Chapter Eight
After being escorted to my suite, my fury only paused long enough to scarf down my first bite of real food in days.
I inhaled the ham sandwich, chugged my soda, and then savored each fry like a tiny treasure.
The salt, the grease, and the warm crunch of the potatoes were slivers of heaven.
But let’s be honest; any food, even a crappy chilidog from Al’s gas station back home, would’ve tasted great.
I showered, brushed my teeth, and put on my pink satin PJs—my favorites, used only in case of emergencies to lift my spirits.
With food in my belly, counteracting whatever was really in that moonshine, my head became terrifyingly clear.
I was in trouble, and the problem was bigger than Stark’s lies.
He could not be trusted, and I was stuck on an island.
Vampire island!
So, while my first instinct was to go ballistic the moment Stark showed his face, it wasn’t the smartest move. Not if I wanted to get home. Because at this point, there was no reason to believe Stark would ever let me leave. He’d shown his true, deceptive colors.
That meant I had to let Stark continue the ruse while I searched for a way off the island. Then I’d flee during daylight hours while the vampires were asleep. Once I made it home to Leiper’s Fork, I would make Stark pay for this.
How? A problem for another day.
I placed my dirty dishes outside under a bush where a member of the staff would hopefully notice them and take them away. I couldn’t afford for Stark to see that I’d been eating or suspect that I’d caught on. It would only give him an excuse to sedate me again or use his googly-eye powers.
Here on out, I had to be careful. I would fake drinking moonshine, fake-believe I was a vampire, and fake being completely head over heels for that cruel, manipulative, son of a biscuit Montgomery Stark. I had to sell my lie as skillfully as he’d sold his. If I failed, I might never be free again.
Just after sunset, there was a loud knock at my door, and I froze under the covers. I knew it was Stark, but I wasn’t ready for smiling at the man who was lower than a snake’s butthole.
Does it matter if you’re ready? I slid from bed, opened the door, and yawned like I’d just woken up.
Stark had his long hair pulled back and wore faded jeans and a dark gray dress shirt.
“Don’t you look tempting in those pink pajamas.” His gaze settled on my breasts, which I didn’t appreciate.
My boobs! And I wasn’t sharing them with him anymore.
“May I come in?” he asked.
May I hock a loogie on your perfect face? Maybe I’ll hit one of those beautiful lying eyes.
“Sure,” I said, flashing a flirty smile. “But only if you brought me something delicious to eat.”
He stepped into the room and pulled his flask from his back pocket.
“Thank God. I’m starving.” I snatched the flask. “Be right back. I’m going to down this and brush my teeth. Dragon breath today.” I hurried to the bathroom and closed the door behind me. “That champagne really got to me last night,” I called out.
“Did it now?” I heard the bed creak, so I guessed he’d taken a seat.
“Tossed my cookies and passed out!” I ran the water and poured out the moonshine.
After brushing my teeth, I emerged, doing my best to maintain eye contact so he wouldn’t grow suspicious.
I had to appear like a woman who wasn’t fantasizing about taking a cheese grater to his sack.
And I wasn’t talking about a standard upright grater with four sides.
I was talking hand-crank grater where you shoved the parm block into a little compartment and smashed the cheese against the shredding wheel. Maximum pain.
“I shouldn’t have let you drink so much,” he said, “but you seemed to be having a good time, and I didn’t want to interfere.”
Here was the thing: Stark had ordered me to enjoy the evening, and for all he knew, I’d had the time of my life. Nonetheless, I was not the type of gal to let his behavior slide, which he already knew. So if I didn’t want him catching suspicious vibes, I had to make a fuss.
I stood near the foot of the bed and planted my hands on my hips. “Yeah, about that fun, if you ever pull that mind voodoo on me again, I’ll rip off your kielbasa and make ya eat it.”
“My kielbasa is much too large to fit in my mouth. Yours, on the other hand…”
I narrowed my eyes. “Did you just say I have a big mouth?”
“You are an opinionated woman, yes.” He stood from the bed and gently grabbed my arms, beaming down at me. “Which I would not have any other way. I love everything about you.”
“I sense a but coming.”
“But,” he added, “you need to learn to relax. Becoming a vampire does not have to deprive you of enjoying life. In fact, I would say it is the opposite. You no longer have to worry about the things that plague a human’s everyday life—crime, illness, poverty. You are free from all that now.”
Was he really going there? He wanted me to believe that vampirism was one big freedom fest?
“Except that you put the whammy on me last night, and in my book, that’s not free.” I pressed my finger into his chest. “Promise you’ll never do that again, or you’ll be an even freer man. Free and alone.”
A sly smile hit his lips. “I apologize if I overstepped. And I promise to never do it again.”
Liar. “Good.” I huffed.
“Did you at least enjoy some of the evening?” he asked, his voice filled with a spark of hope.
“I guess,” I lied.
“You guess?”
“The dancing under the stars was nice, but your friends are little creepy,” I confessed.
“Yes. Ancient, powerful vampires can be a little off-putting.”
Off-putting? They’d been off-the-charts terrifying, eyeing me all night like sausage on a stick. Now I knew why.
He continued, “But they gave you rave reviews. Especially your beauty.”
Lucky me. Stark’s icky friends thought I was hot. “That’s good to hear. I know your coven’s approval means a lot.”
“Indeed.”
“So what time are we heading back to Leiper’s Fork?” I figured we weren’t actually leaving, but like I said, I had to be consistent, and he’d made me a promise.
“Ah. About that. I did hope you’d change your mind after last night, but if you truly wish to leave, I have arranged for my yacht to retrieve us tomorrow at first night. Unfortunately, the boat that brought us here has been sent in for repairs.”
This sounded like an excuse to keep me here longer. “You promise? Tomorrow at first night?” I asked.
“Yes.”
Liar! I thought.
He smiled tenderly and bowed his head, placing a gentle kiss on my lips. It took everything I had not to bite off his tongue.
His kiss grew more intense, and I instantly sensed he was in the mood for hayride.
I stepped back and smiled coyly. “Stark?”
“Yes?”
“I was wondering if maybe you could take me to do that night-snorkeling thing you mentioned.”
“Really?” He sounded pleasantly surprised.
“Yeah. I mean, I know I don’t have night vision yet, but I thought it would be cool to swim under the stars.
” What I really wanted to do was check out the island’s equipment.
There had to be a boat I could steal. “Oh, also, is there a place I can get internet? I want to email my family—let everyone know how I’m doin’.
” Really, I needed to figure out exactly where the hell I was.
“There is Wi-Fi in the main office. I am sure they have a laptop you can use.”
“I’ll just email from my phone.” It would be easier to take screenshots of maps and other important information to reference later during my escape.
“Why don’t you prepare for the beach?” he suggested. “I will be back shortly to walk you down to the water, and then we can pass by the office after our swim.”
I was not about to have Stark looking over my shoulder while I planned my prison break.
“I’d kind of like to get that email out of the way. I’m sure Mamma is worried sick about me. Maybe I’ll see if she’s around for a video call. Why don’t you meet me over at the office in about an hour? We can go to the beach from there.”
I waited anxiously for his reply. If he let me loose, then he wasn’t suspicious.
“That sounds fine.” He took my hand and kissed the top. “One hour.”
Phew! “One hour.”
He left, and I let out a slow breath. It was going to be a looong night. The thing was, it felt so easy to pretend I wasn’t mad at Stark, because a big ol’ part of me couldn’t believe he’d done this.
Why take my love and trust and then throw it all away?
He wasn’t stupid. I mean, yeah, in some ways he was clueless, but he wasn’t IQ-less. He had to know that sooner or later, I’d find out the truth.
Maybe he doesn’t care. Maybe this entire hoax had nothing to do with keeping my love. Maybe it was about power. There were members of the vampire world who still believed I was his Anna.
So if he turned me, he’d be my master, or “Anna’s” master. And if I went by that little speech he gave last night, our power would be joined once we married. Maybe this was about cementing his place at the very top.
Of course, if I was right, it meant I was the world’s biggest fool. I’d not only let him trick me into believing I was a vampire but that he loved me, too.
The pit in my stomach gnawed away like a rat working through drywall. Only, that rat was the truth, and the wall, well, that was my ego. And somewhere in there, hidden between the layers, was my heart taking cover. It knew it was about to get thrown into a blender.
My heart’s only salvation was knowing that Stark hadn’t turned me. Soon, I’d get back my sun-filled life, which included working at the Rooster, surrounded by friends and family. If I had those things, I could get through anything.
Even the difficulty of taking down Stark.
Because he needed to pay for what he’d done to me.