Chapter One #2
Stark stood, still fully naked, his irritation written all over his handsome face.
“My tone is a reflection of my desire to keep you safe, which you will be if you follow a few simple rules: do not wander into the sun no matter how enticing it looks; do not tell anyone you are a vampire until you have mastered your defenses; and, thirdly, the most vital of all, do as I say.”
I narrowed my eyes defiantly. I was a nice girl. Loyal, too. But I wasn’t his obedient pet. He knew that.
Noticing the poison darts shooting from my face, he added, “Please? You are…worrying me.”
I appreciated his attempt to soften the pitch. It showed he cared, showed he loved me.
My knots began to untangle. Ugh. Why was I fighting him on this? I had no reason to doubt Stark after he’d saved my life multiple times.
“Fine,” I grumbled. “I guess I have to do something to stop the hangry viper slitherin’ in my stomach, but can you please tell me when all this will be over?
” He’d been annoyingly vague about the process of turning.
“When will I actually get to enjoy this? Where are my fangs? When will I start running really fast like you—”
Quicker than my eyes could register, he was sitting next to me again, forcing the upturned bottle into my mouth. The liquid slid past my tongue, coating the back of my throat with a sweet, creamy concoction. It reminded me of a strawberry milkshake.
This stuff is…yummy! I dropped the sheet, grabbed the bottle with both hands, and chugged, my body flooding with euphoria.
Even better than the buttermilk fried chicken at the Rooster!
And that was saying a lot. Our chicken was second to none.
Perfectly crispy. Never too greasy. Tons of spices and heat.
I downed the liquid with greedy gulps until the final drop dribbled out. “More.” I looked at him, licking my lips.
“You may have another bottle later.”
“I want more,” I demanded, my body screaming for another fix.
“Listen to me,” he swiped the empty bottle from my hands and set it aside, “this is part of learning to become a good vampire, one who does not succumb to bloodlust or kill indiscriminately. One who is worthy of being my wife.”
My eyes went wide. “Wife?”
He nodded. “If you survive this first month, yes, I would like you to marry me.”
If that had been a proposal, it sucked squirrel nuts, but I was more worried about that first part. “Whadduya mean survive?”
He took my hand between his large palms. “Being a vampire is not for everyone. It takes discipline and restraint. Especially now when we live in such tumultuous times where there is little room for error.”
He was referring to the fact that vampires had only recently come out of hiding, and the world was still digesting that big old pile of holy cow.
Of course, some humans wanted to immediately exterminate vampires, while others wanted their blood for its healing properties, and more than a few wackos wanted to become them.
In any case, vampires were skating on thin ice, so they’d made killing humans illegal under vampire law as a peace offering.
“You’re afraid I might attack someone and be punished?” I asked worriedly.
He nodded. “And until you can control your thirst, humans are not safe in your company.”
“But what about seein’ Mamma? And Maybell?
What about the Flaming Rooster?” My uncle Jimmie had retired recently and left the business to me.
Sure, I had staff to help run things. Even Daddy worked there, and he was a vampire, too.
Another long story. Point was, they needed me to keep the wheels on the family bus.
Stark pressed a finger under my chin, forcing me to acknowledge the seriousness in his gaze.
“Until you’ve settled into your new body, you must keep a low profile.
That includes socializing with any humans you are personally associated with.
If you make a mistake, it will be more difficult to conceal if the victim is someone known to you. Or worse, someone you love.”
I gasped. Dear Lord. He thinks I’m gonna kill Mamma or Maybell.
Stark continued like a schoolmaster in lecture mode, “In addition, while you are in this vulnerable state, I think it best not to tell anyone you are a vampire. It might make you a target for any humans wishing to exploit your blood, and I would be forced to kill them.”
But my family already knew. Mamma, Daddy, and my older sister, Maybell, had been at my bedside after Lazlo and Fiona nearly drank me to death and fed me vampire blood. Stark’s only option had been to wait and see if I’d turn, die, or pull through.
I frowned. “Can’t I at least check in with my folks?”
“By phone, yes. But you cannot see them.”
“Not even Daddy?” He would be in no danger from me. Stark had turned Daddy years ago after Daddy had a heart attack while working at the distillery. Stark had just happened to be there and happened to be friends with my uncle Jimmie, who knew what Stark was. As a favor, Stark turned Daddy.
“I hate to point out the obvious, Masie, but your mother is not right in the head,” Stark said.
Rude. Also true. “What’s your point?”
“She and your sister will not react well if you refuse to see them but allow your father visitation. They will think you have turned your back on them for being human.” He lowered his voice.
“You must trust me on this. I am over five hundred years old, and I have witnessed countless families turn on each other for far less. Do not sow the seeds of distrust.”
Maybe he had a point. I looked down at my hands, feeling them tingle with heat. Was it the effect of the blood in the elixir? “Am I really a vampire, Stark?”
“Yes, you are a vampire,” he said with a voice so potent that it vibrated through my head, as if sinking into my brain cells. “And you will be the most beautiful vampire ever to live. A creature to be feared.”
Huh? “I don’t want to be feared.” I wanted to manage the Rooster, work to make my family’s business as successful as possible, and keep Leiper’s Fork from turning into just another place to gas up on the way to somewhere else.
This last year, I’d been working hard to help the town grow its tourism, even turning the country club where Stark lived into a meet-a-vampire spa and healing retreat.
Okay, and golf, too. Now people were traveling from all over to talk to ancient vampires one-on-one so they could overcome their fears.
Some came to drink vampire blood to cure an illness.
Sure, there were other places to get vampire blood, but with so many illegal vampire-juicing farms and counterfeit blood bars, people wanted something safe and ethical.
The best part was that our human guests could choose to pay by making a donation of their own blood to feed a vampire.
It was a win for everyone, including the small businesses in town.
It was the least I could do after turning down a big role as the national leader of the VCP, Vampire Coexistence Party.
My heart just wasn’t into politics, but it had all worked out.
My good friend Charlie Cross took the role, and I got to keep my quiet, small-town life.
Which is why being feared is not on my bucket list.
“I understand that you are still learning our ways,” Stark said, “but believe me when I say that fear is the most valuable asset a vampire can possess. It is the only thing that will keep you and those you love away from harm, which I know you value. It is the very reason you must obey me and stay away from humans until you’ve mastered the art of self-control. ”
Self-control. “How am I supposed to do that sittin’ in this room with your smokin’ hot body?
” I eyed his gloriously chiseled pecs. “I’m feeling friskier than that gopher on the ninth hole.
” I said that on account of Stark’s mansion being next to the golf course.
He didn’t golf, but he did seem to enjoy the luxurious surroundings. Also, the golf carts.
“I am glad you asked. You and I are going on a trip,” he said.
A trip? Now? “Where?”
“It is a surprise, but think of it as an early honeymoon—a well-deserved respite, too.” He pressed his lips to mine, gently floating his rough hands over my bare breasts, triggering goosebumps and girl plumps.
“I know you can do this, Masie. I believe in you. In us. And when the month is over, we will begin plans to marry.”
Marry? He hadn’t even asked me properly or gotten permission from Daddy, but I expected that was on account of him not wanting to jump the gun. There was a chance I wouldn’t survive this transformation—a troubling thought.
He lowered his voice to a deep, firm tone. “Now, you must rest. Rest deeply and allow your body to recover from our lovemaking.”
“But I want more of your hot…sausage…” Suddenly, I felt drowsy, like cold bricks stacking up inside my head, blocking out the light. “Wow, I can’t seem to…keep my eyes open.”
He gently lowered my head to the pillow and tucked the covers around me. “You rest, my sweet Masie, and when you awake, you will be somewhere magical.”
“I like the sound of that…” I closed my eyes, melting into the mattress, where I drifted off into a thick forest of dreams. My mind wandered from one fantasy to another, filled with all the things I would miss most as a human: going to the beach on a warm sunny day with the wind on my face, BBQ ribs slathered in tangy sauce, and waking up knowing every day was a gift because I wouldn’t live forever.
I dreamed of dancing with Stark under a moonlit sky, my body lighting up as his lips touched mine.
At least maybe that last one wouldn’t stay a fantasy. But the rest? They were now a thing of the past, and I wasn’t sure I could live with that. Not even for a future filled with endless nights with a smoking hot vampire.