It was then I remembered why I’d invited them.
“Speaking of true love…,” I began. “I’ve got a really great guy I want you to meet.”
“Yes, tell us about Alexander’s friend,” Onxy said.
“He’s really hot,” I repeated. “And he’s looking for someone special.”
“We’re special,” Scarlet said.
“Exactly! That was what I was thinking.” I scooted close. “He was enamored with my best friend,” I confided. “Only, she’s mortal and has a boyfriend. And I don’t want anyone in this town being bitten before me,” I joked.
“Yes, that wouldn’t be fair,” Onyx said.
“I’d die if some cheerleader showed up to a game with fangs,” I told them.
“That would be wrong on so many levels!” Scarlet snorted.
“She wouldn’t be deserving,” Onyx said. “Not like you.”
“So I thought it would be wonderful if he could meet a nice vampire girl,” I went on. “And Dullsville is short on those.”
“So where is this Prince Charming?” Scarlet asked.
The faint sound of a guitar wailing screeched from the Mansion.
“Is that your boyfriend playing?” Scarlet asked tentatively.
“No—that’s his friend.”
“I hope he kisses better than he plays,” she teased.
The three of us laughed.
A figure was standing by the window. I knew Alexander would eventually wonder where I’d gone.
Within a moment, Alexander and Sebastian were hanging out on the back steps.
Both girls’ mouths dropped when they saw the handsome pair.
“Which is the available one?” Onyx asked softly.
“I don’t care—they are both gorgeous,” Scarlet declared. “Raven—you don’t mind sharing, do you?” she teased.
“Onyx and Scarlet, this is my boyfriend, Alexander.”
“Wow—you are so lucky!” Scarlet whispered to me. “We should have been hanging out here instead of at the
Coffin Club.”
Alexander blushed and shook both of their hands.
Sebastian cleared his throat. He was frustrated he wasn’t getting any attention.
“And this is Sebastian,” I said. As if on cue, both girls held their hands out to him. He took each one and tenderly kissed them. Each girl giggled.
“I hope that’s just a prelude of what’s to come,” Scarlet said.
The girls broke their gaze with Sebastian and he gave Alexander the thumbs-up sign.
“Would you like something to drink?” I asked.
“Uh. Sure. I guess I’ll have a soda.”
“No, we have the real thing,” Sebastian said, pointing to the bottle on the table.
“Transylvania 1972,” Alexander said as Jameson came outside to assist us.
“I heard that was a good year,” Sebastian said.
“Why don’t you sit here,” I encouraged Sebastian, deliberately placing him between the two girls.
Alexander stuck a corkscrew in the bottle and turned it slowly. He pried the cork and it easily slipped out.
Jameson began filling the goblets.
“It’s rare to find something authentic—outside the Coffin Club,” Scarlet said. “In a bottle, anyway.”
We all laughed.
“Well, you are in rare company,” Sebastian flirted.
As Jameson continued to fill the goblets, Alexander poured me a soda and then himself one.
“You can have some,” I said. “Don’t miss this on account of me.”
But Alexander politely refused.
Sebastian held the goblet to his nose and took a deep breath in.
“Um…perfect,” Sebastian said. “I think it’s a mixture of A positive and AB negative.”
“Wow—you are quite the connoisseur,” Onyx praised. “I can never tell.”
“Here’s to us.” Sebastian raised his glass and we all clinked ours together.
I watched as the three vampires put the blood-filled goblets to their lips and sipped as if they were consuming a rare vintage wine.
“This is delicious,” Scarlet said. “Very smooth.”
“We are just happy you joined us,” Alexander said. “We know you came a long way.”
“It was worth it,” Scarlet said.
“Very smooth,” Onyx added. “Yet sweet. Just like you,” she said, her eyes locking with Sebastian’s.
Surprised by her remark, she began to giggle and spilled a bit of her drink.
I had to remind myself that some Romanian’s hemoglobin, not fermented grapes, had just dripped on my friend.
“She can’t hold her blood,” Scarlet playfully scolded. “I tell her that all the time.”
“I guess I drank it too fast,” Onyx said.
Red liquid dripped down her neck and began leaking toward the lace border of her neckline.
“Here, let me,” Sebastian said, wiping the spillage with his napkin.
There was a moment between Onyx and Sebastian. He was doting on her as he had Becky. Our plan was already working. I gave Alexander a quick wink.
Scarlet sensed competition. And though the two girls were best friends, it was obvious Scarlet didn’t want to be the one without a vampire. She leaned her elbow onto Sebastian’s shoulder, her bracelets dangling next to his goatee.
She tapped her fingers against his brown and blond dreadlocks as if they were batting eyelashes, then brushed her plum-colored fingernails along his neck.
“No recent marks…,” she noted.
“Interesting,” Onyx said, almost scorned.
“And you?” Sebastian asked Scarlet.
“It isn’t polite to ask a girl, is it?” she asked coquettishly.
“Well, I just thought.”
Scarlet displayed her wrist. Two purple marks were embedded on her slight, chalk white arm.
“But it didn’t really mean anything,” she confessed. “He wasn’t nearly as handsome as you.”
“Or as clever,” Onyx added.
The girls were intoxicated by Sebastian’s charm, and he was relishing the attention.
I figured this was mine and Alexander’s cue to leave the three single vampires alone.
“Alexander, I think we left a few snacks in the house,” I said.
“Oh yeah,” my boyfriend agreed, taking my hint. “I’ll help you.”
But before we could rise, Scarlet stopped us. “Where is everyone else?”
“Oh…they’ll be coming later,” Sebastian said.
“Yeah. We just wanted it to be us for a little while,” I added.
“Then sit down and enjoy yourselves,” Scarlet insisted.
Alexander and I returned to our seats. I guess the girls expected a Mansion-size party. I couldn’t break the news to them that they were the guest list.
“How about we crank up the tunes,” Sebastian suggested.
“Yes, we love to dance,” Scarlet said.
Sebastian turned up the music and the five of us rocked as hard as we could.
“It looks like you’re having a great time,” I said to Sebastian as I danced next to him.
“I am.”
“Do you think you’d like to ask one of them out?”
“I guess.” But Sebastian’s voice wasn’t confident. Even though he was having a blast, I sensed Sebastian was still carrying a torch for Becky.
The music’s volume suddenly lowered. We stopped to discover Jameson standing by the sound system.
“Complaints from the neighbors?” Alexander asked, concerned.
“Alexander,” Jameson announced, “you have some guests.”
“Guests?” I asked.
Alexander was just as confused.
“I’ll only be a moment,” he said, excusing himself.
“I guess they’re here,” Scarlet said. “We’ll chat later.”
I was curious what guests were arriving. Since Onyx, Scarlet, and Sebastian were engaged in conversation, I, too, excused myself.