The Vampire Book of the Month Club by Rusty Fischer Read Free Book Online Page A

reason.
    I’m talking to pick up a piece of trash from the floor!
    â€œI just—it’s confusing,” I say. “He acts like he’s all into me one minute. Showing up at my book signing like that, letting me see his schedule, begging me to show him around school. Flowers and chocolates. Then he dumps me.”
    â€œGuys do that. It’s all part of the game.”
    â€œ I don’t play those games.”
    â€œThat’s why you haven’t been on a date since that stupid snowboarder broke your heart.”
    â€œHe didn’t break my heart, OK? What is it with everybody? I got emotionally attached, he’s in love with his stupid board and his money and his Xbox and anything in a short skirt—or preferably no skirt—so we very maturely decided to go our separate ways.”
    He smirks. “Ah, so that’s why you made the bad guy in your very next book a snowboarder. Because you’re sooooo mature.”
    I toss a silk throw pillow at his almost concave stomach. “So you do read my books?”
    He puts one long, tan finger to his full lips. “Shhh, don’t tell anyone, or you’ll damage my street cred.”
    â€œOn what street do you have cred, Wyatt? Besides Rodeo Drive.”
    He shrugs, grabs the bag of corn chips from the coffee table, counts out three, and chews them carefully while eyeing me from his love seat.
    â€œNora, obviously this guy wants something from you. The schedule-in-the-book trick? Classic come-on. You’re just too insecure to realize it. So that didn’t work, and he upped his game with the chocolates-and-flowers trick. Hey, just ’cause Bianca caused him to lose his mojo doesn’t mean he’s not still into you.”
    â€œSo then where did he go all day? And where was Bianca? You know her—she’d rather eat her arm than miss a minute of school. Nightshade is like her own personal catwalk. The only way she would miss is if some hot new guy convinced her to play hooky.”
    â€œI don’t think they call it hooky anymore. I think it’s called ditching now.”
    â€œWho cares?”
    â€œWell, as a writer, I figure you’d want to pay attention to those kinds of details.”
    â€œThe only details I want right now are what happened between Bianca and Reece all day.”
    â€œYou sure about that?” he asks, looking at his watch.
    â€œNo. Not really.”

Chapter 5

    Scarlet Stain holds on to the fire escape railing, one trembling hand clutching the cold, hard steel of the ladder and the other gripping her sword. Count Victus’s blood is still fresh and drips off the sharp blade to the darkened alley six stories below.
    From above comes the rustling of what she knows to be a black satin cape, its edges curling around the count’s ankles as he hovers just out of reach.
    â€œI don’t know why you won’t let me turn you, dear.” He sighs, warm breath oozing like a summer breeze across the otherwise frigid night. It splashes Scarlet’s cheeks like an almost welcome embrace. “Life, or should I say the afterlife, would be so much . . . simpler.”
    Then he bares his fangs, so glistening and white, his lips still red and raw from gorging on his latest victim, another innocent Scarlet pledged and failed to protect.
    As he covers the distance between them, eyes piercing, Scarlet has only one escape: straight down. She lets go of the fire escape, so quickly that even the count, with all his miraculously immortal superpowers, can’t stop her.
    Nor, curiously, does he try.
    She falls, the weight of the world on her shoulders, rushing her speedily toward the earth. Not even the count can save her now.
    That is, if he even wanted to . . .
    I hit Save and look away from the keyboard, rubbing my eyes with one hand as I reach for my coffee cup with the other.
    Around me the bright café is bustling, the smells of freshly brewed cappuccino, frothy milk,