Vampire Lies (Blood and Snow Season Book 1) (2 page)

I pretended not to hear, flying
further away from her and closer to the forest behind the castle. Pixilettes busied themselves. They were in charge of the seasons. Soon it would be autumn and they needed to gather seedlings to store until the following spring.

“Will you drink
unicorn blood today?” Sabrina asked, her little pixilette wings fluttering near my ear. She was dressed from head to toe in different tones of purple. Her dress was the color of lilacs and her tiny shoes were the shade of ripened plums. Lavender wings beat and fluttered at her back.

If Sabrina
weren’t my best friend, I would’ve told her it was none of her business whose blood I drank. But she and I had been close for more than ten years. We did everything together. Without her, I’d go crazy.

“I don’t know.” I spun
in a circle, enjoying the gentle breeze on my face. Unicorn blood was my favorite, but I took what I was given based on offerings from the different magics within Sharra.

Sabrina sh
ook. It freaked her out that I was a blood drinker.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure your blood is much too sweet for my tastes.”
I winked to let her know I was teasing.

She giggle
d nervously, the sound like tinkling bells. “I’m not worried,” she replied. I could tell it was only a little lie. She glanced away, running her tiny fingers through her violet hair that was the same color as my eyes.

I
waved off my irritation. There were plenty of vampires in Sharra. They all drank blood, just like me, but only the blood of animals and the vampires never killed them. It was one of the first laws the new Vampire Queen decreed when she became ruler.

As the only
Original Vampire, I required more than the others. In order to grow and thrive, I required the blood of magical creatures. It powered my magic and kept me healthy.

Early morning sunlight br
oke through the clouds, basking the land in orange and pink hues. Warmth tickled my skin and I lifted my face toward the light.

“Can you hang out today?” Sabrina asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“I’m sure I can.” I held out my hand. Sabrina flew forward, landing on my palm. “I’ll find you—”

“Jasmine!”

I jerked back at the sharpness in my mom’s voice, knocking over Sabrina. She tumbled through the air for the briefest moment until she righted herself.

“Coming,
Snow
,” I retorted with sarcasm.

Sabrina giggled
. “You’re going to be in big trouble for that, princess.”

I gulp
ed, knowing my mom didn’t like it when I called her by her first name. “Nah.” I lifted my chin. “But I’d better go.”

“Yeah, you should
.” She waved and then took off toward the forest.

I
watched her until she’d nearly reached the other pixilettes. Then I flew to my window ledge, folded my wings at my back and jumped inside.

“Hey, mom.
” I rushed past her toward the bathroom.

Mo
m was standing near my bed, her hands on her hips, looking ferociously beautiful. Her sleek black hair was the exact color of mine. It was pulled back and in a bun at the nape of her neck. She wore a bright yellow gown trimmed in red and blue. On her head was a crown befitting the Vampire Queen.

“How many times have I asked you not to call me
Snow?” She followed me, her skirt swishing with each step.

Ciana, the
vampire who’d helped raise me, sat in her rocking chair, knitting something. She looked to be in her early twenties, but from stories she told me of when she was human, she was probably three hundred, give or take a decade. Ciana wore her long blonde hair in a bun on the crown of her head. Her dress was long and looked confining. She owned the same dress in three colors, brown, gray, and navy blue. The dress accentuated her tiny waist.

When I was younger she was
so full of life. We always had fun together doing little things like chasing butterflies, planting crops, and digging up worms. Of course I never ate the food, but my dad did and I’d enjoyed doing things for him with Ciana.

In the past few years
, her demeanor had changed. She’d grown despondent. At first I tried to make her happy, but nothing seemed to help, so I stopped. But she was loyal, a rare find in Sharra, and I wouldn’t dismiss her.

I shrug
ged. “It’s your name, isn’t it? You’re Snow White, the Vampire Queen.”

When I was
seated at a chair in front of the vanity, she came to stand behind me. “Most importantly, I’m your mother.”

She leaned
down, our heads side by side and she squeezed my shoulders. Her eyes sparkled with love. I studied our reflections, once again astonished by our similarities. We both had black hair, though mine had a streak of teal in it; and the shape of our faces and our high cheekbones were the same. Our lips had the same sort of thickness and we were the same height.

There were differences too.
Her eyes were an unusual color, reflecting the various hues within the spectrum of the seven magics while mine were always violet. My skin was naturally tanner than hers. And then, of course, there was the huge difference between us. I had wings, obnoxiously large wings that protruded from my back like those of a giant black bird.

Although
they weren’t my parents in the traditional sense that I didn’t come from my mother’s womb, I still considered them my mom and dad.

I was born of
a gem created by their blood and the combination of the seven magics. My parents told me that their love for each other and their love for me brought me from the gem.

Sometimes, especially when
I assisted my mom with the birth of an animal, it made me to sad to realize I wasn’t born the same way, that I was different from every other known creature. My mom and dad always tried their best to make me feel wanted and loved, and most of the time I did. But sometimes I got lonely.

“
There are several meetings you must attend today so hurry, please. I want to make sure you’ve fed before we start.”

“Okay.”
I dabbed some perfume Heathcliff brought for me from the human world. The smell was warm and sweet and I loved it. Almost as much as I loved getting the magazines and music that Uncle Sebastian gave me. It was always my favorite day when one of my uncles or Professor Pops visited.

“Jasmine,” my mom snapped.

I put the lid back on the perfume and glanced at my mom. I wanted to ask her why she didn’t trust me. Why she thought I would pounce on the first warm-blooded creature I encountered. Sure, it’d been a problem when I was little. My hunger would take over and more than once I sank my fangs into something or someone I shouldn’t. But that’d been years ago. Couldn’t she see I was no longer a child but a grown woman. In a few weeks I would turn sixteen. Could I use some blood? Yes. Was I at the point where I’d pounce for it? Not even close. I squeezed some lotion on my hands and rubbed it into my arms. My mom seemed to be getting more and more impatient.  

Zenny appeared in the mirror and clapped
his hands together. “My two most favorite vampires.”

“Zenny. Good morning.” My mom nodded a hello.

“Hey Zen. Way to rock plaid and polka-dots.”

He crossed his arms and popped a hip. “You know it.”

I covered the smile trying to wriggle its way from my lips with my hand.

Zenny
always wore crazy outfits that somehow totally worked on him. Today he had on navy blue and orange plaid pants. They were tight and stopped just above his ankles. His shoes were orange as was his button down shirt, which was covered in small navy polka dots. The collar was up and he wore a white t-shirt underneath. His hair was cropped short and just as bright orange as his shoes.

“Zenny, we don’t need your assistance today.
I’ve already picked out her dress and her makeup—”

I glared, unhappy my mom
thought it was okay to choose what I wore. “I want him here. Why don’t
you
go? I’ll meet you in the dining hall in a few minutes.”

Her face fell. “Of course.”

Guilt tore through my insides. I knew my mom meant well. And while it wasn’t her intention to be annoying and bossy, she kind of was. All the time.

She walked to the bathroom doorway and paused. “Please wear the dress I’ve chosen. I
’ve pulled it out and it’s waiting for you in your closet.”

I bit back a retort. “I guess,” I said.

My mom looked at me, her eyes sad and filled with frustration. My heart lurched. I knew I was letting her down somehow. She came back and gently touched my wings. “Why don’t you have Zenny help you fluff and clean these?” She ran her fingers through the dark feathers, her touch soothing.

“Okay,” I said, catching her gaze in the mirror. For the past few months we’d been at such odds. It seemed no matter how I tried we didn’t click
like we used to. Lately she focused more on what I was required to do as the princess of Sharra and less on what I needed as a teenage girl. 

If it
weren’t for my uncles bringing me the latest news in the form of entertainment magazines from the human world, I’d be miserable. It just felt like my mom didn’t understand. I had needs, desires, goals… I wanted a life outside the castle. Outside of Sharra. And my damn wings? Ugh. Why did I have to be the only vampire in the entire world to have them? My life was difficult and my mom just didn’t get it.

Meetings were boring. Listening to the magical creatures of Sharra complain about how so-and-so stole a piece of fruit off their land and asking my mom what she was going to do about it was beyond tedious.
I wanted to see a movie. I wanted to go to high school. I wanted to go on dates, attend football games, and maybe kiss a boy or two. I wanted the wings on my back to disappear. I wanted normal.

That didn’t seem like too much to ask.
But I was almost sixteen and my life was passing me by. 

It wasn’t fair.

Both my parents had attended regular high school. They lived an ordinary life for years before coming to Sharra. Why couldn’t I be given the same consideration?

My dad walked in. “Dad,” I hollered,
crossing my arms over my chest, even though I was still fully dressed.

“Hey, sweetie. How’s my girl?” He came over and kissed me on the cheek.

I forced myself not to blush. “I’m too old for that,” I said with pretend haughtiness.

He tapped the end of my nose with his finger. “Never.” Then he turned to my mom and things got really awkward. He pulled her to him
and kissed her lightly on the mouth. She gave him a secret smile.

“Gross,” I
shouted. “Get out! Both of you.”

Chapter 2

They
laughed.

My dad winked.

And while I feigned disgust, it was a moment just like theirs that I craved. I wanted to love and be loved by someone the way they so obviously loved each other. That wasn’t going to happen in Sharra. There were no swoon worthy guys. The only time I ever saw a handsome man in Sharra was while I was out in the forest when I was a lot younger. But even he had been too old. I didn’t want to admit it to myself, but I knew who he was… And he was out of the question, big time.

There were male vampires in the land
, but the old Vampire Queen, Sharra, had created them, which meant they were all way too old for me. Since Mom wasn’t creating any more vampires, the chances of meeting a boy that was also my age and a vampire was impossible. Of course there were elves, ogres, fairies, and other magical creatures that had boys my age, but… ewwwww!

“Breakfast. Five minutes,” my dad insisted.

“I know. I’d get ready if you two would leave.”
I applied some black eyeliner. It was a little too heavy for my mom’s tastes, but then she rarely wore makeup. It was Aunt Cindy who showed me how to apply it the way humans did.

I caught my mom’s grimace in the reflection. “What?” I asked, holding the liner like a pencil in my right hand.

She leaned over and kissed the top of my head. “I love you, darling.”

“I know, mom.” And I did
. I knew she and my dad both did. Regardless of our uncomfortable conversations or lack thereof. There was no doubt they loved me very much.

“Hustle,” my dad said
.

“Okay. Hey, do you think after the meetings maybe I could go with
Uncle Heathcliff to his lab. He said I could help him and then he’d take me to see a movie. He said he could hide my wings easily and that—”

My dad came over and squeezed my shoulders. “Honey, you know that’s a bad idea. If anyone were to find out
about your wings, about what you are, all sorts of bad things could happen.”

My shoulders sagged. I’d heard the same
lame excuse many times before.