that.
He had crossed the yard, aiming for the sidewalk, when the back door flung open behind him. He glanced over his shoulder at a breathless Meredith and paused, but didn’t speak.
Meredith’s bottom lip trembled. “Weren’t you even going to tell me you were leaving?”
Vlad shrugged. He still felt like he was moving in slow motion. His heart ached. “I don’t think I’m very welcome in there.”
Meredith frowned and crossed the yard until she was standing in front of him, blocking his path. “What happened? I thought we were having a good time.”
He shook his head, not wanting to go into any details that would further prove what a loser he was. “It doesn’t matter. I’d just rather go home, okay?”
“But we were gonna dance.” Her lips formed an adorable pout.
Vlad’s heart raced to see it. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, brushing his black bangs from his eyes. “I’m sorry, Meredith. I wanted to. It’s just-”
“So let’s dance.” She smiled and placed her hands on Vlad’s shoulders.
Music drifted from inside the house. Vlad hesitated, and then put his hands on her waist. He pulled back just enough to look her in the eye. “Meredith… why are you with me?”
A small line creased her brow. “What do you mean?”
Vlad sighed. “I mean… that you’re popular, and smart, and beautiful, and I’m… not. I hardly have any friends. I’ll be lucky if I manage to pass geometry this year. And I’m not exactly a football hero.”
She was quiet for a moment, then she said, “Do you remember when we were in Ms. Moccasin’s class together in the fourth grade? Henry was relentless that year, chasing me, pulling my pigtails. Then one day he went so far as to stick gum in my hair.”
Vlad remembered. That was the year Henry decided that girls weren’t quite as icky as he’d thought. But he hadn’t quite figured out how to treat them.
Meredith’s eyes shone in memory. “But on the play-ground that day, you knocked him down and sat on his chest until he apologized. You stood up for me. You became my hero that day. You’re still my hero.”
Vlad’s vision blurred with the threat of tears. But he couldn’t think of anything to say. Sometimes, silence says it all.
They swayed slowly to the music. Cool, blue-tinted moonlight covered them, blanching their skin. Meredith closed her eyes and moved closer, laying her head on Vlad’s shoulder. Vlad slipped his arms around her, and they danced. Her hair smelled like lilac. Her skin felt like silk. And Vlad was dangerously aware of how close she was to him. His heart swelled up like a balloon until Vlad thought it might burst.
In his mind’s eye, they were dancing together on the moonlit widow’s walk of his old house, just as he’d seen his parents do countless times before. A small tear escaped his closed eyes, and Vlad squeezed Meredith closer. It wasn’t the memory of his parents that had brought on his tears. It was the realization that he loved Meredith. Really loved her. Deeply and truly. He loved her, and he would do anything in his power to make her happy and keep her safe.
The song ended, and they lingered there in quiet closeness for a while. A brisk breeze swept over them and they both shivered, parting at last. Meredith reached out and took his hand in hers. “How about I walk you home?”
Vlad smiled. “I’d like that.”
Never mind the fact that it was the polite thing for him to walk her home, or that they’d have to pass her house to get to Vlad’s. Meredith’s dad had a prime dislike of Vlad going on, so whenever possible, she kept her dad out of the mix. Besides, it would mean more time together.
They moved down the street, hand in hand, slinking past Meredith’s house. The walk was blissfully Eddie-free. Only too soon they came to stand on Nelly’s front porch. Vlad exchanged shy smiles with Meredith, the way they always did right before they kissed. Vlad could feel the moment coming, his entire body warming with sweet anticipation. Then he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. She tasted like sugar, spice, and everything nice, with a side of strawberry lip balm. When he pulled away at last, she slipped her arms around him, hugging him close. Vlad nuzzled her neck, marveling at how sweet she smelled. So sweet, he could almost taste it…
“ Vladimir!” Nelly’s voice, high-pitched and fearful, rang out into the night. She was standing in the open doorway, her eyes wide, an afghan wrapped around her shoulders.
With a horrific shock, Vlad realized that his mouth was open, his fangs elongated, poised over the delicious-looking blue vein in Meredith’s neck. He snapped his mouth shut and stepped back.
He’d almost bitten her. He’d almost fed from Meredith. And if Nelly hadn’t intervened… he could have killed her-would have killed her. Vlad shuddered at the thought. Suddenly the cold air dropped another twenty degrees.
He’d almost killed her. He’d gotten too close.
Nelly’s voice dropped to a frightened whisper. “You should go home now, Meredith.”
Meredith looked from Nelly to Vlad and back, shaking her head, completely oblivious to what had almost transpired. “It’s not what it looks like, Nelly. We were just hugging, not making out or anything.”
Nelly spoke again, her voice firm. “Still, it’s getting late. I’m sure your parents will be worried.”
Meredith blinked, and then glanced at Vlad. As she passed him and headed down the steps, she said, “See you tomorrow, Vlad.”
But Vlad couldn’t reply. He was still horrified over what he’d almost done.
As Vlad slipped by Nelly and into the warm comfort of the house, he shook his head. “Anything you’re going to say can’t even measure up to how I’m feeling right now, Nelly. So please… don’t say anything. I need to be alone.”
To her credit, she didn’t speak.
Vlad ran up the steps to his room. He closed the door, not bothering to turn on the lights. And when he lay on his bed, he opened his mouth and lightly touched his fangs with the tip of his finger. He was a monster-Joss had been right about that. And if he’d had just a few more seconds, he might have become a killer too tonight. He might have murdered the girl who meant more to him than anything in this world. He might have stolen her away from himself, all because he couldn’t control his growing hunger.
He bit down hard, slicing his finger deep. Immediately, it began to heal, but not before a large drop of blood managed to escape. As it coursed down his finger, Vlad swallowed hard. A single tear rolled down his cheek, matching pace with his blood.
With a shuddering cry, Vlad realized that that was all the future held for him. Blood and tears.
8 STANDING UP
VLAD SLIPPED HIS JACKET ON, cursing the chill of the mid-November air, and flung his backpack over his shoulder, wincing as the corner of his health book caught him in the small of the back. He threw a glance at the clock, even though he didn’t need to look at it to know that he was running very, very late. Lesson #456 of high school life: Never, ever trust an alarm clock. Even after you’ve checked it to make sure the alarm was set for the right time. Twice. Especially when your best friend won’t be there because of an early dentist appointment.
He bolted out the door and across the street, whipping past houses, until finally he could see the school looming up ahead. Relaxing some, still he cursed under his breath at the absence of students outside-a sure sign that there were less than five minutes before the detention slips started flying. He hurried up to the
