Aurora Sky Vampire Hunter - By Nikki Jefford Page 0,60

Slim between two fingers. Just what I needed right then.

I sidestepped her as she tried to blow smoke in my face.

I looked Valerie up and down. "The agents told me there were vampires, but they didn't mention anything about witches."

Valerie glared at me. "Maybe the agents didn't explain to you that you're supposed to take down vampires, not date them." She dropped her cigarette and crushed it under her boot.

"And shouldn't you be turning them in?" I countered.

"Do you want me to turn Fane in?"

I saw straight through the sweetness of her tone.

"No," I admitted.

"Then break it off," Valerie said smoothly.

I should have been relieved that she was offering to keep him secret from the agents, but relief was not what I felt inside my chest at the moment. The despair was so intense I itched to grasp the area over my heart and squeeze until it stopped hurting so much.

"You mean..."

"Break. Up. With. Him."

I ground my teeth together so hard they ached when I released. "So you can swoop back in?"

"Just remember, as long as Fane's with me he's safe." Valerie tossed her hair over her shoulder. She walked to her car, a shiny red Honda Civic that zoomed out of the lot, leaving behind a cloud of exhaust.

I didn't need to jump in place to keep warm as I waited for Dante - I was fuming. I always knew Valerie was heinous bitch. And now she thought she could blackmail me. Well, actually, she could. What was I going to do about it? What could I do? And why the hell did she think she could be with Fane if I couldn't?

I sobered up when Dante walked out. I knew there were more serious things to worry about than breaking up with Fane, though they didn't feel nearly as important.

Dante lifted his chin when he saw me. We got inside the Rubicon and he stared through the window shield into the lot before starting her up.

"Dante...I'm sorry." It seemed we were both losing someone we cared about.

"Don't worry, Sky. Janine would never rat us out."

"What about those two guys at the party?"

"I'm going to hunt them down this weekend. Wanna come?"

Not a bad idea. Break up with Fane then skip town. My life just kept getting better and better.
Chapter 21 Love Bites
I waited till the eleventh hour to call Fane.

Chicken shit.

I dialed his number, heart in my throat. I'd rather do this in person, but I remembered how well that went last time.

"Aurora."

He sounded so happy to hear from me. It made what I had to say that much worse.

"I'm headed out of town again."

"Fairbanks?"

"Unfortunately."

"When?"

"In a little bit."

"When are you getting back?"

"Don't know."

Fane released a deep breath. "I've missed you."

"Me, too."

I knew what Valerie wanted - for this to be a messy breakup so Fane would run right back into her arms for comfort. If only Valerie was a vampire. I'd ram a stake right through her evil heart.

"Fane..."

"I know what I am, but I didn't choose to be this way. In the end, I'm just a boy - a boy who doesn't get any older or die but still human - and I want to be with you as long as possible."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

This was my cue to reveal Valerie's evil plot. Did I take it? No. Because there was no way to tell him without confessing my own dark secret. If I told him we'd be history anyway. I was the real killer.

"I'm seeing someone else."

"What? Who?"

I couldn't speak for a moment, shocked I'd said the words. It wasn't part of the plan.

"Who is he?" Fane asked.

"I'm so sorry, Fane," I said very softly. "You mean a great deal to me."

"Who is he?"

"Dante."

Yep, that was spontaneous as well.

"Dante," Fane spit out. "You mean the big brother type?"

I winced. "I guess I started seeing him as more than that. I don't want to hurt you, but Dante and I have a lot in common, and he won't look like he's twenty when I'm eighty. How long do you think we'd last, anyway?"

"So that's it then? And this Dante character's going to stick around until you're eighty?"

"Probably not, but at least it's a possibility."

"I can't believe this. We need to talk...in person."

My body shuddered with a sensation that was more pleasure than fear.

"Let me pick you up."

"I can't. I'm about to leave."

The soft lilt of Fane's voice hardened. "With Dante?"

"With Dante," I repeated. "I'm sorry."

"I've got to go."

"Fane..."

It was good he hung up because I don't know what