Dance with a Vampire (Vampire Kisses 4)

We walked up the squeaky wooden staircase to her bedroom. One wall was slanted, making it feel as if her movie star posters were going to reach out and kiss you.

Becky pulled out a wedge that kept her closet door shut. Depending on the weather, the door buckled and wouldn't remain closed, which provided hours of fun for us when we were kids, imagining her room was haunted. She took out a garment bag, unzipping it to reveal a vintage floor-length blue strapless gown. "It's gorgeous!" I exclaimed.

I searched through Becky's jewelry box while she tried on her dress.

My best friend had transformed into a princess right in front of my eyes. "You look beautiful. Matt is going to drop dead when he sees you."

"You think?"

"I know," I corrected.

"Should I wear my hair up in a twist?" she asked, pulling her layered locks off her neck.

"I don't know much about hair," I said. "If it were me, I'd streak it blue to match the dress. But I think the way you have it up looks fabulous."

For the next hour we finalized her jewelry selection (faux pearl earrings and matching necklace) and shades of makeup (coral blush, passion pink lipstick with matching gloss, and indigo blue eye shadow).

Becky and I were starving, so on the drive to my home, we stopped off at Hatsy's Diner, where we stuffed our faces with cheese fries and Vanilla Cokes and talked nonstop about our heartthrobs. Since my best friend and I had acquired boyfriends, we hadn't had the time to be as glued to each other as we had been in the past. Now that we had recharged our batteries, we got in some major girl time and gossiped for hours. She finally dropped me off after sunset.

I opened the front door to find the first floor empty of family members and the phone ringing.

"I'll get it," I hollered.

I dropped my backpack on the kitchen counter and picked up the phone. "Hello?" "Raven," Alexander said from the other end. My name rolled off his tongue like smooth chocolate dairy soft serve being licked off a spoon. "How was your day?"

"Same as every day--dreadful until sunset," I replied.

The only thing that kept me going through the day was knowing that atop Benson Hill was the most handsome guy I'd ever seen, my very own vampire-mate, sleeping in a coffin in the dusty attic of a creepy old mansion.

"Should I meet you at the Mansion or are you going to pick me up?" I asked eagerly.

There was silence on Alexander's end.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I hate to do this to you...," he said, his voice suddenly serious, "but I have to cancel tonight."

"Cancel?" It hit me like a closing coffin lid. "What's wrong?"

"Jameson has the car...and I want to check out the cave and cemetery for Valentine."

"I can ask my mom to drop me off instead."

"I want to do it alone," Alexander said in a grave tone.

"Alone?"

Alexander didn't respond. I knew he didn't want to put me in harm's way again, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

Not only would I be missing a nocturnal adventure, I'd be missing precious time with Alexander. It was bad enough I had to be away from Alexander in the sunlight; I couldn't face being away from him in the moonlight, too. "I'll make it up to you," he said in a bright voice. "I still haven't given you the surprise I was going to give you at the cave."

For the next five minutes I tried whining, protesting, and attempting my tried-and-true manipulation tactics, but nothing worked. Alexander put his foot down, before he put the phone down.

Then I tried arguing with my mother, but she wouldn't let me borrow the car. I figured if I used Billy Boy's bike, which had thicker tires than mine, I could meet Alexander at the cemetery before he started for the cave.

I knocked on my brother's door.

"Go away!" I heard my annoying brother say.

"I need to ask you for a favor," I said sweetly.

"I'm busy!"

I slowly cracked open the door. My brother's normally bright room was dark, except for a single desk lamp gently illuminating the room. He was sitting at his computer desk typing away on his keyboard with one hand and holding a gravestone etching in the other. To my surprise, there was someone sitting in a chair next to him--and it wasn't Henry.

I froze. Seated next to Billy Boy was a slightly smaller boy with powder white hair.

I gasped.

As if in slow motion, the vampire boy turned to me.

Two glassy green eyes stared through me.

Valentine looked like he'd been dead for more years than he'd been alive. He had a sullen, cadaverous, and almost handsome ghost white complexion, with soft bloodred lips. His long white shaggy hair hung over his face. He exuded an inner strength and, at the same time, a hint of frailty. Though he was only three-fourths my size and seemed like he could blow over with a gentle breeze, something told me he had the power to withstand the force of a storm.

"What are you doing in here?" my brother asked, rising.

"I didn't invite you in."

"I need to speak with you," I said sternly in a low voice.

Valentine's eyes bored through me. Chills ran down my spine like tiny jabbing icicles.

"Get out. I have company," my brother ordered.

Billy Boy charged toward me. He braced the door with his skinny arms and tried to close it. I stopped it with my combat boot.

"What is he doing here?" I whispered.

"He's spending the night."

My heart skidded to a stop. Spending the night? My brother obviously didn't realize who--or what--he'd invited to share his bedroom.

"He can't stay here," I warned softly.

"I don't tell you when Becky can come over. Since when did you become my mother?"

"Where's Henry?" I asked, stalling. "Shouldn't you have invited him, too?"

"He's staying at his grandmother's."

I glanced back at Valentine, whose green eyes glistened at me hypnotically. He licked his lips, and the light of the desk lamp shined on a small fang. Like a million strobe lights going off in my head, I realized why Valentine must have come to Dullsville. Jagger and Luna weren't seeking revenge on Alexander anymore--they were seeking revenge on me by threatening my family. And they were sending Valentine to do their bloody work.

"Quit nosing around," Billy Boy said.

"But--"

"Get a life!" he yelled as only a little brother could, and slammed the door in my face.

Billy Boy didn't know Valentine was trying to get a life, too-- his.

I paced in my bedroom, my combat boots slamming against the black-carpeted floor, while holding my hissing kitten, who was clearly uptight about our new neighbor.