And dating a vampire was not a safe choice for a single mom. It was probably, like, rule number one in the good mommy handbook. Dating the undead is a surefire way to get the Bad Mommy Award.
So, that part ached, but it couldn’t matter.
I stuffed all of that deep, and chose to look at the part that was happy. I was happy. It was weird, maybe weirder than vampires and sirens and witchcraft. I’d been so sure I would never love again, and here I was…falling in love with a dead old man.
I looked at my reflection, tossed back by the glass front of a store. I didn’t look any different. I felt different though. I felt alive. Maybe I hadn’t felt that way for a long time and just had not noticed.
My green T-shirt had a picture of Yoda on it. Under him were the words,
Judge me by my size, will you?
I also wore a pair of jeans and a winter jacket. My hair, yanked back in mommy casual, showed no signs of floating. My pale face looked mundane, like all the other faces passing me.
Good, because that is the look from here on out. No more pearly skin and floaty hair. No more predatory face. No more weird shit for me at all.
I made it to the food court and sat down near the arcade. Vickie would want to get in a game or two before we left, so I might as well find some quarters now. I began rummaging in my purse. That was when I noticed the silver cord.
A strand of silvery light ran from the middle of my chest toward the arcade. As looked at it, it thrummed slightly.
Okay, what new weirdness is this?
I stood and the silver cord moved with me. I sat back down and tried to see where it went, but saw nothing other than a vague
into the arcade.
I couldn’t see past some of the taller games to see exactly where in the arcade. I tried, anyway, shifting back and forth. Nothing.
I took another chug of my slushie for strength while I thought.
I didn’t want to be part of anymore weird stuff and my internal weird radar screamed—
definitely weird
. Nobody else in the food court had glowing lights coming out of their chests, just me.
Ain’t I the luckiest girl in the world?
I knew I should just keep sipping my slushie and hope the freaky light went away. Yet I felt compelled to follow that cord of light and see where it went.
And that, I thought, was the kind of dumbass idea that made this week as bizarre as it had been.
I put a hand up and it went through the cord as if it wasn’t there. No one else was looking at me, so I guessed that no one else could see the big white beacon.
Well, that is handy.
It pulsed slightly, kind of like a heartbeat would look if you could see one.
Maybe it is just my heartbeat?
Yeah, my heartbeat was suddenly a white pulsing light that shone from my chest.
That makes perfect sense
, I berated myself.
Music thrummed out from the arcade. The lyrics pounded into my brain as I stood. I was going to do the stupidest thing I possibly could…again.
I was going to follow the cord and see where it went. I couldn’t take the curiosity. I had to figure it out. Why would a weird light come out of my chest and go to an arcade? Was it a sign from the universe that I should go play Tekken? Or was it something weirder? Something I was going to regret finding out?
I leaned toward dumb idea and something I didn’t want to know, but I was going in, who was I kidding? As I got closer, the song grew louder, and I could identify the lyrics.
It seems that what is left of my human side is slowly changing in me
…
Apt lyrics. What was left of my human side had been singed by this whole week. I made it to the doorway of the arcade, and still I could see nothing out of the ordinary—games, squealing kids, low lights—no sign yet as to where the light was leading me. The music vibrated the room, and the lyrics continued to beat down on me.
Looking at my own reflection and suddenly it changes, violently it changes...you’ve woken up the demon in me.
My reflection had changed…outside the Galley after I drained all those people. Again when Chance had given me power. Had they woken up the demon? Was there no going back to normal now?
And I saw where the light cord ended. A man stood, still and waiting. He wore a long black trench coat and a fedora. He looked down, face invisible to me. I knew who it was, though, and I froze in place. The light ended in the middle of his chest. It ran from my solar plexus to his, brighter now that I was closer, a silver cord, tying me to him.
He looked up slowly and glass green eyes laughed at me.
I stared at him, a low trembling beginning in my stomach. He had woken up the demon in me, and his eyes screamed at me, daring me to deny it. He had vomited light and power into me, burning off bits and letting bits grow, and suddenly I wondered if I had
ever
had a chance at normal after that. I wondered if he could see some weird alien sickness growing in me…festering. Eating at the normal human life I had chosen and leaving me nothing but this. Whatever the hell
this
was.
Chance smiled slightly, but made no move.
I wanted to do the girl thing and run away screaming, waving my arms. It seemed a weak thing to do—never working out for girls in horror flicks anyway, since they invariably tripped and the monsters caught up—but I found I couldn’t make myself do it. The cold part of me, the part I hadn’t even known I had until this week, wouldn’t
let
me be weak.
I steeled my will and raised my jaw.
So be it
. Bring it on and all that.
I’m not afraid of no stinking monsters.
I let the cold voice, the one he’d freed with his happy lightning bolt of power, take the reins in my head, and I stalked over to him. Just then, I noticed he was one
tall
guy. I met the green eyes and golden retriever face I’d mistaken for a jolly master magician on our first meeting. Pretending to ignore the silver cord, and favoring him with a glare, I said haughtily, “You wanted something, I assume.”
“Yes.” He was silent for so long that I listened to the lyrics again, to try to keep from losing my bravado. Standing this close with the silver cord glowing was a bad idea on my part. The silver cord wanted to pull me closer, to touch him rather than glare at him. That wasn’t a hard temptation to pass up, because why would I want to touch him?
Right
…?
I was going to end this. Leave all this. I would end it, and he would be gone after today. No more weird stuff. I could make it through one more day. I stood a little straighter.
We stood, still as vampires. Okay, I made that line up, but vampires are stiller than statues. I guess you have to know one to get the reference, though.
Finally, he spoke. “So, I hear you’re moving away. Giving up your siren abilities, all that fun stuff.”
“Yup.” I looked down at the lighted cord. “Wanna stop with the special effects now that you have my attention?”
“I’m not doing that. Call it Fate. She is quite the bitch.”
“Lemme guess, you know her?” As I mentioned before…if I feel insecure, I get cocky. Major personal flaw.
“Yes, as a matter of fact I do. I have been making her life interesting for years. I guess this is her revenge…no, not that, because even
this
is my own doing.”
“Okay, Spongebob Crazypants, to what do I owe this unwanted visit?”
He arched a brow at me. “Actually, I thought you might need my help again.”
“For what?” I looked at him doubtfully. “I am leaving Weirdsville in the morning. We beat the bad guy and all is well.”
“Yes, but you left a couple of strings untied.”
I arched a brow at him. “Oh, yeah? Name one?”
“Two come to mind. We will go with the more pressing matter, and I will remind you that no one defeated Max.” He took my arm and began escorting me from the arcade.
I dug my feet in. “Vance said she was hired by Gregorian. He said she would no longer be a problem.”
“Yes, that might be true, if anyone had told her that the contract on Vance was null and void, and therefore you were no longer of interest to anyone.”
I looked up at him, allowing him to move me another few feet. “Which you
did
and now”
“She didn’t believe me, for starters. She is under the impression I’m helping you and that I would lie to her to save your delectable ass.”
I yanked my arm free. “Delectable?”
“Tasty, appetizing, enjoyable”
“I know what delectable means. So, what does that have to do with me?”
He tilted his head.
I blew out a breath. “What does Max and what Max thinks have to do with me?”
“Nothing with you directly.” He looked as if he lied, but I wasn’t about to call him on it.
“Well, then, although I
do
so enjoy your visits, you will have to excuse me because—”
“You’re here to pick up your daughter,” he finished.
“How did you know that?” I stopped again and looked at him.
“Would you rather wait around for her to show up or go get her?”
I glared at him. “What in the hell are you talking about?”
“Vickie. We could go get her because I am willing to help. Or you can wait around for her and then go looking for her by yourself when she doesn’t show up.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “My ex-husband is a lawyer, very precise. He will be here.”
“He already was. You got Vickie, and he left.”
I shook my head. “No, I didn’t.”
He began to change into me before my eyes. “Thank you, James.” He sounded just like me. I looked at an exact replica of me.
“Oh, my freaking God.” I backed up a step.
“Vickie, come on, dear.” Chance motioned to my daughter who was not there.
I stepped back another step and hit my back into a game. I stared. “You can copy me?”
He reverted to his usual form in the time it took me to exhale.
“I can copy anything. One of the many perks of being me.”
I stared at him, still uncomprehending.
“Max has Vickie, and I had no choice in the matter. If you want me to help get her back, I will. I feel…responsible.” The last word came off his tongue funny, as if it wasn’t one that he typically used.
I stared at him stupidly. “Max has my kid?”
“And Max is a naughty girl.” He did not look as happy as I might expect.
“Oh, God, my baby.” My limbs trembled, and my stomach rolled. Tears clouded my vision, and I fell to my knees.
People were beginning to look at us, and Chance caught my arm and pulled me to my feet. “Whah, whah, poor mommy. Got it. Moving on. Are you going to bemoan it or are we going to go kick some ass?”
I blinked. Horror wracked my body, coming out as dry sobs.
The monsters have my baby.
The cool wind voice spoke up in my mind.
Go get her,
it said.
Leave bodies and let God sort them out.
I blinked. I blinked again. Light flashed behind my eyes.
My spine straightened. I stood and shoved off Chance’s arm. It was hours until sunset. I would go alone. I breathed in slowly and let it out. I never wanted to be a monster.
But I would be one today. That bitch had my baby, and she was going down. I strode out of the mall and got into my car. I stuck the slushie in the cup holder and the keys in the ignition. I glanced over at Chance when he jumped into the passenger side. “So, are we going to kick butt now?”
I glared at him. I put in my Linkin Park CD and jammed the volume to twenty five and hit pause.
I let my hair down and shook it out. An unseen wind picked it up and blew it out behind me. I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw that my eyes were glowing a little. Good. Let the bitch see what she had caught in her trap. If a spider catches a praying mantis, do you think the spider has the sense to fear?
I guess we’d find out.
“Where to?” I awaited direction and gazed at him expectantly.
He sat back and smiled. “Jefferson.”
I jammed the car in reverse, sped out of the mall parking lot and hit pause again. The words to
One Step Closer
blasted out of my speakers. I nodded along with it, adrenaline pumping. Chance reached out and flicked the stop button. I glared at him, sped up and hit play.
He hit stop again.
I sped up, and we were now going about as fast as my car would go. I hit play again. Unlike Vance, Chance did not seem in the least worried about my speed. I took a moment to find this strange.
He hit stop again, and I slammed on the brakes. He jerked forward against his belt. That would have been somewhat more satisfying if I hadn’t suffered the same trauma.
Breathlessly, I glared at him. “Quit touching my stuff.”
“Quit blasting crap music.” He reached for his fedora.
“No, it is my car, and we are on my rescue mission, and we will do this
my
way. No one asked you to come along.”
“Are you always this big of a pain in the ass?”
“Do you always have a death wish? I could have jammed your head through the dash at that speed.”
“I am not very easily frightened.” He leaned back. “If you want to listen to that big business bred band, fine, but do so at a decibel level that your speakers can take.”
“Remind me...” I pulled out into traffic again. “Why are you tagging along?”
“Because it is Fate. Because otherwise years of my work will go down the toilet because of stupid human pride. Because I want to.”
“Okay, that was three and I didn’t get any of them. Did you or did you not impersonate me to kidnap my daughter?”
He shifted in his seat to face me. “Are you or are you not vowing never to sing again and moving away from here?”
“Yes, to both. So?” I shot him another dirty look and pulled off the Jefferson exit.
“Okay, then I did what I had to do in order to save you. As a side perk, it will save your friends, Vance and Mia, further harassment by Max. By the end of today, everyone will live happily ever after.”