Cruel Stakes: Vampires & Vices No. 2, page 4
I turn back to him, and the energy between us completely shifts. His eyes flick to my lips, and before I can think about the consequences, I’m pressing my mouth to his. My senses have grown so much since having vampire venom in my blood, and even more since seeing Adrian, and it immediately kicks in with the kiss. I feel and hear and sense everything deeper than I ever have before––the hum of the ceiling fan, the warmth of Felix’s soft mouth, the smell of his heady aftershave, the whoosh of my blood, and the swell in my breathing.
Maybe I’m not so mad about Adrian’s orders to lose my virginity. My hands find a courage of their own, sneaking up under Felix’s t-shirt to spread across his hard chest. He groans into my mouth. He tugs his shirt off, and then his hands are asking a question of their own. “This okay?” he whispers, tugging at my shirt as well. I nod against his kiss.
“Are you kidding me?” Ayla’s voice breaks us apart like a bucket of ice water. She’s standing in the doorway, her blue silhouette lit by the bright hallway behind her. And the look on her face is one of utter betrayal.
My heart drops.
“I can explain,” I say at the same time Felix declares, “We were going to tell you.”
“Don’t bother,” she snaps, and then she’s gone before we can see her cry.
Chapter 6
“That went well,” Felix grumbles as he slips his shirt back on. “I’d better go after her.”
“I’ll come with you.”
But by the time we make it out to the front lawn, Ayla’s nowhere to be seen. Felix runs to the sidewalk, peering up and down the street, his shoulders going limp. She probably parked around the corner because of the surprise party––I’d recognize her prized Mini Cooper anywhere––but there’s no telling where that could be.
He stops abruptly. “Kenton, what are you doing?”
“Imagining myself in this sweet ride.”
Kenton’s voice sends a little nervous thrill through me. I rush over and, sure enough, my friend is standing next to my new car, staring at it like it’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. Seth’s got Kenton’s phone out and is taking pictures of Kenton with the Porsche like it’s a display at an amusement park. From Seth’s bored expression, this photoshoot was not his idea.
“Well, I guess now is as good a time as ever,” I mutter. I tug the keys free from my pocket, dangling them for the guys to see. “Anyone want to take a ride?”
They gape at me.
“You told me you were taking the city bus here,” Felix laments.
I look around to make sure it’s only the four of us on the little tree-lined street. “And that was the plan, but you know how you want me to get in with the vampires?” At once, all of their expressions change. Seth looks concerned, Kenton impressed, and Felix downright pissed off. “Well, Adrian agreed to keep working together and loaned me this car.”
I leave out the fact that by “working together” I meant becoming his next prodigy, and that by “loan” I meant give, but hey, I’m working in baby steps here.
“Is it safe?” Felix asks as I unlock it. He’s upon that car in all of two seconds flat, looking under the seats and in every nook and cranny like there’s got to be a hidden camera or a bomb or something. “Can you pop the trunk? The hood too while you’re at it.”
Kenton and Seth are right there with him.
“Don’t you think you’re overreacting a bit?” I fold my arms over my chest and tap my foot on the pavement.
“No,” Felix barks. His dark eyes land on mine from across the car. I’m not sure if he’s mad that I took the gift or that Adrian gave the gift or what’s going on exactly. Could it be jealousy?
“What if there’s a tracking device on this thing?” Seth breaks my train of thought. “Or a camera or something worse?”
“What could be worse?”
“I don’t know, a bomb?”
I laugh. “If Adrian wanted me dead, I’d be dead. Trust me.”
“So what? You shouldn’t have brought this here where your teammates live. You should’ve called me first and made a plan.”
My cheeks warm. “Okay, you have a point,” I relent, “I’m sorry.” But what they don’t realize is that if Adrian wanted to know who they were, then he wouldn’t need to go to these lengths. He saw their faces that night behind the casino. He does his due diligence. It’s very likely he already knows all about them. He could probably tell me their favorite breakfast cereal if I asked!
“Promise me one thing,” Kenton says with a cheeky smile that breaks the tension. “Once we know it’s safe, please let me be the first to drive her.”
As it turns out, Kenton gets his wish. After about twenty minutes of investigating, they can’t find a single thing wrong with the Porsche. Kenton and I climb in together for a joyride.
“But first, we need to set the tone,” he says, connecting his phone to Bluetooth. He turns on one of my favorite hip hop albums and we take off. He goes right to the freeway. “We gotta see how fast this girl can go.”
“Oh gosh, don’t get us pulled over.”
“I won’t.” He leans back in the driver’s seat and tightens his grip on the wheel.
There’s not a lot of traffic tonight, so he hits the gas and takes us up to the speed limit in seconds. I’m laughing the entire time.
Twenty minutes later we’re back and Seth is next.
“Mind if I go alone?” he asks.
I shrug. “Go for it.”
The request is a little weird but not unlike Seth, so whatever. Kenton gives me a hug and goes back to the party. I stay on the sidewalk with Felix. I’m not sure what to do. Hold his hand? Kiss him? Stay away because Ayla’s obviously unhappy about us being together?
He calms my worries by wrapping me into a tight hug and kissing the top of my head. “It’ll be alright,” he says.
We stay like that until Seth returns a couple minutes later. As soon as we hear the car coming, we break apart. Seth doesn’t need to know about us just yet. He parks and hands me the keys. I smile at Felix, dangling them in front of him.
“You ready?” I’m interested to know what he thinks about the car and to have another moment alone with him. “We can go together.” And maybe we can go somewhere pretty even though the sun has already set. It’s flat in New Orleans but there’s got to be somewhere we can see the lights of the city. Or even just drive around for a while and talk. That would be nice. Ayla and I did that all the time when she first got her license.
“Sorry, I’ve got to get some homework done and we have training tomorrow, so I’d better not. Go enjoy your party though. It’s all for you.” He leaves me standing on the street, wondering what happened as he goes back inside with Seth. I want to go after him and demand . . . something.
But what?
It’s only ten o’clock on my birthday, and I’m not ready for this day to be over. Everything has become so intense lately that getting this car and having some fun have felt like a dream. At least Kenton and I had a good time, but I wanted to experience it with Felix, and my feelings are a little hurt. I decide not to stick around the house any longer even though the party seems to be taking off again. I feel weird hanging out with a bunch of college kids when Felix is done for the night, so I say goodbye to everyone and check to see if my roommates want a ride home, but they don’t. They’re fun girls, and nice to me, but they’re older and focused on school. I get the feeling that I’ll never really get in with them, not the way real friends can. Not like with Ayla.
I slide into the driver’s seat and retrieve my phone, wanting to call her. I call my mom instead. She picks up after the first ring. “Hi, Evangeline. How’s my birthday girl doing?”
Mom’s been staying with a work friend on the outside of town since we got evicted, so getting to see her this morning was really nice. Ending the day in my own apartment instead of somewhere we live together? It’s . . . weird. Not bad. Not good. Just––weird.
“I’m doing good, Mom.” She still doesn’t know much about my involvement with Adrian, and she definitely doesn’t need to know about the Porsche, so I decide to leave that out.
She pauses for a second. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”
I don’t know if I’ve ever heard those words come out of her mouth. I sit up straight as my heart speeds up. “Why didn’t you tell me at breakfast?”
“I didn’t want to worry you on your birthday.”
“Worry . . . are you kidding me? It’s still my birthday, Mom.” I roll my eyes. This is typical Virginia Blackwood, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. At least she’s not arguing with me about her gambling anymore. I hope we never have to talk about that again.
“Can I come by before your shift at Pops tomorrow? What time are you working?” Her voice is relaxed, which is not like her either. But maybe I haven’t known the real her in a long time. She’s probably going to be a lot different now that she’s been compelled never to become addicted again, and I can’t wait to get to know the person she is without all that, but I have to remind myself she’s still Virginia. And she’s never going to be perfect. Nobody is. And I’m okay with that.
I tell her when to meet me and we finish up talking as I drive over to Ayla’s house. If my best friend isn’t ready to talk, I’ll go home, but I can’t end this day knowing I’ve hurt her. I need to make this right, so I park out front and knock on the same front door that I’ve knocked on a million times before.
Mrs. Moreno lets me in. “Honey, it’s so good to see you.” She hugs me right away.
“Can I see Ayla?”
She steps back with a little frown and whispers, “I hope you can get through to her. She’s in her room.”
Which is actually a guest room now. Ayla already helped her mom convert it to something new when she took most of her stuff to school. My heart does a little pang. Nothing went as planned. I wonder how she feels about everything. But maybe she’s right, maybe she doesn’t need a degree. Maybe college isn’t for her. Maybe I’m completely off base about why she left.
I find her laying in bed with all the lights on and her laptop opened beside her. She’s streaming an old sitcom with a terrible laugh track and doesn’t acknowledge me when I come in and say hello. I sit on the edge of the bed for about five minutes and she doesn’t move a muscle or look up once. When the audience members on the show laugh, she doesn’t join them. “Are you really going to pretend like I’m not even here?” I finally ask.
“Sure am. Same as you pretended like I wasn’t there anymore.”
Yeah, we fight every now and then, but this seems pretty childish. And Ayla knows I’ve always had a thing for Felix. She didn’t like it, didn’t think anything would ever come of it, but she still knew and it’s not like she ever seriously told me to stop. “I’ve called or texted you almost every day since you’ve been gone,” I say.
“Yeah, and during all that you never once mentioned that you’ve been hooking up with my brother.” She glares up from her computer. “How long has that been going on? Were you waiting for me to leave so you could shoot your shot?”
I hold up my hands. “First of all, I’m not hooking up with him. We’ve only kissed a few times. And second of all, you know I’ve always had a thing for your brother.”
“Yeah, and I was cool with it because I thought you’d never act on it and that you’d always put our friendship first. You’re my best friend, not his girlfriend.”
“Why can’t I be both?” I’m trying to hold my anger down, but she’s not making it easy.
“Are you really asking me that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? You’re being unfair.”
“Because, Eva, if you date him, what happens when you break up? It’ll force me to pick a side, and as much as I love you, he’s Felix. I can’t not pick my only sibling.”
That hurts. She’s already assuming Felix won’t want me and is planning for a dramatic breakup. “You don’t think I haven’t thought about that?” I whisper. “I know you’d pick him, and do you realize how much that sucks for me? Because I don’t have a sibling or another best friend. I have you. That’s it.”
“Apparently you have Felix.”
I clench and unclench my fists, growing more and more frustrated. “Don’t twist my words.” We go quiet for so long that I’m forced to fill it. “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean for you to find out like that. This thing with Felix is brand-new.”
“He had his shirt off. I’m not stupid, okay? So, did you finally lose your virginity then?”
I stand up, growing exhausted by this argument. “No, and even if I did, it shouldn’t be such a big deal. A girl shouldn’t be defined by her decisions about her body.”
“Are you kidding? It’s a big deal because you’ve always made it a big deal. I know what it means to you.”
“Okay but––”
“And it’s a big deal when it’s your best friend who’s keeping secrets from you.”
Silence stretches between us, pulling us further and further apart. “You don’t understand,” I grumble.
“You’re right, I don’t.”
“Ayla––”
“I think you should leave.”
And I think maybe she’s right. I go to stand in the doorway. I’m burning mad, but I also understand where she’s coming from because I know her better than anyone, and I know she was already hurting when she came home and now I’ve added to that pain with my secrets. I wonder if this is less about Felix and more about me keeping something from her. “Please, get help, okay? You need someone to talk to about everything. Are you going to be seeing that therapist regularly now?”
“So you think that because I dropped out of school that I’m somehow defective? Well, at least I tried, Eva. I don’t see you trying.”
“That stings.” My voice goes low. She knows how I was brought up, and she certainly knows I’m doing my best. I wasn’t raised like her with two parents, a steady income household, a beautiful house to grow up in, a legacy and cultural traditions and, and, and . . . I take a deep breath. “I’m actually talking about the vampire attack last month. You haven’t been the same since that awful party. You’re attributing your unhappiness with going away to college, but I just want you to talk to someone who can help you separate the two because maybe it’s the vampire thing that’s got you feeling this way. A professional is trained to help you get closure on things like that.”
“Closure?” She rolls her eyes. “How am I supposed to get closure when suckers are still out there? And now I have to think about you and Felix going out and hunting them every night when you’re not doing God knows what else.”
“Not every night.” In fact, we haven’t even gone out on a first official mission. Tate still isn’t back. Cameron is running the show like the little twerp he is, and he hasn’t authorized our team to actually do anything but train. We can’t even drop stakes in graveyards right now because the last time the guys did that, they went at night when they weren’t supposed to. It was the night I followed them and got attacked by a newly turned vampire, but I don’t think Cameron knows anything about that.
“Hunting is our way of coping with this messed up world,” I say at last, “you need to find your way of coping too.”
“Can you go now?” She’s being mean, and I could serve it right back, but I’m tired and I don’t want to fight. Hopefully she’ll soften over time and forgive me. But I’m not going to stop seeing Felix now that I’ve started. And I’m not going to give up the hunters. And I’m certainly not going to give up on Ayla’s mental health or our friendship.
“You know,” she says right before I close the door. “It’s best if you don’t come around here anymore. It’s safer for me considering your questionable life decisions.”
Tears prickle in my eyes, and I don’t know what to do or say because she’s right. She might not be safe around me. It’s the reason I didn’t stay here when the Morenos’ offered after Mom and I got evicted. And that was a good decision considering Hugo had me followed, and that Adrian knew the details of my home’s layout and where I slept. Who’s to say other vamps aren’t after me? And now that I’m actually Adrian’s fledgling, I’m going to have even more eyes on me.
I close the door and refuse to cry.
On the way out of the house, I give her parents a hug. “Contact me if you ever need anything or if Ayla needs me.”
Their eyes widen in surprise but they nod their agreement. I leave before they can start asking questions. I really hope Ayla will come around to my way of thinking or at least forgive me soon. But I’m not so sure she will. I know my friend––she’s as stubborn as I am.
Chapter 7
“Guess who’s back?” Kenton greets me as I amble into the gym the next morning after a terrible night’s sleep. At first, I’m confused by the statement, but then I see him––Leslie Tate. He’s standing on the stairs chatting with a few of the other hunters. The older man looks the same as he always did with his gray, inquisitive eyes hooded by bushy eyebrows. He was only gone for a few weeks, but to me it feels like an eternity. It also feels like something is wrong.
“Well, what did he say?” I remove my hoodie and toss it into one of the cubbies, heading over to the weights area with Kenton at my side. We’ve fallen into a routine where we workout together in the mornings. First we spot each other, then we spar. Felix and Seth are already out on the mat, paired up for the same thing. Once we’re all done, we have to do some of the simulations upstairs, maybe a lecture or two, and then we’re out before lunch. I know the guys are chomping at the bit to get real assignments, but I’m starting to get a little nervous about the prospect of actually hunting.
