Vaughn glared at the mark on my neck. “I wanted to kill him for what he did to Skyler, but I really want to watch him bleed for what he did to you.”
Granny put her hands on my shoulders. “Sit here, in the light, so we can get a better look.” She guided me to a barstool in front of the kitchen counter.
Evelyn and Edna put down their drinks and joined us. Granny put on her glasses and examined the small wound.
“I’ve never heard of a golden vampire bite. I’ll research it,” Edna said. “I like the weird stuff.”
I shivered. Golden vampire bite? I wasn’t ready to ask more questions about that yet.
“You are the weird stuff,” Evelyn replied. “And I love it.”
Edna became absorbed in Granny’s bookshelves while I made myself a glass of iced tea. I was so thirsty.
“Is Sky a vampire?” I asked.
Edna shook her head.
“Why not?”
“Think of vampirism as a transformation,” Edna explained. “There are steps to it. Sometimes, vampires only compel their victims and drink their blood until the victim either gets away or dies. Usually the latter. Those victims will never become a vampire.”
“Then what’s the first step?” Vaughn asked.
“The first step is when the vampire creates a psychic bond as he drinks his victim’s blood,” Edna continued.
“The more he drinks, the stronger the connection,” Granny added. “And the harder that connection is to break.”
“So what’s the big deal about my bite, then?” I asked. “He only did it once, and it happened so fast, there was definitely not a connection, psychic or otherwise.”
“There’s good news,” Evelyn chimed in. “You have not yet received the kiss that kills.”
I stared at Granny, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes. Evelyn said I wasn’t a vampire yet.
The kiss that kills?
“Although vampirism is transmitted through the blood, it requires the maker to completely drain the victim dry to the point of death,” Edna said. “And then the vampire feeds the baby vamp their vampire blood. It becomes irreversible when the baby vamp finds and kills a human by drinking their blood.”
“Gross,” I said. “That’s never going to happen.”
“Witches are special cases,” Granny said. “That’s why vampires go out of their way to avoid biting a witch. The smart ones, anyway.”
“Then what exactly is going to happen to Tansy?” Vaughn growled.
Evelyn turned to Edna. “You know what a vampire bite does to a witch.”
“Striga vie,” Edna crowed triumphantly. “There hasn’t been one in hundreds of years.”
“What does that mean?” Vaughn asked. He stood a few feet away, watching us with storm-gray eyes.
“Vampire witch,” Granny translated, and I flinched. “A hybrid. It can only happen when a vampire bites a witch, which rarely happens, resulting in someone who has the strength of a vampire and the magic of a witch. When those two powers are combined…”
She didn’t finish her sentence. I wasn’t ready to think about what that meant.
“Do you know how she got mixed up with this Travis fellow?” Granny asked.
“Before tonight, she hadn’t even mentioned him,” I admitted.
I would have to be a sucker not to consider that we were dealing with some serious supernatural stuff, but I was relieved to hear Granny say it, like saying the word would lessen its power somehow.
“What else can you tell us about vampires?” Vaughn asked. His expression was deadpan, but his knee jiggled nervously.
“Vampirism is transmitted through bodily fluids,” Granny said.
“Like an STD,” Edna supplied oh so helpfully.
Evelyn paced. “It might still be possible to save Skyler.”
“We’ll save her,” I said. “Tell me how.”
“Tansy, have something to eat,” Granny said. She nudged a bowl of dip in front of me and then handed me the tray of crackers.
I scooped up a big bite of the delicious-smelling dip and shoved it in my mouth. I realized I hadn’t had dinner and shoveled in another helping but stopped mid-chew. “Why are you all looking at me like that?”
“Like what?” Evelyn said, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“Like you know something I don’t?”
“There’s a ton of garlic in the dip,” Granny replied calmly. “Evelyn was worried that you would spontaneously combust once it hit your bloodstream.”
“And you let her eat it?” Vaughn asked. He reached over and snatched the cracker out of my hand. He glared at the older women, but they ignored him.
I took the cracker back and swallowed it, practically without chewing, before I said, “Stop worrying, Vaughn. I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine,” Granny corrected. “But you were able to resist a vampire. He was probably one of the younger ones.”
“He almost did get me,” I admitted. I told them about how the closer I got to the music, the more I was drawn to it. I shook my head, suddenly not hungry any longer. “What can we do about Skyler?”
“You and Vaughn should get some sleep,” Granny said.
I hesitated. “Will she be okay?”
“I’ve given her something to counteract the effects,” Granny said.
She hadn’t answered my question. My stomach clenched, roiling from tension and fear. I couldn’t lose my best friend. “We have to fix this, Granny.”
“We’ll do our best,” she said as she folded me into her arms. This was as close to a promise as I’d get from her, but it was enough.
Suddenly, I was exhausted.
Granny took one of the vintage charms off her bracelet and handed it to Vaughn. “Keep this on you at all times.”
I tried to see which charm she’d given him, but he put it in his pocket before I had the chance. “Thank you,” he replied. “I will.”
Granny said, “Tansy, help Vaughn get settled in the library.” Vaughn was tall and muscular. One night on the library’s small daybed might kill him, but walking home after midnight definitely could.
I narrowed my eyes at her. She just smiled.
I showed Vaughn where we kept the extra toothbrushes and helped him put clean sheets on the bed.