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“Aw!” I grinned at him. “That was thoughtful of you.”
“And a Taser!” Gigi exclaimed, whipping the pocketsized device out of her handbag.
“Are you insane?” I cried at my vampire, who was making “cut it out” gestures toward Gigi behind my back. “Why not just get her an Uzi?”
“Because Uzis don’t come in pink!” Gigi added, pulling the candy-colored stun gun out of its holster. She fired it up, giggling as an arc of light jumped between the two metal probes.
I shot an incredulous look at Cal. “How did you even get that?”
“Internet,” Cal mumbled. “I just want Ben to watch his step. A well-placed touch of the Taser can help keep someone on his best behavior.”
“You cannot take that to school, Geeg. I’m going to get phone calls,” I told her.
“I know,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Cal ordered a special mount for my car, so I can store it under the driver’s seat. He showed me how to fire it and which areas of the body work best. And if I Tase someone just to see if it works, he will take it away. And on that note, I’m going. I’ll call you.”
“Do not get that stuff out of your purse unless you feel uncomfortable,” I told her. “People have very little tolerance for accidental electrocution.”
Cal nudged her shoulder and told her, “Remember.” Then he began an odd sort of dance in which he gestured to his neck, his armpits, and his groin. She rolled her eyes again and slung her arms around him. He froze, and I was about to warn her off, but he awkwardly patted her back. She gave me an absent wave and bolted out the door.
“What the hell?” I demanded, doing a bad impression of the dance he’d just performed.
“I was just reminding her of the most painful places to be Tased,” he said.
“You know, I’m going to forward the calls to your cell phone the first time she zaps some hapless classmate’s junk because she’s having a bad day.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” he said solemnly. He pulled a little box from behind the couch.
“What’s this?”
“I got one for you, too,” he said as I pulled out a frightening-looking box proclaiming the make and model of my very own Taser. It was green, with a floral-print holster.
“Wow, Cal, I don’t know what to say.”
Really. How do you respond when someone gifts you with nonlethal law-enforcement equipment? If I was a rational person, I would thank him and turn it down. But considering the rate at which I’d been accosted, attacked, or just plain annoyed over the last few weeks, I thanked him politely and stuck it in my purse.
“Just say you’ll read the instruction manual,” he said sternly. “I think Gigi only skimmed it because she knew I was going to quiz her.”
He was really, sincerely, worried about her. I could see it written all over his face: the furrowed brow, the tense mouth. I saw that in my reflection more often than I cared to admit. Cal wasn’t just worried about this unknown entity targeting vampires. He wanted Gigi safe from everything, and just like me, he realized that placing her in a hermetically sealed habitat wasn’t possible. Not to mention that it was cost-prohibitive.
For so long, I’d been the only one worrying about Gigi. To share that weight, however willingly I’d taken it on, was a sublime thing. Touched by his inappropriately applied concern, I kissed his mouth with a resounding smack. His arms wound around me, pulling me close. The tension seemed to melt away from my body.
“What was that for?” he asked, pushing waves of hair back from my face.
I rested my forehead against his throat and sighed. “No reason.”
—
As expected, Cal barely disturbed the limbs as he wound his way through the trees, as lithe and smooth as spilled mercury. I felt like a clambering elephant by contrast, clomping around, leaving footprints and damaged foliage wherever I went.
Two people hiking through the woods with flashlights would seem suspicious if we were seen from the road, so we had to rely on Cal’s considerable night vision. I’d never hiked at night before. The leaves were a silvery ashen green, fluttering in a warm breeze like verdant lace. The night sounds—crickets chirping, birds calling—quieted as we passed, the animals sensing a predator coming close. It was also very dark. I had to hold on to his arm to stay upright on a couple of occasions.
There was no trail, but I hadn’t thought there would be. Mom and I used to just wander, keeping mindful of private fence lines and hunting stands. We were always careful not to go out during peak deer and turkey seasons, because that would be an embarrassing way to die.
Just ask Jane.
The site we were looking for was about three miles from the road. We stayed quiet, moving as quickly as we could. Cal seemed tense, constantly scanning the horizon, tracking every noise. I knew we’d both been through a lot, but I doubted that the poisoner was lurking behind a tree somewhere just in case we happened to wander by.
I kept my eyes on the ground, watching for the distinctive leaf patterns. This meant that I didn’t see Cal stop short, and I plowed into his back.
