Blood Awakening Read online

  “Nothing.”

  “You cold?”

  “You know I’m not.”

  “Yeah. I know.” He looked away then, staring at the thick mass of traffic traveling down Charles Street. “I know.”

  “Enough ‘V’ talk,” Kayla interrupted. “We need to get going.” I fought the urge to pull Chance to the side and apologize yet again for turning him into a vampire. The guilt was all-consuming, and the fact that I knew, deep down, he blamed me for it made it that much harder to bear.

  “Are we all going in?” Erik asked, stepping up beside Kayla.

  “Why not?” Kayla asked, crossing the street and heading toward the ice cream shop. Chance and I followed them, careful not to get clipped by oncoming cars.

  “Maybe it would be better if we hung back,” Chance said once we were safely on the sidewalk again. “Especially me.”

  “He’s right,” Erik said. “That face might scare away their customers.”

  “Funny,” I snapped. Erik didn’t look back at me, but I knew he was smiling. “But he’s kind of right,” I said to Chance. “Maybe you and I should wait outside.”

  “Why?” Kayla asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said just as we made it to the storefront. “What if we do scare off their customers?”

  “I never said you.” Erik turned to face me just outside the ice cream shop. He was looking too good leaning against a small strip of black wrought-iron fence next to the door. Ugh, as if I wasn’t having a hard enough time trying to focus. “Just him.” He looked from me to Chance, who would have gladly ripped Erik’s head off if I let him.

  “Stop that,” I said, refraining from smacking Erik’s arm. He laughed a little and stared through the door to the shop. The fact that I was standing between the two of them hadn’t even fazed me.

  “You should listen to her,” Chance said. “Might save your life.”

  “I don’t need her to protect me,” Erik threw back.

  “You’re gonna need somebody.” I knew that Chance was trying his best to stay calm. For me or himself, I wasn’t sure.

  “Could you two compare sizes later?” Kayla snapped. “Let’s just get in here and see what we can find out about my dad.” With that, she opened the door to the shop and went inside. I glared from Erik to Chance, aggravated with them both, before following her inside.

  JP Licks was small and unimpressive from the outside, but the inside was by far the cutest ice cream shop I had ever seen (not that I had seen many—or could remember seeing many). Everything from the wood-grain walls to the black and white cow print everywhere gave a sense of eclectic sophistication and whimsy that made you feel instantly at ease…and oddly happy.

  A small, thin girl behind the counter greeted us with a smile. “Hi,” she said in a way-too-chipper voice, “welcome to JP Licks. Would you like to try one of our coffee/ice cream combos?”

  Kayla stepped up to the counter and smiled back. “Hi,” she said, her own voice a bit too sweet for my taste. “Um, I was wondering if you could maybe help me with something?” A raised eyebrow from the girl. “We’re, uh, trying to find out if maybe you might recognize…this man?” She pulled a photo of her dad from her pocket and handed it over the counter. The girl took the photo and studied it for a moment.

  “Sure,” she said. “I recognize him. He’s one of our regular customers. Sort of.”

  “What do you mean, ‘sort of’?” I asked. Ice Cream Girl looked from Kayla to me, the soft blue of her eyes a stark contrast to her ebony locks.

  “Well, he’s a regular whenever he’s in town. Apparently he lives outside the city? I think he’s a professor or something at the university.” She scooped up a cloth and began wiping down the already clean counter; apparently Mr. JP himself didn’t tolerate uncleanliness—or standing around doing nothing.

  “Um, yeah,” Kayla said, cramming the photo back into her pocket. “Or something.” She glanced over her shoulder at me, her eyes begging me to take over.

  “Excuse me,” I said, sidestepping Kayla and moving to the front of the line. “I know this is gonna be a long shot, but do you happen to know if he was in here sometime in December, two years ago?” I couldn’t even remember what was happening six months ago; how could I expect this girl to remember a stranger in passing from that far back?

  “You know,” the girl said, abandoning her clean sweep of the countertops, “I actually do remember seeing him around that time.” I could practically feel Kayla’s blood surge through her veins. “I remember because he came in carrying a couple of gifts and asked if he could put them on the counter so he could get his wallet out of his pocket. I made a comment that there was no way he did the wrapping himself.” She looked at me and smiled. “It was way too pretty to be a guy’s work.”

  I smiled back. “Yeah,” I said, throwing a quick glance over my shoulder to Chance and Erik. “They aren’t really good with the cute stuff, huh?” Ice Cream Girl laughed. “So,” I went on, “you don’t happen to remember if he said where he was headed?”

  “No, sorry.” She went back to wiping the counter. “But, it was around lunchtime, so I would guess that he was in town for work? I’d check the university if I were you. Show his picture around. Maybe somebody there knows him.”

  I felt defeated. “Okay, thanks.” I turned away from her and stared at Kayla, who looked as though I had just stabbed her in the heart. “Sorry, K.” Oh great. Now I was using initials for nicknames, too.

  She let out a deep sigh. “It’s okay,” she said, turning and heading back out to the sidewalk. While inside JP’s, I couldn’t help but feel stifled by the heat pumping through the vents. Now, out on the sidewalk, beneath the overcast sky again, I would have welcomed just a tiny bit of it.

  “Well,” Erik said, stretching his arms high above his head with a yawn. I may or may not have zeroed in on the tiny strip of exposed midriff just below his raised shirt. Ugh. “I guess it’s back to BU then?”

  “Guess so,” I said, trying to get the image of my hand resting on said exposed midriff to leave my brain.

  “What’s the point?” Kayla said, plopping down onto the tiny black bench pushed against the piece of iron fence. “This is a waste of time.” She leaned back in a huff, smacking her head against the fence hard enough for us to hear, but apparently not hard enough to hurt since she didn’t even flinch. “This has all been a waste of time. We’re never gonna find him.” A long pause, then, “I’m never gonna find him.” She leaned forward again, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands.

  “Don’t say that,” I said, rushing over and taking a seat beside her. Without even thinking about it, I put a hand on her knee and gave it a squeeze. “You will find him, Kayla. I promise.”

  “Can’t believe this.” She continued as though I hadn’t said anything. “Two years of my life I’ve given trying to find my dad, and I haven’t gotten any farther that when I first started.”

  “Yes, you have.” Erik this time, swooping in and picking up my slack in the Consoling Friend department. He knelt down beside her, his hand rubbing her arm. “You know for a fact that he made it to Boston. You know for a fact that he was here, in this very store, the day he went missing.” He lifted her chin with his hands so she would have to stare into his brilliant blue eyes. “And,” he continued, “you know for a fact that whoever the bastards are that have him, they’re getting worried that you’re a little too close.”

  Kayla looked at him, confused. “Huh?”

  “Yeah,” I said, inspired by Erik’s mini-speech. “That note, Kayla. They’re warning you to back off.” More confusion littered her face. “Why would they bother doing that if they didn’t think you were on their trail?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, her hands dangling between her knees. “I guess that makes sense.”

  “Of course it makes sense,” Erik said, standin
g up. “They know you know who they are, and they’re worried you’re coming for them.”

  “But we don’t know who they are,” she said, standing up next to him. Not wanting to feel like the only oddball still sitting down, I stood, too. “I have no idea who has him, or where they are, or why they took him. I don’t know anything.”

  “Maybe not,” Chance said, finally joining the conversation. I had thought for a second that he would come over and take part in our moment of group positivity, but he remained stoic and statuesque next to the door to JP’s. “But they don’t know that.”

  “He’s right,” I said, feeling confident for the first time that we may just have one-up on the coven who took Mr. Harper. “They know you made the connection to Boston and the university. It’s only a matter of time before you put the rest of the puzzle together and find him, Kayla. They know it. We know it.” I took a page from her overly dramatic handbook and used my hands to gesture to Chance, Erik and myself, trying my best to show her that no matter what, we were here for her.

  Kayla stared out into the street for what felt like forever before finally looking me dead in the eye. For the first time since the day I met her—or, rather, the day she blindsided me—in the locker room at school, I saw the tiniest bit of hope there. “I hope you guys are right,” she said, taking my hand in hers and giving it a light squeeze; I returned the comforting gesture.

  “I know we are,” Erik said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Even though I was completely intent on comforting my best friend, I couldn’t help but focus on the tips of his fingers just grazing my shoulder, and the tiny jolts of delicious electricity they were sending down my arm.

  Damn, I was a mess.

  THINGS CHANGE

  Sebastian should be here by now,” I said as the four of us crossed the lush campus of Boston University, headed for the rear entrance to the anthropology department.

  “What does it matter?” Chance said behind me. “We don’t need him.”

  “Ugh, we’ve been through this already, Chance.” I stepped away from him, my anger toward his insolence steadily rising. “It’s not a matter of need. It’s a matter of keeping an eye on him.”

  “I have to agree with Lover Boy on this one,” Erik said. “We don’t need another vampire lurking around.” He cut his eyes at Chance. “We already have one too many as it is.”

  “Funny,” Chance said. “I was thinking the same thing about assholes.”

  “Why don’t both of you leave?” Kayla said, stepping between them. “We don’t need more vampires or assholes, thanks.”

  “Ditto.” I stood beside my best friend, so over their fighting.

  “Okay, okay,” Erik said, lifting his hands in surrender. “I give up.”

  “Smart move,” Chance said, uncrossing his arms. I expected Erik to lunge at him, or at the very least offer a retort, but he just smiled and turned away.

  “Let’s just get on with it, okay?” I stared up at Chance’s face, the muscles lining his jaw flexing with anger. It was a few seconds before he pulled his eyes away from Erik and settled them on me.

  “Fine.” Though the word seemed forced, his jaw had relaxed.

  “Good.” I gave him a fake smile and turned to Kayla. “Lead the way.”

  We all followed Kayla into the back door of the building, which opened onto a darkened hallway. Fake plants and tacky artwork lined the walls, making the place feel sterile and ordinary. My senses were on high alert, prepared for any obstacle we might have encountered. Thankfully, the trip down the hall to Mr. Harper’s office was uninterrupted. Chance death-gripped the locked door and gave it a hard twist, officially cementing our breaking-and-entering.

  “So what, exactly, are we looking for?” Erik asked once we were safely inside the room.

  “Not sure,” Kayla said. She stepped behind the large, dark desk positioned near the far wall and began thumbing through stacks of papers littering its surface. “Anything that might tell us where he is.”

  “Doubt we’re gonna find something saying ‘Evil vampire coven hell-bent on destroying Earth.’” Erik was practically laughing as he said it.

  “Cute,” Kayla said, never moving her focus from the scattered papers on the desk. “Now, let Smart Erik back out so we can move on.”

  “I am Smart Erik.”

  “Really?” She finally looked up from the desk. “Huh, could’ve fooled me.” The two friends smiled at each other and went back to what they were doing. I stayed busy digging through the row of filing cabinets lining one wall, while Chance stood guard at the door. As the four of us rummaged through the life of a missing man, I felt a sense of belonging, like we were all meant to be in each other’s lives, to help each other. A calming peace swept over me, which was very weird given our situation. I should have taken a page from my own personal history book and remembered that just when things felt right in my life, something always screwed them up.

  This time was no exception.

  I caught the foul scent just as Chance did. I could almost feel him tense up from across the room. “We have company,” he said, looking over at me.

  “Yeah,” I agreed, abandoning my search of Mr. Harper’s files.

  “Oh crap, what now?” Kayla dropped a handful of papers onto the desk and stared across the room at us.

  “Nothing,” I said. “We’ll take care of it. You two keep looking.” Chance already had the door open and was lingering in the hallway, so I followed him out, pulling the door shut behind me. Once we made it back outside, the smell of death was too strong to miss. Well, at least for a couple of undead teens.

  “This way.” Chance turned right and headed to a thick patch of forest flanking the lush green of the campus lawn. As the two of us made our way toward the trees, I couldn’t help but wonder how in the world the university managed to keep such healthy grass during winter. I almost laughed at the ridiculous thought, but kept it to myself. We were in the edge of the woods within seconds.

  “Where’s it coming from?” I asked, the scent swirling around me without a precise origin. Was I losing my tracking ability? I hadn’t used it that much since Aldric taught me how—other than that night at Kayla’s, when I went searching for Chance—so it was definitely possible. No, that couldn’t be it. It was the wind, it had to be. It was strong today, sweeping through the open grounds of the college campus, scooping up leaves and dress hems in its assault. It obviously was wreaking havoc on the putrid odor, lifting it and moving it so I couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from.

  “I don’t know,” Chance finally answered. “The wind’s too strong. I can’t find a trail.”

  “Yeah, I thought so.” Glad to know it wasn’t just me. “You go that way,” I said, pointing to the right. “And I’ll go this way.”

  “No way. We’re not splitting up, Ava. It’s too dangerous.” Chance was standing right next to me, and he reached out and scooped my hand into his. “I’m not letting you go.”

  I had to stop myself from blurting out, “You already have.” Instead, I said, “It’s okay. We have to.”

  “No. We stay together.” He scanned the thick woods before pulling me behind him. “Let’s go.” We traipsed through the overgrown brush of the forest, the smell of the nearby vampire strong and thick in my throat. We didn’t have to run far before we were blindsided by something large and strong.

  My body flew through the air, smacking into a nearby oak tree with enough force to peel bark from the trunk. My mind immediately flashed back to the day Kayla and I were attacked in the woods behind school, the day I almost killed her. Geez, what was it about schools and forests? I forced the memory from my brain and stood up. Chance was by my side in a flash, the two of us standing face-to-face with a massive vampire twenty yards or so away.

  “You’re dead,” Chance said through clenched teeth. He was holding onto me tightly, and I could feel
his muscles vibrating with fevered energy.

  “Tell me something I don’t know, kid.” The vampire looked close to our age, but sounded older, his voice raspy and deep. He was wearing all black, with a long coat swaying around him in the swirling wind. I didn’t have many pop culture vampire references to go on, but he seemed awfully cliché.

  “Fine,” Chance said. “You’re dead again.”

  “Ooh, haven’t heard that one before.”

  “What the hell do you want?” I asked, as angry as Chance sounded.

  “To give you two a warning.” The vampire remained still, his feet firmly planted shoulder-width apart. “Leave this alone, all of you. Or things are gonna get real ugly real fast.”

  “Ooh, haven’t heard that one before.” I was surprised with Chance’s smug, carefree attitude. I was a rolling ball of nerves, just waiting for the rug to be pulled from beneath me, and he was cracking jokes.

  “Take it how you want. Just know you’ve been warned.”

  “Well that sounds ominous,” I said, gripping Chance’s hand; I was grateful when he didn’t pull away. I can only imagine how strange it all would have looked to passersby, Chance and I locked hand-in-hand, all golden-eyed and fanged. “I don’t suppose you’d care to tell us who sent you? You know, make our jobs a little easier?”

  The vampire just smiled at me, the venom tipping his fangs glistening in the midday sun. “Sorry, sweetie. No dice.”

  “Shut up,” Chance said. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

  “Easy, kid. I’m not gonna mess with your little half-blood girlfriend.”

  I expected Chance to correct him, to tell him and the rest of the world that I wasn’t his girlfriend anymore—if I ever truly was—but he kept quiet.

  I, on the other hand, couldn’t shut up. “Come over here and let me show you how little I am.”

  The vampire started to move forward, but stopped. Another unsettling grin spread across his porcelain face. “Sorry again, sweetie. Afraid I have to go.” He turned to leave, but stopped after a few steps. “Oh yeah,” he said, spinning around to face us again. “Do you know where your friends are?” More evil grinning, then he was gone.