Out for Blood
Page 37
It felt weirdly normal to cross the street with him, like all the other couples heading for their cars. We must have looked like we’d been on a date, especially when he led me to his black convertible Mustang and opened the passenger door for me. The seats were soft leather and all the chrome shone as if it had been recently polished. There wasn’t a speck of dust or a single piece of trash on the floor mats.
“Nice car,” I said, mostly to fill the sudden silence.
“Yeah, it was my aunt’s car back in the day. She’s a pack rat, thank God.”
I had to laugh. “Only a Drake would pack-rat a car, like a memento.”
“You should see some of the stuff she keeps.” He shuddered. I couldn’t help but be curious.
“Like what?”
“Finger bones.”
“Um … ew.”
“You want ew? She keeps them in an old Cadbury box. Try being seven years old and thinking you found the jackpot secret stash of chocolate. Talk about a rude awakening.” He shook his head, throwing his car into reverse and backing away from the curb. “Put me off chocolate for a good year and a half.”
The wind was warm on my face and lifted my hair every which way. It’d be a mess of tangles by the end of the ride but I didn’t care. It felt nice to sit in a car with a boy. I could almost pretend it was that simple.
“Did you ever find out whose fingers they were?”
He shot me an incredulous look. “You don’t ask Aunt Ruby questions.”
“Why, is she mean or something?”
“No, just insane.” He said it nonchalantly, without judgment. It was just fact.
“Oh.”
“Hunters killed her family.”
“Vampires killed mine,” I pointed out defensively.
His voice softened. “I wasn’t accusing you, Hunter.”
I winced. He had saved my life tonight. I shouldn’t be snapping at him. “Sorry.”
He shrugged. “No big deal. It’s weird, isn’t it?”
“What is?”
“Treaties and all that. It’s like we woke up one morning and we weren’t supposed to be enemies anymore. It’ll take some getting used to.”
“True,” I said. “I think it’s really cool though.”
“Unfortunately, not everyone agrees.”
I thought of my grandfather and what he would do if he could see me now. “I know. But it’s worth protecting.”
“Yes,” he said, and something about the way he was looking at me made me think he was talking specifically about me. “It is.”
That was crazy though, wasn’t it? I was just a hunter to him, one of the guys. But he hadn’t called me Buffy since the cafe. He’d actually used my real name. Did that mean anything? Get a grip, Wild, I told myself. He was also making out with at least two different girls not three hours ago.
He slowed the car before we reached the turnoff for the school. He pulled into the undergrowth and turned the engine off, killing the lights. We were well-hidden by the grass and low-hanging tree branches. Fireflies winked at us from the field across the street. There wasn’t a single other person, human or vampire, anywhere. Even the stars hid themselves behind thin clouds, as if to give us privacy.
“I got your text while I was waiting for you. You have a favor to ask me?” he said, turning to face me. Even in the darkness, his cheekbones were strong, his face pale. His teeth gleamed, looking slightly too sharp even with his fangs retracted.
“So you did get it?” I asked, suddenly babbling. “I wasn’t sure. I mean, sometimes we don’t get very good reception at school. But I guess you know that, living on a farm and all.” Shut up, shut up, shut up.
He smiled slowly. “Hunter, are you nervous?”
“Shut up.”
“Are you going to ask me to prom?” he teased.
“Shut up,” I repeated, choking on a horrified laugh.
He grinned. “I look pretty good in a tux.”
I rolled my eyes, suddenly comfortable again. “And you’re so refreshingly modest.”
“It’s a curse,” he agreed cheerfully. Then his eyes went from silver rain to stormy lake. “And you’re still wearing the coronation medallion.”
I felt like I’d been caught mooning over his photograph. I tucked the pendant back into my dress. I wiped my damp palms on my lap. “Can I trust you with school secrets?”
“Helios-Ra secrets? Cool.” He leaned back, satisfied.
I bit my lip. “Never mind. This was a bad idea.”
He touched my hand. “I’m kidding. What is it?”
I hoped I wasn’t about to make a really big mistake. He felt trustworthy though, even with the charming smirks and the fangs. I pulled the vitamin I’d stolen from Chloe’s bag out of my purse. It was in a little plastic bag, the kind you get when you buy jewelry. “I need to have this analyzed,” I explained quietly.
“You must have labs here at school.”
“We do. But I don’t know anyone well enough to trust them with it.”
“But you trust me.”
“Yes.” Even if it didn’t make any sense.
He took the pill, frowned at it. “Looks like a vitamin.”
“I’m really hoping that’s all it is.”
“But you think it’s something else?”
I nodded. “Chloe’s taking them and she’s been weird and moody.”
“Nice car,” I said, mostly to fill the sudden silence.
“Yeah, it was my aunt’s car back in the day. She’s a pack rat, thank God.”
I had to laugh. “Only a Drake would pack-rat a car, like a memento.”
“You should see some of the stuff she keeps.” He shuddered. I couldn’t help but be curious.
“Like what?”
“Finger bones.”
“Um … ew.”
“You want ew? She keeps them in an old Cadbury box. Try being seven years old and thinking you found the jackpot secret stash of chocolate. Talk about a rude awakening.” He shook his head, throwing his car into reverse and backing away from the curb. “Put me off chocolate for a good year and a half.”
The wind was warm on my face and lifted my hair every which way. It’d be a mess of tangles by the end of the ride but I didn’t care. It felt nice to sit in a car with a boy. I could almost pretend it was that simple.
“Did you ever find out whose fingers they were?”
He shot me an incredulous look. “You don’t ask Aunt Ruby questions.”
“Why, is she mean or something?”
“No, just insane.” He said it nonchalantly, without judgment. It was just fact.
“Oh.”
“Hunters killed her family.”
“Vampires killed mine,” I pointed out defensively.
His voice softened. “I wasn’t accusing you, Hunter.”
I winced. He had saved my life tonight. I shouldn’t be snapping at him. “Sorry.”
He shrugged. “No big deal. It’s weird, isn’t it?”
“What is?”
“Treaties and all that. It’s like we woke up one morning and we weren’t supposed to be enemies anymore. It’ll take some getting used to.”
“True,” I said. “I think it’s really cool though.”
“Unfortunately, not everyone agrees.”
I thought of my grandfather and what he would do if he could see me now. “I know. But it’s worth protecting.”
“Yes,” he said, and something about the way he was looking at me made me think he was talking specifically about me. “It is.”
That was crazy though, wasn’t it? I was just a hunter to him, one of the guys. But he hadn’t called me Buffy since the cafe. He’d actually used my real name. Did that mean anything? Get a grip, Wild, I told myself. He was also making out with at least two different girls not three hours ago.
He slowed the car before we reached the turnoff for the school. He pulled into the undergrowth and turned the engine off, killing the lights. We were well-hidden by the grass and low-hanging tree branches. Fireflies winked at us from the field across the street. There wasn’t a single other person, human or vampire, anywhere. Even the stars hid themselves behind thin clouds, as if to give us privacy.
“I got your text while I was waiting for you. You have a favor to ask me?” he said, turning to face me. Even in the darkness, his cheekbones were strong, his face pale. His teeth gleamed, looking slightly too sharp even with his fangs retracted.
“So you did get it?” I asked, suddenly babbling. “I wasn’t sure. I mean, sometimes we don’t get very good reception at school. But I guess you know that, living on a farm and all.” Shut up, shut up, shut up.
He smiled slowly. “Hunter, are you nervous?”
“Shut up.”
“Are you going to ask me to prom?” he teased.
“Shut up,” I repeated, choking on a horrified laugh.
He grinned. “I look pretty good in a tux.”
I rolled my eyes, suddenly comfortable again. “And you’re so refreshingly modest.”
“It’s a curse,” he agreed cheerfully. Then his eyes went from silver rain to stormy lake. “And you’re still wearing the coronation medallion.”
I felt like I’d been caught mooning over his photograph. I tucked the pendant back into my dress. I wiped my damp palms on my lap. “Can I trust you with school secrets?”
“Helios-Ra secrets? Cool.” He leaned back, satisfied.
I bit my lip. “Never mind. This was a bad idea.”
He touched my hand. “I’m kidding. What is it?”
I hoped I wasn’t about to make a really big mistake. He felt trustworthy though, even with the charming smirks and the fangs. I pulled the vitamin I’d stolen from Chloe’s bag out of my purse. It was in a little plastic bag, the kind you get when you buy jewelry. “I need to have this analyzed,” I explained quietly.
“You must have labs here at school.”
“We do. But I don’t know anyone well enough to trust them with it.”
“But you trust me.”
“Yes.” Even if it didn’t make any sense.
He took the pill, frowned at it. “Looks like a vitamin.”
“I’m really hoping that’s all it is.”
“But you think it’s something else?”
I nodded. “Chloe’s taking them and she’s been weird and moody.”
