Elle Jasper - Everdark

“Got it,” Eli said. “I’ll be right outside the bathroom door. Waiting. While you pee alone.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Let’s go.”

In a flash, as I praised God I did regular Kegels, we descended the building, leapt against the trunk of a magnolia, and fell to the sidewalk in a crouch. I glanced around and ran across the street and into Denny’s. Eli ran beside me.

“Ma’am, this isn’t a public restroom,” an older waitress said.

I hurried past her. “Honey, will you order me a burger to go? Rare,” I said to Eli. He growled. Seriously—what was she gonna do? Drag me off the toilet? I all but skipped to the back and pushed into the women’s restroom while Eli stayed behind to deal with Mrs. Denny’s. I hit the end stall, made fast but careful business of taking care of business (eleven blades strapped to my body, don’t forget) and, relieved, finished. Flushing the toilet with my foot, I moved out of the stall and to the sink to wash my hands. I splashed water on my face, rubbed my eyes, and when I opened them, she stood behind me—a girl, dressed in black destroyed jeans, clunky black biker boots, a black and red ribbed tank with spiked studs along the collar and arms, and a headful of black dreads. Gaze fixed, she stared at me through the mirror, unblinking, at the pulse near the base of my throat. She licked her lips.

I knew then what she was.

In the next second her face contorted, her jaw unhinged unnaturally, and jagged fangs dropped. Her eyes went white, the pupils pinpoint red, and she lunged.

“Whoa!” I barely shouted. Then I ducked, lunged, pushed with my feet, and bounded off the sink, then the wall, and landed across the bathroom in a low crouch.

The she-vamp crashed into the mirror. Glass shards fell into the porcelain sink.

It didn’t make her very happy.

A strangled, pissed-off, inhuman sound emerged from her throat, and she lunged at me again—damn, she was fast—with fangs long and face weirdly distorted, some gross juicy stuff dripping from the corner of her mouth, her dreads flying all over like so many Medusa snakes; she wanted me and wanted me bad. I wasn’t wasting any time with her. I ducked and dodged again, bounded off the far wall, ran the length of all five sinks, broke a few faucets; reached down the back of my pants, drew my blade, and, the moment I landed, turned, aimed, and released.

The look of shock as my silver buried to the hilt in her heart was picture-worthy.

Dropping to the floor as though every bone in her body had melted, she immediately began to convulse.

The bathroom door flung open and crashed against the wall. Eli stood there. Luc and Noah ran up behind him, staring. Luc’s face showed concern. Noah, well, he was smiling, as usual. Eli looked pissed.

“Sick, sick!” Noah said, like a proud daddy. “You just nailed your first Charles Town bloodsucker, babe.” He slapped my shoulder. “Sweet.”

“Riley, what the hell?” Eli said, as if something were my fault. I had to freaking pee! That was it! He read my thoughts, and his gaze softened a little.

“Sir, excuse me,” the waitress from out front said behind the door. She was trying to look over Luc’s shoulder. “What’s going on in there?”

Luc turned and backed out. “Oh, my sister, ma’am. She’s sick. Threw up all over the floor. Flu, I think. You gotta mop? I’ll take care of it.”

“Just a minute,” I heard her say. “You’ll clean that up, right?”

Luc glanced at me over his shoulder. “Sure, no problem.”

I watched yet another vamp turn to dust, this time right in the freaking Denny’s women’s restroom. What a way to go.

“Let’s get out of here,” Eli said, grasping my elbow. He did a lot of that lately, and I couldn’t decide if it was endearing or annoying.

“I need to clean it up,” I said.

Luc cleaned up the mess; he literally swept the dust into a ziplock and pocketed it. Then we left.

“Ever see her before?” Luc asked Noah, behind us.

He shook his head. “She was a totally random rogue; I didn’t recognize her, and apparently she’d been lying in wait in the bathroom for her next victim.” He grinned at me. “Bet she wasn’t expecting a vampire slayer strapped with pure silver to have to pee.”

I looked at him. “Vampire slayer with tendencies, dude.” I shook my head. “I’m just glad she at least let me finish peeing first.”

Back on the rooftop across from Denny’s, Seth paced. The moment I swung up, he rushed at me. “Ri! What’s freaking wrong with you?” he said, anger burning in his eyes. “Why do you have to keep doing that?”

“Whoa, whoa,” I said, gently. “I didn’t do anything. Had to go to the bathroom.”

He shoved his hand in his hair. “You can’t seem to do much of anything anymore, without getting into trouble. Next time take Josie. Into the restroom. Please?”

I hugged my brother. “Okay. Promise.” I glanced at Josie. She simply shrugged and grinned. “Now, let’s go.”

We ran into the city and hit a club called Meter 59, a hole-in-the-wall punk club just on the edge of the historic district. We filed in, and the music, the lights, thumped through my body. The place was packed with more black leather, black lace, spiked hair and severe piercings than I’d seen in years. This was a rough bunch. We spread out. Eli, of course, stayed on my tail.

Eli grabbed me by the hips and pushed me into the crowd of dancers; we moved to the music. His hooded gaze locked on mine, and I almost forgot we were there to scout newlings, or those in their quickening. We brushed, not touching but seductively close, and as he turned me, his hand trailing down my back to my ass, I spotted them—three in all; two guys, one girl.

“I see them,” Eli said, his mouth brushing my ear, making me shiver and making it hard to concentrate. His hands skimmed my ribs. “I’ve told the others. They’re looking for more. We’ll keep our eyes on these three.”

I nodded, and, keeping with the blasting tunes of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, I moved my backside against Eli’s front. To others we looked like a normal, average horny couple dancing and enjoying the music. Well . . . we were all that. But we also had our sites locked on almostvampires. I knew from experience they were mean little fuckers. They wouldn’t be easy to take down.

“You’re driving me crazy,” he said against my ear. His hand settled seductively over my stomach, then slipped lower over my hip. “Jesus, Ri.”

I smiled at that. My insides quivered. I wanted him. And from the hardness pressing against my back, he wanted me, too.

A low growl rumbled in Eli’s chest.

Then, the three started to move to the back. They had two mortals with them. “Let’s go,” I said, and began to weave through the crowd.

We followed them through the dancers, to the back exit. They’d already managed to get out into the alley by the time we hit the door. The moment I stepped out, the scent of old trash, urine, and brine mixed in my senses. I could have easily barfed, it was so pungent. One of the guys had a knife and was ready to use it on the kid they’d convinced to follow them. The three almost-newlings looked up. The biggest one glared at me.