Vampires Rule (28 page)

“It suits me, don’t you think? Originally I’d
wanted to build a castle, but I decided gray stone walls would be
too ostentatious.”

Jack got up, leaving his notebook and pencil
on the desk. Instead of the detailed notes he usually took in
class, the top of the page was covered in doodles. He moved closer
to Jersey even though his well-honed survival instinct told him to
keep several desks between them.

“Let’s talk about the wraiths,” Jack said.
“They used to be women. Now they writhe around in pain all day, and
they’re slaves at night. How do you justify what you did to them?
Can you?”

Jersey had the audacity to laugh. If that
wasn’t bad enough, he spoke to Jack like he was talking to a
five-year-old. “I am a werewolf, son. What did you expect to find
in my home? Tea and cookies?” He pinched the bridge of his nose and
groaned. “Oh, Jack, you have to understand my position here. I have
an important destiny to fulfill.”

“You actually want to build an army and start
a war. Don’t you?”

“Look around you. The earth is a mess. Humans
are worse than animals. They run around grabbing greedily at
everything they can get their hands on and crawling over each other
to get ahead. They kill and maim without reason or thought, all the
while believing they are at the top of the food-chain. It’s time
for someone to show them the light.”

There was a touch of insanity in Jersey’s
eyes, and Jack wondered why he hadn’t noticed it before. Jack said,
“Humans aren’t perfect. Some of them might be greedy and psychotic,
but others are compassionate and loving and gentle and—.”

Jersey made a rude noise, interrupting Jack’s
list.

Jack added, “I won’t let you start a
war.”

“Of course not. It’s your destiny to stop me,
but you will fail.” Jersey went to the chalkboard and began to
erase it. “You cannot stop me because I am not of this world.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Haven’t you guessed? I’m not your typical
werewolf.” Jersey turned and posed, reminding Jack of some ancient
Greek statue. “I was originally an angel.”

Jack blinked. “I read Lovely’s diary. She
created you, cursed you so she wouldn’t have to choose between you
and the other guy. You admitted that yourself.”

“I was never from this world, Jack. It took
me a while to figure it out. Lovely cursed me, changed me, but I am
an angel sent to Earth to destroy the human race.”

He really was insane. Certifiable didn’t
cover it. Jack felt a strong headache coming on, starting at the
back of his brain and working its way forward. He decided to try to
reason with Jersey. If that didn’t work, he would try humoring him.
“Why would you want to wipe out humans? And what makes you think
you’re an angel?”

“Of course I’m an angel. I realized it after
I killed my wife. I threw myself off a cliff, smashed my body on
the rocks below, but I didn’t die. I realized then that I was
immortal.” Jersey dropped the eraser and jumped up on the desk with
a great leap. He stood, arms out, like a surfer riding a gnarly
wave. “Humans are evil. They are frail and useless. I am perfect,
strong and good.”

Jersey pinned Jack with a hard stare. “That
is why they must die. All of them.”

“You aren’t an angel. You're a werewolf.”

“It is your lot in life to disbelieve.”
Jersey climbed off the desk, a sober expression on his face.
“That’s okay. I cannot prove I’m an angel because my wings were
taken. Once I complete my mission, destroy the humans and take the
world, I will soar above the clouds again. Have patience, and I
might allow you to live long enough to see it.”

“I was a vampire,” Jack said. “If there are
vampires, there are werewolves. How do you reconcile your angel
story with that? Am I an angel? Do you think the crazy janitor is
an angel?”

“Don’t be childish about this, Jack. I am the
only angel on this planet. Vampires and werewolves are simply
monsters. They have been cursed because of their many sins. It’s
another sign of the end.” He smiled at Jack’s shocked expression.
“I guess I shouldn’t have told you the truth. I thought you would
understand, but it is too much for you to handle. Forget I said
anything.”

Right. Jack slowly backed away from the
teacher. Poor Jersey had gone crazy after killing his wife and
discovering he was a monster. He had tried to commit suicide, but
found he was immortal. The only way he could live with the curse
was to come up with this incredible angel story to give himself a
purpose.

There was no longer any question as to what
Jack would do with the rock. He desperately wanted to kill the
werewolf janitor. He wanted to kill the monster for his mom and
dad, in their memory, but he didn’t have a choice. If Jersey was
allowed to live, he was going to wreak havoc on the world. The war
would be beyond tragic, beyond frightening. No one could reason
with his insanity.

Cowboy always said the only good werewolf is
a dead werewolf, but he hadn’t told Jack about the worst sort of
werewolf. The worst werewolf was a crazy werewolf.

Jersey Clifford had to die.

****

Jack went to bed early that night.

He skipped dinner, preferring to be alone. On
the ride home from school Silver had announced she was going to
tell her parents about killing the wraiths. They weren’t going to
like it. She didn’t have their permission to kill anything without
them standing right there. At least she had the good sense to leave
out the part about being run through with a sword. She was just
giving them the bare facts, but it would be enough to piss them
off.

Jack wanted no part of it. After the day he’d
had, he wanted to crawl into bed and pull the covers over his head.
He wanted to block the world out entirely. As usual, what he wanted
and what he got were two different things.

When the knock came, he was lying on top of
the covers, fully dressed, and playing with the magic rock. He
should have turned his light off. Too late now. He glared at the
door. “Come in.”

Silver entered. She shut the door behind her
and climbed onto the bed next to him. Once again they reclined
shoulder to shoulder, her arm tucked under her head. He closed his
hand around the rock and lowered it to the mattress. For a long
time they stared at the ceiling in silence.

“How did English go?” she asked.

“It was okay.”

“I can’t stop thinking about him going home
to find his assistant dead, not to mention the wraiths.” She was
quiet for a few seconds. “Did we do the right thing? I mean, what
if he goes nuts because of what we did and takes it out on someone
else? For all we know he’s on a killing spree right now or he could
step up his plan to change the whole town into werewolves.”

“What did your mom and dad think about
it?”

Silver drummed her fingers against her
sweater-covered belly. “They were not pleased, but I think their
reaction had more to do with me being their little girl and putting
my life in danger than it had to do with possible
consequences.”

“You didn’t tell them about Pagan and the
sword, did you?”

“I told you I wouldn’t.”

Yes, she did, but sometimes her mouth ran
away with her. And on that note, he remembered his words to
Jersey.

“Jersey won’t go nuts on other people,” Jack
said. “He’ll know it was us. If he wants revenge, he’ll come for
us.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because I admitted I saw the wraiths.”

“You did what?” Silver bolted upright. “Are
you crazy? Why didn’t you just confess right there? Unbelievable.”
Her eyes went north. “He’s probably outside the house right now,
preparing to tear us limb from limb.”

Jack’s hand reached out and stroked Blanca’s
fur. The cat was half-asleep. A contented purr started to buzz deep
inside her warm body. Jersey wasn’t outside. Blanca wouldn’t be so
relaxed if a werewolf was nearby.

“Do you have a death wish?” Silver asked.
“Seriously. You have to be out of your mind to admit anything to
him. What am I saying? I’m talking to someone who thought it might
be a good idea to become close friends with the head werewolf.”

Those days were over. Jack decided to tell
her the rest, give her some peace of mind before she went stark
raving mad. “I’m going to use the rock on him.”

She blinked a few times before a huge smile
transformed her face. “Really? You’re going to kill Jersey
Clifford?” He nodded and she hugged him. Her head rested on his
chest, and her fingers gripped his side. He wrapped his arms around
her and stroked her silky hair. She said, “Thank you, thank you,
thank you. You are the best. I love you.”

Her body went rigid, and his hand froze in
mid-stroke. A palpable silence surrounded them. Neither of them
knew what to say next. The three little words hung in the air,
echoing in their thoughts. Her admission of love was out there, and
it couldn’t be denied or ignored.

Should he say something? Was her admission
for real, or had she accidentally blurted the words out because
she’d been grateful for his help? Jack knew he loved her, but he
didn’t want to admit it if she didn’t truly love him.

Silver slowly disengaged. She sat up, a
stunned look on her pretty face. Her eyes traveled around the room,
probably looking for something to clean or reorganize. She leaped
up and headed for the door on quick feet. Although he hadn’t wanted
any company, hadn’t want to talk to anyone, he couldn’t let her
leave like this.

Jack jumped up, ran across the mattress, and
beat her to the door without even using vampire speed. He blocked
her way effectively and said the first words that popped into his
head. “Don’t go.”

“Please, don’t make an embarrassing situation
worse.” She still didn’t look him in the eye.

“Why are you embarrassed?” He took a deep
breath and asked, “Did you mean what you said? Do you love me?”

Her gaze reluctantly slid up to meet his.
“I…uh...yes, okay, I love you. Deal with it.”

“I love you too.”

She rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to say
that. I wasn’t trying to corner you into saying words you don’t
mean. Just stop it.”

His hands went to her shoulders, grasping
them firmly, and part of him wanted to shake her until she stopped
being stubborn. “I wouldn’t lie to you, not about something this
important. I fell in love with you a long time ago.”

“Really?” Her eyes brightened. “When?” She
blushed. “I mean, when did you know you were in love with me? And
why didn’t you say something before?”

Good questions. He tried to come up with good
answers. He wasn’t sure there was a particular moment that caused
him to fall for her. “I think it happened a little at a time. Part
of me fell for you when you killed the werewolf in the cemetery.
Another part loved you when you threatened to suck my soul out that
first night. I love the way you go all shy on me sometimes and when
you stand up for what you believe, even when it’s me you’re
fighting against. There are a lot of things I love about you.”

She seemed satisfied. Her smile widened, and
she moved closer until there was only a breath of air between their
bodies. She looked at his mouth. “Maybe you should kiss me now to
kind of seal the deal.”

She didn’t need to ask twice. He leaned
forward, touched his lips to hers. It was still new, still
thrilling. Her arms wound tightly around his neck, pulling him
closer. His hands settled on her hips. Her lips blossomed beneath
his, and she invited his tongue inside the warm recesses of her
mouth.

Now this was definitely new.

His knees went weak as the kiss deepened.

Whether by accident or design, they stumbled
in the direction of the bed until they bumped into it. They went
down, side by side, still touching and kissing. Her hands molded
the muscles in his arms while his fingers dove into her hair.
Things were getting out of control fast.

Jack stopped kissing her and gently pushed
her away. At the hurt look on her face, he said, “Your dad would
kill me for sure if he walked in and found us rolling around on the
bed together. Besides, we haven’t known each other for that long. I
care about you too much to take advantage of you.”

“I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

“I feel the same way. Still, we need to take
it slow. Most of our relationship has been about hunting monsters.
We’ve hardly had time to have a normal conversation. After I kill
Jersey, we can go on a date like a real couple.”

She smiled and nodded. “Sounds great. What
are we going to do on our date?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t given it much
thought.”

Liar. He had planned every second down to the
last detail. As soon as he got his hands on some money, he was
going to take her out for an expensive meal. They would go to a
movie, something sweet and romantic to set the tone for the rest of
the evening. Then he was going to walk her out to the middle of the
field, spread a blanket, and count the stars as they talked about
their hopes and dreams for the future.

“We can decide later,” she said. The hopeful
smile disappeared, and a frown marred her beautiful features.
“Don’t let him hurt you. I don’t want you to die trying to give me
my freedom.”

He waved a hand, dismissing the idea. “Don’t
worry. I think I can handle touching a man with a rock.”

“Don’t underestimate him. He’s going to be
wary of you after seeing what we did to the wraiths. He may not let
you get close to him again.” She shivered. Her arms went around her
own body, and she began to shake her head vehemently. “No, never
mind. I don’t want you to do it. We’ll think of another way to stop
him.”

“There isn’t another way.”

“I’ll train harder so I can suck his soul
out. Until then, we can live and let live.”