Spellbound (the Spellbound Series Book 1) Read Free Page A

his shoulders, but he’s actually leaner than I’d expected. I only have a moment to move out of the way before the two homeless vampires converge on him, moving almost too quickly for my eye to catch. I can only pick up on brief flashes of movement, partially because I’m starting to have trouble keeping my eyes open. I’m vaguely aware of several punches being thrown, but then I blink for what feels like less than a second, and the fighting’s over. One of the vampires is lying unconscious on the ground, and the boy is holding the other against the wall.
    “I’ll kill you,” the homeless vampire moans out, and I notice the black blood pooling in his mouth, the gaps where his fangs used to be. “I swear, I’ll kill you for this.”
    The boy holding him says, “Shut up,” and slams his victim’s head against the wall, then lets the body slump to the ground. He then turns to me, and for a moment, neither of us speaks. He seems to be glaring at me, but then his face softens, and the rage from just seconds ago fades away. He looks unharmed for the most part, and now that my life isn’t in danger, I can appreciate how attractive he is. He’s a few inches taller than I am, and slightly wider because of his broad shoulders. I’m not the biggest fan of his thick eyebrows, though, or the way his nose hooks ever so slightly upwards at the end. Otherwise, he’s pretty easy on the eyes. He runs his fingers through his wavy, light brown hair, and asks, “What are you doing in a place like this?”
    It takes me a second to remember, but eventually I answer, “I was on my way to the 2 train. I thought cutting through this dump would be quicker.”
    “Alright. Let’s get you out of here.” The boy steps around the bodies on the ground and reaches down to pick up his coat. He offers me his arm, and I loop mine around it, more to help keep my balance than because I want to be any closer to him than necessary.
    With our arms linked, we cross the lobby, and finally make it to the exit on the other side of the burnt out building. Before I push open the door, I ask, “You didn’t save me just so you could eat me yourself, did you? That would kind of ruin the moment.”
    “No,” the boy responds, “that’s the last thing on my mind. But if I weren’t trying to abstain from human blood, you’d be high on my list.”
    “Comforting.” I’d suspected that the boy wasn’t normal when I noticed he could move as quickly as the homeless men that attacked me. Just to make sure, I ask, “Do most vampires go on a non-human diet?”
    “Not exactly. But then again, I’m not most vampires.”
    I look him up and down, and decide that he’s nothing like the ugly creature with pale, yellowing skin that I’d once imagined vampires would be. In fact, he’s downright beautiful by comparison. I get the feeling that I should be at least a little scared of him, but I’m guessing that if he intended to hurt me, he would have done so by now. As we step out into the biting winter air, I notice his coat is still open, and he’s wearing nothing but a short sleeved shirt over his chest. I ask him, “Aren’t you cold?”
    “Shit,” the boy mutters as he pulls up his zipper. “Sometimes I forget. The coat’s just for show; I don’t really feel the changes in temperature.”
    “Lucky. I’m on the verge of hypothermia.” I let go of the boy’s arm since I’m feeling a little steadier than before. We walk side by side towards the train station, and after a few seconds of silence, I say, “You still haven’t told me your name, stranger.”
    “Sorry! I’m Nick.”
    “Well, hi Nick. I’m Heather.”
    “Hi, Heather.” Nick flashes me a gentle smile, and for some reason, it’s one of the few that makes my heart beat a little faster than normal. “Nice to meet you.”
    “Likewise.” I’m terrible at thinking of things to say to people I’m not used to, and apparently, so is Nick, because the conversation stops for a