I told Mom I was going over to Noel's to study for a French test - no need for her to know Noel was taking Spanish. Noel drove me to Video City in her beat-up Volvo, begging me the entire way not to confront Fane. I was way ahead of her. I'd called him before we pulled out of the driveway and told him to meet me. It was hard to imagine that a couple hours earlier we had skipped school to go to Portage Glacier.
Before heading back to town we'd made out in his car. He'd had his tongue in my mouth. I shuddered again.
Noel pulled into a spot in front of Video City and said, "I'm waiting with you."
"Fine," I said.
I shivered. The vents were blasting cold air on us.
"And call as soon as you're done speaking to him."
"Yes, Mom," I said and laughed.
I stared at the movie posters in the window facing us. Starship Troopers. Seriously, ever think about updating to the twenty-first century?
Fane pulled in beside Noel. He looked over and gave her a nod. Noel lowered her head slightly.
I narrowed my eyes. "Do you two know each other?"
"Not well," she said.
"Has he ever...?" I suddenly began to ask, but couldn't finish the words.
"Fane? No, of course not. Fane's a one-woman kind of guy."
Except he wasn't a guy at all. He was a bloodsucking vampire who'd wandered far from his grave. Worse yet, he didn't trust me enough to tell me.
"Aurora..." Noel said as I opened the door to get out.
I forced a smile. "I'll be fine."
Once I slipped inside the Catalina I stared forward. I was afraid if I looked at Fane my face would betray me.
"So what's going on?" he asked.
"We need to talk, but not here."
"Where do you want to go?"
"The bluff."
Fane put the car in reverse and headed to the ocean. "Sure you can't tell me what this is about?"
I shook my head.
After a spell Fane asked, "How do you know Noel Harper?"
"Funny, I was just asking her the same thing about you."
Fane's fingers, which were loosely steering, now wrapped around the wheel tightly. His voice turned silky. "And what did she tell you?"
I kept my silence. Fane cut through the airport and come out on Point Woronzof Road paralleling the coastal trail. On our way to the bluff, I pointed out a trail access surrounded by dense woods.
"Pull in here."
Point Woronzof was a popular place to make out or access the beach. I wanted something more secluded. Well, maybe not that secluded. By now it was almost four in the afternoon. The sun would set in another forty-five minutes.
The trees surrounded the deserted parking lot, shading the last gray hues before total darkness. Fane pulled into a spot in the far corner against the woods.
"So?"
"When were you planning on telling me you're a vampire?"
Fane squinted at me. "I thought you knew."
"Why in the hell would you think that?"
Fane waved his hand at my neck. "The red scarf. I thought it was your way of signaling to me."
"Not even!" I shook my head. "I can't believe this."
Now what? What would Melcher instruct me to do in a situation like this? This was different. This wasn't a mission. This was Fane.
His body tensed and the soft features of his face hardened. His words were silky smooth, without a trace of surprise. He even had the insolence to sound amused. "You chose to confront me in this dark, isolated location, alone in my car? What is it, Aurora - bravery or the thrill of danger?"
"I'm not afraid of you."
"Good because I could never hurt you. I might want to sleep with you and suck your blood, but I'd never hurt you."
"Stop it."
He turned in his seat to face me. I didn't like the way he looked me up and down. "Don't tell me you don't want it, too."
"I could never sleep with you."
I hadn't meant to sound so repulsed. Did vampires have feelings? I mean, if they were immune to bodily harm, perhaps their emotions were equally deadened.
I didn't have to wonder for long. The Fane I knew disappeared, replaced by a big-headed brute - or maybe he was just being a guy - who slouched back as though impervious to words or emotions. "Now you don't want to do the dirty because I'm a vampire? Usually that's a turn-on for girls."
I bet it was. I bet girls like Valerie got off on a good fuck and suck.
"Oh? And how many girls have you been with?"
I tried to sound as detached as him, even though he had hurt me more than he could know, and worse, after claiming he never could.
It took him what? All of ten seconds?
"I've been around a long time."
Fane pulled down his visor. A pack of American Spirits landed in his open palm. Fane pushed a car lighter into the socket on the dashboard. Within seconds, the metal cylinder popped out.
Somehow this infuriated me more than Fane's countless line of lovers. "So you're smoking again?"
"Depends. Are you breaking up with me?"
"You're joking. You're threatening me with a cigarette?"
Fane shrugged and lit up. Guess he was making the decision for me. In the end, guys were all the same whether they'd been around for eighteen years or eight hundred.
The moment his cigarette caught fire I felt myself spark with rage. I threw the car door open and got out. I slammed it shut with both hands. The smash of metal was somewhat satisfying. I began taking off across the empty lot.
Fane would either speed away or chase after me. I figured he would go for the hunt, since he was a vampire.
I just wasn't expecting it so soon.
He jumped out of the car right after me. I saw him flick the cigarette across the snowy lot. He locked eyes with me, and a shiver ran down my spine.
I bolted.
Bright idea, Aurora, let's make this even more exciting for the vampire.
I wasn't a complete dolt. I had my dagger and something even more lethal - my blood. He wanted to bite me. I could feel it with every beat of my heart. And if he did...
That thought alone made me run faster.
I crashed through the woods. Adrenaline was a powerful thing. In normal circumstances, I would have tripped over a stump by now. Instead, I leapt over fallen trunks and dashed through the trees toward the ocean. And what would I do there? Swim across to Fire Island? I wouldn't make it thirty feet before hypothermia set in.
I couldn't risk looking behind me, and I couldn't hear Fane through the pounding of my heart, which drummed inside my ears. My blood was beckoning him. An inexplicable thrill shot through my body.
When I ran into a clearing on the bluff I stopped suddenly and whirled around.
My body trembled, but it wasn't from fear or cold. Our eyes locked, stopping Fane in his tracks twenty feet away.
We stared each other down like two combatants about to duel. Fane started toward me. The important thing, I reminded myself, was not to show any fear. But for all my feigned courage, I couldn't move.
Fane took advantage of my hesitation to close the remaining distance between us. He yanked me to him with both hands. It was difficult to tell if he meant to caress or attack me. His hands ran down my back.
Fane pulled at my scarf as he whispered in my ear. "I'm dying to taste you." His words left hot marks on my skin.
I pushed at him, but he gripped me harder and ripped off my scarf. The fabric pooled over the snow like a stain. I struggled and was just about to reach for the dagger when Fane released his hold on me.
I pitched forward, falling to my hands and knees in the snow.
Fane stood over me blinking.
"You've already been bitten."
The cold air prickled my neck. It was like someone had cut off my hair and left me completely exposed.
Fane's gaze fixated on my neck. At least he didn't look as though he wanted to bite me anymore. I probably could have used stitches where Ivo bit me. Since I had the scarf to hide the wound, it wasn't carefully covered up with powder or foundation.
Fane's fingers trembled when he reached for my neck. "Who did this to you?"
"A vampire."
He didn't smile. "Who was it?"
I studied his side profile in the dying light. "Why? Do you know every vampire in Alaska?"
Wait, would I be required to report that information back to Agent Melcher? Maybe it was better if he didn't answer.
Fane's eyes narrowed. "That bite mark is fresh."
I lowered my chin and tried to look at it, which was ridiculous - there was no way I could see my own neck. It was better than looking Fane in the eye when he was staring at me as though I'd cheated on him.
"I didn't go out of my way to get this!" Okay, that was a lie, but it's not like I wanted to be bitten. I'd rather jab a needle in my arm than get gnawed on by creepy killers.
Fane bent down slowly for the scarf and handed it to me from two feet away. "Come on, you must be freezing."
The snow seemed thicker on the walk back.
Fane turned on the heat once we got inside his car. "Noel Harper dragged you to one of Marcus's parties, didn't she?"
I really had to meet this Marcus and check out one of his after hour parties. They were the talk of the town, at least among the undead and their cohorts.
A look of rage crossed Fane's face. "Aurora?" he said carefully. "A couple days ago you had a bruise on your forehead. Did someone force himself on you?"
I stared out the windshield, weighing my options. From a sitting position, I could ease my hand down my leg and retrieve the dagger under my pant leg. I didn't want to hurt him, though. It was hard enough killing evil vampires. Would the agents ever ask me to kill nice ones like Fane?
"Have you ever killed anyone?" I asked suddenly.
"What?" Fane scowled. "No."
Before he could ask about the bite again I said, "Look, any girl who hangs out with Noel and her friends ends up getting bitten."
Fane's features began to vanish in the dimming light. It was the end of January, and we were up to seven hours and forty minutes of daylight, not that it was noticeable on overcast days like this. The grayness had a calming effect...until Fane punched the dashboard. It made me jump.
"I can't stand it!" he cried. "I can't stand the thought of someone else biting you."
"Hey, I didn't like it either."
He turned to me. "You didn't?"
"It was disgusting."
"But most people..."
"I said it was disgusting!"
Fane settled back into his seat and stared forward. "Is that what you think of me? That I'm disgusting?"
I sighed and shrank back in the seat.
My voice came out so much quieter than I'd intended. "I wanted to...but I can't."
His fists tightened around the steering wheel.
I hugged myself in my arms. "Don't ever bite me, though."
I couldn't tell if Fane was nodding or shaking his head. "Do you want me to take you home?"
"Not yet."
"Do you want to stay parked a bit longer?"
Parking inevitably led to one thing - making out - and it probably went against every code of honor for a vampire hunter to have relations with a vampire. But who cared? It wasn't like Melcher had made me recite any vows. Fane wasn't a killer. He was just...dead.
I turned my eyes away from the oppressive trees. "Can we go to your place?"
"My place? That's fine, but I have to warn you, my roommate isn't hospitable."
"Honestly, I could do without the pleasantries tonight."
Fane pulled onto Postmark Drive, skirting cargo hangars and the big FedEx Express Center. We passed my street and headed toward Denali High, passing it before pulling into a nearby neighborhood.
"You live this close to school and you don't walk?"
"Walk?" Fane repeated. "I wouldn't be caught dead walking to school." He laughed.
He pulled the tank into the right side of a one-story duplex and made no movement to vacate the vehicle.
I looked over when he didn't get out. "What?"
"How did you figure out I was a vampire?"
"Noel told me. I don't know why I didn't figure it out, myself. I mean, 'Fane.' Kind of obvious, don't you think?"
"It's spelled with an 'e.' not a 'g.'"
"You're right, that makes all the difference." It felt good to laugh, even briefly. I nodded at the garage door. "Does your roommate get the garage?"
Fane grunted. "You could say that. It's full of his books. He's a rare books dealer - sells online. That's how we cover our expenses."
I bit down softly on my lower lip. "Oh, right, I didn't think about that. You still have to make a living. So what are you doing at Denali High?"
Fane stretched his hands on the steering wheel. "Every few decades I enroll in school to check out how things have changed. Joss hates society, but it fascinates me. I miss being part of it. Besides, it's the best place to pick up chicks."
My voice rose. "Skating on thin ice." Still, I was happy we were joking again.
Fane chuckled.
"So, how does twenty-first-century high school compare to the fifties or eighties or whenever you were last in school?"
"It's changed a lot. I'll tell you, I sympathize with the teachers. These days they have cell phones and guns to contend with...I think cell phones are worse."
"And your roommate doesn't mind you playing school boy while he brings home the bacon?"
"Joss doesn't bring home anything. I have to do all the leg work. Drive him around to garage sales, mail packages, fetch supplies..."
"He doesn't drive?"
"He refuses to learn - said automobiles are just another destructive invention of mankind. It didn't matter in New York. No one drives in the city." Fane looked over. "Sure you want to come inside? Or are you stalling?"
"I'm sure."
We got out of the car and approached the front door. I didn't see any boarded-up windows.
"Welcome to my lair," Fane said as we walked in.
As my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, it wasn't the antique furniture I focused on, but the pair of unfriendly eyes regarding me as though I were vermin crawling around his feet by the couch. There was a white porcelain mug on the end table by his side. The mug and scowl on his face were all lit by a glass iron lamp on the table. I recognized Joss from outside the video store.
"What is she doing here?" he demanded.
"What do you think? She's my guest, and she's come for a visit."
"What happened to the other girl?"
"I ate her." Fane chuckled and turned to me. "You'll have to excuse my roommate. A hundred years and he's still not socialized. Aurora, meet my immortal companion, Josslyn."
"So then...she knows what happened to us." Josslyn looked me over in disgust as though I was the foul creature in this scenario.
Hello? Me, human. You, walking corpse.
"Nice to meet you, Joss," I said.
"My name is Josslyn."
"Kind of girly."
He narrowed his eyes. "I don't like you."
"Don't take it personally," Fane said to me. "Joss hates all humans."
"Hey, as long as he's not killing them."
Joss closed the book nestled in his lap. "Me kill?" He looked at Fane, eyes narrowed. "Perhaps your new companion ought to hear about the mass murder that took place in my village. It wasn't vampires doing the slaughtering."
Fane rolled his eyes. "As charming as that story is, let's save it for another night."
"Is that blood in your mug?" I asked, nodding toward the porcelain cup.
"Certainly not!"
"It's Earl Grey," Fane said.
"You're drinking tea?" I raised both brows.
Joss glared at me. "I'd rather consume strychnine than human blood."
I turned to Fane. "How long can you go without feeding?"
"Months, but I don't know what vampire would want to. The cravings are intense - like no other addiction. As far as health goes, a regular diet of blood gives us strength and quicker healing capabilities."
"What about super powers?"
Joss snorted.
"Aside from heightened senses, fast healing, and the whole living forever thing; we're more or less human." Fane shrugged. "Joss would know the answer to your question about feeding better. I believe he's set the record for the longest fast."
A light bulb went off in my head. "Oh, like a tick."
"Excuse me?" Joss said.
"Ticks can live for seven years without feeding."
"Francesco," Joss said testily. "She's comparing me to an insect."
Fane grinned. "Yes, I heard."
Joss stood up. "I'll be in my room." He took his book and tea with him and slammed a door somewhere down the hall.
Fane spread his arm toward the couch. "Have a seat."
I settled onto the couch and looked at Fane. "How old are you?"
"Me? Gosh." He scratched his head. "I was born in 1755. I guess that would make me...two hundred and fifty-eight."
"Well, you don't look a day above twenty," I teased. "Where are you from originally?"
"Italy."
"But you have no accent."
"Not anymore. I didn't stick around long. Made my way to England, which is where I learned English."
"You don't sound British, either. Not like Joss. Your name makes a lot more sense now. Francesco."
Fane screwed up his face. "Now you know why I go by Fane."
"And I thought you were being ironic."
I shouldn't be at his house with him. I shouldn't be with him at all, but I couldn't imagine being anywhere else. I was gathering intel. That's all. Going deep undercover. What better way to learn everything I could about vampires than from the creature itself?
I faltered. Looking at Fane now, I couldn't think of him as a creature. My insides still thrummed at his nearness. Even now, I wanted to straddle him on the couch and kiss him back to life. It was wrong to want a vampire. So very wrong.
I switched back to teasing. "You're so obvious, you know? What's with the long leather jacket? Kind of cliche, don't you think?"
"This?" Fane opened his arms and looked down. "What's wrong with following fashion trends? Frankly, I like it a lot better than the bulky cuffs and full-skirted frock coats of the eighties."
"Eighties?"
"Oh, right, pardon, 1780s. And don't get me started on top hats." Fane took his jacket off and draped it over an armchair before settling on the couch beside me. "These are great times - for instance, you've got jeans and sunglasses and I can't tell you how much I love cotton - so soft and unconstricting."
I turned to him. "What about the smoking?"
"Are you kidding? It's the easiest way to meet people."
"So you're not addicted to nicotine?"
Fane let out a deep, throaty laugh. "It's the habit I enjoy." He leaned in closer. "There's only one thing I'm addicted to." His eyes shone as he perused the skin above my scarf. He leaned in closer and inhaled me, his lips hovering above my skin.
"Don't," I whispered.
His eyes were hazy. I stood up. "I should get going."
His eyes slowly cleared. He got up and put his jacket on.
Silence followed us on the drive home. My emotions were too jumbled to talk, my thoughts tangled up till nothing coherent could be pulled out of them.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Fane asked as he turned onto Century Heights.
"I'm tired." Not that I expected to get any sleep that night.
He threw the Pontiac into park in my driveway and looked at me. "So are we good?"
"I don't know," I answered. "I need time to think about all of this."
Fane tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel. "How much time?"
"What do you mean how much time? You have all the time in the world."
Fane took his eyes off his fingers and looked straight at me. "That doesn't make the seconds away from you go by any faster."
My heart skittered. I drew in a breath and nearly forgot to release it. "You shouldn't say things like that."
"But it's the truth."
It was all I could do to get out of the car and make it to the front door without looking back. I lay awake all night thinking about Fane. I thought about him being around for over three centuries and all the changes he'd seen.
Mostly, though, I replayed the chase through the woods. But instead of the scarf he ripped down my jeans and made love to me in the fallen snow.
Every part of me tingled.
I was seriously screwed.