Dracula's Groom

A SNEAK PEEK!

Book Title: Seven Mates for Seven Vampires

Evan & Dante

What are birthdays, anyway? A lifelong tradition since the beginning of time that constantly threatens to reminds us that for every year that passes we get one year older until the day we die. Even now, staring at myself in the mirror after just getting in a quick shower, I hardly see any signs of aging. But then again. I'm only twenty-six. And when the sun goes down and a new day begins, I'll be twenty-seven. And that's still one year closer to thirty than anything else. And it scares the living shit of out me.

Barely an hour after sunrise, the rest of the house was still fast asleep. I awoke early to do my morning ritual that which I do every day to help clear my head and improve my focus. Slipping into a bright yellow sleeveless shirt, I grab a pair of black leggings off the edge of the bed and put on my running shoes. Down in the kitchen, I pop a vitamin into my mouth and wash it down with some orange juice I found in the fridge before snacking on a granola bar and heading out the door.

The smell of early morning dew hung in the air as I stretched and adjusted the armband around my arm that contained an MP3 player. Earbuds were placed into my ears while Britney Spears Circus played in the background. It wasn't until I lept off the pouch that I took off at a jog as I cruised down the dirt driveway, slowly building up endurance for the long road work ahead. Pushing myself beyond the natural limit of physicality would surely help achieve my goal.

As I turned onto the street, past the rustic mailbox with the daily newspaper sticking out as if it were to greet me. I realized that I had the whole road to myself. I stuck to the lane coming in the opposite direction as I headed north away from the house and up a slight hill that would prove to be no match for me. Beyond it, fields as far as the eye could see glittered like gold from the rays of sunlight that pierced through the clouds. And with not a drop of rain in the sky, today's heatwave was going to be a big one.

My chest pumped hard as I ran. The soles of my shoes striking against the pavement one right after the other as if something were nipping at my heels. I looked to my left and noticed the vast field that separated our house from the Hawthorne estate where all seven brothers currently lived and owned a private ranch. Seven brothers who each shared a secret amongst themselves as vampires who could walk and talk seamlessly in the daylight for hours at a time.

But the only real problem here is, aside from the fact that vampires were real in this day and age, was the amount of attraction that we had for one another. Now granted, we didn't mean for this to happen. It just did. And I already lost three of my friends to the vampires since we got here almost a month ago. Though they were friendly, smart, and above all well-rounded gentleman, there was one vampire in particular that stuck out like a sore thumb from all the rest.

His name was Dante. Nicknamed the "Bad Seed" for going all half-cocked with a bullshit attitude and a smart answer for everything. Dante was the kind of guy you did not want to mess with when he got angry. But there was another side to him. A side that I'm guessing most people never even saw. I was convinced from the very beginning that somewhere beneath all that muscled hardness, and gruff-tough exterior, was a more kinder and gentle soul. Or maybe not.

I'd met Dante a time or two since I got here but I never really talked to him. And when I did, I don't know, I just felt this pull towards him that I could not explain. From his old boots to the jeans he filled out nicely, to the way his half-unbuttoned flannel shirt ruffled in the stale breeze. His icy blues smoldered beneath those dark lashes while his striking face resembled that of a Hollywood movie star. And his voice, oh my god his voice, was unlike anything I'd ever heard before.

It was a true Southern voice but with a deeper bass. And with his dry sense of humor it only made me like him more. However, sooner or later I would have to stop having feelings for a guy that made me feel this way. Why? Because I'm already involved with someone else. My boyfriend of two years Rory Evanston. We met just after college and have been inseparable ever since. In fact, he was the one that insisted I go on this trip with my friends and have a good time.