Tegan's Return (The Ultimate Power Series #2) by L.H. Cosway Read Free Book Online

who assures me that I'm going to do just fine, and then I step out into the cold December night.

Chapter Four
    People Are Strange
     
    I sit fidgeting in the taxi as it brings me closer and closer to Crimson. When I finally arrive I eye the long queue of people waiting to get in. I pay the driver, put on my coat, sling my bag over my shoulder and across my body and go to join the well-dressed bunch who are eagerly waiting to get to the party that's going on inside. I wonder how eager they'd be if they knew that there are going to be vampires drifting among them, most likely targeting them out as prey.
     I've got a small flick knife in my bag, just in case anything happens to go awry. It takes about twenty minutes for me to get to the door, and the relief I feel when I see that Lucas isn't around slides off my body in waves. I want to get inside and have a look around first before any of the vamps notice I'm here, see if I can find any clues as to Rebecca's whereabouts. And my dad's.
     I hand my ticket to the girl at the door and then go to leave my coat in the cloakroom, where a dark haired man who is quite obviously a vampire hands me a small numbered slip. I shove it into my bag and walk away quickly, before he has the chance to smell me.
     There are lots of sparkly Christmas decorations around the place, but beneath that there's still Crimson's trademark Gothic look. The dance floor is teeming with bodies, some people wear tinsel around their necks or in their hair, perhaps to get into the festive spirit. The DJ is that same girl from the very first night I'd come here two years ago, seeing her gives me a distinct case of d éjà vu . At the moment she's playing Pinball Wizard by The Who.
     I step up to the bar and order a white wine spritzer. There are several attendants on duty since it's so packed tonight. I actually recognise Judy, her hair has grown long and she doesn't have a nose ring anymore. I see her glance at me for a moment, perhaps wondering if she knows me from somewhere. But my hair is different and I'm not as thin as I had been before, so she probably can't remember who I am. Which is a good thing, because I'm not ready for anybody to know I'm here just yet. She dismisses me and turns away to serve her next customer.
     In the distance I can see the VIP section high above the dance floor, and it's absolutely jam packed with vampires. I can't take my eyes off of the beautiful but deadly creatures, as they sip on flutes of champagne and laugh and watch the unsuspecting humans dancing and getting drunk below them. I wonder how hungry they are.
     I'm completely mesmerised by them, because they are so entirely different from the humans present. You probably wouldn't notice it if you didn't know what to look out for. They have these eyes that seem to shine and glitter as they take in their surroundings. They look at every person and thing around them with a level of deep intensity, as though they can sense so much more of the world than humans can. It almost makes me jealous. Then I remember that they need to parasite blood to survive, make people addicted to their bite, perhaps not killing them out right but definitely killing them slowly, and I shiver. It's quite insidious when you think about it.
     I want to find some way to get closer to the VIP section, so that I can study the vampires in more detail. I don't know how I'm going to get any information about Rebecca without speaking to them. Super hearing would come in handy at a time like this, that way I could listen in to their conversations to see if any of them mention a kidnapped little girl being held prisoner.
     I knock back the last of my drink, place the glass down on a nearby table and then I enter the dance floor. Slowly, I make my way through the pulsating crowds, bodies brush off mine as I pass them by. When I've gotten about midway through the distance between the dance floor and the VIP section, I glance up again at the celebrating