Spellbound (the Spellbound Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

not to speak his mind, then says, “Thanks for saving me, by the way. I doubt you meant for things to end up the way they did, but either way… I might not be here if it weren’t for you.”
    “It’s fine. At least we’re even now.” I lean my head back against the leather couch, and rest my eyes for a few seconds. I’m more awake than I had been a few minutes ago, but I still don’t feel back to normal just yet. Without opening my eyes, I wonder aloud, “What am I?”
    I jump when I feel Nick’s weight pressing on the couch beside me. His steps are so silent; I didn’t hear him coming towards me at all. “I have an idea,” he says, “but I live with someone who’d be able to explain it better. She should be back in a few, if you want to stick around.”
    “But I’m already late for school.”
    “Exactly, you’re already late. What’s a few more minutes?”
    “…Yeah, good point.” I look over at Nick, and ask, “What were you doing by my school this morning?”
    “Honestly? Hoping I would see you again. I figured you must go to school near that building, since class would have just let out when we met.”
    “And those homeless guys that attacked you…”
    “Payback for yesterday. Remember the vampires that came after you?”
    I nod; I’m not about to forget that experience any time soon.
    “Well, when I fought them, I ripped out their fangs in the process,” Nick explains. “It’s not just the ultimate insult, for a vampire it’s a death sentence. We can regenerate any part of our body but our fangs, and since they’re what we use to hunt… it’s only a matter of time until a fangless vampire starves to death.”
    “So that’s why they tried to kill you?”
    “Yeah. There aren’t a lot of vampires in their little gang, but they know how to stick together. Although, now that their leader is dead, who knows what will happen to them?”
    We sit in silence while I digest this information. I’m interested to know more about the vampire world, but all that I really take away from the exchange is how eager Nick was to see me again. I don’t know why he would be; I’m not all that interesting. Whatever his reasons are, I know I’m glad to see him again, even if the circumstances that led to us sitting on his couch aren’t ideal. This strikes me as an opportunity to learn more about him, so I ask, “Where are you from?”
    “Born and raised in New York City,” Nick answers. “I used to live in Park Slope with my parents, but when I got bitten… let’s just say they weren’t very understanding.”
    “Oh.” I don’t know what else to say on the subject, and I don’t want there to be another awkward lull in the conversation, so I ask the first thing that comes to mind. “What do you do for a living?”
    Nick: “I do research and development, sort of.”
    Me: “Sort of?”
    Nick: “I’m working with a small team to create synthetic blood that functions as an alternative food source for vampires that want to ‘go green’.”
    Me: “That’s cool. How’s that going?”
    Nick: “Not very well. We’ve nailed the taste, but it doesn’t seem to satisfy our hunger. The formula’s lacking something.”
    Me: “Life?”
    Nick: “How do you imitate life?”
    Me: “Ask anyone with a Tumblr.”
    I’m not sure whether Nick is young or hip enough to know what I mean, but he lets out a small laugh at my response. We fall into a comfortable silence, and I look around at parts of the room I haven’t inspected for a conversation starter. For the first time, I notice the massive window behind the couch. It extends from the floor to the ceiling, and offers a breathtaking view of Central Park from above. We’re high up enough that the people walking around and through the park look like tiny specks to me. There’s nothing going on outside that catches my attention, but I remember the paintings hanging around the room, and ask, “Did you paint these yourself?”
    “No, my art skills