Night Moves (The Night Songs Collection) (15 page)

“He’s contacted their old manager.” I had that sinking feeling that I’d said too much.

She let out a low whistle. “Okay, so your boy’s actually got a pair of big brass ones. That’s awesome, though. He’s an amazing singer.”

“He is amazing.” Heat rose in my cheeks as I said it. “I just want him to be happy, you know?”

“He’s not?”

Crap. I made sure I crafted my answer carefully. “You know how you said we were all selling a little bit of ourselves? I think that’s true.”

Erin nodded as she finished off the rest of her coffee. Again, neither of us said anything for a few minutes. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, actually, just the opposite. Sometimes nothing needed to be said.

“Do you want to do something today? I mean, go somewhere? I’m sick of all these boys and buses and stuff,” Erin finally asked. “And our sleeping beauties won’t be up for hours.”

“That sounds awesome.” I’d seen nothing but the inside of this bus, hotels, and clubs since I’d run off with Soul Divider. Fresh air sounded amazing.

Erin gathered her things and took a shower on the bus. I figured she knew the cardinal rule of the bus and didn’t have to tell her. We got ready in silence in the back room. She googled What to See and Do in St. Louis while I finished getting dressed.

As we headed out of the parking lot we laughed about
National Lampoon’s Vacation
and getting lost in St. Louis. Erin had an old Soul Divider CD blaring from her stereo. Of course we wanted to see the Arch, but many of the other attractions listed on the site Erin checked were warm weather only. We headed to the Citygarden to walk around and enjoy the sculptures and greenery, even if they were slightly obscured by snow.

We didn’t talk about Soul Divider, Catelyn, Erin’s job, or anything we’d left behind in that parking lot. Erin’s phone buzzed several times but she ignored it, much to my surprise. It was like we stepped through a doorway into another life for a few hours.

“I’m starving,” Erin announced, much to my surprise. “We deserve a nice dinner, don’t you think?”

“That sounds awesome.” My stomach rumbled as well, not having put anything in it but coffee all day. But I was more excited to see Erin interested in food. You could see her ribs peeking through her skin, for crying out loud. She was a stick figure with big boobs.

We found a nice, old fashioned steakhouse near Citygarden. We each ordered a filet mignon with a cognac cream sauce. I got mashed potatoes, Erin ordered french fries. We split a bottle of wine and a piece of cheesecake for dessert. I ignored the worried look on our waitress’s face when Erin plopped down her credit card to pay for the meal as I handed her cash for my half.

Erin smiled as she handed the receipt back, and pulled her pink jacket up to cover her torn T-shirt and tattoos, tugging her platinum blonde hair free from its collar. She just didn’t care what people thought of her. It was admirable. Brave. She’s just as comfortable anywhere as she was here.

Except on the band’s bus. Which was currently my home.

“Oh my God, I think I’m having a food baby!” she exclaimed as we headed back to the club. “I don’t think I’ve had that much to eat since Christmas.”

“It was sooo good though,” I added, pushing my seat back to accommodate my stretched out stomach. “Worth every calorie. That was like last meal good.”

I gasped, realizing how close to home that statement could be for me, and looked at Erin with my eyes wide.

“You’re not going to jail, Mellie,” she said, quietly, in a way that made the words wrap around me like a warm blanket. “We’re going to take care of you. Me and Ryder. I know he loves you. We aren’t going to let anything bad happen to you.”

I couldn’t say anything. A sob choked me, begging to be let free. I fought it as hard as I could. I watched the lights of the city emerge in twilight as we passed them by, headed back to our cocoon of alternate reality.

I
was starting to get the hang of being on the road. The long drives in the darkness of the slim bus and even more slender bunk, the strange hours, the closeness with Ryder. I did miss having my own space. Daylight. But I couldn’t imagine my life without Ryder anymore. And I didn’t want to.

We left right after the St. Louis show for the long haul to Dallas. Everyone seemed a little nervous about going to Texas, into such a conservative area. Even though no one could really prove what Soul Divider was, there were some rumblings. People kept disappearing when the band was in town. It was just a matter of time before someone figured it out. The band had been alerted to some possible protests by religious groups. We were also told that security would be tighter.

None of this put me at ease. I lay on Ryder’s chest, wide awake, startled by every bump in the road. I even sweat against his cool skin. If Catelyn knew who I was, she couldn’t be the only one. I didn’t know if any protesters would pay attention to me, or figure out why I looked familiar, but it was a chance I didn’t want to take.

Erin and I had so much fun out and about in St. Louis, but it had been foolish of me to do that. Who had been watching us? Erin wasn’t the least conspicuous person, even under normal circumstances. She was a fetish model, moonlighting as a mistress of a rock star, and parading around with her friend from high school, who just might be wanted for a couple of murders.

Since we had a couple days off and another long drive ahead of us, we had hotel rooms again that night. Josiah was our roommate, again. Even with the lack of privacy, I was happy for more space. And a proper heating system.

Erin planned to head deep into the heart of Texas for some appearance at a strip club. She’d join up with us after the show. The things she did scared the hell out of me. And I always missed her when she wasn’t around. She was my only piece of “normal,” as screwed up as our lives had become.

“I’m not feeling so great tonight,” I lied to Ryder. We’d already had word of protesters outside the club. “I think I’m going to stay in the room and just watch some bad TV. Maybe get a hot fudge sundae or something from room service.”

“I’d rather stay here and lick whipped cream off of you.” Ryder leaned over and kissed my hair. My muscles clenched, making me crave more than just ice cream. He looked beautiful, hair perfectly mussed and ready to go on stage in a dark oxblood leather blazer, a band shirt, and dark distressed jeans. “But I have to go secure my place in Texas as the antichrist.”

“Sounds like fun.” I grinned at him, practically sitting on my hands not to drag him back into bed. “But I need to catch up on my reality shows.”

“Save a little something for me,” he whispered in my ear, squeezing my thigh before he turned and walked out the door with Josiah.

It felt strange to be by myself. But good. I pulled the blankets up around my waist and flipped through the channels, picking some familiar trash. I ordered the hot fudge sundae and settled in to enjoy my night.

Even though I was expecting someone to bring me my sundae, I still jumped when there was a knock at the door. My heart was still pounding when I opened it, and even more so when I saw who was on the other side.

Catelyn.

“Don’t you have a job?” I asked after I recovered from my shock. “I mean, how do you pay for all of this?”

“I live with my sister’s family and save up my vacation time. Listen, I have some questions for you.”

“Of course you do.” I sighed.

“Can I come in?” She looked hopeful.

“No.” Nothing good came of that last time I let her come some place with me.

“They’re checking your cell phone records.”

I opened the door and let her into the room. “Fine.”

Room service arrived, eyeing us as he delivered my dessert. Our tension must have been visible. “Thanks. Charge it to the room, please.”

I turned back to Catelyn. “Tell me what you want before my ice cream melts.”

“Whatever. The show starts soon, anyway. Rachel woke up and can’t go out in sunlight. She craves blood.”

“How is this any different than stalking Soul Divider?”

“Very funny, Melanie. You’re on the news every night, by the way. My friend is a goddamn vampire. Her parents are trying to schedule an exorcism. You don’t have any answers for me?”

I hoped I didn’t wear my shock on my face. “No. You’re delusional. Vampires are something you see on TV, not in real life.”

“Well, there are rumors that Immortal Dilemma isn’t pretending.”

“That has nothing to do with Soul Divider. Or your friend.”

“They have the same manager, Melanie.” Catelyn looked smug, like she had all the answers. Problem was, she did.

“I don’t know what to tell you. I guess you shouldn’t have come to the party with me. You have to be careful what you wish for. And right now, I wish to eat my sundae and see who gets eliminated from this competition.” I motioned towards the door as she headed out. “Have fun at the show, Catelyn. Don’t let anyone bite you.”

She opened her mouth to speak but I shut the door in her face. I leaned against it, heart still pounding.

How on earth did Rachel get turned into a vampire? I wasn’t a vampire, and Ryder fed from me plenty of times. It didn’t happen by mistake. Or did it? A chill ran down my spine.

Catelyn ruined my appetite. I swirled the spoon around in the soupy mess of my treat, hoping to still get some enjoyment from it.

This couldn’t possibly be good.

Ryder returned to the room around 1:30. I had planned on a sexy greeting, before I was so rudely interrupted by Catelyn’s visit. Now I was sitting bolt upright, watching national news and dying a little more inside every time my face flashed on the screen. How the hell could I relax?

“Feeling better, babe?” He peeled off his clothes immediately and slid under the blankets beside me. The sight of his body always made me feel better.

I scooted down so we could be eye to eye as he propped his head up on a pillow. “Catelyn came by while you were out.”

“The fan girl? We can take action if she won’t leave you alone. We’ve had to do it before. People used to bother Shannon, too.”

“I think something’s going to need to happen, but not exactly that. Her friend, who disappeared, got bit at that party. And woke up as a vampire.”

“Fuck!” Ryder yelled, slamming his free fist into the mattress. “How? Everyone said they didn’t know who she was!”

“Were there any other vampires at the party?”

“Not that I know of.” His face reddened the harder he pursed his lips together. I could tell Ryder just wanted to explode. “Someone is lying about what happened.”

“I think a lot of people are. Including Catelyn and her friends.”

“Do you think they’re lying about the vampire thing?”

“She said Rachel’s parents were planning an exorcism. I don’t know if she’d go that far. Why would she lie if no one is supposed to know about it? How else would she get it so spot on? But how do you even become a vampire? I mean, do I need to worry?”

“It’s a blood exchange,” Ryder explained, his voice low. “She would have had to drink blood after someone drank from her. A lot of it. It’s not easy.”

I didn’t say anything for a while, just laid there and thought about how this possibly could have happened. The rest of the guys weren’t careful at all, since that poor girl got drained just a week ago, but would they be stupid enough to create a new vampire? And then just leave her to her own devices? Even if they were drunk or high?

It just didn’t add up. It was too much stupid. Even for these guys.

“How was the show?” I asked Ryder after we both spent what seemed like an hour staring into space. He must have been thinking about the same things I was.

His eyes lit up. “Actually, it was pretty good. The protesters must have brought in a bigger crowd. You know, to see what the fuss was about. The place was packed. Drake was in a great mood. We did three encores.”

“I’m sorry I missed it. It sounds like you had a great night.”

“Well, the night is young. You still have a chance to be a part of it.” His hand slid up my side, underneath my T-shirt. I shivered from his cool fingers. I let myself get lost in his kiss. He pulled the shirt up over my head, running his fingers over my breasts and stomach as he kissed and nipped all over my body. I kept my fingers knotted in his hair as his head made its way lower and lower.

After licking and teasing me to the brink of madness, he rubbed the top of my inner thigh just like he always did before he sunk his teeth in to drink from me. My whole body stiffened.

“Not tonight.” I could barely manage the words as I pulled him away from me.

He looked up at me, his eyes showed hurt and surprise. His fangs glistened. “You don’t have anything to worry about.”

“I’m freaked out after what Catelyn told me about Rachel. I mean, what if it was an accident?”

Ryder sighed and crawled back up so we were face to face. He pulled me in close to him. I could feel him hard against my thigh. I reached down to stroke him. He cried out a little in surprise.

“Trust me. It wasn’t.” His voice was breathy.

I nodded, and kept working his hard length with my hand. I guided him between my legs so he could enter me, take me away from here, to a place where I wasn’t afraid. Of anything.