Vampire Beach: High Stakes Read Free

jumped up to hug him, wrapping her long, tanned legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.
    ‘That makes your threat real convincing,’ Erin said wryly.
    Maggie grinned. ‘Just cause I’m dating him doesn’t mean I’m afraid to kick his ass!’
    ‘Please. I rule at volleyball.’ Van Dyke put her down and held out his hands for the ball.
    ‘Obviously you two need to be on different teams,’ Jason said. ‘How about me, Van Dyke, and Brad against the girls. Oh, and Harberts and Priesmeyer.’
    Harberts smiled tiredly. ‘Nah, I’ll sit this one out. That way the teams are even.’ He went over and flopped in the sand next to Adam.
    Jason peered at him, noticing the dude’s pale skin and the bags under his eyes. I wonder who he went out with last night , Jason thought. Erin, maybe? It was easy to spot the humans who had been recently fed on by a vampire, if you knew what to look for. When a vampire was feeding on you, it felt amazing, like the best make-out session of all time. But afterwards, you felt exhausted. Happy, but exhausted. Harberts seemed to be in the happy place. And he had the whole week of spring break to recover.
    ‘I hear Paige is home,’ Brad commented as he served the ball.
    Jason glanced at him, surprised. ‘Fast grapevine.’
    ‘You know it.’ Brad laughed. ‘You should be used to that by now – everyone in DeVere Heights knows one another’s business.’
    The ball came flying at Jason, so he set it up for Van Dyke to spike it. ‘She’s a trip, huh?’
    ‘Who, Paige? You can’t even imagine,’ Brad replied. ‘She once tricked the entire soccer team into shaving their heads on the same day. And believe me, it wasn’t pretty.’
    ‘Not everyone has a head as beautifully shaped as mine,’ the shaven-headed Priesmeyer put in.
    ‘What’s she doing back so early, anyway?’ Van Dyke asked. ‘She flunk out of college?’
    ‘She probably just got bored in Paris. You know Paige,’ Brad told him. They both laughed.
    Jason opened his mouth to ask what they were talking about. Then Maggie leapt up and slammed the ball straight at him, and Jason forgot all about Sienna’s big sister. The game kicked up a notch, and it took all his concentration just to keep up with the fast and furious volleys. By the time the game was over, even the vampires looked beat.
    ‘Attention, attention!’ Adam called suddenly. ‘As your Surfrider Beach social director, I have an announcement to make. The queen and her court have just arrived.’
    ‘What’s he talking about?’ Brad asked Jason.
    ‘I’m never really sure,’ Jason told him.
    ‘Paige!’ Erin shrieked. She and Maggie took off across the sand at a run. Jason turned to see Paige bounding down the steps toward them, with Belle Rémy right on her heels. Sienna followed more slowly, walking with Zach Lafrenière.
    ‘How can I not have my camera for this?’ Adam complained, coming up to Jason as the other guys headed over to greet Paige. ‘I mean, look at them. They’re like a primetime soap in action. Beautiful girls, strapping guys – all with shiny hair and white teeth.’
    Jason nodded, gazing at the group. ‘Didn’t you tell me Zach went to Paige’s prom with her when he was just a freshman?’ he asked.
    ‘Thereby cementing his reputation as the single coolest human being on the planet,’ Adam agreed. ‘Well, not that he’s a human. He’s a vampire. He’s a superhuman. Wait, are they human? I never thought about that before. They’re not not human, right? I mean, they’re not a different species, are they? Are they?’
    Jason just raised his eyebrows.
    ‘I’m being geeky, huh?’ Adam asked. ‘Right. I’ll take it down a notch.’
    Zach stood next to Paige as she hugged all the others. He was actually smiling. Have I ever seen him smile before? Jason wondered. ‘Do you think he’s still into her?’ he said.
    ‘Hmm, tough call,’ Adam replied. ‘He does look suspiciously happy and relaxed. But I’m not