Unraveling Mordecai - Marisa Maichel (top ten books of all time .TXT) 📗

and Beauty & the Beast.
Now I was very confused.
"Scarlett," I muttered.
"Huh?" Sarah looked up from her perusal of the pages of the latest great teen novel. "What about her?"
"I met her in the coffee shop. She asked me to leave you, and go to her instead."
"I'm glad you didn't."
"Yeah, me, too."
I kissed her on the cheek, and Beckett raised an eyebrow.

Two days later, I was running to burn off energy, and I was near the lake. I suddenly smelled a vampire smell, and saw a glimpse of white skin. I sniffed the air again. It was a female scent, very old.
I looked around and then sat down by the dock. I smelled grass, flowers, dying leaves, earth, and the scent of the lake. I pulled out my phone and texted Sarah, asking how she was. I spotted a snake suddenly, and edged away. I can't stand snakes. And this was a northern copperhead, one of the most venomous species on Earth. Not that his venom would affect me, but I'd prefer not to get bitten.
"Reese."
I turned around at my name. "Hi, Kole."
She sat down beside me and pulled up some grass. "So I suppose you've figured it out by now?"
"That your creator abandoned you?"
She nodded. "I'm sorry if I bothered you. I'm just so alone, and I have no family or friends to turn to. I was raised in foster care, and I ran away. I guess this was just one time too many, and I got lucky." She said the last part sarcastically. "I didn't even know vampires existed until he bit me. I know he wanted me to do something, but I don't want to do what he says he wants me to do. All I want is for somebody to take care of me and teach me how to be a vampire."
"It's hard sometimes," I said.
"Are there rules I should know about?"
"Yes. One, never drink from another vampire unless the situation is dire. That's one of our biggest laws, because it's considered cannibalism. For another, try to drink from bagged blood, and don't kill humans." She winced at that. "Or, since you already have," I began, and she looked guilty, "try to hide the body. Don't ever take another vampire's mate, that's another big law. If you're an animal or plant drinker,-"
"Animal drinkers? Plant drinkers?"
I nodded. "Animal and plant drinkers do exist, but it's considered taboo to drink from an animal. It's ridiculous, because it doesn't give us the right nutrition or satisfy us like human blood does. And all you'll get is a constant thirst. Plant drinkers, or chlorophyll eaters, only drink plant juice. I don't know how many there are or when they were created, but they're slowly dying out. I've never met one yet. I've met some animal drinkers, though, and they are the most pretentious, egotistical tools in the vampire race. I had a girl try to convert me years, ago, but I ignored her."
Kole nodded, taking in all this information.
"There is a Vampire Council in addition to the royal family, and there are twelve members, the head of which is Bram Sterling. He hates us, because we overrule him. The rivalry between us and the Council is ongoing and constant, and it will probably end in death. I don't know all the Council members' names, but I know a few."
She nodded again, absorbing her lesson in vampire rules and laws.
"We used to have a Law of Secrecy, but it was abolished years ago. It doesn't matter anymore-most humans don't believe we exist, anyway. My family and I admitted on television that we exist, and we created our own vampire channel, called VStation. It's all about vampires. Shows, movies, news, and so on."
"And what about mates?" she asked.
"When you see your mate, you'll know it's them almost immediately. A mate is the most precious, worthwhile thing in our existence, and there are so many fewer females than males, which is why they are so coveted. Without a mate, a vampire will get depressed, isolate himself. He'll slowly be driven into madness by his loneliness and will eventually go off the deep end or commit suicide. If a mate dies, their death is mourned."
I paused. I looked at Kole; she was staring at me intently.
"Um, Kole?" I said nervously.
"Yes, Reese?" She fluttered her dark eyelashes.
"I'm in love with Sarah. Normally vampires only date other vampires or humans, but Sarah...she's not all human. We only recently discovered that she's actually part fairy."
She blinked. "She is? Well, she's very lucky to have you. I'm jealous of her."
If I could blush, I would have then. "I'd say I'm lucky to have her."
"How can I find my mate?"
"Just be patient. He'll come to you eventually. Fate always finds a way, and the Fates are hard to change."
I leaned back and watched as a turtle poked its head out of the water. It stared at me for a moment, then dived back down. I looked at Kole, who was stretched out on the dock, her legs spread out sexily and her elbows on the ground.
If I didn't have Sarah, I'd consider dating Kole. She was hot, for one thing, and for another, she was alone, and needed vampire company. Just like my Sarah.
Then I heard the flapping of gigantic wings, and Sarah landed softly between us, her purple wings spread out.
"Hello, Reese," she said, wrapping her arms around me and kissing me sloppily on the cheek. "Hi, Kole." Did I detect a note of jealousy in her voice?
"Sarah," Kole replied, nodding at her. Sarah sat beside me and folded her wings. I kissed her back on the lips, and she left a Divine Crimson lipstick mark on my cheek and lips. I was amused at her possessiveness. The girl adored me as much as I adored her. She practically sat on my lap, wrapping a wing around me and stretching out the other wing to keep Kole away.
For a while we just sat there, listening to the sounds of the woods and the lake. Occasionally a fish jumped or a turtle poked its head out. I saw snakes under the water and minnows. I watched as a turtle ate a minnow. Predator and prey. Me and Sarah. I kissed my girl's soft brown hair, smelling her favorite Aveda shampoo and conditioner.
"Will you sing to me, Reese?" Sarah asked, fluttering her pretty lashes. Kole scowled. Sarah turned around and smiled sweetly to the other girl. "Reese is extremely musical. He plays the guitar and the piano, and he writes songs, and his singing isn't bad, either."
"Flatterer," I said, and then I started singing "The Rose", which was one of Sarah's favorites. Both girls stared at me in amazement as my bass voice hit the low notes and the high notes. When I finished the song, they clapped.
"Well, girls, it's getting late," I said. "Do you want to go home?"
"Carry me," Sarah said, pulling in her wings and smiling flirtatiously. She held out her arms to me, and I picked her up. Kole's scowl got deeper, and we started the trek home. Along the way, I gave Kole tips on how to hunt safely and legally. Also, how to avoid vampire slayers. Sarah had already heard all of this, and she closed her eyes and purred, leaning her head against my chest.
When we got home, David and Louis were wrestling, Uncle Soren was working on his motorcycle, and my father was smoking a cigarette on the porch. Shadowfang lay near the lilac bushes, purring and twitching his tail.
When he saw Kole, David nipped Louis to end the tournament, and Louis conceded. He brushed himself off and smiled at her. Kole took his hand and he twirled her around, then kissed her knuckles.
Uncle Soren sat up, wiped his hands on a rag, and frowned at David and Kole. I knew he didn't trust either of them; frankly, I didn't, either, not Kole, at least. But they seemed to be getting along with each other.
We still didn't know that much about either of them, although Father tried to get David to open up.
"Oh, happy birthday, Reese," David said, looking at me. "Dad told me that it was your birthday on the first. How does it feel to be nineteen?"
"Same as being eighteen," I replied. "Sarah's birthday is in Febraury."
"An Aquarius?" David asked. Sarah nodded.
"Yep. I'm an Aquarius. Reese is a Libra."
"Sagittarius," Louis said, gesturing to himself.
"Taurus," Uncle Soren broke in.
"Cancer," Father said.
"What about you, Toby?" I asked.
"Leo," he replied. It was then that I noticed a gun on his belt.
"Why do you have a gun, Toby?"
He looked baffled at my question. "To defend you and Sarah, of course."
"Guns don't work on vampires."
"It doesn't kill us," Uncle Soren said, "But it can still cause injury."

 

 

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Imprint

Publication Date: 05-06-2021

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
Trigger warnings: *Death *Miscarriage *Rape *Lying *False allegations *Cursing