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Chapter 22
Imagine a ruin so strange, you wonder can it truly exist. Imagine a hole so deep sunlight never penetrates the gloom, a cave so hidden no human has ever discovered it. Imagine a place so dead even vermin and insects avoid all but its outer reaches. And then imagine a cavern so huge and elaborate its twisting chambers can easily house scores of vampires. This is the grotto the Connecticut coven of vampires call home.
For hundreds of years, the vampires have used the perpetual night of this deep cavern to avoid the hated sun and to remain hidden from the ever-increasing human population as well. Cut eons ago under the tree-covered hills on the eastern side of the Connecticut River by a now-vanished underground waterway, the cavern was the perfect hideaway. Thousands of hours of labor shaped the various chambers to suit the vampires' needs—but what were hours, or even years, to the undead, who had eternity?
The largest of the chambers, a vast natural amphitheater a
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Leesa's Advent Chapter 23
“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways,” Cali quoted, her voice soft and dreamy. “I love thee enough to hold both thy hands. Woo hoo!” she teased. “But not enough to take off his freaking gloves!” “Stop it!” Leesa said, laughing hard. She was sitting on the wooden chair in front of Cali's desk, her left elbow resting on the desktop, holding a plastic cup of wine. Green Day was squawking something about Jesus being in suburbia—Leesa had never been able to make complete sense of the song. She set her wine down on the desk to avoid spilling it while she laughed. This was her second glass, the first time she'd ever had more than one, and her head was buzzing. She had already decided two glasses would be her permanent limit. She wasn't all that fond of wine—had tried some only a couple of times before—but this one, a mellow chardonnay with a slightly fruity taste, was actually pretty good. Andy had brought a couple of bottles to Cali's room the night before. He and Cali drank
Leesa's Advent Chapter 24
Twenty miles to the east, across the river from where the three girls talked and teased and giggled, Rave stood in the dark outside the door of an old cabin, the same incident replaying in his mind. He had so badly wanted to kiss Leesa. For an instant, the pull had been so strong he'd almost forgotten himself, forgotten what he was, forgotten what could happen if his mouth met hers. He had recovered in time, of course, but the memory still burned strong in his mind. He needed to know more, to know what his options were, to know if he could somehow kiss her without killing her. The cabin was the oldest in their settlement, older than Rave, built of rough hewn logs cut from the surrounding forest more than two hundred years ago. Dried mud black with age chinked the spaces between the logs. The two front windows were tiny—glass had not been an option when the cabin was built, so deer hide had hung over the openings back then. Glass had been added later, and Rave could see flick
Leesa's Advent Chapter 25
The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and headed toward the trees. His name was Robert, and he was a boy in appearance only, for he had been born almost sixty years before. But he was just fifteen, a sophomore in high school, when he was made vampire, and he had aged in appearance not at all. Keeping to the shadows, he glided swiftly through the trees. The morning sun was strong enough to burn—already his skin ached dully from his exposure climbing down the cliff face—and the shade from the leafy canopy provided welcome relief. Just as importantly, he needed to stay hidden, lest watchful eyes from the cavern discern his flight. Robert was boyishly slim, with thin blond hair that fell across a corner of his face. Filled with youthful impetuousness, he was violating the Council's will by venturing out alone. The desire to feed had grown overwhelming, and he had not been a vampire long enough to learn how to control his urges, not with the loomin
Leesa's Advent Chapter 26
Time is not a line but a dimension, like the dimensions of space—Leesa rubbed her forehead, trying to wrap her brain around that concept for her physics midterm. She had been studying hard all week, sleeping little and playing less, and felt confident she'd done well on her first three exams. Physics tomorrow would be the toughest by far, though. Her tired head was filled with symbols, equations and theories. Luckily, Professor Clerval didn't believe in exams, instead, he had assigned the class a paper that wasn't due until next week. So after her physics test, the crunch would be over—until finals, anyway. Ugh! At least she wasn't alone in feeling stressed. Her dorm was filled with girls wandering the halls like zombies, wearing no makeup, their eyes bloodshot, vacant looks blanking their tired faces. Yellow light leaked under doors and soft music filtered through the walls at all hours of the night as many of her floor mates pulled all-nighters. Leesa had been up
Leesa's Advent Chapter 27
The bright, sunny day grew much brighter when she saw Rave smiling up at her from the bottom of the steps. He was wearing a black long-sleeve T-shirt and jeans. And those darn gloves, even though it wasn't all that cold. Seeing him here was the last thing she expected, and her fatigue seemed to melt away. She smiled back and limped quickly down the steps.“Hi, gorgeous,” he said. “How did you do? Did you slay that physics monster?”“I did good,” Leesa said, smiling. “The monster is dead, at least for now. But how did you know what I was doing? I never told you about my midterms.”“I have my methods.” Rave grinned and took both her hands in his. “Just because you don't see me doesn't mean that I'm not around.”Leesa's smile widened. “Somehow, I believe that.” She squeezed his hands. “And I like it, too. Though I prefer seeing you.”Rave's expression turne
Leesa's Advent Chapter 28
Leesa's brain was spinning. Complicated. Secret. Tell no one. Where on earth was he going with this? What did vampires have to do with holding hands and kissing? For some reason, her mother's wild story popped into her head. Not again, please, she prayed. She studied Rave's face. He didn't look crazy. He looked anxious, but determined. And damn handsome.“Yeah, I promise.”Rave smiled. She could see some of the anxiety melt from his features.“Do you believe in vampires, Leesa?”Uh-oh, here we go, she thought. “Not completely. But more than when school started, that's for sure. Professor Clerval makes a compelling case. And you talk about them with such certainty.”“You're not alone. Most people don't believe they truly exist. But they do, I promise you. Have you ever heard of volkaanes?”Leesa shook her head, frowning. “No, never. What's a volkaane?”“Among ot
Leesa's Advent Chapter 29
“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,” Cali said to Leesa.“Carpe diem,” added Caitlin.“Life is short,” chimed in Stacie.Leesa sat on her bed, her back propped comfortably against two pillows, while her friends took turns trying to persuade her to wear something sexy and sleazy to tomorrow night's big Halloween bash. That she had even agreed to go to what was billed as the biggest and wildest party of the year was a big enough step for her. No way was she going to wear some slinky costume that would invite way more attention than she wanted or needed. Besides, there was only one guy whose attention she craved, and she already had Rave's full interest.Cali had pulled the desk chair close to the bed—the better to pressure her, Leesa knew—while Caitlin hovered behind Cali's shoulder. At least Stacie had the consideration to sit across the room rather than loom over her, though that didn't stop her from urging Le
Leesa's Advent Chapter 30
The doorway let them into a small meeting room open only to fraternity members and their guests. The room was cluttered with coats and sweatshirts piled atop tables and hanging from metal hooks. Music from the band in the main room filtered in through the cement walls. Leesa and her friends wasted no time peeling off the sweatshirts they wore over their skimpy costumes and hanging them on a couple of empty hooks.“Look out, guys,” Cali cooed. “The hotties have arrived.”Leesa's pirate outfit consisted of a white button shirt tied in a knot just below her breasts to bare her abs, a pair of black shorts, and loose, knee-high black suede boots Cali had found at the local Goodwill store. Caitlin's gold hoop earring dangled from Leesa's left ear and her red bandana covered the top of Leesa's head. A curved plastic sword hung from a black sash around her waist. The two highlights of the costume were both Cali's idea. The first was one of her bras, whi
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