Blood Awakening (23 page)

“We can’t tell you that,” I blurted out before Chance had time to open his mouth and spill more of our secrets. “No way.”

“Ava’s right,” Erik said, coming to stand next to me. Chance finally looked at me, then at Erik. Who was jealous now?

“None of this makes sense,” Lacey said, finally pulling her hand from Chance’s and brushing a few stray strands of hair from her face. If only the Laceybots could see her now. “You know, I’ve known something was up with you guys since the first day you showed up.” She pointed one of her long, bony fingers at me before looking around the group again. “All the sneaking around and whispers. You all are into something criminal, I just know it. And now you’re telling me Kayla is missing—taken—but you can’t say who took her, is that right?”

“That about covers it,” Erik said.

“Am I the only one who thinks we just stepped into an episode of The Twilight Zone?”

I’ve been living in The Twilight Zone since I woke up in that coffin.

“I know it all sounds crazy,” I said, trying to ignore thoughts of my living burial. “Believe me, I do. And I would give anything if you hadn’t shown up here today.” In more ways than I was willing to express at the moment.

“Ditto,” Lacey said.

“I’m sorry you’re mixed up in this. I really am. I tried to tell you to just go home and leave us alone.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t take orders from you.” She glared up at me from her seat next to Chance. “And I can’t say I’m sorry for this when I don’t even know what this is.” She stood up from the bench, gripping the open collar of her overcoat tight around her neck to block out the bitter wind.

“I know.” What more could I say? I didn’t trust Lacey for anything, so there was no way I could fill her in on what was truly going on. Knowing the horrible luck I had, she would probably run to the nearest TV station and blab away my life.

“So what happens now?” she asked.

“Now,” Chance said, standing up next to her. “We need to get you home.”

What does he mean, “we?”

“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day.” The two of them smiled at each other. A wave of jealous heat blasted through the harsh, late-winter wind and swept over me, and I took a deep breath to hopefully quell the anger rising inside.

I barely caught the scent of death before the vampire from earlier came barreling out of the woods toward us.

“Get her out of here!” I screamed and tossed Erik toward Lacey just as the vampire from earlier plowed through Chance and slammed into me. I didn’t have time to worry about being seen by humans, my attention focused on keeping the snarling fangs in his mouth from sinking into my skin. He pinned me to the ground, sitting on my chest and throwing my arms above my head. I wriggled beneath him, trying to free myself, but he was strong. Too strong.

He leaned down, his face inches from mine. “I told you to leave.” Venom dripped from his fangs, narrowly missing my skin. The smell of burning fabric hung in the air as the acidic goo splattered on my shirt.

“I don’t like to do what I’m told.” I kept twisting and squirming beneath his large frame, hoping for the tiniest bit of wiggle room.

“That’s gonna cost you.” He opened his mouth wide and lunged for my throat. This was it. I was going to die. I closed my eyes and prepared to feel his fangs. What I didn’t prepare for was to be let go so abruptly. I opened my eyes just in time to see Chance toss the vampire off of me.

“Get up,” he said, rushing back to me. “We have to get out of here.” He pulled me to my feet and dragged me toward the woods skirting the campus. I barely had time to notice the faces of shocked students whipping out cell phones and doing their best to snap pictures of the supernatural freak show they had just witnessed. Just what I needed, my face plastered on the news.

“Where’s Erik and Lacey?” I asked, trying as best I could to shield my face from the numerous cameras as we cut through the trees.

“Waiting on us. I told them to run. We can’t do this here.” He still held my hand tightly in his as he cut through trees and brush.

“Can’t do what?” I trailed behind, my focus switching from him to the path behind us, just waiting for the vampire—or a horde of camera-wielding college students—to pop up at any second.

“We can’t kill him in front of everybody.”

“We can’t kill him, period.”

He finally stopped running, dropping my hand in the process. “What?”

“We can’t. We need to follow him, to find out where they’re hiding Kayla.”

“No way. It’s too risky.”

“I wasn’t asking your permission.” I stepped around him and moved through the woods. I only made it a few yards before running into Erik and Lacey.

“Oh thank God,” Lacey said, rushing toward us. I was shocked at her concern until I realized she was looking past me to Chance. “I thought you were dead.”

“We’re fine,” Chance said. Lacey threw her arms around his neck and he pulled her into a hug.

“Glad you’re okay,” Erik said, moving in behind me. Even after kind of dumping me, he still managed to get to me.

“Thanks,” I said, turning to face him. “Ditto.”

He smiled, and for a split second, all the problems in my life disappeared, leaving behind just him and me and a welcome peace. “Did he follow you?”

And there was reality, crashing through my fantasy utopia.

“I don’t think so,” I said, tossing a quick glance over my shoulder. No vampire. And even better, I was glad to see that Chance no longer had his arms around Lacey, the two of them instead standing side by side. Though I never would have admitted it—to anyone—they made a beautiful couple. Far more beautiful than Chance and I ever did. The day just kept getting better.

“So, now will someone tell me what the hell’s going on?” Lacey asked. “And don’t try that ‘we can’t’ crap anymore. I just saw the two of you get tossed like rag dolls by a really big, really bad guy.” Chance and I both stayed quiet. “And you got up like it was nothing.” More silence. “I want the truth this time.” She crossed her arms over her chest again, like somehow that would make us cave.

“We don’t have time for this,” Erik said, moving to the center of the group. “We have to get moving if we’re gonna make it to New York by midnight.”

“New York?” Lacey said. “What’s in New York?”

“Kayla,” Erik answered. “That’s where they have her.”

“They who?” Boy, she just didn’t give up.

“We can’t get into all of it right now,” I said. “We need to go.” I moved past her and headed back toward campus.

“What are you doing?” Chance asked, grabbing my arm to stop me.

“I’m going to save my friend.” I pulled my arm from his grasp. “Are you coming?”

“I’m not going anywhere until you all tell me who—or what—you really are,” Lacey said.

That got my attention. “What we are?” I couldn’t swallow the massive lump in my throat. “What do you mean?” My voice was strained, a sure sign I was guilty.

“You know what I mean,” Lacey said, her voice strong, knowing. I stared hard at her, trying to see if she was bluffing. Unfortunately, I didn’t think so.

“Look,” I finally said. “I don’t know what you think you saw, but—”

“—I saw Chance get knocked down like a piñata at a kid’s birthday party, and you being attacked by a lunatic.” Okay, she didn’t see anything. We were in the clear. “Oh, and that guy’s fangs.”

Crap.

I did my best to fake a laugh. “Fangs? That’s ridiculous. Who’s the freak now?” Even I didn’t believe what I was saying. It was Kayla seeing me that day in the locker room all over again; Lacey knew.

She knew everything.

“Oh, you’re still the reigning champ,” she snapped. I opened my mouth for more useless protests. “Deny it all you want,” she interrupted. “I know what I saw.”

“Lacey—”

“—I saw them, Ava.” She walked toward me, fear and nerves evident on her face. “And I saw yours, too.”

“Oh God.” There was no more denying it, no more trying to act like I was just an ordinary girl. My secret was out. “Fine,” I said, giving up. I crumpled with defeat onto a jagged stump behind me. “You saw.”

“Yeah,” Lacey said, crouching down in front of me. “I saw.”

“So, I guess you’re gonna run back and tell everybody now?” I thought I would be in a state of panic. Or at least scared. But I wasn’t. I was too worried about Kayla to think of myself.

“She’s not telling anybody anything,” Erik said, coming to stand beside me. He put his hand on my shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. His eyes were deadlocked on Lacey. “Right?”

Lacey slowly stood up, staring at him. Her fear was practically oozing from her crystal-clear pores. “Right,” she muttered, her eyes looking from me to Erik. “I won’t tell anybody.”

“Good.” Erik took a deep breath and forced the air from his lungs. “Now,” he said, letting my shoulder go and stepping away; I instantly missed his touch. “We need to get moving. Sun’s almost down, so we don’t have much time.”

I slowly stood up. “You’re right,” I said. “I wanna go get my friend back.” Erik smiled at me, and though I couldn’t be farther from happy, I smiled back.

“Are you okay?” Chance’s voice caught me off guard. I hadn’t expected him to be so nice to me anymore, not after dumping me. But I had to admit, it felt good to hear his concern.

But he wasn’t asking me. He wasn’t concerned about me. He didn’t care if I was okay.

I watched with sadness as he crossed the woods and took Lacey’s hand into his. It was heartbreaking to see him care for someone else—especially Lacey. I knew, deep down, that he still cared for me, still loved me...but it didn’t feel like it at the moment.

“I’m fine,” Lacey said, almost cooing. Ugh, she was thick. “Thanks.”

“You just got a shock,” Chance said, and I actually had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing at the absurdity of such a statement. “You sure you’re okay?” I heard Chance’s words, but my eyes were focused on his hands—or, more importantly, his fingers—which were slowly caressing Lacey’s. Tendrils of fire burned up my spine.

“She said she’s fine,” I snapped. “We need to get moving.”

“Okay,” Chance said, still holding Lacey’s hand. “Let’s go.” He looked at her and smiled before letting go of her hand and moving through the woods behind Erik. I had expected her to stay latched onto him like a designer leech, but she didn’t. She lagged behind, obviously scared.

“Were you just saying that?” I asked her.

“What?” She slowly started to follow Chance and Erik, who were several yards ahead of us.

“That you’re okay. Were you just telling Chance that so he’d drop it?” I fell in behind her, the two of us closer than I cared to be.

“No, I really am fine with it.” I couldn’t see her face since she was walking in front of me, but somehow I doubted she was being completely honest.

“It’s okay if you’re not, Lacey. It’s a lot to be scared of.”

She stopped walking and spun on her heels. “I’m not scared,” she said, half-smiling. “But just to be on the safe side, keep your nasty fangs away from me, got it? The thought of your lips on my neck grosses me out.” She full-on smiled, tilted her head like a curious puppy, and spun back around, her blonde ponytail swinging behind her head as she bounced through the woods. After the initial shock of what she’d said wore off, I started walking again. The closer I got to her and the others, the more I realized that it grossed me out, too.

T
AKEN

Y
ou’re gonna have to take the Holland Tunnel over to Jersey unless we’re gonna swim out to Ellis Island,” Erik piped up from next to me in the back seat once we were in the heart of New York City. The drive from Boston went relatively smoothly, considering I was packed into Mrs. Harper’s Volvo like a sardine with two guys I sort-of-used-to be with and a girl I sort-of-no-really despised.

“Gee, I hadn’t thought of that,” Chance said, keeping a close eye on the haphazard drivers as we wound through Hell’s Kitchen and the Meatpacking District, both of which sounded so fitting for vampires that I almost laughed out loud.

“He’s just trying to help.” I felt adding my two cents would somehow diffuse the obvious and long-winded tension between the two of them; I couldn’t have been more wrong.

“Take up for your new boyfriend some other time,” Chance snapped at me, his eyes catching mine in the rearview mirror. You know the saying, If Looks Could Kill? Yeah, well, I should be dead.

“I’m not her boyfriend,” Erik answered before I even had the chance. Sure, I was gonna say the same thing, but somehow it hurt a bit more coming from him. I slid a bit closer to my side of the car. “And I don’t need her or anybody else to take up for me when it comes to you, Dead Boy.”

Chance laughed. “You know, Erik, if Lacey were not in this car right now, I’d drive us into the Hudson River.”

“Gee, um, thanks?” Lacey said from the passenger seat, giving her seatbelt a tight grip.

“Sorry,” Chance said with a quick glance in her direction. I guess he was totally done with me now.

“That’s gotta make you feel good, Ava, hearing that the guy you love would kill you if not for his new girl.” Erik had a knack for saying exactly what I was thinking—and at the worst possible time.

“I don’t mind pulling the car over and kicking your ass, Little Bit,” Chance said, slowing the car as traffic thickened.

“God, will you two just knock it off already?” I snapped. “Chance, just get us to wherever it is we need to go, okay? It’s almost midnight, so no stopping.” I turned to Erik sitting beside me. “And you, keep your mouth shut until we get there.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared out the window as the lights of the city rolled past, until all was shrouded by the large, concrete walls of Holland Tunnel.

Traffic came to a near stop just before we cleared the tunnel into Jersey, the red of stalled tail lights creating a hellish glow that bounced around the claustrophobic stone of the domed wall encasing us. I had hoped we would make it out to Ellis Island early enough to prepare for an ambush or attack by whoever had Kayla, but no such luck. At the rate we were moving, we’d be lucky to make it in time.

We were able to reclaim some of that lost time on the New Jersey Turnpike (well, except when we had to stop to pay the toll), and before I knew it, Chance was pulling the Volvo into the parking lot at Liberty State Park, killing the lights as we drove in.