Drop Dead Single (Monstrana Paranormal Romance 1)

“Soon, this will all be over.” She waved her arm in front of her body. “Everyone will go home and life will go back to normal.”

Sorrow made him suck in his cheeks. She was right. In two more days, the final ceremony would take place and he would reject both his suitors. Cate would go home and he’d never see her again. The idea made his lifeless heart contract, despite what he knew about her intentions.

“And what life do you return to?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. I’d like to try and get another University job. Reapply for tenure. I really loved teaching.”

“We’ve got a University on Monstrana.” The words tumbled out of his mouth. “With a great history department.”

“Really?” She didn’t seem struck by the random fact.

They walked a bit longer, falling into companionable silence. Stars twinkled in the sky above them and crickets chirped in the grass. He felt compelled to say something about what had happened between them. To at least part on a good note. But he wasn’t sure how.

“I want to apologize for my behavior at the spa yesterday and the horrid date today,” he finally ventured, hazarding a glance in her direction. “I reacted too harshly.”

“No, it’s me who should apologize.” A sad frown played on her lips. “I let things spin out of control. It was all one giant mix up that started at the airport when I was on my way to visit Miranda. I should’ve come clean ages ago, but self-preservation kicked in.”

He thought about her words for a second, his pulse pounding. “Are you saying you didn’t enter the competition to win immortality?”

She blanched, her mouth falling open into an almost comical horrified expression. “Definitely not. I didn’t even know supernatural creatures existed until my brutal awakening at that night club.”

The events of that night rolled through his head and he struggled not to burst out laughing. So that explained her sudden and alarmed exit from the vamp’s only room. It was no wonder she’d ran away. He’d had her all wrong. So wrong. She wasn’t a grubbing human. She was just Cate. Beautiful, intelligent, charming Cate.

Tucking the hair behind her ear, she bent to smell a pale white flower the size of her hand. “These are beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like them.”

“They’re Moonflowers.” He plucked one of the large blossoms and grabbed her hand to gently place the bloom on her palm. She shivered and pulled her sweater tighter with her other hand. “They only bloom at night. See? Proof that not all creatures of the night are horrible.”

Her gaze turned up to him, her eyelashes brushing against her skin, and her lips parted in a sympathetic smile. “I see no horrible creatures of the night, here. In fact, I quite like Monstrana and all her citizens.”

His stomach jolted at the confession. Surely, after their horrid date today she had already packed her bags and was ready to jump on the next plane out of here. Or maybe not.

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said with a small smile.

“Can I see them?” She narrowed her eyes and her lips pursed.

“See what?”

She laughed and a hint of pink filled her cheeks. “Your fangs. I’ve never seen them up close. In fact, I wouldn’t even think you had them if I didn’t know you were a vampire.”

Chuckling, he opened his mouth and ran a tongue over his top teeth. His fangs extended as he imagined a pulsing vein in front of his lips. Cate’s eyes grew wide, but she didn’t pull away. Instead,

she reached out with a tentative hand and grazed his mouth with her fingertips.

“You’re not scared of vampires?” The question hung on his lips just as her fingers lingered on his jaw, burning his skin. “Most humans can’t help but fear us. It’s a survival mechanism.”

“I was, at first.” She turned her head away and he swore he could see blood rise to her cheeks. “But it’s different now. My best friend is a werewolf. She would never hurt me. And you...you’re a vampire, but you wouldn’t hurt me either. I could never be afraid of you.”

Their eyes met and he had to stop himself from raking his eyes over her plump lips, to her chest, and back again. All he wanted to do was claim her mouth with his and lay her out on the glistening grass below. The gleam in her eyes told him she wanted him, too. Her other hand shook, the petals of the flower quivering between them.

Maybe this wasn’t what his grandmother had in mind when she’d set this whole thing up, but it certainly was having its effect. Viktor could feel his heart coming to life again, his heart and mind reaching out for the flesh and blood woman standing in front of him.

She wasn’t here to infiltrate the vampire world. He’d been so foolish to jump to that conclusion. She was too pure, too good of heart to use him for such a thing. They’d both fallen into a bad situation, made worse by a stupid reality show. He could see that now. And his vampire soul wanted her — now and forever.

He brushed the hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. She blinked rapidly, her breath quickening. His hand cupped her chin and his fingertips burned where they touched her soft skin.

“You are so unexpected,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. His thumb softly traced the lines of her lips. “I’ve never met a woman as strong as you.”

She bit her bottom lip, desire burning in her eyes as she looked up at him.