The Vampire...In My Dreams (8 page)

“I’ll have a cheese omelet with a side order of hash browns and sausage. But if you don’t have sausage, bacon will do. And two slices of toast, coated with blackberry jam. Or honey. No, make it blackberry. If you have it.”

She glanced at me, her blue eyes ice daggers. Now I had her attention. I truly didn’t expect her to become a short-order cook. I only wanted her to say something to me, though I figured she’d give me a nasty earful. Still, anything was better than bitter silence between us.

“I’m sorry that you can’t stand the bitter silence between us. But you shouldn’t have—”

This time it was my turn to be surprised. Now the shoe was on the other foot…my foot. She’d read my mind, and I hadn’t expected that at all.

“Yeah, Prince of Darkness. I can read your mind.” She tapped a spoon on the counter. “And I’m so glad you don’t expect me to cook that huge breakfast you just ordered. But if you fix it for yourself, remember to clean up. I’m not your housemaid either.”

Figuring it would make her madder, I attempted not to smile, but I couldn’t help myself. After getting over the initial shock that she could read my mind, which definitely was going to be a switch—I mean, when I read her mind, it seemed…
my right
, but now that she could read my private thoughts…I shook my head. In any event, I couldn’t help smiling at her snappy but cute response.

She ignored me, gulped her glass of milk, then grabbed a black canvas book bag. “I’ll be home at noon.”

My heart thundering, I jumped off the leather barstool. No way would I let her out of my sight now. “I’m going with you.”

She swung around, glaring at me, her voice rising an octave. “What?”

“Listen, I’m going to stick by you from now on.” I didn’t want to scare her, but I truly feared losing her.

Now her tone changed, her eyes wide with disbelief, or maybe concern. “Lynetta can’t run around in the daylight, can she?”

“No, but she has human hosts she feeds off. She could have any one of them come for you and take you to her lair after what you did to protect me last night.”

Marissa stared at the counter for a moment as if considering the notion, then turned to me. “They’ll never let you into the school. You have to be a warlock. Know any spells you can cast?”

I would not be thwarted no matter what. “No, but maybe you could teach me a few on the way over to school.”

She shook her head. “You have to be a warlock to have the ability. Mere humans can’t work our spells.”

“But I’m not a mere human anymore.” In fact, several of the feats I could perform now were quite remarkable.

Lifting her bag off her shoulder, Marissa set it on the counter. “Can you levitate my book bag?”

She had me there. “I can vanish and reappear as mist.”

“Won’t help. Warlocks can’t do things like that. They’d know something was wrong with you.”

That
hurt.

She hurried for the front door.

I reappeared before her. Running into my chest, she let out a small cry of surprise. I grabbed her arms to steady her, still wanting that good-morning kiss. Touching her sent warmth spiraling through me that couldn’t be denied. “Sorry, Marissa, I can’t let you go to school without me.”

Through clenched teeth, she reluctantly agreed. “All right. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. If they poke and prod you and put you on display, it won’t be my doing.”

“You left out the stripped…”

She glanced down at my red T-shirt and blue jeans. Her lips curved up just a bit, but somehow she managed to hide from me the mental images that I’m sure flitted across her brain. “Yeah, well, it won’t be my fault if the schoolmaster tries to expose you for what you are. But where’d you get the change of clothes?”

“I popped back to my parents’ home and took the clothes from the closet.”

“Neat trick. Did you visit with them?”

“My mother gets upset every time she sees me. Besides, everyone was still sleeping.”

A flicker of concern shone in Marissa’s expressive eyes, but then the look faded and she pulled her front door open.

Kate stood with her hand to the doorbell. She stared blankly and her mouth opened when she saw me with Marissa. Her green eyes couldn’t grow any bigger.

Marissa’s eyes widened as much.

Trying to remedy the situation, I quickly stepped outside and offered my hand to Kate. “New kid at the school. I asked Marissa if she would show me the way.”

Ignoring my outstretched hand, Kate turned her attention to Marissa and waited for an explanation.

“Yeah, he, uh, just asked if I could show him the way.”

“I just said that, Marissa. Quit acting so nervous. She’ll suspect something’s wrong,”
I telepathically communicated to her.

Marissa glared at me.

“Here let me take your book bag,” I offered belatedly to Marissa. One thing about being a vampire, my muscles were much stronger. I could lift nearly twice my own weight, without ever exercising a bit.

“I’m fine,” she said, her words couched in irritation.

“You can carry
my
bag.” Kate stretched the blue canvas pack out to me.

Reluctantly, I took Kate’s bag and slung it over my shoulder. Again, I tried to smooth out the difficulty Marissa and I were having. “Marissa?”

“No!”

“You can’t be mad at me forever.”

Then again, maybe she could. I didn’t know much about her. Maybe she was the kind of girl that held lifelong grudges.

“No, normally I don’t hold grudges. But with you I’m bound to make an exception.”

Kate studied me way too closely, and I assumed she realized I was the Prince of Darkness she had chased so fervently last night. When her eyes caught sight of the puncture marks on Marissa’s neck, she shifted her attention back to me way too rapidly. She was quickly putting one and one together and coming up with conclusions that could get me into really hot water. On the other hand, I wasn’t going to let Marissa go it alone. Not when Lynetta would most likely attempt to get back at her.

Reading my mind, Marissa handed me her bag. Thank God for thinking the right thoughts.

Marissa said, “This is Thomas Reading, Kate. And Thomas, this is Kate Witherspoon. Sorry I forgot to make introductions.” She slowed her step along the sidewalk.

“Thomas Reading?”
I cleared my throat, exasperated.
“She already knows the Prince of Darkness’s name was Dominic Vor…something or other ending with a ‘ski’.”

Marissa glared at me while Kate cast a look from me to Marissa, knowing the truth, kind of.

“She knows, Marissa, that I’m the guy from the Hamburger Spot. And since you told her that my name was Dominic Vorchowsky, I think it best to leave it at that. Besides, I’ll have a devil of a time remembering some other name. I’m not a trained secret agent man.”

Marissa huffed her displeasure. “I meant to say this is Dominic Vorchowsky.”

Kate’s lips parted, her green eyes darkened, but she didn’t speak.

“You know, the guy we saw at the Hamburger Spot. He was pretty amused you—well,
we
—thought he was a vampire.”

“You told him?” Her voice etched in surprise, Kate looked back at the bite marks.

“Yeah. When you walked into your house last night, he hurried to catch up to me. Said he was going to our same school and wondered if he could walk with me…
us
, this morning.”

“He lives around here?” This time Kate’s words were elevated and sounded panicky.

“Yes,” I said in my most charming manner, trying to show I wasn’t anything evil.

Kate stared at me, then looked down at the sidewalk while we continued to stroll to school.

“Yes, can you imagine how silly it was of us to think he was a vampire? Why look at how he’s out here with us in broad daylight.”

Kate again looked at me, as if wondering whether I could just disintegrate any moment. Gladdened that Marissa could think of something brilliant to say to dispel her girlfriend’s worry, I smiled.

Marissa offered me an arresting smile.
“Brilliant, huh?”

“Yeah, and you’d better believe I’ll take you to the school dance.”
Though I couldn’t quash the concern that she would be disappointed in my lack of dancing skills.

She raised her brows, then slipped her hand around mine
. “But you can’t.”

I lifted my chin
. “I’ll find a way.”
If nothing else, I’d be there to ensure no warlocks laid a hand on my girl.

She rubbed her temple, a frown marring her hopeful expression.
“Forget it. I wouldn’t want you to get into trouble.”

“Nah, we’ll think of something.”
I was certain if we put our heads together, we could come up with some kind of a plan. Surely one of my princely gifts could be used to mimic a warlock’s abilities.

Kate studied me, then turned to Marissa. Her gaze locked onto our clasped hands. She looked back at Marissa. Even though I couldn’t read her thoughts, I could pretty well guess what was going on in her mind. She still wondered if I were a vampire and somehow was exercising control over Marissa. But she couldn’t figure out how I could survive during the daylight hours.

Marissa, reading my thoughts, added, “Oh, yes, and Dominic loves the burgers at the Hamburger Spot, too. His favorite place to hang out.”

Kate looked back at me.

“Another winning argument, Marissa. Thanks for saving my butt.”

She glanced behind me.
“From what I can tell, it’s a butt worth saving.”

My smile stretched across my face in triumph. She was my girl again.

She squeezed my hand, and I grimaced. Her strength had significantly increased, and my eyes watered. Quickly loosening her hold, she frowned at me.

She was back to being mad at me again.

“But just think of it this way, Marissa, we can fight Lynetta easier if you have vampire strength.”

Marissa muttered something unintelligible.

“You don’t have a book bag, Dominic,” Kate said, her words a definite challenge to my story. “Are you prepared for school?”

The question was loaded. I didn’t have a scrap of paper to take notes, nor a pen or pencil to write with. It did seem a little odd that I wouldn’t have something to take to school.

“They haven’t even unpacked all of their household goods, and Dominic’s book bag is still packed away somewhere in one of the boxes. He can borrow one of my notepads for the day,” Marissa quickly suggested.

I took a ragged breath. I hadn’t expected Marissa’s girlfriend to pose such a threat to me. Still, if we could master her, we could make it through a day of school, I thought.

“But what if I don’t have any of the same classes as you? Really, Dominic, I think this is a bad idea. Maybe if you just walk me to school, and then return for me after classes end, you can escort me safely home. Wouldn’t that be a better idea?”

There was no way I was letting her go through a day of classes unprotected. She had no idea how vengeful Lynetta could be.
“No. Well, I mean, it might have been a good idea except for a couple of things. Number one, it’s not the plan we spoke to Kate about. And secondly, I’m afraid Lynetta might send her minions after you. We have to put on as good a show as we can.”

Marissa swallowed hard as we came into view of the rambling white brick buildings attached by covered walkways. Blue roofs topped with flags identified each of the classrooms, and I tried to imagine what they stood for.

Marissa shared her thoughts on which buildings housed which classrooms:
“A white-haired and bearded warlock on black for the spells room, a white-haired witch on purple for the potions room, a castle for the history of witchcraft, a fairy godmother-type woman featured on the flag for manners…”

I grinned at Marissa, amused the school would teach manners to witches and warlocks. She poked me in the ribs.

Then a new concern popped into my head. What if the witch who had turned me into a toad was at this school? She had to have the worst manners of any of the students.

Marissa gave me a sinister glare, and I realized at once she had seen my folly in a dream. Did she know the girl?

“Absolutely. Debbie Damint. All the guys fall all over themselves for her. So you’d better not ask her out to the movies again, or face the consequences.”

So I was really in the doghouse now.

Marissa nodded. “I’ll take Dominic to the main building to register him,” she said to Kate.

“I have no plan to speak to this Debbie Damint, Marissa. It was just a really bad mistake.”

“Right.”

Then a new worry consumed me. What if I ran into her or any of her girlfriends who were with her at the Hamburger Spot? She’d recognize I had been a human and then what?

Marissa shook her head.
“Wouldn’t you know I’d have to get mixed up with a…a Prince of Darkness who had the hots for Debbie Damint?”

“Sorry, Marissa. It won’t happen again. I swear it! She was just a distraction before I met you—the real thing.”

“Stop, before you dig yourself any deeper.”

“Are we still on for lunch afterwards?” Kate asked Marissa, her look hopeful, yet I sensed she wanted to get Marissa off to herself in private and interrogate her thoroughly.

“Uhm, I think—”

“We’d love it,” I broke in, hoping to not raise Kate’s ire or suspicion any further.

Marissa frowned at me.
“The more Kate sees us together, the more suspicious she’ll be, Dominic!”

“If you don’t do the things you normally do with her, she’ll become even more suspicious.”

“Marissa?” Kate asked, encouraging her to agree.

“Yes, of course, Kate, as always. If you don’t mind Dominic tagging along.”

“Not at all. Since he’s so new, and doesn’t have any friends.” Kate said the words sarcastically, as if she didn’t believe I was new to the area in the least.

“Right.”

I handed Kate’s bag to her. She thanked me, but looked back at Marissa’s neck. I knew before long she’d question her about it.

Marissa dropped my hand when we walked into the administration building. A plump woman with white hair piled on top of her head and piercing blue eyes studied me. She instantly made me think of the grandmotherly-looking movie versions of Mrs. Santa Claus, except for the harsh eyes.