Kiss of the Vampire (The Vanderlind Realm Book 2) by Gayla Twist Read Free Book Online Page B

immediately thought that no time with Haley would ever feel ill spent, but I couldn’t exactly say that. So I went with, “You’ll soon discover that vampires have a lot more time to waste than when we were all living in the mortal world.”
    “Where are we going?” Haley asked as I started leading her in the opposite direction of the front door. “Shouldn’t we go outside?”
    “No,” I told her, taking her hand and tucking it under my arm. “Given your very recent scare, I think it’s advisable for you stay inside for awhile. It’s best to let all those murderous impulses settle as much as possible.”
    “Oh.” Haley frowned. “Then how are we going to practice flying?”
    “I’ll show you,” I said, escorting her down the main hall. I couldn’t decide if it was a piece of good luck or a horrible misfortune that Miss Haley Scott had sought my family’s castle as a safe haven. But it really was unwise for her to be unattended if she was feeling a bloodlust. Especially if she still had an open invitation to her friend’s home.
    I had to wonder if the friend that Haley almost devoured was that delightful creature, Erika, who I’d met on the evening that I’d become Haley’s maker. Erika had also been with Haley at the dance where I interceded, keeping my scion from committing the kind of atrocities that would make her meet the sun. Or at least locked in a coffin for the next century.
    Erika was indeed beautiful, especially for a human. But in my mind’s eye, her looks paled in comparison to Haley’s. There was a barely controlled fire in Haley that I found absolutely magnetic. The way she kept herself from feeding off her uncle, and in fact had actually changed his life for the better, was impressive in itself. But that she’d been able to flee a friend’s home without giving into temptation was remarkable. It was a sad truth that vampires did have a tendency to seek their mortal friends when first turned. And those reunions usually ended with the stuff of nightmares. I had to wonder how Haley had acquired such amazing self-control at such a young age. When I turned her, she couldn’t have been more than seventeen or eighteen.
    “Where are we going?” Haley asked as I escorted her past a few doors in the hall.
    “Just thought I’d show you some of the advantages and disadvantages of castle living,” I told her, accompanying my words with a sly smile. “Castle can be drafty,” I began. “And the heating bills can be outrageous.” I stopped in front of a set of ornately carved double doors. “Not that vampires mind the cold, but the staff does tend to complain if there are icicles hanging from the faucets.” I grabbed the handles to both of the doors. “But there are a few perks,” I said, pulling them open. “Like a ballroom.”
    “Oh,” Haley exclaimed, clasping her hands together. “It’s so beautiful.”
    It was rather pretty. Aunt Alice had one of the castle’s banquet halls converted into a ballroom in the nineteen-fifties. The parquet flooring had been laid by master craftsmen and the crystal chandeliers flown in from Czechoslovakia. There were four of them suspended from the ballroom’s vaulted ceiling and scaffolding had to be built to get them up there. A famous painter had spent nearly a month lying on his back on that same scaffolding covering the ceiling with blue skies, puffy clouds and scantily clad cherubs. Aunt Alice even had a little indoor band shell installed at the far end of the room to help with the castle’s acoustics.
    Unfortunately that was right around the time that big bands and orchestras started dying out in America. Not that the undead weren’t always up for some type of ball, but it became increasingly challenging to supply the live music. Especially with a ballroom full of vampires as guests. It was a shame that the ballroom hadn’t seen much of its intended use, but it would suit nicely for a few flying lesson.
    “Let’s get started,” I