The Vampire Christopher, page 1
“Lips red as rubies, hair dark as night. Drink your true love’s blood, become the Vampire, Snow White.”
Praise for the Blood and Snow series:
“The modern twist on the Snow White fairy tale was interesting and original, which isn't easy to find these days. Highly recommended.” Sarra Cannon, bestselling author of the Peachville High Demons series
“This book will definitely suck you in (no pun intended) instantly.” Anthony
"BLOOD AND SNOW draws you in from the very beginning and never let's you go, only to leave you anticipating more! Loved it. Can't wait for volume 2." Debbie Davis from Debbie's Inkspectations
"This is a fun, smart, and sexy read!" Elizabeth Mueller, award winning YA author of Darkspell
“I definitely look forward to more, and recommend this to anyone who likes a fairy tale with a twist.” Kay Glass
“If you enjoy vampires and fractured fairy tales you'll enjoy these quick reads!” Laura Pauling, author of the Circle of Spies series
“Best books that I have read!” Mercedez
Main Menu
Start Reading
Afterword
Additional Works by RaShelle Workman
Indelibles Link
Contact Information
Copyright Information
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
“Does good and evil exist?” Christopher asked, searching my eyes, looking for something I didn’t think I possessed.
“I believe so,” I answered, nodding.
He kissed my neck, and sat up, crossing his well-defined legs. I wasn’t ready to be done kissing him, drinking from him, but I wanted to know where he was going with his question. Reluctantly, I lifted myself from my prostrate position, and crossed my legs so I sat opposite him on the bed.
We were still in the castle, in another realm. Lush throw pillows were pushed to the floor, and surrounded us like piranha stalking its food.
Until a few moments ago, I’d been too busy enjoying the taste of Chace aka Christopher aka my Hunter, and hadn’t cared about anything else. Now that he’d spoken, lots of unanswered questions surfaced.
Like, what was the name of this realm? Why did he keep bringing me here, and where exactly was here?
Christopher seized my hand. “Sweet, beautiful, Snow,” he said, caressing my knuckles. “In my years serving the Queen, I’ve learned one thing. Words like good and evil are relative terms.”
“What do you mean? To kill someone is evil.” I crossed my arms, waiting to hear how he’d BS his way out of that.
“What if that someone is the enemy in a war? It’s kill or be killed. Would he be considered evil for protecting himself, his loved ones, his home, his country?” He grinned sweetly, running his fingers along my jaw.
My mouth fell open. I wanted to say yes, but Professor Pops had explained I would be learning how to kill supernatural creatures—that we were on the brink of war. If I killed to protect myself, would that make me evil?
“Ugh, okay. Where are you going with this?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
He chuckled, and climbed off the bed, readjusting his clothes. When he finished, he grabbed my hand, pulling me onto my feet.
“In Buddhism,” he began, “good and evil don’t exist, per say. Instead there is kusala and akusala. Kusala is considered to be, intelligence, contented, beneficial, and a remover of affliction. Akusala is, quite simply, the opposite. Or, unintelligent, causer of affliction, and so on. Which boils down to this. What is evil to one person may be good to another. Life and everything in it is about your perception.”
Christopher’s words echoed in my mind. I wanted him to explain further, but a sudden, and infuriating beeping interrupted.
My alarm clock.
Upon opening my eyes, my Hunter, and the other realm vanished. With a sigh, I reached over, shut off the clock, and rolled onto my back. I hadn’t slept. At least I didn’t think so. The entire night spent with my Hunter. We hadn’t done more than talk, kiss, and bite each other’s necks, but the experience left me breathless. It’d been intimate.
I tried to imagine bringing Christopher into my silly little girls’ room, and flushed. Lavender walls held up posters of bunnies, kittens, and puppies. Across from me was my chest of drawers, also lavender, and atop it sat unused perfume bottles. Above it hung a corkboard filled with pictures of Cindy and me, as well as pictures of my best friends—the guys. To the left of my dresser was my bathroom, and next to that, on the same wall, lived my closet.
“Ugh, I’m so over purple,” I muttered, climbing out of bed, and heading into the bathroom where bright purple towels hung on a rack next to a bright purple shower curtain. I turned on the water, and undressed while the water warmed. Stepping in, I let the warm water soothe away my tension.
I couldn’t help thinking about the past four days. In that time I’d managed to become a revenant—not quite human, not quite vampire. I’d slept in the same bed with Gabe; one of my best friends whom I’d developed a crush on. Nearly bitten Dorian. And, kissed, drank, and kissed some more, my Hunter.
Sheesh!
I wasn’t that kind of girl; well, I hadn’t been for the past fifteen and a half years. Sure, I’d had sleepovers with all seven brothers in the past, but still… I’d never felt such lustful cravings or been so wanton as I was with Chace aka Christopher. He’d brought out feelings in me… needs I hadn’t realized I’d been missing. At the thought of him touching me, kissing me, whispering tenderly to me, my belly fluttered, and I groaned.
“I don’t have time for this,” I grumbled, rinsing off, and getting out of the shower.
I dressed in faded jeans, a red Ed Hardy t-shirt with a dragon slithering across the front, and my Converse. In the full-length mirror near my closet, I noticed several bruises on my neck, and stepped closer for a better look. In the center of the bruises were twin marks closed over by scar tissue.
No one had been able to see marks after Christopher bit me the first time, but I wasn’t so sure about the bruises. Going to my dresser, I pulled open the top drawer, and took out a silk and cashmere scarf in baby blue. My dad and stepmother gave it to me for Christmas last year because they said it matched my eyes. After wrapping it around my neck several times so the bruises were hidden, I stared at my reflection.
“Today is going to be a regular day.” I snorted. It couldn’t get any weirder. I’d become a blood drinking supernatural creature for crying out loud. “Ugh! Come on, kitty,” I grumbled, opening my bedroom door. Gatsby stretched, jumped off my bed, and followed me downstairs.
As I entered the kitchen, a brief knock sounded at the back door, followed by Heathcliff, Bart, Gabe, and Dorian. They were a breath of fresh air, full of exuberance, and raw energy.
“Hey, Snow,” Dorian said, closing the door behind him.
Gabe carried a large book. He held it like its contents were leprous, and I had to grin. “Hi, guys.”
Heathcliff and Bart returned my greeting as they made themselves at home, rummaging through my fridge and cupboards, grumbling about how I had nothing good to eat. Bart started a pot of coffee, and Heathcliff, ever the responsible one, put some water on for my tea.
I quickly got Gatsby his kibble and some water. When the cat was happily eating, I turned my attention to Gabe. “What ya got there?” I sat on a bar stool and swiveled closer.
He glanced around sheepishly before heaving the book on the counter. Moments before I saw the cover up close, I’d imagined it to be a book from Professor Pops’ Museum of the Supernatural, and worried Gabe stole it. Turned out to be nothing mystical. Just a book of dresses by the designer, Vera Wang.
I was most definitely not a fashionista. On the contrary, I didn’t even really know what the word meant, only that Cindy used it a lot when showing me clothes from her magazines, but I had heard of Vera Wang, and knew she was a big time designer.
Whoa!
“Professor Pops asked me to bring this to you so that you could go through it and pick out a dress.”
I laughed, uncomfortably. “A dress, for what?”
“Your birthday party, silly,” Bart said, pulling my hair.
“Dude,” Gabe yelled.
“Boys, chill,” I said, putting a hand on each of their chests. The individual beating of their hearts momentarily distracted me. It didn’t make my mouth water, just caused me to pause.
Interesting, my inner voice said.
Focusing my attention on Bart, I asked, “Why do I need a fancy dress for my party?”
He snickered as he pulled an envelope from his back pocket, and handed it to me. “You’ve created a monster by allowing Pops to be in charge of your party, and there’s no turning back. Salvatore is taking three hundred of these to the post office as we speak.”
I took the envelope. Glancing at each of the boys, my emotions spiraled from curious, to concerned, to downright freaked. “What is it?” I asked, though I figured it was an invitation to my birthday party. My hands shook as I turned the envelope over. Sealed with red wax, a SW was stamped in it. “Cool,” I mumbled, breaking it, and removing the thick, white cardstock. Emboldened in black, and lined with silver were these words:
You are cordially invited to attend a
Masquerade Ball
Honoring the sixteenth birthday
Of
Snow White
On
November 17th
Beginning at 7:30 pm
There will be dinner and dancing
Formal dress required.
… and some other stuff. My mind couldn’t get over the words, Masquerade Ball.
Chapter 2
See, I didn’t dance. The last time I tried, I tripped over my partner’s feet, and ended up breaking his wrist. Needless to say, we still weren’t speaking, and the not-so-graceful event happened in fifth grade.
At the idea of dancing in front of a bunch of people, terror caused my upper lip to tremble. “A Ball? What is Professor Pops thinking?”
They shrugged, grumbling incoherent words that I took to mean they weren’t excited about the party concept either. With petulant faces, and irritated glares, they shuffled around, getting mugs for the coffee, creamer, and sugar. The kitchen smelled divine—not that I was ever a real big coffee drinker. More of a hot cocoa girl. But the aroma filled me with nostalgic memories of my mom, making me miss her all the more.
“Here you go,” Heathcliff said, setting a mug of murky liquid in front of me.
I was about to decline, but got a whiff of it. It wasn’t coffee, but tea. My bloodlust tea.
“Thanks.” I smiled. Their blood wasn’t a distraction this morning. I wondered if that had something to do with me drinking Chace’s blood last night. Self consciously, I tugged the scarf farther up my neck, and caught Dorian watching, his eyes flickering to my neck, the scarf, and my mouth. His examination told me what he thought. A slow tendril of heat started in my belly and worked its way up. I silently prayed he wouldn’t say anything, at least not in front of his brothers.
“No prob, Snow,” Heathcliff said. He went over and poured himself a cup of coffee.
Gabe cleared his throat, and I turned my attention to him, taking a sip of tea.
“So you need to pick out a dress in the next couple of days, and let Pops know,” he said.
“If it’s any consolation, we’ll be wearing tuxes,” Heathcliff said irritated, reading the terrorized look I was sure coated my face.
I giggled at his agitation, swallowed some tea, and then said, “You’ll look amazing in a tuxedo.” I rotated to include Bart, Dorian, and Gabe. “You all will.” I pulled the book closer, and flipped through the pages. All of the dresses were beautiful, airy, and light. I couldn’t imagine trying to move around in something so elegant.
The guys crowded around, each commenting on which one they thought would suit me best. I cringed at wearing any of them, and considered speaking to Professor Pops.
Gatsby jumped onto a chair, and onto the counter, rubbing his body along one of my arms.
“Hey, boy. What do you think of all this?” I set him on the ground. The guys were still occupied with dresses, well, probably the models inside the dresses, and I smiled. “I love you guys,” I blurted. They looked over, their expressions amused. I laughed, embarrassed by my sudden outburst.
“Love you too, Snow,” Bart and Heathcliff returned.
Gabe gave me a curious look. Dorian came over and stage whispered, as he tugged on my scarf. “Love you too.” I shoved him away, trying to keep my flush from showing. I didn’t want Gabe thinking it was Dorian’s comment that made me redden, and I certainly didn’t want to tell them it was because of what I’d hidden under my scarf. Casually, I fixed it so the soft, blue scarf better covered my neck. I’d sooner die than explain the bruises they would think were hickeys. And technically they were.
Dorian added, “Love your shirt, too.” He poked his pointer finger into my chest. I looked down, and he flicked me in the nose.
“You’re such a…” I paused and watched his eyes dance. “Total tease,” I finished.
He grinned from ear to ear. “It’s all part of my charm.”
Bart said, “We’d better get to school.”
“Right, you need another tardy like you need a punch in the face.” Both guys grunted, and started play fighting.
“Have you finished your tea?” Heathcliff asked.
I gulped down the last of it, and nodded. “Yep,” I answered, then asked, “Who’s training me today?” I hoped Professor Pops had talked to them, and they knew what I meant?
“Me,” Dorian said, rewarding me with a piercing stare.
My mouth went dry. I’d have to train with these hickeys on my neck. What would Dorian say? Why hadn’t Gabe volunteered? Sneaking a glance at him, my heart sank. There was something bothering him. He wasn’t teasing. Had he already grown tired of me? Not that I could blame him. Even though he didn’t know it, I certainly hadn’t acted like he and I might be a couple, especially last night when I made out with Chace. “Okay,” I said, suppressing a sad sigh.
“We gotta go,” Heathcliff said, grabbing Dorian by the arm. “See ya later, Snow.” Bart followed them out.
I waved, giving Gabe a questioning look. “Did you get stuck taking me again?” I turned the pages of the book, but my eyes kept finding Gabe’s.
“I volunteered,” he answered, picking my hefty backpack off the table and lobbing it onto his shoulder. “Come on.”
Following Gabe out, I locked the door and shoved the house keys in my pocket.
When we were buckled in his silver CRX, Gabe said, “I think we should talk.”
“Sure,” I said, turning toward him. Then I noticed the seriousness on his face, and my stomach clenched.
“You and I,” he paused. “You know I like you, right, Snow?”
I gulped. He hadn’t called me Snowflake. “I hope so, Gabe. We’ve been friends a long time. If you’re pretending, then you deserve an Oscar.” I hoped my teasing would lighten his mood.
He smirked. “You know what I mean.”
I forced back a sigh. “I do.” This conversation wasn’t going to end well.
“Since your… bite, and what occurred in your dream, and the note… well, you have a lot going on.”
I waited for him to finish, my hands clenching into fists in my lap.
He let out a giant breath. “I think we should put whatever might be happening between us on hold.” His hands gripped the steering wheel until they turned white with blood loss.
Tears dampened my lashes. Casually, I tried to wipe them away. He was right. I needed to focus on training. Also, I had a… situation with Chace, but wow, hearing Gabe say the words hurt.
I deliberated whether Gabe somehow knew what I’d been doing last night. If he could tell a vampire Hunter kissed me thoroughly, drank from me multiple times, and I’d liked it. Actually more than liked it, delighted in it. Ugh!
Pushing my back into the black, leather seat, I said, “I agree. We’ll still be friends, right?” The words sounded strained, not like me.
Gabe didn’t seem to notice. “Right.”
We rode in silence until we got to school. As soon as he put the car in park, I bolted without saying good-bye. I needed some fresh air, and some space.
Chapter 3
My body teetered between conflicting emotions—excitement, and sadness. Excitement because… I’d see Chace in a few minutes. And sadness because I still had feelings for Gabe. He’d promised he wouldn’t leave. Memories of the night he’d stayed with me surfaced, weighing down my heart. I missed that Gabe.
He hasn’t exactly left, but he doesn’t want you anymore, my inner voice huffed.
Sighing, I pulled open the front door to Salem High, home to more than sixteen hundred students. I made my way through the overflowing commons, and to my burgundy locker. After dialing in the combination, I opened it, and realized I held my breath, so I wouldn’t smell blood. Slowly, I blew out, and snuck another timid breath. A delicious blood-tinged aroma swirled with sweat and perfume. A symphony of hearts beat all around me, but I didn’t have the slightest twinge of a craving. Something had changed.
Was it the double dose of bloodlust tea, or drinking Chace’s blood? I’d have to ask him when we had a moment alone, and if I could look him in the eyes without blushing.
I switched books from my backpack to my locker, and ran to chemistry, barely acknowledging the posters announcing the football game Friday, or the Halloween dance coming up next month.
Cindy and Chace were already in their seats, chatting like BFF’s. Seeing Cindy being so flirty, and Chace responding, well it annoyed me. I dropped my backpack, and slammed my hefty chemistry book on the table in a huff.
