How to Date a Dead Guy Read online

  “You don’t want to be here,” he replied as if he didn’t hear me.

  I snorted, shaking my head. “No. Definitely not.”

  He glanced over at me, his dark brows knitted together like I was some puzzle he couldn’t quite figure out. “Not Briarwick,” he corrected. “Here. Alive.” Lightning flashed in the sky as if to punctuate his statement. Great. Even Mother Nature is against me.

  I stopped walking, my eyes falling to the tattered notebook in his hand. I cringed as I thought back over some of my older entries and how sad I’d been. “What do you care?” I asked, lifting my gaze to look at him.

  His jaw ticked as he clenched it, no doubt biting back some witty retort that would crush me. “You appreciate nothing. Your life, this free ride at one of the best schools on the East Coast.” He took a step closer, his voice even and cool. “This olive branch I’m offering you.”

  “This is you doing me some sort of favor?” I scoffed, folding my arms across my chest.

  “No.” He shook his head before tossing my book at my feet. “This is.” With that, he stormed off, finally giving me a moment of privacy so I could breakdown.

  I watched him as he got a few feet away, but I couldn’t just let it go. “Hey, Lucas!”

  He turned to look at me, his eyes narrowed.

  “Sometimes, the greatest gift someone can give their child is to not be in their lives.”

  “I guess we’ll see.” He nodded once before he turned and continued to stalk off into the distance, leaving me wondering what he meant by that comment.

  My eyes went to the building in front of me. Falcon Hall. I glanced up at the sky, saying a quick thanks to the Heavens as I slipped inside and made my way to my room.

  Yanking at the buttons of my shirt, the tiny plastic discs broke free and scattered across the wooden floor. I pushed out of the navy pleated skirt and yanked open my dresser drawer, tugging on a tank top and shorts so I could at least sulk in my own clothing.

  But my moment alone was short-lived when my phone vibrated with a text message. My finger slid over the screen, and Lucas’ image glared at me, his message reading –

  Rule #2: No sudden movements

  I thought about his warning that I shouldn’t run from my problems; from these people. They’d eat me alive. He was right. Lucas was consuming my thoughts and causing my own sanity to devour itself.

  I groaned, grabbing my notebook, the traitor who’d spilled my secrets to Lucas, and began ripping out the pages, letting small pieces of crumpled white floating to the floor around my feet. I sank to my knees, and I finally let myself cry against the cool wood as the sound of the torrential downpour outside lulled me to sleep.

  But even locked inside of my own mind, drifting off into sleep, I wasn’t given peace. Instead, my dreams were filled with Wyatt. His wild hair was a mess as he begged for me to help him, to pull him from the twisted wreckage. I’d reach for him, his fingers slipping through mine before I could get them in my grasp. And then he’d be pulled further away until all I could hear was the echoes of his screams.

  Lucas

  We’d only made it halfway through a single class before Nova caused a scene. I couldn’t blame her. I’d pushed her. I took it too far, and she crumbled. She wasn’t ready for a place like this, and now I’d proven my point, even if it hurt her.

  When she took off running from the room, I had to tackle Annabelle just to keep her from being eaten. She didn’t even notice, too wrapped up in her own humiliation to see the danger all around her. I couldn’t keep this from her any longer. I had to tell her the truth about why she was here and who I was. And that would be it. She would run away from me again, and never look back.

  It would be for the best. After I’d seen what was in her journal, the pain she was going through was far worse than I’d ever imagined. I couldn’t put her through more.

  “So, I heard your little pet lost her mind in class today,” Sylvi let out a cackle as she sank down next to me on the bench overlooking the water. Her platinum hair was twisted up and secured in two messy buns on either side of her head, and she wore plastic red heart-shaped sunglasses. I guess she thought her cheerleading uniform from Halloween was too subtle. I kept my gaze ahead and not on her legs. I knew she wore that tiny skirt just to get attention, and she wasn’t going to get it from me.

  “She’s not my pet; she’s a person.”

  “Yeah, well, that person almost became dinner for an entire class. Seriously, what was Fellows thinking bringing her here?”

  “Do you want something?” I asked, finally turning to look at her. She bit her puffy bottom lip, her fangs extended and nearly piercing her own skin.

  “Wanna go to a party with me on Friday?”

  I pushed from the bench, shaking my head. “You’re wasting your time,” I snapped and began to walk away when she called after me.

  “Come on, Lucas. You can bring the snacks. What’s her name again? Nova?”

  I turned around to face her, striving to keep my anger under control. “Stay away from her, Sylvi.”

  Pushing from her seat, she sauntered toward me, a wicked smirk on her cherry red lips. “I just want to be her friend. You know, have a little girl talk. I have so much I could tell her.”

  “I’m going to tell her everything,” I bit out.

  “Everything? Really?” She cocked one of her perfectly arched brows.

  “You wouldn’t.” I took a step back from her, clenching my jaw, unable to keep my fangs from lowering.

  “Oh, come on, Lucas. Don’t be such a baby.” She closed the gap between us, pressing her palm against my chest. The contact made my stomach turn. “I can keep your secrets for you. I promise. Come on, let’s go grab a bite.”

  Grabbing my wrist, she pulled me across the lawn. I let her, knowing I needed to feed before I could go see Nova again, and if I didn’t get Sylvi under control, she was going to destroy her.

  Rule 3: Bare Your Teeth

  Nova

  KNOCKING JOLTED ME from my slumber. I groaned, attempting to push myself up from the floor, my body stiff and aching. I must have sobbed myself into a coma.

  “Leave me alone,” I groaned, hoping that would offer me a moment's reprieve.

  “Open the door, or I’ll huff, and I’ll –”

  I grabbed the door handle and yanked it open to a smiling Lucas. He reached up, causing my heart to race, and picked a piece of paper off my face that had been glued to my skin with my tears.

  “What do you want?”

  “You skipped four classes today. Impressive.” He stepped inside of my room, his eyes dancing over the mess I’d made. “I thought maybe I’d scared you off.”

  “I guess you’ll have to try harder next time.”

  That earned me a laugh. He sank down, grabbing a button and holding it up to the light. “Redecorating?” he asked, a dimple settling into his cheek as he pushed to his full height. “I’ll make sure Fellows has someone clean this place up like he promised.”

  “Don’t bother. I’m honestly not sure how long I’m going to –”

  “Survive around here without my help?”

  “What? No –” I sputtered, folding my arms across my chest. “I don’t need –”

  “Look, I get that this is all new for you,” he leaned in conspiratorily, his voice dropping to a whisper. “But when someone like me offers to help... someone like you, you take it.”

  “Someone like me?” I took a step back, scanning his face for some hint of amusement, but he simply cocked an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  He tried, unsuccessfully, to hide his smile. “Do you want my help or not?”

  I folded my arms across my chest, trying to appear like I didn’t care. But the truth was, I needed someone, especially after I’d run out of my first class and made a fool of myself. Right now, my biggest problem was Lucas, and if I could have him on my side, maybe this transition wouldn’t be so bad.

  “
You owe me an apology,” I replied, my chin jutting up in defiance.

  He laughed, his fingers raking through his hair and causing it to stick up haphazardly. “An apology?” He took a step closer to me, and I shuffled my weight but refused to step back.

  “Yes.” My eyes narrowed, my heart feeling like it was going to burst through my ribcage. I inhaled through my nose, slowly letting the breath escape from my lips. He watched, stepping closer and closing the gap between us. I had to crane my neck to look up at him.

  If anyone happened by the door, it would look like we were about to kiss, but I didn’t need to worry because I’d been banished to no-man’s-land, and someone like Lucas Carter wouldn’t waste his time on someone like me. Someone like me. The phrase he’d used made me bristle. I hated that I felt the same way he did, even if I pretended to be offended. The truth was, I knew better than anyone I didn’t belong here. My grades were good, but I had trouble focusing, and I’d never been much of a team player. In fact, I had no real idea why I was accepted to a place like this.

  Lucas looked down at me, his eyes searching mine. “Fine.”

  “Fine?”

  “I apologize for hurting your feelings. Are we friends now?”

  I searched his face before shooting my hand out between us. He laughed, half-stepping backward before taking my hand in his. His cool touch had caused a shiver to roll down my spine. I’d read a million novels where the main character had said they felt a shock, a zap of electricity when they touched someone. But this, this was like a flash of lightning, his touch electrifying my skin and causing goosebumps to scatter across the surface. I sucked in a sharp breath before pulling my hand free from his grip.

  I forced a smile, wide and bright, refusing to let him see how nervous he made me, but his wicked grin made it obvious I wasn’t doing a good job at hiding how I was feeling.

  “You should do that more often.”

  “What?”

  He leaned in fractionally, and I gasped. “Smile. It looks nice on you.” My insides warmed, melting me into a puddle of ooze. I could only imagine that this is what the inside of a chrysalis was like before the butterflies formed. “Rule number three – bare your teeth.”

  “I h-had braces,” I stammered, causing him to laugh, his minty breath fanning across my face. I took a step back. “If you came just to tease me some more, I want you to leave.”

  “Nova,” he shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark wash jeans. “You really need to develop a thicker skin if you want to survive at Briarwick. I can help you.”

  “Why?” I challenged.

  His eyes danced around the paper that littered my floor. “Because you’ll need it.” His eyes flitted to mine for a brief moment before he looked to the open door. “Have you eaten?”

  My arm wrapped around my stomach that had been growling since he’d walked in. “I’m not really that hungry,” I lied.

  “Come on.” He nodded in the direction of the door before walking through the opening, not waiting for me to respond.

  I began to follow him before stopping when I realized I wasn’t dressed to be out in public. “Wait, I need to put on some clothing.” His eyes skated over me before he nodded once, stepping out into the hall so I could have some privacy.

  I closed the door, my eyes dancing over my space before I yanked open my drawers and began to flip through the little bit of clothing that I’d brought with me. Lucas was in a black t-shirt and jeans, so I opted for the same casual attire with an old heather gray Rolling Stones t-shirt, that used to be Wyatt’s, and my favorite pair of jeans. When I opened the door, Lucas turned to look me over, his lips curling up in approval. I smiled, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Are we going to get in trouble for leaving?”

  His eyes moved to my face, focusing on my smile as he shrugged. “It’s worth it.”

  Lucas

  If I had a heartbeat, it would have stuttered when she smiled up at me, beaming from ear to ear. I clenched my fists at my sides, struggling not to touch her again, to chase that feeling of pure fire that heated my veins for the first time in my afterlife.

  “So, I’m in trouble, aren’t I?” she asked, wincing as she looked up at me with her large green eyes.

  “What?” I asked, wondering if she knew something; knew what I was.

  “For skipping all those classes. You don’t think they’ll call my mom, do you?”

  I laughed, shaking my head, relief flooding me as I led her to my car. “No, I think you’ll be okay. New school. Everyone will understand.”

  She sighed, stopping at the edge of the parking lot, her eyes dancing over the cars.

  “That one,” I hit the button on my keyfob to unlock my black 300S. It looked expensive but was probably the cheapest one in the lot. I didn’t find it very useful to flaunt my wealth. It drew too much attention, and when you fed on human blood, it was best to keep a low profile.

  “You’re not like a murderer or something, right?” she asked, her hand perched on the top of the open door.

  “You’re safe with me,” I replied. It wasn’t a lie. I would do anything to keep Nova safe, but I wish she had a bad feeling or even hesitated before trusting me. There was no way I could protect her if she didn’t at least try to stay out of danger.

  “That’s exactly what a murderer would say,” She deadpanned before she slipped into her seat, and I did the same, wanting to get as far away from this campus as possible. And I knew the perfect place, just outside of town.

  We made it a mile from the school, and she still hadn’t even asked where we were going. She didn’t care. She just needed an escape from the academy. I knew the feeling. Every ten years or so, we were required to come back, to learn what was new in the human world. It was important for us to be able to blend into normal society. Most of us didn’t like to interact with people on a daily basis. It was too hard not to be tempted.

  That lack of contact made some of us a little socially awkward, like Sylvi. She couldn’t be trusted not to expose herself for a monster, so she was stuck here until she coupled with another vampire who could keep her in check, or until she showed she could play nice. She’s failed on both fronts but has been desperate to get me to take her in. In a moment of weakness, I’d let her get too close and exposed my own secrets. Secrets that she could now leverage against me, and if I wasn’t careful, secrets that could destroy Nova. So I needed to do whatever I could to prepare her for when the blood hits the fan.

  But first, I had to feed her. It was one of those basic needs she can’t even seem to remember to do. I glanced over as she pulled out her phone, noticing her background image was now black. She’d deleted the picture of the boy from her past. I smiled, and she caught me, glancing up as her fingers tapped away on the screen.

  “Just letting my mom know I’m doing okay and that we’re going to eat.”

  Good. She didn’t want to be off with a stranger without letting someone know. Maybe she wasn’t as helpless as I thought.

  Rule 4: Have a Getaway Plan

  Nova

  TEN MINUTES LATER, after a drive that should have taken twice as long, we pulled in to the Pizza Peddler, a small pizza shop just south of Bixby in a town called Emerson. My nerves were frazzled and knuckles white as I gripped the door handle.

  “We made it in one piece,” he teased.

  I rolled my eyes, unlatching my seatbelt. “Who taught you how to drive?” I asked as I shoved open my door and stood, stretching and bowing my back as I angled my face up toward the sunshine.

  “I taught myself, actually,” he replied as he stood on the driver’s side, looking at me through his dark lenses from over the roof of his black Chrysler.

  “It shows,” I shot back, turning to take in his smiling face.

  “You don’t like to drive?” he asked as he made his way to my side of the vehicle, and we began walking toward the door of the restaurant.

  “No, I do. I just don’t have a car.” I flushed, embarrassed to admit I wasn’t
well off, even though he already knew.

  Nodding once, he pulled open the door and waited for me to walk in ahead of him. His eyes scanned the nearly empty restaurant, flitting back to the doorway behind us.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  I swallowed hard, clearing my throat. “I appreciate you doing this. I know Fellows is kind of forcing you to be nice to me. But... it means a lot.”

  “No one forces me to do anything, Nova.” His lips twisted in a sardonic grin. “Want to grab it to go?” He asked as he sauntered up to the counter and pressed the little silver bell that alerts the workers that there is a patron. I hoped he wasn’t worried someone would see us together. But I got it. I didn’t exactly fit in around here.

  “Sure.” My eyes danced over the menu that hung on the wall. “I’ll just get some cheese sticks. Do you like it with marinara or ranch?”

  “I already ate,” he replied, tapping his fingers against the counter.

  “Oh.”

  “Get whatever you want. It’s on me. I owe you for embarrassing you in class.”

  “You do,” I agreed, causing him to laugh. “But I don’t need you to buy my food for me.” I had a debit card my mother had set up for me with a small allowance on it for occasions like this. She couldn’t afford to spare much, but she wanted to make sure I had the opportunity to hang out with the other kids. I dug the small plastic card from my bag and held it out as I gave my order to the worker. But her gaze was locked on Lucas as he slid a hundred dollar bill across the Formica counter.

  “You're from Briarwick.” She stated as she took his cash, her voice wavering as her eyes slid to me. “And you should be more cautious about the company you keep, Miss...” Her eyes narrowed as she tried to focus on the name printed on my card.

  “My reputation precedes me,” Lucas replied, focusing his attention on the server.

  Her eyebrows pulled together like she was trying to figure Lucas out. “You can’t be here.”