Dead and Beyond (3 page)

I grabbed the birthday present decorated with an oversized bow and lots of pink ribbon, and exited the car. The air was too hot to breathe. Not even so much as a breeze stirred. Sweat immediately started to trickle down my back, and I realized Kieran was right. My makeup wouldn’t hold in a million years. I coughed a few times to get rid of the scratching sensation in my throat and followed Thrain past the Boulders of Hell to the huge mansion in the distance.

With its dark red brick, tiny turrets and the living stone gargoyles guarding the perimeter, the house looked even scarier than I remembered it. One of the gargoyles turned its head and peered at me through glowing red eyes, making me flinch. They were butt-ugly demons that could bite one’s limbs off in a heartbeat with their razor sharp. I swallowed hard and grabbed Aidan’s arm for support, ready to push him in front of me in case the demon gargoyle decided to attack. Not that I didn’t love my boyfriend and wouldn’t miss him, but I figured he was older and probably had the vampire ability to grow back a limb. I had yet to learn how to do that.

The house was filled with people I didn’t know. The previously posh interior looked like someone decided to turn it into a Barbie dollhouse with silver, handwritten happy birthday banners adorning the otherwise white walls. Red roses dipped in glitter and sparkling crystal flutes caught the light of the chandeliers.

The worst, however, was the music blaring through the speakers: Stevie Wonder’s Happy Birthday on replay.

“What’s that noise?” Aidan shouted in my ear.

“It’s Cass singing. What did you expect?”

I grinned and pointed at the door where Cass was just about to make her grand entrance in a shimmery, silver, floor-length gown that clashed with her red, unruly locks. As she reached us she began to sing at the top of her lungs, “And the whole day should be spent in full remembrance ‘cause tomorrow I’ll be bound to this shoe sole and forced into obedience. Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday.”

I stared at her, lost for words.

“Did she just stay she’ll be bound to a shoe sole?” Aidan asked.

“I think it was rat hole.”

“I said shit hole.” Cass took a deep gulp from the glass she was holding, the red liquid staining her lips. I could only hope it wasn’t wine because, technically, she was still seventeen. “See what I’m going to be stuck with for the rest of my existence? It’s like turning the clock back when I was just a kid living with my parents, except that now I’m an adult, and forced to waste my time with him.” She pointed at the handsome guy who winked at us. He wasn’t just any guy but the devil himself. It seemed Lucifer had been granted his wish and now his little daughter was running Hell.

I grabbed her in a short hug and rubbed a hand over her back to soothe her. “Awesome party, Cass.” I meant every word of it because the music was slowly starting to draw me in, making me want to sing along and spin in a circle and laugh my head off playing stupid birthday games.

“I see you found the electricity socket,” Kieran said, squeezing Cass’s arm.

“What?” She pulled away from me and narrowed her gaze.

Kieran pointed at her hair, smirking. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh because her locks did look a bit like someone gave her an electric shock, or elbow Kieran in the ribs for being an idiot and trying to ruin her day. It wasn’t the poor girl’s fault she lived in this relentless heat that would make straightening anyone’s hair impossible.

“Did you leave your brain at the door?” Cass slapped her forehead. “Oh, wait. You couldn’t have since you don’t actually own one.”

“That’s because it had to go in search of yours to wish it a happy birthday,” Kieran said, grinning.

Aidan leaned in to whisper in my ear, “Are you sure she didn’t end up with the wrong guy? I could’ve sworn my brother and she are meant to be together.”

“I know. Such a waste, huh? Imagine their weekends together.” I clicked my tongue. “Domestic bliss.”

“I know. Such a waste, huh? Imagine their weekends together.” I clicked my tongue. “Domestic bliss.”

“Come on, let’s mingle. Maybe we’ll find your brother. I need to talk to him.” Aidan pulled me after him into the hallway. Even though I didn’t like him telling me what to do, I gave in as I spied my friend and voodoo priestess, Sofia, in the distance. By the time we squeezed our way through the huge, crowded mansion, she had disappeared out of sight and my feet were killing me. I swear it wasn’t just my fangs that grew an inch or two.

“I’m going to the restroom,” I said to Aidan.

“Why? You look absolutely flawless, my love.”

“Aren’t you the sweetest?” I rose on my toes to give him a kiss, but barely reached his chin.

He smiled. “I don’t know why you need to mess with perfection, but just hurry. I hate being alone with all these demons. And babysitting Kieran is a full time job.”

The last part was definitely true, however, I couldn’t help him out. If I didn’t squeeze out of my high heels soon, my feet might just explode. I had to ask a few demons aka the service personnel for directions, but reached the toilet eventually. As soon as I was inside, I locked the door and kicked my high heels off.

You’d think as a vampire I was way past developing blisters and blotchy skin. Fat chance.

I sat down on the toilet seat and inspected my throbbing feet. My toes were sore where the leather straps had cut in and two small blisters had already formed. Jumping on one leg, I walked over to the sink to soak a tissue in cold water, then pressed it against the wounds as I inspected my face in the mirror. In the bright light of the lamp, I realized Aidan was right. My heavy makeup did look a bit like war paint. The black eyeliner had smudged all around my eyes, and you could see every fine line, making me look way older than my eighteen years. But the light in the living room wasn’t as harsh, so it probably gave me the sultry smoky eye effect I read about in Cosmo. I peered down at my tight dress, wondering why I hadn’t bothered to put on seamless underwear, when something, like a dark shadow, moved across the mirror.

“What the heck?” Startled, I took a step back, only to inch forward again to inspect the smooth surface. A thin layer of charcoal gray smoke seemed to seep out of the mirror and spread across the counter. I raised my hand to touch it. A warm sensation washed over me where my fingers dived in. Uneasiness settled in the pit of my stomach, but I shrugged it off. Maybe it was part of Cass’s show. Or maybe she was pissed because I didn’t check out her fabulous birthday cake the second I came in the door. As a fallen angel who loved chaos, she was unpredictable and hooked on drama and special effects.

“Amber.” A whisper somewhere behind me. I turned my head sharply, wondering why I hadn’t noticed before that someone was in the same room with me.

And that’s when I felt the shove, like a punch between my shoulder blades that made me lose my balance. I tumbled forward and hit the wall. Wincing, I pushed up to my feet and scanned the room. No one here. It didn’t make any sense. I knew someone had hit me. I wasn’t going bonkers. Then again, I was a vampire.

Basically, my body was dead; maybe my brain was slowly starting to follow suit.

The fog began to shift and take shape as it inched closer. I squinted to get a better look, and for a moment, I almost thought I caught a glimpse of a woman’s face. And then it dissipated again, only to gather around me, traveling up my body a moment later. Something cold touched my face. I let out a shriek. My heart began to pump harder. My hands reached up to protect my face, but it was too late. As the fog engulfed me, I could feel it inside my mouth and nose, like smoke from a fire travelling down my throat. The sensation of something burnt drove tears to my eye and made me cough. For a second, I could barely breathe, and then the air cleared and the scratchy sensation in my throat was gone.

I opened my eyes, only now realizing I must’ve closed them at some point. The bathroom looked just as before. Tidy. Deserted. No sign of the fog or a fire that might’ve caused the smoke. Squeezing back into my high heels, I moistened my wrists under the cold-water faucet to steady my racing heart, and left the bathroom in search of Aidan. The horrid Happy Birthday song from before had been replaced with something more modern played at a mellow volume. I found my boyfriend engrossed in conversation with voodoo priestess, Sofia.

“Amber, are you okay?” she asked, regarding me intently. Her tight dress made her look even taller than she was. Her dark hair was tied up in a ponytail and fell over her naked shoulders.

“Hey.” I smiled, but my face felt frozen. “So good to see you.”

Aidan frowned and inched closer until I could feel his breath on my skin. I didn’t think his face could get any paler than it was already, but it did. “What’s wrong with your eyes?” he asked.

My temper flared. “You don’t like my makeup. I got it loud and clear. Now, get over it.”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Aidan said. The sharp edge in his voice made me nervous. The way they stared at me made me feel like a freak. I opened my mouth to tell him where he was going to sleep for the rest of the week when Sofia’s voice rang in my ear, slow and hesitant. “Your eye color’s changed.”

“What?” I flicked my compact mirror out of my handbag to regard myself, and almost choked on my breath. I had always wanted to be different. Now I certainly was, whether I liked it or not.

I turned my head to the side to inspect myself from all angles. My left iris had changed into a dark purple shade while the right one was a very deep red. Red and purple weren’t my colors, but I had to admit my new eyes gave me an interesting flair.

“What did you do?” Aidan asked, cautiously.

Sighing, I snapped my compact mirror shut and tossed it back inside my handbag. “Seriously, Aidan, why do you always assume whatever happens has something to do with me?”

He took a deep breath. His gaze never left me as he spoke very slowly. “Because you disappeared for two minutes, and when you came back—” he pointed at my face “—need I say more”

“Maybe it’s some sort of new bloodsucker ability.”

He shook his head. “Did you—” His voice trailed off, but our telepathic connection finished the sentence in my head.

“Drink?” I groaned, irritated by his implication. “Of course not. You’re such a moron. You know I’m not some blood-crazed monster roaming the streets at night in search of my next victim.” I scoffed. “Unlike someone I know.”

“Come on. That’s hardly fair. It was a long time ago.” He cocked a brow meaningfully. “Did someone offer? Some people would give anything to become what we are.”

“Stop flattering yourself. I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation.”

“Like?”

I bit my lip, deep in thought. “It’s a necromancer thing.”

“Yeah.” He nodded, but I could tell by the frown lines on his face he wasn’t convinced. Sofia shot me a hesitant smile. I ignored her as I turned to Cass and the girl heading for us. With her long, curly hair and freckled skin, she was the spitting image of Cass, but two dress and cup sizes bigger.

Cass pushed her forward, ready to start the introductions. “Patty, this is Amber, her boyfriend, Aidan. You know Soph already. Guys, this is Patricia. You can call her Patty or Muffin.”

Patty laughed as she grabbed me in a tight hug as though we were already best friends.

“You’re her aunt, the Seer?” I asked. “I thought you were locked up in a haunted bakery.”

Patty rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I get that a lot. Followed by, why are you two the same age? What’s with the extra pounds? How did you escape your prison?

Let’s just say, I’m on parole.”

“The Big Boss—” Cass pointed at the ceiling “—has decided to give her the night off since our birthdays are on the same day. At the stroke of midnight she’ll be whisked off in a huge pumpkin back to the Swiss Alps. Isn’t that very Cinderella?”

“She made the pumpkin part up, but everything else is true.” Patty spun in a circle and took a few exaggerated breaths. “That’s what freedom tastes like. Me likey.”

Aidan shot me an amused look. “You two could be twins, Cass.”

“You should’ve seen us before Patty fell into the chocolate muffin dough,” Cass said.

My jaw dropped. Granted, Patty was a bit chubby, but only Cass could be so blunt. Patty didn’t seem to mind though. “Do you have any idea what it’s like being stuck somewhere and having no one to talk to, except for a napping cat?” she asked, grinning. “Oh, wait. You will soon enough. Trust me, once you’re stuck with your dad for the next fifty years or so, you can say goodbye to that waist of yours.”

I peered from one to the other as I tried to make sense of their banter. Both being fallen angels, Cass’s curse was similar to Patty’s. Both had to find and marry their soul mates in order to be able to leave what they called their ‘prisons’. Cass had found her soul mate in my brother, who wouldn’t wed, dead or alive.

As far as I was aware, Patty hadn’t met hers yet.

“I like the weird lenses. They’re mint,” Cass said, pointing at my eyes.

“Who’s the chick?” Kieran asked behind me a moment before his shove sent me tumbling into Aidan. I rubbed my shoulder out of habit and prepared to push him back, but his expression stopped me. He looked strange; his face was flushed, his eyes sparkled as though he was coming down with the fever or something. “I’m Kieran. You must be a hell of a thief because you stole my heart from across the room,” he said to Patricia, ignoring everyone else. Even though I wasn’t surprised at his blatant attempt at picking up the girl, for the first time I thought I heard a tiny tremor in his voice.

“Is he nervous?” I whispered in Aidan’s ear.

“Looks like it,” he replied with a frown, regarding Kieran up and down. “I think he’s losing his style. I can’t believe it’s the same guy who told me to play hard to get when I was trying to win your heart.”

“You asked your brother for dating advice?” Cass’s hoot rang through the air. I laughed with her because it was kind of hilarious. Kieran might be hot and women threw themselves at his feet, but he couldn’t keep a girlfriend if his life depended on it. And his pick up lines sucked. His worst one yet: Congratulations!