Vampire Dating Agency (10 page)

CHAPTER
THIRTY-FIVE

A few minutes later, Haley made into
the bathroom. Seeing that she was alone she went to the far end and put her bag
onto the edge of the sink. Her face was a mess. The Madame had given her a real
beating. She pulled out a patch of paper towel and dabbed the cuts and bruises,
cringing. Somewhere, far away … Maurice was still giving her instructions…

“Well done.
You made it through. Everyone is really proud of you, Haley. I hope you’re
ready for the detour. As Ms. Armistice has instructed you are to go to the
basement level of the house and –”

Haley ripped
her earbuds out and threw them in the bin with the necklace.

It wasn’t
right. It wasn’t right, and they were using her.

It wasn’t
right, and she just almost died.

“I didn’t
sign up for this,” Haley whispered, her lips trembling. “I’m not ready for it.”

She stared at
herself in the mirror, her fist curling into a ball.

So much
violence inside.

So much
violence waiting to come out.

But she had
to leave. She had to kiss this all goodbye.

She scrunched
her eyes up, looking back at the bin, knowing that this would be it. No turning
around. No going back.

She thought
about her Mom, and how she’d never gotten a chance to call home. It was only
now that she realized how important that would have been.

Because if
her Mom had been able to hear her voice that night, then at least then they
both would have known…

That she was
safe.

CHAPTER
THIRTY-SIX

Count Echo was standing at the back
of his study, peering through an opening in the curtains that overlooked the
front of the compound. The moon, in all its lastingness, shed light into the
shadows otherwise unlit. In ways, he could see all. Know all. Feel all.

But there was
always something, that remained in the dark…

“The dead
woman,” he murmured. “Who was she?”

“No one,”
Madame Nightshade said from the other side of the room. “Just another girl
looking for vampire love.”

“You don’t
buy into these rumors of a serial killer lurking here?”

“I’m not sure
it would be any of my business.”

“Our
business,” Count Echo corrected, turning. “You don’t think that one of our
clients going around killing our female guests is our business?”

“What do you
want me to do?” Madame Nightshade said flatly. “Launch an investigation?”

“No. But keep
an eye out.”

“For the
killer?”

“And any
paranormal undercovers. I have a feeling if they’re not here already, they soon
will be.”

“Well, if I
see anything suspicious I won’t hesitate to look into it.”

“That’s all I
ask.”

“I wonder
though,” Madame Nightshade said, “should we find any of these undercovers –
what shall we do with them?”

“I’ll decide
in the moment. Same goes for whoever threw that woman off the terrace.”

“Is that all
then?”

Count Echo
pulled out the chair from his desk and sat down. “Yes, you may go.”

The Madame
turned to exit.

Something
caught the Count’s eye a moment later however, and he called her back. “Arianne
… Arianne…”

She stopped
and turned around. “Yes, Master?”

“Where’s my
keycard…?”

CHAPTER
THIRTY-SEVEN

The pulses and vibrations that ran
through the house seemed to be running in sync with Haley’s own heartbeat. She
leaned back against the wall at the foot the stairs as a group of people passed
her. The women, all euphoric and filled with wonder. The vampires, all lustful
and filled with hunger. She could feel their eyes on her now. They wanted her.
If they could see her, they would have her. She hurried as fast as she could to
the front area of the house where she’d come in. Still, people around. Guards
as well. She had to slip between them. She had to make it to the door.

In her ear,
there was silence. No one to give her advice. She had backed down from her
mission, like a coward –

No!
Her mind
hissed.

You’re not a
coward! You are strong!

The pathway
opened up and she was in clear sight of the door. She walked towards it as fast
as she could, her fingers on the handle, turning, turning…

“Ms. Haley
Watkins by the door!” Madame Nightshade shouted behind her.

Everyone
looked up, and back at their Mistress.

She continued
her descent down the stairs.

Haley let go
of the handle.

“I’m … I’m
sorry…” Haley stuttered.

The Madame
walked towards her slowly, her eyes brimming with the fierce cold. “Follow me,
please.”

CHAPTER
THIRTY-EIGHT

They were back in the corridor
leading to the room where the Madame had first interviewed her. Haley was
shaking, terrified she’d been found out. There was no one to call for help. No
one to rush in and save her from the situation. She was alone. All she had was
herself.

“Am I in
trouble?” Haley asked. “Are you angry with me?”

“Oh, I think
so,” the Madame said softly.

“Why? Why are
you … why are you doing this to me?”

Madame
Nightshade opened the door for her to walk through. Haley complied, the room’s
atmosphere sending shivers to her brain.

The imps in
cages chatted amongst themselves.

“Are we at
game over then?” Madame Nightshade said walking past Haley, towards her desk at
the back.

“I don’t know
what you mean.”

“You were
leaving weren’t you? Through the front door?”

“Oh,” Haley
swallowed. “I just … wanted some air.”

“Did the
Count scare you?”

“I don’t
know.”

“In some
ways, to someone simple, like you … his features probably seem not so
desirable…”

“I wasn’t
saying anything about –”

“What you’ll
come to realize though is that when you fall for someone, their appearance
becomes an extension of the person they are inside. And that is what you go on
to see.”

“It wasn’t
him, I swear.”

“We know
that, Haley. We know who you are.”

“Who I –
what?”

“Can I have
your handbag please?”

Haley froze.

“Handbag.
Now.”

Haley let it
fall into her hand. Then she put it on the desk.

“Thank you,”
Madame Nightshade smiled.

She put her
hand into the bag and felt around.

“What’s this
then?” she said, pulling out a phone.

It was the
green one, Cyrus had given her.

“That’s not …
anything…”

“Cyrus,
right?”

Haley nodded.

Madame
Nightshade placed it on the table.

She felt
around the bag again.

“Ah-ha.”

She pulled
out the blue key Brock had given her.

“Just
kidding,” she murmured.

She placed
the key next to the phone.

“Well … now …
let me see…”

Their eyes
locked together.

“Why – what
is this?”

She pulled
out the red keycard from the Count’s study and placed it on the desk next to
the others.

“I think we
both know exactly what you’re doing here,” Madame Nightshade said. “Ms.
Paranormal Detective…”

CHAPTER
THIRTY-NINE

The room had gone silent. The music
from outside had died down. The imps stopped speaking. Haley’s heartbeat slowed
right –

“Do you deny
it?” Madame Nightshade cried shrilly smashing her fist on the table.

“I don’t – I
don’t know what to –”

“Yes, the
Count will want to deal with you himself, I’m sure,” Madame Nightshade said.
“Perhaps he’ll put you in the dungeon downstairs. Where you’ll rot and rot and
rot… Or maybe, maybe he’ll slash your eyes out, and drink the blood from the
sockets… Maybe… Maybe he’ll turn you into his sex slave, ha, ha, ha…”

Haley looked
back in the direction of the door.

“Yes, time is
running out for you, dear.”

Haley turned
back. “Please. I never meant for any of this…”

“Which one
did it then?”

“What?”

“There you
go. Your three wonderful suspects. Brock, Cyrus and the Count. Three objects.
Three colors. Three rivers for you to run down.”

Haley stared
back in silence.

“Pick one.
Who did it? Who is your killer?”

“I don’t
know,” Haley confessed. “I’ve only just started this.”

Madame
Nightshade stood up from the table. “You see?” she shrugged. “You just admitted
it.”

“Admitted
what?”

The Madame
approached her.

“Admitted
you’re a spy.”

As the Madame
drew closer, Haley saw all color in her face evaporate.

Her eyes
turned purple.

Her lips
became wet.

“No,” Haley
whispered.

Madame
Nightshade took Haley’s wrist into the palms of her hands.

“Of course,
maybe the Count will never know,” she whispered. “Maybe it’s just between us
girls.”

Her lips
parted.

Her fangs
extended.

And finally,
the alarm went off in Haley’s head.

“Fuck you,”
Haley growled.

The Madame
looked up to her. “What?”

Haley grabbed
a clump of her hair with her free hand, and ripped her body away. The Madame
was sent flying into the desk, knocking it over.

She sat up
quickly her eyes still wide with surprise.

Haley saw her
clawed fingers were becoming longer and longer…

Her face
turning from white to purple…

The becoming
of an undead monster…

She lashed
out at Haley but Haley was too quick. She kicked the vampiress with brutal
force, and then blindly reached out for the fall desk, breaking off one of its
legs with insurmountable strength.

Madame
Nightshade hissed, and screamed, and roared at her, still caught unawares.

As Haley dove
on her, she tried to grab her wrists again so as to bite them…

But before
Haley had reached close enough for her to do so…

Haley had
used the table leg to pierce her heart.

CHAPTER FORTY

The imps were clapping. They were
blowing whistles and cheering. As though they’d just witnessed a good show.

Haley stared
down at the vampiress’s lifeless corpse, her black oozing blood still sticking
to the table leg, and the back of Haley’s hand.

Haley
searched around for her handbag and found some tissues in it that she was able
to clean herself up. She was still terrified – terrified she had actually
killed someone – and didn’t feel in a good way at all. Despite all her training
she had never truly believed she was capable of such … violence…

“Aargh!”
Haley squealed, unable to keep it in.

She lowered
her eyes back to the rubble, and collected up the objects that had been removed
from the bag and stood up. She hurried back through the door of the room,
closing it behind her, and retraced their steps through the corridor back to
the front of the house.

Before reaching
there, she turned back, listening to the sounds around her.

The music was
alive, and pulsating once again.

The imps
could not be heard.

Haley opened
up the door in front of her and walked out into the front area which was now
deserted.

She breathed
a sigh of relief and quickly headed to the front door.

Once outside
she scanned the exterior for people, and fortunately found none. She began
walking up the pebbled driveway towards the front gates.

“Psst,”
someone whispered. “Haley.”

She jumped
with a fright as she saw figure emerging from a nearby statue.

It appeared
to be another one of the vampires, as he was dressed in the suited attire. His
face was white as if covered in powder, his hands locked tightly in a pair of
gloves…

“Haley. It’s
me. Jason.”

She thought
for a moment.

Wait…

“Yes,” he
said, grabbing hold of her. He pulled her back behind the statue with him, both
collapsing to their knees.

“What are you
doing here?” Haley demanded. “Why are you dressed like that?”

“Since you
cut your transmission I’ve been sent in to fix the situation. Here’s another
earpiece.”

She slapped
his hand away. “I don’t want it.”

“Take it,
please,” he said.

“No.”

“You think
this is a game? What the hell were you thinking throwing yours away?”

“I don’t want
to be a part of this anymore.”

“Why not?”

“It’s – it’s
too fucking dangerous. Besides, my cover’s been blown.”

“It has?”

“The … Madame
Nightshade – she cornered me in her office. She knew I took the key card from
the Count’s study. When she found it, she said all these terrible things. She
was going to kill me herself…”

“What
happened?”

“There was a
struggle. I got the upper-hand.”

“Is she still
alive?”

Haley shook
her head.

“Does anyone
know about this?”

“Not yet. But
I guess they’ll find her body at some point.”

“Look … Don’t
worry about that. If no one saw you kill her, then it could have been any of
them.”

“I don’t
care! I just want to go home!”

Jason put his
hand over her mouth to silence her.

The wind
moved past them gradually.

The pebbles
shifted a short distance away.

“Where’s the
keycard?” he asked.

Haley opened
her handbag.

He took it.

“What do you
need that for?”

“I’m going to
take care of the secondary mission. To rescue our operative in the basement.
You need to take this earpiece and get back into the field –”

“What’s going
on here?” a voice suddenly demanded.

Haley and
Jason stood up, red-faced.