Blood Candy Page 19

  Candy sat on the couch for a moment, trying to let the grogginess of sporadic sleep drain out of her brain. Her dreams, though broken, had been extremely vivid. Blake was with her every time she closed her eyes, each time she nodded off. He had taken a lot of her blood and she knew they had come close to the bond the vampires were always talking about, which was more than abundantly apparent in her dreams.

  Never in her life had she dreamed of a naked man before, of the possibility such perfection might exist. She had welcomed his milky chest each time she saw it, even though outside of her dreams she was upset with him. In the dreams they didn’t talk much, there had been so little time, but Candy knew, as it had been with Rupert, that Blake was in her head. Or perhaps she was in his head; she didn’t know which.

  Each time Candy had drifted into fitful sleep Blake said, “I’m sorry. I let you down.” She enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms, her bare chest pressed against his. “Don’t let them take me, Blake. Don’t let them ruin my life.”

  Candy tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes. She probably hadn’t fallen asleep for more than thirty minutes at a time, maybe an hour once she and Medium Dave reached the Kennel. She pushed herself up off the couch and saw Felicia sitting at the table with Were-Jew and Melvin. They went silent when they saw her get up and stretch out her sore legs. She hobbled over to the table and took a seat next to Felicia. Melvin glanced at her through his glasses, his face creased with concern.

  “Are you okay?” he said.

  Candy nodded. “Is Dave okay?”

  “Yeah, he’s still sleeping upstairs.”

  The events of the previous night came crashing back like a flood. Medium Dave told her that they couldn’t go back to his parents’ house in case they were followed. The plan was to get back to the Kennel as soon as possible, which was way over on the western edge of Massachusetts. Thankfully, Medium Dave didn’t have a shortage of stamina, and while it was uncomfortable for Candy to sit on his back for so long, he was able to trot as a moose for hours before he needed to rest or walk in human form.

  Remembering what happened at the end of the basketball game, Candy looked around the room for the rest of the Misfits. White Paul was asleep in one of the recliners. She recalled the massive polar bear he had changed into.

  “Where’s Jimmy?” she said.

  No one said a word, which was answer enough. A knot tightened in her chest. She mulled over the last conversation she had with him in the tunnel. She hated herself for all of the stupid things she said, for how much of a bitch she had been. She felt warm tears on her face.

  “They have him,” Felicia said softly. “There wasn’t anything we could do.”

  “What happened?”

  White Paul kicked himself upright in the recliner. “I’ll tell you what happened. While we held them off so you could make your escape, that Spanish asshole threw the smack down on everyone. They have Jimmy because of you.”

  “Calm down,” Melvin said. “We all knew what we were getting into last night so don’t go blaming her.”

  White Paul waved him off and rubbed the short growth of spotty stubble on his face.

  “It was chaos until the Magister broke it up,” Felicia said. “I thought every vampire there was going to come down on us. He said something about neutral ground and Jimmy breaking the worst vampire law of all. He handed Jimmy over to the Brits.”

  Candy leaned her head into her hands. “What’s going to happen?”

  “Simple,” White Paul interjected. “We hand you over to Rupert by midnight tonight or they execute Jimmy. Not a tough choice if you ask me.”

  Felicia shot him a nasty glare and said, “It is a tough choice, asshole. Jimmy more than any of us wanted to be there so don’t act like he’s an innocent bystander in all of this.”

  “Bullshit.”

  White Paul was ready to say more when Tinch came into the room looking extremely tired. Candy hadn’t any idea he was there. She was glad to see him. He’d get Jimmy back.

  “This is the only time I’m going to tell you all to stop arguing,” he said. “We have more important things to think about.”

  White Paul stormed off into the backyard.

  “Leave him,” Tinch said when Felicia made to follow. “Sit back down. I have an announcement to make.” Felicia took her seat again and everyone turned their eyes up to him. “Help is coming.”

  “A pack? Which one?” Were-Jew said.

  “Not a pack,” Tinch said, his face hinting at something more serious. “The Alpha.”

  The Misfits looked around at each other with their mouths hanging open. Hearing what Tinch said, White Paul came running back into the house.

  “The Alpha is coming here?” Melvin said.

  “When?” Felicia asked.

  “He should have been here already,” Tinch said.

  Felicia shot up out of her chair and ran to the stairs, bowling over Medium Dave as he came down. Medium Dave, still in the red and purple flowered granny dress he snagged the night before, strolled over to take the vacant seat. He set his cell phone down on the table and yawned.

  “So only this alpha guy is coming?” Candy said.

  Tinch stared at her. “Only? It’s an honor to have him personally come here. He’s in charge of everything above the Mason-Dixon Line. If anything goes down, you wouldn’t want anyone else with you. He’ll figure out what we need to do.”

  “You think he can get Jimmy back?”

  “If anyone can, he can,” Tinch said. “But don’t get your hopes up. Jimmy is in a rough spot and we all have to accept the fact he may not make it.”

  Candy shook her head. “It’s not fair.”

  “Not much in life is fair, and even less so when vampires are involved,” Tinch said. “That’s why I told everyone to stay put.”

  “Easy for you to say,” White Paul grumbled. “You weren’t here trying to protect some ditzy blonde from insane vampires.”

  Candy couldn’t stop herself from crying. They had Jimmy, it was her fault, and White Paul was adamant about taunting her with that fact. Tinch looked as if he wanted to hit White Paul for his audacity.

  “What did I teach you?” Tinch said in a surprisingly calm manner. “You have vampires on your tail, you run away. You swallow your pride and you get the fuck out of there. But what did you do? You went right into the heart of their territory. I expected more from you, from all of you.”

  The room went silent for a long time before Tinch continued, “All we can do now is move on. Learn from your mistakes.” He sighed and shook his head. “Let’s get this place cleaned up before The Alpha gets here.”

  Felicia ran back down the stairs in an outfit she might have borrowed from Anastasia. She put her golden-red hair up in a pony tail, slapped on far too much blue eyeliner, red blush and lipstick, and crammed her narrow hips into skintight green shorts. She had on a plain white shirt that had been cut with scissors well above her navel so the black bra could be seen beneath. All of the Misfits except Medium Dave rolled their eyes.

  “Is he here?” she said.

  Melvin shook his head and started tidying up with White Paul. Were-Jew and Tinch went into the dining room to clean up in there. Felicia pulled one of the chairs out from the table so she could look down the hallway at the front door.

  “What’s with . . . ?” Candy waved her hand, gesturing at the way Felicia was dressed.

  “You heard Tinch. The Alpha is coming!” Felicia said.

  “Who’s that?”

  Before Felicia could answer, the door opened and then slammed shut. A tall man built like a Mack truck stomped down the hall into the living room. He had long brown hair and thick mutton chops on his chiseled face. His menacing eyes passed over everyone before halting on Medium Dave. Candy could only assume he was The Alpha, considering the way everyone gawked at him in reverence—rather, how they didn’t look him in the eyes, including Tinch.

  “Holy mother of God, what the fuck are you wearing?” The
Alpha said in a scratchy voice that tickled a curious spot in the back of Candy’s brain. Medium Dave looked down at himself with a child’s ignorance. The Alpha barked, “I suggest you take your candy-ass out of my presence before I beat the stupid out of you.”

  Red faced, Medium Dave retreated into the back yard. Candy couldn’t believe how much of an asshole this guy was and she had only known him for ten seconds.

  The Alpha went on at a near yell, “Who’s in charge of this outfit?”

  Melvin raised his hand. “I am, sir.”

  The Alpha stomped over to him. “What’s your name, boy?”

  Melvin gave a barely audible answer. Without warning, The Alpha punched him in the gut. Melvin doubled over with a sickly groan and Candy clasped her hands over her mouth. The Alpha impatiently waited for the skinny leader of the Misfits to struggle back to his feet.

  “Why did I have to come all the way out to this shithole?” he growled. He looked around at everyone, his eyes pausing longest on Felicia and Candy. “Can you tell me why I had to leave my women behind to come all the way out here to fix your fucked up problems?”

  “I apologize, sir,” Melvin managed to groan.

  The Alpha grunted, turned to Felicia, and swept her off her feet. She threw her arms around his neck and yelped with glee as he carried her away upstairs. Tinch informed everyone that he had some things to take care of and then he hurried out of the house. A moment later, Medium Dave stuck his head in through the door and, seeing the room clear of The Alpha, he ventured back in. Clutching his stomach, Melvin waved Candy off when she tried to put her arm around his shoulder to help.

  “What’s up with that asshole?” Candy said.

  Everyone glared at her.

  “Be careful what you say,” White Paul said. “He’s The Alpha. I suggest you do as we do. Nod your head and say ‘sir.’ ”

  “I’m not calling him ‘sir.’ What the hell did he punch Melvin for? He’s an asshole.”

  “He’s the asshole who’s going to save your ass,” Were-Jew said.

  Candy rolled her eyes. “Whatever. What are we going to do about Jimmy?”

  “Nothing,” Melvin said. “We don’t do anything unless The Alpha says.”

  White Paul slammed his fist on the table. “Fuck that!” He glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was there, and then he leaned in and kept his voice low. “We don’t have time to wait on The Alpha while he—” He waved his hand towards the stairs. “Jimmy’s in a nest of vampires right now. What happened to leave no Misfit behind? It’s a death sentence, Melvin. He’s our brother.”

  Melvin was torn. Candy saw the turmoil seething in his blue eyes and she knew he didn’t want to leave Jimmy behind. They were like brothers. They were a family.

  “You’re right. Leave no Misfit behind,” Melvin said.

  Felicia let out a scream of pleasure upstairs. The Alpha howled and then the bed pounded against the floor so forcefully the ceiling shook overhead. Everyone tried to ignore it, but Candy couldn’t stop her face from turning red.

  “We have less than eleven hours to figure something out,” White Paul said.

  Plaster fell from the ceiling as the rhythmic pounding continued.

  “Where are we supposed to trade Candy for Jimmy?” Were-Jew said. Before Candy could protest, he held out a hand. “We’re not trading you,” he assured her. “I just want to know where it’s supposed to be.”

  Medium Dave shrugged.

  “Can you call and find out?” Melvin said.

  The overhead fan swung wildly. The wailing and howling upstairs drowned out whatever Medium Dave was about to say so he nodded instead. He waited for a lull in the noise then he quickly said, “They won’t be up until the evening, but I can try to get in touch with someone before then.”

  Candy considered saying she could try calling Blake, but the thought of talking to him after what happened the night before infuriated her. If anything, Blake and his stupid mother were just as much to blame for what happened to Jimmy as anyone else.

  The ceiling fan shook so violently it threatened to fly off. The Misfits needed to shout if they wanted to be heard as rusty bed springs joined in on the noise. The Alpha’s roar thundered down the stairs, “Who’s your daddy!”

  “For the love of God!” Melvin stood up and went to the sliding glass door. Everyone evacuated into the back yard.

  “Okay,” White Paul said. “Dave will get the information for us. I say we tell those British bastards that we’ll do the trade and then sneak right into their house and get Jimmy out.”

  “That’s risky. Do you remember the security at the Mullin’s?” Were-Jew said. “I’m sure the Brits have at least the same.”

  “What then?”

  Were-Jew thought for a moment. “An ambush. If we know where they are coming from and where they are going, we can hit them along the way. It will be an extraction mission: hit them, get Jimmy, then get the hell out. I can run resistance to buy time.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” White Paul said. They all knew he wanted to do some serious damage. Candy didn’t doubt a polar bear could do some serious damage.

  They discussed the details of the mission in the backyard for nearly half an hour. Figuring The Alpha had to be done by now, they walked slowly back inside. It sounded all clear.

  The pounding began again at a vigorous pace. A crack shot across the ceiling and plaster fell to the ground in a cloud of white dust. Candy had to cover her ears from the maddening howls. And then it stopped. Slowly, the overhead fan eased in its wobble.

  “About time,” Melvin said. “Felicia must be dead.”

  “She always gets like that,” Were-Jew said with a shrug.

  The Alpha came downstairs buck naked, his body glistening with sweat. Candy couldn’t turn her head fast enough as he rounded the banister at the bottom of the stairs. She ended up gawking at his well muscled legs and his chiseled granite butt. When she saw the size of his swinging manhood, she blushed and turned her eyes to the floor. The Alpha’s bareness didn’t perturb the Misfits. Still in the granny dress, Medium Dave’s eyes went wide and he ran through the back door before the naked man came into the room.

  “Now that hit the spot,” The Alpha said as he combed his long and slightly damp hair. “I’m ravished. Someone order food.”

  Melvin flipped open his phone and wandered into the kitchen. The Alpha shook out his hair until it rested about his shoulders and then he turned to Were-Jew.

  “One of you pussies fill me in on what happened here. From what Tinch told me, you’ve been having problems with British vampires. And now I hear all hell has broken loose. There better be a damn good reason.”

  “Sir,” Were-Jew said reluctantly. “There was an incident last night. A vampire of high status was slain.”

  “A vampire of high status?” The Alpha said with a slight grin. “Who did the deed?”

  “Jimmy.”

  “No shit? Jackass? I would have never thought.”

  “Yes, sir,” Were-Jew went on. “But they’re holding him prisoner now.”

  The Alpha crossed his rugged arms over his barrel chest. Candy had to concentrate to keep her eyes on the floor and not on his bare form. Though he may have been a despicable asshole, he had the body of a god.

  “Tell me about this incident.”

  Were-Jew’s eyes flashed to Candy as he said, “It’s complicated, sir. Didn’t Tinch fill you in?”

  “Don’t ask me questions, pencil-dick.”

  “Yes, sir. Sorry, sir,” Were-Jew said, shaking a little. He cleared his throat before he continued. “There was a duel between two vampire families last night. The British family won and wanted the girl they were fighting over. Jimmy didn’t want them to take her and he challenged the head of the British family. He killed him.”

  “Slow down, son. What kind of a duel? I love when vampires kill each other.”

  “It was a basketball game, sir.”

  The Alpha’s face slackened into a f
rown. “A basketball game? How are you having problems with vampires that play basketball?”

  No one said anything.

  The Alpha grinned and shook his head. “So Jackass killed a vampire over a girl? Young men will go to no length chasing tail. So who’s the girl that has this shithole in such a stir I had to come all the way down here to wipe your asses for you?”

  Were-Jew inclined his head to Candy. “Her name’s Candy,” he said.

  When The Alpha turned to Candy, she lifted her eyes to meet his. She refused to let him intimidate her like he did the Misfits. He looked her up and down with an appreciative smile.

  “I can see why,” he said, his eyes resting on her chest. “I’d like to take you for a spin.”

  Candy’s mouth fell open. If he wasn’t so intimidating she would have done what she wanted and called him a pig. Considering everything that had happened over the last several days, she didn’t want to take the chance as to what an alpha werewolf would do if she pissed him off.

  “Too bad she doesn’t have the feral blood. Normal people fuck like wet rags.” He pushed the hair away from her shoulder and neck; it was all she could do to not swat his hand. She didn’t care who or how important he was. He was a complete asshole.

  “And too bad she’s a vamp tramp,” he said.

  “I am not a vamp tramp, you prick!” Candy didn’t even know what exactly a vamp tramp was, but she had a good guess and she didn’t like it.

  The Alpha gave a perfectly white-toothed grin. “She’s feisty. What say you let me make a real woman out of you? I promise you’ll beg for more.”

  Candy couldn’t have known how bad what she said next would be, and neither did she stop to choose her words carefully. “You’re worse than those bloodsucking British scumbags.”

  Were-Jew and White Paul’s eyes nearly popped out of their heads. As Melvin came back into the room, he dropped his phone and stared at Candy as if he was looking at a ghost. Her face splotched red and she took an impulsive step away from the intimidating naked alpha wolf, though his expression didn’t change.

  “I like you. You’re definitely my kind of girl,” he said.