Night Fever (A Rue Darrow Novel Book 3) (4 page)

Ten minutes later I arrived in front of my apartment building. Everything appeared the same, except someone had chained a bike at the top of the stairs, right outside my door. Flowers hung in a couple window boxes on the first floor. I didn’t ride a bike, and Almonester probably wouldn’t be caught dead with flowers. That answered my question. My tiny little apartment was lost to me, and I didn’t have a job. A lot could change in a few hours or two hundred years.

Chapter Five

I arrived at Nathan’s to find him standing before his closet. As long as I’ve known Nathan, he hasn’t been the type to get too involved mentally in choosing what he wore. You could say he resembled the stereotype of his kind like an identical twin.

I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. For a moment neither of us moved, and then he spun to face me. The hands on my shoulders and the serious expression had me worried.

“Are you so angry about before you’re breaking if off with me?” I didn’t actually believe what I was asking, but one never knew.

“No, of course not!” He dragged me to his chest and rubbed my back as if I had abandonment issues. I wondered if I did. After all, my sire left without a trace, and I hadn’t heard or sensed him since. Nathan was more than attentive, and I didn’t mind at all. “I’ve been doing some thinking.”

My eyes widened. “About what?”

“About us.”

That surprised me. “Nathan, I promise we’re okay.”

He moved away and ran fingers through his hair. “I should have said about me. Rue, I’ve been nothing but a burden on you and everyone I’ve ever known.”

“That’s not true.”

“I’ve depended on you to hire me for the jobs you get.”

I was still a nose for hire. Good to know. “You’ve had your own clients, Nathan.”

“Rare because I can’t control myself. So, I’m turning over a new leaf.”

I eyed the closet. “By dumping the jeans and T-shirts?”

“Not exactly.”

I dropped onto the bed I assume we shared. The framework was special made as well as the box spring and mattress to accommodate Nathan’s size. As for myself, I could roll a few times starting at one side and reach the other end after a bit. “Care to explain, big guy?”

“I’m going to a werewolf convention.”

I blinked. He looked serious. “A…”

He had the boldness to repeat it. Nope, it still sounded crazy. “I’m considering becoming an alpha, but I need to be trained.”

“There’s training like a job for that? Does someone have groups of werewolves who need to hire an alpha?”

Nathan flared his nostrils. “Rue, this isn’t a joking matter.”

I tried to look understanding despite my amusement.

He walked over to me and sat down to take my hand. “Baby, I want you to know I’m not leaving you.”

Something shifted inside me. “The convention isn’t in NOLA?”

“No.” He squeezed my fingers and then laced his with mine. “Like I said, I’m not leaving. This is temporary. Plus, if I do it, the trainer will come to NOLA, but I’d still be under another werewolf during that time.”

I frowned at him. “Are you sure this isn’t a multi-level marketing scheme?”

“Rue!”

“Okay, okay. I’ll hold down the apartment until you come back. How long are we talking, and how much is the rent on this mausoleum?”

He told me, and I gulped.

“Perhaps I should get a roommate.”

“I was planning on it. Remember, we talked about it because the bills are getting out of hand.”

“Sure.” I had no recollection of this discussion because it happened before I changed time—or after. Time confused me. Wrapping my arms around Nathan’s neck, I lay on his chest and shut my eyes. “Don’t be gone long, Nathan, or I will hunt you down just like you warned me.”

“Not a chance, baby. I can’t let my woman stay alone long. Some other idiot might move in on her. Then I will have to kill him.”

“Have to, huh?” I teased.

“Yup. Have to.” He stood. “Okay, help me choose better clothing so I can make a good impression on the alpha.”

I followed him to the closet and proceeded to reject everything he grabbed. “Don’t worry. You’ll have those puppies tamed in no time. Also, if anyone asks, you’re taken. Don’t let the full moon make you forget your girlfriend is a vampire with sharp fangs.”

He laughed. “Duly threatened.”

I joked around with Nathan nonstop, but inside I worried. My sire had been my boyfriend. Ian had taken me from my home in North Carolina and helped me start a new life in Louisiana. Then he had been called to his home country. I never heard from him again, and one day I sensed our connection was severed. The cut might have been deliberate. I’m not sure. Either way, he left me on my own, and I found a new love—Nathan. Now Nathan was leaving. All I could do was hope he would come back and that he wouldn’t be gone too long.

* * * *

The night air blew all around me as I used it to flit from location to location. For the last couple of days, I kept moving. I think it had to do with not focusing on Nathan being gone. Jazz music from a particular spot caught my attention, and I slowed to listen. A park across the street had drawn lovers to stroll arm-in-arm as they, too, enjoyed the sounds of the city. I didn’t venture that way as it was counter-productive.

Scents of spaghetti and gumbo floated on the air. I recalled I needed to restock my red wine as I had learned at last to drink it. When I began exploring Nathan’s apartment after he left, I found a cabinet dedicated to the only item other than blood I could consume. All the other cabinets and the refrigerator were crammed with food for Nathan. The man had a huge appetite.

Since his roommate and best friend had been murdered not too long ago, I looked for signs of that being still true and found it was, to my disappointment. Nathan had taken the loss hard, and it would have been great if Dalton had come back with circumstances of the past changed. I supposed my scope of influence and Orin and Pammie’s weren’t that wide. Pretty sad in retrospect.

Also in the air was a scent of death. I had smelled it before, but it wasn’t like Death as in Bill. From my experience, Bill and the being I had met in the past that was also called Death held unique scents in their own right. This scent I picked up didn’t compare, but it was such a low level, I couldn’t pinpoint from what direction it came. Nor did I want to.

As I strode down the street, a new scent wafted beneath my nose. This one I knew, and for some reason curiosity came over me to seek it out. Perhaps Violet worked a case in the area, and I could see how far I could push her before she threatened to lock me up for interfering with justice or some such.

The restaurant I came upon surprised me. I sniffed. Violet was definitely inside, but I expected to see her squad car parked at the curb. Customer vehicles were being valet parked, and none matched Violet’s. I strode in through the entrance of the restaurant, and a host approached with a smile. Her gaze drifted by me to see if I was alone.

“One for dinner?” she asked.

I started to answer when I spotted Violet in a cute white dress that clung to her figure. Her eyes were too wide, but they were made up. When she raised a hand to the glass of wine before her, she almost knocked it over.
Curious indeed.
I smirked and bypassed the host to get a better look. A fern had been blocking my vision, but now I saw the opposite side of Violet’s table.

“Well, well, our little Violet is on a date,” I murmured in amusement.

Of course the werewolf heard me, and she turned her head to glower at me. I moved back to keep her in sight but myself out of her date’s line of vision. I had already identified him as well. He was the cop from Homicide who was attracted to her. I had met him during the time of Nathan’s arrest. Violet had at last given in, and I was glad to see it.

Violet lifted her cloth napkin to her lips and whispered, “Why are you here?”

She knew I would pick up her voice, but her very human companion wouldn’t.

“Why not? All the better to enjoy the sights.”

She grumbled, and I enjoyed watching her squirm a little longer. To my surprise, Violet wasn’t confident at all on the date. She was awkward and self-conscious. When her date tried touching her hand, she jerked away so wildly she bumped a passing waiter and caused him to drop his tray. I decided I had better leave, or she would have a meltdown. However, having nothing to do at the moment and my curiosity still raging, I didn’t go far.

A short while later, Violet and her date left the restaurant and started walking away from where I stood. I followed. This was a good time to practice cloaking myself. I had no real idea how it worked, but I figured it started as a state of mind. I willed myself to be hidden and watched for reactions on the human’s faces as I walked by. Various men as usual gave me second glances, which meant I wasn’t hidden. Darn it.

Violet held her shoulders stiff as she walked beside her date. He reached for her hand, and when she pulled away, he chased after her and held on anyway. Good man. From what Violet had shared with me previously, she wasn’t alpha, but she was werewolf, and they were an aggressive breed. He would need a bit more gumption to win her.

The awkward couple arrived at the theatre, and I looked up at the marquee to see what was playing. I hadn’t been to a movie in a long time, and now I had lost interest in Violet and her boyfriend. A flick could be a diversion. I made my selection at random because I hadn’t been watching TV to know what the features were about. In the dark theatre, I discovered I had still ended up choosing the same movie as Violet. The narrow selection had made the odds good.

The opening credits faded into view. An older man who appeared to be in his sixties plunked down beside me with a huge tub of buttered popcorn, and three teenagers joined two others a couple rows ahead. I scanned the auditorium for better seating and recalled I should probably turn off my cell ringer. In the middle of clicking the button is when it happened.

My first clue was the scent. Decay permeated the air as if someone had opened the door on old rotting food and let it seep into the theatre. The man next to me raised his bucket of popcorn and sniffed it.

That’s not it, buddy.

The second clue came with multiple grunts from various voices. Someone or some
thing
stirred near the exit hall beyond the screen. I stood and peered toward Violet. She was already on her feet, and her date looked at her curiously.

“Do you have your gun?” Violet asked him.

“What? Violet, what are you talking about? Sit down.” He reached for her, but now he heard it, too. Someone called out behind me to stop blocking the movie. None of the humans were aware of what was about to happen. At least, not until the humans on the first row started screaming.

Chapter Six

Pandemonium hit the theatre. Humans screamed and ran for the exit as a small horde of ghouls grabbed the closest living person next to them and started chewing. No one had to tell me these things were ghouls. I recalled Nathan mentioning the word in a text and the crazed man who had run into the paranormal library talking about them. Now I got to see a dozen of these beings in action.

From the looks of them, they were once human. Now they were dead. Similar to zombies but with more brainpower. I zipped down the aisle to the front to stop the nearest ghoul from feasting on a panicked teenage girl. When the ghoul bit into her arm, she fainted. He was okay with trying to consume her whether she was responsive or not. I grabbed the man, who looked about my age with a similar build, around the neck and thrust him backward. Imagine my surprise when all he did was stagger.

“Let her go,” I demanded and shoved him again. This time, he dropped the girl and launched himself at me. I dodged his attack and punched with a lot more force than a woman my size should have. His head snapped back on his shoulders, but he straightened and bared his teeth. “This is a ghoul?”

Their strength was unbelievable. I had my hands full with the one ghoul, punching and kicking him to take him down. Each time I managed to get him off his feet, he staggered back up, laughing at me. While I saw intelligence in his eyes, he was distracted often by the girl still in a dead faint on the floor. The way his nostrils flared, I realized her scent enticed him. Ghouls seemed to love the scent of humans for food, and their hunger drove them.

While I marveled at the creatures, shots fired somewhere nearby, and I spun to take in the scene around me. Violet had squeezed off a few shots into another ghoul, who was coming toward her. Her boyfriend also held his weapon in his hand.

“What the hell is going on here?” he shouted and pulled the trigger a couple times. “They’re not staying down.”

My distraction cost me when the ghoul I had been fighting landed on top of me, and I found myself pinned to the floor. He bit into my shoulder, and I howled in pain.

“Get off her.” Violet’s boyfriend made his way around the ghoul attacking him to try to get to me. I threw a hand out to him as I reached over my shoulder to knot my fingers into the ghoul’s head.

“Don’t come any closer,” I commanded him. “I’ll take care of myself.”

The human didn’t know I was a vampire, and he couldn’t offer me more help than I could offer myself. I would have loved to have the luxury of waiting until he turned his head, but I might end up a chew toy. Not a cool prospect. I flattened both hands on the floor under me and shoved upward. The ghoul tumbled backward. I saw from the corner of my eyes that Violet’s beau was amazed at my strength, but I ignored him for now.

Thrusting an elbow into the solar plexus of the ghoul, I stomped on his instep. The ghoul gave a short grunt, and I grabbed his head over my shoulder and gave it a sharp twist. He crumpled, and this time, he didn’t get up again.

“Cam,” Violet cried out in alarm.

So that was the boyfriend’s name. I finished with my issue just in time to see Violet about to wolf out because a ghoul had Cam by the throat. The creature had knocked the cop’s gun away and wiggled Cam as if he were a rag doll. I jumped ahead of Violet just as she reached the two and bumped her backward as I caught the ghoul with a hand across his forehead to keep him from biting.

“Get a hold of yourself,” I whispered to Violet.

Her growl was way more animalistic than the ghouls had been uttering. The ghoul strained my muscles to keep him held off. Cam fought with everything he had as well to get the fingers wrapped around his neck off. He gagged, fighting for a breath. I knew I had no choice but to use all of my strength right in front of him. Violet wavered between hating my guts and being a friend—in my mind—so if I let her boyfriend die without even trying to save him, that would be very bad. So, I dug deep.

I held onto the ghoul and trapped his head in between my bicep and forearm. Good thing he was another short one like me. With the other hand I thrust against Cam’s chest. He flew ten feet across the floor and landed on his butt. When he went down, he slammed an arm against one of the seats and not the cushiony part. He toppled over facedown, but I heard him dragging in shallow breaths.

I spun to face Violet and caught her snarling at me, teeth shifting to the wolf’s, and her eyes blazed yellow. That was all I needed, to deal with an angry werewolf while also fighting off ghouls. After I made short work of the ghoul, I moved away from Violet. Her anger unleashed on a few others, thank goodness.

An eternity passed before the last ghoul dropped to my feet. Violet and I stood above the carnage, her panting, me not doing too good. Cam made a sound, and my head snapped on my neck toward him, similar to what had happened to the earlier ghoul when I hit him.

“Get out,” Violet whispered in a gruff voice. She hadn’t shifted down to normal yet. “If you attack him, I’ll kill you.”

The girl who had fainted started coming around as well and a few other humans. A couple had been killed. Blood lust made my throat and eyes burn. The girl reached tearfully toward me. I moved away from her so fast, taking up a spot in the far corner of the theatre. I watched as she swiveled her head this way and that looking for me, and I was sure she thought she imagined I had stood over her. The distance between us, however, wasn’t enough, especially not when she and the other humans made odd sounds that seemed to resonate with my hunger. Shame washed over me. I was no different than a ghoul.

I left the theatre as Violet suggested. Okay, she commanded and threatened, but I’m just saying I agreed. Back at Nathan’s apartment, I removed my blouse and stood in the bathroom mirror. The bite mark was still there but healing. I cleaned it and then took a shower because who wanted ghoul cooties? Those things smelled like they hadn’t bathed in years. If they were this pungent, why hadn’t Violet found them before now, or someone? I was sure they had been hunted after the first attack.

By the time I finished my shower and dressed in fresh clothing, my hunger had increased, but I resisted. Feeding after what happened tonight seemed wrong. Besides, I wasn’t a brand new vampire anymore. I could go a few nights without blood. The older I got, the longer I would be able to wait between feedings.

I sank down on the couch and flipped the TV on. A news report was running on the theatre attack. Reporters questioned Violet, who seemed to have pulled herself together. In the background, Cam stood in front of an ambulance apparently denying he needed to go to the hospital.

My cell phone rang, and I answered right away seeing Nathan’s name on the ID. “You made it.”

“Rue, are you okay?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, I saw a report on TV about another attack in New Orleans. Maybe I shouldn’t have left when I did.”

“Because you think I’m a delicate flower who needs my boyfriend to take care of me?”

“You know better than that.”

“I’m fine, Nathan.” I touched the spot where I had been bitten. The pain had lessened considerably, but it wasn’t all gone. If I had fed, the wound would have disappeared in an instant. “No ghoul is going to get the best of me.”

“So it was the ghouls? How do you know?”

If I told him about being at the theatre, he would have a fit, so I left out the details. “Humans attacked by crazy people trying to bite them. Isn’t that what that one witness said? What else could it be?”

He agreed. “Okay, well stay safe, baby, and don’t feel you have to get involved just because it’s humans.”

“Nathan, I know how to mind my own business sometimes.”

He made a noise of doubt.

“You concentrate on your MLM werewolf scheme. I’ll be fine until you return.”

“It’s not multi-level marketing!”

I giggled. “I know. I’m sorry. Hey, Nathan, are you going to challenge Trace for alpha of the wolf pack here?”

He was silent. After Nathan’s best friend was murdered, who was the alpha of the local group, his second in command, Trace, had taken over. I had learned during the investigation that Nathan also had the potential to be an alpha and that he had refused to step into such a role because of his anger issues.

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “Trace is a good guy, but some have said he’s not strong enough to lead. I’m not saying I am, yet. There are other rogues in New Orleans I might be able to make a pack with.”

“You mean Violet?”

“She’s one. There are others.”

The pack hadn’t wanted Violet to join because of the stench of law enforcement clinging to her, weird considering they all held various jobs. For instance, Trace owned a restaurant. Maybe she shouldn’t want to be a part of such a group that could look down their noses at her in such a way. Since Violet used to have feelings for Nathan, and he was still considered a friend, I assumed she would join him if he offered.

“Will you join my pack, Rue?” Nathan’s voice had gone deep and seductive.

“I’m not a wolf.”

“You can be the token vampire.”

“Funny. Unfortunately, I’m not sure I can be in a vampire coven and a part of a wolf pack. Silvano might whine about it.”

Nathan grumbled. “He doesn’t have designs on you, does he?”

I looked down at myself although Nathan couldn’t see it. “I’m not spotting any patterns on my skin, so probably not.”

“Rue, don’t be sarcastic.”

“Sorry, my love. It doesn’t matter what Silvano has in mind for me. I’m my own woman, and I say bad boy wolves all the way.”

“One in particular,” he said, and I heard the happy grin in his voice. Rolling my eyes, I assured him again that he was the one, and we ended the call.

The next night, another attack, this time at a salon. I zipped along the dark city streets until I reached the police station, and just for fun, I sent the demon lurking on the rooftop to his own realm and out of the human one. When I was finished playing around, I popped in on Violet as she was strapping on her gun belt in the police locker room. She glared when she spotted me.

“How did you get back here?” she complained.

I widened my eyes. “Was it supposed to be hard?”

She sighed and slammed the locker closed. “Can you cloak now?”

“Here and there,” I said. “It’s not reliable yet, but I’m getting the hang of it. This time, I just moved faster than they could see.”

“You have a lot of fun with your abilities.”

“That’s what happens when you’re not born this way. Plus, I like to stay somewhat positive. If I get down on myself too much, then I face eternity miserable. It’s all in the mindset.”

“Hmm.”

I followed her out of the locker room, and several officers glanced at me. Violet shifted her shoulders in that way she had which told me she was uncomfortable and hoped no one would approach her. She didn’t want to have to explain my presence. We left the station, and I joined her in her car.

“How long are you going to follow me?” she snapped.

Her irritation didn’t bother me a bit. “Well, I wanted to ask about the attacks. Don’t you think it’s weird that they’re happening in public places? I mean if I were a ghoul, I wouldn’t want to risk the exposure. I’d snatch the occasional human in a dark alley and hide the evidence.”

She ground her teeth. “You mean like you do?”

“I’m not a killer.”

Her expression said she begged to differ. “You’re assuming they can reason.”

“Didn’t you see it in their eyes? They’re not mindless zombies.”

“Well, I don’t care what they are. I want them all dead.”

“I didn’t hear a heartbeat. I’m pretty sure they’re already dead. They sure smell like it.”

Violet almost whined in agreement. I figured her poor nose had suffered terrible abuse during the fighting. Then her countenance changed again, and I sensed her sadness. The emotion took me by surprise. Surely, she wasn’t feeling sorry for the ghouls.

“I’m thinking of breaking it off with him.”

Now I understood the emotion. “Cam?”

She frowned at me. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Aw, but you two looked so cute last night at dinner and holding hands while you walked.”

Violet’s face pinked. She was a beautiful woman in her own right. “I’m not talking about him to
you
.”

I ignored the attitude. “Does he know what you are? I bet he would be okay with it. He seems to like you a lot, Violet, and he has some backbone. I mean he has to, being a cop, right?”

Her hands tightened on the steering wheel, and when I didn’t get out of the vehicle, she grumbled under her breath and started it up then pulled out of the station.

“Where’s your partner?” I asked.

“She’s sick.”

“Tough dealing with humans. It’s not so bad having a nonhuman friend. I can be a friend, Violet.”

She eyed me and then stared straight ahead through the windshield. Her foot hung heavy on the gas petal, and she sped along the street. When a light turned red too soon, she had to slam on breaks, and her agitation mounted.

“Violet, are you okay? You seem much more wound up than usual.”