Mandy was too worried about Brad to notice Val's approach.
Brad turned and handed Mandy the drink. “Here ya go."
"Thank you,” she said as she awkwardly accepted it.
I had never seen Mandy so flustered. It was rather cute to watch—a little disturbing, but cute.
Val sauntered over and stood in front of me and Mandy, her hands firmly planted on her hips. She first looked Mandy up and down, studying every bit of her costume. Then, she turned and did the same to me, except she lingered on my costume and curled her lip in obvious distaste.
"Who invited the two of you?” she snarled.
Brad stepped up. “I did.” He raised his eyebrows in challenge.
Val stuck her nose in the air. “Whatever.” She flicked her wrist in dismissal and left, her minions following close behind.
Mandy looked at me. “What exactly is her problem?"
"She has a big ole stick up her ass,” Brad said with a straight face.
We all cracked up laughing. Brad was an okay guy.
After drinking several rootbeers before leaving home and now having two cups of punch, I needed to empty my bladder in a big way.
"Where's the bathroom?"
Brad pointed down the hall. “First door on your left."
"Thanks.” I glanced at Mandy. “I'll be right back."
"And I'll be right here.” She turned her body slightly, so Brad couldn't see and mouthed, “Oh, my God."
I laughed and shook my head. Mandy had the Brad bug. I just hoped he wouldn't break her heart like the last jerk.
As I entered the hall, I caught an intoxicating scent of cinnamon mixed with almonds and something else—something very male. At least I didn't have to worry about bats in here. I laughed to myself.
The bathroom was decorated just as cool as the rest of the house. Spider webs stretched from each corner of the ceiling, dangling spiders completing the effect. Several ghosts hung at eye level made spooky sounds as you passed. A talking pumpkin covered the toilet lid, and pumpkin and bat mini soaps sat in the holder on the sink. A Halloween themed shower curtain hung from the rod, and matching towels were neatly arranged on the rack. Someone in this family sure loved Halloween.
After adjusting my costume and making sure my make-up still looked decent, I opened the door—and plowed straight into Dracula. Well, a guy dressed as Dracula. He reached out and grabbed my shoulders, keeping me from falling backward into the bathroom. His black and red satin cape encircled me, brushing my skin with its slick softness. He smelled of cinnamon, almonds, and everything masculine. My pulse pounded in my veins. An electrical field surrounded us, popping and snapping, seeming to pull us closer.
"Hello there, Sparkie. So we meet again.” He lifted his lips in a sexy smile.
I about melted into a puddle as I stared into his gorgeous blue eyes. Startled, I couldn't even manage a simple ‘hi.'
"Love the costume.” He scanned my body from head to toe. “It works well on you.” His voice was like honey—sweet and yummy. He reached a hand out and tipped my chin up with his finger. “Save me a dance, okay?"
My skin heated where he had touched me and my stomach fluttered.
Twirling his cape in an exaggerated movement, he wiggled his eyebrows and then spun away, leaving me staring after him with my mouth wide open.
I quickly found Mandy. “He's here. Mandy, he's here."
A frown flitted across her face. “Who?"
"The guy from the cave. He's Dracula. I mean, he's dressed like Dracula."
"Are you serious? He's here? Where? I've got to see this dude."
I looked in the direction where he had disappeared and pointed. “He's over there somewhere. He asked me to save a dance for him. And he called me Sparkie again. He remembered me."
"Yeah, he's new. He just moved into the house a few down from mine across the street,” Brad said.
"Does he go to our school?” I asked.
"Yep, he starts tomorrow."
I exchanged looks with Mandy. I couldn't believe my luck.
"Come with me. I want you to see him before he gets away.” I pulled on Mandy's arm. “Come on."
"I'll be back in a minute,” she said to Brad.
"No problem.” Brad did a silly good-bye wave like Mandy would be going on an extended trip.
By the time we got to the other side of the room and spotted Dracula, Val had already laid claim to him. She giggled and flipped her blonde locks, making quite a show of herself. And boy were her boobs on display. She might as well have served them up on a tray. Surely, he wasn't buying into her act. It made me want to puke. She was so transparent. And so ridiculous.
"Oh, my God! You were right, Cheyenne. He's freakin’ gorgeous. And why is that cow hanging all over him?” Mandy curled up one corner of her lip. “Val just can't let anything be, can she? I thought she was all hot and bothered by what's-his-name."
"She was all over him in the cave, but that doesn't mean anything. Val discards boys like most of us do trash. She usually gets what she wants, but she's in for a real surprise this time. She ain't gettin’ Dracula. Not if I have anything to do with it.” I narrowed my eyes on Val, wishing for her hair to fall out or for her to let loose a loud fart—anything to put her in her place.
"Meeeeooooow! Someone's mighty feisty tonight.” Mandy chuckled.
"Well, I saw him first. So there!” This was one fight I intended to win.
Mandy grinned and cocked her head to the side. “I see. I think I like this side of you. I didn't know you had it in you, especially not over some boy."
As if reading my mind, Dracula fixed his gaze on me and smiled. Val followed his stare and all but growled when she saw where he concentrated his attention. She was practically foaming at the mouth.
He stood, never breaking eye contact with me, and extended his arm. “I believe you owe me a dance ... and our song is playing."
I sucked in a breath and stood frozen. Slowly, I held out my shaking hand. He took it gently, yet firmly into his. Heat spread through my body at the contact. Energy surged between us, linking us in some kind of electrical bond.
He led me to the area that had been cleared for dancing. His eyes glittered with an unfamiliar emotion, making me tingle inside, twisting my belly into a nervous clump. He pulled me into his embrace and I tensed, allowing my body to adjust to his presence. I inhaled his scent, memorizing every detail.
My heart thumped a crazy rhythm inside my chest. I had never experienced anything so wonderful and so scary at the same time. A warm soothing energy cocooned us and everyone else faded in the background. It was just me and Dracula.
The words to the song, our song, seeped into my conscious mind.
You fill the dark void in my soul
Brightening my world and making me whole
My blood sings in my veins when you're near
Lifting me up, taking away all my fear
Say you'll be my forever
I want to make you mine
Be my forever
Until the end of time...
I relaxed and rested my cheek against his chest. Vibrations from his voice tickled my face as he sang along with the song. I was in heaven.
"Sparkie?"
"Yeah?” I lifted my head and stared into his crystal blue eyes.
"I'm really glad you came to the party. Saves me the trouble of having to find you."
I couldn't stop myself from frowning. “Why would you want to find me anyway? You don't even know my name."
"Cheyenne Wilde. And if you can't figure out why I wanted to find you, then I must be doing something wrong.” He laughed and pulled me closer. “And here I thought I was so charming. Guess I'll have to try harder."
Shazaam! If he tried any harder, I'd burst into flames. We continued to sway to the music, lost in our own world. And then a thought occurred to me.
"How do you know my name?” I asked
He wiggled his eyebrows. “I'll never tell."
"Will you at least tell me
your
name? I mean we have a song and all. I should probably at least know that."
"I think not.” His full lips spread into a cheesy grin.
I was starting to feel more at ease around him. “And why not?"
"Well, if I give up everything now, there will be no mystery left. You'll get bored and never want to see me again.” He sighed, shrugged, and made a pouty face.
I laughed and pushed against his chest. “Oh, whatever."
It was so strange. It was like I had known him for years, yet I didn't even know his name. The song ended and some freaky Halloween music came on, so he escorted me off the dance floor, his warm palm resting gently on the small of my back.
The glares I received as I passed the ‘Val Fan Club’ would have burnt me to a crisp if I wasn't already burning from the inside out. Mandy stood against the wall with the ‘Happy Halloween’ banner strung above her head, Brad close beside her. She smiled and winked as we walked by on our way to the snack table.
"Wanna grab something to eat and go out on the back porch?” Dracula asked.
"Sure.” Like I was gonna say no.
We snatched a bat and pumpkin decorated paper plate and plopped a few goodies on it, then stepped out onto the porch. The full moon glowed, painting the backyard with ethereal light. The air was crisp, but I wasn't cold like I had been earlier. Warmth poured over me from the nearness of his body. We sat in the porch swing, enjoying the atmosphere. No words were needed. The comfortable companionship filled the silence. It was as if we communicated on a different channel than everyone else.
After a time, he reached over and lightly traced his finger down my hand. The tiny hairs on the back of my arm stood on end, goose bumps decorating my flesh. Butterflies bounced around inside my stomach. I slowly turned my head and gazed into his eyes. The darkness of his eyebrows and eyelashes made the blue of his eyes pop. Whiffs of almonds and cinnamon, laced with spicy cologne swirled into my senses, making me inhale deeper.
He was perfect in every way. Alarm bells should've been going off in my head, but he held me in a trance—one I had no desire to break. He could have been the devil incarnate, but I didn't care. Not at this moment. Not at this time.
His deep, rich voice broke the silence. “So, Sparkie, what's your story?"
I gulped, then looked down to where he now stroked a circular pattern on my hand. “Huh?"
"Tell me about yourself. I want to know everything."
Caught off guard, I almost panicked. Did he know something about me—about being a vampire? No way. He couldn't possibly know that. Unless he was part of the evil presence in the cave. My heart quickened at the thought. I jerked my head up and stared at him, looking for any indication of evil. Not that I knew what to look for or anything. My glance slid over his face. He did have a faint scent of almonds about him. And he really was too good to be true—far too perfect. And why had he singled me out when the boys at my school had never even bothered to give me the time of day?
"Nothing to tell,” I managed to say.
His expression showed his disbelief. “I find that hard to believe. A beautiful girl like you not have anything to tell? Naaaa. I think not."
I dropped my gaze to my lap and slightly angled my body away from him. Beautiful girl? Okay, something was definitely wrong here. I had boring brown hair and eyes, bigger than normal muscles for a girl, and no boobs. Yeah, I was a beauty queen all right. That's why I had to fight the boys off.
Not that I cared.
"Why, Sparkie, are you shy? Tsk. Tsk. You are beautiful, ya know?” He took my hand in his, turning me back toward him. “You're ten times better than the group of blonde fakes inside. That's the truth."
"You sure seemed to be enjoying all the attention from those blonde fakes,” I stated with more force than I intended. Dang. You'd think I was jealous or something.
"Are you jealous?” A grin spread across his face.
Could he read my mind? Wait, couldn't vampires read minds? What a stupid thing to think. I'm a vampire and can't read minds. Duh! I was losing it for real.
"How could I be jealous?” I raised one hand, palm up. “I don't know you. I don't even know your name."
"I kind of like that you're jealous, Sparkie. It means you liiiiiiiike me,” he said in a sing song voice.
"You sure think highly of yourself.” I rolled my eyes.
He clutched his chest and fell against the back of the swing. “You wound me."
I busted out laughing. He was too real to be part of anything bad that had happened in the cave. I really should quit letting my imagination go crazy.
The back door opened and Mandy stepped out onto the porch. “Cheyenne, it's 10:45. We have to go."
"Oh, my God! Are you serious?” I looked at my watch. “Crap! I gotta get home."
I jumped up and scrambled through the door. Once I realized I hadn't even said goodbye to Dracula, I paused and stuck my head back through the door.
"Bye ... whatever your name is."
"Maybe I'll tell you next time I see you.” He winked. “Because there
will
be a next time."
I shot back through the door, grabbed my purse, and met Mandy at the front door.
"You ready?” She glanced toward the back of the house as if she expected Dracula to join us.
"Yeah, I'm ready.” Not able to resist, I glanced back as well, hoping Dracula would follow. “Thanks for letting me know. I guess I kind of lost track of time."
"I can see how you would be distracted. If it wasn't for Brad mentioning the time, I wouldn't have paid any attention either. And by the way, shazaam girlfriend. Dracula is hot. You weren't kidding.” Mandy shook her hand in front of her face as if she had just touched something hot.
I sighed and shook my head in agreement. “And what's the deal with you and Brad? I thought you couldn't stand football players."
She just grinned.
"Well, he seems nice enough. And he's cute. I'll give you that. But a football player?” I laughed and nudged her on the shoulder.
As we walked back to her car, we continued to chat about the two guys who had turned our perfectly ordered lives upside down in one fatal swoop. Actually, my life had already been turned upside down and Dracula only added to my confusion. The butterflies wiggling around in my tummy were evidence to the fact.