4 Vamp Versus Vamp (13 page)

I chuckled. “I think it happened back in October when I became this.” I gestured toward myself.

“I don’t know if I have that strength, Lex. I don’t know if I can do what you do.” She shook her head, her eyes watering.

“No one’s asking you to, Mel. I won’t think any less of you if you walk away.”

“So, that’s my choice? Give up our friendship and live a normal, mediocre vampeen life without you, or stick by my sister’s side and live life on the edge under constant threat of assassination?” Her brows drew together in anger; she fisted her hands at her sides.

I sighed. “I wish it was easier, that it was black and white instead of gray. Based off what I’ve experienced so far, though, no one who’s around me is safe.”

“Lex, I’m not selfish enough to toss our friendship away. I chose you over my own mother, for crying out loud. You need to stop being such a masochist. Fight for what you want, yes, but don’t keep putting yourself down and willingly sacrificing anything and anyone to do it.”

Where was all this doubt creeping
in from?
Why was I constantly trying to fight this thing alone when so many were willing to step in and help? They weren’t making uneducated offers, yet I was blocking them every chance I got. I was so wrapped up in trying to control situations I would never have control of, and in the process was ruining my relationships.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I want you in my life. I want us to be looking back a hundred years from now with our great-grandchildren, laughing at all the attempts these
pendejos
made on our lives. I want us to laugh when they try and try, but get nowhere close to destroying what we have. You’re the Ethel to my Lucy, and I couldn’t survive all the mishaps without you.”

She smiled, extending her arms out to welcome another hug. “You should consider dyeing your hair red. How fitting would that be?”

“I don’t know how that would look on me.”

“Red is for anger; red is for blood. Red is for power. It’s a killer color, and a killer’s color.”

“I’m going to ignore the accusation in your reference.” I closed the gap between us. “This was one hell of a final human day.”

“Darn tootin’ fig newton.”

“You know, the more you hang out with Craig, the more you sound like him. Where did that line come from?”

She shrugged as she broke away. I heard my phone go off somewhere close, the ring shrilling from beneath a compress. She dug in her pocket and handed the device to me. Kellan’s name and picture appeared on the screen. The moment between Kai and me on the bridge had stolen my focus. How could I let that happen? What was I supposed to tell Kellan? How was I going to tell Kellan?

I answered on the final ring. “Hello?”

“Are you alright?” His trepidation caused guilt to drown me.

“Yeah. How are you?” I kept my voice soft.

“Better now that I’ve heard your voice.” He sighed.

I hesitated but knew he deserved the truth as soon as possible. “Kellan, I need to tell you something.”

“I already know about Kai.”

I shook my head, flabbergasted. “What? How?”

“You were on a busy bridge with cars full of people with camera phones. The picture was captured from multiple angles and uploaded to the Internet with many taglines.”

My body trembled. Breathing became a chore as I fought to shake off my shame. He was so calm; too calm. He was too good to me. I deserved to be yelled at, punished, something.

“You don’t deserve that, Kellan.” My voice was low.

“I know.” His tone was cold as ice. He took a deep breath, exhaling hard. “I’m tired of that — ” he grunted rather than give Kai a curse name “ — putting the moves on you. I saw in the pictures that you pushed him off you. At first I thought it was just you pulling back, but I saw the shock in your eyes. I was also watching when you gave him your cheek just a bit ago.”

My heart sprinted. I frantically looked around, searching for him. Drexel’s voice boomed over the noise of vamps working to cover and tow my car from the scene unobserved. Others were using a jackhammer to remove and then refinish the road where the black substance had connected with it and
made it
unsafe for cars to drive over its hardened texture. Army personnel were being debriefed on handling anyone caught between here and the borders a mile out. A vamp helicopter was hovering overhead, watching from the sky for what others might miss on foot. From an outsider’s point of view, it probably looked like a national disaster recovery zone. Amidst the commotion, though, I didn’t spot him.

Finally, he stepped out from behind one of the SUVs. I shoved my phone in my pocket and ran full speed into him. I leapt into his arms, my legs wrapping around his waist as I draped my arms around his neck. He squeezed me tightly to him.

“How? Where?” I stumbled to connect the dots.

“Let’s just say Kalel and I have an understanding. He called. I ran out of the house before anyone could ask where I was going.”

I stared into his emerald eyes, fire blazing in their depths. “How fast did you drive?”

“I may have run a few cars off the road before I hopped a ride with the helicopter.”

“You never cease to amaze me.”

“Hm. And you never cease to get yourself into a new pot of trouble.” His lips curled up. He kissed the inside of my elbows on either side of his head. “You need to slow down, Lexi. Your grandfather’s not an amateur.”

I looked back at my car. It was draped in black; its white finish would never be revealed again. “I asked Kai to train me with and without weapons.”

Kellan tensed. “If he lays another finger on you, I won’t hesitate to decapitate him.”

I swallowed my serum. I heard the sincerity of his threat; he was playing for keeps with me. While part of me was flattered, the other part was scared to death for Kai. I was learning new things about Kellan every day. He wasn’t the casual submissive vamp I thought he was; he truly was a force to be reckoned with.

I swung my gaze to his lips. “I don’t think Kai will try anything, but you can tag along if you’re worried.”

“Look at me, Lexi.” I lifted my eyes. “I’m not your babysitter; I’m your protector. Kai is the least of my worries, but he’s still on my radar, for obvious reasons. Just don’t fall for his tricks. While I think he cares about you, I also think he has hidden agendas no one knows about.” The ferocity of his tone twisted my stomach. He was serious; he sounded close to lethal.

“I’ll be careful.”

“Good.” He captured my lips in hungry rage. He was rough, his mouth connecting to mine with a purpose, yet he cared enough to soothe my lips with his tongue after he had his way with them. “Sometimes I feel like I have an ice block around my heart, and you’re the only one who can melt it.”

I pressed my lips to his once again, savoring the taste of him. “You’re not a cold person, Kellan; you’re a soldier. Sometimes you have to be cold in order to survive. It’s about perseverance, nothing more.”

“Uh, Lex?” Her voice carried over me.

I immediately dropped my legs to the ground and spun around to face Mel. She was wringing her hands, shifting from foot to foot. I immediately knew we were cutting it close. “What time is it?”

“10:56 p.m.”

“Crap.” I walked past her, seeking the man I knew was in charge. “Drexel!”

I gasped, stopping short when he appeared in front of me. “I need the helicopter to drop us as close to Mel’s house as possible. She’s dropping at midnight.”

“Let’s go.” He brushed past me, already issuing orders into a Bluetooth
headset
. I followed his bodybuilder frame through the mess and crowd of army members falling over to do his bidding.

Chapter 14

It was 11:34 p.m. when they dropped us over Mel’s house. We climbed down the rope ladder that descended into her backyard. Neighbors came out, curious as to what the commotion was. I was sure we’d have to do a bit of cleaning up, but we didn’t have time to focus on that right now.

The ones we’d left behind were waiting for us. Craig nearly took me out, his eyes shooting darts in my direction. He was more than pissed off.

Mel pressed a shaking hand against his chest. “Leave her alone. She saved me.”

“Yeah, well, your hide wouldn’t have needed a hero if it weren’t for the — ”

“Don’t make this personal.” Kellan was in his face in a split second. How had things gone south so quick? A simple last-minute human fun date was now dividing best friends.

“Both of you cut it out. We need to focus on my daughter right now, not some petty blame game.” Mr. Hartford cut between the two vamps and grabbed his daughter’s arm. “Let’s go, honey.”

Aunt Claire shook her head. “Let’s get inside, guys. We don’t need any more attention being drawn to this house that what already is.”

The guys scowled at each other before breaking apart. Craig stomped inside after Mel. Kellan took my hand, murmuring as we followed the rest of them.

“What happened out there, Lex?” Gabi asked the second I closed the back sliding glass door.

“I’m sorry, Gab, but now isn’t the time. I promise to tell you, but I need to help Mel get through the next twenty minutes first. I owe her that much at least.”

“Sure thing. Anything I can do to help,
chica
?” She leaned into
Jack,
his chocolate-colored arms wrapped protectively around her lightly tanned ones. There was such a stark contrast between the two of them, yet somehow they seemed right. His muscles flexed, even as his lips gently connected with Gabi’s dark brown locks. He didn’t interfere, but I knew had anyone crossed Gabi, he would have done what Kellan and Craig did. It hit me in that moment, the truth behind his feelings for her. They weren’t fabricated; they weren’t an illusion. He was as in love with Gabi as Kellan was with me and Craig was with Mel.

I smiled at Jack, my heart warming as a bit of the anger I held towards him dissipated under the new realization. “I’ll let you know.”

His dark eyes softened. He knew where my mind was. “Let us both know.”

I nodded.

Mel was supposed to be my focus today, not assassins, not love, not a love triangle. Only Mel. Yet I couldn’t even do that for my best friend. In my effort to find balance, in my drive for normality, somehow I was dropping the ball on everything.

I glanced at the clock. It was already fifteen minutes till midnight. I needed to clear the air with Mel before the clock struck twelve.

Aunt Claire, Steven, and Craig created a protective circle around her. I approached with caution. Craig immediately lashed out.

“Keep that snot raisin buffoon away from her!”

“Craig!” Mel snapped at him. “Stop yelling at her. This wasn’t her fault.”

“Yeah? Who delivered your arse to the rompen stumpers?” he snarled.

I swallowed hard, fighting to keep my emotions in check. This was the worst time for me to get worked up and create a light show. My heart thundered in my constricting chest. Rage began to course through my veins. I was angry
at
him for being so arrogant and ignorant. I was angry
at
myself for allowing any of this to take place.

“Mel, can I talk to you alone?” I clenched my jaw, struggling to focus on her and to do right by her.

“Come down to the basement. That’s where I’m changing, anyway.”

I followed her to the door beside the staircase. Opening the door, she immediately switched on the light and led me down.

I broke into a smile as we reached the bottom of the stairs. “Is that what you’re going to change in?”

Her face lit up. “Yup. My dad built it and me and Craig painted and upholstered it. I ordered the material from China. The padding is just regular stuffing from pillows.”

“Wow. You don’t do things halfway, do you?”

She chuckled. “Do you like it?”

I studied the coffin. It was painted hot pink and sealed with a thick, clear gloss. The inside was covered in a custom Hello Kitty vampire print. Hello Kitty was draped in a red and black cape, and fangs with droplets of blood on them protruded from her lips. Between each Kitty was all things vampire, from a silver cross lying in the center of a pink flower to a pound of garlic covered in a purple netting with a pink ribbon gathering the load around the top, to wooden stakes with bloodied tips and red bows decorating the top handle of the stake; it was every cliché dropped onto a cute, silky fabric lining the inside of the ultimate teenage vamp’s sleep chamber.

“Are you kidding? It’s amazing! I’m totally jealous that I don’t have an ounce of your creative flair.”

“Yes, you do. You draw really, really well, and you have a good voice on you, from what I heard in the shower one time a few years ago.”

I felt myself blush. “I know things got out of hand today and shook you a bit. While my life isn’t all roses and Hello Kitty like before, it’s also not government ops and life threats twenty-four/seven, either. In the vamp world, there’s a struggle for power going on. It’s not quite a democracy with one leader, but not exactly a liberal authority, either, and I’m, we’re — Kellan and me are — caught in the middle of it. That doesn’t automatically mean that you will be, too, but I can’t make any promises.