No Man's Land (16 page)

Kelly carefully controlled her breathing and continued filling the shakers. She felt Dale’s eyes on her, saw him close the catalog and roll it, tapping it lightly on the bar as he turned to face her.

“I don’t like you being here one bit,” he growled. “Jaq should have killed you the moment she saw you. I got no idea why she’s helping you out like this, but out of respect for her, I’ll go along with it. Just know that if you lay one fang, one broken bottle, on anyone within a hundred miles, I’ll know it. And I’ll kill you myself.”

Kelly steadied her hand as she screwed on the tops of the shakers. Werewolves seemed to be a pretty violent bunch if Dale was any example. Besides Jaq, they were all just waiting for her to make one wrong move so they could kill her. Kelly got the feeling she was in far more danger from them then any Kincaid scout. She could probably take Dale, but how many others were there? Jaq had said over a thousand, and Kelly began to think she hadn’t been exaggerating. One vampire would never be able to wade through a mob of determined, pissed–off werewolves. They’d easily overpower her. She had to make things right with her family and get the heck out of here before she would up dead one way or another.

“Yes, Sir.” It seemed the right thing to say. The only thing to say.

The door chimed again, breaking the tension as three women walked in — all werewolves. Great — as if working with one wasn’t bad enough. The real icing on the cake would be if all the patrons were werewolves too. There would go any tips. She’d be lucky if she finished her shift alive.

Dale stalked off to the back without introducing her. Kelly stared at three sets of surprised eyes that traveled from her face to the saltshakers and back.

“Hi I’m Kelly …the new waitress.”

There was a thick, tense silence as the three women stared at her. This was going to be the worst job ever. She’d take that jerk Stephen and the malicious Pierre any day over this.

“Nan’s the cook. Elaine and Jen — bartender and waitress.”

Kelly nodded and the others finally turned from her to begin their opening routine. “I turned the grill on for you,” she told Nan as the woman shouldered by her.

“Overachiever,” she snarled back. “Stay outta my kitchen.”

It was going to be a long evening.

Kelly watched Elaine and Jen, and they, in turn, scowled at her and wrinkled their noses, occasionally whispering together. Finally Kelly had enough. “Look, what is wrong with you people? Did I take someone else’s job or something?”

Elaine stalked over to her, towering over the tiny vampire. Kelly fantasized about putting her fist through the woman’s face. She might be small, but she was still a vampire. Of course, if she did that, the other three would beat her to a pulp before she managed five steps toward the door.

“You better not bite any of the customers, or I’ll rip your fangs out.”

“Too late,” Kelly responded, opening wide to show the gaping holes. She was furious. Stupid fricken werewolves. It’s not like she wanted this job. It’s not like she even wanted to be in the same state as them.

Elaine’s fierce expression turned to one of horror. “Saint’s alive. Did Jaq do that to keep us safe from you? Why didn’t she just kill you instead?”

Jaq? How in the world could they have thought Jaq would have done that to her? “
No
! I was punished by my family and exiled here.”

“Jen, come here and look at this! Your own people did this to you? You guys
are
a bunch of bloodthirsty monsters. What did you do? Did you fight back? How do you suck blood? Will they grow back, or can you get fake ones?”

This wasn’t much better than when they were threatening her. She’d turned into some kind of vampire freak show. Kelly avoided the questions about her feeding and decided to steer them towards the questions less likely to get her killed or arrested.

“I lost my temper and yelled at a prominent guest in public.”

Jen sucked in a breath. “And they did this? Wow, I wouldn’t have made it two days as a vampire.”

“Was it another vampire you yelled at?” Elaine asked excitedly. “Did she challenge you? Did you beat the snot out of her?”

“No it was a demon.”

That brought a look of respect to both the women’s faces.

“Did you kill the demon?” Elaine asked. “I’ve never seen one, but I’ve heard they’re vile. I can’t imagine one of them letting you live after you offended it.”

“She wasn’t mad. Actually she thought the whole thing was funny. But we have rules, and I broke them. We need the demons, need their favors and their alliance. My behavior could have damaged that alliance, so they made an example of me.”

Jen made a sympathetic clucking noise. “This is an awful sorta punishment. If they was any sort of civilized, they would have just killed you.”

“I won’t be here long. Jaq’s helping me and soon I’ll be back in Atlantic City with my family.”

The two women exchanged skeptical looks. “Girlfriend, people that do this sort of thing don’t welcome you back with open arms. Better find a new family.”

Girlfriend. That was a big change from five minutes ago. “It doesn’t work like that. When you change families, you start at the bottom, and you’re always regarded as an outsider. This is how things work in vampire societies. They’ll let me back in.”

She hoped. Part of her was beginning to think what the women were saying had a higher probability of truth. But the faint hope of redemption was better than imagining a short, painful life in exile.

Customers started coming in at that point, and they all hustled to get ready for the dinner rush. Kelly lost herself in the familiar routine of work. She hadn’t realized how much she missed the casino, the satisfaction in organizing everything so it all fell together like pieces of a puzzle. This wasn’t so bad, and for a few moments she indulged in a daydream that it could last forever. Tolerated, if not welcomed by the werewolves, comforting and familiar work, and a magical supply of blood that would sustain her without getting her killed by her furry hosts — it was such a pleasant fantasy.

18

M
idnight came quickly. Kelly counted out the fifteen dollars in tips as she walked home then stuffed it into her pocket with the two phone numbers written on napkins. Jen and Elaine had gotten nervous as the men slipped her the phone numbers, once again threatening her with bodily harm if she dared lay a hand on any of the locals. Not that they had anything to worry about. Between Jaq and Dale, there was no way she’d be able to feed on any human within a ten mile radius, and the very idea of dating one was revolting. She’d had quite a dry spell with her long hours at the casino and the odd interplay of status in vampire relationships, but she was hardly desperate enough to consider even a fling with a human. Don’t date your food — it was an unspoken rule among vampires. Even so, she’d pocked the numbers with a wink, just to annoy Elaine and Jen.

Jaq was waiting for her on the steps to the trailer, and Kelly felt her temper flare once again.

“That place is crawling with werewolves. Everyone there is a hair’s width from ripping my heart out with their claws. How many werewolves have you run your mouth to? Do you realize what a danger this is for me? They’ve already made it clear they don’t like me, and threatened to harm me if I so much as look at a customer wrong.”

Jaq stood, towering over the vampire. “I had to tell them, you idiot. Besides, you might as well have a sign on your forehead announcing you’re a vampire. Anyone a hundred yards downwind could tell.”

Kelly gaped. This was worse than she’d thought.
Over a thousand
Jaq had said before. The idea made her shiver. “How many are there in the trailer park? Did you tell the humans too? Melody and Joe? Barbara? Margaret and Shanna?”

Jaq waved an irritated hand in front of her. “No, I haven’t told the humans. Of course they don’t know. Just the pack. Mike and I are the only werewolves on Briar Lane, but there are a few hundred around Ranson and Charles Town. More once you get up towards Martinsburg.”

Kelly suddenly felt dizzy, and for once it had nothing to do with her slow starvation. How in the world was she ever going to feed from a human again? Everywhere she went, she was in danger of coming across a werewolf — and they all knew. They’d all be watching for her, scenting the air. Her plans to take a bus into Charles Town derailed. She’d slowly starve, and there was nothing she could do about it. “Werewolves,” she said slowly, as if she couldn’t quite believe it. “I’m surrounded by werewolves.”

Jaq scowled. “Well, yeah. I told you there were a couple thousand of us here. Did you think I was lying?”

Yes, she had. Or at the very least exaggerating to make it seem to Kelly that she would be up against a formidable army. She’d never truly believed there were that many of them in the state.

“Crap.” She needed to get out of here. It was bad enough when she’d thought she was exiled among a bunch of humans and a handful of werewolves, but now she was surrounded by enemies. Kincaid to the south, and now a couple thousand of these predators whose territory she’d invaded.

“Tell me about it,” Jaq muttered cryptically. “You’re fine. Really. No one will mess with you as long as you don’t go attacking any humans. Or werewolves.”

The gnawing in Kelly’s middle grew more insistent at Jaq’s words. How would she survive? She had to get out of here. Get back to her family and home.

“Come on then.” Jaq motioned with one hand toward the woods. “Let’s go check your traps and see if we can pick up any scents. If we move quick enough, we may be able to cover a good bit of territory before dawn.”

Kelly threw up her hands in frustration. She didn’t have enough strength to go racing all over the countryside, and no matter what was in those traps, nothing was going to help at this point.

“I can’t. I need to find a bus into town and go buy pants for this stupid job. My priority should be finding and interrogating a Kincaid scout so my family will reinstate me and get me out of this hellhole, but no. Instead, I have to go buy a pair of black pants for a job I’ll have all of a week max.”

“Are all vampires this ungrateful?” Jaq snarled. “I help you when you’re dying in a trailer, dumped by this so–called family who you’re so desperate to get back to. I bust my tail bringing you food, protecting you from the local pack–members. I give you information on other vampires, help you set traps, offer to help you track and catch one. I get you a job. This is the thanks I get?”

She was right, and Kelly felt guilty, but she also felt hungry and at the end of her rope. “Thank you, I really
do
appreciate all you’ve done for me, but I don’t need a job. It’s wasting my time and I’ll be home in a few weeks.”

“You’ll be lucky if you’re not dead in a few weeks,” Jaq shouted. “Stupid fool. Do you really think they’ll take you back? They ripped out your fangs, beat you worse than I’ve ever seen and left you for dead in that trailer. They’re using you, and if you don’t get killed by that rival vampire group, they’ll finish you off themselves.”

Kelly felt tears sting her eyes. All she could do was shake her head. It was true, but she just couldn’t face the alternative.

“I got you the job because I want you to stay.” Jaq’s voice turned soft, with an edge of hurt in it. “Forget the vampires. You can have a home here, with us.”

Kelly choked on a sob. “With werewolves? With humans?” That wasn’t home; it was a kind of hell. She’d go crazy. Vampires didn’t live outside their family units. Ever.

Jaq winced. “Yes. It’s that or death, and I’d hoped you’d find us preferable to dying.”

Kelly gaped, unable to come up with any response. Couldn’t Jaq understand that life here
would
be death? Forbidden from feeding from the humans? Starvation would kill her long before the insanity of loneliness set in.

Jaq made a frustrated noise. “Fine. Go have fun at Walmart buying pants. Or quit the job and go hunt vampires on your own. I don’t care anymore.”

The blond woman spun about and stalked off down the lane as Kelly watched after her, feeling like she’d just made yet another in a long line of terrible decisions.

19

K
elly looked at the set of darts on the table before her. She’d gone on a shoplifting spree at Walmart once she’d realized how little forty–five dollars actually bought her. There was still a twenty under her mattress that she’d managed to keep, but the rest was spent — including the ten that Jaq had “loaned” her. Shame reddened her cheeks, and Kelly bit her lip. She’d pay the werewolf back soon. If she ever saw her again. Their argument gnawed at her insides just as painfully as her hunger, but she couldn’t think about that now. She had too much to do.

Jaq’s traps, carefully placed in the woods and around the trailer, would serve as an early warning system, but Kelly was far too weak to fight vampires in any kind of hand–to–hand combat. It was time to create some weapons.

Covering her hand with a washcloth, she took the silver chains Jaq had brought over the night before and cut the links into small bits. With a pair of tweezers, Kelly carefully placed a bit of the silver on the tip of the dart and melted it in place with a crème brulee torch she’d borrowed from Melody. Why Melody had a crème brulee torch, she had no idea. The human seemed more like a cake and pie person. Kelly didn’t even think the woman had the foggiest idea how to make the custard, let alone caramelize the sugar on top. Not that she had any room to criticize. Even a box cake would be beyond
her
skills.

In a few hours, she’d covered the metal of the darts with a thin coating of silver. It wouldn’t kill a vampire, but it would hurt like crazy and give her the few seconds she’d need to rush in and finish him or her off.

Vampires weren’t as hard to kill as legend said. Yes, they could re–grow limbs and organs given enough time, and could heal an amazing amount of damage. Remove their head, destroy or remove their heart, slice them into little bits, blow them up or burn them sufficiently, though, and they’d be dead. Even a fall from a great height, like from an airplane, would most likely kill them. Slicing them in half worked. The key was to inflict such massive damage that their body couldn’t cope.