Page 1 of Hot Vampire Next Door: Season Three

Episode 34

Terrifying Things to Come

The digital clock says it’s a little after eleven a.m. when I wake, but blackout blinds have the room feeling like it’s the middle of the night.

Even though I can’t see him, I sense Bran filling up the bed beside me.

He’s mine. All mine. I can’t believe it.

There was a time when I thought he hated me.

And now he’s confessed he loves me.

I’m not going to dismiss his warning that I don’t entirely understand what it means to have the love of a Duval, but I’m not going to waste it either.

Does Kelly know what it is to have the love of a Duval?

Damien attacked in the middle of a vampire court to get her to safety, and while there is inherently some value in keeping her safe—because of who I am and who Kelly is to me—I think he did it mostly for himself.

Is he currently sleeping next to her?

The little sister in me is just nosy enough to want to know.

I ease from the bed. Bran doesn’t stir. I’m not entirely sure what it means for a vampire to sleep, since they’re technically dead-ish. Do they breathe? Are they dead-dead while they sleep?

We’re taught a lot about vampires in school, but there are some secrets they’ve always closely guarded. Like how a vampire becomes a vampire. I still don’t know. But I have heard it’s a long, drawn-out process and incredibly painful.

I tiptoe from bed, carefully open the door, and slip out.

Diffused daylight fills the Anneliese. What an odd design decision for a vampire. The house is literally a snow globe.

From the kitchen, there’s the distinct sound of pans clanging together and the smell of fresh coffee.

Jimmy assured me the Anneliese was the safest place in Midnight, but a clever human could probably break inside.

Clever human, dumb human. You couldn’t pay me a million dollars to break into a Duval property.

When I turn the corner into the kitchen, I find my sister at the stove.

“Hey,” I say.

She jumps, putting her hand to her chest. “Christ. I didn’t hear you get up.”

“I’m quiet. Like a mouse.”

She looks at me and then bursts into laughter. I can’t help it. I laugh too.

“What are you making?” I ask her.

“Eggs and toast. That’s all there was in the fridge. I’m guessing they didn’t have time to plan ahead for humans to be staying here.”

I go over to the cupboards and start opening doors. I find black coffee mugs in the cupboard by the sink and fill one with fresh coffee just as my sister heats up a cast iron pan on the stove.

“How do you feel?” I ask and pull myself up on the counter by the sink, legs dangling over the edge.

“Better.” She taps an egg on the pan, cracks it open. The white sizzles when it hits the heat.

“Did Damien stay with you?”