Part 11 (1/2)

”You're not going anywhere, babe,”Tyler said, and a large hand clasped Meredith's wrist. It was hot and

damp where she could feel it below her jacket cuff. ”You're going to stay right here for your surprise.”

His body was hunched now, his head thrust forward, and there was an exultant leer on his lips.

”Let me go,Tyler . You're hurting me!” Panic flashed down all Meredith's nerves at the feel ofTyler 's

flesh against hers. But the hand only gripped harder, grinding tendon against bone in her wrist.

”This is a secret, baby, that n.o.body else knows,”Tyler said, pulling her close, his breath hot in her face.

”You came here all decked out against vampires. But I'm not a vampire.”

Meredith's heart was pounding. ”Let go!”

”First I want you to look over there. You can see the headstone now,” he said, turning her so that she

couldn't help but look. And he was right; shecould see it, like a red monument with a s.h.i.+ning globe on top. Or-not a globe. That marble ball looked like... it looked like...

”Now look east. What do you see there, Meredith?”Tyler went on, his voice hoa.r.s.e with excitement.

It was the full moon. It had risen while he'd been talking to her, and now it hung above the hills, perfectly round and enormously distended, a huge and swollen red ball.

And that was what the headstone looked like. Like a full moon dripping with blood.

”You came here protected against vampires, Meredith,”Tyler said from behind her, even more hoa.r.s.ely.

”But the Smallwoods aren't vampires at all. We're something else.”

And then he growled.

No human throat could have made the sound. It wasn't an imitation of an animal; it wasreal. Avicious guttural snarl that went up and up, snapping Meredith's head around to look at him, to stare in disbelief. What she was seeing was so horrible her mind couldn't accept it...

Meredith screamed.

”I told you it was a surprise. How do you like it?”Tyler said. His voice was thick with saliva, and his red tongue lolled among the rows of long canine teeth. His face wasn't a face anymore. It jutted out grotesquely into a muzzle, and his eyes were yellow, with slitlike pupils. His reddish-sandy hair had grown over his cheeks and down the back of his neck. A pelt. ”You can scream all you want up here and n.o.body's going to hear you,” he added.

Every muscle in Meredith's body was rigid, trying to get away from him. It was a visceral reaction, one she couldn't have helped if she wanted to. His breath was so hot, and it smelled feral, like an animal. The nails he was digging into her wrist were stumpy blackened claws. She didn't have the strength to scream again.

” There's other thingsbesides vampires with a taste for blood,”Tyler said in his new slurping voice. ”And I want to taste yours. But first we're going to have some fun.”

Although he still stood on two feet, his body was humped and strangely distorted. Meredith's struggles were feeble as he forced her to the ground. She was a strong girl, but he was far stronger, his muscles bunching under his s.h.i.+rt as he pinned her.

”You've always been too good for me, haven't you? Well, now you're going to find out what you've been missing.”

I can't breathe, Meredith thought wildly. His arm was across her throat, blocking her air. Gray waves rolled through her brain. If she pa.s.sed out now...

”You're going to wish you died as fast as Sue.”Tyler 's face floated above her, red as the moon, with that long tongue lolling. His other hand held her arms above her head. ”You ever hear the story of Little Red Riding Hood?”

The gray was turning into blackness, speckled with little lights. Like stars, Meredith thought. I'm falling in the stars...

”Tyler , take your hands off her! Let go of her, now!” Matt's voice shouted.

Tyler 's slavering snarl broke off into a surprised whine. The arm against Meredith's throat released pressure, and air rushed into her lungs.

Footsteps were pounding around her. ”I've been waiting a long time to do this,Tyler ,” Matt said, jerking the sandy-red head back by the hair. Then Matt's fist smashed intoTyler 's newly grown muzzle. Blood spurted from the wet animal nose.

The soundTyler made froze Meredith's heart in her chest. He sprang at Matt, twisting in midair, claws outstretched. Matt fell back under the a.s.sault and Meredith, dizzy, tried to push herself up off the ground. She couldn't; all her muscles were trembling uncontrollably. But someone else pickedTyler off Matt as ifTyler weighed no more than a doll.

”Just like old times,Tyler ,” Stefan said, settingTyler on his feet and facing him.

Tyler stared a minute, then tried to run.

He was fast, dodging with animal agility between the rows of graves. But Stefan was faster and cut him off.

”Meredith, are you hurt? Meredith?” Bonnie was kneeling beside her. Meredith nodded-she still couldn't speak-and let Bonnie support her head. ”I knew we should have stopped him sooner, I knew it,” Bonnie went on worriedly.

Stefan was draggingTyler back. ”I always knew you were a jerk,” he said, shovingTyler against a headstone, ”but I didn't know you were this stupid. I'd have thought you would have learned not to jump girls in graveyards, but no. And you had to brag about what you did to Sue, too. That wasn't smart,Tyler .”

Meredith looked at them as they faced each other. So different, she thought. Even though they were both creatures of darkness in some way. Stefan was pale, his green eyes blazing with anger and menace, but there was a dignity, almost a purity about him. He was like some stern angel carved in unyielding marble.Tyler just looked like a trapped animal. He was crouched, breathing hard, blood and saliva mingling on his chest. Those yellow eyes glittered with hate and fear, and his fingers worked as if he'd like to claw something. A low sound came out of his throat.

”Don't worry, I'm not going to beat you up this time,” Stefan said. ”Not unless you try to get away. We're all going up to the church to have a little chat. You like to tell stories,Tyler ; well, you're going to tell me one now.”

Tyler sprang at him, vaulting straight from the ground for Stefan's throat. But Stefan was ready for him. Meredith suspected that both Stefan and Matt enjoyed the next few minutes, working off their acc.u.mulated aggressions, but she didn't, so she looked away.

In the end,Tyler was trussed up with nylon cord. He could walk, or shuffle at least, and Stefan held the back of his s.h.i.+rt and guided him urgently up the path to the church.

Inside, Stefan pushedTyler onto the ground near the open tomb. ”Now,” he said, ”we are going to talk. And you're going to cooperate,Tyler , or you're going to be very, very sorry.”

Ten.

Meredith sat down on the knee-high wall of the ruined church. ”You said it was going to be dangerous, Stefan, but you didn't say you were going to let him strangle me.”

”I'm sorry. I was hoping he'd give some more information, especially after he admitted to being there when Sue died. But I shouldn't have waited.”

”I haven't admitted anything! You can't prove anything,”Tyler said. The animal whine was back in his voice, but on the walk up his face and body had returned to normal. Or rather, they'd returned to human, Meredith thought. The swelling and bruises and dried blood weren't normal.

”This isn't a court of law,Tyler ,” she said. ”Your father can't help you now.”

”But if it were, we'd have a pretty good case,” Stefan added. ”Enough to put you away on conspiracy to commit murder, I think.”