Slayed (18 page)

Mom looks to Dad. “It’s not something I like to think about.”

“But you do—you think about it all of the time. I can tell.”

“Daphne, let it go,” Dad warns.

“We need to talk about it. It changed your whole life and I think if you just admit there was nothing you could’ve done maybe you could finally realize you’re not responsible for saving the world—”

“Honey, stop,” Dad says.

“But this is my life too, and because she’s been carrying around all this guilt I’ve had to get dragged around the country killing freaking vampires! What kind of life is that?”

Mom bows her head. Her shoulders start to shake and for the first time in my life I see her crying.

“And I don’t think you should blame Mr. Harker for his wife getting turned. No one forced her to join that Ankh Society. That poor man is carrying around as much pain as you are—maybe more. Give him a break.”

I wait for either one of them to respond. When they don’t, I open the door. “Call me when you’re ready to leave on our next adventure.”

I get out of the van and slam the door shut. I look up and down the street, hoping to spot Tyler, but there’s just a middle-aged woman walking a small dog that yaps at me as they approach. “Be careful, there are vampires prowling around,” I tell her as she passes me.

She scoffs and hurries her dog along—repeatedly looking back over her shoulder at me. “I’m not kidding!” I add.

She takes out a rattling set of keys, unlocks a door and with one last look, slips inside. When I see a light flicker on in an apartment above the florist shop, I head into the pub.

It’s a Saturday night and there are a lot more people here tonight. So much for Dad’s theory. I scan the room and my stomach drops. Tyler is sitting in a booth with a girl who has draped herself all over him. She’s giggling and whispering in his ear—he’s laughing in return. She pulls her fingers through his long hair and I’m about to
run out when he catches my eye for a second. Like an idiot, I wave, only to see him push some hair from her face, his hand lingering on her cheek.

Oh, my God. My last night here and Tyler is working the vampires. Touching her face the same way he touched mine.

I turn and stalk out of the pub. I head for the alleyway leading to the back and pray there’ll be a vampire I can slam a stake into!

I’m such an idiot. I actually imagined that Kiki and I were going to keep hunting vampires together and Tyler and I …

“God, this sucks!” I scream. “Why does everything in my life always have to be so freaking disappointing?”

“Daphne?”

I jump and turn. “Gabe.” I put my hand over my heart. “You scared me.” He’s leaning against the building with a cigarette dangling from his fingers. “What are you doing back here?”

He hangs his head. “Same as you. Getting away from it all. Having a smoke. Is Kiki with you?”

“No,” I say as my heart slows. “Her mom flew out to talk to her. They want her back on the show. For all I know she’s on a plane heading for L.A. right now.”

“She won’t do it.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I know Kiki—she wants to be on Broadway. She wants to be the next Kristin Chenoweth.”

“Who is that?”

“A really amazing Broadway star—been in a few movies too. She’s Kiki’s idol. I’ve heard Kiki sing. I think she could make it.”

I walk over and lean against the wall next to him. “She never mentioned that to me, but I hope she blows The Disco Unicorns off and moves to New York City if that will make her happy.”

“Or she could stay in South Bristol with me.”

“Yeah, that would be cool except for the vampire problem. I know you think we were bullshitting you last night, but it’s true. South Bristol is fucking loaded with stupid vampires.”

“I know.”

I nod. “I had a feeling you believed us.”

“I didn’t—not until my friend showed up.”

“Friend?”

“Remember I said I was looking for my friend, Michael?”

“Oh, no …”

“I’m afraid so.”

He taps his cigarette and over an inch of ash falls to
the ground. “I’m so sorry, Gabe.” I reach out and grab his hand—it’s icy cold.

“No.” I try pull away but Gabe squeezes my hand so hard I gasp. I look at him and see a red glow in his darkening eyes.

Gabe licks his lips. “I’m sorry too ‘cause right now
I’m starving
.”

In a flash he throws his cigarette down and puts a hand on my throat, pinning me to the wall. He leans in and sniffs my skin. “This is going to be so good. I can already taste you.”

He pulls back revealing sharp fangs.

“Please, Gabe. Let me go.” I kick out at him, but he clutches my throat tighter and I struggle to catch a breath.

He drags his teeth across the nape of my neck and a moan escapes my throat. “Just relax.”

I nod. My mind is fogging over and the only thing I can feel are the tips of his teeth teasing my skin.

“You want it, don’t you?” He pulls open my shirt exposing more of my chest. He traces the scratches with his cold fingers and plants his icy lips on the puncture wounds. “You’ve been tasted before.” He licks the wound and my knees buckle.

He hoists me up in his arms. “Tell me you want it.”

My head is screaming to yell for help but all I can do is keep nodding.

“I was hoping it’d be Kiki tonight, but I can’t wait any longer, and you smell so freaking good.” He plunges his teeth into the base of my neck and I inhale sharply. With every suck from his mouth my troubles fade. I just want it all to go away.

“Get off her!”

Gabe’s mouth is ripped from my neck and I collapse onto the ground. Tyler punches him in the face and is on him like a wild cat when he hits the ground. In an instant he plunges a stake in Gabe’s heart and then takes a knife out of his trench coat and beheads him in two swift strokes.

Gabe’s face is frozen in a look of shock. I turn away and throw myself at Tyler.

“You’re okay now,” he says, taking me in his arms

I shake my head as tears stream down my face. “No, I’m not. I’m never going to be okay. I’m so tired of this and Gabe is
dead
! How am I going to tell Kiki?” I suck in a ragged breath.

“I’ll go with you.”

“We’re leaving tonight.”

“I won’t let you go,” he whispers, kissing my hair.

“Please don’t say that just to make me feel better,” I sob.

He grabs me by the shoulders and looks me in the
eye. “We’ll figure out a way to be together. I promise you. Here …” He takes a bandanna from a pocket in his trench coat and presses it against my neck.

He leans into me and my mouth finds his. My hands rake through his hair as I urge him to kiss me harder.

He pulls away. “I have to tell you about before—she’s a vampire. I was just trying to get her to come outside so I could—”

“It’s okay. I know.”

“I’m
so sorry
I hurt you.”

“Just hold me,” I plead, needing to feel grounded to someone, even if it’s just for short time.

“Daphne, what are you doing?”

I lift my head up from his chest. Mom and Dad are standing side by side with grim expressions on their ashen faces. “What does it look like, Mom?”

“Joy, let it be,” Dad warns. “He’s going to need all the support we can give right now.”

“What’s going on?”

“Tyler,” he starts. “We got a note from your father; he slipped it under our motel room door.”

Tyler’s eyes widen. “What does it say?”

“He’s going after the lamia,” Mom says. “But he isn’t planning on returning.”

Tyler looks back and forth between my parents. “What?”

“He asked us to take care of you—and if anything happens, we will,” Dad says. He looks at Mom and she nods solemnly.

“Dad, what do you mean he’s not planning on coming back?”

“The note was kind of rambling, but he’s been tracking those ley lines for a number of years, hoping to find some sort of nexus point that was powerful enough to provide an opening to hell.”

“Oh, my God,” Tyler says. “He’s always said he wished there was a way to go to hell and rescue my mom’s soul. He’s always spinning his prayer ring—always wishing.”

“And Kiki, too,”
I say. “You said she was spinning the prayer wheels backward—encouraging a wrathful wish fulfillment. Maybe they both were, and now their wishes have come true in a twisted mess. There’s an opening to hell for your father, and if the lamias aren’t stopped, there won’t be any kids for Kiki’s parents to entertain.”

No one says anything.

“Daphne,” Mom says finally. “Where did you see the lamia?”

“They seemed to be coming from directly across the river from Kiki’s house. There are a lot of large boulders on the other side. Maybe there’s a cave or something.”

Dad takes the van keys out of his pocket. “Let’s hurry.”

We pull up to Kiki’s and she
races out of the door and down the steps. “What are we doing?” she asks breathlessly. “Still angels?”

I look at my parents and Tyler. “Angels?”

Everyone nods even though we all look unsure. We’re definitely treading in unfamiliar territory.

“Okay,” Kiki says. “I’ve got my sunglasses, we can head down to the dock.”

I hold my hands out. “Sunglasses? It’s nearly midnight.”

She nods. “Yeah, you know—in case of heavenly face-melting rays. Does anyone else want a pair?”

I cock an eyebrow. “Do you really think sunglasses will keep your face from melting off?”

She shakes her head. “Yeah, forget it. If we melt, we melt. I’ve been spinning the prayer wheels ever since you called, though.” She looks at Tyler. “Clockwise.”

“All right, then,” I say. “Flashlights on. Let’s head down to the water.”

“What time did the creatures come out when you saw them?” Dad asks as Kiki leads the way to the dock.

“Around this time—midnight.”

“We better hurry,” Mom says.

We rush to the dock and carefully pile into Kiki’s boat where Sam is waiting for us.

“Nice to meet you,” Dad says to him.

“You can meet me just fine after you find your friend. Everyone hold on.”

“You are so getting a raise!” Kiki says.

“Damn right I am,” he agrees. He starts the outboard motor and a chill runs through me as the boat speeds out over the water.

“Look!” Tyler says. He points to a faint light up on the cliff side. “That’s got to be where he is.”

I reach out and squeeze his hand. “We’ll get him,” I call out over the sound of the wind and the motor.

“Oh, my God,” Kiki squeals. “They’re coming.”

Dark shapes are flying out from the rocks near the light. They swoop down and fly past us, filling the air with
their unholy whispers. I shudder. If Lilith can give birth to a hundred a day, who knows how many there are.

“Hunger
.”

“New moon,”
one says as it passes by my ear.

I flinch and cover my mouth and nose, to avoid breathing in the sulfuric stench left in its wake. Mom ducks her head and Dad puts an arm around her.

“These aren’t the ones you need to worry about!” I call out. “They’re just after the babies to get revenge for their mother.”

I hold my charm out and the lamia dash away screaming like they’ve been dowsed with holy water. Kiki and Tyler see what I’m doing and hold theirs out too, making the creatures scatter on the wind, giving the boat a wide berth.

We bump along in the choppy water and I hope we’re not too late. I squeeze the charm around my neck tightly in my fist and visualize the name of the angels on the back. “Help us so Lilith can’t return and we can bring Mr. Harker home safely,” I repeat, over and over again until Sam slows the boat at the opposite shore.

“There’s no place to dock here!” Sam yells. “You’ll have to jump to shore—be careful ‘cause that water’s freezing.”

We all nod. He puts one foot on the rocky beach and tries to keep the boat steady as he helps us out. The stench
on the shore is overpowering and the air is thick with whispers and maniacal laughter.

“Hurry!” Tyler calls out.

We start scrambling up the rock face—trying to keep our balance while shining the light for possible hand and footholds. Warm air pours down from above carrying the lamia as they joyride out across the water.

“Are we almost there?” Kiki calls out.

I look up—a small point of light glimmers just five feet above. “Yes! Keep going.”

Tyler reaches the ledge first and helps pull us up. The heat and smell are almost unbearable and I imagine it will be far worse in the cave.

The creatures screech and cackle as they fly by. I hold out my charm, relishing their anguished cries as they dodge to avoid it.

“Maybe you should stay out here,” Dad yells out.

“No!” I say. “We’re all here—we all have to believe.”

“Let me go first,” Dad says. As he enters the cave, the exiting lamia weave around him—some circling a couple of times as if to see if he might be something of interest.

Mom and Tyler follow him, but Kiki pulls on my arm before I go in. “I’m scared,” she whispers. “Really, really scared.” She looks up at the dark sky. “Once
again, in theory this sounded like a good idea and I pictured myself being really brave, but the reality—not so much.”

I take her hand. “You don’t have to do this,” I repeat, though I know she will.

She nods. “Oh, I’m going to—I’m just not going to like it. But if we don’t make it out of this, I wanted you to know I’m so glad you found me. Even though I didn’t make the greatest vampire slayer, these have been the best, and the
freakiest
, three days of my life.”

A tear runs down her cheek and my eyes water up. “I couldn’t ask for a better BFF.”

She holds out her arms and we embrace. Part of me thinks I should tell her about Gabe, but I decide that can wait. No sense putting her through any more anguish than need be in what could be our final moments.

“We better go,” I say, pulling away. I hold out my fist and she bumps it with hers. “Let’s hope the angels aren’t in the mood to smite anyone but Lilith tonight.”

We slide sideways through the narrow opening. The passageway widens to a small chamber with a high ceiling. The lamia are clawing their way out of a four-foot wide, fire-licked fissure that bisects the hollow. Once free, they spread their wings and rise to the top like smoke coming out of a chimney stack. They circle and
claw at each other in midair before swooping down and exiting the chamber, no doubt to head out for victims.