Temptation (26 page)

He lightly prodded the black fur with his foot. Clumps of fur fell off the body.

His heart still pounding, Billy turned away. The woods stretched silently all around.

The whole island must be filled with monsters like this, Billy realized.

“Kylie.” He murmured her name out loud.

Where is Kylie? he wondered.

I've got to show her this creature. She's got to see a real vampire. She'll believe me. Then everyone will believe me about the vampires here at Sandy Hollow.

“Kylie!” He shouted her name.

“Kylie!” He cupped his hands around his mouth and called to her.

Following the path that had brought them to the burned-out house, Billy trotted, into the woods. “Kylie—where are you? Kylie?”

He found her sitting on a log on a low, sandy hill overlooking the water. She turned as he ran up to her, and jumped to her feet. “Billy—what's wrong?”

“I—I couldn't find you,” he cried breathlessly.

“Sorry,” she said. “I thought you were right behind me. But when I turned around, you were gone.” She smiled. “I knew you'd find me. I—”

She stopped, catching the alarmed expression on Billy's face. “What's wrong? You're all scratched. What happened?”

The whole story burst out of him in a flood of words. “A vampire, Kylie. In wolf form. It attacked me. Outside that burned-out house. But I drove a stake through its chest. I killed it.”

He grabbed her hand and started to pull her to the house. “Come on. You have to see it. I want to prove to you there are vampires here. I want you to see with your own eyes.”

“But, Billy—” She pulled back.

“Hurry, Kylie. I'm going to prove it to you.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Did you hit your head or something? You're talking crazy. Everyone knows there are no real vampires.”

“Come on. Hurry.” He tugged her harder.

She rolled her eyes and groaned. But she followed him.

He led the way through the trees. The chittering of bats overhead grew louder as they neared the house. A distant howl floated eerily over the whisper of the wind.

Through the trees, Billy spotted the dark outline of the burned-out house. “Here it is!” he told her. “Right in front. You'll see, Kylie. You'll see I'm telling the truth.”

He led the way out of the trees. Then he pulled her across the wet grass. “There—!” He pointed.

And then they both gasped in shock.

“There's nothing there!” Kylie exclaimed.

Billy bent down and examined the spot. No sign of his struggle. No sign of the vampire wolf. The grass wasn't even bent.

“It—it must have been over here,” he stammered. He ran across the grass, first one way, then the other. He trotted up to the house, then back, trying to retrace his steps.

Nothing here. Not a sign.

Kylie rolled her eyes again. “Lame, Billy. Really lame,” she groaned.

“You have to believe me!” Billy cried shrilly.

“It's not a very funny joke,” Kylie said. She took his arm and pressed her cheek against his shoulder. Then she spoke in a tiny voice. “Are you trying to scare me so you can be my big, brave protector?”

“No. Really—” Billy insisted.

Clinging to his arm, she rubbed her nose against his cheek.
“Come back to the log,” she whispered. “It's such a pretty spot.”

She doesn't believe me, Billy realized. She thinks it was some kind of joke. If I keep insisting, she'll just think I'm some kind of a jerk. Or that I'm crazy.

He let her pull him back to the low hill overlooking the water. “We—we have to get back,” he stammered, gazing out toward the water.

“It's early. Let's see what else there is to explore,” Kylie suggested.

“No way,” Billy answered. “We're going back to the boat. There's nothing here.”

Nothing but vampires, he thought.

“Just sit with me for one minute,” Kylie begged. “Then we'll leave, I promise. It's so beautiful here.”

Billy stared at her. He wanted to leave. Wanted to run to the boat as fast as he could. But Kylie looked so beautiful sitting there, moonlight washing over her red hair.

She patted the log beside her.

Billy sat down. The bark felt damp and crumbly beneath him. The cold air pressed in around them.

When did it get so foggy? Billy wondered. He could barely see anything beyond the clearing. It seemed as if he and Kylie were alone in an island of fog.

Billy suddenly felt drowsy. A little dizzy.

Kylie moved closer to him on the log. “See? Isn't this nice?” she asked softly.

Billy tried to focus his eyes on Kylie. The pale moonlight
played over her face. She was truly beautiful, he realized. Her face belonged on a fashion model—or a movie star. And the way her long red hair glowed . . .

Kylie leaned over and kissed him.

She pulled back. Gazed into his eyes, smiled, and kissed him again.

A long, slow kiss.

This is wild, Billy thought. She is really
hot
!

The kiss continued. Billy felt as if he were drifting . . . falling . . .

Bats fluttered overhead. Billy paid no attention to them.

He was drifting . . . drifting . . .

He felt Kylie's mouth move from his lips to his neck.

Billy stood up. “I—I feel so strange,” he said. “Kind of dizzy. We'd better go.”

“Billy, sit down,” Kylie insisted. “Billy—please.”

He shook his head, trying to force away the strange dizziness.

Kylie jumped up. She stepped closer. And kissed him again.

The world seemed to be spinning. The dark trees whirled.

Billy wanted to give in to it, to let the spinning world take him, whisk him away. He wanted to stand in that moonlit clearing and kiss Kylie forever.

No.

He shook his head.

The spinning stopped.

“I've really got to get home,” Billy insisted, pulling Kylie toward the boat.

Holding her hand, he pulled her through the trees. He could tell Kylie was annoyed by the way she slapped the branches out
of her way, not saying anything. They passed the burned-out houses. Hurrying onto the dock, Billy climbed down the ladder, then helped Kylie into the boat.

Billy rowed toward the mainland in silence. Whenever he glanced at Kylie, anger flashed in her eyes.

She is spoiled, Billy decided. She pouts whenever she doesn't get her own way.

Bats fluttered overhead, swooping low over the tiny rowboat. A dark cloud inched its way across the face of the moon. The night grew darker and darker as Billy rowed toward the shore.

He guided the boat to the long dock and tied it up. Kylie hadn't said a word since they left the island. She seemed to be studying him.

Billy climbed onto the dock, then reached down to pull Kylie up. Her hand felt cold, as if the island's dampness had seeped into her skin. The last yellow sliver of the moon disappeared behind the black cloud as they stepped from the dock onto the beach.

Billy moved carefully, trying to see where he was going.

So dark.

“I don't know why we had to leave so early,” Kylie complained, pressing her forehead against his shoulder.

“I do,” Billy muttered. “That island was dangerous.”

Kylie laughed. “Dangerous?”

Billy didn't want to be teased. He stomped on ahead.

“Billy—?” he heard Kylie call. Then he heard a small shriek. “Billy!” Kylie cried shrilly.

Billy spun around and ran back to Kylie. “What is it?”

“Billy, look . . .” Kylie whispered, holding her hands to her face, staring down in horror at the sand.

“Oh no!” Billy groaned.

A boy. Sprawled on his back in the sand. Staring up lifelessly at the sky. His neck twisted, twisted at such a wrong angle.

“Noooo!” Billy wailed, dropping down beside the boy. “Not Jay! Please—not Jay!”

Billy leaned over his friend—and gasped again. It—it
isn't
Jay!”

“I recognize him,” Kylie said weakly, her hands still pressed tightly against her cheeks. “Don't you remember? He's the guy April went off with earlier tonight.”

“Yes—Rick,” Billy remembered.

He leaned over the body. Brushed swarming sand flies off the boy's face.

His eyes stopped at the throat.

At the two puncture wounds in the neck. A tiny drop of blood clung to each hole.

Rick's face was as white as flour.

He's been drained, Billy realized. Completely drained.

“This is so . . . awful,” Kylie moaned.

“And what about April? Where is she? Do you think something has happened to her?”

Billy couldn't take his eyes off the twin red puncture marks.

No, he thought. Nothing has happened to April. Nothing has happened to that vampire.

Not yet.

•   •   •   •   •

The next night Billy met his friends at the Pizza Cove. Everyone was there—Nate, Jay, Irene, Kylie, and April—sitting at two tables pulled together.

“After we found Rick's body, Billy called the police from a pay phone on Main Street,” Kylie explained. “I was really freaked out. I couldn't even talk. But he was great.”

Yeah, great, Billy thought glumly. And I was questioned for more than an hour. It's a good thing Kylie was there to back up my story. That's the second murder I've been involved in. The second one . . .

Billy studied his friends' faces as Kylie told them about Rick Tyler. Jay seemed even more tired than last night. He sat beside April, staring at the others with bloodshot eyes.

He can hardly hold his head up, Billy thought. This is really bad news.

Billy studied Jay's neck. He didn't see any bite marks. But he was sure they were there.

Billy shifted his gaze to April. How many sips has she taken? he wondered. Three sips, and Jay becomes a vampire. How close is he?

April shredded her paper napkin, tearing off little pieces and putting them in a pile. Her hands shook.

She seems really upset, Billy thought.

But he knew she was acting.

“I can't believe I was the last person to see Rick alive,” April said tearfully.

Jay offered her a slice of pizza.

“I can't eat,” she declared, shaking her head. “I'm too upset.”

Of course she can't eat, Billy thought. Vampires can't eat food.

He studied April's face. Her smooth white cheeks. Not a trace of a tan. She had never been out in the sun, he knew. If she saw sunlight, she would die.

Nate sighed. “You know, all I want is to have a great summer,” he said. “But nobody is having fun. There are police all over the beach and the town. Everyone is so upset about the two murders. I even heard someone else say
vampires
are the killers!”

“I'm really sick of hearing about vampires,” Irene declared.

“It's so stupid,” Kylie agreed. “Everyone knows there is no such thing. I can't believe people are so superstitious.”

“They're real,” Billy told her. He kept his eyes on April. “Don't let anybody tell you they're not.”

April glanced at him, her expression blank, as if she wasn't interested in what he was saying. What a great actress, Billy thought. She should be the star of the play.

“You don't really believe that, do you?” Irene asked.

“Yes, he does,” Jay chimed in. “Billy has been talking about vampires ever since we got here!”

Nate and Irene laughed.

Billy felt a hot ball of anger growing in his chest. He forced
himself to stay calm. Ignore them, he told himself. Don't get into an argument about it.

Irene took Nate's arm and pulled him out of his chair. “You promised to take me dancing,” she told him.

“I'm a total klutz,” Nate protested.

“No problem,” Irene informed him. “I'll show you everything you need to know.”

Nate shrugged. “Anyone else want to come?”

They all shook their heads.

After Nate and Irene left, Billy turned his attention back to April. He studied her as she joked and flirted with Jay. She was pretty cute, with straight blond hair and beautiful emerald eyes.

She's a vampire, he reminded himself.

Not a cute girl. Not a nice girl.

A vampire.

“Have some pizza,” Billy said. He shoved a slice of pizza in April's face.

She reacted with disgust.

He knew she would.

“No thanks,” she said, waving it away. “I can't eat. Really.”

“No. Try it,” Billy insisted. He shoved it under her nose again. “It's really excellent.” He wanted to make her squirm.

“No. Really,” April said sharply, pulling her head back.

“Just a taste,” Billy insisted.

“Give her a break, man,” Jay cut in. “What's your problem, anyway?”

Billy slowly lowered the pizza slice to the plate. He kept his eyes on April.

She knows that I know, he realized.

She knows that I know the truth about her. She's probably thinking about how she can shut me up.

Billy felt a chill of fear. I'm in danger now, he told himself. Real danger. But not if I act first.

The next evening, Kylie and Irene strolled on the beach.

Irene is looking really happy and excited, Kylie thought, studying her friend. I guess she's made real progress with Nate. She probably thinks she's going to win our bet.

Irene bent to pick up a horseshoe crab shell. She peered inside it, then tossed it back to the sand. “How is it going with Billy?” she asked.