by Amy Miles
“I wanted to tell you that your offer for a ride is not —” Roseline’s attempt to turn down Sadie’s offer cuts off as a loud whistle rings out over the hum of students. Roseline turns. All eyes follow.
“Well, hello, new girl.” A handsome blond boy emerges from a huddle of guys farther down the hall, each one sporting puffed-up chests and lettermen’s jackets slung over their shoulders — the starting line-up for Rosewood’s football team.
A path through the crowd opens as the boy approaches. “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”
His groupies chuckle at his corny pick-up line. Roseline rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. “Does that wretched line actually work on the girls in this country?”
The peroxide-loving boy’s eyes narrow and his mouth tightens with annoyance, revealing a hint of a goatee. “I’ve never had any complaints before.”
Roseline snorts. “Well, consider this your first. You are revolting.”
She turns her back on him, surprised to meet Sadie’s gaping face. Her eyes flicker over Roseline’s shoulder, widening with shock a split second before Roseline feels pressure on her backside.
The boy howls in pain as she whips around and twists his hand up behind his back. “Lay a hand on me again and you will lose yours. Are we clear?” she growls in his ear.
His eyes water as he sinks to his knees, nodding. “Perfectly.”
Roseline releases his hand and shoves him away. He sprawls to the floor. His feet struggle to grip the freshly waxed floor as he scrambles back from her. When she looks up, every eye is glued to her.
“Pervert.” She shrugs to the crowds as she silently berates herself for making a scene.
Some heads dip in agreement while others stare suspiciously at her. All begin to move on as they realize the show is over. The boy’s friends rush to his aid. He swears, shoving them off as he stumbles to his feet. Fiery eyes glare at her as he turns and leaves without a word, his pride obviously wounded.
“Holy crap, Rose. That was amazing,” Sadie crows, patting her on the back. “I can’t wait to tell Will. Totally freaking priceless.”
“Who was that boy?” Roseline asks as she watches him storm down the hall and slam through the double doors.
“My ex.” Sadie grins. “I’ve been waiting four years for someone to put Oliver in his place. I knew from the first moment you started snoring that I was going to like you.”
“I do not snore.” Roseline sniffs indignantly as Sadie weaves her way back into the thinning crowd.
“It sounds like someone is holding a grudge.” She knows all about those.
“Duh. The idiot dumped me for my best friend, Claire, during the first week of freshman year. Can you believe that? Oliver is hot but he’s a total loser. I’m better off without him.” Sadie ducks around the corner.
As Roseline’s foot shifts forward to follow, her back jerks ramrod straight. Her nostrils flare and her steps falter as a scent slams into her gut—sweet and utterly delicious. She inhales deeply, savoring the unfamiliar aroma. It is not like her to have a mortal call to her so strongly.
She whirls around, her gaze darting from face to face, in search of the human. No one stands out to her, but still the scent lingers. Her mouth waters as her thirst rises. The scent is potent, making her knees quiver with desire. Although she has never given in to the seduction of blood, her carnal nature longs for it. It is an urge that she has to daily suppress.
Closing her eyes, Roseline inhales deeply, searching for the source. The scent is bold—definitely masculine. One heartbeat pumps louder than all the rest, calling to her, but it begins to fade away.
Roseline’s eyes fly open as she frantically searches the crowd. There. At the end of the hall. A boy, buried in a large crowd of laughing teens, ducks out of the back doors. He is gone.
Three
An arm loops through Roseline’s, pulling her around the corner. “What are you staring at?” Sadie asks, rising onto her tiptoes to see.
“Nothing,” Roseline says, shaking her head. “It was nothing.”
Sadie’s eyes narrow. “You sure? You look really freaking pale, right now.”
Roseline waves off her concern. “What were you saying?”
“Oh, I was just telling you about Oliver.” Sadie tugs on the strap of her bag. Roseline can tell she doesn’t like to talk about it. “That was before the fall.”
“The fall of what?” she asks, blinking as she forces herself to focus on Sadie’s words. It’s hard to pull herself away from the scent. It lingers in the air. Not as fresh, nor nearly as potent, but still enough to make her throat burn with need.
“The tragic fall of Sadie Hughes.” Sadie swings her green canvas satchel over her shoulder. It’s covered with patches, each one supporting a different cause or rock band. By the looks of it, Sadie has tried very hard to make the bag look worn. Roseline’s keen eye notices the scissor cuts and the places where she has rubbed the material with a Brillo pad. Evidence of ample washes gives it a faded look.
“What happened?” Roseline asks, eagerly latching onto the topic—anything to help her forget the burning in her throat.
Sadie grimaces. “It’s a long story. Basically I was in there, right at the top of the popular crowd, but my best friend Claire Scofield decided she wanted my boyfriend.”
“Oliver?”
“Yep, but the stupid thing is she only wanted him because I had him. Claire figured out he was a loser pretty quick and dumped his butt on the curb. My reputation was damaged beyond repair.” Sadie sighs, ducking back into the hallway’s inner fast lane.
Roseline sticks with her, careful to keep her head down as she moves through the crowd. She allows herself to be jostled and bounced from person to person instead of clearing a wide path. Sometimes it takes a lot of effort to mask her abilities.
She is about to question Sadie further when the girl comes to a sudden stop, forcing Roseline to put on the brakes. Only her superior reflexes save her from bowling Sadie over.
“Will,” Sadie groans, thumping a crouched boy on the shoulder. “Not again.”
Roseline glances around Sadie, curious to see what has caused her to sound so put out. She can’t help but giggle as the sandy-blond boy rises. His white sweater is completely stained with spaghetti sauce. “Who was it this time?”
Will’s grin is wide and genuine, as if he could care less that he has worn the evidence of a tomato massacre since lunch. “It was just Conner and Oliver. You know how those guys are this close to a big game.”
Sadie nods, looking less than pleased. “But do they always have to pick on you?”
Will shrugs, stuffing his physics book into his bag. “It’s just for a laugh. You know I don’t mind.”
“Sounds like bullying to me,” Roseline mutters. Two sets of eyes turn toward her. She blushes as one set widens in surprise.
“You’ve been holding out on me, I see,” Will huffs, elbowing Sadie in the ribs as he sidles up to Roseline, offering his hand. “William Hughes. My friends just call me Will.”
Roseline smiles, shaking his hand politely. “What a tragedy. William is such a lovely name. You should never shorten it.”
Sadie rolls her eyes dramatically as William flushes with pride. “Oh, great. Now you’ve done it. The dork won’t go by Will now for a month.”
“I assure you I meant no disrespect.” She glances between the siblings, wondering if she has just offended the only two people she has really spoken to since arriving in Chicago.
Sadie and her brother burst into a fit of giggles. “She’s something, huh? Found her sleeping in sixth period.”
“Lucky you,” William says, his voice low and husky as his eyes trail over Roseline’s outfit. She blushes furiously and glances away, wishing she could find a way to stop attracting guys. She is pretty sure enticing a girl’s brother is totally off limits within the first hour of meeting her.
Not that William isn’t cute. His brushed-over hair drifts down int
o his eyes. A nice tan speaks of hours spent at the pool and the lines at the corners of his lips tell her all she needs to know—William likes to have a good time.
“Oh, not you too,” Sadie groans, pulling her brother away from Roseline. “I’m starting to think I should be jealous of you, Rose. You sure do have a way with guys.”
Her responding laugh appears innocent enough, but Roseline works hard to mask her distress. Sadie is right. She has already attracted far too much attention on her first day of school. Maybe she should let Sadie give her a makeover. No, on second thought, Sadie does everything she possibly can to stand out. Roseline needs to find a way to blend in.
No matter how much she might try to change her appearance, it won’t be enough. Hormones naturally seep from her skin. It is a scent that draws in even the most hard-core humans, like the prey fawning over its predator. They never even know the attack is coming until it is too late.
Roseline shivers and glances away. She refuses to think like that. Deep down she knows she is the monster Vladimir created her to be, but she fights it with every ounce of her being. Roseline refuses to allow herself to become a cold-blooded killer.
“So, Romeo, are you gonna offer your coat to the lady or just stand there and drool all over her?” Sadie asks, tapping her foot impatiently.
William smiles sheepishly and grabs his black wool coat from his locker. “Sorry about that,” he mutters, blushing as he offers it to Roseline.
“For being a doofus or for slobbering all over her?” Sadie retorts, planting her hands firmly on her hips, looking just like a little kid who has been told it is bedtime during her favorite show.
Roseline saves him from answering. “Will you not be cold?” She hates taking away William’s coat when she will be perfectly happy in the freezing afternoon air. Her skin—naturally warmer than humans—delights in cold weather. The harsh winters back in Romania are blissful for immortals.
“I insist.” He grins. “Wouldn’t be much of a gentleman if I let the beautiful lady freeze to death.”
Sadie rolls her eyes. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
Roseline quickly follows the siblings down the hall. Her mind fumbles through several arguments to get her out of this predicament without appearing rude but now that she’s huddled within the warm layers of William’s coat, she sees no escape.
Once outside, she effortlessly maneuvers the icy front steps but remains close to Sadie just in case her feet decide to take the fast way down.
Logic tells her that she should not care one way or another about Sadie and her brother. They are mortals and as such should not matter. As an immortal, Roseline ranks far above them on the power scale but, then again, she has never really been one to care about hierarchy. Sadie has touched a nerve within her and already Roseline finds her poorly constructed defenses weakening.
Sadie is fun and bubbly, and her enthusiasm has easily drawn Roseline out of a depressed funk. Would it be so bad to have one friend? What about William? If she can keep him at bay, wouldn’t it be nice to have a guy friend again?
Life without Fane has been a hard adjustment. She took it for granted that they could always sneak away for a private conversation among the castle grounds. She is desperate to hear his voice but refuses to give into her selfish longing, knowing that his life depends upon her actions.
As they cross a large patch of black ice leading to the parking lot, the siblings’ laughter warms a part of her soul that she has not felt since Adela was taken from her. Sadie, with her crazy clothes and boisterous attitude, reminds Roseline so much of her rebellious younger sister that she simply cannot pull herself away.
“Nice vehicle,” she says, nodding approvingly as they pause in front of a brand-new SUV. William grins, his lips noticeably darkening against the cold. A twinge of guilt stabs at Roseline as she shifts inside his coat.
“It was a birthday present,” he says proudly, motioning towards his blacked-out Escalade, covered with a light sheen of freezing rain. His teeth begin to clatter together. “Sadie got a Mustang.”
Roseline does not have any clue what kind of car that is but, judging by the gleam in Sadie’s eyes, it must have been exactly what she wanted. “Your parents are very generous. I am sure they felt you have earned such an extravagant gift.”
The automatic door lock sounds and Sadie shoves Roseline into the backseat, laughing. “There you go again. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were my parents’ age.”
Roseline winces, making another mental note to work harder to fit in. Her appearance is that of a seventeen-year-old, so she had better start acting and speaking like one. She takes a deep breath and regurgitates some of the slang she picked up on earlier. “Sorry. It has just been Mom and me for a while. She’s rubbed off on me, I suppose.”
Better but still needs some work, Roseline mentally groans. Fitting into the human world is much harder than she imagined it would be.
“Tragic.” Sadie shakes her head. “Hate it when parents do that.”
“Maybe you just need to get out for a bit. You should join us for tea and crumpets later,” William cackles, slipping into the driver seat. He rubs his hands together to warm them before slipping the key into the ignition. The engine roars to life. Freezing air bursts from the vents, eliciting a few choice words from him as he rushes to close them off.
“She’s not British, you idiot. She’s from Romania,” Sadie says.
William glances back over his shoulder as he backs the car out of the narrow space. The rear windshield is almost completely glazed over. “Either way, I think the way European chicks talk is hot with a capital HOT.”
Sadie groans, shaking her head. Roseline smiles, enjoying their playful banter. If her brother, Petru, were still alive, he would have loved William. Staring out the window, Roseline secretly wipes a stray tear from her eye. Her heart aches for the brother and sister she lost so long ago. For the country she left behind. For Fane.
“So where do you live?” William asks, glancing at her in the rearview mirror. He frowns when he notices her sullen face.
“On Raven’s Court,” she replies absently.
William nudges his car out into the long line of traffic. “Is that in Wildwood Estates?”
Roseline pushes the faded memories of her family away, locking them back into her heart where she keeps them safe and untouched by Vladimir’s wickedness.
“I believe so,” she responds, managing a somewhat genuine smile.
The home she has rented is not extravagant by any means. It is a simple two-story bungalow in a nice, older neighborhood. She was lucky to find the daughter of a recently deceased man putting out the for rent sign in the front yard as she walked by two days ago. Although the woman was a bit hesitant about renting to a teenage girl, her fears were easily calmed when Roseline produced enough money to pay half of the year’s rent up front.
The shoddy house and her school tuition has eaten up a great deal of the meager funds Roseline managed to smuggle out with her. She will need to be careful with her money from now on, but a new wardrobe is obviously a must, and perhaps a new bed. The lumpy mattress she has been sleeping on has got to go. A girl, immortal or not, needs her beauty sleep.
“So, do you have plans tonight?” Sadie asks.
“Perhaps, why?” Roseline responds warily. She glances up to find William’s eyes locked onto her in the rearview mirror. His fingers clench around the steering wheel.
“There’s a football game tonight and it’s gonna be huge. You have to come,” Sadie says. “I hate always going by myself.”
She reminds Roseline so much of her little sister. Same pout, same whine, and same irresistible plea. Sadie chips away another brick from her resolve.
“Hey,” William cries, pretending to be wounded by his sister’s words. “I go with you.”
“Yeah, but all you do is check out girls,” Sadie grumbles, looking tragically put out. “It’s so annoying to not have a girl with me.”
Roseline shakes her head. “I am rather tired from the flight and American football is not something that I understand. Why the need for pads? Real men do not need them.”
William scoffs and rolls his eyes. “If you knew these guys, you would totally get it. They put the lose in losers!”
“Come on,” Sadie pleads, ignoring her brother’s comment. “It’s only a couple of hours and you said your mom isn’t in town. She won’t even know you’re gone.”
William’s pointed stare makes Roseline laugh. “I would not want to intrude—”
“Heck no,” William cuts in, a rakish grin brightening his face. “You’d be doing me a favor. After the game I usually end up with a stiff neck.”
“From what?” Roseline asks.
“Ogling girls, of course,” Sadie snickers.
William’s smile is infectious as he raises his eyebrows suggestively. Roseline laughs. “So what do you say?” Sadie asks.
An internal war wages. Logic tells her that she should say no, disappear into her home and only come out for school again on Monday, but her heart yearns for more.
Vladimir stripped away her chance at a normal life. She never got to really live, to laugh and be carefree. Isn’t this why she came to America in the first place? To try to reclaim what she missed?
How bad can one football game really be? She could just try it once and if she hates it, which she fully expects to do, she will have a good excuse to bow out of any further adventures with Sadie and William.
Sadness sweeps over her at the thought of spending the night in her empty home. She misses Fane, her sister Adela, and the friendship they both offered her over the years. Is it so wrong to want that again?
“Perhaps, just this once,” Roseline concedes.
Sadie squeals. William hoots as he brakes for a red light. “So, I guess this means you might be around from time to time. Maybe you two should have a sleepover or something.” He grins mischievously. “You can paint each other’s nails, have a pillow fight, and talk about how amazing I am.” William ducks Sadie’s slap seconds before it hits.
