Blood Descendants (St. Clair Vampires Book 1) by Beverly Toney Read Free Book Online

didn’t knock
her over than how she had found me. Somehow I knew that I didn’t
want to know.
    I watched her as she
walked over to the sink to wash her hands. Her long blond hair was
pulled back into her usual high ponytail but was now caught in a long
braid. I still wondered how anyone could deal with that much hair. As
if she felt me looking at her, she met my gaze in the makeshift
mirror and smiled. I shot her my best “screw you” look
and made my way to the restaurant.
    I didn’t realize
how hungry I was until I smelled the food. I was certain that it was
greasy and fattening and I couldn’t wait to order. The boys
from the bus were sitting at the counter so I took the first empty
booth that I came to and picked up a menu. I felt the bench on the
opposite side of the booth dip under someone’s weight and I
froze.
    “ Do
you mind if I sit here?”
    “ Make
yourself comfortable”, I said, trying to sound casual in the
presence of my former best friend. I didn’t know what her
agenda was.
    “ So”,
she said from behind the menu she had picked up, “where are you
headed?”
    “ Excuse
me?”
    “ You
got off that bus, Cheyenne! Where are you going?”
    She pointed out of the
window to the bus as if neither one of us knew what she was talking
about.
    “ I’m
going to Las Vegas.”
    “ Vegas?
Cheyenne, what for?”
    I shrugged, trying to
figure out how to change the subject. I looked around the restaurant
and saw that the three boys at the counter were viciously glancing in
our direction. Tabitha followed my gaze. She smiled at the boy, but
it didn’t reach her eyes. The blue orbs were intense and
predatory. The twins bowed out of the staring contest but the boy
with the white hair held her gaze until our waitress appeared.
    “ Cheyenne”,
she said, after the waitress left. “If you are trying to go
after your mom, it isn’t worth it.”
    Not answering, I shook
off the feeling of abandonment before it led me to tears. She, of all
people, knew how much I wanted a family.
    We sat in uncomfortable
silence while we ate and paid for our meals. We passed the counter
where the three boys were eating only to find it empty and headed to
the bus. I knew Tabitha hadn’t been on the bus before, so I was
surprised when she climbed on ahead of me and sat where the old lady
had been sitting. That reminded me. Where was that old lady? I
started to glance around to make sure we weren’t going to leave
her when the bus driver closed the doors and pulled off. This must
have been her stop.
    I took my seat next to
Tabitha and put the old lady out of my mind. I’d come a long
way from my small New Mexico town and I was too weary and anxious to
be concerned about anyone else. I had no idea what I was going to do
once I arrived in Las Vegas or how I was going to find my bio-mom.
All that I knew for sure was that I had to get away.
    As the seconds turned
into minutes, I noticed Tabitha looking over her shoulder and through
the opening between our seats toward the rear of the bus. She was
watching the three boys as if she was waiting for one of them to come
our way. When she realized that I was watching her, she stiffened and
sat up straight, fixing her ponytail as she did. Then she laid her
head against the window and closed her eyes.
    I woke up with a start
and with a hand over my mouth.
    “ Will
you stop?” asked a familiar voice, filling me with déjà
vu.
    “ Great!”
I replied sarcastically. My heart was pumping so hard it felt like
it would jump out of my body.
    “ Shhh,
Cheyenne”, Tabitha hissed. “The bus has stopped for gas
and we really need to get out of here!”
    I felt Tabitha’s
weight shift as she looked over the back of the seat towards the rear
of the bus. She quietly grabbed my duffel bag from the overhead
compartment and pushed it into my arms. I sat as still as possible as
I heard the window being unlocked. Tabitha pushed on it until it was
opened wide enough for us to climb out and then she turned