Chapter 1: Surprise Question

While swaddled in Alexander's startling white, corpse cold arms all I could think about was what his surprise for me was. He told me on the phone earlier that day that I would never be able to guess what his surprise for me was. He told me while I was on my way to school. I can't believe that the school doesn't offer night classes. Then Alexander could go to school with me. Oh well, that's what we get for living in a town of 8,000 people where everyone but me and Alexander looked like they had just stepped out of a Sears catalog.

I had spent all of the sad lonely hours of daylight wondering, wondering what Alexander's sweet romantic surprise for me would be. As if our simple candle and moonlit picnic in the cemetery by his grandmothers monument wasn't already the most romantic date that we could have. I couldn't see Alexander during daylight because he can't come out during the day, hence why I wish that the school had a night school.

I should mention that the reason that Alexander couldn't go to school with me during the day was because he wasn't human. He was far too handsome to be human though luckily every believed that. Alexander, along with the majority of his family, is a vampire. Trevor Mitchell, my arch enemy, had started a rumor that had spread to the entire town, after his mother had told him some things that she had heard about Alexander's parents, that they were vampires. I suppose it wasn't so bad that I had believed in the rumors for a while, it was what had brought me and Alexander together ultimately.

On my walk to the cemetery I went over all my ideas about what my vampire beau would do. Would he change me? Were we going to Romania, his homeland? Was I being invited to live in the Mansion? I mean, after all I am eighteen. I could move out of my house on my own with Alexander, drop out of Dullsville High (Alexander had been home schooled all his existence), I could even get a tattoo. I was a legal adult.

After a sweet, heart stopping kiss Alexander and I talked about my day and what he had done after I had left the day before. Then we ate some of the delicious sandwiches that Alexander's butler Jameson had made for us.

What Alexander ended up asking me next took me completely off my guard. No wonder he told me that I would never be able guess.

As Alexander's soft, warm, soulful brown eyes stared into mine I found myself mesmerized and barley paying attention. I'm just guessing that the fact that it was all just like he had put a spell on me was just a coincidence that he could actually do that.

"Raven?" Alexander asked.

"Mm."

"I have something that I want to ask you," he continued after he knew that I was paying attention to him.

This was it. This was what I had been waiting for all day. This was my surprise. I just knew it.

"Raven, we've been dating for nearly two years now."

"One year, ten months. and fifteen days this past sunset," I said, "to be exact."

"Okay then. Raven, we've been dating for exactly one year, ten months, and fifteen days this past sunset," he said repeating what I had said. "Will you, Raven Madison, marry me, Alexander Sterling?"

"Huh?" I was in utter shock. This wasn't what I had been expecting. But add to the things I could now legally do- get married. "Yes," I said when I saw him staring.

I was breathless. While I tried to get my breath back Alexander ducked behind grandmothers monument and pulled out a bouquet of red roses. Hanging from a black satin ribbon on the roses was a beautiful, old fashioned ring.

"My grandmothers," Alexander explained as he put the ring on the third finger of my left hand.

"It's beautiful," I whispered.

"I thought that since you were going to be a part of my family if you said yes, then that you should have a Sterling family heirloom."

"I love you," I said.

"I love you, too," he breathed.

We probably wouldn't have said much else. Even if our lips weren't busy in another way entirely different from talking.

As we drove to my house, I couldn't stop staring at Baroness Sterling's ring. Now it was my ring.

When we finally got to my front door, instead of kissing me goodnight like he usually did. He opened the front door for me. And since my parents were still up I knew we were telling them our news.

"Mom, dad," I blurted out, "we're getting married!" I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried, hide my newly found excitement for an occasion where I had no real choice but to wear white.

"What?" they yelled in unison.

"What's going on?" Billy Boy asked coming down the stairs.

"Are you pregnant?" my mother asked me, ignoring my little brother.

"No! We just love each other and want to get married," I hurriedly said.

"Well when were you planning on getting married?" my dad asked far calmer than my mother.

"We were thinking that since December 1st is our second anniversary of our first date that we should just get married then. It's September 15th today, so that gives us two and a half months to get ready for the wedding," Alexander replied even calmer than my dad except for his obvious excitement about my saying yes. "I'll call my parents tonight and tell them. Tomorrow night Raven and I will write out the invitations for Raven to send out on Friday. We'll have the wedding at sundown on the first and have the ceremony and reception at the Mansion. Raven and I will head out for our honeymoon in Romania the night after the wedding. After a month in Romania Raven and I will return to live in the Mansion," Alexander continued explaining everything to my parents.

"You two really have thought this out haven't you?" my mother asked, almost as calm as Alexander.

"We talked on our way over here," I replied calmly.

"Well you're eighteen, we really can't deny you getting married. Besides, ever since you and Alexander met you have been happier then you ever were, even when you were a little girl and you're father would stay up late an watch Dracula with you on our old black-and-white TV," my mother said.

"What is going on?" Billy Boy asked, annoyed now that we hadn't included him in our conversation at all. I had forgotten that he was even there.

"Alexander and I are getting married?" I said just as excited as the first time I said those words aloud.

For a thirteen-year-old who's so smart, Billy Boy was utterly stupefied by our announcement.