Free 7 Love Bites by Ellen Schreiber

drove toward my house, I tried to mask the severity of the situation by chatting about the upcoming weather forecast. I didn�t want to snitch on Sebastian�to condone or deny what had just taken place �if only not to spoil Alexander�s evening. My boyfriend had been so happy to be out of the Mansion with his best friend by his side�a fellow vampire, a childhood playmate, his next-door neighbor. A guy with whom Alexander could be his true self�no longer having to wear the disguise of a rebellious mortal but instead that of a sensitive vampire. But Alexander was keen to Sebastian�s ill conduct. The two friends rode in silence. When we finally parked in front of my house, Sebastian, along with Alexander and I, got out of the car. Alexander didn�t bother to shut his door. He avoided Sebastian altogether and started for my driveway. Sebastian tapped his boot against his tire in disgust. �He didn�t mean to do it,� I defended. Alexander chewed on his lip. �Alexander�� Sebastian said bravely, confronting his best friend. �I don�t know what happened. I�m truly �� Alexander faced his friend. �You crossed the line,� he said in a tone that couldn�t hide his disappointment. �I didn�t plan on it. It wasn�t like I hurt her. I couldn�t help myself; I�m not restrained�like you,� he said sincerely. �You can�t stay here,� Alexander said firmly. His voice was strong, but it couldn�t mask how it pained him to say it. �I�m sorry, Alexander. I won�t go near her again.� �Becky didn�t see anything,� I said. I wasn�t sure why I was defending Sebastian. Perhaps it was because the hapless vampire, like me, seemed to get in trouble just by breathing. �Tomorrow night,� Alexander started, �when you wake up, Jameson will have your things packed.� Sebastian slunk back into the Mustang, and Alexander silently escorted me to my front steps. �I�m sure he�� I began, but Alexander wasn�t listening. Instead, he gave me a quick kiss on the lips. I opened the front door and reluctantly entered my house. I heard the sound of a car door slamming and a Mustang peeling away from the curb. I struggled as usual to sleep. The only time I�d seen Alexander this upset was when we went to the SnowBall last winter and Trevor told him the only reason I liked him was that I thought he was a vampire. Instead of hanging out in bed, I sat on my desk and stared out my window. I hoped I�d find Alexander resting against our tree or sitting on the swings. All I saw was a lonely maple and an empty swing set. I replayed Sebastian�s obsession with Becky over in my mind. I imagined what would happen if Alexander and I were placed in a similar position. Alexander was chasing me through the tombstones. The grass was wet with fresh rain, and the air filled with a gentle mist. I dodged a grave marker and then jumped over another as Alexander drew close. Fatigued yet exhilarated, I sprang over a third headstone. It caught the heel of my Mary Janes, I lost my balance, and I tumbled to the ground with a thud. I felt a little stupefied. I sat up to find a sharp pain emanating from my right arm. Alexander leaped to my aide. I raised my elbow. He held it softly. �Is it broken?� �Just bruised.� He blew off the dirt and gently picked the wet blades of grass from my skin and examined it closely. A large gash, the size of a pencil, raced up my forearm. We both watched as blood began to fill the slender wound. �We are on sacred ground,� I said, raising my wound toward his mouth. Two fangs pierced through the break in his lips. He tried to cover them with the back of his hand.�You need me as much as I need you,� I said, pulling his hand away. �It�s okay. You don�t have to fight it anymore. You don�t have to be strong.� I could see in his eyes that Alexander struggled, wondering what it would be like to finally taste my blood, as Sebastian had tasted Becky�s. �I�d still have