Blood and Snow Volumes 1-4: Blood and Snow, Revenant in Training, The Vampire Christopher, Blood Soaked Promises (13 page)

“What’s going on?” I asked, watching him through the mirror’s reflection. He rose, and my breath hitched. His blond hair had been combed off his forehead, making his hazel eyes vibrant against his tanned skin. Excitement fluttered through my veins. More than his incredible looks were the fireworks bombarding my
heart.
We belonged together, it whispered with each beat.

“Why can I see your face?” I asked as I turned away from the mirror. His features blurred behind a thick darkness, so I could only see his red eyes. I returned my gaze to the mirror, checking him out in the reflection.

He smiled.

“The mirror reveals the truth, Snow.” He came toward me, stalking me. I wondered if there’d ever been more willing prey.

I wanted to taste him, try his blood. Professor
Pops
words came into my mind.

“Never drink from the same human twice. Never more than ten seconds.”

Christopher took my hands, and led me to the bed. I didn’t like that his face was hidden from me, but my longing for him rocked strong enough so that I dismissed it. He lay me down, and then he lay down next to me so that we were eye to eye.

“You want me, don’t you?” It was a question, but he knew the answer. I heard it in his voice.

“Yes.”

He tilted his neck in my direction, and my fangs grew instantly. I pressed my lips to his delicious, warm throat. His skin parted as I sought his blood. When the first drops touched my teeth, I panted, and sucked harder. I had nothing to compare to the pleasure I experienced as his blood filled my mouth, ran down my throat, and filled me in ways I never believed existed. To my mind there wasn’t anything better than that moment.

After a time, Christopher spoke my name. “Snow.” I felt drunk with his enchanting blood as I lifted my lips from his neck. He smiled, his hazel eyes iridescent with hunger. “Can you see my face?”

I focused, and realized why I thought he’d looked familiar. “Charming?”

He smirked, and pulled me on top of him. “My turn,” he said. I tilted my neck back, giving him full access, and let out a moan as he drank.

Uneasiness formed in my belly, knowing the Hunter was none other than the new guy, Chace Charming—Salem High
Hottie
. I remembered what Professor Pops said about Christopher being a master manipulator, about his magic being able to change things, including the way he looked.

Chace slash Christopher must’ve sensed by apprehension. He rolled us, placing me under him, his lips never leaving my neck.

I sighed, giving in to the immeasurable pleasure of the moment. 

“Christopher,” I whispered, running my fingers through his hair, pulling him ever closer.

Blood and Snow 3: The Vampire Christopher

Chapter 1

“D
o
es
good and evil
exist?
” Christopher asked, searching my eyes, looking for something I didn’t think I possessed.

“I believe so,” I answered
, nodding.

He kissed my neck, and sat up, cross
ing his well-defined
legs. I wasn’t ready to be done kissing him, drinking from him, but I wanted to know where he wa
s going with his question. Reluctantly, I lifted myself from my prostrate position, and crossed my legs so I sat opposite
him
on the bed
.

We were still in the castle, in another realm
. Lush throw pillows were pushed to the floor, and surrounded us like piranha stalking its food
.

Until a few moments ago, I
’d been too busy enjoying the taste of
Chace aka Christopher aka my Hunter, and
hadn’t cared
about anything else. Now that
he’d spoken,
lots
of unanswered questions surfaced.

Like
,
what wa
s the name of this realm? W
hy did he
keep bringing
me here, and where exactly was
here
?

Christopher
seized my hand. “Sweet, beautiful, Snow,” he said, caressing my knuckles. “In my years serving the Queen, I’ve lear
ned one thing. Words like good
and evil are relative terms.”

“What do you mean?
To kill
someone is evil.” I crossed my arms, waiting to hear
how he’d
BS his way out of that.

“What if that someone is the enemy in a war? It’s
kill
or be killed. Would he be considered evil for protecting himself, his loved ones, his home, his country?”
He grinned
sweetly
, running his fingers along my jaw. 

My mouth fell open. I wanted to say yes, but Profess
or Pops had explained
I would be learning how to kill supernatural creatures
—that we were on the brink of war.
If I killed
to protect
myself, would that make me evil?

“Ugh, okay. Where are you going with this?”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

He chuckled, and climbed off the bed,
readjusting his clothes. When he finished, he grabbed my hand, pulling me
onto my feet.

“In Buddhism,” he began, “
good and evil don’t exist
, per say. Instead there is
kusala
and
akusala
.
Kusala
i
s considered to be,
intelligence, contented, beneficial, and a remover of affliction.
Akusala
is, quite simply, the opposite.
Or, unintelligent, causer of affliction, and so on.
Which boils down to this.
What is evil to one person may be good to another. Life
and everything in it is about your perception.”

Christopher’s words echoed in my mind. I wanted him to explain
further
, but a sudden, and infuriating beeping interrupted.

My alarm clock.

Upon o
pening my eyes, my Hunter, and the other realm vanished. With a sigh, I reached over, shut off the clock, and rolled onto my back. I hadn’t slept. At least I didn’t think so. The entire
night spent with my Hunter
. We hadn’t done more than talk, kiss, and bite each other’s necks, but the experience left me breathless. It’d been intimate.

I tried to imagine bringing
Christopher
into my silly little girls’ room, and flushed. Lavender walls held up posters of bunnies, kittens, and puppies. Across from me was my chest of drawers, also lavender, and atop it sat unused perfume bottles. Above it hung a corkboard filled with pictures of Cindy and me, as well as
pictures of my best friends—the guys
. To the left of my dresser was my bathroom, and next to that,
on the same wall, lived
my closet.

“Ugh, I’m so over purple,” I muttered
,
climbing out of bed, and heading into
the
bathroom where
bright purple towels hung on a
rack next to a bright purple shower curtain. I turned on the water, and undressed while the water warmed. Stepping in, I let the warm water
soothe away my tension
.

I couldn’t help thinking about the past four days. In that time I’d managed to become a revenant
—not quite human, not quite vampire. I’d slept in the same bed with Gabe; one of my best friends whom I’d developed a crush on. Nearly bitten Dorian. And, kissed, drank, and kissed some more, my Hunter.

Sheesh!

I wasn’t that kind of girl; well
,
I hadn’t been
for
the past fifteen and a half years. Sure
,
I’d had sleepovers with all seven brothers in the past, but still… I’d never felt such lustful cravings or been so wanton as I
was
with Chace aka Christopher. He’d brought out feelings in me… needs I
hadn’t
realized
I’d been missing
. At the thought of him touching me, kissing me, whispering tenderly to me, my belly fluttered, and I groaned.

“I don’t have time for this,” I
grumbled, rinsing off, and getting out of
the shower.

I dressed in faded jeans, a red Ed Hardy t-shirt with a dragon slithering across the front, and my Converse. In the full-length mirror near my closet, I noticed several bruises on my neck, and stepped closer for a better look. In the center of the bruises were twin marks closed over by scar tissue.

No one had been able to see marks after Christopher bit me the first time,
but I wasn’t so sure about the bruises. Going to my dresser
,
I pulled open the top drawer, and took out a silk and cashmere scarf in baby blue. My dad and stepmother
gave
it to
me for Christmas last year because
they said it
matched my eyes. After wrapping it around my neck several ti
mes so
the bruises were hidden,
I stared at my reflection
.

“Today is going to be a
regular
day
.” I snorted. It
couldn’t get any weirder. I’d become a
blood drinking supernatural creature
for crying out loud.
“Ugh! Come on, kitty,” I grumbled, o
pening my bedroom door
. Gatsby stretched,
jumped off my bed, and followed me downstairs.

As I entered
the kitchen, a brief knock sounded
at
the back door, followed by Heathcliff, Bart, Gabe, and Dorian.
They were a breath of fresh air, full of exuberance, and raw energy.