Read Online 06 Love Bites - My Sister the Vampire by Sienna Mercer - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sienna Mercer
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at any time you feel uncomfortable and wish to stop, or leave, just say the word. We are not obligated to stay.’
Ivy felt her heart sink. She understood that their dad wanted to protect his daughters, but couldn’t he just go with it for once? ‘I want to stay,’ Ivy said. ‘I want you to want to stay, too.’
Mr Vega looked away. ‘I am here for you and your sister.’
Ivy sighed. That wasn’t the answer she was hoping for.
Georgia called, ‘We’ll save the dresses for later, girls. First, I thought we would start with a group photo on the stairs? We’ll just wait for Her Majesty –’ The older woman suddenly stoppedmid-sentence and dropped into an elegant curtsy.
Ivy turned to see the Queen walking down the hallway with two attendants. She was wearing a long-sleeved navy-blue fitted dress with lace detail at the open neck. She looked just as intimidating as she had in her formal gown.
‘Welcome,’ she said and nodded to the twins. ‘Please enjoy your time in my home.’ She turned to the magazine editor. ‘Shall we?’
Georgia immediately began gently coaxing the Count and Countess up the steps.
‘Wouldn’t Prince Alex and Olivia look good standing next to each other?’ the Countess suggested.
Alex moved instantly to Olivia’s side. ‘A fabulous idea,’ he said.
The Queen raised an eyebrow and Ivy could tell she did not like how much attention her son was paying to the only human in the room.
‘No, no,’ Mr Vega was saying. ‘I don’t need to be in the photo.’
‘Please, Charles,’ Georgia said. ‘This is a celebration of togetherness.’
Ivy realised what she was saying: as much as anything could, being in a photo with the Queen was a chance to show the vampire community that times were changing.
‘Come on, Dad,’ she said. ‘You can stand next to me.’ She grabbed his arm and pulled him up on to the third step.
As the photographer moved around the group, holding up a light-capture device in front of everyone’s faces, Georgia asked, ‘Ivy, Olivia, tell me, how are you finding Transylvania? Do you feel like you’ve come “home”?’
Ivy bit her lip. She wasn’t about to let slip how out of place she felt.
Luckily, Olivia came to her rescue. ‘We loveTransylvania so far; and everyone here is very nice. Of course, we want to thank Her Majesty and the prince for their gracious hospitality.’
Ivy spotted that Olivia had side-stepped the home question neatly and wondered if anyone else noticed.
Georgia nodded and then turned to the Queen. ‘Your Majesty, may I ask what it feels like to open your house to a human for the first time ever?’
The Queen’s ruby earrings clinked as she tilted her head. ‘It is unusual, to say the least, but this is a
very
special circumstance,’ she replied. She nodded at the twins’ grandparents. ‘The Count and Countess are my closest friends.’
It was a very diplomatic answer, but Ivy sensed she was also saying that she wasn’t going to make a habit of inviting non-vamps into her circle. There were plenty of vampires who felt verystrongly that vampires and humans shouldn’t mix – her own grandparents had made that clear to her father, all those years ago. But the Count and Countess had been nothing but loving to Olivia since she arrived.
‘I think,’ Prince Alex put in, ‘that it shows how well the monarchy is coming to grips with the modern world. I, for one, look forward to these special circumstances becoming more regular.’
The Queen’s earrings clinked again as she sat up straighter and drew in a breath.
Two people and one row down, the Count said, ‘Times certainly are changing.’
Mr Vega cleared his throat. ‘But not everyone wishes to change with them.’
Ivy wanted to say something to cut through all the tension, but the photographer called out, ‘We’re ready.’
‘Smile, my dears,’ said Georgia, clasping her hands in front of her chest.
‘Stakes!’ called the photographer.
‘Stakes!’
Ivy felt her heart sink. She understood that their dad wanted to protect his daughters, but couldn’t he just go with it for once? ‘I want to stay,’ Ivy said. ‘I want you to want to stay, too.’
Mr Vega looked away. ‘I am here for you and your sister.’
Ivy sighed. That wasn’t the answer she was hoping for.
Georgia called, ‘We’ll save the dresses for later, girls. First, I thought we would start with a group photo on the stairs? We’ll just wait for Her Majesty –’ The older woman suddenly stoppedmid-sentence and dropped into an elegant curtsy.
Ivy turned to see the Queen walking down the hallway with two attendants. She was wearing a long-sleeved navy-blue fitted dress with lace detail at the open neck. She looked just as intimidating as she had in her formal gown.
‘Welcome,’ she said and nodded to the twins. ‘Please enjoy your time in my home.’ She turned to the magazine editor. ‘Shall we?’
Georgia immediately began gently coaxing the Count and Countess up the steps.
‘Wouldn’t Prince Alex and Olivia look good standing next to each other?’ the Countess suggested.
Alex moved instantly to Olivia’s side. ‘A fabulous idea,’ he said.
The Queen raised an eyebrow and Ivy could tell she did not like how much attention her son was paying to the only human in the room.
‘No, no,’ Mr Vega was saying. ‘I don’t need to be in the photo.’
‘Please, Charles,’ Georgia said. ‘This is a celebration of togetherness.’
Ivy realised what she was saying: as much as anything could, being in a photo with the Queen was a chance to show the vampire community that times were changing.
‘Come on, Dad,’ she said. ‘You can stand next to me.’ She grabbed his arm and pulled him up on to the third step.
As the photographer moved around the group, holding up a light-capture device in front of everyone’s faces, Georgia asked, ‘Ivy, Olivia, tell me, how are you finding Transylvania? Do you feel like you’ve come “home”?’
Ivy bit her lip. She wasn’t about to let slip how out of place she felt.
Luckily, Olivia came to her rescue. ‘We loveTransylvania so far; and everyone here is very nice. Of course, we want to thank Her Majesty and the prince for their gracious hospitality.’
Ivy spotted that Olivia had side-stepped the home question neatly and wondered if anyone else noticed.
Georgia nodded and then turned to the Queen. ‘Your Majesty, may I ask what it feels like to open your house to a human for the first time ever?’
The Queen’s ruby earrings clinked as she tilted her head. ‘It is unusual, to say the least, but this is a
very
special circumstance,’ she replied. She nodded at the twins’ grandparents. ‘The Count and Countess are my closest friends.’
It was a very diplomatic answer, but Ivy sensed she was also saying that she wasn’t going to make a habit of inviting non-vamps into her circle. There were plenty of vampires who felt verystrongly that vampires and humans shouldn’t mix – her own grandparents had made that clear to her father, all those years ago. But the Count and Countess had been nothing but loving to Olivia since she arrived.
‘I think,’ Prince Alex put in, ‘that it shows how well the monarchy is coming to grips with the modern world. I, for one, look forward to these special circumstances becoming more regular.’
The Queen’s earrings clinked again as she sat up straighter and drew in a breath.
Two people and one row down, the Count said, ‘Times certainly are changing.’
Mr Vega cleared his throat. ‘But not everyone wishes to change with them.’
Ivy wanted to say something to cut through all the tension, but the photographer called out, ‘We’re ready.’
‘Smile, my dears,’ said Georgia, clasping her hands in front of her chest.
‘Stakes!’ called the photographer.
‘Stakes!’
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