Just then I stepped back into the room.
Stormy looked at me as if she wondered how much I"d heard.
"We were just catching up a bit," Alexander said. "I kind of left home in a hurry. Not the best situation. But now we"re together-"
"Yes," she said. Stormy flashed a grin.
"I"m going to take Raven home," he said to his sibling. "Maybe you can take a catnap?"
"But it"s only midnight," she whined.
"I know-but you"ve traveled quite a bit."
"I"m not a child," she said, just as I probably would have in her situation.
It was odd to leave and have to be the one going to bed while a twelve-year-old girl got to stay awake until sunrise. Being a mortal had its drawbacks. "It was nice to finally meet you, Stormy," I said. "I hope to see you again soon."
"Yes, it was lovely meeting you, Raven," she said with a sweet grin. I was hoping for a hug, but it didn"t happen. She politely offered her hand instead.
I gently shook it, and she raced up the grand staircase, just like I had a hundred times before.
I felt kind of lonely, knowing that I had to go home while the siblings got to hang out together. But this was really about Alexander and not me, and I took comfort in knowing that his loneliness, living in the Mansion with just Jameson for company, was minimized again.
"She seems really sweet," I said when Alexander and I had settled into the Mercedes.
"I"m glad you like her," he said.
"What"s not to like?" I asked.
He shrugged his shoulders.
"Why do you call her Stormy?" I asked when we drove down the long and winding drive.
"She has her moments."
"Really? She seems very polite."
"She is. But she can be very vocal and dramatic."
"Like me?"
"Yes, I"d say that," he said with a chuckle.
Then I remembered the private chat that I"d overheard. "I don"t want her to resent me," I said.
"Why would she? She just likes to be the center of attention, that"s all. She always has."
"No, I mean that you didn"t return to Romania. She might think that you are still here because of me."
"Well, I am." Alexander sported a rea.s.suring smile.
"But it"s your decision," I said. "She needs to know that. Otherwise she"ll just blame me."
"You think so?"
"I know so. I just wanted you to know, too."
Alexander paused for a moment, as if he was giving my words real thought.
"Maybe sometime this week you two can spend some girl-time together," he said. "Then she"ll know exactly why I fell in love with you, too."
6 A Creep in the Crypt.
I waited impatiently in my family room in antic.i.p.ation of Alexander picking me up. He was taking Stormy to visit the Crypt, and he wanted the three of us to go together. I knew Luna would be at the club and that Stormy was looking forward to seeing her. I had hoped for a little more time for Stormy and me to bond before she reunited with Luna, but I was excited that I was going to be with Alexander to show her the club. When the doorbell rang, I raced to the door. I got a few heavenly smooches in before Alexander led me to the Mercedes. When we reached the car, Stormy was sitting in the front seat. Alexander shot her a look and gestured for her to hop in the back. Billy Boy and I F "No," Alexander said. "Stormy will sit in the back."
I heard a large "humph!" from her. I was okay with riding in the backseat. After all, she wasn"t Billy Boy, and it really had been more about our sibling power struggle than about looking out the front window.
Stormy started to open her door, but I jumped into the backseat.
"It"s okay," I said. "I like it back here. I feel like I"m being chauffeured."
Stormy shrugged her shoulders as Alexander sneered at her.
"All right," he said, changing his mood. "Off to the Crypt."
"I can"t wait to see it," Stormy said. "I"ve never been to a club before. So will there be boys my age there?" she asked.
"Uh ... not usually," Alexander said.
"Who am I going to dance with?" she asked.
"We"ll all dance together," I offered.
"Oh..." She was audibly disappointed, and her voice trailed off as she gazed out the window.
Alexander turned into the gravel lot, and Stormy was amazed by the size of the factory. "This is the club?" she asked.
"Part of it is," Alexander said.
"What"s in the other parts?" she said, wondering.
"Jagger"s office," Alexander said, parking. "Their sleeping quarters. A covenant altar."
"They have a covenant altar in this place?"
"Yes," Alexander said. "Jagger doesn"t leave anything out."
"Wow-this is so fabulous!" she exclaimed, hopping from the car.
"I thought you might like it," he said as we got out and joined her. "You could be the youngest one there."
"So Luna and Jagger sleep here?" she asked as she looked up at the huge abandoned factory. Large windows were missing and, from the alley, one could see discarded boxes filling some of the rooms.
"Yes," Alexander replied.
"The Maxwells don"t have an apartment?" she asked.
"I think they feel this is their apartment."
"I want to sleep here, too!"
We waited at the end of a small line that had formed. When we reached the entrance, the burly security guard looked us over and took a moment when he saw Stormy.
"Is this your sister?" he asked me.
"No. She"s his sister."
"I would have sworn you two were sisters," he said, gesturing to Stormy and me. "The same hair, the same style."
I was flattered, but I wasn"t sure if Stormy felt the same. I glanced over to catch her expression, and she had a huge grin on her face. I was hoping she wasn"t just being polite.
We stepped into the club, and Stormy was entranced by her new environment.
"This is stellar!"
Among the crowd of clubsters, it was obvious that Stormy was the youngest one in attendance. I was proud to be in the company of Alexander and his sister. It felt so amazing to be walking into a fabulously morbid dance club in Dullsville in the company of my vampire boyfriend and his younger vampire sibling. It wasn"t something I"d ever imagined happening-and here I was doing it.
"Look at all the tombstones," she said, pointing to the walls. "I feel so at home."
That was exactly how I felt. It was like I was standing next to a younger version of myself.
"Where"s Luna?" Stormy asked. "I want to see her."
"We have plenty of time to run into her," Alexander answered. "Raven and I will show you around."
"Yes, look over here," I said to Stormy. I led her to the coffins Jagger had in the corner of the club. Several clubsters were lying inside and mugging for their friends.
"Aren"t these awesome?" I asked enthusiastically.
As soon as I said that, I realized how mundane these were to her. For the mortals in Dullsville, this was freaky and fun. But Stormy always slept in a coffin. It was like someone being excited to show me beds at a mattress factory. And on top of that, she couldn"t even be photographed. I"d missed the mark on two vampire poin K valigts.
"Uh ... cute," she said politely.
I rolled my eyes at myself and led her back to Alexander.
"Did you find Luna?" she asked.
"No," Alexander answered. "She"s not that fond of me, you know."
I was surprised how clueless Alexander was about Luna. And I was surprised she wasn"t draping herself all over him the moment I left him unattended. I thought she might be hanging out by the bar with Romeo, so I guided us away from that area to give us more of a chance to be together.
Just then I spotted Scarlet and Becky talking at the edge of the dance floor.
"Where are your better halves?" I asked.
"Practice," Scarlet said, obviously b.u.mmed.
"Aren"t they always practicing?" I whined.
"Yes," Becky replied. "That"s why they are so good."
"Is this Stormy?" Scarlet asked.
"Yes, how did you know?" I wondered.
"Luna mentioned she was coming tonight. I"m Scarlet," she said, turning to the younger Sterling.
"Pleased to meet you," Stormy said, extending her hand, which Scarlet shook.
"Wow, she"s so cute and polite," Scarlet said.
Alexander beamed proudly.
"And I"m Becky," Becky said, extending her hand to Alexander"s sister.
"Becky has been my best friend since third grade," I said to Stormy as the two shook hands.
Stormy eyed us both as if she didn"t believe me. I guessed it might seem weird to a stranger, since Becky and I were polar opposites in appearance.
"Why don"t we all dance?" Scarlet asked.
Just then Sebastian found us. "Hey, girl!" he said, and swooped Stormy up in his arms. Even though she clearly wanted to be treated like an adult, Sebastian grabbed her like she was a child, and she shrieked in his embrace as if she was one.
nt size"How are you?" he asked, setting her down.
"I"m fabulous," she said.
"Still have those braces?" he teased.
"Yes, but I"ll be getting them off soon."
"I think I like them on you. Those purple and black bands are s.e.xy!"
Stormy giggled with delight.