Pucker Up (A Damsels of Distress Novel) (29 page)

say another word, the screeching noise

of sirens rang throughout the club.

All movement stopped.

“Clear out. Banes have breached

the wards,” a voice called out over the

speakers. A heartbeat later, chaos

reigned. Every person scrambled for the

nearest exit, knocking anyone in their

path out of the way.

Garren wrapped his arms around

her in a protective cocoon and headed

for the exit, next to the bar. She tried to

find Thane and Athena as she was

pushed toward the door. Zoo was right

behind them as they managed to shove

their way through the crowd to the chilly

night air. All around, people were

fleeing, either by flight like the faeries or

by charmed transporters, which were

extremely expensive and hard to come

by.
Too bad we couldn’t afford to buy a

couple of those from Irene.

After a moment of chaos, there

was… nothing— no signs of Eradicators

raiding the club. Maybe it was just some

curious teenagers wanting to check out

the presumable-empty place.

The night air chilled her skin

where Garren wasn’t touching her. His

arms tightened around her. She felt safe,

until his protective embrace started to

crush her. “Did you lead your boyfriend

and his friends here?” The accusation

reached around her throat and squeezed.

She jerked out of his hold and

stepped back. “No,” she said, her voice

thick with emotion. Regret seemed to

play across his face but it was quickly

replaced with a sneer. It was going to

take more than wearing a cocktail dress

to earn his trust back.

Zoo hovered over her, glaring at

Garren. The last thing she needed was an

overprotective vampire hanging around.

“Thanks for the dance, but I need

to find my other friends and get out of

here. Could you tell me where the prince

is now?”

Garren remained next to her,

puffing up as tall and intimidating as he

could make himself. By the smile on his

face, Zoo seemed amused by Garren's

posturing. She rolled her eyes.

“Pioneer Park.” He said and then

took off.

Where the hell is that?
She tried

to run after him to make sure she heard

right, but he was gone. Just like that.

“Well,” she said as she walked up to

Garren. “Maybe by this time tomorrow

night, we'll have the prince and I'll be...

kissing... him.” Bile rose in her throat.

A broad smile spread across

Garren's face and his body slumped into

a more relaxed stance. “That's right, how

could I forget? Hey don't worry,” he said

as he put his arm around her shoulders.

“A

little

necrophilia

never

hurt

anybody.”

Disgusted by that thought, she

jammed her elbow into his ribs as hard

as she could.

“Ow. I was kidding.” Garren

held his side, no longer laughing, as they

walked toward the car parked beyond

the fence about a hundred feet away.

Goose bumps raised on her arms

from the chilly, night air. Rubbing them

with her hands really wasn't warming

her up.

Next time I dress like a hooker,

I'm wearing a jacket. I don't care what

Athena says.

She scanned the area as they

walked for any signs of Thane and

Athena, or danger lurking in the

shadows. The clicking of her heals

echoed off the brick buildings.

“Do you have to make so much

noise? You’re broadcasting our location

to whoever's out there.”

“I'm sorry, but these boots

weren't made for stealth.” She tried to

take lighter steps, but it didn't help much.

“Psst.”

They both stopped in their tracks

as they scanned the area. They were the

only people outside as far as they could

see.

“Psssssst.”

The noise came from the other

side of a railroad car. She pulled Garren

with her as they stalked toward it. They

stopped a few feet from the shadows, not

trusting completely that whoever was

trying to get their attention was friendly.

Squinting didn’t help to see in the

shadows.

“Will you just get your ass back

here?” Athena whispered.

Once they were submerged in the

darkness, Ivy could make out the shapes

of Athena and Thane.

Athena didn't move as she

surveyed the area separating them from

their car. She sniffed the air. “There's

someone out there, probably your

buddies.”

“They’re not my… Whatever.”

Ivy sighed. What was the point in

defending herself? Athena was most

likely trying to get a rise out of her,

anyway.

“Can you do what you did

before? You know, with the stone?”

Garren asked. They all huddled together

against the train car. She shivered

despite the extra warmth from the shared

body heat.

“Good idea. Let me get…” She

smacked her chest a couple times. “Oh,

that’s right, I’m not wearing it because it

didn’t go with this ensemble,” she said

through clenched teeth. Although she

couldn’t see it in the darkness, she was

sure Athena rolled her eyes.

“I thought Eradicators can sense

each other through the mark,” Thane

said. “Can you feel if they’re out there?”

“Sorry. Not with you guys

around. But I think we should assume the

worst.”

There were too many dark hiding

places to really know where or how

many lay in wait for them.

“Should we split up and make a

run for it?” she asked.

“Good idea. I'll stay with Ivy,” a

deep voice said from behind her.

She jumped, barely cutting off a

rising scream. “Damn it!” she hissed as

she spun around to see Zoo. She could

just make out his silhouette in the dark.

“I thought you left.”

“I had to make sure you were

safe.”

“Well, you almost gave me a

heart attack.”

Athena smacked her arm. “Can

we get out of here now? Garren and I

will go first, then Thane and Ivy. Your

friend can watch your back from here.”

She wanted to argue that she and

Zoo weren't friends but decided not to

waste her breath. Athena thread her arm

through Garren’s as if they were taking a

leisurely evening stroll.

Bright

evening

stars,

oily

asphalt, and death lurking in the

shadows.
How romantic.

Garren and Athena made their

way across the lot and then around the

corner of a building without any

problems. She strained to hear any sign

of trouble after they disappeared from

sight. After several minutes passed with

no screams or sounds of a fight, she

assumed they made it safely. Hopefully

their ease of escape meant Athena was

wrong about someone lurking about, but

the knot in her stomach didn't go away.

“Come on, Ivy, our turn.” Thane

tugged at her elbow as he stepped into

the open.

Her feet didn't move, but as soon

as the moonlight shone on Thane, the

urge to protect him moved her forward.

His magic wasn’t effective fighting any

Eradicators who might attack. Her loud

footsteps made it impossible to listen for

any signs of approaching danger. The

uncomfortable feeling of being watched

prickled at the back of her neck.

“Pick up the pace,” she said.

They raced around the corner and nearly

collided into two men. Light from a

faraway street lamp cast their faces in

shadow. They were big, bulky and not

what she wanted to face at the moment.

“Hey, Ivy,” said Kyle. “You

almost fooled me with the new look, but

your voice gave you away. You look hot,

by the way.”

Fear

squeezed

her

chest,

pressing on her lungs until breathing

became nearly impossible. Her eyes

darted around, mindful of any other

surprises in the dark. She grabbed

Thane’s hand out of instinct and pulled

him behind her.

“What do you want, Kyle?” Was

it a coincidence or did he follow her?

Was Garren right? The thought that she

inadvertently put her friends at risk

turned her stomach. The man next to

Kyle seemed familiar but she couldn’t

place what little of his face she saw with

a name.

“I want to help you. Come with

me and I’ll go with you to visit

Rousseau. We’ll get this whole mess

straightened out.” Kyle held his hand out

in invitation.

She laughed. “You don’t get it.

There’s nothing to straighten out. I’m a

witch and nothing’s going to change

that.”

Kyle’s proffered hand fell to his

side.

The brute beside him chuckled,

absent any trace of humor. “I always

knew you were a weed,
Ivy
. I just never

knew you were a
Weed
. How ironic.”

Now she recognized him. There

was no mistaking that deep, obnoxious

voice. “If it isn’t Dougie
Douchebag
. I

see you grew into your big head.”

“Do you think it’s wise to

antagonize him?” Thane whispered in

her ear, nervous energy rolling off him.

“ I t ’ s
Durlag
, Weed,” Dougie

said as he pulled a gun from behind his

back. The light glinted off the silver

metal when he pointed it at the ground in

front of him.

She shut up. Her heart rate

doubled as she stepped into Thane and

pushed him back. The dagger hidden in

her boot wouldn’t do anything against a

speeding bullet, but she pulled it out

anyway.

Kyle stood with his arms crossed

over his chest, his feet firmly planted

shoulder width apart. He didn’t seem

concerned that his friend pulled a gun on

her. “I don't want to hurt you or your

friends
.”

He

sneered

at

Thane.

“Rousseau only wants
you
. Come with

us, and they can go.”

Neither Garren nor Athena could

be spotted. With any luck, they’d gotten

away. Her nerves were already shot and

couldn’t handle any more surprises.

“Don’t believe him,” Zoo said,

suddenly appearing next to her.

She flinched.
Is everyone trying

to kill me?
“I’m not stupid,” she said to

the vampire. To Kyle she said “I’m not

going anywhere with you. If you ever

loved me, let us go and we’ll never

bother you again.” Playing the love card

was low, but desperate times called for

desperate measures.

It also didn’t work. Kyle

lowered his arms to his side. His hands

clenched and opened repeatedly. He was

pissed.

“I never stopped loving you, Ivy.

Apparently these Weeds have poisoned

your mind. Come with me now and I

won’t let anything happen to you. I

promise.”

Dougie raised his gun, aiming at

Thane.

She swallowed hard in an effort

to tamp down the rising panic. Dougie

stood too far away to attack before he

could pull the trigger. She needed to

disarm him. At that moment, magic

hummed in her belly. Using her magic

was their only chance of survival.

Man, we’re screwed.

“Zoo, promise me you'll get

Thane out of here.” Worrying about her

cousin would be a distraction she

couldn’t afford.

The vampire said nothing for

what seemed like hours, staring at her

with a blank expression before nodding.

Sure, take all the time you need.

It’s not like we’re in a crisis or

anything.

“Ivy, what are you doing?”

Thane asked. He grabbed her arm to pull

her back.

“Enough!” Dougie yelled.

She snapped her head towards

him and concentrated on pulling the gun

out of his hand. He was dangerous. She

tugged on his weapon with her magic but

only managed to jerk his hand sideways.