Эллен Шрайбер - Cryptic Cravings

“I just thought we were only seeing each other,” I said, my voice cracking.

He was taken aback. “I am. Aren’t you?” he asked, bewildered.

“I thought you weren’t like other guys, like Trevor.” My heart was aching.

“What are you talking about?” Alexander asked.

“Who’s Stormy?” I asked. I handed him the phone.

Alexander paused. “You read my text?”

“The phone kept beeping and so I thought it might be something urgent. Something from your mother.”

“Raven—” he said.

“Who’s Stormy?” I demanded.

“She’s my sister!”

I was floored. “What?” I said. “You have a sister?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You have a sister?” I repeated.

“Yes. I have a little sister. Is that so terrible?”

“No! Well, yes, it is, because you never told me.”

“You never asked,” he said, half teasing. “And she never came up. I left my life suddenly when I came here to the Mansion. I didn’t know how long I’d stay. I didn’t plan on getting close to anyone here.”

“But I’ve never even seen a picture. Or painting.”

“Do you have a picture of Billy Boy in your room?”

“Uh. . good point. But you’ve never even talked about her.”

“I didn’t think I’d be able to be close to anyone here — then I met you. And everything changed. But really, when we’re together, I only want to talk about us.”

If I didn’t hear it straight from his dreamy lips, I’d have thought it was a line from a romantic movie.

“Honestly, talking about my family made me kind of miss them. So I never really did.”

His voice was so sincere, I felt lonely for my boyfriend’s situation. Here I was surrounded by my family, seeing them every day and celebrating my birthday with them. And Alexander lived in this big old Mansion alone.

I gave him a huge hug. First, I was sad for his plight, but second, I was so overjoyed that Alexander didn’t have a secret lover. But he did have a secret sister. It was one of the reasons I loved him so much. He was so mysterious, and even after all these months I was still learning things about him.

“Do you have a dog, too?” I asked.

Alexander laughed. “A few pet bats.”

“Stormy’s lucky,” I said. “She has the coolest big brother in the universe.”

Alexander beamed at the compliment.

“I can see why she misses you. I’d hate it if I had a big brother and he left town for another country.”

“She has full reign of the house. She’s in heaven.”

“I don’t think so. Not with a brother like you. Stormy Sterling,” I said. “It has an awesome ring to it.”

“Her real name is Athena, but we call her Stormy.”

“‘A’—like Alexander.”

He nodded.

“I bet she’s really cool.” Then it hit me. “She wants you to come home,” I said.

“Yes,” he said.

“So you’ll have to go?” I said, my heart breaking again. “For a short visit? Or forever?”

“It would just be a short visit.”

“I can’t take that,” I said selfishly. “We are already separated by the sunlight. Now by countries and weeks?”

“That’s why I convinced her to come here.”

“So you won’t have to go?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head.

“Then you’ll still be here,” I said, squeezing him with all my might. “And I’ll get to meet her, too?”

“Don’t be so excited. You’ll have wished I had gone home to visit. We call her Stormy for a reason,” he said.

And with that, Alexander turned off his phone.

Between creeps and Crypts, nemeses and best friends, pesky mortal families and visiting vampire parents and siblings, we were lucky enough to get any night time together. Alexander took this opportunity to lean in and flash his sexy fangs at me, and then led me into his closet room and opened his coffin and helped me inside.

He lowered the lid, closing the door on all worlds, mortal and immortal. He drew my hair back and rested his body next to mine. He pulled me in and kissed me with the heart and soul of a gorgeous, mysterious, and very romantic vampire.

To these fabulous people for their guidance in my career and support in my life: Katherine Tegen, Ellen Levine, Sarah Shumway, and Dad, Mom, Mark, Ben, Jerry, Hatsy, Emily, Max, Linda, and Indigo.