Vampire in Denial (5 page)

Confusion settled onto his face and he backed up a step. "Sorry. I mistook you for someone else." He turned to walk away but glanced back once. She saw the frown creasing his forehead.

Her initial elation subsided quickly. He wouldn't be fooled for long, and if he mentioned her to Mom or Dad…or they saw her…they'd recognize her. The darkness was their world. They reveled in it. It was their playground.

She needed to move before Cody returned. And he would – she had no doubt about that.

Circling the large mansion, she searched for the same sensation she'd recognized earlier. Approaching the parking lot, she caught it again. She paused and actually sniffed the air. How very vampire-ish of her. She laughed inwardly. This whole mess would be a great joke – if there were anything to laugh about.

Poor Jared. How was he faring?

***

The drums beat a heavy rhythm inside his skull, reminding Jared he was alive. He didn't remember much of what happened. His attackers had snatched him up then everything had gone black. He'd awakened here. And wished he hadn't. The one image that had burned into his mind was of Tessa, before his capture, crumpled on the ground.

She didn't appear to be here with him. Hopefully, these assholes had left her behind and weren't holding her captive in a different area. He wished he knew for sure.

Jared studied the chains on his ankles, heavy rusted iron that he had no hopes of breaking and an old padlock he swore was turn of the century technology. He assumed his captors were vampires. He didn't know for sure since he hadn't seen them – he hadn't been bitten, or seen them feed.

He also wasn't alone. Two other people stretched out next to him, sporting matching chains. One of them didn't look so good. An older man whose face had bleached of all color struggled to breathe. Sweat poured off his face. He looked bad, like he might be having a heart attack or something. The other guy's chest rose and fell in a steady motion. Thankfully.

Glancing around, he shivered at the old stone-walled cell. He had no idea where he was. This place looked deserted and unloved.

He whispered to the older man. "Hey, are you all right?"

The man shuddered, blinking his eyes several times. His words were slurred when he answered. "Don't feel so good. Need a doctor."

Alarmed, Jared searched the large empty room, hoping for a way out. "You have to stay strong. Someone is going to be looking for us."

"Too late." The man coughed several times then his head rolled to one side and he went still. A gush of air, like a balloon with a hole, escaped. The man went silent.

Jared strained to hear the man's breathing as he watched in vain for his chest to rise and fall with the effort of breathing. Nothing. The man was dead.

He shuddered and closed his eyes. His life had gone from bad to seriously freaky. How long had that poor guy been here? Tonight only, or weeks – maybe months?

Fear slithered through Jared. He didn't want to die here. He was young with a whole lifetime ahead of him. Shifting on the cold stone floor, he inched as far from the dead man as he could.

Thank God, Tessa wasn't lying on the cold stone floor beside him. It burned him that she'd been hurt while with him. He'd done a piss poor job of protecting her. Not exactly the manly image he'd like to project. He couldn't help worrying that she'd been hurt badly. Head wounds were tricky. That she wasn't beside him could mean several things. He'd stay positive and try to believe these assholes had left her behind.

She had family. She'd said something about a brother before. At least there was someone to keep her safe. Someone who'd grieve if she'd died.

Unlike him. No one would give a damn if he stayed missing. He'd been living with his uncle for as long as he could remember, and he couldn't wait for the day he could leave. Finishing school came first though.

Such was his life.

Even that kind of life was better than dying like this poor guy beside him. He glanced over at the third man who appeared to be out cold or drugged. He was considerably younger than the dead guy. Mid-thirties maybe? And in good shape. Not fat with a beer gut like Jared's uncle. Good thing. When he woke up, this guy could help him get out of here. Although, if their captors were vampires he knew there'd be no fight. They were stronger and meaner…with inherent skills and strengths that humans lacked.

According to what he knew, vampires and humans had coexisted for a long time. That's what he'd been taught in school. Apparently not everyone had been doing that so peacefully.

He'd heard the rumors the same as everyone. The stories were the stuff of legends. Ancient legends. Some of those older vampires had been set to wipe out humans…or keep them as cattle. He vaguely remembered the name Moltere. He was the badass behind that mess, according to his history teacher.

Vampires didn't age like humans and centuries-old tales were the norm for such long-lived creatures. Animals. That's what they were. This just proved it.

As the night cooled, Jared fell into an uneasy sleep, caught between a captive and a corpse.

T
essa stepped into the parking lot. Instinct took her between a large black SUV and a fancier white version – an Escalade.

Recognition slammed into her as she studied the two vehicles. That same familiar feeling surrounded the one for sure. The black vehicle – a Nitro, according to the name on the side – had been driven by one of the two men who'd attacked her. She strode to the back of it and committed the license plate to memory. She didn't know what could be done with the information, if anything, but had heard from her friends about running plates and such.

Studying the area around her, she saw small groups of people hashing over the same gossip. Nothing had changed. She tried to peer inside the vehicle on the off chance that Jared might be inside. The smoked windows hid everything. Even her vampire vision only showed the shadowy seats but not the spaces between them. Frustrated, she didn't know what to do.

Surely someone would come back for the vehicles tonight? Then, she could follow them home. Jared had to be stashed close by.

Groaning, she sat on a cement block in front of the Nitro and buried her head in her arms. Approaching footsteps had her hunkering lower down.

"Come on. Time to leave." The first voice cut through the night air cleanly.

"I'm ready. Where to first?" The second guttural voice hung heavy, thick around her.

"Check on our guests then off to hunt." The first man's voice made Tessa's skin crawl.

The two men laughed and Tessa knew she'd never forget their voices – ever. She slid lower behind the block, willing herself invisible.

"What about the female? Do you think we should track her down? Take care of her, too?"

"Nah. Chances are good she was too injured to be of any value. Besides, there was something weird about her, something off. And being female, she's probably ready for Bedlam now." He laughed. "Even if she did see something, who's going to believe her? Vampire uprising? Really."

Tessa shuffled further out of sight. Confronting these two badasses wasn't part of her plan. Too bad she didn't have someone to go with her when she tracked them. But her friends were limited to a few humans – so
not
what she needed right now. She had to follow these assholes alone.

The white Escalade fired up, followed by the Nitro. Good to know the men were driving both vehicles. Tessa stayed huddled in a ball below the glare of headlights as first one, then the other reversed and headed out of the lot. She stood up and watched the direction they drove. Left. Away from town.

Shit.

Why hadn't she learned to glide? Oh right, because everyone had laughed at her so hard, she'd sworn never to try again. Damn it. She really wished she'd tried harder. That skill would have come in handy right about now.

Her dad was a master glider. He moved so smoothly he floated through the sky. Cody and his father were fliers. Tessa could only manage a weird half-crab, half-jumping movement. She was gawky, looking like she was all limbs with no coordination. Sometimes she could hardly get off the ground. Still, for all her awkward style, she actually ate up a lot of mileage doing it her way.

Taking a running start, she jumped and landed on a fence pole. Not very high, but she hadn't wiped out or hung herself on the barbed wire. She made it to the top of a garage next, landing on all fours, as was her habit. She headed down the street behind the cars. The first vehicle turned left.

Keeping it in sight, by following the dust cloud behind it, she cut across a field, going from fence pole to telephone pole and the odd rooftop again to gain enough height for viewing vantage. Her knees slammed hard on the next rooftop and she damn near banged her chin on the roofing tiles as she fell forward. She'd end up covered in bruises if she didn't get the hang of this quickly.

Taking a breather, she studied the area where the vehicles drove. It wasn't exactly the ritzy part of town. More like a middle class area. Mostly human residences, not vampire accommodation. Except for one. At the far end.

Frowning, she watched as they drove into the large estate with an oversized mansion surrounded by trees and a black iron fence. The gated entrance closed and locked behind them. The mansion was barely distinguishable among the trees.

With effort, Tessa made it to the top of the neighboring house, groaning at yet another tumbled landing. Why had she worn boots with heels? And why the hell hadn't she driven? Oh wait…she didn't have a license yet – that's why.

She studied the layout in front of her. With such a large acreage, she couldn't get close enough to see in without actually going right up to the house. She also wouldn't be able to jump. The distance was too far.

Now what? Switching to her vampire vision, she watched as the men exited their vehicles and headed inside. At the back of the main house were several attached outbuildings and sheds. Jared could be in any one of them. And if he were, how would she get him out? This wasn't a one-person job.

She couldn't fly him out. And what if he were injured? Now she was back to the part where she could use a partner in this venture.

A heavy rustling sound filled the air.

Oh, shit. Tessa cringed, waiting for her father's icy words to ground her for eternity.

"So, it
was
you."

Cody. She turned and glared at him, but his grin melted her anger. "Were you following me?"

"Of course. You fooled me once. Only I couldn't leave it alone. When I came back, you were skulking around the parking lot." His grin disappeared. "What are you playing at Tessa? You know what your father and your brothers are going to do to you when they find out, don't you?"

She tilted her chin defiantly. "Yes. My father made it clear what he thinks of me, so I'm not going to worry about his opinion now."

"He didn't mean it, Tessa. Your father takes his responsibilities very seriously."

She gasped. "So you
were
in the kitchen? I wondered. Not that it matters. He did mean it – and more. He's just kept it hidden all these years. Now, he doesn't have to. There's nothing like having the truth out in the open." For all her attempts she couldn't quite keep the hurt and bitterness out of her voice.

At his concerned look, she raised her chin. She meant it. "Besides I'm not doing anything wrong," she said defiantly.

He glanced around. "What
are
you doing?"

"They drove in there." She motioned toward the mansion with her arm. "Both of the vampires that attacked me went into that house."

Stunned, he could only look from the mansion, to her and back again. "You found them? And tracked them here? Wait, I thought you couldn't recognize them?"

"I didn't think I could, but I 'smelled' them or something. I don't know what it was, but they were familiar. I searched the parking lot and felt that same thing, so I sat down and waited until someone arrived."

"Jesus, Tessa. Alone? Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?"

"Of course I do. I might be different, but I'm not stupid, Cody. They kidnapped my friend. Was I just supposed to sit by while everyone else makes a decision on his fate and most likely end up with
no
decision at that? Like hell."

"Don't let your mom catch you saying that word," he warned jokingly.

His attempt to lighten the mood didn't work. She shot him a withering look.

"After tonight, do you really think swearing is something I need to be worried about?" She couldn't hold back a bitter laugh. "I've broken so many rules, one more won't make a difference."

She felt, more than saw, the waves of concern flowing off her brother's best friend. That was nice for a change, but it wouldn't help Jared.

"Look. You need to go home. Or something." She waved him off. "I don't know. Go do whatever vampires do at night."