The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Twelfth Grade Kills (19 page)

A good ache. One that hinted that his heart would explode if he didn’t hold her again soon.

“Snow ...” Her name fell from his lips in a whisper, but it was enough to make her stop in her tracks.

She looked up at him and smiled, a sadness lurking in her eyes. Maybe it was a sadness that spoke of her longing for him. Or maybe it was something else. Maybe she’d moved on, had found another boy, and that’s what the threat of tears at the end of their dancing had meant, and what her eyes were trying to tell him now.

Vlad moved down the steps, until he was standing right in front of her. He held her gaze for a long time, searching for the right words. None of the ones he’d practiced with on his way to school seemed right. Finally, with a deep breath for bravery, he spoke. “Sometimes, I do incredibly stupid things. Like challenging Henry to a Mountain Dew chug-off. Like giving Amenti extra catnip when Nelly isn’t looking. Like breaking off all contact with my perfect match. Can you forgive me? Can you ever forgive me? Because ... I love you, Snow. And if you can’t forgive me, I—”

“Vlad.” She shook her head. “Shut up.”

At first, his heart sank. Then she moved forward, pressing her lips tightly to his in a dizzying, wonderful kiss—one so much better than even the kiss they’d shared on the dance floor—and Vlad’s heart soared up into the atmosphere, through clouds and sky and stars, and it never came back down.

He loved Snow. And Snow loved him.

And for the moment, that was all that mattered.

T
HERE IS NO WAY this is gonna work.” Henry shook his head adamantly, peering up at the open arched windows of the belfry with doubt. ”No offense, Vlad, but I’ve seen you in gym class and I’m not about to trust my future career as a ballroom dancer to someone who can’t bench press eighty pounds without using his freaky vampire powers.”

Vlad raised an eyebrow. Ballroom dancing? Henry was about as graceful as a three-legged dog. He had to be joking.

Henry surveyed the distance, shaking his head once again. “You’ll break our legs, for sure.”

Joss’s eyes grew wide, and Vlad almost slugged Henry. The last thing he needed was two panicky passengers. “It’ll be fine, Henry. Now hold on.”

Joss had looped his arm through Vlad’s left arm, and Henry grabbed onto Vlad’s shoulders. With a deep breath, Vlad concentrated and willed his body upward, floating through the air, carrying his two closest friends to his most secret of sanctuaries.

It was time to let go of all secrets.

Besides, they needed somewhere quiet and private to talk, somewhere that Henry couldn’t run away from.

When Vlad reached the ledge, the three of them stepped inside the room. Henry looked around and whistled, impressed. “Whoa ... when you said you hung out up here, I’d expected some old books and a few dust bunnies. Not this.”

Vlad lit the candles and nodded to Joss, who’d been watching him expectantly since they entered the belfry. They’d planned it all out. Henry’s cousin would start the explanation, and Vlad would assist. Maybe it would be easier to hear coming from family.

Maybe it wouldn’t.

It didn’t matter. Henry had to hear, had to know what was coming for him. For them all.

Joss cleared his throat and looked at his cousin. Nothing about his posture said that he was ready for this. “Henry ... listen. There’s something Vlad and I need to tell you.

Henry flicked his eyes between them, suspicion and concern lighting up his expression.

“Something’s about to happen. Something that none of us can stop. And I need your support—
we
need your support.”

“Is it something bad?” Henry whispered.

Vlad gave his shoulder a squeeze, but said nothing.

It was bad. Really bad. Worse than Henry would ever know—he and Joss had agreed on that. They’d tell Henry about the Slayer Society and about Em. They’d tell him about the journal and how important it was. But they wouldn’t tell him about their last-resort plan of action, about Joss staking Vlad.

He was better off not knowing.

Or, more accurately, Joss’s face was better off without Henry’s fists knowing.

“You know I’m a ... Slayer ... right?” At Henry’s nod, Joss looked a bit relieved and continued. “I belong to a group known as the Slayer Society. They exist solely for the purpose of extinguishing vampires. They believe that vampires are an abomination, an evil that has to be snuffed out before it infects mankind.”

To Vlad’s surprise—and great joy—he saw disgust in Joss’s eyes. He didn’t know if that was because Joss had changed his mind about vampires, or if it was something to do with his feelings for the Society now. He only knew that seeing it was way better than seeing the blind follower that Joss had once been.

Joss looked like he was struggling with what was coming next. But Henry had to know. “The Society is coming to Bathory. And they plan to murder everyone in this town, unless I do something they’ve instructed me to do.”

Henry raised an eyebrow. “How many of them?”

Joss whispered, “All of them. Hundreds. Almost a thousand.”

Henry seemed to relax some. “That’s not so many.”

Vlad leaned forward. “It’s enough, Henry. Enough to cleanse this town of every human being in it.”

Joss nodded his agreement. “One well-trained Slayer can take down a group of a hundred men without blinking an eye.”

“Okay ... so that’s bad.” Henry took a deep breath and released it. “But what makes you think they’re capable of actually doing it, actually killing everyone?”

“Because they’ve done it before. Only no one but the Society knows they’ve done it. From natural disasters, like wild-fires, to populations just disappearing—the Slayer Society has made an art out of making people disappear. Joss looked immensely embarrassed to be a part of that group. Maybe, Vlad thought, he wasn’t anymore. Not deep down. Not in his heart.

Henry ran an exhausted hand through his hair and sighed. “So ... what do they want you to do exactly?”

Joss swallowed hard and wet his lips before speaking. “They want me to kill a vampire.”

Henry’s face dropped.

Joss cleared his throat. He and Vlad stood slowly and Joss said, Actually ... they want me to kill one vampire in particular.”

Slowly—very slowly, almost painfully so—understanding came to Henry’s eyes. His face turned red. He jumped up, swinging his fist, but Vlad moved as fast as he was able to and stopped him, holding Henry in place with the use of his vampire strength. Without it, Henry probably would’ve broken Vlad’s arm just to get to Joss. “I won’t let you kill him, Joss! I won’t let you hurt Vlad!”

Joss held up his hands and stepped back. It was Vlad’s turn.

Vlad kept his voice as calm as he was able. “Come on, Henry. Calm down. Please don’t make me order you to sit and listen, okay? Please?”

At first, Henry wasn’t budging. He fought back as hard as he could, but McMillan or not, he was no match for Vlad. Finally, he sighed, his shoulders slumping, his eyes red and moist with frustration and upset.

With a nod from Vlad, Joss continued. “They want Vlad to die, Henry. And if he doesn’t die, everyone else—including you-will.”

Henry glared at Joss, and Vlad knew every foul word that was going through his best friend’s head. He hated his cousin for what he was saying, and hated that his vampire master wouldn’t let him just beat the snot out of him for saying it.

Vlad said, “Everyone, Henry. Nelly, Otis, Snow, your parents. Everyone.”

“He’s lying.” The bitter words left Henry’s tongue in a sizzle. But as soon as he said them, he doubted them. “He could be lying.”

Vlad shook his head. Joss was telling the truth. They both knew that. “Joss came to me and told me about what the Society’s plans were, and it turns out, there’s this ritual in my dad’s journal that could stop the Slayers, and could even stop Em.”

Henry’s eyes lit up with surprise. “So where is it?”

Vlad and Joss exchanged looks. It was Vlad who answered. “We don’t know. But we’re looking for it.”

A whisper escaped Henry. “And if you don’t find it?”

The room went silent for several minutes. Then Vlad squeezed Henry’s shoulder. “Let’s not worry about that just yet, okay? First we have to focus on finding that journal.”

“I’m all for finding the journal, but why not kill some other vampire and tell them it was Vlad? Or tell them he stepped into the sunlight and burst into flames?”

Joss shook his head and sighed, as if he’d gone over every scenario a billion times, trying to find a way for Vlad to live. “They’d know, Henry. Vlad is ... well ...”

“The Pravus?” Something in Henry’s tone sounded almost annoyed.

Joss nodded slowly.

For the first time since hearing the news of Vlad’s impending death, Henry tore his gaze from his cousin and looked at Vlad, one eyebrow cocked. “What about bringing in more vampires—like the vampires who were gathered last year at your old house in support against your trial?”

Vlad shook his head. “Anyone who stands against Em publicly will die, Henry. I can’t risk their lives just to save my own.”

Henry threw his arms up and growled, his face flushing red as his temper flew. “Well, use mind control and convince everyone you moved to Tahiti then!”

“Henry ...” Vlad met his best friend’s gaze, trying like hell to get Henry to understand that he and Joss had thought of every possible avenue. “Don’t you think we’ve tried to come up with other ideas? Because we have! This is it, okay? This is the only way. We find the journal. That’s it.”

Joss ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I wish there was something more we could do.”

Vlad shot him a warning glance. He couldn’t let it slip that the only other option and their fall-back plan was for Joss to stake Vlad. They had to keep that secret from Henry at all costs. Or else Henry would end up doing something really stupid.

Henry leaned closer to Vlad, his voice dropping to a conspiring whisper. “Have you considered that Joss may be lying?”

Vlad had considered it. But he knew that deep down, in his gut, he felt like Joss was telling him the truth.

And that was good enough for Vlad.

Vlad looked from Joss back to Henry. “I trust him, Henry. And I need you to trust him too.”

Henry shook his head gravely, defiantly. “I can’t.”

“Then trust me, the way you always have.”

Henry was quiet for a long time. Finally, he sighed heavily, defeated. “I guess I don’t have a choice.”

Vlad patted him roughly on the shoulder. His words were a whisper. “That makes three of us.”

W
HAT ABOUT some sort of disguise?”

Vlad rolled his eyes as he and Henry made their way down the sidewalk from the Stop & Shop. On their way back from searching the park for his dad’s journal, they’d each bought a two-liter of Vault and several bags of candy, because nothing says weekday afternoon like a massive, head-exploding sugar rush. “A disguise? Seriously, Henry? I can’t hide from vampires, because they can find me by reaching out for my blood. And I can’t hide from Slayers in a costume of some sort because it’s stupid. A fake mustache isn’t the answer.

Henry shrugged. “Well . . . change your name then.”

Vlad slowed his steps to a stop. Henry stopped too. “They can’t find Vladimir Tod if Egbert Hargrove is sleeping in his bed.”

With that, Vlad smacked Henry upside the head.

Henry shouted, “Dude!” and rubbed at the offended area.

Vlad shook his head. “You really are a genius, Henry. I’ll see ya later, okay?”

As Vlad turned toward Nelly’s gate, Henry called out, “See ya later, Egbert.”

Shaking his head, Vlad moved through the gate, up the steps, and into the house. What he saw inside left him confused and wondering.

“I just don’t understand what the rush is, Tomas. It’s ... it’s so soon. Can’t you wait another month?” Nelly’s voice was shaking slightly in upset. Vlad could tell that she was doing everything in her power not to start crying, but that dam could break at any moment. “Just one month. What’s the harm?”

Tomas sighed and gathered Nelly’s hands in his, meeting her eyes with calm understanding. “Nelly, you’ve been a wonderful mother figure to Vlad, but it’s time. It’s time for us to move home again and continue with the life we left behind. It’s time for us to move back to Lugosi Trail.”

Otis was standing in the background, not speaking. Vlad hadn’t been able to read his expression since his dad had begun telling them about moving back home, but if he had to wager a guess, he’d say that Otis was worried.

About what, he had no idea.

Nelly squeezed Tomas’s hands, her fingers shaking. “I just don’t understand the rush.”

“Nelly
. . .
” Tomas took on a parental tone, chastising her. “What rush? I’ve been here for months and Vlad has been in your care for years. It’s time we went home. And nothing you say can change my mind.”

He held her gaze for a moment and as he let go of her hands, Nelly’s eyes dropped to the floor in defeat. Vlad glanced at Otis, who still hadn’t moved, who still hadn’t shown so much as a crack in his blank expression.

Tomas squeezed Vlad’s shoulder. “Pack your belongings tonight. We move in the morning.”

Vlad blinked. That
was
fast. “What about Otis? Will he stay with us?”

Tomas shook his head. Otis, at last, spoke, though Vlad still couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “I’ll move in here, with Nelly. It’s only appropriate, as we’ll be a married couple soon.”

“What about Vikas?” Vlad’s bottom lip trembled as he spoke. It surprised him how nervous he was about moving back into his old house, but he was. Nervous and apprehensive and completely weirded out by the idea.

Much like he’d been weirded out that his dad was still alive after all.