Read Online Sunrise in a Garden of Love & Evil by Barbara Monajem - Free Book Online Page A

do homework while my sister's at gymnastics." Joanna glanced nervously toward the street.
    Zelda shrugged. Waited. Smiled.
    "Mom would absolutely kill me if she knew I was here," Joanna added.
    Go, then, Zelda thought, but she said, "What she doesn't know won't hurt her. Sure you don't want to come inside? I'm making cookies."
    The other girl shook her head so fast that Zelda had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Zelda waited again, wondering whether Joanna would speak or pass out from holding her breath. Finally, the words rushed out. "Can you give Ophelia a message?"
    "No problem." Suddenly Zelda wished her mother were home, wished even more that Joanna didn't look so needy. "What is it?"
    "It's 'cause my mom won't let me talk to her anymore."
    "Big drag," Zelda said. "What's the message?"
    "I feel so bad," Joanna mumbled. "I really like Ophelia."
    "Everybody does," Zelda agreed, and then it hit her that Joanna's confessional mood might be something her mother had predicted. For some bizarre reason, screwed-up women had an urge to confide in vampires. Not that she knew whether she was going to be a vamp or not, but either way, she might be able to solve a mystery for Ophelia. "I could do with a coffee," she said. "The cookies can wait." She tossed her apron on the floor, wrote a note to her mom, grabbed her knapsack, and pulled the door shut behind her.
    "Whoops," Ophelia said, feigning unconcern. "My bad. Look on the bright side. You won't need a bandage now." She sucked her fangs back into their slots while Art stared, eyes wide.
    "Oh, my God." Gideon's sister glanced dazedly from Ophelia to her finger and back. "You're a vampire! That's so cool."
    "Not particularly." Ophelia examined the apple and ate the slice stained with Art's blood.
    "Does Andrea know?" Art still goggled.
    "No, and neither would you if I hadn't screwed up just now. I don't exactly advertise." Through her vexation, Ophelia heard Vi's voice: You'll get needy and then careless. She'd been right. But Violet's proffered donor or transition man was not the right way to go.
    Meanwhile, Art had turned into a goddamned tourist. "Show me your fangs again! How do you make them go in and out of your gums?"
    Cripes. Ophelia showed her how the fangs worked. "I can slide them up and down on purpose, but they tend to come out on their own if I smell or taste blood." Or get angry. Or turned on.
    "Fabulous! I always hoped vampires were real. Oh, my God, you just drank my blood! And the cut's totally healed. How did you do that?"
    Ophelia sighed. "My spit heals small wounds pretty much instantly."
    "Wow. You're not dead, are you? Will I turn into something weird?"
    Ophelia rolled her eyes. "Of course not. It's just some genetic thing. Apart from the fangs, I'm completely normal." Except for the night vision and the ultrasensitive hearing and the exaggerated sense of smell. And the special spit. And--
    "But you're irresistible, right?" Art giggled. "I knew the stories were true! For once, I was right and Gideon was wrong! He said it was just some dumb perversion."
    Ophelia disregarded the lead weight punching into her heart. "Good. The more people who believe that, the better. We vamps have enough problems as it is." She paused. "I need you to keep your mouth shut."
    "So...," Art said, as if she hadn't heard a word. "What did Gideon think of you?"
    "What difference does it make?" Ophelia asked irritably. "He had the same reaction as any other man. Since he's obviously not shy where women are concerned, he hit on me the first chance he got. I told him where to go. Now, promise you won't tell anyone I'm a vamp. It's for your own safety as much as mine."
    "Does Gideon know?"
    She glared at Artemisia's growing grin. "No, and he doesn't need to. I called the cops as a warning to the guy who vandalized me, period. I don't need any more help. But Gideon's not taking no for an answer. He's acting like I need protection, investigating stuff I can take care of myself. If he