Bite Me! (2 page)

I should've given her more credit. Lindsey Rockport wasn't nearly as clueless as I thought.

Ryan laughed and my heart sank. “Nope. We broke up. The parents didn't think it was a good idea for me to date my sister. Besides, we had already cooled off. The family thing was just a good excuse to end it without drama.”

Ouch. Now I know what being gutted felt like. Ryan just filleted me like a fish. What had I been thinking sending him straight into the arms of Lackluster Lindsey?

Of course, I
had
hoped she'd shoot him down. By
the googly eyes she was giving him, I should've known better.

Lindsey was pretty, in a plain sorta way. She played French horn in the school band (as well as at weddings) and was the yearbook editor. She had dark hair, dark eyes, and a petite build, so she had all the right ingredients to be cute. But she totally needed to drop by the Estée Lauder counter at Dillard's.

The real problem with Lindsey wasn't her looks—it was her ability to suck the life out of a person with just one conversation. She's a total Debbie Downer—no matter what's going on, she sees the dark cloud, not the silver lining. A one-on-one with Lindsey generally left me feeling more soulless than even a vampire should.

Not that I don't have a soul. I do. We vamps have evolved over time into a “living” undead. My own—very unscientific—explanation is that some of the original vampires began to mate with the humans they loved instead of biting them. Eventually, babies were born with vampire traits. Now we breathe, sleep, love, hate, eat, age (well, not like humans age, but we do eventually wrinkle), and take our daily dose of hemoglobin from a glass. And that whole sensitivity to light thing?
So
last century.

Apparently another thing we feel? Jealousy.

I don't even know why Ryan bothered asking Lindsey to the bonfire when he wasn't going. Our parents had asked us to stay home tonight to help the younger sibs acclimate to their new home since the parentals were going to Memphis for their wedding night. And we had
both
promised we would.

It was downright mean of Ryan to lead Lindsey on that way.

I couldn't watch Ryan swing and miss with his faux attempt to “move on” with Lackluster Lindsey. As I turned away I heard Lindsey say, “Maybe I could give tonight's bonfire a shot. Especially since Peppermint Perfect won't be there. She's not coming, is she?” Lindsey asked in a voice so fake and sweet that
I
could taste the saccharine.

“No. She's staying home to babysit like a good little girl. It'll be just you and me.”

My stomach roiled. What had I done? I couldn't be angry and I honestly shouldn't be hurt. I knew he was lashing out at me. But his words felt like poison darts. I blinked back the tears that were burning my eyes.

There was no need for me to torture myself any longer. Besides, I needed to finish unpacking my room.

We'd started moving stuff over here earlier in the week, but tonight would be our first night in the new house. I'd
been dreading the thought of unpacking all my stuff and putting my bedroom together, so I was a bit surprised to walk in and find everything had been done for me. All my stuff had been unpacked and set up for me just like it was in my former house. Even the walls were the same pale yellow. A vase of fresh daisies sat on my bedside table, and my white cat was curled up at the foot of my bed.

Maybe we did have a maid after all.

“What do you think about all this, Spike?” I asked, scratching my purring cat behind his ears.

No answer. I bet if I were a teenage witch he'd talk to me.

I found my favorite cut-offs and fitted tank and quickly changed. It was only nine o'clock. I really wanted to go to O'Reily's, but since that was out of the question, I thought I'd explore the house a little.

My cell phone rang.

“Hey,” my best friend, Bridget, said. “Have you gotten kinky with your new brother yet?”

“Shut up, Bridge. I suppose you're headed to O'Reily's tonight?”

“Not without you.”

“Um. Yeah. About that—I promised Mom I'd stay with the kids tonight. I don't suppose you'd consider
ditching the bonfire and hanging out with me instead?” I asked.

“I can't believe you're staying in on the last night of summer.”

“I don't have a choice, Bridge. Mom asked me.”

“There's always a choice,” Bridget said, echoing Ryan. “I'll come over for a little while, but I'm not skipping entirely. I'm finally going to let Grady notice me tonight.”

“I wondered when you were going to instigate Project Grady. See ya in a few.”

We hung up and I headed downstairs.

There were still a few boxes littering the foyer, but overall, the house was mostly put together. I walked through the main living area where Oz and the twins were playing Xbox.

“Have you guys seen Ryan?” I asked, hoping they knew exactly where he was so I could avoid him. Even though I was mad at Ryan, I still got all juiced up around him. I couldn't afford any alone time with him. Especially in this big house with lots of hidden nooks and crannies.

“Yeah, he and Lindsey left about ten minutes ago.”

That stopped me in my tracks.

“Oh.”

Good God. I really
was
jealous. Hadn't I just pushed him to ask her? It's not like I could be with Ryan myself. And I
was
trying to avoid him. But I really didn't like the thought of that cesspool of negativity giving him…French lessons.

It's nothing
,
AJ. He's just trying to make you eat your words. Besides
,
he's your brother now
,
remember?

I walked into the massive bright orange kitchen to wait for Bridget. There was a note from Mom on the counter.

“You see your note then, dearie?” a familiar voice said from behind me.

I turned to see Aunt Doreen. She adjusted her nightcap—I didn't know people actually still wore nightcaps—and waddled over to the stove, where she put on a pot of water.

“Aunt Doreen, what are you doing here?” I asked. I guess I assumed Mom had asked us to stay because Aunt Doreen wouldn't be here.

“Well, right now I'm fixing m'self a spot o' tea,” she said. “And then I plan to work the crossword puzzle while I drink me tea. And
then
I plan to go to bed.”

“Oh, right. So, are you babysitting for Rick and Mom? Because I thought…”

“Heavens! I'm no babysitter. Not really. As you well know, I've lived with the Frasers since Moira died—nearly ten years. You dinna think these lads could take care of themselves?” She scoffed. “With me nephew running his company and the wee lads in school? And for certain I planned to move on after the wedding, but yer mum's so busy at the hospital…so last night she asked if I would stay on. How could I say no to family?”

“Wow. So you're our Alice,” I mumbled.

“Alice? No, darlin', it's Doreen. Are you peeked? I can whip up a concoction that will set you right in a jiffy—”

“No, ma'am. I'm fine. I've got to go. See you around.”

I'm truly living a very Brady nightmare.

T
he old black wall phone rang as Bridget walked into the kitchen.

“Hello?” I answered into the heavy receiver.

“Good, you're there,” Mom said. “Rick and I are on our way back home. We barely got checked into our room before the hospital called,” she said, clearly exasperated.

“So you're coming home?” I asked.

“Yes. It's an emergency. I'll be going to the hospital, but Rick will be home tonight. I just didn't want y'all to freak out when he comes in. We're leaving Memphis now.”

“Okay. Oh, hey, Mom? Since Aunt Doreen's here and you're gonna be home, anyway, is it cool if I head to the
bonfire now? I won't break curfew. I promise.”

She sighed. “That's fine. I shouldn't have asked you to give up your last night of freedom. Have fun.”

Smiling, I hung up the phone. “Mom and Rick are on their way home. Sucks being a doctor.”

“Yup. But it doesn't suck for you,” Bridget said.

“Let me update Aunt Doreen and then we can hit it. I'll drive.”

 

We could see the bonfire from a mile away. I turned my Saturn down the winding, barely drivable path that led us through a patch of woods to the pasture. The field was peppered with other vehicles, haystacks, necking high school students, and the occasional roaming cow.

I pulled up on the other side of Grady Lincoln's big-ass truck and parked.

“Beer?” Bridget asked as she reached to the backseat, flipping open the ice chest.

“No, and you know that. By the way, you look hot tonight.”

“Yeah, I know.” She laughed and fluffed her dark auburn curls. “Is that Grady's truck?”

“Why do you think I parked here?”

“You're the best. Now, does this top say
you're the one
for me
or does it say
everyone has already had me?
”

Not that anyone had
had
either one of us. Got to watch out for false advertising.

She wore a shimmery white button-down that was tapered at the waist, but only two buttons were fastened.

“Button one more button at the top, but leave your belly button ring showing. For whatever reason, guys dig that.”

“Gotcha.”

She made the adjustments, got out of the car, and strutted over to Grady. That six-foot-four ballplayer was putty in her hands the moment she said hello.

I opened the cooler, and for a brief moment thought about grabbing a beer, then got smart and took a Coke instead.

Alcohol might be a downer to most people, but not to vampires. Especially if you don't have control over your instincts. And clearly, after last week's reaction with Ryan, I don't.

They also say that the purer your lineage, the greater the effects. I have a human grandmother, but mostly, my genetic stock is all vampire. Which means I don't need my senses any keener than they already are.

So I don't bother with the booze. I get high on life…
(ha!) and occasionally a bloodsicle or two (which are surprisingly tasty).

I joined Bridget and Grady, who were already making goo-goo eyes at each other. Hank Fellows and John Turner, two of Valley Springs, Mississippi's finest football players, sat on the tailgate of Grady's truck with road-pops in their hands.

“Mad Dog? Dudes, you gotta stay away from the malt liquor.”

“Says she who doesn't drink,” Hank said, nudging John in the side with his elbow. They both laughed like it was the funniest thing ever. That's when I noticed the joint.

I just rolled my eyes and stepped away from them. I couldn't get high for the same reason I couldn't drink. And since I wasn't sure what the secondhand smoke would do to me, I figured it was best to keep as far away from it as possible.

“See ya later, Sister Christian,” John said with a snort as I walked away. I turned around, flashed them my most charming smile, and gave them the finger—in stereo.

“Nice.” They both laughed.

I stepped over to the bonfire and left Bridget to her work.

“Hey, AJ,” Noah James said, approaching the fire. “You ready for Monday?”

Noah was a soccer player, like me. He was a few inches taller than my five foot seven, with blond wavy hair and baby blues that would melt ice caps. I'd always had a little crush on him, but he was usually attached at the groin to Twittany Talbot.

I eyed him with appreciation. Yeah, there were worse things in this world to look at.

“Is anyone really ready for school to start?” I asked with a laugh. “Where's Tiffany?”

“We split over the summer. I finally woke up one day and realized how annoying she really was.”

“Took you long enough.” I grinned.

“Yeah, well, she wasn't nearly as aggravating when she was sitting on my lap.” He waggled his eyebrows at me and took a pull off his beer. “I hear your mom and Ryan's dad got hitched today. That's gotta be weird for you guys. Or maybe just beneficial?”

“Not beneficial anymore. We split, too. The parentals made us.”

“Oh.”

A thick slice of silence stretched between us as we sipped our drinks and pretended not to be thinking about
the fact we were both single, and it was the last Saturday before school started, and how fun it might be to celebrate our last night of freedom by laying into each other tongue deep. I mean, I had it bad for Ryan, but he was off limits. That didn't mean I had to take myself off the market, right?

Besides, he was clearly moving on and so should I.

“Oh. My. God,” I heard Bridget say behind us. “No fucking way.”

“You sing in the church choir with that mouth?” I laughed and turned to see what had her panties in a bunch.

Ryan was helping Lindsey Rockport out of his Jeep. And she stood there looking up at him with Bambi eyes and a Barbie smile.

“What's he doing here? With Lindsey? She's nothing but a big ball of hate wrapped up in a pint-size body. And is she
smiling
?” Bridget asked.

“Yeah, I think she is.”

Ryan's gaze caught mine, and then he leaned down and kissed Lindsey on the neck, never breaking our stare.

A trill of giggles floated from her mouth to my ears. My head burned, and every molecule of my body ached to reach over and scratch her face off, then fang Ryan Fraser
until his blood ran dry.

Jealous much?

A familiar tingle in my mouth warned me to settle down. I licked my lips and took a deep, calming breath, hoping to regain control over my fangs. This wouldn't be a good time for them to make a sudden, unwanted appearance, you know?

I'd like to see me try to explain that. “Oh, sorry about the fangs. Yeah, I'm a vampire, but don't worry, we've evolved.”

“You okay?” Bridget asked.

“Fine. I'm fine. He's my brother now—remember? Besides, at the reception, I'd very clearly told him to move on. Hell, I even suggested he move on with Lindsey. I guess he thought that was a good idea.” I tried to stamp down the giant green monster before it showed up in full force and made the Incredible Hulk look like an Oompah Loompah.

“I thought you might need this,” Noah said, handing me a beer.

“She doesn't drink,” Ryan said as he and Lindsey approached. “She doesn't do anything that breaks the rules. What
are
you doing here, anyway?” he asked me. “I thought you were home playing Nanny McPhee,” he said.

I decided to ignore his question. If he had been home, he would know why I was here. “It's not about the rules, Ryan. It's about respect. That's probably a hard point for you to grasp, I know.”

“Nope. Not at all. The point is: Ariel Jane Ashe equals status quo.” He rolled his eyes and turned to Noah. “Good luck unlocking that chastity belt, Sport. She'll have to get written permission first.” He chuckled, but it was cold and hollow.

His words dug at me. Like I wasn't already hurting. Like this was easy for me. Did he think I could just turn my feelings off like I would a suck-ass movie?

“Nice, Ryan. Real nice.” I grabbed Noah's hand.

“You know, I think tonight is a night of firsts. Now, which rule should I break first? I think I'll start with the beer and then I'll finish with you, if you're up for it.”

Noah's smile was all dimple as he handed me a beer. “I was hoping you'd say that.”

He draped his arm around me, pulling me to him, and a fist squeezed my heart even as my belly did a little flip.

As we walked away I glanced over my shoulder to make a face at Ryan (because I'm mature like that), but he wasn't paying one bit of attention to me or my dramatic exit. Instead, he was wrapped up in Lindsey's arms as they
slow danced and made out to some stupid Ne-Yo song.

I put the beer to my lips, closed my eyes, and drained the can like it was water. With that one gulp I washed away Dudette Do-Right and welcomed Little Miss Deviant.

“Damn!” Noah said, stretching the four-letter word out into two syllables. “For someone who doesn't drink, you sure put a hurtin' on that beer.”

“Yeah. You got another?” I asked, knowing it was a mistake but not really giving a rat's ass.

It hurt, seeing Ryan with Lindsey. Even though I pretty much had pushed him into her arms, part of me had thought he would've at least pined a little bit first.

I glanced over at Noah as he opened his ice chest and took out two more beers, then reached behind the seat of his truck and pulled out a rolled-up blanket, tucking it under his arm.

I'm sure I didn't appear to be pining any, either. But couples hook up and break up all the time. What better way to move on than with someone else?

Noah handed me the beer, wrapped his big warm hand around mine, and said, “Let's find someplace we can be alone.”

“Yeah.” I needed to get away. The beer worked fast.
My senses were already opening up, and I could hear all the conversations, and music, and moaning, and giggling. A cow mooed in the distance, but it sounded like it was on my lap.

I was a little nervous about the private time in the woods with Noah. I had no intention of doing more than making out with him, but suddenly my skin was buzzing, my heart was racing, and my mouth was as dry as sand. I'd always had a slight crush on Noah, but for some reason, tonight was different. Everything was heightened and I wasn't sure if it was because of the beer, my hurt over Ryan…or just because Noah was really hot.

Maybe it was a dangerous combination of all three.

I took another big drink, trying to quench my thirst and tamp down the desire that had begun to curl its way through my system.

I inhaled deeply, and the scent of lust slammed into me like a crashing wave. My heart strummed to a faster staccato, my breathing hitched up a notch, and my insides started melting into a big puddle of horny.

And he hadn't even kissed me yet.

Wow. Drinking might have been a really bad idea.

Noah led me to a small clearing in the woods. The trees muffled the sounds to a bearable level, but my skin
still buzzed when he touched me. And my heart hadn't slowed yet.

It was disconcerting how quickly my body was responding to the atmosphere and smells around me. No matter how much I wanted to pout and wail about Ryan, all I could think about was how many different ways I could rip Noah's clothes off his back.

I watched Noah kick away some acorns and rocks as he spread out the red and black plaid blanket. He was wearing a pair of tattered jeans that were frayed at the bottom and a tight olive green T-shirt that sported a super sexy picture of James Dean. When he bent over to smooth the blanket, I caught a glimpse of his paisley boxers poking out of a slash just beneath his back pocket.

My mouth tingled and my fangs popped out, slicing into my lower lip.

“Ow!” I cried, covering my mouth with my hand. I touched my tongue to my lip and a roaring need burst inside me. Blood.

I wanted blood.

Even though I'd had more than enough today, I found myself compelled to bite Noah.

“AJ? You okay?” Noah asked, turning to look at me.

“I bit my lip,” I mumbled from behind my hand. I still
hadn't been able to retract my fangs. I closed my eyes to concentrate.

Focus on the white.

Mom had taught us a control exercise when we were kids. Vampires don't fully mature until after thirty, which means that although we can learn to somewhat manage our instincts, we probably won't be in full command of them until then. I've never been sure why thirty is the magic number. It seems a little late for puberty, but I guess thirty is actually a drop in the age bucket when you live for hundreds of years. Anyway, until vampires have control of their power, premature fangulation is always a concern.

Like, um, now.

Focus.

The darkness behind my eyelids faded to gray, then to white. I steadied my breathing as I concentrated on the bright emptiness. I counted to ten, never wavering from the blank canvas.

After what seemed like hours, I felt the incisors slide back into place.

When I opened my eyes Noah was standing just inches away.

“That must've hurt. Let me take a look,” he said, gently cupping my chin in his hand. He angled my face
and rubbed his thumb across my bottom lip. “I have just the cure for that nasty scratch,” he said.

It happened in slow motion, just like in the movies. Noah leaned over until his face was just a breath away from mine.

I hesitated at first. Something in the back of my mind warned me that this could be a very bad idea. But a picture of Ryan with Lindsey flashed through my mind, and jealousy roared to life, drowning out any warning bells that had been ringing.

I closed my eyes, partly to ready myself for the kiss and partly to focus and keep my incisors parked.

Noah's lips were soft, as I had imagined they would be. At first, the kiss was just a timid touch of his lips to mine. He brushed his thumb along my cheek to my neck. Then he grabbed the back of my head and kissed me again, this time with more intent.