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Very rarely had I seen the vampire caught wrong-footed, and this was one of those times.
“Uh, Bentley Crew? But I thought—”
“That I was dead?” Crew said. “Surprise.”
“Well then,” Von said, recovering. “It appears this truly is a day to celebrate. Not only are Wyatt, Kira, and Chelsey alive when we thought all hope was lost, but Bentley Crew as well? What a day!” He laughed heartily and added, “This must be how it felt for those poor people centuries ago when they went up against vampires. Thinking they’d killed a man, only to see them pop back up alive a few moments later.” Von dabbed at his eyes. “You have no idea how I mourned for thee. I never thought I would see you again.”
His joy at our miraculous return seemed genuine. That alone made me wonder what was really going on in that undead head of his. From what I’d learned, he actuallyhadliked the contestants, but he also reveled in our misery and suffering. Such a strange and confusing man.
“Hey, bro,” August said. “Can we get going? No offense, but you’re kinda creepy.”
Von glanced at my friend and raised an eyebrow. “Hmm, nice to meet you, sir. I have the feeling your blood would taste like bologna and cheese sandwiches.” He wrinkled his nose in disgust. “You have nothing to fear from me. Come, everyone. See my new toy.”
He led us down to the car. As large as it was, I saw no way for all seven of us to fit inside. I was about to tell him to forget it, that I’d have my father’s chauffeur bring the limo around, when he opened the rear door. My mouth dropped open. The rear of the SUV looked to be at least double the size it should have been.
“Special enchantment,” Von cooed. “It makes the inside larger than the outside.” He leaned toward me and whispered, “Veryexpensive upgrade.”
Climbing in, I felt a strange sense of vertigo. Inside, another surprise awaited us. Von wasn’t alone. A small, mousy-haired woman sat on one of the bench seats, scribbling onto a legal pad. She ignored us as we piled into the back.
Once we were on the road, the strange woman turned to look out the window.
Von noticed my gaze. “Personal assistant. You can’t have too much help these days. The service sent her this morning. My usual one is out sick, apparently. I don’t really need one on Bloodstone, but here on the mainland? Indispensable.”
August was moving around the rear of the SUV, tugging on the arm rests.
“Is there something I can help you with, sir?” Von drawled.
August stopped and took a seat before grinning at the vampire. “My name isn’tsir, it’s August. I was checking to see if your little magic car was as cool as the limo Wyatt’s dad sent. You need to step up your game. No built-in fridges? Kinda lame.”
Von’s left eye twitched. “Well, I will be sure to pass along those requests to the manufacturer, Mr. Autumn.”
August scowled. “No, I said my name is Aug—”
“Anyway,” Von cut in, “Kira, Wyatt, I must tell you how heartbroken I was that the show was shut down before we reached the climax.”
“Yeah,” I said. “You…what was it they said?” I frowned deeply as though trying to remember. “Didn’t you fight valiantly to try and save our lives? The way the news portrayed it, you were slaying beasts left and right to get us out. Weird. I don’t remember any of that.”
Von chuckled and slapped a hand on his knee. “Hyperbole, my boy.” He leaned forward conspiratorially. “You know how the press can be. They have this need to lift me up even higher than I already am. My personal security team wouldn’t hear any arguments I had about staying. I assure you, there were many vociferous arguments, but alas, I was shuffled off to the helicopter and flown away in the night. My greatest regret is that we didn’t get to have any more fun together.”
“Fun?” Kira asked through gritted teeth.
“I know,” Von said wistfully, ignoring Kira’s tone. “I miss it, too. Honestly, it’s been quite boring here. Stuck behind all these walls and security while that silly fighting goes on outside. Anyway, when you two popped up on Callista’s broadcast last night? My heart simply fluttered with delight. I swear, I could feel the excitement in my ancient veins. I’m looking forward to seeing how we can shake things up even more.”
I’d had enough of his pompous attitude. It was time to get down to business.
“Do you know Heline, Von?” I asked. My question was blunt, cutting him off while he yammered on about something pointless.
The vampire blinked slowly at me. “The moon goddess? That Heline?”
“Yes.”
Von, regaining his footing, smiled and rolled his eyes. “My dear boy, one does not simplyknowa goddess. How silly. She is above these trivial matters for the most part.” He laughed it off.
Something about the wooden way he’d answered, how quickly he’d tried to brush off my question, gave me the sense that he was lying. This mandidknow more about Heline than most. Whether that meant he was a friend, a slave, a confidant, or perhaps had some insight into her plans, I didn’t know, but he was hiding something—I could see it in his eyes. Kira felt it, too. Her own thoughts went in the same direction.
Von snapped his fingers, making me flinch, and pointed at Crew. “Bentley, I have to say, seeing you again is an even bigger shock. I would love to get you to do an in-depth interview. You can tell the world how you managed to survive the dangers of Bloodstone Island for, what, two years? The uh…” Von tapped a spot below his own eye. “The injury there, would make for great drama.”
Crew scowled. “An interview?”
