Cocktales

by The Cocky Collective

  I head to the kitchen to make a pot of tea, hoping that will help pass the time as I continue to think through things. I may be losing Sebastian when this is over, but I can’t let this be the end of love, of adventure, of romance. Something in me agreed to marry him that night. Something in me wanted more than a solitary existence defined primarily by my job as a librarian.

  When the teakettle whistles, I pour the hot liquid and let the tea steep for a few minutes before bring the cup to my lips. The smell of hibiscus sends me back into my memories of that night so sharply that the cup falls from my hand and shatters on the ground.

  I am with him. With Sebastian. We are dancing and seem high on life. "Is this how it always is?" I ask him.

  "How what always is?" His eyes are alight with a joy that matches how I feel inside.

  "When you turn someone."

  He laughs. "So the stories say. To turn someone, you have to drain them completely of blood, infecting them with a poison in our teeth, and then give them your blood to reanimate them. The process apparently creates a high in both people. But you’re the only person I’ve turned, so this is all new to me."

  I’m surprised to hear that. "Why me?" I ask as the music turns to a slow song and he pulls me tighter into his arms. I feel at home against his chest, as if all the pieces of my life have finally snapped together.

  "I don’t know," he says. "I saw something in you I couldn’t let die."

  "I’m glad. That you didn’t let me die. I want to live." And I realize it’s true. I want to live. I want to do all things. Love and be loved and travel with someone, sharing those memories of our adventures together. My parents died my first year of college. I have no siblings. No aunts or uncles. No grandparents. So, when they died, a part of my past died with them. They were the only ones who had known me as a child. And since then, I haven’t let anyone else close enough to know me as an adult. Not even Molly, not really. Not until tonight.

  And so I tell Sebastian everything. I share my whole life with him. And he shares with me. He tells me of the man who turned him. He, too, was on his death bed. A plague that had wiped out his village. But one man came to him and offered him a way to live forever, but at a cost. "He was a prince on another world," Sebastian says. "An inventor who was always looking for ways to help people and often came to this world for ideas. He said his name was Ace, and that he could help me. I agreed. Though, I was so close to death I’m sure I didn’t know what I was saying. When he brought me to life, I understood. He taught me everything about being a vampire. We were close for many years. I spent some time in his world, and he came to mine. We haven’t been in touch for years, but I think you would like him. I know he’d love you."

  Somewhere in all that, in our bonding, we made it to the altar.

  Of course, now I know that he needed to do that to protect us from the council, but at the time it seemed spontaneous. It made sense. And in my heart, it still does. It’s ridiculous to say I’ll never find a love like him again. We’ve only known each other since yesterday, after all. But I cannot change the reality of what I feel. Of what I know to be true. I will never love anyone like I love him. But I will learn to live without that love, and find joy elsewhere.

  I’m ripped out of my thoughts by a voice in my kitchen. "So here’s the bitch who stole my brother from me."

  Fear surges through my veins as I open my eyes and see the spitting image of the man who nearly sucked me dry and left me for dead. The Rendali brothers are twins. And this one hates me with a deep passion.

  He will make me suffer. I can see it in his eyes. How did he get in? What happened to Sebastian?

  As if reading my mind, he laughs. "Wondering where your rescue squad is? My boys ate them. But I saved my appetite for you. I’m going to enjoy draining the life from you."

  I take a breath to slow my heart and look around for anything I can use as a weapon. I’m faster and stronger than I was before. I don’t have to be a victim. My eyes land on a rooster shish kabob skewer I had pulled out for dinner the other night. It’s vintage and was a gag gift at the library Christmas party two years ago, but I’ve grown fond of it. I’ll have to be fast to make this work.

  From lore, you kill a vampire by stabbing them in the heart with a wooden stake, which I’m lacking, through sun exposure, which I’m also lacking, or through beheading.

  So . . . I guess I’m going with beheading.

  Doing my best Xena Warrior Princess impersonation, I grab the skewer and rush toward Steven. His eyes widen in shock as I stab the skewer through his neck. Repeatedly.

  I am covered in blood, screaming like a wild banshee, as I use the sharp end of my cocky skewer to attempt to separate what remains of his neck from his body.

  This is how Sebastian finds me when he blows my door off its hinges with the force of his might. And it only takes him one twist of his strong hands to finish the job, pulling the man’s head from his neck.

  It’s a gruesome, violent, and bloody scene, and I’m quite positive I’ll have to burn the house to the ground to get out the bloodstains, but it’s over. The monster is dead. Future women are safe. I’ve gotten my revenge.

  I stand over the body, staring at my husband who is also covered in blood, and where I should feel relief, there is only trepidation.

  This is it.

  This is when it all ends.

  Except before I can say the speech I had planned, he pulls me into his arms and kisses me so deeply he steals all of my words. His hands dig into my flesh, his lips probe mine, and I feel his need growing. This is just adrenaline, I tell myself as he carries me to my bathroom and turns on the shower. As we both step in, more memories from that night resurface.

  Passion. Ecstasy. All the things I’ve ever read about and more, coming to life inside my body.

  When we are both spent, and cleaned of all the blood, we exit the shower and I attempt to find him clothes that will fit his frame. He ends up in sweatpants that land just below his knees, and a pink "Readers Do it Standing Up" shirt that we sold as a fundraiser for the library during Romance Novels week. I find something cotton and comfortable to wear as well, because I’m not ready to say goodbye while naked.

  Once we are both dressed, I slide the ring off my finger and hand it back to him.

  "Thank you," I say sincerely. "For everything."

  He frowns. "Is this what you really want? I thought . . ."

  "I know you had to marry me, but you don’t have to stay married, right? There’s no rule about that?"

  He cocks his head. "Do you think I only married you to follow the stupid council bylaws?"

  It’s my turn to cock my head. "Didn’t you?"

  "For a smart woman, you are a bit dense at times. You have stolen my heart and soul, if such things exist for a creature like me. I’m yours. Forever. If you’ll have me."

  I wait for him to burst into laughter. For him to tell me it’s all a joke. But I can see the truth in his eyes, and my heart breaks open, flooding my eyes with tears of joy as I throw myself into his arms.

  Sebastian calls someone to handle the mess in the house. We return to The Black Lotus since the hunters are still tracking down the rest of the Rendali brothers’ crew, and my house is uninhabitable.

  I ask him about the other hunters, and he tells me they are all fine. Steven’s goons didn’t “eat them” as he claimed, and for that, I am grateful.

  That night we sleep long and deeply, and when morning arrives with breakfast in bed, I feel my life turning into something entirely unexpected and new.

  "What do we do now?" I ask.

  "I’d say we should take a honeymoon," he says. "That would be the proper human thing to do."

  I smile over my goblet of blood in agreement. "But where to go?"

  He grins. "I fancy a visit to my creator, Prince Ace. What do you think? Want to see a whole new world?"

  I can barely contain my enthusiasm. "I’m ready when you are!"

  And so, our adventures begin.
Oh, the libraries I will see. The books I will read. The lives I will live. And all with this man beside me.

  THE END

  About the Author

  Karpov Kinrade is the pen name for the husband and wife entertainment duo Lux and Dmytry Karpov-Kinrade. Together, they write award-winning, USAT bestselling books, make music, write screenplays and direct movies -- all the things.

  * * *

  They live in wine country with their three offspring who have crazy creative genius oozing out of them, one dog who thinks he's a cat and six cats who all think they rule the world (spoiler alert: they do).

  Website

  Facebook

  Instagram

  Twitter

  Also by Karpov Kinrade

  For more in the Vampire Girl Universe, check out the following series and books:

  * * *

  Vampire Girl, the original series

  Amazon series link: https://amzn.to/2n0oD1Y

  Vampire Girl (Book 1)

  Midnight Star (Book 2)

  Silver Flame (Book 3)

  Moonlight Prince (Book 4)

  * * *

  First Hunter (A new spin off series)

  Amazon series link: https://amzn.to/2IGBGkZ

  First Hunter (Book 1)

  Unseen Lord (on preorder, Book 2)

  * * *

  Of Dreams and Dragons

  Amazon link: https://amzn.to/2IDXRIB

  Swag

  A Landry Family Series Short Story

  Adriana Locke

  A Landry Family Series Short Story featuring Lincoln Landry.

  Copyright © 2018 by Adriana Locke

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  One

  “Don’t act like you aren’t impressed.” I toss the golf club into the back of the cart like hitting a hole in one is something I do every day. It isn’t. It could be. I am Lincoln Landry, after all.

  My three brothers scoff. They make their way across the green, each mumbling something under their breath.

  “What?” I goad, breathing in a lungful of sweet, summer air. “I’m even impressed with myself for that one.”

  Ford shoots me a look. “I’m not acting when I say this,” he says, climbing into the driver’s seat, “but I’m not impressed.”

  “How was that excellent display of athleticism not impressive?” I pretend to swing a club in slow motion. “If I would’ve been swinging for real, that would’ve been a hole in one too.”

  “Shut up and get in the cart, Linc.” Barrett laughs, smacking my shoulder as he walks by.

  “Come on, Barrett. It was a Hole. In. One. How many times have you shot one of those?” I reconsider my angle. “Don’t answer that. You were a politician. All you did was golf.”

  “It’s more than you do these days,” Graham grumbles as he takes the front passenger’s seat and grabs a water bottle.

  I climb in behind Ford. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing. It means nothing,” Graham replies.

  “I’m just saying it wouldn’t kill any of you to acknowledge my successes. I mean . . . how hard is it to get a little, ‘Wow, great shot, Lincoln’?” I shrug. “Shouldn’t be that complicated.”

  Ford twists in his seat and removes his sunglasses. “You do realize you shot your hole in one on a practice green at the Farm, right? Maybe if it had been a real course, we’d pat you on the back.”

  He has a point, but I’m not going to acknowledge it. Instead, I lift my water bottle out of the cup holder and take a sip. My brothers carry on chiding me, taking Ford’s stupid point and running with it. I’ve always liked him the least.

  “That’s bullshit,” I say after a particularly dumb comment from Ford. I point at him. “You ran a 5K last weekend and everyone went on and on about how great that was.”

  He doesn’t bat an eyelash. “Um, I did it in under fifteen minutes. That is great.”

  “Not my point,” I continue. “No one was pointing out that it wasn’t a marathon. They took your achievement, however unimpressive it may have been,” I say, ignoring his chuckle, “and celebrated it. If I recall correctly, my wife and I sent you flowers.”

  “And they were lovely,” he teases. “Should I send you flowers for your hole in one today? Is that what this is about?”

  Graham sighs. “Can we go now?”

  “No,” I say, getting comfortable. “When’s the last time you ran a 5K, G?”

  “Don’t drag me into this. You two can go at it all you want, but can we do it on the way back to the house? I have a meeting in thirty minutes.”

  “It’s Sunday.” Barrett points out. “Take a day off, G.”

  Graham looks at our oldest brother. “It’s about the property your wife wants to buy for the new house.”

  Barrett whips his head back to Ford. “Let’s get on with it.”

  Ford hits the accelerator, and we’re thrown backward in our seats. He takes a hard right turn that earns a slew of profanities from Barrett. Ford just laughs.

  We rip across the freshly mowed grass at full speed. Across the field and down the little knoll, the sunlight ripples off the pond where my brothers, sisters, and I learned to swim.

  “I’d say that shot was only about fifty yards,” Ford notes, slowing the golf cart. “It wasn’t far.”

  “I’d say less than that,” Barrett chimes in.

  “No one asked you.” I scoff. “And that was way more than fifty yards.”

  Ford swerves the cart around a dip in the lawn and goes airborne for a split second. Graham sighs. We take a quick right around a jut of trees, and then the farmhouse comes into view.

  The white exterior with black shutters looks like a picture from a history book. It isn’t a farmhouse at all, really, but an old, plantation-style home that’s been in the Landry family for decades. We celebrate everything here—holidays, birthdays, contract executions, and political wins. It’s the epicenter of our family just outside of Savannah’s city limits.

  A smile twists my lips as I spy my wife’s SUV pulled up in front of the house. I haven’t seen her since before the sun came up this morning, and knowing she’s just a centerfielder’s throw away has my feet tapping against the floorboard.

  “Problem?” Barrett asks, glancing at my foot.

  “Nah. Just saw that Dani’s here.”

  “You do live with her, right?” Graham asks, looking at me over his shoulder. “You see her every day, I’m assuming.”

  “Yeah, I see her every day. I had to leave early this morning and I think she’d been up most of the night with Ryan. I just want to check on her.”

  “For a second, I was afraid you were going to tell us she wised up and left your ass,” Ford jokes. His head ducks forward, anticipating the half-punch I toss his way. Laughing, he rocks the golf cart back and forth. “Settle down back there.”

  “If you throw me out of this thing, I’ll have Troy beat your ass,” Barrett says, grabbing on to the railing beside him.

  “Does that mean you’re admitting you can’t?” Ford asks.

  “Hell, no! It just means I have people to do the dirty work for me.”

  “We know. You’re a politician,” I say with a snort.

  “Was a politician. I’m retired. Living the easy life.”

  “That means you’re old.” I point out. “First step is retirement. Next step is needing a pill to—”

  Ford cuts the wheels so sharply I almost fall out of the golf cart. It’s a good thing, though, because I’m fairly certain Barrett was going to try to push me out of the other side.

  “Sometimes I think you’re all toddlers.” Graham rolls his eyes. “For fuck’s sake, Ford.”

  “What? Did that mess up your polo shirt?” Ford grins. “Relax a little,
G. Here. I’ll help.” He jerks the wheel again—the other way this time—almost knocking Graham and Barrett onto the lawn. Unfortunately for Ford, our father is standing on the porch.

  Our father and I have never been the best of friends. He’s more of a stickler for the rules, whereas I like to think rules are meant to be broken. However, the look he gives Ford makes me envious. With nothing more than a dipped chin and set jaw aimed Ford’s way, the golf cart slows, and I bow to our father’s skills. I couldn’t pull that off as a dad. I’m a sucker.

  “Sorry, Dad,” Ford shouts as we roll to a stop just below our dad. “There are some gopher holes out there, and I—”

  “He’s lying,” I chime in. “He was trying to knock Barrett off. You should probably do something about that, Dad. Your all-American over there is trying to kill your golden boy.”

  “Someone jealous?” Ford asks.

  “Me? Jealous of you? Delusions.”

  “Delusions are you thinking that hole in one was award worthy,” Barrett laughs.

  Graham trudges up the stairs and tosses Dad a look. “You’re lucky they’re all still alive.”

  We form a line and follow Graham toward the house. My heartbeat picks up, strumming wildly as I anticipate Dani just a few feet away. Then, like the asshole he is, my father halts my plans.