“Hey G, should we just take a taxi?” Oliver shouted from down the street, where he leaned against one. Even from here I could see his eyes widen when he noticed just who I was talking to.
“You were going to leave without me?” Andre asked. The lethally calm tone in his voice and the fact that his jaw kept clenching and unclenching were not good signs.
I wasn’t planning on leaving without him, although now that I thought about it, if I did, he’d follow me to the Braaid. It was actually not a bad plan.
I stepped back, and that’s when Andre snapped.
He grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder, my least favorite place to be. “Andre, put me down!” I pushed against him and noticed with some satisfaction that now he actually had to put in some effort to keep his hold on me.
“I am not going to let you get yourself killed,” he said. “Especially not because of some half-baked idea you have about saving your friend.”
I was beginning to see red. But I never got the chance to use my siren abilities on him. From the edges of the crowd, a really, really big creature slammed into us.
I toppled out of Andre’s arms as he and the creature hit the ground. I crawled out of the way while the two rolled around on the grass, slamming fists into each other.
“Don’t touch her!” the creature ground out. Based on the costume that hung in tatters across its body, I knew the thing was Caleb in disguise.
But it fooled everyone else.
“Goblin!” someone screamed. More screams accompanied it and the music died off. Students began running in all directions.
I didn’t waste the distraction. I pulled myself up off the ground and bolted for the taxi Oliver still stood in front of. Oliver saw me running and slid in. I followed behind him.
“You always seem to know just how to ruin a perfectly good party,” he said.
“Shut up.” To the taxi driver I said, “Can you take us to the Braaid?” I glanced out the window. Andre, who had already managed to shake off a now dazed-looking Caleb, stalked over to us. Ho, did he look pissed. “Uh, and if you want to keep all the doors on your taxi, I’d suggest flooring it now,” I added.
The driver didn’t waste another second; the car shot forward and, after dodging a few students who’d darted across the street, we took off into the night.
Guilt sucker punched me in the gut. I knew what I was doing was stupid and dangerous, but I couldn’t leave my friend. Andre would understand.
At least I hoped he would.
***
“I still cannot believe you managed to provoke Andre into taking you hostage. Not to mention riling up Caleb so much that he shifted into a goblin,” Oliver said after we paid the driver and got out of the car.
“Can we please stop talking about it?” I asked, smoothing out my costume. I rubbed my arms. Without a large bonfire to warm my skin, I was quickly getting chilled.
“Oh boy, once Andre arrives to rescue your ass, things are not going to be pretty.” Oliver readjusted his leaves, completely at ease in the cold weather.
“Well, he’s just going to have to learn about anger management then.” My words didn’t contain a lot of righteous indignation in them like they once might’ve. After all, Andre had been sticking his neck out for me this whole time. And this was how I repaid him. Tricking him into coming here.
Oliver snickered. “I don’t think it works that way with the king of vampires.”
Up ahead of us I could make out the Braaid. It seemed to glow from within, as though the magic of this evening brought out its otherworldliness.
Out here the night was eerily silent and devoid of artificial light.
Next to me Oliver reached down into his crotch and pulled a tiny metal device out of his costume. “Flashlight,” he said, holding it up triumphantly.
“Ugh, Oliver, seriously? You stashed that thing in your crotch?” He was like Mary Poppins tonight with that costume of his. First the cellphone, now the flashlight.
“I also have my ID and keys in here,” he said.
“No wonder your junk looks so large and lumpy.”
Oliver’s eyes thinned. “My junk always looks this big.”
“Uh huh.”
“Several men can vouch for me.”
Too. Much. Information. I ignored him and instead strained my eyes toward the Braaid, which was still a ways away, trying to see if Leanne was nearby. I could hear a faint heartbeat in the distance, but I had no idea whether that was Leanne’s or someone else’s.
Behind us I could hear the engines of several cars. If I had to guess, I’d say that Andre, Caleb, and the Politia were arriving. That was faster than I expected.
“C’mon Oliver. Let’s not linger.” I grabbed his hand and we began moving towards the stone circle.
“Remind me to stick around you during all important events,” Oliver said. “They never disappoint.”
I heard the sound of a roaring engine shut off. Andre had wasted no time getting here.
“Gabrielle!” The anger in that voice could freeze hell over.