What kind of man does that?
No, Mel. Not a man. A vampire.
The word bounced in my head, repeating over and over.
Vampire.
Vampire.
Vampire.
I raised my hand, naming each of the vampires I knew now. Each one felt unreal. It was four more than I ever thought I would know.
The thought of meeting a vampire had been a fantasy I entertained in high school, and although it wasn’t that long ago, I thought that they were fictional. They weren’t.
And there was a family of four living in their dead grandmother’s house—the same dead body I had discovered days ago. What the hell had my life become in these past few days? Everything I thought I knew was unraveling into lies with each passing hour.
My eyes drifted across my bedroom, skipping the pile of laundry in the far-left corner where a chair sat buried underneath it. In time one discarded jacket had turned into a pile that gave me mini heart attacks in the night.
And it nearly missed the dresser that lined the wall, where I stacked my old favorites. A small stack—smaller than it should’ve been.
I crawled across my bed and stepped down, leaning in to read the titles. The missing ones turned out to be the entire set of vampire romance.
I blinked.
When did my dad start reading vampire romance?
I pushed the thought away, along with the disturbing image of him reading teen romance.I held back the gag that wanted to happen, hoping to not start my morning off that way.
Waking up and thinking of Lucien instantly was already bad enough.
I grabbed an outfit to run in and headed to the bathroom to start my day. I never felt right if I didn’t wash my face as soon as I woke up. IBy the end of the day, my skin would feel greasy again, but I avoided washing twice and causing more damagethan it was worth. Still, there was something refreshing about rinsing away sleep and starting the day fresh.
I tied my hair up, swishing mouthwash as I did, when the familiar creak of the hallway floorboards told me my dad had begun his day too. Glancing down at my phone to see the time, I paused mid-swish. The burn hit a second later, snapping me back as I realized how late it was. I usually didn’t sleep in. I spit the mouthwash out and opened the bathroom door to find my father passing by.
“Good, you're awake and ready for the day. Since you decided to have a cozy morning and sleep in, I’ve been working. How does the saying go? Early bird gets the worm…and Mel helps her dad move hay bales?”
A groan erupted from my throat as I stared longingly towards the stairs that would take me down to coffee and breakfast. My stomach ached at the prospect of missing the most important meal.
“But breakfast.”
“But nothing. You slept late, so you will have to make up for your delay in the day with hard work. I’ll meet you in the barn. Oh, and the chicks are expected to hatch soon, so we might even get a show.”
I swallowed another groan, mostly because I had a feeling it would somehow earn me more chores. My morning run was already no longer an option.
The urge to call him out on his sudden interest in vampire romance books flickered, but I shoved it down just as quickly as I had the groan. That would only make things worse. I was stuck doing chores. I headed downstairs and passed by the fridge that called out to my hunger, receiving a growl of yearning in response.
I jogged out the back door, hearing the screen slam against the metal frame before snapping shut. The wind tossedmy hair about and brought the scent of livestock and dirt. I would’ve normally enjoyed the moment, but the lack of food paired with the smell was not a combination my stomach was agreeing with.
My feet carried me to the barn, but the heat of someone’s stare slowed my steps until I came to a halt. Looking toward its direction, I saw leaves move in a frenzy against the wind. My pulse ticked up, but I pushed forward anyway with a threatening shout. Whether it was an animal or a creeper, I would scare away something for sure.
“Hey!”
The branches stilled as I reached them. Nothing. No animal. No person. Nothing was there except for the lingering scent that was familiar, but not enough for me to place a source. Frowning, I sniffed the air again, but the wind had taken it away before I could catch it a second time.
“Maybe we should start putting out bear traps,” I voiced purposely aloud. I had a sneaking suspicion that a vampire was the blame and I didn’t see Ambrose taking the time to stalk me. Unless I had suddenly become a fascinating specimen.
It had to be Lucien.
