Page 2 of Your Coffin or Mine
The small amount of blood left in my veins boils. “Howdareyou!”
I push myself up from the plush cushions of my chair, my arms shaking as I bring myself to my full height. I tower over Doyle for about three seconds before my legs buckle and I swiftly collapse to the floor.
Doyle chuckles, and if I could move a fraction of an inch, I’d destroy him. But he’s right. My body is severely malnourished, and I’ve aged a millennium over the last century—yet I still can’t bring myself to care. I will remain in this castle until it falls to ashes, or it’s turned ghastly pink and full of glam.
The most powerful vampire in existence and, at nearly six hundred years old, I am allowing my ancestral home to be turned into a hotel. It is despicable, distasteful, and everything dreadful.
I sigh against the dusty green carpet, my eyes closing on their own volition. “Fine,” I manage to mumble. Most humans wouldn’t be able to make out my words, but I know Doyle can hear me clearly. “But no fucking pink.”
“No pink it is. I’ll handle everything, Vlad. Don’t you worry, it’ll be totallyfab.”
Stake me now.
Chapter 1
AUBREY
“We’re all going to die.”
I may or may not have said that out loud as my pink manicured nails claw into the armrests of my chair and I stare wide-eyed at the tiny door in front of me. Blonde strands of my hair fall in front of my face until I almost inhale them, but I’m too terrified to swipe them away. Alarms are blaring and the pilots have been shouting for, oh, a good three minutes now.
Me? I’m box breathing like my life depends on it and wishing like hell I hadn’t picked the trash-panda plane.Why did I agree to this?
Hours ago, I gushed over how cute it was. Cute little airplane that was just so adorable, but no, it’s a raccoon.Oh so cute and fluffy, but garbage is its only purpose in life, and now I’m riding in a disaster waiting to happen.
If only I had noticed the duct tape.If only I had noticed a lot of things.I was supposed to be safe on the ground in Tahiti doing a photo shoot with Chad, but of course the little plane I naïvely boarded has smoke billowing out its ass and I am #single.
Mistakes have been made, people.
The engine emits a strange grinding sound and I squeal, letting go of the armrest to grab my phone. Tears well in my eyes, making it hard to see as I type out “I love you” to Grams. I cry out when something smacks me in the eye and my phone drops to the floor. Damn it.
Grunting, I lean down and make a grab for it before I realize there is a freakingoxygen maskdangling above me. I stare at the thing in utter panic.Why have I never paid attention to how to use these properly?
It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay.
This is sonotokay.
My hands shake as I snatch the mask hanging from the ceiling and pull it roughly over my face. I breathe in the fresh shower-curtain scent and glance out the window. Every part of my body freezes.Is that... is that fire?I’m pretty sure that’s not meant to be there. I suck in a hard breath.
Worst day ever.
“Please, please! I just want to get off the plane. I’m not ready to die,” I plead, praying whatever god is listening may be open to negotiations.
Tears leak from my already red and puffy eyes, and for the millionth time in the last twelve hours, I start going over my life choices.
Mistake number one: trusting a man who gets irate with shop attendants when his favorite products are out of stock.
Mistake number two: saying yes to a man who clearly thought it was perfectly acceptable to fuck not one, but two people at the same time, two months before our wedding day.
Mistake number three: letting my best friend, Bernadette, talk me into exchanging my ticket to Tahiti for a one-way trip to Romania, when I have never traveled anywhere by myself.
The plane jolts and I scream, the sound muffled inside the mask. I squeeze my eyes shut, my harsh breath the only thingI can hear over the roaring in my ears before the plane jerks to a stop. Blood rushes, thundering in my skull, and one second passes, then two, before adrenaline kicks in, sending me into overdrive. My fingers fumble, but I manage to get the lock undone and stand up.
Off the plane. Off the plane. OFF the fucking plane.The mantra plays in my head on repeat.
Dizziness floods my brain from standing up too quickly. I rub my eyes, shaking my head to clear it just as strong hands catch me around the waist. I scream on instinct.
“Madam! Madam! You are safe,” a male voice shouts in my ear. “Just breathe, madam.”
