Crimson Death (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #25)(8)

I thought about it. On a Tuesday? I got that it was the first day of school, but really? It’d take a lot of bribery on my part to get permission. Assuming no one needed me for babysitting. I could deal with that if it came up, though. I knew what happened if you turned down your first invitation at a new school: you never got a second one. I’d seen it happen a few times to kids back home. If I could help it, it wouldn’t happen to me. “Yeah, sure. Text me your address.”

With that, we hastily exchanged numbers. Then the bell was ringing, and Juliette was dragging me by the wrist to my first class. It seemed I was adopted into the rose-necklace group. Provisionally at least. I’d far from nailed my first impression, but apparently it hadn’t been a total fail.

Good. This was good. Homeroom: achievement unlocked. The hardest part was over. It’d be all downhill from here. I could feel it.





3


I buried my toes in the sand while the kids played in the shallows. It was one of those days where it was so warm the horizon seemed wavy and distorted. The sky was a darker, richer blue than usual, contrasting starkly against the fir-covered hills across the lake.

A shadow to my right told me I wasn’t alone. Not that I was strictly alone to begin with—there were at least forty others scattered around, bobbing in the water, lounging on beach towels, perched at picnic benches. But none of them noticed me.

Will sat down beside me, staring out at the lake as he did. Today he wore dark denim shorts and a crisp white V-neck that made his warm skin seem even deeper. “Those kids yours?” he asked, without glancing at me. He was being cute. I kind of loved it.

“Nope. Never seen them in my life,” I joked.

“Oh. Excellent. Shall we go somewhere a bit more private, then?”

I bumped my shoulder against his, grinning. “Wish I could. I’m on duty ’til at least two or three, though.”

He kicked off his shoes and settled in. “Good thing I’ve cleared my calendar for the day.”

I brightened. “Yeah? Don’t you have that buffet tonight?”

“Technically, I do. But I thought about it, and realized I’d rather hang with you. Hope you don’t mind me imposing.”

There they were again. The familiar butterflies. They spent a lot of time fluttering around lately. “Well, it’s a bit of an inconvenience.”

“You’ll forgive me for it eventually.”

Crista noticed him first, and she sprinted out of the water, with Dylan toddling closely behind her. “Will! Will, you missed me before, I did a handstand.”

“A handstand? Now I’m impressed. Do you think you could do it again?”



I may have slipped into the dinner conversation that I was super late for school after they forced me to stop for breakfast. Just to amp up the likelihood I’d get a yes and escape the house tonight. I know, I know, I shouldn’t have been guilting my parents when they had tried to do something nice for me, but I was desperate. It worked like a charm, too. After graciously forgiving them, I brought up the party in a casual tone, and the next thing I knew they’d said yes— with the caveat that Mom had to drop me off and pick me up. It was a family rule for any event that might have alcohol around somewhere, in case I made Bad Choices.

I ended up at Juliette’s at seven-thirty. There was something about this town. Everyone seemed to live in semi-mansions. At least, compared to my suburb back home. It was like no one here had ever heard of a single-storey house.

Juliette’s mom steered me straight upstairs.

“I am so sorry you had to see the house like this. Usually we have it much neater, but Juliette thought she would wait until we got home from work to ask if she could have friends over.”

I’d seen messier hotel rooms ready for check-in. I tried hard to locate the “mess” on my way upstairs, like a real-life game of Where’s Waldo? One of the trimmed pillows on the couch looked like it was a bit crooked. That might have been it.

Juliette’s room, on the other hand, was what you could call messy. Could probably call it trashed, even. The floor— at least, I think there was a floor, it was hard to tell—was covered in no fewer than three layers of clothing. Juliette was wandering around her room in a bra and a denim skirt, digging through the floordrobe. Presumably for a shirt. She didn’t seem bothered when she noticed me walk in, either. What was it with girls and boundaries when it came to guys they knew were gay? I mean, Jesus, I’d just met her, and now I knew she had a mole sitting right under her left bra cup. Was I the only one who thought that was kind of weird? Really?

Niamh and Lara sat crossed-l egged on the king-sized bed. On the bedside table a half-empty bottle of soda stood beside a Minnie Mouse lamp. Lara was still in her outfit from school, but Niamh had changed into a black romper. Significantly more glamorous than the workout gear she’d worn all day. Both girls looked up as I came in; then, with a relieved sigh, Niamh fished a vodka bottle out from beneath Juliette’s pillow. I guessed they’d thought I was Juliette’s mom.

Niamh patted the bed next to her with one hand, refilling her drink with the other. “Ollie-oop! You made it.”

Guess that nickname was sticking. Joy.

Juliette clapped her hands, retrieved a metallic silver shirt from the chaos, and turned to me. “Hey you. I’ll grab you a glass. You can share our vodka.”