Chapter Nine
“What a bust!” At sunrise, I flopped onto my bed, mentally exhausted from pretending I was still in love with a monster and that I was a vampire.
Stark and I had gone swimming and then hiked to the waterfall, where we spent the night snuggling beside a bonfire he’d arranged ahead of time.
We talked about the history of the island and how he’d won it in a war against another coven years ago.
Me, I mostly talked about how much I missed my family, which he pretended to be sympathetic toward.
Mr. Fake all the way.
Yet there were moments when I’d stared into his ice-blue eyes and forgotten about his lies.
Yes, the man was too beautiful for words, but that was not why I’d originally caught feelings for him.
Completely false, misdirected, based-on-his-lies, and now defunct feelings, of course.
He didn’t deserve my love, let alone love from anyone. Evil bastard!
Anyway, what had drawn me in originally was Stark’s layers. On the outside, he was a cold, ruthless vampire who’d crush your skull just for giggles, but beneath his deadly veneer lived a careful man with a cunning intelligence I secretly admired.
Sure, he used that wily brain to manipulate, but he also came with centuries of wisdom and life experience. It was his mental fortitude that fueled his confidence and gave him an almost godlike presence, like nothing could ever break him. That was what had pulled me in, his fearlessness of life.
If it weren’t for his seedy ways, he just might make a decent catch. But he wasn’t, and I could never truly love an evil, self-serving, dishonest man.
Toward the end of our night, he’d wanted to get frisky, so I claimed to be too homesick after video chatting with Mamma and reading all of the texts from my worried friends back home.
Everyone had heard rumors of my attack, and I felt terrible for not responding, but it would have to wait if I wanted to escape.
Unfortunately, I’d gathered zero information while hooked up to the Wi-Fi. Most of the sites were blocked, and they must’ve had a VPN because my maps app said I was in Wisconsin. Yeah, definitely not.
In short, I was no closer to getting home and could only fend off Stark for so long without him growing suspicious.
I have to come up with another plan. Fast.
Resting on my bed, I stared up at the faux-palm-frond ceiling fan.
The sun was about to come up, which might give me the opportunity to explore the island for a boat, but was that wise?
Teri and Albert had mentioned there were security cameras everywhere.
If I risked going in the sun again, word might get back to Stark.
I have to get out of here. I have to escape.
My mind reeled until I realized I’d been overlooking my ace in the hole.
I picked up the phone on the nightstand and dialed 0.
“You want me to what?” The look of fear in Teri’s eyes was palpable as she stood in the middle of my suite, wearing her khaki skort and boxy white blouse.
“I want off this island. Today. And you’re going to help me,” I repeated.
“You’re sleeping, Miss Kicklighter. Why don’t you go back to bed? I can have room service bring you up a milkshake and fries—just what you need for a perfect dream.” She reached for the radio clipped to her waistband.
I walked over to the window and yanked back the blackout curtains. The sun poured into the room, hitting me in the face.
Teri gasped. “Don’t do—”
“Stop. I’m not on moonshine anymore, and I remember everything from yesterday.”
She blinked rapidly, clearly starting to panic.
“I don’t know why you hang out on an island with a bunch of crazy ol’ vampires,” I said, “and I don’t wanna know.
But I’d bet my last piece of sanity that you don’t want Stark finding out that you and Albert are the reason I know I’m not a vampire.
So if you want to keep that perrty little head of yours on top of your perrty little shoulders, you’re gonna tell me how to get the hell out of here. Today.”
She blinked again.
I added, “If I stay any longer, he’s going to figure out I’ve caught on. If that happens, he’ll ask questions, and I might have to tell him everything.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “He’ll probably forgive me. But you?”
“How much moonshine have you had this week?”
I’d consumed a lot. “Why?”
“Because that stuff rots your brain.” She tapped the side of her head. “It’s poison. Which is why you’re forgetting there’s no outsmarting Montgomery Stark.”
Probably true, but a girl had to try. “How. Do. I. Leave?”
Teri let out a sigh. “There’s a helicopter bringing provisions in a few hours. I can sneak you on it when it leaves, but if I do, Mr. Stark will want to know who helped you. Eventually, he’ll figure out it was me, so I’m dead either way.” She scrubbed her face with her hands.
“What if you tell Stark you were walking by my suite and heard a noise. You knocked to check on me, and then I took you hostage. I made you put us both on the helicopter. Later, you can tell Stark I was saying all sorts of crazy things. He’ll think I’m suffering from a mental breakdown after drinking too much moonshine. ”
She looked down at the floor, shaking her head. She wasn’t liking my idea.
“Or,” I shrugged, “we could stay here and you can try your luck.”
Teri exhaled slowly. “You don’t understand. Vampires can smell a lie a mile away. And even if they buy my story, how am I going to make Mr. Stark believe you’ve gone completely psychotic on moonshine? You’d have to take three or four doses all at once for that to happen.”
Dear Lord. What was in that stuff? “Then get me four bottles.”
“From where?”
I scratched the side of my head. “Do you know where he keeps his stash?”
She crinkled her nose.
“What?” I asked.
“He has a minifridge in his suite.”
“Where’s his suite?” I suddenly realized how strange it was that I didn’t know. But of course he would be keeping himself safe during daylight hours. Safe, even from me.
My heart sank. He had never trusted me, which was more proof that our entire relationship was a hoax.
“So?” I urged.
“You don’t want to go down there.”
“Down where?” I asked.
“The cellars. All vampires sleep underground, as far as I know.”
Stark slept underground? But I’d seen his master bedroom in Leiper’s Fork. He’d told me that was where he slept.
Probably another lie. All to hide the fact he was a cave-dwelling night goblin.
Teri added, “The only humans allowed down there are the maids during the day. They clean and prepare the vampires’ waking chambers.”
“What the heck’s a waking chamber?”
“It’s where they feed after they wake. It’s…not for the faint hearted. Think Dexter’s kill room.”
From that TV show about the serial killer who diced people up? I swallowed hard. “They munch on people? Live ones?”
“Until they’re not.” Her face contorted.
My mouth hung open. How did I not know this? Worse, I never even suspected. Not a whiff!
“They’re vampires, Miss Kicklighter. What did you expect?”
“Not that.” A wave of revulsion crawled over my skin. What happened to not killing humans? It appeared that everything I knew about vampires was a lie.
My stomach tangled into a mess of anger. The world needed to know the truth, but that wouldn’t happen if I didn’t get the hell out of here. Hopefully, without turning Teri into Stark’s next meal.
“Can you get me a maid’s uniform?” I asked.
Teri groaned.
“Yes or no?” I asked.
“It’s too risky. They have vampire security guards down there watching everything from cameras.”
“Didn’t I overhear you say you could bribe them?” She’d mentioned it to Albert the morning he found me on the beach.
“A few are open to doing favors, but I’m still recovering.” She pulled down the collar of her blouse, exposing a deep purple bruise and two puncture marks at the base of her neck.
Holy hickies! Poor woman. “I could donate the snack.”
“Are you joking? They wouldn’t dare touch you. You’re Mr. Stark’s property.”
Ew.
“But,” she added, “I have another idea. There are empty bottles in the supply room, for when they make fresh moonshine for our human guests.”
This was perfect. I could make it look like I’d gotten my hands on a bunch of moonshine and drank it all. “Stark will just have to believe I stole someone’s stash.”
“Let’s hope he doesn’t catch on, Miss Kicklighter, because I’d prefer not to end up on the menu tonight.”
“Did you eat Taco Bell today?” I asked.
“No. It’s not exactly available on the island.”
“Then you’re probably safe.”