Kiss of the Vampire (The Vanderlind Realm Book 2) (18 page)

“But now you deeply regret it,” Dorian went on. “From here on, you’re going to actually be considerate of other people. You’re going to try harder in school and you’re going to stop feeling entitled just because you’re popular and mildly good at playing football.”

Dorian looked at me over his shoulder again. “Do you know of any girls at your high school who are nice, but maybe not that good looking?”

I had to think about it. I’d attended so many schools in my life that I’d stopped committing most people’s names to memory. But there was one girl in my English class who I’d noticed, solely for the fact that she seemed even more miserable than I was. She was a little chunky, but not exactly overweight. Her shoulders were always hunched over her books and her hair was constantly hanging in her face. I couldn’t tell if she was nice or just quiet, but she was the only female I could think of who might work for Dorian’s plan. “There’s a girl called Janet Kelly,” I told him. I only remembered her name because it sounded like she could star in an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

Turning back to Tommy, Dorian said, “You are going to turn over a new leaf. You are going to look for the good inside a female, rather than her outward appearance. There is a girl at your school named Janet Kelly. You are going to find yourself attracted to this girl. You are going to go out of your way to befriend her. And then, if she’s interested, you are going to start a very sweet romance with her. You will never pressure her for sex or anything like that. You will sincerely like her and want to be good to her. If she decides she doesn’t like you, or she breaks up with you, then you will accept her decision like a gentleman and only wish the best for her. And that’s how you will model your relationships with females for the rest of your life. You will look for a mate who deserves love and kindness because she is a good person. You will no longer be attracted to females who expect love and kindness just because they are pretty.”

“Okay.” Tommy bobbed his head up and down as if this was a brilliant plan and he completely supported it. “But what do I do about my car?”

That was a good question. His mother would probably notice a missing roof.

Dorian ran a hand across the back of his neck while thinking. “Somebody stole your mother’s car. You have no idea where it is or what happened to it. After you dropped Haley off, you thought you’d get some snacks at the Grab-n-Go. The lot was full, so you parked on the street. You went in and bought your snacks, but by the time you came out the car was gone.”

“Is that really going to work?” I asked.

Dorian shrugged. “It will once we take him by the convenience store and then drop him at home.

“Why wouldn’t he use his cell phone to call his parents? Or even the police?” I asked. That’s what I would have done.

“Oh yes.” Dorian scratched his chin. “I always forget about cell phones. They’re such a nuisance.” He turned back to the mortal. “Tommy, you left your phone under the seat so it was stolen as well. Please put it there now.”

Tommy did as he was told, although he didn’t look happy about it.

“Don’t worry,” Dorian told him. “There’s a good chance the thieves who stole the car won’t find your phone and you’ll get it back.”

“Okay, cool.” Tommy brightened.

We flew Tommy over to the Grab-n-Go. He seemed to really enjoy flying, although Dorian had to repeated ask him to please keep his voice down. By good luck the small parking lot in front of the convenience store was actually pretty full, so we sent Tommy in for some snacks and then flew him back to his house.

“Tommy Sherman,” Dorian said, once he’d smoothed down Tommy’s hair and straightened his clothes. “You never saw me and you never took Haley to the woods and parked the car there. You chatted with her for over an hour while parked out in front of her uncle’s house. Then you walked her to her door. On the way home you decided to stop for snacks and that’s when your car was stolen. Got that?”

“Yes,” Tommy nodded. He was eager to please.

“You don’t believe in vampires, you don’t remember seeing me and you don’t remember flying.”

“Awe, that’s too bad,” Tommy said. “The flying part was awesome.”

“Okay, you now have a love of flying. You might even try to become a pilot, if you can get your grades up. But you will always be a very cautious pilot and never try anything dangerous or stupid,” Dorian said.

Tommy broke into a huge grin. “I would love to be a pilot. I hope I can do it.”

Dorian looked deeper into his eyes. “You can do it, but you have to work very hard. Now it’s getting late...”

I cleared my throat. “Um, Dorian? I think I’d better say something.” I had previously given Tommy some commands of my own that might have interfered with Dorian’s plan.

My maker stepped to one side. “Be my guest.”

“Tommy,” I said, fixing him with my best vampire stare. “You’ve really enjoyed our last few dates and you’ll always think fondly of me, but before you dropped me off, we decided that we were just going to be friends.”

“We did?” Tommy looked surprised.

“Yes,” I told him. “So we aren’t dating anymore,” I added. “You’re no longer attracted to me.”

“Are you sure?” Tommy asked. “Because you’re pretty damn hot.”

“I’m positive,” I assured him. “I’m no longer your type.”

I glanced over at Dorian and he gave me a nod. “Okay, now go inside,” I said. “You’re going to have to tell your parents about the car.”

“Okay,” he said, amiably. “I’m sorry we won’t be dating anymore, Haley. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” I said. “Oh, and tell all your friends that you were just kidding about Sheila having saggy boobs. It was a dick move and you’re sorry you said it.”

“I really am,” Tommy agreed as he headed down the sidewalk toward his house.

“Saggy boobs?” Dorian asked in a low voice.

I shook my head. “It’s not worth getting into.”

Dorian snaked his arm around my waist. “Do you feel fully avenged how?”

“Yes,” I told him. “For the most part.” It wasn’t so much that I felt avenged as that I no longer needed it.

“Good. Now are you ready to leave this town and allow me to show you the wonders of the vampire world?”

“Oh yes,” I kissed him lightly on the lips. “More than ready.”

“Good.” He gave me a playful kiss in return. “I want to show you the world, but I’m trying to plan our itinerary, so I need you to rank these words in order of interest. Ready? Fire, ice, water, air and earth.”

It was an impossible request. I had no frame of reference, “Can’t you at least give me a hint of what it’s all about?” I asked.

“No.” He shook his head. “That would spoil my fun. But I will tell you that there is no right or wrong answer. And I’m happy to show you everything, even if it takes us a century.”

I thought it over. Earth didn’t sound all that promising. I was used to earth. And air sounded like flying. I loved to fly, but I knew we were going to be flying to get most places so that could maybe go further down on the list. That left fire, ice and water. It was winter in Ohio, so I was getting plenty of ice and I didn’t really know how to swim.

“Okay,” I finally said, “I’m going with fire as my first choice and then ice, water, air and earth.”

Dorian chuckled. “Isn’t that the exact same order I said when I listed them for you?”

“Was it?” I couldn’t remember.

Dorian pulled me close and wrapped his other arm around me. “The longer we’re together, the more I think that we actually are made for each other.”

“Mmmh” was all I could say as I sunk into his kiss.

We stood there for several minutes, just lost in each other’s embrace. Finally Dorian managed to pull away slightly. “I think we should get started. If we stand here much longer the neighborhood will start to talk.”

“I’m ready when you are,” I assured him.

“Good,” he said, nuzzling against me. “Then let’s go to Cleveland.”

Chapter 21

Haley

“Cleveland?” I stammered. I mean, I liked Cleveland, but it wasn’t exactly what I would have guessed as a glamorous hotspot for the undead. “Why are we going to Cleveland?”

“Because,” Dorian said, kissing the tip of my nose. “I want to show you the world. But I also want you to feel comfortable and at ease so you can enjoy yourself. I figured we’d start out with a smaller city. We can get you some clothes, and shoes, and whatever else your heart desires so that you feel appropriately glamorous once we head for New York or Vienna or wherever we choose. I mean, I don’t want to just chuck you in the deep end.” He looked at me. “Unless that’s what you want.”

I thought about how embarrassing it would be to roll up on a fancy undead party dressed in my worn plaid skirt and not knowing any of the vampire etiquette. “I definitely don’t want to be chucked in the deep end,” I told him. “Cleveland sounds great.”

Dorian gave me a dazzling smile and I swear I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. “Great,” he repeated. “Now is there anything you want to pack or anyone you want to speak to before we go? You’re not likely to return here for quite some time.”

I thought it over. “I really should say something to Uncle Kevin,” I told him. “He is kind of responsible for me and I don’t want him getting in trouble if I just disappear on him.”

Dorian appeared rather pleased. “Perfectly understandable,” he said. “Now that you mention it, I really should leave word for my aunt and cousins.”

“Yeah, and I should tell my mom something,” I added after thinking it over. “She’s crazy, but she does really love me and I wouldn’t want her to worry.”

“She’s staying down in Kentucky?” Dorian asked.

“Near Kentucky.” I wasn’t sure how familiar Dorian was with Ohio geography outside of Tiburon. I was surprised he even knew about the Grab-n-Go when he was talking to Tommy.

“It’s probably best if I accompany you,” he said. I wondered if I would ever stop loving his antiquated way of speaking. “And besides, I would be delighted to meet your mother.”

“No, that’s alright,” I said quickly. My mom probably wouldn’t be fazed by meeting another vampire, but I wasn’t sure I was ready for Dorian to meet my mom. She’d been pretty normal, relatively speaking, the previous night. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be tearing the wallpaper off the walls with her fingernails tonight. “I hope you don’t mind, but it’s really something I need to do on my own. My mom is… interesting.”

“I understand,” Dorian told me. “I can always meet your charming mother at some other time. But are you sure you’ll be alright flying alone?”

There was plenty of night left and I knew my mother had a trusty closet. “I’ll be fine,” I assured him. “Besides, I’m pretty sure I’ll be the scariest thing out there.”

Dorian gave a soft chuckle. I loved to hear him laugh. “Do you think you’ll be back tonight?” he asked. “I don’t want to rush you, but I also can’t wait to get started.”

“It might take me awhile,” I had to admit. My mom would probably want some time with me before I took off. “But if I don’t see you tonight, then I’ll meet you in front of Uncle Kevin’s house at dusk tomorrow.”

Dorian frowned. “Would you mind just coming by the castle?” he asked. “I don’t want to be seen lurking around here if you’re unable to make it back that quickly.”

“Okay,” I said. It really wasn’t fair to leave him standing around. “How about I text you if I don’t make it back tonight?”

He frowned some more. “I’m afraid I don’t have a cell phone.”

“Oh. Right.” I felt a little stupid. “I guess cell phones aren’t really a vampire thing.”

“Not really,” he told me. “But I have heard they’re becoming more popular with fledglings. And if it would make you more comfortable, I’ll be happy to acquire one.”

The new, adoring Dorian was soooo awesome. Much better than the old I’m-just-going-to-bark-orders-at-you Dorian. “We can pick one up in Cleveland,” I said, giving him a shy smile. I had a flash of anxiety over money flair up in my gut, but I forced it back down. Dorian had told me himself that the Vanderlinds were as rich as Midas, and as his progeny I was practically part of the family. The thought of him buying me expensive clothes and things made me uncomfortable, but I decided I was just going to have to get over it.

“Okay, then I’ll see you later tonight,” I said, wondering if I should kiss him goodbye. “Or at least by tomorrow evening.”