Blood Candy (28 page)

The Misfits gave a unified sigh of relief.
Candy crossed her arms over her chest and stared hard at The
Alpha.

“You’re supposed to be a big bad tough guy? So
why are we wasting time with this bullshit and not saving Jimmy?”
she said.

“You want me to save Jackass, do
you?”

“Don’t call him that.”

“He
is
a jackass,” The Alpha said with
a smile. “I tell you what, missy. Ask me nicely. Say to me,
‘Please, sir, will you save my boyfriend?’ Get on your knees and
beg me to save Jackass and I’ll think about it.”

Candy’s face burned. Her better judgment had
her simply say, “Please.”

“No, no. On your knees.”

Tears welled in Candy’s eyes and she looked to
White Paul, to Were-Jew, to anyone for help, but they could only
watch on in solemn indifference. She looked back at The Alpha, who
stood nude in front of her with a satisfied grin. She refused to
get on her knees. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. She
wouldn’t take that abuse, even if he wasn’t nude and dangling in
front of her.

The Alpha burst into roaring laughter. “Don’t
get your panties in a bunch. Lucky for you, I’ve already made up my
mind. There will be no rescue.”

“There will be!” Candy begged. “Misfits don’t
leave their own behind and I don’t care what you say, we are
getting him back.”

“Do you think you know more than me?” The
Alpha said, one side of his face twisting up. “How many vampires
have you killed? How many of your own have you seen get torn limb
from limb in a bloodbath? I don’t make decisions lightly. I’ve been
alpha of the Union since those greedy Southerners tried to make
their own country and there’s a reason I’m still around. Know what
that is? It’s because I’m a fucking
monster
! It’s because I
eat vampires and shit fangs. It’s because there isn’t another
living soul who would dare challenge me.”

He leaned down until his face was close to
Candy’s, until she dared to meet his harsh eyes.

“It’s also because I pick my battles. There
will be no rescue.”

Candy’s lip twitched and tears rolled down her
face. The Alpha’s grin grew wider.

“There will be no rescue,” he went on,
“because I’m going to tear those vampires apart.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Candy couldn’t stand being around The Alpha.
Though he had at least put on some clothes, she abhorred the sight
of him. The way he talked down to people disgusted her. He was a
chauvinistic pig, and he was there to save her.

She sat alone in the dining room while he
talked in the living room about how he was going to set things
straight, all the while never hesitating to include how great he
was. Under his instructions, Melvin had ordered a feast of delivery
food. There was pizza, Chinese, seafood, submarine sandwiches, and
a bunch of other stuff. The Alpha partook of this feast as if he
had no concerns, as if Jimmy wasn’t in dire need of rescuing. It
didn’t seem like he cared about anything other than his own
inflated ego.

Candy had a hard time eating when she knew one
of the Misfits was suffering somewhere. It didn’t help knowing this
was all her fault. She knew she needed to eat something because of
the amount of blood Blake took from her the night before and so she
forced herself to eat while she listened to The Alpha. Almost every
word that came out of his mouth disgusted her. As far as she could
tell, he only cared about killing vampires. In his narrow vision,
everything else was nothing more than an afterthought. His plan
never even mentioned Jimmy. If it wasn’t for Tinch and Were-Jew,
Jimmy’s name may never have ever been brought up at all.

“Once we find out where their nest is, we go
in and kick the shit out of those bloodsuckers,” The Alpha said
while jabbing half a sub into his face. “And the sooner I get this
over with, the sooner I can get out of this shithole.”

White Paul scowled, though he was careful not
to let The Alpha see. Even Tinch appeared somewhat
befuddled.

“Can I make a suggestion?” Were-Jew
said.

The Alpha narrowed his eyes, but since his
mouth was full of food he nodded his head.

“Maybe we can ambush them at the trade
location,” Were-Jew said, which was his original plan. “Dave can
get Jimmy out while everyone else takes care of the
vampires.”

The Alpha chuckled and said, “No. They’ll be
expecting something like that. We’re going to Alpha-strike them.
We’re going to hit them when they’re not expecting it. I’m taking
the fighters here with me. Pansy and the others stay
put.”

Even though Medium Dave had managed to sneak
in through the front door to change out of the granny dress
earlier, The Alpha insisted on renaming him Pansy. The Alpha liked
to smile whenever he belittled other people.

Candy felt like standing up and yelling. She
felt like asking
why
he wasn’t putting more focus on
how
to get Jimmy out alive like the others. She didn’t
understand why anyone else couldn’t see through his bullshit, why
they didn’t challenge his terrible decisions.

Felicia came downstairs for the first time
wearing blue pajamas patterned with yellow ducks. She walked
tenderly into the kitchen, her eyes half closed and her hair
hanging in a tangled mess. She gazed into the incandescent glow of
the refrigerator for a long time.

“There’s pizza in here,” Candy
said.

Felicia shut the door and shuffled to the
chair next to Candy. She plopped her head onto her hand then stared
blankly into the living room while The Alpha berated Were-Jew about
how kids are pussies these days.

“Candy,” Felicia said. “He was
amazing
.”

“I’d rather not hear about it.”

“I passed out after like ten minutes,” Felicia
said anyway. “It was like I was in a dream or something and he was
an angel among mere mortals. I don’t know how else to explain it.
I’ve never felt like that before.”

“That’s explanation enough.”

Felicia let out a prolonged sigh. “I wish I
could go with him and leave all of this bullshit behind. I wish I
was a full-blood so I could go.”

“A full-blood?”

Felicia looked at Candy as if she had snapped
out of a trance. “Nothing,” she said. “So what’s the deal? Has he
made a decision?”

“Your angel thinks we should bust into the
Kingsley’s and kill them all.”

“Isn’t he wonderful?”

“Wonderful?” Candy said, throwing her hands up
in exasperation. She glanced in the living room to make sure no one
was paying attention and then she kept her voice low. “You realize
they have Jimmy, right? They could kill him if we barge in
there.”

“The Alpha knows best.” Felicia spoke as if
she was having a one-way conversation. “He’s amazing, Candy. We
haven’t been able to do anything about the vampires for years.
Tinch and his washed out geezer pack haven’t been able to make any
ground at all and now The Alpha is here to set everything straight.
He’s like a hero, you know? Like he’ll be a legend long after we’re
all forgotten.”

“Sure,” Candy said, returning her scornful
eyes to the asshole Felicia praised so much. The way Felicia talked
threw her off. Candy had come to know Felicia as headstrong, full
of opinions, and dependant on no one. Now she was like a stupid
girl fawning over some guy she couldn’t live without.

Medium Dave came running down the stairs,
almost tripping on his way into the living room. Everyone stared at
him, wondering why he was so excited, but most of all hoping he had
good news.

“What’s the rush, Pansy? Is there a sale at
the Yarn Barn?” The Alpha said, chuckling.

Medium Dave’s cheeks reddened. “The Brits are
holding Jimmy at their mansion in Boston,” he said.

“Arrogant bastards,” The Alpha said, and he
actually spat beside his chair. He then glanced at a clock on the
wall; it was nearly four in the afternoon. “It shouldn’t take more
than a couple of hours to get there. Where’s this place
at?”

Medium Dave handed him a piece of paper with
the directions. The Alpha glanced at it, then folded it in half and
headed to the door with Were-Jew and White Paul hurrying behind
him. Tinch stopped in the hallway.

“Hold on a second,” he said. “The rest of my
pack isn’t far from there and we won’t get to Boston before dusk
anyway. We should meet up with them. With four more wolves at our
side the Brits won’t have a chance.”

The Alpha nodded thoughtfully. “Let’s do it
quickly.”

Candy couldn’t take it anymore. That asshole
clearly didn’t care about Jimmy.

“Isn’t this dangerous?” she said. “They might
do something to Jimmy—”

“There’s danger in any mission,” The Alpha
said dismissively. “We’ll crush that vampire nest and get him
out.”

“But—”

“Do you see anyone else arguing?” The Alpha’s
eyes burned into her. “They don’t because I’m the
God damned
alpha
! Now shut your mouth before I lose my temper.”

With Tinch and the fighting Misfits on his
heels, The Alpha hurried out of the house. Candy followed behind to
the front porch and watched as they got into a camouflage Hummer
with huge, monster truck wheels and floodlights on the roof. The
obnoxious vehicle probably traumatized half the neighborhood when
it started up. It peeled out and disappeared around the corner of
the cul-de-sac.

“I hope he knows what he’s doing,” Candy
said.

“He does,” Felicia said from behind her in the
doorway. “It’s time vampires took responsibility for their actions.
Rupert and his family broke the treaty. They’ve repeatedly
glamoured and bound mortals in our territory.”

Candy didn’t bother pointing out how Felicia
had said almost the exact opposite when they were talking at Medium
Dave’s house the other night. She didn’t bother wondering why
Felicia held The Alpha in such high regards. More than anything
else, she couldn’t stop thinking that something bad was bound to
happen to Jimmy. She didn’t bother holding back her tears. Melvin
put his arm on her shoulder and patted her gently.

“I’m scared for him,” Candy said.

“Everything will work out. The Alpha is strong
and Tinch’s pack will be with them,” Melvin said.

With no choice other than to accept the events
unfolding around her, Candy went back into the Kennel with the
remaining Misfits. An agonizing hour passed while she worried.
Felicia droned on about The Alpha, about how great he was and that
everything would turn out fine while Medium Dave and Melvin
listened with disinterest. Candy wished she could share her
optimism. Instead, she felt like she had no control over anything.
The only thing she could do was hope.

“I wish we could be with them,” Melvin
said.

Medium Dave nodded his agreement. Candy
wondered what he meant and why they weren’t with The Alpha. Felicia
cast her eyes downward.

“Our job is to stay here,” she said. “He knows
what he’s doing. He’ll get Jimmy out of there.”

Candy was about to comment when her phone
rang. Blake’s number flashed on the display. She was so pissed off
at him that she thought about ignoring it, but she needed to know
if he knew anything. She headed to the sliding glass door as she
answered. He didn’t give her a chance to say hello.

“Are you okay? Where are you?” he
said.

Candy waited until she was outside and a
little ways away from the door before she spoke. “I’m fine, no
thanks to you. What the fuck, Blake?”

“I’m sorry. Where are you? I’m coming to get
you.”

“Never mind where I am. Thanks to you they
have Jimmy.”

“How is that my . . . ?” he started, and then
paused. “I’m sorry. Just tell me where you are.”

“You’re sorry? What are you going to do about
Jimmy?”

“There’s nothing we can do. The Magister is
more pissed off about what he did than the Brits.”

“Why are you acting like this?”

“Like what?”

“Like you don’t know they want to trade me for
Jimmy. Like you don’t care about the people I care
about.”

“I do care. I’m not letting them take you,
Candy.”

“I guess that’s a little difficult considering
I belong to Rupert,” she said. “What’s your great and powerful
mother plan to do?”

“She can’t do anything. She did what she
could, Candy. So did my brothers and sister. Don’t blame them.
Blame me.”

“So I’m on my own?”

“No, never. Tell me where you are. Come with
me and I’ll protect you.”

“What about Jimmy?”

“Candy, you have to understand how serious
this is. Jimmy killed a vampire on neutral ground. It’s not only
the Brits who are pissed off. The Magister and a bunch of other
vampires will be there to see his punishment through. The only way
out is if we give you up and I’m not going to let that
happen.”

“What are we supposed to do?”

“Tell me where you are so I can come get you.
Forget about the shapeshifters before it’s too late.”