Out for Blood

  “You’ve had one,” I pointed out.

  “Not nearly enough. I’m greedy for you.”

  I didn’t say anything, only stomped down suddenly, aiming for his instep. He easily spread his feet just as suddenly and leaned back against the wall, securing me between his legs.

  “Damn it, Quinn.”

  “When you get mad like that, your blood smells even sweeter.”

  “Then you’re about to go into sugar shock.”

  “Let’s see, shall we?”

  He kissed me, crowding out all the alarm bells ringing in my head. I kissed him back, hoping to distract him from his thirst. His mouth was gentle when I expected it to be predatory. He was dangerous like water, soft and smooth, even as it filled up your lungs, relentlessly stealing your breath away.

  My head tilted and I wasn’t sure if it was the pressure of his mouth on my jaw or my own movement. My throat was exposed and his fangs scraped the tender skin there, but he never pierced my neck. He didn’t drink from me until I collapsed, didn’t drain me until I was too weak to fight back, didn’t let the beast win. He went against everything I was ever taught.

  The longer we kissed, the more his hold loosened. He finally let me go, shoving himself farther against the wall.

  “You should have staked me,” he said. He looked as if he’d been in a battle, as if he should be carrying a stained sword and a battered shield. “I have to get out of here.” He yanked the door open like it was rope and he was dangling from a cliff top.

  “Wait.”

  “I have to go!” He snarled and the door slammed shut behind him.

  Chapter 21

  •

  Quinn

  Later Sunday night

  When I got home, Lucy was lying on the couch saying the same thing she’d been saying when I left.

  “I’m fine.”

  Solange was wearing sunglasses and sitting on a chair as far away as she could and still be in the same room, looking like she was about to throw up.

  “Stop it.” Lucy threw a pillow at her. Solange didn’t move, and it hit her in the chest. Lucy snorted. “Nice vampire reflexes you got there.”

  Nicholas came in holding a painted tray with a steaming mug. Lucy sat up, glaring at him.

  “No way.”

  He blinked at her. “What?”

  “I am not drinking one more cup of chamomile tea. You can’t make me.” She folded her arms over her chest.

  “You have a head wound.”

  “Yeah, and it hasn’t affected my taste buds.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I have three tiny stitches. That’s hardly a real head wound. They always look worse than they really are. Your uncle said so.”

  “You didn’t see yourself passed out in the river,” he said stubbornly. “We thought …” He trailed off.

  Lucy’s expression gentled slightly. “I’m okay, Nicholas. Promise. A little headache now, that’s all.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “For the hundredth time, yes.” She looked sheepish. “I passed out when I saw the blood. It just took me by surprise.”

  I leaned in the doorway, feeling as if I couldn’t catch my breath. I could still taste Hunter’s blood on my tongue, like candy. I shuddered.

  Lucy looked at me, then at Nicholas, who was hovering with a worried scowl, and then at Solange, who was sitting with her knees up to her chest. She let out a disgruntled sigh. “What is wrong with you guys?”

  Nicholas and Solange exploded at the same time.

  “You nearly died!” Nicholas shouted.

  “I could have eaten you!” Solange added.

  Silence throbbed for a long moment before Lucy rubbed her face. “You’re both dumb. And way overdramatic.” They just stared at her, clearly expecting a different reaction. There were smudges under her eyes but otherwise she looked fine. Uncle G. had checked her out. He had a couple of medical degrees stashed away, another benefit of a long life span. “Nicholas, stop worrying. I’ve been hurt worse in gym class. Solange, you like blood. Duh.” She pushed three layers of afghans off her lap. “Hello? Vampire.”

  “You don’t understand.”

  Lucy glowered. “Don’t you dare pull that crap on me, Solange Drake. You might be a vampire but I’ve known you practically our whole lives. I totally understand. Give me some credit.” She turned suddenly, jabbing a finger in my direction. “And you look weird.”

  I felt weird. Hunter just did that to me. But even she would understand the danger in being the only human in a room full of monsters. Lucy was stubbornly oblivious.

  “I’m fine,” I said with a dry smile. “Drink your chamomile tea.”

  “Only if it magically turns into hot chocolate.” Lucy smirked suddenly. “You’re all dressed up.”

  “Am not. I just naturally look good.”

  She grinned. “You went to see Hunter Wild, didn’t you? That is so much more fun to talk about than my stupid stitches and Solange’s meltdown.”

  “I did not have a meltdown,” Solange protested.

  “Please, you totally did.” Lucy smiled briefly. “And I love you for it. But cut it out already.” She waggled her eyebrows at me. The light reflected off her dark-rimmed glasses. “Did you kiss her?” She stopped. “Of course you kissed her. How was it?”

  “I’m not a girl, Lucy. I don’t want to braid your hair and talk about kissing.”

  Solange stared at me, sniffing the air delicately. She looked confused. “Did you bite her?”

  “No, I didn’t bite her,” I answered, a little more roughly than I’d intended. “Instead of talking about me, why don’t we talk about what the hell were you doing out in the woods in the first place?”

  “Yeah,” Nicholas agreed silkily. “Let’s talk about that.” He nudged Lucy into a chair. When he reached for the teacup, she narrowed her eyes at him.

  “I will pour that on your head.”

  He didn’t look particularly worried. “I’ll tell Mom you’re not resting.”

  Her mouth gaped open. “Dirty pool.”

  “Hell, yeah.”

  At least no one was talking about my love life anymore. “Solange, seriously,” I said. “What the hell?”

  “I just needed to get out,” she said quietly. “With the abductions and the assassination attempts and the bloodchange, forgive me for feeling a little overwhelmed.” She lifted her sunglasses. “And look at my eyes.” Her pupils were still ringed in red, the whites bloodshot. They hadn’t changed back.

  “Ouch,” Lucy winced. “Do they have vampire Visine for that?”

  Solange didn’t smile. “Anyway, you guys patrol all the time,” she told Nicholas and me.

  “Not alone!” he shot back.

  “She wasn’t alone,” Lucy interrupted. “I was with her.” She smiled sheepishly. “I followed her,” she admitted.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. I guess I was worried. But I knew she needed some time alone so I didn’t want to bug her.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Montmartre’s dead. And so’s Greyhaven, and he was Montmartre’s lieutenant or whatever, so I figured we were okay. It’s not like the Host could have regrouped that fast.”

  “Did you conveniently forget about all the Hel-Blar?” Nicholas asked them with disgust. They both shrugged. He looked like his head was going to explode. My little brother had his hands full with those two. I just wanted to lie in a dark room and try not to replay every moment of that kiss.

  You know, before I fanged out on the girl.

  The vampire hunter girl.

  I groaned, turning to stomp up the stairs. I didn’t need super-sensitive vampire senses to know Lucy was chasing me.

  “Oh no way, Quinn. No headache is going to keep me from getting the dirt.”

  She was as unshakable as a gnat. I couldn’t help but shoot a grin at her over my shoulder. “I had no idea you were so kinky.”

  She flicked me. “If you want to save your brother’s and your sister’s undead lives, you will distr
act me right now.”

  “What, calling you a perv isn’t distracting enough?”

  She tilted her head. “I have photos of your superhero phase. I’m sure Hunter would love to see the one of you in the Batman tights and cape from that Halloween when you were ten.”

  “Remind me never to piss you off,” I said.

  “It’s a basic life skill,” she agreed cheerfully. “But an important one.” She perched on the edge of my bed. “So spill, Casanova.”

  “Dream on.”

  She pouted. “I’m injured, remember?”

  “Oh, so now you play the injured card.”

  She grinned unrepentantly, popping back to her feet. She’d never been any good at sitting still. “Why are you still all fangy?”

  I ran my tongue over my fangs, being careful not to slice it open. I had no intention of telling her I’d had the urge to turn Hunter into a wineglass and drink her down like red wine. “Only you would reduce centuries of the mythical undead to ‘fangy. ’ ”

  “I call ’em like I see ’em, fangboy.” She paused at the window, frowning slightly. “There she goes,” she said quietly.

  “Who, Solange?”

  She nodded. “She’s going to hide in her pottery shed. I’m worried about her, Quinn.”

  “Why?”

  She gnawed on her lower lip. “Because she’s being weird. She told Kieran not to come over tonight.”

  “That’s not weird.”

  “No, it’s the way she said it.” She sighed. “And my parents are coming back home the day after tomorrow, and I’m worried you guys are going to try and freeze me out. You know,” she made sarcastic air quotes, “for my own good.”

  “We wouldn’t,” I lied. We totally would. We were a dangerous family to know right now. In fact, kissing Hunter and then actually tasting her blood had stirred my inner vampire closer to the surface. Even Lucy smelled good right now, and I was as used to her scent as to any of my siblings’. It rarely bothered me.

  It was bothering me now.

  “Lucy, I’m glad you’re okay. If you do something stupid like that again, I’ll kill you myself.” I smiled to soften the scold. “Now go away. I’m tired.”

  She glowered at me. “You’re not tired. You’re trying to get rid of me.”

  I shoved her gently toward the door. Her neck was bare, washed clean with antiseptic, but I thought I could still smell very faint blood from the stitches under her bandage. “Well, then take a hint.”

  She turned and shoved her foot against the bottom of the door. “Right there, Quinn. That’s what I mean. You guys are all fretting like old ladies. It’s like you’re more afraid of vampires than I am.”

  “That’s cause we’re smarter than you are,” I pointed out. “And worried.”

  “Well, suck it up,” she said crossly. “Because you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

  Chapter 22

  •

  Hunter

  Monday afternoon

  I didn’t hear from him for the rest of the night. Not a single text or phone message. Even so, I’d released some of the toxic knot of fear and worry clutching my insides, and I felt better prepared to do whatever I might need to do.

  Which was convenient, since the first assembly of the school year was just as bad as I’d thought it would be.

  It was after lunch and we were all gathered in the auditorium, which was in actuality an old wooden schoolhouse from the turn of the century, outfitted with salvaged church pews, also wooden. Hunters have always preferred everything to be made of wood—it’s easier to splinter off a piece to use as a makeshift weapon that way. The first thing my grandfather did when he bought his house was rip off the aluminum siding and replace everything with board-and-batten.

  There were rows and rows of windows and the thick, rippled glass diffused the sunlight into every corner of the building. It followed me into the room. There was no hope of hiding. Students whirled in their seats, staring at me as I passed, whispering loudly to each other. Luckily Jenna and Jason were close enough to the back that I wasn’t on display for very long. I could see Chloe off to one side but she turned back to stare at the front, ignoring me.

  I slid onto a polished pew to sit next to Jenna. She leaned forward and flicked the ear of a girl who wasn’t even pretending not to stare.

  “Ow,” she squealed. She added a glare before shifting to sit properly.

  Jenna folded her arms smugly. I sat with a straight back, my boots polished, my cargo pockets filled with regulation weapons and supplies. I couldn’t avoid looking at the table near the first pew with Will’s class picture from last year and a candle burning on either side. He was smiling earnestly. I tried not to remember him baring his fangs at me, trying to rip through my throat for my jugular. Or the feel of his skin and flesh and heart under the impact of my stake.

  Jason leaned over from Jenna’s other side. “Any word on Spencer?”

  I shook my head. “I went over this morning but Theo said nothing’s changed.”

  “That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” he pointed out.

  “Chloe’s still not talking to you?” Jenna asked.

  “Guess not.”

  When Headmistress Bellwood strode across the stage, the heels of her sensible shoes clacking like gunshots, we all sat up straighter. The chatter died instantly. Even the first-year students knew enough to be afraid of her. The rest of the teachers filed in behind her. Mr. York was last, his whistle around his neck as always. I swore he slept with it on. He once blew it in Chloe’s ear so loudly she was deaf for three days.

  Headmistress Bellwood didn’t need a microphone; her stern, crisp voice found you wherever you were. “Welcome to a new year at the Helios-Ra High School. You are embarking on a new journey and creating bonds with fellow hunters that will last a lifetime. Some of you will be discovering new talents and eventually choosing a department of the League in which to serve. The departments include standard Hunting, Paranormal Studies, Science, and Technology. What we do here is prepare you to hunt vampires and join the Academy college for further study in your chosen field.”

  I was only half listening. We’d heard variations of this speech several times over the years. And I was too busy talking myself out of checking for text messages from Quinn. He was unconscious in his bed; he could hardly have sent me a message.

  Every time I thought about that kiss, my lips tingled, my belly grew warm, my knees went soft.

  He was dangerous on so many levels.

  “You will all be expected to model the virtues of this fine school: Diligence, Duty, and Daring,” Headmistress Bellwood continued. “I will not tolerate rebellion, recklessness, or arrogance. All of those qualities will get you killed and are, therefore, unacceptable. Those of you joining us for the first time will refer to the handbook for rules and regulations. Those of you returning are expected to remember those rules and follow them. I am certain you will all have an educational and enjoyable year. I look forwarding to meeting each and every one of our new students.” Each and every one of those new students shuddered. “I am sure you’ve all noticed the memorial to one of our eleventh-grade students, Will Stevenson. I am saddened to report that he was infected with the Hel-Blar virus and did not survive.” Everyone but Chloe was sneaking me glances. I lifted my chin, my expression blank. “Please pay your respects to his memory and take from this tragedy the necessity of always being on your guard.”

  Ms. Kali, one of the Paranormal Studies professors, descended the steps leading off the stage and went to stand behind the memorial. We all stood. The Niners exchanged confused glances before scrambling to follow suit. They’d never attended a student memorial before, but this would almost certainly not be their last. Ms. Kali’s voice would have done an opera singer proud. She sang the traditional Helios-Ra mourning song, passed down through the centuries. Fallen hunters were usually buried with rose thorns, salt, and a mouthful of dried garlic. Garlic didn’t actually have an effect on vampires
, but the custom had started long before anyone realized that. Hunters who weren’t cremated had a whitethorn stake driven through their dead hearts, another ancient precaution. Will had crumbled to ashes, so no one would be burying him in the local hunter graveyard. But the song was sung and a marker with his name would be added to the memorial garden behind the race track on the other side of the pond.

  I was glad I’d shed my tears last night. It made it easier to get through the rest of the assembly with the weeping girls who’d had crushes on Will, the solemn faces of the teachers, the song raising goose bumps on our arms, the sunlight hitting Will’s framed photo.

  “Ninth graders will go to orientation on the south lawn,” Headmistress Bellwood announced when the memorial was over. “The rest of you will pick up your schedules and get to your classes. On a final note, you’ve heard of the particularly virulent flu making the rounds. Two more students were hospitalized today, so I urge you to wash your hands and take extra care.”

  Students filed out, whispering respectfully at first, then chattering loudly and shouting to each other as they poured through the double doors onto the pebbled lane.

  “Flu, my ass,” Jenna murmured out of the corner of her mouth.

  “Well, it’s not like the school is ever big on full disclosure,” Jason pointed out. “We’re supposed to shut up and follow the rules.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “Anyone else starting to find that really irritating?”

  “I’m not loving it,” Jenna confirmed. “Look, I gotta get to archery practice. I’m assisting in a demo for the Niners.”

  “See you at dinner,” Jason called out after her. He frowned at me for a long moment. “When was the last time you actually slept?”

  I shrugged. “I got a few hours last night.”

  “You look like hell.”

  I had to smile. “You know, if you ever decide to date girls, I have to tell you that’s no way to compliment us.”

  “I’m serious, Hunter.”

  “So am I.” I nudged him. “I’m fine, honest.” I didn’t tell him that making out with Quinn after sobbing through his shirt had done me a world of good. Quinn was hot enough that Jason would want details, and I wasn’t the detail-sharing type. “I promise I’ll grab a nap before dinner, okay?”