Read Online Fallen by Stacy Claflin - Free Book Online Page B

give the ring to Tanner. Why would I give him something that would cause Alexis to fall for him? Granted, that didn't necessarily mean that he would fall for her too. But if she ever figured out her true potential, she would be gorgeous and would prove to be serious competition. That was it. I had to find someone else to give the ring to. Anyone except him.
    When I had met Tanner, he'd been down on his luck. Maybe that was the kind of guy that I needed to go after instead of the nerds. Sure, they weren't popular but that didn't mean that they were unhappy or easy to convince about the existence of vampires. I needed to find someone depressed and hopefully desperate.
    I looked around the room for someone who matched that description and couldn't find anyone. I would have to look elsewhere because the cafeteria was too bright, too busy, and too loud for someone who wanted to be left alone.
    Stuffing the ring in my pocket, I stood up, dumped my tray of uneaten food, and headed for the halls. The kind of guy that I needed to find would be sitting in some dark corner, hoping to remain unnoticed. The first kid that I found sitting in a corner playing a game on his phone had greasy hair and skin. If there was a chance that I'd have to drink his blood, I didn't want that one.
    Walking along further, I saw several others sitting quietly by themselves, but they all made my skin crawl. There had to be more like Tanner, who actually took the time to bathe even though they were lonely.
    Just as I was about to give up, I saw a boy sitting beside a drinking fountain reading a science book. He was clean and had potential. In my mind, I removed his glasses, cut his hair, and gave him a new shirt and a little stubble. He could be the next singing sensation. I sat down next to him and pretended to dig into my backpack.
    He looked at me, obviously trying to figure out why someone like me was sitting next to someone like him on the floor, on purpose.
    I flashed a smile. "Hi there."
    "Uh, hi."
    "What's your name? I've never seen you around?"
    "That's because I tend to blend in with the wallpaper."
    I looked around. "There's no…oh, you're being funny. Cute."
    "How come you're sitting by me?"
    "Just thought I'd say hi. I'm kinda new here."
    "I've seen you around for a few months. You hang out with Tanner. Why aren't you with him?"
    "He doesn't own me, silly."
    "So what do you want?"
    "What do you mean?"
    "Girls like you don't talk to me unless you need something."
    "Really? Girls like me?"
    "Yeah, the 'it' girls," he said, rolling his eyes.
    "I think you'll find that I don't fit into the normal types that you cast girls into."
    "What do you want?" he asked, looking irritated.
    "The—"
    "Look, there's your boyfriend. I'm outta here." He stuffed his book into his backpack and stormed off. Where had I gone wrong?
    I stood up and saw Tanner walking down the hall. His face lit up when he saw me. He walked faster and then wrapped me in a hug. "You're back. Did you manage to get that jerk off your trail?"
    "The jerk? Oh, you mean the redneck vampire. Kind of."
    "What do you mean?"
    I had to think quick. "Well, that's why I was talking to that kid. I need to give the impression that I'm not with you."
    He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
    "Well…if he thinks that we're together he might go after you. I can't have that. I need to protect you."
    The scent of fear rose from him.
    "I don't want you worried about some vampire coming after you. You're fine."
    He narrowed his eyes. "Then why would you try to set up a decoy?"
    Sighing, I said, "There is another option."
    "What?"
    "This," I said, showing him the ring. I wasn't going to find another guy to convince about vampires, so I decided that I may as well give him the ring. I loved Tanner, but it wasn't as though I was going to leave my position with Vince to be with him. Ruling the entire vampire kingdom was my most important objective and it could only be done with Vince. I couldn't let something as fickle as