Stakeout (Aurora Sky (27 page)

“She’s going to hate me,” I said.

Fane’s lips stretched into a grim line across
his face. “She’ll hate me even more, but at least she’ll be safe.”
He walked slowly to the door. “We shouldn’t be talking about this
here.”

I nodded and followed Fane out of the October
room. He stopped at the top of the spiral staircase and inclined
his head for me to go down first. The living room got closer with
each step I took. I’d spent so many evenings watching vampires from
this room, envying them even, and I’d been one of them all
along.

I looked for Gavin in the crowd. Part of me
wanted to grab him and shake him and tell him we could be together
forever if only he’d love me. Thanks for that, Fane, putting the
delusion of love back in my head.

Another part of me wanted to throw it in his
face. I didn’t need Gavin to turn me. I was Noel freakin’ Harper. I
could turn myself.

But Gavin wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Maybe
Valerie had her claws in him. Definitely didn’t want to be around
Evil Red when she found out she was not only a tramp, but a
vamp.

When we passed Marcus at the lip of the
living room, I couldn’t help asking, “Have you seen Aurora?”

Marcus looked from me to Fane and then at the
fresh bite mark on my shoulder.

“Not since she arrived, but I take it she’s
seen you.”

I couldn’t help shooting Fane a guilty
look.

Marcus leaned into Fane with an easy smile on
his lips. “The trick is not getting caught, Francesco.”

Fane squared his shoulders and said, “We’re
just on our way out. Catch you next time, Marcus.”

Marcus winked at me. “Congratulations, Joyeux
Noel. That one’s quite the catch.”

It wouldn’t accomplish anything to deny
Marcus’s assumption of Fane and me. While I gave Marcus a quick
kiss on the cheek, Fane dug our coats out from under the pileup in
the entryway.

“Does this mean I need to drink blood?” I
asked Fane as soon as we were inside his car.

The engine sputtered and choked before
revving to life. Fane took it out of park. A grin spread across his
face. “I was wondering how long until you asked that. Turns out
it’s your first question. Maybe I should worry.”

“Hey, buddy, I’m the vamp police here,” I
teased, pointing a finger at him. “I’m the one who keeps everyone
in line.”

I felt giddy and good. Lighthearted. Like
this was my destiny all along.

“You do need blood from time to time to
stay... healthy,” Fane said. “Don’t forget that you’re also sick,
and you’re never getting better.”

“I know about the symptoms.”

“You’ve been told about them,” Fane corrected
me. “But you haven’t experienced any.”

I shrugged. “Maybe I’m immune.”

Fane chuckled softly. I could almost hear his
thoughts.
Noel, you naïve newbie, you have no
idea.

There was a steep hill at the end of Marcus’s
neighborhood. Fane shoved his foot on the gas pedal. Flooring a car
that weighed as much as a tank was quite the spectacle. The engine
squealed in protest before chugging slowly up the hill. We made it
to the top and turned onto the main road.

Once we were on flat ground, Fane said,
“Maybe you haven’t noticed because you haven’t been paying
attention. The mind is an amazing thing. It can make you think you
taste food or feel cold. The mind can make you believe you’re still
aging, still human, stretching the bounds of logic until they reach
the breaking point.”

“But I do taste food.”

Fane shot me a sideways grin. “It’s in your
head,” he said, tapping his own.

“I have noticed the cold doesn’t bother me
too much. I mean, it never really did before, but I’ve been feeling
especially immune to it. It’s like you said, my brain is trying to
tell me I should be cold. I’m aware of the temperature dropping,
but I’m not really cold.” I took a deep breath. “Am I going to be
okay?”

“You’ll be fine,” Fane said. “Just don’t tell
your boss. You say you gather information for him. Now you need to
gather information on him.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

“Act normal. Keep your eyes and ears
open.”

“He asked me to keep an eye on Aurora, you
know?”

Fane gave me a quick, hard stare.

“Wants me to report any suspicious behavior,”
I continued. “That place I’m moving into next week... it’s for both
of us. Aurora and me. My boss expects me to keep tabs on her. I
guess now I see why.” Melcher wanted to know if Aurora ever figured
out her blood cravings were due to the fact she was a vampire.
Well, the joke was on him because I knew while Aurora was in the
dark.

Fane held the steering wheel in a death grip,
forcing the car through a yellow light. We didn’t clear the
intersection before it turned red, but the streets were nearly
deserted after eleven.

“Do you think Aurora’s in danger?” I
asked.

“Not if you keep your mouth shut,” Fane
said.

After Fane pulled up to his place and parked,
we both got out and slammed our doors.

“Of course I’m not going to report her, but I
have to tell her what happened tonight. I know it’s risky, but I’m
the one who’s going to have to live with her. How am I supposed to
do that when she thinks you sucked me for pleasure?”

Fane looked around the silent neighborhood
and headed inside. I followed quickly.

Joss took one look at our faces as we walked
in and raised two brows. With my bedding on the couch, he’d taken
the armchair, cup of tea in one hand, book in the other, which he
lowered now.

“What’s going on?”

“She’s a vampire.” Fane gave me a pointed
look.

“I didn’t know,” I said quickly.

Joss set his book in his lap, closed it, and
stared at me like he’d never seen a vampire before.

He should try looking in a mirror.

Could I still do that? Had my brain been
tricking me into believing I saw a reflection?

“They’re all vampires,” Fane said to Joss.
“Noel, Aurora, Valerie; everyone who works for that extermination
unit, but they don’t even know it. I’d like to meet the man in
charge. He sounds like a real piece of work.”

I shook my head. “I know you think Aurora
can’t handle the truth, but she’s going to find out eventually. I
have to tell her now.”

“No.”

That one word was the harshest sound I’d ever
heard Fane make. I glared at him, prepared to inform him that
Aurora was my friend, too, and she deserved to know the truth. I’d
want to know. If the situation was reversed and I found out Aurora
had been keeping that from me, I’d be seriously pissed.

And living together wasn’t going to be any
picnic if she thought the worst of what happened tonight. The hurt
look in her eyes haunted me. Clearing this thing up as soon as
possible was the best answer.

Fane leaned forward. “We already went over
this. You never know how someone’s going to react to this sort of
thing. Not everyone takes it as well as you. Most people panic or
immediately go off and do some really stupid things. Some fall into
a deep depression.” He glanced at Joss. “How do you think Aurora
would take it?”

I chewed on my lower lip. I couldn’t imagine
her taking it well. She’d sorta freaked out after initiation: had
sex with a complete loser; beat up a boy at school; got suspended;
macked on the first bad boy she could get her lips on, who also
happened to be a vampire; and, to top it all off, gotten abducted
from one of Marcus’s parties.

Once again, Fane had a point. It was probably
wise to keep Aurora in the dark for as long as possible. She’d hate
me, but I’d have to deal with it. I’d have to be a bad friend to be
a good one. I sighed in resignation.

“What about Valerie?”

“Valerie especially needs to be kept in the
dark.” Fane glanced at Joss with a slight smile. “That one would
probably go on a killing spree if she found out.”

“Agreed,” I said immediately.

Joss set his book aside and rose from the
armchair. “I’ll make you a cup of tea.”

Fane rolled his eyes. “Maybe she wants her
first taste of blood.”

“Fane,” Joss said firmly.

The tone of his voice must have startled Fane
as much as me. Fane waved his hand. “Fine, go make her tea.”

“I’m sorry it has to be this way,” Fane said
after Joss walked over to the kitchen. “You’re going to want to
tell her every time you see her, but you have to be strong.”

I nodded. “I can do that.” I took a breath.
“There’s something you should know. The reason Aurora broke up with
you is because Valerie threatened to report you to our boss if she
didn’t.”

Now that the cat was out of the bag, Fane
might as well know. If he and Aurora were ever to have any future
chance at love, they would have to start telling each other the
truth.

Fane didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to.
Now he knew, and that’s all that mattered. I understood the
importance of protecting Aurora while I tried to uncover Melcher’s
intentions, but someday soon one of us would need to tell her the
truth.

Fane’s shoulders relaxed. “I want you to know
I will always be a friend to you, now more than ever. If you ever
have any questions, you call me. If you ever need help, call me.
Okay?”

“Yeah,” I said nodding again. “Yeah. Thanks,
Fane.”

His lips twitched. “You’ve been through the
meat grinder this week.”

Yeah, I really had.

“I hope things get back to normal once you
move into your new place.”

Nothing would ever be normal again. Thank
God. Normal was for humans, and I wasn’t human.

“Do you want me to come with you to pick up
your things?”

I gave Fane a blank look.

“The stuff your dad took. I can accompany you
to your house to gather everything he took and help you move it to
your new place.”

Pick up my stuff?

That wardrobe belonged to a pathetic little
Goth girl. A vampire groupie.

I was no groupie. I was the star
attraction.

I lifted my chin. “Let Clive keep those rags.
I’ll get new clothes.”

Better clothes.

It was a new day, and I was ready to move
onto bigger and better.

No more standing on the sidelines. No more
blending into the background. No more being a snowflake in a
blizzard.

The world was my oyster, and it was my time
to shine.

Don’t miss the next installment of Aurora Sky: Vampire
Hunter

EVIL RED, Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 2.6

March 2014

Aurora Returns This Spring

BAD BLOOD, Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 3

Spring 2014

These are brief words for people whose input I have
so much appreciation for. I would like to thank authors K.A. Last
and Thomas Winship for taking time out from their own projects to
beta read Stakeout and get down to the nitty-gritty details.