Four Centuries (Damned and Cursed Book 7) (23 page)

"Not at all."
 
She held up her own wrist alongside his.
 
"And look at that.
 
We match."

"You know what they should really serve in clubs?"

"You mean besides beer?"

"Yeah.
 
Pizza.
 
Pizza and beer."

The thought of pizza took Zoey to a happy place.
 
One of her favorite pictures of Kylie and her was when they had a pizza party to celebrate Kylie's thirteenth birthday.
 
Kylie's grip on her slice had slipped, and the perfect moment was captured in time as cheese and sauce fell down her shirt.
 
Zoey laughed at the top of her lungs while pointing.

"Mmmm," Zoey said.
 
"Pizza."

"Pepperoni and sausage."

"No."
 
She tried to hide the sadness in her voice.
 
"Mushrooms and green peppers."

"You want to go get some?
 
There's a good place a few blocks over."

The invitation came out of nowhere.
 
Zoey regarded with curiosity, a half-smile tugging at her lips.
 
A look of horror took hold of Shawn as his cheeks turned red.

"Oh, God," he said.
 
"Did I just say that?
 
That probably sounds like the worst pick-up line ever."

"I don't know," Zoey said.
 
"I thought it was pretty good."

"I swear, that was
not
a line.
 
I just really am hungry.
 
But…really?
 
You want to grab some pizza?
 
We could zip out for a half hour and swing right on back."

Zoey opened her mouth, but said nothing.
 
What was she supposed to do?
 
Victoria didn't prepare her for this at all.
 
Glancing quickly at her mentor, she was focusing on a shot, showing off a fair portion of pale skin.
 
She met Zoey's eyes for an instant and whispered, knowing she was the only who could possibly hear her.

"And sometimes," she said.
 
"The prey comes to you."

"Sure," Zoey said, smiling.
 
"I'd love to."

"Cool.
 
I promise, I won't keep you out long."

"I trust you."

Shawn raised his hand to signal his friends.

"Hey, guys," he said.
 
"We'll be right back.
 
We're going out to grab some food while you all get drunk."

"Oooh," one of his friends teased.
 
"I bet you are."

"Dude, c'mon.
 
Shut up."

"Relax, Jaima," one of the ladies said.
 
"Shawn's harmless."

"Awww," Victoria said, trotting forward to give Zoey a tight, exaggerated hug.
 
"My little cousin is all grown up."

"Stop," Zoey said, genuinely embarrassed.
 
"What are you?
 
Ten years old?"

Victoria smirked, and the vampire Zoey had gotten to know was visible just for a moment.

Zoey and Shawn side-stepped and shuffled their way through the crowded dance floor to the front door.
 
Zoey's emotions danced just as much as the mortals around her.
 
She was excited.
 
Terrified.
 
Nervous.
 
Apprehensive.

She was also thirsty.

Was Shawn being true?
 
Were they really going out for pizza?
 
They'd known each other for thirty minutes.
 
Maybe he was going to lead her to a back alley with bad intentions?

She shoved those thoughts aside.
 
The only one with different intentions was her.

"Oh, wow," he said as they stepped outside.
 
"You don't realize how hot it is in there until you feel that nice breeze hit you."

"Yeah, for sure," Zoey said.
 
She wiped sweat from her forehead, but it had little to do with the temperature.

"My minivan's back here."

Zoey giggled.
 
"Your minivan?"

"Well, my mom's," he admitted.
 
"Not the coolest ride.
 
But it's the only thing big enough to pack all those drunks into."

"Hey, no shade here," she said, raising her hands.
 
"I don't even have a car."

She studied where Shawn pointed.
 
He was parked in the back of the lot.
 
No lights.
 
No people around at all.
 
Only a fence was behind him, no street or sidewalk.

It was perfect.

But where was Victoria?
 
Was she going to help her?
 
Was she still inside?
 
What was the plan?
 
Could Zoey do this on her own?

The memory of Steven forcing her against the alley wall in Stewardtown haunted her once again.

Shawn unlocked the door and even opened it for her.
 
He was making it very hard for her to do what she needed to do.

Zoey steeled herself as she watched him circle around front.
 
Her knees bounced up and down nervously.
 
He opened the driver's side door and settled behind the wheel.

"Okay.
 
Pepperoni, here we come—"

Zoey closed the distance between them, faster than she meant to.
 
She was sitting still, her hands on her knees, and the next second she was on Shawn's lap.
 
She'd lost her shoes in the movement.
 
Shawn managed to let out a startled gasp before his voice caught in his throat.

She didn't know where she was biting.
 
Would any part of the neck do?
 
Did it matter?
 
She simply buried her fangs wherever they landed.
 
They penetrated his flesh and he cried out quietly.
 
The blood gushed in her mouth, her eyes dilating at the sensation.

Cold blood was tasty.
 
Warm blood was delicious.
 
Blood with life pulsing from a mortal's neck was indescribable.

Shawn shifted underneath her, his hands resting on her hips and gripping them.
 
He was enjoying himself as much as Zoey.
 
She loosened her hold just enough to flip her hair behind her shoulder.
 
It was getting in the way.

"Good," a voice said.
 
"Go slow.
 
You didn't have to straddle him.
 
And you could have fed from his arm.
 
But this will work."

Zoey darted her eyes to the left to see Victoria, facing toward them from the passenger's seat.
 
Where did she come from?
 
Zoey didn't hear footsteps, or a door open and close.

She didn't even realize she'd straddled Shawn.
 
Her dress was hiked up to her hips, her thighs against his.
 
His breathing quickly grew more erratic, and she felt the growing erection underneath her.
 
She smiled as he moaned.
 
She wasn't an expert at sex, but knew when a guy was having a good time.
 
Jay Byer, her old boyfriend, certainly didn't complain after her parents left the house and he sneaked in through the window.

"You have to slow down."

Zoey thought she heard words, but quickly dismissed them.
 
Shawn's hands drifted to the back of her bare thighs, which felt good.
 
She sighed in response as she bucked her hips.
 
If only their clothes weren't in the way.

The steering wheel pressed into her back.
 
With her right hand, and without missing a drop of blood, she fumbled for the lever on the side of the seat.
 
They dropped a few inches.
 
Much more comfortable.

Her body tingled as she slid back and forth.
 
It wouldn't be long now.

"Zoey…."

More words.
 
Were they saying something important?
 
It didn't matter.

Shawn's body arched and stiffened as he climaxed.
 
Zoey groaned along with him, gripping his hair so her fangs wouldn't slip away from his flesh.
 
The air in the minivan changed scent.
 
She continued to slide back and forth across Shawn's erection.
 
She was in another world.
 
Her own climax wouldn't be far behind.

A hand grabbed her arm.
 
She realized it wasn't Shawn's and annoyingly swatted it away.
 
The grip returned, much stronger, and a set of fingers laced through her hair.
 
She screamed in pain as her head was forcibly removed from Shawn's neck.

"Hey!" Zoey shouted.

Victoria manhandled her with ease, shoving her across the van into the passenger's seat.
 
Zoey's head bounced off the rolled-up window.
 
She rubbed the sore spot and eyed Victoria angrily.
 
Victoria's body obstructed her view of Shawn.
 
Her mane of red hair hovered near his neck.
 
Zoey assumed she wanted to slip in for her own drink.

"What the fuck is your problem?"

Zoey adjusted herself and sat upright.
 
Her hand was halfway to Victoria's shoulder when the older vampire whirled around.
 
With some strength, Victoria placed her hand on Zoey's chest, preventing her from moving forward.
 
Victoria's gaze was serious, concerned.

"Stay back."

It wasn't a request.

Zoey's eyes fell on Shawn, and her jaw dropped.
 
Every emotion she felt a second earlier was replaced by another.
 
The power she felt over making him climax had vanished.
 
The lust, joy, strength, intimacy.
 
All gone.
 
Only horror and fear remained.

Shawn shook in the seat, but not in the way that involved the aftermath of a wonderful sexual experience.
 
His eyes were rolled back into his head, leaving only white globes.
 
His complexion was pale on a level that rivaled Zoey's.
 
Drool slowly leaked from his mouth onto his shirt.
 
Victoria had been near his neck, but not to feed.
 
She licked the wounds Zoey had left behind to heal them.

"Shawn?" Zoey said.
 
"Shawn!
 
Ohmygod!
 
Shawn!"

She leaned forward, only for Victoria to shove her back again.
 
There were no words.
 
Only a non-verbal warning.

Victoria leaned her head against Shawn's chest and felt his wrist.
 
The seconds seemed to stretch on forever.
 
Shawn finally stopped shaking and appeared to fall into a deep sleep.
 
Victoria still didn't pull away, continuing to listen.

Zoey couldn't help.
 
She was useless.
 
Tears streamed down her face as she stared at him.
 
All he wanted to do was take her out for pizza.

"Is he going to be okay?"

Victoria said nothing.
 
Zoey felt like she'd vomit.
 
She opened her mouth to say something.
 
The silence was threatening to drive her insane.
 
Victoria raised her head and sighed.
 
Zoey couldn't tell whether it was a sigh of relief or sadness.

Before Zoey could say anything, Victoria reached into Shawn's pocket and pulled out his phone.
 
Zoey didn't need to see which numbers she was dialing.

"Hi," Victoria said.
 
"I'm at the club at the corner of West Avenue and Fifth Street.
 
I just walked through the parking lot and think I saw a young man having a seizure.
 
It's a gray minivan, parked in the very back."

Victoria hung up, offering no other input.
 
She wiped the phone on Shawn's shirt and shoved it back in his pocket.
 
Zoey was suddenly very conscious of everything she'd touched in the minivan.
 
Should they wipe the entire minivan for fingerprints?

"Straighten your dress and get out."

Zoey did as instructed.
 
Her body trembled as she struggled to stand on her own two feet.
 
Victoria was right behind her.
 
Zoey's eyes never left Shawn as Victoria straightened her own skirt, even taking the time to double-check her appearance in the passenger's side mirror.

"We're just going to leave him here?" Zoey asked.
 
"This feels so wrong.
 
He doesn't even know my real name.
 
He just wanted to be nice, and he thinks I'm Jaima."

"Do you want to stay behind and explain what happened?
 
Maybe give out your real name?"

"No," she said sheepishly.

Every instinct told Zoey to run.
 
She stepped forward with her right foot when Victoria grabbed her shoulder from behind.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Dangling from her finger were Zoey's wedges.
 
She was still barefoot, standing on the pavement.
 
She grabbed them quickly and slipped them on.

"Walk, do not run," Victoria said tersely.

Zoey craned her neck to look behind her.

"Will he be okay?"

"Yeah.
 
He'll be fine."

Zoey felt the weight lessen from her shoulders.
 
The weight still hovered nearby, but it was a little lighter.
 
She still couldn't stop crying.