Page 37 of Our Sins in Blood (Coven of Sin 1)

It was my own fucked-up fantasies about them that frightened me most.

Chapter nineteen

Pretzels, Zombies, and a Kiss

Ipaidcloseattentionto the way Corry handled the motorcycle he’d called a “Ninja.” Everything from the way he sat on it to the way he turned it on, changed gears and worked the turn signals and headlights seemed pretty easy.

I was almost excited to steal it.

As we zipped down the streets of a larger town called Barnstable, I relished the way the air stung my skin. I craved every jump of my heart as Corry zig-zagged around other vehicles and blew through traffic lights, going speeds that would be at home inThe Fast and the Furiousfranchise. If I were any other girl, I’d be pissed and scared out of my mind. But this was exhilarating, and Corry seemed to be on an entirely alternate plane of awareness judging by how he expertly maneuvered his way through the streets. He may not have had Vincent’s brute strength or ability to mesmerize people, but Corry’s talent seemed to be his lightning-fast reflexes.

After about an hour of driving, Corry pulled the bike into a parking lot of a large concrete building with a flashing neon sign that read, “Roller City.” Beside the sign sat a huge model roller skate, its wheels lined with twinkling lights. Muffled 80s glam metal music poured into the parking lot, and I couldn’t help but shake my head with a laugh. He’d taken me to a roller rink.

Cutting the engine, Corry pulled his helmet off and twisted around to help me with mine. “So, what do you think?”

My arms dropped from where they’d been wrapped around his waist for the last hour, and I smoothed down my hair, laughing. “I think you’re crazy.”

He raked his fingers through his mashed brunette locks, teasing them back up into the spiked style he seemed to prefer. “You’ve had so many other experiences taken from you that I thought it might be nice to take you out for a normal first date. Well, as close to normal as you can get on a date with a dead guy.”

I found myself smiling. My heart pounded hard, not from the intense drive but from something else. Something I desperately wanted to ignore.

“It’s nice, Corry. Thank you. You’re the only one who has cared enough to try and give me normal experiences.”

He pulled himself off the bike and held out his hand. “Well, I figured we owed you a little bit of normalcy. Come on, Red, I’ll buy you a pretzel.”

It was easy being with Corry. He made me feel…human. Maybe it was the fact that he was close to my age—twenty-one, I found out while standing in line to get our skates. Or maybe it was the way he treated me like an actual person and not a monster. When we got our skates, he sat me down on a bench and knelt on the colorful carpet in front of me to help lace me into the clunky shoes, chatting with me about music, bikes and other normal things. I watched with quiet fascination as he pulled on the bright orange laces, his youthful features lighting up with a display of glow sticks for sale behind a counter selling skates and protective gear.

“You really were turned only six months ago,” I found myself saying in a hushed voice, recalling the argument where his brother had chastised him for his age.

Corry looked up, his expression growing stony. “Yup, that’s me. The stupid, reckless youngblood.”

“I didn’t mean it as an insult. I like how human you seem. It’s nice. I hope you stay like this.”

His brows crinkled. “What do you mean?”

I swallowed, choosing my next words carefully. “It’s only that Vincent seems to have lost much of his humanity. I’m guessing he’s really old. It would make sense for a vampire who—”

“You’ve got it wrong,” Corry cut me off, his tone flat. He got up and sat on the bench next to me, yanking on his own skates. “Vincent is thirty-two years old. He was turned when he was twenty-two. He’s only been a vampire for a decade now. He’s an asshole because that’s his personality. He likes to think it’s because of what Master did to him, but Sterling had to put up with that sick bastard for a thousand years, and he’s one of the kindest people you’ll ever meet.”

“What did my father do to Vincent?”

“It’s not really my story to tell, Red, and I only know bits and pieces anyway.”

I sat for a moment, staring at all the skaters on the rink, going around and around in loops just like my thoughts. Maybe Corry was being a bit harsh on his assessment of Vincent’s “personality.” I didn’t have the nitty-gritty details of what my father had done to the eldest of his sons, but torture had a way of changing people regardless of the method. Maybe Sterling was just the exception. Everything about the silver-haired prince was an anomaly.

I clung to Corry as he slowly rolled me onto the rink.

“Stop laughing at me,” I chastised him through a grin. “I’ve never done this before.”

“Maybe we should have opted for the helmet and knee pads, babe. Maybe a couple of pillows and some duct tape too. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I hope you’ve got underwear on under that dress because you’re gonna be flashing the whole rink if you don’t gain your balance.”

I shot him a withering glare, using my free hand to pull down the hem of my skirt. “If I knew you were taking me here, I wouldn’t have worn a dress.”

“Here, let go of me, and I’ll show you how it’s done.”

Reluctantly, I released him and clung to the edge of the rink’s balustrade as I watched him skate circles around everyone else, weaving between skaters and darting around with the same precision he had on his motorcycle. I didn’t miss the way other girls watched him, either. Hell, practically everyone in the place had their eyes glued to Corry. When he came around again, he grasped my hand and pulled me along with him, cackling as I struggled to gain my balance.

“Corry, you jerk!”

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