Here’s another snippet with Jayden and Chantelle. It won’t be going in the books anywhere, since it takes place a good two or three years before the events of Dark Pages, but I had a lot of fun with this anyway.
“Hey, vamp,” an unfamiliar voice said.
Jayden's heart nearly burst out of his chest. He whipped his head around, his pulse hammering, to see who was addressing him. He scrubbed at his face with one hand as he did so. Even if this person knew he was a vampire, he didn't want them to see the blood and know what he'd done.
The owner of the voice was a girl—probably not much younger than him, he noticed. She stood out like a sore thumb amidst the dull colors of the cemetery, with pixie cut blond hair and a pink- and white-striped set of stockings under cream-colored overalls and a high cropped Hello Kitty shirt. The girl noticed him staring and grinned. “What're you doing out here in the cemetery all by yourself this late at night? Midnight snack?”
On any other day, Jayden would have retorted by saying he could ask her the same question. Today, though, he merely hung his head and remained silent.
The girl clucked her tongue at him. “Hey, cheer up. I was just teasing.” She came closer and crouched down in the grass beside him. “A vamp's got to do what a vamp's got to do. Although I am wondering why you're snacking in the cemetery. You know grave dirt is dangerous for vamps, don't you?”
Jayden glared at her, hoping he'd look intimidating enough to scare her off. “I'll show you dangerous if you don't leave me alone,” he snarled, and threw in a hiss for good measure.
His attempt to frighten her failed: all the girl did was burst out laughing. “You're new,” she managed between giggles. “You're totally new. Oh my God, that was funny.”
He slumped back against the nearest tombstone. “You don't have to rub it in,” he grumbled. He paused for a moment, then added, “And I'm not new. I've been like this since I was born.”
“Sure you have.” The girl offered a hand to him. “I'm Chantelle. What about you?”
After a few seconds of hesitation, he took the proffered hand. “Jayden.”
The girl, Chantelle, gave him another of her wide, brilliant grins. “Nice to meet you, vamp.” She stood up, hauling him to his feet with her. “So, where do you live? Your folks would probably have a good fit if they knew you came out here to the cemetery. I'll walk you home.”
Jayden looked away and said nothing.
Chantelle seemed to understand what he meant without asking. “Do you want to come home with me? My parents won't mind. I've brought worse things home before.” She smiled as he looked at her hopefully.
“You know what I am,” Jayden said slowly, “but you want to take me home with you? Are you stupid?”
Her smile broadened, revealing little dimples at the corners of her lips. “No, I'm a sorceress,” she corrected him. “I think I can handle it if you get a little peckish.”
Jayden did a double take. For a sorceress, she looked remarkably human. He examined her appearance again, more closely this time. Now he noticed the poreless, porcelain look of her skin, the unnaturally vivid shade of her green eyes shot through with flecks of blue and amber, and the delicacy of her small joints, and he could tell she carried fae blood. “You don't look much like a sorceress.”
“What, were you expecting wings?” Chantelle quipped. “We Mystics don't stand out much, vamp. Not like you do.”
He made a face, knowing she was referring to his pallor and abnormally sharp canines. Most people didn't notice, but there was still the occasional person who commented on his vampiric appearance. “You've got a point. But still, you seriously want to take me to your house? When I look like this?” He gestured to his face, smeared with the blood he hadn't been able to wipe off.
She propped her hands on her hips and looked over him critically. “Like I said, a vamp's got to do what a vamp's got to do. It's not like you can get a blood milkshake at the local burger joint or anything.” Reaching up with one hand, she gave his nose a light pinch between two thin fingers. “Come on, it's late. Let's go before the Dark Law starts patrol for the night.”
Chantelle's house turned out to be a quaint two-story cottage on the outskirts of Clearwater. Its back was up against the edge of the forest line, which spread out behind in both directions as far as Jayden could see. It looked like a nice enough place to live, he supposed.
“All right, vamp, enough staring. Let's get inside.” She frog-marched him up to the front porch without hesitation and entered. “I'm home!” she announced loudly. “Could you set up the guest room, Mom?”
“What do you need the guest room set up for?” a woman's voice demanded from around the corner of the foyer. Moment later, the voice's owner stepped into view with an inquisitive expression. The woman bore a strong likeness to Chantelle, with the same blond hair and poreless skin, although her hair shimmered over with a fiery red tint that somehow didn't detract from its golden color. When she caught sight of Jayden, her thin eyebrows snapped up in surprise. “I see,” she said. “Well, bring the poor boy in and have him sit down somewhere. It's getting brisk out; we don't want him to catch a cold.”
“Vamps don't catch colds, Mom,” Chantelle pointed out with the tone of someone who'd reminded her of this on more than one occasion. All the same, she ushered Jayden through the house to a small living room decked out in cheerful blues and greens, and pushed him down onto the couch. Her mother entered shortly after with a cup of what looked like tea in hand.
“I know you would probably prefer blood, but I'm afraid I don't have any on hand,” she informed him apologetically, offering the cup.
Jayden took the cup and shook his head. “It's fine. It's … it's been awhile since I've had anything else.” He blew on the tea to cool it as Chantelle and her mother plopped down on either side of him.
“I suppose your bringing him home means he hasn't got a place of his own to stay?” Chantelle's mother asked her.
Chantelle shook her head. “He was in the cemetery. I don't think he'd be there otherwise.”
“Could you maybe not talk about me as if I weren't here?” Jayden demanded peevishly. Chantelle's mother went pink and stood back up, mumbling something about setting up the guest room for him. Chantelle stayed put.
“Why don't you go help your mom?” Jayden suggested to her. He was grateful for her opening her home to him like this, but he didn't like her hovering.
“She'll be finished soon enough,” Chantelle replied dismissively. “Setting stuff up, for us, is easy as one two three.” She snapped her fingers, releasing a flurry of pink sparks he recognized as magic.
She really was a sorceress, then. A very odd sorceress, granted, but a sorceress nonetheless. “Of course. I should have known.” He took a long sip of the tea and relished its sweet herbal taste, so different from that of the blood he had been drinking earlier.
“All finished,” Chantelle's mother announced, bustling back into the room. She was carrying a set of folded clothes; she dropped them into Jayden's lap. “I thought you might like some pajamas to sleep in. I hope you don't mind they're some old things of my husband's.”
Jayden shook his head. “Not at all,” he assured her.
“All right, then. Just let me know if you need anything else, okay? I'll be more than happy to do what I can.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Chantelle's mother smiled, revealing dimples the same as her daughter's. “There's no need to call me that,” she assured him. “Mrs. Emery will do for the present.”
He returned the smile shyly. “Thank you, then, Mrs. Emery.”
“You're very welcome.” And with that, she bustled out of the room again.
Chantelle launched herself up off the couch. “Well, vamp, I guess I should probably show you to the guest room,” she remarked.
Jayden rolled his eyes but stood up anyway. “My name is Jayden, you know. Not 'vamp.' How about calling me by it?” He balanced his teacup carefully in his hands as he followed Chantelle down a brightly lit and modestly decorated hallway to a small bedroom at the end.
“That would be no fun,” came Chantelle's reply. She pushed open the door of the bedroom and gestured for him to enter. “Here you go. It's all yours, vamp, for as long as you want to stay.”
Jayden, halfway through the door already, turned and stared at her. “What?”
She shrugged in the most elegant manner he'd ever seen in his life. “We're not about to kick you out if you've got nowhere to stay. You can live here for however long you need to.” She reached out and gave him a playful shove, sending him stumbling further into the room. “Sweet dreams, vamp. I'll see you in the morning.”