The Memory Thief Read online

  “The vampires … did they say anything about my mother?”

  Dex frowned. “If they did, I didn’t hear it. Is that why they abducted you? Something to do with your mother?”

  Elle looked away. “I don’t know. I thought I heard him say something after he drugged me, but …” She shook her head. “Maybe I was confused or dreaming or … something.”

  The revving of an engine greeted her ears, and a moment later, a black car sped around the corner. She took an involuntary step back as it screeched to a halt in front of her. Tinted windows hid the occupants from view. Dex moved forward and opened the back door. “Come on,” he said to Elle. After one more beat of hesitation—during which she reminded herself that he did make a blood oath—she hurried forward and slid inside. Dex shut the door, and Elle looked forward at a pale blond guy in the front passenger seat, and a head of unruly bronze hair sticking above the driver’s seat in front of her.

  “Um, hi?” she said as they both turned to look at her.

  “Elle?” the blond guy asked. “I’m Olly. This is Xander.”

  On the other side of the car, the door opened and Dex climbed in. “Okay, where do you need to go?” he asked as he pulled the door shut.

  Elle almost gave her real address before reminding herself that she didn’t need these people watching her climb into an attic window. And even if she were able to use the front door, it was probably best if they didn’t know where she lived. So she gave them an address two roads away from hers.

  “Okay then,” Xander muttered. He tapped the address into the car’s navigation system before pulling away with a smooth rush of power that forced Elle back against her seat.

  Olly, still facing the back seat, said, “So, Elle. How’d you end up knocked out and abducted by a vampire? I would assume it’s because you’re human, but when you arrived, someone asked, ‘Is that her?’ and they all seemed really excited when the dude carrying you said yes.”

  Elle blinked. “Um, okay.”

  “Do you know why they might be so interested in you?” Dex asked.

  “No.” She looked away as she shook her head so neither of them would see the lie in her eyes. She was fairly certain it had to do with her strange ability to remove memories, but that wasn’t something she told most people about.

  “The vamp who caught you is the same one who was at Club Onyx,” Dex said. “He must have been tracking you for some time.”

  “Yes, I recognized him.” She was beginning to wonder just how long he’d been looking for her. If she hadn’t imagined what he said about her mother, then it could have been years. “So, I assume they all got away?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Xander grumbled. Elle looked forward in time to see his grip tighten on the steering wheel. “Well, except for the two who ended up dead during that whole mess on the fairground. We could have caught them all if we hadn’t had to be so careful.”

  “Careful?” Elle asked. Blurred memories shifted across her mind—flashes of magic and someone yelling about being careful—and she realized what he meant. “Because of me. You had to be careful with magic because you didn’t want to hit me, and that’s why they got away.” She tried to catch Dex’s gaze, but his frown was pointed forward.

  “Correct,” Xander muttered.

  “We don’t know that,” Dex said quietly. “It could have gone badly whether Elle was there or not. Hopefully we’ll get another chance to track them down.”

  “Not like this,” Xander replied. “It took us weeks of following one tiny snippet of information after the next—plus a good dose of luck—to get this information. We may never get another chance like the one we had tonight.”

  “I’m sorry, but I didn’t exactly ask to be drugged and abducted and wind up in your way,” Elle said. “And who are you guys anyway, following vampires and trying to catch them?” A whisper of fear nudged her mind. “Are you with the police?”

  “No,” Dex said. “This is more of an unofficial, off-the-records kind of operation. We believe they’re part of the group responsible for all the human abductions that have happened recently. We’re trying to find out what that’s all about so we can stop it.”

  Well, it was a relief they weren’t involved with the police. She really didn’t need anyone in authority knowing that she, a human, liked to masquerade as a faerie. She would wind up in a prison cell somewhere, and once Salvia got her out, her fury would know no bounds. “Why are you doing your own investigation?” she asked. “I heard the police had a lead on who was behind all of that. Don’t you trust them to get to the bottom of it?”

  Dex gave her a pointed look. “Do you?”

  She almost laughed. “I’m human. I have a hard time trusting anyone who’s fae, whether they’re in law enforcement or not.”

  “Clearly,” Dex said, rubbing his thumb across the cut on his palm that was now little more than a faint scar. “Anyway, I don’t trust them either. Humans aren’t exactly high on their priority list. They make announcements every now and then to keep the public happy—at least, that small part of the public who actually care about humans—but we all know there isn’t much behind their words.”

  “And you guys care about humans?” Elle asked, unable to keep the skepticism from her voice.

  “Would we be fighting vampires if we didn’t care?” Xander asked. He swung the steering wheel hard to the right as he turned a corner, and Elle gripped the seat with one hand and the door handle with the other.

  “I suppose not,” she muttered. “Sorry, it’s just unusual to come across fae who care that much. Most fae are probably glad someone’s ridding the world of humans.”

  “One of many things that’s wrong with the world,” Olly muttered.

  Elle loosened her grip on the seat and looked at Dex. “So, I’ve been wondering …”

  “Yes?”

  “The other night at Club Onyx, you saw the color of my blood and realized I’m human. But did you say anything? Did you tell the bouncer or anyone?”

  “No. I didn’t even tell Olly and Xander, actually. I figured it wasn’t my secret to tell.”

  “I’m so hurt right now,” Xander deadpanned, his head still pointed forward.

  “Thank you,” Elle said quietly.

  “Why were you there?” Dex asked. “I assume you’re aware of how dangerous it is. Not just because of all the fae who could have discovered you were pretending to be one of them, but because there are vampires out at night. Those abductions have been going on for weeks. And I know you were disguised, but if they get close enough, they can smell—”

  “There was no way that vampire could distinguish the smell of my blood among all the other odors in that club,” Elle pointed out.

  “Okay, maybe not. But out on the street?”

  “Look, I don’t have a choice, okay? I need to go out at night sometimes. It’s a risk I have to take to get Essence.” Which, she realized now that a look of horror was growing on Dex’s face, she probably should have kept to herself.

  “To get Essence?” he repeated. “You mean … fae are paying you for something?”

  “Whatever you’re thinking,” Elle said quickly, “I can guarantee you’re wrong.”

  “Okaaaaay.”

  “I need Essence for … something. I offer a service—nothing dodgy—and people pay.”

  “Now I’m definitely intrigued,” Dex said.

  “Is this where you need to be?” Xander asked, turning hard yet again. Elle grabbed hold of the door to keep herself from being flung into Dex’s lap.

  “Uh, yes,” she said, peering between the two front seats and recognizing the road she’d told Xander to go to. “Wow, that was fast.”

  “Dex said it was urgent.”

  “Yes, it was.” Elle’s eyes landed on the time displayed on the car dashboard. “Thankfully, it isn’t quite so urgent anymore.” She pulled the door handle and opened the door, then turned back to face Dex. “Thank you for getting me away from the vampires. And for not sayin
g anything at Club Onyx about me being human. Maybe I don’t seem like I’m grateful, since I made you do that blood oath back there, but I was just being careful.”

  Dex nodded, a small smile lighting up his silver-blue eyes. “I understand.”

  “Wait,” Xander said as Elle moved toward the door. “What do you think about helping us catch those vampires?”

  A beat of silence passed in which Elle replayed the words in her head, wondering if she’d misheard him. “Me? Are you serious? How would I do that?”

  “They want you. You could be bait.”

  Elle’s eyebrows jumped up. “Um, what?”

  “That sounds like a dangerous idea,” Dex said.

  Xander looked at him. “You’ve never been opposed to dangerous ideas.”

  “I’m opposed to dangerous ideas,” Elle said. “I mean, sure, my nighttime escapades aren’t exactly safe, but this would be far worse. Intentionally putting myself in the path of a bunch of vampires? No thanks.”

  “What if we pay you?” Xander suggested. “In Essence. That’s what you want, right?”

  Elle narrowed her eyes. “How much?”

  “You can’t possibly be considering this,” Dex said.

  “What do your other clients pay you for your time?” Xander asked.

  Elle’s gaze shifted between Dex and Xander. She didn’t like this idea, but Essence was hard to turn down. “Half an elixion vial per job. And a job only takes a few minutes.”

  “But how many jobs do you do in a night?”

  “Usually only one,” Elle admitted.

  “I am so curious about whatever these jobs are,” Olly said.

  “I can probably part with a full vial without suffering any adverse effects,” Xander said. “And so can you guys,” he added, looking first at Dex and then Olly. “So how about that? Three full vials per night until we catch at least one vamp who can give us useful info.”

  “This is a bad idea,” Dex said, a deep furrow forming across his brow.

  “Obviously we won’t let anything happen to her,” Xander said. “You know that. But we need to catch them, Dex. This could be our best chance.”

  Dex groaned. “I don’t know. Maybe.” He looked at Elle. “I know you’re in a rush though, so why don’t you take my number.” He raised his hand and wrote quickly in the air, leaving glittering gold digits hanging in front of Elle. “We can meet and discuss this further. If we can make sure it’s a plan that guarantees your safety, then—”

  “No,” Elle interrupted as she slid away from him to the edge of the seat. It was tempting—so tempting—but even if she didn’t mind risking her life, it wouldn’t be possible to leave the house whenever Dex might need her. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to get involved. I can’t get involved. It’s … it’s complicated. Thank you again for your help tonight. I really appreciate it.” She pushed the door further open and climbed out of the car.

  “Wait!” Dex called. “Just take my number. In case you change your mind.”

  She almost didn’t, but something—probably the promise of all that Essence—made her duck back inside the car and swipe her hand through the numbers still floating in the air. They transferred themselves to her arm. Then she leaned back, slammed the door shut, and hurried toward the nearest townhouse. She climbed the stairs, stopped on the porch right in front of the door, and pretended to fish inside her purse for a key. Then she looked back over her shoulder and waved at the waiting car. “You can go now,” she muttered beneath her breath, forcing a quick smile onto her lips. “I’m fine. You don’t have to watch me go inside.”

  Fortunately, Xander took the hint, and as Elle turned back toward the door, she heard the car pull away from the sidewalk. The moment it was around the corner, she hurried down the stairs and back onto the street. She walked as briskly as possible in her high-heeled boots, aware of the fact that her fake ear tips were gone. But she was so close to home, she reminded herself as she moved her hair to cover her ears. It was unlikely anything would go wrong now.

  She glanced repeatedly at the numbers glowing faintly on her arm. They would wash off easily. She knew the spell Dex had used. It transformed his magic into something like paint once it came into contact with skin or paper or some other hard surface. It was silly, but she couldn’t help admiring his elegant script. The slant of the numbers and the way he drew his twos with a loop at the bottom.

  Don’t be an idiot, she told herself, forcing her gaze upward as her cheeks burned. It’s just handwriting.

  She turned into her street, expecting to be greeted by the usual quiet stillness of near-midnight. Instead she saw two police vehicles parked directly outside her house. The door to her home was wide open, spilling yellow light onto the road. A police officer jogged up the stairs, while another two hurried down, and behind the curtains, shadows paced. Loud voices and the crackle and beep of radio communicators met her ears. Then one of the police officers turned her way. He called out and hastened across the road toward her.

  “Crap,” Elle whispered as dread sank into the pit of her stomach.

  “You made a blood oath with her?” Xander demanded the moment the car started moving.

  “Dex, what the hell?” Olly said. “What did you swear to her?”

  Dex stared through the windshield as Xander turned out of Elle’s road. He wanted to smile at the memory of her standing in that dusty office with her feisty expression and her tiny knife pointed at him. He was fae and infinitely more powerful, but that clearly hadn’t daunted her. “Look, we needed to get her to safety,” he said. “She’s important to the vampires, which means they could have been circling back toward the fairground while you guys were chasing after them. I couldn’t just leave her—”

  “Dude, just tell us what you swore to her,” Xander said.

  Dex sighed. “She didn’t want to accept a ride from me. She didn’t trust me. She told me to swear I wouldn’t lie to her, that’s all. No big deal.”

  Olly turned in his seat to face Dex. “No big deal? Really? You lie to everyone you meet.”

  “I don’t.” Dex looked away, his expression darkening. “I omit the truth. There’s a difference. The blood oath knows that, and so do you. This won’t be a problem.”

  Elle’s heart pounded so hard she thought it might break free from her chest. The police officer hadn’t explained anything. He’d merely ushered her across the road after she gave him her name, saying something about getting her inside the house where she’d be safe. It’s all relative, she thought bitterly. Dangers might lurk in the shadows outside, but she knew what awaited her inside the house. There was no way she would classify it as ‘safe.’

  The officer steered her into the lounge, where she found Sienna standing with her arms crossed tightly over her chest, and Salvia sitting beside Meredith on the couch. Meredith’s eyes were red. She held a healing aid patch over her cheek. All three were in their pajamas.

  Salvia looked up, and her expression hardened as her eyes landed on Elle. She stood slowly, saying nothing, but her eyes seemed to burn with hatred, and Elle imagined she could feel the fury rippling off her in hot waves. Her gaze moved past Elle to the uniformed man beside her. She pulled her signature smile into place and asked, “Are you done here?”

  “Yes, I think we’ve taken—”

  “Thank you very much then, officer. I appreciate your speedy response. More than you can possibly know.”

  “I—of course. Officers Cole and Rushmore will be posted outside tonight—and for the next few nights—keeping watch in case the vamp returns.”

  “Thank you, we’re all incredibly grateful to you for helping us feel safe. I assume you can show yourself out?”

  “Yes, of course. Uh, goodnight then.” He turned away. Moments later, the front door clicked shut.

  Salvia’s smile vanished. She tilted her head. Her eyes traveled down Elle’s silver dress, which sparkled beneath the warm lamplight. “Where have you been?” she asked, her voice deadly quiet.

>   Elle had been trying to come up with an explanation since the moment she turned onto her street and saw all the police activity. It didn’t matter what she said though. She’d left without Salvia’s permission, and there was nothing that could make up for that. “I was meeting someone,” she said, since Salvia had probably figured that out already, given Elle’s outfit.

  “A vampire?”

  Elle’s pounding heart tripped over itself for a beat or two. “Why would you think—”

  “Because he showed up here. At our front door.” Salvia took a step closer. “Meredith was up, watching TV, so when he knocked, she answered. She accidentally stepped beyond the doorway boundary, and he grabbed hold of her.” Salvia moved forward another step. “He said he was looking for you. That he wouldn’t let Meredith go until she invited him into the house. She fought him, and he tore his dirty nails down her face. Fortunately, I had reached the door by then. I struck his face with magic and pulled Meredith inside. We called the police immediately, but the vampire, of course, was long gone.”

  “When—when did this happen?” Elle asked.

  “Not long ago,” Sienna whispered, hugging her arms a little tighter around her middle. “Twenty minutes, maybe a bit more.”

  Elle swallowed. The vampire must have come straight here after Dex and his friends chased him away, probably hoping to get inside the house and wait until she returned home.

  “Imagine if a vampire scratch was like a bite?” Salvia hissed. “Meredith could be turning right now! You would have essentially murdered your own sister!”

  Stepsister, Elle corrected silently. She liked to pretend Sienna was her real sister, but Meredith had always remained firmly in step territory. “I’m so sorry,” she said, “but I had nothing to do with—”

  “What have you brought upon us?” Salvia demanded.

  “I don’t know, I swear. I have no idea why a vampire would be looking for me, and I have no idea how he knows where I live.”

  “Liar,” Salvia spat. “You have broken every rule I set for you. You left this house without permission.” She spun around and slapped Sienna.