Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 58532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 293(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58532 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 293(@200wpm)___ 234(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
“Nothing crawled up my ass.”
“Sure.” Bonnie snorts. “Because you’re always so possessive over your creepy vampire doll.”
“It’s not creepy,” I snap.
Bonnie’s grin widens. “Oh my God. You’re being so weird.”
I reach for it. She pulls it away.
“Bonnie,” Mom says sharply. “Stop messing with your sister.”
“Fine.” Bonnie rolls her eyes and tosses the doll toward me, then flops back against my pillows. “Keep your creepy doll.”
“Blair, honey, let’s focus on the important things, shall we?” my mom requests as she sets her coffee down on my nightstand. This is her way of saying, Don’t even think about arguing with your sister right now. “We need to make sure you’re ready.”
She’s not wrong. The Selection and accompanying Bonding are coming up incredibly soon. The date won’t be revealed until forty-eight hours prior, but once it’s announced, I need to be ready to head to New York almost immediately.
“You want to go shopping with us, Bonbon?” my mom asks, and Bonnie groans.
“Do I have to?”
“It’d be nice to support your sister,” my mom says, using guilt as her tactic of choice. “This is really important for her.”
“Can’t Blair just find a husband the good old-fashioned way?” Bonnie sighs. “I mean, it’s all a little strange that she has to do these weird events to find a man. I don’t get it. Are the men losers or something? Why can’t they date like normal people?”
“Bonnie, when you’re older, you’ll understand why this is so important,” Mom says. “And why it’s actually a huge privilege that Blair gets to do this.”
“Doubt it,” Bonnie mutters. “And honestly, I’m just happy it’s not me.”
Happy it’s not her? Obviously, my sister has no idea what she’s talking about.
“But if it were you, Bonnie,” Mom answers, despite the fact that she should just ignore her “then you wouldn’t have a choice.”
“Yeah, I would.” Bonnie laughs. “I wouldn’t go. No matter how much you tried to make me.”
“You know what, Bonbon?” Mom sighs and pointedly uses her index finger to lift the skin on her forehead to prevent eleven lines. “I think now is the exact perfect time for you to get dressed and ready to go shopping with us. Otherwise, I’ll end up needing an additional bottle of Botox at my next appointment.”
“Speaking of creepy, Botox is, like, really bad for you, Mom. It’s—”
“Bonnie!” Mom cuts her off and points toward my bedroom door. “Go get ready.”
“Gawd.” Bonnie flops off my bed dramatically. “This feels like oppression.”
My mom ignores her this time and smiles over at me. “You think you can be ready in about an hour, Blair?”
I smile. “Definitely.”
When they leave, the room goes quiet again, and I sit on the edge of my bed, picking the vampire doll back up and turning him around in my hands. The eyes catch the light and shift—green deepening into dark violet.
And instantly, my mind flashes back to last night.
To the man with the blond hair and green eyes who was watching me from across the room. I spent a lot of the night hoping he’d come and talk to me, but he never did.
Something uncomfortable rolls in my stomach, but I ignore it and shove out of bed, heading into the bathroom to turn on the shower.
But before I can hop in, my phone chimes on my nightstand with a text message.
Holland Thorne: Morning, Blair. Hope you’re feeling as incredible as you looked last night. Did you have a good time?
A smile tugs at my mouth before I can stop it. Holland Thorne is someone my parents have known for a few years. He’s a vampire and holds an important position as a lawyer in the entertainment industry. He’s only a few years older than me, and most of his clients are elites.
He’s kind of a middleman for the elites, so to speak.
Holland: Everyone loved you. And Damien? He couldn’t stop talking about you.
I smile as I type quickly.
Me: He talked about me?
I’m so tempted to ask more details about Damien, but I know that’s not appropriate. That’s not how these things are done. It’s all very hush-hush.
Holland: He noticed you, for sure. And, trust me, that’s not something he does casually.
Damien is reserved—yes—but that just means when he chooses, it’s significant. And if he spent most of last night talking to me and he even talked to Holland about me…that has to be a good thing.
Still, my fingers hover over the screen, and I find myself sending him another message.
Me: Were there…others? Any other men asking about me?
The reply comes fast.
Holland: Quite a few. You made an impression, Blair. So many men have you at the top of their list.
My heart does a silly little dance inside my ribs, and I glance down at the doll in my hand before I start typing another message.
There was a man with green eyes and blond hair last night. He was wearing a black suit. Do you happen to know him?