Vampire Kisses 9: Immortal Hearts (7 page)

“I know,” he said. “But I have a life here now, too. So what is so different without me?”

“The house is so big. I have no one to talk to.”

“We didn’t talk all the time,” he said.

“I know. But it was nice having you there. That’s where you live, remember?”

“Well, I live here. For now. Mom and Dad told you that.”

“I know. But it’s so far away. You get to have all the fun. It’s not fair.”

“I’m sure you have fun, too.”

“I do not. Not like you. You get to meet a lot of people. You get to do what you want.”

“I’m eighteen,” he said. “When I was twelve, I didn’t get to do everything that I wanted. Besides, I could be going to college soon, anyway. You have to get used to my being away.”

“But this is different,” she said.

“Why?”

“You know why....” she hinted.

“Maybe we should talk about this later? You just got here.”

I thought it best to divert the conversation. “Are you homeschooled like Alexander?” I asked Stormy.

“Yes.”

“Do you like that?” I wondered.

“I guess so,” she said. I was surprised she wasn’t more excited.

“I’m jealous of that. I think it would be so cool. Hanging out at home. Getting to watch TV.”

“I don’t get to watch TV.”

“You don’t?”

“It’s like jail.”

“It is not,” Alexander said with a laugh.

“Not to you,” she said. “You are here.”

“I call this town Dullsville,” I said, “and I say that for a reason.”

“C’mon. You have a great time,” Alexander said. “You study, you travel. You have a lot of friends.”

“I do not!” she said. “I don’t even have a boyfriend.”

“Well, you have plenty of time for that.” Alexander was emphatic.

“I’m twelve! I get just as thirsty as you do.”

Alexander cleared his throat.

“I can’t believe you don’t have friends,” I said. “I bet you have tons.”

“Yes, a few. But I don’t have a boyfriend, and the only guy I get to hang out with is Valentine.”

“Valentine Maxwell?” I asked, referring to the Maxwell twins’ younger sibling. He was my brother Billy’s age. Billy, his friend Henry, and Valentine had hung out together when Valentine came to Dullsville in search of his older siblings. Instead he found a friendly clique with Billy and Henry and tried to become blood brothers with them. But soon Valentine grew thirsty, and without another to feed on or a bottled-blood-filled cellar like the Mansion’s, Valentine grew weak. Alexander returned Valentine to a thankful Jagger in Hipsterville, and the feud with the Maxwells was over.

“Ooh, do you like him?” I pried.

“He’s cute.”

“He is?” Alexander asked, surprised. “I’ve never heard you talk about him that way.”

“But I want to meet new guys. And Mother and Father keep me studying too much of the time.”

“Well, your education is very important,” Alexander said.

“Ugh,” she said. “You would say that. You all want me locked up forever.”

“You are not locked up,” he said. “Quit being so dramatic.”

“I am; you don’t even know. You don’t mind painting in your room for hours. But I want to be out and seeing the world.”

“Well, you are here, now,” he said. “This is getting out into the world.”

< />She made a face at her brother. “I know. I’m glad I’m here.”

“So what do you like to do for fun?” I asked.

“Uh… I read and write poems.”

“And try to sneak out of the house?” Alexander teased.

“Just sometimes,” she said with an impish smile.

“I do that, too,” I said.

“You do?” She gazed at me skeptically.

“Well, I really sneak in more places than I sneak out of. In fact, that’s the first time I saw Alexander face-to-face. Right there—” I said, pointing to the bottom of the staircase.

Alexander cleared his throat again.

“It’s no secret,” I said.

“Secret?” she asked eagerly. “Tell me!”

I leaned forward. “I snuck into the Mansion.”

“You did?” Again she was skeptical.

“Yes,” I answered proudly. “And it wasn’t the first time.”

“Maybe she shouldn’t hear all this,” Alexander said.

“No, tell me.” Stormy was keen to hear more. “I must know.”

“I used to sneak in here when I was younger.”

“Why would you want to sneak
in
?” she wondered.

“I wanted to see what was on the inside.”

“Funny, I’ve always wanted to see what is on the outside,” she said.

“Well, we will get to that tomorrow,” Alexander said as we finished our desserts.

It wasn’t long before Alexander was preparing to take me home. I was grabbing my coat in the foyer when I overheard the two siblings talking in the kitchen. I knew I should let the two of them talk privately, but I couldn’t help myself. It wasn’t like me
not
to eavesdrop.

I tiptoed over to the kitchen’s entryway and hung outside of view.

“So what Can> hear mor are we going to do here?” I heard Stormy ask. “I want to see the town. And Luna.”

“We’ll see her sometime.”

“But when? I’ve missed her so much.”

“I don’t know.”

“I can’t wait to see her.”

“But don’t you think Raven’s cool?”

“Yes, she is very pretty. Mother and Father raved about her when they came home.”

“They did?” His voice was bright.

“All they talked about for a week straight was Raven.” Her voice grew dark.

“Well, I know you guys will be fast friends.”

There was a pause.

“Why haven’t you come home?” Stormy asked softly. “Is it because of me?”

“You know I had to leave. For the family. There was too much turmoil if I stayed. Why would it be because of you?”

“I wasn’t sure if you were mad at me—from the night of the covenant ceremony.”

“I couldn’t be mad at you. It was my decision.”

“But I was so angry.”

“I understood. Everyone was upset.”

“But it’s been a year. You weren’t supposed to stay this long.”

“I like it here,” he said.

“And you like Raven.”

“Yes, I do.”

“But why … why didn’t you turn Luna? She’s beautiful and so much fun! All you had to do was turn her. Then we all could be together in Romania. And she could have been a vampire—a
Sterling
vampire.”

“She wasn’t the right girl for me. I’m sorry to have disappointed you. But Luna is doing fine. She doesn’t need me to get along in this world.”

“Well, now that Luna is a vampire, why don’t you like her?” she asked.

“Stormy… I wasn’t … it just wasn’t right. You’ll understand when you’re older.”

“I understand now. You don’t think I know about love?”

“If you do … well, you’ll know that you need to wait for the one you really love.”

“So you didn’t love Luna?”

I didn’t hear him answer. I figured he was shaking his head.

“You love Raven?”

He was quiet again. I was hoping he was nodding this time.

“We don’t have to talk about all this tonight,” Alexander finally said, “do we?”

Just then I stepped back into the room.

Stormy looked at me as if she wondered how much I’d heard.

“We were just catching up a bit,” Alexander said. “I kind of left home in a hurry. Not the best situation. But now we’re together—”

“Yes,” she said. Stormy flashed a grin.

“I’m going to take Raven home,” he said to his sibling. “Maybe you can take a catnap?”

“But it’s only midnight,” she whined.

“I know—but you’ve traveled quite a bit.”

“I’m not a child,” she said, just as I probably would have in her situation.

It was odd to leave and have to be the one going to bed while a twelve-year-old girl got to stay awake until sunrise. Being a mortal had its drawbacks. “It was nice to finally meet you, Stormy,” I said. “I hope to see you again soon.”

“Yes, it was lovely meeting you, Raven,” she said with a sweet grin. I was hoping for a hug, but it didn’t happen. She politely offered her hand instead.

I gently shook it, and she raced up the grand staircase, just like I had a hundred times before.

I felt kind of lonely, knowing that I had to go home while the siblings got to hang out together. But this was really about Alexander and not me, and I took comfort in knowing that his loneliness, living in the Mansion with just Jameson for company, was minimized again.

“She seems really sweet,” I said when Alexander and I had settled into the Mercedes.

“I’m glad you like her,” he said.

“What’s not to like?” I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders.

“Why do you call her Stormy?” I asked when we drove down the long and winding drive.

“She has her moments.”

“Really? She seems very polite.”

“She is. But she can be very vocal and dramatic.”

“Like me?”

“Yes, I’d say that,” he said with a chuckle.

Then I remembered the private chat that I’d overheard. “I don’t want her to resent me,” I said.

“Why would she? She just likes to be the center of attention, that’s all. She always has.”

“No, I mean that you didn’t return to Romania. She might think that you are still here because of me.”

“Well, I am.” Alexander sported a reassuring smile.

“But it’s your decision,” I said. “She needs to know that. Otherwise she’ll just blame me.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. I just wanted you to know, too.”

Alexander paused for a moment, as if he was giving my words real thought.

“Maybe sometime this week you two can spend some girl-time together,” he said. “Then she’ll know exactly why I fell in love with you, too.”

6
A Creep in the Crypt

I
waited impatiently in my family room in anticipation of Alexander picking me up. He was taking Stormy to visit the Crypt, and he wanted the three of us to go together. I knew Luna would be at the club and that Stormy was looking forward to seeing her. I had hoped for a little more time for Stormy and me to bond before she reunited with Luna, but I was excited that I was going to be with Alexander to show her the club. When the doorbell rang, I raced to the door. I got a few heavenly smooches in before Alexander led me to the Mercedes. When we reached the car, Stormy was sitting in the front seat. Alexander shot her a look and gestured for her to hop in the back. Billy Boy and I F

“No,” Alexander said. “Stormy will sit in the back.”

I heard a large “humph!” from her. I was okay with riding in the backseat. After all, she wasn’t Billy Boy, and it really had been more about our sibling power struggle than about looking out the front window.

Stormy started to open her door, but I jumped into the backseat.

“It’s okay,” I said. “I like it back here. I feel like I’m being chauffeured.”

Stormy shrugged her shoulders as Alexander sneered at her.

“All right,” he said, changing his mood. “Off to the Crypt.”

“I can’t wait to see it,” Stormy said. “I’ve never been to a club before. So will there be boys my age there?” she asked.

“Uh … not usually,” Alexander said.

“Who am I going to dance with?” she asked.

“We’ll all dance together,” I offered.

“Oh…” She was audibly disappointed, and her voice trailed off as she gazed out the window.

Alexander turned into the gravel lot, and Stormy was amazed by the size of the factory. “This is the club?” she asked.

“Part of it is,” Alexander said.

“What’s in the other parts?” she said, wondering.

“Jagger’s office,” Alexander said, parking. “Their sleeping quarters. A covenant altar.”

“They have a covenant altar in this place?”

“Yes,” Alexander said. “Jagger doesn’t leave anything out.”

“Wow—this is so fabulous!” she exclaimed, hopping from the car.

“I thought you might like it,” he said as we got out and joined her. “You could be the youngest one there.”

“So Luna and Jagger sleep here?” she asked as she looked up at the huge abandoned factory. Large windows were missing and, from the alley, one could see discarded boxes filling some of the rooms.

“Yes,” Alexander replied.

“The Maxwells don’t have an apartment?” she asked.

“I think they feel this is their apartment.”

“I want to sleep here, too!”

We waited at the end of a small line that had formed. When we reached the entrance, the burly security guard looked us over and took a moment when he saw Stormy.

“Is this your sister?” he asked me.

“No. She’s
his
sister.”

“I would have sworn you two were sisters,” he said, gesturing to Stormy and me. “The same hair, the same style.”

I was flattered, but I wasn’t sure if Stormy felt the same. I glanced over to catch her expression, and she had a huge grin on her face. I was hoping she wasn’t just being polite.

We stepped into the club, and Stormy was entranced by her new environment.

“This is stellar!”

Among the crowd of clubsters, it was obvious that Stormy was the youngest one in attendance. I was proud to be in the company of Alexander and his sister. It felt so amazing to be walking into a fabulously morbid dance club in Dullsville in the company of my vampire boyfriend and his younger vampire sibling. It wasn’t something I’d ever imagined happening—and here I was doing it.

“Look at all the tombstones,” she said, pointing to the walls. “I feel so at home.”

That was exactly how I felt. It was like I was standing next to a younger version of myself.

“Where’s Luna?” Stormy asked. “I want to see her.”

“We have plenty of time to run into her,” Alexander answered. “Raven and I will show you around.”

“Yes, look over here,” I said to Stormy. I led her to the coffins Jagger had in the corner of the club. Several clubsters were lying inside and mugging for their friends.

“Aren’t these awesome?” I asked enthusiastically.

As soon as I said that, I realized how mundane these were to her. For the mortals in Dullsville, this was freaky and fun. But Stormy always slept in a coffin. It was like someone being excited to show me beds at a mattress factory. And on top of that, she couldn’t even be photographed. I’d missed the mark on two vampire poin K valigts.