Read To Catch a Vampire for Free Online Page B

dangerous. The paintings are even more interesting. I pass one of a tall vase with wildflowers, and in the next frame a serene meadow of tall grass wafting in the wind. The following one stops me in my four-inch heels. A pale, beautiful woman dressed in a pitch-black cloak hovers over a naked sleeping man in repose, his red hair lying like a fan on a pillow. And his throat is covered in blood.
    “Mistress Marianna painted that one,” Cole says. “Striking, isn’t it?”
    “It’s … something else.” I am so locking, bolting, and welding my door shut tonight. I stare at my boots the rest of the way to the staircase.
    “Is this your first time in Dallas?” Cole asks.
    “Yes. Oliver, my husband , has friends here.”
    “I don’t mean to pry, but are y’all really married?”
    Crud. I am going to stake that creep for not sharing our cover story with me. “Um, yes, in … Vegas. About a year ago. I wouldn’t let him, um, bite me otherwise.”
    “Oh.”
    “My parents love him.” Shut up, you idiot! We reach the top of the stairs and enter another hallway. More paintings and gaslights. The bay window at the end is the only thing making it possible to see. “The house looks good for being so old. It’s pre–Civil War, right?”
    “Yes. Mistress Marianna kept almost everything the same as it was originally.”
    “Wait … no electricity or indoor plumbing?”
    “Oh, no. There was a massive renovation back in the fifties. Bathrooms, lights, air conditioning, even an elevator was added when the hotel opened.” Cole stops in front of a door with a metal fence across it. A thick metal wire is the only thing visible down the dark hole. “I have to ask that you refrain from using the elevator, however. Safety issues.”
    “Not a problem.”
    The door creaking behind us startles me. Creepy old houses give me the chills, even in the best of circumstances. Both Cole and I turn, but only my mouth drops open. Walking out the door is the naked woman. Still naked. And she’s not a natural blonde. I’m staring, I know I’m staring bug eyed and gawking, but she’s just so … naked! And walking toward us. Smiling. If I weren’t trying so hard not to giggle, I’d hate this woman. Long, straight hay-colored hair. Full red lips. Unnatural, gravity-defying breasts to rival Pamela Anderson’s. Long, lean legs without a hint of fat on them. Ugly stepsister, meet porno Cinderella.
    “Hello,” the woman says.
    “Hi,” I mumble, eyes finally moving down to the hardwood floor. I have a feeling I’m going to know the floors here quite well.
    “Cole, has my Gucci come back from the tailor yet?” the nudist asks.
    “It should be done tomorrow,” Cole says. “There was extreme ripping.”
    “When Sal gets in the mood …,” she giggles. Eww. I hate it when people share details of their sex lives. It happens at least once a month, more now that Irie’s getting some. Positions, costumes, yuck. Thank goodness for soundproof rooms. “Are you just checking in?”
    “Um, yeah,” I say, not looking up.
    “Gloria Van Buren,” she says, holding out her hand at chest level.
    It’s like a train wreck. I have to look. Darn, if those are real then I’m the Queen of Sheba. “Beatrice Smythe,” I say shaking her hand but staring at the watermelons.
    “Wonderful, aren’t they?” Gloria asks. “Present from Sal. He doesn’t age, why should I? I can give you the name of my surgeon if you like.”
    My face heats up. “I’m good, thanks,” I say.
    “So, I guess we’re going to be neighbors for the next few days. Maybe we can do some shopping or other … things.” She starts slowly running her finger over the top of my hand. Her suggestive smile turns up the furnace under my face. I pull my hand away.
    “Sure. We can play Monopoly,” I chuckle nervously.
    Her smile widens. “You’re funny. I like that in a woman.”
    The elevator begins whirring. Oh, thank you Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. “That’ll be my