Static (19 page)

"What?"

"The money I made working this show. I earned
it."

He fumbled in his front jean pocket and pulled out a
wad of bills. He pulled off five twenties and handed them to
me.

I folded them and jammed the wad into my pocket.
Without another word, I turned and started down the alley.

"I'm sorry, Salem," he called after me. "I'm
sorry."

I didn't acknowledge it and kept walking. The tears
didn't fall until I stepped out onto the street and turned the
corner.

I didn't know for how long I'd been walking but it
had been long enough that I was cold and completely lost. Since I
was in a city I didn't know it didn't surprise me that I was lost.
I looked around for any frame of reference. Unfortunately the
Starbucks on the corner was closed but the little café next to it
wasn't. I went in and ordered a coffee. I paid with one of the
twenties, needing change.

My coffee in hand, I found an old phone booth, one
where I could actually go into. A rare sight on most city streets,
especially when everyone had a cell phone. I of course was forced
to leave mine at home.

I picked up the handset, plugged in a bunch of coins
and dialed. I didn't know exactly what time it was, late
definitely, so it didn't surprise me when a sleepy barely audible
voice answered with a grunt.

"Chloe?"

Silence, then, "Salem?"

"Yeah."

"Oh my God, where are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay." The tears came again.

"Where the hell are you? Everyone is looking for you.
Your mom is flipping out. She thinks you've been abducted."

"I wasn't abducted." I wiped at the tears. It was
almost too much to bear thinking about what I was putting my mom
though.

I looked at the shadow the booth made on the
sidewalk. I could easily step on it and slide my way back home,
back to my room. I could go home and see my mom. She'd hug me close
and soothe away the pain. But I knew that wasn't possible. Not
while Malice was around, not while I'd nearly killed Josh.

"But I had to leave."

"Because of what happened to Josh?"

My heart leapt into my throat. "Is he okay?"

"I heard he's in a coma. Everyone's talking about
it."

"What's everyone saying?"

"That he was drugged or something."

I didn't say anything. I couldn't tell her the truth.
I couldn't tell her much of anything that would make sense, that
she would believe.

"Salem, you didn't...do something to him, did
you?"

"Are people saying I did?"

"Well, you did go out with him. Then he ended up in
the hospital. Dropped off anonymously by the way."

"Look Chloe, I got to go."

"Are you coming home?"

I traced a finger in the condensation on the booth
window. "I don't know."

"It looks bad, Sale, that you took off. The police
have been around asking questions."

"Don't tell anyone I called."

"But your mom..."

I had to swallow down the sob stuck in my throat. I
squeezed my eyes shut. "Tell her I'm okay. But don't tell anyone
else you heard from me. Promise me, Chloe."

Silence, then a sigh, "I promise."

"Thanks."

"Be safe, Salem. Okay?"

I hung up the receiver and leaned my forehead on the
cool Plexiglas. Except the cold couldn't stem the rising fury
inside me. Rage that I couldn't go home. Couldn't even talk to my
best friend and tell her the truth.

Thane had done more than transform me into a monster.
He stole away my innocence, my home, and my life. Things I vowed I
would get back no matter what.

Fisting my hand, I slammed it against the booth wall.
The plastic box rattled. I slammed it again. And again. I kept
hitting it until the skin on my knuckles split open. Blood dotted
the Plexiglas.

After downing the rest of my coffee, I stepped out of
the booth and stared down at the shadow on the asphalt. I could
leave it all behind. I could go home and explain what happened to
Josh. Maybe someone would believe me. Maybe I wouldn't be sent to
jail or an asylum for mental testing.

Yeah right. Who was I kidding? I knew what I had to
do.

I placed one foot into the shadow, then the other,
and willed myself to dissolve into it.

A minute later, I was standing in the hotel room
bathroom gripping the counter for balance. The mirror over the sink
was foggy. This wouldn't be really weird if I hadn't noticed the
sound of rushing water and movement behind the closed shower
curtain.

"Oh my God." Except I was too stunned to move.

The curtain rustled and Trevor's head popped around
the flimsy plastic barrier. "What the hell!?"

I closed my eyes and reached backwards for the door.
"I didn't see anything. I'm sorry I didn't think before riding the
shadow here."

"Obviously."

Scrambling backwards, I groped for the door handle.
It was getting hard to breathe. And it wasn't because of the steam
billowing out from the hot shower. It was the fact that Trevor was
wet and naked behind the simple sheet of almost see-through
plastic.

I found the knob, turned it and opened the door. But
I fully admit to peeking before crossing the threshold. I didn't
see anything though except for Trevor's wet frowning face glaring
at me.

I slammed the door shut and leaned up against it,
breathing hard. My heart pounded like a hammer on a tribal drum.
Then a smile spread across my face. If only I'd slid through the
shadow way when he was getting out.

Stifling a giggle, I pushed away from the door and
went into the bedroom to change my clothes. I still had a chill
from walking the night streets. But I didn't reach it before the
bathroom door swung open and Trevor came out, clad only in a pair
of black sweat pants.

I rooted to the spot and stared at him. His dark hair
stood up in wet spikes. Water droplets beaded on the smooth pale
skin of his chest. He was nicely constructed, not bulky but not
scrawny either. He hovered in that perfect spot in between. I know
I was blushing but I couldn't tear my gaze from him. He made my
pulse pound in my neck. I had to fight the urge to cover his mouth
with mine, and suck him dry.

"Where the hell did you go?"

"I...ah, had to get away for a while. To think."

He searched my face. I wasn't sure what he was
looking for, or if he found it when he moved toward me. All I knew
was that I wanted, no needed, to lick the moisture off his
lips.

"You need to control your emotions, Salem. Your aura
is flaring pretty brightly right now."

Licking my lips, I took a step toward him. "Would it
hurt you if I fed from you?"

His eyes widened at that. He'd obviously never
considered that possibility. This surprised me, since that was all
I could think about. How good he would taste in my mouth. Like
golden French toast with strawberries and whipped cream and a large
amount of maple syrup drizzled all over. Delicious. Saliva actually
pooled in my mouth.

"You can control the hunger. Don't let it control
you." He kept saying it but he kept coming closer to me as well.
Maybe he wasn't as much in control as he thought he was. Maybe he
thought about tasting me as well, really tasting me, not just the
flavor of my lip-gloss.

He was close enough to touch. And that's what I did.
I trailed the tips of my fingers down his wet chest. I could hear
his quick intake of breath and feel the way his muscles reacted to
my light touch.

He allowed me to touch him even as he backed me up
against a wall. What was with him and walls? His control was as
frayed as mine. His aura flared crimson, dark and dangerous and
delicious. I wanted to lose myself inside the colors. I wanted to
give myself over to it, to him.

"Trevor," I breathed, barely able to think
coherently. "I want...I want..."

That was all I could get out before a scream pierced
the fog of my euphoria.

Chapter 22

I pushed away from the wall, past Trevor and headed
for the door. He reached for my arm.

"Don't do it, Salem."

I dodged his hand. "I can't let her die. Not when I
can save her."

"You'll blow your cover. You'll ruin our plan."

But I wasn't hearing him. I burst out into the
hallway, listening for more screams. I wasn't completely sure which
rooms the band occupied.

Another sound came. It wasn't a scream as much as a
pitiful mewl, from someone beyond the scope of fear and
hopelessness. I knew that sound, because I was sure I had made it
before.

I bounded to the right, certain it came from
somewhere nearby. I stopped three doors down and waited. The
pathetic whimper came again. Louder, more pronounced. I swiveled
around and stared at the door behind me. I put my hand on the
handle.

"Don't." Trevor was behind me.

"I have to."

"He might kill you.

I looked over my shoulder at him. "I feel dead
already. It's just logistics really."

I twisted the door handle. I didn't really expect it
to open. And it didn't. Maybe the distraction alone would be enough
to save the girl inside.

I jiggled it some more, then I started pounding on
the door with my fists. When that didn't work, I backed up a little
and started to kick the door with the bottom of my boot. The door
rattled from the impact.

Other hotel room doors opened and patrons peered out
to see what all the racket was. I looked at the elderly woman four
doors down.

"Call security, why don't you?"

She ducked back in, hopefully doing what I dared her
to do.

I lifted my leg to boot the door once more, when it
opened and instead of hitting wood, my boot ended up in Thane's
large hand.

Shirtless and looking dangerous, he glanced at my
foot then at me. His eyes were jet black and they made me
shiver.

"I'm pretty sure you have the wrong room."

He pushed my leg back and I stumbled backwards nearly
landing on my ass. If it hadn't been for Trevor catching me, I
would have.

"You better have a damn good reason for disturbing
me."

"I..."

"We thought you were in danger."

I whipped around to gawk at Trevor.

He looked at me briefly then back to Thane. "I
overheard someone in the crowd say they were going to jack you
up."

Thane smirked. "Is that right?" His gaze pinned me
like a tack through a butterfly. "And what do you say sugar pop?
Why are you really kicking down my door?"

His gaze probed me. It was sickening. My stomach
protested at the violation. But I made myself keep his gaze and
nodded. "It's what Trevor said."

"Hmm, I kind of doubt it." He took a few steps
forward menacingly.

Thankfully, security took that moment to show up. It
was only one guy, and he was fat and out of shape to boot, squeezed
like a tube of sausage into his uniform, but he had a radio, a
baton, and a Taser on his belt. Besides he was a witness. It was
enough for me to relax a little. Maybe I wouldn't die tonight.

"What is going on? The front desk has received
several noise complaints."

I wasn't sure what to say. I glanced at Trevor then
at Thane. And that was when I saw movement behind him. It was all I
needed to make a decision.

"We work for the band here." I indicated Thane who
was now standing out in the hall, the open door behind him. "And we
found out that someone broke into his hotel room. A really unstable
groupie."

Everyone looked at me like I was bonkers.

Quicker than I thought I could, I streaked past Thane
and grabbed the drugged girl stumbling around behind him and yanked
her out into the corridor. Thankfully, she was clothed, but her
mascara streaked her face like she'd been crying, which I knew she
had been. I had heard her cries for help.

She looked around, bewildered, confused, like she'd
just woken up from a very vivid fucked up dream. I would know. I
was still trying to wake up.

"Here she is." I thrust her toward the security
guard. "She's pretty unstable. I think she's on drugs too."

I didn't look at Thane but I could sense his rage
growing at having been denied his next meal. Payment for what I'd
just done was going to be harsh. But I didn't care. I'd just saved
this girl's life. Anything he planned to dish out would be worth
taking.

The guard looked at all of us, like he didn't believe
one single word.

The girl peered at him curiously. "Are you here to
help me?"

"Do you need help?" he asked.

She slowly looked over her shoulder at Thane. The
fear was evident on her pale face and in her wide brown eyes. When
Thane sneered at her, she flinched and shuffled drunkenly closer to
the guard.

"Please, can you take me home?"

He shook his head. "Come on, girl. I'll get you a
cab." He gave each of us a hard stare. "If I get any more
complaints, you'll all be kicked out on your asses."

He helped the girl who was unsteady on her feet, to
the elevator. The door slid open and they went safely in. She'd
escaped with my help.

The second they were gone, I was yanked by the hair
and dragged into Thane's room. I kicked and yelped, scratching at
his hand to no effect.

"Let her go man." Trevor was right behind us, pulling
at my body, trying to rescue me from Thane's wrath.

Escape, I realized, was extremely futile.

Once inside, Thane picked me up and tossed me across
the room, as if I was nothing but a bag of trash. I landed on the
big bed, which would've comforted me except within seconds he was
on top of me, straddling my stomach and pinning my arms above
me.

"You're my dessert now, sugar pop."

Panic flashed through me and I thought I was going to
have a heart attack. I'd never felt such fear in my life. I
couldn't catch my breath. Black spots formed in my wavering vision.
I'd never truly harbored the thought that I would die. Except that
I suspected Death was staring me in the face with his inky black
eyes and cruel smile.