Blood Candy Read online

  “It would be my pleasure.” Nigel watched Anastasia and Medium Dave with a wide grin. “I got Hayden on the phone and as you might have guessed he has no intention of releasing the claim on Candy. He said Rupert wants her back, but I informed him that I believe you can legally contest his claim and that I would be contacting the Magister, which I did. This didn’t please Hayden at all. Nevertheless, I was able to set up a meeting between your family and his with the Magister. Tomorrow night an hour after sundown.”

  “You’re a wonderful man.” Anastasia nuzzled Medium Dave’s neck. “I think we all owe Nigel our sincerest gratitude.”

  “Thank you,” Blake said.

  Jimmy grumbled his appreciation.

  Anastasia stood up and moved to the head of the table behind her son and Candy.

  “Tomorrow night at sundown it is,” she said. “Why don’t I show you out, Nigel? I can take you through the parlor on the way.”

  Nigel stood up and took her hand. He gave everyone a cheerful wave before they left the room together.

  “Holy shit you vampires are freaks,” White Paul said once they were out of the room.

  Blake stood up and without a word he stormed off towards the kitchen with the manservant on his heels. White Paul tried to get a high five from Medium Dave. Candy had to force herself to ignore him before she yelled at him.

  “This has to be one of the longest nights of my life,” she said.

  “One thing’s for sure,” Jimmy said. “We’re not staying here tonight.”

  “We can crash at my ’rents,” Medium Dave said.

  Jimmy pursed his lips. “We don’t have much of a choice.”

  “Are you sure about that? It seems really safe here,” Candy said.

  Jimmy jammed the heels of his palms into his eyes. “I’m sure,” he said plainly, though his voice was laced with aggravation. “There’s no damn way in hell I’m staying in a vampire nest and neither are you.”

  Candy crossed her arms. “Last time I checked you weren’t my father.”

  “No, I’m not. I’m just the guy who saved your life.”

  “Thank you Jimmy, how could I forget? I’m just the stupid girl who needs saving. I guess now I have to show my gratitude. Why don’t we go to the parlor? That’s what you want, right?”

  “Can I come too?” White Paul said.

  Jimmy whirled around on him. “You need to shut up! You tore the bathroom up on purpose, didn’t you? What’s wrong with you?”

  “I didn’t, I swear.”

  “You ate a whole horse! What did you expect?”

  White Paul shrugged. Modesty never made extended visits with him. “It was most of a horse and I don’t regret it, that’s for sure. You have to admit that Blake the vampire puking his guts out will be a lasting memory.”

  Jimmy turned back to Candy, not bothering with trying to talk sense to his friend anymore. “Listen. I truly appreciate the help they’re offering but they’re still vampires. We can’t stay here, Candy. Don’t forget what we told you.”

  “He’s right. We’ll be safe at Dave’s place for a day. We can get some badly needed rest and then come back at sundown,” White Paul said.

  They were right. Candy didn’t have much choice other than to agree. As they made their way into the antechamber, Blake came from the kitchen to escort his guests out. He offered to have his driver give them a ride, but they told him friends were waiting to pick them up. This didn’t seem to surprise him and he watched as they walked down the driveway, which took nearly ten minutes to traverse. The gate opened as they approached.

  Something rustled in the brush across the road. Candy nearly had a heart attack, though none of the guys were worried when a black wolf slipped into view from between some bushes. The wolf’s hard, amber eyes passed over Candy as it trotted into the open. Then it stepped up onto its hind legs and in one fluid motion changed into a naked Were-Jew. Candy had to avert her gaze away from him.

  “They spotted me,” he said. “They have surveillance all over the place and guards on both levels of the balconies, as well as on the roof. Half a dozen from my count on the outside, all armed and sporting some good tech. At least a few of them had night vision. These vampires take their security seriously.”

  “Yeah, we know they spotted you. Consider yourself lucky,” Jimmy said.

  “Please,” Were-Jew said with a self-assured grin. “Their blasters aren’t nearly accurate enough. What happened in there?”

  “We’ll fill you in later,” Jimmy said. “Where’s our ride?”

  Headlights appeared down the road. The SUV rolled up with Felicia behind the wheel. She looked exhausted. Were-Jew squirmed into a pair of pants in the back seat.

  Candy fell asleep while Jimmy gave his friends the rundown of what happened. She was only vaguely aware that she was leaning into him with her head rested on his chest as she drifted off.

  Chapter Twelve

  Felicia drove the SUV back to the parking garage. The Mullin mansion was out in the country beyond the borders of suburbia and it took nearly an hour to navigate back to the city. Candy nodded off several times during the ride. When she woke up she saw everyone else was in the same state of drowsiness. She got into the Pinto with Jimmy and Medium Dave after they told others they’d see them back at the house.

  The city was mostly silent and barren at nearly three in the morning. Medium Dave got into the back seat and fell asleep right away. Candy decided she’d drive since Jimmy looked exhausted. They didn’t say anything to each other.

  That suited Candy just fine because she had a lot to mull over. She thought she might have been too hasty in her decisions earlier, most notably in allowing Blake to take some of her blood. Then again, when she had dozed off, it was his whispers she heard, not Rupert’s, which was a huge relief. She hadn’t slept long enough to truly dream, but there was something going on in her drowsy mind with Blake. She wondered if the Mullins knew it would work out that way.

  She was fairly certain she remembered the way back to Medium Dave’s place so she didn’t bother Jimmy when he fell asleep in the passenger’s seat. The city streets were mostly empty anyway and she didn’t have any problems finding the way back to the highway. She wasn’t quite sure which street to take from there until she saw a Burrito Trumpet up ahead she remembered seeing earlier. Her stomach grumbled. Felicia had given her ten dollars at the mega-store, and though it was supposed to be for emergencies she figured she could stop to get a super combo pack of burritos for everyone. She slowed down and pulled into the drive thru.

  Burrito Trumpet was one of the few fast-food joints that stayed open past midnight. There was usually a long line of drunken idiots, but as Candy pulled up to the order board she noticed the place was practically empty of customers. The Pinto was the only car in the drive thru. Static and a garbled voice came through the speaker on the order board.

  “Welcome to Burrito Trumpet, what’s your desire?”

  “Can I get a twenty pack of combination burritos?”

  “Drive around.”

  Candy frowned; he hadn’t given her the total, but she knew it was a little under ten bucks for that particular combination pack. She pulled around to the pickup window and started digging in her handbag. When an employee came to the window with her order she reached out to hand him the money.

  “Hello, love.”

  Candy’s eyes went wide. Rupert leaned through the window with a wicked grin. He was wearing a red and black checkered uniform stained with blood.

  “You want any hot or mild sauce? I bet you like it hot.”

  Candy could only stare at him. Her eyes widened in terror when she saw the interior of the store behind him. A young man in a Burrito Trumpet uniform was sprawled over the counter in a pool of blood.

  She pushed the gear into drive and slammed her foot on the gas pedal. The Pinto hit the curb and went up onto the grass, jostling Jimmy awake. Half asleep, he grabbed the dashboard for dear life and yelled, “What’s going on?�
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  Candy pulled hard on the steering wheel in an attempt to get the car out of the grass and onto the street. “Rupert! He’s in there!”

  Jimmy turned to look out the back window. A loud crash sent the Pinto spinning, throwing him about. Candy slammed into the door and lost her grip on the steering wheel. She didn’t have time to regain control and steer away from the sharp curve ahead. She snapped forward when the car violently swerved into a ditch and came to a halt. Jimmy was lucky; his side of the car smashed into the wall of the ditch. A little bit of blood trickled down from the side of his head.

  “You okay?” Jimmy said.

  Candy opened her eyes. She had to hold her hand in front of her face to block out the headlights from an idling car on the road directly in front of them. Jimmy took hold of her arm to see if she was hurt. She winced.

  “Shit, your arm may be broken.”

  Candy didn’t hear him. She watched the other car that had run them off the road. The driver door opened. Though she had a hard time seeing through the high beams, she knew it was Vivian who stepped out by the silhouette of his long hair and crooked nose. He took quick steps towards the decommissioned Pinto.

  Candy fumbled with the seat belt. “Shit!”

  Jimmy turned and matched her curse. His side of the Pinto had settled against the ditch, rendering his door impossible for escape. Candy pushed against her door but it was jammed. Jimmy stretched over her and tried to force it open with his legs. It didn’t budge. She tried for the window roller only to find there wasn’t one.

  A metallic pop sent ringing through her ears. Vivian ripped her door off the hinges and then flung it into the ditch. Candy screamed as he snatched her out of the car.

  Jimmy reached for her. “Candy!”

  The crazy British vampire unceremoniously dumped her on the side of the road where it sloped down into the ditch. She tried to back away from him but he kept walking circles around her.

  “Leave us alone!”

  Vivian went back to the Pinto and snagged Jimmy out by his shirt, tossing him over the ditch as if he was nothing more than a toy. Jimmy hit the ground hard next to Candy. Vivian then tore the back door part way off the hinges and leaned in, trying to pull Medium Dave out as well.

  “Why’d you go and knock them into a bloody ditch?” Rupert said. He was still wearing the checkered red and black uniform. “You could have hurt the girl, you idiot. Get down here.”

  Vivian gave up trying to fish the last kicking Misfit out of the car. With a crazed smile showing off his fangs, he went to stand over Jimmy.

  “It’s like you’re trying to avoid me,” Rupert said. “You’re not trying to avoid me, are you?”

  When Jimmy tried to stand up, Vivian kicked him back down. Candy yelled and Rupert lifted her up by her sore arm. Smacking his chest did no good. He took hold of her chin so she had to face him. He was far too strong and the only thing she could do was close her eyes.

  “I don’t like the way you’ve been avoiding me,” he said. “Why do you torment me like this?”

  “You’re an asshole! You have no right to do this to us!”

  “I have no right? You tease me, you shake all of your desirables in my face and then you run away. You had no right to tempt me with the sweetest blood of all.”

  “I didn’t tease you with anything. You took it. You tricked me!”

  Rupert ignored her accusations. “I’m disappointed in you. How could you do this to me? How could you go to the Mullins? Now you’ve caused a big fuss, Candy. And it’s all because of these shapeshifters.”

  Rupert looked past her and laughed when Jimmy cried out. Candy hated the sight of his fangs and she was glad when he turned her around, until she saw Vivian holding Jimmy off the ground by his underwear at full arm’s length. Jimmy’s face practically glowed red as he spun several feet in the air. Each time he cried out in pain both of the Brits howled with laughter.

  “Let him go!”

  Rupert wrapped an arm around her chest so she couldn’t get to Jimmy; she had to stand there watching him spin in the air by his underwear. Vivian then bounced his arm up and down, prompting the tortured Misfit to scream again, his face splotching deep purple. The vampires were breathless.

  “Bloody good wedgie!” Rupert howled. “What do you think of your boyfriend now?”

  “You’re cowards.” Candy feared they would do much worse to Jimmy than humiliate him. Tears welled in her eyes.

  “Come now. Is this really what you want?” Rupert said. “Look at him, he’s pathetic. Why doesn’t he change into a wolf? He’s nothing, Candy. But that doesn’t matter anymore because you belong to me. I have you now.”

  A new voice echoed out into the night, “Leave them alone. This is my family’s domain and you’re not welcome here.”

  Blake stepped into view from behind the glaring headlights. Both British vampires twisted around to see who it was. They scowled and showed off their fangs. Seeing Blake standing there alone, Vivian dropped Jimmy on his face, grinning and rubbing his hands together.

  “’E din’ invoit us! Bes’ we run ‘long,” the crazy vampire said.

  “What are you going to do, Blakey Boy?” Rupert said with a grin. “Your whore of a mother’s not here to save you.”

  Candy crawled over to Jimmy while he dug the underwear out of his crack. She noticed his eyes had changed color to a golden hue and he looked like he was about to flip out. She leaned down close to him.

  “You have to change. Jimmy, do you hear me?”

  Focus returned to his eyes. He glanced up at the vampires. “I can’t,” he said. “I’m shift shy.”

  Candy gawked at him. “What?”

  Blake took a step forward and snapped his fingers.

  “Don’t ever come around here. I don’t want to see your faces. You better disappear,” he said with fire in his eyes and his words really clear.

  Three more figures stepped forward behind Blake, silhouettes against the headlights. Chester took position at his side while the other two, who Candy couldn’t make out, stood behind them. Blake clenched his jaw.

  “You better run. Don’t be a macho man,” he said.

  Rupert hesitated and then laughed. He didn’t seem in the least concerned by the other vampire’s strange warning and the fact that he and Vivian were outnumbered two to one, not counting the Misfits.

  “Want to make a good fight of it, do you?” Rupert said. “I’m not leaving here without the girl, without my girl. Vivian loves a fight against the odds.”

  Blake didn’t back down. His eyes passed over Candy and then settled on Jimmy. He gave a slight nod before turning his focus back on the unwelcome vampires.

  “Just beat it,” he said.

  “You started this, Blakey Boy. You and your family have some big balls bringing this up with the Magister. Fuck you and fuck that pompous bastard.”

  Candy helped Jimmy up. He walked on the tips of his shoes with his back arched while still digging out his drawers. Medium Dave had managed to crawl out of the Pinto and met them near the ditch. Jimmy leaned close to him and whispered, “Get us out of here.”

  Medium Dave nodded and then took his shirt off, revealing a pale bird chest specked with a few dark hairs. He quickly unbuckled his pants while the vampires went on taunting each other, or whatever Blake was saying to buy time. When he dropped down onto his knees, Candy wasn’t sure she wanted to see him change into a wolf, but she couldn’t look away. She hoped it would be smooth and quick the way it had been with Were-Jew.

  Rupert shouted. “Get the girl!”

  Vivian spun around. Blake leapt forward and kicked Vivian in the groin so hard the sound of it echoed into the night. Vivian’s mouth dropped open and his hands instinctively went downward. Candy turned back around to see Jimmy sitting on the back of a moose.

  “Get on!” he said with his hand extended out to her.

  She couldn’t move. She stared at the moose—at Medium Dave. Shaking away the confusion, she let Jimmy
pull her up onto the massive animal’s back. She clenched her legs tightly against the barrel chest and wrapped her arms around Jimmy. Medium Dave took off like the wind.

  Candy never knew a moose could run so fast.

  Trees, street signs, parked cars, and buildings whizzed by. Candy had to hold on for dear life as the wind blasted against her. Medium Dave had to be sprinting faster than the speed limit posted on the street. She thanked God for the absence of any cars on the road at that hour of the morning.

  Medium Dave took them down the street and into a park. He had made enough distance and in the darkness of the unlit area he slowed down to a trot, taking in deep and heavy breaths. He then trotted across several more streets until finally they came to his neighborhood.

  “We lost them,” Jimmy said. “We should be safe.”

  Medium Dave sprinted one last time until they reached his house. The SUV was parked in the driveway. Were-Jew was sitting on the front steps smoking a cigarette. He jumped up and ran down to them.

  “What’s going on?” he said.

  Jimmy dropped down from the back of the moose and then helped Candy. “Rupert found us again,” he said. “I’m pretty sure we lost them. Blake and his brothers showed up and helped.”

  Medium Dave shifted back into his human form. Completely nude and still struggling to catch his breath, he walked over to stand beside Were-Jew. Candy kept her focus above his waist, though she did notice he had a nice butt.

  “I knew we should have stayed together,” Were-Jew said. “No more splitting up from now on. As a matter of fact, I’m setting up a watch tonight.”

  Felicia met them at the front door as they came into the house. Melvin had fallen asleep in the recliner and had to reach for his glasses. Jimmy told them what happened.

  “They found us again,” he said. “Rupert and his psychotic brother.”

  “What’s with your britches?” Felicia said. Candy hadn’t noticed the ripped underwear hanging down from the back of Jimmy’s pants.