Night World : Secret Vampire Chapter 7

Then you must have had a debate, Poppy tellflatly. When he looked at her, she shrugged. I know you. She knew him in a way shed never known allone. pack looked away. I didnt have a reason, but there were some extenuating circumstances. You could say I was set up. tho I shut up have nightmares.He sounded so tired-so sad.Its a lonely world, fullof secrets, poppythought. And hed had to keep the biggest secret of all from everyone, including her.It must have been awful for you, she give tongue to, hardlyaware that she was speaking extinct loud. I mean, all your life-holding this in. Not telling anybody. PretendingPoppy. He gave a shiver of repressed emotion.Dont.Dont sympathize with you?He shook his pointedness. Nobodyss ever understood before. afterwards a pause he verbalise, How can you worry ab surface(predicate) me? With what youre facing?I guess because -I simple machinee about you.And I guess thats why I didnt treat you comparable Michaela or Jacklyn, he said.Poppy look ed at the sculpted planes of his face, atthe wave of brown hair falling over his forehead kindred silk and held her breath. Say I love you, she ordered mentally.Say it, you thickheaded male.But they werent connected, and pile didnt givethe s visible radiationest sign of having heard. Instead he turned brisk and business same(p). Wed better get started. Hegot up and drew the windowpane curtains shut. Sunlight inhibits all vampire powers, he said in a guest lecturer voice. .Poppy took advantage of the pause to go to the CDplayer. The music had changed to a Dutch club song,which was fine for doing the Netherlands skippydance to, but non very romantic. She punched a but ton and a velvety Portuguese lament began.Then she twitched the sheer hangings approximately the bed dosed. When she sat down again, she and James were in their own small world, dim and secluded, enclosed in misty eggshell innocence.Im ready, she said softly, and James leaned ring to her. Even in the semidarkness Poppy felt mesmerized by his eyes. They were same windows tosome other place, someplace distant and magical.The Night World, she thought, and tilted her chinback as James took her in his arms.This snip the double sting at her neck hurt good.But best was when Jamess mind touched hers.The feeling of oneness, of suddenly being unhurt-it spread through her like starshine.Once again she had the sense that they were melting together, dissolving and merging everywhere they touched. She could feel her own pulse echoingthrough him.Closer, loser and then she felt a pulling-back.James? Whats wrong?Nothing,he told her, but Poppy could sense that itwasnt quite true. He was trying to weaken the growing bond betwixt them but why?Poppy, I just dont indispensableness to force you into anything.What were feeling is-artificial.Artificial? It was the realest thing that shed everexperienced. Realer than real. In the midst of joy, Poppy felt a surge of hurt anger at James.I dont mean it like that,h e said, and there was desperation in the thought.Its just that you cant resist the blood-bond. You couldnt resist it if you hated me. Itisnt fair.Poppy didnt care about fair.Ifyou cant resist it,why are you trying?she asked him triumphantly.She heard something like mental laughter, andthen they were both clinging together as a wave of pure emotion swept them.The blood-bond, Poppy thought when James raisedhis head at last. It doesnt matter if he wont say he loves me-were bonded now. Nothing can changethat.And in a moment or so she would seal that bondby taking his blood. Try and resistthat,she thought, and was start guide when James laughed softly. reading material my mind again?Not exactly. Youre projecting-and youre verygood at it. Youre going to be a strong telepath.Interesting. . . but right now Poppy didnt feelstrong. She suddenly felt kitten-weak. Limp as a wilting flower. She needed I know, James whispered. Still supporting her, he started to lift one wrist to his mouth.Poppy stopped him with a restraining hand.James? How numerous whiles do we have to do thisbefore I-change?Once to a greater extent, I think, James said quietly. I tooka lot this time, and I want you to do the same. And the next time we do it Ill die, Poppy thought. Well, at least I know howlong I have left as a human.Jamess lips slid back to reveal long, delicate fangs,and he smitten at his own wrist. There was something snake like in the motion. Blood welled up, the colorof syrup in a can of cherry preserves.Just as Poppy was angle of inclination forward, lips parted,there was a knock at the door.Poppy and James froze guiltily.The knock came again. In her muddled and slashed state, Poppy couldnt attend to make herself move.The only thought that resounded in her brainwasOh,please. Please dont let it beThe door opened.Phil.Phillip was already speaking as he poked his headin. Poppy, are you awake? Mom says-He broke off abruptly, then lunged forthelightswitch on the wall. dead the roo m was illuminated.Oh,terrific,Poppy thought in frustration. Phil waspeering through the filmy draperies around the bed.Poppy peered back at him.Whatis going-on? he said in a voice that would have gotten him the track down role in The Ten Com mandments.And then, before Poppy could gather enough wits to answer, he leaned in and grabbed James by the arm.Phil,dont, Poppysaid. Phil, you idiotWe had a deal, Phil snarled at James. And you broke it.James was gripping Phils arms now, as ungentlyas Phil was grasping him. Poppy had the dismayed feeling that they were going to start head-buttingeach other.Oh, Lord, if she could onlythinkstraight. She feltso brainless.Youve got the wrong idea, James said to Philthrough clenched teeth.The wrongidea? Icome in here and find the two of you in bed, with all the curtains drawn, and youre telling me Ive got the wrongidea?Onthe bed, Poppy interjected. Phil ignored her.James shook Phil. He did it quite easily and withan economy of movement, but Phils he ad snapped back and forth. Poppy realized that James was not athis most rational right now. She remembered the metal chair leg and decided it was time to intervene.Letgo,she said, reaching in between the two boys to grab for hands. Anybodys hands. Come on,you guys And then, desperately, Phil, I know youdont understand, but James is trying tohelp me-Help you? I dont think so. And then to JamesLook at her. Cant you see that this stupid pretending is making hersicker? Every time I find her with you, shes white as a sheet. Youre just making things worse.You dont know anything about it, Jamessnarled in Phils face. But Poppy was still processing something several sentences back.Stupid? Pretending? she said. Her voice wasnt very loud but everything stopped.Both boys looked at her.Everyone made mistakes then. Later, Poppy wouldrealize that if any of them had kept their heads, what happened next could have been avoided. But noneof them did.Im sorry,Philsaid to Poppy. I didnt want totell you- Shut up,James said savagely.But I have to.This-jerk-isjust playing with you.He admitted it to me. He said he felt sorry for you,and he thinks that pretending he likes you makesyou feel better. Hes got an ego that would fill Dodger Stadium.Pretending? Poppy said again, sitting back. Therewas a go in her head and an eruption gathering in her chest.Poppy, hes crazy, James said. Listen-But Poppy wasnt listening. The problem was thatshe couldfeelhow sorry Phil was. It was much more convincing than anger. And Phillip, honest, straightforward, trustworthy Phillip, almost never lied.He wasnt lying now. Which meant that James must be.Eruption time.You. . .she whispered to James.,You . . .She couldnt think of a swear word bad enough. Some how she felt more hurt, more betrayed than she hadever felt before. She had thought sheknewJamesshe had trusted him absolutely. Which made the betrayal all the worse. So it was all pretending? Isthat it?Some inner voice was telling her to hold on andthink. That she was in no state to make crucial decisions.But she was also in no state to listen to innervoices. Her own anger kept her from deciding if shehad any good reason to be angry. You just feltsorryfor me? she whispered, and suddenly all the fury and grief that shed been suppressing for the last day and a half flooded out. Shewas screen door with pain, and nothing mattered exceptmaking James hurt as much as she hurt.Jameswas breathing hard,speaking rapidly.Poppy-this is why I didnt want Phil to know-And nowonder, Poppyraged. And no wonderyou wouldnt say you loved me, she went on, not tied(p) caring that Phillip was listening. And no wonder you would do all that other stuff, but you never even kissed me. Well, I dont want yourpity-Whatotherstuff?. everywhatotherstuff?Philshouted.Imgonna kill you, RasmussenHe tore cede of James and swung at him. Jamesducked so that the fist just grazed his hair. Philswung again and James twisted sideways andgrabbed him from behind in a headlock.P oppy heard ladder footsteps in the hall. Whats happening? her drive gasped in dismay, regarding the scene in Poppys bedroom.At almost the same instant Cliff appeared behindPoppys return. Whats all the shouting? he asked, his invoke particularly square.Yourethe one whos putting her in danger,James was snarling in Phillips ear. Right now. Helooked feral. Savage.Inhuman.Let go of my brother Poppyyelled. All at onceher eyes were swimming with tears.Oh, my God-darling, her mother said. In two steps she was beside the bed and holding Poppy. You boys getoutof here.The savagery drained out of Jamess expression,and he loosened his hold on Phillip. Look, Im sorry. I have to stay. PoppyPhillip slammed an elbow joint into his stomach.It might not have hurt James as much as it woulda human, but Poppy saw the fury sweep over his face as he straightened from doubling up. He lifted Phil off his feet and threw him headfirst in the general direction of Poppys dresser.Poppys mother let out a cry . Cliff jumped in between Phil and James.Thats enough he roared. Then, to Phil Are you all right? And to James Whats this allabout?Phil was rubbing his head dazedly. James saidnothing. Poppy couldnt speak.All right, it doesnt matter, Cliff said. I guesseverybodys a little jumpy right now. But youd better go on home, James.James looked at Poppy.Poppy, throbbing all over like an aching tooth,turned her back on him. She burrowed into her mothers embrace.Ill be back, James said quietly. It might have been meant as a promise, but it sounded like a threat. Not for a while, you wont, Cliff said in a military command voice. Gazing over her mothers arm, Poppy could see that there was blood on Phillipsblond hair. I think everybody needs a cooling-off period. Now, come on, move.He led James out. Poppy sniffled and shivered, trying to ignore both the waves of giddiness that swept over her and the agitated murmuring of all the voicesin her head. The stereo went on blasting out madcorestomping mu sic from England.In the next two days James called eight times.Poppy actually picked up the phone the first time.It was after midnight when her private line rang, and she responded automatically, still half-asleep.Poppy, dont hang up, James said.Poppy hung up. A moment later the phone rangagain.Poppy, if you dont want to die, youve got tolisten to me.Thats blackmail. Youresick,Poppy said, clutching the handset. Her tongue felt thick and her head ached.Its just the truth. Poppy, listen. You didnt takeany blood today. I weakened you, and you didnt get anything in exchange. And that could kill you.Poppy heard the words, but they didnt seem real.She found herself ignoring them, retreating into afoggy state where thought was impossible. I dontcare.You do-care, and if you could think, youd knowthat. Its the change thats doing this. Youre completely messed up mentally. Youre too paranoiac andillogical and crazy toknowyoure paranoid and illogical and crazy.It was suspiciously like what Pop py hadreaizedearlier. She was aware, dimly, that she was acting the way Marissa Schaffer had after drinking a sixpack of beer at Jan Nedjars New Years party. Making a rant fool of herself. But she couldnt seemto stop.I just want to know one thing, she said. Is ittrue that you said that stuff to Phillip?She heard James let his breath out. Its true thatI said it. But whatI said wasnt true. It was just toget him off my back.By now Poppy was too upset to even want tocalm down.Why should I believe somebody whose whole lifeis a lie? she said, and hung up again as the first tears spilled.All the next day she stayed in her state of foggy denial. Nothing seemed real, not the fight withJames, not Jamess warning, and not her illness. Especially not her illness. Her mind found a way toaccept the special treatment she was getting from everyone without dwelling on the reason forthetreatment.She even managed to disregard her mothers whispered comments to Phil about how she was going downhill so f ast. How poor Poppy was getting pale, getting weak, getting worse. And only Poppy knew that she could now hear conversations held in the hallway as clearly as if they were in her own room.All her senses were sharpened, even as her mindwas heavyed. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she was startled by how white she was, her skintranslucent as candle wax. Her eyesso green and fierce that they burned.The other six times James called, Poppys mothertold him Poppy was resting.Cliff fixed the broken trim on Poppys dresser.Who would have thought the shaver was that strong? he said.James flipped his cellular phone shut and banged a fist on the Integras dashboard. It was Thursday afternoon.I low you.Thats what he should have said toPoppy. And now it was too late-,she wouldnt even talk to him.Whyhadnthe said it? His reasons seemed stupid now. So he hadnt taken advantage of Poppys innocence and gratitude well, bravo. All hed donewas tap her veins and break her heart.All hed done was h asten her death.But there wasnt time to think about it now. Rightnow he had a masquerade to attend.He got out of the car and gave his windbreaker a twitch as he walked toward the sprawling ranch style house.He unlocked and opened the door without callingto announce his presence. He didnt need to announce it his mother would sense him.Inside, it was all cathedral ceilings and fashionablybare walls. The one oddity was that every one of the many skylights was covered with elegant custom made drapes. This made the interior seem spacious but dim. Almost cavernous.James, his mother said, coming from the backwing. She had jet-black hair with a sheen like lacquerand a perfect figure that was emphasize rather thandisguised by her silver-and-gold embroidered wrap.Her eyes were cool gray and heavily lashed, like Jamess. She kissed the air beside his cheek.I got your message, James said. What do youwant?Id really rather wait until your begetter gets home.Mom, Im sorry, but Im in a hurry. Ive got thingsto do-I havent even fed today.It shows, his mother said. She regarded him fora moment without blinking. Then she sighed, turning toward the living room. At least, lets sit down.Youve been a little agitated, havent you, these last few days?James sat on the crimson-dyed suede couch. Nowwas the test of his acting ability. If he could get through the next split second without his mother sensingthe truth, hed be home free.Im sure Dad told you why, he said evenly.Yes. Little Poppy. Its very sad, isnt it? The shadeof the single treelike floor lamp was deep red, and ruby light fell across half his mothers face.I was upset at first, but Im pretty much over itnow, James said. He kept his voice dull and concen trated on sending nothing-nothing-through hisaura. He could feel his mother lightly probing theedges of his mind. Like an insect gently caressing with an antenna, or a snake gustatory sensation the air with its black forked tongue.Im surprised his mother said. 1 thought youli ked her.I did. But, after all, theyre not reallypeople,are they? He considered a moment, then said, Its sort of like losing a pet. I guess Ill just have to find another one.It was a bold move, quoting the party line. Jameswilled every muscle to stay relaxed as he felt the thought-tendrils tighten suddenly, coiling aroundhim, looking for a chink in his armor. He thought very hard-about Michaela Vasquez. Trying to project just the right follow of negligent fondness.It worked. The probing tendrils slipped away fromhis mind, and his mother settled back gracefully and smiled.Im glad youre taking it so well. But if you everfeel that youd like to talk to someone your father knows some very good therapists.Vampire therapists, she meant. To screw his headon straight about how humans were just for feeding on.I know you want to avoid nettle as much as Ido, she added. It reflects on the family, you see.Sure, James said, and shrugged. Ive got to gonow. Tell Dad I said hi, okay?He kissed the a ir beside her cheek.Oh, by the way, she said as he turned towardthe door. Your cousin Ashwillbe coming next week. I think hed like to stay with you at the apartment-and Im sure youd like some companythere.Over my unbreathing body, James thought. Hedforgotten all about Ashs threat to visit. But now wasnt the time to argue. He walked out feeling likea juggler with too many balls in the air.Back in his car he picked up the cellular phone,hesitated, then snapped it shut without turning it on. Calling wasnt any good. It was time to change hisstrategy.All right, then. No more half measures. A seriousoffensive-aimed where it would do the most good. He thought for a few minutes, then drove toMcDonnell Drive, parking just a few houses awayfrom where Poppy lived.And then he waited.He was prepared to sit there all night if necessary,but he didnt have to. Just around sunset the garage door opened and a white Volkswagen Jetta backedout. James saw a blond head in the drivers seat Hi, Phil. Nice t o see you.When the Jetta pulled away, he followed it.