Phil laughed generously and held up his hands, changing the subject. “No, seriously. Once you twist Alora’s arm and figure out how to bring Katie back, you won’t have to worry about her anymore. Hell’s gonna take out all her spunk. And the timing might have been ideal. She was asking a lot of questions…”
“About?”
“About how to turn people into vampires, why she couldn’t do it, and if I could. I think she was planning to bring Tyler over to the dark side.”
“Oh, great.” The memory of the fang marks on his neck came to mind. Fortunate for Tyler, the venom purchased to change Katie only made sterile vampires. Phil on the other hand, an accident, was sired directly from Alora which made his bite lethal if you survived. “Did Scarlett finish mind wiping him yet?”
“Yeah. Can’t have him roaming around, practically crazed over her. Donors start having an unhealthy attachment to their donees. He wouldn’t have been able to keep the secret very long. Hopefully he won’t remember. You’ll have to gauge it when you see him again.”
“You knew Katie was drinking off of him?”
“Of course I did. She’s never been one for restraint.”
I leaned into his chest and sighed. A bad omen followed me, and everyone close to me ended up getting burned. Was I destined to be unhappy my entire life, like Scarlett? Would I ever be able to shake this and live a somewhat normal life?
“Do you believe in happily ever after?” The words popped out of my mouth of their own accord and my cheeks flushed after I said them.
“As in soul mates? Sure … I guess … maybe … I don’t know. I suck when it comes to love,” he said and touched the tip of my nose. “Don’t make decisions to spare my feelings.”
“But when Nicholas comes back, then what?”
He stiffened. “
If
Nicholas comes back.”
I paused and shuddered, the weight of his statement hitting hard. I’d been denying that something could be wrong, that he might not come back. What if he didn’t? How long would I wait? My stomach pinched. I had to find out for sure. I had to find a way to see him.
Phil took ahold of my waist and squeezed. “I’ll always be here to pick up the pieces.”
I sighed and dreaded that this might be one of our last tender moments together. His cocky carefree bring-it-on attitude always soothed me like a warm bubbly bathtub—such a nice break from life. Nicholas’ fight against his dark side never allowed those kinds of feelings to appear. Responsibility first. What would he be like after the rehabilitation? Possibly worse. Who was my true soul mate now?
“Will you stay with me tonight?” I finally asked. “No strings attached.”
“Of course,” he said, smiling that toothy grin that melted my knees. “Whatever you need.”
I pushed earbuds into my ears and cranked up my music so I could escape Luke’s chatty banter as he drove my Acura towards the bustling city of L.A. Dad had flown down a day earlier to deal with details we didn’t need to be involved in. The further we drove, the more I wished I flew down early, too. Luke’s grief coping mechanism involved talking about everything under the sun, as if our trip was for fun and not to bury our mother. I struggled most of the ride to keep his pain at bay. At each wave of sadness, his pain flew through my force field and pelted me when I least expected it. Probably because my concentration suffered. All I could think about was Nicholas and how I’d get away to see him.
Once we went up and over The Grapevine, my pulse sped up; the reality Nicholas was so close yet so far from my vicinity rocked my body. The first opportunity I had, during the daylight of course, I’d jam over to his house. His dad’s address was already programmed in my phone—612 Elm.
As we left the I-5 and hit the 405, butterflies tickled my stomach every time I saw signs for Beverly Hills. Would we be staying close? Once we turned off onto Wilshire Avenue, déjà vu set in.
“Where are we staying?”
“The Hilton.”
My pulse sky-rocketed. “The Beverly Hills Hilton!?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Oh.” I ran my hand through my hair, trying to remain calm, my gut pinching and swirling. “I’ve heard it’s nice.”
Luke let out a “pssht” like I was losing my mind.
As the hotel came into view, I turned away, the memories flooding in too fast—Nicholas playing the guitar in the enormous Penthouse suite while the fire roared in the fireplace and the view of the HOLLYWOOD sign loomed in the background. My eye caught the
Vampire Vineyards Tasting Room
across the street.
“A vampire tasting room? How funny,” Luke said, catching me gawk at the peculiar business.
“Yeah, weird.”
I held onto my talisman, then glanced in the air with a shiver, the irony too coincidental to deal with. Somewhere out there, the real vampires of L.A. were hiding, waiting for the perfect opportunity to inflict revenge. I’d escaped their clutches twice and knew their secret, something hated in their world. The talisman, finally working, would hide my scent this time. Could I come and go without them even noticing me?
We parked in the parking structure next to the hotel and walked inside. I kept my head down in case the girl who worked in the boutique or the guy at the counter would recognize me. All I needed was a “welcome back and where’s Mr. Kendrick,” to let Luke know that I’d been here, with a boy no less. Luckily all the faces I saw were new. Luke got the keys from the main lobby desk and we escaped to the elevator.
My eyes zeroed in on the 23
rd
floor, the Penthouse. My stomach angrily squeezed the burrito I’d eaten on the road. Then to my horror, Luke pressed the button as if it were our destination.
“What are you doing?” I said, pulling his hand away after nothing happened.
“Nothing. Chill.” He retracted his arm from my claws with a frown. “Just checking if it would work.”
I exhaled and faced forward, composing myself. “Only celebrities and presidents,”
and lifesaving vampires,
“stay there. You need a special key.”
Luke grunted and pressed the 18
th
floor button. “Man, Julia. Why are you all jumpy?”
I wiped my hands over my jeans. The rise in the cab made the butterflies in my stomach flit harder. “I’m not. I just don’t like breaking hotel etiquette.”
Luke grunted disapprovingly and we rode the rest of the way in silence. Once we got to our room, he called Dad and I excused myself to the bathroom. The three of us rooming together in a cramped hotel room was going to be torture. I could shut off everyone while awake, but once I fell asleep, anything they felt would infuse my dreams.
I took out Nicholas’ journal.
November 12
Dad and I were returning from Harry’s when we saw some of the Chupacabra’s harassing some guy in a suit. Bold of them to cross the border from Mexico into LA’s territory. Heckling before the attack is the new thing. Seasons the blood with adrenaline I guess. Gave us a chance to try the new stakes Harry constructed from Dad’s venom. After we dusted the vamps we found out the guy was none other than Barron Hilton. As a thank you, we’re allowed to stay at the Hilton any time whenever there’s a vacancy. Pretty generous of him. Of course, he has no clue who we are but I doubt he’ll ever talk.
I chuckled. Even in his own private journal entry, Nicholas remained humble. I started to read the next entry when a knock on the door, coupled with Luke’s impatience, bombarded me.
“I’m busy!” I yelled.
“Dad won’t be back ‘til later so I’m outta here.”
“What?” I said as I shoved the leather book back into my bag and opened up the door. “Not in my car you aren’t.”
Luke frowned as I reached for my keys. “If anyone is leaving, it’s going to be me.”
“Fine,” he said with an eye roll, “let’s go.”
We rode the elevator down to the lobby and I kept watching, hoping I’d run into Nicholas somehow, like my presence here would serve as some sort of beacon and draw him to me. I knew, though, I’d never be so lucky.
The rest of the afternoon, I bided my time. We went to the grocery store to load up on snacks and drinks for our room and I suggested a movie. If I chose a chick flick, I could escape to Nicholas’ for the two hours while Luke was preoccupied in another theater. But Luke had seen all the other movies.
We ended up back at the hotel a little after 4:00. Luke sprawled out on one bed with his Hot Cheetos and I ate my Red Vines on the other. He clicked on the TV. I scrolled through my phone, hitting Facebook
and Twitter, then Farmville.
- Sorry about everything.
Sam’s text interrupted my game.
- Yeah. We’ll do Disney another time.
I lay there hoping she’d text back, but there was nothing else. I stared at the sprinkler system attached to the ceiling. Trapped and waiting. The sun would crest the skyline in a few hours and I’d have to wait another day. The thought burned me up inside.
A sudden snort disrupted my daydream. Luke rolled over and mumbled something under his breath; orange cheese dusted over his lips. My heart sped up. He’d fallen asleep. Quick as a flash, I wrote a note and slipped into the hall. My fingers fumbled the cold keys in my pocket as I watched the numbers count down to one on the elevator display. Within minutes I was in my car, zooming towards Beverly Hills.
My hands shook as my eyes locked onto the Elm street sign before I turned down it. I was here, finally here and going to see him within minutes. The manicured lawns and pristine houses filed by; much less ominous during the day than as I remembered. My pulse lumbered and sputtered for a beat when I spotted his house.
I parked and waited, noting the inside. Beyond sensing someone’s impatience, all seemed well. I bit my lip and traversed the path up to the huge porch. A crow flew overhead, cawing out a warning as if to say, “don’t go.” I kept walking, amazed this was going to happen. My hand hovered in the air about to knock when the door opened.
I glanced up into big green eyes framed under tousled brown hair, my voice halting in my throat. Nicholas smiled, warm and inviting—the bloodlust completely gone. It took everything not to rush him and assault his neck with my arms.
“Yes?” he asked, confusion crossing his face. “Can I help you?”
My internal squealing party came to a screeching halt as Nicholas watched me as though I were a stranger.
“It’s me, Nicholas. Julia.”
On the outside, he appeared calm, but inside he warred with himself, wrought with confusion.
“Hi, Julia.”
The air whooshed out of my mouth and stars sparkled across my vision, leaving me faint. How could he not know who I was?
“Who’s here?” A female voice said, none other than the
witch
Alora herself.
“Julia,” Nicholas called out innocently.
“Oh?” Joy radiated forth, a kind I didn’t think was for my benefit. “Well then, invite her in.”
Nicholas’ mystification drifted and he swept his arm out, filled with curiosity instead. “Come in.”
I looked at him, then at the darkened interior of the house, wanting to bolt. My feet, numb and trembling, had different plans and crossed the threshold. I needed answers. He closed the door behind me. The soft sound screamed out finality like I’d be trapped there for eternity. Within the dim interior Alora appeared. Surprisingly, she’d shed her vixen getup for a sundress, like she wore in the photo Nicholas had of her on his dresser at home.
She smiled but oozed disdain. “Why, isn’t this a surprise? I didn’t think we’d be seeing you anytime soon.” Her eyes zeroed in on my talisman. It warmed against my skin as if to recognize her. “As you can see, we’ve had a little
difficulty
.”
“Who is this?” Nicholas asked.
“A friend of yours, sweetie. Someone you knew before your amnesia,” she said then turned toward me with a sickening smile. “Come on in. Let’s
chat.
”
Amnesia? My fists formed into balls, tempted to knock her block off. She’d done this on purpose, taken my Nicholas away from me as revenge for not letting her keep the talisman that dark and dreary night on the beach. It took all my self-control to remain composed and not fall apart on the spot.
Nicholas, completely unknowing, smiled his warm smile I loved, but the emptiness behind it rolled my stomach over. There was nothing there. No love. No memory of us. Just a beautiful shell, watching me with interest.
“I believe Julia is here to return something of mine actually. Nicholas, darling, would you mind retrieving—”
I backed up and clutched the talisman to my chest, giving Nicholas an evil eye to stay away.
“Alora. I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Preston said as he came around the corner. “That’s something Nicholas gave to Julia a long time ago and belongs to her now.” He glared at Alora for a moment. She frowned back.
I took a deep breath and studied Preston, a carbon copy of Nicholas but with dark eyes—both youthful and handsome. His heart no longer radiated the loneliness I’d felt when I visited before. Instead, kindness and empathy rolled out toward me.
“Let’s reconvene in the living room and talk. I’m sure you’ve got questions,” he said to me, a tiny hint of southern drawl in his voice.
Preston placed his hand on my back and led me into a room where two sofas faced one another. Antiques covered the lavishly decorated space, evidence of lifetimes of collecting, filling every possible inch in the room. I stood up straight and allowed him to lead me over to one of the couches, thankful for my ability to read emotions. No one was interested in tasting my blood today, though Alora brought with her a tall glass of something thick and red.
She took a large sip and the swirling happiness hit me hard before I could shield myself against it. Blood.
“Some habits are hard to break,” she said, her canine teeth covered in red liquid.
“I see.” I cringed and looked away.
Preston’s calm infused my nerves as he signaled Nicholas to sit by me. He complied but kept an appropriate distance. I stared down at his hand between us, aching to entwine my fingers with his.