Эллен Шрайбер: Love Bites

“I’m sure he is.”

“Rumor is you haven’t returned to Romania,” Sebastian said.

“I started a club a few towns over. I’ve been talking to Alexander about possibly starting one here.”

“This town could really use a club,” Sebastian said.

Jagger’s blue-and-green eyes lit up. “Then you might be the one to help me.”

“I love clubs. And you’re right—this town could be a perfect place to open one.”

“You don’t know what he’s really talking about,” Alexander warned.

“Perhaps we can go into business together,” Jagger said to Sebastian.

“Maybe…”

Luna yawned and appeared bored.

“Luna,” Jagger said, seizing the opportunity. “I want you to meet Alexander’s best friend.”

“Alexander’s best friend?” she asked, perking up. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“No, I think I’d remember,” Sebastian said, tonguetied.

“She grew up on a different time schedule than we did. But now we are all finally the same,” Jagger said.

“Luna, Sebastian might be interested in starting a Coffin Club here.”

“No he’s not,” Alexander said. “He doesn’t know what you are talking about.”

Sebastian was lost in Luna’s spell, even though she was somewhat intimidating.

“Any friend of Alexander’s is a friend of mine, right, Alexander?” Luna flirted.

“Let’s hope so,” Sebastian said.

“Suddenly this party doesn’t seem so insipid after all,” she commented.

I tried to block Sebastian from Luna. “I think Jameson needs our help in the kitchen.”

“Jameson can find someone else,” Luna said, gazing at Sebastian. “It’s a party, the night is young, and I’m out for blood…. Would you like to dance, Sebastian?” Luna asked.

“Are you kidding?” Sebastian looked as if he would have breathed in garlic if Luna had asked him.

“So tell me what it was like growing up with Alexander,” Luna said, leading him to the dance floor.

Jagger smiled a mischievous smile. “Onyx, would you like to dance?”

Onyx acted as if she’d just been struck by Cupid’s bow. “Of course,” she said, and followed Jagger.

“Alexander—what do we do?”

“How about we dance, too?”

When we arrived on the dance floor, Alexander and I kept a watchful eye on the others. But after a few songs, we got distracted by our own connection.

“This was the reason to have a party,” Alexander said, kissing me. “For us.”

I was so lost in his eyes. I’d gotten so sidetracked that I wasn’t allowing myself to enjoy the very thing I’d been dreaming about all my life: Alexander Sterling.

“I still want to be like you,” I said. “I want to be with you. Forever.”

Alexander pulled me into him and laid a dizzy-making kiss on my lips—so passionate and tender, my knees shook.

Luna bore a gaze that blazed through us.

Becky and Matt applauded, and we got a few whistles.

Alexander and I embraced, and Luna left the dance floor.

“How about a slow one?” Matt suggested. He fiddled with the sound system until he found a song he liked.

The four of us danced, joined by Dullsvillian student couples.

When the song was over, I was jolted out of our romantic entanglement.

The Pradabees were with the other Pradabees, and the soccer snobs were mixing it up with the cheerleaders.

Trevor was flirting with Scarlet, and Onyx was hanging next to Jagger.

“Where’s Sebastian?” I asked.

“He’s probably in mortal babe heaven,” Alexander said. “I appreciate all you’ve done for him.”

“Me? It was nothing.”

One other partygoer was not accounted for. Luna was missing. That could mean only one thing. Trouble.

It was late. Bottles and trash littered the backyard of the Mansion. Alexander and I forced our way through the reveling students. A large crowd had gathered around the gazebo. I pushed through to find Luna, several soccer snobs, and Sebastian sitting in a circle.

In the center, resting on its side, was the empty Transylvania 1972.

The students, unbeknownst to them, were playing a deadly game of spin the bottle.

“We have to stop them,” I said.

“The game seems quite uneven. She must be up to something,” Alexander said.

The crowd was hooping and hollering, and several guys had formed a line vying for a seat in the circle.

“We’re waiting our turn,” a guy said to me.

Luna spun the bottle, and it landed on a soccer snob.

“On the cheek, please,” she said.

“Are you kidding? Forget it.” He got up and walked away.

She spun again. It landed on another soccer snob. “On the cheek, please.”

He gently gave her a slobbering kiss on the cheek, to the crowd’s delight. She made a face and wiped it off with her sleeve.

Luna twirled the bottle again. It landed on Sebastian.

“On the cheek, I know,” he said.

Luna made a deadly stare at Alexander, then gazed at Sebastian. “On the neck, please,” she said coyly.

Sebastian was stunned, and the crowd cheered.

She stood up and flipped back one of her pink Wednesday Addams braids to expose her porcelain flesh.

Luna put her waify arms around Sebastian’s waist.

“We have to stop this,” I said to Alexander. “He’s going to bite her!”

“He better not!” Alexander charged forward, but the cheering crowd grew larger, blocking our path to the gazebo.

Sebastian grinned and began to lean in to Luna.

I squeezed myself in between a pair of petite cheerleaders.

Sebastian smiled, revealing two shiny fangs. Luna’s eyes closed and she leaned back with delight.

“No!” I screamed.

I jumped between Sebastian and Luna, but at the last moment someone pulled me back.

It was Jagger.

“What are you doing?” voices from the crowd yelled at me.

Alexander and I were mortified. Sebastian was smiling, and Luna was holding her neck, grinning.

She removed her hand. Tiny drops of blood trickled down her neck.

Sebastian turned to me and Alexander, his eyes hazy and his fangs red. He wiped his hand over his mouth and pulled Alexander close.

“I think I’m in love,” he declared. “And this time it’s for real.”

Acknowledgments

I’d like to thank Katherine Tegen, Ellen Levine, and Sarah Shumway for their expertise and guidance in my career.

I’d also like to thank my wonderful family, Dad, Mom, Mark, and Ben, my in-laws, Jerry, Hatsy, Hank, Wendy, Emily, and Max, and my best ghoul friends, Linda and Indigo.