Rylie Cruz 2 - How to Date a Vampire (10 page)

Chapter Fifteen

How to Date a Vampire, Rule #15:

Let your date know you think fangs are
sexy.

Without notice Jack stopped. He stood frozen
to the pavement. He turned around with lightning speed and that was
when the shadowy figure came into view again. The shadow was dark,
moving swiftly with a swoosh noise as a long black cape cascaded
out behind it. I watched in shock. Was this one of those vampire
wannabes who hung around graveyards for kicks? It was like the
Night of The Living Dead
. The place was crawling with
vampires.

I grabbed Jack by the arm and steered him to
our left. In his current slight catatonic state, I wasn’t sure he’d
noticed the mysterious figure, but I didn’t want to take a chance.
When I looked at him, I knew he’d sensed it though. The panicked
look in his eyes said as much. He had enough to worry about at the
moment without some fake vampire taunting him—only a fake vampire
would wear a cape, right? But if this was a wannabe would Jack have
sensed him? What if this was the real deal? I knew it. We’d been
lured here somehow.

As we turned a corner, the figure darted
behind another stone. How the heck had it made it over there so
quickly? Was this thing playing games with us? I knew the figure
wasn’t a human because it moved too quickly. Why had Jack been so
drawn to this cemetery? It had to be because of his new vampire
status. This was too weird and something for only a movie. We
needed to get out of there. Maybe the walk hadn’t been such a good
idea. I was guiding a half-dead man around a graveyard? What had
happened to my life? And I thought things were getting back to
normal. Did I even know what normal was anymore?

“Where are we going? I’m really thirsty. I
need a drink,” Jack said.

“Come on, I’ll get you some water. How about
some lemonade?”

You know that feeling you get when someone
is staring at you? Yeah, well, my neck had that feeling. I needed
to find Jack blood so he wouldn’t want mine. What would happen if
he accidentally turned me into a vampire? A vampire/werewolf
hybrid? That was so messed up. I hurried Jack along the stone path.
Just a short time ago, I’d been on a date with Jack when two crazy
werewolves chased me in this exact cemetery. When would I learn to
stay out of this place?

When we rounded the corner, we stopped dead
in our tracks. No pun intended.

“We’ve come for the newly turned vampire,”
the female vampire said.

It was the curvy vamp from my parents’
house. How had she found us? Had she come for another taste of
Jack’s blood? A large, mean-looking male stood beside her. His dark
eyes glowed with annoyance. He was the one in the cape. This man
had a muscular frame. Even under the cape, I noticed it. With his
dark eyes and dark hair, he had the badass, frightening vampire
look down. Yes, by the snarl on his face, I knew he wasn’t a
wannabe vampire, but the real deal.

I wanted to cover Jack’s ears so he wouldn’t
hear any more of what they had to say. She’d just called him newly
turned. He was in denial and I didn’t want to make him feel any
worse than he already did. I’d decided not to mention his
bloodsucking status again until I had concrete answers.

“You’ve come for what? I’m not sure what
you’re talking about,” I said, trying to sound calm.

“Don’t play dumb with me. Just let him come
with us, and nobody will get hurt.”

So much for not talking about his new
status, they left me no choice. “Sorry, there are no recently
turned vampires here.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Maybe you should
try Vampires R Us.”

The male vampire hissed, exposing his fangs.
They loved that hissing sound effect, huh? My neck suddenly felt
vulnerable out in the open air. I instinctively covered my exposed
skin with my hand.

“Rylie, let me talk with them. They’re
obviously confused. I wasn’t ‘turned’ into anything. Yes, I was
bitten, but it was a little nick. We had a little scuffle. Nothing
more.” Jack stood his ground.

“Ah, isn’t he cute. Still in denial.” The
female stepped from behind the male vamp. She licked her chops just
as she did when she’d seen Jack at my parents’ home. If I
remembered correctly, Sophie was her name. If she thought she was
getting to Jack, she had another think coming. No way would I let
her sink her fangs into him.

“He’s not in denial. Now kindly step back or
I’ll be forced to use my super werewolf skills on you.”

The vampires exchanged glances, then burst
into laughter. Smartasses.

“My name is Nelson Rush. This is Sophie
Rodriguez.” He gestured toward the female vampire. “You’ve been
bitten by Henry,” the male vampire said. “He didn’t fully change
you. We can’t allow you to walk around like this. You need to know
some information about your status. If you come with us, we’ll
explain everything. We won’t harm you.”

Why couldn’t they allow him? Besides, half a
vamp was better than full vamp in my opinion. No mess and no fuss.
Why couldn’t they just leave him alone? Did they want Jack to be
one of them? A full vampire?

I stepped in front of Jack as if my
five-foot-two frame would stop this hulking vampire hovering over
me from getting to Jack. I’d have to shift and get into a cage
match with these two vampires. Where was Lily when I needed her?
Probably sanding down those talons she called fingernails. Perhaps
perusing a weapons catalog for wedding décor. Maybe I should
reconsider ignoring the rest of my pack. I’d acted like I wasn’t
one of them since I was a child—avoiding them as much as possible.
I only went to the pack meetings when my parents forced me. But a
little backup would be a good thing right about now.

“We’re not against taking you out to get to
him. He must come with us,” Sophie said in a sharp voice.

I didn’t back down. I might be small, but I
wasn’t all bark… I had some bite, too. “I gotta tell you, you may
not be against taking me out to get to him, but I’m very much
against it. So to explain this in simple terms so you’ll
understand, it’s not happening… he’s not coming with you.”

To say the fangs came out would be an
understatement. I was currently in a showdown with two vampires. Me
against the two of them. Sure, I had Jack, but in his whacked-out
state, how much help would he be?

“Someone is going to get hurt, but I can
assure you it won’t be me,” I said.

My brother would have called my last
statement a death wish and he was probably right. I hated when he
was right.

“Out of the way, Rover,” Nelson said.

Oh, it was
so
on now. So that was how
it was going to be, huh? The same old tired dog jokes. My thoughts
swirled and the only plan of escape that came to mind at the moment
was to change over and tell Jack to run. Yeah, that wouldn’t bruise
his ego much, huh? Having me fight two vampires while he ran off
like a scared little girl? How would I even ask him to do such a
thing? Before I had time to contemplate the thought further, the
female vampire made a lunge for me. I pushed Jack backward, then
darted to the left. She missed grabbing my shirt by no more than a
centimeter.

“Jack, run.” I pulled him forward by his
shirt as he stumbled to the ground, but the male vampire was way
too fast. If Jack was going to be a vampire now, he had to get the
hang of things.

Sophie laughed. “Guess you have no choice
but let him come with us now.”

With her four-inch heels, she towered over
me, then leaned down to my level. Darn flats. How could I be a
badass werewolf when she hovered over me like a tall oak tree.

“And as a matter of fact, the wolf’s coming
with us, too,” Nelson said.

“Leave her out of this,” Jack said. “If you
want me fine, but let her go.”

“Oh, how gallant of him.” She snorted. “No
can do, buttercup.” She inched closer, circling Jack as if he was a
giant vial of blood.

“What is that?” I pointed behind them. They
turned in unison to search for the mystery thing I’d pointed out.
They were too gullible.

While they were distracted, I made a lunge
to my left, pulling Jack with me.

“Get her,” Nelson demanded. I wasn’t sure
how I’d get out of this situation. I was accustomed to
confrontation with werewolves, but I’d successfully avoided
confrontation with vampires up until this point. Sophie grabbed me
by both arms, pulling me forward. The male vamp grabbed Jack and
pushed him forward.

The anger bubbled inside me, starting at my
toes, settling in my stomach, swooshing and churning, then finally
bubbling to the top of my head. The hair appeared on my hands. I
felt the change in my eyes and face. The claws appeared on the tips
of my fingers. I let out a long howl, a warning signal that said
‘get the hell off me.’ My natural instincts took over, my eyes
changed, the transformation took place and fur covered my body. I
swiped at her, and she screamed.

“I’m going to drain you dry for messing this
up.” Nelson stormed toward me. His incisors flashed in the sliver
of moonlight.

Uh oh.

Chapter Sixteen

How to Date a Vampire, Rule #16:

Don’t be a sucker.

Jack swooped in from the side and
sucker-punched him. Probably not a good idea, but what could I do?
I had my hands full at the moment. From out of the shadows, a
figure appeared.

“Let them go now,” the loud baritone voice
rang out.

All movement stopped, as if the figure had
pressed the pause button. The male and female vampire zipped away
so quickly it made my head spin. I swallowed hard.

Jack moved closer to me. “Are you okay?”

He didn’t look at me, but stared at the
figure instead. I couldn’t take my eyes off the figure, either.

“I’m fine.”

I still had hairy hands and a partial beard.
Awkward. The figure stared at us. It was so dark that I couldn’t
make out any features. He just stood motionless, but I knew his
gaze was locked on us.

“Jack’s coming with me,” the figure
said.

Hell to the no. “Look. I don’t know who the
hell you are, but he’s not going with you, them, or anyone else. I
appreciate the help with getting rid of the two who were ready to
kill us, that was so sweet of you, but… that still doesn’t mean
Jack is coming with you. Now leave us alone. Come on, Jack.” I
grabbed him and we ran away from the cemetery without as much as a
glance back. I was afraid of what I might see if I looked back.

We sprinted down the sidewalk toward the
apartment building. Luckily, Jack’s new vampire skills allowed him
to move faster, matching my werewolf speed. That came in handy at
the moment. People crowded the sidewalks as we weaved around them.
They were lucky, out having a fantastic time. In the meantime,
vampires were chasing Jack and me and I was halfway in werewolf
form.

After I figured we’d put enough space
between us and the graveyard, I glanced over my shoulder repeatedly
while continuing our sprint. We passed a couple jazz bars and more
voodoo shops. I expected to see any number of vampires following
us. Luckily, I saw none.

It seemed as if it had taken us hours to run
the several blocks home, but in reality only took a couple minutes.
People didn’t have time to pay much attention to us as we zoomed
down the sidewalk. If they had seen us, they hadn’t seemed
concerned, as if they saw people zoom past all the time.

We made it safely back inside the building.
So far, the coast was clear.

“That was some experience, huh? How are you
feeling?” I asked Jack.

He nodded. “I’ll be all right. I'm sorry. I
guess I'm a little distracted.”

“You have every right to be distracted.”

“I shouldn’t have gone there,” Jack said, as
he glanced over at me.

I wasn't going to argue with him over that
one. I completely agreed.

“I’d really like if you stayed with me
tonight. Just knowing you’re in the room will make me feel better.”
Jack grasped my arm and eased me around.

His touch was still cold, but it made my arm
warm at the same time. That didn't make sense to me. It was either
one or the other, but not both. As for his question, I couldn’t
think of any place I’d rather be.

“I’d love to stay over with you.” My stomach
tingled. A bit of happiness amongst the chaos. “Why don’t you lie
down and get some rest? You’ve been through a lot,” I said as we
made our way up the stairs.

“I don’t think I can,” he said as he
unlocked the door.

After he opened the door, I slipped inside
and over to his living room window, peering out. Nothing unusual
popped out at me, so I hurried back over to him. He was walking
back and forth along the hallway.

“Come on. Let’s go in your bedroom.” I
looped my arm through his and guided him toward the back of the
hallway.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel
as if I’ve downed a case of Red Bull and chased it with some
coffee. My skin’s crawling.” Jack paced. He was like a caged
animal, looking for any way to escape. From what, I wasn’t sure.
His own body?

Hmm. That didn’t sound like much fun.

“I need the vampire antidote. Like
yesterday,” he said.

Unfortunately, I knew all too well there
wasn’t one. I sat down on the bed and watched Jack pace. In a way
it made me sad to know he’d finally accepted his fate.

“Here, why don’t you take a shower? Maybe
the water will make you feel better. I’ll go check on Jennifer and
be right back.”

He nodded. “Yeah. Okay. Maybe you’re
right.”

It wasn’t much, but I didn’t have any other
options for him at the moment. Next I’d be tucking him into bed and
offering him chicken noodle soup.

After leading Jack into the shower, I
slipped back into my apartment to let Jennifer know what had
happened. I had locked his door so no vampires could get in, but
then again, would a thing like a locked door stop them?