Read Online Heart of the Vampire (Vanderlind Castle) by Gayla Twist - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Gayla Twist
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reschedule the weekend.” Joe was going to be furious.
“Good. Then I need you to come to see me at sunset. But you have to make sure you arrive before the sun goes down just to be safe.” He put emphasis on the word before .
“See you where?” I was confused.
“My home,” he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “We have a lot to go over before we fly.”
“Wait a minute,” I said, somewhat flabbergasted. “You want me to come see you at the castle?”
He gave me a playful smile. “Precisely.”
Jessie and his family lived in a large European castle that they’d had moved brick by brick to America from Hungary right before Hitler started making serious trouble in Europe. We locals were never invited inside the castle, only to the annual garden party the Vanderlinds hosted to keep curiosity down to a minimum. Except for Blossom and me. We’d snuck into the castle during an exclusive party, which was meant only for vampires and their human companions. For better or for worse, that’s how I got tangled up with Jessie in the first place.
“So... I’m just supposed to show up at the gate before sunset?” I asked. His instructions had been perfectly clear, but turning up at the Vanderlind Castle felt like such an odd thing to do that I wanted to clarify that I’d heard what I’d heard.
Jessie nodded. “I’ll tell the guard on gate duty to expect you.”
“Okay,” I agreed, already feeling nervous about the whole thing. “If you think it’s a good idea.”
“I do,” he assured me. “And besides,” Jessie flashed me a shy smile, “I’d like to introduce you to my mother.”
There was nothing I could say that would be at all coherent, so I just nodded at him while my brain was screaming, Your mother? You want me to meet your mother?
Gathering his legs under him, Jessie made ready to leave for the night. “I have a lot to do , so I’d better say good night, then.”
“Good night,” I whispered.
He coiled his body in preparation of springing into the air, but then he paused and turned back to me. “You should probably talk to you r boyfriend,” he said, his face inscrutable. “Tell him you're going to be away for a few days.” With that he leapt into the air and, in an instant, had disappeared into the night.
Chapter 10
The wind was knocked out of me as if by a blow. I literally felt like someone had socked me in the stomach. It was true; I had a boyfriend, and that boyfriend wasn’t Jessie, no matter how wrong it felt. I wanted to be with Jessie. Every fiber of my being yearned to be with him. So why was I dating Fred?
Oh , yeah, because Jessie was a vampire and had disappeared out of my life after telling me that it was too dangerous and we could never be together. He’d left me heartbroken, and Fred had been there, actually wanting to be with me. That was no excuse for dating him when my heart wasn’t really into it, but it was how I’d justified it in my head. But that wouldn’t work any longer. I wasn’t being fair to Fred, and I wasn’t being true to myself. It was going to suck, but I had to talk to Fred. I had to explain to him in the gentlest way possible that we couldn’t be together.
I climbed into bed dreading the morning.
My dream started in a way that had become familiar —me sneaking out of the house at night. But not exactly our house, not the one Mom and I lived in. This one was bigger with wood floors and a front porch that had a squeaky screen door. I was in a green and white dress that hit me at mid-calf, and I had something with me—a box or a suitcase; whatever it was, I was carrying something.
I hurried out to the road, my heart pounding with the thrill and terror of leaving. Once I was past a group of large trees, I stopped to take one last look at the house. Tiny bugs and creatures made their night music all around me. There was a lump in my throat , which I swallowed before
“Good. Then I need you to come to see me at sunset. But you have to make sure you arrive before the sun goes down just to be safe.” He put emphasis on the word before .
“See you where?” I was confused.
“My home,” he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “We have a lot to go over before we fly.”
“Wait a minute,” I said, somewhat flabbergasted. “You want me to come see you at the castle?”
He gave me a playful smile. “Precisely.”
Jessie and his family lived in a large European castle that they’d had moved brick by brick to America from Hungary right before Hitler started making serious trouble in Europe. We locals were never invited inside the castle, only to the annual garden party the Vanderlinds hosted to keep curiosity down to a minimum. Except for Blossom and me. We’d snuck into the castle during an exclusive party, which was meant only for vampires and their human companions. For better or for worse, that’s how I got tangled up with Jessie in the first place.
“So... I’m just supposed to show up at the gate before sunset?” I asked. His instructions had been perfectly clear, but turning up at the Vanderlind Castle felt like such an odd thing to do that I wanted to clarify that I’d heard what I’d heard.
Jessie nodded. “I’ll tell the guard on gate duty to expect you.”
“Okay,” I agreed, already feeling nervous about the whole thing. “If you think it’s a good idea.”
“I do,” he assured me. “And besides,” Jessie flashed me a shy smile, “I’d like to introduce you to my mother.”
There was nothing I could say that would be at all coherent, so I just nodded at him while my brain was screaming, Your mother? You want me to meet your mother?
Gathering his legs under him, Jessie made ready to leave for the night. “I have a lot to do , so I’d better say good night, then.”
“Good night,” I whispered.
He coiled his body in preparation of springing into the air, but then he paused and turned back to me. “You should probably talk to you r boyfriend,” he said, his face inscrutable. “Tell him you're going to be away for a few days.” With that he leapt into the air and, in an instant, had disappeared into the night.
Chapter 10
The wind was knocked out of me as if by a blow. I literally felt like someone had socked me in the stomach. It was true; I had a boyfriend, and that boyfriend wasn’t Jessie, no matter how wrong it felt. I wanted to be with Jessie. Every fiber of my being yearned to be with him. So why was I dating Fred?
Oh , yeah, because Jessie was a vampire and had disappeared out of my life after telling me that it was too dangerous and we could never be together. He’d left me heartbroken, and Fred had been there, actually wanting to be with me. That was no excuse for dating him when my heart wasn’t really into it, but it was how I’d justified it in my head. But that wouldn’t work any longer. I wasn’t being fair to Fred, and I wasn’t being true to myself. It was going to suck, but I had to talk to Fred. I had to explain to him in the gentlest way possible that we couldn’t be together.
I climbed into bed dreading the morning.
My dream started in a way that had become familiar —me sneaking out of the house at night. But not exactly our house, not the one Mom and I lived in. This one was bigger with wood floors and a front porch that had a squeaky screen door. I was in a green and white dress that hit me at mid-calf, and I had something with me—a box or a suitcase; whatever it was, I was carrying something.
I hurried out to the road, my heart pounding with the thrill and terror of leaving. Once I was past a group of large trees, I stopped to take one last look at the house. Tiny bugs and creatures made their night music all around me. There was a lump in my throat , which I swallowed before
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