“Do you trust me, Taylor?” he asked.
Emotion flooded his features, and tears welled up in his eyes. I could see how much he cared about me. We were clearly meant to be together. I couldn’t explain it, but I felt it all the way to the core of my being. I knew life would be better with him by my side, in spite of what he was—or maybe because of it.
I stared deeply into his eyes. “Of course I trust you.”
His penetrating gaze pierced my soul, and my knees threatened to buckle.
“Then prove it,” he said.
The intensity between us began to grow. I drew another breath, deeper than before. A thousand flames coursed through me, threatening to consume me; I could actually feel the heat rising. I’m dying for his touch. Even still, I knew if I stepped out that door, I’d have no defenses against him. I had promised Julie, my new best friend, that I wouldn’t risk too much, but the inexplicable connection between us was luring me with fierce temptation. Should I take him up on his dare? Should I take the risk when every logical impulse is screaming for me to run? If I step out that door, am I walking into danger’s arms?
He had a gravitational pull I couldn’t deny, like a tractor beam, pulling me in. I was drawn to him in every way. I had never believed in that kind of attraction; I’d always thought it was exaggerated for books and movies because I’d never experienced it for myself. Now, standing there in front of him, I felt helpless against its pull, against that butterfly-flying-to-the-moon-and-back sensation. Jesse was him, the guy I’d been looking for, the one who ignited a fire inside of me, the person with whom I felt the strongest, most amazing connection I’d ever felt before.
He held out his hand, and I inhaled deeply. I didn’t know if I was going to die or not, but I trusted him with all my heart.
I stared at his beaming smile as I stepped through the doorway, into his strong arms. His twinkling eyes shone as he gazed straight into my brown ones. The chemistry between us was electric and mind-blowing, but our bond was stronger than that and was steadily growing. I could feel his heart, his love, his emotion, and his strong affection.
Our eyes locked, and everything around me disappeared. I breathed in the scent of his skin. In a flash, his strong arms lifted me off the ground, and within milliseconds, my back was pinned against the outer wall of the house. An electric shock shot through me as his lips crashed into mine. His body pressed against mine, and I let out a soft moan. His breath was hot on my skin, and heat rushed to my cheeks. I tugged at his shirt, allowing him to deepen our kiss. My entire body ignited. Hunger roared inside me as I burned with desire. He tasted so good that I couldn’t stop.
Hot tingles flooded through my body like a giant tidal wave. I loved when his mouth crushed mine, when his strong hands cupped the back of my head as his soft tongue swirled around mine in circles. I slid my hands up his back and wrapped them around his strong shoulders. The mesmerizing kiss grew bolder, turning into something so passionate, so intense, so wild and crazy and everything Jesse represented. The Earth stopped, and everything around me faded other than the beating of my racing heart. I felt like I’d been scorched by a bolt of lightning. When we pulled away, I was gasping for air and breathing heavily. It wasn’t every day I’d met a myth, let alone kissed one.
I had never, ever been kissed like that before, not even in my sexiest fantasies. I’d heard people talk about fireworks, symphonies, and electricity when describing kisses, but the sensation of our lips meeting was a million times more amazing than anything I’d ever imagined. My heart continued beating faster than the wings of a humming bird. I had him in my arms, and I was never going to let go.
I tangled my fingers through his thick, soft hair as the kiss deepened into a passionate lip-lock—long, fast, and intense. He poured all of his mind, body, soul, and emotion into the mind-blowing moment, then kissed me again. This time, it was slow, tender, and passionate—so perfect, so right, and so romantic. Sparks flew as I opened and closed my mouth to the rhythm, wanting to devour him.
He rested his forehead against mine as we took long, slow breaths, his intense eyes burning as he gazed into my very core, right into my soul.
“You stole my breath,” I said, “but I should’ve expected that. You’re supposed to give hot, deadly kisses. It’s what your kind are known for.”
He touched his forehead against mine, and every inch of my body tingled, desperately longed for his touch.
“You’re trouble,” I said.
His winter-blue eyes held mine. “Yet you stay.”
I drew another breath. “I should go.”
A grin creased his face. “But you won’t.”
“When I see something I want, I don’t run just because of a few hurdles.”
“Lucky for me.”
I smiled.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you that deeply from the very second I laid eyes on you in the forest,” he said.
“Me too,” I said, caressing his sweet face. “That was amazing. You’re a great kisser, Jesse…for a dead guy.”
He laughed. “I’m not dead. Please don’t mistake me for one of those walking corpses.”
“Sorry.”
He smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
I kissed his lips again as rays of light passed through the clouds and shone on our faces. “It’s been cloudy all day…until now,” I said when I pulled away and looked at his beautiful, angelic face.
“See? Even the universe is starting to take notice,” he said, gently weaving his hands through my hair.
I grinned. “Maybe it’s a great and glorious sign that we’re meant for each other.”
“I don’t need signs. I knew it the moment I saw you.” He kissed my lips ever so softly, mesmerizing me as his warm breath hovered there. “Am I everything you thought a vampire would be?”
“Hmm. You’re missing the white, frilly shirt and billowing, black cape,” I retorted.
He smirked. “My mom told me to stay hip with today’s styles and not to wear the cape, no matter how good it looks on me.”
I laughed. “And you’re also missing the slicked-back hair, fake blood, the white-painted face with dark circles, and, last but not least, the plastic fangs.”
“Plastic fangs would make me talk with a lisp. Mine are all natural.”
I touched his lips. “Wow. I just kissed the most prolific monster in the history of movies and television and lived to tell about it.”
“Hollywood is so confused about us,” he said. “I’m far more layered and complex than they’ll ever know.”
“You don’t have an overwhelming desire to bite me, do you?” I asked with a smile.
“Well…maybe, but not for blood.”
“You can control your bloodlust for me?”
“I’m not saying it’s easy. I feed before work, even though I only need to once a week. My mom has a source who supplies us from a blood bank he works at. Eating every day helps keep me in check. Also, Sam taught me how to keep my urges under control, and Kierra showed me what to do when I feel like I’m going to explode. Mom worked with me a lot to teach me how to be around humans and animals. If I couldn’t keep it under control, I could never work at the zoo.”
“Well, you’re doing a good job fitting in,” I said.
I still didn’t understand how I could crave someone like him, someone who was nothing but trouble. Sure, he was dangerous, wild, and untamed, but I found those qualities intriguing as the unquenchable desire flooding through me whenever I looked at him. My heart beat a million times a minute every time I was around him, but I couldn’t run. Yes, Jesse was a vampire, but I felt safer around him than I’d ever felt with anyone before.
“I didn’t get this way overnight,” he said. “It was…well, a long process.”
I knew he was telling the truth. Life is crazy, I thought, or maybe it’s just fate. All I knew was that I’d been thrown a major curveball, and I had no idea what to expect. Jesse was a puzzle, and I planned to put every piec
e together until I had the full picture of him. I knew I shouldn’t kiss someone so dangerous, someone with such a dark secret flowing through his veins, but our deliciously wicked kiss played over and over in my head, and I simply couldn’t turn away.
Jesse’s thumb grazed my lips as he stared deeply into my eyes. “There must be something wrong with my eyes,” he softly said.
“What? Why?”
“I-I can’t seem to take them off you.”
I smiled widely. He was my addiction, my drug, and no force on Earth could keep me away. I kissed a vampire…and I liked it, I thought to the tune of that Katy Perry song. A jolt shot down my spine as I gazed into his eyes, still regarding me with that look that told me he couldn’t stop thinking about our kiss either.
The problem was, Jesse was a vampire, while I was a mere human. Not only that, but he wasn’t just a normal vampire, the Dracula sort or one of those baseball-playing, twinkly ones from the movies. No, my vampire was a rare species, a supernatural wonder who could actually walk in the light. When I really thought about that, I was floored.
Will we actually make it? I wondered. Truthfully, I had no idea. I still couldn’t fathom jumping into the world of the paranormal, the darkness of vampire legend. I couldn’t imagine anything more dangerous. Then again, I didn’t care, because I couldn’t imagine anything more intriguing either. I knew the high stakes and the risk, but I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anything or anyone.
Yes, I knew he was toxic, but sometimes we can’t control what the heart wants—and mine screamed for Jesse with every beat.
Taylor’s story continues with Book 2:
Crash Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HBVTUCK
Crash UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HBVTUCK
The Crush Saga Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/4eMF8KXEUc4
***
Enchanted Castle
A Novelette
By Chrissy Peebles
Book 1 in The Enchanted Castle Series
Copyright 2012 by Chrissy Peebles
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Dedications:
A special thanks to my critique partner, Jayde Scott.
BOOK TRAILER: http://youtu.be/Ysb6uzIdsEk
Episode 1
Sometimes, what seems to be one’s salvation turns out to be one’s doom. When the brochure for Mount Park Manor arrived in our mailbox, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for a fresh start, a place to step away from things and forget about my past. The very next day, I mailed the card back with “Yes” marked in a big red checkmark. About a week or two later, Mom drove me three hours away to take the entrance exam. I was ecstatic when I received the letter telling me I’d been accepted. Two months later, when it was time to leave New Orleans behind, I didn’t cry. I didn’t even look back. I was just relieved to be given a chance at a new life.
The ten-minute wait for the black limousine that would take me from Glasgow Airport to Mount Park Manor gave me a good picture of what to expect; it was a boring place in the boring Scottish countryside, with lots of boring people around me, but I was prepared to blend right in.
As we drove out of the gray city, past green fields that stretched for miles on both sides of the road. We were immersed in semidarkness that wasn’t natural for that time of day, at least not where I came from. I heaved a big sigh and sank into the soft leather seats, stretching my tired legs after the nine-hour flight. I closed my eyes and did a quick mental check, making sure I had everything right, going over my cover story as to why I would have left one of the most beautiful cities behind. And, of course, there were all those made-up childhood memories of a loving family I’d never had.
It was the end of August, when I arrived at Mount Park Manor, with my suitcase in tow. We’d moved at least twenty times in my young life, so I was used to not possessing much. It didn’t bother me at all, because settling down—in New Orleans, Scotland, or anywhere else—was something I never expected to do. It’s not that I wanted to live a rootless, nomadic life, but it was a necessity. Wherever I went, no one seemed to get me. Heck, my own parents didn’t get me, and they’d always preferred to abandon me with some nanny or at a stuffy boarding school while they traveled the globe. After the last incident at my previous temporary school, I no longer felt a need to be understood. I had a new mantra, The less attention people pay me, the better, and I was becoming really good at blending in.
The car rolled through the high gates at a leisurely speed. I peered through the rain-stained windows at the imposing building in front of me. I’d assumed we’d be staying in an old house, just a mansion, but as I peered at the four- or five-story building with all those arched windows and tiny towers, I realized I’d be spending the next school year in a magnificent castle. I smiled at the thought of cliques that wouldn’t pay me any attention in such huge, enchanting surroundings, and I hoped I could just blend right in to the ancient woodwork.
The door creaked as I entered, and I expected hundreds of eyes to gawk at me as soon as I stepped inside. But to my surprise, the hall—a large, open space with a candelabra and a red rug covering most of the marble floor—was entirely empty, devoid of life, but soft voices and short laughter carried over from upstairs. I peered down at the layout map they’d sent with my enrollment papers and headed up the broad staircase.
My room was situated on the second floor, tenth door to the right. The lights were already on, so I stepped in and stopped midstride, at a loss for words. Whoa! Was the only word that came to mind as I looked around at my accommodations. The place definitely had some gothic vibes going on. For one thing, there was no delicate floral wallpaper—only old Tuscany brick walls, like something out of Dracula’s castle.
My gaze moved up to the arched stone windows and vaulted ceiling, but only long enough to realize that I was still standing in the doorway, gaping like an idiot. The last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to myself, good or bad. I knew gossip would only lead to lots of unwelcome interest in me, so I softly closed the door behind me and set my bags down next to the king-sized antique bed, carved from dark wood, with a matching bedside table. I spun in a circle as I took in the luxurious tapestries hanging from the walls and red and gold drapes adorning the windows.
While I came from a huge house in New Orleans and was used to the overpriced stuff my parents liked to call antiques, I had never seen such opulence, not even in a museum. Much to my chagrin, I found myself strolling around the room, touching this and that, until I stopped in front of a huge mirror to regard my blonde hair that was falling into my hazel eyes and the dark circles under my eyes; I couldn’t blame them on jetlag, because that under-eye luggage had been there for at least the last few weeks. I ran a hand through my hair and pinched my cheeks to give them a bit of color. Just then, I noticed two black suitcases, situated across the thick rug and fabric wingback chairs on the far right of the room.
As far as I remembered, I only had one suitcase, and it was certainly not beat up like those two. Am I in the wrong room? I wondered. Frowning, I inched to inspect the name tags.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and a tall guy walked in.
Startled, I jumped a step back and pressed my hand against my heart.
“Whoa! My first day here, and already I’m a lucky guy,” he said with a grin.<
br />
I blinked, stunned and taken aback at the sound of his deep, melodious voice. I cleared my throat as I tried to look away from his impossibly blue eyes, framed by long lashes. He was clad in tight blue jeans and a shirt that hugged his muscles, but what really stood out was the cord necklace he wore around his neck. “I-I’m pretty sure I was assigned this room, so…”
He ran a hand through his messy black hair and rubbed his half-open eyes, visibly amused. “I dunno. Sounds like a farfetched explanation. Maybe we’re just supposed to share.”
“I think you need to find your room,” I said rigidly.
He walked past me and reached for his suitcases. I heaved a big sigh of relief, thinking he’d be out the door in no time, but to my surprise, the guy just tossed his bags on the bed and starting unzipping them.
“Wh-what are you doing?” I whispered, mortified.
He ignored my question and continued rummaging through his things. I didn’t want to look, but I couldn’t help but sneak a peek. He seemed to have an affinity for well-worn blue jeans and torso-hugging shirts. “I’m Hunter, by the way,” he said, holding out his hand.
I peered down at the tan skin and the silver ring on his index finger but didn’t touch it. “Zoey…and please get out of my room.”
“Ain’t happening, beautiful. I’m pretty sure this is my room, and even if it’s not, I was here first.” He threw the cover back on his suitcase, but didn’t zip it up.
“Ain’t?” I snorted. “Isn’t this school supposed to be for the crème de la crème, the cream of the crop?”
He peeked up, his eyes twinkling. “Heh. Have you met any of the characters in this place? They searched high and low across the United States to…find us.” He laughed.
“Yes, because they saw talent in us.” I wasn’t on the honor roll or anything like that, but the teachers and school officials had always said I had potential, that they saw something special in me.
Suspending Reality (Five Fantasy Stories) Page 61