Free Kiss of the Vampire (The Vanderlind Realm Book 2) by Gayla Twist

insisted.
    “Really?” I fired back, feigning surprise. “Because those were the words coming out of your mouth.” I began storming toward the door.
    “Haley, please wait,” Dorian said, reaching for my arm.
    “No,” I said, jerking away from him. “I have to go now or I’ll be late for work.” Then I wheeled around to glare at him. “You see, some of us have this thing called a job. And we do it to make money. We don’t have wads of cash just handed to us while we’re still in our cradle.”
    “Haley!” Dorian tried to say something else, but I didn’t hear him. I was too busy running out the door and fleeing the castle.
     
    I took to the skies as soon and I was out of the castle gate. I didn’t worry about the staff seeing me flutter off. If they hadn’t already realized that they were working for a bunch of bloodsuckers, then they were in for a rude awakening. I just had to get out of there. Otherwise I was going to burst into tears and I didn’t want Dorian to see me cry. He didn’t deserve my tears. He was obviously some kind of control-freak and I wished I could find away to drive him from my heart.
    “Why don’t I ever learn?” I had to wonder about myself as I flew along. Was I really so stupid as to believe that a wealthy and handsome vampire actually cared about my well being? That was almost worse than me believing Tommy when he said, “I love you,” as a thinly veiled ploy to get into my pants.
    And what was with Dorian and the whole, “I need to take care of you,” business? It was almost like he thought of me as a pet Pomeranian or something. I wiped at my eyes, trying to keep the tears back and blaming them on the cold night air. We’d shared a nice moment in the ballroom. That was all. I was grateful to Dorian for teaching me how to fly without being snagged by the treetops and tangled in power lines. But a nice moment was all it was for him and a nice moment was all I would allow it to be for me. I guess I’d spent too much time as a mortal reading romantic novels. Dashing young men didn’t come to the rescue. Rich men didn’t fall head-over-heels for the poor little match girl. That wasn’t how the world worked. At least not for people like me. And the sooner I got that idea through my thick skull, the better off I would be.
    If I ever saw Dorian again, I would just have to remind myself that he was never going to care about me. He might have felt some obligation to help me. Hell, even a person like my Uncle Kevin could be guilted into feeling some responsibility for another human being. But Dorian only felt obligated because he was my maker.
    He had offered to help me financially. That was worth thinking about. Was I so proud that I was willing to turn away a hand-up? Even if the hand-up came from a vampire who was able to elicit both rage and passion from me, usually at the same time. My gut said no. Better to live on the streets than to take charity from the likes of Dorian. But following my gut wasn’t always the right thing to do. My gut had a way of getting me in trouble.
    Or did I usually land in trouble when I ignored my gut? That was another thing to ponder. And just as I was beginning to ponder it, I realized I was about to crash into a cell tower.
    I had a new motto to live by. Back when I was a human it should have been: Don’t text and drive. But I was a vampire so things had changed a little. My new motto was going to be: Don’t fly while thinking about Dorian Vanderlind.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 11
    Haley
     
     
    “There was a young man here looking for you last night,” Debbie said as I tied on my apron after punching in to start my shift at the diner. “A real looker, too. I don’t usually go for men with blond hair — I’m more of an Elvis fan — but for him I would make an exception.”
    “Okay, thanks,” I told her, trying to keep my reply as vague as possible. I didn’t want Debbie