40. Evalee

EVALEE

“ I feel stupid for even trying to dress up,” I whine as I stand in the middle of the attic, letting Peyton give my hair one final tease.

An attic for a bedroom doesn’t look as nearly bad as it sounds. Well, except for the dust on the beams, the bat hanging out in the window, and the coffin perched against the wall.

“You shouldn’t feel stupid. You look great.” She sets the comb down and steps in front of me to assess my getup. “Totally freak show worthy.”

“And that’s a good thing?” I ask, frowning doubtfully at the short, lace-trimmed dress I’m wearing. The look is topped off with a long, ankle-length over-shirt, knee-high socks, and platform shoes.

Peyton actually wanted me to sport heels, but I told her that, unless she secretly wished for me to face dive down the stairway, we should probably stick to simpler shoes. Platforms were our compromise.

After the outfit, she worked on my hair, curling and teasing. Then she put a dab of lip-gloss on and some eyeliner then singsonged a ta-da , as if revealing a princess.

I don’t feel like a princess, though. At all. I feel like a freak, which I guess, considering where we’re going, is fitting.

“Now all we need is a bit of vampire blood.” She opens her mouth and lifts her arms, preparing to sink her teeth into her flesh.

“Wait.” I reach out to stop her. “What about Hunter?”

“Crap, I was hoping you’d forget about him,” she teases. Well, sort of.

“You thought I’d forget about my best friend who’s about to drink vampire blood for me?” I question, readjusting the velvet choker that’s around my neck.

She shrugs. “A vampire can hope, right? Besides, aren’t you two sort of fighting because he’s been lying to you about your friendship and about being in that stupid Mystic Willow Bay Society thing. Which, FYI, I have to say, is only full of complete control freaks who want to control everyone in this town.”

“I think they try to protect it, too,” I say. “At least, that’s what I’ve been told.”

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t believe everything you’ve been told.” She picks up a tube of lipstick from off the dresser. “From what I’ve heard, the society has all sorts of hidden agendas, starting with eliminating all the creatures they deem evil.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“I’ve heard people whispering.” She lightly taps her ear then removes the cap from the lipstick tube and reapplies a coat to her lips.

“About what exactly?” I wonder if Hunter, Opal, and Ryleigh know anything. Are they still keeping secrets from me?

Probably.

Well, except for Ryleigh. Right now, she couldn’t even tell me anything if she wanted to.

“What do you think?—”

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Are you ready to go yet?” Hunter asks. “It’s getting late.”

Rolling her eyes, Peyton crosses the room and throws open the door. “You know, for someone who didn’t even want to go, you sure are impatient about being late.”

“I’m not impatient. I was just hoping maybe Eva changed her mind …” He trails off as his gaze finds me. Then his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows hard.

“What?” Feeling self-conscious, I wrap my arms around myself as his gaze drags up and down my body. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because,” is all he says as he steps toward me. “You look …” He struggles for words as he stops in front of me, still eyeballing me like I’m some curiously strange creature he’s never seen before.

“Freaky?” I offer.

He shakes his head. “No, not really.”

“Well, then Peyton failed big time,” I tell him. “I think she was going for freaky …” I trail off as he folds his fingers around my wrists. Then he moves my arms away from me, and angles his head to the side as he meticulously studies me.

“I like this look on you. I mean, you always look pretty .” His lips quirk, and I roll my eyes. “But this is …” He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip. “I don’t even think there’s a word for it.”

“I think it’s called succubussing or something like that.” Wiggling my wrists from his grip, I step back.

Hunter stares me down hard. “That’s not what this is about.”

“Yes, it is. You just don’t realize it.” I start to move around him, but he sidesteps me, blocking my way. Then he backs me up against the wall.

“You want to know how I know I’m not being controlled by your powers?” he asks, and I nod, my heart racing in my chest. Without removing his gaze from mine, he reaches inside the collar of his shirt and reveals a necklace attached to a glass vial filled with a glittery purple liquid. “You know what this is, right?”

I nod, swallowing hard. “Love potion repellent.”

“Also known as succubus repellent,” he tells me. “Which means that, while I’m wearing it, I’m immune to the sexual charms of a succubus.”

“How long have you been wearing it?”

“Ever since Tina Marrienale slipped some love potion into my drink.”

“But that was, like, three years ago.”

He gives me a pressing look. “Exactly.”

“Oh.”

None of this makes sense. If he’s telling the truth, then that means all the kissing we’ve been doing lately was real.

“But what about that dream you had right before zombie witch Ryleigh showed up? The one that I was in … I was using my succubus powers then to try to seduce you in your dreams.”

“The repellent only repels unwanted powers,” he explains. “Which means, if I want to get seduced by someone, then I can.”

“Oh.” My mind is racing a million miles a minute, trying to process what he’s saying.

He wanted to be seduced by me? That’s a good thing, right? What I’ve always wanted.

Still, he lied to me.

“Look, I know we still have a lot to talk about and work through,” he says, tucking the necklace back underneath his shirt. “But I just wanted to show you that so you’d stop blaming your succubus powers every time I touch or try to kiss you and then make me stop. Only make me stop if you want me to stop, okay?”

I nod, something still plaguing my mind. Or a lot of things do, anyway. I can only deal with the one right now.

“Aren’t you freaked out by all this? I mean, I have succubus blood in me, for wailing out loud. And demon’s blood. And witches’ blood. And demon feeder’s blood.”

“You have demon feeder’s blood?” he asks, not entirely shocked, but a drop surprised.

“Oh, did I not mention that yet?” I play dumb, knowing full well I’ve purposefully been keeping stuff from him.

“No, you didn’t, but it does explain a lot.” He observes me intently with an indecipherable look. “And why would I care if you have demon and witch blood in you. I already knew that.”

Again, all I can come up with is, “Oh.”

This time, my one word response appears to amuse him.

“So, we have an understanding, then?” he asks, struggling not to grin.

“Yeah …” Wait, what understanding?

Before I can ask, he leans in and seals his lips to mine, giving me a quick, but deep kiss. Then he pulls back and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

“Now, are you sure you want to do this drinking blood thing?” he asks.“I can still send some of the society members out to look for your sister. Or go looking for her myself.”

It takes me a moment to register what he says, my heart racing so loudly I can barely hear anything else.

I slowly shake my head. “I already told you that the society members would probably kill her.” Which was only a guess up until Peyton told me the society has a hidden agenda to rid the town of evil. “And I can’t just let you go. Max told me to come.”

His lip twitches at the mention of Max, but he quickly wipes the irritation away as he sighs. “Fine. Then I guess it’s time to drink some vampire blood. Just make sure to be careful. No dying, okay?”

“I’ll try my hardest,” I tease. Again, an unsettling feeling stirs inside. One that only amplifies as I hear the town clock chime off. Tick tock. Tock, tock. Tick … Tick … Tick …

Then the noise fades, as if time has stopped.

Strange.

But, I have more important things to worry about. Starting with drinking Peyton’s blood.