Bound to the Vampire Chapter 1

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CHAPTER 1

Kayla

You’ve got to be freaking kidding me!

Kayla stared at several tiny purplish spider-like veins spreading across the lines of her palms in disbelief. Her tonic could not be flaking out on her now. Not tonight. Not on the biggest night of her life.

I have a date with Brian. You get that hands? Brian.

She’d spent weeks sending him flirty glances in class, and he finally, finally, noticed she existed a couple of days ago. And tonight was their big night. Their first date. Well, kind of. He’d asked if she’d planned to attend the homecoming afterparty and she’d said yes. It was practically the same thing.

Ever since she’d seen Brian walking across the quad, she knew she had to have him. On top of being a walking hair commercial with a mane that screamed to be pulled while in the throes of passion, he had the most devastating pair of gray eyes she’d ever seen. She couldn’t pass that up.

And she couldn’t very well thread her fingers through his thick dark curls if her hands were threatening to explode at any minute. So, her hands needed get their act together.  Weeks of flirty eye contact couldn’t go to waste.

Please don’t do this to me. Pretty please!

The color deepened and her palms grew hot out of defiance.

Fine. If they didn’t want to stop their nonsense, then she had something for them. She’d just have to up her dosage again.

Racing to the mirrored dresser at the far end of her room, Kayla ripped open the top drawer and raked through every sock, panty, and bralette she owned until her fingers touched the black velvet box hidden in the very back.

Barely a centimeter from it, the box flew from the drawer and slugged her in the gut.

Ouch!

That was going to leave a nasty bruise. Biting the inside of her cheek, she rubbed her stomach until the pain eased, then pressed the lock to open it. A box full of tear-shaped glass vials chimed as she sorted through them.

No, no, no!

All of them were empty.

She couldn’t be out. There should be at least a half dozen full vials left. How had she lost count? She triple-checked to be sure. Yep, all empty.

Shit. She slammed the lid closed and threw the box back into the drawer. On impact, the heavy dresser screeched across the wood floors. It had taken two men and a healthy dose of magic to get it into her room in the first place. Now, it had no trouble scraping across her hardwoods in what sounded like metal cutting through stone.

She leaped back. “Shh, please be quiet.”

Unfortunately, it kept its momentum until it hit the wall with a loud boom.

A deafening silence followed. Her breath caught in her throat. Was it too much to hope that her roommate had her earphones in?

She really, really, really didn’t want her roommate to come bursting into the room to investigate.

“Kay, is everything alright in there?” Breanne asked from the living room.

Fuck.

Please don’t come investigate, please don’t come investigate.

Their creaky floor betrayed Breanne’s footfalls as she disembarked from the couch.

Kayla’s head snapped up to her bedroom door, then back down to her now glowing palms. Breanne couldn’t see her like this.

In agreement, streams of purple mist spurted from the glowing center of her palms. Balling her fists into her clothing, she shot into her bathroom as Breanne’s footsteps stopped at her door.

It was decided—the entire universe was against her tonight. She gave her rogue hands the evil eye.

Get yourself under control. She couldn’t lose it when there was an innocent in the house. That was the last thing she needed—to blow up her only friend—because she couldn’t keep her magic from bursting out of her.

Breanne knocked.

“Hey, everything okay?” she asked. “Kayla?” Her voice became clearer as her door squealed on its hinges.

“I’m fine, just in the bathroom,” Kayla croaked from the opposite side of the door, straining to hear her roommate’s next move. Breanne walked to her bed.

Kayla’s face grew hot like she’d lit a bonfire next to her cheek, which was not far from the truth.

The tips of her fingers lit like matches. The open flames blackened the cream-colored bathroom door and caught fire.

She soared backward and fiddled with the faucet until a jet of cold water poured out. She thrust her hands in a makeshift cup under the cold tap and threw water at her door until the budding flames went out. Charred streaks remained, though.

Shit. There went their security deposit. Her dad was going to kill her.

“Are you really okay in there?” Breanne’s voice pinched in concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” The words came flying out of her mouth unconvincingly fast as she reached for a towel to dry the wet floor.

“Did you hear that noise? It sounded like…I don’t know, screaming or something.”

“No, I didn’t hear anything.” Still too fast and even less convincing. Instead of letting Breanne come to that same conclusion, she changed the subject. “Are you dressed for the party yet?”

“Yep, I’m good to go. You?”

Ha! She wished. She was too busy trying to keep her hands from becoming Satan’s personal tools of doom.

“Uh, I’m getting ready now.” A complete lie, but a little white lie never hurt anyone.

“No rush. I have to study anyway.”

“Okay,” she croaked with a false cheeriness.

It only took a few minutes to hear the hardwoods in the hallway squeak as Breanne traveled back to the living room.

Kayla relaxed. Well, as much as she could while trying not to set the entire apartment building on fire. A problem she needed to rectify post haste if she was ever going to get to that party.

She slid her phone from her back pocket to text her dealer, but was caught by the time.

8:00 pm.

That was it? She’d taken her tonic before dinner. It could not have possibly wore off that quickly. It should’ve taken her past midnight at least.

Unless she hadn’t taken a full dose. She’d done it before when she’d been so busy it slipped her mind. And she had busy in spades these days with midterms coming up. Classes were pounding on her hard. Not to mention, today was Friday. With back-to-back classes all day, she was swamped.

Her only bright spot was her evening class with Brian. Sure, Econ 301 was her hardest class but sitting next to Brian made it worth it.

As long as she got there early. If she didn’t, the seat next to him would be taken. And that was completely out of the question.

It was the reason she’d spent the first half of the semester getting her timing just right. With her Friday schedule as it was, she barely had enough time in the half hour window between classes to shovel her dinner, get to her apartment to shower and brush her teeth before racing across the quad to make it to class to snag a seat.

In her haste, she might not have taken the full dose before class.

One could hope.

Drying her hands, Kayla retraced her steps. The sole survivor tonic had to be here somewhere.

Her eyes scanned the bathroom first. A slight sparkle caught her eye. There, sitting on the ledge of her bathtub next to her lemon scented soap, sat a half-empty vial of clear liquid.

Relief clamored inside her ribcage as she uncorked her tonic and downed it in one shot. She nearly cried real tears of joy.

After a few moments, the purple swirling mist dissipated leaving her with clear, non-burning, cool to the touch, regular ole human palms.

Thank you, foremages.

Now, she only had to make sure they didn’t go haywire tonight. She dried her hands, then grabbed for her phone to text the alchemist who brewed her tonic.

The day she’d walked into Chem’s broken-down hole-in-the-wall fake Psychic Readings storefront was the day he’d changed her life.

The instant she told him what she needed, he went on to produce pure gold. Up until then, every one she’d tried only lasted a few minutes before her magic became destructive again. He brewed the only tonic that actually worked.

Even after a year, it worked like a charm. Sure, she had to tweak the dosage every now and then, but it amazed her that he could fashion her such a strong brew out of a few household ingredients and a pop of magic.

He was good. Too bad, he knew it too.

Everything about the foul-mouthed mage made her want to wretch. He swore like it was his religion, didn’t care about balance or magical secrecy or any of the other foremages’ teachings, and he was ridiculously rude.

If Chem hadn’t been the best damn alchemist that had ever lived, she would have told him to go screw himself a long time ago. But she was desperate.

She steeled herself and texted him. Hey Chem, I need a favor. I’m all out of tonic.

It wasn’t long before he texted back.

Already? What the fuck?

Yeah, I’m out.

I just made you some a month ago. It should’ve lasted you for at least three. What fucking happened? You selling my shit?

No, I’m not selling it.

Then, I repeat: what the fuck happened? You’re not overusing it, are you? It’s just to take the edge off, right?

If by taking the edge off, he meant getting rid of her magic altogether, then yes. Though she was pretty sure he wouldn’t like it if she told him that. She scrambled for an answer.

I accidently dropped some and it spilled.

What the fuck? It’s not easy making that shit, you know. I can’t just go outside and collect lawn clippings, say abra-fucking-cadabra and miraculously it’s made.

Could have fooled her. Every time she’d ordered a batch, he had it ready within a day. Two at the most.

After a minute he texted. How much do you need?

A case of it.

Whatever you have.

Maybe I can scrounge enough together to make a half batch. When do you need it?

Kayla did the calculation in her mind. That would barely last three weeks if she tried to stretch to two tonics a day instead of three.

Now.

When Chem didn’t respond right away, she texted. Please, as a favor?

You sure you’re not inhaling that shit? It’s to use sparingly. If your magic is giving you that much hell, you don’t need this. You need to learn to control it.

Come on, don’t grow a conscience now, Chem. She rolled her eyes. He sounded like her father.

I told you I spilled what I had.

Dead air followed. Foremages, she wished she could see his face right now. After a long minute, she started to sweat. Maybe she should respond back, tell him it was no big deal, she had a handle on it. Just as she started to text him again, his text came in.

What time do you want to swing by?

I was hoping you’d bring it to me.

Another pause. She was definitely pushing his limits.

When and where.

She texted him the time and address to the party. After another long minute, he replied.

Fine. $1500.

Are you freaking kidding me? That’s double the price of a full batch.

Don’t be an ungrateful little shit.

This is a rush job with delivery.

Take it or leave it.

Now he wanted to be a heartless greedy bastard? Where was that caring compassionate soul from a minute ago?

I can do $450 now and the rest when I get back home.

I’m going to pretend you didn’t just text that shit to me. 1500 cash. Clean.

Do you know how impossible it is to get that much clean cash???

That sounds like your fucking problem. No money, no tonic.

Fine, I’ll have it.

You better. I don’t have time to play anymore fucking games today. I already got stiffed once. I’m doing you a favor. Remember that.

Got it.

Jackass.

I’ll let you know when I’m on my way. Clean cash only. I’m fucking serious.

How was she going to get that much clean cash on such short notice?

The night hadn’t even started and it was already turning into a steaming pile of dog poo. On top of everything else, she had to figure out how she was going to convince her bodyguard to take her off route to the bank. Derrek was a stickler for the rules and convincing him was going to be an epic mage battle in itself.

Yay. Not.

The odds were not in her favor but getting to see Brian was worth it.

She inwardly sighed, then shook her head. She’d just have to cross that bridge with Derrek when she got to it. There were more immediate things to focus on. Namely getting dressed in her knock out dress. Brian was waiting for her.

She took a deep cleansing breath and let the normie in her take over. It was amazing how much lighter she felt without magic threatening her destruction. After a quick fix of her hair and a change of clothes, she felt ready to conquer normal life again. A life that included going out on real dates and not getting caught up in stupid magical garbage.

She flashed a smile at her reflection after applying a shade of ruby red lipstick to match her dress. Brian Matthews wouldn’t stand a chance with this hot red number she had on. She gave herself one last look. Yeah, this dress killed.

Time to fetch Breanne.

Crossing the creaky hallway to the living room, she twirled into the room to show off her dress, but stopped. Then frowned when she caught sight of her roommate on the couch.

Breanne had said she was ready. Sitting cross-legged on the couch biting a pen between her lips and hovering over a textbook, she was the furthest she could be from ready. Coupled with her lazy jeans and a plain crew-neck top, she looked like she was going to class instead of a party.

There was definitely a cosmic force working against her.

Kayla cleared her throat to get her attention.

“I thought you said you were ready?”

“I am. I just need to review this. I cannot afford to flunk or I won’t be able to sit for my nursing exams next year. I just need five more minutes.”

Who was she trying to fool? Breanne was the smartest person she knew. If she hadn’t known for a verifiable fact that Breanne was non-magical, she would have taken her for a mage. No one had that kind of total recall without magical assistance.

“You’ve done enough studying! You need to blow off some steam. Come on, get dressed.”

“I am dressed.”

“You’re in jeans!”

“What’s wrong with jeans?”

Kayla eyed her friend’s pants with disdain. Based on the ketchup stain on the knee, they were in need of a good wash. Not to mention they were super worn through and unflattering. There was no way Breanne was going to the party in that.

If she had any chance of seeing Brian alone, she had to whip Breanne’s careless fashion into shape. She’d much rather have her as a chaperone than Derrek. Since according to her father, she must be accompanied at all times. Whatever.

“Everything. Come on, Bri Bri, please get changed.”

Breanne glanced down at her textbook. “Can we just skip this one? I really need to study.”

Work with me here. “You have to go, Bri Bri. Please. If you don’t, Derrek will. And he is…” She searched for the right word. “Derrek is…”

“A pain in the rump?”

Yes! “He tells Daddy everything…” And follows me everywhere.

Derrek had been her bodyguard since she was thirteen. And having him around made it impossible to do anything normal. The sheer number of times she’d tried to escape him gave Houdini a run for his money. But Derrek was stuck to her like they’d been super glued together. Upon her father’s demand. Which was completely overkill, honestly.

She’d had a bodyguard most of her life. In fact, she hadn’t realized it was abnormal until she’d enrolled in a few high school classes instead of being home schooled. It made her stand out, but her father’s rules were her father’s rules.

Yet, by a miracle. Her father trusted Breanne. If they were together, her father’s rules could be bent a little. So, Breanne had to go.

“Fine,” Breanne caved. “But do I have to change? This is serviceable.”

“You did not just say that.” Kayla checked the time on her phone. Barely nine. It would probably take Chem a few hours to brew her tonic, and the party probably wouldn’t get going until after ten. At least the cosmos allowed her a little time for this side adventure. “Come, I have the perfect thing for you to wear.”

Of course, Breanne groaned and complained. But after a lot of persuasion, Breanne let her play dress up. After all that studying, she really did deserve to let her hair down for once and get some collegiate tail.

Which reminded her, she needed to make a mental note to ask Brian if he had any cool friends. Because double dates with her roommate were going to be a must if she was ever going to have a social life outside of fighting with her bodyguard to go places off campus.

And if any of his friends were half as attractive as he was, her roommate was going to be dressed for the occasion for sure. Especially since after tonight, she and Brian were going to graduate from flirty glances in class to phase two. Dating with benefits.

Once Breanne was dressed and checking herself out in a full-length mirror in the hall, Kayla let out a low whistle. “I knew that dress would be perfect for you. You’re a secret bombshell.”

The black dress with the cutouts on the side was destined for her. Breanne looked smoking hot in it, if she did say so herself.

“Now for the finishing touches…” Kayla pulled out her makeup bag and got to work. Surprisingly enough, Breanne didn’t complain. She was also a natural beauty, so it didn’t require much. A bit of eyeliner and some blush, and she was ready. “Ready to see your final look?”

Breanne nodded and turned around. Her jaw hit her chest. “Wow.”

“Like it?”

She nodded, her chin still dangling open as she looked in the mirror.

“This is amazing,” Breanne gasped and studied her reflection. It felt good to see her roommate finally see her own beauty for herself. “You know… we look… alike.”

She wasn’t lying. Sure, in the details, it was more like an 80% overall match. Her nose was slightly wider. Breanne’s lips were slightly fuller. But they were exactly the same height and build, and their face shape and slanted green eyes were a dead ringer for a match. They even had the same shoe size. If she hadn’t known any better, she’d say her father had a secret family he’d never told her about.

“We could pass for twins, right? Oh wait, one more thing.”

Digging into her clutch, she pulled out an unused tube of hot red lipstick and handed it to Breanne.

Make that 85% match with the lipstick applied.

“You look stunning! Now, it’s time to get our flirt on. I don’t want to be late for Brian. My lips have been aching for him all semester.”

She tugged Breanne out of the front door. The cosmos had finally stopped pissing in her bed and she was going to work it for all it was worth.

And nothing—neither magic nor anything else—was going to keep her from that party.