A shiver ran down my spine. The woman that made him sounded like she was pure evil. We sat in silence for a few minutes, and when the fog lifted on whatever memories he was holding onto, I put a hand on his arm. I felt him tense, but he didn’t fling my hand off.
“Well, she sounds like a real peach.” He looked at my hand then my face, but the light didn’t quite return to his eyes. “Are you all right?”
“Of course, I’m fine, and that was your fourth question, little one.”
“That’s cheating! Asking how you’re feeling should not be counted.” I honestly wasn’t too mad because I was secretly busy preening on the inside over the “little” comment. I had never been called small in my life.
A half smile returned to his beautiful face. “You asked. I answered. I will give you a total of five tonight, and then you can ask five more questions when your hunting skills get better, and you actually come back with something.” At my disgruntled look, he laughed. “I might not ever have to answer another question while you are under my roof.”
“But remember I can now keep you out of my head.”
“This is true, and you do it better than most. If only your hunting skills were as good.”
“I would hate to be perfect in every aspect, then you would have nothing to complain about.” I still had one more question, but I didn’t want to ask anything about Akeldama, if for no other reason than I hated seeing him go into that dark place. It was almost like I could feel his turmoil. Which brought me to my last question.
“Sometimes, I can feel your emotions…” He shifted uneasily and for the first time looked uncomfortable, so I rushed on. “Not all the time, but just little glimpses here and there. It seems to happen only when I’m in close proximity to you. Is this normal? Can all of the vampires that you’ve created read your emotions?”
His answer was blunt. “No.” There was no explanation, so I raised my eyebrows, hoping that he would feel the need to elaborate. After a brief staring contest, I gave up.
He stood up abruptly, stopping me from demanding to know more. His stony mask was back in place, and I had a feeling it had to do with my last question. “So, tomorrow morning my sister will arrive.” At my incredulous look, he said, “She is an ancient vampire, and she has a daylight cuff. She can move freely in the sunlight; therefore, allowing her to come in on any flight that she chooses. I will be away on business for two days, and then on my return I expect you to have made great strides in your hunting skills.”
“Yes, boss.” Apparently, only the cool kids got a cool metal cuff. “I will be here anxiously awaiting your return, just so that I can show you my mad hunting skills. I think I will be so good at it that vampires across the nation, generation after generation, will tell stories to their children about the huntress/goddess of the night that could bring down a single deer quick as lightning.” His eyebrows raised in question. “An adult buck that has had a full life.”
Tilting his head back, he roared with laughter, making my jaw drop. Smiles were one thing, but laughter? Who would’ve thought he was capable? He started for the door.
“Wait a second. You said you would answer five more questions for me if I got better at hunting, and now you’re saying that you won’t even be here?”
“Trust me, I have time.”
“How rude.” I would so show him.
“Good night, Tandi.”
“Good night, Prince of Vampires.”
I felt happiness from him and… confusion. It was as if he realized I was reading his emotions because a change came over him, and his face no longer showed any hint of warmth. Talk about your above average bi-polar vampire. Good thing he was hot, or he would be totally intolerable. I needed a plan to get back to my life, and it would seem the only way I was going to leave this state was to become a better vampire. The first step was hunting, so I would hunt… something. I wondered if I could find a chicken farm close by. Chickens were ugly with their cockatoo hair and gnarly feet, and everyone loved the taste of chicken, especially if it was fried. But I wouldn’t be eating the chicken, I would be sucking its blood. A shudder ran through me. Eww, gross. Something was fundamentally wrong with me. I must be the only vampire in the world that had minimal cravings but still couldn’t stomach the thought of drinking blood.
In my bones, I could feel the sun wanting to rise as I let out a very unladylike yawn. It was a little depressing that I would never feel the sun on my face again. I could feel him watching me from the sofa as I climbed the steps, and I thought to myself maybe, just maybe, I could convince Stephan’s sister to get me a metal cuff.
Chapter Four
I woke as soon as the sun went down, feeling more than a little hungry. My feet hit the floor, and the boards creaked under my weight. Stephan’s beautiful house was an enormous luxury cabin that looked more like a ski lodge resort. He was a fan of antiques, so everything in the house was extremely old, including the reclaimed barn wood that he used for the floor. The whole house smelled of pine and cedar, and I had to admit it was a comforting smell.
Throwing on some clothes, I ran down the steps hoping to find Greta waiting with a blood bag in her hand. The woman always spoiled me with the blood slightly warmed, just how I preferred it. If I had to have it, it might as well be warm. She was always giving me affectionate smiles and patting my head, making me feel loved. Growing up with my parents, love and laughter were two things that I didn’t get much of.
It was a shame that Greta didn’t have kids. She would have been a terrific mom. One time I had asked her if she was a vampire and she laughed. Later, I found out that she was a human consort, enabling her to live longer than most humans, but she was still very much human. Lucky goose.
Coming into the kitchen, I was disappointed to find no Greta. I went to the refrigerator, pulling out a bag before dumping it into a mug to be heated in the microwave. Dang it, the woman had spoiled me.
Someone cleared their throat behind me, making me jump. Whirling around, the first thing I saw was a beautiful girl about my age standing in front of me. She had chin-length honey brown hair that complemented her brown eyes and a crooked half smile on her face. I wasn’t tall by any means, but the girl in front of me made my five feet, five-inch frame looked Amazon-ish. If she reached five feet, I would be shocked. Hope she didn’t like roller-coaster rides.
I smiled in question at the dainty girl. “Hi, I’m Tandi. You must be Stephan’s sister?”
She extended a hand and I didn’t hesitate to shake it. “I am his favorite sister, and I’m not just saying that because I am his only sister.” At my laugh, she said, “I have heard a lot about you. My name is Daniella but my friends call me Dani, and I have a feeling that we will become fast friends.” Her voice was quiet and had a sexy edge to it.
“And I promise not to hold it against you that you are his sister. After all, we don’t get to choose our family.”
“That right there is why we will be friends.” Hopping onto the barstool, she swung her tiny legs that were miles from touching the ground. “Stephan has never asked me for help a day in his life, so when I got his phone call yesterday, I immediately packed a bag and took a private jet.” Of course, they had a private jet! I had already figured out that Stephan must be as rich as Bill Gates to have a pad like the one he had. “He says that you need a friend, but I feel that it might be more than that.” She gave me a once over. “You are stunningly beautiful, but he has been with many beautiful women before—”
I held up a hand, shaking my head. “Let me stop you right there. I promise that Stephan doesn’t like me like that. In fact I think he can barely tolerate me at all.” She cocked her head to the side, as if disagreeing. “I think the reason why he has asked you to come is because I’m not a… well, I’m not a normal vampire.”
One defined eyebrow arched as her brown eyes, which were a shade darker than her brother’s, twinkled with amusement. “How can any of us truly be normal? But what makes you think that you are so diff
erent than the rest of us?”
Could vampires blush? Because I felt blood rush to my face. Turning to the microwave that dinged, I pulled out my hot mug, warming my hands that nowadays always seemed cold. One of the numerous things that remind me I was a vampire now. “Um, for starters, this is the only way I can eat.”
Dani stifled a laugh. “Out of a mug?”
“That’s one way of looking at it.” Taking a sip, I sighed as the first wave of hunger started to ebb. “You see I can’t hunt. It’s not that I don’t want to; it’s just that the thought of taking a life leaves me sickened. Don’t get me wrong, I could kill, but the baby bunnies in the woods aren’t psychopaths trying to gut me.”
“And pray tell, Tandi, where do you think that blood came from that you’re chugging down now?”
I put the empty mug on the counter. “I know it came from some poor animal, but here’s the thing. When I was human, I could eat a tenderloin, even though I knew it came from a cow because I wasn’t the one going out into the pasture, looking into its big brown eyes, and whispering, ‘Baby, you’re about to be a medium-well.’ That’s just not cool.”
“Um—”
“I know it probably doesn’t make sense to you, but I am struggling with the whole hunting thing.”
Dani’s smile dropped, and a look of understanding came onto her pretty face. “I do get you, Tandi. Maybe not with the hunting aspect, but we all have our struggles, and each of us that has been turned has to deal with them. You do know why Stephan insists that you learn to hunt, right?” At my nod, she said, “Good. Now, enough about my brother. Let’s go attempt to hunt in the woods before we spend the rest of the night doing girly things like painting our nails, doing facials, and talking about how hot Shemar Moore is on SWAT.”
I gave her a questioning look. “Who is—”
Interrupting me with a fierce expression and a wave of her delicate hand, she said, “If you are about to tell me that you do not know whom I’m referring to, then this relationship will end before it begins.”
I had no clue who the heck she was talking about, but it was obviously a make or break for her. “No, of course, I so know… um him. He is hot?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Damn straight.” She stood up and winked at me. “Let’s go out in the woods, so you can show me what we’re working with.”
First impressions were a big deal. With that being said, I was nervous, and the anxiety overcame me in waves. I felt like I needed to offer her an explanation. “Dani, I think you should know right off that I’m the reason there are participation trophies.”
“Well, we will just have to change that. My philosophy is that second place is first loser, and who the hell can remember third place? I don’t fail at anything, and that includes training you. After I am done with you, you will be a stealth killing machine.”
Already defeated, I followed her outside into the gloomy night, wishing that I didn’t have to embarrass myself in front of my new friend.
For some reason, I truly wanted to impress Dani. Greta insisted on coming with us. I had a feeling it wasn’t because she was a nature lover, but more that she thought I was about to make a fool out of myself, and she didn’t want to miss out on the action. I would show her! I walked about a hundred yards in front of Dani and Greta. There was a distinct smell coming from a tree cavity up ahead, and I planned on taking whatever was in there by surprise. I didn’t have to kill it: I just needed to show Stephan’s sister that I was able of hunting, cornering, and capturing an animal if I had to.
I made sure to avoid most sticks littering the ground as I approached the tree, quiet as a mouse. Step one: find the animal. Check. I dropped to my knees in front of the small hole at the base of the tree. Step two: corner the animal. Check. This was a lot easier than I thought. Now, for the capture part. I would reach in the hole, grab the animal, then wave it around like a captured flag before I stuffed it right back into its little hole.
I thrust my hand into the hole and pulled back a… baby raccoon. It was about the size of my palm and completely helpless. The precious thing couldn’t even see yet. I was so enamored by the small creature in my hand that I didn’t see the mama raccoon flying at me. Her claws slashed my face while she screeched like an owl.
“Ouch. Cut it out, will you?” I tried to throw the mama off of me while not dropping her baby. I went to put the baby back in the hole, so the mama could see I meant it no harm, but she became even more aggressive. “I don’t want your other babies! For Pete’s sake, I’m trying to give this one back.” She flew at my head again, and I tried to scramble away from the attack but she had ambition. She landed on top of my head. I crawled on my knees and thrust the baby back into the hole. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You’ve got to let go now.” I started screaming all kinds of names and curse words all but begging for her to let me go.
With one last hiss and swipe of her claws, she jumped from my head and raced back to her den. I sat there for a second, trying to decipher what just happened. Standing up, I dusted my knees off and tried to slick my hair back. Dani and Greta stood there with their mouths open. Greta had her phone pointed at me, and I had a sick feeling that she just videoed that whole debacle.
“So, that escalated pretty quickly, huh?” I asked.
Trying to save what little dignity I had left, I started off towards the house with them hot on my trail. I pretended I couldn’t hear their laughter and reenactment of the performance I’d just given them.
“Wow. I failed miserably,” Dani said, shaking her head with amusement instead of disgust as we made it back to the house. “Hmm. Guess there is a first time for everything.”
I dropped down on the couch next to her like a bag of potatoes, feeling like a reject. It was quite possible that I was the worst vampire ever made.
Greta sat on the other side of me, sandwiching me between the both of them.
Sourly, I said, “Well, isn’t this comfortable.”
Greta leaned across me to hold the phone, so Dani could see the images on the screen. Laughing hysterically, she said, “This picture is the one where the raccoon started chasing Tandi out of the hole.” She swiped her hand on the phone to scroll to another picture. “And this one is right after she shrieked and fell into the mud trying to scramble away from the… what did she call it?”
“Horrid beast,” I quietly said.
Both of them started rocking with laughter so hard I felt like I was on one of those cheap honeymoon beds that vibrated. My self-confidence sunk lower.
I didn’t have to sit around while they made fun of my horrible hunting skills. I stood up to make my haughty departure only to have Dani put a finger in the loop of my shorts, bringing me right back down on the couch.
“Tandi, we are not making fun of you. Right, Greta?”
I looked over at Greta who was drying her eyes with the bottom of her T-shirt. “I kind of was.” At my look, she amended, “It’s just that in all of my years working for Stephan, I have never seen anything like this.”
“Wow, way to make me feel great about myself.” Resting my head back against the cushions, I said, “Maybe that is why Stephan is so mean to me. Maybe he knows that there is something wrong with me and since he turned me, he takes it as a personal insult.” I caught the look Greta sent Dani and my heart stuttered. Oh lord, I was right. Greta grabbed my hand while Dani claimed the other one. Oh, no, here came the pity.
“I am not sure exactly what my brother is thinking, Tandi, but there is nothing wrong with you,” Dani said. “Many of us lose some of our humanity, if not all of it, when we are first turned, and it takes us years to find some sort of balance. The fact that you have a warm heart and a beautiful conscience says a lot about whom you were before you were turned. If anything, be proud of your light. Besides, you never fail at anything if you try, regardless of the outcome.”
Greta nodded. “It’s true, but even if you are an abomination to Stephan, that doesn’t mean that you’re not wonderful. I was never
able to have children, but if I could have, I would have been proud to have a daughter like you.”
Squeezing both of their hands, I gave a shaky nod at their encouraging words. Part of me knew maybe they were just trying to make me feel better, but it worked. So what if I was different than every other vampire? So what if I was a disappointment to Stephan? I had an eternity to get the hang of this whole being a vampire thing, so it didn’t matter if I was a slow learner. While the hare took a nap, the dang turtle won the race.
“All right ladies, I was promised some nail polish and some SWAT, and if this guy isn’t as hot as Dani claims, then I get to pick out the next movie. And I promise it’ll be a musical.”
Greta shook her head. “Of course, a rescuer of bunnies and a Bambi lover would like musicals.”
“Blah, blah, blah. I hear nothing at this point.”
Within a flash, Dani had retrieved a container of nothing but nail polish and was sitting back next to me. When I grew up, I was so going to be that fast. No, I would be faster, unstoppable like a pink glitter bullet. I looked at all the different colors and decided to be spontaneous as I grabbed the red.
“That’s Stephan’s favorite color.”
Making eye contact with Dani, I dropped the nail polish back into the bucket before fishing out a pale pink. It was tried and true and most importantly wasn’t the devil’s favorite color. Dani giggled before picking out a pretty blue, and Greta, of course, picked a clear polish. We sat around swapping stories while painting each other’s nails. Dani made up some kind of homemade facial that smelled to high heaven as she smeared it on our faces. I glanced over to Greta, who wore a white hair band to keep her short, gray curls away from her face that was currently smeared with a chalky, thick green paste. She reminded me of E.T., if he would have been on crack and had hair. I laughed so hard that Dani smacked me, telling me to be still or I would ruin the mask. I gave her an eye roll.
The Vampire Queen Page 3
