How to Fake-Date a Vampire (Charming Cove, #2)

by Linsey Hall

There were articles about him in the papers occasionally, but never photos.

Well, he is a vampire, so if he has classic vampiric traits, you wouldn't be able to get a picture of him.

There weren’t many supernaturals among the nobility since humans didn’t know we existed and we tended to avoid them to keep it that way. Unlike the vampires of myth, real vampires died just like the rest of us.

When a local farmer had asked me to improve the temperament of his ornery goat, it would have been an easy job for any other witch.

It would be funny if this was one of the goats from the previous book.

He’d had a few too many Jail Ales and started to talk like a poet. Said the flower garden was the thing of dreams and that the pond had a mermaid who sang like an angel.” “Don’t forget the enchanted woodland and the hedge maze filled with statues and faerie lights.

My luck was on fire lately. First the embarrassing run-ins with the duke, and now Hecate had given me a skunk for a familiar. Not a cat or dog or something more normal, but a skunk.

Seems to be a common theme in the series so far. First a badger, now a skunk...

“There’s just something about her that is so kind. And clever. She’s very intelligent, I can tell. You know how I’ve got a sense for these things.”

Real vampires weren’t like the monsters of myth, but they were still dangerous. True, they didn’t make a point of drinking blood straight from the source, but they were predators by nature. Just because they’d become more civilized with the modern advent of blood distribution services didn’t mean they wouldn’t bite another person.

So like Twilight and True Blood vampires?

“I suppose you live in a cottage by a creek, complete with friendly forest creatures?” he asked. “Cozy and delightful, I’m sure. Until you lure children in to be eaten.” “No.” I glared at him. “That’s a witch stereotype, and I’ll thank you not to use it.”

She was beyond beautiful, with her long golden hair and the scattering of freckles across her nose.

Vampires weren’t affected by crosses and holy water like humans thought, but they also generally weren’t religious. Most supernaturals weren’t, since it was often the church leading the charge when it came to witch burning and vampire hunting.

The room was located on the far side of the house in the other wing. It was two stories tall on the inside, and soaring bookshelves surrounded me, filled to the brim with books. I spun in a circle. “I feel like Belle in Beauty and the Beast.” “That would make me the Beast, then?” I looked at him, surprised to see the genuine smile on his face. “Exactly.” He shrugged. “If the shoe fits.”

The genuine love in her voice made me want to swoon. They might be a small family, but they were a family, and thick as thieves.

“Well, hello there, handsome. Unlike this one, you certainly know how to choose appropriate attire to enhance your…assets. Who are you?” “Alaric Ashford. Duke of Blackthorn.” Her face fell. “So my great, great-grand-something, then? A pity.” I stifled a laugh. It must be disappointing to flirt with someone and then realize they’re your relative.

A huge sweeping arc of stairs led down to the main floor, just like the ones I’d seen in movies. Descending in a dress like this would be like something out of any girl’s fantasies. Except in the fantasy, the handsome hero was waiting at the bottom. I shoved the thought away and was determined to enjoy the moment, even if I was alone.