I just glared at him as the fasten-your-seatbelts light came on overhead.
“Oh, my,” Calvin said. “We’ve arrived already. Lovely, lovely.” He returned to his seat and took a sip from his glass. He saw me watching him and toasted me, taking a long gulp from the glass as if he wished it were me he was drinking from.
In his dreams.
I huddled into Derek, not bothering to go back to my seat. I was safer in those iron arms then I’d ever be with a strap of fabric over my waist. The plane landed and we filed out and into a shiny black limo. We drove up into the mountains, winding through the roads like a short black snake sliding down a river. Derek and Calvin talked the whole time, mostly about sports, and the other two vampires conversed in foreign languages. With the other two humans mute, I contented myself with staring out the tinted window.
Tucked into the craggy folds of a humongous white capped mountain, which could only have been Keystone Mountain, was the resort we would be staying at. In the dark, it glittered and shone in pink and blues, reminding me of Cinderella’s castle but made of wood. The ski paths lit up the mountain in bolts of lightning. I saw little dots flying down the pathways and felt a thrill of anticipation. The dots were people night skiing.
The limo pulled up to the overhang, which led to the lobby, and we all filed out again. I saw a lot of people gaping at the vampires and some at me, too—probably wondering what an averagely attractive girl like me was doing among these godlike—okay, and slightly creepy—creatures.
Calvin loped to the reception desk and leaned against it, flirting with the concierge.
The lobby was like an opulent wooden cabin, complete with ceilings that reached heaven, big furry armchairs stuffed into every nook and cranny, slate fireplaces roaring with fires and windows as big and wide as minivans. It was lovely and warm and strangely quiet. Peaceful, even.
Too bad my insides were screaming.
Calvin returned, jiggling his keys around.
“Penthouse,” he said grinning like he just saw a vat of blood with his name on it. He was looking at me when he said this, so maybe he did.
A couple of bellboys accompanied us to the fifth, and topmost, floor of the resort. We had the entire right wing to ourselves. When we went in, Calvin immediately hung the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the doorknob, which disturbed me to no end.
The vampires spread out to inspect the suite—all except Melissa, who sprawled herself out on the big brown couch, rubbing her pet’s thigh seductively. The guy looked ready to wet his pants, and not with pleasure.
“Where will you guys sleep during the day?” I whispered to Derek.
“Under the closets,” he said. “Calvin said they’ve rented this hotel room out before, so they have it customized.”
Probably the work of another blood bitch.
Melissa and her pet were engaged in what looked to be some sort of silent battle for neck-possession. Every time Melissa touched his throat, the man cringed away and fought to cover it up. Then she’d giggle and taunt him again. Her vibe boiled with hunger so strong it almost made my stomach rumble, too.
As her perfect red mouth inched slowly toward his thick, stubbly throat, Derek suddenly grabbed my hand and sequestered me between the wall and his body. I frowned up at him and he nodded significantly toward Melissa.
Her eyes were blackened with the crave, and a wave of terror flew down my spine. I really wanted to somehow hide all of my blood.
But Melissa seemed to have no interest in me whatsoever. She slipped her gloves off with her teeth and pressed a pointed nail into his neck. The man cried out as blood flowed down his throat and chest. Melissa licked it up and took long, noisy draws.
It was like watching a car wreck; I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
“Derek, you want a pull, honey?” Melissa cooed.
I whipped around to look up at Derek. His pupils dilated, eating up all of the blue.
“No,” I said firmly, glowering at Melissa. “He doesn’t do that.”
Melissa tittered. “That’s what he
tells
you.”
Liar.
Derek swallowed hard and I noticed his nostrils flare, like he was trying especially hard to keep from breathing.
Calvin came out of one of the bedrooms, tossing a tiny bottle of hotel shampoo between his gloved hands. “Stop your nettling, Mel,” he said. “Derek prefers the plastic-tasting stuff.” Then he spun around and clapped his hands together, eyes wild with excitement. “Who’s up for a dip?”
“Dip?” I asked bemusedly.
“In the hot tub!” Calvin exclaimed. “Last one in has to drain an old lady!”
22
CONFESSIONS
T
he vampires zipped outside onto the balcony immediately, while I threw a murderous look at Derek and swept into the room he and I were sharing.
“I’m not going,” I said firmly. I stood facing the darkened window, refusing to look at him.
“You have to go,” Derek said from behind me.
“I don’t
have
to do anything,” I said acidly. “I signed up for night skiing, not hot tubbing.”
“We’re going skiing tomorrow night. There’s not enough time before dawn tonight.”
I spun around. “And that was
vile
out there, by the way. God, she was sucking his blood right there in the living room!”
Derek stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Melissa’s still kind of young, and she needs more than most.”
“I know that, but it’s not an excuse! She could drink donated blood.”
“That stuff tastes like plastic. I don’t blame her for wanting the fresh stuff.”
“You don’t
blame
her?”
“Aw, Faith, do we have to get into this? I thought we were here to have fun.”
I dug my fingers into my eyes, trying to reign in my temper. “Okay,” I said. “Sorry. That was just ... gross.”
Derek’s mouth tightened, and I realized I’d hurt his feelings.
“Sorry,” I said again.
He just shrugged and flitted into the bathroom. He emerged seconds later in a pair of light blue Lacoste swim trunks and a bare chest.
As I was busy gaping at his rockin’ bod, Derek tossed something at me.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Bathing suit. Duh.”
I untangled it and saw that it was a black Victoria’s Secret bathing suit with barely anything in the butt department.
“No way,” I said. “I’m not going.”
“They’ll be insulted if you don’t.”
“Like I care.” I turned away from him.
Then Derek came up behind me, putting his cold hands on my arms. “Please, Faith? I just want to have a good time this weekend. It’s been so long since we’ve been able to just be together without any drama. I miss us.” His hands traced lightly down my arms, coming to a stop at my wrists. He bent his mouth close to my ear, giving me chills. “I’ll make sure the others behave. They listen to me.”
Because they want to use you
, I longed to say. But I’d been defeated. I was always a sucker for his sweetness.
So I put on the tiny swimsuit and forced myself to go out onto the balcony with Derek strutting along beside me.
The hot tub was inset into the lacquered oak planks of the deck, making it flush with the floor. The view behind the balcony was the dark form of Keystone Mountain, so close it blocked out the sky. Blue and red lanterns hung along the balcony and cast us all in a creepy purplish glow. Wine glasses filled with dark liquid dotted the edge of the hot tub and music played in the background. It might have been romantic if I hadn’t been scared out of my mind.
The vampires were already inside the roiling water of the hot tub, and I was willing to bet that none of them had any clothes on.
Not that I was about to look.
Not that I noticed Calvin had the pecs of a Greek god.
Or that Melissa’s bathing suit was twice as tiny as mine, and it was hanging over the edge of a wooden chaise lounge.
Thank God for bubbles.
I sank in next to Derek and tried to become as small and insignificant as possible, which was, sadly, not as easy as I had hoped. Across from me, I tried not to watch Melissa sexually molesting her pet.
“Hey, Calvin,” I said, nudging his arm.
He turned with a giant smile on his face, and for a moment, I was distracted by his supreme cuteness.
Damn vampires. . . .
“Do you know Vincent Stone?” I asked.
I felt Derek go rod stiff next to me.
“Why yes,” Calvin said pleasantly. “I know him quite well. Lovely fellow, Vince. A smidge vengeful over some feud he had going with a werewolf, but I hear that’s all done with.” He frowned, looking off into the distance as if trying to recall something. “I wonder what’s become of him now.” Then he shook himself and said, “Why is it that you ask?”
“Because I was curious about whether he ever got punished.”
“Punished? Well, whatever for, dear Faith? Vince never committed any crime to my knowledge.”
“I heard he did.”
I was being careful not to outright accuse their friend of murdering girls in Denver, but that was exactly what I was trying to get at. If Vincent wasn’t the only one killing girls—and it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t because he was dead and girls had been murdered afterward—then I wanted to know who else was.
“What did you hear?” Calvin asked.
Derek’s foot stomped on mine, and I winced, tears springing into my eyes. I looked down and pretended to sneeze.
Derek cut in while I was enduring the severe pain he’d caused my baby toe.
“She heard he’d never registered when he came to Colorado,” Derek said. “I told her.”
Calvin smiled tightly. “You tell your pet a lot, Derek. That may not be the smartest move considering her ties with the dogs. One might deem that as treachery.”
“I don’t cross information,” I said. “What Derek tells me stays with me.”
Calvin dipped his head into a bow. “A loyal pet. Such a rare exception.”
“But that’s not what I heard about Vincent,” I said before Derek could stomp on me again. “I heard he didn’t hide his, ah . . . prey properly a time or two and that he was going to be punished for it.”
Calvin narrowed his eyes and scratched at his ear, internally debating something. Silas, listening in to our conversation, seemed totally bored, while Melissa, on the other hand, had mounted her pet and was doing ... something to him under the water. I didn’t think she was listening.
“Where did you hear this?” Calvin asked.
“I kind of figured it out. I knew Vincent. We went on a few dates.” Technically not a lie. “I know what you’re talking about when you say he was involved in a feud. It’s all he ever talked about. Except once. Once he told me he was turning people. A lot of people. He said that girls were harder to turn because of their souls or something. With all those dead girls on the news it didn’t take long for me to figure out it was him, and to figure out that he would be punished by his superiors.”
Calvin’s expression was completely masked as he listened, so I tested his energy to see whether I was getting anywhere. He knew I was angling, but he couldn’t tell why. I heard a few stray words,
traitor
and
lying
among them.
I focused on the water and played with the beading on my bikini top, trying to go for sexy little vampire pet, rather than werewolf informant. “I—I just wanted to know if something bad happened to him,” I said mournfully. I risked a look at Calvin and saw that his gaze has softened.
He scooted closer to me and wrapped his frosty arm around my shoulders. “Regrettably, I know not what happened to Vince. He was an excellent vampire, quite a few years my senior, if I recall. I shall send word out to our neighboring sectors for you, if you like. Perhaps he would return if he knew your concern for him.”
“Ugh, no way,” I said before I could stop myself. Derek stomped me again and I let out a noise that sounded like a trampled Chihuahua. I sniffled trying to pretend like I was crying. “I mean, no—no,” I fake sobbed, secretly rubbing my toes. “No, don’t bother him. He’s such a busy, busy man.”
Calvin rocked me side to side. “Ah, the love of a loyal pet is such a beautiful thing. It is such a shame so many of you have to die.”
I sniffled and shivered underneath Calvin’s icicle of an arm. I shot the evilest of all evil looks at Derek and mouthed the words, “I hate you.”
“Tell me, Faith darling,” Calvin crooned, “what does it feel like to be bitten by a vampire? I must admit, I am quite curious. Sadly, I cannot remember the experience for myself.” He leaned back, tracing his chilly finger over my shoulder.
“I’ve never been bitten by a vampire,” I said, evading.