Chapter 10
Ten
VAUGHN
The High Witch made good on her promise and brought the potion that will make me appear human. The effects will last twenty-four hours. I wish it would last longer, but I didn’t want to push my luck. I have the feeling she only agreed to help me to avoid a future headache.
Unfortunately, Mom is working a night shift at the hospital, and my younger sister, Clarissa, is at a sleepover.
So tonight, I only get to see my big sister, Annabelle, whom I’m meeting at Night Crawlers, a popular bar downtown where Nocturnal used to perform.
Man, that feels like years ago. I haven’t touched my bass guitar since Rikkon was kidnapped by Larsson and the band went on hiatus.
I wonder if we’ll ever play together again.
I only drink the potion once I’m parked in front of the bar. It tastes bitter as fuck, and it almost makes me gag. I cover my mouth with a fist in case the potion wants to come back up. If I throw up, there goes my chance to hang out with Annabelle.
After a moment, the nausea passes. The High Witch said it would take from one to five minutes for the potion to take effect, but I lack the patience, so I look in the mirror and check if my fangs are still visible. They aren’t. I’m good to go.
Once out of the car, I take a deep breath. I may look human, but my enhanced senses are intact. When I don’t detect the scent of any vampires in the vicinity, I relax a bit. The last thing I need is to have an encounter with a bloodsucker from Bloodstone Institute who might recognize me.
There’s some traffic on the street, so I wait to cross. I decide to text Annabelle to see where she’s at when from the corner of my eye, I see a woman with blue-and-green hair not pay attention to traffic. She’s going to walk right in front of a car racing down the street.
I don’t stop to think. I reach for her, grabbing her arm to pull her back. A horn blares.
“Careful there,” I say.
She looks at me like a deer caught in headlights for a moment, and I immediately notice the unique color of her eyes. Lavender. I’ve never seen such a striking color before. It’s bewitching.
Suddenly, she yanks her arm free. “Don’t touch me!”
Whoa. I wasn’t expecting that reaction. I lift both hands, palms facing her. “So sorry. I don’t make it a habit of grabbing strangers, but I didn’t want you to turn into road pizza.”
Her eyes are round like saucers, and her breathing is erratic. Shit. Is she afraid of me? Can she sense that I’m a vampire?
When she doesn’t say anything, I add, “I’m gonna go now. Take care, all right?”
I cross the street, and only when I’m on the other side do I look over my shoulder. The woman is gone.
“Vaughn! Over here!” I turn around and follow the sound of my sister’s voice.
I’m still rattled about what happened, but I push it to the back of my mind. I won’t let a stranger ruin my evening. I don’t know when I’ll get another chance to hang out with Annabelle.
She pulls me into a hug the moment I step close to her. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, sis.”
We break apart, and then she punches my arm.
“You are a real turd, you know? I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“Ouch!” The hit didn’t hurt, but I rub the spot, feigning that it did. “What’s with the aggression?”
She steps back and grabs both my arms. “Hello, biceps. You’ve been working out.”
“Yeah, a little bit.” I smile, then glance around. “So… where are your friends?”
“Oh, they’re already inside.” She takes my hand. “Come on. There’s someone who’s dying to see you.”
Shit. I hope this isn’t a romantic setup.
We cut the line, and at the door, I fist-bump Anthony, the bouncer. “Hey, what’s up, Vaughn? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I know. Too long. Who’s playing tonight?”
“Oh, a new band from Boston. Don’t know them.”
A twinge of jealousy pierces my chest. Night Crawlers was Nocturnal’s home base. We had a recurring slot every Thursday, and sometimes Saturdays too. I hate that there’s a new band performing in our place, but I don’t see Nocturnal getting back together anytime soon.
I follow Annabelle to a table in the middle of the club, just at the edge of the dance floor. Currently, the stage is empty, but all the instruments are already set up. I’m staring at it when Annabelle pulls my jacket sleeve to get my attention.
“Beer for you?”
“Yeah, sure,” I reply absentmindedly.
“What’s with you?”
I shake my head. “Nothing.”
Annabelle glances at the stage. “You miss playing, don’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Is Nocturnal done for good?”
I shrug. “Who knows. Everyone is busy with other stuff.”
“Well… maybe you could join another band.”
If I were human, sure. But unless there’s another supernatural band in Salem looking for a vampire bass player, I doubt being a musician is still in the cards for me.
“Yeah, maybe,” I say so Annabelle will drop the subject.
I came here to feel better about myself, but I’m only getting more depressed.
We head over to the bar, and a minute later, I have a beer in my hand.
But I’m still stuck in my head and forget that I’m a vampire now, and alcohol is toxic to me.
Only Bluebloods are able to handle it without barfing.
I drink a big gulp and gag immediately. All the beer comes back up my throat in the most embarrassing way.
“Oh my God, Vaughn. Are you all right?” Annabelle pats my back.
“Wrong pipe,” I croak.
“I’ll say. You almost gave me a beer shower.”
“Sorry.”
“Come on, let’s say hello to everybody.”
I let her lead the way so I can dump the rest of my beer without her seeing it.
Maybe the High Witch wasn’t wrong to remind me that the potion wouldn’t grant me immunity against the sun.
Here, hanging out with my sister in my old stomping grounds, it’s just too easy to forget that I’m no longer human.
Annabelle’s friends have snagged a booth close to the dance floor. I know most of them save for one guy with purple hair and more piercings on his face than the dude from the Hellraiser movie.
“Look who came tonight,” Annabelle announces as we near the table.
“Vaughn, my man. Long time no see.” Parker, our old next-door neighbor, lifts his hand for our secret handshake.
“I know. Too long.”
I say hello to Daniela, Parker’s longtime girlfriend, and Denise, her sister, who had a major crush on Karl.
“Are you solo tonight, Vaughn?” she asks, looking over my shoulder.
“Yes. It’s just me.”
Her face falls. “Where’s the rest of your crew?”
I guess she still has a crush on Karl. Poor girl. Karl had never shown interest in anyone, and now I know why. The sap only has eyes for Manu.
“They’re out of town.”
“Out of town where?” Annabelle slides into the booth seat, leaving enough room for me.
“Uh… Boston.” I bring the empty glass to my lips automatically to hide my face, forgetting that it’s empty.
“Oh my God. You drained that already?” Annabelle says.
I chuckle nervously, hoping no one notices I’m acting weird. “I guess I did.”
“Don’t worry, mate. We’ll get you another once the waiter comes around,” the purple-haired dude, who’s sitting next to Annabelle, chimes in, then extends his hand to me. “I’m Nathan.”
We shake hands. “Nice to meet you, Nathan.”
“Nathan is the lead singer of the band playing tonight,” Annabelle explains. “He’s the one who I wanted you to meet.”
“Oh, cool. I thought the band was from Boston, though.”
“Yeah, we are. Well, most everyone is from Boston. I’m the only import from London.”
London. I’ve always wanted to go. There are so many things I had on my bucket list before my change, but now, with the brewing vampire war and who knows what else, all those things I wanted to do feel less important.
“How did you meet my sister?”
“Oh, I stopped by her bakery when I rolled into town.” He smiles at her, and both their eyes go soft as they gaze at each other.
I could tell Annabelle that it’s a bad idea to get involved with a musician who isn’t even local, but maybe she just wants to have fun tonight.
A guy out of breath stops in front of our booth. He looks frantic and smells accordingly. It’s funny how human emotions have different scents. His heart is beating faster than normal too.
“Nathan, I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Guys, that’s Tony, the drummer,” Nathan introduces his bandmate, not acknowledging his distressed state.
“Hi, Tony. Where’s the fire?” Parker jokes, and I feel like kicking him under the table.
“We lost Hub.”
Nathan sits straighter, losing his carefree facade. “What do you mean, we lost Hub?”
“He had a fight with his girlfriend and took off. I think he went back to Boston.”
“That spineless wanker.” Nathan pulls his hair back. “We’re supposed to start our set in ten minutes.”
“I know.” Tony throws his hands up in the air.
“Can’t you go on without him?” Parker asks.
“No, we need a bass player. The songs will sound off without it.”
Annabelle and all her friends turn to me.
Shit. I know what they’re thinking. Now my heart is racing. I miss playing in a band, but to go on with musicians I know nothing about isn’t my idea of fun.
“Vaughn plays bass. He can replace Hub,” Annabelle suggests.
“I don’t know their set,” I argue.
Nathan’s eyes widen. “Bloody hell. That’s brilliant! Mate, you gotta do it. Don’t worry about the set. We’re only playing popular songs tonight, and you probably know all of them.”
“Come on, Vaughn. We miss seeing you on that stage,” Daniela chimes in.
Parker and Denise pile on, urging me to accept the gig. There’s no way I can get out of if without coming across like an asshole.
“What the hell. Fine, I’ll do it.”