“It’s good for you to be around your cousins, too. It will give you a more well-rounded life experience,” Roman continued, obviously noting her displeasure.
“Did he just say life experience?” Vanora asked, raising an eyebrow.
Alisha nodded. “Yep. He’s in full speech mode.”
Roman ignored them. “Though Austin has a decent metro bus system, and has a lot more bike lanes than it had before, I’m not comfortable with someone so young traveling about using those modes of transportation.”
Vanora rolled her eyes.
Alisha yawned.
“There are seedy characters in every city. Houston can be quite dangerous at times, but we live behind stone walls. Uncle Nicolau lives in a good part of Austin, but for you to get around town by bike or bus, you’ll be traveling outside the parameters what I consider to be a safe area.”
Vanora pretended to load a gun and shoot herself in the head. Alisha mimed picking it up and shooting herself, too. They both flopped over dramatically.
Roman ignored them. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but you’re still very young, Vanora, and you don’t know how cruel the world can be.”
“My brother and sister are vampires.”
Alisha high-fived her.
Roman scowled.
Alisha rolled her eyes. “Just get to it, Roman!”
“Fine, Alisha! I’m trying to make her understand why we’re going to give her a car.”
“A car!” Vanora hurled herself off the bed and into Roman’s arms. “A car! I’m getting a car!”
Roman grinned down at her, snuggling her against his chest. “An older model, but a reliable one.”
“But a car! Just for me? In my name?”
“Well, Alisha will also be on the title, but, yes, it will be your car. I already have my eye on a few I saw online and Ryan will be checking them out for me.”
“Can I go with him? Can I pick it out?” Vanora squealed, hopping up and down.
Roman laughed with delight. “Of course. I would go with you, but…”
Vanora saw the brief flicker of remorse in Roman’s eyes, but she refused to let him feel sorry that he couldn’t go with her to get her first vehicle. She grabbed him about the neck and pressed kisses to his scruffy cheek. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re the best dad ever!”
Vanora didn’t know vampires could blush, but Roman did. His grin and the sparkle in his eyes were a lovely sight.
“Well, I’m your older brother technically.”
“Brother slash father,” Vanora corrected him. “You’re so old and stuff. You could totally be my dad.”
Roman rolled his eyes but was still pleased.
“Well, your sister slash mother wants some love, too!” Alisha protested.
Vanora flung herself into Alisha’s arms, kissing her cheek. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
When her brother and sister finally left her bedroom, Vanora texted Rhonda with the news before sliding into bed. The full weekend and unexpected gift of a car had her high with excitement. The next evening, on her actual birthday, Roman and Alisha planned to drive to the far side of Houston to take her out to dinner and shopping. Roman was growing out a beard to disguise his appearance, though Vanora thought it was probably unnecessary. Alisha and Vanora had already decided to claim Roman was another uncle. The Socolis did tend to strongly resemble one another. People were more likely to believe Roman was a lookalike family member than a vampire.
Snuggling under her covers, Vanora closed her eyes and tried to sleep.
32
Though it was nearly midnight, Vanora still couldn’t sleep. The next day was her true birthday and Alisha had offered to call the school to leave a message that Vanora wouldn’t be in class, but Vanora had declined. With her siblings asleep, she’d just end up wasting the entire day sitting on the sofa in a mindless stupor watching the morning talk shows followed by unhealthy amounts of soap operas and reality TV on cable. Now she was reconsidering that decision. She was going to be exhausted in the morning if she didn’t sleep soon. Yet a strange excitement filled her, keeping her vividly awake.
The weekend had been a strange mix of wonderful moments and growing unease. Though she’d been excited about turning seventeen, the closer her actual birthday loomed, the more unsettled she felt. It was if she were waiting for something terrible to happen. Or maybe something marvelous. She was unsure. The emotional mess inside her head made her feel a bit crazy. Lately, she’d become woefully aware of the great chasm between the life she would soon lead and that of her siblings. Guilt ate at her as she made plans to move away and attend the University of Texas. She’d be leaving Roman and Alisha behind in their perpetual dark world. After living within it with them for so long, she was anxious to find out what life among other mortals would actually be like.
Flopping over onto her back, she stared at the filmy white organza canopy hovering above the bed. The fabric was ghostly in the pale light emanating from the small angel nightlight she always had to have on while she slept. She couldn’t stand to be in absolute darkness since the terrible night the disgusting old vampire had crept through her window.
Pulling her covers up to her neck, she tried not to think of the vampire who had destroyed their lives. The old toy chest had been banished to the attic long ago, but her eyes drifted to the spot where it had once sat.
A gentle rap on the window startled her.
Gasping, she sat up, clutching her covers to her neck.
Perched outside her window was a familiar figure. Dark hair and profile illuminated by the moon, Armando raised his hand to tap on the glass again. Sliding out of bed, Vanora waved at him, not wanting Roman or Alisha to hear. Excitement choking her, Vanora hurried to the window. Smoothing her hair back from her face and tugging down her pale pink tank top over her stomach, she resisted the urge to tug on the wedgie her pajama shorts were giving her.
Gritting her teeth, she opened the window slowly, trying desperately not to make any unnecessary noise. Roman was downstairs watching TV while Alisha painted in her studio. They most likely wouldn’t hear the window opening, but the fact that Armando was perched outside her room in the middle of the night was rather scandalous. She wasn’t even sure how to respond to his surprise appearance.
Armando flashed his wickedly handsome smile when she finished opening the window. The vampire was delicately balanced on the narrow windowsill. As always, he made even simple black jeans and a gray t-shirt seem elegant. The familiar scent of his cologne tickled her nose, and his curls shifted against his high brow as he slightly pivoted toward her.
“Happy birthday,” he whispered.
Vanora glanced at her clock before drawing over the stool from her vanity so she could sit next to the window. “You’re creepy.”
Armando lifted an eyebrow.
“I was born at 12:45 AM in the morning.”
Peering around her, Armando chuckled. “One minute late actually. So I assume I’m the first to wish you happy birthday on your actual birthday.”
Giggling, Vanora nodded. “Yes, you are. Is that why you’re creeping outside my window?”
Armando smirked with amusement. “Creeping?”
“Yeah, creeping.” Vanora couldn’t help but smile at him shyly. “Is this a vampire thing? Hanging outside of girl’s bedrooms?”
“Actually, yes. We wait until you’re asleep then compel you to open the window so we can do terrible things. It’s a tradition.” Armando was clearly teasing her.
Vanora narrowed her eyes. “The whole ‘I vant to zuck yer blood’ thing, huh?”
Maybe it was her imagination, but for a moment, his expression was quite devilish as his gaze dipped downward briefly. She swiftly crossed her arms over her breasts.
“That and other…things.”
“Are you flirting with me?” Vanora accused him playfully.
Armando promptly sobered, his smile vanishing. “Of course not! I’m just giving you a s
mall history lesson on how terrible vampires can be.”
Disappointed, Vanora felt her joy at seeing him deflate just a little.
“I’m actually here because your brother has banned all vampires from the house during your birthday. And since you were gone all weekend, I had to find a way to see you and wish you a happy birthday.”
“You knew I was gone this weekend?”
“Roman told me you went to Galveston with your Uncle Nicolau and his family. Did you have a pleasant time?”
Vanora nodded slightly. “It was nice.”
To her relief, he flashed his charming, alluring smile, wiping away the seriousness that had fallen over his features briefly. “I’m pleased. You deserve happiness.”
The heat in her face was embarrassing, and Vanora tilted her head forward so her pale hair would hide her flushed cheeks. It was horrible how his mere smile could make her feel giddy and nervous all at once.
To her surprise and pleasure, Armando gently swept a lock of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear so he could see her face. Feeling more like a flustered fourteen-year-old than a maturing young woman of seventeen, Vanora swallowed and tried to keep her hands from trembling. She couldn’t fathom why Armando felt it important to wish her a happy birthday. Her mind was spinning out a thousand crazy theories, but they all seemed far too fantastical to be the truth.
As though to answer her unspoken question, Armando said, “I brought you a gift.” He reached into his pocket and extracted a small box wrapped expertly in pretty pink paper tied with a creamy satin bow. Gently, he rested the gift in her trembling hands. He briefly squeezed them, his skin cool against her fevered flesh. “I thought of you when I saw it.”
Where he’d touched her hand, her skin felt like it was on fire. “You really didn’t have to get me anything,” Vanora said, her voice quivering slightly. She hated how his golden eyes reduced her insides to so much quivering goo. He was so much older than she was, worldly, sophisticated, intelligent, and very, very undead.
Armando shrugged slightly. “But I wanted to.”
Carefully, Vanora pried the tape from the shiny paper lamenting her chipped pale pink manicure. Inside was a dark blue jewelry box. When she opened it, she instantly smiled. A silver charm bracelet was nestled against the black velvet. Tiny stars and the moon in all its phases dangled from an intricate chain. “Wow, it’s beautiful.”
“I thought it would look beautiful against your white skin,” Armando answered.
“Why moons and stars?” Vanora looked up at him through her white lashes.
Glancing briefly at the moon, Armando looked quite thoughtful. At last, he said, “You’re a moon goddess. All that’s beautiful in the moon is reflected in your lovely hair and complexion. Even your lavender eyes remind me of the night.”
“The writer in you is showing,” Vanora teased, but she was deeply moved by his words. Tears pricked at her eyes.
“I felt inspired.” His smile was a touch bittersweet.
Vanora rested her hand on his and returned his smile. In spite of her determination to keep it together, her fingers were still trembling. Her heart was thudding so hard in her chest, she was sure he could hear it. The glint of the moonlight in his dark wavy hair, the light scruff on his chin, and the strong swoop of his cheekbones transfixed her. She found herself staring at him and swiftly averted her gaze.
The tantalizing touch of his fingers against her chin drew her gaze up to his face. “So you like it, Vanora?”
“I love it,” she said a tad breathlessly.
He grinned, dropping his hand. “I’m glad.”
“Is it silver?” she asked, surprised.
“Yes, it is, so be careful when you wear it around vampires. It can leave a nasty burn.”
Vanora lifted one eyebrow, her fingers tracing over the charms. “It’s pretty and a weapon.”
“If it needs to be,” Armando agreed.
“Not that any of the vampires I know would hurt me,” Vanora said, but she felt strangely unsure suddenly if those words were true.
“But there are vampires you don’t know,” Armando reminded her.
An icy wave slid through her body, and she shivered.
“But your brother would never allow anyone to hurt you,” Armando said. His voice sounded haunted somehow.
Vanora shifted so she could see his face clearer. Emotions she found hard to discern shifted his expression. “I’m sure you wouldn’t either. We’re friends after all.”
Armando hesitated, then reached above him to draw something off the slope of the roof. It was a perfect red rose. Armando kept it away from his face as he handed it to her, obviously repulsed by the flower’s perfume. “Another gift.”
Startled, Vanora took it from him. Roses caused vampires great discomfort, so she was surprised by the gesture, especially considering sharp thorns still decorated the stem. “Thank you.” She inhaled its fragrance, then swiveled on her stool to place it on her vanity along with the bracelet.
Armando’s hand caught her arm, drawing her back about. “Vanora, you will wear the bracelet, won’t you?”
“Of course! I love it! I’ll wear it every day just like I wear my cross.” Since her siblings had transformed, she wore the cross on a longer chain so that it was tucked between her breasts over her heart and not visible.
“I just sometimes worry,” Armando said, his smile losing most of its mysterious allure. He actually did look very concerned. Slipping through the window, he sat next to her on the window ledge, his knee lightly brushing hers. She had never been so close to him before. Over the years, she had thought her crush on the Spanish vampire would fade. Tonight, her feelings for him no longer felt like childish infatuation. She felt far removed from the child she had been when she’d met him. Every part of her responded to his simple presence, from the throbbing between her legs to the pinch of her nipples, to her pounding heartbeat. Nothing felt the same between them anymore, and yet she feared she was the only one who felt the difference.
“Is something wrong?” Vanora finally dared to ask.
Lowering his lids so his dark lashes threw long shadows over his cheekbones in the light cast from the night light, Armando sat in silence for a few long, anxiety-inducing moments. “You’ll be leaving soon. I wonder what will become of your siblings once you’re gone. You mean the world to them. You are their reason for being as strong as they are in their convictions to not be mere monsters.”
“They’ll be fine. Like you. You aren’t a monster.”
Armando laughed softly, shaking his head. “Perhaps I am more a monster than you think I am.”
Lifting a shoulder, Vanora said, “I don’t believe it.”
“Why not?”
“Because I feel it in here,” Vanora answered, pressing her hand to her heart. “You’re not a monster. I know you’d never hurt me.” She hastily added, “Or anyone else.”
“But I have,” Armando said somberly. It was as if he couldn’t bear to look at her anymore. Instead, he twisted on his perch and focused his attention on the moon above the trees.
Leaning toward him, Vanora poked him in the ribs. “Why so moody?”
“I just look at you, so young and innocent, and I dread those qualities being taken from you.” His gaze swept over her from head to foot. “You’re not a little girl anymore and life can be cruel. People can be cruel.”
“I’m used to it.” Vanora shrugged. She thought of the man at the restaurant just the other night.
“You shouldn’t be used to it.” Armando’s voice held something dark and dangerous she had never heard before.
Then she felt it. Just like her emotions were sloshing about wildly inside of her mind, so were his. He was just as flummoxed as she was at this moment. Vanora felt it so keenly she knew it to be true. But what did it mean?
“It’s the whole albino thing,” she said, indicating her face and hair. “It gives people a case of the stupids.”
“Why don’t y
ou wear your glasses?” Armando asked abruptly, surprising her.
“I don’t need them.” She rubbed her nose nervously. “I know that no one believes me. I’m supposedly blind, but I can see. Clearly. The doctor thinks I memorized the eye chart, or that I’m somehow cheating. Physically, my eyes are blind. But I can see. I can see you clearly.”
“You watch the world through your other eye then,” Armando said in awe. He pointed one finger at the center of her forehead.
“Yeah! Exactly! Alisha thinks I’m just trying to avoid wearing glasses because I look like a dork with them on, but I can see.” It felt strange confiding something so personal to Armando.
“You’re going to be powerful, you know,” he said, a slight smile spreading on the curve of his lips. “You already are powerful.”
“You mean with the sixth sense?”
“I mean in every way.”
The darkness around her was pulsing with a growing energy and Vanora was finding it harder to take a breath. Armando’s stillness was disconcerting. She wished she could peer into his thoughts and know his mind. Suddenly, she was afraid of him, of herself, and the growing need she felt inside her.
“I have school,” she said lamely.
“I should go,” he said, sighing.
“Thank you for the gifts, Armando.”
In an impulsive, crazed moment, Vanora leaned toward him to press a kiss to his cheek. Nervousness and lack of experience resulted in her aim being awkwardly off. Her lips brushed against the corner of his mouth.
The world swam around her, panic and embarrassment seizing her. Voiceless in her mortification, she ducked her head, drawing away. Armando’s cool hand caught her chin, tilting her face back toward him. His amber eyes gleamed in the darkness with preternatural light as he gazed at her. An apology hovered on her lips, but she couldn’t find her voice when he was staring at her in a strange, new way. As though mesmerized, Armando slanted his head downward and kissed her.
The first kiss was light, soft, and far too quick. Just the simple touch of lips and it was over. A part of her brain was screaming with delight that Armando had just kissed her while another part panicked with the implications. It wasn’t her mind that controlled her next action, but her heart. Sliding her hands into his glossy dark hair, she pulled him close and pressed her lips to his.
Vampire in the Night: In Darkness We Must Abide, #1 Page 20
