Stefan kissed her hand one more time and then spun around and left the room.
Cali stared down at the back of her hand as Stefan disappeared out the door. Kissed by a vampire two more times, she thought. She didn’t know if the Peas were right about how good her night was going to be, but it had certainly turned into one damn fine afternoon. She sat down at her desk and began writing the note. Maybe she’d get to hear about some more cool stuff once Leesa talked to Stefan.
Leesa saw the folded yellow note taped to her door as soon as she stepped out the elevator. She pulled it off the door before inserting her key into the lock but didn’t open it until she was inside her room.
Stefan stopped by this afternoon. Said he needs to talk to you (and Rave!). Very important. He said he’d be back and hopes you’ll wait in your room for him. P.S. He kissed my hand TWO MORE times!
Leesa rolled her eyeballs. Cali really was incorrigible.
Leesa forced her gaze away from Stefan’s black eyes. She knew Rave wouldn’t like it if she let Stefan carry her, but he would probably understand, especially if what Stefan wanted to talk to him about was as important as he said.“If you are going to carry me somewhere, why not just take me out near the volkaane settlement and wait while I fetch Rave?”Stefan shook his head. “I wish I could. But my kind do not venture within ten miles of the volkaane settlement, just as they do not come near our lair. If any of them were to sense my presence before you could get to Rave, it would mean trouble—big trouble.”Leesa realized Stefan was right. “Yeah, I guess it would at that,” she said. “Let me think for a minute.”She stood up and limped over to the side window. She stared out into the night, not really seeing anything, while she considered the problem. Dominic had a car, but he was no easier t
Rave arrived at Leesa’s room shortly before eleven o’clock. Leesa had decided she would give him until midnight, so she was wide awake and fully dressed when he walked in through her open door. She bounded up from her desk and gave him a big hug.“You made it,” she said happily. “I’m so glad you got my message.”“I told you Max would come in handy one of these days,” Rave said.“I think it was plenty handy I could use him to tell you I love you,” Leesa said. She stepped back from his embrace. “But this is even better.”“I’m glad you added it wasn’t urgent.” Rave took Leesa’s hands in his and kissed the top of her head. “Otherwise, I would have been worried. So, what is it? I’m more than just a little curious.”Leesa sat down on her bed and pulled Rave down next to her. “It’s a little bit strange and a little bit
“He and his partner are hunting indiscriminately…and often. They have killed eight humans in the area already. They will kill more if they’re not stopped. You volkaanes protect humans from my kind—that is your incentive here, Rave. Mine is that my people do not want to risk the attention these newcomers are drawing.”Leesa thought about the killings Caitlin had told her about. She had suspected they might be the work of vampires, and now she knew for sure. The deaths were certainly garnering growing attention.“He’s right, Rave. The killings have been all over the news.”She could see the wheels turning in Rave’s head as he considered what Stefan had said.“All right,” he said to Stefan. “If you come up with a suitable plan, I will help you.”Stefan nodded. “Here is what I propose….”The following night, five figures waited in the
The strange fellowship was moving through the hills above a large reservoir just north and west of Meriden when Rave detected a hint of the new vampires. He quickly motioned the party to halt. The vampires were to the north, closer than Rave would have liked. Interference from the vibrations of his three vampire companions was partly to blame, but there was more to it than that. As Stefan had warned, there was something just a little off about the renegade vampires.“They are about two hundred yards ahead of us,” he told Stefan. “Moving slowly east to west on a path that will intersect our own.”“Good,” Stefan said. “My comrades and I will move ahead, projecting as much of our power as we can without being obvious about it. Hopefully, that will be enough to mask your presence. I think Jarubu’s arrogance will work in our favor as well. He will be anxious to end what we started last time, and I intend to give him the chance
With Rave out hunting extra powerful vampires with Stefan and Dominic, Leesa definitely didn’t want to be alone tonight. Instead, she stopped off at Cali’s room when she got back to the dorm. The door was open so she walked in.Cali was sitting on her bed watching television. She looked up when Leesa entered the room.“Hey, Lees. Just a minute. I’m in the middle of a really good part.” She turned back to the screen.Leesa pulled off her parka and sat down on the bed beside Cali. It took her a moment before she realized what Cali was watching, but when a pair of fangs appeared in the mouth of a really good-looking guy, it became clear it was one of vampire shows that were so popular nowadays. Leesa never watched any of them—she had more than enough supernatural stuff in her life, thank you—so she didn’t recognize the show. She guessed it was probably True Blood or Vampire Diaries.After a moment, Cali paused
Leesa didn’t know that Rave was less than ten miles away, and that the hunters had located their quarry.Hidden from sight nearly a hundred feet back in the trees, Rave and his companions heard the vampire battle begin. As planned, they waited a few moments, listening closely to be sure the vampires were fully engaged. When Rave was certain the time was right, he gave the signal. The three volkaanes raced silently forward to join the fray, weaving through the trees with blue flames flickering from their fingertips as they turned up their magical fire. They didn’t hesitate when they reached the struggle.As always, speed and surprise were the volkaanes’ main advantages, and they were even more important now, against these unnaturally powerful vampires. Rave launched himself toward Stefan and Jarubu, who were locked in hand-to-hand combat. Dral and Bain hurled themselves at Melissa.Twisting nimbly in midair, Rave avoided Stefan and threw himself
Leesa and Cali were most of the way through The Hangover 2. Leesa had thought the first movie was hysterical, but wasn’t finding this one nearly as good.“Anyone feel like a late night walk?”As usual, she had not heard Rave approach, but there he was, standing in Cali’s doorway with a big smile on his handsome face. She bounded up off the bed and threw herself into his arms.“You’re safe!”Rave kissed the top of her head. “I love it when you’re this happy to see me,” he said, smiling.“I’m always happy to see you,” Leesa said, “but sometimes I’m beyond happy. Did everything go okay? Is everyone all right?”“Everything went great. Stefan’s plan worked perfectly.”“Did Dominic need to help at all?” Now that Leesa knew Rave was safe, her worry shifted to being forced to leave Weston.“Not a bit. Thre
Leesa smiled. How well he knew her—the knots of worry in her stomach had not yet completely disappeared. A quick walk would be just the thing.“Come with us, Dominic,” she said. “You can tell us what-ever it is you learned while we walk.”“You sure you don’t mind? It can wait until tomorrow if you would rather concentrate on enjoying your walk.”“No, please come,” Leesa said. “Otherwise, I’ll just be worrying all night about what you need to tell us.”Dominic nodded. “Okay. I can understand that.”“Let’s go, then,” Leesa said.She linked her arm around Rave’s and the three of them started down the sidewalk, heading toward the center of campus.This late, there were only a few other students outside, especially with the night being so cold—cold if you didn’t have your arm linked around a volkaane’s, that i