Cryptic Cravings Read online

  Onyx blushed.

  “Wel , I always felt something odd about her,” Scarlet said seriously. “Like I can’t trust her.”

  “Me too,” I said.

  Scarlet and I had a common bond. She was feisty and strong and didn’t let the average person—or vampire—get in her way. If she wanted something, she went for it, and any obstacles in her way were just a minor inconvenience.

  And I knew she was honest and good-hearted. I was just unhappy that her romantic affections were for Trevor. If her heart was set on it, convincing her not to go after Trevor would be like convincing Jagger not to open the Crypt.

  “We gotta run,” Onyx said. “We have to get back to Jagger.”

  “So when are you coming to the Crypt?” Scarlet asked.

  “It’s not open yet,” I said.

  “I know, but we’re starting to decorate tomorrow night.”

  “Then I’l be there!” I said with a wicked grin.

  * * *

  When I arrived at the Mansion, I found a familiar car parked in the driveway and an even more familiar guy sitting on the steps.

  “Alexander won’t let you in?” I asked Sebastian.

  “I haven’t had the courage to knock yet. I’m not sure what I’m going to say.”

  “Al you have to do is say something.”

  “I tried—last night,” he said. “But you already knew that.” He shot me a look that reminded me of the moment he caught us sneaking around the mil .

  “What you did last night—that made a huge difference,” I said. “Alexander knows you have his back.”

  “What did you hear?” Sebastian asked.

  “That there is going to be a new club,” I said.

  “Yes . . .”

  “It’s going to be in the factory,” I added.

  “Uh-huh,” he acknowledged.

  “And that it’s open to mortals and vampires,” I told him.

  “Oh.” Sebastian bit his black fingernail.

  “Are you seriously game for that?” I asked.

  “Wel , since I’m a vampire, I guess that’s fine for me.” His dreadlocks shook as he laughed.

  “You know what I mean.”

  Sebastian sighed. “Of course, I don’t think it’s a great idea for this particular town. But Jagger is so convincing and Luna is hypnotic. I’l do anything she asks.”

  “Do you know anything specific about the underground club? What it’s cal ed?” I hinted, wanting to see if Sebastian had any goods on the plans for the Covenant.

  “No,” he said. “I just know he wants to make this club like the Coffin Club.”

  “You know that it’s a real y bad idea to open it to outside vampires.”

  “I can see it would be a problem.”

  “And you need to know, Alexander is against it.”

  “He is?”

  “Yes! He has lived in peace in this town since he arrived. And it isn’t just about him. He’d never sacrifice the good of al for what’s good for him. That’s not in his nature. But he loves my family and his new friends here. He doesn’t want to put them in harm’s way.”

  “And you?”

  “I agree. It could be a catastrophe. If the Dul svil ians run you al out of town, you don’t lose anything. But me and Alexander? We lose everything. And what if a vampire comes here and does what you did to Luna to some unsuspecting mortal girl? And what if everyone sees it? How do you think this town would respond?”

  “It is real y complicated, isn’t it?” he asked.

  “No, it’s quite simple. The Crypt should be a mortals-only club. Then everyone could be safe—and you and Onyx and Scarlet could live here, too. Real y close to your best friend.”

  “That would be cool,” he said with a smile.

  “Jagger wants money and he wants power. He isn’t seeing what is already here. A smal town with a close-knit, albeit boring, community. But for you, Alexander, and the girls, it’s a great haven.”

  “Yes, otherwise we could make this town be like any other.”

  I was happy that Sebastian seemed to be on the same page as Alexander and me. Because of Sebastian’s laid-back nature, I had figured he might be swayed by the crowd he hung around with at a given moment. Although I had a feeling he would ultimately be in favor of a safe and mortal club, just like his best friend.

  “What were you going to say to Alexander when you came to the Mansion last night?” I asked.

  “That I messed up again. Last time I crossed the line with Becky, and now, I made him mad by biting Luna. But I just couldn’t help myself. I was caught up in the moment. I’m not the kind of vampire Alexander is.”

  But some things weren’t so different between them now. I could have told him that Alexander had taken my blood, shared his coffin with me. That the vampire things Alexander and I shared were very meaningful. But it wasn’t my business to tel our secrets to Alexander’s best friend.

  “And I want to convince him that my feelings for Luna are different,” Sebastian added.

  Oh boy, I thought. That was not what I wanted to hear.

  “A girl wants to be special,” Sebastian said. “I tend to like a lot of girls. First Becky. Now Luna. If we’d been dating, you would have become a vampire a long time ago.”

  The idea penetrated me. If I’d been with a different vampire, I might already be one by now.

  But that wasn’t what I wanted—to be turned by a vampire’s desire alone. I wanted it to be special, permanent, and romantic. And I wasn’t the kind of girl to settle, either. Especial y since I’d fal en in love with Alexander.

  “Alexander’s looking for the right girl. Other vampires would bite a girl and never see her again.”

  That did sound horrible. To be changed and then abandoned. “Have you done that?” I asked.

  “No, but I’ve been close.”

  I hung on his words.

  “Alexander changed his life for you,” he said. “He didn’t return to Romania when he could have. He fought to buy his house so he could continue living here to be close to you.”

  Hearing Sebastian say how much Alexander cared meant the world to me. I’d always wanted to do the changing, but Alexander had changed for me.

  “I just know with Luna, this time it’s for real,” he said.

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “She’s amazing. She’s beautiful and sexy. I can’t take my eyes off of her.”

  I didn’t care to hear how wonderful Luna Maxwel was. “Would you change your life for her?” I chal enged. “Never travel to al those cities without her?”

  Sebastian thought. “Yes. I think I would.”

  “Then I think you love her,” I said through gritted teeth.

  Although I wasn’t crazy about Alexander’s best friend fal ing for the one vampire I couldn’t trust, it was better than him turning his affections toward Becky again. I would have preferred for him to fal for Scarlet or Onyx, but no amount of my morbid matchmaking seemed to make that happen.

  My cel phone beeped and I noticed I had a text from Alexander.

  Where are you? What’s taking you so long?

  I texted back, Meet me at your front door.

  The front door slowly creaked open.

  Alexander looked surprised to see Sebastian standing next to me.

  “Dude—” Sebastian said. “It’s time I final y . . .” he began.

  He waited for Alexander to say something—anything—but my boyfriend remained silent.

  “How about another game of Medieval Knights?” Sebastian said. “You can get even with me in the virtual world.

  The best two out of three wins.”

  A huge smile came over Alexander’s face. He pul ed the front door wide open and Sebastian sauntered inside. I gladly fol owed the two upstairs to the Mansion’s TV room.

  That was it—no groveling or tearful reunions. No hugs or major blowouts. Just a face-to-face, over-in-a-minute reconciliation between two childhood best friends.

  I
sketched my ideas for the Crypt while two vampires battled out their angst against each other with computer-generated swords.

  Chapter 8

  Interior Decorator

  There were a few things I felt good at: sneaking into mansions, getting in the face of brazen bul ies, and decorating in the style of the macabre.

  I wanted to share my ideas with Jagger because I was sure that I could help out with the opening of the club. I could design, decorate, or even clean. I didn’t care. I’d sweep floors if I had to. When I worked at Armstrong Travel, there wasn’t anything I wanted to do—and I was being paid. However, for a chance to be part of the Crypt, I’d be wil ing to do anything—wel , almost anything—for free.

  The next night, before I headed to the Mansion to spend time with Alexander, I raced to the factory to plead my case for joining the Crypt’s crew.

  I found Jagger in one of the main factory rooms pacing and talking on the phone. When he caught sight of me, he quickly ended his cal .

  “I guess Sebastian told you we were here?” he asked.

  “I figured it out on my own,” I said triumphantly. “I want to talk to you about something.”

  “Yes?” Jagger seemed pleased. He dusted off an old chair and offered it to me. “Please sit down.”

  I obliged and took a seat.

  “What can I do for you?” he asked intently. If Jagger wasn’t so nefarious and creepy and Alexander’s onetime enemy, he would actual y have been sexy. His white hair was jagged and edgy, and his mismatched eyes were intense and mesmerizing. And there was something attractive about the word “Possess” that was emblazoned across his upper arm.

  “I’d like to help you with your club.”

  “Real y . . . ,” he said in a tone that revealed he was clearly as surprised as he was suspicious.

  “I’m great at decorating. I can help find fun things around town.”

  I realized I might be treading on his ego. After al , he did run the Coffin Club. Who was I to tel him he needed help to design a successful club?

  “Of course, I know you are real y good at it, too,” I continued.

  Jagger sized me up. “I could use an extra hand,” he final y said. “But what about your boyfriend?”

  “I’m not sure he’l want to help.”

  “Yes, I guessed that. But wil he mind us working so closely together?” Jagger whisked back his white locks confidently. “What if you wind up preferring my company?” He grinned, his fangs catching the light of the flickering candelabra and his blue and green eyes piercing through me.

  But I wasn’t interested in his romantic inferences. “I don’t think that wil happen, and he’s not the jealous type.”

  “I imagine he knows about the Crypt?”

  “Uh . . . yes.”

  “And what does he think of the idea? He didn’t seem keen on it when I brought it up to him and Sebastian at his party.”

  “I don’t think he likes it any more now than he did then.”

  “But you do?”

  “I love the Coffin Club,” I gushed. “And I want a place where I can hang out here in Dul svil e.”

  Jagger beamed. His pale skin radiated with the glow of my compliments. He rose, taking in his surrounding as if he was imagining the new club.

  “But there’s that whole thing about . . . vampires,” I said.

  “That bothers you?” He leaned over me, his hair hanging sexily over his eyes.

  “Yes.” I did my best to confront him. “I think this club should be for mortals only.”

  “I thought that a vampire club would be up your al ey.”

  I stood up. “Uh . . . it is,” I said sincerely.

  “You want to be one,” he said, stepping in closer.

  “I know,” I said, determined.

  “You are in love with one,” he said with a mischievous grin.

  “I know, but he’s different.”

  “From me?” Jagger brushed my hair away from my neck.

  I stepped back, bumping into my chair. “From the typical vampire,” I said sharply.

  Jagger laughed, having fun with his little game. “Well . . . you seemed to blend in with the Dungeon,” he said, confronting me again. “And that Phoenix guy.”

  I placed the chair between us, not saying anything. I didn’t like what he was insinuating, that I was attracted to Phoenix—someone other than my boyfriend—even though the reality was that Phoenix was Alexander.

  “How can you be in love with a vampire and not want to have a club where he can attend?”

  “You know I mean nefarious, unknown vampires.”

  “Do I real y? You think Alexander is the only benevolent vampire?”

  “Uh . . . no.”

  “Or are you afraid that if he spends enough time around his kind, he might prefer their company?” he asked, putting his foot on the chair and leaning in. “He might be reminded of what he is missing.”

  That was something I hadn’t imagined. I had only been thinking about two things—the potential danger of vampires mixing with unsuspecting mortals, and the risk of blowing the coffin lid off of the secret identity of my boyfriend, thus threatening his stay in Dul svil e.

  “Aren’t you jealous of Luna?” Jagger asked coldly. “Don’t you think it’s weird—Sebastian meets her and within an hour takes the extra plunge, so to speak? And Alexander has known you for how long now?”

  “It’s different, and you know that. I’m not a vampire. Luna is.”

  “So she is,” he said. “Lucky Luna. So what kind of vampire would you be? The Sebastian kind? Or the Alexander kind?”

  “I came here to help, not to discuss my boyfriend.”

  “For which club? The mortal one, or the vampire one?” he asked. “I find it curious—perhaps more than a coincidence—that Scarlet, Onyx, and Sebastian have been suggesting a mortals-only club. You didn’t happen to talk to them as wel , did you?”

  I wasn’t about to admit that I had. “But they’re right. This town is too smal for an increased vampire population.

  Gossip spreads so quickly here. If the mortal patrons know it is safe, they wil want to come. But if they get wind of anything nefarious, then they wil want to shut down your club completely.”

  “You don’t seem the type to worry about what others think.”

  “I worry about what their actions can do to my friends. More vampires in this town—ones not so benign, such as yourself—” I said for good measure “—can undermine or even threaten the existence of the ones who already live here.”

  “Alexander—”

  “And now you, Luna, Sebastian, Onyx, and Scarlet.”

  He stood up and thought for a moment as he put the chair back by the table. “But it seems to me that you would want this to be a place for you—to hang out with the ones you real y want to be with,” he said. “Real y want to be.”

  I fantasized for a moment, imagined myself immersed in a world of vampires, dancing and sipping blood-fil ed drinks. It was an eye into the Underworld that I wouldn’t get by attending Dul svil e High but only by partying with vampires and being accepted as one of their own.

  “I know . . . but a club ful of and attracting more vampires is not good for everyone else. My parents—my brother.

  The townspeople.”

  “They’l never know we’re here. Unless you tel them.”

  “I’m not going to tel anyone.” I was miffed that he’d even insinuate that I’d be a blabbermouth after I’d kept the biggest secret from anyone—that my boyfriend was a vampire.

  “I think it’s risky enough as it is—with al of you hiding out in this factory it raises suspicion and fuels gossip. I don’t think it’s a good idea to add to the mix by inviting new vampires.”

  “Then what’s the point of the club? What kind of business would I be running? Besides, I have a few things planned for this club to make it even more special.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’l find out soon enough.”
r />   “A mortal club would be special al on its own. I don’t think you truly understand how amazing it would be for us to have a place to dance,” I said. “There isn’t one here. Nothing for anyone to do. And you’d stil make a fortune.

  There’s a lot of extra money these kids in town are willing to spend. Why would you want anything to get in the way of that?”

  “I’m not sure I like people tel ing me what to do,” he said, getting in my face. “Especial y people who want to be a member of this club—for eternity.”

  I’d pushed Jagger too far.

  “Does Alexander know you’re here?” he asked.

  “Yes, I do,” he said from behind me.

  I was as startled as Jagger was. I whipped around to find Alexander standing next to me.

  “You wouldn’t want anything to jeopardize our truce, would you?” Jagger asked.

  “And I’m sure you wouldn’t as wel ,” Alexander shot back.

  The tension was thick. I wasn’t sure which vampire was going to budge first.

  Jagger softened. “Your girlfriend was just convincing me how she could help me out.”

  I turned to Alexander, awaiting his reaction. I wasn’t about to let on to Jagger that I hadn’t told Alexander yet about assisting him in fixing up the club.

  “Yes, I think it’s a good idea for her to help decorate,” he said.

  Jagger was pleased. He had two antagonists al at once interested in his endeavor.

  “Here, let me show you around,” he said proudly. “With the girls pitching in and cooperation from my suppliers for the Coffin Club, this club wil be up and running in a few weeks. It doesn’t take any time to set up a rave—all you need is music and a place to invite people. But I want this to be more than a simple place to party. I want it to be a place to belong.

  “We’l have a stage, a dance floor, a bar, and as the club expands, so wil we,” Jagger said, giving us a tour of the factory and his vision of the Crypt.

  “What is this door to?” I asked, moving to a door on the far side of the room and twisting the knob. I’d seen on the blueprints that it led to the Covenant. It was locked.