Page 17 of Ghoul Kisses

Instead of going to the hotel first, Eric takes us to a dark castle. Cars stop at the front entrance with its stone staircase. The castle is all black and has a gothic feel to it. Gargoyle statues hang on the roof. It’s not a place I’d stay in; it’s far too scary for me. Eric jumps out of the SUV and opens my door. He offers his hand, and I grab it as I step out. Eric tosses his keys to a short ugly creature. The creature’s skin is green with patches of thin hair sprouting from his scalp. His nose is long and pointy with warts on it. He is wearing an all-black suit and appears to be some kind of butler. He is the ugliest thing I have ever seen. I stare at it in shock. I know that it is rude to stare, but I can’t help it. The creature bows towards us and acknowledges Eric as King.

“He is a troll,” Eric says, reading my facial expression.

“What else exists out there?” The words come out faster than I intend.

“Everything you can think of.”

“What about fairies and mermaids?” I ask. He loops his arm with mine as we enter the front wooden doors.

“Yeah, but they are not what modern society says they are; they are both evil.” I snort at his answer. I would ask him more about other creatures out there, but learning about ghouls is enough for me to handle in a lifetime.

The butler hands us a brochure that directs us to the basement. When we arrive there, we sit in plastic chairs in the back section. The place is crawling with different creatures. I spot a group of people dressed in long black robes. They are mingling in the back corner of the basement. I nudge Eric’s right arm and point to the crowd.

“Why would humans be here?” I ask. He turns to look at me.

“Those are witches and warlocks,” he answers. Studying the group of people, they look no different than humans to me.

“How do you know?” I cast a curious glance in their direction.

“I can smell the magic in their blood.”

I continue to scan the crowd, and I spot a table filled with different varieties of food. Thank you, Jesus. I was so filled with anxiety earlier that I skipped dinner.

“I’ll be back. I’m hungry.” Without giving Eric a chance to answer, I jump out of my seat and head to the table. I fix a plate of celery, carrots, and a handful of green grapes. The food might not fill me up, but it will ease my hunger pains. There is some food that looks funny and has a weird smell to it, so I don’t bother touching it. I pour a cup of apple cider and make my way through the cluster of people. A short girl with red hair stops and examines me from head to toe. She scrunches up her nose.

“Can I help you?” I ask.

“You are a normal girl,” disappointment tinges her voice.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I say a little more harshly than I intend. The woman puts her finger to her chin as if she is thinking hard.

“I just thought…you look just like…I could have sworn you were someone else,” she says sadly, continuing to study me. Before I can respond, Eric presses his hand to my lower back, sending chills down my spine.

“Is there a problem?” Eric asks, his voice is deep and stern. The red-haired girl bows toward him.

“I’m sorry King Eric. I just thought your date was someone else; my apologies,” she says. I want to tell her that he is not my date, but Eric doesn’t address it, so I let it go. We retake our seats and the auction begins.

Another troll stands at the podium, auctioning off different objects I’ve never seen before. He auctions off spell books, but not the one Eric needs. There is also a time traveling necklace, which I didn’t know existed. And the prices on these objects are outrageous; some of the stuff goes from one million to hundreds of millions of dollars. I’ve never seen so much money going down the drain. When I glance at Eric, his eyes are intense and focused on the auction. He is truly beautiful. It’s almost enough to make me drool. A blue box with foreign language written on it pops up on the big television. Eric holds up his card with his number on it.

“Thirty Million,” he calls out.

Another person bids forty million and the next person shouts forty-five. Then Eric shouts, “fifty.” I can feel the tension rolling off his body as he tries to fight for the box. Eric shouts, “eighty.” A brunette-haired woman shouts a billion dollars. The crowd murmurs in disbelief, and the troll quickly sells it to her.

“I’m sorry you lost,” I say, rubbing his tense shoulder. He frowns as he stands up.

“Come, let’s go.” He ignores my comment. The various creatures begin to leave the building.

In the car, I hit the on button on the radio and listen to a pop song. Neither of us is saying anything. Eric grips the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turn white. He stares at the road up ahead, brooding. I fiddle with the hem of my dress becoming nervous. I don’t know if I can control myself around Eric. I desire him. If I throw myself at him, will he reject me? Eric will never tell me how he feels and I will never ask. I’m not going to make myself look desperate. He keeps his emotions so contained, I can’t read his body language unless he is disappointed.

The Four Seasons Hotel comes into view. Eric drives to the entrance. He kills the engine and we hop out of the SUV. The bellhop carries our bags, and Eric tips him five dollars. We stroll to the counter. The lady at the front desk eyes us, and a smile stretches across her face.

“Welcome back, King Eric,” the clerk says cheerfully.

“It’s a pleasure to see you,” she says handing him the key. Her eyes rake over Eric’s body, taking in his beauty. Jealousy tugs at me, and I glance away hoping it will help. It doesn’t.

“Make sure you have food coming to my suite, Stacey.” he murmurs.

I have to admit, Stacey is drop dead gorgeous. Chocolate brown hair pushed up in a high ponytail, and her black eyes are wide as a full moon. Her complexion is the color of honey. Is anyone in the ghoul’s race ugly? Jeez.

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