Slade

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Thirty-six Hours Earlier

Chelsey

“Chelsey, you have to eat something,” insisted my cousin, who was sitting in the front seat of Slade’s souped-up ‘68 Firebird. It was late, just shortly after bar hours, and we were in line at a fast-food place.

“I’m not hungry,” I repeated as we moved closer to the drive-thru menu.

She turned around and looked back at me. “You’re sure? How long has it been since you’ve eaten?”

“I don’t know, and yes, I’m sure,” I said, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in my temples. “Seriously, I’m not hungry.”

She studied my face. “You okay?” she asked, her voice softening. “You don’t look so good.”

“I have a migraine.”

“Oh, man. You still get those?”

“Not usually.”

“That’s a bummer,” she answered, turning back around. “The injury to your head must have triggered it. What did the doctor tell you?”

“That I had a slight concussion, but I’d be fine.”

“He give you any drugs for the pain?” she asked.

“There was no time. I had to bolt. Sheriff Caleb was on his way back to the room.”

“That’s right. We’ll have to get you something later.”

I nodded, thinking about how my mother used to help soothe the migraines by massaging my temples, and got a lump in my throat. Both of my parents were either missing or dead and I was currently on the run with my cousin, Melody, and Slade, the lead singer of Venom. On the run from real-life vampires and a creature named Faye, who could change into a flying reptile. It was an unbelievable and crazy situation.

“I still think you should eat. How about something with caffeine?” she asked. “Doesn’t that usually help?”

“I just need a place to crash,” I said as we stopped in front of the menu and a voice greeted us.

“Are you ready to order?” asked the cashier.

“Just a minute, please,” said Slade.

“Go ahead when you’re ready,” replied the girl.

“God, I’m so hungry I could order the entire menu,” said Melody, leaning closer to Slade, our rescuer. He was a vampire, and although I knew I should be grateful for his help, I couldn’t quite get myself to trust him. Plus, he wasn’t exactly pleasant to be around. He’d been quiet for the last few hours and it almost seemed like he was pissed off that he’d taken on the task of helping us. At least that’s what it felt like to me. Melody, on the other hand, didn’t seem to notice. She obviously still had the hots for him.

“You ready?” asked Slade, tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel as she studied the menu.

“Wait. I’m thinking. Can I order whatever I want?” she asked.

“Yeah. Be my guest,” he replied.

“Cool. Um....could you get me a bacon-cheeseburger – without mustard – fries, and a strawberry shake?” she asked.

“Sure.” He looked over his shoulder at me. “What about you?”

I stared at him in disbelief.

Had he just arrived to the conversation?

“Like I said before, I don’t want anything.”

“Why?” he asked, frowning.

“Because... I’m not hungry,” I insisted, just as my stomach growled.

He grunted. “Right.”

Gritting my teeth, I looked away. “Whatever. Don’t worry about me.”

“Is she always this stubborn?” he muttered to Melody.

“If I remember correctly... yes. She most certainly is.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Sir, are you ready to order yet?” asked a girl through the intercom, sounding a little impatient.

“Sorry, hold on,” he answered and turned back to Melody. “So, nothing for Chelsey?”

“Oh, for God’s sake, just order her the same damn thing as me,” she huffed. “I guarantee she’ll eat it once she smells the food.”

“Whatever, Melody,” I said.

“Save it for later, if you’re not hungry,” she argued. “Just get her the food, Slade. Please.”

“Okay,” he answered and then placed the order.

“Your total is seventeen dollars and six cents. Please pull ahead,” said the cashier.

“Wait, what about you, Slade? Aren’t you getting anything?” asked Melody, as he drove forward.

I snorted. “What did you expect him to order? I doubt they have what Slade is craving. Even White Castle wouldn’t be able to satisfy it.”

Slade’s green eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, which was surprising in itself. In books and movies it was a known fact that you couldn’t see a vampire’s reflection. Obviously, they’d gotten it all wrong. It made me wonder what other surprises were in store for us.

“You’d be surprised of what my cravings consisted of,” he answered, his eyes glittering. Something about the way he stared at me made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

“Do you really drink blood?” asked Melody.

He sighed. “Do you really want to know?”

“I think it’s more that we need to know,” I answered, still irritated with him.

“Fine. Yes, I do.”

“Human?” asked Melody, who I noticed had inched closer to her door.

“When it’s available.”

“Have you killed anyone for their blood?” I asked as we moved closer to the cashier’s window.

He took longer to answer this time. “Yes. I’ve killed... but not for blood consumption.”

We’d both seen the m******e in Faye’s office. It had been a scene right out of a grisly horror movie. He was definitely not a stranger to death. Nor were the others in his band.

Melody smiled weakly. “Oh. Well, I’m sure you had good reason to do what you did.”

He didn’t respond. We pulled up to the window, and Slade took out his wallet. “Anything else?”

“No, I’m good,” said Melody.

“You?” he asked.

“Yes,” I answered, looking back outside into the darkness. “Like I’ve said a number of times, I don’t need anything.”

Just my life back...

Slade paid for the food and we drove up to the next window to pick it up.

“Here,” he said, handing me one of the shakes. Then he tossed Melody the bag of food. The familiar smell of salty fries filled the air and I was secretly glad they’d ordered me something, despite my protests.

“So, where are we going now?” asked Melody, dipping a fry into her shake.

Slade rolled his window down further, letting in the fresh air. “Not sure. I’m waiting to hear from Liam. He’s still trying to find out if your friend, Susan, is alive.”

“God, I hope she is,” I said, thinking back to the terrified look on her face when the gargoyle had whisked her away. The guilt of not being able to save her was still eating at me. If she died, it would be my fault and I didn’t know if I could live with that kind of guilt.

“Try not to get your hopes up,” he said. “Faye is a heartless b***h. I’ve heard that she hates mortals, especially ones that are a threat.”

“Threat? Now, how in the hell could we possibly be a threat?” said Melody, dipping another fry into her shake. “With all of her powers and crap. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Sure it does. Think about it. You know what she is,” he explained.

I wondered if he thought of us as a threat, too. “This is really messed up,” I replied, wishing I’d never agreed to step foot into her club. “If what you say is true, she isn’t going to stop looking for us until we’re not a threat.”

“Probably not,” he said.

“Neither will those Roamers,” said Melody. “They do whatever the hell she asks. It’s like she’s their queen or something.”

“They probably fear her power so they’re easy to manipulate,” said Slade.

“Okay, what exactly is a Roamer? Some kind of werewolf?” I asked.

“Basically, they’re vampires. It’s what they call them in this country,” mocked Slade. “Ridiculous.”

“You don’t like the Roamers very much, do you?” stated Melody, smiling.

“Not the minions working for her,” he said. “I have nothing against the rest of them.”

“What exactly happened between you guys in Faye’s office?” I asked.

“They tried to force me into something I wasn’t interested in. Then she used the Roamers to try and threaten me.”

“What was she trying to force you into?” I asked.

He didn’t reply.

“I think you owe us an explanation,” I said. “After everything we’ve been through.”

He took his time to answer. “Faye wanted full control of us. In other words, she wanted to add us to her minion collection. When I declined, she tried offering Melody to me. To sweeten the deal.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

“That b***h wanted him to suck my blood,” said Melody. She turned to him and her eyes narrowed. “To be honest, Slade, you looked like you were about ready to do it, too.”

He looked at her. “I almost did.”

“So, you actually came close to ripping my throat out?” asked Melody, now looking horrified.

“Calm down. I didn’t do it. Anyway, I wouldn’t have ripped out your throat,” he answered, smirking. “I have more control than that.”

“Oh, well that makes me feel so much better,” she answered sarcastically. “Speaking of eating...” She turned around and handed me a burger. “Here, Chelsey. Eat this now. I doubt it’s going to taste good later.”

“Thanks,” I said, taking it from her. It was warm and the smell of bacon made my mouth water. I opened the wrapper and took a big bite. As I chewed, I noticed Slade eyeing me in the mirror again. I wondered if eating in front of him was a bad idea. I certainly didn’t want to make him hungry.

“What’s it like to smell food like this but be unable to eat it?” asked Melody. “Does it drive you crazy?”

“Actually, It doesn’t really do anything for me,” he replied.

Her eyes widened. “Really? This food doesn’t do anything for you? It does something to me,” she said, grinning. “I couldn’t imagine living without it. Especially, pizza. I’d die if I couldn’t have pizza.”

“My hunger is triggered by other things. Scent is definitely one of them, but what smells good to you, doesn’t always to me.”

“French fries? They don’t smell good?” she asked, stuffing one in her mouth.

“I smell the grease that it’s cooked in and it’s rather unpleasant, actually,” he replied. “Our diets are different and we have extremely high metabolisms. Plus, we feed to survive, whereas many of you eat simply for the pleasure, or because you’re... bored.”

“So, you don’t get any pleasure from consuming blood?” I asked, not believing it.

“On the contrary. There is lots of pleasure. Sometimes for the victim as well,” he said. “I just don’t feed unless I’m lacking nutrients.”

“What do you mean by that?” I said, horrified. “I mean... how could there be pleasure for the victim?”

“We can release some kind of chemical endorphin into your bloodstream while we’re doing it. Some say it’s almost... orgasmic.”

“Orgasmic, huh?” said Melody, winking at me. “I guess that’s not so bad then.”

I grimaced. I couldn’t believe she found anything good about a vampire drinking someone’s blood. But then, Melody enjoyed s*x. Anything to do with that kind of pleasure was ‘okay’ in her book. I was a virgin and had no idea what orgasmic felt like, so I wouldn’t be volunteering my neck anytime soon.

“I was going to ask you, Slade,” said Melody. “Has anyone ever told you that your cologne smells like candy?”

“I’m not wearing cologne.”

“Oh. Well, whatever it is, you smell very, very good,” she said, smiling at him coyly. “And you’re not too hard on the eyes, either.”

He smiled. “Thanks. Our glands give off a distinctive scent which is supposed to entice mortals.”

Melody moved closer and inhaled. “Well, you smell like caramel.”

“Sometimes I’ve been told that it’s vanilla or butterscotch,” he said. “It depends on the person.”

“You mean the victim,” I replied, feeling slightly nauseated by the conversation.

His eyes hardened. “I don’t take victims.”

“Let’s just be honest here. Your scent lures in your prey. Heck, everything about you is...” Enticing. I stopped, unwilling to say the word out loud.