Free Colour Me Undead by Mikela Q. Chase Page A

Cora she had a message. The text alert sounded irrationally perky in the dim gloom of the night.
    Glancing up at the imposing vampire, Cora searched through her coat pockets. Why did she never remember to put her cell phone in the same place twice? “Hah.” The last pocket she searched contained the small device. She laughed as she looked at the phone’s readout. Her cousin had texted her a message.
    Get your ass into the castle.
    The little smiley face at the end didn’t make it less of a command.
    “Her highness calls.” Cora waved her phone at the vamp.
    The vampire frowned. “Your cousin isn’t royalty.”
    Cora laughed. “That’s what you think. My cousin’s been a little princess since she was born.”
    Feeling better knowing her cousin watched her from above, Cora clutched the handle of her laptop case and headed for the steps.
    “Here, take my arm. The stones are uneven.”
    Cora gave the vampire a suspicious glance but took his arm anyway. Her high heels weren’t meant for stone steps even if the dainty shoes looked adorable on her feet. For his lean frame, a surprising amount of muscle flexed beneath her hand. New chills went up her arm but these had nothing to do with the cold and creepy atmosphere and everything to do with the sexy man beside her.
    “I’m glad you think I’m sexy.”
    “Rudeness,” Cora proclaimed with a glare.
    “And I thought your cousin was difficult.” The sexy man raised his eyebrows at her.
    “You haven’t seen anything yet, honey.”
    “Honey?”
    Cora bit her lip, wishing she could take the endearment back. Despite being a big scary vamp, she felt comfortable after their banter and had become too familiar. Vampires liked their formality. They wallowed in it. “It’s a figure of speech.”
    There was a moment of silence as they continued upwards, their footfalls oddly in sync. “I like it,” he said after they’d traversed a few more steps. “You can call me honey whenever you want.”
    “Um, thanks.” She made a silent vow to avoid talking to him whenever possible.
    “I don’t think you’ll be able to ignore me,” the irritating vampire said.
    “Why not?”
    “Because I’m the groom’s brother.”
    With that announcement, they reached the front door where a guard stood at attention on either side.
    “Good evening, your highness,” the guard on the right greeted him.
    “Shit.” Cora glared at the man beside her. “You are definitely not getting called honey again any time soon.”

    * * * *

    Luckily the inside of the castle wasn’t as grim as the outside, though colour appeared to be outlawed. With a professional eye Cora scanned the space, quickly calculating possible attendance numbers and ways to make it more welcoming. Melinda mentioned she wanted the wedding and reception at the castle, since churches were taboo. As they walked through the grand entryway, Cora’s mind buzzed with ideas for decorations, colour combinations and designs sure to suit her cousin’s tastes. If this weren’t the best vampire wedding ever, it wouldn’t be due to any lack of preparation on Cora’s part.
    “Cora!” Melinda rushed across the room to greet her. Her cousin looked stunning with her black hair, white skin and red lipstick. Her outfit was a classy black and white pants ensemble that made Cora feel like she wore rags in comparison.
    She tolerated the air kisses before looking her cousin in the eye. “I don’t care what you’ve set up, cancel it. I don’t want to date any vampires, wizards or werekin. I am only here to help you with your party, not put up with your dating shenanigans.”
    Melinda pursed her ruby lips as she regarded her cousin with her gold cat-like eyes. “I can’t believe you would suspect me of such a thing,” she complained.
    Cora held up her hand to stop the protests. “Do we need to revisit the gnome incident?”
    “He was only half gnome.”
    “He tried to bury me in the garden.”
    “He was courting