Read Thicker Than Water Online
Authors: Carla Jablonski
Thicker Than Water (21 page)
Maybe she was the wrong kind of temptation.
She watched the girls on the stage gyrate in their corsets, garter belts, and stockings, their high-heel shoes looking lethal. Her eyes traveled from the stage around the club, searching for the DJ booth.
It wasn't up front, so she turned and scanned the balcony.
Fair hair bobbed behind a large speaker.
Gotcha.
Gotcha.
“Kia!”
Kia turned and saw Virgil pushing his way through the crowd to her. “I was wondering if I'd run into you here.”
“I heard you were at NightTimes today,” Kia said.
Virgil ducked his head, letting his hair cover his face. “I was in the nabe, you know.”
“Right.” She took a swig of her drink. “Listen, there's someone I need to say hi to.”
“Oh. Okay.” Virgil looked disappointed. Then he smiled, his dimples on parade. “Later, right?”
“Sure.” Kia wandered the club, trying to find the way up to the balcony level, where Damon was. She wandered to the edge of the dance floor and went through a door that opened onto a stairway.
She came out at the balcony, just as she hoped. And even better, Damon was alone. His back was to her as he watched over the console. He was wearing headphones and bouncing a little with the music.
She came up behind him quietly and slipped her hands around him. Startled, he grabbed her hands and yanked her around in front of him. She stumbled, but he caught her by the elbow before she crashed into the mixing board.
“Oh, hey, Kia. Sorry.”
“Th-that's okay.” She pushed her hair out of her face.
“Reflex,” he said. “I don't like being ambushed.”
“I didn't mean to startle you,” Kia said. “I just ...” She tried to think of something that would bring his flirtatious charm back. “I just couldn't resist touching you.”
He smiled. Good. She fixed it.
“Nothing wrong with that,” he said. He leaned against the balcony railing.
Kia stepped toward him until she was so close that her breasts brushed against his chest. She didn't touch him, though. She waited for him to make the next move.
He did.
He gripped her hips and pulled her into him, thrusting his tongue into her mouth with a ferocity that nearly buckled her knees. He felt hungry. Hungry for her.
Kia matched him in intensity, letting her tongue, her hands, her hips all tell him she was his. That she would give him anything he wanted. Anything at all.
His skin is cold,
she realized as she kissed his neck. She leaned away from him a moment to push her hair out of her face and noticed again how pale he was. As if he'd never seen daylight.
she realized as she kissed his neck. She leaned away from him a moment to push her hair out of her face and noticed again how pale he was. As if he'd never seen daylight.
As if he couldn't.
He grabbed her hair and yanked back her head, exposing her throat.
“Do it,” she whispered so quietly she knew that he couldn't hear her, that her words just sounded like breathing.
He hovered above her neck, one hand tangled in her hair, the other stroking her body. He smiled down at her as his hand moved between her thighs. “There are a lot of fake vampires down there wanting to have the first bite,” he said. “What
do you
want?”
do you
want?”
She wanted to say “you,” but she couldn't speak; she could only moan with growing desire for whatever he was offering her.
Several female voices broke them apart. Kia sat down hard on the floor, unable to keep herself standing. Damon leaned against the balcony railing again. “Hello, ladies.”
Kia glanced up to see Kali and two of the dancers standing at the doorway. She wondered how much they had seen. Her eyes flicked to Damon. He seemed completely unfazed by the intrusion or the fact that Kali might have seen them together.
The dancers looked at Kia on the floor, then at Kali. Kali's eyes narrowed a moment, then she seemed to recover. “The performers are going to start in about fifteen minutes,” Kali told Damon. “So switch to the transition CD when you see me wave.”
“Got it.” Damon nodded. “You're looking good up there,” he told the dancers. “Let me know if you want me to play you anything special.”
“Thanks, Damon,” the blond dancer said. “And that CD you made me rocked. Thanks for dropping it off last night.”
“Glad you liked it.”
Jealousy rippled through Kia's body like a seizure. She wanted to tear the long blond hair from the woman's head and cram it down her throat. Instead she got up and said, “See you later,” to Damon and hurried back down the stairs.
She had to show him she didn't care about stuff like that, Kia vowed. Kali could play it coolâso could she.
She exited the stairwell and found Virgil staring up at the dancer wriggling on the bar. “Hey, Virgil,” she said. “Wanna dance?”
“Not really,” he told her. “I'm more into leaning, actually. Sometimes I do shift from side to side, but that's about the extent of it.”
“Oh.”
She glanced up to the balcony. She could see Damon's fair hair easily even in the dark room. Could he see her?
“Well, then I'll dance for both of us,” she declared. She moved a few feet from the bar, hoping she was visible to the balcony, and danced. If Damon was into those dancer girls, then she'd show him she could move just like them.
Kia flung her hair, wiggled and writhed, twirled, and threw sexy glances at Virgil. Virgil seemed stunned and unsure of how to react. He alternated between staring at her and looking away.
The music ended, and Kia looked up to the balcony. She could no longer see Damon. She returned to Virgil's side.
Lady Margaritte, the woman who had spoken to her at the loft, approached her. “Kia, nice to see you again.”
Kia wondered what Virgil thought of Lady Margaritte's fangs and then realized a bigger question would be what he would have thought of that party. It didn't matter. She wasn't looking for hisâor anyone else'sâapproval. Well, no one but Damon's.
“Hi, This is Virgil,” Kia said.
“Welcome, Virgil,” Lady Margaritte said. “Kia, I hope you'll consider coming to court. Tomorrow at eight.”
“I'll think about it.”
“Good.” She left, and Julie and Mandy appeared. “We're going to split,” Julie said.
“You ready to go?” Virgil asked Kia.
Kia looked around for Damon, figuring if there were going to be performances, he'd go on a break and maybe she could get another chance to spend some time alone with him.
Instead she saw him flanked by Kali and the two dancers, chatting at the far end of the bar. Disappointed, she pasted a big smile on her face and slipped her arm into Virgil's. “Sure. Let's get out of here.”
Kia paused at the door, holding her keys. It was Sunday, and Kia had decided to see her mom. It was strange to go back home, knowing that she was just visiting. Maggie was living there now, so maybe she should give them some warning before just barging in.
She rang the doorbell.
“Are you expecting someone?” she heard Maggie ask on the other side of the door. Kia didn't hear her mother's response, but a moment later the door opened.
“Kia!” Maggie smiled, creating a mass of wrinkles on her tanned face. Maggie had always looked older than Kia's mom. She'd spent so much time at her beach house that she was a dermatologist's warning poster. She didn't dye her hair either, so it was a mass of white, gray, and dark brown.
“Hi, Maggie,” Kia said. “Can I come in?”
“Of course,” Maggie said, stepping away from the door. “Your mom will be thrilled to see you.” She leaned in to whisper, “I think she's been missing you.”
Kia swallowed. There was that little guilt-o-meter again, going off in her chest. “IâI've been busy.”
Maggie gave her a sidelong look. “Are you all right? You seemâ”
“Hey, that's new.” Kia cut her off as she stepped into the small kitchen and noticed a gleaming white microwave. “How'd you get Mom to agree? She always said they were just expensive warmer-uppers.” She glanced to where Maggie stood in the doorway. She quickly turned back to the microwave. “Oh,” she said, opening and closing the microwave door. “She's on some sort of special diet, right?”
“Something like that,” Maggie said.
Kia took a breath and turned. “Well, I see microwave popcorn in my future.”
Maggie grinned at her. “Mine too.”
Maggie followed Kia down the hallway. As they passed Kia's roomâ
My former room,
Kia thought with a twingeâshe peeked in. Maggie's clothes were strewn everywhere. There were still reminders of Kia's previous existence in the room, but only a shadow of them.
My former room,
Kia thought with a twingeâshe peeked in. Maggie's clothes were strewn everywhere. There were still reminders of Kia's previous existence in the room, but only a shadow of them.
A sturdy woman with dark skin and big brown eyes came out of Kia's mother's room.
“Lola,” Maggie said. “This is Ms. Carruther's daughter, Kia.”
“Hello, Kia,” Lola replied. She had a strong Jamaican accent.
“Lola is your mom's home health aide,” Maggie explained. “She's here a few hours every day.”
“Oh,” Kia said. She didn't know what else she was supposed to say.
“If you want to go in, she's all cleaned up,” Lola said.
What does that mean?
Kia wondered, but didn't ask.
Kia wondered, but didn't ask.
“She's pretty weak,” Maggie warned. “And she's lost more weight.”
More? She didn't have any weight to lose the last time Kia had seen her. Kia braced herself and went into her mother's room.
It was nice to see her mom in her own bed, but the additions to the room were startling. Much more than the microwave in the kitchen or Maggie's invasion. Pill bottles were lined up on the nightstand, and a large bowl sat on a chair beside the bed. The stack of adult diapers on the dresser seriously freaked her out, so she turned so she couldn't see them, concentrating only on her mom.
Maggie was rightâher mom was even thinner. Her eyes were enormous in her gaunt face. But at least they were clear and bright.
“Hi, sweetie, what a nice surprise,” her mom said. Her voice wasn't any weaker than in the hospital, so that was a relief.
“You're home now,” Kia said, unable to think of anything else.
“Big improvement,” her mother said. She shut her eyes.
Should I keep talking or does she want to rest?
“How's Carol?” her mother asked, her eyes still closed.
“Uh, fine,” Kia replied.
“Her brother?”
“Still AWOL,” Kia said. “I think Carol's pretty upset about it.”
“Of course.” Her mom reached for something on the bed. Kia realized her mom was feeling around for her hand, so she put it within reach. Her mom touched it, then patted it. “It's good that she has you.”
Kia swallowed. “Right.”
“School?” she asked.
“Okay,” Kia replied, falling into her mother's short, clipped sentences.
“Project?”
“Still deciding.” Kia hoped her mom wasn't aware how close the end of the semester was. Thanksgiving was fast approaching and the term art project should be well under way by now. Nearly finished, in fact.
“Those charcoals,” her mom said. “Good.”
“That's an idea,” Kia said. She didn't bother explaining the term project was mixed media.
“Mmm.” Her mother nodded slightly. Her closed eyelids had tiny blue veins in them. Kia felt as if she could almost see through the thin, translucent skin.
Maggie popped her head into the doorway. “Kia, do you want to stay for lunch?”
“Food.” Her mother scowled.
Kia stood up. “Nah,” she said.
“It's no botherâI'm just reheating a big pot of stew I made last night.”
“IâI've got homework,” Kia said.
“Project,” her mother said.
“Right, my term art project.”
“If you're sure,” Maggie said.
Kia nodded and Maggie left the room. Kia heard her clanking around in the small kitchen.
“I'm sorry,” her mother said.
Kia's head whipped around from the doorway to her mother on the bed. Her eyes were still closed, as if light hurt them, as if they were vampire eyes.
“Wh-what?” Kia asked.
“Sorry.”
Kia's face crumpled. Her breathing tightened and she forced her voice to stay steady. “For what?” she asked, even though she didn't want to know.
“All this,” her mother said. “You shouldn't have to ...” She trailed off.
“It's okay. Really. Everything's cool,” Kia said. “Hey, you're back home. Things are going to be better now. No more weird hospital smell. No more doc flocks.”
Her mother nodded slowly. She opened her eyes and smiled. “You're a good girl.” She shut her eyes again. “IâI'm going to rest now.”
“Sure. Sure, Mom.” Kia swallowed. She didn't want her mother telling her she was good. She wasn't good. She had hardly been here at all. She had messed up with Carol and Aaron. No, Kia wasn't even a little bit good.
Maggie came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “I'll walk you out,” she said.
Go away,
Kia thought as Maggie put her arm around her waist and gave her a hug.
Kia thought as Maggie put her arm around her waist and gave her a hug.
“You've lost weight too,” Maggie commented. “Is your father taking good enough care of you?”
“Sure,” Kia said. The weight thing had just seemed to happenâthe late hours, the forgetting to eat. Maybe she should write a diet book:
How to Lose Weight the Vampire Way.
How to Lose Weight the Vampire Way.
“You know, sometimes your father can be kind of dense,” Maggie said. “So if you ever feel the need to talk and don't want to talk to your mom, you can always call me.”
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