Page 18 of Blood Sport

I glance at her neck where the two puncture marks from last weekend are barely yellow bruises, fading in with her tan skin. The next morning when we were all sitting on the couch in the living room hungover with coffees in our hands, Candie noticed the marks on Jaycee’s neck. Of course, after being compelled by the mystery vampire who took her upstairs, she doesn’t remember a thing—blaming the lack of memory on being drunk—and thinks that maybe he had given her a hickey, but she doesn’t remember/

Good, I’m glad she doesn’t remember. It’s better that way.

“Yeah, I just… have a lot on my mind, but it’s nothing, I promise,” I reassure with a small smile. “Anyway, what were you guys talking about?”

“Just what has been happening in Pullman recently,” Candie answers.

I frown, looking between the girls. “What’s been going on?”

“The murders, duh.” Candie looks down at the nail tech working on her nails, watching as she swipes on a coat of baby pink polish. “You’ve heard about them, right?”

I nod, leaning back in my seat. I’m reminded of my conversation with Jaylen where he revealed the truth about the murders. But, of course, I can’t tell the girls what I know, so I decide to play dumb. “Miles mentioned it before we went to the Black Rose, but I didn’t think much about it.”

“They have found several people murdered in the area, drained of their blood,” Rylee provides, her love for true crime shining through her eyes. “They found another one last night, their body lying in the park just down the road from our place.”

“From what I’ve heard,” Jaycee says, “they are connecting all the murders and saying there is a serial killer on the loose. Something about a satanic cult, too.”

“In Pullman?” Candie gasps, her eyes wide. “That’s so scary. I don’t want to leave the house now.”

“You’ll be fine,” Rylee reassures with a small smile. “Just don’t go anywhere alone, okay? We all need to stick together, especially in a time like this. Being in a group or a pair is much better than being alone.”

“I agree,” I say with a nod. Although none of them are vampires so they likely won’t be a target, it doesn’t hurt to be cautious of other dangers. “No one goes out by themselves, okay?”

The girls agree in unison, and I go back to getting lost in my thoughts, because what’s new?

Pullman isn’t known for having many violent crimes, but that’s not to say that crime doesn’t exist here at all. So, the fact that all these murders are happening in the area has citizens on edge and invested in the story.

When I see Jaylen, I’ll have to ask him more questions about the murders and vampires in general.

When I see him.

The thought of seeing Jaylen has my skin tingling with excitement. It’s wrong for me to still find him attractive after finding out the truth about him, but I just can’t help it. My heart races wildly whenever he’s around, which hasn’t changed since finding out he’s a vampire. I should be afraid of him, but I’m not, and that’s a problem.

We finish up at the nail salon, leaving with freshly painted toes and fingernails, before making our way to the food court to grab something for lunch. My stomach is all but growling at me by the time we find a table and sit down with our sushi. For it being a Friday afternoon, the tables are mostly filled with shoppers—kids hanging out with their friends after school, workers on their lunch breaks, or couples and families sitting together.

I listen as Rylee tells us about the latest romance book she’s reading, and Candie explains how she’s already falling behind on notes for her classes. I listen quietly, trying to appear interested, but all I can think about is who the vampire hunter may be and if they’re lurking among us, blending in with the crowd while they stalk their prey.

I’ve never thought about the fact that vampires could be walking among us undetected, blending in effortlessly. If Jaylen is anything to go by, they are no different than humans in appearance, and that makes me nervous.

After we finish eating, we leave the shopping mall and head out to Rylee’s car. I take the front seat while Jaycee and Candie slide into the back. Rylee is quick to put on a pop playlist with all of her favorite songs, turning up the volume to the point my teeth are rattling in my head and my bones are bouncing in my body.

I roll the window down and close my eyes, relishing in the feel of the wind sliding against my skin and through my hair, trying to ease my mind from the chaos running through it.

God, I just need to fucking relax.

When we get home, I linger behind Candie and Rylee to walk with Jaycee. I’ve been wanting to ask her about the mystery guy from Black Rose but didn’t want to bring it up in front of the other girls since Jaycee seems to want to keep any information about this guy close to her chest.

“There’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” I say slowly as we climb the porch stairs, the wooden creaking underneath our feet.

Jaycee turns to look at me. “What’s up?”

I hesitate for a moment, not wanting to bombard her with questions. I stop at the top of the stairs, Jaycee still facing me. Her eyes roam over my features, almost nervously by the way they jump. “I just… Who is the mystery guy who got us into Black Rose? I’m just curious about him, especially since we know nothing about him.”

“Oh.” Jaycee breathes a sigh of relief, shaking her head. “I had no idea where you were going with that. You can’t be so serious all the time, Ev.”

I smile, blowing out a short breath. “Sorry. But seriously, who is he?”

Jaycee shrugs, looking down at her shoes. “He’s just a guy I met in one of my classes. He’s charming and sweet. We’re only seeing each other casually, so I don’t want to give out too much information just in case whatever we have fizzles out.”

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