed, shadowed eyes, dark waves of scraggly hair reaching for his shoulders, several days’ scruff covering his rigid jaw.
My skin crawled with all kinds of warnings about the situation. I stepped back until I hit the ferry’s door. Instinct spun me toward it, and I pushed, pulled, and tried to slide the door open. The door didn’t budge, as if it were welded shut. I searched the perimeter of it for hinges to learn how it was supposed to open and found none.
I turned around to find Liz. She stood next to the strange man – Dark Man, I thought – engaged in intimate conversation. She used every one of her telltale flirting moves: shoulders squeezed together slightly to create more cleavage, her hands roaming in front of her to draw his eyes to her best features, and that cute giggle that men seemed to drool over. And, Dark Man fit everything she considered her “type.”
But, he didn’t appear interested in her… not like the others who flocked to her side. No, his gaze roamed past her to watch me. The way he studied me left me vulnerable, naked. I wanted to call out to Liz, to have her come back by my side and stand strong with me against any unknown threat, but she seemed to have forgotten all about me.
Bathroom, I thought. Hide in the bathroom. Liz didn’t need me; she appeared perfectly at ease with the man. I remembered using the restroom the last time we were on this ferry. I rotated, looking for the bathrooms. It was in the back, right next to the…
There were no doors left in the ferry at all. The windows had also disappeared. How had I not noticed the lack of sunlight in the cabin? A few florescent bulbs overhead provided the only means to see the room, and what I saw made me want to squeeze my eyes shut and wish myself away.
All the occupants in the room now stood, all facing me. Even Liz had stopped gabbing with Dark Man.
“Madison,” Dark Man said. “What’s wrong, my pet?”
The word “pet” slinked around my mind and left trails of goosebumps on my arms. I wasn’t anyone’s anything, let alone “pet.” But, the way he said it – endearing and sensual, yet possessive and threatening – screwed with my thoughts of who exactly Dark Man was.
“You don’t have to worry about making an escape,” he continued. “There is no way out of here. Not even when you wake up.”
I’m… asleep? I thought. I couldn’t be, though. Everything around me was much too real.
“Turn your thoughts to me.” Dark Man captured my gaze with his. “We’re connected. You must realize that. It’s all in the blood, dear Madison.”
No! my mind shouted. We couldn’t be connected. Then again, why couldn’t I stop staring into those shadowy eyes? How had he hypnotized me so effortlessly?
“Liz,” I said, my voice rattling. “Come on, Liz. We have to go.”
She didn’t move, didn’t attempt a response.
“Liz, let’s go,” I said.
“She’s not leaving,” Dark Man said. “Neither are you. This is your destiny.”
I ran my hands through my hair, from the top of my head to the back, until both palms cradled my neck, near where my mark resided. I had a much different destiny than this man realized. “Good thing you’re wrong about that,” I said.
“Am I?” His confidence raised every last one of my doubts, bringing them to the surface, where I was sure he could see them. “Liz,” he said, turning toward her. “Come here.”
When she faced him, he cupped her chin and lifted it. His face lowered to hers, his lips taking control of her mouth. She allowed his domination. Tears stung my eyes, but helplessness swallowed me as I watched my friend bend under Dark Man’s control.
He parted from her, but her eyes remained sealed, her mouth open, as if savoring the remnants of his kiss. He motioned to Mullet Man, who rose on command and moved toward them.
“Liz, if you will,” Dark Man said. “Let me have your neck, please.”
My eyes widened as I watched her take Dark Man’s hands and bend over at the waist. Dark Man steadied her, while Mullet Man lifted a machete.
“No!” I cried out, but the sharp blade fell and severed her head from her body. Strands of her beautiful blonde hair trickled down to the floor, landing in blood.
Dark Man picked up her head, while the others in the room attacked the rest of her. Her tattered clothes flew in different directions. Teeth – so many teeth – gnashed her bare skin, flinging bits of it aside as the monsters reveled in her blood.
An endless stream of tears rushed down my face, onto my shirt. I did what I could to control my sobs, but they echoed through the room, mixing with the sound of the creatures destroying Liz’s remains.
“Madison,” Dark Man said, his quiet voice somehow reaching my ears over the noise. “Come to me, my pet.”
My legs complied, and my feet shuffled forward, despite my willing them to stop. My neck pulsed with the phantom feel of a blade slicing through it. I did everything I could not to look at Liz’s head, but I did anyway, taking in her closed eyes and perfect smile frozen in time, as if she died in a state of ecstasy.
When I reached him, I had all but given up. My best friend dead, I saw no escape from the monsters devouring her, and the man who ordered her death puppeteered my strings. My gaze lifted to meet his, and calm rushed over me. Something inside my mind still fought, but the rest of my body surrendered.
Dark Man lifted his blood-soaked fingers and placed them in his mouth. He let out a soft moan of satisfaction, lowered his hand, and raised them once more – again, covered in the blood of my friend. His fingers moved toward my mouth, and though a spark of humanity battled against it, my lips separated and accepted his gift. The warm, metallic taste of my best friend’s lifeforce reaffirmed the taboo nature of the act and aroused every nerve ending in my body.
Amidst the groans and crunching of the others ripping Liz apart, I raised up on the tips of my toes and accepted Dark Man’s kiss. The horrible sounds beside me, the memory of Liz’s head falling, the taste of her blood on his lips, somehow all fueled my desire for him.
He pulled away, frustrating me, but something told me he wouldn’t withhold from me for long. “Tell me, my pet.” His bloodied fingers swept across my cheek, down to my lips, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “Tell me what you want. What you need.”
A surreal smile accompanied my response. “More blood.”
Chapter Seventeen
B eat down, out of breath, and ready to jump off the proverbial cliff, I slumped to the sparring mat in front of Keira, who had worked out with me for the past four hours. My right leg threatened to fall off, and my left leg succumbed to pins and needles as soon as it hit the mat. One of the muscles in my right forearm twitched and spasmed with such fervor that I thought it might burst
through my skin. Muscles in my back – ones that I had never known existed – screamed at me to allow them to return to their eternal slumber.
“I’m done,” I said between heavy breaths, not for the first time. “No more, no more. You win. Everyone wins but me.”
She laughed and sat cross-legged in front of me. “You look like I felt after my first week here. Just worse.”
I tilted my head and scrunched my face up, still trying to catch my breath. “I didn’t do well in gym class, and I avoid all forms of strenuous exercise. Unless it somehow involves chocolate.”
“Oh, don’t get me started on chocolate. Mmmm…” She stared off into nothing, quite possibly dreaming of the same room built entirely of the delightful treat as me.
“I don’t suppose later we can sneak into the kitchen and whip up some brownie batter.”
“I love brownies,” she said. “Covered in melting, vanilla bean ice cream.”
“No, I don’t want to bake them. I just want to eat the batter. A whole bowl of it.”
“Oh, damn. What are you doing to me?” She fell over on her side, held her head up with the palm of her hand, and stretched her legs out. “I love brownie batter. But, chocolate cake batter is so much better.”
The taste of cake batter coated my tongue, as if I’d just shoveled a spoonful of it into my mouth.
“No spoon, either,” she said. “Just thrust the fingers in there and lick it all off one by one.”
I smiled at the thought, but then her words reminded me of my dream of blood-soaked fingers, and my stomach churned. I had woken up disturbed enough by the nightmare. Try as I might to forget every moment of it, bits and pieces floated back to me when I least expected.
“Hey,” Keira said, sitting back up. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, trying to reassure myself more than her. It didn’t work. “No, I’m not okay. I had a horrible dream last night.”
She shook her head. “Those nightmares creep up on you fast.”
