I stand up. “Hi.” Suddenly, I’m not sure what to do with my hands. My emotions are a jumble of anger, happiness, and distrust as I face the man who has caused my mother so much heartache and left me wondering for years what went wrong. He was also the source of many daydreams as I imagined what having a father would be like. I’m not ready to hug him, so I say, “Nice place you’ve got here.”

  He holds out a mug. “Thanks. I got a hell of a deal.” He surprises me with a deep laugh that’s infectious, and it makes me smile in spite of myself. I take the coffee from him and sip on it. The rich flavor reminds me of my favorite blend at the coffee shop where I used to work.

  “Do you like it?” he asks. “I know you’re somewhat of an expert.”

  “It’s good.” I think about how less than a week ago I was a regular person who worked in a coffee shop, had a crush on my best guy friend, and hung out with a few close girlfriends when I wasn’t surfing. “Thanks.”

  “Walk with me,” says my father as he approaches the doors I came in. They open as he gets closer, and I suspect they’re motion activated. When we get outside, I notice a dirt path that follows closely around the edge of the castle. “Alexander told me you’ve been a vampire less than a week.”

  “Yes.”

  “He also said you’ve shown impressive progress.”

  “I guess.” I sip on my coffee as we walk.

  “It’s a family thing.” He leads me to the left, and we’re in the shadow of the castle at first, but as we move around the corner, the sun shines on us. He stops and lifts his face to the sky and lets out a sigh. “I never forget to appreciate this.”

  I soak in the warm rays of the sun too. I try to imagine never feeling this again, and while I’d still rather be a human, at least I’m not confined to the dark. “It definitely helps.”

  My father glances at me with a frown before he says, “I remember taking you to the beach when you were a small child. I’m sure your mother has told you a hundred times, but you learned to walk on sand. For years, you cried every time we had to leave.”

  I smile. “I’ve heard that story once or twice.”

  He chuckles. “You belong near the sea and the sand and with the sun.”

  I notice the lack of landscaping, but it’s not barren here. There are thorny sea rose bushes and other brush. I hear the crash of waves on a beach as the bushes thin out to sand dunes with tall grass, and as we get to the rise of a knoll, I see the ocean. “Wow.”

  “Pretty spectacular, isn’t it?” my father asks. A beach of nearly white sand lies before us, and when I glance around, it appears to go on for miles. “I’m told the surfing here is killer.”

  I chuckle and recall how Alexander likes to crack vampire jokes. “Alexander?”

  “Yes. He was good to you?”

  “Very.” I recall the way my escorts treated him as if he was insignificant and ask, “Will he be allowed to come visit me?”

  “Yes. The Harts are always welcome and visit frequently. But if you’re looking for someone to surf with, I happen to know a guy who’s already here. He’s old, but his body isn’t much more than your age.”

  “You?”

  “With a beach like this, can you blame me? I took it up when I first arrived. I figured I had decades to get good at it.”

  “Are you?”

  He shrugs, and a breeze blows his long dark hair away from his face. “I can get up and catch a few waves. Want to go this afternoon after your board arrives?”

  I gaze at the man standing next to me who looks as if he could be my older brother instead of my father. I’m not sure what I expected, but surfing with him like a friend wasn’t it. “Sure.” I look out over the water and watch waves roll in, and I mentally plan where I place myself to wait for the perfect ones. Alexander was right about this beach. It is killer.

  Like my dad?

  I think about the way Alexander implied my father is a ruthless man, and I wonder how long it will be before I see that side. For now, though, I’m going to focus on surfing with my new vampire strength and getting to know the father I never thought I’d see again.

  3

  Maggie

  As we eat lunch, I’m overcome with sleepiness, and since it’s not unusual for me to nap when I’m run-down, I could very easily tell my mother that’s what I’m going to do this afternoon. But I’m worried about what she’ll be up to while I sleep. There are too many ways she could get into trouble in this mansion. I stifle a yawn as I lift my glass of water to take a sip. “What would you like to do this afternoon?” I ask.

  “I’d love to go into town and wander around. Alexander told me it’s a short walk, but we could drive if you don’t feel up to the exercise.” She frowns. “You look so tired, honey.”

  I wave my hand at her in dismissal. “I’m fine.” I think about all the money I’ve been making and the fact I haven’t spent it on anything other than the books I purchased at Joan’s store a couple days ago. After so many years of my mother taking care of me and doing without a lot of things because of my condition, I’d like to buy her something nice. “Let’s drive anyway,” I say. “I feel like shopping.”

  “Shopping? That sounds fun.” Mom stands up and glances at the table. “I have a strong urge to clear things and bring them to the kitchen.”

  I smile. “It’s weird. I know. But Bertha does get paid to clean up after us.”

  “I suppose.” She sighs and moves to leave the room.

  After we get upstairs, Mom grabs her purse and comes to my suite. Her feet thud softly on the hardwood floor as she walks around my space. “My gosh, Maggie. Our rooms are so bright and cheerful.” She hugs herself as if she’s cold. “It’s such a strong contrast to the dreary entry and study.”

  “The solarium is full of light too.”

  “Yes, but it hardly ever gets used. I bet you spend most of your time up here.”

  “How did you know the solarium isn’t used often?”

  She chuckles. “Bertha is a wonderful cook, but she isn’t the best housekeeper. There was a strip of dust behind one of the couches that looked as if it was years thick. Lunch today was the first time you were ever in there, wasn’t it?”

  I open my mouth to object before I realize who I’m talking to. “Ah. Well.” I couldn’t get away with anything as a child, and I don’t think I’m going to get away with much as an adult either. “No. I mean yes, that’s the first time I’ve been in there, but I didn’t know it wasn’t used often.”

  “This is such a big house. I’m sure there isn’t much need to use it.”

  I nod as if that’s the reason and that it has nothing to do with the fact the Harts can’t tolerate sunlight. In an effort to move to a safe subject, I say, “There’s a wonderful little coffee shop in town you have to try.” It feels as if it was years ago I used to see Aiden daily. Even though I’m not supposed to be hanging out with him or his group of friends, I think it’s safe for me to see them at their jobs in town. I have the excuse of a book tour for my absence, so I doubt anyone will find me suspicious.

  Not only do I miss my daily coffee drink, but I’m curious what they think happened to Lyndsey. She fell off the face of the earth and became a vampire, although now that I think about it, I realize I probably shouldn’t ask about her. No need to raise any doubts. However, I am going to ask Alexander where the new vampire went. I can’t imagine they’d keep Lyndsey around with me and my mother here as temptation.

  Mom says, “That sounds great. I have to get a few tacky tourist items for the girls at work.” As we descend the stairs, she asks, “Should I drive?”

  “No. Wait until you see my fancy new car.” Mom has always driven an older-model car with high mileage and usually on the verge of a major repair. She’ll be as impressed as I am by my Alfa Romeo. It occurs to me that since the car belongs to me, I can leave it to her when I die, and I should probably write out my wishes to be perfectly clear what I want to happen. My throat thickens as I think about how I only have days left to live, and when we reach the dark entryway, my morbid thoughts match the somber atmosphere. I’m not sure who rushes faster to the door to get outside in the sunlight, but when Mom and I reach the lawn, we both inhale deeply.

  She starts giggling. “I feel as if we just escaped a haunted house.”

  “Mom!”

  She stops and turns back toward the mansion. “Did you notice the door knocker? It’s creepy.”

  I chuckle as I recall the knocker is a dragon with red jewel eyes and that its mouth holds the very large brass ring. “I forgot about that. It is.”

  Mom shakes her head as we walk toward the garage. “I’m sorry. It’s a lovely house, and I shouldn’t be criticizing. They probably bought it that way.”

  “It’s fine. The Harts are interesting men, and the quirks of the mansion fit them.”

  “They are. You must have some fun stories for me.”

  Boy, do I. But the best ones contain secrets I can’t reveal. I smile as I remember one I can share. “Let me tell you about when I first met Sebastian and Alexander. But first—” I open the side door of the garage with a flourish. “Check out my car.”

  We step inside the cool space, which houses six cars. The first bay is for the limo, and it’s empty, and I suspect Adly took Sebastian somewhere. My car is in the spot past the limo’s place. When I press the remote, the alarm beeps to indicate that the doors are unlocked and the lights flash.

  “Oh my god!” exclaims Mom. She walks over and drags her hand along the door. “This is one sexy car, Maggie.” She turns to me with a smile. “I’m going to look so hot in this.”

  I chuckle. “We totally are.” I walk over to my side and slide behind the wheel. The garage door groans open before I back out.

  As we pull out of the driveway, Mom lowers her window and sticks her hand out, and she says, “Tell me the funny story about your first day.”

  I glance out at the ocean and notice the sun is reflecting on the choppy water like glitter the way it did when I first drove to the Hart mansion. I flash back to standing in the study when I first arrived. “So remember the pencil skirt and shirt I bought to make a good impression? I was a rumpled mess by the time I got here and Bertha brought me to the study to meet the Harts.” I smile as I recall Alexander’s first words to me. “Alexander was fascinated by my hair and even asked if he could tug on a curl. When he did, he said, ‘They bounce!’ as if he’d never seen such a thing.”

  Mom chuckles. “He is quite playful. What did Sebastian do?”

  My heart, which has been quiet for the past few hours, floods me with longing for Sebastian, and I recall the way he stared at me, hoping to see Elizabeth instead. “He was more serious. I was actually afraid of him at first. Especially when he insisted on calling me Margaret.”

  “You hate that name.”

  “I do, but since it was my first day, I couldn’t exactly tell my new boss he couldn’t use it.”

  “True,” says Mom. “So what happened next?”

  “Alexander brought me up to my room to unpack and told me to come down for dinner an hour later.” I think about how I felt like a princess when I saw the green silk gown they had for me to wear. “I was told to wear a dress they had for me.” I glance over at my mother. “It was a long emerald-green gown and designed to hide my scar. It made me feel beautiful.”

  “They really poured on the charm, didn’t they?”

  They did, and now I realize it was so I wouldn’t run before I was in too deep to leave. I say, “It gets better. Dinner was filet mignon.”

  “Holy cow, Maggie.”

  “There’s more,” I say. “That was when I found out they were authors. They gave me a book to read and told me my job would be to read the books from their past pen name.”

  “You must have thought you’d died and gone to heaven.”

  “Pretty much. They’d written over fifty books as Brock McGillis.”

  “What a horrid name.” Mom chuckles. “It makes me think of a guy with thick sideburns and a really hairy chest.”

  I laugh too because my reaction was similar. “Eventually, I found out I was hired to become Kitty.”

  I slow down as we approach the main street in town and begin to look for parking along the sidewalk.

  Mom says, “For a girl who always had her nose in a book and dreamed of becoming famous, I don’t think you could have landed a better job.”

  That’s because she doesn’t know I work for two vampires who have put my life in danger. With any luck, I can let Mom keep that wonderful impression of the Harts and hold the secrets I have about them safe. My blinker ticks as I pull to a stop to maneuver into a parallel parking spot. “It is.” I whip into my spot with my tiny car and glance at my mother. “Now let’s go spend some of my salary that’s burning a hole in my pocket.”

  The two of us walk arm in arm as we begin a normal afternoon of shopping and girl talk, and I pretend everything is okay as I savor precious moments with my mother, doing things for the last time.

  4

  Lyndsey

  After my father gives me a tour of the grounds, we move inside the castle. Within the stone walls, I find the interior surprisingly up to date. And bright. I glance up at the ceiling of the grand entryway and discover multiple chandeliers. I smile because I bet my father had something to do with the lighting. I say, “You’re ruining the creepy vampire vibe with those.”

  “I know. You wouldn’t believe how dreary this place was when your grandfather was around.” He smiles at me as he brings me over to a large door. “I made a dent in the family fortune, renovating, but I think it was worth it.” An older woman, I judge by her gray hair, comes toward us, and Dad says, “Don’t you think, Victoria?”

  She’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and I notice her arms are toned and she has the very pale but supple skin of someone in her twenties. It makes me unsure of how old she was when she was turned. She says, “One should keep up with the times.” She holds out her hand. “You must be Lyndsey.”

  Her bony fingers grip mine firmly as I say, “Hi.”

  “Don’t let Daniel fool you into thinking he runs things here. I’m the one you should come to if you need anything.”

  My dad chuckles. “She’s not wrong. Victoria has run the castle for two O’Kelly kings now, and I suspect she’ll run it for you when you become queen.”

  She says, “I’ll make sure your things are brought up to your quarters when they arrive, Lyndsey.” She points over to a room with a door that’s ajar. “My office is over there. Come see me when you have a chance, and I’ll make sure we know what kinds of toiletries and clothing items you prefer.” I must look confused, because she smiles. “Think of me as Amazon. You can order whatever you wish.”

  “Thanks,” I say with a smile before my father leads me away. “Do you have internet out here?” I ask as he takes me to a door, and lights flicker on when we begin to descend a stairway.

  “My dear,” says Dad, “we have anything you could want, and if not, just ask, and I’ll get it for you.”

  “Wow. There’s no reason to ever leave.”

  When we walk past a basketball court, sneakers squeak on the floor where a couple of older guys are playing, and I notice a climbing wall when I peek inside. “No,” says Dad, “you wouldn’t have to leave the island, but I tend to get stir-crazy if I don’t.”

  I find that the entire basement is devoted to recreational activities, and I imagine the need to stay in the dark, coupled with the remote location, makes it necessary. Dad takes me by a racquetball court, a swimming pool, a bowling alley, a movie theater, and a weight room that would make even Alexander drool.

  When we get back to the main floor, I learn this is where there are various rooms designed for entertaining, like a parlor, billiard room, a dining room I can’t imagine they ever use, and a ballroom, along with two modern versions of a study for my father and Victoria. The second floor is for guests and staff.

  Since O’Kellys are the only occupants of the castle who can be in daylight, my family lives on the top floor, and that’s when I discover I have two more relatives living here. As we get to the top of the stairs, Dad says, “Off to the left is where Fiona and Rowen live. They’re sisters and your great-aunts.”

  While the term great-aunt makes me think of older women, it’s possible they’re not, and I hope for sisterlike companionship since I grew up an only child. “I look forward to meeting them.”

  “They’re in town for a book club meeting and then dinner. Perhaps you’ll see them tonight,” Dad says as he walks us down the right-hand-side hallway.

  Darn it. They’re probably older. While I wouldn’t have called myself a social butterfly in the past, I’m anxious about finding friends. If I’m going to be around for a few hundred years, I’d like to have someone to hang out with. And I’m beginning to wonder who that might be since I haven’t seen many vampires wandering around.

  My thoughts are interrupted the moment Dad opens a door and takes me into my quarters. Daylight fills a room that has two overstuffed couches upholstered in deep-blue velvet. There are modern throw rugs on the hardwood floor in shades of blues and greens, and a wet bar is on an inner wall. The curved shape of the rest of the room makes me realize I’m in one of the castle’s turrets. “This is so cool,” I say as I walk around the space. There is an open door on the wall with the wet bar, and I step through it to a short hallway. A large white bathroom is off to the right, and what I assume is my bedroom is straight ahead. When I get there, I see more blue and green, and it makes me think of my mother since those are her favorite colors.

  Dad must have read my mind, because from behind me, he says, “I decorated this suite with your mother in mind. When it’s her time to die, I plan to change her to be with me.” I turn and see him shrug. “I figured she’d be pissed off at me for a while and would want her own space.”