Blood and Snow 6: Masquerade's Moon Read online

  Opposites attract. He’s supposed to be good. You’re supposed to be evil. It’s a textbook setup, my inner voice said sarcastically.

  I internally shook away those thoughts. Gabe and I had plenty in common.

  Gabe kissed my neck and my body warmed. His soft lips melted away all worry.

  “We’d better let Snow get cleaned up. Plus, you boys have a lot of work to do before the party tonight,” Professor Pops said.

  They all groaned.

  “Later, Snow,” they said as they unhappily left the room.

  I stifled a laugh. “I can’t wait to see you guys in your tuxes,” I sang out.

  More groans.

  Chapter 4

  When Professor Pops reached the hallway he bent and picked up an extra large box that was leaning on its side. It was wrapped in a shimmering black with a small black and white ribbon around it. “One more present,” he said, bringing it over to me. It was as long as my bed.

  “What is it,” I asked, too intrigued to be embarrassed by the extravagance.

  “You’ll see,” he smiled, causing the wrinkles near his eyes to become more prominent.

  I tore away the wrapping. Across the white box written in bold black were the words: Vera Wang. My eyes found Pops’. “I already have a dress, remember? My dad and… stepmother bought one for me,” I whispered.

  He tipped his chin toward the box. “Open it.”

  Carefully I removed the lid. For some reason my hands shook, my heart beat rapidly. Folding back the tissue, I sucked in my breath. Layer after deep, crimson layer of a transparent, filmy material covered the entire inside of the box. On top of the cloud of red was a strapless bodice. I gingerly pressed it between my thumb and first finger. It was soft, like silk.

  “Try it on. Let’s see if it fits.”

  “Alright,” I agreed mesmerized by its beauty.

  “Vera is a friend of mine. When I explained the dress was for your sixteenth birthday party, and that the theme was a masquerade ball, she excitedly created this masterpiece.

  “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” I said softly walking into the bathroom and shutting the door. Quickly, I removed my shoes, plaid pajama pants, black tank top, and the watch Sebastian gave me. I stepped into the dress and pulled it over my chest. Pinching the sides together, I awkwardly zipped myself in. The dress felt like liquid against my skin. Opening the door I stepped out, nervous anxiety skipping in my belly.

  Professor Pops held out his hands. I took them and he gently twirled me. “You look exquisite, Snow. Like a fiery dream.”

  I blushed, enjoying the attention.

  Seven heads peeked into my bedroom.

  “Holy wow,” Heathcliff said.

  The others nodded their approval.

  I found Gabe, and he mouthed, “Gorgeous.”

  “Get,” Professor Pops scolded, shooing them from the room.

  I walked over to the full-length mirror and my heart raced faster. The girl in the mirror looked older, more mature…

  Like a woman, I thought.

  “The mask will be arriving later this afternoon. I’ll have one of the boys bring it over,” Professor Pops said, choked up.

  I turned to him.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  He shook his head, clearing his throat. “I am honored to know you, Snow White.” He bowed, and my heart lurched.

  Why did he do that? The words from the Vampire Queen filtered through my mind. She’d said he wanted her power. I still had so much to learn.

  I touched his shoulder. “Thank you for everything. I’m so glad to know you.” Heat rose in my cheeks.

  He straightened and walked to the door. “Always a pleasure.” He seemed sad, but before I could ask him why he added, “I’ll see you tonight.” Then he left.

  I turned back to the mirror. Dark half-circles, like crescent bruises, made my blue eyes appear haunted. My short hair was a mess. The dress was beautiful, but I needed work.

  I needed Cindy.

  Chapter 5

  I called Cindy on my regular phone because my dad and stepmother decided I wasn’t mature enough to have a cell. Sure I’d lost the dang thing after only a month. It hadn’t been my fault. I’d been in a blood-induced haze, caused by my belief that I killed Gabe. I shouldn’t be held accountable for my actions. The problem was I couldn’t explain any of it to them. My dad, and especially my stepmother wouldn’t understand that I’d been so far gone they only existed in a deep recess of my mind—that I only remembered them on the rare occasion when I wasn’t completely drunk on human blood.

  “Happy birthday, Snow,” Cindy shouted as soon as she picked up the phone.

  “Thanks,” I answered, plopping on the couch and flipping on the TV. Gatsby climbed next to me, and yowled, rubbing his head against my thigh. I needed to feed him. Rising, I went to get his kibble.

  “Are you stoked about your party tonight?” Cindy’s voice hitched.

  “Um, yes. I am. It’s just,” I hesitated.

  “You have no idea what to do with your hair and don’t know the first thing about makeup,” she finished for me.

  I laughed, pushing away any doubts I had about our friendship. We hadn’t talked about her magic, or lack thereof, since I’d been back. I hadn’t really had a chance to hang out with her. Between training with the brothers, Professor Pops, and Kenmei, reading up on supernatural creatures, making out with Gabe, and catching up on the two weeks of school I missed, I hadn’t had time. Professor Pops was right about one thing though, homework was easy, and I finished within the first week of being back. “Yes,” I sighed. “Can you help?”

  “Does Abercrombie go with Fitch?

  “I—”

  “Never mind. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

  Letting out a huge breath in relief, I said, “Cool. See ya.”

  I clicked off the phone and filled Gatsby water dish. “Well kitty, I need a shower.” I ran to the stairs and was halfway up when the phone rang.

  “Bring over your dress,” I said, thinking it was Cindy.

  “What? Snow, is that you?” It was my dad.

  “Oh, hi Dad. Sorry, I thought you were Cindy. She’s coming over to help me get ready for my party.” As I spoke I climbed the stairs, went into my bathroom and pulled out a clean towel, then turned on the water so it could warm up.

  “That’s nice.” He paused and inhaled. Then in a totally fake perky voice, he said, “Happy birthday, Snow Angel. Wish I was there.”

  A lump formed in my throat. Did he really? I sure needed him. “Thanks, Dad. I wish you were here too.”

  He exhaled. “We should be there for Christmas.” Then in a sharper tone he added, “You know what. I will be there for Christmas. Promise.” I had a feeling his words defied my stepmother’s wishes. If she had anything to do with it they’d be in Paris, or Italy. Anywhere but with me.

  “That’s awesome. Can’t wait.” The lump thickened. I wanted to believe he would come, no matter what. That I was important enough for him, but past experience told me it wasn’t true.

  I heard my stepmother speaking in the background, telling him to hurry up. “Alright, well have fun at your party. Take care of yourself. Be safe.”

  “I will. Thanks.” The lump in my throat sunk like a rock to my stomach.

  “Love you, Snow Angel. Talk to you soon.”

  “Love you—” The phone clicked off. “Too.”

  Chapter 6

  I stood in front of my full-length mirror unable to believe the reflection was mine. Snow White. Klutzy tomboy turned vampire with a fondness for boyish hand-me-downs and Converse. I ran my fingers through the fluffy skirt. Hundreds of different sized ruffles in a soft, see-through material were capped with red satin ribbon. The tight bodice felt like a seamless hug—not to tight, not to loose. The dress hung at just the right length and looked awesome with my red Converse (yeah, not even Cindy could talk me out of my shoe choice). They were brand new. One of the pairs Pr
ofessor Pops gave me (not the pair from the Vampire Queen). I had a feeling he’d picked out the color to go with my dress. He knew me better than most.

  Except maybe the Vampire Queen, my inner voice cringed.

  “You look tres gorgeous, Snow,” Cindy said.

  I laughed internally guessing she must’ve decided French wasn’t as boring as she thought.

  I turned back and forth, checking my reflection at different angles. “Thanks Cindy. You did an amazing job on my hair.”

  She grinned. “No duh. You’re going to be the most beautiful girl at the ball tonight.”

  I snorted. “Whatever.”

  Cindy shook her head and continued to pet Gatsby, who sat on her lap, purring nosily. She still wore her jeans but had a strapless nude bra on top.

  The party was in a half hour, but we’d agreed to meet at Professor Pops’ twenty minutes ago.

  Cindy’s hair was in three loose French braids that came together in the back, near the nape of her neck. She’d curled the ends and pinned them into a bun and put little baby blue flowers in between the curls. Her makeup was a little darker than normal. “Dramatic,” was what she called it.

  My eye makeup was similar. On her lips she had a light pink gloss. On my lips was a dark red that matched my dress. Cindy spent an hour using different sizes of irons to put curls all over my head. Then she teased and backcombed until my dark hair was like a curly cloud. She left my bangs straight and used some kind of goop to make it stay to one side. I looked like me, only different. Older. More sophisticated.

  “You gonna get dressed?” I asked turning to face her.

  She nudged Gatsby off her lap and stood. “Yep, right now. Will you help zip me?”

  “Sure.”

  She slid off her jeans and walked over to my opened bedroom door where she’d hung her dress. Beneath was a box, and she removed the most gorgeous, but dangerous-looking pair of shoes I’d ever seen. The heels were thin, like glass, but probably six inches tall. Gunmetal beads adorned the band across the foot and the cuff that went around the ankle.

  “You’re going to wear those?” I asked, wondering how she’d walk.

  “Of course, silly.” She slid them on and buckled the cuff. She looked taller than me. “Wow,” I said as she unzipped the black garment bag.

  “Wow, good, right?” Cindy asked sliding a strapless sequined dress out. “My legs appear slender, and my ass looks toned?”

  “Definitely,” I said. Who was I to question the girl who lived, breathed, and ate fashion? Certainly not me.

  She stepped into the dress and I zipped it up. It was sleek, and clung to her every curve. Each sequin was the size of a penny, and the exact shade of her shoes. Underneath the sequins was a baby blue material in the same color as the ruffled bottom of her dress. She looked like a mermaid. The most dazzling mermaid I’d ever seen. “You look amazing, Cin.”

  She walked over to the mirror, pulling and tugging on the dress until it was just so. She turned to check out the back. “You think?” she asked, though she knew I knew it was fact. She would be the best looking girl at the ball.

  “Since you’re the birthday girl, we ought to get you there before everyone else, right?” she asked, walking to the door.

  “I suppose,” I said, suddenly nervous. I sat on my bed, as though a heavy weight pushed me down. My shoulders turned in. I hadn’t had blood in a while. Professor Pops gave me more of the bloodlust tea, and I drank it, but we both agreed it probably wasn’t doing any good now that I was no longer a revenant. At this point even Cindy’s blood, which wasn’t all that fragrant, caused my canines to quiver with need. If she offered, I’d take it, but I really wanted Gabe’s, or Christopher’s…

  Or Dorian’s, my inner voice cooed.

  “What’s wrong? You shouldn’t sit. You’ll ruin the lay of your dress.”

  “Fine.” I stood, and reorganized my ruffles. Swallowing, I searched Cindy’s face, listened to the gentle rhythm of her heartbeat, smelled the lilac scent of her skin. Nothing about her spoke of fear or worry. Cindy told me she was a witch. If I told her my secret, that human blood was my new food of choice, she would understand.

  “Cindy,” I cleared my throat.

  Chapter 7

  “What is it?” she asked, smiling brightly.

  “I—why didn’t you use your locator spell to find me?” I asked surprised that’s what came out of my mouth. I hadn’t meant to go there with her tonight.

  She grabbed my hand, and squeezed. “I’m so glad you brought it up. I didn’t know how.”

  “Oh?”

  “I tried to find you. The spell,” she coughed. “For some reason it didn’t work.” Her impeccably plucked eyebrows crunched together in concentration.

  See, her magic isn’t strong enough, my inner voice huffed.

  I moved toward the door. No reason to make her feel uncomfortable. “No biggie,” I said.

  Cindy followed. “It was a biggie. I was worried sick. Several times I sensed your presence, but for some reason your location was concealed. I asked my grandmother about it, whether or not I did something wrong.” She frowned.

  “And,” I encouraged.

  She shook her head, her face filled with a strange expression. Her heart rate increased.

  Nerves, I thought.

  “My grandmother said she didn’t understand it either. That there was only one reason it wouldn’t work.”

  I giggled, unexpectedly. What would she say? What was the reason? I didn’t think I wanted to hear the answer. Turning I walked down the hall and to the stairs, but before I could take a step down, she grabbed my hand.

  “Snow. Wait.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek. Could I tell her? Just blurt out the truth? Say, “Cindy, I’m a vampire, but don’t worry I won’t kill you, or suck your blood, or anything. I’ve got it under control.”

  “My grandmother said the locator spell works based on whatever you’re looking for. A human is one way. If it’s an animal, I must change up the spell a little. For a plant, I do the spell even more differently.”

  “That’s weird,” I laughed, a wave of sickness washing through my stomach.

  She studied my face. “Yes, it is weird. I tried the human spell three different times. Just to be safe I did the spell for an animal and for a plant as well. None of them worked.”

  I pulled my arm from her grasp and started down the stairs. “Maybe you still did something wrong. You know you struggle with that sciencey stuff in Biology.”

  She trailed me. “No, that isn’t it. I did everything right. My grandmother said—” she stopped.

  I opened the front door, but a fragrant wind blew it from my grip and the door slammed shut. “What?” I asked, knowing Cindy had used magic. I would have to tell her.

  “My grandmother said the only reason the spell didn’t work was that you aren’t human, but something born of magic. She gave me a quick lesson on all the different magical creatures in the world, even explained that my favorite stuffed animal—Mr. Unicorn—remember him?” She stopped, waiting for me to answer.

  “Uh-huh,” I prodded.

  “He’s based on a real creature my grandmother knew a long time ago. At first I was freaked out, but figured, hey if I could have a spell book with a dragon’s eye on the cover, surely I could handle the knowledge that fairies and unicorns are real.” Her breathing came more rapidly now. I sensed she was about to figure out what I was for herself.

  “Go on,” I whispered, clutching the door handle.

  “Well you’re too big to be a fairy, and you’re certainly not a gremlin or an elf, so what are you?” Cindy placed her hands on her hips and waited. “Tell me.” Lowering her voice, she added, “Please. I can handle it.”

  “No, I’m not a fairy. Closer to a gremlin, I guess.” For some reason I got choked up. With the brothers, they knew. Professor Pops prepared them. Christopher was the one who bit me, so I hadn’t had to tell him. I hadn’t had to come out and tell anyone yet. �
��I am a vampire.” Those words stuck in my throat. They wouldn’t go from my brain and out of my mouth. I guess the biggest part of me worried she wouldn’t like me anymore once she found out the truth. Gabe said vampires were evil. What had Cindy’s grandmother said about my kind?

  She moved so that we were practically nose to nose. It was weird having her so tall. One of her fingers touched my cheek, and she said some words in a language I didn’t understand.

  I gulped.

  My skin tingled, and I wondered if she cast a spell.

  You should’ve used your power of persuasion to make her no longer care about what you are, or forget you were gone, or something, my inner voice cautioned nervously.

  I still could, but that didn’t seem fair. Cindy told me she was a witch. I had to tell her what I was.

  “Cindy, it’s um… you see… well, the truth is, I’m a—”

  She sucked in her breath and stepped back. “You’re a vampire. The spell worked. I can see you for what you truly are.” Her eyes grew round like two giant saucers.

  I nodded. “Yes.” I looked away, scanning anywhere and everywhere that wasn’t her.

  Chapter 8

  She sat on the couch and I knew she must be stunned.

  “What about your dress? You’ll wrinkle it,” I said quietly, copying what she said to me upstairs.

  She waved away my worry. “My grandmother mentioned vampires.” Cindy paused and seemed to be mulling over the word, working out what she now knew to be the truth.

  I grabbed her hand. “Still warm, see? I’m still me.” I resisted the urge to cry, to pity myself, or feel bad. I couldn’t change what happened, couldn’t go back and get unbitten, undrink Christopher’s blood, or Gabe’s, or any of the other humans.

  Her eyes squinted in bewilderment and she placed a hand on my chest. “Your heart still beats.” Cindy shook her head, surprise shining in her features. “My grandmother said vampires were creatures without a heart—that their internal makeup was completely different from other living creatures. How is this possible?”