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Then again, I probably wouldn't have bought the whole vampire thing either. I've got a much more open
mind now.
"You smell so good," Jake whispers, his traveling lips now touring my ear. "You're so beautiful."
"Um, thanks?" I say, not quite sure what to do or how to react. I sneak another glance at my watch, then
scold myself for doing so.
What am I doing? Who cares if I'm a few minutes late? Magnus is a thousand-year-old vampire. He has
eternal life. So technically speaking, he's got all the time in the world. And who knows how much longer
I'll be able to make out with Jake Wilder? I mean, once I turn into a human again, I assume he'll go back
to not acknowledging my existence. I've got to take advantage of his intoxication.
Then again, that's kind of sick, isn't it? I mean, how can I enjoy a make-out session with someone who's
not really into me who justthinks he is? Suddenly, the kisses aren't sexy. Just kind of gross. And
sloppy too, now that I'm being hon-est. I mean, who really, at the end of the day, enjoys a slimy tongue
jammed into her ear? Even if it is a tongue belonging to the resident school Sex God.
I gently push Jake away. "I'm sorry," I say. "But I have to go."
"Please don't go!" he begs, his deep, soulful eyes boring into my skull. Yikes. How hard is this? The man
I've loved from afar for two years now is begging me to stay like some kind of lovesick puppy. "Sunny, I
want you," he says, reach-ing over to brush a lock of hair out of my face.
I take a step back, using every last ounce of willpower. "You don't," I say firmly. "You think you do, but
you really don't."
Jake's face crumples with a look of devastation. "How can you say that?" he asks.
 Sorry Jake, gotta go." I pat him on the shoulder. "Things to do, people to see, you know how it is. I'll
catch you around though."
Crushed Sex God nods desolately. "We're still going to the prom, though, right?" he asks.
 Of course," I say in my most reassuring voice.If once I reverse the vampire thing you still want to
go with me, I add silently as I say my good-byes and head into the locker room.
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And that seems to me a big fat "if."
18
Leaving-on a Vamp Plane
Rayne is waiting for me in the locker room.
"What happened?" she asks. "You look all bedraggled-like."
"Jake Wilder happened."
Rayne raises an eyebrow. "Ooh, Jake Wilder. Is that a good thing, then?"
"Sort of. I guess. Well, not really." I lean against the near-est locker and sigh deeply. I'm so confused. "It
was weird, ac-tually. I mean, don't get me wrong I have no moral issue with Jake sticking his tongue
down my throat, believe me. But still, the whole time he was doing it, I couldn't help but think how he
doesn'treally like me. How he's just bewitched by the Vampire Scent thing and has no idea what he's
doing. And suddenly, the impromptu make-out session didn't seem so exciting."
My twin nods in sympathy. "Sorry, Sun," she says. "I can see how that would suck. But hopefully you'll
be back to nor-mal before you know it and then you can see once and for all if Jake likes you as a
person. Who knows," she adds, "maybe the vampire thing is just a coincidence and he's really been
pining for you from afar for years and has finally worked up the courage to talk to you."
"Right. And maybe someday you'll end up being an in-vestment banker with a minivan, a husband who
wears pais-ley ties, and three Gap kids."
Rayne snorts. "Touché."
"It doesn't matter anyhow," I say, pushing myself off the locker. "I've got to concentrate on my mission.
Jake and his weird new obsession must wait. Turning back into a human takes precedence."
I slip out of my jeans and tank top and hand them to Rayne. She in turn offers up a long black skirt and
peasant blouse that reek of patchouli.
"Make sure you wipe all the goop off your face," I remind her as she slips into my jeans, complaining
how awful they make her thighs look. "Mom's never going to buy the idea of me channeling Avril
Lavigne."
"Iknow, I know," Rayne says. "Relax, will you? It's go-ing to be fine. We're not going to get caught.
You'll get to England no problem, find the Grail, turn back into a human, and live happily ever after with
dopey, puppy-dog Jake Wilder."
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"One can only dream," I answer with a dash of dramatic flair. I pull the peasant blouse and skirt on and
glance at myself in the mirror. This is not a good look for me. And Magnus, safe and sound in some very
now-looking Armani ensemble, is going to have a field day.
Not that I care what he thinks, obviously.
After the clothes swapping and face washing, Rayne drives me to the airport where I'm to meet Magnus.
I'm not very talkative on the way there, mainly 'cause I'm still very nervous about this whole thing. I mean,
think about it for a second. I'm now leaving the country with a man I barely know, who incidentally
happens to be an immortal creature of the night.
Not exactly your typical 7-Eleven Cherry Slurpee run.
All too soon, Rayne pulls up to the private hangar where Magnus says the coven keeps its jet. I had this
strange idea in my head that Air Vampire would be a black plane with a blood-red interior. But I guess
that would be too obvious, 'cause the real-life vehicle in question just looks like your typ-ical, nondescript
private plane.
I hug Rayne good-bye before exiting the car.
"Good luck," she whispers. "Take good care of Magnus for me."
"I will," I say, getting that lovely guilty feeling back in the pit of my stomach. Maybe it's just my thirst for
blood. I hope Magnus has a good supply on board, 'cause I feel like I'm go-ing to pass out from hunger.
I get out of the car and head for the plane. A man in a pi-lot's uniform greets me with a friendly smile.
"Hello," he says in a clipped British accent. "You must be Ms. McDonald."
"Yup, that's me," I reply. "But you can call me Sunny."
He gestures to the stairs leading up to the plane. "You may board at your convenience, ma'am."
I glance around the tarmac. "Where's Magnus?"
"Inside," the pilot informs me. "He is taking a nap at the moment."
Ah, that makes sense. I thought it seemed too early too daylight for him to be up and about. He must
have holed himself up in the plane before dawn and made plans to wake up midflight, once the sun's
retreated from the horizon.
I head up the stairs, turning to give one last wave to Rayne. The nervous feeling starts nagging at my
stomach once again. But I squash it and attempt to step confidently into the plane.
I forget my nerves completely when my eyes fall on the jumbo jet's interior decor. Just like the coven,
this place reeks of luxury. Decked out in gold and velvet, it's a display of wealth that's almost obscene.
There are soft leather arm-chairs and ridiculously huge plasma TVs. Bottles of red wine (blood?) chilling
in silver buckets and state-of-the-art laptops sitting on etched-glass desks. This is truly the Ritz of the
air-plane world.
"Please have a seat and fasten your seat belt," the pilot says, coming up behind me. "We'll be taking off
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shortly."
I comply, still blown away by all the extravagance. Being a vampire sure has some perks. Then again,
Mag is the next in line to be king. I wonder if the plane is available to all the vamps or just the ones in high
places.
I switch on the television, delighted to find it has every movie under the sun. I pick a light comedy, eager
to be dis-tracted, and settle into my uber-comfy seat. A minute later, I'm out like a light.
***
"Sunny?"
I open one eye, then the other, slightly annoyed at being disturbed from my slumber. Magnus is peering
over me, a slight smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
"Are you going to sleep all night?" he asks, poking me lightly in the shoulder.
"Grumph," I reply, trying to roll to my other side to ig-nore him. Unfortunately, like a good girl, I'd
fastened my seat belt so I have limited maneuverability. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]