B007Q4JDEM EBOK by K.A. Poe Read Free Book Online

,” h e said quietly, “I have always assumed it was something to do with my mother's heritage.”
    “Your last name is somewhat contradictory, too, ” I said, speaking my thoughts again. “That is, assuming that part of vampire lore is true – and that you have been a vampire for a long time...” I was prepared to ramble, but he stopped me.
    He smirked. “I suppose you are right. However, how did you know that I'm not as young as you are?”
    “The way you speak, your love for classical music and literature , and maybe a li ttle that you can’t drive a car, ” I chuckled.
    “Those are a ll very valid rea sons,” he replied. “o f course, how ancient must you be to love classical music as well?”
    “Ha! That has nothing to do with how old I am .”
    We laughed for a couple of minutes, but I stopped abruptly and glanced at him. “How old are you?”
    “I was born in 188 5,” h e replied, bracing himself in assumption that I would freak out.
    “You're 126?” I gaped at him , quickly doing the math in my head .
    “More or less,” he shrugged, “i t's hard to keep track after all of this time .”
    I glanced up toward the auto shop window and saw Paul glaring out at us. I wondered if he could see Salem despite the glare on my windshield .
    “We had better leave...” I muttered and Salem followed my gaze.
    “Let's go to your house,” h e said quickly.
    “Why would we go there?” I asked as I pulled out of the parking lot.
    “Don't you want to?”
    “I guess...” I sighed as I turned left onto the road. “There isn't much for me there.”
    “All of your belongings are there.”
    “That's about it.”
    “It will make you feel better,” h e assured me, but I was certain it would do the opposite. Nevertheless, I agreed to go home...at least temporarily.

7. BLACK BEARS
     
    The house was cold, vacant and depressing. I wanted to run to my room, collapse onto my bed and sleep until this nightmare was over. Salem followed me inside, admiring his surroundings as we passed through the kitchen and into the living room. It was incredibly dull and shabby in contrast to his house. I groaned when I smelled the sour milk that spilled across the dining room floor from the prior morning. I quickly gathered the mop and cleaned it up, spraying the area with cleaner to eliminate the wretched smell.
    “You never did explain to me how you affor d to live in that amazing house, ” I commented as I watched him look around my place .
    “Technically, I did,” h e said as he looked at the TV set, “I told you I can make things materialize at will.”
    “So you created that house?”
    He laughed lightly. “No, of course I didn’t . The house was abandoned when I arrived here. The furniture and touch-ups however… ”
    “How do you do it?” He was still fascinated by the TV. I grabbed the remote off of the boring, scratched up brown coffee table.
    “Magic,” h e grinned up at me.
    I glared. “ I’m serious, how exactly? ”
    “I think of something, and it appears. It is really simple.”
    “ Anything ?”
    “No. I can materialize a wide variety of objects. The smaller they are, the easier it is for me. I definitely could never manage anything as large as a house. And it's not something I am in constant control of.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I only discovered the ability a few years ago and sometimes it works...other times , not so much,” h e laughed somewhat to himself. “Initially, things sort of backfired. Like, if I were to imagine a lamp...it would come out disfigured and broken. Eventually I figured it out, though.”
    “What happened when you discovered you could do it ?”
    “I was...star tled, for lack of a better word,” h e appeared to be deep in thought. “But considering who and what I am, it didn't affect me as much as it did you,” h e smirked.
    I hit the power button on the TV remote and a news report spread across the 36' screen. Salem jumped back.
    “Please tell me you have