Page 80 of Wicked Bite
“Sassy, I like it.” He crooked his finger at me, then turned and walked away.
Excitement flooded my body and I wanted to run and play all night long. It was all so new, and I might’ve been dead, but I’d never felt so alive. I jogged to catch up to him, which only took a second. We wound our way through people huddled on the streets, broken down cars, and crumbling buildings. Had I been human, this whole scene would’ve freaked me out and had me holding my taser at the ready, but I wasn’t and it made me feel completely empowered. No one could hurt me anymore. I was strong and I felt it in my bones.
Sav stopped in the middle of the street and look up at an old hotel. It took up the whole corner of the street. The outside was tan with cracked red trim. Dark, dirty stains ran over the entire place like at one point a fire had gotten a little too close to the outside and scorched it. A bank of doors ran across the entrance. Where the glass would normally be was covers with sheets of plywood. They opened every few minutes and someone would slip out and disappear around the corner. Had I come across this place in Boston, I would’ve thought it was a crack hotel.
Sav nodded at it. “I’ll wait here for you.”
“We’ll be quick.” Grayson motioned toward the doors. “Shall we?”
“We shall.” I didn’t hesitate. I stepped in front of him and marched toward the doors, feeling all the confidence in the world.
I’d just stepped off a building and landed like a superhero on the street below—in heels and a dress. One little registration office was no big deal. I reached for the door and yanked it open. The metal hinges groaned and snapped right off.
“Oh shitttttt.” I held the whole door, metal frame and all, with the plywood in one hand.
I turned to Grayson as he stood there laughing his ass off. I waved it at him. “Be good or imma throw this at you.”
Two maintenance men came running out of the hotel in their long sleeve blue coveralls and matching hats. “Don’t worry, ma’am. Happens all the time.”
They each grabbed one end of the door. One held it in place while the other pulled new hinges and a handful of screws from his pocket. They moved it to where it’d been before I’d ripped it off. The guy didn’t even pull out a drill, he just held the hinges in place and quickly punched the screws in, then did the same on the door. He swung it back and forth, giving it a test run.
“See? Good as new.”
I pointed to the guy and gave Grayson a thumbs up. “You should tell your uncle these guys are super efficient.”
“Noted.”
It was only then that the two men noticed him standing there. They both froze with their mouths hanging open, staring at him. Grayson met their eye and gave them a half-smile. They didn’t move. He took a step toward the door. They still didn’t move.
“Lads, do you mind if we just . . .” He motioned to the door and the two men jumped into action. They collided with each other, then both of them scrambled to open the door for us. At the same time, they yanked the door right off the hinges again.
I pressed my hand over my mouth and forced myself not to laugh. Grayson gave them a smile and then pressed his hand to my back. “Let’s continue.”
He patted both the men on their shoulders as we passed. “It’s alright.”
The inside of the hotel was shockingly different from the outside. I expected an old rundown interior with bad lighting and disgusting furniture. But I was learning that in this world nothing was as it appeared. The interior was chic, clean, and very London Punk. The walls were painted a matte-black finish, but there were brightly colored paintings everywhere. The floors were black wooden planks laid in a herringbone pattern. Bright, funky furniture was spread throughout the lobby and there were vampires lounging everywhere. I thought this would be a den of humans lying around and a bunch of ugly-faced vampires feeding off them while a woman in the corner threw stacks of papers around. What I got was a sleek-looking lobby complete with a front desk and a little rope to guide people to the proper line.
The female vampire behind the desk was a character all by herself. Her outfit was everything punk and amazing. She wore blue denim shorts, fishnet stockings, black combat boots, and a ripped black t-shirt that showed her hot-pink tank top under it. The whole thing was topped off by a leather jacket with silver zippers everywhere. The makeup around her eyes was dark and dramatic, along with her dark-red lips.
When I approached the counter, she gave me a warm smile and leaned on the desk in front of her. “Hi, my name is Amanda. And welcome to the Night Spawn headquarters. How can I assist you today?”
“We’re here to register her properly with the Night Spawn.” Grayson rested an elbow on the high counter in front of us.
She gave him a glance, then did a double take. She straightened her stance and messed with her thick dark hair. “Gra . . .” She cleared her throat. “Grayson Shade.”
“That’s right.” He gave her a little wave. “Nice to meet you.”
Her eyes widened when she turned back to me. “That means you’re Piper Santiago.”
“News travels fast,” I muttered.
“In this world, always, Little Creature.” He winked at her. “Amanda, love, I’m wondering if we might be able to do this quickly. She’s had quite the night already and I feel a bit of rest is in order.”
“Absolutely.” She pulled an iPad-looking tablet from behind the desk and laid it on the countertop. If you would place your finger on the circle for a sample, we can get started.”
I pressed my finger to the circle and a quick pinch pricked my skin. I jerked my hand back. “Ouch.”
A drop of my blood rested on that little circle. It seeped into the tablet, and she took it back behind the desk. Her brow furrowed in confusion, and she pouted her lips. “Hmm, I think it’s broken.” She gave it a little shake. “It says unclassified.”
