O-kay.
Thierry had closed the club. It would not be open to the general vampire public tonight.
Which was a good thing, since we needed the space and privacy.
Tomorrow, Valentine's Day, would be the last night Haven opened for regular business with its current staff. After that, the new owners would move their people in. They'd probably even change the décor. Out with the old, and in with the new. I figured that the regular customers would keep on coming here despite the fact Thierry didn't own it anymore. Other than Haven, there was only one other vamp club in Toronto at the moment that I knew of. Four others had either shut down or been burned to the ground after the recent hunter blitz.
Butch stood guard near the door. I wasn't sure if it was to keep other people out or to keep me in. He wasn't currently speaking to me after my tossing him around Thierry's office last night like a bodyguard-shaped Beanie Baby, despite a sincere apology to him earlier. In fact, he wasn't even making eye contact with me anymore, not even to give me the evil eye.
But not because he was pissed. I think he might have been a little bit afraid of me now.
Of me. That was so completely ridiculous.
Claire lit some candles. Actually, a whole lot of candles of varying colors and shapes.
There was even one that looked like a cartoon whale.
"Did anyone else come in contact with Stacy at the time of the original curse?" she asked.
Thierry shook his head, as did George. Reggie shook his muzzle.
"Just lucky old me," I said.
"Then sit cross-legged in front of me. Nice and close." She did the same in the middle of the circle of candles. "And give me your hands."
Reggie let out a little growl that sounded like, "Raowrrr."
I glanced at George.
"Two women don't do it for me," he said. "But I'll try to use my imagination."
The only light in the club was from the candles. I sat down and Claire grasped my hands, pressing her thumbs into my palms.
"How does this work?" I asked.
She shifted position on the hard tiled floor until she got comfortable. "Since you came into contact with Stacy recently, you are the best conduit to find out her location now. Her mystical essence would have made an impression on you, whether you realize it or not. All
I'm going to do is block out everything except that essence, and ask it where Stacy is right now. Simple."
Yeah, sounded simple enough. Maybe in the Twilight Zone.
"Whatever you have to do," I said. "I'm very willing to let you do it."
"Raowrrrrrrr."
"Reggie, hush." Claire closed her eyes. "Now, Sarah, concentrate on the last time you saw
Stacy. How she looked. What she said. Close off any other thought. Empty your mind of troubles. Be like a river, flowing and free, with its energy coursing across the land."
Be like a river.
I could be like a river. Sure I could.
I focused on my memory of seeing Stacy in the park. Of her telling me that Thierry had been responsible for killing off nightwalkers in the past. That her other victims were now pushing up daisies. That she thought I was a horrible person in high school. Was I? Was I really that bad? I didn't remember. Maybe I was. Maybe thinking that I was nice and didn't deserve any of the bad stuff that seemed to come along with life, Scorpio with Mercury in retrograde or not, was wishful thinking. Maybe I did deserve all of this. Maybe it was karma for being a mean person.
"Focus," Claire said sharply. "I'm not getting a river. I'm getting a cesspool."
"Sorry."
I let out a long steady breath and tried to center myself, pushing away all my stress and anxiety. It wasn't easy, but slowly and surely I relaxed and was able to concentrate better.
The park. It was cold there.
Stacy refused to help. She wore a red coat. Her face was pale in the moonlight. Her lips, red as her coat. Red like blood against my tongue. Hot melting sugar that slid down my throat to warm me.
So cold inside. Too cold.
No heartbeat meant that I was dead.
But I didn't feel dead. I felt alive. More alive that I'd ever felt before.
"I think I'm getting something," Claire said. "You're doing great, Sarah."
I opened my eyes, still breathing regularly, in through my nose and out through my mouth.
My heart didn't beat but I was breathing. I held my breath to see if it made a difference. It didn't. I didn't even feel as if I ever had to take in another breath if I didn't want to. That should have been disturbing, but it wasn't. I forced myself to breathe again. It was a habit, after all. Any different and people might start looking at me funny.
I felt the fog slowly build inside me, so subtle I didn't notice it at first, but growing thicker with every fake breath I took.
In between us was a swirling cobweb of light. It didn't look like anything interesting to me, so I ignored it and looked beyond it to Claire. Her attention was on the light, her forehead furrowed with concentration. I could see the quick pulse at her throat.
I could taste it and sense it with every cell in my body.
I crawled toward her, focused only on that small patch of warm pink skin at the side of her throat. What was it that brought this on? Relaxing, maybe? Letting the meaningless stress
I was feeling slip far away. It helped make things better. Much better.
"Good, Sarah," Claire said. "Closer proximity is probably better to focus the energy." She focused on the light and then a big smile came over her face. "It shouldn't take long now to get a fix on her location."
I grabbed the front of Claire's sweater and pulled her closer, then tilted my head to the side. Her attention finally landed on me as her gaze met my own.
"Sarah," she began. "What are you doing?"
"Shh." I pressed my index finger against her mouth.
I could feel her heartbeat in my head, hear it thudding in my ears, as if it took over for my own silent one. So close now. The pulse was close. My mouth watered at the thought of sinking my fangs into her warm flesh. So alive. So vital. Blood from a keg wasn't sufficient for me. Too cold. I needed it fresh, from the living, breathing source.