Page 17

CHAPTER

SEVENTEEN

The door slammed shut.

Kade’s eyes flew open. He was sitting on the couch. The living room was suffocatingly warm. He reached to tug his blanket off and was met with fur instead, Sparky tilting her muzzle up to lick his face.

“Alright, calm down,” Kade told her, smiling reflexively even as someone else’s emotions drained out of him: horror, pain, blinding fear. Another doozy of a dream-memory Kade didn’t remember after he woke up. Whoever that man had been, Kade hoped his pain ended fast.

Sundance bustled through the front door, a plastic shopping bag dangling off her good arm. She’d bought more cream.

“Car’s getting towed,” she informed him. “And we’re not getting fined for destruction of public property. ”

“Whoo-hoo,” said Kade, filled with guilt.

Sundance restocked the fridge. “I’m gonna go down to the car place and put down a deposit on the first car that doesn’t look like it’ll shit itself before it hits one hundred miles.”

She shoved the plastic bag into their plastic bag holder—another plastic bag—and moved toward the couch, reaching out like she was going to pet Sparky or maybe even touch Kade’s head. She did that sometimes, rubbing his stubbled scalp, and he twisted away even though he loved it.

But she didn’t touch either of them. She just hovered there for a moment, then thumped the couch like a punctuation mark at the end of sentence.

“Right,” she said. “I just need to find some more endless goddamn paperwork, then I’ll be off.”

Kade nodded. He still felt guilty, even though she was being so nice about it. She didn’t yell at him much anymore, not after that self-induced hospital visit in freshman year that they didn’t talk about.

“I’ll be sewing in my room,” he called as she headed down the hall. She liked to know where he was after he’d done something especially stupid, and it comforted her to know he was doing his art projects rather than, say, drinking alone in the woods.

Kade nudged Sparky until she climbed off him, then headed into his room. He didn’t even get to sit at his sewing machine before he knocked a needle off his desk. It went pinging across the room, lost in the worn carpet.

“Shit,” he said, looking down at Sparky. “Hey. Yeah, you. Out of my room while I sort this out. No, use my bed, don’t walk over there, that’s where the sharp shit is.”

Sparky jumped nimbly onto his bed and then toward the door. She gave him one last questioning look, head tilted adorably.

Kade waved at her. “Go! If you get a needle stuck in your paw because of me I’ll kill myself.”

She cocked her head further. Then she walked out, Kade rushing behind her to close the door.

“Alright,” he muttered as he spun to face the danger zone. Silver in a wash of gray. He was definitely getting stabbed.

Behind the door, Sparky whined.

“Give me a second,” Kade called. “I just gotta?—”

A soft noise made him stop. Low and sliding. The hair at the back of his neck stood up. He turned?—

—and was immediately shoved up against his drawers, a meaty hand clamped over his mouth. Mr. Fletcher stared down at him, eyes hard and determined. He held a blade against Kade’s throat. It wasn’t a fancy hunting knife like the Fletchers were so fond of. It was a box cutter, the hilt plastic and cheap.

Kade tried to push him away. But Mr. Fletcher was too strong, his bulk pressing Kade hard into the wood. The more Kade writhed, the harder he pressed .

Sparky barked from the hallway.

“The more you struggle,” Mr. Fletcher said unsteadily. “The worse this is gonna be.”

He reached up and pinched Kade’s nose shut, his palm covering his mouth. The box cutter pressed harder into Kade’s neck.

“I’m going to do this until you pass out,” Mr. Fletcher told him, face twisted in disgust. “Then I’m going to cut you. You won’t feel it.”

Kade whimpered. A tear slid down his cheek. Sparky was barking in earnest now, scrabbling against the door.

Mr. Fletcher sighed. “I’m sorry, okay? This was never going to end well for you. At least this way might save a lot of people.”

Kade bucked uselessly against his grip. He couldn’t suck in a breath. His vision was already tunneling. Still, he struggled. He couldn’t let Sundance come back and find him dead, just like she’d been fearing for so long. He promised her she wouldn’t outlive him. He promised .

And Theo. Beautiful, stubborn Theo barreling headfirst into the next thing so he wouldn’t have to think. He’d asked Kade over the summer if he still wanted to die, prompted when Theo talked about their homework load in junior year and Kade said he’d rather jump off the cliffs near Theo’s house.

Kade didn’t remember what he’d replied. Another joke to ward him off. But he remembered what Theo had said to him after: Well, you better stay alive. We’re together in this .

Kade didn’t want to die. Not like this, held down and struggling while spots bloomed in his vision. He couldn’t move—but that couldn’t stop Kade “Monster” Renfield. Time to do something he’d been threatening since his classmates started barking at him.

He peeled his lips back from his teeth. Then he pincered a small wedge of Mr. Fletcher’s palm and bit down as hard as he could.

“Shit,” Mr. Fletcher spat. “Get off!”

Kade hung on. He didn’t have much flesh in his mouth, but that just made it easier to bite. He could already taste blood.

“Goddammit,” Mr. Fletcher bellowed. He wrenched his hand back.

Kade kneed him in the stomach. The only useful thing his dad ever taught him: if you want somebody to go still, get them in the stomach. Knock the wind out of them.

Mr. Fletcher wheezed and stumbled backward. He raised his knife hand, slashing out.

The blade caught Kade across the shoulder.

He yelped. It was quickly drowned out by Mr. Fletcher, who suddenly shrieked in pain and collapsed sideways. He’d stepped on the needle Kade had been searching for. It had shot straight through his shoe and into the meaty part of his heel.

Sparky barked wildly. The door vibrated with blows as she threw herself against it .

Kade ran for it. Mr. Fletcher tackled him, slamming him into the carpet and dropping the box cutter.

“Goddamn booby trapped,” Mr. Fletcher snarled, scrabbling to get a grip on the blade.

“Stay still ,” Mr. Fletcher barked.

Kade lunged forward, latching his teeth into Mr. Fletcher’s ear.

Mr. Fletcher howled. Sparky joined in.

The bedroom window shattered.

Theo streaked through it, his shoe catching on the window frame and tearing out a chunk of wood. He landed on all fours on the carpet and bounded forward to tear Mr. Fletcher off Kade.

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?” he yelled, holding Mr. Fletcher up in the air by his neck. “THE RITUAL’S NOT UNTIL SPRING! WE HAVE TIME! YOU DON’T JUST GO FROM ZERO TO MURDER, YOU CRAZY SHIT!”

Mr. Fletcher gurgled. His shoes scrabbled at the ground, hands clawing at Theo’s tight grip around his throat.

Kade pushed himself up shakily. “Theo?—”

Theo slammed Mr. Fletcher into the wall, making the man cry out as his head bounced roughly against it.

“You don’t touch him,” Theo growled around his fangs. “Got that? None of you touch him. He’s mine .”

“Theo,” Kade said weakly, mind reeling with he’s mine he’s mine he’s mine . “You might wanna put the guy down.”

Theo dragged Mr. Fletcher back and slammed him into the wall again. Once. Twice. Three times. The man’s head lolled, his eyes falling shut.

“THEO,” Kade yelled.

Theo stopped. He turned to Kade, eyes liquid black, fangs sharp and dangerous.

He loosened his grip. Mr. Fletcher fell into a limp heap on Kade’s floor.

“Hoooly shit,” Kade whispered.

“He’s alive,” Theo said distractedly, stalking up to Kade and lifting his hands like he was going to do something impossible, like touch his face. He faltered in midair and gripped Kade’s sleeve instead, just above the cut.

“I’m fine,” Kade said.

“You’re not ,” Theo replied, glaring worriedly at the wound. He looked up and paused. He stared at Kade’s bloody mouth.

Kade licked blood off his teeth with a wince. “I bit him. Twice.”

Theo nodded. He stood very still, gaze roving over Kade like he didn’t trust he was right there. He was still gripping Kade’s sleeve, his fingers a solid weight through the fabric.

Kade’s breath hitched. Theo was watching him so intently, like he was about to say something important.

“Answer your phone ,” Theo said desperately. Then he let Sparky in.

“It’s on silent,” Kade said, dazed. He tried to remember where his phone even was right now. Back on the couch?

Sparky bounded into the room, whimpering. She made a beeline straight to Kade, licking his hand and going onto her hind legs to lick his injured arm.

“ Ow ,” Kade said. “Sparky, are you a vampire?”

Sparky licked his face with her bloody tongue. He pushed her off, petting her ears while she whined and curled around his legs.

“I’m okay,” he assured her. “I’m good.”

Theo stared at him from the doorway. His funeral clothes were covered in dirt and twigs. There was a dead leaf in his hair. His eyes flickered: black, brown, black again. He looked devastated.

“What?” Kade asked, stricken with a horrible dread. “Oh shit, what is it? Did you find out more terrible crap while you were gone? You have to tell me.”

Theo shook his head. He blurred forward so fast that Kade gasped. Then Theo was standing in front of him, black tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

“Nothing terrible,” he said. “Just…glad you’re still here.”

Then he did something truly shocking: he shuffled forward and rested his head on Kade’s clothed shoulder. Just the tip of his forehead, pillowed with his own curls.

Kade stood still, arm throbbing, jaw aching, dripping blood on the carpet. He didn’t put his arms around Theo. He didn’t dare. After a few seconds he realized Theo was breathing with him, their chests moving in unison.

Sparky whined, still nuzzled around his legs.

“I’m okay,” Kade whispered. Then, to Theo: “Are you okay?”

Theo didn’t respond. He lifted his head off Kade’s shoulder. For a heart-stopping moment Kade thought Theo was staring at his mouth. Then he remembered the blood on his teeth.

“Right,” Kade said, swallowing the foul liquid until he could only taste spit. “Sorry.”

Theo blinked. His eyes were brown again. “What?”

Someone knocked on the front door.

Kade jolted back, swearing. In the heat of the moment, he’d almost forgotten about the unconscious adult passed out in his room.

“Oh shit. Shit, shit ! We gotta get him out before Sundance sees! Wake him up!”

“It’s not her,” Theo said, instead of calling Kade an idiot for thinking his aunt might knock on her own door. “It’s Felicity.”

Kade stopped. “What the hell is she doing here? Make her leave!”

“I…I think it might be fine, actually? I think she’s on our side.”

Kade gestured to the slash on his arm. “Or maybe she’s here to finish the job!”

Theo’s jaw flexed. Then, like he was admitting something very shameful: “I trust her. ”

Kade glared. He wanted to bring up Hawthorn—a man they both trusted—who had tied Kade to a tree and slashed Theo’s chest to ribbons. But Theo was looking at him so determinedly, and Kade was still shaking from adrenaline, and Felicity had asked him to take care of Theo.

Kade groaned. “Ugh! Fine. Bring her in. But make sure she’s cool first!”

“Got it,” Theo said.