A Quick Bite: A Vampire Story [1]

Saturday, 22nd July 2006

Today marks one hundred and twenty-three years on the English throne. I cannot believe it has been that long. It seems like only yesterday I was crowned.

I used to love being King of the Vampires, knowing I was making a difference to people's lives, but lately it has begun to feel more and more like a burden, rather than a gift. What is the point of being King if I have no one to share the glory with?

I have not seen Lexie for several days. I called her to ask how it went with Dracula, and apparently she was exposed. In a way I am disappointed that she did not manage to discover Dracula's plan, but I also cannot help feeling relieved that she will not have to see him again. He is far too dangerous. I hope that Lexie will be coming to my ball tonight, but I doubt she will. It is clear that she still cannot stand me.

ADS

"Hmmm." Thea peered at my pale pink toenails. "I think I like that colour. What's it called?"

It was the day after Thea and I had started hanging out again, a Saturday afternoon. The day of Alejandro's ball. I had thought long and hard about whether to go or not, and eventually decided that I would go. I'd feel guilty if I didn't, even though I hadn't completely forgiven Alejandro for the thing with Ralf. Besides, balls were always fun. Due to my parents' semi-fame, I'd been to quite a few.

I looked at the nail polish bottle. "Pinking Shear," I read off the label. I'd decided to go for a light colours theme for Alejandro's ball. I wanted to wear the opposite of what vampires in movies always wore. No black for me. I had a gorgeous pale pink dress I'd found hidden at the back of my wardrobe that I'd bought once and then never worn. I had matching pink shoes.

"Cool. So what is this thing you're going to tonight, and why can't I tag along?" asked Thea, who was painting her own toenails a bright pink called Rose Vamp.

"I told you. It's a party being given by this random guy I know, and you can't go because he never said I could bring a friend." I felt terrible lying to Thea, but what choice did I have? Telling the truth was not an option. I didn't want to tell her about Alejandro because that would open up a whole can of worms that was better left unopened, and taking her with me would be a disaster. Thea wasn't stupid; she'd know instantly that there was something...different about the people there, and although she wouldn't automatically think, "Aha! They're vampires!" it was still too risky.

"Well, he never said you couldn't bring a friend, did he?" Thea pointed out, brandishing the nail polish brush in my direction. "And who is this guy, anyway? How did you meet him?"

I sighed. How much could I safely tell her? "His name is Alejandro de Silva. I just know him from...around."

"Alejandro," echoed Thea, saying the word in an atrocious mimic of a Spanish accent. "Mmmm. He sounds hot. Is he?"

I thought of Alejandro's piercing golden eyes; of the slight wave of his hair, his muscular physique... "Yes," I said truthfully. "He is most definitely hot."

"Oh my God, I get it!" Thea exclaimed delightedly, the nail polish brush waving in her hand. I winced as a drop of bright pink polish fell from it and landed on her ankle. She didn't seem to notice as she continued, "Alejandro is your secret boyfriend, isn't he? He's the one whose house you stayed at! He's the guy you're having crazy naked sex with!"

I burst out laughing. "Thea, you're out of your mind. Alejandro is not my boyfriend and I am most certainly not having sex with him. He is a friend and that's all." I paused. "But it was his house I stayed at. In separate rooms!" I added when Thea opened her mouth. I thought it wise not to mention that we'd slept in the same bed one night. That would just make her think things that weren't true.

"But you like him, don't you?" Thea said with a knowing grin.

"Of course I like him, he's a nice guy," I said absently, deliberately concentrating on painting my fingernails instead of looking at her.

Thea snorted in a very unladylike way. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. I mean you like like him. You lurve him," she crooned. "And don't bother denying it. I can read you like an open book." I opened my mouth to argue, but she was going on. "Why didn't you tell me about him earlier? Does he have an undesirable trait or something? A monobrow? A harelip? Is he really old?"

The last one, I thought. Alejandro was over four hundred. Definitely too old for me. Not that I liked him that way, despite what Thea thought. Even if Alejandro liked me back, I could never be with him until I forgave him for making me what I was. And that wasn't going to happen any time soon. "I didn't tell you about him because there's nothing to tell," I said tiredly. "Can we please talk about something else?"

Thea pouted. "Fine. So what's going on between you and Ralf?"

Great, more talk about boys. I gave a nonchalant shrug and said, "Nothing much. We went on a date on Wednesday, but it didn't go well." I decided to leave out the part where Alejandro showed up and ordered me to ditch Ralf. I knew what she'd think about that.

"Are you going to see him again?"

I shrugged again. "Maybe." If Alejandro had his way, probably not.

"You don't sound very upset about that," she observed.

"I am. Sort of. It's just...extremely complicated."

Thea gave me a very superior look. "It's only as complicated as you make it, Lexie."

As much as I hated to admit it, she kind of had a point.

~ * ~

When I arrived at Alejandro's house, there were so many cars outside I couldn't count them all. I'd secretly been hoping that the myth about vampires being able to fly was true, but apparently not. Shame.

I had to park on the grass to one side, since the whole huge driveway was packed. Feeling self-conscious, I got out of my car and locked it. I was greeted at the door by Tom, who was looking very spiffy in an expensive white tuxedo. His light brown hair was gelled to keep it under control and his green eyes gleamed at me.

"Hi Lexie," he said cheerfully, grinning at me. "I'm glad you came. You look great."

"Thanks. So do you. Are you the doorman?"

"Sort of. Everyone's in the ballroom. I didn't realise it would be so packed. I think Alejandro is more popular with his subjects than any of us realised."

"Isn't that a good thing? It means Count Lame - uh, I mean Dracula - has less support, right?" I queried.

Tom nodded. "Yeah. You can go right through to the ballroom by the way, Lexie."

I said goodbye to him and went through, my heels clicking on the polished wooden floor. There was loud, classical music coming from the ballroom, a song I didn't recognise (big surprise there. I was not exactly clued up on classical composers). When I reached it, I saw that, just as Tom had said, it was packed with people. Or, to be more precise, vampires. There were a few humans, mostly live-in meals for Alejandro's vampires, but not many.

I spied Alejandro towards the middle of the room, his back to me, talking to a pinch-faced vampire with bright red lipstick. She looked old and crabby, just like most of the people who'd been at the balls I'd attended with my parents. I walked towards them, studying the way Alejandro's dark hair curled at his collar.

As I approached Alejandro, he excused himself from the woman and turned around as if knowing I was there. He smiled at me. "Hello, Lexie."

"Hi," I said awkwardly, fiddling with my hands.

"I was not sure you would come."

I shrugged, a little uncomfortably. "I wasn't sure I would, either. But I realised that tonight was important to you, really important, so I had to come. So...here I am."

"You look wonderful," he said sincerely.

I smiled and looked him up and down, all handsome and debonair in his black tuxedo. He had never looked more handsome, more drool-worthy. "You too. I can't believe there are so many people here. It's great."

He nodded. "Yes, it is."

A waiter came up to us at this point and offered us each a glass of what suspiciously like a mixture of champagne and blood.

Champagne and blood? Mmmm.

I mean, ew.

I couldn't help taking a glass and downing it in one go. Hey, I was nervous, give me a break. Not to mention seriously confused. Yesterday I had still been angry at Alejandro about the whole Ralf thing, but now all my anger had dissolved. I wanted it back - it made me feel more in control. Without it I was vulnerable.

I opened my mouth to say something - anything - but suddenly Violet was at his side, murmuring that she needed him to talk to some people. She didn't even acknowledge my presence. She was wearing a stunning, long black gown. It was sleeveless and the top half was made from what looked like velvet, and the bottom half from a ruffly material. I couldn't help feeling jealous of her. She was always so much more elegant and refined than me.

"I will be back shortly," Alejandro told me, and I nodded, since what else could I do? Throw a tantrum? I think not. I heaved a sigh and snagged another glass of champagne and blood. It was strangely addictive.

Suddenly Jon was beside me, looking totally cute in a navy blue tux. He smiled as he greeted me, but his eyebrows were drawn together with worry.

"I have to talk to you," he said, his voice anxious. I'd never seen Jon worried before, and I wondered what was wrong. He grabbed my arm and pulled me over to a secluded corner. "I need to know: can you sing?"

What sort of a question was that? "Um, I suppose so," I said cautiously. I'd been in the choir at school when I was much younger, and I'd done quite a few solo parts. Did that count? "Why?"

"Oh, thank God." Jon breathed a sigh of relief. "The singer of the band we booked was staked earlier today. Apparently she broke up with her human boyfriend and he got so angry that he killed her. Now we're doomed! They thought she was just late! They can't play songs without lyrics all night. Can you fill in for her?"

I almost choked on a mouthful champagne and blood. "Sing? Me? In front of lots of vamps? No way! I take back everything I said! I can't sing to save my life!"

"Great!" He seemed oblivious to my protests as he seized my arm again and dragged me over to the stage, where the band was just finishing a song. Despite the fact that he was human and I was a vampire, he was freaking strong. I downed the rest of my champagne and blood in one gulp, figuring I'd need the confidence boost. I took another glass from a nearby waiter and downed that one, too. After another one I'd be feeling no pain. The world was getting blurry; I decided I liked it that way.

"This is Lexie Windham," Jon said to the band, which consisted of three guys and a girl, all in their late twenties. At least, that was their outward appearance. They were also all vampires, so who knew how old they really were? I couldn't help admiring Jon's ability to appear completely unruffled when conversing with vampires. I was a vampire, for crying out loud, and it freaked me out! "She said she can fill in," he continued.

"I did not - " I began indignantly.

One of the guys, tall with blond hair slicked back and vivid green eyes, smiled at me, albeit a little sadly. He was probably upset about his dead bandmate. "Hi Lexie. Thanks for filling in. I hate to think what would happen to us if we couldn't perform tonight. We might end up like Aretha." His smile faded completely.

I didn't know what to say to that, so I just smiled weakly.

"Good luck!" said Jon, patting me on the back. He turned to go, but I seized his arm and hissed, "I am not singing a ton of songs all by myself. We should...we should do karaoke!" I beamed at him, proud of my idea.

He rolled his eyes. "Vampires don't do karaoke, Lexie."

"Wanna bet?"

~ * ~

Never know how much I love you
Never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get a fever that's so hard to bear

I kept my eyes on a far corner of the room as I sang, too embarrassed at the fact that I was actually singing to bear to look at anyone. I hadn't sung somewhere other than in my shower for years. It was weiiiird. I continued to sing, my voice surprisingly husky:

You give me fever, when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night

I smiled awkwardly as everyone clapped and cheered. I hurried out of the minstrels gallery, past the next person who was going to sing. Vampire karaoke was turning out to be surprisingly popular. I always knew I was a genius.

I took another glass of champagne and blood from a passing waiter. I raised the glass to my lips, but suddenly it was pulled from my hand. I looked up at Alejandro, not sure whether to be annoyed or grateful.

"I think you have had enough of those," he said, placing the glass on a nearby table. "I would like to talk to you outside."

I sighed. I was probably in trouble. What had I done wrong now?

~ * ~

Alejandro took my hand in his and led me out of the ballroom, down a hallway, and out of some double doors. It was pitch black outside but I could see as clearly as if it were day. A bat flitted past me, and I stared at it in wonder. I'd always thought bats were cool. I'd never seen one so clearly before. Being a vampire definitely had its perks.

"Can we turn into bats?" I asked curiously, as Alejandro took me through the grounds. They were massive, and I realised I hadn't actually been in his garden before. Although "garden" wasn't really the right word for it. It was more like a giant park, with lots of trees and grass and even a lake. It was lovely.

Alejandro chuckled. "No. We cannot turn into bats. This way," he said, leading me through a cluster of trees. I gasped as I saw a beautiful white gazebo, surrounded by hundreds of candles. It was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. And it was for me.

"Oh, wow," I murmured. Apparently I wasn't in trouble - hurrah! Then something occurred to me. "You know, this is kind of a fire hazard."

Alejandro smiled. "I promise you we will be fine." We went inside, and I was staring at my surroundings in wonder when Alejandro suddenly pushed me gently until my back was pressed against the only complete wall of the gazebo.

"Woah," I exclaimed, surprised.

"You were incredible in there," he murmured, placing his hands either side of me, so that I was effectively trapped. Not that I particularly minded. He was leaning so close to me that his breath stirred the wispy hairs around my forehead. It was very distracting. "Very sexy. I have never seen that side of you before."

"You've never seen a lot of sides of me before," I replied softly, staring into his golden eyes and then finding myself unable to look away.

He smiled slowly, his eyelids drooping in a way that gave him a sexy rock star look. "This is true. But I want to see more sides of you. I want to learn as much about you as possible."

I arched one eyebrow and said, "Oh, really? And why is that?" in order to hide how I was really feeling, which was nervous, excited and thrilled all rolled into one. My heart was beating a mile a minute, and I felt quite breathless. Granted, that could have been because I had no breath anymore unless I concentrated, but you know what I mean.

"You know why." Alejandro's right hand moved down the wall, until it reached my shoulder. Very slowly, very gently, he brushed his fingers over my bare shoulder. His hand continued down my arm, stroking my skin in a way that made me shiver with delight, until he moved past my hand to the hem of my dress. His hand slipped under and began to push the thin material up my leg. I didn't try to stop him, and instead I intertwined the fingers of my right hand with his left hand. He leaned into me, his chest pressing against my breasts, our lips meeting. I closed my eyes in ecstasy.

"Alejandro?"

My eyes snapped open and, as one, Alejandro and I turned our heads to look at Violet. She was, to my surprise, blushing slightly. Then I realised what it looked like and I shoved Alejandro away from me.

"I need to talk to you," Violet told Alejandro. He nodded and they moved a little away from me to talk - but not enough away that I couldn't still hear them. I tried not to look like I was eavesdropping, but from the frown Alejandro gave me I knew I'd been busted.

"There was another death earlier tonight," whispered Violet, shooting me a venomous look. I wondered why she disliked me so much. I hadn't done anything to her. Maybe she resented how much time Alejandro and I were spending together? Whatever.

Alejandro sighed at the news. "How did it happen? Is it anyone I know?"

"He was set on fire, apparently. He was a bouncer at the nightclub, BITE. I think his name was Dwight something-or-other."

I gasped and stumbled backwards against the wall, suddenly feeling faint.

"Lexie?" Alejandro was at my side in an instant, supporting me. I leaned against him gratefully. "Are you all right?"

"I knew him!" I cried, feeling a heavy weight of guilt settle on my shoulders. This was all my fault. "He was the bouncer who saved me from Dracula. Dracula must have decided to finish him off to get his revenge. It's my fault he's dead! It's my fault!"

Violet looked inclined to agree. Alejandro, on the other hand, was more forgiving. He said gently, "It is not your fault, Lexie. There was no way you could have known what was going to happen. Dwight put himself at risk, it is as simple as that. Do not blame yourself."

But how could I not? If I hadn't been such an idiot, thinking I could go up against Dracula, then Dwight would still be alive. I had, effectively, killed him.