Drop Dead Single: Vampire Romance (A Monstrana Paranormal Romance Book 1)

by Lacy Andersen

  “Don’t worry.” She stuck her hand into the basket and pulled out a corked bottle. “I remembered the blood.”

  “I had your old bike pulled out of storage,” Stasia said, jumping next to him. “What a great way to see the country.” She smiled, an evil glint in her eyes. “Very cozy.”

  “And what about you?” he pointed at the camera next to her. “Do you intend on crashing this impromptu date?”

  “Oh, no.” She waved her hands in front of her. “This one’s just for you guys. Enjoy. And when you get back, don’t forget to find me and fill me in on all of the details.”

  He sighed. It looked like his day off to catch up on work wasn’t going to happen.

  “You’re okay with this, right?” Cate bit her bottom lip and looked up at him with those big eyes of hers.

  Something inside of him burst, like a heart attack. He had to reach out to the bike for support. “Of course. We’d better get a move on, though. There’s rain in the forecast.”

  She shielded her face and gazed up at the clear blue sky. He couldn’t help but notice how the color matched her eyes. “Yeah, right. If it rains today, then I’ll do a tap dance wearing this basket on my head.”

  He snorted at the image and tucked her promise away in the back of his head. She’d be eating her words soon enough.

  His old bike started up with a rumble and a purr. He loved the feeling of the handlebars under his palms once again. It’d been too long since he’d gone out riding. He’d thrown so much of his time and energy lately into helping his grandfather run the kingdom that he’d forgotten some of his favorite ways to unwind. A day in the meadows behind the castle didn’t sound so bad. He could get on top of this idea.

  Cate tied the picnic basket to the back of the bike and then slipped in behind him. Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist and her chest pressed against his back, making him momentarily forget how to breathe. Coming back to his senses, he kicked the bike into gear and drew rocks as they zoomed off for the overgrown path he knew by heart.

  The Monstrana castle stood tall and proud, a gray stone monument to his grandfather’s achievements. It sat just outside the city, with hundreds of acres of private land that spanned as far as the eye could see. He shifted gears and sped faster through the expansive meadows and over a shallow creek with clear running water. As he drove, he could feel Cate shifting behind him, turning her head to take in the views. His heart expanded with pride. He loved this place better than anywhere in the world. And he’d had plenty of time to travel the world in his life.

  Finally, he rolled to a stop near a tall cliff that overlooked the gray Bering Sea. Putting his foot on the ground, he waited for Cate to hop off. As soon as she released him, he felt an immediate sense of loss. He missed the warmth of her soft body against his, the steady rise and fall of her chest as she breathed in her surroundings.

  “This is perfect,” she said, looking around. “Let’s have our picnic here.”

  The wind from their ride had mussed up her ponytail, throwing wisps of hair in her face. Before he could stop himself, he reached out to tuck a strand behind her ear, his fingertips brushing her cheek. Her eyes grew wide and her lips parted as she scanned his face. His thumb lingered on her jawline, the soft feel of her skin making it impossible to drop his hand. A pink blush crept up her neck and she pulled away, making him curse himself for acting so foolishly.

  The woman had some kind of magical hold over him. He’d never acted so rashly or without consideration. He needed to rein it in.

  “I got Stasia to stash some of her sister’s treats in here,” Cate said, as if nothing had passed between them. She went to grab the picnic basket and started to unload it on the ground. “I swear, if I’m here too much longer, I’m going to need a whole new wardrobe. Her sweets are to die for. And I brought you some Bloody Mary mix, because I know that’s your favorite.”

  He sat down beside her on the red flannel blanket she laid out. The basket seemed to be bottomless; she kept pulling more items and setting them out before him. When she was finally done, they had a smorgasbord of cheeses, pastries, and fruit to keep them for a month.

  “Some for me,” she said, pouring the blood into a glass. Grabbing a second, she poured some more and handed it to him. “And some for my Viky.”

  The glass burst in his hands, spraying blood everywhere. He looked at it in shock, his head fuzzy with anger and confusion. He’d specifically told her never to call him by that name. In fact, he’d rather her feed him glass shards than ever say that name again.

  “Oh, my!” She looked at his hands in alarm and grabbed a napkin from the basket. “You’ve cut yourself.”

  She began to mop up the blood, starting on his arm and moving down to his palms. He sat there with his hands open in his lap, unsure what to do. As she dabbed at the quickly healing cuts on his fingers, she leaned into him. He could smell the shampoo she’d used that morning. Something spicy with a hint of jasmine. It was intoxicating. He closed his eyes, allowing the scent to fill his nostrils, the offense already forgotten.

  “You know, when we’re married, we can have picnics like this all the time,” she said, making his eyes snap back open. “I’m sure our kids will want to go on bike rides, too.”

  He growled. “Vampires can’t have kids.”

  The entire undead thing kind of made that impossible.

  “There’s always adoption, silly.” She batted him on the shoulder. “I’m picturing five, maybe six kids. But there’s always time to add more. I just love babies.”

  A sudden headache overcame him. Why were they even talking about this?

  “I suppose...” He watched her carefully for sudden changes in mood. She was turning out to be more unhinged than he’d imagined. “We’ll have to see.”

  “But of course, there’s the wedding to plan first.” She settled onto the blanket next to him, their sides touching. Wrapping her arm through his, she rested her head on his shoulder. “Do you mind if we fly the Russian Ballet out here? I’ve always dreamed of an elegant wedding. One with trumpeters and swans. And maybe even a fireworks show over a lake. What do you think? Is next month too soon?”

  A rock had formed in his throat. They’d gone from babies to weddings in three seconds flat. This was all too much. He barely knew her. She couldn’t be planning out the rest of their undead lives. That was insane.

  “I need a walk,” he announced, suddenly jumping to his feet with inhuman speed. He ran his hands through his hair and looked down at her. For a second, he thought he saw victory flash in her eyes, but then it was gone. “To clear my head.”

  “Perfect.” She pushed herself to her feet and stretched her arms above her head. “Me, too. Let’s go, handsome.”

  Walking off, she left him trailing behind her, horror still flashing in his eyes.

  Chapter Twelve

  CATE HAD TO FORCE HERSELF not to burst into laughter at the sight of Viktor’s paling face as she planned out his whole future for him. There was something about weddings and babies that made a man look like he was about to have an aneurysm. She was glad to know vampires were just like any other male species that walked upon two legs and had an allergy to commitment.

  Miranda’s plan was working almost too well. From the moment she’d begun the clingy girlfriend act, Viktor had withdrawn into his stoic shell. Which was good, because for a second there, she’d nearly lost it. Riding all this way out here through that beautiful country, pressed against his muscular back, had made her forget herself. And when he’d brushed the hair out her face, so tenderly, she’d wanted desperately for him to kiss her. Thankfully, her promise to Miranda had popped up in her mind at that moment and broken the thrall.

  Now, as they hiked over a grassy knoll, the storm clouds were moving in fast. Viktor had been right. It was going to storm, and hard. The wind picked up, whipping her ponytail in her face. She squinted against the first few icy drops of rain.

  “We need to get back,” Viktor yelled, the bre
eze catching his voice. He pointed at the bike still parked next to the cliff. “Before it gets bad.”

  She nodded and followed him back to the picnic basket. While she picked everything up, he tried to start up the bike. It grumbled and moaned against his efforts, eventually dying in a fading sizzle.

  “We’re going to have to make a run for it,” he yelled.

  Great big clouds covered the sun from view, casting the land into a gray pallor. Cate looked at him in horror, the basket clutched between her hands. There was no way she would be able to keep up with a vampire. The instant he realized she wasn’t following him, the jig would be up. She’d be discovered. She couldn’t let that happen.

  “Where’s the fun in that?” she demanded, tucking the basket under her elbow. “I happen to love stormy walks. You go on ahead without me. I’ll catch up.”

  Crisis averted.

  His lips formed a disbelieving frown. Raindrops were beginning to mar his white linen shirt, making it cling to his chest. She tried not to stare at the obvious presence of rippling muscle underneath.

  “You’re going to get soaked. And a seaside storm can produce deadly lightning.”

  “I’m a vampire, remember?” She held up her ring and slapped on a confident smile. “I’m not going to let a little lightning get in my way. I can take care of myself.”

  “Okay.” He looked over his shoulder at the castle in the distance and then back to her. An ocean spray hit his face, making his black hair stick to his forehead as if he were in a Calvin Klein photo shoot. “I’ll walk with you. My mother would’ve killed me if I let a woman walk home unattended. Even a vampire woman who can take care of herself.”

  “Your mother was right to teach you that.” She began to walk and he caught up beside her. Hazarding a look in his direction, she smiled at him. “Sounds like she was a wonderful woman.”

  “She was.” His eyes had a faraway look, as if he’d transported back into time.

  “My dad would preach something similar.” She cleared her throat and lowered her voice. “Caty girl, don’t you ever quit something that you ain’t finished. Be sure to lock up when you leave your house. And don’t ever let a boy think he got the better of you.”

  She smiled at him, but was caught off guard by the sudden well of tears that stung her eyes. That memory hadn’t resurfaced in years. It was nice to remember.

  “Sounds like you miss him.” He was watching her, his amber eyes reflecting an emotion she couldn’t read.

  “I miss them both.” Hugging the basket into her chest, she sighed. “My life’s been kind of a mess ever since they passed. Fired from my dream job. Stayed in a crappy relationship way past its expiration date. The truth is, I really need to pull myself together. They’d hate to see me like this.”

  The wind whipped around them and rain began falling in large droplets that turned the ground into a sloppy mess. Cate’s hair stuck to her face and she could feel mascara trailing down her cheeks. She looked like a drowned rat. Still, there was nothing better than a hot mess to drive away a vampire prince who didn’t seem to like getting his hands dirty.

  “If we head down this grassy knoll, it’ll take us to the stables.” He pointed to the left, down a steep hill. “We’ll get out of the rain faster.”

  She nodded. Her shirt stuck to her body and she was fighting the urge to shiver. Vampires didn’t shiver. At least, she didn’t think they did.

  He led the way, trudging across the hilltop and down the deep embankment. Water rushed down the side in a miniature flash flood. Cate tried her best to keep her footing as she descended, using the weight of the picnic basket to help balance her out. But ballet flats didn’t make for good hiking gear and she lost her right shoe in the mud.

  “Just a second,” she called to him. Turning around, she tugged at the flat, but it had sunk deep. “It’s stuck.”

  “Let me get that for you.”

  He started back up the hill to assist, but she had already given the shoe another yank. It came free with a sickly pop. The weight of the picnic basket now worked against her. She waved her arms crazily to catch her balance, but gravity claimed her and sent her tumbling down backwards, right into the prince’s arms.

  She hit him hard in the chest and his feet slipped out from under him. Together they tumbled through ten feet of wet grass and eventually plopped in a giant puddle of mud. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at the prince sitting in front of her. His shirt was no longer white, rather, the sickly brown color of dirt. Mud coated his pants and trails of it ran down his face. He stared back at her in shock, lightning striking in the sky above.

  She’d never been so embarrassed. If she could’ve disappeared into the mud, she would’ve sunk right then and there.

  Suddenly, a low rumble of a laughter poured from Viktor’s mouth. His lips curled into a grin that stretched from ear to ear and he threw his head back. She watched indignantly as his chest shuddered in laughter, a beautifully pleasing sound that drew an unbidden smile to her face. And then, quite unexpectedly, she found herself joining in, laughter peeling throughout the meadow. They laughed until her belly ached and the sky began to clear into a brilliant blue.

  “I believe you owe me that tap dance,” he said with a last chuckle, pinning her with a heavy expression that took her breath away.

  She stared back at him, a small smile on her face. It seemed that she’d forgotten how to speak.

  He leaned in closer, cupping her chin gently with his hand. His touch was like fire on her icy skin. Her heart threatened to burst from her chest as he guided her face closer, his smoldering gaze turning her stomach into a pool of molten lava. Their lips touched, softly at first, and then with more urgency. He tasted sweet, like the cinnamon caramel lattes she used to order at the drive-through. She slid her hand behind his neck and into his wet hair. It was as soft as she’d imagined.

  Sparks ignited where his hands touched her. Her cheek, down her neck, and the small of her back. She pressed herself against his chest and sighed happily into the kiss, instantly forgetting the plan and everything that went with it.

  Miranda wasn’t going to be happy with her.

  ❖

  A thoroughly pleased smile wouldn’t leave Viktor’s face. He’d grinned like a fool through dinner with the two royal families and even managed to ignore the werewolf twins’ jabs at his sudden change in mood. It wasn’t until he caught Babushka watching him with a knowing twinkle in her eye did he force his aching cheeks into a grimace.

  His afternoon with Cate had ended on such a high note, he felt like he could take a running jump off of Deadman’s Cliff and fly to Alaska. Of course, that was ridiculous. Vampires only flew in those horrifically inaccurate Hollywood films. According to them, he should also have secret powers of hypnotism and seduction. He didn’t. Although, the same couldn’t be said for his amorous brother.

  His lips still tingled where Cate’s had touched. He lay in his giant king-sized bed and stared up at the dark ceiling, remembering the feel of her soft body against his. One minute, they’d been trudging toward the stables because of her hair-brained idea of taking a walk in the storm and the next, they were drenched in mud and laughing harder than Viktor could ever remember laughing. He couldn’t help but kiss her. She’d looked so beautiful with the water running down her flushed cheeks and over her pouted lips. All it had taken was one look from those blue eyes and he’d been sunk.

  She was so unexpected. Educated, charming, and opinionated. He liked to hear her talk about her family. It made him feel like she was entrusting him with a secret. And she didn’t seem bored by his love for his country or when he fell into conversation about politics. They’d spent the entire afternoon hiding out in the stables, petting the horses and talking about whatever came into their heads. It was a nice change to boring policy meetings or stiff dinners with distant royalty. Stasia liked her, which was telling in itself. Werewolves seemed to have a nose about sniffing out people with insincere motives.

  �
��Oh, Babushka, what have you done?” He sighed and turned over, the sheets sliding over his naked chest.

  A knock came at his door. He shot up, his pulse racing. Could that be Cate? Would she come to his room? He didn’t hate the idea.

  Pushing open the door, he blinked as a big black eye was shoved in his face. A cameraman stood behind Jezebel, who wore a simpering smile on her face and a black lacy nightgown that left very little to the imagination.

  “Jezebel?” He glanced between her and the camera in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

  “I understand you had a little date today.” She flattened her palm on his bare chest and pushed herself into the room. The camera followed. “I thought we could do the same. Only better.”

  He tensed his jaw as she strolled right past him and took a turn around the darkened room. Satisfied with what she saw, she gave him a seductive smile and ran her hands down her hips. “Do you like? I had it delivered from Paris especially for this occasion.”

  “It’s uh...” he glanced at the cameraman. “...nice. But this really isn’t the time.”

  “Really, now, Viktor.” She turned the notch up on the seductive smile and batted her long dark eyelashes. “I’ve seen the way you look at me. Don’t pretend there isn’t heat between us.”

  There had never been any heat between them. It was the opposite of heat. Stasia was the one who had decided to keep her in the next round of dates. He scratched his chin, his eyes darting toward the door and then to the camera. What if he ran from the room? Would that be cowardly? Probably. And everyone in the country would see it. No, he needed to handle this like a vampire prince of Monstrana.

  “Listen, Jezebel.” He held his hands up and edged the bed until an entire mattress stood between them. “I appreciate that you’ve come here tonight to tell me how you feel. That takes guts. But this can’t happen.”

  A knowing grin tugged at one side of her mouth as she dropped down to her knees on his messy bed and tugged the night gown dangerously high up on her thighs. “Let me be your queen for tonight. Then, we can discuss our future in the morning.”