Page 7 of My Big Fat Vampire Wedding
“Gee, thanks for the reminder, Vlad,” Pandora grumbled before breaking off into a big yawn.
“Someone has to help you pay for all those hideous pyjamas.” Vlad started to preen his feathers.
Pandora pulled the covers up over her body, then rolled onto her side to hug her squishy pillow in the shape of a capybara.
It was right then that she heard the creak of the door across the hall.
Listening, she heard the distinct sound of footsteps making their way along the hall, then down the grand staircase.
Then, finally, the front door groaned.
Curious, Pandora climbed out of bed and crept into the hallway, pulling the curtain slightly to the side to see out into the grounds at the front of the house.
There, decked out in heavy layers and carrying an umbrella, despite the lack of rain, was her younger brother, Dante.
Where was he sneaking out to in the middle of the day?
Was that why he was always looking so exhausted recently?
The flap of wings had Pandora pulling away from the window. Turning, she saw Vlad making his way down the hallway, then around the bend, likely to perch outside of her parents’ room, where he would sleep the day away and wait for them to emerge at dusk.
Pandora made her way back into her room, got back into bed, and started to drift off to sleep.
As she did, her mind was consumed with thoughts of Caramel Macchiato Cutie.
Inevitably, those same thoughts invaded her dreams as well. But those were scandalous, private little dreams that had her tossing and turning in her sleep.
4
Pandora woke up in the early afternoon, ready to shower, dress, and get herself mentally prepared for the discussion with her parents.
She was just making her way down the staircase when the front door creaked open, making the golden sun illuminate the foyer and casting the figure in the doorway in shadow.
“Dante?” Pandora said as he pulled the hood down from his head and looked over at her.
Dante had inherited his good looks from both their parents. He had their mother’s flawless skin and her piercing blue eyes, but their father’s sharp jaw and prominent brow.
It was a misconception that vampires only had “families” by biting and turning humans. Well, that was true enough. For most vampires. But the Von Ashmores wereold-school. Interested in things like lineage and legacy. And they were wealthy enough to invest in the expensive magicks that would allow them to conceive. Sure, it was a lengthy and often difficult process. And then there was the awkward and rapid growth from baby to full-grown adult vampire, but it was possible.
Pandora and Dante were proof of that. As was much of their extended family.
“Were you out all day?” Pandora asked as her brother moved down the hallway toward the kitchen.
He ignored her question, though, as he went right to the fridge, digging around behind the bottles of wine.
“What are you looking for?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he said, snatching his hand back and closing the fridge. “What are you lurking around for?” he asked.
“I’m waiting for Mum and Dad to wake up.”
“Why?”
“To try to talk some sense into them.” She sighed. “I don’t have a lot of faith that it’ll work, but I have to try.”
“What do you need to talk sense into them about?” he asked, making her recall that he’d been suspiciously absent from the house when her parents had sat her down to break the bad news to her.
“My inheritance,” she said. “And the specific clause around it.”
