Cryptic Cravings (Vampire Kisses 8)

It was then I spotted the blueprints for the Covenant lying out on the table. On closer inspection I noticed something I hadn't seen before. These plans were old and weathered.

They were the original factory plans. In the margin, written in pencil, was a small area that remained untouched. When I looked closer, it said, "tomb." Now I was ready to faint. It appeared to be a small burial site for soldiers. Part of the factory had been built over sacred ground - the part that Jagger now called the Covenant.

And any minute, Sebastian and Luna were going to have a real covenant ceremony. And unbeknownst to Alexander's best friend, it wasn't going to be "just for fun."

"Oh no!" I said. "What?" Becky asked. "We have to get upstairs!" "I still feel woozy." "Do you want me to leave you here?" Becky recovered lightning fast. Before I could move, she was standing at the door.

I grabbed the original blueprints and we raced through the hallway and up the rickety spiral staircase. We squeezed through the crowd and scurried down the Covenant stairs.

When we reached the underground club, Sebastian and Luna were standing over a coffin on the covenant stage. "Where were you?" Alexander said. "Sebastian and Luna are doing their ceremony. And we're next." Trevor, Scarlet, Jagger, and Onyx were watching from the sidelines. "I have to talk to you," I whispered. "Shh!" Jagger scolded. Sebastian held up a goblet and recited some words I couldn't understand. "I have to talk to you - it can't wait any longer!" "It will have to wait until after the ceremony," Alexander said. Then Luna repeated the same words and took a drink from her goblet. "We are on sacred ground," I said to Alexander. "What?" he said.

Just then Sebastian turned to Luna. He held her hands and stared lovingly at her. He then took one hand and brushed her hair off of her neck. He smiled and leaned in.

I shoved the blueprints in front of Alexander and in my loudest voice declared, "We are on sacred ground!!!" Sebastian stopped, and everyone in the club turned to me. Alexander's face turned white, but it was Sebastian's face that was the most horrified. "What?" I waved the blueprints. "We are over a real tomb. You are performing a real covenant ceremony!" "I thought this was a joke. Just a game," Sebastian said, stepping back. He looked at Luna, whose bright face fell. Sebastian jumped off the stage and shook his head. Disgusted, he pushed past us and headed up the stairs. Jagger's face was red with anger.

Luna stood alone on the stage. It was the second time she'd been stood up at a covenant ceremony. First by Alexander, and now by Sebastian. Even I didn't wish that kind of rejection for her. I could see the horror and sadness in her face. One tiny pink tear fell down her porcelain white cheek.

"Luna - " I said, jumping up onstage to comfort her. She gave me a killer stare that made me shudder. Then she stormed off the stage and out of the club. Alexander went after Sebastian. Jagger was nowhere in sight. Matt held Becky in his arms.

While everyone was in chaos, I took a moment at the altar. I imagined Alexander and me standing together over the coffin. He'd recite foreign words and lift his goblet and drink. Then I'd do the same. We'd face each other and stare into each other's eyes like a dream.

He'd take me in his arms and give me a lust-filled, passionate kiss, then slide his fangs up my shoulder until they met the nape of my neck.

"I've been waiting for this day for an eternity," he'd say. Then he'd take the final plunge. I sighed, imagining how happy I'd feel. I spun around to find no one else in the room but Trevor, who was staring straight at me. "My turn?" he said with a coy smile. "I can be into freaky foreign customs, too." I grumbled and then stormed off the stage and out of the club.

Chapter 19 - A Storm Is Brewing

So you think Trevor knows we're vampires?" Alexander asked the next day when I met him at the Mansion. "No, he thought it was just something weird you guys do. But Becky knows the truth." Alexander appeared worried. "Well, someone was bound to find out, I guess. It's funny. I came here to escape the Maxwells and now I've brought them to your town." "You couldn't have known," I reassured him. "So is the feud back on?" "It might be with Sebastian. But I think they were doing it to also get back at me." Just then we heard a knock from downstairs.

"Alexander, you have a visitor," Jameson called. We headed out of the attic room and met Sebastian outside the TV room.

"Thanks, Raven. I owe you one." He leaned in and gave me a hug. "I knew you liked her, but . . . ," I tried. "So how are you doing?" Alexander asked. "Pretty good," he said. "What's going to happen to the Crypt?" I asked. "It will remain open," Sebastian said, "but Jagger's losing a partner." "Are you leaving town?" I asked, not able to mask the sadness in my voice. "For the first time there is nowhere else I want to go," he said. "Do you want to crash here?" Alexander asked.

"I don't want to mess with your setup," he said. "Besides, I need way more electricity than this Mansion can provide. I've found an apartment in town that's cool."

"You're staying?" I asked excitedly.

"Yeah, for a little while." He looked at his shoes as if he was trying to find the words. "I've always thought that Onyx was really pretty. And I don't like the way Jagger doesn't pay attention to her. She needs to know what a real boyfriend is like."

"And you're just the man?" I asked, thrilled. "Who knows, I might be. Anyway, I just wanted to stop over and say thanks. I have to set up my new place. You guys can come over tonight if you want."

"That sounds great. I'll walk you out," Alexander offered. While I waited for him to return, I heard Alexander's phone beeping from the table. It beeped. And beeped. If I wasn't calling him and neither was Sebastian, it might be his parents. When I saw the caller ID, my heart sank. Stormy. Who was Stormy? After a few moments of emotional flatlining, my blood pressure soared. What do I do now? I couldn't be that girlfriend - the kind who snoops in drawers and closets and invades emails and texts. Or could I? When I saw the number's prefix, it was definitely foreign. Not from Dullsville or even the United States. I looked at the message. When are you coming back? I miss you like crazy! Luv, Stormy. Stormy! "Luv?"

My thoughts raced. Alexander had another girlfriend? It was the last thing I was intending to find. The number was foreign, so this girl obviously didn't live in Dullsville or even in this country. I hadn't imagined Alexander could be involved with someone else. Who was this "Stormy"? Was she pretty? Was she a vampire? And was Alexander in love with her, too?