He leans forward. He's near enough that I can see his eyes are really two shades of blue: a lighter shade surrounded by a darker circle, like the surface of the ocean giving way to the depths below. "Maybe you got hit harder than I thought and have a concussion. I already answered that question."
"No, you told me your name. You didn't tell me who you are. I mean, do you live here? Or is this just where you bring damsels in distress that you've saved? I know you don't go to my school." I would have noticed him. Every girl would have noticed him. I feel guilty at the thought. I have Michael. I shouldn't be noticing other guys."I haven't gone to school in a long time," Victor says.
Truancy is a huge problem in the city, but he seems too smart for that.
"So what do you do?" I ask.
"Just waiting to inherit the family business."
"Which is?"
Vivi moans. I look over at her. Her eyes flutter open, then close again. I go over to the cot and touch her forehead. She's clammy. She moans again. "Are you sure she's okay?"
He moves to the foot of the bed and studies her. "Pretty sure."
I snap my head around to stare at him. "Pretty sure?"
"I'm not a doctor. Give her some of your drink. I'm going to check outside, see if it's safe, so I can get you home."
"Yeah, okay, that's probably a good idea."
I slip my arm beneath Vivi's shoulders, lift her up, and press the can to her lips. She's so pale. I wish now that I'd hit Shaggy Guy harder. I'm surprised when she actually sips some of the soda. She smacks her lips, and I give her some more. She's stirring, fighting to keep her eyes open. But once again, she loses the battle. I decide that I need to call Rachel. Even though I'll pay for it with her icy glare later, I can have her send someone to pick us up. I reach for my cell phone—only to discover it's not in my pocket. "Crap."
"What is it?"
Victor is standing in the doorway. I didn't see him return. I try not to be bothered by how stealthy he can be—it's an asset for a Night Watchman, after all. "I think I dropped my cell phone in the trolley. I was just about to call my guardian and have her send someone to pick us up."
"I'd rather you not tell anyone about this place. Or me. It will only … complicate matters. Okay?You are a Night Watchman, aren't you?" "My anonymity, this haven … they're important." I eye him for a moment. I've met an actual Night Watchman. I'm sure of it. I don't know why he wasn't wearing his hood to conceal his identity or his medallion, but maybe the first vamp ripped them off in the fight. His skills, his secrecy, his desire for anonymity are typical characteristics of those who guard the night. Then I realize that it doesn't matter that I have no confirmation of what he is. All that matters is that he was responsible for saving us. "Your secret's safe."
I see the appreciation in his eyes. Against my will, I experience a small thrill, and heat races through my body. I remind myself firmly of Michael. It's time to go home. "Are there vampires out there?" I ask.
"No, we're good to go." He lifts Vivi into his arms and carries her down the stairs. I follow. At the bottom, he heads in a direction different from the one we took coming in. Tiny lights line the floor. We go down one hallway, then another.
Using a hip, he presses on a bar and shoves open the door. "Go on."
I slip past him into an alley. When he steps out, the door slams behind him. "It locks automatically," he says, as though I asked.
I just wish it hadn't made so much noise. I look around nervously. That's when I notice the car. Black, like midnight. Hard to spot in the shadows.
Victor strides past me toward it. "Get the passenger door, will you?"
"You're kidding me," I say, rushing after him. "You have a car? That works?"
Since the war ended, most cars have become little more than stationary set pieces. Even if the parts can be found to keep them running, gasoline is a rare commodity. The Agency has them, but the fuel is rationed, so they're seldom used. That he has one means he's either superrich or the Agency is providing it—in which case he has to have a powerful role within the Night Watchmen. He doesn't look old enough to be a lieutenant, to have a group of Watchmen beneath him. But then, I'm hardly old enough to negotiate with a vampire lord. Since the war, it's like the world has gone totally off its axis. The only rules that exist are those for survival.
As I get nearer, I see a galloping horse on the grille and realize it's a Mustang. Michael would kill to have one of these. He's always talking about cars, even though he'll probably never own one. I open the door.
"Sorry, but it'll probably be better if you get in the back," Victor says.
"Yeah, of course." He explains how to draw the seat forward, and I clamber into the back. He sets Vivi onto the passenger seat and buckles her in. Her head lolls to the side. I'm really trying not to worry about her. Victor slams the door closed, comes around, and slides into the driver's seat. Turning on the engine, he heads out. The streets are empty as he expertly maneuvers around debris. I'm not surprised that he's skilled at driving. I'm starting to think that there's nothing he can't do.
As we get closer to downtown, more lights hold back the shadows, and a few people are out. I'm not sure if they're being brave, or—like me—just being stupid. I can't believe Vivi and I were so reckless. She yawns, moans, stretches.
"Is she waking up?" I ask.
"Yeah, I think so."
Accelerating, Victor turns down a street, whips into an alley. We're lost for a minute in the blackness. Then we're back on a dimly lit street. A few minutes later, he's pulling to a stop within heavy shadows. I can see my apartment building. Good idea not to park where the guard in the lobby could see us.
I hear movement in the front seat. A gasp. "Who the hell are you?"
I reach around the seat, squeeze Vivi's shoulder to reassure her. "It's okay. We got into some trouble at the party, and he helped us."
"God, I think I'm going to be sick. How do I get out of here?"
Victor reaches across, pulls the handle, and shoves open the door. Vivi tries to tumble out, but the strap of the seat belt holds her captive. Victor releases it, and she's scrambling out and staggering even farther into the shadows. It would be funny any other night.
Victor gets out of the car to help me exit. He extends his hand toward me and I take it. It's warm and strong, and he pulls me out with no effort. I can see Vivi hunched over; can hear her gagging as she upchucks. Lovely.
"She'll be okay," Victor says.
"Yeah, I think so. Probably should have made her throw up earlier. I've never dealt with something like this before."
"I'll wait here until you get inside."
"Thanks." I feel like I should say more. Hug him even, for saving us.
Vivi waddles back over to us. "God, that was awful." She squints at Victor and asks again, "Who are you?"
"Victor."
"He's a friend," I say.
"Sounds like a story I need to hear."
"Not really. Come on. It's not safe out here." I wrap my arm around her waist. "Thanks again, Victor. I owe you."
"We owe you," Vivi says, shifting into flirt mode. She's definitely feeling better.
Slightly irritated, I drag her away. I just spent the last few hours taking care of her after she got too friendly with the wrong people. And she's acting like nothing happened.
Inside the lobby, the guard raises his eyebrows at us. I give him a sickly smile and we head to the elevator. We get off on the twelfth floor; the apartment I now share with Rachel is at the far end of the hall.
Once we're through the door, I'm surprised to find that Rachel isn't here. Surprised and relieved. She probably left me a message on my cell phone. I don't want to think about how I'm going to explain losing it. Cell phones are so rare it can take months, even years to get one.
Vivi follows me into my bedroom and grabs the duffel bag she brought over earlier. "I've got dibs on the shower first."
She disappears into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. I hear the water running and cross over to the doors that open onto a balcony. The great thing about our apartment is that the living room and both bedrooms have a balcony. I step outside and look down on the street, where Victor parked. His car is gone. He's gone.
I'm not sure how I'll keep his secrets from my best friend. But at the same time, this night has felt so surreal that when I wake up in the morning I might convince myself it was all one giant dream. That Victor and the trolley and the theater never existed.
I remember the key. Reaching into my pocket, I close my fingers around it. I have proof tonight happened.
Then a fissure of unease spikes through me with an unexpected realization.
I never told Victor where I live.
Vivi and I got lucky. Extremely lucky. The sun is spilling through the window when Rachel knocks on my bedroom door. Vivi barely stirs, but I sit up and invite Rachel in. She's in her mid-twenties, pretty, and one of the few people who know more about vampires than I do.
"Just wanted to check in on you," she says.
"Are you just now getting home?" Or maybe she's about to head out again. Her brown hair is clipped up. A two-piece dark blue suit over her petite body can't hide the fact that she spends a lot of time in the gym. She has the most boring brown eyes, but she still looks better than I ever could.
"Yeah." I can see now how tired she looks. "Some kids decided to throw a party out near the wall. A couple of them got abducted, so I had to check it out."
My stomach clenches, and I swallow hard. "Really."
"I'll share the details later, so you can discuss the situation with Valentine. I'm going to bed before I fall flat on my face."
"Yeah, okay, sure. I'm glad you're safe."
She gives me a teasing grin. "Yeah, I'm glad I'm safe, too."
She closes the door, and I plop back on the bed, unsettled by her news.
"Was it the party we were at?" Vivi whispers in a small voice.
I glance over at her. In spite of the fact that her hair is sticking up at all angles, she doesn't look the way I'd expect after a night that could have ended very badly. "Maybe."
"God. We were lucky." She shoves herself into a sitting position, grabs a pillow, and hugs it to her chest. "So tell me what happened last night. I remember dancing, then I was in a car. What happened in between?"
"Well, you probably can't remember because that bastard spiked your drink with something. I caught up to you heading upstairs with him and hauled you away."
"Spiked my drink? Are you serious?" she asks.
I nod. "Mine was probably spiked, too. I just didn't get a chance to drink it."
"Jerks. I'm sorry, Dawn. You were right: The wall is dangerous."
It feels good to hear that, but I'd rather erase the whole night than have my ego stroked. I think. I don't know if I'd want to forget about Victor.
"Okay, now tell me what you know about the hot guy with the car. Was he at the party?"
"No, we ran into him after we left." I squeeze her arm. "There were some vampires. Victor saved us." And even though I promised—"I'm pretty sure he's a Night Watchman."
Her eyes widen. "I knew it," she says, and I don't feel so bad about spilling an obvious secret. "Between the car, being out at night, and not to mention those sizzling looks, I just figured he had to be a Watchman."
"Yeah, I'm not really sure good looks are a requirement when they're screening applicants. Anyway, you can't ever tell anyone about him."
She grins. "Of course not. Any idea where I can find him, though? To thank him."
Right. She's thinking boyfriend material. I guess I can't blame her. After all, I have Michael—
I groan.
"What?" Vivi asks.
"Michael. I lost my phone. What if he—"
Her phone starts ringing. She scrambles out of bed and scrounges around in the clothes she was wearing last night until she finds it in a pocket. She looks at the display. "Speak of the devil." Then she answers. "Hey, Michael. What's up?"
I get out of bed, walk over to her, and hold out my hand for the phone.
"He says he's been trying to get in touch with you," she says as she slaps it into my palm, then says in a low voice, "Please don't tell him about me. He already thinks I'm a bad influence on you."
"As if I would. What kind of friend would I be?" I lift the phone to my ear. "Hi."
"Why haven't you returned my texts or calls?" Michael demands to know. "Are you mad about last night, because I couldn't make time to come with you?"
"No." A little. "I lost my cell phone."
"How?"
"At a party." A lie. "Long story." Truth.
Silence stretches between us; then finally he says, "I'm sorry, Dawn. I know it seems like we haven't spent much time together lately—"
"Because we haven't."
"It's not all on me," he says, and I hear the irritation in his voice.
"I know." He hasn't been the only one preparing for the future. Two weeks after my parents died, the Agency began training me for my role as delegate, and it's been nonstop ever since. They've never had an opportunity like me. They can forge the perfect agent from the ground up, finishing my education about all things vampire that my parents started years ago.
"Since it's Sunday, no school, you wanna try to get together later?" he asks.
"Yeah, sure. Where?"
"Daylight Grill. This afternoon. Get some carbs in you before facing Valentine."
In spite of everything, I grin. Any other guy might bring a girl chocolate. But Michael is all about a healthy, strong body. "Okay. See you.