“I saw you come in with Bane,” she chirps, confirming my intuition that she is looking for information. Everything about her feels fake and off. “Known each other for long?”
“Nope.” I take another sip from my glass.
She shoots me a quick sideways look like she’s both shocked and irritated I didn’t offer her more details. Then she lets out an exasperated sigh.
“Oh, I get it. He’s just helping you transition, right?” she shakes her head, and I see her curly bob bounce in my periphery. “I should have known, I mean, helping the new girls get settled in is probably his favorite perk of the job if you know what I mean.”
It’s as if a switch flicks on without warning, and I feel my emotions snap back into place like a rubber band held taut for too long. Only one feeling seems to be in control now, anger. My body and mind fill with a rage more aggressive than anything I’ve ever felt before, I throw my glass to the ground and turn on Allison, fangs bared, an animalistic snarl escaping from between my lips.
“Well, that was easier than I expected,” she says cheerfully, her own fangs sliding down into place. “I guess I hit a nerve, huh? Just tell me how it happened, or better yet, how about if I guess. Did he take you home, and give you blood and a pep talk, make you think he was your knight in shining armor? Then you fell head over heels for him, and you were dumb enough to believe that he would be your happily-ever-after? Ring any bells?”
She laughs, a shrill cackle that sends chills through my bones.
“Why should I believe anything you say?” I snap.
“Were my details not spot on enough for you? Are you so far down the rabbit hole you’ve completely forgotten the real world? Here’s a little reminder, when something seems too good to be true, it usually is,” she whispers, sneering at me with her ruby red lips. “But if you need more proof, I could talk about Bane all night. The dark tattoos that cover his perfect body, the feeling of his fangs sinking into my breasts, the way he loves to shower in the dark.”
I feel my brain relaxing, coming down from the emotional high I was just on. I also feel nauseous. Allison’s words sink in and I realize that Bane has done more than hide the truth, he’s also played me. I want to pretend that Allison is just a trouble maker, tell myself that she’s lying and screwing with my head. But she’s given me enough proof to last a lifetime. I hate that I’m finding out here and from her, but it’s better to learn the truth about him now, to cut my losses than get in any deeper. Bane warned me- the people that get close to him don’t get happy endings. Maybe I should have listened. His dark and damaged past I would have taken without a second thought, but this? Being a conquest, a notch in his bedpost, or some kind of fixer-upper project? No thanks. If Allison wants him, she can have him. I’m better off alone than with that kind of drama. I press my eyes closed and take a deep breath before turning and heading for the door.
“He’ll get bored, and he’ll leave you! You aren’t the first, and you won’t be the last!” Allison shrieks from behind me as I pull the door open and step out into the quiet hallway.
I suck in as much air as I can and hold it for a second, then I exhale slowly to calm my racing heart. As I head for the elevator, I’m reminded of something I learned a long time ago, You can’t leave what’s already gone. The mantra got me through all of my high school relationships and gave me the final push I needed to leave my parent's house when Kit offered me a chance at a fresh start here in Philly. I repeat the words over and over in my head as I ride the elevator to the lobby and head out onto the street. I pull out my phone and dial Kit’s number, I know it’s selfish, and I shouldn’t put him in danger. But, I fed an hour ago, and I really need to see him right now, to make sure he doesn’t hate me and isn’t terrified of me.
“Piper?”
“Yup, just me. What’s up?” I ask, walking down the unfamiliar street.
“Uh. You know, the usual.”
“So, that’s like a fifty-fifty coin toss between working or playing Madden,” I laugh into the line.
“You know me so well. I’m just finishing up some research for a new client. Can’t really sell a six-figure marketing plan if I don’t even know what the hell these guys do,” he says, exhaling slowly.
“You sound like you could use some cheese fries and a beer,” I say.
My heart is racing, and I realize that for the first time in our friendship, I'm genuinely afraid Kit will turn me down, make up an excuse to avoid me, or worse, just tell me he doesn’t want to see me.
“That is exactly what I need. You want to meet at Deliah’s in twenty?” he asks.
I’m pretty sure I detect a hint of uncertainty or hesitation in his voice, but I’m too happy to read into it.
“Uh, actually, let’s make it thirty.”
“Alright, see you then. Oh, and Piper?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t stand me up this time,” he jokes before the line cuts out.
I hail the next cab and ask the driver to take me toward Fairmount. It only takes me a few minutes to realize that the area i’m leaving is Rittenhouse, because why wouldn’t the vampire king and his minions meet in the ritziest area of the whole damn city? I can’t help but let my mind wander to Bane, wondering how he reacted when he walked into his expensive penthouse full of obedient vampires and realized I was gone. I wonder if anyone told him what happened. Everyone in that room must have heard. Afterall, they all have supernatural hearing. I shake my head, pushing the thoughts away. For tonight I’m not a vampire with a growing list of problems, I’m just an ordinary girl out on the town with her best friend- a completely normal Saturday night in the city.
The driver swipes my card, and I step onto the sidewalk in front of Deliah’s. I can hear every bump of the bass and every word of Youngblood even though the door is closed. Do I wish anything else was playing right now? Absolutely, but I’m not going to let one song ruin my mood. I step through the door and wave at Ernie, leaning my hand in front of the college-age kids waiting to get their hands stamped for the night. It’s no mystery why younger crowds and hipsters with questionable hygiene love to get piss-drunk at my favorite hole in the wall. Deliah’s has greasy bar snacks and cheap booze, what more could a young starving artist want? Ernie re-inks his stamper before marking the back of my hand with a neon green T-Rex. I wrinkle my nose, unable to hide my crooked smile, and then a laugh escapes. He winks at me in a way that only a seventy-year-old married man could get away with. I spot Kit at a booth directly across from the bar and slip through the packed standing room, falling onto the empty bench opposite him a minute later.
“What’d you get?” I ask him, huffing out a dramatic breath from fighting my way through the crowd. He rolls his eyes, flashes me his hand. A blue glass slipper comes into view. I don’t even try to hide my reaction. I laugh until a snort escapes, and I drop my forehead onto my arms on top of the table. When I finally catch my breath and wipe the tears from the corner of my eyes, I lay my hand on the table.
“Seriously? You get the best dinosaur to ever walk the earth, and I get some clumsy bimbos shoe?” Kit complains, shaking his head.