Malevolence - Legacy Series Book Two (The Legacy Series) (29 page)

           
“Oakley, you’re going to wrinkle up my dress.”

           
“Will that make you put on pants and a long sleeved turtleneck?
 
You know, your legs are going to freeze and you’ll catch a cold,” Oakley teased.

           
“You’ll just have to nurse me back to health then.”
 

           
A light knocking on the door made him pull back and look like a soldier on duty.
 
Mom came in to give me some last minute advice.
 
Shaynie actually wished me luck and Bryon practically broke my ribs, he hugged me so hard.
 
“Come on guys, I’m going to be okay.
 
Let’s get on with it; the sooner it’s over, the sooner we can eat pizza and cupcakes.”

Chapter 35. Vampire

“The old woman went trembling home, and on her knees thanked God for having dealt with her more kindly than she had been able to understand, and on the third day she lay down and died.” The Aged Mother ~ Grimm’s Household Tales

           
“Are you sure this is the place?” Gus said as we stood outside the lime green restaurant.
 
The Le
Gaigne
was extraordinarily small.
 
I’d guess there was possibly room for about twenty patrons.
 
If we made it to the food part, I was guessing we’d leave hungry like prom night.

           
Gus pulled out my chair, playing his in-love part very well.
 
The mauve and gray colored décor was probably popular fifteen years ago, now it just seemed drab.
 
The ambience screamed a cozy, romantic date night.
 
Hopefully it meant that the customers would be more focused on each other and not on us.
 
Rain was ready with a concoction to erase memories of the night, if needed.
 
I breathed in, memorizing every scent in the room, in case they were able to escape.
 
We didn’t need the police involved and especially the media.
 
Although, running into Mario Lopez again wouldn’t be so bad.
 
They served us water in large wine goblets.
 
I didn’t see any vampires and wondered if we got the place wrong.
 
Sitting in the back of the restaurant gave us a better view of everyone that entered.
 
Gus and I tried the faerie trick and doused ourselves in vanilla; maybe it’d hide our scent too.
 
The door opened and in walked Allie and Pascale.
 
Her eyes instinctively looked around the room.
 
Her head snapped up and she locked eyes on me.
 
Guilt flooded my head; if she really did love him and we killed him, she would be lethal.
 
A vampire vigilante was not something we wanted to create by killing her mate, or creator, whatever he was to her.

           
Step one, go say hello.
 
Step two, go to restroom.
 
Step three, pray.

           
Knowing we’d look suspicious if I didn’t acknowledge them, I stopped at their table.
 
With the biggest fake smile on my face and a deep breath, I convinced myself I was ready.
 
“Pascale, right?”
 
Without as much as a screech of his chair on the hardwood floor, he stood in a perfect fluid motion.

           
“Prudence Phelan, the pretty little princess of the Phelan pack,” he said.
 
“You are looking beautiful this evening, is the gentleman you’re with your new love?
 
He looks more manly than that other guy,
Oaklance
or whatever his name is.”
 
Pascale made an attempt at taking my hand but I jerked away.
 
Instinct wasn’t going to fail me when I failed myself by talking to vampires.

           
I’d almost forgotten about Allie, until she giggled at the
Oaklance
comment.

           
“Oh Pascale, you’re so funny,” Allie said.
 
“Oakley is the name of her pet.
 
The guy with her was at the ball, he is a gorgeous piece of meat though.”

           
Be cool, act normal, and don’t screw this up
, I thought to myself.
 
“I wanted to say hello.
 
Are you enjoying your dinner?
 
Do you really eat, or is this just for show?”

           
“I enjoy a rare steak every once in awhile,” Pascale said, and then winked at me.
  
I’m meeting with a few colleagues; but thank you for stopping by to say hello.”
 
He sat down as elegantly as he stood up.
 
He made a show of picking up his folded napkin and placing it on his lap.
 
“Run along.”
 
He held up his hand and shooed me away.
 
I would have liked to take that napkin and shove it down his pie hole.

           
“Bye Pru,” Allie cooed.

           
Walking into the restroom, I was overwhelmed with the smell of flowers.
 
I’d never seen anyone use fresh flowers in the bathroom, until now.
 
I counted seven vases of at least a dozen red roses in them.
 
Of the three stalls, I picked the one furthest from the door.
 
Strangely they didn’t have any handicapped stalls.
 
I guessed handicapped people weren’t allowed to pee.
 
I was thankful they were American toilets and they were free.
 
We’d dared Bryon to use one of the
porta
-potty things that were randomly located in the streets.
 
It was hysterical to see his face when he came out.
 
He said there was a female voice that told him how to use the bathroom, and everything automatically came on when it decided you’d had enough time to do your business.
 
 
I’d told him several times he should look into transferring to a pack in California and try his hand at stand-up comedy.

           
The stall walls and door were floor to ceiling, giving the claustrophobic customers something to cry about.
 
I heard the bathroom door open but didn’t hear or smell anyone enter.
 
My new touch screen phone was driving me nuts; the auto-correct was constantly changing my words.
 
My next phone would have a keyboard on it or I was giving up texting forever.
 
I clicked send and was pleasantly surprised that not only did I have signal, it actually sent the message.
 
Finally something was going to work correctly.
 
I opened the door and practically passed out when I saw not one, but two men standing there waiting for me. “
Damn, damn, damn, we’ve got trouble, in a big way!”
I broadcasted.

           
“Are you trying to talk to your little doggie friends?
 
Don’t bother, they can’t hear you.
 
You’re delicious glass of water was enhanced with a little tonic to keep your inner voice quiet.
 
You lapped it all up like a good little dog,” Vampire one said.
 

           
I assessed the situation, and figured they didn’t expect I’d have a few things up my sleeve.
 
I feigned having to fix my shoe, saving the stakes in my sleeve, knowing my shoes were about to be dropped.
 
I ripped off the heel, pressing the button and exposed the stake that we hid inside.
 
Stepping back, giving myself a little room, I flung the stake at the scrawny one.
 
His eyes went wide, his mouth opened as if he had something to say, and he disintegrated.
 
One down, one pissed off.
 
I was pissed too, so we were evenly matched.

           
“
Whatcha
got vamp?
 
Your little friend here apparently didn’t have any game, do you?” I asked.

           
In a single breath, all six foot plus of him was in front of me.
 
“Listen up DOG; I’m on orders to bring you in alive.
 
He didn’t express any orders about how alive you must be,” he said.
 
“You can willingly come with me or we can order your mother’s death right now.
 
Your friend
Mylandra
will spill the beans every time we hold a knife to her daughter’s pretty little throat.
 
We might not be able to
turn
her, but we sure can kill her.
 
That building across the street, with the empty apartment, the one that your mother and Great
Wolfy-poo
are watching from;
 
You know the one? Well, I so happen to have the exits guarded and with a signal they will go in and kill them.
 
Do you want to jeopardize their life?”
 
He flashed a fang gleaming smile at me, making me vomit a little, in my mouth.
 
“We can go for the two-
fer
, like a BOGO day.
 
You know, buy one, get one. You think I’m funny don’t you?
 
You love a funny guy, huh?
 
Wanna
check and see if I can make you howl?”

           
“No thanks
bloodbreath
,” I said as I jammed the stake straight up through the sternum into the heart.
 
Two down, not too shabby, I thought to myself.
 
I washed my hands and pulled open the door.
 
What the bloody hell?
 
Two chicks that looked very similar to the
Kardashian
sisters grabbed me on each side.
 
Thing One reached over and smeared something on my throat, it had the texture of Vaseline.
 
I opened my mouth to get Gus’ attention and realized I couldn’t speak.

           
Thing Two leaned over to whisper in my ear.
 
“Cat got your tongue?
 
Don’t worry; we only paralyzed your vocal chords.
 
If you play right, before you know it you’ll be back to howling.
 
Right now though?
 
Not-so-much.
 
Sorry, but the boss wants you alive and mostly unharmed.
 
I heard that prick Jack say he wasn’t told how alive you have to be.
 
He was wrong love, we can’t hurt you.
 
Although, if you try to run?
 
Well, that is a little complicated and I’m allowed to do whatever it takes to bring you in.
 
If you want your mother to live to see another full moon, all you have to do is cooperate.
 
See?
 
We’re not total monsters.”

           
I thought up a few words to describe her, and monster made the list, but not the top of it.
 
I nodded my head in agreement.
 
Passing the chefs entrance to the kitchen; we stopped in front of a door that led to what looked like a broom closet to me.
 
Thing Two opened the door and I was right, it was a broom closet, and a mop bucket room.
 
Thing One nudged me forward to follow her sister.
 
She pushed me until we were both smashed up against the far wall. Thing One picked up a can of paint and set it down, she stepped over to flank my other side.
 
If this was another revolving door, I was going to scream.
 
Well, being that I couldn’t scream, I would mentally scream. The scrawny bitches were pissing me off.
 

           
Without a sound…the wall started moving.
 
Damn.
 
We were in another room with nothing but a trap door in it.
 
Of course we were going to go through a trap door; every vampire needed one.
 
The door was pulled up and I looked down the hole, a black hole and I could slightly see a metal ladder on the wall of the hole.
 
Thing One started down the ladder and Thing Two told me to follow her.
 
A black hole to wherever, two vampire goddesses and an innate fear of tunnels, was beginning to worry me…slightly.