Page 5 (1/2)
1
While sitting in a rooet the feeling that you’re completely out of place? That at any moment one of them would drink your blood? That at any moment one of the you can do about it because you’re not a powerful vampire You’re just a plain, old—well, e vairl with slightly above average pale skin, super pointy teeth, and a thirst for blood
That’s never happened to you before? Huh, strange Then again, maybe you don’t live in Mystic Willow Bay, a town that’s resident to practically every paranormal creature, from vampires to demons to olves
If you don’t, consider yourself lucky Not that you don’t live in a weird-ass e vampire born into a family of very powerful, very successful vampires
Take my father for instance He’s head of the Mystic Willow Bay Vampire Council, and helps run and keep order in the vadom He’s also more powerful and more ancient than most of the vampires in town—a few hundred years old, at least—but looks about thirty due to va process that starts e reach our twenties Until then, we age nored into one, that’s another story altogether But those species of vampires are a rare occurrence
Mythrough her veins She also owns one of the snazziest blood clubs in the entire town Any va on blood and partying Or, if you’re wealthy enough, you get the luxury of drinking Vaht from the vein And their blood not only carries a lot of power, but gives the taster a drop of their power temporarily
My mom’s club is the only place in town that offers such a luxury, since e vaet them to do it? She’s an empress herself and has all sorts of connections So is my older sister, Nadine Or, she will be in a few short weeks, on her twentieth birthday At least, according to the Eternal Reading she got on her nineteenth birthday, soet
An Eternal Reading is basically a fortune telling to see if you’re going to be a badass ehts to keep order a revealed there was a good chance she’d beco enthusias Nadine needs is an extra ego boost, so she proves every time she opens her mouth
“I wasn’t planning on going out tonight,” she announces as she checks her reflection in a co for the whole town not to get the privilege of seeing ine how pretty I’ll look when I beco the queen”
Me,our dinner and sipping on blood, listening to Nadine ra she is, which is basically an every night occurrence Nadine has this belief that she’ll becoh her reading didn’t reveal she would But, I guess she has a dreaet chosen, anyway
Beco queen means she’d be the oes for the vah, from what I’ve heard, the queen is supposed to beHer main job is to rule over all the vast our kind, which we desperately need right noith all the riots, rebellions, and chaos consu our town
The proble and queen aren’t voted into office They’re chosen by Fate through an Eternal Reading Apparently, Fate has been a bit lazy because we haven’t had a queen or king in over a century Because of that, the va number of murders
Yes, we definitely need a queen But not Nadine
I cringe at the idea of hoful life would be if she did become queen Talk about mad chaos in the streets
Stop thinking about it There’s no way it will happen She didn’t get told that in her reading
Shoving hts aside, I cut into my bland chicken and take a bite The blandnessrecently and her taste buds have gotten a little wonky
“God, I’eous,” Nadine continues to prattle on as she seous I’ to be after I turn into an empress I’ll probably blind the entire toith my beauty”
“Which means you’d probably have to move” I pop a piece of chicken into my mouth and smile when she stares at o blind, they’d uess that’s the price you pay for being so gorgeous”
I’m all jokes and sarcas, blonde hair, curves, and day sky-blue eyes She’s what most vampires consider the ideal vampire in terms of looks Her vanity, however, taints her beauty Well, I think so Not everyone shares , and Nadine is very popular
She snaps the compact mirror shut and sneers at ly beast”
“Nadine,”up from his phone for the first tiht’s council
Nadine gives my dad an innocent look “I’m sorry, Daddy, but she started it”
My dad looks at hs “Raven, please be nice to your sister Your witty sarcasesture
I bite back a smile and nod My sister may be the beauty of the family, but I’ve always been my dad’s favorite
Nadine being Nadine doesn’t catch on toand shoots ain”
“If you say so,” I mumble then pop another piece
of chicken into
I love h we’re old enough to take care of ourselves, but thisto hurt her feelings, I still continue choking down bites
“What’s wrong?” my mom asks me “You look like you’re about to throw up”
“I’ another slice of chicken into my mouth
My mom only scrutinizes me more “You’re not fine You look a little sick and pale, and your lips are redder than normal … You’ve looked this way for about a week now, but you seeht”
Okay, that has nothing to do with the chicken
“It’s not a big deal,” I tell her “I’ve just been feeling a little tired lately, probably because I haven’t been sleeping well”
She frowns “Why haven’t you been sleeping well?”
I shrug “Every ti tired all night Yet, when sunrise co cycle Plus, I feel cold all the time, like I have an ice fever”
She places her palh to have ice fever” She lowers her hand, a pucker for on?”
I shrug “I don’t know Like, maybe a week or two”
Her and e a concerned look that happens so quickly the human eye would never catch it
“What’s going on?” My gaze dances back and forth between the two of the squirrely Did you overdo it on the top shelf blood or so?”