Page 27 of Thicker than Water

She whispers, her lips almost unmoving. “You’re in a very different world now.”

A shiver rolls up my spine, an electric tingle that awakens something inside me. Despite my instincts, it feels agonizing to have such a small gap between us. But I can’t be the one to close it.

Without a word, she breaks my gaze and moves to exit the hall.

“Where are you going?” I ask.

“The dawn is breaking.”

Without another word, she’s gone.

But I stay right where she left me.

Until the first rays of sunlight peer in through the window.

WHAT'S HER NAME?

Celine

The velvet couch flies across my private suite, crashing into the table and knocking over several glasses of thick, red liquid.

“That’s mybloodwine!” snaps Lexi. “Do you have any idea how much that costs?”

“Sorry! I’m sorry!” Hallie says, zipping over to retrieve the chaise. She lifts it easily in one arm, but overshoots and accidentally tosses it in the air again. Clumsily, she catches it, and places it back in its original spot with an anxious chuckle.

We’re showing Hallie how to get used to her vampiric abilities. Well,I’mshowing Hallie how to use her powers. Renata is in the corner, distracted by emails on her phone. Lexi is surveying us with a glass of blood-wine in her manicured hand. To complete the ensemble, Tudor sits in the center of the room like a judge on his bench.

“Be nice to your sister,” he says to Lexi. “She doesn’t know how strong she is yet.”

“I’m doing my best,” Hallie says, earnestly. She adjusts the thick-rimmed glasses on her nose. “I just feel so…restless.”

“When you’re alive, your heartbeat keeps you grounded,” I explain to her. “Now that you’re dead, you’re animated by the blood that you consume. Drinking will make you feel better. Let’s go find you a breather…”

“Oh! Um, that’s ok…” she stutters. “I drank some animal blood, so I’m not feeling very hungry at all...”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Are you sure?”

She avoids my gaze. “I don’t think I’m ready to drink human blood.”

“You’re notwhat?” I ask, incredulous.

“It’s sort of an ethical gray area for me,” she says sheepishly. “You know, I used to be a vegetarian…”

Renata snorts, not looking up from her phone. “Well, that’s a new one!”

Lexi shakes her head at Tudor. “This isridiculous! She doesn’t know anything about the magical world, and she doesn’t even want to drinkblood?”

Renata turns to Lexi, an eyebrow raised. “Leave her alone! You’re just jealous that you’re not the youngest any more.”

“I’m not jealous! I just don’t seewhyTudor needed to create another progeny. Especially after everything that happened with Ced-”

I shoot her an icy stare.

“That’s enough, Alexandra,” Tudor says sternly. Lexi tosses her bleached hair over her shoulder with a dramatic sigh, but doesn’t push it.

Our Creator rises from his seat and walks up to Hallie. The newborn vampire bites her lip anxiously, almost cutting herself with her sharp fangs.

“This is an excellent opportunity,” he says, taking her by the shoulders. “In just a few months, I’ll join Elmwood Magic Academy as a professor. Hallie will accompany me as an incoming student. Any vampiric skills you still require, you can pick up there.”