Drop Dead Gorgeous Read Online Free Page B

one restored to its original beauty and he’d stop and admire it, but it was almost always surrounded by houses enclosed with rusted chain link fences and weedy yards, with cracked facades missing shutters or supporting bowed rooflines.
    Two major freeways cut through the historic neighborhood, lowering property values even further, and the busy commercial streets had an assortment of seedy businesses in beautiful old buildings and tacky new ones. Crime was high, gangs and prostitution blatantly visible.
    Many humans would feel unsafe here, but they had no idea just how dangerous it was with Madeline and her collection of men roaming the streets at night.
    Derek cut through a dark and deserted park and found his way to the home he occupied with two other vampires. The eight houses in his nest were perfectly lined up, huge “four and a door” traditional clapboard houses painted inconspicuous dark colors with plain white trim or white with black trim. Several back yards were concealed with high redwood privacy fencing. The homes looked enough alike to be by the same builder, but not interesting enough to draw attention to them. Their condition was average, the yards marginally neglected to match the neighborhood.
    The streetlight was on, but the houses were dark, being light-tight, of course. White curtains hung in the windows between the glass panes and wood panels that boarded the windows from the inside. The sound of the Santa Monica Freeway never ceased, as it abutted the end of the street.
    When Derek came to his front door, he focused his mind on the lock until he heard it click and then he opened the door and stepped inside.
    Closing his eyes for a moment, he could feel both of the brothers he lived with were home. He followed the scent of the ever-present fire in the fireplace into the living room and found Terence sitting in an overstuffed chair reading in light too dim for a human.
    Terence was older, but Derek didn’t know how old exactly. He looked to be in his early twenties – his age when he was killed. With thick sandy brown hair and green eyes, he was very handsome. They were all handsome.
    Raymond stood at his easel in the corner, painting. He was perfectly built, tall and black with once-brown eyes that were now slightly lighter and golden, and that enabled him to paint without the benefit of sunlight.
    “Oh good, you’ve fed,” Terence said as Derek sat on the sofa.
    “Yeah, I fed.”
    “I was beginning to worry about you. Not that we mind providing your meals. You’re a slow starter. I’d already found my own blood after the first week or so.”
    “Yeah, I know. I’m slow. So Madeline keeps telling me.”
    “Did you kill her? Were you careful? I assume it was a woman.”
    Derek knew it was evident he’d come in his pants like a teenager. He felt embarrassed, and rested his hand on his lap.
    “I didn’t kill her,” he said.
    “You know, if you do, just tell us and we’ll help you take care of it. You’re not alone.”
    “Okay, but I didn’t kill her.”
    “Will she remember? You took care of everything?”
    “Of course.” Fuck. I took care of nothing. I ran like a scared rabbit. Like a shitty vampire.
    Terence went back to his book. Derek looked over at Raymond, who gave him a nod.
    After climbing the stairs, Derek showered and changed clothes. Then he lay across his bed, thinking of Clara.
    He knew he’d fucked up. He never should have gone to her place. Why couldn’t he stay away from her? And now she’d seen him and he’d bitten her. Like a fucking animal. He’d hurt her and now he was disgusted with himself. What a completely worthless vampire he made. And he didn’t even change her memory. God, what must she be thinking?
    He realized it was cruel to leave her the way he had. She could possibly think she was losing her mind. Would she tell anyone? He knew he had to go back and take her memory. He got up and went back downstairs.
    He crossed behind the houses and waited in