Heart of the Dead: Vampire Superheroes (Perpetual Creatures Book 1) Read Free Page B

about seeing spirits. He had drawn it out of her, as good friends often do. After she had told him everything, she had sat with her eyes to the floor, unable to bear the disbelief and pity that were surely painting his face. He had been silent for a long moment, and then he placed his hand on her shoulder and had said the best three words Jerusa had ever heard in her life: “I believe you.”
    For that, she loved him. Not in the poor-broken-girl-with-daddy-issues way that everyone accused her of. She loved him with a purity that only comes from baring your soul to another and having them treat your secrets as a treasure to be guarded. Though he had never said so, Jerusa believed that Foster loved her because she had survived her illness. For him, in some small way, it was a vindication for his daughter.
    They were just two broken souls being lonely together. What was so wrong about that?
    Jerusa followed the sidewalk around the farthest parking lot. It was known as the tardy lot, because if you could only find a space this far back you were most likely late to school. The dogwood trees were blooming, sprinkling the budding green forest with a dusting of purple. The air smelled of magnolia, and pine overlaid the mustiness of decaying foliage. Something small, probably a squirrel or a rabbit, skittered about in the underbrush. Turkey vultures circled the sky, riding the thermals as they sniffed out their next ghastly meal.
    Loud voices woke Jerusa from her thoughts.
    A white Jeep Wrangler was parked just ahead. She knew it well. It belonged to Thad Campbell. Thad and his girlfriend, Kristen, sat in the front seat arguing about something. Their words were heated, but Jerusa couldn’t make out what they were saying. Thad’s voice seemed almost apologetic, but Kristen’s was as shrill as fingernails on the chalkboard.
    Jerusa stopped and looked around, considering her options.
    Thad and Kristen had obviously driven up to the Tardy Lot for some privacy. Jerusa didn’t feel right about intruding, but what choice did she have? They were parked right in front of the wooded path she needed to take to go to Foster’s house.
    Suddenly, Kristen jumped out of the Jeep, her blonde locks trailing behind her, her face as fierce and beautiful as a thunderstorm. There was something in her hand, and for a moment, Jerusa was convinced that Kristen was going to throw it at her.
    Kristen didn’t throw the item at Jerusa, but instead, walked to the edge of the woods. In a panic, Thad leapt from his Jeep and chased after her. Kristen reared back and lobbed the item into the air. A shiny, metallic glint flashed against the sunlight then the shadows gobbled it up. It jingled as it tore through the newly budding leaves, skipped across the carpet of dead leaves, and came to rest somewhere in the underbrush.
    “Are you kidding me?” Thad asked, his hands plastered to the sides of his head.
    Kristen turned and walked away, a satisfied little smirk resting upon her perfect face. She strolled down the sidewalk, strutting like a runway model. She slowed as she passed Jerusa, her eyes narrowed.
    “What are you looking at, Frankenstein?”
    Jerusa hated being called that. Her cheeks flushed hot and her palms broke into a sweat. She clenched her teeth, and stuck out her chin. Countless scenarios raced through her mind, each ending with her standing over a bruised and battered Kristen while a growing crowd cheered her on.
    But what did a girl with a heart condition whose most athletic endeavor was walking to school know about fighting? Kristen would be the one standing in victory and Jerusa would most likely end up in the hospital. That’d be the end of her dreams of freedom. Her mother would carry her off and lock her in a tower like Rapunzel, except that Jerusa’s hair was brittle with split ends and could in no way support a full-grown prince.
    Jerusa looked away from Kristen’s basilisk-like eyes. The blonde demi-cheerleader puffed out a laugh of