Crimson Groves (16 page)

“Thanks.”

She got busy wiping some glassware with a clean rag. I took a few deep long sips, finishing the drink rather quickly, and then stood up. Some cash was stuffed in my bra so I fished it out, counted out sixty bucks, and then threw it down on the countertop. It’s vampire etiquette to tip for the time spent with the blood donor in the back room. I wasn’t sure how much my drinks were, but I hoped that money covered everything. She nodded with a half smile, grabbed the cash, and then shoved it in the pocket of her black pants.

“
Thanks again. I appreciate your help,” I said.

She gave a slight nod and returned to the glassware, rag in hand.

I headed out of the club relieved, full, happy. Life was good. I was almost to the door when a hushed voice crawled along the back of my neck. “Baby Vampire, wait just a second.”

I froze. Crap, crap, crap. I was almost out of here. I swallowed hard; my back stiffened. I turned around and looked up at Mr. Ponytail, his eyes locked on to mine. He smiled, slightly, glimpse of fangs touching his lips.

“Hi again,” I said through a forced smile of my own.

“You’re leaving so soon? I hoped you were going to stay for a while tonight.” Disappointment was plain in his voice.

“There are a few things I need to do now that I’m feeling much better. Thank you again.” I was so anxious, please God don’t let me sound it.

“But you will come back, Baby Vampire? Won’t you come back?”

Why did he care so much if I came back or not? And enough of that stupid nickname. Something was up. His tone was off—there was something in the way he was looking at me. He thought I was an abandoned vampire, and maybe that made him feel sorry for me. Pity, however, was not the only vibe I sensed from him. It was time to go.

“Why wouldn’t I come back?” I turned around, started heading for the door in a hurried walk.

He was beside me in a flash—I hate when vampires do that. It’s only cool when I do it. “I’m Brian,” he said, suspicion gleaming in his eyes. “Please ask for me when you return. Tomorrow hopefully?”

“Okay, Brian. Very nice to meet you.” I waved good-bye, rushed out the door. I ran into something in the doorway, hard, solid like a concrete wall. It knocked me back a couple steps. But I was fine. No loss of balance. Something blocked my exit. I didn’t make it out of the club.

Brian stood in the doorway, hand extended out in front of him. “I’m sorry. I don’t recall getting your name.”

I froze, stomach tightening, throat contracting. I swallowed hard but the lump didn’t move. I couldn’t tell him my real name. What if he knew Bronx or had heard of the missing blond vampire? “I’m Anna.” I shook his hand reluctantly while desperately trying to keep it together and not piss this guy off.

He grinned, showing a broad, glistening expanse of teeth and fangs. “Anna, what a beautiful name for such a beautiful lady.” His grip tightened around my hand. “What time tomorrow shall I expect you?”

I swallowed hard again. Heat flushed my cheeks, though it wasn’t from blushing. Anger rumbled inside my body—hot, fierce, and defensive. Was it going to come down to a fight? It was if this jerk didn’t move out of my way. But I could sense he was much older than me. He would defeat me, hands down, no question about it. I had to control my anger, try talking my way out of this. “I should be here near seven tomorrow. If you’ll excuse me, I really do need to get going.”

I started to walk around him, but he backed up and threw his arms out to the sides, creating some kind of makeshift barricade, completely blocking the door.

My anger intensified, rushed me like a stampede. I balled my hands into tight little fists, holding them at my sides. “Is there anything else you’d like to ask me, Brian?”

He stared at me, fangs out, hands firmly gripping the doorjamb. He wasn’t moving. He was definitely trying to keep me from leaving. A growl built up deep in my throat, then spilled out of my mouth, snarling, challenging. I searched inside his eyes, looking for his next move. His mind was blank, empty. He was blocking me.

“Anna, Anna, calm down.” His voice was like a cool wind in my head. “There’s no reason for you to be upset. I mean you no harm. Please forgive me, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I only wanted to make you feel welcome to return as often as you’d like.” He dropped his arms, stepped to the side. His words were false; I could sense his lies. But could I make it out of the club? Only one way to find out.

“You have a funny way of making me feel welcome,” I said through clenched teeth. “I hope when I return it’s not so confrontational.” I rushed past him, ramming my shoulder into his arm. I did not wait for him to respond, didn’t look back at his face. He got my point. In a flash of movement, I was gone.

I used to hate running, would do anything possible to avoid it. But this, if I could even call it running, was un-freaking-believable. It almost felt like flying except my feet were still on the ground, moving so fast I couldn’t even feel them touch it. The wind rushing my face felt like I was hanging my head out of the window of a speeding car, but way faster than that, and much more intense. The pressure was stronger than a riptide burying my feet beneath the ocean’s soft, grainy sand. My hair was plastered directly behind my head. The wind whipped my body, cold enough to sting my skin. My nose was like an ice cube. But being cold didn’t bother me anymore. The more distance I put between 7 and me, the better I felt, my anger calming, my fear a distant voice, soft and hushed.

I came up to a vast woodsy area straight ahead. The highway we’d traveled on to get to the club was on my left. I could cut through the woods and travel a more secretive way back to Tyler's. Don’t ask me how I knew that. I just did. And it seemed like a better idea than following the highway that brought us to the club. I closed my eyes and concentrated hard, listening to the sounds around me, licking my lips to taste the air, searching for any followers. But every scent I picked up was part of my current surroundings: old car exhaust and burnt rubber on the worn asphalt, pollen, grass, and musky dirt from the woodlands. Good. Time to get moving.

I hurried into the woods, continuing at my amazingly swift pace. I ducked under low-hanging tree branches, curved around others that jutted out like long boney fingers. My footing was steady. My balance was perfect. I didn’t run into anything, didn’t trip, didn’t fall. I just kept moving, purpose-driven, confident. It felt like having a built-in GPS system. Now if I could just get a speedometer set up so I could know how fast I was moving. There was a stream up ahead—I could hear the rustling water, smell the dampness of the earth around it. I didn’t stop, didn’t hesitate. I sprung forward, riding the air across the stream, landing perfectly on the other side. That was too easy. I could’ve jumped higher, farther. I gasped aloud, laughing to myself. Maybe there were some perks to being a vampire after all. This was definitely one of them.

Tyler’s house was getting closer. But I couldn’t go straight there. I wasn’t being followed now, but what if my scent was tracked later? I couldn’t lead the bad guys straight to us. There’s no such thing as being too careful. So I kept moving.

After I was miles beyond his house, I turned around and backtracked another way until I arrived at his dimly lit back door. It was unlocked so I let myself inside, locked the door behind me. I was in the small, cozy kitchen. Old wooden floors, matching wood cabinets, white-tiled countertops, older white appliances, and a small round café table in the corner with two tiny bistro-style chairs. Tyler’s scent was all over. He had just been in here, perhaps unlocking the door for me. I let out a long sigh of relief. We’d made it home this time. We could worry about the other times later.

I walked out of the kitchen and into the hallway. Left took you to the garage; right led into the living room, where Tyler’s scent was stronger. I followed it. With each step, the old wooden floors made creaking sounds. Note to self: Don’t walk like a human if you want to surprise someone. Tyler jumped up from the sofa, tossed a
People
magazine on the coffee table. He ran straight to me, arms open, lips stretched in a big sparkling smile. “You’re okay!” he exclaimed. “Thank God!” His arms wrapped around me like a candy wrapper. I was the piece of candy.

“I’m fine. Thank God you’re okay too.” I hugged him back, my face pressed against his right pectoral. His shirt was smooth, soft. His nipple was hard underneath. He really was excited I’d made it home safe. Either that or he was freezing cold—hmmm.

“What happened back there? I saw you follow that guy behind the bar. It took everything in me not to get up and go after you. Thank God you came back out when you did.” He let go of me, took a small step back, investigating me with his eyes, head tilting to the side. “You look different. Better.”

“I was taken to the back room for blo…I mean food. That’s how they do it at the donor clubs.” I shook my head, then shrugged. “I guess my eyes are their normal color again?”

“Yes. They’re beautiful!” He stepped forward, reached his arms around me, and pulled me into another warm, caring embrace. I hugged him back. It felt good, a perfect fit. This could mean trouble sooner rather than later.

Later is better—there was more to discuss right now. I dropped my arms to my sides. “I don’t think we can go back there,” I said.

He let me go, taking my hand inside his. No vision, still here with him in his living room. Good. He led me over to the sofa. I followed like a good little vampire. “Why?” he asked, astonishment plain in his voice. “It worked. We got in and out.” He gave a long sigh as he sat down.

His grip tightened around my hand, pulling me down beside him. Close. No safe distance, bodies almost touching. Was I the only one noticing how close we were? Our fingers interlaced, just like couples do when they hold hands. It felt natural, good, right. I couldn’t remember what he’d asked me. I found his eyes, those beautiful gleaming green jewels, and stared for a moment. Then he said, “Abby. Why can’t we go back to that club?”

I shook my head. “That guy I followed to the back room, Brian, well he’s not a guy, he’s a vampire, but anyway he’ll be looking for me if I go back.”

Tyler frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

I ran my fingers through my hair with my free hand. Then I told him everything that had happened at 7. Tyler listened intently. He didn’t like the last part, where Brian tried to prevent me from leaving.

“Why wouldn’t that vampire let you leave? Damn it! I knew I shouldn’t have left you!” he said, voice deep, almost yelling.

“No, no. It was better that you left. I handled the situation just fine.” I looked away, stared down at the floor. “But there’s something else. Something he knows, or something he wants. I’m not really sure. But I don’t trust him. We can’t go back.”

He leaned over, kissed my cheek. His lips were soft, moist. Tingles shot through my whole body. My insides were hot, mushy, needy. “Well,” he said, voice barely a whisper, “if you were that uncomfortable, then we’re definitely not going back. I’ll trust your intuition on this one, babe.” He pulled his hand free of mine. I didn’t fight him, but I wanted to. I wanted to be close, feel his skin on mine. His arms wrapped around me like big warm blankets, pulling me closer, holding me tighter. They say be careful what you wish for.

I smiled, sunk into his chest like a baby. “Thanks. I appreciate that.” My stomach tightened; heat waves tumbled down my neck, along my spine. It wasn’t just because I was attracted to Tyler. Nope, couldn’t be that simple, could it? “I guess that puts us in our next dilemma,” I said.

“What’s that?”

In a blur of movement, I pulled out of Tyler’s arms, scooted a couple feet away, putting a little safe distance between us. “I hate this! I hate this, Ty!” My body started trembling. I balled my hands into tight little fists and rocked back and forth trying to calm down. “Now where am I going to go for food?”

He nodded, voice soft, saying, “Don’t worry. We’ll figure that out. Trust me.” He inched closer, placing his hands on top of my fists, gently rubbing them with his fingers.

I swallowed hard. “I hope you’re right. Our safety depends on that.”

He didn’t argue. He knew I was right.

12

New Identity

THE SUN PIERCED THE SKY with its killer rays, trapping me inside the house. Tyler left almost an hour ago. I was drowning in anxiety waiting on him to get back here. Pacing the living room wasn’t helping. I was about to walk a hole in the wooden floors, which creaked under the weight of my boots like crunching potato chips. The burgundy curtains with gaudy white flowers swayed this way and that as I passed them.

There was a new addition to the room: a thirty-two inch flat screen TV sitting on top of a modern looking glass stand. It was directly across the room from the fireplace. Now you could sit on either sofa and see the fireplace in one direction and the TV in the other. Tyler was proud of this addition, but more so by the fact that he’d moved it into the living room from his bedroom all by himself, while waiting for me to get home from the club. I stopped pacing to stare at the empty gray screen. Maybe if I turned it on, it would provide a much needed distraction. There was only one way to find out. I searched around for the remote control. It was sitting on the coffee table. I picked up the rectangular-shaped device, fingers hovering above the small, illuminated keypad. A car pulled into the driveway. Tyler was back!