Two young men stand next to a dumpster, smoking and making up terrible rap songs. They do a double-take as I run toward them. I’m wearing classic Callie garb: a short black dress that shows off my cleavage. A tiger’s eye pendant hangs above my breasts, and my hair is down in loose curls. I’m wearing heeled boots and my red nail polish matches my lipstick.
“Are you lost, sweetheart?” one of the guys asks, grabbing his crotch as he walks over. “You came out of that bar, didn’t you?”
What a fucking loser. He’s hoping I’m drunk, and I bet this isn’t the first time they’ve done this.
I grit my teeth, feeling magic sizzle around my fingers. The VC is close, and if any of the vampires are close in age to Lucas, they’ll be able to sense the magic, even from this distance.
But I can’t let these assholes get away with this. If it were anyone but me coming out the back way of the bar, it would be a completely different story.
Holding out a hand, I pretend to stagger forward. “You mean this isn’t the way out?”
One of the guys—who smells terribly like cigarettes— gives his buddy a look and steps forward, offering his hand.
“I’ll help you, sweetheart. I’ll keep ya safe. My place ain’t far.”
The other guy comes around and goes for my purse. So these lowlifes plan to rob and assault me. Not today, motherfuckers.
I wait another few seconds and then turn sharply, twisting my arm. I pull out of the Asshole Number One’s embrace and throw my hand out, telekinetically throwing him against the dumpster. He hits hard and slumps down.
“The fuck?” The other takes a swing at me, and I hold up my hand, blocking him with magic. I flick my wrist and his arm flies back, bending unnaturally. His bones break with a sickening crack and I gasp.
I didn’t mean to break his arm.
He falls to the ground, screaming in pain. I stare at him, unmoving. I don’t feel bad. Should I? This guy is an asshole who had worse coming, but I only intended on inflicting minor pain, a lot of fear, and then using magic to force them to confess their sins to the police after I phoned it in.
Yet something about this is satisfying. It should unsettle me, but it doesn’t.
Asshole Number One gets back up and pulls a knife from his pocket. He huffs himself up and lets out a snarl, as if that’ll scare me.
“Please,” I sigh. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to bring a knife to a supernatural showdown?” I flick two fingers and the knife flies out of his hand.
He comes at me again, and I throw up a shield of telekinetic energy just in the nick of time. He crashes into it and falls to the ground, blood pouring from his nose.
The back door to the bar opens, spilling yellow light into the alley.
“What the fuck is going on out here?” Eliza’s British accent echoes off the tall buildings on either side of the alley. She zooms down to me. “I should have known it was you when I heard the screams.” She rolls her eyes. “I suspected it when I smelled the blood.” She turns, looking at Asshole Number One wiping blood off his face. “I didn’t think I had to specify not calling attention to yourself when I told you to leave. Fresh blood is a hell of a good way to attract the VC.”
“I was on my way, but then these two assholes thought I was some drunk girl leaving the bar. They were going to rob and sexually assault me.”
Eliza’s blue eyes flash with anger. She turns to Asshole Number One, who tries to run away. She catches him easily. Using vampire strength, she drags him back over by his shirt collar.
“Such weak, pathetic humans,” she growls and draws her fangs, and the guy in her grasp quivers. With no warning at all, she bends his head to the side, exposing his neck, and sinks her fangs into his flesh.
My eyes widen, but not from seeing her bite this loser. But from the risk she’s taking biting a human in public. It’s an offense warranting her arrest.
“I’ll handle this,” she says, pulling her mouth away. Blood glistens on her full lips. “You need to get out of here. I can smell the magic in the air.”
“They need to go to jail,” I press. “I’m sure they’ve done this before to other girls.”
“Fine. Do that thing you do.” Eliza sucks another mouthful of blood from Asshole Number One’s neck. Lucas drinks my blood almost daily, but I’ve never seen a vampire feed up close like this. The violence of it shouldn’t shock me, though the way Lucas feeds off me is vastly different.
We’re usually having sex as he’s drinking my blood, for one, and there’s a gentleness to the way he bites me. He only takes what he needs and doesn’t want me to feel any more pain than necessary.
“What thing?” I ask.
The guy with the broken arm scrambles up to his feet. I hit him with an energy ball, knocking him out.
“With their memory.” She licks blood from her lips and holds Asshole Number One still with one hand and uses the other to put pressure on the two little puncture wounds on his neck. I grab his wrist and he fights to pull his hand out of my grasp.
“I wouldn’t do that,” I say, feeling magic pulsing through me. Blue light illuminates the guy’s face for a split second, confusing me at first. Then I realize my eyes did that blue-light thing that seems to happen to us angels.
Oops.
I close my eyes, taking a breath to steady myself. I need to use my witchcraft side, not my angel side. I don’t know how to angelically alter memories…if that’s even a thing.
I press my thumb against the guy’s wrist, finding his pulse point. I stare into his eyes and work my way into his head.
“You are a low-life piece of trash,” I start. “And you feel such guilt over it. You feel the pain of everyone you’ve ever hurt, and the guilt is going to drive you insane unless you turn yourself into the police.” I hold my magical grip on his mind for a moment, making sure he’s going to follow through. Once I feel his panic start to grow, I release my hold and reach around, pulling his phone from his pocket.
I hold it up to his face to unlock it, and dial 911, but don’t hit the green call button just yet. “Turn yourself and your buddy in,” I tell him. His eyes are still glazed over and he nods. I rub my forehead, feeling a slight headache coming on. It takes a lot to get into someone’s mind like that.
“Impressive.” Eliza smiles at me, blood still fresh on her face. She lets go of Asshole Number One and looks at the other, who is still passed out on the ground. “I like Dark Callie.”
Her words strike me and suddenly I feel a little sick. There is no Dark Callie. I’m not evil. I’m not going to fall from grace.
“Now go,” she presses. “I’ll make sure these assholes get arrested.”
“Wait.” I grab the guy’s wrist one more time. Having just been in his head, it’s easier to break through the second time. “You are madly in love with this vampire and wanted to be bitten.”
The guy nods. “I love vampires.”
“Good.” I drop his wrist and look back at Eliza. “Just gotta cover our bases.”
“Thank you,” she says, acting as if it’s painful to acknowledge that I did her any favors. “No get your arse out of here before I bite you too.” She presses call on the guy’s phone and he puts it to his ear, ready to turn himself in.
Nodding, I take off again, hurrying out of the alley. The back door to the bar opens and closes again right as I step onto the street, blending into a crowd of college students.
&n
bsp; Lucas and I drove to the bar together, but his house isn’t far from here. It’s a nice night anyway, and I don’t mind walking. My phone rings about a block later. It’s Abby, but it’s obviously not her when all I hear are coos and unintelligible jibber-jabber.
“Penny, what are you doing with your mom’s phone?” I laugh.
“Mama. Mama,” Penny repeats and then starts talking in baby language. I laugh again, listening to her gab on for a full minute before Abby gets the phone.
“Oh my goodness, Cal, I’m so sorry. She will not go to sleep and I was desperate to sleep so I let her watch videos on my phone. I’m that mom tonight and I feel no shame. At least she just called you and not one of my coworkers or something,” she laughs.
“It was a cute surprise. I like hearing her little voice. And sorry she’s giving you trouble again with bedtime.”
“I was trying to make her cry it out,” my sister says. “But it kills me to hear her cry and then she climbed out of her crib, the little stinker. Phil got called in for an emergency at work and I have to be at the hospital at six tomorrow.”
“I can come over and entertain the little stinker for a while if you want,” I offer. “Lucas is doing work at the bar and I’m bored.”
“You wouldn’t mind? Because you totally don’t have to.”
“I know I don’t have to.” I cross another street and start to feel like someone is watching me. “I’m up anyway.”
“That would be amazing. Phil should be home before midnight.”
“I’m walking back from the bar now. I’ll be there in like ten minutes.”
“You are a lifesaver, Callie.”
I smile, thinking about the two thugs that are now off the street. “I guess I am. See you soon, sis.”
“You are too cute to be a stinker,” I tell Penny, taking her in my arms. My poor sister looks ragged. It’s only ten-thirty, which isn’t late for me, but for someone who has to get up and perform emergency medicine, it’s important for Abby to get her sleep.