Vamps (15 page)

T
he rest of the night Cally was riding high on the adrenaline buzz that came from breaking the rules and getting away with it. As she sat through her remaining classes, she decided that being sent to Bathory Academy wasn't so bad after all.

Granted, the majority of the school's faculty and student body couldn't be counted on to spit on her if she was on fire, but now she could see that not all of them were stuck-up snobs like Carmen and Lilith. Tonight she had made friends with Bette and Exo, and she knew Jules was ready for more. She had to admit that the instructors at Bathory were far better than their counterparts at Varney Hall. Her scrivening instructor, Madame Geraint, was genuinely encouraging and, despite her gruff exterior, Coach Knorrig seemed to be
truly interested in helping her realize her potential.

Although she knew she was attending the school under false pretenses, if she was going to survive in the vampires' world, she would need to learn everything she possibly could about Old Blood society, powers, and abilities, just as she'd learned about humanity from her grandmother and about New Bloods at Varney Hall.

She was still feeling optimistic as she left Madame Boucher's history class. School was over for the night, and as she walked to her locker, Cally wondered if she would run into Peter again on her way home. She hoped so, because she really wanted to tell him about everything that had happened at school today.

With Peter she had found someone who understood where she was coming from and didn't judge her for it. Not wanting to leave seeing him to chance, she used the number he'd given her and called him. They quickly arranged to meet in the cemetery after school. Cally's good mood changed, however, as she reached her locker and saw a folded piece of parchment wedged into one of the ventilation slits.

The note, written in the formal chthonic script of the Old Bloods, read:
Someone saw us. She's going to tell the headmistress if we don't give her money. Meet me in the grotto after school, Bette.

 

As Cally stepped out of the elevator into the corridor that led to the grotto, she realized that the gaslights had been extinguished. The darkness was deeper than any she had ever experienced before. It was like she had stepped out of the elevator car and into the deepest ocean trench.

She stood there for a few moments, allowing her eyes to adjust to the complete absence of light. The darkness began to resolve itself into various shades of gray, and she resumed walking down the hall toward the grotto. At the entrance, she heard a fluttering sound from the eastern end of the cave.

“Hello?” she whispered into the pitch blackness. “I got the note.”

In answer, she heard a flapping sound. Cally looked up, trying to locate the source of the noise, but all she saw were the hand-carved stalactites that hung from the roof like an inverted forest.

“Where are you?”

“Over here,”
a voice whispered from the darkness.

As she moved in the direction of the voice, she felt something crunch under her shoes. She looked down and saw that she had stepped on fragments of silvered glass.

Crouching down to pick up a piece of the shattered mirror, she felt a swoosh of wings so close behind her head it raised the hairs on her neck. Cally jumped up and spun around on her heels, her heart racing in
her chest, but there was no sign of whatever had just flown past.

“Who's there?” she shouted into the blackness. “Answer me!”

Cruel laughter seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. Cally cursed herself for being fool enough to lower her guard. Even though the school was supposed to be a vendetta-free zone, she still should have known better than to walk right into an ambush.

There was a sudden loud explosion of flapping wings and a furry body with the face of a demon hurtled down from its hiding place, slamming into Cally with the force of a car and knocking her onto her back.

As Cally rolled onto her side, the air shimmered about the batlike creature, and suddenly Lilith was standing over her.

“He's mine! All mine and no one else's, you stupid bitch! Now and forever!”
Lilith shrieked, grabbing Cally by the top of her head.

Using a fistful of Cally's hair as a handle, Lilith roughly yanked her to her feet. Cally screamed in pain as she felt her scalp start to tear.

“No one takes what belongs to me and lives to enjoy it!”

“Let go of me, you crazy bitch!” Cally snarled, driving her fist into Lilith's stomach hard enough to make her loosen her grip.

Lilith staggered backward; she stood bowed over, her arms wrapped protectively around her stomach.
Her eyes shone in the darkness as she bit at the air like a rabid animal. “I'm going to kill you, New Blood! I'm going to scatter your guts from here to Broadway!”

“Have you lost your mind?” Cally shouted.

As if in answer, the other girl shrieked and charged headlong at Cally, her fangs bared. Cally nimbly sidestepped her, slamming her elbow into Lilith's back as hard as she could as she zoomed past. Lilith dropped to her knees, staggered by the force of the blow. Cally moved in swiftly, delivering a fierce kick to the ribs.

“I didn't start this, bitch,” Cally snarled. “But I'm sure as hell going to finish it!”

Before Cally could deliver another kick, Lilith's body rippled and contorted, to be replaced by that of a snarling wolf. The transformed Lilith whirled about, snapping at Cally with razor-sharp teeth. Cally quickly jumped back, narrowly avoiding the creature's powerful jaws.

The darkness of the grotto was split by a burst of purple-white light. Lilith yelped in alarm as she cringed at the sight of the strange violet glow shrouding Cally's right hand.

“Get back!” Cally shouted as she held her hand aloft like a torch. Tongues of energy danced on the ends of her fingers like flames on a candelabrum. “I'll fry you if I have to!”

Lilith snarled in defiance and ran on all fours toward the nearest wall. As she reached the rock face, she
changed back into human form, scurrying up its craggy surface as quickly as a lizard. Halfway up the wall, she turned her head around on her shoulders 180 degrees to spit at her adversary below.

“Do you realize what Madame Nerezza will do to you when she finds out about this?” Cally shouted up at her.

“Like I'm worried about what that dried-up cow will do!” Lilith retorted. “I'm a blood relative of the founder of this school and my family is its biggest sponsor! I can do whatever I want at Bathory! And I want you dead, New Blood!”

Lilith's features melted and shifted yet again, becoming those of a monster bat. She pushed herself off the wall, spreading her wings to their full span. Cally ducked as Lilith rushed toward her, but not before her attacker raked her back with a razor-sharp talon. Cally put a hand to her shoulder and it came back wet and red.

“First blood is mine yet again!” Lilith crowed in a high-pitched voice. “Face it, newbie: you're no match against me!”

Cally ducked behind one of the stalagmites as Lilith swooped down low again, her grasping talons extended like landing gear. Cally raised her hand and an arc of lightning shot from her palm. With an angry ultrasonic shriek, Lilith flew back up into the air, disappearing to the upper reaches of the grotto. Cally
scanned the cathedral-like ceiling, trying desperately to figure out where her attacker had gone, but Lilith was too well hidden among the shadows.

Cally was in real trouble, and both of them knew it. Although she and Lilith were equally matched when it came to hand-to-hand combat, she couldn't compete against Lilith's ability to shapeshift or fly. In fact, the only real weapon she had in her arsenal was her stormgathering, and since she'd missed her first shot, it was going to take time and concentration to gather another charge. Cally prayed that Lilith didn't know that and would continue to keep her distance. Her only hope of surviving was getting out of the grotto and over to the elevator. She probably wouldn't make it to the door without Lilith's claws buried in her spine, but she had to take the chance.

Calling up all her courage, Cally dashed as fast as she could through the labyrinth of stalagmites and columns. All of a sudden, from the depths of the cave came an awful shriek, like that of a damned soul put to the flame. Cally looked over her shoulder and saw Lilith plummeting toward her with talons extended, eyes burning with baleful glee, like an ancient harpy snatching up a hapless victim.

Realizing she was as good as dead if Lilith pinned her to the floor from behind, Cally turned and jumped as high as she could, meeting her adversary in midair. Throwing out her arms in a grotesque parody of an
embrace, she pinned Lilith's wings and together they plummeted to the ground.

Unable to gather the lightning needed to defend herself, Cally desperately tried to force Lilith's head back as they rolled around on the hard rock floor of the grotto. Sensing her adversary's weakness, Lilith lunged forward and sank her teeth deep into Cally's right shoulder. Cally screamed in agony as Lilith shook her like a terrier would a rat.

Without warning, Lilith abruptly surrendered her death grip on her enemy. Even through a pain-filled fog, Cally could clearly see shock and surprise in Lilith's beady little bat eyes.

Cally didn't know why Lilith had faltered in her attack, but she wasn't going to question her good luck. Summoning her remaining energy, she used the slight opening to hurl a bolt of electricity from her hand, sending Lilith flying backward. Cally got to her feet and went to where her opponent lay on the floor, whimpering in pain as tendrils of smoke rose from her scorched pelt.

As she stood over her, Lilith raised her head and glared defiantly up at Cally. “Go ahead! What are you waiting for—?” she spat as fur melted away to be replaced by blond hair and perfect tanned skin. “Kill me and get it over with!”

Cally looked down at her clenched right hand, which still glowed with electric fire, then back at Lilith. She
took a deep breath and closed her eyes. The crackling nimbus flickered and faded away to nothing.

“No, Lilith,” Cally said. “Believe it or not, I don't want to kill you.”

“That's bullshit!” Lilith growled. “Stop toying with me and just do it!”

“Will you knock it off with the ‘please kill me' routine? I'm trying to be nice here, although I really don't know
why
I should bother.”

“Don't pretend you don't know why I did this, you slut!” Lilith snarled. “I warned you what would happen if you didn't stay away from what is mine! I saw you with Jules earlier! You're trying to steal him from me, aren't you? Just like you're stealing my friends! That's why you've followed me to the school, isn't it? To rob me of what's mine!”

“Whoa! Will you just calm down for a minute?” Cally said, holding up her hands for silence. “Look, Lilith—I realize what you saw must have looked bad, but there's an innocent explanation behind it. I'm not interested in your boyfriend, and he's not interested in me—”

“I never said he was!” Lilith snapped.

“Whatever the case, you have absolutely nothing to worry about in that department. If you don't believe me, you can ask Jules himself. He'll tell you the truth. You
do
trust him to do that, don't you?”

“Of course! Jules is my promised. He would never lie to me.”

“I'm glad to hear it. As for the reason I'm here at Bathory—you've got it all wrong. Despite what you might think, I haven't been stalking you. I'm not looking to usurp your life. I'm only going to school here because my father threatened to stop sending money to my family if I didn't.”

“Your father?”
Lilith's eyes narrowed to slits.

“Don't ask me why it's so important to him.” Cally sighed. “I've never met the guy. I don't even know his name. Look, I realize we're probably never going to be friends, but there's no need to kill each other over a stupid misunderstanding.”

Lilith stared silently at the ground for a moment and then looked back up at Cally. “Are you going to tell the headmistress about what happened here?”

“I won't mention it if you don't bring up seeing me sneak out of the boys' school.”

“Agreed, then.” Lilith nodded.

“Here, let me help you.”

“Don't touch me!”
Lilith snarled, slapping aside Cally's hand as she got to her feet. “I
still
don't like you, New Blood, and I
certainly
don't trust you! And what I said before still goes: stay away from me and keep away from my friends! And if I
ever
see you talking to Jules again, I'll finish tearing you to pieces!”

With that, Lilith's arms unfurled into wings and she shot into the darkness. Cally stood and watched to make sure she was really gone, just to be on the safe side, before heading back to the elevator.

She hoped her mother would be asleep by the time she got home. Even though her wounds had already healed, she knew Sheila would definitely freak out if she saw the blood on her blazer and blouse. The last thing she needed was her father learning she'd gotten into a fight at school. And with the daughter of Victor Todd, no less.

L
eaving Bathory Academy, Cally was relieved to find the streets empty. After her confrontation in the grotto, she didn't want anyone to know that she relied on the subway for transportation. The last thing she needed was Lilith waiting to jump her as she headed for the number six.

As she walked toward the Eighty-sixth Street station, Cally couldn't wait to be back in Williamsburg, feeling the warmth of Peter's embrace. She was full of stories to tell him except, she suddenly realized, she'd better leave out the part about Jules kissing her hands—and her fantasizing about how it would have felt if he had kissed her on the mouth instead. As much as she would enjoy sharing the details of her life with Peter, a girl still needed to keep a few secrets.

She was lost in thought when a sleek black limousine
pulled up alongside her. Cally rolled her eyes in disgust. Just what she needed to make her night complete: getting cruised by some rich perv on the prowl.

There was a throaty, electric purr as the heavily tinted passenger window slid down, revealing a middle-aged man with graying temples wearing wraparound sunglasses and dressed in an Armani suit. Cally caught the smell of fine Cuban cigars and top-shelf bourbon radiating from him like expensive cologne.

“Would you like a ride, Miss Monture?” the older man asked.

“Get lost, buddy,” she replied flatly before coming to a halt and blinking in surprise. “Hey, wait a minute!” she said, turning back to stare at the man in the sunglasses. “How do you know my name?”

In answer to her question, Bella and Bette Maledetto leaned forward.

“Hi, Cally!”

“Hello, Cally!”

“Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't realize you were Bella and Bette's father!”

“That's quite all right, my dear.” Mr. Maledetto chuckled. “The offer still stands nonetheless.”

“I appreciate it, sir,” Cally said. “But I was just on my way to catch the subway….”

“The train?” Mr. Maledetto snorted in distaste. “A lovely young girl such as you taking the subway at this time of the morning? I would
hate
to think what might
happen!” The passenger door of the limo suddenly swung wide, as if opened by a phantom hand. “Please, allow me to drive you home,” he said, gesturing for her to enter the car. “I
insist
.”

Cally climbed into the limo, making herself comfortable on the seat facing opposite her host and his daughters.

“Bette told Papa what you did for her at school,” Bella said.

“Indeed you did, my pet,” her father said, reaching over to pat Bette's hand. “Miss Monture, I was hoping you would allow me to repay your kindness. What you did for my Bette speaks of a true depth of character. You can't find that kind of substance among the young anymore—at least not in this country.”

“Thank you, Mr. Maledetto.”

“Please, call me Vinnie!” he said with a smile.

“Not
the
Vinnie Maledetto?” Cally gasped in surprise. Suddenly what Bette had said earlier about the other girls at the school being scared of her and her sister made a lot more sense. Their father was the undisputed leader of the Strega, one of the oldest and most successful criminal secret societies in the history of the world.

“Afraid so.” He chuckled. “We Maledettos value our friends, especially those who understand honor and loyalty. So as of tomorrow, I'll be sending one of my drivers to your home to take you to and from school
for the rest of the year.”

“You don't have to do that, Mr. Maledetto!” Cally protested.

“It's the
least
I can do!” he said, dismissing her objection with a wave of his hand. “The truth of the matter is, even if you had not come to my daughter's aid this evening, I still would have sought you out, my dear. You see, I have heard some
very
interesting things about you from a mutual acquaintance.”

Cally frowned. “Who might that be?”

“Coach Knorrig.”

“Coach talked to you about me?” Cally asked, even more puzzled than before.

“Yes, she did. In fact, she came to see me earlier this evening. You see, she and I have something of an arrangement. She keeps me abreast of which students of hers possess potential. One of your talents is stormgathering, is it not?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Stormgathering is a rare ability. Most vampires nowadays can't muster up more than a fog. One of the last who could gather lightning was Morella Karnstein herself. Did you know that?”

Cally flashed back to the portrait of the woman with the haunting eyes and red hair, the one Lilith claimed to be descended from. “No, sir,” she admitted.

“The reason I am telling you this is because Victor Todd has long been a thorn in my side. It would seem
his daughter holds a similar dislike for you,” Maledetto said, pointing to the blood drying on her clothes.

“How do you know she was the one who attacked me?” Cally asked in amazement.

“I can smell her on you,” Maledetto explained. “When you have lived as long as I have, child, you come to know the scent of your enemy's blood.”

Cally was about to say that he must be mistaken, since she wasn't the one who had drawn blood in the battle, then thought better of it. Something told her Vinnie Maledetto wasn't the kind of man you contradicted.

“But before we go any further, I want to make one thing perfectly clear.” Maledetto leaned forward so that his face was inches from her own. He pushed his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose, revealing eyes as black as olives. “Whether New or Old, blood is blood, am I right?”

“Yes, sir,” she replied quietly.

“I like you, Cally,” Vinnie Maledetto said as he leaned back in his seat and removed a Havana from the humidor built into the limo's armrest. “Something tells me that with the proper friends, you will go
very
far in this world of ours. Especially if those friends are the enemies of your enemy's father.”

 

Jules had just checked his watch when the door buzzer finally announced Lilith's arrival. He was surprised to
see that she was still dressed in her Bathory Academy uniform. Normally Lilith couldn't get out of it fast enough.

“Where were you?” he asked. “I was starting to get worried.”

“Something unexpected came up,” she explained. “I had to stay after school for a little bit.”

“Did you get it taken care of?”

“Not really,” she replied, shaking her head. “So why did you want to meet me over here? I thought we were going out tonight.”

“Yeah, well, my folks are away, and since I have the place to myself, I thought maybe it would be nice if we stayed in tonight. We haven't done that in a long time.”

“Yeah, you're right; that would be nice,” she agreed quietly.

“Lili, are you okay?” he asked worriedly. “You seem real distracted.”

“I just have a lot on my mind right now.”

“Are you still upset about Tanith?”

“No, not anymore,” she admitted.

“I'm glad to hear it.” He sighed in relief.

Lilith looked up into his face, as if searching for some sign only she could see. “Jules—I saw you with Cally and Bette in the grotto tonight.”

“What?” Although he felt sharply annoyed, he tried to keep it from showing in his voice. “You saw us?”

“Jules, how
could
you? You kissed her hand!” Lilith wailed, her eyes starting to tear. “You
know
how much I hate that girl!”

Jules kept his face as unreadable as a mask as he cast about for a way out of the situation he now found himself in. At least she wasn't yelling at him. Lilith was virtually impossible to deal with when she was mad. When she was weepy and emotional, that meant she was feeling inadequate, which meant he could work her insecurity to his advantage by making her doubt herself.

“Lilith, I was just helping out Exo. I realize Vinnie Maledetto and your father have bad blood between them, but I'm not stupid enough to offend one of his daughters. Besides, I didn't kiss Bette Maledetto's hand or any other part of her!”

“No, not her!” Lilith snapped. “The New Blood!”

“What do you mean?” Jules said, pretending he didn't know what she was talking about.

“You mean you didn't
recognize
her?” Lilith asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“I didn't get that good a look at her in the park,” he replied. “I was too preoccupied with the Van Helsings.”

“You like her, don't you? I saw you looking at her when you thought no one was watching,” Lilith said accusingly.

Jules laughed and shook his head. “Lili, you have
absolutely nothing to be jealous about! I was just being polite, that's all. The only reason I was with her in the first place was as a favor to Exo. There's nothing more to it than that.”

“So, you're not attracted to her at all?” Lilith asked, her tone more hopeful than before.

“Of course not!” he lied. “Besides, I think Exo's kinda sweet on her.”

“Exo and Cally?” Lilith couldn't help but giggle at the idea of the two of them together.

Jules brushed a stray strand of hair out of Lilith's face as he kissed her on the forehead. “You and your overactive imagination! You're always finding things to worry about that aren't really there. That's why I thought it would be nice to take your mind off things tonight.”

“How so?” she asked.

“You'll see,” he said with a mischievous smile. “But you have to trust me first. Do you? Do you trust me, Lili?”

Lilith looked into his eyes and smiled. “Of course I do.”

Reaching inside his pocket, Jules pulled out one of his father's black silk handkerchiefs. “Turn around so I can blindfold you.”

“How do I know you won't simply tie me up and ravish me?”

“Like I said, you have to trust me.”

“Don't get me wrong,” she said as he knotted the handkerchief over her eyes. “I have no problems with being ravished!”

“That's my Lili.” He chuckled. “Now give me your hand.”

“What are you doing?” She giggled nervously as Jules took her hand, leading her from the formal living room in the direction of the stairs.

“It's a surprise.”

“What kind of surprise?”

“If I told you that, then it wouldn't be a surprise anymore, would it?” He laughed. “Oops. Watch out. Here comes a step. And another.”

“Jules, this is crazy!” She reached up and fumbled with the knot on the blindfold. “I'm taking this thing off!”

“Don't you dare!” he said, pulling her hands back down. “I know you like to be in control of whatever situation you're in, just like your dad, but you've got to learn to just relax, Lilith.”

“That's a sure way of getting me horny.” She laughed. “Compare me to my father!”

“Would you rather I compared you to your mom?”

“Point taken.”

A flight of stairs and several tangled embraces later, they reached the second floor.

“Can I take this thing off yet?” she asked.

“Just one more second.” There was a sound of
curtains being pulled back, followed by a glass door being pushed along its track. “Okay, you can look now.”

Jules removed the blindfold from her eyes, smiling expectantly. Lilith looked past him onto the large balcony and saw dozens upon dozens of lit candles arranged about the terrace.

“It's beautiful!” she gasped.

“Come outside,” he said, gesturing for her to follow him. “I have another surprise.”

Lilith stepped out onto the candlelit patio. With a flourish, Jules handed her a small, dark blue box from De Beers.

“Open it, Lili,” he urged, eager to see her reaction and reap his reward.

Lilith untied the red ribbon and opened the box slowly. She was thrilled to find a slender white gold chain attached to a heart-shaped pendant encrusted with black and white diamonds.

“Oh, Jules! It's gorgeous!” she exclaimed.

“Do you like it?”

“Like it? I love it! Here, help me put it on!” She pulled her silky blond hair up and turned around so he could fasten the chain around her neck. Once the latch was secure, she quickly turned back, peering anxiously into his cat-green eyes. “How do I look?”

“You look beautiful.” He smiled, gently caressing
her cheek with the back of his hand.

Jules was congratulating himself on pulling it off when Lilith's smile suddenly flickered and disappeared, like a flame caught in a strong draft. “I know this sounds weird, but if our families had never promised us to each other, would you have picked me on your own?”

“Of course,” he replied with all the conviction he could muster.

“What if your father told you that the marriage contract had been changed? That you were to be promised to someone else? Would you do as you were told or would you stay with me, even if it meant surrendering your bloodright?”

“That's wild,” Jules said with a laugh. “What's the point in worrying about something that couldn't possibly happen in the first place? Why not ask me if we'd still be together if I looked like Exo and you weighed three hundred pounds?”

“Yeah, I guess you're right,” she said. “You know, Tanith once told me I was lucky that I was promised to you. I thought she just meant you were good-looking. But now I realize it was more than just that.”

Jules took her hands in his and brought them to his lips, kissing them as he had Cally's. “I've got some AB neg laced with bourbon warming in the kitchen.”

“Yum. My favorite.”

“I aim to please.” He smiled as he headed back into
the penthouse. “Why don't you just enjoy the view while I go get us something to drink? I'll be back in a couple of minutes.”

Lilith walked to the edge of the terrace and looked out at the concrete spires and canyons of the city. The wind from the river played with her hair, gently spinning it around her head like a spiderweb made of gold. She glanced down at the sparkling diamond pendant resting against her breastbone and wrapped her fingers about it possessively.