Wicked Sun: Vampires & Vices No. 3, page 7
“Yeah, this pool just looks amazing. I was thinking of how nice it would be to jump in right now. I don’t normally like swimming, but this summer was so busy that I missed out on the fun.” I’m totally rambling.
“There will be plenty of time for swimming,” she laughs. “Come on now, let’s go to your room.”
I stare longingly at the cobalt blue pool as she drags me away. A strange feeling comes rushing right back with her touch, but I don’t shake her off again. I’m still not sure how I feel about her or this place. On one hand, Casa Del Sole is beautiful and welcoming, the kind of home that existed only in my dreams. But on the other hand, I’m not sure how safe I am here. And I want to go home. I miss my mom, and I really miss Ayla.
A thought strikes me as we pass by a pair of what I think are students. They’re close in age to me and say hello as we pass, then scurry off around one of the many corners. “You know I’m not enrolling here, right? I’m only staying for a little bit to get away from the vampires until things die down. I’m going home soon.”
Remi gives me a pitying look. I know what she’s thinking, that I don’t have a home to go back to anymore, that nowhere is safe for me now that vampires are after me. But she doesn’t understand how badly I want to return to normal. Why should I be punished for something Brisa did? I was forced to leave New Orleans––but what about my new apartment? What about my mom? My life? I’ve got to find a way to get it back.
“Think of this place as a vocational training program instead of a school. People come here at all sorts of ages, but most are college-aged young adults like us, which makes it more fun. You might actually be interested in what we do here after you learn more about it.” Her voice drops. “And about yourself.” Her eyes are practically bugging out of her head, and I know she wants to tell me more.
My mouth turns to sawdust as I consider her words. If I’m like them, that means this is a place for energy demons like Tate. Are they here to learn how to drain humans? I’m not about to trade becoming a bloodsucking vampire for an energy one. So far, I haven’t seen a single aura, so I can safely assume these people aren’t regular humans, not even the guards or the staff. And just because I may fit in here, doesn’t mean I want to.
“Does this have something to do with the fact that none of y’all have auras?” I blurt out, then my mouth pops open, and I drop her hand. “Maybe I shouldn’t have asked that. I’m not good at knowing when to shut my mouth.”
She grabs my hand again and tugs me into my room, closing the door. The room is on the top floor and bigger than any bedroom I’ve had before, with pretty wood furniture and white linens. A large window overlooks the coastline, and same as at the castle, there are silver bars fastened across it. But I barely have time to take any of that in, I’m more concerned with whatever Remi’s doing to me. Her touch makes me want to talk, to trust her with all the fears I normally keep to myself.
“How much do you know?” she demands in a whisper. “Tate said you don’t know anything, but you obviously do.”
My hackles rise, but I can’t help from spilling my guts, hoping this burden won’t be mine to carry alone anymore. “I know that Tate sucks energy from humans and that he’s not the only one. I’ve seen people like you without auras doing it before.” My voice goes impossibly low, and my heart pounds. “I also know he can make people do things or forget things. It’s a lot like vampire compulsion.”
Her lips thin, and guilt shadows her pretty face. “Okay, so you know a lot. Full disclosure, I’m supposed to report anything you say back to him,” she says, holding up her hands and finally dropping mine.
“So don’t,” I reply. This time, I fold my arms and tuck my hands against my sides.
“I have to do my job,” she says sheepishly.
“So can Tate do that manipulation thing on you too?” I tilt my head at her. “Is that why you have to do your job? Or is it that you want to do your job?”
“Both,” she shrugs, and that’s all I need to know.
No more telling my feelings to someone who’s going to go blabber them all to Tate. At least now I know not to trust her with any secrets. “Fine, but at least tell me what he is, and what I’m guessing you are too? Because in my head, I’ve been calling you people energy demons.”
She gasps and murmurs to herself in French. “We are not demons!”
I shrug. “Then what are you?”
A knock sounds on the door, and we both jump. Leslie Tate strides into the room. “How are you settling in, Eva? Feeling okay?”
“I’ll leave you two alone to talk,” Remi squeaks out, and then scurries out the door. I can’t come to grips between the woman who was my maidservant back in Versailles and this jumpy girl. How could she have been so brave in the face of vampires but acts so skittish around Tate? Is she afraid of him? Intimidated? He must have more power over her than he does over me, which I’m pretty sure has something to do with the venom.
I turn on Tate and rest my hands on my hips. “To answer your question, I’m fine, but I’m ready for you to tell me what’s really going on.”
“Remi explained what we do here?” he asks, circling the room. Is he going to ignore the fact that Remi practically ran out of here?
“In a way.” I raise a brow. “She showed me around and said it’s like a vocational training program.” I level him with a hard stare. “But she wouldn’t say what for.”
He stares right back, as if weighing all possibilities in his mind. I’m waiting for him to do his manipulation trick on me to test if it will work again. I don’t think it will work as well as he would want it to.
“You’re to stay away from the students and out of the classrooms for the time being,” he says abruptly. “You’re here because we need to keep you out of the vampire’s hands, and that’s all for now.”
I scoff. “Why can’t you just tell me? I already told Remi that I know about you sucking energy from humans, I’ve seen it. And I know that you can compel people similar to the way vampires do.”
“That’s a special talent of mine personally,” he answers. There’s frustration lacing his tone. This man isn’t used to being talked back to. “So you can see why the family has decided to make sure you can be trusted before letting you in on the secrets.”
I balk at him. “See! This is what I mean. Do you know what I am? Am I different from other humans?”
He heaves a heavy sigh. “It’s not all up to me to give you these answers. But again, once we’re sure you can be trusted, you’ll be the first to know. In the meantime, you’ll be safe here.”
“Really? Because it feels like I’m here to be your prisoner. The same thing happened with the vampires.”
His eyes flash. “And does any part of you miss the vampires? Do you feel yourself being drawn to them in any way?”
Memories of Adrian come to mind, and I squash them.
“No, of course not, but I feel like we’re in a game of chicken right now. I can’t trust you until you tell me the truth––so how am I supposed to act like I can be trusted? You already know I hate the vampires, but you act like I don’t.”
He laughs at that.
“What’s so funny?”
“You left New Orleans with a vampire prince! And then you played dress-up with the queen and her court. And now you have the oldest and most powerful vampire venom in your veins. So forgive me for being skeptical.”
“You picked me up, not the other way around.” I glare, a fury building inside me, but I have to admit his reasoning makes sense. That still doesn’t make up for the fact that I did those things because I was forced to. “None of that was my choice.”
My face heats remembering my time in bed with Adrian, something that was most definitely my choice. A bad one, but still mine. Everything else, though? Not my doing! A little voice in the back of my head is yelling at me to cut the shit and take accountability for my part, but I silence her.
“Be that as it may, my family has an obligation to protect our interests.”
Here he goes again with the “family” talk. I step back and release the wind from my sails. This conversation is going in circles. If I act appreciative, then maybe Tate will loosen the reins a bit and I can figure out what an energy demon actually is. Remi acted like calling her a demon was a slap in the face, so they must be something else.
“You win,” I say, defeated, “tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”
Words I never thought would come out of my mouth. But the more I’m around him, the more I’m reminded that he’s in the power position. He brought me to this fortress, and I’m not sure if the monsters outside of its walls are any worse than the monsters inside them. I have to play nice and get his family to trust me, which means I’ll have to hang on to his every word and act as if he walks on water. The man has an ego the size of Texas, and I should’ve realized this about him the day we met.
He smiles like he’s just won our little game, but I’m not done playing. “Today, you will lay low and keep to your room.” He heads for the door.
“And tomorrow?” I ask, hopeful.
He stops and turns back to me. “Tomorrow, you will meet the family.”
CHAPTER 12
After a long nap, I wake up renewed and ready to take fate into my own hands. There’s a walk-in closet and a chest of drawers filled with clothes in my size and, figuring they must be for me, I rummage around until I find a black one-piece bathing suit and matching cover-up. I change and set out for the indoor pool. I’m not really interested in swimming as much as I am looking for a good excuse to explore this place on my own.
When I leave my room, however, I’m met with the same two guards who accompanied Tate and me in the helicopter this morning. Neither of them have auras, both are middle-aged and rippled with muscles, and they’ve practically got “no-nonsense” written on their foreheads.
“Where are you going?” the first guy asks in a thick Russian accent. The second one just grunts and looks me up and down like I’m a security threat.
I motion to my outfit. “Swimming.”
“Did Tate approve this?”
I roll my eyes and play it cool. “I need some exercise, and Tate only said the classrooms and other students were off-limits, so the swimming pool should be fair game.” I turn on my heels and head in that direction, half expecting them to drag me back into my new room, but they follow behind and don’t say another word.
So much for exploring, they’re not going to let me out of their sight. I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything different, but I’m still disappointed. I remember where the pool is, but I take a wrong turn on purpose to see what the guards will say. They’re quick to correct my error.
“I thought you said you wanted to go swimming?” the Russian asks gruffly.
My cheeks redden as I turn around. “I do.”
“This way then.” He nods toward the opposite corridor, and I follow after him. I’ve got myself sandwiched between these guards, and I’m itching to get away from them. They’re here to watch me more than to protect me, and I’m not used to being around anyone this much. I’ve been a lone wolf type of girl for years. I was good with Ayla when I needed a friend, but enjoyed being by myself a lot. Being followed like this isn’t something I’m too keen on.
When we get to the pool room, it’s blissfully empty. I release a sigh, thankful that I don’t have to deal with even more people. The large room is lined with gleaming white tiles and the pool is long, thin, and bright turquoise. It’s only a lap pool, but that’s fine by me. It’s also deep, and the reflection of the water bounces off the low ceiling. If I watch it for too long I’ll get dizzy.
I remove my cover-up and dive in. The cold water washes over me, and I’m instantly able to let my worries go. I’m not big on the cold, so normally I would screech like a drowned rat in this temperature, but something about today feels infinitely different. Maybe it’s the venom or the change in scenery, or simply doing something as normal as swimming, but I love this cold pool.
I swim laps for a while, getting lost in my thoughts before allowing them to wash away with the water. My body is fluid as I pump from side to side of the pool, and my muscles warm up. I’ve never gone this fast. I feel like an Olympic swimmer and imagine myself in a race. Maybe I should’ve joined the swim team in high school instead of running track because this is amazing. I could be off winning championships with some university scholarship right now.
I know it’s the venom, but it’s still fun to imagine.
“Hey, watch out!” A voice breaks me from my daydream, and I stop, my head bobbing on the surface.
“Do you mind?” another voice adds. Staring down from the side of the pool is a group of two guys and two girls about my age. One of the girls points to the pool water. It’s swishing so hard that big waves have lapped up onto the pool deck. “You’re going to get the towels wet.”
I blink in surprise. I hadn’t realized I’d been swimming so fast and had displaced so much water. It must be the venom that’s made me stronger than I’m used to. “Oh, sorry.” I sink back down into the water. I don’t know why I’m embarrassed––I usually don’t care what people think––but I am, and it’s annoying. They strip down to their swimsuits and jump in, and I wade to the ladder to climb out.
“You’re the new girl, right? Evangeline? We’ve heard about you.” One of the guys catches me before I go. “I’m Gentry.” He has an American accent, and something about that makes me feel like I’m not so out of my element here.
“Gentry, don’t talk to her,” the girl from before chastises him. “My family hasn’t approved of her yet. You know the rules.”
So she’s one of them . . .
I’m not surprised that they’ve been instructed not to talk to me, and it’s not like I need to talk to them either. They may look like normal humans, but I know better. None of them have auras! I can’t let myself get manipulated again, and who knows what kind of powers they have. Tate can manipulate minds, and Remi was trying to do something to my emotions. The girl got me to admit my energy demon theory. My hackles rise as I realize I’m not safe around these people.
Gentry shrugs and grins at me, dimples popping in both of his cheeks. He’s a home-grown American boy type, and nothing I can’t deal with if we’re just talking about appearances. But who knows what kind of powers he could have. I suck it up and return his smile, shaking his hand and testing to see what happens when I touch him.
Nothing. Thank goodness.
“Hi, Gentry. Yep that’s me, but call me Eva. Only my mother calls me Evangeline.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“That’s enough,” one of my guards cuts him off and points to me. “Time to go.”
“That’s what I was doing.” I roll my eyes and climb from the pool, shooting Gentry a genuine smile. “It’s nice to meet you too.”
Is it nice to meet him, though? I don’t think anyone here can be trusted. It’s not lost on me that seeing human auras was an ability that came with venom, but I’m glad I have the ability now. It’s one of the vampire defenses to be able to tell humans apart from whatever these enemies of theirs are, and now I can tell the difference too. But if these people are the suckers’ enemies, does that make them my allies?
Ugh . . . I don’t even know anymore, and I certainly don’t want to face the reality that I could be one of them, even though it’s time I face it. It’s not as if I want to sign up for this school, but it would be nice to have some answers for once.
I dry myself off with one of the fluffy white towels and leave these kids to it. I hurry back to my bedroom and shower just in time for a late lunch to be delivered to my door. Four mini triangle sandwiches are piled next to a handful of berries and grapes, and my stomach grumbles just looking at it.
The guard hands me a couple of water bottles. “Do you need anything else for the night?”
“Oh, so I guess this is dinner too.” I sigh and set the food and water down on my bedside table. I know Tate wanted me to lay low, but I didn’t expect to be so shut off from everyone. “How about a phone?”
“No can do.” He shakes his head. “Anything else?”
“You people are really starting to piss me off.” I widen my eyes. “I need to call my mother, and nobody has a right to keep her from me, not even Tate.”
“Sorry, kid. This place is a sanctuary for a reason. None of the students have phones.”
“I’m not a student.”
“Nope.”
I throw my hands up. “Alright, what about television? Or books? Something to keep me from dying of boredom?”
He strides past me and opens the nightstand drawer, retrieving a thin remote. With the push of a button, a gold-framed print of the Italian countryside flickers on. I had no idea it was a television; who has a television that looks like artwork? This place is next level.
He hands the remote over. “We’re not trying to make your life harder,” he says, “in fact, we’re doing the opposite. Think of how hard your life would be if you weren’t somewhere safe the next time you want to complain.” With that, he leaves, locking the door behind him.
I roll my eyes, hating that he’s right, and get to eating while flipping through the channels. Most of them are in Italian, so they’re no use. Why is it that most Americans only know English, myself included? Other countries teach people multiple languages in school, but ours doesn’t. I find that quite annoying at the moment. Sure, I picked up on a little Spanish from the Moreno family, which sounds similar to Italian, but I still have no idea what the people on the TV are talking about. I study the remote harder and locate a button for a streaming service.
Thank heavens it works. I settle into a new series, hoping it’s binge-worthy enough to get my mind off everything. Luckily the show is funny, and the best part? It has absolutely nothing to do with supernaturals. I think I’ve had enough of them for today.
