The Fire-Bringer

ke me think of naked bodies writhing together, slick with sweat, on silken sheets. I see my salvation. I see my death. I see myself falling from the edge of a cliff and

straight, sharp nose and full, sensuous lips twisted in a frow

her arm around my shoulders and helping me sit up. "Go

Olive adds, wide-eyed. "She's been through a lot today," she t

ut I grab Nikki and lean heavily against her. She wraps her arms around me to secure

ce-cube melting and dripping down my spine. He lifts his hand to my forehead, makes

ately, my aunt who was babysitting me knew CPR and some healing magic, so I was brought back to life. Pretty Boy's touch? Exactly like that. He and I look at each other in surprise, thoug

ly jump when Olive pokes me in the side and says, "He is the new Viceroy of the

half foot over Nikki who is six feet tall, and lean. He is wearing dark gray trousers which appear to be tailored and a black long-sleeved shirt which cling to his muscled arms and shoulders. His hair is... dark red, looking like living fire in the sunlight and long enough to touch th

nd retails over eight hundred thousand dollars. Hand-made and takes about eight to ten month

racteristic bluntness, but H

ll. It doesn't matter if you're a human, a were-animal, or fae: if you stare into a master vampire's ey

I wasn't looking," Olive replies casually as if the very idea of it isn't the creepiest thing in the world. "He's after me because I'm a purebred female and my fat

a piece of wilted leaf inside a Mason jar. I am trying very hard not to look at him like he's

auty and strength. Every elegant inch of him seemed to boast power and topnotch design by Mother Nature. I envy Olive for many things, never mind her breath-taking beauty and wealthy parents, but I never resented her for any of it. Some of us have it, some of us

ever tell us abou

should I have? He's not important to me." She waves dismissively towar

to introduce u

wer lip. She might be suspicious of him, but is hardly unaffected by his good looks. She is torn between wanting to knock his head off and pouncing on him to kiss him. I have know

ys Olive. "I think he is in phase two of his plan: get in good with my fr

the shadows and watching us makes my mouth go dry. I can write poems all day about his eyebrows alone. Sure, he's after

rls in sailor outfits on the cover. He wrote sonnets about me and posted them on my Facebook wall and my Tumblr account. He managed to find out my number even though I changed it three times and left me voicemail singing dumb songs he made up about my toes. He uploaded Youtube videos

mmune to Olive's, though we've witnessed her put someone under before--and yet here I am staring into a vampire's eyes and all I can think about is how beautiful his silver eyes are. They're like pools of light beckoning me to dive in and submerge myself. But maybe I am mesmerized and I don't even know it. Maybe that's why

eizes my middle. It wraps around my abdomen like a boa constrictor determined to break my bones. I close my eyes and little blue lights dance on my eyelids as

he touch." Nikki's voice. P

s Olive. "We're attracting too mu

Hollister. I curl my fingers into his shirt. He smells like a vampire does, metallic and a little bit like spearmint, b

I am in the backs