Darlings of Darkness: A Vampire Anthology Part 44

"Creepy? I think they're beautiful."

"Far from it. They're hiding some deep, dark secret. Something's just not right with those people. You shouldn't be alone with any of them."

"I've been alone with Jesse a lot," I said. "He's the perfect gentlemen, and he absolutely loves animals. How could you think he's..."

"Some kind of sicko?"

"Yeah, I guess."

His eyes widened. "I've, uh...well, I've seen things."

Curiosity struck me. "Like what kind of things?"

He cleared his throat, but not another word came out of his mouth.

"Either you're just jealous of Jesse, Fred, or you know more than you're letting on," I said. "If this concerns Jesse, I want to know what you're talking about."

"I caught him reading a book."

I gasped. "Oh my gos.h.!.+ A book, you say? I definitely need to stay away from him."

"No, not just any book. It had all these weird symbols and was written in some language I couldn't understand."

"What are you saying?"

He let out a long breath. "I think Jesse and his family are witches."

"Witches?"

"Yes. I catch them in lies, and, like I said, I've seen things-lots of things."

"Care to elaborate?"

His gaze narrowed. "If you talk about these things, you'll end up missing or dead."

"You can trust me. I won't tell a soul."

He sighed. "Well, for one thing, I heard Jesse's sister tell a man to do something I know for a fact he wouldn't normally do."

"Is Jesse's sister pretty?"

"Kierra? Yeah. She's smoking hot."

I chuckled. "There's your answer. Men are putty in a pretty girl's hands."

"I know that, but there's more to it than that."

I touched his hand. "Fred, I think I know where this is all coming from."

"You do?"

"Yes. That weird altar freaked all of us out. You started thinking about witches when you saw those symbols, and now you're jumping to conclusions about Jesse's family."

"I'm not just jumping to conclusions, Taylor, and I don't think Jesse's family are the only ones. I think this town is being run by witches."

My jaw dropped. "Yes, we found a possible site where ceremonies are held, but that doesn't mean the entire town is evil. It just means-"

"It means we need to do a whole lot of digging."

My gaze narrowed. "Do you really think the town is hiding something?"

"Yes, and I'm sure Jesse knows what's going on. Why don't you do some prying? Maybe you can get him to talk."

"I know we've been together a lot, but I highly doubt he's gonna spill all his deep, dark secrets to me. Besides, maybe we're just getting carried away. I mean, Jesse is a bit mysterious, but-"

"I'm just saying that there's more than meets the eye around here."

"Now I'm scared to tell you what I found out."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you'll get carried away even worse."

"I won't. Tell me."

I cleared my throat. "I couldn't identify the weird symbols, but the words are a warning, in Latin, like Julie said."

He arched a brow. "Well? What's it mean?"

"It's a warning not to tread on sacred ground. It said if we walked on the land of their ancestors, we will die."

"If it's just some kind of warning, a threat, why was it written in Latin?" he asked. "How do they expect anyone to obey a warning they can't read?"

"I think it's a curse," I said.

His eyes widened. "Are you saying all three of us are gonna die just because we had to go after your dumb dog?"

"I pray not, and I keep trying to tell myself how crazy it is, but I can't deny the voice that spoke to me. It felt real."

"You know what I think?"

"That I hallucinated it?"

"No, not at all. Maybe the witches are putting some kind of spell on us, maybe using their powers to mess with our heads."

"I don't know. It sounds so crazy."

Suddenly, the door swung open, startling us, and my dad came out. "Fred, I'm paying you to work, not flirt with my daughter. Taylor, please go do the dishes," he said sternly, not one to mince words.

"Nice talking to you, Fred," I said. "I've gotta go, but we'll talk later."

"Okay."

I smiled. Fred was a nice guy, but he had the biggest imagination, and I decided I wasn't going to let it rub off on me. There was no way Jesse and his family were witches and warlocks, and I wasn't even sure if I believed in the Latin curse we'd found. It was all so farfetched, and I was sure I'd probably imagined the entire thing-or at least I hoped so.

Chapter 14.

I was reading on the porch when a black SUV pulled up. I thought it might be Jesse, but Julie got out of the pa.s.senger's side.

"Taylor!" she said.

"Hey."

"Put the book down, girl, and let's go have some real fun."

I c.o.c.ked a brow. "What?"

Her eyes lit up, and her face was beaming. "Go put on your bikini. We're going swimming in Big Bear Lake."

My gaze shot to the SUV full of girls. All the windows were down, and the music was blaring. "Who are you with?" I asked.

"Just some girls I met in town. You'll love them. Now go grab a towel and suntan lotion. Hurry!"

"Nah, you go on," I said. "I'm not really in the mood."

"Don't tell me you're still freaked out by that voice you heard."

"I can't help it. I'm trying to decide if I'm crazy enough for a padded cell or doomed enough to be scared about it."

"So some ghosts talked to you. So what? They were probably s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g with you anyway. After all, we're all alive and breathing."

"True. Do you believe in ghosts?" I asked.

"Yes. If I didn't, I'd be telling you to put on a straightjacket instead of a bikini."

"Wow. It's nice to know my new BFF doesn't think I'm a nut."

"Just one thing."

"What?"

"Do you see dead people?"

I laughed. "No. I'm afraid my sixth sense isn't that well tuned."

She grinned, glad I'd gotten her movie reference. "You really need to come with us," she said.

"Why?"

"Because Jesse's already there, and I promised him we'd swing by and pick you up."

Suddenly, my interest in the beach was piqued, and my heart jumped with joy. "I'm in! As long as there's not talk about animal skulls or mysterious voices."

"Got it. Your secret is safe with me." She gave me a nudge. "So hurry and get ready. You've got five minutes."

I hurried inside, threw my curly hair into a tight ponytail, put on my bathing suit, then quickly brushed my teeth. I hurried downstairs and jumped into the SUV.

Julie introduced me to the other six girls. They shook my hand and smiled and seemed nice enough.

We drove to our destination and made found a nice spot on the sh.o.r.e. I was surrounded by large granite boulders and tall pine trees with a glittering lake before me. Big, fluffy clouds floated lazily by in the giant blue sky. I inhaled deeply to take in the fresh, woodsy scent of the piney air. Everything was so scenic and beautiful.

"I love it here," Julie said.

I pointed at a tiny island straight ahead. "Is that China Island?"

One of the brunettes nodded; I hadn't yet remembered all of their names. "Yep. Pretty small, huh?"

"Yeah."

"See the cl.u.s.ter of boulders over to the left, about thirty feet away from the island?"

I squinted against the sunlight. "Yeah. Where all those guys are jumping off the rocks?"

"That's where we're gonna swim. It's the best spot in Big Bear Lake."

"Let's go!" shouted a blonde girl with a pink streak in her hair.

I slipped my s.h.i.+rt and pants off and adjusted my red and purple bikini. I walked over the stony pebbles and jumped into the cold water that felt great on such a hot day. I glided forward, using long, powerful strokes. As I got closer, instant recognition hit: The guy about to jump off one of the tallest boulders was Jesse. An instant later, he splashed in.

When I swam to the rocks, he helped me up. My breath froze as I watched the sun glint off his slicked-back black hair. Water beaded his eyelashes and dripped down his face in glistening rivers. His red swim trunks were adorable, but I was almost disappointed that he'd opted to wear a s.h.i.+rt. "Hey, you," he said, smiling at me.

I couldn't stop the smile from curling up on my lips. "Hey."

"Are you ready for a fun afternoon?" he asked.

"Definitely."

"Hey, Jesse," Julie asked, "can I see the scar?" He arched a brow, and she explained, "From the bullet wound." She inched forward, but he stopped her.

He laughed. "No."