Pretty in Black (Pretty in Black #1) A Vampire Romance Series

The Meadow

THE MEADOW

After spending the entire night with him, I awoke in the meadow, a black butterfly tickling my nose. Marcus beside me, still. It was Halloween morning, and he had his arm around me. I inhaled the morning air. The sun bright in my eyes. The day brand new. When the butterfly fluttered away, I turned my head to see if Marcus was awake. He was. He gazed into my eyes.

"My birthday is only two days away, Marcus. I expect something good."

He smiled. He took my hand and brought it to his chest. And beneath his skin I felt a faint beating in his chest. "Marcus, your heart is beating!" I exclaimed, astonished.

He shook his head. "No, Ellie. It's trying to. You see, the more and more in love with you I fall, the less dead I feel. My body is trying to mimic human function. You give me an adrenaline rush. The feeling-it's almost like a drug that goes way beyond an addiction."

He rolled over on top of me, kissed me on my lips. My neck. He ran his fingers so lightly over my skin that the sensation tickled me. I laughed and rolled him over and pinned his hands to the ground and kissed him.

"Happy Halloween," he said.

"Marcus, I'd love to stay here all day, but I have to go to school."

"You don't have to," he said.

"Yes, yes I do." I laughed. "I don't want to be one hundred years old and ignorant."

"I get it. Higher education." But he did promenade with me through the meadow and walk me to class.

The school's homecoming committee was decorating the gymnasium with Halloween decorations. Black, maroon, and white balloons. White and purple streamers. Jack-o-lanterns. Skeletons and spiders and tombstones on the walls.

I couldn't believe I'd decided to come. As soon as I'd entered, Madison and her crew approached me. "Don't tell me you're actually attending tonight."

"I am."

"And let me guess, you're bringing him."

"And let me guess, you're bringing Declan, because no decent guy in this school would ever consider courting a skank. So just move. I only came by to submit my music request."

"No thanks. We aren't going to dance to your death rock."

"Move Madison." And when she didn't, I pushed past her. "I know the DJ," I said.

"Hey Maxx." I said. "What's on the line-up tonight?"

"Shit that I definitely do not spin at my nightclub."

I laughed. "Here." I passed him a CD. "Play this when it starts to get boring."

"Now we're talking about a real fucking high school Halloween dance. You coming tonight?"

"Yeah," I said. "Didn't think I offered my good music to benefit these losers did you?"

"Who's the lucky guy?"

"Marcus Marble."

"Marcus? As in the creeper who chased you around in the nightclub a month or so ago?"

"Yep."

"Okay. I can dig that."

"See ya, Maxx."

That night I met Marcus at the cemetery gates. I wore a strapless black dress that was poofy at the bottom, my hair was pinned to my head in curls with purple glitter and I made sure I had applied my makeup right. Too bad my mother couldn't be around for these events. She was too busy with Nick.