Bad Blood (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 3) (29 page)

When I was little, Mom and I would see Grandma and Grandpa off at the airport every October right before they headed to Florida for the winter. Back then, we could walk right up to their gate and watch as they passed through the door leading to their plane.

That was before terrorism became a household name in homes across America. A different era. The world had changed, and not only for me. Life by definition had never been safe, but it was the realization of previously unknown dangers that made everything appear under a new light of uncertainty and fear.

I was more afraid to lose my mom than my own life.

I stood beside her in line at baggage check, watching each person ahead of us load their suitcase onto the belt and hand over their boarding pass and ID for the attendant to verify. I couldn’t speak. An empty pit had formed in my stomach. I’d expected to feel relieved.

“I’m actually looking forward to extending the summer,” Mom said. “I won’t mind skipping the snow this year, though I’ve always loved having a white Christmas. But even that I won’t mind missing, since you’re coming down for the holiday.”

I nodded my head, only half-listening. She’d chattered like this ever since we arrived at the airport.

“Aurora,” Mom finally said, taking on a more serious tone.

There was only one person in front of her and Gran now. I turned my head to show her I was listening.

Her forehead wrinkled as she looked into my eyes.

“You don’t have to worry about your grandmother and me anymore. Just worry about yourself and stay safe. Promise me I’ll see you at Christmas.”

Mom sounded so cheerful a moment ago that it hadn’t occurred to me she was as worried as I was. Sometimes it seemed like she believed being a vampire hunter made me indestructible.

“You’ll see me at Christmas,” I said. “I promise.”

“Good,” she said, eyes brightening. “Now promise you won’t miss any more classes.”

“I’ll try.”

Mom twisted her lips into a frown. She was about to say something, but the person in front of her walked away, and it was her turn to put her suitcase on the luggage belt. I stepped back while she and Gran checked in one bag each.

Dante stood ten feet back, texting. He lowered his phone when I joined him.

“They’re going to be fine,” Dante said.

Easy enough for him to say. I nodded slightly, keeping them in my sight.

Once their luggage was checked, our small group headed over to the security line.

I would have been happier walking through with them and watching their plane take off from the gate. Damn terrorists. Damn vampires. What was the world coming to?

My palms felt clammy. Being the one to leave had been much easier six months ago. Staying behind was so much harder.

Gran readjusted her silk scarf around her neck and checked her wristwatch. There was plenty of time before their flight, and the line at security only went back about twenty feet.

Five feet from the roped line, I stopped and threw my arms around my mom.

“I love you,” I said quickly.

“Oh, honey,” she said, squeezing me gently. “I love you more than you can possibly know.”

“Take care of our little girl,” Gran said, wagging one slender finger at Dante.

“I will, Abby.”

I let the “little girl” comment go and gave Gran a hug, too.

“You take care, dear. Don’t get into trouble. College is college. I don’t care if it’s not Notre Dame. You hit those books, and you hit them hard. Make us proud.”

“She makes us proud every day,” my mom said.

Gran nodded more in thought than agreement and gave me a final pat on the shoulder. “Ace all your tests, Aurora. I know you can do it if you put your mind to it.”

For the first time that day, a smile twitched over my lips.

“Thanks for your vote of confidence, Gran.”

“And you, young man,” Gran said, turning to Dante. He started to smile until he saw she wasn’t grinning.

“I like you,” Gran said. “But if Aurora’s grades drop I’m holding you personally responsible.”

Yeah, Dante. I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing, especially when he answered with a “Yes, Ma’am.”

She turned back to me. “And no more of this missing class business.”

My mom put her hand on Gran’s arm. “Okay, Mom. We need to get going.”

Gran’s face brightened. “Right. Good-bye, dears,” she said, blowing kisses at Dante and me. “Take care, and we will see you soon.”

“Bye, Gran. Bye, Mom.” I waved even though they were only two feet in front of me.

Mom gave me a kiss on the cheek and whispered one last “Be safe” before joining Gran down the maze of ropes leading to the X-ray machines. Dante and I stood outside the roped area watching in silence. Before proceeding to the security belt, Mom turned around and gave me one last little wave.

I waved back.

“They’re safe now,” Dante said, once they disappeared into the terminal beyond security.

I felt annoyed more than anything else.

They weren’t safe.

What if their plane crashed? What if a drunk driver hit their cab on the way home from the airport? What if burglars thought Grandma was still out of town and burst in on them in the middle of the night and shot them dead?

They would never be safe.

I took a deep breath. Not helpful, Aurora. Not helpful at all.

14

“So how do we find Giselle?” I asked, watching the security line long after my mom had disappeared from sight.

“We don’t,” Dante said.

“Let me guess. We let her find me.” When I looked at Dante, he smiled.

“We’re like one mind,” he said.

I rolled my eyes. We headed for the escalators.

“What did Melcher say this afternoon?” I asked.

“He said he’s been ready for Giselle for the past six months. He has all his Anchorage informants keeping an eye out for her, including Noel.”

“Noel?” I repeated.

“I think we should talk to her now,” Dante said.

My frown deepened.

“Do it for your family.”

I nodded. I’d do anything for my family, even if it meant collaborating with Noel and taking orders from Melcher.

“Fine,” I said. “So long as we take care of Giselle quickly. I want to lure her out this weekend.”

Dante shook his head. “Can’t. Melcher wants us back at Diederick’s next tasting.”

My spine straightened. “I don’t care about tastings! I’ve got bigger problems to deal with.”

I started walking faster, several steps ahead of Dante. The last thing I planned on doing this weekend was twiddling my thumbs at some stupid highfalutin vamp party while Giselle roamed free.

When Dante caught up to me, I said, “You can go to the tasting. I’m taking care of Giselle.”

“Hey,” he said, touching my cheek. “We’re in this together, but we’ve still got orders to follow.”

I turned my face away. Dante could be so frustrating.

“Here’s a little something that will cheer you up,” he continued. “This weekend, we’ve got our first hit, and you get to do the honors.”

All I could do was stare at him, and the more I stared at him, the more it sunk in that he wasn’t kidding. Dante thought he was delivering good news. Like one mind. More like polar opposites.

Nothing like the threat of a vampire to put me in a funk. I didn’t want to be annoyed at Dante. He wasn’t the problem. The problem was Giselle. Melcher. Jared.

I sighed. “Who’s the target?”

“Melcher wouldn’t tell me—said he’ll go over the plan with the three of us tomorrow afternoon.”

“Of course.”

Dante gave me a soft push on the shoulder and smiled. “Come on, Noel’s expecting us. I texted her while you were saying bye to your mom.”

The three of us stood in the kitchen drinking mugs of coffee Noel had prepared. Usually I preferred tea, but right now I needed something stronger.

Turned out Noel had nothing useful to share with us about Giselle. Six months ago, Melcher had shown her a photo of the blond vampire and told her to keep an eye out. Real helpful. At Dante’s urging, I shared the obituaries Giselle had left me, taking them right back as soon as Noel finished reading.