Bloody Little Secrets Read online

  Chapter 11

  Saturday was boring. Dull. Lame. Gah. I had finished all my homework in record time; it seemed to come much easier to me now. Sue was at work all day, but had promised we would go to a movie or something on Sunday when she was off. Whatever. She had proven pretty easy to live with. Her mind hadn’t seemed to waver from the info I’d given her the day I’d moved in. She was still fully convinced that I was her niece. No questions asked. It was scary how easy it had been.

  Imagine if I’d been a bad vampire—I could’ve had a good old time; stealing all her stuff, using her as a blood bag. But no, I was a nice vampire and was just happy to have a roof over my head and someone who cared, even if it was easy to convince her I’d turned up on time for curfew despite what the clock may say, with nothing more than a strong glance. I was really lucky.

  I took my time getting ready for the party. I combed through my clothes trying to find something suitable and settled on a pair of skinny jeans that would tuck neatly inyo my boots and a tight burgundy sweater. I wrapped a silver scarf around my neck, checked my hair, and was finished. My skin looked flawless; I’d forgotten about the fact that I hadn’t used make-up since I’d died. Au naturel was now ten times better than anything I could have done with make-up.

  Drake pulled up into the driveway at eight. A quick blast from the Hyundai’s horn let me know he was waiting. I’d already had my dinner, but carried my small cooler with me. I’d just leave it in the car in case I needed a quick snack. I opened the door and slid into the passenger seat, placing the cooler at my feet.

  “Whatcha got there?” Drake asked, nodding to the floor.

  “Snacks for me.” I winked.

  “Well, now I’m offended.” He fake pouted, scooting away from me in his seat, which made it even more funny because there was nowhere for him to go in the tiny car.

  “Why is that?” Nothing wrong with playing along, besides, he was cute when he was fake-mad. What was I saying? He was cute ALL the time.

  He turned to me and slid his arms around my waist, pulling me close. Far off, I caught a whiff of his scent. Mmm. Delicious.

  “It’s just that I thought I was your snack on the go.” His breath danced on my cheek, dangerously close to my lips.

  I giggled before I could stop myself.

  “Do you really want me to suck you dry?”

  “Mmm, that sounds like an offer I can’t refuse.” He raised his eyebrows and flashed a naughty grin.

  “Don’t be dirty, I didn’t mean that.” I slapped his arm for good measure. “Is that all you think of me as—some kind of slutty vampire?”

  “You did give me your blood on the first date,” he said with mock shock.

  “I almost killed you, I wish you wouldn’t make it out to be some kind of joke.” I pulled back and folded my arms over my chest. I turned towards the window and looked out at Sue’s dark front yard. Light hovered around the fixtures on the garage, barely cutting a swath in the dark night. The clouds were heavy, threatening snow, and they blotted out whatever moonlight there might have been.

  “Hey, I’m just kidding.” He tried to pull me back towards him, but I resisted. “Come on, Vicky. You saved my life. I think you’re the most beautiful, kind, and caring vampire I’ve ever met. You really try hard not to kill everyone. Look, I’m still alive, so is Sue, so are my friends. I’m sure not every vampire would be as wonderful as you.”

  I smirked at the ridiculousness of it.

  “I’m the only vampire you know.” I gave him a quick sideways glance.

  “Minor details. According to legends, myths, and all the vampire fiction around, I should be your lunch. But instead I’m, I’m,” he stuttered and paused.

  “You’re what?” I asked, turning to look him in the eyes.

  “Well, maybe I’m your boyfriend?” He shrugged his shoulders and grabbed my hand.

  “Is that your extremely poor way of asking me to be your girlfriend?” I asked. Energy crackled through me from head to toe.

  “I kinda thought the other night sealed the deal, but I figured it was important to be on the same page. I wouldn’t want you to think that I was swapping blood with someone else or vice versa.”

  I looked at him thoughtfully, remembering what the girls had said about Allison Skank Whore or whatever her name was.

  “I definitely think we’re on the same page.” I leaned into him and reached up, pressing my lips against his. He slid his hands around my neck, cradled my head and pulled me even closer.

  “That’s good,” he whispered and kissed me harder.

  I was lost in his lips for the next few minutes, unsure of how much time had passed.

  “Um, aren’t we supposed to be at a party or something? Won’t your friends miss us if we don’t show?” I gasped, coming up for air.

  “I really don’t care.” Drake traced his thumb along my jaw towards my lips. “I just want to be with you.”

  I brushed my fingertips along his ear and trailed them down his neck. He shivered at my touch.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” He searched my eyes.

  I didn’t want to answer. I could somehow see what he was thinking and I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to say no. His pulse throbbed under my fingers. It was so close, just right there. I could be more careful this time. Stop earlier. He wouldn’t get hurt.

  “Don’t say it,” I said. Maybe if he didn’t offer, I could turn away. But my veins had started to burn. The heat coursed through me to the very fingertips that were touching his neck. Only a thin layer of skin separated me from what I wanted.

  He unzipped his coat and pushed the collar aside. He kissed my lips once before tilting his head to the side, giving me full access.

  I planted kisses along the side of his neck, starting at his ear and making my way down to the spot that called me. My fangs had already slid into place. I hadn’t even noticed them this time. With a quick tilt of my head for the right angle I buried my fangs gently into his neck and drew in deeply.

  Rich, hot, liquid chocolate burst through my lips and ran down my throat. Every fiber of my body celebrated the arrival of his blood. No bag of blood in the fridge could compare to this. We both moaned, the sound of Drake’s voice breaking the spell. This was Drake. I only needed a taste. I didn’t want to hurt him.

  The fog cleared much faster this time and I withdrew my fangs, running my tongue over the spots to catch any stray drops. His hands ran up and down my body, resting on my hips.

  “Oh, that was so good. Why did you stop?” he murmured.

  “Um, that whole not-killing-you thing came to mind.” I nuzzled his nose with mine.

  “Oh yeah, right. That whole chestnut.”

  “How do you feel?” I pulled back and studied his face. It was hard to tell in the light of the dashboard if he was pale or not. “You’re not woozy, are you?”

  “No, I’m good. But does that mean I don’t get any in return? Because if that’s the case, I’m totally dying right now.” He raised the back of his hand to his forehead and sank back in his seat.

  “Very funny.” I smacked his shoulder. “I’ve got something I think you’ll enjoy.” I ran my bottom lip across a fang, slicing it open. The blood oozed out and pressed my lips against his for a very wet and bloody kiss.

  He ran his tongue over my bottom lip and began to suck on it, occasionally going in for a full kiss. But being that the cut was so small this time, healed and shortly ran dry.

  “Aw, no fair!” he whined and kissed me one last time before pulling away.

  “No pouting! You got plenty!” I laughed. “Quit being so greedy. I could’ve kept going too, but I’d have a boyfriend drained of all of his blood, and that isn’t good for anybody.”

  He sat back into his seat but continued to hold my hand.

  “I guess it’s time to go now, huh?” he asked with a sigh.

>   “We’ll run out of gas if you stay parked here all night,” I said. “And don’t forget, you still have to drop me off later.” I squeezed his hand.

  He expertly backed out of the driveway with his free hand.

  “Wow, it’s amazing, that blood of yours. I feel like a million bucks! Like I could jump over a car or punch a shark. You should bottle and sell this stuff. I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to feel like this!” He shook the steering wheel, which made the car jerk back and forth.

  “Whoa, are you sure you’re okay to drive? I don’t think there are any laws against drinking blood and driving, but I’m guessing we still don’t want to get pulled over.” I steadied myself with the handle mounted on the roof.

  “I’m good, sorry.” He glanced over at me. “I’ll behave myself. It’s just, I haven’t felt so alive in awhile. And I have you to thank for that.”

  I waited for him to continue, to tell me something about Allison, but he said nothing.

  “That’s funny, because I haven’t been alive in awhile,” I said with a snort as we wove through the Bartlett streets. “Did you say you felt like punching a shark? How on earth would you do that in the middle of Bartlett, Illinois? Not so many sharks around here, I’d guess.”

  “I don’t know, it just popped into my brain. I feel so strong, so full of energy, like I could take on a shark, if I had to.”

  “You’re insane.”

  “And you’re insanely hot.” He squeezed my hand. He zipped down another non-descript street and turned into a cul-de-sac. “Here we are.” He pulled the car into an open spot on the street and jumped out. I didn’t bother to wait for him to open my door—I was a modern girl, after all.

  We walked past a few houses to a white two-story, lights blazing through the dark night. The first flakes of snow were beginning to fall, filling the air with tiny specks of white.

  “Aw, it’s pretty!” I reached out a hand and caught a few flakes in my palm. Drake took my hand as we neared the porch. He stepped up and before he could press the doorbell, the front door flew open.

  “Drake! There you are! Monty said you were coming, but you took forever.” Morgan flew out onto the porch and threw her arms around his neck, nearly pulling him off his feet. She clearly chose not to notice that I was firmly attached to him at the hand.

  “Hi Morgan,” he said, trying to get air.

  She pulled away, her eyes glued to his, a huge grin on her face. She slowly registered that I was standing there.

  “Oh, hi, aren’t you in our English class? What’s your name again?” she asked, tilting her head.

  “Yeah, hi, I’m Vicky.” I stuck out my hand for her to shake, which she ignored and turned back towards Drake.

  “Come on in.” She waved Drake in the front door.

  “Okay, do you still want to argue that she doesn’t like you?” I whispered to Drake as I followed him down the hallway. Morgan weaved through people and was luckily out of earshot.

  “I think you might be right. I’ll just stay by you. Hopefully she’ll get the hint.”

  “I don’t know about that, she hasn’t gotten it yet.” I caught sight of Monty and Lauryn sitting in the family room. “Oh, look, at least there are some people who won’t pretend I don’t exist.”

  “Why don’t you go on over by them, I’ll grab us some drinks. Do you, uh, drink?” he asked, looking at me expectantly.

  “I haven’t done it before. You aren’t drinking, are you?”

  “Nope, I’m driving. That’s not to say I haven’t, but no drinking and driving.”

  “What the hell, bring me something, your choice. I might as well try it. We can see how I react to it. Let’s think of it as a scientific experiment.” I smiled to myself as I turned towards the family room. It’s not like my parents were going to be disappointed. I was, for all intents and purposes, an adult anyways and would easily be able to convince any police officer of that fact.

  I walked over to the couch, which was currently inhabited by Monty and Lauryn, both holding a red plastic cups.

  “What’s your poison?” I plopped down next to Monty and nodded towards his cup.

  “I’ve got beer and she’s got vodka cranberry,” he answered. “What are you drinking?”

  “Not sure, it’ll be a surprise. I left it up to Drake. Speak of the devil.” I nodded as he headed towards us, carrying two plastic cups.

  “Alright, what you’ve got here is the good old-fashioned screwdriver. Vodka. Orange juice. Shouldn’t be too awful for a first timer.” He handed me the cup and slid in next to me on the couch. We were now a cozy foursome.

  “Cheers!” Lauryn tapped our plastic cups with hers and we responded heartily before taking big sips, or in Monty’s case, big gulps, of our drinks. I could faintly taste the orange juice and it seemed to have a slight kick to it, but it still was nowhere near as intoxicating as what ran through the veins of the very hot boy sitting next to me.

  “I take it you guys aren’t driving?” I gestured towards Lauryn and Monty.

  “We had Lauryn’s brother drop us off. Drake said he’d give us a ride home.” Monty reached behind me and slapped Drake on the back.

  “What are we cheering about?” slurred a wobbly Morgan as she teetered across the living room. Funny, she didn’t look that drunk when we got her five minutes ago. Either she just drank a fifth of vodka or she was faking.

  “Nothing, really,” Drake said and shot me a sideways glance.

  “I think I need to sit down.” Morgan fell right into his lap, knocking my drink and sending orange juice cascading down the leg of my jeans. “Oops!” she said as she looked up at Drake.

  I shoved her leg to the side and got up, heading towards the kitchen to look for something to clean my jeans. After a quick wipe down with a wet paper towel, I headed back to the couch to find I had been replaced. Drake had managed to get Morgan off his lap, but now she sat just where I’d been sitting and there was no room for me on the couch. Monty and Lauryn scooted away from her, trying to make some room, but Morgan just seemed to stretch to cover any space they made.

  I shot Drake an exasperated look and he met my eyes, rolling his.

  “So, I think I need a refill on this Coke. Come with me?” He nodded to me.

  “Of course, let’s go,” I said, but Morgan jumped in just as I finished.

  “I’ve got something better than Coke to put in that cup,” she squealed. “Come on, I’ll show you.” She jumped up off the couch and grabbed Drake’s arm, attempting to yank him to his feet.

  “Hey, Morgan, it’s cool. I’m good. I’m just gonna stick with Coke, if that’s okay.” He attempted to pry her fingers off his wrist.

  “No!” she whined and gripped him harder. “Oh man, I feel so dizzy.” Her game suddenly changed from happy drunk to falling-down-drunk as she collapsed into a heap on the floor, nearly pulling Drake down on top of her. “Drake, I’m so glad you’re here. Will you help me up please?”

  I gave him a dirty look and marched out of the room, through the kitchen, and to the front door. I knew she had a thing for him, and now she was going to ruin the night just to try and get her way. It was her party, her house. What was I going to do, stand there and watch her paw my boyfriend like I wasn’t even there? I rubbed my temple with one hand and threw the front door open with the other, the cold air spilling into the room. I had to get away from her before I did something I would regret. Decapitating Morgan at her own party might just cause some problems with the locals.