Free First Bite (Darkwood Manor Series) by Khelsey Jackson Page A

blood, my mother told me it's because I mostly drink blood. “Nathan, I wish you were coming with me. It would make everything so much easier.” he pulls me closer to him, and lays his head on top of mine.
    “I know I wish I was coming.” I love being short, for this reason. He can hold me and shield me, even if I can fight off mostly anything. It's nice to be the one protected. Nathan moves away from me when the front door opens. “Call me when you get there.” I nod in response as he takes out a tissue from his pocket and wipes away the wet sticky blood from my face.
    “I love you Nathan,” I say, and he grins.
    “I know.” His grin widens, and I slap him on his chest. “Ouch.” He rubs his chest.
    “We need to get going.” I glance over Nathan’s shoulder to my traitorous mother. This is all her fault that I have to leave. “I will meet you two outside.”
    Nathan smiles down at me, and shakes his head. “Be nice to your mother, she only wants what's best for you,” he says sweetly and I know he’s right, but I don’t have to like it. Nathan reaches around me to grab my bag that I dropped on the floor when I leapt on him. “Let's go Vamptoria.”
    I look at him and raise my eyebrow at him. “Vamptoria?” I have to bite my bottom lip to stop myself from laughing.
    Nathan laughs and nods. “Yeah I thought of it on the way here. I kind of like it.” He puts his arm around my shoulder, and we walk towards the door.
    It's bright outside, and close to one hundred degrees. Most of the myths about vampires say we can't go in the sun. That is true and false. I can't be outside in the sun for long periods of time, but I don’t melt or turn to dust. I simply get weak and tired.
    After Nathan puts my last bag in the trunk he turns towards me. “I love you Victoria, please don’t forget me.” He looks as if he might start crying, I launch myself at him again, and he holds me tight against him.
    “Oh Nathan, I could never forget you, you are my best friend in the whole world.” I look up at him, and smile.
    “Good, I don’t know what my life would be like if I didn’t have you.” He kisses my forehead, and then walks me to the passenger door. No one, besides me, knows about Nathan. He told me he’s gay, and I told him my secret…that I’m a vampire. Of course he didn’t believe me, so I showed him my fangs. He thought they were fake and tried to grab one, but I moved away from him as fast as I could. I have never been that close to a human, and I was terrified I would bite his finger off. That was last year, and I thought I would lose him as a friend but we got closer instead.
    “I'm going to miss your beautiful face, Victoria.” I shake my head, and smile. “You better not forget to call me.”
    I wink at him. “Oh I won't.” He shuts the car door, and places his hand on the glass.
    I turn around and watch him grow smaller as we drive away, and I turn up the radio so I don’t have to talk to my mom. There isn’t too much more to talk about, ever since my father left two years ago we have grown farther and farther apart. I was always closer with my dad, and he thought living off of blood bags was unnatural. He wanted to take me out and “hunt”. I didn’t want to, and my mother freaked out. I woke up the next morning and he was gone.
    I close my eyes and listen to the girl on the radio sing about a break up. At least it takes my mind off of my dad.
    I open my eyes when I feel the car turn off. The first thing I see is a huge dark brick mansion, with eighteen small windows and one large window on the bottom level of the mansion. Woods are on every side of the mansion I could see. There are green vines growing up the walls, and I look at my mom.
    “This is it?” I ask even though I know the answer.
    “Yes and you will grow to love it,” she says as she gets out of the car, I sigh and do the same. When I walk to the trunk there are a few people talking to my mom, but my eyes go to a boy.