Page 17 of Stitched Up in You
My jaw drops and my brow wrinkles. “No, you’re not,” I blurt as a wave of lightbulbs go off in my head. He’s a monster.
Oh, Frank Stein is going down.
I step away from the fridge and get on my tiptoes to peek at the still open elevator. “What kind of monster is he?”
“Oh my gosh, you did not just ask me that. And what do you mean no I’m not coming to get you? He kidnapped you, of course I’m going to come rescue you,” she snaps.
“No, you’re not. I’m fine, Aubrey, honest. I know what I’m doing.” That’s a lie, I’ve no idea what I’m doing, but I do know what will set Frank Stein off and maybe teach him a lesson.
“Is this about your grandma?” she whispers.
A pang goes through me at the question, but I can’t fault her for it. Grandma did just pass, and now I’m telling hernotto come get me when I’ve been kidnapped. I’d be questioning my sanity too.
I shake my head no, even though I know she can’t see me. “No, I’m alright really, I knew one day Grandma would pass. I’m sort of more shocked at how I wish we’d had more time together. We didn’t get along for so long, but that’s okay. She knows I loved her.”
“I’m so sorry Bernie, I know you two had grown close,” she says quietly, “But this isn’t high school Bernie. Frank Stein is seriously a psychopath, and you can’t justget evenlike you’ve done with all your classroom bullies. Where did he take you?”
“What kind of monster is he?”
She huffs. “I don’t know what kind. Idoknow him and Vlad don’t exactly get along.”
My lips lift into a grin. “Shut the front door. There’s no way in hell this is a coincidence, woman. A man that hot would have to be supernatural and I don’t know how I didn’t put it together before.Of course, he must be a vampire, too. Aubrey, this is amazing.”
She groans across the line as excited butterflies dance in my middle.
“If sexy reanimated corpse monsters are a thing all bets are off, unless—” I say, my voice full of awe as my brain skyrockets with possibilities. “Oh my god Aubrey, what if there really is a shadow daddy. I didn’t even think that would be an option, you know, it’s always werewolf or vampire. There is no in between.”
“You are freaking mental, and I’m coming to get you.”
I let out a snort on my way back to the fridge to find some orange juice, completely at ease now that I know he’s a monster. “As if Vlad is going to just let you leave the castle, and you know this is all starting to make sense, that’s why Frank’s so butthurt about me hacking into his company.”
“You hacked into his company?!” Aubrey shrieks.
“He’s got to be a vampire too. Wait.Oh my god, what if Frank Stein is like the original Dr. Frankenstein?” It would make sense why he’s so uptight.
Aubrey groans across the line. “What about the wordspsychopathic monsterare you not getting here.”
“Aww, he just needs love. Frank just needs a good attitude adjustment, that I’m about to provide free of charge, and maybe a little pussy.”
She snorts a laugh, and I know I’m reeling her in now.
I think back on how uptight he seems, like he has never had anyone really get under his skin and anticipation thrums beneath my skin. “Come on, Aubrey. He’s freaking hot, and you know it,” I tell her.
I could maybe be the best thing for him, and the hate sex would be unreal, plus, there’s no way possible he would ever get attached.It's brilliant.
“You would find him hot, oh my god. You are unreal,” she says, “I tell you he kidnapped me, and he’s a monster, and you still think he’s bangable.”
I roll my eyes at her, even though I know she can’t see. “Hello? He kidnapped me too. You’re not special, and that’s richcoming from you, Vamperella. You get to have your big scary vampire, and I never get to have any fun.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“I practically handed you Dracula,” I remind her, since it was me who booked her flight to castle Tepesh in the first place.
She lets out a heavy sigh, and I know I've got her.
“Have you seen how big he is? I can’t wait to see what his dick looks like, after I fuck him over for scaring you. You can say it, I’m the bestest friend ever,” I whisper conspiratorially, rubbing my hands together imagining Frank on his knees.
The gasp she gasps has a grin stretching across my lips, excitement stirring in my middle like a thousand butterflies.
