No Man's Land: An Imp World Novel Read online

  Kelly’s blood turned to ice, knowing exactly what the woman had seen. Laundry in a sink, in the dark, without detergent had not made a dent in the dried, caked blood staining the shirt. The skirt was black and hid the stains better, but her shirt had been white with grey pinstripes at one point. It was now pink with grey pinstripes and huge crusted smears of blood.

  The tall woman looked away from Kelly toward the shirt and tensed expectantly, a look of alarm coming over her face. Yeah, it looked like Kelly had been slaughtering goats in her spare time. Or had bled out all over her clothing and risen from the dead to find herself in the middle of nowhere in an ancient mobile home.

  Would they call the police? Kelly might be able to take on a small group of humans and win, especially if she didn’t have to worry about leaving them alive, but there were probably hundreds of them in the area. They’d eventually overpower her, injure her faster than she could repair herself. Plus, she was in no physical state to battle even these two women, and she sensed no vampires nearby to come to her aid. Suddenly she understood what the elders had always told her about the humans, why vampires chose to live in the shadows and feed with secrecy. There was power in numbers, and the humans far outnumbered even the largest vampire family.

  Did she even have a family anymore? Fear and loss poured through her. As adversarial as relationships were among family members, vampires needed each other. They bonded together to support and work toward common goals. It was disconcerting to be in this chilly trailer, facing two human women as they eyed her bloodstained clothing with undecipherable expressions flickering across their faces. Kelly tensed. What would they do?

  Uncharacteristically silent, Melody placed the shirt into the sink and moved the chair back to the dining room table. Gently, she took Kelly by the shoulders and pushed her down to sit on the worn sofa. Kelly glanced up at Jaq, who shook her head in warning. Then she looked back at Melody. The woman was so close, leaning over her slightly. The warmth of her body washed over Kelly, and the vampire was painfully aware of the strong heart beat so close to her face.

  Melody scrutinized Kelly’s face for a moment, the sadness in her expression hardening into a steely anger. Kelly heard the woman’s teeth grind as she got up and stomped into the bedroom. The sound of drawers and doors opening and shutting filtered into the hallway as the woman worked her way through the bedroom and on to the bathroom.

  “Don’t bite her,” Jaq whispered, her voice somewhere between steely and pleading.

  She knew. Kelly met her gaze and realized that the blond wouldn’t hesitate to come to Melody’s aid if she tried to feed on her. Jaq was all arms and legs, a tall, gangly woman, yet Kelly got the feeling she was stronger and quicker than she appeared. Not that the other woman had anything to fear at the moment.

  “Bite her with what?” Kelly replied bitterly, her words slurred by the swelling in her mouth. “They pulled my fangs.”

  “Haven’t they grown back yet? I mean, your legs and arms have healed, I just assumed. . ..”

  “They won’t grow back. Ever. I’m too young.” Too young to starve to death. Too young to die in this trailer. But why was she bothering telling this woman her pitiful story?

  Jaq’s eyes softened, and she made a brief motion, as if she was holding herself back from physically comforting the vampire.

  “You have nothing? Nothing?” Melody asked from the bathroom, the sound of tears choking her voice.

  She walked back into the main room of the trailer, oblivious to the undercurrents between the other two.

  “You didn’t even have time to pack a bag?” Her voice caught, and she sat down on the sofa, taking Kelly’s hands in her own. “That bastard. That bastard! I saw you’d been punched around a bit when I first came in, but round here that’s nothing new, and lots of women don’t want no one to interfere. All that blood on your shirt though …he must have damn near killed you. I’m so glad you got away, dear. None of that stuff you left behind is worth your life. Me and the girls in the neighborhood, we’ll get you started with some supplies; we’ll help you get a job when you’re ready. Don’t you ever go back to him, honey. No matter what he says, how sorry he is, next time he’s gonna kill you.”

  Kelly glanced over at Jaq. The blond woman nodded, clearly urging her to confirm Melody’s story. So much for the powerful, up–and–coming vampire; she was now a de–fanged, battered spouse. Kelly hated being portrayed as a victim. And why did she keep looking to that Jaq woman for guidance?

  “It was a car accident,” Kelly said with difficulty, realizing too late that it sounded like the lie it was.

  Melody winced. “You hush, sweetie. Just sit here and I’ll be right back. Jaq, you put some of that tuna casserole in the oven for her and get her some coffee. Don’t just stand there — make yourself useful.”

  The door slammed as Melody raced out. Kelly looked up at Jaq, wondering whether the woman planned to attack her. Instead, she slid the casserole dish into the oven, turned it on and came to sit beside the vampire. Kelly couldn’t help scooting away slightly, feeling oddly guilty as her motion triggered a hurt expression on the other woman’s face. Sitting this close to a human …it was weird. And they all smelled weird here, too. The whole place reeked of dogs and ham, yet this woman so close beside her smelled oddly sharp and clean, like a pine forest after an ice storm.

  “Are you strong enough to leave?” Jaq asked. “You need to go home. Get outta here and back to your family.”

  Kelly shook her head. It wasn’t just her physical state; it was the word home that worried her. Where was she? Her family hadn’t killed her, but had they banished her? Did they ever intend on bringing her back, or was she supposed to die out here — wherever here was? The only hope she had was to stay put for as long as she could and hope someone contacted her, hope someone reached out to her with an opportunity for redemption and a chance to rejoin her family.

  The blond woman scooted closer, and Kelly found herself trapped against the stained, upholstered arm of the sofa. “I saw them dump you here. Do you even know where you are?”

  “New Jersey?” Kelly asked hopefully.

  “West Virginia.”

  Cold despair poured through her like freshly melted snow. West Virginia. It was the buffer zone between her family and the Kincaid vampires to the south. She was isolated, abandoned, and she felt an acute sense of danger sitting so close to this tall, freckled woman. Kelly shifted nervously, wanting nothing more than to get away from Jaq, from the cheerful chubby one who would probably return any moment, to get away from the whole state. Scouts and spies that tried to enter Kincaid lands through West Virginia usually didn’t come back, or sometimes pieces of them were found on the border. She’d always assumed the rival family to the south had done it, but there had been rumors that vicious werewolves called this place home. Werewolves didn’t take kindly to vampire trespassers. Now she not only needed to worry about starvation, but that a Kincaid patrol crossing the border would end her life, or that the furry barbarians who lived here would come after her. Kelly eyed the woman beside her. An equal danger was that the humans would band together and kill her, or jail her until she starved to death in a cell.

  “They’ll come back for me,” she said, hating the soft note of desperation in her voice.

  Jaq jerked backward in alarm. “They’ll come back to kill you? How many? Who?”

  The blond woman jumped from the sofa and paced, her long legs taking barely four strides from the kitchen to the hallway. Kelly watched her, perplexed. Jaq seemed angry, and …protective?

  “No,” Kelly corrected. “I’m being punished. They’ll give me a chance to redeem myself, and then I can go home. I just need to stay here and wait for them.”

  She hoped so, anyway. Maybe they just dumped her here to slowly starve to death or be killed. Kelly shook her head, trying to rid her mind of the depressing thoughts. Her offence hadn’t been that bad. If they hadn’t killed her outright, there must be some chance to return. I
t would take forever to work herself back to up where she’d been, but in a few centuries all should be forgiven. The pessimist that always lived inside her told her otherwise, but she shoved it aside and refused to listen. It would all be okay. Just wait, and then do whatever they asked.

  The door flung open, and both women jumped. Melody blew through the trailer, stuffing more food in the fridge, checking on the casserole in the oven and scolding Kelly for not drinking her coffee. Before the vampire could take an obligatory sip, the woman left, threatening to return in a few seconds with more ‘stuff’.

  With a rush of coming and going, Kelly found herself bundled on the sofa in a much softer polyester blanket. There was a small stack of sweat pants, jeans, and t–shirts on her bed, and assorted toiletries in her bathroom. Melody continued to ply her with coffee and tuna casserole, then left to return again with a battered, red milk crate from Butler’s Dairy. Milk, a package of bologna, bread, and processed squares of cheese went into the fridge. An assortment of cans went into the cabinets.

  “We all scrounged up what we could, but we’ll bring you more as we can. Jaq, I know you and Mike have got a bunch of venison and other meat in your freezer. See if y’all can spare some steaks or sausage.”

  Jaq nodded, and Kelly shot her a quick look, realizing that the beef steaks in the fridge had come from this benefactor and not her family after all. She’d hoped the meat had been a sign of forgiveness, but instead it was a human taking pity on the injured vampire. The thought should have depressed her, but all she felt was a wary sense of gratitude. This woman knew she was a vampire and had kept her secret. More than that, she’d brought her food. That was more than anyone had ever done for her. Anyone except for George.

  “I’ll be fine,” she assured them. The food was important, but it wouldn’t do her any good if she didn’t get fresh blood soon. Once again she looked longingly at Melody, only to see Jaq frown and shake her head.

  Melody ignored her protests. “I told the other girls not to be pestering you until you’ve had a while to settle in and get over the shock. We’re all here for you though, sweetie. We’ll watch out for you. You’re safe here. If that bastard tries to come here and get you back, I’m gonna give him the hard end of a baseball bat.”

  Jaq snorted a laugh, slapping her hand over her mouth as Melody glared at her. “Oh, like you wouldn’t do the same! Or blow him to kingdom–come with your shotgun.”

  “I’m fine. Really,” Kelly said. “I won’t be here long, I promise.”

  The last part was more for that Jaq woman, but Melody shook a menacing finger at her. “Oh no. You’re to stay right here. You’re family now. You ain’t going nowhere.”

  With that rather alarming pronouncement, Melody encouraged her to get some rest and left. Jaq peered out the window until the other woman vanished into her trailer then went to work chopping up the steak from the fridge and carefully draining the blood into a glass.

  “Sorry it’s cold. Do you want the steak cooked or raw? And do you want some more of this tuna?”

  “Yes, please. Raw is fine.”

  She was reluctant to tell the other woman that she needed warm, fresh blood, that she needed human blood. Vampires didn’t rely on other species to help them. That’s what family was for. The less this Jaq woman knew about her, the better though, so she smiled and wolfed down the tuna and raw steak, chasing it with the glass of cold, previously frozen, cow’s blood.

  “Thank you, I’m so much better now,” she proclaimed, realizing how wooden and false her voice sounded. “I just need to get some sleep. I’ll be good as new in the morning.”

  The blond woman looked at her with narrowed eyes. Kelly held her breath. Would she leave, or was Jaq going to be some kind of warden, ensuring she didn’t harm any of the neighbors? After a few moments, Jaq nodded and walked to the door. Kelly carefully let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

  “I’m the trailer to the left of you, me and my brother, Mike. Come see me if you need anything,” Jaq told her with a shake of a finger. “Anything. We like blood too, so I’ve got a lot of it in the freezer. All kinds. Just don’t go hurting anyone and I’ll get you anything you need. Okay?”

  Kelly nodded, astonished. Humans liked blood too? When had that happened? Huh.

  The freckled woman left, carefully shutting the door behind her, and Kelly looked around the ramshackle trailer in amazement. This was an unexpected and rather bizarre turn of events. At least she’d have food in her stomach and clothes to wear that wouldn’t result in her being hauled in by the police.

  She glanced at the doorway, remembering Jaq’s warning. Unless she was intending on slashing someone in broad daylight and licking the blood from their wounds, human blood would be out of the question for the moment. She’d have to make do with whatever she could get her hands on for now, and then find a human to kill after dark. Jaq might not want her to eat the neighbors, but she could hardly keep her eye on every human in a five mile radius. Kelly would need to be careful, but someone was going to meet with a bloody accident before dawn, guaranteed.

  6

  Kelly collapsed on the sofa, filled with a sudden sense of inertia. The situation was surreal. To wake up injured and discarded outside of her family’s territory was disorientating enough, but to promptly be invaded by a tuna–casserole–toting human, and another who recognized her as a vampire, completely threw her off stride. The whole place smelled off. Even Melody had a faint odd odor to her. And that Jaq — what the heck was she? She looked human, but Kelly’s nose told her otherwise.

  Maybe when they’d pulled her fangs, they’d damaged her other senses too. Perhaps all the unusual smells were an olfactory hallucination stemming from her injuries. Either way, she had to deal with her most pressing — starvation in her very near future if she couldn’t find out a way to secure human blood without getting caught. Filthy and naked in a blanket wasn’t conducive to planning and strategy. First things first — shower.

  Musing over her options, Kelly practically moaned as the warm water hit her skin. Her hair was a ball of grease, and the water ran a red brown as she carefully scrubbed the blood from her body. It felt so good to see the red water turn pink, then clear, washing the nightmares of the past down the drain. Bathing had always been one of her favorite things. Each time she left the tub feeling as if she had been given a fresh new start to life, like a baptism. Twice, sometimes three times a day she’d submerged herself in the huge marble tub in her manager’s suite, the water so hot it practically scalded her skin. The warmth of it on her skin was so different from when she’d been a child.

  Kelly slid the soapy washcloth down her legs, remembering the dreaded baths from her days as a human. She’d always squirmed and wiggled, trying to escape the rough hands and rougher cloth that smelled like wet garlic and moldy cheese.

  Oww. Don’t.

  Hold still, you little brat. I won’t have a filthy urchin smelling up my kitchen. Clean up or into the gutter with you.

  She’d frozen, terror over Cook’s threat overcoming her dislike of the monthly ritual. Holding her breath and squeezing shut her eyes, she’d prayed Cook would make quick work of it. The odor still crept into her mouth and lungs, the cloth cold and slimy on her skin. The wool dress she wore would itch for days after this makeshift bath, prolonging the torture.

  Kelly shook her head and pushed the memories down, locking them safely away. That was a long time ago, and she wasn’t about to let herself dwell on her short life as a human. Right now the water was warm, and even though it wasn’t as hot as she would have liked, Kelly was grateful.

  All too soon, she shut off the shower and climbed out, regarding herself in the mirror attached to the back of the bathroom door as she dried off. Under the harsh glare of the fluorescent lights, the bruises all over her body took on a greenish–purple glow. They should have vanished days ago, along with the scabs where she’d apparently been dragged across the pavement. Slowly she turned, catalogin
g injuries that she thankfully had no recollection of receiving.

  “Well, you’re no beauty queen, but at least everything is functioning,” Kelly told her reflection.

  Melody had been absolutely thorough in her collections. There was shampoo, conditioner, soap, razors, toothbrush and toothpaste, comb and brush, and soap, as well as washcloths and towels. Beside the sink was a deodorant stick and a small tube of lipstick.

  The clothes Melody had stacked on the sofa were big, but at least they were clean. A wave of dizziness hit Kelly as she rolled up the cuffs and rolled down the waist band. Time to go. It was too much to hope for that she could find someone to feed on now — a drunk in a dark alley who wouldn’t scream too much as she slashed his throat. If not, Kelly hoped to at least find a promising spot to return to after dark.

  She slipped on her bloodstained flats and grimaced. Not exactly good shoes for hunting prey. She’d need to find a belt somewhere, and some sneakers or boots. Digging in her black skirt, Kelly found a twenty–dollar bill she’d stuck in her pocket, what seemed like years ago, back at the casino. She caught her breath. If that was still in her skirt, then maybe. . .. She practically ripped the waistband trying to shove her fingers in the little pocket. With a sigh of relief she touched hard metal, felt the welcome pain as it burned her fingertips.

  It was silly to be fighting for her survival and worried about a ring she couldn’t even wear. She pulled it from the pocket and put it on the table, sucking her burned fingers. Plain silver, covered with frayed clear tape. Silly, but losing the ring would be like losing a part of herself — the only part that hadn’t become a selfish unfeeling monster.

  With a deep breath, Kelly turned her back on the ring and went back to searching her skirt pockets. No identification. Of course if the police ever questioned her, identification would be the least of her problems.