Page 1 of Another Curvy Girl and Grumpy Vamp

Baden

This city is a long, jagged scratch on a priceless car. You love the car, but that fucking scar—is the noise, the traffic, the incessant human chaos that makes you question if it’s worth it. Spoiler alert: It’s not.

All day I’ve fought my way through the usual stampede of people, the kind that would trample you just to get somewhere half a second faster. The honking cars, the sharp mix of scents that clogs my nose—it’s all the same. Patience, Luca used to tell me, though that was when running people down in the streets could still be part of my evening entertainment. The irony? In the end, Luca lost his patience, not me.

I shake off the morose thoughts. My day is finally over. No need to pretend to be civil. No reason to stop my nails from clawing through my assistant’s skin and wrapping around his neck. Although he’d probably haunt me from the grave. Shaking one last file in my face before his master, Lucifer, dragged him to the depths of hell. Humans, I growl to myself. Why can’t we just slay them and be done? They’d be happier—we’d definitely be happier.

Well, except for the ones who mated them. I grimace. I may not have found my one, but there’s no way in hell I’d choose someone with such a fleeting life span to join my immortal one.

The parking garage’s gate opens automatically, the soft clicks inviting me into the dull quiet. My city sanctuary welcomes me like a lover. A lover I’ve stayed away from too long, if the paperwork I’d slogged through was any judge. The fluorescent lights safely illuminate the cavern, while shadows stalk the corners like predators. I loosen my tie and roll my neck as I drive the Bugatti up the spiral incline. The floor numbers whiz past me, and I finally near my parking spot. My shoulder rolls back as the boulders between my shoulder blades release. I’m almost home.

Then I see it.

An abomination parked in my reserved spot. My jaw clenches and for a split second, I consider ramming it. My Bugatti could use the workout.

What kind of person drives something this hideous? It’s not even an actual car. It’s one of those compact, faux-tough vehicles that’s more bark than bite. My eyes trace the offending car’s shape, catching on a ridiculous bumper sticker of smiling daisies, asking. “Bestie, please let me merge?” To the right, another sticker declares, “Hot Girls—Hit Curbs.”

I rethink wrecking it.

The interior light shines on its occupant. A low growl vibrates through my chest, an ancient sound I’m tempted to fully unleash. Instead, I park directly behind it. Whoever owns this clown car is about to have the smile wiped from every damn daisy.

I slam my car door shut, ready to tear into this moron, and—

The door swings open.

And I stop so hard I almost trip over my feet.

The words that had been building, the rant about reserved parking, the lecture on respecting other people’s space—halts. The world stops spinning, leaving me dizzy the moment she steps out. I’m frozen, bespelled, as she emerges, arms full of books that she’s wrestling into a backpack.

The vaccine to cure vampirism dampens colors, leaving the world in muted grays. My life is in perpetual grayscale like a black and white movie. But her dark brown skin glows. Her hair—a cloud of thick curls—catches the overhead lights, in a halo effect. An angel.

What the hell?

My heart, or what’s left of it, stirs. This woman, this…stunning creature, is standing, oblivious to my presence, while my senses haywire. Her scent—sweet, warm, with an undercurrent of something darker—crashes into my gut as if I really had hit her car. It’s not just her scent. There’s something…more. A connection. An undeniable pull that goes beyond attraction.

No. Not this. Not again. The last time I let myself get close to a human, I—

Claudia wasn’t even mine to grieve. That doesn’t stop her face from flashing in my mind, doesn’t stop the weight of it from pulling at me. I shove the thought away, burying it deep.

“This spot is reserved,” I say, my voice coming out harder than I intended. A whip that lashes the cement between us.

Her head snaps up, like a deer on the side of a dark road. Wide eyes lock onto mine. Doe-shaped, with lashes that defy gravity. She blinks, and I hear her heart racing when my words sink in.

“Oh,” she stammers. If a song can soothe a savage beast, then her voice is the melody. I gird myself against its magic. “I…I’m sorry. I didn’t realize anyone actually parked here. I’m usually in and out so quick. Grad student life, you know?”

I don’t know, but her tone—light, teasing—makes me want to.

Not just know. I want to live inside that world she’s talking about. I want to know what her day was like, why she’s here, why she’s rushing, and why she thinks it’s okay to park in my space. It’s madness. I’ve never cared about mundane details like this. Not in centuries.

I haven’t wanted anything,craved anything, in a very long time. Being richer than sin,literally and figuratively, handsome as hell,others’ words not mine, and the whole vampire thing, means I can have whatever I want. So, it’s an effort not to step forward, close the small distance between us, and seize this divine creature. The strength of my want holds me back and bricks the wall. Instead of interrogating her further, I stay silent, my gaze drifting down to her perfect bow lips. I imagine pulling her into me, feeling her against my chest, and tasting the warm sweetness of her mouth. It’s a primal urge, one I’ve spent centuries suppressing.

But it’s there. And it’s as powerful as it is wrong.

She tries again, “You know what they say, if the parking spot owner’s away than a girl’s gonna stay.” A dimple winks up at me from an elfish smile. Too bad I loathe elves.

I narrow my eyes. “Who exactly says that? Only you, perhaps?”

She lifts her fingers and pretends to count. “No. There’s… Hmm, you’re right, I may be the first. Should I trademark it? Think I could make money on a bumper sticker?”

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