“Oh, it’s my dad’s. He just purchased it recently,” she said.
“So,” I said as I got in and she started the engine. “What’s happening?”
“I’m not at liberty to say. He just told me to bring you back into town. He’ll tell you everything.”
“In town?”
She nodded. “Yeah, we’re supposed to meet him at Club Nightshade.”
“Isn’t that place closed at this hour?” I asked, looking at the time. It was just past three in the morning.
She smiled. “It’s okay. We know the owner.”
“So, have you talked to Nathan or Duncan?”
She shook her head. “No… I um…haven’t spoken to either of them.”
I ran a hand through the tangles in my hair and studied her profile. Her red hair was curled and every piece looked strategically placed. She always looked perfect. It was annoying as all hell.
“Seriously? Neither of them showed up at your house?”
She shrugged. “Tell you the truth I haven’t been home much. So, I guess it’s possible that one of them may have made an appearance.”
“Oh.”
“Music?” she asked.
I nodded and she turned on the radio.
As she cranked up a song from Green Day, I stared blindly towards the woods, thinking about Taryn and how terrified she must have been as Faye hunted her down and finally ended her life. It was a horrible way to die.
“I found a body tonight,” I said over the music. “A girl from school.”
Celeste turned down the radio. “Really?”
I nodded and looked at her. “I know it wasn’t any of your Roamers, though.”
She gave me a teasing smile. “You sure about that?”
“It was definitely Faye who killed her. It wasn’t pretty.”
Her eyebrows went up. “Really?”
I shuddered. “It was horrible. She ripped the poor girl’s throat out.”
“And, how do you know it was Faye?”
I told her what had happened and she frowned. “I wonder why she allowed you to live. It doesn’t sound like her.”
“All I know is that Ethan is set on keeping me hidden and as far away from her as possible.”
“Why?”
I smiled. “I guess he sort of likes me.”
She snorted. “Yeah, I’m starting to get that.”
I sighed. “Celeste, do you know what’s going on between him and Faye?”
“Ethan? Well, he’s Faye’s boy-toy.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”
She shrugged. “What don’t you understand? Ethan belongs to Faye and she doesn’t like to share.”
It was becoming very obvious to me that none of these creatures liked to share.
“So, they’re lovers?”
Celeste smiled. “They’re more than that. They’ve known each other for centuries. You can’t come between something like that.”
I stared at her, wondering how she knew so much about their relationship. “So, she would be pissed if he fell in love with someone?”
“Ethan doesn’t know what love is,” said Celeste, with a smug smile. “He likes the thrill of the chase, but once he thinks he has you, it’s over. Not only will he break your heart, but he’ll eventually kill you in the end.”
I brought my hand to my throat, where his lips had been earlier. “He’d kill me?”
“If he wouldn’t, she definitely would. In fact, if Faye knew there was something going on between you two, she’d skin you alive.”
I stared out the window. “She’s a monster.”
Celeste didn’t say anything, just turned up the radio and continued to drive. As we entered the town, it seemed ominously quiet. The club, on the other hand, was still lit up and going strong.
“Here we are,” she said, pulling into the parking lot. She parked on the side of the building and turned off the engine.
“Wow, I thought they’d be closed by now,” I said.
“I think there’s some kind of after-party.”
“Oh.”
She grabbed her purse. “Let’s go.”
I’d passed the impressively designed building many times driving through town but hadn’t given it much thought. I wasn’t into clubbing, and from the rumors I’d heard about the place, I was better off not knowing what went on behind the doors of this particular place.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” breathed Celeste, as we walked through the parking lot.
“Lots of willing donors for you in there I’ll bet,” I mumbled.
“You have no idea,” she replied with a smirk.
We walked up the steps where a bald-headed, muscular bouncer opened the doors for us. “Hey, Celeste,” he said, holding the door open for us.
“Hey, Trevor,” she replied, brushing past him.
Trevor gave me a once over and nodded. Not sure what to do, I nodded back.
“Follow me,” hollered Celeste over the booming music, which only grew louder as we walked down the long mirrored hallway. When we reached the main level of the club, I was stunned. Hundreds of people were on the dance floor, grinding and moving against each other, as if they were all alone in their bedrooms.
“Whoa,” I said, stopping in my tracks, having never experienced anything quite like it.