The Coffin Club (Vampire Kisses 5)

I didn`t move. There`s been TV coverage, Jagger said. It`s been all over the news. This is good.

I thought you wanted the club to be a secret, the taller member of his crew said.

From mortals, stupid. Not us. That`s why we`re out here making sure these stay intact, Jagger said, surveying the smashed wheat. Vampires have been using crop circles for centuries to signal other vampires about areas where there`s an Underworld presence. But mortals can`t fathom our genius, so instead they think these are being made by extraterrestrials. It`s really best for both worlds.

But we are attracting others that can make trouble for us, the shaved-headed one confessed, following behind.

No one can make trouble while I`m in charge, Jagger argued.

There are others who don`t want to follow your plan, said his burly cohort. Not everyone wants you to be in charge, Jagger.

Shocked, Jagger spun back and confronted his bald supporter. Excuse me?

It`s true, the taller one said, defending his friend. We`ve heard rumors. There are others who think the club should remain as just a club. Nothing more. We just wanted you to know.

Anyone who dares to undermine me will have to deal with not only me but a gang of bloodthirsty vampires.

Just then I saw a purple head rise behind Jagger and his cohorts. They were startled as much as I was.

I didn`t hear your bike, Jagger said, bewildered.

What are you guys doing out here? Phoenix asked.

I should be asking you that. We are expanding our club--my club. And maybe it`s time we revoke your membership.

You can`t. Can you? Phoenix challenged. I have eternal membership. I thought that`s what you wanted when you started the Dungeon.

I did, but on my terms. Now out of our way; we have work to do.

Phoenix stepped before him. We don`t need more members, Phoenix argued. It`s time you and your crew stop making these circles. There are plenty of our kind already in town. If we continue increasing our size, we increase our chances--

Of infiltrating the town? Jagger asked with a sinister smile.

Of being run out of town, Phoenix said firmly.

You don`t care about the club`s direction. All you care about is seizing control of it. And then who knows what you`ll do with it?

It`s time for a new leader when the old one has undermined his followers. You`re inviting vampires to this town for the sole purpose of taking it over.

It`s time to be part of the town. I`m tired of hiding. Now that I have a strong membership, we`ll be able to roam freely amongst the mortals. We have a right to be known, and that decision is not yours to make.

Nor is it yours, Phoenix said, his arms crossed. You created a great club--a place for vampires to hang out in secret and be ourselves, without a threat to them or us. Where both worlds could live peacefully. But you let your ego get in the way. And now you are planning on destroying the very thing you created.

I`m planning on expanding it.

Not while I`m around. Don`t you realize that you are outnumbered? And that when we get more members, you won`t stand a chance?

Jagger`s gang surrounded him.

No one appointed you, Phoenix challenged. I will take you down.

Then why don`t you do it here? Now?

Jagger`s thugs closed their circle.

It`s too easy, Phoenix said defiantly. I want to do it where everyone can see you fail.

There was something so fiery and powerful about Phoenix. Though he stood alone before Jagger and the other two muscle-bound vampires, he was still not threatened.

They closed in tighter.

Don`t even think about it, Phoenix said, undeterred. Or we`ll end this whole matter right here.

Jagger was quiet for a moment--then called off his gang. This won`t be the last of me. You can talk big here, in the middle of a field, but I have the club behind me.

With that, Jagger and his thugs disappeared into the darkness.

Phoenix remained in place. I could barely breathe. If he didn`t even flinch in the company of three frightening vampires, what was a mere mortal like me to do?

He walked up to the stalks--only a few feet away from where I was hiding.

I didn`t move a muscle or exhale.

I closed my eyes. At any moment he was going to find me. I finally opened my eyes. Phoenix was nowhere in sight. He had vanished.

I waited for a moment, making sure the coast was clear. I raced back through the field, over the fence, and up the lonely dirt road. I waved my arms and shouted frantically as a number seven retreated up the adjacent road. A passenger saw me and signaled the driver.

As the bus pulled away and I slumped down in an empty seat in the back, I heard the sound of a motorcycle passing and racing off down the road.

Chapter 12 A Date with a Vampire

I hopped off the number seven at Aunt Libby`s stop, wiped my soiled boots, and removed the untwined pieces of wheat tangled in my hair and clothes. I played over the crop circle encounter in my mind. I couldn`t believe I`d been so wrong about Phoenix--I had only imagined the purple-haired biker who seemed far more mysterious and brooding to be even more dangerous than Alexander`s nemesis. Underneath all his bravado, he wanted the club to remain secret, and when he had found out there were other plans for it, he began a plan of his own. I had misjudged Phoenix, like students at Dullsville High had always misjudged me.

It seemed like an eternity before I spotted the black Mercedes driving down the tree-lined street. Alexander opened the car door for me and I ran to his side. After a quick smooch and a honk from a minivan waiting behind us, I climbed into the car and we drove off.

Where are you taking me? I asked as we headed through downtown and up a long and winding hill.

We haven`t been able to spend time exploring town, so I thought I`d take you to a place where we could, said Alexander. Alexander continued to motor up the winding road, which was so steep at times that it seemed as if we were driving at a right angle. At the top of the hill sat a bell tower that pointed to the heavens. He turned into the cracked black-topped lot, avoiding several potholes, and parked.

This is the bell tower I saw when Aunt Libby and I were waiting for you at the art festival!

The white-painted bell tower was a historic landmark dating back to the 1800s. It was simple in its design with an observation deck and working clock. The paint was chipping and the roof was in disrepair. An oversized sign, placed by an old well a few yards away, apologized to visitors for the inconvenience of the ongoing renovation.

Alexander and I crept on the cracked sidewalk, stepping over plastic sheets and discarded nails. A stick, wedged in the front door, kept it slightly ajar.

Back in Alexander`s company, the Underworld, Dullsville, and the Dungeon were distant memories.

Once inside, we climbed three flights of stairs that led to the bell tower door. I held on to Alexander`s hand and followed him through the door and up a seemingly never-ending spiral staircase. When we finally ascended to the top, we were so high above the town, I thought I could reach out and touch the stars.