It was a pleasure to burn. Rave smiled as he watched the tiny blue flames dance from his fingertips—the outward manifestation of the magical inner fire coursing through his body. The heat shone dimly through the bronze skin of his face, making his long, dark copper-colored hair seem to shimmer in the shadows of the woods. The reason for the flames crouched behind a gnarled oak some fifty yards away—a vampire, stealthily watching humans at play in a grassy park below.
This vampire was apparently young and foolish, having chosen a spot that hid it from the humans but left it’s back exposed. The vampire should have known better. The humans posed no threat—any danger would come from elsewhere.
Chancing upon so careless a vampire was unusual. Still, Rave remained cautious, for even a foolish vampire was a foe to be reckoned with. Vampires were strong, impossibly strong, even stronger than volkaanes. Only a fool would underestimate a vampire, careless
The day broke, gray and dull. The sun was only a rumor, hidden behind a thick, glowering blanket of low clouds.“The weather certainly has turned,” Aunt Janet said, tugging her jacket closed as she and Leesa watched Uncle Roger load Leesa's luggage into the back of his white Ford Expedition.Leesa gazed up at the leaden sky. “I love it.”The air even smelled different, she thought, sharper in some way, imbued with a faint chemical odor. “It's been nothing but sun the last six months back home. I've been looking forward to some real New England weather.” She wondered if she was beginning to take after her mom, with this craving for clouds and foul weather. Maybe she had some of her mom's “vampire” blood in her after all.“Let's see if you're still singing that same tune come January or February,” Uncle Roger said with a laugh.Leesa laughed with him. “You're right, I'll probably be be
“Once when I was six years old, I saw a magnificent picture in a book about the jungle,” the Dean of Students told his audience, “and that started a life-long love of books and learning for me. I hope all of you will find the same joy in learning during your stay here at Weston College.”As Dean Halloway droned on, Leesa wriggled uncomfortably on her folding metal chair, trying to find a position that didn't hurt her butt. The dean was a short, white-haired man she guessed to be around sixty. He had been speaking to the more than six hundred students in this year's freshman class for twenty minutes now, and Leesa could detect no sign he was anywhere near finished. She wouldn't have minded if any of what he was saying would be useful, but it was all clichés and platitudes about learning, college life, independence and other such rot. She hoped some of the following speakers would have more practical information to share.She stole a quick
A screaming comes across the sky, and Stefan de Kula tasted it with every inch of his slender body. Destiratu! He thought, throwing his head back and spreading his arms to fully drink in the magical energies. Only the merest hint so far—faint ripples on his skin, a tiny burning in his blood—yet a delicious hunger nonetheless, one that would grow stronger and more delicious should the Destiratu continue to form. No vampire could resist it, not even those who had lost their desire to hunt for human blood. Too many of his fellows were content to remain in the shadows, unwilling to draw attention by taking humans, subsisting instead on the blood of deer and lesser animals. But Stefan was young, less than four centuries from the glorious day Lord Ricard had ushered him into the ranks of the undead, and he had never lost his thirst for human blood. Only the commands of his elders held him in check, allowing him to take just enough human prey to barely satisfy
“I see, ‟ said the vampire thoughtfully, and slowly he walked across the room towards the window.” The old professor scanned the crowded lecture hall from behind a dark brown wooden lectern. “How many of you can tell me what book starts like that? Raise your hands.”Perched on a comfortable cushioned seat in the top row of the amphitheater-style classroom, Leesa recognized the quote. She looked down on a sea of raised hands, amazed at how many seats were filled. Close to a hundred kids, she guessed, twice as many as in her other classes. Except for her row, which was only about half full, there were few empty seats. To her left, a group of seven or eight guys and girls clad in black were clumped together in the back two rows. Two wore white makeup on their faces, and the rest were exceedingly pale. You didn't see many full-fledged goths nowadays, but she wasn't surprised they were drawn to this class.This was the class she had so looked forward
“We have heroes”—Louis, then Edward appeared again, in different shots than before—“and even lovely heroines.” Several pictures of Kate Beckinsale as the beautiful Selene from the Underworld movies filled the screen, followed by the sexy red-haired image of the video game character Rayne.Finally, the screen went blank and the lights brightened. Professor Clerval moved back behind his lectern. “Dozens of books and movies, a couple of television series, even video games,” he said. “So many choices. Something for everyone. Far too many choices, I fear. With every author and director taking the parts they like, dropping what they don't, and adding what they need, how are we to know what is true?” He leaned forward, his hands gripping the sides of the lectern. “Do vampires burst into flames when touched by daylight, or do they merely glitter under the sun? Do they sleep in coffins, or in beds like you and me? Do th
Serene was a word you could use to describe the Weston campus that warm evening, but definitely not to describe Leesa. Confused, curious, excited, perplexed, agitated, aroused—any of those would have done nicely. But not serene. “Serene” would have strolled through the lobby and waited for the elevator. Instead, Leesa swept across the lobby straight to the stairwell, yanking the door open and racing up the stairs as quickly as her leg allowed. She needed to talk to somebody, right now. She sure hoped Cali was home.She burst through the second-floor doorway and hurried down the hallway to Cali's room. The door was open, and she heard Kesha belting out the bawdy lyrics to “Tik Tok” from inside. Thank God Cali was here. Leesa swung into the room.“Cali, you won't believe…” she stopped in mid-sentence, seeing two other girls she didn't know in the room with Cali. “Oh, sorry,” she said, her fingers darting toward
Uh-oh, here we go again, Leesa thought. Cali had confided to her that she made up most of her rules on the spot, and that even the genuine ones—like making friends with a really cute girl—didn't have actual numbers. Leesa wondered what Cali was going to come up with now.“When you start feeling all funny inside,” Cali continued, “it's time to get laid.” Caitlin burst out laughing. “I like that rule!”Stacie giggled. Leesa felt herself blushing again.Cali looked at her. “How long has it been, Lees?”Now Leesa really wanted somewhere to hide. She was sooo not comfortable talking about this. If her face had been red before, she dreaded how it must look now. All three girls were staring at her expectantly. She had to say something. They were going to find out sooner or later, and knowing Cali, sooner was way more likely.“Ummmm,” she said finally, her eyes fixed on her fe
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Leesa couldn't believe how fast the first month of school flew by. She was thrilled to finally have a best friend, and she and Cali hung out as often as they could. They did lots of stuff with Stacie and Caitlin as well. Caitlin had a Wii in her room, and quiet Stacie had turned out to be quite the star at Guitar Hero. Leesa didn't play the game much, but she enjoyed listening to the music and watching her friends pound their toy guitars like amped-up rock stars. She was doing well in all of her classes, even enjoying a couple of them, especially Professor Clerval's. The leaves around campus were beginning to turn, and she knew it wouldn't be long until they began to explode with color.She was getting to know the surrounding area, usually with Cali, who knew lots of fun places to go. Leesa, Cali and Stacie had gone hiking at nearby Sleeping Giant State Park—Jersey girl Caitlin had remained behind because she