Inside, the thick, hot air pulsed to the beat of latin dance music. The door snapped shut behind me and I sprang forward, the sudden rush of energy that replaced the nausea propelling me into the dancing crowd. I slid the hand holding Grief inside my jacket and followed the wake my quarry's passage had created. Winding my way between pale young thrill seekers and their immortal lovers, feeling myself come alive again, I could hardly tell the real vamps from the pretenders. And plenty of both filled all three tiers of Club Undead's multi-colored dance floor. Leashed power sizzled and popped like cooking bacon, and I knew more than one of these bored rich kids would get burned tonight. In fact, one already had. He probably still lay in the alley like an abandoned lounge chair.
Who was he? What godawful horror crawled through his veins, exuding a stench that could knock me out like a glass-jawed boxer? Could it be that cancer had sunk its claws into him? I didn't think so. Hundreds of people had crossed my path tonight. Some of them must've been fighting the big C. But they hadn't shown up on my radar.
The mystery of the man's existence and the effect he had on me distracted me as I slogged toward the door. I didn't see Liliana or her goons, though I should've been looking for them. And I nearly missed Assan talking to his vampire accomplice, Aidyn Strait. They stood at the bottom of an ornate wrought iron staircase drinking and laughing, looking like they'd just figured out a foolproof way to rip off Fort Knox.
I averted my face as they headed upstairs, which was when I caught sight of Vampirella heading out the door. Frankenstein met me just outside. 'Hey!' he bellowed as I tried to push past him, 'I don't remember letting you in.'
'You don't smell like Frankenstein at all,' I said as I pulled out Grief, shoved it against his chest and fired. 'You smell like Dracula.'
A new wave of nausea hit me, but not as hard as before. Lucky for me my gal's trail led away from Nightmare Alley. I followed her at speed, hoping for an open shot, finding none.
After running hard for several blocks, dodging partiers and pedestrians, she surprised me by stopping suddenly. She stood outside a lamp store, the light from the front windows throwing sparkling highlights onto her hair. Like an A-list actress, she oozed confidence. Somewhere between here and the alley she'd pulled herself together and the realization stopped me in my tracks.
She smiled and I liked her immediately. Her charm could melt glaciers. She might actually be the cause of global warming. I smiled back; how could I resist? Though the spike in her power told me her charisma ran on batteries, I lowered Grief, resisting the urge to drop it.
'That man back there, with the blood on his shirt, who is he?' I asked, wishing I dressed as stylishly as this beauty with her knee-length boots, short denim skirt and silky red blouse.
'He is a friend of mine,' she replied. 'His name is Derek Steele.'
I nodded. 'He's very sick, you know. Probably dying.'
Her smile wavered, seeming to shrink along with the rest of her. 'Bad blood,' she whispered. 'Aidyn, you son- of-a-bitch, what have you done to me?'
Now I knew where I'd seen her. She'd been the small half of the couple on last night's helicopter. I should've recognized her and Mountain Man right away. I could blame my lapse on Derek Steele's sickening effect on me, but excuses are for wimps. I really should've noticed. Between this, the wrecked Lexus and the impulsive kiss, I may have just struck out. And I didn't even have a free afternoon to wallow in self-pity. At least I had my new friend.
I said, 'I thought all vamps could smell bad blood.'
'Not me. Not Boris,' she said bitterly.
'So Aidyn set you up, huh? You must be part of his 'final experiment.' But it'll just make you sick, right? I mean, ultimately, you should be fine.' I really wanted her to feel better. 'Think about it logically. You must mean something to Aidyn. He wouldn't bring you here just to kill you.'
'Not for himself. But he would do it for Edward.' Her voice dropped to a whisper as she worked it out. 'Edward must have burned inside that Boris and I rejected his proposals. But he never showed it. Not once.'
'Edward sounds like a real shit,' I offered.
Her head jerked in agreement. 'I need an
I was so honored. But maybe she had a different definition than Vayl. 'What would an
Her smile returned, switched to high-beam, her fangs making her look more deadly than a pissed off biker chick. 'She would be a dearly loved companion,' Vampirella explained. 'She would watch over me if I should fall ill and protect me, perhaps even from myself.'
She took a step toward me. '
'Oh?' She cocked her head sideways, her dimples making her resemble a tree sprite, 'and why is that?'
'Because I can't be trusted. See, I feel so close to you, like we're best friends. But last year my best friend was killed by a vampire. In fact, I thought she was fully dead until she came to visit me three nights after her funeral. And though I loved her like a sister, and though I was strangely happy to see her, I had made her a promise before she turned, one I couldn't bring myself to break,' I raised Grief and took aim, 'which was why I killed her anyway.'
I shot Vampirella through the heart before she could move. And as I watched the breeze disperse her remains I whispered, 'And that's what I couldn't tell Cole. Why David can't bear the sight of me. Why my brain gets stuck on replay every once in awhile. With friends like me, there really is no need for enemies.'
Chapter Eleven
I pushed the magic button, stowed Grief inside my jacket and hoofed it back to Club Undead in time to see Liliana and the Liliettes climb back into the limo minus Scarface. Aidyn Strait had joined them, making chummy with
