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Chapter 1 Special Delivery

The letter arrived ureundetected through the darkness past the Mansion's wrought-iron gate Hehouse in a hearse Or perhaps he'd flown over thefence in the form of a bat

By nightfall, the Mansion'slonely at the botto and windy driveway So the letter would go unnoticed for several hours as I was stolen away in Alexander's attic rooainst my vampire boyfriend's deathly pale, but full of life, lips

Several weeks had passed since Alexander and I had returned froh Alexander hadn't bitten me, he didthat Generated by ABC Aan to experience the vampire life without distractions There was no school to interrupt my daytime sleep, no Trevor Mitchell to be a thorn in h students to ridiculein the ce Alexander's andto turn er brother and his nerd-Maxwells , Alexander and I were now able to unite our mortal and immortal worlds as one

I was also beginning to do so I'd never had the opportunity to do before-make the Mansion my home And why shouldn't I? On a dare, in h the abandoned estate's broken baseht up its splintered stone path and through its creaky unlocked front door

I had never been so happy in my life

I transformed the Mansion into Alexander's and my private vampire castle I felt like aInstead of spending the rest of sun over a palatial estate I replaced Alexander's torn and aged bedroom curtain with a brand-new black lace one I added sorandht fromRomaniaI placed black roses in pewter vases and lavender-scented votives androse petals on all the empty antique end tables

Jameson, Alexander's butler, didn't seeht in a woirl's touch around the barren estate

It even seemed like the Mansion itself was aive an extra squeak when I ran over the my stay The wind sounded louder than I'd reh the cracked panes The creaking in the foundation warher volume than it had before

The listened with candles and cobwebs,

During the day I nestled in Alexander's corpse-cold arht we cranked Rob Zoht

Alexander gave -a dresser drawer His dresser was as ancient as Dracula hilass knobs held his clothes in five three-foot-long drawers Alexander e I liked One of the glass handles had broken and he replaced it with a wooden raven There was even a lock on the dresser At first I thought it was a facade, but on closer inspection it was revealed to be realWhereas everything in azines, hair products-was cast about in an unorganized mess, ht out the best in ehoodie , a few T-shirts, and a bat-shaped sachet I often felt jealous of the accessories I left there, which got to call the Mansion their home, while I returned to my house onDullsville Drive

I even host-shaped cookies, cupcakes itch hats, and chocolate RiceKrispie treats With my new independence I found a side of me that I didn't know existed

My parents were pleased, too, as long as I returned hoht My spirits were high, and they were content that I wasn't hiding under the covers all su

Alexander see the ceht, he painted landscapes and portraits of an to churn out one beauty after another Many of them were upbeat pictures of places around toe'd visited The golf course, Dullsville High,OakleyPark , Hatsy's Diner, the swings atEvansPark , and the historic library These paintings were bright and vivid and sweet and reflected his fondness for the town I knew he had truly found his home here

But unbeknownst to Alexander and ed by the letter that awaited hihts

Alexander took my hand in his as we left the Mansion and strolled down its drive When we reached the gate, he drew me close