Chapter 9
Maryne? I didn’t know what it meant.
Was it a curse or a spell of some kind? Could vampires even use spells?
Whatever it was, saying it made the girl vampire’s mouth curl slowly into a breathtaking smile.
“Maryne,” she said again on a shaky laugh.
Then, she ripped me from the boy’s grip and engulfed me in her white arms. I waited for the sound of my ribs cracking—any form of physical violence—but I must have been totally delirious, because it was almost like she was…hugging me.
“My God, Maryne!” Her voice was as light and cheery as someone reconnecting with an old friend. “I thought you were dead. We didn’t know what happened to you—Demitri said that you’d disappeared and we thought the worst—All those horrible rumors!”
She spoke too quickly for me to follow, so I didn’t try. Instead, I craned my head to glance at Misty and silently urged her to run.
Too bad I wasn’t telepathic.
“What on earth is she doing here?” I heard Alexi mutter behind me.
I couldn’t turn to see his expression, because Serenity seemed quite determined to break me in half.
“I’ve missed you so much,” she blubbered. Her voice hitched, almost as if she were…crying. Then, Alexi’s words finally seemed to register in her mind. “But what on earth are you doing here? …In this rat infested dung hole?”
She pulled away, holding me at arm’s length, and gave me a critical sweep with that piercing stare. Whatever she saw, made her bite her bottom lip.
“Alexi,” she called, voice tight. “She looks awful. She needs blood…now.”
I could only think of one place that ‘blood’ would come from.
“No!” I wrenched away, and Serenity seemed shocked enough to let me go.
Shakily, I maneuvered myself into front of Misty, blocking Alexi’s path.
“L-listen!” I shrieked. My voice trembled so badly I could barely understand my own words, but I kept talking—I had to. “I don’t know who M-Marine is, or whatever—but she isn’t me!”
It was the wrong thing to say.
Alexi grimaced and Serenity looked about as horrified as if I’d threatened to cut her perfect blond hair off. Together they shared a knowing look that made my skin crawl.
“It’s one of her episodes,” Serenity said quietly.
Alexi nodded. “Everyone said it,” he murmured. “That she just went insane.” He made a jabbing motion toward his chest with an invisible weapon. “Staked herself.”
Serenity glared at him. “Well obviously, she didn’t.”
Alexi sighed. “Well obviously she doesn’t know who the hell she is, now does she?”
Serenity rolled her eyes exasperatedly in his direction. Then she turned to me, mouth stretched in a cautious smile.
“Maryne…dear.” She took a step toward me. “We’re going to take you home now…”
She looked towards Alexi as if for backup. He scoffed and shook his head.
“Don’t look at me. Besides, what if she’s just some random human? Maryne wouldn’t be caught dead in some tacky polyester blend.” He nodded towards my body in disgust, and added, in a nasty tone, “are those supposed to be pants?”
As stupid as it was, given the current situation, I couldn’t help but feel insulted. These were my favorite pair of sweats. You try living fashionably on about ten dollars a month and whatever I had managed to scavenge from Dad’s life insurance.
Contrary to popular belief, monster slaying wasn’t exactly a lucrative business—not when you factored in the price of weapons and hospital bills.
“Oh really,” I snarled, all the while backing toward Misty as slowly as I could. “And I guess shiny ‘I’m so evil’ pants and a clichéd black shirt are soo much better, huh?”
The insults were more of a distraction because, unlike my blood-splattered ensemble, the vampire’s outfits were much like their entire bodies; perfect.
I had a sinking suspicion that Serenity’s cream-white blouse was real silk, and Alexi’s black pants looked way too expensive to be bought at your local Walmart.
Alexi pouted, and slapped a hand mockingly over his chest as if wounded.
“Ouch. What a bitch.” He cocked his head back at Serenity. “Maybe she really is Maryne, after all…”
“Shut up, Alexi!” The blond hissed.
Then, she whirled in a circle and began to pace. Her golden hair billowed out behind her like some living Pantene commercial. Even now and again, her dark eyes would fly to my face—but I couldn’t read the expression in them.
I was too busy making my way back, inch by inch, towards Misty—who wasn’t moving…
God, I hoped she was okay.
“Maybe we should call the others?” I heard Serenity mutter. “Maybe Demitri will know?”
My eyes were on the floor, straining to peek at Misty from the corner of my eye without turning around. I could make out the pink lump of her shirt, but I couldn’t tell if her chest was even still moving.
“Are you insane?” I could picture Alexi throwing his arms into the air—from what little I’d known the leech, he seemed incline to grand gestures like that. “Get everyone’s hopes up, why don’t you? Besides, do you know what Demitri will do if he sees her, and she’s not the real Maryne?”
There was a slight pause before Serenity released a dainty sigh.
“You’re right,” she agreed solemnly.
They fell silent and my heart skipped a beat. As long as they argued I had a shot at getting to Misty before they noticed. I tensed, waiting for them to realize just how close to her I was.
Thankfully, the vampires were too wrapped up in their own drama.
“I know!” Alexi declared suddenly. “What about a taste test? If she’s human—yummy. If not, well…”
“You…want…to bite a Stroggha?” Serenity sounded horrified.
“Just a little nip,” Alexi said quickly. “To tell if she’s human or not. Do you have a better idea?”
“No…”
I could tell from the silence that Serenity was mulling over his words, and I stumbled back the last few steps to Misty.
Damn stealth.
If they were considering having me for dinner, well I didn’t have much time to plan, now did I?
“Misty…” I nudged her with my shoe, relieved to hear a pathetic moan reach my ears.
She was still okay.
But I didn’t know for how long both of us would be, if I didn’t find some way out of this mess.
“I can’t.” I turned to find Serenity shaking her blond head. “It’s too disgusting. It’s like asking me to bite you—it’s unnatural!”
Alexi clutched his chest sarcastically. “Aw Ren, I didn’t know you cared. Now all we have to do is leave here with the girl who may or may not be a lost Stroggha princess and all will be well…” His tone turned cutting. “Focus, Ren! Do you have a better idea?”
Serenity turned to me again, and this time her eyes seemed to swallow mine.
For a long minute, I felt trapped beneath the weight of her stare. Then, she raised an eyebrow and I could imagine a juicy idea slowly unraveling within that beautiful head.
“Human’s don’t heal very well,” she posed the question at Alexi while eyeing my body from head to toe. “Do they?”
Alexi frowned. “What are you—” He broke off, and a slow, ripe grin began to spread across his face. “Brilliant, Ren,” he said in a flash of pearly teeth. “Just brilliant.”
I didn’t like that look. Any more than I liked the way they slowly began to close in on me—like two sharks circling a kill.
Only I was the poor baby seal who had no idea that it was already dead.
“Alexi,” Serenity began, quietly.
It was my only warning before the other vampire closed in. He was so damn fast. I barely saw him move before my shoulders were clenched in his grip. He lifted me high into the air, by the collar of my sweatshirt. My legs dangled uselessly, reminding me of a fish caught on a hook.
“Pleasant dreams, Maryne,” he said grandly.
And then, he snapped my neck.