"Don't worry—we didn't cook up the human boy. It's that Italian dish that you like so much."
"That sounds nice," I said, careful not to react when he brought up Tanner.
He held out his arm and I linked mine through his and we walked to his favorite dining room where the long table was set for two. He held the chair out for me and I sat. He sat next to me and smiled, but it wasn't a sweet, innocent smile like Tanner. "I've missed you, Samantha. The place just isn't the same without your beauty or your fire. I didn't expect your mission to take so long. I'm not used to going months without seeing you."
"Yeah, well, it is taking a long time. That girl is as boring as paint and finding a guy who will pay attention to her is no small task. Nor is finding one who is open enough to actually believe in vampires."
"It sounds like you've found one who believes," he said, resting his chin in his palm.
"One in the entire school, and he doesn't even know who Marguerite is. Did I tell you that she goes by Alexis? They hid her and she goes by her middle name. You'd think they could have been a little more creative."
"They didn't need creativity. She stayed off our radar for years, almost a dozen years, and then it took us a year to find her at that. Has she begun her transformation?"
"Not that I can tell. Growing up with humans must have really slowed the process down. That's all I can figure. She should already be fully transformed by now."
"That's to our benefit. She'll be a lot easier to kill before she comes into her full power. If she hasn't even begun to transform, it'll be a snap."
I nodded, tired of talking about a boring girl.
"You need to get that boy thinking about her. You've got him addicted to our venom from what I hear. Use that to your advantage. Point him in her direction so that he goes after her when you leave."
Holding a poker face, I tried not to react. The thought of leaving Tanner broke me inside. I hated being apart from him for this dinner, what would a permanent separation do to me? He already brought out all kinds of emotions that I didn't know I was even capable of experiencing. "Right," I said.
"I have something that will help."
"What?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a men's ring. "I had this blessed by a witch. It will cause a transforming vampire to fall in love with the human who's wearing it when she drinks his blood."
My insides froze. "You're saying that if he wears this, Alexis will fall in love with him?"
"When she's going through her transformation and she drinks his blood."
I stared at the ring, feeling the growing need to throw up.
"Don't worry, darling. The ring isn't specific to the boy. You can try to find another guy, but I have a feeling that Marguerite—Alexis—will start her transformation soon, if she hasn't already."
"What am I supposed to tell him when I give him the ring? I can't tell him what it does and I can't guarantee that he'll wear it if I can even get him to have her drink his blood."
"You're smart. I know you'll think up something. Tell him that it will protect him from redneck vampires."
My eyes widened. How did he know about that?
Vince laughed. "You can't hide as much from me as you think, my dear. Oh good. Here's our food."
As we ate, I barely tasted the food. All I could think of was how I could find someone else to go after Alexis. The thought of Tanner with her made my skin crawl. I didn't want him with anyone else.
CHAPTER NINE
I sat in the high school cafeteria, rolling the ring around in my hand under the table. I watched across the room as Alexis was writing in a spiral-bound notebook, oblivious to the world around her. All the chattering students were just as unaware of her, even the ones sitting at the same table. Those two friends of hers appeared to want her to join in, but seemed to know that it would be futile to ask.
The last thing that I wanted to do was to
"That sounds nice," I said, careful not to react when he brought up Tanner.
He held out his arm and I linked mine through his and we walked to his favorite dining room where the long table was set for two. He held the chair out for me and I sat. He sat next to me and smiled, but it wasn't a sweet, innocent smile like Tanner. "I've missed you, Samantha. The place just isn't the same without your beauty or your fire. I didn't expect your mission to take so long. I'm not used to going months without seeing you."
"Yeah, well, it is taking a long time. That girl is as boring as paint and finding a guy who will pay attention to her is no small task. Nor is finding one who is open enough to actually believe in vampires."
"It sounds like you've found one who believes," he said, resting his chin in his palm.
"One in the entire school, and he doesn't even know who Marguerite is. Did I tell you that she goes by Alexis? They hid her and she goes by her middle name. You'd think they could have been a little more creative."
"They didn't need creativity. She stayed off our radar for years, almost a dozen years, and then it took us a year to find her at that. Has she begun her transformation?"
"Not that I can tell. Growing up with humans must have really slowed the process down. That's all I can figure. She should already be fully transformed by now."
"That's to our benefit. She'll be a lot easier to kill before she comes into her full power. If she hasn't even begun to transform, it'll be a snap."
I nodded, tired of talking about a boring girl.
"You need to get that boy thinking about her. You've got him addicted to our venom from what I hear. Use that to your advantage. Point him in her direction so that he goes after her when you leave."
Holding a poker face, I tried not to react. The thought of leaving Tanner broke me inside. I hated being apart from him for this dinner, what would a permanent separation do to me? He already brought out all kinds of emotions that I didn't know I was even capable of experiencing. "Right," I said.
"I have something that will help."
"What?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a men's ring. "I had this blessed by a witch. It will cause a transforming vampire to fall in love with the human who's wearing it when she drinks his blood."
My insides froze. "You're saying that if he wears this, Alexis will fall in love with him?"
"When she's going through her transformation and she drinks his blood."
I stared at the ring, feeling the growing need to throw up.
"Don't worry, darling. The ring isn't specific to the boy. You can try to find another guy, but I have a feeling that Marguerite—Alexis—will start her transformation soon, if she hasn't already."
"What am I supposed to tell him when I give him the ring? I can't tell him what it does and I can't guarantee that he'll wear it if I can even get him to have her drink his blood."
"You're smart. I know you'll think up something. Tell him that it will protect him from redneck vampires."
My eyes widened. How did he know about that?
Vince laughed. "You can't hide as much from me as you think, my dear. Oh good. Here's our food."
As we ate, I barely tasted the food. All I could think of was how I could find someone else to go after Alexis. The thought of Tanner with her made my skin crawl. I didn't want him with anyone else.
CHAPTER NINE
I sat in the high school cafeteria, rolling the ring around in my hand under the table. I watched across the room as Alexis was writing in a spiral-bound notebook, oblivious to the world around her. All the chattering students were just as unaware of her, even the ones sitting at the same table. Those two friends of hers appeared to want her to join in, but seemed to know that it would be futile to ask.
The last thing that I wanted to do was to
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