chapter EIGHT
What do you do when you’re in a room of vampires and the most dangerous one tells you that you know too much? You bolt. What did I do? I hyperventilated. “Oh yeah? You think I can’t handle all of this?”
“Relax,” Roane chided softly as he moved closer.
I tensed, but he only placed his drink on the counter behind me. I waited for him to move back, but he didn’t. Then I hyperventilated a little bit more…
“I told you, relax.” Roane shifted closer and his chest was nearly pressed against me with an arm tucked around me. To the outside observer, we were a couple on the quick way to a dark corner. To my inside observer, I was pretty sure I might’ve wet my pants.
‘It’s not him. It’s not him,’ I chanted to myself.
Roane chuckled softly against my cheek. “You’re right. It’s not me. It’s your ex.”
My eyes flew wide open—I’d closed them without realizing it, but I caught my breath when I saw Roane watching me knowingly, amused, and did I detect some sympathy too? My hand tightened around the beer bottle. It was my only weapon of defense.
“You’re freaked out about all vampires because of one bad seed.”
“You’re all bad seeds.”
“True, but most of have us enough control and self-discipline. We have carnal desires, but we don’t act on them. If we did vampires wouldn’t be a secret to 90% of the world’s population.”
True, but… they were still evil. I took a nervous sip of my beer, but I didn’t taste it. In fact, as I felt the lightened bottle, I realized that either it had evaporated or I’d drunk most of it already. I wet my dry lips and hoped it had evaporated. “What… what did you mean before when you said that I know too much?”
“You do.” Roane tucked his hand that had rested on the counter behind my back and pulled me close. We were now flush against each other.
Craig was the reason why I was feeling this jittery, hot flash, shivering reaction. It had nothing to do with this vampire.
Roane’s breath tickled my cheek. “There are a lot of vampires here and there is a reason. You’re right. I’d been hoping your friend was here for you. I doubt it, though. That’s why I brought you here.”
I was dumbfounded… and a little woozy.
“Do you see her?” Roane urged me forward. We were embracing now, but he tilted my head to his shoulder where I was able to prop my chin up and then my eyes went wide when I saw what he wanted.
Kates was grinding against her vampire, but I didn’t see lustful Kates. She was on the prowl and I saw a predator glint in her sapphire eyes. She didn’t move thick with desire. She was alert, primed and it didn’t sit well with me.
Roane felt my tension and he nuzzled underneath my ear. “She’s not here for you. She’s not even here for the same reason the rest of us are here. She’s here because she’s about to do something that I don’t want her to do.”
“Why?” My whole body grew numb from the shock.
“You know the decree that was approved by both boards.”
It was the one where hunters replaced slayers. Gulping, I knew where this was going.
“Her mother was ripped to shreds because she violated the decree. That power went to your friend. She was branded because of that. Every vampire will know she’s got slayer power, but if she does what I think she’s here to do—you know what will happen.”
That was the problem. “Please? Just…” ‘…don’t kill her.’
To my surprise, Roane didn’t respond right away. His hand cupped the back of my neck. “You dropped your shield.”
I had, but I hadn’t done it on purpose. ‘Please don’t hurt her. Please… she’s… she saved my life.’
His eyes bore into mine. “I’m a marked Hunter. You know I can’t.”
“What do I do?”
“You save her life. You return the favor and you make sure she doesn’t do what her carnal desires are thirsting for. Make sure she doesn’t kill any vampires or you know what’ll happen to her.” He moved back an inch and signaled for two more drinks. He replaced my empty bottle with a full one. “You’ve seen up close what Hunters will do to anyone who violates the decree.”
I closed my eyes as I saw Craig on fire, his face twisted and angry. I could still smell the charred skin and I couldn’t repress a grimace. My eyes flew open when I felt Roane tip my bottle up. My mouth opened automatically and the cool liquid helped wash some of the bad memories away. I swallowed and held my breath when Roane brushed his thumb over my lips. He held my gaze, but I knew he wasn’t doing the eye radar thing on me. I’d put my shield back in place, but he wet his lips. “I have enough on my plate. I can’t worry that a slayer is going rogue. Take care of her, take care of your friend or… you know what I’ll have to do.”
Talk about no pressure. Save your friend or she’ll die a horrible violent death. Yeah… I downed the rest of my beer. “Yeah… yeah, I can do that.” I highly doubted it.
My eyes wandered to Kates, but when I couldn’t find her, Roane supplied, “She just took a guy out the back door. If you hurry, you can get there before my guys.”
I was forced to do what he bid so I shoved away from him and swept through the crowd. My body calmed a little as I moved further away, but it also grew cold. I hadn’t realized how I’d been cocooned by Roane… . I caught sight of the red exit sign and pushed past three vampires that stalked towards it. I hardened my jaw and vowed to do what I needed to do, but when I pushed out the back door I stopped dead in my tracks.
Kates was sharing a smoke with the vampire and laughing. I’d expected—not this. Before I could react, the door slammed shut behind me.
“Davy?”
Oops. I smiled sheepishly. “Uh… hey. I didn’t know…”
Kates stared at me, long and hard, and then flicked her cigarette on the ground. “If you tell me that you didn’t know I was here, I will skin you alive.”
“I knew you were and there are three vampires on the other side of this door that know you’re here too.” I’d be awful under torture.
Kates rolled her eyes. “Honey, every vampire in that bar knows I’m here. I’m a branded slayer, remember?”
Okay. This wasn’t going how I thought it would.
“This is Cherry,” Kates introduced with a back wave. “Cherry, this is my best friend, Davy.”
“You’re the Empath.”
The way he made it sound, it was like I was the only one. There were nearly a hundred thousand of us in the world, but I was probably the only one stupid enough to meander into a vampire bar twice in one night.
Kates frowned at him. “Yeah, she’s empathic. What of it?”
His quick eyes snapped to hers and read the warning. He straightened and ran a hand through his auburn curls then he flashed a charming smile. “No, she’s not just empathic. She’s the empath that was cozying up with the Hunter.”
“What?” Kates whirled to me. Her mouth didn’t drop, but I felt her bristling in shock. Kates hated being surprised.
The Hunter. That made him sound like he was famous or something, but then I realized he was famous in the vampire community. All hunters were known. “I—it wasn’t like that.”
“Sure,” he scoffed with a knowing smirk.
Kates looked between us. “Okay.” She turned and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “I’ll be seeing you.”
He didn’t respond, but seemed to melt into the shadows as Kates grabbed my elbow and walked me out to the street and across to the next block. “Kates, I—” I started.
She hissed, “Not yet. Not here.”
I was left with little choice but to follow. After we walked down another three blocks and hailed a taxi, Kates started as soon as the taxi’s door was shut, “What were you thinking? You don’t show up at a bar like that, not alone.”
“I wasn’t alone and hello—you took me to the first one, remember?”
“I was there! You weren’t alone. And what do you mean, you weren’t alone?”
“I went with the Vam—,” I shot a fevered look at the taxi driver. “I went with Roane.”
“Who?”
“Luke Roane, you know… the one that you wanted me to talk to in the first place.”
Comprehension flashed and she sat back, slightly appeased. “Why?”
“Um… I thought you were in trouble. I felt it. I did my thing and his name came up. I was told to get a hold of him and he’d know what to do. He could help you.”
“I’m not in trouble. What do you mean you did your thing? You didn’t—that’s private, Davy!”
If the taxi driver was listening, he’d think we were both crazy. “I didn’t! Blue did and she told me to call Roane.”
“What? Why?”
I shrugged. “She said that you respect him or something. I don’t know. She said he was the one to call about this.”
I waited for more confusion, but to my surprise there was just silence. I stole a look and saw that Kates looked contemplative. “Do you? I mean, do you respect him?”
She threw me a cold look. “That’s private. It’s not your business or your silly sponsor’s. I think that whole thing is just… you don’t need their help anymore. You’re doing fine just by yourself. Why do you keep talking to her?”
“Not this again.” I crossed my arms and scooted low in the seat.
“You don’t need help. They get in your head and mix everything up. It’s not good, Davy.”
“You’re just pissed off because someone might know a little more of your inner workings than you do, Kates.”
Silence. Complete, utter, death defying silence.
“How dare you!” Kates seethed. I felt her body bristling from unspent fury.
I’d done the deed. I’d gone where both of us knew I should never go again. The truth is that Kates had more baggage than I could ever feel my way through. I suspected that Blue had only done a quick sweep of what made Kates go boom.
“Emotional baggage? I’m not the one who lit a vampire on fire!”
The taxi jerked. I met his gaze in the rearview mirror and he looked panicked. Correction: he looked like he was about to kick us out. “Ex-nay on the ampire-way.”
“Screw that! And screw you, Daveeena. Do you even know what you were doing coming to the Shoilster? I thought you hated Roane. You hate all vampires and then I hear that you’re snuggling up to one? And it’s a Hunter! Really? Of all of them?”
“Kates,” I tried to assuage, but I already knew it wouldn’t work. “I’m sorry, but I’m not sorry. I don’t think you’re here to be my friend. I’m not stupid, Kates. I know that a crap load of vampires are in town. You didn’t come because I saw that girl kill herself. You came for all of the vampires.”
The taxi slammed on his brakes and neither of us was surprised. Normal people would’ve slammed against the seats from the abrupt stop, but not us. We reached out, held ourselves in place, and continued the argument.
“You’re telling me what kind of friend I am? Is that what this is about? Is that why you came to the Shoilster? Because I’m a shitty friend?”
“No…” Good gracious. For such a kick ass tough chic, she was sensitive. “Look, I’m just…”
“Get out! Get out! Get out!” The driver twisted around in his seat and gripped a steel bat in his right hand.
We didn’t blink. We got out and as the taxi shot off, Kates yelled, “You’re right. I didn’t come for you. I came because all the freaking blood-thirsty vampires are here, but do you even know why they’re in town? You have no idea because this isn’t your world. It’s my world, Davy!” She breathed in and out raggedly.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, perplexed. Our arguments never made sense. “I don’t even… What?”
“You’re right! I didn’t come for you. You were just my excuse. I’m a horrible, horrible friend,” Kates nearly screamed.
She was irrational. I wasn’t much better when I said things like this, “No, you’re not. You’re just… your mom was a slayer and you saw her die. All that power went to you and they all know you’re a slayer, but you can’t do what you’re supposed to do and you can’t do anything about it—except you have this weird thing with hooking up with vampires. I don’t get that. You’re protective about that world, which you can be because you know how I hate vampires, but…” What else could I say? I didn’t know what I was trying to say. “I’m rambling. I ramble when I have an idea, but I lose the idea and you’re here and I’m here and… I don’t know what we’re fighting about.”
Kates snorted. “Just call someone to pick us up, would you?”
I took out my phone, but I caught myself. Who could I call?
“What?” Kates growled.
I waved the phone around. “Who do I call? If you’re going to haul off on me again, I don’t want to call Adam or…” I had no one else.
“What happened to Love Bit and Twice Not Shy?”
I groaned at the name, but it was fitting. “Emily’s out for the count.”
“She passed out?”
“She passed out.”
I caught a fleeting grin before Kates turned her back to me and eyed the empty street. We were nowhere. We were somewhere, but I had no idea where we were so we were nowhere. Kates gestured to a street sign. “We’re at Emerson and Keeley Ave. Call someone and tell them to pick us up here.”
I sighed and I had no choice. I called The Vampire.