Page 71 of My Road Trip with a Vampire: Season One
My voice sounds thin. Sharing feelings over a bond is awkward enough. It feels like an unspoken rule that we shouldn't bring up private things.
“I see,” Dennis says, stepping close enough that I can smell leather and mint on his skin. “Are you suggesting we repeat the kiss?”
“Not unless you think it will make you feel bad enough to summon our lady in red.”
“No, I want you too bad for that right now,” he says, apparently unfazed by my theory. It's weird to hear a guy be so open about his feelings for me when he's fighting them so hard, but I guess there's no point in hiding them.
He cups my chin in his hand, tracing his thumb along my lower lip. I shudder from the sensual touch and the sheer honesty of his statement. I have to force myself to straighten up.
“We have work to do,” I tell him, tipping my head away from his fingertips.
“Then tell me what we need to do,” he says. “You’re the expert here.”
“Talk to me,” I say. The words feel thick in my throat. “Tell me what was going through your head when I felt that wave of darkness.”
Blue Danubeand Martha’s faint footsteps are the only sounds in the place, but I know there’s something else here waiting to be found and banished. It’s in the air around us, prickling beneath the surface of what appears to be a standard haunting.
“You know I was jealous when I felt your arousal, but I stomped that feeling down. Because I promised you fun and freedom, and you deserve that. You deserve partners you can feel safe with.” He rolls his shoulders back, breaking the contact between us, but I can still feel the chill of his breath on my skin. “I felt guilty. Because I wanted to drag you back to stay with me. I wanted to lick you down after drinking from you and make you mine.”
My pulse drops to my clit when I think about him working his tongue along my folds, but I don’t say anything.
“Because I’ve thought of you as an ember in the night since the moment I saw you take down that phantom in Scranton. And as much as I want you to share some of your light with me, I know it will fade too quickly from my world. Every time I want to touch you it’s a reminder of just how long this life is, and how getting attached is a terrible idea.”
The words don’t just sink in; they plummet down the pit of my stomach like heavy stones of loneliness. I want to say something to make it better, but this is what we need.
“Look at the stairs,” he says.
Plumes of red vapor are climbing up the stairwell. Streaks of scarlet spread over the landing and rise in a thin mist.
“Not sure I’m loving the vibe,” I say.
The mist swirls up into the shape of a woman. Scarlet tendrils wrap over translucent flesh until they form a gown and a parasol that shades the woman's face.
Red light flashes like a thunderbolt beneath the doors lining the hallway as she steps toward us, her hemline gliding over her feet.
Dennis opens his bag and presses a crystal into my palm.
“We only want to talk,” I say to her, holding the pointed end of the crystal out in front of me. “Why are you doing this?”
The whole hallway lights up with a scarlet glow. Her eyes are black from corner to corner, but I’m pretty sure she’s looking right at me. The worst kind of feeling rocks through me. I feel like I’ve stepped too close to the veil, but there’s something horrible waiting on the other side, ready to yank me from my life.
I back up a few steps. My retreat makes her smile, and she twirls her parasol like some freaky horror version of Mary Poppins.
“Beatrice, we need to—”
I can’t hear what Dennis says because air whooshes past my ears as I’m thrown against the wall by some invisible force. My wrists are pinned in place, and I lose my grip on the crystal.
The lady in red walks past me, and I struggle against the hold.
“You’re who I’m looking for,” she croons. Her perfume fills my nose as she walks past; the scent is a musty floral with an undercurrent of sulfur.
“Watch out!” I yell as she approaches Dennis. She lifts a hand to his face. His eyes grow hazy when she strokes her silky glove down his cheek.
“Such a sad man,” she sighs. “I know you still feel bad about what happened in Boston. If only you hadn’t meddled with the boss’ daughter. Now you have to walk the earth for eternity, remembering it was you who led her to ruin.”
“Don’t listen to her,” I call out to Dennis. He stares blankly ahead. I don’t think he can hear me in his trance.
“Completely alone. Everyone either leaves or dies; that’s the way of things.” She turns back to me, smiling at my predicament. “And now you’ve pulled her into your mess. Poor Beatrice will end up just like Agnes. Another corpse that haunts you.”
