Scent of a White Rose (4 page)

“Hey, where are you?” The tension was thick in
her voice. Jill was waiting at her house, ready to jump in and
drive me the rest of the way home.

“I screwed up!” I replied, sounding panicked, “I
accidentally drove straight home instead of coming to get you. Is
there any way you can come get your car? I’ll leave it around the
block to the east of my house with the keys under the floor mat. Is
that okay?”

As the silence stretched, I really started to
freak out. Maybe I had pushed my best friend too far this time. She
was always looking out for me, especially since the nightmare with
my mom, but this may have been asking a little too much.

“Okay, I think there is still one more bus that
runs in that direction tonight. But Rose…you owe me big!”

After thanking Jillian profusely, I snapped my
phone closed, turn off the car and put the key under the mat. I
wasn't worried if it would be safe here or not, as we lived in a
pretty nice neighborhood. As a matter of fact, my mother’s death
had been the only bad thing to ever happen here.

As I rounded the corner, I noticed that Dad’s
car wasn’t in the driveway.
Thank God!
I just couldn’t
imagine how my dad would react if he came home to an empty house.
Actually, I could imagine, and it scared the hell out of me. I
pictured him being so scared that he called the police in a panic,
or worse yet, having a heart attack and collapsing on the floor. I
refused to put him through that, even if it did cut into my social
life.

I went around the back of the house, let myself
in, and headed straight for the kitchen. How was I going to explain
the lack of food, when I was supposed to have had the driver stop
for takeout? As I rummaged through the refrigerator, I heard Dad’s
keys unlocking the front door.
Shit, shit, shit.
I quickly
shut the fridge, turned on the faucet, and began washing my hands
just as Dad came around the corner and stopped in the doorway.

“Hi honey, how was your day?”

I wondered if the driver had given him the heads
up regarding the change of plans after school. I was pretty sure
that he had, so I decided to stick with that for the basis of my
story.

“Not great. I wasn’t feeling well today, and
because of it I ended up having to stay after school. But Ms.
Culver was nice enough to give me a ride home.”

As he looked at me with a tilt of his head, I
started to panic. “Yeah, that’s what Dennis told me. So what’s with
the get up?”

Oh good, he was just questioning my sundress,
darker make-up and wavy hair.
“Oh, nothing. Just being a girl.
After I got home and ate something, I was feeling better, so I
decided to clean out my closet. I've been trying on clothes and
messing with my hair. I thought maybe I’d wear this the next time I
go over to Jillian’s. The whole family always goes out to dinner
whenever I stay over,” I said as my stomach growled.

“I think it looks great,” he said, "and
actually, I think you will be headed over to Jill’s next week. I
just have to confirm some arrangements for my business meeting in
Masen, and then I'll let you know for sure.”

“Okay, sounds good. Well, I’m gonna turn in. I
want to make sure I get up early enough to have a decent breakfast.
I think that’s why I didn’t feel good today. I just hadn’t eaten
enough.”

God, I really couldn’t stand myself.

“Okay, honey. Get some rest; I’ll see you in the
morning, and how about I cook this time? Give daddy’s little girl a
break.”

And now I was feeling sick for real.

* * * * *

CHAPTER SIX

Second Chances

(Christian)

After the club closed, Dax came out of the
rising pit and headed straight for Evangeline’s office. They were
in there for about fifteen minutes while the rest of us cleaned up
the evidence of tonight's good time. As they came out, the puzzled
look on Evie’s face had me feeling cautious as she waved us over to
join her.

“After receiving Dax’s report, I’ve decided that
I need to keep Terrance around for further questioning.” Evie's
voice was sharp and to the point.

This was a first. Evie usually didn’t give
second chances, and as far as I was concerned, I thought Terrance
had already been pushing it for a while.

“What did Terrance say?” Curiosity was getting
the better of me.

“His revelations about tonight were exactly what
we thought they would be. He woke and snuck out early, then made
his way out to the interstate and sliced the poor girl’s tire. When
she glided her car to a stop along the woods, he grabbed her. He
was not gentle and he planned to leave her for dead all along.” At
that last statement, the anger lacing her tone was so thick it
almost left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Then why are you letting him live?” I demanded.
“His actions tonight not only put us in danger, but it’s obvious
that he is starting to revel in the kill.”

Closing her eyes briefly, she composed herself.
“Christian, please know that I have yours, and everyone else’s best
interests at heart when I make my decisions. There is something
within Terrance’s mind that I have to explore before I can dispose
of him,” she replied calmly. “But once I get my answers, he
will
meet the true death.”

I noticed Dax had been quieter than usual during
our little meeting, and now his head hung even lower with Evie’s
last words. Dax had petitioned Evie to change Terrance when he
found him back in the old world working as a blacksmith. There had
been an accident that had left Terrance's hands terribly burned.
With his livelihood ripped away, he had no way to support his
family. But if he were to die, his wife could remarry and gain the
stability she and their children needed. Dax had explained this
Evie, and so the two of them with their caring hearts, decided to
add Terrance to our clan, freeing both him and his family from a
terrible fate.

“Terrance will remain chained in the pit until
further notice. No one is to talk to him unless I or Dax say so.”
She didn’t have to raise her voice or repeat herself, for the
command in her voice was enough to paralyze us all into doing
exactly what she wanted. Another benefit to being the Sire. When
the Sire gave a command, the rest of us had to obey. It was a skill
she didn't use very often.

Evie headed towards the front of the club,
taking Bobby and Dominique with her. I assumed they were headed out
to gather the girl's body that was still in the woods and dispose
of her car. I walked over to Dax and placed my hand on his
shoulder. We’d been together for so long that I didn’t have to say
a word in order to express my sympathy, but I thought I’d better
apologize for sounding so “pro-death” when it came to Terrance.
“I’m sorry. I really wish he would drift back to himself so we
could stop this.”

He looked at me with sadness in his eyes. “He’s
not going to. Since about six months ago, Terrance has had trouble
drifting back after he feeds. Evie and I noticed it and were
keeping an even closer eye on him than usual, but then this
happened," he said, gesturing to the front door. "Not only is he
terrorizing and killing his prey, but he has now lost all regard
for the rest of the clan’s safety. No...he’s not drifting
back.”

“What happened that would cause him to change so
much?”

“Not sure. But that’s what Evie’s gonna find
out.” With sadness in his eyes, Dax clapped me on the shoulder then
walked away.

As I headed out to help Evie and the others, I
thought I heard Dax say something else, but I couldn’t quite make
it out. I thought he'd whispered, “Man I wish I knew how he was
keeping those thoughts from me.”

Now I understood. Dax hadn’t been able to pull
specific
thoughts from Terrance. That was highly unusual and
now I could see why Evie wanted to question him further. And I
couldn’t wait to find out what she discovered.

* * * * *

CHAPTER SEVEN

Business Unusual

(Rose)

The following week went by fast enough. I didn’t
get into anymore trouble at school, and now every morning Dad made
sure I had a good breakfast so I wouldn’t get sick again.
Yes, I
know...I made that bed, and now I was lying in it.
I talked to
Jill and made sure she had retrieved her car with no problems,
which she had, and I was scheduled to stay with her again this
Friday night.

That was the topic of our recent conversation.
She made sure to tell me that this Friday night was when she would
be collecting on the favor I owed her.
Great! This didn't sound
good.

Friday night arrived, and as I waved goodbye to
my dad as he pulled out of Jill’s driveway, her hushed voice
drifted to my ear. “If I’m going to help you sneak out to see
Christian again, you are going to take me with you!”

That wasn't what I had been expecting, but as I
couldn’t see any harm in it, I happily agreed. “Okay, sure. I think
that could be fun. And, since you are twenty-one, you can actually
go inside while I'm,
ahem
, occupied with Christian."

After explaining to her parents that we wanted
to skip dinner so that we could take in a double feature at the
movie theatre, we began to get dressed and I realized that this was
going to be the most time that I’ve been able to spend with
Christian in months. Usually, I had to wait for Jill’s parents to
fall asleep, and then with her help, sneak out without waking them,
setting off the dog, or tripping the flood lights. Once all this
was accomplished, I would only have a couple hours to get there,
see Christian, and get back. But tonight, we had checked the movie
times, and after taking our drive time into account, we had gotten
the okay to be gone for about four hours.

Honestly, I really didn’t know what Christian
and I were going to do to fill the time. I mean, don’t get me
wrong, I had plenty of yummy ideas of what I could do with
Christian if we were alone for that long, but it wasn’t like he
could take a four hour break. With me still being twenty and not
able to legally enter the club yet, I was thinking tonight would be
the perfect time to take Evangeline up on her previous offer. I
just hoped she was still in a generous mood or else I would be
stuck outside in the car for about three hours, while Jill and
Christian were both inside without me.
Yeah, that would
suck.

Jillian's question shook me out of my thoughts.
“Does this look okay?”

Jill was on the volleyball team at school and
had a great, athletic body: lean and muscular, with minimal curves
and a small chest. So when I turned around, I was shocked. First
off, I noticed that Jill had darkened her makeup quite a bit from
the last time we were in front of the mirror, and her dark brown
hair was now hanging loose instead of pulled up at the sides like
before. Secondly, I didn’t even know she owned clothes like this.
It was like I was looking at a stranger. She wore a red leather
miniskirt and a silver sequin halter, with a long, black,
scarf-like duster over it, and knee-high black boots. “Um, yeah!
You look really hot actually.” I tried not to sound as stunned as I
felt.

“Cool. The last time I was in that club was to
go pee after that concert, and I tell you what...the people in
there just oozed sex. I just want to make sure I fit in.”

Huh, I guess I had better rethink my
outfit.
I had never really thought about the patrons of The
Rising Pit, as I was always in my own little world with Christian
in the backseat of his car. But I had to admit, her comment sparked
a bit of insecurity in me. Maybe I should be more worried about the
people who surrounded Christian night after night. What if I wasn’t
the only girl he made out with in the back of his car? Now I felt
nauseous. “I’m going to go change.”

After trading my plain jeans and tank top in for
a black, sleek fitting dress and heels, Jill and I made our way out
of the house without being spotted by her parents. We voiced our
goodbyes and headed out the front door.

We were ten minutes away from the club when
Jill, with a hint of teasing in her voice asked, “So, have you and
Christian done the deed yet?”

“No, unfortunately,” I huffed. This was
something that I hoped we would remedy soon, but again, the idea of
finally being that intimate with my boyfriend in the backseat of
his car wasn’t exactly at the top of my “most romantic moments”
list. But at this point, I was getting desperate, so it might just
have to do.

“Well, maybe if Evangeline lets you in tonight,
you and Christian can sneak in one of those private booths they
have upstairs and finally seal the deal,” Jill laughed.

“How do you know there are private booths
upstairs?” I was curious because I had never been inside long
enough to really take everything in, and I didn’t think she had
either.

“When I was in there to use the bathroom,
someone was talking about the private booths upstairs, saying that
she wished she could get an invitation or something. I just thought
that since Christian has access, it would be the perfect place for
you guys to score some alone time tonight!”

Suddenly I felt a rush of sexual energy pulse
through my veins. “Well,
if
Evangeline lets me in tonight, I
think you're right; a private tour sounds like the perfect
plan."

After we parked and Jill went inside to let
Christian know we were here, I kept thinking about what she had
said about those private booths. I mean, I know that the club had a
reputation for being a very sultry place, but honestly, I had never
really spent much time thinking about what went on in there. As I
looked up from my ponderings, I saw Christian walking towards me.
Damn, he’s sexy.
Suddenly, I hoped that what I had in mind
was
exactly
what went on inside.