Diego’s words to myself. Who did he think he was? I mean, other than the King of Hell or whatever. I didn’t like being told what to do, but at least I was going to get pancakes out of it.
Drew
I showed up at ten forty-three, I was early for being early. I had to ask Rocky where I was even supposed to be since Diego failed to include that crucial piece of information when he was busy telling me what to do. I was half tempted to not show up at all and use that as an excuse, but I was going to be the bigger person here. I caught Diego’s attention to make sure he knew that I was seventeen minutes early. His face initially registered shock when he saw me, but he recovered quickly, arranging his face into a polite smile.
Normally I would have googled vampire couture, but since I didn’t have my phone and the parental settings they installed on my laptop barely let me send emails to Lacey, I had to beg Betty for help. She was surprisingly happy to play What Not to Wear with me as she tore through both of our closets for the perfect outfit. She settled on red leather pants and a lacy black top with sleeves that billowed out at my wrists.
“Go to town, there’s no such thing as too much,” I had told Betty as she applied layers of black eyeliner over the black shadow on my lids.
Diego looked good. His all black suit was tailored to cling to all the right places, if you know what I mean. He sauntered up to me as I adjusted the large sunglasses on my face. I still wasn’t quite comfortable in the sun. Despite the long sleeves, I still had to apply about a tub of sunblock before I felt comfortable leaving the tower of doom—my new name for the vampire compound. If I had a gothic umbrella, I’d be holding it right now. I looked and felt ridiculous, but the way Diego bit his lip in appreciation gave me confidence.
“You look surprisingly vampiric,” he noted before sweeping his gaze up and down my body. “It suits you.”
“And you sound surprised. I can follow orders—even ridiculous ones. I like being alive, thank you very much. Also, can we please discuss the irony of vampires having brunch?”
Diego gave me a blank stare. “What do you mean?”
Letting out a huff, I quickly explained. “Brunch is the epitome of sunshine, patios, sugar, happiness, and mimosas. It’s literally the most cheerful part of my day.”
“It’s just breakfast later in the day,” he deadpanned. I fought the urge to slap him.
“Brunch is a spiritual experience that should be taken very seriously. It’s not just breakfast later in the day,” I said, using finger quotes to emphasize my point. “It’s where you and your friends can recap about the night before. It’s where you don’t have to count calories, you don’t have to worry if it’s appropriate to have champagne at ten a.m. You can be yourself and indulge with your favorite people while sitting on an Instagram-worthy patio.”
I finished my monologue while clutching my chest. Diego stepped closer to me and tipped my chin. “When you’re the vampire king, your entire life is brunch, Drew.”
I don’t know why, but that was quite possibly the sexiest thing anyone had ever said to me. “That analogy is so much better than the country club bullshit you said yesterday,” I replied with a smile. “You should put that on the welcome pamphlets: Life is like brunch when you’re a vampire.”
Diego squeezed his eyes shut in annoyance. “Let’s go inside, please.”
Claire and Graham were already seated inside, along with half a dozen other vampires I didn’t recognize. Huh, I guess I wasn’t as early as I thought. As if he were reading my thoughts, Diego whispered so that only I could hear, “We’ve been here for an hour, we had some council matters to discuss before your arrival.”
Claire stood up when she saw me and greeted me with a warm smile and gentle hug. I already knew that I liked her, but seeing her in a white sundress with perfectly curled hair standing out amongst the sea of black gave me hope. Maybe I didn’t have to give up my entire identity to stay alive. Or dead. Or undead, I really needed to clarify the lingo with Diego.
“To those of you who don’t already know her, I would like to