ã€ŠSweet Blood of Mine (Overworld Chronicles #1)ã€‹


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    Chapter 1

    I glanced at the time on my phone as I strode for the exit of the high school. My Kings and Castles after-school club meeting had run a bit long thanks to some over-excited nerds who didn''t like a few rule changes the national committee had passed down. As if the committee cared what Justin Case and his fellow nerds thought. Now I was running late for "sword" practice with my two best friends, Mark and Harry, and dying to test the new foam sword I''d constructed for the upcoming tournament.

    The squeaky wheel of a mop bucket echoed faintly down the empty grid of halls, the soft step of my sneakers on linoleum making the only other sound as I strode for the exit. Something clattered ahead. Shoes scuffled and a girl squeaked in alarm.

    "Nathan, I''m not kidding! Let me go," said the girl. Not just any girl. I''d recognize that voice anywhere. It was Katie Johnson. I''d had a crush on her ever since first laying eyes on that angelic face my freshman year. Her voice emanated from Mrs. Dalton''s classroom so I hurried to the doorway and gaped at the scene inside.

    Nathan Spelman had wrapped one of those meat-hooks he called hands around Katie Johnson''s narrow waist. He grinned. "You know you want to kiss me, babe."

    I stood in the doorway for a stunned moment, unsure if my skills as a Kings and Castles woodland elf had prepared me to take on a challenge like this. Nathan could pass for an ogre. His neck had more girth than one of my legs, which was probably why he was an all-star football player. It would be suicide to attack that monster.

    Then Katie started to cry.

    Something in me snapped. Probably my sanity. But I couldn''t care less. Nathan held her helpless in his iron grip. I might be short, chubby, and require a B-cup manzier, but I was still a man. I had to do something. In Kings and Castles, I was a level twelve woodland elf. Unfortunately, reality had graced me with all of five feet, six inches of height and the slender dimensions of the Pillsbury Doughboy after a few too many cartons of buttermilk biscuits. I needed a weapon to stand a chance, preferably a bazooka.

    I sprinted to the janitor''s closet. Sprinted might be too strong a word since I was huffing and staggering and begging for mercy by the time I got halfway there. The closet door hung open. I peered inside the small space and grimaced at the chemical fumes stinging my nose. A metal shelf held several containers of various cleansers. I supposed if Nathan needed a chemical bath, any of them would be perfect but they wouldn''t do much good in a fight. I spotted the only serviceable weapon: a broom. It was a far cry from what the Lady of the Lake offered King Arthur, but I didn''t have much of a choice. I grabbed it.

    At that moment, my skull decided to turn inside out. A blinding flood of pain superheated my eyeballs and pounded on my brain like a midget playing whack-a-mole in my head as a migraine hammered my forehead. I dropped the broom and pressed both hands to my temples in a vain attempt to soothe the pulsating agony. My sight blurred and I fell against the nearby shelf. Spray cans rattled on the floor, and a bottle of something green shattered and spread across the tiles, overpowering the other scents with the cloying odor of pine.

    The vice on my head loosened after a few seconds, the pain abating as though nothing happened. It felt like brain freeze only a gazillion times worse. These nuclear-fueled migraines had been plaguing me for weeks. I was pretty sure they weren''t growing pains unless my head planned to expand to grotesque proportions. A rush of endorphins tingled through my body in an electric rush as the agony completely dissipated and left me lightheaded and weak.

    A shriek from Katie reminded me an altercation with Nathan might supply a permanent fix for my migraine problems. I grabbed the broom off the floor and unscrewed the handle. I chugged down the hallway with my walrus-like gait and made it back to the classroom in time to see Nathan forcing his lips on Katie''s tear-stained face. His massive arms held her immobile while she writhed in disgust. I was too angry at the sight to wait for my panting to slow.

    "Release her!" I smacked the metal end of the broomstick on the ground and pretended it was my elven attack staff with a plus twenty chance of a critical hit, like say, in the enemy''s crotch.

    Nathan snapped his attention to me, anger boiling behind his ferocious gaze at the interruption. Katie froze and her eyes widened with the same look I''d seen everyone give scrawny Jeff Boyd when he''d challenged monstrous Kyle Denton to a fight over a girl. Kyle had outweighed him by about a hundred pounds, been held back two grades, and was the first kid in middle school to grow a mustache and a goatee. Things hadn''t ended so well for Jeff. I probably should have learned from his lesson, but I was a trained woodland elf who was too angry to be pooping his pants.

    "Justin?" Katie said.

    Nathan shoved her into a chair behind him and snarled. "If you know what''s good for you, you''ll get out of here and keep your mouth shut."

    It just so happened I did not know what was good for me, so take that Nathan! I pushed my bottle-bottom glasses up my nose¡ªto stall for time¡ªand tried to speak, but my lips wouldn''t move. Granted, I hadn''t planned this out past¡ªwell, this point. The only time I''d saved anyone had been when two goblins took Queen Alexandria prisoner. I''d beaten the goblins with my level twenty sword by sneaking up on them and stabbing them in the backs. Of course, Queen Alexandria was really Gabby Hughes, a pimpled fatty who could pass for a goblin in real life, and the goblins were a couple of newbies to the Kings and Castles scene who didn''t even know how to make their own foam weapons.

    Nathan, on the other hand, had practice beating up nerds. A lot of practice. He glared at me from across the room and probably decided I wasn''t going to flee like most rational people would have at this point. He plowed through three rows of desks, sending them screeching and skidding to the sides, his hands outstretched. I froze and nearly wet my pants. He lunged. I threw up the broomstick in a defensive gesture. He snatched it from me and snapped it over his knee like a twig.

    Reason fled from me like a gibbering madman. I yelped before dodging to the side as Nathan threw the broken handle at me. One half nailed me in the head. I tripped on a desk. It flipped and I rolled over the top of it, somehow landing on my side while the desk clattered against the floor. Nathan laughed. I rolled onto my back in time to see him grab another student desk by its metal legs and lift it over his head like a club.

    Katie screamed. "Stop it!" She ran for the door.

    Sheer panic, the kind that convinces your body to forget potty training, punched me in the guts. Agony paid a visit to my cranium once again in the form of a skull-shattering headache. In a few seconds, that desk was going to make the headache seem minor.

    Time seemed to slow. The light in the room brightened. The odor of sour fear mingled with Old Spice and the chemical bite of industrial floor cleanser, attacked my nose. The volume of Katie''s scream spiked to an eardrum-rupturing wail. My eyes swept across the room, picking out minor details I''d never noticed before. A crack marred the surface of the chalkboard. Someone had carved curse words on Mrs. Dalton''s desk. Five number two pencils jutted from the ceiling tiles. Mustard stained Nathan''s faded red T-shirt. A ghostly presence demanded my attention and drew my eyes to Katie''s slow-motion fleeing form. It drifted from her body in a halo of steam, vanishing into the ether just inches from her skin. What was it? Gas? Vapor? A part of me could feel it. It felt hot and sensual and¡ª

    Holy crap a desk is about to crush my face!

    Time sped up again. My hands shot up, palms out in a vain attempt to intercept the desk as Nathan swung it down on me. Life was at an end. Horrific images flashed past: How the impact would shatter both hands and crush my face to a bloody unrecognizable pulp. Only dental records would identify me after this mauling.

    Plastic surgery, here I come.

    Although plastic surgery might be a good thing. I could use a few tweaks and some serious liposuction. Lasik eye surgery wouldn''t be bad either. It occurred to me that putting a positive spin on my imminent face smashing was a very odd way to be spending the last split second of my life.

    The desk smacked against my hands with a loud whack. I gritted my teeth in anticipation of bone-crushing agony. Pain apparently had gone on holiday because it never arrived. I cracked open an eye. One hand gripped the front edge of the desk. The other gripped the vinyl seat attached by metal tubing to the rest of the desk. Nathan''s scarlet face glared at me from above. He was trying to force it down on my face. And failing.

    This came as quite a shock to me. It didn''t even feel like I was straining. I let my arms relax ever so slightly so I could bend my elbows. Nathan grunted in triumph. I shoved back with everything I had and let go of the desk.

    Nathan''s nose gave a sickening crunch. He bellowed and pinwheeled like a ballerina on drugs and rollerblades, smashing backwards through several desks until he bounced off the wall and landed on his butt. Then it was all over but the screaming¡ªNathan''s screaming. I felt my undamaged face to make sure I wasn''t dreaming. My glasses rested halfway up my forehead. I pulled them down over my eyes just as my body went limp as overcooked spaghetti. It was all I could do to wiggle my toes.

    Katie raced back into the room. Apparently, she''d run into the hall to yell for help. "My God, you''re alive," she said, sounding as surprised as I felt.

    "Ungh?" I said. My mouth didn''t want to work. Neither did my legs.

    Katie tugged on my arm but she wasn''t about to pull me off the floor without a winch. I rolled onto my knees and slowly pushed myself to my feet while she grunted and tugged on my arms. I hoped she didn''t give herself a hernia. Nathan, thankfully, was too busy bleeding and crying for his mommy to do much else.

    One of the school security guards raced into the room, gave a wide-eyed look at the disarrayed desks, and then bent down so I could throw an arm over his shoulder. He helped me stagger from the room.

    "It was so scary," Katie told the guard. "Nathan and I were supposed to be doing an after-school project, but he kept asking me to go on a date with him. When I told him no, he freaked. Like, totally capital-F freaked. I should have listened to my dad and taken karate."

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    Katie continued her rapid-fire narrative while the guard directed her¡ªand dragged me¡ªinto the Home Economics classroom and told us to wait there while he handled the situation. The room had no desks, only a couple of old couches and an industrial kitchen. I dropped onto a couch. Katie pulled up a chair and sat opposite me.

    She stood my height. Long golden-blonde hair hung just past her neck. A freckle adorned her pert nose. And her eyes¡ªthose green eyes could start a rainstorm. She and her family had moved into town a couple of years ago. From the first time I''d laid eyes on her athletic body and gorgeous face I had been utterly smitten. Katie knew the popular crowd but never sold her soul to be a part of them. Cheerleading didn''t appeal to her, and forget beauty queen contests. She was the real deal, a hot chick with a brain in her head and my heart in her back pocket.

    Ugh, I''m such a romantic.

    "You saved me," Katie said, lighting up the vicinity with a radiant smile.

    My heart melted. "I did?" I said in my usual confident manner. "I mean, uh, I guess I did."

    "What happened? How did you break his nose?"

    Considering I could hardly lift my arms, I was certain an insane spike of adrenalin had saved my life. But I couldn''t very well tell her I overpowered Nathan. Then every other football player would decide to put that braggadocio to the test. As it was, I would probably suffer in horrible and creative ways for this encounter.

    "He tripped," I said.

    She hugged me and pecked me on the cheek. "You''re my hero. He could have killed you."

    I shrugged. "I had to save the damsel in distress."

    She put her hand over mine. Heat rushed up my arm and into my body. She smiled. "Did you feel that? I''m pretty sure we just became best friends."

    Oh, I felt it all right. I wanted to burst into song and dance around the room. I felt like the man. The Westley to her Buttercup. Her knight in shining armor. I was on top of the world.

    Unfortunately, it also meant I had a very long way to fall.

    Chapter 2

    The next day as I hopped on the school bus, all eyes locked onto me. Word had gotten around about my "fight" with Nathan. People whispered. Someone laughed.

    "Congrats, Justin. You almost got our best football player expelled," said a guy from somewhere behind me.

    I didn''t turn to look. I didn''t stop moving until reaching the back of the bus and settling into an empty seat next to the window. A wad of paper flew through the air and landed in the unoccupied seat ahead of me. I hunched down and looked out the window, watching as my tree-lined neighborhood vanished from sight and was soon replaced by the tall buildings of downtown Decatur, Georgia, one of many towns swallowed up in the sprawl of metro Atlanta. It was all I could do to ignore the jibes and taunts lobbed at me, but I was in no mood to get my butt kicked by standing up for myself.

    I could hardly believe the school board had almost expelled Nathan. They never punished football players, especially not all-stars. The Quarterback Club was legendary for getting its way with anything. I probably should have been more worried about the potential fallout, but all I could think of was Katie and how she''d reward me for coming to her rescue.

    After the bus reached the school I trudged into the basketball gymnasium where our beloved administrators corralled the students before homeroom began. I searched for Katie and noticed she sat with her two best friends, Jenny Matthews and Annie Holmes. The three of them looked at me then turned back to each other, glee in their eyes, mouths chattering at light speed. They could be talking about knitting sweaters for all I knew, but it didn''t matter. It felt like every stray gaze was meant for me and every moving mouth was gossiping about my fight with Nathan.

    I wanted to sit next to Katie. Wanted to see her smile, the curve of her lips, and know the light in those jade eyes of hers was meant for me. Instead, I veered right, walked up the bleachers, and took the first empty seat I found. I cursed myself for my inability to man up and take my rightful spot next to her. Then again, what made me think I even had a chance? My chubby frame, thick glasses, and long hair didn''t exactly make me God''s gift to women.

    A group of Goth students entered the gym. Hoots and hollers rang out from behind me. I looked up and saw Nathan Spelman and the other football flunkies hurling insults at the odd group. My body went cold. I hadn''t realized how close I was sitting to them. I tried to make myself small and unnoticeable. My generous proportions didn''t cooperate. If the school board had almost expelled Nathan, why was he already back at school? I''d expected a suspension at the least. Stupid jocks get away with everything.

    The Goth group, two guys and a girl, tromped past in their platform shoes. Thank God they existed to take unwanted attention off me. I might be nerdy but at least I didn''t look bizarre. As they passed me, the Goth girl''s eyes widened and settled on me with such intensity that I turned away and checked for loose boogers. I couldn''t tell if she was sizing me up for a cannibalistic ritual or wondering if I might be a good recruit to her group of weirdoes.

    I stared at my Lord of the Rings backpack instead and decided now would be a good time to catch up on homework. Pushing my worries away, I made the finishing touches on my History essay due in another week. Going to MIT was my dream. History class wasn''t exactly going to get me there, but I had to maintain decent grades across the board if I wanted to stand a chance.

    The bell rang. I jammed my books into my raggedy backpack until it was bursting at the seams.

    "Whoops!" said a deep voice. A large foot connected with my History book and notebook, sent them skidding down the bleachers and into the crowd of students filing out of the gym. Pages of my essay scattered, floating down to the floor to be walked on.

    Nathan gave me a sarcastic look of surprise as he and his group of guffawing toadies sauntered past.

    "Letters to your mommy?" one of them said.

    Pure rage infected my body. I gripped my Calculus textbook in white-knuckled anger. Thankfully, some rational part of my brain locked my muscles in place before they led me to certain doom. I packed up my other books and waited for the crowd of students to die down so I could find my book and essay. My heart pounded anxiously. All that work, probably rendered illegible from footprints.

    I retrieved the book from the bottom bleacher as the last few students filed out of the gym.

    "This yours?" said a feminine voice.

    I turned and was shocked to see the Goth girl handing me a sheaf of papers with dirty footprints all over them.

    "Yeah, th-thanks," I said, stuttering slightly.

    Her eyes were an amazing light violet hue lost in a sea of black eyeliner. Her gaze seemed to lose focus as if she were looking through my skin and into my mind. I felt very uncomfortable being the subject of that questing stare. I looked down at the trampled essay to avoid her eyes. When I flicked my gaze up again, she was already leaving the gym. I felt like a jerk for not being more grateful, but she creeped me out.

    I made my way to homeroom which was bound to be another unpleasant experience since Katie''s two best buds sat right behind me. Sure enough, Annie and Jenny''s eyes widened the moment I stepped through the door. They huddled together and started whispering. Probably something terrible about me. I did my best to ignore them and dropped into my desk. I shuffled through my essay, wincing at how dirty the pages were. I had planned to type it out anyway. Just as long as I could still read it, I was good.

    Jenny tapped my shoulder. "I''ll bet you think you''re the man now, don''t you?"

    Annie giggled. "Justin? The man? More like the boy."

    I gritted my teeth and tried to think of something witty to say. Nothing came to mind except possibly calling them demonic parasites which, while descriptive, probably would not help me out with Katie. I made a show of reading my essay, pretending I hadn''t heard them from all of two feet away.

    "Guys are such creeps," Jenny said. "I don''t even know why girls put up with it."

    Annie gave the sigh of the long suffering. "Tell me about it. Like that skeezy Alan Weaver. He''s such a stalker, always staring at Cindy Mueller like he wants to rape her."

    I had a feeling these two would fit right in on a morning talk show some day, gossiping about movie stars, or maybe starring in one of the Real Housewives reality shows so they could tell a national audience about their terrible sex lives.

    My eyes wandered toward the open door of the classroom. The hulking figure of Nathan stood there. He bared his teeth at me. Cracked his knuckles. Walked away.

    I had the queasy feeling saving Katie had doomed me to an even worse fate.

    Chapter 3

    My phone beeped as the bell rang for first period. My heart raced when I realized it was from Katie.

    Justin, you take Calculus, right? Want to study together?

    Joy flooded me with warm buoyant ecstasy. Nathan could pummel me to a pulp. I didn''t care. Katie liked me. Why else would she text me and want to study together? I was probably getting well ahead of myself but I had visions of me and Katie riding off into the sunset on a white stallion. Maybe even a unicorn. With wings. This was my chance to impress her with my mad math skills. She would fall in love with me, and BAM! Happy ending.

    Yeah, I''m totally delusional.

    I could hardly wait for lunchtime so I could tell Mark and Harry, my best friends, the great news. I couldn''t wait to tell them how Katie was going to fall in love with me, all thanks to the power of Calculus.

    Lunchtime arrived and I snagged our usual table. They arrived moments later. The two of them could have been brothers with their tall lanky frames and unruly brown hair. I delivered the good news about Katie and showed them her text on my phone the second they sat down. I''d been expecting some high-fives, a congratulatory speech, and maybe even some jealous looks. Instead, they wrecked my world.

    "Dude, Katie just started dating Brad Nichols," Mark said.

    The screen on my phone cracked from the intensity of my grip. "Brad Nichols?" My dreams of happily ever after faded to misery. "But I saved her from Nathan! What did Brad effing Nichols ever do for her?"

    "It totally blows, man." Mark sighed. "I''m really sorry. But hey, I hear Gabby Hughes is available." He winked.

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    My heart pounded and ached. My stomach clenched. I wanted to throw up and roar with rage at the same time but ended up getting a bad case of hiccups instead.

    I scanned the crowded lunchroom and spotted Brad sitting with a group of girls at another table halfway across the room. Katie didn''t have the same lunch period or she might be sitting with him right this very moment. Brad had on his usual leather motorcycle jacket and bad-boy "I don''t give a crap" smirk. He probably kept his black hair cropped close so he wouldn''t walk around with dorky helmet-hair after zipping around on his crotch rocket.

    I noticed Mark staring at Brad as well, a mix of jealousy and awe mixed on his face. "Don''t tell me you wish you were him," I said even though somewhere in the back of my mind, a part of me raised its hand and shouted, I want to be like him!

    Mark gave me a guilty look and locked eyes with Harry. "I dunno. I mean, we''re almost done with high school and what do we have to show for it? It''d be nice to at least have a girlfriend."

    "We''re number one in Kings and Castles," I said.

    Harry shrugged. "So what? Don''t get me wrong¡ªI still love it." He glanced back over at Brad. "But why can''t we have it all?"

    Just great. Not only did Brad have Katie, but he was also luring my friends away from me. I wished fervently for the zombie apocalypse to strike so I could rescue Katie from the clutches of zombie Brad with a shotgun blast to his ugly face. I''d steal his motorcycle, grip Katie around the waist and pull her on with me before roaring away to safety. Scorching anger scalded my heart. It came unexpectedly in a boiling flood washing away all reason. My face grew hot and fists balled so tight my knuckles cracked.

    My forehead felt like twin volcanos were erupting in my brain. I clenched my teeth in agony and pressed my hands to my face. Something sharp poked my fingers. Powerful odors overwhelmed my nose. Armpit stench. Hair chemicals. Old Spice. Why is it always Old Spice? Underneath it all was something different. Something sensual. Something very female. I unclenched my eyes and looked, but all I could see were blotches of color and blurs.

    Another pulse of pain jackhammered my brain and the headache vanished. My eyesight snapped to normal. Mark and Harry regarded me with wide-eyed concern.

    "You okay?" Harry asked. "Your face was beet red for a second there."

    Mark chuckled. "I thought your eyes were gonna explode out of your skull."

    "I''m fine," I said as the headache faded in an instant like the mother of all brain-freezes. I gave Brad Nichols the evil eye again and almost asked my friends what Brad Nichols had that I didn''t. Stupid question. Over the course of my short life I''d made choices. Unhealthy choices, obviously. I''d eaten comfort foods and made myself fat. I''d never worked out at a gym or expanded my interests beyond Kings and Castles. In short, I was the blubbery sum of seventeen-plus years of bad decisions and now I was paying the piper. Maybe those choices were the reasons these horrific migraines were suddenly nailing me out of the blue. I might be dying from a brain tumor but all I could think about was Katie. I wanted to steal her from Brad and make her mine.

    Unfortunately, I had an acute streak of romanticism in me that wanted True Love, Princess Bride style. I wanted love and marriage before sex. Call me old-fashioned, but what could be better than having your first time with the girl of your dreams? Probably having wild sex with lots and lots of hot girls, said my second brain. My first brain chimed in agreement, causing me to wonder which brain was really the one in charge. Ugh. Why couldn''t girls come with manuals? Or maybe even picture cards like the ones airlines use?

    I looked up from my brooding. Mark and Harry gobbled down the school cafeteria mush and talked animatedly about our upcoming Kings and Castles tournament. A patch of darkness caught in my peripheral vision. I glanced right. Large black-lined eyes gazed back at me. The Goth girl. Her raven-dark hair cascaded like a curtain over the white makeup covering her face. I looked behind me and then back at her. She was definitely looking at me, I decided. She quirked an eyebrow and then scribbled something in a notebook.

    Just great. Was she jotting down something about me? I could just imagine her notes: Subject is still alive, but death by football players is imminent. Will drink his blood for the Dark Master.

    I arrived home from school and whisked into my room, easing the door shut and locking it. I didn''t want to deal with my parents right now. They were such a happy couple I felt like a complete failure for being a loser when it came to love and life. Oh boo hoo hoo. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Easier said than done.

    I buried myself in homework to forget my troubles. Loud voices jerked me from a particularly difficult calculus problem some time later.

    "It''s foolish, Alice," my dad said. "They''ll never let you or her come back."

    "I don''t care, David. I don''t give a damn what they do to me," Mom said, the words raw with anger.

    "But I do." The tremble of pain in my dad''s voice stabbed me in my heart. What in the world was going on? Had something terrible happened?

    I rushed from my room and crossed the hallway to theirs. My parents were hugging, their tear-streaked faces red and tortured.

    "Who died?" I asked, unsure what to feel since I didn''t really know any of my relatives and I didn''t think my parents would be this upset over one of my classmates.

    They leapt apart like two teenagers caught on the couch, wiping away tears from wide startled eyes.

    "Your aunt Petunia," Mom said, first as usual to regain composure in a pressure situation.

    "Tragic," Dad said, offering me a timid smile though his eyes looked red with grief.

    I stared at the two of them with narrowed eyelids for a moment. They were hiding something, but Mom already had her cool fa?ade back in place. She crossed the room and pressed a hand to my head. "Are you feeling okay?"

    I sighed and pushed her hand away. "I''m fine. Everything is peachy keen and perfect in my life." I turned to walk out the door. "Which side of the family is dear Auntie Petunia on?"

    "Mine," Mom said. "She was a fine woman."

    "Since I''ve never met any of my relatives, I guess I''ll have to take your word for it."

    "Justin, we''ve been over this before," Mom said. "Your father''s family and mine don''t get along."

    "That''s putting it mildly," Dad chimed in.

    She gave him an exasperated look. "David, please!" She turned back to me. "As a result, we''re not on the best of terms with either of our families."

    "But Aunt Petunia is special?"

    "Yes."

    Dad clapped his hands together. "Now that''s settled, how about some supper?"

    In the kitchen five minutes later, Mom dropped a microwaved meal in front of me. It made a moist squishy noise when the plastic tray hit the table. The poof of steam rising from it looked vaguely like a mushroom cloud. I couldn''t remember the last time she''d made something in the microwave. She loved to cook. I loved to eat what she cooked. That was part of the reason for the extra-large spare tire around my waist.

    "How are you feeling, honey?" she asked, pressing a hand to my forehead and murmuring the same mumbo jumbo she did every so often. She said it was good luck, and I think she''d brainwashed me into believing her superstitions because my forehead usually tingled afterward.

    "I told you earlier I''m fine, Mom." I wasn''t about to mention my headaches to my parents. They seemed to be real worrywarts when it came to my health, and I was irrationally frightened of the hospital.

    She kissed me on the forehead, stood, and vanished down the hallway to her office. Dad pulled his dinner from the microwave and sighed. He looked down the hall toward Mom''s office with a sad expression. I didn''t blame him. This microwaved stuff sucked.

    "Dad, did you ever want a girl who was out of your league?"

    He raised an eyebrow and took a moment to answer. "Of course, son."

    I''m strictly heterosexual and not incestuous or anything, but my dad is a fairly handsome man. I''d overheard Myra Bergenhoff and another woman swooning over him in the grocery store once. Sometimes women would give him this really intense stare, like he was a celebrity or wearing chocolate body spray. The only woman who never looked at him that way was Mom. I guess being married helps you look past a person''s charm. Unfortunately, I didn''t have Dad''s good looks or his chocolate BO.

    "Having girl problems, son?" Dad actually seemed kind of happy I wasn''t tearing it up with the ladies.

    "Sort of."

    "Anything weird ever happen?" He winked and said "weird" in a mocking voice, but his eyes looked oddly worried.

    I decided to play dumb since I didn''t have a clue where this was going. "Girls are just weird." Then again, maybe he was questioning my sexuality. "Not that I don''t like girls, of course. I totally like girls and females of¡­uh¡­the human variety." I didn''t want him thinking I was into bestiality either.

    "You know if you ever have any questions you can ask me."

    Eww. "I''ll keep that in mind." I could sense a well-intentioned but useless father-son chat coming, so I grabbed my microwaved mush and dashed into my room.

    My phone beeped. Another text from Katie. Want to study tonight?

    Despite the crushing sense of defeat overwhelming me upon learning about her and Brad, a tiny ray of hope blossomed. I''m so optimistic it makes me sick. I knew I was only setting myself up for another dose of hurt, but it didn''t matter.

    I agreed to meet her over at her place in half an hour. I spent the next few minutes putting on my best pair of cargo pants and an XXL T-shirt to cover my fleshiness, and brushed my Gandalf-like hairdo until it looked somewhat presentable. I took Dad''s Jetta and scooted over to her house with a dash of sunshine in my heart.

    I parked at the curb near Katie''s house and walked up the driveway. Soft sobbing noises emanated from ahead. Katie sat under the glow of the outside lights near the front door.

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    "Katie?" I said. "Are you okay?"

    She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. "Oh, God, I''m so embarrassed."

    I sat down next to her. "What''s wrong?"

    She blew her red nose into a tissue and shook her head. The girl might be gorgeous under normal circumstances, but she was an ugly crier. I didn''t care.

    She pulled out a fresh tissue and wiped her nose. "You know Brad, right?"

    "Of course," I said in a tone that indicated Brad and I went way back.

    "He''s a real jackass."

    On the outside, I managed to craft a concerned look instead of smiling or laughing maniacally. On the inside I danced a jig. "What did the jerk do?"

    "I''ve seen Rebecca talking to him a lot. He always tells me they''re just friends."

    I nodded solemnly. "Yeah. Not a good sign." Rebecca was one of the perpetual beauty pageant girls in the school. Pretty hot, I had to admit, but nobody topped Katie, not in my book. And what in the world was so special about Brad "I have a motorcycle" Nichols that made the girls want to talk to him? He didn''t play sports, he wasn''t muscular, and he seemed dumb as a brick. It had to be the motorcycle. That in and of itself probably added plus ten charisma to his character.

    Riding the school bus put me somewhere in negative territory on that count.

    "Jenny told me she saw Brad riding through Midtown on his motorcycle with Rebecca." Another sob shook her.

    Anger crept up my chest in a wave of heat. How could guys like Brad get away with garbage like this? He had the most perfect girl in the universe crying over him while guys like me could only dream of even kissing a girl like Katie.

    My brain abruptly decided now was the time to attack its bony prison again. Katie''s face blurred and an incredible musky aroma tickled my nose. Steaming sensuality lingered at the edge of my senses, teasing me, beckoning me to take it and make it mine. A part of me reached for it. But a searing flash of agony ripped me back to reality. I winced and gritted my teeth but Katie didn''t seem to notice.

    "¡­I thought it was something really special. He told me he loved me. I just don''t understand, Justin. I really need a guy''s perspective on this. What do you think I should do?"

    The headache vanished, leaving me in a slightly euphoric state as endorphins flooded my system. The blurry shape in my view sharpened into Katie''s face. She was looking at me, probably waiting for a response to Brad''s outrageous behavior.

    "Probably dump him," I managed to croak.

    "Why can''t I find a nice guy?"

    I''m right here! I wanted to scream. Outwardly, I plastered a concerned look on my face. "I''ve heard some bad things about Rebecca. I wouldn''t doubt it if they slept together." Katie sobbed even harder. It made me feel a lot better.

    "I can''t believe he would do this," she said between gasps.

    I couldn''t believe she was taking this so hard. Hadn''t they just started dating? Was she really that head-over-heels in love with the guy? And then it hit me. And my mouth spit out what my brain was thinking without me meaning or wanting to say it aloud. "You slept with him."

    Her eyes widened. Her face blanched. "Is it that obvious?" She blew noisily into a tissue. "Please, you can''t tell anyone."

    I couldn''t believe she hadn''t just denied it. "I won''t."

    A single tear trickled down her wet cheek. "I can''t believe I let him be my first. We had so much fun together. And now I feel horrible." Sobs wracked her body.

    I put an arm around her shoulders. At some point I might have fantasized about this moment, about squeezing Katie''s hot body to mine, but the magic turned to ashes, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth and an ache in my heart. So much for true love. So much for riding off into the sunset. Katie had wrecked her virginity against the uncaring shores of Brad Nichols.

    I wanted to kill him.

    When she finally calmed down¡ªwhich took a while¡ªshe hugged me back. "I feel so bad for unloading all of this on you, Justin. You''re such a great guy. I wish there were more like you out there."

    "You want more overweight nerds in the world?"

    She laughed. "See, nothing bothers you. I know we''ve known each other a long time but I guess we''ve never gotten to know each other."

    A dull throb pulsed in my forehead. Great. All I needed was another headache. Katie''s face blended into an indistinct blur as the pain increased. This cranial assault wasn''t as sudden as the others. It crept from my forehead to the back of my brain and slithered down my spine, all ice, fire, and needles. I sensed that strange presence again. It was Katie, but at the same time it wasn''t Katie. It ached to be free. It begged me to grab it by the hair and drag it into the closest cave.

    Katie gasped. Our lips met. She pressed herself to me willingly and all thoughts of the world faded into bliss.

    And then a bomb went off in my skull.

    I wrenched away from her and the ghostly presence slipped from my grasp. The pain flashed away as quickly as it had come. I stared at Katie. She stared at me. I didn''t know what to say about the last few seconds. We''d kissed, right? It hadn''t been a dream? Maybe these migraines were making me hallucinate. I didn''t know what to think anymore.

    Katie''s huge green eyes focused on me. "Justin, that was¡­unexpected."

    So we had kissed. "All part of my master plan for world domination." Where in the world did that come from?

    She smiled. "I can''t figure you out. You''re brave¡ªI mean just look what you did to Nathan. And now you''ve made me feel so much better tonight."

    "Probably my Axe body spray," I said.

    A giggle burst from her lips. "You''re funny too." She looked at me for a moment and I could see the uncertainty looming in her eyes. "Justin, I really like you. But I don''t know¡ª"

    "Hey, it''s fine," I said, standing up and brushing leaves off my cargo pants. "Look, I have a Kings and Castles tournament this Saturday. You want to come?"

    "Is it like that restaurant with the jousting knights in it?"

    "Um, not exactly. It''s mostly a bunch of nerds clubbing each other with foam weapons."

    "Ooh, that sounds fun to watch."

    "Cool. I''ll text you the details." I waved goodbye and made for the car before she could overanalyze what just happened. I felt heady. Unstoppable. I kissed Katie Johnson. Holy crap, I had really done it. I hooted with laughter and smacked the steering wheel. I tried to forget the dark stains on this otherwise flawless victory. Brad Nichols had taken her virginity. And he might not like me stealing his girlfriend.

    Chapter 4

    Mark and Harry couldn''t believe what I''d done when I told them in the gymnasium the next morning. Jenny and Annie sat in their usual spot but Katie wasn''t there.

    "You are fearless," Mark said with awe in his voice.

    "Balls of steel," Harry said, slapping me on the back. "And she''s coming to the tournament, too? You are the man."

    I felt like the man. Kind of, anyway. I also felt a bit apprehensive about Brad Nichols finding out. The bell rang and I headed for homeroom, walking down the barren cinder-block hallways of the school.

    A commotion echoed from around the corner ahead. A few wads of notebook paper sailed into the hallway behind the hurrying form of one of the Goth guys I''d seen hanging with that creepy Goth girl. Nathan and his gang rounded the corner, hurling insults and paper at the guy. I felt bad, but not bad enough that it was worth getting whacked.

    One of Nathan''s linebacker friends said something to the others then jogged after the Goth. He had something in his hand and I knew that whatever it was wouldn''t be good for his prey.

    Don''t do it! Noooo! The rational part of my mind screamed at me.

    I couldn''t stand by and do nothing. So I tripped and fell right in front of the very large guy chasing down the Goth. The air exploded from my lungs as his weight thudded on my back.

    The football player cursed at me while the others laughed.

    "Holy crap, Case, you clumsy idiot," Nathan said as he roared with laughter.

    The football player I''d tripped pushed himself up. "I guess you get the present then," he said and lowered a clear plastic baggie toward my face with something inside that looked and smelled suspiciously like a turd.

    "Ahem," said an authoritarian voice.

    We looked to see Mr. Turpin, my former boxer-turned-English teacher staring at us, his muscular arms bulging threateningly.

    "Stay on task, Steve," he said in a gentle voice and held out his hand.

    Apparently Steve was the name of the buffoon who had almost smeared poo on my face.

    "Aw, we''re just playing around," Steve said.

    Mr. Turpin stared at the baggie and then at his proffered hand.

    Steve pshawed and handed it over. "Whatever." He shoved past me. "Guess we''ll get something fresh for you later, Case." He and the others laughed as they went down the hall.

    A strong hand gripped me by the bicep and helped me up. I turned, expecting to see Mr. Turpin''s large hands on my arm and yelped as I came face to face with Goth Girl and all the metallic horrors piercing her face. She drew in a deep breath through her nose. I could swear the girl was sniffing me. I pulled away from her, slightly so as not to be too rude.

    "Thanks," I said.

    She smiled, showing me neat rows of white teeth. The rest of her face was a mess of dark eyeliner, white powder, and piercings all over the place. I tried not to shudder or imagine what other places on her body might be pierced.

    "Never give up," she said in a low voice and walked away without looking back.

    "Kids these days," Mr. Turpin said, shaking his head. "They never stay on task."

    I had a feeling Mr. Turpin had been hit in the head a lot during his boxing days. He was a nice, soft-spoken guy, but he repeated, "Stay on task" like it was holy mantra even if it didn''t fit the occasion. Then again, who was I to talk?

    On the way home from school, Katie texted me, asking if I could study tonight. I told her I would after dinner.

 Page 5

    As I approached home, a shout from inside grabbed my attention. I paused at the front door and pressed an ear against it. I heard indistinct voices but nothing loud enough to understand. I sneaked through the garage, past Mom''s burgundy Volvo, and around the pile of rakes and other yard implements that still looked new as the day Dad had bought them. The garage door didn''t offer any better eavesdropping so I twisted the doorknob slowly and eased the door open into the kitchen. I peeked through the crack and caught a glimpse of my parents standing just inside the den.

    "¡­won''t happen to him," Dad said. "We would know for sure by now."

    Mom sighed. "And I told you it doesn''t matter. Everything depends on this. Everything. You need to keep it together or dear old Daddy Slade might¡ª"

    "Wait," Dad said, holding out a hand and sniffing the air. He motioned Mom further into the den and out of sight. "Do we need groceries for tonight?"

    "Nope. Dinner is in the freezer."

    "Not again."

    "Yes, again."

    A few seconds later, a door slammed shut. Something was seriously wrong with my parents. Arguments, microwaved dinners, and Dad sniffing the air like a coonhound. Maybe Aunt Petunia''s death was screwing with their minds. And who was Daddy Slade? It sounded like the name of a trumpet player for a swing-dance band. I didn''t know what to think. I entered the door, acting all casual and nonchalant.

    "Hey, son," Dad said in a tone tinged with false enthusiasm. He reached into the fridge and grabbed a six-pack of beer.

    "When did you start drinking?"

    Dad popped open a beer bottle and took a swallow. He made a face. "I''ve always enjoyed a beer or two."

    "Or six?" I asked, looking at the container in his hand.

    "Justin, I know you don''t like to tell us everything. I was the same way when I was your age."

    "I think keeping secrets goes for people of all ages." I gave him a pointed look.

    He chuckled. "What I''m getting at is¡ª"

    "Sorry, Dad, but I''ve got a study date with a girl tonight and I really need to get a move on."

    Dad took another swig of beer and winked. "That''s great." He looked as though he wanted to say something else but instead took his beer into the den and tuned into a reality show featuring a bunch of women screaming at each other.

    I nuked a meal in the microwave and gussied myself up before heading over to Katie''s.

    "Hey Justin," she said, giving me a quick hug when I arrived.

    I tried to say something witty but my brain failed me. "Hi." Where was all my bravado from last night? Apparently it was taking an extended vacation because we actually studied Calculus until nine. We didn''t say a thing about Brad or our kiss. It was like it never happened. Or maybe I was supposed to man up and kiss her again. Why couldn''t she just tell me what she wanted?

    Katie walked me outside after we finished our homework. "Thanks for helping me out. Calculus is so hard, but I have to get better at it if I''m going to get into a good college."

    I could hardly stand it. She was so unlike most of the hot girls I knew¡ªor knew of, in any case. She seemed smart and yet she was going for smacktards like Brad. I tried to muster the courage to kiss her, but her hug came fast and her body language seemed to indicate a kiss was off the table.

    Grow a pair and kiss her.

    Yeah. It wasn''t going to happen.

    When I arrived at home, Dad was still up watching TV. A pile of empty beer bottles littered the coffee table. I went into my room and changed into cargo shorts and a T-shirt. The rest of the house was silent. "Where''s Mom?"

    Dad kept his eyes on the tube. "Girls'' night out."

    "Shouldn''t you be doing a boys'' night out then?"

    "This is boys'' night out," he said, motioning me over to the couch and thumbing the cap off another beer bottle. He handed it to me.

    "Seriously? Won''t Mom kick your butt for contributing to the delinquency of minors?"

    "That''s all life is, kiddo. When you''ve had enough contributions to your delinquency, then you''re officially an adult."

    "Deep stuff," I said and took a swig. Beer always tastes great for the first few sips then it tastes like carbonated toilet water. Of course this was one of those major father-son milestones and I wasn''t about to spoil it for Dad or myself.

    Dad turned the TV off and studied me for a moment. "I know we haven''t talked about girls much, Justin, mainly because it''s kind of uncomfortable talking to a parent about¡­some things. How are things with women overall? Anything strange ever happen?"

    His question struck me as odd. "Strange like how?" I thought about the headaches, the blurry vision, and the way odors¡ªespecially Old Spice¡ªseemed to attack my nose at random. That was strange, but I figured it had to do with growing pains and the popularity of Old Spice. I almost told him about those occurrences but stopped myself. He''d just tell Mom and then she would freak out and probably take me to the emergency room.

    Dad examined me with narrowed eyes. What was he looking for? After a moment, a look of relief settled into his face and he shrugged. "Well, girls are tough business, so let me know if I can give you some tips."

    I did not want him going all after-school special on me, so I took a long guzzle of beer. By the time I''d finished my second bottle, I had my first alcoholic buzz going. I felt warm, fuzzy, and happy, like I was drinking hot chocolate on a freezing cold day. I also felt very clever. Apparently alcohol increases charm and courage by at least ten points. I tapped out a text to Katie. Dad snatched my phone before I could send the masterpiece and put the phone out of my reach.

    "Not a good idea," he said, chuckling. "You''ll thank me in the morning."

    "But everything is so clear. I have to tell her now."

    "Yeah. Sure it is. That''s your last beer, kiddo. Drink a lot of water if you don''t want to feel like crap tomorrow."

    I took his advice and drank water until I felt it might leak from my ears.

    I woke up the next morning with only a mild hangover and a bursting bladder. My phone lay next to my computer. I looked at it and the text I had almost sent to Katie.

    U R teh most beautiful perfect creature that will ever walk this Earth and I am ur king 4eva.

    I grimaced and deleted the atrocity before my fat fingers accidentally sent the thing. Adults really do know what they''re talking about sometimes. I thanked Dad under my breath for saving me from publicly castrating myself via sheer idiocy. I''m sure my message would have found its way to the Texts from Last Night website if Jenny or Annie had gotten hold of Katie''s phone.

    I looked at the clock and realized I''d never be ready in time for the school bus. I popped a couple of ibuprofen to quell the slight ache in my skull and got ready. I drove Dad''s Jetta to school since he had one of those stay-at-home jobs and hated driving cars¡ªhe much preferred his ancient Indian motorcycle which I thought looked kind of dorky by current standards. As I looked for a parking spot I noticed a mass of students milling in the parking lot near the school entrance. Strange. Usually everyone went inside, especially considering the cold and the freezing wind. Gray clouds scudded across the sky. Rain puddles dotted the asphalt. It was not a good day to be outside. I figured the principal must be running a fire drill.

    After heaving my backpack on my right shoulder, I made my way toward the chattering crowd and the doors to the school. My breath frosted in the cold morning air and my glasses fogged up a bit thanks to the knit cap I had shoved low onto my forehead. I stopped for a moment to take off my glasses and wipe them. As I stood there I noticed how quiet the crowd had become. I pushed my glasses back on and looked ahead. Dozens of eyes stared back. I looked behind me expecting to see the latest pre-pubescent pop star step out of a limo. Nope, nobody there.

    My stomach writhed and scurried away to hide in my bowels. Something was seriously amiss this morning. Nathan. He waited for me. I just knew it. I almost backpedaled and made a run for my car but that would be postponing the inevitable. I had to think my way out of this. The crowd parted as I reached the edge. Familiar green eyes locked onto mine as I stepped into an arena in the middle of the mob. Katie stood a few feet from the glass doors leading into the school. Next to her stood a person that made my heart join my stomach in hiding.

    Brad Nichols punched a leather-gloved fist into his palm and grinned.

    Chapter 5

    If there ever was a time for me to soil my underwear, it was now. Thankfully, that didn''t happen. Brad approached, malice gleaming in his eyes.

    Katie gripped his arm. "Stop, Brad. Please!"

    He jerked his arm free and promptly ignored her. He looked me up and down. It didn''t take long, considering I was at least a full head shorter. He wasn''t nearly as tall as Nathan but that didn''t matter. I waited for him to say something. Instead, he buried his fist in my stomach.

    My backpack fell from my shoulder. I staggered back, gasping for breath and wheeling to the right. A low leafless hedge tripped me. My face planted in a puddle of muck. I jerked my head clear and took in a shuddering breath but got a mouthful of brown slime instead. Mud caked the left side of my glasses and dribbled down my cheek. Through the right side I saw Mark and Harry snorting with laughter next to a couple of other guys I didn''t know. They caught my gaze and sobered, apologetic expressions on their faces. Rage flared in my chest. I pushed myself to my knees. I didn''t care what happened. I was going to beat the crap out of Brad.

    Before I could stand, however, Brad grabbed my jacket and hauled me backwards over the hedge. He snatched off my knit cap and tossed it away before shoving me on my back. Cold dampness seeped into the seat of my pants. He''d dropped me right into a freezing water puddle on the sidewalk. I tried to spring to my feet but my clumsy girth hampered me and made it a slow climb instead. I rolled onto my knees, soaking the front of my pants. My hands went numb with cold.

    Katie had Brad by the arm again. He shoved her away and she hit her head on the door. Raw fury flowed into my veins. Do something, you fat idiot! Pain burst into my skull. It wasn''t from Brad this time. It was my stupid migraines flaring up again. Brad''s fist caught me in the cheek. My glasses flew off. My jaw ached but didn''t hurt nearly as much as it should have. I roared. Brad howled with laughter. I probably looked like an infuriated chipmunk.

 Page 6

    "Look at the angry little pig," he said. Gales of laughter chimed in from the onlookers.

    I jumped to my feet. He came at me again, fist cocked, eyes smug. I swung. My fist connected. His jaw made a terrible popping noise. His legs wobbled. An astonished look came over his stupid face and he dropped to the sidewalk right into the same puddle he''d put me in.

    The headache vanished but everything went blurry, which was odd because it usually happened while I had the headache. I fumbled on the ground for my glasses. A gentle hand touched mine and pressed the glasses into it. I put them on. The filth had been cleaned off. I looked up, expecting to see Katie smiling at her new hero. Instead I choked back a gasp as the Goth girl came into focus.

    Katie hovered over Brad, tears in her eyes. She put his head in her lap and smoothed his cropped hair. My mouth dropped open. Why was she babying that asshole? I almost screamed in frustration.

    Harry and Mark walked up.

    "Holy crap, man!" Harry said, his eyes full of suppressed laughter. "Didn''t think you had it in you."

    "I hope it was entertaining," I growled.

    Harry smirked. "Look, man, it was kind of funny."

    I lunged at him and knocked him on his butt. The smirk vanished.

    "Thank God I have such great friends," I said, shouting for everyone to hear. "People I can count on when some asshole is beating the crap out of me."

    Mark placed himself between me and Harry. "What the hell, Justin?"

    Harry leapt to his feet, pushed past Mark, and shoved me. "You idiot," he spat. "You never had a chance with Katie. You''re just a delusional nerd like the rest of us."

    Hot tears threatened to break loose but I fought them back. I wouldn''t give these people the satisfaction of seeing me cry even if they were tears of fury. I glanced at Katie as she helped Brad off the ground. She didn''t even look at me. The Goth girl was, though. She stood near the entrance, a curious expression on her face as students filed inside the school now that the spectacle was over. It amazed me how anyone with so many piercings could ever look sympathetic. I didn''t want her sympathy or her pity. She was an even bigger loser than me. Her devil-may-care attitude and devil worshipper clothes begged for the attention she craved. Her reality probably included an abusive family and a trailer park.

    I grabbed my backpack off the ground and made a beeline for the Jetta before my rage caused me to do anything else stupid. I climbed into the car and slammed the steering wheel with the palm of my hand. I stared back at the school. I had to go home and change clothes. Grime coated my shirt and pants and I wasn''t about to go inside looking like this.

    I screeched out of the parking lot but didn''t make it far before a fat tear clouded my vision. I pulled over in front of a liquor store to fight the sudden storm of angry tears that threatened to break loose. I would not cry, dammit. I looked at myself in the rear-view mirror. Muddy rivulets streaked my cheeks. Dirt glommed onto my sweaty face. I looked like something from a horror film. Maybe I was a monster. A hunch-backed Igor, destined to be the untouchable low man on the totem pole forever. Life had been so easy on me up until this point. Good parents, good friends, and harmless nerdly pursuits. It was like God had come down and kicked my life in the balls. It hurt like crazy.

    An approaching bum gave me a wide-eyed look. He pulled an about-face and went to beg money from someone who didn''t look as psychotic as I did.

    I pulled out my cell phone. It took me several minutes to calm my mind enough to compose a text to Katie.

    Are you okay?

    I waited and waited for her response. Minutes ticked by and nothing. Stupid hussy. How could she help that jerk after what he''d done to her? I screamed in impotent rage and balled up my fists.

    "Why don''t you want me?" I asked the absent girl that I craved so badly. I almost heard the snap as my heart broke in two.

    My phone chimed. My heart lightened. Finally, she''d responded. Instead, it was a text from the wireless company, telling me my bill was ready to view. I fought the urge to smash my phone through the car window, instead gripping the steering wheel as if it were the last thing preventing me from falling into a ravine. There had to be a poem in this pain somewhere.

    A cheerful ding informed me the Jetta was almost out of fuel. I pounded the steering wheel and drove to a Quick Trip gas station before I compounded my misery with a long walk.

    As the gas gallon counter slowly ticked upward and the dollar amount skyrocketed to epic proportions, a low growling caught my ear. I looked at the dumpsters about twenty feet to my left. A large Rottweiler snarled at a huddled black form trapped between a brown metal dumpster and the brick wall bordering the refuse area. I took a few cautious steps forward until I could make out the black furry shape of a very perturbed cat. It arched its back and hissed at the dog.

    The Rottweiler pounced. The cat leapt back. Huge slobbering jaws snapped on empty air. Why did the big guys always have to pick on the little ones? Bullies like Brad and Nathan and this stupid dog were one and the same. Anger-fueled lunacy replaced the final dredges of logic in my addled mind. I ran at the huge dog, yelling and waving my arms like an idiot. The dog turned toward me, hackles raised, and bared its very sharp and very scary teeth. It lunged for my leg, teeth clacking. I shrieked and jumped back.

    The beast snarled and charged. I swung my leg in an awkward defensive gesture. Somehow, my foot caught the dog right in the nose with a loud crack. He yelped and rolled on the ground. The little black cat had jumped to the top of the dumpster during the fray and seemed to be quite entertained. I reached for him while the dog staggered dizzily nearby. I was afraid the cat might claw me but he settled into my arms and meowed happily as I raced for my car. I didn''t want to be anywhere near that dog when it recovered.

    I miraculously remembered to pull the gas pump nozzle out of the fuel filler and to screw on the fuel cover even as I trembled like someone whose stomach had just informed them the Indian food they''d eaten was, in fact, about to tear their digestive system to shreds.

    I sat in the car and put the cat in the passenger seat. For a moment, all I could hear was my own panicked breathing. I couldn''t believe I''d done it. That dog could have rabies. It could have maimed me. I figured a good old-fashioned mauling would have fit right in with today''s fantastic milestones.

    My parents weren''t home when I arrived. I went in and washed up, fed the cat some leftovers while I figured out what in the world to do next. The cat meowed in what I interpreted as a voicing of sympathy and complete understanding of my fragile emotional state, his midnight-black fur rubbing against my outstretched hand.

    "Thanks," I said, taking a deep breath to calm my palpitating heart. "You''re kind of a brave little cat, aren''t you?" I took a moment or two to properly contemplate what I should call him. "Welcome to my world, Captain Tibbs."

    He cocked his head to the side and meowed, a clear indication he loved his new name.

    I stared at the clock on the wall. It was almost lunchtime and returning to school seemed stupid at this point. Only pain and misery waited in that place.

    I went into the garage and opened Dad''s fridge. Beer crammed every shelf.

    "Holy crap," I said. Was dad going off the deep end? I found a six-pack of the beer he''d given me last night and grabbed a couple of bottles from it. I shut the door halfway, hesitated, and opened it again. I took the entire six-pack to my room. Anger burned in my chest every time I thought about Katie or Brad effing Nichols, not to mention my supposed friends who''d laughed at me while Brad used me for a punching bag.

    I guzzled two of the beers and felt a little better. I guzzled another one, burped, and tasted the nuked lasagna I''d eaten the day before. Captain Tibbs settled into my lap and purred.

    "At least you''re my friend, aren''t you?" I scratched behind his ears.

    A warm comfortable feeling spread out from my stomach. I chugged another beer and decided things weren''t so horrible after all. By the time I finished the first six-pack, things seemed great. In fact, my mind felt clearer than ever about what I needed to do. I went into the garage and grabbed another six-pack. Time to put my plans into motion.

    Chapter 6

    I woke up on the floor, a metric ton of agony using my aching body like a hammock. Icepicks greeted my brain as I staggered to my feet and grabbed the ibuprofen bottle from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. I went into the kitchen and poured myself a bowl of cereal to fill the gnawing void in my stomach.

    Captain Tibbs hopped atop the table and gave me a disapproving look.

    "Why didn''t you stop me?" I said, popping several ibuprofen tablets into my mouth.

    He stared at me with luminous green eyes, and I figured I had lost some of his respect for drinking as much as I had last night.

    My phone chimed. I looked for it and finally found it under my computer desk. Another crack had joined the first one on the touchscreen. I was amazed it even worked.

    I had several text messages waiting. Had Katie tried to get in touch last night? Had she ditched Brad and decided she wanted to be with me after all? Only in fantasy land. Harry, Mark, Katie, and a couple of people I hadn''t spoken with in months had sent me texts. Apparently I was about to receive a few apologies.

    Save the best for last, I decided, and opened Harry''s first.

    Screw you.

    Short and to the point. I looked at the text thread and choked when I saw what I''d written him last night. It wasn''t just one text, it was a freaking essay. And it was stuff from the darkest, nastiest recesses of my mind. I''d copied Mark and the other two people I hadn''t spoken with for a while. Why, I didn''t know, unless it was an act of drunken inaccuracy. Mark''s reply was pretty close to Harry''s, just a little longer and nastier. I looked at the texts from the other people. One advised anger management and the other simply replied, WTF?

    I couldn''t bring myself to look at Katie''s text. Oh God, what had I written her? I wracked my brain but I couldn''t remember a thing¡­except¡ªcrap. I remembered doing something on Facebook. I opened Katie''s text and felt the cereal I''d eaten claw its way back up my throat. I shuddered as I read.

 Page 7

    Sent: 12:03AM: what no reply?

    Sent: 12:05AM: You stupid hoor.

    Sent: 12:06AM: I haet u

    Sent: 12:07AM: and stupid brad

    And those were just the first few. They got worse until the legibility and word order resembled the incoherent ramblings of a dyslexic monkey. Some were just numbers and random characters. Katie didn''t reply until around ten in the morning, at first asking if someone stole my phone and then cussing me out and telling me to leave her alone with no less than five F-bombs.

    My face went numb. What in the world had I done? I opened Facebook. I had only one status update around 1:00AM: Katie Johnson is Brad''s dirty tramp. There were about thirty comments underneath, almost unanimously condemning me and several telling me to seek immediate help from a professional. People had posted random insults on my wall, some going so far as to threaten physical violence if I didn''t stop bugging her. Out of my one-hundred or so friends, not a one came to my defense except Mike Gigrassio which didn''t help at all, since people voted him most likely to become a pedophile. Not that I deserved anything but condemnation. I deleted my status update and set security so nobody could see my Facebook wall. I scrolled down my list of friends. Despair tore at my heart when I realized Katie was no longer there.

    Manic laughter edged with sobs erupted from my throat. My world had disintegrated overnight. I had to go back to school and face these people. I wanted to dig a hole, pull the dirt on top of me, and die.

    I started pacing my room. "Oh God. Oh my God. What am I gonna do?" Plastic surgery and a false identity seemed really good options.

    Captain Tibbs sat atop my computer desk and watched me with pity. See, I told you so, his green eyes seemed to say, and he was right. Drinking was no solution. It just led to more problems.

    I went into the den. It was already late in the afternoon and Dad was just waking up. He looked as bad as I did: unshaven, bloodshot eyes, and breath that could kill a dog and bring it back to life as a zombie.

    "What''s wrong, son?" he asked.

    "I messed up bad. I don''t know what to do."

    He nodded groggily. "I know how that feels." He went into the garage and grabbed some beer. I almost projectile vomited just looking at the bottle. He sighed and lifted the bottle to his lips. After his first swig, he looked at me like he wanted to say something. Instead, he trudged into the den. Only a loud fart or an ass scratch on his part could have perfectly capped off that father-son conversation.

    I wasn''t letting him off so easy. I followed him into the den and took a seat far enough away to avoid his breath. "Where''s Mom?"

    "Dealing with the Conroys."

    "Who?"

    His red-rimmed eyes widened for a moment. "Funeral stuff for Aunt Petunia."

    "Is she the reason you and Mom have been fighting?"

    He rubbed the sleep from his face and gave the wall a blank stare. "Yes."

    "And now you plan to drink yourself into oblivion?"

    After a long pause he spoke in a voice thick with emotion. "The great affliction known as life sometimes requires medication to ease the side effects." A long gulp of beer followed the statement.

    "Yeah? Well alcohol doesn''t work." The urge to slap the bottle out of his hand jerked me from my chair. I wanted to knock it from his hand and watch it smash to pieces. I wanted him to look at me and listen. A firestorm of anger blazed through me, growing so hot my body felt as though it would burst into flames. A sudden realization threw cold water on the flames. Nothing I did would stop him. It would only postpone the next drink by minutes. Mere words certainly wouldn''t change his attitude. I stormed from the den feeling useless and unwanted. Slammed the door to my room shut behind me.

    I used homework as a non-alcoholic crutch to keep my mind off the catastrophic condition of my social life while Captain Tibbs sat atop my computer desk, purring contentedly. A door slammed. I glanced at the clock and saw it was just past eleven. Keys jangled.

    "David?" Mom said. A loud slap echoed through a stunned silence.

    "Ouch," came Dad''s reply.

    "This won''t solve anything. You''d better snap out of feeling sorry for yourself. I will not¡­" her voice lowered to an indistinct mumble I couldn''t make out.

    I slipped into some shorts and flicked the lights off before climbing into bed and acting like I was asleep. Mom usually checked in on me before she went to bed. Maybe if they thought I was conked out for the night they''d talk more freely about what was really going on.

    Except I fell asleep and woke up late the next morning without any answers.

    I jumped up from bed and went into the hallway. Mom and Dad''s door hung open. The sounds of someone showering emanated from the bathroom. I went into the kitchen and ate a bowl of cereal, staring at the trashcan overflowing with beer bottles. I cursed myself for falling asleep. Something was definitely going on with my parents. Usually they made me sick by kissing all the time and saying lovey-dovey stuff. Now they were making me sick with worry. I had to find out what in the world was going on. Captain Tibbs hopped onto the table and meowed. I gave him some milk and figured I''d also need to buy him some cat food so he wouldn''t starve to death.

    Dad emerged from his bedroom as I finished breakfast. His tired face looked almost inhuman. In fact his skin had a bluish hue and his eyes¡ªusually a dark hazel like mine¡ªlooked pale as arctic glaciers. He zipped up a hoodie and made for the front door.

    "Where are you going?"

    He jumped a foot into the air and spun to face me. He apparently hadn''t noticed I was sitting there feeling sorry for myself.

    "I have to run an errand. I''ll be back soon."

    "Where''s Mom?"

    He stared blankly for a moment before answering. "Work."

    "On a Saturday? Don''t you guys usually go for hikes on the weekends?"

    He shrugged and gave a smile that never warmed the icy blue in his eyes. "Duty calls." He grabbed the doorknob. "Oh, and take the trash out when you have a chance."

    I stared at the door as it shut behind him, my mouth hanging open. Yeah, right. He could clean up his own beer bottles. And forget sitting around. I wanted answers. What the hell was wrong with him, and was he wearing blue contact lenses? After grabbing my jacket and pulling a ball cap low over my face, I dashed outside. Dad hadn''t taken his car. I ran to the nearest crossroad and looked down the narrow sidewalks, spotting his figure a few blocks down near the small shopping center where Mom used to take me to get my hair cut. I hadn''t let that old barber touch my hair for years now. It would totally ruin my long elf warrior ''do.

    I jogged after Dad. Maybe he was going for a haircut. But when I arrived at the stores, I found him sitting in the Laundromat of all places. Like the other businesses in the old strip mall, long plate-glass windows yellowed with age offered a view inside. A flickering neon sign advised passersby it was open twenty-four-seven. I edged to the end of the glass and peered inside. Dad sat, one leg crossed over the other, watching a couple of gray-haired women as they tossed clothes inside a washer and gossiped.

    He continued to watch them even after they took adjacent seats and pulled out smartphones to show off pictures, from what I could tell. Did my dad have a fetish for old ladies? Was he a stalker? Gross! My social life was in the toilet and my parents had gone completely off the edge. I was so screwed.

    Thirty minutes later, Dad stretched, stood up, and left. I hurried into the barber shop next door so he wouldn''t see me. Old Larry, the barber, stopped shaving some poor kid''s head with a pair of clippers and gave my shaggy mane a hungry look.

    "Justin Case? I haven''t seen you in years, boy. Looks like I''ll need to haul out my dog hair trimmers to get through the mess on your head."

    Dad trotted past outside. I hid behind a magazine and pulled the ball cap lower. "Thanks, Larry, but I think I changed my mind."

    I stepped outside and watched Dad jog toward home. All sorts of horrific nightmares danced through my mind about why he''d gone to a Laundromat without laundry to stare at old women. No wonder he and Mom were having problems.

    I wanted to jog after Dad but in my physical condition I wouldn''t make it more than a few feet before oxygen deprivation dragged me to my knees and murdered a few million brain cells. I had a flashback to my fight with Nathan. It was a wonder I''d made it to the janitorial closet and back without passing out. I entered the front door of my house and found Dad chowing down cereal. His skin looked perfectly normal again. He glanced up with lively hazel eyes. "Why didn''t you take out the trash?"

    It was all I could do not to gape at his sudden transformation. Maybe he''d taken to wearing colored contacts so old women would like him better. Creepy couldn''t even begin to describe this situation. After I dumped the bag of sour-smelling beer bottles in the large stinky garbage can outside, I went into my room and stared at the wall. Mark and Harry hated me. There was no Kings and Castles tournament today. Katie despised me. My dad was stalking little old ladies, and my family was falling apart. Hopelessness welled in my heart. I didn''t know what to do with myself.

    I jumped up and went into the bathroom, splashed my face with cold water, and dried it off. My trampled history essay sat atop my computer desk so I grabbed it and averted further misery by typing it out on my computer and polishing it until I looked up from the finished product hours later and saw the sunlight outside my window was long gone. Captain Tibbs had curled up in his now-usual spot on the desk and watched me through heavy-lidded eyes as I stretched. I scratched him behind the ears. He meowed.

    "You''re my one true pal, aren''t you? You''d never abandon me."

    He purred, which told me in no uncertain terms that he''d be my true friend to the end no matter what obstacles life threw our way.

    The garage door opened and shut. Keys clattered on the kitchen counter. I cracked open my bedroom door and found Mom in the hallway with her back to me, staring at a picture on her smartphone. I strained to make out details. It looked like a little girl with bright blonde hair in pigtails. I crept forward. A creaking floorboard betrayed my presence.

 Page 8

    Mom stuffed the phone back into her purse and wiped tears from her face as she turned to face me. "Hey, son." She pressed a hand to my forehead and did her usual mumbling routine.

    As the tingle faded from my forehead, I took her hand and looked into her deep blue eyes. "Mom, what''s really going on?"

    She smiled and brushed a lock of blonde hair from her face. "Just a rough spot at work." She patted the top of my hand with her other one. "Nothing to worry about. I need you to be strong and brave for me and your father."

    "You know me," I said, flexing my non-existent bicep. "I''m the man."

    She kissed me on the cheek. "That''s my boy." Mom turned to the couch and stared at Dad''s slumbering form. A new cluster of alcohol bottles had sprouted on the coffee table. Vodka had joined the beer posse. Mom''s hands clenched into fists and I feared she might attack him. Instead, she took deep breaths and went into their bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

    I sat outside her door and listened until she cried herself to sleep.

    The next morning, Mom took me to brunch, a family tradition that didn''t have quite the same meaning when Dad was still passed out drunk on the couch from the night before. Still, I hadn''t seen Mom much lately and I jumped at the chance to spend some time with her although I would never admit it¡ªeven under torture¡ªto any of my friends. Oh wait, that''s right¡ªI don''t have any friends.

    Mom asked me about school, my friends, and a million other little things I really didn''t want to talk about since the epic pile of fail in my life was expanding exponentially. I did tell her my grades were great¡ªthe single bright spot in my existence.

    "You know how much I love you, right, Justin?" she asked out of the blue.

    "Of course, Mom." My face flushed with heat and I looked at the cute girls sitting a table over from us to make sure they hadn''t heard. I pushed my empty plate away and stared at the puddle of syrup where once a stack of blueberry pancakes had been. "I just want to know what''s going on with you and Dad."

    She sighed and stared dejectedly at a happy nuclear family eating their brunch with big grins, giggles, and cheerful banter. "I feel like such a failure," she said after a moment. "I''m failing you. I''m failing your father. And there''s nothing I can do about it." Tears glistened in her eyes.

    I grabbed both her hands and squeezed. "Mom, don''t say that. You''re not a failure. You and Dad are the best parents I could ever have. You''re a great mom."

    She sniffed and smiled. "Do you really mean it?"

    "Of course I do. I know I''m not the best son in the world, but I love you guys so much even if I can''t say that around my friends."

    A laugh broke through her tears. "Teenage boys." She sniffled, wiped her red nose with a napkin, and took another look at the laughing family across the room. "Sometimes there are things in life we have to do. Difficult decisions that hurt so much it feels like no matter which choice we make, it''s the wrong one." She turned her eyes on me. "No matter what happens, Justin, know that I love you. Even if you hate me one day and refuse to ever talk to me again, just know that I understand. And I will never blame you for it."

    "What would you ever do to make me hate you?" Worry gripped my chest with icy fingers.

    "Things happen, honey. People change. Life doesn''t always give us a choice."

    Much as I wanted to dispute her, I knew it was true. But nothing could ever make me hate my mom.

    I gripped her hands. Looked into the deep ocean blue of Mom''s eyes and at the fall of a soft blonde lock across her face. Dad always fussed over that lock of hair, saying it couldn''t behave as he pushed it behind her ear. I think he loved that rebellious strand because whenever it fell across Mom''s face just so, he''d stop what he was doing and stare as though she was the only thing that existed in his universe. I''d thought my parents were one of the rare couples that had found true love. With everything that was going on now, it seemed I was wrong. The thought made me incredibly sad.

    After brunch, Mom went back to work. Dad wasn''t at home when I walked in so I pilfered some money from the shoebox with their stack of rainy-day funds in it and treated myself to a day at the movies so I could ignore the loneliness crushing my heart.

    Monday, the day I''d been dreading more than any other, arrived and the anxiety in my chest was palpable: a living malevolent creature with claws in my guts, my heart, and my limbs. I couldn''t think straight. Dad was asleep on the couch and Mom had already gone to work when I got up. As I opened the front door, Captain Tibbs jetted between my legs and raced into the yard.

    "Are you leaving me?" I asked.

    He gave me a curt meow. So long and thanks for all the fish. Then he trotted away into the neighbor''s hedge.

    "Thanks for abandoning me in my time of need," I said.

    A faint meow from the other side of the hedge was all I received in reply. Now I really was friendless. I took in a deep breath to ward off the crushing pain in my chest and decided to take Dad''s car. The school bus would be a pure nightmare.

    Every head seemed to swivel my way as I walked into school. I avoided the gymnasium like the plague. In homeroom, Jenny directed a gleeful smile my way and shook her head.

    "I''ll give you this," she said. "When you screw up, you go for broke."

    Annie laughed. "Epic meltdown, dude. God, I love this drama."

    I tried to smile. "I got a little drunk."

    "A little?" Jenny smirked. "Katie hates your guts. You got a lucky punch on her boyfriend and then called her a tramp on Facebook."

    "Yeah, well I guess I won''t win Mr. Popularity this year."

    "More like Mr. Infamous."

    Annie giggled. "Mr. Douchebag."

    "I was super drunk," I said, the desperation plain in my voice. "I don''t even remember writing that stuff. Can you help me out with Katie?"

    Jenny gave me a "yeah, right" look. "I''m not helping you, Mr. Creep." She and Annie turned their backs to me. Fury roared like an inferno through my chest and into my head. I wanted to pick my desk up and slam it on the floor. Scream to the class that I wasn''t a loser. The room wobbled and a wave of dizziness hit me. It would make perfect sense if a blood vessel decided to explode in my head right that second as the universe executed the final punch line to my joke of a life.

    My vision blurred and I winced in anticipation of another headache. Instead, the room snapped back into focus and my head only tingled for a split second. My hand hurt, however. I was clenching something painfully tight. Upon closer examination, I realized I was gripping the snapped-off corner of my desk. I hastily tossed it into my book bag before anyone noticed the vandalism.

    I must be going insane.

    The bell rang and I jetted out of there.

    At lunch, I discovered how Andy Dudowitz, the obscenely fat kid felt. He and his palpable body odor had a table in the corner all to themselves because nobody wanted to be within smelling distance of him. I couldn''t find a seat. Everyone locked me out with angry glares or derisive laughs. Even Andy shook his massive head when I looked his way. Mark and Harry shot dark glares when I glanced in their direction. I was positive even the lunchroom ladies would reject me at this point.

    One of the Goth guys motioned me over. I figured they were going to invite me then diss me at the last minute, but anything was better than standing alone in the middle of the lunch room. The Goth girl was with them. She had enough metal piercings in her nose, mouth, ears, and tongue to construct a battleship. Next to her sat a short guy with a hazardous amount of eye shadow and a red Mohawk flopped over to the side. I stared at them for several seconds before deciding I wasn''t getting a better offer.

    I sat uneasily next to the girl. If she sneezed, the flying metal would probably kill me.

    "Hi," she said. The trailer hitch in her mouth clacked against her teeth.

    I lost my appetite.

    "Screw the system, dude," said the Goth guy who''d invited me over. "I''m Ash Falls." He pointed at the Goth girl. "She''s Crye Rayne, and that," he said pointing to the Mohawk guy, "is Nyte Cradle."

    "N-y-t-e," Nyte said.

    I''d already figured out how to spell their names since Crye had written them in depressing Goth letters all over a notebook titled Poems of Dark Souls.

    "Where''d you come up with those names?" I asked.

    "They are our true names," Crye said. "You have your own waiting to come from the darkness of your soul."

    "Mine is probably Stinky Crap," I said.

    She burst out laughing. "Nice, Stinky. By the way, I was just kidding about the true names stuff. We like to act weird and mysterious since everyone expects it."

    "Do I have to wear eye makeup too?" I cringed inside soon as the words left my mouth. Last thing I needed was to be a smartass to the only group in school that hadn''t ostracized me.

    Ash laughed. "You fight the systems, man. I like that. Doesn''t matter whose system it is."

    "Everyone belongs to a system," Crye said. "Even if they''re alone in it."

    "Like me," Nyte said.

    "Fight the man?" I said. "Even if it''s just you?"

    "Especially if it''s just you," Ash said. "Otherwise the man in your head will keep you down."

    I opened my mouth to spit out another witty repartee, but Ash''s comment hit a tender spot. I had been keeping myself down. I''d been scaring myself into submission over and over again. I wanted to take control but I didn''t have a clue how. How did people like Brad not give a crap and do whatever they wanted even if it hurt people like Katie? How did people find the guts to put on eye shadow, black lipstick, and color their hair red? There was a fine line between not giving a crap and making it work, or ending up like the Goth crowd.

    "I guess I don''t have much use for those people," I said, nodding my head at the rest of the lunchroom.

 Page 9

    And they don''t have much use for me.

    Chapter 7

    Despite the cold shoulder from the general high school populace, I wasn''t ready to trade in my cargo pants and sneakers for black leather pants and platform shoes. At least I had someone I could talk to and sit with, even if they were a bit touched in the head and on the creepy side. Then again, that described me perfectly.

    As I left the lunchroom I ran into a meat wall, bounced off it, and fell onto my butt. I looked up at Nathan Spelman.

    "Oh, excuse you," Nathan said. I tried to get up, but he put his hand on my head and pressed me into a sitting position. "Well, well." He crouched, keeping his sweaty palm on my head while other students walked past with wide eyes and/or smiles, depending on their current opinion of me.

    "I want to make something crystal clear, stalker boy. You get within a hundred feet of Katie Johnson, and I''m going to smear you from one end of the hall to the other. Won''t be enough left of you to put in a bucket."

    "You get to stalk Katie but I don''t?" I couldn''t believe what I''d just said. Something was wrong with my mouth today. I needed to get it checked before someone punched my teeth out. Although that moment might be upon me.

    Nathan popped me on the side of the head. For him it was probably a love tap. I felt my brain hit the side of my skull and stars danced in my eyes. "You better keep your mouth shut about things you don''t understand."

    Anger pounded in my chest and the next words just shot out of my mouth. "You''re probably right. I don''t understand rapists."

    Next thing I knew, I was face down on the floor looking at a smear of blood on the tiles. My glasses were gone. Someone shouted. An authoritative voice roared for everyone to shut up and move on. I pushed myself to my knees and saw a blurry figure standing over me. I found my glasses a few inches from the blood smear and put them on. The blur resolved into the face of Ted Barnes, the Vice Principal.

    "Go see the school nurse," he said in an impatient tone.

    I looked around for Nathan but he was gone. "Nathan Spelman just beat the crap out of me."

    "Funny, looks like you just slipped and fell. Now go get cleaned up."

    "Are you kidding me? I''ll bet he has one of my teeth lodged in his fist."

    "You want to get suspended, boy?" I shrank back as Mr. Barnes and his gleaming bald head invaded my personal space. "I suggest you listen to me."

    It didn''t take long for the gray porridge I call my brain to see where this was going. Mr. Barnes was a member of the Quarterback Club, the biggest group of supporters of the football team. I hadn''t made too many friends by uncovering Nathan''s womanizing tendencies. Mr. Barnes wasn''t about to cut me a break, especially when it involved a football player.

    I pressed my lips together so I wouldn''t say anything else stupid. My upper lip hurt like crazy, but my jaw seemed intact. My tongue traced my teeth and didn''t find any unexpected gaps or wiggly ones. I skipped the nurse and went to the bathroom instead, halfway expecting a biker gang to jump me the moment I went inside. After washing off the blood I took a good long look at myself. Lank greasy hair hung past my shoulders. Scratched and battered glasses teetered crookedly on my nose. My split lip looked like the king of all cold sore outbreaks. My chubby, ashen face needed a tan. I was ugly. Worthless. Everyone hated me. I pulled off my glasses and wiped my eyes furiously to keep the tears away. That''d be just swell, walking around with red teary eyes for everyone to make fun of.

    Mr. Turpin raised an eyebrow when I entered English class. "Did you have an accident, Mr. Case?"

    "I tried to beat the crap out of someone''s fist with my face."

    "I see." He regarded me for a moment longer before starting the lesson.

    I wondered how a guy could go from boxing one day to teaching English the next. Maybe he hadn''t taken too many blows to the head, or maybe English was something you didn''t need many brains cells to teach¡ªor learn for that matter. When the bell rang, Mr. Turpin motioned me to his desk.

    "I take it Mr. Spelman and his ilk are the cause of your bloody lip?"

    "More or less."

    "Remember that it doesn''t matter how big they are if you knock them down first."

    "Uh, thanks," I said, edging toward the door. "I''ll remember that." I walked down the hallway shaking my head. How in the world was I supposed to knock them down? What did that even mean? Crazy old boxer dude. What he should have told me was to work out until I had muscles as big as his and then smack Nathan in the nose with a set of brass knuckles.

    Somehow I made it through the rest of the day. When I got home, I went to my computer and thought about Googling for "How not to be a complete loser." Instead, I found an envelope taped to my computer monitor. My name was on the front of the envelope in my mom''s handwriting. I figured it might be a birthday present a few days early. A birthday party seemed like a moot point unless I invited only the Goths. Or maybe they were emo. I didn''t really know the difference, come to think of it, and hadn''t even asked.

    I tore open the envelope and pulled out a letter.

    Justin,

    You mean the world to me and it agonizes me to have to do this, but your father and I have decided to go our separate ways. Remember when I told you about tough decisions? This is one of those. I love you so much but there''s another person out there who needs me more than you and your father. I have to do this. I have to make right a mistake I should have never made. I already hate myself for it and I pray you won''t hate me too.

    But if you do, I''ll understand.

    Please don¡¯t blame your father and especially not yourself. I''m the one to blame.

    I love you. Always.

    Mom

    I stared in shock at the letter. My mind stopped working. My body froze. This¡ªthis couldn''t be true. I mobilized my muscles and ran into the den. Dad was snoring on the couch. Empty beer and liquor bottles littered the coffee table. He hadn''t shaved and he smelled like a medicine cabinet. I slumped into the easy chair next to the couch and stared at the mess. At the mess our lives had become. She had practically told me she was leaving and I hadn''t done a thing to stop her. A ragged gasp tore from my throat. Who else in this miserable world could possibly need her more than me and Dad? How dare she leave us like this? Was she running into the arms of another man?

    The thought made me sick. The woman who gave birth to me had no right to be out gallivanting around like a slut. She needed to be here. I yelled something incoherent and swept the empty bottles off the coffee table and onto the tile floor where they clattered, bounced and broke. I grabbed the table by the edge and flipped it. The table smashed against the floor, breaking even more bottles.

    I hated her.

    Dad jerked awake. He looked at me with glassy bloodshot eyes and burped. "It''ll be okay, son." He pushed himself up and staggered down the hall to my parents''¡ªhis bedroom.

    I ran after him. Grabbed his arm. Jerked him around. "How could you let her leave, you stupid bastard?" I screamed in his face. "What kind of an idiot are you?"

    Rage contorted his face into an inhuman snarl. He punched the wall with a thunderous crack that seemed to shake the house, inches behind my head. Family pictures rained from the walls, the glass shattering. I yelped and fell on my butt. Tears cascaded down Dad''s face as he stared with disbelief at the fist embedded in the drywall. He wrenched it free and held it toward me as if to help me up. I scooted away on my butt through the broken glass until I was back in the den and pulled myself to my feet.

    Dad opened his mouth to say something then turned and shut the bedroom door behind him.

    I stood there panting while grief knotted my throat. I stared at the broken glass and torn pictures on the floor, trying to derive some meaningless analogy from it. Broken bottles, broken lives. Except I''d been the one to break the bottles. If a lesson waited in those shards of glass, I was hard pressed to find it. I went to my bedroom and slammed the door shut as hot tears flooded my vision. Anger and resentment toward my dad boiled over. He must have done something to lose Mom. I know they say most kids blame themselves for their parents'' problems, but I was a master at deflecting blame.

    Obviously, Dad''s lack of steady work and laziness had contributed to pushing Mom away. She was a successful accountant. Why should she have to support a deadbeat artist husband? I wasn''t exactly the most adoring or thankful kid in the world, either. Or maybe she''d fallen in love with someone else and couldn''t stand to be without him. Could be that was the tough decision she had to make. Anger coiled up in me like a snake, ready to lash out at anything breakable. But what else was there to break? I was already broken.

    I took a deep shuddering breath. At this point, going emo was the only avenue left to me that made sense. I could dye my hair black and cut myself to feel better. Or, I could try to dig my way out of this hole. Stop feeling sorry for myself. Get off my lazy fat ass and take charge for once.

    Something had to change. Since the world wasn''t about to do me any favors, I decided I had to be the one to take action. Real action this time.

    Chapter 8

    Change is an easy word to say but a pain in the rear to follow through on. So I started off easy and made a checklist on my computer:

    Haircut

    Join Gym

    New Clothes.

    The tiny list looked pitiful on the vast expanse of empty computer screen, but at least it was a start. It was particularly pitiful in light of the fact that I had stayed up most of the night alternatively making that list and resisting the urge to punch holes in the walls. I''d once heard someone on TV say, "It''s all about the G-T-L. Gym, tan, and laundry." At the time, it seemed awfully shallow advice. But maybe they were right. I looked like a shaggy overweight slob and felt horrible. Why should anyone else like me?

    To do anything on my list I''d need money so, I sneaked into Dad''s room while he snored away and found the shoebox he and Mom used for storing their rainy day funds. I''d looted from it before and since I was having a hurricane month, I took all of the cash¡ªseveral thousand dollars¡ªand stuck it behind a fake panel I''d built into the drywall in my closet a couple of years ago. Considering what my parents were putting me through I didn''t feel guilty one little bit.

 Page 10

    The next day during classes my head bobbed every few minutes as I dozed off. I actually face-planted on my desk in homeroom which amused Jenny and Annie to no end. My eyelids felt like they had tiny but chubby sleep fairies hanging on the lashes and pulling them closed. I think I must have sleep-talked something to that effect while dozing because Nancy Sanders asked me if sleep fairies gave out money for teeth too. Then she giggled hysterically. Our Literature teacher was not amused.

    At lunch I found Crye and the gang and took an open seat.

    "Hi," I said, feeling uncomfortable and unsure if they''d accept me back at their table again.

    "Hey," Crye said and then yawned so hard and wide her jaw cracked. Apparently I wasn''t the only one pulling all-nighters. Even with the powder-white makeup and dark rings of eyeliner, I could see the fatigue in her face.

    Ash eyed me. "You look tired. Go to a rave or something?"

    "Nah. Just did a lot of reading." I bit into the soggy square cafeteria pizza and forced it down my throat while mulling the list I''d made. "Do you guys think I''d look better if I cut my hair?"

    Ash shrugged. Crye stood up and walked around the table, her black Victorian-era dress rustling as she walked. She wound some of my hair around her fingers and sniffed it. I noticed her black fingernails matched her lipstick.

    Her violet eyes seemed to see right into me. They were not the peaceful color of flowers, but sparkling, fiery, and full of life despite the dark bags under her eyes.

    "Do you wear contacts?" I asked, staring into those amazing irises.

    She jerked from her reverie. "Yes¡ªyes of course. Nobody has eyes this color."

    "Looks cool," I said lamely. I''d almost said "beautiful" but figured that would''ve been over the edge.

    Crye stared again at my hair as a tarot card reader would look at my fortune. "Your hair is a mess."

    "I know that, but¡ª"

    She put a finger to my lips and shook her head, so I shut my mouth. Sometimes the hardest part of asking for advice is actually taking it to heart. I''d done things my way for long enough and look where that got me: relying on a Goth chick for fashion advice.

    Crye held my hair so it stood on end. She looked from Ash to Nyte to me and grunted like a doctor who''d just found a potentially hazardous anomaly in someone''s brain scan. "You have coarse hair. I think you should cut it to about six inches and spike it."

    "Spike my hair?"

    "Her mom owns a fancy salon. I''d listen to her," Ash said.

    Crye wore her long black hair straight with a simple part down the middle like the matriarch from the Addams Family. The day before she had worn it in pink-bowed pigtails. If it weren''t for the shrapnel-like piercings all over her face and the deathly white makeup, she might actually look cute. I could almost stand everything except the nose and tongue studs. The hygiene issues those posed made me want to barf.

    "I can get you a friend''s discount," she said.

    A lump formed in my throat. I couldn''t understand what I''d done to deserve a friend''s discount from people I''d more or less looked down upon until a day ago. I hadn''t done a thing to deserve the kindness of these people except turn myself into a social outcast. I cleared my throat, but my reply still came out a little gravelly.

    "Thanks," I said. "I''ll do it." I gave her my number and went to class.

    After school, I went to a gym I''d passed a million times before on the way home, and inquired about personal training.

    "I want someone who will really whip me into shape," I told the short skinny guy who signed me up. I hoped he wasn''t a trainer. His arms looked like noodles.

    He pursed his lips and looked me over. "I know just the person."

    I looked around the gym and spotted several people with the blue trainer shirts on. One was a stocky black guy with arms thicker than this guy''s waist. "How about him?"

    "George?" He tsked. "He''s booked right now. I can put you on the waiting list."

    I scanned the area but the other trainers looked just as out of shape as their trainees. I wasn''t about to waste money or time. I needed results. "Yeah, put me on his list, please."

    "In the meantime, I''ll put you with one of our best. Vic."

    Vic sounded like the name of a swarthy Italian guy from New Jersey. A guy who could teach me street smarts and help me get six-pack abs all at the same time.

    "Sounds good, thanks." I paid for two months up front and hoped by then I would know what I was doing and wouldn''t need a trainer anymore. I couldn''t afford to keep one for long anyway. The cash I''d stolen from my parents wouldn''t last forever, and since neither Dad nor I worked, we had zero income.

    Come to think of it, I didn''t know how he was paying for the house or utilities. He''d been buying enough beer to supply a frat house, and I didn''t have a clue where the money was coming from. Things looked bleak. All my ambitions could come crashing to the ground if we got kicked into the streets. Being homeless seemed like the crown jewel on my mountain of fail. I would have to do something about his issues sooner or later.

    After school the next day I had my first appointment with my trainer. I put on my gym shorts, a sleeveless T-shirt to show off my chubby arms, and examined myself in the mirror before I left. I pulled up my shirt and grabbed a roll of pale jelly belly. My belly button was deep enough to store a short stack of dimes. My man boobs sagged from lack of a man bra. Vic had his work cut out for him.

    I went to the gym and looked for someone fitting the profile of a low-level thug from a New Jersey mafia family before giving up and going to the trainers'' desk. A redhead with ripped abs and enough freckles to form constellations on her otherwise forgettable face looked up as I approached.

    "I''m looking for Vic."

    "That''s me," she said. "Justin?"

    "Yeah," I said, trying not to voice my disappointment. I needed someone like George to get me in shape, not an aerobics queen. I hoped George''s waiting list wasn''t too long. "How does a girl get a name like Vic?"

    "Short for Victoria." She shrugged. "You can call me either. Just don''t call me Vicky. Can''t stand that name."

    She hopped up and motioned me to follow. After the dreaded weigh-in, she calculated my body fat percentage first with calipers and then with an electronic device I held in my hands. I think I maxed it out. Then she measured my biceps, my chest, my waist, and my legs. By the time we finished, my thirty-minute session was halfway over and I was impatient to start pumping iron.

    "What''s all this for?" I asked.

    "We''re setting a baseline," she explained. "Otherwise we can''t measure progress." She looked at the numbers she''d collected and shook her head. "Besides, you won''t last more than ten minutes."

    "Gee, thanks."

    Six minutes later I was drenched in sweat and staggering around in a haze of breathless agony, ready to drop dead on the floor. Victoria made me walk back and forth until the incredible pain in my body faded. I had pretty much lived down to her expectations. On the bench press I''d struggled to lift a meager hundred pounds. For back, shoulders, and legs, I''d performed about as well as a person with no muscles.

    "It''s normal to do crappy your first day in the gym," she said in a not-so-reassuring way. "A month from now you''ll be doing much better."

    "A month from now I''ll be dead," I said, feeling as though I would keel over at any moment.

    "Drink two gallons of water between now and tomorrow," she said. "I prepared a list of foods you can have. Stay away from everything else."

    I glanced at the list: chicken breasts, wild-caught fishes, whole grains, and all the green vegetables I wanted. "I can''t cook."

    "It''s easy. Just broil chicken breasts. Google for recipes and you''ll be okay."

    I wondered if there was anything Google couldn''t help me with. "What about fat-free microwave dinners?"

    "Absolutely not. Anything processed is crap. You know all the agony you went through today?"

    "Yeah."

    "Do you want it to be for nothing? I''m not lying when I say eighty percent of body composition is what you eat. Exercise can only do so much. Garbage in, garbage out."

    I sighed. "Okay. I''ll do whatever it takes."

    She smiled, revealing straight white teeth. "See you Wednesday. Rest well until then."

    I gulped what felt like a gallon of water from the water fountain before I left and still felt thirsty. I turned to leave so my fat bottom wouldn''t keep other parched souls from enjoying a drink and plowed into a cute girl in tight gym shorts and a yellow tank top that adhered to the kinds of curves men drooled over. "Sorry," I muttered, trying to get out of her way.

    "You are rather hardcore," she said in a very proper British accent. "It is quite awesome, dude."

    "That''s me," I said. "Zero to hardcore in ten minutes." I wondered if she was making fun of me or if the British naturally had issues using the words "dude" and "awesome".

    She laughed, deep throated, sexy, and hormone-sizzling. Compact but muscular and a little shorter than me, she wore her yellow blonde hair in a tight bun. Her skin was pale but slightly flushed. If she''d been working out, it didn''t show. Not even a sheen of sweat glistened on her body.

    "I''m Stacey." She held out her hand.

    I took it, noticing how warm it felt. "I''m Justin."

    "You are quite the handsome one," she said and ran a finger up my arm.

    My hackles rose. My vision snapped like someone had put a picture on a rubber band, pulled it taut, and let it go. Two Staceys looked back at me and then my eyes lost focus. I massaged my forehead and rubbed my eyes under my glasses, trying to ward off the inevitable headache.

    "Are you quite all right?"

    I pinched the bridge of my nose and opened my eyes. The dizziness faded and my eyesight returned. I looked into her amber eyes. Her pupils weren''t round. They were vertical slits. I massaged my eyelids again, convinced my eyesight had gone crazy. "Just a headache," I said. "Must be allergies."

 Page 11

    "I was just about to depart," she said. "Would you be so kind as to walk me to my horseless¡ªmy auto-mobile?"

    "Sure," I said in a very cool and experienced manner so as not to give away the sudden tidal wave of hormones threatening to overwhelm me on the spot. One workout and I already had a hottie after me! Things were looking up.

    Okay, so I was probably counting my chickens way before hatching¡ªand possibly before the eggs were even laid¡ªbut the rough workout combined with a sudden flush of testosterone made me dangerously full of myself. I grabbed my keys from the locker room, forcing myself to walk in a composed manner even though I had a sneaking suspicion she''d be gone by the time I came back out. When I returned, she was still there. Amazing. She flashed her pearly whites in a full-lipped smile that almost caused an accident in my pants. We stepped outside into the pleasantly chilly autumn night.

    "This time of year is simply delightful," Stacey said. She took a deep sniff. I hoped she didn''t get a whiff of my BO. She grabbed my arm and drew another deep breath. "You smell delicious."

    I smiled and prayed my shirt was covering up my body''s reaction to her touch. "Yep, it''s a great time of year." We were walking toward the side parking lot of the building. I wondered if maybe I should ask her to go with me somewhere to grab a bite to eat when something like warm wet sandpaper rasped up my arm and to my shoulder. I snapped my focus to the aforementioned shoulder.

    Stacey was licking it.

    "What are you doing?" I asked and jerked away from her. It wasn''t that I minded a girl licking me, but something was just plain wrong with the way she was doing it and the way her tongue felt.

    Her eyes stared into mine. Her vertically-slit pupils widened into deep black swirling pools. I felt myself losing a grip on consciousness. My vision snapped again and I staggered backwards, thankfully breaking the hypnotic embrace of her eyes.

    "Your kind is so luscious," Stacey said in a low purr. "So sweet. But so hard to convince."

    "My kind of what?" I said backing away as tendrils of cold fear spread through my stomach and into my chest. "Sweaty fat boys?"

    She bared her teeth like a lion about to pounce.

    I ran.

    Chapter 9

    Usually I wouldn''t flee from cute girls, but this time I was willing to make an exception. Something was seriously wrong with this chick. I huffed and puffed and made a frantic beeline for my car near the back of the dark parking lot. I looked behind me. Stacey was nowhere to be seen. I stopped and doubled over as an acute hitch stabbed into my side.

    My legs felt like molten rubber. I cursed Victoria and her hardcore workout. I cursed my terrible physical state. As I panted like a dog in a heat wave, I scanned the gym parking lot for any sign of Stacey. Was this a joke? Was one of Katie or Brad''s friends punking me? Anger scoured the fear from me. I clenched my teeth. I was willing to bet by the time I got home, there''d be a YouTube video of chubby me fleeing from a girl. Those butt sphincters! I looked around one last time but Stacey¡ªif that was her real name¡ªhad vanished. I clutched at the stitch in my side and hobbled for my car.

    A warm hand touched my neck. I shrieked like a little girl in a helium factory. Stacey stood behind me. Just great. Now they''d have video of me screaming too.

    "You think this is funny?" I yelled. "Who put you up to this? Katie? Brad? Harry? Nathan?"

    Stacey''s full scarlet lips stretched into a languorous smile. Her pupils resembled vertical black slits in a sea of sparkling amber. Whoever had done her makeup had done a great job. I really needed to get them to help me out for Halloween.

    "I am unacquainted with these people of whom you speak. Perhaps we could continue this conversation at a more comfortable location." Her British accent was even more clipped and proper than before, making her all the creepier.

    "Ha, ha," I said, using the full brunt of my extreme wit. "Nice act, but you''re not fooling me anymore." I turned to walk away.

    Something like hot steel clamped onto my arm and spun me around. Stacey opened her mouth in a broad grin. Correction: She bared her teeth. She pressed me against a black SUV. I struggled uselessly in her iron grip. This wasn''t right. Her smile widened to reveal long sharp canines. Was she a vampire? She sure as hell wasn''t a mermaid.

    Also, I was almost a hundred-percent sure someone wasn''t punking me now. This chick was for real and I was about to die or become fatally anemic.

    "You smell divine," Stacey said. "A pity I couldn''t convince you to accompany me to my home. I would so enjoy taking my time with you. Your kind is exceptional, so much better than ordinary kine. So raw and emotional."

    I didn''t know what in the world "kine" meant. It wouldn''t matter shortly. My track record with women was about to get markedly worse. Or maybe being sucked dry by a vampiric hottie was a decent way to go. Except I wouldn''t be around to brag about it, which was kind of depressing.

    Stacey pressed both my shoulders against the van. I struggled like a mouse under a cat''s paw, but might as well have been clamped in place by steel bands. She pressed her pert nose to my neck and inhaled deeply.

    "Such a young tender fledgling." She licked me with her sandpaper tongue again. I wondered if this was the same as sniffing a warm apple pie before chomping it.

    "Maybe it''s my Axe body spray," I said. My voice trembled and my body started to shake. I drew upon every bit of willpower I had left and rammed my knee into her stomach. My knee met a plate of steel. I yelped. The girl must do serious ab workouts.

    She laughed. "Such spirit. Such fear." Her nose nuzzled my ear playfully. The faster my heart thudded in my chest, the louder she purred with happiness.

    "What are you? A vampire?"

    She let out a deep-throated laugh. "My little lamb, you are so precocious." Her hot lips pressed against my neck and traced up to my ear, leaving a hot trail on my skin. She nibbled my earlobe. I expected the sharp sting of those fangs at any moment. She faced me with half-lidded eyes. Her purring grew louder and her eyes widened until she seemed to gaze into my very soul with those luminous amber moons. Something tugged at my fear as though it were a large fish swimming in my sea of emotions. A part of me resisted the pull, jerking and flailing. Another part of me rejoiced in the sheer ecstasy of the moment. But the numbing warmth only increased the terror slamming my heart against its ribcage. I fought harder but my will faltered. Those eyes had the gravity of stars and I was a helpless planet about to be sucked into oblivion.

    Something vaporous drifted from my eyes and toward her. It was like staring down a long tunnel of white misty light. I tried to scream but something seemed to block my vocal cords. The light resisted the pull and slowed to a crawl. The tension increased yet again and the terror in my heart climaxed. The light reached her eyes.

    Fireworks exploded in our faces. Or at least they looked like fireworks. Red, green, and blue lights flared like the destruction of a tiny star between our noses.

    Stacey rocketed backward, slamming into the side of a white BMW and leaving a Stacey-sized dent in the door. She fell to the ground, screaming and covering her blackened face. My own face felt sunburned and fried but I only staggered back slightly. While she writhed on the pavement making pathetic mewling noises, I kicked her. It wasn''t exactly the gentlemanly thing to do but I didn''t care. It was, however, the wrong thing to do. I might as well have kicked bricks. My foot made a cracking noise.

    I yelped and hopped on one leg. I don''t know how I kept my balance. Unless I procured a rocket launcher, I wasn''t going to do anything else to hurt this girl of steel. So I did the only thing I could do. I limped very, very quickly back to my car, whimpering from the pain in my possibly broken foot and tried to block out the horrible dying cat act from Stacey. I started up the Jetta and peeled out of there like demons were on my tail.

    About halfway home I broke into sobs. "This can''t be happening. This did not just happen. I''m going insane. I am insane. I''m freaking insane!" My eyes burned and watered. My vision blurred. If drinking my dad''s beer had made me drunk, something Stacey had done to me was making me feel drunk and high at the same time.

    I swerved around a corner just as a pregnant woman stepped into the road in front of me. Her face flashed in the headlights. I slammed on the brakes but it was too late. Eyes squeezed shut, I waited for the thud of body on metal. The sound never came. I leapt from the car and staggered around it. No body. No sign of anyone at all. But a woman had been there! Her face¡ªmy God, her face. She''d looked just like Mom. I dropped back into the car as my eyesight blurred again. Whatever Stacey had done to me was causing hallucinations. That had to be it.

    A baby cried in the distance. I tried to pinpoint the sound but it came from all directions. A woman screamed. Something inhuman seared the air with a roar of pure agony. What was going on? I''m going insane, that''s what. I shoved the car back into drive.

    Somehow, I made it home although I almost plowed into the mailbox. I got out and staggered up to the door. I half expected to see a crazed vampire streaking down the road after me. Thankfully, no. I barely remembered locking the front door behind me and then shoving furniture against it. Shoving more furniture in front of my bedroom door. Then the hardwood floor greeted my face.

    I woke up, panting, my heart thudding in my ears. A baby''s screams sounded from somewhere outside my room. I climbed down from my bed and grabbed the plastic sword Daddy had given me. My palms sweated. I tightened my grip and stepped into the dark hallway. Wails echoed down the long corridor. In one direction lay darkness. In the other, bright light. I turned for the light. I looked at the picture-lined walls. I couldn''t make out the faces of the people. The harder I peered, the blurrier the images became.

    The baby screamed. I didn''t know if it was terror or hunger, or if it had simply pooped in its diapers, but I ran. My padded pajama feet made little noise as I ran for the light. But the light only seemed to move further away. The faster I tried to run, the harder it was to move.

    "I''m coming!" I shouted, my voice sounding tiny. "I''ll save you!" I brandished my toy sword, ready to meet any threat.

 Page 12

    A dark shadow passed over the light and blocked the center of the doorway. A tall hat perched atop the figure''s head and a long walking cane rested in one hand. I stumbled, tripped, and went to my knees as dark dread gripped my heart and squeezed. The very air seemed to frost in my lungs.

    The figure held out its hands. A woman screamed in agony.

    "No!" I yelled. "Stop it!" But I couldn''t move. I couldn''t make him go away. I was only¡ª

    My cell phone rang and I jerked awake. My ears hurt. My head hurt. Every part of me was in raw agony. I pushed myself off the floor, pulled the phone from my pocket, and stared with bleary eyes at the screen. It was Crye. I answered.

    "Your appointment is at ten AM.," she said in a voice entirely too chipper. "Don''t be late!"

    "Isn''t it a school day?"

    "Teachers'' work day. Don''t you remember the announcement?"

    "Oh. Okay. I''ll see you soon." I pushed myself up onto my knees. What a nightmare. It had to have been a nightmare. Vampires did not exist. Hot girls that approached sweaty smelly fat kids after a workout also did not exist. I was even surer of that. And what was with the pregnant woman and the screaming baby? Maybe Stacey had slipped me some heroin.

    Besides the agony from yesterday''s workout, I felt pretty normal. I stood up. A wave of dizziness almost took me back down and my foot throbbed. I staggered into the bathroom to get ready. I couldn''t believe I had a hair styling appointment today. Simply thinking of "my hair" and "style" in the same sentence was a new concept for me. I couldn''t remember the last time I''d had it cut.

    As I showered, images of Stacey with her amber eyes and fangs flashed through my mind. Not real, not real, not real. I got out of the shower and regarded my long wet mop of a hairdo in the mirror. Then I noticed hand-shaped bruises the color of rotten blueberries on my biceps. I looked at my foot. A nasty greenish bruise covered my toes. Last night had happened. Stacey really did exist. Maybe if I went about business as usual, I''d forget about the whole thing and never have to face a hot vampire woman again.

    Besides, today I would start the transformation that would leave me a different man¡ªan improved man. A non-feasted-upon-by-vampires man. An undercurrent of apprehension gripped my nerves, but I ignored it. That was the stale old me talking, the version that would be making love to his hand for the rest of his life if I didn''t change. It seemed almost funny I was more afraid of getting a haircut than the petrifying night before. The human mind is apparently capable of blanking out those things too terrible to behold.

    After removing the furniture blocking my bedroom door and the front door, I looked for Dad in the usual places¡ªthe couch and his bedroom¡ªbut he was nowhere to be found. I wondered if I''d locked him out of the house with my furniture blockade, but it appeared he''d never returned home last night. Oddly enough, his car was still in the driveway, so I took it and found the salon in East Atlanta Village, a neighborhood still struggling between trendy and gangster. A cute girl in jeans and a tight pink T-shirt sat at the reception area. I stared at myself in the mirror on the wall behind her so I wouldn''t stare at her really nice breasts. They weren''t huge, but the tight fabric of her shirt gave them the extra oomph to make me a fan for life. Even the hopeless romantic in me couldn''t resist the lure of female anatomy.

    She smiled at me. "Hey Justin. Be just a few minutes."

    I was surprised the receptionist knew me on sight. It certainly boosted my ego a bit. After all, she didn''t seem to have fangs. But when I opened my mouth to hit on her, nothing came out. My vocal cords locked up. The large mirror behind the desk showed me just how stupid I looked with my mouth hanging open. The girl raised an eyebrow.

    "Don''t be nervous. I told Mom you needed all the help you could get."

    Recognition dawned on my sluggish brain. My eyes widened. "Crye?" Without the piercings, makeup, or Goth clothing she looked normal. Pretty cute, in fact. "I didn''t realize it was you." I grimaced. Nice job, idiot.

    She smiled and shook her head. "Mom won''t let me wear my Goth clothes here. Too many people wouldn''t understand."

    "Well, she''s the boss," I said lamely trying to recover.

    A tall brunette with an imperious gaze, long legs, and epic cleavage¡ªyes, I''m obsessed with boobs¡ªcame to the front. She pursed her lips and stared at me. "You were right, dear. This one needs serious work." She spun on her heel and hooked a finger over her shoulder at me. "This way."

    "Ooh this is gonna be fun," Crye said, her violet eyes sparkling. I stared at her eyes, wondering why she was still wearing her colored contacts without her Goth garb. "Better hurry," she said. "Mom''s impatient."

    I hurried back to the chair where her mom waited, towel in hand. The place was full of women in chairs and mostly male stylists molding hair and chatting away. A cross between ammonia and roses scented the air, no doubt a toxic cloud from hair chemicals.

    "Thanks for doing this, Ms., um¡­"

    "Call me Leia."

    "Thanks, Leia." It felt strange calling someone''s mom by her first name. And she looked so young too. She and Crye could almost be sisters. I forced my eyes from her cleavage and sat in the chair. Leia spent the next several minutes washing my hair, then shooed me over to a salon chair. I took a seat and stared at the mirror. My hands trembled as I thought about the irrevocable change I was about to commit. It wasn''t too late to get up and run. Leia''s hand clamped onto my shoulder.

    Now it was too late.

    Her hand on my shoulder reminded me uncomfortably of Stacey. My neck felt very warm where she''d licked it, like that hot ice stuff athletes slather on their sore muscles. I hoped it wasn''t infected. I stared at the right side of my neck in the mirror. It looked redder than the moon-white skin around it.

    Leia left for a moment then returned with a spray bottle. She stood behind me and appraised my hair with an arched eyebrow. Movies depict major lifestyle changes as quick and easy with a montage set to an upbeat pop tune. In real life, they''re a lot more traumatic, time consuming, and boring. That, and it takes a lot longer than one Lady Gaga song to get the job done.

    "Elyssa seems to think you''d look better with spiky hair," Leia said after staring at my mop.

    "Elyssa?" My eyes met hers and I realized with a start that her eyes were violet just like Crye''s.

    "My daughter. I suppose you know her by that ridiculous Goth name."

    "Crye?"

    As if on cue, Crye appeared at my shoulder and looked me over appraisingly. "Dye his hair black and go with long spikes."

    Leia pursed her lips and stared for a moment. "Do you want him to look good or maniacal?"

    "Both."

    "Um, can we go more for the good look?" I asked.

    Crye grabbed my shoulder. "Just go with it, you big scaredy-cat."

    "I don''t want to look stupid," I said. I almost said "freakish" but I didn''t want to hurt Crye''s feelings.

    Leia raised an eyebrow. "Let''s begin, shall we? I have a full schedule today."

    I nodded. Crye went back to the front desk. Leia started by lopping off most of my hair with scissors. I closed my eyes and tried to steady my breathing so I didn''t whimper. After she cut my hair, she dyed it black with something that reeked like burning tires and barf.

    Some time later I stared at the finished product in the mirror. I hardly recognized myself, aside from the pale chubby face and thick glasses which were dead giveaways. Instead of a nerdy fat kid, I looked like a cool chubby kid. Leia had cut my hair a little shorter than the six inches Crye wanted, but I was secretly relieved the new ''do wasn''t too outlandish.

    "Not bad," Crye said when she came over to inspect the new me. "New glasses, new clothes, and you''ll almost be respectable."

    "I was meaning to ask about that," I said, looking at Leia. No way in hell I''d take fashion advice from Crye. "Do you have any opinion about what kind of clothes I should buy?"

    "I always have an opinion, child," Leia said. "But I have too much to do to chat about clothes." She whisked away to speak with a woman who was waiting in the front lounge.

    "I''ll help you with clothes," Crye said, glancing at a pink Hello Kitty watch on her wrist. "I get out of here in an hour."

    "I''m not really into Goth stuff," I said.

    "It''s an identity," she said, "not a fashion choice. I would never force that on you."

    "Oh, well that''s cool. What kind of clothes do you have in mind?"

    "I asked Renaldo to help." She pointed to a young male stylist who was laughing and gesturing in the exaggerated way I''d seen only gay men do.

    "You asked a gay guy to help me?"

    "Hey, you want fashion advice, gay guys are the best."

    "Maybe for picking out curtains," I grumbled. Renaldo looked to be in his early twenties. He wore a baby-blue button-up shirt tucked into dark jeans that a wild animal must have savaged given the rips in the fabric on the thighs. A dark red tie and blue vest completed the outfit. I had to admit it did look pretty spiffy in a casual sort of way. His brown hair was short and spiked, kind of like mine, and I wondered what that said about me. Not that it made any difference since I was officially a social pariah.

    "He''s hot and fashionable," Crye said. "Too bad he''s not into girls."

    "Wow," I said. "Did you just call a guy ''hot''? Never expected that from you."

    "I am a girl, stupid. And I''m not batting for the other team, if that''s what you were thinking."

    She wore way too much pink to be a lesbian or a Goth, for that matter. Not that I was an expert on either. I glanced at the approximate location on her nose where she usually wore a stud, wondering how large a hole those things left, but her skin looked perfect, unbroken. I couldn''t spot any holes in her lips either. The studs must have teensy-tiny pointy things on them. For some reason that made me feel better. It''d be a waste to mar such great skin with a bunch of holes.

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    I followed her back to the front and took a seat next to a middle-aged woman with a mountain of teased up bangs only a gallon of hairspray could hold in place. I looked in the mirror behind Crye''s desk and did a double take at the new me. I looked so much better. Then I noticed the red skin on my neck. It looked like a rash. Surely I wasn''t going to turn into a vampire, was I? I would have felt the urge to drink blood if that were the case. I could obviously see myself in a mirror, too. Even so, I was more than a little worried I might burst into flames when the sun hit me. But I didn''t know anyone I could ask for advice. Maybe Google could also give me the cure for vampirism. I sat back and Googled furiously on my smartphone until Crye walked over and lightly booted my foot with hers.

    "Ready?" she asked.

    Renaldo appeared from the back. He looked me up and down, his head shaking the entire time. "He does need work," he said in a decidedly deep and not-gay voice.

    "Can you help?" Crye asked, as if I had some severe medical condition that only a miracle drug could cure.

    "I''ll do my best. Let''s head to the mall."

    I was glad I''d brought some of my ill-gotten cash with me. Several hundred dollars later, I had a nice wardrobe although I felt like a piece of meat. Every time I tried on jeans or slacks, Crye and Renaldo took a critical eye to my posterior to make sure the pants looked fitted. I felt exhausted. Crye and Renaldo only seemed to draw energy from the experience like window-shopping vampires.

    I took my two helpers out for a nice meal to thank them for their help. Afterward, Renaldo gave me a hug. "Ah, my little creation. You''re going to knock their panties off." He kissed Crye on the cheek and waved goodbye as he hopped in his sporty red convertible and sped away.

    "I''m going to collapse," I said. My muscles still ached and my foot felt stiff as a board.

    Crye smiled and punched me on the shoulder. "You survived and that''s all that matters."

    "I guess." I grinned. "Thanks. For everything."

    I dropped her off at her car and went home. Dad was in his usual place in front of the TV. He looked like he''d been out all night and hadn''t slept a wink. An advertisement for a dumbbell you had to shake like a porn star droned on the TV. I stepped to the side of the couch and peered closer at him. His eyes stared blankly at the screen, neither seeing nor caring. He stank like a dumpster and I wondered if he''d spent the night in one.

    "Where the hell were you last night?"

    "Hmm?"

    I prodded his shoulder with a finger. He didn''t look at me. That did it. I was sick of his attitude. I swung my arm to deliver a slap that would knock him out of his drunken stupidity. In a flash, his hand gripped my wrist and shoved me back several feet.

    "I''m in no mood to talk, Justin." His jaw clenched so tight I could hear his teeth grind. "Leave me be."

    I had never been scared of my father before, but in that moment fear slithered its cold reptilian form through my guts and into my bowels. I backed away and went into my room, locking the door behind me. Anger flared, burning away the fear and a million things I should have said to him boiled to the surface. The front door slammed. I threw open my door and looked in the den. Dad was gone again.

    Anger boiled into rage. I wanted to punch a hole in the door. Smash my table lamp. Throw the book bag through the window. But none of that would solve a thing. I decided to channel the anger into something useful. I changed into sweatpants and a T-shirt so I could do some jogging, or at the very least, a lot of huffing and puffing. Victoria told me it was important for me to do cardio on the days I wasn''t going to the gym. On the way out, I checked my neck in the bathroom mirror. The redness from Stacey''s touch had faded. I''d checked it every chance I had while clothes shopping, petrified I''d ruin the pleasant outing by leaping on an unsuspecting shopper and slurping her blood right in front of my horrified companions.

    Relief spread through me. At least I hadn''t caught something nasty. That would be just my luck, still a virgin but catching some nasty vampire STD. By now I was really questioning what I''d seen. Maybe Stacey had been hopped up on steroids or drugs or something. Maybe she was like those crazy people who actually altered their bodies to look like animals.

    Vampires do not exist. Crazy people on drugs, however, do.

    Then my vision wavered and shook like an earthquake in my head until the bathroom was little more than a blur. Every bone in my body seemed to crack simultaneously. I cried out.

    Agony overwhelmed me.

    Chapter 10

    I threw up so hard I blacked out for a few seconds. I flailed for the toilet. My fist connected with something and made a horrible crunching noise. My muscles twitched, tightened, and contracted so fast I fell into a shuddering heap and cracked my head on the bathtub. How I kept a grip on consciousness, I don''t know. My bones felt as if they were disassembling into jigsaw puzzle pieces while evil brain fairies tap-danced with spiked shoes across my brain. I writhed and tried to scream but nothing escaped my tortured throat but rasping groans.

    Heat flared in my chest, inching outward in a painful radius. Between spasms, I cracked an eyelid and looked at my hands. Blood oozed from the pores. It soaked my clothes. Wet warmth dribbled down my scalp and covered my eyes. I screamed silently as pain overwhelmed me once again and mercifully stole consciousness away.

    Some undefinable time later I awoke in the fetal position on the floor. A puddle of crusted blood, vomit, and God only knew what else pooled in the middle of the white tile. My body felt lighter than air and I wondered if I''d just died and was having an out of body experience. I looked around but didn''t see a spare body laying anywhere. I pinched my blood-covered skin. It hurt. I was alive despite the obscene amount of bodily fluids on the floor.

    Or was I?

    My stomach clenched. What if I''d turned into a vampire? I looked in the mirror. Blood crusted my face, my neck, and everywhere else. I opened my mouth and said, "Ah," to check for fangs. My teeth looked normal, albeit a little yellowish. Gross. I was going to have to do something about that. The sun shined through the bathroom window. I stuck out a tentative hand and braced for flames. The sunlight warmed my skin, nothing more. My skin was not flammable, or at least no more so than the average human''s.

    What had happened, then? Was this the result of my body fighting an infection? Bad Indian food? It looked like I had spilled every gallon of blood in my body on the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling. I decided to make a doctor appointment ASAP. I''d heard of growing pains, but this was ridiculous. I stripped and stared at my body in the mirror. The bruises on my arms were gone. The red spot on my neck had vanished. I wriggled my toes. They felt good as new. Aside from my usual pallor and fatness, I looked normal¡ªwell normal for someone who worked in a slaughterhouse. Something crunched underfoot. I lifted my foot and saw a bit of porcelain. Then I noticed the toilet. The side of it gaped open. I stared at my fist. No bruises, no broken bones. Had Stacey done something to me, or was this a continuation of the awful migraines and blurring vision issues that intermittently plagued me? Maybe my encounter with her had triggered an even worse episode.

    After a bucket of bleach and a whole lot of scrubbing to get the bathroom clean, I took off to buy groceries and a new toilet. On the way out, I noticed Dad hadn''t come home last night. Again. Screw him. My stomach growled. The food at the house was the exact opposite of what Victoria wanted me to eat, and since I had just vomited blood I decided to go organic for once. As I entered the grocery store, a strange aroma tickled my nose. In addition to the odor of breads, chicken, beef, and the slightly sour odor of a milk spill somewhere to my left, there was a m¨¦lange of perfumes, a touch of armpit body odor, and something more. Something that made my second brain perk up and take notice.

    What in the world made me think there was a milk spill to my left? I followed the odor and saw a puddle of white at the other end of the aisle. The stench overpowered my nose from twenty feet away. I evacuated the area and went about the business of procuring healthy treats for my belly, starting with meat. Every scent seemed razor sharp. Beef, chicken, pork, all attacked my nostrils along with some odors I didn''t recognize and did not ever want to recognize. Some people eat really gross stuff.

    Separating one odor from another proved difficult unless I picked up a package and sniffed it, which made me look like an anally retentive shopper and nearly overwhelmed my brain from the concentrated odor. I grabbed a package of organic free-range chicken breasts and pushed my glasses up my nose as I read the nutrition information¡ªno chicken hormones for me. I poked myself in the forehead instead because my glasses weren''t there. I felt my face and my head to make sure I hadn''t somehow shoved them into the wrong place. Considering the thickness of my goggle-like eyewear, they were hard to miss. My hands confirmed my glasses had indeed gone AWOL.

    Somehow I could see just fine.

    I looked toward the produce department at the far end of the store. I read every word on the sign at the far end. I could read the price for radishes, scrawled on a small chalkboard. The package of chicken fell from my hands and rattled the metal cart when it landed inside. I noticed how sharp colors and contrast seemed. Every little detail hummed, shined, and smelled vibrant¡ªalive. It was like calibrating a TV image and realizing how dull the picture had looked on it before. If the grocery store looked this good, I wondered how a sunrise would appear.

    This was crazy. I had to be dreaming. I pressed my hands to my cheeks to confirm I was awake. A woman passed by me as she looked at steaks. I caught the scent of the underlying odor that had bewitched me earlier. Except it wasn''t so much of a scent as it was a combination of all my senses trying to interpret something they had never detected.

    Breathing through my nose didn''t matter. I could smell her with my mind. That was probably one of the dumbest things I had ever thought. Smell her with my mind? What kind of sense did that make?

    At the moment, it made all the sense in the world.

    "Hi," I said.

    She turned and looked at me with one of those I-don''t-have-time-for-you-to-hit-on-me looks. She had to be in her twenties but was still pretty good-looking for an older woman. Something burned beneath her surface, buried beneath mounds of worries and cares and responsibilities. It appeared as curling wisps of glowing vapor, a nimbus trailing behind her as she walked, or hovering around her when she stopped to inspect a packet of round-eye steaks here, and lean ground beef there. It thrummed with her base desires. Her lusts. Her carnal nature. I wanted to touch it, to make it mine. A wisp of my own darted from me and latched onto one of those seductive vapors. Tickled it. Hers curled, stretched, and wound itself around mine in a lovers'' embrace.

 Page 14

    The woman''s eyes widened. She licked her lips like a nervous school girl about to be kissed for the first time. "Hi," she said in a throaty voice. Her anatomy turned on the high-beams, figuratively speaking. She pushed a lock of brown hair behind her ear and smiled.

    I slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her, pressing my lips feverishly against hers. She grabbed my butt with one hand and squeezed. The other hand went straight for the opposite side. I heard noises in the background: shrieks, cries of dismays, and the tap of a heavy foot against the tiled floor. I didn''t know who or what was making that racket. I didn''t care. Nothing could make me pull away from this meat-market love goddess. My sexy little filet mignon.

    "Take it outside, you two," said a gruff voice.

    I ignored the pesky voice. I pulled her body closer to mine. Felt her clutching desperately at my belt.

    Someone gasped. "Oh my God, what are they doing?"

    "Perverts!" a woman shouted.

    I had only eyes, ears, hands, and now tongue for my grocery store Aphrodite.

    Large hands grabbed me and jerked me mid-kiss off my simmering Amazonian love princess and deposited me a few feet away. I spun, disoriented and stared at the large black security guard responsible for ruining my romantic moment with¡ªwith¡ªum, whoever that woman was.

    "You two gonna have to leave if you keep that up," he said, crossing his arms and giving me a no-nonsense look. Behind him stood a group of horrified onlookers, mainly old people and moms with young kids.

    "Mommy, what''s that in his pants?" asked a little boy.

    I opened my mouth to say something but the sheer mortification of what I''d just done froze the words in my throat. I was also keenly aware of what exactly was in my pants and fighting to get free for my horrified audience. I spun around. The woman I had just been dry humping was scurrying away, shoulders hunched.

    I took her cue and grabbed my shopping cart. My face burned but I decided to push on and not let a little bit of exhibitionism ruin my quest for healthy treats. Besides, I was famished. I left the gawkers behind and pushed onward to the produce department.

    It became evident after a few seconds that I could still sense and smell that alluring feminine odor. It tugged at me whenever I passed by a woman. Attractive women, mainly. The older or uglier they were, the less magnetic the smell became although it was never disgusting or repellant¡ªthey all had similar desires, wants, and needs crying for release, imprisoned by lazy husbands, worthless boyfriends, and loneliness. But I ignored them the best I could and got the heck out of there before I went porn-star on one of the cashiers.

    My mind raced as I sat in the Jetta and tried to figure out what was going on with me. It wasn''t puberty. I''d already grown hair in all the right places and my voice had changed from a squeak to something resembling a nerdy baritone. Whatever had happened to me had started last night. Or maybe it had started when Stacey tried to suck the life force out of my eyeballs. I wasn''t about to start looking for her again even if she did have answers. In fact, I was kind of scared to go back to the same gym. Of course if I saw her in there, I''d confront her in front of everyone so as to avoid a repeat molestation. Maybe that was what I should do. Then again, a girl that powerful might just mind-rape everyone and make us her little bitches.

    Unfortunately, Victoria was expecting me to show up in a few hours. Vampire mistress or not, I had to go and figure out a way to convince Stacey to cough up some answers. I drove to the hardware store and looked for a toilet. It was all I could do to resist the copious number of hormone-laden women obviously flaunting their femininity in sweaty, baggy work clothes and flooding me with hot lusty desires.

    Or maybe that was just me and my new phase of hyper-puberty.

    I couldn''t sense their thoughts so much as feel the sexual beasts lurking behind the civilized fa?ade people wear in public. I grabbed the cheapest crapper I could find and rushed to the front of the store with it tucked under my left arm. It was only when the attractive Asian cashier gave me a startled look that I realized how odd it must look for a chubby kid to be toting around a heavy toilet one-armed without breaking a sweat. In fact, it hadn''t even occurred to me that the toilet must be something heavy.

    Despite her confusion, a part of her grew aroused by my display. Vaporous tendrils of feminine allure hung before me, waiting, wanting, begging. All I had to do was¡ª

    "No!" I shouted and scared the crap out of the poor girl. She jumped a foot back from me. "Uh, sorry," I said and pointed at my ear. "Teeny tiny Bluetooth headset. Idiot brother. Really rude, I know." I paid and got out of there.

    I cooked up a quick stir-fry at home while Dad snored fitfully on the couch. He''d apparently returned home while I was out and reeked of stale cigarette smoke, cheap perfume, vomit, and a sickening mix of other unidentifiable odors. The house smelled more like a low-rent bar every day. The odor sickened me even worse now that my nose had gotten a zillion times better at its job. I had to snap him out of this cycle of self-destruction soon. I asked him several times about money while I cooked. He grunted once, rolled over, and went back to sleep. I had no idea if the house or utilities were even being paid for. A mountain of mail teetered on the kitchen table. I didn''t even know why I should care. I was a teenager, not a responsible adult. But I kept imagining me and Dad begging for scraps on the streets after the house was repossessed.

    But I didn''t know the first thing about finances or making payments. Mom''s computer still sat in her office. As far as I knew, she''d always taken care of the household money, and one of the few chinks in my parent''s relationship had been how awful my dad was at handling it. I turned on Mom''s computer and stared at the login screen. Just great. After trying all sorts of possible passwords and failing each time, I groaned and sat back in the black office chair. The desk was immaculate with every bit of paper filed away and each item on the desk lined up perfectly with its neighbor. Mom was OCD when it came to cleanliness and pretty much everything else. Which was why a yellow post-it note stuck to the side of the pencil-sharpener caught my eye.

    I snatched it and recognized Dad''s handwriting. The username and password gave a cheery wave from the scrap of paper along with some rudimentary instructions for using the computer. I logged in and found a document on the desktop which told Dad in no uncertain terms not to mess with the automatic payments Mom had set up for keeping the bills paid.

    But where is the money coming from? I found the answer after logging onto the bank''s website. The checking account had a number with seven figures in it. I counted it twice to be sure and choked back a gasp. Who had my parents robbed to get that much money? I swore under my breath. I thought I''d known my parents. Now I felt like the kid of criminal masterminds. Could the money have something to do with Mom''s departure? Were they part of a Mr. and Mrs. Jones type conspiracy? The amount of money in their bank account birthed a million new questions although it made me feel a lot less guilty about raiding their rainy-day stash.

    I scoured the computer for more information but came up empty. The documents folders and everything else were empty. I stared at the system files on the screen and was about to shut the computer down when I noticed a folder that seemed out of place at the root of the hard drive named Copy of hash codes. I wasn''t a computer expert, but I knew enough that this wasn''t a normal system folder even though the name seemed harmless enough. I opened it and found a bunch of files that I managed to open in a text viewer program. Not that it mattered. Something like a combination of gibberish and programming code was all I found inside the files. It struck me as very odd because unless Mom was a secret hacker or computer genius, she couldn''t have written this stuff.

    Had she made this folder copy by accident while removing other files? I didn''t know but I wanted a copy of my own just in case it might be important to figuring out where she''d gone. I grabbed a flash drive from my room and copied the folder over before shutting the computer down.

    I wanted to analyze the files some more, but I glanced at the wall clock and realized I was running late for my appointment with Victoria.

    The moment I entered the gym, I knew it had been a terrible mistake. Not because Stacey the vampire was there, but the sheer volume of sweaty sexy girls threatened to overload my senses. I had to think about baseball so hard I felt the veins in my head bulging. Everywhere I turned I was attacked by sexual desires and longings. It was insane. I knew what a victim of Viagra over-dosing must feel like. I pulled my T-shirt down a bit further over my shorts and found Victoria in the free-weights section of the gym. The dense cloud of male stink in this area overpowered the feminine allure of the cardio section. Weights clanged, men grunted in agony, and two muscular guys posed in front of the mirrors that ran along every wall. Just my kind of place.

    "You ready?" she asked.

    More ready than you could imagine, babe. "I guess." I was not looking forward to the torment awaiting me.

    We went to the bench press first. She stacked on some meager weight. I pumped it up and down with no problem. She added a couple of larger plates. No problem there, either. I was so surprised with myself, I forgot to be impressed.

    Victoria arched an eyebrow at me. "Are you juicing or something? That''s over two-hundred pounds and you''re not even breaking a sweat."

    I shrugged. "I had orange juice this morning."

    She rolled her eyes.

    Before long she had all the forty-five pound plates she could fit on either side of the barbell and just about every dude in the testosterone-soaked iron-pumping section of the gym stared at me with unadulterated jealousy. The barbell sagged dangerously on each end. I pushed it up and down several times without a hint of feeling tired. Victoria stared open-mouthed.

    "I don''t believe it," she said. "This isn''t possible unless you were totally faking it the other day." She waved her hands in the air over the barbell, apparently looking for invisible wires. She tried to move the barbell, grunting and jerking on it, but couldn''t budge it.

    "Lemme see that," said a guy roughly the size of a buffalo, with bulging arms and a shaved head. He lay down on the bench, muttering curses to himself. Then he started slamming his chest with alternating hands while screaming obscenities. "You can do this, Buddy! Come on, Buddy, you got this! Make momma proud!" He pushed on the barbell. His face went from pink to purple in about two seconds. His veins bulged and pulsed alarmingly.

 Page 15

    "Do you need a lift-off?" I asked.

    He roared. He screamed. He said terrible things about his mother and his upbringing. He gave up. Stood. Glared at me. Then held out his fist for a bump followed by the asteroid explosion that makes life worth living.

    "You''re the real deal," he said with a shake of his head. "Man, you gotta tell me what you''re on."

    "Teenage hormones," I said.

    He wandered away, cursing and mumbling. A few other muscle-bound dudes grumbled to themselves. I could make out most of what they were saying despite the mournful howling of a country singer on the ceiling speakers. What in the world had Stacey done to me?

    "We''re not done yet," Victoria said, face glowing redder than her hair. She marched me down a hall, into a private office, and sat down on the corner of a desk. I sat opposite of her. She looked pissed. "What kind of joke is this?"

    "It''s not a joke."

    "You come in here weak as a lamb the other day, now you''re pumping more iron than should be humanly possible. Look at you! You''re chunky, not muscular."

    "Thanks. I appreciate that."

    "Something''s going on here and you''re not leaving until I get some answers."

    My eyes settled on the ghostly vapors hovering around her. Without thought, I latched onto them just like I had the woman in the grocery store. Victoria''s scarlet face paled. Her eyes widened while her mouth formed a shocked "O". I stood. She jumped up from the desk and attacked me with a sloppy wet kiss. Then it was a tangle of limbs and clothes as we made out on the desk.

    My second brain demanded I rip off her clothes and go all the way as a hand ran up her bare calf, her toned thighs, and further onward to glory. The hopeless romantic in my other brain told me to resist. I wanted her so bad I couldn''t take it anymore. She was apparently gripped by the same notion because her hands fumbled with the knotted drawstrings on my shorts as a war of thoughts raged in my mind.

    Rip off her clothes. Pull her hair. She is yours. Dominate her!

    What about true love? What about saving your virginity for the perfect woman? This is your gym instructor, for goodness sake! Snap out of it!

    The hopeless romantic part of me was right. I was about to blow my virginity on a woman I hardly knew, much less loved. Katie was my true love. Even if she hated me. Even if she thought Brad was the one for her.

    I knew this wasn''t right but my body refused to listen. Victoria had a death grip on my shorts. I tried to think about baseball. No good. I focused on Katie, the love of my life. For a second, I thought it worked. Then my hands moved to help Victoria with my drawstrings. I was going to lose my virginity to a woman I didn''t love and there was nothing I could do about it. What teenage boy wouldn''t trade places with me right this moment? What kind of a moron was I? Wasn''t this what I really wanted? To have women want me? Why else had I asked Crye¡ªElyssa¡ªto help me?

    Elyssa.

    Her fiery violet eyes flashed in my head for a brief second. My body froze up. Victoria laughed in delight as she pulled loose the knot. I targeted the door to the office and bolted for it, spinning around as Victoria''s death grip on the drawstrings pulled them clean out of my shorts. I stumbled out the door, back into the gym proper and bowled over a guy who was warming up with stretches. After apologizing and pulling up my shorts, I casually walked for the exits as if I had not almost had sex with my trainer and dropped my drawers in front of a strange man.

    Despite my frayed nerves, I felt recharged and better than ever. I felt as if I were taking a part of Victoria with me. I had read in Cosmo losing your virginity was like that. Technically, I hadn''t lost my virginity, but I could have if I''d really wanted to, and wasn''t that almost as good? I faced the rows of treadmills lining the entrance to the gym and pumped one fist in the air¡ªsince my other hand was holding up my shorts.

    Startled looks greeted my burst of post-almost-sex enthusiasm. I didn''t give a crap. I stepped outside, barely resisting the urge to skip like a child with a lollipop to my car. I felt the skin on the back of my neck prickle and my improved senses interpreted this information. Something female but not quite human approached from behind. Entering the dark parking lot with little more than my almost-sex with Victoria on my mind had been a mistake. The hot sensation burning between my shoulder blades felt alien compared to what I''d sensed from the women inside the gym, but something about it seemed very familiar. I spun around in time to see Stacey''s delicate white fingers reaching where my back had been.

    I grabbed her by the shoulders and jacked her against a windowless black van with a theme that hovered somewhere between the A-Team and child molester. She let out a surprised cry. Her eyes widened in delight. Thankfully, the elastic band on my shorts managed to cling to my waist instead of dropping to the ground.

    "My little morsel. You''ve changed." She smiled prettily and with a touch of innocence.

    "Don''t try your tricks with me. What are you?"

    Her irises, swirling amber pools of hypnosis, tried to draw me into their depths. I shook off the effect and reached for the hot sensuous vapors that swirled around her, as I''d done with Victoria. They slipped away from me like steam in the wind. Stacey flashed a wicked smile and purred. Abruptly she jerked her arms free, spun us around and pinned me to the van. Then she licked my face and peppered me with hot kisses.

    "You." Kiss. "Are." Kiss. "So." Lick. "Desirable, my tender little morsel."

    I tried to push her off me but despite my newfound strength, she had leverage and was in better shape. I wasn''t entirely helpless, though. I ducked under her arms and crawled away on my knees. My shorts chose this moment to fall down. She clutched her ribs and burst into hysterical giggles.

    "What''s so funny?"

    "You are a true delight. It''s such a bloody shame I cannot drink you in." She inhaled a deep breath and regained her composure, though a radiant smile lit her face. "I could still offer you a great many physical pleasures, however. You are the first of your kind in many, many years that has tried to lure me into his embrace. How intoxicating."

    "First of all, I didn''t try to lure you," I said, standing up and covering my tighty-whities with my shorts. "Second of all, you have fangs and a very scratchy tongue. Are you a vampire?"

    Her full red lips curved into an alluring smile. "You have no tutor to educate you in the ways of the Overworld?" Her delighted laughter filled the parking lot. "Perhaps I shall take you under my wing. You must promise to keep me happy. Very happy. We will have such fun, my dear."

    "The Overworld?"

    "Consider my offer, little lamb, and you shall have your answers."

    "How am I supposed to find you?"

    "Worry not your pretty little head," she said and pecked a kiss on my cheek. "I will find you." With that, she dashed away into the darkness, her legs a blur.

    Yep. She was a vampire all right. And this did not bode well for me.

    Chapter 11

    School seemed so unimportant I almost didn''t go. But I dragged myself out of bed and got ready anyway. After my make-out session with Victoria, the urge to fling my virginity to the wolves of desire burned like hot coals in my tender bits. I''d taken certain "precautions" but I was worried about another complete loss of control. I was about to dive headfirst into an ocean of hot feminine hormones the moment I stepped foot inside the high school.

    But I had no choice.

    Crye smiled at me the moment we made eye contact as I walked into the gymnasium. She wore full Goth battle gear complete with a spiky chain from her ear to her lip. I couldn''t reconcile this Goth creature with the cute girl at the hair salon. It was like seeing a cheerleader at a heavy metal concert. The incongruities blew my mind. Others apparently didn''t care for the garb either as her general vicinity on the bleachers remained clear of students. I walked up the stairs and sat next to her.

    "Where are Nyte and Ash?" I wondered if their real names were something innocuous like George and Fred.

    "Running late." She yawned. Fatigue underlined her eyes in dark patches that overwhelmed her attempts to cover them with makeup.

    "Something wrong?"

    "No, just tired. I''m so sick of school you couldn''t possibly know."

    "Seems like a waste of time. Maybe we should do homeschooling."

    A giggle erupted from her. It reminded me of the cute girl in pink, not this Goth chick with scary makeup.

    "You look much better today," she said, looking me up and down. "There''s something else different though. What is it?" Her nostrils flared slightly and her pupils dilated noticeably.

    I looked down. "Maybe it''s the clean underwear."

    She snorted. "No, it''s something else." An apple clocked Crye in the back of the head. "Ouch." She rubbed the back of her head and flicked her gaze behind us.

    I grabbed the apple and looked up the bleachers. Nathan and a group of his football buddies were red-faced with laughter. I growled and stood. Crye grabbed my arm and tugged me back down.

    "Let it go," she said. "I''m used to it."

    "Those assholes hit you," I said.

    "And what are you going to do? Be my valiant knight? Go up there and get your butt kicked by the entire football team?"

    "I can''t just sit here and let them do that to you." I glared up at the guffawing jocks. "Besides, it''s only half the football team."

    She looked at me with those pretty violet eyes for a moment and touched my hand gently. A smile warmed her gaze. "Thanks."

    Heat flushed my face. "Sure," I said. "Uh, no problem. I say words a lot and never back them up with action."

    She laughed again. I liked the sound of it.

    "I know this is going to sound kind of mean," I said, "but why do you cover a perfectly pretty face with all that Goth stuff?"

    I could see her blush even through the makeup. "You think I''m pretty?"

    Not only had I caught her off-guard with that question, but myself as well. It was far bolder than what I''d meant to say. I looked away shyly and forced my gaze back to hers. "Don''t let it go to your head or anything."

 Page 16

    She grinned as the bell rang. "I guess I''ve spent my life building a thick skin. It''s nice getting a compliment every once in a while."

    "Maybe you''d get more if you didn''t have on the Goth shields all the time." We grabbed our book bags and walked to the gym exit.

    She gave me a searching look for a moment before shrugging. "See you at lunch."

    I watched her vanish into the crowd of students and wondered if I''d hurt her feelings with that comment. I also wondered what she was hiding from me. There was definitely more to her than met the eye.

    Homeroom was only marginally bearable. Annie and Jenny did their best to tick me off, sniggering and saying things loudly enough that I could hear them, as usual.

    "Somebody has a new Goth girlfriend," said Jenny.

    "I hear they bang heads really good," Annie added.

    "I''ll bet she''s got piercings all up and down her cooch. Is that true, Justin?"

    I ignored them.

    "Oh, he''s embarrassed, Annie. Maybe we hurt his feelings. Can you hurt the feelings of a stalker?"

    "Only if you get a restraining order," Annie said.

    They burst into fits of laughter.

    "A haircut and new clothes don''t mean you''re not a creepy pervert," Jenny said, trying to punch through my cold-shouldered disregard.

    Their sex vapors, as I decided to call them until someone instructed me otherwise, hung nearby for the taking. But I didn''t have the slightest desire to touch those vile things. The thought of giving those bitches any pleasure made me cringe.

    Jenny poked me in the back with the sharp end of a pencil. I turned around. "What is your problem?"

    "You and your creepy friends are," she said. "Katie told us you''ve been stalking her. She saw you at the mall following her."

    "Well then she was following me, because I haven''t set eyes on her."

    "You should watch out," Annie piped up in her nasal voice. "Brad is out for payback after your lucky hit."

    "And he just got a new Harley," Jenny said as if that should strike the fear of God into me.

    I felt an evil grin spread across my face. "Maybe I''ll wrap that scooter of his around his scrawny neck."

    Jenny gave me a Yeah, right! look. "How''s a ball of lard like you gonna do anything to Brad Nichols?"

    I grabbed the corner of her desk and snapped off a chunk with a loud crack. She jumped and squeaked along with half the class. I smiled the coldest smile I could muster, although I''m sure it looked more crazed than anything. "Oops." I handed her the chunk.

    She raised her hand and started shouting for Mr. Herman, the art teacher who served as our homeroom teacher.

    "What the hell do you want?" he asked as he looked up from his artistic rendering of Simon and Garfunkel.

    "Justin broke my desk." She held up the chunk of desk as proof.

    Mr. Herman squinted at it, then at her desk. "It looks fine to me. Now shut up and leave me alone."

    Jenny bonked me on the back of the head with the bit of desk but it didn''t hurt. She scowled. "I''m gonna make your life miserable, you low-life creep."

    "Your very existence already does that." I stuck out my tongue.

    The next few classes consisted of a string of people trying to make my life miserable with rude comments, gestures, and outright hostility. I decided not to break any more desks, though. Something told me that keeping my new strength under wraps might be a good idea. No telling what top-secret government agency would capture, tranquilize, and vivisect me once they found out a teenager was destroying school property with his bare hands.

    Apparently, Katie had been spreading some untrue rumors about me as well. Given my past digital missteps a la Twitter and Facebook, it was no surprise everyone believed her.

    Lunchtime mercifully arrived. I joined Crye and gang at the usual table.

    "Looking better," Nyte said, giving my clothes a once-over.

    "Not too mainstream?" I asked.

    He shrugged. "You are who you are. That''s not for us to decide."

    "It''s good to see there are decent people left in this place."

    He nodded solemnly. "I know. Not too many decent people left in the real world either."

    "Apparently, you and I are an item," Crye said to me with a smirk. "At least that''s the gossip."

    "I heard," I said. "Will the dumbassery never end?"

    She pursed her lips. "Oh well. Sticks and stones may break my bones but¡ª" An orange plopped down atop her mashed potatoes and splattered her lacy chocolate-brown dress with the nuclear-flavored gravy only school cafeteria workers know how to make.

    My jaw clenched. I snatched the orange out of the brown muck and shot a glare toward the only place it could have come from. Nathan and two sniggering linebackers sat at their usual table with several cheerleaders. I stood up.

    "No!" Crye said.

    Nyte and Ash both grabbed me but I shook them off. "I''ll be right back."

    I forced back my rage and calmly strolled to Nathan''s table. Despite the confidence in my new strength, I really didn''t want to get into a full-out battle royale. I could be suspended or even booted out of school. Knowing how the principal and upper brass felt about the football players, they wouldn''t hesitate to protect their interests.

    Nathan had his back to me while the other players and cheerleaders watched me the entire way. They were apparently telling Nathan about my approach because he tried to get up when I reached them. I put my hand on his shoulder and pressed him back down into the seat so hard the metal legs groaned.

    "Oh, don''t get up on account of me," I said with a big grin. I took the orange in my other hand and fought back the desire to crush it in his face. Instead, I squished it into his mashed potatoes until the orange was a pulpy mass. Nathan continued to struggle to stand. I kept him down with very little effort.

    One of the linebackers stood up. I couldn''t remember his name or his real position on the football team, so I called pretty much all of the ones I didn''t know linebackers. It made things easy on me.

    "Who the hell do you think you are?" he said. He walked around the table.

    I smiled the friendliest smile I could, although it probably looked maniacal on my pale pudgy face. I was going to have to work on practicing my grins.

    He took a swing at me. I jumped back and watched his slow-motion fist smack into Nathan''s ear. Nathan yelped like a puppy. I turned and walked back to the table while Nathan and his pal yelled at each other. I took a seat and calmly wiped orange bits and mashed potatoes off my hand. Then I bit into the burger that the lunchroom ladies had probably cobbled together from dead alley cats.

    Crye shook her head. "That was about the stupidest thing I have ever seen. Are you looking to get yourself killed?"

    "I thought it was pretty cool," Ash said with a huge grin.

    "I don''t condone physical violence," Nyte said. "Although you forced them to perpetrate it on each other, in which case I whole-heartedly approve."

    A smile cracked Crye''s angry reserve. "Okay, so it was kind of artful. But still so stupid that I want to smack you in the face."

    I grinned. "You want to kiss me? In front of everyone?"

    "I''m serious, Justin. Don''t ever pull that kind of stunt again. I''m a big girl. I can take all the idiocy these morons dish out."

    I shrugged. "Fine. I won''t wear my shining armor to school anymore."

    Nyte and Crye''s eyes suddenly widened. A hand gripped my shoulder.

    "Come with me, boy," said Mr. Barnes.

    Every instinct told me to dive headfirst through the cafeteria window and make my escape. My next instinct was to break Mr. Barnes'' hand and throw him through the cafeteria window. Common sense told me to plead ignorance. So I stood and followed without a single word. We went into the main office where the secretary looked up at me with a knowing frown. I was sure she''d practiced it a million times in the mirror so students would know just how badly they were about to get it.

    I returned a vacant toothy smile, the one a village idiot might give to the townsfolk as he''s being led to the gallows. I saw my reflection in the mirror hanging behind her desk and realized even this attempt looked freakish and crazy. I really needed to practice my facial expressions. Maybe take acting classes. This was just sad. As an aside, I was glad to see I still had a reflection. Whatever horrific but undeniably cool STD I''d been given by Stacey had not¡ªyet¡ªturned me into a creature of the night. If that had happened, then I''d probably go pants-on-head crazy on Mr. Barnes and to hell with the consequences.

    I had never been to the principal''s office. Mr. Barnes directed me to a seat in front of a scarred and worn wooden desk that had probably been bought second hand, then closed the door and left me alone while he ostensibly went to get the principal. Lee Perkins, the principal, was every bit the football stooge Ted Barnes was. They were both grand poobahs of the Quarterback Club and the things I''d heard about the club''s underhanded activities made the mafia sound like a bunch of angels.

    Mr. Perkins stepped solemnly into the office. He looked a lot like Colonel Sanders after eating a few tubs too many of fried chicken. Mr. Barnes followed close in his considerable wake. I gave them my best innocent look.

    "I hear you''ve been up to all sorts of no good," Mr. Perkins said in his old-school and somewhat genteel southern accent. "I got half the school demanding your head on a silver platter, boy."

    "Why, whatever for, sir?"

    Mr. Barnes slapped his hand on my armrest. "You don''t take that tone with us, boy." His redneck twang made him sound a touch inbred.

    "Now, now," said Mr. Perkins. "I''m sure we don''t need to tell young Mr. Case how to act before his superiors." He winked at me. "Do we?"

    I decided to play it safe and shook my head.

    "We got several eyewitness accounts that you assaulted Nathan Spelman in the lunchroom today. That''s assault and battery, boy. I''ve got some good friends down at the police station. Some of those good old boys could educate you on the formalities involved with those charges."

 Page 17

    I wondered if he realized "boy" was no longer applicable to most of the males he was speaking of or if he might be a pedophile at heart. "I was just returning the orange he dropped," I said. "I''m sure there are plenty of witnesses who will back me up."

    Mr. Barnes chuckled. "I don''t know ''bout you, son, but I''d put more stock in red-blooded all¨CAmerican athletes like Nathan than the table of devil worshipers you''ve fallen into league with."

    With considerable effort, I kept my mouth shut. "Would you like me to apologize to Nathan for returning his orange? He dropped it quite some distance because it landed in my friend''s mashed potatoes."

    "How ''bout you hold your tongue, boy," Mr. Barnes said.

    At any moment, I expected him to tell me to squeal like a pig.

    Mr. Perkins leaned back in his chair and rested his arms atop the hard knot of condensed fat he called a stomach. "I don''t see much other recourse but to suspend you for three days or give you a week of after-school suspension. I suspect that suspending you will only give you free license to wreak your havoc upon society in general, which would reflect poorly on our fine institution. Therefore, I''m going to hand you over to Marjorie Foreman."

    Ms. Foreman? I blanched. I knew this because my face felt like it had been splashed with ice water. "I didn''t do anything. Nathan threw an orange at us. His own friend hit him in the face." The desperation in my voice sounded pathetic.

    He smiled. "I''m sure that''s the story you''d have us believe. Unfortunately, it simply does not hold much water with either of us."

    My jaw tightened. "Maybe if I join the football team then everything I do will hold water with you."

    "Well, now, boy, I think you just earned your little devil-worshipping girlfriend a week of after-school suspension with you. Does that sound about right, Ted?"

    Mr. Barnes nodded, his eyes overflowing with malicious glee. I felt my non-violent resolve crumbling. I wanted so badly to beat the ever-loving crap out of these useless slags that it hurt. Rage boiled deep inside the pit of my stomach. But I couldn''t act out my fantasies. For one thing, I really would go to jail or be an outlaw and any semblance of a normal life would go with it. So I kept my mouth shut while they gloated and had their fun. Super-strength or not, there wasn''t a thing I could do and it sucked.

    Chapter 12

    Crye sat in the waiting area, her face grim as I left Mr. Perkin''s office. "Thanks so much for getting me after-school jail," she said.

    "How did you know they suspended you? They just told me."

    "Yeah, well Barnes and Jerkins told me I was getting detention for using my feminine wiles and encouraging you to commit an act of violence."

    "That''s a load of crap," I said. What I''d said to the principal hadn''t mattered. Those lying bastards planned to give her detention no matter what. I almost turned around to pummel the two of them. Instead, I grabbed Crye''s hand and dragged her through the hallway and out the front doors of the school.

    She shook her hand loose. "If you could just keep your mouth shut, things would go a lot more smoothly for all of us. Nathan and his goons came over to the table and threatened Nyte and Ash after you left. He said they''d hold them down and pull out their piercings with pliers."

    "You''ve got to be kidding me. And these are the smacktards our upper brass will do anything to protect?" I managed a growl of sorts, although it sounded more like indigestion.

    "That''s right, Justin. Get mad. Go crazy. So far it''s helped out a lot."

    I turned on her. "What do you want me to do?" I yelled. "Let them throw apples at your head and oranges at our table and make fun of us? Is that what you enjoy? Does it make it easier to cut yourself with razor blades at night so you feel better?" I turned to walk away then rounded on her again. "I hate feeling like crap. I hate seeing them do this kind of thing to you, Elyssa, because despite all the effort you go through to cover yourself up with this Goth mask, I think you''re someone special."

    Tears welled in her huge eyes and tracked mascara down her white-powdered face. It looked horribly gruesome but it wrenched at my heart. She shook her head slowly, then turned and walked away.

    The rest of the day was a numb blur. People made cruel comments about me and my friends. At least a couple of nerds with balls of steel approached and congratulated me on doing something about Nathan. Mark and Harry passed me in the hallway with new girlfriends and gave me withering looks of hatred. It didn''t matter what I did or what superpowers I possessed, I was a pariah.

    To make matters worse, the hot languid vapors from every female I saw distracted me constantly. Thankfully, the lust factor wasn''t out of control like it had been with Victoria. So long as I could keep myself from latching onto the sexually-charged wisps, I wasn''t in imminent danger of making out with random girls. I wondered if losing my virginity would put a stop to the merciless, simmering desire radiating from my groin or if it would only make things worse. I found myself quoting the Princess Bride over and over again to remind myself true love was worth waiting for.

    The Punisher, aka Ms. Foreman, awaited us in her room after school. She was a short, sweet-looking black woman with oversized glasses and an absent-minded aura about her. In other words, my worst nightmare. That little fa?ade of hers masked the true nature of the demonic beast lurking beneath. I''d made the mistake of crossing her my sophomore year in English by making some smart remark about her glasses. She hadn''t even sent me to the principal''s office, but gave me a motherly smile and an after-school detention cleaning out toilets, scarring me for life.

    Crye entered the room a moment later. Ms. Foreman looked her up and down. "Well, now. This just won''t do, will it?" she said, condescension thick in her words. "I can''t have you assisting me with all that dangerous jewelry." She reached into her desk and pulled out a plastic bag which she handed to Crye. "Now you just put away all that jewelry and scrub that horrible makeup off your face. Don''t you worry, now. I''ll give young Mr. Case some busywork until you get back."

    The busy work consisted of taking chalkboard cleaner and, starting with her chalkboard, going to each and every class, spraying them with the noxious stuff, and wiping them down until they sparkled. Five rooms later, I felt light-headed and slightly nauseous. Crye joined me in classroom six. I expected her to scowl or shout at me. Instead, she ignored me and that hurt even worse.

    We cleaned several chalkboards like this until I couldn''t take it anymore. "Look, I''m sorry for what I said. Just say something to me. Please."

    She took the chalkboard eraser she was holding and hit me in the head with it.

    "Ouch!"

    She nodded in satisfaction. "Now that we have that settled, thanks."

    I rubbed my head. "Seriously? You bonk me on the head and then thank me?" Girls are insane.

    "For being my friend and standing up for me. I''m sorry it makes me angry when you fly off the handle and do something stupid without thinking it through."

    "That makes total sense," I said. "You''re thanking me for something that ticks you off. Argh!"

    "Do I hear talking?" said Ms. Foreman''s voice from somewhere in the hall. She poked her head in the door. "Now, now, children. No talking during detention."

    We nodded. She smiled sweet as a razor-laced caramel apple and vanished into the hallway. I looked back at Elyssa. She looked so much better without all the makeup and piercings. I hated the name Crye. From now on, even if she beat me for it, I''d call her Elyssa.

    The next day was much the same. I endured hurtful commentary from the peanut gallery and then spent the afternoon with Elyssa and Ms. Foreman. Despite the ban on talking, Elyssa and I still managed to whisper and communicate with ridiculous hand signals, causing bouts of silent spasms as we desperately tried to hold in our laughter. Elyssa only hit me once after I started calling her by her real name, but she dressed normally for school since Ms. Foreman told her she''d have to do so until suspension was done.

    "Why don''t you dress like this all the time?" I asked, admiring her pink T-shirt and dark jeans as we cleaned and dusted the trophy cases in the front hallway.

    "Because I hate looking like all the other idiots in this place. Besides, it''s fun to play dress up. I love steampunk and elegant old dresses."

    "And hiding behind a gob of white makeup?"

    She shrugged. "I''m not hiding behind anything. Plus, Phuc and Harvey are great guys. They''re not pushovers like most of the sheep in this school."

    I raised an eyebrow. "Those are Nyte and Ash''s real names?" I held back a snort of laughter because I heard footsteps coming down the hall.

    Ms. Foreman ran a white glove across the cases we''d cleaned. "I''m afraid you missed some spots, dears." She cast a disdainful look around the room. "I think you should probably do this case over from top to bottom just to be on the safe side."

    We groaned. She smiled in the same saccharin-sweet way she always did when handing out punishments and walked back down to her classroom at the far end of the hallway.

    I found an ancient trophy in the shape of a woman whose breasts were uneven and chunky. She also had the misfortune of a beehive hairdo. I handed it to Elyssa. "You win the prize for most misshapen boobs of anyone to attend this school."

    She examined the horrifically designed trophy. One breast was twice as large as the other and hung lower. The plaque which was supposed to display who''d won it and why had long since vanished.

    Elyssa launched into a silent giggling fit. I fought against my own urge to burst into laughter. The more we looked at it and each other, the more we hacked and wheezed with silent laughter. Elyssa held one of her breasts higher than the other and crossed her eyes. I laughed out loud. She put her hand over my mouth and gave me a mild dose of brain damage from the cleanser fumes coming off it.

    I looked into those violet sparklers of hers and felt a piece of life''s little puzzle snap into place. I really liked this girl. In fact, I liked her better than anyone else I could think of. She was smart, funny, and those eyes of hers, big, bright, and burning, captivated me. Katie Johnson faded to distant memory. She was nothing compared to Elyssa.

 Page 18

    I felt a tingle and fought back the incredible desire to twine my sex vapors around hers. I could barely keep the beast caged. Most of the time I walked around in¡ªhow should I put it?¡ªa stiff state due to all of the raw sexual energy bottled up in high school girls. But I felt ashamed of what I''d done to Victoria and I didn''t want to take advantage of anyone else. I take that back. I really wanted to take advantage of every girl I saw but the nerdy romantic part of me considered my virginity a precious gift I shouldn''t squander. Victoria hadn''t texted or called me once since our encounter. The guy in charge of trainers had told me she''d canceled our appointments and was handing me off to someone else.

    That was no bueno. But it was my fault. I had to figure out how to control my raging desire to ravish every girl I came across. But looking into Elyssa''s smiling eyes, I was certain she was different. She might be The One. Whatever we had, I wanted it to be true and pure.

    After suspension that night, I walked Elyssa to her car and gave her a tentative hug. She squeezed back. My heart beat faster but I resisted the urge to go for a kiss. Coward.

    "See you tomorrow, Elyssa."

    She smiled. "Not if I see you first."

    I watched her drive away with a warm fuzzy feeling in the pit of my stomach. A hot spike of strangeness nearby triggered my danger reflexes. I spun as Stacey sauntered from behind a school bus, clapping her hands in a slow rhythm.

    "Why are you giving me the slow clap?" I asked. "And why are you being such a creepy stalker?"

    She tsked. "Not nice, my little morsel. Not nice at all." She brushed her hand across my cheek.

    I sighed and rolled my eyes. "What''s not nice is sneaking up on me, not to mention trying to suck out my soul."

    "You are entering decidedly dangerous territory, my dear toy. Have you thought further about the deal I offered you?"

    "Becoming your sex slave? I don''t think so."

    She stood behind me. Much as I didn''t like the thought of a very strong, not to mention fanged, woman standing at my back, I stood my ground. She hugged me and nipped my ear. Then, of course, she licked me. I pushed her away.

    "Will you stop licking me? Your tongue feels like fine-grit sandpaper and it''s gonna give me a rash."

    "But I like you," she said. "Can you not see that?"

    "What, with all your posturing and calling me ''morsel'' and ''toy'', blah, blah, blah? And you talk like a pretentious idiot. Maybe you''ve been around a while, but you should probably use the lingo we use in this century, not two centuries ago."

    Her eyes glistened like large amber pools. Tears welled precipitously before spilling down her cheeks and over trembling lips.

    "Look, I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to hurt your feelings."

    "Why do you not like me?" she asked, her voice plaintive.

    Freaking girls and their abilities to turn the tables on you. Not two minutes ago she was acting super-cool and condescending, and now she sounded like the only girl I ever broke up with back in fifth grade. I put a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I''m sure you''re not all bad, but you have to admit, it''s not polite to suck people''s souls out of their eyeballs."

    "But it is my nature."

    "Just like the scorpion and the frog? That''s a cop-out."

    "It is not a cop-out," she said, reverting back to her haughtier tone and wiping at the moisture on her cheeks. "Think about my proposal, Justin. You are in grave danger. I can protect you from those who would do terrible things to you, and I would teach you to protect yourself." She ran her hands slowly down her body and smiled. "In return, you may enjoy all I have to offer. I will show you just how inventive we older women can be in bed." She ran her fingernails up my jeans-clad leg.

    I leapt away with a yelp as she squeezed my butt. "Will you cut that out? What kind of danger am I in?"

    She smiled and shook her head. "I will only tell you that it is right before your eyes. You have no idea who or what you even are."

    "Yeah, well Google hasn''t helped me figure this one out." I sighed. "Look, I have deep personal beliefs that prevent me from having sex with you. Maybe we could just mess around a little?" The thought of selling my body to her was appealing in an egotistical sense, but also frightening. If her tongue was like sandpaper, what would her private parts be like? The thought of that was enough to banish my stiffness issue on demand. I tucked that feeling away for future use.

    She wrinkled her nose. "Mess around? What rubbish is this? I want someone to be with me, not a one-night stand."

    "You want to go steady?" I was utterly perplexed.

    "I want a committed relationship. What is wrong with that?"

    I laughed at the innocent blink of her big round eyes. "An old-fashioned vampire?"

    "Are not intimate relations a great deal more enjoyable with someone you like? Especially when you can practice frequently and learn new things?"

    "But we hardly know each other." I paused. "Wait, we are talking about sex, right? Not blood sucking, because I don''t want to be anybody''s snack pack."

    She broke into a deep-throated laugh. "I speak of normal but fantastic sex, you adorable little man. Blood sucking is not a requirement." She giggled. "I will give you more pleasure than you can imagine."

    "I''m a teenage guy, so I can imagine quite a bit."

    "Give it your full consideration. I fear if you take too long, it will be too late for me to protect you." She paused and pursed her lips. "And, Justin, I am not a vampire."

    "Then what are you?"

    She ran her fingers through my hair and gave a wicked grin as I shivered. "Perhaps you will figure that out with your clever little mind. Eventually."

    "Are you the reason I changed into whatever I am?"

    One corner of her mouth rose in a lopsided grin. "I''m afraid that, my dear, is all you."

    With that, she sped across the parking lot, her body a blur, jumped halfway up the three-story school, and then cleared the remaining half by vaulting to the roof from a window ledge. The darkness swallowed her.

    "Badass!" I said. I ran as fast as I could toward the school. My legs moved faster than I''d ever seen them go. The ground blurred. It was amazing. Then I tripped on the curb. Smacked into the side of the building. Rebounded, and skidded backwards on my butt. Apparently, such an athletic feat took a lot of practice.

    I picked myself up. A scrape on my hand healed right before my eyes, leaving only a glistening smear of blood atop the new skin. At least I didn''t have to learn how to use that ability. I went home the old-fashioned way¡ªI drove¡ªand turned on my computer once I arrived at home, with Stacey''s dire warning echoing in my brain. I had to find out what I''d become before the boogey man got me.

    Chapter 13

    Ugh.

    That was my first thought of the morning. I stripped and went into the bathroom for a shower. As I passed the mirror, I noticed something odd about my chest. No, I hadn''t grown more than the few wisps of hair that had sprouted from my left nipple a couple of years back, but my man boobs looked smaller. I touched my left pectoral. My finger met a layer of hard muscle hiding under the flab. My stomach also looked slightly less paunchy and doughy than before. I flexed my biceps. Meh, they still looked pathetic, but at least they weren''t sagging.

    This revelation made my morning seem a bit brighter despite the lack of sleep. I thought about suspension with Ms. Foreman. I thought about Elyssa giggling. I was actually looking forward to staying after school. I couldn''t wait to see Elyssa in the gym. My brain, the spoil-sport it is, decided to play back a few choice samples of my disastrous experiences with humans of the female variety. Dark clouds blocked the rays of feel-good sunshine, squashing all my warm and fuzzies of the morning. My brain was right. I was falling for Elyssa and my track record with girls looked like a zombie apocalypse.

    Just take it slow. Really slow. I wondered if I should take it anywhere at all. So far I hadn''t discovered what I''d become or who was going to kill me for it. If I started anything with Elyssa, the mysterious boogey man might hurt her too. But the only way to find out was to enter a serious relationship with Stacey the British supernatural chick. And that would kill my chances with Elyssa. I mulled over the frustrating situation while I showered, ate, and brushed my teeth. I''d hoped for a light bulb moment, but ended up with a cranial power outage.

    When I got to school, I pulled my backpack from the passenger seat, stood up, and nearly collided with Katie. I jumped away from her. God only knew what would happen if I bumped into anyone, much less the catalyst for my woes, nowadays. Principal Perkins¡ªor Jerkins as Elyssa called him¡ªmight sentence me to the electric chair.

    Katie smiled. It wasn''t a warm smile, exactly. More of an I-have-your-nuggets-in-a-vice smile. "Hello, Justin," she said in a tone that could freeze sunshine.

    "Hi." I turned to leave.

    "I can''t believe I wanted to be friends with you. It makes me feel gross to even think about it."

    "Cool story, bro." I was amazed how little her cruel remark fazed me. The part of me that wanted to ravish females detected something off about her emotional state. If I had to guess, I would say she might be lying. It wasn''t like I could read her mind, but I could sense insincerity rolling off her, buried in waves of anger. Loitering beneath it all throbbed a white-hot pulsar of sexual energy. I had to think about Stacey and her possibly sandpaper-lined unmentionables to keep Justin Jr. from getting too riled up.

    She glared at me. Everyone seemed to glare at me nowadays. "You should watch your back. I know a lot of football players who''d love to teach you a lesson."

    "Are you doing the deed with them too?"

    She slapped me. It stung like crazy but I smiled through the pain.

    "Were you always just a fake friend to me, Katie? I understand being pissed about what I did. It was wrong and stupid. But this is ridiculous."

    "No. I used to genuinely care for you, Justin. Then you went and posted how much of a whore I was on my Facebook wall where my parents and all my friends saw it. Do you know how mortified I was?"

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    "Look, I don''t have any excuses for it, okay? I was drunk out of my skull. Can''t we just call this little war off and be civilized again?"

    Her bottom lip trembled. "I don''t think I can, Justin." A tear trickled down her cheek. "How would it look if I forgave you after all the pain you''ve put me through?"

    "You''d look pretty good, actually. Magnanimous, even."

    She shook her head and reached a hand out to touch mine. Her hand jerked back like it had touched a hot stove. "Things have gone too far. It''s too late for us to ever be friends again."

    Coming from her like that, it actually hurt. "Was it really so horrible?"

    "It was painful. Maybe because you hit a sore spot. I''m not proud of what I did with Brad." She sighed. "I don''t really regret being friends with you." Her face flushed and she looked away. "I really treasured our friendship, Justin. I know you think I''m a horrible person for putting Brad over you, but just because I didn''t want to date you didn''t mean I valued you any less. I guess that''s why your words hurt me so much."

    "Hey, I get it. I mean who would want to date a chubby loser anyway?"

    "Please don''t say that. You''re not a loser."

    I laughed. "I''m social poison to anyone who gets near me now. Besides, I kind of understand things a little better than I did then." I reached a hand toward her, thought better of it, and lowered it. "Can you call the dogs off? Please?"

    "I can''t. I don''t control them." She wiped away tears. Her gaze settled on something behind me and widened slightly. "Be careful, Justin," she whispered and hurried away.

    Before I could turn around, the sound of a fist hitting an open palm alerted me to yet another confrontation. I turned to see Nathan and three of his biggest buddies baring their teeth and trying to look menacing. Instead, it appeared as if they were straining to drop a deuce in the parking lot.

    With great effort, I kept my silence. What else could I do? If I fought them, I''d lose politically. If I did nothing, they still won.

    "What did I say about harassing Katie, you little stalker?" Nathan sneered. "Looks like we''re gonna have to teach you a lesson real soon. You won''t know when or where, but it could come at any second."

    "I''ll bet your parents are so proud," I said. I turned and walked into the building. The morning was starting off so well I could hardly wait to see what came next. The bell rang for homeroom and I groaned. It was too late to get to the gymnasium to see Elyssa. "Damn," I muttered. My heart sank. I missed her already.

    Lunch rolled around. I noticed immediately something was vastly different at the Goth table. In the place of pale-faced mascara-slathered individuals with nauseating amounts of piercings, sat two dejected guys. Ash, who was surprisingly Asian under all the makeup he usually wore, had a dark bruise under one eye that definitely was not eye shadow. Nyte, despite his black-dyed hair, had a ginger complexion and a scab on his lower lip.

    I dropped into my seat and dropped my bagged lunch on the table. "What happened?"

    Ash frowned. "The principal informed us we were no longer allowed to wear our ''devil-worshipping costumes'' as he called them."

    "And he hit you?"

    He shook his head. "No, that happened when Nyte and I were leaving the mall last night. It was dark and three big guys in ski masks did this." He pointed at his eye.

    "And one of them jerked out my lip ring," said Nyte, his face flushing scarlet as only a carrot-top''s face can.

    "What the principal did is against freedom of speech," I said. "You can wear makeup, jewelry, and clothes just like any of these other people." I pointed at Lisa Gibbs who wore so much foundation her face looked like baked mud. "And see those letter jackets?" I pointed at Nathan and his group. "If they can wear those, you can wear your Goth gear."

    Ash nodded. "I agree. We could fight this in court." He looked at Nathan. "But if we do, I have a feeling those guys will put on their ski masks and come after us again."

    I looked at Nathan and his leering companions again and saw red. This couldn''t continue, but what could I do about it? I''d already tried physical violence and that had just ticked them off more and caused them to go after my friends, not to mention triggered punishment for all of us. I glanced back at Ash and Nyte. I hadn''t known them long but it was true: They were my friends. They''d brought me in when times were tough and stood by me. Mark and Harry had shown me what fake friends they''d really been.

    None of it could be helped now. I had to figure out a better way to take Nathan and his fools on their own turf. Unfortunately, my brains didn''t appear to have been upgraded along with my libido and muscles.

    "Where is Elyssa?" I asked.

    Then I saw her enter the lunchroom on the far side. Her shoulders slumped and the dark rings under her eyes looked more pronounced than ever. Her face brightened when our eyes locked. My stomach fluttered and everything seemed right with the world all of a sudden. She set her lunch on the table.

    "You two feeling any better?" she asked Ash and Nyte.

    They nodded.

    "I''m so righteously angry," Ash said.

    Despite my new abilities, I felt powerless in the face of such bullying. "We''ve got to put a stop to this crap."

    "How?" Ash asked, interest sparking in his eyes.

    "I''ll come up with something. I have to."

    "I hope you''re not getting their hopes up for nothing," Elyssa said that afternoon in detention. "I''m going to be really mad with you if you are." The violet in her eyes seemed paler and less fiery than usual. Her skin had gone from fair to pale. It gave the impression that her sleep deprivation was even worse than usual.

    "Is something wrong?" I whispered, glancing back down the hall for any sign of our warden, Ms. Foreman.

    She looked thoughtful for a moment before apparently reaching the conclusion she didn''t want to tell me something. Oddly, I could barely detect her feelings as I did other girls, and the usual emotional runoff that accompanied most females wasn''t there. It was like she guarded her emotions with the Great Wall of China. I could have dropped the leash keeping my beast at bay and possibly sensed more but I didn''t want to violate her. I cared too much for her to do that. Even worse, I might lose control and bad things could happen. If she was The One, I didn''t want to ruin anything.

    "I''m just tired," she said.

    Today we were prying the gum from underneath lunchroom tables. The table Nathan and gang usually sat at had mounds of the stuff glommed underneath. Thankfully we had on rubber gloves. I didn''t want to touch anything that had been chewed by someone else''s mouth, especially Nathan''s. Elyssa didn''t seem to mind.

    "Doesn''t this gross you out?" I asked.

    She shrugged. "I''ve done worse."

    "Your parents make you shovel horse poo or something?"

    She giggled. "No." She threw a chunk of fossilized gum at me. I swatted it out of the air with a laugh.

    "Ahem." Ms. Foreman stood at the door to the cafeteria, just five feet away. The piece of gum hung in her hair.

    It was all I could do not to burst into hysterical laughter or scream in a fit of pure panic.

    "Well, children, I can see this job is much too easy for you," she said with a mirthless giggle. "Follow me."

    Dread formed a bubbling cauldron of acid in my stomach as she took us back into the kitchen and gave us large pairs of coveralls. They stank of rancid grease and industrial detergents.

    "Put these on," she commanded.

    "What are these for?" I asked.

    "Now is not the time for questions, young man. Both of you. Put these on." She smiled as a torturer might smile as he pulled out someone''s toenails.

    Elyssa slipped into hers without a word. I followed suit. Heck, if a girl wasn''t complaining, I guess I wouldn''t either.

    That didn''t last long.

    Five minutes later we stood before the school cafeteria grease traps. These weren''t small grease traps. They were industrial-sized ones, big as kitchen sinks, and they belonged to a government-run institution of lower learning. The mutated organisms they cooked in this kitchen probably created hazardous waste that could kill on contact. I couldn''t believe she could make us do this. Wasn''t this against child labor laws? The vacuum station which usually handled the grease was broken. It meant we had to scoop whatever was in those things out by hand and put it into thick plastic bags for disposal.

    Ms. Foreman had obviously used this as punishment before. She had the janitor show us how to pop the lids off the traps while she made a quick exit.

    "You kids must''ve really ticked her off," said the wrinkled old man with a chuckle. "I wouldn''t wish this on my ex-wife."

    "It can''t be that bad," Elyssa said, holding what looked like a metal ice scoop to muck out the grease, and a flat-bladed scraper.

    He wheezed out a laugh. "Oh it''s bad. I just hope you got strong stomachs and a weak sense of smell."

    I almost insta-barfed when he popped the lid off the first trap. The fumes and odor drifting from it smelled like rotting carcasses slathered in dog vomit and feces. It looked even worse, like black pools of liquefied bodies with bits of corn and other random garbage floating on top. Elyssa wrinkled her nose, took a couple of deep breaths, then got on her knees and started scooping. The janitor left us, his laughter echoing down the hallway as he went.

    "What in God''s name do your parents make you do at home?" I asked. "How can you stand the stench?"

    "You''ll get used to it," she said.

    "They don''t make you shovel horse poo. They make you shovel horse carcasses."

    Ms. Foreman apparently knew about the odor and never showed her totalitarian face while we worked, sweated, and, in my case, gagged. If you''ve heard the expression "I wouldn''t touch that with a ten-foot pole" then add another thousand feet and you''ll know how I felt just looking at the tub of putrescence. Somehow I managed to choke down the constant urge to vomit and started scooping. By the time we finished, it was almost eleven. Neither of us had particularly enjoyed the exercise, but I still felt closer to Elyssa, as if by sharing such a horrific task it had bonded us even tighter.

 Page 20

    I tried to convince Elyssa to save a bit of the rancid grease so we might decorate Ms. Foreman''s office with it. Elyssa gave me a look which would stop a charging bull dead in its tracks, so I took that as a "no".

    Ms. Foreman smiled in a kind, yet purely evil way as we came to tell her we were done. She checked her watch. "Goodness gracious, children. It certainly took you long enough." She giggled gleefully, reminding me of a wicked witch. "If the janitor gives his blessing, perhaps I can find something less demanding for you two tomorrow," she said. "You may go now."

    We trudged out to the parking lot. I felt for Stacey''s presence but didn''t sense it. I did not feel comfortable knowing that creepy chick could be lurking nearby.

    "Well this has been an interesting week," I said. "In a way, I''m going to kind of miss it once tomorrow is over."

    Elyssa stopped and glared at me. "You''re insane, aren''t you?"

    "Maybe a little." That brought a tiny smile to her lips. "Seriously, though. What''s wrong with you today?"

    "I already told you that," she said. "I didn''t get enough sleep."

    "Why not? Watching too much late night TV?"

    "Is it really that important to you?"

    "Yes, because you''re important to me."

    She sighed. "We''re not going down this road again are we?"

    "What road?"

    "The one where you do stupid crap because you want to protect me or get all touchy-feely."

    "If caring about what happens to someone is touchy-feely, then I''m sorry. I''m not a real man. I''m just an idiot who believes in common decency."

    "Save your feelings for someone who needs them, Justin. In case you hadn''t noticed, I was doing quite fine until you started showing concern. Just look where that got us."

    "You ungrateful¡ª" I shut my mouth before anything really nasty slipped out.

    "You want gratitude?" She belted out a laugh heaped with scorn. "So that''s what this is about. You do it to feel good about yourself." She gave a knowing nod. "Well find someone else who can show you the gratitude you so desire."

    I stood there, fists clenched and blood pressure rising. Then I walked over to her. Grabbed her around her slender waist. Pulled her to me and planted a kiss on her soft lips. She tensed. I braced for a possible knee to the groin. Instead, she kissed me back, echoing my passion. I pulled her tighter against me.

    She smelled like spring flowers, leather, and a little bit like the grease traps. It was an odd, but unexpectedly nice combination. Her body burned hot against mine. The caged animalistic part of me clawed at the flimsy barrier I''d erected to keep it at bay. I couldn''t hold it off much longer. I broke off the kiss before the dark side of my lust tore down the wall. I stared into Elyssa''s large tremulous eyes. Her raven locks framed the creamy fair skin of her face. I had never realized just how beautiful she was until that moment. I brushed a stray lock from her face and tucked it behind her ear. My heart pounded, so filled with desire and yearning, I had to take a deep breath.

    She looked so vulnerable and scared that I wanted to kiss her again. But I couldn''t. It was all I could do to hold my demonic sexual urge back from groping her essence. When "demonic" becomes a common adjective you use to describe yourself, you know you have a problem.

    "Why''d you have to go and do that?" she asked softly, tracing her finger along my chest.

    "Because I really like you."

    "Why do you like me?"

    I groped for an answer but the only thing that came to mind was, "I just do."

    "You just do? Aren''t you supposed to tell me how beautiful my eyes are, and how firm my butt is?"

    I laughed. "Well, both are true."

    "Have you been looking at my butt? How do you know it''s not all saggy without my skinny jeans to hold it in place?"

    "Only one way to know," I said and gave her a playful slap on the rear. "Gee, do you work out?"

    She gave me a playful push and giggled in a girlish way I hadn''t heard since cleaning the trophy cases. It felt good to snap her out of the bad mood cleaning the grease traps had inspired.

    She took my hand and idly traced the palm with her fingernail. "Justin, we need to take this slow. I have an¡­unusual home life and I''m afraid you might not want to be with me anymore once you get to know me." A single tear glistened at the corner of one eye.

    I took her hand and kissed the smooth skin of her wrist just beneath the palm. I put her hand to my cheek and closed my eyes. It felt good. It felt like¡­home. "I don''t think a crazy family will drive me away, Elyssa. This feels right."

    Her lips brushed mine. "I hope so."

    I pulled her in for one last lingering kiss before she got in her car and drove away.

    I thought back to Katie and the hope and certainty I''d felt about her. About the horrendous disaster that had become. A knot of fear crept into my throat. I hoped I wasn''t about to repeat the past.

    Chapter 14

    The insistent beep of my alarm clock awoke me extra early the next morning so I could get to the school gymnasium in time. On the way out, the house phone rang. Nobody ever called that line but telemarketers and I almost ignored it until I saw the caller ID. I snatched the handset off the cradle.

    "Yes?" I said, trying to muster a deep voice.

    "This is Willis. I couldn''t get you on your cell so I called the backup number you gave me."

    "Mhmm."

    "I''ve decided not to pursue this any further. Ever since that Conroy fellow showed up at our offices and warned us off the investigation, weird shit has been going down. Thousands of rats swarmed our offices two days ago. Yesterday every car in the parking lot turned upside down¡ªon their freaking roofs. Oh, and that''s not even the best part. Today, my wife''s stupid little Chihuahua came up to me at breakfast and told me¡ªin English¡ªI had one more day before really bad things started happening."

    "He talked to you?" I gasped, trying to keep my voice pitched low despite the crazy stuff this dude was telling me.

    "My secretary told me she was outta here if I don''t do something. Frankly, I''m this close to checking out myself. I don''t care if you believe me or not. I''m done. I''ll refund half your fee. And by the way, I think they have someone tracking you because a young guy with a long wooden staff came around here asking about you. You''d better watch your back."

    The line went dead. I stared at the phone for a moment. Dad had mentioned the Conroys before. Who were they? Why was he trying to find them? And how could a dog talk? Before my transformation, I''d never have believed such a crazy story. Now I wasn''t so sure.

    I glanced at the time and hurried out the door so I could get to school.

    Elyssa had saved me a seat on the bleachers next to her. I pecked her on the cheek and took her hand in mine. Carpe diem! I thought, because I wasn''t sure how to say "Seize the hand" in Latin. I was determined not to make a waste of this relationship by being timid.

    Ash and Nyte showed up. Neither looked the least bit surprised at the sight of me and Elyssa holding hands.

    Ash glared up the bleachers at Nathan and his dimwitted toadies as they harassed a group of bespectacled nerds reading a Kings and Castles rule book. "I wish I was bigger and stronger. I''d punch those goons until their noses broke."

    I knew the feeling. Unfortunately, raw power hadn''t helped me one bit in my quest to overcome the bullies. Especially not when the bullying ran up the chain of command that was supposed to prevent it.

    "Fighting isn''t the answer," Elyssa said, her eyes darting to me. "Especially not with the football-is-god attitude in this place."

    "But they''ve stolen our dignity," Ash said. "They''ve taken our very identities."

    Elyssa sighed. "This is high school, not real life. These morons think they''re the big fish, but they''re swimming in a small pond."

    "More like a cesspool," I said.

    She grinned. "Exactly. Anyway, once we''re out of here, you''ll never have to worry about them again. Nathan and his roid-ragers will get some random girls preggers and drink themselves into obesity by the time they''re thirty. Those prissy cheerleaders will lose their looks after whoring around and doing drugs in college and will end up living with rednecks in trailer parks."

    "Do you have a crystal ball?" I asked. "This is amazing. She can predict the future. And it''s a nightmare."

    "You think I''m joking." Elyssa raised an eyebrow in disdain. "I know what I''m talking about. The circle of life you''ve heard about just keeps on repeating itself in high school after high school across the nation."

    "What you''re forgetting is we''ll have a whole new set of douchebags to deal with in corporate America," Ash said.

    Nyte shook his head fiercely. "I will never work for the man."

    "Are you gonna be a rapper?" Elyssa asked. "''Cause they''re the only ones allowed to use that term."

    "I''ve never seen a ginger rapper," I said with a laugh.

    "I''ll be Carrot Ice." Nyte flashed a contrived gang sign.

    We groaned.

    The bell rang, so we stood to leave. Ash scooted first into the stream of students walking down the bleacher steps since he was closest to the end. Nathan barreled down the steps behind him and plowed into his back. Ash jerked like a car had struck him and plummeted down the three remaining stairs while his books and papers scattered onto the basketball court.

    "Watch that last step," Nathan said. "It''s a doozy." The two thugs, who I''d learned were named Adam and Steve, guffawed like it was the funniest thing in the world and kicked the books further onto the hardwood court as they walked past him.

    Elyssa clenched my arm so tight it hurt. I winced, but she didn''t notice, instead focusing a stare of pure hatred on Nathan. I touched her hand. "Loosen up a little?" I gasped.

 Page 21

    She blinked as if coming from a trance and stared at the hand cutting off my circulation. "I''m sorry."

    We hurried down to help Ash gather his books. Some other students stopped to help as well. I recognized some of the nerdy types that had supported me in my war against bullying, among the helpers. At least not all of humanity was doomed.

    "Are you okay?" I asked Ash.

    His head drooped. "My dignity has dropped to an all-new low."

    I saw Nyte, his neck glowing red, hurrying away. "I''ll see you later," I said to Elyssa and kissed her on the cheek, then rushed to catch up with Nyte before he did something stupid. He entered the boys'' room. I hoped he wasn''t following Nathan in there. The results would not be pretty.

    Nyte was alone at the back of the bathroom, banging his fist against the cinder blocks with all his might and sobbing. I didn''t know what to do. I wasn''t sure I''d want anyone bothering me while I was having a good meltdown. I opened my mouth to speak, then thought better of it and snuck back out. I stood in the hallway trying to decide what to do when he burst out of the bathroom, his face composed, but his eyes red.

    "You okay?" I asked.

    "No. Not even a little bit. I have never wanted to physically harm anyone in my life. But I want to kill Nathan. I want to stab him with a sword."

    "I can''t let you do that, but I can show you how to stab people with fake swords."

    He cocked an eyebrow. "How?"

    "Maybe you guys would like to join me for Kings and Castles this weekend. I don''t have a squad anymore, but I''m still a member of the team. I''ll register you guys and we can build some weapons and kick some butt."

    "I''ve heard of that tournament. Maybe it would be fun to pretend-murder someone." He shrugged. "I''ll probably suck."

    "We all suck at something. The important thing is to have fun." Those words sounded strange coming out of my mouth. Winning had been the only important thing to me insofar as K&C was involved, but Elyssa seemed to have changed my outlook on everything that had been such a vital part of my existence before her. I hadn''t even known her that long and already she was changing me. Was this what true love did to a person? Could it even be love yet? Probably just hormones.

    Lunchtime arrived and I told Ash and Elyssa about K&C. "The tournament is tomorrow morning. I figure we could whip up some foam weapons tonight if you guys want to come over after school." That, of course, depended on whether Ms. Foreman let Elyssa and I go at a decent hour. Maybe she''d have mercy since it was Friday.

    "Kings and Castles? Oh my God, you are such a nerd," Elyssa said.

    "So are you."

    She nodded. "Yep. Sign me up."

    I looked at her and thought back to the strange path we''d taken to meeting each other, namely the day Steve had tried to smear dog poo on Ash but I''d intercepted him. "What did you mean that one day when you told me to never give up?"

    She shrugged. "I don''t know. It looked like maybe you could use some encouragement."

    "You felt sorry for me?"

    Her face flushed. "Don''t let this inflate your ego, but I guess I kind of admired you for what you did. You protected someone you didn''t even know from a bully."

    "You admired me?" I was a bit shocked at her admission. I had done something to impress the tough Goth girl.

    She sighed. "Oh, I just knew this would make you feel too big for your britches. It was only a little bit of admiration anyway."

    I gave her a hurt look. "Only an itsy-bitsy teeny bit?" I held my thumb and forefinger in measurement.

    She laughed. "Yeah."

    Seeing her smile filled me with desire. I wanted to kiss her. I didn''t even care if the entire lunch room saw it. I would stand on the table and declare my undying devotion to her. But the bell rang and the moment passed.

    That afternoon, Elyssa and I kept our mouths shut and worked hard. Ms. Foreman let us go at five. Even the Devil wanted her Friday evening free, I figured.

    I ordered pizza on the way home. Ash and Nyte were already waiting at the house when I arrived, and the pizza showed up a few minutes later. My dad was snoring like a chainsaw in his bedroom. I wanted to wake him and grill him about the strange phone call that morning but now was not the time. My friends looked at the mess of beer bottles Dad had littered around the house. Rather than ask the obvious questions, however, they grabbed the garbage can and scooped the mess into the bag. Elyssa showed up and pitched in. I was really worried she''d freak out thanks to my alcoholic father, but apparently her crazy family life had prepared her not to bat an eyelash.

    The sour odor of beer saturated the den but I''d take that odor over high school grease traps any day. Afterward, I grabbed weapon-making supplies and we sat around eating pizza and making swords. It was the most fun I''d had in ages.

    Ash held up a sword he''d made. It flopped like a wet noodle.

    "That thing needs Viagra," Elyssa said with a laugh.

    I disassembled his weapon and showed him how to use PVC pipe to make it stiff. We had to use a certain amount of foam to meet regulations or the Dungeon Masters wouldn''t let us use them. Elyssa built two small swords, one for each hand. She twirled them around like she knew what she was doing. We watched in amazement.

    "I wanted to be a majorette," she told us with an embarrassed shrug.

    Ash and Nyte made the typical medium-sized broadswords¡ªat least I think that''s what they were going for. They were so lumpy and covered in duct tape that a kindergartener might have made them.

    "This is going to be a blast," Nyte said, his eyes alight. "I''ve never done this before."

    "Well, let me give you guys some quick pointers before tossing you into the thick of things," I said.

    I took them outside and gave them the skinny on how squad logistics worked, and how to keep an eye on each other''s backs. Then I showed them the basics of swordplay. While I was no expert on fencing or swordplay, I was still much better than most of the people in K&C thanks to the fencing lessons I''d taken. Not that it really translated all that well to foam swords.

    After Ash and Nyte said their goodbyes, I leaned against Elyssa''s car and pulled her against me for a kiss.

    "You''re not a bad leader," she said with a hint of admiration in her voice.

    "Holy crap. Did I just hear another compliment escape from those lovely lips of yours?"

    She gave me a passionate kiss that left me panting then nodded. "You''re a different person than the one I met. You''ve grown more confident." She chuckled wryly. "Maybe too confident at times."

    "True," I said with a grimace. "Now, can I have another one of those magnificent kisses?"

    I pulled her lips back to mine. Her scent was intoxicating. The touch of her body against mine was like being kissed by the sun. I ran a hand up her neck, clenched her hair at the nape, and gave it a gentle tug. She moaned. I groaned. Her teeth nipped my neck and I shuddered with pleasure. Fire rushed from my stomach and flooded my veins. My lust slammed against its cage like a wild beast. My control faltered.

    I jerked away and took a few steps back. It took everything I had to keep myself contained. Thinking of baseball just wasn''t cutting it.

    "What''s wrong?" she asked.

    "I don''t want to take things too fast," I said. "I''m just so attracted to you that I''m afraid I''ll do something I might regret."

    "You''re a romantic, aren''t you?" She tsked. "Silly boy."

    "Actually, yeah, I am. I want my first time to be special." I braced for her response, scared that she might laugh.

    She nuzzled my cheek with her nose. "Well maybe I''m okay with it."

    I felt relief, but then another scary thought entered my mind. Before I could resist the urge, I blurted out the question. "Are you a virgin?"

    She laughed. "One-hundred percent grade-A certified virgin," she said flashing a smile and flourishing her arms.

    I almost leapt with joy. My heart lightened until I thought I might float away. This girl must be The One. "Do you want your first time to be special?"

    She pressed herself against me and gave me a kiss that left me breathless. "How special do you want it to be, my knight in shining armor?"

    Our bodies were so close I knew she could feel exactly what she''d done to me. "Are you saying you want to have sex?"

    She raised an eyebrow. "I''m not saying anything. Why do you have to put things into words so much? Can''t you just flow with the feelings and see what happens?"

    That would be very dangerous, I thought. My hyper-active sexual sense was hard enough to control around girls I didn''t like, much less a girl I was falling in love with. And the spell it wove wasn''t real. I had done so little experimentation with it that I really didn''t know what the extent of my ability was. Most guys with my "problem" would gladly use it on women left and right without a second thought. Maybe guys like Nathan didn''t have a conscience when it came to such things, but I wanted to know that the girl I was making love to was doing it because she was as in love with me as I was with her. It was disgustingly romantic.

    "What happened to taking things slow?"

    "I know what I said, but¡­" She smiled and looked down. "This isn''t easy for me to say, Justin, but being around you makes me want to stop talking and thinking. What if today was our last day alive?"

    I touched her chin and brought her gaze up to mine. "You''re right," I said. "I talk too much."

    "Yes you do." She kissed me again and shivered. "Have you been working out?" She squeezed my arm.

    "A little."

    "You''re losing weight too. I hope you''re not on one of those crash diets."

    "Nope. Just eating healthy."

    She traced a finger along my chest and looked down. "So, about my family. Maybe you can meet the rest of them Sunday."

    "By the rest of them, do you mean your dad?"

 Page 22

    "And my two older brothers, Jack and Michael."

    "I had no idea you even had brothers."

    The corner of her mouth inched up in a lopsided smile. "I don''t talk about family much. I sort of dig you, though, so maybe it''s okay just this once."

    "You are a hard ass. I guess you have to be with two brothers to contend with. How much older are they?"

    "Jack has five years on me and Michael is seven years older."

    "Are you close?"

    "Oh yes," she said with a distant look to her eyes.

    "So they''re in college?"

    "Jack is. Michael works for Dad."

    "What kind of business?"

    "The family business."

    I shrunk away with a feigned expression of fear. "You''re in the mob?"

    She chuckled, but it almost seemed that she didn''t find that to be far from the truth. "We''re in the security business."

    "Ah," I said, as if that explained everything. Maybe her dad had her work late for his company sometimes, although it was hard to picture Elyssa dressed as a rent-a-cop. That would explain the fatigue I often saw in her face.

    "If you really think you''re up to it, I have to warn you that my dad is a very serious person. He''s a special kind of asshole, especially when it comes to boyfriends."

    "What did he do to your other boyfriends?"

    A wistful smile cast sadness into her eyes. "You''re really the first guy I would call a boyfriend. The last guy I was going to go on a date with didn''t last the five minutes it took for me to come downstairs to meet him."

    "Are you kidding me? What did your dad do to him?"

    "He mostly stared at him."

    "Your dad sounds scary."

    She nodded, face serious as a heart attack. "He is."

    Chapter 15

    I didn''t sleep well that night. Maybe it had to do with nervousness about my new K&C squad. Maybe it had to do with Elyssa''s dad. I dreamt of a man with military buzz-cut and glowing eyes. He stared at me until I ran screaming.

    I woke up in a panic with my fist embedded in the bed''s headboard. Nobody with glowing eyes was waiting, so I extricated my fist and got ready for the tournament.

    Elyssa waited for me in the parking lot. I froze in my tracks and stared. She''d braided her long black hair into pigtails that hung to her shoulders. She wore knee-high platform boots. Fishnet stockings and a black skirt showed off her fair legs, long and muscular. She obviously worked out. She looked so amazingly hot I wanted to run away with her and forget everything else.

    "You like?" she said, grinning at my stunned silence.

    I nodded. "Me likey so much." I almost drooled.

    Ash and Nyte showed up moments later. They wore variants of their Goth attire. We looked like the army of darkness rather than elves. I didn''t care. They had also used white and black face paint as a sort of camouflage. Yes, it was definitely a departure from green-cloaked elves.

    "Did Kiss join the army?" said a familiar voice.

    I turned to find Harry smirking at our group. Mark and two other girls flanked him. I offered a cold look in return then turned back to my squad without a word. Elyssa cocked an eyebrow and gave me a lopsided smile. She took my arm and we walked to join the milling mass of the elven army.

    Harry and his gang trailed behind us. "I wonder who''s going to be the cannon fodder today," he said.

    "I think the girly boys will go first," Mark said.

    Harry laughed. "If Justin doesn''t get distracted by the prostitute they hired to join them."

    Red exploded in my eyes. I raised my fist and whirled. Something dead-stopped my arm. Harry backed away and tripped over Mark''s sword, landing heavily on his back. He looked like he''d about crapped himself. Elyssa''s warm hand held firmly to my bicep, preventing my arm from completing the punch I really wanted to connect to Harry''s stupid face.

    "What did I tell you about being heroic?" she said in an angry voice.

    I took deep breaths and calmed myself. How was I supposed to protect a girl who got ticked at me whenever I tried to protect her honor? This was going to take some serious getting used to.

    "Yeah, that''s right. Keep walking," Harry shouted as we left them behind.

    "Are we allowed to kill teammates?" Nyte asked.

    "There''s no rule against it," I said. "But let''s hit the enemy first and get to those assholes later."

    We lined up with the rest of our allies. The Dungeon Masters, dressed in their long flowing robes and fake Methuselah beards stood atop a tall tower in the middle of the battlefield.

    "Ten minutes until battle commences," one said in a well-practiced announcer''s voice.

    We produced our weapons for inspection by the brightly clad faerie referees.

    One of them held up Elyssa''s dual swords. He balanced them in his hands then twirled them. "Wow, these have great balance. They''re just like Ninja Sai short swords."

    She beamed. "Thanks. If the balance isn''t right, what good are they?"

    "Totally," he said, looking lost in her eyes, the poor nerd.

    "Ahem," I said and handed him my long sword.

    He glanced at it, hefted it, and handed it back without a word. I felt mildly offended. Elyssa chuckled.

    "I guess all of us can''t be foam sword masters," I said with a huff.

    "I''m a perfectionist." She pecked me affectionately on the nose.

    I lined up my squad and gave them last-minute pointers, then took them to the left flank. Nyte and Ash were flushed with excitement. Elyssa stared across the makeshift medieval village separating us from the Conanites, the enemy army. Pine trees lined the town perimeter and just beyond that were the yellow ropes that guarded the outer boundaries. To our right was the parking lot and bleachers for those who enjoyed watching nerds beat the crap out of each other.

    I pointed to a walled-in fort in the middle of the battleground. "There''s the goal," I said. "We make it there, and we''re good as gold."

    Elyssa pointed to a smaller hut that was lined by a thick hedge. "Why not there?"

    "It doesn''t have a wall."

    "The hedge is thick enough to keep people from running through it and it''s a smaller place to defend. We can''t be flanked."

    I gave her a curious glance. "I''ve been doing this a while. Any time my squad took and held that center fort, we survived."

    She shrugged. "Okay, fearless leader."

    A gong sounded and the battle started.

    The armies rushed forward to battle with a roar. Nyte and Ash went down in the first skirmish. Elyssa whirled, struck, parried and took down enemy squads whenever they attacked. She made me look like a rank novice. After several small battles, she and I burst through the enemy''s last line of defense.

    Elyssa became a blur, her swords blocking, thrusting, slashing. The referees looked absolutely as confused as I was but they whistled away as she cut through the enemy like butter. I took out a couple of stragglers. The gong chimed. Elyssa had just finished off the enemy king. Harry and Mark gaped at her. I gaped at her. The faerie refs gaped at her. She looked at us and went red in the face. The rest of our army roared and rushed over to offer congratulations.

    After the celebrations died down and seventy percent of the guys present had asked for Elyssa''s hand in marriage, I managed to drag her away from the ululating mass.

    "Where in the world did you learn to fight like that?" I asked. "You''re amazing."

    She looked anything but happy, however. In fact, she looked downright embarrassed. "Too many kung-fu movies, I guess."

    "Yeah, because watching movies makes a person a ninja." I cocked my head like a curious dog. "You''ve taken martial arts, haven''t you?"

    "Yes," she said a trifle too quickly. "My dad made me take lessons and I guess it came in handy today."

    I wasn''t sure if that was the whole truth, but it felt truthful at least. Besides, I was too much in awe of her to think straight. I wanted her so badly right then that it was all I could do not to push her into one of the huts and ravish her. "I want you," I said.

    She grinned. "You''re so easy. All a girl has to do is whirl a sword, kill a few enemies, and you''re ready to go." Her throaty laugh raced through my nervous system like a sexually charged lightning bolt.

    I realized that if I started kissing her there would be no stopping myself. I closed my eyes and thought of baseball. No good. I thought of Stacey''s sandpaper tongue. That didn''t work. I took deep breaths and thought of Stacey playing baseball. Nothing quenched the unbearable heat of my desire for Elyssa.

    "Well?" she asked, a bemused expression in her fiery eyes.

    "I¡ªMaybe we should go get cleaned up."

    She rolled her eyes. "Seriously? You want me. I want you. What''s wrong with that?"

    "Nothing, but¡ª"

    "That''s right. Nothing is wrong with sex. You and I are both eighteen. Barely legal but adults." She bit my earlobe.

    "I''m not eighteen yet."

    "Funny, I thought today was your birthday." She produced her smartphone from some secret place and held the screen to my face. Her calendar had Justin''s Birthday! in big bold letters surrounded by little hearts.

    "I''m eighteen?" I had forgotten all about my "special" day.

    "Answer my question big boy. Why can''t you let nature take its course? Are you afraid?"

    "No, of course not." I was petrified. Partly due to my nearly uncontrollable psychic effect on girls and partly because Elyssa was a force to be reckoned with. She really was going to think something was wrong with me if I didn''t act like any other testosterone-fueled teenager. "I just want it to be special. Not rushed because of spur-of-the-moment feelings."

    She sighed. "I think someone''s been watching one too many after-school specials."

    My sexual energy plummeted and the little sex-obsessed demon perched on my shoulder poofed back to his hot little abode underground where he could sulk about my idiocy. Now that I could safely kiss her, it felt awkward. We walked back to the cars in silence, though Ash and Nyte more than made up for it by jabbering incessantly about how cool their ten minutes of battle had been.

 Page 23

    "Let''s go grab some pizza to celebrate," Ash said.

    "I''ve got to get home," Elyssa said. "Maybe another time."

    "Me too," I said. "Great job, though, guys."

    "I''ll go with you," Nyte said, climbing into Ash''s gargantuan periwinkle Ford.

    They drove off leaving me and Elyssa standing near her car in the almost empty parking lot. She gave me an intense look of longing before pressing herself against me and delivering a kiss that curled my toes. My hands slid to the small of her back. She grabbed one of my hands and pressed it to her chest. I almost lost control over certain bodily functions.

    A demon-possessed fever overcame me. My sex-starved sense slammed against its tin-foil prison. I picked up Elyssa. Twirled us around and set her on the hood of her car. She wrapped her legs around my waist and squeezed my body to hers. Her fingernails raked down my back. Spikes of pure pleasure shivered across my body. All thought of resistance vanished. More than anything on Earth, I wanted to be with her. I was ready to give it all to her. She pressed my hand to her thigh and moved it slowly upward. My heart pounded. The caged creature in my mind roared.

    And then I lost it.

    The flood of carnal hunger burst through the psychic dam. It clawed for the steaming sensuality bursting from her like solar flares. It snatched at those tendrils and for an instant, caught them. The tendrils slid from my grasp, insubstantial as smoke, and retreated. Strong hands gripped my shirt and flung me like a rag doll. I slid on my back across the gravel parking lot until a tree stump stopped me at the edge. I opened my eyes. Cold metal pressed against my throat. Warm liquid trickled down my neck. Twin violet stars pierced the dusk and stared down at me.

    "Elyssa?" I croaked.

    She was straddling me. Tears poured down her cheeks. "You filthy monster," she said, sobbing. "You almost had me, didn''t you?"

    "What are you talking about?"

    "I should kill you this instant." She clenched her teeth, baring them while sobs wracked her body.

    The cold metal pressed harder against my skin. Every heartbeat thrummed against the blade causing another trickle of hot blood to run down my neck. I held my breath for fear of opening an artery.

    "You used your blood to lure me and I ran in like a stupid little mouse."

    "My blood?" I rasped.

    She choked on her sobs. "Damn you to hell. Why? How could you be a monster?"

    "Please tell me what''s wrong, Elyssa. I don''t understand! Please tell me what the hell is going on!"

    Her glowing eyes sprang open and I waited for ultra-violet lasers to scorch me. Her face was pale, bloodless. Her lips curled into a snarl. I gasped as her canines lengthened into pearly white stilettos. They didn''t look like Stacey''s fangs, but they looked every bit as menacing.

    She stared at the blood trickling down my neck. Her nostrils flared as she drew in a deep breath. She licked her lips and lowered her face toward my neck. Abruptly she jerked back, shaking her head as if warding off a dizzy spell.

    "You''ve been leading me on. Using me. You knew all about me and my family, didn''t you?" Cold anger and betrayal frosted her voice.

    "I don''t know a thing about your family," I said. I felt dizzy either from a lack of blood or the realization that my girlfriend had fangs and had almost sucked my blood. "Elyssa, it''s me, Justin. I would never do a thing to hurt you. Please tell me what''s going on."

    She stared into my eyes for a long moment before abruptly standing and backing away from me. I noticed a long iron-gray blade in one of her hands. "Explain, then, but don''t come a step closer or I''ll finish you."

    I touched my neck and blood came away on my hand. "What in the hell are you, Elyssa? Why are your eyes glowing? Why do you have fangs?"

    She stared at me again, divining the sincerity of my questions before answering. "You really don''t know, do you?"

    A hysterical laugh burst from my lips. I remembered how she''d held me back from Harry earlier and how tightly she''d gripped my arm the other day. It hadn''t occurred to me because I was so unfamiliar with my newfound strength. Elyssa was as strong if not stronger than I was. "Are you like me? Do you have super strength?"

    "Oh no," she said with scorn in her voice. "I''m nothing like you."

    "But you''re as strong as I am. I can''t control this problem I have. I didn''t want it to happen!"

    Elyssa sobbed as fresh tears welled in her eyes. It broke my heart to see her in such pain. To see the pain that I''d caused her with my ignorance. She backed away from me as one might back away from a poisonous snake. "I don''t want to hear it, Justin. Just stay away from me. Don''t talk to me. Don''t ever come near me again."

    "Please, no, Elyssa. Don''t go!"

    She wiped the tears from her eyes and gave me a look that bordered between pure hatred and longing.

    I ran toward her. She held the knife up in a defensive position. "I''m not lying. I will kill you if you come near me again."

    "But¡ªbut Elyssa. I love you." My voice sounded so broken and desperate that I hardly recognized it as my own.

    She clenched her teeth and screamed. "Shut up! Shut up, you filthy, lying monster!" Then she slammed the door of her car and roared out of the parking lot.

    I stood in the gathering dusk alone with my tears.

    Happy Birthday.

    Chapter 16

    I stood rooted to the spot, agony ripping at my insides, until light faded and darkness took the sky. I somehow gathered the willpower to go to my car and get in. I cried like a baby the entire way home. Women were my kryptonite. Even the one that loved me now thought I was a monster. And maybe I was. Maybe she was a vampire too, but I didn''t care. I didn''t know anything about my condition except that it had caused more pain and harm than good. I couldn''t beat up bullies. I couldn''t protect my friends. Everything I did backfired and hurt the people I cared about.

    I wasn''t even sure I had friends anymore. What would Elyssa tell Ash and Nyte? She had known them much longer than I had. If she sat with them in the gymnasium at school, I wouldn''t be able to. Not without getting my throat slit by a pencil sharpener.

    One thing was for sure. I wasn''t meeting Elyssa''s parents on Sunday.

    Elyssa''s mother, Leia, popped into my mind. I remembered her eyes. Her violet eyes. Just like Elyssa''s. I didn''t have violet eyes. My eyes did not glow that I knew of. Or maybe they did and I just hadn''t looked into a mirror at the right moment. I wondered if her entire family consisted of fanged violet-eyed people. The Vampire Brady Bunch. But if she was a vampire, why were her fangs so much different looking from Stacey''s? And why wouldn''t anyone give me straight answers?

    I walked inside my house. Dad was nowhere to be found. I had questions for him, damn it. Who were the Conroys? Where had mom gone? What in the hell was going on? I went into my room and locked the door. I looked like a zombie. Dirt caked my face. Dried blood crusted my neck and a thin red line ran from the left side of my throat to my Adam''s apple. I couldn''t believe Elyssa had done that to me. No wonder I''d thought she was hiding something from me. She had been. My girlfriend¡ªex-girlfriend¡ªwas a vampire ninja assassin. The way she''d handled those swords during the tournament blew me away. She knew her stuff.

    But I was still just as in the dark now as I''d been the day Stacey had attacked me. Except now I knew my super ex-girlfriend was a vampire, and Stacey was something completely different. What was it with me and supernatural chicks? I still didn''t know what I was, but I knew for the most part what I wasn''t. I wasn''t a vampire, a werewolf, or a leprechaun, to start with. The list went on and on without helping me a bit. Nothing I''d read in paranormal novels had prepared me for this predicament. I didn''t glow, glitter, or grow fangs, but I could seduce any woman in a heartbeat. Correction: I could seduce any normal woman. Apparently the supernatural ladies knew how to defend themselves.

    I took a shower during which I alternated between sobbing and moments of stoic silence. This was worse than all my disastrous relationships rolled up into one big ball of pain.

    Katie may have broken my heart in two, but Elyssa had shattered it.

    I was the perfect candidate for a soap opera acting career: Plenty of drama and an unhappy ending to all my romantic endeavors. I found myself staring at my computer screen. Just staring at it without a clue as to why I''d sat down there in the first place. I ran several searches and came up with hundreds of results¡ªmostly stories about mythical beings who feasted on the souls of young girls. Apparently, I was doomed with this curse. I didn''t even know what to call my symptoms. I almost posted to WebMD:

    Please help! I have this psychic sexual sense which lets me see these sex vapors emanating from women. Then I ravish them.

    Sincerely, Unintentional Molester

    That sounded absolutely idiotic. I scribbled my thoughts furiously on a bit of paper. The vapor as I called it was a sexual feeling that my mind interpreted as a misty halo surrounding females. It had to be psychic like telepathy of some sort. But I couldn''t read minds, only hints of emotions around that sexual core of energy. A light bulb sparked on. I was sensing sexual energy and bits of emotional energy. Psychic energy.

    I searched on those terms and came up with everything from yoga to people gluing energy stones to their foreheads. I also discovered every conceivable way to enlarge my manhood. Not even Yahoo Answers had anyone asking about super strength combined with the ability to make women rip off their clothes. I finally found a website that detailed hundreds of supernatural creatures including one that sounded like me¡ªa dark faerie, one of the Unseelie, or evil faeries, that used its sexual lure to trap females while it drained them of beauty and life. But certain things didn''t add up. Faeries were ancient, according to the website, immortal, and they didn''t have children. So unless another evil faerie had done something to me and put me up for adoption, I didn''t know how I could possibly be one. Deep down, I didn''t really want to admit that I was a faerie either, because it sounded girly. But at least it was a start.

 Page 24

    I flopped on my bed and spent some quality time staring at the ceiling as my maudlin emotions dragged my spirits into the gutter. Somehow, I slept. On Sunday, I sat on my bed staring at the wall¡ªthe ceiling needed some alone time¡ªmy heart gripped with agony. I called Elyssa and got her voicemail. "Please call me back," I said. "I don''t understand what''s going on." After an hour, I called her again. After the fifth time, I gave up. She wasn''t going to call me back. As far as I knew, she didn''t have a social networking profile on any of the major websites. I didn''t even know where she lived.

    I called Ash.

    "Hey, Justin," he said in a cheery voice. "Man that was so awesome yesterday."

    "Yeah, it was fun."

    "You know, I want to thank you."

    "For what?" I asked. I was surprised Elyssa hadn''t called him and told him not to talk to me.

    "You''ve really been a good friend," he said. "This isn''t easy for me to say, but¡­" He took a deep breath. "I haven''t had a lot of real friends besides Nyte and Elyssa. You''re for real, man. Thanks for being there for me."

    I choked up all of a sudden. My voice cracked as I tried to speak. "Sure. Thanks for being there for me, too."

    "Any time." He chuckled. "We''re gonna go out for burgers later if you want to join us."

    "You and Nyte and Elyssa?"

    "Ha, like you wouldn''t know if she''s coming. I have never seen her happier, man. I''m so glad you guys met."

    I felt tears coming on again and clenched my teeth to stiffen my upper lip. "Maybe I''ll join you later," I said, trying desperately to keep my voice even.

    "Cool. Just text me if you can make it."

    I hung up as salty tears burned my eyes. "Screw me," I said in a miserable croak and flopped down on my bed. I''d even forgotten to ask him if he knew where Elyssa lived. He would probably wonder why in the world I was asking. It seemed like something a boyfriend should know. Besides, if Elyssa thought I was a monster, what would her family say? Much as I needed to get out of the house, I couldn''t force myself to go out with Ash. I would only be a miserable mess.

    Sunday passed in a haze of pain and I woke up to Monday. A tiny shard of hope that I might be able to talk to Elyssa had lodged in my heart. But she wasn''t in the gymnasium that morning. Ash and Nyte didn''t know where she was. I looked everywhere for her in the hallways between classes. During lunchtime I looked but couldn''t find her in the cafeteria. Ash figured she must be sick. I was sick to my stomach. I left the cafeteria and went outside. A figure sat on a bench near the tennis courts on the side of the school. Elyssa.

    She whirled to face me when I was twenty feet away. She relaxed somewhat when she saw it was me, but her hands remained in a defensive position. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

    "What are you doing out here?" I shot back. "This is silly. I''m no monster, Elyssa. I''m just a guy like any other. Okay, maybe I''m not quite like any other, but I would never hurt you."

    Her eyes iced over. "Get away from me."

    "I''m not going anywhere until you tell me what''s wrong."

    "You don''t understand do you?" She said, grabbing her lunch and stuffing it back into the bag. "You''re a monster, a creature. The thought of having kissed you makes me want to vomit. You''re not even human."

    "What are you talking about?" I asked, anger replacing the hurt. I walked toward her with my arms up. "Look at me. I''m human as you are."

    "Your kind is anything but human."

    "I''m getting really tired of people telling me what my kind is like. I don''t even know what my kind is! And in case you hadn''t noticed, you grew fangs the other day, and I don''t know too many humans with glowing eyes."

    She gritted her teeth. "You don''t know what you''re talking about." She walked toward me with menace in her eyes.

    I backed away in case she pulled another knife on me. "I love you, Elyssa. I didn''t want to do whatever the hell it was my body tried to do to you. I can''t control it. Can''t you help me?"

    "You wouldn''t know what love is if it ripped your heart out, Justin. It''s a human emotion." Raw emotion boiled in her voice. She shoved roughly past me. "Stay the hell away from me." A few feet later, she spun around. "And you''d better not harm a hair on Ash or Nyte or I will hunt you down and hang you by your intestines."

    "So you''re going to take them away from me too?" I shouted. "You''re just going to rip everything I care about out of my life?"

    "You''re incapable of caring about anything. I guess you''ll discover that before too much longer and I won''t feel so bad about having to put you down."

    Then she was gone.

    I punched the wooden bench so hard it split in half. I punched it again and again until only a pile of pulp remained. My hand ached. Splinters jutted from between my knuckles and blood ran down my fists. The skin pushed the splinters out. The blood stopped flowing. My hands were good as new. If only it were so easy to heal my broken heart.

    Hunger gripped my stomach. I spotted my bagged lunch sitting on the ground where I must have dropped it earlier, so I took it and devoured it. I was still hungry but now I was thirsty too. I went to a water fountain and drank, but nothing seemed to quench my thirst. My stomach rumbled. I went into the bathroom and washed my hands. When I looked into the mirror, a stranger looked back.

    Well, not exactly a stranger, but a miserable guy who looked just like me but had ice-blue eyes instead of hazel ones. Those eyes were haunted. That face was very pale. This stranger, the poor fool, didn''t have a chance at happiness.

    Two guys I didn''t know burst into the bathroom. They were laughing so hard that tears of mirth poured down their faces.

    "And the bear wiped his butt with the rabbit," one of them said, slapping the wall with each convulsive guffaw. His friend collapsed against the wall, holding his ribs and howling with laughter.

    They kept repeating the sentence over and over again. Apparently it was the punch line to some joke I''d never heard but wished I knew so I could laugh along with them.

    Something tickled my senses. It was faint, but it emanated from both of them. I reached for it with my mind and latched on. This was completely unlike what had happened with me and Victoria. With her, it had been like drinking a milkshake through a large straw. This was like drinking unsweetened tea through a tiny stirring straw¡ªpleasant if you''re really thirsty, but not as tasty or satisfying. My mind sucked greedily on it anyway. The gnawing hunger started to diminish. Their laughter faded as they did their business and left.

    I glared at myself in the mirror. My eyes were hazel again instead of the piercing ice blue. My skin regained some color. I had just fed upon another person''s joy. I really was a monster.

    Chapter 17

    A river of icy fear ran through my body. Elyssa was right. I was a soul-sucking creature of nightmares and I would never know love. I would never again feel her arms around me or her soft lips against mine. I would never know the joy of making real love to her, or any other woman for that matter. My make-out session with Victoria had been as fake and unreal as a blowup doll. I could seduce any woman but never win her love. Even worse, I apparently had to leech emotions from other people to feed my soul.

    I didn''t want this life. I wanted my old life back. I wanted Elyssa back. Tears fought their way back into my eyes. I clenched my teeth and gripped the porcelain sink with both hands.

    "Stop crying you stupid freak." The sink cracked and shattered in my hands. I backed away then fled the empty bathroom before someone came in and reported me for vandalism.

    "Aw looky, someone''s been crying," said a familiar voice. Nathan''s leering face came into focus through the haze of anger, fear, and loathing I felt.

    I clenched my fists so tight my knuckles crackled like fireworks. I thought my hands would bleed. It took every ounce of willpower not to beat Nathan into a bloody porridge of skin and crushed bones that instant. Something in the back of my head screamed, Do it! You''re a monster anyway. They never accepted you as a human. What makes you think you''ll ever be accepted by any of them as a monster?

    I didn''t care if Nathan or his crowd ever accepted me. I only cared about three people ever accepting me and I knew one of them was done with me. Other students chimed in, ridiculing me as I walked through the locker-lined hallway. Somehow I''d managed to wander into the senior locker hallway.

    Something hard smacked against the top of my head. I saw stars for a brief instant and heard raucous laughter break out. I turned and saw Steve guffawing and pointing at his class ring which he''d cleverly turned palm-down to smack me on the head. I envisioned turning this hallway into a bloodbath. I could so easily destroy everyone here. But no, that would be too easy, I realized. Physical pain was too good for these people. I had to cause them emotional pain. Even the smack on the head from Steve''s ring didn''t hurt half as much as the pain in my heart.

    Much to the amusement of the clowns, I turned and walked away.

    After school, I went home and sulked for a while. I wasn''t sure what to do with myself but eventually realized I was miserable at home with my father vanishing without a word as he apparently tried to track down Mom.

    Screw everything. I didn''t give a crap anymore.

    I grabbed some of the cash I''d stolen from my parent''s rainy day shoebox and went to a strip club named The Gold Cheetah as dusk settled over the city. The bouncer stared at me then held out his hand for my ID. I handed it to him.

    He laughed. "Come back in a few years, kid."

    "But I''m eighteen."

    "Gotta be twenty-one here."

    I pulled out a fifty and handed it to him. He tossed it back at me.

    "Not gonna happen, kid. Now beat it."

    I grumbled and turned away. I hopped back into my car and noticed two large bouncers dragging a man out the back of the strip club. They chucked him into the grass behind the back parking lot, brushed off their hands, and went back inside. I skirted around the darkness at the edge of the lot until I found the guy still lying on the ground in a rumpled business suit. He mumbled drunkenly about strippers getting all touchy about where his hands went. I looked at him. From what I could tell, he looked nothing like me. He was a little taller and had a goatee. I spotted the bulge in his front pants pocket and reached for his wallet.

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    He grabbed my wrist and gave me an angry glare. "What the hell do you think you''re doing?"

    I punched him in the face. He went limp and silent. I hoped I hadn''t just killed him. His snores a few seconds later assured me he was still among the living. I breathed a sigh of relief and pulled his wallet all the way out. I ignored everything but his driver''s license and examined it. The resemblance wasn''t even close, plus the guy had twelve years on me. I put his wallet back and shoved the license into my pocket. It was worth a try.

    About fifteen minutes later, I arrived at another strip club, The Purple Pony. I wondered what it was with colors, animals, and strip club names. This one was a bit nicer on the outside, although having never been to one, I really didn''t know what constituted "nice" at a place like this. The bouncer glanced at the bogus license, then handed it back and took ten dollars for a cover charge. Music boomed on the inside and a lonely but fully clothed stripper on a four-foot tall stage danced on a pole for a sparse crowd. I sat at the bar and watched the creepy-looking guys feed her dollar bills.

    Most of them stared at her jiggly bits with blank expressions. One older guy who was wearing large circa 1980''s eyeglasses and, I kid you not, a detective cap like the one Sherlock Holmes wore, stared at her unblinkingly and occasionally licked his dry gray lips. He had serial killer written all over him.

    "Want a private dance, hon?" asked a smooth voice in my left ear. "I''m Raven."

    I turned to see a very attractive dark-haired girl in a translucent negligee standing there, her hands resting on my shoulder. She had chocolate brown eyes, tanned skin, and a unicorn tattoo over her pierced belly button. Long fake lashes, fishnet stockings, and knee-high leather boots reminded me of a warrior princess.

    "How private?" I asked, trying to keep the quaver out of my voice.

    She gave me a sugar-coated smile. "Don''t be nervous, sweetie," she said, rubbing my arm affectionately.

    She seemed to really like me. Of course she seems to, dummy. That''s her job, said brain number one.

    "How much?"

    "Well, a lap dance here would be ten, a dance in the private lounge is thirty, and a dance in a private VIP room is fifty."

    I pulled out the fifty the bouncer from the other place had rejected and held it out for her. She laughed and gently pressed my hand to a garter on her leg. I directed my shaky hand to slip the money under the elastic as a hot embarrassed flush raced from my face down my body. I felt like a total idiot.

    She took my chin and made me look her in the eyes. "You are adorable. Don''t worry sweetie, I''ll take good care of you." She took my hand and pulled me through some hallways and into a small room with a vinyl curtain covering the doorway. A faux leather couch squatted against the back wall and a foldout chair sat in the middle.

    "I''ll wait until this song ends so you''ll get a full dance, okay?"

    I nodded and sat in the folding chair since speaking seemed very difficult.

    "First time?"

    I nodded again.

    She sat on my lap and smiled. She was very pretty. Her huge breasts pressed against the sheer fabric of the nightgown she wore. Her teeth were white and perfectly straight. "Let''s go over the simple rules since you''re new, okay?"

    "Okay," I said, voice cracking.

    "I do all the touching. You," she said putting my hands to the sides of the chair, "have to keep your hands to yourself. Otherwise, I''ll have to get the bouncer to come and take you away. And you''re too cute for me to want to do that to you." She smiled and tapped my nose with her finger.

    I nodded and white-knuckle-gripped the sides of the chair. She laughed.

    "If you''re really good, I might give you a feel."

    Apparently I had no clue about the way lap dances worked. For some reason, I thought they involved sex at some point. I felt disgusted at myself for coming here now that my anger at the injustices of the world had faded, but it was kind of late to change my mind.

    The song ended and a new one began. Raven¡ªif that was her real name¡ªtwisted her body in a slow rhythm. She bent over, displaying her panties then straightened in a slow languorous motion. She slid the negligee from her shoulders with well-practiced flourishes. I wondered how many hundreds of times she''d done this same exact dance for other men. In the back of my mind, I could hear, feel, smell, and almost taste the white-hot hum of sexual energy. Hers seemed to be on the other side of a thin mental wall but other emotions sparkled around it. I guessed a stripper had to barricade some of her feelings to bare everything else for strangers.

    This wasn''t right. I shouldn''t be here, doing this. My stomach growled but I knew it wasn''t food I craved. The ethereal vapors of my mind reached for the smoky essence surrounding her. I reined them in. Agonizing hunger stabbed into my abdomen and my control slipped. My mind latched onto hers.

    She gasped. Her eyes narrowed. Her mouth opened and her tongue ran a sensual circuit around her lips. She moaned and sat on my lap.

    "Kiss me," she said.

    I really didn''t want to, but my own hunger had me in its thrall. I was as much a prisoner as she was. We locked lips. In my mind''s eye, I could see her essence writhing and seeking escape. I felt the way it tried to squirm from my grasp like a mouse under a cat''s paw. The aroma of primal fear filled my nostrils. But she couldn''t escape me, and part of her liked what I was doing. Every spike of pleasure and every attempt to get away energized me and weakened her resolve.

    She nibbled my neck. Energy poured into me until I felt like an overpowered bomb, ready to burst. The lights in the room dimmed. One of them popped and fizzled out.

    Raven got off my lap and went for my belt buckle.

    No. Not this. Not with her.

    Panic welled in me but I couldn''t move. A lustful force locked my muscles into place. I was helpless. Elyssa''s tear-filled eyes flashed into my mind. My body responded to my desperate pleas. I jerked back. The chair I was in flipped over backwards. Raven shrieked and stumbled backwards onto her butt. She jumped up, a lustful gleam in her eyes.

    "Where do you think you''re going?" she said in her deep sensual voice. "I''m not done with you yet."

    A huge guy ripped through the curtain, fury burning in his face. "What the hell is going on in here?"

    It was then that I noticed a glint in the upper corner of the room. An infrared camera hung there.

    Raven''s eyes widened. "Nothing happened, Bill."

    "Just having a friendly conversation," I said.

    Bill reached down and grabbed me. Threw me face-first against the wood-paneled wall. "Shut up, smart ass." He punched me in the kidney.

    It didn''t even hurt. I puzzled over that for a split second before dodging his fist as it impacted the wall where my head had been. Bill swung again. It all seemed like slow motion. I dodged and ducked. Punched him in the stomach. He flew across the room. His body splintered the cheap wooden paneling. Bounced off the wall, rolled over the couch, and onto the floor.

    Raven''s eyes grew huge.

    "Oh my God!" she said. She grabbed my arm and took me down the hall to a back door. "Get out of here before he goes for his gun. Bill''s crazy."

    "Does he have a crush on you or something?"

    "He owns this place, dummy." She opened the door and stared at me for a moment. "What happened back there, anyway? I''ve never felt anything like it." She glanced down at herself. "I''ve never had so much fun with my clothes on."

    I smiled. "It was pure magic."

    She flung her arms around my neck and kissed me. "It was magical. Who are you?"

    "That," I said before leaving, "is the million dollar question."

    Chapter 18

    I went home, buzzing with energy. I felt invincible on the one hand and absolutely filthy and terrified on the other. I had made out with a stripper. God only knew what kinds of venereal diseases I''d probably contracted just from kissing her. Then again, I healed super-fast from injuries, so maybe STDs couldn''t touch me.

    Elyssa had once again saved me from myself whether she knew it or not. I was surprised considering all that remained of our relationship was an ache in my heart. I still loved her. I had hoped against hope she would be The One. Fate obviously had other plans.

    On the way home, I passed by Katie''s neighborhood. Yet another example of love lost. Then again, had I really loved Katie? I was so tempted to use my charms on her and leave my virginity behind. Maybe then I''d stop hurting so much inside and simply deal with the cards God or some other cruel entity had dealt me.

    I parked at the curb in front of her house. It would be an easy thing to walk up the drive. Knock on the door. Seduce my former crush and ravish her. I got out of the car and took a few hesitant steps toward Katie''s house. A familiar heat blossomed between my shoulder blades.

    "I warned you and you didn''t listen, did you, my love?" said Stacey.

    "Love?" I said, turning to face my cute and rather frightening stalker. "What do you know about love?"

    Stacey showed her lovely teeth and purred. A breeze blew back her hair and I noticed her ears had pointy tips like an elf¡­or a Vulcan. "I know far more than you, little lamb."

    I walked over and gripped her shoulders. She pursed her rosy lips and purred.

    "What am I?" I asked. "Am I a dark faerie?"

    She giggled. "Now, now, dear. You have not agreed to my stipulations."

    I reached for her psychic energy but it slipped away from me like smoke in a breeze. The sensations I drew from her were so different as to be almost alien.

    "You will find I am not so easily captured nor tantalized as mortal kine, love. I will teach you how to please me." She wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer. She rubbed her head against my chest and inhaled deeply.

    I was oh so very tempted to give in to her demands right then. What more did I have to lose? I stared up at Katie''s house. Her bedroom light winked out and with it, any desire I''d had to go knock on the door. I extricated myself with some difficulty from Stacey''s firm embrace and walked down the driveway toward my car.

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    "You''re leaving me again?" she said in an angry tone. "Are you not even curious about what I have to offer?"

    "Of course I am." I looked her up and down. She was undeniably sexy and cute but that not entirely human part of her gave me the creeps. Catlike ears. Rough tongue. Feline eyes. Was she some sort of cat woman? My internal catalogue of fantastic creatures grew by another entry. Not that I knew which of the ones I''d looked up online were real. I wondered if she could turn into a cat. Shape-shifting didn''t seem all that far-fetched anymore. Maybe she was some sort of werecat. "I made a counter offer but you refused."

    "I have explained myself quite thoroughly," she said and sniffed.

    "What is it with women and disdainful sniffing? Are you gonna start tugging on your braid too?"

    She wrinkled her forehead and gave me a puzzled look. "I think it rather obvious I have no braid."

    Light from a streetlamp reflected eerily off her amber eyes just like a cat''s would. Her vertically-slit pupils dilated until they were round.

    "You are one strange cat," I said, meaning it literally.

    "I am exceptional."

    "You''ll get no argument from me, Cheetara," I said.

    "Who, pray tell, is Cheetara?"

    "That''s for me to know and you to find out." My turn to be mysterious, babe! I made a show of checking my watch. "I really need to go home. Gotta get up early for school."

    Musical laughter tinkled from her red lips. "You amuse me, Justin. I would so dearly love to keep you safe from harm. I promise I would love you to death."

    "See, that''s the kind of creepy stuff that drives away guys," I said. "Mentioning the whole love and death thing in one sentence. It scares us." I paused and decided to take a stab at her identity. "You''re a werecat, aren''t you?"

    Her eyes widened and a smile lit her face. "You''re a clever one, my lamb. Perhaps that will be enough to keep you alive." She stood on tiptoe and kissed me on the cheek with hot lips, then sprinted away into the darkness. Not so fast, I thought. I wanted to find out where she lived, and I was overflowing with fresh energy. I knew I''d have no problems keeping up. I dashed after her and tripped over a tree root on the other side of the street, nearly braining myself on a low stone wall. I climbed to my feet and brushed the dirt off my pants. A sigh escaped my lips. What good were super powers if I was too clumsy to use them?

    I went home and wasn''t a bit surprised to discover Dad was still gone. A message blinked on the landline phone. I checked it. Another private eye had left a message, telling Dad he was off the case after a single tiny black cloud appeared out of the clear blue and rained frogs on his agency. The Conroys again. Next time I saw Dad, he and I were going to have a little talk. I wondered if he might be stalking women down at the Laundromat again.

    I jogged to the strip mall but he wasn''t there staring at old women with those strangely blue eyes of his. Then it hit me. His eyes and mine were the same color¡ªhazel. And his had been ice blue that day¡ªthe same color mine had turned. Was he a faerie too? I snatched a bottle off the ground and hurled it angrily, expecting it to fly a few feet and smash into the pavement. Instead, it sailed over the other end of the parking lot, over the strip mall, and out of sight. Enough with the mysteries and ignorance. I had to find Dad and demand answers.

    School the next day was a miserable affair. Nyte and Ash had troubled looks on their faces when I entered the gymnasium.

    "I''m really sorry about you and Elyssa," Ash said.

    "Sucks, man," said Nyte, his ginger complexion flushing red.

    "Uh, what did she tell you guys?" I asked.

    Ash answered. "Just that things didn''t work out and she was taking a break from the group."

    That sounded like one of Elyssa''s rational reasons. Of course it was utter crap. I felt ill just thinking about her. My knees turned to jelly and my stomach soured. I dropped onto the bleachers, trying desperately to keep from crying and throwing up all at the same time.

    Ash squeezed my shoulder. "I really thought you two were a great couple."

    I couldn''t answer. It took everything I had not to sob uncontrollably. The bell mercifully rang. I got up and stepped into the aisle to walk down the stairs. A thudding noise warned me at the last second that something was wrong. I jumped back just as Nathan''s shoulder rammed the empty air where I''d been. Caught off balance, he tumbled down seven stairs before face-planting with a crunch on the hardwoods below. He howled in pain, rolling onto his back as blood poured from his nose and down the sides of his face. It reminded me fondly of our first encounter.

    Laughter rippled across the bleachers while his football buddies rushed down to help him. Concerned cheerleaders sprang to his side and soon all the pretty people were loudly admonishing those who were laughing.

    Then Mr. Barnes showed up. He saw Nathan bleeding profusely on the gym floor and yelled for the nurse. His eyes locked onto me. He glowered. Walked over to Adam and started talking to him. I tried to attune my hearing so I could pick up on the conversation, but the general hubbub formed a sonic barrier against eavesdropping. Adam pointed at me, a scowl on his face. Barnes gave a nasty grin, one I was sure he''d practiced over and over in the mirror, and motioned for me to come to him.

    Ash and Nyte collectively groaned. I gritted my teeth and grabbed my book bag off the bleacher where it had fallen and strode toward Mr. Barnes. I knew nothing I said would exonerate me. If only my brain had gotten an upgrade in addition to my brawn. The little demon on my left shoulder told me to grab Mr. Barnes and fling him through a basketball hoop and then to beat Adam and Steve into bloody pulps. I didn''t have an angel on my right shoulder¡ªmore like a nerd with glasses who kept telling me in a nasal voice that physical violence would only get me booted from school and in trouble with the police.

    I had to agree with the nerd.

    "So you''ve graduated to tripping people, Case," said Mr. Barnes. "March yourself down to the principal''s office and wait there."

    Adam and Steve smirked at me. Aside from their hair color, they could have been clones.

    "Looks more like a case of steroids interfering with motor coordination," I said.

    "You little¡ª!" Adam sprang at me, grabbing me by my shirt and shoving me backward. I had no problem maintaining my balance.

    "I do believe he just physically assaulted me, Mr. Barnes," I said.

    "I didn''t see anything," Mr. Barnes replied. "But I heard a verbal assault which I''m adding to your report."

    My face burned. Rage suffocated the last shred of resistance and the cautious nerd within me hightailed it out of there. Everything seemed to slow as the adrenalin in my body spiked. I balled my hands into fists. I would crush these morons. These bugs.

    A familiar face caught my eye. Elyssa stood in the doorway. Her eyes glistened with sadness. Or were they narrowed in contempt? I uncurled my hands and let my arms drop to my sides. A tear sparkled like a diamond down her cheek and then she walked away.

    I trudged down the hallway to the office and took a seat in front of the secretary.

    "Back again already?" she asked in a mouse-like voice. She tsked. "Kids these days."

    I ignored her. The image of Elyssa haunted me. I closed my eyes and she was there smiling, her face full of light and love. I opened my eyes and saw Mr. Perkins''s butt in my face as he flirted with the secretary.

    She laughed. "Oh Mr. Perkins, you''re such a card."

    He turned to face me. "Into the office, Case."

    I walked in and sat down, resigned to my fate.

    "You still haven''t learned your lesson, I see." He leaned back in his chair with an alarming squeak from the springs. He rested his hands on his rotund belly. "I suspect Ms. Foreman will be sorely disappointed to learn her detention wasn''t enough to set you right." He tapped his lower lip and an evil smile curled his lips. "I may just have a cure for you, boy."

    I smiled as I left his office moments later. That idiot thought he was punishing me? It was all I could do not to laugh out loud at the secretary''s confused look.

    "Well I never," she said in a huff. "Rotten kids!"

    Ash and Nyte waited anxiously to hear what had happened when I joined them for lunch. When I told them about my punishment, they grimaced in horror.

    "This is an outrage," Ash said. "They''ll murder you."

    "Dude, you''re gonna get destroyed," Nyte added helpfully.

    "I think they''ll be surprised," I replied.

    "You''ve been working out?" Nyte asked.

    I nodded.

    Ash covered his face. "I can''t bear to watch."

    Nyte sighed. "I''m definitely gonna watch no matter how bad it is. Maybe I should video it for proof."

    "Proof of what?" Ash said. "Homicide?"

    I sighed. "Calm down, guys. Nobody''s getting murdered. Trust me."

    "What do you want for your epitaph?" Ash asked. He waved a dismissive hand in the air. "Never mind. I''ll come up with something. It''ll have to mention how bravely you faced doom."

    "Lay off with the melodrama," I said with a laugh. They were killing my confidence.

    As I left the lunch room, Tweedledum and the Tweedledee clones pushed themselves off the wall where they''d been leaning, obviously waiting for me. Nathan with his very bruised and bandaged nose tried to smile while his two lackeys imitated chimpanzee grins. Word of my punishment had spread predictably fast.

    "You''re all mine, Case," he said in a stuffy-nosed voice as he poked me hard in the chest.

    "Sorry, Nathan, but I only go for girls, not apes."

    Nathan roared and grabbed my shirt.

    "Save it for the field, Mr. Spelman," said Ted Barnes from a few feet away.

    Nathan reluctantly let go of my shirt. He smoothed it out with a gruesomely bruised smile plastered on his face. "You''re right, Mr. Barnes. I wouldn''t want to get his street clothes all dirty."

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    Mr. Barnes smiled. "Very good." He glared at me. "Go to class before I get even more creative with your punishment."

    I shrugged and walked down the hall. As I passed the corner of the senior lockers hallway, a hand reached out and jerked me around the corner. Elyssa slammed me against the lockers with a bang.

    "Ow!" I said, rubbing my head.

    She glared at me with steel in her eyes. "You have to get out of this punishment."

    "I''m really tired of people glaring at me today."

    "Shut up and listen to me. You can''t go through with this."

    "What do you care? I''m a monster, remember?"

    "You may not be human, but those football players are. You don''t understand what will happen if you harm them and the wrong agents find out."

    "If I''m not human, what the hell am I?" I wanted to grab her by the shoulders but would probably pull back bloody stumps if I did.

    She rolled her eyes and sighed. "I honestly can''t believe nobody''s told you."

    "Then freaking tell me and stop being so damned mean and mysterious!"

    She blushed as if embarrassed. "I¡ªI don''t know exactly what you are. I only know your type."

    "Are you serious? You hate my guts because I''m a monster but you don''t even know what I am?"

    Her eyes narrowed with dangerous intent. "You''re a leech. A parasite that feeds on others to survive. That much I know. If I had to guess, I''d say you were a fader or a vamprey. They look human but they''re creatures of the Overworld."

    "The Overworld?" I''d heard that world once before, from Stacey.

    "My God, how have you survived so far?"

    "Why do you care? I thought you wanted me dead." I rubbed my now-healed throat. It didn''t hurt, but my heart pounded painfully at the thought of what she''d done and what she''d promised to do. She looked away. "You don''t understand. I don''t expect you to. Maybe you didn''t try to trick me into loving you but¡ª"

    "Wait, so you do love me?" I asked, hope welling in my heart.

    She growled and pounded her fist into a locker, leaving a fist-shaped dent. "Stop it, Justin. Stop it!"

    I grabbed her shoulders. "Look at me and tell me you don''t love me," I said. "Do it and I''ll never bother you again."

    "I don''t love you," she mumbled.

    "Look at me when you say it!"

    She turned to me, her eyes hard but dull and faded. "I don''t love you."

    I let her go. My heart turned to lead, the heavy lump sagging in my chest. "Well, if there are agents out there looking to kill me, I guess it would be a mercy."

    I turned to leave. Her hand gripped my shoulder.

    "Please listen to me, Justin."

    I pushed her hand away but didn''t turn to face her. I couldn''t let her see the tears welling in my eyes. "Why? What does it matter?"

    "It just does. I¡ªI don''t want to see you hurt."

    I took a deep shuddering breath. "You''re not doing a very good job of it." I walked away and left her standing there.

    Chapter 19

    It took longer than I''d expected to put on a football uniform but not as long as it had taken the outfitter to find one that would fit me. He''d measured me at five feet, eight inches and a hundred-eighty pounds which came as a surprise to me since I''d been five feet, six inches and a hundred-seventy pounds of pure lard just a few weeks ago. Most of the football players were over six feet tall and their gear made them appear even bigger. I looked like a munchkin in a forest of lumbering giants.

    "Good luck," said the outfitter with a dubious expression on his face. He was a skinny guy and friendlier than I''d expected. He probably planned to forward my measurements on to the undertaker.

    I wondered if I died if I would turn to dust and freak everyone out. I''d searched for "vamprey" and "fader" last night after Elyssa''s revelation about what she thought I was. Both of the supernatural creatures had abilities similar to mine. Both were also supposed to be dark, evil creatures. I didn''t want to be either. I wanted to be a nice supernatural guy, not a jackass.

    Coach Burgundy yelled at me the moment I stepped onto the field for practice, shaking me from my thoughts. "Get your ass over here, Case!" He was a short stout man with a porn ''stache, beer-keg belly, and a large purple-veined nose. How a man of his physique could coach football made no sense. Then again, maybe our one-and-three record made total sense.

    The offensive coordinator, Coach Wise, lived up to his title and coordinated offensive obscenities which he hurled at me while urging me to increase the pace of my hell-bound posterior. He was short, fat, and ruddy with a shaved head. I gave him an offended look then trotted over to Coach Burgundy.

    "Show us what you got, kid," Burgundy said and pointed to a long row of tires.

    "Do I pick them up?" I asked. A vague memory of having seen these before rattled in the nearly empty football database stored in my brain, but I wasn''t sure what the deal was. Maybe I need to roll them somewhere.

    Laughter rose from the assembled football players.

    "Retard," someone said.

    "You little idiot, you run through them," Coach Wise screamed.

    I ran at them. My foot caught on the first one and I smacked face-first onto a tire. Guffaws and loud laughter echoed across the field. My face burned with humiliation. I could beat the tar out of those idiots but I couldn''t run across some stupid tires? I stood up, brushed myself off, and started over. This time I took it slower. I focused on my feet. My eyes roved ahead and picked out the pattern. My feet got the message and painstakingly made it the rest of the way through without tripping me up. Still, I''d done it at sub-turtle speed. Coach Wise yelled at me to turn around and come back faster.

    I think he just wanted me to bust my butt again. I came back a little faster, almost losing it on a row of larger tires in the middle, but eventually made it. Nathan, huge and intimidating in his uniform stood watching, his helmet tucked under his arm. He scowled when I made it across unscathed. His swollen, plum-colored nose was covered in fewer bandages. I couldn''t believe he was practicing. I guess his nose hadn''t been broken, just sprained.

    "Can''t wait for blocking practice, Case. I''m gonna show you pain."

    I glanced at his nose. "I think you already are showing me pain."

    A chorus of disdain and hoots rose from the players. Some of them razzed Nathan while others clearly expected to see me carted to the morgue by the end of practice.

    The next exercise consisted of Coach Wise standing atop a contraption with skids on the bottom and large pads on the side. It seemed to belong on a ski slope, not a grassy field. Thankfully, I didn''t have to go first this time. I watched players ram their shoulder pads against it, pushing the thing while Coach Wise stood on a platform on the other side and hurled insults questioning their sexual preferences, parental lineage, and physical strength. If this was what passed for motivational talk in football, it was no wonder jackasses like Nathan seemed to abound in the sport.

    "Case, Meyers, Riggs, Heyward, get your butts out here," Coach Wise said in his lovely mellifluous voice.

    Three other guys trotted out with me. Coach Wise barked out some commands. We lined up. He blew the whistle. We charged the sled. I rammed into it with my shoulder and pushed for all I was worth. Coach Wise blew his whistle like a maniacal traffic cop. I stopped and looked around, confused. We''d pushed the sled about twenty yards. Correction: I''d pushed it. The other three guys were picking themselves up out of the dirt. Apparently, I''d pushed it so fast that they''d fallen flat on their faces.

    "What the hell is wrong with you, Case?" Coach Wise said, his entire head glowing scarlet. "You have to time it with the team, you moron."

    "Sorry."

    We turned the sled around and lined up again. This time I paced myself and gave only a little effort so the others could keep up. After several more inane exercises, Wise divided us into offense and defense. Nathan lined up on the defensive line. His two buddies, Adam and Steve, took positions just behind the line. Apparently they really were linebackers.

    Coach Wise lined me up in what I learned was the tight end position. Nathan walked over and said something to him. They both sniggered like little kids, whispering back and forth. I knew I wasn''t in for a good time. Nobody was lined up directly across from me, but Steve, who hovered just behind the defensive line, graced me with a sneer. Super strength or not, these guys knew what they were doing and they had mass on me. They could cause me some pain if they hit me just right.

    We huddled around the quarterback.

    "Tight dump on three," he said. He grabbed my practice jersey. "That means you."

    "I have to drop a deuce on the count of three?"

    "No, you dork. Run out about ten feet and cut straight left. Look for the ball right when you cross the middle."

    I remembered seeing a football game where some guy got absolutely clobbered trying to catch a ball across the middle. My future as a target practice dummy was clear. I sighed and took my position.

    The quarterback started his call. "Green forty-five! Green forty-five! Hut. Hut. Hut!"

    Both lines exploded into action. I hesitated. Jetted forward a few steps. Cut left. Made a mad dash across the middle. My senses spiked. Every color brightened. Every breath and creak of equipment in my ears coordinated sounds with a location. Other players appeared to slow a fraction¡ªor perhaps my brain was speeding up. Adam''s cleats kicked up dirt as he rushed me from my left. Nathan was turning, his eyes locking onto the target, namely, me. Steve approached from behind. The quarterback cocked his arm back. His arm catapulted forward. The ball rocketed toward a point feet away where I would meet the football and my body would meet Nathan and friends. According to my calculations, I would catch the ball about a split second before Nathan and Adam pounded me from the front and Steve rammed me from behind.

    I caught the ball. Lowered my shoulders and clenched my teeth. Plowed into Nathan and Adam. They were heavy guys and dense with muscle, not to mention their bone-filled heads. I was lower to the ground, though, and a hell of a lot stronger. Plus, I was ready for them. It felt like I''d punched through a brick wall, but I came out the other side and ran twenty yards before I tripped over my own feet and plowed a furrow through the grass with my facemask.

 Page 28

    I stood up sputtering and digging dirt and grass out of my eyes. I had to take off the helmet to get it all out. I turned to see Nathan flat on his back and Adam rolling around clutching his knee. Coach Wise stared at me with a combination of naked horror and wonderment.

    Steve pulled Nathan off the ground. Nathan limped a little, shooting looks of pure hatred at me. Then he and Steve helped Adam off the field and onto the bench.

    Coach Wise stormed over to me and grabbed my jersey. He pulled me in for a close-up of his crooked yellow teeth and rotten tobacco breath. Turned his head to the side and spat a dark glob on the ground before glaring at me again. "You ever played football, son?"

    "No."

    Coach Burgundy was speaking with Nathan and Steve. They looked at me. Burgundy grinned and nodded.

    Oh, crap.

    They lined me up as a running back next. I wasn''t sure if I was the halfback, the three-quarters back, or the fullback, but I knew I was going to get the ball. I was supposed to run straight through a hole made by the big guy playing center and the guy to his left. I couldn''t remember the position names, but I guessed it didn''t really matter. Nathan lined up where the hole would form. Steve crouched right behind him. Adam, sitting on the sideline, had ice on his knee, so at least I didn''t have him to worry about.

    "You''re gonna feel pain, Case," Nathan said. "You''re gonna feel like a train just ran your tiny ass over."

    The quarterback barked the signs. I saw him turn with the ball. I ran forward and felt the ball thump into my belly. It was a good thing the real running back had told me how to receive the ball or I probably would have just knocked it on the ground.

    Again, my senses kicked into hyper-drive. The hole in the line opened, except it wasn''t a hole for me to get out so much as it was a hole for Nathan and Steve to come in and pound me to hamburger. I ran straight at them. This time I put a little arm action into the mix and shoved Nathan away. Steve glanced off my other shoulder, but his hands gripped my jersey. I ran, dragging him behind me for ten yards until another player dove at my legs and knocked them out from underneath me.

    Nathan was howling in pain, holding his arm. I''d knocked him back a few feet. Steve pushed himself up slowly. He looked dazed. Coach Wise walked over and grabbed me by the facemask. He dragged me over to Coach Burgundy.

    "Wise tells me you ain''t never played football," Burgundy said. "That true?"

    I nodded.

    "You juicing, boy?"

    I knew this time they weren''t asking about orange juice. "You mean steroids? No."

    "You gotta pass a drug screening anyway. Go give the nurse some piss and blood."

    "Why do I need to pass a drug screening?"

    He chuckled. "You want to be a part of the team, don''t ya boy?"

    "You want me to play?" I asked in horror. That meant I''d have to see Nathan and his goons every day, not to mention practice football.

    "I think if you want to stay in the good graces of the principal, you''ll do what I tell you, boy."

    Coach Wise spit a glob of brown between my shoes. "Now git outta here and give the nurse what he told you to, Case. And have your butt out here for practice tomorrow."

    "But¡ªbut¡ª" I said, sputtering and unable to offer up a defense. I face-palmed and turned for the locker room. About halfway there I heard footsteps running behind me. I spun, preparing to defend myself, then noticed it was Ash and Nyte.

    "That was freaking epic!" Nyte said, clapping me on the shoulder pad.

    Ash shook my hand. "Simply amazing, Justin. I didn''t think you had it in you."

    "And it''s all on video," Nyte said. "Epic!"

    "Yay," I said glumly, pumping my fist. "I should''ve just let them beat the crap out of me."

    "Why?" Ash said.

    "Because now they want me to take a drug screening so I can play on the team."

    "What?" they both asked in unison.

    "And if I don''t, then they threatened to make things harder on me."

    "Oh, man," Ash said, his nerdy accent sounding a little more Asian than usual. "I wasn''t aware they could add you to the team this far into the season."

    Nyte snorted. "Dude, this is the South. Football coaches are gods down here."

    I went into the locker room and changed clothes. I wasn''t about to take a shower in the place. From there, I found the nurse''s office. She was still there, puttering around and mumbling to herself. She took my blood and then I peed in a cup with a screw-on cap. I worried she might want to hold my privates and make me cough. The last thing I wanted was a little old lady violating me. Thankfully, she did not.

    I was famished by the time I got out of there, and it wasn''t just food I was hungry for. If the nurse had touched me in my no-no place, I might have lost control and the results would have destroyed my sex drive forever. I shuddered.

    Darkness descended as I drove home. The hunger grew, clawing at my stomach and demanding I feed.

    "No!" I said, slamming the steering wheel. A wave of dizziness overcame me. The road blurred. Snapped back into focus. Tail lights flashed feet away. I slammed on the brakes and avoided rear-ending a pickup truck by inches.

    I cursed and pulled into the next parking lot I came to. A Chinese buffet beckoned me and my stomach to come hither. But I was hungry for more than food and it was driving me out of my mind. This was torture.

    My stomach whined again, growling its displeasure with me. "Just normal food," I told it. "No molesting girls."

    I wasn''t sure it was my stomach that needed talking to.

    I ran into the restaurant and piled a plate high with beef, broccoli, and mushrooms from the buffet table. It smelled divine. My stomach did the happy dance but another part of me snarled at the insult. It didn''t like being ignored. The waitress who filled my water was old, fat, and had hair growing from a wart on her chin. That could be really, really good or really, really bad depending upon just how desperate my soul-sucking tummy wanted energy.

    I dug into the food, inhaling it. Eating that much food should have stuffed me. Instead, I felt hollow and ravenous as ever. The craving felt no different than typical hunger pains, but strange visions appeared before my eyes. Most people, even guys, now had steamy halos of energy floating around their heads or a glowing nimbus drifting like fog around their bodies. The creature within me stirred. I drooled. I wiped my mouth with a napkin and squeezed my eyes shut. I had to get out of there before I did something terrible. Especially if it involved getting it on with another dude or my waitress.

    "More water?"

    I looked up and stared into the dark liquid eyes of a gorgeous Asian girl. "I¡ªuh¡­" Pulsating white tendrils streamed from me and latched onto the girl''s halo. I knocked my glass off the table as I reached useless hands toward the ghostly tentacles to stop them. It was way too late.

    Her eyes grew heavy-lidded. Her pupils dilated, eclipsing brown irises. She dropped the pitcher of water onto the floor where it clattered against the tiles and splashed on her shoes. A brief moment of silence ensued. The restaurant grew still and silent around us. Then she launched herself at me. My self-control shattered. Her soft lips met mine, pressing hard and filled with the desire to consume me. She nipped my lower lip. Giggled. She jumped on me, locking her legs around my waist and peppering me with kisses. Then she got personal. She pulled my T-shirt over my head and kissed my neck. Bit it. Ran her tongue along my earlobe and whispered exactly what she wanted to do to me in my ear.

    I swept dishes and Chinese condiments off the table and sat her on top of it while the din of breaking glass and clattering silverware filled the restaurant.

    What are you doing? A horrified but tiny voice screamed from somewhere within my head. I pulled back from the girl for a moment. Threads of energy swirled like tiny vortexes from her halo and into me. Her essence glowed bright and welcoming and lustful.

    My body strained to resume what it had been doing a moment before, but the sane part of me wondered if I was killing the girl.

    Who cares? A gruff, malevolent part of me felt just fine with it. In fact, it wanted me to do it. I care! I didn''t want to be a creature of the night. And even if I were a monster, it didn''t mean I had to be a complete jackass about it.

    Why do I still care? Elyssa hates me. And the power I have¡ªI should use it! Why shouldn''t I experience love and happiness?

    But this wasn''t happiness and it sure as hell wasn''t love. It was pure simple lust and nothing more. Besides, I might be killing her.

    Cold water splashed against the side of my face. Another pitcher full of ice water dashed against the cute waitress. I sputtered. She shrieked. My connection to the girl evaporated. My former waitress, the one with a pre-pubescent goatee was shouting something in what I thought might be Chinese. The girl gave a horrified look at the mess she and I had created and yelled back at the other waitress while she jabbed her finger at me.

    I dropped some money on the table and fled the scene. Hopped in my car and screeched out of the parking lot.

    "I can have any woman," I told myself as I pulled onto the highway, "But all I want is Elyssa."

    I took a deep breath before I suffocated from the oppressive maudlin atmosphere. The powers I had were wrecking my life. So far I''d done nothing resulting in a positive outcome. Every time I''d tried to overpower my oppressors, I only ended up further and further under their control. Using my abilities obviously drained my supernatural energy levels but I had to use them if I wanted to survive football. I couldn''t quit football because the principal and his lackeys had me by the short hairs. That meant these cravings would continue.

    If I didn''t figure out a way to fix this, I''d eventually do something terrible and attract the wrong attention. Elyssa had warned me. Stacey had warned me. I was backing myself into a very dangerous corner.

    My phone beeped with a text message. It was from Ash and it had a link to YouTube. I clicked the link and stared in horror.

    Nyte had posted clips from football practice. I was there for the world to see, supernatural abilities and all.

 Page 29

    Chapter 20

    I couldn''t rid myself of the knot sitting like a lead weight in my stomach the next day. I wondered how many people in the school had seen Nyte''s video and put the pieces together even though Nyte had thankfully left out names and his account wasn''t associated with his true identity. No telling how many people Nyte had shown it to. Just what I needed: a video showing how inhuman I was.

    Then my stomach welcomed a fresh shock to the system. I had given a urine and blood sample to the nurse yesterday. What if I really wasn''t human? What kind of results would they get back?

    Oh my God.

    This was trouble. I had to swap those samples with someone else''s. Maybe I could talk Ash or Nyte into giving up some bodily fluids for my sake. I''d have to lie and tell them I was on steroids or purple drank though.

    I skipped the gymnasium and rushed to the nurse''s office. The little old lady wasn''t there. Instead, an oxymoron gazed sleepily at me.

    "Yeah?" said the male nurse. He was a tall heavy-set guy with tiny eyes and a blimp for a head. I couldn''t understand how anyone in the healthcare industry would let themselves go like that. He had to be pushing three-hundred pounds.

    "I left some, uh, fluid samples here yesterday, and I was wondering if they were still here."

    "Nah. Nurse Godwin took all that to the lab this morning. She''ll be back soon with the results, so I wouldn''t sweat it."

    Sweat broke out on my forehead. "Where is this lab?" I asked, my voice notching into a panicked squeak.

    His eyes narrowed. "Something you''re worried about?"

    My mind grasped frantically for some excuse. "I ate powdered bull testicle, and someone told me it would jack up my testosterone levels. I''m afraid it might show up bad on my test."

    His eyes relaxed and he laughed. "Those homeopathic remedies are so fake, dude. You don''t have a thing to worry about. Besides, they started the drug screening tests at five this morning so they''re probably all done."

    I bit back a string of inventive curses but let them find a home in my mind in case the need for such atrocities ever arose again. I left the office. Instead of going to the gymnasium where trouble always found me, I snuck into my homeroom class and sat very still, hoping Mr. Herman wouldn''t look up from the large mural he was painting on the wall. It looked like Sonny and Cher in full seventies regalia. He turned his head, as if pure animal instinct had told him I was at his back. I was, I realized with a jolt, a predator in every sense of the word. True, I didn''t prey on men. Although I had fed on those guys in the bathroom. It had just been laughter, though, no kissing. Surely that didn''t put my sexual preferences into question, did it? I shuddered.

    "Congratulations," he said, then turned back to painting.

    "For what?"

    "For laying out that punk Nathan Spelman. I can''t tell that inbred gorilla to do anything. He''s got the collective head of the administration up his fat ass."

    "Laying him out?"

    He chuckled. "I saw the video. I was watching a Deep Purple video when a colleague sent me the link."

    Oh no. Nyte, I''m going to kill you.

    I started sweating again. "How did you know it was me?"

    He put down the paintbrush and turned to look at me again. "The faculty knows about your punishment. Those idiots in the main office can''t keep anything a secret from us. I figured you''d be in crutches next time I saw you."

    "Is there anything I can do to stop them from making me play football?"

    "This is the South, kid. It isn''t progressive California or the great white north where basketball is king. These good old boys have got you by your young boys whether you like it or not."

    "Can you teachers help me?"

    He snorted. "Why? After what I saw, you have nothing to be afraid of."

    Except I did. If Elyssa was right, I had plenty to worry about.

    I received a lot of curious looks and stares during the day. I wanted to wear a paper sack over my head so people wouldn''t know it was me. After English class, Mr. Turpin waved me over to his desk. I wondered if he was going to give me more useless advice about making sure to knock down big people before beating the crap out of them.

    He leaned back in his chair and said, "You seem to be a natural at football, Mr. Case. I saw the videos and I must say, I''m impressed."

    Elyssa had been right. What a horrible mistake this was turning out to be. "I really overdid the energy drinks. All that caffeine and sugar, you know."

    An amused smile crept across his face. "I''m sure. It appears this football season will be far more interesting than I''d anticipated. And perhaps Nathan and his friends will learn that you''re not such easy pickings after all."

    "I really don''t want to play," I said. "In fact, I''d just as soon quit."

    "Unfortunately, it appears that our good Coach Burgundy has a vested interest in keeping you on the team."

    "So I''ve heard."

    His smile vanished as he leaned forward. "There are ways to fix such problems, however."

    Something in his face made my blood run cold and I wondered if a few wires had been knocked loose in his boxing days, or maybe short-circuited something essential. Surely this guy wasn''t suggesting I do terrible things, was he? "What do you mean?"

    His eyes narrowed and he pursed his lips for a moment. "I''m sure you''ll figure that out, Mr. Case. Good luck to you."

    After school let out, I trudged down to football practice. Thunder pealed in the dark sky, followed shortly by rain. It perfectly complemented my mood. A couple of players I didn''t know gave me grudging nods of respect¡ªor maybe it was fear¡ªas I approached. Nathan and his bunch glared at me.

    So what else is new?

    After pushups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, and something they called burpees¡ªwhich had nothing to do with burping¡ªwe had to run the tire gauntlet and push the sled and repeat the same stuff from the day before. Afterward, they put me in as a running back.

    Bryan, the quarterback, grabbed my jersey in the huddle. "I don''t know why the hell they''re putting you in this position. You don''t know a thing about football."

    I pulled his hand loose and looked at the concerned and angry expressions in the huddle. "I don''t have a choice. I''m stuck with you and you''re stuck with me." But I had an idea to unstick me from this mess.

    I got the ball on the first play, of course. Nathan lunged at me. I let him take me out. He rammed me into the ground. It hurt, but not as bad as I''d feared. I still gave everyone a good show, limping back to the huddle. The next play took me right into Steve''s arms. He roared in triumph as he took me down, pumping his fists and laughing. Nathan gave him a high-five and kicked a clod of dirt on my jersey while I was getting up. Three plays and three painful tackles later, Coach Burgundy called me over to the sideline. Finally. An end to the madness.

    "You ain''t a bad actor, boy," he said with a grin. "But this ain''t the Glee Club and you ain''t fooling me."

    "I just got lucky yesterday," I said.

    "I don''t think you did, boy." He shoveled a fat pinch of tobacco into his mouth. "I think you don''t want to play." He spat and looked out at the players. "Them''s some good kids out there. You may have the strength, but far as I''m concerned you''re just a piece of cowardly trash compared to them."

    "Thanks for the encouragement, sir," I said with every ounce of sarcasm in my body.

    "I''ll tell you something else, boy. I don''t care how you feel about playing. If you don''t straighten up and fly right, then your grades will suffer."

    "You''d force teachers to fail me if I don''t play? You can''t get away with that."

    "You think I can''t? I own this school, boy."

    "You don''t own all the teachers. There''s no way they''d go along with you."

    "Why don''t you just test that little theory of yours and see what happens."

    "Fine, fail me then. I''ll just move to another school."

    "Maybe you can. But can your friends?" He hawked and spat a glob between my shoes.

    My mouth fell open. Who did this fat turd think he was? God, obviously. I wished I had a recorder on me. I would nail him to the wall. Surely the cops would do something about it if nobody else would. At that moment, however, I had no choice but to comply. I would bide my time and then revisit this conversation with him tomorrow, only then I would bring a recorder.

    "Fine. But leave my friends out of this."

    He slapped me on the butt. "Atta boy. Now get back out there."

    "What''s the matter?" Nathan asked in a whiney mocking voice as I rejoined the team on the field. "Coach finally see you ain''t worth crap?"

    I ignored him and the shoulder bump from Steve as I passed through the defensive line and back to the offensive huddle. Bryan sighed and shook his head.

    "Bulldozer left," he said, calling a variation on the same play we''d been repeating over and over so Nathan and buddies could pound me into the dirt. I could tell he was getting as sick of it as I was, but Coach Wise was hollering the plays from the sidelines like a crazed hillbilly drunk off his ass on moonshine.

    I looked back at Coach Burgundy and snarled behind the facemask. I looked at Nathan. He bared his teeth like a chimp. I wasn''t sure who I hated the most right then, Coach Burgundy, Nathan, or myself.

    I got the ball. I smashed past Nathan, but pulled my punches so it wouldn''t look too spectacular. I dodged left to avoid a lunging Steve, and then sprinted, only to trip over my own feet. Heaven help me if the coach thought I was faking that. I pounded the dirt with my fist only to have the breath pounded out of me as Adam and Steve piled on.

    "Enough of that," Coach Wise said in his usual quiet manner, veins pulsing in his forehead like blue fire hoses ready to burst.

    Bryan helped me up. "How can you be so good one minute then clumsy the next?"

    I shrugged. "I''ve never been very athletic. Not unless you count fencing."

 Page 30

    "You made fences?"

    I groaned.

    After practice I sat in my car and stared out at the dark, empty parking lot. The hunger was back and as bad as ever. I couldn''t ignore it. I had hoped the less the craving, the easier it might be to avoid losing control. It apparently didn''t work that way. I had no choice but to feed.

    I went to a restaurant¡ªno more strip clubs for me¡ªand found a cute girl headed for the bathroom. Between the men and women''s restrooms was a family bathroom with a lock on the door.

    "Hi," I said, letting the hunger control the vaporous sex-seeking tendrils.

    The girl gave me a look that said to bug off. I latched on to her halo. She stopped dead in her tracks as lust filled her eyes.

    She was mine.

    The next day at practice I saw Nyte, Ash, and a handful of students sitting in the bleachers. I waved at my friends then trudged toward Coach Burgundy. I''d hidden an MP3 recorder in my pants, intent on recording something incriminating. I noticed he was talking to the sheriff and a couple of deputies. How convenient. He waved me over.

    "Here''s that boy I was talking about," he said.

    "He don''t look like much," said the sheriff. "You sure he''s up to it?"

    "Don''t let his size fool ya, Roscoe. This boy''s the real deal." He slapped the sheriff on the shoulder.

    Roscoe looked me over like he was appraising a new coonhound before nodding. "We got a lot riding on this, boy, so don''t let us down."

    My brilliant idea of recording the coach fizzled like a cigarette in a urinal. If he and the sheriff were in cahoots, who else was in his pocket? As if to answer that question, the local city police chief strolled over with a grin on his face. He was tall, broad, and seemed to be in shape compared to the shorter plumper sheriff. He slapped Roscoe on the back and shook hands with Coach Burgundy. I turned and scooted away, my tail between my legs.

    In addition to the coach, I would apparently have to collect evidence on the entire good old boys club in this one-horse town. Technically we were in the metro Atlanta area, but the only authorities I could go to at this point might be the GBI or the FBI. I wouldn''t have been a bit surprised to suddenly see representatives from those agencies show up and give Coach Burgundy a grin and a slap on his fat butt.

    After the usual warm-ups, I endured practice handoffs without a defensive line to counter me for half an hour.

    "Why do we keep running the same drill over and over and over?" I asked Bryan.

    "Repetition helps muscle memory. Your body will know exactly how to respond to a play under pressure."

    I wished it helped my brain memory too. I felt like such an idiot for getting myself in deeper and deeper with every move I made.

    Soon the defensive line joined the offense for practice. Nathan and his buddies overloaded the left side which, as they knew, would be the side I was going through.

    "Give it a rest, Nathan," Bryan said when he walked to stand behind the center.

    Nathan sneered. "Shut it, Jones. I''ll do what I want."

    Bryan sighed and barked the call. I took the ball, noticing that my body did indeed know how to take it better after all that repetition. I decided at the last second that plowing through three huge guys would look way too suspicious, so I squirted around them and to the outside. The safety dove for me as I ran into the end zone. Coach Wise whistled the play to stop.

    I turned in time to see Nathan hurtling toward me, murder in his eyes. At the last second, I stepped aside and tripped him. He rumbled, stumbled, and face-planted in a mud puddle with a loud splat. The handful of students in the bleachers cheered. I turned to them and flourished a deep bow. Coach Wise whistled until I thought he was going to pop an aneurysm and spray-paint the field red with arterial spray.

    "Spelman, you cut that out right now, boy. Practice like you know you should."

    Nathan pushed himself up, mud dripping down his face and practice jersey. He looked like he wanted to kill us both, but he stopped short of murder and instead shot me a glare that might have caused a bowel evacuation in the prior version of me. Instead, my bowels ignored him. I tossed the ball to Coach Wise and was about to turn away from the small crowd when I noticed two figures seated at the top corner of the bleachers, well away from everyone else.

    They wore black hoodies which covered their faces, jeans, and gloves. Large sunglasses covered their eyes but I could see their ivory pale skin and red lips. They looked to be in their twenties at least. Definitely not high school students. Definitely nobody I knew. I caught myself staring and turned away quickly.

    Were those the people Elyssa had warned me about? Sick dread formed ice in my chest. I had to be careful. Very careful.

    I watched them from the corner of my eye. By the time practice ended, they had vanished. But that didn''t mean they weren''t watching me. My teeth chattered although I was plenty warm from physical exertion.

    They showed up the next day as well. The crowd of onlookers also doubled in size. Nerds, cheerleaders, and people I had never seen before showed up to watch the Nathan versus Justin show. At least that''s what Nyte and Ash called it. They''d taken down the videos after I begged them, but it didn''t mean others weren''t posting their own. I hoped I had toned down my performance enough so people wouldn''t wonder. But I couldn''t tone it down too much or Burgundy would complain and threaten me again.

    "I got you on the roster for the game tomorrow," Coach Burgundy told me after practice. "Now you rest up and eat a good supper. I want you at your best for the game."

    Relief settled over me. I had almost forgotten about the blood sample I''d given the nurse. Since the FBI and a dozen other federal agencies weren''t converging on me right this minute, maybe they''d discovered nothing unusual in my fluids.

    "Yes sir," I said. It was all I ever said to him these days. He owned me and I didn''t know how to get out of this mess.

    I left practice and decided where I would go to "eat". No matter how careful I was to conserve my supernatural energy, I was always hungry after practice. The more I used, the hungrier I was afterward. I knew I had to choose a different place to feed every night. I had to stay off the supernatural radar. A mall, a restaurant, a library; it didn''t matter. I noticed that as long as I fed before growing ravenous I could stop the make-out sessions from becoming too intense. I hated it. On the one hand, I wanted sex so badly that my "boys" seemed ready to explode. On the other hand, every time I kissed a girl I felt like I was betraying Elyssa. I saw her face and smelled her hair when I closed my eyes. My soul was with her, not the strangers whose essence kept me sane.

    Elyssa was right. I was losing my humanity and there was no stopping it.

    Chapter 21

    It was almost midnight when I got home that night. I''d driven all the way to the west side of town. It wasn''t like I was killing people and littering my wake with corpses, but I didn''t want to get emotionally involved with any of these girls. They couldn''t help what I did to them, and I really didn''t want to see them again anyway.

    "You are becoming quite the predator, my little lamb," said Stacey as she dropped lithely from a tree in the front yard of my home.

    I let out a squeak and jumped five feet back. "Can I just give you my cell number? Please?" I put a hand to my heart. "You''re going to give me a heart attack." For a split second I''d actually thought she might be one of the anonymous watchers from football practice.

    She laughed and stalked toward me, the light from a nearby streetlamp glinting off her reflective eyes. "I will give you free advice, my sweet. Do not spread out your attentions too widely. It will make you far more noticeable."

    "Thanks, kitten. I''ll be more careful." I was trying to put on a brave face, but her warning set off alarms in my head. I was walking a minefield without a metal detector. Those ivory-skinned peeps with the hoodies might be the very mines she was talking about. It was only a matter of time before I triggered one.

    "You are too adorable, my love. I imagine quite soon you will see the error of your ways and come to me." She snuggled up to my chest and purred.

    I sighed and wondered why the cute ones also had to be psychotic. Her head jerked up suddenly, and she sniffed the air like an animal sensing danger. She hissed and a claw dug into my back. I yelped and leapt away from her, muscles tensed and ready for danger.

    "What is it?"

    She didn''t answer me. Her amber eyes gleamed with feral wariness. I also noticed her fingernails had extended into three-inch claws. Maybe I had triggered one of those mines she''d told me about after all. She sprinted away, her legs a blur.

    I looked around the immediate vicinity for a threat but sensed nothing. Whatever it was could wait. It was time I found out more about my pesky stalker. I charged after her. Running and dodging over roots, curbs, rocks, banana peels, and all of the little things that make running at super-speed super-perilous was a lot easier now thanks to football practice. I guess I owed the establishment that much. My legs felt more attuned to the mere act of running whereas before it had been like driving a Lamborghini with bald tires on an icy road.

    Stacey leapt over a six-foot wooden fence. I jumped and cleared it, only to barely miss smacking my forehead on a low-hanging tree limb. She ran through the back yard and vaulted a swimming pool, flipping in mid-air and doing a sideways barrel roll over the fence. I jumped, but my timing was off. My left foot went into the cold water when I landed, but my right foot somehow caught the edge. I shook it off. Hopped over the fence and into another backyard. A dog nipped at my heels as I pursued Stacey over a chain-link fence and into yet another yard.

    We zigged through residential streets and zagged through old closed-down office parks. My wet shoe squished in a staccato rhythm until the speed dried it out a bit. She increased her pace, zooming, down a road where abandoned buildings and decrepit houses loomed. I recognized Scottdale, a derelict town to the east of Atlanta.

    I sped up. My feet beat a staccato rhythm against the pavement and wind whistled past my ears. Stacey ran down a road spotted with broken and crumbling asphalt and lined with leafless hardwoods. She bolted left and sprinted several feet up the side of a red-brick warehouse then pushed off from the wall to catch the window ledge of a neighboring warehouse. Without pausing, she bounced from the ledge up to the roof of the other building and disappeared atop it. I groaned. Football hadn''t taught me a thing about urban bouldering. I ran up the side of the building. It was much easier than I''d expected as the centrifugal force from the sheer speed of my run gave my feet traction on the building. I turned and leapt for the window ledge. Instead of grabbing it, however, I plowed through the boarded-over window and slammed head-first into a metal railing on the other side. It sounded like a gong.

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    It was pitch black inside and my head was ringing. A blue-tinted light flickered off and on as if I were wearing defective night vision goggles. I caught glimpses of worn bricks, rusty metal railing, and a long drop to broken concrete. Apparently my built-in night vision wasn''t up to the challenge and went out, plunging me back into darkness.

    I stood up, a bit woozy from the impact. I heard rustling below in the darkness. Something hissed¡ªor did it scrape? I couldn''t be sure. There was a loud thump. The metal catwalk I was on shuddered and groaned as something heavy landed on it. Two glowing yellow orbs appeared ten feet away. My breathing faltered. I felt a serious need to soil myself. Whatever the thing was sniffed the air with what sounded like a huge snout.

    I decided not to wait to find out what it was. I dove out the window, sheer panic giving me flight. I grabbed onto the roof of the opposite warehouse and pulled myself up. The moon was dim, but a shadowy figure appeared in the window where I''d been. It sniffed the air. I stood still, hardly daring to breathe. Could it see me? What was it? Was my underwear clean?

    I felt certain of one thing: Stacey lived nearby, possibly in one of these abandoned buildings. I no longer had the desire to stick around and find out. But I wasn''t exactly sure which way was home. There was a mewling noise and a loud thud as the creature landed on the roof next to me. Glowing eyes met mine. It was a house cat. Correction: a gigantic house cat. Bony armor-like protrusions ran along its spine. Saber-toothed fangs protruded from its muzzle. Thick sinewy muscle coiled beneath short bristly fur.

    Any other time I would have thought it looked pretty badass. This time, however, I squeaked, backing up until a brick chimney checked my retreat. Not good.

    The cat hissed and pawed at me with razor-sharp claws the size of sabers. I dodged left just in time to avoid being sliced into salami. The chimney crumbled to pieces from the force of the blow. I grabbed an old two-by-four from the roof and held it like a sword in front of me. The cat swatted it and shaved a foot off the length. I gulped. It lunged. I jumped to the side and brought the board down hard on the cat''s head. The board splintered and the cat howled in pain. It surged for me in a graceful, terrifying wave of death. My foot caught on an exhaust vent and my back slammed against the roof. The creature pinned my chest with one large padded foot. Its claws extended just enough to prick my skin. If it extended them any further, they would skewer my heart. Of course it could always chomp off my head too.

    I pushed against the tiger-sized paw. It didn''t budge. The cat sniffed me. I bunched my legs, bracing them against the cat''s stomach. Before I could heave, it batted me with its other paw, knocking me momentarily senseless. It opened its mouth wide, revealing jagged rows of ivory stilettos set against its fangs. This was it. The bite that would end it all.

    A shadowy figure blurred past. Silver flashed. The cat''s eyes widened. It made a brief yowling noise that turned to a gurgle. Then its large head dangled to the side, hanging by a sinewy vine of muscle and thudded against the roof, narrowly missing my face. Its legs went limp and the body crashed atop me, knocking the wind from my lungs. Gouts of blood poured onto my face. I sputtered and spit and wiggled desperately. Finally I managed to get enough leverage to push the carcass off my chest. I scooped blood off my face and out of my eyes. I pulled off my shirt. The front was sodden with scarlet blood, but the back was relatively untouched, so I used it to wipe off my face. I tossed the shirt aside and looked for my savior.

    Nobody was there.

    I sniffed the air, trying to use my enhanced senses to pick up on something. All I smelled was the coppery odor of fresh blood. Then I threw up. After I threw up, I laughed and sobbed. It seemed an impossible juxtaposition. I shook from fright, but happiness at my continued existence gave a manic tinge to my laughter.

    "Thanks!" I yelled into the night air. I hoped for some response, but none came.

    After getting my bearings, I set off for home. It took longer because I stuck to the roads. I''d had enough of leaping over fences for the night. I trashed my bloody clothes and got in the shower. Rivulets of hot water relaxed my muscles, turning scarlet with cat blood by the time the streams reached the drain. As I dried off after the shower, I studied my body in the mirror and realized the pudginess on my belly was almost gone. My arms were showing slightly more muscle than a week ago. My legs looked the most defined which made sense given all the football practice. Unfortunately most of my pants now ended above my ankles and my belts wouldn''t go any tighter¡ªthey had run out of notches. I was growing up rather than out, as my old body had done.

    Thoughts of my mysterious stranger, however, troubled me. I had no complaints about my rescue, but who or what had killed that huge feline? Had they been in the neighborhood already or were they following me? Even my new muscles and strength had been no match for that oversized alley cat. Surely, whoever it was wanted me alive. They could have killed me along with the creature, otherwise. I had too many mysteries competing for space in my overwhelmed brain.

    If only I could grow smarter, now that would be something.

    I tossed another pair of jeans I''d outgrown into a pile on the floor. It looked like Elyssa, Renaldo, and I would need to make another trip to the mall. Except¡­Elyssa had left me. The agony of loss stabbed my heart. I bit back a sob as I lay down in bed. I wanted to forget her. To forget this pain. I didn''t want to be in love with her. My heart didn''t care. It still beat for her. It still longed for her embrace and for the feel of her soft curves pressed to my body. I saw Elyssa''s smile, her lips, her violet eyes shining with desire for me.

    That was the past and the future looked bleak. A line of girls, complete strangers, waited to fulfill my hunger. But they would never, could never, be who I needed. Who I wanted. The girl who filled the Elyssa-sized hole in my heart.

    I miss you, Elyssa.

    People I had never spoken to in my short life came up and slapped me on the back, shook my hand, or gave me the brofist when I walked into school the next morning.

    "Good luck at the game tonight," said one dude.

    Randy Tosser and his group of nerdlings came by my seat in the gymnasium. "Here''s a video with our assessment of your strengths and weaknesses according to your practice sessions," he said, handing me a flash drive. "Please beat the crap out of Lanier High."

    "Why do you care about football?" I asked him. Randy had the musculature of a toothpick with a big olive-shaped head balanced atop it and glasses that made my old bottle-bottom ones look small in comparison. Fat or thin, most of his squad had "nerd" written all over them. Then again, I would have fit right in not too long ago.

    "Gerald Ledbetter, my arch nemesis, goes to Lanier High. He won the state science fair last year, narrowly defeating my genetically modified potato battery. It''s a matter of pride."

    "But this is football, not science."

    He shrugged. "It would make me feel better. His older brother, Marty, is their quarterback and Gerald won''t shut up about him."

    "Oh. Well, I''ll do my best." I looked at the flash drive he''d given me. "Thanks for this. I''ll check it out."

    "You''re a true inspiration, Justin." Randy looked me up and down. "You''ve gone from corpulent to athletic and improved yourself measurably." He gestured at the nerd herd behind him. "We''re all going to the gym and eating more responsibly now." One of the chubbier guys in his group stuffed a Twinkie in his mouth about the same time Randy finished his announcement. Randy sighed. "Except for Theodore. I''m afraid he''s a lost cause no matter what."

    I was touched by this but I didn''t know what to say. If ever an after-school moment had presented itself, this was it. Instead, all I said was: "Kick ass." Wisdom and insight. I have it all.

    Randy and group cheered.

    Something drew my eye to the door at the far end of the gymnasium. Elyssa stood there watching as people came by to wish me good luck, give me cookies, and one girl even gave me a pair of panties. I grimaced and hoped they were clean.

    I looked at Elyssa. She stared back at me. I wondered if that was longing in her eyes or wariness. I could make out every detail of her pale smooth face with my enhanced eyesight. I traced the line of her jaw and longed to smooth back the stray raven-black lock against her cheek. I wanted so badly to run over to her and hug her and feel her respond. If only for an instant. Her attention meant more to me than the circus my life had become.

    "You okay?" Ash asked as he shoved yet more of my gifts into his now-bulging backpack.

    "No. I''m not."

    He followed my gaze and saw Elyssa. "Oh, man." He patted my back. "That sucks. I really wish you two could work things out."

    "I don''t think it''s going to happen."

    Nyte sighed. "Why can''t life be like the Princess Bride? I would climb the Cliffs of Insanity for a girl like Buttercup."

    I gave him a look of disbelief. "You like the Princess Bride?"

    "Best movie ever," Ash said.

    Nyte nodded. "Real life sucks."

    I looked at Elyssa again and swallowed the knot in my throat. "Yeah. Pretty much."

    In homeroom, Jenny and Annie were friendlier than ever. Not so long ago they''d been my biggest haters.

    "You''re looking great, Justin," Annie said, touching my bicep and sighing. "Who''d have thought you''d be any good at sports?"

    "Are you on steroids?" Jenny asked.

    I glared at them. "Seriously? You two are my friends all of a sudden?"

    "We''ve always been your friends," Jenny said, her eyes going wide and innocent.

    "What?" I sputtered.

    "Don''t get yourself worked up." Annie patted my back. "You need to conserve your energy for the game."

    I rolled my eyes, turned around, and pulled out some homework I needed to finish. I''d received offers from several of Randy''s gang to help me catch up with my school assignments, but I''d turned them down. Completed work did me no good if I hadn''t done it myself. I might stink with women, but maybe I could still get into MIT where I could seduce all the nerdy girls I wanted.

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    My stomach growled with desire and not for the first time that morning. But not for normal food. My pursuit of Stacey and narrow escape from the huge cat last night had left me famished but I''d been too tired and depressed to go looking for another victim. After seeing the way Elyssa had looked at me this morning, I decided I didn''t want to refill that soul-sucking reservoir. I didn''t want football. I didn''t want fame. I didn''t want all the fake friendships my peers had to offer.

    I just wanted her.

    I could hardly concentrate on my homework between my insides aching and thoughts of the girl I loved. I wondered if she really did love me. She''d practically admitted she did¡ªor had loved me. But I was slowly becoming the monster she feared. Especially after all the things I''d done to sate the raging beast inside me. I''m sure the vast majority of other guys would think I was crazy for not whoring it up with every hot chick I came across. I would trade it all for the girl with the violet eyes.

    The school held a pep rally right after lunch. The fun just never stops.

    After all the nonsense was done, I quickly changed back into my street clothes from the new football jersey which reeked of fresh vinyl. Students were still filing out of the gym. I chased Elyssa down the hallway and grabbed her arm. She tried to pull away, but I held on and dragged her into an empty projector room. She took my thumb and bent it to the side. Pain lanced up my arm. I yelped and jerked it away.

    "You''re so damned mean," I said.

    She pushed my chest hard and sent me back against the wall. "How many times do I have to tell you to leave me alone?"

    "You love me and I know it," I shot back. "I''ve seen you looking at me."

    She snorted. "Oh yeah? That''s all you''ve got? Pathetic."

    "I can''t stop thinking about you. You''re all that keeps me sane."

    She slapped me. My ears rang and I staggered into the wall. "Leave. Me. Alone. I don''t know how much clearer I can make it. You are scum. Filth of the earth. Do not touch me again."

    I grabbed her and tried to kiss her. My lips met hers about the same time her knee met my stomach. I went down in a heap, groaning and gasping for breath. She knelt beside me.

    "Are you okay?"

    I tried to laugh, but it hurt too much. "No, I''m not."

    "Good," she said. "Maybe your felycan girlfriend can kiss it all better."

    Chapter 22

    After I regained my breath, I lay back on the floor and stared at the ceiling. "I give up," I said. I wallowed in self-pity for a moment then remembered I had to get to class. So I wallowed in self-pity while I walked to class, proving I can multi-task when the situation warrants it.

    I thought back to the last thing she''d said to me and searched for "felycan" on my cell phone. According to a couple of different sources, a felycan was the feline version of a werewolf. A werecat. Felycan sounded a lot cooler than werecat. I had been on the right track. One mystery down, a million to go. I had never seen Stacey change into a cat, but after everything that had happened to me, I didn''t doubt for a moment she could. Although it was a very disturbing image, it would probably look pretty neat.

    After Chemistry, I trudged down the hallway, my mind barely aware of my surroundings. Someone touched my elbow. I glanced right. Katie, pretty as ever, smiled at me, her green eyes sparkling.

    "Hey, you," she said with a perky grin.

    "Are we speaking again?" I asked in a skip-the-bull tone. I was sick of everyone acting like my new best friends when they didn''t even know who in the hell I was. The old me might have found it pretty cool. The new me who had almost been devoured by a mutant house cat and who had a felycan stalker and a vampire ex-girlfriend was becoming less and less amused with high school politics.

    "I''m so sorry for being so terrible to you," she said, taking my arm in hers. Her skin felt warm and soothing against mine. How many times had I fantasized about her embrace? How many times had I wished she was mine?

    "It''s okay," I said. Elyssa''s angry face flashed into my mind. Screw you, I said using telepathic brainwaves. Not that I had suddenly figured out how to communicate telepathically, but I wanted to make my feelings known to my heart which hadn''t gotten the message yet. It was time to move on.

    "Walk me to class?" she asked.

    "What about Brad?"

    She pursed her lovely pouty lips. "We broke up for good."

    Whatever. It really didn''t matter so much to me. I held out my arm and we walked down the hall. When we reached her class, she gave me a sultry look.

    "You''ve added some muscle. It''s sexy." She touched my firm and no longer flabby biceps. Pressed a hand against my right pectoral.

    Her shimmering halo of burning sexual desire beckoned to me. My essence reached for hers. I fought against the hollow craving and the beast. The tip of one tendril caressed her halo. A tiny trickle of refreshing energy flowed into me. My body demanded more. I resisted, reeling back the traitorous tendril until it felt safe to move. Katie had been talking about something the entire time and didn''t seem to notice the intrusion.

    "It was all my fault," she said with a sad smile. Then she kissed me. It wasn''t just a peck on the lips but a full-on tongue tango.

    I trembled as my hunger fought for control while my body reacted predictably. Holy crap! Katie kissed me! For real!

    She came up for breath and made an appreciative little moan. "You''ve changed." She pecked me on the lips again. "I like it."

    "You''ll be at the game?" I asked in a hoarse voice as I mentally stuffed the groping, hungry tendrils back into their cage.

    "Wouldn''t miss it for the world, hot stuff." She winked.

    I left her and went to class, a skip in my step. I didn''t feel like a million bucks¡ªmore like half a million. But I felt a lot better than I had after Elyssa kneed me in the guts. At least she''d had the decency not to crush my manhood with that powerful sexy leg of hers.

    I also felt slightly better now that I''d taken in a tiny bit of energy from Katie. I halted in my tracks as it occurred to me that I hadn''t had to ravish Katie to get my fix. Somehow, I''d managed to keep only a tiny tap into her energy without opening the floodgates. I had barely kept control over it, but maybe that was because of my still powerful attraction for her. Maybe it would be easier if I tried it with someone who I didn''t think was sexy.

    It could very well be the answer to my problem or the key to my nightmares. Just as I had fed on the laughing guys that one day, it might be possible to feed from positive emotions emanating from other people without tapping in so deeply that they ripped off their clothes. I took a seat in Calculus class and glanced at my classmates. I decided to practice feeding but quickly discovered the general mood was so dour and serious that I wasn''t sure if it would work.

    The only person with a positive vibe was Cindy Mueller, one of the smartest girls in school. She was a teacher''s pet through and through. Every time the teacher posed a question, her hand shot up and waved excitedly. It wasn''t ideal, but she was my best bet. I linked with her and tried to limit the flow to a trickle. But the hunger betrayed me almost immediately and ripped open the floodgates. She leapt up, looking desperately around the room all while moaning and rubbing her hips.

    Mr. Hubble, the teacher, was so shocked that he just stood there watching while I desperately tried to close the connection before she noticed me ducking behind my book. Alan Weaver sat right behind her. He stared at her with a terrified expression. I felt his terror and tried to latch onto it hoping an opposite emotion might shake loose Cindy''s psychic grip. For an instant, I felt Alan''s fear and Cindy''s sexual desire collide. Both their presences vanished from my mind. Cindy and Alan faced each other. She attacked him with her lips.

    I had to give him credit. He didn''t pass out. Cindy was skinny, wore thick nerdy glasses, and styled her hair in a fashion more suitable to the fifties, but she was probably kind of cute underneath all that geek chic. Alan leapt to his feet and locked lips with her until they were breathless and in danger of fully disrobing. Cindy gripped Alan''s shirt and ripped it open, scattering buttons everywhere. Students scrambled out of their desks, yelling, shrieking, and desperate to escape the madness. Mr. Hubble finally came to his senses and shouted at them. He rushed over to pry them apart.

    Guilt dug at my insides. I had started this insane fiasco. I grabbed Alan and pulled him away from her. He wriggled like a snared rabbit, but my strength overwhelmed him. The couple stopped struggling and stood there, panting with lust and gazing passionately into each other''s eyes. I felt horrible. What had I done? Had I just completely wrecked their brains?

    "Really, you two," said Mr. Hubble in a huff. "I understand about hormones, but this is just uncalled for."

    "I want you," Cindy said to Alan.

    "You are a sexual goddess," Alan replied, his eyes ablaze.

    I wondered if I had somehow connected them to each other, causing a mutual lust, or if Alan really liked her.

    "That''s so romantic," said Cheryl Horne, Cindy''s best friend, from the back of the room.

    As Alan and Cindy continued to exclaim their intense need for each other, the bell rang. I helped Alan get his stuff, but maintained a firm grip on his arm. I was certain if left to their own devices, he and Cindy would enact some memorable pornographic scenes that would scar the rest of us for life. I walked Alan to his next class. About halfway there, he started shaking his head as though clearing it of cobwebs.

    "Wow," he said, halting in the hallway.

    "Wow what?" I asked.

    "That was intense. I''ve always had a thing for Cindy, but I couldn''t control myself back there."

    "Hormones," I said sagely.

    He whistled. "Turbo-charged hormones."

    I looked behind us and saw Mr. Hubble at the far end of the hall leading a similarly dazed Cindy our way. "Do you two have this class together?" I realized with a shock it was Home Economics and flashed back to the fight with Nathan. "Why in the world are you taking Home Ec?"

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    He looked adoringly at Cindy. "Because she is."

    "Oh dear," I said, sounding just like my mom whenever I''d done something awful.

    Mr. Hubble gave Alan a suspicious look then let Cindy go of her own recognizance. She walked over to Alan, light returning to her formerly glazed eyes.

    "I''m so sorry for attacking you. I don''t know what came over me."

    He took her hand. "I kinda liked it."

    She smiled. "Me too." She looked down at his shirt. "Oh no, I''ve ruined it. Maybe I can sew some new buttons on during class."

    "That''d be sweet." Sweat beaded on Alan''s forehead and his hand trembled. I knew the feeling all too well.

    "You two should go on a date," I said. "In fact, I think Alan was saying he wanted to take you to dinner."

    Her eyes brightened. "You do?" She squeaked, looking at him in such rapt joy my eyes got all misty.

    He nodded, his vocal cords obviously locked by his nerves. They walked into class, Cindy excitedly telling everyone she had a date. I wouldn''t have doubted it was her first date ever. I sucked in a breath through my teeth. My own nerves were a bit jittery. I had almost caused a major disaster¡­a calamity even. I could have brain damaged two of the school''s brightest and ruined our chances at the next Academic Decathlon.

    Or maybe I''d stumbled onto something really good. I felt kind of high on life now something had worked out. But I was in so far over my head I didn''t know which way was up. No more trying to figure this out on my own. Elyssa wouldn''t help me. In all likelihood she''d convince herself to kill me at some point. I had to give in to Stacey.

    I cringed at the thought. If it wasn''t for that cat tongue of hers, a relationship might actually be kind of nice. Now that I knew what she was I felt slightly better even if it freaked me out. After the game tonight, I would find Stacey and seal the deal.

    The thought made me shudder.

    The rest of the day flashed past. Before I knew it, my teammates and I were lined up and dashing between the cheerleaders for our grand entrance onto the football field. Bryan Jones met Marty Ledbetter and the referees for the coin toss. The Lanier Bobcats won the toss and took first possession.

    Coach Wise motioned me over before the kickoff. "The Davis boy hurt his foot, Case. You''re going in on special teams."

    I had only practiced with special teams once. "What do I do?"

    "Tackle their ball carrier."

    I hadn''t had much practice tackling since I was on offense, but I had a general idea. Our team would kick the ball off a tee, and the other team would catch it and try to run it back. It seemed simple enough. My nerves flopped in my belly like leaden fish. I needed to go to the bathroom for the tenth time, it seemed. I took some deep breaths to calm myself. They didn''t help. My enhanced eyes caught sight of a furtive shadow atop the broadcaster''s booth. I could make out Stacey''s smile from a hundred yards away.

    "Just great," I muttered. My soon-to-be felycan girlfriend was here, but my absentee parents didn''t even know I was playing. Dad had gone from heavy drinking to hiring private eyes, dropping off the radar, and tracking the Conroys, whoever they were. As far as I knew, he hadn''t even been home for days. Maybe he was tracking down Mom. Taking charge of his life and trying to make things right with her. I hoped so. But I was going to tie him to a chair and interrogate him the minute he walked through the door. Despite the bizarre situation, I felt a pang of regret and wished my parents could see me play.

    The whistle sounded. Momentary confusion scrambled my brain just as our kicker sent the football soaring end-over-end toward the opposition. I snapped out of my haze and sprinted forward. I locked eyes on the ball, racing after it as it arced slowly toward the other end of the field. I ran into someone and heard a loud grunt as they bounced off my body. Within seconds, I was standing about where the ball would land. I realized with a shock I had been running much faster than I''d meant to. In fact, I was standing right in front of the Bobcat''s receiver. He gave me a very surprised look. I gave him a sheepish grin. I felt horror wash over me as I realized I didn''t even know how fast I''d just run down the field. This was bad. Very¡ª

    Someone smacked into my back and I sprawled into the receiver. The ball bounced off his helmet and away from us. A pile of red jerseys from our team covered it just as several more people piled atop me and the poor receiver. I was on top of him, face-to-face. His eyes were still wide. I tried to look away, but found it very hard to move my helmet without dislodging all the players on top of me.

    "Nice run," he said.

    "Thanks." I whistled innocently.

    The weight lessened and we were able to get up. Teammates slapped me on the back, hooting and hollering like I''d just bought them all camouflage camping gear.

    "Spectacular, boy, just spectacular," said Coach Wise as he welcomed me back to the sideline. "I ain''t never seen nobody run like that. Now get out there and give ''em hell." He slapped me on the ass.

    Confusion clouded my brain. Bryan and our offense took the field, and it slowly dawned on me that we had recovered the ball on the Bobcats'' twenty yard line.

    My psychic stomach made angry noises in my head. I was running low on energy. I hadn''t done anything to recharge since my failed attempts earlier in the day, and I had no idea how much I''d burned in that idiotic run of mine at the start of the game. I went into the huddle.

    "Awesome play," Bryan said. The other players were all grins and pats on the back.

    "I had too many energy drinks before the game," I said. "I''m a little jittery."

    "Well, you''re gonna put that energy to good use. Bulldozer left on three."

    The huddle broke. The left side of the Bobcats'' defense looked like a brick wall. The right side looked like an iron curtain. Their guys were huge. They all looked to be Nathan''s size. To top it off, I wasn''t feeling so great. The incessant churning in my guts grew worse. I heard the hike count and ran forward on automatic. Two massive defensive linemen buried our offensive line. The Bobcat linebackers leapt over the line, making a beeline for me. I dodged back to the right, nearly slipping in the grass before my cleats found purchase. The situation on that side was even worse. A sea of green jerseys poured over a gap in our line. I had nowhere to go but the center.

    Bryan managed to help our center push a guy the size of a silverback gorilla to the side. I slipped into the gap. I heard the smack of helmet on helmet and saw stars. A gong rang in my ears. My feet flew from underneath me and my back kissed the earth with a thud. Bryan helped me up. My legs felt like mush. I limped back to the huddle. In the distance, I heard someone shout my name.

    "Hold the damned line," Bryan said. "Not even Justin can break through their entire defense."

    Technically, I could, at least when I had a full tank. Ravenous hunger rolled over me in waves of nausea. I gagged.

    "You okay, Case?" asked one of the linemen.

    "I''m not feeling so good," I said.

    "Buck up, soldier," Bryan said with a grin. "Let''s push this through and you can take a break."

    I nodded.

    We lined up. I focused everything I had on the end zone and on my legs. The ball came. I surged forward. Something huge and green dove in my way. I jumped and heard a roar from the crowd as I hurtled over the Jolly Green Giant. A linebacker came at me from the side. I stiff-armed him and he went down. Then something crushed me from the other side.

    Chapter 23

    A feminine blood-streaked face stared at me, eyes wide and overflowing with terror. Ragged breaths tore from the woman''s throat as she gripped my shirt and pulled me closer. I looked down at her legs and stifled a shout. Torn ribbons of flesh, blood, and bone were all that remained of her legs. A crimson trail led down a sidewalk and into a house that seemed terribly familiar. I leaned toward the woman and strained my ears to understand the faint words coming from her mouth.

    "¡­forty-three eleven," she said gasping for breath. "They must be stopped. But the others don''t want¡ª"

    I jerked awake to the sharp odor of ammonia. A dull roar echoed in my ears and I smelled dirt and grass. The blurry figures hovering over me sharpened into focus.

    "He''s okay. Just had the wind knocked out of him," said a guy in a medic uniform.

    Bryan and one of the other guys helped me stand up. The crowd cheered.

    "And he''s gonna be okay," said the hillbilly announcer.

    They set me down on the bench and Bill Chauncey, the normal halfback, took my place. The bench creaked. On my left sat Coach Burgundy with a grin plastered on his face. He put an arm around me.

    "Son, if you lose this game for us, I promise you will not like the consequences." Not a trace of friendliness existed in that grin.

    "I honestly don''t feel good," I said. "I''m not faking it."

    We watched as the Bobcats sacked Bryan for a loss. Coach Wise screamed for special teams to try for a field goal.

    Coach Burgundy squeezed my shoulder. "Boy, I don''t care if you just crapped your britches. Just stay downwind of me and score. The sheriff and his boys have a lot riding on this game, not to mention a few other people who would not be happy to lose. You get what you need from Coach Howard. He''s got some stuff that''ll patch you right on up."

    I groaned and looked over at the milling herd of coaches on the sideline. Whatever Coach Howard had wouldn''t help me. That much I knew. I felt like I had stepped into a redneck version of The Godfather. And that dream¡ªit had seemed too vivid to be my imagination and very close to the nightmares I''d had about the baby and the pregnant woman. I must have had a few nuts in my head knocked loose from that last hit.

    Special teams kicked the field goal. Our defense took the field. At least we had big louts like Nathan, I figured. The Bobcats'' offense didn''t look nearly as impressive as their defense, but they had a quick runner and their quarterback was a passing threat. Bryan, on the other hand, was only good for short passes. He had a good arm, just no accuracy.

 Page 34

    What am I going to do? I felt caged. If I continued to do well, I would only trap myself further in this mess. But this was going way beyond my friends getting bad grades. No telling how gangster things would become if crooked cops lost money because of me. I groaned.

    The crowd on our side booed and hissed as the Bobcats scored. I tried to open myself up to the emotional energy around me but it was too distant and too negative. The best I could do was sense the nearby disappointment wash over me like rancid milk. It brought a sour grimace to my face.

    Bryan grabbed my shoulder. "You okay to come back in?"

    I nodded.

    Bryan handed me the ball three times. All three times I got flattened. Coach Burgundy shot me a look that made my heart palpitate with fear. Elyssa could probably take care of herself, I reasoned, but not Ash or Nyte. And who else would these bozos go after? To make matters worse, my teammates gave me hurt looks of betrayal. Like I was intentionally playing badly so they''d lose. How had I gone from despising these people to feeling terrible about hurting their feelings?

    I wanted to scream in frustration, but it wouldn''t do any good. The crowd on our side had gone silent. I spotted Stacey still atop the broadcasting booth, smiling in a mischievous way. She puckered her lips and kissed the air. I spotted Ash and Nyte. Ash bit his fingernails. Nyte gnawed on a corn dog. A few rows to their right, Katie''s sad green eyes looked at me. She blew me a kiss. Jenny and Annie sat next to her. They snickered and laughed about something. I looked for Elyssa. I didn''t see her. I was hoping maybe we''d lock eyes. She''d smile and inspire me to greatness. "I love you," she''d mouth silently and blow me a kiss. After that, nothing would stop me. Not even the ogres pounding us to mush on the football field.

    Am I an idiot or what?

    The Bobcats scored three more times. Their defensive line crushed me more times than I wanted to remember or probably would remember due to brain damage from the constant battering. Coach Burgundy was beside himself with rage by the time half-time finally arrived and the team left the field.

    "Just what I thought," Nathan said as he shoved past me and into the locker room. "You ain''t worth crap, Case."

    Bryan gave me a sympathetic look and went into the locker room. I let everyone else go in then slipped away to the side. I threw my helmet down and stared at the parking lot thirty yards away. Now that I played football, it seemed I measured everything in yards. I could just run away. Right now. Why should I stick around?

    I could warn Ash and Nyte, and tell them to warn Elyssa. Then I would vanish. Mom was gone, Dad was good as gone, and my life here as I knew it was over. I stalked back and forth at the edge of the parking lot. Why did my conscience burden me so? I walked toward the cars. Nobody was watching me. I pulled off my uniform and left a trail of jersey, shoulder pads, and helmet behind me. I decided to keep on the pants and cleats for decency''s sake.

    I looked for Stacey, hoping she''d show up so I could cave in to her demands and get on with my depressing life as whatever I was. I looked atop the broadcasting booth but couldn''t make out any movement in the shadows. Something warm prickled my senses in the darkness to my left. A large air conditioning unit sat silent in the cool fall air. Giggles echoed from behind it. I sneaked over and peeked around the edge. My former best friend Harry and his girlfriend, who I recognized as Sally Palmer, were making out. She slapped Harry''s hands away as he tried to unbutton her shirt.

    "Come on, baby. You know I love you," he said.

    Ravenous tendrils shot from me like heat-seeking missiles. I couldn''t stop them. I felt the heat from Sally''s mind, her molten sensuality like lavender-scented steam in the air. I breathed it in as my essence locked onto hers. She gasped. Her eyes went wide. She ripped open her shirt, revealing a lacy white bra. Buttons showered the concrete. Sally grabbed Harry by the shirt. Pulled him on top of her as she pulled his T-shirt over his head.

    "Holy crap!" he said, shocked. "What changed your mind?"

    She didn''t answer. She was too busy pecking his scrawny hair-speckled chest with kisses. She reached for his belt. Fear blossomed on his face. White-eyed and trembling, he wrestled her for the belt buckle.

    "Are you sure, baby?"

    "Shut up and kiss me," she demanded.

    He did as he was told, one hand protecting his belt buckle. Energy, pure and delicious, flowed into me as they made out. Their emotions swirled together, a tornado of psychic energy flooding my ravenous psyche and filling it within minutes. I broke the connection with Sally, feeling full and satisfied on the one hand, and a little disgusted for causing and witnessing an almost pornographic scene. Harry had been my friend. It was just gross seeing him and his pale scrawny body trying to get it on with a girl.

    "I''m not ready." Harry broke away from Sally''s latest attempt to remove his belt, his eyes filled with despair and fright. "I¡ªI thought I was."

    "You scaredy-cat," she said. "All that big talk, and now you tell me you''re not ready?"

    I left them to continue their argument and made my way back to the locker room. I snatched my gear off the pavement and strapped it back on. I wasn''t going to abandon my real friends. I was going to figure this thing out and see it through to the end. It''s easy to be an optimist on a full, um, psychic stomach, or whatever the heck it was storing the ill-gotten energy. I stood outside the locker room and watched the marching bands cavort on the field for the rest of half-time.

    The team emerged from the locker room. Coach Burgundy obviously hadn''t given them a cheery pep talk because they looked like a bunch of sad pandas. Some of the guys gave me encouraging slaps or punches to the shoulder. Nathan growled at me.

    "You best make up for this mess, boy," said Coach Burgundy from behind me, his hand pressing heavily on my shoulder pad. He hawked, snorted, and then spat into the dirt.

    I knocked his arm off my shoulder and turned to face him. "I''ll do my job," I said. "But let''s get one thing straight. If anything happens to my friends, you''ll be making a very dangerous enemy."

    He laughed like a country boy on moonshine. "Son, you''re about as scary as a house cat."

    You have no idea how scary cats can be, jackass.

    I trotted back onto the field to receive the ball as the Bobcats kicked off. The ball fell short of me and into the waiting arms of David James, the usual receiver. He pitched the ball back to me a split second before a tsunami of green jerseys washed over him. I found the biggest, meanest looking guy on the other team and charged right at him. A smile lit his face. He had to be six and a half feet tall.

    He lowered his head and reached for me with thick meaty arms. I lowered my shoulder and rammed him. He grunted and bowled into the guys behind him. They went down like dominoes. I dodged right past a guy in mid-dive. From there it was clear sailing. I coasted to the end zone while the crowd went crazy. The country coot on the PA system shouted my name like Christmas had just arrived.

    The big guy I''d run over was still picking himself up. He staggered around in a drunken haze for a moment before finding his way off the field. I walked over to Coach Burgundy.

    "Put me on defense."

    He spat. "Defense?"

    "Yeah. Seeing how effective they''ve been, I figure they need a boost."

    He nodded. "Johnson, you''re out. Case, get in there."

    Trip Johnson gave me a look of relief as he left the field. "Crush them," he said, bumping fists with me as I took over his spot on the line.

    Trip towered over me, and the Bobcat lineman across from me made Trip look like a Chihuahua. He smiled as I lined up in the shadow of his hulking mass. Apparently he''d missed what I''d done to his teammates on my kickoff return.

    "What the hell are you doing out here?" Nathan said, grabbing my shoulder pad and spinning me around.

    "I''m helping, obviously. So unless you have a problem with that, back off."

    Nathan clenched his jaw but did as I asked.

    The Bobcats hiked the ball. I darted between my guy and the center and tackled the quarterback before he could even back away. I decided if I did that every time, my mutant abilities would be way too obvious. The next play, I cleared a hole in the line. Nathan roared through and sacked the quarterback again. From then on it was wash, rinse, repeat. Nathan''s sack stats were going to be epic.

    The rest of the game terribly frustrated the Bobcats. They couldn''t stop me from scoring when I ran the ball, and they couldn''t keep Nathan or Steve out of their backfield since I kept knocking back their blocker, who by the way, wasn''t smiling anymore.

    After I scored the touchdown giving us the lead, the crowd chanted my name. It felt pretty damned good. Like they were worshipping me. The rush hit me like a hot fever, and a big grin split my face. This was more like it. I might even grow to enjoy playing football.

    The final buzzer sounded and the home crowd erupted with cheers.

    Other coaches and players directed many brofists, butt slaps, and high-fives at me. Even Nathan came over, a contrite look on his face.

    "Hey, Case," he said in a gruff voice. "Nice work out there." He held out a fist. I punched it lightly and we did the asteroid explosion, sound effects and all. Suddenly, the universe was a better place.

    Steve and Adam gave grudging thanks as well. I felt like the man. I felt better than I''d felt in what seemed like forever. This was acceptance. Despite the coercion and outright blackmail dragging me to this point, I loved it.

    I showered off, smiling and nodding each time players came in and congratulated me while they lathered up and desperately tried not to drop the soap. It was odd not feeling like a ninety-pound weakling in the locker room. On the other hand, the air reeked of Old Spice. I half-expected to see the Old Spice guy waltz around the corner. As I dried off, I noticed Nathan dousing his armpits with it.

    "Why Old Spice?" I asked, trying desperately to block out the odor by force of will.

    He gave the spray can a serious look. "Dude. This is the stuff of men."

    I flashed back to my headaches and the strange concurrences of Old Spice invading my nostrils. Every jock on the football team probably bathed in it. Now I knew why I smelled it so often. One mystery down. A million more to go. I shook my head. "I''ll stick with Axe, thank you very much."

 Page 35

    He chuckled. "We''re gonna head to a party over at The Creek. How ''bout you come on out?"

    "Sure," I said. The Creek was actually an abandoned subdivision not far from my house. I''d heard of many a party out there but had never been invited to one. I dressed and checked my phone. Both Ash and Nyte had texted me congratulations. I shot back my thanks and went out to the Jetta. The parking lot teemed with players and fans celebrating the win. Most of the fans didn''t seem to recognize me in my street clothes and that was okay by me. My fist was going to get pregnant if I kept bumping it with everyone I ran into.

    "You were amazing!" Katie said as she came up behind me. She laced her arms around my neck as I turned and kissed me. Not a peck. Not on the cheek. She kissed me for real, just as she had earlier in the hallway.

    A hot burst pinged on my radar. I looked up and saw Elyssa standing with Ash and Nyte several yards away in the sea of revelers. Something flashed in her eyes. Was it pain? Desire? Anger? She turned away and pushed through the crowd before I could make a guess. Ash and Nyte waved, huge grins plastered on their faces, apparently unaware Elyssa had left.

    "What''s wrong?" Katie asked.

    I stared at Elyssa''s retreating back. "Nothing." I took a deep breath to diminish the knot in my throat.

    I arrived at the entrance to The Creek, Katie in tow, and located the party in question by the sheer number of pickups and cars parked along the road in front of a mostly finished house. The party house was almost fully built but the rest of the subdivision was filled with empty lots and wooden frames. Nathan shouted when he saw me and motioned me over to the beer kegs.

    Katie looked at him and shuddered. Annie and Jennie squealed at her from an adjoining room. "I''ll be with them," she said, eying Nathan warily. I couldn''t blame her. It seemed like ages ago he''d groped her and tried to steal a kiss. In a sense, that had been the incident to kick-start my strange destiny. It was clearer now¡ªthe headaches and blurred vision had all been supernatural growing pains. I was no longer Justin Case. I was something else. Something inhuman. And all these people thought I was just a person like them.

    "My main man, Case!" Nathan roared over the loud music. He handed me a plastic cup filled with pee-colored beer then pulled me to the back porch where a group of people were taking shots and playing drinking games. He eyed me for a minute and damned if he didn''t actually look embarrassed, of all things. "We''ve been through some real crap, haven''t we?"

    I took a sip of the beer and grimaced before looking him in the eyes. "That would be putting it mildly."

    He nodded. "I hated you."

    "Are we best buds now?"

    "I wouldn''t go that far." He chuckled and gulped down half his beer. "I guess the point is, I''m¡­" he mumbled something.

    I cupped a hand to an ear. "I didn''t quite catch that."

    A growl rumbled in his throat. "I''m sorry."

    Hearing an apology from Nathan felt really good. At the same time, it hardly covered all the mistreatment he''d put me, my friends, and countless other kids through. Baby steps, I told myself. Baby steps. "I think the person who needs an apology more than me is Katie."

    His face went scarlet and I thought for sure I''d just pushed the wrong button. But when his eyes focused on his beer I knew for sure it wasn''t anger he was feeling but embarrassment.

    "I¡ªI suck with women." Nathan gave me a sad puppy-dog look. Actually it was more of a sick Rottweiler look considering how big his head was.

    "But you''re a football player," I said as if one of the laws of physics were being broken. Didn''t women flock to football players?

    "How do you do it?" He gazed wistfully at Katie through the sliding glass door as she gabbed with her friends. "You stole her right out from under Brad Nichols, and that dude gets chicks just for having a motorcycle."

    I gave him a confused look. Was this the same Nathan I''d always known or had an alien scooped out his brains and replaced them with some random dork''s gray matter? Katie had dragged me through hell and I still wasn''t entirely sure why she''d suddenly fallen for me. "I can tell you one thing for sure."

    Interest kindled in his eyes. "What''s that?"

    "Girls don''t like it when boys try to force them into kissing them."

    He blushed even redder. "Yeah, I figured that one out."

    "Girls also don''t like nice pushover guys no matter what they say. The way I see it, you have to be somewhere in between."

    "Not a nice guy but not a total asshole?"

    "Exactly." I honestly didn''t have a clue what I was talking about, but if it made Nathan a better human being, who was I to argue? "But first I think you need to apologize to Katie."

    "And that way, I''m not a total asshole." He slapped me on the shoulder. "Case, you''re fricken devious, man. So we''re good, right?"

    I nodded. "Sure. Let bygones be bygones, I always say." I''d actually never said that once in my life, but figured it made me seem magnanimous.

    He leaned against the brick siding. "What ever happened to you and that Goth chick?"

    "Things didn''t work out," I said, my voice rough with emotion.

    "Women," he said, as if that explained everything in the universe. Maybe it did. His face brightened. "Hey, I want to try out your advice." He led me to a group of cheerleaders who were giggling and talking about shopping for shoes. There were some older girls there too, alumni who were in college but had apparently not made the cut as college cheerleaders.

    I started talking to a pretty brunette named Mandy. She had a strong Italian nose, huge eyes and smelled of vodka and peach-scented perfume. She gabbed excitedly to me about college and rushing for a sorority while she slammed down shot after shot. I mostly nodded and said "Uhuh" and "Mhm" to whatever she said.

    Nathan, meanwhile, was trying out my patented "Not a Total Asshole" approach by alternatively complimenting a girl and then telling her that her shoes were ugly¡ªor something like that. Amazingly, it seemed to be working on at least one of them. Or maybe the rollercoaster of emotions had simply short-circuited her brain.

    Katie appeared from nowhere and grabbed my arm. "Who are your friends?" she asked in a slightly slurred voice. The odor of something like cough syrup lingered on her breath.

    I introduced her.

    "Justin is amazing at football," Mandy said, struggling to keep her balance. She''d taken four shots in the space of ten minutes. "He ran over those huge guys like they were nothing. Pow!" She smacked one hand off the other for illustration and nearly toppled her drunk little self in the process.

    Katie smiled, holding onto my arm for support. "He''s amazing all right."

    Mandy grabbed my other arm around the bicep. "Flex it!"

    I suppressed a sigh but flexed.

    "Girl, look at that body," she said with an appreciative note to her voice.

    Katie''s smile turned venomous. "He works out."

    "When are you graduating?" asked Vanda, one of Mandy''s college friends.

    "Same time I do," Katie said as I opened my mouth to speak.

    "We''re going back to my parents'' place for a more intimate party," Mandy said. "You should come, Justin. It''ll mainly be a college crowd, but you''re totally cool."

    "Come, please," Vanda said, blinking her big eyes flirtatiously.

    Katie''s grip on my arm intensified. "We have other plans."

    Before I could ask her what those plans were, she dragged me away and out the front door.

    "We have other plans?" I asked.

    "Yes¡­we do." She wobbled a little as we stood in the chilly air.

    "How much did you drink?"

    "Ugh. Too much. Someone gave us shots of something green. Annie threw up all over Jenny."

    "Good times," I said, trying not to chortle with glee.

    Katie kissed me. She was a good kisser. She tasted like an apothecary''s mixing bowl, thanks to whatever the heck had been in those shots. I didn''t care. I still cared about her and wanted her despite the rough journey to this moment.

    Elyssa''s lips are so much softer.

    I squeezed my eyes shut and banished her from my traitorous mind. Elyssa had dumped me. She had blown our chance to have something amazing. I could still have that with Katie. After all, it hadn''t been too long since I''d thought I was in love with her. Maybe the universe was making things right for me this once.

    "Are your parents home?" she asked.

    "Nope."

    "Want to¡­"

    I nodded.

    I drove the short distance to my house while Katie nipped my earlobe and kissed my neck. My mind reeled with what we were about to do. She slept with Brad Nichols. My stomach twisted at the thought. I was a virgin. She wasn''t. Should it matter?

    "Was Brad your first?" I asked. The question surprised me because I hadn''t meant to voice it.

    She nodded and snuggled up to me. "We only did it once. It was a horrible mistake, Justin."

    Yeah, no kidding.

    We reached my house and went straight toward the bedroom. Katie wanted to sleep with me and I wasn''t even using my supernatural persuasion on her. She was the first girl who wanted to be with me for real.

    Except for Elyssa. A barb of pain stabbed my heart. I ignored it.

    We went inside. Dad didn''t seem to be around. His bedroom door hung wide open and aside from the smooching noises Katie and I were making, the house was silent. We slipped into my room. Katie pushed me on the bed and lay atop me. She grinned wide and kissed me.

    The image of her and Brad Nichols flashed into my mind again. I banished it and pressed her harder against me. I ran my hand down her back and to the back of her thigh. She shivered. I trembled. This was what I had always wanted. Tonight, Katie would be mine and I would be hers. This was meant to be.

    Katie sat up and pulled her shirt off. Her breasts, still trapped in a lacy black bra, jiggled. Is this for real? I had to be dreaming.

 Page 36

    My sexual sense awoke and pawed at the mental gates I had thrown up to keep it at bay. I tried to push its insistent presence away as Katie''s hands worked along my chest and sent chills racing down my skin. I could concentrate on one or the other but not both. She pressed her bare skin against my chest as one of her wandering hands found something very sensitive.

    The beast broke loose. It groped for her essence before I could stop it. Her sensuality entwined itself around mine like white glowing vines as our bodies writhed against each other.

    "Oh, yes," she moaned, her green eyes filled with lust.

    I rolled us over so she was underneath me. Her hand gripped the button on my jeans and tugged.

    Another hand, a bigger hand, gripped my shoulder in an iron vice and ripped me off her. I sailed several feet back and slammed into the wall with a bone-jarring crash, knocking the pictures off the walls and shaking the ceiling fan. I bounced off the wall, off the top of my chest of drawers, and landed on my back. I looked up.

    A demonic face stared back at me.

    Dad was home.

    Chapter 24

    Blue fire literally blazed in Dad''s eyes and rage contorted his face. I had never seen him with such a horrendous expression. His face hardly looked human, as if there were two versions of his face, one overlaying another.

    Katie let out a tiny peep and passed out as an unseen force sliced through our connection. Dad turned his gaze back on me, his eyes emitting a cold dark fury. "What in the hell do you think you''re doing?" he said through clenched teeth.

    "Ouch," was all I could muster as I pulled myself off the floor. I looked at him and felt real fear, the kind where you''re in a dream but moving in slow motion. "What''s going on?" I squeaked out.

    Dad paced the room, looking at Katie, then back at me. The glow in his eyes faded but his face remained livid. "Take her home."

    "Won''t she remember what happened?"

    He sniffed. "She''s so drunk I doubt she''ll remember anything. Especially not after I cut you off."

    "You''re the one who did that?" I asked.

    He said nothing but turned and left, closing the door behind him.

    I threw on my shirt and slid Katie''s back on. Otherwise, she still had on most of her clothes, amazingly. I was still trembling from fright and from the abrupt end to my carnal adventure.

    I hefted Katie over my shoulder and loaded her into the Jetta. Dad stood near the doorway his face calm but sad.

    "What''s going on, Dad?"

    "I''ll tell you when you get back. Now go."

    I hopped in the car and drove to Katie''s house. It was late and the windows were all dark. I hoped fervently I didn''t wake anyone up because her parents would freak. I took the keys from Katie''s bag

    I slid the key into the lock and slowly twisted it. The deadbolt opened without a sound. The lock on the doorknob responded with a low click. I eased open the door. The hinges squeaked. My heart thudded. I paused and listened with my enhanced hearing. I heard slow breathing. No walking or anything else to indicate someone was up and about. I put Katie over my shoulder and crept up the stairs, my intrusion aided by a nightlight in the upstairs hall and in the only bedroom with an open door. I figured out quickly that the open room was hers. The excessive amount of pink on the walls confirmed it. What was it with girls and pink?

    After depositing her under the covers, I made good my escape, engaging the bottom lock as I left.

    Dad was pacing in the foyer when I got home. He placed his hands on my shoulders and stared at me, studying me like I was a science experiment gone wrong.

    "It''s about time you showed up," I said. "I need some answers."

    He took a step back. "Yeah. I guess we need to have the talk after all."

    "In case you hadn''t noticed, I''m a little past needing to know about the birds and the bees."

    "I''m well aware of that, son. This is a different talk."

    Dad seemed vastly altered. Confidence and authority radiated from him as opposed to drunkenness and apathy. Usually, Mom was the one I thought of as wearing the family pants.

    I grabbed a glass of water and took a seat at the table. "Man, I''m all ears. Please tell me you know what I am and why I can seduce women with brain waves. And please don''t tell me I''m a faerie."

    "I almost don''t know where to start." He shook his head. "I honestly didn''t think you would become like us. Like me. You''re kind of a late bloomer."

    "Wait a cotton-picking minute. You have the same abilities?" I guess it should have occurred to me after the way he''d tossed me across the room. Glowing eyes should have been a clue as well. On the upside, that probably meant my eyes could glow too which was really cool. I imagined flicking the glow off and on in the dark so I could scare the pants off kids at Halloween.

    "Of course I do," he said. "You are, after all, my son."

    "And Mom''s like us too?"

    "Ah," he said with a sigh. "Your mother is another matter altogether."

    "Okay, well find a starting point and fill me in. Am I a vamprey? A fader?"

    He put a finger to his chin and gazed at the wall behind me for a moment, then seemed to come to some conclusion. "You are an incubus."

    The word sounded familiar but I couldn''t place it. "Okay, that doesn''t help at all."

    "We''re the male version of a succubus."

    The string quartet in my head struck a note of horror. I expected to see lightning outside and hear the roar of thunder as a spooky organ played in the background. I jumped up from my chair and nearly toppled the table. "We''re demons?" I couldn''t think of anything worse. I''d rather be an evil faerie than a demon!

    "Calm down, Justin. It''s not as bad as you think."

    I started hyperventilating. "We''re demons, Dad. Demons! Oh my God¡ªcan I even say that anymore without worrying about getting struck by hellfire? Or is it heavenfire?"

    "Sit down," he said with a firm note in his voice.

    I dropped into my chair. Pain gripped my heart with steel talons. Elyssa had been right about me. I was a monster, one-hundred percent evil, doomed to Hell.

    "We''re not pure demons, not in the sense myth has portrayed us. We are in fact very much like humans¡ªon the outside anyway¡ªthough our needs are more like vampires. "

    "I was dating a vampire." My heart hurt with the thought of Elyssa.

    He quirked an eyebrow. "You dated a vampire? Are you sure?"

    "I saw her fangs, Dad. Right after she kicked my butt."

    Dad quirked both eyebrows. "Son, vampires don''t date our kind. They feed on them." He blew out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "I think you had better start at the beginning. I get the feeling you''ve gotten yourself in quite a mess."

    "No thanks to you. First you drink yourself into a stupor, and then you vanish off the face of the earth. Where have you been?"

    He blanched and put a hand to his forehead. "I''m ashamed of myself, Justin. I''ve let you down and put us both in danger. Tell me when this started and everything that''s happened."

    I sighed and glared at him. That was no explanation and he wasn''t close to earning my forgiveness. But I told him the story anyway, starting with the disastrous drunk episode that turned me into a pariah, then worked my way to the gym and Stacey and my near deflowering at the hands of the woman in the grocery store. By the time I reached the end, Dad had covered his face with both hands from sheer embarrassment and probably amazement I''d survived so far.

    "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," he said. "I guess you''ve done okay for a clueless teenager."

    "That doesn''t make me feel very good."

    "To survive the attentions of a felycan is quite a feat."

    "Was the big cat I fought a felycan?"

    "No, that sounds like a moggy. Those are strays or alley cats felycans mutate into guardian forms. They use them as drones to guard or to attack and they''re tough to kill."

    "Well someone or something cut that moggy''s head off."

    "You must have a guardian angel."

    "Angels are real too?"

    He chuckled. "I didn''t mean it in that sense. Felycans are solitary creatures unless they have mates. You were obviously in her lair, and that was probably one of her moggies. As to who killed it, that''s anyone''s guess."

    "Can felycans infect humans like werewolves do?"

    "I''m not really sure what they''re capable of. They''re very rare, and I''ve only met one. They do like our type though. If you weren''t protected by your mother, she might have leeched your essence dry."

    "How is Mom protecting me? She wasn''t even there."

    "There''s so much to explain. Maybe I should just tell you the essentials and teach you the rest over time."

    "Just what I need. Supernatural kindergarten."

    "Our real last name is not Case. It''s Slade."

    The memory of my parents arguing popped into my head. Dear old Daddy Slade, Mom had said.

    "So that''s what you and mom were talking about. Who is Daddy Slade?"

    "He would be your grandfather."

    "Why haven''t I met him?"

    Dad shook his head. "If I have my way, you''ll never meet my family. Justin, demon spawn have a bad reputation for a reason. In fact, it''s why your mother and I took on the last name Case. We''ve been hiding from both of our families for years."

    I hazarded a guess. "The Conroys, too?"

    His eyes widened. "How did you know that?"

    "The private eyes you hired. Were you looking for Mom?"

    "Yes. I have to find her, son." A tear trickled down his cheek. "Life isn''t worth living without your loved ones."

    I wondered how he, or I for that matter, could love. We were demon spawn. Was the love I felt really an illusion after all? Still, the thought of Mom being in danger from the Slades or the Conroys choked me with fear. "Are the Conroys as bad as the Slades?"

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    Dad nodded. "They''re sorcerers."

    I snapped my fingers. "That would totally explain the frogs and rats."

    "So, you listened to my voicemail."

    "You''re darned right I did. I needed answers and you weren''t here to give them." I stood up and paced restlessly, grabbing an apple from the fridge and taking a bite. "I take it Mom is also demon spawn?"

    Dad leaned back in the wooden kitchen chair. "Your mother and her family are human."

    "I''ll bet her family didn''t like the idea of having you as a son-in-law."

    "No more than my family wanted me to marry a human." He twirled a pen on the table, his eyes giving it a thousand-mile stare. "My kind collectively calls itself Daemos, though everyone else refers to us as spawn. Had I not left home I would have been forced to mate with my sisters, my mother, and other female relatives. I would have been little more than a stud horse for breeding."

    I spat apple chunks all over the place. "Mate with your sisters and mom? Holy crap, Dad! What kind of family do you come from?"

    "Inbreeding doesn''t affect spawn like it does humans." His eyes left the pen and settled on me. "But it''s revolting and I''ll have nothing to do with it."

    "Good lord. Don''t I have any normal relatives?"

    "Define normal."

    Considering I wasn''t even human, I supposed my life wasn''t meant to be full of your typical nuclear family activities. "If Mom is human, does that mean I''m half human?"

    "Spawn consider interspecies breeding disgusting and repugnant."

    "As if sex with your relatives isn''t the worst ever!"

    A chuckle lit his face for a moment. "True. We hadn''t seen the result of a spawn-human mating in centuries, but it''s rumored the resulting children are born true¡ªeither entirely human, or spawn."

    "But don''t spawn have sex with humans when they''re feeding?"

    "Oh yes. But never mistake feeding for breeding."

    "Have I told you how mental your family is?" Talk about double standards. "So I can''t be half-and-half?"

    "I don''t think so. You appear to have inherited the skillset from my side of the family. As such, that would mean you are pure spawn. Like me, you are soulless."

    Another wave of panic hit me when I realized what he was saying. I took a deep breath to banish an anxiety attack. "I don''t have a soul? Oh, God this sucks."

    "Our demonic nature gives us a form of immortality in exchange for souls, or so I''ve been told. "

    I fought back the dread until another thought burst into my mind. How can I have a soulmate if I don''t have a soul? Was true love even possible for my kind? Had Elyssa been right about me from the start? This was horrible news.

    I found my voice. "This makes no sense. Do vampires have souls?"

    He shrugged. "I believe they forfeit their human souls for immortality, but I''m no specialist. Your mother and I escaped the supernatural life and tried to make normal lives. But you''ll have nothing approaching a normal life if I don''t teach you to use your powers responsibly."

    "Better late than never, I guess." My dread morphed into anger. How could I have been so blind all this time? It seemed my parents might have told me something. But if I''d turned out human maybe they would have worried me over nothing.

    Dad''s voice broke through my stony silence. "Justin, listen to me. The world is far more dangerous than you know. When you feed on psychic energy, your activity burns bright like a beacon. Any nearby leech can feel it. That includes felycans and vampires. Werewolves can smell our kind especially well when we''re leeching. While they probably won''t interfere, vampires regard us as something of a rare treat. Not only is our blood like a fine wine to them, but some believe it can increase their vampiric abilities. Imagine being reduced to a living wine cask for vampires."

    I shuddered at the image. "Point taken."

    "Also, there are ways to feed without exposing yourself. You''ve been going about it a bit too enthusiastically."

    "I did feed on those laughing guys in the bathroom."

    "Exactly. I''ve found comedy clubs to be a good focal point of positive energy. Passive feeding takes longer and is less satisfying but it will keep your nature hidden. That, I think, will be the first lesson I teach you."

    I furrowed my brow. "Dad, the cravings are intense. Are you telling me that all the time you were with Mom you never fully satisfied your hunger?"

    "She was worth the sacrifice. Our kind are not the sort who fall in love, but your mother won me over from the first." Pain knotted his features. He grabbed the pen from the table. It crunched as his fist clenched around it.

    A knot formed in my throat. The pain in his eyes probably echoed my own. I found it hard to speak for a moment but I had to know. "Is Elyssa a vampire?" He hadn''t said a thing about her.

    "It''s best you forget her," he said.

    "But I love her."

    "Love is powerful. Very powerful. But it can''t overcome some obstacles."

    "Enough with the mysterious nonsense. Is she really a vampire of some sort?"

    He hesitated. "Yes."

    "But she goes to school. She doesn''t burst into fire in the sun."

    "Vampires, as a general rule, don''t like the sun because it makes them lethargic, but it won''t torch them."

    "She doesn''t seem tired to me. Would SPF three-thousand sunblock do the trick?"

    He offered a grim smile. "She may be a djadajii, also called a dhampyr, a very rare breed of vampire."

    "Oh, how wonderful. A rare kind of bloodsucker." I tossed the remains of my apple into the trash.

    Dad stood and brushed the crushed pen bits from his hands then wiped at the spilled ink with a paper towel. "True vampires cannot breed. Only those of great age and potency can successfully turn a human into their kind. However, in the dark days it was a known practice of some old and lonely vampires to approximate families by turning a woman while she was pregnant."

    "Babies can survive that?"

    "Rarely. Vampiric metamorphosis is brutal on the body. Even strong adults die during the process."

    "Did your parents homeschool you about this stuff?"

    "It''s certainly not something you''d learn at public school. Your mother and I left you dangerously ignorant of the facts. We''d hoped you would be a human child and that we could offer you a normal life. We were so very wrong. And for that, I''m sorry."

    I thought of Elyssa, eyes blazing and fangs glistening. Scary as hell but so damned sexy. "So you''re saying the baby could come out as a vampire. A dhampyr. What makes it different from a normal vampire?"

    "Dhampyrs have souls. They are immortal but they can also procreate like humans."

    "How can an immortal age?"

    "Even our immortal bodies have a growth phase because we are born and not turned. Our aging simply slows and then ceases. A mortal turned vampire, however, would not age from that point on."

    I thought about what that could mean. Elyssa''s entire family could be vampires. But why would she call me a monster if she was a vampire? It made no sense. She was every bit the monster I was. Unless her soul negated the monster inside her.

    "Elyssa almost killed me. She called me a monster."

    "Aren''t we?" Dad said. He scrubbed at the ink on his hands but it wouldn''t come off.

    "Hang on a second," I said. "This isn''t just about me, it''s about Mom too. Does she think you''re a monster? Does she think I''m a monster?"

    "It''s very complicated, Justin. Your mother still loves us despite all outward appearances that she''s abandoned us."

    "Then why did she leave?" I pounded the table in anger. A crack ran down its center.

    "Her parents are very powerful in the sorcery community. Our blessed union was a huge embarrassment to them. Your mother forgave me for being nonhuman although those were very trying times. She loved me enough to bear my children. However, your mother''s parents stole something very precious from us, and she couldn''t bear the pain any longer. It nearly destroyed us."

    "What could be so precious that she''d abandon us?"

    He seemed to weigh his next words carefully. "Your little sister."

    Chapter 25

    I sat there, mouth gaping in stunned silence.

    "Her name is Ivy, and she''s about to turn eleven," Dad said, jaw tightening like a vice, eyes literally flickering with an unholy blue light. "Eliza and Jeremiah Conroy, your mother''s parents, took her shortly after birth and the Arcane Council supported keeping her out of the hands of ''an irresponsible girl''."

    "I have a sister," I said. "My mom is a sorceress, and my dad is a demon." I slumped in my chair. "And I thought people on reality TV had it bad."

    Dad smiled grimly. "Like I said, son, love doesn''t conquer all."

    "Why did Mom wait all this time to go to Ivy? Why didn''t the Conroys take me?"

    "We managed to hide from them for years, but they found us while your mother was pregnant with Ivy. Their price not to reveal our location to the Slades and to let us keep you was our daughter. They forbid us from seeing her until she turned eleven, at which point your mother could return home to them."

    I did some quick math in my head. "How in the world don''t I remember Mom being pregnant? I was only seven, but I think that would stick out."

    "All those times you mother charmed you, she also blurred your memories. Made it harder for you to remember certain things. She thought it was for the best, sparing you the pain, although I disagreed."

    "You''re damned right it was wrong! I have a sister. I want to remember everything about her, no matter how painful."

    I thought back to the mystery pregnant woman who had stepped in front of my car after my first encounter with Stacey. She had looked like Mom. I remembered the nightmare with the long dark hallway and the shadowy figure with the cane. Now that I was thinking about it, I remembered other times I had dreamt of crying babies and mystery pregnant women. Trying to recall any of it in detail, however, was like trying to peer through a shimmering haze. It made sense now. My subconscious had known all along. My first encounter with Stacey had triggered Mom''s protective charms and that must have jarred loose a few suppressed memories.

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    The strain of remembering caused a gentle ache in my head. I massaged my forehead with my fingers, but it didn''t help. "I think I remember the night the Conroys came for my sister."

    Dad nodded. "You attacked them with your toy sword."

    "I guess I didn''t win."

    "Your grandfather laughed." Dad shuddered. "And then he hit you with a spell that froze you into place." A snarl contorted his face. "He told me to chain the little monster up next time."

    "Why did he think I was a monster? You didn''t even know what I was until now."

    "He was certain you were spawn and that your sister would be pure human. How he knew, I have no idea."

    "Did Mom know?"

    He shook his head. "Of course not. She would have told me." Something flashed on his face. Was it grief? Uncertainty? I had a sickening feeling that neither Dad nor I knew what Mom was truly up to.

    "Why didn''t you go into hiding again?"

    "Sorcerers have ways of finding people no matter where they go. This particular geographic location interferes with tracking spells and magic, according to your mother. In the end, they still found us."

    "It doesn''t make sense," I said, resisting the urge to put another crack in the kitchen table. "Why did she have to wait eleven years?" And why didn''t she take me with her? I wondered. To protect me?

    "Eleven is the age at which children start their arcane arts training."

    "In other words, magic."

    He nodded. "Your mother was one of the best teachers."

    "And eleven years is plenty of time to brainwash a little girl. They probably figured I was too old for that."

    Rage and sorrow warred for dominance on Dad''s face as he nodded. His fists tightened, released, tightened, released, and he took several deep breaths as if he were performing a well-known ritual. As if he were exorcising his own demons.

    I stood up as a sense of purpose roared into me. I would rescue my sister and my mom. Soul or not, I wanted my family united again. "I''m ready."

    "For what?"

    "To learn how to be a good demon. When do we start?"

    "First thing tomorrow."

    "No more drinking? No more secret meetings with private eyes?"

    He shook his head. "It''s time I became a real father."

    I walked over to him and hugged him. "Thanks."

    He patted my back and squeezed me to him. "I love you, son."

    For once, I didn''t feel icky for saying it. "I love you too, Dad."

    We dumped every bottle of alcohol into big trash bags and put everything curbside then cleaned the house until the odor of sour beer hovered only faintly in the background, even to our enhanced senses. The clock read three in the morning when we finished and Dad told me to get some rest¨Cwe''d start practice during the day when it was safer for us to be out.

    Despite how tired I was, it took a while to fall asleep. I have a sister! That meant I was a brother. A big brother at that. That gave me the right to beat the crap out of any guys who even looked at her, right? I was happy but nervous and full of dread all at the same time. What if she didn''t like me once we met? The scene I had dreamt of when my grandfather had taken Ivy from my parents played through my mind, still blurry from Mom''s attempts to block the painful memories from me, but vivid enough to fill me with rage. I wanted a sister to protect and to love, and I would get her back from those monsters no matter the cost.

    But I had to face reality. I was in over my head until Dad showed me how to use my abilities and I learned more about the Overworld. All the times I''d been out at night prowling for girls, I''d never known a gang of people with fangs could kidnap me and use me as their own personal snack pack. I remembered the strange people who''d watched me practice football. Had they been vampires¡­or worse?

    I dreamt of huge wolves morphing into humans and then into cats. Mom appeared in a black billow of smoke and shot lightning from her fingers. Dad morphed into a demonic creature and vanished. A dark figure in a top hat chased me through a black featureless wasteland.

    I jerked awake and couldn''t go back to sleep. The breaking dawn seemed surreal. Had the conversation with my dad actually happened? Was I really a demon with a sorceress for a mom? Did I really have a little sister?

    A yummy smell interrupted my thoughts. Food before philosophy, I always say. Dad had made pancakes, bacon, and eggs. He smiled. "Set the table, would you?"

    My real stomach growled as I grabbed the plates and silverware.

    After breakfast, Dad explained a few basics to me, some of which I had already figured out on my own. When I used my superhuman abilities such as health restoration or strength, I used up energy from what he called my psythus, or a psychic well. The psythus is the equivalent of a psychic stomach that stores the energy leeched from others. When I leeched, I actually took parts of a human''s soul and spirit from them. Dad explained the two were separate, that even soulless beings had spirit. His explanation about the two only confused me so I took his word for it. If I fed too much on one person, I could severely damage the person''s soul to the point of no return and leave them in a coma.

    This frightened me as I thought back to Victoria and the girls who I had come so close to ravishing. I told him my concerns but he assured me I would have to be near death to leech enough soul from someone to damage them.

    He told me how to probe without "hooking" as he called the latching process. Apparently I could feed off any sort of emotion, but as with food, every incubus had a different taste preference.

    "There are those who enjoy pain," he said. "The things they''ll do to a person while they feed are horrific."

    "What are kine?" I asked, remembering the strange term Stacey had used a few times.

    "It''s an old term that means cattle. That''s how most leeches view humans."

    "That''s horrible."

    "One entity''s predator is another entity''s cattle."

    I shuddered to think of what Stacey might have done to me had Mom''s charm not been in place. Come to think of it, a psychic energy battery meter would be really handy. Maybe on a watch or something so I could look at the time and tell whether the old supernatural batteries were running low.

    "What happens if we go to church?" I asked.

    "We would disintegrate into puddles of molten flesh."

    I gave him a horrified look and leapt from my seat. "What if I''d gone to church with a friend? Holy crap, Dad!"

    He laughed. "Just kidding. At worst you''d have to listen to a boring sermon."

    "Oh." I sat down. "Well, that sounds like reason enough to avoid churches."

    After a lecture taking up most of the morning, Dad took me to the Laundromat to practice my skills.

    "Why a Laundromat?" I asked, looking around at the bored men and lethargic women reading magazines or watching Saved by the Bell reruns on an ancient nineteen-inch television. "Is this what you were doing when I followed you the other day?"

    "Yes, I was feeding. People here are in a neutral state of mind. It''s easier to practice probing without strong emotions getting in the way," he said.

    I was just glad he hadn''t been getting his jollies from watching old ladies. Nobody seemed to notice we weren''t doing laundry as I practiced. It took a while, but I eventually got the hang of probing, dirty as the term sounded. While I could not read minds, as I had discovered long ago, I could sense emotional states. Most of the people in this place were practically comatose. No surprise there. One girl, however, was rather enjoying herself thanks to the erotic novel in her lap.

    Another interesting tidbit¡ªI could hook into a person''s psyche without them immediately wanting to tear off my clothes. I had to attune to their emotional state before diving in.

    "Isn''t this like mind control?" I asked.

    "It''s dangerously close. If you can raise sexual impulses, then you can make a person do things they normally wouldn''t do. As it is, we can either prevent them from responding to us by keeping our hooks attuned to their state, or we can attract them."

    I was a little disappointed I couldn''t telepathically make them do what I wanted. It didn''t take me too long to figure out how to attune my state to people''s auras so I could hook into them after Dad explained the process, although it took a lot of control and willpower to settle my mind into passivity.

    "Once you''ve hooked, you can transfer the link to another person," he told me. "That''s what happened to you with Cindy Mueller and that other boy."

    "Does that mean they were feeding off each other?"

    "No, humans can''t feed. They don''t have a psythus. By linking two people you can increase the flow of energy just as you did to the young couple at the football game. Much as it sounds like magic, there are some scientific principles to psychic energy generation and so forth."

    "Cindy and Alan are dating now. Cool, huh?" Ever since my accident with those two in Calculus, they''d been inseparable.

    His eyes hardened. "Don''t toy with people''s emotions, Justin. It''s wrong for one thing, and for another, the feelings you think you''re creating are illusion. You can''t make someone like or love another person if true feelings don''t already exist."

    I gave him a shocked look. "I would never do that." I actually had planned on trying it, but I knew he was right.

    "One derogatory term for our kind is cherub because of our ability to force emotional connections between people. It''s a dangerous power."

    "Anything is dangerous in the hands of a hormonal teenager," I said with a grin.

    He chuckled. "No doubt."

    I practiced hooking and unhooking for a while, seeing if I could leave the individual in question totally unaffected. They seemed to know something was afoot because most would glance around as though someone had just tapped them on the shoulder. So long as I maintained a calm emotional state, I could feed with hardly a reaction. The only problem with a neutral emotional state? The energy tasted like rice cakes¡ªthink Styrofoam¡ªand it trickled rather than flowed.

 Page 39

    After practice, we went to a hipster restaurant in downtown Decatur for some real food.

    "Do dhampyrs hate us?" I asked Dad as we ate.

    He pursed his lips. "I would imagine that each individual has his or her own opinion of our kind much as ordinary humans do. In general, though, spawn have earned their bad reputation."

    "Elyssa''s mom is a hair stylist," I said. "A hair stylist! I would never think someone like her was a dhampyr."

    "Like anyone else, they''ve got to earn a living."

    He made it sound so mundane. How many people could say their hairstylist was a half-human vampire? I sighed. "So there''s probably no chance of Elyssa and I getting back together."

    "Ah, to be young and foolish," Dad said. "I hate to say it, son, but it sounds like she has some prejudiced feelings that will be hard to overcome."

    I tried not to hang my head, but the weight of his words hit me like a hammer, even if Elyssa had already told me in no uncertain terms how she felt about what I was. But there was nothing I could do about it. Just like I couldn''t change my skin color or where I was born. Then again, dating demon spawn was probably more extreme than most people wanted to deal with.

    We left the restaurant and walked down an alley formed by the restaurant and a neighboring pub. Shattered glass littered the pavement and crunched underfoot. A stray dog trotted past us, something hanging from its mouth. We reached the junction of a service entrance where four buildings backed up to each other. Dumpsters lined the paved strip. Steam escaped the sewage covers in the middle of the service alley. I wrinkled my nose at the unwelcome odor pervading an otherwise crisp autumn evening.

    A crackle and a low hum filled my ears. I stopped and looked around, half expecting a power transformer to explode. Dad took a couple of steps forward. He bounced back as if he''d hit a wall.

    "Oh crap." He lunged forward and rebounded again. He pressed against the air like a mime touching an invisible wall.

    "What is it?"

    "We''ve got a problem."

    I still wasn''t sure what the hell was going on. "What are you doing? There''s nothing there."

    "It''s a confinement circle."

    A young man, probably in his twenties, came from around the corner and gave us a triumphant look. "Well that was easy."

    "What do you want?" Dad asked.

    "The bounty, of course," replied the man. He strutted over like he was the cock of the walk and studied me. "You must be the little monster everyone''s so worked up about." He looked at my dad. "You, on the other hand, are wanted by the Conroys. I guess it''s for the best if I turn you in with your ''son''." He flashed air quotes to demonstrate exactly what he thought about our family relations. "I''ll let the authorities sort it all out." I hadn''t known this guy for thirty seconds and I already hated him.

    Dad clenched his fists. "The Conroys put a bounty on me? Who put a bounty on my son?"

    The man shrugged. "I don''t know. I just turn the monsters in to the Conclave and let them sort it out." He rubbed his hands together. "Now, if you''ll just cooperate, I promise things will go smoothly."

    I was getting really tired of this dude''s insinuations that my dad and I were nothing more than monsters for him to ship off.

    I stepped forward. Dad stopped me. "You can''t break through it, son. It''s a circle."

    "A circle?"

    "It''s what sorcerers use to trap demon spawn." He pointed to a chalk outline on the ground.

    "A chalk circle?" I pshawed. "That''s stupid. Who in the world came up with that rule?"

    The man listened to us with an amused expression on his face then lifted a large rune-covered staff and waved it around in a way that probably wasn''t good for our near future.

    I knew something horrible was about to happen to Dad. Before I could think, I blurred forward and snatched the staff from the man. I snapped it into four pieces. Threw the pieces to the ground. I grabbed the man by the neck. He squealed like a pig¡ªprobably just like Coach Wise preferred¡ªas I chucked him at the dumpster. He bounced off the open lid and landed inside with a metallic clang. I blurred over to him and looked inside. He was out cold.

    I approached the oh-so-dangerous chalk circle and rubbed out a section with my shoe. Dad stepped across, staring at me with amazement.

    "How did you do that?" he asked.

    "I, uh, just walked across it," I said. "I felt a little static in the air, but that was it."

    "You know what this means?" he said.

    "That I can step across a chalk line?"

    He shook his head. "You are part human."

    "So I''m not a demon spawn after all?"

    He grinned. "Oh, you''re definitely demon spawn, but you have a human side too." He whistled. "And they thought half-breeds were impossible."

    "The Conroys must have known something if they took Ivy."

    "Maybe. Or perhaps they''re just evil people."

    "That goes without saying about anyone who''d steal a baby from her parents." I pointed a thumb over my shoulder at the dumpster. "What about him?"

    "I don''t know what to do about him. This is bad news. If he found us, there will be others looking to collect the bounty."

    "Why would magicians need money? Can''t they just make it out of thin air?"

    He chuckled. "They don''t like to be called that. It lumps them in with the ordinary illusionists. Besides, even the best sorcerers can''t make things out of thin air." Dad stared vacantly for a moment then narrowed his eyes. "Do you have an internet phone?"

    "You mean a smartphone? Yes."

    "Let''s check the Conclave''s website. Maybe they have my bounty posted there."

    My eyebrows threatened to fly away. "You must be kidding. They have a website?"

    I pulled out my smartphone and typed in the address my dad gave me. Sure enough, it was a website for the Overworld Conclave with slick professionally-designed graphics and everything. The main page listed bounties. Mine and my dad''s were at the top of the list. Most of the bounties ran around a thousand bucks. Our bounties were fifty grand each. I almost felt flattered.

    "How can sorcerers have a website? I thought magic and technical stuff didn''t work very well together."

    "Technology and magic work very well together," he said. "Some of the things they can do nowadays would scare your pants off. Besides, this isn''t the Arcane Council''s website. The Overworld Conclave governs all supernatural beings. Or at least it tries to."

    "Tries to?"

    "Every faction complains that other factions have too much power. Most of the time nothing gets done. About the only thing most factions agree on is keeping the supernatural set out of the limelight. Anyone caught breaking that rule is usually dealt with quickly and efficiently."

    I gulped. Had I stepped over the line? Stupid question. I had dived over the line with football. That had to be the reason the Conclave had listed a bounty on me.

    I went to the dumpster and, despite the horrible odor, pulled out the unconscious sorcerer. A few shreds of moldy lettuce fell off his brown leather duster. I patted him on the cheek a couple of times. He jerked awake, mumbling something about remembering his gym shorts. When his eyes settled on me, they hardened.

    "How did you break the circle?"

    "I''ll be asking the questions," I said. "How did you find us?"

    "A lot of detective work."

    "Tracking spells?" Dad asked.

    He shook his head. "Didn''t have blood or anything to track you with."

    I wasn''t really sure what the limits of magic were in that regard. For all I knew he could wave a magic wand around and teleport to us.

    "You two should just come with me," the sorcerer said. "It''ll be a lot easier on you that way."

    I gave him a yeah-right look. "How about you leave us alone and go away?"

    He snorted. "I''m the least of your worries. Ever since the bounties on you two went public, all sorts of supers are looking for you."

    "Vampires?" Dad asked, worry creasing his forehead.

    The sorcerer pushed himself to his feet and looked at the splintered mess I''d made of his staff. "Do you know how long it takes to make one of those?" He shook his head. "No, of course you don''t."

    Something rustled. A bit of broken roof tile fell onto the alley floor from two stories up. Dad cursed. The sorcerer dug in his trench coat and whipped out a smooth ebony stick about twelve inches long. Something cold prickled at the edge of my senses, almost the same way it did when Stacey was around. But this felt cold and hostile rather than hot and stalkerish.

    "I just knew those sons of bitches were following me," the sorcerer said. "Lazy bastards were probably waiting for me to put you in sleepers."

    I gulped. "Um, who''s following you?"

    Dark forms dropped from above and landed in front and behind us. I counted six. One shadowy figure stepped into the dim light of a lamp. He looked pretty ordinary to me aside from his abnormally ice-hued skin and his Fabio-length brown hair. He smiled. His canines lengthened into ivory-colored fangs.

    I had just met my first "normal" vampire.

    Chapter 26

    The vampire''s fangs reminded me of Elyssa''s, except her straight white teeth and full lips complemented hers and drove the sexiness factor through the roof. This guy wasn''t ugly, but the large gap between his two front teeth gave him an almost comical appearance. He really needed an orthodontist and some titanium braces to fix those ugly chompers. Apparently, becoming a vampire didn''t fix your teeth.

    "It''s him," said a tall thin vampire as he stepped from the shadows and pointed at me. Light danced menacingly in his ruby-colored irises.

    "Oh yes, the football star," said a shorter vampire with a slight lisp who stood next to the other. I recognized both their faces even though they''d worn hoodies while watching me at football practice.

 Page 40

    "Hey, it''s Thing 1 and Thing 2," I said. "You two get your jollies stalking me?"

    "I am a sorcerer and member of the Arcane Council," said the sorcerer. "These two spawn are in my custody. Let us pass peacefully."

    The first vampire quirked a dark eyebrow at the sorcerer. "I see two rogues and a conspirator." Despite the jumble of teeth in his mouth, his voice was pure silk. His eyes glinted blood-red in the sodium glow of nearby street lamps.

    He wore expensive designer jeans, properly ripped and torn, and a button-up shirt with a red power tie. I noticed most of the other vampires had on stylish attire as well. One of the females had a cute geek chic thing going with square glasses, a black pleated skirt, and a pink button-up. When they weren''t sucking blood, they apparently did nothing but shop for fashionable clothes.

    The sorcerer didn''t seem surprised by the response. "Well, that suits me just fine," he said. "I haven''t beaten the crap out of my quota of blood-suckers this month." The symbols on his wand emitted a low glow.

    My respect for the guy notched up a bit even if he did try to kidnap us.

    I tensed.

    Dad tensed.

    The vampires edged forward, stylishly, of course. More shadowy figures dropped from the rooftops until there were at least ten vampires encroaching on our position from all sides.

    "Are they as strong as we are?" I asked Dad in a low voice.

    "It depends on age," he said. "There''s no way to tell how old they are from looking at them, though."

    "Lovely," I muttered. My first experience with vampires and I had to fight a whole squad of them.

    One of the vampires zipped my way. All hell broke loose. The sorcerer yelled a word and a blistering gout of orange flames roared past my face and blasted the vampire, knocking him against a wall and charring his designer jeans. The odor of burned hair and denim filled the air. More vampires rushed us.

    I caught one in mid-dive with my fist. Sent him flying. Ducked under the geek chick''s foot as she sprang off the wall at me, hissing. A vampire behind me wrapped his arms around mine in an iron grip. Another vampire swung his fist at my face. I ducked out of my captor''s arms. The other vampire''s fist missed me and crunched into his comrade''s nose. I lowered my shoulder and rammed my would-be attacker. He flew back and thudded inside the same dumpster I''d knocked the sorcerer into moments earlier.

    The sorcerer roasted another vamp, annihilating his long hair and leaving a smoldering, smelly mess. Fire didn''t seem to kill them, but charring their hair and designer clothes really pissed them off. Another group of attackers had flanked us. The sorcerer shouted, "Yod!" and formed a fist with his free hand. He aimed it at them. The would-be flankers smacked against an invisible barrier and bounced back.

    Dad grabbed the vampire who''d first spoken to us by his magnificent hair and slammed him into the dumpster. I put my back to Dad''s, figuring we could guard each other.

    A quick little vampire who looked no older than twelve dodged and dipped around my punches. I felt kind of guilty about fighting a kid, but then again, he was likely a lot older than he looked. Besides, he darted around my punches like Yoda on energy drinks. The geeky vampire chick came from my side. She punched me in the jaw while I was trying to pin down the kid. Stars erupted. I wobbled and staggered. The kid delivered a punch to my stomach that almost caused my dinner to make a return trip up my esophagus. I barely dodged another vicious blow from the female and caught sight of Dad as vampires swarmed him like ants.

    A surge of adrenalin-fueled anger burned through my veins. I lunged for the kid as he came in for another punch. Grabbed his throat. Slammed him against the brick wall. The vampire girl leapt on my back. I grabbed her pigtails and slung her off and into the group of vampires that had just broken through the sorcerer''s shield behind us. They caught the girl, no problem, but it also gave the sorcerer the split second he needed to throw a wall of flames at them.

    Shrieks and curses erupted as the flames consumed their clothes and with it, their dignity.

    I turned back to Dad. The mob of vampires had immobilized him with metal bands and were carting him away. "Dad!" I yelled.

    "Justin! Run!" he said as one of the kidnappers bundled him over a shoulder and sprinted toward a waiting van on the road at the end of the service alley.

    "No!"

    More vampires dropped from the buildings above. Where were they all coming from? Someone grabbed my elbow. I reared back and almost punched the sorcerer in the face before realizing it was him. Our attackers, beaten, burned, and hurting, abandoned their fight with us and guarded the retreating flank of their comrades as they raced for the getaway van.

    "We have to get out of here," the sorcerer said. "We''ve got no choice."

    "No! Help me stop them," I pleaded. "Blast them."

    "I can''t. I''m exhausted and there are too many of them. If they figure that out, they may come back and finish us off."

    "Conjure up some wooden stakes and shoot them!"

    "It doesn''t work that way, kid."

    I ran toward the swarm of vampires. Three of the new ones formed a wall for their smoldering, now hairless comrades. I lowered my shoulder and rammed into them. One went tumbling. The other caught a blast of fire from the sorcerer.

    A cold pair of arms clamped me around the chest. "You''ll make a nice snack," said a deep male voice.

    I roared, bent my knees, and sprang backwards, slamming my captor into the brick wall. His hold loosened. I rocked my body forward then drove my head back into his face. His nose made a nasty crunch. His arms loosened their hold as his hands raced for his broken nose. I spun and punched him in the eye. Kneed him in the stomach. He howled in pain and doubled over as dark blood oozed to the ground. A foot slammed into my butt. I tumbled forward and landed in a heap next to the sorcerer.

    He muttered something and a blue-tinged shield sprang into being between us and the vampires. The one I''d injured flipped me off while his comrade helped him into a black car at the end of the alley. The van with my dad was long gone. The geek vampire chick threw her cracked glasses at the shield and stuck her tongue out at us before following her comrades. One of her pigtails was gone and her pink shirt had acquired greenish mustard and rotten lettuce¡ªprobably from the oft-used dumpster.

    "Good work, kid," said the sorcerer, slapping me on the shoulder.

    "Oh, God," I said, dropping to my knees. "They have Dad. What am I going to do?"

    "There''s not much you can do," he said without much sympathy in his voice.

    I stood up. Grabbed him by his coat and jerked him toward me. "You may not think we''re human, but he''s my dad and I plan to save him. If it wasn''t for you, he wouldn''t be gone."

    "I don''t appreciate the way you''re touching me, kid."

    "You don''t?" I shouted as rage boiled my blood. I picked him up off the ground by his collar and considered slamming him against the wall until he was ground hamburger.

    "Hurt me if you want, but it won''t save your dad."

    He was right. It wouldn''t do me any good now, I realized. Sadness cooled my anger. I dropped him on his feet and turned away to stare at the alley exit.

    The sorcerer cleared his throat nervously. "Look, I appreciate you saving my life back there. The name''s Harry Shelton, but everyone calls me Shelton."

    I shot a glare at him over my shoulder. "I''m Justin."

    "I know," he said before hastily adding, "from the bounty notice."

    "I suppose the Conroys told you all about us."

    "Those stuck-up bluebloods?" He snorted. "Alice Conroy, your mother, vanished from the sorcerer community years ago. We hadn''t heard a thing about her for over a decade. Suddenly she''s back on the radar and the Conroys put out a bounty on David Slade. Now, as everybody knows, you don''t mess with House Slade. But apparently this demon was no longer considered a part of the family. So I did a little digging and found not only did Alice Conroy play house with this monster, but she apparently had you to boot. Once I figured out Case was an alias, it was only a matter of tracking you down."

    "My dad may be demon spawn, but he''s no monster," I said in a low growl. This guy was about to get smacked around again if he didn''t watch it.

    Shelton gave me a thoughtful look. "I''ll admit he doesn''t seem like a typical Slade. And you." He shook a finger at me. "Something is very different about you. I always thought spawn and human mating produced pure spawn." His eyes lit up. "But in this case it didn''t. Am I right? You''re part human. That explains how you could break my circle."

    "Are you going to help me or not?" Every wasted second beat painfully in my chest.

    "I guess I owe you one."

    "That is putting it mildly."

    "If I do assist, we can''t involve any other sorcerers. Your kind doesn''t have a lot of admirers."

    "Is it just me or is the supernatural community full of racists?"

    He smiled. "Look, you don''t know much about the political map, obviously. Incubi are not nice¡­err¡­people. Vampires, on the other hand, are pretty civil. But mostly, everyone loathes the spawn because they''re a bunch of demonic jerks."

    "The vampires didn''t seem too civil to you."

    He fidgeted with his collar. "Well, we''ve had some political disagreements with them lately." He picked up the bits of his staff that were lying around and looked at them mournfully. "If I''d had my staff I probably would have been more help."

    "Just magic it back together again," I said. "It''s just a lousy stick."

    "Right, well I wouldn''t expect you to understand a thing about magic."

    "Can''t you just say reparo and fix the thing?"

    He sighed. "This ain''t Harry Potter, kid. There aren''t any magic words, only willpower and ability." He unscrewed a cap from the bottom end of the staff and withdrew a silver container.

 Page 41

    "What''s that?"

    "A generator and processor."

    "What the heck do you need that for?"

    "For magical energy and complex spell computations, obviously."

    "In a magic staff?"

    He rolled his eyes. "Do you honestly think I could make every physics calculation myself? I preprogram my best spells on a tablet and transfer them into my staff or wand processor. The generator can lay down some serious juice if I need to put on the hurt. I call these little things MPUs, or magic processing units."

    "Then how did Merlin and those guys do it in the old days?"

    "What the original gangstas did is nothing compared to what we can do now."

    "So your little wand doesn''t have enough power, I guess." I pointed at the black rod in his hand. "Maybe if you put a big glittery star on the end it would work better."

    "Ha, ha," he said as he shoved the generator into his coat pocket. He examined the wand for a moment then handed it to me. "See if you can turn it on."

    I rolled it around. "I don''t see a power switch."

    "There isn''t one, kid. Hold it by the thick end and imagine it being on."

    I wasn''t sure how to imagine it being on. I held it out and waved it around. Nothing happened, but something tingled in my hand. I thrust it in front of me. Still nothing, except it felt like ants were crawling on my hand.

    "Guess I was wrong," said Shelton and took it back.

    "I think the generator is going bad. I could feel the electrical current in my hand."

    His forehead wrinkled. "You felt something?"

    "Like ants all over my hand."

    "Holy cow," he said. "You are a strange one. Nobody but a human with the ability in them should feel anything coming from the wand."

    "Well, my mother is a sorceress."

    He let out a low whistle. "Hot damn, you''re right." He bit his bottom lip and narrowed his eyes in thought. After a moment, he motioned me to follow him and walked toward the street. "I''m going to suggest something you probably won''t want to hear."

    I clenched my fists but went with him. "I''m going to save my dad."

    "Maybe you should appeal to the Arcane Council as the son of Alice Conroy for help. You have a blood claim. They have to listen."

    "I thought sorcerers didn''t like spawn and besides, what about the bounty?"

    "Since you share a bloodline with a sorceress and your father, they may be forced by law to step in. There is precedent."

    Becoming embroiled in a political fiasco did not sound like a valid option. Not while my dad was being feasted upon by vampires. Just the thought twisted my stomach in agony.

    "I might as well ask the Slades for help," I said.

    "Terrible idea," Shelton said. "First of all, they disowned your father, and second of all, they''d find out about you and probably kidnap you for themselves."

    "And the Conroys wouldn''t do that?" I asked, almost adding, "Like they did with my sister?" Thankfully, I stopped myself. Shelton apparently didn''t know about her and I intended to keep it that way.

    "They couldn''t. We have a code of ethics."

    "Ethics? That''s a laugh." I stopped at the end of the alley and watched people from the shadows as they went about their lives, oblivious to vampires, spawn, or sorcerers. I sighed. "Look, just point me in the right direction. Who took my dad?"

    "Think this over, kiddo. If you go rushing in there without help, you''ll end up like your dad. Imagine those fanged creatures sucking on your neck for years, decades even. They''d keep you alive for a perpetual dessert."

    I shuddered. "You could help me." I could only think of one other person who might help, but the thought of asking her frightened me almost as much as the idea of going in alone.

    "Hey, kid, I''m grateful to you for saving my life, but I won''t rush willy-nilly into a vampire stronghold without backup. If you''re not going to listen to me, you''re on your own."

    "How do I find the vampires?"

    He pulled out a smartphone. "Give me your email address and I''ll shoot you over what I know."

    It seemed so bizarre giving my email address to a sorcerer, of all people, but I did. "Just don''t add me on Facebook."

    He met that remark with a wry grin. "You got spirit and a whole lot of teenage denial. Good luck."

    I made it back to my car, receiving a few surprised looks from pedestrians along the way. Soot and stinky black vampire blood covered my skin and clothes. I didn''t have time to shower and change. I had to go to my last best hope. If she turned me down, I would have to go in alone.

    Chapter 27

    I drove out of town toward Scottdale and the old industrial park where I''d run into the moggy. I was certain the decrepit buildings hid Stacey''s lair and she, unfortunately, was the only person who might be able to help me.

    According to Shelton''s email, the vampires who took Dad were members of the Red Syndicate, the organization to which supposedly every vampire worldwide owed allegiance. He believed the local Atlanta group numbered around a couple hundred, give or take. Either way, I wouldn''t stand a chance on their home turf without help.

    I climbed out of the Jetta and stood in the cool night air, letting a gentle breeze carry nearby scents to me. I reached out, feeling for a hint of Stacey''s presence, but found nothing. That didn''t mean much since my range didn''t seem to extend very far. Otherwise, I would have sensed the vampires who attacked me and Dad before they''d ambushed us. I dashed between two crumbling red-brick warehouses. Sprinted up the wall to my left and then leapt from wall to wall until I propelled myself to the roof. I crouched, listening for the sound of feline pads stalking my way or the unmistakable odor of a moggy.

    Still nothing.

    I waited for an hour, moving from building to building as stealthily as I could, keeping a constant vigil on the other rooftops. If I hadn''t been so frightened of running into another moggy, it might have been fun. Instead, I almost crapped myself at every innocent noise. Finally, I heard movement and ducked low as a figure leapt over the lip of the roof across from me and landed lightly on its feet. Silhouetted against the moon was the hourglass figure of a curvy female. Most likely Stacey, but I didn''t want to take any chances. She stood upwind of me which was good. I figured if I had a good sense of smell, hers would be even better.

    She made a gentle mewling noise. I heard the padding of dozens of feet and froze. Had I possibly missed another moggy? Cats burst from every direction, all running and meowing like crazy, nearly giving me a heart attack. Stacey laid out packages on the roof and the thankfully normal-sized cats dug in. It was fresh meat, but what kind I couldn''t tell. I hoped it wasn''t human flesh. I gagged at the thought of those strays chowing down on ground man-burger.

    Stacey stooped and petted the cats as they fondly rubbed against their mistress. She spoke to each of them and called them by name. I stood and sprinted to the edge of the roof, then leapt the gap. She jumped back, planted her feet, and faced me, hissing and baring hands with feline claws.

    "Whoa, there, tiger," I said, backing away when I landed. She gave a start of recognition and lowered her hands. "Girl, you give a whole new definition to crazy cat lady."

    "You scared me half to death, darling," she purred.

    "You''re not a scaredy-cat are you?" I''m here all week, folks.

    She laughed and walked toward me as her claws retracted into normal-looking fingernails. "How did you find me?"

    I decided not to go into details about following her. She might get angry considering someone had killed her moggy thanks to me. "I know who and what I am," I said, bypassing the question entirely. "I know what you are."

    She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "And you are here because?"

    "Vampires kidnapped my father. I need help getting him back."

    "I cannot help you," she said, her eyes widening in fear. "I am but one lonely soul."

    "One lonely soul, my demonic rear end. I know what you''re capable of. My dad told me. You can make an army out of these cats."

    "I refuse to send these innocent creatures to their deaths," she said, her voice rising. "Do you think I''m a bloody monster?"

    I didn''t answer. I didn''t know what to say.

    Large tears welled in her eyes. "You do think I am a monster, Justin." She sniffled. "How very unkind!"

    I took her gently by the shoulders. "No I don''t. I just didn''t realize how you felt about your pets."

    She pushed me away. "They are not my pets. They are my companions."

    Very crazy cat woman, I decided. I sat on an air vent and dropped my head into my hands. I didn''t know what to do.

    Stacey came behind me and stroked my hair. It felt oddly relaxing, like I was being scratched behind the ears. "I am sorry about your father," she said after a moment. "I have not known family for a very long time." She sighed. "It would be lovely to have a companion. Someone to hunt with and to enjoy my feline friends."

    "Is that why you wanted me?"

    "Indeed. You are very close to my kind in nature even if you cannot shift."

    "I like cats," I said, "but you and I would never get along."

    "Oh, I see," she said with a hint of jealousy in her voice. "You are still quite taken by the female dhampyr."

    "Elyssa," I said, unable to keep the pain from my voice. "I''m sorry, Stacey. It just wasn''t meant to be. You need a guy who can, um, love cats as much as you do." And what guy would ever admit to that?

    "There are so few of my kind left," she said sadly. "I would love to have children someday."

    "Stacey, do you eat people?"

    "Absolutely not." She made a gagging sound. "Who would want to eat humans considering the vile rubbish they consume?"

    "But you do feed on human energy."

 Page 42

    "Do not we all?" She came around to stand in front of me. "Vampires feed on human blood. We feed on emotional energy, you and I. Even noms feed on each other in emotional ways by loving, hating, killing." She gave a delicate shudder. "We are all each other''s prey, my dear. The strong conquer the weak."

    "Noms?"

    "Ah, you''re not familiar with the term? Noms are nominals or normal humans, although others disparagingly call them nom-noms because we feed upon them."

    "Like the Cookie Monster?"

    "Is that the little blue creature?"

    "Uh, yeah." I felt the conversation derailing so I jerked it back on track. "Don''t you scare noms half to death so you can feed off them?"

    "It is part of what I must do. Otherwise my feedings would be most bland."

    "But Dad said your kind feeds on fear. That you like to play with your food before you kill it."

    "I admit I do enjoy a fresh kill when it is prey, but I neither kill nor eat humans." She looked into the distance. "I suppose others of my bearing have different tastes. I truly have no idea since I haven''t seen another of my kind in years."

    I gave her a suspicious look. "My dad also said never to trust felycans, that you''re fickle."

    "Well, I am female, Justin." She smirked. "Perhaps you can trust me, or perhaps not. I suppose it depends on what your goals are."

    "I want to save my dad."

    She sighed and gazed at the cluster of cats lounging indolently on the roof now that they''d eaten. "I know several tomcats who may be willing to fight with you, but it will be their choice. Once I transform them, there is no going back. It is also very difficult to keep them suitably fed once they are larger."

    I decided to play dumb. "You can make them larger?"

    "Oh yes. I am surprised your father neglected to tell you."

    "I only found out what I am yesterday. He didn''t have time to fill me in on every little nuance."

    "Of course not," she said, patting my hand. "I honestly know little of your kind, but I do know your brethren are very unpleasant to deal with, not to mention demonic in nature." She shuddered delicately. "Your psychic energy, however, is positively top-notch. In any case, my lamb, I was pleasantly surprised to make your acquaintance."

    "You tried to force yourself on me. To feed on me. You call that making my acquaintance?"

    She wrinkled her nose. "That I did, and I am very sorry. But you are so delectable I could just dandle you on my knee."

    I didn''t know what dandling was and I had no desire to find out. "What were you going to do to me?"

    "I would have taken some of your essence just as you do to your prey. I can smell your delicious aroma whenever you are around." She sniffed the air in my direction and grinned. "It excites me so. I do wish we could come to an arrangement. Perhaps," she said, tapping her chin, "I can help you in exchange for my original terms."

    I really didn''t have a choice. "I suppose. But nothing permanent."

    "You ask me to risk so much for so little. Could you not give us a chance? I promise you our affair would be absolutely delightful." She almost sounded like Mary Poppins.

    I sighed. "Stacey, kiss me."

    "You are so forward, good sir."

    "Very funny. I just need to see something."

    She leaned in. Her breathing grew heavy, her eyes closed. Our lips met. Hers were soft and feverishly warm. Her tongue pressed against mine. I braced for the unpleasant sandpapery feeling, but her tongue felt normal. Hot. Willing. I pulled her closer, trying to feel something in my heart, anything that would make me want her besides raw physical need. Something that would make me agree to this bargain without hesitation.

    One of her hands stroked my hair. The other raked fingernails lightly down my back. She kissed my neck and traced my ear with her tongue. It definitely didn''t feel rough. In fact, it felt pretty amazing. Her soft breasts pressed against my chest, and my hand wandered down the curve of her back, reaching her firm bottom and squeezing.

    My body reacted, its second brain springing awake in anticipation of ravishing this shapely temptress. I jerked away. What teenage guy worth his salt wouldn''t be aroused after kissing like that? But it hadn''t been magic. It hadn''t burned through my veins with a desire to consume her and make her part of me. Despite the physical allure, her kiss had been but a pale reminder of the fiery earth-shaking touch of true love mingled with a kiss. Whether I had a soul or not, Elyssa affected a part of me beyond the physical and I would never have that with Stacey.

    "Why can''t I get her out of my mind?" I shouted to the sky in exasperation.

    Tears welled in Stacey''s large amber eyes. "You are too in love with her," she said. "I even kept myself fully human to make it more comfortable so my tongue would not cause a rash."

    "I''m sorry, Stacey. I really am. But I''m willing to make a bargain with you anyway if you''ll just help me."

    She stood and walked away to stare out into the darkness. "I will not help you, Justin." Her voice quavered and she sniffled. "I suppose I am doomed to never find true love." She pressed the back of a hand to her forehead with a melodramatic flourish.

    "Just because we aren''t meant to be together doesn''t mean we can''t mess around."

    "But I want you to love me and adore me. I want a man to come home to. Someone I can hug and kiss and laugh with." She started to sob.

    I knew exactly what she was talking about. Except I wanted a girl, not a guy, of course. And I would never call a rundown place like this home. I hugged her. She turned and buried her face in my chest.

    "Stacey, I want you to be happy. We didn''t really get off to a good start, but I''d be willing to do what you want. How about we can, uh, date or whatever for a year, provided I survive this?"

    I heard a tiny meowing and looked down to see a small black figure rubbing against my legs. I picked up the familiar feline. "Captain Tibbs!" I said. "I should''ve known you''d find a better gig."

    "You are acquainted?" Stacey asked. She took the little cat and kissed him on the nose. "Do you know this man, little one?"

    Captain Tibbs meowed a few times. Stacey looked at me with tenderness in her eyes. She put Captain Tibbs on her shoulder where he took a seat and purred while he licked his front paw.

    "I will help you."

    "What changed your mind?"

    "Nightliss told me how you bravely saved her from the jaws of an evil hound."

    With all the other crap that had been going on, I''d almost forgotten about the episode. It seemed so distant with all the other worries in my head. "I couldn''t let that dog hurt her." And to think I''d thought she was a he.

    Stacey pressed a palm to my cheek. "How heroic of you. You did not even possess your full abilities, did you?"

    "No." I gave Captain Tibbs a look. "Why do you call him¡ªI mean her¡ªNightliss?"

    "That would be the English equivalent of what she calls herself. Besides, Captain Tibbs, as you called her, is a rather ridiculous name." She smiled sadly and looked me up and down. "You are a filthy mess and your odor is most disagreeable. Go home and clean up. I will ask other tomcats if they will help you. If they say yes, then they will be the help you receive from me. I expect nothing in return. If I cannot have your love, I will only be miserable in a relationship built on convenience."

    It was a very melodramatic and very British way to put things, but it was a better outcome than I''d hoped for.

    I kissed her on the cheek and hugged her while Nightliss batted at my ear from her shoulder. "Thank you. Thank you."

    "Remember, only those who say yes will help you. It may be none at all."

    "I''ll take what I can get," I said, wondering how she could ask a cat anything of this nature. Then again, I should be able to believe in anything by now. I scratched the ears of a few nearby cats, discreetly checking if they had the proper parts dangling between their legs. I needed to be on their good side.

    "You know the one you love can never love you back," Stacey said in a sad voice. "There is no pain like unrequited love."

    I choked up and faced away from her. "Tell me about it."

    Chapter 28

    I left for home to take Stacey''s advice and clean myself. She told me she''d meet me back at her place the following evening. I had driven about a mile when the Jetta sputtered and stopped. I cursed and hit the steering wheel. It took only a second to identify the problem. I was out of gas. With all the supernatural crap hitting the fan around me, I had forgotten the most mundane of things. I didn''t know what to do except get out and run home. I''d have to make sure nobody saw my clothes. They looked like I''d come from a slaughterhouse and then gone mud sliding.

    The shortest way to my place was to hightail it through Clarkston, an even more rundown part of town. I didn''t know any backyard routes so I took to the back streets, hoping I knew where I was going. I ran past closed stores, boarded up homes, and mini-marts with thick bars on the windows. I had just passed the public bus terminal when I heard a faint noise that made me stop in my tracks.

    It was the sound of fear. A bottled up scream that might come from a gagged mouth. The wrongness of it struck at my heart and I couldn''t resist the pull. I sprinted toward the source, some hundred yards away behind a nearby strip mall. Two young thugs were holding down a girl who couldn''t have been any older than I was. Her eyes were wide with terror.

    "Let her go," I said before even thinking about it. It was rather stupid considering I didn''t know if they had weapons.

    The taller of the two turned and immediately confirmed they did indeed have weapons. He held a pistol cocked to the side in typical gangsta fashion. "You best get outta here, fool. You ain''t got no business here."

    His companion stood behind the girl with a leer on his face. "Sucka don''t have a clue, D.J. School him."

 Page 43

    "Let her go," I said, mapping out the route which was least likely to get me shot.

    The armed thug''s finger twitched. I blurred left, as the gunshot popped. I cut right. Grabbed his gun arm, and slammed him in the shoulder. His arm snapped like a twig. I took the gun, gave him a dirty look, and tried to eject the magazine like the badasses do on TV. Unfortunately, I didn''t really know what I was doing, so I suffered a moment of awkward confusion while I fiddled with the stupid thing. Finally, I just flicked on the safety.

    "What the hell?" said the other thug¡ªthe one who wasn''t screaming about his broken arm.

    "Guess you should''ve listened," I said, anger growling deep in my throat. Something shifted inside me. Pain exploded in my head and the world went red. Blood rushed to my head in rhythm with the timpani thundering of my heart. My forehead felt like it was cracking open. Like something was growing from it.

    The thug screamed at an impossibly high pitch for a man and fled. The girl passed out. The thug with the broken arm was too busy sobbing in white-faced agony to think about running.

    I staggered. The pain receded. Faded to nothing. I hadn''t had these awful headaches for a few days. Maybe my growing pains as a demon spawn weren''t over yet. Whatever the case, aspirin wasn''t going to cut it.

    I picked up the girl and ran her toward the front of the shopping center where a group of teens were frantically shouting someone''s name. Aware of just how bad it would look if a filthy guy walked up with an unconscious girl in his arms, I set her on a nearby bench and hid behind the corner. "Over here," I shouted. I heard their footsteps and exclamations as they saw their friend. Then I was off again.

    What a rush.

    I took stock of my location and angled for home. It felt amazing to have rescued someone. Despite my low energy levels and the hunger that groaned in my body, I felt energized.

    Foolishly, it gave me hope.

    I finally arrived at home and stripped off my ruined clothes which I trashed. After a shower I put on some jeans and a black T-shirt, figuring I might as well try to camouflage myself while I reconnoitered the location Shelton had given me in his email. If Stacey came through, I had to be prepared.

    Someone knocked on the door. Hope surged. Maybe Dad had escaped. Maybe Shelton had decided to help me. Or it might be Nyte or Ash. I had several missed texts from the two of them.

    I looked through the peephole and saw an empty stoop. I turned away. Another knock. I spun back and looked. No one was there. Somebody was playing games. That might be very bad. It could be more vampires or bounty-seeking sorcerers. I peered through the hole once more and a pair of violet eyes stared back at me.

    I opened the door without thinking. Elyssa stood there, her eyes neutral rather than filled with hate or disgust. That was a step in the right direction.

    "I know about your father," she said.

    "How could you possibly know already?"

    "My people have an extensive network. Word gets around fast when something goes down in the supernatural world. If I''d known who your father really is I would have also known you''re an incubus."

    "Oh yeah? Is that better or worse than vampreys and faders?"

    "A monstrous soulless leech is still a leech."

    "Well, congratulations. One monster down, one to go."

    "Oh come off it, Justin. You can''t get him back. The vampires who took him are rogues. They split from the Red Syndicate. Any lawful Syndicate member would have turned him in for the bounty, not kept him."

    "Why do you say that?" I asked, resisting the incredible urge to kiss those soft lips, fangs or not.

    "The Red Syndicate has an official image to uphold in the supernatural community, even when it comes to demon spawn."

    "That''s funny. I can''t believe evil blood-suckers would be worried about their public image. "

    "Vampire politics are tricky. They''re very aware of which way the wind is blowing. Even if they consider your father a rogue, they''d treat him according to law."

    "And what about my father''s family? They''d stand by and do nothing?"

    "They would, considering they disowned him."

    I waved her in. Her eyes grew guarded, but she came in anyway. I noticed she had two short sai swords sheathed on her back. They looked a lot like the ones she''d constructed for Kings and Castles. She wore a black form-fitting shirt and pants that outlined her generous curvy physique. She had a knife on both thighs and a belt with matte-black grenade-looking spheres attached to it. She looked like a ninja goddess.

    "Well, aren''t you just armed to the teeth?"

    "In my line of business it doesn''t pay to walk around in my underwear."

    Now that was a sight I''d like to see. "I have to try to save my dad. You know I can''t just leave him."

    "There are other avenues to freeing him. We could petition the Overworld Conclave for their intervention."

    "You said ''we''. Does that mean your family will help me?"

    "Oh, hell no," she said with a shake of her head. "They don''t even know I''m here."

    "Do they know about me?"

    "They''re aware of you now, thanks to this hubbub over your dad."

    "And?"

    "And what? They won''t hunt you down if that''s what you think. Mom was not exactly happy to find out she styled the hair of an incubus and didn''t even know it." Her lips curved into a sad smile.

    "That''s kind of creepy, now that I think about it," I said. "Finding out your hair dresser is a vampire. Speaking of which, is your family part of the Red Syndicate?"

    She grimaced. "No, we''re just a family. We''re nothing like those creatures."

    "Wait a minute. They''re creatures but you''re not? Hypocrite much?"

    She leaned against the back of the couch and narrowed her eyes at me. "Just because a vampire raped one of our ancestors doesn''t mean we''re anything like them. We do something positive with our abilities. Besides, we''re dhampyrs, not vampires."

    "Well if you''re not a creature because your method of inception was out of your control, then I guess I must be okay too."

    She grunted and averted her gaze. "We swore an oath to protect mortals from supernaturals. From leechers like spawn."

    "Are you with the supernatural police squad? Should I call you Deputy Elyssa?"

    "We''re Templars," she growled.

    "Like the knights?" I laughed. "You run around killing vampires and demons?"

    "It''s not like that. We don''t go around killing anyone. We simply take care of the outlaws and rogues despite our dislike of¡­"

    "Monsters like me?"

    She met that with a protracted sigh. "It''s just the way things are."

    I paced into the kitchen and grabbed some water. My insides churned with the desire to kiss her, frustration because I couldn''t, and the need to feed. "I''m not going to beg a bunch of lousy politicians to help me free my dad. If it works anything like human politics, it''ll take forever. No telling what they''re doing to him right this moment." I chugged down a glass of water to quench my burning thirst, but it didn''t help. It wasn''t that kind of thirst. "I already have someone to help me anyway."

    "Who?" she said in a scoffing tone. "Your little cat woman? What good will she be?"

    "At least she wants to help!" I yelled. I gritted my teeth and lowered my voice to a snarl. "Nobody else gives a damn because they think we''re monsters who don''t deserve to live in peace. We''re blamed for being part of a family I never knew existed until a day ago." The anger fled from me as despair settled in. I groaned and sank into a chair.

    She put an arm on my shoulder. I ached to touch her hand. To feel real solace in that touch. But it was an empty gesture.

    "Justin, please listen to me. I don''t want to see you hurt."

    "Says the girl who almost cut my throat."

    "No. Says the girl who thinks you''re not all bad and don''t deserve to die." She removed her hand and stepped in front of me.

    "Look, I have to go," I said, the hunger and her presence becoming unbearable. "Can you at least tell me what I have to expect?" Aside from basic politics and location, Shelton''s email told me nothing about how many vampires there could be or other lurking dangers for like-minded idiots who wanted to assault a vampire stronghold.

    "You''re really going to do this no matter what, aren''t you?"

    I nodded, trying to look grim and determined while inside I felt scared and alone.

    She huffed out an angry groan. "Stubborn idiot. Fine." She pulled a printout from a pouch on her side and laid it flat on the table. It detailed the layout of a building with marked entrances and little red dots I assumed indicated enemies.

    "You knew what I''d say, didn''t you?"

    She nodded. "Of course."

    "And you prepared a battle plan for me? How sweet."

    "It requires stealth and a lot of luck. Also, it''ll work best if we do it during daylight hours. The rogues will be asleep aside from a few sentries."

    "So¡ªwait a minute. Did you just say ''we'' again?"

    "I''ll help you."

    My eyes misted. I turned away and wiped them so she wouldn''t see me go soggy. "Thanks." I cleared my throat. It was difficult to speak over the knot that had formed there. "Why?"

    "Even if things didn''t work out due to you being a demon and all," she said, her lips turning up a smidge at the corners, "I don''t want to see you killed."

    "I don''t want to see me killed either. I also don''t want to see you hurt."

    "I''ve got my big-girl panties on. I''ll be fine."

    I laughed despite the conflicted emotions coursing through me. "Why a daytime attack?"

    "I don''t know how much you know, but forget the myths. Vampires hate sunlight because it weakens them and they get a really nasty sunburn since their skin can''t adapt to the ultraviolet rays. It also hurts their eyes."

 Page 44

    "What''s the best way to kill them?"

    "Beheading, usually. If they lose enough blood they''ll die, too. They can''t live without it. They store blood in their stomachs."

    I made a face. "Yuck! I just don''t get how they can drink blood. It''s gross for a whole host of reasons, not to mention it''s unsanitary." I paused and looked at her. "Do you have to drink blood?"

    She shifted uncomfortably. "I''d rather not talk about it."

    "You know all about my kind. I know nothing about this Templar and dhampyr business."

    After staring blankly at the wall for a few seconds, she sighed. "I guess you deserve some explanation."

    "It would be nice after having a knife pressed to my throat." I raised an eyebrow in challenge.

    She looked down at the table. "We need human blood to survive, just like nightstalkers¡ªthat''s what we call normal vampires. We can subsist on mammalian blood, but it isn''t as nutritious, so to speak."

    "Nothing like Flintstones vitamins, eh?"

    A brief smile lit her face and vanished like the sun behind a cloud. "We don''t drink directly from humans. It''s forbidden. The Templar organization provides us with blood packs."

    "Can you eat normal food?"

    "We have to eat it for our human side to survive."

    "Dad told me vampires love spawn blood like a woman loves her chocolate. Is it the same for you?"

    Her violet eyes sparkled and she gave my neck a long look. "I''ve never tasted it." She clenched a fist. "I don''t understand how I could have missed what you are all that time. I can usually sense it right away."

    "I had a charm protecting me. I guess it camouflaged me just enough."

    "No. You don''t understand. The minute I spilled your blood it was all I could do not to¡­"

    "You vanted to suck my blood?" I said in my best Count Chocula imitation.

    She chuckled. "I had never smelled anything quite like it. So sweet. Just the smell made my skin tingle, like chocolate. I can''t imagine what it would taste like."

    "Are you saying you only wanted me for my blood?" Doubt crept into my gut. What if my sweet blood had been the only reason she''d fallen for me in the first place?

    Her body tensed. She bit her upper lip and turned her gaze back to the map. "Maybe we should get back to planning your father''s rescue."

    I grimaced. Stubborn girl. "What did you have in mind?" I pushed away the doubt for another time. More important matters required my attention.

    "What was I talking about before?" she said, tapping her chin and looking at the map. "Oh yeah. Nightstalkers." She gave me a drawing of what looked like Grandpa, the vampire, from the Munsters. Underneath the drawing were a few paragraphs outlining some interesting factoids about vampires.

    "Is this what passes for Templar literature on vampires?"

    "No, I made that one just for you."

    "Cute." I chuckled and read through it. "How can you tell a vampire''s age?"

    "Well, if his bones are like iron, then he''s probably old. They get a lot tougher with age."

    "That''s helpful. I''d like to know how old one is before I attack."

    "The vampires who have your father are a bunch of young rogues. They''re rebelling against the established order for more freedom."

    "More freedom to kill?"

    She shook her head. "Vampires don''t like to kill. It would be very messy. They have willing humans who keep them fed for the possibility of being turned or for the high it gives them."

    "I guess I can see the lure of immortality."

    "It boils down to population control. Immortals can''t add more humans to their ranks without outpacing their food source. The rogues disagree with the policy."

    "Maybe they want all their friends to live forever."

    "Probably. In any case, they rebelled because they hate their politics."

    "Sounds a lot like human politics."

    She quirked an eyebrow. "Just because they''re supernatural doesn''t mean they''re any better at life than the rest of us."

    I had so many questions I wanted to ask about her, her family, and their mission. But I knew all that had to wait, so I asked her to get down to brass tacks and explain her plan to me. She''d already mapped out several routes and possible locations where my dad might be within the building. I was amazed at how she analyzed and broke down what seemed an impossible rescue attempt now that I was presented with the logistics.

    "We prepare tomorrow and start at dawn the next day."

    "Isn''t that a school day?"

    She blew out a breath. "If we fail, I don''t think it''ll matter."

    I raised the question I''d been dreading the answer to. "What do you think our chances are?"

    She compressed her lips into a thin line. "Slim to none."

    Chapter 29

    Elyssa looked at the time. "I should go. I have¡­responsibilities."

    "Beasts to slay? People to save?"

    One corner of her mouth lifted in a wistful smile. "Let''s just say that my absence will be noticed."

    I knew that feeling. Her absence left an aching void in my heart.

    She stood up and turned to leave. I walked her to the door and opened it. She stopped just over the threshold and offered a hopeful smile.

    "We''ll get him back, Justin."

    Then my sexy ninja girl turned and walked to her car. I wanted to race after her. Spin her around and kiss her. I wanted her back so badly that the effort of not chasing her squeezed my heart until tears welled in my eyes. I closed the door as the taillights of her car faded into the night and readied for bed.

    I passed out the moment my head hit the pillow. Surprisingly, I didn''t have a single nightmare. Real life was already a big enough nightmare, and the future wasn''t looking much brighter.

    I woke up feeling moderately less depressed than the day before. A shower and a shave later, I left and went to the Laundromat where Dad had taught me how to feed properly. The people there were not exactly perky. Boredom etched tired expressions on most of their faces. Their emotions read like flat-lined heart monitors and tasted like unsalted pretzels.

    After a trickling diet of unsatisfying blah, a couple of old women came in, gossiping and laughing about some poor woman named Matilda who apparently was not as great a cook or lover as she thought. Neither of them looked like God''s gift to men, either, with their pink curlers and polyester clothes. And they smelled like baby powder. On the other hand, their emotional states were just dandy. I tapped into both of the gossipers and my much-needed helping of tastier emotional nutrition trickled in. My nerves calmed and the worry creasing my forehead into an origami swan notched a level lower. But I wanted more and I wanted it faster. I pulled harder. The women noticed. They licked their lips and preened their hair. One of them pressed her hands against her hips and pursed her lips. I realized with horror I was about to resuscitate their elderly sex drives.

    I did not want anything to do with that. I grimaced and throttled back before I instigated grandma porn that would destroy the minds of everyone present.

    After getting my fix, I went home to wait for Elyssa. I studied the map she''d given me last night in the hope I might discover a minor detail that would make things easier. I apparently didn''t possess her skill with analytics, however, because it all looked like a jumble of lines and dots. I gave up. My phone rang. I answered without checking who it was, thinking it must be Elyssa.

    "Hey, Justin," said Katie.

    My brain flat-lined for a moment because I hadn''t even given her much thought since the party. It seemed ages ago I''d suffered my Katie-induced meltdown. "Uh, hey. What''s going on?"

    "I hadn''t heard from you since Friday. I must have been really drunk because I don''t remember a thing." She paused. "I do remember us kissing¡ª"

    "Yeah, you were really drunk," I said, thinking fast. "But, um my dad''s really sick so I haven''t had a chance to call." I was pretty sure "kidnapped by vampires" would not fly well with her.

    "I hope it''s nothing serious."

    "He''s puking all over the place. I feel kinda bad leaving him alone. How about we get together later this week?"

    "Promise?" she said, drawing out the word in a throaty, sexy voice which I had never heard her use before. What the hell is it with women? The minute you don''t give a crap about them, they suddenly want you.

    "I promise," I said, leaving out the clause which abdicated me of said promise should vampires kill me or Elyssa decide she wanted me again, and hung up.

    "Hasn''t that girl caused you enough trouble?" said Elyssa in a withering tone.

    I jumped so high I hit the ceiling with my head and left a dent. "You scared the crap out of me," I said, brushing drywall dust out of my hair.

    "Sorry," she said, not looking sorry at all. She set a black leather scabbard on the table. "I brought this for you, just in case."

    I pulled a silvery-looking rapier from the scabbard and admired it. It was beautifully designed with tiny pictures of knights killing all sorts of evil creatures like me engraved on the blade. "Wow." I sheathed it and gave her a quizzical look. "Why don''t we use guns? Or is it required we go old-school on vamps?"

    She shrugged. "Tradition. There are those who prefer projectile weapons, but not my family."

    "What if the vamps have guns?"

    "I''m sure some do. Bring a gun if you want, but it won''t do much good unless it blows a huge hole in them."

    "What about a headshot?" I''d killed thousands of virtual enemies in video games, but real-life shooting sent a shudder of horror down my spine.

    "I suppose if you blew their head off it would kill them. Vampires can regenerate almost anything else provided they''re well fed."

    I examined the blade. "I''m guessing this is silver."

 Page 45

    "Steel with a thin silver coating," she said. "Silver won''t outright kill anything, but it does stop a supernatural from healing as quickly."

    "Why not make a bunch of silver bullets?"

    "It would be very expensive."

    "Well, at least some myths have a basis in fact even if you can''t insta-kill a vampire like Blade does."

    "Blade." She snorted. "What a joke." She pulled a couple of sheathed knives from a duffel bag and added them to the pile on the table. The last item she removed was a black ninja-like outfit, hoodie and all.

    "Are you sure you guys aren''t really ninjas?"

    "Ninjas are a lot cooler," she said, a tiny smile fighting its way onto her stern face.

    I reached out a tentative hand and touched hers where she''d let it rest on the table. "If we survive this, I''d really like to know more about what you are," I said.

    She sighed and pulled her hand away. "If we survive this, we can''t hang out or pal around, period. My parents may not hunt you down, but that wouldn''t stop my brothers from stepping in. They have a thing for protecting their little sister." She pshawed and looked annoyed.

    "I get it," I said. "Two older brothers, Templar Knights, no less. I''ll bet being a little sister has been quite a tribulation for you with those two beating the snot out of anyone who gave you a cross look." I laughed. "No wonder you got so ticked off whenever I tried to protect you."

    She blessed me with a genuine smile. "I''m not some weak little girl who can''t stand up for herself."

    "Most girls aren''t vampiric Templars either."

    "On that we can agree," she said. "Come on. Let''s see how you handle a real sword."

    We went into the backyard and fenced. She was far better than I was, although I''d never practiced against someone who used two short swords, or anyone who used real swords for that matter. The fencing classes I''d taken years ago were of some use since the rapier was one of the swords we''d used. After an hour, my muscles adapted to the feel and balance of the weapon. It really was a superb piece of work. My reflexes were quick, and my body supernaturally agile, but Elyssa''s well-tuned muscle memory knew exactly what to do in situations I had never faced. I thought she might take my head off if I didn''t use every ounce of skill I had.

    "Are you really trying to kill me?" I asked, panting after barely deflecting the two-pronged attacks from her short swords

    "Do you think the vampires will stop and give you a breather?" she said, pushing both of her swords against mine. She swept her foot low, knocking me on my back and placed a sword at my throat.

    I pounded my fist on the grass in frustration. If the vampires were this good, I was screwed. Having my ass relentlessly kicked by a girl was not the best thing for my ego either. After countless lost bouts, I finally earned a draw from her. We were both panting from the exercise.

    "You''re not bad," she said as we sat on the porch swing to recover from the intense workout.

    "If by not bad you mean I''m a notch above useless, then thanks."

    "No, I really think with some practice you could beat me."

    "And your brothers are better than you?"

    "Much better. And stronger."

    "Great. I hope they don''t figure out where you are."

    "They''re out of the state right now on assignment."

    "Isn''t this an interesting sight," said a male voice.

    Elyssa and I leapt to our feet, swords at the ready. Shelton smiled back, his staff pointing at us.

    "How did you find me?" I asked.

    "I''m a detective."

    "You''re a sorcerer, not a detective."

    "There''s no reason I can''t be both, kiddo."

    "Who is this?" Elyssa asked.

    "This," I said, waving my hand at Shelton, "is Harry Shelton. He tried to capture me and my dad for the bounty."

    Her eyes narrowed. "What is he doing here, then?"

    "Yeah, what are you doing here?" I asked him. "You said you wouldn''t get involved."

    He shrugged. "I got to thinking about things. About how you got out of my containment circle¡ª"

    "He got out of a circle?" Elyssa asked.

    Shelton gave Elyssa an appraising look. "It held his dad just fine. But not him."

    "That''s impossible," she said. "You can''t escape a circle if it''s done properly."

    "Like I said, his dad was good and trapped, but he stepped across the line like there was nothing to it."

    Elyssa''s forehead crinkled. "That doesn''t make any sense."

    "Sure it does," Shelton said. "He''s part human."

    "Justin is part human?" she asked, her eyes full of disbelief.

    "Yeah, just don''t let it get around," I said. "Don''t want to ruin my inhuman rep."

    "What does that mean?" Elyssa said to Shelton. "I''ve never heard of half-human demon spawn."

    "Good question," Shelton said. "Wish I knew the answer."

    I cleared my throat dramatically. "I hate to break up all the discussion about my humanity or lack thereof, but why are you here, Shelton?"

    "Well, kid, I felt terrible about leaving you to do this on your own. I dug into the politics of this situation and it turns out some rogues took your dad."

    "I already told him that, thank you very much," Elyssa said.

    "Well, if you''ll let me finish, little lady, you might find out where I''m going with this." He rested his gaze on her for a moment before continuing. "Since they are rogues, there is nothing politically preventing a sorcerer from taking action against them."

    "You''re going to help?" I said.

    "I''m thinking about it." He nodded his head at Elyssa. "First, maybe you can explain why Little Miss Templar is here."

    Elyssa and I looked at each other awkwardly. I finally answered.

    "We used to date."

    "Before I knew he was demon spawn," she amended hastily.

    "You weren''t complaining," I said.

    "That was before you tried to rape my mind!"

    Shelton held up his hands. "Whoa, boys and girls. Let''s get back to the matter at hand and leave the lovers'' spat for later."

    "We are not lovers," Elyssa said, crossing her arms and scowling.

    "You Templars think you''re so much better than anyone else, don''t you?" I said.

    "Enough!" roared Shelton. "I''m not gonna involve myself if you two don''t shut up and act professional."

    I narrowed my eyes and took a couple of steps toward Shelton. "I know you''re not here just from the goodness of your heart. Spit it out. What''s really in it for you?"

    "You saved my life, kiddo. Easy as that."

    "Sorry, but I''m calling bull." And then something occurred to me. "Is the Red Syndicate offering a bounty on the rogues?"

    Elyssa pulled out her smartphone and tapped on the screen. "Yes they are," she said, showing me a website. "Over two grand each."

    "You''ve gotta be kidding me," I said. "Does every supernatural group have a website?"

    "Not every supernatural group is stuck in the Dark Ages," she replied.

    I looked back at Shelton. "Money is your game, huh?"

    He had the gall to smile back at me. "Okay, so there are bounties. I admit I''m not doing it entirely out of the goodness of my soul."

    "I should have known," I replied with an eye roll. "Anyone who''d capture a father and son for a bounty just because the in-laws don''t like them is a lousy person."

    He gave me a hurt look. "I''m not that bad. Besides, you''ll need the extra help."

    I put my hand on Elyssa''s shoulder and regarded him with narrowed eyes. "I won''t lie. I can use all the help I can get. The difference is I trust Elyssa with my life even if she thinks I''m a monster. You, on the other hand, are a mercenary. If things get a little hairy, I can''t count on you because all you care about is money.

    "We plan to sneak in and out with my dad. If we''re lucky, we won''t even have to talk to a vamp, much less fight one. How does that figure into your bounty hunting?"

    "I don''t plan on running in guns blazing, kid." He leaned on his staff. It was not the same one I''d destroyed, but looked similar if a little more worn around the edges. "I want to do a stealthy hit and run, too. I figure I can capture a few rogue vamps along the way and bounty up with the Red Syndicate."

    "If you come with us, you''ll have to stick to our plan," I said.

    "Make him swear on his soul, Justin," Elyssa said.

    Shelton blanched. "C''mon, you can trust me. I promise."

    "Swear it on your soul," I said.

    "Look, if something happens and I accidentally break that pledge, it could strip me of my powers."

    "I don''t know you, Shelton," I said. "I can''t risk Elyssa or my father''s life on the possibility of you going off plan. Either leave or swear you''ll follow mine and Elyssa''s orders and not purposefully do anything that would compromise our operation."

    Elyssa pulled out a thick piece of chalk from her pouch and drew a neat infinity symbol on the porch concrete. "Swear it and seal it, sorcerer."

    Shelton cursed a blue streak and dithered, staring at the symbol. Finally, he walked over and repeated the pledge. Elyssa made him repeat it with her exact wording. Shelton cut the tip of his pinky finger and pressed a drop of blood into the center of the infinity symbol. The air popped and I heard the same electrical crackle I''d heard from the circle he''d tried to trap me and Dad in.

    "Damned self-righteous Templars," he muttered.

    "Pig bounty hunters," Elyssa said, baring her fangs with a grin.

    With a team like this, I was more certain than ever we were going to die.

 Page 46

    Chapter 30

    "Are you really going to get help from that little felycan tramp?" Elyssa asked as we hopped into the black van she''d driven.

    I''d told her where my Jetta was so I could recover it. It also happened to be very near Stacey''s hideout. "She''s actually a decent person once you get to know her."

    "Never trust felycans. They''re finicky and dangerous. One of them almost killed my oldest brother, Michael."

    "Wow, they''re that strong?"

    "This one was. He broke into several animal shelters and let all the animals go."

    "What''s wrong with that?"

    "He also severely injured security guards and staff, not to mention clued some of them in to his supernatural abilities."

    "Is there a law against that?"

    "Spreading knowledge of the supernatural to mortals is forbidden. It''s one of the first laws the Overworld Conclave enacted."

    "I haven''t exactly had time for Supernatural 101."

    "The Overworld Conclave is the worldwide supernatural government. Every year they hold a caucus where delegates meet to decide on rules."

    "Delegates from different supernatural groups?"

    "The major groups. Loners like your kitty cat friend don''t normally participate. Doesn''t mean they don''t answer to the law, though."

    "And that''s where you come in."

    "We''re considered the only impartial party to the Conclave. Every nation has its own police force. I guess we''re kind of like the supernatural version of Interpol."

    "With swords. And ninja outfits."

    She grinned. "Kinda cool, huh?"

    I laughed. "Man, I feel like a baby. Supernatural nations, the Conclave, Templars. It''s enough to give me a supernatural headache." I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment. "Do the spawn take part in the Conclave?"

    "Yeah, they''re major players, but their internal politics are even more complex than vampires if you can believe it."

    "I can believe anything at this point. At least I have super cop to protect me."

    She chuckled and stared at the road. After a moment, she spoke again. "I meant to thank you earlier."

    "For what?"

    "For what you said about me to Shelton."

    "Oh." I pondered it a minute, trying to remember exactly what I''d said. Then I saw the Jetta sitting in the dark to the side of the road. "There it is."

    She pulled off and I hopped out with a red gas tank in hand.

    "I can''t go any closer to her lair," Elyssa said. "She''ll sense me and freak out."

    "I don''t blame her," I said with a grin. "I''ll bet you''re not even a cat person."

    "I prefer dogs." She got out of the van and held out her hand, palm up. "I''ll take your Jetta back."

    "Why?"

    "Because if she delivers some moggies to you, you''ll need the van."

    "Will moggies freak out if you''re around?" I asked in all seriousness.

    She shrugged. "I''m not a felycan expert but I don''t think so. Whatever the cat woman tells them to do, they should do."

    "I hope so." The last thing I needed was giant alley cats savaging someone''s toy poodle.

    "I have no idea how to fit those creatures into the plan," she said with a protracted sigh.

    "Backup."

    "If we need backup, it''ll probably be too late."

    "Stop being so optimistic," I said and hopped in the van. "I''ll see you back at the house?"

    She nodded. I drove the short distance to the old warehouses and sensed Stacey nearby, although there was something alien about her presence. I clambered to the top of one of the buildings and scanned the rooftops. Goosebumps crept up my spine. The hair on the back of my neck stiffened. I spun. Something huge crashed into my chest and hammered me into the ground. Feline fangs glistened inches from my face. Did everyone have fangs except for me? A pair of amber eyes bore into mine. A rather large black panther with incongruously blonde-tipped fur frosting its ears sat atop my chest.

    A tongue eclipsed my view and licked my nose. I sputtered. The huge cat licked my cheeks while a rumbling purr thundered in its chest. I wiggled. Managed to dislodge the big cat and scrambled to my feet. The panther yawned wide and gave me something approximating an amused grin.

    "Stacey?" I said.

    The big cat stretched. Bones popped. The huge paws shrunk and the black fur retracted. The panther yowled and roared over the sound of cracking bones and the mushy sounds of muscle and sinew rearranging itself.

    The horrible noises were enough to make me want to faint.

    "Are you having an episode?" a very naked Stacey said, walking towards me without the least hint of embarrassment. I couldn''t stop looking at her soft curvy bits as they jiggled and swayed with her catlike stride.

    "I think I might have one now," I said in hoarse reply. I tried to remember why I''d come here in the first place. Oh yes, the moggies. "Did any of your companions decide to help me?"

    "Indeed, my dear. Two tommys have risen to the occasion."

    Stacey''s nakedness had made something else rise to the occasion. I shook my head and tore my eyes from her chest. "Two tommys?" I was a little disappointed there were only two, but then again, I''d probably need a cattle truck to haul any more of them. Two shadowy figures appeared, leaping though a hole in the roof. They stood as high as panthers. Bony ridges ran along their spines, their paws wide and disproportionate. Although they looked clumsy, they flowed along the roof with deceptive grace and speed. One was black with white spots, the other orange with dark stripes. Otherwise, they looked the same size as the original moggy I''d encountered, with the same bony spine protrusions, scruffy fur, and long thick whiskers.

    "So the dhampyr girl is helping you," Stacey said in a low growl.

    I didn''t bother asking how she knew. "She is."

    "I find that very surprising. Her kind does not usually mix with ours."

    "She''s a good person."

    An amused smile lit Stacey''s face. At least I think it did. I was trying hard not to stare at her boobs. "Are you a good person, my lamb?"

    "I think so, my little kitty cat."

    She laughed. "You are simply too much." She scratched the orange moggy behind the ears. His golden eyes narrowed in pleasure and a deep purr rumbled in his throat. "This is Marmalade, and that is Dots."

    I wrinkled my forehead. "You''ve gotta be kidding me. Did you give them those names?"

    "That is what they were called before they fled their uncaring masters."

    "Lovely."

    "They are quite lovely. Give them the respect they deserve and they will honor you with their loyalty and service."

    "How do I tell them what to do? Do I need to learn cat language?"

    "Oh no, my precious," she said, giggling. "Simply tell them what to do."

    I decided to test that out immediately. "Come here, Marmalade."

    He looked up at Stacey. She took his great head in her hands and kissed him on the nose. "Who''s my good boy?" she said in a cooing voice and then made some mewling noises at him.

    He licked her cheek and trotted over to me where he sat at my feet and stared curiously into my eyes. I reached out cautiously and scratched his huge ears. The resulting purr sounded like a Harley motorcycle. His fur was rough and spiky and his jaw stretched wider than a normal feline''s. Otherwise he was just one big warm fluffy ball of love.

    "They don''t mind the daylight, do they?"

    "Bright sunlight will hurt their eyes, and stealth will be very difficult," Stacey replied. She pursed her lips. "You mean to attack during the day? The vampires will be at their weakest then, true. But they are not foolish enough to leave themselves open to attack during the day. I would suggest a night attack. Many of them will be out and on the prowl instead of at home asleep."

    I hadn''t thought of it that way. "But Elyssa says a daylight attack is best."

    She growled. "I am sure the girl has some trifling background with such matters, but I am speaking from true experience."

    "You attacked a group of vampires before?"

    "They were using cats for extremely distasteful experiments."

    "What?" I said, shocked. "Were they making vampire cats?"

    "Indeed. These were very scientific-minded vampires. I taught them the error of their ways."

    "Good lord, I can''t imagine having to deal with vampiric cats."

    "They were so distraught." She sniffled and wiped away a tear. "Those that did not die, I had to lull into the eternal sleep. Every moment of life was a danger to other felines. I could not let such a plague spread."

    I wrenched the discussion back to the topic at hand before curiosity derailed my train of thought. "Are you absolutely sure about a nighttime assault? If we mess this up, we''re dead."

    "I do not think you stand much of a chance in either case. Explain your current plan to me."

    I gave her the quick version of Elyssa''s plan, noting with pride that I''d gone at least one minute without looking down at her chest.

    "The girl has a very logical mind," Stacey said after a moment. "I do believe, however, that a nighttime foray will be more successful, especially if you advance your plans to this evening."

    "Tonight?"

    "It is a new moon. It''s when the lycans are at their lowest strength and the vampires at their greatest. They will, as you say these days, be partying it up." The idiom sounded funny coming from Stacey''s proper British lips.

    "There''s something to all that full moon myth stuff then?"

    "I suppose there must be, for as long as I have walked this earth, the full moon and new moon celebrations have always been just so."

    "When were you born?" I asked.

    "I was born under the greatest queen the world has ever known. In fact, I served her quite faithfully until our kind had to go underground again."

 Page 47

    My mind dug through its pathetic store of British history. "Queen Elizabeth?"

    "Heavens no, dear. I''m not so old as to have been around during Elizabeth the first. I speak of Queen Victoria." She sighed. "Those were such golden years."

    "Wasn''t she the big prude?"

    "Indeed."

    "But you''re so, umm¡­" I wasn''t sure how to put this delicately. "Stacey, you''re kind of on the slutty side. No offense."

    "Yes, I have become quite fast and indecent over the decades. My biology, however, forces me to take action lest I am left childless and bereft of love for all eternity."

    "You also use a lot of flowery words. Sometimes I don''t even know what you''re talking about."

    "Indeed. Change comes hard to supernatural and most of all to the British." She smiled.

    "What would you do if you had to assault the vampires?" I had the map with me so I pulled it out and showed it to her.

    She examined it in silence for a moment. "Stealth is the correct approach. In this, I agree with the girl." She sighed and glanced at the star-filled sky. "Though it pains me greatly to admit it, Justin, you are the closest thing I have to a friend or a companion in this world. I have grown somewhat fond of you and do not enjoy the notion that this girl is leading you to your doom."

    "Are you sure you weren''t an actress back in the day?"

    "A thespian? Why, I would never associate with their ilk."

    "If we go with your idea of a night assault, what would you suggest?"

    She made a mewing noise and Nightliss scurried over. They meowed back and forth for a moment before Stacey nodded. "Nightliss will scout out your father''s location. Once found, she will tell me where you should look."

    "Won''t that require you to be there?"

    "Indeed it will."

    "But I thought¡ª"

    "I do so enjoy the looks of confusion that cross your lovely young face. Of course I will come despite the presence of that¨Cthat guardian girl you so covet."

    "Ah. Um, welcome to the team then." I hoped this was not leading to a terrible mess. I might witness a cat fight of epic proportions. "Does this mean you''ll come back to my house with me?"

    "I will meet you there in one hour''s time."

    "Am I taking the moggies with me?"

    "No, I will bring them myself."

    "I really appreciate you helping me, but could you please not start any fights with Elyssa?"

    She purred. "Do not worry yourself. I am sure she and I will get along fabulously."

    I did not like the smirk on her face when she said that.

    Chapter 31

    "You what?" Elyssa yelled after I arrived home and told her about our new partner.

    "We need all the help we can get," I said. "Just don''t go waving your swords in her face, please."

    "A night raid? With a felycan? This is suicide."

    "But it makes sense, doesn''t it? If the vamps will be out partying, we''ll have fewer to deal with."

    Her violet eyes flashed. She snarled and snatched the map from me then slammed it on the table. She jabbed her finger on one of the many colored dots on the map. "These markers, as I explained earlier, are where their sentries will be. The majority will be sleeping in the main chamber of the basement. We know exactly where they''ll be during the day. But at night they''ll be awake and wandering all over the place."

    "Or maybe they''ll be off their guard like she said."

    Elyssa stared so hard at the map that I thought it might burst into flames. After several moments of silence she blew out a breath through closed lips. "I just don''t know." She shook her head and stared out the sliding glass door leading into the back yard. "Why would you involve her after all I told you about felycans? She might hang us out to dry."

    "She''d promised me help before I even knew you were going to show up. At least hear her out." I was feeling more and more out of control of this rescue operation. In fact, I hadn''t been in control since Elyssa offered her help. Sexual superpowers or not, even I didn''t stand a chance against women. They take over anything.

    "Do you realize how difficult it is to switch strategies on such short notice? And Shelton may not be able to help now."

    I snorted. "Well I trust Stacey more than him, that''s for sure."

    "He has his own agenda, but at least he swore an oath he can''t break without hurting himself."

    "Should I email him about the possible change in plans?"

    "Let''s wait until I hear what this little slut has to say."

    "Hey, wait a minute. Are you jealous?" Hope sparked in my heart.

    She glared at me briefly then looked away. "Don''t be stupid. I just don''t want us getting killed."

    "So you do care."

    Elyssa stiffened. "Your guest is here."

    Stacey''s presence felt off-kilter to me and I knew it was because she''d arrived in panther form. I hoped she transformed outside. All that bone crunching and popping made me want to throw up. The sliding glass door opened and Stacey, dressed in black workout pants and T-shirt stepped inside. Nightliss scampered through after her and hopped on the kitchen table.

    "Thanks for wearing clothes," I said with a tinge of regret.

    She dropped a black sack on the table. "It was inconvenient to carry them in my mouth. But I knew the girl might have delicate sensibilities."

    "Delicate sensibilities, my rear end." Menace filled Elyssa''s voice. "This had better not be a trick. If I get a whiff of betrayal coming from your feline ass, I''m gonna shove my sword up it."

    Stacey gave a feral grin. "I would like to see you try, Templar."

    Elyssa stalked toward the shorter woman. "Anytime."

    I squeezed between them and shoved them apart, somehow nailing both of them right in their boobs. Thankfully, they were both too intent upon staring each other down to notice my inadvertent grope.

    "This isn''t very helpful," I said. "Can we please agree to be civil until this is over?"

    Stacey shrugged. "I am not the one behaving untoward."

    "I don''t trust her," Elyssa said.

    "Why would she go so far out of her way to betray us?" I said. "Someone would have to be really mean to do that."

    "I''ve heard stories of her kind."

    "Yeah, well in case you hadn''t noticed, you''re helping demon spawn. Honestly, if stories were all you had to go on, who would you trust more, a crazy cat woman or an incubus?"

    Stacey giggled.

    Elyssa rolled her eyes and backed off. "This goes against everything I know. But we''ll hear her out."

    I sighed in relief. "Okay, Stacey, the floor is yours."

    Nightliss leapt up to Stacey''s shoulder and perched there. Her huge green eyes gazed intently at each of us. Stacey scratched the cat''s ears. "My little friend here will find Justin''s father and scout out the location of sentries. Depending upon what she finds, here is what we''ll do." She leaned over the map and went through a short but detailed summary of what she''d explained to me earlier.

    It sounded a lot like Elyssa''s plan except for the timeline. Elyssa seemed to be restraining herself the entire time, probably wanting to find something terribly wrong that she could point out.

    After Stacey finished, Elyssa stared into space for a few moments before speaking. "Email Shelton. Tell him we''re hitting the compound tonight."

    "The plan is good?" I asked.

    She clenched her fists and her face reddened. She muttered a few indelicate curses which were not very kind toward cats. "Yes."

    Stacey purred.

    Shelton replied almost immediately to my email with surprise, but agreed to come over. He showed up thirty minutes later. I checked the clock. We were cutting it close. According to Stacey, the vampires needed time to wake up, throw on some fancy clothes, and shift into party mode. Most of them slept from dawn to around sunset. It seemed kind of funny thinking of bloodsuckers getting all spruced up for a night out on the town. Then again, I figured they weren''t much different from the rest of us schmucks.

    "What kind of an operation are you running here?" Shelton asked when he surveyed the motley crew. "This is nuts."

    I felt like correcting him. I wasn''t the one running it. "You''re welcome to back out if you want," I told him. "But you have to do it now."

    He looked from Elyssa to Stacey and then to me. "Let me hear this new plan of yours."

    "You''re quite young for a sorcerer," Stacey said.

    He shrugged. "I''m old enough."

    "You, young man, are not a year over twenty-five."

    "Your point being?"

    "One quarter of a century is hardly enough time to obtain proficiency."

    "How would you know?"

    She tapped her temple. "I have my sources."

    "That''s all very well and good," I said, "but I''ve seen him in action. Anyone who can shoot fire out of a stick is okay by me."

    "My wand is hardly a stick, kid."

    "And I''m hardly a kid to you, kid. You can stop with the condescension right now."

    He chuckled. "Fair enough." He dropped into a chair at the kitchen table. "All right, show me this new miracle plan Goldilocks thought up."

    Stacey pursed her lips. "Goldilocks, eh?" She ran a fingernail down his neck. The hairs stood on end. "Shall I see if baby bear is home?"

    Shelton cleared his throat uneasily. "The plan, please," he said in a choked voice.

    Stacey gave a throaty melodious laugh. "Of course, magic man."

    By the time she was finished, Shelton looked pretty peeved. "How am I supposed to get any bounties with this plan?"

    "If all goes well, you won''t even be needed," I said.

    "Exactly my point. I won''t get in a lick of action."

 Page 48

    "This isn''t about you," Elyssa said, anger rising in her voice. "It''s a rescue operation, not a bag and tag."

    "Are the bounties valid if they''re dead or alive?" I asked.

    "I''m no murderer," Shelton said, "although rogues are officially off the protected list. Still, living vamps are worth more. Guess their elders have plans for them."

    "How do you plan to take a vampire alive? The flames you shot at them didn''t seem too effective."

    "I wasn''t exactly prepared for vampires when I came after you," he grumbled. "Vamps don''t like fire but I hadn''t programmed my wand since the last time I used it."

    "Programmed it like a remote control?" I laughed. "I still don''t understand how that works."

    "It''s way too complex to go into now, kid¡ªI mean, uh, Justin. There''s an energy cost to using magic just as there''s a cost to using a smartphone. It all boils down to physics. If I can offload some of the overhead on a computer, then it helps me. Hell, you give me enough juice and I can create a hell of a gateway or burn an entire building to slag."

    "Fine, fine, I get it," I said, already bored with the lecturing tone of his voice. "But what spells are you planning to use against the vamps?"

    "Ultraviolet bursts."

    Elyssa shook her head. "Effective, but highly visible. We can''t use those in a stealth operation."

    "What would they do to vamps?"

    "A powerful enough burst will knock one out or immobilize them," she replied. "But the flash will light the place up like a strobe light."

    "Actually, the one I''ve coded should be no worse than a flashbulb," Shelton said. "And one flash can take down multiple targets, provided it bursts right in their faces."

    "Not feasible," Elyssa said, shaking her head. "Not unless we''re in trouble and need help."

    "Aw, come on. I''ve been working on the code for weeks."

    "Emergency use only."

    "You backing out or sticking around?" I said.

    He mumbled something.

    "What was that?"

    "I''ll come."

    "Remember your oath."

    "Believe me, if I go against an oath like that, I''ll incur so much negative karma that it''d wreck me."

    "I thought things were complicated enough using computers and magic. Now you''re saying karma is involved too?"

    He grinned. "Karma is a magic all unto its own. It''s like a piggy-bank we carry around indirectly affecting everything we do."

    "Great," I said. "One more thing to worry about." I caught motion from the corner of my eye. Nightliss was batting around the string of the blinds to the kitchen window. "How does Nightliss feel about prowling around a den full of vampires?" I asked.

    Stacey regarded me with those vertically slit pupils of hers. "She thinks it will be rather exciting."

    I thought of something nobody had mentioned. "How are we going to prevent the vampires from sensing us? I can sense people once I get within a few yards of them."

    "Vampires can smell spilled blood," Elyssa said. "They can hear the pulse of a beating heart from ten feet away." She gave me a direct look that told me she spoke from experience. And yet she spoke of vampires as if they were in no way related to her.

    "Why didn''t anyone mention this before?" I said. "How in the hell can we sneak through a building full of vampires if they can hear our heartbeats?"

    "When I am stalking something, nothing can sense me," Stacey said.

    "I have a masking spell I use," Shelton said.

    "Templars learn to block others from sensing us," Elyssa said. "I''m sure spawn have defensive measures as well. I had just assumed you knew how to do it."

    "No," I said. "I''m still a newb. Dad never told me anything about hiding myself."

    Elyssa pulled out her smartphone and started punching keys. Shelton did the same.

    "Please tell me you''re not Googling for an answer," I said.

    Elyssa gave me a guilty look.

    "Well, my spell might work," Shelton said. "But I can''t just use it on you. I''d have to stay within a few feet of you for it to remain effective. However¡ª" He pulled out a pouch and rummaged through it. After a moment he pulled out a gold chain and stared at it. "Ah, damn. No, this won''t work. I thought I''d programmed one of these with the correct enchantment, but it''s gone stale."

    "Stale?"

    "Yeah, you gotta keep renewing enchantments or they wear off over time."

    "Can you freshen it up?"

    "Not without a few hours to do it in."

    I groaned. "What am I supposed to do then?"

    "There''s a simple version of this spell you might be able to do. Mine is one-way, meaning they can''t detect me, but I can detect them with the proper spells. The simple version is like throwing up a wall of insulation between you and them, but you won''t be able to sense them as well."

    "He can''t do magic," Elyssa said. "He''s demon spawn."

    "There are demon spawn who can do magic," Shelton said. "But usually only if they''ve been around a long time."

    "He hasn''t been around long at all."

    "Actually," Shelton said, giving me the same look he''d given me after letting me hold his wand a day earlier, "I think he can. Can''t hurt to try."

    "Fine," she said. "Waste your time. But I think we''re going to have to keep you closer to us than we''d planned so you can keep him masked."

    "We need some quiet," he said. "Let''s step outside."

    We stepped on the back porch. I nearly had a heart attack as two large shadows in the back yard shifted. Then I remembered the moggies.

    Shelton pulled out some chalk. "First you need to draw a container, like a circle, around you and close it."

    I sketched a circle which more closely resembled a warped oval.

    "Now you need to close it by pressing your thumb against it and willing it closed."

    "How do I will it closed?"

    "Just think about the circle around you and wish for it to be closed."

    I pressed my thumb against the chalk and wished for the circle to be closed. Nothing happened.

    "Think ''circle close''," Shelton said.

    This whole exercise seemed pointless and silly, but I kept thinking that phrase over and over again. The air around me crackled faintly.

    "Nice job," he said with a big smile. "You just did your first magic act."

    "Seems pointless," I said.

    "Believe me, it''s not. There are a lot of different ways you can close a container, but this is all you need for this spell. After a minute or two, you should feel a slight buildup of pressure in your ears."

    I nodded. "I feel it."

    "Okay, that''s what magic feels like when it can''t escape your container. Now you need to focus on what you want it to do."

    "Like put up a wall?"

    "Exactly. But we need to be careful here. We want you to block out your heartbeat and psychic emanations without blocking all sound. Otherwise you''ll be deaf and possibly blind to what''s happening around you."

    My stomach fluttered nervously. I didn''t want to render myself senseless by accident. "How do I block things selectively?"

    "Listen to your own heart and imagine it as being silent to everyone."

    I closed my eyes and listened. The moggies purred nearby. Car engines and tires sounded from the streets. I heard indistinct talking from the kitchen and the sound of Nightliss batting around the cord to the blinds. I filtered those noises one by one until I heard my heart thudding in my chest. It sounded rather panicked and I couldn''t blame it. Things were about to get real.

    After a few moments, the sound of my heart was the only noise I heard. I imagined it being shielded from the rest of the world. Buffered by my will. I concentrated on it for what seemed an hour when I realized I could no longer hear my own heartbeat. I opened my eyes. Shelton gave me a thumbs up.

    "I did it?"

    "Yes you did."

    "Is your hearing sensitive enough to hear my heart beating?"

    "I was using a little bit of magic to eavesdrop."

    "Oh yeah. Guess you would be."

    "Now we need to do the same with your psychic emanations."

    I remembered something Dad had told me while learning how to feed. I evened out my psychic hook, as he called it, just as I would before sneaking into someone else''s psyche. Making it neutral, he had termed it. Then it would be no more noticeable than background noise.

    "That was quick," Shelton said.

    "I didn''t need magic for that one," I said.

    He compressed his lips and nodded. "After this is over, I was wondering if you might like to learn some real magic."

    I cocked an eyebrow. "You think I''m capable?"

    "You seem to be a natural at it."

    I wondered if that might have to do with my mother''s side. I rubbed away the chalk line with my foot and felt a release of pressure from my ears as the magical energy dissipated into the air around me. We went inside. Stacey and Elyssa looked at me for a moment. Stacey clapped her hands and laughed with glee.

    "You did it," Elyssa said. She cast a questioning gaze on Shelton. "How is this possible?"

    "He''s got potential."

    She grabbed my arm and put a head to my chest. I wanted to press her entire body against me. I drew in her scent: sword-cleaning oil and leather underneath the sweet smell of a spring day. Just her warmth against my chest made my pulse quicken. She pulled away, a hint of softness in her eyes, and shook her head. "I''ve never heard of demon spawn who could do this."

    "He''s a special case."

    "Special in the head maybe."

    "Hey," I said and playfully punched Elyssa in the arm. "That''s not nice."

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    Elyssa smiled a sad little smile. "We''re all special in the head for going through with this crazy plan." She sighed. "Lock and load time."

    Everyone nodded their assent and their faces tightened. I felt an intense urge to visit the bathroom. Instead, I grabbed the keys to the van.

    "Let''s roll."

    Chapter 32

    We drove southeast to a part of Edgewood bordering between ghetto and hipster. The rogues had taken over an old school, gutted and turned into large luxury lofts years ago. According to Elyssa''s information, beneath the school lay an expanded basement where a boiler room used to be. Now it consisted of a large sleeping chamber. The resulting building looked oddly out of place, as the original designer had an obvious enthusiasm for all things gothic. The retrofit only enhanced the design. Points and spires adorned the roof. The windows were ornate affairs with gargoyle faces and symbols carved into the marble. A large dark-stained wooden door guarded the main entrance with all the effectiveness of a drawbridge.

    In short, it looked like the perfect place to find vampires.

    Foot traffic was light this time of night, although plenty of non-vampiric revelers were drinking at a bar across the street and sounds from an indie band at another venue down the way echoed in the cool night air. Stacey took her pack or pride or whatever the term was for a group of mismatched feline creatures to a dark adjacent lot. She''d help Nightliss into the building so the little cat could scout it for us. I parallel-parked the van on the street.

    Shelton poked his head out the sliding door on the side and whispered something that sounded like "fizzle" while flicking his fingers. The closest street lamp made a faint pop and went out, leaving the van hidden in darkness.

    Elyssa stared hard at the rogue compound and scribbled on a notepad. She was probably doing something important like mapping out alternate routes or maybe even writing a goodbye letter to her parents in case we all died. I felt pretty useless so I leaned over her shoulder. She was drawing her name with little hearts around it.

    "Seriously?" I said.

    She flinched and gave me a dirty look. "I''m waiting to hear back from the felycan."

    "She has a name, you know."

    "You''re becoming kind of attached to your little cat woman, aren''t you?"

    "I''m getting really tired of people judging others just because they''re not pure human."

    She turned away from me and drew a crooked heart next to her name. "Oh, I''m sorry. I hope Stacey comes back with some good intel."

    "That''s a lot of vamps," Shelton said, pointing up the slight rise to the gothic structure.

    A gaggle of vampires, all dressed to kill, or at the very least to drink blood, waltzed toward a waiting stretched Hummer. I had to admit the vamps knew how to style. I peered at them with my enhanced eyesight to see if I might recognize any of the ones who''d attacked me and Dad, but they were too clustered together to get a good look. Then I noticed the little boy vampire that had been in on the attack looking mournfully on from the front door. Poor kid would never look old enough to drink alcohol no matter how old he really was. And forget faking a driver''s license.

    The sliding door on the street side of the van opened and my heart froze. Stacey climbed in. Nightliss followed and jumped on her shoulder. The little cat rubbed his cheek against hers and meowed happily.

    I took a deep breath and uttered a few choice curse words at her surprise entry.

    "Less than twenty vampires remain in the compound," she said, her face more serious and composed than I''d ever seen it. "My little one was able to go into the basement which is now one cavernous room filled with beds and partitions. A locked door at the back of this area blocked her way, but one of the resident cats told her he had hunted rats down there before. The vampires only recently locked that door. I would bet my tea and crumpets on your father being somewhere down there."

    Elyssa crossed her arms and gave Nightliss a pointed look. "When you say ''down there'', do you mean that door goes to more stairs?"

    "Indeed. Apparently the building was once an old church. There''s a crypt beneath the basement."

    "Stupid vampires and their flair for the dramatic," Elyssa said.

    Stacey gave her a toothy grin. "Why, my dear, you are speaking of vampires. Why do anything at all if you cannot do it in style?"

    I gave Stacey a funny look. She hardly sounded like a seductress when she broke into the Queen''s English. And the incongruity of her attire only added to the bizarre vibe I got from her. Really, she should have been born French.

    "How do we get into the door?" I asked.

    "More importantly, what kind of door and how is it locked?" Elyssa said.

    Stacey smiled sheepishly. "While my kin could detail a mouse down to the number of his whiskers, they are not so very good at detailing mechanical things such as locks. Nightliss said the door seemed quite sturdy, though admittedly most do for one of her delicate stature."

    Elyssa dug through her pouch. "I guess I can handle it." She pulled out what looked like a lock-pick kit.

    "Nightliss also says that one of the vampires accessed it while she was there and was jabbing his finger at something on the wall next to it."

    "An electronic lock?" Elyssa tossed the lock picks back into her pouch. "Just great."

    "It could''ve been an intercom." Shelton gave me a look. "If it''s magnetic, a hex ought to do the trick, though."

    "So you''ll need to come?" I asked.

    "Unless you''re up to it."

    "Even if he can do it," Elyssa said evenly, "it might take him too long."

    "Yeah, well dragging around an extra person is gonna be even tougher to hide." Shelton handed me a bit of chalk. "An experienced caster wouldn''t need a container, but you don''t know how to create your own internal well. Just make a circle and close it like before. When you feel a little pressure in your ears, you should have enough juice. Concentrate on the keypad and imagine throwing that built-up energy at it. It might help to use a word to focus your effort."

    "Like fizzle?"

    He chuckled. "Exactly. The magnetic lock should die at least temporarily."

    My stomach flip-flopped a couple of times. Every time we got closer to the objective, we found another snag. Except this one was pretty major. "Maybe I should practice on a street lamp."

    "That''s a brilliant idea," Elyssa said. "Let''s go into the middle of the street, draw a big chalk circle, and blow out some light bulbs right in front of the place we''re about to invade."

    "No, I mean go somewhere else I can practice."

    "We don''t have time."

    Stacey was marking a copy of the map that Elyssa had given her with the sentry locations and other items of importance. There were no direct routes to the basement, and the best entry point appeared to be the service door in the back as Elyssa had predicted in her first version of the plan.

    "Drive us around to this parking lot," Elyssa said, jabbing a finger at the map after examining Stacey''s edits.

    I started the van and pulled out into the street. The parking lot was the same one Stacey had used to hide the moggies. I parked and took a look around. A sturdy chain-link fence separated this lot from the vampire compound. A cat the size of Nightliss could get through, but not the rest of us. I was about to wrench a hole in the links when Shelton put a hand on my arm and shook his head. He took out his wand and examined the metal links. The runes on the wand glowed. Static electricity charged the air.

    He aimed the wand at a link. The metal bubbled and melted away like solder. He ran the wand up the length of the fence, leaving a neat incision in the metal. He repeated the process next to one of the support poles. A rectangular patch of fencing fell to the ground with a rattle. We winced.

    "I should have caught that," I said. "Crap."

    "It wasn''t that loud," Shelton said. "Plus the metal would''ve been scalding hot."

    "Maybe you two would like to set off fireworks while we''re here," Elyssa said in a cross voice. She stared through the trees bordering the grounds at the service doors.

    I belted on the swords and knives Elyssa had so thoughtfully given me and made sure I still had the chalk from Shelton in my pouch. Worry knotted my stomach while fear slithered its cold fingers into my bowels. I had to clench my teeth to stop them from chattering. Then, before I charged in with my emotions broadcasting my presence, I made sure I quieted my psyche so it wouldn''t give us away the moment we entered the place.

    Elyssa seemed very calm and unperturbed as she watched me go through my preparations. She untwisted the buckle to the sheath holding the sword on my back and smoothed my shirt down. What was it I saw in her eyes? A hint of regret, maybe? Concern? Then the spark vanished and she was all business again. She walked toward the compound without even looking to see if I was behind her.

    A delicate hand took mine. Stacey''s eyes brimmed with worry. She stood on tiptoe and kissed my cheek. "Good luck."

    I gave her a hug. "Thanks."

    Nightliss rubbed against my leg and meowed.

    "She will go with you and scout ahead," Stacey said, picking up the small cat and kissing her nose. "She is so brave."

    Shelton slapped me on the shoulder. "Come back in one piece, Justin." He offered a grin that didn''t quite reach his worried eyes.

    "The moggies will be ready to come in if you need rescuing," Stacey told me. "We will be listening on the wireless contraptions."

    By that, I assumed she meant the cheap walkie-talkies Elyssa had brought along. I just hoped they could still reach each other from underground. I gulped and trotted to catch up with Elyssa, who was standing at the edge of the wide-open area leading to the service door. Grass carpeted the open area for thirty yards or so where a paved service road led up to steel double doors. A sidewalk ran the perimeter of the compound, lined by saplings which hadn''t grown large enough to hide much of anything. Thankfully the back area was illuminated by nothing but a single lamp above the service door and the moonless night offered the cover of darkness. Still, vampires had excellent vision, should one of them be staring forlornly out the back windows of the complex because he couldn''t go party tonight.

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    We blurred across the open area at a full run, reaching the doors within seconds and putting our backs against the wall. Elyssa pressed slowly down on the outside door handle until it clicked open. It sounded like a cannon shot from where I stood, but the noise from the lively crowds at the bars across the road would hopefully camouflage it. We crept inside. Nightliss trotted between us and into the wide corridor ahead. Wooden pallets with furniture and other odds and ends leaned haphazardly against the walls giving us some cover in case someone came looking for the one with their favorite Snuggie on it.

    Nightliss dashed ahead and vanished at the far end of the corridor. I wasn''t sure how the little cat would tell us if something dangerous lurked around the next corner since neither of us spoke meowish, so I followed Elyssa''s lead and kept low and quiet. We reached the propped-open doors of the next entryway without incident. We peeked around the corner. The first sentry Stacey had marked should be patrolling the nearby vicinity.

    The interior of the compound was simple. The building was a large rectangle with a hallway that ran the perimeter on all three upper levels. The basement could be reached via the elevator from the front lobby, by a service elevator in the back hallway, or by the door that was halfway down this hallway on the right. The service elevator would be too noisy, so we needed to reach the basement door.

    Nightliss sat and stared at the doorway, the tip of her tail twitching up and down. She looked to us and then waved her paw at the door to the basement and meowed.

    "What does that mean?" I asked.

    "I have no idea but I don''t see any sentries," Elyssa said.

    Nightliss hissed as Elyssa started down the hall. I grabbed her arm and brought her back. "Just wait a minute."

    As if on cue, the basement door swung open and a vampire dressed in cargo shorts and a kickball T-shirt stomped into the hallway with a half-empty blood bag clenched in his hand. He punched the metal door and left a dent in it. Nightliss dashed between his legs and down the stairs. The vampire didn''t seem to notice.

    "Freaking assholes, leaving me here to guard," the vampire muttered as he stalked down the hall toward us. "You need to learn how to dress," he said in a whiney voice. "God, I hate Britney. I swear I''m gonna pee in her blood supply."

    Elyssa and I crouched behind a pallet and waited until the disgruntled vampire disappeared around the corner at the other end of the hall.

    We made our way down to the basement door and stepped onto the stairs. The corridor was so dark I could hardly see anything. I groped for Elyssa''s arm and hit something a bit softer.

    "What are you doing?" she whispered.

    "I can''t see."

    "Are you kidding me? Adjust your eyes."

    "My night vision kind of sucks." I hoped that whatever night vision had tried to turn on the night the moggy attacked me would work automatically because I didn''t know how to manually turn it on.

    She sighed. "You are such a newb." She grabbed my hand and led me down the stairs. It almost felt like old times.

    We reached the bottom of the spiral staircase nearly two-hundred stairs later and peeked into the well-lit basement. Huge chandeliers hung grandly down the center of the ceiling with a disco ball hanging awkwardly from the bottom of the middle light fixture. Marble columns ran up the two-story walls and arched across the dome-like roof. Bunk beds and cots lined the sides in neat rows with a walkway splitting the cavernous room in half. It looked like a giant army barracks. Some areas had cubicle partitions, probably for privacy or silence.

    Several leather sofas surrounded a huge plasma television screen at one end of the chamber. An Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and all the accoutrements for Guitar Hero were neatly tucked away on a svelte glass entertainment center. It was awesome. A girl who I recognized immediately as the geek chick was competing in a Dance Central dance-off versus two guys. Body Movin'' from the Beastie Boys boomed from the huge sound system.

    Vampires really know how to have a good time.

    Elyssa caught me staring longingly at the entertainment center and pulled me down into a crouch just in time to hide from two more male vampires as they rounded a corner and walked past, animatedly discussing how to beat some game which involved catapulting birds at pigs.

    We stayed low and dashed across the open space to the left side of the basement where a long cubicle-style divider hid a mess of electrical cords. Behind the divider and a few feet down was the door Nightliss had meowed about to Stacey. The little black cat looked at me with wide green eyes and extended a paw toward the door.

    "I never realized cats were so smart," I said in a low whisper.

    Elyssa ignored me and pulled out a penlight so she could study the arched doorway. The door was solid hardwood with hefty metal hinges. The lock looked old-fashioned¡ªsomething a skeleton key might open. I felt incredibly relieved. Then I noticed two metal plates at the top and bottom of the door jamb. A conduit ran from the plates, along the gray marble wall, and up to the ceiling. I stifled a groan as my relief turned into a pang of worry.

    "Magnetic," I whispered.

    Elyssa nodded and studied the keypad to the left. She gave me a pointed look.

    I pulled out the chalk, trying to keep the tremors from my hands. Everything hinged on me being able to hex this thing. I drew a circle around me and willed it shut by pressing my thumb against it. The air crackled, indicating I''d at least done that part right. I waited. After a few heart-pounding seconds, the pressure in my ears built to a point where I knew there had to be enough magic around me to do the job.

    Staring at the keypad, I willed it to malfunction. Nothing happened.

    "Fizzle," I said. Nothing again. "Poof." Still nothing.

    Elyssa gave an exasperated sigh and examined the sturdy metal conduit. She pulled out a knife and pried at it.

    I imagined all sorts of terrible things happening to that blasted keypad without anything actually happening. My hair felt like it was standing on end, probably from the magical energy hanging uselessly around me. Elyssa peeled the metal conduit away and stared at the thick wires inside it. I gave up my attempts and scrubbed out the chalk circle, giving the keypad one last dirty look and flipping it a bird.

    "Just die already," I hissed through clenched teeth.

    A thick blue bolt lanced from my middle finger and into the keypad. The keypad sparked and smoked. The magnetic latch went dead and the door click open a fraction, held in place by the old original latch. That would have been great except the electricity springing from my middle finger arced into one of the power strips on the floor. Loud pops and sizzles echoed across the room. The sound system boomed one last time and went silent. Light bulbs in the chandeliers exploded. Vampires yelped in surprise. The basement went black.

    Chapter 33

    My eyes automatically went into night mode this time, which was good because several angry vampires were shouting about how their perfect game of Dance Central had just been wrecked by whatever nitwit had overloaded the power breaker with their hairdryer again. I''d expected my night vision to be green like the goggles used by the military. Instead, everything had a bluish quality to it.

    Elyssa whispered a string of curses and grabbed my hand. Nightliss scooted down the spiral staircase ahead of us. I was just swinging the door shut behind us when a hissing and spitting Nightliss dashed back up the staircase and scuttled through the closing door.

    I flashed a confused look at Elyssa. "I wonder what got into her."

    "Can you see?" she asked, her irises emitting a violet glow.

    "Yes. Are my eyes glowing too?"

    She rolled her glowing eyes. "Yes."

    "Awesome."

    "Will you take this seriously?"

    "This is my way of trying not to crap my pants," I said. "I''m scared out of my wits."

    She took my hand in both of hers and squeezed. "Everything will be okay."

    I covered her hand with mine. For a moment, the world seemed to slow. My nerves calmed and it seemed like we might actually pull this thing off. I raised her hand to my lips and kissed it.

    "Thanks."

    She opened her mouth to say something then gave the door a startled look. "I think they''re coming this way."

    We jogged down the stairs. The rancid odor of rotting meat drifted into my nostrils. I hadn''t noticed it right at first due to being scared out of my wits and all, but my nose notified me in no uncertain terms that something stank. Big time. I gagged.

    "Good lord. You think they''re putting dead bodies down here?" I shuddered. "I thought vampires didn''t want to kill people." At least I knew why Nightliss hadn''t stuck around. My upgraded senses added an extra dimension to the stink I really didn''t appreciate. Especially since I''d heard all odors are particulate.

    Elyssa whipped out a couple of bandanas and handed one to me so I could cover my nose. Women always seem to have the answers to life''s little inconveniences hidden in their purses, or in this case, utility belt.

    There was a faint scraping noise from below. Elyssa slowed and I followed her lead. We reached the bottom and peered through the arched door frame. The ceiling in the crypt was about ten to fifteen feet high. Marble coffins and niches lined the length of the corridor. The floor was rock in some places and dirt in others. The bandanas covered up the worst of the wretched smell but only barely.

    I had hoped to find a simple room with my dad in it. From the look of things, this crypt wasn''t going to make it easy. I had flashbacks to Indiana Jones and imagined finding cobweb covered skeletons and a huge rolling boulder trap. I would have gladly traded the foul odor for a boulder trap any day. Elyssa edged forward and went left to the end of the corridor. I followed and peeked around the corner. Several more coffin-lined corridors led off of the next one.

    She grunted. "This place is a maze."

    More scraping noises echoed off the walls but it was hard to tell where the sound was coming from. "Is that my dad?" I asked her.

    "I don''t know." Her forehead creased with worry. "Come on."

    We went a few more steps. The odor seeped through the bandanas in a nauseating wave. I expected to find a pile of rotting victims at any moment. We wended our way through the maze of corridors and finally reached what seemed to be the center. The rocky walls retreated several feet to either side of a squat marble tomb in the middle. Further back, a light shined from within a stone building.

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    "He must be in there," I said, gagging on every other word as I was forced to breathe in the rancid stench.

    Elyssa squeaked and went rigid. Her hand tightened on my wrist so hard I expected to hear the bones crunch. I followed her gaze. Bodies littered the floor. Flies buzzed around the corpses. They appeared black and oily to my blue-tinged night vision which made the gruesome scene all the worse. My heartbeat sped up. My face felt hot from fear and outrage at the slaughter this represented. Even with the decay, I could tell some of the bodies were those of teenagers and the elderly. Many appeared to be dressed in rags, possibly homeless when they were alive.

    "They''re all dead," I said in a hoarse whisper.

    A grunt echoed. One of the bodies jerked upright and turned our way, its sunken eye cavities staring blindly in our direction. I almost crapped myself. The sound of shuffling bodies echoed in the chamber and I realized that had been the scraping noise I''d heard earlier. More corpses jerked upright, their heads swiveling toward me.

    Elyssa''s grip tightened another notch. "Not quite." She stared at me in alarm. "Are you still masking your heartbeat?"

    "I think I let that slip when I saw the dead bodies."

    "Oh, God." Elyssa spun back the way we''d entered. "We''ve got to get out of here. We''ve got to run. Now!" Her voice was a whisper, but the alarm in it supercharged my growing fear.

    The animated corpses jerked like broken puppets to their feet all the while making horrible gurgling and wheezing noises that could only emanate from rotting vocal cords.

    We spun and raced back through the maze.

    "Zombies?" I said as we navigated the winding path.

    "Vamplings," Elyssa said. "These idiot vampires have been trying to turn humans into vampires but they''re too young or they don''t know how."

    "But they look dead."

    "They''re mostly dead, all right. The human side of those people died when the turning failed, leaving the monster side completely in charge. Now they''re just empty mindless shells that crave blood. Think zombie meets vampire and that''s a vampling. From the looks of them, they haven''t been fed in weeks."

    I tried desperately to cover up my thudding heart, unable to scrape together enough presence of mind to do so. Angry shouts echoed from ahead. Several people were arguing about something. No, not just people. Vampires. They were coming this way. We screeched to a halt.

    Elyssa''s eyes widened with panic. Mine felt like they were bugging out of my head.

    "Maybe we should just fight the dead ones," I said. "They look rotten enough to punch through."

    "You don''t understand," Elyssa said. "With the human side of them gone, they have no sense of self-preservation or self-limiting beliefs. The worst part is, they''re relentless. They''ll never stop coming unless they''re a pile of bloody gore." She scanned our surroundings. "We''ve got to hide until the vampires go back upstairs."

    "Someone intentionally blew out the keypad," said a female voice from up ahead. "Maximus said if anyone came down here for a sip of the good stuff, he''d gut them and suspend our privileges for a month."

    "Why do we have to be on guard duty, Felicia?" a male voice whined. "It''s new moon."

    "Shut up, Mortimer," said the female, presumably Felicia. "You''ll get the vamplings riled up."

    "Good lord, they stink something fierce," Mortimer said. "We need to talk to Maximus about some Lysol."

    "Shut up, Mortimer," said another male.

    Another guy piled on. "Mortimer, you''re a whiny little bitch."

    Elyssa stopped me and held up six fingers. My heart raced even faster. I thought back to the fight in the alley. The vampires hadn''t been as strong as I was on their own, but they were strong together. We looked for a hiding place, a niche, anything. A guttural scream gurgled through the chamber. I turned to see the vamplings shambling toward us at a horrific clip, their eyes focused on the only thing in existence that mattered to them: food.

    Elyssa pulled her swords. I followed suit.

    The vampires raced around the corner and skidded to a stop. Glowing red embers burned in their eye sockets as they stared at us, then at the vamplings coming up behind us.

    "We''ve got warm-bloods," shouted the largest of the vampires.

    "Call Maximus, Mortimer," said Felicia, aka, the geek chick.

    The young boy, the very same one who''d helped kidnap my father, nodded. "I''m on it." He raced back toward the stairs.

    Felicia flashed a wicked smile. "Give yourselves up and we''ll call the vamplings off."

    I pulled out the walkie-talkie and clicked the button in the emergency pattern I''d arranged with Stacey. I heard static, but that was it. We were too deep for the signal to get out.

    The first vampling, formerly a young man with a backwards ball cap on, reached Elyssa. She spun and hacked. Its head rolled off but the body didn''t fall. I swept my rapier across its legs. The sword wasn''t sharp enough to slice the bone, but the sheer brute force in my swing crunched through them. The body flopped with the sickening noise of maggot-riddled flesh smacking a sidewalk.

    The quickest of the creatures came for us. We hacked at arms and legs, but I could tell it wouldn''t be enough. There were too many of them. The path behind us where the vampires stood narrowed, making it impossible to skirt around them. The path widened and split around several coffins in the center, joining again on the other side before turning sharply and back toward the wide-open area with the tombs. Right now, the path was jammed with rotting vamplings.

    "This is better than a movie," said the large vampire. "I want some action."

    "Just shut up and let the vamplings do the work," Felicia said.

    Elyssa was a whirlwind of silvery swords, making chop-suey of anything near her. The image of a shadowy figure, a flash of silver raced through my mind. Had Elyssa been the one to kill the moggy that night? Was she my mysterious savior?

    I didn''t have time to think about it. One of the rotted creatures, dressed in a filthy yellow dress, came from my side. It opened rotted jaws wide to reveal a maw filled with jagged teeth and blackened fangs. Maggots writhed in one of the empty eye sockets and in the green pocked-marked flesh.

    I ducked as the creature lunged. It crashed into a vampling that had circled around one of the coffins in the center. I lunged upward, dropping my sword so I could push them away from me. They sailed through the air in either direction, making splatting noises when they hit the walls, some ten feet away. I grabbed the sword in time to hack through another one. The sword blurred in a Z pattern, dissecting the vampling into harmless chunks. I tried to ignore the clothes, the eyes, anything that humanized these walking corpses so I wouldn''t think about who they''d been before the vampires had turned them into these god-awful things. I didn''t have the luxury of guilt.

    They are not alive. They are not alive.

    This was worse than cleaning out grease traps times a zillion.

    Elyssa screamed. One of the creatures had leapt onto her back, locking its legs around her midsection. It sank its fangs into her right shoulder where it joined with the neck. Another went for her throat. The sword in her right hand clattered uselessly to the floor.

    "No!" I shouted. I rammed one creature with my shoulder. It plowed into the vamplings behind it, knocking them down. I dropped the sword and grabbed the one on Elyssa''s back by the head, tearing its fangs from her. The rotten flesh felt slimy and disgusting under my fingers. I jerked hard, ripping the head off and flung it with all my might at the nearest attacker. The projectile head crushed its chest, causing it to keel over backwards.

    Elyssa staggered. Her black shirt went dark where blood soaked it. She lost her grip on her other sword. I jammed my sword into the sheath on my back, or rather, tried to and missed. It clattered to the floor. I ignored it and picked up Elyssa. The vampires stared hungrily at us, smelling the blood in the air. The vamplings gurgled with desire. The only place to go was further back into the crypt. I dodged around the coffins in the center, threading my way past several vamplings, thanking Coach Wise for all the football practice, and churned my legs as fast as I could. Gurgling howls of rage and hunger followed behind.

    My hearing picked up the moist sounds of staggering vamplings giving chase. Unless the crypt had a back exit, there was no way to escape. I saw the lit tomb ahead and sprinted for it. A bolt and thick padlock held the door shut. At full strength I might be able to break it. But I was exhausted from the fight and slowed with every step.

    I looked inside and saw the limp form of my dad chained to the wall. Guilt welled in my throat, and I prayed he wasn''t dead. Crusted blood stained his neck. Someone whimpered. I looked behind him and saw a half-naked girl, filthy and frightened out of her wits. A single chain attached her ankle to the wall. Blood stained the metal cuff where it had chafed her ankle raw.

    "Help me," she said. "Please, God, you have to let me out of here."

    I stared at her. "What the hell?"

    Elyssa groaned. Her head lolled. I looked back at Dad and the girl again and cursed in frustration.

    "I''ll come back," I told the girl.

    "Don''t go!"

    I shook my head. "You''ll be safer in here, believe me."

    "Please come back," she screeched as I ran deeper into the crypt.

    Guilt punched me in the stomach but I had no choice. They''d be safe, locked away in that stone building. Trapped, but safe. I had to recuperate. I had to make sure Elyssa was okay.

    It soon became obvious that the crypt had been carved from a natural cavern. It widened to about fifty yards across with stalagmites jutting from the floor and making footing treacherous. The sounds of dripping water echoed ahead. I skidded to a stop at the edge of an underground lake. Stalactites hung from the cave roof, some coming so low as to almost touch the water. Beyond the lake was nothing but gray. I strained my eyes, thinking perhaps I couldn''t see across the water. Then I realized I was staring at the back of the cave. We''d reached the end. I wondered if the vamplings could swim and quickly realized it wouldn''t matter. They probably didn''t need to breathe, so they''d just wade in after us and pull us under.

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    I slumped to the floor, weak and empty of hope. My insides churned in agony from the hunger. I tore off mine and Elyssa''s bandanas and rested her head gently on my knees. I pressed two fingers to her neck and checked her pulse.

    "Justin," Elyssa said weakly.

    I choked back tears at the pain in her voice. "How are you, babe?"

    She reached her hand to my face and caressed a cheek. She made choking noises which caused me to pull her toward me in alarm. I realized she was crying.

    "I don''t think we''re going to make it," she said.

    "Sure we will." I took a deep breath to drive away the choking anguish.

    "I still love you," she said between sobs. "I never stopped loving you."

    "I love you too," I said, happiness trickling into my heart. "You don''t know how I''ve ached to hear you say that."

    She pulled my face down to hers and kissed me. "Forgive me."

    "For what?"

    "For wasting all the precious time we could have had together."

    "It''s not over yet," I said, some hope creeping into my voice. "We can make it out of this."

    She shook her head. "The venom in the bite is paralyzing my muscles. I''m too weak to fight it off. By the time it wears off, it''ll be too late."

    I held out my wrist to her. "Take my blood."

    She looked at me with tremulous eyes. Her nostrils flared as they took in the odor of my blood. She pushed my hand away weakly.

    "I can''t," she whimpered. "I can''t."

    "You''re a better fighter than I am, and I''m at the end of my strength. Take my blood and recharge yourself."

    She sniffled and pushed my arm away again. "I''m too weak. I might kill you."

    "I don''t care. If it means you might be able to rescue my dad and get out of here, I don''t care." I caressed her cheek. "My only regret would be never seeing you again."

    Tears flooded from the corners of her eyes. "I won''t do it. I can''t. We''re forbidden from drinking directly from humans."

    "This is not the time to worry about rules, Elyssa!"

    "It''s not just about rules. It''s about my Templar oath. Besides, the vampling venom has weakened my human side. Even blood won''t completely counter it. You''re the only one with a chance, Justin." Her grip on my arm loosened. "I can''t feel my arms anymore." She drew in a shuddering breath. "Feed off of me. Survive."

    "No, I can''t."

    "It''s your only chance to save you and your dad."

    "I''ll figure out another way. I''ll search in the lake. Maybe there''s another passage."

    "It''s too late," she said.

    I could hear the vamplings shambling closer, herded by the vampires.

    She reached for my shoulder with a trembling hand. "If you love me, you will do it, Justin. Do it for me. Survive for me. Please."

    Then I sensed her. I felt the hot pulsing of her essence hovering right before me, unshielded and vulnerable like a precious flame in the dark. But it felt so much different than what I''d felt with other women. They were like light bulbs against the burning sun that was Elyssa. I tried to resist but the hunger clawed at my barriers. I fought the madness and the pain as the need to drink her essence hammered at my defenses. I gritted my teeth against the pain. Squeezed my eyes shut. I would not do it.

    "Stop, Elyssa. Stop it! I won''t kill you to save myself."

    "I love you," she whispered.

    My walls crumbled. The hunger howled in victory and greedily pulled her essence into me. Love cascaded into my heart in a golden torrent of sunshine. I tried to stop the hunger, tried to cut myself off, but my depleted reserves drew her essence in like a dry sponge draws in water.

    Tears flooded my eyes, blinding me as I drank in the essence of the girl I loved. She smiled at me one last time. Then her arms went limp and light in her violet eyes flickered out.

    Chapter 34

    I lowered Elyssa''s body gently to the ground, sobbing and rocking back and forth from the agony ripping through my heart.

    "No, Elyssa, no." The pain was unbearable. I doubled over as grief wracked me and ripped my heart to shreds.

    The sound of putrid flesh on stone echoed nearby. I clenched my teeth and glared at the vamplings. Felicia, that evil vampiric bitch, stood behind them, goading them on.

    "He''s almost done for," she said. "Get him."

    The agony in my heart blazed into searing rage, a volcanic eruption charring the heavy weight of grief to ash. I stood and faced the remaining vamplings and vampires. I roared in mad fury. Blue flames cascaded before my eyes. Pain erupted in my head. I staggered backwards. A nuclear explosion seemed to go off in my brain, pressing against the insides of my skull like an over-inflated balloon. An agonized roar filled the chamber. It sounded like the roar a monster would make. Some part of my mind realized the alien roar was my own. My blue-tinted night vision went red.

    Bones popped and cracked and my clothes went tight as a drum skin. After a short eternity of pain in every molecule of my body, the red in my vision receded and I looked to see the vamplings mindlessly charging. My body felt strange and elongated. I looked at my too-large hands and saw blue-tinged flesh and blackened claws. My head felt off kilter. I reached up and touched the horns protruding from my forehead.

    Fury overpowered the rational parts of my mind and the need to destroy obliterated further concerns with my current physical state. I towered over the mindless creatures before me. They would not withstand my might. My clawed hands shredded the closest attackers. I backhanded the next so hard into the cavern wall it exploded like a rotten melon. One came up behind me. I wrapped my tail around its neck and squeezed, popping off its head and batting the remains into the lake behind me.

    I roared and clawed and punched and hammered the creatures mindlessly. Within a minute, only quivering bits of flesh and putrid juices remained where before there had been close to twenty vamplings. I bellowed in triumph, the guttural echo bounding off the cave walls.

    Meanwhile the rational side of me was asking what the hell was going on with my body and wondering where in the hell my tail came from. But the rational side of me seemed to have no say in the beast''s actions.

    The vampires backed away into a frightened huddle. I focused my glare on them and loosed a roar that blew their hair back. They screamed and fled, tripping over each other in their haste to get the hell out of Dodge. The creature I had become gloried in the coming chase. They were succulent prey. I would hunt them and drain their essence until only empty vessels remained. My Lord and Master would praise me for the feast of souls.

    I launched myself after them.

    Elyssa! Said the rational voice in the back of my head. I can''t leave her. The creature raced ahead mindlessly, gaining quickly on the fleeing vampires.

    I love Elyssa! I love her. Don''t leave her!

    My body slowed and turned back to the limp form lying at the edge of the lake. It was just an empty vessel. No essence to rip from the body. No possibility of an exhilarating chase as predator tracked prey. Why should this body matter? The real prey was escaping!

    She is my love. My reason for existence!

    Tears sizzled in my eyes. All thought of the chase vanished and my fury melted into agonizing grief. I rushed back to her and knelt by her side. A reflection in the water caught my eye. I leaned over it. A monster stared back at me. Blood-red flames danced where my eyes had been. Ebony horns spiraled upward from just behind my hairline and my skin looked blue. The gasp that escaped my huge mouth sounded monstrous and threatening.

    I turned back to Elyssa and felt for her presence. But there was nothing. Not a spark or a breath of life. More tears sizzled in my eyes, flashed to steam by the dancing hellfire. I reached for her essence with all I was worth. Instead of burning life, I felt the cold absence of death. My huge shoulders shook with grief. I had killed her. The rational part of my mind clawed for supremacy with the big dumb beast I''d become but I couldn''t break through. The beast roared and renewed its efforts.

    And then I felt it, a tiny whisper of life. I reached for it gently. There was so very little of it I was almost afraid to touch it, a burning match of hope in the howling winds of despair. I feared my overwhelming presence might snuff it out like a bucket of water on a spark. The merge was such a delicate matter, but the bestial side of me seemed to understand on an instinctual level. As its fury abated, so did the barrier separating my rational self from the beast. I merged with the wisp of life. Instead of pulling, I pushed.

    I pushed with all the might and love I had in me. I thought of her laughing. I thought of those violet eyes looking into mine as I pulled her to me for a kiss. Of her soft lips against mine. Of her warm body pressed hard against me. Of the happiness in a simple smile on her face. Elyssa, come back to me.

    The energy left me at first in a trickle and then in a steady flow. A demonic howl of hunger burned my throat and wracked my insides. I ignored it and pushed harder. As the essence left my body, the agonizing hunger increased. My body rippled, cracked, and popped as bones reset and muscles shrank. My clothes hung loose and torn from my smaller frame. The horns detached from my forehead and clattered to the cave floor. The fire in my eyes poofed out with a whoosh.

    "I love you," I said in my own voice. "Please come back to me."

    The pulsating energy flow leveled out and no matter how I tried, I couldn''t push any more into her. I stopped trying and hugged her to my chest. She felt cool. I put my head to her heart and listened. A faint thumping beat in her chest. Hope blossomed in me, but we still weren''t out of the woods. The long dark walk back to the main crypt still lay ahead and I didn''t know if the vamps might be waiting with backup.

    I rinsed some of the rancid gore off my hands and arms in the lake. My shoes were stretched and misshapen with large holes torn at the toes. One of the horns that had been attached to my head lay nearby. I grabbed and examined it. I touched my forehead where the horns had been, but the skin felt smooth and unblemished. The horn was about two feet long and sharp at the end. I could probably kill a vampire with it. I put it in the sheath where my sword had been and picked up Elyssa. She whimpered but didn''t open her eyes.

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    The walk back seemed to take forever. Muscles cramped and burned with every step. My stomach growled and burbled while supernatural hunger clawed at my sanity. I wanted to run, but I also didn''t want to waste what little supercharged energy I had left if the vampires showed up again. I reached the tomb where Dad was imprisoned and looked inside. He groaned. The girl next to him was brushing the hair from his eyes and begging him to wake up. She saw me and shrieked. Then she realized it was me.

    "Did you see where they went?" I said.

    She nodded, a wild look in her eyes. "They were screaming like crazy and running so fast they kept slamming into stuff. It was like the Devil himself was chasing them. I''m pretty sure they''re gone."

    "Good. Let me see if I can break you out of there."

    Her eyes widened in hope. I took out the horn and placed it in the gap between the padlock and the hasp. I gripped the base of the horn and jerked. The metal groaned. I jerked again and the latch gave way a little more. I adjusted the horn, braced my feet, and pulled long and hard. The padlock screeched and popped open. After pulling it off, I yanked the door open.

    Dad groaned and peered at the girl through cracked eyelids. He jerked away. "No, I won''t do it," he said in a weak, groggy voice. "Let her go."

    "Dad, it''s me," I said, kneeling in front of him.

    His eyelids fluttered open. "Justin? How?"

    "Don''t worry about it. I''m gonna get you two out of here."

    Dad sniffed and wrinkled his nose. "Brimstone. We''re in terrible da¡­" He trailed off and his head lolled.

    I tugged where the chains were bolted to the wall but I might as well have politely asked them to release my dad. I didn''t have enough strength left in me to do anything. I looked at the girl hungrily. The demonic hunger clawed my insides and demanded food. But I couldn''t do it. I was so hungry that I might lose control. She seemed to sense the predatory intent in my stare and cringed against the wall like a rabbit facing the wolf.

    I tore my gaze from her and looked at the padlocks securing the chains. They were old-timey padlocks, but thick. Even at full strength, it would be hard to rip them open.

    Elyssa''s lock picks.

    I unzipped her pack and dug through it until I found the little pouch with the tools in them. I didn''t have the slightest idea how to use them. I dumped them out onto the wooden floor of the tomb and sorted through them until I found one that looked like a skeleton key. I grabbed it and jammed it into the lock. After twisting and fiddling with it, the old mortise lock clicked and the padlock popped open.

    I pumped my fist. "Yes!"

    After a few minutes I had freed the two prisoners. The girl cried gratefully but didn''t go quite so far as hugging me when she saw the ravenous look in my eyes. The hunger bordered on unbearable but I had too much to worry about to give in. Dad was too weak to walk on his own and too heavy for the girl to carry. Elyssa was still unconscious as well.

    "I hate to do this," I said to the girl, "but I have to leave you here with them."

    "Can''t you take me with you?" she asked. "Please. I''ve been trapped here for days, maybe weeks."

    "There are more vampires upstairs. If I try to lug two people with me, I''ll be too weak to do anything but watch as they finish us off." My stomach made a loud almost mournful noise. "Plus, I''m so hungry right now, I don''t think I can resist much longer."

    "You eat people?" she said in a whimpering whisper.

    I laughed despite the situation. "No. I feed on emotions."

    "I''m feeling very emotional right now."

    "I know. But in my condition, I might also have sex with you and drain you of everything."

    She cringed even farther away. That simple prey-like movement increased my desire to pounce and take her. Every demonic fiber in my body demanded it. I closed my eyes and tried to collect myself. Elyssa was depending on me. My dad was depending on me. Feeding on this girl would help me save them. Maybe I could control myself. I stepped toward her, her hot essence cowering just feet away from me and tugging me like gravity. Her sacrifice would save those I cared about the most.

    You''re a monster.

    "No!" I shouted, backing away from the girl. "I''m not a monster."

    "You don''t look like one," she said in a quavering voice. "None of them did."

    I shook my head violently, as if that would clear it. It only made me dizzy. "You stay here," I said. "I''ll go for help."

    She whimpered but nodded. I held up a finger, indicating to hold on a minute, and jogged over to the spot Elyssa and I had lost our swords. I grabbed them and brought them back to the girl. She took one of Elyssa''s sai swords and held it with both hands. I put Dad and Elyssa in the back of the tomb, away from the door, motioned the girl back in, and shut it.

    "Remember, the vamps can see in the dark, so stay in here until I get back."

    "I can''t believe this is happening to me," she said as fresh tears trickled down her cheeks. "I can''t believe vampires are for real. And they''re not even as beautiful as Edward."

    I should''ve known she was Team Edward. "Pretend they''re kidnappers if that makes it easier. Kidnappers with night vision goggles."

    She nodded. "Okay." Some of the fear in her eyes diminished. "Thinking of it like that kind of helps, actually."

    I ignored the desire to roll my eyes and grabbed my sword from the floor. It felt heavier in my hand than I remembered it, probably because I was almost spent, both naturally and supernaturally. My night vision dimmed and brightened as I walked. My heart hammered at the thought of losing myself in the pitch black. Was I running on a quarter tank? Less? If I ran into any vampires, I''d have to rely on fear and intimidation. A fight would be suicidal.

    The spiral staircase went on forever, although between trudging and listening for sounds of impending attack, I wasn''t exactly running. I reached the door to the main sleeping chamber and peered inside. The power was back on and the lights hummed overhead. Sexy and I Know It thundered from the speakers since Dance Central had turned back on with the power. Otherwise, the place was empty.

    I tried to dash but ended up trotting across the room, thanks to my weary legs. I reached the long staircase leading up to the first floor. Shouts echoed from above but I couldn''t make sense of them. I heard a feline roar and then a scream. The moggies must be inside, I realized. I huffed and puffed my way up the stairs and peeked into the hallway. Two vampires, Felicia and one of the males, an Asian-looking guy, were circling a large black panther, their eyes wary.

    "Who the hell let a panther loose?" the male asked.

    Felicia shot him a scornful glare. "It''s not a panther, you idiot. It''s a felycan."

    "A what? I''m new to this crap. I don''t know what a felycan is."

    "A werecat, you moron."

    "Oh crap. Like a werewolf? Those things are mad strong. Maybe we should run away."

    Felicia''s scornful look turned thoughtful. "I think you might be right this once."

    They turned to flee when a bright flash popped in their faces. Their red eyes rolled into the backs of their heads and they collapsed in a heap. Shelton walked over to them, whistling a cheerful tune as he secured them with silvery-looking zip ties.

    "Shelton, Stacey, I need your help," I said as I hobbled toward them.

    "Holy crap, kid, you look like hell," Shelton said.

    Stacey morphed in mid-stride and rushed to me in all her naked glory. "Where are your father and Elyssa?"

    "I was too weak to carry them up. I need help."

    She cried out with a high-pitched mewling that hurt my ears. A moment later, the moggies padded into view. One bled heavily from a gash in its shoulder.

    "Oh, my poor dear," Stacey said, examining the wound.

    The moggy rumbled a reply and rubbed against her leg.

    "He is so brave," she said, her eyes misting. "They will go with you to retrieve the fallen."

    "Take these," Shelton said, pulling some leather straps out of the man purse he wore over his shoulder. "Strap them to the moggies." He handed them to me while doing his best not to stare at Stacey''s nude form.

    I gave the moggies a doubtful look. "Are they strong enough to carry people?"

    He chuckled. "If you''d watched them in action tonight, you wouldn''t be asking."

    I thought back to the moggy that had almost killed me and shuddered. Yep, they were strong enough. Something small, black, and furry did a figure-eight between my legs. Nightliss looked up at me and meowed.

    "She smelled danger and came to warn us," Stacey said. "We would have been down sooner, but were stalled by several vampires."

    "Speaking of which," Shelton said, "you''ve gotta hurry. Some of them escaped and I wouldn''t doubt they''ve placed calls to whoever''s in charge of this place. We might be able to whip a few youngsters, but not a horde of them."

    I summoned my remaining strength and hobbled down the stairs. Shelton and Stacey took up positions outside. It took the better part of fifteen minutes to make it all the way back down to the tomb. The girl saw me and almost hugged me then shrank back at the last second. She''d probably remembered what I''d said about having sex with her while I sucked her essence dry. When she saw the moggies she screamed and jumped on my back, her arms in a death grip around my neck.

    "They''re with me," I said. "Now help me strap on Elyssa and my dad." I pried her loose.

    I put Elyssa and Dad stomach-first on the backs of the moggies then used the leather straps to fasten them. The big cats took off like they weren''t carrying anything, leaving me and the girl behind. She stared into the darkness ahead and shivered.

    "Please don''t eat me," she said in a plaintive voice.

    "Stick close. I can see in the dark."

    I had to give her credit. Despite the constant trembling in her hand, she didn''t scream once. I couldn''t imagine being led through a pitch black crypt with a soul-sucking demon spawn as the guide. When we made it into the light of the sleeping chamber, she cried with relief and hugged me.

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    "Thank you, thank you."

    "There are more people waiting upstairs," I said. "We still have to escape."

    She nodded. We continued up the stairs. I stepped out into an apparently empty hallway. I had just turned to motion for the girl to follow me when I heard a hissing noise. I looked left. Five vampires, murder in their glowing red eyes, streaked inhumanly fast down the hall toward me.

    Chapter 35

    Shelton stepped from a niche in the wall and raised his staff. Stacey, back in panther form, stepped from a niche in the opposite wall and roared. The moggies were nowhere to be seen. I assumed they were delivering their cargo to the van.

    "There''s a van in a parking lot across the back," I told the girl in a rush. "Run to it. Unstrap the man and the girl from the big cats and put them into the van. Now go!"

    She nodded and skedaddled.

    Shelton raised his staff and shouted, "Yod!" At first, nothing seemed to happen. The vampires raced down the yards of empty hall straight for us. About fifteen yards from us, they slammed into an invisible barrier. Hollow booms resounded in the hall, sounding like a maniac pounding on timpani drums. Bloody outlines of vampire faces hovered in the air as their bodies slid to the ground in a collective heap. Then the thick dark blood which seemed to be hanging in midair, splashed to the floor.

    "Duy wov," Shelton barked, and a blinding light flashed above the vampires.

    Most of them conked out immediately, but one staggered to his feet and turned to run. Stacey streaked over, batted him with a massive paw, and sent him flipping through the air to thud onto his back. She leapt on his chest and opened her mouth as he screamed and wriggled like a caught dormouse. A dull yellowish light flowed from his eyes and mouth in a vortex and swirled into Stacey''s eyes. His screams sent chills down my spine. I turned away.

    After a moment, Stacey released his unconscious form and stalked over to me.

    "Watching her feed gives me the creeps," Shelton said. "Half of them are scared witless by the time she gets to them, though, so I''ll bet it''s good stuff."

    I shuddered and found my voice. "We should go now."

    Shelton stared at the unconscious and groaning vampires longingly. "I don''t suppose you could help me take a couple back to the van?"

    "Are you kidding me?" I said through clenched teeth. "I''m about to fall apart here. I can barely carry myself."

    Stacey rubbed against me like a giant housecat and made a cooing noise that sounded very strange coming from a panther.

    Shelton sighed. "Yeah, probably don''t have any room in the van anyway. Let''s go."

    We reached the van and found the girl standing ten feet from it and shaking in fright. She ran to me, making the noise one makes when one discovers a spider climbing up your bare leg. She shielded herself from the van with my body and pointed over my shoulder. "V-vampires in there!"

    I gave Shelton a dirty look. "I hope they can''t escape."

    "Nah, I got ''em locked in sleepers."

    "Those plasti-cuff things?"

    "Yep. Sorcerer''s best friend. They can''t wake up until I release them."

    Elyssa and Dad were still strapped to the moggies, so we untied them. I lifted Elyssa into the back very gently and pulled her against me. The vampires snoozed in a heap near the back doors. Stacey morphed back into her naked human form right in front of the girl whose name I still didn''t know. The girl gave a little squeak and fainted.

    "Truly, it''s for the best," Stacey said with a smile. She slipped back into her clothes and climbed into the passenger seat.

    Shelton closed the sliding doors and hopped in as driver. "Where to?"

    I doubted a hospital would do much good. "My house."

    "You got it."

    On the ride back, I stroked Elyssa''s cheek and whispered in her ear. She didn''t respond but at least she was breathing. I hoped I hadn''t severely damaged her mind. For all I knew, she''d never wake from this coma she seemed to be in. I clenched my teeth to keep the tears at bay.

    Dad groaned a few times but seemed otherwise okay. I figured he had to be weak from not feeding, not to mention the obvious health effects of vampires sucking his blood. Both he and I would have to feed at some point. It would take all of my self-control to keep from hurting anyone. I stared hungrily at the sleeping girl. I wasn''t sure what we would do with her.

    "I''ll take care of her," Shelton said in a grim voice, startling me out of my reverie.

    "Don''t kill her! Maybe we can mind wipe her somehow."

    "Geez, you think I''m a murderer? The Arcane Council has a program for ordinary people who have seen too much of the supernatural side. We can help them adapt to the terrible discovery of the Overworld."

    The tension left my shoulders. "Good."

    We reached my house. Shelton took Dad inside. I carried Elyssa in and put her on my bed. She was a mess. Encrusted blood covered her shoulder and she had bits of rotten vampling flesh spattered on her clothes and skin.

    "I do so hate to leave you, dear," Stacey said. "But I must get my companions back to shelter. Dawn is only a short time away and these moggies do not deal well with direct sunlight. It will hurt their sensitive eyes."

    I hugged her and kissed her cheek. "Thanks for everything. You''re a true friend."

    She laughed and pressed a hand to my cheek as a tear welled in her eye. "I am rather glad I didn''t eat you, you precious little man."

    "Wait, I thought you didn''t eat people."

    She giggled. "Not in that way."

    She took off her clothes and graced me with a seductive smile over her shoulder before transforming and racing into the early morning darkness with the moggies.

    "That''s a damned fine looking woman," Shelton said. "Scary as hell though."

    I gave him a suspicious look. "I could have sworn I recognized those magic words you were using against the vampires."

    "You must be a real nerd then."

    "Ooh, the pot calls the kettle black. Who in the world would use Klingon words for their spells?"

    He grinned. "It ain''t so much what you say as the intent." He shrugged. "Plus it sounds cool."

    "Yeah, I guess so." I yawned so hard my jaw cracked.

    Shelton slapped me on the shoulder. "Get some rest. Not much you can do right now."

    "What about the vampires? Won''t they come after us now?"

    "The vamps don''t know where you live, as far as I know, so I think you''re safe." He pressed a hand to the floor and closed his eyes for a moment. "You''ve got two ley lines??kind of like high-voltage power lines for magic¡ªrunning under this area. It''s why your mom chose this place to hide. The magical interference is off the charts. I''ll set some anti-vamp wards. They should last quite a while with the juice flowing under this place."

    Relief melted some of the tension in my muscles and forehead. "Thanks, Shelton." I followed him back outside and watched the van fade into the night. I felt very alone all of a sudden. The two people I cared about most in the world were unconscious and lying inside, and all the super powers I had couldn''t bring them back

    I went inside and cleaned off, changing into some jeans and a T-shirt. Elyssa smelled just awful but my muscles trembled with fatigue at the thought of picking her up and bathing her. My stomach howled in unison with its supernatural counterpart. I knew I had to do something about food and psychic energy before anything else. The sky turned pink in the east as I went back outside. I found a little caf¨¦ not far from the house and ordered a waffle. A group of old men were laughing and talking about old times over steaming cups of coffee.

    I smiled and hooked into them, filling my psychic batteries with a trickle of warm feelings and good memories. After topping off, I went back home and found Dad stumbling through the kitchen. His face was white as death and his hands were cold and clammy. Ravenous hunger glowed icy blue in his eyes. His face had that demonic bony look to it, the same as when I''d followed him to the Laundromat days ago.

    He had to feed but I was afraid he might hurt someone, and I didn''t want him going after Elyssa if he lost control. I had no other choice. I reached for his essence. He sensed mine and jerked it toward him greedily. I fell to my knees as he siphoned my replenished energy at incredible speed. Dad was like a starving infant, sucking furiously at a nipple. I felt myself growing woozy.

    "Stop, Dad." I staggered to my feet and took him by the shoulders. "Stop!" He seemed to be in a trance. I took every ounce of remaining strength in me and punched him in the nose.

    He yelped and crashed backwards into the kitchen table. A look of anger flashed across his face. He leapt to his feet, fists clenched, his once-again hazel eyes glowing. Then he seemed to see me for the first time and gasped. The draining sensation stopped. I fell back to my knees.

    "Justin?"

    "That would be me."

    He helped me to my feet and checked my eyes. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

    "I''m tired," I said. "But otherwise okay." Strength seeped back into my muscles as my remaining psychic energy settled down.

    He looked around the house in confusion. "How¡ªhow did I get home? Where''s Linda?"

    "Linda?"

    "The girl. The vampires wanted me to feed off her so I''d stay healthy."

    "She''s taken care of."

    His eyes grew large in horror. "You didn''t¡ª"

    "No, I mean she''s fine. The Arcane Council has some sort of treatment program for the supernaturally exposed."

    "Thank goodness," he said, slumping into a chair. "So, you rescued me?"

    "I had help. A felycan, the sorcerer who tried to take us prisoner, and a Templar tagged along with me."

    His eyebrows threatened to climb off his forehead. "How in the world did you manage that?"

    "Now that," I said, "is a long story." I looked at my bedroom. "And I have to take care of some business before doing anything else."

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    He walked over to me and offered his hand. I took it. He reached his other arm around and gave me a firm hug and a kiss on the cheek. I squeezed him back and pulled away. Tears glistened in his eyes.

    "Geez, Dad, no need to get all weird on me."

    He wiped away the tear and grinned. "I''m proud of you, son. Very proud."

    I felt my own eyes clouding up and wiped them furiously. "Thanks." I gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder and went into my room.

    Elyssa hadn''t stirred since I''d left her. I fought back more tears and decided to do what I could. I pulled off her boots and her clothes until she was in a lacy black bra and matching panties. I guess if a girl is going to fight vampires, she''s going to do it in her best underwear. She looked beautiful despite the filth and blood.

    I drew a bath and put her in it, leaving on the underwear. If she regained consciousness, I didn''t want her to kill me for taking liberties. I took a rag and gently wiped the grime off her face and arms. After cleaning the crusted blood off her shoulder, the bath water looked like raw sewage. I drained it and examined her shoulder. The twin fang marks were puckered and raw. My heart sank. If her body was recovering, then those should have healed by now.

    After the water drained, I used the hand shower to wash her down again. I dried her off and decided to remove the soaked bra and panties. I put her in my Darth Vader T-shirt and Chewbacca boxers. Then I tucked her into my bed. I put my ear to her mouth and listened for any signs of life besides breathing, but found none.

    I sat next to her for several minutes, tears trickling down my cheeks. I didn''t know what to do. I didn''t know how to contact her parents, and even if I did, they might descend upon me in holy vengeance. A light bulb sparked on inside my head. I found Elyssa''s pouch buried under her clothes and emptied it out. Her phone clattered atop the pile.

    I flicked it on only to discover it was password protected. My heart dropped another notch. If I could contact her family, I could have them meet me somewhere. That way I would be the only one in danger. Or, I could tell them where to pick her up and watch from a safe distance.

    But how would I know if she recovered? I doubted her family would send me a postcard. I paced back and forth, straining to think of something I could do. I tried to guess her password, using her name in upper and lower case, and the name of her mom¡ªLeia, the vampiric hair stylist. No luck. I dropped the phone on the bed and sighed.

    Dad was making coffee in the kitchen. I wandered in, face screwed up in misery and told him about Elyssa.

    He was incredulous. "She''s the dhampyr?"

    "Yes." A long sigh escaped me. "We''re in love."

    His incredulity increased as indicated by his jaw dropping open a fraction. "Tell me exactly what happened."

    I gave him the 411. Told him how I''d fed off her and then reversed the flow in an attempt to revive her.

    "That''s not possible," he said. "You and I can feed off each other because of what we are, but we can''t give back what we take."

    I shrugged. "Somehow, I did." I thought for a moment. "I don''t know if it makes a difference, but I transformed into some kind of monster."

    He sucked in a breath. "Explain."

    I told him about the creature that had erupted from me and slaughtered all those vamplings. Dad blanched. Seeing someone who supposedly knows a lot more about this stuff than me go sick with worry didn''t inspire a lot of confidence in my actions.

    "What is it?"

    He dropped into a chair. "You spawned."

    "Well, we are called demon spawn, right?"

    "Right. We''re called spawn for a reason. You literally spawned or manifested into your demon form." He leaned forward. "You must never let it happen again. I can''t believe you didn''t go on a rampage and kill everyone."

    "I almost went Incredible Hulk, but thinking about Elyssa brought me back."

    "You were lucky. Very lucky. Only older spawn can manifest and maintain control. I still can''t manifest at will, and even if I did, I would probably rampage."

    I shuddered with fear at what might have been. "I was furious when it happened. I lost control."

    "That''s how it starts. You were starving, outnumbered, and angry. In this case it was a defense mechanism."

    "Well, it worked."

    He nodded thoughtfully. "Like I said, you were lucky." He ran a hand through his matted hair. "You took out all the vamplings?"

    "I think so."

    "Thank God. Those things would spread like a plague if left uncontained and they can infect animals too. Those idiotic rogues are going to make a horrible mess if the Conclave doesn''t step in and do something about it."

    "Vamplings can spread vampirism?"

    He nodded. "Vampires have control over turning a human into a vampire. Vamplings have no control or will for that matter, only hunger. Anything they infect will die and leave an animated corpse. Even animals. All we need is a vampiric rat infestation again."

    "What about Elyssa? Did they infect her?"

    "From what you''ve described, I think she''s clean of infection. A vampling would have to drain her completely of blood to infect her¡ªI think¡ªbut I''m not exactly an expert on vampirism."

    I relaxed but only slightly. "Is there anything I can do to help her?"

    He sighed. "I''m sorry, son, but I don''t know what you can do."

    I decided not to tell him about my plan to return her to her family. He might not agree with such an idiotic plan. "Well, maybe you should clean up. No offense, but you stink."

    He chuckled. "I think you''re right."

    I went into my room and sat down at my computer. Elyssa was even paler than before. Her face felt cool to my touch. A tear tumbled from my eye and splashed on her cheek. Nobody could help me now.

    And Elyssa would probably die.

    Chapter 36

    Super powers, magic, and blood that vampires would kill for¡ªall of it for nothing. Elyssa''s hold on life was dwindling or, at the least, not increasing and I couldn''t do a thing about it.

    The answer came to me in a flash. I knew what might fix her. I had the answer flooding through my veins. My sweet demon-spawn blood. I hoped it was as wonderful as the vampires made it out to be.

    Elyssa was forbidden to drink from humans¡ªnot that I was entirely human¡ªbut I knew a way around the restriction. She drank from blood packs. Why not from a coffee mug? I found one of Dad''s big coffee mugs with the words Mondays Suck! emblazoned on the front. Somehow having the word "Suck" on it seemed appropriate.

    I took a knife. Positioned my hand over the mug. Gritted my teeth and sliced my skin open. It hurt like hell but I didn''t care. Thick cherry-red blood dripped into the mug for a second or two. Then it stopped and the blood in the cup congealed into a coagulated lump. My hand had already healed. I groaned. Super-healing was going to make this painful and difficult. Then I remembered something. I dug through the smelly gore-coated ninja outfit Elyssa had given me and found one of the silver-coated knives. She hadn''t mentioned whether silver would slow my healing abilities, but now was as good a time as any to experiment. I rinsed the glob of blood from the mug, set it on the counter as I took hold of the silver blade.

    The kitchen knife had stung. The silver knife scalded my skin. I slashed my palm and whimpered. Blood poured freely into the mug and kept pouring. Silver apparently kept my blood from coagulating. Just before the mug overflowed, I grabbed another one and placed it underneath my hand. When the second mug was full, I stanched the flow with a wad of paper towels. My hand still felt like I''d rubbed it raw with fiberglass shards and then pressed it against a hot stove.

    I wouldn''t be blinging out with silver pimp chains anytime soon.

    After taping up my hand so I wouldn''t gush blood all over the place, I took the steaming mugs of fresh blood into the bedroom.

    Fancy a hot steaming cup of blood, dear?

    Elyssa''s nostrils flared when I placed a mug under her nose. Her eyelids fluttered but didn''t open. I propped her head up on my knee and put a mug to her face. I started to feel a bit ill as I faced the reality of what I was about to do. I buckled down my nerves and trickled some blood into Elyssa''s mouth. She coughed. Swallowed.

    I gagged hard and averted my gaze.

    Within a few seconds, she had gulped down the entire mug. I put the second to her lips and let her drink it down. Then I took a napkin and wiped the blood ''stache off her face.

    I could just imagine the Got Blood? billboard.

    I pressed the back of my hand to her cheek. It felt slightly warmer. Maybe it was just wishful thinking.

    The minutes ticked by but Elyssa didn''t move. A cold knife of fear twisted in my stomach. What if her body was still alive, but I''d destroyed her mind? Dad had warned me that was possible. Elyssa had been weak. Poisoned by the vamplings. And then I''d sucked her dry. Left nothing.

    Tears flooded my eyes.

    I''d killed the girl I loved and left only an empty shell.

    "No, no, no," I moaned. What had I done?

    I ripped the bandages off my hand. The blood had clotted and the wound was healing despite the silver poisoning. I grabbed the knife. I would pour the blood straight from my hand and into her mouth. She could suck me dry. I didn''t care. Life had nothing left for me to care about without Elyssa.

    I slashed my hand, crying out at the pain, and held it a few inches over her mouth. She gulped the steady stream of blood. I cut my hand again and again as it tried to heal. The pain was so overwhelming my hand went numb. My skin blanched partly from pain but mostly from blood loss.

    The room spun. I felt cold. Sleepy. I shook my head, fighting the urge to pass out.

    I jerked awake.

    Something or someone was watching me. I looked left. Tear-filled violet eyes gazed back at me.

    "Elyssa?"

    She smiled and caressed my cheek. "I''m here."

    I sat up. Crusted blood had glued the sheets to my hand. I peeled the sheet away and looked at my palm. Some of the multiple cuts had healed.

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    "What did you do to yourself?" she asked.

    "What I had to do."

    She pushed herself up and gripped my hand. She went into the bathroom and stared at her blood-stained lips. After cleaning her face, she emerged with a sad look.

    "How much blood did you give me?" She looked green. "Did I feed directly from your flesh?"

    I shrugged. "No, I let the blood pour into your mouth. As for how much, I have no idea. I passed out."

    She gently took my injured hand and kissed it. Her eyes glistened. I wrapped my other arm around her waist and pulled her to me. I pressed my lips to hers and tasted salty tears. I wasn''t sure if they were mine or hers. After a moment of joyful kissing, I checked her shoulder and was relieved to see the vampling bite had healed.

    She jerked upright and put a hand to her cheek. "Oh crap. I''ve got to text my parents. They''re probably flipping out right now."

    "What will you tell them?"

    She grabbed her phone and entered the password, Justin.

    "My name is the password?"

    She flushed crimson and gave me a stern look. "Not another word."

    I nodded as she tapped out a text to her mom: Vampire trouble at Morningside. Taken care of. Lost my phone or I would''ve texted sooner. Sorry.

    "Will they buy it?"

    She sighed. "I think so. It''s not the first time something like that has happened." She leaned back against the headboard and focused those beautiful but tired eyes on me.

    A question that had been simmering at the back of my mind burst out. "Are you the one who killed the moggy a few nights ago and saved me?"

    Confusion clouded her face. "Huh? A moggy?"

    Unless she was still dazed from almost dying, her expression convinced me. "Uh, oh, nothing. I must have had a nightmare after I passed out. Are you feeling okay?"

    She nodded. "I thought we were going to die."

    "So did I."

    "I''ve never been so scared."

    I squeezed her hand. "You were scared? You didn''t look scared."

    "You looked totally scared."

    "No I did not."

    She grinned. "You were wetting-your-pants scared."

    "If I had to rank that on my all-time scare list it would probably rank a five. Maybe a six."

    Her mouth dropped open. "You''ve got to be kidding me. A five or a six? What would you rank a ten?"

    "Clowns."

    She giggled. It was music to my ears. "What do you want to do today?"

    "How about a movie?"

    "A movie?"

    "You heard me. I have been chased by the undead, fought vampires, freed my dad from a crypt, and brought my super-hot vampire lover back from the dead by letting her drink my blood. Man, I need something normal."

    She pursed her lips. "I''m your super-hot lover?"

    "Yep."

    "Want to prove it to me?"

    I locked the door to my bedroom. Took her in my arms. Kissed her and the world fell away.

    "Do you like the Princess Bride?" I asked.

    "It''s my favorite movie! Do you have it?"

    I kissed her again. The heat from her lips ran through my chest and tingled down to my toes. "Of course I have that movie," I said after coming up for breath.

    She smiled and pecked a kiss on my nose. "We should watch it."

    I grinned back at her. "As you wish."