Deaths and Vampire Girls (Misfit Academy Book 1)

by A. Vers

  He dove in front of me, stopping my momentum as his brown eyes tracked over me. “You are beautiful,” he murmured. “Let me buy you lunch. Please. I’ll die happy.”

  A strong tan hand closed over his shoulder, and he was hauled around me.

  Ryder stood close to my side, his face flushed and his hazel eyes glittering. “Scram, kid,” he told the young male, voice icy.

  The teenager sulked, but sized up his fellow human and went back to his compatriots without another word.

  My guide came up beside me. “Do you need a menu too, dear?” she asked Ryder.

  He continued to watch me, seeming to size me up as the other male had done him. I suddenly felt underdressed. “Yeah,” he said gruffly. “Yeah, I do.”

  His hand was hot as it closed over my bare arm. He herded me easily to a booth near the rear of the establishment and motioned me down. I dropped into the seat.

  My heart raced.

  Was that why I unwittingly came to Easthaven? On the off chance that I would see Ryder?

  He sat across from me, his gaze still assessing every move I made. “So ... Decided to see how the other side live?”

  My head cocked. “I don’t understand.”

  He leaned over the table, flexing the muscle of his arms and making the swells under his plain black shirt ripple. “Why are you in Easthaven, Morgan?”

  I could not stop the flush in my face even if I tried. “Ames and I …” I bit my lip. “He said I needed to figure out what I wanted. But I don’t know what I want.”

  “So you came to a human town to figure it out?”

  My brows knit as I thought about it. “I’ve never worn jeans,” I said and his lips quirked. “I want to know what else I might enjoy. There is not ... much at Lokworth that I have not experienced. But here …” I looked around.

  “What are the tall glasses?” I asked him. “Why is there music? And what is that amazing smell?”

  Ryder watched me, a new light dancing in his gaze. For a long time he was quiet. Then, “You really haven’t worn jeans before, have you?”

  I shook my head. “My colony is old-fashioned. We wear dresses and blouses with silk slacks.”

  “Yeah, the arranged marriage should have been a dead giveaway, I guess,” he said, more to himself than to me.

  The older female guide came back to the table, another ‘menu’ in her hand. She tried to hand it to him.

  Ryder waved it off. “We want two steak burgers with fries. A vanilla milkshake and a chocolate one. Extra whip and extra cherries.” He smiled at me, and the motion was far from what I considered his usual smirk. It made my insides flutter oddly. “But you can start by bringing us two sodas.”

  The woman smiled brightly, picked up my untouched menu, and walked off.

  As soon as she was out of earshot, I peered at Ryder in confusion. “What is a soda?” I asked, rolling the word as he had.

  He grinned.

  Chapter 25

  Ryder

  Morgan scrunched her nose as the bubbles popped in her glass. “And I am to drink this?”

  It took everything I had to keep a straight face. “Yeah. You drink it.” I took a sip of my over sweet concoction to show her.

  She gingerly took the straw between her full pouty lips and sucked. The sound of surprise she made was sexy and cute, and I was sure she had no idea about that either.

  It was like watching a kid experience everything for the first time.

  Morgan gave off a kind of innocence that tugged at a man. Made you want to protect her. To teach her all the world had to offer, just to get that kind of reaction in response.

  And it made me sick as hell because my body heated with that damn sound.

  “Good?” I asked, trying not to watch her suck at the straw.

  She shook her head. “Sweet.”

  I laughed. “Soda will rot your teeth. But it’s okay occasionally.”

  Her head bobbed. “Okay occasionally,” she murmured, like she filed that information for later.

  I knew I had bigger problems. Between the dead humans, the hunters rallying, and potential supernatural assassins, the last thing I needed was to sit in a diner with what should have been my enemy.

  But in her human clothes, she was something from a magazine. All long legs, straight black hair, and perfect features. Her body was all woman, bordering on model level fit, and shoved into a pair of tight, grey low-ride jeans and a blood-red tank top.

  I fully understood the effect she was having on most of the men in the restaurant and a handful of the women.

  She was exotic. Forbidden.

  Oh, they didn’t know she was a vampire. No idea that under those pink lips she had a set of killer fangs.

  No, they saw the outer beauty. Her demure stance, quiet attitude, and new defiant tilt to her chin.

  But I saw the curiosity. The need to prove something that was growing every minute I sat across from her. And, god forgive me, I wanted to fan the fire.

  “So you and Ames had a falling out?” I asked, shoving my drink to the side.

  Her brows furrowed. “Maybe.” She clamped her lips shut.

  “I’m not asking to cause you problems, Morgan,” I said finally and was surprised I meant it. “Just trying to understand.”

  She let loose a sigh. “You know we are meant to marry.” I nodded. I didn’t get it. But I knew it. “We both come from high-ranking families. Ames is the eldest son and I am the only daughter. We were matched from birth. It has just always been …” she paused, “known that we would marry. To seal our families as one people.”

  “But when I came to Lokworth, Ames came too. He is my guardian of a sort.”

  “I get all of that.”

  She gave a little nod. “He believes that when we came here, that it allowed us a chance to make our own rules. To figure out who we want to be. If we want to be together.”

  “And you disagree?”

  Another pause. “I don’t know how to do anything else,” she said. “Even Riki wants to be an ambassador to your kind. Roman has designs to become a doctor.”

  A vampire doctor?

  Now I had heard it all.

  “But I am ... nothing. No one. I have only ever wanted to please my family. To fix—” She cut off abruptly.

  I raised a hand. “You don’t have to tell me about pleasing the ‘rentals.” Her head raised. “Look, I know all about being raised with certain expectations. Your family molds you. Wants you to be something. And that shapes you as an individual.” I couldn’t quite keep the bitterness from my voice, but I tried.

  Her head bobbed. “Yes. Exactly.” Her lilac eyes shimmered in the lights above. “They trained me to be a wife. A dignitary. From birth, they groomed me to please. How to act, how to dress. And now, Ames says he will not marry me unless I know what I want first.”

  She stared at me, gaze widening. “How do I explain that to my parents? How do I tell them that my betrothed does not wish to marry me? Me,” she said with force, and I had a feeling there was more to that one word. Like she came with a price.

  “When were you guys supposed to tie the knot?”

  Her pale face flushed a pretty rose. “At the end of this year.”

  My gut clenched.

  So soon?

  “How old are you?”

  “Eighteen,” she said, like it was obvious.

  “And Ames?”

  “He is twenty-one.” Her head cocked. “Why?”

  I shrugged, nonchalant. But the wave of relief I felt was anything but. Odd how knowing Ames was only three years older made it less creepy, but no less wrong. He was a year older than me, but the arranged marriage thing … That was still gnawing at my ass. “No reason.”

  Our food came then, and Morgan was soon too busy enjoying her first burger and milkshake to worry about much else.

  I ate little, content to pick at my plate as I watched her pack it away with little effort.

  “How do you stay so lean?” I said in surp
rise, but marginally pleased she seemed to enjoy the fare.

  She took another long pull of her milkshake, emptying the glass of the rich concoction. “We have fast metabolisms after our change. Mine isn’t complete, but my body has already sped up to finish the transition.”

  I slid her my plain vanilla shake at that. “Then you need food,” I said, trying not to admire the already prominent play of lean muscle in her shoulders.

  Vampires got all the good genetics.

  She hesitated, eyeing the glass. “You dislike them?”

  “Sugar has never really been my thing,” I murmured. “I ordered two in case you didn’t like the chocolate.”

  Her smile was sweet. Innocent.

  Damn.

  How could a vamp be innocent?

  “That was very nice. Thank you.”

  I sat back. “No reason to thank me,” I said, turning away. If she only knew how many reasons she had to hate me … “It’s just a shake, Morgan. No big deal.”

  Something cool brushed my knuckles, and I startled.

  Her hand disappeared under the table before I could face her fully. “I still want to thank you, Ryder. You’ve been nice to me. Even if you don’t have to be.”

  My heart picked up its pace, and the sour feeling in my gut intensified. But I forced my mouth to open and respond, anyway. “You’re welcome.”

  She dropped her gaze.

  I surveyed her, taking in the almost shy cast of her features. “Morgan?” She continued to stare at the table. I could hear the blasted gears in her mind whirring with too many worries for a girl her age.

  Something dark in me reared, wanting to smack down whoever made her react this way to a simple act of kindness. But ... I had a better idea.

  Climbing to my feet, I dropped a handful of crumpled bills onto the table and held my hand out. “Come on.”

  She lifted her face at last. “Where are we going?” she asked, appraising me with mild curiosity. Even with all of whatever she was battling, that spirit of hers remained firmly intact.

  I couldn’t help it. I wanted to show her so many things. But for now … “Have you ever seen a movie?”

  Chapter 26

  Morgan

  Ryder snuck us into the theatre using the ‘back way’. His hand was hot in mine, calloused, and not as long as Ames’. But it was beyond pleasant. It was doing things inside me. Heating me and soothing me at one time.

  I tried not to stare at him, but it was hard. My eyes roamed him almost nonstop. Tracking the fall of his thick hair, how it framed his face or how the strands brushed the muscle of his shoulders.

  He looked both ways as we entered the dim hallway. “What are you into? Rom-coms, fantasy, a little action and adventure?”

  I frowned. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

  He chuckled. “Action and adventure it is.” He led the way to a closed door and hauled one side open for me.

  I slipped past him and immediately stopped as the large moving screen claimed my focus. Ryder laid his hand on the curve of my back and urged me to keep going. “Come on,” he whispered to me. “There’s a better view.”

  Shivering now, we climbed the stairs past several couples and onto the empty back row as the lights went out. I startled.

  “That’s supposed to happen,” Ryder murmured near my ear. My body thrummed. “Sit down, Morgan.”

  I felt for the seat and dropped into it. Ryder sprawled in the one beside me as the screen lit up with explosions and gunfire.

  My hands went to my ears. “Why is it so loud?” I called.

  He was smiling as he pulled my hands down. “Humans don’t have your insane sense of hearing. So we like stuff loud.”

  I grimaced and tried to get comfortable as the fire faded to a single black car winding along an old road. The trees were soothing, and it reminded me of Lokworth. Which just made me worry more about Ames and how I was supposed to find out what I liked and wanted.

  Milkshakes were good. And the burger that Ryder ordered was too. Messy. But good. I enjoyed holding Ryder’s hand. I liked his smile, his humanity. His heat.

  And I liked Ames. I didn’t need to figure that out. I knew it.

  Something rough scrubbed down my jaw.

  My head whipped over to find Ryder watching me.

  “You keep zoning out on me, Morgan.” His voice was rough again. Deeper. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

  Pretty?

  I blinked. “You think I’m pretty?”

  His eyes darted and a flush of color rose into his neck and cheeks. The heat pouring from him intensified. “Well ... yeah.”

  My pulse went wild. Even Ames had never called me pretty.

  Did I want Ryder to think I was?

  “Thank you,” I whispered, unsure how to react. Did I tell him I thought him attractive too? “And you are most handsome for a human.”

  He scrubbed his face. “Right. Vampire.” He peered at me. “Look, it’s not that I’ve forgotten what you are. But how about we just watch the movie? Not as human and vampire. But friends?”

  “Friend.” I rolled the word over. My smile was slow, but so wide it made my jaw ache. “I would like that very much.” He stared at me.

  Then his mouth curved, and he settled back in his chair, shaking his head. “Friend.”

  ***

  The screen went dark, and I clapped enthusiastically as the credits began to roll. “Oh that was wondrous,” I exhaled. It had taken time to get used to the sound and the violence, but the hero was most dashing.

  Ryder chuckled and stretched a bit. “It wasn’t terrible.”

  We rose and followed the others from the room. This time we used the front door and exited onto the sidewalk into town.

  The sun was going down on the horizon, and I knew the evening would soon be near. “I should go back,” I said bitterly.

  It had been a day of firsts. My first kiss, my first human meal, and my first movie. I hated for it to end so soon.

  “Do you need a ride?” Ryder asked.

  I glanced over.

  He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, and the broad width of his shoulders seemed hunched. “I can borrow a car and take you back. So you don’t have to walk, I mean.”

  It would take less time. But I did not want him to go to any trouble for me. I smiled. “I can walk. It will be even faster if I flit.”

  “Then at least let me walk you to the edge of town.”

  My smile grew. “Okay.”

  We fell into a rhythm side by side. His legs were longer, but my supernatural speed allowed me to keep pace without tiring.

  “So how come you’ve never seen a movie?”

  I peered at him. “Technology and magick cancel each other out, remember?” I shrugged.

  “I get that. But surely you’ve at least caught one on a TV. Something.”

  I shook my head. “Most packs care more for a pack run than television. And we vampires have enough balls to attend to keep us busy, so it has never mattered. Even at the Academy there are only a few areas where tech works: the nurse’s office, the front entryway, and the courtyard.”

  He grimaced. “I’ve never been much of a techie, but even I know you’re missing out.”

  I bumped his shoulder with mine. “But now I have seen a movie. There will be others.”

  His smile was small, but it made my stomach flutter, anyway.

  “What’s flitting?” he asked after a time.

  “It is what we call our rapid speed. We are like the Goddess Flidas. Light-footed and swift when we hunt.” My face scrunched up. “But we hunt little now.”

  “As a human, thanks for that.” I snickered at his wry tone. His head canted to face me. “But why did your Council forbid feeding on humans?”

  I gazed out at the passerby and the sprawling shops. “Too many of our kind were turning into ... things. Creatures with one sole appetite. Bloodlust.” I shivered despite the heat. “My parents were around b
efore they outlawed the practice. I have heard stories of our kind hunting like mindless beasts. Killing innocents until towns ran red with the blood of our victims. It is why we are monitored so close during our change. So we do not repeat our ancestor’s sins.”

  He was silent for a beat. “You really don’t drink from humans, do you?” His expression was almost surprised.

  “No. I sustain on donor bags. And Ames. Though, I do not know if he will wish to feed me anymore after earlier.”

  Ryder kicked at a piece of stone, features flowing into deep thought. “What’s it like? Feeding, I mean?”

  “Like heat,” I said honestly. “Vampires are naturally cooler than humans and almost icy compared to the beast-kin. Feeding heats our systems, it fuels our life force. Strengthens us. Makes us faster.”

  He nodded like that made sense. “If Ames stops feeding you, what will you do?”

  “Go back to just donor bags,” I said, shrugging. “I would not ask Riki or Roman now. And I have never enjoyed the flavor of the shifters.”

  He smirked. “Too gamey?”

  I nudged him playfully, and he chuckled. “But I suppose you are right. They almost feel too alive. Ames is strong, even for such a young age. It is why I know he will make a good leader for our people. His blood can curve my thirst for days.” I sighed. “I will miss it. The lack of thirst.”

  “Are you ... thirsty now?” Ryder asked softly.

  “Not really. I should be. But I imagine Ames is to blame for that. I may be able to go for days without feeding still.”

  We were nearing the very edge of town when Ryder coughed slightly. “You could feed off me,” he said, making me stop and look at him. “If you had to.”

  I pivoted to face him. “Ryder—”

  “I know you don’t need to right now. And I’m not a first choice. But if Ames is a prick and you find yourself hard pressed … I would try. If it was you.” His neck was bright red by the time he finished, but his expression was nearly green.

  He meant what he said, but he feared it too. And the courage it took him to speak those words showed just how strong he was. For a human.

  No. How strong he was period.

  I stepped closer slowly, giving him time to move back. He locked himself in place, hands tight to his sides.