Fang Me (9 page)

Well, Alejandro would be happy. But I really didn't want to see Shade again this evening, so I gave Alejandro an update and headed home, telling him I was going to try to find the books on my own.

The townhouse was quiet, so Gwen must either be asleep or working. I could never keep track of her crazy hours at the ER. But wherever she was, she'd been busy. The living room now looked as though Santa's workshop had exploded in it. Okay, slight exaggeration, but apparently Gwen really liked Christmas. With my father being Jewish, my mother raised Catholic, and her tending toward New Age spiritualism when I was growing up, I was pretty open to whatever kind of celebration people wanted to make this time of the year.

Fang headed out the doggie door to get a little alone time, and I set up a candle on my nightstand. I lit it, then relaxed and stared into the flame. Finding that calm, centered place inside myself was easier now, but I usually just stayed there, enjoying the freedom from Lola's needs and resting and rejuvenating myself. Today, however, I planned to look for something specific.

I hesitated, unsure how to go about it. First, I pictured the books and tried to put them in different settings in my mind, hoping something would click. Total failure.

Next, I thought about sending out one of Lola's tendrils to find the man trapped in the books. But since this place inside me was free of Lola, that wouldn't work. I tried and failed at several other approaches, then gave up for the night.

However, I wasn't willing to give up on this lovely feeling, this wonderfully quiet, serene place. I let myself drift and just be, with no worries, no quests, no squabbles.

There, deep inside myself, someone abruptly spoke to me. Find me!

CHAPTER NINE

I jerked out of my trance. Whoa.
There
he was again. Who was it?

Quickly, I tried to re-enter my trance, find that thread of thought and follow it to its owner, but it was no use. My mind whirled with so many questions that I couldn't get back to that still, quiet place.

Finally, I gave up, but the speculations wouldn't stop. It was difficult to analyze with only two words, but this time the voice had definitely sounded male . . . and stressed out. Let me think . . . I'd been trying to find the books. Could it be them, reaching back to me? It didn't seem possible that books could talk, but Josh and Andrew had claimed they did. Then again, these books contained some kind of dark magick and were supposedly written by a mage demon. Who knew what all they could do?

Or maybe the voice was Trevor's father, still trapped within them. That made more sense than talking books. But if it was him, what did it mean that he was reaching out to me? Why not directly to his son? Well, maybe Trevor couldn't hear them, because of his shield. But how could he sense the books through that shield if he did come close to them? And if Trevor's father was talking to me, why would he urge Josh and Andrew to do evil then reach out to me to save him?

None of it made any sense. Maybe the voice was someone else entirely, unassociated with the books. But whoever it was, they had to know me to reach out to me. So far as I knew, all my friends and family were accounted for—no one was missing. Who else knew me well enough to contact me deep within my inner self?

I thought for a moment. The first time the voice had reached me, I'd been pretty drugged up. The second, in kind of a Zen state. That was probably the only way he could contact me.

Shoot, there were so many unanswered questions, it made my head hurt. I'd try again tomorrow. For now, it was time to sleep.

When I woke around noon the next day, Fang was cuddled up next to me. I petted him for a moment, trying to figure out what to do with my day. According to Micah, the Underground's Christmas party was today. What time?

Fang yawned. THE INVITE IS ON YOUR DRESSER.

Oh, yeah. I'd skimmed it, then tossed it there and forgot about it. I read it now. Six o'clock tonight at the club, and I was supposed to bring a wrapped ornament to exchange. What was that for?

IT'S FOR FUN, VAL, Fang said, peering out of the bedcovers at me. EVER HEARD OF IT?

Ignoring his caustic comment, I asked,"What should I get?"

USUALLY THE ONES THAT ARE REALLY ORNATE OR REALLY FUNNY DO BEST.

"Okay, I guess I'm going to the mall then."

Fang jumped down from the bed. IT'S ABOUT TIME. YOU HAVEN'T BOUGHT ANYTHING FOR YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS YET.

Crap. He was right. I really needed to do some serious shopping.

DON'T FORGET YOUR FAITHFUL HELLHOUND. SOME NICE MEATY BONES WOULD BE GOOD. OR A PORTERHOUSE STEAK.

I laughed."And what are you planning to give me?"

He bowed to me, one fuzzy leg stretched forward. MY UNDYING DEVOTION.

He even managed to say that with an earnest expression. I grinned.

The bow turned into an opportunity to scratch his ear. C'MON, BABE. HOW COULD I GET YOU SOMETHING? NO MONEY, NO POCKETS, NOT ALLOWED IN STORES . . .

"I know. I was just yanking your chain."

WELL, YOU CAN STOP NOW AND OPEN THE DOOR, OH SHE OF THE OPPOSABLE THUMBS.

I let him out, then showered and dressed. Fang stayed home while I went to Rivercenter Mall. It wasn't the closest, but since I'd been there with Gwen before, I was a little familiar with the layout. Besides, it was at my favorite place—the River Walk. Even though it was a weekday, the place seemed packed with Christmas shoppers.

I got most of my shopping done and found an ornament I really liked—a gingerbread man that said"Bite Me." It amused me, anyway.

I went home and dumped the gifts on my bed, then found Fang watching television on the couch. He might not have thumbs, but he was a wizard at using his claws on the remote control. He liked to watch Cesar Millan, the dog whisperer, especially the part where Cesar trained the humans to do what their dogs needed.

I rubbed his fuzzy little head."Let me wrap this and we can go to the party."

Fang turned off the television and jumped down from the couch. YOU'RE NOT GOING LIKE THAT, ARE YOU?

I glanced down at my clothes. It was what I wore every day—jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a vest over it to hide the stakes."What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

IT'S A PARTY, VAL. DRESS UP A BIT. I grimaced and Fang added, YOU DON'T WANT TREVOR TO SHOW YOU UP, DO YOU?

Now that was a low blow. Trevor would show me up no matter what I wore. I sighed."Okay, what should I wear?"

Fang fancied himself a fashion connoisseur, and the worst part about it was that he was far better at choosing clothes than me. He nosed through my closet and chose an outfit Mom had bought me last year for Christmas — black slacks, a satiny white blouse, and a black vest with white and red embroidered flowers. I'd never worn it because I hadn't had an occasion—it was too dressy to wear hunting vamps.

IT COULD BE WORSE, Fang reminded me. IT COULD BE A DRESS.

Good point. Not that I owned one—they didn't ride well on a motorcycle.

I wrapped the ornament, then futzed with my make-up and hair in the way Gwen had showed me. It didn't look as good as when she did it for me, but at least it looked like I'd made an effort. I even tied a festive red bow around Fang's neck. Surprisingly, he didn't object.

As we drove to the club on my bike, I reminded myself that I needed to get on Trevor's good side, so I probably needed to apologize. To Shade, too.

Tessa and Micah had done their best to transform the club into a festive Christmas atmosphere with lots of twinkling lights and bright decorations, despite the dark walls and club lighting. I was about a half hour late, so the party was already in full swing, with liquor flowing freely and people laughing and dancing. Tessa hovered near the door, greeting guests. I drew her aside."Learn anything about Trevor yet?"

She shook her head."Not yet. The LA Underground hasn't gotten back to me." She made a shooing motion."Go. Mingle. Enjoy yourself. You can put your ornament under the tree."

Mingling. Great. I glanced around and saw I actually knew more people than I had at the previous party, but most of them were in the same cluster as Shade . . . all but Josh and Andrew, of course, who were still being punished. Trevor was holding court among them, and since I wasn't quite ready to join them, I put the ornament under the tree with the rest of the small packages and looked around for the food.

We hadn't eaten, and Fang insisted he was starved. I filled a plate for each of us and took it to a corner where we could eat in peace. Micah had catered the dinner—turkey, roast beef, and ham with all the fixings. Delicious. I was leaning down to wipe some gravy off Fang's fuzzy beard when someone stopped in front of me.

I looked up. Shade.

All of a sudden, the food I'd just eaten started whirling as fast as the swirls on his face. Gee, I really wished I could see his expression, get a clue as to what he was thinking and feeling. I stood, figuring that whatever he'd sought me out to say, I needed to be on my feet.

I'LL JUST LEAVE YOU TWO ALONE, Fang said, and trotted off to join the rest of the party.

Shade stood there, all swirly and enigmatic."Val, I'm sorry. I acted like a jerk."

Relief flooded through me, making me feel light-headed. I hadn't realized how much I regretted our fight until he apologized. I shook my head and took his hands, looking into his beautiful blue eyes. Eyes that showed no blame."No, it was me." I swallowed hard and somehow found the guts to say,"You were right. I -I was a little jealous. I'm sorry I took it out on you."

He smiled, looking as relieved as I felt."Good. Uh, do you realize where you're standing?"

I glanced around."You mean the corner—I put myself in a time out?"

His grin widened."No . . . you're right under the mistletoe."

I glanced up, but before I could spot it, he kissed me. He missed the first time, hitting my chin, but the awkwardness soon turned into something much nicer as our lips meshed and Lola rose between us, sparking all kinds of illicit thoughts. I beat her back down. Shade was mine, not hers, and I didn't want her to mingle tonight.

The kiss broke off, and Shade said,"Come on, join—"

But I didn't hear what he was about to say because Micah used the microphone to call for attention and start the ornament gift exchange. Shade led me to one of the tables near Trevor and his court, and we listened to the instructions for the exchange.

Seemed it was to be a different kind of gift opening, where people could open an ornament from under the tree or steal one from someone else. It was as fun as Fang had promised, lots of laughter and joking as people stole the most coveted ornaments. Mine was pretty popular, but the one everyone seemed to want was the one Trevor brought.

He must have had it made, because it pictured a slayer shoving a stake into a vampire's heart. The slayer resembled me, and the vamp looked a great deal like Alejandro. I wasn't sure I cared for it or its message, but everyone else seemed to really enjoy it.

At the end of the exchange, Shade had the slayer ornament while I ended up with a pretty silver and blue one that would look great in my bedroom.

The music started up again, playing an old favorite—White Christmas—and Trevor came over to where Shade and I sat. I plastered a smile on my face and he acted like nothing had ever happened. Good. I really didn't want to apologize to him—he didn't deserve it.

Trevor slapped Shade on the back then held out his hand to me."Would you like to dance?"

Embarrassed, I said,"Sorry, I don't know how." Getting close enough to dance with a guy meant he'd be inside my energy field . . . and easy prey for Lola. So, I'd never learned.

"No problem," Trevor said with a wave of his hand."Just follow my lead and you'll have no problems."

"But it's a slow dance." I wasn't sure I wanted to do that with him. And I had a good excuse."You know, lust demon and all."

"Won't affect me a bit," Trevor declared, and this time I smelled the whiskey he must have been drinking.

Shade said,"Go ahead," so I didn't see how I could refuse. And maybe a slow dance coupled with his drinking would give me the opportunity to find out more about him. I forced a smile and took his hand.

He swept me out onto the floor, and I stumbled a couple of times until I got the hang of it. All I had to do was relax and let him push me where he wanted me, and we did just fine. Slayer reflexes didn't hurt either.

Once I felt more secure, Trevor glanced down at me and asked disarmingly,"Why do you dislike me?"

That was certainly blunt."Maybe I just don't know you," I said evasively.

"What would you like to know?"

I thought for a moment. I wasn't real good with small talk."Um, how about your family?"

"Well, you know about my father. My mother died in an earthquake right after I was born."

"I'm sorry," I said."Do you have any brothers and sisters?"

"No. No other family. The Underground raised me."

"That must have been tough," I said, meaning it.

"No tougher than what I hear you went through," he said, raising an eyebrow.

Sheesh. The Demon Underground, strangely enough, was no place to keep secrets among its members. Was he trying to say we were two of a kind? I was so not buying it. I shrugged."My family is doing just fine now." We were having civil conversations and everything.

"Someone told me your parents own the Astral Reflections bookstore."

His harsh tone surprised me and I missed a step."Yeah, they do. So?"

"So why didn't you mention the store as a possible hiding place for the books?"

I shrugged."I didn't even think about it. I guess because Andrew trashed the store once looking for them without any luck. I don't see why they'd want to hide somewhere obvious like that." At his disbelieving stare, I added,"I can take you by tomorrow when they're open, if you like." I really didn't think he'd find the books at the store."Or Shade can. He knows where the store is."

He seemed to relax."Okay, let's do that."

As the song segued into a medley of classic Christmas songs, I took the opportunity to continue questioning him."I didn't know there were other Demon Undergrounds. Is the one in Los Angeles a lot like this one?"

He shrugged, looking indifferent."I don't know anymore. It's been awhile since I needed their services. I have my own business."

I hadn't even thought about what he did for a living."Oh, what kind of business?"

"Hair salons."

"You're a hairdresser?" I asked in surprise. Though I had to admit it did fit.

"No," he said, sounding annoyed."I
own
upscale hair salons in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and Hollywood. My flagship salon is on Rodeo Drive." He glanced down at me."If you ever make it to California, stop by for a free hairstyle."

He didn't actually say I looked like I could use one, but it was implied in his tone."Yeah," I sniped back."I guess people out there obsess about hair." When slaying vamps, not so much.

Trevor looked at me thoughtfully, then spun me in a whirling circle that left me confused and feeling klutzy."We're not so different, you know," he said.

Be nice, Val, I admonished myself. I didn't want this guy to see me as a threat."Oh?"

"No, we're not. We both want the Demon Underground to remain hidden, don't we?"

I had to agree with him there. I didn't care for the idea of witch hunts, which is where I figured revealing ourselves would end up. I nodded.

"And we both would just as soon have all vampires vanish from the face of the Earth?"

Okay, I had to agree with him there, too. While I might believe Alejandro wholeheartedly believed in his Movement, would his followers revert to bloodsucking fiends given the chance? I was mostly human, and I didn't want to see any more of us die at their hands."True." Where was he going with this?