“That’s what you take away from this? Not ‘Oh, Vail, what’s the weapon?’ but ‘Why did you lie to me?’”
“Yeah.”
“Yes, Rosalia, I lied to you. Are you happy now?” She crossed her arms. “I didn’t want to ruin your night. And to befair, I am heading back home as soon as I can. This is just a minor bump in the road.”
“I wish you’d told me.”
“I need your help, Rosie. I couldn’t believe it when I saw you last night. It’s been so long since we last saw each other, and I didn’t know what to do. I tried getting closer. My mind was frazzled, I wasn’t thinking straight, and then you started chasing me,” Vail admitted.
I wasn’t ready to play “Let’s catch up” with Vail just yet. “What’s the weapon?”
“When I met George a couple of months ago, we had a group of friends who all died one night after a hunt. They didn’t have any wounds on them, and the sun didn’t kill them or anything. We were so distraught. And then we discovered that someone had created a drug that humans take so that if a Vampire drinks from them, it kills us.”
My chest tightened as her words hit me. “A silent way to kill Vampires.”
“Yeah, and from what we’ve found, there is no way for us to detect it until it’s too late.”
“What does it do to you?”
“From what I’ve seen, Vampires who fully feed just drop dead. I think it happened to me once after feeding. I didn’t drain the human; it was just a small snack, but then I puked my guts up and felt dizzy. I’m pretty sure the drug was in their system.”
Holy shit. My skin felt clammy, and my face paled. That’s exactly what happened to me last night. Oh god! If I had drunk more or killed anyone, I could have died.
“That’s really scary,” I breathed, sitting next to her on the bed. I decided not to tell Vail about last night. It had been so long since I’d last seen her, and I didn’t know if I could trust her … yet.
“Yeah, it was.” Vail took a deep breath. “So, I’m wondering … would you consider staying in town longer to help George and me with this?”
I hesitated, contemplating my recent nomadic lifestyle of indulgence and detachment. Perhaps a change of pace wouldn’t hurt, at least for a while.
“Please, Rosie, it would be really helpful. And it would be nice to catch up.” She reached for my hand, and I instantly pulled it back. I could see the hurt flash in her eyes, and the sight triggered a wave of nostalgia, a distant echo from a past life.
“Why haven’t I heard about this drug before?” I asked, trying to shake off the awkwardness.
“It’s new and from what we’ve found out, it only seems to be around Lakeview and the next town over. We want to stop it before it spreads everywhere.”
I sat there for a moment, contemplating. I looked around the small motel room, at the mildew spots on the ceiling and the grimy stains on the carpet. I’d spent months moving from town to town, having fun, drinking blood, and leaving a mess of bodies behind. If I helped Vail, then I could be on my way again, and I wouldn’t have to worry about this drug spreading to wherever I end up next. I would be helping myself, too.
“Okay, I’ll help you,” I agreed.
She squealed with excitement. “Yay! Rosie, thank you so much! It’ll be just like old times.” She got up and took my suitcase, throwing it on the bed and tossing my clothes and shoes into it.
“Vail, what are you doing?”
“If you’re going to help me, then you can stay at my house. It’ll be easier, plus way more fun.”
I instantly regretted saying yes. But I didn’t see much choice in the matter, especially since she was already packing my bag. Once Vail was done, I followed her out the door, andshe tossed my bag into the backseat of her car. We drove to the lake to pick up my car, and she instructed me to follow her back to her house.
As we drove, the sky turned from a dark blue to a soft purple behind me. I didn’t like to cut it so close. Usually, I tried to be asleep well before the sun started to rise.
We arrived at Vail’s, pulling in through an old iron gate and up a long, steep driveway. I laughed to myself, thinking the kids in Lakeview probably thought a witch lived here.
Little do they know.
I looked up at the Victorian-style house. The indigo paint was old and faded from the sun, but the garden reminded me so much of her grandmother’s old garden, overflowing with herbs and flowers. Even in the winter months, they flourished.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Vail said, elbow-deep in her purse as though it were larger on the inside. At last, she fished out the keys. “But I’m just house-sitting while the owners are on anextended vacation.” She winked and slipped through the door.
The sky was painted in dark shades of pink as the sun began to rise on the horizon. I lingered, waiting as the first rays of light filtered through the trees. The familiar burn crept across my skin, and before it could intensify, I stepped inside and shut the door behind me.
