Darkly Devoted (Book 1, 2, 3)

DD Chapter 14 - Dating a Vampire

Chapter 14

WHEN THE ASSEMBLY came to an end, Vivienne rushed to get up as Blake did. Nicole caught Vivienne's sleeve before she could leave.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Nicole whispered loudly enough for everyone to overhear. Vivienne could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She glanced at Blake, waiting for him to deny it, but he cocked his head a bit, as though he too was waiting for an answer.

"Yes," Vivienne replied, her voice growing stronger with every syllable. "Yes, he is my boyfriend."

For the first time that evening, Vivienne saw a small, reflexive smile appear on the side of Blake's lips. He suppressed it immediately and turned away. He was guarded here, and for good reason. It was a room full of citizens of Remin who would murder him if they only knew who he truly was.

Then, he turned around and, to Vivienne's surprise, wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He couldn't meet her eyes. He was embarrassed. His movements told her that this type of behavior was new to him. Then, he shyly placed a quick kiss on her temple.

"You two are so cute," Nicole cooed.

"See you guys at the dance," Ashlar hollered.

Vivienne followed Blake out of the auditorium. His arm remained draped around her shoulders even though there was no need to pretend anymore.

Was it a game of pretend?

Or was it the truth?

They walked in silence until the rest of the students were at a safe distance. Vivienne wondered at what point she should excuse herself and head back to the bus station, but Blake seemed to be leading her somewhere with intent.

There was a very nice car hidden in the far end of the school parking lot. Yes, Vivienne realized as she looked over the sleek black car that looked far too expensive to be driving through this small town. If anyone saw they get into this, they would know her boyfriend didn't go to high school. Not here, not anywhere.

"You can drive?" Vivienne exclaimed in shock as she saw Blake head to the driver's side. "You don't have a chauffeur tonight? Is it safe for me to get in here?"

"I can drive," Blake insisted defensively. Then he laughed softly at her accusation. "Badly. Even more so, because no one has dared to tell me otherwise."

Vivienne laughed. "I bet you have no idea what a speed limit is."

"True. Though I would love to see an officer of the law try to flag my car down."

"I keep forgetting that you own this town."

"And they hate me for it."

Vivienne noticed his abrupt change in tone as he reflected to the assembly. It suddenly occurred to her that someone like Blake, or rather Mr. Oslen, had absolutely no idea what an average worker or an average citizen of his town might feel. To him, these were merely deals to be made, deadlines that needed to be met, and Lumin pills to be produced.

"It was a mistake to involve you in this," Blake mused as the car merged onto the main road. It was starting to rain outside. "I will arrange for a transfer to another school, a far more civilized one."

"NO!" Vivienne snapped. "No! Not again. You don't get to make decisions like that for me."

"You can't stay here," Blake snapped back. "They hate me, and by extension, they hate you too. You are a part of me."

"A part of you? As your Orlin? Or as your girl?"

Blake glanced over at her softly and lowered his voice before answering.

"Both."

Vivienne looked away. She didn't want him to take that as a signal to try to hold her hand or to kiss her again.

"I heard the conversation you had after the masquerade. You need Remin's springs because you made that trade with Arietta. The reason for all of this is because of me. I want to help you find Satan's Hollow. Only then can I feel like I repaid you for saving my life."

"You will not step foot in Satan's Hollow," Blake hissed.

"I didn't plan on it. But I get to make that decision. I'm not a fragile porcelain doll that you can move around whenever you feel like it."

The car pulled up into the cul-de-sac in front of her parents' house. They had made it back in record time, but the sky was already an inky black.

Blake cleared his throat suddenly. "Do you want me to come inside? Introduce myself? I. . . I want to do this the proper way."

"NO!" Vivienne nearly shouted. When she saw his eyes widen in surprise, she immediately explained. "No, now is not the right time. My sister Janun is creating a lot of boy drama lately. My parents aren't going to react well at all if I bring a boy home right now."

Vivienne could only imagine what it would be like if her parents started watching her every move the way they did Janun's. Then again, Blake was not Julian. If there were an improper way to court a girl, Julian was ticking off every box in that checklist.

"I'll wait until the time is right," Blake agreed. Then he laughed softly. "Don't worry, I've handled larger dragons than your father."