Free Single White Vampire by Lynsay Sands Page B

so for more than an hour before working off enough energy so that he could relax sufficiently to sit. He didn’t know if it was his anger or the caffeine that had got him so wound up. And he didn’t care.
    Groaning, he leaned back in his desk chair and rubbed his face with his hands. His mother had just cursed him to two more nights of Kate Leever’s presence. And Kate hadn’t helped matters with her quick agreement. The woman was like lichen. Like muck you couldn’t scrape off the bottom of your shoe. Like—well, none of the things popping to his mind were very attractive, and, as annoying as Kate Leever could be, she was also attractive, so Lucern gave up his analogies. He tried to be fair about such things whenever possible.
    Letting his hands drop away from his face, he turned to consider the computer on his desk. He wanted to avoid Kate for a bit. He was still cranky enough that he was likely to hurt her feelings were he around her, and he didn’t wish to hurt her—
    â€œWell, hell! Now you’re worried about her feelings?” he said to himself. This wouldn’t do at all. He tried to be firm with his unruly sentiments and lectured, “The woman is your editor. She will use manipulation, clever ruses and any weapon necessary to get what she wants from you. Do not start getting all soft and sentimental about her. You don’t want her here. You want to be left alone to work in peace.”
    The problem was, he didn’t really have anything to work on. He hadn’t started anything new since finishingEtienne and Rachel’s story—which had been in print for a month now. And Lucern didn’t have a clue what to work on next. He knew that Kate and Roundhouse Publishing wanted another vampire romance, but Bastien wasn’t showing signs of obliging his brother by falling in love any time soon.
    Well, Lucern decided with a shrug, it wasn’t as if he needed the money. His investments over the years had always done well. He could relax if he wanted. Roundhouse would just have to wait until he came up with something.
    His gaze fell on the video game on the corner of his desk— Blood Lust II . The game was Etienne’s newest creation. Part I had sold out several times and won countless awards. Its success wasn’t a great surprise to Lucern; the game was fun and action-packed, with awesome graphics, lots of villains to slay, lots of puzzles to solve and a great story line. Lucern wasn’t the only one in the family who could write a story. Blood Lust II was expected to do even better when it was released.
    Grinning, he popped the seal on the package and pulled out the game CD. He had played the first couple of levels of the prototype before the game was even finished, and he and Bastien had got the first two full copies hot off the press. It paid to be brothers of the creator.
    Lucern slipped the game into his computer and prepared to enjoy himself. He would work off some of his anger by slaughtering bad guys. And he’d also avoid Kate for a while. He’d found the perfect solution.
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    He had played for several hours and was deep into the game when he heard the knock at the door. At his distracted “What?” the door opened and Kate stepped into the room carrying a tray.
    â€œI thought you might be hungry.”
    Her tentative words, along with the smell of food, drew Lucern’s attention away from the game. He sniffed with interest, thinking he could manage some at that moment. He, like the rest of his family, ate food as well as ingested blood. If they didn’t, they’d all be skinny wraiths.
    â€œWhat is it?” he asked curiously.
    â€œWell, I knew I was going to be busy—I’ve been working on the letters,” she informed him. “So, after your mother left and you went upstairs, I threw the roast we picked up into the oven with some potatoes. That way it would cook while I worked. You said you like