Well, Im hungry, Caleb said, and Aden suspected it was because the soul was just as afraid as he was. Do me a solid and see if Mrs. Reeves has extra sandwiches in the kitchen.
Give me a minute, Aden replied as he tugged on his boots.
I asked you a question, Thomas snarled. Where are you going? Answer me this time!
Or what? Youll try to slap me? he asked dryly.
Hinges creaked, and then Shannon was strolling into the room. He paused, looking Aden over. Nice. Then he blushed, like hed done earlier. II didnt m-mean
I know, Aden said on a laugh. No worries.
Thomas the eavesdropper stilled and quieted.
Im g-glad I caught you. Shannon closed the door, shutting them inside, and leaned against the wood, head back, eyes closed. He sighed, the sound weary.
Something wrong? Aden asked.
Slowly Shannons eyelids opened. His green eyes were bright with apprehension. II need to tell you s-something. You need to k-know, and keeping it i-inside
Yeah, I know. Secrets ate at you. Proof: Aden was currently riddled with holes. You can tell me, whatever it is. I wont judge you. Like I can, you know. He leaned his hip against the side of the desk and crossed his arms over his chest. He glanced at Thomas, who was still listening, and decided to forge ahead anyway. Im Crazy Aden, remember?
You arent c-crazy.
Thanks.
Shannon pushed out a breath. W-were roommates, and if y-you find out later, y-youll be pissed, and t-then youll want t-to kill me.
Sounds serious. Do you think Caleb growled. Do you think he laid a move on our girl Victoria?
Nah. I bet he murdered his last roommate, Julian said.
Tell me! Aden didnt mean to shout, but the thought of Shannon and Victoria together was enough to make him
I-Im g-gay, Shannon said, and the words were uttered with shame and remorse and all kinds of guilt.
Gay. Aden blinked. That was all? Seriously? Okay.
Those green eyes widened. O-okay?
Yeah.
But, w-were you not l-listening? Im queer.
Aden rolled his eyes. I dont know about that. Youre a pain in the ass sometimes, but I wouldnt say youre weird.
You know w-what I meant, was the snapped reply.
So, too soon to joke about?
That earned him a scowl.
Shannon. Seriously. Youre gay, not diseased. Its fine. Im not worried.
The scowl vanished, replaced by astonishment. But were s-sharing a room.
So? Are you afraid Ill get handsie?
A smile twitched at the corner of his friends lips, and he seemed to shed ten pounds of tension. Youre really all r-right with it?
Yes, Im really all right.
Thank you.
Am I the only one who knows? Aden asked. Do you want me to keep quiet?
R-Ryder knows.
Today in the forest, that blush, Ryders inability to look at Shannon Ah. Everything made sense now.
Shannon peered down at his feet, pushed out another breath, then banged his head against the door once, twice. I t-thought he was, too, but no. He d-doesnt swing that way.
Hed clearly been hopeful, though. Is your being gay the reason your parents kicked you out? Aden asked.
A nod. Part of it. T-they had heard about Dans ranch and called h-him. Id started to get into t-trouble, shop-lifting, drinking, t-that sort of thing, and it was e-either come here or hit the s-streets. I came here.
Good choice.
Another smile began to break its way free. I think so, too.
A tentative knock sounded at the window, and Thomas hissed in a breath. Shannon straightened and Aden turned. There, beyond the glass, stood a blonde vampire. Victorias gum-chewing sister.
Frowning, concerned, Aden stalked to the window and opened it as quickly as he could. Cool evening air blustered inside. Stephanie?
She popped a bubble. Moonlight bathed her, illuminating the paleness of her skin. The one and only.
Another vampire princess who belongs to Vlad. She. Must. Die. Thomas raced forward with every intention of attacking. Only, he smacked into the same invisible wall Aden had encountered in his world with a thud. When he realized he was blocked, he pounded at the wall with his fists.
Aden forced himself to concentrate on the vampire. What are you doing here? Is something wrong with Victoria?
Physically, no, but I was one of the girls chosen to date you. So yeah, theres something wrong with her mentally. He did not like hearing that. Take me to her. I need to
Slow down, cowboy. Shell be fine.
Fine. That wasnt good enough. Youre still taking me to her. And FYI, I wont be dating you.
Cause you only want Vic. Yeah, yeah, I know. Stephanie rolled her eyes, flattened her hands on the pane and leaned toward him, saying quietly, I also know she likes you and didnt want strangers laying the moves on you, especially when she cant trust them not to bite and enslave you. So here I am. Chosen, and not fighting it. Now she splayed her arms and turned, giving him a full view of her bright red tank and microscopic miniskirt. Me, in all my glory. Do you know how lucky you are? Lauren and I were promised to others, but with Vlads death all bets are off and you get a chance with me. And you might want to rescind your command, oh, mighty king, because if I take you to her now, Ill be taken off the list, and its better for everyone if Im on it.
His stomach churned into hundreds of little knots. All five girls have been chosen, then?
Yep. And let me tell you, the council didnt want you dating another of Vlads daughters, but most of the girls basically had to be forced to agree to see yousorry, but its true, you being human and alleven though their fathers want to make that royal connection, and as I was volunteering By the way, Ive met every single girl on the list. So, I change my vote. You arent a lucky boy.
I hadnt realized, he replied dryly.
She laughed, and it was a musical sound.
That was the kind of laugh he wanted to elicit from Victoria, at least once a day. Soon, he thought wistfullyand then felt all kinds of guilty. Victoria was perfect, just the way she was. She was smart and dedicated and understood him and his past. Without judging. With acceptance. And he didnt mind working for one of her beautiful smiles. Liked having to do so, even. Was proud and excited when he won one. Except, she deserved to be happy all the time and now he was probably making her miserable.
At least, he kind of hoped he was.
More guilt bombarded him. He shouldnt want her to be jealous, but he far preferred jealousy to the indifference shed shown him at the vampire mansion.
Arent you going to invite me in? Stephanie asked.
He glanced over his shoulder. Shannon still stood against the doorway, expression curious. Thomas was still beating at that invisible wall. Actually, he said, turning back to her, Ill join you out there. He was due to meet Riley, Victoria and Mary Ann in the forest, anyway. Intwo hours, he realized with a glance at the clock. Not soon enough. Not that he didnt like Stephanie, but he was uncomfortable with this situation. Shannon, he began, only to be cut off.
Yeah, I k-know the drill. Go. Ill cover for you.
Thank you.
As Aden sheathed his blades in their ankle holsters, Stephanie said, Dont forget your ring.
Vlads ring. Oh, yeah. He removed the opal from the drawer where hed stuffed it after returning from the vampire mansion, slid the metal in place and climbed outside. God, it was cold. So cold mist formed in front of his face every time he exhaled.
They walked side by side toward the forest, but just before they reached the line of trees, Stephanie grabbed his arm and stopped him.
Goblins and wolves are out there. Even as she spoke, a howl rent the air. The howl was quickly followed by a high-pitched screecha sound no human could have made. He cringed.
Where should we go? he asked.
Were going to be all romantic and crap and sit out here, under the stars. I have to report back, you know, so we have to make this seem real. Grinning, she waved her arm, motioning to his feet. Behold.
Looking down, he found a black blanket, spread out and velvet soft. So. They really were going to be romantic and crap. With a sigh, Aden plopped down and stretched out, staring up at the sky, stars twinkling from their perches like diamonds.
Stephanie lay down beside him. So what do you want to talk about?
I bet shes soft, Caleb said.
Youre gonna get us in trouble, Elijah snapped.
I want to talk about Victoria.
She snorted. Im shocked. Really. Well, what do you want to know?
Are you okay with my dating her?
Why not? Youre cute.
A compliment. Surprising. Yeah, but your other sister hates me.
She does indeed. Like a rash.
He smiled; he just couldnt help himself. Thank you for sparing my feelings.
Welcome.
Youredifferent, he said. He hooked his hands under his head, hoping that would warm them. Not like the others.
I know. Isnt it wonderful? she asked, nudging him with her shoulder. Heat wafted from her, enveloping him.
His smile widened. Victoria says you used to sneak out.
Yep. Every chance I got.
You werent afraid of your father?
Of course I was. We all were. He believed punishment was the only way to train someone, and that man was all about training us to be the undefeatable army hed always craved as a human. But Lauren was his favorite, his main concern. She is a warrior through and through, after all, so most of his attention was directed at her. Me, I was toouninterested, I guess is the word, but he wanted my mother happy. Females were his weakness, not that he would ever admit that aloud. He admitted to no weaknesses. Anyway, he washed his hands of me, didnt even give me a wolf guard, and left me in my mothers loving care.
She spoke as if her fathers desertion didnt bother her, as if the man had done her a favor. What about Victoria?
What about her?
He didnt wash his hands of her?
We dont share the same mother, and he didnt care to make hers happy. So no, there was no washing. Stephanie rolled to her side, peering over at him, her hands tucked under her cheek. He pushed her to be his next Lauren. If she laughed, she was punished. If she disagreed with him, she was what? Punished.
No wonder Victoria was so serious. No wonder she rarely relaxed. Aden was suddenly glad the man was dead.
Something about that thought disturbed him, causing the fine hairs on the back of his neck to rise and his brain to ache. Every time he thought about Vlad, he felt this way. Why?
So what are your plans for us? Stephanie asked. For all the vampires?
To find you a new king, he answered honestly. Before that, though, I dont know.
Her eyes widened, her expression pure puzzlement. You dont want to be king? Really?
Really.
Thats just I mean, wow. Who doesnt want to rule the best vampires on the planet?
Me.
She popped a bubble. Thats wise, I guess. I mean, youre just a human. But in the meantime, if you make it to your coronation, I have some suggestions.
Wait. Remind me when the coronation is taking place.
Twelve days, my friend. Twelve long, long days.
Long? When time was ticking by so swiftly and so unmercifully he could barely keep track? Still. Once hed dealt with the witches, hed haveroughly a week to find his replacement. That was doable. He hoped.
Meanwhile, youre the man in charge, so your word is still absolute. So will you listen to my suggestions or not?
Lets hear them.
First, no more black robes. You didnt pitch a fit when I dropped mine, havent said anything about my lack of proper dress now, and I thank you for that. Anyway, we need color. Lots and lots of color. Not just me, but all of us. Only, everyone else is too afraid to risk punishment to act without approval.
Color. Done. He knew Victoria secretly loved pink.
Stephanie clapped. Excellent. Ill spread the word when I return. Now. Second suggestion. Another of those high-pitched screeches rang out, this one closer, and Aden sat up. So did Stephanie. Uh, maybe we should move our blanket closer to the ranch.
A third screech echoed, this one even closer. They hopped to their feet, but not before Aden fisted his daggers. A few feet away, leaves and branches rattled. As he moved in front of Stephanie, a small, deformed man burst through the thicket, heading straight for Aden, as if pulled by an invisible rope.
Goblin, Stephanie yelped.
Not a man, then. The misshapen creature was the same height as Adens kneecaps. He had pointy ears, yellow skin and eyes of red fire. Worse, his teeth were like sharpened sabers. Though the goblin wore clothing, the material was slashed to ribbons, revealing a gaping hole where his heart should have rested.
Great. Not just a goblin, but a dead goblin.
Julian, he muttered. If the soul was close to a dead body, that dead body awoke. Always. And then, of course, that newly awakened corpse attacked Aden, hungry for his flesh. Again, always.
My bad.
Aden had fought corpses a thousand times before and knew removing the head was the only way to stop them. Only, hed never fought a nonhuman one before. Would decapitation work this time? Guess hed find out.
When the creature reached him, he arced one of his blades toward the things throat, but just before contact, the goblin ducked and bit into his kneecap.
Aden howled, fire instantly sparking in his leg and spreading. Adrenaline pumped through him, too, quickly dousing the flames and keeping him on his feet. He punched the creatures temple, dislodging its teethripping his own jeans and flesh in the processand sending the little fiend flying to his side.
The goblin lay there a moment, chewing the bleeding hunk of Adens skin, ecstasy filling those red eyesalong with hunger for more. Aden swooped in and slashed, using both his blades, crisscrossing his arms like scissors. The goblin rolled out of the way, fast, so fast, escaping the deathblow.