Club Angel's Kiss

“I don’t know what to wear!” I complained, sorting through all my clothes.

Jett sighed impatiently from where she and Rave sat on my bed, watching my fit that I was currently throwing. I had nothing to wear that would make me feel that I looked attractive enough to be seen beside Zacky…

Or Matt if he decided to come down to the club.

I silently hoped he did.

“How about that dress you just punted across the room?”

Calming myself, I looked over at a black dress that now lay strewn on the vanity mirror. I made a face.

“It makes me look fat,” I muttered.

Jett threw her head back and cackled. “Girl, you couldn’t look fat if you tried!”

I stuck out my tongue at her. “You’re only saying that because it’s your obligation. I’m sure Matt has a rule that you aren’t supposed to be mean to the queen.”

“No, no,” Jett contradicted. “There’s no rule saying I have to be nice to you. If there was such a rule, Inez would be fucked.”

I laughed nervously. “Good point. But really.” I tossed my bag of clothing onto the bed in front of the two girls. “Pick something for me. Just pick it out and I won’t complain. I’ll simply wear it.”

I immediately regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. Jett and Rave attacked my bag, throwing around all the clothes they didn’t find suitable for my night at the club. They yelled and laughed and pointed out all the good things certain dresses or shirts would insinuate upon my body.

The whole subject made me feel very uncomfortable. I didn’t want to hear how that dress would make my hips look amazing, or how that certain shirt would give me cleavage.

I plopped down on the ground and awaited my impending death.

Rave finally lifted something from the bottom of the bag and screamed out in sheer joy. Jett joined in on her happiness and I utterly feared what they chose for me to wear.

Jett grabbed the shapeless object from Rave’s hand and bolted to my side. With a grin, she shook it out and held it up for me to examine.

Of course. They had to choose the red dress I received from my crazy mother. I stared at the plunging neckline…the almost nonexistent back, the short hemline that would reveal my legs.

“Oh, God help me,” I whispered, staring at the thin fabric. “Are you really going to make me wear that?”

Rave appeared at Jett’s side and pointed a finger in my direction. “You said you wouldn’t complain.”

Damn.

“Okay, fine.” I grabbed it from Jett’s hand and mentally wanted to throw myself off my balcony. I would look like hell in this, no matter how many fashion forward vampires were working to make me look hot. This would be an accident waiting to happen.

“You don’t have any shoes, do you?” Jett asked. I saw her eyes look around the room, and she looked just slightly shocked.

I shook my head. “I only have my boots and sneakers with me.”

“Not a problem!” Jett smiled triumphantly. “You can borrow some of mine.”

I glanced at her feet. Those shoes looked like a form of torture. A death trap, even. I instantly became afraid of the fate I would have when I stepped into those six inch tall heels.

“Great,” I muttered, and looked down at the dress again. Compared to the heels, the dress seemed amazingly innocent.

Rave giggled excitedly as she danced circles around me. “You are going to look amazing when we get done with you.”

“But why a dress?” I pressed on. “Isn’t that a little fancy for your club?”

“Psht!” was Jett’s eloquent reply. “When you have a body like yours, you wear whatever you want. You don’t even give thought to what is right or wrong.”

I looked her up and down. She might be able to say that, because both she and Rave were beyond beautiful, but I was not as lucky. Plain old Amber was no supermodel.

Rave grabbed the dress from my hands and pushed me to the bathroom. They forced me into the dress, fixing and prodding. They straightened my hair and attacked my face with make up.

I didn’t understand why they were putting such focus on my appearance. The two had been more than happy to help me find something to wear for my visit to the club, Zacky as my escort…

Did everyone in the coven except Matt know of Zacky’s love for me?

And Matt might even know!

I felt helpless as my best vampire friends attacked my face in god-only-knows-what. I would probably come out looking like a too made up Barbie and it would freak Zacky out and he wouldn’t even think I looked beautiful anymore.

Rave was giggling about a pad of eyeshadow in her hand, and Jett was raking a brush through my hair for the tenth time.

I tapped my fingers on my knee impatiently. If they were trying to make me look good enough to be seen in Club Angel’s Kiss, they should really hurry up about it.

I had to be down in the club in a few minutes, I was sure. They needed to hurry their asses.

“Are you two almost done?” I whined.

Jett nodded, smiling. “We are done, honey!”

“Look in the mirror!” Rave grabbed my shoulders and hoisted me to my feet from the stool that I was positioned on. She put her hands on my shoulders, twisting me around to face the mirror.

I almost keeled over.

I looked…strangely sexy.

“Oh, wow,” I breathed, staring at myself in shock. “You two really are mythical creatures!”

Jett scrunched up her nose. “What do you mean?”

“Only vampires would be able to make me look this good!” I waved my hand up and down my body, still shocked. “You two are magickal!”

Rave shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, we’ve had a lot of practice.”

“Obviously!” I laughed and shook my head. “But do you think Zacky will like it?”

Jett’s expression softened, as if I had said something that was sweet and meaningful. She slowly laid her hand on my shoulder. “He’ll love it,” he whispered. “I know he will.”

Rave took me in her arms in a gentle hug. “And for the record, we’re happy that Zacky loves you.”

I shook my head. “Everyone is taking this much better than I thought they would,” I whispered. “And it seems like everyone knows that he loves me.”

“It’s because everyone does,” Rave replied. “Only a dumb ass would not be able to see how he looks at you. It’s like you’re his Queen instead of Matt’s.”

I lowered my gaze down the sink.

Matt…

Zacky and I would never be able to become a real couple if Matt was still in the picture. Silently, I wished Zack would have come into the gas station that day, or saved me from the psycho trio in the alleyway.

Jett rubbed my back. “We understand,” she murmured, though I wasn’t sure why everything was whispering. We were alone. “We wish Matt wouldn’t have picked you as his Queen.”

Rave nodded rapidly, her hands clutching the counter. “If he would have just brought you to be a coven member! I love having you here. You’re a wonderful human, but now that you’re our Queen, Matt has to leave or you and Zee have to run away.”

“Zee?” I giggled. “That’s an adorable nickname.”

“It is. All the girls here call him that because he’s just that adorable.”

I looked at Rave through the mirror. She was smiling sadly. At least they understood the pain and confusion I was feeling.

Jett broke the tension in the air. She pushed open the bathroom door and pushed me out into the bedroom. “You should be heading down to the club. Zacky, Jimmy, and Brian are already down there.”

I nodded and started out the bedroom door. I heard Rave and Jett talking in their vampire language rather quickly as I walked down the hallway to the staircase.

I walked slowly down the stairs, gripping the rail the whole way down. The high heels Jett gave me from her extensive collection scared the hell out of me and I didn’t want to fall to my death because of these damn red death traps.

I was thankful to be back on safe ground as I rounded into the kitchen and went directly to the archway.

All I had to do was get to the club without seeing Obsidian or Matt.

The throne room was empty, so I hurried across the platform, down the empty tile, and through the door.

Again, with this flight of stairs, I held onto the rail as tightly as possible with one hand as to not die before I got to see Zacky again.

I threw open the staff door when I reached it and hurried into the club. Music was already playing, pounding through the PA. There were a few bodies bumping to the music on the dance floor, but I saw where I wanted to go.

Zacky and Jimmy were in the exact place where I guessed. They were both sitting at the DJ set, staring blankly at the buttons and controls.

I shimmied my way through the talking and chattering people in front of the stage and slid around the corner to get to them. Neither looked up when I arrived, but I figured it was only because they were having a hard time fidgeting.

Both stood unnaturally still as I watched them, Jimmy sitting on his stool, Zacky leaning with one hand on the set and the other on Jimmy’s shoulder.

Finally I became a little uncomfortable with the lack of moving and breathing and poked Zacky’s shoulder.

As if I pressed play, they both inhaled deeply and started shifting around as soon as I let my presence be known.

Zacky turned his entire body in my direction and looked me up and down. He smirked. “What are you wearing?” he laughed.

“Jett and Rave dressed me,” I complained. “Don’t blame me if I look like shit.”

Zacky shook his head. “You do not look like shit,” he whistled. “You look amazing.”

I smiled, though my cheeks were ablaze. “Really? I thought I looked like a scary Barbie.”

“You don’t,” he said. His eyes raked up and down my body again.

I grinned and shook my head. “Do you like my legs?” I asked, seeing that he stared a little too long at the short hem of my dress.

“They are…wow.”

Jimmy chuckled as he stood from the stool. “You do look pretty amazing, Amber.”

I batted my eyelashes. “Thank you very much, Jimmy. But you owe it to your girlfriend for making me look so amazing.”

Jimmy grinned at the mention of Rave.

Zacky ran his fingertips along my cheek and kissed my forehead. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“That girl is coming!” Johnny’s voice echoed as he came streaking across the empty stage.

The three of us looked up, and I immediately glared at Johnny. I was still a little peeved that he didn’t tell me the secret he knew of Zacky loving me.

Johnny immediately stopped and eyed my dress. “Wow. You really look like a Queen now.”

I laughed, waving my hand back and forth.

“Is that singer here?” Jimmy asked.

Johnny nodded. “Mhm. I think she’s at the door. Matt is talking to her right now, as we speak.”

I glanced to the door. Matt was in the club? Zacky and I definitely had to avoid him, or just not act out of the ordinary.

I was curious as to who the club wrangled up to be live entertainment. I figured she would just be another Chicago starving artist type, like the rest of the singers from here.

Zacky let me go and went back to the DJ set. “I think we have everything ready for her. What do you think, Rev?”

“I think we do!” Jimmy clapped his hands together and told Johnny to retrieve Matt and the girl.

As Johnny disappeared into the crowd of dancing people, Zacky took my hand and led me to the bar. We both sat down at the stools.

Brian was hurrying as fast as he could, giving other normal humans their drinks. He spotted us as he handed a martini to a blonde.

“Hey, Amber, Zacky,” he greeted with a big smile. “How’s your head?”

“It’s better. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Brian nodded, grabbing two glasses from the shelf behind him. “Good. Love the dress, by the way.” His eyes went down to the cleavage that conspicuously popped from the low neckline.

Zacky saw this and glanced sideways at my chest.

Brian cackled maniacally. “Ad so does, Zacky.”

“I don’t like the dress so much as the person and body parts in it.” He tore his gaze from my chest to look at Brian. “Did you hear? Our surprise entertainment is here!”

“Ooh!” Brian laughed. “I dread hearing her. Matt was the one who hired her. She’s probably going to be hell on the stage.”

“A disaster,” Zacky agreed.

I glanced at the stage. It was still empty.

Brian waved a shot glass in front of my face, sloshing vodka on the counter. “Do you want something to drink?”

“Sure.”

He set to work. “Anything in particular you would like?”

“Alcohol, please.”

Brian grinned. “That’s my specialty.”

Zacky wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “Are you trying to get drunk?” he whispered in my ear. His breath tickled the side of my neck and a shiver coursed through my body.

“No,” I murmured. “I just like Brian’s drinks.”

Brian grinned, stopping where he stood with a bottle in his hand. “Amber, that is so sweet of you!” he said, waving his hand around his face as he pretended to tear up. “It warms my soul knowing that my Queen loves my nasty alcoholic drinks.”

“They’re not nasty!” I gasped. “They taste good.”

“Oh, you’re just saying that.” He poured a dark liquid into my cup and swished it around with the colorless drink already in it. “Here, love. Try that.”

I picked it up and looked at Zacky as I tipped it into my mouth. He watched me, his lips slightly parted, his eyes absolutely gleaming deviously.

I gulped the drink down and turned to Brian. “Good,” I complimented, putting the glass down.

Zacky took his face between his hands and pulled me to look at him.

“I love you, Amber,” he whispered.

“I love you, too, Zacky,” I whimpered. It was the first time he said that he loved me…It felt wonderful. My heart was pounding like hell, and I couldn’t help but laugh. I never felt like this when Matt said he loved me. No. It was nothing compared to this.

Zacky pressed his forehead to mine.

“Please not around me,” Brian whined.

I pulled myself from Zacky’s amazingly tight grip and looked directly down on the counter. I couldn’t keep my heartbeat under control. It hurt and my cheeks were hotter than ever before.

Brian sat something else in front of me before trotting off to help another customer. I didn’t bother inspecting it or tasting it as I drank it. It burnt all the way down my throat and landed like a rock in my stomach.

I flinched. “Eh. Not his best work.”

Zacky laughed and folded his arms in front of him on the counter. “Taste bad?”

“Just a little. And it burnt.” I rubbed my throat, my mouth turned into an obvious frown. “Ew. I could use some water.”

“Let me get it for you.” Zacky disappeared from my side.

I sighed and turned around in the stool, leaning by back against the bar. More people had filed in since the last time I checked. A mass of people all moving in the same way to the same beat meshed in the middle of the dance floor.

The song above my head wasn’t one that was familiar to me, but the beat was infectious. I, however, was in no mood to dance. I also didn’t want to leave Zacky.

The techno beat started fading away. It took me a moment to realize the volume was being turned down.

I glanced at the DJ set. Jimmy sat behind it, his finger on a button, his eyes on the person standing on the stage.

Matt was that person.

I scrunched my face up, but didn’t look away.

Matt poked the microphone with his finger, sending a loud sound through the club.

“It works!” Jimmy shouted.

Clearing his throat, Matt lifted the mic to his mouth. “Okay, everyone! For the first time ever, we are having live entertainment!”

A short cheer erupted from the room’s occupants.

“She’s a local Chicago singer and one of my closest friends. Please welcome...Cassariah Deniz!”

Another chorus of cheers erupted. A lot of people clapped as well. I merely sat, motionless, watching.

A woman jogged up the stage’s side steps and waved to the crowd.

I tilted my head, trying to get a better look at her, but the bright lights were obscuring my vision.

I hopped off my stool and inched a little closer to the stage.

The singer took the microphone from Matt’s hand. “Hello!” she called.

That voice…

Where had I heard that voice?

I moved a little quicker now, something drawing me to the stage. The clacking of my heels were quickly drowned out by the sound of music starting on the PA. Matt disappeared from the stage, leaving only the woman standing there. She was obviously preparing to start singing.

The stage stood a good ten feet away from me before I finally halted dead in my tracks. Realization launched itself into my chest.

My body convulsed. I felt bile churning in the pits of my stomach. My entire arm shook as I lifted it, my finger pointing at the stage.

I sucked in a deep breath and let a blood curdling scream rip its way from my throat.

All the dancers stopped. The singer stopped. Jimmy whipped around, nearly knocking over the DJ set. And a bottle or a glass was sent shattering to the floor at the bar.

I soon saw Zacky jumped over the bar from my peripheral vision. He put one hand on my shoulder and wrapped an arm around my torso, holding my still trembling body up.

“Amber!” Zacky yelled. “Amber, what’s wrong? Talk to me!”

I couldn’t. I couldn’t stop screaming.

But, soon enough, my shrieking was cut off by my body convulsing. I doubled over and let all the alcohol and food I had consumed come up from my stomach and land with a sickening plop to the floor.

Zacky was still yelling my name.

Slowly, I lifted my head up…

And into the burningly evil eyes of December.