Reborn to Bite (Vampire Shadows Book 1) (8 page)

"She'll do," the man she'd known as Dad said. Robert Christiansen, total stranger at that moment, had approved of her.

Sabine closed off the memories. She curled into a ball on the soft imaginary ground, and tried to feel nothing. Instead, she felt like throwing up. Then she thought about where she was, and looked up to see Esmerelda's compassionate stare. She forced back the bile and sat up to face the young version of the old witch.

"So do you think I'm a danger to your family?"

Esmerelda smiled. "Not unless we get on your bad side."

"I can't imagine that happening," Sabine said, smiling through her tears.

"Then no, I don't see you as a danger."

Sabine wiped her tears away. "Okay, so how do we get out of this place?"

Sabine stood on the porch, everything still in place like it had been frozen in time. She pulled her energy back out of Esmerelda's mind and they both staggered forward.

Everyone paused. Apparently the whole conversation she'd just had with Esmerelda had happened in the blink of an eye.

Mike grasped Esmerelda's arm. "What just happened?"

Esmerelda gave him a cheerful smile. "Sabine is a good woman. We had a nice chat, and I think she'll fit in just fine."

Mike looked shocked, checking his wife's eyes. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Now let's get inside and get comfortable. I'd like to find out more about our guests over lunch. Justin, please take Doug's bag to the purple room. Taylor, please take Sabine's bag to the flower room."

The two teen werewolf boys flexed their muscles and smiled as they took in the bags. The surfer-blond was apparently Justin, and the brown-haired boy with the shorter haircut and bigger build was Taylor.

Mike introduced Sabine, Doug and Tiana to the whole clan. Mike and Esmerelda were Val's parents, and the Alphas of the pack. Mike explained that it was rare for a non-shape-shifter to be the Alpha female. It said a lot for Esmerelda's talent at witchcraft.

Esmerelda's granddaughter Elise had inherited some witch skill in addition to being a werewolf. Elise's dark brown eyes glared from a moody sixteen-year-old face. She wore black goth makeup, frustrating her parents. Even her hair was dyed black. She wore what looked like totems on her necklace, earrings, and bracelets. She seemed glued to Esmerelda's side.

Mike introduced six or seven more people, but Sabine lost track of their names.

After introductions, Sabine escaped to her room to rest. She had just put her head on her pillow when there was a soft knock at the door. She groaned and turned to face the sound. "Come in."

A young Esmerelda stepped into the room and quietly closed the door. "I'm sorry to bother you Sabine, but do you have any idea when your resurrection ceremony took place?"

Sabine yawned. "I'm pretty sure it was a year ago today. Although getting buried may have messed with my internal clock."

"Thank you dear. I have some phone calls to make. Rest up. I have a feeling you'll have a busy night."

Sabine was going to thank the nice young woman, but she was already gone. She felt sleep tug at her again until she realized that she had gone to bed with the door locked and Esmerelda wasn't really young-

Sabine snapped up awake, and looked at the door. Locked.

Sorry for intruding on your dreams, Sabine. I didn't think you'd want anyone to hear that conversation, and the werewolves have extremely keen ears.

Sabine shook her head, realizing with shock that Esmerelda was communicating telepathically.
You came into my dream?

We have a link now. You could probably block me out, but it would take some effort.

Sabine started to panic. She did not want someone – especially a witch – rooting around in her mind and confusing her reality. Especially when that reality had just started to get good again after a year. She imagined the young Esmerelda out in a field, looking up at a growing stone wall.

I'm going to block you out now Esmerelda.

Sabine imagined the wall growing around her mind, and felt the link with Esmerelda sever.

Blessed silence filled her thoughts. The barest whisper of noise came from downstairs as the denizens of the house quietly went about their daily regimen. She heard Tiana laugh outside.

Sabine rested her head back on her pillow just as her phone beeped. She let out a curse and grabbed the foul device.

A message on the forum had triggered an alert email. She tapped the screen on the annoying little bundle of technology and opened the message. It was from VanHelsing451:

"Hi MourningGirl; I just heard that some witches and vamps are planning a ceremony tonight. A few friends are getting together before dark to hunt for them. We're hoping to get lucky. We're meeting at the Stinking Rose at 5pm if you're interested. We'll be the ones dressed like famous vampire hunters from movies and such."

Oh. God. Was she being invited to a gathering of vampire hunters during the day at a restaurant that specialized in garlic dishes? Would they want her to eat? Would they recognize her? Could she face them?

Sabine checked her watch: two in the afternoon. It would take her an hour to get across town to the restaurant if she took the bus or got a ride. She wondered who the friends were. Could they be the four she had bitten that night? Were they going out hunting vampires after dinner?

She groaned and got up, sitting on the side of the bed. She decided that this was too good to pass up. If she chickened out, she could always wait outside and just stalk them.

She wrote a short but sweet reply: "I'll be there."

Maybe she could postpone sleep until night time. It was worth a shot, since fate apparently didn't want her sleeping today.

But what about Doug and Tiana? She'd be missing out on a chance to see Halloween through Tiana's eyes. She'd be passing up time with Doug. She had to go clean up her past though, and that meant going to a garlic restaurant and facing the people she had wronged.

Now she just had to convince the werewolves to let her leave.

"No."

Sabine stared at Trent, wondering why he'd object. Charlie had said he would drive her if Trent let him use the Cadillac. They stood in the living room, Sabine dressed in her all-leather vampire hunting gear.

Trent shook his head.

She thought about compelling Trent to let her go, but Esmerelda would know what was going on and probably wouldn't approve. Besides, even if Trent was a jerk, these were the good guys. She wouldn't use her powers on them anymore. "I can take care of myself."

Trent moved between her and the door. "We took on the responsibility to protect you, so you can't just go traipsing around the city."

Sabine walked up to Trent, poking him in the chest. "For one thing, I'm only here because Doug is here. I don't need your protection. You of all people know that."

Trent's eyes narrowed. "You took us by surprise in the hall. It won't happen again."

"Tony and Gus are probably saying the same thing." She stepped back and held out her hand, holding his car keys. "I'm faster than you."

Trent stared in shock for a second. He reached for them but she snapped them back.

"Give those back."

She held out the keys. "If you can grab them, you can have them. Otherwise, Charlie and I are going for a drive."

Trent's hand moved faster than a normal human could see, but Sabine saw it like it was moving in slow motion. She pulled the keys back just slowly enough to keep them from him.

Trent snarled in rage and surprise as he stared at Sabine's mordant smile. He seethed and rolled his shoulders.

"I wasn't ready that time. Best two out of three."

Sabine sensed his emotions and knew that she was treading on thin ice. She nodded her acceptance, holding out the keys.

Trent snapped the keys out of her hand faster than she imagined possible. Her hair blew slightly in the wind created by the motion of his arm. He put the keys in his pocket.

Sabine pointed at him. "Hey! You said 'Best two out of three.' We have one more round."

The werewolves had gathered around, and Trent saw them nodding. Val was standing a few feet away with her arms crossed, watching intently.

Trent gritted his teeth and pulled the keys out. "Fine. Catch them and we go."

Then he tossed the keys at the ceiling.

Sabine grabbed for the keys lightning fast, and Trent moved to block her hand. The exchange happened so fast she had trouble keeping up. Trent had apparently pulled all the stops and was giving one hundred percent. She matched his speed and blocked his counter-attempts to grab the keys. They traded a half dozen blocked attempts before the keys hit the ceiling and another half dozen on the way down.

When the keys dropped too low to grab at without going off balance, Sabine shoved Trent back. No easy feat. He outweighed her by eighty pounds of pure sinewy muscle.

She feinted down like she was going for the keys. Trent lunged forward, which gave her the perfect setup for an Aikido elbow lock as she went upright. His momentum helped her toss him around until he landed on his back. Right on top of the keys.

He reached around and grabbed the keys from under himself. "I win."

Little Tiana booed Trent and smiled at Sabine. Doug held Tiana and stared at Sabine with very large eyes.

Sabine curtsied, bowing her head. She counted three times she could have caught the keys. She'd had to let Trent win. This was his home; his people. Trent's people needed to see him win, and he just needed to see that Lance's pack couldn't take her easily. She stepped back, offering him a hand up. "That you did, Trent. A very impressive display."

He hopped up, ignoring the hand she offered.

"I guess I'll catch the bus. I'll be home late."

"You're not going anywhere," Trent said, brushing off his pants.

Val spoke up. "We can't hold her prisoner, Trent. If she wants to go, let her."

"Thanks Val," Sabine said.

"Don't thank me. I'm hoping that Lance's pack eats you alive."

Sabine snorted. "Okay, I'm feeling the love." She grabbed her bag, a soft leather tote that hid Gus's and Tony's pistols.

Taylor, the dark haired teen werewolf snorted. "My money is on Sabine if Lance makes a move on her."

"Thanks, Taylor!" Sabine said, tossing him a smile.

Justin the surfer-boy nodded. "Totally, dude. She's blazing fast. Trent's the fastest, and she matched him move for move."

Trent snarled at the teens and turned to Sabine. "Whatever. Go. Get killed for all I care."

Sabine smirked at Trent and walked over to the door.

"Is she going to be back in time for trick-or-treat?" Tiana whispered to Doug, who still looked hopelessly dumbstruck.

Sabine walked over to Doug and threw her arms around him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Then she squatted down to Tiana's level and kissed the little girl on the cheek too. "I'll be back late. I wish I could go trick-or-treat with you, but I have something I really need to do. Maybe next year?"

Tiana pouted, but nodded. "I'm going to be a princess."

Sabine smiled and hugged Tiana. She straightened the little girl's bangs. "I bet you'll be a great princess."

Sabine stood and smirked at the look on Doug's face. "Happy spooky day, Dougie."

Doug opened his mouth a little and closed it, like a fish.

"We should hang out and catch up sometime soon," Sabine said, patting his arm.

"Yeah. Okay."

Mike stood patiently by the door, having watched the whole spectacle. "Can I walk with you a bit, young lady?"

"Of course, Sir," Sabine said, walking through the door he held open. "And I want to thank you for your gracious hospitality."

They walked down the steps out onto the dirt path. Mike walked slowly, so she adjusted her sunglasses and slowed to walk beside him. He stopped as the path emptied onto the street, turning to her.

"You held back in there."

It wasn't a question. The look in Mike's eyes said that he knew what she had done.

Sabine decided that there was no point in denying it. "I didn't want to embarrass Trent in front of his pack."

"Trent seems to be deeply upset with you, and won't talk about it. I take it you got the better of him before this."

"I thought he had come to finish what Lance's goons had started, and that he intended to hurt my friend Doug."

"We heard that Gus and Tony had some very bad luck when they tried to kill Doug. Apparently Gus ran into a door after Tony tripped on something on the roof."

"I'm bad luck for guys with big egos I guess."

"Their egos aren't big, young one. They're fragile. A fragile ego is a dangerous thing. It can lead to stupid choices."

Sabine thought about what he was saying, trying to think about her own ego issues and whether or not going to have dinner with a group of vampire hunters was a mistake. On some level she was pretty sure it was stupid, but she desperately wanted closure.

Mike put a hand on her jacketed arm. "So where are you going?"

"I'd like to know too," Trent said, walking up.

Sabine glared through her sunglasses at Trent before turning back to Mike. "My dad didn't care to ask where I was going or when I'd be back."

"Maybe he didn't care," Mike said.

Sabine's heart twisted, but she shook it off with a calming breath. "I'm going to meet some people for dinner, that's all."

"Be safe. Come back as soon as you can," Mike said, and glanced at Trent before walking back to the house.

"Where is the dinner?" Trent asked, his tone somewhere between casual and skeptical.

Sabine turned to face him, moving her bag to her shoulder. "I'm not sure why you care, Trent."

"I'm not sure either," he said, looking lost. "I don't like that you somehow controlled me back at your place. I hate that I couldn't stop it."

Sabine blinked in surprise, his honesty making her feel guilty. He had decided to be open, changing the game. "You almost broke free... If you had more training you could probably block me. I'm surprised being around Esmerelda you haven't learned to block her out."

He shrugged. "Nobody blocks her out."

Sabine turned to go, then paused and turned back, pointing a thumb towards the road. "Anyway, if there's nothing else, I have to get going. I'm on a schedule."

He stepped after her. "Hold up."

She stopped, putting her fists on her waist and turning back. She cocked her head at him. "What now?"

"I'll drive you."

"After all that posturing in there? I'm not sure I trust you to take me where I want to go."

"I promise. I'll take you wherever you want."

Sabine bit her tongue. She could use a ride, and Trent seemed to be agreeable all of a sudden. She could always get out and catch the nearest bus. "Okay."

They hopped in the Caddy and Sabine gave Trent the address for the restaurant. The drive was slow going with traffic. Sabine hadn't seen the streets this crowded in a long time, and thought again about how much she had missed the city during the day.

As they drove, she watched the people on the street, listening to their thoughts as a distraction. As they passed a laundromat, two familiar-looking women stepped out. They were carrying plastic-wrapped items on hangars, folded over their arms. There, plain as day, were her missing friends, Regina and Michaela.

"Stop the car!"

Trent hit the brakes as quickly as was safe, pulling over. "What's up?"

Sabine leaned out the window. Regina and Michaela had disappeared into the crowd before Sabine could call out to them. She fell back into her seat and opened the door. "Can you drop me here for a sec?"

He eyed her suspiciously. "Sure. How long-"

Sabine was halfway out the door of the car, her mind on her two missing friends. She wasn't paying attention to what he said next. Sabine had a terrible thought. Were they going to resurrect another poor innocent person tonight and kill them too?

The resurrection ceremony had involved cloaks, and they were dressed like normal people. Maybe the exposure to the sun since lunch was making her crazy. She was thirsty again.

She wondered if Janet could really introduce her to more willing donors who would enjoy being bitten. As she stepped into the laundromat, she imagined what it might be like to bite Trent. No, she wouldn't go there. She couldn't. Even if he was willing. She snapped out of her daze as she reached the counter.

"Can I help you?" the young woman behind the counter asked.

Sabine smiled. "Did Regina and Michaela pick up my cloak too? I wasn't sure if they would."

The girl looked at her like a deer in headlights. Her thoughts were an open book. Regina and Michaela had just been here, and had picked up two ceremonial cloaks.

Sabine leaned towards her. "Oh, sorry. I just remembered I used another place down the street. Happy Halloween."

The clerk blinked. "That's fine. Happy Halloween."

Sabine ran back outside and looked the direction the witches had gone. There was no sign of them. She sighed and hopped in Trent's car. "Okay. Let's get to dinner at the Stinking Rose."

"The garlic place." Trent laughed. "If you really were some kind of vampire, you'd fall to pieces in there."

Sabine played with the gold cross on her necklace, a habit she'd developed over the last year. "I think I'll be fine."

"I really wish you'd just tell me what you are."

Sabine turned to him and smiled. "And spoil the mystery?"

Trent pulled the car into traffic. "That's not really fair, Sabine. You know what I am."

"A pain in the ass?"

He leveled an unfriendly stare her way. "Takes one to know one."

"I like witty guys." She smiled at him. "Bummer for you."

Trent glanced at the sword hilt poking through her hair at her back. "I suppose you're an expert with swords too."

"I've trained in Tae Kwon Do since I was eight, and dabbled in Aikido. I switched to studying Kendo about a year ago."

"How many hours did you spend practicing that move you used at Mike's house?"

Sabine just smiled at him.

Trent shook his head in amazement. "So who are we meeting at the Stinking Rose?"

"We?"

"We."

She turned to him. "You know, I heard that the Lone Ranger and Tonto were once surrounded by Indians. The Lone Ranger turned to Tonto and said 'we might not make it out of this alive.' You know what Tonto said?"

"I'm sure you're going to tell me."

"He said 'What-you-mean WE, pale-face?'"

Trent laughed. "You could have just said I wasn't welcome and saved a lot of breath."

"Then you wouldn't have laughed. I think it worked out better this way."

"Okay. So... Who are these people
you're
meeting at the Stinking Rose?"