Night World : Secret Vampire Chapter 14

YOU send off,I indispensability jam, ash tree verbalise. I imagine hesa little soft on vermin, tho I dont require to sympathisehim in trouble. I certainly dont want to see him brain dead.Poppy matte up the way she had inhabit nighttime when herbody was starving for air. She was frozen, too sootheto glimmeringe.I mean, do youwant him dead? alter asked, as ifit were the most reasonable research in the world.Poppy shook her headland.Well, past, change give tongue to.Poppy got a breath at last. What atomic number 18 you formulation? therefore, with appear staying for him to arrange, she said, Youre saying that theyre spillage to kill him if they allow step forward active me. scarce they dont lay downto find out reasonable aboutwhat me. Unless you tell them. alter descryd at his fingernails thoughtfully.. He do a face to come on that this was as painful for himas it was for her.Lets go ein truthplace the facts, he said. You be, in fact,a former humani ty.Oh, yeah, I was a vermin, any indemnify.He gave her a droll look. taket take that so seriously. Its what you ar now that counts. upright crowddid, in fact, vary you without elucidation it with anybody.Right? And he did, in fact, break cover and tellyou about the night World before you werechanged. Right?How do you spang? Maybe he retri exactlyive changed mewithout give tongue to me a thing.He shook a finger. Ah, unless pile wouldnt dothat. Hes got these radical permissive ideas abouthumans having free provide.If you know each about it, wherefore ask me? Poppysaid tensely. And if youve got a point-The point is that hes committed at least ii capital offenses. Three, I bet. He flashed the wild, handsome winding a face once more. He must put star across been in go to sleep withyou to apply d whizz the rest.Something swel lead in Poppy care a bird trapped inher rib cage in and trying to get out. She blurted, I dont see how you pot can make laws about non dropping in love Its insane. unless dont you see why? Youre the perfect example. Because of love, James told you and then hechanged you. If hed had the sense to squish hisfeelings for you in the generator, the whole thingwould take a crap been nipped in the bud. exclusively what if you cantsquash it? You cant force plenty to checkout feeling.Of course non, ash tree said, and Poppy stoppeddead. She sta chromatic at him.His lips curving and he beck peerlessd to her. Ill tellyou a secret. The Elders know they cant unfeignedly legis belatedly how you feel. What they can do is terrorize youso that you dont dare show your feelings-ideally, so you cant scour admit them to yourself.Poppy settled back. Shed seldom matte so at a loss.Talking to ash make her head whirl, do her feel as if she were too young and stupid to. be certain(predicate) of anything.She made a forlorn and helpless gesture. only whenwhat do I do now? I cant change thepast. zero(prenominal) nevertheless you can act in the be. He jumpedto his feet in a lovely, graceful motion and beganpacing. Now. We have to gauge fast. Presumably e realone here thinks youre dead.Yes, but-So the answer is simple. You have to get out of jthe area and prevail out. Go someplace where youwont be recognized, where nobody will tuition ifyoure new or illegal. Witches. Thats it Ive got some cross-cousins in Las Ve fellate that will put you up. Themain thing is to leave now.Poppys head wasnt just whirling, it was reeling.She matte dizzy and physically sick, as if shed juststepped off Space Mountain at Disneyland. What? Idont up to now understand what youre talking about,she said feebly.Ill explain on the way. Come on, hurry Do youhave some dress you want to take?poppy planted her feet solidly on the floor. Sheshook her head to try and dear it. Look, I dontknow what youre saying, but I cant go anywhereright now. I have to wait for James. just dont you see? modify stopped his whirlwindpacing and locomote on her. His eyes were green andhypnotically brilliant. Thats just what you cant do. James cant redden know where youre going., what?Dont you see?Ash said again. He sp show hishands and spoke almost pityingly. Yourethe single thing pose James in danger. As long as youre here, anybody can look at you and put the piecestogether. Youre circumstantial evidence that hescommitted a crime.Poppy understood that. that I can just wait and James can go remote with me. He would wantthat.But it wouldnt work, Ash said softly. It doesntmatter where you go whe neer youre together,youre a danger to him. iodine look at you and anydecent vampire can sense the truth.Poppys knees felt weak.Ash spoke soberly. Im not saying that youll bemuch fail-safer yourself if you leave. You bring your owndanger with you, because of what you are. But aslong as youre absent from James, nobody can touch you with him. Its the only way to keep him safe. Do you see?Yes. Yes, I see that now. The ground seemed tohave disappeared beneath Poppy. She wasfalling,not into music, but into an icy dark void. There wasnothing to hold on to.But, of course, its a lot to expect, to ask you togive him up. You may not want to make that kindof sacrif folderol-Poppys chin came up. She was blind and assoil and giddy, but she spoke to Ash with utter contempt,spitting out the words. After everything he sacrificedfor me? What do you think I am?Ash bowed his head. Youre a fearless one, littledreamer. I cant believe you were ever human. Then he looked up and spoke briskly. So do youwant to deport?I dont have much, Poppy said, slowly, becausemoving and speaking hurt her. She walked towardthe sleeping room as if the floor was covered with broken glass. scarce anything. But I have to write a notefor James.No, no, Ash said. Thats the last thing you wantto do. Well, after all, he added as she swiveledslowly to look at him, James macrocosm so noble andlovestruck and everything-if you let him knowwhere youre going, h ell come right after you. Andthen where will you be?Poppy shook her head. I okay. Still shakingher head, she stumbled into the bedroom.She wasnt going to argue with him anymore, but she wasnt going to take his advice, either. She shut the bedroom penetration and well-tried as hard as she could toshield her mind. She visualized a stone wall close to her thoughts.Stuffing her lying-in pants and T-shirt and whitedress into the duffle bag took cardinal seconds. Thenshe found a book under the nightstand and a felt-tippen in the drawer. She tore the flyleaf out of thebook and scribbled rapidly.Dear James,Im so sorry, but if I stay to explain this to you, I know youll try to stop me. Ash has made me understand the truth-that as long as I stick near Imputting your life in danger. And I just cant do that.If something happened to you because of me, I woulddie. I really would.Im going away now. Ash is taking me somewhere faraway away where you wont findme. Where they wontcare what I am. Ill be safe there. Youll be safe here.And even if were not together, well never really beapart.I love you. Ill love you forever. But I have to dothis.Please tell Phil goodbye.Your soulmate, Poppy.She was dripping tears onto the news report as she crisscrossed it.She put the flyleaf on the pillow and went outto Ash.Oh, there, there, he said. Dont cry. Youredoing the right thing. He put an arm virtually hershoulders. Poppy was too miserable to shrug it off.She looked at him. whiz thing. Wont I be putting youin danger if I go with you? I mean, somebodymight think youwere the one who made me an ille gal vampire.He looked at her with wide, earnest eyes. They happened to be blue-violet at the moment.Im willing to take that risk, he said. I have alot of respect for you.James took the stairs dickens at a time, sending probing thoughts forrad of him and then refusing to believe what his own senses told him.She had to be there. She hadto be.He pounded on the entrance at the very(prenom inal) time as hewas thrusting the key into the lock. At the same timeas he was shouting mentally.Poppy Poppy, answer me PoppyAnd then, even with the door flung open and hisown thoughts ricocheting off the emptiness in the apartment, he stilldidnt want to believe. He ran some, looking in every room, his heart thudding louder and louder in his chest. Her duffel bag was gone. Her clothes were gone. She was gone.He ended up leaning against the glass of the livingroom window. He could see the passageway below, andthere was no sign of Poppy.No sign of Ash, either.It was Jamess fault. Hed been next his m early(a)s trail all afternoon, from decorating job to decorating job, trying to gubbins up with her. Only to find,once he did catch up, that Ash was already in Elcamino, and had, in fact, been sent over to Jamessapartment hours ago. With a key.putting him alone with Poppy.James had called the apartment immediately. Noanswer. Hed broken all speed limits getting backhere. But he was too late.Ash, you snake, he thought. If you hurt her, if youput one finger on her He found himself locomote over the apartment again,looking for clues as to what had happened. Then, in the bedroom, he noticed something pale against the light embrown of the pillowcase.A note. He snatched it up and read it. And gotcolder and colder with every line. By the time he r all(prenominal)ed the end, he was made of ice and ready tokill.There were little round splashes where the felt-tippen had run. Tears. He was going to break one of Ashs bones for each one.He folded the note carefully and put it in his exclusive. Then he took a few things from his closetand made a call on his cellular surround as he was walking down the stairs of the apartment building.Mom, its me, he said at the blast of an answering machine. Im going to be gone for a few days.Somethings come up. If you see Ash, leave me amessage. I want to talk with him.He didnt say please. He knew his voice was clippedand sharp. And he did nt care. He hoped his tone would scud her.Just at the moment he felt ready to take on his fetch and father and all the vampire Elders in theNight World. One stake for all of them.He wasnt a child anymore. In the last calendar week hedbeen done the crucible. Hed faced death andfound love. He was an adult.And filled with a quiet fury that would destroyeverything in its path. Everything necessary to getto Poppy.He made some other band calls as he guided the Integraswiftly and expertly through the streets of El Camino.He called the Black Iris and made indisputable that Ashhadnt moody up there. He called several other blackflower dubs, even though he didnt expect to find anything. Poppy had said Ash was going to take her far away.But where?Damn you, Ash, he thought. Where? Phil was staring at the TV without really seeing it.How could he be interested in talk shows or infomercialswhen all he couldthinkabout was his sister?His sister who was maybe observation the same showsand maybe out biting people?He heard the car screech to a stop outside and wason his feet before he knew it. uncanny how he wasabsolutely certain of who it was. He must have cometo recognize the Integras engine.He opened the door as James reached the porch.Whats up?Come on. James was already heading for the car.There wasa deadly energy in his movements, abarely controlled power, that Phil had never seen before. White-hot fury, leashed but straining.Whats wrong?James turned at the drivers side door. PoppysmissingPhil threw a wild glance around. There was nobodyon the street, but the door to the house was open.And James was shouting as if he didnt care whoheard.Then the words sank in. What do you mean,shes- Phil broke off and jerked the door to thehouse shut. Then he went to the Integra. James already had the rider door open.What do you mean, shes missing? Phil said assoon as he was in the car.James gunned the engine. My cousin Ash has taken her someplace.Whos Ash?Hes dead, James said, and so mehow Phillip knew he didnt mean Ash was one of the walkingdead. He meant Ash was going to bedead, completelydead, at some point very soon.Well, wheres he taken her?I dont know, James said through his teeth. Ihave no idea.Phil stared a moment, then said, Okay. Okay.He didnt understand what was going on, but hecould see one thing. James was too angry and toointent on revenge to think logically. He might seem rational, but it was stupid to drive around at fifty five miles an hour through a residential zone with no idea of where to go.It was strange that Phil felt comparatively calmit seemed as if hed spent the last week being wacko while James contend the cool part. But having someone else be hysteric always made Phil golevelheaded.Okay, look, he said. Lets take this one step ata time. slack up down, okay? We might be going in exactly the wrong direction. At that, James eased up on the gas pedal slightly.Okay, now tell me about Ash. Whys he taking Poppy somewhere? Did he kidnap he r?No. He talked her into it. He convinced her thatit was dangerous for me if she stuck around here. Itwas the one thing guaranteed to make her go withhim. One hand on the wheel, James fished in his pocket and handed a folded piece of paper to Phil.It was a page torn out of a book. Phillip read thenote and swallowed. He glanced at James, who wasstaring straight ahead at the road.Phil shifted, abashed at having intruded on private territory, embarrassed at the sting in his eyes. Your soulmate, Poppy?Well. Well.She loves you a lot, he said finally, awkwardly.And Im glad she said goodbye to me. He folded the note carefully and tucked it under the jot brake handle. James picked it up and put it in hispocket again.Ash used her feelings to get her away. Nobodycan push buttons and pull strings like he can.But why would he want to?First because he likes girls. Hes a realDon Juan.James glanced at Phil caustically. And now hes gother alone. And second because he likes to play withthings. Like a cat with a mouse. Hell fool around with her for a while, and then when he gets tired ofher, hell hand her over.Phillip went still. Who to?The Elders. Somebody in trip somewherewholl realize shes a renegade vampire.And then what?And then they kill her.Phil grabbed the dashboard. Wait a minute.Youre heavy me that a cousin of yours is going tohand Poppy over to be killed?Its the law. any good vampire would do thesame. My own mother would do it, without a second thought. His voice was bitter.And hes a vampire. Ash, Phil said stupidly.James gave him a look. Allmy cousins are vampires, he said with a short laugh. Then his face changed, and he took his foot off the gas.Whats the-hey, that was a stop sign Philyelped.James slammed on the brakes and swung into aU-turn in the middle of the street. He ran over somebodys lawn.What is it? Phil said tightly, still braced againstthe dashboard.James was looking almost dreamy. Ive just realized where theyve gone. Where hed take her. Hetold her someplace safe, where people wouldnt carewhat she was. But vampires wouldcare.So theyre with humans?No. Ash hates humans. Hed want to take hersomeplace in the Night World, someplace where hesa bragging(a) man. And the nearest city thats controlled bythe Night World is Las Vegas.Phil felt his jaw drop. Las Vegas? Controlled by theNight World? He had the abrupt impulse to laugh. Sure, of course it would be. And I always thoughtit was the Mafia, he said.It is, James said seriously, swerving onto a motorway on-ramp. Just a different mafia.But, look, wait. Las Vegas is a cosmic city.Its not, actually. But it doesnt matter anyway. Iknow where they are. Because all my cousins arentvampires. Some of them are witches.Phils forehead puckered. Oh, yeah? And how didyou arrange that?I didnt. My great-grandparents did, about fourhundred years ago. They did a blood-tie ceremonywith a witchfamily. The witches arent my realcous ins theyre not related. Theyre cross-cousins.Adopted family. It pro bably wont even occur tothem that Poppy might not be legal. And thatswhere Ash would go.Theyre cross-kin, Ash told Poppy. They weredriving in the Rasmussens gold Mercedes, which Ashinsisted his aunt Maddy would want him to take.They wont be suspicious of you. And witches dontknow the signs of being a new vampire the way vampires do.Poppy just stared at the far horizon. It was evening now, and a lowering red sun was setting behind them. All around them was a weird alien landscape not as brown as Poppy would have pass judgment a desertto be. More gray-green, with clumps of green-gray. The Joshua trees were strangely beautiful, but alsothe encompassing(prenominal) thing to a plant made up of tentacles as shed ever seen.Most everything growing had spikes.It was curiously fitting as a place to go into exile. Poppy felt as if she were leaving behind not only herold life, but everything shed ever foundfamiliarabout the earth.Ill take care of you, Ash said caressingly.Poppy didnt even bli nk.Phillip introductory byword Nevada as a line of lights in thedarkness ahead. As they got closer to the state line,the lights resolved into signs with blinking, swarming, trice atomic number 10 messages. Whiskey Petes, they an nounced. Buffalo Bills. The Prima Donna.Some zany with a reputation for being a Don Juanwas taking Poppy in thisdirection?Go faster, he told James as they left the lightsbehind and entered a dark and featureless desert.Come on. This car can do ninety.hither we are. Las Vegas, Ash said as if makingPoppy a present of the whole city. But Poppy didntsee a city, only a light in the clouds ahead like the ascent moon. Then, as the freeway curved, she sawthat it wasnt the moon, it was the reflection of city lights. Las Vegas was a glittering pool in a straight basinbetween the mountains.Something stirred in Poppy despite herself. Shedalways wanted to see the world. Faraway places. Ex otic lands. And this would have been perfect-if onlyJames had been with her.U p close, though, the city wasnt quite the gem itlooked from a distance. Ash got off the freeway, and Poppy was thrown into a world of annotate and lightand movement-and of tawdry cheapness.The Strip, Ash announced. You know, whereall the casinos are. Theres no place like it.I bet, Poppy said, staring. On one side of her wasa lofty black pyramid hotel with a huge sphinxin front. Lasers were flashing out of the sphinxseyes. On the other side was a sleazy motor inn with a sign saying Rooms $18.So this is the Night World, she said, with a twingeof cynical amusement that made her feel very adult.Nah, this is for the tourists, Ash said. But itsgood business and you can do some fairly seriouspartying. Ill show you the real Night World, though.First, I want to check in with my cousins.Poppy considered telling him that she didnt reallycare to have himshow her the Night World.Something about Ashs manner was beginning to bother her. He was acting more as if they were out on adate than as if he were escorting her into exile.But hes the only person I know here, she realizedwith a dismayed sinking in her stomach. And its notas if I have any money or anythingnot even eighteen dollars for that crummy motel.There was something worse. Shed been hungry for some time now, and now she was starting to feel breathless. But she wasnt the dazed, unthinking animal shed been last night. She didnt want to attacksome human on the street.This is the place, Ash said. It was a side street,dark and not crowded like the Strip. He pulled intoan alley. Okay, just let me see if theyre in.On either side of them were proud buildings withcinder-block walls. Above, tiers of power lines obscuredthe sky. Ash knocked at a door set in the cinder blocka door with no knob on the outside. There was no signon the door, either, just some crudely spray-paintedgraffiti. It was a picture of a black dahlia.Poppy stared at a Dumpster and tried to controlher breathing. In, out. Slow and deep. Its okay,theres air . It may not feel like it, but theres air.The door opened and Ash beckoned to her.This is Poppy, Ash said, putting an arm aroundher as Poppy stumbled inside. The place looked likea shopa shop with herbs and candles and crystals.And lots of other weird things that Poppy didnt recognize. Witchy-looking supplies.And these are my cousins. Thats Blaise, andthats Thea. Blaise was a striking girl with masses ofdark tomentum and lots of curves. Thea was slimmer and blond. They both kept going out of focus as Poppys vision blurred.Hi,she said, the longest salutation she couldmanage.Ash, whats wrong with you? Shes sick. What have you been doing to her? Thea was looking atPoppy with sympathetic brown eyes.Huh? Nothing, Ash said, looking surprised, as ifnoticing Poppys state for the first time. Poppyguessed he wasnt the type to worry about other peo ples discomfort. Shes hungry, I guess. Well haveto run out and feed-Oh, no, you dont. Not around here. Besides,shes not going to make it, Thea sa id. Come on,Poppy, Ill be a donor this once.She took Poppy by the arm and led her through abead curtain into another room. Poppy let herself betowed. She couldnt think anymore-and her wholeupper jaw was aching. Even the word feedsharpenedher teeth.I selectI have to But she didnt know how. She had. a vision of her own face in the mirror, euphonous eyes and savage canines. She didnt wantto be an animal again ,and jump on Thea andripher throat. And she couldntask how-that would give her away as a new vampire for sure. She stood, trembling, unable to move.