Lycan Blood (Alex Vane: Demon Stalker #1)

Preparation

Time was even shorter now. It had been well over a week since the football game and it was only two weeks until the next full moon. I was back at school but I was laying low-well, as best I could with Anna and Luke making my life a living hell at every chance they got. Not that I could really hide from Scott now but I was hoping to trick him into thinking I was too scared to act. Maths was the worst lesson. We were so aware of each other that doing any work was impossible. I kept expecting him to jab a pencil in my throat or something, no matter how unlikely that possibility was.

The real issue was that in comparison to him, I was far too vulnerable. My body was stronger than the average human’s but I could die in just as many ways. I knew of only one way to kill Scott for certain and it was going to be difficult to get close enough to cut out his heart now he was on to me. It wasn’t just an issue of getting close to him either. I had to get close enough to him whilst simultaneously avoiding giving him the chance to kill me. I had to make sure I was the first to strike.

Fortunately, fate seemed to be on my side.

“I’m only going to ask you one more time,” Jacey pleaded, plonking down her lunch tray next to mine. Jenna followed her timidly, giving me a small smile. To be honest, I think she was still terrified of me. She seemed to stick to Jacey like they were surgically attached, and while I guess it could have been coincidence it did seem like she was trying to avoid being alone with me. I couldn’t really blame her. I hadn’t come across as the most stable person in the short time she’d known me for, “Pleeeease come to the party tonight?”

“I already told you, no!” I’d been getting this all week, ever since Jacey found out about the stupid party last Monday. Gabby Rhodes was hosting it, one of Anna’s faceless minions. Apparently it was the event of the semester, the place everyone was going to be. Everyone but me evidently.

“But you have to! You can’t be the only person in the year not going. Besides, Jenna and I could use the support. You can’t make a dramatic entrance with just two people. It doesn’t work!” Before I could stop her, she had launched into another one of her long rants. Jenna gave me a sympathetic smile which I returned gratefully. I don’t think she was all that keen on the idea of a party either, but she’d had a lot less experience than I had when it came to arguing with Jacey. I’d been rejecting party invites against her wishes for years. Not that I was ever really invited anyway. I’m sure that if Gabby Rhodes could have said ‘Everyone in the year can come except Alex Vane’ without seeming like a total bitch, she would have.

“And we all know your entrance is the most important thing.” I teased, ignoring her pout. It was a kneejerk reaction, to reject the invite. I didn’t go to parties. Everyone knew that. Besides, I really needed to spend tonight demon hunting, having already missed a Friday this month. The one benefit of having a werewolf in town was that most of the other demons were too scared to hunt. It had been a delightfully quiet time for me lately. That didn’t mean I was willing to let my guard down though.

“You’re such a spoilsport! Just come already. You might actually surprise us all and end up enjoying yourself-and Scott will be there.” She sang his name in the same teasing tone she’d been using ever since the football match, the same tone which made my skin crawl. This time though it got my attention for a different reason.

“He will?” I knew what the reaction from Jacey would be but I had to ask all the same. As I predicted, her eyes lit up with delight.

“Yes, definitely! I heard him talking to Luke about it.” Oh, so him and Luke are best buddies now are they? Ignoring how ridiculously happy Jacey looked at what she assumed was my admittance of love, I instead began thinking of a plan. As far as opportunities for getting Scott on his own, a party would give me a pretty good chance. It would be crowded enough to lessen the risk of getting attacked myself, and it would make blending in much easier too. Hopefully the combination of alcohol and loud music would stop anyone noticing if Scott should go ‘missing’. It was risky yes, but any plan I could come up with would be risky. And really, how likely was it that he could slaughter me at a party full of teenagers?