Birth of the Vampire (The Vanderlind Realm) (8 page)

Chapter 10

Sheila

I had been crushing on Tommy Sherman since the sixth grade. Okay, maybe not exactly crushing on him, but he’d been on my list of Tiburon guys I could potentially date.

And he’d gotten so much cuter in the last couple of months. I think maybe his mother had started taking him to a dermatologist or something because his skin was way better than it used to be. Plus, he was pretty popular and had gotten a lot taller in the last couple of years. Anyway, I was just thinking that maybe it was time I started liking him for real. Winter Formal was coming up, and Valentine's Day was in a few months. It was just a good time of year to have a boyfriend.
 Plus, there was probably no way Brandon and I were getting back together.

So, just as I was planning on letting Tommy know that I liked him, I heard this nasty rumor that the stupid new girl, Haley Something-or-other, was sniffing around for a boyfriend. I mean, seriously. She was like Ashley Hale’s trashy cousin or something, and she had like zero friends. And she wasn’t even that pretty. I mean, Tommy could do way better. Obviously.

I couldn’t even figure out what he liked about her. She was apparently some kind of foster kid or something living with Ashley's dad. It sounded totally pervy and bizarre. But I heard a few of the guys talking about how Tommy and her were getting pretty dirty in the backseat of his mom’s car whenever they had the chance. She was obviously one of those girls who put out to try to get a boyfriend. But I wasn’t going to tolerate that crap. No new piece of trash was slutting her way into town and taking the guy I fully intended on dating.

The good news was that Blossom Coster, who happened to be my best friend, was having a Christmas Eve party. And there was no way a loser like Haley would ever show her face to something like that. I mean, the entire football team was invited. She would just look pathetic trying to hang out with the cool kids. So I was just going to let Tommy know at the party that I was willing to date him and that he should ask me to Winter Formal. And if the pathetic little piece of foster trash came sniffing around again, I would just let her know that she needed to back off of my boyfriend. There weren’t that many hot guys in Tiburon, and I wasn’t about to let some stranger come into town and snag one. Not on my watch.

Chapter 11

Dorian

Jessie and I both made sure our thirst was fully sated before heading out for the mortal party. Young blood was always so tempting, and I didn’t want to grow peckish while standing in the midst of a bunch of teenagers. I was pretty sure exsanguinating a fellow party guest would be considered horrible manners.

“How do you do it?” I asked my cousin as we stepped out onto the patio that opened onto the Tiburon River in preparation for our flight. When he gave me a questioning look, I added, “How can you stand being around your mortal all the time? I know you have a healthy appetite. And with her young fresh blood being literally at your fingertips … How do you stop yourself?”

“Because,” Jessie said, scowling at me and then launching into the air, “I would rather starve to death than harm one hair on her head.”

Rolling my eyes, I followed after him, rising into the night. My cousin had always been overly romantic, in my opinion. That only ever led to trouble.

We rose high above the roofs and treetops before making our way across town. People rarely looked any higher than the streetlamps when out at night, unless it was to stare like a werewolf at the full moon. But it was always best to be cautious.

I followed Jessie as he alighted near some trees. We began walking down a street lined with houses. His mortal had apparently arrived earlier in the day to help the hostess prepare for the event. Because the party was in the backyard, there was no bother over receiving a direct invitation to enter a mortal’s home. It was just the matter of opening a gate around the side of the house and walking in. It was that simple. I had to assume the mortal children had no real concept of all the dangerous creatures that could be lurking in the night, or they wouldn’t have left themselves so open to attack.

“Holy crap!” I heard a young woman gasp as the guests in general became aware of our presence. “Is there a male model convention in town or something? Who the hell are they?”

“That’s my boyfriend and his cousin,” a delightful-looking creature with a mane of dark curly hair replied. There was a hint of triumph in her voice.

The party, which had been lively enough as we’d approached, with music and young people chattering, quieted down in an instant. Everyone just stared in our direction. I saw a few mouths hanging open. It was almost embarrassing—if I ever bothered to feel embarrassed. I really hadn’t expected such scrutiny.

The beauty with the dark curly hair hurried over, her eyes glued to Jessie’s. I could practically see the love brimming in her heart, and I found it almost touching that so much emotion was directed at my cousin. I’d forgotten how intense mortals could feel. And usually with very little encouragement.

They exchanged some whispered lover’s words, my cousin bestowing her with a brief yet tender kiss. It all felt a bit intimate for a backyard soiree. Not because they were ripping at each other’s clothes, but because their passion for each other was so plainly written on their faces.

Jessie turned to include me in the conversation. “Miss Aurora Keys, I’d like to introduce you to my cousin, Mr. Dorian Vanderlind. Dorian, this is Aurora.”

“I’ve heard so much about you, Aurora,” I said, taking her hand and bending to kiss it. I could feel the vitality pumping through her veins. I could tell that I frightened her a little. She wanted to yank her hand away, but I held it firmly in place, my lips hovering above her maiden flesh. “I’m sure everything I’ve heard is true.”

“Easy there, cousin,” Jessie said, putting one hand on my shoulder and using the other to gently release my grip. “We’re not at court, you know.” Turning to his lady love, Jessie added, “Dorian has always been a fan of intrigue.”

I could barely suppress a smirk. “Especially if it’s of my own creation.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” the girl said, although I could tell that wasn’t really how she felt. She was desperately in love with my cousin—that much was obvious—but she didn’t seem to know what to make of me.

“I’m so glad I was included in your invitation,” I told her. “I have to admit, I find your situation quite fascinating.”

The girl colored a little, a pale pink blooming across the skin of her cheeks. “You mean someone like Jessie being with someone like me?” she said, unwilling to utter the word vampire with so many children standing nearby.

“Well, yes. There’s that,” I had to admit. “But really what perplexes me is the institution of love in general.”

“Institution?” Jessie asked, cocking an eyebrow in my direction. My cousin had heard my opinion on love many times before.

“I’m being serious,” I insisted. Turning my attentions back to the girl, I said. “You love my cousin, then? You’re willing to admit to it openly and freely?”

Her cheeks turned a deep scarlet, and I was grateful I had no appetite. “Yes,” she said in a quiet yet firm voice. “I love him.”

I couldn’t help but give her an incredulous look. “Jessie said the same thing about you not half an hour ago.” I shook my head and shrugged. “I just can’t understand it. The whole notion is so provincial.”

The mortal drew breath, and I could tell she intended to contradict me, but then a few more mortal girls fluttered over, and we had to turn the conversation to less-intriguing topics.

Chapter 12

Haley

As we walked into the party, I felt a little sick. This wasn’t how I’d imagined the evening. Tommy didn’t have his arm around me. His friends wouldn’t call out greetings and then do a double take before accepting me as one of their own. Instead, I was an interloper.

The party was on the back patio of a house. We didn’t even go inside; we just entered through a side gate. It was pretty damn cold to have a Christmas Eve party outside, but there were heat lamps set up and twinkle lights strung across the yard. A bunch of kids had already arrived, and there was music coming from somewhere. Everyone was chatting and looking relaxed. No one appeared to have their guts clenched up inside them like they were going to vomit up the few carrot sticks that they’d munched on while a new friend did their makeup.

I had to wonder if I had some kind of social anxiety disorder or if I really was just a total loser. Because even though I’d entered the party with a group of giggling girls, I still felt uncomfortable. I knew I didn’t fit in. Erika had done her best to camouflage me as a member of the in crowd, but I felt like every guest could see right through me for the unwanted loser that I was.

It didn’t help that some random girl immediately stormed up to me and demanded, “What the hell are you doing here?”

I had no idea what she was talking about. My heart was in my throat, but I managed to shrug and said, “It’s a party.”

“Yeah, but it’s an exclusive party,” she told me.

“Relax, Sheila,” Erika said, walking over to stand by my side. “She came with us.” I really was starting to absolutely love Erika.

Ashley whipped her head around, a horrified expression on her face. I guess she hadn’t realized that there was going to be an announcement that we’d all arrived together. “Well, like, she has a car and no one else had a ride, so …” She gave a cutesy little shrug like that explained everything. She obviously didn’t want to be seen with me, but a ride was a ride, after all.

Erika rolled her eyes and shook her head, flashing a disgusted look in Ashley's direction. “She came with me,” she said to the confrontational girl, who was apparently the notorious Sheila. “We’ve been hanging out all afternoon.”