Aria.”
The driver nodded, started the meter running, and exited the parking lot out into heavy Las Vegas Boulevard traffic.
I couldn’t shake the cold, insidious feeling taking root inside me. The monster in Prague had somehow infiltrated my mind, assumed control of my body, and he wanted… blood . What kind of creature craved human blood?
My mind flashed back to what Psychic Joy had warned me about over the phone. She’d said evil was coming for me. Well, she couldn’t have been more mistaken.
Evil wasn’t coming for me. It was already here!
CHAPTER 15
I reached Hollywood as the sun was slipping behind Pacific Palisades. The fall sky held a magical quality to it that only this time of year afforded; a vibrant canvas of burnt reds and oranges that bathed the City of Angels in rich, dramatic light that reflected off the many terracotta-tiled roofs and mirrored skyscrapers dotting Wilshire Boulevard all the way from downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Ocean.
The idyllic setting was of little comfort in light of the shocking events of the previous night. The worst, I knew, was still to come—and it was waiting for me at home.
Cars lined our narrow, hillside street for blocks, with valets hustling to park and retrieve upscale automobiles. At first, I assumed Chaz Hartford, the hunky soap star who lived a few houses down from us, must be having another one of his mega bashes. The Range Rover and shiny Bentley Continental GT parked in our driveway painted a very different picture.
Mark hadn’t mentioned anything to me about a party.
An hour later, my freshly showered, uninvited self entered the main house through the front door, where I was greeted by the jauntyrhythms of South American music and animated party chatter. If the sea of tailored suits and pretty cocktail dresses were any indication, the black jeans and graphite sweater I’d thrown on were sorely out of place.
Ironic that I could feel chaffed at being excluded from my best friends’ party and also gave a rat’s ass about fashion rectitude when some Big Bad was out to get me.
With my priorities in place once more, I made my way from the foyer into the bustling living room. There was no time to waste. I had to find Mark and Christie.
I was surprised to spy a famous pop/rock star amidst the partygoers, her signature platinum hair and tattoos as sexy as her gravelly voice and fuck you attitude. She gave me a chill nod and little half-smile from within the safety of her entourage, and then turned back to her conversation with none other than Chaz Hartford.
Under different circumstances, I would’ve headed over to introduce myself. That was when I spotted Mark through a rift in the crowd.
Halfway over to him, I froze in mid-step. Sitting on the living room sofa was our new neighbor chatting with a striking brunette. He stopped to fix me with an unreadable stare.
“Hey, look who decided to show.”
I turned to find Mark standing in front of me and dressed in the charcoal Prada suit he’d picked up on our trip to Rome. Too bad it was ruined by the deep scowl he was also wearing.
“Look, if you’re pissed at me for going to see Suzie, I get it,” I told him. “But right now it’s really important that I talk to you and Christie.”
This is it. No more hiding. I’m going to tell them everything!
“My ex?” I didn’t care for the urgency with which he grabbed hold of my arm, hustled me away from the main flow of guests, and into an alcove off the dining room. He’d also positioned me in a near-perfect sightline of the neighbor.
The man was studying us from the living room.
When Mark turned to see what had caught my attention his shoulders visibly tightened. “Fuck Suzie. The dude over there told me everything about your little visit to his house.”
Maybe Mark was right to be angry with me over that, but there was some serious supernatural bad on the way and I didn’t have time to defend my reasons for trespassing.
A passing
The driver nodded, started the meter running, and exited the parking lot out into heavy Las Vegas Boulevard traffic.
I couldn’t shake the cold, insidious feeling taking root inside me. The monster in Prague had somehow infiltrated my mind, assumed control of my body, and he wanted… blood . What kind of creature craved human blood?
My mind flashed back to what Psychic Joy had warned me about over the phone. She’d said evil was coming for me. Well, she couldn’t have been more mistaken.
Evil wasn’t coming for me. It was already here!
CHAPTER 15
I reached Hollywood as the sun was slipping behind Pacific Palisades. The fall sky held a magical quality to it that only this time of year afforded; a vibrant canvas of burnt reds and oranges that bathed the City of Angels in rich, dramatic light that reflected off the many terracotta-tiled roofs and mirrored skyscrapers dotting Wilshire Boulevard all the way from downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Ocean.
The idyllic setting was of little comfort in light of the shocking events of the previous night. The worst, I knew, was still to come—and it was waiting for me at home.
Cars lined our narrow, hillside street for blocks, with valets hustling to park and retrieve upscale automobiles. At first, I assumed Chaz Hartford, the hunky soap star who lived a few houses down from us, must be having another one of his mega bashes. The Range Rover and shiny Bentley Continental GT parked in our driveway painted a very different picture.
Mark hadn’t mentioned anything to me about a party.
An hour later, my freshly showered, uninvited self entered the main house through the front door, where I was greeted by the jauntyrhythms of South American music and animated party chatter. If the sea of tailored suits and pretty cocktail dresses were any indication, the black jeans and graphite sweater I’d thrown on were sorely out of place.
Ironic that I could feel chaffed at being excluded from my best friends’ party and also gave a rat’s ass about fashion rectitude when some Big Bad was out to get me.
With my priorities in place once more, I made my way from the foyer into the bustling living room. There was no time to waste. I had to find Mark and Christie.
I was surprised to spy a famous pop/rock star amidst the partygoers, her signature platinum hair and tattoos as sexy as her gravelly voice and fuck you attitude. She gave me a chill nod and little half-smile from within the safety of her entourage, and then turned back to her conversation with none other than Chaz Hartford.
Under different circumstances, I would’ve headed over to introduce myself. That was when I spotted Mark through a rift in the crowd.
Halfway over to him, I froze in mid-step. Sitting on the living room sofa was our new neighbor chatting with a striking brunette. He stopped to fix me with an unreadable stare.
“Hey, look who decided to show.”
I turned to find Mark standing in front of me and dressed in the charcoal Prada suit he’d picked up on our trip to Rome. Too bad it was ruined by the deep scowl he was also wearing.
“Look, if you’re pissed at me for going to see Suzie, I get it,” I told him. “But right now it’s really important that I talk to you and Christie.”
This is it. No more hiding. I’m going to tell them everything!
“My ex?” I didn’t care for the urgency with which he grabbed hold of my arm, hustled me away from the main flow of guests, and into an alcove off the dining room. He’d also positioned me in a near-perfect sightline of the neighbor.
The man was studying us from the living room.
When Mark turned to see what had caught my attention his shoulders visibly tightened. “Fuck Suzie. The dude over there told me everything about your little visit to his house.”
Maybe Mark was right to be angry with me over that, but there was some serious supernatural bad on the way and I didn’t have time to defend my reasons for trespassing.
A passing
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